Mrs. Mary Wright XIV: My thoughts so far

I am taking a pause to examine my thoughts on the Davis - Bowater issue thus far.

Anti-Bowater camp: If I have read the arguments correctly so far, the contention is that Baldwin may have ignored or combined one or more John Bowater. In his 2000 TAG article, the author clearly outline the families of John Bowater Sr. and Jr. So ignoring or combining Johns doesn't seem to be the case.

The argument against the Mary Wright condemning her marriage being the wife of James Wright is, I believe, a valid one. A Quaker condemning her marriage to another Quaker as being contrary to discipline just doesn't ring true.

The John Beals and Sarah Davis wills do not, in my opinion, prove Mary Davis to be the wife of James Wright.

Pro-Bowater: Baldwin's research appears to be well done and solid. The above mentioned marriage issue aside, his arguments in the 1997 Quaker marriage certificates TAG article are reasonable.

Right now, the pro-Davis arguments are the weakest. Bowater and "maiden name unknown" are the strongest.

A wide gap between the ages of children from a parent's 1st and 2nd marriage is not uncommon. Likewise, women having their children during their late 30s did happen, put was not a regular occurrence. The children from John Bowater Sr.'s 1st marriage were born during the 1630s; those from his 2nd, 50 years later. Mary Maunder, born about 1649, had her children in 1687 and 1689, at about ages 37 and 39. All a bit unusual. 

Mrs. James Wright XIII: Examinig another will.

In 1759, a Sarah Davis wrote her will and named her sister Mary Wright. Could this be Mrs. James Wright? Yes. Does it prove that this Mary Davis married James Wright? No.

Along with the Beals will, the Davis will could refer to the Mary in question.  However, neither document by itself or together offer proof.

I f more solid evidence were to surface, these wills could offer supporting evidence. Standing alone they are convenient, but unsubstantiated, documents trying to prove a theory.

Mrs. James Wright XII: interpreting a Will

The will of John Beals has been cited as 'proof' that James Wright's wife was Mary Davis.Beals' will was made 7 Dec 1726. He was of Chester  Co., PA. I n the will he made bequests to  James Wright and "his kinswoman" Mary Davis.

The interpretation here is that the Mary Davis, kinsman of John Beals, was the wife of James Wright.
This could be the case, but a few yellow flags are waving here.

1)  The Wrights may have just relocated to Frederick Co., MD  by that time. They still could have been named in the will in any case.

2) "my kinsman Mary.Davis" is a curious phrasing considering James and Mary had been married for nearly 20 years. Why not Mary Wright, formerly Davis? Or Mary Wright? Or Mary Davis now the wife of James Wright?

3) Mary Wright of Philadelphia - Mary Wright, in 1726, was a resident of Chester Co., PA (or Frederick Co., MD), not Philadelphia. Why give the wrong residence?

Was John Beals referring to Mary Davis Wright or another Mary Davis?  My feeling is that Mary Davis of Philadelphia was another person entirely. I could be misreading the document, but it's just to iffy to suit me.

Note: "The Beals Family" (bill Putnam) suggests that Mary Davis could possibly be a married sister of John Beals. This seems reasonable. Mary Davis could also have been a cousin or other relation.

Mrs. Mary Wright XI: Trying to sort out John Bowaters

OK, if I understand the Baldwin article, John Bowater Sr. [bp. 25 Apr 1620 Broomsgrove, Worcester, England - 16 Jan 1704/5 London, England] visited the Atlantic coast during 1677 and 1678. He returned home and was jailed from 1681 to about 1683.  He was married 3 times. By his 1st wife he had two sons, John Jr. and Thomas. By his 3rd wife, Mary Maunder, he had Mary [3 Feb 1688/9]. Baldwin felt that Mary was the wife of James Wright. John Sr. did not return to America.

John Jr. [bp. 8 Aug 1652 Broomsgrove, Worcester, England - bet. 20 Jul - 17 Sep 1705 Chester Co., PA], arrived in Pennsylvania with a certificate from the Dudley MM, Worcester between May and November of 1684. He had married Frances Corbett on 12 April 1683 at Chadwick, Worcester, England. His daughter Mary was born on 23 Aug 1685 and married Stephen Ailes in 1714.

Baldwin first broached the idea that Mary Bowater married James Wright in his July/October 1997 article in TAG entitled Quaker Marriage Certificates [p. 233-237]. He made the following contentions:
1) Mary, orphaned, came to America to reside near her half-brother Thomas in Philadelphia. Her certificate was read 28 June 1706.
2) 26 Jan 1708 Mary [Bowater]Wright condemns her marriage. [Already discussed and dismissed in earlier post.]
3) The signatures of Mary Bowater and Mary Wright were similar.
4) Mary Bowater's birth [3 Feb 1688/9] and Mary Wright's [2 Feb 1689] are only a day apart. If both dates are modified to account for double dating, then Mary Wright's would be 2 Feb 1689/90, placing them only a year apart.
5) James Wright Jr. named a son Bowater.
6) At Hannah Wright's marriage  on 18 Aug 1726, James & Mary Wright, Mary Jr., Thomas Bowater and four of his nieces were witnesses. [Including Mary Ailes.] Similarly, at the wedding of Mary Wright, many of the witnesses were Bowaters.

Conclusion: Mary Bowater [John Bowater/Mary Maunder] was the wife of James Wright.

From the other side of the aisle:
1) Mary Wright's birth day was 12 Feb 1689 [typo 12 for 2?] and only one day off from Mary Bowater's. Hopewell records hadn't been located. Mary Bowater's birth ranges from 1685 to 1689. (A transcription of the Hopewell Records have been located - see earlier post. 1685 birth was that of John Jr.'s Mary.)
2) John Bowater Sr. married Ann Carter and had John Jr. [c1650], Thomas [c1655], William [c1657], Mary [c1659], Elizabeth [c1661].
3) If the daughter of John Sr., Mary was born when he was 60 years old. Mary Maunder would have been 40.
4) John Sr. may still have been in prison as late as 1687.
5) John Jr. went to America in 1677-78. He may have been accompanied by his father.
6) The 1708 condemning marriage issue - already covered.
7)  Disputing that the Bowaters attending the weddings were related to the Wrights.
8) James Davis was Mary Wright's father.
9) James and Mary attended Bowater family weddings as possible officiates, not as family.

Conclusion: Mary Wright was not a Bowater.

My conclusion? Too early to call. I still need to study information.

Mrs. James Wright X: Marrying contray to discipline

One of the records cited by Baldwin in 'proving' his case was an entry in the Philadelphia MM records of 26 Jan 1708/9 stating that Mary Wright condemned her marriage as contrary to discipline [marrying out of faith to a non-Quaker].

On its face, this would seem odd. Why would Mary condemn her marriage to a Quaker as contrary to discipline? This point was agued in the Ailes Find a Grave article. As well as the fact that Mary already had a daughter by James and was probably "with child" at the time of the record.

On page 519 in Hopewell Friends History, there are several entries for Quaker women condemning their marriages as contrary to discipline.
Mary Cloud [formerly Smith]
Lydia Brown [formerly Fawcett]
Hannah Kress [formerly Wright]
Atlantic Ocean Miller [formerly Walton]
Ann Clendenning [formerly Wright]

Note that in each case the maiden name of the woman was given. If the Mary Wright referenced in the 1708/9 record was Mary Bowater, then the record should have read Mary Wright [formerly Bowater].

I believe this record can be dropped from consideration for the following reasons:
1) There's a good chance the record is not about Mrs. James Wright.
2) Mary and James Wright remained married until James' death and had 11 children.
3) No maiden name is given for this woman. It is possible that she was a Wright.

Mrs. James Wright IX

Hopewell Friends History, 1734-1934 Frederick County, Virginia has been oft cited for the births of James and Mary Wright. I was able to search the book courtesy of Google books and discovered that a digital copy is available on familysearch.org's catalog. That being said, p. 487 of the book offers the following:
Wright, James: b. 1671 [no marriage or death date given]
          w, Mary: b. 2 - 12 - 1689 [no marriage or death dates given]
              ( In Quaker records 12th moth is February, not December.)
The births of the 11 Wright children follow there entries.

At this point, the dates confirm the most frequent year of birth given for James and the most common date given for Mary. It also backs up Baldwin's statement that Mary Bowater's birthdate was one day off from that of Mrs. Wright. More study needs to be given to the book, although there are only two pages referencing Mary.

Mrs. James Wright VIII

Stephen Ailes [1685 PA/Eng - 1758 London Grove, Chester, PA] married Mary Bowater in 1714 in Chester Co., PA. The question is whether this Mary Bowater was the only Mary Bowater in Chester Co. at that time. There is little doubt that Mrs. Ailes was the daughter of John Bowater and Frances Corbett. Information found thus far on Stephen Ailes sheds little light on the Bowater-Davis question.

Mrs. James Wright VII: Examining a document

As I have waded through the efforts of pro- and anti-Bowater researchers, I seem to have overlooked a crucial document, the 1707 marriage of William Pusey and Elizabeth Bowater. This document was posted on the Mary Bowater Wright Find A Grave page.

The marriage took place on 5 June 1707 in Chester Co., PA. Beneath the signatures of the newlyweds are several witnesses to the event.

Included are several members of the Pusey family, Thomas Bowater, Frances Bowater [twice?], Mary Bowater, Mary Wright and James Wright.

Two major points of significance here:

[1] The date, 5 June 1707, would establish the fact that James and Mary Wright were married by that time.

[2] Both Mary Bowater and Mary Wright affixed their signatures to the document. If this is the Mary Bowater who married Stephen Ailes, she was 21 at the time. Does this prove Mary Wright is Mary Davis? No. Could Mary b. 1685 and Mary b. 1688/9 have attended the same wedding? Maybe, It does lend support to the idea tat Mrs. Wright was not a Bowater after all.

Mrs. James Wright VI

James Davis and Margaret Jordan are consistently listed as the parents of Mary Davis, supposedly the husband of James Wright.

The handful of family trees that I have found show both were born in Virginia, James c1643 and Margaret 1640-46. They were married about 1660. Children were born to the couple between 1662 and 1675 and Mary was born in 1689. [One tree does have a daughter Mary born in 1675.]

A gap of 14 years between children is a bit suspicious; ringing loudly for a convenient add-on.   

James Davis' death is given as 1688. Unless Mary was born within 7-8 months of his death, the match goes out the window.

Unless Mary's parents were another couple with the same names, then this couple can be eliminated as her parents.

If it is determined that Mary Davis was indeed Mrs. James Wright, more research needs to be devoted to viable Davises in the Chester Co. area.

Mrs. James Wright V

John Bowater Jr. according to Baldwin was the half-brother of Mary Bowater, who was allegedly married to James Wright. He was born 8 Aug 1652 in Broomsgrove and married Frances Corbett at Chadwick, Worcestershire 12 Apr 1683. The Bowaters arrived in Philadelphia the following year where the MM accepted the certificate for removal from the Dudley MM. John died between 2o July and 17 Sep 1705 [dates of will and probate]. Named in the will were daughters Mary [under 21], Elizabeth, Anne, Alice and Phebe [all under 20], wife Frances, overseers John Kennet and Joseph Baker. [Two children, Anne and William died young.]

Frances made her will on 29 Jan 1720/1 and it was proved 28 Feb 1720/1. She named her daughters Mary Ailes, Elizabeth Pusey, Ann Chandler, Eales [Alice] Mendenhall, Phebe Scarlett, grandson Samuel Pyle [Alice], executors William Pusey and Moses Mendenhall.

Clearly, the contention here is that John Sr. and Jr. were two separate people. Senior was the father of Mary Bowater Wright and Junior was the father of Mary Bowater Ailes.

Putnam's Bowater family does not mention the children of John Sr. and assigns Mary Bowater Ailes to Junior. Although it appears that his Junior was Baldwin Senior.

The anti-Bowater faction suggests that Baldwin ignores John Jr. That is not the case; he donates pages 117-118 of his article [April 2000] to John Jr. There was apparent reason to deal to focus on John Jr.'s relationship to Mary, since she was his primary focus. At the marriage of Thomas Bowater's daughter, Sarah, to John Beals in 1711, Frances Bowater and most or all of her daughters were in attendance, as were members of the Beals family. Mary was not an attendee, however.
James and Mary Wright were at the wedding. Baldwin's claim - proof that Mary was a Bowater. Opponents claim that it simply proves that James was performing his duty as minister. Where was Mary Bowater? If she was the Mary Bowater who married Stephen Ailes in 1714, then one would think she should have been at the wedding with her mother and sisters. Points for Baldwin?

Mrs. James Wright IV

John Bowater Sr., son of William & Dorothy Bowater, [bap. 25 Apr 1630 Broomsgrove, Worcestershire, England - 16 Jan 1704/5 London, England] joined the Society of Friends about 1660. On 8 Jan 1659/60, a John Bowater was imprisoned with others for refusing to take an oath before a court session at Worcester. He traveled to America in 1677 and 1678, visiting Friends in New England, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. Back in England, he was again imprisoned in the Worcestser Gaol in 1681 for refusing to pay tithes. Bowater was transferred to Fleet Prison in London five months later and remained there until at least 1683. John married Mary Maunder on 12 Nov 1685 at the Quaker meeting place on Wheeler St., London. Mary died 10 Feb 1704/5 from a fever at her home on Westbury St., Spittlesfield.

John Bowater's 1st wife was named Anne. They had two sons John [bap. 8 Aug 1652 Broomsgrove] & Thomas [b. 10 Feb 1654/5 Broomsgrove]. John's 2nd wife was also named Anne. They may have had a son named William, who died in 1697.

John and Mary Maunder [b. c1649] had two children: Jonathan [31 July 1687 - 30 Mar 1688] and Mary [b. 3 Feb 1688/9], who married James Wright.

Information from Stewart Baldwin, John & Thomas Bowater and Their Sister Mary [Bowater] Wright, TAG:JAN 2000, p. 37-46.

Of concern here is the age gap between John Sr. and daughter Mary. John would have been 57 at Mary's birth. Mary Maunder, if this was her 1st marriage, had her children at age 38 and 39, a bit unusual. 
__________

Bill Putnam's account of the Bowater family differs significantly from the TAG article. [billputnam.com/Bowater.pdf] John Sr. has different parentage and only two spouses. John's 2nd family is essentially the same family the TAG article credits to John Bowater Jr. [next post] There is no connection to the Wright family whatsoever.

This article contends that John Bowater Sr.'s father was also named John Bowater. The elder John did not go to America. John (identified as Jr. by Putnam)[b. c1629] married c1650 Ann Carter, daughter of Francis. Ann was born in Broomsgrove in 1632. John and Ann had at least one child named Thomas, b. 1655. Jphn joined the Quakers by the 1660s and traveled to America in 1677 and 1678. Ann died 25 Feb 1679 Warwickshire and was buried at the  North Friends Burying Ground. John remarried c1681 to Frances Corbet, daughter of William of Worcestershire. John was in prison from 1681 to 1683.

John took his family to America in 1684, where they presented certificates from the Dudley MM at Philadelphia on 4 November. The Bowaters joined the Chester MM on 7 May 1688. John became a minister and started the Bowater Friends Meeting. John was active in the church and community until his death 4 Nov 1704. [Will: 20 July 1704 - 17 Nov 1705]. Frances died in 1720 in Concord Twp., Chester Co.

John & Ann Carter:
Thomas [1655-172? Chester Co., PA] (His daughter Sarah married John Beals]

John & Frances Corbet:
Ann [1684-1685]
Mary/Merry [1685] m. Stephen Ailes
William [1686]
Elizabeth [1688]
John [1690]
Ann [1690]
Alice [1692]
Phebe [1694]

Mrs. James Wright III

Mary Bowater, according to the Baldwin TAG article was the wife of James Wright. She was the daughter of John Bowater Sr. and Mary Maunder. Baldwin cited the following reasons why he felt Mary Bowater, rather than Mary Davis was Mrs. Wright.

[1] John Bowater Sr. [England] & Jr. [Pennsylvania] died within a year of each other.
[2] The wives of the two Johns have been assigned to the wrong spouse by researchers.
[3] Thomas Bowater's children have been assigned to John.
[4] The birthdate of Mary Bowater [3 Feb 1688/9]  and Mary Wright [2 Feb 1689] were only a day apart.
[5] After her parents died, Mary moved to Philadelphia to be near her elder half-brother, Thomas. Her certificate of removal from Spittlesfield was read at the Philadelphia MM on 28 June 1706.
[6] Mary Wright condemned her marriage contrary to discipline on 28 Jan 1708/9.
[7] The signatures of Mary Wright and Mary Bowater were quite similar.
[8] A Wright grandchild was named Bowater.
[9] At the marriage of Hannah Wright, several of the witnesses signing on the bride's side were Bowaters by birth. [Among these were Mary Wright Ailes, daughter of John and Frances [Corbett] Bowater.]

The opponents of the "Bowater Theory" have been represented by researchers posting biographies on Find A Grave. The posting on Stephen Ailes, who married Mary Bowater [John Jr. & Frances] offers a fairly strong argument against Mary Bowater.

[1] The record in the Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy, Vol II [p. 469], Philadelphia MM, that cites  the date of the reading of Mary Bowater's certificate, misses two references to John Bowater from 1684.
[2] Questions exist concerning Mary Wright's birthdate of 2 Feb 1689. It is noted that the Hopewell MM records for the time period were destroyed in a fire. [I have also seen the date as 12 Feb 1689.]
[3] Both John Bowater Sr. and Jr. traveled to America in 1677 & 78. After they returned to England, the elder John was imprisoned and eventually died in England. Junior left England for Pennsylvania in 1684 and died there.
[4] The biggest problem is, perhaps, the one citing a Mary Wright condemning her marriage contrary to discipline. Mary Davis/Bowater was a Quaker and married a Quaker. There is no conflict of faiths here. By 28 Jan 1708/9, James and Mary had one daughter, with another on the way. Bad timing for condemning a marriage. The couple remained married until James' death in 1750. It is also argued that the record should have given Mary's maiden name. If so, this was another Mary Wright; not either of those in question.
[5] Opponents also contend that at Hannah Wright's wedding there were Wrights and Davises, as well as Bowaters. James, as a minister, probably presided at the wedding.
[6] The grandchild named Bowater [Boyater, in several records] is dismissed by opponents.

Mrs. James Wright II

Mary Davis: Scant information is available on Mary Davis. Up until the 2000 Baldwin article, she was identified as the wife of James Wright.

[1] Her birthdate has been given as 12 February 1689, 2 December 1689 & 2 February 1689 without documentation. The 2 Feb & 2 Dec dates could be a misread of the Quaker date of 2nd day 12th month 1689. February, not December is the 12th month of the Quaker calendar.

[2] Mary married James Wright about 1707 in Chester Co., PA.

[3] Mary's parents are frequently given as James Davis & Margaret Jordan.

A couple of online sources state that the births of James Wright and Mary Davis can be found in the Nicholite Births [Quaker Recod Abstracts] in the Hall of Records at Annapolis, MD. Mary's possible parents will be discussed in a later post. From her marriage until her death c1764, Mrs. Wright's story is fairly well documented.

Mrs. James Wright

Let's take a look at James Wright first:

[1] His birth is estimated to have taken place between 1671 and 1676. James' place of birth has been given as Chester Co., PA or Lancashire, England.

Considering the fact that the Pennsylvania Colony and Chester County was not founded until 1681 and Chester County in 1682. Both had been part of New York until their formation. It is improbable that James was born in a jurisdiction that did not yet exist. A birth in England seems a better fit. Several sources, including numerous LDS Pedigree Resource Files, give his birthplace as Lancashire, England. Births are shown for 3 August 1671, August 1671, 1671, August 1676 and 1676. The father of James Wright has been shown as Thomas or John and his mother as Susannah Crowdson or Elizabeth Chittendon. (Elizabeth seems to have married a Thomas Wright from New England, so would be eliminated from consideration. )

Brothers William and James Wright settled in Dorchester Co., MD after arriving with Penn in 1682. James is a candidate for James Wright's father. Another candidate was a John Wright, who settled in what became Caroline Co., MD.

MacKenzie's Colonial Families of the United States suggests one of three brothers, Joshua, Thomas and Samuel Wright, as a father for James. The brothers settled in New Jersey in 1677.

Wright sons were named John, James, Thomas and Isaac. One was likely named for his grandfather.

[2] James married about 1706 - 1707 to Mary. No record of their marriage has been located. Eldest daughter Mary was born 3 January 1708. This would place her parents' marriage no later than March of 1707.

A marriage record for the Wright would answer all questions as to the identity of Mary.

[3] The rest of James Wright's life is well documented

Mary Davis, Mary Bowater or Mary _______: Who was Mrs. James Wright?

I have decided to use the blog to examine the arguments as to the identity of the wife of James Wright, Quaker minister of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.

My focus is on the following people:

[1] James Wright, Quaker: Some records have his birthplace as Chester Co., PA about 1671. Others suggest a birth in England. The latter is probably most likely. His arrival in Pennsylvania was reported by some researchers as being part of the 1682 Penn Fleet. James resided in East Nottingham Twp., Chester Co., PA [1718 - 1726], Monocacy settlement, Frederick Co., MD [1728 - c1732] and Frederick Co., VA [c1732 - 1760]. About 1706/7, he married Mary Davis/Bowater/_______ in Chester Co., PA.

[2] Mary Davis [b. 12 Feb 1689 MD or PA], daughter of James Davis and Margaret Jordan.

[3] Mary Bowater [b. 3 Feb 1688/9 Eng.], daughter of John Bowater, Sr. and Mary Maunder.

[4] John Bowater, Sr. [c1629 England - 1705], believed to be the father of Mary Bowater, who married James Wright.

[5] John Bowater [1652 England - 1705 Chester Co., PA], supposedly Mary Bowater's brother and father of the Mary Bowater [23 Aug 1685 Chester Co., PA] who married Stephen Ailes c1714.

[6] James and Margaret [Jordan] Davis, parent of Mary Davis.

[7] Stephen Ailes m. Mary Bowater.

Goal: To determine the identity of Mary, the wife of James Wright.

The Renewed Davis v. Bowater Research Begins

The maiden name of Quaker James Wright's wife, Mary, has been the topic of the last two posts. I have pulled my folders on the Bowater and Wright families so that I can begin studying the information I collected over 15 years ago. Revisiting research from time to time is a good idea anyway. Added to that information is the data I have copied recently concerning Mary Davis, not Bowater, being Mrs. Wright.

Maybe the best statement comes from Wilmer Kerns' Frederick County, Virginia: Settlement and Some First Families of Back Creek Valley 1730-1830 [p.150]. "James' wife was named Mary, whose maiden name has not been proven."

Ah, to be able to settle for that!! 

Follow-up on Ancestral Mystery #12

Yesterday's post briefly discussed the confusion over whether Mary, wife of Quaker James Wright, was Mary Bowater, Mary Davis or another Mary.

A quick search of the internet has made this a really interesting topic! I really wish I had this as a Problem Solving presentation at Salt Lake in a week or so, but that is not to be. It may be resolved with some online searches and examination several family trees and records concerning Mrs. Mary Wright and a reexamination of Stewart Baldwin's TAG article from about 20 years ago. The Baldwin
article put forth the Bowater argument.

At this point, the Bowater stance is weakening. Still all arguments and available records need to be examined. That's why Salt Lake would be ideal. Access to England, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia Quaker records would be available in one place. OK, on four floors, one facility.

More when a "reasonably exhaustive search" has been done to my satisfaction!

Ancestal Mystery #12

#12 - Mrs. Mary Wright: Quaker minister James Wright was married to a woman named Mary. Mary's surname is the item in question. When I began researching, sources showed her as Mary Davis. A few years later, an article was published that identified Mrs. Wright as Mary Bowater. The Davis proponents then came forward again, disputing the Bowater article.

Research needs to be conducted on both the Davis and Bowater theories to determine if either clearly identifies the maiden name of Mrs. Mary Wright.

Maybe the Salt Lake Institute will bring back Problem Solving. This would be a good project to present for solution.

Ancestral Mystery #11

#11 - Enoch Gulley: Enoch Gulley is a bit of an enigma. I have found no Revolutionary War records for him although he is of age to have served in the Virginia militia or Continental Line. Of course, not all men of age served. There are, however, records referring to a George Gulley.

George Gulley was of the same place, had the same spouse and at least one of the same children. Evidently, George and Enoch were one and the same. Proving it may be another matter. Crucial to the issue is finding some documentation that identifies the pair as one. Enoch George, George Enoch, Enoch G. or George E. would suffice.

Ancestral Mystery #10

#10 - Mathias St. John [Sention, Sension, Santkin?]: Mathias was the focus of a Salt Lake Institute. A well-researched article was published in the NEHGS Register [Apr 2013] stating that Mathias was the son of an Antwerp-born button maker and an English woman named Joan. I was able to cross-check many of the resources. I had also corresponded with a researcher who credited St. John with a royal Welsh heritage.

Although I am still leaning toward the Dutch/Belgian lineage, I am not 100%sure.

Ancestral Mystery #9

#9 - Pathiah Standiford: Pathiah married James Cunningham in Baltimore in 1773. I have been unable to connect her to any of the Baltimore Standiford families. That search has been on hold for some time. Finding her family is on the to-do list. Also on the list, identifying on of Pathiah's daughters. [5 of six girls and her son are accounted for.]

Ancestral Mystery #8

#8 - James Cunningham: Only son of James and Pathiah [Standiford] Cunningham. He had six sisters. James' father had also been a mystery until recently. James, according to an account by my great-great-grandfather's brother, was a sea captain. That story had James Senior and Junior as interchangeable parts. That, I believe, was due, in part, to author Isaac Prall's age and mixed recollections of tales related by his mother and aunt.

James saw action along the Barbary Coast, was captured and imprisoned by pirates. He was released thanks to the intervention of a fellow Freemason or Redman. James reportedly died at sea after an assault on Gibraltar during a conflict with Spain. He was also a ship's captain during the War of 1812.

Since the elder James died at sea in the Caribbean in 1799, the "death at sea scenario" could be in error.

Isaac Prall had erred in reporting the name of the schooner upon which his grandfather met his fate, so it is reasonable to assume that there were several additional errors in his accounting of the Rhodes, Prall and Cunningham families.

It would be great to clarify the details of Captain James Cunningham.

Ancestral Mysteries #7

#7: Henry Wolary: Henry was a native of what is now West Virginia or Pennsylvania. Born in 1788, he may have settled in Hampshire Co., VA with his family during the mid-1790s. Henry married Elizabeth Rogers in Frederick Co., VA in 1811. The Wolarys moved to Ohio about 1821. Henry had returned to Virginia to visit Elizabeth's relatives in 1849 and died in Frederick Co. He was buried in the Gainsboro Quaker Burying Ground, where members of the Rogers family were interred.

Questions about Henry:
1] National origin? Believed to be Germany. Surname was frequently spelled 'Ullery.'
2] Birthplace? Virginia or Pennsylvania
3] Parents: A Jacob Ullery appeared in the VA records during the 1790s. Was this Henry's father?

Genealogy and TV: NBC's Timeless: Episode 10 - Arnold & Rittenhouse

OK, I know the NBC's Timeless is about altering history, but there is a limit. I have watched a few episodes of the series. The Alamo was of special interest. Travis was killed by the bad guy to prevent the "liberty or death" letter from being written. Bowie was perfectly healthy for a man who was probably suffering from typhus or cholera. Crockett was pretty good.

The show has gone overboard with the angst of the trio of time travelers as they try to prevent the bad guy from altering history. There's a super villain [human or organization] called Rittenhouse, as well. One of the time travelers is supposed to be under R's control. The backstories are over riding the time travel adventures.

In episode 10, we have Benedict Arnold committing treason in 1780, as he did really do. BUT, Arnold takes our good and bad guys to meet Rittenhouse, who kills Arnold. Rittenhouse is the mastermind behind whatever Rittenhouse has become in 2016.

Rittenhouse is David Rittenhouse. DR was a patriot, mathematician, astronomer, clockmaker, friend of Ben Franklin and others. Read his bio, the guy was really something!

Here he is relegated to a demonic madman preparing to do something evil until the bad guy kills him.
DR's son John escapes and bad guy takes female time traveler hostage.

Now, the Arnold story line is a bit fanciful, but Rittenhouse?

I am descended from Wilhelm Rittenhouse, America's 1st papermaker and Mennonite bishop. He was David's great-grandfather. My line went to NJ. They were millers, farmers and inn keepers.

Rittenhouses all over the US should be ticked off at NBC for the "Evil Rittenhouse" story line. Maybe they needed a three syllable name that could sound ominous. Who knows? Turning a scientific genius and patriot into an evil mastermind? What goes?

Now the last time I regularly watched NBC was when Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers and Night Court dominated Thursday nights. Since then, Who Do You Think You Are? was NBC, right? NBC comedies and dramas have left me cold. NBC news is a whole other story.

I suggest the evil Rittenhouse organization be renamed Roddenhut, or some such made-up name and go from there. Maybe the "writers" failed US History?

Yes, I know it's fiction and history is supposed to be tweaked each episode, but cut those of us who like history a chance!

Maybe all three time travelers will wake up and find out they have been sharing the same dream!

 Back to genealogy and off the soapbox.....

Ancestral Mysteries #6

Frances Ann Franklin: "Franky" was the wife of  Enoch Gulley. I have their marriage record and a small bundle of "rumors." Franky may have been born in Wales. She and Enoch were supposed to have gone to Wales so that son Willis could be born there. No confirmation of either story, though it appears more likely that Willis was born in Virginia.

No parents or birth or death records have turned up for Franky as of yet either. So, she lands on the mystery list.

Ancestor Mysteries #5

#5: Hugh Mahurin and Mary Campbell: Hugh Mahurin is believed to have been born in Scotland or Northern Ireland. It would be nice to learn which. Hugh's wife is thought to have been Mary Campbell. This is based on Hugh naming a son Ebenezer, not a common name for the Scots-Irish, and that one of Hugh's neighbors was Ebenezer Campbell.

The story is quite plausible, but as of yet unconfirmed.

Ancestor Mysteries #4

#4: The 2nd Mrs. Levin Hubbard: Levin Hubbard's 2nd wife is a complete mystery as to vital statistics. Name, birth, marriage, death and locations of all. Estimates of BMD can be made and strong guesses as to place of marriage and death. Some concrete information would be nice. Details abound on Levin's 1st and 3rd wives, but not the mother of my Sarah Hubbard. [Not even in Salt Lake!]

Ancestor Mysteries #3

#3: Sarah Hickey: Sarah was the wife of immigrant John McHugh. Records give her birthplace as Lancaster Co., PA.

a] Who were her parents?

b] Were they from Ireland?

c] When did the Hickeys arrive in America? Did they settle in the Lancaster area?

Ancestor Mystery #2

#2: John Faucett:  There are still serious gaps in John's story.

a] Who were his parents?

b] Apparently, John's father was not present when Indians attacked the family homestead. Was he reunited with his father?

c] Was Faucett John's birth name? Or did he adopt the surname after being traded back to white society?

d] When and where did he meet and marry Eve Fry? Was she the mother of all of John's children?

e] John had a son named Thomas. Was his mother Eve? If not, who was she? What happened to him after John died? A Thomas Faucett moved to Hendricks Co., IN several years after John. Was this the son?

Mysteries yet to be resolved #1

As proud as I am of what I've accomplished in 26 years of research, there are several questions yet to be answered. I will discuss 12 of my most frustrating mysteries as the New Year of 2017 begins:

#1: James B. Crail and Mary A. Jones: Yeah, I know, overkill. Still, this frustrating couple tops my list.

By the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!