FRIDAY FINDS ~ Quaker Church Records - 1701 - My maternal 8th great grandmother, Elizabeth Potter & her daughter Sarah Frampton

Early Quaker meeting house in New Jersey

Today I was reviewing my Frampton family.  What records do I have?  What records do I need?  What records can I locate?

I came to my 8th great grandparents, William Kent Frampton and Elizabeth Potter.  They married 27 Jul 1680 in Newport, Rhode Island.  Shortly thereafter they moved to Phildelphia, Pennsylvania.  William was acquainted with the well known Pennsylvania Quaker settler, William Penn.   You can read about their connection here William Penn conveys land to William Frampton 1684

Sadly, my 8th great grandfather, William Frampton died 3 Jul 1686 at the age of 43.  This left his widow Elizabeth with 3 young children; Elizabeth, age 5, Thomas, age 3 and Sarah, age 2.

 

As with most women in those days, who were left widowed with young children, Elizabeth remarried.  She married Richard Basnett on 30 Sep 1688.  They had a son, William Feb 1689.  At the time of young William’s birth the couple was living in New Jersey.  I wonder if they had named their son after Elizabeth’s deceased husband, William Frampton.

I don’t know a lot about Richard Basnett, his birth, his occupation etc.  What I do know is that he died just six short years after his marriage to Elizabeth.  He died 8 Oct 1694 in Colonial New Jersey.  He did leave a will naming Elizabeth as an heir.

Now Elizabeth is widowed again and has not 3 children to raise, but her 5 year old son from her marriage to Richard Basnett, as well.  Richard had a daughter by his first wife and some records say that Elizabeth was also raising her.  That makes 6 children under 10 left in her care.

While Elizabeth didn’t remarry right away, she did eventually marry a third time.  This time to Thomas Gardener on 6 Oct 1701 in Burlington, Colonial New Jersey.

I have located the Quaker church records regarding their desire to marry and the church granting that request.  While I was looking at the record I also noticed, on the same page, the request to marry by Elizabeth’s daughter Sarah (daughter of her first husband William).

TIP:  We’ve all been told this over and over, but it bears repeating.  Always look at all the entries on any record where multiple events are listed. 

 (Please click on the image to enlarge it)

 Both couples did marry.  I am still looking for information on Thomas Gardener/Gardiner.  I don’t know anything about him.

Please contact me if you are related/descended from him and have any information.

 

Elizabeth Potter Frampton Basnett Gardener died about 1711.  Did she outlive her third husband?  I don’t know….yet.

 

When we are researching our ancestors this far back we generally have to rely on church records, probate records, books or other historical writings.  This doesn’t always make it easy to find information.

I don’t know about you, but I try to picture what their lives were like back in those colonial days.  So much hardship and danger.  I watch any historical shows or documentaries I can find on TV to learn more.  I also enjoy reading books about that time in history. 

Here's a website I located about Quaker research in New Jersey - 1677-1750

 

If you are a Frampton descendant, I’d love to hear from you.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FOLLOW UP FRIDAY ~ Speaking of divorces…what is the earliest one I have on record?

William Walker Frampton - from page 104 of The Frampton Family by J. S. Wrightnour, published about 1916

A week ago on Wedding Wednesday I wrote a post about how many divorces I had found in my tree on my Legacy database.  These are divorces for whom I have actual records and/or dates.  You can read that post here Wedding Wednesday with a Twist - How many divorces have I recorded?

That got me to wondering.  What was the earliest divorce date?  Are most of the 83 divorces I have in my tree, more recent?  Or do they go back before 1900?  If so, how far back?

I again, used the handy and quick Search feature in my Legacy database. Search>Find>Detailed Search and select your search criteria.

In this case I wanted the marriage, marriage status date AND a second condition also.

What I found was a list of 10 individuals (5 couples). 
The earliest recorded, documented divorce I have in my file is for my 1st cousin 5 times removed and the first of his 3 wives.

William Walker Frampton married Mary E. Miller on 21 Apr 1850 in Adams Co., Illinois.  He filed for divorce on 27 Nov 1865, in the State of Kansas, County of Johnson.
 
Reason for the divorce SHE ELOPED WITH ANOTHER MAN!

Here is the transcription of that record.

The State of Kansas, County of Johnson
William W. Frampton, being duly sworn on his oath, ___ that he has commenced a suit in the Dist. Ct. for Johnson County, State of Kansas against Mary E. Frampton, to obtain a divorce from her, and that she eloped with one Thos. C. Johnson; and that she is not a resident of the State of Kansas at this time: affiant further states that he does not know where she now resides.  Further he saith not. 

Sworn before me this 27th day of M. a no 1865 – AB Mynick, Clerk by B. P. Noteman DC


I don’t know about you, but sometimes I say WOW! when I reviewing records for my ancestors.

Here is the published notice for the divorce.  DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?  “The petition will stand for hearing at the next term of said District Court to be held in March, A.D. 1866.”

Why is the date of March 1866 important?  Well…..because according to marriage records, William Frampton married Martha Ann Thomas Johnson (wife of the man his wife ran off with) on 10 Dec 1865 in Johnson, Kansas.  This would have been 13 days after the divorce notice was published, but BEFORE the court had the final hearing the following March.
 
Kansas, County Marriage Records, 1811-1911, page 6 Film No. 001572005.
Name:    Wm W Frampton
Gender:    Male
Marriage Date:    10 Dec 1865
Marriage Place:    Johnson, Kansas, USA
Spouse:    Martha Ann Johnson
Film Number:    001572005

Marriage record - William W. Frampton to Martha Ann Johnson - 10 Dec 1865  

So, did they marry before his divorce was finalized?  I haven’t found any further records regarding the divorce from Mary, so I don’t know.

POST SCRIPT:  Martha Thomas Johnson Frampton was adjudged insane and sent to an asylum in Topeka, Kansas, according to this newspaper article in The Olathe Mirror on 2 Sep 1886.  She died just 6 months later on 8 Mar 1887.  As we know, people were admitted to asylums for reasons such as mental issues, but also for illnesses.

Published in The Olathe Mirror 2 Sep 1886, page 2

William went on to marry one more time, to Ella Eckman 4 Apr 1888.  She was 25 years younger than him.  She filed for his Civil War Pension upon his death in 1912.  This was William's longest marriage - 24 years.

Kansas, County Marriage Records, 1811-1911

Name:    Ella Eckman
Gender:    Female
Age:    33
Birth Date:    abt 1855
Marriage Date:    4 Apr 1888
Marriage Place:    Douglas, Kansas, USA
Spouse:    William W Trampton
Film Number:    001547790

Marriage record - William W. Frampton to Ella Eckman - 4 Apr 1888

William Walker Frampton certainly had no trouble attracting women.  He was never unmarried for very long.

Do you have ancestors who married multiple times?  I’d love to hear about them.

If you are connected to any of the ancestors mentioned in this post, or have any additional information about them, please contact me.
 
OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
TOMBSTONE TUESDAY–Civil War Soldier Headstones (William W. Frampton mentioned here)
FRIDAY FINDS - Newspaper article - David Frampton, Rebel Prisoner - Dec 1861

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Marriage of William Frampton & Elizabeth Potter - 1680

The marriage record of my 8th great grandparents – William Frampton (1643-1686) & Elizabeth Potter (circa 1652-circa 1711)

(CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)


This is an exciting find for me.  Usually it’s my husband’s family for which I locate the very old records.
 
William Frampton was a Quaker.  The Quakers kept excellent records of church activities, including births, marriages, deaths, meetings, who joined, who moved etc.

It’s not an easy document to read, but here is my attempt at a transcription:

THE CERTIFICATE OF WILLIAM FRAMPTON AND ELIZABETH POTTER AT NEWPORT 27 5 1680

“This is to certifye the truth to all people that William Frampton of the cytie of ______ and Elizabeth Potter of the towne of Newport on Rhod Iland having intentions of marriage according to the ordinance of God and his goyning did lay it before the men and womens meeting before whome their marriage was provinded and then the meeting desiered them to wait for a time and so they querying betwixt the time so the matter coming the second time before the men and womens meetings all things being cleer and they being published acording to the law of this coloney a meeting was ajointed for the purpose at the above sayd towne of Newport wher they tooke one another in the presence of God and in the presence of us heerunder written according to the law of God and the Pradise of the holy men of God in the scriptures of trueth they promising before God and his People to live faithfully together man and wife untill death seperate them according to Gods honorable marriage they then setting both their hands unto it in Rhod Iland the 27 5 1680.”
                                                                          

And God in heaven is wittness to what you say and we are also witnesses whose names are under written ~~

        
The date of 27 5 1680 would be the 27th day of the fifth month, 1680.  In the dating system of the time, this would have been July 27, 1680 because March was the first month of the year, instead of January.

I’ve discovered quite a bit more about this William Frampton and his dealings and association with William Penn.  Stay tuned for more on this story.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - WILLIAM PENN DOCUMENT

 

 

AMANUENSIS MONDAY

Transcription of Land Document from William PENN to William FRAMTON

1684, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Definition of Amanuensis?  John Newmark who writes the Transylvanian Dutch Blog, started this Monday theme many months ago.  I want to give him credit for it, as many bloggers have now begun using this theme.  The definition given by John is this "a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

With that in mind, I have below, a picture of a document photographed by a cousin. Since we have ancestors that hail from Pennsylvania, she was looking for evidence and documents during her visit.  She located this very interesting land transaction from William PENN to our ancestor, William FRAMTON also spelled FRAMPTON. 

NOTE:  William Framton/Frampton is my 8th Great Grandfather. 

LAND TRANSACTION BETWEEN WILLIAM PENN & WILLIAM FRAMTON, 1684

Below is my first attempt at transcribing this document.  I have left blanks where I was unable to read the word or words and have highlighted in yellow words that I am unsure of.  Both my cousin Amy & my brother, John are also going to take a crack at transcribing this document.  Having more than one set of eyes will, I'm sure, give us more insight and help identify the words I have not been able to.  Between the three of us I hope we can fill in most of the blanks.

Finding documents like this can enhance your understanding your family and certainly enrich the stories behind the names.  Having a connection to William Penn, the founder of the province of Pennsylvania, and English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher and early Quaker, connects our family to a part of our countries early history. 
Here is a picture of William Penn 

To learn more about William Penn you can go to this link at Wikipedia.

So keep searching for those records and I hope you find some interesting documents.  Please let me know what you find.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl  

Copyright ©  2013   Diane Gould Hall