ENYART FAMILY NEWSLETTER

History and Genealogy of the Enyart/Enyeart Family

Vol. 2, No. 2 Whole No. 4 June 1999
ISSN: 1522-0699

This is an abridged version of a published and copyrighted document. This Newsletter appears in abridged form for purposes of brevity and elimination of duplicative information appearing in conjunction with this Newsletter elsewhere on the Internet.   James Raywalt

I regret that this issue of the Newsletter is so late. With the recent loss of my mother and the ongoing renovations to my house, the demands on my time have been significant, and I have at times thought I wouldn't see the light of day at the end of the tunnel. Meanwhile, time marches on.

This issue of the Newsletter brings forth our present understanding of the lives of Silas⁴ and John⁴ Enyart, sons of John³ Enyard (Carel¹, Jellis²) and his first wife, Alkea. Undoubtedly, this issue will generate many questions. There may be information contained in the principal article that is new to some, while others may take issue with some of its conclusions. All readers should feel free to forward their comments to the Editor for consideration.

In addition, some errors from the February 1999 issue are corrected in this issue in the column entitled "On Second Thought..." Again, the Editor encourages readers to submit any and all corrections for publication in the Newsletter.

• From the Editor............................................................................................................45
• The Identities of Jellis2 Inyard's Wives Learned.............................................................46
• Rose Marie Mitchell Raywalt Palmer Dahl.....................................................................47
• Did You Know?...........................................................................................................49
• On Second Thought .....................................................................................................50
• Silas⁴ and John⁴ Enyart, sons of John³ Enyard (Carel¹, Jellis²)........................................51
• The Birth of David⁴ Enyart, Revisited.............................................................................63

Congratulations go to Barbara Barth on the publication of the second installment of her well-written article entitled "Those Easy-Going Van Woggelums Again," which appears on page 99 of the April 1999 issue of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. The article addresses in great detail the identities of both of Jellis² Inyard's wives. Because of the information provided in the article, Enyart descendants will find it necessary to restructure their pedigree charts. As we all know, this is often the way of genealogy.

Rather than reiterating the lengthy reasoning found in the article, the Editor will merely synopsize the lineage provided therein:

Jellis Inyard b. 1652, prob. in Flanders; d. 1707 at Staten Island, NY; m. (first) c. 1686 to Elsje/Alice³ VanWoggelum (Pieter¹ Adriaenszen, Jan² Pieterszen) (b. c. 1665, prob. at Brooklyn, NY; d. c. 1698, prob. at Staten Island, NY); m. (second) c. 1700, as her second husb., Trientie² Vlierboom (Matthys¹ Servaes) (b. c. 1662 at Albany, NY; her first husb. was Gerrit Bastiaensen, by whom she was widowed; her third husb. was Nicholas Baker). The children from each of Jellis' marriages may be found in the Newsletter at pages 9, 23-25 and 34-41.

Rose Marie Mitchell was born the eldest child of Harold Albert Mitchell and Jennie Amelia Shove on July 11, 1940 at Sturgis, South Dakota. She died April 12, 1999 at Bismarck, North Dakota. As a youngster, she resided in Casper, Wyoming and as a teen-ager she removed with her family to Mandan, North Dakota, where she was educated in the public schools. She occupied herself as a part-time waitress, and although she never graduated high school, she obtained her G.E.D. in her early 30s. In 1959 she was married at Mandan to her first husband, Fred Raywalt. In 1977 she married Harold Palmer, and in 1982 she married her third husband, Philip Dahl. All three marriages ended in divorce.

To her first union were born four sons: James, Daniel, William and Steven. In addition to her sons, she is survived by her mother, Jennie Mitchell; seven grandchildren, Jennifer, Elizabeth, Trish, Joshua, Ashton and Jonathan Raywalt and Carrie Skorick; two sisters, Goldie Bargmann and Carol Voigt; and two brothers, John and Robert Mitchell. She was predeceased by her father in 1982, one brother, Harold, in 1977, and her first husband in 1991.

Editor's Note: The above information is extracted from Rose's obituary, which appeared in The Bismarck Tribune on April 14, 1999. Five days after her death, Rose's first great-grandchild, Zoe Marie Miller, was born. Rose was an Enyart descendant through her paternal ancestry.

It has been a tradition in the Editor's family for generations that the eldest child of the family should eulogize the deceased. Considering the circumstances, this task can only be viewed as onerous at best. And having lost both parents within eight years' time, and having eulogized them both, I can honestly say that I am most grateful to have only two parents and that my responsibility for keeping the family tradition has been fulfilled. Still, despite the upflood of emotions that always accompany such a tribute, eulogizing the deceased can be a cathartic and rewarding experience. I share with you below the full text of my tribute to my mother, for the sake of preservation for posterity, and in the hope that it may help the reader to recall some special event in his or her life, thus bringing forth a smile and a feeling of warmth and love.

Rose Dahl wasn't an important person. She wasn't a doctor, or a lawyer, or the Prime Minister of Great Britain, or a Congresswoman, or the Mayor of Bismarck, or even the den mother of the local cub scout pack. She didn't have a million dollars or drive a fancy car or dress in furs or sing in a nightclub. She was just plain, ordinary, nothing-special Rose Dahl.

I'd like to tell you a story --

I remember when I was four years old and my mother had to go away. She went to a place called Jamestown. I didn't know why she went away or that she was ill; she was just gone. One morning, I put on my new winter parka and dressed my brother Danny up in his winter clothes and popped him into the bright new red wagon we'd gotten for Christmas. And as I pulled him through the snow down the path that our dad had just shoveled clear, Dad stopped us and asked, "Where are you two off to?" I piped up with my most emphatic voice, "We're going to find you a new wife." He laughed; and then he cried.

And when I was five years old, my mother taught me my very first dance -- a waltz -- a Viennese waltz. She put the music on the record-player and started twirling me around, and before I knew what was happening, we were going faster and faster. We finally went so fast that we fell down in the middle of the floor, laughing and carrying on, and I was dizzy. I said, "Mommy, let's do it again!" Today I'm a dance teacher, and every time I teach a group of students how to waltz, I am reminded of the first time I danced with my mother.

When I was seven years old, my mother thought it was a good idea that I should start going to Sunday school. So I went, and on the 13th Sunday I got what every youngster who attended 12 weeks in a row received -- a brand new Bible. I was sitting in the front pew of the church, a smile on my face, and soon the minister said, "Jimmy, I'm sorry to say that we don't have any burgundy Bibles this week." (The girls got white Bibles and the boys got burgundy ones.) The minister asked what I'd like to do, suggesting that I could have a white Bible if I wished, or I could wait until the burgundy ones arrived. So I asked him, "Do the burgundy Bibles say something different than the white ones?" And he responded, "That's an excellent question. What do YOU think?" I said, "I think they say the same thing, but the covers are just a different color." He said, "I think you're right." So I took a white Bible. When I got it home, I started exploring it and discovered that between the testaments was a bi-fold leaf-out on which one could record his family history. I began recording my ancestry that very day -- in October, 1967.

And I remember a fine spring morning when I was nine years old. We were outdoors and a young hatchling had fallen out of its nest. Mother helped it back to the safety of its home. I felt like a million dollars that day, because I had witnessed a very special gesture of compassion.

So now I'm nearly 40 years old and I'm standing here before you telling you these things. And you're probably asking yourself, "Why is he rambling on about himself like this? This is supposed to be about his mother, not about him." Well, I'll tell you why.

She was my mother. The only one I'll ever have. By the time I was four years old, she had taught me how important a mother was to the family -- so important, in fact, that I felt the need to replace her because she was no longer present. When I was five, she taught me how to enjoy the pleasures of life and living -- in the form of a simple dance. When I was seven, she introduced me to my God and through Him, to my heritage. And by that time, she had helped me to learn that the cover of the book isn't the important thing; it's what's inside that really counts. This lesson applied to people as well. And when I was nine, she taught me the value of a single, insignificant life. These were great lessons indeed -- a mother's lessons ... to her child.

No, she didn't have a million dollars. She wasn't a doctor or a lawyer or the Prime Minister of Great Britain or the Mayor of Bismarck or the leader of the cub scout pack. She didn't drive a fancy car or dress in furs or sing in a nightclub. She was just a mother -- a person who cried when she was sad, bled when she was cut, laughed when she was happy. A person who tried the best way she knew how ... to live, to teach, to understand, to love. Like each of us, she enjoyed the excitement of her successes and suffered the agonies of her failures. In her life she had many ambitions and many regrets. But she did the best she knew how to do. She gave life to four sons. They are here today to pay homage to her -- to help her to her final resting place. Joining them are all of you -- her mother, her grandchildren, her brothers and sisters, her nieces and nephews, her friends. Each of you has come to pay your respects; to pray for her; to sing for her; to cry for your loss; and to remember your special time with her.

She was ... IMPORTANT ... after all.

There is a separate, and almost certainly unconnected, family surnamed ENGARD who resided in New Jersey and Pennsylvania at the same time our ENYART family resided in those places. The ancestry of the Engard family -- a German family -- presently is being addressed in a family newsletter edited by Gerre Engard Byrd, 612 Buckeye Circle, Conyers, GA 30094. Because of the similarities in the surnames and the redundancy of Christian names in both families, the Editors suspect that confusion over some of the lineages in these families may be resolved through combined research. Therefore, over the course of time, Gerre and I will be working closely with one another in an effort to sort out the Engards from the Enyarts.

Many thanks to Barbara Barth for bringing to the Editor's attention some errors in the last issue of the Newsletter. On page 36, col. 2, the witnesses to the quit-claim executed by Edward Sherman are presented. They were identified as being "all relatives by marriage." This conclusion is regrettable, as it has been pointed out that one of the witnesses, "Joh Makleas Junier," whom the Editor believed to be John Woglum, Jr., appears to have been an entirely different individual and probably not a relative.

The second error of note concerns the transcription of the quit-claim executed by Edward Sherman. The Editor stated that Charles Enyart's name, as shown, was "Charles C. Eanyard." In fact, Charles did not sign his name, but rather, only signed with the initial "C," which appears between his given name and his surname. The transcription may mislead readers into thinking that Charles had a middle initial; however, there is no evidence that Charles Enyart had the middle initial "C."

Pages 41 and 42 contain the Release of Claim of Trentcha Baker. On page 41 it is incorrectly stated that this document may be found in the records of Richmond County, New York. The document, which the Editor is told is extremely frail, may be found in the Bucks County Historical Society Manuscript Collection, Spruance Library, Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

On page 41 in "On Second Thought..." it was stated that page 51 of Historical and Genealogical Miscellany, Vol. 1, John E. Stillwell (NY, 1903), concerns the list of residents who qualified as freemen for Richmond County, New York on April 2, 1705." This statement is erroneous in its suggestion that Jellis² Inyard was made a freeman. In fact, Jellis was appointed Surveyor for the North Side of the settlement.

As stated in the Newsletter on page 24 (Vol. 1, No. 2, Oct. 1998), the identities of John³ Enyard's children are learned from his will. This article concerns the lives of his first two sons, Silas⁴ and John⁴. The reader may find this article difficult to follow and lacking in clear conclusions. For this the Editor apologizes; however, the redundancy of names, the complexity of the family, and the extremely limited documentary evidence, among other things, result in conclusions that presently can only be considered conjectural at best. Therefore, and most importantly, the reader must bear in mind that this article is one in which many theories are presented, but by no means is it the final word. This article has been written to generate additional thought and conversation, in the hope that other researchers might be willing to help in performing some of the research necessary to assist in answering the many questions that exist concerning this part of the family. The Editor expresses his thanks to Maxine Daly, Roberta Pierson and Denny Ellerman for their input and assistance in connection with the following article.

If we presume that John³ Enyard's first two sons were named for their grandfathers, Silas is merely a variation of the name Jellis, leading to the conclusion that the eldest son was named for the paternal grandfather. ^[n1] Following this assumption, the second son, being named John, was probably named for his maternal grandfather, thus providing some insight into the possible identity of John's³ first wife's parentage. Her Christian name was Alkea. Yet, even with these two clues, it will be difficult to determine her family identity.

Silas⁴ Enyart was born in or after 1709, perhaps as late as 1712^[n2], probably at Staten Island, New York, but possibly at Woodbridge, New Jersey. He was bequeathed five shillings in his father's will. (Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 2, p. 26.) There is evidence that this Silas is the person of that name found in Frederick County, Maryland:

"Silas Enyart lived before 1739 in Hunterdon County, New Jersey and was in Frederick County, Maryland in 1750." Carolina Cradle, Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762, R.W. Ramsey, Univ. of N.C. Press (Chapel Hill, 1964), p. 76, citing Minutes of the Court of Common Pleas, Hunterdon County, N.J., Vols. I-VII (1713-56), et al.

He appears to have removed from New Jersey to Frederick County, Maryland by 1750, in which year the Court ordered that he be taken into custody for contemptuous behavior:

"Ordered by the Court here that the Sheriff take Silas Enyart into his custody and keep him safe in gaol till the 23rd inst. [Nov. 23, 1750], for his indecent behavior to this Court." November Court Proceedings for the Year 1750, p. 170, as cited in This Was the Life, M.M. Rice, Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc. (Baltimore, 1984), p. 57; emphasis added. Silas was charged with the "swearing of oaths," and was fined. Id., at p. 60.

In 1752 Silas' name appears in Frederick County court records along with that of John Enyart, presumably his brother^[n3], in connection with a debt continuation involving Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wood. The record, which is undated but appears just after an entry of November 21, 1752, simply states,

"Debt after four Continuances. Deed filed. Special bail given. Agreed."

Later that year, Silas removed to Anson County, North Carolina where on December 7, 1752 he made entry for 640 acres "on Muddy creek on the upper fork that John Douglass entered about eight miles from the mouth of Bogs at ye narrows ... and Sandy Bottom down for ... ye S. fork of Deep Creek joyning Henry Skidmore." (J.W. Linn, Fol. entitled "A Copye of the several Entrys made in the office of the right Honbl, the earl Granville, Begun November ye 18th 1752.) In 1753 Rowan County, North Carolina was formed from Anson County, and in that year Silas appears to have sold the property he purchased in Anson County to Abraham Creson. See Rowan County, North Carolina Deeds, Vol. 4, p. 697.

On April 24, 1756, Silas' name appears in the court records as the defendant in the case of James Jones v. Silas Enyart. He was found guilty in that case and fined £2 9S 3d. See Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Vol. II, p. 132, as cited in Abstracts of Wills and Estates Records of Rowan County, North Carolina, 1753-1805, J.W. Linn, priv. pub. (Salisbury, NC, 1980), p. 58.

Finally, Silas' name may be found in the Court records as one of the sureties in the estate of Sarah Pincher in October 1757. Id. at 79.

Silas⁴ Enyart died at Rowan County, North Carolina after October 1757 (the date of the Pincher estate) but before October 18, 1758 (when his wife was granted Letters of Administration for his estate). Of particular interest is the peculiar manner in which the Court granted Letters of Administration to his widow for the purpose of addressing the issues of her previous husband's estate. Although Silas appears already to have been deceased, it seems that in order for Catherine to serve as Administratrix of the estate of her first husband, Thomas Brinengar, the Court found it necessary first to grant that right to Silas, by virtue of his marriage to the decedant's widow. Upon doing so, the Court then could acknowledge the death of Silas, granting his widow Letters of Administration of his estate. In so doing, any responsibilities he might have had to the other estate could then be assumed by her.^[n4]

On October 18, 1758, Silas was appointed administrator of the estate of Thomas Brinengar.

Ordered that Sylas Enyart in Right of his wife Catherine, the late wife of Thos. Brinegar, have letters of Administration to the late husband decsd, They giveing Security as the Law Directs. Roger Turner & Adam Buttner be Securities in the sum of £50. Sd Admrs took the Oath directed by Law. October 18, 1758. (Emphasis added.)

Ordered that Catherine the wife of Sylas Enyart decsd have Lettrs of Adm. to the Estate of Sylas Enyart afsed She giveing Security as the Law Directs. Adam Burtnett & Sylas Enyart Jr. Securities in £500 Sd Admx haveing taken the Oath as by Law Directed. October 18, 1758. Id.

An Inventory of public sale of part of the estate of Silas⁴ Enyart was taken at Rowan County on January 16, 1759. As the reader reviews this sale inventory, he will notice that there appears to be no natural grouping of the items. But remember that this is a list of items as sold. What is most unfortunate is that the list does not provide the names of the purchasers. The list is as follows:

North Carolina   )    An Inventory of the amount by
Rowan County     )    Publick Sale of the Estate of
                      Silas Enyart Decd, Late of Rowan
                      County aforesd this: 16th day of January 1759

In addition to the assets delineated in the above inventory, it becomes clear from available records that Silas' holdings were somewhat more substantial. A complete inventory of Silas' estate appears to have been made August 8, 1759, showing his holdings to be valued at £119.2.10. On April 17, 1759, Silas⁵ Enyart, Jr. produced an inventory of the estate of Silas⁴ Enyart amounting to £45.11.6. On July 19, 1759, an expense voucher on the estate in the amount of £17.10.2 was presented to the court. The following day, a second voucher, in the amount of £6.22.0, was presented. Two and a half years later, on January 22, 1762, Abram [sic] Creson appeared in court, producing vouchers and receipts for money paid on Silas' estate in the amount of £33.8.1. The expenses were allowed by the court.

                                              John4 Enyart

h. The deaths of Isaac Winscott, Abraham⁵ Enyart and John⁵ Enyart

The last record of Isaac Winscott appears to be the presence of his name on the Madison County Tax List in the year 1797, and it is believed by family historians that he died soon thereafter. As stated above, Abraham⁵ Enyart's nuncupative will was stated to Joseph Kennedy on March 9, 1809. He died soon thereafter. John⁵ Enyart appears to be the person of that name whose estate was probated at Jefferson County, Tennessee in the year 1806. The timing of these three deaths suggests that these men were probably all of the same generation.

* * *
The number and identities of Silas'⁴ children and of John's⁴ children have long been in question, and despite much research, it has not been possible to accurately assemble a complete list of them, due to the lack of sound records. Indeed, if one were to play the Devil's Advocate, there seems to be no documentary evidence proving, for example, that Silas⁴ had any children, or for that matter, that he was married more than once. If he had children, the only one for whom there is potential evidence of a linkage is Silas⁵ Enyart, Jr. through the estate papers of the elder Silas. Unfortunately, those limited documents do not specifically identify Silas⁵, Jr. as the son of Silas⁴. Absent proof-positive, it could easily be argued that Silas⁵ might be a nephew of Silas⁴.

Let us not cease the Devil's Advocate stance solely with conclusions concerning Silas⁴, but pursue it with John⁴ as well. The only piece of hard evidence that conceivably links any John Enyart with Rachel⁵ Enyart is her marriage bond, and as discussed above, the John who served as Rachel's bondsman could easily be her elder brother. Further, there appear to be no records tracing additional movement of John⁴ coincidentally with the movement of his brother Silas⁴. If we follow the conclusion that John⁵ Enyart was born by 1737, he would have been of the age of majority in 1759 when the person of that name became a chain-carrier in Rowan County, and also would have been old enough to serve as a surety in the estate of his father. Therefore, the records concerning John Enyart of Rowan County, North Carolina could all easily apply to a potential son of Silas⁴.

Following this mind-set then, considering all of the above items collectively, the conclusion can be reached that Silas⁴ probably had a son Silas⁵, a son John⁵, a daughter Rachel⁵ (Enyart) Winscott, a son Abraham⁵ and perhaps a son David⁵ and a daughter⁵ (Mrs. George Roberts), and there were perhaps others. The family is therefore constructed as follows, bearing in mind that this assertion can only be considered theory:

• Silas⁴ Enyart (Carel¹, Jellis², John³) b. by 1712, prob. at Staten Island, NY, but poss. at Woodbridge, NJ; removed to Frederick Co., MD by 1750, when he was held in contempt of court; his subsequent residences were Anson Co. and Rowan Co., NC; d. at Rowan Co., NC after Oct 1757 but before Oct 18, 1758; prob. m. (1st) _____, who was almost certainly the mother of all of his ch.; m. (prob. 2nd) soon before 1758 to Mrs. Catharine Brinengar, widow of Thomas Brinengar, who was appointed administrator of his estate; ch. (prob. from 1st marr.) are shown below.
  
  
• John⁴ Enyart (Carel¹, Jellis², John³) b. by 1715, prob. at Woodbridge, NJ; he appears on the list of freemen at Woodbridge, NJ in 1750; removed to Frederick Co., MD by 1752, when his name appears with his brother Silas⁴ in a judgment of debt continuation; additional information concerning his life has not come to clear light, and based on the instant article, none of the individuals below are assigned to him as his children.
  
  
  • Silas⁵ Enyart, Jr. (Carel¹, Jellis², John³, prob. Silas⁴) b. by 1737, prob. at Middlesex Co., NJ, and prob. c. 1735; d. at Russell Co., VA after Oct 1, 1788 (when he signed a deed in that place) and March 17, 1789 (when his widow acknowledged his signature on a deed to James Davidson); his wife was appointed the administrator of his estate; he served as a surety for Catherine (Brinengar) Enyart in the estate of Silas⁴ Enyart in 1758, and therefore must no longer have been a minor; he served as a juror in 1758 in Rowan County Court cases heard in October of that year; he submitted an Inventory in the Estate of Thomas Brinengar in 1759; his name appears on the lists of those taxed in 1759 and subsequent years; his name appears numerous times in subsequent Court records; he appears to be the person of that name whose name is found in the records of Surry Co., NC, which was formed from Rowan Co., NC in the year 1771; he is also probably the person of that name who was a signatory to a petition to divide Washington Co., VA in the year 1785, at which time Russell Co., VA was created; in 1787 he and his wife patented 200 acres at Russell Co., VA, which was deeded to them Oct. 1, 1788 (Russell Co., VA Deeds, Bk. 1, p. 54); he m. c. 1758, prob. at Rowan Co., NC to Sarah _____; they appear to have had a ch. Silas.
    
    
  • John⁵ Enyart (Carel¹, Jellis², John³, prob. Silas⁴) b. prob. at Middlesex Co., NJ by 1737, but prob. not long before; d. 1805 or 1806; estate probated 1806 at Jefferson Co., TN; prob. m. (1st) Mary _____; m. (prob. 2nd) Rebecca Wright; ch. Mary, John, Abraham, Hezekiah Wright, Delilah, Rebecca, Caty, Mariam and poss. two others; one John Enyart, believed to be this John, presented himself as a surety in connection with the estate of Silas⁵ Enyart, but the surety could be the decedent's uncle, and if so, would be John⁴.
    
    
  • Rachel⁵ Enyart (Carel¹, Jellis², John³, prob. Silas⁴), whom some have asserted was b. Feb 2, 1746/7 in NJ and d. Feb 3, 1816 in KY, but there appears to be no evidence that these dates pertain to her, as she had a sister-in-law of the same name to whom the dates could just as easily be assigned; m. Jan 26, 1765 at Rowan Co., NC to Isaac Winscott (sometimes spelled Wainscott) (b. c. 1737 at Augusta Co., VA; d. before 1810 in KY); they are found in the records of Surry Co., NC, Washington Co., VA, Russell Co., VA and Madison Co., KY; their ch. are believed to be Joseph⁶, Isaac⁶, Jenny⁶, and Adam⁶
    
    
  • Abraham⁵ Enyart (Carel¹, Jellis², John³, prob. Silas⁴) b. by 1748, prob. at Somerset Co., NJ; d. at Richmond, KY betw. March 9, 1809 (the date of his nuncupative will) and March 11, 1809 (when his will was recorded); he stated his will to Joseph Kennedy at Madison Co., KY; he had two apprentices bounded to him for the purpose of learning the weaver's trade; m. Feb 15, 1769 at Rowan Co., NC^[n7] to Rachel Swaim (she is said to have been b. c. 1747, prob. at Rowan Co., NC and d. before Oct 1814 at Madison Co., KY); ch. Charity⁶, Mary⁶, prob. David⁶, Elizabeth⁶, Silas⁶, Isabelle⁶, Anne⁶, and Rachel⁶ other children have been assigned to them by numerous family historians, but are in dispute, and this family will be discussed in greater detail in a future article in the Newsletter. poss. David⁵ Enyart (Carel¹, Jellis², John³, prob. Silas⁴⁾, whose name appears in Rowan County records to the year 1774, and who poss. d. soon thereafter, but inclusion of this individual is conjectural. poss. a daughter⁵ Enyart (Carel¹, Jellis², John³, prob. Silas⁴), who m. George Roberts, who presented himself as a surety in connection with the estate of Silas⁴ Enyart, but inclusion of this individual is conjectural.

* * *
The Editor welcomes input from Newsletter readers concerning the above conclusions, and invites the readers to provide documentary evidence that could substantiate or disprove any of the assertions made in this article. Such documentary evidence might include, but is not limited to, any of the items found in Research Needs on pages 65 and 66, below.

¹Because Silas is named first in his father's will, the Editor presumes he was the eldest of John's sons.

²Certainly Silas⁴ was not born before 1707, as that appears to be the year in which his father was enumerated on the Staten Island census (see the discussion of this matter in the Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 24-25). No wife was attributed to his father and Silas'⁴ name does not appear in that document. He could have been born soon thereafter, however, with the earliest time probably being not before 1709.

³The Editor has seen speculation about the possibility that John Enyart who accompanied Silas⁴ to Frederick County, Maryland could have been Silas' son. This is a remote possibility, but if Silas were born only as late as, say, 1712, the present year being 1752, he would have been only 40 years of age at that time. The nature of the case in question is a debt continuation, suggesting that all parties were of the age of majority (21 years). It is possible, but unlikely, that Silas had a son of the age of majority by 1752. Further, if we consider that Silas⁴ had sons Silas⁵ and John⁵ (in that order), as discussed in detail in the instant article, even if Silas⁴ were born as early as, say, 1709, he would have been 43 years of age at best. Although possible, it is unlikely that he would have two sons of the age of majority by that date. Therefore it is believed that the John Enyart who accompanied Silas⁴ was Silas' brother.

⁴Although there were exceptions, Colonial women usually did not own property and were not given the right to act solely in legal matters. The suggestion that this was the mindset of the Court, however, is only theory.

⁵But it is also possible to conclude that the John Enyart who is presently identified as being from generation five could actually be John⁴. If so, he would have lived approximately 90 years, and would have fathered children in his 50s. Once again, however, this is only a theory.

⁶Her identity is learned from a letter written September 15, 1911 by J. J. Enyart, John and Rebecca's grandson, to Robert H. Enyart of St. Louis, Missouri. In the letter, J. J. Enyart states, "My grandfather's name was John Enyart ... My grandmother's name was Rebecca Wright." A transcription of this letter has been provided to the Editor by Maxine Daly.

⁷The record of their marriage calls him Abraham Inniard. Bond for his marriage was posted by Abraham Creson and Jonathan Robins. Consent for the marriage was given by John Swaim, presumably the bride's father.

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Bibliography

Abstracts of Wills and Estates Records of Rowan County, North Carolina, 1753-1805, Linn, Jo White, priv. pub., Salisbury, NC, 1980.

Ancestry of William Henry Wright and Wife Polly Ann Royal and Their Descendants, Ellis, Watie Delfa Wright, Alpine Systems San Jose, CA, 1991.

Carolina Cradle, Ramsey, Robert W., The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1964.

Frederick County, Maryland Judgments for the Year 1752-53, Maryland State Archives.
Jefferson County, Tennessee Wills, Book 1<.

Madison County, Kentucky Court Records.

Madison County, Kentucky Wills, Book A.

Marriages of Rowan County, North Carolina, 1753-1868, Holcomb, Brent H., and Karen Mac Smith, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1986.

Rowan County, North Carolina Deeds, Vol. 4.

Russell County, Virginia Deeds, Book 1.

Surry County, North Carolina, Wills, 1771-1827, Linn, Jo White, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1992. This Was The Life, Rice, Millard Milburn, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1984.

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The Birth of David⁴ Enyart, Revisited

Once again, we turn our attentions to John³ Enyard (Carel¹, Jellis²) and his sons David⁴ and Benjamin⁴ focusing on the approximate timing of David's birth based on information at hand. Numerous individuals over the course of many years have asserted that David's birth must have occurred soon before that of his brother Benjamin. Although the Editor does not have in hand documentary evidence of Benjamin's birth, he is said to have been born May 28, 1741.^[n8] As David was named in his father's will before Benjamin, it is presumed that he is the elder of the two sons. That having been said, we come to the matter at hand: how much older was David than Benjamin?

Many have supposed that David was only two or three years older than his brother Benjamin, reasoning that, so far as the Editor has been able to determine, final distribution of their father's estate could not be made until Benjamin attained the age of 21 years.

Final distribution of John³ Enyard's estate appears to have been made soon after May 19, 1763, the date his will was proved. We cannot seem to learn precisely when John died, for his will was written December 26, 1748 -- some 15 years prior to the date of final distribution. It is, of course, logical to conclude that John died soon after his will was written, for in his will he described himself as being "very Sick and weak in body."

It has been stated by family researchers that it is incredulous to think that John's intentions would have been to make his elder son, David, wait to inherit his share of John's estate until his younger son, Benjamin, attained the age of 21. As a consequence, researchers have come to the conclusion that the sons must have been close in age. This logic is unfortunate.

The language of John's will states that his lands and houses shall remain in the custody of his wife until his two youngest sons "come of age," meaning until they attain the age of 21 years (see Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 26-27). This wording reasonably could lead the reader to conclude that the two sons in question were perhaps relatively close in age. It is important to bear in mind that the will does not specifically state that each son may receive his portion of his father's estate upon attaining the age of majority, although it could be reasoned that those were John's intentions. Neither does the will explicitly state that they both must be of age before either can inherit. As a result, the language of the will could be viewed as ambiguous. Interpretation of this language might have been left to the discretion of the court or the personal representatives. But, let us presume for the sake of argument that John's intentions were, indeed, that both sons wait until the younger son attained the age of majority. The elder son conceivably could have waited several years before receiving his share of his father's estate. If he remained at home with his widowed mother, serving as the head of household, and did not marry until several years after his twenty-first birthday, he would have had occasion to work the land that he would eventually inherit, while at the same time provide for the well-being of his mother and his younger brother.

Let us consider one additional matter: As stated in the principal article in this issue of the Newsletter, in or very near the year 1750, John's two elder sons, Silas⁴ and John⁴ left New Jersey. Under these circumstances, if both of the younger sons were still small boys, their mother, out of necessity, would have had to hire someone to work the land that would sustain the family, for there would have been no male in the household who was strong enough to maintain a farm. Given the relatively low value of his estate, it is odd that John³ would not have considered this possibility when making his will. After all, he was attempting to provide for his family in the event of his death. In these circumstances, it is likely that John³ instead would have stated a proviso that at least one of the elder sons remain to work the farm for their step-mother until the younger ones were of an age where they could take on those responsibilities. Yet, no such proviso was stated in John's will. However, if one of the younger sons were in his middle or late teens, there would have been less of a need for the presence of the elder sons in the household and they would have been free to move on. Therefore, the Editor believes that there is no reason to suspect that David must have been close in age to his brother Benjamin, and we should endeavor to find additional records to bear out the facts.

⁸His date of birth comes from eight applications to the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, which were filed between 1921 and 1981.

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ENYART-ENYEART & variants Family Homepage

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