First, almost none of this research is mine. I found a very well researched blog page on Thomas Moore's Genealogy site and most of what I will be talking about is his research. Without his research, I would know almost nothing about this man.
It is strange to be writing about a man in the Harshbarger line who was not of German or Swiss descent. At least, we don't think he was, and he was in Virginia long before more of the Germans and Swiss immigrants had even thought about crossing the ocean.
John's parents were James Boughan and Mary, possibly Mary Edmondson. He was born probably about 1675 but maybe as late as 1683. His parents were probably the immigrants of the family, and were here at least by 1664. If you wish to prove your descent from James and Mary, you may be eligible for membership in the Jamestowne Society, which would be kind of cool. It seems that John should also be a qualifying ancestor, but apparently so far no one has submitted his proof. John had three siblings but so far James is the one that seems to qualify for admission to the society. It follows that John should also qualify.
We don't know when John was born, but he was signing documents in 1704 so would have been born at least by 1683. His marriage was to Susannah Ley, sometimes erroneously named as Susannah Bryant. She married Thomas Bryant after our John's death, which is apparently where the confusion started. John and Susannah had at least four children together, John, Augustine, Dorothy and Mary.
If you can imagine a young man in about 1700, wearing colonial clothing and possibly a powdered wig, this may represent John. He was a man of substance, frequently being called on as a witness to a neighbor's will, or to be an appraiser. He sued and was sued quite often, and was required to post bond on more than one occasion. He inherited land from his father as well as, sadly, "Negroe's" and their increase. His wife was to have the use of them (no indication how many) until her death and then they were to be divided up between the four children. He was known as a planter and some of his transactions were paid in tobacco rather than cash, as was typical for other planters in the era. His land was mostly on Piscataway Creek, which drains into Rappahannock River. This was quite close to the coast and if there were hurricanes, it might have been a bad place to be.
John died sometime before August 10, 1720, the date his inventory was taken. Much of the value of the estate was in the 15 slaves he owned. Their value totaled 287 pounds, 10 shillings and the estate was valued at a little over 410 pounds. Land didn't yet have a high value. As mentioned earlier, Susannah married Thomas Bryant, but died herself in 1726.
We don't know whether John worked as hard to raise his family as the "Pennsylvania Dutch" did to raise theirs. But it wasn't an easy life, living and working on the frontier of Virginia, just as it was not easy living on the frontiers of Pennsylvania. We can be grateful to John and Susannah for the heritage they passed on.
The line of descent is
John Boughan-Susanna Ley
Mary Boughan-John Edmondson
Sukey Edmondson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Gordon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gordon. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Friday, December 30, 2016
Harshbarger line: Rice Jones died 1666 or later
I don't know much about Rice Jones. He is reported to have come from Wales, or at least his father was from Wales. If true, than most likely the name would have been written Rhys ap Jones, or something similar. However, by the time he arrived in Virginia he was Rice Jones.
We don't know when he arrived in Virginia. Some say he arrived in 1650, and it certainly seems that he did, yet there are references to a Rice Jones in Virginia as early as 1628. Probably the 1637 birthdate I had listed for him is too late, but was he born as early as 1607? That would make him old enough to be a landowner in 1628.
He is shown as a planter with land around Elizabeth City, and later is listed in Lancaster County records. His will is apparently recorded in Lower Norfolk and Norfolk County records, if this is the same Rice Jones. He mentions his wife Ann. Our Rice Jones was married to Jane Cocke, so it's a little bit confusing. The only child I know of, from Rice's marriage to Jane, was Anna Keen Jones, who married John Wyatt.
It seems almost too little information to even write a post about Rice Jones, but as usual I am cousin baiting and hoping someone will know more about Rice and contact me. And even if this is all we know, it's a reminder that the Harshbarger line has many divergent branches and not all led back to Germany or Switzerland. Rice was most likely Welsh, or at least lived very near Wales, and that makes him interesting to me.
The line of descent is:
Rice Jones-Jane Cocke
Anna Keen Jones-John Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt-Susanna "Sukey" Edmondson
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
We don't know when he arrived in Virginia. Some say he arrived in 1650, and it certainly seems that he did, yet there are references to a Rice Jones in Virginia as early as 1628. Probably the 1637 birthdate I had listed for him is too late, but was he born as early as 1607? That would make him old enough to be a landowner in 1628.
He is shown as a planter with land around Elizabeth City, and later is listed in Lancaster County records. His will is apparently recorded in Lower Norfolk and Norfolk County records, if this is the same Rice Jones. He mentions his wife Ann. Our Rice Jones was married to Jane Cocke, so it's a little bit confusing. The only child I know of, from Rice's marriage to Jane, was Anna Keen Jones, who married John Wyatt.
It seems almost too little information to even write a post about Rice Jones, but as usual I am cousin baiting and hoping someone will know more about Rice and contact me. And even if this is all we know, it's a reminder that the Harshbarger line has many divergent branches and not all led back to Germany or Switzerland. Rice was most likely Welsh, or at least lived very near Wales, and that makes him interesting to me.
The line of descent is:
Rice Jones-Jane Cocke
Anna Keen Jones-John Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt-Susanna "Sukey" Edmondson
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Friday, December 11, 2015
Harshbarger line: Nicholas Cocke 1592-1670
Quite a bit of research has been done on the Cocke family of Virginia, and some of it is likely not correct. However, we know the Cocke's were there, early, so we have at least the general outlines of the family, even if we're not clear on when the first immigration took place.
Nicholas Cocke was born about 1592, likely in Cornwall or Lancashire, England. Either the records haven't survived or they haven't been located, but this is where the Cocke family lived, and the coat of arms on Nicholas's grave was identical to the Cocke family's coat of arms. It would be great if someone could trace this back further, and learn why the coat of arms was used, but as far as I know it hasn't happened.
He married Elizabeth Lower of Lesaunt, Cornwall, England on November 11, 1619 so this would be a good clue as to where to start looking for baptismal records. As far as I know now, the couple had only one child, Nicholas Jr., although they had a marriage of over 50 years. I would think it likely that there were more children.
It is hard to tell which Nicholas Cocke is being discussed in the Virginia land records, but the older Nicholas seems to have stayed in Middlesex County while his son was in Lancaster County, Va. (Middlesex was actually formed from Lancaster County, so it is possible that the two men actually lived very close to each other.)
Nicholas died in 1670 and his wife died in 1687, at home in Middlesex County. I haven't located probate records yet, nor do I know the cause of death for either person. Elizabeth would have been quite old at her death, perhaps as much as 95 years old but surely at least 85. Nicholas lived what was actually quite a good life, too, 78 years. He had been in Virginia for at least 12 years, and that was pretty good for living among all the dangers-natural, human, and disease-that seemed to stalk the colony.
I'd love to know more about Nicholas Senior. His son had slaves; did this Nicholas also engage in slavery? What was his home like? Was he wholeheartedly in favor of the Anglican/Church of England church? And if Nicholas was truly his only child, how did he feel about that situation? I would be thrilled to hear from anyone who knows anything more about the Cockes, or the Jones family, or anyone else in this list of descendants. I don't have good documentation on some of them and I'd love to learn more about these families.
The line of descent is believed to be:
Nicholas Cocke-Elizabeth Lower
Nicholas Cocke-Jane widow Curtis
Jane Cocke-Rice Jones
Anna Keen Jones-John Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt-Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Eliot Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Nicholas Cocke was born about 1592, likely in Cornwall or Lancashire, England. Either the records haven't survived or they haven't been located, but this is where the Cocke family lived, and the coat of arms on Nicholas's grave was identical to the Cocke family's coat of arms. It would be great if someone could trace this back further, and learn why the coat of arms was used, but as far as I know it hasn't happened.
He married Elizabeth Lower of Lesaunt, Cornwall, England on November 11, 1619 so this would be a good clue as to where to start looking for baptismal records. As far as I know now, the couple had only one child, Nicholas Jr., although they had a marriage of over 50 years. I would think it likely that there were more children.
It is hard to tell which Nicholas Cocke is being discussed in the Virginia land records, but the older Nicholas seems to have stayed in Middlesex County while his son was in Lancaster County, Va. (Middlesex was actually formed from Lancaster County, so it is possible that the two men actually lived very close to each other.)
Nicholas died in 1670 and his wife died in 1687, at home in Middlesex County. I haven't located probate records yet, nor do I know the cause of death for either person. Elizabeth would have been quite old at her death, perhaps as much as 95 years old but surely at least 85. Nicholas lived what was actually quite a good life, too, 78 years. He had been in Virginia for at least 12 years, and that was pretty good for living among all the dangers-natural, human, and disease-that seemed to stalk the colony.
I'd love to know more about Nicholas Senior. His son had slaves; did this Nicholas also engage in slavery? What was his home like? Was he wholeheartedly in favor of the Anglican/Church of England church? And if Nicholas was truly his only child, how did he feel about that situation? I would be thrilled to hear from anyone who knows anything more about the Cockes, or the Jones family, or anyone else in this list of descendants. I don't have good documentation on some of them and I'd love to learn more about these families.
The line of descent is believed to be:
Nicholas Cocke-Elizabeth Lower
Nicholas Cocke-Jane widow Curtis
Jane Cocke-Rice Jones
Anna Keen Jones-John Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt-Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Eliot Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Friday, September 18, 2015
Harshbarger line: James Boughan died 1677 Immigrant
It's surprising to me that I keep finding people in the Harshbarger line who were not German, not immigrants to Pennsylvania, and not Anabaptist or Lutheran. There is one line that leads back to Virginia, and one of the Virginia families is that of James and Thomasin Boughan. Thomasin was the "widow Harper" but we don't know more than that.
We don't know when or where James was born. Most on line genealogies assign him a birth date of 1625, but that seems not to have any documentation. It is likely based on calculations that his son James (who was referred to as Major James) had cows given to him in 1664 and 1671, and purchased land in 1671. That gives Major James a birthdate of perhaps 1650 or earlier, so therefore immigrant James could have been born around 1625.
He settled in what was at first considered Rappahannock County, and is now Essex County, Virginia. His first land purchase was in July of 1655, 250 acres purchased from Oliver Seager. In 1658, he received a land patent for what was apparently another 250 acres and then in 1665 he received another 150 acres as headright (given 50 acres of land for each person he brought into Virginia colony. This meant he paid their passage and likely they then became his indentured servants to pay off their debt.) The persons he transported were Elizabeth Pettus., Elizabeth Edom, and Jno Roakes. Later he transported another 20 people, names not given, and received another 1000 acres in return. It is possible that not all of these 20 people went to work on his plantation, although they may have. If someone transported more people than they could use on their land, they would "sell" the indenture to someone else. Regardless, those who were transported owed their passage money to someone, and it was usually worked off in 3 or 4 years time, although minors sometimes had to serve for seven years.
It appears that most of this land was still owned by James when he died. His date of death was sometime between December 26, 1677, when he served as a member of a jury, and March 29, 1678, when Major James, his son, referred to his father as "lately deceased."
James and Thomasin had four known children, James, John, Henry, and Alexander. They lived in Farnham Parish, Essex County, which means they went to church or at least paid their tithables to the church, which would have been Church of England in denomination. Since we don't know when James and Thomasin immigrated, (or whether together or separately), it is hard to guess the reasons for the move. It may have been related to all the upheavals of the English Civil War and its aftermath, or it may have been strictly for economic reasons. Regardless, the colonists in Virginia were affected by the English Civil War and that was a part of their lives. If they were here prior to 1646, they would have also been affected by the Powhatan Indian wars that resulted in several uprisings during the early years of colonization.
We know enough about the Boughan's to know they had children, and land, and a chance at a new life in America. We can suspect they had indentured servants, and we know they would have belonged to the local church. We know they lived through eventful times, and we know they contributed to the building of America. That is enough for a very broad outline, but I'd sure like to have more details!
The line of descent is:
James Boughan-Tomasin widow Harper
Major James Boughan-Mary possibly Edmondson
John Boughan-Susannah Bryant
Mary Boughan-John Edmondson
Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendant
Much more information than the highlights I've given here is available at thomasmoore.com/genealogy. The pages I have looked at there are thorough and well documented. However, any mistakes in this post are mine and mine alone.
We don't know when or where James was born. Most on line genealogies assign him a birth date of 1625, but that seems not to have any documentation. It is likely based on calculations that his son James (who was referred to as Major James) had cows given to him in 1664 and 1671, and purchased land in 1671. That gives Major James a birthdate of perhaps 1650 or earlier, so therefore immigrant James could have been born around 1625.
He settled in what was at first considered Rappahannock County, and is now Essex County, Virginia. His first land purchase was in July of 1655, 250 acres purchased from Oliver Seager. In 1658, he received a land patent for what was apparently another 250 acres and then in 1665 he received another 150 acres as headright (given 50 acres of land for each person he brought into Virginia colony. This meant he paid their passage and likely they then became his indentured servants to pay off their debt.) The persons he transported were Elizabeth Pettus., Elizabeth Edom, and Jno Roakes. Later he transported another 20 people, names not given, and received another 1000 acres in return. It is possible that not all of these 20 people went to work on his plantation, although they may have. If someone transported more people than they could use on their land, they would "sell" the indenture to someone else. Regardless, those who were transported owed their passage money to someone, and it was usually worked off in 3 or 4 years time, although minors sometimes had to serve for seven years.
It appears that most of this land was still owned by James when he died. His date of death was sometime between December 26, 1677, when he served as a member of a jury, and March 29, 1678, when Major James, his son, referred to his father as "lately deceased."
James and Thomasin had four known children, James, John, Henry, and Alexander. They lived in Farnham Parish, Essex County, which means they went to church or at least paid their tithables to the church, which would have been Church of England in denomination. Since we don't know when James and Thomasin immigrated, (or whether together or separately), it is hard to guess the reasons for the move. It may have been related to all the upheavals of the English Civil War and its aftermath, or it may have been strictly for economic reasons. Regardless, the colonists in Virginia were affected by the English Civil War and that was a part of their lives. If they were here prior to 1646, they would have also been affected by the Powhatan Indian wars that resulted in several uprisings during the early years of colonization.
We know enough about the Boughan's to know they had children, and land, and a chance at a new life in America. We can suspect they had indentured servants, and we know they would have belonged to the local church. We know they lived through eventful times, and we know they contributed to the building of America. That is enough for a very broad outline, but I'd sure like to have more details!
The line of descent is:
James Boughan-Tomasin widow Harper
Major James Boughan-Mary possibly Edmondson
John Boughan-Susannah Bryant
Mary Boughan-John Edmondson
Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendant
Much more information than the highlights I've given here is available at thomasmoore.com/genealogy. The pages I have looked at there are thorough and well documented. However, any mistakes in this post are mine and mine alone.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Harshbarger line: John Edmondson 1688-1733
I am so confused. I want to write about the Ednmondsons, who have a very long history in Virginia. The Harshbarger connection is Sukey or Susanna Edmondson who married Thomas Wyatt on November 25, 1747 in Essex County, Virginia. Her parents were John Edmondson and Mary Boughan. After that it gets murkier. I seem to have too many sets of Edmondsons in the higher branches of the tree to fit the facts. For instance, I have a Judith Allaman as a grandmother to John, and that cannot be if the birthdates are correct, because I show Judith as born in 1695 and John (the husband of Mary Boughan) as born in 1688. Something is surely wrong here.
However, I want to at least mention the Edmundson family as being part of the Harshbarger heritage, because I do think the John Edmondson-Mary Boughan parentage is correct for Sukey. From what little I can find on line, John was of Essex County, Virginia, and he owned slaves that were later deeded from Gabriel Jones and his wife to their children. (Mary Boughan Edmondson mararied Gabriel Jones of Orange County, Viginia in 1738, after John had died in 1733.) He left a will, which I have not seen, mentioning an unborn child who apparently did not survive. The will also mentioned his wife Mary and daughter Sukey, as well as Augustine Boughan and the children of his brother Samuel Edmundson, William Smith, Thomas Moore, Sarah Boughan and brother Thomas Edmundson. Mary must have been a capable woman as she served as executrix with James Webb, John Webb, and Thomas Sparke as securities.
John apparently left very little other tracks in the deeds or court books of the time. He is believed to have been born about 1688, although I have seen other sources guessing his birth date as about 1700. I don't know where either of those dates came from. At any rate, we was still a young man when he died, with one child born and another on the way. Presumably he attended church somewhere although that is not a given, since church attendance in the early 1700's was not necessarily important to many Virginians.
More research needs to be done to determine his birthdate, tax records, any deeds that show land ownership, and other details of his life. Nevertheless, we know that he lived, fathered a Harshbarger ancestor, and thereby left a legacy. The Virginia heritage is a small one in this line, but every ancestor is important and I would love to find out more about him!
The line of descent is:
John Edmondson-Mary Boughan
Sukey Edmondson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
However, I want to at least mention the Edmundson family as being part of the Harshbarger heritage, because I do think the John Edmondson-Mary Boughan parentage is correct for Sukey. From what little I can find on line, John was of Essex County, Virginia, and he owned slaves that were later deeded from Gabriel Jones and his wife to their children. (Mary Boughan Edmondson mararied Gabriel Jones of Orange County, Viginia in 1738, after John had died in 1733.) He left a will, which I have not seen, mentioning an unborn child who apparently did not survive. The will also mentioned his wife Mary and daughter Sukey, as well as Augustine Boughan and the children of his brother Samuel Edmundson, William Smith, Thomas Moore, Sarah Boughan and brother Thomas Edmundson. Mary must have been a capable woman as she served as executrix with James Webb, John Webb, and Thomas Sparke as securities.
John apparently left very little other tracks in the deeds or court books of the time. He is believed to have been born about 1688, although I have seen other sources guessing his birth date as about 1700. I don't know where either of those dates came from. At any rate, we was still a young man when he died, with one child born and another on the way. Presumably he attended church somewhere although that is not a given, since church attendance in the early 1700's was not necessarily important to many Virginians.
More research needs to be done to determine his birthdate, tax records, any deeds that show land ownership, and other details of his life. Nevertheless, we know that he lived, fathered a Harshbarger ancestor, and thereby left a legacy. The Virginia heritage is a small one in this line, but every ancestor is important and I would love to find out more about him!
The line of descent is:
John Edmondson-Mary Boughan
Sukey Edmondson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Harshbarger line: John Wyatt, Methodist pastor
John Wyatt is another fascinating Harshbarger ancestor. His story is fascinating, but even more, his pedigree is fascinating. Apparently the Wyatt line ties back to George Wyatt and Jane Finch, who had royal ancestry, based on DNA testing. The problem is that so far, the exact line of descent has not been determined. John's father was Thomas, whose father was John, whose father was Major William. It surprises me that we know William was a major, and that he was born about 1627, but we don't know how or when he arrived in Virginia, or how he attained the rank of "Major". Was it based on the prominence of his family? We just don't know at this point.
However, we do know a little more about John Wyatt, since he lived 100 or more years later than Major William. John was born June 4, 1748 in Virginia. Some internet sources say that he was born in Franklin County but Franklin County wasn't formed until 1785, so his exact place of birth is unknown. His parents are thought to be Thomas Wyatt and Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson, and he was one of at least 6 children.
His marriage took place in Loudoun County, Virginia in 1767 to Alice Gordon, daughter of John Gordon. In 1772, his father's will was probated in Loudoun County, so the family had been there for at least a few years. Loudoun was in northeastern Virginia, so the new family traveled quite some distance within two years, because by then John and Alice were in Shenandoah County, where John leased 246 acres on the north side of the Shenandoah River.
Undoubtedly the Wyatts had hoped to settle down to a peaceful life on their land, but such was not to be. As in so many families, the Revolutionary War intervened, and John was sworn in as a lieutenant of the Shenandoah County Militia under Captain John Tipton in April, 1778. We don't know how often he was called to active duty, but he was apparently home at least some of the time because he is a witness to a deed and also leased 100 acres of his land in 1780. Most likely, he served in a frontier unit that protected against Indians who were loyal to the British, but I've not found documentation for that yet.
The Wyatts may have belonged to the Church of England, as did most Virginians, but by 1780 the family had become supporters of the Methodist cause. The Wyatts deed part of this 246 acres to the Trustees of the Methodist church on the western side of the north river of the Shenandoah, with Special Trust and Confidence that they use the land to "preach and expound God's Holy word...provided that they preach no other doctrine than is contained in the Rev. John Wesley's notes upon the new Testament and four volumes of sermons."
The Wyatts had at least 8 children: Elijah, Edward, Solomon, Thomas, John, Jane, Sarah and Andrew. In 1792, the Wyatts leased their remaining land and moved to Sandifers Creek, Franklin County, Virginia, where they founded the Methodist Episcopal Church of Franklin County, Va. John had been ordained on May 31, 1792 in Shenandoah County, Va, and he must have felt some sense of urgency to leave in December of that year to go to their new pastorate.
John Wyatt died May 1, 1802 in or near Rocky Mount, Franklin County, and it appears that Alice may have died shortly after her husband. His will mentions all of his children except Edward. Perhaps he had already received his portion.
There is much I'd like to know about John. I have seen him referred to as a circuit rider, but I can't pin down documentation for that. I'd like to know where he was born (possibly Gloucester County, Va?) and I'd like to know more about his Revolutionary War Service.
There is an absolutely wonderful manuscript of the Wyatt family on FamilySearch. It was prepared by Genevieve Peters and has transcripts of the Wyatt family as far back as can be found in Virginia, and a lot of Wyatt descendents. It's in five volumes, and I've only reviewed the Virginia documents. If you have interest in this family, I'd suggest going to that website, to the books section, choosing author, and then Genevieve Peters. She must have been a wonderful, lifelong genealogist to have accumulated so much information about so many families! Most of the information in this post can be traced back to her manuscript.
The line of descent is:
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jane (Jean) Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Ellen Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
However, we do know a little more about John Wyatt, since he lived 100 or more years later than Major William. John was born June 4, 1748 in Virginia. Some internet sources say that he was born in Franklin County but Franklin County wasn't formed until 1785, so his exact place of birth is unknown. His parents are thought to be Thomas Wyatt and Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson, and he was one of at least 6 children.
His marriage took place in Loudoun County, Virginia in 1767 to Alice Gordon, daughter of John Gordon. In 1772, his father's will was probated in Loudoun County, so the family had been there for at least a few years. Loudoun was in northeastern Virginia, so the new family traveled quite some distance within two years, because by then John and Alice were in Shenandoah County, where John leased 246 acres on the north side of the Shenandoah River.
Undoubtedly the Wyatts had hoped to settle down to a peaceful life on their land, but such was not to be. As in so many families, the Revolutionary War intervened, and John was sworn in as a lieutenant of the Shenandoah County Militia under Captain John Tipton in April, 1778. We don't know how often he was called to active duty, but he was apparently home at least some of the time because he is a witness to a deed and also leased 100 acres of his land in 1780. Most likely, he served in a frontier unit that protected against Indians who were loyal to the British, but I've not found documentation for that yet.
The Wyatts may have belonged to the Church of England, as did most Virginians, but by 1780 the family had become supporters of the Methodist cause. The Wyatts deed part of this 246 acres to the Trustees of the Methodist church on the western side of the north river of the Shenandoah, with Special Trust and Confidence that they use the land to "preach and expound God's Holy word...provided that they preach no other doctrine than is contained in the Rev. John Wesley's notes upon the new Testament and four volumes of sermons."
The Wyatts had at least 8 children: Elijah, Edward, Solomon, Thomas, John, Jane, Sarah and Andrew. In 1792, the Wyatts leased their remaining land and moved to Sandifers Creek, Franklin County, Virginia, where they founded the Methodist Episcopal Church of Franklin County, Va. John had been ordained on May 31, 1792 in Shenandoah County, Va, and he must have felt some sense of urgency to leave in December of that year to go to their new pastorate.
John Wyatt died May 1, 1802 in or near Rocky Mount, Franklin County, and it appears that Alice may have died shortly after her husband. His will mentions all of his children except Edward. Perhaps he had already received his portion.
There is much I'd like to know about John. I have seen him referred to as a circuit rider, but I can't pin down documentation for that. I'd like to know where he was born (possibly Gloucester County, Va?) and I'd like to know more about his Revolutionary War Service.
There is an absolutely wonderful manuscript of the Wyatt family on FamilySearch. It was prepared by Genevieve Peters and has transcripts of the Wyatt family as far back as can be found in Virginia, and a lot of Wyatt descendents. It's in five volumes, and I've only reviewed the Virginia documents. If you have interest in this family, I'd suggest going to that website, to the books section, choosing author, and then Genevieve Peters. She must have been a wonderful, lifelong genealogist to have accumulated so much information about so many families! Most of the information in this post can be traced back to her manuscript.
The line of descent is:
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jane (Jean) Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Ellen Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Harshbarger line: John Gregory 1623-1678, Immigrant to Virginia
Whoa, Nellie! Why am I writing about a Virginia line when I'm writing about the very German/Swiss Harshbargers in this post? How did the tree get this tangled up? And is it correct?
Well, I can answer two of the three questions. The Harshbarger line is mostly German, but there is one line that comes out of Virginia-Maryland, and that is the one we're discussing here. The tree got this tangled because we are writing of families who came to America, the great melting pot, and eventually people of German heritage married people of English or Dutch or whatever heritage. The process is still continuing in this generation. It's probably a good thing, but genealogically speaking, it's a bit of a surprise.
As to whether it is correct or not, I offer a disclaimer: I have not yet researched this line to any great degree. It could be totally wrong. But other people, especially "Janet" of Janet's genealogy, have at least researched John Gregory, to the point that I am confident that he has been identified correctly. Is there an error in a generation closer to us? Possibly. But for now, this is the best evidence that I have available, and he's on the Harshbarger tree until I learn otherwise.
John Gregory was born in 1623 in Langton, England, and died in 1676 in Virginia. There is some dispute about the parents of John, generally given as Roger Gregory and Margaret Thornton. More research needs to be done to verify his parents.He appears to have come to America as a young-ish man by 1653. It is possible that he was married previously, but the wife we know of in America was Elizabeth Bishop, the daughter of John Bishop. John and Elizabeth had at least five children together; John, Richard, Robert, Ann and Mary, all born in Virginia. I have not yet established the parentage of Elizabeth, but she was either born in the Colony or came at a very young age.
It's not clear what John did for a living, although land and heifers are mentioned in his will. He likely farmed. The puzzle about the will is that he didn't mention his children at all, but apparently left everything to his siblings. His wife died a year before he did, but why would none of the children have been mentioned? Is this the correct will? There were apparently two sets of John Gregory (Senior and Junior) in Rappahannock County at the same time, so I'm not sure whether this is correct or not.
Still, with all the questions, it's exciting to think that a Harshbarger ancestor was one of those who lived through those early days of Indian troubles, wolf bounties, food shortages, and other wilderness woes to help build what became the state of Virginia. We continue to salute and honor the many Pennsylvania ancestors, but let's not forget that there were others, elsewhere, and let's continue to work to identify them and tell their stories, too.
The unproven line of descent is:
John Gregory Elizabeth Bishop
Ann Gregory-Thomas Edmundson
James Edmundson-Judith Allaman
John Edmundson-Mary Boughan
Susanna Edmundson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter (aha! back to the Germans!)
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their children, grand children, and great grandchildren
As always, there are people out there who know more than I do about this line. Please write and set me straight, and I'll be happy to post a correction to this blog.
Well, I can answer two of the three questions. The Harshbarger line is mostly German, but there is one line that comes out of Virginia-Maryland, and that is the one we're discussing here. The tree got this tangled because we are writing of families who came to America, the great melting pot, and eventually people of German heritage married people of English or Dutch or whatever heritage. The process is still continuing in this generation. It's probably a good thing, but genealogically speaking, it's a bit of a surprise.
As to whether it is correct or not, I offer a disclaimer: I have not yet researched this line to any great degree. It could be totally wrong. But other people, especially "Janet" of Janet's genealogy, have at least researched John Gregory, to the point that I am confident that he has been identified correctly. Is there an error in a generation closer to us? Possibly. But for now, this is the best evidence that I have available, and he's on the Harshbarger tree until I learn otherwise.
John Gregory was born in 1623 in Langton, England, and died in 1676 in Virginia. There is some dispute about the parents of John, generally given as Roger Gregory and Margaret Thornton. More research needs to be done to verify his parents.He appears to have come to America as a young-ish man by 1653. It is possible that he was married previously, but the wife we know of in America was Elizabeth Bishop, the daughter of John Bishop. John and Elizabeth had at least five children together; John, Richard, Robert, Ann and Mary, all born in Virginia. I have not yet established the parentage of Elizabeth, but she was either born in the Colony or came at a very young age.
It's not clear what John did for a living, although land and heifers are mentioned in his will. He likely farmed. The puzzle about the will is that he didn't mention his children at all, but apparently left everything to his siblings. His wife died a year before he did, but why would none of the children have been mentioned? Is this the correct will? There were apparently two sets of John Gregory (Senior and Junior) in Rappahannock County at the same time, so I'm not sure whether this is correct or not.
Still, with all the questions, it's exciting to think that a Harshbarger ancestor was one of those who lived through those early days of Indian troubles, wolf bounties, food shortages, and other wilderness woes to help build what became the state of Virginia. We continue to salute and honor the many Pennsylvania ancestors, but let's not forget that there were others, elsewhere, and let's continue to work to identify them and tell their stories, too.
The unproven line of descent is:
John Gregory Elizabeth Bishop
Ann Gregory-Thomas Edmundson
James Edmundson-Judith Allaman
John Edmundson-Mary Boughan
Susanna Edmundson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter (aha! back to the Germans!)
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their children, grand children, and great grandchildren
As always, there are people out there who know more than I do about this line. Please write and set me straight, and I'll be happy to post a correction to this blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)