James Webb & Mary Matthews

Generation No. 2

1. JAMES² WEBB (JOHN¹) was born 03 Mar 1737 (James Webb Bible¹, Quaker records show 4^th day 1^st Mo 1737²) in Oley Twp, Philadelphia Co. (now Exeter Twp formed 1741, Berks Co. formed 1752), Pennsylvania, the son of immigrants JOHN WEBB and MARY BOONE^2,3.  James died 1808¹ probably in Kentucky. He married MARY MATTHEWS Bet. Oct 1762 - May 1763 probably in Berks Co., Pennsylvania, daughter of ROBERT MATTHEWS and MARY COLES of Exeter.  She was born 18 Oct 1743 in Exeter Twp, Philadelphia Co. (now Berks Co.), Pennsylvania, and died Aft. 1803 probably in Kentucky (living 1803 - Matthews v. Warren see below).

The James Webb Bible contains the following entries for James and Mary and identifies her maiden name:

“James Webb Sen^r was born March the 3^th 1737
Mary Matthews was born February October 18^th 1743
James Webb Senor departed this Life in the of our Lord 1808 aged 72 years old”

James Webb first appears in print in 1755 at age 18 as a witness, along with siblings Joseph, Sarah, and Benjamin, to the marriage⁴ of their brother-in-law Samuel Hughes to Margaret (Gethin) May in Exeter.  On the 25^th day, 8^th month, 1757, in the minutes of the Exeter Monthly Meeting of Friends p. 227-228⁵ we find evidence of James' Quaker roots as we note in the following extract:

“Whereas James Webb was brought up amongst Friends & instructed in the Principles of Truth, but by not taking heed thereto as he ought, hath suffor'd himself to be led astray so far as to shooting match contrary to the rules and good order established amongst Friends, and altho he hath at sondry times been spoken to & treated with to condemn his fault which he still refuses to do, but rather justifies himself therein; Therefore for the clearing of truth and the professon thereof, we do hereby testify against him as a disorderly person, and not a member of our Society, until he shall condemn the same by repentance, whis is our desire.”

In the same meeting James' brother Benjamin is also disowned for arming himself with a sword to defend himself against Indians.

In 1760 James, now over 21, first appears on the Berks County tax lists^6,7 as a single man before appearing in 1763 as married.  From 1760 to 1775 James is tracked virtually every year in Exeter Township through tax and Quaker marriage records of related family.  In 1764 we find James along with his parents & brothers John Jr., Benjamin, and Joseph as witnesses to the marriage⁴ of their brother Samuel Webb to Rebecca Paine. On Oct 10, 1765 James and Mary Webb, Mary Webb (probably James' mother), and Mary Cherrington (James' mother-in-law) are witnesses to the marriage⁴ of George Hughes and Martha Boone.  In 1767 we find James and his wife Mary along with his mother and brother Samuel and his wife Rebecca, as witnesses to the marriage⁴ of Adin Pancoast and Abigail Boone.  Interestingly, James' son born only four months later is named Adin.  In 1775 we find both James and his brother Samuel sign as witnesses to the marriage⁴ of Thomas Cherrington & Rachel Lee.  Thomas Cherrington is the half-brother^2, of James' wife Mary Matthews and therefore the attendence of Samuel Webb is understandable as he is a brother-in-law.

James Webb appears in Rockingham Co., Virgina before 27 Aug 1781⁸ when he is recorded as a witness to the sale of property by his brother-in-law Solomon Matthews.  It is not surprising that that James should choose to move to Rockingham County since Mary Matthews' siblings Solomon, Robert, Townsend, Amelia, and probably half-brother William Cherrington were already in Rockingham County by this date.  Six of the older children of James and Mary Webb including James Jr., Amelia, Adin, Asa, Bennajah, and Rachel were married in Rockingham Co., Virginia⁹. James and his children appear in numerous Rockingham County court records as witnesses and jurors.  We find James and several sons listed on the Rockingham County tax rolls¹⁰ until he removes to Jessamine Co., Kentucky in 1798 and appears there on the tax rolls¹¹ from 1799 until 1805.  Several of James' children had preceded him to Fayette Co., Kentucky by 1792 where we find his son Adin Webb on the tax rolls¹² with two males over 21 and 1 over 16.  In 1801 a bill of sale for household goods purchased from John Johnson is witnessed by James' sons Moses, Elijah, and Elisha (Jessamine Co., KY Deed Book A, p. 304).  The last record we have of James Webb is a Sep 1805 Jessamine Co., KY power of attorney to his son Bennajah Webb of Rockingham Co., Virginia the purpose of which is not stated but is probably related to the Matthews V. Warren civil suit discussed below (Jessamine Co., KY Court Order Book A, pg 189).

Mary Matthews' mother is Mary Coles^1,4,13,14 and is recorded in the James Webb Bible as follows:

“ Mary Cherrington Born February 2 1713 &
Departed this Life August 5 1792. Aged -------- 79 years”

Mary Coles married Robert Matthews 22 Jul 1731 at St. George's Church¹⁵, Hempstead, Long Island, NY.  The ancestry of Robert Matthews and Mary Coles has not been established but both were apparently from the Oyster Bay area of Long Island.  Robert Matthews received a patent 16 May 1740 on land in Amity township, Philadelphia Co., PA.  This land, then or later, bordered, among others, Squire Boone, Robert Patterson, Thomas Kirby, and Daniel Coles who is probably related to Mary.  In a deed dated 28 May 1754 from Clement Cherrington of Exeter and “Mary his wife, late Mary Mathews Widow of Robert Mathews late of Exeter”, to Thomas Kirby we find the following reference to Robert Matthews' patent:

“Whereas the Honorable John Penn, Thomas Penn and Richard Penn Esqs. Proprietaries and Governors in Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania by their Patent or Grant dated the sixteenth of May 1740 did grant and confirm unto the aforesaid Robert Mathews a Tract of land situate on Schuylkill River near Amity Township (then) in the County of Philadelphia...” (Berks Co., PA Deed Book Vol. 574; pg 283).

Robert Matthews' will dated 12 May 1748, proved 6 June 1748, names his wife Mary and children John, Townsend, Amelia, Robert, Rebecca, Mary, and Solomon.  Robert appoints his wife Mary and Michael Warren executors and witnesses were William Collins, George Boone, and Robert Patterson (Philadelphia Co., PA Will Book G, p. 281).  After Robert Matthews death Mary Coles Matthews married Clement Cherrington on 10 Apr 1750¹³.  Robert Matthews' will and estate settlement are the basis of the Matthews v. Warren^16,17 civil suit filed in Augusta Co., Virginia in 1803 and the actual case files provide a great deal of documentation pertaining to the Webb and Matthews families.  From Matthews v. Warren, in which James Webb is identified as the husband of Mary Matthews, we also learn that Rebecca Matthews married Benjamin Webb almost certainly the brother of James Webb.  Furthermore, Hannah and Martha Matthews, children and heirs of Mary's brother John Matthews are named in the suit.  Also named is their mother Mary Cherrington.  And finally the suit notes that the Webbs and Matthews were Quakers an important distinction since the only Webb family we find record of in Berks County at the time is that of John Webb and Mary Boone who were in fact Quakers.

We know that James Webb and Mary Matthews married between Oct 1762 - May 1763 as a power of attorney found in the Matthews v. Warren case files dated 25 Oct 1762 from Mary Matthews to her brother-in-law Robert Dickey, husband of her sister Amelia, and signs Mary Matthews. Mary, just 20 on this date, and not yet of age and entitled to her share of the estate unless married, was obviously engaged to be married.  Since Michael Warren, executor of Robert Matthews' estate, removed to Augusta Co., Virginia in the early 1750's, it appears that Robert Dickey is either already in Augusta County or preparing to remove there.  Robert Dickey is in Augusta Co., VA on or before May 27, 1763 when he witnesses the receipt of Robert Matthews share of his father's estate from Michael Warren.  Since James Webb, Jr. is born Feb. 1764 the marriage would have occurred prior to June 1763.

In addition to the Bible record which names both Mary Matthews and Mary Cherrington and Robert Matthews' will we also find that in August 1804 James Webb, now residing in Jessamine Co., Kentucky, in obvious response to the Matthews v. Warren suit gives power of attorney in which he names his wife as the daughter of Robert Matthews:

“Know all men by these presents that I James Webb of the State of Kentucky and County of Jessamine for divers good causes and consideriatious me thereunto moving have nominated and appointed & hereby nominate appoint constitute & apoint Jeremiah Webb of the County of Augusta State of Virginia my true and lawfull agent or attorney in fact for the purpose of recovering any personal property I may be entitled to because of my intermarriage with Mary Mathews daughter of the late Robert Mathews of Burks County Pensylvania (under the will of the said Mathews either) by commencing suits or otherwise & I do hereby fully impower the said Jeremiah to commence a suit or suits for the recovery of said interests to give acquittanses or receipts or to act in any other way he may deem proper for the recovery of said legacy Hereby ratifying and confirming any act or acts of my said Attorneys tending to promote? the said recorery & declaring them equally valid as if by me personally transacted. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this 20th day of August 1804. James Webb (seal)” (Jessamine Co., KY, Deed Book A, p. 509)

It is important to note that the Jeremiah Webb of the County of Augusta noted above is almost certainly not James' son Jeremiah to whom this letter was given but rather his nephew the son of his brother Moses. Jeremiah, as discussed below, was visiting relatives in Kentucky in 1804. An important distinction since it provides further proof of James' relationship to his parents John Webb and Mary Boone.  It would be very unlikely that James would have given power of attorney to this Jeremiah unless he was related.  A complete rationale can be found under Moses Webb and a part of which is included here.

From the research of Diana Lehman¹⁸ we find that the Rev. J. Wesley Webb in a letter written to Lyman Draper¹⁹ in 1883 identifies his parents and grandparents.  Besides providing evidence of his ancestry back to Berks County, the Rev. Webb's letter is important to research on James Webb's children as the Rev. Webb also mentions a number of aunts and uncles who have now been identified as children of James Webb and Mary Matthews rather than siblings of his father Jeremiah Webb, son of Moses, as was previously thought. Uncle Moses, identified by the Rev. Webb as having resided in Harrison Co., Kentucky, has been proved by Bible, cemetery, and court records to be the son of James Webb & Mary Matthews (see Moses below).  The uncle Asa Webb referred to by the Rev. Webb as having gone to Kentucky has also been proven the son of James Webb & Mary Matthews by the Bible record of Asa's daughter Jane (see Asa Webb).  Uncle “Mace” the Rev. Webb refers to is almost certainly James' son Amasa.  The Rev. Webb also names an aunt who married a Morgan who has been shown to be the daughter of James' son Bennajah and proved by Clark Co., Kentucky marriage records and another Rockingham Co., Virginia civil suit A. Hamilton vs. Joseph Hamilton, executors¹⁷ (See Bennajah Webb).

It should be noted that three of James Webb's children Bennajah, Moses, and Amasa give their place of birth as Pennsylvania in the 1850 census.  Also noteworthy is the absence of any death dates for James' children John, Dinah, and Jeremiah for whom we have found no record of a marriage or their presence in Kentucky. We know from the Bible that several of James' grandchildren are listed. It would seem that if John, Dinah, or Jeremiah had died by this date then we should expect to see an entry in the Bible so this author asumes they are still living as late as 1799. See also James Webb Timeline for a more complete timeline of events and documents relating to James Webb and associated family.

Endnotes