French Family Association

The Official Website of the Surname French

Analysis of the Early John Frenches in Pennsylvania

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Basic Knowledge

How Do We Know That Jacob French 1^st Had A Son Named John?

· Need a DNA test.

· Jacob French 2^nd and John French were in Hagerstown, MD, during the same year.

John French of Chansford, York Co., PA

See FFA Chart #129.

Colonel John French of New Castle Co., DE and Chester Co., PA

See FFA Chart #81 for more about Col. John French who was b. ca. 1670 and d. 12 Dec 1728, m. Eves or Aves. He had 3 daughters, Parnella, Mary, and Sybilla. Colonel John French had a brother, Robert, b. ca. 1665 and d. 23 Jan 1712, m. Mary, and had children David, Katherine, Ann, Elizabeth, and Mary.

· It seems as though the French family of Col. John French and his brother Robert were already in Delaware and Pennsylvania in the late 1600's. They appear to be English. Since George French of FFA Chart #195 was naturalized in 1747 in MD, this is proof that his family was not English. That's enough evidence for Deb Skoff, Ref. [1], to decide that these two families couldn't be related. Since the other men naturalized at the same time were Germans, then it’s likely that George French and the two Jacob Frenches were also German.

· John French was living in York County, PA, during the early 1700’s according to the “History of Lancaster and York County, 1719 to the Present Time”, by I. Daniel Rupp in 1845. In Jun of 1722, Governor Keith, by way of a treaty with four of the Five Nations of the Iroquois, authorized the surveying of Springettsbury Manor as a proprietary manor for Springet Penn, grandson of William Penn. Three men, John French, Fran. Worley and John Mitchel accomplished the task beginning from a red oak.

· Philadelphia, PA, Church Records of 1709-1760, Provo, UT, by Charles R. Hildeburn.

Established in 1695 as the first Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Christ Church was one of the most important churches in the city before the Revolutionary War. This database is a collection of baptism and burial records from the church between 1709 and 1760. Noted researcher Charles R. Hildeburn compiled this collection in the nineteenth century. It provides information regarding over 20,000 individuals. Birth records provide the child's name, parents' names, baptism date, and birth date or approximate age. Burial records provide the decedent's name, date of burial, and surviving spouse (or parent in the case of a deceased child). To those seeking early Philadelphia ancestors, this can be a rich source of helpful information.

John Mitchel was buried 8 Dec 1725 from the Philadelphia, PA, Church Records of 1709-1760. He was from Bermuda.

Other French records from the Philadelphia, PA, Church Records, 1709-1760 are:
Joseph French, son of Nathaniel French, d. 25 Apr 1733
Kutura French, son of Nathaniel and Mary French, baptized 5 Sep 1733
Lenora French, dau. of Nathaniel and Mary French, baptized 24 May 1735
John French, d. 29 Apr 1748
Sarah French, d. 21 Apr 1748
Hannah French, d. 28 Oct 1759, m. Battle.

Names not in these records are Rule, Rühl, Schmeiss

· Volume III, Colonial Records, pages 184-5, we read under "Copy of Warrant for Surveying the 'Mannor of Springetsbury'," (1722) the return of Messrs. "John French, Francis 'Worley, & James Mitchell, Esqrs.," that they completed the survey of the "Mannor of Springets-Bury, upon the River Sesquahannah," etc.

· Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. II, edited by Thomas Lynch Montgomery, 1906, [73], website:
http://www.archive.org/stream/pennsylvaniaarch14penn/pennsylvaniaarch14penn_djvu.txt
This archives shows a John, Samuel, and William French during 1773 to 1798 (during the American Revolution). John French is in WA Co., PA on a work contract with Benjamine Custard 18 Jan 1782. Samuel French is in 2^nd Class in WA Co., PA, undated, but probably 1783. John French is in 6^th Class, Associators and Militia, undated, but probably 1783. William French is listed as a Private in Captain Cunningham’s Company, undated. Samuel French is listed as a Private in Captain Howell’s Company. Samuel French is listed in Sergeant Leatherman’s party. William French is listed as a Private in Associators and Militia, undated. They camped at Frenchtown on 17 Oct 1778. John French is 8^th Class in York County Militia on 26 Apr 1778. This could indicate that John had 2 brothers: Samuel and William. Other names in this group are Jacob Rudisill, John Rudisile, Baltzer Rudisill, Jonas Rudisily, Heinrich Rudisily, Henry Rudisill, Jonas Rudisill, Hannes Rudisily, and Philip Rudisily.

· Washington Co., PA: Before me ye Subscribing Justice for ye County Affores'd Came Benjamine Custard & made oath That he hired Wm. French for one months service on ye Stations Under Command of Capt. Cuningham And that he Received a Certificate from ye sd. french for sd. Tower & that sd. Deponant was to Receive ye State Pay for sd. tower. Sworn before me this 18th of Janury, 1782. From the above 2 articles, perhaps Samuel, William, and Peter were sons of John.

·

John French of Colebrookdale, Berks Co., PA

The following document is from “Persons Naturalized in the Province of Pennsylvania, 1740-1773” by John B. Linn and William H. Egle, 1876:

John French was naturalized on 22-23-24 Nov 1773 in Lancaster, PA, from Colebrookdale, Berks Co., PA, very close to Nockamixon. These men might both be of the French line from Delaware, FFA Chart #81.

John French was naturalized in Lancaster, PA, in Nov 1773 and states he was from Colebrookdale, Berks Co., PA. Naturalizations did not necessarily occur in the township of the person being naturalized, but in a location where naturalizations were possible. See http://berks.pa-roots.com/naturalization/Naturalizations1769-1773.html, “Names of Berks Countians Who Were Naturalized in the Province of Pennsylvania, 1769-1773”, by John B. Linn and William H. Egle.

[At a Nisi Prius Court held at Lancaster, for the County of Lancaster, Before John Lawrence & Thomas Willing, Esquires, two of the Judges of the Supream Court of the Province of Pennsylvania, on the twenty-second, twenty-third and twenty-fourth Days of November, in the Year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred & seventy-three.] Apparently men came from all over to be naturalized.

John French, Colebrookdale

Note: I looked thru the other years from 1729-1773 and found the following names below. If the town is shown, it is the hometown, as they were naturalized at the Supreme Court in Philadelphia. See http://berks.pa-roots.com/naturalization/index.html.

George Waggoner, sacrament taken 1 Apr 1761 [coincidentally, George French was granted 50 acres called “Waggoner’s Fancy” in Frederick Co., MD, in 1761].
Jacob and Christopher Wagner, sacrament taken 5 Apr 1761
Christian Albright (Albrecht?), sacrament taken 3 Apr 1761
Wilhelm Ehrman, sacrament taken 18 Sep 1761
John Christopher Lehman, Reading, 3 Apr 1763
Jacob Miller, Tolpohocken, 3 Apr 1763
Maria Catharine Albright, 10 Apr 1760

Colebrookdale was the birth of the iron industry in Pennsylvania.

The 1767 Pennsylvania Township Tax and Census Lists of Colebrookdale township show John French, farmer, 75 acres, 2 horses, 3 cattle, 2 sheep, tax 2. Please check this list for others who may be related.