Thursday, December 31, 2009

Weems Marriages in Boston 1646-1751

Found something new!

Weems
Hannah & Thomas Inches, Apr. 6, 1724 by Mr. Benj. Wadsworth
Hannah & Lewis Turner, Sept. 20, 1739 by Rev. Samuel Checkley
Thomas & Hannah Phillips, Sept. 19, 1717 by Rev. Mr. Benj. Wadsworth

Okey dokey, now if the Weems didn't arrive in Maryland till 1720, who are Hannah and Thomas Weems mentioned above? :-)

It's all true and a great story!

Hi Bill,
Yes, it's all true. Isn't that amazing? I'm pretty certain I have it figured out, just need to prove it. I think the Weems came to Anne Arundel because their cousins were already there. James (Deputy Surveyor) Weems had at least one son, James Jr. who owned property in Calvert county as well. It's interesting how they specified, James Jr. and then James (of David) seperately, as if to make certain you knew they were 2 seperate families. I think John and Margaret are his other children. Once I can find the church records or probate records, we'll have proof of that. I'm amazed also at how many Weems marriages there are in Prince George and Baltimore Counties. We may all have been limiting our search in the past.
I also think that James (Deputy Surveyor) is the son of Captain James Weems. Just have to prove it! I'll be working on the New York records today for that. Also have a request in to the Maryland archives for more information on James (Deputor Surveyor) Weems.
Off to the post office to see if your over-night came. It wasn't there yesterday, but sometimes it takes 2 days. Then I'll be off to the library!
More later!
Diana
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 9:28 PM
Subject: Re: Extracts - Captain James Weems

Hi Diana,
I look forward to your interesting e-mails! The Campbell/Weems story has all the elements for a great book...great estates, royalty, intrigues, outcasts, Indian attacks, and the best part of all is that it is all true!
You really have been rewriting the Weems family history! The truth is what it is so no point in perpetuating fiction. So the descendents of the Maryland group can not have their Weems pedigree recorded by the College of Arms because Elizabeth Loch and James Weymss were not officially married by the church. That is an unfortunate reality, and I know how strict the College is about these things. The Herald would not complete our family's pedigree until I produced an official copy of my parent's 1964 divorce decree issued by the Los Angeles County Superior Court. I guess that's why a pedigree recorded by the College of Arms is as good as gold. They won't fudge on anything...at least the Herald's of today! I understand that has not always been the case.
I am still holding out hope that you will be able to connect us to Captain James Weems and the Earls of Argyll! My brother was pretty interested when I told him about our Scottish roots!
Talk with you later!
Bill

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

How the Campbells and Weems got to America...

Hi Bill,
Thanks for the pages! I knew they'd been arrested in Boston, but not why. :-) It seems he had a thing about the King. He wrote a stern letter to the King after having no supply ships on the Jersey shore for over 17 weeks at Fort Pemaquid. Most of his men deserted because they weren't paid, which is why the Indians attacked. He had to have been a very interesting and principled man.
So let me tell you a story...
Sir Neil Campbell (2nd son of Archibald, 9th Earl) came to America as the governor of the Jersey shore for 2 years as part of the Darien Scheme; Scottish highlanders wanting to settle the America and recoup their trading routes from the English. He was also fleeing Scotland because his brother had been arrested for treason and was to be hung, as his grandfather had been years before. Long story, but very well documented. The Campbells were kinda off and on with the King but have married into every royal line (Douglas, Stewart, Weems, etc) all the way back to about 95AD.
Sir Neil sailed for the America with some of his family (at least his wfie, 2 sons and a daughter) and other immigrants, servants and soldiers, and settled in around Boston. This is most likely where Anne Campbell, his daughter, met and married James (Captain) Weems who happened to be from their home area back in Scotland. He was also known as Captain James Menzies of Weems in some of the Campbell histories. However, whereever I look, Anne Campbell married Captain James....
After about 2 years, the King relented on his brother, and Governor Neil Campbell returned to Scotland with some of his family. Didn't really want to be governor, so he resigned and went home to secure his estate. Two sons stayed behind and settled in the nearby area.
At the same time, David (of Balfarge) Weymss decided to take over the baronetcy in the Americas that had been given to his cousin as part of the settlement scheme. He was a bad manager and losing his estate, so he needed to bolster it somehow. His son John went to the Americas (he settled in Pennsylvania) and his daughter-in-law and three children ended up in Maryland. I'm searching for documentation on the baronecy right now.
The thing is that Elizabeth Loch (ancestor of the Maryland group) was never officially married by the church to James Weymss. His first wife didn't died until after 1720 so he could not have married her in 1700. There is record of a "handfast" marriage to "David Weymss", but nothing else. In other words, that line can never be entered into the College of Arms (which is probably part of the reason why they left). David is a cousin, but all the lines in ancestry.com are false.
However, they were still the cousins of John Weems of Pa, the son of a Lord and royal by blood, but not by marriage.
I'm still trying to determine if Captain James Weems is the same as Captain James Menzies of Weems, but the only way to prove that is going to be finding his military record and I'll have to order it from London. In the meantime, I'll be going through all the parishes in Maryland and New York tyring to find his children, probates and land records.
In the meantime, I'm demolishing everything that's been done for the Weems line for the past 200 years. But it's always been known that the line had problems with documentation, so it shouldn't be a big surprise to anyone. I'm going to visit the local library in Davenport tomorrow. It has a very large genealogical section and should have several volumes on the Darien scheme and the British soldiers in the Americas. It might even have some vital records as a lot of books have been donated by families over the years.
The Campbell/Weems story is a great story! It will read like a book when it's finally done. However, the Campbell line is a slam dunk, already approved by the College of Arms. Just need to hook in the American side of it and document the other lines.
More later!
Diana

James Weems aka james Menzies of Weem

Dear Bill,

Sounds like you are your own cousin. :-) Yes, James Weems (aka James Menzies of Weems) was married to Anna Campbell. They were married bef 1694 and had many children, including two sons John and James. James Menzies/Weems was the son of the Alexander Menzies, first Baronet of Weems, and cousin to Lord David of Balfarge, Weymss.
James must have gone home to Scotland after the debaucle at Pemaquid, gotten married, and then was reassigned to NY. Now I need to find record of his family coming over as well.
Yes, I think he or his son were the owners of the Weems tract in St. Mary's county. Trying to figure out how to access that now.
Diana

Found the marriage of Captain James Weems

Virgin territory is so fun!
I've been going through the rest of the books I hadn't had time to read yet, because they didn't specifically deal with NY or Maryland and guess what?
Found a reference to Captain James Weems, married to Anne Campbell, daughter of Neil Campbell and Lady Vere Kerr, daughter of William, third Earl of Lothian. (time period is about 1687)
meaning! Captain James Weems is probably from Lothian as well, and related to the Lord's family.
Also, Neil Campbell is the 2nd son of Archibald Campell, eighth earl of Argyll. Lots on him. So again, there is a direct link to royal lines.
Just thought I'd let you know! More later as I fill in the genealogy charts.
Diana

Weems Genealogy Quest

(Note: this conversation has been going on for 12 days now and we are just beginning a blog about solving the mystery of where John Weems b. 1745 and Margaret Weems (who married Richard Gott in Hillsboro, NC) "really" came from. For 200 years it has been accepted that they were the children of James Mackall Weems. However, it would have made his mother only "9".

After an exciting breakthrough in our research, we have decided to document the journey.

*******
December 29, 2009


Good morning,
Yes, I agree it sounds like virgin territory. I checked out when the book was added to ancestry and it was only added last year. I think that genealogists have always assumed there was only 1 James Weems in that time period in Anne Arundel Co. However, the biographical dictionary states that one was the Anne Arundel County surveyor, while the other studied medicine. It's makes it a clear delineation.
Plus, there is a list of Settlers of Maryland 1679-1783 that gives the following:
Brimar, James St. Mary's county, Name of Tract - Weems 424 acres 16 Sep 1687 Ref 25/320 (Note that this is 40 years before Elizabeth Loch Weems and her 3 children even arrived, so where did the name Weems come from?)
In the same list, is: (right next to each other)
Weems, James, Deputy Surveyor for Anne Arundel County - Calvert County - Meadows Preserved 46 acres, 10 Apr 1751 T14/650;BY5/512
Weems, James son of David Calvert County - Fall Short 56 acres 26 Nov 1773 BC45/374;BC46/471
Weems, James Jr. Calvert Partnership 75 acres 28 Mar 1765 BC30/382;bC31/287
What's interesting is that in another list of Settlers of Maryland 1701-1730, there is 'only' Weems, James Deputy Surveyor for Anne Arundel Co. (meaning that the other family hadn't acquired land or weren't considered settlers yet)
Lots of information on Captain James Weems company and Fort Pemaquid. Quite the story of how the Indians took the fort, killed everyone except for 14 people and how James Weems was severely burned on his face, but survived to be transferred to New York, where he died 25 years later.
Because my own ancestor (and your ancestor's brother) was also a road surveyor in Orange Co., NC it's a good bet that they are the children of James Weems who was there before the other family arrived. It means I need to find the land records, probates and any church records in Calvert County (south of AnneArundel) to show a connection, if there is one. It also explains why Margaret Weems would marry a Gott, who were also from the same county.
At the same time, I'll try and find record of Captain James Weems in New York, see who he married and any children he might have had. Plus, because he was a member of the British colonial forces, there is a military record for him somewhere in London. Just need to order it and it will tell us where he came from. The two in Barbados came from Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland. Anytime you have an English or Scottish officer in the service, they are most likely a younger son of a Lord's family, going into the military because they won't inherit the manor. And as the other family came to the same area, it's a good bet they're related, just have to figure out how.
It's going to be fun finding all the information. As you said, 'virgin territory'!
Have a great day!
Diana
****** December 28th, 2009
Good morning,
I've spent most of the day on this, trying to get the duplication out of the main file and track down extra Weems that are not accounted for in the genealogy that everyone has relied on for the past 200 years.
There are "4" extra bodies that I found.
1) John Weymss came to Darien, Barbados, West Indies in 1697 (father of Helen Weymss)
2) James (Ensign) Weymss came to Darien, Barbados, West Indies, d. 1698 Supposedly no issue.
3) James (Captain) Weems came to Maine in 1697 and then to NY in 1702, died about 1723 (meaning he was already here, married and settled before the others came to MD in 1720)
4) James Weems (County surveyor of Anne Arundel Co) 1730. There is no given birthdate for him, but he is definetly separate from James Weems (son of Elizabeth Loch Weems and Sir David) as he was already working there before the others came.
What's interesting is that John Weems of Greene Co., TN (Margaret's brother) was also a road surveyor, both in Orange County, NC and in Greene Co., TN. He and Margaret could well be the children of James Weems (the unknown) in Anne Arundel County.
James Weems (the unknown) could also be the son of the James (Captain) Weems who was in Maine, Albany, NY and Boston and died in 1723.
Now it's just a matter of finding everything I can on these guys. There's a lot of information in the Maine genealogical dictionary (online at Ancestry.com) about Captain James Weems and his bout with the Indians in Maine, but nothing specific on life dates or family. Will have to dig deeper.
More tomorrow!
Diana