Category: Ancestor Sketch

Research into the four family Lines, Roberts, Brown, Howell, and Darling.

Brown – Surname Saturday (2)

Brown Surname Meaning[i]

English, Scottish, and Irish: Generally a nickname referring to the color of the hair or complexion, Middle English br(o)un, from Old English brun or Old French brun. As an American family name, it has absorbed numerous surnames from other languages with the same meaning.[i] The name is from an old adjective meaning ‘brown dark red,’ Old English and OHG. [ii]

Geographical[ii]

Although only ranked #202 globally, the surname Brown is ranked #2 in Scotland and Canada, #3 in Australia, and #4 in England and the United States. In the United States, it is surpassed only by Smith, Johnson, and Williams in frequency.[iii]

In the 1840s, the Brown families in the United States were in every state but concentrated in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.[iv]

Direct Brown Ancestors

    • 4th Great-Grandmother – Mary Brown (___-Bef. Jan 1847) (Married William Price on 16 Jun 1788)[v]
    • 5th Great-Grandfather – Hardy Brown (___-___)[vi]

Direct Brown Descendants

Hardy Brown married Martha Knight probably before 1768. My records have identified 225 direct-line descendants of Hardy and Martha.[vii] However, Mary Brown is the only known Brown surnamed descendant.

I need to research Mary Brown and Hardy Brown much more to better understand the Brown family of Martin County, North Carolina.

Sources:

Endnotes

[i] For the meaning of the Brown surname I was able to take this paragraph from my previous posting: http://dontaylorgenealogy.com/2016/08/surname-saturday-brown.html/ that relates to my Browns. This article relates to my wife’s Brown ancestors.

[ii] Again, the Geographical locations of the Brown surname was taken from my previous article:

[iii] Web: Wikipedia – List of most common surnames in North America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_North_America

[iv] [iv] Ancestry.com; From the 1840 US Federal Census Date – http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=Brown

[v] I have not researched Mary Brown, the wife of William Price, nor her father, Hardy Brown. Mary’s husband, William Price, was born 14 Feb 1762 in Martin County, North Carolina.

[vi] Ibid.

[vii] Internet: Don Taylor Genealogy – “Darling: The Ancestors of the Darling & Huber Family Line” http://dontaylorgenealogy.com/blog-page_3/.

 

Ancestry Updated Ethnicity Estimates & DNA Communities

DNA
Roberts-Brown Ancestors
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.Ancestry has updated their Ethnicity estimates once again. Ancestry likes to look at your DNA from a world perspective, but I find the “DNA Communities” much more interesting. Besides showing you where ancestors may have settled in the United States, it shows possible ancestors from that place and “featured matches,” people who also are in that group and are DNA matches. In my case, I fit into five DNA Communities.

  • My DNA Communities

    Early Connecticut & New York Settlers

  • Southern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin Settlers
  • Central Appalachia Settlers
  • Delaware Valley, Chesapeake, and Midwest Settlers
  • Lower Michigan & Virginia Settlers.

Looking closer at one of the Communities, “Early Connecticut & New York Settlers – 1700-1975,” all four ancestors suggested are from my tree, and all have entries placing them in the location during the period suggested.

Sarah Blackhurst (1847-1928)

2nd Great-Grandmother – Born in England in 1847, immigrated to New York in 1850, located to Michigan in 1860, where she died.

Nelson Barnes (1816-1884)

2nd Great-Grandfather – Born in New York in 1816, moved to Indiana about 1845, where he died.

Chester Parsons (1799-1887)

4th Great-Grandfather – Born in Massachusetts, moved to New York for a short while, located to Michigan by 1826, where he died.

Madonna Montran (1893-1976)

Grandmother – Born in Michigan, lived in New York on and off during her vaudeville career from 1919 to 1930. She lived in Chicago, Michigan, and Minnesota after 1930; she died in Minnesota.

As I look at these “communities,” I wonder if Ancestry really looked at DNA matches or if they only looked at my tree and grouped various individuals into their community based solely upon my tree entries. Likewise, the “Featured Matches” included only people that have trees with the same people that I have in my tree that I do share at least some DNA with.

I guess the bottom line is that I am not impressed with the DNA Communities. That causes me to circle back to looking at Ancestry Ethnicity Estimates.

I did a Birthplace Chart/Spreadsheet about five years ago because it was “all the rage.” It had the potential to help me see what my ethnicity was. Of my 16 2nd great-grandparents, only one was an immigrant. Two were unknown, and the other 13 were all born in the United States. So, from it, I learned I was at least 6.25% from Great Britain.

I recently had a cousin who asked if I knew exactly what “Heinz 57 Variety” we were. I told him I hadn’t determined that because most of our ancestors have been in the United States for many generations. Looking at my skin tone, I figure I’m of northern European ancestry. But, after texting with my cousin, I thought it might be fun to add another generation to my Birthplace chart/spreadsheet from five years ago and see if anything new pops up after five years of further research.

No changes. I’m still 6.25% English.

My Illinois-born 2nd great-grandparents’ parents came from a mix of Tennessee, Illinois, and Kentucky. My Ohio 2nd great-grandparents’ parents came from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, and my Ohio 2nd great-grandparents’ parents came from a mix of New Hampshire, New York, and Michigan. There are still 18% of my ancestors that are unknown, but a whopping 2/3 of my 3rd great-grandparents were born in the United States. So, ethnically, I am definitely an American with a smidgen of English.

My “unknown” ethnicity places are known “brick walls.” My great-grandfather, John Montran, parentage is still unknown. I have a project to watch for all Montran’s I can find and learn more about their locations in hopes I can eventually connect John to immigrant ancestors. Likewise, My 2nd great-grandmother, Elisa Jane Fannin, parents have been elusive. I know she was born in Kentucky; I’ve looked at her several times looking for her parents. I need to do more research to try to find her parentage.

My Ethnicity map per Ancestry 2021

Ancestry indicates my ancestors are between 62 and 100% from England, Belgium, and the Channel Islands. Probably true; I have nothing in my pedigree research to disagree with that assessment. Still, it is always nice to receive confirmation.

 

Follow-up on Samuel Pankey

Howell-Pankey Line
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.One of my regular steps in researching ancestors is to “Find BMD Records for each of the children.” In the case of Samuel Pankey’s children, I wanted to pay particular attention to which children had which mother’s. I believed Samuel had eight children, five by one wife and three by a second wife; I wanted to confirm that.

As I began searching for sources, I found an amazing treasure-trove of information in a book, John Pankey of Manakin Town, Virginia, and His Descendants: Descendants and Connections of his Son Stephen Pankey, Sr., of Lucy’s Springs, Chesterfield County, Virginia by George Edward Pankey.

John Pankey of Manakin Town is Samuel Pankey’s grandfather and Stephen Pankey, Sr., is Samuel Pankey’s father. I ordered the book via inter-library loan through my library and it came in just a couple weeks. Wow!. Three volumes of material about the Pankey family – eight pages just about Samuel Pankey and his children. There is just so much information it was overwhelming. Volume 2 is about the descendants of Stephen Pankey’s brother and Volume 3 provides corrections to Volume 1 & 2. Anyway, the book will be so useful I bought a copy on E-Bay.

Thanks to page 49 of Volume 1, I was able to fill in much of the information about Samuel Pankey, his wives, and his children. I learned that Mary Ann and Marion were the same person. I thought that was the case, but I wasn’t certain. Likewise, I learned that Betsey Kinsey was actually an Elizabeth. Again, I thought so, but was very happy to have my thoughts confirmed. I’m also certain his second wife was Martha Burton and not Martha Belford. Pretty much everything I had was confirmed by this book.

Also, it is clear that Samuel and the children of his first wife became estranged. In his will he gave everything to his second wife and the children of that marriage and gave the children of his first marriage one dollar each. A clear sign there was a bad relationship between Samuel and his five children with Betsey.

Updated Spouse and Children List

1st Marriage

Samuel Pankey married Elizabeth “Betsy” Kinsey Binford in 1759. They married in “Henrico County.” However, the county name was somewhat flexible as Henrico County became Goochland County, then Cumberland County. Finally, Powhatan county was formed from Cumberland County in 1777.

Samuel and Elizabeth “Betsey” had five children
Updated information in Green.

Child Name Born Married – Spouse Died
Marion 1761 Shaldrake Broaddus
William Stuart
George Stewart[i]		 1831
Philip 16 February 1763 Ann Brown
Polly Bogs		 Dec 1819
Thomas Armstrong. c. 1764 1783 – Rebecca Hall
1785 – Martha Cannon		 Jun 1829
Judith Elizabeth 1767 Joseph Sallee Oct 1818
Elizabeth “Betsey” Kinsey 1770 1787 – Mordecai Warriner
1796 – George Walton		 1816

2nd Marriage

Samuel married Martha Burton about 1775. They had three children.

Child Name Born Married – Spouse Died
Samuel Hardin 1777 1878 – Mary Burton Sep 1817
Lelah 1782 (never married) Aug 1812
John 1787 1808 – Frances Kidd 1862

I am really excited to continue my review of John Pankey of Manakin Town, Virginia, and His Descendants. I expect to find many more facts regarding my wife’s Pankey ancestors.

Property transfers involving Samuel Pankey[ii]

  • 1759 – Received 80 acres – From Peter Depp, Jr.
  • 1774 – Conveyed 80 acres – To his son Philip Pankey.
  • 1790 – Conveyed 60 acres – To John Depp.
  • 1798 – Received 60 acres – Back from John Depp.
  • 1801 – Received 60 acres – Back from John Depp and his wife Elizabeth
  • 1797 – Conveyed 35 acres – To John Pemberton
  • 1804 – Conveyed 97 & 3/4 acres – to his son, Samuel H. Pankey

Endnotes

[i] It is not clear if Marion’s husbands William Stuart and George Stewart were two people or one person. Further research is needed regarding Marion’s husbands (or husband).

[ii] Updated 22 October 2021 – Source: JOHN PANKEY of Manakin Town, Virginia, and His Descendants, Volume One, by George Edward Pankey, Ruston, Louisiana, 1969, pages 49 & 50.

Ancestor Sketch – Samuel Pankey

Howell Research
Howell-Pankey Line
By Don Taylor

Review

What I think I know.

    • Samuel was born in 1738 in Manakin Town, Goochland County, Virginia Colony[i].
    • Samuel married Betsey Kinsey Binford in 1759 in Henrico County, Virginia Colony[ii].
    • Samuel’s son, Philip Pankie, was born on 16 February 1763 to him and Betsey (Belford). Philip was Christened at St James Northam Parish, Goochland County, Virginia Colony. The birth of Philip indicates that the family surname may be “Pankie” in some records[iii].
    • Samuel Pankey appears in the 1883 “Heads of Families—Virginia, 1783, Powhatan County[iv].
    • Samuel Pankey gave his permission for his daughter, Betsy, to marry Mordecai Warriner on 12 December 1787[v].
    • Samuel died in August 1807 in Manakin Town, Powhatan, Virginia, USA[vi].

What others think they know (and I should consider).

Family Search – Samuel Pankey (1738-1807) is ID LZJ8-NJ3 at Family Search.

    • Samuel Pankey married Martha Burton abt 1775 in Chesterfield County, Virginia Colony. The source is the International Genealogical Index. I have been unable to find sufficient evidence to accept this relationship. However, it appears that Betsey, Samuel’s wife, died about 1770, which explains why her daughter Betsey has the same name. Samuel supposedly had three more children after Betsy’s death; Samuel Hardin, Lelah, and John, and his wife for those children is still a question in my mind. Hopefully, it will become clear as I research all of Samuel’s children.

Ancestry – Samuel Pankey is found in 374 public trees. (Wow) Most are copies of other trees.

    • Several researchers indicate that Samuel Pankey had an 1854 marriage bond with Martha Morton in Richmond County, North Carolina. I have found no evidence that Samuel Pankey, born 1738 in Virginia, never lived in North Carolina. I suspect this is a different Samuel Pankey.
    • Some researchers indicate that Samuel Pankey and Polly Burton married 8 October 1798 in Chesterfield County, Virginia.[vii] This is possible, but the same researchers indicated that Samuel Hardin, Lelah, and John Pankey (born 1777, 1782, & 1786 respectively) are the children of Samuel and Polly. It is possible they lived together for 22 years before they made the marriage legal or 22 years before they reported the marriage. In either event, it is an area for further research. I, however, suspect this is the marriage of Samuel Harden Pankey, son of Samuel, who would have been 22 years old in 1798.

Historical Notes

    • Manakin Town, upstream of Richmond – Source: Library of Congress, 1751 Fry-Jefferson Map

      In 1700 French Huguenot refugees settled an abandoned Monacan village and renamed it Manakin Town in Henrico Shire, Virginia Colony[viii].

    • Goochland County was created in 1728 from Henrico shire (Henrico County). Part of it became Cumberland County in 1749. Powhatan was formed from Cumberland County in 1777. Consequently, dates regarding Samuel Pankey affect the location he was in.
        • 1634-1728 – Henrico Shire.
        • 1728-1749 – Goochland County.
        • 1748-1777 – Cumberland County.
        • 1777-Today – Powhatan County.
    • The 1790 Census for Virginia is lost. The “Heads of Families—Virginia, 1783” is used as a Census Substitute.
    • The 1800 Census for Virginia is lost.

Howell Research – Ancestor #68
Samuel Pankey (1738-1807)

List of Grandparents

    • Grandfather: James Dallas Howell (1879-1964)
    • 1st Great-grandfather: Peter Fletcher Howell (1842-1924)
    • 2nd Great-grandmother:  Caroline M. A Pankey, (1810 … ?)
    • 3rd Great-grandfather: Thomas A Pankey (c. 1760 – 1829)
    • 4th Great-grandfather: Samuel Pankey (1738-1807)
    • 5th Great-grandfather: Stephen Pankey (1711-1789)*
    • 6th Great-grandfather: Jean Panetier (1685-1717)*
    • 7th Great-grandfather: Pierre Panetier (1647-____)*
    • 8th Great-Grandfather: Estienne Panetier (1615-1691)*

* Note: I have not reviewed or researched 5th Great-grandfather Stephen Pankey or earlier ancestors of his. As such, these ancestors are tentative/notional.

Birth

Samuel Pankey was born in 1738 in Manakin Town, Goochland County (Now Powhatan County), Virginia Colony. He was the second of five children of Stephen and Judith (Chastain) Pankey.

He had one older brother, John, and two younger sisters, Mary Ann and Judith, and a younger brother Stephen Pankey, Jr.

Marriage

1st marriage. Samuel Pankey married Betsy Kinsey Binford in 1759. They married in “Henrico County.” However, the county name may have been somewhat flexible as Henrico County became Goochland County, then Cumberland County.

Samuel and Betsy had five children

Child Name Born Married – Spouse Died
Mary Ann 1761   1831
Philip 16 February 1763   1819
Thomas A. Before 1765 1785 – Martha Cannon Jun 1829
Judith Elizabeth 1767   1818
Betsey Kinsey 1770 1787 – Mordecai Warriner 1816

I believe his wife Betsy died in 1770, possibly in childbirth.

It appears that Samuel remarried and had three more children

Samuel and (???) had three children

Child Name Born Married – Spouse Died
Samuel Hardin 1777    
Lelah 1782    
John 1796    

In 1883, Samuel was enumerated as the head of household. His family consisted of four whites and seven blacks. The four whites must have consisted of:

  •             Samuel
  •             Samuel’s wife (her name is still unclear)
  •             Betsy Kinsey Pankey was only 13-years-old in 1783.
  •             Samuel Harden was about six years old.

John’s wife may have passed, and Lila was the fourth white person in the household.

In 1787, Samuel gave permission for his 17-year-old daughter, Betsy, to marry Mordecai Warriner.

Death

Samuel died in August 1807 in Manakin Town, Powhatan County, Virginia.

Events by Location

    • Virginia Colony, Goochland County, Manakin Town – Birth (1738)
    • Virginia Colony, Henrico County, – Marriage (1759)
    • Virginia, Powhatan County – 1783, 1787
    • Virginia, Powhatan County, Manakin Town – Death (1807)
    • Further Actions / Follow-up

Future Actions

  • Get a copy of John Pankey of Manakin Town, Virginia, and his descendants, by George Edward Pankey. (I’ve requested through interlibrary loan, alternately it is available at NEHGS.) See: https://www.worldcat.org/title/john-pankey-of-manakin-town-virginia-and-his-descendants/oclc/72322
  • Find Vital Records for each of the children, particularly paying attention to the mother’s name.
  • Look for Samuel in Revolutionary War Records.
  • Look for property records for Samuel.
  • Look for probate records for Samuel.
  • Look for burial records for Samuel.
  • Review Church Records for Samuel, his wives, and his children. (Philip was Christened at St James Northam Parish.)

Endnotes

[i] Edmund West, Compiler, Family Data Collection – Individual Records, Ancestry, Samuel Pankey – No Image. Birth year: 1738; Birth city: Manakin Town; Birth state: VA.

[ii] Edmund West, comp., Family Data Collection – Marriages (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001), Ancestry, Samuel Pankey – Betsey Kinsey Binford – 1759.

[iii] Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917, Family Search, Philip Pankie – 29 May 1763. “Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917”, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRRC-2KF : 28 January 2020), Philip Pankie, 1763.

[iv] Virginia, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1607-1890, Ancestry, Samuel Pankey – Tax List – 1783. Original data: Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Virginia Census, 1607-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.

[v] Pollack, Michael E, Marriage Bonds of Henrico County, Virginia, 1782-1853 (Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1984), Ancestry, Page 173 – Warriner, Mordecai to Betsey Kinsey Pankey.

[vi] Edmund West, comp., Family Data Collection – Deaths (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001), Ancestry, Samuel Pankey – No Image. Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection – Deaths [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001.

[vii] Dodd, Jordan. Virginia, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1660-1800 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997. | Original data: Dodd, Jordan, comp.. Virginia Marriages to 1800. Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Virginia.

[viii] Wikipedia – Powhatan County, Virginia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powhatan_County%2C_Virginia

 

Sutherland – Surname Saturday

Roberts Research

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.Ancestry indicates that Sutherland surname is a Scottish regional name from the Old Norse suðr ‘south’ + land ‘land.’ Sutherland lays south of Scandinavia and the Norse colonies in the Orkney and Shetland Islands. Forebears add that it comes from the province of Moray.

Geographical[i]

Today, the most significant number of people with the Sutherland surname live in the United States with over 40,000. As you might expect, it has the highest frequency in Scotland, where one in 462 people have the surname.

In the United States, the most significant number of people with the Sutherland surname live in California, with over 4,000 people. The highest frequency for the surname is Wyoming, where one in 3,823 have the surname.

Direct Sutherland Ancestors

I have not had a chance to do in-depth research of my Sutherland ancestors, so all of my estimated ancestors are notional. However, it appears that I have seven known Sutherland ancestors in two separate paths.

    • 3rd Great-Grandmother: Tamise (Possibly Tammy or Fanny) Sutherland (1796-1864)
    • 4th Great-Grandfather: Reuben Sutherland (1768-1799)
    • 5th Great-Grandfather: William J Sutherland (1741-1815)*
    • 6th Great-Grandfather: William Sutherland (1715-1768)

————-

    • 5th Great-Grandmother: Hannah Sutherland (1747-1810)*
    • 6th Great-Grandfather: Col. David Sutherland (1711-1794)
    • 7th Great-Grandfather: William Sutherland (1690-1772)

(* Note: William J Sutherland and Hannah Sutherland married. It is unclear what their relationship may have been before their marriage.)

Interestingly enough, Tamise Sutherland, wife of Joel Cruff Taft, is my next planned research subject in my Roberts Research.

Historical

1840 – Tamise (Sutherland) Taft is my only known Sutherland ancestor that was living in 1840. She had already married Joel Cruff Taft. They lived in Broome County, New York, at the time. In 1840, 29% of the Sutherlands (or 96 households) in the United States lived in New York; however,  none of the Sutherlands appear to have lived in Broome County.

Direct Sutherland Descendants

Genealogy

My records have identified 287 direct descendants of William Sutherland (1715-1768) and 289 for William Sutherland (1690-1772), most of whom are duplicated. These include 27 Barnes, 21 Roberts, 17 Ransford, 15 Taft, and many more surnames. I only have eight descendants of the Sutherlands with the Sutherland surname, indicating I have much more research to do on my Sutherland cousins.

Other Sutherlands

Festival TV Monte-Carlo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Of course, there are many famous Sutherlands. Donald Sutherland and his son Kiefer are probably the most famous. However, Elizabeth Sutherland, 24th Countess of Sutherland, also comes to mind. Again, I have much more research to do on my Sutherland cousins. I would love to learn that Donald, one of my favorite actors, is related.

Sources:

Endnotes

[i] Current populations based upon information available at Forebears.