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Enoch Pearson Jr., was born at Falls Monthly Meeting in Bucks County; Pennsylvania on May 25th, 1718.[1] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/22072322?h=337a26 Later on he was called “Enock” Pearson Sr. and spelled his first name with a “K” instead of an “H”. He wasn’t really born at the Falls Monthly Meeting, but was born under auspices of the Falls M.M. of Friends or “Quakers” as they were commonly called. The Society of Friends was a very strict religious society of believers organized about 1647 by George Fox of England. Enock’s parents belonged to the friends Church. They were Enoch Pearson of 1683 and Margery Smith of 1691, both born in England but came to America with their parents about 1687. Also, “Enock” wasn’t really born on May 25th but was born in the 3rd month of 1718. Most people would say he was born March 25, but in those days the year began two months later (about the beginning of Spring), so “Enock” was born in what is now May. So we shall say he was born in May with the advent of May flowers. Enock had older brothers and sisters. He also had younger brothers and sisters. Enock’s childhood was much like any other young “Quaker” in those days. He had to work hard helping with the farm work. Every Sunday was Lord’s Day and all went to meeting by buggy. Women and girls sat on one side of the Meeting House, while men and boys sat on the other side. The first part of the worship was sat in quiet meditation with God. Enock’s father had the first Lime-Kiln or Lime-Burner in Bucks County. Enock disliked this smelly, pungent, nose burning kiln, almost hating it. He disliked it so much that when he heard there was a young fellow in Virginia that taught surveying, he decided he wanted to become a surveyor. So, Enock and one of his cousins, a John Watson, packed up their few possessions and set out for Winchester, Virginia. This was a long and hard journey of over 225 miles, no roads, some paths, and infested with Indians. They had to shoot game along the way for their food. They finally arrived and met the young fellow whose first name was George, that would be teaching them surveying. They completed their course of instruction and with high marks they were offered a good job surveying a line to be the South boundary of Pennsylvania (or latitude 39° - 43’ - 17.6”). Being new at it and not really sure of their abilities, they turned the job down. The job was then offered to the next two young men, and they took the job and the two became famous as surveyors of the famed “Mason-Dixon Line”, or line between the North and the South over a hundred years later during the Civil War between the States. Otherwise it would have been called the “Pearson-Watson Line”. (We have no proof that this part of the story is true). Enock stayed on in Winchester and became good friends with his instructor, George. There was a man named Jonathan Jacocks who bought a plantation near Winchester in 1750 and was well known by George. Jonathan had a lovely daughter called “Tabitha”, and George introduced Enock to her. They were smitten with love and in 1751, Enock and Tabitha married in the Friends Meeting House, which was about 6 miles north of Winchester, and was called the Hopewell Meeting. They lived at her father’s homestead or plantation for a while. In January of 1756, George, who had become a Major in the Army and had moved away, came back to Winchester to talk with the County officials of Frederick Co. to rally a defense against the Indians. It is written in A HISTORY OF FREDERICK COUNTY, VIRGINIA. At the end of the meeting, Major George Washington adjourned to the home of Enock Pearson. Because of the Indian hostilities, Enock and Tabitha and their growing family moved back to Solebury, Bucks County, PA. in late 1756. They raised nine children there and had a tenth one later in South Carolina. Their children were as follows: Mary 1753, Thomas 1754, Margaret 1756, Sarah 1759, William, 1761 (see The Story of William “Billy” Pearson of 1761 “A colorful Character"), Rachel 1763, Tabitha 1765, Elizabeth 1767, Hannah 1770, Isaac 1771, Enoch III 1775 who was born with some kind of infirmity. In 1765 they joined the migration south of Quaker Friends and settled in the Sedalia section of Union County, SC and purchased a plantation of over 1000 acres. The war between England and America’s Colonies became fierce in the 1770’s and in 1776, 1779 and 1780 there were battles in Charleston, SC. Enock was in his late fifties (an old man already in those days), and besides was a Quaker pacifist who didn’t believe in fighting, but he couldn’t let his good friend George Washington down, who was now General George Washington so he joined the forces of Washington’s men and stood in the defense of Charleston. He was wounded, and died from the rigors of the revolutionary War in 1780. This was nine years before his good friend became the first president of the new United States of America. Enock died at age of 62 and was buried in the Pearson Cemetery, Union County, SC. On land that was originally his. His son William of 1761 was a colorful character and is included in another story on the site.
By: Elton E. Pearson SR. of 1926[2]
Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via daughter Margeret Margaret Burns (born Pearson) by SmartCopy: Jan 1 2015, 16:45:37 UTC
Will was written on 20 Apr 1775.[4] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/22072515?h=915083
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Enock is 23 degrees from Herbert Adair, 20 degrees from Richard Adams, 18 degrees from Mel Blanc, 23 degrees from Dick Bruna, 18 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 31 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 17 degrees from Sam Edwards, 13 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 17 degrees from Marty Krofft, 11 degrees from Junius Matthews, 13 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 17 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
This Enoch was not born then. No relationship has been established between he and the Thomas Pearson -Mason 1753-1734 brother of Edward Pearson -Mason m Sarah Burgess from Pownall Fee, Cheshire, England.
Research by Eugene L Pearson The Genealogy of Some of the Descendants of Thomas and Edward Pearson of County Chester, England and Pennsylvania within the Book Pearson's by E B Hazie 1976 part II p 174 under Enoch Pearson 1718-1780 (which also doesn't match the records-cousins of a man not yet born? maybe cousins of his father Enoch?) "Thomas Pearson II and John Watson, who were both cousins of Enoch, had established reputations as surveyors in Pennsylvania. According to old court records of Delaware County, in the year 1701, Thomas unwittingly cost our name some prestige by his failure to finish surveying the sourthern border of Pennsylvania and turning the job over to Mason and Dixon." Mason-Dixon line was finally surveyed 1763-1768
Mason-Dixon Line papers These papers include the original warrant of William Penn to Isaac Taylor and Thomas Pierson to survey the line between Chester County and New Castle County, Del., 1701-1705 (Am .2349); diary of John Watson, assistant surveyor to the Commissioners of the Province of Pennsylvania, on the determinatio...
(would love to see John Watson's Diary) These papers include the original warrant of William Penn to Isaac Taylor and Thomas Pierson to survey the line between Chester County and New Castle County, Del., 1701-1705 (Am .2349); diary of John Watson, assistant surveyor to the Commissioners of the Province of Pennsylvania, on the determination of the 12-mile circle at New Castle and running the east-west boundary lines from Cape Henlopen, Del., 1750-1751(Am .233); the original manuscripts of the Mason and Dixon surveys, including the one that established the boundary line between Pennsylvania and Maryland, 1763-1768 (Am .235); and Samuel Lightfoot's survey of the Mason-Dixon line, 1850 (Am .2351).
edited by Angela (Jones) Harlan
Enoch Pearson made a will 20 April 1775 in South Carolina stating he was of Ninety-Six district and was a surveyor. The will mentions wife Tabitha daughter of Jonathan "Jacoaks", who was "grate with child". It also mentions children: Mary Prather, Margaret Burns, Thomas, William, Isaac, Sarah, Rachel and Tabitha. It mentions son-in-law Josiah Prather and granddaughter Tabitha Prather. Detailed descriptions of his land is also given.
Sam Bowden