How do you figure out family relationships when there aren't marriage records, family bibles, or a full set of probate or census records? The answer is land records. In my case, I was trying to find the parents of Mary Woollen who married William Webster in 1834, Washington, DC. I found their 1840 and 1850 … Continue reading Tracing the lineage of Thomas Woollen Sr and Elizabeth Pagan Woollen of Dorchester County, MD
Category: Land Records
The 1834 Will of Lydia Shores McClenen
I love solving a 200-year-old mystery! In the 1907 Descendants of Benjamin Chamberlain book, the author writes that Gabriel Chamberlain married Mary Ann McClenen, and Susan Chamberlain married John McClenen. These marriages would have taken place in the 1830s somewhere around Jefferson Township, Morris County, NJ, but no one seems to know who this McClenen … Continue reading The 1834 Will of Lydia Shores McClenen
Nicholas Devore – Was He Born in France?
Who is Nicholas Devore and how is he related to the Devore and Deveaux families from colonial New York and New Jersey? Nicholas Devore is supposedly born in 1732 France, and marries Sarah Decker in Sussex County, NJ before heading out to Washington County, PA before the Revolutionary War. DNA matches show he's part of … Continue reading Nicholas Devore – Was He Born in France?
Sussex County, NJ Devore Timeline
One of the best tools I know for figuring out an entire family tree is to do a timeline. That way, you can see migration patterns, and cross-match records that might otherwise not be obvious if you work only in one person's set of records. In order to find Phebe Devore Henion and Uzal Devore's … Continue reading Sussex County, NJ Devore Timeline
Who Are the Parents of Mary Johnson of Vermillion County, Indiana?
I started on a journey to map every Hendricks, Hendrix, Hendrickson and Hendrixson in Kentucky from 1780-1840 to make sure I knew who everyone was, and which families they belonged to. Along the path, I stumbled across a Polly Hendrixon who married Isaac Johnston in Hardin County, Kentucky in 1816. This immediately captured my attention: … Continue reading Who Are the Parents of Mary Johnson of Vermillion County, Indiana?
John Tayloe of Loudoun County, Virginia: Lease for Lives
During the time when John Hendrickson leased land from John Tayloe, Tayloe was leasing much of his land to the east of Short Hills in Loudoun County. These would be John Hendrickson's neighbors and possible families that intermarried with the Hendricksons. Even though I believe John Hendrickson was out of Loudoun County by 1770, we … Continue reading John Tayloe of Loudoun County, Virginia: Lease for Lives
John Hendrickson in Loudoun County, Virginia, 1760-1770
See John Hendrickson timeline for an overview of his life. The very first record we have of "our" John Hendrickson is a land lease in Loudoun County, Virginia in 1765. How do we know it's him? In Loudoun County during the pre-Revolutionary War times, land was owned by "proprietors" -- typically well-placed Lords in England … Continue reading John Hendrickson in Loudoun County, Virginia, 1760-1770
It All Starts with John Hendrickson and Eve
I did a week’s worth of research at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in August 2018, with great results! I’m fairly definite that I’ve found John Hendricks(son)’s land, and that John was in Fayette County Pennsylvania as early as 1771. And I’m certain his name was not Separate Hendrickson: his name is John. He does have three … Continue reading It All Starts with John Hendrickson and Eve
Kinfolk Journal 