Of course, I'll never be done writing about this family, or at least learning about them. However, I've come to a stopping point and any posts I write now will either be of things I've learned from the Huntington newspaper, or I'll post when I find the story of a new Beeks ancestor. Since some of these people right now are first names only, I don't hold out a lot of hope for locating them, but certainly stranger things have happened. My criteria for including people on this list is that they at least died in this country. Some were probably immigrants and some may have been here for several generations, but I just can't trace them.
Here are the names I'm looking for:
Timothy Martin, born about 1798 died before 1870; married in 1833 in Shelby County, Ohio to
Hannah Tilberry or Tilbury, born about 1810. They may have died in Wabash County, Indiana.
possibly Eva, the wife of George Philip Serfass. She would have been born about 1783, maybe.
Sabina, wife of Frederick Serfass, born about 1760.
Felix Weiss about 1720-1779 died in Hamilton Township, Monroe County, Pa.
Anna Maria van Buskirk, his wife, born about 1726
George Featheringill 1710-1767-died in Frederick County, Va.
possibly Elizabeth Marie Settlemire, his wife
Hannah, wife of William Lehew about 1745-1810, died in wythe County, Va.
Tabitha, widow Underwood, wife of William Hunt, early Virginia
Elizabeth, wife of Hugh Donaghe
Isabel Hamilton, wife of John Donaghe
Thomas Hicklin, 1689-1772
Richard Bodkin 1710-1773
Elizabeth, wife of Richard Bodkin
Barbara, wife of Johan Jacob Bentz
Rebecca Caroline, wife of Christian Funk
Polly Carter 1805-1880, Lagro, Wabash County, Indiana, wife of John Beeks
Elizabeth, wife of Johann Gottfried Neimrich
Johann Gottfired Neimrich
possibly John Barnes and his possible wife Elizabeth, parents of Catherine Barnes
As you can see, for most of these people I have little to go on. However, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. They also ask for help, which is what I'm doing now. Can you help me learn the stories of any of these people, and possibly their parents?
Showing posts with label Bodkin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bodkin. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Beeks line: Hugh Donaghe, dates unclear, Immigrant
Hugh Dunaghe or Donaho is the last Beeks ancestor I have on the family tree. I hope I can find more ancestors to write about, and I hope I can find more about this man than I have right now. The information I have is sketchy, but interesting.
As you might guess, Hugh's last name, Donaghe, or Donaho, seems to indicate an Irish origin. The sketchy and undocumented information that I have says that Hugh was born about 1680, In Kilkeel, County Down, Ireland . Kilkeel is a small town on the east coast of Northern Ireland, and their principal industry is fishing. I'm not sure whether that fits with what is known about our Hugh, but of course there would have been other occupations, too, for someone had to feed and clothe the fishermen of the time.
He is believed to have married someone named Elizabeth about 1700, possibly in Chester County, Pennsylvania, about 1700, shortly before his father John died in 1705. The location for John's death is given as Virginia, but again, that seems very sketchy. The only child of Hugh and Elizabeth that I can locate is Dianna, who married Thomas Hicklin in about 1723. So Dianna would have been born about the turn of the 18th century.
I suspect that Hugh and Elizabeth had at least one other child, a son named Hugh. There are records in Augusta County, Virginia referring to a Hugh Donague, and that Hugh died in 1773. I suspect that this record is not for our Hugh, and I suspect that military records for Thomas and Charles Donaho, as early as the 1740s in Virginia, may also belong to sons or other relatives of this man.
Land records as late as 1774 mention Hugh. If this is our Hugh, he had land, 277 acres on "the south side of the North RIver of Shando". It's possible that the deed wasn't filed until after Hugh's death, because up to that point there had been no need to file a deed. There is also a record of Hugh witnessing a land deed several years after our Hugh's death, so it seems that whether or not they were father and son, they were surely two different people. Perhaps our Hugh never made it to the Shenandoah Valley.
That is as much information or speculation as I have for Hugh. It certainly isn't much to go on but because the Beeks family doesn't have much known Irish ancestry, I thought it was worthwhile to at least mention the man. Perhaps there are more records waiting to be found, and if we are lucky enough to find them, I'll post them at a later date.
The line of descent is
Hugh Donaghe-Elizabeth
Dianna Donaghe-Thomas Hicklin
Dinah or Delilah Hicklin- James Bodkin
George Bodkin-Elizabeth "Fannie" Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
As you might guess, Hugh's last name, Donaghe, or Donaho, seems to indicate an Irish origin. The sketchy and undocumented information that I have says that Hugh was born about 1680, In Kilkeel, County Down, Ireland . Kilkeel is a small town on the east coast of Northern Ireland, and their principal industry is fishing. I'm not sure whether that fits with what is known about our Hugh, but of course there would have been other occupations, too, for someone had to feed and clothe the fishermen of the time.
He is believed to have married someone named Elizabeth about 1700, possibly in Chester County, Pennsylvania, about 1700, shortly before his father John died in 1705. The location for John's death is given as Virginia, but again, that seems very sketchy. The only child of Hugh and Elizabeth that I can locate is Dianna, who married Thomas Hicklin in about 1723. So Dianna would have been born about the turn of the 18th century.
I suspect that Hugh and Elizabeth had at least one other child, a son named Hugh. There are records in Augusta County, Virginia referring to a Hugh Donague, and that Hugh died in 1773. I suspect that this record is not for our Hugh, and I suspect that military records for Thomas and Charles Donaho, as early as the 1740s in Virginia, may also belong to sons or other relatives of this man.
Land records as late as 1774 mention Hugh. If this is our Hugh, he had land, 277 acres on "the south side of the North RIver of Shando". It's possible that the deed wasn't filed until after Hugh's death, because up to that point there had been no need to file a deed. There is also a record of Hugh witnessing a land deed several years after our Hugh's death, so it seems that whether or not they were father and son, they were surely two different people. Perhaps our Hugh never made it to the Shenandoah Valley.
That is as much information or speculation as I have for Hugh. It certainly isn't much to go on but because the Beeks family doesn't have much known Irish ancestry, I thought it was worthwhile to at least mention the man. Perhaps there are more records waiting to be found, and if we are lucky enough to find them, I'll post them at a later date.
The line of descent is
Hugh Donaghe-Elizabeth
Dianna Donaghe-Thomas Hicklin
Dinah or Delilah Hicklin- James Bodkin
George Bodkin-Elizabeth "Fannie" Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Beeks line:George Featheringill 1710-1767 Immigrant
Little is known about immigrant George, possibly because "Featheringill" can be spelled in so many different ways that it is possible to look at his very records and just not recognize the name, because it was recorded so differently from the way it was carried down through the generations. And sometimes, someone takes a different spelling of the name and believes it is this George when it may not be. A case in point: "George Fotheringham" married Elizabeth Marie Hather in Fleet Street Prison in 1731, and this George has been identified as George Featheringill. It's possible, but I've not seen the proof nor even clues as to why these two men are identified as one and the same.
He was probably born about 1719, and possibly in Yorkshire, England although that is conjecture. All we know for sure is that George came to America from somewhere, and was in the Shenandoah Valley as early as 1737. His wife's name was Elizabeth, and many are identifying her as Elizabeth Marie Settlemire. Again, I haven't found documentation for that, so take it with a grain of salt. George and Elizabeth had at least five children, most if not all born in Virginia.
George died in 1767 in Frederick/Shenandoah County, Va. (The family farms were near the border of the two counties and it's hard to separate them as events were recorded in both counties.) Elizabeth had died three years earlier, in 1764. The life they lived was very similar to that of the Scotch-Irish who populated this region so heavily. Whether one or both of the couple had those origins, I don't know, but at least knowing what their neighbors were like gives us something of a feel for how they lived. It was a hard, pioneer life, with log cabin homes, farming as an occupation, and possibly whiskey-making to generate a little bit of cash.
I know a little bit more about George's son William, and will probably write about him at some time in the future. For now, this gives us a starting point to research George further, and at least gets his name on the family tree. Again, this is an ancestor in Mary Wise's line, and may not be her birth family line.
The line of descent is
George Featheringill-Elizabeth
William Featheringill-Mary Lehew
Elizabeth "Fannie" Featheringill-George Bodkin
Charity Bodkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
He was probably born about 1719, and possibly in Yorkshire, England although that is conjecture. All we know for sure is that George came to America from somewhere, and was in the Shenandoah Valley as early as 1737. His wife's name was Elizabeth, and many are identifying her as Elizabeth Marie Settlemire. Again, I haven't found documentation for that, so take it with a grain of salt. George and Elizabeth had at least five children, most if not all born in Virginia.
George died in 1767 in Frederick/Shenandoah County, Va. (The family farms were near the border of the two counties and it's hard to separate them as events were recorded in both counties.) Elizabeth had died three years earlier, in 1764. The life they lived was very similar to that of the Scotch-Irish who populated this region so heavily. Whether one or both of the couple had those origins, I don't know, but at least knowing what their neighbors were like gives us something of a feel for how they lived. It was a hard, pioneer life, with log cabin homes, farming as an occupation, and possibly whiskey-making to generate a little bit of cash.
I know a little bit more about George's son William, and will probably write about him at some time in the future. For now, this gives us a starting point to research George further, and at least gets his name on the family tree. Again, this is an ancestor in Mary Wise's line, and may not be her birth family line.
The line of descent is
George Featheringill-Elizabeth
William Featheringill-Mary Lehew
Elizabeth "Fannie" Featheringill-George Bodkin
Charity Bodkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Beeks line: Richard Bodkin 1710-1773 Immigrant?
Richard Bodkin may or may not be the immigrant ancestor for his line. No one seems to know for sure where he was born, but it seems to be either Pennsylvania/Virginia or Galway, Ireland. There were several Bodkin families in America by the late 1600's, and there were also several families by that name in Ireland in the same time frame. Many of the Irish people came to America as political and religious challenges from the British made life difficult in Ireland, and that motivation would have been in place for more than a few years.
So, about the only thing we can say for sure at this point is that Richard was likely either Irish or of Irish extraction. We can guess that he was Protestant only because the great majority of people who settled where he did were Protestant, many of them Presbyterian. We don't even know his wife's name, although it is believed to be either Elizabeth or Jane, or possibly he was married more than once. With so many questions, why am I writing about Richard?
Fortunately, a lot of good people have worked to find some of the details of his life and have been willing to put it on line. The most complete story is found at ourtexasfamily.com website, under the Bodkin-Smith Family. There are pictures of family documents there, and maps, and it's worth your while to go there to find out more. As usual, I am only providing highlights of what is known and am not providing as much information as I could.
Richard is known to have been settled in Augusta (later Highland County) County, Virginia by 1750, when he had a patent for 339 acres of land on Clover Creek, which was a branch of the Cowpasture River. The next year, he signed a petition for a road from "Walles Asterns mill to road on head of Cowpasture" and was assigned to work on the road. In 1756, he was on a list of tithables, which only means that he had to pay a tax to the Anglican church. It doesn't necessarily mean he belonged to the church. I have seen him referred to as both a captain and a private in the Virginia militia about this same time. Likely he is the captain and a son or nephew is the private.
This reminds us that this part of the country was very much frontier country. The battles of the French and Indian War were about to take place, and military protection was sometimes far away. This was a time of fear and hardship, with many families leaving for sanctuary and traveling east, but we have no indication that Richard left, or that he sent his family away.
Many of Richard's sons later moved westward, to what is now Highland County, Virginia, but it's not clear whether Richard went also or whether he stayed in his original home. He died about 1773. So far I haven't found a will for him. He is believed to have had at least five sons, born from roughly 1734 to 1744. It's possible there were more children, including daughters, but I've not found a reliable source yet. Also, Richard had brothers who settled in the same general area so figuring out which Bodkin belonged to which is difficult. To make matters worse, some of the family, somewhere along the line, changed the spelling to Botkin or Botkins.
The brief picture we have of Richard is as a hard working husband and father, frontiersman, Appalachian, and soldier. Even though we don't know anything more at this point, that is enough to be proud of, and to be grateful that men like Richard helped shape our country.
The line of descent is:
Richard Bodkin-Elizabeth or Jane
James Bodkin-Diannah or Delilah Hicklin
George Bodkin-Elizabeth Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Note: As a reminder, Mary Wise may have been adopted. But these are the people she would have learned about, and to her, these would have been "her people".
So, about the only thing we can say for sure at this point is that Richard was likely either Irish or of Irish extraction. We can guess that he was Protestant only because the great majority of people who settled where he did were Protestant, many of them Presbyterian. We don't even know his wife's name, although it is believed to be either Elizabeth or Jane, or possibly he was married more than once. With so many questions, why am I writing about Richard?
Fortunately, a lot of good people have worked to find some of the details of his life and have been willing to put it on line. The most complete story is found at ourtexasfamily.com website, under the Bodkin-Smith Family. There are pictures of family documents there, and maps, and it's worth your while to go there to find out more. As usual, I am only providing highlights of what is known and am not providing as much information as I could.
Richard is known to have been settled in Augusta (later Highland County) County, Virginia by 1750, when he had a patent for 339 acres of land on Clover Creek, which was a branch of the Cowpasture River. The next year, he signed a petition for a road from "Walles Asterns mill to road on head of Cowpasture" and was assigned to work on the road. In 1756, he was on a list of tithables, which only means that he had to pay a tax to the Anglican church. It doesn't necessarily mean he belonged to the church. I have seen him referred to as both a captain and a private in the Virginia militia about this same time. Likely he is the captain and a son or nephew is the private.
This reminds us that this part of the country was very much frontier country. The battles of the French and Indian War were about to take place, and military protection was sometimes far away. This was a time of fear and hardship, with many families leaving for sanctuary and traveling east, but we have no indication that Richard left, or that he sent his family away.
Many of Richard's sons later moved westward, to what is now Highland County, Virginia, but it's not clear whether Richard went also or whether he stayed in his original home. He died about 1773. So far I haven't found a will for him. He is believed to have had at least five sons, born from roughly 1734 to 1744. It's possible there were more children, including daughters, but I've not found a reliable source yet. Also, Richard had brothers who settled in the same general area so figuring out which Bodkin belonged to which is difficult. To make matters worse, some of the family, somewhere along the line, changed the spelling to Botkin or Botkins.
The brief picture we have of Richard is as a hard working husband and father, frontiersman, Appalachian, and soldier. Even though we don't know anything more at this point, that is enough to be proud of, and to be grateful that men like Richard helped shape our country.
The line of descent is:
Richard Bodkin-Elizabeth or Jane
James Bodkin-Diannah or Delilah Hicklin
George Bodkin-Elizabeth Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Note: As a reminder, Mary Wise may have been adopted. But these are the people she would have learned about, and to her, these would have been "her people".
Friday, April 11, 2014
Beeks line: Happy but confused dance for Jackson Wise
I'm learning that in the world of genealogy, when all else fails, "Think!" So I thought about brick wall Jackson Wise, and realized that although he died in 1893 in Wabash County, I didn't have a copy of his death certificate. Once I realized I was missing that important document, I bee-lined to Wabash County and spent a grand afternoon researching.
I am still reeling from the surprise that Jackson Wise's father was John Williams. His mother's name was not noted on the certificate, nor was the informant. Well, one out of three isn't bad, I guess. Jackson's 1880 census says that he was born in Ohio and his parents were born in Virginia, so that' a little bit of a clue.
I put a query out on the Wise Ancestry message board and was answered promptly by a very nice lady, who told me who she thinks John Williams might be. I need to do more research on this before I am comfortable with her ideas, but guess what I'll be doing today on-line, and also the next time I get to go to the Allen County Public Library. At least I have places and names to look at, and I am very thankful to Jayne for her help.
Right now, I have a name for Jackson's father and for that I am thrilled. But of course I want to know who his mother was, and how he came to have the last name of Wise. Was Wise his mother's name, and he was a "natural son" of John Williams? Was he adopted? Did he early in life take "Wise" as an alias for some reason? Does any reader have other ideas, of other possibilities?
While I was in Wabash, I looked for land records for Jackson, and found quite a few. I only had time to look up to about 1860, but in that short time frame (remember, he was in prison until 1854) there were several transactions involving Jackson, mostly centered in and around the little town of America. He seems at this point to be acquiring more than he is selling. I can't wait to go back to trace the land transactions further. I had the idea that he was poor, but in 1860 the census gives him $800 in real estate, which was more than just a little. I'd like to find out what he did manage to keep, and what happened to it.
Here's the line of descent:
John Williams and ??
Jackson Wise and Charity Bodkin
Mary Margaret Wise-William G Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise (a different Wise line, we think)
Wilbur Beeks-Gretta Cleo Aldridge
Beeks children, grand children, great grandchildren, etc.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Ancestry, FamilySearch, and various other websites!
I am still reeling from the surprise that Jackson Wise's father was John Williams. His mother's name was not noted on the certificate, nor was the informant. Well, one out of three isn't bad, I guess. Jackson's 1880 census says that he was born in Ohio and his parents were born in Virginia, so that' a little bit of a clue.
I put a query out on the Wise Ancestry message board and was answered promptly by a very nice lady, who told me who she thinks John Williams might be. I need to do more research on this before I am comfortable with her ideas, but guess what I'll be doing today on-line, and also the next time I get to go to the Allen County Public Library. At least I have places and names to look at, and I am very thankful to Jayne for her help.
Right now, I have a name for Jackson's father and for that I am thrilled. But of course I want to know who his mother was, and how he came to have the last name of Wise. Was Wise his mother's name, and he was a "natural son" of John Williams? Was he adopted? Did he early in life take "Wise" as an alias for some reason? Does any reader have other ideas, of other possibilities?
While I was in Wabash, I looked for land records for Jackson, and found quite a few. I only had time to look up to about 1860, but in that short time frame (remember, he was in prison until 1854) there were several transactions involving Jackson, mostly centered in and around the little town of America. He seems at this point to be acquiring more than he is selling. I can't wait to go back to trace the land transactions further. I had the idea that he was poor, but in 1860 the census gives him $800 in real estate, which was more than just a little. I'd like to find out what he did manage to keep, and what happened to it.
Here's the line of descent:
John Williams and ??
Jackson Wise and Charity Bodkin
Mary Margaret Wise-William G Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise (a different Wise line, we think)
Wilbur Beeks-Gretta Cleo Aldridge
Beeks children, grand children, great grandchildren, etc.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Ancestry, FamilySearch, and various other websites!
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