Jacob Castle

Jacob Castle is an ancestor who holds my imagination!  But he was on the Western Waters of Southwestern Virginia so early that there is not a lot of documented information about him or about his family.  However there is a LOT of folklore.  I will try to add both to this blog post as I have time.

I will start this post with a personal story.  My mother's name is Sara Ann Sammons Hawkins.  When my middle daughter was born,  I had named my first daughter Mary Ann.  I wanted to name this child after my mother.  But I did not want to use the Ann again.  So I named my second daughter Sarah Jane.  I am not sure that my mom loved the fact that I "kind of" named Sarah after her....I liked the old fashioned spelling of Sarah rather than the more modern Sara.

But many years later, I found that I had reverted to the original namesakes.  My mom had been named after her grandmother, Sarah Jane Wooten Sammons.  In turn, Sarah Jane had been named after HER grandmother, Sarah Jane Castle Wooten.  I often tell my daughter that if her son ever has a daughter, he MUST name her Sarah Jane as it will be the 4th time a daughter will have been named Sarah Jane after her grandmother.....well....not exactly....my mom is Sara Ann....but the intent was good.

But it is a good thing that Sarah Jane Castle is remembered in the naming of children even today.  She would be happy.  Because Sarah Jane Wooten Sammons was much loved, I can only guess that Sarah Jane Castle was as well.

OK.  The reason for this post is that today was a top ten gorgeous day.....but I had minor surgery and could not golf.  So I took Mary Kegley's book:  Finding Their Way From the Great Road to the Wilderness Road 1745-1796 to the porch to read.  WOW!  Amazing book!  Mary Kegley's endnotes are so full of information that it is hard to get finished with any one page.

But I wanted to put one piece of information someplace where I would find it again as I read.  In Chapter 3 which is about roads there is information on page 10.

Northern Neck Proprietary vs Northern Neck

I am off my feet for a few days because of the removal of a couple of squamous cell cancers from my lower legs.  That means extra time for my computer because there is no tennis nor golf nor errands and etc.  So I am cleaning out my inbox randomly.  One of the e-mails that I happened on is from back in 2010 from Craig Kilby on the Northern Neck Mail list dated June 27, 2010 with subject line: Northern Neck Proprietary vs. Colonial Land Office.  I am going to erase the e-mail from my inbox and make a blog post with some of his ideas and a bit of research on-line and in some of the books in my library.

Coffin Family of Nantucket

Nancy Magnuson sent me information about our mutual Coffin family.  Both of us descend from Tristram and Dionis Coffin.  Nancy descends through their son, Tristram.  I descend through their daughter, Mary who married Nathaniel Starbuck.  This post is not about Tristram and Dionis nor about their children.  Instead I want to put some URL's and some information to follow up on later about the origins of Tristram Coffin's ancestors.  Some of which Nancy sent me and some that I have found from sites that she suggested.

http://4dtraveler.net/2011/10/04/coffin-family-peter-sr-nicholas-peter-jr/

Nancy was lucky enough to have made a trip and taken photos of her own that relate to the Coffin family before Tristram and Dionis moved from England to what is now New England on our shores:

I have some pictures of this past trip at http://pinterest.com/nmagnuso/my-trip-to-wales-and-england-2012/

One of the things that I notice on this blog is that at the bottom of the post there are related posts mentioned that one can follow up on.  I would like to add that to my blog.

Nancy sent me the name of a book:

hi, Marsha.  Was just thinking we haven't been in touch for quite a while though I see you a lot on the listserv.  I wanted to recommend this book to you -- Carminow by Elsie Balme.  It's an historical novel about Roger de Carminow, 13th century, and ancestor of Marie Boscawen Coffin  (and us, of course).  Roger claimed to be descended from King Arthur so that's fun to think about!  --Nancy

My answer to Nancy:

Thank you so much for thinking of me, Nancy!  Just bought it for $4.99 on my Kindle.....I have been reading lots of historical fiction recently via audible.com....this one was not available in that format....but I'll try to get around to reading it and get back to you.

I am reading Carminow at this point in time and is what inspired me to work on this particular blog post. For my review of the book go to:

http://serendipityreading.blogspot.com/2014/04/magnuson-and-i-worked-together-on.html

Nancy suggested that I might want to look at the following:

The connection is through Marie Boscawen who married Peter Coffin.  Marie's parents were Philippa Carminowe and Hugh Boscawen.  http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=102479412 Then I traced them back from The Visitation of Cornwall.  If you haven't used the Visitations before, you should take a look http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraldic_visitation

Second Beuhring Reunion

On Saturday afternoon, Melba and Cliff and I visited Larry Beuhring at his home in Chesapeake, Ohio.    Below is a photo of the three of us.  All three of us descend from Frederick George Louis Beuhring and his son, Frederick Dannenburg Konig Beurhing.

During our afternoon together, we shared information.  Some of it was new.  Some of it was well known.  And some of it I want to follow up on when I get a chance.  

Larry told us that the land on which the building that was used for church and Marshall Academy in the very early days of Cabell County stood was BOUGHT from Holderby for $40.  There was one and one quarter acre at this place.  I need to make this work with the tradition that Holderby donated the land.  Was the land that he donated adjoining the acre and one quarter?  Is there a deed that proves the $40 purchase?

He also told us that there is a church in Celle that has records in which FGL's father is named.

Marshall University Documents

Melba Guard and her husband, Cliff, returned for another visit to work on research on our mutual Beuhring family.  Last night Melba let me copy documents that I have continued the entire day to just shake my head at the amazing discovery that these documents exist.  One of the documents is a bill to establish Marshall College that is dated 12 January 1838.  The bill was passed 30 March 1838.

The below document is just one of five pages  that are found on the Library of Virginia website.  If you would like to look at the pages for yourself, go to Virginia Memory 

LEGISLATIVE PETITIONS DIGITAL COLLECTION

http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/petitions

Type in Cabell for the locality with no keyword nor subject and push search.  This will give you a collection of 137 documents.  The one that deals with Marshall Academy being given college status is #94.  

Among the names that are listed on the petition is Frederick G.L. Beuhring---Melba's 2-gr-grandfather and my 3-gr-grandfather.

Men who sold land in Frederick County in 1771 who may have moved to Newberry County

I am going through a Deed Book compiled by Amelia C. Gilreath in the Handley Library.  This book is:  Frederick County Virginia Deed Book Series, Volume 4    Deed Books 12, 13, 14, 1767-1771.  I am only looking at the deeds for land that exchanged hands in the year 1771 which is the year that George McKenny and wife Margaret sold their land.  (I am not being careful about spelling of George's last name....it was spelled two or more ways in the same deed, so they were not careful)

Bk 14, pl 314-2 April 1771
Samuel Pearson of County of Frederick to Samuel Washington of the same county.  One of the witnesses was Isiah Pemberton

Richard Merchang of County of Frederick to Thomas Campbell of the same county. (Marchant bought his land from Lord Fairfax 30 April 1760)

It is interesting to note that My ancestor, Jacob Miller's family are mentioned a great deal in the Deeds of Frederick County....there is one 8 May 1771 that mentions that Barbara Ott (wife of Henry Ott) is sole exc of her father, Jacob's, will....and that her mother has died.....and that Wolrick is getting inheritance....Ulrich?......I can not make this make sense.....and don't have time to spend on it.

George McKinsey's family might have been in Frederick County, Virginia before Newberry

On my way between Burlington, VT (where I spent time with my daughter, Sarah, and her family) to Richmond (for the National Genealogical Society's 2014 Conference),  I stopped in Frederick County, Virginia to do a bit of research on the possibility that my 5-gr-grandfather, George McKinsey, may have had roots in Frederick County, Virginia.  I had a bit of bad luck with traffic and managed to drive to the Handley library in Winchester, Virginia just in time to find the archives room closed for the day.  However, the main library has a few books of interest and I'll take a look at those until I have to leave.  The Handley library is a treat of itself.  Quite the charming, historical building!

Bruce Locken, Harriet Imrey, and I have been chatting for some time about the possibility that George McKinsey who is in Newberry County, SC during the Revolutionary War may have had ties to Frederick County, Virginia.  For previous blog posts pertaining to this subject go to:

http://marshamoses.blogspot.com/2012/07/mckinney-and-geertsema-map.html

And for more information on George McKinsey and his family go to:

http://marshamoses.blogspot.com/2012/09/george-mckinseys-wife-was-sarah-moore.html

http://marshamoses.blogspot.com/2013/07/loyalists-in-bush-river-area-of-south.html

http://marshamoses.blogspot.com/2012/05/sarah-moore-mckinsey-wife-of-george.html

The first book that I have pulled off the shelf is Pioneers of Old Frederick County by Cecil O'Dell.  One of the questions that I hoped to answer on this trip is:  Who was moving into Frederick County in the 1750's?  From where?  Why?  Why were families moving out of the area to the Carolinas in 1771?

I find that much of Mr. O'Dell's information is about a period of time before George McKinsey is found buying land in the area.  The book is excellent, however, and I will look for a copy.

I know when George McKinsey first bought land in Frederick County from the deed of the sale of his land in 1771 which says:

.....Containing one hundred and ninety four Acres Granted to said George McKenny by Deed from the Hand and Seal of the Right Honorable Thomas Lord Fairfax the 18th Oct 1756.....

 I next pulled   Wilmer Kern's book,  Settlement and Some First Families of Back Creek Valley.   I had wondered if the Fairfax/Hite suit had affected George's decision to move to South Carolina.  Wilmer Kerns says on page 17:  "the Fairfax suit was settled in 1745 when Fairfax won the suit."
Mr. O'Dell had indicated that some of the families who chose to move out of the area did so because of the dispute between Fairfax and Hite in which men were required to repurchase the land on which they lived because of a change in ownership.   That is the men had purchased land from Hite.  When Fairfax won the suit,  they were told that they would need to pay the Fairfax agents.   Many of these families were not interested in repurchasing their land when there was cheap land to be bought in the Carolinas.   George had bought his land from Fairfax, so this would not have been the reason that he moved.

Neither book mentions anyone with name George Kinsey/Kensie/McKinsey/McKensie.  Both books mention John McKensie and William McKenzie.

 For good information about the Fairfax grant, go to:

http://www.virginiaplaces.org/settleland/fairfaxgrant.html