Families related to Tysons

Peter Tyson and Martha Kimble

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Peter Tyson was born in 1762, the oldest child of Rynear Tyson and Mary Cleaver of Abington, Montgomery County. Peter was named for his grandfather Peter Tyson, who lived until 1791 and would have known his grandson.1 Rynear and Mary lived in Abington and attended Quaker meetings at Upper Dublin. In 1774, Rynear was disowned for heavy drinking and suing a Friend in a court of law.2 His children were still considered birthright Friends, but only one of them married under the auspices of a Monthly Meeting.3 Peter did not, and in 1786 he was disowned by Abington Monthly Meeting for going “out in marriage with one not of our Society, by the assistance of an hireling Priest.”4 Yet years later Peter and his wife Martha would be buried at Upper Dublin Friends burying ground.5

In 1793 Rynear Tyson conveyed a house and 73 acres of land to his son Peter.6 This was probably the time that Peter married and started his own family. Peter’s wife Martha Kimble was living either in Abington or Buckingham in 1790; her family owned land in both places.7 It would have been easier for them to meet if she were living in Abington, since it adjoined Upper Dublin.

Although Peter was a birthright Quaker, Martha was not. Her parents were William Kimble and Sarah Worthington. Sarah’s family had been Quakers, but by Sarah’s generation some were marrying outside of the Society. William’s mother Matilda was from the wealthy Morrey family of Philadelphia. Her grandfather Humphrey was a Friend, but her father Richard became an Anglican before his death. William and Sarah did not marry as Friends, and neither did Peter and Martha. There is no record of their marriage at any of the Monthly Meetings, and the births of their children were not recorded.8

As the oldest son, Peter was responsible for his siblings after the early death of their father. In 1796, he petitioned the Orphans’ Court on behalf of his sister Hannah, since she had just inherited some real estate from the estate of their brother Thomas.9 Peter also petitioned on behalf of his brother Jesse and was appointed his guardian.10

For the windowpane tax of 1798 Peter Tyson was recorded as living in a stone house with a separate stone kitchen, like many of his neighbors in Upper Dublin. The house was 37 by 17; it had two stories and 10 windows, more than the average. The stone kitchen was 10 by 18, one story with just two windows. There was also a shop, also made of stone.11 This house was probably on the Welsh Road, one mile east of the crossroads at Three Tuns. In 1787 Peter’s father Rynear bought it, then conveyed it to Peter in 1793. Peter added 52 more acres in 1812 bought from Jesse Trump.12 Peter also owned property on the Horsham border, adjoining the Butler pike and half a mile north of Three Tuns.13

Peter was the administrator for William Kimble, his father-in-law, and acted as the trustee for his brother-in-law Christopher, a “lunatic”. In 1830 the administrators of Peter’s estate filed a suit along with Jonathan Kimble against Isaiah Kimble. John Kirk, a neighbor, wrote to his son Seneca in 1832 that “I am supremenated to attend cort next Second Day and Likely will be there several Days as the Tryal between Peter Tyson and Isaiah Kimble is Likely to come on.”14

Peter died in early 1830, before the census was taken. Martha was living in their house in Upper Dublin with her son William. Her sons Peter, Jesse, and Rynear lived nearby. Peter left no will, and his estate was administered by David Thomas, his brother-in-law. Martha died in November 1832 without a will. Her estate was administered by her son Peter. A record of her death was made in the records of Upper Dublin Preparative Meeting.15 Peter and his wife Martha are buried together in the Upper Dublin Friends Graveyard, along with Peter’s brother Jesse.

Children of Peter and Martha16

Rynear, born about 1793, died summer 183117, married about 1818 Eleanor Jeanes, daughter of William Jeanes and Elizabeth McVaugh. They lived in Upper Dublin and had six children before Rynear’s early death, only a year after his father Peter. Rynear did not leave a will. Eleanor lived until 1876 and is buried at Upper Dublin Friends with Rynear. Children of Rynear and Eleanor: Edmund, Peter, Sarah Ann, William, Seth, Ephraim. The children were not buried at Upper Dublin Friends.

William, born about 1795, died 1874, married in 1826 Hannah Fitzwater, daughter of Thomas and Catherine.18 They were married by Justice Mahlon Van Buskirk. They lived in Upper Dublin on a farm of 64 acres. William died in 1874 and left a will, naming only his wife Hannah and son Thomas; other children must have died before him.19 Hannah died in 1885 and is buried at Upper Dublin Friends, along with William and her son Thomas.20 She left a will, naming many of her nieces and nephews, since her son Thomas died before her.21 Children: Thomas, Sarah, Peter, a daughter.

Peter, born 1799, died in 1850, married in 1821 Sarah Fitzwater, daughter of Thomas and Catherine.22 They were married by Justice Mahlon Van Buskirk. In 1833 Peter and Sarah were received into membership at Horsham with their minor children John and Hannah. They lived in Horsham, on a 77-acre farm. Peter left a will, leaving his personal property and his Horsham farm to his wife Sarah, charged with maintaining their daughter Hannah Ann.23 Hannah Ann was “weak-minded” and could not manage her own affairs.24 His daughter-in-law Sarah, widow of his son Thomas, was to live with his wife if she chose to.25 The farm needed to be sold to pay the debts26. Children of Peter and Sarah: John, Hannah Ann, Thomas. Peter’s widow Sarah probably married Daniel Fisher in early 1857 at Horsham Meeting, but she died in May of that year.27

Martha, died in 1824, married in 1821 Benjamin Jones. They were married by Justice Mahlon Van Buskirk. They had a son Tyson Jones, born in 1823, who died in 1848 and was buried at Upper Dublin Friends.28 Another child died in 6th month 1824 and Martha herself died a month later.29 Benjamin later married Ann Warner and had children with her: John, George, Rebecca, and Susan.30 Benjamin died in 1877 and was buried at Upper Dublin Friends burying ground with Martha and their son Tyson Jones.31

Sarah, d. 1861, m. 1) 1831 Thomas Tyson, d. 1835, son of Thomas and Sarah (Kirk), 2) in 1838 William Michener at Abington Friends.32 William died in 1849, leaving Sarah a widow.33 In 1860 she was living with her widowed sister Rebecca Roberts in Abington.34 Sarah died the next year. She left a will, leaving her estate to her sister Rebecca, her nieces Sarah Ann Tyson and Mary Ann Folwell35, with the residue to be shared among the children of her three brothers: Rynear, William and Jesse.36 From the wording of the will it is apparent that Sarah had no surviving children with either husband.

Mary, alive in 1833, took care of Martha after Peter died, died unmarried in 1845.37

Rebecca, born about 1810, died in 1872, took care of Martha after Peter died, m. 1833 Morris Roberts (married by Justice George Pawling). She was his second wife. Morris Roberts had married Lydia Gibbons, and had a daughter Lydia with her before the older Lydia died in 1829.38 Morris himself died in 1839. In 1860 Rebecca was living with her sister Sarah Michener in Abington. Sarah died the next year, making provision for Rebecca in her will. Rebecca died in 1872. She is not believed to have had children with Morris.

Jesse, born about 1808.39 He married a woman named Sidonia about 1835 to 1840.40 Jesse had a son Benjamin, buried at Upper Dublin Friends burying ground in 1850. He also had a son William, born about 1842, who married Jennie Smith and moved to Ogle County, Illinois.41 Around 1899 a son of William and Jennie, William Harry Tyson, corresponded with his second cousin William J. Tyson, son of Ephraim, about the family genealogy, in hopes of finding a link to an Australian millionaire who had recently died, supposedly leaving an unclaimed fortune.42 Jesse probably had another child, a daughter Mary Ann, who served as the administrator for the legacy of Sarah Michener in 1872.43 Jesse died in 1847, ten days before Sidonia. He did not leave a will, and his estate was administered by his brother Peter.44 Presumed children of Jesse and Sidonia: Benjamin, William, Mary Ann, Clayton.45

 

  1. Peter also had an uncle Peter, who died unmarried in 1824. Because of the three men named Peter Tyson, it can be difficult to decide to whom the records pertain. By the time the grandson Peter came of age, his grandfather was no longer active in Quaker affairs and no longer buying land. The unmarried Peter lived in Abington, while the grandson Peter lived in Upper Dublin. This makes it possible to sort them out in census records, deeds, and tax lists between 1782 and 1824. There was a fourth Peter, the son of Peter and Martha, but he did not come of age until 1820, and it is not difficult to distinguish him in the records. The scribes of the time knew all about the Tysons and tried to differentiate them whenever possible. ↩
  2. Abington Monthly Meeting, Men’s Minutes, on Ancestry. ↩
  3. Sarah married Thomas Tyson in 1831 under the auspices of Abington Meeting. He was her cousin, the grandson of Peter and Mary. ↩
  4. Abington Monthly Meeting, Men’s Minutes, on Ancestry. ↩
  5. Burial records of Upper Dublin Preparative Meeting. ↩
  6. Montgomery County deeds, Book 17, p. 387. ↩
  7. 1790 census records for William Kimble. ↩
  8. Harold Tyson, a cousin of my grandfather Raymond Tyson, had a family Bible, passed down for three generations in the family.  He wrote to me in 1977 with information about the family. The Bible named Ephraim Tyson’s parents as Rynear Tyson and Eleanor Jeans, and the father of Rynear Tyson as Peter Tyson, with dates 1762 to 1830. Peter appeared in Charles Barker’s detailed genealogy of the Tyson family as #113 (Charles Barker, “Descendants of Rynear Tyson”, Bulletin of the Montgomery County Historical Society, 1946, vol. 5). The Bible did not have the name of Peter’s wife, and the family lore was that she was a Hallowell. Fortunately there is abundant evidence tying Peter to the Kimble family of Bucks County. ↩
  9. Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Dockets 1784-1812, vol. 1-2, p. 335, Dec 10 1796. ↩
  10. Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Dockets, vol. 1, p. 314, March 1796. ↩
  11. Suzanne Hilton, Yesterday’s People: The Upper Dublin Story, 1967, p. 37. The Abington Township Tax List of 1798 was reprinted in the Old York Road Historical Society Bulletin, 1971, vol. XXXII. ↩
  12. Montgomery County deeds, Book 46, p. 146. ↩
  13. Edward Mathews Papers, Montgomery County Historical Society, Norristown, Pennsylvania. Lewis Stanert sold it to Peter in 1808. It was conveyed to William Tyson in 1819 (by Peter and Jonathan Kimbell), then immediately back to Tyson. When Peter died in 1830 the property was sold to settle his estate. ↩
  14. Formerly in a Kirk family newsletter at www.cleverlink.com/kirk/newsletters/97/newsletter.html, no longer available online in 2020. The letter had been saved, framed, and posted on the wall of the law office of a Kirk descendant. ↩
  15. Upper Dublin Preparative Meeting, on Ancestry, Minutes 1817-1913, image 23. It is clear that Peter and Martha were considered members of the meeting by then, reconciling at some point after he had been disowned for marrying out. ↩
  16. These names are listed in a deed at the time of Peter’s death in 1830, which named widow Martha, children Rynear, William, Peter, Jesse, Sarah, Mary, Rebecca, all of full age, and Tyson Jones, a child of Martha Jones, late Tyson deceased. They are also listed in the Orphan’s Court record of Bucks County, because Peter owned a one-third share in 115 acres there. By April 1852, according to another Orphan’s Court record, only William, Sarah and Rebecca were still alive. (Orphan’s Court Record, #6841, the estate of Martha’s brother Jonathan Kimble) ↩
  17. From the OC files of his father’s estate, where the heirs signed several petitions. ↩
  18. David Smith, “Fitzwater Genealogy”, online at: https://myowntimemachine.com/2012/09/08/fitzwater-genealogy-then-to-now/, p. 48, accessed June 2020. Thomas Fitzwater died in 1813 and is buried at the Fitzwater burying ground in Dresher, Upper Dublin. ↩
  19. Montgomery County wills, Book 13, p. 567. From census records from 1840 through 1860 in Upper Dublin, they also had a daughter Sarah and son Peter, as well as another daughter. ↩
  20. They are close together in the burying ground, all in row 13. The son Thomas died in 1881. The Friends of Upper Dublin grouped families together in the burying ground, except for children, who were in their own rows. The Tysons and Roberts’ and Jones’ in this family are grouped in row 5, then when that row filled up around 1850, in row 13. There is a reference to this practice of grouping families on page 107 in the register, to the “Hallowell row”. (Upper Dublin Preparative Meeting, record of burials, on Ancestry) ↩
  21. Montgomery County wills, Book 17, p. 330. The will named three nieces and nephews on the Fitzwater side, two children of Hannah’s sister Catherine Comly (Lukens and Tacy) plus Tacy’s husband Howard Wood; also Hannah Tyson, daughter of Rynear’s son Ephraim, and one person who has not been identified, Mary Emma Tyson, daughter of Clayton Tyson (probably a son of Hannah’s brother Jesse). In the will, Hannah distributed the estate of her deceased son Thomas among his “first cousins” John Jones, Mary Follwell, Ephraim Tyson, William Tyson, Clayton Tyson, and another William Tyson. Mary Follwell was probably the daughter of Jesse and Sidonia, wife of Charles Folwell. One of the Williams was the son of Rynear and Eleanor; the other was the son of Jesse and (probably) Sidonia. The will book contains an unusual detail, in the name box at the beginning of the will; Hannah died at eight o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, February 18, 1885. The clerks who copied the wills were not usually so precise. ↩
  22. David Smith, “Fitzwater Genealogy”, p. 47. In the 1850 federal census, Catherine was living with Peter and Sarah. ↩
  23. Two sons, John and Thomas, had died before their father. Thomas died in 1848 at age 24.( Horsham Monthly Meeting, Births and Burials 1782-1889, p. 27, on Ancestry). These sons are not buried at Upper Dublin Friends. ↩
  24. Her cousin Ephraim Tyson, son of Rynear and Eleanor, helped to manage her affairs. In 1860 and 1870 Hannah was living with her aunt and uncle Daniel and Catherine Comly. ↩
  25. Montgomery County wills, Book 9, p. 167. ↩
  26. Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Dockets, vol. 11-12, p. 173. ↩
  27. The marriage is at Horsham Meeting minutes,  The date of death is from the “Fitzwater Genealogy”. David Smith did a thorough job of tracing the family. The only question is whether he conflated two different women named Sarah Tyson. ↩
  28. None of the other estate records mention any other children of Martha and Benjamin. ↩
  29. Upper Dublin Preparative Meeting, record of burials, p. 10, on Ancestry. ↩
  30. 1860 Federal census, Whitemarsh Township. Benjamin was a farmer, age 64. His wife Ann was 56. The children’s ages ranged between 25 and 17, showing that they could not be children of Benjamin and Martha. John married Emma Wood in 1871 at Horsham Meeting. (Horsham Marriages 1844-1871, image 78, on Ancestry. Benjamin Jones and Ann W. Jones signed the wedding certificate.) John was named in the 1885 will of Hannah F. Tyson, widow of William, as a first cousin of her deceased son Thomas. If this account is correct, John was a cousin by marriage, as a son of Benjamin but not Martha. ↩
  31. Upper Dublin Preparative Meeting, record of burials, p. 81, on Ancestry. ↩
  32. Abington Monthly Meeting minutes. The marriage certificate was signed by Mary Tyson (her sister), Eleanor Tyson (her sister-in-law), William and Hannah Tyson (her brother and his wife), Peter and Sarah Tyson (her brother and his wife), Benjamin Jones, Jesse Tyson (brother), and more Tysons. ↩
  33. Anna Shaddinger, More Micheners in America, 1970. ↩
  34. Federal census 1860, Abington Township, image 42. The only problem with this identification is that Sarah’s age was given as 75, while Rebecca’s was 50. Could the 75 be an error for 57? ↩
  35. Mary Ann Tyson married Charles Folwell in January 1857 at the Abington Presbyterian Church. The only Mary Ann in this generation is the daughter of Jesse. ↩
  36. Montgomery County wills, Book 10, p. 498, written in January 1860, proved March 1861. The settlement of her estate was taken to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after the death of Rebecca Roberts in 1872. The legal question was whether the grandchildren of Sarah’s three brothers, children of deceased children, should get a share. The court ruled that they should, and shares of Jesse Tyson were given to his administratrix Mary Ann Tyson and of Edmond T. Tyson to his administratrix Adeline Tyson. (Legal Chronicle Reports of Cases Decided in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, vol. 1, p. 276, on Google Books) ↩
  37. She is not listed in the 1852 Orphan’s Court Record, #6841, the estate of Martha’s brother Jonathan Kimble. She was buried at Upper Dublin Friends, along with her parents. ↩
  38. Miranda Roberts and Gilbert Cope, Genealogy of the Kirk Family, 1912, p. 158; other web sources. ↩
  39. There were other men named Jesse Tyson at the time. Rynear Tyson and his wife Grace Fletcher had a son Jesse who died in 1769. Isaac Tyson and his wife Esther Shoemaker had a son Jesse, born in 1761, moved to Baltimore, and died there, probably in 1821. ↩
  40. There is no record of this marriage and her parentage is not known. Sidonia Tyson died within ten days of Jesse in 1847 and they are buried next to each other in Upper Dublin Friends Burying Ground. The assumption is that she was his wife. ↩
  41. William Harry Tyson was born in 1867 in Illinois, son of William Tyson and Jane Smith, both born in Pennsylvania. (Illinois Death and Stillborn index 1916-1947, on Ancestry) ↩
  42. The letters descended through the family of Ephraim Tyson. They were sent to me by my grandmother Helen W. Tyson, daughter-in-law of William J. Tyson. I made notes of their contents, but did not photocopy them. They were lost in transit when I mailed them back to my grandmother. Needless to say, the family did not find a link to the Australian Seth Tyson. Ephraim did have a brother Seth, who went to California in the Gold Rush, but there is no evidence that he became wealthy or went further west than California. ↩
  43. See the note about the estate of Sarah Michener in 1872, and the ruling of the PA Supreme Court. She was probably the Mary Ann Follwell named in the will of Sarah Tyson in 1861 and Hannah Tyson in 1885. ↩
  44. Montgomery County wills, estate RW 16974. The inventory was taken on 20th 7th month 1847. It was sparse, amounting only to $86.11. Was Jesse living with someone? ↩
  45. Clayton Tyson was named in the will of Hannah Tyson in 1885, as a first cousin of her deceased son Thomas. This is the only place in the family where he can be reasonably placed. ↩

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