Saturday, December 15, 2012

Line 18 Robert Brassier


Line 18
Robert Brassier
From France to England

Thousands of Puritans left England for religious reasons, as did many from other counties in Europe during the Seventeenth Century. Among them were the Huguenots, including the Brassier or Brashear family.

Robert Brassier  was born about about 1595 in Carpentras, France
Married possibly Elizabeth Fowle or a woman named Florence in France.
Their children were:
1.   Benjamin (Benoit) Brassier or Brashears born about 1620, probably in France and died 04 December 1662 Calvert Co., Maryland. He married Mary Richford.
2.         Mary Brassier died young in Virginia

John Brassier married Mary Cocke River that genealogists have tried to tie Robert to but have not successed. However we do know that Robert was a French Huguenot. In the Sixteenth century, growing numbers of Frenchmen and women were being pulled toward the writings of John Calvin, the French theologian who inspired the protestant reformation in France. Calvin was forced to flee France for Switzerland because his teachings which caused violent uprisings by the threatened Roman Catholics. Many of his followers stayed in France but the violence continued and by the end of the Seventeenth century over 200,00 Huguenots (as the followers of Calvin were called in France) had fled France.

Robert’s parents were Allemand De Braissieur De Jorcas and his wife Madelaine De Cheilus. Robert seems to have fled France and settled at Isle of Thanet parish, County Kent. in England by 1629.. There is some indication that when he settled in England, he began to go by the name Brashear but the documentation is lacking.


Robert married and had children. The name of his wife has been suggested as either Elizabeth Fowke from France or Florence. There was a Florence, connected to Robert’s family who came over to Virginia in 1653, but if this was indeed Robert’s wife, then she would have been an elderly woman at the time and such a trip would have been hard on her. Some genealogist suggest that Florence was actually the new wife of Robert Brashear Jr, who had returned to Europe in 1653 to bring back other family members.

Robert and his wife had ten children, the older born in France, the middle ones born in England and the two youngest, Margaret and Mary in Virginia.

The family was in Jamestown, Virginia by 1636. The first known record of “Robert Brasseur” in Virginia was a renewal of a promissory note in Warrisquicke County dated 1 June 1636. This would imply that Robert had been here for at least a year, long enough to borrow money for land and have time for the first crops to come in so he could pay off his loan. The next year, Robert and his family was found in the patents of neighboring Elizabeth County, Virginia.


Robert  Brassure and Peter Rey were granted land in Warrisquicke Creeke, Nanzemond County, Virginia the next year. "To all to whom these presents shall come: I Sr[Sir] John harvey, Kt [Knight], Governor, &c., send, &c. now know yee that I thete said Sr. John Harvey, Kt., doe with consent of the Councell of State accordingly give and grant unto Robert Brassure and Peter Rey six hundred acres of land seituate, lying and being in the upper Countie of New Norfolke [land now in Nansemond Co., VA] lying north east and south west along the south side of Creeke upon the head of said Creeke and butting upon Nansemund River, alias Matrebers river. The said six hundre acres of land being due unto them, the said Robert Brassure and Peter Rey, by assignment form peter Johnson, to have and to hold, &c. dated 24th February 1638" [VA Land Patents, Book 1, p. 622/Back p. 7}

In 1653 Robert was issued a land patent for twelve hundred acres in Nanzemond County on the “southern branch of the Nanzemond River”. Persons with land patents in early Virginia were expected to pay their way to their new land but were given fifty acres for each person they paid passage for. Robert’s patent included himself "Robert Brasseur, Florence his wife, Mary Brasseur, Persid  Brasseur, Kathe Brasseur, Bennet Brasseur" and non-family members "Marg. Stockwell, Geor. Juory...W. Wroten, Thos Parker, Jno. sutton, Joh. Stephens, Step Dordan, Jon Loyd, Jon. Bott., Symon Iron, Jon Barefield, Eliz. Patemen, Geor Daldye, Wm. Ball, Nicho. Maroise, Tho. Pursell, Ra. Ellis and Jon Abby.” Also on this date, a patent was issued to Robert Senior’s son Benjamin Brasseur.

I have not been able to discover when or where Robert died but it is strongly possible that he died on his acres on the Nanzemond River several years after the 1653 land patent was issued.

Robert must have been a man of adventure and courage and faith. He fled France in order to serve his God in his own way and then took a risk to come to the New World to carve out a life there.

 
***SOURCES***
1. http://www.next1000.com/family/EC/brassieur.robt.html by Cheryl Grubb
2. http//www.bellucc1.com/melonbel/brashears.html
   "My Brasseur/Brashear(s) Connection"
3.  http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/pattbrasher1.htm
4. Early Families of Southern Maryland, Vol 4, Brashear
1.   The Brashear (Brasseur) Family
7. Virginia Land Patents, book 1, page 622

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Line 16.2 Anne West: Friends and Foes

Anne West Sellman is a woman of her generation. Little is known about her outside the names of her parents and the fact that she married twice and had six children by each of her husbands. Since her first husband was a Quaker, it follows that she was one too. However, that while her mother was a Quaker,  her father was of the Church of England so she probably got a dose of both the Church of England and the Quaker Church while growing up.

Ann West was born 12 February 1685/86 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia the daughter of John West and his wife Matilda Scarborough.
Married 1. Thomas Sparrow about 1705 (he died in 1719) and 2. William Sellman son of  John Sellman and his wife Elizabeth Brashears.
Their children were:
1.      John Sparrow born 17 December 1706 at Anne Arundel Co, Maryland and died before 29 June 1781 at Anne Arundel Co, MD. He married Mary Knighton.
2.      Elizabeth Sparrow born 12 September 1708 in Anne Arundel Co, Maryland
3.      Mathilda  Sparrow married John Burgess. She died 1748 at Anne Arundel Co, Maryland
4.      Kensey Sparrow born at All Hallows, Anne Arundel Co, Maryland and died 1749 at All Hallows, Anne Arundel, MD. He married Dinah Richardson.
5.      Catherine Sparrow born 04 February 1713/14 at All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel Co, Maryland. She married Edmund Curtis.
6.      Scarborough Sparrow born 16 May 1717 at Anne Arundel Co, Maryland
7.      Thomas Sellman born 29 November 1718 at Anne Arundel Co, Maryland died at Brooke Co., Virginia in 1794. He married Ruth Shipley.
8.      William Sellman born 18 May 1720 at Anne Arundel Co, Maryland . He married Charity Tidings
9.      John Sellman born 01 March 1720/21 at Anne Arundel Co., Maryland
10.  Charles Sellman born 05 August 1722 at Anne Arundel Co., Maryland and died there 20 December 1770. He married Elizabeth Gassaway.
11.  Anne Sellman born 25 September 1725 at Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. She married Samuel Batee.
12.  Jonathan Sellman born 21 February 1722/23 at Anne Arundel Co., Maryland and died there in 1783. He married Elizabeth Battee.


Ann married twice. Her first husband was a much older man, Thomas Sparrow. She was his third wife. Thomas and his first wife had no known children. He had two sons by his second wife, one of whom must have died before his father as he is not mentioned in Thomas’ will. By Anne, Thomas had six children, of whom four survived him.

Her second husband, who was three years younger then she, was William Sellman, the son of John Sellman, who had come to the New World as an indentured servant, and his wife Elizabeth Brashears, the daughter of French Huguenots. Anne’s mix of Christianity must have become even more diverse with the French Huguenot influence in William’s family.

By William, Anne had six more children. She survived her second husband, outliving him by seven years and leaving a will that was signed on 25 October 1748 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. She names children from both marriages, as well as daughter-in-laws and grandchildren.

What role religion played in Anne’s during her second marriage is unknown. However, she life certainly had the pick of several Christian sects to choose from or maybe she choose to study the Bible on her own and serve God using the best of each choice. My guess is that she continued in her Quaker walk but had the influence of other sects that mellowed and furthered her faith in an almighty and loving God.


***SOURCES***
1. [JW] John Warren, john.Warren@worldnet.att.net
2. [FFS] "http://www.rootsweb.com/~mdannear/fistfam/sparrow
3. [ASW] Will of Anne Sellman (self)
4. [WTNA] Ancestry.com World Tree Project "Northampton/ Accomack Co. VA. Names
5. [JDW] "Founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland" by J. D. Warfield, A.M. 1967

Monday, May 28, 2012

Line 16.1 John West, Southern Friends and Loved Ones

John was squarely, firmly Church of England. Yet he married a woman who became a Quaker, in spite of her father’s destine for that church. How this affected John is not recorded but he must have struggled in some way with the differences in his own and his wife’s faiths.

John West was born 08 April 1638 St. Dunstan, Stepney, London, England, son of Anthony and Anne West.
Married Matilda Scarborough was born about 1643 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia the daughter of Edmund Henry Scarborough and his wife Mary Littleton (see line 15.2 for children)
Died May 27, 1703 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia

John West began to collect land at the young age of 18. On 23 Dec 1650 he required 1600 acres in Northampton, Virigina. Ten years later on 3 Nov 1660 he gain 800 acres of land. His wife, Matilda was “granted” 250 acres which became John’s because of “marrying with the said Scarburgh”. By 1663, he moved his family to Accomck County, Virginia where in 1670, he and his brother-in-law Charles Scarborough were granted land on an island in Chesapeake Bay. From a 1713 patent issued years after the deaths of  Charles who died in 1702, and John who died in 1703, we can guess that the island was Tangier.
John West was a busy man. He farmed his island land. He was a carpenter and shipbuilder. He was a commissioner for Accomack County, Virginia in 1662, Justice of the Peace from 1663 to 1702, High Sheriff of Accomack Co. in 1664 and 1667 and a member of the House of Burgess in 1680. From 1665-1703 he was a Captain then a Major and finally a Lieutenant Colonel in the state militia. John may have been  the John West Major serving under General Berkely during the Bacon rebellion and suffered great losses in property. If so he was captured and imprisoned for a while as well. The Bacon Rebellion started when a group of settlers, lead by a wealthy planter named Nathnaiel Bacon, protested against the Indian raids. Governor Berkely allowed the Indians to remain enraging the settlers. Both poor white and poor black farmers united to fight against what they felt threat they felt from both the native population and Governor Berkely. The Indians, at least for a time, were allowed to remember but poor old Berkely was recalled to England.
John West wrote his will 3 Februaty 1702/3. It was proved 2 August 1703. The Snead Bible records " Lieut. Coll. John West died May 27, 1703" John’s will named his wife Mathilda and their six sons (Anthony, Alexander, Jonathan, Bennony, John the elder and John the younger) and seven daughters (Catherine, Anne, Mary, Scarburgh, Mathilda, Frances and Sarah) as well as other relatives, included grandchildren.

A busy man indeed was my ancestor John West. He fought rebellions, claimed large portions of land, built ships and raised a large family. On top of all that, he worshiped in the Church of England while his rebellious wife became a Quaker. I can feel assured that their relationship, while certainly differing on theology, remained warm in that they had a large family over nearly twenty-seven years. John left Matilda well off and well provided for. She survived him by over sixteen years, probably being cared for by her children and her “friends” in the Quaker Church.

***SOURCES***
1. [CR] http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genea/westant2.html "Descendants of Anthony West" by Carolyn Rozelle
2. [AWJV] http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genea/westant.htm "Anthony West, James city, Virginia" from Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia 1607-1625
3. [WFCF] http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genea/westberry.html "West Families from Colonial Families of U.S."
4. [PSA] RootsWeb.com "Pam Shelton-Anderson Gedcom"
5.  [CMG]  http://www.esva.net/ghotes/scarb "Descendants of Edmund Scarborough" from Cynthia McDaniel, Ghote
6. [JWW] Will of John West, 1703
7. [RB] http://freepages.genalogy.rootsweb.com/~barlow/west.html West family lineage, Ralph Barlow, Northampton Virginia
8. [LCJW] "Ancestors of Lt. Col. John West" Internet, http://www.freepages.family.rootwebs.ancestry.com/~streetancestors/290.html

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Line 16, Anthony West, Church of England Royalty?

Many genealogists have tried to connect Anthony West to Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr or Lord Baltimore for whom the city of Baltimore is named, although I haven’t found a firm connection, the possibility is very promising. The connection, if true, may also lead back to Henry VIII through his supposed illegitimate daughter, Catherine Cary, who was the daughter of Mary Boleyn, sister to Henry’s second wife the Anne Boleyn who was the mother of Queen Elizabeth II.

Anthony West was born about 1605 somewhere in England
Married the widow Anne Huffe (possibly of Anthony Huffe) who married 3. Stephen Charlton. Anthony West and Anne Huffe were married 11 March 1632/33 at St. Dunstan, Stepney, Middlesex, England.
Their children were:
1.      Katherine West born 09 January 1634/35 in Stepney, Middlesex, England. She died 1700 in Accomac, Accomack Co., VA. She married Ralph Barlowe, the son of Edward and Joan Barlowe.
2.      Anne West born about 1636  in Stepney, Middlesex, England and died 1684 in Accomac, Accomack Co., VA. She may have married Charles Scarbough, brother of Matilda who married Anne’s brother John.
3.      John West born 27 May 1703 in Stepney, Middlesex, England and died May 27, 1703 in Accomac, Accomack Co., VA
4.      Anthony West born and died November 1641 in Stepney, Middlesex, England.
Died 25 May 1652 in Northampton Co., Virginia

Anthony West was probably a younger son who lacked money and came to Virginia seeking a better and wealthier life for himself and his future family. If he was a part of the De la Warr family, he more likely a cousin then a child of the Baron, as none of the lists of children I have found include an “Anthony”. The evidence that Anthony was related to the De la Warrs includes the fact that he used the similar coat-of-arms as Lord Delaware’s, a coat of arms. A copy of the family coat-of-arms can be found on the gravestone of Anthony’s great-grandson, Charles. The arms are quartered with his wife’s. In English records dated around 1622 there is a record of an Anthony West receiving a coat of arms. Many young noblemen seeking adventure or riches in the New World wanted a recorded coat-of-arms when they left England. Since 1622ish fits into the timeline of our Anthony coming to the New World, and the coat-of-arms recorded is similar to the one on Charles West’s gravestone, there is a very strong possibility these are the same Anthony West. At this point the records haven’t revealed a positive connection between my Anthony and the Lord Delaware. Both coat-of-arms picture a "fesse dancettee, and the the three leopard's faces" and the only difference is a "martlet" in the cneter of the fesse on the English one but a star point above the fesse on Charles West's arms. The fact that Anthony came to early Jamestown where his supposed West relations also came and the noted coat-of-arms, does point strongly to some kind of family connection.

The adventurous Anthony West came to Virginia as a very young man in 1622 arriving on The James, living first at West and Sherlowe Hundred and then at “Mr. Treasurer’s Plantation” across the river from Jamestown. He settled in Northampton County and became a Lieutenant Colonel in the local militia. He returned to England before 1632 when he married Anne Huffe. Dated 10 March 1633/4, a marriage license signed by the Bishop of London reads: “Anthony West of ye parish of Stepney in the County of Midd[lesex] Surgeon and a batchr aged 28 years ... alledged that he intented to marry wth Anne Huffe of the fr said parish widowe aged 26 yeares the relict of Anthony Huffe.”

Anthony and Anne stayed in London long enough to have four children. Sometime before 1649, Anthony, with his family, returned to Virginia where 'Anthony West, Ann his wife, John West and Kath: West' were given a patent to settle on the “Great Nusewattock River.”

As noted on his daughter-in-law, Matilda Scarborough West’s story, John West followed the Church of England, so it is most likely that Anthony West did too. Unlike the New England settlers who did immigrate in order to practice their faith, the men and women who came to Virginia did so for economic reasons or for the adventure. They tended to be “good” Englishmen and woman who followed the King’s religion. I tend toward feeling that since his son married the daughter of a man who was rather a zealot for keeping the “King’s Church” as the Church of Virginia, that he must have been at the least a frequent attendee of that church.

He died 25 May 1652 [CR / RBNV] His will was written 12 Oct 1651 [AWJV] and proved 25 May 1652 Northampton, E names his wife Ann and issue, John and Katherine [RBNV] Anthony made a will 12 October 1651 in Accomack/Northampton. It was recorded 25 May 1652 (Marshall Wills: 31). An abstract of his will reads: WEST, ANTHONY - 12 October 1651 / 25 May 1652 - My son John West extr. And my wife [no name] and daughter Barloe to have their thirds out of my estate, and my son John to have the rest. And his mother to have the managing of it during her widowhood, but if she married then my son John to enjoy his estate (if it be before he comes of age). No administrator nor overseer to have anything to do with my estate. [GMW]

My West line
Supposed ancestors in parentheses:

[Sir William Boleyn m. Lady Margaret Butler, daughter of Thomas Butler 7th Earl of Ormond]
[Thomas Boleyn m. Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk]
[Mary Boleyn m. William Carey and was mistress of Henry VIII, King of England]
[Catherine Carey (possibly the daughter of Henry VIII) m. Sir Francis Knollys]
[Anne Knollys m. Thomas West, 2nd  Baron De La Warr]
[Sons were Robert, Thomas, Francis and John West, 3rd  Baron De La Warr]
Anthony West married Mrs. Anne Huffe
John West m. Matilda Scarborough
Anne West m. William Sellman
Charles Sellman m. Elizabeth Gassaway
Margaret Sellman m. Joshua Hobbs
Anna “Nancy” Hobbs m. George Burkheart
Mary “Polly” Burkheart m. William Hopkins
Cynthia Hopkins m. Samuel Thomas Miller
Eliza Jane Miller m. Josiah Maltby

***SOURCES***
1. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genea/westant2.html "Descendants of Anthony West" by Carolyn Rozelle
2. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genea/westant.htm "Anthony West, James city, Virginia" from Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia 1607-1625
3.   http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genea/westberry.html "West Families from Colonial Families of U.S."
4. http://freepages.genalogy.rootsweb.com/~barlow/west.html West family lineage, Ralph Barlow, Northampton Virginia
6.   cbrown@swko.net, Liberal, KS (per Diane Powers)
7.   Gail M. Walczyk, "Anthony West" http://www.easternshoreheritage.com/descendants/descendants_jamestowne_West_anthony.htm
8.      Marriage license signed by the Bishop of London, Dated 10 March 1633/4
9.    Rootweb WEST-L Archives EileenGen@aol.com Subject: More on Anthony West 
  Date: Sat, 3 Jan 1998

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Line 15.2, Matilda Scarborough West; A Daughter's Holy Rebellion

Sometimes poetic justice is visited in odd ways. Edmund Scarborough Sr., the Indian and Quaker Fighter, was blessed (or maybe cursed) with a daughter that practiced the Quaker faith. She obviously inherited her father’s streak of independence as she fearlessly joined the Friends and worshiped as she found fit.

Matilda Scarborough was born about 1643 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia the daughter of Edmund Henry Scarborough and his wife Mary Littleton.
She married John West born 08 April 1638 and baptized at St. Dunstan, Stepney, London, England. He died 27 May 1703 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia
Their children were:
1.      Mathilda West born 31 August 1658 Clifton, Accomack, VA. She married John Wise or West born 1655. They both died in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia.
2.      John West born 1661 in Accomac, Accomack  Co., Virginia and died there 1701. He married France Yardley.
3.      Anthony West born 1662 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia and died there 06 August 1717.
4.      Sarah West born 1665 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia and died there 30 January 1760. She married Tully Robinson born 31 August 1658.
5.      Alexander West born 1673 in Liberty Hall, Marionville. He married Mary Robins. He died 03 January 1727/28 VA. Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia
6.      Benoni West born 1672 Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia and died there January 1707/08. He married Sarah Snead.
7.      Frances West  born 1672 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia and died 06 April 1731. She married a Mr. Kellam
8.      Jonathan born 27 March 1674 in Accomac, Accomack Co., VA and died there 04 October 1727. He married Rachel Spooner.
9.      Catherine West born 06 May 1677 Accomac, Accomack Co., VA and died there 07 January 1710/11.
10.  John born about 1680 at Liberty Hall, Marionville, VA and died there 16 September 1718. He married Josepha Maria Godwin.
11.  Mary Scarborough West about 1684 at Accomac, Accomack Co., VA and died there 27 January 1767. She married Robert Snead.
12.  Anne  born 12 February 1685/86 in Accomac, Accomack Co., VA. She married William Sellman. They relocated to Maryland where Anne died 01 May 1749 in Anne Arundel County.
Died Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia on died 03 January 1720/21.


Matilda Scarborough born about 1644 in Accomack County, Virginia. While Virginia was still a “wild” land, she was born into a family of wealth and influence and probably enjoyed the finest life available in the New World. Her father was the son of a very influential man and he most certainly inherited a bit of that influence himself. She married Lt.Col. John West the son of Anthony West and his wife Anne, who had been the widow Huffe at her marriage to Mr. West. There are some genealogies pointing to Anthony West being the son of Thomas West, the Third Baron De La Ware but I haven’t been able to make a solid connection. I feel from the evidence found that he was probably a middle class adventurer, looking for the land of milk and honey and gold. Whatever his state before coming to the New World, Anthony prospered and his son did too. John was a shipbuilder. He served as county commissioner of Accomack County, as well as justice and sheriff. He was a captain and then major and the lieutenant colonel in the local militia. He eventually owned over 5000 acres in Accomack County and 250 more in Northampton County. He was also staunchly adhered to the Church of England.

What possessed Matilda to join the Quaker church cannot be learned now but it was a brace act considering her parents and husband stuck tightly to the Church of England. Her own father led a vicious attack again the Quakers who tried to settle along the Great Annamessex River in 1663 only two years after she married John West. I haven’t been able to find out when Matilda joined the Quakers but her father’s aggression against the Quakers may have made her sympathetic to their cause. Her father died ten years after her marriage. Whether her conversion estranged her from her father is not known. Since she and John West had twelve children born throughout nearly the whole of their marriage, I doubt that and despite the differences in practicing their faith, there must have still been a somewhat warm relationship. She was named in her mother’s 14 June 1691 will as well as her husband’s 6 February 1702/3 will for which she refused to take the usual oath, as was the Quaker way.

We often think of our foremothers as having been weak and timid. I sincerely doubt that Mathilda was either of these. She must have been full of conviction and activity. She ran a large household and was strong in her faith and loyal to her church. I can’t say for sure, but I see her as having been a woman who stood up and spoke her mind and God’s revelations with the passion equal to any Bible thumping male minister. Women were equal to men in the Quaker denomination and following my Quaker Martyr Great-something Grandmother, Mary Dyer, Mathilda may very well have been willing to give up all for her faith. On the other hand, she must also been a very loveable woman who was able to keep her faith and her Church of England family as well.

***SOURCES***
1.     http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genea/westant.htm "Anthony West, James city, Virginia" from Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia 1607-1625
2.     http://www.esva.net/ghotes/scarb "Descendants of Edmund Scarborough" from Cynthia McDaniel, Ghote
3. cbrown#swko.net, Liberal, KS (Per Diane Powers)
4. The History of Maryland and Virginia Quakers By Jeannette Holland Austin http://www.georgiapioneers.com/
5. Col. John Wise of England and Virginia (1617-1695); Wise, Jennings Cropper, Virginia Historical Society (Film 0000593)

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Line 15.1 Edmund Henry Scarborough; Here Comes Trouble

Edmund Henry Scarborough is one of my ancestors who walked on the wrong side of God. OK, maybe not, but he certainly didn’t practice his Christian compassion. He was quit a character as this short look at his life will prove.

Edmund Henry Scarborough was born 02 October 1617 in North Walsham, Norfolk, England the son of Edmund Scarborough Sr. and his wife Hannah Butler Married Mary Littleton
Their children were
1.      Littleton Scarborough who died in 1672
2.      Tabitha Scarborough born about 1636 and died about 1717 in Accomack, McCormack Co., Virginia. She married 1. Colonel John SMART 2. Devereux BROWN and 3. Major General John CUSTIS II.
3.      Charles Scarborough born 1643. He married Elizabeth Bennett. He was involved in the Bacon Rebellion but acquitted of wrongdoing. He died after 1701 in Accomack, McCormack Co., VA
4.      Matilda Scarborough born 1644 in Accomack, McCormack Co., Virginia and died there 03 January 1720/21.
5.      Edmund Scarborough born 1644 in Accomack, McCormack Co., Virginia and died there 05 February 1711/12. He married Ursula Whittington.
There is also strong evidence that Edmund Scarborough was the father of the Ann Toft’s daughters:
6.      Arcadia Toft who married Thomas Welburn (by whom she had five children.) She died 2 August 1710 in Accomack County, Virginia.
7.      Attalanta Toft married John Osborne (by whom she had at least two children) and William Whittington.
8.      Annabelle Toft married Francis Lee (by whom she had one daughter, Rebecca) and William Marshall (by whom she had six children).
Died 23 May 1671 in Occahannock Creek, Accomack Co., VA

Edmund Henry Scarborough was, if nothing else, a very influential and powerful man in the mid-Seventh Century colony of Virginia. Edmund wasn’t beyond murder, adultery and just plain meanness. He was the complete opposite of his gentle brother, Sir Charles. If Edmund did consider himself a Christian, then he was of the type who was relentless of ridding all who did not practice their Christianity or faith as he did. If he was Christian, he was the type whom atheist historians throw out as a “good” example of the evil of that faith. My guess is that he was strict Church of England and didn’t like anyone’s else’s view of Christianity and God.

Edmund was a wealthy as well as powerful man. Edmund served as Speaker of the House of Burgesses, county sheriff and militia colonel. He was a man of many skills, acting as a lawyer, a surveyor, a planter and cattle rancher, owned a shoe factory and many shipping vessels. When his sea vessel “Sea Horse” was captured by the Dutch in 1651, he turned around and captured several Dutch vessels. The native people of Virginia called him the “Conjurer”. They deserved to be weary of the Conjurer as in 1651, he convinced Accomack County people or English blood that the Pocomoke Indian north of them were a threat and lead a raid of over fifty men against them. Edmund and some of the other white men involved in the raid were called to court to justify their actions. The court found them justified. Later he sold guns to the Indians and then turned around and condemned to the General Assembly for owning firearms. In 1671 he called the Indians to a great feast and then as thy feasted, fired on them and killed many of them.

Edmund’s wrath wasn’t just directed toward the Indians of Virginia but towards those whose “faith” didn’t fit the “correct” mold, whatever that was in his mind. He hated Puritans and Quakers and caused them no end of trouble in Virginia. He even went after the Quakers who fled to Maryland to escape him and claimed parts of Maryland for Virginia. Religious irony would follow him after the grave in that his daughter, Matilda’s grandson married a woman who descended from the very religious groups that Edmund tried so hard to eliminate.

Edmund married a woman named Mary, who may have been the daughter of Nathaniel Littleton. She outlived Edmund by twenty years, a just reward for living with such a man. He is believed to have been the father of Anne Toft’s three illegitimate daughters. Anne Toft, an unmarried woman, profited greatly from her relationship to Edmund as he helped her become a wealthy woman. As influential as Edmund was, it could not have set well with his legitimate wife, that he flaunted his mistresses and three young daughters. Mary suffered after Edmund’s death as well when their son, Charles, “neglected” her. In her will, she revoked a legacy to son Charles Scarburgh because of his neglect, leaving money and items to her other children and grandchildren.

Edmund died of smallpox and was buried near Hedra Cottage. A handsome marble marker was placed there by the State of Virginia many years later and can still be viewed.

“Here abouts lies Col. Edmund Scarborough 1618-1671 Surveyor General of Virginia”

***SOURCES***
1. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genea/westant.htm "Anthony West, James city, Virginia" from Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia 1607-1625
2. http://www.esva.net/ghotes/scarb "Descendants of Edmund Scarborough" from Cynthia McDaniel, Ghote
3. Southern Kith and Kin By Jewell Davis Scarborough Copyright ©1957

Friday, March 30, 2012

Line 15, Edmund Scarborough; Father of Genius and Trouble

Edmund Scarborough was the son of Henry Scarburgh (Scarborough), Gentleman of North Walsham, county Norfolk in England, and his wife Elizabeth possibly a Humberstone. There has been some debate over whether Edmund’s mother was named Mary or Elizabeth, but the latest evidence points to Elizabeth being his mother. There were two Henry Scarboroughs in North Walsham at the time, one married to a Mary and another to Elizabeth. The local church of North Walsham still displays a monument to him. He and his brothers were granted arms and crest in 1614. That must have given young Edmund a boost up in society. Edmund was well educated and when he settled in the colony of Virginia sometime in the early 1620s he distingued himself. He was Commissioner of Accomac County, Va., a member of the Board of Justices, 1632, and of the House of Burgesses from 1628 to 1630. He brought all but his son, Charles with him to Virginia. Young Charles stayed behind to attend college at Caius College. He was a brilliant and influential mathemation until Cromwell became Lord Protector of England and his political party reorganized Cambridge where he worked. At that time he went to Oxford to study medicine and in 1648 he was admitted to the Royal College of Physicians. He later became physician to four English Monarchs, Charles II, James II and William and Mary. Charles became Sir Charles in 1669 when he was knighted and became a member of Parliament. He died in 1693 and was buried in Cranford, Middlesex, England.

The elder Edmund Scarborough died in Virginia in early 1635, having lived in the colony was about ten years. However he proved to be an influential man there, serving as Commissioner of Accomack County, in the House of Burgesses from 1628 until 1630 and on the Board of Justices in 1632.

Edmund’s role in the church in Virginia is not known. However, my guess, based on what he know of his sons, is that he was a firm member of the Church of England, if not a devote member. His son, Charles, seemed to go in the direction of whatever the politics brought his way but leaning toward the Church of England. His leanings were toward survival, serving as court physician to two Catholic Kings and a Protestant King and Queen, as well as surviving the change Puritan Common Wealth under Cromwell. Son Edmund Jr. thought was different story, as we will see.

***SOURCES***
1. http://www.esva.net/ghotes/scarb "Descendants of Edmund Scarborough" from Cynthia McDaniel, Ghote
2. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genea/westant.htm "Anthony West, James city, Virginia" from Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia 1607-1625
3. Ancestral Records and Portraits, Vol. I (found on Cynthia McDaniel's site]
5. Cavaliers and Pioneers by Nugent Vol. I
6. Southern Kith and Kin By Jewell Davis Scarborough
7. Edmund Scarborough bp. 1584 & William Scarborough of Bacon's Rebellion Posted by: Vickie Elam White, 2008 "Scarborough Family Genealogy Forum"    http://genforum.genealogy.com/scarbourgh/messages2240.htlm
8. Edmund Scarborough bp. 1584 & William Scarborough of Bacon's Rebellion posted by Cynthia McDaniel Ghote on "Scarborough Family Genealogy Forum"

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Line 14.1, Elizabeth Talbott Preston Lawrence Galloway, The Daughter of Friends

Elizabeth was the product of a Quaker father and a mother raised in the Puritan belief system. Elizabeth was also a product of a colony fractured and formed by its multitude of Christian sects. Founded as an oasis for the English Catholics persecuted under the Tutor and then early Stuart reigns, Maryland became a haven for many persecuted Christian sects from England and France. Elizabeth was raised with parents from two such sects.

Elizabeth Talbot was born about 1625 in England.
Married 1. James Preston, 2. Lawrence, son of Lawrence and 3. Richard Galloway on 10 December 1686 at the West River Meeting House in Anne Ardunel Co., MD
The children of James Preston and Elizabeth Talbott were:
      1. Rebecca Preston
The children of Benjamin Lawrence and Elizabeth Talbott were:
2.      Benjamin Lawrence born 13 May 1677, married Rachel Moriarte. He died 29 December 1719 in Baltimore, Maryland
3.      Elizabeth Lawrence born 25 February 1678/79. She married John Gassaway. She died 09 December 1700 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland
4.      Lucy Lawrence born 1680 in West River, Anne Arundel Co. Maryland. She married John Belt.
The children of
5.      Elizabeth Galloway
6.      Richard Galloway married Sophia Richardson
Died 05 March 1690/91; her body was probably reburied on 15 January 1701/02 in All Hallow Parish, Anne Arundel Co., MD

Since wives in the Seventeenth Century usually followed their husband’s religious beliefs, Elizabeth Talbot was more then likely raised as a Quaker. I tried to find church information on her three husbands. I wasn’t able find any on James Preston, but Benjamin Lawrence was most likely a Quaker as was her third husband, Richard Galloway who after died was buried in Friends Burying Ground, West River, Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. We can pretty much figure that Elizabeth remained a Quaker throughout her life. Richard and Elizabeth were married at the West River Meeting House, which could very well have been a Quaker “Meeting House.”

Elizabeth married three times. Her first husband was James Preston, the son of Richard Preston. His father's will states that if he return from England alive he was to inherit Barren Island and sole use of the dwelling plantation on the “patzxent” until his nephew, Samuel Preston came of age. James never returned to England. He died in 1673/4, leaving his “estate, real and person” to his wife and young daughter, Rebecca. We don’t know what happened to Rebecca as this is the last known record for her. She probably died young.

The widow Preston married as her second husband Benjamin Lawrence. Benjamin Lawrence was the son of another Benjamin Lawrence, who had come as a young man to Virginia in the 1660s. He was given land in Maryland “for transporting himself” and his family (consisting of his wife, Ann Lawrence, and sons Benjamin Lawrence and Nehemiah) to that colony. By his death in 1685, Benjamin Lawrence was land wealthy and left a good inheritance to his wife and children. I have no proof that Benjamin was a Quaker, but unless Elizabeth took up the faith again after his death, it is a good bet that he at some point of his life became a Quaker as well.

Elizabeth’s third husband continued the Southern Quaker link in the family, which as mentioned makes me believe that Elizabeth was a Friend her whole life. She and Richard Galloway had two children, a daughter named Elizabeth and a son named Richard who was also a Quaker. Interestingly enough, Richard Galloway  house remains standing and is listed on National Register Listings in Maryland. A picture and details about the house can be found on the National Register’s web-site. Elizabeth probably never lived in the house as it was completed in the year she died. It is also interesting to note that Elizabeth was reburied almost eleven years after her death in All Hallow Parish, Anne Arundel County.  The reason behind this change of burial place is unknown. She more then likely had been buried beside or near her third husband and daughter in the Quaker burial place first and moved to the All Hallow Parish cemetery eleven years later. After her daughter, Elizabeth Lawrence died and was buried at All Hallow Parish, the family may have felt the elder Elizabeth needed to be closer to her daughter in death.

***SOURCES***
1.  http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/8058/lawrence.htm "Descendants of Benjamin Lawrence and Ann Ascomb}
2.  http://www.rootsweb.com/~mdannear/firstfam/ "Talbot"
3. "Early Families of Southern Maryland, Vol. 2" The Lawrence Family
4.  Anne Arundel Gentry, Vol. 1, Gassaway Family
5.  Early Families of Southern Maryland, Vol. 3, "Galloway"
6.   http://thecityobserver.org/scarborough/index-scar.htm "Scarborough - Ewen - Richardson - Carroll - Current - Petticoat" by P L Chadwick

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Line 14 Richard Talbot; Southern Friends

The Quakers didn’t just touch New England with their theology; they also went south to Virginia and then to Maryland. Richard Talbot and his Lawrence relatives practiced the Quaker faith in Maryland.

Richard Talbot was born about 1625 in England.
Married Elizabeth Ewen, daughter of Richard EWEN and Sophia EWELL (see line 7)
1.      Elizabeth Talbott born 10 August 1656 in West River, Anne Arundel Co. MD
2.      Edward Talbott born 06 November 1658 in West River, Anne Arundel Co. MD
3.      John Talbott born 10 December 1664 in West River, Anne Arundel Co. MD
4.      Richard Talbott born 05 January 1668/69 in West River, Anne Arundel Co. MD

Died 15 July 1699 Poplar Knowle, Anne Arundel co., MD
Richard Talbott was born about 1625 in England. He may have immigrated to Virginia first but by 1649 was in the Maryland colony and had set up household at West River in Anne Arundel County. In December of 1656 he bough a plantation on the West River in Anne Arundel Country called Poplar Knowle, which became his home. In 1659 Richard Talbott was assigned land from his father-in-law, the puritan Richard Ewen. This was at a time when the Puritans in Massachusetts were percecuting the Quakers. Mary Dyer the Quaker Martyr would be hanged in Boston in 1660. The religiously fractured Maryland, although full of it’s own religious battles, had at least in one family who found peace with the marriage of Quaker Richard Talbot to Puritan Elizabeth Ewen.

The  Amistead Family History reports  that Richard  was the son of Sir Robert Talbott, the 2nd Baron of Carlton Co. in Kildare and Grace Calvert daughter of Sir George Calvert, 1st Baron of Baltimore. They claim he was next in line to become Earl of Shrewsbury but because he was a Loyalist and sided with King Charles I, Cromwell had his estates confiscated. Richard, invited to Maryland by Governor Stone, left England. Other Talbotts who came at the same time were Sir William Talbott and Colornel George Talbot, both of whom were related to Lord Baltimore for whom the city of Baltimore is named. Richard first received land in 1649 from the proprietary government. It was a tract called “Timber Neck. How true this account of Richard’s ancestry is, I have not been able to determine. TheAmisteads certainly favored the story and many of the young men and families who came to Maryland were Loyalist fleeing for their lives.

Richard Talbot may have become a Quaker after his marriage to Elizabeth Ewen, although it is possible that he was introduced to the faith by the Quaker missionary Elizabeth Harris who was preaching in Maryland by 1655. Six years before, the “Toleration Act”, more formally known as An Act Concerning Religion, was enacted by Lord Baltimore who was trying to protect the Catholic population for which the colony of Maryland was founded. The Catholics were quickly becoming a minority in their own home. The Quakers benefited from this Act, as well as other Christian religious outside the Anglican Church. Quakers moved from Virginia into Maryland, where there was still discrimination again them, but where they at least had some freedom to practice their beliefs.

    Richard Talbot’s will was signed 2 April 1663 in West River, Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. He willed "Poplar Knawle." to his son Richard and sons Edward and John were joint heirs to "Talbotts Ridge" His daughter, Elizabeth, however was given non-land gifts. Richard died a man rich in land and family and, I hope, in his faith.

***SOURCES***
1.  http://www.rootsweb.com/~mdannear/firstfam/ "Talbot"
2. Ancestry.com "Our Research" by Alice Ament Davidson Gedge
3. http://www.tcarden.com/tree/ensor/Talbot.htm "Talbot"
4. Anne Arundel Gentry, Vol. 1, Gassaway Family
5. http://genealogy.Iv/MDBios/anne_arundel.htm "Richard Talbott / Sir Robert ? Calverts;

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Line 13.7, Sarah Dyer Chubb; Pioneer Woman

Sarah was an American pioneer woman. She was born in the wilderness of Eastern New York and followed her family to the Michigan Territory, Ohio, Illinois and finally to the prairies of Kansas where she is buried. She married Joel Chubb who was more then likely had a Methodist leaning to his Christianity. They raised children who clearly demonstrated a love of God. Sarah probably became a Methodist when she married Joel but she certainly brought a Baptist and Quaker quality to the Methodist leaning of her Chubb husband.

Sarah Dyer daughter of James Dyer and his wife, was born 27 December 1726 probably in New York
Sarah Dyer married Joel Chubb on 18 November 1831 in Geouga County, Ohio. 
Sarah died 30 June 1893 in Baxter Springs, Cherokee, Kansas
Sarah and Joel Chubb had the following known children:
1.      Claret Ann Chubb born 28 September 1833 in Black River twp., Lorain, Ohio. She married Addison Jason Depuy. She died 28 May 1912 in Girard, Kansas.
2.      Philea Jane Chubb born 11 December 1834 in Sheffield, Lorraine, Ohio. She married Abiel Samuel Denison. She died in February 1920 in Baxter Springs, Cherokee, KS,
3.      James Harvey Chubb born 18 October 1836 Black River twp., Lorain, Ohio. He married Martha Braman. James died 31 July 1911 in Baxter Springs, Cherokee, KS,
4.       Horace Wheeler Chubb born 22 January 1840 in Black River twp., Lorain, Ohio. He married Rebecca Garritson. He died 23 May 1912 in Neutral, Cherokee Co, Kansas.
5.       Joseph Watson Chubb born 25 May 1842 in Black River twp., Lorain, Ohio. He married Ellen Slusser. Joseph died 18 June 1897 in Joplin, Jasper, Missouri.
6.      Rolla Alonzo Chubb born 01 October 1843 in Argyle, Winnebago, IL. He married a woman named Mary who died about 1874. Rolla died 04 June 1922.
7.      Darius Sylvester (Dye) Chubb born 26 December 1847 in Argyle, Winnebago, IL. He married 1. Anna Sherrod and 2. Millie C. Livingston. “Uncle Dye” died 03 February 1943 in Baxter Springs, Cherokee, KS,
8.      Prosper Joel (Prosser) Chubb born 03 September 1851 in Argyle, Winnebago, IL. He married Hattie Johnson. He died 14 March 1922 in Baxter Springs, Cherokee, Kansas.


Sarah Dyer Chubb probably got on the Methodist wagon when she married Joel Chubb. We can speculate that she was raised Baptist and gave a Baptist lean to her Christian beliefs. We can’t know at this point, but some of her lines did return to the Baptist denomination.

As noted in the story about her father, James Dyer, there is no recorded proof that Sarah Dyer Chubb was the daughter of James Dyer of Rockford, Illinois but there is a lot of circumstantial evidence. I strongly believe that Sarah Chubb’s eldest son, James Harvey Chubb, was named for his two grandfathers. While I have very little proof, I feel that Harvey Chubb of New York and Michigan, son of Alexander Chubb, may well have been Sarah’s father-in-law. James Harvey Chubb had a son named Joel Anson Chubb, who was named for his two grandfathers.

A marriage record was found for Sarah or Sally Dyer and Joel Chubb in Geauga County, Ohio. It reads: “The State of Ohio Geauga County; I certify that I solemnized the Marriage contract to the parties Joel Chubb and Sally Dyer on the eighteenth day of Nov. A.D. 1832.” They are next found living near James Dyer in the 1850 Hawlowe, Winnebago co. US Census. Sarah is listed as   “ Sarah CHUBB, age 42, female, born “ She is listed with Joel Chubb and seven children. In the 1860, Rockford, Winnebago Co., IL, page 302, she is listed as “Sarah CHUBEL, age 53, F, born NY” again is Joel Chub (written Chubel) as “Joel CHUBLE, age 53, Male, worth 100 personal estate, born NY State” and listed with children Darius, Philena and Prosser Chuble and Claret Depus and her two children Emma and Charles DEPUS.

From an old newspaper article, we know that Joel Chubb was severely injured in an election celebration. A family legend says he died in a Fourth of July accident. Other later newspaper have been searched by no mention of his “death” can be found. We do know that by the 1870 census, Sarah was listed with her son James Chubb as head of household in Washington County, Illinois.

Sarah was listed with another son, Rolla A. Chubb in the 1880, Hoyleton, Washington Co., IL, US Census. She was age 71, born in New York of parents born there. A few years after this census was taken, Sarah, the pioneer woman, got into her wagon train and went to Cherokee County, Kansas. She probably went with one or more of her sons, as most of them were in Cherokee County by the 1890s. Her son, Darius, was there by the early 1980s. Unfortunately, most of the 1990 US Census was destroyed in a fire.

 An obituary for Sarah was found in a Cherokee County newspaper: “Obituary: Columbus Courier, 6 July 1893. DIED--On   Friday, June 30, 1893, SARAH CHUBB, mother of Mrs. Dennison and J. H.   Chubb and brothers, age eighty-four years, seven months and five days.” A Black bordered funeral notice recorded the following information:  Sara Dyer Chubb's . . . black bordered funeral notice had these words - 'Died, on Friday June 30, 1893 SARAH CHUBB mother of Mrs. A. B. Denison and J. H. Chubb and brothers, aged eighty-four years, seven months, and five days. Funeral services at the residence of J.  H. Chubb, Sunday July 2, 12:10 o'clock am. Friends of the family are invited.'"  The Funeral Directors, 1893, wrote "Remains of Sarah Chubb by order of Chubb Bros., died June 30, buried July 2; casket $45.00.

Sarah’s Christian leanings are not documented. Cousins of mine have found the family Bible of her son, James Harvey Chubb whose grandson became the pastor of one of the largest Methodist church in the world during the middle part of the Twentieth Century. There have been Methodist pastors and circuit riders in the Chubb line for over two centuries. I feel that Sarah of Quaker and Baptist background, joined the Methodists when she married Joel Chubb. More discussion on the Methodist will be done when I discuss my Chubb line.

Sarah was buried in the Baxter Springs Cemetery where her tombstone reads:  “ Sarah Dyer, wife of Joel Chubb, 1808-1893" Many other Chubb family members have been buried in this century old cemetery.


***SOURCES***
1.  Obituary, Columbus Courier, 6 July 1893
2.  U.S. Census, 1850
3.  Baxter Springs Cemetery (Tombstone)
4.  Family Connections by Dell Davidson
5.  Rolla Chubb letter, April 1955
6.  Funeral Directors, 1893
7.  1880 US Census
8.  Marriage Register for Joel Chubb and Sally Dyer
9.  1860 US Census
10. 1870 US Census

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Line 13.6 James Dyer: On the Edge of the World

James Dyer, son of James Dyer Sr. and his wife Mary, lived on the edge of civilization. His New York years are difficult to map but as an early settler of the Rockford area of Winnebago Co., IL, he was a little easier to find.

James Dyer son of James Dyer and his wife Mary  Marcy, was born 15 April 1781 in Dudley, Worcester, MA
James married 1. An unknown woman
He married secondly 2. Susan (surname unknown) who died April 1850 in Rockland, Winnebago, IL.
James died after 1860 in Rockford, Winnebago, IL
James and his unknown first wife had:
1.      Sarah Dyer born 25 November 1808 in New York. She married Joel Chubb. She died 30 June 1893 in Baxter Springs, Cherokee, Kansas
2.      John Dyer born 22 August 1813 in Stockton, Chautauqua Co., NY. John married Mary Jane Courtright. John died 14 November 1875 in Winnebago County, Illinois
3.      William Dyer was living in Roscoe twp., Winnebago Co., IL with his wife Lovisa. Nothing more is known of this William Dyer. He may or may not have been a son of James Dyer.
4.      Horace Dyer born 19 September 1816 in Stockton, Chautauqua Co., NY. He married Clarissa Tripp daughter of Steven and Jemima Tripp. Horace died 28 January 1893 in Winnebago, Illinois. Horace was a California Gold Rush 49er. He was also a Civil War Veteran.
5.      Lucinda Dyer born 23 October 1817 in Stockton, Chautauqua Co., NY. She married Charles Oliver Reckhow Dufoe born 23 August 1817 in Trois-Rivieves, Quebec, Canada. Lucinda died 14 April 1859 in Union Township, Delaware County, Iowa
6.      James Dyer was born about 1822 in Ohio. He married Harriet Ann Easton, sister of his half-sisters, Mary and Amanda’s husbands. James died August 1906 in Winnebago Co., Illinois

James and his second wife, Susan had:
7.      Mary Dyer born 23 May 1831 in Ohio. She married David Easton who was the brother of her sister’s husband, Walter Easton. Mary died 07 June 1908 in Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois
8.       Lorenzo P. Dyer was born about 1832 probably in Ohio. He married Caroline Feakins. He died before 1874 when his widow remarried.
9.       Amanda was born January 1833 in Britain, Lorain, Ohio. She married Walter Easton born 22 January 1833 in New York. Amanda died 21 June 1903 in Harlem, Winnebago, Illinois.


James’ birth record is recorded in James Dyer, s. James and Molley, apr. 15, 1781.

James Dyer probably married an unknown wife before he married Susan ?  as Susan would have been a very, very young mother to the oldest known child of James. Susan would have only been 14 at Sarah's birth. She was 19 by the time the second known child, John, was born and he named a daughter, Susan, which is a good pointer toward him being her son. James and Susan were married by 1828 when he and Susan signed a deed. “Book 7-104. Indenture of 18 Mar 1828 between James Dyer of Chautauqua Co. NY and wf Susan of first part and Samuel Hicks of 2nd pt. $700 for a tract or township made for persons commonly known as the Holland Land Co., by Joseph Ellicott. Twp 4, Range 13, of 100 acres. Signed James Dyer Jr., Susannah Dyer.  Witnesses; T.A. Osborne, Ortemis (?) Hearick.”

The United Census records leave a broken trail for James. In 1810 he can be found in Jefferson, Scholhaire Co., New York, which is near enough to his father’s homestead in Albany to make it a reasonable guess that this is the right James, that and the age of James and the age of the others in the household fit best of all the James Dyers in New York at the time. James Dyer of Jefferson was in a household that included one male age 26-44 [James]; two females less then ten years old [Sarah and one other child] and one female 16-25 [James’ wife].

We know from other records that the James Dyer in Chautauqua County, New York in the 1820 census was ours. He as listed with three males less then ten years old [John age 7, Horace age three and William]; one male age 26-44 [James age 37]; two females less then 10 years old [Sarah and one other girl]; one woman age 16-25 [possibly Susan or possibly another female relative] and one female age 26-44 [again possibly Susan age about 26]

James left several records in Chautauqua County, New York. In “the Holland Land Company” for Chautauqua County, James Dyer was listed as an innkeeper. He probably kept built a large log house with several rooms and a tavern for feeding the guest and as a gathering place. The inn sat on Peacocks Road. He had purchased land in Stockton in 1811. In the records he is listed with other new landowners: “Stockton, Chautauqua, NY in 1811. Purchases of Township 4, Range 13. 1811 (year) June, Roswell Ladd, 2. August, Thomas Smith, 4. James Dyer, 1. David Waterbury, I. Peleg Scofield, 7.”

"Book 7-104. Indenture of 18 Mar 1828 between James Dyer of Chautauqua Co. NY and wife Susan of first part and Samuel Hicks of 2nd pt. $700 for a tract or township made for persons commonly known as the Holland Land Co., by Joseph Ellicot. Twp 4, Range 13 of 100 acs. Signed James Dyer Jr, Susannah dyer. Witnesses; T.A. Osborn, Ortemis Hearick."  "Book F121, Agreement between Richard W. Hart of Saybrook, Conn. and James Dyer of Sheffield, Ohio, to sell tract in twp 7 R 17 of Conn. Western Reserve, known as Lot #109 in Sheffield twp. containing 129 acs for $903, and has given a promissory note, payable in 1, 2, and 3 yrs. 29 Apr 1833." [HLLR] "Bk F-122. This is to certify that I have this day deposited to the Lorain Iron Co., a bond for the above tract. Wits; L. Burnell. S S: James Dyer."

I have not been able to locate a James Dyer in New York that fits this family in the 1830 census. In 1836, James brother lists his father’s heirs in James Dyer Sr.’s estate papers. James is listed, numbered (3), as “James Dyer of State of Michigan.” Michigan became of territory of the United States in 1828. The Michigan Territory included what is now the State of Michigan and buts up next to the state of Ohio on its Southeast border where James’ daughter Sarah was married in 1832. Also, in the 1860 US Census, James’ daughter Mary is listed as having been born in Ohio.

In 1840 James is in Hawlowe, Winnebago Co., Illinois, listed with three males 20-30 (John, Horace, and James Jr.) one male 10-15 (Lorenzo) two females 40-50 (Susan and another female relative) one female 20-30 (daughter Lucinda who was about to marry Charles Oliver Reckhow Dufoe in June), one female 10-25 (Mary) and 1 female 5-10 (Amanda).

In the 1850 US Census for Harlowe, Winnebago Co., IL; he is listed as  James Dyer, age 67, male, farmer, born in Mass.  On the same page are Sarah CHUBB and her family. Because of the of many other clues including a son named “James” and that in all of “Sarah Chubb’s” census records she is listed as having been born in New York, I made an “educated” guess that James Dyer is her father. Also found on the page is a Clarissa DYER, who in the 1860 census is listed with her husband Horace. Sarah also has a son named Horace and Horace the brother has a son named James H.   Also listed with James are Susan, age 56 born in NY; Mary DYER, age 21 born in PA; and Amanda DYER, age 19, born in Wisconsin.) The 1860, Rockford, Winnebago, IL lists:  James DYER, 77, M, worth 800 real estate, 200 personal, born MASS; David EASTON, 26, M, Laborer, born OH; Mary EASTON, 28, F, born OH; William EASTON, 10, M, born IL; Sonla EASTON, 3, F, born IL; Rose EASTON, 5/12, F, born IL; Lorenzo P. DYER, 28, M, born NY

By 1839 this family was almost certainly in Harlem twp., Winnebago Co., IL. In Katherine E. Rowland’s book about Winnebago county she writes: "James and Susan DYER] came to Winn. Co. before 28 Oct 1839 when he bought 80 acres of land in Harlem Twp. from the government." The Domain Land Tract Records for Illinois lists: “Dyer James, ID #173548 E2 S3, S25 Twp 45 N, R02E, Winnebago 10-28-1839 Winnebago, 80 acres at 1.25 an acre, total $100.00; and  #173549, E2SW, S30 twp 45 N, R03E, Boone 1839, 6 miles E. of tract listed above, 80 areas at 1.25 an acre total $100.00.”   In the 1859/60   Rockford, IL city directories James was listed as: Dyer, James, farmer, nwc East and Rock es.

I haven’t found church records for James Dyer or a family Bible. Whether the James followed the Lord is unknown but the potential is clearly there in his ancestors and in his descendants. James must have been a man looking for the Promised Land, moving further into the frontier and producing adventuresome but faithful children and grandchildren.


***SOURCES****
1.  1810 US Census
2.  1820 US Census
3.      1840 US Census
4.      1850 US Census
5.      1860 US Census
6.      "The Pioneers of Winnebago and Boone Counties, Illinois who came before 1841" by Katherine E. Rowland, C.G., Gateway Press, 1990
7.   Grace Dyer Mellander, 30 May 1989, Land record for James Dyer
8. "History of Chautauqua Co" by Andrew W. Young, Printing House of Matthews and Warren, 1875. G974.71 CHA 1650-2. Chapter on "STOCKTON", page 554-557.
9.   July 1994 from Lorain Co., Ohio land record book F-121
10. 1859-60 Rockford Directory, City Guide and Business Mirror (Vol. 1) Published 1859 FHC #6044417
11. State of Ill., Archives Division Public Domain Land Tract Records
12. History of Chautauqua Co., and its People, Vol. 1, Downs and Hedley, pg 239
13. Dudley, MA Vital Records
14. "Sketches of the History of Chautauqua County" by Emory F. Warren, Jamestown, NY, published by J. Warren Fletcher, 1846
15.  "Indenture" of 18 March 1828, land records of the Holland Land Co.