Family History Notes, Part III

Arthur Morrison Martin, The Flemington Martins (Columbia, SC: The State Printing Company, 1970).

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Looking Backward
(Click here for The Ancestral Chart.)

   In order to set a fixed point for reference in tracing genealogies, we take the great grandparents of William Graham Martin and Eliza Sumner Bacon. By progression, multiplying by two for each generation, there will be sixteen persons, or family names, as ancestors in this great grandparent generation. Because of their large number of descendants, we also take the great grandparents of Peter Winn Fleming and of Matilda Law, the parents of Mrs. Joseph Bacon (Ellen Fleming) Martin.

   Five generations back we would have thirty-two ancestors of that generation. Ten generations back would give us 1,024 ancestors. Twenty generations back would give us, in that generation, 1,048,576 ancestors. That is only about 600 years back, say, to the beginning of the Renaissance or the close of the Crusades. Also, these are "mathematical" ancestors. Actually, some of these ancestors must have duplicated as several lines, that later united, trace back to common ancestors. So, with so many to choose from, a few kings and a few crooks may exist in anybody's family tree. In fact, they may have been the same person.

Click here to see The Ancestral Chart.

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Bacons Before Eliza Sumner Bacon

     Eliza Sumner Bacon was the daughter of Joseph Bacon, who married Mary Way in 1801. He was one of the original settlers of Midway. This Joseph Bacon was the child of William Bacon and Sarah Sumner, who married in 1770. This William Bacon assisted in establishing American Independence as a Son of Liberty and as a member of the Provincial Congress in 1776 from St. John's Parish. (This is recorded in Military Record-Georgia Roster of the Revolution, p. 406, and Stevens History of Georgia, p. 105.)

    William Bacon was the fifth son of Joseph Bacon and Mary Baker, and was among the original settlers of Midway in 1764, His father, Joseph Bacon, was also an original settler of Midway. The father of Joseph Bacon was Michael Bacon (4th) who moved from Massachusetts to South Carolina with the Dorchester colony on the Ashley. Michael Bacon (4th) received lot No. 8 in the first range and purchased lots 7 and 8 in the same range from John Stevens. On this Stevens lot was the bridge across the Ashley which is still known as Bacon's Bridge.

    Michael Bacon (3rd) owned property in Billerica in Massachusetts. The (3rd) attached to this Michael's name indicates that he was the third Michael Bacon in America. The first Michael Bacon in this succession of Michaels was born, lived and died in England. On the other end, we are told that there were yet more generations of Michaels to follow Michael (4th).

   For the record, let us name and date these Bacons.

   Michael Bacon died in March 1615, in England. He married Elizabeth Wylie) August 16, 1565, in Hemingham.

   Michael Bacon (1st in America) was born 1579 and died April 2, 1648. He married Alice ........... They migrated to Dedham, Massachusetts, in 1640.

  Michael Bacon (2nd) was born about 1608. He married Mary ........... They migrated to Dedham, Massachusetts, in 1640.

   Michael Bacon (3rd) was baptised August 16, 1639, died August 18, 1701. He married Sarah Richardson, daughter of Thomas Richardson on March 22, 1660.

   Michael Bacon (4th) married Joanna Way, daughter of Perces Way, November 20, 1694. They moved to South Carolina with the Dorchester colony.

   Joseph Bacon was born about 1715 in South Carolina and died in 1764. He married Mary Baker, of Goose Creek, daughter of Thomas Baker. She was the widow of Robert Quarterman. She was also called Marcey.

   Turning back to the first Michael Bacon in England and heading toward antiquity, the Bacon lines delineated by David Starr Jordan and Sarah Louise Kimball in "Your Family Tree," pp. 186-187, become exceedingly interesting. Our line trails back beside Sir Francis Bacon and unites with his ancestry three generations back. It then goes on back to (Sir) Roger Bacon, which becomes embarrassing territory since Roger Bacon, of Black Magic fame, was a Franciscan monk.   Or maybe it was his brother. Anyway, the Bacons have several roots going back to interesting persons. One line goes back to Grimbaldus, a Norman nobleman, who came to England in A.D. 1066, with the Norman Conquest. Another line goes back to Henry I., King of France! Still another line goes back to the wife of Leofric, Earl of Warwickshire, known to history and legend as Lady Godiv, of Coventry. (Americans of Royal Descent, by Browning, p. 31, sixth edition.) This seems almost like going back to the Garden of Eden, so we wiil end the Bacon chapter here.  

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Sumners Before Eliza Sumner Bacon

   The Sumners were New England Puritans who came from Bicester (Burchester), England, to Dorchester, Mass., in 1639. The emigrant, William Sumner, was born in Bicester in 1605, and was the only surviving son of Roger Sumner and Joane Franklin who were married at Bicester on November 2, 1601. The name Sumner comes from Sommoner, a Court officer of church or state in England.

   William Sumner, the Emigrant, brought with him his wife, Mary West) whom he had married in Bicester, October 23, 1625, and five children who had been born to them in Bicester. Two more were born in Dorchester, Mass. He was made a Freeman (full citizen) of the colony and held several offices in his time.

   Their second child, Joane, born in Bicester, married Aaron Way, of Boston. After his death in 1695, she migrated with her two Dorchester-born brothers, Samuel and Increase Sumner, to Dorchester, South Carolina, in 1696. Samuel was born in Massachusetts, May 18, 1638. Increase was born there February 23, 1643. Sarah Sumner must be descended from one of these two brothers who migrated to South Carolina in 1696.

   Two generations In South Carolina (Dorchester) seem lost from our records. In 1754, Edward Sumner and family migrated from South Carolina to Georgia to found the Dorchester-Midway colony. To bring her to marriageable age, Sarah Sumner, his daughter who married William Bacon on May 7, 1770, must have been born in South Carolina prior to 1754.

   The children of Samuel Sumner and wife, Rebecca Staples (daughter of John Staples of Weymouth), were all born in Dorchester, Mass., and most of them moved to South Carolina. They were:

   The children of Increase Sumner and wife, Sarah Staples (daughter of John Staples of Weymouth), most of whom went with him to South Carolina, were:

   Somewhere in these two lists must be the ancestor of Edward Sumner, the father of Sarah. Early death or feminine gender eliminate most of them. These dates come from New England records, so we may assume that those who have no date of death given, moved to South Carolina and that the records there have been lost.

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Ways Prior to Eliza Sumner Bacon

   Mary Way, the mother of Eliza Sumner Bacon, married Joseph Bacon on December 10, 1801. She was the daughter of Joseph Way, Jr., and Sarah Armstrong, who were married on July 17, 1783. The father of Joseph Way, Jr. was Joseph Way (Sr.), who married Mary Osgood on March 12, 1769. Both of these come from Massachusetts Puritan lines.

   Henry Way is the Way, Emigrant, who came from England on the good ship "Mary and John", in 1630. His father, William Way, was captain of the guard to King Henry VIII. Henry was born in 1583 and died in 1667. He married Elizabeth B ........... One record says they had one child, Samuel, and later records say two more, Elizabeth and Richard and also that they had three sons.

   Henry Way, at Dorchester in Massachusetts, was a pioneer in the fishing business which later became the economic strength of New England. He is reputed to have saved three shipwrecked men. He also fought off Indians who attacked his boats.

    Henry Way's son was Aaron Way (Sr.) who married Joanne Sumner. He died in 1695. His son, William Way (Sr.), married Perces Witt. William Way had a son, Moses Way, who married Sarah ........... Their son, Joseph Way, married Mary Osgood, daughter of Rev. John Osgood. He was the great-great-grandfather of Eliza Sumner Bacon.

   The "Mary and John" was the ship that brought the Rev. John Warham and his congregation, including Henry Way, from Plymouth, England, to New England in 1630. Several years later it brought over Christopher Osgood and his wife, Margaret. It was one of a fleet of ships belonging to John Osgood, probably of the generation before Christopher, the Emigrant. The ship had a capacity of 400 tons and 140 passengers. It was the first to sail, March 20, 1630, for the establishment of Dorchester (Boston) in Massachusetts Bay Colony. On board were tools and livestock as well as people for the new settlement. Most important, these people comprised a church congregation with worship services daily during the voyage of ten weeks. Was this a partial remedy for seasickness? In 1930, a working replica of the "Mary and John" was researched and built for the Dorchester Colony Tricentennial observed in Windsor, Connecticutt. A painting of this ship, by Mary Louise Martin Perkins, is preserved for the Midway Musuem, Midway, Georgia.

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Osgoods Prior to Eliza Sumner Bacon

   There are two Osgood ancestors, both named Mary, in the ancestry of the descendants of Joseph Bacon Martin and Ellen Barrett Fleming. One is Mary Osgood, the wife of Joseph Way, whom she married on March 12, 1759. She was the daughter of the Rev. John Osgood and his first wife, Hannah. She was the great grandmother of Eliza Sumner Bacon.

   The other is Mary Osgood, the wife of Samuel Spry. The Midway records do not show their marriage date, but onDecember 27, 1757, their daughter, Elizabeth Spry was born and so recorded. This Mary Osgood was the daughter of Josiah Osgood, who was one of the original settlers of Midway with the Rev. John Osgood. She was the great-grandmother of Ellen Barrett Fleming (Mrs. Joseph Bacon Martin). Let us now go back to the original Osgood in America. We quote from "The Descendants of John, Christopher and William Osgood," by Ira Osgood.

   Neal A. Martin, studying with Mrs. W. P. Gumming at Davidson College, learned that she was a New Englander, descended from John Osgood, owner of a fleet of ships plying between Old and New Englands in the 17th Century. From her cousin in Boston, Miss Harriet Hitchcock, we received the quotes on Christopher Osgood. Neal is a son of the author, Osgood is a name which means "good host" in Anglo-Saxon. Christopher Osgood, the Emigrant, came from Marlborough, England. His son, Thomas Osgood, as shown above, moved to Dorchester, South Carolina, with his wife, Susannah Lord, and family. Their son, Thomas Osgood, Jr" was born December 17, 1680. Thomas Osgood, Jr., had a son named John Osgood. Since this John Osgood became the venerable Rev. John Osgood of the Midway settlement, we pause to make extra mention of him.

   The Rev. John Osgood was born at Dorchester, S.C. in 1710. He studied under his pastor, the Rev. Hugh Fisher, and then attended Harvard College. He graduated and returned home and, after the death of the Rev. Hugh Fisher, he was called to become pastor of the Dorchester congregation. The coordination sermon, preached by the Rev. Josiah Smith, may be found in the Caroliniana Library of the University of South Carolina, in a small well-bound volume. He was the first white native of South Carolina to be ordained to the ministry. In 1754 he migrated with the major portion of the Dorchester colony, to Midway, in St. John's Parish, in Georgia. The parish later was named Liberty County for its revolutionary ardor.

   The Midway records carry this simple but earnest tribute to him:

   The ordination sermon, published In a booklet, gives the date as March 24, 1735, which was the last day of the year by the old Julian calendar, but March 24, 1736 by the new Gregorian calendar.

   Rev. Archibald Simpson, who traveled and wrote a great deal, wrote this about the Rev. John Osgood: "a Nathaniel, an Israelite indeed, much of a gentleman and yet with the most primitive and plain simplicity in his behavior, by nature and grace of a most mild, frank and pleasant disposition, and withal a most edifying, delightful and instructive preacher." Mr. Simpson also wrote of worship at Midway on the Sabbath: "The congregation was large and genteel, attentive and tenderly impressed, and the whole occasion remind him of the many sweet occasions he (Simpson) had enjoyed in Scotland." (Howe's History, Vol. 1., p. S18.)

   Josiah Osgood, father of the other Mary, who married Samuel Spry in the Revolutionary generation, was either brother, or cousin of John Osgood, the preacher, and also ties back into the line of Thomas Osgood and the original Christopher Osgood.

   Rev. Arthur M. Martin, descendant of Rev. John Osgood, had the privilege of portraying him in the Bicentennial Pageant of Georgia, 1933, and in the Bicentennial Pageant at Midway, 1954.

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Flemings Prior to Ellen Barrett Fleming

   The name Fleming indicates that the family had some connection with the Flemish Low Countries of the Continent. Members could have crossed the North Sea to Britain at any time, but it is. certain that Matilda of Flanders, Queen of William the Conqueror, brought Flemish nobles with her to England. Walter of Flanders was one of these. Furness Abbey, in Lancashire, has an effigy of Sir John le Fleming, a Twelfth Century Crusader. Dun Barton Castle, near Edinburgh, was entrusted to the Fleming line for centuries. They were closely associated with the royal Stuarts. This general statement holds good for the union of John Fleming with Janet Witherspoon, a descendant of the Stewart wife of John Knox, the Reformer.

   Peter Winn Fleming, the father of Ellen Barrett Fleming, was a leader in the community of Liberty County. Captain of the Liberty Independent Troop, he became a colonel when the several mounted troops of the coastal counties were organized into a squadron of cavalry prior to the Civil War. Peter Winn Fleming married Matilda Law in December 1827. His father was William Fleming.

   William Fleming, the grandfather of Ellen Barrett Fleming, wife of Joseph Bacon Martin, was the founder of Flemington when he invited his friends to dine with him and there presented them prepared deeds to surrounding lands. John Martin was a neighbor before this. Fleming lands covered present Flemington and Martin lands stretched off toward Walthourville. William Fleming married Anna Winn on February 5, 1805. She was the widow of first a Quarterman and then a Way. It was the second marriage for him. His first wife was a Maxwell.

   William Fleming late in life had property also in Alabama, near Fort Claiborne. He and John Murphey, who later became governor of Alabama were associated in this westward move. Murphey was named an executor of William Fleming's will. John Murphey's brother, the Rev. Murdoch Murphey, was pastor at Midway from 1811 to 1824, and also moved to Alabama later on. William Fleming died in Alabama and his Midway pastor wrote the following in his diary.

   "August 9th, 1820. The first of last month died Mr. William Fleming at Fort Claiborne, Alabama. I had a great friendship for him-he had an excellent mind-his understanding was profound, his perception quick, his moderation exemplary. He was wise and temperate in council, rich in expedient, firm in his resolutions, and undaunted in their accomplishment. He was far elevated above dissimulation and deceit though very subtil and politic to attain his purposes which were always virtuous, generous and pious - Peace to his gentle shade I scarcely know a more worthy man! He was one of my earliest and most constant friends in Medway. I should be glad at the pleasure of writing his Epitaph. He was capable of the highest improvement. It would be difficult to say too much of his moral virtue or natural genius - he was well versed in civil affairs and was active in all practical charitable schemes." (Page 322 of typewritten copy)

   At the request of Mrs. Fleming, he wrote the Epitaph of William Fleming which included these words, "As a legislator, he performed his duties to public acceptance. As a civil magistrate, he knew the laws of the land and made the right distribution of justice. As a deacon of the Presbyterian Church, he attained a good degree and great boldness in the faith." (Page 251 of the typewritten copy of the diary.)

   The will of William Fleming, whose second wife was Anna Winn, and who held extensive property in Georgia and in Alabama, indicates a deeply religious man. This will can be found in the Liberty County Court House, "Old Wills and Appraisements, pages 230-233." The following excerpts are given here.

   "First of all, I would yield my soul to God the Father, who gave it, to God the Son, who purchased salvation for fallen man with his own precious blood, and to God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth the heart and maketh it holy, to be to the service and praise of this triune God to all eternity.

   "I next commit my body to the earth, in hopes of a glorious resurrection to life eternal, for which I wholly depend upon the merits, righteousness and atonement of Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of sinners.

   "As to my temporal affairs, my will is, that the whole of my estate, both real and personal, be equally divided between my wife and children, each to share and share alike, with the exceptions and in the manner hereinafter prescribed.

   "I give as a legacy to my wife, my chair and horse, my set of Scott's Family Bible and Concordance, to her and her heirs forever. I give as a legacy to each of my children one set of Scott's Family Bible, and Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, to be purchased by my executors, and given them as they shall respectively arrive to the age of eighteen years; the Family Record to be transcribed from the set given my wife, into each set before the delivery. Also, on some blank leaf near the beginning, inserted These Volumes, which alone contain the Word of God, and way of salvation, are given as a legacy to .............. as a special recommendation of their inestimable value by .......... father, William Fleming.' "

   And:

   "My son, William B. Fleming, having inherited property from his grandmother, my will is, that he shall not inherit, nor be entitled to, any part of the property which may make a part of my estate by inheritance from Mr. Peter Winn, the grandfather of my other children."

   And:

   "And now, my dear wife and children, having, in the first place, expressed a willingness to yield up my soul to God who gave it, and then made a disposition of that earthly inheritance, with which he has been pleased to bless me; it now only remains for me to conclude, by committing you all to God, who is infinite in goodness, and whose tender mercy and compassion is beyond all conception; humbly imploring him to take you all under his fatherly care and keeping; that he would be the God, the Guide and Comforter of my widow, the God, the Father and Protector of my children; lead them through all the slippery paths of youth; preserve them from the snares and temptations of this wicked world, and their own corrupt and evil hearts, and from Satan, the grand adversary of souls; and finally, that he would bring us all to meet in heavenly kingdom, above, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer."

   Two appraisements of his estate, one for Georgia and the other for Alabama show sixteen slaves in Georgia and twenty-nine in Alabama. The will was made October 16, 1820. The appraisements are dated December 13, 1820 and September 1823.

   William Fleming was the son of James Fleming and his wife, Jane Bennett. Both of these are believed to have come from the Williamsburg colony at Kingstree, S. C. Certain it is that James was the son of John Fleming and his wife, Janet Witherspoon, oldest daughter of John Witherspoon, founder of the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church. John Fleming was born in Scotland where he had married Janet, and together their lines carry us back into the thick of Scottish history.   

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Witherspoons Prior to Ellen Barrett Fleming

   The great-great grandmother of Ellen Barrett Fleming was Jane Witherspoon, oldest child of John Witherspoon. In 1734, this John Witherspoon and his seven children, six of whom were married, came up Black River, in South Carolina, as far as Potato Ferry and established the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church at the Kings Tree. With him was John Fleming who had married his eldest daughter, Janet.

   John Witherspoon and his wife, Janet Witherspoon, were born in Scotland about 1670. Early in their married life they lived at Bogardie, near Glasgow. Their marriage took place in 1693. In 1695, they left Scotland for Knockbracken, County Down, Ireland, where they remained until 1734, when they and their whole family emigrated to South Carolina. A graphic account of their arrival at Kings Tree on Black River is given by their grandson, Robert Witherspoon, and can be found in large part in Howe's History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, Volume 1., pages 212-215. In his account he tells us that his grandmother, Janet, died on shipboard the second day out from Belfast. Dr. John Witherspoon, the famous president of Princeton, was a nephew of the Williamsburg John Witherspoon.

   The ancient line of this John Witherspoon is given in the following chart which carries us back to Richard de Clare who was one of the Barons of Runnymede and a Surety for the Magna Carta.

   Prepared for the GEORGIA DIVISION, NATIONAL SOCIETY OF MAGNA CARTA DAMES.

   1. RICHARD DE CLARE, a Surety for Magna Carta; m. Amicia of Gloucester.

   2. GILBERT DE CLARE, also a Surety; m. Isabella Marshall.

  3. Isabel Clare; m. (1) Robert Bruce (1210-1295) Earl of Annandale.

   4. Robert Bruce (1243-1304) ; m. Marjorie Carrick.

   5. KING ROBERT BRUCE of Scotland (1274-1329); m. Isabel Mar.

   6. Marjorie Bruce; d. 1316; m. Walter Stewart, Lord High Steward of Scotland.

   7. KING ROBERT BRUCE II of Scotland (1315-1390); m. Elizabeth Mure.

   8. Robert, First Duke of Albany; m. Margaret, Countess of Montieth (1).

   9. Murdoch, Second Duke of Albany; m. Isabel of Lenox.

   10. Sir James Stewart; d. 1441; m. Lady MacDonald.

   11. Walter Stewart of Murphie; m. Elizabeth of Arnot.

   12. Andrew Stewart, Second Earl Avondale; m. Margaret Kennedy.

   13. Andrew Stewart, Third Earl Avondale; m. Lady Margaret Hamilton.

   14. Andrew, Second Lord Ocgiltree; m. Agnes Cunningham.

   15. Lady Margaret Stewart; m. 1564, John Knox, the Reformer.

   16. Elizabeth Knox; m. Rev. John Welch of Ayr; d. 1622.

   17. Lucy Welch; m. Rev. James Witherspoon.

   18. David Witherspoon; b. in Scotland; m. Helen Welsh (Welch).

   19. John Witherspoon; b. about 1679; d. 1737; m. Janet Witherspoon, Bogardie, Scotland; b. about 1670, Scotland; d. September 30, 1734, on shipboard.

   20. Janet Witherspoon; b. 1695, in Scotland; d. about 1761; m. John Fleming; b. 1685; d. 1750, both at Williamsburg, S. C.

   21. James Fleming; b. 1722, in Ireland (2) ; m. Jane Bennett, daughter of Matthew Bennett; b. 1724.

   22. William Fleming; b. 7-13-1778; d. 7-11-1822; m.2-5-1805 Anna Winn, her third marriage; b. 6-19-1782; d. 11-26-1823.

   23. Peter Winn Fleming; b. 5-1-1807; d. 1-6-1882; m.12-/-1827 Matilda Law; b. 6-/-1810; d. 8-21-1853.

   24. Ellen Barrett Fleming; b. 10-23-1843; d. 9-20-1893; m. 11-4-1863 Joseph Bacon Martin; b. 11-8-1841; d.11-13-1912.

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Winns Prior to Ellen Barrett Fleming

   The grandmother of Ellen Barrett Fleming, wife of Joseph Bacon Martin, was Anna Winn, wife of William Fleming, and daughter of Peter Winn. She was born in Liberty County on June 19, 1782. Her father, Peter Winn, married Mary Farley in 1777. Peter Winn was the son of John Winn, who came to Midway with his family on April 15, 1755. John Winn was married four times: (1) to Sarah Goulding, (2) to Ann Duval, and two more. This has confused the record and later records list the children as born to Sarah Ann Duval.

   John Winn is said to have lived in Winnsboro, S. C., where he married Ann Duval, of Huguenot stock. The Duval family came to South Carolina from Maryland. This John Winn was a relative of John Winn who founded Winnsboro and historic Mount Zion Institute there. Rev. Paul P. Winn, of the Winnsboro Winns, and Rev. Thomas C. Winn, of the Liberty County Winns, attested to this connection when they met in the Orient in the presence of Miss Emily Winn, missionary in 1920. The father of our John Winn was Robert Winn, whose will was filed in Colleton County, South Carolina, in 1738. All the Winns are said to have migrated south from Virginia. A number of ministers and missionaries have come from this family.

   John Winn, who came to Midway in 1755, was active in the Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Council of Safety which met in old Tondee Tavern in Savannah, and was
so prominent in revolutionary activities that he was listed in the "disqualifying act" of the Royal Government. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in February 21, 1766, and in the Revolution served in the Second Regiment of Georgia Foot Militia, his record being attested by Col. John Baker. He had a beautiful home in Dorchester village.

   Peter Winn, his son, likewise served in the Colonial forces. He was commissioned an ensign in 1767. Col. Elijah Clark certified to his services in the Second Georgia Regiment, Augusta Division. (Cyclopedia of Georgia, Candler. Vol. 3, page 618.)

   Edward Winn is reputed to be the first Winn to come to America. He and his family migrated to Dorchester, Mass., in 1630. One of his daughters married Moses Cleveland, a great grandfather of President Grover Cleveland. It is believed that these southern Winns are descended from this Edward Winn. The Winn family comes from Wales and are descended from a Welsh prince, Gragnynette.

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Laws Prior to Ellen Barrett Fleming

   Matilda Law, the wife of Peter Winn Fleming, was the mother of Ellen Barrett Fleming. Her father was the Rev. Samuel Spry Law. He was born June 2, 1775, but was not baptised until April 29, 1787. He lived in Sunbury and was an officer in the Sunbury branch of the Midway congregation. He was also first captain of the Liberty Independent Troop. He later became major of the squadron when the regiment was organized. Forty years of age. he united with the Baptist Church on April 30, 1815, and was ordained a minister at Sunbury on December 27, 1827. He died and was buried at Sunbury, February 4, 1837. He had two sons, the Rev. Josiah Spry Law, who was a Baptist minister, and the Rev. Joseph Law, who was a Methodist minister.

   The Laws apparently were originally Church of England people and may have come to Sunbury from Bermuda or one of the islands. The father of Samuel Spry Law was Joseph Law, who came to Midway in 1771, and died April 18, 1802. He was married five times. His third wife was Elizabeth Spry. His father was Benjamin Law. These Laws are in the ancestry of President Theodore Roosevelt.

   The wife of Samuel Spry Law was Rebecca Graves, of old Midway stock. It was the second marriage for both of them. He was first married to Mary Andersen. She was married first to a Mr. Hughes.

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Other Family Lines

   As can be seen from these brief accounts, more is known of some family lines than of others. Some family lines are more confused than others. These have been described with the hope that others will add to the information that we have. Blank places are left in this small book so that those who can and care may write in their own additions. We wish we knew about the wife of John Martin, whether he was the governor or not. The Scottish ancestors of John Martin, the Emigrant, are lost in the mists of the Scottish Highlands. The family of Isabella Graham, wife of Martin Martin, may have come from Georgia or Carolina. We don't know.

   Mary (Marcey) Baker, daughter of Thomas Baker, came from Goose Creek, above Charleston. Mary, the wife of Edward Sumner, died February 13, 1771. That is all we know of her. We know only that Graves and Hughes are in the Midway records. While the Midway records report much, many persons in the community do not appear at all in them. And so we come to the end of this account. May it also mark the beginning of further and better studies into the origins of the Flemington Martins.