The suggested theme for this week from Amy is "Surprise". The story that comes to mind was when I found family members in a place I never expected.
When I was searching for my Clark, Closson and Hart families (my mom's dad's paternal line), I learned that there might be a Quaker connection. They lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the time frame I was searching. I found some answers there in the Quaker records and I have written about those findings before. You can go to
https://regnirpsstories.blogspot.com/2018/09/what-is-vendue-crier-anyway.html, and see some of that I found in that story.
But the surprise happened when I also found entries in these same books for other surnames in my family. Names like Coate, Longshore and Davenport on my mom's dad's maternal line, but also the Dunbar family which is on my dad's line. I had NO idea that the South Carolina families I was already researching had any connection whatsoever to New Jersey, the northeast or the Quakers!
The Quakers were amazing record keepers! They kept many of the records of their members organized by families. So, some of their entries look more like a Family Bible than a church document. Two particular documents are these:
When I was searching for my Clark, Closson and Hart families (my mom's dad's paternal line), I learned that there might be a Quaker connection. They lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the time frame I was searching. I found some answers there in the Quaker records and I have written about those findings before. You can go to
https://regnirpsstories.blogspot.com/2018/09/what-is-vendue-crier-anyway.html, and see some of that I found in that story.
But the surprise happened when I also found entries in these same books for other surnames in my family. Names like Coate, Longshore and Davenport on my mom's dad's maternal line, but also the Dunbar family which is on my dad's line. I had NO idea that the South Carolina families I was already researching had any connection whatsoever to New Jersey, the northeast or the Quakers!
The Quakers were amazing record keepers! They kept many of the records of their members organized by families. So, some of their entries look more like a Family Bible than a church document. Two particular documents are these:
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These are pages from the Minute Book of the Quaker Meeting in Chesterfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. On these pages are listed births and deaths of the family of Francis Davenport and his two wives, Sarah and Rebekah. After Sarah (Brown) Davenport died in 1691, Francis (my 8th great grandfather) remarried to Rebecca DeCow on August 12, 1692. Rebecca bore him two more children, Isaac and Rebecca. Rebekah, the second wife of Francis, died September 7, 1705 and Francis died in April 1707.
Isaac, the son of Frances and Rebecca,was my 7th great grandfather! Isaac moved to North Carolina and his son, Francis moved to Newberry, South Carolina!
All of the above mentioned members of the Francis Davenport family, from Burlington, New Jersey, are buried in the Friends Burying Ground in that place.
All of the above mentioned members of the Francis Davenport family, from Burlington, New Jersey, are buried in the Friends Burying Ground in that place.
As for the Clarks, they moved from Pennsylvania through Ohio, Illinois and on to Texas. The others also moved from New Jersey to South Carolina, including the Dunbars, the Coates and Longshores, along with the Davenports.
It was such a surprise to think that my Davenport 8th great grandparents, living in Burlington County, New Jersey, were just one county over from my Clark family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. AND they were all Quakers!
'Til Next Time!
#52Ancestors
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