With turkeys thawing and groceries bought for the big Thanksgiving feast, I thought I would talk about our immigrant ancestors. All lines go back to colonial days, but not all go back to the 1600s. Still, I think it’s a pretty impressive list! Please note that I reference my relationship, stating “my” 6x great-grandfather, etc., not “our,” simply because I know some of my cousin’s children are also reading this. If you are my 1st cousin, you can read “my” as yourself; if you are my cousin’s child (or my niece or nephew) any reference to “great” relation you will need to add 1, meaning my 6x great is your 7x great.
Thankfully, this isn't our national bird!
LAREW
I have no information on our LAREW immigrants or any related families – another “Brick Wall” of my family research. The earliest record I have is 1743, when Francis LARUE was born in Pennsylvania.
WALLIS
This family line is another brick wall in knowing who came across the Pond. The earliest person I have is George ALLEN, Sr., born in 1720 in Virginia.
VANHOOSER
The Vanhooser line in America begins with Jan Franse VAN HUSUM (1608-1667), a sailor, who moved from the village of Husum in Schleswig-Holstein province, a region which was caught in a tug-of-war between Belgium and German occupation. From there he and his fiancé went to the Netherlands, got married, and emigrated to New Netherland, now New York. He may have worked as a clerk for the Van Rensselaers, a wealthy Dutch family in New Netherland. He moved into a city, whereas most of my other relatives bought land and worked the land, raising crops and/or livestock.
STOCKTON
This family tree is by far the easiest to trace due to Richard STOCKTON (1730-1781) being a signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The immigrant was Richard STOCKTON I (1630-1707), my 8x great grandfather and the great-grandfather of Richard the signer. According to “Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775” Richard the immigrant was born in Malpas, England about 1630. He was most likely a descendant of Sir John Stockton, Lord Mayor of London from 1470 to 1471. He arrived in Flushing, Long Island (New York) around 1655. Around 1692, Richard purchased 2,000 acres in Burlington County, New Jersey. It was here that he joined the Quaker church.
CHURCHWELL
Our CHURCHWELL immigrant is unknown. However, in this family tree there are several family lines whose immigrant ancestor has been identified. One of my 9x great-grandfathers was John WOODSON, Sr., born in 1586 in Devonshire, England, he boarded the ship George and landed at Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. He was a physician, and was killed by Indians within sight of his cabin. Another 8x great-grandfather, Thomas FLEMING, immigrated from Scotland to Jamestown, Virginia in 1616. 8x great-grandfather, Stephen TARLETON was born in England, his year of immigration is unknown. He died in New Kent County, Virginia in 1687.
One of my 6x great-grandfather William TERRELL, Jr. immigrated from England. He was born between 1659-1660, and by 1720, was living in New Kent County, Virginia. Another 6x great-grandfather, William GAY, Jr. (??-1755), was born in Ireland and immigrated in 1740 to Orange County, Virginia. He served as constable in 1746 for Augusta County. His son James GAY, Sr., was born in Ireland about 1719, he was living in Augusta County, Virginia by 1755. His sister (presumably Eleanor) was said to be the first white woman in Lexington, Kentucky.
My 5x great-grandfather, James LOCKRIDGE (1690-??), was another early resident of Augusta County, Virginia. Little else has been written about him. I did find some property records for several Lockridges in Calfpasture, Augusta County, Virginia throughout the 1700s.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! May you find many things to be thankful for, and have opportunity to share that sentiment with those gathered around your Thanksgiving table.
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