The family of Jacob Moon 1732-1804

 Jacob Moon, the son of Simon and Louretha Humphrey Moon, was born in Chester or Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1732.  He married Jane Rees, the daughter of Thomas and Margaret Bowen Rees (or Reese), and together they had at least six children.  Jacob died in 1804 in Arden, Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia). It is possible, but I haven't yet accepted the idea, that he and his family spent a few years in North Carolina.  Some trees indicate this, but I tend to think that there are two Jacob Moons of roughly the same age and their records have been mingled together.  I'm still looking for definite proof, one way or the other.  Jane outlived her husband, dying in 1817, also in Berkeley County.  

James, a Revolutionary War veteran, was born about 1750 and died in 1829 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.  He married Rachel Colburn, the daughter of Michael and Sarah Mitchell Colborn.  Their known children are Mary, John, Jacob, and Rachel. 

I have not been able to locate information about Margaret.  Varying birth years are from 1752-1757.  It is possible that she did not live to adulthood.

Mary was born about 1754, and seems to have died that same year.  I don't believe this is the Mary Moon who married Silas Moorman and William Gilbert.  There are, again, quite a few people named Mary Moon in this time period.

Thomas was born in 1756 and died in 1828 in Fayette County, Ohio.He married Jean Gray, the daughter of John and Jean Wardrop Gray, and was disowned  by his Quaker community for marrying outside of the discipline.  (Jean was not a Quaker.)  Their children are James, Jacob, John, Christy, Martha, David, William, Margaret Ellen, and Thomas.  Jean died in 1804 and he married Lydia Bond, the daughter of Richard and Mary Jarman Bond about 1815. There is also record of a Thomas in Fayette County, Ohio marrying Anny Ellis.  I wonder if this is the son Thomas, rather than our Thomas.  I will write more of this family in my next blog post.  At any rate, no wife is mentioned in his will.

Simon was born in 1761 and died in 1823 in Arden, Berkeley County, Virginia/West Virginia.  He married Deborah Newlin or Newland, the daughter of William and Hannah Bensen Newlin.  Their children are Rees, Jane, James, Simon, Hannah, Rachel, Jacob, Ann, Nancy, Hiram, and Thomas.

Nancy was born about 1768 and in 1790 married a Mr. Wright.  That is all the information I can find about her.

Note that Thomas and Simon, and between Simon and Nancy, there is plenty of room for there to have been more children, or at least pregnancies.  I have no information to provide and would love to know if other family members know what happened during those years.

There is one additional possible family member. I am not convinced he belongs in this group, but will mention him anyway.  Jacob was born before 1754 and died March 15, 1781 at the Battle of Guilford Court House in North Carolina.  He married Nancy Ammon, the daughter of Christopher and Mary Bristow Ammon.  They had one son, Christopher, and an unknown son born and died the year of this Jacob's untimely death.  I hope someone can advise which family this Jacob belongs to; he should be honored by all but especially by his family!

Jacob and Jane lived through a very difficult time in Arden.  In and after the Revolutionary War, their area was often under attack from natives supported by the British.  It is more than likely that the Moon family spent considerable time inside forts, or even leaving the area until things cooled down.  I would certainly like to know more about their stories!

 

 

 

 

The family of Simon Moon 1700 ish to 1748 ish

 I had hoped by this point in time for this family that there would be few if any unsolved mysteries, and better documentation, than I am finding.  Some lines seem well-documented, but some seem to be highly questionable.  However, in researching this I did learn that there is a good likelihood that after Simon left Bucks County, Pennsylvania, he likely traveled south and spent time in the Orange County, North Carolina area in the 1730s before settling in Frederick County, Virginia (what is now Berkeley County, West Virginia).  Some of his family seems to have stayed, or returned, to North Carolina, some headed even farther south, to Georgia, and some went west, to Ohio.  

Simon the son of James and Mary (probably Wilsford) Moon was born about 1700 and died about November, 1748 in Frederick County, Va./Berkeley County, WV.  He married Lauretha (Louretha, Lowry, other spellings) Humphrey, the daughter of Hugh and Elizabeth Lowry Humphrey, in 1721 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the couple maintained their Quaker religion throughout their marriage.  For the record, the area that they settled in, part of the Shenandoah Valley, was beautiful but was not supposed to be open to settlers.  Several indigenous tribes used the area, and King George III later tried to force all white settlers to the east side of the Appalachian mountains.  It didn't work.  

There are various lists for the children of Simon and Lauretha, with varying dates and locations.  Some were born in Bucks County, some in North Carolina, and, if we are to believe this is the same family, some in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  So, it is possible that some of the children I'm naming do not really belong to this couple, and it's also possible that I've missed some.  

Anna seems to have been the first child born, in 1722.  She married Henry Bowen, the son of Henry and Jane Carter Bowen, who are Beeks ancestors in another line.  Anna died in 1789 at "Apple Pie Ridge, Virginia", which seems to be near Winchester, Virginia.  Henry and Anna's children are Mary, Hannah, Priscilla, Rees, Margaret, Jean, Nancy, John, Henry, and Jacob.  

Richard may have been born next, about 1724.  He died in 1795 at Shoulderbone Creek, Greene County, Georgia, near where a treaty with the Creek indigenous people had been signed 9 years earlier.  He must had led an interesting life, after having been disowned by the Quakers in 1748.  (One could hope his parents did not know about this.)  He married Susanna Brown, the daughter of Thomas and Ruth Large Brown.  Their children are Simon, Richard, Mary, Lowry, Susannah, Hannah, Rachel, and Margaret.

James was probably born about 1726 and died in 1798 in Chatham County, North Carolina.  He married Anne Mendenhall, the daughter of John and Martha Wright Mendenhall.  Their children are Lurana, John, Charity, Jacob, Hannah, Rachel, Thomas, and James.  

Hannah was born in 1728 and died in 1789 in Frederick County, Virginia/Berkeley County, West Virginia.  She married William Brown, the son of Thomas and Ruth Large Brown, and thus he was Susanna's (see above) brother.  Their children are Thomas, Samuel, William, Rachel, Hannah, Richard, Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth, Ebenezer, Ann, Joseph, Joel, and Deborah.  

Margaret's birth date is given as "about 1728".  Either she was born late in the year, or the date is wrong.  Perhaps her birth occurred closer to 1730.  She married Thomas Brown, also the son of Thomas and Ruth Large Brown.  It is said that they had 13 children but I've located only 11 names as of now.  They are Joseph, Elizabeth, William, Thomas, Jacob, Samuel, Richard, Ruth, Moses, Rachel, and Jean.  Margaret died in 1799 in Orange County, North Carolina.  Some sites show that she died in 1838, but I think that's a case of mistaken identity.  I could be wrong about that.

I'm not sure when Jacob was born.  I've seen 1732 as a date but if that is accurate, he was just 16 years old when he married Jane Rees, the daughter of Thomas and Margaret Bowen Rees.  (Margaret is a descendant of Henry and Jane Carter Bowen, who are the parents of Henry who married Anna Moon). Their children are Jacob, James, Thomas, Simon, Nancy, Mary, and Margaret.  Jacob died in 1804 near Arden in what is now Berkeley County, West Virginia.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.  

Rachel was born January 10, 1732/33 in Deep River, Guilford County, North Carolina.  She married Henry Thornburgh, son of Walter and Margaret Beeson Thornburgh.  and died in 1804 in Lost Creek, Tennessee.  Their children are Margaret, Hannah, Walter, Mary, Richard, Jane, Ann, Henry, Louretha, Charity, Sophia, Richard, a second Hannah, Jessie, and Jonathan.  

Mary was born in 1733 in North Carolina and is believed to have died in 1750, although I have seen a death date as late as 1804.  I've found no documentation for either of these dates.  

Malachi was mentioned in his father's will> He was born about 1738 in Deep River, Guilford County, North Carolina and is seen in a census in 1782.  That is as much as I know about him.  

Then there are two mysteries.  Simon may have had a son John or Jonathan.  However, he was supposedly born in 1717, 4 years before the marriage of Simon and Lauretha.   Simon would have been only about 17 at the time, so if there is a son John, I am not convinced it was the 1717 one.  I have also seen a Susanna mentioned as Simon's child, but find nothing to support that.  I am mentioning these two names in the hopes that someone has additional information that will prove or disprove them as children of Simon and Lauretha.  

I would love to have the time to research the many (over 70, if this listing is correct and complete) grandchildren of Simon and Lauretha.  They lived in interesting times.  Some of them likely served in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the later wars against the Creeks and the Cherokees that continued after the Revolutionary War had ended.  It would be interesting to know how many of these families stayed in the Quaker faith, and how they responded to the call to war. 

 

 

The family of James Moon 1668-1755

 James Moon, the son of James and Joan Burgess Moon, was born in 1669 in England, exact location not verified.  He was a teenager when he and his family emigrated to Pennsylvania, and settled in Bucks County.  He was a Quaker who married twice.  His first wife is Mary, commonly believed to be Mary Wilsford, the daughter of John and Alice Towle Wilsford.  I have found no documentation for this and the older Wilsfords lived in Burlington County, New Jersey, which would have been quite a distance away.  If this is his first wife, how did they meet?  His second wife is Agnes Priestly, the daughter of John and Agnes Carne Priestly.  James died in 1755 in Falls Township, Bucks County.

James and Mary had several children but the exact number is still up for discussion.  There was at least one other Moon family in Bucks County and it is possible that some of the children have been assigned to the wrong family.  And as I'm finding so often, information is lacking on some of them.

Their first child was John born in 1698 and died in 1700, mourned by his parents and paternal grandparents.

Simon was born next, in 1700.  He married Louretha Humphrey, the daughter of Hugh and Elizabeth Lowry Humphrey.  Their children are Anna, Richard, Jacob, John, Mary, Margaret, Hannah, Malachi, James, and Rachel.  Simon died in 1748 in what is now Franklin County, Virginia, although it was Lunenburg County at the time, and Brunswick County when he likely arrived there.  I will write more of this family in my next blog post.

Thomas was born in 1701 and may have died as early as 1731.  He is said to have married Elizabeth in 1714, although clearly a thirteen year old boy would not have married that early.  He married Mary H Cowan about 1725.  Thomas had at least three children, possibly all of them with Mary, but perhaps the son Thomas was born to Elizabeth.  His birthdate is shown on some trees as 1720, and Thomas didn't marry Mary until 1725.  The children he had with Mary are John and Mary.  I'd like to find records showing Thomas married Elizabeth, either before or after his marriage to Mary!

I have seen Jacob and James assigned to this family, each with a death date of 1717.  I do not know whether there is any kind of record to indicate that these are James's children, nor do I know where the death date comes from.  Consider them only as possibilities.

Lastly, there is Sarah, born in 1709,  I have seen a death date of 1755 for her but I haven't been able to pin that down.  The only supposed husband I've seen wasn't born until 1775 so clearly that is not the right man.  Was there an earlier Daniel Burgess that she married, and was he in any way related to Sarah's grandmother Joan Burgess?  Maybe there is someone out there with the answer to these questions.  

Mary probably died sometime between 1709 and 1717.  James had married Agnes Priestly, and they had one known son, John, born in 1717.  He married Mary Farmer, the daughter of Henry and Sarah Ward Farmer. Their children are Thomas, Joseph, John, James, Elizabeth, Jemmy (was he the same as James?), Johnney, (identified as a female, and Rachel.   

Undoubtedly there are stories here waiting to be found and told, dramas that we no nothing about, and tragedies, too.  I hope there are also some good tales of joyful survival and good times with family members.  We are grateful for this Moon family, glad to know this little bit about them, and hoping for more information.

Beeks line: The family of James Moon 1639-1713

 I am bravely and foolishly starting here to collect the somewhat limited information we have about the Moon family, which I will be writing about for several weeks.  We know a little about James and his wife Joan, who came to Pennsylvania in the 1680s and settled in Bucks County.  Many believe that James's parents are Edmund and Catherine King Burgess, and that Joan is the daughter of Samuel and Eleanor Peers (various spellings).  Others assign different parents to James, and others yet believe that Samuel Burgess is more likely a brother than a father to Joan.  As far as I can tell, there is not a good paper trail to prove or disprove any of these ideas.  

James and Joan are thought to have married in about 1665, but I don't know if they were of the Quaker belief at the point, or not.  They seem to have been a member of the Society of Friends in Bucks County, where they settled, and some, probably most, of their children remained Quakers in good standing.  Once again, the same names were used over and over in the family and it is not easy to determine which "James" or "John" or "Simon" or "Mary", for instance, we are talking about.  So with the caution that some of these families may be confused, or intermingled, or otherwise identified wrongly, here's what seems to be the outline of their children.

There may have been a daughter, Sarah, born in 1667, or in 1673.  She is reported to have died in Bucks County in 1725, but I've found no record of the birth or the death.  I do not know whether she married and had children.  Most trees don't mention her so this may be a case of mistaken identity.

James was born in 1668 and died in 1755 in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  He married Mary Wilsford, thought but not proven to be the daughter of John and Alice Towle Wilsford.  Their children are John, Simon, and Thomas, and possibly Sarah.  After Mary died, he married Agnes Priestly, the daughter of John and Agnes (maiden name unknown) Priestly.  They had a son, John.  Other lists include the names of James, Jacob, Joseph, Martha, Roger, Sarah, and Thomas.  I am not convinced but am mentioning this possibility in case someone has information to verify this and is willing to share it.  I'll follow this family in my next blog post.

Jonas was born in 1671 and died in December 1732 in Bucks County.  He married Alice "Chissum" or Chisom, the daughter of Robert and Margaret Scott Chisom. They had at least two children, Sarah and Alice.  

Jasper was born about 1675 and died in 1728 in (take your pick) Burlington, New Jersey; Bucks County, Pennsylvania, or Randolph County, North Carolina.  I can't tie any of the death locations given to this Jasper with any degree of certainty.  His wife's name may have been Susannah, and his children are Jasper, Simon, and Joseph.

Mary is a mystery.  She was born about 1676, and married a man by the name of Curtis, possibly Joseph Curtis.  She had at least one daughter, Sarah.  That is all that I've been able to locate for her.  

The last known child is Roger.  He was born about 1680 and died in 1759 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Ann Nutt, the daughter of Jonathan and Ann Waite Nutt.  Their children are Elizabeth, James, John, Elizabeth again, Roger, Isaac, William, and Ann.  After Ann died, he married Elizabeth Price, the daughter of Reese and Mary (maiden name unknown) Price.  They also had a large family, including, John, Mary, Sarah, Timothy, Samuel, Hannah, and Jasper.  

I would of course like to know more about this family, particularly the year of their immigration, and whether they had friends or relatives who had gone ahead of them.  I'd like to know the missing information for the children, and whether Sarah belongs to this family, and whether we've missed some of James's grandchildren.  But it is interesting to think of this Quaker family, settling down in very early Pennsylvania days, and raising a family in what would have been a strange land.  I'm glad they arrived!