#52Ancestors: William JEFFS (est.1675-1732/33), Warwick, England

Continuing the #52Ancestors year-long challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is my son-in-law's 8th great-grandfather, 9th for his and my daughter's children, William JEFFS (birth est 1675-?) from Warwick, Warwickshire, England. I'm referring to him as William-2, as there are several Williams in this family.  

Apparently the surname JEFFS comes from the time of the [1066] Norman-French, Geoffroi, later spelled Jeff. The final 's' is shortened from the old patronymic 'son', i.e., Jeffson became Jeffs.  

Warwick is a medieval town, on the River Avon, and the St Mary's Church the JEFFS family attended has a 174ft high tower, seen in the photo here. Information can be found on several sites by googling the church. The image here was uploaded to Wikipedia by the photographer, Matthew Field [matthewfield.com].

From digging through page after page of several different versions of early Parish Registers in Warwick [St Mary's Church], I've managed to find a few details. The first item is that I can only find one family named JEFFS [or variant] in the Parish. That's good news for research, in that Jeffs individuals found are likely to be William's family - children or parents, possibly siblings. No siblings of William-2 found after an exhaustive review of several hundred pages and two different registers!  

I believe I've found William-2's father, also named William-1 [of course!], who was buried 14 Feb 1728/29. I never found a "Widow Jeffs" buried, however. Still, it shows he was living near or with his son William. As mentioned before, I've estimated William-2's birth year to be approximately 1675.  And I'm assuming he was born in Warwick region. 

William-2 married Mary [unknown surname] in approximately 1700 in St Mary's Church, Warwick, although I have yet to find the marriage in the register. I'll keep on looking in the other nearby churches in case they married in Mary's original church. 

William-2 and Mary had the following nine children, all christened at St Mary's Church:
    1.  Sarah [ancestor], bap 21 Jun 1702, d. 23 Nov 1755; m. 13 May 1727 to
            Richard PARSONS; 3 known children
    2.  William-3, bap 26 Mar 1704; m. est 1725 to Mary ___; 1 known child
    3.  Thomas, bap 20 Oct 1706; m. unknown; 1 known child 
    4.  Mary, bap 20 Mar 1707/08; m. unknown; 1 known child
    5.  Elisabeth, bap 6 Jan 1710/11
    6.  Anne, bap 2 Apr 1714
    7.  Alice [Alce], bap 2 Sep 1716
    8.  John, bap 20 Nov 1718; m. est 1745 to Elizabeth who was buried
             26 Jul 1750; their son Samuel also died in same month.
    9.  Richard, bap 24 Nov 1721

It is clear I need to continue searching for more details of the JEFFS children, and also for additional historical information of the region. For example, in the Burial section, one month I saw there were 23 burials, where normally there are 2-8 burials per month. Epidemics? Harsh winters? Inadequate resources in the family for food and heat? 

Four years after his father died, William-2 was buried, 16 Feb 1732/33., aged approximately 58 or thereabouts. I have no idea of the cause of his death, nor if his wife were still living. So far, I have not found a will, but that is not unusual for this time period. 

As usual when researching 'ordinary folk' in the early 1700s there are limited resources to check. To date I've found no court cases, no wills,  nor any additional church records. I can check the Hearth Tax rolls from 1662-1672 to see if there are any JEFFS men in Warwick or very close by. And also check the Victoria County books for Warwickshire to see if any JEFFS men are mentioned at all, as well as to check the region for trades, challenges, and more.  

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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!! 

#52Ancestors: Anna Barbara ADAMS 1698-1753

Continuing the #52Ancestors  challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 5th great-grandmother on my maternal KUHN line, Anna Barbara ADAMS, abt 1698-1753.  The photo here is of the village of Neckartailfingen, a drawing done in 1683, from the forest log of Andreas Kieser. It is believed the ADAMS and KUHN families may have lived here. 

Anna Barbara ADAMS and her husband, John KUHN, plus their 4 living adult children, emigrated to Pennsylvania between 1730-1742. They had been said to be living in the Wuerttemberg region - now the southwest portion of Germany. I haven't been able to definitively pinpoint where she was born, nor her husband's birthplace. The Kuhns have "always" been of the Catholic faith, so I still have a few more options for research.  

John KUHN was a carpenter, and was responsible for the erection of the first Catholic church in Goshenhoppen in the early 1740s for the region's first Catholic priest: Father Theodore Schneider, signature on the right [1741].  

In several different KUHN trees, and also on one questionable document, it appears that she may have been born in Schlaitdorf, close to the Neckar River. As the Kuhn family likely came with others from the same region, I have been researching as many of the early immigrant in-laws and neighbours as possible, in their region of Pennsylvania. Challenging. So far, nothing definite has been found, but several crumbs, perhaps! 

Anna Barbara's parents were apparently Hans Jacob ADAMS and Margareta SCHAFER. As it is said her daughter was born in/near Schlaitdorf, it is likely her parents lived here and may have been born here as well. Another in-law states the family lived in Neckartailfingen, a smaller village within a kilometer from Schlaitdorf, on the Neckar River.  

Her mother Margareta died on 26 Jan 1753, on apparently the same day/year as Anna Barbara's death, in Berks county, Pennsylvania. This may indicate a serious illness going through the community, or, may be an error in transcription. I have not found the church register information for this time period.  

Children of Anna Barbara ADAMS and John KUHN, all born in Wuerttemberg region: 

    1.  Henry, b. abt 1718, d. 22 Aug 1765 Salisbury, Northampton, PA; m.
         bef 1741 to Anna Margaret Schmidt [1720-1773]; 10 known children.

    2.  John George, [ancestor],  b. abt 1720, d. 1762 in PA, aged only 42;
          m. 27 Nov 1744 in father's home, Macungie PA, to Catherine RIFFEL
          [1725-1799]; 5 known children

    3.  Eva Mary, b. abt 1722, d. abt 1756 aged 34, after 6th child, Macungie PA;
         m. 24 Apr 1743 in father's home, Macungie PA to Philip Schmidt;
         6 known children

    4.  Joseph, abt 1724, d. 1782, aged 58 Macungie PA; m. to unknown person;
         1 son

Re other ADAMS or SCHAFER/SHAEFER individuals or families in the region:
There is one other Adams at the same time in the community: a Simon Adams marrying Catharine Eck/Egg on 13 Feb 1776, but I would have expected an Adams or Schafer individual to be witnesses.  One Catharine Schafer [dau of Henry Shaefer] married Solomon Grett 10 Nov 1816; no witnesses listed. No other Schafer individuals show up in church records of this time and place.

Note that Burials for the old Goshenhoppen Church [Bally, Berks, PA] begin in 1765, marriages from 1741, baptisms. also from 1741.  These details are from compilations produced and published by Barbara Brady O'Keefe, Miami FL, in 1982 [copyrighted]. Not all baptisms would be of babies, it must be noted, so I cannot make assumptions about a baptism following shortly after a birth.

I need to keep digging into the compilations of the Goshenhoppen church to see if I can find more clues to follow. Plus search for the Catholic church records on FamilySearch and online. And wouldn't it be lovely to find a family Bible-? of any of the Kuhn, Adams, or Schafer families.

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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!!

#52Ancestors: Joseph PURDY, 1653-1709, Grandfather of UEL

Continuing the #52Ancestors  challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is Joseph PURDY, who is the grandfather of my children's United Empire Loyalist [UEL], Gilbert PURDY [1721-1778]. 

I know very little about Joseph, having only recently begun to attempt to take the PURDY line back a little further in time.  

From what I have found to date, Joseph born 1653, was the third son of Francis PURDY and Mary BRUNDAGE, settlers from England, possibly from Suffolk England, arriving before 1644.  All of the  five known children were born in Fairfield county, Connecticut. Francis died unexpectedly 4 Oct 1658 when Joseph was only 5 years old. His widow, Mary, married very shortly thereafter to John Hoyt; no further children known. 
Joseph apparently moved to the region of Rye New York in 1677, selling several pieces of his Fairfield Connecticut property in 1678. Rye was a patented township in about 1686. The map shows Rye abuts the Connecticut border with New York. 

Joseph PURDY married in 1680 to Elizabeth OGDEN, in Rye New York. Elizabeth's parents may be John OGDEN & Judith BUDD, but this has yet to be confirmed. Note there are conflicting lists of children for Joseph and Elizabeth with no agreed-on order of birth. 

The following group of 11 children, not all with birth dates, nor listed in valid birth order [most birthdates are estimates only], were apparently all born in Rye, Westchester, NY:

• Elizabeth, b. est 1681
• Samuel, b. est 1682
• Joseph jr, b. 1683, d. 15 Jun 1777 White Plains, Westchester NY
• John, b. est 1685
• David, ancestor, b. 1687, d. Oct 1766, Ulster Co., NY; m. est 1719 to _____ RUTTENBERG in Newburgh NY; only one son known [ancestor, Gilbert PURDY, sr.] 
• Jude [girl], b. est 1689
• Jonathan, b. 1693, d. 1772
• Mary, est 1695
• Francis, b. 1697, d. 1760
• Daniel, b. est 1699
• Phebe, b. est 1701, d. 1761

The names of all his sons and his four daughters are mentioned in his will, which was very helpful, confirming they are all his children. Likely they are all Elizabeth's as well. Joseph's will is dated 15 Oct 1703 in Rye; he died approximately 20 Oct 1709, and the Probate was proved in 26 Oct 1710.  I have just noticed there are no witnesses listed at the end of the abstracted will. Unusual. The Will abstract may be found on either sites: Ancestry or AmericanAncestors,  part of "Early Wills of Westchester."

Joseph died in 1709 in Rye, Westchester, New York, aged about 56 years old. It is believed he is buried in the small PURDY BURYING GROUND in Rye, along with his wife and several children. His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1742; she does not seem to have remarried, which is surprising as many of their children were under age and would have needed guardians. Clearly more digging is required to see if there are court records re guardianship.

As is usual with researching early ancestors, I am left with a number of confusing or conflicting information to be researched. Those children - I would like to find confirmed spouses and residences for them. Also, I need to find Elizabeth's will. Guardianship records [court records] need to be searched for. And I need to search more documents clarifying whether Elizabeth married for a second time. 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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!!

52Ancestors: Joshua HORTON [sr] 1643-1729, 2nd generation

Continuing the   #52Ancestors  challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is the senior Joshua HORTON, born 1643 in Southold, Suffolk, [Long Island], New York.  Southold was founded in 1640 by Puritans from New Haven Connecticut colony, directly across the Long Island Sound. 

Joshua is my 8th great-grandfather, 9th to my children, 10th to grandchildren. 

Joshua is the 3rd of 7 children of Barnabas HORTON and his second wife, Mary LANGTON. Barnabas married first to Anne Smith in Leicestershire, England, about 1623, and they had 3 children; she died shortly after their 3rd child in 1628. 

Joshua HORTON was born in 1643 in Southold, on Long Island, New York.  Approximately 1665, he married Mary Tuttle/TUTHILL who had been born approximately 1647.  Her parents are suggested to have been John & Joan Tuttle, but this has not yet been proven.  Several online trees suggest they were Henry and Bridget Tuttle, but there are significant differences in children's names making this couple not proven. 

Children of Joshua and Mary, all born in the town of Southold, all birthdates are only approximate: 
    1.  Elizabeth, b. 1665
    2.  Joshua [jr] [ancestor],  b. 1669, d. 1744 Elizabethtown NJ; m.
            Elizabeth GROVER, about 1690; 8 known children  
    3.  Joseph, b. 1671  
    4.  Sarah, b. 1673
    5.  Bethia, b. 1679
    6.  Ephraim, b. 1686
    7.  Mary, b. 1687
    8.  Zerviah  [or Zeruiah], [female] b. 1689

Note the approximate 6 year gap between the 5th and 6th children, perhaps due to one [or more] unknown child's death.  

I have a long list of further suggested research, mainly at the NEHGS site, American Ancestors, for wills, probates, land records, taxes, and additional church records. I have no marriages nor death records for the children other than my direct ancestor. Hopefully by next year I may have found more and relevant records!  

This family descends by marriage through my BUELL line, and then to the TERWILLIGER LINE. 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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!!

52Ancestors: Renald FERNALD & Joanna WARBURTON, early US settlers

Continuing the #52Ancestors [52 weeks] challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here are my 8th great-grandparents on my maternal line. In the 1730s they marry with the PETTYGROVEs, then in the 1860s to the KUHNs, then down to my mother.  

The likeliest baptism record I've found in England to date is of Renald FERNALD bap. 6 Jul 1605 in Bristol England. More research is needed here. There are several other variants of Renald Fernald born around this time in Holborn/London, but I also noted burial records for those men before 1625. 

He was an early settler in New Hampshire, living for some time on Peirce Island - called Doctor's Island. He was a Chirurgeon [physician], although later, in the few years before he died, he was a court recorder of wills/probates.  

In approximately 1630 he married Joanna WARBURTON, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The first Anglican church of record was erected in 1638 which begs the question of who married them. A visiting ship captain? A leader in Portsmouth designated as a justice of the peace? Also, to date I have not found information on either of their parents - more on my to-do list!  

Renald and Joanna had 7 known children, dates are estimates, all born in Portsmouth. Note the Spinney sisters marrying the two younger Fernald brothers:
   1.  Thomas, b. abt 1632, d. in Maine; m. abt 1650 to Temperance Washington
   2.  Elizabeth, b. abt 1634
   3.  Mary, b. abt 1637
   4.  Sarah, b. abt 1640; m. abt 1660 to Allen Lyde
   5.  John [ancestor], b. 27 Sep 1642, d. after 1708 Maine; m. 1669 to
           Mary Norman SPINNEY; 6 children
   6.  Samuel, b. abt 1644;  m. Dec 1698 to Hannah Spinney
   7.  William, b. 5 Mar 1644/45, d. 5 Jul 1728 Kittery Maine; m. 16 Nov 1671
            to Elizabeth Langdon

Found on Internet Archives, The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623-1660, by Charles Henry Pope, 1908, p66, this excerpt provides some details: 

 FERNALD:    Reginald, or Renald, chirurgion, physician, Portsmouth, before 1642; his son Thomas had a deed of land from Richard Vines, steward general of Gorges [Sir Ferdinando Gorges], 3 May, 1645.  He was one of the commissioners for trial of minor cases in 1649.  He signed - “Renald Fernald” - the petition of Portsmouth people for full rights, 20 Oct. 1651. [Mass.Arch. 112,38,]  Clerk of courts in 1654.  He deposed in 1659 as to occurrences 17 years before.

His widow Joanna made will, 23 April 1660; it was brought into court 28 June, by Elias Stileman and Anthony Ellens, with inventory attested by Elizabeth Fernald.  She beq. to daus, Sarah, Elizabeth and Mary, sons Samuel, John, William and Thomas; to John all the surgery books that were his father’s. Thomas, shipwright, with wife Temperance, sold land in Kittery 4 March, 1689, to his bro. William, shipwright.  Elizabeth sold land near Hinckson’s Pool, 29 Oct. 1660.

And also on Internet Archives, Old Kittery and Her Families, by Everett S. Stackpole, p375, this brief description adds a few additional details, and confirms the children of Renald and Joanna: 
FERNALD
     Renald (also called Reginald) Fernald came to Portsmouth in 1631 as the surgeon of Capt. John Mason's Company.  It is a tradition that he was a surgeon in the English Navy, resigning his post to come to America.  He was Clerk of Court, Recorder of Deeds, Commissioner, and Surveyor, and was Town Clerk at the time of his death.  He lived on "Doctor's" now Peirces Island, where he died between 17 May and 7 Oct 1656, and is said to have been buried at Point of Graves cemetery in Portsmouth.  His wife's name was Joanna, who died in 1660.
Children: 
   1.  Thomas b. about 1633; m. Temperance [Washington]; d. before 25 Aug 1697
   2.  Elizabeth b. abt 1634; unmarried
   3.  Mary b. about 1637; m. John Partridge 11 Dec 1660; d. 16 Aug 1722; 8 children
   4.  Sarah b. about 1640; m. [1] Allen Lyde 3 Dec 1661, [2] Richard Water___
   5.  John b. abt 1642; m. Mary Spinney
   6.  Samuel b. abt 1644; m. Hannah Spinney
   7.  William b. 3 Mar 1646; m. Elizabeth Langdon 16 Nov 1671.

Still to discover/research about Renald FERNALD and Joanna WARBURTON:
     - Parents of both in England
     - Ships Passenger lists [bef. 1633]
     - Church Records
     - Guardianship records for the younger children after Renald died

It is definitely challenging researching in early 1600s, but sometimes one can find a complete Parish Registration book [bap, marr., burials], or notes about someone emigrating to New England. One never knows! 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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!!

52Ancestors: Richard PARSONS 1704-1767, Warwickshire England

Continuing the #52Ancestors [52 weeks] challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is the 7th great-grandfather of my son-in-law, Richard PARSONS of Warwickshire England. 

Luckily for this particular challenge, images of the parish registers of baptisms and marriages for St. Mary's Church of England, in Warwick Warwickshire, are available on FindMyPast, some also on Ancestry. See image on right: [2006-02-10 M.Field:St. Mary's church in Warwick UK the tower as viewed from the top of Warwick Castle, taken and uploaded by Matthew Field http://www.mattfield .com]

Parts of this very large church are approximately 1,000 years old, with old gravestones on one side of the church grounds. 

Richard was the third of 4 children found to date of Robert PARSONS and Susanna [unknown].He was baptised November 25, 1704 - baptism register snippet is on the left. He had an older brother, Robert, an older sister Mary, and a younger brother Samuel. There may be other siblings, but they have not been found clearly in baptisms. Several possible siblings include perhaps a Thomas and a Samuel, who both show up having children baptised in the same church, around the same decade/s.  Richard's father, Robert also seems to have two or three possible siblings living in Warwick, a Thomas and a Samuel, which common names seem to indicate a relationship to be researched if possible.

On May 13th, 1727, Richard married Sarah JEFFS, daughter of William JEFFS & Mary [unknown] at St. Mary's church. Sarah was the eldest daughter, with sisters Alice and Ann, and brothers, William, Thomas, and Richard.  This is a little difficult to read, but hopefully clear enough.  It is a poor copy and I need to do more work to clarify it - this was taken from Ancestry, but I have a copy from FindMyPast, which is the same image.

Only 2 children are found on baptism registers for Richard and Sarah:
   1.  Thomas, [ancestor] bap 2 Jun 1728, d. possibly before 12 Feb 1786; m. Mary [unknown], approx 1752, in Oxhill, a tiny village about 14 miles south of Warwick; only 1 child known [ancestor].
  2.  Mary, bap 9 May 1730; no further information found to date. 

Below is a snippet of Thomas Parsons in the church register:

It is possible that Richard's wife Sarah died within a few years after Mary was born in 1730, which would explain why I cannot find any further children. However, I need to dig further in burial records to be sure. I found that he church burial register has more info about the costs of : the burials, opening the ground, passing [the coffin] through the church, etc., than clearly writing down the names and dates of the deceased!  I've put this on my to-do list.

I have no information about Richard's occupation nor his father's.  Living in the city of Warwick, population about 96,000 in 1700, this family likely were involved either in trade of some sort, or farm work. I had hoped to find a will with some details that would indicate his occupation [work tools, land].  Perhaps the Hearth Taxes would give details.  More items on the to-do list.

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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.

52Ancestor: William A GHOLSON 1705-1795, Virginia

Today my focus is in my ex-husband's maternal RICE line, William A[nthony] GHOLSON.  William is the 6th great-grandfather of my children and their Lewis first-cousins. The Gholson surname seems to have morphed from Goldstone, and the spellings are varied: Golston, Gholston Gulston, etc.

Gholson and Allied Families, written/published in 1950 by Virginia Baker Mitchell before her untimely death, and edited by Margaret Ann Scruggs, has a wealth of details and collected possibilities in regard to the relationships between the Gholson/Gulston families who moved to Virginia. I have it as an e-book on my computer. Here is a snippet from one page - someone wrote all over this, which I find both annoying and yet, very interesting!

William's parents were known to be Anthony GHOLSON Sr. and wife Jane. Both Anthony and Jane appear to have lived in Virginia all their life, from the late 1600s. I have not yet found detailed histories or documents of their parents or other past ancestors, except from this book, plus a will and several land records. However, it is widely thought that they may have been related to the original Gholson settlers from England to the Virginia region, several generations earlier. There are many spellings for Gholson, although Gholston is the more common variant in this family line in Spotsylvania county.

William, the eldest child of Anthony GHOLSON/Gholston, was born approximately 1705 in the region of what is now Spotsylvania County, in Virginia. At that time, Virginia was known as the Colony of Virginia and statehood was declared in 1788.  He was the eldest of five known children.

About 1728 or so, William married Susanna COLLINS, one of the daughters of Capt. Joseph COLLINS and Susanna LEWIS. Currently I know very little details about William, although he was a farmer and land-owner, owning several large plots of land. His name has been found in the Virginia Land Record Deed Books, regarding a number of records of buying and selling land.

William is not mentioned in any way in regard to the Revolutionary War, although he may have supported the militia. His relatively advanced age would have limited his ability to join the militias in active campaigns.

Known children of William and Susanna, born in Spotsylvania County, VA:
    1.  [Sgt.] William Gholson, b. abt 1728
    2.  John Lewis Gholson, b. 1730
    3.  Anthony GHOLSON jr [ancestor], b. 1733, d. abt 1815 Steubenville, KY;
              m. abt 1759 to Elizabeth [unknown surname]; 12 children
    4   Frederick Gholson, b. abt 1735
    5.  James Gholson, b. abt 1743
 
The birth order of William and Susanna's children is not necessarily correct, but is assumed by other records, marriages, etc. There is a single girl sometimes attached on online trees to William and Susanna, named Philadelphia, b. abt 1754, but this has not been confirmed as far as I have been able to find online.

Tax records show that in 1782/3 William was permitted to conduct an ordinary [pub].  In addition, in  Order Book 6 of Orange County between 1747-1760, there are a number of records of his numerous slaves.  Note his property was around the boundary line for Orange County and Spotsylvania County. He held a great deal of land, with a number of records of buying and selling land. However there has not been found a probate or will, to date.

Searching through Virginia Road Record Books [for road maintenance mainly], I have not found William mentioned, only a John Gholson - and there is more than one John in each generation of the Gholson children.

In 1786, William's wife Susanna died.  Apparently, shortly after, William took a second wife, Jane/Joan Perry, who  outlived William.  In approximately 1795 before 1800, William died. I have not found a will or probate as yet for either William, Susanna, or Joan.

Although William, Susanna, and Joan were most likely buried in either Orange County or Spotsylvania County, no gravesite/cemetery has been found as yet for any of them.

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I would love to find more details about William GHOLSON, and if you have any information and/or sources on this early Virginia family, I would be very happy to learn more!  My blog is not allowing me to reply directly to your comments, but aside from commenting, you could email me using the email address at the very bottom of the line of blogs [several blogs below today's blog post].

Thank you so much for reading today's blog post in the #52Ancestors challenge.

52 Ancestors: Favourite Photos [2]: BEGINNINGS 1968, 4-generations

Summer 1968, my first baby Lewis, 5 days old, stopping off from hospital on the way home to see my mother [on the left], and her mother aka GrandPete, holding daughter Pia.   

Summer 1924, another 4 generation photo: the little girl [2 yrs old] in her

mother's arms [aka GrandPete] is my mother! GrandPete's mother is on the left,
 and her mother is turned talking with her. Love this photo!

Love these photos showing women at different ages, clothing styles, and more.  

If you are a relative of these people, feel free to contact me through the email at the very bottom of the posts here, and I'm happy to send a copy to you.  

52Ancestors - a Filles du Roi in New France, 1668

Continuing the #52Ancestors [52 weeks] challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, the theme for this week is "Long Line."

I have a few very long lines from early New England on my mother's side, but my most recent discovery of a fairly long line in Canada, is the discovery of a King's Daughter, a Fille du Roi. I've always known of this group of single women who came to New France in the 1600s as brides for the mostly single men who trapped and lived in the colony, under contracts. Watching the rapid growth of New England, France decided it was necessary to accelerate the population growth of New France, strengthening their claim for the region. The map above shows how the Spanish, French, and British claimed areas of North America. There were constant skirmishes and wars, many involving the various Native Indian tribes in their battles.

In 1668, three DesCHALETS sisters arrived in Québec, orphaned by the deaths of their parents, François and Jacquette Chevallereau. The older sisters, twin girls, born in 1651, were Claude [nickname Blandina] and Madeleine, with their younger sister, Elisabeth, b. abt 1653. Claude is my ancestor through my TERWILLIGER line.  Most details are taken from the (a)  Gagné book, King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673, by Peter J. Gagné; and (b) Dictionaire Genealogique des familles du Québec by C.Tanguay, as well as in Olive Tree Genealogy [online].

Claude apparently was a bit of a mischief-maker along with her twin, and the two were brought up before the authorities on the ship from France, as well as in the community, for slandering another woman. Interesting. And what was the reason for targeting that particular person? Some details we'll never know.

Relatively soon after arriving in New France in Québec, Claude married Siméon le ROY, dit Audy, a master carpenter, on 3 Sep 1668. Note: "dit" names further identify surnames, often reflecting something about a geographic feature, or other details. Siméon's parents were Richard le ROI, dit Audy, and Pilette JACQUET de Créance; he was baptised on 1 Oct 1637.

On the same marriage date, one of Siméon's close friends, Jean Giron, a tailor, married Claude's twin, Madeline DesChalets. Several months later, 26 Nov 1668, Elisabeth married François Paris, a shoemaker.

Siméon and Claude had the following children, [bap usually several days after birth]:
    1.  Oliviér, bap. 30 May 1669, Québec
    2.  Jean, bap. 7 Sep 1670, Québec
    3.  Augustyn, bap. 18 Dec 1671, Québec
    4.  Marie-Anne, bap 11 May 1673, Québec
    5.  Léonard-Rémi Le ROY, [ancestor], bap. 15 Sep 1674, Québec;, died abt 1760 in Schoharie NY; m. 28 Sep 1703 to Maria ZIELLE in Kingston, Ulster, NY
    6.  Pierre, bap. 2 Apr 1676 Québec
    7.  Charlotte-Gertrude, bap. 22 Feb 1677/78, Québec
    8.  Jeanne-Elizabeth, bap. 29 Mar 1679, Québec
    9.  Marie, bap 2 May 1681, Montréal, died 28 May 1681
  10.  François, est 1683, Kingston, NY
  11.  Sara, est 1685, Kingston, NY

The second son, Jean, is the only child to remain in Canada. When Siméon moved the family to Albany, New York, he sent Jean to live with his godfather/namesake Jean Giron, living then at Charlesbourg, New France with first wife, Madeleine. Jean and Madeleine Giron had no children. Jean Le Roy descendants in Québec carry the surnames of either Audy or Roy.

In Albany county, on November 28, 1682, Augustyn aged 11, was apprenticed for six consecutive years to Adam Winne to learn the trade of rope-making. No other records are found for him. It is possible he is listed under a variant of his surname, dit name or, Adam Winne's name.

I have not researched the other children's spouses, occupations, and so on, after they lived in New York. This family has a long to-do list!

Siméon and Claude did not do very well in New York, and in February 1707/08, aged 57, Claude died apparently of pneumonia. Siméon received some financial assistance around this time. He died about two years after Claude, aged 73. Note that all his children were old enough to marry at that time, but I am not certain if he lived in the same area of any one of the adult children. No cemetery/burial record is available as far as I have found.

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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.

REMEMBRANCE DAY - 11th day of the 11th month

This is a repeat of an earlier post.

"WWI Roll Call" with basic details of the three relatives who died in "The Great War" 1914-1918. Two relatives (great-uncles) are on my GILLESPIE-BUNN side, the other on the LEWIS-RICE line. The photo on the right is #1 below, George Armstrong Gillespie, aged 28.


1.  George Armstrong GILLESPIE, b. 1886, Barrow in Furness, Lancashire, England, d. 8 Aug 1916, France.  
The 4th and last child of George GILLESPIE & Catherine ARMSTRONG, a bachelor, he was living with his unmarried older sister, Mary, and his parents, at 44 Earle Street, Barrow, at the time he entered military service in 1914. His older two brothers, including Jack Gillespie, were living in Canada at this time.  
George A. Gillespie died August 8, 1916, aged 30; his identifying number is R/3245, attached to the 11th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps.  He is buried in Hebuterne Communal Cemetery, France.  His headstone carving, as requested by his parents, is the following:
THE WICKED  /  CEASE FROM TROUBLING /
      AND THE WEARY  /  ARE AT REST  

2.  Thomas BUNN,  b. 12 Dec 1886, Barrow in Furness, Lancashire, England, d. 8 Oct 1917, Belgium.  
Thomas was the 4th child (of 9) of George BUNN & Sarah Elizabeth WHITEHOUSE, the brother of my grandfather Jack Gillespie's wife, Harriett BUNN .Thomas lived for a short time in Canada, following his older brother George Bunn who had immigrated in 1910.  He is a bit of a mystery and there is a story that he married or lived common-law with a woman while living in the Maritimes in Canada.  However, when war was declared, he returned to Barrow and enlisted there.  He joined the Royal Army Medical Corp, 23rd Field Ambulance, (the 7th Division). He was killed in action on 8 Oct 1917, in Belgium, and is buried in Tyne Cot Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. His name may be seen on Panel 160. (The link shows the cemetery ringed by Panels filled with approximately 35,000 names of casualties...)  

3.  Arthur Aiken LEWIS, b. 16 Apr 1887, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, d. 8 May 1917, Vimy Ridge, France.
Arthur was the eldest of 8 children of Isaac Charles LEWIS & Alma Jane AIKEN. Arthur worked as a Surveyor, on Vancouver Island,as seen on 1911 Census.  His CEF - Canadian Expeditionary Force - papers show he enlisted 26 Oct 1915, service number #61710, 22nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry.  There is some confusion re his death date, as the Vimy Memorial certificate provides date of death as 15/09/1916 (Sept. 15, 1916); but the official notification of his death is May 8, 1917, "in the trenches south of Acheville" which is by Vimy Ridge.  The confusion has not been reconciled at this point.  The Canadian Vimy Memorial is a remarkable construction, sitting on the Ridge itself. You can read of its design, construction, and more by clicking on this link.  


So many young men were killed in World War I.  

Lest We Forget...   
   

Roger ATHERTON, 1761-1846, Cheshire, England

Roger ATHERTON is the furthest back in time ancestor, the 4th great-grandfather of my PERRY son-in-law, 5th great-grandfather to his children. Born in Cheshire England, in approximately 1761, Roger lived to a good age of 85 years. As a genealogist, I am thrilled Cheshire's Parish Registers and Bishop's Transcripts can both be searched fairly easily as many are online, using FindMyPast.

The name Roger is sometimes spelled Rodger, and on several of his children's baptism documents, as well as in naming his second son, that alternate spelling is used.  Speaking of alternate spellings, the surname ATHERTON apparently originated north of Cheshire, in Atherstone, Lancashire, which might possibly be where Roger came from. I have not been able to prove his birth place, even though an 1841 Census states "Y" - meaning Yes he was born in the same county [Cheshire]. Frustrating, but just means I need to troll through more parish registers!

On Feb 24, 1789, in Frodsham Parish, Cheshire, Roger married Ann/Nancy LEWIS, likely the 2nd  daughter of Richard LEWIS and Martha DAVISS, christened 13 Jan 1766 in Cheshire.

Roger and Nancy had the following children, baptism dates shown with birth dates if noted on the Weaverham parish records. Note the 4 year gap between the 2nd and 3rd children.
   1.  Catharine, bap. 4 Jan 1790, Weaverham, bur. 28 Feb 1824 Weaverham;
         m. 3 Sep 1810 in Weaverham to Thomas Rimmer [1781-1824]; 5 known
         children
   2.  Peggy, b. 6 Nov 1791, bap 4 Dec 1791 Weaverham; nothing further known.
   3.  Richard, b. 13 Jan 1796, bap 28 Feb 1796, bur. 10 Jan 1887 Lower Peover
        Cheshire; m. approx. 1838 to Lettice [unknown surname] b. est 1817
        Dunkirk Cheshire; nothing further known.
   4. Martha [ancestor], b. 9 Sep 1798 Crowton, bap 30 Sep 1798 Weaverham.
       Illegitimate son Thomas with Hepard/Heppard male; nothing further known
         about Martha after Thomas' baptism.
   5.  Ann, bap 21 Feb 1801 Weaverham; nothing further known
   6.  Rodger jr, bap 12 May 1805 Weaverham, d. 1889 in Cheshire co.;
         m. abt 1838 Plumley Cheshire to Elizabeth [unknown surname]; one
         daughter known
   7.  Elizabeth "Betty,"  bap. 8 Nov 1807 Weaverham. Nothing further known.

In 1803, 1808, and 1821, Roger, as Occupier, had a Land-Tax assessment for Crowton. A map will show that Crowton, Frodsham, and Weaverham are relatively close. In 1825, Roger is shown to be the occupier of several pieces of land.  His occupation on the 1841 Census is "Farmer."

The 1841 Census for Plumley [Plumbley] Cheshire, shows Roger 80 yrs with his wife Ann 75 yrs, son Roger, daughter Betty; grandson John Rimmer, Samuel Hornby [possible son-in-law], plus Ann Burrows and Mary Ellison listed as "Ind" [independent means]. All on this Census are listed as born in the same county, Cheshire.

October 23rd 1841, Roger wrote out his simple will, making his mark, witnessed by Peter Rimmer and Samuel Hornby. He left everything to his wife Ann; and directed on her death that everything then to be valued and divided between his son Rodger, and daughter Elizabeth [still unmarried at this time, aged 34]. Executors were to be his nephew John Lewis of Arley Chester, and son Rodger; and Executrix Elizabeth Atherton [daughter].

The 1846 Index to the Death Duty Registers [image] shows Roger Atherton resident of Plumbley Chester, Executor J.Lewis of Arley.
Arley, by the way is about 7 miles north of Plumbley.

On July 10 1846, Roger ATHERTON's probate was settled including a statement that "the personal Estate and Effects of the Testator within the Diocese of Chester were under the value of three hundred pounds." And it is stated the Testator died on the 19th day of March 1846. He would have been 85 years old at the time of his death. We know from N.Cheshire Memorial Inscriptions that Roger was buried by St Oswald [Church of England] in the Parish of Lower Peover, as was his wife, Ann.

Just over two years later, his wife Ann died 13 Oct 1848 in Lower Peover. She may have been living with their older son, Richard Atherton, who had married Lettice and moved to Lower Peover, about 2 miles away from Plumbley.

Important DNA Note:  Atherton male descendants from Roger's two sons, Rodger jr. or Richard, will naturally show ATHERTON YDNA. However - male descendants from Martha ATHERTON's son, Thomas Hepard ATHERTON, will of course show up in Y-DNA matches - not as Atherton Y-DNA - but likely as Hepard/Heppard Y-DNA. Information from 1822 may not keep on being known in the 21st century, so I am making this note clear!

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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.

John VINEYARD, approx 1773-1852, Virginia through Tennessee to Illinois

John VINEYARD is the furthest back ancestor of my ex-husband's mother's mother, i.e., his 3rd great-grandfather, our children's 4th great-grandfather. His surname is spelled with or without an E, which may give indications on how it was pronounced, or of course, could be simply a spelling variant.

Wanting to find out his family and other details, I searched first in the 1850 Census which was the first one which enumerated and detailed every person in the household. Here he and his wife Leanah are living with his youngest son, the direct ancestor, Thomas M. VINEYARD, his wife and 8 children.  They were living in "District 13, White County, Illinois, Oct. 22nd 1850":

Both John [77 yrs] and Leanah [82] show they were born in Virginia; their ages show Leanah was about 6 years older than John. Interestingly, she out-lived him. Although they were born in Virginia, I could not find a marriage record for them. They clearly married and moved out west, settling in Tennessee for a time. All John and Leanah's children were born in Tennessee, the earliest in 1797, so a marriage record could be approximately 1795, and might be found in either Virginia or Tennessee.

Children [known] of John & Leanah, all seven apparently born in Tennessee:

1.  Joshua, b. abt 1797, d. before 4 Feb 1880, IL; m. 17 Feb 1832 Hamilton
        County, IL to Elizabeth Harris
2.  John, b. 1799
3.  William, b. 1801
4.  Emily Ann, b. 1804
5.  Jeremiah, b. 1806
6.  Margaret, b. 1808
7.  Thomas Milligan, [ancestor] b. 12 Apr 1811, d. 16 Jun 1872, Hoodville IL; m. 16 Aug 1830 to [1st] Priscilla POOLE 1815-1857, 10 children; [2nd] Samantha J. Garrett 1828-1867, 4 children; [3rd] Martha J. 1826-?, no children.

I would assume the family moved for specific reasons, but I have not adequately searched Illinois neighbours or other relatives who also might have made this same trip. The trip of about 750 miles is quite a long trek from Virginia, through Tennessee to Illinois. Of course, it might have been a fairly direct line they took, and I'm assuming they moved for land purposes. Tennessee became a state in 1796, and the Illinois Territory was formed officially in 1809.

As far as I have been able to research, the couple stayed in Tennessee about 15 years until at least 1811, as per Thomas' birth. I have also found a mention that John came to Illinois in 1815 from Kentucky [personal history note from online tree unsourced]. No sources given, no details of the rest of the family, only a mention of Thomas M. Vineyard and his father John. More research needed to clarify this. John's eldest son, Joshua, is listed clearly in the 1870 Census [IL] with his birthplace as Tennessee, as was his wife, Elizabeth.

His first land purchase in Illinois I have found, is dated 15 Oct 1818, in White County, IL, for 160 acres at $2/acre.  The land was "NE Section 28, Township 906S Range 08E, Meridian 3,"  as per the Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database, Vol. 987, p.525, held at Illinois State Archives. This land was eventually sold to his youngest son, Thomas.

Another later land purchase by John was for 40 acres at $1.25/acre, on January 6, 1836. A portion of those details on the website Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, is shown on the right.

And in the 1820 Census [above] of Mantua, White, Co., IL, we see John Vineyard with several of his family - the elder boys are likely married, or working on another's farm. Here he is with one boy under 10, himself, 2 girls between 10-15, and his wife, all living on the farm. I have not researched any of the people living nearby, nor yet searched for marriages of his sons other than his eldest Joshua.

A very mangled and torn 1830 Census of White Co., [above] shows John Vineyard living next to William POOL. Thomas Milligan Vineyard married Wm Pool's daughter Priscilla later in 1830.

Again, the 1850 Census [above] in District 13, White Co., where  John & Leanah are living with their youngest son, Thomas, his wife Priscilla and their 8 children to date.  They state they were both born in Virginia - I have yet to find which county. The squiggles on the right hand side are "attended school" for the children, and also indicates that John could not read and write.

John died approximately 1852 in Indian Creek Township, White, IL, although I haven't found documentation of his death to date, nor a will/probate. His wife, Leanah, survived until after the 1860 Census, where she is found once again living with their youngest son, Thomas. At that point, she was 93 years of age. Both are possibly buried in the Mount Oval Cemetery [Cumberland Presbyterian Church], where many of their children and grandchildren also seem to be buried. This cemetery is in Norris City, White, IL.

There is much more research to do: further land purchases by John or any of his sons, details of marriages of the other children and their progeny, Wills and Probates of either John and/or Leanah, death registrations and possibly gravestones, tax lists, and other possible records, histories, newspapers, and more. I've only scratched the surface, or as it is often suggested, "picked the low-hanging fruit" with Censuses and land records!

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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.