52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, No. 23, Wedding (NOT) : George HUDSON, 1680-1748

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog based on Themes. Last week's theme was Commencement / Beginnings.  This week, the theme is Wedding and I'm writing about... NOT Weddings.  I couldn't find any wedding photos or wedding stories, nor is there any particular tradition/history about weddings. On the other hand, here is Bangor Church where the children of George HUDSON were likely married, in Pennsylvania!   

I've chosen to write about George HUDSON/HUTTSON, who emigrated from Wales to Pennsylvania, possibly along with the MORGAN family (Thomas MORGAN). George was the 8th of the 9 known children attributed to Charles HUDSON and Joice/Joyce (unknown), in Pembrokeshire, Wales. There were only 2 girls in this family - another male-heavy line in the family. George HUDSON is my 6th (my children's 7th) great-grandfather. 

George married an unknown woman in Wales, who apparently died shortly after the birth of their fifth child.  Shortly afterwards, George married a second time to a Margret Griffith, but the couple had no further children. George and his first wife had the following children, all born in Pembrokeshire, Wales:
  1.  Charles, b.~1710, d. Jan 1748/9 in Pennsylvania; m. Mary Love in PA abt 1735, 3 boys
  2.  Nicholas [ancestor], b. ~1711/12, d. bef 9 Sep 1780 in PA; m. abt 1735 in PA to Jean/Jane BOWEN, 8 children (7 boys, 1 girl)
  3.  Joyce, b. ~1715; m. est 1730 to Even/Owen Hugh, 6 children (5 boys, 1 girl)
  4.  George jr., b. ~1718, d. 1747 PA; m. est 1740 in PA to Ann___; 2 children (1 each)
  5.  William, b. 1720, d. 1753 Evangeline Co., Louisiana; m. est 1746 LA to  Frances Morgan; 3 known children (2 boys, 1 girl)

This HUDSON family, written as Huttson at times, apparently immigrated sometime soon after 1720.  He was one of the earliest settlers in Caernarvon township.  George is listed as receiving a warrant for 400 acres of land reaching south from the King's Highway and west of the land of Gabriel Davies. An early map of Caernarvon township showing land boundaries may be seen in this link; scroll down, and under Lancaster county, select Caernarvon township. This is a wonderfully detailed map - I've spent hours poring over it! 

George left a very detailed will, apparently written on 09 Dec 1746 but not witnessed until 10 Jul 1747. A Codicil was added and then witnessed on 15 Sep 1747. The will was probated on 11 Apr 1748.  It lists the children, a number of grandchildren, describes his youngest son William as living in Louisiana, and other family details.  A transcription of the will may be found here.  The person transcribing the will used [sic] for all unusual or mis-spellings. Of course, spelling as we all know, was somewhat irrelevant at the time, and although correct, I find the constant [sic] quite intrusive to reading it.  I've taken each sentence and separated it, to clarify each item and each person in the family.

His will affirms that he and Margret had no children, as he states   "...she having no Child of her own nor neare relation in this Country...", and his will appears very generous in looking after her. Margret died before 3 Mar 1761, almost 13 years after George's death.

George provided funds to the Bangor church to build a stone wall surrounding it, plus yearly funds from his land estates to the church. The Bangor Episcopalian church, originally built around 1722, is a National Heritage building, and there is apparently a plaque inside the church mentioning him.   

Here is where more information may be found on the HUDSON, MORGAN, & other Welsh surnames in the interior area of Pennsylvania:  Click Link.  

If any of these people are your ancestors as well, please contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below. I would love to learn more about my various ancestors. 

Blogger is still not letting me "reply" to your comments, for some unknown reason. If I don't reply to your Comment, please know that I'm totally thrilled you came to read my post and commented!  You truly make my day.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #20: Rachel PIERSOL

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 20th installment, another woman ancestor with virtually no details about her aside from Birth, Marriage, Death.  

The PIERSOL family grew up around Morgantown, Berks, Pennsylvania, with many other Welsh immigrants with surnames such as Davis, Evans, Hudson, Jenkins, Hughes, Bowen, Allen, Owen. Interestingly, I noted that a Pearsall Family DNA study shows that the males have a Swedish origin from perhaps 2000 years ago; they list many spellings for the Piersol/Pearsall surname. If this is your surname, do check out their site for testing. 

Note: I have a copy of the Caernarvon Township map of Warrants/Surveys/Patents of landowners, constructed in 1934 from original drafts.  This may be requested of me by direct-message or below, using my email address as shown; for personal use only, not for publication, as it is copyrighted. 

Rachel is my 5th great-grandmother on my mother's lines.  The PIERSOL surname is spelled many ways, of course: e.g., Pearsall, Pearsol(l), Piersol(l), Persall, and so on.  

Rachel's father was Richard PIERSOL, born about 1677, apparently in Wales. He immigrated with his father (name either John or Richard Sr.), about 1683. His family settled in Pennsylvania. On about 1720, in Caernarvon, Richard married Bridget BROWN about 1720. Bridget emigrated before that date, but I know nothing about Bridget's family.Well, except that a Richard Brown was one of the executors of her will - a brother? Maybe. Richard was the only living son, along with at least 4 sisters, as named in his father's will, 1777. 

Rachel PIERSOL was born about 1723 in Caernarvon Township/Morgantown area - note that Morgantown (Morgan's Town) was not laid out until about 1770. She married Jacob MORGAN in 1739 in Honey Brook, Chester, PA.  Honey Brook is only about 5 miles south of Morgantown area. 

Much is known of Jacob MORGAN (Sr) as he was very well known in the region in various roles, e.g., as a Judge and other official capacity; a Captain in the Seven Years War (French & Indian Wars), in Col. Weiser's regiment; plus a Colonel in the Revolutionary War.  A number of DAR and SAR applications may be researched, based on Jacob Sr. or his son Jacob Jr. MORGAN's military service.

Rachel and Jacob seem to have settled in the Caernarvon/Morgantown area, raising their 7 known children:

1. Rebecca, b. 1741; m. John Price
2. Jacob (Jr.), b. 1742; m. Barbara Leisure Jenkins, 6 children
3. Benjamin, b. abt 1745; m. Harriett Ashton, at least 1 son
4. Mary [ancestor], b. 20 Jun 1748; m. John/Jonathan HUDSON, 7 children
5. Sarah, b. abt 1750; m. Joseph Jenkins
6. Frances, b. est. 1752
7. John, b. est 1755 

In the mid 1780s, Jacob & Rachel appear to have moved for a time to Philadelphia, returning to Morgantown area before 1791. I still have much research to do on Jacob's various roles in his very active life.

Rachel died at the age of 68 years, on 19 Dec 1791 in Montgomeryville, apparently. I am not certain why she was there - visiting relatives? Or one of her married daughters?  Her husband, Jacob, died the following year on 11 Nov 1792, aged 76, in Morgantown.  The gravestone - a large horizontal one on a raised base - has details of both Jacob and Rachel, and can be seen here on FindAGrave.  

If you have further information about Rachel PIERSOL and her parents, or if you have questions about any of this information, contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments section below.