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.

Second 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

Second Generation

This generation was born generally between 1725-1750. Most of the men in this generation fought in the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783.

In the Revolutionary War and until 1798, sergeants were the senior NCOs of the Corps. Corporals were a lower rank and in charge of a body of troops or what we call today a squad. A corporal of the field served as an aide or staff officer to offer-grade sergeants major. Some Maryland soldiers were entitled to land for services during the Revolutionary War. Although this 30-page list is not searchable, I did not see any Elbon listed.

Elben Ancestry from Duck Creek, Kent County, DE, and Maryland

NOTE: Some of this documentation is only circumstantial evidence and could be changed in the future after more records are found.

Most of the men in this generation fought in the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. Each of the 13 first colonies (states) selected their own troops. Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey were part of these states.

Special Note: The family surname was spelled every which way.

William Elbourn, Sr., b. 1726-1767, probably ca. 1745. He lived perhaps in Duck Creek, Kent County, Delaware and could have been the journeyman listed in Delaware from 1787 to 1791 (more or less) who taught apprentice James Elburn the skill of weaving. But he would have had to live in Maryland before the Revolutionary War (before 1775) in order to be recruited for the war in that state. No positive records have been found; therefore, do not state these as facts. Contact.

He was a Corporal in the Revolutionary War on 28 Aug 1781. The 3^rd Maryland Regiment consisted of 8 companies from Anne Arundel, Prince George, Talbot, Harford, and Somerset counties in Maryland (not from Kent).

Since William was now “a soldier on the service of the United States”, his family was paid support in March 1783, as William had died. (Ref: Kent County Court Minutes) (Judy Elbourn Curtis).

From the Archives of Maryland Online, Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops In the American Revolution, Volume 18, Page 395, 6th Company, 3rd Regiment, William Elburn was a Corporal, dated 28 Aug 1781. Because Private William Elburn enlisted 16 May 1781, he might be a different William than the one who was a Corporal 3 months later.

Corporals in the 3^rd Regiment

Determining the age of Corporal William Elburn is difficult only because several men had the name William Elburn. Researching the ages of the other Corporals in the 6^th Company, 3^rd Regiment could give a better idea of William’s age. After calculation, average birth year would be 1737 as a rough estimate.

William Duncan was born 1748 most likely in Scotland, lived in Broad Creek Hundred, Harford County, MD, in the 1776 Compiled Census. He m. Rebecca and their children were all born in Baltimore, MD. His children are spread from 1772 to 1787 or 15 years. He died in 1830.
Mary 7 Apr 1772
Esther 26 Sep 1773
Agness 22 Jan 1776
Elisabeth 7 Apr 1778
Jane 15 Feb 1784
John 7 Dec 1785
Sarah 26 Sep 1787

The inhabitants, adults and children, both white and black in Broad Creek Hundred in 1776 totaled 342. Because William Duncan and James Wilson were both from this township, William Elbourn could have also been from that county, Harford County.

James Wilson was born 28 Oct 1726, lived in Broad Creek Hundred, Harford County, MD, in the 1776 Compiled Census, but later attended Saint Paul’s Parish, Kent, MD, the son of John and Elizabeth Wilson. “A” record shows “a” James Wilson m. Ann Johnston on 16 Oct 1777 in Maryland. Another record shows James Wilson was Black. And “a” James Wilson m. Margery Duvall on 8 Apr 1783, and “a” James Wilson m. Ann Sumland on 28 Jul 1784. James Wilson was age 50 in 1776, blind, with 2 mulatoes. A later James Wilson was born ca. 1760 in Fredrick, Montgomery Co., MD, and age 16 in 1776, and probably the one listed as a Private on the same list above.

Purnell Isaac Henderson was born in 1746 in Worcester County, MD, died in 1801. Isaac Henderson m. Sally Davis on 22 Feb 1797 in Worcester County, MD, who may have been his son considering the dates.

Henry Harris was born 1 May 1735 at Saint Peter’s Parish, Talbot, MD, the son of Henry and Mary Harris.

Daniel Willis was a resident of Maryland on 1 May 1746, probably at age about 18 or born 1728. Daniel Willis m. Jemima Taylor on 15 Jun 1785. He lived in Anne Arundel County.

Profession

This is an authentic record, but no proof indicates this is the James Elburn of this line. So far, the name, date and location are quite accurate; therefore, the document is placed here for further study.

Indentured servants were usually men born in England and brought to America for a certain amount of time to work and gain their passage to the new world, sometimes even receiving land or other benefits such as clothing. The 1787 record below shows “a” James Elburn working as an apprentice indentured servant in Kent County, Delaware, under William Elburn for 3 years learning the trade of a weaver. In 1787 James would have been 18 years old. The record lists his father as William Elburn. James may have experimented being a weaver by trade as a youngster, but he worked in agriculture in 1840 and as a laborer in 1850, unlike his descendants who were all oystermen or watermen. James was never a fisherman; he was always in agriculture.

Website: http://archives.delaware.gov/checklists/xml/Apprentice_Indenture.xml

(First go to http://archives.delaware.gov/checklists/ and enter in the Last Name Elburn)

The state of Delaware became the 1^st state in the Union on 7 Dec 1787, the same year James went to Delaware under indenture. See “Eastern Shore Militia”, especially the Index, for other names in the Revolutionary War, i.e., Covington, Beck, David.

Date: “2011-11-15T14:41:03+00:00”
source: “Delaware Public Archives”
collection: “Apprentice Indenture”
item cid: “1168962”
RG: “3555”
Series: “030”
First Name: James
Middle Name: n/a
Last Name: Elburn
Parents First Name: William
Parents Last Name: Elburn
File Date: 10/01/1787
Trade Name: Weaving
Organization: Self
Sub-Gr Name: Kent County
Comments: 3 years

The following indenture was transcribed by Joan Elburn Farley on 4 Nov 2014. See Original. The apprenticeship record says that James Elburn’s master was William Elburn, and in another place it states William was James’ parent.

The name Cahorn is Cahoon, as there is a William Cahoon born 1695 in Monomony, Massachusetts who died May 1774 in Duck Creek, Kent, DE, and his son William was born 1734 and died 1795. Here’s a man who made the trip from MA to DE --- could the Elburn family have come the same way? Later on the spelling was Calhoon. 

One would imagine that only 3 years later, in 1790, the names Cahorn, Cahoon, Elburn, Elborn, or Covington would appear in the 1790 census of Delaware, but none of them is listed. The only ones listed on the entire continent in 1790 with the name Elborn or variation thereof are Sarah and Hannah Elborn of Kent, MD, both head of household and widows. Therefore, if this William Elborn were married to either Hannah or Sarah, he must have died before the indenture was complete, that is, before 1790, as both Hannah and Sarah are listed as widows. Furthermore, one must excise caution with this information as the indentured service took place in Kent, Delaware, and Hannah and Sarah lived in Kent, Maryland.

William Elburn’s son (relationship not totally proven) James, in Duck Creek Hundred, Kent County, DE, could have lived in Delaware between 1787 to 1790, and then James moved to Kent County, MD, and lived with his mother in the 1790 census. His widowed mother could have been either Sarah or Hannah, and James would have been 21 years of age or over 16 for census purposes. Hannah had a child over the age of 16, but Sarah did not. This could mean that William was an uncle and not James’ father unless he died in 1790.

The indenture clearly states that both James and William were of Duck Creek Hundred in Kent County, Delaware. The indenture in one place calls William the Master, but in another place calls him the Parent. It was not uncommon for sons to apprentice to their fathers; in fact, Paul Revere and his brother Thomas were indentured to their father. William Elburn might have married Rachel David and they were the parents of James. Furthermore, Rachel’s grandparents were Owen David (Daffyd) of Wales and Mary Rees of England. There is a Rees Corner near Rock Hall, Kent County, MD, where a large Elburn family lived. Members of the Rees family are buried in the Chester Cemetery and Wesley Cemetery in Kent County, MD. Additionally, a Sarah Rees in Delaware married a John Ringgold of Delaware, another surname familiar to the Elburn family. More research is required. Contact.

1783 March -- Elbourn, William. Since he was now 'a soldier on the service of the United States' his family was paid support in March 1783. (Ref: Kent County Court Minutes) (Judy Curtis).

1793 Jul 1 -- The following List of Letters remaining in the Post Office in Chestertown on 1 Jul 1793 list William Elben, who lived in Langford’s Bay. Most likely he had died by this time. Note that in Old English, the letter “s” was written more like an uncrossed “f”. I looked up several of these names to find out when they died: Matthew Hawkins died before 1789 in Queen Anne’s County, MD; Richard A. Healy was a witness to a will in 1793 in Queen Anne’s County, MD; Simon Wilmer died in 1794 in Kent Co., MD; Elizabeth Thompson died 1795 in St. Mary, MD.

Elben Ancestry from New Jersey and Philadelphia

John Elben, b. ca. 1750. Other men with this same name exist in Maryland, but this John Elben lived in New Jersey and in Philadelphia.

Chronology

1750 -- about the year John Elben was born.

1795 Tax List – “a” John Elben shows up in the Tax Lists of Bridgewater, Somerset Co. NJ.

1800 census – Cannot find in census – no census in NJ until 1830.

1810 census – Cannot find in census – no census in NJ until 1830.

1820 Directory of Philadelphia, PA -- maybe the word “late” means he is “retired” or “formerly” or “of late of being a shoemaker”, but not died as in that case, he would not be listed or just his widow would be listed.

1830 – Cannot find in census.

1841 Jul 6 -- The New Jersey Deaths and Burials Index shows a John Elben died on 6 Jul 1841, but it does not list the location in New Jersey.

Elben Ancestry from Cecil County, MD

John Elbin, b. 1726-1767, fought in the Rev War in Cecil Co., MD, 49^th Regt.

1750 – John was born, place unknown. As he entered the Rev. War on 2 Jun 1778 in Maryland, and he needed to be 16 years of age, he was born 1762 or before; Kent Co., MD, was established in 1642. Because his first son was born ca. 1775, I calculated his birthdate somewhere ca. 1750.

1774 – Approximate date John married.

1775 – Son John (2) was born in Maryland.

1778 -- John enlisted in the Continental Service in the Revolutionary War on 2 Jun 1778 in Maryland.

Page 204, John Elvin. Muster of Maryland Troops of the 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, and German Regiment. Footnote 2 stands for Dobson’s.

In 1778 the General Assembly of Allegany Co., MD, reserved all unpatented lands “westward of Fort Cumberland” for Maryland soldiers of the Revolution.

1779 -- John Elbin was discharged on 14 Mar 1779, before any of the other Elbons entered the service.

1781 – John’s son Reuben was born in Flintstone, Allegany Co., MD.

1782 – John’s daughter Nancy was born.

1784 – John’s daughter Mary was born. John didn’t have any more children until 1795 when Nathaniel was born in Elbinsville, Bedford Co., PA.

1783 -- An assessment for “John Elburn” in 1783 is listed in adjacent Cecil Co., MD; that county was established in 1672.

1788 -- John Elbin was the earliest member of the Elbin families in Allegany Co., MD and later Bedford Co., PA. He received land in 1788 lying west of Fort Cumberland in Allegany Co., MD.

1790 census of Harford Co., MD. John had land in both Allegany Co., MD, and Harford Co., MD, as his name appears in both places on one deed.
John Elbin (1) is listed as 1 white male 16 years and over including heads of family (born before 1774)
2 free white males under 16 years of age (born after 1774), John (2) and Reuben (b. 1781)
3 free white females including heads of families, wife, Nancy (b. 1782), and Mary (b. 1784).
Note that Nathaniel was not born until 1795; this census calculates precisely.
no other free persons and no slaves.
1790 census includes states CT, ME, MD, MA, NH, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC, VT. Harford County is just north of Baltimore, MD, and next to Cecil Co., MD (where John was in 1783), and just across the Chesapeake Bay from Chestertown, Kent Co., MD.

John Elbin (1)’s name appears close to the Hall family (Elizabeth and Mary Hall both were head of household and both had slaves); it was thought he may have married a woman named Hall.

John Elbin’s name appears on one deed showing his address in Harford Co. and Allegany Co., MD. This is proof that this is the same John early on.

1800-1840 -- John Elbin appears in the 1800, 1810, and 1820 censuses of Colerain (Southampton Township), Bedford Co., PA, whereas a younger John Elbin, probably his son, appears in the 1810, 1820, and 1830 census of nearby Allegany Co., MD, just over the Mason-Dixon line from Southampton Township. In the 1840 census, this same John Elbin moved west to Aleppo Township in Greene Co., PA. Besides this John, the rest of the Elbin families remained mostly in southern Bedford County, PA, along the Mason-Dixon line.

Elbon Family in the Revolutionary War

Several men named Elbon (Corporal William, Private William, Nathaniel, Matthew, John, Reuben) fought in the Revolutionary War in Kent Co., MD, between 1778-1783.

Two of these men named William lived in Kent Co., MD. Deciphering them from one another is not a simple task. One was a Private and the other was a Corporal. A Private is the lowest rank and most often the entry rank when a soldier is about 18-20 years old. A Corporal is a Non-Commissioned Officer at the lowest rank. In the U.S. Army, a soldier may be promoted to Corporal directly from the rank of Private First Class (PFC). Today the rank of Corporal is rarely used. If the dates of these 2 men named William conflict with one another, then they are definitely 2 men with the same name. Furthermore, a Private can be promoted to a Corporal within a short time.

In several records, two of these Williams are referred to as William Sr. and William Jr.; therefore, it is possible that they were father and son. In order to participate in the Revolutionary War, the son most likely was born in 1764 or before; therefore, his father would have had to have been born ca. 1746 or before. This relationship would be completely based on circumstantial evidence and nothing has been proven.

26 Early Men Named William Elbon

All early settlers (born pre-1850) named William (some could be combined) are as follows. 24 Can you find any two that belong as one? Consideration of the name spelling is impossible to decipher as many people could neither read nor write and therefore didn’t know how to spell, read the alphabet, or whether or not their name was spelled correctly. Contact.

#	Name	Location	Birth	Reference	Details
1	Wm Elbon	Harford Co. MD	before 1746		Corporal in Rev. War
2	Wm Elbon	Kent Co. MD	before 1764	Could be the same as #8.	Private in Rev. War. Most likely died in Mar 1782 in Williamsburg, VA.
3	Wm Elbourn	Kent Co. MD	1776-1794	1820 census	w/2 sons born 1810-1820
4	William Elburn	Kent Co., MD	1825-1830	1830 census	Son of Samuel and Millicent Elburn
5	William Elbourn	Chestertown, Kent Co., MD	1776-1794	1820 census. Could be same as #6?	Naturalized – this means he was not British, maybe German.
6	William C. Elborn	Kent Co., MD, but only in 1812	Before 1790, probably ca. 1780-84.	War of 1812. He may have moved from Salem to participate in war. May be son of Wm who was on Salem Tax List 1788-1797.
7	William Elburn, son of J. & E. Elburn	Kent Co., MD	Born 22 Apr 1845, d. 14 Jan 1865	Died in Civil War? Descendant of Samuel Elburn.
8	William Polk Elburn	Kent Co., MD	ca. 1843	m. Hannah Elizabeth Dhue or Dewe. Descendant of James Elburn.
9	William Elburn Jr.	In Rev. War, Eastern Neck, MD	A Junior in 1775, b. before 1755 – could be same as #2.	His father was probably Wm. Sr., b. before 1735 – could be same as #1	Perhaps married Sarah or Hannah who appears in the 1790 census. He died before 1790.
10	William Samuel Elburn	Kent Co., MD	6 Jun 1838	Descendant of Samuel Elburn, son of Thomas W. Elburn.	m. Mary Elizabeth Deford, d. 7 Feb 1913
11	Wm Elben	Salem Co. NJ	ca. 1760	1788 Tax List, could be father of John who m. Martha Bowen, and perhaps William who m. Rachel Saunders.	1788-1797 in Salem NJ. He died in 1803.
12	William Elben	Maryland, he moved to Salem NJ where his wife was from.	1811-1820, born 8 Nov 1817	1840 census, Descendant of William Elben of Salem Co., NJ.
13	William Turpin Elben, son of William Elben born in MD and Mary Ann Turpin b. in Alloways, Salem Co., NJ.	Salem Co., NJ, moved to Easton, Talbot Co., MD	12 Sep 1842 in NJ	Descendant of William Elben of Salem Co., NJ.	Died 29 Mar 1914 in Easton, Talbot Co., MD
14	William Elben	Salem Co., NJ	b. before 1770.	Wife Rebecca Hall, she was still living in 1807, mentioned in her husband’s will on 1803.	He died 1803, Had 2 sons and several daughters per his will, last dau. born 1804.
15	William C. Elben	Salem Co., NJ, perhaps he is the son of John who was the son of William.	1825	Mother was Sarah, b. 1795. Most likely connected to William Elben of Ohio.	See [49] in Bibliography.
16	William Elben	Salem Co., NJ	Before 1760.	#15 could be same as #13.	Paid taxes in Salem from 1788 to 1797.
17	William Elben	Salem Co., NJ	Before 1780.		m. Rachel Saunders on 10 Aug 1805 in Salem.
18	Wm Elben	Licking Co., OH, probably born in MD	1770, married Margaret Dush ca. 1804 in OH	1850 census. #17 is father of #18.	Age 80, moved to OH in 1804. Probably had following son.
19	William Elben	Licking Co., OH	14 Aug 1811	m. Ruth Ann Fowler in OH	Died 1880 Utica, Knox Co., OH
20	William Elbon	Amity Cemetery, Knox Co., OH	Born before 1845.	Civil War, Co. H, 121^st Ohio Infantry.
21	William Elbon		Born before 1845.	Died 31 Aug 1864 at the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama.	Navy Casualty Reports, 1776-1941, seaman. Death due to enemy action during Civil War on ship Hartford.
22	William Elbon	Shenandoah Co., VA	1776-1794, most likely 1788 in Frederick Co., VA.	Son of Reuben Elbon of VA. 1820 census 1840 census says he was b. 1781-1790.	Rev. War Pension Application after 1775 for Henry Roarer or Rohrer. Wm Elbon m. Catharine Roarer or Rohrer 13 Jun 1818. No children.
23	William Elburd	Nanacoake, Dorchester Co., MD	ca. 1740	Maybe not an Elburn.
24	William Elbin Sr.	Flintstone, MD	27 Apr 1810	m. Rachel	Descendant of John Elbin.
25	William Elbort	Queen Anne’s Co., MD	Before 1714	Maybe not an Elburn.	In court about land in 1734, Queen Anne
26	William Elburn	Duck Creek Hundred, Delaware	1787	James Elburn was his apprentice and perhaps his son.	James was b. 1769, William b. 1745???

Quaker Elburn Family

The Quakers came from England, but they had separated from the Church of England in the mid-17th century. No word has been found indicating that the Elbens were Quakers.

1770 Feb 16 – Quaker Meeting Records. Esther Elburn of Chester, Pennsylvania, and her husband and six small children John, Elizabeth, Jonathan, Samuel, Rachel, and Hannah, received a certificate for admittance into the church. Let’s assume that the average age of these 6 small children is 8, or they were born average ca. 1758-1768. Let’s also assume that Esther and her husband were born ca. 1735. Chester, Pennsylvania is in Delaware County, which is along the Delaware River, very close to Salem, New Jersey going down the river, and to Delaware and Kent County, Maryland.

Further research on Esther Elburn and her six children shows absolutely nothing promising:

Elizabeth Elburn, from the Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 shows Elizabeth listed in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania* between 1863-1875, a Methodist, at the Madison Street United Methodist Church. Dates are very different as the first date was 1770.

Rachel Elburn was baptized 26 Jul 1840 in Burlington, Burlington, NJ, a Methodist of the Broad Street United Methodist Church, parents were Samuel and Margaret Sisom. Also, “a” Rachel G. Elburn married Patrick Rocap on 30 Dec 1841 in Salem, NJ.

Samuel Elburn shows a record on 5 Mar 1799 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA, in the Mayor’s Court Dockets. Looking at the original of this record, it appears to be Samuel Elbison.

*Also from Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania

From the Pennsylvania Gazette, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 9 Apr 1794, below. List of Letters remaining in the Post Office in Chester, Delaware County, PA. Other Elben families lived in Delaware County, PA, and some were buried in Fernwood.