Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Partial Bibliography
Here is a short bibliography of some of the background books I'm finding useful while preparing the Free Family history. You may want to read along. I've marked the most useful, from a research perspective, with an asterisk.
Baldwin, Carl R. Echoes of Their Voices: A Saga of the Pioneers Who Pushed the Frontier Westward to the Mississippi. St Louis, MO: Hawthorn Publishing Company, Inc. 1978. Though this book does not discuss the Frees themselves, it describes the lives and circumstances of the Illinois frontiersmen when the Frees arrived.
Everton, A. Lee et al. *The Handy Book for Genealogists. Logan, UT: Everton Publishers, Inc. 1999. The Handybook is essential for finding county records.
Fischer, David Hackett. *Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. New York: Oxford University Press.1989. It is my opinion that colonial American research should not be done without this book.
Horwitz, Tony. A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America. Containing very readable "new" history, Horwtiz' book is fundamental to basic colonial history.
Johnston, George. History of Cecil County, Maryland and the Early Settlements around the Head of the Chesapeake Bay and on the Delaware River with Sketches of Some of the Old Families of Cecil County. Philadelphia: Dickson and Gilling. 1881.
O'Brien, Greg. Chronology of Native Americans: The Ultimate Guide to North America's Indigenous Peoples. London: Amber Books Ltd. 2011. This book contains a job description of an Indian Fur Trader and clarifies the colonial economy as well as the Indian wars.
Ramsey, Robert W. Carolina Cradle: Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. 1964. Reprint. Chapter 3 includes Sherrills.
Schaefer, Christina K. *Genealogical Encyclopedia of the Colonial Americas. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1998. While listing primarily sources found at the Family History Library, this book is beyond useful for finding aids.
Sherrill, William Andrew. Captain William Sherrill Son of Adam and Elizabeth and Some of Their Descendants. Decorah, IA: The Anundsen Publishing Co. 1979. This book represents a colossal effort on the part of Bill Anderson and other Sherrill researchers to document one of our ancestors, Captain William Sherrill, and his family. A book has been planned for each of Adam Sherrill's sons. This book and at least one other about Jacob have been completed.
Trager, James. *The People's Chronology: A Year-by-Year Record of Human Events from Prehistory to the Present. New York: Henry Holt and Co. 1994. The timeline contained in these many pages makes history more accurate.
As you can imagine, I've got books piled all over the place. Several of the books mentioned above are just great reads including those by O'Brien, Horwitz and Fischer. Enjoy!
Baldwin, Carl R. Echoes of Their Voices: A Saga of the Pioneers Who Pushed the Frontier Westward to the Mississippi. St Louis, MO: Hawthorn Publishing Company, Inc. 1978. Though this book does not discuss the Frees themselves, it describes the lives and circumstances of the Illinois frontiersmen when the Frees arrived.
Everton, A. Lee et al. *The Handy Book for Genealogists. Logan, UT: Everton Publishers, Inc. 1999. The Handybook is essential for finding county records.
Fischer, David Hackett. *Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. New York: Oxford University Press.1989. It is my opinion that colonial American research should not be done without this book.
Horwitz, Tony. A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America. Containing very readable "new" history, Horwtiz' book is fundamental to basic colonial history.
Johnston, George. History of Cecil County, Maryland and the Early Settlements around the Head of the Chesapeake Bay and on the Delaware River with Sketches of Some of the Old Families of Cecil County. Philadelphia: Dickson and Gilling. 1881.
O'Brien, Greg. Chronology of Native Americans: The Ultimate Guide to North America's Indigenous Peoples. London: Amber Books Ltd. 2011. This book contains a job description of an Indian Fur Trader and clarifies the colonial economy as well as the Indian wars.
Ramsey, Robert W. Carolina Cradle: Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. 1964. Reprint. Chapter 3 includes Sherrills.
Schaefer, Christina K. *Genealogical Encyclopedia of the Colonial Americas. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1998. While listing primarily sources found at the Family History Library, this book is beyond useful for finding aids.
Sherrill, William Andrew. Captain William Sherrill Son of Adam and Elizabeth and Some of Their Descendants. Decorah, IA: The Anundsen Publishing Co. 1979. This book represents a colossal effort on the part of Bill Anderson and other Sherrill researchers to document one of our ancestors, Captain William Sherrill, and his family. A book has been planned for each of Adam Sherrill's sons. This book and at least one other about Jacob have been completed.
Trager, James. *The People's Chronology: A Year-by-Year Record of Human Events from Prehistory to the Present. New York: Henry Holt and Co. 1994. The timeline contained in these many pages makes history more accurate.
As you can imagine, I've got books piled all over the place. Several of the books mentioned above are just great reads including those by O'Brien, Horwitz and Fischer. Enjoy!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Margaret Rudisil and Elizabeth Corzine conclusions substantiated sort of
Re: Margaret Rudisil
1. A Rudisil researcher, Sherry Atwood, made this statement on genforum 16 May 2010:
"This makes me believe that Margaret's name was Rudil and not Rudisil. I am descended from the Rudisil's of Lincoln Co., NC on my maternal line. I have lots of documentation on this line...but never found a Margaret Rusidil that would fit."
RE: Elizabeth Corzine
In the same doc, this deed is quoted:
Be it remembered that on the first day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & thirty six personally appeared before me the subscriber
one of his Lordships Justices of the Provincial Court Adam Sherwill & Elizabeth Corzine his wife &
acknowledge the within deed of conveyance to be their act and deed and the land and premises
therein mentioned to be the right and property of the said Samuel Caldwell his heirs and assigns
forever and the said Elizabeth being privately examined out of the hearing of her said husband by
me pursuant to an act of assembly in that case made and provided declared that she gave him her
consent to the within alienation & this acknowledgement without any manner of compulsion or
fear of her husband.
However, that is NOT what the deed said. Patricia Ward clarified on 5 Apr 2011 that the deed actually said this:I have a copy of the Land Indenture you referenced between Adam Sherwill/Sherwell & his wife Elizabeth dated 1 Sep 1736. However, it doesn't give the maiden name of Elizabeth. Where you have typed Elizabeth "Corzine" the record only says "...Adam Sherwill & Elizabeth his wife & acknowledges the within Deed of Conveyance to be their Act and Deed..." I obtained this copy from a microfilm of the original about 1963, so it is cumbersome and quite large. But it is still readable--kind of like a negative though. I wish the record did give the maiden name of Elizabeth but it just isn't there anywhere in the record. Someone has given you some wrong information. If you like, I will obtain a copy for you that will be easier to read. I have been trying to track down the Corzine name but believe an error was made when it was discovered that Sina Corzine was the wife of Adam Sherrill Jr.
It has often been difficult to tell which William was which and which Adam was which because there were so many. Hence, early researchers assigned identifiers to some of these early Sherrills. The first William is now known as the Fur Trader or the Conestoga Trader or the Indian Trader or even the Conestoga Fur Trader. I just call him the Fur Trader for simplicity. His son William Sherrill was called Captain, not because he was a Captain in the Revolutionary War where he was a Private but because he was, apparently, a Captain in the NC militia. Adam, the son of William the Fur Trader was called the Pioneer because he was the first to cross the Catawba River into the great wilderness beyond.
But before these identifiers were commonly used, researchers could find three or four William Sherrills in one record. The same with Adam. So the names of the wives were mixed up. As you have seen, many people thought William the Fur Trader's wife's name was Margaret. Not so, but his son Captain William's wife was Margaret. Many people thought the pioneer Adam's wife was Elizabeth Corzine. His wife is Elizabeth as the above deed shows. However her surname is NOT Corzine. That is the surname of his daughter-in-law.
If you have questions, please ask.
1. A Rudisil researcher, Sherry Atwood, made this statement on genforum 16 May 2010:
"This makes me believe that Margaret's name was Rudil and not Rudisil. I am descended from the Rudisil's of Lincoln Co., NC on my maternal line. I have lots of documentation on this line...but never found a Margaret Rusidil that would fit."
RE: Elizabeth Corzine
In the same doc, this deed is quoted:
Be it remembered that on the first day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & thirty six personally appeared before me the subscriber
one of his Lordships Justices of the Provincial Court Adam Sherwill & Elizabeth Corzine his wife &
acknowledge the within deed of conveyance to be their act and deed and the land and premises
therein mentioned to be the right and property of the said Samuel Caldwell his heirs and assigns
forever and the said Elizabeth being privately examined out of the hearing of her said husband by
me pursuant to an act of assembly in that case made and provided declared that she gave him her
consent to the within alienation & this acknowledgement without any manner of compulsion or
fear of her husband.
However, that is NOT what the deed said. Patricia Ward clarified on 5 Apr 2011 that the deed actually said this:I have a copy of the Land Indenture you referenced between Adam Sherwill/Sherwell & his wife Elizabeth dated 1 Sep 1736. However, it doesn't give the maiden name of Elizabeth. Where you have typed Elizabeth "Corzine" the record only says "...Adam Sherwill & Elizabeth his wife & acknowledges the within Deed of Conveyance to be their Act and Deed..." I obtained this copy from a microfilm of the original about 1963, so it is cumbersome and quite large. But it is still readable--kind of like a negative though. I wish the record did give the maiden name of Elizabeth but it just isn't there anywhere in the record. Someone has given you some wrong information. If you like, I will obtain a copy for you that will be easier to read. I have been trying to track down the Corzine name but believe an error was made when it was discovered that Sina Corzine was the wife of Adam Sherrill Jr.
It has often been difficult to tell which William was which and which Adam was which because there were so many. Hence, early researchers assigned identifiers to some of these early Sherrills. The first William is now known as the Fur Trader or the Conestoga Trader or the Indian Trader or even the Conestoga Fur Trader. I just call him the Fur Trader for simplicity. His son William Sherrill was called Captain, not because he was a Captain in the Revolutionary War where he was a Private but because he was, apparently, a Captain in the NC militia. Adam, the son of William the Fur Trader was called the Pioneer because he was the first to cross the Catawba River into the great wilderness beyond.
But before these identifiers were commonly used, researchers could find three or four William Sherrills in one record. The same with Adam. So the names of the wives were mixed up. As you have seen, many people thought William the Fur Trader's wife's name was Margaret. Not so, but his son Captain William's wife was Margaret. Many people thought the pioneer Adam's wife was Elizabeth Corzine. His wife is Elizabeth as the above deed shows. However her surname is NOT Corzine. That is the surname of his daughter-in-law.
If you have questions, please ask.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
theme for the Free History
As mentioned earlier, the working title of this history is American Ancestors and Descendants of Mary Pennington and Andrew Free. During this month when we celebrate the creation of our country and the LDS pioneers, the words to a hymn struck me as the perfect theme for the book.
They, the builders of the nation, blazing trails along the way;
Stepping-stones for generations were their deeds of every day.
Building new and firm foundations, pushing on the wild frontier,
Forging onward, ever onward, blessed, honored Pioneer!
Hymn #36, They, the Builders of the Nation by Ida R. Allredge
From William Sherwill to Andrew Free to Absalom Pennington and from Agnes White to Mary Pennington to Betsy Strait and Annie Hicks, we have courageous and adventurous ancestors to celebrate.
They, the builders of the nation, blazing trails along the way;
Stepping-stones for generations were their deeds of every day.
Building new and firm foundations, pushing on the wild frontier,
Forging onward, ever onward, blessed, honored Pioneer!
Hymn #36, They, the Builders of the Nation by Ida R. Allredge
From William Sherwill to Andrew Free to Absalom Pennington and from Agnes White to Mary Pennington to Betsy Strait and Annie Hicks, we have courageous and adventurous ancestors to celebrate.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
kudos to these authors
Several of the people pictured have provided much support and information on the Free family. Here are just a few things Mary Decker, Mae B Rose, Lory M Free and I have done for the Free history over the years. I would like to thank all who have ever helped in any way and hope to express that gratitude at regular intervals. Don't let me forget anyone. Email me with reminders of those to thank.
Decker, Mary. RE: Allens, Morrows, Davises. Rootsweb.com. 19 Jun 2001.
Decker, Mary. RE: Betsy Straight Free. Rootsweb.com.
Free, Lory M and Myrtle Joy. Financed much Free and Hicks research starting in the 1950s. They commissioned researchers Christensen and Frank Smith to find ancestors. I have their research books.
VanderBeek, Helen Free and Pat Whiting, Co-Editors. Born Free. 1980-1981.
VanderBeek, Helen Free. Free Census Research Report. Jan 1975.
VanderBeek, Helen Free. Free Family News. several vols. 1977. Though my name is not on these, I did them and thought I'd set the record straight.
Though not yet pictured, I'd also like to thank Jill Shoemaker and Judy Gunter for their wonderful books on the Free and related families. More about those in the future.
Decker, Mary. RE: Allens, Morrows, Davises. Rootsweb.com. 19 Jun 2001.
Decker, Mary. RE: Betsy Straight Free. Rootsweb.com.
Free, Lory M and Myrtle Joy. Financed much Free and Hicks research starting in the 1950s. They commissioned researchers Christensen and Frank Smith to find ancestors. I have their research books.
| Free, Rachel. Comp by Helen Free VanderBeek. History of James Bivence Wheeler and Rachel Talmage |
| Lees, Georginia Taylor. The Cultural Aspects, Particularly as They Relate to Speech and Theatre, of the Descendants of Four Families of Brigham Young. Thesis U of Ut 1952 |
| Rose, Mae Biesinger. Absalom Pennington Free. For Purple Sage Camp, DUP Rose, Mae Biesinger and the cousins club. Preston Strait Free and Family |
VanderBeek, Helen Free and Pat Whiting, Co-Editors. Born Free. 1980-1981.
VanderBeek, Helen Free. Free Census Research Report. Jan 1975.
VanderBeek, Helen Free. Free Family News. several vols. 1977. Though my name is not on these, I did them and thought I'd set the record straight.
Though not yet pictured, I'd also like to thank Jill Shoemaker and Judy Gunter for their wonderful books on the Free and related families. More about those in the future.
Mary Pennington Free's ancestry
This sketch of Mary Pennington Free's ancestry shows how the information in the documents proves each section and how they overlap. Of course, we have many other documents. See the earlier blog for the written explanation.
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