18,588 and Counting

After our major breakthrough in May 2021 for the Spratlin line, proving the widely-held belief that James Spratling (1742–1812) was the son of John Spradlin (1712–1769) and Mary English (1713–1756) was pure fiction, fake genealogy, we were not able to make any further progress on this line in 2022.

During 2022, we continued to invest considerable time improving the Knight family profiles on WikiTree in an effort to more widely disseminate recent research into the Knights of colonial Virginia. This effort has progressed well. Captain Peter Knight and Merchant Peter Knight are now shown there correctly as two different people, and the Knight-Basse marriage and lineage are now labeled as disputed.

As a result, we did not spend much time researching other lines, and did not add many new family members to our family tree in 2022.

Say Anything …

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.

— John Adams

18,312 and Counting

Our focus shifted in 2021 from the Watne branch to the Spratlin and Knight branches. In May 2021, we made a major breakthrough in the Spratlin line, realizing the widely-held belief that James Spratling (1742–1812) was the son of John Spradlin (1712–1769) and Mary English (1713–1756) was pure fiction, fake genealogy. We also invested considerable time improving the Knight family profiles on WikiTree in an effort to more widely disseminate recent research into the Knights of colonial Virginia.

At the end of 2021, there were 18,312 family members in our family tree.

Photo Friday—Eliza and Matthew Swann

Eliza Roxana Adams is the daughter of Reverend Ezra Adams and Isa Proctor. She was born in Esquesing Township, Halton County, Upper Canada (now Acton, Ontario), in 1828, while Ezra was temporarily superannuated (retired) from the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Canada. Church records report Ezra was at the time “worn down by disease incurred in the swamps of the western country.” Despite this, he ran a school house in Acton during this time.

In 1847, Eliza married Reverend Matthew Swann, also of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, in Markham Township, York County, Province of Canada. They had 7 sons and 6 daughters.

Based on their marriage date and place, in Find Alpheus Adams’ Mother : Part VI, we conjecture Eliza did not accompany Reverend Thomas Hurlburt, her sister Elizabeth Almira Adams Hurlburt, and her brothers Henry Proctor Adams and William Case Adams to the Indian Mission Conference in Oklahoma and Missouri from 1844 to 1850 or 1851.

For two portraits over 100 years old, these are in amazing condition!


Eliza Roxana Adams (1828–1906) is 4th great-grandaunt of MKS in the Watne branch.

Matthew Swann (1822–1910) is husband of Eliza Roxana Adams.

References:
[1] Ancestry.com member cswann40 (photographs).

17,350 and Counting

The early part of 2020 was devoted to finding Alpheus Adam’s maternal line using a combination of genetic genealogy and old-fashion research into the history of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Canada and the United States. And 2020 closes as we found possible parents for Andrew Porter Sr. in County Donegal, Ireland.

At the end of 2020, there were 17,350 family members in our family tree.