Rachel (Fitz Randolph) Shotwell (1720 - aft. 1744)

Born 14 May 1720 in Piscataway, Middlesex Co, NJ

Ancestors

Wife of Nicholas Shotwell — married 2 Jun 1744 (to after 2 Jun 1744) in Piscataway, Middlesex Co., NJ

Died after 2 Jun 1744 after age 24 in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mary Richardson [send private message]

Biography

Rachel was born in Piscataway, NJ in 1720 to Joseph and Rebecca (Drake) Fitz Randolph. She is reported to have married Nicholas Shotwell in Piscataway in 1744 when she was 24 years old. No other information is available, including whether she had any children and when and where she died.

• The abstract of her father's will does not mention Rachel in the list of children. Suggests she might have passed away between her marriage in 1744 and when her father made his will in 1749.

• A family tree reports she died in 1791 in Piscataway, but without supporting evidence.

• Her husband was born in a Quaker family, and she was from a Baptist community, but they don't appear as adults in church records under either faith (at least not found yet!)

This profile is a collaborative work-in-progress. Can you contribute information or sources?

Surname note

This surname had many different spellings, including Fitzrandle, Fittsrendolfe, or Fittsrandolfe^[1], with FitzRandolph or Fitz Randolph emerging as the most common. Fitz Randolph is being recommended as the standard, recognizing though that in later years, Fitz sometimes became used as a middle name for sons and optional for daughters. In this Fitz Randolph family, Fitz appears to have been used by all family members as part of their surname: the Oris H.F. Randolph genealogy^[2] assumes this to be the case when listing the children in the family in which Rachel is a child. The current consensus is therefore to use the surname Fitz Randolph. (Need to confirm how Fitz Randolph was used in legal documents and when births were recorded documents: in her father's will, FitzRandolph is used.) Please don't hesitate to contact the profile manager if you think this decision should be reviewed!

Housekeeping

• Need additional original sources for birth, death, marriage records. Confirm consistency with census records.
• Need to confirm Nicholas Shotwell is the correct spouse

Sources

1. ↑ Savage reference
2. ↑ Oris H. F. Randolph. (1976). Edward Fitz Randolph Branch Lines, Allied Families and English and Norman Ancestry: A Family Genealogy 860-1976. Printed by Edwards Brothers Inc., Ann Arbor, MI.

• "New Jersey, Births and Christenings, 1660-1980," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5F2-1RN : accessed 21 December 2014), citing Name: Rachel Fitz Randolph; Birth date: 14 May 1720; Birth place: PISCATAWAY,MIDDLESEX,NEW JERSEY, Parents: Joseph Fitz Randolph, Rebecca; reference ; FHL microfilm 974.941 D2M PT 1, 2.

• "New Jersey, Marriages, 1678-1985," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FZKF-CH3 : accessed 21 December 2014), Name: Nicholas Shotwell; Spouse: Rachel Fitzrandolph, Marriage date: 22 Jun 1744; Place: NJ; Spouse's marital status: single; citing GS film number 888,708

• "New Jersey, County Marriages, 1682-1956," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VKMZ-NDC : accessed 21 December 2014), Name: Nicholas Shotwell; Event: Marriage; Date: 22 Jun 1744; Place: Monmouth, NJ, US; Spouse: Rachel Fitzrandolph; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton; FHL microfilm 802,941.

• Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Accessed 21 Dec 2014. Name: Nicholas Shotwell; Birth date: 29 Dec 1718; Quaker birth date on image: 29 10th mo 1718; Birth place: Staten Island, NY; Parents: Joseph Shotwell, Mary; Monthly meeting: Rahway and Plainfield; Yearly meeting: Philadelphia; Title: Births 1705-1901, Death 1705-1908, Marriages 1712-1885; Meeting place: Union Co., NJ.

• Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Source number: 3838.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Submitter Code: JJ2. Accessed 21 Dec 2014. Name: Nicholas Shotwell; Spouse: Rachel Fitz Randolph; Spouse Birth year: 1720.

• "International Genealogical Index (IGI)," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:1:MQ24-K1T : accessed 2014-12-21), entry for Rachel Fitz Randolph; Birth: 1723; Marriage: 1744; Marriage place: Piscataway, Middlesex Co., NJ; Spouse: Nicholas Shotwell; Spouse Birth: 29 Dec 1718.

• Ancestry.com. New Jersey, Abstract of Wills, 1670-1817 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: New Jersey State Archives. New Jersey, Published Archives Series, First Series. Trenton, New Jersey: John L Murphy Publishing Company. p. 179. Name: Joseph FitzRandolph; Residence: Piscataway, Middlesex, NJ; Date: 25 Jan 1749; Proved: 4 May 1750. Children: Thomas, Ephraim, Joseph, Grace Manning, Rebecka Mathes, Prudence, Paul, Jeremiah, Sarah, ('at 18 years'?). Grandson: Jacob FitzRandolph; Also mentioned: Isaac Stelle, John Van Bueren, Benjamin FitzRandolph, Benja. Stelle; Baptist Congregation in Piscataway. No mention of Rachel.

• Louise Aymar Christian and Howard Stelle Fitz Randolph. (1955). The Descendants of Edward Fitz Randolph and Elizabeth Blossom 1630-1950, and Supplement 1955. Copies, Historical Library, Grand Av., Des Moines and Iowa Historical Society Library, Iowa City. Name: Joseph Fitz Randolph. Birth Date: 11 Feb 1690/1; Birth place: Piscataway; Death year: 1750; Will dated: 25 Jan 1749/50, proved 4 May 1750. Spouse: Rebekah Drake; Spouse birth date: 21 Nov 1697; Spouse birth place: Piscataway; Spouse parents: Rev John and Rebekah (Trotter) Drake; Child: Rachel, birth date: 14 May 1720; mar. (lic.) 2 Jun 1794, Nicolas Shotwell (son of Joseph and Mary (Manning) Shotwell).

• Ancestry family tree cites Rachel Fitz Randolph, Death year: 1791; Place: Piscataway, NJ. No supporting evidence provided.

• Long Island Genealogy page for Rachel.