Jacob Strawn (1717 - 1800)

Born 19 Aug 1717 in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Province of Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Christiana (Pursell) Strawn — married 22 Mar 1741 in Bethlehem, Hunterdon, Province of New Jersey

Descendants

Died 20 Dec 1800 at age 83 in Haycock Township, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Jacob Strawn performed Patriotic Service in the American Revolution.

Jacob Strawn is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A111242.

Jacob Strawn is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 299403
Rank: Patriotic Service

Jacob was born about 1717. He died intestate in Haycock Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania about 1800 and administration was granted to his son, Daniel, and Israel Foulke, January 13, 1801.^[1] Jacob Strawn ..farmer and potter . He passed away in 1800. Burial Richland Graveyard, Bucks Co, PA. ^[2]

Jacob Strawn is documented in several books, In his own successful SAR application, etc., but the most detailed and complete documentation is in McCracken^[3] The original was published in 1977. This book is available on Amazon, where this researcher (Moore) wrote a review of it. Dr. McCracken was a Fellow of the American Genealogical Society (they allowed only 40 men or women to be designated as Fellows, and somebody had to die before another deserving person would be awarded the designation of Fellow). In addition, Dr. McCracken was for 20 years the Editor of the American Genealogist. And finally, when the Welcome Society of Pennsylvania wanted an outstanding genealogist to sort out who was on William Penn's ship, the Welcome, on its first voyage to Pennsylvania in 1682, they chose Dr. McCracken. Dr. McCracken had the advantage of many of the meticulous Quaker records, but he also supported his findings with public records such as wills, recordings of births and deaths, court records and his many visits to Bucks County and Philadelphia County.

This researcher was a student of Dr. McCracken's as an undergraduate (not a student of Genealogy, but took two writing courses from Dr. McCracken). Later, this researcher became a professor and returned to the University where Dr. McCracken taught, and would often see Dr. McCracken around the campus. Sometimes we would have coffee, sometimes lunch.

Aside from his mother's will, the earliest record of Jacob is found in a Middletown marriage certificate dated 22 3rd mo. 1740, when Robert Lucas married Sarah Croasdale of Newtown, daughter of William Croasdale. The name of Jacob Strawhen is next to the last among the men, but neither his mother, who was dead by September of that year, or his wife signed.

He probably remained with his mother until her death and accompanied her, if not to Kent County, Delaware, at least to Bethlehem Twp., Hunterdon County, New Jersey, where she made her will.

He married about 1741, probably in Bethlehem Twp., Christiana Pursell, baptized at the Dutch Church at Readington, that county, daughter of John Pursell (Thomas) by his wife Henah or Hannah whose maiden name has not been determined. Thus, Jacob Strawhen became the nephew by marriage of his half sister, Ruth (Cooper) Pursell, since John Pursell, her father, was an older brother of Ruth's husband Dennis.

Christiana had been named for her paternal grandmother, Christiana Van Woggelom, who in Dutch records was regularly called Stintje Jans, that is in English, "little Christina, daughter of John." by coincidence this Stintje Jans was daughter of another, and Christiana Pursell, being daughter of a John, could also be called Stintje Jans by the Dutch and, at any rate, was called Stintje. To the English ears at Richland Meeting, this sounded like "Staunchy,"and she was so recorded as such for many years. As a result, some descendants have supposed that she was so called from staunchness of build or character--she did survive the birth of twelve children. in any case, Jacob and Stintje began having children while living in New Jersey, since the births of the first three children are not found recorded at Richland Meeting, Quakertown, Pennsylvania.

If this supposition is correct, the move to Haycock Twp., which lies east of Richland Manor and Twp., and now the Borough of Quakertown, took place between the spring of 1748 and the fall of 1749. It would appear that the family must have lived first on rented property. There is an unrecorded deed dated 6 May 1752 whereby Joseph Tomlinson of Makefield, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, yeoman, sold to Jacob Strawhen of Haycock Twp., aforesaid county, for a consideration of five shillings (doubtless a fictitious sum used to conceal the real price), a certain Messuage, plantation and Tract of Land in Haycock Twp., containing 255 acres and 98 perches, deed witnessed by Samuel Twining and Tho: Chapman.

According to Richland Monthly Meeting's Men's Minutes Jacob Strawhen and Christiana his wife (and son John) requested to be received into religious fellowship on June 15th, 1769. in the same minutes dated October 19th, 1769 it is said, "Friends are of the opinion that it may be best to leave the three eldest of Jacob Strawhens children (to wit) William, Daniel and Mary, until they come to make application for themselves and that all the younger ones to be taken under the care of Friends with their parents".

in 1779 Jacob Strawhen lived in Haycock Twp. on 350 acres, had 4 horses and 6 head of cattle. in 1781, 360 acres, 3 horses and 7 cattle. in 1782, 360 acres, 2 horses and 7 cattle. in 1784, 360 acres, 5 horses, 5 cattle and had 5 dwellings with 5 outhouses, which were inhabited by 25 whites. in 1783 he was taxed 4 pound 14 shilling and 6 pence. in the year 1784 Jacob Strawhen erected a fine stone house near the village called Strawntown about three miles east of Quakertown. The house remained in possession of Jacob to his death in 1800 and then became the home of his youngest son Enoch until it was sold after his death in 1849. The house has been owned in late years by Mrs. Natalie Platoff Nichols and her sister, Mrs. Ahlum, who operate the property as a farm, having inherited it from their father, Col. Platoff, U.S.A.

As this is being written (1970), there are reports that the property may be condemned in order to build a highway and how long this beautiful building will be allowed to remain standing is therefore doubtful. The entire structure is now well preserved and the wing added to it on the east was constructed of stone salvaged from an original wing attached to the house on the northwest. The large barn nearby is a new one, replacing one built in 1809 which was not long ago destroyed by fire.

In the neighborhood of Strawntown are a number of similar stone houses, some of which were occupied by sons of Jacob Strawhen, the one immediately to the west having been the residence of Enoch's next older brother, Abel Strawn, until his death in 1848. These houses can be approached by driving south from the village of Pleasant Valley on what used to be called the Bethlehem Pike to a point where a road leads off to the left. in the northeast angle of this intersection is the stone house formerly occupied by Ed and Laura Roudenbush. Shortly farther on, a road runs west from a point just beyond the Roudenbush house, and on this lane, as it really is, Jacob Strawhen's house is the first on the right, his son Abel's the next on the left.

At the formation of the Bucks County Committee of Safety on 15 Dec. 1774 Jacob Strawhen was the member for Haycock Twp., but when it became evident that the colonies would resort to arms, he and Thomas Foulke, the member for Richland, resigned on 21 July 1775, unable, as Friends, to serve further. This brief service, however, has been accepted as qualifying female descendants for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution.^[4]

In 1779 Jacob Strawhen Sr. was recorded as the owner of 350 acres in Haycock Twp., with four horses and six head of cattle; in 1781, 360 acres and three horses and seven head of cattle; in 1782 350 acres, two horses and seven head of cattle; in 1783, taxed L4/14/6; in 1784, 360 acres, five horses, five head of cattle, five dwellings, five outhouses, inhabited by 25 whites and in 1785 he had 360 acres, three horses, nine head of cattle. At this period, of course, several of the children must already have married and had children of their own. It is obvious from the acreage stated that Jacob Strawhen had added to his original 255+ acres, and in 1767 he bought 167 acres adjoining, but no deeds of sale or purchase are on record at Doylestown.

Jacob and Christiana were faithful members of Richland Meeting, as were at least some of their children, but the Strawn family was not uniformly Quaker in background. The parents are undoubtedly buried in the graveyard at Richland Meeting, no stones now visible for them. The earliest Strawn stone now visible is for Jacob's grandson John, who died in 1868. The earlier graves were opened in rows as deaths occurred, and husbands and wives might be separated from each other by considerable distance.

in addition to farming, Jacob Strawhen is said to have engaged in pottery making, a trade followed by several descendants. His grandson, John Straughan (son of Daniel), recorded in 1848 that his grandfather was a man of veracity and candor, five feet, ten inches, tall, stout of brain and limbs. He also says that Jacob died at age 86, which is too high, and that Christiana died at age 97, which is all of fifteen years too many.

Jacob Strawhen died on 20 Dec 1800, not 1801 as often deduced from the probate record that administration was granted, 13 Jan. 1801, to his son Daniel Strawhen, and to Israel Foulke (1760-1824) the securities being John Cooper and Henry Cooper, undoubtedly his nephews. The inventory of 13 Feb. 1801 came to L942/18/8. Christiana Strawhen also died intestate, administration granted 28 April 1807 to Israel Foulke, with inventory made by Israel Lancaster and George Sheive, L300/8 and 3/4 pence.

(Copied from "The Welcome Claimants Proved, Disproved and Doubtful" by George E McCracken, "Bucks County Church Records of the 17th & 18th Centuries" by Anna Miller Watring, and "Bucks County Historical Society" Doylestown Pennsylvania)^[5]

He moved to Hunterdon Co. N.J. and stayed there until 1749. He returned to Haycock Twp. Bucks Co. PA. where he died. Jacob was on the Committee of Safety but resigned, in respect to his faith, when the War with Great Britain became inevitable.

His parents and family settled in the Friends colony on Tenmile Creek. ^[6]

Burial • • after 20 December 1800 Richland Friends Meeting Burial Ground, Quakertown, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States Reason This Information Is Correct: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14536161/jacob-strawn Last Changed: February 17, 2021 by

Sources

1. ↑ "Notes on Some Richland Families" The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) Reference Volume 35, page 239
2. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 21 November 2018), memorial page for Jacob Strawn (1717–20 Dec 1800), Find A Grave: Memorial #14536161, citing Richland Friends Meeting Burial Ground, Quakertown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave (contributor 8) .
3. ↑ McCracken, George E., Ph.D, Penn’s Colony, Genealogical and Historical Materials Relating to the Settlement of Pennsylvania, Volume 2, Welcome Claimants, Proved, Disproved, and Doubtful, Heritage Books 2007. Pages 92-98
4. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 2 April 2024), "Record of Jacob Strawn Sr", Ancestor # A111242.
5. ↑ Palmer, Nellie. http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/p/a/l/Nellie-E-Palmer-WV/index.html (http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/p/a/l/Nellie-E-Palmer-WV/BOOK-0001/0004-0002.html)
6. ↑ Leckey, Howard L. The Tenmile country and its pioneer families: a genealogical history of the Upper Monongahela Valley, with complete index. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2009. (https://books.google.com/books?id=UM7gBFLDzvkC)

• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 21 Feb 2022), "Record of Jacob Strawn", Ancestor # A111242.

• Stilwell - Crayne Family History

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Pedigree Resource File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:SGCG-2J5 : accessed 2017-03-17), entry for Jacob /Strawn/.

Acknowledgements

Bryn Dunham Additional source: USfunks.net

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LVJQ-NQT