This portrait of Martha St. John Reese is a companion piece to her husband David F. Reese?s portrait posted earlier. It is also housed at the Schenectady County Historical Society and painted by Earl Bridges of Albany.
On the back it gives the date of 1836-7, the same as David?s. It also lists her name as Marcy Reese (why it appears rubbed out we?ll never know). Marcy is a possible nickname for Martha. (See https://www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/your-female-ancestors-nicknames/)
Martha was David?s first wife; they married in 1829, they had 6 children, and she died at age 39 in 1844. David married 3 more times: to Susan Quackenbush in 1845 (one child); to Margaret Clute in 1854; to Margaret Viele VanSlyck (widow) in 1866.
We have genealogy notes on the Reese family, but they were compiled many years back. Information is more easily available today, so it may be time for a new look. (Anyone interested in starting that project? Just email me and we can get together to chat about it.)
