Joseph French Jr (abt. 1724 - aft. 1790)

Born about 1724 in Middlesex County, New Jersey

Ancestors

Husband of Hannah (Horn) French — married 3 Jan 1749 in Raritan Landing, New Jersey

Descendants

Died after 1790 after about age 66 in Ninety-Six District, South Carolina, USA [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Joe Ann Hancock [send private message]

Biography

He is thought to have been born about 1724 in New Jersey.

Joseph French married on 03 Jan 1748/49 in Raritan, Somerset County, New Jersey to Hannah Horn or VanHorn, ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]} daughter of the late Simon Horn and Sarah Olden. They resided at Raritan Landing until about 1765.

Joseph French is first documented in the southwestern part of North Carolina in October 1769, when he signed a petition.

In November 1770 it was noted on the Field Return of the Regiment of Militia for Anson County that Lieut. Joseph French removed out of the county.

A South Carolina land survey dated January 1773 mentioned Joseph French land on a branch of Pacolet.

It is believed that this Joseph is the father of the documented French family living in the northwest corner of South Carolina in the 1770s. It may be his widow who was shown as a female, @45yrs+, in the Lafford French household on the 1800 USA Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina which included ...

FRENCH Betsey p179 with 21200-00110-00

FRENCH Lafford p179 with 12101-30011-00 (age 45yrs+)

FRENCH Michael p188 with 12110-40100-00.

This Lafford French has traditionally and widely been cited as one of Joseph's son. This age is consistent with a 1749 marriage date of his reputed parents, Joseph and Hannah. It's likely but not certain that Lafford's birth occurred while they were still in New Jersey (having left some time around 1765).

Four of his sons were in the Continental Army from Spartanburg District, South Carolina. After the American Revolutionary War, his sons William, Simon and Joseph FRENCH moved to Kentucky.

His death has sometimes been confused with his father's death ... Joseph French, Sr., born 23 Jul 1698 and died on 08 Jul 1752 in New Jersey. Records have Joseph French, Jr. relocating with his family to South Carolina (or nearby in North Carolina). The death location entered above, Ninety-Six District, is uncertain (note Spartanburg County was created in 1785 and was no longer part of Ninety-Six District).

He was a shopkeeper and was called Joseph French of the Landing.

A Joseph French living in Warren County, Kentucky wrote to his relatives in Alabama and to a James French in Tennessee. In the letter (date not recorded, in this researcher's notes at least), ^[6] he mentioned "our old Uncle Hugh Moore". He also mentioned "Uncle Simon French". Thus, it appears this Joseph was a son of an unidentified brother (probably Lafford) of Simon French, both of whom were brothers of Hugh Moore's wife.

Hugh Moore's wife was Sarah. After the American Revolutionary War, they moved from South Carolina to Warren County, Kentucky. ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ New Jersey Marriage Licence of Jan. 1749
2. ↑ Archives of the State of New Jersey, series#1, Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey v22 Marriage Records 1665-1800; edited with an Historical Introduction on the Early Marriage Laws of New Jersey, and the Precedents on which they were Founded; by William Nelson of Paterson, NJ in 1900; p142; Text: French, Joseph, New Jersey, and Hannah Horn, Raritan Landing, m: 1749 Jan. 03.
3. ↑ New Jersey Historical Society v22 p143
4. ↑ "New Jersey Marriages" by Patricia Bergner
5. ↑ U.S. and International Marriage Records 1560-1900 compiled by Yates Publishing on ancestry.com citing source#939.000; submitter: HLS
6. ↑ Letter published in Genealogy Journal
7. ↑ American Revolutionary War Pension file which does not identify Sarah's father or her maiden name.

• Piedmont Historical Society, Upper South Carolina Genealogy & History (Piedmont Historical Society, PO Box 8096, Spartanburg, SC, 29305) v11 #2, p77.

• French Family Association, DNA Test Group #1, John French, the Brick Mason

Acknowledgments

• French-2485 was created by Joe Ann Hancock on 29 Jul 2013.

• French-3620 was created by Anonymous (French) on 31 Jul 2014.

• French-4324 was created by Anonymous (French) on 01 Apr 2015.