I'm going to do a dangerous thing here, and write a little bit about an ancestor who hasn't been researched much. At least, he hasn't been researched enough for the genealogy world to come to a consensus about who he is.
Still, he's a good reminder that the Beeks family is made up of so many different kinds of people, who came from so many different places and so many different walks of life . Since there are still brick walls there may yet be more surprises for this family. Today I'm writing about Thomas Page, who was born about 1595 in England and died March 10, 1676 in Rappahannock County. I do have notes in my files as to the possible identity of his parents, but I am not sure enough about them to list them here. Likewise, I have a name for a wife but she was about 30 years younger than he was so while it's possible that his wife was Elizabeth Allen, she surely would not have been his first wife since daughter Mary was born just 6 years after Elizabeth. I've found a reference that says his wife was Elizabeth Finch Allen, and was born in 1607, but again, I'm not finding the documents or supporting evidence.
What we do think we know about Thomas is that he came to America in 1650. THe record I'm looking at sas he was "granted" land several times. Only one of those times was the number of acres a nice, even number that would indicate possibly he had head rights for bringing 12 persons from home, or elsewhere, to work in the colony. Also one listing includes 600 acres but is dated 12 plus years after Thomas died. Either this land went to a different Thomas Page, or it could be that it was a delayed entry kind of thing. The land he acquired included a parcel of 281 1/2 acres on the south side of Rappa River, another 600 acres on the south side of Rappahannock River, another 3075 acres in the same general location, and then 783 acres, and finally a second entry for 600 acres. His will is said to be missing so we don't know how he disposed of it, or what other assets he may have had.
I have found reference to him as a colonel but I'm not sure what the basis for that is. His death date is given as March 10, 1676 in Rappahannock County, and that's as much as most of the genealogy world seems to know about Thomas. We know from earlier reading that if this is one Thomas Page who owned all this land, he must have been a tobacco farmer and probably a fairly well to do man at that. The strong suspicion is that he would have had slaves or indentured servants, or both, to work the fields. His home may have been fairly substantial, for the time and place, and he would most likely have belonged to the Church of England, like most of his neighbors.
Thomas's heritage interests me, and the heritage he left his family is interesting, too. Virginia planters were not at all common in the Beeks family, especially those who had a military rank like "Colonel". I hope we can find more information about him!
The line of descent is believed to be
Thomas Page-Elizabeth
Mary Page-Valentine Allen
William Allen-Mary Hunt
Francis Allen-Peter Lehew
William Lehew-Hannah
Mary Lehew-William Featheringill
Elizabeth Featheringill-George Botkin
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Eliabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Featheringill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Featheringill. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Beeks line: Hugh Donaghe, dates unclear, Immigrant
Hugh Dunaghe or Donaho is the last Beeks ancestor I have on the family tree. I hope I can find more ancestors to write about, and I hope I can find more about this man than I have right now. The information I have is sketchy, but interesting.
As you might guess, Hugh's last name, Donaghe, or Donaho, seems to indicate an Irish origin. The sketchy and undocumented information that I have says that Hugh was born about 1680, In Kilkeel, County Down, Ireland . Kilkeel is a small town on the east coast of Northern Ireland, and their principal industry is fishing. I'm not sure whether that fits with what is known about our Hugh, but of course there would have been other occupations, too, for someone had to feed and clothe the fishermen of the time.
He is believed to have married someone named Elizabeth about 1700, possibly in Chester County, Pennsylvania, about 1700, shortly before his father John died in 1705. The location for John's death is given as Virginia, but again, that seems very sketchy. The only child of Hugh and Elizabeth that I can locate is Dianna, who married Thomas Hicklin in about 1723. So Dianna would have been born about the turn of the 18th century.
I suspect that Hugh and Elizabeth had at least one other child, a son named Hugh. There are records in Augusta County, Virginia referring to a Hugh Donague, and that Hugh died in 1773. I suspect that this record is not for our Hugh, and I suspect that military records for Thomas and Charles Donaho, as early as the 1740s in Virginia, may also belong to sons or other relatives of this man.
Land records as late as 1774 mention Hugh. If this is our Hugh, he had land, 277 acres on "the south side of the North RIver of Shando". It's possible that the deed wasn't filed until after Hugh's death, because up to that point there had been no need to file a deed. There is also a record of Hugh witnessing a land deed several years after our Hugh's death, so it seems that whether or not they were father and son, they were surely two different people. Perhaps our Hugh never made it to the Shenandoah Valley.
That is as much information or speculation as I have for Hugh. It certainly isn't much to go on but because the Beeks family doesn't have much known Irish ancestry, I thought it was worthwhile to at least mention the man. Perhaps there are more records waiting to be found, and if we are lucky enough to find them, I'll post them at a later date.
The line of descent is
Hugh Donaghe-Elizabeth
Dianna Donaghe-Thomas Hicklin
Dinah or Delilah Hicklin- James Bodkin
George Bodkin-Elizabeth "Fannie" Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
As you might guess, Hugh's last name, Donaghe, or Donaho, seems to indicate an Irish origin. The sketchy and undocumented information that I have says that Hugh was born about 1680, In Kilkeel, County Down, Ireland . Kilkeel is a small town on the east coast of Northern Ireland, and their principal industry is fishing. I'm not sure whether that fits with what is known about our Hugh, but of course there would have been other occupations, too, for someone had to feed and clothe the fishermen of the time.
He is believed to have married someone named Elizabeth about 1700, possibly in Chester County, Pennsylvania, about 1700, shortly before his father John died in 1705. The location for John's death is given as Virginia, but again, that seems very sketchy. The only child of Hugh and Elizabeth that I can locate is Dianna, who married Thomas Hicklin in about 1723. So Dianna would have been born about the turn of the 18th century.
I suspect that Hugh and Elizabeth had at least one other child, a son named Hugh. There are records in Augusta County, Virginia referring to a Hugh Donague, and that Hugh died in 1773. I suspect that this record is not for our Hugh, and I suspect that military records for Thomas and Charles Donaho, as early as the 1740s in Virginia, may also belong to sons or other relatives of this man.
Land records as late as 1774 mention Hugh. If this is our Hugh, he had land, 277 acres on "the south side of the North RIver of Shando". It's possible that the deed wasn't filed until after Hugh's death, because up to that point there had been no need to file a deed. There is also a record of Hugh witnessing a land deed several years after our Hugh's death, so it seems that whether or not they were father and son, they were surely two different people. Perhaps our Hugh never made it to the Shenandoah Valley.
That is as much information or speculation as I have for Hugh. It certainly isn't much to go on but because the Beeks family doesn't have much known Irish ancestry, I thought it was worthwhile to at least mention the man. Perhaps there are more records waiting to be found, and if we are lucky enough to find them, I'll post them at a later date.
The line of descent is
Hugh Donaghe-Elizabeth
Dianna Donaghe-Thomas Hicklin
Dinah or Delilah Hicklin- James Bodkin
George Bodkin-Elizabeth "Fannie" Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Beeks line: "Uncle" George Botkin, Civil War veteran
I don't usually write about people who aren't direct ancestors, but I make an exception if I find a truly interesting story. This one qualifies, in my opinion.
George Botkin was born February 9, 1831 in Ohio, probably Shelby County although I haven't found records yet. His parents were George and Elizabeth Featheringill Botkin. He was the youngest of at least 10 children, and George Sr died in 1832, when George was just a baby. He came with his mother and other Botkin family members (including his sister, Charity Botkin who married Jackson Wise) to southern Wabash county.
In fact, George actually settled in Pleasant Township, Grant County, where he married Mary Jane McClure in 1858. By the 1860 census, there were two children, George W, who was 3, and Robert, who was 1.There was also a person named Charly Winters, who was 22, a laborer, and apparently an Indian. The census is very faint and hard to read for this township, but I think it says "Indian" in the "race" column; I could be wrong about that.
George's life changed dramatically when the Civil War broke out. He was one of those brave men who enlisted for duty.. On August 16, 1862 he enlisted in the 101st Indiana Infantry Regiment at Wabash, Indiana, and was assigned to company F. This was part of the Army of the Ohio in 1862, but in 1863, it became attached to the Army of the Cumberland. One of their first assignments was in the Defense of Cincinnati, when it appeared that there might be an invasion by the Confederates.
It may have been about this time that George saw another, equally interesting, opportunity. He transferred to a group known as the "Mississippi Marine Brigade", a unit of the army command operating under the direction of the U.S. Navy. It consisted of artillery, cavalry, and infantry, and a fleet of boats for transportation. This is a little known story of the Civil War, probably because few records have survived. The brigade participated in the Vicksburg Campaign, reaching the area above Vicksburg on May 29, 1863. Some of the unit engaged in various skirmishes while others built a fort directly across the Mississippi River from Vicksburg, and then occupied it. They were instrumental in helping bring the siege, or campaign, to a successful conclusion.
I've not yet learned more of their history, or what they did during the next two years of the war. Because this was a loose group and control shifted back and forth between the Navy and the Army, their records are poorly kept. I've not yet found a discharge date for George, or whether or not he was wounded, or any hint of a pension record. I have found someone by his name who ended up in a soldier's home in Ohio, but I'm not convinced this is our George. There was another George in the Civil War from Ohio, and this is more likely to be the George referred to in the soldier's home.
The only record I've found of George for sure was in the 1880 census in Montgomery County, Kansas, where he is listed with Mary Jane, and Robert, a name undeciphered, and James. There is also a comment that George W (son) is not living at home. After that, I can find nothing.
However, what we do know of George and his life is fascinating. Who knew that a Beeks ancestor was involved in the Civil War, let alone part of such a unique unit? I would love to hear his stories, and to find out what became of him. He's another relative to honor for his service to our country, and it's neat to find him in the Beeks family line.
I certainly want to thank T.J. Hunnicutt at the Wabash Historical Museum, for sending me the clues that led me on a search of George's service, and of his life. I would not have stumbled on this story without him!
George Botkin was born February 9, 1831 in Ohio, probably Shelby County although I haven't found records yet. His parents were George and Elizabeth Featheringill Botkin. He was the youngest of at least 10 children, and George Sr died in 1832, when George was just a baby. He came with his mother and other Botkin family members (including his sister, Charity Botkin who married Jackson Wise) to southern Wabash county.
In fact, George actually settled in Pleasant Township, Grant County, where he married Mary Jane McClure in 1858. By the 1860 census, there were two children, George W, who was 3, and Robert, who was 1.There was also a person named Charly Winters, who was 22, a laborer, and apparently an Indian. The census is very faint and hard to read for this township, but I think it says "Indian" in the "race" column; I could be wrong about that.
George's life changed dramatically when the Civil War broke out. He was one of those brave men who enlisted for duty.. On August 16, 1862 he enlisted in the 101st Indiana Infantry Regiment at Wabash, Indiana, and was assigned to company F. This was part of the Army of the Ohio in 1862, but in 1863, it became attached to the Army of the Cumberland. One of their first assignments was in the Defense of Cincinnati, when it appeared that there might be an invasion by the Confederates.
It may have been about this time that George saw another, equally interesting, opportunity. He transferred to a group known as the "Mississippi Marine Brigade", a unit of the army command operating under the direction of the U.S. Navy. It consisted of artillery, cavalry, and infantry, and a fleet of boats for transportation. This is a little known story of the Civil War, probably because few records have survived. The brigade participated in the Vicksburg Campaign, reaching the area above Vicksburg on May 29, 1863. Some of the unit engaged in various skirmishes while others built a fort directly across the Mississippi River from Vicksburg, and then occupied it. They were instrumental in helping bring the siege, or campaign, to a successful conclusion.
I've not yet learned more of their history, or what they did during the next two years of the war. Because this was a loose group and control shifted back and forth between the Navy and the Army, their records are poorly kept. I've not yet found a discharge date for George, or whether or not he was wounded, or any hint of a pension record. I have found someone by his name who ended up in a soldier's home in Ohio, but I'm not convinced this is our George. There was another George in the Civil War from Ohio, and this is more likely to be the George referred to in the soldier's home.
The only record I've found of George for sure was in the 1880 census in Montgomery County, Kansas, where he is listed with Mary Jane, and Robert, a name undeciphered, and James. There is also a comment that George W (son) is not living at home. After that, I can find nothing.
However, what we do know of George and his life is fascinating. Who knew that a Beeks ancestor was involved in the Civil War, let alone part of such a unique unit? I would love to hear his stories, and to find out what became of him. He's another relative to honor for his service to our country, and it's neat to find him in the Beeks family line.
I certainly want to thank T.J. Hunnicutt at the Wabash Historical Museum, for sending me the clues that led me on a search of George's service, and of his life. I would not have stumbled on this story without him!
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Beeks line: Valentine Allen 1630-1712 Immigrant
I've spent considerable time in my genealogy life looking at this family and trying to work out a connection to the James Allen in my line, not realizing that I needed to be interested in Valentine because he was in the Beeks line, whether or not he is also in the Allen line. I'm finding there is a lot of conflicting information about this Valentine, and perhaps there is more than one person with the name Valentine Allen. This will just be a brief description of what seems to be proven and what is questionable, and hopefully as time goes on someone will find the smoking gun that proves or disproves the questionable "facts".
Everyone seems to agree that Valentine was born in either 1630 No one seems to agree on where that birth took place, nor on whom the two participants in that birth were. Many sites say he was born at "Isle of Wight, Virginia" to John and Catherine Mayor Allen. I don't think the birth location is correct because I found records for his arrival in Virginia in 1650, as a headright for John Catlett and Ralph Rousey. Of course, it's possible that he was born in Virginia and sent back to England to be raised if, in fact, his mother's death date is also 1630, as I have frequently seen listed, but with no documentation. At any rate, we know he was in Virginia, in what was then Northumberland County, in 1650.
Arriving as a headright meant Valentine would have had to work for several years, usually three or four, either for the men who brought him over or for someone else who bought his services for that time period. He was a young and apparently strong man, for he survived all the dangers and diseases of early Virginia and lived to marry Mary Page, daughter of Thomas Page in 1655, and to raise a family. The most consistent notes I find indicate that their children were Samuel, Reynolds, William, Richard, Christine or Christian, Judith, and Valentine. There may also have been a Susannah, although her birth date as given would be outside the 1654-1671 birthdates of the other children by several years.
Valentine and Mary deeded land that Mary had inherited from her father Thomas to two of their children in 1689. Or perhaps the first gift, to Elizabeth, was a daughter from an earlier marriage of Mary's, for she is not mentioned in the above listing of children. The second gift was to their daughter Christian married to Richard Dyson. Each of these gifts was for 451 acres.
I haven't located a will for Valentine yet. I'm guessing he owned more land than the 902 acres accounted for by his marriage to Mary Page. I'm also guessing this meant he owned slaves to work his land. I would love to find the will and I'd love to find more about him, especially to see whether any of his grandchildren or great grandchildren would turn out to be James, of the Allen line.
The Beeks line of descent appears to be:
Valentine Allen-Mary Page
William Allen-Mary Hunt
Francis Allen-Peter Lehew
William Lehew-Hannah
Mary Lehew-William Featheringill
Elizabeth Featheringill-George Botkin
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
I would love to hear from anyone who is working on this family. Also, please remember that Mary Wise may not be a Wise at all but this is what her legal family would look like.
Everyone seems to agree that Valentine was born in either 1630 No one seems to agree on where that birth took place, nor on whom the two participants in that birth were. Many sites say he was born at "Isle of Wight, Virginia" to John and Catherine Mayor Allen. I don't think the birth location is correct because I found records for his arrival in Virginia in 1650, as a headright for John Catlett and Ralph Rousey. Of course, it's possible that he was born in Virginia and sent back to England to be raised if, in fact, his mother's death date is also 1630, as I have frequently seen listed, but with no documentation. At any rate, we know he was in Virginia, in what was then Northumberland County, in 1650.
Arriving as a headright meant Valentine would have had to work for several years, usually three or four, either for the men who brought him over or for someone else who bought his services for that time period. He was a young and apparently strong man, for he survived all the dangers and diseases of early Virginia and lived to marry Mary Page, daughter of Thomas Page in 1655, and to raise a family. The most consistent notes I find indicate that their children were Samuel, Reynolds, William, Richard, Christine or Christian, Judith, and Valentine. There may also have been a Susannah, although her birth date as given would be outside the 1654-1671 birthdates of the other children by several years.
Valentine and Mary deeded land that Mary had inherited from her father Thomas to two of their children in 1689. Or perhaps the first gift, to Elizabeth, was a daughter from an earlier marriage of Mary's, for she is not mentioned in the above listing of children. The second gift was to their daughter Christian married to Richard Dyson. Each of these gifts was for 451 acres.
I haven't located a will for Valentine yet. I'm guessing he owned more land than the 902 acres accounted for by his marriage to Mary Page. I'm also guessing this meant he owned slaves to work his land. I would love to find the will and I'd love to find more about him, especially to see whether any of his grandchildren or great grandchildren would turn out to be James, of the Allen line.
The Beeks line of descent appears to be:
Valentine Allen-Mary Page
William Allen-Mary Hunt
Francis Allen-Peter Lehew
William Lehew-Hannah
Mary Lehew-William Featheringill
Elizabeth Featheringill-George Botkin
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
I would love to hear from anyone who is working on this family. Also, please remember that Mary Wise may not be a Wise at all but this is what her legal family would look like.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Beeks line: Thomas Hicklin 1689-1772 Probable Immigrant
The origins of the Hicklin family are not clear. It is possible they were Scotch-Irish, meaning the family moved from Scotland to Ireland and stayed there for some time, most likely generations, before they moved on to America. There was a John Hicklin in Chester County, Pennsylvania as early as 1702, but as far as I know no one has definitely been able to tie John to Thomas.
The first that is actually heard of Thomas, however, is in Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1734. He had married Dianna Donaghe, daughter of Hugh Donaghe and Elizabeth, about 1723 but the location is unknown. In 1734, he received a grant for 120 acres in Chester County and was still there ten years later, as evidenced by an advertisement in Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette.
Thomas purchased land on the Bullpasture River in Augusta County, Virginia on January 6, 1756. The family was there earlier as Thomas had been directed to work on a road crew in 1753. Historically, this was just before the outbreak of the French and Indian war, and Hugh was found on the rolls of the Highland Fort in 1757. (The only reference to a fort that I could find for this location and time period was Fort George, and the marker for that says that this fort never came under direct attack. I don't know about the settlers who lived nearby. They would have been fortunate indeed to have survived unscathed.)
By 1766, Thomas was aging. He would have been about 77 by now, and was excused from head tax due to his age. He sold some of his land to son Thomas Hicklin Jr in 1770 and died probably at the end of 1771, as his will was proved January 11, 1772. There is no mention of his wife in the transcription I saw of the will, although it appears she didn't die until later in the year. Perhaps a child was already caring for her. Also, a comment is made that he signed his will with an "X", but not a rough X as the illiterate did. This one had extra garnishes, making it appear that he was possibly using the "X" because he was too weak to sign his whole name, yet making it evident that he had at least some education.
Thomas and Dianna's children known by his will are Hugh, John, Thomas, Rosannah (Johnson), Jane (Laferty), Dinah (Botkin) and Sarah (Black), born from about 1725 to 1740 in Chester County.
This is what is known of Thomas and his family. He is one of the mostly anonymous people who settled this country, raised his family and protected them by arms when needed, and, in death, is known mostly by his will and his children. His heritage is one of hard work and family values, and we could use more of that today.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Hicklin-Dianna Donaghe
Dinah Hicklin-James Botkin
George Botkin-Elizabeth Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
The first that is actually heard of Thomas, however, is in Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1734. He had married Dianna Donaghe, daughter of Hugh Donaghe and Elizabeth, about 1723 but the location is unknown. In 1734, he received a grant for 120 acres in Chester County and was still there ten years later, as evidenced by an advertisement in Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette.
Thomas purchased land on the Bullpasture River in Augusta County, Virginia on January 6, 1756. The family was there earlier as Thomas had been directed to work on a road crew in 1753. Historically, this was just before the outbreak of the French and Indian war, and Hugh was found on the rolls of the Highland Fort in 1757. (The only reference to a fort that I could find for this location and time period was Fort George, and the marker for that says that this fort never came under direct attack. I don't know about the settlers who lived nearby. They would have been fortunate indeed to have survived unscathed.)
By 1766, Thomas was aging. He would have been about 77 by now, and was excused from head tax due to his age. He sold some of his land to son Thomas Hicklin Jr in 1770 and died probably at the end of 1771, as his will was proved January 11, 1772. There is no mention of his wife in the transcription I saw of the will, although it appears she didn't die until later in the year. Perhaps a child was already caring for her. Also, a comment is made that he signed his will with an "X", but not a rough X as the illiterate did. This one had extra garnishes, making it appear that he was possibly using the "X" because he was too weak to sign his whole name, yet making it evident that he had at least some education.
Thomas and Dianna's children known by his will are Hugh, John, Thomas, Rosannah (Johnson), Jane (Laferty), Dinah (Botkin) and Sarah (Black), born from about 1725 to 1740 in Chester County.
This is what is known of Thomas and his family. He is one of the mostly anonymous people who settled this country, raised his family and protected them by arms when needed, and, in death, is known mostly by his will and his children. His heritage is one of hard work and family values, and we could use more of that today.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Hicklin-Dianna Donaghe
Dinah Hicklin-James Botkin
George Botkin-Elizabeth Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Beeks line:George Featheringill 1710-1767 Immigrant
Little is known about immigrant George, possibly because "Featheringill" can be spelled in so many different ways that it is possible to look at his very records and just not recognize the name, because it was recorded so differently from the way it was carried down through the generations. And sometimes, someone takes a different spelling of the name and believes it is this George when it may not be. A case in point: "George Fotheringham" married Elizabeth Marie Hather in Fleet Street Prison in 1731, and this George has been identified as George Featheringill. It's possible, but I've not seen the proof nor even clues as to why these two men are identified as one and the same.
He was probably born about 1719, and possibly in Yorkshire, England although that is conjecture. All we know for sure is that George came to America from somewhere, and was in the Shenandoah Valley as early as 1737. His wife's name was Elizabeth, and many are identifying her as Elizabeth Marie Settlemire. Again, I haven't found documentation for that, so take it with a grain of salt. George and Elizabeth had at least five children, most if not all born in Virginia.
George died in 1767 in Frederick/Shenandoah County, Va. (The family farms were near the border of the two counties and it's hard to separate them as events were recorded in both counties.) Elizabeth had died three years earlier, in 1764. The life they lived was very similar to that of the Scotch-Irish who populated this region so heavily. Whether one or both of the couple had those origins, I don't know, but at least knowing what their neighbors were like gives us something of a feel for how they lived. It was a hard, pioneer life, with log cabin homes, farming as an occupation, and possibly whiskey-making to generate a little bit of cash.
I know a little bit more about George's son William, and will probably write about him at some time in the future. For now, this gives us a starting point to research George further, and at least gets his name on the family tree. Again, this is an ancestor in Mary Wise's line, and may not be her birth family line.
The line of descent is
George Featheringill-Elizabeth
William Featheringill-Mary Lehew
Elizabeth "Fannie" Featheringill-George Bodkin
Charity Bodkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
He was probably born about 1719, and possibly in Yorkshire, England although that is conjecture. All we know for sure is that George came to America from somewhere, and was in the Shenandoah Valley as early as 1737. His wife's name was Elizabeth, and many are identifying her as Elizabeth Marie Settlemire. Again, I haven't found documentation for that, so take it with a grain of salt. George and Elizabeth had at least five children, most if not all born in Virginia.
George died in 1767 in Frederick/Shenandoah County, Va. (The family farms were near the border of the two counties and it's hard to separate them as events were recorded in both counties.) Elizabeth had died three years earlier, in 1764. The life they lived was very similar to that of the Scotch-Irish who populated this region so heavily. Whether one or both of the couple had those origins, I don't know, but at least knowing what their neighbors were like gives us something of a feel for how they lived. It was a hard, pioneer life, with log cabin homes, farming as an occupation, and possibly whiskey-making to generate a little bit of cash.
I know a little bit more about George's son William, and will probably write about him at some time in the future. For now, this gives us a starting point to research George further, and at least gets his name on the family tree. Again, this is an ancestor in Mary Wise's line, and may not be her birth family line.
The line of descent is
George Featheringill-Elizabeth
William Featheringill-Mary Lehew
Elizabeth "Fannie" Featheringill-George Bodkin
Charity Bodkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Beeks line: Richard Bodkin 1710-1773 Immigrant?
Richard Bodkin may or may not be the immigrant ancestor for his line. No one seems to know for sure where he was born, but it seems to be either Pennsylvania/Virginia or Galway, Ireland. There were several Bodkin families in America by the late 1600's, and there were also several families by that name in Ireland in the same time frame. Many of the Irish people came to America as political and religious challenges from the British made life difficult in Ireland, and that motivation would have been in place for more than a few years.
So, about the only thing we can say for sure at this point is that Richard was likely either Irish or of Irish extraction. We can guess that he was Protestant only because the great majority of people who settled where he did were Protestant, many of them Presbyterian. We don't even know his wife's name, although it is believed to be either Elizabeth or Jane, or possibly he was married more than once. With so many questions, why am I writing about Richard?
Fortunately, a lot of good people have worked to find some of the details of his life and have been willing to put it on line. The most complete story is found at ourtexasfamily.com website, under the Bodkin-Smith Family. There are pictures of family documents there, and maps, and it's worth your while to go there to find out more. As usual, I am only providing highlights of what is known and am not providing as much information as I could.
Richard is known to have been settled in Augusta (later Highland County) County, Virginia by 1750, when he had a patent for 339 acres of land on Clover Creek, which was a branch of the Cowpasture River. The next year, he signed a petition for a road from "Walles Asterns mill to road on head of Cowpasture" and was assigned to work on the road. In 1756, he was on a list of tithables, which only means that he had to pay a tax to the Anglican church. It doesn't necessarily mean he belonged to the church. I have seen him referred to as both a captain and a private in the Virginia militia about this same time. Likely he is the captain and a son or nephew is the private.
This reminds us that this part of the country was very much frontier country. The battles of the French and Indian War were about to take place, and military protection was sometimes far away. This was a time of fear and hardship, with many families leaving for sanctuary and traveling east, but we have no indication that Richard left, or that he sent his family away.
Many of Richard's sons later moved westward, to what is now Highland County, Virginia, but it's not clear whether Richard went also or whether he stayed in his original home. He died about 1773. So far I haven't found a will for him. He is believed to have had at least five sons, born from roughly 1734 to 1744. It's possible there were more children, including daughters, but I've not found a reliable source yet. Also, Richard had brothers who settled in the same general area so figuring out which Bodkin belonged to which is difficult. To make matters worse, some of the family, somewhere along the line, changed the spelling to Botkin or Botkins.
The brief picture we have of Richard is as a hard working husband and father, frontiersman, Appalachian, and soldier. Even though we don't know anything more at this point, that is enough to be proud of, and to be grateful that men like Richard helped shape our country.
The line of descent is:
Richard Bodkin-Elizabeth or Jane
James Bodkin-Diannah or Delilah Hicklin
George Bodkin-Elizabeth Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Note: As a reminder, Mary Wise may have been adopted. But these are the people she would have learned about, and to her, these would have been "her people".
So, about the only thing we can say for sure at this point is that Richard was likely either Irish or of Irish extraction. We can guess that he was Protestant only because the great majority of people who settled where he did were Protestant, many of them Presbyterian. We don't even know his wife's name, although it is believed to be either Elizabeth or Jane, or possibly he was married more than once. With so many questions, why am I writing about Richard?
Fortunately, a lot of good people have worked to find some of the details of his life and have been willing to put it on line. The most complete story is found at ourtexasfamily.com website, under the Bodkin-Smith Family. There are pictures of family documents there, and maps, and it's worth your while to go there to find out more. As usual, I am only providing highlights of what is known and am not providing as much information as I could.
Richard is known to have been settled in Augusta (later Highland County) County, Virginia by 1750, when he had a patent for 339 acres of land on Clover Creek, which was a branch of the Cowpasture River. The next year, he signed a petition for a road from "Walles Asterns mill to road on head of Cowpasture" and was assigned to work on the road. In 1756, he was on a list of tithables, which only means that he had to pay a tax to the Anglican church. It doesn't necessarily mean he belonged to the church. I have seen him referred to as both a captain and a private in the Virginia militia about this same time. Likely he is the captain and a son or nephew is the private.
This reminds us that this part of the country was very much frontier country. The battles of the French and Indian War were about to take place, and military protection was sometimes far away. This was a time of fear and hardship, with many families leaving for sanctuary and traveling east, but we have no indication that Richard left, or that he sent his family away.
Many of Richard's sons later moved westward, to what is now Highland County, Virginia, but it's not clear whether Richard went also or whether he stayed in his original home. He died about 1773. So far I haven't found a will for him. He is believed to have had at least five sons, born from roughly 1734 to 1744. It's possible there were more children, including daughters, but I've not found a reliable source yet. Also, Richard had brothers who settled in the same general area so figuring out which Bodkin belonged to which is difficult. To make matters worse, some of the family, somewhere along the line, changed the spelling to Botkin or Botkins.
The brief picture we have of Richard is as a hard working husband and father, frontiersman, Appalachian, and soldier. Even though we don't know anything more at this point, that is enough to be proud of, and to be grateful that men like Richard helped shape our country.
The line of descent is:
Richard Bodkin-Elizabeth or Jane
James Bodkin-Diannah or Delilah Hicklin
George Bodkin-Elizabeth Featheringill
Charity Botkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Note: As a reminder, Mary Wise may have been adopted. But these are the people she would have learned about, and to her, these would have been "her people".
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Beeks line: Nicholas Lehew 1656-1719 Immigrant to Virginia
Nicholas Lehew's origins are a mystery. Some say he was from France and a Huguenot, some say he was English in origin. So far as I'm aware, no one has found a document that proves his origins, or his family. The first we know of him is in 1670, when he is in Northumberland County, Virginia, and is an indentured servant to Mr. Leonard Howson, and adjudged by the courts to be fourteen years of age. Leonard Howson was only 7 years older than Nicholas, so it's a matter for speculation as to how Mr. Howson acquired the means to support a servant, and what the relationship between the two men was. Were they friends, or were they merely master and servant? It is to be hoped that the two men got along, because Nicholas's indenture was likely for seven years, until he turned 21.
It seems that Nicholas must have spent his post -indenture time wisely, because in 1699 and 1701 he was a bondsman and a witness, respectively, to wills written by neighbors. He must have earned the respect of his neighbors, somehow. In 1707, Lehew was sued by George Durkin, because Nicholas was short on cash, apparently and George's time of indentureship was up. So Lehew had gone from being an indentured servant, to hiring or buying and indentured servant. When he died in 1718 or 1719, his estate included three slaves, plus the infant of one of the slaves. There is no mention of whom the father might be. So in a way, we can say that Nicholas worked himself up in the world.
He is believed to have married Mary, possibly Mary Owens, in Virginia, but again, I don't find documents supporting this. When he died in 1718/1719, the widow Mary and son Peter were declared the administrators. There is no mention of other children. The main part of the estate consisted of 80 acres of land, and some personal property, plus the slaves already mentioned. From this limited information, it seems likely that Mary was either quite old when she married, or else was young and married a much older man. It is also possible that the Peter who is fairly well known has had some records mixed with another Peter Lehew, and that we are in fact missing a generation somewhere.
We are fortunate that Nicholas lived as long as he did (approximately 62 or 63 years of age when he died) because many indentured servants died during their first year in Virginia. Between overwork, diseases, insects, wild animals, native American's and the climate, many people succumbed to illness or other causes of death soon after arrival here. Nicholas didn't accumulate a fortune, but 80 acres of land plus the other items was nothing to complain about, compared to the life he probably lead in England or just possibly France. He must have been a hard worker, and we can be proud of him for that reason.
The line of descent is
Nicholas Lehew-Mary possibly Owens
Peter Lehew-Frances Allen
William Lehew-Hannah
Mary Lehew-William Featheringill
Elizabeth Featheringill-George Botkin
Charity Bodkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John W Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Note: There is a possibility that Mary Wise may have been adopted. The source is reported to be a relative of Mary's. I have found no information that would support this, nor have I found information to disprove this. If anyone in the family knows anything about this supposed adoption, I'd love to hear about it! Meanwhile, I will probably do more posts in this line of the Beeks's, because these are the stories that Mary would have heard.
It seems that Nicholas must have spent his post -indenture time wisely, because in 1699 and 1701 he was a bondsman and a witness, respectively, to wills written by neighbors. He must have earned the respect of his neighbors, somehow. In 1707, Lehew was sued by George Durkin, because Nicholas was short on cash, apparently and George's time of indentureship was up. So Lehew had gone from being an indentured servant, to hiring or buying and indentured servant. When he died in 1718 or 1719, his estate included three slaves, plus the infant of one of the slaves. There is no mention of whom the father might be. So in a way, we can say that Nicholas worked himself up in the world.
He is believed to have married Mary, possibly Mary Owens, in Virginia, but again, I don't find documents supporting this. When he died in 1718/1719, the widow Mary and son Peter were declared the administrators. There is no mention of other children. The main part of the estate consisted of 80 acres of land, and some personal property, plus the slaves already mentioned. From this limited information, it seems likely that Mary was either quite old when she married, or else was young and married a much older man. It is also possible that the Peter who is fairly well known has had some records mixed with another Peter Lehew, and that we are in fact missing a generation somewhere.
We are fortunate that Nicholas lived as long as he did (approximately 62 or 63 years of age when he died) because many indentured servants died during their first year in Virginia. Between overwork, diseases, insects, wild animals, native American's and the climate, many people succumbed to illness or other causes of death soon after arrival here. Nicholas didn't accumulate a fortune, but 80 acres of land plus the other items was nothing to complain about, compared to the life he probably lead in England or just possibly France. He must have been a hard worker, and we can be proud of him for that reason.
The line of descent is
Nicholas Lehew-Mary possibly Owens
Peter Lehew-Frances Allen
William Lehew-Hannah
Mary Lehew-William Featheringill
Elizabeth Featheringill-George Botkin
Charity Bodkin-Jackson Wise
Mary Wise-William Beeks
John W Beeks-Elizabeth Wise
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Note: There is a possibility that Mary Wise may have been adopted. The source is reported to be a relative of Mary's. I have found no information that would support this, nor have I found information to disprove this. If anyone in the family knows anything about this supposed adoption, I'd love to hear about it! Meanwhile, I will probably do more posts in this line of the Beeks's, because these are the stories that Mary would have heard.
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