Sunday, February 27, 2011

Stephen Wing, Eighth Great Grandfather of Reba Logue McMillan

STEPHEN WING, born in England in 1621, brother of Daniel and son of JOHN WING(E), had, by wife Oziah (Oseah) Dillingham, besides NATHANIEL WING (1647), Deborah, born 10 Oct. 1648 and Mercy, 13 Nov. 1650. His wife died 29 April 1654, and he married the 7th January following Sarah Briggs.  Other children:  Stephen, 2 Sept. 1656; Sarah, 5 Feb. 1658; John, 22 or 25 Sept. 1661; Abigail, 1 May 1664; Elisha, 2 Feb. 1669; Ebenezer, 11 July 1671; and Matthew, 1 Mar. 1674. His 2nd wife died 26 March 1689, and he died 24 Apr. 1710.

Wing Fort House
(Stephen Wing. This home is one of the oldest houses in New England and the oldest which continuously has remained in the possession of members of the same family through successive generations. The house has been restored and is currently used as a historical Memorial Museum. The Fort House was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1976 and is open from mid-June to mid-September for visitors.)


 (submitted by Raymond T Wing) 

   Stephen Wing was born, probably at Flushing, Zeeland (now the Netherlands) circa 1621. He was called three years of age on 22 JUN 1624 when his mother, sister (Deborah) and Stephen received a license to travel from England to Zeeland to return home. The ages listed for both mother and daughter were slightly off (both being a couple years older than officially recorded) so it is possible that Stephen was born a couple years earlier than 1621.

    Stephen spent his early life in the cities of Flushing and The Hague in what is now the Netherlands. It is likely that the Dutch society had a major influence in his life and lifestyle. One reason why English colonists moved to the New World from their previous abodes on the European continent was due to the fear that continental life was having a negative influence on the children's beliefs. There was fear that they were losing their English identity.

    Stephen lost his father and emigrated to New England shortly before he became a teenager. It is likely that in New England he was educated by his grandfather, Rev. Stephen Bachiler. Stephen was about 16 year old when the family moved to Sandwich. When it became time for Stephen to leave the home nest, and find a place of his own, he was either granted, or purchased, property on Spring Hill, East Sandwich.

    This residence, the Wing "Fort House", has the distinction of being the oldest house in America continuously owned by the same (surnamed) family. It passed down the line, from generation to generation, until 1942 when the Wing Family of America, Inc. [WFA] purchased the homestead from Cora Wing.  Since that time, the "Fort House" has been converted into a museum and serves as the official headquarters of the WFA.

    It is believed that at one time the "Fort House" had served as a Fort for protection from the indians. An archealogical dig during the annual reunion in 2006 discovered remains of a large post, which possibly was part of a palisade fence. Some historians believe the fort was built when the town was settled in 1637. It was soon discovered that the indians living on the Cape were friendly, and the fort was not needed, so it was granted to/purchased by Stephen.  Other historians believe it was used as a Fort during King Philip's War (1675-1676). Still others feel it was never used as a fort.

    Stephen married Osheah [Oseth] Dillingham in the fall of 1646. The time of his marriage has been determined by the fact he and his wife appeared in court in March 1646/7 and fined for having a child (Nathaniel) born "at an unseasonable time after their marriage." While Osheah had other children, only Nathaniel lived to reach maturity and Osheah herself died on 29 APR 1654. A little more than ten months later, Stephen was married to Sarah Briggs, the orphan daughter of John and Katherine Briggs of Sandwich.

    Stephen, with his brother Daniel, embraced the new Quaker faith around 1658. He was repeatedly fined for his beliefs, but not to the same level that his brother faced. After the Quaker percecution ended Stephen became the Town Clerk for Sandwich. Stephen was probably the last surviving original settler of Sandwich. He died on 24 APR 1710. He almost certainly lies in an unmarked grave at the original Friends' Cemetery at Sandwich.

Stephen Wing and his first wife, Osheah Dillingham, had the following children:
Nathaniel, born before MAR 1646/7.
Ephraim, born 2 APR 1649, buried 10 DEC 1649.
Mercy, born 13 NOV 1650, presumably died young.

Stephen Wing and his second wife, Sarah Briggs, had the following children:
Stephen, born 2 SEP 1656, killed during King Philips War on 26 MAR 1676.
Sarah, born 5 FEB 1658/9
John, born 25 FEB 1661
Abigail, born 1 MAY 1664, never married.
Elisha, born 2 FEB 1668/9
Ebenezer, born 11 JUL 1671
Matthew, born 1 MAR 1673/4

Stephen Wing would marry twice like his two older brothers. He had possibly four children by Oseah Dillingham and seven children by Sarah Briggs.

1. Nathaniel Wing my 7th ggrandfather, was the only child of Stephen Wing and Oseth Dillingham to survive to adulthood. Because of Nathaniel, Oseth Dillingham's blood line would flourish through many descendants. Nathaniel, born before March 2, 1646/47, at Sandwich, Massachusetts, his birth betrayed the fact that Stephen Wing and Oseth Dillingham had recklessly enjoyed each other before marriage.  Speaking for myself, it seems to make Stephen and Oseth more human. Nathaniel married Sarah Hatch. Nathaniel moved to Falmouth, Plymouth Co., MA, about sixteen miles from Sandwich (as the crow flies)

2. Ephraim Wing, born April 2, 1649 at the Wing Fort House in Sandwich, Massachusetts. (From the Sandwich Register of Births).  Ephraim was buried December 10, 1649 according to the Sandwich Register of Marriages and Burials.

3. Mercy Wing, born November 13, 1650 at the Wing Fort House in Sandwich, Massachusetts. (From the Sandwich Register of Births,  1650). There is no further record of Mercy, therefore it is believed that she died in infancy.

4. Deborah Wing, born about 1653 at the Wing Fort House in Sandwich, Massachusetts. (not proven)

5.  Stephen Wing, the oldest child of Stephen Wing and Sarah Briggs, born September 2, 1656. Of Sandwich, Barnstable Co., MA...died in the King Philip War. Stephen Wing was born September 2, 1656 in Sandwich, Plymouth Colony to Stephen Wing and Sarah Briggs.  Stephen was certainly born in the Old Fort House...the homestead of Stephen Wing and his family.
Stephen, the oldest child born to this union, would be the first Wing to lose his life in this country, in a battle that was  described fierce and horrible...The King Phillips War of 1675. Stephen would go to his death unmarried and without issue. It seems natural to assume that his death is what caused his brother Nathaniel Wing to enlist in the war himself, joining Captain John Gorham's company (the same company Ananias Wing joined). We shall leave Stephen here, the young man who died prematurely in a war that he probably thought was so right...but like most wars, it only served to offer up our youngest and finest and it really didn't solve anything. Nonetheless, Stephen, we honor you here,  for your sacrifice and for your belief
that you were fighting to protect those you loved.

6. Sarah Wing, born February 5, 1657/58 at Sandwich, Massachusetts. Sarah Wing married Robert Gifford;Lived and died at Dartmouth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts, about twenty-eight miles from Sandwich (as the crow flies)

7. John Wing, born September 25, 1661 at Sandwich. John Wing was married three times; (1) Mary Perry, (2) Mary Banister, (3) Mary Mowry Coggeshall. Of Dartmouth, Bristol Co., MA, about twenty-eight miles from Sandwich (as the crow flies)

8. Abigail Wing, born May 1, 1664 at Sandwich, Massachusetts. Not much is known about Abigail. She never married and it is believed that she kept house for her father after her mother, Sarah Briggs died in 1689. Abigail is mentioned in her father's will of September 2, 1700, where he left her twenty shillings. There is no known record of Abigail Wing's death.

9. Elisha Wing, born December 2, 1668. Elisha married Mehitable Butler. Of Rochester, Plymouth Co., MA, seventeen  miles from Sandwich (as the crow flies)

10. Ebenezer Wing, born November 5, 1671, Ebenezer married Elizabeth Backus on February 23, 1698/99 at Sandwich. Of Sandwich, Barnstable Co., MA, died at the Wing Fort House

11. Matthew Wing, born January 1, 1673/74, born twenty-seven years after his oldest half-brother, Nathaniel Wing. Matthew married Elizabeth Mott Ricketson on September 4, 1696.

Taken from the Hamblin Family History;

"This sanguinary Indian battle, the hardships and casualties of which have few parallels, was fought December 10, 1675, Old Style; the place was in South Kington, R. I., on an island of about five acres in a swamp called Pattyswamscott, where the Indians had a fortified town. The white forces actually mustered 1,127 men, composed of six companies from Massachusetts Bay, two from Plymouth and five from Connecticut Colonies.

The previous day had been extremely cold; the snow fell fast and deep; the soldiers had marched the preceding night through tangled, pathless woods, wading through snow until nearly noon; four hundred of the men were so badly frozen as to be completely unfit for duty.

The Indians had formed a wooden fortress, the entrance to which was narrow and reached by crossing on a fallen tree. The fight lasted six hours; six of the captains of the companies were killed; of the company of Capt. Gorham, thirty were killed and forty-one wounded; but the victory was complete, and the power of the Narragansetts forever broken.

It is estimated that 700 Indian warriors were slain, besides 300 that afterwards died of wounds; not more than 300 escaped; the town was burned and the aged men and women and children were killed, perished in the flames, or starved from cold and hunger. After the battle the army waded through the snow eighteen miles before their wounds could be dressed, or refreshments obtained."

Five men from Sandwich joined Captain Michael Pearse's Plymouth County Company to engage in the defense of the colonies during the King Philip War. They were Benjamin Nye, John Gibb, Stephen Wing, Daniel Bessey, and Caleb Blake.

March 26, 1676, Captain Pearse's company was ambushed by the Narragansett Indians under Canonchet at Seekonk, and the day after the battle, the Rev. Noah Newman of Rehoboth wrote giving the names of forty-six of the unfortunate men who fell in the ambush. Among the names were those of Stephen Wing and Benjamin Nye.

The facts are told in Bodge's Soldier's of the Colonial wars, pages 331-2. The story of young Stephen, the first member of the Wing family to perish in New England in defense of his home and country, is well worth preserving.

The five recruits from Sandwich joined Captain Pearse's company, consisting of 50 whites and 20 friendly Indians all from Cape Cod. Captain Pearse was ordered to pursue the enemy who were under the personal leadership of the famous Narragansett Chief Cnoenchet. He came up with them at Seekonk and immediately made an attack. The fighting on the first day resulted in no loss to the whites, who rested that night in the village. The next day, Captain Pearse prepared for the second engagement. At a short distance from the town four or five Indians were discovered limping along as if wounded. Suspecting no treachery, the whites eagerly followed them and soon found themselves in the presence of an overwhelming force. To escape was impossible; to retreat was desperate. A furious attack ensued, and a fresh body of Indians appearing the gallant band like the Spartans at Thermoplae, were completely surrounded, and after a brave resistance of two hours, in which Captain Pearse and his men fought in a double ring, the company was annihilated, and of 50 white, 46 were slain. Thus perished young Stephen Wing in his twentieth year of age. Stephen Wing, born Sept. 2, 1656 was the first Wing to give his life for his country. Stephen was the oldest son of Stephen Wing & Sarah Briggs and one can only imagine the grief they must have felt. Ananias Wing was sent from Yarmouth to fight along the side of his cousin, Stephen Wing. Ananias, four years older than Stephen survived. It is comforting to think that perhaps Ananias stayed by Stephen while he died, perhaps he was even able to gather the body of Stephen and return it to Sandwich, to his father and mother, Stephen Wing and Sarah Briggs.

King Phillip's War was so named for the Wampanoag Chief Metacom, who was known to his European contemporaries as "King Phillip". The Wampanoag had been under constant pressure from the Plymouth Colony to surrender land and conform to English dictates. The Puritans had even imposed a tax on the tribe. No doubt blood ran hot on both sides.

When Chief Metacom (King Phillip) decided to attack, the attack was fierce and without mercy. The spring of 1675 brought to a sudden and violent end a half-century of generally cordial relations between the English settlers and the Algonquian tribes of southern New England. Mary White Rowlandson was among the captives that a contingent of Narragansetts took after they struck Lancaster, Massachusetts, a frontier community of perhaps fifty familes.

The attack occured in February of 1676.  Her experiences which were so emotionally and physically painful are expressed wonderfully in the book "PURITANS AMONG THE INDIANS". I picked the book up at my local library and found it very interesting. And while the Indian warriors could find horrible ways to punish and kill their enemy, I have to tell you that the English could be equally cruel. In August of 1676, Metacom himself was captured and executed, and his family was forced to observe his head displayed on a pole in Plymouth. Later, after much debate it was decided that the widow and son should not be executed but they were sold as slaves to the West Indies, along with hundreds of other rebels systematically hunted down and captured after Metacom's death.

Date  2Mar1647
Location  Plymouth Co., MA
Description:  He, Stephen Wing, was taken to court, because his wife, had a child, in an unseasonable amount of time, after they were married.(Pre-marital sex, was strictly forbiden.)


 The drawing of the Wing Family Fort House was made by Dave Wheelock, the caretaker of the Wing Family Fort House, which is located in Sandwich, Massachusetts. This is probably the way it looked about 1650...before the death of Stephen's first wife, Oseah Dillingham Wing. 

Nathaniel was the only surviving child of Stephen and Oseah (Dillingham) Wing to enter matrimony. He was born about 1646-7 at Sandwich. When scarcely seven years of age his mother died, leaving his father with three infant children, himself the oldest. Within a few weeks, doubtless because of the urgency of the household situation, his father brought a new wife into the home. We find no mention of Nathaniel again until October 29, 1669, when he was about twenty-two years of age, when the following appears upon the court records at Plymouth: "In reference to a shirt stolen by an Indian from Christopher Blake and sold unto Nathaniel Winge, which shirt is now in the custody of the constable of Sandwich, the Court have ordered that said Constable shall return the said shirt to Christopher Blake & to inquire the said Wings to pay 5 shillings to the said Blake in satisfaction for his trouble and charges about it, and 2 shillings & 6 pence to the said Wings be required to look up the said Indian and to bring him or cause him to be brought before some of the magistrates of this jurisdiction to answer for his said act."

The action on the part of the Court was taken as a warning and preventive to the whites from purchasing articles of predatory and wandering Indians. In order that we may fully comprehend the circumstances of Nathaniel's early life at Sandwich, it may be well to call attention that he was the grandson of Mr. Edward Dillingham, prominent in Sandwich affairs, and that his uncle was Liut. John Dillingham, who had moved to Harwich with another of Nathaniel's uncles, John Wing about 1656-7.(7401)


Nathaniel WING was born 1646 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts. He died 1722 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts. Nathaniel married Sarah HATCH on 1682 in Falmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts.
Sarah HATCH, daughter of Jonathan Hatch and Sarah Rowley, was born 21 Mar 1664 in Falmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts. She died 8 Jul 1731 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts.

From Wing Family on Rootsweb:
Nathaniel's Birth: BEF 02 MAR 1646/47 in Fort House, Sandwich, P
Death: ABT NOV 1722 in Sandwich (Pocasset, now Bourne), Barnstable, Massachusetts

Father: Stephen WING(E) b: 1621 in prob. Flushing, Zeeland, Netherlands
Mother: Ose(i)th-Os(h)ea(h) DILLINGHAM c: 10 FEB 1621/22 in Cotesbach, St. Mary, Leicester, England

Marriage 1 Sarah HATCH b: 21 MAR 1664/65 in Saconecet (now Falmouth), (now Barnstable), PC
    * Married: ABT 1685 in Suckonesset, PC

Children
   1. Keziah WING b: ABT 1686 in Sandwich, Barnstable, PC
   2. Nathaniel WING (II) b: ABT 1688 in Natty Wing House, Sandwich (Pocasset, now Bourne), Barnstable, PC
   3. Sarah WING b: ABT 1690 in Natty Wing House, Sandwich [Pocasset, now Bourne], Barnstable, PC
   4. Ebenezer WING b: 1694 in Natty Wing House, Sandwich (Pocasset, now Bourne), Barnstable, Massachusetts
   5. Hozea-Hozeth WING b: ABT 1702 in Natty Wing House, Sandwich [Pocasset, now Bourne], Barnstable, Massachusetts
   6. Mary WING b: ABT 1705 in Natty Wing House, Sandwich (Pocasset, now Bourne), Barnstable, Massachusetts
   7. Joseph WING b: 30 MAR 1709 in Natty Wing House, Sandwich (Pocasset, now Bourne), Barnstable, Massachusetts



“Natty” Wing house in Pocasset [called Willowdale in 1979] (Owl DEC 1907, p. 640 photo & article; MAR 1909, pp. 783-5; SEP 1915, p. 1474 [photo & article]; 1979 pp. 4369-71)

It has proved most difficult to secure at this late date authentic information, or any information whatever, in regard to the earliest Wings of [Pocasset]. The fact that the old records of Barnstable County were destroyed by fire adds to the difficulty of locating with certainty the homes of the early generations. (Owl MAR 1909, p. 783)

It is a low, one-story structure, with dormer windows in the roof, and in the centre a very large chimney, which includes an enormous fireplace in the dining room as well as smaller ones in the two adjoining rooms. The ceilings are very low, with rafters built across them. The walls paneled and painted white…

Recessed window corners, cupboards, an exceedingly narrow and steep staircase… are features of the place rivaling in interest many pretentious, historical museums. (Owl DEC 1907, p. 640)

Nathaniel Wing (b 1695 - 1722)
     The first Nathaniel Wing was the son of Stephen, who came with his mother, Deborah (Bachiler) Wing, from England to America in 1632, and his first wife, Oseah Dillingham, and was born about 1643. Nathaniel was married about 1680 to Sarah, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Rowley) Hatch. Undoubtedly his first home, probably his only home, after marriage was at Pocasset. The fact that he married into a family resident at Falmouth leads to the supposition that he located in that vicinity before his marriage, but there is no proof that he did. (Owl FEB 1909, p. 783)
     Recently discovered evidence that Nathaniel Wing’s house must certainly have been built by 1695 comes from some early records found in the Sandwich archives. In Original Book 2, page 17 of Sandwich Town Records, we find the following: “At the Town Meeting of May 19, 1696, the Town, by their act, granted unto Elisha Bourne and Timothy Bourne all their rights and lands in Monnyment Neck and the place lying near Waquausett, called Misacepmonkat, provided that they have or shall purchase the Indian right and not to extend higher into the woods than the cartway that leads from said Elisha Bourne’s house running near to Nathaniel Wing’s unto his fresh meadows and so on a straight line from that way unto a boiling spring near Waquausett.” (Owl 1979, p. 4371)


(The town of Sandwich is situated at the eastern entrance of the Cape Cod Canal, with about 8 miles of beautiful coastline on Cape Cod Bay. Like Bourne, Sandwich is cut into two pieces by the canal, with a small piece of land on the canal's north side.  Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod, and one of the most charming and quaint. Once famous for its glass-making, it is now a mostly residential town with beautiful white sandy beaches and plenty of open space. Sandwich has two harbors on Cape Cod Bay, and is the site of both Shawme-Crowell State Forest with its miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, and Scusset Beach State Reservation - a popular spot for swimming, fishing, and boat-watching.)
 

Among some copies of ancient papers coming to us from one of the old families of Sandwich is the following contract to build a house in Sandwich made by {sic} Ebenezer Wing and Edward Dillingham with Bartholomew Parson and James Jarvis in 1716... The contract is most interesting from several standpoints.  It reads: "Artickles of a Greement made this Eleventh day of June in year 1716 Between Bartholomew Parson and James Jarvis late of newbury in the County of York now of Sandwich in the County of Barnstable in New England Carpenters on the one part and Ebenezer Wing and Edward dillingham Both of Sandwich afforsd on the other part, that is to say that the Bartholomew Parson and James Jarvis viz doth hereby bind and oblige themselves to build a house for the said Ebenezer Wing and Edward Dillingham that is to say to begin and finish said house demenchons as follwoeth, thirty four feet long sixteen feet wide -- six feet and eight inches (a few words not intelligible) Said house to be boarded in the wall, Claboarded with out boards planed, six windows suitable for such a house one paer of stares three doors said Carpenters to find and provide dyat for themselves and to sett up said house near the now dwelling house of John Barlow of Sandwich and to be done finished and completed by the middle of September next.  the said Ebenezer Wing and Edward Dillingham to find and provide all boards nails and stringers for said house and to cart all the Timbor to the place where it is to stand, and in consideration of which labour and siniew the said Ebenezer Wing and Edward Dillingham Doth hereby a like bind and oblige themselves their hears Executors and administrators to yeald and pay unto them the said Bartholomew Parson and James Jarvis fourteen pound in publick bills of credit of this Province as soon as said house shall be finished.  the parties concerned hafve hereunto sett their hands this day above written  Signed and delivered in presence of us witness Samuel Wing Edward Dillingham, jr. BARTHOLOMEW X PARSON  JAMES JARVIS  EBENEZER WING  EDW DILLINGHAM (Owl JUN 1907, p. 597)

Story is told how 2 houses were connected and how Simeon prob. was the owner. It is possible that Simeon took the home of his father, Ebenezer, and connected it to his grandfather’s home.
   There exists a list, copied from the oldest precinct records, of the houses between Falmouth and Sandwich in 1790. On this list, No. 20 was given “Simeon Wing’s house, perhaps the Lemuel Wing.” There seems to be no room for doubt that the house so numbered and referred to is that known as the “Natty Wing place.” (Owl MAR 1909, p. 784)

Simeon sold this property to:

Lemuel Wing [son of Simeon’s brother, Nathaniel] (1787-1824)
April 2, 1792, Simeon Wing, yeoman, "of a place called New Sandwich, County of Lincoln, Commonwealth of Massachusetts," conveyed to Lemuel Wing, yeoman, for £2, 8s., a piece of land bounded on the northerly end by "Maganset Road and the land of Moses Barlow; on the northwesterly side by the land of John Handy; on the southwesterly side by the land of Lemuel Wing; on the southeasterly side by the land of Obed Wing (deceased) and the land of the Parlows till it comes to Maganset Road, being about ten acres." (Owl MAR 1909, p. 788)

Alvin Wing (1824 – 1862)
[William H. Wing] was born and brought up at the old family homestead near Wing's Neck in Pocasset. This beautiful neck of land heavily wooded was at one time wholly owned by Mr. Wing's grandfather, Alvin Wing. It extends for miles out into the middle of the waters of Buzzard Bay. The peninsula was gradually bought up of the heirs of Nathaniel Wing, the last tract having been sold by William H. Wing and his brothers to a syndicate which now owns the entire Neck, it being their purpose to make it a summer resort.  The Beverly Yacht Club now have their boat house on the Neck.

Nathaniel Wing (1862 – 1893)

Alvin Wing (1893 – 1907)
The farm upon which Mr. Wing lived has been in the possession of the family for a great many years and it is located not far from the home of his grandfather, who at one time owned the Neck.  He is suceeded in the possession of this old homestead by his son Nathaniel.  There has probably been no time in 225 years when there has not been a Nathaniel Wing living in Pocasset.

Nathaniel Norton Wing (1907 – 19__)
The National {sic, Nathaniel} Wing Homestead on the state road, Pocasset was destroyed by fire in November [1926].
   It was built over two hundred years ago, by Nathaniel Wing, when he settled in this vicinity. Made of hewn timber and hand wrought nails, it has withstood the ravages of time. What is almost as remarkable, the original plan had never been changed.
   The Wing home was a land mark on Cape Cod. The house was always a great attraction for tourists, and will be missed. (Owl DEC 1926, p. 2608)

[alternately from Simeon to]  Nathaniel Wing [son to Simeon’s brother, Nathaniel] (1787 – 1842)
Nathaniel Wing (1842 – 1864)
Nathaniel Wing (1864 – 1882)
J. J. E. Rothery (c1903 – 1905)

Harry B. Russell (1905 -1917)
  A New Bedford paper of a few weeks ago contained the following: “The ‘Old Wing Estate,’ Pocasset, Buzzards Bay, consisting of the old homestead and tract of several acres, has been sold. The building was erected in 1695 by the original members of the Wing family, who went to Pocasset from Plymouth and founded a settlement, with which the name of Wing has been always very prominent. The property remained in the family up to two years ago, when it was bought and partially restored by the present owner, J. J. E. Rothery of Boston, who sold the estate to the purchaser, a direct descendant of the Mayflower Wing. He will enlarge the structure, keeping it entirely in the old style, and will lay out the grounds in harmony with the tout ensemble. This has been a landmark on Cape Cod for years.” (Owl DEC 1905, p. 434)

The house was purchased in 1905 by architect Harry B. Russell of Brockton who restored and refurbished the house, adding the dormers, rebuilding the original stone chimney top in brick, and attaching the porches and wings to the side and rear of the house as well as giving it its first coat of paint.
 The house was renamed “Willowdale” by the architect, and was published in two contemporary books on remodeling: Distinctive Homes of Moderate Cost by Henry H. Saylor, (New York, McBride, Nast & Co., 1913), and Remodelled Farmhouses by Mary H. Northend, (Boston, Little Brown & Co., 1915). In Distinctive Homes, in an article entitled “Willowdale – An Old-Fashioned House,” Mary Northend said the architect’s goal “was to keep the house old-fashioned and not to destroy any of the old-time feeling by the addition of wings, which were necessary to make it habitable and convenient,” (p. 133). Harry B. Russell succeeded well in this endeavor, leaving the original house relatively untouched by relegating modern plumbing, bathroom and kitchen appliances, etc., to the new additions. Russell retained all of the later 18th century parlor and bedroom paneling and, in general, preserved the early features of the house v ery well, also doing necessary structural work such as replacing sills. The main house had only minor alterations to its early fabric as previously mentioned, primarily consisting of paper and paint, and new exterior doors added to the two wings and the porch. Before the remodeling, according to Mary Northend in Remodelled Farmhouses, “like other houses of this period, it was guiltless of paint,” however, during these repairs, “the exterior was then painted dark red with a white trim, following the style of the first painted houses,” (p. 161). Mary Northend is correct in stating that “when the house was first built, there were two rooms at the front and at the rear a kitchen, kitchen-bedroom, and a dairy.” The single board partition between one of these rooms and the old central kitchen has disappeared, but evidence indicating its original location has survived. (Owl 1979, pp. 4370-1)

Charles Donagh Maginnis (1917 - )
  My father, Charles Donagh Maginnis, was a well-known ecclesiastical architect, President of the American Institute of Archetects, and received the Gold Medal of the Institute in 1948. He rented the house from Harry B. Russell of Brockton for several years. I feel sure that it was because my father and Mr. Russell shared architectural tastes and interests that he offered it to my father for sale in 1917. (Owl 1979, p. 4370)

Alice Maginnis Walsh (owned it in 1979)

 

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Some Holes in My Story

Even ancestors close to me are hard to locate at different periods of their lives.  I have yet to find my mother (Rachel Helen Crawford) in the US Census of 1930.  She would have been 17 years old and should have been at home in Valley County, Idaho, with her parents, Elisha Jordan "Jurd" and Christina Tuttle Crawford, but she is not.  They are the only ones at home

1930 Census, Cascade ID - Crawford, Jerdon/Christina 4th & 5th from bottom - no Rachel
I have looked at all her older brothers and sisters (my mother is the youngest of 13 children and you can see that at 17 her parents were 63 and 59 years old) and she is not staying with any of them - all of them being married and most with children and possibly needing help with them.  One brother, Walter (born in 1904) had just lost his wife in 1927 and he had 3 small children to raise on his own - you'd think he'd have a 17 year old sister move in and help with this.  But she was not living with him.  Searches through Ancestry.com have not come up with any Rachel Crawford, 17 years, in Valley County, Idaho.  And my mother did not marry my father until 1933.

The old homestead in Valley Co circa 1915. Jurd and Christina on left, possibly Mom in stroller.


My mother has been gone since 1993, so I cannot ask her.  Even if I had been searching census records before then, the 1930 Census was not available back then, so I had no clue I would need to ask her where she could have been living in 1930.  Anyone else that would have known that information is deceased also.  So the search goes on.

Next is my father's dad, Thomas Elbridge Logue - I can't find him in the 1880 Census in Pennsylvania.  Thomas was born in 1870 and would have been 10 years old for the 1880 US Census.  Would you not expect him to be with his parents?  Not there....  Even his two younger brothers,  John (b. 1771) and Frederick (b. 1776), were not listed at home.  Only listed is father, George Alexander and mother, Sarah (listed with disease of the heart - she died early in 1882), and George's father, Adam.  Again, I've searched all known relatives in the area and no sign of the boys - no luck with searches on Ancestry.com here either.

1880 US Census, Potter Co PA - George (Alexander), Sarah, and Adam one up from bottom.

I've checked Sarah Sweet Logue's parent's - only her father was living and was with her sister, Prudence Sweet Bartlett and her family, husband Carlos and son Charles, aged 6 - no Thomas, John or Fred.  Brother Frederick Sweet and his wife Mary, in Williamsport (Lycoming Co) PA have only their children, Harry and Alice living with them.  I can't find her sister Mary, who would have been about 41 years old in 1880 -  I've no clue who she married.  It's possible the boys were living with her, but until I can determine who she married and where she was living in 1880, I'm stuck.

Tom Logue in middle with my father on left and Uncle Fred on right - about 1943.
So as I do research on ancestors in the 1600's, I'm still stuck on finding data/sources from as close as 1880 or 1930.  Problems like this keep me up late at night doing research.  And you dedicated researchers out there can understand this.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

My Mayflower Lines - 2 of them anyway

So, I've named this blog, MY MAYFLOWER LINE, but I've never posted a synopsis of my lines.  Here are two of them.


My Mayflower Lines. 




 

James Chilton - Susanna Furner
Mary Chilton - John Winslow
Susanna Winslow - Robert Latham
Hannah Latham - Joseph Washburn
Ephraim Washburn - Mary Polen/Pollard
Japhet Washburn - Priscilla Coombs
Chloe Washburn - Nathaniel Dexter
Lotan Dexter - Ruby Fish
Walter Marshall Dexter - Alida Jane Bennett
Mary Winnie Dexter - Thomas Elbridge Logue
Cecil Elbridge Logue - Rachel Helen Crawford




Francis Cooke - Hester Mahieu
Jane Cooke - Experience Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell - John Washburn
Joseph Washburn - Hannah Latham
Ephraim Washburn - Mary Polen/Pollard
Japhet Washburn - Priscilla Coombs
Chloe Washburn - Nathaniel Dexter
Lotan Dexter - Ruby Fish
Walter Marshall Dexter - Alida Jane Bennett
Mary Winnie Dexter - Thomas Elbridge Logue
Cecil Elbridge Logue - Rachel Helen Crawford


My mother and father about 1935


So you see that both of these go through my father's mother's family - the Dexters.  I have yet to prove a line to the Mayflower through my mother's line.  However, there could be connections to Jamestown and the settlements that followed in Virgina and further south, as early as or earlier than the Pilgrims in the Mayflower.  

You will find that most people who can trace a line back to the Mayflower will discover more than one line.  This is not surprising when you figure that the early settlements were quite small and there was a lot of their offspring who married into the same families (brothers married sisters, etc).  



Wednesday, February 9, 2011

John "Piney Woods" Yeager - the Confusion

The search for the right John Yager/Yeager in Virginia was quite a chore.  One excellent researcher, Betty Johnson List Administrator for the Yeager-South list  (Jjandbj11@comcast.net ) spent many long hours pouring over records to sort out the mystery.  Following is some of her research results (includes emails in response to questions from information seekers).
Madison County in red
 
The 1810 Madison Co Virginia census lists 5 John Yagers. One is shown as "Yager, John, PW."  The 1820 census lists him as "John Yager" and his household consists only of himself (over 45) and a female slave over 45 (the "Milley" in his will?).  The 1790 and 1800 Federal censuses for Virginia were destroyed, but the annual Land Tax and Personal Property Tax lists provide an excellent substitute.  Personal Property Taxes and Land Taxes were instituted in Virginia in 1782.  While one had to own land to be shown on the Land Tax records, all adult white males were tithed and thus appeared on the Personal Property Tax lists.  Property taxes were also levied on slaves, horses, cattle, stud horses, and carriages in the 1780s and 1790s.

Tax assessors had as much of a problem then in distinguishing among the various John Yagers as family historians do now.  Therefore, tax records became quite specific as to which Yager was which as the number with the same first names increased.  For example, Adam's son John b. 1732 is usually shown as "John Yager Senr," while Pineywoods John is usually shown as "John Yager PW" or "John Yager Senr. PW."  John H. Yager is shown on tax lists as "John Yager Junr. PW."  

Starting from the beginning:
Nicholas Yager, his wife and the 2 children who survived the Atlantic crossing reached the Germanna Colony in Virginia in 1717.  Nicholas moved his family to the Robinson River Valley, present-day Madison County, in 1726.  The part of Culpeper where they lived became Madison County in late 1793.  His only son Adam had 6 children, Michael, Barbara, John, Nicholas, Adam, Jr., Godfrey. 

Hebron Church records show that Adam's eldest son Michael had 10 children: 
John, born 25 November 1750;
Samuel, born 28 December 1752;
Barbara, born 17 August 1755, died soon thereafter;
Susannah, born 3 January 1759;
Eva, born 11 March 1760;
Elizabeth, born 15 July 1762;
Jemimah, born 13 December 1765;
Michael, Jr., born 13 January 1768;
Hannah, born 1 December 1770; and
Rachel, born 10 March 1773.

Michael's will, signed 16 July 1793, proved 27 Feb 1794, lists 8 children:  John, Samuel, Eve, Elizabeth, Jemima, Hannah, Michael, and Rachel. 

The marriages of 4 of Michael's daughters are recorded in Culpeper and Madison Counties, VA:
Hannah to John Yager, 19 Dec 1786, Minister: William Mason, Baptist; (a relative??)
Elizabeth to Elisha Yager, 18 Dec 1786, Minister: William Carpenter, Lutheran;
Jemima to James Walker, 4 Apr 1793, Minister: William Carpenter, Lutheran;
Eve to Robert Brown, 25 Nov 1802, Madison Co., VA, Minister: Isham Tatum [possibly Methodist].

Michael's estate sale was held on 25 Nov 1806.  One of the purchasers is listed as "John Yager, S. Carolina," who is also shown this way among the recipients of the sale proceeds.  Money taken in at the sale was divided equally among Michael's 8 children, with the shares of his married daughters going to their husbands.  Those receiving a 1/8 share were: Elisha Yager, Robert Brown, Samuel Yager, John Yager S.C., John H. Yager, Rachel Yager, James Walker, Michael Yager.

(Note that John H. Yager, son of Pineywoods John, is the brother-in-law of SC John Yager.) 
This estate sale account clearly shows that Michael's son John was living in South Carolina by 1806.  The 1790 Federal Census for SC shows only one Yager: John of Laurens County, where he appears with 7 males under age 16, 1 male over 45, and 2 females.  John's son  Abner, b. 1789, states on the 1850 census that he was born in VA, while John's son Ira, b. 1790, states on the 1850 census that he was born in SC.

The man with whom Michael's son is often confused is "John Yager of the piney woods," to whom I refer as Pineywoods John.  Pineywoods John never lived in South Carolina.  He moved from Frederick Co., VA, to Culpeper County in 1772 and stayed there till he died in January 1823.  We know this from deeds, tax records, and censuses.  A deed dated 11 March 1772 indicates that John Yeager of Frederick County, VA, bought 221 acres in Culpeper County, VA.  The land description is virtually identical to a deed dated 19 Feb 1811 in which John Yager and wife Mary sold 221 acres to Edward C. Fitzpatrick.  "John Yager Senr. piney woods" paid taxes on 224 acres from 1772 through 1810, and then on 3 acres from 1811 through 1823.  The will of "John Yager Senr. of the piney woods" is dated 16 Feb 1816 and proved 23 Jan 1823.  One of the witnesses is Edward C. Fitzpatrick, the man who bought 221 acres from him in 1811.

Michael's son John first appears on the Culpeper Co., VA Personal Property Tax list in 1783 where is listed as "John Yager Junr."  From 1787 through 1790 he is identified clearly as "John Yager (son to Mich.)" with Michael abbreviated in various ways. Michael's John never owned more than 2 horses and 6 cows in Virginia.  He disappears from these lists after 1790. 

In these same years on the same Personal Property Tax lists, sometimes on the same page, Pineywoods John appears as: "John Yager (Piney Woods)," "John Yager pineywoods," and "John Yager pine wood & son."  Pineywoods John's last appearance on the property tax lists is 1822, when he is still clearly identified as "John Yager PW." 

Michael's son John has no deeds, patents or grants of record in Virginia. One could buy land but elect not to pay to have the deed recorded.  Land Tax Records for Culpeper County show a John Yager paying tax on 22 acres acquired "of Michael Smith" beginning in 1786 and ending in 1790.  This may not be Michael Yager's son John, but I strongly suspect it is.  He had a lot of children but not much in the way of land or livestock in Virginia.  

Pineywoods John is the one who stayed in VA and left the records that Professor A. L. Keith of the University of South Dakota found, and that's why Keith assumed he was Michael's son and published the names of the 6 children in Pineywoods John's will as the only 6 children of Michael's son John in the William & Mary Quarterly in 1929. When the Germanna Memorial Foundation published its official records about the Germanna colonists and their progeny, A. L. Keith's Nicholas Yager descendancy chart was the basis for the one published in Germanna Record No. 10 in 1967.  Family historians Parker and Miriam Steele thought Keith was right but assumed that Pineywoods John moved to SC and merged the children of the two men when they published their book in 1975. Gaynelle Yeager Neale followed the Steeles' lead when she published her Yeager family history in 1990, but added one more child to the list. Ann Cochran Gregath, in assembling Dafphine McPherson's notes for publication posthumously in 1991,  shows John H., son of Pineywoods John, to be the one who moved to SC. [Not hard to see why there is often much confusion with who belongs to which family, is it?]

Guilda, we know where your John Yager-of-the-Piney-Woods lived because of the VA Land Tax Records.  In 1814 they started showing how many miles and in which direction from the county court house each property was located   PW John Sr. lived from 7 to 10 miles SE of the Madison Courthouse, just north of the Rapidan River.  (I have read somewhere that this area was called "the flats.")  As to its distance from Culpeper -- I would estimate it to be about 18 miles SW of the town of Culpeper.

Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States

When you combine the tax information with the land descriptions in the 1772 purchase deed and the 1811 sale deed, you can come up with a very good idea of where he lived.  Do you have Scheel's map of Madison County?  If you do, find on the grid H-4 and H-5.  The land is in that area.  Some of the old names there are Jarrell's Spring Branch, Beaver Dam Run, Brooking's Ford.  It's near the road to Barboursville, which is in Orange County.

Note that PWJ's son John H. Yager (b. abt 1760, d. 1818) lived very near him and is shown in the tax records as "John Yager Junr PW."

Explanation:
Virginia levied its very first land taxes after the Revolutionary War in 1782.  Your John had bought 221 acres in Culpeper county in 1772.  I've never found a deed where he acquired 3 more acres, but he was taxed on 224 acres starting in 1782, when the taxes began.  He continued to be taxed on that number of acres until 1811, when he sold 221 acres to Edward C. Fitzpatrick.  (Beginning in 1793, of course, the land was in Madison County, which was created from part of Culpeper County.)  From 1811 until his death in 1823, he was taxed on 3 acres (224 minus 221).

In 1814, your John's 3 acres are listed as 10 miles South of the Madison County courthouse.  That puts it on the Rapidan River, on the border between Madison and Orange counties.  As the years went by, the tax clerks modified this estimated distance and direction slightly.  They probably made a guess the first time around and each year afterward tried to get more exact.  So in 1816, it is shown as being 7 miles South of the courthouse. From 1818 through 1823, it is listed as being 7 miles SOUTHEAST of the courthouse.

The man John sold his original 221 acres to in 1811 was Edward C. Fitzpatrick (who also witnessed John's will in 1816). Fitzpatrick is taxed on 221 acres beginning in 1811.  In 1814 the tax list shows that Edward C. Fitzatrick's 221 acres are located 9 miles S.E. of the Madison County courthouse.

I'm attaching a text document (PWJ's land.rtf) showing how Pineywoods John's land is listed on the VA Land Tax Records and one with the land description on it (PWJ deeds.rtf). [Not attached]

I heard from Jan a few days ago.  She is having trouble getting the information she feels she needs to be definite about all her statements.  However, she has a lot of material showing that PWJ's father was a man named Adam Yager, who owned land at Mount Poney in Culpeper County [modern day site of a radiation harded facility used by the Library of Congress as a central repository for the library's 150,000 film titles] and at Woodstock in Frederick County, but she has not been able to determine where they came from before Frederick County.  They lived in what used to be called Muellerstadt or Millerstown, which is part of Woodstock and was named for Jacob Miller (who sold the 221 acres in Culpeper Co. to John in 1772).  My best guess is that PWJ's people will turn out to Germanna Yager relatives who came in through Philadelphia and gradually made their way down the Great Valley Road toward their relatives in Culpeper County.  They could have arrived in PA before or after the Germanna colonists did.

Library of Congress facility at Mount Poney
 
As to why your John and his son John were called "of the piney woods," I think it is because of where they lived in Culpeper-Madison County.  BUT-----!  In old Frederick County there is a large area that was known as the "Old Pine Hills."  So that could also be the reason.
Betty

Notes for John Piney Wood Yeager:
11 Mar 1772:  JACOB MILLER and REBECCA his wife of Culpeper County sell 221 acres in Culpeper Co. to JOHN YEAGER OF THE COUNTY OF FREDERICK.. The land description reads:   . . . in the Parish of Brumfield In the County of Culpeper . . . part of a Tract of Land the said Jacob Miller purchased of James Barbour Gent
Containing By Estimation Two Hundred and Twenty one Acres . . . BEGINNING at a maple wild chery and pine on the North side of Beverdam Run at the mouth of the old Spring Branch Runing thence up the said Branch North Twenty two Degrees West Sixteen pole thence North Sixty five Degrees West two Hundred and four Poles to a maple and two red Oaks in the fork of a Branch a new  made corner in Barnett's line thence with his line North Sixty Degrees East two Hundred and Ninety poles to a Dead Pine and Small white Oak Corner to the said Barnett in Grimes's line thence with his line South Thirty Degrees East one Hundred and forty two poles to a white Oak in the said Grimes's line Corner to John Scott Woods thence with his line to the beginning (Culpeper Co VA, DB F, pp. 407-408)
Note that in 1793 Madison County was formed from part of Culpeper.

19 February 1811: JOHN YAGER and MARY his wife sold to EDWARD C. FITZPATRICK (all of Madison County) the same 221 acres:  The land description is almost identical, with two exceptions:  "Sixteen pole" in 1771 is written as "10 poles" in 1811; and "to John Scott Woods" in 1772 is changed to "to James Wood deceased" in 1811.
Witnesses:  JOHN WALKER
WM. L. CHICK
MORDICAI HUTCHERSON
LEVI CLORE
(Madison Co Deed Book #5, pp. 62-63)


Madison Co Courthouse


16 February 1816:  "JOHN YAGER, Senr. (of the piney woods)" made his last will & testament.
Bequests:
to son JOHN H. YAGER, one dollar;
to children of daughter SUSANAH by EPHRAIM FLESHMAN, ten pounds each;
to son SAMUEL YAGER one dollar;
to son JACOB YAGER one dollar;
to son JOSEPH YAGER, one dollar;
to daughter MARY CLORE, one hundred dollars;
to "Grand daughter RHODY CHICK (WIFE TO WM. L. CHICK)," fifty dollars;
to slave MILLEY, the "priviledge of choosing her master";
to daughter SUSANAH,  the "overplus" after his assets are sold.
Executors: MICHEL BERRY, JOHN G. BROWN
Witnesses: JOHN WALKER,
ELIJAH  HOLBERT (by mark),
EDW. C. F PATRICK,
THOS. EAGAN (by mark)

Will proved: 23 Jan 1823 . . . by the oaths of EDWARD C. FITZPATRICK and THOS. EAGAN
  (Madison Co. VA Will Book 4, pp. 184-185)

The Will of Pineywoods John:
When PW-John signed his will on 13 Feb. 1816, there were no fewer than five John Yagers living in Madison County.   His son John H. Yager was among them.  However, Pineywoods John's wife Mary had died.  If she had not, surely he would have mentioned her in the will.  Most of his children had moved away by then.  Note that he appoints friends rather than children as executors of his will.

The Other Children of PW-John:
Jacob, Samuel, Joseph, and Mary moved their families to Kentucky.  Susannah and her family moved to Kentucky and then to Indiana.

The 1820 Madison County Census:
There were four John Yagers on this census, none of whom was designated as "PW," but one John Yager's household consists only of 1 male over 45 and 1 female slave over 45, who is probably Milley, mentioned PW-John's will.

The will was proved in court in Madison County, VA, on 23 January 1823, indicating that John Yager of the piney woods had died.

Betty Johnson List Administrator  Yeager-South list Jjandbj11@comcast.net  rptd on Fri, 14 Mar 2003:
Nicholas Yager, his wife and the 2 children who survived the Atlantic crossing reached the Germanna Colony in Virginia in 1717.  Nicholas moved his family to the Robinson River Valley, present-day Madison County, in 1726.  The part of Culpeper where they lived became Madison County in late 1793.  His only son Adam had 6 children, Michael, Barbara, John, Nicholas, Adam, Jr., Godfrey. 

Hebron Church records show that Adam's eldest son Michael had 10 children: 
John, born 25 November 1750;
Samuel, born 28 December 1752;
Barbara, born 17 August 1755, died soon thereafter;
Susannah, born 3 January 1759;
Eva, born 11 March 1760;
Elizabeth, born 15 July 1762;
Jemimah, born 13 December 1765;
Michael, Jr., born 13 January 1768;
Hannah, born 1 December 1770; and
Rachel, born 10 March 1773.

Michael's will, signed 16 July 1793, proved 27 Feb 1794, lists 8 children:  John, Samuel, Eve, Elizabeth, Jemima, Hannah, Michael, and Rachel. 

The marriages of 4 of Michael's daughters are recorded in Culpeper and Madison Counties, VA:
Hannah to John Yager, 19 Dec 1786, Minister: William Mason, Baptist;
Elizabeth to Elisha Yager, 18 Dec 1786, Minister: William Carpenter, Lutheran;
Jemima to James Walker, 4 Apr 1793, Minister: William Carpenter, Lutheran;
Eve to Robert Brown, 25 Nov 1802, Madison Co., VA, Minister: Isham Tatum [possibly Methodist].

Michael's estate sale was held on 25 Nov 1806.  One of the purchasers is listed as "John Yager, S. Carolina," who is also shown this way among the recipients of the sale proceeds.  Money taken in at the sale was divided equally among Michael's 8 children, with the shares of his married daughters going to their husbands.  Those receiving a 1/8 share were: Elisha Yager, Robert Brown, Samuel Yager, John Yager S.C., John H. Yager, Rachel Yager, James Walker, Michael Yager.

(Note that John H. Yager, son of Pineywoods John, is the brother-in-law of SC John Yager.) 
This estate sale account clearly shows that Michael's son John was living in South Carolina by 1806.  The 1790 Federal Census for SC shows only one Yager: John of Laurens County, where he appears with 7 males under age 16, 1 male over 45, and 2 females.  John's son  Abner, b. 1789, states on the 1850 census that he was born in VA, while John's son Ira, b. 1790, states on the 1850 census that he was born in SC.

The man with whom Michael's son is often confused is "John Yager of the piney woods," to whom I refer as Pineywoods John.  Pineywoods John never lived in South Carolina.  He moved from Frederick Co., VA, to Culpeper County in 1772 and stayed there till he died in January 1823.  We know this from deeds, tax records, and censuses.  A deed dated 11 March 1772 indicates that John Yeager of Frederick County, VA, bought 221 acres in Culpepper County, VA.  The land description is virtually identical to a deed dated 19 Feb 1811 in which John Yager and wife Mary sold 221 acres to Edward C. Fitzpatrick.  "John Yager Senr. piney woods" paid taxes on 224 acres from 1772 through 1810, and then on 3 acres from 1811 through 1823.  The will of "John Yager Senr. of the piney woods" is dated 16 Feb 1816 and proved 23 Jan 1823.  One of the witnesses is Edward C. Fitzpatrick, the man who bought 221 acres from him in 1811.

 My ancestor, the one that is the reason for my discourse, is Joseph Yeager, wife of Sarah Cheek and my third great grandfather.


Posted by: Allison Reker  Date: April 09, 2003 at 10:03:28
It is my understanding that there is a marriage certificate in existence for Joseph Yeager(Yager), and Sarah (Sally) A. Cheek or Chick. They were supposedly married in Culpepper Virginia on October 16, 1806 but I have not been able to verify this yet with documentation.

I tried to get it through the Culpepper, VA courthouse and they flatly told me that they no longer make copies for researchers because they are understaffed, no exceptions. I live too far away to go to the courthouse and make a copy myself. Does anyone out there have this record? I'd love to know what it says, especially if it has additional information (parent's names, places of birth, etc.) I'm having a hard time finding her and making the leap from Sarah to her father (patriot James Chick, Sr.?).

Joseph is the son of John of Pineywoods Yeager, not to be confused with John of the same place and era who is descended from Michael of the Germanna colonies.


J Wheaton  Date: April 03, 2003 at 08:34:10
Allison,
I also have Yeager/Yager ancestors and descend from John Yager "of the Piney Woods" through his son, Jacob (brother of Joseph). The information from the previous response to your inquiry is correct. It was a widely held belief that John Yager-PW was the son of Michael (Adam, Nicholas-Germanna Colony) due to two articles published in the William and Mary Quarterly by A.L. Keith (Vol. 9- Series 2, 1929). Due to exhaustive research by a woman named Betty Johnson, it is almost a certainty that Keith was incorrect and that the John Yager that was the son of Michael is one that has come to be known as John Yager "of Laurens Co., SC". Betty's research can be found on the Rootsweb Yeager-South mailing list (http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/YEAGER-SOUTH-US/). The most pertinent information will be found in the 2002-2003 articles. Specifically, Note # 41: Recap, dated Mar 14,2003 gives a good condensed explanation. I believe she may be scheduled to speak on the subject at the 2003 Germanna Colony Reunion.

By the way, the Keith article gives the following information for Joseph, son of John Yager:

"Joseph Yager, probably identical with the Joseph Yager who married Sarah Chick (Cheek?) in Culpeper Co. Oct. 16, 1806 (license)."

Hope this helps you discover what you are looking for.
Jane



Betty Johnson
List Administrator
jjandbj11@comcast.net

Pineywoods John's wife's name was Mary. The only place her name has been found so far is in a deed from John Yeager and his wife Mary ("John Yeager wife Mary") to Edward C. Fitzpatrick dated 18 Feb 1811 (Madison Co., VA, Deed Book #5, pp. 62-63).

He first acquired land in Culpeper County in 1772 and in that deed is described as "of Frederick County," which is in the Shenandoah Valley, to the west. The land he bought in 1772 became part of Madison County, when it was created from part of Culpeper County in late 1793.

Will dated 13 Feb 1813, Madison Co VA, probated 23 Jan 1823, Madison Co VA
I, John Yager, Senr. (of the piney woods) doth make this my last will & testament, Revoking and disanuling or wills or testaments by me heretofore made declaring this, and only this to be my last will and testament in manner and form following (that is to say)
I give unto my son John H. Yager all the property and money that he hath received of me upon marriage or otherwise, and the further sum of one dollar as and for his full and absolute share of my estate.
I give unto the children of my daughter Susanah say [?] the children that she had by her first husband, Ephraim Fleshman the sum of ten pounds each to be paid out of the moneys arising from my estate.
I give unto my son Samuel Yager all the property and money that he received upon marriage or otherwise, and the further sum of one dollar as and for his full and absolute share of my Estate.
I give unto my son Jacob Yager all the property and money that he recd. of me upon marriage or otherwise and the further sum of one dollar to be paid out of my Estate as and for his full and absolute share of my Estate.
I give unto my son Joseph Yager all the property and money that he hath received of me upon marriage or otherwise, and the further sum of one dollar to be paid out of my estate as and for his full and absolute share of my Estate.
I give unto my daughter Mary Clore all the property and money that she received of me upon marriage or otherwise, and the further sum of one hundred dollars to be paid out of my Estate, as and for her absolute share of my Estate.
I give unto my Grand daughter Rhody Chick (wife to Wm. L. Chick) the sum of fifty dollars to be paid out of my estate.
It is my will and desire that my old negro woman Milley shall [have] the priviledge of choosing her master, and that whoever she may choose, shall have her at valuation.
It is my will and desire that the balance of my Estate should be sold, and the money arising (after the payment of my debts) together with the debts that may be due me shalt be applied to the payment of the aforesaid legacies. But in case there should not be a sufficiency to satisfy the whole, in that case, each legatee shall be entitled in proportion agreeable to the aforesaid legacies but in case there should be more than a sufficiency to satisfy the said legacies In that case, my will is that my daughter Susanah should
have the overplus.
Lastly I constitute and appoint my friends Michel Berry and John G. Brown Executors of this my last will and testament.
As witness my hand and seal this 13th day of February 1816.
John his X mark Yager (Seal)
Sign'd Seal'd and
acknowledged before us
John Walker
Elijah his X mark [Molbert?]
Edw. C. F Patrick
Thos. his X mark Eagan

At Court held for Madison County the 23rd day of January 1823
This Last will and testament of John Yager Senr. Deceased was produced into Court and proved by the oaths of Edward C. Fitzpatrick and Thos. Eagan two of the witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded. And on the Motion of Michael Berry and John G. Brown Exors therein named, Certificate of probate thereof in due form is granted them, whereupon they qualified and entered into bond with security according to law.
Test.
Belfield Cave C___?


Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 22:07:57 -0400
From:  Betty & JJ
To: YEAGER-SOUTH-US-L@rootsweb.com
Subject: Note #17-C:  "Pineywoods John Yager"
Why did he call himself John Yager "of the piney woods"?  If your name was John Yager and you lived in what is now Madison County, VA, between 1772 and 1823 (as did Pineywoods John), you would need to
distinguish yourself from the several other John Yagers living in the same relatively small area.  By 1810, there were no fewer than five John Yagers on the Madison County census, and these did not include one who had been there in 1772.

The John Yager who designated himself "of the piney woods"  had lived in the Shenandoah Valley (old Frederick County, VA) and moved eastward over the ridge in March 1772, where he found himself one among three adult John Yagers, the other two being Germanna Yager descendants.

We don't know when Pineywoods John was born, but it was some years before 1750 because he had a son old enough to serve three years in the Revolutionary War.  In Culpeper Co. (the part that became Madison Co. in 1793) he made his home in the flat lands of the pine woods along the Rapidan River.  The site is just above the southern boundary of present day Madison County, where it meets Orange County.

Town Seal

The other two adult John Yagers in 1772 Culpeper County:
1.  Among the Germanna Yager descendants already living in the Robinson River Valley in 1772 was John Yager, born in 1732, died in 1826, son of Adam.  He came to be known as "Blind John." His father Adam Yager was the surviving son of Nicholas who immigrated to the Germanna Colony in VA in 1717.  Nicholas and his son Adam are the Germanna Yagers.  Adam's five sons and one daughter and their progeny are the Germanna Yager descendants.

2.  Also living in Culpeper County in 1772 was another Germanna descendant John Yager, born in 1750, son of Michael (1728-1794), son of Adam.  This John married the daughter of English colonists and lived in the uplands near her family, north of modern Criglersville.  This is close to the northern boundary of present day Madison County.  When he was 40 years old, this John moved his family to Laurens Co., SC. He is the one I refer to as LaurensSC-John.

A third John:  The following year, 1773, Blind John had a son whom he named John W. Yager.

A fourth John:  Adam Yager Jr. (brother to Blind John and Michael) also named a son John, whose birth year is unknown but was probably between 1760-1780.

A fifth John:  Pineywoods John himself already had a son named John H. Yager when he moved to Culpeper county.  John H. was born probably after 1760 and definitely before 1765.

In the 1810 Madison County census there are FIVE John Yagers heading their own households. Keep in mind these do not include Laurens-SC-John, who had left in 1790, so the identity of at least one of them is a mystery.

Pineywoods John is even listed as "Yager John P. W." on the 1810 census, to distinguish him from the 4 other John Yagers.  Note that the "P. W." is not shown as middle initials.  Others, with middle initials, were listed last name, middle initial, first name, e.g., "Yager H. John" is John H. Yager.

The 1815 Land Tax record shows the location of PW-John's property as 9 miles south of Madison Court House.  The following data is from "1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer)," Vol. 4: Northern Region, abstracted by Roger G. Ward:

 "Location of land is described in number of miles and the direction from the county courthouse in 1815. . . .
Madison County, VA . . .
YAGER, John, Junior, P W = 9S
YAGER, John, Senior, P W = 10S . . .
FITZPATRICK, Edward C; Smiths Run; 9SE.

This places the property he lived on, after selling his original 221 acres, as 10 miles south of the Madison Court House, in the southern part of Madison County, practically on the Orange County line.  Here, as in the 1810 Census and his 1816 will, he is designated as John Yager PW.  Note that his son (John H.) is shown as John Yager, Junior, PW -- also of the piney woods.

Note also that the person who bought his 221 acres, Edward C. Fitzpatrick, lives 9 miles southeast of the Madison Court House.

sample of will

The Will of Pineywoods John:
When PW-John signed his will on 13 Feb. 1816, there were no fewer than five John Yagers living in Madison County.   His son John H. Yager was among them.  However, Pineywoods John's wife Mary had died.  If she had not, surely he would have mentioned her in the will.  Most of his children had moved away by then.  Note that he appoints friends rather than children as executors of his will.

John H. Yager, son of Pineywoods John:
In December 1786 John H., son of Pineywoods John, married Hannah Yager. Hannah was the youngest sister of Germanna descendant Michael (son of Adam) and the aunt of Laurens-SC John.  Their marriage was performed by William Mason, a prominent Baptist minister.  Some years prior to his father's death, before 13 Aug 1818, John H. Yager died.  An Administrator's Bond was issued to his son Thomas and his brother-in-law Michael Yeager Jr.  Guardian bonds were issued for his minor children John H., Jr., Lucinda, and Virginia.  Bounty land was later granted to his son Thomas, for John H. Yager's service during the Revolutionary War.  To be eligible for bounty land, one had to prove the veteran had served three years.  His widow Hannah applied again for benefits in 1837.  She was living in Madison County, VA,at the time.

The Other Children of PW-John:
Jacob, Samuel, Joseph, and Mary moved to KY.  Susannah and her family moved to Kentucky and then to Indiana.

So you see the process that genealogists go through to prove a lineage.  Most are not this complicated - not having so many of the same named person living in one county - but all take some researching and the more documents you can procure, the more secure you can be in your heritage.

Good luck with your researching!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Amos BENNETT, Scottish Immigrant to American Patriot

From Charlotte's Web worldconnect page
Reba McMillan added this to her Family Tree Maker file on 2 Mar 2009

# ID: I23266
# Name: Amos BENNETT
# Given Name: Amos
# Surname: Bennett
# Sex: M

# Change Date: 25 Dec 2006
# Birth: 26 MAR 1739 in Grange, Fifeshire, Scotland 1
# Death: Abt 1832 in Locke, Montgomery Co., NY (now Cayuga Co.) 1
# Burial: 1832 Moravia, , NY (Dry Creek Cemetery)
# Note:

    Before the close of the Revolutionary war, Amos moved from Albany County to Scotchbush, Montgomery County, New York, where he resided when an Indian raid was made by Sir John Johnson, son of Sir William Johnson on the Mohawk Valley settlers October 25, 1788, burned their houses, destroyed their crops and captured many of the people and took them to Canada as prisoners. After the war Amos moved into the town of Locke, Cayuga County, where he died about 1830. The Moravia cemetery where he was buried was in part washed away July 31, 1833 and all trace of his death was destroyed. His daughter Sarah Bennett Einne was buried in that Moravia Cemetery that was saved and marked by a tombstone.

# Residence: 1812 Locke, Montgomery Co., NY (now Cayuga Co.) 1
# Event: Military Revolutionary War
# Note:
Old Sennett Cemetery
( Town of Sennett NY)
BENNETT Amos 1739 - 1838 
Mary K. d. Dec. 20, 1851 ae 70y 7da relict of AMOS


    Amos served as a private in Capt John Abbott's company, Col Knickerbocker's Regt, 14th Albany Co Militia (DAR, Vol 54, p 386; Vol 92, p 47; and Vol 103,  p 148). He was burned out by the Tories and Indians. One of the most thrilling incidents of his military career was his capture of John Parker, the famous Tory spy. He removed to Herkimer County in 1797 and later to Cayuga County. An Amos Bennet is found in the Twn of Mohawk, Montgomery Co in the 1790 Census.

3
Father: Ebenezer BENNETT b: 3 OCT 1700 in Grange, Fifeshire, Scotland
Mother: Elizabeth SMEALLIE b: 14 JUN 1706 in Edinburg, Midlothian, Scotland
Marriage 1
Jane SHAW
    * Married:  6 SEP 1760 in Scotland

Children
   1. Jeremiah BENNETT b: 10 JUN 1761 in Scotland
   2. Nathan BENNETT b: 3 APR 1762
   3. Jedediah BENNETT b: 6 MAR 1763
   4. Joseph BENNETT b: 16 FEB 1764
   5. Ira BENNETT b: 1764
   6. Elizabeth BENNETT b: 1765
   7. Joshua BENNETT b: 1766
   8. Jonathan BENNETT b: 1767
   9. Daniel BENNETT b: 1769
  10. Amos BENNETT b: 26 MAR 1739
  11. John BENNETT b: 1771

Marriage 2
Mary KEYES b: 4 FEB 1762 in Shrewsbury, Worcester Co., MA
    * Married:  1783   in Locke, Montgomery Co., NY (now Cayuga Co.)
Mary's tombstone

Children
   1. Ebenezer BENNETT b: 1784
   2. Charles BENNETT
   3. Sarah BENNETT b: 1786
   4. Mary BENNETT b: 1788
   5. Olive BENNETT b: 1790
   6. George Loniel BENNETT b: 1792
   7. George Washington BENNETT b: 16 APR 1792 in Mohawk Flats, Cayuga Co., NY
   8. Jeremiah BENNETT b: 20 MAR 1794 in Cayuga Co., NY

Sources:
   1. Abbrev: Genealogical and family history of western New York
      Title: William Richard Cutter, compiler, Genealogical and family history of western New York : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the building of a nation (New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co, 1912) Reprinted by Broderbund as Family History: Early New Your Families, 1600s-1900s (CD #157)rd of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the building of a nationf western New York : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the building of a nation. New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co, 1912.
      Page: pp. 558+
   2. Abbrev: The BLAKELEY - MARRA Family Archive
      Title:      The BLAKELEY - MARRA Family Archive, wmrblakeley online
    
      Page: Database: (griesbach) :1487883
   3. Abbrev: MacCALLUM - BENNETT Families and Collateral Lines Database
      Title: MacCALLUM - BENNETT Families and Collateral Lines Database (Rootsweb)

DAR RECORD
BENNETT, AMOS                         Ancestor #: A009170
Service: NEW YORK    Rank: PRIVATE
Birth: 26 Mar 1739    FIFESHIRE SCOTLAND
Death: 1 Nov 1828    LOCKE CAYUGA CO NEW YORK
Service Source: ROBERTS, NY IN THE REV, P 125
Service Description: 1) CAPT JOHN ABBOTT; COL JOHN KNICKERBACKER, 14TH REGT ALBANY CO MIL


 Amos Bennett Story
Reba McMillan added this on 23 Oct 2008

It appears that Jane Shaw died, and that Amos remarried to a Mary Keyes, havin g more children. This information was given by Mrs. David Powers of Cortland New York, a daughter of Amos' child Sarah. This information was given by Lewis J . Bennett, great-grandson of Amos, in 1917 when he was 84 years old, and sent to Mrs. Estelle Dexter Wright to help her trace her lineage to an American Revolutionary for the purpose of becoming a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Amos Bennett of Locke, Cayuga County, New York was a soldier and served as a private in the 14th Albany County New York State Militia, Col. Knickerbockers Regiment in Captain Abbott's Company, as stated in the "History of New Yor k in the Revolution as Colony and State." Amos Bennett received his final pay f or Revolutionary war services at Hassick New York, January 17, 1786.

Below is an extract from J. R. Simons history, "The Frontiersman of New York", Vol 2, pages 586, 587, and 588, relating the arrest of John Parker, a celebrated Tory spy , in 1782 by Capt. Amos Bennett, 3rd Regiment Tryon Co. Militia. Before the close of the Revolutionary war, Amos moved from Albany County to Scotchbush, Montgomery County, New York, where he resided when an Indian raid was made by Sir John Johnson, son of Sir William Johnson on the Mohawk Valley settlers October 25, 1788, burned their houses, destroyed their crops and captured many of the people and took them to Canada as prisoners. After the war Amos moved into the town of Locke, Cayuga County, where he died about 1830. The Moravia cemetery where he was buried was in part washed away July 31, 1833 and all trace of his deat h was destroyed. His daughter Sarah Bennett Einne was buried in that Moravia Cemetery that was saved and marked by a tombstone.

Extract form J. R. Simms history, "The Frontiersman of New York", vol.2, pages 586-588, relating to the arrest of John Parker, a celebrated Tory spy, in 1682 by Capt. Amos Bennett, 3rd Regiment Tryon County Militia. "The Arrest and Execution of John Parker, the Johnstown Spy--One of the mos t interesting events which transpired in the vicinity of Johnstown in the Revolution, was the capture of John Parker. He was brought up in Philadelphia Bush, and went to Canada at an Early period of the war. In 1851, Frost Howland lived on the old Parker place. John Parker, had from the beginning of the war, been on e of the most daring and most active partizans, who had followed the Johnson fam ily to Canada. Often had he been on the frontiers of New York, sometime in the character of a spy, and at others in that of an open foe -- his energies all bent on the injury or destruction of his former n neighbors and friends. He had a constitution fitted to endure all manner of hardships, and an exposure to all kinds of weather: which enabled him to traverse the wilderness at seasons the most unpropritious, and steal into the settlements when a foe was unexpected - - to find a resting place at the dwelling of some Tory friend, where he might recruit and gain desired information: but he came one time too many."

Amos is buried in Dry Creek Cemetery, Moravia, NY
Military Records: New York in the Revolution & War of 1812
NY in the Revolution as Colony & State, Vol. II, The Civil Service: The Executive, Page 182
© Genealogy.com, July 23, 2001