Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Parent-Proof notes for 5G GF James Creighton
I do not know the names of his parents. I don’t know where he was born. It is possible he was an immigrant but also possible that he was born in America, perhaps somewhere other than Baltimore County. He was a “Presbyterian Pioneer” and I suspect either of Scottish or Scots-Irish descent. Indeed, I can confirm that Crichton and/or Creighton is a name with strong Scottish roots.
Discrepant Facts notes for 5G GF James Creighton
Many Internet family trees say that Robert was the son of James and James the son of John Cretin who died in Harford County in 1784.
Since John and his sons seemed to be the most oft mentioned Cretin family of Harford County of the 1700’s, I believed that pedigree for James, too -- initially. But then, as I sought to learn more about James, doubts -- in the form of what I call discordant notes -- began to crop up and then almost by luck, I found real evidence that Robert did not descend from John Cretin.
However, since you never know what new information may show up that may bring the John Cretin family back into the picture, let me introduce them briefly but to also discuss the things I learned that began to raise doubts in my mind about this pedigree:
• John Cretin’s wife was Martha Lynch. Martha’s Lynch ancestors include Patrick Lynch and his father Robuck. Patrick Lynch married Martha Bowen and Martha’s Bowen ancestors included Jonas Jr. and Jonas Sr. -- all of these people very early settlers of Colonial Maryland. So, if Robert was John’s grandson, then all of these people would count as our ancestors. And they seem to be interesting people so it actually would have been nice to be able to tell their stories.
• John and Martha had several daughters and three sons -- Patrick, John and James. I was able to learn enough about Patrick and John to know that our Robert could not be the son of either of them, leaving James as the only viable candidate -- of John’s sons.
• But in the course of my research into James, I was able to trace his relocation in the late 1700’s to Emmitsburgh, Maryland in Frederick County where he died in 1805. He left a will and mentioned: wife Lucy (probably a second wife), sister Sarah Hunter, nieces Elizabeth and Martha daughters of his brother Patrick, nephew John Coskery and Lucy’s former husband Richard Jenning. There was absolutely no mention whatsoever of any children of his own. The other names, though, clearly proved that he was James, son of John. Seeming to have no children of his own was a big discordant note.
• Once I knew where he had died, I was then able to find his tombstone -- actually a transcription of it. James Cretin, the son of John, died 24 Sep 1805 in Frederick County, MD and his tombstone said he was age 53. So he was born about 1752 and that just also seemed to be a discordant note. I don’t know exact ages for Robert or Delilah, but I believe Delilah was born about 1790. Now it’s possible that a man born in 1752 had a child in 1771 who in turn had a child in 1790. They would each have been 19 when they married and had a child. Make one of them 18 and the other could have been 20. It’s possible but just seemed unlikely to me.
• As part of my research I also learned that the John Cretin family was Catholic. James, for example, was buried at a Catholic Church. Now, initially, that didn’t seem important to ruling them in or ruling them out, but in the end it became a key point.
• And one other little detail. Obviously spellings were fluid back then but I just have a sense that Creighton may be the most accurate spelling for our ancestors while Cretin may be the most accurate for that other family. To be sure, our ancestors sometimes had their name spelled Cretin and the others sometimes got spelled Creighton -- but I think those were aberrations. I will use Creighton when I’m talking about our ancestors hereafter and Cretin for the other family.
In any event, faced with doubts, but still looking for more information that would either solidify the theory that Robert was the son of John’s son James or give me evidence to rule it out -- the Creighton family was high on my list of people to learn more about when I made a research trip to Maryland in 2011.
Since John and his sons seemed to be the most oft mentioned Cretin family of Harford County of the 1700’s, I believed that pedigree for James, too -- initially. But then, as I sought to learn more about James, doubts -- in the form of what I call discordant notes -- began to crop up and then almost by luck, I found real evidence that Robert did not descend from John Cretin.
However, since you never know what new information may show up that may bring the John Cretin family back into the picture, let me introduce them briefly but to also discuss the things I learned that began to raise doubts in my mind about this pedigree:
• John Cretin’s wife was Martha Lynch. Martha’s Lynch ancestors include Patrick Lynch and his father Robuck. Patrick Lynch married Martha Bowen and Martha’s Bowen ancestors included Jonas Jr. and Jonas Sr. -- all of these people very early settlers of Colonial Maryland. So, if Robert was John’s grandson, then all of these people would count as our ancestors. And they seem to be interesting people so it actually would have been nice to be able to tell their stories.
• John and Martha had several daughters and three sons -- Patrick, John and James. I was able to learn enough about Patrick and John to know that our Robert could not be the son of either of them, leaving James as the only viable candidate -- of John’s sons.
• But in the course of my research into James, I was able to trace his relocation in the late 1700’s to Emmitsburgh, Maryland in Frederick County where he died in 1805. He left a will and mentioned: wife Lucy (probably a second wife), sister Sarah Hunter, nieces Elizabeth and Martha daughters of his brother Patrick, nephew John Coskery and Lucy’s former husband Richard Jenning. There was absolutely no mention whatsoever of any children of his own. The other names, though, clearly proved that he was James, son of John. Seeming to have no children of his own was a big discordant note.
• Once I knew where he had died, I was then able to find his tombstone -- actually a transcription of it. James Cretin, the son of John, died 24 Sep 1805 in Frederick County, MD and his tombstone said he was age 53. So he was born about 1752 and that just also seemed to be a discordant note. I don’t know exact ages for Robert or Delilah, but I believe Delilah was born about 1790. Now it’s possible that a man born in 1752 had a child in 1771 who in turn had a child in 1790. They would each have been 19 when they married and had a child. Make one of them 18 and the other could have been 20. It’s possible but just seemed unlikely to me.
• As part of my research I also learned that the John Cretin family was Catholic. James, for example, was buried at a Catholic Church. Now, initially, that didn’t seem important to ruling them in or ruling them out, but in the end it became a key point.
• And one other little detail. Obviously spellings were fluid back then but I just have a sense that Creighton may be the most accurate spelling for our ancestors while Cretin may be the most accurate for that other family. To be sure, our ancestors sometimes had their name spelled Cretin and the others sometimes got spelled Creighton -- but I think those were aberrations. I will use Creighton when I’m talking about our ancestors hereafter and Cretin for the other family.
In any event, faced with doubts, but still looking for more information that would either solidify the theory that Robert was the son of John’s son James or give me evidence to rule it out -- the Creighton family was high on my list of people to learn more about when I made a research trip to Maryland in 2011.
My Comments notes for 5G GF James Creighton
I think the first time I learned about Andrew Cross and that he had written a wonderful little pamphlet was when I was trying to verify that our ancestor William Carlin had been adopted. But it has become a key reference document for my research into several families including Creighton.
After I found reference to the pamphlet and got some idea that it might be useful, I knew I had to get my hands on it and so on a trip to the Maryland Historical Society I was able to examine: Presbyterian Pioneers, a Settlement in the Wilderness of Baltimore County then including Harford County which before 1769 was called Bethel Congregation in the Upper Node Forest now Bethel Church, Harford County, Maryland. It was written by Andrew B Cross in 1886. [Apparently Andrew felt titles should tell a story in and of themselves.]
Andrew was the minister of that church from 1837 to 1845. The important thing to me in this pamphlet was that Andrew listed the 91 contributors to a salary fund for the first minister in 1769. Several people important to us were named, but the one important to this chapter was James Crichton. And Andrew not only named those earliest contributors, for many he gave a very brief, but nonetheless informative, biography.
And so in his biography of James Crichton he says that he was the ancestor of the Sterretts and Chris Slade. Clearly this implies that James was the father of Robert Creighton who had two daughters. One married John Sterritt, the other Christopher Slade. [Note that the Chris Slade referred to by Andrew Cross was Robert Creighton’s grandson of that name.]
When I read that, I truly had an “aha moment”. This James Crichton was a Presbyterian. This James Crichton clearly was an adult in 1769, so probably born a good bit earlier than 1752. And that led me back to all the research I had in my files and could then find about James Creighton of Harford County and it became clear there truly were two different men of that name in that place at that time.
• The 1774 tax list of Harford County has a listing for John Craton and his son James in Spesutia Upper Hundred and then in Bush River Upper Hundred we find both John Creaton and James Creaton. Now, I think it’s the case on these tax lists if a man owned land in two different “hundreds” (like a Colonial Maryland township), he would be listed in both. So perhaps it is ambiguous here if these were four different men or two or three.
• The 1783 tax list is perhaps more informative. It shows a James Creaton in Spesutia Upper Hundred with land including Harden’s Delight and Harden’s Last Shift, Whites Beginning and Jacobs Chance. But there was also James Crighton in Deer Creek Upper Hundred -- he had no land, just livestock.
• Isaac Harding deeded Jacobs Chance to James Creighton in 1769, so this must be the older James, right? And I would assume Hardens Delight and Harden’s Last Shift also came from Isaac. In any event, they were combined into an unpatented tract called Craton’s Deer Park in 1775 but I don’t know what happened then to that tract.
• An Orphan’s Court entry in 1781 bound an apprentice to James Creiton, weaver. I would guess the weaver was the one with no land, just livestock.
• James Crayton was listed as a member of the Maryland Militia in 1781.
• From Becky: “James Cretin was listed as administrator of the estate of Rachel Cretin on 4 September 1780. James Cretin was also a trustee for the estate of Donn Connolly whose will was written 20 Feb 1791 and probated on 25 Mar 1800.”
So, I don’t know which of these citations applies to our James and which to the impostor. I can add that Patt Cretin also signed off on the 1780 administration account of Rachel. I believe this was Patrick, brother of the wrong James, and therefore that Rachel was not the wife of our ancestor James.
After I found reference to the pamphlet and got some idea that it might be useful, I knew I had to get my hands on it and so on a trip to the Maryland Historical Society I was able to examine: Presbyterian Pioneers, a Settlement in the Wilderness of Baltimore County then including Harford County which before 1769 was called Bethel Congregation in the Upper Node Forest now Bethel Church, Harford County, Maryland. It was written by Andrew B Cross in 1886. [Apparently Andrew felt titles should tell a story in and of themselves.]
Andrew was the minister of that church from 1837 to 1845. The important thing to me in this pamphlet was that Andrew listed the 91 contributors to a salary fund for the first minister in 1769. Several people important to us were named, but the one important to this chapter was James Crichton. And Andrew not only named those earliest contributors, for many he gave a very brief, but nonetheless informative, biography.
And so in his biography of James Crichton he says that he was the ancestor of the Sterretts and Chris Slade. Clearly this implies that James was the father of Robert Creighton who had two daughters. One married John Sterritt, the other Christopher Slade. [Note that the Chris Slade referred to by Andrew Cross was Robert Creighton’s grandson of that name.]
When I read that, I truly had an “aha moment”. This James Crichton was a Presbyterian. This James Crichton clearly was an adult in 1769, so probably born a good bit earlier than 1752. And that led me back to all the research I had in my files and could then find about James Creighton of Harford County and it became clear there truly were two different men of that name in that place at that time.
• The 1774 tax list of Harford County has a listing for John Craton and his son James in Spesutia Upper Hundred and then in Bush River Upper Hundred we find both John Creaton and James Creaton. Now, I think it’s the case on these tax lists if a man owned land in two different “hundreds” (like a Colonial Maryland township), he would be listed in both. So perhaps it is ambiguous here if these were four different men or two or three.
• The 1783 tax list is perhaps more informative. It shows a James Creaton in Spesutia Upper Hundred with land including Harden’s Delight and Harden’s Last Shift, Whites Beginning and Jacobs Chance. But there was also James Crighton in Deer Creek Upper Hundred -- he had no land, just livestock.
• Isaac Harding deeded Jacobs Chance to James Creighton in 1769, so this must be the older James, right? And I would assume Hardens Delight and Harden’s Last Shift also came from Isaac. In any event, they were combined into an unpatented tract called Craton’s Deer Park in 1775 but I don’t know what happened then to that tract.
• An Orphan’s Court entry in 1781 bound an apprentice to James Creiton, weaver. I would guess the weaver was the one with no land, just livestock.
• James Crayton was listed as a member of the Maryland Militia in 1781.
• From Becky: “James Cretin was listed as administrator of the estate of Rachel Cretin on 4 September 1780. James Cretin was also a trustee for the estate of Donn Connolly whose will was written 20 Feb 1791 and probated on 25 Mar 1800.”
So, I don’t know which of these citations applies to our James and which to the impostor. I can add that Patt Cretin also signed off on the 1780 administration account of Rachel. I believe this was Patrick, brother of the wrong James, and therefore that Rachel was not the wife of our ancestor James.