Do you remember the cat who would weekly proclaim "I hate meeces to pieces!" I believe Pixie and Dixie were the mice in question but I don't remember the name of the cat. Anyway, "Reeses" rhymes with "meeses". While I don't necessarily "hate" this line, it is enough to make me pull my hair out. Sorry about the vent, but at the moment my local genealogist/librarians are not available to soothe me.
So I'm writing about Thomas Rees today. Several sites say he was born in 1705 and died in 1783. But they also say he was married to Margaret Bowen, and that Thomas Rees and Margaret were married for several (the document says "many") years when Thomas and Margaret asked for a certificate from the Radnor Monthly Meeting to send to the Goshen Monthly Meeting. It states that "Whereas Thomas Reese and his wife Margaret Reese inhabitants within the verge of your meeting have made application unto us for something by way of Certificate unto you. These are therefore to certifie on their behalf that they was both of them educated amongst us and esteemed of us until they joined in marriage contrary to the order and departure of Friends which they these are satisfied unto this that they have been under trouble and exorcised of mind for many years as well as for the conduct of their lives desiring their sorrows for the same and that they took the blame and shame thereof on themselves and that they hoped through divine assistance to take care for the future not to do anything as may bring a reproach upon truth or a grief to friends, so desiring their insofar and that they who make their profession to the Divine Principal of Truth may be conducted and prospered by it to the end of their day, we remain your friends from our Monthly Meeting, at Radnor this 14th of 1st mo year 1722/1723."
Note: I did not transcribe this, but I sure do thank the unknown person who did. In copying it I have changed capitalizations but not the punctuation, or lack thereof. There are also the signatures of several members of the Radnor Monthly Meeting on this letter. I found this fascinating, but the main point is that Thomas was likely not born in 1705 in order to have married Margaret and be "under trouble and exorcized of mind for many years" by 1722/23. So, either this is not the Thomas Reese and Margaret Bowen who are said to have lived later, or there is another Thomas and Margaret that would be the parents of the Thomas and Margaret I think I'm writing about.
The children of Thomas and Margaret were born mostly in the 1730s and 1740s. It does appear that this was a Quaker family because they are later found at Hopewell Monthly Meeting in Frederick County, Virginia, in the far north "point" of the state. This is in the area of Opequon Creek. Early records there were lost in a fire so we don't know how early the Reese's arrived there. They seem to have been there by 1743, so they would have been in place for the battles of both the French and Indian war and the Revolutionary War. As a Quaker, Thomas wouldn't have been in the militia and he may have had to make a decision as to whether or not he would support the British in the first war and the patriots in the second war. Some Quakers were happy to supply materials and food for the troops, and some were not willing to do so, as they opposed any violence, or supporting any violence. It was a decision each man would have to make for himself. This area would have been under frequent, if not constant, threat of attack by native Americans.
Thomas and Margaret had 10 children who lived to adulthood. Two of them are direct ancestors, through this line. Thomas's uncle, Morris is also in the Beeks line. All of these trace back to David Rees. Theyr may be another line, also, for there is another wife of a Thomas Reese named Rebecca Price, and Price is a common contraction for ap Rhys. (These are Welsh names).
Thomas died in 1783 in Frederick County, Virginia and Margaret died two years later, probably in Washington County, Pennsylvania, where she had gone to visit or live with two of her sons. Obviously, there are still several records for me to look at for Thomas, especially land records and his will or estate records. But this is a start, to help us understand a little a very confusing set of families.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Reese-Margaret Bowen
Thomas Reese-Hannah Reese (she is the daughter of Morris Reese, who is a brother to the first
Thomas)
Solomon Reese=Anna possibly McNeal
Owen T Reese-Margaret Ellen Moon
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshaber
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Rees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rees. Show all posts
Friday, April 17, 2020
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Beeks line: Samuel Burgess Immigrant or not?
I'm not sure whether this man is an immigrant, or not, but he's a Beeks ancestor and as such deserves at least a few lines. There is much confusion in on line sources about this man, from his hometown to his parents to whether or not he came to the New World. I am starting to suspect he never arrived here. If he did, he died shortly after his supposed arrival. Much of the confusion comes because he had a son Samuel Burgess, of whom there is an abundance, relatively speaking, of information. I am quite sure that Samuel 1, as I am labeling him, is not the Samuel who was a representative in 1712 and who died in 1714. That Samuel is likely the son of Samuel 1.
But was our Samuel here, or did he intend to come here? I found one reference to a Samuel who owned land already, in 1683, in what became Bucks County. Was that our Samuel 1, or was it Samuel the son? I'm not sure about that. Most of the references in the 1690s I can somewhat confidently say were Samuel the son, not the Beeks ancestor.
Samuel was born in 1623, the son of Daniel and Catherine Burges. His birthplace is generally given as Bristol, England, which is quite possible. Sometimes it is given as Wales, which seems a little less likely but still possible. I haven't found records yet that proved it either way for me. He married, about 1638, Eleanor or Elin Peeres (could be Pierce or Pers or some other variation), and they appear to have had at least three children, Joan, Samuel, and Sarah. Other children are also listed but these must be the children of Samuel the son, as their birth dates are in the 1690's. And of course, one of those grandchildren is named Samuel, also.
It's possible that the land owned in 1683 belonged to Samuel1, and it's possible that he didn't survive to come to Pennsylvania. It's also possible that it belonged to Samuel the son, who apparently arrived late in 1683, with an interesting cargo. Or Samuel 1 could have purchased it in England for Samuel the son. I've not found enough information to make a guess about this yet.
Some trees say that Samuel died as early as 1665, and that Elin or Eleanor died in 1701. Samuel would have died in England is the 1665 date was correct, but Elin is supposed to have died in 1701 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Is this again a case of mistaken identity, or did she perhaps come to the New World with her son, and she is the true immigrant?
There is nothing about this man that is clear at the present time, or I haven't yet found the proper records and documentation. However, if he didn't come to Pennsylvania he at least instilled in his family and perhaps even his widow the desire to do so. For that, I honor him.
I'd love to hear from someone who is working on this family and perhaps has sorted them out better than I have!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Burgess-Elin Peeres
Joan or Jane Burgess-James Moone
James Moon-Mary Wilsford
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen Traveler Reese
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Elia Matilda Reese-Samuel G Dunham
But was our Samuel here, or did he intend to come here? I found one reference to a Samuel who owned land already, in 1683, in what became Bucks County. Was that our Samuel 1, or was it Samuel the son? I'm not sure about that. Most of the references in the 1690s I can somewhat confidently say were Samuel the son, not the Beeks ancestor.
Samuel was born in 1623, the son of Daniel and Catherine Burges. His birthplace is generally given as Bristol, England, which is quite possible. Sometimes it is given as Wales, which seems a little less likely but still possible. I haven't found records yet that proved it either way for me. He married, about 1638, Eleanor or Elin Peeres (could be Pierce or Pers or some other variation), and they appear to have had at least three children, Joan, Samuel, and Sarah. Other children are also listed but these must be the children of Samuel the son, as their birth dates are in the 1690's. And of course, one of those grandchildren is named Samuel, also.
It's possible that the land owned in 1683 belonged to Samuel1, and it's possible that he didn't survive to come to Pennsylvania. It's also possible that it belonged to Samuel the son, who apparently arrived late in 1683, with an interesting cargo. Or Samuel 1 could have purchased it in England for Samuel the son. I've not found enough information to make a guess about this yet.
Some trees say that Samuel died as early as 1665, and that Elin or Eleanor died in 1701. Samuel would have died in England is the 1665 date was correct, but Elin is supposed to have died in 1701 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Is this again a case of mistaken identity, or did she perhaps come to the New World with her son, and she is the true immigrant?
There is nothing about this man that is clear at the present time, or I haven't yet found the proper records and documentation. However, if he didn't come to Pennsylvania he at least instilled in his family and perhaps even his widow the desire to do so. For that, I honor him.
I'd love to hear from someone who is working on this family and perhaps has sorted them out better than I have!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Burgess-Elin Peeres
Joan or Jane Burgess-James Moone
James Moon-Mary Wilsford
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen Traveler Reese
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Elia Matilda Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Oh, what a happy dance! Field trip to Ohio
Husband and I took a field trip to the area of Richland County, Morrow County, and Knox County Ohio last week. I researched for four wonderful days (while husband watched a lot of movies) and here is a list of the wonderful treasures I brought back with me:
*Death record for Mary Elizabeth Hetrick Black, died Dec.1, 1862 of typhoid fever. The gem? In the remarks section "Truly a pious woman."
*Article "The Mansfield that Was" from the September 28, 1971 News Journal about the town of Bellville, mentioning founder Robert Bell. I think "The Mansfield that Was" was the name of a column.
*Plat of Bellville, Ohio from 1900
*Original Blat of Bellville, plus a brief history of the town, from a 1975 book published by the OSU Department of Architecture.
*A lead on where to fid the actual marriage records of Thomas Knott and Hannah Bell, but time ran out.
*Richland, Ohio, marriage record (not the documents, just the record) for marriage of Mr. Joseph Withers and Miss Ann Montgomery, by Elijah Clark, J.P. on September 23, 1852.
*Map of West Perry Township, Morrow County, Ohio, showing location of land of Abraham Hetrick. Not sure of date.
*Copy of Abraham Hetrick deed to John Wirick,
*Copy of Abrham Hetrick and Mary E Hetrick deed to Hiram Cravin dated December 14, 1859. Need to research this but is likely the son of our Abraham who was married to Sarah Lemmon.
*Abraham Hetrick deed to Levi Lucas Feb. 22,1850
*Record of marriage of March 12, 1839, Isaac Hetrick to Elizabeth Black by L. or S. B. Leiter
*Guardian bonds for Isaac Hetrick (also L.S. and Ezra Hetrick, December 9, 1863 for minors Alice Hetrick and F. Owen Hetrick, per the estate of Peter Black, deceased, of Noble County, Indiana. These were the minor children of Peter and Elizabeth Black Hetrick.
*Copy of Deed of Abraham Hetrick to Isaac Hetrick, March 13, 1856, land in Richland County, sum of $3000 dollars.
*5 pages from the Index of Deeds of Richland County, showing transactions with Robert Bell as grantor of land in Bellville (mostly).
*Copies of original plat of Bellville 1815 and Bell's addition 1826.
*Copy of Deed of John Bell and Hanna Bell to Benjamin Crummell, for $150
*Copy of deed of various Shirk family members to Peter Black, Richland County Ohio, $1000 November 25, 1834.
*Copy of deed for John Carey, Admr to Isaac Hetrick, March 21, 1854 showing order to sell at auction, sold for $1108.50; Then on January 18, 1855 Isaac Hetrick sold the same land to John Carey Junior for $1200.
*Copy of deed from Robert Bell and Hannah his wife to trustees of the M.E. church, for $20, dated January 15,1833 and recorded August 19,1836.
*Copy of deed from Peter Black and wife Martha to Jacob Biddle for $5500; 160 acres, April 4,1853, recorded November 7, 1854. Isaac Hetrick was a witness.
*Copy of Deed from Abraham Hetrick to Justice Frary, August 18, 1849; no mention of wife so hard to know which Abraham this was.
The above were found in Richland County, Ohio court records and a few in Morrow County.
In Knox County, Ohio, where I'd hoped to find more about Joseph and Mary Gearhart Withers, I found only what may or may not be clues:
*Bond of Christopher Mosley with John Ely and John Gearhart as witness, guardian to John and Mary Ann Gearhart, who were the children of Aron Gearhart, deceased. dated October 21, 1845.
*Then just 8 days later, guardian bond of John Higgins, Asher F. Ely and Joseph Shinaberry, as guardians of Aaron Gearhart, Mary Ann Gearhart, and William Gearhart.
*Several pages of estate records for Aron Gerhart, including inventory and sale records. Aron apparently died close to July 10, 1845. He may be a brother or other relation to Mary Gearhart Withers???
And then, from the Ohio Genealogy Society Library at Bellville, Ohio, a wealth of material:
*A chart of the Ulrich Ruble family
*The obituary of Andrew Farmer, who died in Columbia City, Indiana in 1897, mentioning his early years.
*A short history of Johnsonville Community, (Morrow County, Ohio) mentioning Abraham Hetrick as an early resident and as a veteran of the War of 1812.
*A transcription of the will of John Wyatt, who died in 1799 in Franklin County, Va.
*A transcription of a quitclaim deed from Jane Farmer widow of William to Adam Black, September 18, 1839.
* A transcript of the marriage bond for William Farmer and Jane Wyatt, October 21,1799, Franklin County, Va.
*A transcript of a deed from Franklin County, Va. from William Farmer and Jane to Joseph Bolin, June 25, 1813.
*Transcript of the will of Mathew Farmer, written 18 December 1834 and probated October 23,1845 in Miami County, Ohio.
*Copy of Deed for sale of Andrew Farmer's share of Mathew Farmer Estate, September 18, 1839. Various other persons are mentioned and the deed was recorded in Allen County, Indiana and Clark County, Ohio.
*A possible clue to Lemuel Dunn, who may have had a brother James. James was born in Monongahela County, Virginia and came to Brown County, Ohio about 1800.
*From "A History of Summit County, by Perrin, 1881, more than a full page of stories about the Keplers, brothers Andrew and John.
*A copy of the will of Alexis Lemmon, written January 12, 1825 and proved July 15, 1826.
*Copies of the family record section of a Bible purchased by Alexis Lemmon in 1803 in Annapolis, Md, listing his children's births, marriages, and some deaths.
*Copy of the will of Jesse Finch of Belmont County, Ohio, dated February 9,1824 and probated September 8, 1829.
*Pages from "History of Morrow County", by Baskins, 1880, mentioning Abraham Hetrick as a trustee in 1817 in Perry Township, and also mentions Hetrick residing there at the time of Perry's victory on Lake Erie.
*Part of Chancery Court proceedings of April 11,1840, regarding a deed not given to a purchaser, and naming (apparently) all of Robert Bell's living descendants.
*Copy of Washington County, Pennsylvania Deed of Thomas and Hanna Rees to John Brown, land in Frederick County, Md dated January 1, 1793.
*Transcript of deed from Thomas Rees to Jonathan Garber, showing land was warranted to Jonathan Garber February 28, 1805; dated April 7, 1806 and showing Thomas as living in Fairfield County, Ohio as of that date.
*Transcript of deed from Thomas Rees Sr. of Fairfield Co. Ohio to Thomas Rees Jr. of Washington County, Pa. February 23,1810.
*Copy of bond and appraisal papers for Thomas Rees, dated January 30, 1812 in Fairfield County, Ohio.
*Copy of deed of heirs of Thomas Rees (many) to Mathew Ewing, August 29, 1812.
* Copy of Rees names from Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Volume VI, page 425; showing marriage of Thomas Rees son of Morris and Rah, and Margaret Rees, daughter of Thomas and Margaret in 1763, plus many other entries.
*Copies of two letters with information about the (van) Gundy family.
* An article from The Pennsylvania German, no date found, about the Buchtel family, and pages of a passenger list showing Johannes Buchtel's arrival in Philadelphia in 1753.
Obviously, each and every page that I've found needs to be read and analyzed and recorded properly, but do you see why I am doing my happy dance? This was all found in four days, with time out for cemetery visits, a newspaper interview, and serendipitous meetings. I'll write more about all that in my next post!
*Death record for Mary Elizabeth Hetrick Black, died Dec.1, 1862 of typhoid fever. The gem? In the remarks section "Truly a pious woman."
*Article "The Mansfield that Was" from the September 28, 1971 News Journal about the town of Bellville, mentioning founder Robert Bell. I think "The Mansfield that Was" was the name of a column.
*Plat of Bellville, Ohio from 1900
*Original Blat of Bellville, plus a brief history of the town, from a 1975 book published by the OSU Department of Architecture.
*A lead on where to fid the actual marriage records of Thomas Knott and Hannah Bell, but time ran out.
*Richland, Ohio, marriage record (not the documents, just the record) for marriage of Mr. Joseph Withers and Miss Ann Montgomery, by Elijah Clark, J.P. on September 23, 1852.
*Map of West Perry Township, Morrow County, Ohio, showing location of land of Abraham Hetrick. Not sure of date.
*Copy of Abraham Hetrick deed to John Wirick,
*Copy of Abrham Hetrick and Mary E Hetrick deed to Hiram Cravin dated December 14, 1859. Need to research this but is likely the son of our Abraham who was married to Sarah Lemmon.
*Abraham Hetrick deed to Levi Lucas Feb. 22,1850
*Record of marriage of March 12, 1839, Isaac Hetrick to Elizabeth Black by L. or S. B. Leiter
*Guardian bonds for Isaac Hetrick (also L.S. and Ezra Hetrick, December 9, 1863 for minors Alice Hetrick and F. Owen Hetrick, per the estate of Peter Black, deceased, of Noble County, Indiana. These were the minor children of Peter and Elizabeth Black Hetrick.
*Copy of Deed of Abraham Hetrick to Isaac Hetrick, March 13, 1856, land in Richland County, sum of $3000 dollars.
*5 pages from the Index of Deeds of Richland County, showing transactions with Robert Bell as grantor of land in Bellville (mostly).
*Copies of original plat of Bellville 1815 and Bell's addition 1826.
*Copy of Deed of John Bell and Hanna Bell to Benjamin Crummell, for $150
*Copy of deed of various Shirk family members to Peter Black, Richland County Ohio, $1000 November 25, 1834.
*Copy of deed for John Carey, Admr to Isaac Hetrick, March 21, 1854 showing order to sell at auction, sold for $1108.50; Then on January 18, 1855 Isaac Hetrick sold the same land to John Carey Junior for $1200.
*Copy of deed from Robert Bell and Hannah his wife to trustees of the M.E. church, for $20, dated January 15,1833 and recorded August 19,1836.
*Copy of deed from Peter Black and wife Martha to Jacob Biddle for $5500; 160 acres, April 4,1853, recorded November 7, 1854. Isaac Hetrick was a witness.
*Copy of Deed from Abraham Hetrick to Justice Frary, August 18, 1849; no mention of wife so hard to know which Abraham this was.
The above were found in Richland County, Ohio court records and a few in Morrow County.
In Knox County, Ohio, where I'd hoped to find more about Joseph and Mary Gearhart Withers, I found only what may or may not be clues:
*Bond of Christopher Mosley with John Ely and John Gearhart as witness, guardian to John and Mary Ann Gearhart, who were the children of Aron Gearhart, deceased. dated October 21, 1845.
*Then just 8 days later, guardian bond of John Higgins, Asher F. Ely and Joseph Shinaberry, as guardians of Aaron Gearhart, Mary Ann Gearhart, and William Gearhart.
*Several pages of estate records for Aron Gerhart, including inventory and sale records. Aron apparently died close to July 10, 1845. He may be a brother or other relation to Mary Gearhart Withers???
And then, from the Ohio Genealogy Society Library at Bellville, Ohio, a wealth of material:
*A chart of the Ulrich Ruble family
*The obituary of Andrew Farmer, who died in Columbia City, Indiana in 1897, mentioning his early years.
*A short history of Johnsonville Community, (Morrow County, Ohio) mentioning Abraham Hetrick as an early resident and as a veteran of the War of 1812.
*A transcription of the will of John Wyatt, who died in 1799 in Franklin County, Va.
*A transcription of a quitclaim deed from Jane Farmer widow of William to Adam Black, September 18, 1839.
* A transcript of the marriage bond for William Farmer and Jane Wyatt, October 21,1799, Franklin County, Va.
*A transcript of a deed from Franklin County, Va. from William Farmer and Jane to Joseph Bolin, June 25, 1813.
*Transcript of the will of Mathew Farmer, written 18 December 1834 and probated October 23,1845 in Miami County, Ohio.
*Copy of Deed for sale of Andrew Farmer's share of Mathew Farmer Estate, September 18, 1839. Various other persons are mentioned and the deed was recorded in Allen County, Indiana and Clark County, Ohio.
*A possible clue to Lemuel Dunn, who may have had a brother James. James was born in Monongahela County, Virginia and came to Brown County, Ohio about 1800.
*From "A History of Summit County, by Perrin, 1881, more than a full page of stories about the Keplers, brothers Andrew and John.
*A copy of the will of Alexis Lemmon, written January 12, 1825 and proved July 15, 1826.
*Copies of the family record section of a Bible purchased by Alexis Lemmon in 1803 in Annapolis, Md, listing his children's births, marriages, and some deaths.
*Copy of the will of Jesse Finch of Belmont County, Ohio, dated February 9,1824 and probated September 8, 1829.
*Pages from "History of Morrow County", by Baskins, 1880, mentioning Abraham Hetrick as a trustee in 1817 in Perry Township, and also mentions Hetrick residing there at the time of Perry's victory on Lake Erie.
*Part of Chancery Court proceedings of April 11,1840, regarding a deed not given to a purchaser, and naming (apparently) all of Robert Bell's living descendants.
*Copy of Washington County, Pennsylvania Deed of Thomas and Hanna Rees to John Brown, land in Frederick County, Md dated January 1, 1793.
*Transcript of deed from Thomas Rees to Jonathan Garber, showing land was warranted to Jonathan Garber February 28, 1805; dated April 7, 1806 and showing Thomas as living in Fairfield County, Ohio as of that date.
*Transcript of deed from Thomas Rees Sr. of Fairfield Co. Ohio to Thomas Rees Jr. of Washington County, Pa. February 23,1810.
*Copy of bond and appraisal papers for Thomas Rees, dated January 30, 1812 in Fairfield County, Ohio.
*Copy of deed of heirs of Thomas Rees (many) to Mathew Ewing, August 29, 1812.
* Copy of Rees names from Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Volume VI, page 425; showing marriage of Thomas Rees son of Morris and Rah, and Margaret Rees, daughter of Thomas and Margaret in 1763, plus many other entries.
*Copies of two letters with information about the (van) Gundy family.
* An article from The Pennsylvania German, no date found, about the Buchtel family, and pages of a passenger list showing Johannes Buchtel's arrival in Philadelphia in 1753.
Obviously, each and every page that I've found needs to be read and analyzed and recorded properly, but do you see why I am doing my happy dance? This was all found in four days, with time out for cemetery visits, a newspaper interview, and serendipitous meetings. I'll write more about all that in my next post!
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Beeks line: Anthony Hallman 1671-1759, Immigrant
One of the things I like most about researching ancestors is unexpected finds. Who would have thought that the Beeks line would turn up what appears to be a Mennonite family? Closer investigation indicates there may be a mystery to be solved here This immigrant, and his wife, are said to be buried in the graveyard of the Mennonite Church at Skippack, Montgomery County, Pa., which was right next to his property. However, the family attended the Lutheran church at Trappe, Pa. So was this merely a burial of convenience, or is it possible that his wife was Mennonite? Right now, we don't know because we don't know who his wife was.
Let's start at the beginning. Anthony was born in 1671, in Klein Neidersheim, Palatinate, Germany. This is just a little east and a little north of the Alsace-Lorraine region, and is in the general area where Mennonites settled. But the village was small, and since these small villages were homogenous, we will, until proven otherwise, assume that Anthony, at least, was Lutheran. He married Maria Salome last name unknown about 1702. I've seen various guesses as to when he arrived in the New World, but I've seen nothing that seems to have documentation. He may have been here as early as 1708 but most likely it was more like 1721, since children were born in Germany at least through 1718. We also don't know whether the family travelled together to the New World or whether Anthony came over first. He was naturalized in 1731, when laws were changed so that all persons had to swear fealty to the British king. He was a blacksmith by trade, owned land and probably farmed it, at least initially, and later in life purchased a mill in Gwynedd.
Anthony was one of the founders and part of the building committee of the Augustus Lutheran Church at Trappe (1743, when he was already 72 years old) and was still serving as church warden at the time of his death. One of the doors to the building had his name inscribed above it, as "A. Heilmano." He had purchased land in 1720, perhaps before he even laid eyes on it, and then purchased another tract in 1736. He eventually sold the first tract to his son Henry.
Anthony and Maria Salome had at least eight children together, before her death in 1746. Anthony lived another 13 years, dying in 1759. There may have been trouble in the Hallman family, for in his will he disinherited his son John, "for reasons best known to himself" and left bequests to his daughters and children, and son Henry. Whether there was a split in the family or whether John had already received his bequest, we'll probably never know.
I think I'd have liked Anthony. He was a hard worker, apparently thrifty but yet generous to his church, and raised a family in difficult times.
The line of descent is:
Anthony Hallman-Maria Salome
Mary Salome Hallman-Johann Wilhelm Berkheimer
Johann Leonard Berkheimer-Maria Catharine Kerger
Magdalena Berkheimer-Samuel Goodnight
Catherine Goodnight-Jacob Dunham
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza M Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Let's start at the beginning. Anthony was born in 1671, in Klein Neidersheim, Palatinate, Germany. This is just a little east and a little north of the Alsace-Lorraine region, and is in the general area where Mennonites settled. But the village was small, and since these small villages were homogenous, we will, until proven otherwise, assume that Anthony, at least, was Lutheran. He married Maria Salome last name unknown about 1702. I've seen various guesses as to when he arrived in the New World, but I've seen nothing that seems to have documentation. He may have been here as early as 1708 but most likely it was more like 1721, since children were born in Germany at least through 1718. We also don't know whether the family travelled together to the New World or whether Anthony came over first. He was naturalized in 1731, when laws were changed so that all persons had to swear fealty to the British king. He was a blacksmith by trade, owned land and probably farmed it, at least initially, and later in life purchased a mill in Gwynedd.
Anthony was one of the founders and part of the building committee of the Augustus Lutheran Church at Trappe (1743, when he was already 72 years old) and was still serving as church warden at the time of his death. One of the doors to the building had his name inscribed above it, as "A. Heilmano." He had purchased land in 1720, perhaps before he even laid eyes on it, and then purchased another tract in 1736. He eventually sold the first tract to his son Henry.
Anthony and Maria Salome had at least eight children together, before her death in 1746. Anthony lived another 13 years, dying in 1759. There may have been trouble in the Hallman family, for in his will he disinherited his son John, "for reasons best known to himself" and left bequests to his daughters and children, and son Henry. Whether there was a split in the family or whether John had already received his bequest, we'll probably never know.
I think I'd have liked Anthony. He was a hard worker, apparently thrifty but yet generous to his church, and raised a family in difficult times.
The line of descent is:
Anthony Hallman-Maria Salome
Mary Salome Hallman-Johann Wilhelm Berkheimer
Johann Leonard Berkheimer-Maria Catharine Kerger
Magdalena Berkheimer-Samuel Goodnight
Catherine Goodnight-Jacob Dunham
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza M Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Beeks line: David Rees 1655-1706 Immigrant
This will be a very short post, for such an important person in the Beeks line.
We know that he was born about 1755 in Redstone, Pembrokeshire, Wales, that he married Elinor Lloyd, and that he purchased land in Pennsylvania in 1686. At the time, he was referred to as of "Llandewl" in the county of Pembroke. The land he purchased was 200 acres, part of land belonging to Francis Howell. As far as I've been able to determine, Francis was not related to the Rees family nor to the Lloyd family, but that is subject to change.
At any rate, this was part of the William Penn land that Penn had so heavily promoted, especially to Quakers, and the Rees family was strongly Quaker. That probably meant they were not wealthy, but they did have enough money to come to Pennsylvania and to buy land. The land was somewhere in the area of Newtown, Pennsylvania, and the Reese family stayed there until David died in 1706. He would have been about 51 years old, and he left eight children, some born in Wales and some in America although I've not found a really good listing for where each child was born.
There are two children who are in the Beeks line: Morris, who married Sarah Butterfield and Thomas, who married Margaret Bowen. Later two of Henry's grandchildren married, because it was not unusual for first cousins to marry at that time. Hannah Rees, daughter of Morris Rees and Sarah Butterfield, married Thomas Rees, son of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen. (It is hard to keep these Rees names straight, especially when they migrate to the Reese spelling, or going backward, dealing with the very Welsh Rhys spelling.)
This is as much as I've been able to learn to date about David Rees. I'd like to know more about him. Did he prosper in America? What Quaker meeting was he a part of? Did his children all stay within the Quaker faith (Morris and Thomas did, but what of the others?)? And what became of his wife, Elinor?
The Beeks line includes a lot of interesting people, but I think the Welsh Quakers are among the most interesting. I'd love to walk among them for an afternoon and listen to them and watch them at work and at worship.
The lines of descent are:
David Rees-Elinor Lloyd
Morris Rees-Sarah Butterfield
Hannah Rees-Thomas Rees
Solomon Rees-Anna possibly McNeal
Owen T Rees-Margaret Moon
Eliza Rees-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Thomas Rees is the son of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, and the older Thomas is the son of David and Elinor.
We know that he was born about 1755 in Redstone, Pembrokeshire, Wales, that he married Elinor Lloyd, and that he purchased land in Pennsylvania in 1686. At the time, he was referred to as of "Llandewl" in the county of Pembroke. The land he purchased was 200 acres, part of land belonging to Francis Howell. As far as I've been able to determine, Francis was not related to the Rees family nor to the Lloyd family, but that is subject to change.
At any rate, this was part of the William Penn land that Penn had so heavily promoted, especially to Quakers, and the Rees family was strongly Quaker. That probably meant they were not wealthy, but they did have enough money to come to Pennsylvania and to buy land. The land was somewhere in the area of Newtown, Pennsylvania, and the Reese family stayed there until David died in 1706. He would have been about 51 years old, and he left eight children, some born in Wales and some in America although I've not found a really good listing for where each child was born.
There are two children who are in the Beeks line: Morris, who married Sarah Butterfield and Thomas, who married Margaret Bowen. Later two of Henry's grandchildren married, because it was not unusual for first cousins to marry at that time. Hannah Rees, daughter of Morris Rees and Sarah Butterfield, married Thomas Rees, son of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen. (It is hard to keep these Rees names straight, especially when they migrate to the Reese spelling, or going backward, dealing with the very Welsh Rhys spelling.)
This is as much as I've been able to learn to date about David Rees. I'd like to know more about him. Did he prosper in America? What Quaker meeting was he a part of? Did his children all stay within the Quaker faith (Morris and Thomas did, but what of the others?)? And what became of his wife, Elinor?
The Beeks line includes a lot of interesting people, but I think the Welsh Quakers are among the most interesting. I'd love to walk among them for an afternoon and listen to them and watch them at work and at worship.
The lines of descent are:
David Rees-Elinor Lloyd
Morris Rees-Sarah Butterfield
Hannah Rees-Thomas Rees
Solomon Rees-Anna possibly McNeal
Owen T Rees-Margaret Moon
Eliza Rees-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Thomas Rees is the son of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, and the older Thomas is the son of David and Elinor.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Beeks line: John Wilsford, Immigrant 1643-after 1695
I wonder if there is wishful thinking about this ancestor, or at least about this ancestor's ancestors, on the internet. I've found trees that say that John is the son of Thomas Wilsford and the grandson of Thomas Wilsford and Elizabeth Sandys. This would give our John a famous pedigree indeed. However, it doesn't make sense to me for a number of reasons, including geography both in England and in the New World, religion (Quaker vs Church of England) and economic status. So until we find actual records supporting the more famous pedigree, let's just consider John's parents as unknown.
John was from Leicestershire, England, most likely, as that is where he married his wife Alice Towle in 1665. There are entries for at least two of his children, John and Mary, in the "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes1588-1977" found on FamilySearch.org. So as early as 1666, when John was born, this was a Quaker family.
The Wilsfords had other children, also. There was an earlier Mary, Thomas, and Hannah, of all whom died young. The other child who survived was Sarah, who was two years younger than our Mary. ( Perhaps the fact that a child was named Thomas caused someone to connect this John to the wealthier family in Virginia.) John and his family show in the Monthly Meetings of Old Dalby in Leicestershire, until about March 1675/76. Two years later (1678) they are at the Huntingdonshire Monthly Meetings, so they must have moved in that time period, probably to Fenny Stanton. They stayed there about 7 years and then were given a certificate to remove to Pennsylvania, except that they actually settled in what is now New Jersey, near the Chesterfield Monthly Meeting.
John was a miller, and acquired land by 1685 near the Falls of the Delaware River. He had first lived at Crosswicks Creek in Chesterfield. In 1692 he had land surveyed, 200 acres at the SE corner of his formerly surveyed land, along Shabbaconke Creek, adjoining Joshua Eley. John Wilsford Sr. and John Wilsford Junior sold 200 acres in Hopewell Township, Hunterdon County, NJ to Nathaniel Fretwell. This is the last we hear of John Senior, so he died sometime after this sale of land. (A lot of dates on the internet say he died September 28,1695, but this should be read as "After September 28, 1695."
Alice Towle Wilsford died March 31, 1688, so she didn't live long in the New World. Life was hard, especially for women. John outlived her by at least 8 years but assuming he died about 1696, which may not be a safe assumption, he would have been only 53 years old himself.
We are fortunate to have a little more information about John Wilsford than for some of our immigrant ancestors. We know he was a member of the Society of Friends (Quaker), which means we know something of the way he would have lived his life. We know he was a miller, so we know his livelihood. And we know that he had three children who liked near him, in their early adult years. Of course, I'd love to know more, such as just when he died, but this is a good start.
As always, I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more about this family, or who is a part of this family!
The line of descent is:
John Wilsford-Alice Towle
Mary Wilsford-James Moon
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Maraget Moon-Owen T Reese
Eliza Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
John was from Leicestershire, England, most likely, as that is where he married his wife Alice Towle in 1665. There are entries for at least two of his children, John and Mary, in the "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes1588-1977" found on FamilySearch.org. So as early as 1666, when John was born, this was a Quaker family.
The Wilsfords had other children, also. There was an earlier Mary, Thomas, and Hannah, of all whom died young. The other child who survived was Sarah, who was two years younger than our Mary. ( Perhaps the fact that a child was named Thomas caused someone to connect this John to the wealthier family in Virginia.) John and his family show in the Monthly Meetings of Old Dalby in Leicestershire, until about March 1675/76. Two years later (1678) they are at the Huntingdonshire Monthly Meetings, so they must have moved in that time period, probably to Fenny Stanton. They stayed there about 7 years and then were given a certificate to remove to Pennsylvania, except that they actually settled in what is now New Jersey, near the Chesterfield Monthly Meeting.
John was a miller, and acquired land by 1685 near the Falls of the Delaware River. He had first lived at Crosswicks Creek in Chesterfield. In 1692 he had land surveyed, 200 acres at the SE corner of his formerly surveyed land, along Shabbaconke Creek, adjoining Joshua Eley. John Wilsford Sr. and John Wilsford Junior sold 200 acres in Hopewell Township, Hunterdon County, NJ to Nathaniel Fretwell. This is the last we hear of John Senior, so he died sometime after this sale of land. (A lot of dates on the internet say he died September 28,1695, but this should be read as "After September 28, 1695."
Alice Towle Wilsford died March 31, 1688, so she didn't live long in the New World. Life was hard, especially for women. John outlived her by at least 8 years but assuming he died about 1696, which may not be a safe assumption, he would have been only 53 years old himself.
We are fortunate to have a little more information about John Wilsford than for some of our immigrant ancestors. We know he was a member of the Society of Friends (Quaker), which means we know something of the way he would have lived his life. We know he was a miller, so we know his livelihood. And we know that he had three children who liked near him, in their early adult years. Of course, I'd love to know more, such as just when he died, but this is a good start.
As always, I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more about this family, or who is a part of this family!
The line of descent is:
John Wilsford-Alice Towle
Mary Wilsford-James Moon
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Maraget Moon-Owen T Reese
Eliza Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Beeks line: Morris Rees, Thomas Rees and oh my goodness
I worked on the Rees line early in my genealogy life, and determined that this family, or these families, were too much for me to work on, at the time. Looking back at my early work, I should have stopped several generations sooner than I did, and I would still have had plenty of Rees's to confuse me. I need to delete some names from the tree, for they surely can't be correct.
The Rees lines that I am fairly sure of are Morris Rees and Thomas Rees. They were likely related in some fashion, but whether it was a fairly recent connection, such as great grandfathers, or further back in time and place, I can't say at this time.. In general, I can say that these were Quaker families whose children intermarried, and I can say that they came through Pennsylvania to Virginia, thento washington County, Pennsylvania, and onto Ohio and Indiana.
All this matter Thomas Rees, son of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, married Hannah Rees, daughter of Morris Rees and Sarah Butterfield. Also Jane Rees, another daughter of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, married Jacob Moon. To make tracing the family just a little more difficult, Thomas Rees who married Hannah named sons Thomas and Morris, and Morris Rees who married Sarah Butterfield names sons Morris and Thomas. Each of the families also had a son named John, and they each also named daughters Mary and Margaret.
We, however, are concerned only with the direct lines of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, which would be Thomas who married Hannah daughter of Morris and Sarah, and with Jane, who married Jacob Moon. The Thomas and Margaret family worshiped near Fredericksburg, Virginia with their neighbors, at the Hopewell Meeting House. The Meeting House was built in 1759, when families who had fled the French and Indian Wars were coming back to their homesteads. It's believed that Morris and Sarah were one of the families who had left Virginia and gone back to Pennsylvania during this time period, Thomas and Margaret had arrived in 1743 and Morris and Hannah about 1753, and Morris's land was located just a little north of Thomas's.
Thomas who married Hannah moved onto Washington County, Pa sometime between 1774 and 1781. Thomas's brother, John, had been disowned by the Quakers for marrying outside the faith, and it's not clear whether Thomas had chosen to leave the faith is support of his brother or whether he was still a member in good standing. As early as 1801, Thomas and Hannah moved on to Fairfield County, Ohio, where he died in 1805 and she died in 1806. This would make them very early pioneers of the state.
I've previously written about Solomon Rees and his son Owen Traveler, and I've also written about Butterfields and Bowens. This post is an attempt to fill in the dots and give a little bit of the flavor of life for the Rees family, which was primarily farming and living in the neighborhood and manner of the Society of Friends, the more official name for Quakers.
I guess I need to work harder to figure out the folks who were in the next generations back from Thomas and Morris, although I realize greater minds than mine have already thrown up their hands.
Here are the lines of descent:
Thomas Rees-Hannah Rees
Solomon Rees-Ann or Anna
Owen Traveler Rees-Margaret Ellen Moon
Eliza Matilda Rees-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
The other line is:
Jane Rees-Jacob Moon
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen Traveler Rees
see above
Margaret Ellen Moon and Owen Traveler Rees were second cousins, having Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen as their common great grandparents. This was totally acceptable in the time period.
The Rees lines that I am fairly sure of are Morris Rees and Thomas Rees. They were likely related in some fashion, but whether it was a fairly recent connection, such as great grandfathers, or further back in time and place, I can't say at this time.. In general, I can say that these were Quaker families whose children intermarried, and I can say that they came through Pennsylvania to Virginia, thento washington County, Pennsylvania, and onto Ohio and Indiana.
All this matter Thomas Rees, son of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, married Hannah Rees, daughter of Morris Rees and Sarah Butterfield. Also Jane Rees, another daughter of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, married Jacob Moon. To make tracing the family just a little more difficult, Thomas Rees who married Hannah named sons Thomas and Morris, and Morris Rees who married Sarah Butterfield names sons Morris and Thomas. Each of the families also had a son named John, and they each also named daughters Mary and Margaret.
We, however, are concerned only with the direct lines of Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, which would be Thomas who married Hannah daughter of Morris and Sarah, and with Jane, who married Jacob Moon. The Thomas and Margaret family worshiped near Fredericksburg, Virginia with their neighbors, at the Hopewell Meeting House. The Meeting House was built in 1759, when families who had fled the French and Indian Wars were coming back to their homesteads. It's believed that Morris and Sarah were one of the families who had left Virginia and gone back to Pennsylvania during this time period, Thomas and Margaret had arrived in 1743 and Morris and Hannah about 1753, and Morris's land was located just a little north of Thomas's.
Thomas who married Hannah moved onto Washington County, Pa sometime between 1774 and 1781. Thomas's brother, John, had been disowned by the Quakers for marrying outside the faith, and it's not clear whether Thomas had chosen to leave the faith is support of his brother or whether he was still a member in good standing. As early as 1801, Thomas and Hannah moved on to Fairfield County, Ohio, where he died in 1805 and she died in 1806. This would make them very early pioneers of the state.
I've previously written about Solomon Rees and his son Owen Traveler, and I've also written about Butterfields and Bowens. This post is an attempt to fill in the dots and give a little bit of the flavor of life for the Rees family, which was primarily farming and living in the neighborhood and manner of the Society of Friends, the more official name for Quakers.
I guess I need to work harder to figure out the folks who were in the next generations back from Thomas and Morris, although I realize greater minds than mine have already thrown up their hands.
Here are the lines of descent:
Thomas Rees-Hannah Rees
Solomon Rees-Ann or Anna
Owen Traveler Rees-Margaret Ellen Moon
Eliza Matilda Rees-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
The other line is:
Jane Rees-Jacob Moon
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen Traveler Rees
see above
Margaret Ellen Moon and Owen Traveler Rees were second cousins, having Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen as their common great grandparents. This was totally acceptable in the time period.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Beeks line: Henry Bowen 1678-1755
It's hard to find information about Henry Bowen. It's even harder to find accurate information about him. The dates I have used here are in dispute, but I believe they are close. It is believed that he was born in Wales, possibly Carmarthen, but I'm not aware of any documentation to that. His parents were Evan ap Owen and Mary McMillan, and he had a much more famous brother, Moses, or Moses John.
It's believed the ap Owen family, hereafter referred to as the Bowen family, came to Pennsylvania before 1700, and possibly as early as 1681 as there is record of a Moses Bowen's arrival in 1681. the family is thought to have been Quaker, and came to Pennsylvania at William Penn's inducement if not in his actual fleet. Nothing more is known of Henry until about 1703, when he married Jane Carter, daughter of Robert Carter and Margaret, at the Brick Meeting House in Bucks County, Pa. (I have found both the 1703 and 1704 dates, which could be calendar confusion, or perhaps one date was the date of their intentions and the other was the date of their marriage.)
Henry and Jane's children appear to have been born in Pennsylvania. Their known children include Henry, William, Jane, Priscilla, Margaret, and Catherine. Henry doesn't seem to have been as successful financially as his brother Moses, who at one time owned 10,000 acres. In fact, I've yet to find evidence of land ownership, although I hope to locate records someday.
We don't know when Henry and Jane moved to Frederick County, Virginia but we know they were there for some years before Henry's death in 1755, and we know he was in New Garden for the wedding of a daughter in 1726. Frederick County would have been somewhere in the northern tip of Virginia, or on west into what is now West Virginia. This was a common location for Quaker families, and was very much frontier country.
We know that he died in 1755, shortly after the outbreak of the French and Indian War. As a Quaker, Henry would not have fought in these or any other battles, but it is interesting to wonder where the family went when battles broke out. Did they ever see George Washington or General Braddock as they were on their way to what turned out to be disasters, fighting the Indians? Or did they see the President as an even younger man, as he was doing land surveys in that part of the country?
Much more research needs to be one about Henry, to locate land records and to locate his will, if any. My tentative picture of him is as a hard working, brave, and peaceful man. I'd like to know more than that!
The line of descent is:
Henry Bowen-Jane Carter
Margaret Bowen-Thomas Rees
Thomas Rees-Hannah Rees
Solomon Rees-Anna
Owen T. Reese-Margaret Ellen Moon
Eliza Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Fun fact: Henry's parents were the ancestors of former Vice President of the US, Richard Cheney. It's fun to find that the Beeks family has both Republican and Democratic VIPs in their lines.
It's believed the ap Owen family, hereafter referred to as the Bowen family, came to Pennsylvania before 1700, and possibly as early as 1681 as there is record of a Moses Bowen's arrival in 1681. the family is thought to have been Quaker, and came to Pennsylvania at William Penn's inducement if not in his actual fleet. Nothing more is known of Henry until about 1703, when he married Jane Carter, daughter of Robert Carter and Margaret, at the Brick Meeting House in Bucks County, Pa. (I have found both the 1703 and 1704 dates, which could be calendar confusion, or perhaps one date was the date of their intentions and the other was the date of their marriage.)
Henry and Jane's children appear to have been born in Pennsylvania. Their known children include Henry, William, Jane, Priscilla, Margaret, and Catherine. Henry doesn't seem to have been as successful financially as his brother Moses, who at one time owned 10,000 acres. In fact, I've yet to find evidence of land ownership, although I hope to locate records someday.
We don't know when Henry and Jane moved to Frederick County, Virginia but we know they were there for some years before Henry's death in 1755, and we know he was in New Garden for the wedding of a daughter in 1726. Frederick County would have been somewhere in the northern tip of Virginia, or on west into what is now West Virginia. This was a common location for Quaker families, and was very much frontier country.
We know that he died in 1755, shortly after the outbreak of the French and Indian War. As a Quaker, Henry would not have fought in these or any other battles, but it is interesting to wonder where the family went when battles broke out. Did they ever see George Washington or General Braddock as they were on their way to what turned out to be disasters, fighting the Indians? Or did they see the President as an even younger man, as he was doing land surveys in that part of the country?
Much more research needs to be one about Henry, to locate land records and to locate his will, if any. My tentative picture of him is as a hard working, brave, and peaceful man. I'd like to know more than that!
The line of descent is:
Henry Bowen-Jane Carter
Margaret Bowen-Thomas Rees
Thomas Rees-Hannah Rees
Solomon Rees-Anna
Owen T. Reese-Margaret Ellen Moon
Eliza Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Fun fact: Henry's parents were the ancestors of former Vice President of the US, Richard Cheney. It's fun to find that the Beeks family has both Republican and Democratic VIPs in their lines.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Beeks line: Percival Towle abt 1620-1691, Immigrant and Quaker
What an amazing morning this has been. When I decided to write about Percival Towle for today's blog, all I "knew" about him was that he was one of the proprietors of the original 100 shares of West New Jersey, and that he lived in London and was a baker, before he came to New Jersey. I have learned so much in just the last hour that my head is literally spinning. Google is my friend!
I still have a lot of questions about him, of course (including who named him, but that's beside the point), but now I know there is a person behind those few facts in the first paragraph, and I'm excited to go learn more. In the meantime, here's what I've learned.
His parents may have been Francis Towle and Elizabeth Cooke. I haven't found the documentation for that yet, so take it with a grain of salt. He was born about 1620, presumably christened in a church somewhere, and at some point, married Thomasin Scattergood (again, I haven't seen documentation.) Also there is no document to point to his conversion to a member of the Society of Friends (Quaker) but there is evidence that he was one by 1663, when "A few days after (March 22, 1663), Percival Towle a baker of Ratcliff was also committed to Newgate for not pulling off his hat as he passed by the Lord Mayor and Richard Brown in the Street." This came from "A Collection of the Sufferings of the People Called Quakers, Volume 1", first published in the late 1600's. We don't know how long he stayed at Newgate Prison, or what his circumstances were there. Money bought better treatment, but we don't know if he had money at that point or whether he would have used it for that purpose, if he'd had it.
I've found various dates for his arrival in the New World, but it seems to have been sometime in or . shortly after January 1, 1677. He and five other men (Richard Mew, Peter Hayles, Thomas Martin, Nicholas Bell and Richard Clayton, all from the London area) purchased a "full propriety" in West New Jersey. Percival was the only one to actually come to West Jersey to live; the others were likely Quakers who were trying to help other Quaker settlers by making a land purchase. According to a 1951 volume of "The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography," Percival was active on grand and petty juries, was an overseer of the highways, a member of the Council of Proprietors, and died a wealthy man. His plantation, Sutton's Lodge, was one of the largest in the Province, containing about 1300 acres. The "Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey" lists him as a member of the assembly from 1683-1685. For a baker, he was doing pretty well for himself.
We know that he had and Thomasin had at least two children, Alice and Susannah. There is also an "Annie" which some people have taken as a nickname for "Susannah" and others have listed as a separate daughter. If there were more children who perhaps died early, we don't know of them. The children were born in England in about 1643-1645, and joined their parents in West Jersey.
The area that they lived in was in Burlington, N.J. The bakehouse that Towle owned was on the Delaware River and went "back to the next street." I haven't found a precise location for "Sutton's Lodge" yet, but it was most likely on the Delaware River or one of its tribuaries also.
We are fortunate to have an abstract of the wills of both Percival and Thomasin. Percivals was was dated October 26,1691 and proved December 12,1691. He left much of his estate to his wife, with the stipulation that after her death his house, bakehouse and lands on Burlington Island and in town bounds were to be sold for the benefit of the Quarterly Meeting of Friends in Burlington Co., and left the plantation called Sutton's Lodge to his brothers and their children,800 acres "not yet taken up" were to go to several people who appear to be in-laws and possibly other relations, and there were separate legacies to four others and the Ratcliffe Meeting in England.
The appraisal of his estate totaled 740 pounds, 14 shillings, and 10 pence. His cash and silverware was valued at almost twice that of his 800 acres. His house in Burlington, where his wife would live, was valued at 120 pounds so it must have been quite a home.
When Tomasin died, (will dated September 28,1695 and proved December 7, 1695, she left a number of bequests to friends and relations in London and in West Jersey, as well as to the Devonshire Meeting of Friends in London. Her estate was valued at 465 pounds, 5 shillings, 6 pence, all personal (no real estate). She was quite wealthy for her time, too.
Here is a picture of a hard working man who loved his God and would not take off his hat to anyone. He came to West Jersey in middle age and not only made a home for himself here, but he prospered among his Quaker friends. It's a story I'm glad to learn, and I'm sure there is still more to be found of this man and his family.
The line of descent is:
Percival Towle-Thomasin Scattergood
Alice Towle-John Thomas Wilsford
Mary Wilsford-James Moon
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen T Rees
Eliza Reese-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendents
I still have a lot of questions about him, of course (including who named him, but that's beside the point), but now I know there is a person behind those few facts in the first paragraph, and I'm excited to go learn more. In the meantime, here's what I've learned.
His parents may have been Francis Towle and Elizabeth Cooke. I haven't found the documentation for that yet, so take it with a grain of salt. He was born about 1620, presumably christened in a church somewhere, and at some point, married Thomasin Scattergood (again, I haven't seen documentation.) Also there is no document to point to his conversion to a member of the Society of Friends (Quaker) but there is evidence that he was one by 1663, when "A few days after (March 22, 1663), Percival Towle a baker of Ratcliff was also committed to Newgate for not pulling off his hat as he passed by the Lord Mayor and Richard Brown in the Street." This came from "A Collection of the Sufferings of the People Called Quakers, Volume 1", first published in the late 1600's. We don't know how long he stayed at Newgate Prison, or what his circumstances were there. Money bought better treatment, but we don't know if he had money at that point or whether he would have used it for that purpose, if he'd had it.
I've found various dates for his arrival in the New World, but it seems to have been sometime in or . shortly after January 1, 1677. He and five other men (Richard Mew, Peter Hayles, Thomas Martin, Nicholas Bell and Richard Clayton, all from the London area) purchased a "full propriety" in West New Jersey. Percival was the only one to actually come to West Jersey to live; the others were likely Quakers who were trying to help other Quaker settlers by making a land purchase. According to a 1951 volume of "The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography," Percival was active on grand and petty juries, was an overseer of the highways, a member of the Council of Proprietors, and died a wealthy man. His plantation, Sutton's Lodge, was one of the largest in the Province, containing about 1300 acres. The "Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey" lists him as a member of the assembly from 1683-1685. For a baker, he was doing pretty well for himself.
We know that he had and Thomasin had at least two children, Alice and Susannah. There is also an "Annie" which some people have taken as a nickname for "Susannah" and others have listed as a separate daughter. If there were more children who perhaps died early, we don't know of them. The children were born in England in about 1643-1645, and joined their parents in West Jersey.
The area that they lived in was in Burlington, N.J. The bakehouse that Towle owned was on the Delaware River and went "back to the next street." I haven't found a precise location for "Sutton's Lodge" yet, but it was most likely on the Delaware River or one of its tribuaries also.
We are fortunate to have an abstract of the wills of both Percival and Thomasin. Percivals was was dated October 26,1691 and proved December 12,1691. He left much of his estate to his wife, with the stipulation that after her death his house, bakehouse and lands on Burlington Island and in town bounds were to be sold for the benefit of the Quarterly Meeting of Friends in Burlington Co., and left the plantation called Sutton's Lodge to his brothers and their children,800 acres "not yet taken up" were to go to several people who appear to be in-laws and possibly other relations, and there were separate legacies to four others and the Ratcliffe Meeting in England.
The appraisal of his estate totaled 740 pounds, 14 shillings, and 10 pence. His cash and silverware was valued at almost twice that of his 800 acres. His house in Burlington, where his wife would live, was valued at 120 pounds so it must have been quite a home.
When Tomasin died, (will dated September 28,1695 and proved December 7, 1695, she left a number of bequests to friends and relations in London and in West Jersey, as well as to the Devonshire Meeting of Friends in London. Her estate was valued at 465 pounds, 5 shillings, 6 pence, all personal (no real estate). She was quite wealthy for her time, too.
Here is a picture of a hard working man who loved his God and would not take off his hat to anyone. He came to West Jersey in middle age and not only made a home for himself here, but he prospered among his Quaker friends. It's a story I'm glad to learn, and I'm sure there is still more to be found of this man and his family.
The line of descent is:
Percival Towle-Thomasin Scattergood
Alice Towle-John Thomas Wilsford
Mary Wilsford-James Moon
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen T Rees
Eliza Reese-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendents
Monday, July 20, 2015
Beeks line: Thomas Butterfield 1665-1731
I sure am puzzled about Thomas. So far I have been able to find very little about him. He was born in 1665 in Balidon, Bradford, Yorkshire, England, or possibly in 1670. The 1670 date may be a christening date. His parents were John Butterfield, noted as "the younger" and possibly Elizabeth.
That is as much as we know about his early life. We don't know for sure when he immigrated to the New World. The one reference I have found so far is a Thomas Butterfield who came to Maryland in 1681. If this is our Thomas, he would have been quite young, and possibly came either to join relatives or as an indentured servant. (This is pure speculation As I said, I've found nothing.) The puzzling thing about the Maryland arrival is that he is soon found in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he lived out the rest of his life, so the Maryland Thomas may or may not be ours.
Thomas was a bricklayer/mason by profession, so he probably served an apprenticeship somewhere, whether as an indentured servant or in the traditional apprenticeship fashion. There would have been plenty of work for him in Chester County as the area was new and many stone homes were being built. He seems to have felt stable enough financially to get married in the 1690's, to a woman named Mary (sometimes identified as Mary Taylor, although I've never seen documentation for that.)
Mary was baptized as an adult at St Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1704. By now, Thomas and Mary had several children, including Sarah, John, Rachel and Barshebe. Dinah was born in 1705, and there may have been two additional sons.
Thomas purchased 150 acres of land in Upper Providence Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1697/8 The land was a wooded area on Ridley Creek, and would have provided much of what a family would need to survive and perhaps thrive. Income from the masonry work probably filled in whatever was missing.
We can imagine that Thomas and Mary worked hard and led a devout life, although Thomas had a few brushes with the law. It was nothing serious, and he seems to have always been at least partly in the right. Thomas must have been respected because not only was he a constable, he was also one of the founders of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church, and was listed as one of those who appointed vestrymen and wardens for the church.
Thomas died in 1731 in Upper Providence, Chester County, Pa., apparently without leaving a will. He was 66 years old. We don't know when Mary died.
I'd sure like to know more about the Butterfield family in Balidon, England. I found a reference that showed there were still Butterfields there, so it's possible they are distant cousins. I'd like to know about John and his wife, and whether John "the younger" is the son of another John, "the older". (It doesn't necessarily follow that the younger is the son of the older; John the older could be an uncle or a cousin or a grandfather.)
The line of descent is:
Thomas Butterfield-Mary
Sarah Butterfield-Morris Rees
Hannah Rees-Thomas Rees
Solomon Rees-Anna
Owen T Rees-Margaret Moon
Eliza Rees-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendents
That is as much as we know about his early life. We don't know for sure when he immigrated to the New World. The one reference I have found so far is a Thomas Butterfield who came to Maryland in 1681. If this is our Thomas, he would have been quite young, and possibly came either to join relatives or as an indentured servant. (This is pure speculation As I said, I've found nothing.) The puzzling thing about the Maryland arrival is that he is soon found in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he lived out the rest of his life, so the Maryland Thomas may or may not be ours.
Thomas was a bricklayer/mason by profession, so he probably served an apprenticeship somewhere, whether as an indentured servant or in the traditional apprenticeship fashion. There would have been plenty of work for him in Chester County as the area was new and many stone homes were being built. He seems to have felt stable enough financially to get married in the 1690's, to a woman named Mary (sometimes identified as Mary Taylor, although I've never seen documentation for that.)
Mary was baptized as an adult at St Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1704. By now, Thomas and Mary had several children, including Sarah, John, Rachel and Barshebe. Dinah was born in 1705, and there may have been two additional sons.
Thomas purchased 150 acres of land in Upper Providence Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1697/8 The land was a wooded area on Ridley Creek, and would have provided much of what a family would need to survive and perhaps thrive. Income from the masonry work probably filled in whatever was missing.
We can imagine that Thomas and Mary worked hard and led a devout life, although Thomas had a few brushes with the law. It was nothing serious, and he seems to have always been at least partly in the right. Thomas must have been respected because not only was he a constable, he was also one of the founders of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church, and was listed as one of those who appointed vestrymen and wardens for the church.
Thomas died in 1731 in Upper Providence, Chester County, Pa., apparently without leaving a will. He was 66 years old. We don't know when Mary died.
I'd sure like to know more about the Butterfield family in Balidon, England. I found a reference that showed there were still Butterfields there, so it's possible they are distant cousins. I'd like to know about John and his wife, and whether John "the younger" is the son of another John, "the older". (It doesn't necessarily follow that the younger is the son of the older; John the older could be an uncle or a cousin or a grandfather.)
The line of descent is:
Thomas Butterfield-Mary
Sarah Butterfield-Morris Rees
Hannah Rees-Thomas Rees
Solomon Rees-Anna
Owen T Rees-Margaret Moon
Eliza Rees-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendents
Monday, July 6, 2015
Beeks line: Robert Carter abt 1648-1686, immigrant and mystery
Robert Carter was born most likely in England, about 1648. This is a common name so it's hard to know for sure that family historians have found the right person. However, a boy by that name was christened at St Peter's, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England on February 13, 1650, at the age of two, and the (very extended) family seems to think this is our Robert Carter. If so, then his parents were Thomas and Elizabeth. I've also found reference to his father possibly being William, so let's just say I'm not sold on the either "fact" yet. Bedforshire would surely be worthy of further study, though. A simple search on FamilySearch turns up several candidates of the right age, and there would surely be more scattered all over England.
It is believed that he married a girl named Hannah, likely in England. He was a passenger on the ship "Samuel" which arrived in Philadelphia on September 18, 1682. The "Samuel" was one of the 22 ships that sailed for Pennsylvania with William Penn. Many of the settlers were from Lancashire, but not all of them, and many were Quakers, but again, not all of them. However, Quakers from Lancashire would likely be his neighbors, and at least some of his children were Quakers, so he would have been surrounded by them if not actually a Quaker himself.
Robert apparently had money for he is listed as a landowner in 1684, in "History of Bucks County."
He received a land patent in 1683 in Bucks County, Pa in land which eventually became Middletown Township. Edward Carter, who arrived about the same time but seems to have stayed in Philadelphia, may have been a brother.
Robert and possibly Hannah had at least five children, namely John, Margaret, Joan, Edward, and Jane. Jane at least was an "infant" (under the age of 14) when Robert died in 1686. If the other children were above the age of 14 then Robert would have been fairly young when he married, and the first four children would have been born in England. There are different birthdates proposed for Jane, anywhere from 1678 to 1683, so we don't know where she was born. Jane was placed with Thomas Janney in 1691, which probably means she was at least 6 years old at the time.
Robert Carter is mentioned in "History of Bucks County" as being on the first petit jury of Bucks County in 1685, and as a high-constable later that same year. However, there are also references to Robert Carter in Bucks County in the years following 1686, which can't be our Robert Carter, so it is not a provenfact that our Robert Carter was the one mentioned here.
I don't know anything more about Robert Carter, but I honor him for his bravery in coming to America and for his hard work, which may have contributed to his early death, in making a home for his family. I'd love to know more about him, of course, so if anyone recognizes this name, please contact me.
The line of descent is:
Robert Carter-possibly Hannah
Jane Carter-Henry Bowen
Margaret Bowen-Thomas Rees
Thomas Rees-Hannah Rees
Solomon Rees-Anna possibly McNeal
Owen T Rees-Margaret Moon
Eliza Rees-Samuel Dunham
Margaret C Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harashbarger
Their descendents
It is believed that he married a girl named Hannah, likely in England. He was a passenger on the ship "Samuel" which arrived in Philadelphia on September 18, 1682. The "Samuel" was one of the 22 ships that sailed for Pennsylvania with William Penn. Many of the settlers were from Lancashire, but not all of them, and many were Quakers, but again, not all of them. However, Quakers from Lancashire would likely be his neighbors, and at least some of his children were Quakers, so he would have been surrounded by them if not actually a Quaker himself.
Robert apparently had money for he is listed as a landowner in 1684, in "History of Bucks County."
He received a land patent in 1683 in Bucks County, Pa in land which eventually became Middletown Township. Edward Carter, who arrived about the same time but seems to have stayed in Philadelphia, may have been a brother.
Robert and possibly Hannah had at least five children, namely John, Margaret, Joan, Edward, and Jane. Jane at least was an "infant" (under the age of 14) when Robert died in 1686. If the other children were above the age of 14 then Robert would have been fairly young when he married, and the first four children would have been born in England. There are different birthdates proposed for Jane, anywhere from 1678 to 1683, so we don't know where she was born. Jane was placed with Thomas Janney in 1691, which probably means she was at least 6 years old at the time.
Robert Carter is mentioned in "History of Bucks County" as being on the first petit jury of Bucks County in 1685, and as a high-constable later that same year. However, there are also references to Robert Carter in Bucks County in the years following 1686, which can't be our Robert Carter, so it is not a provenfact that our Robert Carter was the one mentioned here.
I don't know anything more about Robert Carter, but I honor him for his bravery in coming to America and for his hard work, which may have contributed to his early death, in making a home for his family. I'd love to know more about him, of course, so if anyone recognizes this name, please contact me.
The line of descent is:
Robert Carter-possibly Hannah
Jane Carter-Henry Bowen
Margaret Bowen-Thomas Rees
Thomas Rees-Hannah Rees
Solomon Rees-Anna possibly McNeal
Owen T Rees-Margaret Moon
Eliza Rees-Samuel Dunham
Margaret C Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harashbarger
Their descendents
Friday, October 17, 2014
Beeks line: James Moon, immigrant, Quaker, and challenge
No one seems to agree on when or where James was born, so he has several listed birthplaces and at least three sets of listed parents. The most likely set of parents would be William Moone and Catherine Kynge. A son named James was baptised on August 23, 1639 at Ashwick, Somerset, England per records found on Ancestry (Names listed as William and Katherine).
Even his wife is a mystery. Printed sources from as long ago as 1895 give his wife as Joan Burgess, but no records have been found as of now to prove that. However, it appears that at least one child was born in Bristol, and Bristol is just 18 miles from Ashwick, so it is plausible that children were born in Bristol and that James and his wife Joan lived there prior to their immigration.
If the baptism noted above is our James, he was baptized into the Church of England. At some point, James and Joan became Quakers. It is possible that one or both sets of parents were Quakers, also, but since we aren't sure who the parents are I have not researched further back for the families. The Quakers were a persecuted group in England, and many left for the New World in search of religious freedom. Fortunately, William Penn had been granted a large amount of land, which he in turn sold in order to build his colony
In 1682, the Moons with their six children (Sarah, James, Jonas, Jasper, Mary, and Roger) came to the New World with William Penn. They reached Newcastle on the Delaware River on October 27, 1682. They settled near Falsington in Bucks County, Pa on 125 acres of land purchased from William Penn, and there lived the rest of their lives. They cleared the land for a large orchard and for pasture land, where they raised cattle. We can assume that they raised other crops, too, for their own use if not to sell. This was wilderness and if there were no Indian troubles due to William Penn's good relationship with the native Americans, there were beasts of prey (wolves, bear, panther) and winter weather and other challenges, besides just making a living. They were members of the Falls Monthly Meeting of Friends, Joan attending all services and preferring to walk when she was past 80 years of age. James died in 1713 and Joan in 1739, and they are buried at the old Quaker Cemetery in Fallsington, Bucks County, Pa.
For more information, I recommend the website at family-forest.net/JamesMoonNotes. It is speculative since his parents aren't really proven, but if William Moon was James's father, then the line may go back to the de Mohuns, and can be traced back to at least 1042. It's fun to think about those far distant families, as some are noted to have had fascinating lives.
The line of descent is
James Moon-Joan possibly Burgess
James Moon-Mary Wilsford
Simon Moon-Lauretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen T Reese
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendents
Even his wife is a mystery. Printed sources from as long ago as 1895 give his wife as Joan Burgess, but no records have been found as of now to prove that. However, it appears that at least one child was born in Bristol, and Bristol is just 18 miles from Ashwick, so it is plausible that children were born in Bristol and that James and his wife Joan lived there prior to their immigration.
If the baptism noted above is our James, he was baptized into the Church of England. At some point, James and Joan became Quakers. It is possible that one or both sets of parents were Quakers, also, but since we aren't sure who the parents are I have not researched further back for the families. The Quakers were a persecuted group in England, and many left for the New World in search of religious freedom. Fortunately, William Penn had been granted a large amount of land, which he in turn sold in order to build his colony
In 1682, the Moons with their six children (Sarah, James, Jonas, Jasper, Mary, and Roger) came to the New World with William Penn. They reached Newcastle on the Delaware River on October 27, 1682. They settled near Falsington in Bucks County, Pa on 125 acres of land purchased from William Penn, and there lived the rest of their lives. They cleared the land for a large orchard and for pasture land, where they raised cattle. We can assume that they raised other crops, too, for their own use if not to sell. This was wilderness and if there were no Indian troubles due to William Penn's good relationship with the native Americans, there were beasts of prey (wolves, bear, panther) and winter weather and other challenges, besides just making a living. They were members of the Falls Monthly Meeting of Friends, Joan attending all services and preferring to walk when she was past 80 years of age. James died in 1713 and Joan in 1739, and they are buried at the old Quaker Cemetery in Fallsington, Bucks County, Pa.
For more information, I recommend the website at family-forest.net/JamesMoonNotes. It is speculative since his parents aren't really proven, but if William Moon was James's father, then the line may go back to the de Mohuns, and can be traced back to at least 1042. It's fun to think about those far distant families, as some are noted to have had fascinating lives.
The line of descent is
James Moon-Joan possibly Burgess
James Moon-Mary Wilsford
Simon Moon-Lauretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen T Reese
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendents
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Beeks line: Solomon Rees 1744-1829
I'm choosing to write about Solomon today because
1) his ancestry leads us back to Wales
2) study indicates that his family was Quaker, perhaps for several generations
3) there are some mysteries still surrounding him
4) I happen to like the name Solomon!
5) while preparing this blog, I discovered a major error on my part, and will have to change the ancestry family tree as soon as I have a chance. Suffice it to say that his father was Thomas Rees born 1706, not Thomas Rees born 1734.
Solomon was born to Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, about 1743 or 1744, possibly in Frederick County, Virginia, or perhaps en route from Chester County to Frederick County. His parents had married in Chester County, Pa. and were Quakers, or members of the Society of Friends. Many of the settlers of Chester County were Quakers, who had been forced from Wales due to religious persecution, and many eventually went to Virginia, and then eventually on to Pennsylvania and points west. Thomas and Margaret had 10 children who lived to adulthood, and given the facts of the time, they may have had more children who died young.
Solomon was married in or near Frederick County, Virginia, contrary to the rules of the Friends, and thus was disowned prior to June 6, 1774. Quakers were permitted to marry only Quakers, and being disowned was a serious matter, since technically Quakers were no longer permitted to speak to him or help him in any way. So we must assume that he really loved his wife, believed to be named Ann or Anna. The couple stayed in Frederick County until 1787. Some of his brothers had moved to Washington County, Pennsylvania about 1780 and it is possible that this is where Solomon and Ann
went. This would have been a difficult time to be living in that part of the country, as it was very much frontier country. The British had made allies of the Indians, and there were numerous battles and skirmishes as part of the Revolutionary War, and after, so it was not really a safe place to raise a family.
There are records of several Rees families, including Solomon, in Hocking Township, Fairfield County, Ohio in 1806, but it isn't yet known when the family had moved there, and it appears that he moved on to Fayette County, Ohio about that time. He built and operated a brewery on the outskirts of New Martinsburg. Solomon died in 1829 in Fayette County. I have not yet located a copy of his will, if there was one.
His known children are Sarah, Lydia, Hiram, Owen Traveler, John, Sampson, and possibly two other daughters, Margaret and Katherine.
I'd like to know who Solomon's wife was, and whether there is a will, and details of his travels. From Chester County, Pa to Frederick County, Va. to possibly Washington County, Pa to Fairfield and Fayette Counties, Ohio, from Quaker to whatever religion he may have accepted, from whatever his earlier occupation might have been to brewer, from settled land to dangerous frontier, this man led a fascinating life.
The line of descent is:
Solomon Rees-Ann
Owen T Rees-Margaret Ellen Moon
Eliza Matilda Moon-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Homer Aldridge
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Beeks children-grandchildren, etc.
1) his ancestry leads us back to Wales
2) study indicates that his family was Quaker, perhaps for several generations
3) there are some mysteries still surrounding him
4) I happen to like the name Solomon!
5) while preparing this blog, I discovered a major error on my part, and will have to change the ancestry family tree as soon as I have a chance. Suffice it to say that his father was Thomas Rees born 1706, not Thomas Rees born 1734.
Solomon was born to Thomas Rees and Margaret Bowen, about 1743 or 1744, possibly in Frederick County, Virginia, or perhaps en route from Chester County to Frederick County. His parents had married in Chester County, Pa. and were Quakers, or members of the Society of Friends. Many of the settlers of Chester County were Quakers, who had been forced from Wales due to religious persecution, and many eventually went to Virginia, and then eventually on to Pennsylvania and points west. Thomas and Margaret had 10 children who lived to adulthood, and given the facts of the time, they may have had more children who died young.
Solomon was married in or near Frederick County, Virginia, contrary to the rules of the Friends, and thus was disowned prior to June 6, 1774. Quakers were permitted to marry only Quakers, and being disowned was a serious matter, since technically Quakers were no longer permitted to speak to him or help him in any way. So we must assume that he really loved his wife, believed to be named Ann or Anna. The couple stayed in Frederick County until 1787. Some of his brothers had moved to Washington County, Pennsylvania about 1780 and it is possible that this is where Solomon and Ann
went. This would have been a difficult time to be living in that part of the country, as it was very much frontier country. The British had made allies of the Indians, and there were numerous battles and skirmishes as part of the Revolutionary War, and after, so it was not really a safe place to raise a family.
There are records of several Rees families, including Solomon, in Hocking Township, Fairfield County, Ohio in 1806, but it isn't yet known when the family had moved there, and it appears that he moved on to Fayette County, Ohio about that time. He built and operated a brewery on the outskirts of New Martinsburg. Solomon died in 1829 in Fayette County. I have not yet located a copy of his will, if there was one.
His known children are Sarah, Lydia, Hiram, Owen Traveler, John, Sampson, and possibly two other daughters, Margaret and Katherine.
I'd like to know who Solomon's wife was, and whether there is a will, and details of his travels. From Chester County, Pa to Frederick County, Va. to possibly Washington County, Pa to Fairfield and Fayette Counties, Ohio, from Quaker to whatever religion he may have accepted, from whatever his earlier occupation might have been to brewer, from settled land to dangerous frontier, this man led a fascinating life.
The line of descent is:
Solomon Rees-Ann
Owen T Rees-Margaret Ellen Moon
Eliza Matilda Moon-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Homer Aldridge
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Beeks children-grandchildren, etc.
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