USA > New Jersey > Salem County > Salem > History and genealogy of Fenwick's colony > Part 32
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Women at the first rise of the Society of Friends did not participate in meetings of business for more than a quarter of a century afterward. The early sons of the morning of the Quaker Society were not prepared to condemn what Jehovah had declared in the beginning, " that he had made man in his own image," but his evil deeds and practices.
I have digressed somewhat to show that Edward Wade par- ticipated largely in religious as well as in the civil organization of Fenwick's Colony. It appears he always was a firm and steady friend of the proprietor, and was willing to make a due allowance for his foibles and the impetuosity of his disposition, believing his heart was right.
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The brothers, Edward, Robert and Samuel Wade, were born in Northamptonshire, England. They emigrated to this prov- ince in company with John Fenwick. Samnel, the youngest, was born in 1645, and in the year 1668 he married Jane Smith, the daughter of Thomas Smith, of the same county. They had three children born in England, named respectively Henry, Andrew and Ann, and one son born after they arrived in this country, Samuel Wade, Jr., who was born at Alloways Creek in 1685. Their first three children died young. Edward Wade, Samuel's brother, gave him a deed for 100 acres of land, being part of his 1,000 acres of land that he purchased of John Fen- wick. In the year 1680 Samuel and his family settled at Allo- ways Creek on his property, and in 1686 he built himself a one story brick house, it being one of the first of the kind built in South Jersey. Samuel and his wife died in the early part of the eighteenth century, leaving one son, Samuel Wade, Jr., who married and lived on his patrimonial estate until his death in 1733. He left four daughters, his two sons, Joseph and Sam- uel, having died the year before their father. One of his daughters married James Barker, and they had one son, John Barker, whose occupation was that of a tailor. He resided in Philadelphia, and at the breaking out of the Revolutionary war joined the army, and was in a short time promoted to a colonel, and continued in the army until the war was ended. Soon after he was elected Mayor of the city of Philadelphia, he being the Republican candidate and Robert Wharton the Federal candidate. The contest for that office was kept up between these two men for many years. Barker was elected three or four different times, and Wharton also was elected to the office for several terms.
Esther Wade, the third daughter of Samuel Wade, Jr., married Samuel Lewis, and she left one son-James Lewis. He followed his trade, which was that of a tailor, in the village of Hancock's Bridge. He left two children. Esther Lewis lived the greater part of her life with her unele, John Barker, in Philadelphia, and after his death she came to Salem and taught school for several years. Solomon Lewis was a chair maker, and carried on that business several years in the town of Salem. He married a young woman by the name of Brown in the county of Gloucester,and purchased a farm in that neigh- borhood and became a farmer. Some of his children are living there at the present time. Samuel's fourth daughter married John Tyler, of Cumberland county, and she left several children.
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John Stewart was born in Scotland in 1709. His parents belonged to the nobility of Edinburgh, and he consequently received a liberal education. He left his native land in compa- ny with two other young men of the same standing in society, unknown to their parents. They arrived in West New Jersey in 1728. John Stewart at that time was abont nineteen years of age. Soon afterwards he hired as a farm laborer with George Abbott, Jr., in Elsinborough, and remained with him until he married Mary Wade, the eldest daughter of Samuel Wade, Jr. He by that time, it is believed, received some remittances from Scotland which enabled him to buy the three other shares of the homestead farm of the Wades. Accordingly he and his wife commenced life at that place, and both lived to be over four-score years. He raised another story on the old brick house that Samuel Wade had built more than fifty years before. John Stewart having more education than was common for men to have at that time, was called on frequently to transact business for the public. The community had great confidence in his ability and integrity. He was also pleasing in his address and a good conversationalist. That latter trait of character was transmitted to his children and grand-children generally. He and his wife Mary had nine children-Elizabeth, Lydia, Samuel, John, Mary, Ann, James, Milicint and Joseph. I believe two of them, Ann and Milicint, died minors. Eliza- beth, the oldest, married a Bradway, which I mentioned in the genealogy of the Bradway Family. Lydia, their second daugh- ter, married a Duell of Pilesgrove, the grandmother of the present John and Samnel Duell of that place.
Samuel Stewart married Ann Tyler, the daughter of William Tyler. He and his wife bought what is known as the Cow Neck farm, in the township of Salem, and at that place they spent their days. He was much esteemed in general society for his kindness and evenness of temper, and by reason of his clear and excellent judgment, he was frequently called upon to settle dif- ferences between persons in the neighborhood in which he lived. He likewise often served as commissioner in dividing lands in this and neighboring counties. It was in acting in that capacity, dividing the great estate of Benjamin B. Cooper, in the lower part of Cumberland county, that he took a severe cold and died a short time afterwards, leaving four children-Ann, Mark, Mary and Joseph. Ann Stewart married William Griseom, and they had six children-Samuel, William, George, John, Charles and Mary Griseom.
Mark Stewart's first wife and mother of his children was Eliz-
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abeth Denn, the daughter of James Denn. Their children's names were John, Samuel, Sarah, James, Joseph, William, Eliz- abeth and Mary Ann Stewart.
Joseph Stewart's wife was Rachel Bradway, the daughter of William Bradway. John Stewart's wife was Hannah Butcher, of Cumberland. They left one son-James Stewart. Mary Stewart married Job Bacon, of Cumberland; they had three children-Job, Elizabeth and George. James Stewart's first wife was a Sheppard. She lived but a short time after marriage. His second wife was Mary Ballinger, whose parents resided near Woodbury. They had five children-James, Deborah, Beulah, Mary and Samuel. There were three men about of an age, natives of the township of Alloways, who were above ordinary men in intellect. Their names were Professor John Griscom, William Waddington and James Stewart, Jr. The latter fol- lowed the sea most of his life, and was considered an excellent navigator. He married Sarah Smith, and left five children- Ann, William, Mary, Sarah and James Stewart.
The grandfather of the above mentioned children died with the cancer in his face about the year 1835. I went to see him a few days before his death. The old man was sitting up in his bedroom apparently comfortable and quite cheerful. In our conversation I remarked the room looked ancient, and he said it was, for his mother was born there and lived eighty-five years and died in the same room she was born in, and eighty-five years and a few days over, I was born in the same room and expect to die here in a short time, which he accordingly did. Joseph Stewart, the brother of James, was by trade a hatter, and fol- lowed that business in the town of Greenwich, where he died in the prime of his life of hemorrhage of the lungs.
WADDINGTON FAMILY.
William Waddington was a French Hugeunot, and emigrated to this country about 1690. He purchased of Edward Wade 1,000 acres of land, it being the southern portion of his allot- ment, and settled thereon. The said property was held by one of the branches of the Waddington family until about ten years ago. William and his wife had one son, Jonathan Waddington, who subsequently married and had four or five daughters and one son-Jonathan, Hannah, Ann, Elizabeth and Jane Wad- dington. Hannah, the eldest daughter, married Maurice Bees- ley ; they had five children-Walker, Hannah, Mary, Benjamin and Abner Beesley. Walker, the eldest son, was killed at the massacre in the Revolutionary war at Hancock's Bridge. Han- nah, the daughter of Maurice and Hannah Beesley, married John Beesley, her cousin ; they had two sons-Walker and David Beesley. The latter died a young man, unmarried. Mary, the daughter of Maurice and Hannah W. Beesley, married Peter Townsend, of Cape May; they had no issue. Benjamin, the son of Maurice and Hannah W. Beesley, died a young man. Abner, the youngest son of Maurice and Hannah Wad- dington Beesley, married Mary, the daughter of John and Su- sanna Mason, of Elsinborough ; they had issue-Mary, William, Benjamin and Thomas Beesley. [See Mason Family.] Ann Waddington, daughter of Jonathan Waddington, married in 1750 John Baracliff.
Elizabeth, daughter of Jonathan Waddington, married Ed- ward, the son of Jonathan Bradway, in 1760; they had four sons and two daughters-David, Hannah, Waddington, Edward, who died young, Adna and Elizabeth; the latter married Abraim Silvers. Hannah Bradway, her sister, married Job Stretch; they had issue, Jane, the youngest daughter of Jona- than Waddington, married Bradway Keasbey, she being his second wife; they had one daughter, Sarah Keasbey, who married John, the son of Edward and Hannah Pancoast. John and his wife Sarah K. Pancoast had six children-Hannah, John, Israel, Jane, David and Aaron Pancoast.
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Jonathan Waddington, Jr., I think, married the grand-daugh- ter of John and Mary Chambless Hancock. He died in 1760, leaving an infant son-Jonathan Waddington, 3d. He was the only one at the death of his father that bore the name of Waddington in this country, and he subsequently married Sarah, the daughter of Aaron Bradway, of Elsinborough. Jonathan and Sarah B. Waddington had six sons-William, Robert, Aaron, Jonathan, Thomas and Edward Waddington. William, their eldest son, married Martha, the daughter of Jesse Carll ; they had six children-Anna, Sarah, William, Martha, Hannah and Jesse Waddington. Robert, second son of Jonathan and Sarah Waddington, married, and died a young man, leaving three sons-Aaron, Samuel and James Wadding- ton. Aaron, the son of Jonathan Waddington, 3d, married Sarah, the daughter of Edward Keasbey; they have three daughters and two sons-Sarah Ann, Lydia, Joshua, Bradway and Jane Waddington. Jonathan, the son of Jonathan and Sarah Waddington, died unmarried. Thomas, son of the before mentioned parents, was twice married. By his first wife he had five children-Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary, Jonathan and Thomas Waddington, and his second wife was Hannah Davis ; there were two children-Beulah and Jane Waddington. Edward, the youngest son of Jonathan and Sarah Bradway Waddington, married Prudence, the daughter of Edward and Lydia Keasbey; they had eight children-Richard, Sarah, Edward, Prudence, Elizabeth, Joseph, Lydia Ann and Prudence Waddington.
WHITACAR FAMILY.
The Whitacars are an ancient English family. Richard, the ancestor of the Whitacars in West Jersey, was a native of Lon- don. By tradition, he came to America at the time of the plague, in 1665, or in the following year, after the great fire. The record of the family in England is supposed to have passed into the hands of other branches. About a hundred years ago, an Englishman who was traveling in this country told a mem- ber of the Whitacar family that he knew a place in England called Whitacarsfield, which was doubtless the family property. The early Whitacars were very particular about the spelling of their names, this having been enjoined upon them by Richard, the emigrant, who stated that there were landed estates in Eng- land belonging to the Whitacars, which they might inherit at some time were they careful to keep up their record and the olden way of spelling their names. In latter years, however, the last syllable was changed from "car" to "ker," and it is now generally spelled Whitaker.
I have no doubt, if their tradition is correct, that Richard landed in Maryland, and in company with some others entered the Delaware bay in a small vessel, and ascended up the river as far as Billingsport, he being the first of the company that reached the shore, and was therefore the first Englishman that set foot on West New Jersey. He sprang on shore, and with a hatchet cut down a bush, according to the ancient mode of taking possession, in the name of King Charles II. He doubt- less remained in America but a short time before he returned to England. It is probable that soon after his return he became a member of the Society of Friends. When Fenwick was fitting out his expedition to West New Jersey, together with a number of emigrants who had previously bought land of him, I find Richard Whitacar was one of the number. William Hancock, of the county of Middlesex, purchased 1,000 acres and one build- ing lot of 16 acres in the town that the proprietor should lay out when he arrived in West Jersey; the said Hancock ap- pointed his friend Richard Whitacar his Attorney until he came
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to take charge of it, which he accordingly did in 1677. The power of Attorney reads : "Be it known unto all men by these "presents, that I, William Hancock, of the parish of St. Len- " ard, Shoreditch, county of Middlesex, to Richard Whitacar, " of ye city of London, to be my lawful Attorney, deputy for " me, in my name, for all my lott or lotts of land situate, lying and "being in New Jersey, or Nova Cæssaria, America in ye parts. " And I the said William Hancock, shall and will ratify, allow, " confirm all and whatsoever my said Attorney or his substitutes " shall lawfully do or cause to be done in or about the Premises, "by virtue of these presents. In witness whereof, I, the said " William Hancock, have hereunto sett my hand and seal the " sixth day of July, Anno Domini, 1675. And in ye 27th year "of Reign of our Sovereign Lord. King Charles ye second, " over England. William Hancock. Sealed and delivered in " ye presence of us, Thomas Sramodmo and William Johnson, " Esq., Notary Public." It is said that this paper was executed the day previous to the sailing of the ship Griffin, which is a further confirmation that John Smith and Samuel Nicholson were correct in stating that the ship anchored opposite Elsin- borough Point 23d of 9th month, 1675, that making them two months and sixteen days on the passage.
The power of Attorney, and a black morocco book in which Richard Whitacar carried it over the sea, is still in the possession of the family, which I have no doubt they highly prize .- Richard Whitacar was made one of Fenwick's Council of Pro- prietors to govern West Jersey, which office he held from 1676 to 1702, at which time the Colonial Government was formed. He resided most of his time in the town of Salem until about 1690. On 17th of 1st month, 1679, he and Elizabeth Adkin of Alloways Creek, were married in Salem at Friends' Meeting, in the old log meeting house on the Nicholson lot. In 1690 he and his wife moved to the South Cohansic precinct, where about that time there was a considerable emigration from parts of New England and East Jersey, and at that place he located on a large tract of land not far from New Englandtown, and there they settled. The land lay in Fairfield township .- Richard, soon after he settled in the township, built himself a substantial brick dwelling. This property, I have been inform- ed, belonged to the family until after the old French war .- The house was taken down some ten years ago; the piles of old bricks were to be seen in various places in 1873-all that remained of the old Whitacar mansion.
Richard Whitacar and Henry Buck kept a store for several
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years near New Englandtown, where they owned a large sloop and traded with New York and Boston. The firm doubtless transacted a great deal of business, this being the only store of any importance in that region. The place where the present thriving city of Bridgeton is now was then a wilderness. The old store book of the firm is still in possession of the family. The writer had an opportunity of looking through it some time since, and it is particularly interesting to the antiquarian, giving as it does a knowledge of the names of inany of the early inhab- itants of that section of Cumberland county which otherwise probably would have been lost. The first entry in the book is dated October 9th, 1704, and in the page before is written, " We sailed from Boston September 18th, 1704." It appears by the day book that they kept dry goods, groceries, ready-made clothing, liquors and books, particularly school books, bibles and psalm books, and farming implements. Richard Whitacar and his partner, Henry Buck, did considerable public business, as their names frequently appear in the Court minutes to be seen in the Salem Clerk's Office, beginning with 1706, but after 1709 Richard's name is missing. He doubtless died the following winter, and is thought to have been about sixty-six years of age. Henry Buck died about 1726. Richard Whitacar left a number of children. One of his sons, Richard, married and had issue; his oldest child was Nathaniel, whose descendants are given. Of the other children of Richard, Sr., and Elizabeth Whitacar and their branches it is impossible to speak of with certainty. One of their daugh- ters, however, probably married Samuel Alexander, of Fairfield. Their daughters were merged into other families, but there have always been sons enough to keep up the name. They are scattered over the country, and it would be no easy task to collect their genealogies. Silas Whitacar, one of the celebrated party who burned the tea at Greenwich 22d of 12th month, 1774, was a descendant of Richard.
Although Richard Whitacar, Sr., and his wife, Elizabeth Adkin Whitacar, and their children when young, were mem- bers of the Society of Friends, most of their descendants at the present time are Presbyterians. Nathaniel Whitacar, son of Richard, Jr., married Mary Ann Dixon, 18th of 11th month, 1729. Their children were Ambrose, Lemuel (who died young,) Lewis W., who married but died at an early age, leaving three children, whose names were Lydia, Lemuel and Lewis. Lydia married her cousin, Nathaniel Whitacar; Lemuel settled near Muskingum, in Ohio, and died there, leaving several children,
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being about eighty years of age at the time of his death. Lewis settled at Muskingum, Ohio; from thence to Henepin, Illinois, and died there leaving several children. One of his children, John Whitacar, was one of the framers of the Constitution of Illinois, in 1818. Mary, the wife of Nathaniel Whitacar, died 13th of 9th month, 1738, Nathaniel's second wife was Ruth Buek; their children were Sarah, who died unmarried about 1808 ; Hannah, their second daughter, married Ephraim Foster; Daniel Whitacar, their son, died a single man; Ruth, the young- est daughter, married Josiah Harris, by whom she had two sons- Enos and John Harris; Josiah died. Ruth's second husband was a Davis, by whom she had two children, one of whom was named Sarah, who married a young man by the name of Mench ; they settled at Cincinnati, Ohio. Nathaniel Whitacar died in 12th month, 1752, aged about fifty-eight years.
Ambrose Whitacar, the eldest son of Nathaniel, married Freelove Stratton 16th of 1st month, 1755; the children were Freelove, Mary, Nathaniel, Abigail and Catharine. Freelove, wife of Ambrose Whitacar, died in her thirty-third year. On the 10th of 12th month, 1766, Ambrose married Ruth Harris, by whom he had the following children-David, Hannah and Lewis. Ruth died, 5th of 10th month, 1772, in her thirty-ninthi year. Ambrose married his third wife, Rachel Leake; their children were Recompence, Oliver, Freelove, Isaac, Sarah and Leake. The last named married Dr. Robert H. VanMeter. [See Van Meter Family.] Ambrose Whitacar departed this life 5th of 11th month, 1796, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. Rachel, his last wife, died 30th of 1st month, 1823, in her eigh- tieth year ; both are buried in the same grave in the Presbyte- rian church yard at Daretown.
Freelove, daughter of Ambrose and Freelove Whitacar, mar- ried, when young, Butler Thompson ; she died while young, leaving one daughter, Mary Thompson, who subsequently mar- ried Thomas Sheppard, by whom she had four children-Lydia, Sarah, Ann and Mark. Lydia Sheppard married Evi Smith, son of David Smith, of Mannington; they had three children- Charles, Mary and Hannah. Mary married David, the son of Elisha and Mary Bassett. Hannah married Edward H. Bas- sett ; Hannah is deceased. Charles, the son of Evi and Lydia Smith, married and resided in Philadelphia ; he is deceased and left issue, two sons. Sarah, daughter of Thomas and Mary Sheppard, married Anthony Taylor; they had six children- Mary, Sheppard, Samuel, Joseph, Anthony and Sarah. Mark, the son of Thomas and Mary Sheppard, married Patience
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Buzby ; their children were Joseph, John, Lydia and Mary Sheppard. Ann, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Sheppard, married Joseph Harmer, of Greenwich ; they had six children -Mark, Ruth, Sarah, Richard, Elwood and Letitia Harmer. The second husband of Mary, the widow of Thomas Sheppard, was Samuel Silvers; they had one son, Thomas Silvers, who resides in the city of New York. He married Anna V. Bird, of Philadelphia ; they have three children-Helena, Isabel and Melbourne Silvers. Thomas is quite an inventive genius ; his most noted invention is the steam governor. His family resides in the city of New York, but he himself spends most of his time in London. Mary's third husband was William White, of Woodstown; he died many years before her. After his death she resided at Greenwich with her relatives, but died at Woods- town over four-score years of age. Mary, danghter of Ambrose and Freelove Whitacar, married Jedediah Ogden, in 1783; they had five children-Isaac, Ambrose, Jedediah, Ruth, Neve and Daniel. Isaac Ambrose Ogden is a Presbyterian minister, settled in Ohio, and has several children. Jedediah and Daniel Ogden settled near Fairfield, Indiana, and have several children. Ruth Ogden married Obediah Bennett, and in 1854 was a widow with children. Neve Ogden died, leaving children. Nathaniel, son of Ambrose and Freelove Whitacar, married his cousin Lydia, in 1784 ; they had five children-Jael, Ruel, Anna, Nathaniel and Lydia. Jael and Nathaniel settled near Henepin, Illinois. Ruel married and had a number of children, among whom are Abigail, Clara, Ephar and Harriet. Abigail died unmarried. Clara has been twiec married ; her first hus- band was a Harris, and her second husband is Judge Whitacar, of Fairton. Ephar is a Presbyterian minister, settled in South- hold, Long Island, and has several children. Harriet married Professor Clark, of Tennessee. Anna Whitacar married Pres- cott Bishop. Lydia married James Craig, and settled near the home of her ancestors in Cumberland county.
Abigail, daughter of Ambrose and Freelove Whitacar, mar- ried Jeffrey Parvin, in 1785, and died in 1794, leaving two children-Sarah and Abigail Parvin. Sarah married Daniel Simkins and died, leaving three children. Abigail married Moses Riley and was left a widow with two children. Catha- rine, daughter of Ambrose and Freelove Whitacar, married Joshua Reeve, of Bridgeton, in 1782 and died in 1796, in her thirty-fourth year, leaving several children; their names were Samuel, Elizabeth, Joshua, Thomas, Catharine, Harriet and Maria. Samuel, the eldest, died young ; Elizabeth married
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George Johnson, settled in Philadelphia and died in 1848, leaving children ; Joshua enlisted in the army and died ; Thomas married Eunice Bishop and died near Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1838, leaving six children-Daniel, Charles B., Caroline, Mary, John B. and Horace. Catharine, the daughter of Joshua and Catharine W. Reeve, married Benjamin Forbes and died, leaving several children ; Harriet married David Husted ; Maria mar- ried Vickers Harris and was left a widow in 1853.
David, son of Ambrose Whitaker, by his second wife Ruth, married Catharine DuBois in 1788, and died 29th of 7th month, 1807, aged forty years. They had six children-Peter, Ruth, Elizabeth, Lewis, David and Rebecca. Peter married Nancy Riley. Their children were Lorenzo, Lucins, William, Louisa and James Lambert. Lorenzo, the eldest son, married Sarah Cake; died and left two children-Lucius and Anna Whitaker. Lucius Whitaker married Ruth Nixon. There were three chil- dren. William died unmarried. Louisa Whitaker married Wil- liam Cole, of Woodstown; he is now deceased. They had two children-Annie and William Cole. James Lambert Whitaker married Fannie Reeves, and settled in Bridgeton. He died 8th month, 1875, leaving one child. Ruth, daughter of David and Catharine DuBois Whitaker, married David VanMeter ; both of them are deceased leaving children-Isaac W., David, Phebe and Enoch VanMeter. Elizabeth Whitaker, daughter of David, married Isaac Mayhew; both are deceased, leaving children. Lewis and David Whitaker, sons of David, settled near Logans- port, Indiana. Rebecca, the youngest daughter of David, mar- ried Joseph Heward. They also settled at Logansport.
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