Belin and Lynch Family of Carolina

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: South Carolina

One

Allard Belin married Margaret Robert ( Margaret Robert's mother was Mary Lynch, daughter of Johnson Lynch, and the wife of Pierre Robert.) Allard Belin and Margaret Robert's daughter Margaret Belin married Joseph Coachman.

Jonack "Jonas" Lynch had come to South Carolina from Galaway County, Ireland in 1677 aboard a ship called the "Blessing". He had served as a member of the Commons House of Assembly and received a 600 acre land grant on the south shore of the Cooper River in South Carolina. Jonack married Margaret Johnson and they had three children, Johnson Lynch, Thomas Lynch ( named after his grandfather in Ireland), and Sarah Lynch.

Sarah Lynch married James Belin. On August 16, 1733, Thomas Lynch recorded a Deed of Gift in Christ Parrish, South Carolina Deed Book S on page 171 conveying 1000 acres of land to James and Sarah Belin and their sons Allard Belin and James Belin Jr., all living in Prince George Parrish, South Carolina.

Johnson Lynch married the beautiful Margaret Schulte. The couple had three children, Jonas Lynch, Mary Lynch who married Pierre Peter Robert ( Pierre Robert and Mary Lynch's daughter Margaret Robert married her cousin Allard Belin), and Margaret Lynch who married Colonel Elias Horry Jr.

John Horry, brother of Colonel Elias Horry Jr. was the father of Peter Horry, Lieutenant-Colonel in the Revolutionary War and later Brigadier General in the South Carolina Milita. Peter fought with General Marion " The Swamp Fox ".

Thomas Lynch married Sabina Vanderhorst and they had a son who was named Thomas Lynch after his father.

This son Thomas Lynch born in 1727 at St. James Parrish in South Carolina became a wealthy rice farmer. He served in the Colonial Legislature of South Carolina and represented the Colony in the Stamp Act Congress, heading the committee which drafted the petition to the House of Commons.

Later he was elected to both the First and Second Continental Congresses. Thomas joined Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Harrison on a committee sent to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to confer with General George Washington upon " the most effectual method of continuing, supporting, and regulating the Continental Army".

Early in 1776 at Philadelphia Thomas suffered a stroke that virtually incapacitated him for futher service. His son Thomas Lynch Jr had accepted a Captaincy in the First South Carolina Regiment of Continentals and to his dismay young Lynch contracted bilious fever. This had rendered him partial invalid.

Although ill himself, Thomas Jr. made the trip to check on his father. His concerned colleagues in South Carolina elected Thomas Jr. to the Continental Congress, probally so he could care for his father and also act officially on his behalf.

At the age of 27 Thomas Lynch Jr. voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence. Thomas was the youngest member in Congress and they were the the only father and son team that served concurrently in the Continental Congress at the same time.

At the end of the year when both men started home, Thomas Sr. had a second stroke and died at Annapolis, Maryland.

Thomas Jr. broken in spirit and physically unable to continue in politics, retired to Peach Tree Plantation his home in South Carolina.

In 1779 he and his wife, heading for southern France in an attempt to regain his health, boarded a ship that sank somewhere around the West Indies. The couple died childless.

This is the story of how my great, great, grandmother Mary Lynch Coachman became cousins to Thomas Lynch, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Peter Horry, Brigadier General in the South Carolina Milita. ^[1]

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Two

John Joseph Simons, writing to his son, Allard, in 1857, tells the following about his wife's family. The relationships he mentions here substantiate the ancestry I have for Margaret Belin. "My beloved wife's mother's maiden name was Margaret Belin. Her ancestors were French and had to leave France during the great religious persecution in company with the Horrys, Postells, Trappares and many others and landed in the town of Charlestown some years before the Revolutionary War. These unfortunate people (amongst whom was my wife's grandfather) applied themselves forthwith to business and in a few years became vastly wealthy. The far-famed Peter Horry, who was the right hand friend of General Marrion was a once cousin to my wife's mother, consequently a second cousin to my dear wife." ^[2]

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Three

This is from the "YAUHANNAH EARLY FAMILIES, A Family Record"

"My desire is to pen down a faithful record of all family records for near one hundred years back as taken from the writings of my father as recorded in my Ancient Family Bible. Jno J Simons."

Written by John J. Simons to his son Allard Belin Simons

JOSEPH COACHMAN AND MARGARET BELIN

This now brings me to say all I can gather about your dear mother's family.

Your mother, Mary Lynch Coachman was the daughter of Captain Joseph Coachman.

Her grand father James Coachman was from English descent he lived sometime the first of life in 16 miles of Charleston and the latter part of his life he spent on Pee Dee River. He bore a Captain's commission in the old Revolutionary War and bore a conspicuous part in the struggle for our independence. The Captain James Coachman Grandfather of my beloved wife descended from the family of the famous Sir Frances Drake so often mentioned in history.

The following records of your grandparents, your dear mother's parents I now record from your mother's best recollection, as we have not the original records with us--they are as follows:

Joseph Coachman and Margaret Belin was married in Georgetown District in the year 1789.

James Coachman son of Joseph and Margaret Coachman was born 11th day of November 1790.

Your mother comes next. Mary Lynch Coachman was born the 8 day of October in the year 1792.

Ann Coachman daughter of Joseph and Margaret Coachman was born the year 1794.

Hannah Coachman daughter of Joseph and Margaret Coachman was born on the 11th day of November in the year 1797.

There are some of the children of Joseph Coachman that we cannot recollect....their birth or death, but will insert there names except 3.That is Joseph, Benjamin, and Isaac.

The names of those children we cannot recollect their birth and death is follows: John, Samuel and Margaret.

Those that we cannot recollect all died minors---Joseph, Benjamin and Issac Coachman were all brothers of your mother's but as we cannot recollect with any certainty there birth we will have to omit saying anything more of them and stop with the family record. ^[3]

Joseph Coachman, your great grandfather was born in the year 1761.

Sources

1. ↑ Story written by Byron Walker.......great, great, grandson of Mary Lynch Coachman. The Historical Society in Charlestown, South Carolina, has the Lynch family tree dating back to the 1200's and some fabulous letters Thomas Lynch Sr. wrote to George Washington and others before and during 1776 about the Revolution, previous to his death. ancestry.com Belin and Lynch Family
2. ↑ 1857 letter from John Joseph Simon to son Allard. ancestry.com Letter about the History of the Belin
3. ↑ Yauhannah Early Families: A Family Record