Fellow Family
in America 1700 - 1900

Copyright Cynthia Joyner 2005 (Click HERE before copying)

Fellow Family in England 1500 - 1700 (new 2005)

Fellow Branches not yet connected (new 2005)

List of Contributing Cousins and Their Branches

Version 3.2: 07/20/2005

◄William & Sarah Fellow (Gen -1)                                       Generation 1

England to Maryland

 

Facsimile of Robert & John Fellow's "marks" on 1719 Deed from Talbot Co., Maryland

 

England to Talbot County Maryland

Robert Fellow was born in 1665 in England. He married Sarah Littleboy in 1690 in England. They immigrated to Talbot County, Maryland with their children before Dec 1697.
Children:

 

The marriage of Robert Fellow and Sarah Littleboy is documented in the Parish Registers: Robert Fellow and Sarah Littleboy were married at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire 19 Oct 1690.  [Family tradition has the marriage of Robert and Sarah in Quaker meeting in England.  The Toleration Act of 1689 might explain this dichotomy.  The marriage might have been registered in the Parish records, although performed elsewhere.  This is speculation at this point.]

Robert Fellow (1665) is listed as a carpenter in land deeds in Talbot Co, Maryland. In September of 1697 a Robert Felowes, joiner, is made the guardian of William Anderson. It appears that the family was in Maryland earlier than 1700.

He purchased several tracts of land in Talbot County starting in 1703. The land was later inherited by his children in 1719. Land records of that time show Robert and his brother John distributing shares of their father's land to their married sisters.

The family was members of the Third Haven Quaker Meeting in Talbot County, Maryland. Mary married first William Ratcliff and then John James. Sarah married John Ratcliff. John married Phoebe, whose last name we don't know. We have no information for marriage for Robert (1694).

The Third Haven Quaker records show the marriages of the Fellow sisters to the Ratcliff brothers in the minutes.

 

The Ratcliff genealogical records indicate that John Fellow married Alice Ratcliff, sister of William and John Ratcliff. 

Richard Ratcliff left a will 8 Jan 1720 that left his personal estate to his wife, Mary, and at her decease to children John, William, Samuel, Alice and Mary.

The Inventory of Richard Ratcliff’s estate 17 July 1721 has "next of kin" John Fellows and John Kennedy, indicating the marriage of the two daughters to these men. 

 

John Fellow names his wife clearly as Phoebe in 1734 deed giving land to his sister Mary Fellow James. 


1734 Deed Marks John & Phoebe Fellow's marks on Deed giving land to his sister Mary Fellow James.

Ratcliff Family Tree The Ratcliff family's web site for their surname.

Fellow Bible 1771 record

Fellow Bible 1844 record Bible record traces births for the Fellow line from England to Indiana.

Maryland Land records

Maryland Wills

Maryland Quaker records

Websites that have helpful information for interpretation of old data.

Quaker Marriage Jerry Richmond explains customs and meaning of Quaker meeting notations

Quaker Dates Quaker use of "plain dates" and the calendar conversion of 1751/1752.

Old handwriting Sabina J. Murray - Analysis of old handwriting and abbreviations.

 

Female Names in the Upper New River of North Carolina Shows the origin of names and common nicknames for females in the 1700s

Generation 2

Maryland to North Carolina


John Fellow was born in 1697 probably in Maryland. He married 1^st Alice (or Mary) Ratcliff, 2^nd Phoebe _____? in Maryland.

Perhaps 3^rd Elizabeth ____?

The family migrated to North Carolina around 1735.

Children:

 

It is not clear which wife is the mother of these children, but Phoebe is most likely the mother of Phoebe. 

 

An inventory of an Estate of John Fellow in Craven, NC June 1740 has wife Elizabeth and son Robert.

In 1734 the Third Haven meeting minutes record a request for the John Ratcliff family to receive certificates of removal to North Carolina with John Fellows (1697) family.

We pick up the families in 1738 in Dobbs County, North Carolina. The Ratcliff and Fellow families are purchasing land and John Fellow receives a land grant called "Spring Bank" on March 12, 1738. "Spring Bank" is a 400 acres plantation on the north bank of the Neuse River adjoining Charles Hines' lands. Various other lands are acquired by both brothers.

Marriage record for their daughter Phoebe (1730) to Thomas Cox in 1749 is found in the Contentenea Quaker Meeting records of North Carolina.

 

Other sources have Sarah marrying Walter Kennedy in 1745, then James Oats after Walter's death in 1750. We have no information on the marriage of Robert Fellow, but suspect his wife's surname to be Price, since that name started to appear as a given name for sons. There were two Price families in the area. John Jr (1722) seems to have not left a family, since "Spring Bank" passed from John (1697) to John Jr (1722) then to his brother Robert (1724) then to his oldest son John (1750).

Generation 3

Johnson, Lenoir, Dobbs, Wayne County - North Carolina

Robert Fellow was born in 1724 in Maryland. He married _____ Price??.

Children:

Robert Fellow (1756) married Rachel Peele in the records of Contentenea Quaker Meeting of North Carolina. We have no Quaker records for the marriages of the other children. Sarah Fellow appears to have married Richard McKinne based on later Wayne Co. land records. When Robert died the land he acquired and inherited from his father, John, was willed to his oldest son John Fellow of New Hanover County, North Carolina. John (1750) then seems to have sold land and distributed the estate to his siblings in 1787.

Robert received a land grant from King George III in 1763. 

North Carolina Land records

Generation 4

New Hanover Co, North Carolina

John Fellow was born in 1750. He lived in New Hanover Co, North Carolina and had at least four sons.

Children:

 

John Fellows is listed in the census records in the Wilmington District of New Hanover, NC for 1790 (2-1-3-0-15). One son at least 16, one under 16 and probably a wife and two daughters. He has 15 slaves.

 

In 1800 only 2 males between 16-26 are listed for a household of John Fellows in Wayne County with 9 slaves.
John Fellow gave land to his sons Robert (1774) and William (abt 1780) in Wayne County in 1802.

 

In 1810 Robert (1774) is in the Wayne Co., NC census with no family and 12 slaves.

Robert seems to be connected to his Uncle William's family. Robert Fellow dies at the home of John McKinne in Wayne Co, NC in December 1818

He left an oral will proved in 1819.

In 1810 William (abt 1780) is in the Wayne Co, NC census with a family and 13 slaves

William is in the 1810 and 1820 census of Wayne Co and from those we see that he has 6 sons and 2 daughters.
Robert & William seem to be connected with their Uncle William's family. A Robert Fellow dies at the home of John McKinne in December 1818.

Zilpha McKinne (born abt 1777)  married a William Fellows.  This is a likely fit.  [Some have thought she was the first wife of William Fellow born 1752, but she is too young.]

 

The following is wild speculation that it applies to “our” John Fellow of New Hanover.

A John Fellow marries “Polley” Germillon 28 Dec 1807 in Johnston County, NC. 

A John Fellow aged between fifty and sixty is found in the 1830 census among several McKinne families in Hardemen County, Tennessee.

A John Fellow family shows up in Tennessee in the 1840 census of Shelby Co, Tennessee.

In 1850 William M. Fellow (born 1808) and family is in the Louisiana census, with a son born in 1841 in Tennessee.

In 1850 Lovet Fellow (born abt 1810) is in the Shelby Co, Tennessee census with a family and a 65 year old Mary (Polley is a common nickname for Mary).

In 1850 Robert G. Fellow (born abt 1815) is in the Shelby Co, Tennessee census with a family.

Bennett Fellow (born bet. 1774-1794) is listed in the 1820 & 1830 New Hanover Co, NC census records. He is established as John’s son from Robert Fellow’s

Will of 1818.

Rachell Fellow (born abt 1775, age 75) is the head of household in 1850 Census of New Hanover with Polly age 30, Sarah A. age 26, and Wm. age 13.  I am leaning towards her being the widow of Bennett Fellow.  Polly and Sarah may be daughters or daughter-in-laws, with William being a grandchild.

 
A Robert Fellow (born abt 1815) is found with a family in New Hanover NC in the 1850 Census.  This family is later in Bladen Co, North Carolina.  Bennett’s second son was in this age range in the 1820 and 1830 census records of New Hanover, NC.  Again this is speculation, but a tempting fit.

Norh Carolina Land records

Norh Carolina Census records

Sampson Co, North Carolina

William Fellow was born in 1752. He married Susannah Williams daughter of Nathan and Sarah Williams of Johnston County, NC.
After his death she married Joab Blackman (1755).

Children:

 

William was a Captain in the Militia of Dobbs County North Carolina during the Revolutionary War

 

Norh Carolina Land records

Price Fellow (1754) probably died before forming a family. His share of his father's estate was distributed to his siblings.

Norh Carolina Land records

Wayne Co, North Carolina

Robert Fellow was born in 1756 in North Carolina and died in 1835 in Indiana.  He married Rachel Peelle born in 1764
daughter of Robert Peelle (1709) and his second wife Charity Dickenson.
The marriage took place in 1783 in North Carolina.
Robert was a member of the Contentnea Quaker meeting.

Children:

North Carolina Quaker records
Peelle Family - Horace Peele's Main Page
Peelle Family - North Carolina Section

Robert (1756) was a member of the Contentnea Quaker meeting. Rachel his wife was from the Rich Square meeting.
Robert (1756) is listed in the Wayne Co, NC census records from 1790-1830. In 1830 Robert is in his 70s and his three youngest unmarried daughters are living with him. Charity married fairly early, but John, Mary, Rachel and Sally were in their 30s before marrying.

Robert Fellow (1756) lived to a ripe old age of 79.   He was a lifelong Quaker and turned away from slavery. In 1790 Newburn District, Wayne Co, NC census with one slave. In 1800 he had one non-white free person in his household. He was involved with the North Carolina Quaker Yearly meeting efforts to free and relocate slaves out of the Southern states.

In 1831 Robert and all his living children left North Carolina for Indiana.  [I mistakenly thought that the Robert who went to Indiana was the son born in 1798, but a family Bible reports the son Robert dying in 1819.] 

Father Robert Fellow,  Fellow brothers, Price (1785) and John (1793)  with their families, and unmarried Fellow sisters, Mary (1795), Rachel (1801) and Sally (1804), were granted certificates from Contentnea MM September 10, 1831. Joshua Hall, widower of Charity, was granted a certificate from Contentnea MM on the same date for himself and his three childrn. They probably traveled as a group to Indiana. The families were received on certificate at White Water MM on March 28, 1832. Price transfered to Arba MM, the rest to New Garden MM. The families were received on certificate at New Garden MM in Wayne Co., Indiana on April 21, 1832.

Norh Carolina Land records

Migration Map Quaker Meetings

Continue to Generations 5- 8 of Fellow Family

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Cynthia Joyner  
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