I don't know very much about Humphrey Belt, not even where he was born. He came to Virginia in 1635, as the indentured servant of William Clarke. He was reported to be 20 years old when he arrived on the ship "America", when Jamestown Island was still a small colony on the edge of a great big continent. Somehow, he survived native American wars, the diseases that were so common to the area, and the accidental deaths such as drowning that were all too frequent. So we can guess that he was of hardy stock.
It's reported that he married Mary or Margery Cragges in Linhaven Parish, Lower Norfolk, Virginia in 1649. We don't know who she was either. Humphrey Belt, or a different Humphrey Belt, appears as a headright for James Warner, who was his employer when Humphrey finished his indentureship, in 1642. This may have been a bit of hanky panky, or it may have been two Humphreys, or it may have been that our Humphrey travelled to England and back and circumstances were such that he could be claimed again. Perhaps he had gone on business for Mr. Warner, and found a bride when he was there.
Humphrey owned land in Virginia, registered in 1654. It appears that sometime between 1659 and 1663, the Belt family moved to new land in Maryland. Perhaps his Virginia land was already depleted from growing tobacco, or perhaps the family left because of their religious beliefs. We don't know for sure that Humphrey became a Quaker, but his son was quite active in Quaker life and it's not unreasonable to think that Humphrey at least was leaning that way. This time period is significant because Quakers were being forced out of Virginia in the 1660s.
I've not found a land record for Humphrey in Maryland, but James Warner's land was in Anne Arundel county so it is possible that Humphrey's land was near there. We know that he owned 200 acres in the vicinity of St Mary's City, but that is the extent of our knowledge.
Humphrey died in Maryland in Anne Arundel County in 1698. As far as I can determine, no one has yet found a will for him, nor have they determined what happened to his land. Humphrey lived through some fascinating times, and it's frustrating that we don't know more of his life. What military actions did he join in? Did he fight Indians? Did he have an occupation other than planter?
What was his religion? Who were his parents? Where did he come from? It will be a happy day when those questions are answered.
The line of descent is:
Humphrey Belt-Margery Cragges
Elizabeth Belt-John Parrish
Humphrey Parrish-Mary Walker
Humphrey Parrish-Mary
Moses Parrish-Mary Hill
Tabath Parrish-James Allen Jr.
Archibald Allen-Margaret J Dunn
George R Allen-Nancy McCoy
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Hill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hill. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Allen and Holbrook lines: Actively pursuing, too (AKA brick walls)
My last post was about the people who are still in hiding in the Beeks and Harshbarger lines. Today I'll write about the folks I'm still looking for in the Allen and Holbrook lines. Some of these people I have already written about, but I'm putting them all in one place for my own benefit as much as for anyone else's. I do truly hope that someone, somewhere knows something about some of our missing people. Again, these are third and fourth grandparents for my generation. Without further ado, here are the "Elusive Eight":
Allen line:
James Allen apparently dropped out of the sky and landed in Goochland County, Virginia. We first hear of him in 1755, when his son Richard was born, in St James Northam Parish. We know he was married to Sarah Croudas (various spellings), and we know he died in 1801. He owned land around Licking Creek Hole, I think (not sure it was the same James Allen. He and Sarah had nine children: Richard, Martha, James, Mary May, George, William, Sally, Susannah, and Elizabeth. His will can be found on the Library of Virginia website. He left everything to his wife, Sarah, and when she died it all went to his children. Based on the 1755 birthdate of Richard, James could have been born from 1725 to 1735, so I'm guessing about 1730.
Mary Hill was married on January 20, 1761 to Moses Parrish. She was probably born around 1742, but I don't know who her parents were. There were three marriages in this time period between Parrishes and Hills, but so far I have not been able to tie them together. This couple may have lived in Louisa County or in Goochland County, Virginia. There were 6 known children. Mary is my hero because of the life she had to live while her husband was fighting in the Revolutionary War for at least three years, so I'd like to honor her by learning more about her.
Michael Dunn is pretty much a total mystery. The one known fact about him is that he had a son named Lemuel who died in 1829. Michael is believed to have fought in the Revolutionary War, and is thought to have been born in Virginia although of Irish ancestry. He may have lived in the Henry County, Virginia area in the early 1780's.
John Campbell is supposed to have been born in Pennsylvania in about 1760. He married Jane Garvin, who was Irish, but I don't know if she was born there. They had 6 children together. John died in Madison County, Kentucky in 1806 and Jane died 50 years later, in 1856 in Putnam County, Indiana. Both John and Jane are on my "missing" list.
In the Holbrook line, I have three missing ancestors. I've written about two of them previously.
James Lamphire (various spellings) was born in 1773, somewhere in the world. He married Hannah Eames in 1796 in Bozrah, Connecticut. They had 6 children together. James was married to a second wife, Susan Roster, when he died in 1847 in Cazenovia, Madison County, New York.
Sarah Goodnough (spelled any number of different ways, probably) may have been an ancestor. Or the one I'm looking for may be Lydia M. unknown maiden name. Both of these ladies were married to Jude Foster, but it's not clear who the mother of his five children were. Maybe it's more specific to say I'm looking for Betsy Foster's mother. Jude Foster was a Revolutionary War soldier who died less than a month after his pension was finally approved in 1789. I believe I am looking for people in Rowe or Western, Massachusetts.
And finally and always, there's Molly Wright. The lady who haunts my dreams was born in 1759, married Amariah Holbrook in 1779, had 7 children, and died in 1845 in Bellingham, Massachusetts. Of all my missing ancestors, she tugs at my heart and calls to me.
It would be a happy dance day indeed if someone can help me with any of these people. It's not likely that I will ever be able to travel to Virginia, or Massachusetts, or Connecticut, to look in person through old records to try to give these people a birth family. It's also unlikely that I will be able to pay for research help. I will of course keep looking, learning, and hoping, but a nudge from someone who knows something would certainly be welcome.
Allen line:
James Allen apparently dropped out of the sky and landed in Goochland County, Virginia. We first hear of him in 1755, when his son Richard was born, in St James Northam Parish. We know he was married to Sarah Croudas (various spellings), and we know he died in 1801. He owned land around Licking Creek Hole, I think (not sure it was the same James Allen. He and Sarah had nine children: Richard, Martha, James, Mary May, George, William, Sally, Susannah, and Elizabeth. His will can be found on the Library of Virginia website. He left everything to his wife, Sarah, and when she died it all went to his children. Based on the 1755 birthdate of Richard, James could have been born from 1725 to 1735, so I'm guessing about 1730.
Mary Hill was married on January 20, 1761 to Moses Parrish. She was probably born around 1742, but I don't know who her parents were. There were three marriages in this time period between Parrishes and Hills, but so far I have not been able to tie them together. This couple may have lived in Louisa County or in Goochland County, Virginia. There were 6 known children. Mary is my hero because of the life she had to live while her husband was fighting in the Revolutionary War for at least three years, so I'd like to honor her by learning more about her.
Michael Dunn is pretty much a total mystery. The one known fact about him is that he had a son named Lemuel who died in 1829. Michael is believed to have fought in the Revolutionary War, and is thought to have been born in Virginia although of Irish ancestry. He may have lived in the Henry County, Virginia area in the early 1780's.
John Campbell is supposed to have been born in Pennsylvania in about 1760. He married Jane Garvin, who was Irish, but I don't know if she was born there. They had 6 children together. John died in Madison County, Kentucky in 1806 and Jane died 50 years later, in 1856 in Putnam County, Indiana. Both John and Jane are on my "missing" list.
In the Holbrook line, I have three missing ancestors. I've written about two of them previously.
James Lamphire (various spellings) was born in 1773, somewhere in the world. He married Hannah Eames in 1796 in Bozrah, Connecticut. They had 6 children together. James was married to a second wife, Susan Roster, when he died in 1847 in Cazenovia, Madison County, New York.
Sarah Goodnough (spelled any number of different ways, probably) may have been an ancestor. Or the one I'm looking for may be Lydia M. unknown maiden name. Both of these ladies were married to Jude Foster, but it's not clear who the mother of his five children were. Maybe it's more specific to say I'm looking for Betsy Foster's mother. Jude Foster was a Revolutionary War soldier who died less than a month after his pension was finally approved in 1789. I believe I am looking for people in Rowe or Western, Massachusetts.
And finally and always, there's Molly Wright. The lady who haunts my dreams was born in 1759, married Amariah Holbrook in 1779, had 7 children, and died in 1845 in Bellingham, Massachusetts. Of all my missing ancestors, she tugs at my heart and calls to me.
It would be a happy dance day indeed if someone can help me with any of these people. It's not likely that I will ever be able to travel to Virginia, or Massachusetts, or Connecticut, to look in person through old records to try to give these people a birth family. It's also unlikely that I will be able to pay for research help. I will of course keep looking, learning, and hoping, but a nudge from someone who knows something would certainly be welcome.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Allen line: Moses Parrish 1742-1800
Moses Parrish was born in 1742 (approximate date) to Humphrey Parrish Jr and Mary Morton Hamilton, in Goochland County, Va. (My tree shows Mary Morton Hamilton as having a really rich Scottish ancestry, but now I am not sure it is proven. So take that part with a grain of salt.) There was probably more than one Mary Morton Hamilton in that time frame, and I'm not sure I have the correct one, but let's at least go with the idea that his mother's name was Mary. Moses was one of seven children. Their land was around Licking Hole Creek and Little Byrd Creek in Goochland County, Va.
Moses had an eventful life He served in the French and Indian War, Dunmore's War, and the Revolutionary War. He must have been loyal but not particularly talented militarily, because he apparently was never promoted above the rank of private. For his service in Dunmore's War, he was awarded 50 acres of land which he chose to take in "Fincastle County", which was basically the state of Kentucky in later years. It appears that he may have sold that land. As far as we know, he never went west.
His Revolutionary War service is particularly exemplary. He enlisted in February of 1977 and appears to have served his entire term, except that he was furloughed in the winter of 1777-1778, Prior to that and after that, he saw hard service, but the months that he was furloughed were the months that the soldiers were undergoing such hardships at Valley Forge. He is listed as having been at Paramus (N.J.), White Plains (N.Y.), Newark (N.J.), Pumpton Plains and Middlebrook in 1778, after being on the rolls at Valley Forge in May. He was at Morristown in November of 1779. It appears that he would have participated in most of the New Jersey battles and perhaps some of those in Pennsylvania, but the White Plains camp was a couple of years after that battle. None of the records on Fold 3 indicate that he was ever sick or wounded, but there is a good chance that he was sick at one time or another. Most soldiers were. It's also reasonable to think that he did not have a good diet, as our soldiers were often hungry and poorly fed. Can we say "hero"?
I've not found evidence that he re-enlisted in 1780 when his term in the 5th Virginia Regiment of Foot was up, although it's possible that he was still a member of the Virginia militia and continued to fight in skirmishes after he had officially returned home. In 1785 he was awarded 56-13-3 in Virginia dollars in back pay. This surely would have been helpful, for it was the equivalent of several months pay as a soldier.
We don't know very much more about Moses Parrish. He may have first married Sarah Martin, and then married Mary Hill (date not found). They had 6 children: Nicholas, William, Tabath (Tabitha), Mathew, Frankie (Francis) and Sukey (probably Susan or Susanna). Moses died in 1800 and there is apparently a will or estate records for him, as noted on the Library of Virginia website. I'm unclear as to whether Goochland County has a copy of the records or not.
We know one other fact about Moses. His father left him two slaves in his will in 1773, and by 1782 he had three slaves. Perhaps Moses's will has more to say about that. It's hard to think that our ancestors "owned" slaves, but with such a small number, they may have been treated more like family than the traditional slave treatment that we "know" about.
Facts for this post were gathered from Fold 3, Ancestry, the Library of Virginia, and a 1782 tax list.
Our line of descent is:
Moses Parrish-Mary Hill
Tabath Parrish-James Allen Jr.
Archibald Allen-Margaret J Dunn
George R Allen-Nancy McCoy
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard/Edith/Vernon/Tessora/Corinne Allen
descendants of the Allens named above
Moses had an eventful life He served in the French and Indian War, Dunmore's War, and the Revolutionary War. He must have been loyal but not particularly talented militarily, because he apparently was never promoted above the rank of private. For his service in Dunmore's War, he was awarded 50 acres of land which he chose to take in "Fincastle County", which was basically the state of Kentucky in later years. It appears that he may have sold that land. As far as we know, he never went west.
His Revolutionary War service is particularly exemplary. He enlisted in February of 1977 and appears to have served his entire term, except that he was furloughed in the winter of 1777-1778, Prior to that and after that, he saw hard service, but the months that he was furloughed were the months that the soldiers were undergoing such hardships at Valley Forge. He is listed as having been at Paramus (N.J.), White Plains (N.Y.), Newark (N.J.), Pumpton Plains and Middlebrook in 1778, after being on the rolls at Valley Forge in May. He was at Morristown in November of 1779. It appears that he would have participated in most of the New Jersey battles and perhaps some of those in Pennsylvania, but the White Plains camp was a couple of years after that battle. None of the records on Fold 3 indicate that he was ever sick or wounded, but there is a good chance that he was sick at one time or another. Most soldiers were. It's also reasonable to think that he did not have a good diet, as our soldiers were often hungry and poorly fed. Can we say "hero"?
I've not found evidence that he re-enlisted in 1780 when his term in the 5th Virginia Regiment of Foot was up, although it's possible that he was still a member of the Virginia militia and continued to fight in skirmishes after he had officially returned home. In 1785 he was awarded 56-13-3 in Virginia dollars in back pay. This surely would have been helpful, for it was the equivalent of several months pay as a soldier.
We don't know very much more about Moses Parrish. He may have first married Sarah Martin, and then married Mary Hill (date not found). They had 6 children: Nicholas, William, Tabath (Tabitha), Mathew, Frankie (Francis) and Sukey (probably Susan or Susanna). Moses died in 1800 and there is apparently a will or estate records for him, as noted on the Library of Virginia website. I'm unclear as to whether Goochland County has a copy of the records or not.
We know one other fact about Moses. His father left him two slaves in his will in 1773, and by 1782 he had three slaves. Perhaps Moses's will has more to say about that. It's hard to think that our ancestors "owned" slaves, but with such a small number, they may have been treated more like family than the traditional slave treatment that we "know" about.
Facts for this post were gathered from Fold 3, Ancestry, the Library of Virginia, and a 1782 tax list.
Our line of descent is:
Moses Parrish-Mary Hill
Tabath Parrish-James Allen Jr.
Archibald Allen-Margaret J Dunn
George R Allen-Nancy McCoy
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard/Edith/Vernon/Tessora/Corinne Allen
descendants of the Allens named above
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)