The Stewarts of Scotland (Teare Side)

John Teare's paternal grandmother was Mary Elizabeth Stewart. It is her line that I will be discussing today.

Our Stewart line hails from Scotland, where our immigrant ancestor John Stewart was born in 1719. He arrived in Pennsylvania as a child, probably in the 1720s, where he continued to live, marry, and raise a family in York.

In 1751 John married a born and bred Pennsylvanian, Elizabeth Schneider. Land records show that John owned 50 acres of land in York County. John and Elizabeth had 8 children. Our line continues through his third son, Matthias (or Matthew) Stewart.

While John and Elizabeth lived out their lives in Pennsylvania, Matthias and his two older brothers, John and Jacob, felt drawn just west of the border. The three brothers and their families settled in Columbiana County, Ohio in the late 1700s. Matthias and his wife Eva had a son, Samuel. Samuel and his wife Elisabeth had a son, John Wesley Stewart. And finally, John and his wife Susannah had a daughter, Mary Elizabeth- John Teare's paternal grandmother. All of this happened in Columbiana County, Ohio.

Now John and Susannah also felt drawn further west, and probably moved several times before finally settling in Allen County, Indiana. This explains how their daughter, an Ohio girl, wound up with a Michigan Man (Robert Teare)! John and Susannah have an impressive resting spot in the Eel River Cemetery in Indiana (pictured below).

John Wesley and Susan Stewart. 

I have no further information about the Stewart family in Scotland, but here is a standard Stewart family crest. There are many varieties based on the various Stewart lines, but all contain the blue and white checkered pattern seen below:

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Teare-->Stewart

WHERE TO GO:
The Eel River Cemetery in Allen County, Indiana (click for more info)
The York County PA Historical Society and Museum: http://www.yorkheritage.org/

The South Dover Cemetery (Cross Side)

I'm attempting to work my way backwards along the Cross line. I haven't made it back to an immigrant ancestor yet, unfortunately. In the meantime, here's some information on the Cross and Vedder (Alice Cross's great great grandparents) families who first came to Michigan.

Samuel S Cross and his bride Sarah Liebolt Cross hailed from New Jersey, moved to New York, and eventually settled in Lenawee County, MI. Both are buried, along with several of their children, at the South Dover Cemetery near Clayton, MI.

Their second son, David, married Cordelia Vedder, whose parents (Harmon and Annie Bordine Vedder) are also buried at the South Dover Cemetery.

Here are some pictures from the Cemetery:

The Cross Family Stone with individual markers.

Harmon and Annie Vedder

Samuel S. Cross Marker.

Entrance to the South Dover Cemetery

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Cross-->Vedder, Cross

WHERE TO GO: The South Dover Cemetery, Clayton MI

Every Man (Has) An Island. (Teare Side)

Okay, so maybe not every man has an island. But if you are a relation to John Teare, then you do!

I've been researching our ancestors who were early settlers of the Massachusetts colony. You may remember my recent post about the Aldrich family. Jacob Aldrich II is John Teare's 7th great grandfather. But it is his wife who we are focused on in this post.

Jacob was married to Margery Hayward, daughter of Samuel Heyward and Mehitable Thompson. At one point family legend had it that Mehitable Thompson was our key to being direct descendants of the pilgrims. While this proved to be false, I think I like the real story even better. The Thompson line predates the arrival of the pilgrims in Massachusetts!

You see, Mehitable's grandfather, David, was a pretty important guy. David Thompson (John Teare's 10th great grandfather) was an apothecary and an agent for Sir Ferdinando Gorges, and had received considerable education in London. In 1622 he agreed to sail from Plymouth, England with two other men to find a suitable location for a new settlement. On November 16, 1622, the Council for New England granted David Thompson six thousand acres of land and one island in New England- what is today known as Thompson's Island.

Thompson Island, Boston Harbor

Thompson's Island is located in the Boston Harbor, and is open to visitors on Summer Sundays.

David and his wife Amyes had a son, John. John and his wife had a daughter, Mehitable. And Mehitable is the start of our connection to the Thompson line!

So let's take a look at the...

Family Line @ A Glance: Teare-->Gregory-->Easton-->Aldrich-->Heyward-->Thompson

WHERE TO GO:  Thompson's Island
For more information, see: http://www.bostonharborislands.org/