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James, Son of George by Sharon Castle and Richard, Son of James by Ron Haworth
James (1719 – 1757)
Early Life in Pennsylvania
To recap: In 1719, 20 years after George arrived in
Pennsylvania, his fourth (living) son and our direct ancestor, James, was born
at his parents’ cabin on the Scarborough farm. When James was about three/four
years old, the family finally moved to George’s own land. Two years later, his
father died. We can only wonder what impact this had on James. We know that he
lived on the farm, attended Quaker meeting, inherited 62 acres, and acquired a
stepfather.
Moving to Virginia
In 1739,
James, age 20, set out for Virginia. His uncle, Robert Scarborough, had already
departed along with James’ older brothers, Stephanus and Absalom. James sold his
PA land to his stepfather, Mathew Hall.
His brother, John, went with him, but finally settled back in PA.
At this time, many Quakers migrated from Pennsylvania to
the wilderness in Virginia. It is not hard to imagine that, with Mathew Hall
running the farm, the Haworth boys longed to sell their parcels of land and go
in search of larger acreages to call their own. A group of Quakers obtained a
charter for 100,000 acres in Frederick County, Virginia. Here they found rich
farmland in the Shenandoah Valley between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east
and the Allegheny Mountains, which still posed a barrier to the west. One group
of Quakers settled on the Opeckan River and founded the Hopewell Friends
Meeting. Another group formed Smith Creek Friends Meeting, which was under the
authority of Hopewell.
Robert, Stephanus and Absalom bought land beside each
other roughly four miles south of present-day New Market. Stephanus bought 400
acres; Absalom bought 200 and eventually started a mill. Robert wrote that he
lived about a mile from Smith Creek Friends Meeting. James settled near his
brothers about five miles north of Winchester, closer to Hopewell Meeting.
Marriage and Family Life
Four years
after he arrived in Virginia, James, age 24, married Sarah Wood, age 23, at
Smith Creek Meeting. This was his brothers’ Meeting, and their marriage there
probably indicates that it was her Meeting as well. Perhaps James met Sarah
through his brothers?
Between 1745 and 1755, James and Sarah had six children:
1. Richard, born 1745
2. Jemina, born 1747
3. George, born 1749
4. James, born 1752
5. Elizabeth, born 1754
6. Sarah, born 1755
All except Elizabeth are represented here today!
In 1752, James bought 227 acres at the foot of North Mountain. James and Sarah
remained active members of Hopewell Friends Meeting. However, five years after
purchasing his land, James died.
Death and Legacy
James died
in 1757, age 38, of unknown causes. He was away from home, perhaps on a hunting
expedition, but we do not know for sure. He was buried near Hopewell Friends
Meeting.
James’ death
left Sarah and her six surviving children (ranging in age from two to 13) in
great difficulty. In addition to losing her husband and having young children,
James and Sarah lived in an area that was in conflict preceding the French and
Indian War. The Quakers sought to live peacefully with the Indians; therefore,
no Quakers were attacked or killed, although some may have been driven from
their land, one house was burned, and some lost their livestock, as was probably
the case with Sarah. She and several others received assistance from
Philadelphia Monthly Meeting.
Two years
later, in 1759, Sarah married Peter Ruble. By this time, Robert and Stephanus
had moved to the Carolinas and Absalom had died. In 1768, Sarah and Peter moved
to Bush River, South Carolina as did many Quakers.
All of her children went with them except the oldest, Richard, who
probably stayed on the land. Sarah died a year later and was buried at the Bush
River Friends Burial Ground.
George, James, and Elizabeth left for North Carolina soon after; her daughters,
Jemima and Sarah, married there, and eventually joined some of their siblings in
Ohio.
On May 10, 1765, he married Ann Dillon at Dillon’s Run
(Quaker) Meeting in Frederick County, Virginia.
(note: Richard’s brother George married Susannah Dillon, sister of Ann
Dillon on November 1, 1773).
Ann Dillon is the daughter of William Dillon and Mary
Susanna Reece.
On October 10, 1768, Richard owned 183 acres on both
sides of Rock Creek and Isaac Creek in Frederick County, Virginia.
In 1784, the settled on “Haworth Bend” on 2200 acres,
which is about four miles north of where New Market, North Carolina was founded.
In 1781, he built flat boats at the headwaters of the
Holston River.
Richard and Ann had 11 children.