Renoud Family History & Genealogy

Stephen Renoud was the son of Peter Renoud Junior of New Rochelle, New York. It is not sure if his father, Peter Renoud Junior , of New Rochelle, in Westchester County, New York, was responsible for the Renoud family moving into Connecticut. Records are sketchy. However, in the early 1800's, Stephen, and at least three of his brothers Samuel Renoud, Benjamin Franklin Renoud and David Renoud ( buried in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mountain Grove Cemetery), made their way from Westchester County, New York to the Black Rock Section of Fairfield in Fairfield County Connecticut. In the town records, Samuel and Benjamin are called up for two days service during the War of 1812. Benjamin eventually left Fairfield and returned to live out his days in Brooklyn, New York. David passed away in New Rochele, New York and was buried in Connecticut in a rather prominent grave in Bridgeport, CT. Samuel Renoud, it is thought eventually ended up in upstate New York, an orchardist, near Middlesex, New York Yates County. Stephen , however, had restless feet and ended up living , first in
Leroy, New York and eventually ( he was a stagecoach driver, barrel maker and farmer) in Greenspond, Pike County, Illinois. He had a large family. He married Letitia (Lydia) Donaldson in Fairfield, Ct. His obituary stated that he fell off a fence, struck his head and died a few days later. He was quite old at that time. He died July, 1866.

This is a story by Morgan Horton Secord as was found in the journal entitled, Westchester Historian by me a few years ago. This story had been written around 1968. Morgan claimed that the original story came from his family and had been written in his family Bible.

While living in New Rochelle, NY, on North Street, our great, great, great, great grandmother, Mary (Secord) Renoud, was apprehended by British troops and then put under arrested, by General Howe's troops, somewhere between October 22nd and October 24th in the year 1776. This occurred at the start of the Revolutionary War. This also occurred during the British invasion of Westchester. She was arrested by the troops guarding General Howe's temporary headquarters at the Pugsley's House on North Street, New Rochelle, New York. The charges brought against her were not for taking water from the well in front of General Howe's headquarters, but rather for suspicion of spying. The house was located directly opposite from where the New Rochelle High School is located today. She was suspected of being a spy for the Colonial Army. Previously, on April 11, 1775, her husband, John Renoud, his father Stephen Renoud Jr. and John Renoud's two Secord brother-in-laws, one of whom was Isaac Secord, the Secord who established the cemetery next to the Methodist Church, on North Street, New Rochelle, went to White Plains, New York to swear allegiance to King George of England. This has been documented in a series of Colonial papers, the Rivington Papers, that were published in the 1800s and recently reprinted, in book form. I found this book at the library. When asked why she took the water, by General Howe, Mary Renoud said that, 'The local British Troops had used up the water in her well and she had young children to feed and animals to tend and needed the water for that use.'. She had made the trip down the hill from her home on North Street, to get water a number of times before she was stopped by British soldiers. She carried the water on a yoke type apparatus with two wooden buckets on either side. No doubt, she mentioned to General Howe, that her husband was a Loyalist and had pledged his support to the King of England (her husband had actually signed a statement ), at White Plains, NY, on April 15, of 1775. General Howe let Mary Renoud go and ordered an armed guard for John and Mary Renoud's well on their farm for the duration of his stay there in Westchester, so that the well water could recover and she could supply the water needs of her family. The guard was left at her house while the British occupied the Eastern section of lower Westchester and until after the battle of White Plains, when the British Army retreated from the area.

Mary Secord Renoud was baptized on May 16, 1742 , in New Rochelle, NY.