The Stubbs Story Chapter II

The Stubbs Story

Chapter II

John Stubbs was born to Thomas and Mary Minor Stubbs on December 27, 1732 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He the 7th of 9 children. In 1755, John moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina where a Quaker meeting was formed. Family stories tell that he was following his sweetheart, Esther Maddock, daughter of Joseph Maddock who moved to Hillsborough. John told of witnessing General Braddock’s retreat from the disastrous defeat by the French and Indians at Fort Duquesne (near Pittsburgh) during his travel. Joseph Maddock was a Quaker leader in Hillsborough. He build a mill on the Eno River that flows through town. The town was organized in 1754 and Orange County was organized in 1752. The site was a major trading site for Native Americans and the area had hosted native villages for several centuries. It is not known what John’s occupation was at this time, but it is likely that he worked as a miller. In 1759 John married Esther Maddock, daughter of miller and community leader Joseph Maddock. John and Esther had a house in town next door to the somewhat infamous Sheriff Fanning. Early revolutionary rumblings developed in North Carolina as local farmers rebelled against the taxes authorities imposed in what was known as the Regulator movement. The Quakers were not involved for the most part, but because the Quakers did not drink liquor, the Regulators held meetings at Maddock’s Mill and the authorities began to associate the Quaker with the rebellious farmers and mistreated them. Sheriff Fanning took over title to some Quaker properties for his own benefit. The Quakers decided to move and in 1768, Joseph Maddock negotiated a land grant for a Quaker settlement in Georgia which was named Wrightsborough in honor of Governor Wright of that state. The proclamation granting land to the Quakers was signed by the King of England. Stubbs descendant Ada Bernhardt (daughter of Lewis Stubbs) still had the grant and more papers in 1945 when Avery Stubbs visited Richmond, IN. Avery writes, “I came upon sheepskin rolls with original land grants signed by King George 3rd to new land in the Georgia Colony.”. Mrs. Bernhardt died shortly after Avery’s trip and her family offered to sell Avery 30 boxes filled with family records for $30. Unfortunately, money was very scarce and no one could loan Avery $30 to secure the records. The documents were split up and sold to bookstores in Ohio. The boxes had been collected from family members after the Great 1885 Stubbs Reunion with the intention of writing a Stubbs history book. In a “now here’s the rest of the story” twist, Dan Stubbs purchased a ledger notebook from a Huddleston family researcher for $30 that proved to be the family research notes the Bernhardts had been making. The Huddleston researcher had purchased it from a book seller in New York. 150 families eventually settled in Wrightsborough, but the Quakers had difficult time there. The community was attacked by Indians and bandits and roving groups of revolutionaries. The Quakers remained loyal to the king. Some in the community took arms and defended themselves and were subsequently condemned by the Quaker meeting for violating the community’s belief in pacifism. After the Revolution it became harder for the Quakers, who did not own slaves, to compete with the slave labor of their neighbors. John Stubbs died in 1803 in Wrightsborough. In that year a Quaker prophet travelled through the South warning of a terrible “internecine war” that was coming to America because of slavery that would come within the lives of children then living. It was time to move again and by 1809 virtually all of the Quakers had left for the slave free territories of western Ohio and the Whitewater Valley of Indiana.

First Cousins' Reunion

Minutes from the first reunion

On Sept. 26 1923. A cousins picnic was held at Carrie Chapman's - the day was ideal and dinner was eaten at a big table out of doors. Those present were as follows: Rachel Talbert, Myrtle McCulley, Ada Lockwood, Dora Snoke, Carrie Chapman, Stella Stubbs, Fay Chapman, Mary Grave, Rose Talbert, Lou Doyle, Flora Maxwell, Viola Turnham, Francis Maxwell, Alice Turnham, Helen Allen, Carrie Smart, Belva Stubbs, Glady Ross, Ida Draper, Amy Ross, Mabel Mather, Ellen Stubbs, Mabel Ferrell. - Children: Paul and David Stubbs, Hibbert Sidnam, Douglas McCulley, Marjore Talbert

Thomas Stubbs farm near Brandywine Creek, Chester County, Pennsylvania

Thomas Stubbs farm in Pennsylvania. The farm was located near the Embreeville Mill.

St. John the Baptist Church in Eldersfield, Gloucester, U.K.

St. John the Baptist Church in Eldersfield, Gloucester, UK

 Thomas Stubbs was baptized in St. John the Baptist Church in 1692. His father Daniel was the church warden. Eldersfield is a very small village today. Gadbury Camp, an iron age fort, located in the parish, was occupied from the 4th century BC until the 1st century AD. Eldersfield takes its name from an ancient local leader named Helder.

The Stubbs Story Chapter I

The Stubbs Story

Chapter I

 

Thomas Stubbs was born in April 1692 in Eldersfield, Worcestershire, England. He was baptized on April 15 of that year in St. John the Baptist parish church where his father, Daniel Stubbs was church warden. Thomas was Henry Stubbs’ great grandfather.

Church wardens have responsibility for recording the property and movable goods in a parish and in Daniel’s case also for recording vital records including baptisms for each year in parish records, so his name is signed at the end of yearly list of baptisms for 1692 when Thomas was born.

When Thomas was about 21 years old, he emigrated to William Penn’s Quaker colony of Pennsylvania. It is not known when Thomas became a convinced Quaker, but his Anglican church warden father must have been very disappointed. When Thomas’ father, Daniel died in 1719 Thomas was not included in the will. Daniel’s property went to Thomas’ older brother (also named Daniel). Older brother Daniel was a maltster (brewer of beer or prepared malt for brewing) in the city of Bristol, about 40 miles south of Eldersfield.

According to Thomas’ grandson, William Penn Attmore:

 

“The first of this family I have had any record of was from the information my mother gave, who understood that my grandfather used to say my great great grandfather was a Captain of Horse in the Royal Army, in the war betwixt King Charles I and the Parliament.

 

My great grandfather, Daniel Stubbs, lived also in England.  My grandfather, Thomas Stubbs, I well remember.  He lived sometime in Chester Co. In the then Province of Pennsylvania, in the forks of the Brandywine Creek; afterwards removed to the south side of the south fork of Brandywine, in Newlin Township, and finally removed to Concord Township.  There he died.

 

He was born in Worcestershire, in England, within 12 miles of the city of Worcester, between Malvern Hill and Clauslawn [Corse Lawn].  Those are 12 miles apart, alittle way from Severn River.  He was about 20 or 21 years old when he came over to America.    He took shipping at Bristol at a time when there was a cessation of arms in Queen Anne's Wars, in the ship Bristol Merchant, of sixteen guns mounted and had others not mounted.  He had hired to work at Bristol about a year.

 

After he had been in Pennsylvania about six years, he married Mary Minor at Goshen in Chester County, about the year 1718, at Friend's Meeting House there.

 

It appears my Grandfather was born in the south west corner of Worcestershire, where there is a nook of land partly surrounded by Gloucestershire.  There Malvern Hills, Cosse Court and Cosse Wood are laid down.

 

His eldest brother was named David. [actually named Daniel in the father’s will]

 

He (Thomas Stubbs) had in 13 years, nine children born, whose posterity in September 1792 were as annexed to their names.

 

1st Esther -                                                she has had     10;       now living        6

2d. Daniel: born 20th or 22nd of 7th Mo. 1722              14         do.                   12

3d. Mary (born about 1 3/4 years after 1724)                  3          "                      2

4th Elizabeth                                                                     6          "                      6

5th Anne (an Old Maid)

6th Thomas                                                                       5          2                      7

7th John                                                                          14         13                     10

8th Sarah

9th Joseph                                                                       1

 

9 children who had - 45 more; inc. 41 more and 17 more.

 

Thomas settled in Concord Township, Chester County (now Delaware County), Pennsylvania where he owned a farm on Brandywine Creek and attended Quaker Meetings at the Kennett Square Quaker meeting house where he married Mary Minor in 1720. According to the inventory of his estate, he owned 87 ½ acres, which were appraised at 178 pounds in 1763 after Thomas died.

In 1777 a major Revolutionary War battle was fought on Brandywine Creek where the 15,500 British and Hessian troops were able to cross the creek in the fog at an undefended ford and the Americans were forced to retreat allowing the British to occupy Philadelphia.

Four of Thomas’ children moved to the Quaker village of Wrightsborough, Georgia after living for a while in North Carolina.