The Newberry Davenports

 

Francis Davenport 1718-1803
 by Thomas Hudson

Francis Davenport was born in 1718. The son of Isaac Davenport Phoebe Eva Sawyer, his grandparents, Francis (b. 1626) and Sarah Davenport migrated from Derbyshire, England with the Society of Friends (Quakers) and settled in Chesterfield, New Jersey. Francis Sr. was the spiritual leader for this congregation at Chesterfield. He was also a kept a local store. His son, Isaac, married Phoebe Eva Sawyer and moved to Newberry, SC.

Francis Davenport was a Patriot in the Revolutionary War (DAR Ancestor #: A029985). He married (1st) Ann Whaley and had Isaac, James, Jonathan, William, David, Francis, Sarah, Abigail, Nancy, Martha, and Fannie. His daughter, Sarah, married Samuel Beeks.  Their granddaughter, Nettie Jane Beeks Smith, was one of the first settlers in Pontotoc, MS. 

Sources: 

• Davenport, John Scott, Newberry Davenport Data, 2000
• U.S. Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970, Ancestry.com, 2011, Provo, UT, USA
• Moss, Bobby G., Roster of the South Carolina Patriots in the America Revolution, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1983

Palatine Trails

At the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th century the Holy Roman Empire was involved in several wars throughout the European Continent that would eventually lead to its end. The wealthy region of the Middle Rhine was repeatedly invaded by French troops during these wars. This along with famine caused many farmers to flee. The group moved around the British Isles and Colonies for a few years for many political and economical reason. This group of immigrants became known as Palatines even though only a small part of them were from the Palatinate.

Christoph de Graffenried, 1st Baron of Berberg, was a Swiss nobleman who, in 1710, assisted the immigration and helped establish colonies in North Carolina for the large number of Palatine and Swiss who came to North America. About 100 Swiss and 600 Palatines left Europe for this new colony. Many of these immigrants died during the journey and even more died during wars with the Native Americans during 1712-1715. Luckily for me, Joseph Granade and his son, John (b. 1695) survived all of these trials and made it to the New Bern Colony.

Joseph Granade was born about 1676 in what is modern day Switzerland and immigrated in 1710. His grandson, John Adam Granade (b.1715) is recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution for his contribution to the war effort.  Joseph Granade's many descendants are spread across the United States.

For more information on the Palatine immigration I recommend these sources:

• New Bern-Craven County Public Library, Swiss and Palatines to New Bern
• National Park Service - The People of Fort Stanwix

A Connection to Yale University

    Elihu Yale was a prominent merchant and trader in the second half of the 17th century. He was

born in Boston in 1649 to David and Ursula Yale. When he was just three years old the Yale family returned to England where he was educated and served the East India Company eventually becoming the first president of the company's post in Chennai (then called Madras), India.
    Elihu became very wealthy and influential during his time as president. In 1718, a founder of the Collegiate School of Connecticut contacted Yale and asked for donation towards a new building. Yale sent 417 books, a variety of goods and a portrait of King George I. The bales of goods were sold and the money was put toward a new building. In a show of gratitude, the building was named Yale. Eventually the college was renamed in his honor.
     In his later years, Yale split his time between his home in London and his family's ancestral home of Plas Grono in Wrexham in the north of Wales.
    Elihu Yale was my first cousin 13x's removed.

Thomas Yale and Anne Lloyd

Thomas II (1616-1683) m. Rebecca Gibbards                 David (1613-1690) m. Ursula  

Thomas Yale  (1679-1750) m.  Mary Benham                 Elihu Yale  (1649-1721)   

Benjamin Yale (1714-1781) m. Ruth Ives                                                                          

Job Yale (1738-1799) m. Elizabeth Hendrick                                   

Ozias Yale (1766-1853) m. Hannah Hotchkiss          

Isabella Yale (1792-1871) m. Ransom Woodruff

Hannah Woodruff (1811-1881) m. Milo Caldwell

Adaline Caldwell (1834-?) m. Noah Wirt

Esther Jane Wirt (1856-?)  m. Newell Birkett Spees

Beulah Mae Spees (1882-1945) m.  W.F. Smith

Oda Zelle Smith (1908-1975) m. Clovis Spearman

My grandfather                            

Sources:

• Encylopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elihu-Yale
• Wikipedia, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elihu-Yale
• Dodd, A. H., (1959). YALE family, of Plâs yn Iâl and Plas Grono Wrexham. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 10 Feb 2020, from https://biography.wales/article/s-YALE-PLA-1500

An Early American Immigrant and a Connection to the Salem Witch Trials

On March 11, 1635 a ship known as the Susan and Ellen, captained by Edward Payne, set sail from London for New England. The 94 passengers were a part of the Great Migration that brought more than 30,000 people on dozens of ships from England to New England in the 1630s. Among these passengers was John North, age 20. It seems like most of the ships passengers settled in and around Ipswich, Mass. John was granted 3 acres of land in Ipswich. He later sold his house and property in Ipswich and moved to Farmington in Hartford County, Connecticut. I admit I got a little excited about a connection to Hartford, being a long time fan of the show, Gilmore Girls, based in a fictional town in Hartford.

How I learned about John North
This line is very new to me and I have only read a tiny fraction of all that is available on this family. I have known about my 5 great grandmother, Hannah Woodruff, for years but I've never been able to get past her. New documents are constantly being made available and that combined with my DNA I was able to bust through this genealogical brick wall. I just didn't realize that behind the wall was river of information. Hannah's parents were Isabella Yale* and Ransom Erastus Woodruff. What a name. Ransom was born in 1783 in Farmington, CT, where his family had been for over 150 years. Ransom's mother was Lois North, great, great granddaughter of the John North who immigrated from England.

John North's Famous Co-Passenger
As I was researching this family, I found the passenger list for the Susan and Ellen. Reading the list one name jumped out at me: John Proctor. Where did I recognize that name from? A quick Google search confirmed that John Proctor who was just 3 years old when he arrived in America would one day be accused of witchcraft along with his wife, Elizabeth. What must John North have thought about the events that were happening in Salem? Surely he remembered the toddler he shared a ship with for those months. Either way, I am sure he was glad he wasn't in Massachusetts any longer.

John North's Impressive Pedigree

Dudley, Third Baron North.
My 12th great grandfather

John North's father was John Dudley North, 3rd Baron North. Dudley was the son of Sir John North and Dorothy Dale, daughter of Sir Valentine Dale. He inherited his title from his grandfather, Roger North, 2nd Baron North. Roger was the son of Edward North, 1st Baron North, and so it keeps going all the way back to Godwin, Earl of Wessex (1001-1053), father of King Harold II who was eventually killed by William, Duke of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror. Whether John North was descended from Harold or one of his brothers seems to be a source of debate.

My Connection to John North
John North is my 2nd great grandmother, Beulah Mae Spees, 7th great grandfather. My 11th great grandfather.

*Isabella Yale - Also of interest in this family is Hannah Woodruff's mother, Isabella. This line has been traced back all the way to Ryddrech Rhodri ap Euddigan born 210 A.D. in Powys, Wales. I have not researched this other than a quick look through the sources and a look at Welsh history to make sure this is possible and it looks legitimate!

Sources:

• Whittemore, Henry, Genealogical Guide to the Early Settlers of America, Reprinted in Baltimore, MD, Clearfield Company, Inc 1906
• Heritage Consulting, Millennium File, Provo, UT, Ancestry.com Operations, 2003
• Ancestry.com, New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635, Provo, UT, Ancestry.com Operations, 2013
• Ancestry.com, North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000, Ancesty.com Operasion, Provo, UT 2016
• Geni.com
• Findagrave.com
• wikitree.com

My Hessian Roots

I haven't blogged in a while because I have been working on one of the more tedious sides of genetic genealogy that wouldn't make for an entertaining read. To put it briefly, I have been working on putting together one of my maternal great grandfather's family that I had previously written about in this post. Using my DNA cousin match list I have been able to another sister in addition to the one I found the photo of. Her name is Martha Edna Smith Goggans. It is slow, sometimes mind-numbing, work figuring out how I am related to this list of people I share DNA with. I have 1000+ DNA matches and I know how I connect with less than 100 of them.

Anyway, on to today's story. I have known this story for several years. It is one of my favorites because it is a wonderful glimpse into a piece history that I didn't think was that interesting or important until I realized that I would not exist if it hadn't happened the way it did.

In 1776, the Landgrave (prince) of Hesse-Kassel, Fredrick II, was the son in law of King George II. Hesse-Kassel was, at that time Europes's most militarized state. All Hessian men began their military training as youth and continued well through adulthood until they were deemed unfit or too old to serve. Similar to our National Guard, they would take a few weeks every year to drill. Frederick II hired his professional army out as mercenaries to King George for the war in America and pocketed the money, a very unpopular move.

Fredrick's agreement with King George required a minimum of 12,000 troops in America. These soldiers were a part of every major battle in the war; from Quebec to Florida. They fought at Fort Lee and Fort Washington. American leaders in a stroke of brilliance printed pamphlets and posters aimed at the soldiers. They offeredfreedom and land to anyone willing to desert and sign up with the American troops. At one point Congress was offering soldiers land, two pigs, a cow and citizenship to deserters, more than most of them would have once they returned home. The soldiers were so excited about the opportunities they had in America that thousands of them choose not to return after the war. In fact, the American Revolution was the beginning of the end for Hesse-Kassel as a mercenary state. They had an estimated 5,000 casualties and 3,000 desertions.

One of these deserters* was a man by the name of Fredrick Spees (Spies, Spiess, Speece, Speese). Born about 1757 in Schwebda Hassel, Hessie Cattle, Hessen, Germany to Adolph Christon Spies. Fredrick married Elizabeth Mozier of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They settled in Bracken, Kentucky and had 8 children. Fredrick's great, great granddaughter was Beulah Mae Spees. She was my great, great grandmother.

I am pretty sure that this photo is Beulah Mae and her parents, Newell Birkett Spees and Esther Jane Wirt Spees.

*There really is no way to verify that he was a deserter. It is possible just because so many did it. I have read some places that he was and in others that he was captured in Trenton and taken as a prisoner. Either way, it was his choice not to go back home. In the book, "The Genealogy of the Spees Tribe", by J.C. Spees (my 4th great grandfather) he says that Fredrick came to the U.S. before the war to fight for Washington. I find this very unlikely. It is more likely that the author did not want to write that his grandfather fought for the British.

The Photo Was the Key

It has been so long since I've posted but I have been busy! I mentioned previously that I was able to get copies of close to 250 old family photos. I have been slowly going through and trying to identify

Beulah Mae Spees Smith

as many of them as possible. Some of them are complete mysteries. It seems as though my gg grandmother, Mae Spees, was very interested in correspondence. She was born in Missouri in 1882 and moved with her family to Lee County between 1895 and 1900. She kept in contact with all of her family and friends in Missouri and her husbands family and they sent many photos back and forth.

 Some of the photos have clues on the back but many of them do not. The photo I am writing about today did have a name on the back and it led me down a rabbit hole that led to some wonderful discoveries!

First let me give you some background information. Mae's first husband, my gg grandfather, was born about 1882 in Pontotoc, MS. This is unfortunate because there is no 1890 census. And I have not been able to find him on the 1900 census so the first record we have of him is on the 1910 census.

                      W F Smith      28 - Head of household

                                     Frank Smith    69 - father of head of household
May Smith      28 - wife

      Oda Zell Smith  1 - daughter

In the 1920 census, Mae is married to her second husband, Zach. I have not been able to find any information on his death or tombstone. The 1910 census does give me something, his father's name: Frank Smith. Of course it's only the most common surname in America! How hard can it be? This is all information I found out 10 years ago when I first began researching. After looking for a long time, I found a Smith family in Pontotoc that was likely Frank's family. He was listed as Francis Smith, son of Joshua and Jane Smith on the 1850 and 1860 census. My DNA test confirmed this connection many times over. But who was W.F.'s mother, Frank's wife? What happened to Frank between the 1860 census and the 1910 census?  Did W.F. have any siblings? What does W.F. stand for? In my mind I've always called him William Franklin but I have no reason to think this. SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Fast forward to me combing through old photographs. I pulled this photo up and noticed how young the children were compared to the adults. Also, that I didn't recognize any of the people. On the back I saw that there were indeed grandparents and grandchildren (so sweet) and that I definitely did not recognize the names. Luckily, Arch is not a terribly common name so a quick search on Ancestry for Arch and Emma Duncan and there was a match in the 1900 census!

James Archie and Emma Smith 

Now I just have to find the connection! In the Ancestry search I looked for trees that had this couple. I was so pleased to see that there were several - and, bonus, Emma's maiden name was SMITH! I seriously could not believe it! I reminded myself that Smith is a very common name and the two might not be related. I had to find proof. Another look at the trees that she was in told me that her descendants were unsure of her parentage. She was born in Mississippi in 1871 and died in Alabama in 1955. Then I found a record in the Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 that had a clue: her father's name was Frank! Coincidence? Maybe but it was looking unlikely. My next step was to look through my DNA matches to see if I was matched to any of her descendants. I found one confirmed. I do not consider one match as conclusive so I had to consider one more important piece of evidence....the fact that this photo has been passed down. In other words, why else would my great-great grandparents have this photo? All together, I am convinced that Emma Jane Smith is W.F.'s older sister.

Francis M Smith Pin

This new piece of information opened up a flood of discoveries. I found Frank's marriage record. He married M.A. Robertson 20 Jun 1866. I found his tombstone and confirmed it with the photo of his pin from the Civil War that I got from a cousin. I found his Civil War file. I found Francis and Martha Smith in the 1870 census in Pontotoc. They had a daughter named Frances. Another sister! The census also told me that Martha  was born about 1846 in South Carolina. I have not been able to find her family yet but I am still working on it. I honestly never thought I would find this much information about Frank. And all of it was because of one forgotten photograph.

Tombstone Tuesday - Joshua Smith

Today's Tombstone Tuesday features Joshua Smith. This one is a big deal to me. I have long suspected that my Smith line was descended from Joshua but I had no way to prove it until I had my DNA tested. I still hope to learn more about this family but for now I'll share what I know.

Joshua Smith was born July 23, 1812 in Newberry, South Carolina. This is fascinating because I have several unrelated ancestors who all came from Newberry. I wonder if they at one time new each other. What would they have said if they were told that their descendants would one day all be connected? Joshua's parents were probably James Smith and Sarah Teague. This conclusion comes from them having come from the same area at the same time as Joshua. 

Joshua and his wife, Nettie Jane Beeks were among the first settlers of Pontotoc County, MS. They had nine children. 

1850 U.S. Census

Their fifth child, Francis, is my second great-grandfather.  Joshua died on July 5, 1880. He is buried in Cherry Creek Cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday - Victoria Barrett

Victoria Barrett was born on December 25, 1865, in Mississippi, the daughter of Martha Jane Brown and Charles Barrett. She married John James Sanderson on October 27, 1881, in Itawamba, Mississippi. They had six children during their marriage. She died on October 26, 1923, in Itawamba, Mississippi, at the age of 57, and was buried in the Walton Cemetery in  Fulton, Mississippi.


Victoria Barrett Sanderson is my 3rd great-grandmother.
Victoria Barrett - Maude Jane Sanderson - William Clovis Spearman, Sr