G2G: Janney Family England to Bucks Co Pennsylvania

+5 votes
605 views
I have discovered in Ye Olde Box of Stuffe a partial photocopy of " A Genealogical and Personal History of Bucks County Pennsylvania by William W. H. Davis. The sheaf of pages I have are the history of the Janney family and a few Piersons thrown in as they intermarried. It does not appear that this line of the Janney family nor, the Lawrence Peirson family are under the Quaker project umbrella, although they should be. I looked at a couple of the entries of the earliest family and this source seems to agree with them. Anyone have any problems with using this source, which quotes wills and registry entries to connect and clean the Janney and Pierson (Pearson) lines? I don't want to try and read this guy's convoluted style only to have it shut down because of bad sourcing etc. Comments? Questions? Complaints? Help?
in Genealogy Help by Owl (44.0k points)

W.W.H.Davis, when writing his History of Bucks County, took family genealogies from families as they were given to him.  I do not believe that he personally researched said genealogies.  This would probably explain why his style varies from family to family.  You need to bear that in mind when using his book.  There is more good in it than bad, but here is some that is bad, and needs correcting.  I personally have used data from his book, but always look for verification from other sources.  The early immigrant Janneys were Friends, and can be found in the Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy, Vol. II.  Look at both NJ and PA meetings for  sources.

As William Collins stated, most information in county histories was provided by the families included and was not researched or verified by the editors. There is a note in the Janney family section that information was copied from the Janney family Bible in May 1905. Thankfully, most of the old style dating was not "translated," reducing the chance of adding error and confusion. The Quaker tendency to keep careful records further reinforces the probability that more of the information is accurate than would be expected in most county histories. As William Collins also stated, further documentation from original sources would help to verify Davis's information. My husband's Janney ancestors who migrated from PA to Monroe Co., MI, remained Friends into the later 19th Century.

2 Answers

+4 votes

William Janney

United States Census, 1850

Name William Janney
Event Type Census
Event Year 1850
Event Place Lower Makefield, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender Male
Age 40
Race White
Birth Year (Estimated) 1810
House Number 282

Household

Role

Sex

Age

Birthplace

William Janney   M 40  
Rebecca Janney   F 40  
William S Janney   M 17  
Sarah S Janney   F 15  
Stephen M Janney   M 13  
Oliver Janney   M 10  
George Janney   M 8  
Martha Ann Janney   F 5  
Rebecca F Janney   F 0  
Joanna O Brian   F 25 Ireland
John O Brian   M 0 New York
Mary Derry   F 60 New Jersey
Isaiah Linton   M 50 Pennsylvania

Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M44P-MJX : 12 April 2016), William Janney, Lower Makefield, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States; citing family 290, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

image

View the original document. The original may contain more information than was indexed.

United States Census, 1850

Household ID 290
Line Number 16
Affiliate Name The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number M432
Affiliate Film Number 758
GS Film Number 20608
Digital Folder Number 004191081
Image Number 00046
by Golden Owl (2.8m points)

+4 votes

Alfred Pierson

United States Census, 1880

Name Alfred Pierson
Event Type Census
Event Date 1880
Event Place Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States
Gender Male
Age 36
Marital Status Married
Race White
Race (Original) W
Occupation Brick Mason
Relationship to Head of Household Self
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Self
Birth Year (Estimated) 1844
Birthplace England
Father's Birthplace England
Mother's Birthplace England
Sheet Letter A
Sheet Number 42
Person Number 0
Volume 2

Household

Role

Sex

Age

Birthplace

Alfred Pierson Self M 36 England
Sarah Pierson Wife F 34 Pennsylvania, United States
Mamie Pierson Daughter F 13 Pennsylvania, United States
Kate Pierson Daughter F 12 Pennsylvania, United States
Elizabeth Pierson Daughter F 10 Pennsylvania, United States
Emely C Pierson Daughter F 9 Pennsylvania, United States
Alfred C Pierson Son M 2 Pennsylvania, United States

Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWX4-ZN5 : 15 July 2017), Alfred Pierson, Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district ED 130, sheet 42A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1105; FHL microfilm 1,255,105.

by Golden Owl (2.8m points)

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