James Rumsey (1743 - 1792)

Born Mar 1743 in Cecil County, Maryland

Ancestors

Died 21 Dec 1792 at age 49 in London, England

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Biography

James Rumsey is Notable.

James Rumsey was the son of Edward Rumsey of Cecil County, Maryland.^[1] He was a self taught mechanical engineer at the beginning of the Industrial Age. He grew up working at the Bohemia Manor water mill in Cecil County Maryland, and had a deep interest in harnessing the power of water.^[2]

James Rumsey was an inventor.^[3] Although he was born in Maryland, he sought his fortune in western Virginia. It was with Virginian patriots that he fought in the American Revolutionary war. .His biography at madehow.com says that he helped George Washington build Mount Vernon. James Rumsey's biography on wikipedia.com goes into even more detail.

James Rumsey held several patents, including a patent for a jet-propelled steamboat.^[4]

According to a brief biography in a book printed in 1900 and therefore out of copyright, James Rumsey died in London, England. He was apparently on tour lecturing about the benefits of jet-propulsion, his invention. His wikitree biography corroborates this story. Here is a page from the Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey:

Charles Rumsey, Welsh Immigrant, in Descendant Biography

Possible Connection to Steam Ship Inventor Patrick Miller

(by Jim Miller)

My Miller’s were Scottish merchants who arrived in Virginia in the early 1600’s. They owned mills, ordinaries/ stores, & taverns; and appeared to be involved with the transport of tobacco to Virginia ports for shipment to Glasgow, Scotland and England. Given their involvement with mills as well as the transport of goods via waterways and over land; they would have had an interest in James Rumsey’s knowledge of mills, as well as his work developing a steam ship design. There was even a branch of my Miller family (Samuel Miller, Esq. 1735-1819) that lived in Cecil County, Maryland where James Rumsey was born and lived when young.

Back in 2018 when researching Miller’s/Millar’s in Scotland, I came across Patrick Miller (1731-1815) known as “The Pioneer of Steam Navigation” who lived as an adult on his estate Dalswinton House in Dumfries, Scotland (south of Glasgow). This Patrick Miller designed and had two successful tests of a steamboat (center paddle wheel design), but did not pursue it further after complaints that his larger 2nd steam boat generated a water wake that damage the shore line in the water way near Glasgow where it was successfully tested. The poet Robert Burns lived on Patrick Miller’s estate for a number of years, and a couple of his poems were about Patrick Miller’s daughters. I am generally confident that this Patrick Miller’s grandfather was Matthew Miller/Millar “of Glenlee, Scotland”. Matthew Miller’s descendants married into Murdoch; Gordon; and Bogle families who were known to be involved with the Virginia tobacco trade as my Miller’s were involved in this trade.

My 7th great grandfather was also named Patrick Miller (b-1620 Scotland; arrived in Virginia by 1653). I have not been able to determine the family connection of Patrick Miller (b-1620) and Patrick Miller (b-1731). It is known that Patrick Miller (b-1731) traveled to the colonies in the Americas when younger, and he was involved in trade as my Miller’s were involved in trade.

A couple years after learning of Patrick Miller, “Pioneer of Steam Navigation” I came across a contract related to a steam boat patent by James Rumsey my cousin Anne Virginia “Jean” Agnew (1872-1943) had noted in her papers now stored in The Library of Virginia (Richmond, VA):

"Jean" Agnew's papers: "24W(1)169 - Dabney Miller, Richard Curd, & R. ANDERSON, Jr. were wits in McMechen - Jas. Rumsey suit 10 Nov. 1784. Henrico. (Re the STEAMBOAT of Jas. Rumsey.)”

Dabney Miller is my great….great uncle (1750-circa 1810) -born about 7 years after James Rumsey. Richard Curd who also witnessed this contract was the brother of Dabney Miller’s spouse. Dabney Miller, James Rumsey, and Patrick Miller “Pioneer of Steam Navigation” are all of about the same generation.

The “R. Anderson, Jr.” that witnessed the 1784 steamship patent contract with Dabney Miller and Richard Curd, was quite likely Richard Anderson, Jr. whose father, Richard Anderson, Sr. (1735 Hanover Co. to 1819 Louisa Co., VA) was a 1st cousin of Dabney Miller’s father’s (Christopher Miller, Sr.) 1st wife, Anne Anderson (b. c. - 1716).

I understand that Robert Futon was aware of James Rumsey’s and Patrick Miller’s steamboat designs when Futon was developing his steam boat concept about twenty years later. I wonder if Dabney Miller (given his possible relationship to Patrick Miller) was aware of Patrick Miller’s steam boat design/trials in Scotland as he clearly was aware of James Rumsey’s design.

DABNEY MILLER'S 1ST COUSIN (ANN MILLER) MARRIES A MAN FROM CECIL CO., MARYLAND

(WikiTree ID's are included after some of the surnames noted)

James Rumsey's father was Edward Rumsey (abt.1703-) and his uncle was William Rumsey (1698 -1747; both in Cecil Co., Maryland). They lived near Bohemia Manor. James Rumsey grew up working at the Bohemia Manor water mill.

John Crow-216 (1695-1733) was the father of the husband (Walter Benjamin Crow-221) of Ann Miller-59083. John Crow’s estate settlement in 1734 notes James Rumsey’s father (Edward Rumsey) and his uncle (William Rumsey). See below:

Of current money paid WILLIAM RUMSEY in discharge of a judgment recovered by him. Van Bibbers (?) .......agt accomptants for a tobacco debt from the deceased by bond proved. .... as ...appears. £13 5 shillings Of 640 pounds tobacco paid by this account Martha to Colonel Ephraim Augt Herman for & 2.13.4 ...?....money ....of rent due from the deceased to said Herman for the above plantation as ........ £3 4 shillings (?) Of commesary(?) Generalls fees due to Charles Calvert Esquire paid by these accots....320 pounds (?) of tobacco due from the deceased to John Jones as of account proved and paid by this account Martha as of oath appears .... 12/....

Of ditto paid by EDWARD RUMSEY as surety for the account Martha to John Baldwin thereof for Daniel Delaney Esquire as accot. and ....... it appears..... 63

Of Depty Comm-y fees paid WILLIAM RUMSEY in current money for 200 of Ditto tob paid ditto for drawing....this additional account. 100.

There was a Samuel Miller-33058, Esq. (1735-1819) who lived in Cecil Co., Maryland who is thought to descend from a branch of my Miller’s that left Scotland for Northern Ireland and then immigrated to the southeast Pennsylvania area about 1730. Samuel Miller, Esq. would be of the same generation as James Rumsey.

There has been no Ann Miller descendant of Alexander Miller, Sr. (including descendants of Samuel Miller, Esq. of Cecil Co., Maryland) listed on WikiTree to-date that could have been the correct age of the Ann Miller that married Walter Benjamin Crow. However she could have been the Ann Miller of my Virginia Miller's.

In 1784 Dabney Miller-45051; the brother of his wife; and another cousin of his witnesses a contract between James Rumsey and James McMachan for McMachan to obtain Virginia patents on Rumsey’s steamship invention. Ann (Miller-59083) Crow and Dabney Miller-45051 (b- 1750 Virginia) were 1st cousins.

Dabney Miller and Ann (Miller) Crow's grandfather, John Miller-45060 (circa 1665 - 1742 Virginia) was likely the John Miller that had a few connections to shipping and trade between Virginia and Maryland.

Sources

1. ↑ Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey; Lewis Publishing Co, 1900, page 26.
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Rumsey
3. ↑ http://www.madehow.com/inventorbios/4/James-Rumsey.html
4. ↑ http://museumoftheberkeleysprings.com/james-rumsey-inventor/

See also:

• James Rumsey
• Wikidata: Item Q6142501, en:Wikipedia
• Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey; Lewis Publishing Co, 1900, page 26.
• http://museumoftheberkeleysprings.com/james-rumsey-inventor/