Ancestors of Sarah Edgerton

Generation No. 1

1. Sarah Edgerton, born 07 Jul 1816 in Buck Swamp Township, Wayne Co., NC; died 31 Jan 1872 in Fork Township, Wayne Co., NC. She was the daughter of 2. Thomas Edgerton III and 3. Absilla Pike. She married (1) Lazarus Pearson Abt. 1835 in Wayne Co., NC. He was born 01 Jan 1814 in Wayne Co., NC, and died 15 Mar 1865 in Fork Township, Wayne Co., NC. He was the son of Ichabod Pearson, Jr. and Elizabeth Bradbury.

Notes for Sarah Edgerton:
From "Friends' Review: A Religious, Literary and Miscellaneous Journal," Volume 25, edited by Samuel Rhoads, Enoch Lewis:

PEARSON.—On the 31st of 1st mo., 1872, Sarah Pearson, widow of Lazarus Pearson, in the 55th year of her age; a member and Elder of Nahunta Monthly Meeting, North Carolina. Her close was peaceful.

More About Sarah Edgerton:
Burial: Pearson-Lewis-Gurley-Edgerton plot, corner of Gurley Dairy & Capps Bridge Roads, Wayne Co., NC
Ethnicity/Relig.: Society of Friends (Quaker)

Notes for Lazarus Pearson:
The following information about Lazarus and Sarah Edgerton Pearson, his brother Jonathan, and other family members is better given by quoting Lazarus' great-granddaughter, Ruth Pearson Harper (1901-1985), in her book "History of the Pearson Family of Wayne County, North Carolina 1700-1981" (1982), pages 45-51:

In 1837 Ichabod (Pearson) II gave Lazarus a farm of 220 acres on Black Creek where he lived until 1842. Then Lazarus bought 1618 acres in Johnston County at Coonsboro, about five miles north of Selma, and lived there about eight years. Then in the early 1850's he moved back to Wayne where he bought about 1000 acres, part of the John W. Sasser estate, on the south side of Little River at Pearson Bridge. Later he bought about 200 acres more.

Lazarus and Sarah were the first persons buried in the Pearson Cemetery to have marble tombstones erected by the family.

On 3-10-1849 Lazarus and six children--John Thomas, Emory, Nathan, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary--were received on request by Contentnea MM (Nahunta). He was the only child of Ichabod II who became a member of a Quaker meeting before the Civil War. Perhaps Sarah had been a member all the time; evidence that the practice of disowning members for marrying outside the church was being relaxed; maybe Lazarus was considered a Quaker at heart.

Lazarus and Sarah were very interested in education and sent their children to New Garden Boarding School (Guilford College 1888). In 1861 Lazarus was appointed to the Board of Trustees. He resigned from the board in 1865, a few weeks before his death.

They brought up their children in a religious atmosphere. They held fast to Quaker principles even at the risk of unpopularity in an unfriendly society of slaveholding secessionists. Two sons, Ichabod Emory and William Lazarus, were ministers of the gospel.

For a more detailed account of their lives we are indebted to "Southern Heroes" by Fernando Cartland (1895; out of print). Certain parts have been summarized for this history of the Pearsons in Civil War times.

In Wayne County there were about sixty families of Friends. All were members of either Neuse or Nahunta meetings (Contentnea MM was laid down in 1863). These substantial citizens who owned no slaves were ostracized and disliked by their slaveholding neighbors, but they were respected because of their moral worth and their financial prosperity.

They were early suspected of holding Union sentiments, and strong efforts were made to induce them to support seccession and later the Confederacy. Attempts were made to make soldiers of those who were opposed to fighting. The property of some Quakers was confiscated; then these men were sent to prison where they fared badly.

Lazarus was above the age for conscription. He was one of the managers of the Underground Railroad organized by Levi Coffin, a northern abolitionist. For that he was always suspect, though not much could be proven about his help for a runaway slave.

His brother Jonathan was not a member of Nahunta MM, but he held the same opinions about slavery. In 1854 he proposed to set free the family of Negroes, those formerly owned by Ichabod II, and to send them to Ohio. Being satisfied with their living conditions and also fearful, they refused to accept freedom. Lazarus advised him not to hold them, but he could see no other way. He was also strongly opposed to secession. He was not molested until the Second Conscription Act of September 1862, which called for all able-bodied men under forty. Jonathan lacked six months of forty. Not willing to be captured, he slipped away to the Friends community at Rich Square in Northampton County. The next summer he slipped back home when he heard that his twin children had typhoid fever, but he did not attend the funeral. In late November 1863 he was betrayed by one of his Negro men who had been both threatened and offered rewards. He was sent to Camp Holmes at Raleigh and from there to the Confederate Army on the Rappahannock.

Lazarus soon went to Virginia to secure his release, if possible. He took food and clothing--two suits of homespun and a pair of shoes. He made arrangements for Jonathan to pass the Confederate pickets on December 31, 1863. Jonathan started to wade the river but had to swim the Rappahannock to keep from freezing. He reached the Union lines and was soon sent to prison in Washington. His Uncle William Pearson of New Sharon, Iowa secured his release through a congressman from Iowa. However, this statement does not coincide with his military record. About a year after he left home his family escaped by the Underground Railroad and joined him in Iowa. Finally, in 1874 he joined Nahunta Meeting.

Four letters found in the collection of the Joseph L. Pearson family relate to these events. Two letters by Jonathan and one by Lazarus were addressed to John Bacon Crenshaw, outstanding Quaker minister at Richmond, Va., who had visited Friends meetings in Wayne County. During the war he was very helpful to those who refused to fight or were already in prison as conscientious objectors. After the war John B. Crenshaw returned these letters to the Pearsons. Lazarus wrote from Goldsboro and Jonathan wrote from the Confederate Army camp on the Rappahannock in Virginia.

The first letter from Jonathan is dated 12-3-1863. The English is very poor, but this is the message he conveyed: He is in Confederate camp near Orring (?) Courthouse (probably Orange, Virginia) and has been assigned to the 6th North Carolina Regiment. It is going very badly with him to be there as he is a man of peace and wishes to be at peace with all men. He is waiting to be confronted by the officers. He says he wrote Crenshaw a letter when he was a prisoner at Raleigh. He thinks the letter did not go through and wants advice as to the best course of action.

The second letter is dated 12-6-1863 and this is the message: The officers say he should carry his gun and have had it tied to him all day. They tell him he is no Quaker and has no chance of exemption. He must bear arms. They tie the gun on him and force him to walk by the bayonet. He has to take his gun or be shot, but they would not ask a Quaker to do it. If he will give no more trouble after he has been drilled, for conscience's sake, they will assign him to an ambulance; thus he will do camp service but no shooting. He wants Crenshaw's advice about what to do. It is the Sabbath, so they are doing nothing to him. His address: Private Jonathan Pearson, Co. I, 6th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Hoke's Brigade, Early's Division, Ewell's Corps, Richmond, Va.

The third letter is from Lazarus. The spelling and grammar are poor but the meaning is clear. Since schools were very scarce in Lazarus' youth and the terms very short, we must overlook these academic faults.

Gouldsboro, N.C. 12 mo 7th, 1863
Dear Friend J.B. Crenshaw

After being at thy house about 2 weeks ago on account of my Brother Jonathan Pearson and after leaving of Richmond it seemed as though I had done all that I could of done I field anctious that thee would go to General Preston at the Bureau of Conscripts and git them affidavits that was directed to the War Department in the favor of my Brother and take care of them until thee can think it a proper time to attend to his case. I returned to Camp Homes (Holmes) near Raleigh and saw my Brother he told me that he had for years believed Friends principles to be right and he so far had stood firm and intended to do so let consequences be as they might though he had slaves it was through pity to them and not profit to himself I had a letter from him the last part of last week. He said he was going to be sent to Virginia and was told he was assigned to the 6th North Carolina Ridgerment but did not no the officers. Neither did he no where the ridgerment was but had heard some man say that he believed it was in Richmond now if thou will be so kind as to git his papers and go to his Ridgimental officers and find them to be men of fielding as I hope they are and they will take the opportunity of giving them a fair consideration I am fully of the opinion that they will send him home it is asking almost too much of thee but thou noist thy reward is sure. Please write me whether thee can find my brother or not and what is thy prospects.

Thy Friend Lazarus Pearson

A note on the reverse side (already given) reads: "My ouldest Brother Solomon to Tennessee about the 1856 he was an unusual strong Union man Will thou pleas while about the prisons in Richmond try and learn if ther are any man ther by the name of Sollomon Pearson from Tennessee. I thought since I left that it might be the case that he had been taken and cared ther with others."

The fourth letter is from Jonathan's Uncle Jonathan Pearson to his brother William who lived at New Sharon, Mahaska County, Iowa. This letter is a very difficult one, and the puzzle as to where Jonathan was when he wrote has not been solved. The envelope is missing and the inside address is missing; nowhere did he say where he was living. We know that he went to Ohio as a lad. From the biography of William we learn that William went along with his sister and her family, and it is logical to assume that both boys went along. Jonathan and William were both in Champaign County, Ohio, in 1817 when he was designated William's attorney in the sale of William's land in Wayne County. Where Jonathan and the Collier family went eventually is very uncertain. However, Wilbur Pearson, cousin of Electra Pearson of Ranger, Texas, and now deceased, told her that Jonathan went to Wisconsin. The genealogy gathered by William L. and Emory Pearson says that the Colliers went to Michigan or Wisconsin.

This letter is dated 4-24-1864. Jonathan speaks of a letter from William dated 4th mo. 13 which he received "last evening the 23rd." (The fact that the letter took ten days to arrive seems to indicate that he lived far from William). He says that he is glad to hear that J. Pearson is with William and is mending. He understands that his situation is now bad and that he needs some help. He asks William to please call on B. Stanton to let J. Pearson have some of his own money if he has any of it where he can get it handy. William is to do what is right and charge him with it.

He goes on to say that he expects to be there (Iowa?) next yearly meeting if he is able to travel, although his health is very poor all the time. "Old sister Margaret lives some thirty miles from us now and she was waiting for me when I got here." He says he went home with her and Sidney Mack and Wm. Colyer and stayed about a month and has not seen her since. She is thought to be failing and is about 76 (actually 78). He plans to go to Indiana soon and be there about a month. The name of a place to send a letter is illegible. He would like to know how much family Jonathan has and whether he has heard from them or not. "Nothing more at present only my love to you all Jonathan Pearson to Wm. Pearson and family and J. Pearson."

The military record of Jonathan Pearson is given in "The Pearsons: 10th-20th Century" by Eugene Jefferson Pearson of High Point, NC (1978). Jonathan was enrolled November 13, 1863, at Raleigh by Colonel Mallette. On the Company Muster Roll for January and February the remark was made: "Deserted camp near Raccoon Ford, Virginia, about 1st of January 1864."

He was listed among the prisoners of war at Old Capitol Prison, Washington, DC. He was captured at Raccoon Ford January 6th, 1864, says he was arrested by the Cavalry Corps and sent in by Provost Marshal Cavalry Corps. "Rebel Deserter." The Oath of Amnesty was sworn to and subscribed to at Washington on March 22, 1864. He was described thus: "Complexion dark, hair black, eyes dark, hgt. 5'5"." From this record it is established that he did not remain long in New York, for the letter of William Pearson to his brother Jonathan dated 4-13-1864 shows that he had already arrived in Iowa, a matter of about three weeks after he took the oath in Washington. Jonathan answered William's letter on 4-24-1864, the day after he received it.

Another letter in this collection was written by Gideon Macon 10-29-1864 from the Shenandoah Valley. He has been under guard nearly all the time. Some have told him the guard will shoot him, but he will die rather than bear arms. They get very little food and he has been sick for a week or more. He wants John B. Crenshaw to see if there is any chance for him to pay the tax. (A man could be exempt from military duty by paying $500 to the Confederate government.) He can't have any satisfaction of mind there. He wants a prompt reply and some postage stamps. He gives his address as New Market, Va. Paper was very scarce, so he wrote on a torn sheet.

I have no idea who Gideon Macon was, but the sentiments expressed in the letter show again that men of conscience fared badly if they were unwilling to pay the exemption tax which was used to pay a substitute. In my opinion Jonathan was able to pay the tax but was too stubborn to do it.

Here we return to "Southern Heroes": "Lazarus Pearson, in his opposition to the war, was one of the most outspoken and prominent men among the Friends of Contentnea Quarterly Meeting...He could not join in the recriminations against President Lincoln and Vice-President Hamlin. He emphasized the necessity of peace, and when asked his opinions, declared that the agitators of secession were teaching the people an error. When told by these people that they would 'soon starve out the North,' he replied that he had traveled North and knew that they 'might as well try to starve a rat in a well-filled smoke-house.' He said: 'We need their products much more than they need ours.' When told that the mulattoes in the North helped elect Lincoln, he replied that the mulattoes were the sons of Southern slaveholders, and that 'the son should be esteemed as the father.' When home-guards were being appointed and volunteers were being mustered, he and his friends wisely kept silent. But it was remembered that many had been careful to vote as Lazarus Pearson did, and that many looked to him for advice as to what they should do in these troublesome times. He soon received a letter saying
'We see from your actions that you are against us. You must either change your opinions, leave the country, or abide by the consequences. (Signed) MANY CITIZENS OF FORK TOWNSHIP.' Lazarus Pearson's grandfather was a Friend. His father was not, and was a slaveholder. Lazarus had been received into membership with Friends at his own request, and fully shared their views upon slavery as well as war. In the settlement of his father's estate, years before, he had refused to accept any slaves. As a planter he had succeeded without them. He had purchased from a slaveholder a large cotton plantation in Fork Township, Wayne County, N.C., and had been obliged to suffer various indignities from the neighboring slaveholders on account of his principles. He was called a 'Quaker abolitionist,' and said he ought to be banished to Massachusetts, the worst place they could then think of. The letter above referred to was recognized as being in the handwriting of a neighbor who had before sent him insulting messages. Lazarus Pearson showed it to the vigilance committee and others of the homeguard, asking what he had done for which he should leave his home. Of course they claimed to know nothing of the letter, or any reason why he should leave their midst. At the May term of county court, which was held soon after at Goldsboro, the supposed author of the letter, with a mob which he led, gathered about Lazarus Pearson and asked concerning it whether he had compared it with any of his writing. Lazarus calmly answered in the affirmative. The man denied the writing of the letter, but confessed to the sentiment, and with others began upbraiding him for his allegiance to the United States. He refused to recant his principles. They tried to hang him; he demanded to be taken to the central part of town so that all could see the show. Some men spoke for him, some against, and they so disagreed that all finally dispersed. Warned not to return to Goldsboro, he went back three days later.

For more than a year after this harrowing experience he thought seriously about leaving the South, but finally was convinced that he should stay there to help the oppressed. His home was one of the main stations of the Underground Railroad. Being general manager for that section, he had to be very guarded in his movements.

Another time he was surrounded by a mob in Goldsboro, insulted and hit on the cheek. He calmly said: 'The Master bade us turn the other cheek also. If need be, I am willing to suffer for my principles.'" Some friendly men had their hands in their pockets, ready for action, so nothing more was done to him.

"Lazarus Pearson was not a man likely to provoke insult, but he had the courage of his convictions and would not flinch from what he believed was right...His influence was felt wherever he was known, and men learned to rely on him...He often said that he was satisfied that it was the will of God for him to remain in the South, but he longed to see the end and the Union saved. He labored unceasingly, often making exposing and dangerous journeys, aiding others to obtain exemption."

The main route of the Underground Railroad was from Goldsboro to Rich Square in Northampton County, then across the Chowan River to Norfolk. Another route was from the Pearson home forty miles by buggy to Newbern and then by foot the rest of the way. Most of the traveling was done by night.

Sarah Pearson and daughters kept the house open and helped hide men when necessary. The two youngest boys, William Lazarus and Joseph, did their part by carrying loads of farm produce at night with a person concealed underneath. Usually they were successful because nobody suspected these young boys of being a part of the scheme.

Lazarus and his family were very active in giving relief to the many hungry people who roamed the country toward the end of the war. All these exertions taxed his powers of endurance; he came down with typhoid fever and died March 15, 1865, just three weeks before surrender. The day after his funeral the last battle was fought at Bentonville just across the line in Johnston County. It was a pity that he did not live to see the war ended and the preservation of the Union he loved so much.

Then began the raids upon the homes of citizens by both Union and Confederate soldiers who took everything in sight and searched for more. The colonel of a Pennsylvania regiment was shown papers and letters proving the Union sentiments of the Pearson family. He stopped the destruction of property and told the soldiers to take only what was needed for that meal. The good luck lasted only a short time and great numbers of troops came later. Many hungry soldiers cared naught for Quaker principles; they said they had to live and the family should be thankful if their buildings were not burned.

Sherman's Army remained about 20 days in Goldsboro while Sherman was on business in Washington. When the Yankees and Confederates had taken everything they could and moved on, the Pearsons brought two horses from the thicket. Two thousand pounds of pork, hidden under the floor of the smoke house, was dug up. They were far more fortunate than many of their neighbors. They never had to appeal for help or to accept rations issued by the United States government. A large portion of the population was left destitute.

Eight years later the estate of Lazarus Pearson was paid $1600.00 in settlement of a valid claim for $3000.00 and interest for provisions, horses, cattle, etc. taken by the Union Army from a true patriot. This settlement actually amounted to no more than the interest on the debt. In spite of this the family was fortunate.

As soon as the Baltimore Association of Friends came to the relief of the Quakers, they quit calling on Uncle Sam. Richard M. Janney and Sarah Smiley, a Friends minister, were agents for the Association. They arrived in Goldsboro early in June 1865 to bring medicines, clothing, shoes, and sundry articles, and to ascertain the needs.

The original manuscript of Sarah Smiley's "Jottings of a Journey" was transcribed about 1974 by Mr. Theodore Perkins of Greensboro. A native of Wayne County, he was at that time librarian of Elon College. Sarah Smiley described in much detail the journey with R.M. Janney by government transport from Norfolk to Morehead City and from there by train to Goldsboro. Around Goldsboro there were appalling scenes of devastation and acute human distress.

After inquiring how to find the Quaker neighborhood, an army officer ordered a wagon and an escort of 15 men to take them there. Just then they met some young Quaker women who invited them to attend monthly meeting at Neuse the next Sabbath Day.

When they finally reached the home of Jesse Hollowell across the Neuse River five miles south of Goldsboro, they really learned how the Yankees had taken or destroyed nearly everything. Most families had to get government rations in Goldsboro. Sarah Smiley was glad she had brought her own towel, for the Hollowells had none. They had hoe-cake (cornbread) and a little pork for supper, yet they were surprisingly cheerful. Jesse Hollowell, a highly respected man who knew the circumstances of various families, helped her in the distribution of supplies.

The following day they went by army mule and cart to monthly meeting at Neuse, five miles away over the sand. Attendance was remarkably good; some had walked ten miles. Sarah Smiley preached and then William Cox, whose wife was a sister of Sarah Edgerton Pearson, preached a long evangelical sermon. They had late dinner at Needham Jinnett's; there they heard many stories of the last battle at Bentonville.

The next day, First Day, Jesse Hollowell guided them to Nahunta in the northern part of the county. They stopped at the home of Lazarus Pearson. She told of Elizabeth Pearson who had made every effort to prove to the Union officers that the Pearson family was loyal, for her father was no longer there to do it. Then she wrote of the fine character of Edwin G. Copeland and of the poor health of Sallie Pearson Copeland, his wife. That day they called at the home of Nathan Pike and had dinner at the home of Needham T. Perkins, a Friends minister; both lived at Pikeville.

Sarah Smiley Massey, born 5-20-1865, daughter of Levi Hollowell and Avis Coleman Massey, was named for the lady preacher. She became the wife of John Newlin Pearson, a grandson of Lazarus and Sarah Edgerton Pearson.

Sarah Smiley and R.M. Janney returned to Baltimore via Raleigh and Greensboro. Stopping over at New Garden Boarding School, they visited leading Quaker families of Guilford County. Along with the much appreciated food and other items, Sarah Smiley always included a religious tract in the bundle.

On page 59 of the Pearson book, Mrs. Harper concludes her chapter on the Lazarus Pearson family as follows:

There are two extant photographs of the children of Lazarus and Sarah Pearson. The first one, from the collection of John Newlin Pearson, shows the six surviving children. It was made after the deaths of Mary and Richmond in 1867 and Joseph in 1870 and before the death of John Thomas in 1877. It is the only picture of John Thomas (Bryan Godfrey is unsure about this, for if Mrs. Harper or her siblings had a picture that old, why didn't she photocopy it for use in her Pearson book? Bryan did not see this picture when he visited her family members and copied their old family photographs. Actually, there was another one of Thomas alone in the possession of his granddaughter, Mrs. Esther Edgerton Allen of Virginia Beach, VA, which Bryan Godfrey copied in August, 1999.)

The second one, sent by Elizabeth Jenkins Beery, from the collection of her grandmother, Emily P. Smith, shows five of the children and some nephews and nieces. Dicena Pearson is seated center front. Emory, Nathan, and William L. are standing in the back according to age as in the first picture, left to right. Seated on the porch are Joseph and Mary Deans Pearson with two children, John Thomas II and Annie Beatrice, a babe in arms. Annie was born in January 1886 and this dates the picture as the summer of 1886. Sallie Copeland and Elizabeth Pearson are seated in front of their three brothers. On the left of the sisters are standing two young women. I take them to be Emily Pearson and Mary Achsah Pearson, Dicena's daughters. Emily was then about 21 and Mary hardly 12 but well developed and dressed like a young lady. In the very back, as if he were not intending to be in the picture, is William E. Pearson (Willie). Since the names were not written on the back, it has been sort of a mathematical problem to decide who they are. I hope I've named them correctly.

Below is a biography of George H. Huffman, whom Lazarus helped out during the Civil War:

Huffman, George H.
Company G, Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry
Grand Army of the Republic
In the spring of 1863 he enlisted in Company G, Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry, under Captain William Prickens and Colonel Capron, in General Sherman's army. His first service was around Knoxville, Tennessee, from whence he went to Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, served around Atlanta and Macon, and participated in the famous "March to the Sea.'' At Mulberry Creek, Georgia, he was taken prisoner by the enemy, and was confined for eight months and seven days in various Confederate prisons. He was at the terrible place of confinement at Andersonville, and when removed to Charleston he and his fellow-prisoners suffered the dangers and agony of mind of being under the bombardment of their own troops. He was then taken to Florence, South Carolina, and eventually to Goldsboro, North Carolina, and from the latter place succeeded in making a daring escape. From eight hundred to one thousand men were under the supervision of three lines of guards, the prisoners' camp being located near a pine woods. Mr. Huffman discovered that a large pine tree had fallen over the line of the wall, and during the night climbed into the branches, and under the cover of darkness worked his way out. At nine o'clock he found himself in a ravine, and during that day managed to place three miles between himself and his pursuers. He was then hidden by Lazarus Pearson, a Quaker farmer, at whose home he remained for seven days, when he was given the Friend's exception papers, for which the good man had paid the Confederacy the sum of five hundred dollars. With Henry Preston, a fellow-refugee, to whom had been given the Quaker's son-in-law's papers, and accompanied by Pearson's two daughters, Mr. Huffman then went through the Confederate cavalry lines. Later, at Wilmington, North Carolina, with William Pickens and a Mr. Cox, Mr. Huffman was again captured with a gang of recruits, but during the next day managed to, get away at Newbern, which was held by the Union forces. From thence he went to Annapolis and safety, and was sent from that point to the barracks at Camp Butler, where he was mustered out of the service in the spring of 1865. At the beginning of his career Mr. Huffman served as a scout for the Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry, the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, the Fifth Iowa Cavalry and the Fourth Illinois Cavalry, and while engaged in this service in Carroll county, Tennessee, received a wound in his right thigh which many years later developed into a large tumor, which it was necessary to remove.
Ref: History of Southern Illinois, page 734

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http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/wayne/cemeteries/103.txt

Wiggs, Edgerton, Pearson, Gurley Cemetery on State Road 1330 at intersection
with State Road 1334. Number 103 on map.

Ruth Newlin, daughter of H.H. and Mary Pearson Edgerton, b. 10 March, 1909,
16 July, l974

Marion Elizabeth, daughter of H.H. and Roella Edgerton, 29 Feb., 1924 - 24 June,
1952. "She now sweetly rests"

H. Haskill Edgerton, 13 Nov., 1875 - 7 June, 1956

Mary P., wife of H.H. Edgerton, 10 April, 1874 - 28 Jan., 1915

Roella Cox, wife of H.H. Edgerton, 22 Dec., 1884 - 26 Dec., 1963

W.L. Edgerton, 30 April, 1848 - 18 June, 1926

Wife, Sophronia, born 29 Jan., 1849 - 23 Dec., 1916.
"She was pleasant to live with."

Sara C. Pearson, daughter of W.L. and S.P. Edgerton, 3 Oct., 1877-15 July,
1945

Henry L. Edgerton, son of W.L. and S.P. Edgerton, 30 Dec., 1879; 19 Sept., 1951

Bertha E. Richardson, 3 Jan., 1884 - 30 Dec., 1960

Sophronia P. Edgerton, Feb., 1891 - 26 Apri1, 1968

Zeno Edgerton, 9 July, 1886 - 17 Dec., 1970

Maude H. Edgerton, 25 June, 1895 - 3 Jan., 1972

Lucy D. Pearson, 25 Aug., 1889 - 20 Nov., 1900

Dicena S. Pearson, 19 March, 1836 - 24 Jan., 1897

John T. Pearson, 3-21-1837; d. 10-29-1877

Mary Pearson, b. 2-1-1847. d. 10-29-1862

Richmond M. Pearson, died 10-16-1855. age 11 years - 11 months - 5 days

Harvey Glenn Gurley, 2-1-1906, d. 7-4-1974

Wife, Nettie Louise Corbett, b. 10-29-1908, d. 4-12-1958

Sidney Lewis, 1862 - 1932

Nancy Lewis, 1869 - 1955

Stella N. Lewis, b. 10-8-1893, d. 10-29-1965

W.A. Gurley, 11-3-1869, d. 1-6-1916

Lula Gurley, b. 2-14-1879, d. 9-6-1945

William B. Wiggs, b. 9-19-1823, d. 11-26-1894

Wife, Penelope Wiggs, b. 11-26-1823, d. 1-14-1892

Caroline, daughter of W.B. Wiggs, b. 8-25-1859, d. 7-10-1879

Lazarus Pearson, b. 1-2-1814, d. 3-15-1865

Sarah Pearson, b. 1-7-1816, d. 1-31-1872

Jonathan Pearson, b. 3-17-1823, d. 3-18-1896

Wife, Sallie J. Pearson, 1-22-1831, d. 4-27-1912

Joseph D. Pearson, 10-18-1851, d. 9-26-1870

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More About Lazarus Pearson:
Burial: Pearson-Lewis-Gurley-Edgerton plot, corner of Gurley Dairy & Capps Bridge Roads, Wayne Co., NC
Cause of Death: typhoid fever
Census 1: 15 Jun 1860, Fork District, Wayne Co., NC. Value of real estate--$16000; value of personal estate--$1000.
Census 2: 1850, District #7, Johnston Co., NC. Value of real estate--$2672.
Comment 1: 1895, Biography in Cartland's "Southern Heroes: The Friends in War Time"
Comment 2: Served on New Garden Boarding School Board of Trustees 1861-65
Comment 3: Was a station manager on the Underground Railroad
Ethnicity/Relig.: Society of Friends (Quaker)-joined Contentnea Friends Meeting 10 Mar 1849
Military: N/A-was above the age for conscription; not conscripted unlike brother Jonathan
Occupation: Planter; had drained two lowlands; succeeded without slaves
Personality/Intrst: Was a staunch Quaker abolitionist and pro-Union-was threatened several times by slaveholders and Confederate sympathizers
Property: Abt. 1850, Purchased John W. Sasser estate in Fork Twp., Wayne Co., NC-home still standing
Residence: Wayne Co., NC; Coonsboro, Johnston Co., NC (1842-50); Fork Twp., Wayne Co., NC

Generation No. 2

2. Thomas Edgerton III, born 20 Jul 1785 in Wayne Co., NC; died 03 Feb 1863 in Buck Swamp Township, Wayne Co., NC. He was the son of 4. Thomas Edgerton, Jr. and 5. Sarah Cox. He married 3. Absilla Pike 16 Apr 1806 in Contentnea Friends Monthly Meeting, Wayne Co., NC.
3. Absilla Pike, born 04 Jun 1788 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; died 15 Jul 1865 in Buck Swamp Township, Wayne Co., NC. She was the daughter of 6. Nathan Pike and 7. Rachel Maudlin.

More About Thomas Edgerton III:
Census: 1860, Pikeville Township, Wayne Co., NC. Occupation farmer. Value of real estate $2000, value of personal estate $10, 500.
Occupation: Farmer; according to a note written by his granddaughter, Elizabeth Pearson, he was also a school teacher.
Residence: Buck Swamp Township, Wayne Co., NC

Notes for Absilla Pike:
The following is quoted from page 125 of "History of the Pearson Family of Wayne County, North Carolina" (1982) by Mrs. Ruth Pearson Harper (1901-1985) of Roanoke, Alabama:

Some further observations about the Edgertons:

Elizabeth Edgerton, wife of Elijah Coleman, died in less than 11 months without a child. His second wife was Rachel Cox, daughter of Thomas and Miriam Bishop Cox.

Nathan and Arcada Pike Edgerton had 16 children. One son, Jonathan Edgerton, was a Primitive Baptist preacher.

William Edgerton, who married Charlotte Pike, had 11 children. The family of John Henry Edgerton was prominent. His sons, Milford and George, were in the livery stable business, selling horses and mules and feed used by farmers. Milford lived near Genoa before moving to Goldsboro in 1907. John Henry's son William established a home near his father about ten miles from Goldsboro. Some time before the Civil War he built a cotton mill at Lowell, N.C. On retiring, he moved back to Goldsboro. One of John Henry's daughters by his second wife, Sarah E. Moore, daughter of Lancaster John Moore, was Annie Edgerton Williams. She was a missionary to India before her marriage to Dr. John Williams of the Guilford College community.

Thomas Edgerton IV, who married Zelpha Pearce of Johnston County, was the father of William Leonard Edgerton who married Sophronia Jinnett. Their son, Haskell Edgerton, married Mary Achsah Pearson, granddaughter of Lazarus and Sarah Edgerton Pearson; his second wife was Roella Cox, granddaughter of Stanton and Sallie Coleman Cox. [According to Mary and Haskell's daughter, Esther Edgerton Allen, her grandfather, Leonard Edgerton, was a son of Thomas Edgerton IV by his second marriage to Sally Wooten].

Zilphia and Thomas Lancaster Hollowell lived near Dudley [Wayne County]. When her husband died young, Zilphia raised her family on the farm. The best known of them were William R. Hollowell, prominent farmer and business man of Goldsboro; Joseph Gurney Hollowell, who lived on a farm near Genoa, not too far from William's; and Richard Hollowell, who graduated from Earlham [College in Richmond, Indiana] in 1875; he married the second time Hettie Overman, daughter of William H. and Peggy Davis Overman. John N. Pearson [father of Ruth Pearson Harper] bought the Overman home near Genoa and his family lived there for almost 70 years.

Mary A. Jinnette (Mollie), granddaughter of Absilla and William Cox, was the second wife of William Eli Pearson, grandson of Lazarus and Sarah Edgerton Pearson. These cases show how much the Quakers were related by both blood and marriage; the kinship was often almost impossible to figure out.

Children of Thomas Edgerton and Absilla Pike are:
i. Elizabeth Edgerton, born 15 May 1807 in Wayne Co., NC; died 15 Oct 1826 in Wayne Co., NC; married Elijah Coleman, Jr. 24 Nov 1825 in Nahunta Friends Meeting House, Contentnea Monthly Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 07 Jul 1806 in Wayne Co., NC; died 24 Aug 1848 in Wayne Co., NC.

Notes for Elijah Coleman, Jr.:
After Elijah and Rachel Cox Coleman died young, their children were reared by their kin. Her brother, Stanton Cox, took Avis and Peninah under their care.

ii. Nathan Edgerton, born 01 Nov 1809 in Wayne Co., NC; died 24 Mar 1881 in Wayne Co., NC; married Arcada Pike 09 Feb 1832 in Wayne County, North Carolina; born 01 Jan 1817 in Wayne Co., NC; died 14 Oct 1878 in Wayne Co., NC.
iii. Charity Edgerton, born 27 Jan 1812 in Wayne Co., NC; married Jonathan Pierson; born 03 Mar 1794.
iv. William Edgerton, born 24 Mar 1814 in Wayne Co., NC; died 18 Nov 1882 in Wayne Co., NC; married Charlotte Pike 09 Feb 1833 in Wayne Co., NC; born 19 Feb 1815 in Wayne Co., NC; died 24 Jan 1894 in Wayne Co., NC.

Notes for William Edgerton:
The following is quoted from page 17 of J. Howard Binns' "Meet the Edgertons":

William and Charlotte (Pike) Edgerton established their home in a community about ten miles northwest of Goldsboro, Wayne County, NC near his father's homestead. All of their children were born there. Some time before the Civil War, William built a cotton factory at Lowell, North Carolina, and moved his family there. This was their home until he retired from business about 1881 when they moved to a location near Goldsboro where they could be near their son Lazarus Edgerton and daughter Talitha Edgerton Hodgin. Here William and Charlotte Edgerton died and were buried in the Nahunta Friends Cemetery.

More About William Edgerton:
Burial: Nahunta Friends Cemetery, Wayne Co., NC
Occupation: Cotton manufacturer--built a cotton factory at Lowell, Johnston Co., NC.

More About Charlotte Pike:
Burial: Nahunta Friends Cemetery, Wayne Co., NC

1 v. Sarah Edgerton, born 07 Jul 1816 in Buck Swamp Township, Wayne Co., NC; died 31 Jan 1872 in Fork Township, Wayne Co., NC; married Lazarus Pearson Abt. 1835 in Wayne Co., NC.
vi. Absilla Edgerton, born 03 Oct 1818 in Wayne Co., NC; died 29 Sep 1858 in Wayne Co., NC; married William Cox, Jr. 29 Jan 1834 in Contentnea Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 26 May 1812 in Wayne Co., NC; died 25 Feb 1875 in Wayne Co., NC.

More About William Cox, Jr.:
Burial: Bethany Friends Cemetery, Wayne County, North Carolina

vii. Thomas Edgerton IV, born 09 Apr 1821 in Wayne Co., NC; died 24 Apr 1894 in Kenly, Johnston Co., NC or Wayne Co., NC?; married (1) Zelpha Pearce 14 Nov 1843 in Johnston Co., NC; born Abt. 1822; died 1845 in Johnston Co., NC; married (2) Sally Wooten 09 Oct 1845 in Johnston Co., NC; born Abt. 1826.

More About Thomas Edgerton IV:
Census 1: 12 Jul 1860, Listed in Johnston Co., NC Census, east of the Neuse River. Occupation--farmer. Value of real estate--$228; value of personal estate--$495. Married to second wife Sally by this time, but a Patience Pearce, age 56, was listed next to them--mother-in-law?
Census 2: 1870, Listed in Beulah Township, Johnston Co., NC. Occupation--farmer. Value of real estate--$524; value of personal estate--$800.

viii. Zilphia Edgerton, born 14 Jan 1824 in Wayne Co., NC; died 04 Apr 1901 in Greensboro, Guilford Co., NC; married Thomas Lancaster Hollowell 25 Sep 1845 in Nahunta Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 16 Apr 1815 in Wayne Co., NC; died 16 Jul 1865 in Wayne Co., NC.

More About Zilphia Edgerton:
Burial: Hollowell-Massey family plot, Dudley, Wayne Co., NC

More About Thomas Lancaster Hollowell:
Burial: Hollowell-Massey family plot, Dudley, Wayne Co., NC

ix. Phebe Edgerton, born 07 Jun 1827 in Wayne Co., NC; married Thomas H. Stanton 12 Dec 1866 in Contentnea Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 07 May 1827.

More About Phebe Edgerton:
Residence: 1860, Pikeville, Wayne, North Carolina

x. Talitha Edgerton, born 07 Jun 1830 in Wayne Co., NC; died 21 Sep 1855 in Wayne Co., NC; married Levi Hollowell Massey 19 Oct 1854 in Nahunta Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 18 Oct 1827 in Wayne Co., NC; died 25 Jul 1911 in near Dudley, Wayne Co., NC.

More About Talitha Edgerton:
Burial: Pearson-Lewis-Gurley-Edgerton plot, corner of Gurley Dairy & Capps Bridge Roads, Wayne Co., NC

Notes for Levi Hollowell Massey:
At the time of her and her husband's accidental deaths from a falling tree limb, Mrs. Ruth Pearson Harper (1901-1985) was working on the genealogy of the family of her maternal grandparents, Levi Hollowell Massey (1827-1911) and Avis Coleman Massey (1834-1917) of Wayne County, North Carolina. The following information on Levi, Avis, and their children is quoted from a draft she prepared on the Massey family.

The History and Genealogy of the Levi H. Massey Family of Wayne County, North Carolina

The information contained in this account of the Levi H. Massey family has been collected largely by other persons, notably Beatrice and Florence Cox in their "Genealogy of the Jesse James Cox Family of Wayne County, North Carolina," from conversations with relatives, and personal recollections of the writer. William Wade Hinshaw's "Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy," Volume I, has been a valuable source, also records done by Theodore E. Perkins.

We are unable to go back very far in the Massey family. In Quaker annals Cogdell B. Massey first appears as the husband of Polly Hollowell. He lived at Boon Hill (now Princeton) in Johnston County where he was born November 20, 1803. He died at his home near Dudley, nine miles south of Goldsboro, in Wayne County on May 25, 1865. The date of the marriage is November 20, 1823. On January 10, 1824, Polly Massey was disowned by Contentnea Monthly Meeting for having "married out of unity," which means she married a non-Quaker. Her name is not mentioned again in minutes but transferral of membership of Cogdell B. Massey and son Levi is recorded. It is possible that she never asked to be reinstated after being disowned, or this item was omitted by mistake.

They moved to the Massey homestead one mile west of Dudley when their son and only child, Levi Hollowell Massey, was six years old. Levi was born October 18, 1827, and died July 25, 1911. This land had been held previously by two persons, the grantee and another man. It was located near the home of Polly's parents. He bought it, probably in 1834, and it is now the property of two great-grandsons of Cogdell B. Massey, Lloyd and Conard Massey.

On February 14, 1835, Cogdell B. Massey and son Levi were received at Neuse Monthly Meeting on certificate from Contentnea Monthly Meeting, which would be about a year after moving to Dudley. In 1841 Neuse Meeting House was moved from the banks of the Neuse in Quaker Neck to higher ground. Cogdell B. Massey was one of eighteen members who subscribed funds for the building which cost $292.85. Finally, in 1860 a stove was installed at the cost of six dollars. Our ancestors had remarkable powers of endurance to ride several miles before they sat down to worship in an unheated meeting house. Neuse was about five miles from the Massey home. The question arises: Did Cogdell B. Massey's parents live near Contentnea first and then move to Johnston County?

Later Levi Massey's family moved their membership to Woodland.

Polly Hollowell Massey (mother of Levi Hollowell Massey) was the great-great-granddaughter of Samuel Lancaster of England, friend and traveling companion of George Fox [founder of the Quaker faith]. She was also the great-granddaughter of John Hollowell, who came to North Carolina early in the 1700's.

On October 19, 1854, Levi H. Massey was granted the right to marry Talitha Edgerton of Contentnea Meeting. They had one son, Thomas Levi, born August 31, 1855. She died September 21, 1855.

On April 11, 1857, Levi Massey married again, this time to Avis Coleman, daughter of Elijah and Rachel Cox Coleman of Contentnea Meeting. The Coleman family had large landholdings on Contentnea Creek in what is now Greene County but then Wayne County.

Both Elijah and Rachel Cox Coleman died when their children were young, and the kin reared their children. Rachel's brother, Stanton Cox, and wife Sallie took Avis and Peninah under their care.

Here the kinship gets involved as far as the Cox family is concerned. Jesse Coleman, son of Elijah Coleman I, had a daughter Sallie, who became on October 18, 1837, the second wife of Stanton Cox. Jesse was also an older brother of Elijah II, the father of Avis Coleman, whose daughter, Talitha Cumi Massey, married Jesse J. Cox, son of Stanton and Sallie Cox.

The Massey homestead stood in a grove of elms set back from a narrow sandy road. A tall fence enclosed the house and yard. And in front of the house was another large yard with a tall fence and a wide gate that had to be opened to let wagons and buggies pass through. This large outer yard led back to the barns and stables. Water from the well located at the southeast corner of the house and next to the wash house was brought up by a well sweep--a large beam that worked up and down on a post. It had a hand pole to which a bucket was attached. As the sweep went toward the ground in the field behind the well, it brought up a bucket of water, but it was still a lot of work to fill the horse trough.

The six-room house, made of virgin pine and never painted, consisted of three rooms in the middle, a front porch, and two small unheated rooms at each end. Back of the parents' bedroom were a screened open passageway and the kitchen. In the early days everything was cooked in the open fireplace. An iron trammel fastened in the chimney back supported iron pots and kettles. Other utensils sat on the hearth next to the fire. There were bee hives, chicken houses, a garden with a privy, all fenced in, behind the house.

Levi Massey lived to be 84. He was in poor health and had given up farming to his son Elijah some years before his death. Rachel and Alice looked after their parents.

In early fall of 1907 [Levi and Avis Coleman Massey] celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. There is a large group picture of all the family except Leslie Pearson [their grandson, who was attending Guilford College] and Ethel Massey Watkins, including Elijah T. Coleman [Avis' brother] who came from his home in Bloomingdale, Indiana, for the celebration. He gave beautiful plates to Avis, Rachel, and Alice. Rachel gave her plate to [her niece] Ruth Pearson Harper.

Avis lived to be 83. She was blind for a number of years because of cataracts, so she simply sat in her chair. She died of pneumonia. She was very fat; she wore plain dark dresses with full skirt and plain, fitted waist with buttons down the front. In winter she wore, instead of a Quaker bonnet, a black silk bonnet with quilted crown; in summer she wore a similar bonnet of tiny black and white checked silk. The sunbonnet-styled head cover really protected the head in sun and wind during those long buggy rides. In those days when cosmetics were not used by any self-respecting woman, girls worked hard to keep a pretty complexion.

People worked very hard in those days. The Civil War period was very hard on Levi and Avis. He had to go to fight in the Confederate Army during the latter part of the war when the battles were raging around Petersburg, Virginia. The Confederate and Union armies came through in 1865, and people had to use their wits to keep from losing everything. In spite of the hard times after the war, Levi and Avis sent their children to New Garden Boarding School as much as they could afford.

Avis' sister, Peninah Coleman, married William R. Perkins at Mineral Springs Meeting House (later moved to Woodland) on December 6, 1876. They had one son, Delano F., who frequently came to quarterly meetings at Woodland. Peninah lived with Delano in Wilson (after the death of her husband) who was a railway mail clerk. She died before the golden wedding in 1907.....

This is the brief story of our maternal relatives. I'd say that all our Massey ancestors were all very good and highly respected, loyal to the church and all other good institutions, very realistic, down to earth, honest, and more inclined to blame than to brag, that is, they expected excellence as a matter of course and were, therefore, sparing of praise. Hard work was their lot in life and in a way their religion. They cherished education and got as much as they could afford. To pay cash was the only way to do business. They never indulged in tobacco or alcohol, played cards, or had very much fun. Generally speaking, their descendants have followed the path of integrity, though customs and manners have become more relaxed in our day.

The same can be said of the Pearson ancestors, though I have never known them quite as well. Perhaps they were more optimistic, aggressive, and warmhearted. Papa was more emotional than Mama and also more affectionate toward the children. He didn't have them under foot all day so he petted them when he was at the house. When I was still a baby he would take me out to see Charlie, the white horse, so they said that he spoiled me. ...

More About Levi Hollowell Massey:
Burial: Hollowell-Massey family plot, Dudley, Wayne Co., NC

Generation No. 3

4. Thomas Edgerton, Jr., born Abt. 1735 in Haddonfield, Camden Co., NJ; died Abt. 1794 in Wayne Co., NC. He was the son of 8. Thomas Edgerton and 9. Sarah Stephens. He married 5. Sarah Cox 21 May 1778 in Wayne Co., NC.
5. Sarah Cox, born 21 Aug 1751 in Johnston Co., NC; died Aft. 19 Mar 1801. She was the daughter of 10. Thomas Cox, Jr. and 11. Phebe Fellow.

Notes for Thomas Edgerton, Jr.:
The following information on Thomas Edgerton, Jr. and his family is quoted directly from J. Howard Binns' "Meet the Edgertons: A Genealogy of the Edgerton Family in America from the early 1700's to 1969" (1970), pages 1-4:

Thomas and Sarah Stephens Edgerton remained in Haddonfield (New Jersey) where he died in 1768. There their son, Thomas, was born about 1735 and was married 4-27-1759, to Elizabeth Saint also of Haddonfield. We have no definite proof of the names of the parents of Elizabeth Saint, although there are records of various ones of the Saint family living in the vicinity of Haddonfield or Philadelphia at that time. More detail of the Saint family is also given as a supplement in another section of this book.

It seems that Thomas Edgerton, Jr, and Elizabeth Saint, although both were probably Quakers, were not married in the Friends' meeting for we find recorded in the Minutes of Haddonfield Monthly Meeting the following entry dated 11-10-1760:

"Thomas Edgerton produced an acknowledgement on behalf of himself and wife for their outgoing in marriage which was read & on consideration received & is as followeth:

To ye monthly Meeting held at Haddonfield ye 10th of ye 11th mo. 1760, Loving frds We ye Subscribers for want of Due regard to ye rules Established amongst frds have gone out in our marriage contrary thereto & ye present Trouble of mind at our Disunited State Ingages us to offer this as our Sincere acknowledgement Earnestly Desiring to be received into unity again, Signed: Thomas Edgerton
Elizabeth Edgerton."

We have no record of how their marriage was performed, whether by a minister of some other denomination or in some other manner, but we can tell that they were sincerely sorry for their transgression and there is no doubt that their acknowledgement was accepted by the meeting in the spirit in which it was given, and Thomas and Elizabeth remained consistent members of the meeting thereafter.

Thomas and Elizabeth (Saint) Edgerton lived in Haddonfield several years after their marriage, during which time five children were born to them. The youngest was born on New Years Day 1775 and soon after this the mother, Elizabeth (Saint) Edgerton, died. A certificate issued to Haddonfield Meeting 9-8-1777 transferred the membership of Thomas Edgerton and his five children, Joseph, James, Rebecca, Sarah, and John to Contentnea Monthly Meeting, North Carolina. From that time the family seems to have been known as the North Carolina Edgertons, no longer to be identified with Haddonfield.

Soon after the move to the new location, 5-21-1778, Thomas Edgerton was married to Sarah Cox, daughter of Thomas Cox and Phoebe Fellow.

They were married at the home of Richard Cox (Sarah's uncle). The name "Cox" was a common one in the North Carolina Quaker circles at that time and it is not strange that Thomas Edgerton's second son, James, also married a Sarah Cox (daughter of Richard).

Thomas and Sarah (Cox) Edgerton became the parents of five children in addition to the five who had moved with their father from Haddonfield. All remained in North Carolina for several years. The older ones married and all were apparently well settled there. They were a family of Quakers and at that time Quaker communities in North Carolina were numerous and prosperous. Settlements in that area had become well enough established for the citizens to enjoy comfortable homes and many conveniences. Then, in the year 1794, three deaths occurred in the family of Thomas Edgerton. Thomas, himself, and two of his sons died, John, a boy of nineteen and Richard, the youngest, four years old.

The will of Thomas Edgerton, Jr., reveals several facts regarding the family. Evidently he was the owner of a considerable amount of real estate which he was dividing among his sons. The fact that his son James received a bequest of "one shilling sterling and Church Bible" is especially interesting. We assume that James may have received previously his inheritance in land and we can only wonder what may have become of the "Church Bible."

From the codicil we learn that Richard, the youngest son, had died prior to the 6th of April 1794 and it has been ascertained that Thomas, himself, died on the 24th of April of that year. The fact that James was appointed one of the executors of the will, rather than his older brother, Joseph, might indicate that their father considered James better qualified for that task. There may have been other reasons. At least it is interesting to observe the manner in which Thomas Edgerton wished to have his property divided between his several children, and evidently he must have changed his mind as to the disposition of Richard's share sometime between the 9th of November 1793 and 6th of April 1794. (See copy of Thomas Edgerton's will).

Both the will and the codicil thereto are witnessed by William Edgerton. This could hardly be the William Edgerton who signed, as a witness, the marriage certificate of Thomas Edgerton, Sr. and Sarah Stephens inasmuch as sixty years had elapsed between the two events. North Carolina census records of 1790 and other available information show that there were Edgertons living in various parts of North Carolina during the 1700's long before our Thomas from Haddonfield, NJ came with his five children in 1777. The name was spelled Egerton, Eggerton, and sometimes Edgington. It seems likely that William, who witnessed the will of Thomas, may have been a relative but we have not been able to trace the relationship.

If it should appear to the reader that the various tracts of land which are mentioned in Thomas Edgerton's will are generally bounded by streams or swamps, let us quote a clipping from a North Carolina Newspaper of recent date. (1968) This by a Staff Writer for the paper.

"Out of the hilly, orange clay of the Piedmont trickle tiny streams which converge into rivers that meander aimlessly and listlessly through the fertile tobacco land of Eastern North Carolina. The rivers--the Tar, Neuse, Roanoke, and Cape Fear--are joined by the Chowan River, which flows southward from Virginia, and the five of them each wind lazily for more than 200 miles before drifting into the turbulent blue-green Atlantic Ocean. Emptying their murky water into the rivers are hundreds of sluggish creeks, bays, inlets, coves and smaller rivers that criss-cross Eastern North Carolina and leave few of the counties landlocked."

For many years Quakers in the Southern States had been in varying degrees of disunity with the institution of Negro slavery. When, in the early 1800's, the Northwest Territory became available for settlement free of slavery, many of these Quakers felt that a land of opportunity in an area north of the Ohio River had opened up for them. But to give up their comfortable homes and productive farms, make the long trek of 600 miles or more over the mountains and through almost unbroken forest trails, and finally to construct some crude log cabins in the wilderness in which to live until better accomodations could be built, required stout hearts and resolute wills, and a grim determination that this was the course which a sensitive Quaker conscience demanded. Many of the Carolina Quakers felt the conviction that they must make this move. Soon great numbers of them were submitting to the hardships of the long journey and many of the thriving meetings were stripped of their members until it was necessary to discontinue or lay them down. On the other hand, Quaker meetings sprang up quickly throughout the areas of Ohio and Indiana where the Carolina emigrants settled.

The Edgerton family was caught in this movement. Joseph and James, the two eldest sons of Thomas and Elizabeth (Saint) Edgerton, had both married in 1785 and each had a family of several children, some of them grown, when in 1804 James and Sarah (Cox) Edgerton, with their family of seven children (two having died in North Carolina) made the long journey to Belmont County, Ohio. This must have been a tremendous undertaking. With their slow moving vehicles drawun by horses or oxen they could cover only a short distance a day. Fording streams was sometimes perilous and if the streams were swollen by excessive rains the travelers might be delayed several days waiting for the high water to recede. The trip required several weeks of travel and could only be made safely during summer month

Records of the Meeting show that memberships of the James Edgerton family were transferred to Concord Monthly Meeting, Belmont County, Ohio, but they settled in a location on the Captina Creek in the southern part of the county. This is quite remote from the Concord meeting but at that time all meetings in that part of Ohio were under the direction of Concord (now Colerain). A Friends meeting was established at Captina but it was in existence for only a few years. Probably James Edgerton was a minister there.

The Captina neighborhood was south of Barnesville, Ohio, and near the small town of Somerton which was also the home of many of the Edgertons of that time and later. James Edgerton bought land from the government for $1.25 per acre and established a mill on the Captina Creek. He must have been a busy and thrifty man. Evidently he prospered in his new location.

It is interesting to note that, for several generations, the descendants of James Edgerton and Sarah Cox remained generally in Belmont County and the neighboring counties of Jefferson, Harrison, Columbiana, Morgan, and Washington, all in the southeastern part of Ohio. Also, a large part of these descendants remained Quakers for several generations, many of them becoming ministers of prominence in the Society of Friends.

About a year after the arrival of James Edgerton and his family in Belmont County his older brother, Joseph, with his wife Martha Lamm and their younger children also made the move to the same part of Ohio. At that time Joseph's older children were married and settled in North Carolina and some of them remained there for some time, moving later to Ohio. Although they came first to Belmont County their sojourn there was short. Probably Joseph Edgerton had heard of fertile and more level land farther to the west and the rough, hilly terrain of Belmont County did not appeal to him. Records of their membership in the Friends Meeting show that very soon this family moved on to Darby Creek Meeting in Logan County, Ohio. From there, in rapid succession, we find recorded their removal to Miami County, Ohio, then to Wayne County, Indiana and to Henry County, Indiana. Joseph Edgerton died in Henry County. Today there are still a few of his descendants in Wayne and Henry Counties, and many of them are located in Miami and Grant Counties of Indiana. In a few years many of them had moved on to Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Several of this branch of the family seemingly had political aspirations, and were successful in holding various public offices such as mayor of the town or member of the state legislature. Many were also prominent educators and held responsible positions in the educational field.

While some of Joseph and Martha's married children did not make the move to Ohio with their parents it was not long until the remaining ones came to Ohio or Indiana probably taking up land with others of the family.

Much of my knowledge of the descendants of Joseph Edgerton and Martha Lamm was obtained from a small booklet which was compiled and published in 1939 by Dr. Harry W. Edgerton and Will G. Means, entitled "Who's Who Among the Edgertons." This has been supplemented by Mrs. Robert S. Kirkpatrick, a member of this branch of the family, who has supplied me with additional material and referred me to other sources of information.

In contrast with the descendants of James and his wife Sarah Cox who remaiend generally Quakers for several generations, it seems that many of those of Joseph and Martha soon joined other denominations and became prominent Baptists, Methodists, or Adventists, being leaders in whatever they undertook. In fact, throughout our study of several generations of Edgertons, a conspicuous trait has been noticed, that of forceful leadership and determined adherence to these principles.

Through the combined efforts of Mrs. Winnie Dale DuRant Wilson and Mrss. Glenda Edgerton Blanton, descendants of the two youngest sons of Thomas Edgerton and Sarah Cox, I have been able to obtain information on the two brothers, Thomas and William, and their descendants. Evidently they did not make the move to the northern states as their older brothers did. There may be various reasons for this. They were much younger than Joseph and James. They married sisters, daughters of Nathan and Rachel Pike, and it seems that the Pike family remained generally in North Carolina. At any rate the families of Thomas and William followed a course quite different from those of Joseph and James and many of their descendants are still to be found in North Carolina.

Of the four sisters of Joseph, James, Thomas, and William we have very little knowledge. Their names were Rebecca, Sarah, Phebe, and Ann. Their husbands were natives of North Carolina and probably the most of their descendants for several generations were located in North or South Carolina. The youngest, Ann, was married when quite young to Zachariah Colyer (or Collier) and raised a large family. I regret that I have been unable to locate more than fragmentary bits of information on these families.

Summarizing the foregoing information may make the relationships more understandable. Hence the following:

Thomas Edgerton, Jr., son of Thomas Edgerton and Sarah Stephens born about 1735; d 4-24-1794. Married 4-27-1759 Elizabeth Saint, at Haddonfield, NJ. She died about 1776. Thomas remarried 5-21-1778, Sarah Cox, b 8-21-1751, Dobbs County, North Carolina. Married at the house of Richard Cox on Neuse River, North Carolina. Children of Thomas Edgerton and Elizabeth Saint: (all born at Haddonfield):
A 1 Joseph Edgerton b 1-22-1762; d 2-7-1841
m Martha Lamm

B 2 James Edgerton b 9-27-1764; d 1-21-1825
m Sarah Cox

C 3 Rebecca Edgerton b 4-21-1767
m Joel Musgrave

D 4 Sarah Edgerton b 2-1-1772
m John Musgrave

5 John Edgerton b 1-1-1775; d 7-27-1794
unmarried

Children of Thomas Edgerton and Sarah Cox:
(all born in North Carolina)

E 6 Phebe Edgerton b 3-24-1779
m Jesse Harris

F 7 Ann Edgerton b 3-10-1781
m Zachariah Colyer (Collier)

G 8 Thomas Edgerton b 7-20-1785; d 2-3-1863
m Absilla Pike

H 9 William Edgerton b 12-2-1786; d 9-5-1857
m Mary Pike

10 Richard Edgerton b 1790; d 1794 at age 4


Children of Thomas Edgerton and Sarah Cox are:
i. Phebe Edgerton, born 24 Mar 1779 in Wayne Co., NC; married Jesse Harris 13 Jun 1807 in Contentnea Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC.
ii. Ann Edgerton, born 10 Mar 1781 in Wayne Co., NC; married Zachariah Colyer/Collier 17 Nov 1796 in Contentnea Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 11 Aug 1772 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 1834 in Wayne Co., NC.
2 iii. Thomas Edgerton III, born 20 Jul 1785 in Wayne Co., NC; died 03 Feb 1863 in Buck Swamp Township, Wayne Co., NC; married Absilla Pike 16 Apr 1806 in Contentnea Friends Monthly Meeting, Wayne Co., NC.
iv. William Edgerton, born 02 Dec 1786 in Wayne Co., NC; died 05 Sep 1857 in Wayne Co., NC; married Mary Pike 13 Nov 1806 in Contentnea Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 18 Nov 1790 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; died 11 Nov 1869 in Wayne Co., NC.

More About William Edgerton:
Burial: Nahunta Cemetery, Route 581, Nahunta, Wayne Co., NC

More About Mary Pike:
Burial: Nahunta Cemetery, Route 581, Nahunta, Wayne Co., NC

v. Richard Edgerton, born 1790 in Wayne Co., NC; died 1794 in Wayne Co., NC.

6. Nathan Pike, born 02 Aug 1760 in Pasquotank Co., NC or present-day Bladen Co., NC?; died 13 Jun 1844 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC. He was the son of 12. Samuel Pike, Jr. and 13. Sarah Overman. He married 7. Rachel Maudlin 15 Aug 1781 in Contentnea Friends Meeting House, Wayne Co., NC.
7. Rachel Maudlin, born 04 Jun 1761 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died Abt. Aug 1850 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC. She was the daughter of 14. Edward/Edmund Maudlin and 15. Sarah Perisho.

Notes for Nathan Pike:
The following is quoted from pages 128-29 of Ruth Pearson Harper's "History of the Pearson Family of Wayne County, North Carolina 1700-1981" (1982), who was summarizing an article from "The Goldsboro New-Argus" of March 22, 1970 entitled "Pikeville: Its History Spans More Than 200 Years":

Although Pikeville has been an incorporated town for only 79 years, its history dates back more than two centuries.

In December 1763 the King of England gave a grant of land to Samuel and Annie Pike, believed to have contained 2500 to 3000 acres. Most of the land was transferred to Nathan Pike in 1785.

The township, town, and post office were named for Nathan Pike. Quite a prominent man, he operated a large tavern--a rambling structure--located about three-fourths of a mile east of the present town at the junction of the Newbern-Fayetteville stage coach road and a north-south road. Pike also operated a trading post and shop, and mail was received and dispatched there. He also kept horse stables which provided changes of horses for the coaches. This was Pike's Junction.

The nearest market for cotton was Fayetteville about 60 miles to the west. From there it was shipped down the Cape Fear River to Wilmington. Petersburg, VA, was the nearest market for tobacco, hogs, forest products, tar and turpentine, and various farm products.

Nathan Pike, a Quaker, had no slaves but he did have a number of indigent white children bound to him. He also worked a large number of persons who had been imprisoned for debt and minor offenses.

The town began to grow when the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad (now the Seaboard Coast Line) was completed about 1840. The town developed along the railroad.

The tavern and inn were destroyed by Sherman's Army. His men camped in the area for several days and did great damage to the property of Rachel Pike, Nathan's widow (this must be an error since Rachel's date of death is given as May, 1850).

Col. B.W. Fort traded right-of-way for the railroad for railroad stock. Then he donated land for the churches, the school, and the post office.

About 60 or 65 years ago there was a government whiskey dispensary in Pikeville. The town was incorporated in 1891.

Then the reporter told the tragic story of Needham T. Perkins, grandson of Nathan and Rachel Maudlin Pike. It is also summarized for the readers of this work.

More than 104 years ago Rev. Needham T. Perkins, prominent Quaker minister and merchant, was beaten, robbed, and left for dead. The story was told by Mrs. Mary Perkins Fentress on her 75th birthday in 1926. Over 69 years ago she used to visit her aged grandfather, Samuel Perkins. He owned a mill and a large section of the country around Pikeville. She often spent time in Pikeville with her father, Needham T. Perkins, a merchant in Pikeville and a Quaker preacher.

When the Civil War came on, her father moved to the farm. On January 20, 1865, he was returning home from Wilmington where he had been to sell turpentine and to transact other business. He had $1200.00 in money and about $800.00 in valuable effects on him. When the train stopped at 10:00 P.M., he started home, about a mile and a half away; it was a beautiful moonlit night. After he had gone about half a mile, two men jumped from behind a pine tree. They fired at him but the gun did not go off, so they beat him cruelly and robbed him.

He remained there nearly an hour in a senseless condition. Later he was able to walk a mile to his father's house. When he tried to tell what had happened, he lost consciousness for six hours, and for three days it seemed he could not live. However, he managed to live two more years. Although he was badly disfigured and never fully recovered, he continued to preach until death at the age of 51.

The tree and its stump have long been gone, but a monument made of rocks from nearby fields marks the spot. In the center of the monument on Perkins Mill Road is a memorial stone plaque. It reads: "Erected in memory of Rev. Needham T. Perkins, minister of the Friends Church, for his outstanding work as a religious leader. Robbed and attempted murder here on Jan. 20, 1865, resulting in death Nov. 24, 1868."

Still standing a short distance down the road from the monument is the old home to which the almost murdered man made his way. He was buried in the family cemetery in a field back of the house.

Notes for Rachel Maudlin:
Email from Bryan Godfrey to another descendant, 2 April 2014:

I too have seen conflicting information on the death date of Rachel. Ted Perkins' books were my main sources for dates, and I asked him before, but he said May, 1850 was what he had for Rachel. The newspaper article I quoted says Sherman's Army did damage to the property of Rachel Pike, which indicates she was alive during the Civil War. Also, a great-granddaughter of hers, my great-great-great-aunt Elizabeth Pearson, wrote a note indicating she died at age 96. She was born in 1842 and would have remembered her, whichever dates she died. So all this in addition to her listing in the August, 1850 census might indicate she lived beyond May, 1850, and the census record might also indicate she was born in 1761 instead of 1767. 1767 would mean she was married at 14, which did happen, but 1761 seems more likely. I wish I knew where their graves were.

********************************************************************

Wayne County, NC - Nathan Pike & Rachel Maudlen Marriage Bond, 1781

Eight Month, Fifteenth, 1781, Contentnea Meeting House

Whereas Nathan Pike son of Samuel Pike, and Rachel Maudlen daughter of Edmund Maudlen both of the County of Dobbs in North Carolina having laid their intentions to marriage with each other before several Monthly Meetings of the people called Quakers in the county aforesaid whose proceedings therein after a deliberate consideration with regard to the Righteous Law of God and example of his people recorded in the Scriptures of Truth were approved by said meeting and being found clear of other marriage engagements and having consent of parents

Now these are to certify whom it may concern that for the full accomplishment of said marriage the said Nathan Pike and Rachel Maudlen appeared in a public meeting of the aforesaid people met together at Contentney in the county aforesaid and then and there the said Nathan Pike taking the said Rachel Maudlen by the hand declared as follows: "Friends you are my witnesses that I take Rachel Maudlen to be my wife promising through Divine assistance to be unto her a true and loving husband until death separate us" and the said Rachel Maudlen did in like manner openly declare as follows: "Friends you are my witnesses that I take Nathan Pike to be my husband promising through Divine assistance to be unto him a true and loving wife until death separate us" ?(or words to that effect)?

And for further confirmation hereof the said Nathan Pike and Rachel Pike
his wife, she according to custom assuming the name of her husband, have to these presents set their hands

Nathan Pike
Rachel Pike

And we whose names are under written being present at the solemnization of said marriage and subscription have as witnesses there unto subscribed our names this 15th day of 8th Mo. 1781

Thomas Saint Edmund Maudlin
Joseph Dew Samuel Pike
Robert Bogue Josiah Peele
Mary Perisho Isaac Hall
Reuben Peele Jesse Bogue
Ann Hastings Anna Pearson
Jane Saint

Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm

This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by
Robert Perkins

More About Rachel Maudlin:
Will: 26 Jan 1847, Wayne Co., NC

Children of Nathan Pike and Rachel Maudlin are:
i. Sarah Pike, born 28 Mar 1782 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; died 31 Dec 1835 in Wayne Co., NC; married William Cox 14 Nov 1798 in Contentnea Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 17 Mar 1777 in Dobbs (now Wayne) Co., NC; died 18 Jun 1854 in Wayne Co., NC.

More About Sarah Pike:
Burial: Cox cemetery, near Oakland Friends MM, Wayne County, North Carolina
Religion: Quaker

More About William Cox:
Burial: Cox cemetery, near Oakland Friends MM, Wayne County, North Carolina
Religion: Quaker

ii. David Pike, born 17 Nov 1784 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; died Abt. 1823; married Peninah Peele 14 Dec 1803 in Bear Creek MH, Wayne County, North Carolina; born 18 Nov 1787 in Wayne Co., NC.

More About David Pike:
Religion: Quaker

iii. Jonathan Pike, born 10 Jan 1786 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; married Sarah Griffin 13 Nov 1805 in Contentnea Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Wayne Co., NC.
3 iv. Absilla Pike, born 04 Jun 1788 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; died 15 Jul 1865 in Buck Swamp Township, Wayne Co., NC; married Thomas Edgerton III 16 Apr 1806 in Contentnea Friends Monthly Meeting, Wayne Co., NC.
v. Mary Pike, born 18 Nov 1790 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; died 11 Nov 1869 in Wayne Co., NC; married William Edgerton 13 Nov 1806 in Contentnea Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 02 Dec 1786 in Wayne Co., NC; died 05 Sep 1857 in Wayne Co., NC.

More About Mary Pike:
Burial: Nahunta Cemetery, Route 581, Nahunta, Wayne Co., NC

More About William Edgerton:
Burial: Nahunta Cemetery, Route 581, Nahunta, Wayne Co., NC

vi. Mark Pike, born 01 Aug 1792 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; died 04 Feb 1850; married Christian Peele 12 Apr 1812 in Contentnea Monthly Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 02 Sep 1789; died 22 Feb 1850.
vii. Rachel Pike, born 07 Mar 1795 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; died 14 Mar 1862 in near Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; married Samuel Perkins 16 Dec 1812 in Contentnea Monthly Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 02 Jan 1786 in Wayne Co., NC; died 20 Oct 1868 in near Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC.

More About Rachel Pike:
Burial: Perkins family plot, Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC
Religion: Quaker

More About Samuel Perkins:
Burial: Perkins family plot, Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC

viii. Avis Pike, born 10 Oct 1797 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; married William Musgrave 17 Nov 1813 in Contentnea Monthly Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 17 Nov 1791.

Notes for William Musgrave:
The following is quoted from page 17 of J. Howard Binns' "Meet the Edgertons":

This family apparently moved from North Carolina to Indiana about 1828. Memberships taken to Honey Creek meeting, Howard County, Indiana.

ix. Arcada Pike, born 25 Sep 1803 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; married (1) Josiah Musgrave 12 May 1819 in Contentnea Monthly Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born Abt. 1800 in Wayne County, North Carolina; died Bef. 1844; married (2) William Cox 11 Sep 1841 in Wayne Co., NC; born 17 Mar 1777 in Dobbs (now Wayne) Co., NC; died 18 Jun 1854 in Wayne Co., NC.

Generation No. 4

8. Thomas Edgerton, born Abt. 1705 in possibly Cheshire, England; died 1768 in Haddonfield, Camden County, New Jersey USA. He married 9. Sarah Stephens 20 Oct 1733 in Haddonfield, Camden Co., NJ.
9. Sarah Stephens, born in probably Ireland; died Bet. 1735 - 1738 in Haddonfield, Camden County, New Jersey USA. She was the daughter of 18. Robert Stephens and 19. Elizabeth ?.

Notes for Thomas Edgerton:
The following is quoted from J. Howard Binns' "Meet the Edgertons" (1970), pages vii-viii and 1:

There is an old family tradition that our first known American ancestor was the grandson or heir of English nobility who, on account of his marrying a Quaker miss, so disgraced his family that he was thereupon disowned and disinherited by them. This episode may mark the entry of the Edgertons into the Quaker faith, followed (we may imagine) by persecution in England, escape to Ireland and eventual arrival in America. If this tradition has foundation, that fact may explain our inability to make the connection between the line of English noblemen and our American progenitor. If the young man so disgraced his noble name as to marry a Quaker, then his name was probably wiped off the family record and he given to oblivion. Furthermore, he may, thereafter, have respected his nobility so slightly that he didn't care to record his parentage.

It has been stated, without proof that I can find, that Sir Thomas Egerton, Chancellor of the Exchequer during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, was the direct ancestor of our Thomas Edgerton of Haddonfield, New Jersey, with whose descendants we are concerned in this work.

Our introduction to the Edgertons begins with Thomas Edgerton of Colledine, Ireland. We do not know the exact date of his birth but it must have been between 1700 and 1710, probably in Cheshire, England. Just when he came to America is not known but in 1733 he made application to the Monthly Meeting of Friends at Haddonfield, New Jersey, for permission to marry Sarah Stephens of that meeting. As was customary, a committee was appointed to investigate his qualifications as to morals and his membership with the Friends, etc., also requesting him to furnish a certificate from his own meeting stating his membership in good standing. It was not uncommon in those days for a young man to leave wife and children in the old country, come to one of the American colonies, marry a new wife and start life anew in a new country. Friends were careful to guard against this happening in their Society.

Apparently the required certificate from the meeting at Colledine, County Wexford, in Ireland was produced and he and Sarah Stephens were permitted to proceed with their marriage which took place 10-20-1733.

The family of Sarah Stephens had also come from Ireland and had settled in Gloucester County, New Jersey about 1730. They had transferred their membership with Friends to the Haddonfield meeting prior to 1733. Sarah's parents were Robert and Elizabeth Stephens. She had four brothers, Isaac, Robert, James, and Henry, also a sister Mary. More detail of the Stephens family is recorded as supplemental material in another section of this book.

The marriage certificate of Thomas and Sarah (Stephens) Edgerton was signed by Elizabeth and Robert Stephens, probably Sarah's parents, and by Mary Doyl, evidently Sarah's sister who had married Philip Doyl in Ireland. Also signing this certificate as a witness was William Edgerton, of whom we have no further knowledge.

About 1740 a Joseph Edgerton, with a certificate from Lambstown Meeting of Friends, County Wexford, Ireland, arrived at Haddonfield, New Jersey, where he married Grace Varman, who had also recently come from the same meeting in Ireland. William and Jospeh Edgerton may have been brothers of Thomas. At least it seems likely that they were near relatives, and all had come from Ireland.

Available information indicates that the Edgertons were English and not Irish. Records in Ireland seem to make no mention of the family. Just why Thomas, William, and Joseph Edgerton, Grace Varman and the Stephens family had been living in Ireland when they made the move to Haddonfield is not certain. Evidently they were originally from England and had been in Ireland only a short time. This was a time of much religious unrest in England. It may be that these people, presumably all Quakers, had a brief sojourn in Ireland for religious reasons and from there soon came on to America. This is largely supposition on our part.

The marriage certificate of Thomas Edgerton and Sarah Stephens bears the signatures of various witnesses, among which may be observed the name of John Estaugh in the column of men's names and in another column of women's names is that of Elizabeth Estaugh.

In this connection one is reminded of the poem included in Henry W. Longfellow's "Tales of a Wayside Inn" entitled "Elizabeth" which refers to the romance of John Estaugh, a young Quaker minister from England, and Elizabeth Haddon, wealthy young Quaker maid, living then in the vicinity of Haddonfield, New Jersey, a town which was named for her family.

Among the wills on record in New Jersey is that of Elizabeth Estaugh, a wealthy widow, dated November 30, 1761. In this will which mentions her various properties, reference is made to her "upper house and lot" described as being in "tenor" of Thomas Edgerton. We may guess that this was Thomas Jr., son of Thomas and Sarah Stephens Edgerton. He was then a young man, married two years prior to the date of this will. Elizabeth Estaugh died in 1762.

The following is quoted from page 153 of the Edgerton genealogy:

Sarah (Stephens) Edgerton, wife of Thomas Edgerton, Sr., died when Thomas, Jr. was very young. We do not know the exact date of her death but in 1738 Thomas Edgerton, Sr. married a second time in Haddonfield Meeting and the new wife was Esther Bate, a widow with children by a former marriage. The meeting appointed a committee to see that the interests of her children were provided for when she married Thomas Edgerton. This procedure was customary among Friends in such cases and does not indicate mistrust of the new stepfather. In 1751 Thomas and his wife, Esther Bate, transferred their membership with Friends to Philadelphia Monthly Meeting and he was disowned by that meeting in 1759 and died 10-19-1768. His wife, Esther, died 10-19-1760.

Children of Thomas Edgerton and Esther Bate were William and Hannah. William married 6-22-1775 at Haddonfield Meeting, NJ Tabitha Henston (or Heuson) daughter of John Henston of Gloucester County, NJ. William Edgerton was disowned by Haddonfield Meeting 1-12-1784. Both William and his wife, Tabitha, died before 1800 as indicated by their son's marriage certificate. William's sister, Hannah, was probably never married.

Child of Thomas Edgerton and Sarah Stephens is:
4 i. Thomas Edgerton, Jr., born Abt. 1735 in Haddonfield, Camden Co., NJ; died Abt. 1794 in Wayne Co., NC; married (1) Elizabeth Saint 27 Apr 1759 in Haddonfield, Camden Co., NJ; married (2) Sarah Cox 21 May 1778 in Wayne Co., NC.

10. Thomas Cox, Jr., born 03 Jan 1729 in Oxford Township, Philadelphia Co., PA; died Abt. 1782 in Wayne Co., NC. He was the son of 20. Thomas Cox and 21. Sarah Busby. He married 11. Phebe Fellow 08 Apr 1749 in Falling Creek Friends Meeting, Johnston Co., NC.
11. Phebe Fellow, born 04 Oct 1730 in Talbot Co., MD; died Aft. 1790 in Johnston Co., NC or Wayne Co., NC. She was the daughter of 22. John Fellow and 23. Phebe ?.

Notes for Phebe Fellow:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fellowfamily/Fellow%20FamGrps/html/FellowG2Phebe.html

Thomas Cox & Phebe Fellow

Fourth Month Eighth 1749

FALLING CREEK MEETING HOUSE

Whereas Thomas Cox, son of Thomas Cox of the County of Johnston in the
Province of North Carolina and Phebe Fellow, daughter of John Fellow,
deceased, of the Province aforesaid having declared their intention of
taking each other in marriage before several meetings of the People Called
Quakers at Falling Creek and having consent of Parents and parties
concerned, their said proposals were allowed by the said Meeting.

Now these are to certify whom it may concern that for the full accomplishing
their said intentions this 8th day of the 4th mo. in the year 1749. They the
said Thomas Cox and Phebe Fellow appeared in a Public assembly of the said
People and others met together in their meeting house at Falling Creek, and
the said Thomas Cox taking the said Phebe Fellow by the hand did openly
declare that he took her to be his wife promising through Divine assistance
to be unto her a faithful and loving husband until death shall separate
them, and in the same assembly the said Phebe Fellow did in like manner
openly declare that she took the said Thomas Cox to be her husband promising
with Divine assistance to be unto him a faithful and loving wife until death
separate them or words to that effect. Moreover the said Thomas Gox and
Phebe Fellow, she according to the custom of Women assuming the name of her
husband, as a further confirmation thereof did then and there to these
presents set their hands.
Thomas Cox
Phebe Cox

And we whose names are under subscribed being present at the Solemnizing of
the said marriage and subscription in manner aforesaid. As witnesses
hereunto have set our hands the day and year above written.
Sarah Giles George Deaver
Mary Heaton John Newby
Ann Pike Benj. Heaton
Eliza Herring Gilbert Deaver
Martha Lynn Eliza Newby

More About Phebe Fellow:
Comment: Her sister, Sarah Fellow Kennedy, was the mother of Mary Kennedy who married Thomas' brother, Richard Cox

Children of Thomas Cox and Phebe Fellow are:
5 i. Sarah Cox, born 21 Aug 1751 in Johnston Co., NC; died Aft. 19 Mar 1801; married (1) Thomas Edgerton, Jr. 21 May 1778 in Wayne Co., NC; married (2) John Overman 19 Mar 1801 in Nahunta Friends Meeting House, Contentnea Monthly Meeting, Wayne Co., NC.
ii. Josiah Cox, born 13 Jan 1754 in Johnston Co., NC; married Judith Peele.
iii. Robert Cox, born 18 Oct 1758 in Johnston Co., NC; died Abt. 1795 in Wayne Co., NC; married Sally Moore 11 Jan 1795 in Contentnea Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC.
iv. Richard Cox, born 06 Jun 1761 in Johnston Co., NC; married (1) Easter Hastings; married (2) Susanna Kinsey.
v. John Cox, born 20 Aug 1763 in Johnston Co., NC.
vi. Smithson Cox, born 01 Mar 1766 in Wayne Co., NC; died Bef. May 1828 in Wayne Co., NC; married Sarah Lancaster 12 Nov 1785 in Contentnea Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 14 Dec 1765 in Northampton Co., NC; died Bef. Feb 1830 in Wayne Co., NC.

More About Smithson Cox:
Probate: May 1828, Wayne Co., NC

vii. Phoebe Cox, born 15 Oct 1768 in Wayne Co., NC; died 24 Sep 1806 in Wayne Co., NC; married William B. Hollowell 10 Sep 1797 in Contentnea Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 10 Apr 1775 in Northampton Co., NC.
viii. Elizabeth Cox, born 22 Feb 1772 in Wayne Co., NC; died 10 Nov 1842 in Orange Co., IN; married Robert Hollowell 23 Oct 1794 in Contentnea Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 13 Sep 1772 in Northampton Co., NC; died 03 Apr 1865 in Orange Co., IN.

More About Elizabeth Cox:
Burial: Lick Creek Friends Cemetery near Paoli, Orange Co., IN

Notes for Robert Hollowell:
The following text has been copied and pasted from the Hollowell Family Homepage of Mrs. Vikki Hollowell Highfield, http://www.geocities.com/heartland/ridge/3462/ :

SOURCE: Hinshaw, William Wade. "Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy" Vol. 1, p. 308. Hollowell/Peele Family Bible.
They were married at the Contentnea Monthly Meeting, Neuse Meeting House, Wayne Co., NC, witnesses were: Sarah Arnold, Sarah Bogue, Eliza Kennedy, Miriam Cox, Anna Cox, Charity Cox, Mary Ann More, Richard Cox, Josiah Cox, Zachariah Morris, Ralph Fletcher, John Moore, Robert Fellow, Thos. Hollowell, Smithson Cox, Phebe Cox, Jun., John Hollowell, Robert Cox, Thos. Cox, Wm. Hollowell.
Robert received land from his father in Wayne Co., NC, "Gift deed to son Robert Hollowell, land between my dwelling house and my said son's dwelling house, beginning in the Marsh Macksfield prong to my patent line back of Huckleberry Percosin 250 acres, 10th day of 8 month 1798" (Bk 7, p. 103 Wayne Co., NC). In April 1807, Robert and family followed brother John to Indiana Territory and settled in Orange Co., IN.
1820 Census Washington Co., IN, age 45 up. 1850 Census Orange Co., IN, a widower living in the household of son Nathan. Cemetery Records, Lick Creek Friends Cemetery, Orange Co., IN.
Will of Robert Hollowell of Washington Co., IN, proved 15 May 1865, legatees: son, Smithson; dau. Abby Muisgrave; gr. dau. Margaret Hall; Lindley Hollowell; Nathan Hollowell's heirs; William Hollowell's heirs; heirs of Michel Lindley and Peggy Lindley, Exr.: John E. Hall and Smithson Hollowell.

More About Robert Hollowell:
Burial: Lick Creek Friends Cemetery near Paoli, Orange Co., IN

ix. Thomas Cox III, born 18 Feb 1775 in Johnston Co., NC; married Wnnie Harrel.

12. Samuel Pike, Jr., born Abt. 1712 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died Abt. 1797 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC. He was the son of 24. Samuel Pike and 25. Jane ?. He married 13. Sarah Overman 07 Feb 1737 in Perquimans Co., NC.
13. Sarah Overman, born 1722 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died Abt. 1763 in Carver's Creek area of present-day Bladen Co., NC. She was the daughter of 26. Ephraim Overman and 27. Sarah Belman.

Notes for Samuel Pike, Jr.:
The following has been copied and pasted from the website link http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nc/wayne/bicen/number_10.txt

"Pikes Came To Wayne Late In 17th Century"

From Goldsboro "News-Argus"
Sunday, July 20, 1975

Editor's note: This is another in a series of articles on Wayne County's history from 1700 to 1900 provided in conjunction with the American Revolution Bicentennial observance.

By Bonita Metz

The Pike Family that was to settle much of northern Wayne County & give its name to one of the county's communities, first arrived in North Carolina late in the 17th century.

Samuel Pike came to the colony from England in 1693 under the headright system. He settled in Pasquotank Precinct where he became a prominent member of the Society of Friends, familiarly known as the Quakers.

His son, who bore his name, was eventually to settle in the part of Dobbs County that later became Wayne County.

But Samuel Pike, Jr. was a wanderlust. He moved first to Virginia, then to the Cape Fear Region where he & his family were associated with the Carver's Creek Monthly Meeting in what is today Bladen County. Then in 1773, he moved his family to the Rich Square Monthly Meeting in Northampton County & finally, in 1777, he & his only son, Nathan, requested permission of the Quakers to move again, this time to the Great Contentnea Monthly Meeting located on Lower Falling Creek in Dobbs County, today part of Lenoir County.

This Contentnea Meeting was later moved to the northwestern Wayne County community of Nahunta where it became known as Nahunta Meeting. The group met in the home of Matthew Pike, one of the descendants of Nathan Pike, before finally building a meeting house on property donated by the Edgerton family.

When Samuel Pike, Jr. moved to Dobbs County, he settled on the south side of Nahunta Swamp on land which had been granted as early as 1763. The land,granted by the King of England, was said to have included as much as 2,500 to 3,000 acres. It was possibly one of the largest grants given in this county.

In 1785, Samuel & his third wife, Anne Ducely, deeded most of this land to Samuel's only son, Nathan.

Samuel's first wife, Sarah Overman Pike, bore him eight children & died while the family was in the Bladen County region in 1762.

The next year he married Tabitha Scott, who was herself a prominent Quaker & she & Samuel served as overseers of the Carver's Creek Monthly Meeting. She died in 1773 & Samuel married Anne Ducely at the Rich Square Meeting House.

Samuel Pike died before 1797 & his widow, Anne, moved to the Back Creek Monthly Meeting in Randolph County where she lived out the rest of her life.

Nathan Pike was a member of the militia during the Revolutionary War & probably saw service during 1781 when Lord Cornwallis' army marched through Wayne County. A number of rear guard actions were fought during that march
as well as a skirmish at Peacock's Bridge over Nahunta Swamp. That bridge was near Pike Plantation.

On August 15, 1781, Nathan Pike married Rachel Maudlin at the Contentnea Meeting House. They were to become the parents of nine children.

Pike was a merchant as well as a planter & he operated a large tavern,"graciously built after the English style," which was located about three quarters of a mile east of the present town of Pikeville.

The tavern was located at a heavily traveled point where the New Bern & Fayetteville coach road crossed a north-south road.

Pike also operated a shop & a trading post on this site & his business served as the area mail drop. Mail was received & dispatched through Pike's shop by the regular coach runs.

Pike handled the mail & he also maintained stables for the exchange of stage horses. His tavern became a regular overnight stop for the stage.

That tavern & inn are believed to have been the beginning of the Pikeville community. The area was known then as Pike's Junction.

Although he was a shrewd businessman, Nathan Pike's Quaker upbringing forbade his owning slaves, so he depended upon the labor of a number of indigent children who were bound to him & of several persons taken from jail where they had been imprisioned for indebtedness.

From 1793 to 1835, Pike sold more than 2,000 acres of his holdings to the families whose names are still found in the Pikeville community. These included Applewhites, Garris', Perkins, Musgraves, Pates, Edgertons, Smiths,Hams & others.

Later in 1889, when the town of Pikeville was incorporated, it kept the name of its most prominent merchant whose charge of the mail had already caused the small rural post office to be named in his honor.

The descendants of Nathan Pike settled all across the northern end of Wayne County. Some made their homes in the Nahunta community to the west & others moved toward Eureka & the eastern part of the county.

Mark & Jonathan Pike, sons of Nathan, were wardens of the poor in Wayne County. They were appointed in 1833 & 1834, respectively. Jonathan was chairman in 1834 when the county's first poor house was built at Stoney Hill. The Quakers of Wayne County have always been in the vanguard of humanitarian causes.

Nathan Pike died in 1844 leaving a large estate & an established business name. His wife, Rachael, died in 1850. But their descendants still live & work in Wayne County.

More About Samuel Pike, Jr.:
Occupation: Tavernkeeper; merchant/planter

Children of Samuel Pike and Sarah Overman are:
i. Patience Pike, born 17 Feb 1738 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 23 Oct 1803 in Belmont Co., OH?; married (1) Issac Scriven Aft. 1756 in North Carolina; married (2) Joseph Dawson 12 Apr 1777 in North Carolina; born Abt. 1718 in Craven Co., NC; died 1783 in Wayne Co., NC.

More About Patience Pike:
Date born 2: 17 Apr 1738, Pasquotank Co., NC

ii. Ann Pike, born 28 Feb 1740.

More About Ann Pike:
Name 2: Ann Pike Boles
Date born 2: 28 Apr 1740

iii. Miriam Pike, born 05 Dec 1742; died 09 Mar 1788; married Benjamin White 27 Oct 1761 in Pasquotank Co., NC; born Abt. 1740.
iv. Elizabeth Pike, born 09 Dec 1747 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 09 Mar 1788; married Samuel Collier 24 Mar 1771; born Abt. 1746 in Wayne Co., NC; died 1807.

More About Elizabeth Pike:
Date born 2: 09 Dec 1747

More About Samuel Collier:
Date born 2: Abt. 1746

v. Mary Pike, born 27 Feb 1749.

More About Mary Pike:
Date born 2: 27 Apr 1749

vi. Susanna Pike, born 23 May 1752 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 26 Jan 1829; married Joshua Copeland 15 Jul 1772; born 1750.

More About Susanna Pike:
Name 2: Susanna Leah Pike
Date born 2: 23 May 1752
Date born 3: 25 May 1752

vii. Rhoda Pike, born 22 Feb 1758.
6 viii. Nathan Pike, born 02 Aug 1760 in Pasquotank Co., NC or present-day Bladen Co., NC?; died 13 Jun 1844 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; married Rachel Maudlin 15 Aug 1781 in Contentnea Friends Meeting House, Wayne Co., NC.

14. Edward/Edmund Maudlin, born 07 Apr 1735 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Abt. 1806 in probably Wayne Co., NC. He was the son of 28. Ezekiel Maudlin III and 29. Mary ?. He married 15. Sarah Perisho Abt. 1760.
15. Sarah Perisho, born 05 Jan 1732 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Abt. 1818 in probably Wayne Co., NC or Randolph Co., NC. She was the daughter of 30. James Perisho III and 31. Sarah Trumbull.

Notes for Edward/Edmund Maudlin:
https://sites.google.com/site/earlpbell/bellandrelatedfamilesinwaynecounty,nc%3Ade

83. 15 OCT. 1782. WM & RACHEL WORRELL to EDMUND MAUDLIN 200 acres on ss of Slough Swamp & ws of road that leads from PETER PEACOCK'S on Naughunty to Sasser's Bridge on Little RIver, part of tract granted to WM WORRELL, 16 DEC. 1769.

174. 9 APR. 1783. WM & RACHEL WORRELL to EDMOND MAUDLIN 120 acres, a tract of land taken up by WM WORRELL, 25 Oct. 1782. BB: JOHN HOWELL, THOS SCOTT, DAVID WORRELL. WIT: JOHN HOWELL & WM RAIFORD.

More About Edward/Edmund Maudlin:
Census: 1790, Wayne Co., NC

Notes for Sarah Perisho:
http://www.dalton-newsletter.com/archives/1997/12-Dec%2097.pdf

Perisho-Dalton, Grayson Co. VA
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
written by Gary S. Phipps, [email protected]
Since I sent my last information to the Dalton Gang Newsletter I have done
some researching in the local (Albuquerque) library mostly amongst the Quaker
records: William Wade Hinshaw, Willard Heiss, The History of Perquimans Co, etc.
I did not previously realize that the Mt Pleasant Monthly Meeting (MM) recorded
in the North Carolina volume of the Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy (p
1001, Vol 5, W.W. Hinshaw) was located in Grayson Co, VA. Searching that and other
sources I have determined the following: James Perisho who sold land in Grayson Co
in 1813 married Ruth Jessop 1797 in the Westfield MM (Surry Co, NC). James was
the son of John and Jean Perisho who possibly were not then Quakers since little is
found of them in the records. Not so with Ruth who was the daughter of Thomas
Jessop (b 10 Jan 1745/46) and Mary Beales married 30 Mar 1768 in New Garden MM,
Guilford Co, NC. The father and grandfather of this Thomas Jessop were also named
Thomas; the father died in New Garden (Guilford Co) while the grandfather was born
in England, married Jane Clare and died in Perquimans MM (Perquimans Co, NC).
The Jessop, Perisho, Clare, and Maudlin families were nearest neighbors in pioneer
Perquimans Co.
The Perisho family is not as easy to follow across the country. The original
James Perisho of Perquimans Co had a son and grandson also named James who
are all in my direct line of descent. James (3) was b 2 Mar 1699/1700 and had a
daughter Sarah Perisho who married Edward Maudlin my 6th Great Grandfather. No
direct connection can be proven to the Grayson Co, James Perisho of 1813 partly
because of the confusion of every generation having James and John as given
names.
When James and Ruth Perisho 'removed from' Mt Pleasant MM, Grayson Co,
VA, in 1814; they apparently took their time deciding where to go. At Blue River MM,
Washington Co, IN, on 2-3-1816 they were 'rocf' (received on certificate from) Mt
Pleasant MM, VA, by way of Fairfield, OH, and Lick Creek, Orange Co, IN. Although
the above referenced Edward and Sarah (Perisho) Maudlin both died and are buried
in Randolph Co, NC; their son, Mark Maudlin moved to and died in Blue River MM, IN -
the same destination as James and Ruth Perisho. While Mark Maudlin and wife,
Esther Worrell, remained at Blue River, the James and Ruth Perisho family moved on
to Sand Creek MM, Bartholomew Co, IN, two counties to the north. James died there
on 10 May 1839.
So, what does this have to do with the Daltons? Remember that James Perisho
was selling land in Grayson Co to John Dalton before starting out on a trip that ended
in Washington Co, IN, in 1816. It could well be coincidence but just a couple of years
later on 25 Aug 1818 an unknown John Dalton bought land (from an also unknown
John Phipps) in Brown Twp, Washington Co, IN, maybe 10 miles from the Perisho and
Maudlin families of Vernon Twp, Washington Co. The identity of this John Dalton is
uncertain, except that his wife was another unknown, Jane (Jenny) Phipps. They
moved to and died in Clay Co, IN. John and Jane (Phipps) Dalton supposedly came
to IN by way of the Clinch River area of Eastern TN (Anderson Co). Earlier locations or
family ties are unknown.
It might be argued that the Timothy and James Dalton who witnessed the 1813
land sale in Grayson Co, VA, were the sons of William and Elizabeth (Sturman) Dalton
who lived in Grayson Co. But who was the buying John Dalton and who might be the
John Dalton who turned up in Washington Co, IN, in 1818?
Any help sorting and identifying all these people would be appreciated.

Children of Edward/Edmund Maudlin and Sarah Perisho are:
7 i. Rachel Maudlin, born 04 Jun 1761 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died Abt. Aug 1850 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; married Nathan Pike 15 Aug 1781 in Contentnea Friends Meeting House, Wayne Co., NC.
ii. Thomas Maudlin, born Abt. 1763 in probably Perquimans Co., NC; died in probably Randolph Co., NC; married Dorcas Munden.
iii. Mark Maudlin, born Abt. 1765 in probably Perquimans Co., NC; died Bef. 12 Jun 1849 in Washington Co., IN; married Esther Hannah Worrell; born Abt. 1769 in Perquimans Co., NC?; died 10 May 1862 in Vernon Township, Washington Co., IN.

More About Mark Maudlin:
Burial: Old Mt. Tabor Cemetery, Vernon Township, Washington Co., IN

More About Esther Hannah Worrell:
Burial: Old Mt. Tabor Cemetery, Vernon Township, Washington Co., IN

iv. Benjamin Maudlin, born 10 Dec 1771 in Wayne Co., NC; died 17 Aug 1847 in Berrien Springs, Berrien Co., MI; married Leah Copeland 26 Sep 1795; born 18 Sep 1780 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 30 Sep 1846 in Three Oaks Township, Berrien Co., MI.

More About Benjamin Maudlin:
Burial: Maudlin plot, Lakeside and Maudlin Roads, Three Oaks Township, Berrien Co., MI
Residence 1: Wayne Co., NC
Residence 2: Aft. 1807, Richmond, IN & later Berrien Co., MI

More About Leah Copeland:
Burial: Maudlin plot, Three Oaks Township, Berrien Co., MI

Generation No. 5

18. Robert Stephens, born in probably Ireland; died in probably Gloucester County, New Jersey USA. He married 19. Elizabeth ?.
19. Elizabeth ?, died in Gloucester Co., NJ?.

Children of Robert Stephens and Elizabeth ? are:
9 i. Sarah Stephens, born in probably Ireland; died Bet. 1735 - 1738 in Haddonfield, Camden County, New Jersey USA; married Thomas Edgerton 20 Oct 1733 in Haddonfield, Camden Co., NJ.
ii. Robert Stephens, born in probably Ireland; died Abt. 1759 in Newton Township, Gloucester Co., NJ USA; married (1) Ann Dent 1739 in Haddonfield Friends Meeting, Haddonfield, NJ; married (2) Mary Estaugh 1753 in Haddonfield Friends Meeting, Haddonfield, NJ.
iii. Henry Stephens, born in probably Ireland; died 1763 in Deptford Township, Gloucester Co., NJ USA.
iv. Mary Stephens, born in probably Ireland; died in Deptford Township, Gloucester Co., NJ USA?; married Philip Doyl Bef. 20 Oct 1733 in probably Ireland; died Abt. 1748 in Deptford Township, Gloucester Co., NJ USA.
v. Isaac Stephens, born Bef. 1711 in probably Ireland; died 1757 in Deptford Township, Gloucester Co., NJ USA; married Rachel Jones 1735 in New Garden Friends Meeting, Chester Co., PA.
vi. James Stephens, born Abt. 1713 in probably Ireland; died Abt. 05 Jul 1789 in Philadelphia, PA USA; married Mary Widdowfield 1740 in Philadelphia Friends Meeting, Philadelphia, PA; born Abt. 1710; died Abt. 04 Oct 1775 in Philadelphia, PA.

20. Thomas Cox, born Abt. 1694 in possibly Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England; died Aft. 28 Nov 1762 in present-day Wayne County (then in Johnston County), North Carolina USA. He married 21. Sarah Busby 26 Nov 1716 in Abingdon Friends Meeting, Philadelphia Co., PA.
21. Sarah Busby, born in Philadelphia Co., PA; died Aft. 1737 in Chester Co., PA. She was the daughter of 42. Richard Busby and 43. Hannah French.

Notes for Thomas Cox:
The following information on Thomas and Sarah Busby Cox is quoted from parts of Judith Cox Whipple's "A Cox Family History: From Thomas Cox 1694-1762 of Gloucester, England," pages 1-23, by permission of Mrs. Whipple:

In Bristol, England, on a February morning in 1714, a small group of people from Tetbury in Gloucestershire waited in the cold on a busy dock. Dressed in plain, simple clothes of somber colors, the men in large-brimmed, out-of-style hats, and all of them saying "thee" instead of "you," they were very conspicuous. They were Quakers, members of the Society of Friends, who were going to America.

Friends were no longer persecuted in England but at that time opportunities were few for young men to obtain farm land or to prosper in a trade. So the prospect of religious freedom, good land, and the opportunity for craftsmen or tradesmen to thrive made William Penn's Quaker Colony of Pennsylvania in America appeal to more and more people, especially Friends.

One of the men waiting on the dock was young Thomas Cox. Others in the group were Daniel Evans and his wife Emm, William Dane, Mary Dane, and Jeremiah Dane all of whom were traveling to the Colony of Pennsylvania. Each of them had a certificate from the Monthly Meeting of Friends at Nailsworth in Gloucestershire dated the 11th day of the 12th month (February), 1713, which recommended them to other meetings as members in good standing. The minutes of Nailsworth Monthly Meeting indicate that their decision to emigrate may have been sudden as they could not wait the required month as was usual when certificates of removal were granted.

The group probably made the twenty-mile trip from Tetbury to the busy port of Bristol the day before they were to sail and spent the night with Friends' families in the Bristol area. Imagine young Thomas' excitement as he arose early, went to the dock, and watched the commotion of ship-loading while waiting to board one of the very small, three-masted, square-rigged ships. Imagine, too, his dread of the six-to-nine-week voyage of 3000 miles spent on the small, crowded vessel with a hundred or more passengers.

Although no records of Thomas' passage have been found, historical accounts of similar voyages enable us to imagine what he experienced, When he went on board, his meager possessions--probably just a bundle of clothing with his personal items which included his Bible, tools if he was a craftsman as we suspect, cooking utensils, and food for the voyage--were tossed into a low-ceilinged, damp, lower deck. As the ship cast off and moved down the River Avon Thomas may have crowded on the main deck along with the others to watch as Bristol disappeared from sight and they sailed into the vast sea. What uncertainty and misgivings Thomas and the other travelers must have felt as they sailed west and watched their homeland disappear from sight!

Though the colonies offered a great opportunity to settlers, the Atlantic crossing must have been their greatest ordeal of a lifetime. To encourage settlement of his colony William Penn had published pamphlets advertising the benefits of Pennsylvania, but in keeping with honest Quaker business ethics, he also described the hard work required of the settlers and included advice for travelers on how to endure the long voyage on a small, crowded ship.

Thomas probably carried some of these items in his belongings for it is likely that he and a dozen or more people shared a "cabbin," a partitioned area in a lower deck with narrow plank beds. Descriptions of early ship travel show that the voyages were not pleasant even for those who traveled "first class." Since later records show that Thomas was of the yeoman class we know he received no special consideration on the ship, but endured the same hardships as the other passengers.

In good weather the passengers cooked in turns on the main deck on small braziers set in boxes of sand to prevent fires. When the weather was bad and the seas rough they remained below deck and ate dried meat and fish, cheese, and sea biscuits (hardtack). Their beverages were wine, beer, cider, or, as a last resort, water. Sanitary facilities were buckets, or the narrow deck at the stern of the ship which overhung the water. Bathing presented no problems to the passengers, for most people at that time seldom bathed, thinking that getting chilled caused illness. Besides being sea-sick many passengers passed around diseases in the cramped conditions, making fevers and dysentry common shipboard ailments. Add the odors of livestock, chickens for eggs, rats, mice, and cats which were to catch the rodents, and it is obvious why Penn advised the use of strong scents.

In bad weather the open deck's hatches, which had wooden grills for ventilation, were covered with tarpaulins to keep water on the open deck from pouring down into the lower decks. The square wooden portholes of the lower decks also were closed in storms creating almost no ventilation for the middle deck and none at all for any lower decks. This, of course, was where the passengers usually slept for many thought the night air could sicken them. One early traveler described how in the hold no one could "fetch his breath by reason there arises such a funk in the night that it causes putrefaction of blood and breedeth disease much like the plague."

Several ships, traveling together for safety on the sea, most likely sailed the northern route to America which was the shorter voyage by several weeks. Square-rigged merchant ships were quite top-heavy and bobbed on the ocean in rough seas. In foul weather the sailors furled the sails, but the winds could still cause the vessels to thrash about and toss aimlessly for days. Passengers unfamiliar with sailing were frightened by the activity of the sailors during storms. "It was fearful and dark and the mariners made us afraid with their runnign here and there, and loud crying one to another to pull at this or that rope." It was not unusual for ships to encounter storms and be delayed, lengthening their voyage to more than the average six weeks.

Religious services were continued during the voyage. On each First Day, or Sunday, and once at mid-week during the voyage, Thomas, Daniel and Emm, William, Mary, and Jeremiah joined the other passengers who were Friends in an hour of silent worship. In good weather they held their meetings on the open deck, but since it was late winter they were most likely kept below decks by rain and wind. The men and boys sat together as did the women and girls, all quietly praying and reading their Bibles, each seeking the Inner Light, or Presence of God, which was their heavenly guide to individual conscience. Occasionally someone was inspired to share a devotional thought or read a Bible verse. Under the circumstances, Biblical passages concerning sailors and their safe deliverance from the sea surely were favorites.

As the ships neared the North American coast the passengers watched for sight of the first land birds, an indication that they were nearing their destination. What joy and relief young Thomas must have felt when they finally sailed up the Delaware River to the busy port of Chester or Philadelphia.

As Thomas disembarked, he found Philadelphia a thriving young colony. Penn's "Holy Experiment," begun in 1681, was so successful that Philadelphia was soon to be a more "cultivated" city than New York and was competing with Boston for first place in culture and population. William Penn's belief in the essential goodness of human nature and complete religious liberty were the cornerstones of his colony, making Pennsylvania the first place in modern history where different races and religions lived under the same government in equality. Thomas was a part of this early example of what America later would become: the great "melting pot."

Thomas' friend, Daniel Evans, settled in Concord Township, in what was then Chester County but now is Delaware County, and was received into membership at Concord Monthly Meeting of Friends in July, 1714. The Danes settled near Newark/Kennett Monthly Meeting in Kennett Township in Chester County, but Thomas did not settle down until December. During those summer and fall months he may have worked at jobs for various Friends looking for a permanent position. By December Thomas must have found a job to his liking for he then presented his certificate from his Friends' meeting in England to Concord Monthly Meeting in Chester County, which indicated he intended to reside near Concord Meeting.

Concord Township was in an area inhabited by English Quakers; yet, in adjacent communities there were a variety of nationalities. Welsh Quakers, German Mennonites, Swedes, Finns, and Dutch all lived in relative harmony. Thomas associated mainly with the English Quakers and it was among this group of Friends that he met his future wife.

Friends' meetings were so inter-related in religious business matters that members of one meeting were often in social contact with members of other meetings even though the distances between them may have been great. It is likely that it was at some meeting event that Thomas Cox met Sarah Busby, whose family were members of Abington Monthly Meeting in Philadelphia County. To visit Sarah, Thomas travelled about twenty-five miles northeast of Concord Meeting. Sarah's family probably visited Friends at Concord Meeting.

After a proper courtship Thomas and Sarah announed their plan to marry at two monthly meetings. Thomas requested a certificate from his meeting at Concord the 10th of 7th month (September) 1716.

Concord Meeting granted Thomas his certificate which he then presented to Abington Monthly Meeting. Abington Meeting appointed a committee to look into the affairs of Sarah. Both were "found clear," which meant that the committee vouched for the bride and groom assuring each that the other was not betrothed to someone else, had no unfinished business or debts, had waited the customary year of mourning if he or she had a deceased spouse, had provided for the care of any children, and so forth. The monthly meeting then gave the couple permission to marry.

Family and friends gathered for the marriage ceremony which probably took place in October at the Abington Meeting House. After a period of silent worship Thomas and Sarah, seated at the front of the room, rose, took hands and each repeated that he or she took the other to be his wife or her husband and promised to be a faithful and loving spouse until death should separate them. They then sat down and after another short period of silent worship the elders shook hands indicating then end of the meeting. There were no flowers, no decorations, no music, and no special wedding clothes. Sarah may have worn a green silk apron over her dress as the aprons were popular among women Friends at this time.

Afterwards, a reception was held where the ceremony was recorded on a certificate by the meeting clerk. It was signed first by the bride and groom, then by their parents and family (usually on the right side of the certificate) and then by friends (on the left side of the certificate). Some of those in attendance were Friends who were observers appointed by the monthly meeting to see that all of the wedding party behaved with the decorum expected of Friends and that the celebration did not imitate the revelry of civil wedding parties of the time.

Thomas and Sarah kept the original marriage certificate, which should have been recorded in the marriage record book of the Monthly Meeting. Unfortunately, their marriage certificate was not copied into the Abingdon Monthly Meeting marriage records as was usually done, so there is no copy of the complete certificate describing the ceremony and showing names of witnesses among whom were usually several family members. A November, 1716, entry in the Abingdon Monthly Meeting minutes is the only record that the marriage took place.

Thomas and Sarah returned to Concord Township in Chester County but did not have their marriage certificate recorded at Concord Monthly Meeting either. Here they resided for the next three years where Thomas worked at the trade of carpenter, an occupation in much demand in the growing colony.

Accounts of colonial life show the varied daily activities of eighteenth century housewives such as Sarah (Busby) Cox. Sarah's homes may have been of stone and mortar, as were common in Pennsylvania, with attics full of dried apples, pumpkins, squash, corn, beans, and salted meat. Sarah's large kitchen or "keeping room" was the room where the family worked and ate. The adults and babies also slept in this room, while the older children slept on beds of straw or corn husks in the attic.

The family's dinners, which Sarah cooked in large iron pots hung in a huge, smoky fireplace, consisted of thick stews made of salted meats, dried vegetables, grains, or beans. Breakfast and supper often were brown bread or porridges made of corn meal or beans, served with milk if the family had a cow or with cider if milk was not available. Beverages were usually homemade ciders and wines, milk, and herb teas. Hogs ranged free and their meat was smoked and salted. For fresh meat the family caught fish and hunted deer and wild fowl. Squirrels and rabbits were especially plentiful in early Pennsylvania. In season, fruit orchards provided apples, pears, and peaches for sauce, cider, baking, and drying. Wild berries were also dried.

If her fireplace and chimney were built of stone Sarah would have baked her corn breads in a small oven built-in next to the fireplace. If she had no brick oven she would have used a Dutch oven on legs which was set among the coals for baking.

The family probably set on benches at a trestle table, which was several boards laid over saw-horse-like trestles. They may have eaten from wooden plates, or "trenchers," and drunk from wooden mugs, or "noggins;" or perhaps they had some pieces of earthenware. Both plates and mugs were often shared by two persons. A few pieces of pewter may have been used as serving bowls, pitchers, and spoons. A large open salt cellar sat in the middle of the table where each person took salt as needed with his knife. Sugar was purchased in ten-pound loaves, one of which usually supplied a family for a year.

Sarah probably churned butter and made soft cheese; from her grease and lye she made soft soap which she used mainly for the monthly washing; she dipped or molded her own tallow candles; she picked the feathers for pillows; and she may have spent many hours spinning flax and woolen thread made from the family's flax and sheep. A home loom on which the family--men and boys included--could weave their own cloth may have sat in a corner of the keeping room, but with Sarah's father in the weaving business it seems unlikely that she wove her own cloth. More likely, the Coxes traded barrels of meal and flour to the Busbys for cloth.

Sarah and her daughters spent evenings around the fireplace knitting stockings, mittens, and caps, and sewing clothes when they were needed. Since Thomas was a miller the family may have stitched sturdy flour sacks and grain bags, made from coarsely woven flax and hemp, for the mill. It seems unlikely that a miller who received a portion of meal from his clients would plant his own corn, but if Thomas did plant corn he and his sons would have shelled dried corn by drawing the ear across the edge of a shovel or a knife blade mounted in a wooden block. They also would have carved small household items such as butter paddles and trenchers and mended equipment in the evenings.

Clothing worn by people of the yeoman class was mostly functional, yet even Friends were tempted by the latest fashions. Men Friends, such as Thomas, wore knee breeches with stockings of yarn and low shoes. Women Friends, such as Sarah Cox, wore a plain dress with an apron, a white cap, and a hooded cloak of heavy cloth in winter and lighter weight in summer. A warning from Women Friends at Yearly Meeting in Philadelphia in 1726 shows what Sarah did not wear or use in her home.

In 1719 the Society of Friends had denounced the new fashion of carpets, or "floor-cloth." Thomas and Sarah, however, probably did not have to worry about a "superfluity" of clothes, furniture, or carpets in their home, for the yeoman class seldom had the money for such things.

Sarah Cox's name appears but a few times in the Monthly Meeting records. She was a witness to the June, 1731, marriage of Hannah Showers and Francis Fincher, and was also in attendance at the weddings of John Wilson and Hannah Osborn in November, 1738, and Henry Chalfant and Elizabeth Jackson in October, 1740.

There are no death or burial records for Sarah in the meeting's books. We may assume, however, that she died between October, 1740, the date she witnessed the Wilson-Osborn marriage, and 6th month (August), 1743, the date of the writing of her father's will, in which she is not mentioned. She may have been deceased before the spring of 1741 when Thomas moved the family to North Carolina, as she is not mentioned in the minutes. According to the minutes of New Garden Monthly Meeting the Coxes decided to move rather suddenly about March, 1741.

Mary, the first child of Thomas and Sarah, was born the 5th of October, 1717. Her birthdate is recorded in the Cox family Bible which has been lovingly preserved by their descendants.

The Coxes prospered during these years: tax records show that Thomas paid only one shilling and six pence on his assessed valuation of six pounds in 1718, while the next year his valuation was doubled at fourteen pounds and he paid four shillings and eight pence. The average tax paid by his neighbors in Concord, which was one of the wealthier townships, was six to eight shillings each.

Thomas and Sarah apparently did not own land in Concord, for no records have been found. Thomas may have worked for Daniel Evans, who was their neighbor and who was fairly affluent according to tax lists, but no land records have been found for Daniel Evans either. Yet, the Coxes were soon able to purchase a substantial tract of land. On December 7, 1719, Thomas and Sarah bought 100 acres from Roger Shelley and Elizabeth (Busby) Shelley, who was Sarah's cousin. The land was in two tracts in Oxford Township, Philadelphia County, between Frankford and Olney. Sarah's family resided in Oxford Township, south of Abingdon, where her father, Richard Busby, was a weaver and large landowner.

We can imagine the Coxes and young Mary, with their possessions loaded into a farm cart or wagon, moving the twenty-some miles to their new home in Oxford. Thomas' occupation at this time may have been both carpenter and farmer, for craftsmen and tradesmen usually raised livestock and some crops. The Coxes' next three children, whose births also are recorded in the family Bible, were born while the family lived in Oxford Township. Hannah Cox was born the 26th of September, 1721; Richard Cox was born the 15th of October, 1723; and Thomas Cox was born the 3rd of January, 1729.

The family lived here for nine years but left no records of this period of their lives. Oxford Preparative Meeting was their local meeting, with which they apparently were in good standing. Oxford, however, was "laid down," or closed, for several years while the Coxes resided here, which might account for lack of records. Their monthly meeting was Abingdon, which recorded their request for a certificate of removal back to Chester County in 1729. Thomas and Sarah did not sell their 100 acres of land in Oxford for another two years, but apparently leased it, perhaps as security in case the move to Chester did not work out.

In April, 1729, a certificate of removal was granted to Thomas and Sarah from Abingdon Monthly Meeting. They presented the certificate to New Garden Monthly Meeting in Chester County in June and were received into membership.

Again we can picture the family moving back to Chester County; however, now there are four children and a larger wagon-load of belongings; perhaps even two wagons were needed. According to the 1729 Chester County tax list the Coxes lived in East Marlborough Township. Marlborough had been the residence of a Walter Cox who had died in 1727, so some connection between Walter and Thomas seems likely; however, no link has yet been found. New Garden was the Coxes' monthly meeting while Londongrove Preparative Meeting was their local weekly meeting. Thomas and Sarah still resided in Marlborough in 1731 and apparently had not bought land here when they sold their 100 acres in Oxford Township in Philadelphia County for 265 pounds to their brother-in-law Daniel Roberts and Sarah's sister, Rebecca Busby Roberts.

According to tax records, by 1732 the Coxes had moved to Fallowfield Township which was adjacent to Marlborough. Here their next child, Sarah, was born the 7th of September, 1732. The family most have done well in Fallowfield for Thomas applied to the government of the colony for a grant of land in that township. A warrant for a survey of 146 acres was issued to Thomas in November, 1734. Then, after the land was surveyed, a patent was granted January 24, 1734/5.

A later monthy meeting record shows that Thomas was a miller and storekeeper while the family lived at Fallowfield. A miller customarily took as a toll a share of the meal and flour, mostly corn and rye, that he ground. As a Quaker Thomas would have been strictly honest and fair in this practice. He also might have bought grain from the farmers, milled it, and packed it into barrels to ship to larger towns for sale.

Tax records show that Thomas paid taxes of five shillings in 1732, and then four shillings per year until 1740, when he paid only three shillings. A sign of his relative prosperity is that his neighbors at this time paid an average of two and three shillings each in taxes.

His mill required a fast-moving stream with a steep fall to turn the huge mill wheel used to grind grain. Since Thomas was also a carpenter he surely built his water wheel and mill. It was an exacting job to build the wheel, with all of its buckets; but it was a formidable task to build and maintain the wooden gears that meshed to transfer power from the huge mill wheel to the grindstones.

A grist mill also became a local marketplace. As a rural storekeeper Thomas probably provided the farmers with such things as nails, tea, molasses, salt, sugar, spices, and dyes. As a good Quaker he would not have sold things of which Friends disapproved such as fancy shoes or brightly printed cloth. His store also may have served as a post office where letters were left by post riders.

A son, Esdras Cox, the sixth child of Thomas and Sarah, was born the 25th of March, 1735. In 1736, the Coxes were the subject of their monthly meeting's business. Eighteen-year-old Mary Cox, the oldest daughter of Thomas and Sarah, had been married to James Hayes "by a priest," a minister of another religious denomination. A committee from the Friends' meeting immediately was sent to visit all of the family, and dutifully reported the incident, which was entered in the monthly meeting minutes.

James and Mary (Cox) Hayes, are listed in the Chester County tax records at Fallowfield for 1737 and 1738, and there is a John Hayes listed in 1739 which may instead be James. Mary attended the wedding of her sister, Hannah, in June, 1739, and signed her name among the family names on the marriage certificate, but no other records have been found for Mary and James Hayes.

In the midst of the family embarrassment over the marriage of their daughter, Mary, in 1737, the last child of Thomas and Sarah was born. This birth, too, was recorded in the family Bible. Elizabeth Cox was born the 2nd of March, 1737.

Hannah Cox, the second child of Thomas and Sarah, married James Musgrave on June 13, 1739, when she was seventeen years old. Their marriage certificate, recorded in the New Garden Monthly Meeting marriage records, provides a description of the ceremony and a list of witnesses at the wedding.

Some of the witnesses who signed the certificate known to be relatives of Hannah were her father and mother, Thomas Cox and Sarah Cox, her sister, Mary Hayes, her brother, Richard Cox, who at that time was but fifteen years old, and her aunt and uncle Jonathan and Jane (Busby) Fincher.

Hannah and James Musgrave resided in Lancaster County near the border of Chester County and belonged to Sadbury Monthly Meeting. So, for the next few years Thomas and Sarah were near the families of their daughters Mary Hayes and Hannah Musgrave and must have enjoyed their new role as grandparents as they also continued raising their own children.

No records have been found to show Thomas ever settled his affairs in Pennsylvania, nor are there land records for the sale of the Fallowfield land granted to him. Thomas apparently did not agree with the meetings' evaluation of his actions for it seems that he never condemned his conduct to regain membership among the Society of Friends. Yet, he was not totally alienated from the Friends for when he left Pennsylvania he moved his family to a Quaker settlement in North Carolina where he lived among them for the remainder of his life.

The Coxes probably traveled by sea from Pennsylvania down the eastern coast to New Bern, North Carolina, and then by wagon up the Neuse River to what today is Wayne County. The area in which Thomas settled, just west of what today is the town of Goldsboro in Wayne County, was called "Quaker Neck," for there the Neuse River made a large loop and eventually many Friends' families resided in that fertile region. Over the years the area was first part of Craven County, then in 1746 a part of Johnston County. In 1764 the area became Dobbs County and finally in 1779 it was called Wayne County. Because of the loss of many early North Carolina records this period in the life of Thomas Cox is difficult to complete. Monthly Meeting records for Falling Creek have been lost and both Johnston County and Dobbs County early records burned in courthouse fires. There are but a few family records, land records, and general historical accounts available.

When Thomas arrived in North Carolina the county was sparsely settled, the first settlers having arrived in 1738 only a few years before Thomas. The few Quakers were at first scattered and lived some distance from the first monthly meeting at Lower Falling Creek near Kinston, although they soon had established a local weekly First Day meeting in a member's home. Soon, however, there were more settlers as the land was rich and fertile, especially the area around Upper and Lower Falling Creeks which was considered the best land for growing corn in the county. Thomas may have built and operated a grist mill on Upper Falling Creek, for later records show that Richard, his oldest son, was the owner of a mill there. No early land grants have been found for Thomas Cox. Perhaps he purchased land which was not recorded, or records were lost, but more likely his first mill was on the land that Richard was granted from the colony in 1746, for that is the earliest record for the Coxes found in North Carolina.

The original land records in Johnston and Dobbs Counties have been lost but a few indexes exist which show that a Thomas Cox was an early land owner in the area. Although there are many entries for the name Thomas Cox the indexes show only the buyer and seller but no descriptions of the property and not even an exact date. Another confusing factor is that Thomas' son, Thomas, was also of age to own land so it is unclear which Thomas Cox is listed in the indexes. One transaction that seems likely to be that of the elder Thomas is from the 1749 index book when Thomas Cox sold or gave land to Richard Cox. Unfortunately, there is no description of the land or its location.

Residents of this area, most of whom lived in log houses, were self-sufficient, so little money was in circulation. Each family raised their own beef and pork, corn for breads, and made their drinks of cider or brandy from fruits and berries. Clothing and shoes were made at home from home-grown cotton, wool, leather, and skins and fur of wild animals. The main crops were hogs and corn, with smaller amounts of cotton and tobacco. Marketable goods were shipped by boat down the Neuse River to New Bern, which was their nearest business center. If Thomas was a miller, as seems likely, he may have shipped barrels of meal to New Bern to sell.

The warm southern climate was surely a pleasant change from cold Pennsylvania winters for the Coxes, but the warm weather also fostered diseases new to them. The prevalent ailment among the populace who lived along the rivers was malaria. Each summer and fall sufferers spent several weeks sick with fevers and chills, which, while usually not fatal, could cause some people to become susceptible to other diseases. Unfortunately, it would not be until after 1800 that quinine was commonly available to counter the unpleasant effects of malaria.

Sometime after his move to North Carolina Thomas entered the birthdates of his children on pages in the family Bible. The Bible must have been purchased after 1728, one of the printing dates of the Bible, and Thomas must have written his children's birthdates after 1737, the date of Elizabeth's birth, for the uniformity of the handwriting indicates the entries were made at the same time, and not individually as the children were born. Because he used the names of the months, rather than calling them by number as was the practice of Friends, it appears that he inscribed the dates after 1741 when he was no longer affiliated with the Society of Friends.

The excellent handwriting of the entries indicates that Thomas had acquired a good education, which was probably the result of Friends' schools in England when he was a child. His few unusual spellings of the names of the months were typical of the times, when spelling was more of an individual choice. It also reveals his lack of familiarity with the names of the months since as a long time Friend he would have named the months by number. The well-formed script also implies Thomas' ability to keep accounts for his milling and store business.

Although most early residents of the county were illiterate, Friends were careful to see that their children, even the girls, were able to read and write well enough to read and comprehend their Bible and other Friends' religious books. Each meeting set up a school and hired a teacher, often an older Friend, for the "guarded" education of their children. Smaller meetings often held school in the meeting house on weeekdays until they could build a separate school building. But children of members who lived some distance from the school and meeting houses often did not receive the same education as those for whom the school was close by unless they could board with a family near the school. Evidence that Thomas' children were well-educated is indicated by the number of books Richard, the son of Thomas, gave to his children at his death many years later. The Coxes traditionally have held education in high esteem.

Thomas Cox evidently never rejoined the Friends' meeting but three of his children retained their birthright memberships or regained membership within a few years of coming to North Carolina. Thomas, the son of Thomas and Sarah (Busby) Cox, must have been a Friend in good standing to have the approval of his meeting when he married Phebe Fellow on the 8th day of the 4th month 1749 at Falling Creek Meeting House. It is noteworthy, however, that none of the younger Thomas' family signed his marriage certificate and may not have attended the ceremony.

Both the elder Thomas and Richard also married about this time but no marriage records have been found. Since Richard had received several early grants of land he was probably living on his own "plantation" (as a large farm was called). Richard's first marriage remains a mystery but Friends' meeting records show that his wife's name was Elizabeth and their son, Micajah, was born the 8th day of the 7th month, 1751.

It is thought that the Elizabeth Peel, whose name and birthdate Thomas wrote in his family Bible, may have been the second wife of Thomas. The names of Samuel Cox, born September 15, 174?, and William Cox, born January 6, 1754, were also written in the Bible by Thomas, and are thought to be the sons of Thomas and Eluizabeth (Peel) Cox. According to one family's tradition William was raised by his sister, Sarah Cox, which indicates that Elizabeth did not live long.

Thomas' prosperity in North Carolina may have influenced others of his family to move south. A Thomas Busby bought land in Johnston County in 1753 and James and Hannah (Cox) Musgrave moved with their family from Pennsylvania to the Quaker Neck area in 1759. James and Hannah brought along their nephew, Caleb Musgrave, who soon married Elizabeth Cox, Hannah's sister and Thomas' youngest daughter. A Zebulon Cox and a John Cox also were residents of Dobbs County in 1756 and 1759, but no references have been found to show their relation, if any, to the Thomas Cox family.

Thomas' children also prospered and remained in the Quaker Neck area for the rest of their lives. Richard Cox married again in 1768 to Mary Kennedy. Sarah Cox married John Kennedy, brother of Mary, in 1769; William Cox apparently married but his wife's name is unknown. Thomas and Phebe Cox, Hannah and James Musgrave, and Elizabeth and Caleb Musgrave also lived in the area. Nothing is known about Mary Cox Hayes, who it is believed remained in Pennsylvania. Little is known about Esdras Cox, other than that his name appears as a chainbearer on a 1755 land grant for Richard Cox. It is assumed that he died young.

The last information about Thomas Cox is that of November 28, 1762, when he gave his Bible to young William Cox who was then eight years old. Thomas wrote this inscription: "William Cox his Book given to Him by mee Thomas Cox November 28, 1762." Perhaps Thomas was ill or infirm at this time, for, assuming he was at least twenty years old, and most likely older, when he married in 1716, he would have been nearly 70 years old in 1762. No information has been found concerning his death or place of burial. Since early Friends' records are lost we can only assume that Thomas was not a member of the Friends' meeting and that he was not buried in a Friends' cemetery. If he left a will or estate record or if there was a division of his property they may have been destroyed in the courthouse fires as none have been found.

Although Thomas apparently never returned to the Society of Friends, and only three of his children remained in that faith, the majority of his descendants were in some way affiliated with Friends for the next hundred years. Many of those who were not members lived in Quaker communities, supported Friends' causes such as the abolition of slavery, and migrated with other Quaker groups to the Midwest.

More About Thomas Cox:
Occupation: Miller and storekeeper; carpenter; farmer

Children of Thomas Cox and Sarah Busby are:
i. Mary Cox, born 05 Oct 1717 in Concord, Chester Co., PA; married James Hayes 1736 in New Garden Friends Meeting, Chester Co., PA.
ii. Hannah Cox, born 26 Sep 1721 in Oxford Township, Philadelphia Co., PA; died 13 Oct 1790 in Wayne Co., NC; married James Musgrave 13 Jun 1739 in London Grove Friends Meeting, Chester Co., PA; born Abt. 1700 in Chester Co., (that part now in Delaware Co.), PA; died Aft. 1790 in Wayne Co., NC.
iii. Richard Cox, born 15 Oct 1723 in Oxford Township, Chester Co., PA; died 30 Oct 1784 in Wayne Co., NC; married (1) Elizabeth ? Bef. 1751; died Abt. 1751 in Johnston Co., NC; married (2) Mary Kennedy 08 Oct 1768 in Wayne Co., NC; born 1748 in Johnston Co. or Lenoir Co., NC; died Bef. 1824 in Wayne Co., NC or perhaps Belmont Co., OH.

Notes for Richard Cox:
The following is quoted from portions of "A Cox Family History: From Thomas Cox 1694-1762 of Gloucester, England" (1989) by Judith Cox Whipple of Rainier, Oregon, pages 27-45, by permission of Mrs. Whipple:

Richard Cox, son of Thomas and Sarah (Busby) Cox, was seventeen years old in 1741 when his family moved to Craven County, North Carolina. No records have been found for the Coxes for the first few years of their residence in North Carolina; however, in 1746, Richard, who was then a young man of twenty-three, petitioned the government of the colony of North Carolina for a land patent.

In Craven County, the Coxes settled on land near a bend of the Neuse River that later was called both the "Roundabout" because it made a loop, and "Quaker Neck" for the obvious reason that a large group of Friends had settled there. (Today much of this land is under water in the Carolina Light and Power Cooling Pond). Many geographical divisions of Craven County occurred over the next years and although the Coxes still resided in the Quaker Neck area official records such as land sales appear in several counties. This area was first part of Craven County; in 1746 it was in Johnston County; in 1764 it was part of Dobbs County; and finally in 1779 it was in Wayne County.

Richard's land patent, or land grant, consisted of four stages. First, he or his agent made the long trip to New Bern, where the Governor and Council met, and there he petitioned for the land from the colony government. This petition, which appears in the colony records, shows Richard's name, the county in which the land was located, and the number of acres requested. Secondly, the government issued him a warrant of survey which included instructions to the surveyor to survey and describe the land. The third part was the surveyor's plat which usually included a drawing showing landmarks and the shape of the described land. Richard was expected to accompany the surveyor and provide the chainbearers, usually two men, to carry the measuring chains which were of 100 links and equal to 66 feet. (The grants, however, use the term "poles" which were the same as rods, or perches, and equal to 16 1/2 feet, one-fourth of a chain). Finally, after a prescribed length of time, usually twelve months, the land grant, the fourth part of the process, was issued and copies of the records were recorded in the state land patent book.

Richard's first petition, dated June 26, 1746, and granted on October 8, 1748, was for 150 acres in Craven County on the south side of the Neuse River in the area called Quaker Neck near Upper Falling Creek. Unfortunately, only the final patent paper exists for Richard's first land patent.

A land transaction was recorded in Johnston County from Thomas Cox to Richard Cox about 1749. The index to the deed book, however, is the only part of the early Johnston County land records that has survived; therefore, the location and description of this land is unknown. It does show that the Coxes were busy buying and selling land. Also, this Thomas Cox could be either Richard's father or his brother.

By May, 1748, enough Friends' families had settled in the area that they requested their own monthly meeting.

The yearly meeting did approve the new monthy meeting at Falling Creek which was thought to have been near the present town of Kinston in Lenoir County. Friends from the Quaker Neck area had their own preparative or weekly meeting but had to travel some distance to attend the monthly meeting at Falling Creek.

It is unknown if the Coxes were members of the Society of Friends at this time since all but four pages of early Falling Creek Monthly Meeting records are lost. Although Richard's father had been disowned by Friends, Richard may have retained his birthright membership or requested to be reinstated in membership about this time. Richard's brother, Thomas, was a member in good standing in 1749 when he married Phebe Fellows for they were married in a Friends' ceremony at the Falling Creek Meeting House. Yet, the absence of any Cox names as witnesses who signed his marriage certificate is noticeable.

Richard Cox married about 1750 but no marriage record has been found. Fortunately, later meeting records show that his wife's name was Elizabeth and their son, Micajah, was born the 5th day of the 7th month, 1751. Since no additional information about Elizabeth or their children has been found, and Richard in his will mentions only Micajah and his children by his second wife, it is assuemd that Richard and Elizabeth had only one child, Micajah, and that Elizabeth must have died between 1751, the birth date of Micajah, and 1768, the date of Richard's second marriage.

Richard petitioned for a second land patent on March 30, 1754, this time for 300 acres adjacent to the land upon which he was living. This patent, granted October 10, 1755, was for only 270 acres after it was surveyed. The chainbearers, those who carried the measurement chains for the surveyors, were Esdras Cox, Richard's brother, and Thomas Cox, probably Richard's brother but possibly his father.

Richard then owned at least 420 acres of land, the acres adjacent to each other, and it is likely the total was substantially more as indicated by the entries in the Johnston County Deed Index. Another entry in that Deed Book Index shows that about 1756, Thomas Cox sold or gave additional land to Richard Cox. But again, nothing is known about the land and the Thomas Cox could be either Richard's father or his brother.

Richard Cox was acquiring "plantations," as the farm lands were called. He again added to his holdings on May 19, 1757, when he petitioned for a land patent of 300 acres on the south side of the Neuse River "joining his own land." When it was granted on July 1, 1758, he received only 160 acres, making the total acres of land for which we have records 580 acres. The chainbearers for the surveyor of this land grant were Thomas Cox and Henry Snusby (Busby?).

Although we cannot be sure when the Coxes rejoined the Society of Friends, Richard was certainly a member in good standing in 1768 when he married Mary Kennedy in a Friends' ceremony at his house on the 8th day of the 10th month. Witnesses who signed the marriage certificate included Richard's sisters Hannah Musgrave, Elizabeth Musgrave, and Sarah Cox, and his brother Thomas Cox.

The next year, 1769, the name of Richard Cox appears in a list of Dobbs County taxpayers along with his son, Micajah, with a total of two taxables, no blacks or slaves. The tax list also shows a John Busby with son, Thomas, in Dobbs County.

Lower Falling Creek Monthly Meeting, the Cox's monthly meeting, had steadily declined in membership for some time, which prompted Friends to decide in May, 1772 that their monthly meeting should be held nearer their current center of population.

The June, July, and August monthly meetings were held at Richard and Mary's home and then in September at Great Contentnea. No mention yet was made of a meeting house used by the preparative meeting, so perhaps Richard's home was the site of marriage ceremonies for various members of the Cox family from 1768, when Richard and Mary were married, until 1780. Not long after this a meeting house was built on Richard's land on the Neuse River. Known as the Neuse Preparative Meeting it was then the site of weddings and First Day meetings for Friends who lived in that area.

Great Contentnea, or Contentnea Monthly Meeting as it later was called, was located about 15 miles north of Goldsboro and when organized was the most westerly meeting in North Carolina. This location also required that members from Quaker Neck travel quite some distance to attend the monthly meeting, but apparently our family did so and were active in the business of the meeting.

Richard's family continued to prosper after his second marriage in 1768. Micajah, who was then 17, probably continued to live with Richard and Mary until his marriage in 1773 to Louisa Lancaster. Richard and Mary then had eight children: Sarah, born the 26th day of 8th month 1769; Richard, born the 1st day of 9th month, 1771; Thomas, born the 25th day of 4th month, 1773; Mary, born the 30th day of 4th month, 1775; John, born the 17th day of 6th month, 1777; Lydia, born the 21st day of 12th month, 1779; Anne, born the 21st day of 9th month, 1782; and Walter, born the 1st day of 8th month, 1784.

Like early records for Johnston County, the land records for Dobbs County are lost, having burned in a courthouse fire, so we have no records of land transactions for the Coxes during these early years. A later deed mentions that Richard received a land patent January 25, 1773, but no official record of the grant has been found. One deed recorded in Wayne County shows that in April, 1777, Richard Cox, of Dobbs County, gave to his son, Micajah, also of Dobbs County, 150 acres of land which was Richard's 1746 land patent. Because the deed states that Micajah was already living on the land Richard may have given it to Micajah and Louisa after their marriage in 1773. The deed also shows that Richard reserved himself "a road of twenty feet wide through the said Lands to the County Road," implying Richard still owned the land adjacent to this.

These were the years of the Revolution when Americans were in turmoil about English rule of the colonies. Friends, of course, supported neither side in the controversy and so appeared hostile to both factions. In 1776 North Carolina Friends declined to vote for delegates to the convention. Those few who did vote were warned by Yearly Meeting not to "meddle in politics." North Carolina Friends' names appeared on local muster rolls but they were exempted from attending muster practice and suffered less than Friends' in other states, especially Virginia. While some refused to pay state military levies, most paid but with complaints. When North Carolina was invaded Friends' goods were requisitioned by both the American and British armies. In Wayne County the residents apparently saw Cornwallis' army firsthand only once.

When the rebel government was firmly established in North Carolina loyalty oaths were required of all citizens. Persons who refused to take the oaths were considered enemies of the government and were to be banished from the state. In May 1778, citizens appeared before their local Justices of the Peace and had their names "enrolled" after taking an oath promising to support and defend the new "independent State of North Carolina." (This) oath, lacking the word "defend" and adding the word "affirm," was the form in which Quakers, Moravians, Menonists, and Dunkards were to take the oath.

When some of the pacifist groups such as the Quakers refused even to affirm their allegiance to the new government (a) warning to them was published.

According to one historian, this law apparently was never used against Friends in North Carolina and they were released from taking the required oath. Such was not the case with Friends in other states who were fined and imprisoned.

During the Revolution the worship and business of the local Friends' meeting continued. The home of Richard and Mary, central to the Friends' population in the area, may have been used for weekly meetings until a meeting house was built nearby. In May, 1782, Richard gave two acres of his land on the Neuse River, which included a Meeting House built on the land, for the use of Friends.

Richard was 60 years old when his son, Walter, was born in August, 1784. At this time Richard owned several large tracts of land and at least one grist mill on Falling Creek. According to one family tradition the Cox land was one and one-half miles south of Quaker Neck and west to Upper Falling Creek, and one of Richard's mills was at the site of the present Warricks or Stephens Mill on Upper Falling Creek. They also state that Richard died from a fall while he was building the new grist mill. If true, the accident must have been in the autumn of 1784, and Richard was aware that he would not recover for he wrote his will on October 10, and died on October 30, 1784, two weeks after his 61st birthday.

In his will he divided his land, which a later record shows to be at least 672 acres, and his personal estate among his children and wife. Among his personal property Richard mentioned his books. In the area where he lived, and at that date when most of the population of the state could not read or write, owning a book collection large enough to be equally divided between his nine children and his wife indicates that Richard was well-educated and an enthusiastic reader.

Bibliophiles among Richard's descendants will enjoy knowing that their ancestors were also avid readers. How interesting if the titles of the books Richard willed to his children were known! Most likely they were inspirational religious treastises, biographies and journals of noted Friends which were the typical reading of literate Friends.

It may be that the water mill mentioned in the will, which Richard gave to his son John, was not operated for long, for a court record in 1794 indicates the mill was no longer standing when the court gave permission to John Westbrook "to Erect and build a water Grist mill across Falling Creek at the place where Coxes mill formerly stood." This site, however, may have been that of an even earlier Cox mill.

Sadly, Richard lived to see only his oldest son, Micajah, marry and have a family, but eight of Richard's nine children matured to establish their own families.

Micajah Cox, Richard's oldest son, was 21 years old when he married Louisa Lancaster on the 11th day of the 4th month in 1773. Micajah and Louisa, who had eight children, resided in the Quaker Neck area where Micajah carried on the family occupations of miller and farmer. He died in November, 1811.

In December, 1785, when Sarah Cox, Richard and Mary's oldest daughter, was 16 years old she married James Edgerton. They resided in the Quaker Neck area, were the parents of thirteen children, and were active in Contentnea Monthly Meeting until 1804, when they took up land in Belmont County, Ohio. Sarah's brother, Richard Cox, and other Friends families from Contentnea Meeting went with the Edgertons to Ohio when the old Northwest Territory was opened for settlement. Sarah died in Belmont County, Ohio in January, 1828.

Mary, the second of Richard and Mary's daughters, was 16 when she married Joseph Hall, on February 12, 1792, at Contentnea Meeting House, and resided in the Quaker Neck area. Mary and Joseph had three children before Mary died, probably in childbirth, in November, 1800.

Richard, the son of Richard and Mary, was married July 15, 1792, to Elizabeth Hall when he was 20 years old. They also resided in the Quaker Neck area for many years and had seven children. Richard went to Ohio with the Edgertons and took up some land, but apparently did not move his family there. After Elizabeth's death in 1811, Richard married Mary Griffen and they were the parents of six children. All of Richard's thirteen children moved west with Richard and Mary in 1823. Richard died in Johnson County, Illinois, in 1824.

On May 8, 1794, when Thomas, the second son of Richard and Mary, was 21, he married Miriam Bishop at Core Sound Monthly Meeting in Carteret County, North Carolina. They resided in the Quaker Neck area and were the parents of eleven children. Thomas Cox died February 22, 1818.

John, the third son of Richard and Mary, married Zilpha Lancaster, November 11, 1797, when he was 20 years old. They lived in the Quaker Neck area and had seven children. John died sometime before February, 1823, as he is listed as the deceased father of his children when they and their mother, Zilpha, were granted certificates to Indiana. Zilpha and the children settled in Crawford County, Illinois.

Walter, the youngest son of Richard and Mary, died young between the years 1790 and 1805. The 1790 census lists "two free white males under sixteen" in the household of Mary Cox, which would be her sons Thomas and Walter. Walter's name also appears on a 1791 land patent from the state along with the names of his brothers Richard and Thomas. At that date Walter was only six years old, Thomas was 18, and Richard was 19 years old. Since none of them was of age it is curious the patent was issued to them, but the patent mentions "their own land" which must mean land they inherited from their father Richard. Finally, a deed dated March 16, 1805, shows that Micajah, Sarah, Richard, Thomas, John, Lydia, and Anna had inherited land from their brother, Walter, who was deceased.

Lydia, the third daughter of Richard and Mary, was 25 years old when she married Willis Newsom February 12, 1805. They lived in the Quaker Neck area and had five children. Their two youngest children died in January, 1816, and July, 1817, and Lydia died in November, 1817. Willis married again in January, 1818.

Anne, the youngest daughter of Richard and Mary (Kennedy) Cox, was 28 year sold when she married John Peele, January 13, 1811. They also lived in the Quaker Neck area. Their first daughter, Anne, was born in November, 1811, but Anne (Cox) Peele may have died in childbirth with another child. Her death date, incomplete due to a torn page in the Friends records, is shown as November 10, but no year is given. In August of 1815, her daugher, Anne, was sent to Ohio to live with her aunt, Sarah (Cox) Edgerton. John Peele may have married again in November, 1815, and moved to Ohio.

After Richard's death in 1784, his wife, Mary, continued to manage their "plantations." A tax list from Wayne County shows that Mary Cox was a taxpayer there in 1786. She paid taxes on 672 acres of land, had no man in the family of the age to vote, owned no slaves, no stud horses, and no wheeled carriages, all of which were taxable items as personal property in that day. Micajah Cox, who lived nearby, was taxed on 660 acres; Phebe Cox, widow of Thomas Cox, the brother of Richard, was taxed for 200 acres; and Josiah Cox, Phebe's son, was taxed on 570 acres. In the 1790 census Mary Cox is shown as the head of the household with two white males over 16 years of age (Richard, b. 1771 and Thomas, b. 1773), one male under 16 years (John b. 1777 or Walter b. 1784), three white females (Mary, Lydia, and Anne), no free persons (such as hired men), and no slaves.

Micajah Cox nearby had one slave as did Josiah Cox, the son of Thomas and Phebe. This would indicate that neither was a member of the Society of Friends, for Friends could not own slaves at this time, yet both are still members according to the meeting records. North Carolina Friends had spoken against slavery for many years, disowned members for owning slaves since 1781, and petitioned the government to abolish the practice, but the legislature had made it difficult for owners to free slaves. So some Friends legally owned slaves while in the view of their meeting the slaves were treated and paid as servants. No records have been found that indicate Richard had ever owned any slaves.

The week after the marriage of her son, Thomas, to Miriam Bishop on May 8, 1794, Mary (Kennedy) Cox married James Bishop, Miriam's father, who was a member of Core Sound Monthly Meeting in Craven County. Mary and James were married May 15, 1794, at the Neuse Meeting House which was located on land Mary and Richard had donated to the Friends' Society. Coxes, Kennedys, Musgraves, and Halls were witnesses at their marriage, for James Bishop's family lived some distance away.

Mary Bishop and her daughters were granted a certificate from Contentnea Monthly Meeting to Core Sound Monthly Meeting in Craven County on June 14, 1794. The Bishops lived there until the next spring when in April, 1795, they moved back to the Quaker Neck area of Wayne County. Mary and James Bishop had no children but raised the younger children of each of their former marriages.

Mary (Kennedy Cox) Bishop was a widow for the second time in August, 1816, after the death of James Bishop. His will names his wife, Mary, and his children by his first wife. Mary agreed not to claim any part of his land, all of which he willed to his children.

Mary then may have gone to live with one of her daughters until her death sometime before 1824. Her son-in-law, James Edgerton, in Belmont County, Ohio, received money from her estate which he mentions in his will of March 1, 1825. He willed his $30 to "Ann Peele, my wife's sister's daughter," money which he was holding for her until "she had a lawful heir." No estate record for Mary (Kennedy Cox) Bishop has been found.

Notes for Mary Kennedy:

10 iv. Thomas Cox, Jr., born 03 Jan 1729 in Oxford Township, Philadelphia Co., PA; died Abt. 1782 in Wayne Co., NC; married Phebe Fellow 08 Apr 1749 in Falling Creek Friends Meeting, Johnston Co., NC.
v. Sarah Cox, born 07 Sep 1732 in Chester Co., PA; died 16 Jan 1793 in Wayne Co., NC; married John Kennedy 06 Nov 1769 in Falling Creek Friends Meeting, Wayne Co., NC; born 29 Dec 1747 in Johnston Co., NC; died 31 Jan 1825 in Wayne Co., NC.

Notes for John Kennedy:
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nc/county/wayne/articles/kennedys.htm

Wayne County, North Carolina: Articles

John Kennedy Among Leading Wayne Settlers

Reprinted with permission of the News-Argus and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Goldsboro News-Argus
Sunday, Sept. 21, 1975
Bicentennial Series Editor's Note: This is the 18th in a series of articles on Wayne County's
history from 1700 to 1900. It is being presented as a part of the
observance of the American Revolution Bicentennial.

By John Baxton Flowers

John Kennedy (1747-1823) was born on Lower Falling Creek (in what is today
Lenoir County). His father, Walter Kennedy, was a prominent planter in
that area. William Kennedy, grandfather to John, was a member of the
colonial Assembly & a very influencial planter who was granted land in
Johnston (now Lenoir) County in 1744. This William Kennedy had, among
other children, sons Walter & John. This last mentioned John Kennedy
was captain of the Dobbs County Militia during the Revolution & his nephew,
John Kennedy, Jr., served in his company.

John Kennedy, Jr. came to Wayne County by marriage. When in 1769 he married
Sarah Cox, daughter of Thomas Cox of Quaker Neck. Before his marriage
John Kennedy, Jr. was a member of the Church of England, but afterward he
was a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers).

John's only sister, Mary Kennedy, married Richard Cox in 1768 at the
home of Thomas Cox in Quaker neck. After his marriage he received large
amounts of land from his Cox relatives & by purchase. He also owned a
large number of slaves.

Sarah Cox Kennedy died in 1792, after she & John had been married 23 years.
They had never had any children. John Kennedy then married Elizabeth
Outland, daughter of Thomas & Elizabeth Outland of Rich Square, in what
is today Northampton County, NC. They had two sons, Thomas & John II.

When John Kennedy, Jr. died in 1823, he left a large estate in land, slaves
& personal property. At one time he had owned a riverfront lot in the town
of Wayesborough & may have had a store there. Before his death, he had
deeded land to his son, John in what is now the Rosewood section of Wayne.

John Kennedy, Jr. was one of the leading Quakers in the area. In his will,
dated August 24, 1823, he stated: "All the right, title or interest that
I have in my negroes I give & bequeath unto the Society of friends
(called Quakers) also the right in the African race that came to my wife
by virtue of the last will & testament of her father, I give in like
manner to the said society or to the agents by them appointed."

In this way, John Kennedy, Jr. left his slaves to the American Colonization
Society, which was established to resettle slaves in their native Africa.
Most of them were sent to Liberia when that country was founded. The
Quakers were active in that society & the movement to free slaves.

Thomas Kennedy, son of John Kennedy, Jr. lived at his father's house in
Quaker Neck on the south side of the Neuse River, approximately across
from the Carolina Power & Light Company plant. This house was at one time
a stop on the stage route to Smithfield. Thomas Cox followed his father in
his leadership among the Quakers.

During the Civil War Thomas received rough & arrogant treatment from local
citizens due to his peaceful beliefs & opposition to slavery. He finally
moved to Indiana where he died. Many Wayne County Quakers moved into Ohio
& Indiana from 1820-1860 where they hoped to live a more peaceful life.

John Kennedy III lived at Oak Hill plantation in central Wayne County. His
handsome house stood in a grove oak trees on the Raleigh highway where it
crosses the Rosewood Road, approximately where the Stackhouse Company is
located. John Kennedy married Sarah Everett, widow Becton. She was the
daughter of Joseph & Anne McKinne Everett & the widow of Frederick Becton.
Sarah & John Kennedy had 12 children, one of whom, Walter, moved with his
wife Martha Dees into Kansas where there were some of the earliest settlers.
Their great-grandson, John Anderson, Jr. was a recent governor of the state.

Another of their sons, Joseph Everett Kennedy lived on a large plantation
located on the present site of Cherry Hospital. Still another of their
sons, Colonel John Thomas Kennedy lived at The Meadows, which sat on the
present location of O'Berry Center. Colonel Kennedy with his brother Joseph
& half-brother John Becton, were early contractors & master builders in
Wayne & built part of the roadbed of the North Carolina Railroad, the first
Bank of New Hanover & the first courthouse at Goldsboro in 1848-50.

Colonel Kennedy married Elizabeth Anne Cox, but they were not active
Quakers. He was a large land & slave owner before the Civil War. His
achievements are numerous: founding trustee of the Wayne Institute & Normal
College in 1850; founding trustee of the Wayne Female College in 1850;
Commander of the 7th NC Calvary during the Civil War; delegate to the
NC Constitutional Convention in 1865; High Sheriff of Wayne after the Civil
War; first Steward (business manager) of the Eastern Hospital for the
Insane (Cherry Hospital); member of the state Senate from Wayne in 1885
& the first assistant curator of the North Carolina Museum of Natural
History at Raleigh. He died in 1913 at Pettigrew Hospital in Raleigh &
was buried in the Confederate section of historic Oakwood Cemetery,
Raleigh.

Contributed by Guy Potts of Raleigh, NC August 2000

vi. Esdras Cox, born 25 Mar 1735 in Fallowfield Township, Chester Co., PA; died Aft. 1755 in North Carolina.
vii. Elizabeth Cox, born 02 Mar 1737 in Fallowfield Township, Chester Co., PA; died 23 Oct 1790 in Wayne Co., NC; married Caleb Musgrave Abt. 1760 in Wayne Co., NC; born Abt. 1728 in Lancaster, PA; died Abt. 1791 in Wayne Co., NC.

22. John Fellow, born 20 Nov 1697 in Talbot Co., MD; died Abt. 1740 in Johnston Co. or Wayne Co., NC. He was the son of 44. Robert Fellow and 45. Sarah Littleboy. He married 23. Phebe ? in probably Talbot Co., MD.
23. Phebe ?

Notes for John Fellow:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fellowfamily/Fellow%20FamGrps/html/FellowFamily.html#John1697

Generation 2
Maryland to North Carolina

John Fellow was born in 1697 probably in Maryland. He married 1st Alice (or Mary) Ratcliff, 2nd Phoebe _____? in Maryland.

Perhaps 3rd Elizabeth ____?

The family migrated to North Carolina around 1735.

Children:

??John Fellow Jr.??
born c. 1722?
in Maryland


Robert Fellow*
born 1724
in Maryland
married _____ Price?

Sarah Fellow
born 1726
in Maryland
married Walter Kennedy 2nd James Oats?

Phoebe Fellow
born 1731
in Maryland
married Thomas Cox

It is not clear which wife is the mother of these children, but Phoebe is most likely the mother of Phoebe.

An inventory of an Estate of John Fellow in Craven, NC June 1740 has wife Elizabeth and son Robert.

In 1734 the Third Haven meeting minutes record a request for the John Ratcliff family to receive certificates of removal to North Carolina with John Fellows (1697) family.

We pick up the families in 1738 in Dobbs County, North Carolina. The Ratcliff and Fellow families are purchasing land and John Fellow receives a land grant called "Spring Bank" on March 12, 1738. "Spring Bank" is a 400 acres plantation on the north bank of the Neuse River adjoining Charles Hines' lands. Various other lands are acquired by both brothers.

Marriage record for their daughter Phoebe (1730) to Thomas Cox in 1749 is found in the Contentenea Quaker Meeting records of North Carolina.

Other sources have Sarah marrying Walter Kennedy in 1745, then James Oats after Walter's death in 1750. We have no information on the marriage of Robert Fellow, but suspect his wife's surname to be Price, since that name started to appear as a given name for sons. There were two Price families in the area. John Jr (1722) seems to have not left a family, since "Spring Bank" passed from John (1697) to John Jr (1722) then to his brother Robert (1724) then to his oldest son John (1750).

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http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nc/county/wayne/deeds/deeds-fellows.htm

Fellows Family

The Deeds posted here were donated by Joyce Overman Bowman.
Please consider contributing deeds that you have of Wayne County, NC families. Your donations to the database will be appreciated and enjoyed by many others who also love Wayne County.

Notes of Orville Russell (5 Mar 1989) sent from Joyce Overman Bowman (28 Sept 1997)

ABSTRACTS OF DEEDS, WAYNE CO., NC
DEED BOOK 1

#62 p. 78. JOHN FELLOW of Wayne Co. deed of gift to his brother,ROBERT FELLOW of same, March 29, 1782 a tract of land on the north bank of Little River. 1/2 tract of land granted to JOHN POPE, sold to Tomlinson and sold to ROBERT FELLOW, Sen'r by deed dearing date 1759.

DEED BOOK 4
#817, p. 85. WILLIAM FELLOW, gift to niece, ANNE McKINNE, April 15,1788. Her father, RICH'D McKINNE.

#864 p.150 JOHN FELLOW of Wayne Co. deed to JOSEPH GREEN of same, Nov 8, 1787, for 1500 pbs specie a 400 acre plantation on the north bank of Neuse River adjoining CHARLES HINES' former lands, known by the name of Spring Bank, as by a patent granted to JOHN FELLOW, Sen'r bearing date March 12, 1738, descended by will to JOHN FELLOW, Jun'r,to ROBERT FELLOW, and by ROBERT FELLOW willed to JOHN FELLOW; also, a 50 acre plantation situated on the south bank of Neuse River at the mouth of Sleepy Branch adjoining GEORGE ROBERTS, as by patent granted ROBERT FELLOW dated June 26, 1746, and descended by will from ROBERT FELLOW to JOHN FELLOW; also, a tract of 300 acres on the north side of Neuse River at the head of Fellows Branch, as by patent granted to JOHN DICKSON bearing date Oct 26, 1767 and conveyed to said JOHN FELLOW by ROBERT LINSAY, deceased; also, a parcel of eleven acres on the north bank of Neuse River adjoining the Spring Bank survey, as by
patent to JOHN FELOW dated Oct 26, 1786, Wit: B. STEVENS, THOMAS DAUGHTERY, WILLIAM GREEN.

DEED BOOK 5E

P. 389. JOHN FELLOW of New Hanover Co., NC deed to ROBERT FELLOW of Wayne Co. for land situated in Wayne Co., Feb 26, 1795.

P. 390 WILLIAM FELLOW of Sampson Co., NC and RICH'D McKINNE of Wyne Co. deed to ROBERT FELLOW of Wayne Co. for land devised by ROBERT FELLOW, deceased, to his son PRICE FELLOW, who has since died intestate and the land was directed to be sold and the money divided among the heirs, Oct 3, 1793.

DEED BOOK 7

p. 26. (second deed on page) WILLIAM FELLOW of Sampson Co., NC sold land situated in Wayne Co., witnessed by ROBERT FELLOW, Feb 3, 1792

p. 323. JOHN FELLOW, Sen'r, of Newhanover (sic) Co., NC deed of gift to his sons, ROBERT FELLOW and WILLIAM FELLOW, of Wayne Co. for land situated in Wayne Co., Feb 23, 1802.

p. 447. JOHN FELLOW of New hanover Co. sold land situated in Wayne Co., witnessed by ROBT. FELLOW, Aug 17, 1801.

DEED BOOK 8

p. 90 JOHN FELLOW of Sampson Co., NC sold land situated in Wayne Co., Aug 4, 1804.

P. 328. MARY McKINNE deed of gift to her daughter, ZILPHA FELLOW, Witnessed by R. McKINNE and JOHN McKINNE, Feb 13, 1806.

DEED BOOK 12

p. 232. SARAH McKINNE deed to ROBERT FELLOW for land formerly given by ROBERT FELLOW, deceased, by his last Will and Testament to his son, PRICE FELLOW, who has since died intestate and the land was sold agreeable to the Will, Nov 17, 1821.

DEED BOOK 13

p. 102. ROBERT FELLOW appointed JOHN FELLOW as his attorney to transport eight certain negroes from N.C. to the Island of Hayti(sic), witnessed by PRICE FELLOW and ROBERT FELLOW, May 16, 1826.

Misc notes from Joyce Overman Bowman

John Fellow of Craven Co. had an inventory June 1740 -- wife, Elizabeth? & son, Robert (Craven Prc. Court Min. Bk II 80, 161, 92, 98, 119)

Craven Co. formed 1712; Johnston made from part of it in 1746; Johnston divided into Dobbs 1751, Orange 1752, and Wake 1771. Dobbs divided into Wayne 1779; Lenoir 1791, and Glasgow 1791.

John Fellow who died Craven Co. 1740 could be same one listed as John of Johston Co.,dec in 1749.

ref: Judith Cox Whipple


Children of John Fellow and Phebe ? are:
i. John Fellow, Jr.
ii. Robert Fellow
iii. Sarah Fellow, born Abt. 1725 in Talbot Co., MD; died 09 Jun 1769 in Johnston Co., NC; married Walter Kennedy Abt. 1746; died 01 May 1750 in Johnston Co., NC.

More About Walter Kennedy:
Probate: Jun 1751, Johnston Co., NC

11 iv. Phebe Fellow, born 04 Oct 1730 in Talbot Co., MD; died Aft. 1790 in Johnston Co., NC or Wayne Co., NC; married Thomas Cox, Jr. 08 Apr 1749 in Falling Creek Friends Meeting, Johnston Co., NC.

24. Samuel Pike, born 29 Oct 1678 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England; died 08 Mar 1718 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina USA. He was the son of 48. John Pike and 49. Emma ?. He married 25. Jane ?.
25. Jane ?, died 09 Feb 1732 in Pasquotank Co., NC.

Notes for Samuel Pike:
http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/pike/781/

Re: John Pike/Emma of England & N.C.

By Martha Lee April 17, 2000 at 09:23:33

In reply to: Re: John Pike/Emma Blount of England & N.C.
4/12/00

There has been confusion about the parents of Samuel Pike that married Jane. I do not think that his father was Richard. I am posting what I think is his correct line. Notice I said think. I also will post the reason I think this
Martha

Samuel Pike and wife Jean settled in Perquimans Co., North Carolina prior to 1694.Samuel died 3-8-1718.His will probated in 1718 devises to his wife Jean , sons: Samuel, John, Benjamin, and daughters, Susannah and Ann.Samuel Jr. married Sarah Overman a sister to Abigail Overman wife of John.

There has been controversy over the parents of Samuel. Some believe he was son of Richard Pike, which is a different line of Pikes.However since Edward Mayo had Samuel with him when he asked permission to transport himself and children, I believe that Samuel was the son of Em and John not Richard.

John Pike was born about 1648 in England.He married Em or Emma, maiden name unknown, about 1669.John died October 1, 1681 and is buried at St. Mary Aldermary Parish in London England.John was a merchantaylor.Em Pike was born about 1650 in England.She came to America sometime before 1687.she died in North Carolina.After John died, Em married John Nixon about 1682.John Nixon died 1687/88 in North Carolina.Em married a third time to Edward Mayo Sr. in North Carolina.

In 1694 Em's third husband Edward Mayo received permission form Perquimans Co., North Carolina Monthly Meeting to transport himself and children, Edward, Sarah, Ann and Elizabeth Mayo, also William, John and Ann Nixon, and Samuel and Africa Pike.So I assume that Em died before he moved with their children

Samuel Pike (1.John1 ) b. 29 Sep 1674, London, Eng., m. ~1701, in Pasquotank, NC, Jean/Jane McKlegory, b. ~1680, Orange Co, NC, (daughter of Patrick McKlegory) ref: Colonial Rec.Samuel died 8 Mar 1718, Pasquotank,NC.Came to US with his mother and sister Africa after his father's death circa 1694/5. Jean/Jane: Various family researchers believe her name to have been" McInerny/McGregory". Still to be documented(April 1997) NC Council Journal record 31 July 1718 grants the children of JANE PIKE, widow, the estate of Patrick and Gregor McGregory as the nearest of kin. Petitioner was Mathew Pritchet.

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https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pike-285

Short Biography
Samuel Pike, only son of John Pike and Emma Unknown to survive to adulthood. Born 29 October 1678 (an Alternate Birth Day from researchers is September 29, 1674) in London, England, Baptized 12 November 1678 at St. Mary Aldermary Church. (Church of England) The Baptismal font, used in the baptism of all children excepting Katherine, is still on display at St. Mary Aldermary. Died 8 March 1718 at Pasquotank, N.C. Possibly Married Jane Nixon who died 9 February 1732

Birth
Date: 29 September 1674 Place: London, England Source[1]

Notes for Biography in Progress
Often seen error in birth year of Samuel Pike. Samuel's birth in 1674 conflicts with that of a brother John. The other children of John Pike and Emma were all baptized within a few weeks of their birth. It is very much suspected that Samuel was born 29 Sep 1678 and baptized in November. That date fits in with the births of the other children and also follows the tradition that nine children were born to John and Emma Pike, yet only two survived (Africa and Samuel). There is a source below with a link to the Parish register - Samuel was indeed born in 1678.

Marriage
Wife first name is Jane. "Samuel Pke of the Precinct of Pasquotank . . . with the gree Voluntary Consent of Jane Pike my lawful wife for . . . Consideration of 140 pounds . . . Signed: Saul. Pike, Jane IP Pike her mark . . . Ack: Pasquotank, 8br: 20th. 1713 Samuel Pike & Jane his wife to Mr. James Tooke . . ."

Wife's surname is unknown. There is no document proving that Samuel's wife Jean (or Jane) was a Nixon. She was certainly not a McGregor/McGregory. Her sister-in-law, Africa Pike was married to Hugh McGregory - there is no known connection of the McGregory family to Samuel's wife Jean.[2]

More Family Notes
Samuel was christened on November 12, 1678 in London, England (St Marys, Alderberry Parish).
Samuel came to America with his mother and sister Africa, after his father died, about 1695. Edward Mayo proved his Rights [headrights] being Edward Mayo Senior, Edward Mayo Junior, Sarah Mayo, Ann Mayo, Elizabeth Mayo, Africa Pike and Samuel Pike, the three Negroes named John Nixon, Em Nixon, Ann Nixon, in all thirteen.
Samuel may have left the colony and married his wife Jane on July 1, 1701.
In the Fall of 1706, George Ellis had filed suit against Samuel Pike in Chancery Court. George Ellis was the son and heir of James Ellis and George claimed that James Ellis had purchased a certain tract of land where Samuel Pike was living, claiming it from his father in law [term for stepfather in that time period], John Nixon, who had been possessed of the same in his lifetime. He said that during his [George Ellis'] infancy, John Nixon had by fraudulent means obtained all deeds of conveyance that should belong to him. By his attorney, Edward Bonwick, Samuel Pike stated that James Ellis had never purchased the land. The decision of the Court at the Oct/Nov session was "this court having heard the whole matter It is ordered and Decreed that the Suite be dismissed and the plaintiff pay Costs" George Ellis lost & paid the court costs.
Deed Book A, p.51-2 22 Apr 1713 Joseph Glaister, Shoemaker, & Mary his wife to James Tooke, Merchant of Little River, plantation south side Newbegun Creek. 300 acres. West side of plantation of Samuel Pyke and East side of plantation of Jno. Palin. All manner of stock & household goods. Wit: Matt. Pritchard, Evan Jone, Samll. Pike. Ack. 22 Apr 1713; Reg. 23 Jul 1713 Deed Book A, p.57-8 28 Jul 1713. Above was sold back to the Glaisters. Deed Book A, p.62-3 20 Oct 1713 Samuel Pike with consent of Jane Pike his lawful wife for £140 sold to Wm. Haige his plantation on the south side of Newbegun Creek between the plantation of Joseph Glaister now in Tenure of Capn. Jno. Robison and the plantation of Mr. Pope now in the Tenure of Anne Delamare, widow & relict of Francis Delamare. 300 acres, granted by Patent to Robt. Lowry & assigned by him to John Nixon. Signed: Saml. Pike, Jane (P) Pike. Wit: W. Norris, Jno Bell. Ack 20 Oct 1713. Samuel Pike & Jane to Mr. James Tooke. Atty, Mr. Wm Haige. [This is apparently the land of John Nixon, Samuel's stepfather, that was the subject of the 1706 lawsuit. Deed Book A, 115-6 27 Oct 1714 Wm Hall & Hannah for £36 sold all within patent & lands to Saml. Pike. Wit: Wm. Hall, Peter Denman. 6 Apr 1738 Caleb Elliot of Perquimons, Planter, & Mary his wife, and Peter Hunnicutt, late of Prince George Co VA & Sarah his wife, to James & David George of Pasquotank, merchants for £600. Tract in Pasquotank on Newbegun Creek, adj Edward Paynes land, Joseph Glaster's line. 300 acres granted to Robert Lowry in 1663 and conveyed to Saml Pike and by said Pike & Jane his wife to Wm Haige by deed 20 Oct 1713. Patented by sd Haige on March 29, 1715 and now fallen to the said Caleb Elliot and Peter Hunnicutt in right of their Wives under the said Wm Haige.

WILL
"Samuel Pike of Pasquotank Aug 5, 1719; wife Jean Pike, son Samuel, daughter Susannah, son Benjamin, daughter Ann, son John, wife executrix...."[3]

Will of Samuel Pick, Pasquotank. 11th day 10th month 1716. Probate Aug 8, 1719. Wife Jane, Executrix. Sons Samuel, Benjamin, John. Daughters Susannah and Ann. Wit: John Martin, John Moor. (1) The 11th day of Dec.1716 I Samuel Pike being frail and weak in body but of perfect mind and memory do make and ordaine this my last will and testament in manner and form that is to say: (2) I [desire] all my debts and funeral expenses be paid. Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving wife Jane Pike all my estate real and personal everything [during] her natural life. Item: I give and bequeath unto my son Samuel Pike and my daughter Susanah Pike my Negro named Joe after the decease of my wife to be equally divided between them. (3) Item: I give and bequeath unto my son Benjamin and my daughter Anne Pike my other Negro Man named Peter after the decease of my life to be equally divided between them. Item: I give and bequeath unto my son John my mair and colt only my will is that he .....his brothers and sisters and equally share... I do also make and declare my loving wife my only sole executor ...confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament ...set my hand & seal day and year aforesaid mentions. Signed: Samuel Pike.

Wit: John Martin, John Moor
1) Carolina Colonial Records. Feb. 1693/4. Emma is likely to be that "Em" Nixon that remarried widow of John Pike, father of Samuel and Africa - see Court case later.

2) On 20 October, 1701. Samuel Pike claimed rights for himself twice, and Jane his wife.

Pasquotank Deeds
Pasquotank Deeds[4]

Found in North Carolina Headrights, p.121: Robt. Lowry proved 7 rights, himself, Hanah Lowry, Michael Perry and four rights purchased from Saml. West and his wife each twice transported. Certified 20 Apr 1694. Pasquotank.

p.133: Warrant for Survey and return: Robert Lowry, 350 acres, for transportion of 7 person, 5 Mary 1693/4. A second survey was for 260 acres, 27 Jul 1694. Lowry did patent this smaller tract as shown on p.155.[5][6]

Marriage
Pasquotank County, North Carolina. To Jane ( or Jean ) Unknown. McGregory is not considered a wife of Samuel Pike by many researchers.

Family
Husband: Samuel Pike
Wife: Jean\Jane McGregory
Children
John Pike
Samuel Pike
Ann Pike
Benjamin Pike
Susannah Pike
Sources
? "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NPJT-3VC : 30 December 2014), Samuell Picke, 12 Nov 1678; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 845,228.
? Samuel Pike and Jane - Bare Bones Genealogy of the Family of John and Emma Pike, Seventeenth Century, London, England at [http://smithharper.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=575:bare-bones-genealogy-of-john-and-emma-pike&catid=206:pike-documents&Itemid=330 Bare Bones Genealogy of the Family of John and Emma Pike, Seventeenth Century, London, England]. Compiled for Thelma Murphy by Tom W. Simons, Solvang, California 25 October 1989.
? https://familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/8199877?p=10846515&returnLabel=Samuel%20Pike%20(L6H4-NG6)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2FL6H4-NG6%2Fmemories%3Ffrom%3Ftreeref%3DL6H4-NG6%26from%3Dlynx1%26treeref%3DL6H4-NG6 WILL PROBATE]
? Pasquotank Co NC Record of Deeds 1700-1751 (Heritage Books, Inc.1990.)
? Bjorkman, Pasquotank County, NC Record of Deeds, 1700 - 1751
? CD "Genealogical Records:Early NC Settlers, 1700s-1900's"
Pike Family History Title: Bertlyn Crouse Johnston, 1755-1999 McGinnis
Dill, Frazier, Pike Family History 1798-1999 (Ames, Iowa: Self-published, 1999) Page: p.88-90
Source: North Carolina Headrights Title: Compiled by Caroline B. Whitley, North Carolina Hearights: A List of Names, 1663-1744 1663-1744 BIBL (Department of Archives and History, NC Dept of Cultural Resources, Raleight, 2001)
Subsequent Source Citation Format: Compiled by Caroline B. Whitley, North Carolina Hearights: A List of Names, 1663-1744 BIBL Compiled by Caroline B. Whitley. North Carolina Hearights: A List of Names, 1663-1744 . Department of Archives and History, NC Dept of Cultural Resources, Raleight, 2001. page. 23, 44
Source: Pasquotank NC Deeds Title: Compiled by Gwen Boyer Bjorkman,
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~myfriendsthelambs2/part8/other/pike.html
Harleian Society Registers, Vol. V. Records of St. Mary Aldermary, London, England.
Records of Tom W. Simons, Solvang, Calfornia


Children of Samuel Pike and Jane ? are:
i. Ann Pike, married Jonathan White 10 Feb 1729 in Little River Friends Meeting, Perquimans Co., NC.
ii. Benjamin Pike, died 02 Mar 1785; married Jean (Jane) Bundy 07 May 1737 in Pasquotank Co., NC.
iii. John Pike, born 14 Apr 1702 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 15 Jan 1774 in Cane Creek area, Alamance Co., NC; married Abigail Overman 04 Nov 1731 in Pasquotank Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Pasquotank Co., NC; born 1709 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 23 Feb 1781 in Muddy Creek area near Kernersville, Forsyth Co., NC.

More About John Pike:
Burial: Cane Creek Friends Meeting, Alamance Co., NC
Occupation: Blacksmith

Notes for Abigail Overman:
The following information on Abigail Overman Pike, Friends minister, is quoted from Bobbie T. Teague's "Cane Creek: Mother of Meetings" (1995):

pages 16-19: ("The Beginnings" chapter)

John and Abigail Pike were two more of the early settlers [of the Cane Creek Valley of Alamance County, North Carolina]. Abigail was a minister, and it was not unusual for them to travel to new places and lend their support to the establishment of new Friends communities and meetings. They had left Pasquotank County in eastern North Carolina in 1738 to travel to Frederick County, Virginia, to assist with the Hopewell Meeting, where they remained for eleven years (Griffin "History" 2).

It is possible that the Pikes heard about the new settlement on Cane Creek from families moving into the Hopewell area. Many of these families planned only to remain at Hopewell for a few years, then continue farther south.

John and Abigail came to the Cane Creek settlement with their eight children about 1749. Their certificates of membership from Hopewell were placed with the Carver's Creek Meeting in Bladen County, North Carolina. This monthly meeting held the certificates of not only the Pikes but others in the settlement until the establishment of a monthly meeting at Cane Creek. This was an accepted practice of the day. Many Quaker pioneers, with their staunch faith, did not want to be away from the care of a monthly meeting even if that meeting were many miles away.

Abigail Pike was the archetypal Quaker pioneer woman. Such a woman would of necessity have been strong, in order to cope with the rigors of frontier life. As a minister she would also have been strong in her religious faith and obedient to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. Her concern for the spiritual life of her neighbors would provide opportunities for service which she did not shirk. With Abigail's background, then, it is not surprising that in the early part of the year 1751, she would stand in a meeting for worship and say to the assembled Friends at Cane Creek, "If Rachel Wright will go with me, we will attend the Quarterly Meeting at Little River in Perquimans County and ask that a meeting be set up here." Friends agreed (Griffin "History" 2).

When she set out for the quarterly meeting, Abigail Pike left behind a young son, Nathan, while Rachel Wright also left a small child, Sarah. Both families were large, so the youngsters were not neglected. Moreover, the fact that the children were left by their mothers reveals the determination of both women to fulfill the obligation they had undertaken, as well as the depth of their concern for the spiritual life of the more than thirty families living in the Cane Creek settlement.

Perquimans County lies about two hundred miles to the east of Cane Creek and the trip takes approximately five hours by car now. Imagine the difficulty of traveling that distance on horseback through virtually uncharted wilderness. No doubt there were a few places along the route where a night's lodging and a simple meal could be obtained, but the nights when it was necessary to camp in the open were far more numerous. The Friends at Cane Creek prudently sent other persons with these two courageous women. Their exact number, however, is not known for they are grouped together as "Several friends from them parts" (Crow 2).

The establishment of Cane Creek Monthly Meeting of Friends was authorized at the quarterly meeting held at Little River, as recorded in their minutes, dated "Sixth month 31st, 1751:...."

Now would begin the long trek back. The hot September sun would make travel more uncomfortable, and there would be the incessant insects with which to contend. But the good news Abigail Pike, Rachel Wright, and the others carried with them would lessen the difficulties. How happy the day of return must have been, not only for the families of those returning, but for the entire group of Quakers settled along the banks of Cane Creek. At last they would have a monthly meeting of their own, and no longer would their certificates of membership be held by a faraway monthly meeting.

Abigail Pike's story does not end with the establishment of the meeting at Cane Creek. She was also involved in the effort to secure a monthly meeting for Friends at New Garden, and the mere thirty-five miles she traveled in that endeavor must have been as nothing compared to the journey she had made on behalf of Cane Creek. Her efforts were again successful, for New Garden Meeting was established shortly after the one at Cane Creek. By 1775, Abigail, now widowed, would request and receive transfer of her membership to New Garden...

pages 34-36: ("Burying Ground" chapter)

A walk through the cemetery reveals many interesting and unusual markers. Prompted by the Historical Society of Southern Alamance County, whose purpose was honoring pioneer families, Cane Creek Monthly Meeting planned to hold annual reunions of the descendants of its founding fathers. During each reunion a grave marker would be unveiled in honor of one of the pioneer settlers...

John and Abigail Overman Pike were honored in 1928. Both were leaders and "weighty" Friends during their lifetimes. After the death of her husband, Abigail Pike left Cane Creek and went to Muddy Creek, near Deep River, to live with her son. She died and was buried there in February of 1781. The cemetery of this meeting still exists on the outskirts of the present town of Kernersville in Forsyth County, and the grave which is thought to be Abigail's is outlined with handmade brick. Thus, the marker at Cane Creek honors her memory, not her actual grave.

pages 42-43: ("Traveling Friends" chapter)

One of the women who made many visits as she served her meeting was Abigail Overman Pike. She and her husband were charter members of Cane Creek Meeting and served it diligently for many years. Abigail was also a Friends minister. Tradition says that it was in that capacity that she would ride out to the army camps and preach to the soldiers. It is not clear which army allowed her to preach. As in all things the retelling of stories often blurs the events. It is possible that it could have been both the British and the American forces. Abigail transferred her membership from Cane Creek to New Garden in 1775. One could assume that the events told here could have happened near the time of the Battle of Guilford Court House and the Battle of New Garden. It is not likely that she would have been intimidated by either the British or the Americans. General Nathanael Greene, himself a Quaker at one time, may have endorsed her ministry, because she was said to be the only minister allowed within the lines. She was not allowed to dismout; therefore, her sermons were preached from horseback.

One night while returning from such a visit, Abigail met friends along the way, and soon they came to where the road divided. One fork of the road led straight home, and the other led past the graveyard. They debated which way to go; one remarked that a ghost could be seen in the graveyard. Abigail whipped up her horse saying, "We will go this way then, I have long wanted to see a ghost, shake hands with it and ask, 'Is it well with thee?'" When they arrived at the cemetery, there did appear to be a ghost standing with arms outstretched as though welcoming them. Unafraid, Abigail rode up to it and called back, "Come on friends, it is only a big cobweb on a bush."

Another story which has been passed down through the generations tells of her pitcher. Abigail had a set of "Queensware" porcelain china dishes. These were very rare in those days, particularly in a backwoods cabin. One day British soldiers came to her cabin searching for food and overturned her cupboard. She tried to catch some of the dishes in her outstretched apron but was only able to save one small pitcher. That pitcher was passed down through the years from one daughter to another and was last reported in a museum in Oklahoma in 1975. What a story that pitcher could tell!

The ministry of visiting Friends has vanished almost completely. As with so many other things, something meaningful has passed from the scene.

[The Griffin citation refers to Wilma Griffin's 1989 unpublished manuscript, "History of Cane Creek Meeting," in the Cane Creek Meeting Library.]

More About Abigail Overman:
Burial: Muddy Creek Friends Cemetery, 1282 Wicker Road, near Kernersville, Forsyth Co., NC
Occupation: Minister to Quakers

12 iv. Samuel Pike, Jr., born Abt. 1712 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died Abt. 1797 in Pikeville, Wayne Co., NC; married (1) Sarah Overman 07 Feb 1737 in Perquimans Co., NC; married (2) Tabitha Scott Abt. 1764; married (3) Anne Ducely Abt. 1774.

26. Ephraim Overman, born 09 Mar 1682 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; died 1732 in Pasquotank Co., NC. He was the son of 52. Jacob Overman and 53. Hannah ?. He married 27. Sarah Belman 1708 in Pasquotank Friends Meeting, Pasquotank Co., NC.
27. Sarah Belman, born 28 Jun 1688 in Pasquotank Co. or Perquimans Co., NC; died Aft. 1748. She was the daughter of 54. John Belman and 55. Sarah Wilson.

Notes for Ephraim Overman:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=67398106

Ephraim was born March 6, 1681 in Wethersfield, CT and he died Feb 9 1732 in Pasquotank, NC.

His marriage to Sarah Belman was also in Pasquotank, NC.

*** Many thanks to Paul B (#47676624) for above additional info and for sponsering this memorial.

Some records indicate parents as Jacob Overman (1652-1715) and his mother to be Hannah Wiswall (1654-1692) and others as Ephraim Overman was the son of Dorothea Porter Overman.

Member K Haden (#47021118) writes to help clear this up:

"His parents were Jacob Overman and Hannah (her surname is unproved by any document although seen as both Wiswall & Wolcott on the Internet. Hannah died about 1694 in Wethersfield, CT, about two years after the birth of her daughter, Hope, born 22 Feb 1692/3 as vital records reprinted in The New England Historical & Genealogical Society Record, Vol. 20, 1866, p. 14. Since Ephraim's birth is recorded as 9 Mar 1681/2, Hannah was obviously his mother. There were nine children born to Jacob and Hannah. Jacob Overman married as his second wife, Dorothea Porter, about 1695. They had no children. Dorothy is named in his will dated 12 Sep 1715, as is his son Ephraim."

**************************************************
http://sites.rootsweb.com/~katy/overman/b16012.html?fbclid=IwAR1mWXEX1EMloZLImv2Yr5gZ3iVRj2nNu4pjRkfUmraU4RoNWuzEkglFo8g#P19369

The birthdates of the children of Ephraim & Sarah are transcribed in ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN QUAKER GENEALOGY numerically. I presume they are Quaker dates, i.e. 3rd month, 19th day, 1709 but are given as 3-19-1709. Computer programs do not handle this well - they are transcribed as O.S. dates, so are actually two months off and the above date would have been 19 May 1709.

Ephraim liberated to marry Sarah Belman on 13 Mar 1706 [13th day, 3rd month 1706 - Quaker dating - the 3rd month was actually May]
"At a Monthly Meeting held at Herabegun Creek 13th Day of 3rd Mo 1706. Friends Met According to there former notice to Inspect into the affairs of Said Meeting. Ephriam Overman and Sarah Belman appeared & Declared their Intentions of taking Each Other in Marriage the second time no Accusation brought against them they are left to their lyberty to Accomplish their Design."

On 15 Sep of 1711 Ephriam condemned his misconduct. [He has assisted an officer and defended himself with weapons.]

Pasquotank County, NC Record of Deeds, 1700-1751, compiled by Gwen Boyer Bjorkman; Heritage Books, Inc., 1990
p.106. DB A, p.265
17 Jan 1721 Zach. Keaton with consent of wife Sarah Keaton and for the exchange of a Plantation with Ephraim Overman, sold all our right to the within patent and land. Signed: Zach (X) Kenaton, Sarah (S) Keaton. Wit: Jno. Brothers, Wm. (W) Brothers.
Ack. 17 Jan 1721. Regt. 7 Feb 1722
Zachariah Keaton sold this property, p.239, DB, p.233. 21 ____ 1723/4 Zachariah Keaton and wife Sarah, Pasquotank Precinct, Albemarle Co in consideration of 97 acres conveyed to us by Stephen Scott & Hannah his wife, sold 50 acres of land bounded as by a certain Deed from Thomas Mackie & Margery his wife to Ephraim Overman, dated 16 Aug 1709 ..part of tranct where sd Mackie dwelt and sold to Overman. The sd Ephraim Overman & Sarah his wife sold to me on 16 Jan as last may appear. Signed: Zacha (X) Keaton, Sarah (C) Keaton. Wit: Sarah Bull, Jno Palin, Zacha (X) Keaton.

Quaker records:
Ephraim Overman Senor departed this life the 9th of the 2nd month in the year 1732. In Quaker dating, the 2nd month was actually April.

Pasquotank County, NC Record of Deeds, 1700-1751, compiled by Gwen Boyer Bjorkman; Heritage Books, Inc., 1990
p.217 DB C, p.343
7 July 1733 Joseph Overman of prect of Pasquotank. Henry Duke of Beaufort Palatine, died by patent dated 4 Oct 1714 given and grant unto Stephen Scot, a tract of 230 acres. ...Thos. Kirk's corner tree in Stephen Scott's line; Jas. Gads line. Which land was formerly for William Reed and by his assigned to Joseph Jourdan and by sd. Jordan sold to Patrick Quidley and by sd. Quidley sold to Stephen Scot and by the sd. Scot given by Will to his son Stephen Scot and by his son Stephen Scot sold to Ephraim Overman. Joseph Overman being son and Heir to the said Ephraim Overman, in consideration of 30£ paid, sold to my Brother Ephraim Overman, 200 acres. Signed: Joseph (I) Overman. Wit: Daniel Chancey, Will. Chancey, Ann Overman, Sarah (SO) Overman. Ack Oct Court, 1733. Regt. Apr 1734.
p.239 DB B, p. 191
Joseph Overman, a tract of 204 acres on the SW side of Pasquotank River, back of Henry Pendleton, which land after the death of Lawrence Keaton was possessed by his brother Zachariah Keaton and by sd. Zachariah conveyed to Ephriam Overman. Now I the said Joseph Overman being Son and Heir to sd Epraim Overman in consideration of 60£ sold to Daniel Chancey the about mentioned tract on the SE side of a certain Swamp, 104 acres. Signed: Joseph (I) Overman. Wit: Willm. Davis, Jonathan Reding. Ack. 13 Jan 1735. Regt. 14 Feb 1735
DB B, p.192-3
5 Jan 1735 His Excelly. John Lord Carteret, Palatine, granted to Ephriam Overman a tract of 40 acres beginning at a gum on Lawrence Keaton's line, Kirk's corner tree. Land formerly granted by patent to John Peggs, 20 Nov 1723 and by him elapsed for not seating and planting and is now become due to sd Ephraim Overman, 6 Aug 1728. Witness our trusty & well beloved. Sr. Richd. Everard, Bart. Governor. Signed: Richd Everard, Richd Sauderson, E. Mosely, Thos. Pollock, Wm. Reed, C. Gale, J. Palin. Recorded in the Secy's office, Robt. Forster, Dept. Secy.
Joseph Overman, son and Heir to the within mentioned Ephraim Overman for the consideration of 10£ sold to Danl. Chancey the within mentioned patent. Signed: Joseph (I) Overman. Wit: Wm. Davis, Jonathan Reding. Ack. 13 Jan 1735. Regt. 14 Feb 1735.

So apparently Joseph disposed of the following lands that Ephraim owned: 40 acres by patent, adj Lawrence Keaton & Kirk; 200 acres sold to him by Stephen Scot (inherited by son Joseph) which also mentions Thos. Kirk's corner; 104 [part of 204] acres once owned by Lawrence Keaton but descended to his brother Zachariah on SW side of Pasquotank River.

Pasquotank Co NC DB B, p.196 Daniel Chancey sold the 104-acre and 40-acre tracts to Jonathan Redding on 4 Feb 1735/6. Signed: Danl. Chancey. Wit: Wm Davis, John Jones, John Pike [Pike was married to Abigail Overman, daughter of Ephraim. Danl Chancey was a son-in-law, too - married to Ann Overman.]. Ack. 13 Jan 1736. Reg. 17 Apr 1736.

EARLY RECORDS OF NC, VOL. II; Dr. Stephen E. Bradley, Jr.
p.289/10 Ephraim Overman inventory. Appraised 20 Oct 1732. Included were Negro men Dick & Peter. Names mentioned were Benjn. Pritchard, Edward Mayo, Danll. Chancy. Signed by Sarah (X) Overman, widow & admrx. Attested before Nathaniel Hall on 9 Nov 1732.

EPHRAIM OVERMAN and SARAH BELMAN were married on 13 March 1708 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina.1,2 SARAH BELMAN, daughter of JOHN BELMAN and SARAH WILSON, was born on 28 June 1688.1,2

According to an account online from another descendant, Hinshaw did not copy everything from the Quaker records. Apparently four years after Sarah married Nathaniel Martin, he was disowned. Supposedly Sarah had gone to the Friends Colony in Opecking, VA to visit a married daughter and while she was away, Nathaniel got their young housekeeper pregnant. Sarah requested a permanent transfer of her membership which was unusual without the husband, but the transfer was granted and she moved to her daughter's home permanently. The following record would indicate she at least returned to file for her sons inheritance after Nathaniel's death.

AMERICAN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF QUAKER GENEALOGY VOL. 1, p. 146 "Pasquotank Monthly Meeting"
MARTIN.
1734, 4, 6. Nathaniel ltm Sarah Overman, relict of Ephraim.
1737, 6, 4. Abigail Pick, dt. Sarah Martin, gct Friends at Opeccin. (having rem)
1738, 10, 27. Nathaniel dis.
1739, 7, 6. Sarah, w. Nathaniel, gct Friends Colony at Opecking, VA (some of her children lived there)
1745, 2, 4. Sarah rpd having difference with her son-in-law, Joshua Martin.
1749, 1., 2. Sarah gct Cape Fear Friends
The following record must surely be a daughter of Nathaniel, given the date, since she would have been 98 years of age... But is probably the source given on FindAGrave for her death.
1785, 10, 19. Sarah (Martin) gct Core Sound MM (rem)

North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images
Pasquotank County, NC - Sarah Martin, widow of Nathaniel Martin, petitions the court for the part of his estate that belongs to her sons, Nathan and Isaac Overman, orphans of Ephraim Overman, she being appointed guardian over them. Nathaniel Martin received the estate by intermarrying with Sarah Overman, he being lately deceased. The petition is dated 19 January 1743.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5PK-GXY

More About Ephraim Overman:
Comment: Some sources state daughter Ann married James Morgan, others that she married Daniel Chancey. This needs clarification.
Quaker deathdate: 9th 2mo 1732

Notes for Sarah Belman:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SC-BUSHRIVERQUAKERS/2012-01/1327260136

Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:19:43 -0500
From: Joyce Bowman
Subject: Re: [SC-BUSHRIVERQUAKERS] Quaker dis mou etc
To: [email protected]
Message-ID:

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Marsha--What that librarian at Guilford told you ("almost never
anything in the original that Hinshaw & cohorts did not transcribe")
is just not true. Back in the 20's when Hinshaw made the arrangement,
with the Meetings directly or with Guilford, I'm not sure, to
transcribe the minutes, they agreed, but only on the condition that
nothing would be transcribed that could be considered sensitive or
derogatory. In my own family, I know of 3 instances where info of
interest was in the original minutes, but was not transcribed. A
cousin of mine, Gordon Bowles, couldn't understand why 2 of our
families were not in the records (Pasquotank mm I assume). When he
went back to the original records, he found both families listed, in
their entirety but each of those listings were marked thru with a big
"X" and had not been transcribed--with no explanation for the marking
out! While looking for this, he also found something of interest
that we hadn't known to look for. An ancestor of ours at Pasquotank
Mtg, Ephraim Overman m. Sarah Belman in 1708. They had 7 children and then he died. In 1734 Sarah Belman Overman re-married--to Nathaniel Martin. Four years later (1738) there is a note "Nathaniel Martin disowned"--with no explanation. My cousin, Gordon, from the original minutes found what had happened. Sarah (Belman) Martin had gone to the Friends' Colony in Opecking, VA to visit her married daughter, and while she was gone, her husband, Nathaniel Martin got the young housekeeper pregnant. Sarah then asked for a permanent transfer of her membership to her daughter's home, which the mtg took a while to
consider, since it was unheard of for a woman to transfer her
membership without her husband. However, they finally agreed and she
did move permanently to her daughter's home. Not in the Meeting
records I don't think, but from some other source, I understand Gordon
found evidence that Nathaniel Martin had then married the younger
woman--though I don't know that Sarah ever officially got a divorce!

More About Sarah Belman:
Event 1: 1738, Her second husband, Nathaniel Martin, was disowned from Quaker society for getting their housekeeper pregnant while Sarah was in Virginia visiting her children
Event 2: 1739, On 6th 7mo 1739, Sarah Martin requested a certificate to the Friends Colony at Opecking, VA, where her daughter Abigail and Abigail's husband John Pike were living
Event 3: 1745, Sarah Martin had differences with her "son-in-law" (stepson) Joshua Martin
Event 4: 1749, Sarah Martin was granted a certificate by her Quaker meeting to Cape Fear Meeting, along with Nathan and Isaac Overman and Samuel and Sarah Overman Pike

Children of Ephraim Overman and Sarah Belman are:
i. Abigail Overman, born 1709 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 23 Feb 1781 in Muddy Creek area near Kernersville, Forsyth Co., NC; married John Pike 04 Nov 1731 in Pasquotank Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Pasquotank Co., NC; born 14 Apr 1702 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 15 Jan 1774 in Cane Creek area, Alamance Co., NC.

Notes for Abigail Overman:
The following information on Abigail Overman Pike, Friends minister, is quoted from Bobbie T. Teague's "Cane Creek: Mother of Meetings" (1995):

pages 16-19: ("The Beginnings" chapter)

John and Abigail Pike were two more of the early settlers [of the Cane Creek Valley of Alamance County, North Carolina]. Abigail was a minister, and it was not unusual for them to travel to new places and lend their support to the establishment of new Friends communities and meetings. They had left Pasquotank County in eastern North Carolina in 1738 to travel to Frederick County, Virginia, to assist with the Hopewell Meeting, where they remained for eleven years (Griffin "History" 2).

It is possible that the Pikes heard about the new settlement on Cane Creek from families moving into the Hopewell area. Many of these families planned only to remain at Hopewell for a few years, then continue farther south.

John and Abigail came to the Cane Creek settlement with their eight children about 1749. Their certificates of membership from Hopewell were placed with the Carver's Creek Meeting in Bladen County, North Carolina. This monthly meeting held the certificates of not only the Pikes but others in the settlement until the establishment of a monthly meeting at Cane Creek. This was an accepted practice of the day. Many Quaker pioneers, with their staunch faith, did not want to be away from the care of a monthly meeting even if that meeting were many miles away.

Abigail Pike was the archetypal Quaker pioneer woman. Such a woman would of necessity have been strong, in order to cope with the rigors of frontier life. As a minister she would also have been strong in her religious faith and obedient to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. Her concern for the spiritual life of her neighbors would provide opportunities for service which she did not shirk. With Abigail's background, then, it is not surprising that in the early part of the year 1751, she would stand in a meeting for worship and say to the assembled Friends at Cane Creek, "If Rachel Wright will go with me, we will attend the Quarterly Meeting at Little River in Perquimans County and ask that a meeting be set up here." Friends agreed (Griffin "History" 2).

When she set out for the quarterly meeting, Abigail Pike left behind a young son, Nathan, while Rachel Wright also left a small child, Sarah. Both families were large, so the youngsters were not neglected. Moreover, the fact that the children were left by their mothers reveals the determination of both women to fulfill the obligation they had undertaken, as well as the depth of their concern for the spiritual life of the more than thirty families living in the Cane Creek settlement.

Perquimans County lies about two hundred miles to the east of Cane Creek and the trip takes approximately five hours by car now. Imagine the difficulty of traveling that distance on horseback through virtually uncharted wilderness. No doubt there were a few places along the route where a night's lodging and a simple meal could be obtained, but the nights when it was necessary to camp in the open were far more numerous. The Friends at Cane Creek prudently sent other persons with these two courageous women. Their exact number, however, is not known for they are grouped together as "Several friends from them parts" (Crow 2).

The establishment of Cane Creek Monthly Meeting of Friends was authorized at the quarterly meeting held at Little River, as recorded in their minutes, dated "Sixth month 31st, 1751:...."

Now would begin the long trek back. The hot September sun would make travel more uncomfortable, and there would be the incessant insects with which to contend. But the good news Abigail Pike, Rachel Wright, and the others carried with them would lessen the difficulties. How happy the day of return must have been, not only for the families of those returning, but for the entire group of Quakers settled along the banks of Cane Creek. At last they would have a monthly meeting of their own, and no longer would their certificates of membership be held by a faraway monthly meeting.

Abigail Pike's story does not end with the establishment of the meeting at Cane Creek. She was also involved in the effort to secure a monthly meeting for Friends at New Garden, and the mere thirty-five miles she traveled in that endeavor must have been as nothing compared to the journey she had made on behalf of Cane Creek. Her efforts were again successful, for New Garden Meeting was established shortly after the one at Cane Creek. By 1775, Abigail, now widowed, would request and receive transfer of her membership to New Garden...

pages 34-36: ("Burying Ground" chapter)

A walk through the cemetery reveals many interesting and unusual markers. Prompted by the Historical Society of Southern Alamance County, whose purpose was honoring pioneer families, Cane Creek Monthly Meeting planned to hold annual reunions of the descendants of its founding fathers. During each reunion a grave marker would be unveiled in honor of one of the pioneer settlers...

John and Abigail Overman Pike were honored in 1928. Both were leaders and "weighty" Friends during their lifetimes. After the death of her husband, Abigail Pike left Cane Creek and went to Muddy Creek, near Deep River, to live with her son. She died and was buried there in February of 1781. The cemetery of this meeting still exists on the outskirts of the present town of Kernersville in Forsyth County, and the grave which is thought to be Abigail's is outlined with handmade brick. Thus, the marker at Cane Creek honors her memory, not her actual grave.

pages 42-43: ("Traveling Friends" chapter)

One of the women who made many visits as she served her meeting was Abigail Overman Pike. She and her husband were charter members of Cane Creek Meeting and served it diligently for many years. Abigail was also a Friends minister. Tradition says that it was in that capacity that she would ride out to the army camps and preach to the soldiers. It is not clear which army allowed her to preach. As in all things the retelling of stories often blurs the events. It is possible that it could have been both the British and the American forces. Abigail transferred her membership from Cane Creek to New Garden in 1775. One could assume that the events told here could have happened near the time of the Battle of Guilford Court House and the Battle of New Garden. It is not likely that she would have been intimidated by either the British or the Americans. General Nathanael Greene, himself a Quaker at one time, may have endorsed her ministry, because she was said to be the only minister allowed within the lines. She was not allowed to dismout; therefore, her sermons were preached from horseback.

One night while returning from such a visit, Abigail met friends along the way, and soon they came to where the road divided. One fork of the road led straight home, and the other led past the graveyard. They debated which way to go; one remarked that a ghost could be seen in the graveyard. Abigail whipped up her horse saying, "We will go this way then, I have long wanted to see a ghost, shake hands with it and ask, 'Is it well with thee?'" When they arrived at the cemetery, there did appear to be a ghost standing with arms outstretched as though welcoming them. Unafraid, Abigail rode up to it and called back, "Come on friends, it is only a big cobweb on a bush."

Another story which has been passed down through the generations tells of her pitcher. Abigail had a set of "Queensware" porcelain china dishes. These were very rare in those days, particularly in a backwoods cabin. One day British soldiers came to her cabin searching for food and overturned her cupboard. She tried to catch some of the dishes in her outstretched apron but was only able to save one small pitcher. That pitcher was passed down through the years from one daughter to another and was last reported in a museum in Oklahoma in 1975. What a story that pitcher could tell!

The ministry of visiting Friends has vanished almost completely. As with so many other things, something meaningful has passed from the scene.

[The Griffin citation refers to Wilma Griffin's 1989 unpublished manuscript, "History of Cane Creek Meeting," in the Cane Creek Meeting Library.]

More About Abigail Overman:
Burial: Muddy Creek Friends Cemetery, 1282 Wicker Road, near Kernersville, Forsyth Co., NC
Occupation: Minister to Quakers

More About John Pike:
Burial: Cane Creek Friends Meeting, Alamance Co., NC
Occupation: Blacksmith

ii. Joseph Overman, born 1711 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 1739 in Pasquotank Co., NC.

Notes for Joseph Overman:
http://sites.rootsweb.com/~katy/overman/b16012.html?fbclid=IwAR1mWXEX1EMloZLImv2Yr5gZ3iVRj2nNu4pjRkfUmraU4RoNWuzEkglFo8g#P19369

Apparently married twice, but had no children, and no wife survived Joseph, as his Will left everything to his brothers.

Pasquotank County, NC Record of Deeds, 1700-1751, compiled by Gwen Boyer Bjorkman; Heritage Books, Inc., 1990
p.217 DB C, p.343
7 July 1733 Joseph Overman of prect of Pasquotank. Henry Duke of Beaufort Palatine, did by patent dated 4 Oct 1714 given and grant unto Stephen Scot, a tract of 230 acres. ...Thos. Kirk's corner tree in Stephen Scott's line; Jas. Gads line. Which land was formerly for William Reed and by his assigned to Joseph Jourdan and by sd. Jordan sold to Patrick Quidley and by sd. Quidley sold to Stephen Scot and by the sd. Scot given by Will to his son Stephen Scot and by his son Stephen Scot sold to Ephraim Overman. Joseph Overman being son and Heir to the said Ephraim Overman, in consideration of 30£ paid, sold to my Brother Ephraim Overman, 200 acres. Signed: Joseph (I) Overman. Wit: Daniel Chancey, Will. Chancey, Ann Overman, Sarah (SO) Overman. Ack Oct Court, 1733. Regt. Apr 1734.
p.239 DB B, p. 191
Joseph Overman, a tract of 204 acres on the SW side of Pasquotank River, back of Henry Pendleton, which land after the death of Lawrence Keaton was possessed by his brother Zachariah Keaton and by sd. Zachariah conveyed to Ephriam Overman. Now I the said Joseph Overman being Son and Heir to sd Epraim Overman in consideration of 60£ sold to Daniel Chancey the about mentioned tract on the SE side of a certain Swamp, 104 acres. Signed: Joseph (I) Overman. Wit: Willm. Davis, Jonathan Reding. Ack. 13 Jan 1735. Regt. 14 Feb 1735
p.239 DB B, p.192-3
5 Jan 1735 His Excelly. John Lord Carteret, Palatine, granted to Ephriam Overman a tract of 40 acres beginning at a gum on Lawrence Keaton's line, Kirk's corner tree. Land formerly granted by patent to John Peggs, 20 Nov 1723 and by him elapsed for not seating and planting and is now become due to sd Ephraim Overman, 6 Aug 1728. Witness our trusty & well beloved. Sr. Richd. Everard, Bart. Governor. Signed: Richd Everard, Richd Sauderson, E. Mosely, Thos. Pollock, Wm. Reed, C. Gale, J. Palin. Recorded in the Secy's office, Robt. Forster, Dept. Secy.
Joseph Overman, son and Heir to the within mentioned Ephraim Overman for the consideration of 10£ sold to Danl. Chancey the within mentioned patent. Signed: Joseph (I) Overman. Wit: Wm. Davis, Jonathan Reding. Ack. 13 Jan 1735. Regt. 14 Feb 1735.
p.274 DB B, p.282
Joseph Overman son of Ephraim Overman of Pasquotank County departed this Life the 24th day of September Anno Dom 1737.

Abstracts of North Carolina Wills; NC Sect of State, 1910
Online at Eastern North Carolina Digital Library
http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/historyfiction/
Joseph Overman, Pasquotank Co
Will dated 22 Sep 1739. Oct. Court 1739. Brothers: Ephraim, Nathan and Isaac. Friend and Executor: Nathaniel Martin
Wit: John Norris, Thomas Palen, John Martin
Clerk of the Court: James Craven

CD "Genealogical Records: Early NC Settlers 1700s-1900s"
Will of Joseph Overman, Pasquotank. Dated 22 Sep 1739. Probate Oct 1739. Nathaniel Martin. Brothers Ephraim, Nathan & Jesse. [the only known brother of Joseph, son of Jacob & Rebecca is Thomas - not named here]
EARLY RECORDS OF NC, VOL. II; Dr. Stephen E. Bradley, Jr.
p.437/48 Joseph Overman Inventory to include notes from James Pritchard, Joseph Parker and John Bellman. Attested by Nathaniel Martin who made affirmation being a Quaker on 20 Aug 1740.

From the Barber manuscript and in old FamilySearch notes:
Joseph first married Sarah Griffin, 1 Sep 1738, Little River MM, Perquimans Co NC. He married second to Martha White on 7 Apr 1737.
These dates don't make sense. The following doesn't make sense, either, if Joseph died in 1737 - one Joseph Overman's wife was nee Martha Pritchard, widow of Nehemiah White.
Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. 1, p. 66, by William Wade Hinshaw has:
OVERMAN
1738, 9, 1. Joseph ltm Sarah Griffin (liberty to marry) Perquimans Monthly Meeting
p.157
OVERMAN
1753, 3, 1. Joseph ltm Martha White Pasquotank Monthly Meeting
1754, 12. 5. Martha Overman, w. Joseph & relict of Nehemiah White: her rights in estate of Joshua White in question.
p.122 Martha Overman d. 5-19-1788 in her 76th year, dt. Benjamin Prichard & w. to Nehemiah Whiate & afterward to Joseph Overman

Some of the confusion may result from the fact that it appears Joseph's son William did indeed marry a lady who was nee Martha White:
From Quaker MM records:
Martha Overman Wife of William Overman, daughter of Nehemiah White Departed this Life the 10th day 5th month, 1772. [This would suggest that Nehemiah White - if the same man who was the first husband of Martha Pritchard - had been married before he married Martha Pritchard and this was a daughter of that earlier union.]
William Overman, Son of Joseph and Martha Overman Departed this Life the 4 (or 11 day) of the 12th month 1774 near one o'clocki.

More About Joseph Overman:
Probate: Oct 1739
Quaker birthdate: 1st 10mo 1711
Will: 22 Sep 1739, Names brothers Ephraim, Nathan, and Isaac, and "Friend & Exec" Nathaniel Martin. Written in Pasquotank Co., NC

iii. Ann Overman?, born 1714 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 04 Jan 1775; married James Morgan III 12 Apr 1733 in Pasquotank Co., NC; born 17 Jan 1707 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Abt. 1778 in Pasquotank Co., NC.
iv. Ephraim Overman, Jr., born 1719 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died Feb 1785; married (1) Isabel ? 1742 in Pasquotank Co., NC; born in Perquimans Co., NC; married (2) Tamer ? Abt. 1772; died Bef. 1785.
13 v. Sarah Overman, born 1722 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died Abt. 1763 in Carver's Creek area of present-day Bladen Co., NC; married Samuel Pike, Jr. 07 Feb 1737 in Perquimans Co., NC.
vi. Nathan Overman, born 1725 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died Bef. 27 Sep 1780 in Pasquotank Co., NC; married (1) Mary Symons 03 Jan 1748; born 27 Dec 1724 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 20 Nov 1773 in Pasquotank Co., NC; married (2) Sarah Commander 1776.

Notes for Mary Symons:
http://sites.rootsweb.com/~katy/overman/b16012.html?fbclid=IwAR1mWXEX1EMloZLImv2Yr5gZ3iVRj2nNu4pjRkfUmraU4RoNWuzEkglFo8g#P19369

Pasquotank Quaker MM records
Mary Overman, wife of Nathan Overman Departed this Life the 20th day of the 11th month, in the 49th year of Her age and as She Lived a quiet and Peaceable Life, she Died Peaceably and quiet.

vii. Isaac Overman, born 1727 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 1785 in Pasquotank Co., NC; married Mary Evans 02 Feb 1747 in Pasquotank Co., NC; born 10 Apr 1728 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 12 Mar 1779 in Pasquotank Co., NC.
viii. Ann Overman, born 07 Aug 1714 in Pasquotank Co., NC; married Daniel Chancey.

Notes for Ann Overman:
http://sites.rootsweb.com/~katy/overman/b19367.html#P19367

Ann OVERMAN was born on 7 August 1714.2

Married Daniel Chancey. His sister was Ruth who married a Baker, ancestor of researcher friend, Francie Lane.

The marriage is recorded in the Pasquotank MM transcript as 1733/4, 12, 7. Amee at liberty to marry David Chancey. The date represented here has obviously been converted to new style.

Chancey Ancestry Message Board Post, 13 May 2000.
Daniel was the son of Edmund Chancey Jr., and Sarah Keile, and was born about 1714 in Pasquotank County, NC. He married Ann Overman April 12, 1733 in Pasquotank/Perquimans NC.
Their children included Rachel Chancey, b. August 07, 1741 m. Samuel Stout, December 16, 1762 at Cane Creek, Orange County, NC.
Mary Chancey, b. abt 1742, m. Walter J Jackson, May 12, 1762, at Cane Creek, Orange County, NC.
Pleasant Chancey, b. 1745, m. Daniel Smith, February 15, 1776, at Cane Creek, Orange County, NC.
No sons have been positively identified.
Daniel and Ann moved to Bladen County, NC about 1754, where he apparently died in 1760, as Ann returned to Pasquotank, January 1761, requested a certificate from the Quakers there to relocate to Cane Creek, and married out of unity with the Quakers, September, 1761, and was dismissed from the order. Daniel had 3 brothers, Stephen, Zachariah and Jacob, 2 sisters, Rachel and Ruth.

Ann OVERMAN and Daniel CHANCEY were married on 7 March 1733/4 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina.10 Daniel CHANCEY10, son of Edmund CHANCEY and Sarah KEILE, was born in 1714 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina.12 He died in Bladen County, North Carolina.12

Pasquotank MM/Simons Creek MM:
1733/4, 12, 7 David Chancey ltm Amee Overman [transcription is probably in error, this was Daniel and Anne]
1735, 3,1. Daniel Chancey dis.
1737, 6, 4 Daniel Chancey rpd rem to Opeking, VA [Opequon] with a cert of his own writing; friends there informed he stood in no unity here.
1751, 3. 2. Daniel Chancey requested reinstatement - received in Feb. of 1754 along with a certificate to Cape Fare [Fear] Friends.

28. Ezekiel Maudlin III, born Abt. 1708 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Bef. Jul 1745 in Perquimans Co., NC. He was the son of 56. Edmund Maudlin and 57. Ellinor ?. He married 29. Mary ?.
29. Mary ?

Children of Ezekiel Maudlin and Mary ? are:
14 i. Edward/Edmund Maudlin, born 07 Apr 1735 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Abt. 1806 in probably Wayne Co., NC; married Sarah Perisho Abt. 1760.
ii. Ezekiel Maudlin, born Abt. 1744 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Abt. 1780; married Ruth Chappel.

More About Ezekiel Maudlin:
Military: Died in the Revolutionary War

30. James Perisho III, born 02 Mar 1701 in Perquimans Co., NC; died 02 Jan 1744 in Perquimans Co., NC. He was the son of 60. James Perisho, Jr. and 61. Mary Morgan. He married 31. Sarah Trumbull.
31. Sarah Trumbull, born 02 Feb 1692 in Perquimans Co., NC; died 24 May 1754. She was the daughter of 62. Simon Trumbull and 63. Ann Perry?.

Notes for Sarah Trumbull:
https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gwenbj&id=I2007660

Weynette Parks Haun, Old Albemarle County North Carolina, Perquimans
Precinct Court Minutes 1688 thru 1738, (Durham, NC: Weynette Parks
Haun, 1980),
===
While reading Haun's new court minutes one night, I realized that
James Perisho is married to Sarah Trumbull dau of Simon Trumbull. She
then names her first son Simon and at the death of her brother Thomas
Trumbull in l733, her husband James Perisho is named as guardian of
Sarah Trumbull the dau of Thomas, probably named after Sarah.
===
1. Birth record of Sarah to Simon & Anne Trumbull 2 Feb. 169/2.
2. Death record of Simon Trumbull bet. 1704 and 1705 from Court
Minutes.
3. Marriage of Ann to John Clark from his will 1716 naming her four
Trumbull children, Simon, Thomas, Sarah and Elizabeth.
4. 1720 tax list. Anne Clark 270 acres
5. Death of Thomas Trumbull from will 1733, naming dau Sarah.
6. James Perisho motion to be appointed Guardian to Sarah Trumball
Orphan of Thomas. Jan. 1736. (Haun:Perq. Ct. Min. p. 109)
7. The petition of William Hosea having m. dau of Thomas Trumball decd
prays for her estate from James Perrishaw guardian...Jan. 1739.
(Haun:Perq. Ct. Min. Book II p. 44)
8. James and Sarah Trumbull? Perisho name first son Simon 1723. They
would have m. ca. 1722, not 1731/2 as you wrote in your letter. You
must have been looking at your Sarah's birthdate in 1731/2.

More About Sarah Trumbull:
Probate: 1760, Perquimans Co., NC
Will: 1754, Perquimans Co., NC

Children of James Perisho and Sarah Trumbull are:
i. Mourning Perisho, married David Colson; born Abt. 1725; died Abt. 1773 in Perquimans Co., NC.
ii. Simon Perisho, born 20 Feb 1724.
iii. Mary Perisho, born 11 Dec 1727.
iv. James Perisho IV, born 15 May 1728.
15 v. Sarah Perisho, born 05 Jan 1732 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Abt. 1818 in probably Wayne Co., NC or Randolph Co., NC; married (1) ? Colson Abt. 1750; married (2) Edward/Edmund Maudlin Abt. 1760.
vi. Joseph Perisho, born Abt. 1735; died Abt. 1800; married (1) Elizabeth Sanders 02 Dec 1772; born 16 Mar 1756 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Dec 1783; married (2) Nancy Sanders 15 Oct 1785; born 1760.
vii. Jane Perisho, born Abt. 1733; died 04 Aug 1809 in Wayne Co., NC; married Moses Bundy 01 May 1753 in Perquimans Co., NC; born Abt. 1730 in Perquimans Co., NC; died 17 Mar 1782 in Wayne Co., NC.

Generation No. 6

42. Richard Busby, born Abt. 1670 in Milton, County Kent, England?; died Jul 1747 in Philadelphia Co., PA. He was the son of 84. John Busby and 85. Mary ?. He married 43. Hannah French 30 Aug 1695 in Burlington Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Burlington, Burlington Co., NJ.
43. Hannah French, born Abt. 05 Sep 1669 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England. She was the daughter of 86. Thomas French, Jr. and 87. Jane Atkins.

Notes for Richard Busby:
The following is quoted from page 25 of Judith Cox Whipple's "A Cox Family History" (1989), who in turn was citing "Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas French":

In 1696, he (Richard Busby) purchased a large tract of land in Oxford Twp. which is now between Frankford and Olney. Some of this land later was sold and donated to Friends' Asylum for the Insane at Frankford. Abingdon Monthly Meeting Memorial: In the 7th mo. of the year 1747 died Richard Busby belonging to Oxford particular meeting. He was a Friend in the ministry whose testimony was well received and travelled with the approbation of his friends to some distant parts of this continent in Truth's service. He was inoffensive and exemplary in life and conversation. Aged 77 years, was buried at Friends burying ground at Oxford aforesaid."

The following sketch of the Buzby/Busby family is quoted from "Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas French" (1909) by Howard Barclay French, Volume I, pages 139-41:

The Buzby family were among the earliest settlers of Pennsylvania, consisting of John Buzby, who came from Milton, England, to Philadelphia, in 1682, with his wife Mary, his sons John, William, Edward, Richard and Nicholas, and daughters Mary, Elizabeth and Sarah. He was a weaver and his sons, all sturdy young men, were for a time engaged in the same line of work...

In 1696, William and Richard Buzby purchased large adjoining tracts of land, soon after increased to over 600 acres, located in Oxford township, Philadelphia, and now between Frankford and Olney. The greater part of this fine estate, constantly increasing in value, remained in the possession of the family for nearly two hundred years, being handed down to different direct heirs by eight wills and a number of deeds. In 1742, Richard Buzby conveyed to his son Thomas, in consideration of eighty pounds--a nominal sum, as the real value even then was much greater--" and natural love and affection," his homestead and 157 acres of land. His wife, Hannah, joined in this affectionate transaction, being dutifully cared for when she became a widow, five years later, and still further provided for through the will of her son Thomas, whom she survived, made in 1757, a few months before his death. The will of Richard Buzby, as will be observed, was confined to the distribution of personal property to his children, he having disposed of practically all his real estate. Some sixty-five years after his death part of the family estate was devoted to notable uses.

In 1813, Isaac Buzby, a descendant of William and Richard, and members of his family, for $6,754, conveyed fifty-two acres of land to the Board of Trustees of Friends' Asylum for the Insane, Frankford. Some years later a part of the original Richard Buzby farm was added to this property. Friends' Asylum was the first distinctive separate institution for the humane treatment and restoration of the insane in this country, although the Pennsylvania Hospital has always had a department for the "care and cure of Lunaticks," as declared in its charter, 1751. Now in its ninety-first year, Friends' Asylum has a record unexcelled. It has cared for nearly 4,000 patients, more than one third of whom were restored.

For thirty years Richard Buzby was a very active member of Abingdon Monthly Meeting, Oxford Preparative Meeting being his local home Meeting. He was a frequent representative at Quarterly and Yearly Meetings, and was zealous in the performance of special duties. He was for a long time an acknowledged minister among Friends. We quote a few interesting minutes from the Meeting Records. A manuscript found among old papers of the Yearly Meeting of the year 1750 entitled, "An account of the time of the decease of such ministers and elders belonging to the Monthly Meeting of Abingdon as departed this life since the year 1720, with some short memorials concerning them," contains the following:

"In the 7th mo. of the year 1747 died Richard Buzby belonging to Oxford particular meeting. He was a Friend in the ministry whose testimony was well received and travelled with the approbation of his friends to some distant parts of this continent in Truth's service. He was inoffensive and exemplary in life in conversation. Aged 77 years, he was buried at Friends burying ground at Oxford aforesaid."

In 1857 the following appreciative sketch of the life and work of Richard Buzby appeared in "The Friend":

Richard Buzby was born in England, in the year 1670. At what time he came to America, we have not been able to learn; but we find him in the year 1700, a useful member of Dublin [afterwards Abingdon] Monthly Meeting, and probably already in the ministry. After the year 1704, we find many marks of his dedication, and of the estimation in which he was held by his friends. In tracing him through the records of the various meetings of ministers some striking and interesting minutes were found. In the Twelth month, 1707, after recording that "Richard Busby and John Cadwallader" reported that things were well among them at Dublin, these remarks follow: "In consideration of which, that the Lord is pleased still to continue his goodness and care over us, and to lengthen out our day and time of peace, love and brotherly kindness,---pressing more and more after perfect and fervent charity, the meeting was thankful to the Lord."

In the early part of the year 1721, Richard Busby and William Walton performed a religious visit to the meetings of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, which, from "divers certificates" produced by them on their return, appears to have been to the comfort and edification of those among whom they had laboured. In the Quarterly Meeting of Ministers and Elders, held Twelfth mo. 3d, 1721, "The ancient love and power of God was felt, to the comforting [of] the meeting. Tender exhortation was given to the due exercise of the heavenly gift. Whereas of late several serviceable labourers in the vineyard of Christ have been removed, we should pray to the Lord that he would raise up and send forth more faithful servants; that his work of righteousness and Truth may increase and prosper, to the church's edification and his glory."

In 1722, Richard, with some other ministering Friends from Pennsylvania, attended Shrewsbury Yearly Meeting. We find but little record of his services, yet it is evident that he was considered a diligent and faithful labourer in the church. Richard Busby and the other representatives from the Quarterly Meeting of Ministers and Elders, held in the Twelfth mo., 1723, to the General Meeting of Ministers, in the following month, were directed to report, that "Friends in the ministry are careful in their conversation, diligent in attending meetings, both on First and week days; that their labour and services are well received; that they are in love and unity, and that the assistance of worthy elders is found very serviceable in these meetings."

More About Richard Busby:
Burial: Oxford Friends Cemetery, Oxford Township, Philadelphia Co., PA

Children of Richard Busby and Hannah French are:
21 i. Sarah Busby, born in Philadelphia Co., PA; died Aft. 1737 in Chester Co., PA; married Thomas Cox 26 Nov 1716 in Abingdon Friends Meeting, Philadelphia Co., PA.
ii. Thomas Busby, born in Philadelphia Co., PA; died 1757 in Philadelphia Co., PA; married Mary Mason Oct 1723.
iii. Jane Busby, born in Philadelphia Co., PA; married Jonathan Fincher 1731.
iv. Rebecca Busby, born in Philadelphia Co., PA; married Daniel Roberts 1724.
v. John Busby, born 05 Dec 1696.

44. Robert Fellow, born Abt. 1665 in England; died Bef. 1719 in Talbot County, Maryland USA. He was the son of 88. William Fellow and 89. Sarah ?. He married 45. Sarah Littleboy 19 Aug 1690 in High Wycombe Parish, Buckinghamshire, England.
45. Sarah Littleboy, died in Talbot County, Maryland USA.

Notes for Robert Fellow:
Fellow Family
in America 1700 – 1900

Copyright Cynthia Joyner 2005

Version 1.0 : 07/19/2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The information on this page has been gathered from many sources, but I have primarily stood on the shoulders of the genealogical work of

Barbara Coombe Fellow
and
Joyce Overman Bowman
[email protected]

They gave me the information to get started and provided much of the documentation that is included here.

Others have contributed information and have been credited with their lines. Connecting the North Carolina family to the English records and filling in the Maryland information was my major addition, verifying the Quaker records from North Carolina and Indiana, and locating all the census records. The narrative is my interpretation of the family history.

I may have made errors and include surmises that are not acceptable genealogical work by professionals.



I am happy to share this information freely with all the descendants of Robert Fellow who came to America to enhance your family trees and further your research.

Permission is NOT granted for any Commercial application.

I do request that if you want to include this information in your documents, either written or online, that you give me credit and provide a link to this web site. This information is at Rootsweb.com not my personal space so will not disappear (I hope).

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fellowfamily/Fellow%20FamGrps/html/FellowFamily.html#John1697

Generation 1

England to Maryland
England to Talbot County Maryland

Robert Fellow was born in 1665 in England. He married Sarah Littleboy in 1690 in England. They immigrated to Talbot County, Maryland with their children before Dec 1697.
Children:

Robert Fellow
born 1694
in England

John Fellow*
born 1697
prob. in Maryland
married 1st Alice Ratcliff, 2nd Phoebe _____ 3rd? Elizabeth ____?

Mary Fellow
born 1703
in Maryland
married William Ratcliff & John James

Sarah Fellow
born 1704
in Maryland
married John Ratcliff


The marriage of Robert Fellow and Sarah Littleboy is documented in the Parish Registers: Robert Fellow and Sarah Littleboy were married at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire 19 Oct 1690. [Family tradition has the marriage of Robert and Sarah in Quaker meeting in England. The Toleration Act of 1689 might explain this dichotomy. The marriage might have been registered in the Parish records, although performed elsewhere. This is speculation at this point.]

Robert Fellow (1665) is listed as a carpenter in land deeds in Talbot Co, Maryland. In September of 1697 a Robert Felowes, joiner, is made the guardian of William Anderson. It appears that the family was in Maryland earlier than 1700.

He purchased several tracts of land in Talbot County starting in 1703. The land was later inherited by his children in 1719. Land records of that time show Robert and his brother John distributing shares of their father's land to their married sisters.

The family was members of the Third Haven Quaker Meeting in Talbot County, Maryland. Mary married first William Ratcliff and then John James. Sarah married John Ratcliff. John married Phoebe, whose last name we don't know. We have no information for marriage for Robert (1694).

The Third Haven Quaker records show the marriages of the Fellow sisters to the Ratcliff brothers in the minutes.

The Ratcliff genealogical records indicate that John Fellow married Alice Ratcliff, sister of William and John Ratcliff.

Richard Ratcliff left a will 8 Jan 1720 that left his personal estate to his wife, Mary, and at her decease to children John, William, Samuel, Alice and Mary.

The Inventory of Richard Ratcliff's estate 17 July 1721 has "next of kin" John Fellows and John Kennedy, indicating the marriage of the two daughters to these men.

John Fellow names his wife clearly as Phoebe in 1734 deed giving land to his sister Mary Fellow James.

More About Robert Fellow:
Ethnicity/Relig.: Society of Friends (Quaker)-member of Third Haven Friends Meeting in Talbot Co., MD
Immigration: Bef. Dec 1697, Settled in Talbot County on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Occupation: Carpenter

Children of Robert Fellow and Sarah Littleboy are:
i. Robert Fellow, Jr., born Abt. 1695.
22 ii. John Fellow, born 20 Nov 1697 in Talbot Co., MD; died Abt. 1740 in Johnston Co. or Wayne Co., NC; married Phebe ? in probably Talbot Co., MD.
iii. Mary Fellow, born Abt. 1703; married (1) William Ratcliff; married (2) John James.
iv. Sarah Fellow, born Abt. 1704; married John Ratcliff.

48. John Pike, born Abt. 1648 in England; died 01 Oct 1681 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England. He married 49. Emma ? Bef. 1670.
49. Emma ?, born Abt. 1655 in probably England; died Bef. 1704 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina USA.

Notes for John Pike:
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pike-212

Biography
John was a merchant tailor in London. He made and sold material for the garments which he also made. There were 9 children but only 2 survived. John was born & died at St. Mary Aldermary. He was buried in St. Mary Alderberry parish. The Birth And Marriage Records, were destroyed by The great fire of London in 1666. He was made a Freeman by the Merchand Freeman County of London, England, and therefore a Freeman of London. There should be 2 more children that are not listed.

*************************************************************************************
Pike YDNA testing among numerous Pikes has revealed that the John and Emma Pike lineage is part of the Pike Group 1 below that is patrilineally related to the John Pike family of Massachusetts (ancestor of the explorer Zebulon Montgomery Pike, for whom Pike's Peak outside Colorado Springs, Colorado was named). Earlier Pike genealogies had assumed John and Emma's son Samuel Pike who came to North Carolina was identical with Samuel, son of Joseph and Elizabeth Rogers Pike, a noted Quaker family of Cork, Ireland. However, this lineage, originally from Berkshire, England, does have a genetic match with the John and Emma Pike line and is also placed in Group 1. Below is a discussion about these DNA matches from the Pike YDNA website (unfortunately the charts and tables referred to cannot be copied and pasted here).

http://www.math.mun.ca/~dapike/family_history/pike/DNA/index.php?content=results.html#Group1

Group 1: Pikes from Hampshire and Wiltshire, England
Approximately one quarter of the Pikes who have joined our project have been found to belong to one very large extended Pike family that dates back to sometime before 1600. Several of the family lines belonging to this group have been traced to Hampshire and Wiltshire [although there are other Pikes from Wiltshire who are not related to this group].

Of interest to some of our members with Irish roots, this group includes the renowned Quaker Pike family that held influence in Cork for several centuries.

Of interest to some of our American members, this group also includes Pikes who descend from John Pike who arrived in Massachusetts on 03 June 1635 (making him and his children the first documented Pikes in New England (at least to the best of my knowledge they were)). Note that Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779-1813), who sighted Pikes Peak in Colorado in 1806, was a direct 4xgreat grandson of John and therefore would fit into this family group. Of the people presently in this group, several of them have traced their ancestry back to John, as illustrated in the following partial family tree. John had two sons, each of whom had three sons.

Each of the yellow squares in the figure below is for a participant of our DNA project. For reference, Zebulon Montgomery Pike has also been included in this partial family tree (he is represented by the blue square).

As can be seen in the above chart, many of the people in our "Group 1" are directly descended from John Pike who settled in Massachusetts in 1635. We are fortunate that John did not have just one son, but instead had two We have test results from descendants of each of John's two sons, which allows us figure out what most of John's marker values were most likely to have been. Doing this marker by marker, if a descendant of John's son John (such as Roy (31483)) and a descendant of John's other son Robert (such as Allen (33139)) have the same marker value, then it is most likely that this marker did not mutate in either line of descent, meaning that John also had this same value. For Roy and Allen, this is actually the case for each of the first 25 markers, so we can conclude that John most likely had these same marker values, which are displayed as the first "result" in the table of results presented a little further down this page.

Markers 26-37 are known to mutate at a slightly faster rate than markers 13-25 (which themselves tend to mutate more often than markers 1-12), so it's not terribly surprising that we see some genetic diversity among these markers. Still, for all but two of them, we can use matches among the results from descendants of both of John's sons to figure out what John's marker values probably were. The exceptions are for markers DYS-460 and DYS-CDY(b). In each of these cases we see that each of John's sons has descendants with different marker values, and so we are not yet able to determine John's values for these two particular markers.

The other participants in this group (who have no documented connection to John's family) lead us to some interesting discussion. For instance, several of them have a value of 24 [including Harry Pike who descends from the John and Emma Pike lineage through their son Samuel of North Carolina] for the marker DYS-390, yet among the known descendants of John we have only seen a value of 25. As yet we do not know how these people are related (but we know from the DNA results that they are related). One thing that is certain though is that some of the connections are very old. For instance, Jerry (74703) has Pike ancestry that goes back to a Richard Pike who was born in 1598. Jerry's Pike ancestors lived in Ireland from the early 1600s onwards, which means that his connection to John (who left England for Massachusetts in 1635) must be sometime in the 1500s or possibly even earlier.

Paternal Pedigree for Participant 132584
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generation #9

Name: John PIKE
Birth: about 1648
Marriage: about 1667
Death: 01 October 1681 St. Mary Aldermary, London, England
Spouse/Partner: Emma BLOUNT
Birth: about 1650
Death: 08 June 1718 North Carolina
Remarks: John and Emma had children: Catherine (1668), Emma (1671), Robert (1672), Africa (1673), John (1674), Edward (1676), Elizabeth (1677), Samuel (1678), and Mary (1680). Catherine was baptised at St Giles Cripplegate, London, on 02 August 1668; the remaining children were all baptised at St Mary Aldermary, London.
Emma, along with her daughter Africa and son Samuel, settled in Pasquotank County, North Carolina.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generation #8

Name: Samuel PIKE
Birth: 29 October 1678 St. Mary Aldermary, London, England
Marriage:
Death: 1718 Pasquotank County, North Carolina
Spouse/Partner: Jane
Birth:
Death: 1715 Pasquotank County, North Carolina
Remarks: Samuel and Jane had children: John, Anna E., Samuel, Benjamin, Susanna.
Samuel's baptism occurred on 12 Nov 1678 and is recorded in the register of St Mary Aldermary, London.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generation #7

Name: John PIKE
Birth: 1702
Marriage: about 1731
Death: 1774 Snow Camp, Orange County, North Carolina
Spouse/Partner: Abigail OVERMAN
Birth: 1709 Pasquotank County, North Carolina
Death: 1731 Pasquotank County, North Carolina
Remarks: John and Abigail had children: Sarah Martin, Ann, Susanna, Elizabeth, Samuel, John, Ruth, Rachael, Nathan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generation #6

Name: John PIKE
Birth: 1741 Frederick County, Virginia
Marriage:
Death:
Spouse/Partner: Priscilla WILLIAMS
Birth: 1741 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Death:
Remarks: John and Priscilla had children: Mary, William, Margaret, Abigail, John (#1 b 1775 d 1782), Elizabeth, Rachael, John (#2 b, 10/22/1783
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generation #5

Name: John PIKE
Birth: 22 October 1783 Snow Camp, Orange County, North Carolina
Marriage: 1808 Orange County, North Carolina
Death: 1828 Snow Camp, Orange County, North Carolina
Spouse/Partner: Mary DAVIDSON
Birth: 1776 Guilford County, North Carolina
Death: 1859 Snow Camp, Alamance County, North Carolina
Remarks: John and Mary had children: William, Samuel, Moses D., Rebecca, Priscilla, Elizabeth.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generation #4

Name: John PIKE
Birth: 1818 Snow Camp, Orange County, North Carolina
Marriage:
Death: 1865 Snow Camp, Alamance County, North Carolina
Spouse/Partner: Mary Ann FOGLEMAN
Birth:
Death:
Remarks: John and Mary Ann had children: Moses Gilmer McClendenen, Oliver Boaz Columbus, John Quincy Adams, Young Eli Sebastian.
Mary Ann was John's second wife. His first wife was Martha Patsey TEAGUE, by whom he had children: Mary Ellen, Laura A., Martha, Margaret.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generation #3

Name: Moses Gilmer McClendenen PIKE
Birth: 18 October 1860
Marriage: 21 April 1889 Alamance County, North Carolina
Death: 12 January 1932
Spouse/Partner: Anna EULIS
Birth: 28 June 1868
Death: 8 October 1895
Remarks: Moses and Anna had children: Charlie Boyd, Sarah Mabel, John Claude.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generation #2

Name: Charley Boyd PIKE
Birth: 25 October 1890
Marriage: 10 April 1917
Death: 5 January 1950
Spouse/Partner: Izetta STUART
Birth:
Death:
Remarks:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generation #1

Name: Harry G. PIKE
(Participant 132584)

Notes for Emma ?:
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-221861

Biography
Please do not give Emma a surname OR parents without adding primary documentation - not from an online family tree. Without documentation of Emma's surname, her parents would be unknown. There is no record of her birth, but she was apparently deceased before 1704 in North Carolina. Alternate death location: Pasquotank, Colony of North Carolina, British Colonial America

Marriages
1) John Pike with whom she had about nine children. Only two survived to adulthood that traveled to America.

2) Emma (surname unknwn) Pike married John NIxon after the death of her first husband, John Pike.[1]

Immigration
Emma migrated to America with children, Samuel and Africa Pike, after John's death. In Perquimans county history, she is listed as traveling with her two children, Africa and Samuel, escorted by Edward Mayo who probably was her third husband. They were in Perquimans Co NC perhaps as early as 1694. Emma is likely called "Em" after Em Nixon, the remarried widow of John Pike, father of Samuel and Africa - their mother was named Emma.

Her name doesn't show as Emily as listed in some sources interpreting Em as Emily.

A lawsuit in Chancery Court of Pasqutank, Oct/Nov Session 1706, which was against Samuel Pike concerning land he had inherited from his father in law [term for stepfather in this time period], John Nixon, effectively proves that Emma Pike had remarried.

Fact: Ann is probably NOT Emma's child. Emma married John NIxon after the death of John Pike. Ann Nixon traveled with them to America, but it's likely she was John's child by an earlier marriage. Her age is unknown.
Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch Emma migrated to America with Samuel and Africa after John's death. They were in Perquimans Co NC perhaps as early as 1694.
She is "given" the surname Blount in many instances in online trees. Such a surname should be considered uncertain, without primary documentation.

Carolina Colonial Records. Feb. 1693/4. Edward Mayo proved his Rights [headrights] being Edward Mayo Senior, Edward Mayo Junior, Sarah Mayo, Ann Mayo, Elizabeth Mayo, Three Negroes. John Nixon, Em Nixon, Ann Nixon. Affrica Pike and Samuel Pike, in all thirteen. [I think it likely that "Em" Nixon is the remarried widow of John Pike, father of Samuel and Africa - their mother was named Emma. Ann Nixon probably a daughter of John Nixon by an earlier wife.]

A lawsuit in Chancery Court of Pasqutank, Oct/Nov Session 1706, which was against Samuel Pike concerning land he had inherited from his father in law [term for stepfather in this time period] John Nixon, effectively proves that Emma Pike had remarried.

Hugh McGregory & wife Africa were administrators of the estate of Em Mayo, wife of Edward Mayo, dec'd. Would have been before 1704 when McGregory died. Source: North Carolina Higher-Court Records, Vol 1, p.160. Some have interpreted this as a third marriage for Emma Pike. Many have attempted to give Emma the surname McGregory or McGregor, but that cannot be proved and seems highly unlikely, even if she did marry a McGregory after the death of Nixon - but that seems not to have been the case. Emma was never a McGregory/McGregor.

Fact: May have been a third marriage. Hugh McGregory & wife Africa were administrators of the estate of Em Mayo, wife of Edward Mayo, dec'd. Would have been before 1704 when McGregory died. Source: North Carolina Higher-Court Records, Vol 1, p.160. Some have interpreted this as a third marriage for Emma Pike.

Sources
? An Ann Nixon did migrate with them to America, but it's likely she was John Nixon's child by an earlier marriage in England. Her age is unknown.
John Pike - Bare Bones Genealogy of the Family of John and Emma Pike, Seventeenth Century, London, England. http://smithharper.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=575:bare-bones-genealogy-of-john-and-emma-pike&catid=206:pike-documents&Itemid=330. Citation: Guild Hall Library, City of London Temple Church, London. Records of Eilma Griffin, Historian.
Carolina Colonial Records. Feb. 1693/4. Edward Mayo proved his Rights [headrights] being Edward Mayo Senior, Edward Mayo Junior, Sarah Mayo, Ann Mayo, Elizabeth Mayo, Three Negroes. John Nixon, Em Nixon, Ann Nixon. Affrica Pike and Samuel Pike, in all thirteen.
Source: S1019 Abbreviation: Pike Family History Title: Bertlyn Crouse Johnston, Johnston 1755-1999 McGinnis 1798-1999 Dill, Frazier, Pike Family History (Ames, Iowa: Self-published, 1999) Subsequent Source Citation Format: Johnston, Johnston 1755-1999 McGinnis 1798-1999 Dill, Frazier, Pike Family History BIBL Johnston, Bertlyn Crouse. Johnston 1755-1999 McGinnis 1798-1999 Dill, Frazier, Pike Family History. Ames, Iowa: Self-published, 1999. TMPLT TID 0 FIELD Name: Footnote VALUE Bertlyn Crouse Johnston, Johnston 1755-1999 McGinnis 1798-1999 Dill, Frazier, Pike Family History (Ames, Iowa: Self-published, 1999) FIELD Name: ShortFootnote VALUE Johnston, Johnston 1755-1999 McGinnis 1798-1999 Dill, Frazier, Pike Family History FIELD Name: Bibliography VALUE Johnston, Bertlyn Crouse. Johnston 1755-1999 McGinnis 1798-1999 Dill, Frazier, Pike Family History. Ames, Iowa: Self-published, 1999. Page: p.88 TName: Page p.88
"Pike Family of North Carolina" by Zoellner contains a section attributed to William P. Johnson.Commented at [Rootsweb] Quakers Roots Forum [Q-R] Samuel Pike, Perquimans, NC .Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2002

More About Emma ?:
Immigration: Abt. 1683, Came to North Carolina shortly after the death of her first husband, John Pike, with their two surviving children, Africa and Samuel. She married (2) John Nixon and (3) Edward Mayo, Sr.

Children of John Pike and Emma ? are:
i. Katherine Pike, born Abt. 1670; died 26 Jun 1679 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England.
ii. Emma Pike, born Abt. 03 Jun 1671; died Abt. 23 Sep 1672 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England.
iii. Robert Pike, born Abt. Jun 1672; died 31 Jul 1673.
iv. Africa Pike, born 08 Jul 1673 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England; died Bef. 1718 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina USA; married (1) Thomas Palin Abt. 1688 in Pasquotank Co., NC; married (2) Hugh McGregor Bef. 1695; married (3) Robert Hicks Abt. 1706.

More About Africa Pike:
Will: 07 Nov 1711, Will of Africa Hicks, Pasquotank Co., NC--names two sons Patrick and Gregor Mackgregory, husband Robert Hicks, sister Ann Palin, widow (actually half-sister); witnessed by George Ellis and Eliza Harlow.

v. John Pike, Jr., born 10 Oct 1675 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England; died 27 Jul 1676 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England.
vi. Edward Pike, born 12 Mar 1676 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England; died Abt. Oct 1676 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England.
vii. Elizabeth Pike, born 26 May 1677 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England; died 08 Nov 1677 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England.
24 viii. Samuel Pike, born 29 Oct 1678 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England; died 08 Mar 1718 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina USA; married Jane ?.
ix. Mary Pike, born Abt. 20 Aug 1680 in St. Mary Aldermary Parish, London, England.

52. Jacob Overman, born Abt. 1649 in England?; died Abt. 1715 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina USA. He married 53. Hannah ? 25 Oct 1677 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT.
53. Hannah ?, born Abt. 1654; died 22 Feb 1692 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT.

Notes for Jacob Overman:
Comments by Bryan S. Godfrey: Except as otherwise noted, most of the information on the Overmans is from the research of Joyce Overman Bowman of Indianapolis, Indiana, and several others who have emailed me files on descendants of Jacob Overman in 2009.

The following has been copied and pasted from the website
http://users.ev1.net/~dhoskins/web/edwardove/pafg02.htm#26659
"Descendants of Edward Overman"
2003

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Jacob OVERMAN Sr. (Edward ) was born in 1652 in Saxony, Germany. He died on 12 Sep 1715 in , Pasquotank County, North Carolina.

Jacob arrived in Maryland early in the year 1667, being transported on the ship Thomas and Mary. Transported is a term used to denote that someone other than the passenger has paid for the passage. This often meant that the transported person would serve an indenture to the person paying for the passage.

I Thomas Harwood of London mariner do by these presents assign and sellover unto the Honble Charles Calvert Esq all my right titles and interest of the number of thirty rights of land due for transporting these persons following this present year their names are as followeth vizt Edward Bell, Mathew Fullmer, Robert White, Sarah Astell, John Steele, Thurston Collier, Cecella Johnson, Theophilus Chervill, John Davis, Timothy Wyatt, Geffery Mallershey, Oliver Millett, John Turner, John Harrison, Robert Howard, Samuel Randall, Peter Bawcomb, Servant by name John Cliff, Stephen Wynne, John Youngman, Thomas Sorrell Richard Jackmore, George Haze, John Gaine, Robert Clarke, Wm Carrell, William Johnson William Knight, Wm Snellick and Jacob Overman which said Rights of land I assign over to the said Charles Calvert and his heirs from me the said Thomas Harwood and my heirs which are due to me for transporting the said servants according to his Lopps Condition of plantacon In wittnesse whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale this eleventh day of March in the xxxvith yeare of his Lopps Dominnion over the province of Maryland Annoy Doln One thousand six hundred sixty seven. Signed Sealed & delivered in the presence of Us Thomas Harwood seale Jerome White Daniel Jenifer

Thomas Harwood proves 30 Rights and assigns Charles Calvert Esq Transcription of land patent in which Captain Thomas Harwood proves his land rights for transporting 30 persons into Maryland in 1667 and assigns these rights to Charles Calvert, who was Governor of Maryland. The last name on the list of persons is Jacob Overman.
Transcribed by Sam Overman, Box 52, Dahlgren, VA 22448. Permission to copy is granted. Maryland State Archives designation for the original document: LAND OFFICE (Patent Record), Original, p 250 Thomas Harwood, 11 March 1667 (MSA S920-23, MdHR 17,313, 1-28-4-29)

(265) Lib:GG 230

Thom Harwood proves 6 Rights and assigns Jerome White Esq Elizabeth Johnson, John Tills Edward, (sic) Davison, John Richardson, William Farbuson, Francis Kent proved by me the xith day of March MDCLxvii Charles Calvert I Thomas Harwood Master of the Ship Thomas and Mary do assigne over unto Jerome White of St Maries County in Maryland all my right title and interest in the rights due unto me for land according to the Condition of plantacon allowed by the right hon'ble the Lord Baron of Baltimore Lord Proprietary of this province for transporting of the following persons Viz Elizabeth Johnson, John Tills, Richard (sic) Davison, John Richardson, William Farbuson, and Francis Kent and doe Warrant the said sale unto the said White from my self and my heirs for ever In Witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seal this day the xith of March MDCLxvii Thomas Harwood Seale Signed Sealed and delivered in the presence of us Henry Warren Daniell Jennifer

Land Patent in which Thomas Harwood, master of the ship THOMAS AND MARY, proves 6 rights and assigns them to Jerome White.

Transcription by Sam Overman, Box 52, Dahgren, VA 22448. Permission to copy is granted. Maryland State Archives designation for this document is LAND OFFICE (Patents) 11, p. 265 Thomas Harwood, 1 (sic) March 1667. The date was probably misread by the archivists because the "x" in the body of the text is separated from the "i" and is scribbled. The "x" in the upper list of passengers is easily discernable, however. These passengers probably accompanied Jacob Overman, as recorded in LAND OFFICE (Patent Record), Original, p. 250 Thomas Harwood, 11 March 1667 (MSA S920-23, MdHE 17,313, 1-28-4-29). Note that Daniell Jennifer witnessed both documents, while Jerome White was witness to one and beneficiary of the other. Charles Calvert, Governor of MD, was witness to one and beneficiary of the other.

A court held for Talbott County By his Lordpps Justices of Peace ye one and twenty day of Jully in the yeare of ye Dominnion of Cecilius etc, Annoy Domi 1668

Present Henry Coursey Esq, Mr. Seth Foster Justices Mr Rich Woollman, Mr.Tho. Hynson Mr James Ringold, Mr Tho Powell Mr Richard Gorsuch Brought his Sarvt Jacob Overman to have Judgmt of Courtt for his time who is Ajudged to serve Six yeares:

Transcription of Talbot County, MD, court record in which Jacob Overman is judged to serve Richard Gorsuch for six years.

By Sam Overman, Box 52, Dahlgren, VA 22448. Found in MD State Archives, designated: TALBOT COUNTY (Judgment Record) BB #2, pp. 86-87, Jacob Overman, 21 July 1668 (MSA C1875, MdHR 8088-1, 1-42-1-2~). "Cecilius" is Cecil Calvert, Second Lord Baltimore, Proprieter of the Palatinate of Maryland. Permission to copy is granted.

Deed, 200 Acres from Edward Lloyd to Richard Gorsuch, 03 Dec 1663 Talbot County; Maryland, Land Record A1, page 6:

"Edw: Be it known unto all men by these presents that I Edw. Lloyd for divers good causes mee thereunto moving, and in consideration of fower thousand pounds of Tob. in hand paid or otherwise secured have a lien at and sold from mee my heirs and assign a parcell of land containing two hundred acres out of my grand Patten Lying on the North East side of Choptank River and on the North West side of the Dividing [now La Trappe--SHO] Creek; beginning at a marked ceader, and running downe ye river according to ye Line of grand Patten for breath (sic) two hundred perches from thence by a line north east for length three hundred and twenty perches from thence by a south south East line downe to ye Creeke and downe the creeke South West to ye ceader three hundred and twenty perches unto Richard Gorsuch his heirs and assigns to have and to hold forever with all rights and privylidges thereunto belonging in as ample manner as to mee patten is granted without the Lett hindrance of mee ye said Edward Lioyd or my heirs or any other person or persons under mee according to Law as witness my hand ye 3d of Xber 1663 Edw: Lloyd. Signed and Delivered in ye p'sents of us the marke of Jno Meares. Geo: H: Collins

Sam Overman, Box 52, Dahlgren, VA 22448; September 1993. permission is granted to reproduce and circulate this material by any means.

April 11, 1679 - Deed from Thomas Wickham to Jacob Overman is recorded

This writting made this second day of Janury in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred seventy & eight between Thomas wickham junr cord winder of wethersfeild in ye county of Hartford and colony of Conecticut the one party & Jacob overman Labourer of the same towne and county the other party wittnesseth that the said Tho wickham jnr for Divers good reasons & considerations him thereto moving & for & in consideration of a valuable sum of money to him the said wickham either in hand paid or lawfully asured by the said Jacob overman hath Alienated sold given granted & bargained & by these presents Doth Alienat sel give grant bargaine to the said overman and to his heirs or Asignes forever one piece of land lyeing or situat within the bounds of ye sd town of wethersfeild containing by estemation four acres be it more or less being part of the lott sold the sd Thomas wickham latly bought of Leiut Thomas Holister whose ends abuts on Hartford Line north and on land belonging to the sd wickham south the side on the land belonging to Mr James Richards west and on the Highway Leading to Hartford east to have and to hold the Above mentioned parcell of land with all the profitts privilidges and Apurtinances to the same belonging by the sd Jacob Overman his heirs and asigns from the day of the Date hereof forever he the sd Thomas wickham Covenanting hereby both for himselfe his heirs executors Administrators or Asignes in maner as followeth viz that he the sd wickham at the time of the enseallin and delivery hereof had good and Lawfull Right and Athoryty both for himselfe his heirs executors Aministrators or Asignes to Alienat & sell the above mentioned land acording to the Intent hereof and that wholely freed & discharged from all former gifts grants bargains sales mortgages jointurs or incomberances whatsoever but shall wholly remaine and be to the proper use and behoofe of the sd overman his heirs or Asignes forever to ocupy improove injoy posesse & inheritt without any lett hinderance or molestation from the sd wickham or from the heirs executors Administrators or Asignes of the sd wickham or from any other person or persons whatsoever by or under the sd wickham for the just and full performance hereof and every part hereof the said Thomas wickham bindeth himselfe his heirs executors adminis trators or Asignes firmely by these prsents as witnesse his hand and seal the Day and year Above written. Signed sealled and delivered in ye prsents of these witnesesThomas wickham seall
Sarah Butler her marke Samll Butler ,Thomas wickham junior personally apeared this 11th of April 1679 and Acknowledged the Above written Instrument to be his act Seald before me Samll Talcot Comissinr April 11th 1679

cordwinder--folk version of cordwainer, a cobbler or shoemaker behoofe--use, appropriate use lett--hindrance, obstacle Dashed underlined materials missing from a hole in the original and inferred after examination of companion deeds Deed found in LAND RECORD Vol 3, p35, in locked cabinet in office of Town Clerk, Wethersfield, CT. Transcribed by Sam Overman, Box 52, Dahlgren, VA 22448. Permission to copy is granted.

The intersection of Hartford Avenue and the north town line, both of which maintain their same locations as in colonial times in the area of this property, form the northeast corner of this property in modern Wethersfield. Prepared Oct 1992.

No.95 This writing made this 7th day January in the year of our Lord One thousand Six hundred Ninety four between Charles Tailer Cordwinder of the County of Albermarle in the province of Carolina of the one party & Jacob Overman brick Layer of the same County & province of the other party. Witnesseth that the said Charles Tailer for divers good reasons & Consideration him thereto moving & for and Consideration of Valuable Sum of money to him the said Tailer either in hand paid or lawfully assigned by the said Overman, hath Alienated Sold given granted & bargained & by these presents doth alienate sell give grant & bargain to the sd Overman and to his heirs or Assigns for Ever one parcel of Land lying or Situate within the bounds of the said County Containing one hundred thirty two acres more or less, whose Ends abutt on John Tomlin North and on William Jackson South & on Little River East, to hold the above mentioned Land with all profits priviliges & appurtenances thereto belonging by the said Jacob Overman his heirs or Assigns from the day of the date hereof for Ever he the said Charles Tailer Covenanting hereby both for him- self his heirs Extrs AdmS or Assigns in manner as followeth viz. that the said Tailer at the time Ensealing delivery hereof had and Lawful right & Authority both for himself his heirs Exrs Admrs or Assigns to alienate & sell the forementioned Land according to the Intent hereof and that wholly free and discharded from all former gifts grants bargains Sails Mortgages Jointures or in- cumbrances whatsoever but shall wholly remain and be to the proper use and behoof of the said Overman his heirs or Assigns 'for Ever to occupy improve injoy possess and Inherit without any Lett hindrance or Molestation from the said Tailer from the heirs Exrs Admrs or Assigns of the said Tailer or any other Person or Persons by from or under the said Tailer for the full and just performance hereof & every part hereof the said Tailer bindeth himself his heirs Exts Admrs or Assigns firmly by these presents As Witnesseth my hand & Seal set hereto the day and year above written Charles m Tailer his mark Signed Sealed and delivered In the presence of us Henry White Arnold White

Transcription by Sam Overman of deed #95, Charles Tailer to Jacob Overman, 7 January 1694, Perquimans County Record of Deeds,1681-1729, Vol. A, pp. 105, 106. This deed is almost an exact copy of the deed to Overman 4 acres in Wethersfield CT, including the occupation "Cordwinder" for Charles Tailer'

JACOB OVERMAN--Pasquotank Co., NC--12 Sept 1715
In the name of God Amen, I Jacob Overman, Senr of North Carolina, Planter, Being very Sick & weake in body but of perfect mind and memory Thanks be given unto God, theirfor Calling unto mind the mortality of my body & Knowing that: it is appointed for all men once to die Do make and publish this my Last will & Testamint in manner & form following (that is to say) Principally & first of all, I give & Recomnend my Soul into the hands of God that gave it & for my body I recommend it to the Earth to be decently buried at the Discretion of my Executors hereinafter named and as touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life I give devise & dispose of the same in the following manner & form ----- Imprimis, I will that all my Just Debts & Funerall Charges & Expenses shall be paid & discharged out of my Estate------- Item My will and mind is that all the Rest of my Personall Estate Goods & Chattels whatsoever (the mill excepted) be devided into three parts and one third their of I give & bequeath to my Loveing wife Dorothy Overman & that she shall have (if she pleases) in her third part the Best Bed & furnitur with her choice of the pewtter Brass printed Books etc. Item I give unto my Loveing Son Ephraim Overman one halfe of my Nigroman named Peter & the other halfe of the Sd Nigro to my Loveing Daughter Margary Macky & their heirs & assigns for Ever after the departure or decease of my Loveing Wife Dorothy Overman out of the aforsd Collony of North Carolina-------Imetem I give unto my Lov. son Chas Overman ten pounds. Item I give unto my Loveing Son Ephraime Overman the Mill after the departure or decease of my Loveing wife Dorothy Overman & his heirs and Assigns for Ever. Item I give unto my Loveing Son Jacob Overman, deceased, his Children Forty pounds to be devided Equally amongst them all & if any should die his or their shaire or part shall be given or devided Equally amongst the Rest. All the Rest of my Goods & Chattals I give & Bequeath unto my Loveing wife Dorothy Overnan & her heirs or assigns for Ever-------- And of this my Last will & Testiment I make Constitue & Appoint my well Esteemed Friend William Haig and my Loveing Son Thos Macky Executors of this my Last will & Testament & I do hereby Revoke and make Null & void all & every former wills & Testaments by me heretofor made or published and appointing & declairing this only to be my Last will & Testament In wittness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand & Seal the Twelve Day of September & in the year of our Lord one thousand Seven hundred & fifteen------------ Signed Sealled published & Declared by the above named Jacob Overman Senr the Testator the day & year last above written for and as his Last will & Testamt in the presence of the persons whose names are here underwritten who did Sett /s/ Jacob Overman Seaner their names as wittnesses hereunto in the presence of the Sd Testator------ James Bell Robeart Wheatley thomas wood-ey
Transcription of the will of Jacob Overman, Sr., which was never probated, but is in the Colonial Records of North Carolina. William Haig was husband of Jacob's daughter Ann (deceased), and "Son Thos Macky" was his son-in-law, husband of his daughter Margery.

By Sam Overman, Box 52, Dahlgren VA 22448. Permission to copy is granted.

MARRIAGE: Jacob Overman and Hannah his wife was married the 25th of October in the year 1677
Transcription of marriage record from "Land Records, Vol. 2 " Wethersfield, CT., by Sam Overman, Box 52, Dahlgren, VA 22448. Vital records are clustered in, a section of pages at the back of this volume, and an index appears at the beginning of this section. A faint image of this record may be found on Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints microfilm #0005991, "Wethersfield, CT, Land Records Vols 1-2, 1635-1757." This is on the 27th page from the last page on the film, which is black.

Jacob married (1) Hannah on 25 Oct 1677 in Wethersfield, Connecticut - Hartford County. Hannah was born about 1657 in Boston, Suffolk Co MA. She died on 22 Feb 1692 in Weathersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut.

MARRIAGE: Controversy continues as to exactly who Jacob Overman married, beyond knowing her name to be Hannah. Various proofs have been offered, none to the satisfaction of all researchers.

More About Jacob Overman:
Immigration: 1667, Was transported from London, England to Maryland on the ship "Thomas and Mary" by Thomas Harwood, mariner. Indentured for 6 years to Richard Gorsuch of Talbot Co., MD, on 20 Jul 1668.
Occupation: Believed to have been a bricklayer
Residence: Maryland after 1667; bought land in Wethersfield, CT in 1679; on 25 Feb 1694 received a grant for 400 acres in North Carolina by Gov. Thomas Harvey.

Children of Jacob Overman and Hannah ? are:
i. Jacob Overman, Jr., born 20 Oct 1678 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; died 1715 in Pasquotank Co., NC; married Rebecca Newby 1699 in Pasquotank Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Pasquotank Co., NC; born 1678; died Abt. 1750.

More About Jacob Overman, Jr.:
Quaker deathdate: 8th 7mo 1715

ii. Thomas Overman, born 08 Dec 1679 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; died Bef. 1715 in North Carolina?.

More About Thomas Overman:
Comment: Probably the same Thomas Overman listed on the 1702 Tax List for Perquimans Co., NC

26 iii. Ephraim Overman, born 09 Mar 1682 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; died 1732 in Pasquotank Co., NC; married Sarah Belman 1708 in Pasquotank Friends Meeting, Pasquotank Co., NC.
iv. Margery Overman, born 05 Nov 1683 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; married Thomas Mackey.
v. John Overman, born 30 Jan 1684 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; died Bef. 1695 in Connecticut.

More About John Overman:
Comment: He is presumed to have died before 1694 because he was not listed in the land grant his father received that year.

vi. Charles Overman, born 04 Dec 1686 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; died Abt. 1756 in Pasquotank Co., NC; married Ann Symons 1711 in Pasquotank Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Pasquotank Co., NC; died 1763 in Pasquotank Co., NC.

More About Charles Overman:
Probate: 1756, Pasquotank Co., NC
Will: 1755, Pasquotank Co., NC

vii. Joseph Overman, born 27 Mar 1688 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; died Bef. 1695 in Connecticut.

More About Joseph Overman:
Comment: He is presumed to have died before 1694 because he was not listed in the land grant his father received that year.

viii. Ann Overman, born 02 Feb 1690 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; died Bef. 1715; married William Haig.
ix. Hope Overman, born 20 Feb 1692 in Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT; died Bef. 1695 in Connecticut.

54. John Belman, born Abt. 1662 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 05 Nov 1706 in Perquimans Co., NC. He married 55. Sarah Wilson 19 Aug 1687 in residence of Jonathan Phelps, Perquimans Co., NC.
55. Sarah Wilson, born 28 Jun 1668 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 1706 in Perquimans Co., NC. She was the daughter of 110. Robert Wilson and 111. Ann ?.

Children of John Belman and Sarah Wilson are:
27 i. Sarah Belman, born 28 Jun 1688 in Pasquotank Co. or Perquimans Co., NC; died Aft. 1748; married (1) Ephraim Overman 1708 in Pasquotank Friends Meeting, Pasquotank Co., NC; married (2) Nathaniel Martin Bet. 1732 - 1738.
ii. Esther Belman, born 22 Jan 1691 in Pasquotank Co. or Perquimans Co., NC; married John Turner 16 Aug 1712.
iii. John Belman, Jr., born 07 Sep 1695 in Pasquotank Co. or Perquimans Co., NC; died 1740; married Mary.
iv. Robert Belman, born 02 Dec 1697 in Pasquotank Co. or Perquimans Co., NC.
v. Jane Belman, born 03 Jan 1701 in Pasquotank Co. or Perquimans Co., NC.
vi. Mary Belman, born 03 Jan 1701 in Pasquotank Co. or Perquimans Co., NC.
vii. William Belman, born 06 May 1704.
viii. Ruth Belman, born 11 Feb 1707 in Pasquotank Co. or Perquimans Co., NC.

56. Edmund Maudlin, born Bef. 1686; died Abt. 1710 in Perquimans Co., NC. He was the son of 112. ? Maudlin. He married 57. Ellinor ?.
57. Ellinor ?

Child of Edmund Maudlin and Ellinor ? is:
28 i. Ezekiel Maudlin III, born Abt. 1708 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Bef. Jul 1745 in Perquimans Co., NC; married Mary ?.

60. James Perisho, Jr., born 25 Nov 1676 in Perquimans Co., NC; died in Perquimans Co., NC. He was the son of 120. James Perisho and 121. Hannah Phelps. He married 61. Mary Morgan 18 Feb 1696 in Perquimans Co., NC.
61. Mary Morgan, born Abt. 1680. She was the daughter of 122. James Morgan and 123. Jane Knea.

More About James Perisho, Jr.:
Event: 1690, Selected Stephen Manwarring/Manneringe as his guardian who would manage the orphan James Perisho's plantation until he came of age.
Property: 1681, Land grant in trust issued to James and his sister Ellener when he was five years old. His father died when he was two years old. It was unusual for such a grant to be left to a minor.

Children of James Perisho and Mary Morgan are:
i. Jane Perisho, born 12 Dec 1697.
30 ii. James Perisho III, born 02 Mar 1701 in Perquimans Co., NC; died 02 Jan 1744 in Perquimans Co., NC; married Sarah Trumbull.
iii. John Perisho, born 04 Nov 1703 in Berkeley Parish, Perquimans Co., NC; died 17 Dec 1755 in Perquimans Co., NC; married Jean ?.
iv. Joseph Perisho, born Abt. 1705; died Abt. 1762; married Deborah Wood 05 Aug 1744 in Perquimans Co., NC; born 25 Mar 1725 in Perquimans Co., NC.
v. Joshua Perisho, born Abt. 1710; died 22 Apr 1797; married (1) Elizabeth ? Bef. 1754; married (2) Rachel Small 14 May 1755; married (3) Miriam Morris 14 Apr 1763; died 13 Dec 1769 in Pasquotank Co., NC.

62. Simon Trumbull, died Abt. 06 Jan 1706 in Perquimans Co., NC. He married 63. Ann Perry?.
63. Ann Perry?, born Abt. 1674; died Abt. 1720.

Notes for Simon Trumbull:
https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gwenbj&id=I2008180

Weynette Parks Haun, Old Albemarle County North Carolina, Perquimans
Precinct Court Minutes 1688 thru 1738, (Durham, NC: Weynette Parks
Haun, 1980), p. 153-114, 182-143,
===
Aprill ye 15th 1704. Simon TRUMBULL records for his proper Marke A
Crop & A Hole in Each Ear.
===
Court held 10 April 1705. Thomas SNODEN prov __ an acct. agr. the
Estate of Simon TRUMBULL Deced for the Sume of Two pounds & sixteen
shillings & Nyne pence & proves the same by his Oath.
Upon Peticon of Thomas SNODEN praying an Order fo rthe Sume of Two
pounds Sixteen Shillings & Nyne pence in the hands of Anne TRUMBULL
Widdow Administratrix of the Estate of Simon TRUMBULL Deced.
Orderd that Anne TRUMBULL Widdow administratrix of the Estate of Simon
TRUMBULL Deced. pay unto Thomas SNODEN the Sume of Two pounds Sixteen
Shillings & Nyne pence with Costs als Exon.


Child of Simon Trumbull and Ann Perry? is:
31 i. Sarah Trumbull, born 02 Feb 1692 in Perquimans Co., NC; died 24 May 1754; married James Perisho III.

Generation No. 7

84. John Busby, born in Milton, County Kent, England?; died 06 Oct 1699 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA. He married 85. Mary ?.
85. Mary ?, died 03 Oct 1699 in Philadelphia, PA.

Notes for John Busby:
The following is quoted from page 25 of Judith Cox Whipple's "A Cox Family History" (1989), citing a certificate to Philadelphia Monthly Meeting in Quaker records:

The 4th day of ye 2nd Mo. 1682, Whereas, John Busbey, weaver, of Milton (England), in the parish of Shipton and belonging to the meeting at Milton is disposed to transport himself beyond the sea into pensilvania this is our testimony to whom it may Concerne he ownes the living and everlasting truth of god and hath walked amongst us blameless in his life and Conversation and wee doe beleeve he is nott Indebted unto none as wee Can understand therefore we doe sett our testimony thereof.

The following sketch of the Buzby/Busby family is quoted from "Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas French" (1909) by Howard Barclay French, Volume I, pages 139-41:

The Buzby family were among the earliest settlers of Pennsylvania, consisting of John Buzby, who came from Milton, England, to Philadelphia, in 1682, with his wife Mary, his sons John, William, Edward, Richard and Nicholas, and daughters Mary, Elizabeth and Sarah. He was a weaver and his sons, all sturdy young men, were for a time engaged in the same line of work...


Children of John Busby and Mary ? are:
i. John Busby, Jr., born in probably Milton, England; died Abt. 1699; married Mary Taylor 01 Apr 1690 in Philadelphia Friends Meeting, Chester Co., PA.
ii. Edward Busby, born in probably Milton, England; died Abt. 1726 in Philadelphia, PA; married Suzanna Adams 07 May 1696 in Abington Friends Meeting, Philadelphia Co., PA.
iii. Nicholas Busby, born in probably Milton, England; died 1727 in Wellingboro Township, Burlington County, New Jersey USA; married Mary French 30 Oct 1695 in Burlington Friends Meeting, Burlington Co., NJ; born Abt. 08 Aug 1675 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died 1728 in Wellingboro Township, Burlington County, New Jersey USA.
iv. Mary Busby, married (unknown) Hunt.
v. Elizabeth Busby, married (unknown) Davis.
vi. Sarah Busby, married Richard Tomlinson.
vii. William Busby, born in probably Milton, England; died Abt. 1716 in Philadelphia, PA; married Sarah Seary 11 Aug 1685 in Abingdon Friends Meeting, Philadelphia Co., PA.
42 viii. Richard Busby, born Abt. 1670 in Milton, County Kent, England?; died Jul 1747 in Philadelphia Co., PA; married Hannah French 30 Aug 1695 in Burlington Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Burlington, Burlington Co., NJ.

86. Thomas French, Jr., born Abt. 1639 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died 1699 in Rancocas, Burlington County, New Jersey USA. He was the son of 172. Thomas French and 173. Sara ?. He married 87. Jane Atkins 12 Jun 1660 in Whilton Parish, England.
87. Jane Atkins, born in England; died 05 Aug 1692 in Rancocas, Burlington County, New Jersey USA.

Notes for Thomas French, Jr.:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bobwolfe/gene/Web2Ged/GoodWolfe/mn/m2298.htm

Thomas French, the eldest son of Thomas and Sarah French (ffrench), was born in
Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England, Oct 1639, and on 3 Nov 1639, was
baptized in the Episcopal Church of Saints Peter and Paul, in that parish. He
was reared in the faith of the Church of England, but as a young man was
attracted to the doctrine preached by the Society of Friends (Quakers), and
was one of the most enthusiastic followers of George Fox. As a Quaker he
suffered many persecutions and trials (documentation on record and described
below) for his beliefs and spent many months in prison. He had met and fallen
in love with Jane Atkins, of Nether Heyford, and on 12 Jun 1660, they were
married in the parish church at Whilton, Northamptonshire, England by the Rev.
Richard Morris. Why they were not married in their own parish is not clear,
but on 8 Mar 1663, at the request of Jane (Atkins) French, the Rev. John
Bedford, of Nether Heyford, entered the marriage in his records. Over the
next few years England was too warm for Thomas French. The authorities were
continually annoying him because of his Quaker principles. It is no wonder
that he took keen interest in the plans of William Penn and other leading
Friends to found a religious asylum in the "New World". In Mar 1676, the
"Concessions and Agreements of the Proprietors, Freeholders and Inhabitants of
the Province of West New Jersey, in America", were published. This is one of
the great historic documents in America, for it formulated the priciples of
equality and righteousness which were afterwards incorporated into the
Constitution of the United States. It not only established the Government of
the colony, but also provided for fair dealings with the aborigines of New
Jersey. It was signed by 150 prominent Quakers, headed by William Penn, and
among the signatures on that immortal Constitution the name of Thomas French
was conspicuous. (Howard Barclay French, page 76a has signature)

Thomas wrote 7 entries in his bible, which are listed below in chronological
order of occurrance: (Howard Barclay French, page 56-58).

1639 "I Thomas ffrench was baptized November the 3, 1639. "

1657 "Thomas French of Upper Norton, was imprisoned in 1657, at the suit of
William Thomas, a lawyer and renter of Tithes, and for a demand of but 11
shillings for Tithes suffered two and forty months imprisonment." Sufferings
of the People called Quakers, Vol 1, page 465 by Joseph Besse.

1660 "I Thomas ffrench was married to my wife Jane, June 12 1660. " (see also
Howard Barclay French, page 65).

1662 Thomas French was taken from meeting at Banbury, in 1662, and committed
to prison." Sufferings of the People called Quakers, Vol 1, page 468 by
Joseph Besse.

1665 "December the first about 10 at night my son Richard was born. The Lord
give him grace that he may continually walk before him."

1666 " Thomas French, 1666, taken at a meeting at the house of Elizabeth
White, at Coggs, near Whitney, committed to house of corrections for one
month." Sufferings of the People called Quakers, Vol 1, page 571 by Joseph
Besse.

1667 "My son Thomas was born ... between 8 and 9 o'clock at night."

1671 "my son Charles was born, the 20 day of March between 11 and 12 at
night."

1673 "In the year 1673 was a very stormy year for the waters did sore break
out of their bounds and was a very wet season, such wet May day, after which
floods that flooded the meadows when they were ready to mow and drove away in
many stacks and bindings of hay, and we had a summer like unto winter for cold
and wet for the general year." (Thomas did not like the weather in England.
Howard Barclay French, page 56)

1680 "I and my wife and nine children through the mercy of God came into this
country and landed at Burlington, the 23 of the 7 month 1680." Note written
by Thomas French in his bible upon his arrival in America.

The items below go back a bit in time to describe how he got to America.

1677 The famous ship, "Kent", under the command of Gregory Marlowe, sailed
from England, conveying the first English families to colonize West New
Jersey. It is not known whether Thomas French was on this vessel, but it is a
known fact that he came alone to America to look over the land and make plans
for his home. Then he returned to England for his family, and on 1 Aug 1680,
he and his family came to New Jersey on the "Kent's" second voyage. In due
time they arrived in Burlington Co., and settled on a tract of 600 acres on
the banks of the Rancocas Creek, about four miles from the newly founded city
of Burlington. 8 May 1692, his wife, Jane, died at their home at Rancocas, NJ.
While his grief was no doubt great at the loss of this staunch companion who
had been by his side thrugh his troubled years, 6 Jun 1694, he announced his
intention to go to England, and asked two close Friends to inquire into his
"Clearness upon the Account of Marriage and by their report as also several
other neighbors the meeting was satisfied to give him" a Certificate from the
Meeting "which was accordingly done". This procedure meant that the Meeting
was requested to issue to Thomas French a certificate showing that he had not
entangled himself with other women - that he might freely wed the lady of his
choice. 25 Jul 1695, he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Stanton, a
member of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, where the ceremony was performed.
Thomas French was destined to survive this marriage only a few years; he died
in 1699 at Rancocas, Burlington Co., NJ, and was buried beside his first wife
in the family's burial plot, on his plantation in Rancocas. From his will, it
would appear that in his last years he had contemplated returning to England
-as he had planned in 1694 - but death evidently altered his intention.
At his death he was one of the largest landowners in the Province, possessing
1200 acres of improved land, and in addition to this domain, his proprietary
shares of unsurveyed land gave him approximately 2000 acres. Thomas French was
a man of strong and forceful character, and was blunt and outspoken in his
comments. He frequently had cause to regret his hasty remarks and actions,
and seldom hesitated to apologize, if he believed he was in the wrong. Nor
would he refuse to retract his statements if, in his opinion, he had justice
on his side. He was a deeply religious man, and performed his tasks as a
member of the Society of Friends with conscientiousness and devotion.

Moorestown and Her Neighbors, Historical Sketches By George Decou, chapter 17,
page 128 gives the following summary of this family:
"FRENCH: Thomas and Jane Atkins French arrived from England in 1680. In 1684
he located a 600 acre tract on the northern side of Rancocas Creek between the
Rancocas and Mill Creeks about two miles below the forks. In 1689 he purchased
621 acres on "Pomsocking" Creek next to Thomas Wallis and southward to a
corner of Thomas Rodman's tract. This plantation lay to the north and west of
Moorestown.(Howard Barclay French, pages 70-72 has the deed transctiptions
John Woolston and from Anthony Morris to Thomas French). A line drawn from
the public school buildings at the corner of Church and Second Streets to the
bridge over Pensauken Creek on the Haddonfield Road marks the approximate
southern boundary of the French tract. Thomas French, Sr., apparently never
settled on this plantation. In 1694 he deeded 300 acres of this tract to his
son, Thomas, "in consideration of the naturall affection, goodwill and
kindness which he hath and beareth to his beloved son." Thomas and Jane French
had four sons, Richard, Thomas, Charles and John. Richard settled on a 460
acre tract in Mansfield Township and Thomas on the 300 acre plantation given
to him by his father. The homestead was located on King's Highway in the
neighborhood of Camden Pike and Pleasant Valley Avenue. Charles settled on the
original tract on Rancocas Creek and John in Northampton Township. Charles
French had a son Charles, who settled on a large farm near Fellowship,
afterwards removing to Moorestown. Robert French, son of Thomas French, Jr.,
married Hannah Cattel in Tenth month, 1737, and located on Church Road about
one mile north of Moorestown. Thomas French, the progenitor of the family in
Burlington County, was a signer of the "Concessions and Agreements" and was
active in the affairs of the community in which he lived as well as an
influential member of the Society of Friends. Wm. deR.. Walter and Cooper
French of Moorestown, are direct descendants of the pioneer, Thomas French."

Thomas French, in accordance with the custom of his family for generations,
and that of nearly all Protestant Englishmen of his time, had his children
baptized in the Church of England, notwithstanding his early sympathy and
unity with the Society of Friends. The obligation thus assumed, as to the
religious care and training of his children, was faithfully kept, the family
Bible being an impressive witness in this respect. He had issue, by his first
wife, Jane; Sara (died an infant), Jane, Rachel, Richard, Thomas, Hannah,
Charles, John, Sarah, Mary, Jane, Lydia, an infant; by his second wife,
Elizabeth; a daughter, Rebecca.

1682 Thomas French has differences with the town officers of Burlington and
with governor Olive. Thomas was called before the council several times
regarding these matters until after the death of Governor Olive in 1994. The
anture of the dusppute is not clarified in the town meeting minutes. (Howard
Barclay French, page 66-70 has transcriptions).

1688 Thomas French is named as one of the proprietors of Burlington who agree
on several issues of self-government, during the course of resolving a dispute
about the survey lines in New Jersey (Smith History, page 201).

1690 The 600 acre land that Thomas French purchased from the Indians is shown
on a map of Willingborough Township. (Woodward, page 510 and Barclay French,
page 50). This land is described in surveys of Thomas Revell dated a695 and
1698. (Howard Barclay French, page 73).

1692 Thomas wrote in his bible: "My wife Jane deceased this life the fifth day
of the 8 month 1692. My youngest child died the 12 of the same." (Howard
Barclay French, page 56-58).

1694 Thomas ffrench deeds 300 acres to his son Thomas. (Howard Barclay French,
page 74).

1696, 25 Jul, Thomas French letter to marry Elizabeth Stanton. (Ref: Hinshaw,
p. 528)

1699 Thomas's will was proved: 3 May. The inventory of items from his estate
is valued at 68 pounds and the house and land are valued at 200 pounds.
(Howard Barclay French, page 76-80). He owned over 2,000 acres of land. (Utah
Genealogical Magazine 1931, page 155).

1699 Thomas ffrench and his wife Jane were buried in a private lot, 16 1/2
feet square, on the homestead plantation, Rancocas, N.J. (Howard Barclay
French, page 65)

More About Thomas French, Jr.:
Baptism: 03 Nov 1639, Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England
Elected: Bet. 1684 - 1685, Commissioner of Highways for the Pennsylvania and/or New Jersey colony
Emigration: Abt. 01 Aug 1680, Sailed from London in the ship "Kent" with his wife and nine children to Pennsylvania
Ethnicity/Relig.: Was born and raised in the Anglican faith but became converted to the Society of Friends (Quakers)
Event 1: Was imprisoned for a total of several years (at different times) for his faith and his refusal to pay tithes to the Anglican church, as recorded by Joseph Besse in "The Sufferings of the People Called Quakers"
Event 2: Mar 1676, Was among the 150 signers of "Concessions and Agreements of the Proprietors, Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Province of West New Jersey, in America, " an important document in American democracy.
Property 1: Aft. 1680, Settled on a 600-acre tract on the banks of the Rancocas River about four miles from Burlington, New Jersey
Property 2: 1699, Owned about 1200 acres of improved land and also possessed a proprietary share of about 2000 acres of unsurveyed lands
Residence 1: Bef. 1657, Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England
Residence 2: 1657, Upper Norton, Oxfordshire, England
Residence 3: Aft. 1679, Burlington Co., NJ USA

Children of Thomas French and Jane Atkins are:
i. Sara French, born Abt. 17 Mar 1661 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died Abt. 10 Apr 1661 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England.
ii. Jane French, born Abt. 11 Jul 1662 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died 30 Apr 1671 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England.
iii. Rachel French, born 24 Mar 1664 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; married (1) Hugh Sharpe; born 1668 in Northamptonshire, England; died 1742 in Wellingboro Township, Burlington County, New Jersey USA; married (2) Matthew Allen 1687; died Oct 1701 in Chester Township, Burlington County, New Jersey USA.
iv. Richard French, born 01 Dec 1665 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died 1745 in Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey USA; married (1) Sarah Scattergood 1693; born in probably Stepney Parish, London, England; died Abt. 1700 in New Jersey USA; married (2) Mary King 13 Nov 1701 in Burlington, Burlington Co., NJ.

Notes for Richard French:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/i/l/Ann-L-Wilson/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0826.html

Notes for Richard French:
upon his marriage in 1693, purchased a tract of land, 460 acres, in M ansfield Twp, Burlington Co., where he seems to have resided the remainder of his life. The nearest meeting was the one early established at Crosswicks. In 1715 he was recorded as an overseer and in 1723 as an Elder and minister. He was a frequent representative at Quarterly and Yearly Meeting. Even past his middle age he was active in preaching and visitation, journeying through the wilderness to New England and the South. His will and inventory indicate that he was prosperous. He died in 1745. His will was dated 23 September 1745 and affirmed 9 November 1745. The inventory was taken 25 October 1745. Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Divorces By the Court of Chancery. Chesterfield (Burlington County) Friends' Monthly Meeting Marriage Records, 1686-1800 Males, page 658: French, Richard, of Mansfield Township, and Mary King, of Nottingham Township, dau. of Harmenus King, at the house of Harmenus King. 13th 11th mo. 1701
Richard French was a very active Friend. He was involved in Missionary work as well as involvement with his meeting. A memorandum in the family bible of Thomas Ffrench says: "December the first about ten at night my son Richard was born 1665. The Lord give him grace that hee (sic) may continually walk before him." Richard was 15 when the family emigrated to America. He was a farmer and purchased 450 acres in Mansfield Township, Burlington County. He was a faithful and zealous Friend. In 1715 he was an overseer, Elder and minister. He was active in preaching and travelled to New England and the South in his ministry. In 1701 he was a tax collector. He raised a large family, all ten of his children reaching marriageable age. The particular phraseology of his recorded papers shows a mind exceedingly careful of details, with a just and kindly spirit. His monthly meeting testified, after his death, that in the exercise of his gift in the ministry, "he labored faithfully in his declining age, and travelled much in North America." Some individuals list Richard and Sarah's marriage as 11 Jul 1693 in Stepney Parish, London , England; Some individulas list Richard and Mary's marriage as 13 Nov 1701 in Chesterfield Monthly Meeting, NJ. Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey Chesterfield (Burlington County) Friends' Monthly Meeting Marriage Records, 1686-1800 Males. F Divorces By the Court of Chancery. page 658 French, Richard, of Mansfield Township, and Mary King, of Nottingham Township, dau. of Harmenus King, at the house of Harmenus King. 13th 11th mo. 1701. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. II 1730-1750 Calendar of New Jersey Wills Page: 188 Name: Richard French Date: 24 Jul 1745; 24 Sep 1745 Location: Mansfield, Burlington Co. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. II 1730-1750 Calendar of New Jersey Wills will of. Wife, Mary. Children--Richard, Thomas, Benjamin, Jonathan, William, Elizabeth (wife of William Schooley), Mary (wife of Preserved Brown), Rebeckah (wife of Benjamin Shreve), Sarah (wife of William Marling), and Abigail (wife of Jacob Taylor). Real and personal estate. Executor--son William. Witnesses--William Sunderland, Benjamin Shreve, Sam'l Harris. Proved Nov. 9, 1745. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. I 1670-1730. Part I Calendar of New Jersey Wills. 17 Oct 1701 Bond of Rachel, widow, and Mathew, son of dec'd, as executors, Richard French and Charles French, all of Burlington, sign also the bond. More About Richard French: 15 Dec 1666, Bapt. at Church of St. Peter and Paul , Nether Heyford, England, Children of Richard French and Sarah SCATTERGOOD are:
1. Elizabeth French, b. 1694, Nether Heyford, Northampton, England; d. 1761, Morris, NJ; m.
William Scholey, Abt. 1717, Burlington Co., NJ; b. 01 Dec 1665, Nether Heyford,
Northampton, England; d. 1763, Morris, NJ.
2. Richard French, b. 20 Oct 1696, New Jersey; m. Rachel.
3. Thomas French, b. 1698, Mansfield, Burlington, NJ.

Children of Richard French and Mary King are:
4. Mary French, b. 03 Nov 1707, Burlington Co., NJ; d. 18 Aug 1746, Burlington Co., NJ; m.
Preserve Brown, 15 Aug 1724, Chesterfield Monthly Meeting, Burlington, NJ; b. 1699, Chesterfield,
Burlington Co., NJ; d. 23 May 1760.
5. Rebecca French, b. Abt. 1709, Burlington, NJ; d. after 1751, Burlington, NJ;
m. (1) Benjamin Shreve, 23 Feb 1728/29, Springfield Meeting House, Burlington County, NJ;
b. 09 Jun 1706, Mt. Pleasant, Mansfield, Burlington Co., NJ; d. 23 Feb 1750/51,
Burlington County, NJ; on the old homestead;
m. (2) George Eagre, after 1750.
6. William French, b. 07 Apr 1712, Mansfield, Burlington Co., NJ; d. 1781, Hanover Twp., Burlington, NJ; m.
Lydia Taylor, 20 Sep 1748, Burlington, NJ; b. 1716, Bordentown, Burlington, NJ; d. after 1763.
7. Sarah French, b. 20 Jul 1715, Mansfield, Burlington Co., NJ; d. 01 Dec 1796.
8. Abigail French, b. 05 Jul 1717, Mansfield, Burlington Co., NJ; d. after 1741;
m. (1) James Lewis, Jan 1736/37, Chesterfield Monthly Meeting, Burlington, NJ; b. Philadelphia, PA;
d. Mar 1740/41, Bordentown, Burlington, NJ;
m. (2) Jacob Taylor, After Jan 1736/37, Burlington Monthly Meeting, Burlington, NJ.
9. Benjamin French, b. 11 Dec 1719, Burlington Co., NJ; d. Sep 1747, Bordentown, Burlington, New Jersey.
10. Jonathan French, b. 27 Nov 1722, Mansfield, Burlington Co., NJ; d. 1778, Burlington, NJ.

v. Thomas French III, born Abt. 31 Oct 1667 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died 1745 in Moorestown, New Jersey USA; married (1) Mary Allen 1696; died Abt. 1730; married (2) Mary Pearce 1732.

More About Thomas French III:
Burial: Chester Friends Cemetery, Moorestown, NJ

43 vi. Hannah French, born Abt. 05 Sep 1669 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; married Richard Busby 30 Aug 1695 in Burlington Monthly (Friends) Meeting, Burlington, Burlington Co., NJ.
vii. Charles French, born 20 Mar 1671 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died Aft. 1722 in Burlington County, New Jersey USA; married Elinor Abt. 1708.
viii. John French, born Abt. 02 Jan 1673 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died Abt. May 1729 in Northampton Township, Burlington County, New Jersey USA; married (1) Ann 1701; married (2) Sarah Mason 1724.
ix. Sarah French, born Abt. 23 Feb 1674 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; married Isaac Wood 1695 in Burlington Friends Meeting, Burlington County, New Jersey USA.
x. Mary French, born Abt. 08 Aug 1675 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died 1728 in Wellingboro Township, Burlington County, New Jersey USA; married Nicholas Busby 30 Oct 1695 in Burlington Friends Meeting, Burlington Co., NJ; born in probably Milton, England; died 1727 in Wellingboro Township, Burlington County, New Jersey USA.
xi. Jane French, born Abt. 19 Nov 1676 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; married Daniel Hall 1697.
xii. Lydia French, born Abt. 1682 in Rancocas, NJ; married David Arnold Abt. 1708.
xiii. infant, born Abt. 1692; died 1692 in Rancocas, NJ.

88. William Fellow, born Abt. 1635 in Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England. He was the son of 176. Robert Fellow and 177. Elizabeth ?. He married 89. Sarah ?.
89. Sarah ?

Notes for William Fellow:
Fellow Family
in England 1500 – 1700

Copyright Cynthia Joyner 2005 (Click HERE before copying)

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fellowfamily/Fellow%20FamGrps/html/FellowG02England.html#William1635

William Fellow was born in 1635 in Parish of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. He married Sarah ___?

They had the following

Children:

William Fellow
Born abt. 1660

Robert Fellow*
Born abt. 1665

Married Sarah Littleboy
Died abt 1717
Maryland

Sarah Fellow
Born abt. 1670

Mary Fellow
Born abt. 1675

Elizabeth Fellow
Born abt. 1680
Of Chartridge
Married Hyrah Gate

We know of the children of William Fellow from the Will of Richard Fellow proved 1706.

"I give and devise unto my Cousin William Fellow (Son of my Uncle William Fellow of Chesham aforesaid) and to his heirs and assigns forever all that my Messauge or Tenement with the appurtenances wherein Robert Pratt now dwelleth with the outhouses and Backside belonging thereunto situate and being in Chesham aforesaid subject hereinafter to the payment of the several Annuities of monies hereinafter next mentioned and bequeathed (that is the say) the Sum of twenty pounds of lawful money of England unto his Brother Robert Fellow and the like sum of twenty pounds of like money unto his Sister Sarah Fellow and the like sum of twenty pounds of like money unto his sister Mary Fellow and the like sum of twenty pounds of like money unto his sister Elizabeth Gate All with said several legacies of Twenty pounds I do hereby give and bequeath unto the said unto the several legatees before named and do charge the same upon my said Messuage or Tenement herein before devised unto my said Cozen William Fellow to be paid within six months next after my decease"

We now have the following data:

1. Buckinghamshire: Chesham - Parish Register, 1538-1636

"Baptized - Thomas and Willia sones of Robert and Elizab: Fellowe 23 Jul 1635"

2. Will of Robert Fellow, Blacksmith of Chesham proven 1652

"son William Fellows and to his assigns Forty pounds …. son William Fellows and his heirs, the said Close called Bottoms Close …"

3. Will of Richard Fellow, Draper of Chesham proven 1706

"Cousin William Fellow (Son of my Uncle William Fellow of Chesham aforesaid) ……his Brother Robert Fello

4. Bible record transcribed by Wilber K. Thomas in the 1930s Bible signed by Robert Fellow in 1771 [1]

"William Follow, born 10 o'clock being the 3rd day of June 1635 (in England)
Sarah Follow born ten o'clock at night Nov. 13th, 1637
Robert Follow born Nov. 21, 1694 (in England)
John Follow born Nov. 20th 1697
Mary Follow born Nov. 2nd, 1703


Bible record published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by The Bible Association of Friends in America, 1844


Robert Fellow was married to Sarah Littleboy the 19th day of the 8th month 1696 [3]
John Fellow son of the above was born the 20th of the 11th month 1697 [2]

6. Buckinghamshire Parish Registers. Marriages at High Wycombe, 1600 to 1812.

Robt. Fellow & Sarah Littleboy 19 Oct 1690

7. Will of Richard Fellow, Draper of Chesham proven 1706

" AND unto my loving friends Josiah Oxon? of Chesham aforesaid Snoter and Joseph Groth of Younger of Chesham aforesaid Ironmonger I give the sum of ten pounds of like money to be paid unto them of or one of them by my said Executrix within three months next after my death and to be by them of out of them distributed unto and amongst such of my poor friends called Quakers as they shall think meet

And I doth desire her to bury my body in the Burying Ground belonging to my friends the people called Quakers in Chesham aforesaid."

Conclusion:

From the confluence of dates, names, relationships and the fact that Richard Fellow directed his burial in the Quaker Burying Grounds, I think we have identified the family of Robert Fellow who came to Maryland in America sometime after his first child was born in 1694 and before he appeared in the records of the Sept 1697 Orphan's in Talbot County Maryland. This Robert Fellow was also a Quaker.


[1] I believe that the "Follow" spelling is a mistake made in 1937 when it was copied by Wilber K. Thomas. Perhaps this same Bible is the source of Henry C. Coffin's fanciful "Follow" story in his family history. The databases now available from the UK do not get any hits on the surname of "Follow", but tons for Fellow and other spellings (Fellows, Fellowe, Fellowes). Looking at the handwriting in the 18th century will of Richard Fellow we see many letters that look different to our modern eyes. Here (in the probate clerk's handwriting) is the phrase "my brother Robert ffellowes" The first small "e" in "ffellowes" has a very high and small loop, making it appear as a modern small "o". Notice the spelling of Fellow "ffellow". The double small "f" was a capital "F".

[2] A moment of trust is involved here. "Nov. 20th 1697" and "20th of the 11th month 1697" are not necessarily the same. The 20th of the 11th month is a Quaker format, which also would imply that the date is Old Style and with the first month being March and the 11th month being January. But, I am going to make the assumption that an ancestor that didn't make the necessary conversion changed the "pagan" date to the "Quaker" format.

[3] Now I am going to use the opposite logic. "Oct. 19th 1690" and "19th of the 8th month 1690" are the same if we assume an ancestor that DID make the necessary conversion to change the "pagan" date to the "Quaker" format. The "1696" is an obvious transcription mistake, since the oldest child Robert is born in 1694.



More About William Fellow:
Baptism: 03 Jun 1635, Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England

Children of William Fellow and Sarah ? are:
i. William Fellow, Jr., born Abt. 1660.
44 ii. Robert Fellow, born Abt. 1665 in England; died Bef. 1719 in Talbot County, Maryland USA; married Sarah Littleboy 19 Aug 1690 in High Wycombe Parish, Buckinghamshire, England.
iii. Sarah Fellow, born Abt. 1670.
iv. Mary Fellow, born Abt. 1675.
v. Elizabeth Fellow, born Abt. 1680; married Hyrah Gate.

110. Robert Wilson, born Abt. 1629 in Scotland?; died 21 Dec 1696 in Perquimans County, North Carolina USA. He married 111. Ann ?.
111. Ann ?, born Abt. 1643; died Abt. 1702 in Surry Co., VA.

Notes for Robert Wilson:
WILSON

In "Paule" of London, July 16, 1635, Kathren Wilson, age 28, and children: Robert, age 6—Richard, age 5. (Hotten.)
William Edwards, Clerk of Surry Co Va, was grt (with Rice Davis) 1080a in sd county, for trans' among others, Robert Wilson, & Henry White. July 10, 1648.
William Wilson "of the City of Bristoll, Mercht; apt' son John of Isle of Wight Co, Va Att' Aprill 26, 1666." (Isle of Wight Records.)
George Hardy of Isle of Wight Co, in his will bequeathed, "Land, Housing, my Mill, with all movable Est, to be equally divided between Kinsman George Hardy, & Christopher Willson, after the decease of my wife," He gave also 1000 lbs of Tob toward building a Church in this Parish, "to be Built of Brick." To Christopher Willson "Land in Suit between me & Successors of Justinian Cooper, in case it be restored." (Records Isle of Wight.)
Robert Wilson was living in Chuckatuck, Nansemond Co Va, 9, 12mo 1688, when he witnessed the mar banns of Levin Buffkin, & Dorothy Newby, at the house of Thomas Jordan. He recorded his mark in Perq Co N. C. April 1689, and his son Isaac did the same, May 1689.
At a quarterly meeting at the house of Henry White, in Perq, 1, 3mo 1695 Robert Wilson, Francis Tomes, & Henry White, were apt to "write a letter to friends in London, in behalf of the Meeting."
The will of Robert Wilson, p in Perq Precinct Jan 11, 1696. Son: Isaac, dau Sarah Belman, gr-children: Robert, & Ann Wilson, Sarah, & Ester Belman; wife Ann Extrix. (This will was proven before John Archdale, Daniel Akehurst, Francis Tomes, & Samuel Swann, Justices; at the house of Samuel Swann.)
(1) Robert Willson died "at his own house, up the Narrows of Perq River" Dec 21, 1696. (Roman Calendar.) His wife Ann moved back to Surry Co Va, where her will was p 21, 5mo 1702, reads as follows: "Disposing of worldly Est itt hath pleased God to bestow upon me in Carolina, do bequeath unto Robert Borsman, & Ann, ye son, and dau of John Borsman; & Sarah His wife, except cattle etc, to be equally divided between Robert Wilson, & Ann Wilson, son & dau of Isaac Wilson, & Ann his first wife." Jno Tooke, & Sam'll Cornell Exrs. (Surry Co Rec.)
(1) Isaac Wilson, m Ann — issue: 1 Robert, b 10, 8mo 1690—2 Ann, b 16 7mo 1692—3 Benjamin, b 19, 10mo 1694. Isaac Wilson m 2d Ann Parker (d of Robert, & Hannah, "b at Nattensate in Ash Church Parish, in Glouster Sheer") Mch 31, 1701, issue Isaac, b Nov 18, 1702. (The Quaker Rec'ds give the first three, the last are found in Berkeley Par Reg, Perq Co.)
Isaac Willson will Perq, p July 13, 1714. Sons: Benjamin, Robert, Isaac, dau Ann, wife Ann. He was a Burgess in Perq Co, Oct 11, 1709.
(2) Isaac Wilson d. s. p. will p in Perq Dec 29, 1724. Brothers: Benjamin, Robert, nephews: Joseph, & Isaac Wilson, to whom he left a plan' on Perq River "where Capt Pettiver now lives," niece Rachel Wilson, mother Ann Pettiver, uncle Ralph Bozman, other legatees: Joseph, & Thomas Elliott.
(3) Isaac Wilson, will Perq p April 1751. Sons: Robert, James, dau's Rachel, and Miriam Wilson, wife Elizabeth (née Perry, married 2, 12mo 1742).
(1) Joseph Wilson (s of Benjamin) Will Perq, p July 1752. Son: Reuben, dau's Elizabeth, & Mary, wife Mary. Wit' Jacob Wilson, Wm Townsend, Rachel Winslow.
(2) Robert Wilson (s of Isaac & Ann) m Rachel Pricklove (Pretlow) (d of John, and wife Elizabeth). His will p in Perq, June 1758. Sons: Isaac, and Silvanus, dau Rachel Townsend, gr-sons: Reuben Wilson, Obed Winslow, Caleb Winslow, gr-dau's Elizabeth, and Mary Wilson. Exrs Barnaby Nixon, & Jacob Winslow (gr-son).
Rachel Wilson, m 1st Timothy Winslow, issue three sons, & one dau; m 2d William Townsend, issue four children, m 3d John Williams, by whom no issue. Her will Perq county, p July 1777, is a very interesting document.
Isaac Wilson, (s of Benjamin) b Nov 16, 1694.
Robert Wilson, m Martha Gilbert, 4, 1mo 1739. (Quaker Records.)
John Wilson (s of Thos) m Mary Pearson (d of Peter) 20, 9mo 1740. (Quaker Records.)
Thomas Wilson m Elizabeth Newby, 6 8mo 1777. (Quaker Records.)
Isaac Wilson m Roda Chappel. 5, 6mo 1776. (Quaker Records.)
Jonathan Wilson, m Huldah Harrel, 4, 7mo 1795. (Quaker Records.)
William Wilson m Elizabeth Munden 3, 11mo 1765. (Symons Creek Pasq Co.)
Robert Wilson, m Anne Reed 2, 3mo 1752, Suttons Creek Perq Co.
Edward Wilson, came to Va in "Plaine John" May 15, 1635, age 22. He settled in Surry Co, from which place he moved to Perq Co N. C. When or where he married can not be certain, but his wife is given in Berkeley Par Reg.
Edward Wilson, & wife Rachell—issue: 1 John, b Jan 11, 1686—2 Edward, b Last of Feb, 1687/8—3 John (2d by name) b Sept 14, 1693—4 Elizabeth, b Feby 24, 1692—5 Sarah, b July 14, 1695. Edward Wilson died 1712. Dau Sarah m Daniel Jones.
(1) John Wilson, m Elizabeth Mayo (d of Edward (2) & wife Mary née Clare, d of Timothy Clare, & wife Mary née Bundy) & had according to Mary Newby's (née Clare) will 1739, issue: 1 son John Wilson.
(2) John Wilson, m Ann — will p April 1785, Wife Ann, dau's Rebecca, & Amey. His division, Nov 24, 1798, shows: dau Rebecca Webb, & Amey Wilson.

(See other Wilson Wills in N. C. Hist Reg, Vol 3-2 & 3-3.)

Jacob Wilson (1) m Rachel Hollowell (d of Thomas) m 2d Sarah. His will p Perq, 1793. Son: Jonathan, brothers, Zachariah, & Moses, dau's Misala, Miriam Elliott and Julianna Elliott (buried in Episcopal Cemetery in Hertford, wife of Exum Elliott) Rachel Nixon, sister Sarah Copeland, (wife of Jesse) Jesse Copeland (s of Jesse) d Absala Seymour, kinsman Thomas Hollowell (s of Joseph) Ex.
(3) John Wilson, m Margaret White, 5, 11mo 1828, issue: 1 Alfred, b 9, 1mo 1830—2 Timothy, b 20, 1mo 1832—3 Christopher, b 4, 5mo 1834.
Joseph Wilson, m Sarah Charles, 7, 6mo 1780. (Welles Meeting, Perq Co.)
(1) William Wilson, moved from Pasq Co, to Tyrrell, where his will was p June 1741. Sons: Patterson, William, Thomas, Benjamin, dau's Rebecca, Sarah, & Rosaman Wilson, & Mary Scarbrough, Elizabeth Barclifte. His wife Sarah evidently moved back to Pasq, where her will was p April 1754. Sons William, Benjamin, Thomas, dau's Rebeckah Furbush, Elizabeth Bartlet. Patterson Wilson died in Pasq Co before his mother, so he is not named in her will. His will sd county: p July 12, 1746, names son: William, dau Mary, wife Elizabeth.
(1) Thomas Wilson, will Perq, p April 1785. Sons: Thomas, Samuel, William, wife Elizabeth.

WILSON GRANTS

Robert Wilson had 450a grt him, "upon ye West side of Perquimons River, near the mouth of Robert Wilsons Creek, to ye South East side of sd Creek, or branch" 1684.
Isaac Wilson, 490a, in Perq pre'ct, to line of Robert Wilson, by Cypress Swamp. May 22, 1694.
Edward Wilson, 250a in Perq pre'ct on the head of Albemarle River (Sound) near the mouth of a Creek. Feby 17, 1696.
William Wilson, 300a in Anson Co N. C. on North side of Broad River, & Dry Creek, Oct 3, 1753.
Capt John Pettiver, 240a in Perq, "by ye side of Perq River, adj Jno Spelman, Xber 10, 1712, and 400a on the head of Bentley Creek (now called Muddy Creek) adj James Cheston, to Spelmans corner, & line of Edward Wilson. Dec 10, 1712, (same) 377a on Cypress Swamp, along ye Indian Swamp. Dec 10, 1712. (same) 220a adj his own land, on Cypress Swamp. Xber — 1712.
John Pettiver was murdered by Joseph Haines. (See deeds.) He m Ann widow of Isaac 1716.
Ralph Bosman (called uncle by Robert Wilson) 166a in Perq Pre'ct, adj Samuel Phelps. Feb 10, 1718.

MARRIAGES

Wilson, Christopher, Intention, with Pharaby Saunders, 15, 11mo 1788. (Quaker Reg.)
Wilson, Jesse, joined the "Baptist Society" and was "out of Unity" 20, 12mo 1788.
Wilson, Thomas, m Martha Pendleton, Mar 31, 1806. (Mar bonds Pasq Co.)
Wilson, Francis, m Nancy Jennings, Nov 19, 1806. (Mar bonds Pasq Co.)
Wilson, John, Intention, with Millicent Trueblood, 20, 7mo 1799. (Pasq Mo Meeting.)
Wilson, Sylvanus, m Rebecca Pierce (d of Joseph, sister of Thomas dec'd) Oct 18, 1757.
Wilson, Sylvanus, (son of Robert, & Rachel (Pricklove) Wilson). (See Robert Wilsons will.)
Wilson, Benjamin, (s of Isaac, & Ann née Parker) m Judith Docton (d of Jacob), & had son Jacob Wilson, whose dau Julianna, m Exum Elliott. (See deeds.)
Wilson, Reuben, (s of Joseph) m Mary Winslow (d of Timothy, & Rachel Wilson, d of Robert, & Rachel née Pricklove) issue: Silvanus, b 8, 9mo 1768—Jacob, b June 12, 1774. Mary, b 8, 1mo 1779—Huldah, b Mar — 1781. (Bible record.)

Source: History of Perquimans County by Ellen Goode Rawlings Winslow, (1931).

Notes for Ann ?:
The following e-mail corrects the longstanding myth that Robert Wilson's wife Ann was a Blount and of documented royal descent:

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/QUAKER-ROOTS/2001-02/0983226515

In a message dated 2/26/01 4:50:07 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

Joyce Overman Bowman writes: "My interest in this family is thru the
OVERMAN
family; Robert & Ann Wilson were the grandparents of Sarah Belman who
married
Ephraim Overman. Contact me directly if you are interested in further
discussion." Please send copies of messages to the list, too. There are
others from that line who would be interested!

OK, Karen & Leslie--will share some on the list. The reason I didn't suggest
it first is because of the quantity of info I have, and I wasn't sure that
there was that much interest in the Wilson family on the QR line. I just
sent a 10 page attached file to Becky Wilson which is a compilation of the
Wilson info I have accumulated. I will be happy to share this with anyone
interested, but think it too much to post on the line.

I also "cut & pasted" for Becky a section from a document I wrote called "The
Overman Myths" which addresses the 4 stories you find most frequently about
the early Overmans, that can NOT be documented. The 4 are: 1) that Jacob was
born in Germany; 2) that Jacob's father's name was Edward Overman; 3) that
the surname of Jacob's wife, Hannah, was WISWAll and 4) that Sarah Wilson
Belman's Mother was Ann Blount. This last section is what I quoted from in
my previous posting & I will include a copy here.
**************************
(One of the OVERMAN MYTHS is that:)
IV- SARAH WILSON BELMAN'S MOTHER WAS ANN BLOUNT. (John & Sarah Wilson Belman
were the parents of Sarah Belman, wife of Ephraim Overman who was the s/o of
Jacob & Hannah Overman.) Sarah Wilson Belman's parents were Robert & Ann
Wilson--but the parents of this Ann (_?_) Wilson are unknown. By the "royal"
lineage theory, Sarah Wilson's parents were Robert & Ann BLOUNT Wilson. This
is where the discrepancy comes in. I have a copy of a letter from William
Perry Johnson--noted NC genealogist (now deceased) and editor of the Journal
of North Carolina Genealogy (publication of the NC Gen. Soc.) that addresses
this subject. Transcription of the pertinent part is below.
*****************************
"10 June 1977" (on the letterhead of William Perry Johnson)

(written to a Mrs. Brimley--who she was, I have no idea, but obviously he was
doing genealogical research for her.--JB)

"As to Ann, wife of Robert Wilson, being a BLOUNT, this is not true. Her
maiden name is unknown. Robert Wilson married about 1670 (the 2 children
were married 1687 & 1689 respectively). James Blount married around 1660 &
left a will dated 1686 (Grimes p. 35) and named among others, son THOMAS
BLOUNT and grandchildren James & Sarah Blount. Thomas (son of James of the
1686 will) married (first) about 1681 to have had 2 children--James &
Sarah--born by 10 March 1685 (date of the James Blount will, which was
probated 1686); name of first wife of Thomas unknown. Thomas married
(second) 13 May 1685 (Hathaway, 30202) Mary (____) Scott, widow of Joshua
Scott."

"Thomas Blount, s/o of James of the 1686 will, in his will, 1701-1706,
Albemarle Co., NC (Grimes, p. 36) named, among others, wife Mary & daughter,
Ann Wilson. Grimes shows William WILLSON as a witness. However, the
original will (here in the Archives) gives William WILKINSON."

"It is my current opinion that Robert Wilson was married to wife Ann in
England, and came to southeast VA, then into NC. Robert's widow, Ann, left a
will in Surry Co., VA (c. 1701, as I recall). Ann (Blount) Wilson was much
too young to have married c. 1670, since her father, Thomas, did not marry
until 1681."

***********************************************************************************

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/encphillipsfamilies/hCki2la62II
Will of Anne Wilson, Surry County (Va.):
I, Ann Wilson of Lawnes Creek prsh in ye County of Surry being sick and weeks in body yett praided by God perfect Sence and memory doe make ordaine and Constitute this my Last will and testament this 21st day of ye fifth mo.th Commnly called July in ye years 1702 as folloseth (vist)
As for ye disposing of wt worldly estate itt has pleased God to bestow upon me & that justly b elongs to me in Carolina all goods and Chattelle in what kind Soever itt may be found I give and bequeath unto Robert Beelman & Ann Beelman ye Son and daugher of Jn Beelmand and Sarah his wife except four cows and four calves and four ewes and four lambs all females to be equally divided between Robert Willson and Anne Wilson to Isaac Willson and Sarah his first wife..
And as for what belongs to me in Surry County of Elsewhere - Except in Carloina I give and bequeath unto ye poor friends belonging to ye meeting in Surry County after my body is buried att ye discrestion of John Tooke and Sam Corell sold Executors Joyntly and severally of this my Last Willa nd Testament revokeing all other wills and testaments heretofore by me made. In witness whereof I have hereunto putt my hand and Seale ye day and year above written.
Signed and Sealed in presence of Anne Willson
Rich R. Smith
John Phillips


Children of Robert Wilson and Ann ? are:
55 i. Sarah Wilson, born 28 Jun 1668 in Pasquotank Co., NC; died 1706 in Perquimans Co., NC; married John Belman 19 Aug 1687 in residence of Jonathan Phelps, Perquimans Co., NC.
ii. Isaac Wilson, born Abt. 1668 in Perquimans Co., NC; died 13 Jul 1714 in Perquimans Co., NC.

112. ? Maudlin

Children of ? Maudlin are:
i. Ezekiel Maudlin, born Bef. 1670 in probably London, England; died 16 Mar 1706 in Perquimans Co., NC; married Hannah Castleton; born 13 Mar 1679 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Abt. 1752 in Perquimans Co., NC.
56 ii. Edmund Maudlin, born Bef. 1686; died Abt. 1710 in Perquimans Co., NC; married Ellinor ?.

120. James Perisho, born Abt. 1640 in probably Bretagne (Brittany), France; died 29 Mar 1678 in Berkeley Parish, Perquimans County, North Carolina USA. He married 121. Hannah Phelps Abt. 1672 in Perquimans Co., NC.
121. Hannah Phelps, born Abt. 1654 in Salem (that part now in West Peabody), Essex Co., MA; died in Perquimans Co., NC. She was the daughter of 242. Nicholas Phelps and 243. Hannah Baskel.

Children of James Perisho and Hannah Phelps are:
i. Eleanor Perisho, born 13 Sep 1673 in Perquimans Co., NC; died Aft. 1722 in Perquimans Co., NC; married William Bogue 05 Jun 1689 in plantation of Jonathan Phelps, Perquimans Co., NC; born Abt. 1670 in southern Scotland; died 20 Dec 1720.
60 ii. James Perisho, Jr., born 25 Nov 1676 in Perquimans Co., NC; died in Perquimans Co., NC; married Mary Morgan 18 Feb 1696 in Perquimans Co., NC.

122. James Morgan, born Abt. 1653; died Aft. 1694 in Perquimans Co., NC?. He married 123. Jane Knea 12 Oct 1673 in Maryland.
123. Jane Knea

Notes for James Morgan:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~parisho/m/morgan.html

Per "History of Perquimans County" pg 384....James Morgan emigrant o NC came from Mary Land where he had married Jane Knea Oct 12, 1673. (Berkely Parish Register.)...James Morgan was granted 300 acres in Perq. Precinct May 22, 1694, "on branch of Vosses Creek" adjoining William Vosse and Francis Toms. His son John made a deed of gift to his daughter Mary Elliott, wife of Thomas Elliott Jr. on Jan 12, 1724/25, 50 acres on said Branch. He called this land "Broad Neck," and later it was spoken of as "on Morgan's Swamp" and it seems evident that it was situated on the south side of Vosses Creek, where said Toms land was located, and the Swamp mentioned is probably the one just above what is now called Brights Mill, between Winfall and Brights Creek.

Although James and Jane wed in Maryland, they were in Perquimans NC by 1694. Have not found dates of death on them, but probably died in or near Perquimans Co NC.

More About James Morgan:
Property: 22 May 1694, Was granted 300 acres in Perquimans Precinct (present-day Perquimans Co., NC) on Vosses Creek adjoining William Vosse and Francis Toms.

Children of James Morgan and Jane Knea are:
i. Jean/Jane Morgan, married Ralph Fletcher 1698; died in 21 jan 1728.
ii. James Morgan, Jr., born 02 Feb 1675 in Berkeley Parish, present-day Perquimans Co., NC; died Abt. 1732 in Pasquotank Co., NC; married Jane Martin Abt. 1705.

More About James Morgan, Jr.:
Date born 2: 02 Feb 1675, Maryland?

More About Jane Martin:
Probate: 22 Mar 1742, Perquimans Co., NC

iii. John Morgan, born 26 Mar 1678; married Mary Jones 02 Sep 1699; born Abt. 1680.
iv. William Morgan, born 27 Aug 1679; married Sarah Fletcher 13 Mar 1700.
61 v. Mary Morgan, born Abt. 1680; married James Perisho, Jr. 18 Feb 1696 in Perquimans Co., NC.

Generation No. 8

172. Thomas French, born in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England?; died Abt. 1673 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England. He married 173. Sara ?.
173. Sara ?

More About Thomas French:
Burial: 05 May 1673, Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England
Probate: 16 Aug 1673, Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England

Children of Thomas French and Sara ? are:
i. Patience French, born 1637.
86 ii. Thomas French, Jr., born Abt. 1639 in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England; died 1699 in Rancocas, Burlington County, New Jersey USA; married (1) Jane Atkins 12 Jun 1660 in Whilton Parish, England; married (2) Elizabeth Stanton 25 Jul 1696 in Philadelphia Co., PA.
iii. Sara French, born 1643.
iv. Elizabeth French, born 1645.
v. Mary French, born 1648.

176. Robert Fellow, born Abt. 1590 in Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England; died Abt. 1652 in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. He married 177. Elizabeth ?.
177. Elizabeth ?

More About Robert Fellow:
Occupation: Blacksmith
Probate: 11 Oct 1652

Children of Robert Fellow and Elizabeth ? are:
i. Robert Fellow, Jr., born Abt. 1619.

More About Robert Fellow, Jr.:
Baptism: 28 Oct 1619, Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England

ii. Elizabeth Fellow, born Bet. 1620 - 1625 in Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England; married Henry Pratt.
iii. Mary Fellow, born Abt. 1626 in Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England; married William Hill.

More About Mary Fellow:
Baptism: 13 Aug 1626, Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England

iv. John Fellow, born Abt. 1629.

More About John Fellow:
Baptism: 05 Apr 1629, Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England
Burial: 18 Apr 1629, Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England

v. Sarah Fellow, born Abt. 1630 in Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England; married Robert Wood.

More About Sarah Fellow:
Baptism: 08 Sep 1630, Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England

vi. John Fellow, born Abt. 1632 in Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England; married Sarah Stuart.

More About John Fellow:
Baptism: 14 Oct 1632, Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England

88 vii. William Fellow, born Abt. 1635 in Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England; married Sarah ?.
viii. Thomas Fellow, born Abt. 1635 in Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England.

More About Thomas Fellow:
Baptism: 03 Jun 1635, Chesham Parish, Buckinghamshire, England

242. Nicholas Phelps, born Abt. 1624 in England?; died Bef. 1664 in Salem (that part now in West Peabody), Essex County, Massachusetts USA. He was the son of 484. ? Phelps? and 485. Eleanor Sharp?. He married 243. Hannah Baskel Abt. 1650 in Salem, Essex Co., MA.
243. Hannah Baskel, born Bef. 1630 in England?; died Aft. 1695 in Perquimans County, North Carolina USA.

Notes for Hannah Baskel:
The following is an interesting biography of Hannah Baskel Phelps Phelps Hill:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~monticue/hannah_baskel_life_story.htm

1987 Winner: NGS

Family-History Writing Contest
Hannah (Baskel) Phelps Phelps Hill:

A Quaker Woman and Her Offspring

By GWEN BOYER BJORKMAN*

It is usually difficult to document the lives of colonial women. As a category, they left few legal documents. Yet, through sundry records, it is possible to reconstruct the life of one remarkable woman—Hannah (Baskel) Phelps Phelps Hill. One does not read about Hannah in standard histories of early America, yet she held the first Quaker meeting in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in her home in Salem and later opened her home to the first Quaker meeting in the Albemarle settlement of Carolina. She was truly the Proverbs 31 lady. After all these years "her children [will now] rise up and bless her;... saying: 'Many daughters have done nobly, But you excell them all!' "' Despite her accomplishments, however, Hannah did not set out to be a noble heroine. She emerges in history as a young woman—human and alone, as far as family is concerned.

The search for Hannah began in the records that men have left to chronicle the past. Before 1652, she came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from England. An undated deposition of one Jane Johnson provides the only record of Hannah's maiden name, Baskel. It reveals that, at the time of the deposition, Hannah was the wife of Nicholas Phelps but at the date of "coming over in the ship," she was in the company of his brother, Henry. The document also labels her a "strumpet." Obviously, Hannah was a woman of independent mind, not much inclined to conform to the dictates of convention. This trait was to bring her blessings, scorn, and persecution:

Deposition of Jane Johnson: Saith yt: coming Ovr in the ship with Henry Phelps & Hannah the now wife of Nich: Phelps: Henry Phelps going ashore the ship lying at the Downes: Hannah wept till shee made herselve sick because mr Fackner would not suffer her to goe ashore with Henry Phelps: & Henry came aboard late in the night, the next morning mr Falckner Chid Henry Phelps & Hannah & said was it not enough for y~V to let Hannah lay her head in yr lapp but must shee ly in ye Cabbin to & called Hannah Strumpet & this deponent saith farther yt she saw Henry Phelps ly in his Cabbin & Hannah Baskel the now wife of Nich Phelps came & lay down her head by him & pull her head up again often as he lay in his Cabbin: Y when he was smocking in the Cook roome tobacco Hannah tooke the pip out of his mouth, etc., etc.2

One Henry Phelps arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634 on the ship Hercules, under John Kiddey, Master. His destination was said to be Salem.3 However, the Phelps family may have been in Salem before this date. It is known that Eleanor Phelps, mother of Henry and Nicholas Phelps, had married Thomas Trusler of Salem and that they were members of the first church in Salem in 1639.~ One historian holds that Trusler probably came to Salem in 1629, with a kiln for the burning of bricks and tiles was built, and that he continued this business until his death in 1654.~ There has been found no record of a previous wife or children for Trusler in Salem, so it is possible that Eleanor married him in England and came to the Bay Colony with him and her five Phelps children. Eleanor mentions in her 1655 will "the legacy bequeathed by my Late husband to his Daughter in England."6 Trusler's will has been lost. The inventory of his estate has been preserved.7

What did Hannah find in her new home in Salem? She found independent-minded people who, like herself, were interested in change. She also found others who rigorously opposed any thought contrary to theirs. Since all political and social life was centered in the church, religion was the arena for the excitement of dissent. Roger Williams had a short pastorate in Salem, around 1634, before being banished to Rhode Island.8 Robert Moulton, a Phelps neighbor, had been excommunicated from the Salem Church in 1637 for antinomian heresy during the Wheelwright controversy.9 Between 1638 and 1650, nine people from Salem were tried at Quarterly Court for heretical opinions, and five of the nine were women. Lady Deborah Moody, a church member since 1640, was charged with Anabaptism in 1642; rather than recant, she moved to Long Island. Samuel Gorton was tried in Boston, jailed there, and sent to Rhode Island for his Separatist beliefs. Eleanor Trusler also was taken to court, in April 1644, for her Gortonist opinions, saying, "our teacher Mr. Norris taught the people lies." Governor Winthrop was advised to bind her over to Boston Court as an example others might fear, lest "that heresie doeth spread which at length may prove dangerous." At the Trusler trial, one Casandra Southwick testified that Eleanor "did question the government ever since she came." This was Salem in Hannah's day.

The shipboard romance alleged between Hannah and Henry Phelps did not result in their immediate marriage. Instead, Henry married (or had been married) to another woman, by whom he had a son, John (born about 1645)," while Hannah married his brother Nicholas. Historians have not always treated the latter kindly—he has been called "a weak man, and one whose back was crooked"'2 but it can be argued that he had a strong spirit much akin to Hannah's. They had two children (Jonathan, born about 1652, and Hannah, born about 1654) with whom they lived on the Trusler farm in "the woods" about five miles from the meeting house in Salem. Situated at the site of the modern town of West Peabody, the farm had been devised to Nicholas and Henry jointly, in 1655, by their mother.'3

It was in the late 1650s that the Phelpses became involved in Quakerism. The Society of Friends, or Quakers, had been founded in England in 1648 by George Fox; and its teachings were brought to Boston, in July 1656, by two female missionaries. However, it is believed that books and tracts by Fox and other Quakers might have been brought to the colony in earlier years. In 1657 William Marston, a Hampton-Salem boatman, was cited for having Quaker pamphlets in his possession.'4 There is a passage in a letter written in 1656 from Barbados by Henry Fell, which provides the earliest mention of Quakerism in Salem:

In Plimouth patent.., there is a people not soe ridged as the others at Boston and there are great desires among them after the Truth. Some there are, as I hear, convinced who meet in silence at a place called Salem.'5

Another passage bearing on this Salem group is found in Cotton Mather's Magnalia:

I can tell the world that the first Quakers that ever were in the world were certain fanaticks here in our town of Salem, who held forth almost all the fancies and whimsies which a few years after were broached by them that were so called in England, with whom yet none of ours had the least communication.'6

In 1657, the invasion of Massachusetts by Quakers began when visiting Friends from England landed in Boston Harbor and were immediately imprisoned. If the group at Salem had been meeting quietly for several years, they went public when—on Sunday, 27 June 1658—a meeting was held at the home of Nicholas and Hannah Phelps. This was the first Quaker meeting of record in the colony. Two visiting Friends at that meeting, William Brend and William Leddera, acknowledged that they were Quakers and were sent to prison with six Salem residents who were also in attendance. Nicholas and Hannah were fined.'7

Quaker meetings continued to be held regularly at the Phelps home, in defiance of the law. In September 1658, Samuel Shattock, Nicholas Phelps, and Joshua Buffum were arrested and sentenced by the court to prison, where Nicholas was "cruelly whipped" three times in five days for refusing to work. Within months, Nicholas and six neighbors were called before the court again. This time they were banished on pain of death, with two weeks being allowed to settle their affairs. It was at the end of May 1659 that Phelps and Shattock sailed for Barbados with the intention of continuing on to England to present the matter before parliament. However, because of the unsettled state of affairs in England, they were not to return until late l66l.'~

In the meanwhile, Hannah was left in Salem with the care of the farm and their two small children. The Quaker meetings continued to be held at her home, and she was fined every year from 1658 to 1663 for nonattendance at the Salem Church.'9 In the fall of 1659, she with five others from Salem went to Boston to give comfort to two visiting Friends from England who had been sen­tenced to death for their faith and defiance of the laws of the colony. She and her group were arrested and imprisoned also. On 12 November, two weeks after the execution of the condemned Friends, the Salem party was brought forth to be sentenced for "adherence to the cursed sect of the Quakers" and "theire disorderly practices & vagabond like life in absenting themselves from their family relations and running from place to place without any just reason." They were admonished, whipped, and sent home.20

Upon Hannah's return, her house and land were seized by the Salem Court in payment of the fines levied against her and Nicholas. Henry came to the rescue of his sister-in-law, arguing that the court could take only the half of the property belonging to Nicholas. He managed to obtain control of the entire farm and allowed Hannah and the children to remain there.2' Did Henry now become interested in his sister-in-law, since his brother was in England, or did he now become interested in the Quaker teachings? There are no records of Henry's being fined for Quaker leanings.

One thing is clear from the records: where Henry had once been a respected part of the community, he was now suspected. At the Quarte'rly Court of 26 June 1660, Major William Hawthorn was ordered to inquire after the misuse of John Phelps by his father:

Henry Phelps, of Salem, was complained of at the county court at Boston, July 31, 1660, for beating his son, John Phelps, and forcing him to work carrying dung and mending a hogshead on the Lord's day, also for intimacy with his brother's wife and for entertaining Quakers. It was ordered that John Phelps, the son, be given over to his uncle, Mr. Edmond Batter, to take care of him and place him out to some religious family as an apprentice, said Henry, the father, to pay to Mr. Batter what the boy's grandmother left him, to be improved to said John Phelps' best advantage. Said Henry Phelps was ordered to give bond for his good behavior until the next Salem court, and especially not to be found in the company of Nicholas Phelps' wife, and to answer at that time concerning the entertaining of Quakers.22

The testimony seems to imply that Henry Phelps was living with his brother's wife and holding Quaker meetings. The charges were expressed even more bluntly at the November 1660 Quarterly Court:

Henry Phelps, being bound to this court to answer a complaint for keeping company or in the house with his brother's wife, and appearing, was released of his bond. Upon further consideration and examination of some witnesses, which the court did not see meet for the present to bring forth in public [Was this when the deposition of Jane Johnson was taken?J, and the wife of Nicholas Phelps not appearing, said Phelps was bound to the next court at Salem. He was ordered meanwhile to keep from the company of his brother Nicholas Phelps' wife.23

Hannah had final say on the subject. At Salem Court, 28 June 1661, Thomas Flint and John Upton testified that, coming into Henry Phelps's house on a Sabbath-day evening, they heard Hannah say that "Higgeson had sent out his wolves apace." John Upton asked her if Mr. Higgeson sent the wolves amongst them to kill their creatures and she answered, "The bloodhounds, to catch the sheep and lambs." She was sentenced to be fined or whipped, and one William Flint promised to pay the fine.24

Political events soon eased the Phelps's persecution—albeit slightly. The days of Cromwell and the Puritans were over in England in 1660. A new parliament proclaimed the banished Prince Charles as king, invited him to return from exile, and placed him on the throne of his father. As Charles II, he read—and sympathized with—the petition of those Quakers in England who had been banished from Massachusetts. That document contained a list of the sufferings of "the people called Quakers," and Number 15 stated, "One inhabitant of Salem, since banished on pain of death, had one-half of his house and land seized."25 On 9 September 1661, Charles II issued an order to the Bay Colony to cease the persecution of Quakers and appointed Samuel Shattock to bear the "King's Missive" to Boston.2' No mention was made of Nicholas Phelps's return at that time, although the historian Perley claimed~"they returned together, but Mr. Phelps, being weak in body after some time died."27 It is known that Nicholas and Hannah were together again in Salem by June 1662 when, at the Quarterly Court, "Nicholas Phelpes and his wife.., were presented for frequent absence from meeting on the Sabbath Day."28 Hannah was fined alone in 1663.29

On 18 July 1664, Henry Phelps sold the property that he and his brother had inherited from their mother in 1655;3o and he, Hannah, and the children left Massachusetts. Many of their friends had departed already for Long Island or Rhode Island, but some had journeyed to far-off Carolina, where a new settlement was beginning on Albemarle Sound. It was the latter colony to which Henry and Hannah headed. Presumably they married in a Quaker meeting before setting off by ship, with what possessions they had left.

In 1660 or earlier, a few Virginians had crossed into the Albemarle region, then called Chowan. By charters of 1663 and 1665, Charles II granted to eight proprietors a tract of land which was to lie between the present states of Virginia and Florida, a vast tract that was named Carolina, and the colony which had already sprung up there was designated Albemarle County. Another settlement was begun at Cape Fear in 1664 by a group from Barbados and New England; their area became the county of Clarendon. By 1664, however, the latter group had deserted the Cape and moved to

Fittingly, the first record found of Hannah in Carolina spotlights her religious activities. In 1653 one William Edmundson converted to Quakerism in England; and from 1661 he was recognized as leader of the Irish Quakers. He first visited America with George Fox as a traveling Friend in 1672. While Fox went to New England, Edmundson traversed Virginia; about the first of May, 1672, he ventured down into Carolina. Two Friends from Virginia accompanied him as guides but became lost, saying they had "gone past the place where we intended." Edmundson found a path that "brought us to the place where we intended, viz. Henry Phillips' [Phelps] House by Albemarle river.

It is Edmundson who accounts for the life of Henry and Hannah during the years in which legal records are silent. "He [Phelps] and his wife had been convinced of the truth in New England, and came there to live, who having not seen a Friend for seven years before, they wept for joy to see us."33 Some scholars have interpreted this passage in Edmundson's journal to mean that Henry and Hannah were the only Quaker family in Albemarle in 1672.~~ However, evidence does exist of another couple: Christopher and Hannah (Rednap) Nicholson who had become Quakers and had been persecuted in Massachusetts. The Nicholson's had arrived in Albemarle Sound, probably by 1663, and were neighbors of Henry and Hannah Phelps. It is also known that Isaac and Damaris (Shattuck) Page came to Albemarle from Salem, after both had been fined as Quakers.35

Edmundson's journal also reveals that the first recorded Quaker meeting in Albemarle was held at the Phelps' home, just as the first recorded Quaker meeting at Salem had been sponsored by Nicholas and Hannah. Edmundson said, "it being on a first day morning when we got there... I desired them, to send to the people there-away to come to a meeting about the middle of the day."36 Hannah opened her home yet again to the "Lord's testimony," as brought by the visiting Friends. Following the visit of Edmundson, Fox himself came to Albemarle in November 1672, stopping first at Joseph Scott's home by Perquimans River, where he held a meeting, and then "we passed by water four miles to Henry Phillips' [Phelps] house" and held a meeting there.37

Edmundson returned to Albemarle in 1676, and again the faithful Hannah appears in his journal:

We took our journey through the wilderness, and in two days came well to Carolina, first to James Hall's [Hill's] house, who went from Ireland to Virginia with his family. His wife died there, and he had married the widow Phillips [Phelps] at Carolina, and lived there; but he had not heard that I was in those parts of the world. When I came into the house, I saw only a woman servant; I asked for her master. She said he was sick. I asked for her mistress, she said she was gone abroad.. so I went into the room, where he was laid on the bed, sick of an ague with his face to the wall. I called him by his name, and said no more; he turned himself, and looked earnestly at me a pretty time, and was amazed; at last he asked if that was William? I said yes.3

Between Edmundson's journeys of 1672 and 1676, Henry died and Hannah married James Hill. James was probably a convert of Edmundson in Ireland or in Virginia, since they knew each other by first name. In November 1676, the Lords Proprietors had issued commissions to men designated as deputies in Albemarle. James Hill, Esq., was deputy of the Duke of Albemarle.39 During Culpeper's Rebellion in 1677, Hill helped one Thomas Miller escape and a guard of soldiers was put at his house. Promptly on his return from Virginia, he, along with Francis Jones and Christopher Nicholson, was arrested/'~ Hannah Phelps Hill was again in the thick of conflict.

The Quakers drew up a "Remonstrance" to the proprietors protesting their treatment, outlining the above acts, and declaring they were "a peaceable people." It was signed on 13 September 1679 by twenty-one Quakers, including Jones and Nicholson, together with Joseph Scott, Isaac Page, and Jonathan Phelps, son of Nicholas and Hannah. Under their signatures, it was written that most of the subscribers "have been Inhabitants in Carolina since the years 1663 and 1664.~~4I The Quakers had not been persecuted in Carolina previous to this time, but it is recorded in the minutes of Perquimans Monthly Meeting that about the fourth or fifth month of 1680, nine Friends were fined and put into prison for refusing to bear arms in the muster field. Among those nine were five of the signers of the 1679 remonstrance—including Jonathan Phelps and Samuel Hill, son of James.42

Hannah's devotion to religion did not prompt her to neglect her family, however. She appears again in court records to champion the cause of her grandchildren. In the intervening years, her daughter Hannah had twice wed—first to James Perisho and second, in 1679, to George Castleton.43 On 30 March 1680, it was ordered by the Lords Proprietors that one hundred acres of land be laid out, for "James Perishaws Orphants," for the transportation of two persons, namely their parents "James and Hannah Perishaw."" However, complications arose involving this second husband, Castleton; and Hannah Phelps Hill went to court to protect her grandson's property. The first hint of the family troubles appear in the court records of October 1685:

Whereas George Castleton hath absented himself from the County and Imbezled the estate belonging to the Orphans of James Perisho deceased, It is therefore ordered that no person or persons buy any cattle belonging to the said Orphans or any part of the estate of the said Castleton and that Jonathan Phelps gather the come and measure the same and deliver the one half to Hannah Castleton and secure the other half till further order.45

Castleton apparently returned to the county, and problems continued. In October 1687 the court ordered that Hannah Castleton the wife of George Castleton do repaire home to her husband and live with him and that if she departs from him any more it is ordered that the majestrates doe forthwith use such means as may cause her to live with her husband."

The younger Hannah apparently did not live long past this point; she is not mentioned as attending the wedding of her daughter on 5 August 1689, although the grandmother Hannah did. In October of that year, the older Hannah appeared in court, concerned for the welfare of Hannah, Jr.'s son by her first husband:

At a Court Holden for the precinct of Pequimins at the house of Mary Scot on the first Monday being the 7th. of October 1689 ... Hannah Hill Grandmother to James Perishaw hath petitioned this Court to have the managment of the stock belonginge to the sd. James Perishaw, It is therefore Ordered that after the last of this instant October the sd. Hannah Hill take into her custodie the Stock belonginge to James Perishaw, and manage the same for the childs Care, putting in security for the same.47

For his proprietary land rights, Hannah's son Jonathan took out a patent in 1684, covering four hundred acres near Robert Wilson on the west side of the Perquimans River. In his will written in 1688, he gave this four hundred acres (where he then lived) to his son Samuel.48 In 1692, Robert Wilson and John Lilly, executors of Jonathan Phelps, went to court to divide the property. The suit was continued in 1693, when Hannah Hill petitioned for "hur Halfe of ye plantation"; and it was ordered that "Shee be posesed with it.49 This patent was renewed by Samuel Phelps as son and heir in 1695.

All of Albemarle's early land records have not survived. However, it is commonly accepted in the history of Perquimans County that the land Henry Phelps lived on, when Edmundson paid him the visit in 1672, was the land on the narrows of the Perquimans River that was granted to his grandson, Jonathan Phelps, in 1694—and that part of this grant became the town Hertford.51 This should be partly true. It was Hannah Phelps's grandson, Jonathan Phelps, who became owner of the property; but without recorded wills or deeds, the details of the property's transfer are cloudy. Since Hannah was the only one of the original family still living in 1694, it was she who proved rights for fifteen persons transported into the county of Albemarle. They were:

Henry Phelps [her 2nd husband], Hanah his Wife [herself], John Phelps [Henry's son],

Jonathan Phelps [her son], hanah Phelps junr [her daughter], Robt. Pane, James Hill [her

3rd husband], Saml. Hill [son of James Hill], Mary Hill, Nathanl. Spivey and his wife

Judith, John Spivey, Sarah Spivey, Anne Spivey, [and] Jonathan Phelps his freedom.52

This document implies one other situation not otherwise documented by extant records: After the death of Nicholas, Hannah's son by him was apparently bound to his uncle—and her second husband—Henry. Once Jonathan's servitude expired, in North Carolina, he was eligible for his own grant.53

The fifteen rights named in the foregoing document amounted to 750 acres. At the time of the survey in 1694, Hannah assigned the first six rights to her grandson, Jonathan Phelps, who was then seven years old; eight rights to her grandson, Samuel Phelps, age ten; and the last right to Robert Wilson, the executor of the estate of her son Jonathan.

Hannah, who outlived her three husbands and her two children, had now provided for her grandchildren. She had seen the establishment of the Quaker meetings and Quaker life in Albemarle. A 1709 letter of Mr. Gordon, a Church of England missionary, stated that the Quakers then numbered "about the tenth part of the inhabitants" of Carolina. And in Perquimans Precinct, he said, they "are very numerous, extremely ignorant, insufferably proud and ambitious, and consequently ungovernable."54 It is because she was proud, ambitious, and ungovernable that one is now able to document the life of Hannah and her children.

GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY: THREE GENERATIONS

1. Hannah1 Baskel was probably born in England before 1630 and died, probably in Perquimans County, North Carolina, after 1695. She married, first, at Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1650, to Nicholas Phelps, who died before 1664 when she married, second, to his brother, Henry Phelps—they being sons of Eleanor [—?—] Phelps Trusler by an unidentified husband. Hannah married, third, in Perquimans between 1672 and 1676, to James Hill, who had at least one son, Samuel, by a previous marriage. Hannah may have married, fourth, at Perquimans Quarterly Meeting, to Joseph Smith, on 7 March 1695/96.

Children of Nicholas and Hannah (Baskel) Phelps were as follows:

+ 2 i. Jonathan2 Phelps, born about 1652 at Salem.

+ ~ ii. Hannah Phelps, born about 1654 at Salem.

2. Jonathan2 Phelps (Hannah') was born about 1652 at Salem and died in Perquimans County, 21 February 1688/89.56 He married at Perquimans, about 1674, to Hannah [—? ]. She married, secondly, at Perquimans, on "last of March 1690," to John Lilly, by whom she had two children born at Perquimans: Sarah (15 June 1691) and Hannah (29 September 1694). Hannah Phelps Lilly died 15 February 1700/01 and John Lilly died 17 July 1701, both at Perquimans.57 Most of the early Quaker meetings were held at the house of Jonathan Phelps. The Monthly Meeting was established at his house in 1683.58

Children of Jonathan and Hanna [—? ] Phelps, born at Perquimans County, were as follows:59

~ i. Sarah3 Phelps, born 15 January 1676; died before 1688.
~ ii. Elizabeth Phelps, born 2 April 1679.
6 iii. Jonathan Phelps, born 6 November 1681; died before 1687.
+ 7 iv. Samuel Phelps, born 6 August 1684.
+ 8 v. Jonathan Phelps, born 13 April 1687.

3. Hannah2 Phelps (Hannah') was born about 1654 at Salem and probably died in Perquimans between 1687 and 1689, before the marriage of her daughter Eleanor. She married, first, at Perquimans, about 1672, to James Perisho, who was born about 1645, possibly in France, and died at Perquimans on 29 March 1678.60 She married, second, at Perquimans, on 13th [—1 1679/80, to George Castleton, son of George and Mary Castleton of New Castle on Tyne, England.6'

Family tradition holds that James [Jacques?] Perisho was born in Brittany, France, and was a sailor who was shipwrecked and landed at Edenton, Albemarle Sound.62 As James "Perrishaw," he was claimed as a headright by Thomas Carteret on 29 March 1680, for proprietary rights recorded in 1694.

The Perisho and Castleton land grants were on the Perquimans River, south of the Jonathan Phelps grant.64

Children of James and Hannah (Phelps) Perisho, both born in Perquimans, were as follows65:

+ ~ i. Eleanor3 Perisho, born 18 December 1673.

+ 10 ii. James Perisho, born 25 November 1676.

The one child of George and Hannah (Phelps) Castleton, born in Perqui­mans, was66

11 i. Hannah Castleton, born 13 March 1679.

7. Samuel3 Phelps (Jonathan2, Hannah') was born 6 August 1684 in Perquimans and died there between April and July 1728.67 He married at Perquimans, about 1705, to Hannah [ J. In 1701 he and James Chesen petitioned the court for a share in the crop made that year at John Lilly's, saying that they had lived with Lilly [his stepfather] until he died. Samuel was awarded a full share and Chesen was given a half share.68 By an act of the assembly in 1715, Samuel was appointed a vestryman in the established church; and in 1724 he was appointed justice of the peace for the precinct of Perquimans.69

Children of Samuel and Hannah [ ] Phelps, all born in Perquimans County, were as follows:70

12 i. Samuel4 Phelps, born 17 "Deeember November 1706—7", died young.

13 ii. Jonathan Phelps, died young.

14 iii. John Phelps, born 13 January 17 16/17; died young.
15 iv. William Phelps, died April 1752, Perquimans County, without issue.71
16 v. James Phelps, died young.72

8. Jonathan3 Phelps (Jonathan2, Hannah') was born 13 April 1687, in Perquimans, and died there between December and January 1732/33." He married at Perquimans Monthly Meeting, 16 12m [February] 1720, to Elizabeth Toms.74 She was the daught9r of Francis Toms and Margaret (Bogue) Lawrence, who had been married "at a Meeting At ye sd. Lawrancees Hows ye 8 day of Jun Anno 1696."" Elizabeth married, second, at Perquimans in 1734, to Zachariah Nixon, Jr.76 In her ~will, dated 16 February 1769, Elizabeth Nixon names three grandchildren: Jonathan Phelps [son of Henry] and Benjamin and Dorothy Phelps [children of Jonathan]."

Children of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Toms) Phelps, born in Perquimans, were as follows:78

17 i. Henry4 Phelps, born 5 March 1724/25; married 3 6m [August] 1748, Margaret Newby; died 1752, Perquimans County.79 She married, second, 3 lOin [October] 1753, to Joseph Outland. SO

18 ii. Elizabeth Phelps, born 29 August 1728 [overwritten 1729]; married 6 11 in [January] 1747, to John Symons; married, second, 5 lOin [December] 1750, to Joseph Anderson; died in Perquimans.'1

19 iii. Jonathan Phelps, born 28 12m [February] 1730/31; married 5 October 1750, Dorothy Jordan; died 1759, Perquimans.'2 She married, second, 4 April 1762, to John Skinner.'3

20 iv. Mourning Phelps, born 10 in [December] 1732; married 4 2in [April] 1750, to Mark Newby; died in Perquimans.'4

NOTES AND REFERENCES

'4425—132nd Avenue SE, Bellevue, WA 98006. The writer would like to thank her fellow Phelps researchers, Dorothy Hardin Massey, Thelma Larison Murphy, Virginia Parmenter, and Clifford M. Hardin, for their assistance and encouragement.

1. Proverbs 31:28—29, New American Standard Bible.

2. George F. Dow and Mary Tresher, eds., Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County,

Massachusetts, 1 636—1 692, 9 vols. (Salem: Essex Institute, 1911—75), 1:267—68 [hereinafter Quarterly

Courts of Essex]; "Ipswich Court Records and Files," Sidney Perley, ed., Essex Antiquarian 10 (January 1906): 37.

3. Charles Edwards Banks, The Planters of the Commonwealth (Boston: Houghton Muffin Co., 1930),

107—08; Carl Boyer, Shtp Passenger Lists: National and New England (1600—182S) (Newhall, Cal.: Carl Boyer, 1977), 144.

4. Richard D. Pierce, ed., Records of the First Church in Salem. Massachusetts, 1629—1736 (Salem:

Essex Institute, 1974), 9.

5. Sidney Perley, The History of Salem. Massachusetts, 3 vols. (Salem: Sidney Perley, 1924—27),

1:320—21.

6. Perley, "Ipswich Court Records," Essex Antiquarian 6 (July 1902): 111—12; George F. Dow, ed. The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts, 3 vols. (Salem: Essex Institute, 1916—20), 1:211—12.

7. Dow, Probate Records of Essex, 1:183—84; Perley, "Ipswich Court Records," Essex Antiquarian 5 (October—December 1901): 192.

8. Rufus M. Jones, The Quakers in the American Colonies (1911; reprinted New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1966), 64—65.

9. Christine Alice Young, From 'Good Order' to Glorious Revoluttow Salem, Massachusetts, 1626— 1689 (Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI Research Press, 1980), 27—28; Ernest W. Baughinan, "Excommunications and Banishments from the First Church in Salem and the Town of Salem, 1629—1680," Essex Institute Historical Collections 113 (April 1977): 9 1—92; Kai T. Erikson, Wayward Puritans. A Study in the Sociology of Deviance (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1966), 91—92. Henry Phelps and Nicholas Phelps were witnesses to the will of Robert Moulton, Sr., dated 20 February 1654/55. Robert Moulton, Sr., and Robert Moulton, Jr., were witnesses to the will of Eleanor Trusler on 15 February 1654/55. Perley, History of Salem, 1:320, proposes that Eleanor may have been a Moulton, since the inventory of Thomas Trusler mentions "one fame near fathr Moltons." (Dow, Probate Records of Essex, 1:183—84, 2 10-12.) The inventory was taken 5 in [March] 1653/54, by Robt. Moulton, Sr., and Thomas Spooner. "Father" appears to be used as a term of respect in the Salem Town Records of 1637. Win. P. Upham, "Town Records of Salem 1634-1659," Essex Institute Historical Collections 9 (January 1868): 48, reports: "It is agreed That ifath' Molton & in' Ed: [ arile appointed Auditors."

10. Richard P. Gildrie, Salem, Massachusetts. 1626—1 683: A Covenant Community (Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1975), 78—83. Gildrie mistakenly said that Mrs. Trusler's husband and children became Quakers (p. 80), but the first Quakers landed at Boston in July 1656, after the death of

Thomas Trusler in 1654. Jonathan M. Chu, Neighbors, Friends, or Madmen. The Purttan Adjustment to Quakerism in Seventeenth Century Massachusetts Bay (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1985), 11, 35 and 52. Chu recognizes that it was "Nicholas Phelps whose mother, Ellen [sic] Truslar, was the celebrated dissident of the previous decade" in "Madmen and Friends: Quakers and the Puritan Adjustment to Religious Heterodoxy in Massachusetts Bay During the Seventeenth Century" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Univ. of Washington, 1978), 122. See also recommendation of John Endecott to Winthrop, "Winthrop Papers," Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 4th ser. (Boston: The Society, 1863—65), 4:455—56; and "Salem Quarterly Court Records and Files," Essex.Antiquarian 5 (January

11. Henry Phelps probably married a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Batter Antrum. Elizabeth was a sister of Edmond Batter, who was a selectman and served two terms as deputy to the General Court. Batter and Antrum arrived in Salem in 1635 with a group from Wiltshire who were prominent in Salem affairs. "Mr. Batter" and his "brother Antrum" are mentioned in the town records of 1637; see Essex Institute Historical Collections 9 (January 1869): 43. In the settlement of the estate of Obadiah Antrum, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Batter Antrum, "John Phelps, son of Hen. Phelps, kinsman," shares equally with "Hana, wife of Isaack Burnap, sister of the deceased." The testimony mentions that Obadiah's Uncle Edmond Batter had been an administrator of the estate of his father, Thomas Antrum; see Dow, Probate Records of Essex, 2:13—14. It appears that Edmond Batter was uncle to Obadiah Antrum, Hannah Antrum Burnap, and [—?—] Antrum Phelps (wife of Henry Phelps and mother of John).

12. George Bishop, New England Judged by the Spirit of the Lord (1661; reprinted, London, 1703), as quoted in Perley, History of Salem, 2:251.

13. Perley, History of Salem, 2:248; Dow, Probate Records of Essex, 1:211—12. In addition to sons Henry and Nicholas, who were to be Eleanor's executors, her will of February 1654/55 named Henry's son John and referred to (but did not name) the two children of Nicholas.

14. Sidney Perley, "Persecution of the Quakers in Essex County," Essex Antiquarian 1 (September

1897): 135; William Sewel, The History of the Rise, Increase and Progress of the Christian People Called

Quakers, 3rd ed. (1774; reprinted, Philadelphia, Pa.: Friends' Bookstore, 1856), 1:255; Nathaniel B.

Shurtleff, ed., Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England,

1628—1 686, 5 vols. in 6 parts (Boston: W. White, 1853—54), 4:pt.1:314 [hereinafter Records of Massachu­setts Bay]; and Chu, "Madmen and Friends," 122.

15. James Bowden, The History of the Society of Friends in America, 2 vols. (London: Charles Gilpin,

1850), 1:55.

16. Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 64; David S. Lovejoy, Religious Enthusiasm in the New World (Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1985), 122.

17. The court testimony in "Salem," Essex Antiquarian 12 (January 1908): 72—77, seems to be that the Southwicks had entertained the visiting Quakers, but that the first meeting was held in the Phelps's home.

See Perley, History of Salem, 2:244—48; Gildrie, Salem, Massachusetts, 133.

18. Bowden, History of the Society of Friends, 1:150-51, 162—63, 170-72; Perley, History of Salem,

2:254-57; Shurtleff, Records of Massachusetts Bay, 4: pt. 1: 367.

19, Erikson, Wayward Puritans, 118; Chu, Neighbors, Friends, or Madmen, 170.

20. Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 80; Shurtleff, Records of Massachusetts Bay, 4: pt.1: 410-11; Perley, History of Salem, 2:260—62.

21, Perley, History of Salem, 2:257; Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 92; Dow and Thresher, Quarterly Courts of Essex, 2:224.

22, Dow and Thresher, Quarterly Courts of Essex, 2:220, 261—62.

23. Ibid., 1:267-68; 2:261. The introduction (p. vii) explains: "Supplementing the record books kept by the clerks of the courts is a larger collection of original papers consisting of presentments, depositions upon almost every conceivable subject . . . connected with the various cases," The undated deposition of Jane Johnson was not in the record books, but in these files.

24. Ibid., 2:314.

25, Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 91—92.

26. John Greenleaf Whittier, The King's Missive and Other Poems (Boston: Houghton Muffin Co.,

1881). James Duncan Phillips, Salem in the Seventeenth Century (Boston: Houghton Muffin Co., 1933), 199, says, "In a way it is entirely incorrect to talk of the whole episode as persecution ... because the court was only enforcing the laws," Erikson, Wayward Puritans, refers to the "whole episode" as persecution on pp. 108-09, 114, 124, and 135, saying, "In late 1661 the Court received a letter from Charles II prohibiting the use of either corporal or capital punishment in cases involving the Quakers, and this announcement stopped the magistrates quite in their tracks.. . . The persecution of Quakers in Massachusetts Bay did not really end with the arrival of the King's letter.., but from that moment the intensity of the struggle steadily diminished."



27. George Fox, The Journal of George Fox, John L. Nickalls, ed. (rev. ed., Cambridge: University Press,

1952), 411—15; Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 94; Perley, History of Salem, 257, 268—70.

28. Dow and Thresher, Quarterly Courts of Essex, 2:431—32.

29. Chu, Neighbors, Friends, or Madmen, 170. Dr. Chu has compiled interesting tables of the adult Quakers in Salem, 1658—70, and the fines assessed for those years.

30. Perley, History of Salem, 2:257; Sidney Perley, "The Woods, Salem, in 1700," Essex Institute Historical Collections 51 (April 1915): 188; Essex County Courthouse Registry of Deeds, Salem, Massachusetts, Volumes 1—3, 1639—1658, LDS Film no. 866015: Deed Book 2:89, offers the following:

"memorandum, yt I Hanah Phelps, ye wife of Nicho: Phelps, lately deceased, whoe

sd Henry, doth by these presents surender up her thirds." was joynt executor to ye

31. Mattie Erma Edwards Parker, ed., North Carolina Higher-Court Records. 1670—1696, vol. II, Colonial Records of North Carolina, 2d. ser. (Raleigh, NC.: State Department of Archives and History, 1968), pp. xv—xviii; William L. Saunders, ed., Colonial Records of North Carolina, 10 vols. (Raleigh, NC.:

State of North Carolina, 1886—90), l:ix—x.

32. William Edmundson, A Journal of the Life, Travels. Sufferings, and Labour of Love in the Work of the Ministry, of that Worthy Elder and Faithful Servant of Jesus Christ, William Edmundson (3rd ed., Dublin, Ireland: Christopher Bentham, 1820), 88—89.

33. Ibid.

34. Stephen B. Weeks, Southern Quakers and Slavery. A Study in Institutional History (Baltimore:

Johns Hopkins Press, 1896), 35.

35. Mary Weeks Lambeth, Memories and Records of Eastern North Carolina (Nashville?: Privately printed, 1957), 150-51. Saunders, Colonial Records of N.C.. 1:250-53; "Salem," Essex Antiquarian 12 (January 1908): 74-75; Perley, History of Salem. 2:254.

36. Edmundson, Journal, 89.

37. Fox, Journal, 642—43.

38. Edmundson, Journal, 123—24.

39. Parker, NC. Higher-Court Records, II:xlvi; Robert J. Cain, ed., Records of the Executive Council.

1 664—1 734, vol. VIII, Colonial Records of North Carolina, 2d ser. (Raleigh, N.C.: Division of Archives and

History, 1984), 346.

40. Cain, Records of Executive Council, 356; Saunders, Colonial Records of N.C., 1:250.

41. Saunders, Colonial Records of N.C., 1:250-53.

42. Raymond A. Winslow, Jr., "Minutes of Perquimans Monthly Meeting 1680-1700," Perquimans County Historical Society Year Book (Hertford, N.C., The Society, 1976), 5—6 [hereinafter "Perquimans Monthly Meeting"].

43. Weynette Parks Haun, Old Albemarle County. North Carolina, Perquimans Precinct. Births, Marriages. Deaths & Flesh Marks. 16S9 thru 1820 (Durham, N.C.: Weynette Parks Haun, 1980), 2 [hereinafter Perquimans Births].

44. Weynette Parks Haun, Old Albemarle County. North Carolina. Book of Land Warrants and Surveys. 1681—1706 (Durham: Weynette Parks Haun, 1984), 106—07 [hereinafter Albemarle Land Warrants]; Margaret M. Hofmann, Province of North Carolina. 1663—1729, Abstracts of Land Patents, (Weldon, NC.: Roanoke News Company, 1979), 27 [hereinafter N.C. Land Patents].

45. Parker, NC. Higher-Court Records, 11:363—64.

46. Ibid., 377.

47. Weynette Parks Haun, Old Albemarle County. North Carolina. Perquimans Precinct Court Minutes. 1688 thru 1738 (Durham: Weynette Parks Haun, 1980), 2 [hereinafter Perquimans Court].

48. Hofmann, NC. Land Patents, 24; North Carolina File No. SS, Will of Johnathon Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

49. Haun, Perquimans Court, 13, 17.

50. Haun, Albemarle Land Warrants, 118.

51. Raymond A. Winslow, Jr., "Perquimans County and the Society of Friends," Perquimans County

Historical Society Year Book (Hertford, N.C., The Society, 1972), 1; Hofmann, NC. Land Patents, 9—10;

Walter Clark, ed., The State Records of North Carolina, 16 vols., numbered XI—XXVI (Winston and

Goldsboro, NC., State of North Carolina, 1895—1907), XXIII:484, XXV:367—69.

52. Haun, Albemarle Land Warrants, 25, 29.

53. Parker, N.C. Higher-Court Records, II:xxxiv.

54. Saunders, Colonial Records of NC., 1:711,713.

55. Winslow, "Perquimans Monthly Meeting," 11—12; Haun, Perquimans Births, 38.

56. Haun, Perquimans Births, 19.

57. Ibid., S [marriage], 17, 23 [births], 35 [deaths].

58. Winslow, "Perquimans Monthly Meeting," 6.

59. Haun, Perquimans Births, 9, 12—14.

60. Ibid, 21 [death]; File No. SS 874.2, p. 1, Council Minutes, Wills and Inventories, 1677—1701,



Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, reports "At a General Court held Nov. 1679: Geo. Castleton proved will of James Perisho of this county [Albemarle]."

61. Haun, Perquimans Births, 2 [marriage].

62. Eley E. Perisho, The Early History and Descendants of Joseph Perisho. James Perisho, Samuel Perisho (Streator, Ill., Eley E. Perisho, 1912), [10].

63. Haun, Albemarle Land Warrants, 14, 84.

64. Ibid. 106—07; Hofmann, N.C. Land Patents, 27; Mrs. Watson Winslow, History of Perquimans County.' As Compiled From Records Found There and Elsewhere (1931; reprinted, Baltimore: Regional Publishing Company, 1974), see map after p. 488.

65. Haun, Perquimans Births, 10.

66. Ibid.

67. File No. SS, Will of Samuel Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

68. Haun, Per quimans Court, 32.

69. Winslow, History of Perquimans, 35; Cain, Records of Executive Council, 141, 537.

70. Haun, Perquimans Births, 33, 48.

71. File No. SS, Will of William Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

72. Deed Book F:278, Perquimans County.

73. File No. SS, Will of Jonathan Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

74. Thomas Worth Marshall, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy by William Wade Hinshaw, Supplement to Volume I (Washington, D.C., Privately printed, 1948), 5.

75. Haun, Perquimans Births, 29 [birth], 38 [marriage].

76. Deed Book C: 160, Perquimans County.

77. File No. SS, Will of Elizabeth Nixon, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

78. Haun, Perquimans Births, 43; William Wade Hinshaw, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. I: North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Ann Arbor, Mich.: Edwards Brothers, Inc., 1936),

906.

79. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:69 [liberated to marry]; File No. SS, Will of Henry Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

80. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:69 [reported married].

81. Ibid., 1:69, 75 [reported married].

82. Ibid., 69 [liberated to marry]; Inventory of Jonathan Phelps, 20 May 1759, Perquimans County Estates Records, 1714-1930, filed alphabetically in boxes, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh [hereinafter Perquimans Estates Records].

83. Haun, Perquimans Births, 63 [marriage].

84. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:69 [reported married].

85. Winslow, "Perquimans Monthly Meeting," 15. Hannah Hill, grandmother of Eleanor Perisho, signed the marriage certificate.

86. File No. SS, Will of William Boge [Bogue], Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

87. Haun, Per quimans Births, 16-17, 25, 29, 41,48.

88. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, I:90d.

89. Miles White, Jr., Early Quaker Records in Virginia (1902—03; reprinted, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1977), 35 [marriage]; Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:36 [death]; File No. SS, Will of William Bogue, State Department of Archives and History, Raleigh.

90. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:36 [marriage]; Will of Robert Bogue (original will and recorded copy in WB-A:74), Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

91. Dorothy Gilbert Thorne, "New Data From Minutes of Perquimans Monthly Meeting (Quaker),

1729—1736," The North Carolinian 3 (September 1957): 329 [liberated to marry]; Deed Book D:148, Perquimans County.

92. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:36 [marriage], 95 [deaths].

93. Thorne, "New Data from Minutes," 329 [liberated to marry].

94. Deed Book C:43, Perquimans County.

95. Haun, Perquimans Births, 2, 38; Clifford M. Hardin, "New/Knew, a New Quaker Family," The Quaker Yeomen 13 (October 1986): 8—9.

96. Haun, Perquimans Births, 27—28, 30.

97. Ibid., 68 [births of children]; Inventory of James Perisho, 2 January 1744, Perquimans Estate Records.

98. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:967.

99. Perquimans County Marriage Bonds, 1742—1868, filed alphabetically; and Will of Joseph Perisho (original will and recorded will in WB-C:43); both in Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

100. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:113 [marriages and death].






Children of Nicholas Phelps and Hannah Baskel are:
i. Jonathan Phelps, born Abt. 1652 in Salem (that part now in West Peabody), Essex Co., MA; died 1688; married Hannah ?; died 1700.
121 ii. Hannah Phelps, born Abt. 1654 in Salem (that part now in West Peabody), Essex Co., MA; died in Perquimans Co., NC; married (1) James Perisho Abt. 1672 in Perquimans Co., NC; married (2) George Castleton 1679.

Generation No. 9

484. ? Phelps?, born Abt. 1595 in England?; died Bef. 1639 in England or Massachusetts. He married 485. Eleanor Sharp? Bef. 1615 in England?.
485. Eleanor Sharp?, born Abt. 1595 in England?; died 15 Feb 1655 in Salem (that part now in West Peabody), Essex County, Massachusetts USA.

More About ? Phelps?:
Burial: Salem, Essex, Ma

Notes for Eleanor Sharp?:
The following information on Eleanor ? Phelps Trusler and her family, an immigrant ancestor of author Nathaniel Hawthorne through her Phelps marriage, and an ancestor of the Quaker Phelps and Perisho families of Perquimans County, North Carolina, is quoted from "The Salem World of Nathaniel Hawthorne" (2001) by Margaret B. Moore, pages 33-37:

Hawthorne's primary connection with Quaker persecution, however, was his descent from the Phelps family. His paternal grandmother was Rachel Phelps Hathorne, whose earliest known male Phelps ancestor was husbandman Henry Phelps, who came to Massachusetts in the "Hercules" in 1634. At some point Henry's mother, Eleanor Phelps Trusler, and his brothers, Nicholas and Edward Phelps, came too. We do not know whether his father came and soon died, or whether the widow Eleanor married Thomas Trusler before or after she emigrated. [Footnote after this sentence--Many of the facts concerning the Phelps family can be ascertained from the family genealogy (Oliver Seymour Phelps and Andrew T. Servin, "The Phelps Family of America") with the caution that Donald Lines Jacobus gave in the "American Genealogist", 31 (1951): 219 when he termed it "very unreliable." For other facts, see Banks, "Planters of the Commonwealth," 108; Perley, "History of Salem," 1:320; Merton Taylor Goodrich, "The Children of Eleanor Trusler," 15.] Eleanor, a very outspoken lady, has been called a Gortonist. She and Trusler were members of the First Church by 1639. In 1644 Eleanor was fined by the court for saying that "their teacher Mr. [Edward] Norris, taught the people lies, and that Mr. Norris and Mr. Endecott were the foundation of the church and they were unfaithful." She was also quoted as declaring that "there was no love in the church and that they were biters and devourers and that Mr. Norris said that men would change their judgment for a dish of meat." Cassandra Southwick was reported to have told the court that Eleanor "did question the government ever since she came." (That is a pretty irony from one who was among the most persecuted Quakers just a little later.)

Eleanor had bought from that same Norris a lot to the west of Salem in what was called simply the Woods, and she built a house on it. When she died in 1655, she left her house and land to Henry and Nicholas. Here the story takes on a soap-opera aspect. At some point Henry had again sailed from England to America, this time on the same ship with a certain Hannah Baskell. It was later deposed that Henry and Hannah had spent entirely too much time together. The captain was quoted as saying that "it [is] not enough for yw to let Hannah lay her head in yr lapp but but shee ly in yr Cabbin to." He also called Hannah a strumpet. [Footnote following this sentence: "Records and Files," 1:356; Sidney Perley, "The Woods, Salem in 1700," 188; "Ipswich Court Records and Files," 37.] Whatever the relationship at that point, Hannah married Nicholas Phelps, not Henry, but the embers obviously smoldered.

Nicholas and Hannah Phelps became Quakers, and the meetings in Salem were held at their home in the Woods. They were repeatedly fined for absence from the Puritan meeting (the only one allowed) and for entertaining Quakers. William Hathorne had issued an order to his minions: "You are required by virtue hereof, to search in all suspicious houses for private meetings, and if they refuse to open the doors, you are to break open the door upon them, and return the names of all ye find to Ipswich Court." Finally both Hannah and Nicholas were arrested; Hannah was put into jail, and Nicholas was banished from the colony. He and Samuel Shattuck went to England in 1660 and stayed long enough to obtain from Charles II the order to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to desist from killing Quakers. In June 1661 Hannah was again presented to the court for holding that "Mr. Higginson sent abroad his wolves and his bloodhounds amongst the sheep and lambs and that priests were deceivers of the people." Perhaps it was inevitable that during Nicholas' absence Henry and Hannah would renew their relationship, whatever it was. Henry evidently bought Nicholas' half of the estate, which had been deeded by law to the court in 1660, and perhaps he moved in with Hannah. At any rate, the courts were soon warning Henry not to dally with Nicholas's wife. Nicholas came back from England by 1662 and died before 1664. Meanwhile the court accused Henry of beating his son John, of making him work on the Sabbath, and of entertaining Quakers. He was again told to stay away from Hannah. John was taken away from him and put with a "religious family." At some point then in 1664/1665, Hannah, the widow of Nicholas, and Henry Phelps were married, probably at a Quaker meeting, and moved to the Perquimans District in eastern North Carolina. There they were found in 1672 by William Edmondson, an Irishman converted to Quakerism by George Fox. Edmondson wrote in his journal, "He [Phelps] and his wife have been convinced of the truth in New England, and came there to live, who not having seen a Friend for seven years they wept for joy to see us." It is intriguing to find in the North Carolina deeds and records of that area the names of Maule, Shattuck, and Nicholson, and to see a grandson of Hannah's named Jonathan Phelps, the name later given to Nathaniel Hawthorne's great-grandfather. [Footnote following this paragraph: "Records and Files," 2:103-4, 106, 107, 118, 167; James Bowden, "The History of the Society of Friends in America," 165-66; Perley, "History of Salem," 2:257, 268-69; "Records and Files," 2:220, 261-62, 314; Gwen Boyer Bjorkman, "Hannah (Baskel) Phelps Phelps Hill: A Quaker Woman and Her Offspring," 289-302, 293. The name of Phelps was often printed as Philips.]

Henry Phelps did not seem to be a Quaker while in Salem, but he appears to have become one by his time in North Carolina. His son, John, Hawthorne's ancestor, continued to live in the Woods and eventually helped determine the line between Reading and Salem. He ran the Phelps Mill, and, so far as I know, was never a Quaker. Whatever religious family he lived with or perhaps the beatings by his father may have cured him of any tendency he possibly had. His mother, Henry's first wife, is not definitely known. She has been speculated to have been a sister of Thomas Antrum or of Edmund Batter. Both have been designated as kinsmen. [Footnote following this paragraph: William P. Upham, "Town Records of Salem, 1634-1659," 2:166, 295; Lura Woodside Watkins, "Water Mills of Middleton," 339-40; "Records and Files," 3:277; Perley, "History of Salem," 2:257. Perley thought Henry Phelps married Edmund Batter's sister.]

Another Quaker connection occurred in that Phelps line. John's son, Henry Phelps, married Rachel Guppy, daughter of John and Abigail Kitchen Guppy. Nathaniel Hawthorne's Guppy connection is a story in itself. The grandfather of Rachel, old Reuben Guppy, was part of the Bay Colony at least by 1641 when he was accused of running away from his pregnant wife, stealing an axe, having somebody's chicken in his britches, and numerous similar crimes. Guppy is a marvelous Snopes-like creature, always on the fringes of the law, always in trouble, in the stocks, or being whipped. He told the court that he "did not go to meeting and that the parings of his nails and a chip were as acceptable to God as the day of Thanksgiving."

His son, John Guppy, was not the most savory character either. He married Abigail Kitchen in 1669. Abigail's parents were John and Elizabeth Grafton Kitchen. John Kitchen was often in trouble with the Puritan authorities. He and Elizabeth were frequently fined for attending Quaker meetings and for absence from the duly constituted church. In fact, Kitchen was displaced from the office of sergeant of the foot company because of his "unworthy and malignant speeches." Elizabeth Grafton Kitchen was John's second wife, and she was also a Quaker. She received harsh treatment from Edmund Batter, the self-appointed Quaker-basher. He took her horse and said she had been "paw-wawing" and called her a "base quaking slut." For this Batter was admonished by the court, an uncommon occurrence for him.

The daughter of John Guppy and Abigail Kitchen Guppy married Henry Phelps, Hawthorne's great-great-grandfather. Rachel and Henry Phelps, descended as they were from Quakers in the thick of the Quaker persecution, seem to have been quiet members of the church in Salem Village, Massachusetts. Their son, Jonathan, lived in Beverly and then in Salem and showed his dissenting nature only by becoming for a short time a Presbyterian and retaining a residue of such opinion so that Dr. William Bentley of the East Church called him a man "warm in the vulgar theology of strong passions." He died before Hawthorne was born. His daughter Rachel, who married old Daniel Hathorne, the writer's grandfather, dutifully joined Daniel's church, the First Church of Salem. [Footnote following this paragraph: "Vital Records of Reading, Massachusetts to the Year 1850," 1:256; WB, "Diary," 2:360; First Church of Salem Records, 312; Phelps and Servin, "Phelps Family," 2: 1581, 1593. This genealogy is incorrect in stating the second Henry Phelps's wife. She was Rachel Guppy. See Judith M. Garland on behalf of Gary Boyd Roberts to Margaret B. Moore, February 2, 1991; also see Gary Boyd Roberts, "Additions, Corrections, and Further Documentation for Previous Columns," 67.

Thus, these Quakers were far back in Hawthorne's background, and he did not use their particular stories in his work. He often seems to see the Quakers as outsiders coming in to disrupt the community. He showed no reluctance to specify in the case of the first Hathorne; would he have been reluctant to use Elizabeth Gardner, the Phelpses, or the Kitchens, had he known about them? Or was the position of victim, emphatically felt, less intriguing than that of guilty victor?

On the other hand, woud the old ladies of the family who sat in the chimney-corners have relayed any of these stories to the young boy? Since the tales are all on the paternal side, Rachel Phelps Hathorne would have had to do all the talking, and we do not know. There were, however, other relatives nearby in Salem of whom I am convinced the young boy was far more aware than he is generally thought to have been. He says he heard many of the witch stories; surely he heard about the Quakers as well. As he grew older, he read Joseph Barlow Felt's "Annals of Salem" and Sewel's book on Quakers, and Hutchinson's history and many another book that could have relayed these stories. Anyone as self-aware as Nathaniel Hawthorne surely did not let the Phelps name, for instance, go by in his reading without wondering about the connections. Furthermore, the very ambiguity with which he treats the Quakers may spring from his knowledge that his ancestors were not only persecutors but the persecuted as well.

What is indisputable is that Nathaniel Hawthorne had connections, whether he knew the extent of them or not. His roots were absolutely intertwined with the soil of Salem, with all the soils that make it up. Whatever he knew of his own relationships with the Quakers, he recognizes that this strange people with their gift of a new idea had touched a secret spring and were part of his mental makeup.

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/MAESSEX/2007-04/1175656328

From: Mary Boudreau
Subject: Re: [MAESSEX] New to list - Phelps in Salem, Essex County, MA
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 20:12:08 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To:

Nathaniel Hawthorne's paternal grandmother

Rachel Phelps Hathorne (1734-1813;)
Hawthorne was also descended on his father's side from the Phelps; his paternal grandmother was Rachel Phelps Hathorne. Rachel is a descendant of Henry Phelps and his first wife, Eleanor Batter . Henry's second wife, Hannah, was originally married to Nicholas, Henry's brother. Nicholas and Hannah Phelps were Salem Quakers who held meetings at their home in the Woods, as the area west of Salem was called at the time. William Hathorne had ordered that those who held such meetings be arrested, and eventually Hannah was jailed and Nicholas was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Thus Hawthorne may have felt a connection to both the persectors of Quakers and the persecuted which, says Margaret Moore in The Salem World of Nathaniel Hawthorne, may account for "the very ambiguity with which he treats the Quakers" (37). We are grateful to Richard James Phelps, Associate Director of Public Affairs, College of the Holy Cross, and Gwen Boyer Bjorkman, noted
Quaker/Hannah Phelps historian, for the following genealogy of the Phelps/Hathorne connection:
Henry Phelps, born 1595, married Eleanor Sharp
son Henry Phelps, Jr, born 1615, arrived in Salem 1634, married Eleanor Batter
son John Phelps, born 1644, married Abigail Antram
son Henry Phelps, born 1673, married Rachel Guppy
son Jonathan Phelps, born 1708, married Judith Cox
daughter Rachel Phelps, born 1733, married Daniel Hathorne
son Nathaniel Hathorne, born 1775, married Elizabeth Clarke Manning
son Nathaniel Hawthorne, born 1804



More About Eleanor Sharp?:
Immigration: Bef. 1639, Settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony at Salem. Whether she married Thomas Trusler before immigrating, or after settling in Massachusetts, is uncertain, but he was living there by 1629. The name of her prior husband, father of her sons, is unknown.

Children of ? Phelps? and Eleanor Sharp? are:
i. Henry Phelps/Phillips, born Abt. 1615 in England?; died Bef. 1672 in Phelps Point (present-day Hertford area), Perquimans County, North Carolina USA; married (1) Eleanor Batter? Bef. 1644; born Abt. 1620; married (2) Hannah Baskel Abt. 1664 in probably Massachusetts; born Bef. 1630 in England?; died Aft. 1695 in Perquimans County, North Carolina USA.

More About Henry Phelps/Phillips:
Immigration: Abt. 1634, Settled in Salem, MA

Notes for Hannah Baskel:
The following is an interesting biography of Hannah Baskel Phelps Phelps Hill:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~monticue/hannah_baskel_life_story.htm

1987 Winner: NGS

Family-History Writing Contest
Hannah (Baskel) Phelps Phelps Hill:

A Quaker Woman and Her Offspring

By GWEN BOYER BJORKMAN*

It is usually difficult to document the lives of colonial women. As a category, they left few legal documents. Yet, through sundry records, it is possible to reconstruct the life of one remarkable woman—Hannah (Baskel) Phelps Phelps Hill. One does not read about Hannah in standard histories of early America, yet she held the first Quaker meeting in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in her home in Salem and later opened her home to the first Quaker meeting in the Albemarle settlement of Carolina. She was truly the Proverbs 31 lady. After all these years "her children [will now] rise up and bless her;... saying: 'Many daughters have done nobly, But you excell them all!' "' Despite her accomplishments, however, Hannah did not set out to be a noble heroine. She emerges in history as a young woman—human and alone, as far as family is concerned.

The search for Hannah began in the records that men have left to chronicle the past. Before 1652, she came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from England. An undated deposition of one Jane Johnson provides the only record of Hannah's maiden name, Baskel. It reveals that, at the time of the deposition, Hannah was the wife of Nicholas Phelps but at the date of "coming over in the ship," she was in the company of his brother, Henry. The document also labels her a "strumpet." Obviously, Hannah was a woman of independent mind, not much inclined to conform to the dictates of convention. This trait was to bring her blessings, scorn, and persecution:

Deposition of Jane Johnson: Saith yt: coming Ovr in the ship with Henry Phelps & Hannah the now wife of Nich: Phelps: Henry Phelps going ashore the ship lying at the Downes: Hannah wept till shee made herselve sick because mr Fackner would not suffer her to goe ashore with Henry Phelps: & Henry came aboard late in the night, the next morning mr Falckner Chid Henry Phelps & Hannah & said was it not enough for y~V to let Hannah lay her head in yr lapp but must shee ly in ye Cabbin to & called Hannah Strumpet & this deponent saith farther yt she saw Henry Phelps ly in his Cabbin & Hannah Baskel the now wife of Nich Phelps came & lay down her head by him & pull her head up again often as he lay in his Cabbin: Y when he was smocking in the Cook roome tobacco Hannah tooke the pip out of his mouth, etc., etc.2

One Henry Phelps arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634 on the ship Hercules, under John Kiddey, Master. His destination was said to be Salem.3 However, the Phelps family may have been in Salem before this date. It is known that Eleanor Phelps, mother of Henry and Nicholas Phelps, had married Thomas Trusler of Salem and that they were members of the first church in Salem in 1639.~ One historian holds that Trusler probably came to Salem in 1629, with a kiln for the burning of bricks and tiles was built, and that he continued this business until his death in 1654.~ There has been found no record of a previous wife or children for Trusler in Salem, so it is possible that Eleanor married him in England and came to the Bay Colony with him and her five Phelps children. Eleanor mentions in her 1655 will "the legacy bequeathed by my Late husband to his Daughter in England."6 Trusler's will has been lost. The inventory of his estate has been preserved.7

What did Hannah find in her new home in Salem? She found independent-minded people who, like herself, were interested in change. She also found others who rigorously opposed any thought contrary to theirs. Since all political and social life was centered in the church, religion was the arena for the excitement of dissent. Roger Williams had a short pastorate in Salem, around 1634, before being banished to Rhode Island.8 Robert Moulton, a Phelps neighbor, had been excommunicated from the Salem Church in 1637 for antinomian heresy during the Wheelwright controversy.9 Between 1638 and 1650, nine people from Salem were tried at Quarterly Court for heretical opinions, and five of the nine were women. Lady Deborah Moody, a church member since 1640, was charged with Anabaptism in 1642; rather than recant, she moved to Long Island. Samuel Gorton was tried in Boston, jailed there, and sent to Rhode Island for his Separatist beliefs. Eleanor Trusler also was taken to court, in April 1644, for her Gortonist opinions, saying, "our teacher Mr. Norris taught the people lies." Governor Winthrop was advised to bind her over to Boston Court as an example others might fear, lest "that heresie doeth spread which at length may prove dangerous." At the Trusler trial, one Casandra Southwick testified that Eleanor "did question the government ever since she came." This was Salem in Hannah's day.

The shipboard romance alleged between Hannah and Henry Phelps did not result in their immediate marriage. Instead, Henry married (or had been married) to another woman, by whom he had a son, John (born about 1645)," while Hannah married his brother Nicholas. Historians have not always treated the latter kindly—he has been called "a weak man, and one whose back was crooked"'2 but it can be argued that he had a strong spirit much akin to Hannah's. They had two children (Jonathan, born about 1652, and Hannah, born about 1654) with whom they lived on the Trusler farm in "the woods" about five miles from the meeting house in Salem. Situated at the site of the modern town of West Peabody, the farm had been devised to Nicholas and Henry jointly, in 1655, by their mother.'3

It was in the late 1650s that the Phelpses became involved in Quakerism. The Society of Friends, or Quakers, had been founded in England in 1648 by George Fox; and its teachings were brought to Boston, in July 1656, by two female missionaries. However, it is believed that books and tracts by Fox and other Quakers might have been brought to the colony in earlier years. In 1657 William Marston, a Hampton-Salem boatman, was cited for having Quaker pamphlets in his possession.'4 There is a passage in a letter written in 1656 from Barbados by Henry Fell, which provides the earliest mention of Quakerism in Salem:

In Plimouth patent.., there is a people not soe ridged as the others at Boston and there are great desires among them after the Truth. Some there are, as I hear, convinced who meet in silence at a place called Salem.'5

Another passage bearing on this Salem group is found in Cotton Mather's Magnalia:

I can tell the world that the first Quakers that ever were in the world were certain fanaticks here in our town of Salem, who held forth almost all the fancies and whimsies which a few years after were broached by them that were so called in England, with whom yet none of ours had the least communication.'6

In 1657, the invasion of Massachusetts by Quakers began when visiting Friends from England landed in Boston Harbor and were immediately imprisoned. If the group at Salem had been meeting quietly for several years, they went public when—on Sunday, 27 June 1658—a meeting was held at the home of Nicholas and Hannah Phelps. This was the first Quaker meeting of record in the colony. Two visiting Friends at that meeting, William Brend and William Leddera, acknowledged that they were Quakers and were sent to prison with six Salem residents who were also in attendance. Nicholas and Hannah were fined.'7

Quaker meetings continued to be held regularly at the Phelps home, in defiance of the law. In September 1658, Samuel Shattock, Nicholas Phelps, and Joshua Buffum were arrested and sentenced by the court to prison, where Nicholas was "cruelly whipped" three times in five days for refusing to work. Within months, Nicholas and six neighbors were called before the court again. This time they were banished on pain of death, with two weeks being allowed to settle their affairs. It was at the end of May 1659 that Phelps and Shattock sailed for Barbados with the intention of continuing on to England to present the matter before parliament. However, because of the unsettled state of affairs in England, they were not to return until late l66l.'~

In the meanwhile, Hannah was left in Salem with the care of the farm and their two small children. The Quaker meetings continued to be held at her home, and she was fined every year from 1658 to 1663 for nonattendance at the Salem Church.'9 In the fall of 1659, she with five others from Salem went to Boston to give comfort to two visiting Friends from England who had been sen­tenced to death for their faith and defiance of the laws of the colony. She and her group were arrested and imprisoned also. On 12 November, two weeks after the execution of the condemned Friends, the Salem party was brought forth to be sentenced for "adherence to the cursed sect of the Quakers" and "theire disorderly practices & vagabond like life in absenting themselves from their family relations and running from place to place without any just reason." They were admonished, whipped, and sent home.20

Upon Hannah's return, her house and land were seized by the Salem Court in payment of the fines levied against her and Nicholas. Henry came to the rescue of his sister-in-law, arguing that the court could take only the half of the property belonging to Nicholas. He managed to obtain control of the entire farm and allowed Hannah and the children to remain there.2' Did Henry now become interested in his sister-in-law, since his brother was in England, or did he now become interested in the Quaker teachings? There are no records of Henry's being fined for Quaker leanings.

One thing is clear from the records: where Henry had once been a respected part of the community, he was now suspected. At the Quarte'rly Court of 26 June 1660, Major William Hawthorn was ordered to inquire after the misuse of John Phelps by his father:

Henry Phelps, of Salem, was complained of at the county court at Boston, July 31, 1660, for beating his son, John Phelps, and forcing him to work carrying dung and mending a hogshead on the Lord's day, also for intimacy with his brother's wife and for entertaining Quakers. It was ordered that John Phelps, the son, be given over to his uncle, Mr. Edmond Batter, to take care of him and place him out to some religious family as an apprentice, said Henry, the father, to pay to Mr. Batter what the boy's grandmother left him, to be improved to said John Phelps' best advantage. Said Henry Phelps was ordered to give bond for his good behavior until the next Salem court, and especially not to be found in the company of Nicholas Phelps' wife, and to answer at that time concerning the entertaining of Quakers.22

The testimony seems to imply that Henry Phelps was living with his brother's wife and holding Quaker meetings. The charges were expressed even more bluntly at the November 1660 Quarterly Court:

Henry Phelps, being bound to this court to answer a complaint for keeping company or in the house with his brother's wife, and appearing, was released of his bond. Upon further consideration and examination of some witnesses, which the court did not see meet for the present to bring forth in public [Was this when the deposition of Jane Johnson was taken?J, and the wife of Nicholas Phelps not appearing, said Phelps was bound to the next court at Salem. He was ordered meanwhile to keep from the company of his brother Nicholas Phelps' wife.23

Hannah had final say on the subject. At Salem Court, 28 June 1661, Thomas Flint and John Upton testified that, coming into Henry Phelps's house on a Sabbath-day evening, they heard Hannah say that "Higgeson had sent out his wolves apace." John Upton asked her if Mr. Higgeson sent the wolves amongst them to kill their creatures and she answered, "The bloodhounds, to catch the sheep and lambs." She was sentenced to be fined or whipped, and one William Flint promised to pay the fine.24

Political events soon eased the Phelps's persecution—albeit slightly. The days of Cromwell and the Puritans were over in England in 1660. A new parliament proclaimed the banished Prince Charles as king, invited him to return from exile, and placed him on the throne of his father. As Charles II, he read—and sympathized with—the petition of those Quakers in England who had been banished from Massachusetts. That document contained a list of the sufferings of "the people called Quakers," and Number 15 stated, "One inhabitant of Salem, since banished on pain of death, had one-half of his house and land seized."25 On 9 September 1661, Charles II issued an order to the Bay Colony to cease the persecution of Quakers and appointed Samuel Shattock to bear the "King's Missive" to Boston.2' No mention was made of Nicholas Phelps's return at that time, although the historian Perley claimed~"they returned together, but Mr. Phelps, being weak in body after some time died."27 It is known that Nicholas and Hannah were together again in Salem by June 1662 when, at the Quarterly Court, "Nicholas Phelpes and his wife.., were presented for frequent absence from meeting on the Sabbath Day."28 Hannah was fined alone in 1663.29

On 18 July 1664, Henry Phelps sold the property that he and his brother had inherited from their mother in 1655;3o and he, Hannah, and the children left Massachusetts. Many of their friends had departed already for Long Island or Rhode Island, but some had journeyed to far-off Carolina, where a new settlement was beginning on Albemarle Sound. It was the latter colony to which Henry and Hannah headed. Presumably they married in a Quaker meeting before setting off by ship, with what possessions they had left.

In 1660 or earlier, a few Virginians had crossed into the Albemarle region, then called Chowan. By charters of 1663 and 1665, Charles II granted to eight proprietors a tract of land which was to lie between the present states of Virginia and Florida, a vast tract that was named Carolina, and the colony which had already sprung up there was designated Albemarle County. Another settlement was begun at Cape Fear in 1664 by a group from Barbados and New England; their area became the county of Clarendon. By 1664, however, the latter group had deserted the Cape and moved to

Fittingly, the first record found of Hannah in Carolina spotlights her religious activities. In 1653 one William Edmundson converted to Quakerism in England; and from 1661 he was recognized as leader of the Irish Quakers. He first visited America with George Fox as a traveling Friend in 1672. While Fox went to New England, Edmundson traversed Virginia; about the first of May, 1672, he ventured down into Carolina. Two Friends from Virginia accompanied him as guides but became lost, saying they had "gone past the place where we intended." Edmundson found a path that "brought us to the place where we intended, viz. Henry Phillips' [Phelps] House by Albemarle river.

It is Edmundson who accounts for the life of Henry and Hannah during the years in which legal records are silent. "He [Phelps] and his wife had been convinced of the truth in New England, and came there to live, who having not seen a Friend for seven years before, they wept for joy to see us."33 Some scholars have interpreted this passage in Edmundson's journal to mean that Henry and Hannah were the only Quaker family in Albemarle in 1672.~~ However, evidence does exist of another couple: Christopher and Hannah (Rednap) Nicholson who had become Quakers and had been persecuted in Massachusetts. The Nicholson's had arrived in Albemarle Sound, probably by 1663, and were neighbors of Henry and Hannah Phelps. It is also known that Isaac and Damaris (Shattuck) Page came to Albemarle from Salem, after both had been fined as Quakers.35

Edmundson's journal also reveals that the first recorded Quaker meeting in Albemarle was held at the Phelps' home, just as the first recorded Quaker meeting at Salem had been sponsored by Nicholas and Hannah. Edmundson said, "it being on a first day morning when we got there... I desired them, to send to the people there-away to come to a meeting about the middle of the day."36 Hannah opened her home yet again to the "Lord's testimony," as brought by the visiting Friends. Following the visit of Edmundson, Fox himself came to Albemarle in November 1672, stopping first at Joseph Scott's home by Perquimans River, where he held a meeting, and then "we passed by water four miles to Henry Phillips' [Phelps] house" and held a meeting there.37

Edmundson returned to Albemarle in 1676, and again the faithful Hannah appears in his journal:

We took our journey through the wilderness, and in two days came well to Carolina, first to James Hall's [Hill's] house, who went from Ireland to Virginia with his family. His wife died there, and he had married the widow Phillips [Phelps] at Carolina, and lived there; but he had not heard that I was in those parts of the world. When I came into the house, I saw only a woman servant; I asked for her master. She said he was sick. I asked for her mistress, she said she was gone abroad.. so I went into the room, where he was laid on the bed, sick of an ague with his face to the wall. I called him by his name, and said no more; he turned himself, and looked earnestly at me a pretty time, and was amazed; at last he asked if that was William? I said yes.3

Between Edmundson's journeys of 1672 and 1676, Henry died and Hannah married James Hill. James was probably a convert of Edmundson in Ireland or in Virginia, since they knew each other by first name. In November 1676, the Lords Proprietors had issued commissions to men designated as deputies in Albemarle. James Hill, Esq., was deputy of the Duke of Albemarle.39 During Culpeper's Rebellion in 1677, Hill helped one Thomas Miller escape and a guard of soldiers was put at his house. Promptly on his return from Virginia, he, along with Francis Jones and Christopher Nicholson, was arrested/'~ Hannah Phelps Hill was again in the thick of conflict.

The Quakers drew up a "Remonstrance" to the proprietors protesting their treatment, outlining the above acts, and declaring they were "a peaceable people." It was signed on 13 September 1679 by twenty-one Quakers, including Jones and Nicholson, together with Joseph Scott, Isaac Page, and Jonathan Phelps, son of Nicholas and Hannah. Under their signatures, it was written that most of the subscribers "have been Inhabitants in Carolina since the years 1663 and 1664.~~4I The Quakers had not been persecuted in Carolina previous to this time, but it is recorded in the minutes of Perquimans Monthly Meeting that about the fourth or fifth month of 1680, nine Friends were fined and put into prison for refusing to bear arms in the muster field. Among those nine were five of the signers of the 1679 remonstrance—including Jonathan Phelps and Samuel Hill, son of James.42

Hannah's devotion to religion did not prompt her to neglect her family, however. She appears again in court records to champion the cause of her grandchildren. In the intervening years, her daughter Hannah had twice wed—first to James Perisho and second, in 1679, to George Castleton.43 On 30 March 1680, it was ordered by the Lords Proprietors that one hundred acres of land be laid out, for "James Perishaws Orphants," for the transportation of two persons, namely their parents "James and Hannah Perishaw."" However, complications arose involving this second husband, Castleton; and Hannah Phelps Hill went to court to protect her grandson's property. The first hint of the family troubles appear in the court records of October 1685:

Whereas George Castleton hath absented himself from the County and Imbezled the estate belonging to the Orphans of James Perisho deceased, It is therefore ordered that no person or persons buy any cattle belonging to the said Orphans or any part of the estate of the said Castleton and that Jonathan Phelps gather the come and measure the same and deliver the one half to Hannah Castleton and secure the other half till further order.45

Castleton apparently returned to the county, and problems continued. In October 1687 the court ordered that Hannah Castleton the wife of George Castleton do repaire home to her husband and live with him and that if she departs from him any more it is ordered that the majestrates doe forthwith use such means as may cause her to live with her husband."

The younger Hannah apparently did not live long past this point; she is not mentioned as attending the wedding of her daughter on 5 August 1689, although the grandmother Hannah did. In October of that year, the older Hannah appeared in court, concerned for the welfare of Hannah, Jr.'s son by her first husband:

At a Court Holden for the precinct of Pequimins at the house of Mary Scot on the first Monday being the 7th. of October 1689 ... Hannah Hill Grandmother to James Perishaw hath petitioned this Court to have the managment of the stock belonginge to the sd. James Perishaw, It is therefore Ordered that after the last of this instant October the sd. Hannah Hill take into her custodie the Stock belonginge to James Perishaw, and manage the same for the childs Care, putting in security for the same.47

For his proprietary land rights, Hannah's son Jonathan took out a patent in 1684, covering four hundred acres near Robert Wilson on the west side of the Perquimans River. In his will written in 1688, he gave this four hundred acres (where he then lived) to his son Samuel.48 In 1692, Robert Wilson and John Lilly, executors of Jonathan Phelps, went to court to divide the property. The suit was continued in 1693, when Hannah Hill petitioned for "hur Halfe of ye plantation"; and it was ordered that "Shee be posesed with it.49 This patent was renewed by Samuel Phelps as son and heir in 1695.

All of Albemarle's early land records have not survived. However, it is commonly accepted in the history of Perquimans County that the land Henry Phelps lived on, when Edmundson paid him the visit in 1672, was the land on the narrows of the Perquimans River that was granted to his grandson, Jonathan Phelps, in 1694—and that part of this grant became the town Hertford.51 This should be partly true. It was Hannah Phelps's grandson, Jonathan Phelps, who became owner of the property; but without recorded wills or deeds, the details of the property's transfer are cloudy. Since Hannah was the only one of the original family still living in 1694, it was she who proved rights for fifteen persons transported into the county of Albemarle. They were:

Henry Phelps [her 2nd husband], Hanah his Wife [herself], John Phelps [Henry's son],

Jonathan Phelps [her son], hanah Phelps junr [her daughter], Robt. Pane, James Hill [her

3rd husband], Saml. Hill [son of James Hill], Mary Hill, Nathanl. Spivey and his wife

Judith, John Spivey, Sarah Spivey, Anne Spivey, [and] Jonathan Phelps his freedom.52

This document implies one other situation not otherwise documented by extant records: After the death of Nicholas, Hannah's son by him was apparently bound to his uncle—and her second husband—Henry. Once Jonathan's servitude expired, in North Carolina, he was eligible for his own grant.53

The fifteen rights named in the foregoing document amounted to 750 acres. At the time of the survey in 1694, Hannah assigned the first six rights to her grandson, Jonathan Phelps, who was then seven years old; eight rights to her grandson, Samuel Phelps, age ten; and the last right to Robert Wilson, the executor of the estate of her son Jonathan.

Hannah, who outlived her three husbands and her two children, had now provided for her grandchildren. She had seen the establishment of the Quaker meetings and Quaker life in Albemarle. A 1709 letter of Mr. Gordon, a Church of England missionary, stated that the Quakers then numbered "about the tenth part of the inhabitants" of Carolina. And in Perquimans Precinct, he said, they "are very numerous, extremely ignorant, insufferably proud and ambitious, and consequently ungovernable."54 It is because she was proud, ambitious, and ungovernable that one is now able to document the life of Hannah and her children.

GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY: THREE GENERATIONS

1. Hannah1 Baskel was probably born in England before 1630 and died, probably in Perquimans County, North Carolina, after 1695. She married, first, at Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1650, to Nicholas Phelps, who died before 1664 when she married, second, to his brother, Henry Phelps—they being sons of Eleanor [—?—] Phelps Trusler by an unidentified husband. Hannah married, third, in Perquimans between 1672 and 1676, to James Hill, who had at least one son, Samuel, by a previous marriage. Hannah may have married, fourth, at Perquimans Quarterly Meeting, to Joseph Smith, on 7 March 1695/96.

Children of Nicholas and Hannah (Baskel) Phelps were as follows:

+ 2 i. Jonathan2 Phelps, born about 1652 at Salem.

+ ~ ii. Hannah Phelps, born about 1654 at Salem.

2. Jonathan2 Phelps (Hannah') was born about 1652 at Salem and died in Perquimans County, 21 February 1688/89.56 He married at Perquimans, about 1674, to Hannah [—? ]. She married, secondly, at Perquimans, on "last of March 1690," to John Lilly, by whom she had two children born at Perquimans: Sarah (15 June 1691) and Hannah (29 September 1694). Hannah Phelps Lilly died 15 February 1700/01 and John Lilly died 17 July 1701, both at Perquimans.57 Most of the early Quaker meetings were held at the house of Jonathan Phelps. The Monthly Meeting was established at his house in 1683.58

Children of Jonathan and Hanna [—? ] Phelps, born at Perquimans County, were as follows:59

~ i. Sarah3 Phelps, born 15 January 1676; died before 1688.
~ ii. Elizabeth Phelps, born 2 April 1679.
6 iii. Jonathan Phelps, born 6 November 1681; died before 1687.
+ 7 iv. Samuel Phelps, born 6 August 1684.
+ 8 v. Jonathan Phelps, born 13 April 1687.

3. Hannah2 Phelps (Hannah') was born about 1654 at Salem and probably died in Perquimans between 1687 and 1689, before the marriage of her daughter Eleanor. She married, first, at Perquimans, about 1672, to James Perisho, who was born about 1645, possibly in France, and died at Perquimans on 29 March 1678.60 She married, second, at Perquimans, on 13th [—1 1679/80, to George Castleton, son of George and Mary Castleton of New Castle on Tyne, England.6'

Family tradition holds that James [Jacques?] Perisho was born in Brittany, France, and was a sailor who was shipwrecked and landed at Edenton, Albemarle Sound.62 As James "Perrishaw," he was claimed as a headright by Thomas Carteret on 29 March 1680, for proprietary rights recorded in 1694.

The Perisho and Castleton land grants were on the Perquimans River, south of the Jonathan Phelps grant.64

Children of James and Hannah (Phelps) Perisho, both born in Perquimans, were as follows65:

+ ~ i. Eleanor3 Perisho, born 18 December 1673.

+ 10 ii. James Perisho, born 25 November 1676.

The one child of George and Hannah (Phelps) Castleton, born in Perqui­mans, was66

11 i. Hannah Castleton, born 13 March 1679.

7. Samuel3 Phelps (Jonathan2, Hannah') was born 6 August 1684 in Perquimans and died there between April and July 1728.67 He married at Perquimans, about 1705, to Hannah [ J. In 1701 he and James Chesen petitioned the court for a share in the crop made that year at John Lilly's, saying that they had lived with Lilly [his stepfather] until he died. Samuel was awarded a full share and Chesen was given a half share.68 By an act of the assembly in 1715, Samuel was appointed a vestryman in the established church; and in 1724 he was appointed justice of the peace for the precinct of Perquimans.69

Children of Samuel and Hannah [ ] Phelps, all born in Perquimans County, were as follows:70

12 i. Samuel4 Phelps, born 17 "Deeember November 1706—7", died young.

13 ii. Jonathan Phelps, died young.

14 iii. John Phelps, born 13 January 17 16/17; died young.
15 iv. William Phelps, died April 1752, Perquimans County, without issue.71
16 v. James Phelps, died young.72

8. Jonathan3 Phelps (Jonathan2, Hannah') was born 13 April 1687, in Perquimans, and died there between December and January 1732/33." He married at Perquimans Monthly Meeting, 16 12m [February] 1720, to Elizabeth Toms.74 She was the daught9r of Francis Toms and Margaret (Bogue) Lawrence, who had been married "at a Meeting At ye sd. Lawrancees Hows ye 8 day of Jun Anno 1696."" Elizabeth married, second, at Perquimans in 1734, to Zachariah Nixon, Jr.76 In her ~will, dated 16 February 1769, Elizabeth Nixon names three grandchildren: Jonathan Phelps [son of Henry] and Benjamin and Dorothy Phelps [children of Jonathan]."

Children of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Toms) Phelps, born in Perquimans, were as follows:78

17 i. Henry4 Phelps, born 5 March 1724/25; married 3 6m [August] 1748, Margaret Newby; died 1752, Perquimans County.79 She married, second, 3 lOin [October] 1753, to Joseph Outland. SO

18 ii. Elizabeth Phelps, born 29 August 1728 [overwritten 1729]; married 6 11 in [January] 1747, to John Symons; married, second, 5 lOin [December] 1750, to Joseph Anderson; died in Perquimans.'1

19 iii. Jonathan Phelps, born 28 12m [February] 1730/31; married 5 October 1750, Dorothy Jordan; died 1759, Perquimans.'2 She married, second, 4 April 1762, to John Skinner.'3

20 iv. Mourning Phelps, born 10 in [December] 1732; married 4 2in [April] 1750, to Mark Newby; died in Perquimans.'4

NOTES AND REFERENCES

'4425—132nd Avenue SE, Bellevue, WA 98006. The writer would like to thank her fellow Phelps researchers, Dorothy Hardin Massey, Thelma Larison Murphy, Virginia Parmenter, and Clifford M. Hardin, for their assistance and encouragement.

1. Proverbs 31:28—29, New American Standard Bible.

2. George F. Dow and Mary Tresher, eds., Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County,

Massachusetts, 1 636—1 692, 9 vols. (Salem: Essex Institute, 1911—75), 1:267—68 [hereinafter Quarterly

Courts of Essex]; "Ipswich Court Records and Files," Sidney Perley, ed., Essex Antiquarian 10 (January 1906): 37.

3. Charles Edwards Banks, The Planters of the Commonwealth (Boston: Houghton Muffin Co., 1930),

107—08; Carl Boyer, Shtp Passenger Lists: National and New England (1600—182S) (Newhall, Cal.: Carl Boyer, 1977), 144.

4. Richard D. Pierce, ed., Records of the First Church in Salem. Massachusetts, 1629—1736 (Salem:

Essex Institute, 1974), 9.

5. Sidney Perley, The History of Salem. Massachusetts, 3 vols. (Salem: Sidney Perley, 1924—27),

1:320—21.

6. Perley, "Ipswich Court Records," Essex Antiquarian 6 (July 1902): 111—12; George F. Dow, ed. The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts, 3 vols. (Salem: Essex Institute, 1916—20), 1:211—12.

7. Dow, Probate Records of Essex, 1:183—84; Perley, "Ipswich Court Records," Essex Antiquarian 5 (October—December 1901): 192.

8. Rufus M. Jones, The Quakers in the American Colonies (1911; reprinted New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1966), 64—65.

9. Christine Alice Young, From 'Good Order' to Glorious Revoluttow Salem, Massachusetts, 1626— 1689 (Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI Research Press, 1980), 27—28; Ernest W. Baughinan, "Excommunications and Banishments from the First Church in Salem and the Town of Salem, 1629—1680," Essex Institute Historical Collections 113 (April 1977): 9 1—92; Kai T. Erikson, Wayward Puritans. A Study in the Sociology of Deviance (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1966), 91—92. Henry Phelps and Nicholas Phelps were witnesses to the will of Robert Moulton, Sr., dated 20 February 1654/55. Robert Moulton, Sr., and Robert Moulton, Jr., were witnesses to the will of Eleanor Trusler on 15 February 1654/55. Perley, History of Salem, 1:320, proposes that Eleanor may have been a Moulton, since the inventory of Thomas Trusler mentions "one fame near fathr Moltons." (Dow, Probate Records of Essex, 1:183—84, 2 10-12.) The inventory was taken 5 in [March] 1653/54, by Robt. Moulton, Sr., and Thomas Spooner. "Father" appears to be used as a term of respect in the Salem Town Records of 1637. Win. P. Upham, "Town Records of Salem 1634-1659," Essex Institute Historical Collections 9 (January 1868): 48, reports: "It is agreed That ifath' Molton & in' Ed: [ arile appointed Auditors."

10. Richard P. Gildrie, Salem, Massachusetts. 1626—1 683: A Covenant Community (Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1975), 78—83. Gildrie mistakenly said that Mrs. Trusler's husband and children became Quakers (p. 80), but the first Quakers landed at Boston in July 1656, after the death of

Thomas Trusler in 1654. Jonathan M. Chu, Neighbors, Friends, or Madmen. The Purttan Adjustment to Quakerism in Seventeenth Century Massachusetts Bay (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1985), 11, 35 and 52. Chu recognizes that it was "Nicholas Phelps whose mother, Ellen [sic] Truslar, was the celebrated dissident of the previous decade" in "Madmen and Friends: Quakers and the Puritan Adjustment to Religious Heterodoxy in Massachusetts Bay During the Seventeenth Century" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Univ. of Washington, 1978), 122. See also recommendation of John Endecott to Winthrop, "Winthrop Papers," Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 4th ser. (Boston: The Society, 1863—65), 4:455—56; and "Salem Quarterly Court Records and Files," Essex.Antiquarian 5 (January

11. Henry Phelps probably married a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Batter Antrum. Elizabeth was a sister of Edmond Batter, who was a selectman and served two terms as deputy to the General Court. Batter and Antrum arrived in Salem in 1635 with a group from Wiltshire who were prominent in Salem affairs. "Mr. Batter" and his "brother Antrum" are mentioned in the town records of 1637; see Essex Institute Historical Collections 9 (January 1869): 43. In the settlement of the estate of Obadiah Antrum, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Batter Antrum, "John Phelps, son of Hen. Phelps, kinsman," shares equally with "Hana, wife of Isaack Burnap, sister of the deceased." The testimony mentions that Obadiah's Uncle Edmond Batter had been an administrator of the estate of his father, Thomas Antrum; see Dow, Probate Records of Essex, 2:13—14. It appears that Edmond Batter was uncle to Obadiah Antrum, Hannah Antrum Burnap, and [—?—] Antrum Phelps (wife of Henry Phelps and mother of John).

12. George Bishop, New England Judged by the Spirit of the Lord (1661; reprinted, London, 1703), as quoted in Perley, History of Salem, 2:251.

13. Perley, History of Salem, 2:248; Dow, Probate Records of Essex, 1:211—12. In addition to sons Henry and Nicholas, who were to be Eleanor's executors, her will of February 1654/55 named Henry's son John and referred to (but did not name) the two children of Nicholas.

14. Sidney Perley, "Persecution of the Quakers in Essex County," Essex Antiquarian 1 (September

1897): 135; William Sewel, The History of the Rise, Increase and Progress of the Christian People Called

Quakers, 3rd ed. (1774; reprinted, Philadelphia, Pa.: Friends' Bookstore, 1856), 1:255; Nathaniel B.

Shurtleff, ed., Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England,

1628—1 686, 5 vols. in 6 parts (Boston: W. White, 1853—54), 4:pt.1:314 [hereinafter Records of Massachu­setts Bay]; and Chu, "Madmen and Friends," 122.

15. James Bowden, The History of the Society of Friends in America, 2 vols. (London: Charles Gilpin,

1850), 1:55.

16. Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 64; David S. Lovejoy, Religious Enthusiasm in the New World (Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1985), 122.

17. The court testimony in "Salem," Essex Antiquarian 12 (January 1908): 72—77, seems to be that the Southwicks had entertained the visiting Quakers, but that the first meeting was held in the Phelps's home.

See Perley, History of Salem, 2:244—48; Gildrie, Salem, Massachusetts, 133.

18. Bowden, History of the Society of Friends, 1:150-51, 162—63, 170-72; Perley, History of Salem,

2:254-57; Shurtleff, Records of Massachusetts Bay, 4: pt. 1: 367.

19, Erikson, Wayward Puritans, 118; Chu, Neighbors, Friends, or Madmen, 170.

20. Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 80; Shurtleff, Records of Massachusetts Bay, 4: pt.1: 410-11; Perley, History of Salem, 2:260—62.

21, Perley, History of Salem, 2:257; Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 92; Dow and Thresher, Quarterly Courts of Essex, 2:224.

22, Dow and Thresher, Quarterly Courts of Essex, 2:220, 261—62.

23. Ibid., 1:267-68; 2:261. The introduction (p. vii) explains: "Supplementing the record books kept by the clerks of the courts is a larger collection of original papers consisting of presentments, depositions upon almost every conceivable subject . . . connected with the various cases," The undated deposition of Jane Johnson was not in the record books, but in these files.

24. Ibid., 2:314.

25, Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 91—92.

26. John Greenleaf Whittier, The King's Missive and Other Poems (Boston: Houghton Muffin Co.,

1881). James Duncan Phillips, Salem in the Seventeenth Century (Boston: Houghton Muffin Co., 1933), 199, says, "In a way it is entirely incorrect to talk of the whole episode as persecution ... because the court was only enforcing the laws," Erikson, Wayward Puritans, refers to the "whole episode" as persecution on pp. 108-09, 114, 124, and 135, saying, "In late 1661 the Court received a letter from Charles II prohibiting the use of either corporal or capital punishment in cases involving the Quakers, and this announcement stopped the magistrates quite in their tracks.. . . The persecution of Quakers in Massachusetts Bay did not really end with the arrival of the King's letter.., but from that moment the intensity of the struggle steadily diminished."



27. George Fox, The Journal of George Fox, John L. Nickalls, ed. (rev. ed., Cambridge: University Press,

1952), 411—15; Jones, Quakers in American Colonies, 94; Perley, History of Salem, 257, 268—70.

28. Dow and Thresher, Quarterly Courts of Essex, 2:431—32.

29. Chu, Neighbors, Friends, or Madmen, 170. Dr. Chu has compiled interesting tables of the adult Quakers in Salem, 1658—70, and the fines assessed for those years.

30. Perley, History of Salem, 2:257; Sidney Perley, "The Woods, Salem, in 1700," Essex Institute Historical Collections 51 (April 1915): 188; Essex County Courthouse Registry of Deeds, Salem, Massachusetts, Volumes 1—3, 1639—1658, LDS Film no. 866015: Deed Book 2:89, offers the following:

"memorandum, yt I Hanah Phelps, ye wife of Nicho: Phelps, lately deceased, whoe

sd Henry, doth by these presents surender up her thirds." was joynt executor to ye

31. Mattie Erma Edwards Parker, ed., North Carolina Higher-Court Records. 1670—1696, vol. II, Colonial Records of North Carolina, 2d. ser. (Raleigh, NC.: State Department of Archives and History, 1968), pp. xv—xviii; William L. Saunders, ed., Colonial Records of North Carolina, 10 vols. (Raleigh, NC.:

State of North Carolina, 1886—90), l:ix—x.

32. William Edmundson, A Journal of the Life, Travels. Sufferings, and Labour of Love in the Work of the Ministry, of that Worthy Elder and Faithful Servant of Jesus Christ, William Edmundson (3rd ed., Dublin, Ireland: Christopher Bentham, 1820), 88—89.

33. Ibid.

34. Stephen B. Weeks, Southern Quakers and Slavery. A Study in Institutional History (Baltimore:

Johns Hopkins Press, 1896), 35.

35. Mary Weeks Lambeth, Memories and Records of Eastern North Carolina (Nashville?: Privately printed, 1957), 150-51. Saunders, Colonial Records of N.C.. 1:250-53; "Salem," Essex Antiquarian 12 (January 1908): 74-75; Perley, History of Salem. 2:254.

36. Edmundson, Journal, 89.

37. Fox, Journal, 642—43.

38. Edmundson, Journal, 123—24.

39. Parker, NC. Higher-Court Records, II:xlvi; Robert J. Cain, ed., Records of the Executive Council.

1 664—1 734, vol. VIII, Colonial Records of North Carolina, 2d ser. (Raleigh, N.C.: Division of Archives and

History, 1984), 346.

40. Cain, Records of Executive Council, 356; Saunders, Colonial Records of N.C., 1:250.

41. Saunders, Colonial Records of N.C., 1:250-53.

42. Raymond A. Winslow, Jr., "Minutes of Perquimans Monthly Meeting 1680-1700," Perquimans County Historical Society Year Book (Hertford, N.C., The Society, 1976), 5—6 [hereinafter "Perquimans Monthly Meeting"].

43. Weynette Parks Haun, Old Albemarle County. North Carolina, Perquimans Precinct. Births, Marriages. Deaths & Flesh Marks. 16S9 thru 1820 (Durham, N.C.: Weynette Parks Haun, 1980), 2 [hereinafter Perquimans Births].

44. Weynette Parks Haun, Old Albemarle County. North Carolina. Book of Land Warrants and Surveys. 1681—1706 (Durham: Weynette Parks Haun, 1984), 106—07 [hereinafter Albemarle Land Warrants]; Margaret M. Hofmann, Province of North Carolina. 1663—1729, Abstracts of Land Patents, (Weldon, NC.: Roanoke News Company, 1979), 27 [hereinafter N.C. Land Patents].

45. Parker, NC. Higher-Court Records, 11:363—64.

46. Ibid., 377.

47. Weynette Parks Haun, Old Albemarle County. North Carolina. Perquimans Precinct Court Minutes. 1688 thru 1738 (Durham: Weynette Parks Haun, 1980), 2 [hereinafter Perquimans Court].

48. Hofmann, NC. Land Patents, 24; North Carolina File No. SS, Will of Johnathon Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

49. Haun, Perquimans Court, 13, 17.

50. Haun, Albemarle Land Warrants, 118.

51. Raymond A. Winslow, Jr., "Perquimans County and the Society of Friends," Perquimans County

Historical Society Year Book (Hertford, N.C., The Society, 1972), 1; Hofmann, NC. Land Patents, 9—10;

Walter Clark, ed., The State Records of North Carolina, 16 vols., numbered XI—XXVI (Winston and

Goldsboro, NC., State of North Carolina, 1895—1907), XXIII:484, XXV:367—69.

52. Haun, Albemarle Land Warrants, 25, 29.

53. Parker, N.C. Higher-Court Records, II:xxxiv.

54. Saunders, Colonial Records of NC., 1:711,713.

55. Winslow, "Perquimans Monthly Meeting," 11—12; Haun, Perquimans Births, 38.

56. Haun, Perquimans Births, 19.

57. Ibid., S [marriage], 17, 23 [births], 35 [deaths].

58. Winslow, "Perquimans Monthly Meeting," 6.

59. Haun, Perquimans Births, 9, 12—14.

60. Ibid, 21 [death]; File No. SS 874.2, p. 1, Council Minutes, Wills and Inventories, 1677—1701,



Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, reports "At a General Court held Nov. 1679: Geo. Castleton proved will of James Perisho of this county [Albemarle]."

61. Haun, Perquimans Births, 2 [marriage].

62. Eley E. Perisho, The Early History and Descendants of Joseph Perisho. James Perisho, Samuel Perisho (Streator, Ill., Eley E. Perisho, 1912), [10].

63. Haun, Albemarle Land Warrants, 14, 84.

64. Ibid. 106—07; Hofmann, N.C. Land Patents, 27; Mrs. Watson Winslow, History of Perquimans County.' As Compiled From Records Found There and Elsewhere (1931; reprinted, Baltimore: Regional Publishing Company, 1974), see map after p. 488.

65. Haun, Perquimans Births, 10.

66. Ibid.

67. File No. SS, Will of Samuel Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

68. Haun, Per quimans Court, 32.

69. Winslow, History of Perquimans, 35; Cain, Records of Executive Council, 141, 537.

70. Haun, Perquimans Births, 33, 48.

71. File No. SS, Will of William Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

72. Deed Book F:278, Perquimans County.

73. File No. SS, Will of Jonathan Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

74. Thomas Worth Marshall, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy by William Wade Hinshaw, Supplement to Volume I (Washington, D.C., Privately printed, 1948), 5.

75. Haun, Perquimans Births, 29 [birth], 38 [marriage].

76. Deed Book C: 160, Perquimans County.

77. File No. SS, Will of Elizabeth Nixon, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

78. Haun, Perquimans Births, 43; William Wade Hinshaw, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. I: North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Ann Arbor, Mich.: Edwards Brothers, Inc., 1936),

906.

79. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:69 [liberated to marry]; File No. SS, Will of Henry Phelps, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

80. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:69 [reported married].

81. Ibid., 1:69, 75 [reported married].

82. Ibid., 69 [liberated to marry]; Inventory of Jonathan Phelps, 20 May 1759, Perquimans County Estates Records, 1714-1930, filed alphabetically in boxes, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh [hereinafter Perquimans Estates Records].

83. Haun, Perquimans Births, 63 [marriage].

84. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:69 [reported married].

85. Winslow, "Perquimans Monthly Meeting," 15. Hannah Hill, grandmother of Eleanor Perisho, signed the marriage certificate.

86. File No. SS, Will of William Boge [Bogue], Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

87. Haun, Per quimans Births, 16-17, 25, 29, 41,48.

88. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, I:90d.

89. Miles White, Jr., Early Quaker Records in Virginia (1902—03; reprinted, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1977), 35 [marriage]; Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:36 [death]; File No. SS, Will of William Bogue, State Department of Archives and History, Raleigh.

90. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:36 [marriage]; Will of Robert Bogue (original will and recorded copy in WB-A:74), Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

91. Dorothy Gilbert Thorne, "New Data From Minutes of Perquimans Monthly Meeting (Quaker),

1729—1736," The North Carolinian 3 (September 1957): 329 [liberated to marry]; Deed Book D:148, Perquimans County.

92. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:36 [marriage], 95 [deaths].

93. Thorne, "New Data from Minutes," 329 [liberated to marry].

94. Deed Book C:43, Perquimans County.

95. Haun, Perquimans Births, 2, 38; Clifford M. Hardin, "New/Knew, a New Quaker Family," The Quaker Yeomen 13 (October 1986): 8—9.

96. Haun, Perquimans Births, 27—28, 30.

97. Ibid., 68 [births of children]; Inventory of James Perisho, 2 January 1744, Perquimans Estate Records.

98. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:967.

99. Perquimans County Marriage Bonds, 1742—1868, filed alphabetically; and Will of Joseph Perisho (original will and recorded will in WB-C:43); both in Division of Archives and History, Raleigh.

100. Hinshaw, Encyclopedia, 1:113 [marriages and death].





ii. Edward Phelps, born Abt. 1620; died 03 Oct 1689 in Andover, Essex Co., MA; married Elizabeth Adams 1658 in Newbury, Lancaster, Massachusetts; born Bet. 1641 - 1642 in Newbury, Essex Co., MA; died 04 May 1718 in Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA.

More About Elizabeth Adams:
Burial: Lancaster, Worcester, Ma

242 iii. Nicholas Phelps, born Abt. 1624 in England?; died Bef. 1664 in Salem (that part now in West Peabody), Essex County, Massachusetts USA; married Hannah Baskel Abt. 1650 in Salem, Essex Co., MA.