French Family Association
The Official Website of the Surname French
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Chart #19, Noah French, 1754,
Elizabethtown, Essex (now Union) County, NJ
Hermon, St. Lawrence Co., and
Essex Co., NY
This page was updated by Mara French on 10/21/08. Numbers in brackets [ ] show the source material and refer to the bibliography at the end. An asterisk (*) shows continuation of that line. Send any corrections or additions to this chart to Jan McCabe. Revisions: 1994, 1996, 2007, 2008.
In Appreciation
The FFA would like to thank Jan McCabe and her sister Denise for making a tremendous contribution in researching this chart successfully.
Contents
Noah French Pedigree compiled by Jan-Marie McCabe, over 363 Frenches
DNA Test, mostly likely will tie into Group 1, which connects to FFA Charts #16, 21, 22, 28, 36, 184, 187, 188, 189, and 190.
Theories on the
Parentage of Noah French
History and Research
Noah French enlisted in the Fall of 1775 and served at various times amounting to two years as a Private and Express Rider under Captains Peter Layton, Stephen Day, David Bates, and Jeremiah Dunn. He enlisted again on June 12, 1788 as an Ensign under Captain Dunn and Colonel Nathan Luse, and again on October 13, 1789 as a Captain under Captain Dunn and Colonel Luse. Noah's final enlistment was on June 5, 1793 as a Captain in the Sussex County (New Jersey) Militia. During the Revolutionary War, Noah engaged in the Battles of Middlebrook, Newark, and Springfield (New Jersey). [Source: Noah French Military and Pension files, National Archives, Washington, D.C.]
Noah lived at Morristown, NJ during Revolution. He enlisted and served two years, first as a private and express rider of Light Horse in Captain Dunn's company, New Jersey Lin, under Colonel Ludlum. After the war he moved to Mendham, NJ, and thence to Bridgeport [sic], VT. About 1802 he moved to Essex Co, NY, and it was while there that he made application for and received his pension. Filed with his application for pension is a leaf torn from his family Bible, which records his two marriages and the children of each marriage. [Source: Colonial & Revolutionary Lineage of America, Volume 3, page 211].
NoahÕs children from his first marriage to Mary Rolfe were Jemima French, Henry F. French, Sarah French, Eunice (Eunas) French, and Rolfe French. NoahÕs children from his second marriage to Johannah Campbell were Mary French, John French, Archibal French, Noah French Jr., Johannah French, Elias French, and George French.
Theories on the Parentage of Noah French
by Jan McCabe
One theory that has been developed is that Noah French (1754) is the son of John French, who inherited the "plantation at Turkey Road" in Essex/Union County, New Jersey. This would make Noah the grandson of Richard French and great grandson of John French (the brickmason) and his wife, Susannah, of Woodbridge.
Another theory that Denise and I have developed is based on information that one of Noah's grandsons, Zerah French (1827 - 1890), provides. In a journal written in 1867, Zerah identifies Noah's father as William French. This theory proposes that perhaps the John listed in Noah's military records was an older brother and not his father. Noah was only 16 when he enlisted, so I would assume that someone had to sign for him. If his father wasn't there (or wouldn't sign), then an older brother could have. We know that there was a John French who was a wagonmaster in the same area and at the same time that Noah was an express rider. We haven't figured out how he (John) fits in. John and Noah could both be sons of William. (See below)
I have another theory that Lafford (1753-1835) is actually the son of William French and Antie Sebring who were married in Middlesex County, NJ in 1742 because Antie Sebring had a brother Leffert, who posted the marriage bond with William French when the marriage license was obtained. I believe this William is descended from John (the brickmason) and Susannah French, who were in Middlesex County as early as 1680. As this isn't my family, I only came up with it because it could link to the theory above.