Downtown Business District of Salem, NJ, ca. 1930-1940

William Elben, born 1817 in Maryland

Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania
New Jersey: Deptford Township, Gloucester Co.;
Salem and Elsinboro Townships, Salem Co.
Maryland: Easton, Talbot Co.; Millington and Galena, Kent Co.;
Hillsboro, Caroline Co.; Baltimore, Baltimore Co.;
Cecil Co.; Flintstone, Allegany Co.; Harford Co.
Delaware: Duck Creek, Kent Co.

First Generation

This page was updated by Mara French on 2/10/15. An asterisk (*) shows continuation of that line. I am not responsible for the content although I researched it to the best of my ability as a hobby. For additions, corrects, or deletions, click Contact.

Links

Elben Home Page

Outline of Most Elben Families

Outline of William Elben Descendants

Elben DNA Test Results

Maps of Maryland and Delaware

William Elben of Salem Co., NJ, Home Page

Generations: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 (click each generation)

Bibliography

First Generation

This generation was born generally between 1700-1725.

1.1 Early Elben, b. ca. 1700-1725, father of William Elben, Sr. He may have been the one who immigrated to America. He probably did not participate in the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. In general, men who participated in the Revolutionary War were born between 1726-1767.

It is assumed that the Elben family arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from overseas or perhaps from New England or Canada before 1765. From there they moved to Salem County, New Jersey. Before the War of 1812 in Maryland, William Elben, who was born in New Jersey, moved to Kent County, Maryland, where son William Elben was born in 1817 stating that his father was born in New Jersey. Son William moved to New Jersey where he married and had 4 children, then one son relocated to Philadelphia, while the other son returned to Talbot County, Maryland. The connection to various families in New Jersey can be accounted for through the names of Elben children, where surnames were used as Christian names, i.e., Cooper, Fletcher, Clement, Turpin, Belton.

The Elburns didn’t come over directly for the Rev. War in 1777 or else they would have been British subjects and would have returned to England if they were still alive. Plus, most of the men who were Corporals with William Elbourn (second generation) in the Rev. War were Quakers and came from Scotland. There had to be a reason the Elbens came to the new colonies, and usually they came because they were indentured servants, criminals, or because of religion (Quakers?).

Many of the Elben men in the early generations were shoemakers. It was one of the most commonly-practiced trades in 18^th-century Virginia. The first shoemakers arrived in America at Jamestown in 1610. The surname Shoemaker is seen in the Revolutionary War.

Undetermined Early Elbens

The Elburn family immigrated in about the year 1765 thru Philadelphia perhaps as Quakers. No definite information is known at present. I repeat, no definite information of any sort is known about their immigration, when nor from where.

Jeptha or Jephthah Elben

Jeptha or Jephthah Elben, b. ca. 1730 not in the U.S., was resident in Deptford Township, Gloucester County, NJ, in 1784 after living in nearby Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from where he might have immigrated ca. 1765.

From the “New Jersey, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890”, Jephtha was on the July and May Tax List of Deptford Township, Gloucester County, NJ in May and Jul 1784.

The following 1784 record appears directly after the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Most men who fought in this war were born between 1726-1767. The name “Jephthah” is listed in the Rev. War in New Jersey, but his surname is unreadable – it might be Jephthah B. Mann.

The name Jephthah or Hephtha or Jepthe is Jewish and is written in the Bible.

One could imagine migrating from Philadelphia southward along the Delaware River to Deptford Township in New Jersey, and then continuing along the Delaware River to Salem County, New Jersey, and on to the states of Delaware and Maryland.

William Elbort

William Elbort. QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY COURT (Land Records) RTA. [MdHR 9015;2/1/1/5], pp. 352-355 William Elbort, 13 February 1734 [4]. 07/22/88. Tracking No.: 41257. PD No.: 89-00131. It could be that he is not even a member of this family.

William Elburd

Dorchester County, Nantacoke Hundred, Census of 1776
Elburd, William, 1 ez, 7n
(1 female 30 to 40, 7 blacks)
Maryland Records, Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources, Volume II, Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh. William Elburd is listed on p. 91, of Nantacoake Hundred, Dorchester County, Maryland.

Hugh Elbejon

Hugh Elbejon paid taxes in Cape May County (south of Salem County) New Jersey in 1785. He was therefore born before 1760, a guesstimate. This document is from the New Jersey, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890.