Priscilla (Avery) Breed (1715 - 1786)

Born 29 Apr 1715 in Groton, New London, Connecticut Colony

Ancestors

Wife of Joseph Breed Sr. — married 2 Jun 1737 in Groton, New London County, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 1786 at about age 70 in Fairforest, Union, Pinckney District, South Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Kathy King [send private message] and Bennett Mahaffey [send private message]

Biography

Priscilla Avery, born 29 Apr 1715 at Groton, Connecticut, was the first child of Prudence (Payson) Avery, the second wife of Christopher Avery.

Priscilla Avery married Joseph Breed on 2 Jun 1737 at Groton, Connecticut, the ceremony performed by Justice Luke Perkins. John and Gershom Breed, brothers of Joseph, were witnesses.

They had the following children, some of whom are sparsely documented:

1. Joseph Breed (1738-bef.1807)
2. Avery Breed (1739-1801)
3. Priscilla (Breed) Howard (1742-abt.1808)
4. Nathan Breed (abt.1744-1825)
5. Prudence (Breed) Wood (1744-)
6. Phebe (Breed) Wood (1746-abt.1808)
7. Hannah (Breed) Gist (1755-1815)
8. Sarah (Breed) Harlan (abt.1757-1831)
9. Anna (Breed) Harlan (abt.1759-aft.1814)

A florid, yet well sourced account of the lives of this family, and of many of their followers and associates, appears here: https://www.breedfamilypride.com/rev-joseph-breed.html. According to one reference in this account, In 1752, Joseph and his associate Daniel Marshall moved with their families to a frontier town called Onnaquaggy [sic; Ouaquaga] in the wilderness on the Susquehanna River, in southern New York, where they began missionary work with the Mohawk Indians. They remained there for 18 months, then moved to "Connogogig", Pennsylvania for a short stay.

Thereafter this family appeared in Frederick County, Virginia on 15 (or 19) April 1754, where Joseph signed papers selling his land in Groton, Connecticut, thus indicating that they had no intention of returning to their original home geography. After the defeat of Gen. Edward Braddock near Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) during the French & Indian War, the frontier of Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic colonies was left unprotected, so many settlers moved further south. On 22 Nov 1755 Shubal Stearns, Daniel Marshall, Joseph Breed and their families departed Opequon, Virginia, traveling about 200 miles south to what is now Randolph [at that time Orange] County, North Carolina, where they established Sandy Creek Baptist Church, located just northeast of Asheboro.

In August 1760 this family joined Philip Mulkey in moving to the Broad River section of South Carolina to establish the Fair Forest Church, of which Joseph and his wife Priscilla (Avery) were among 3 families [including those of Philip Mulkey and Stephen Howard] who were documented as founders. Several other branches of the Fair Forest Church were established by these same people.

Note: Rev. Joseph and Priscilla (Avery) Breed's daughter Priscilla and her husband Obediah Howard, probably her brothers Avery and Nathan, sisters Phebe and Hannah, along with their families, banded together with several other above named associates who ventured to southeastern Kentucky, eventually founding the Mill Creek Church in Monroe County, Kentucky. Importantly, we have no evidence that either Rev. Joseph Breed Sr., and/or his wife Priscilla (Avery) Breed, took part in this westward sojourn into Kentucky.

In 1782, Priscilla (Avery) Breed donated beef to feed Thomas Brandon's Regiment, South Carolina militia, at the end of the American Revolutionary War. This event was documented by a hand written receipt from James Woodson, John McCool, Thomas Brandon. On 24 January 1786 Priscilla Breed was awarded payment (with interest) by the South Carolina treasury for that donation, in the amount of "One Pound, eight Shillings, & six pence three farthings Ster.: for Beef supplied the Militia in 1782" ^[1]; see attached image composite. The 1782 dated receipt was redeemed by counter-signature of Priscilla Breed on 28 August 1786, signifying payment by John McCool and receipt by Priscilla Breed of the stated amount, thus indicating that she was still living on that date; see attached images.

Probably Priscilla (Avery) Breed and her husband Rev. Joseph Breed both remained in the vicinity of Fairforest Church, in what is now Union County, South Carolina, for the remaining durations of their lives. There is no definitive record of when or where Joseph and/or Priscilla (Avery) Breed died, or where their remains are.

Note: Memorial pages to both Priscilla (Avery) and Joseph Breed exist on Find-A-Grave, however those pages contain unsupported and specious information that may not pertain to these people.

Sources

1. ↑ Stub Entries to Indents Issued in Payment of Claims Against South Carolina Growing Out of the Revolution, Book X--Part I, p. 142; ed. 1925; A. S. Salley, Jr., Secretary of the Historical Commission of South Carolina (S. Carolina archives)

• The Groton Avery Clan (Avery & Avery, 1912), p. 124, no. 15: https://archive.org/stream/grotonaveryclan01aver#page/125/mode/1up

• Breed Family Association Vol. 8 (1929), pp. 230, 232, no. 9: https://archive.org/details/Vol8Dec.1929imagedByP.EverettOCRByJRF/page/n20/mode/1up; Vol. 16 (1963), p. 6, no. 2: https://archive.org/details/BreedFamilyAssociationVol161963OCR/page/n49

• Wheeler, Richard Anson. History of the Town of Stonington, County of New London, Connecticut, p. 637, 638, no. 10: https://archive.org/stream/historyoftownofs00whee_1#page/n660/mode/1up; also p. 208: https://archive.org/stream/historyoftownofs00whee_1#page/n230/mode/1up

• Alabama Department of Archives and History. Public Information Subject Files—Surname files, 1901-1984 available via microfilm in reference, SG002624-2652 and 13361-13362, containing the materials added from 1984-2005. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61266/41904_539956-01190?pid=230760&treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=GYR1074&_phstart=successSource#?imageId=41904_539956-01190 Alabama, Surname Files Expanded, 1702–1981 [Note: This item contains many errors; in this instance focusing particularly on the father of Rev. Joseph Breed, John Breed was married only once, to Mercy Palmer. The cited source itself was based upon a specious compilation published by Savage, hence this reference should be viewed with caution as to its credibility.]

• Ancestry.com family records of uncertain validity: Ancestry Family Tree 156107521 Ancestry Record 60525 #82114300

• Birth of child Presillah Breed: "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850"
  citing Digital film/folder number: 008143430; Image number: 5937
  FamilySearch Record: QPS3-Q3DG (accessed 6 January 2024)
  FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CSKJ-4S9Z-X
  Presillah Breed born to Prisillah on 14 Oct 1742 in Coventry, Tolland, Connecticut, United States.

• Birth: "Connecticut, U.S., Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)"
  Genealogical Publishing Co.; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records. Vol. 1-55; Author: White, Lorraine Cook, Ed.; Publication Date: 1994-2002; Volume: 15
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1034 #69447 (accessed 6 January 2024)
  Priscilla Avery born on 29 Apr 1715 in Groton, Connecticut, USA.

• Birth: "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"
  citing FHL microfilm: 2889
  FamilySearch Record: F77D-PXS (accessed 6 January 2024)
  Priscilla Avery born on 29 Apr 1715, daughter of Christopher Avery & Prudence, in Groton, New London, Connecticut.

• Family Data Collection - Births: "Family Data Collection - Births"
  Ancestry Record 5769 #553470 (accessed 6 January 2024)
  Priscilla Avery Breed born on 14 Oct 1742, child of Joseph John Breed & Priscilla Avery, in New London, CT, USA.

Acknowledgements

WikiTree profile Avery-886 created through the import of RamageRice102011.ged on Oct 12, 2011 by Molly Rice