| Birth: | About 1700 in , , Orange, NC |
| Death: | 5 Sep 1755 in Orange Co, NC |
| Sex: | M |
| Father: | |
| Mother: | |
| Reference: 2064 |
| Ancestral File #: GTVZ-ZV 1 2 |
| Will Proved: Dec 1755 Orange Co, NC |
| Changed: 15 Jun 2005 14:26 |
| Spouses & Children |
| Ann Ashley (Wife) b. About 1700 in (, , Orange, NC) | |
| Marriage: | Bet 1720 and 1725 in Orange Co, NC 15 Jun 2005 14:26 |
| Children: | |
| |
| Notes |
(Research):Possibly born in Chester Co, PA
ORIGIN OF THE FORREST NAME
The surname Forrest, though generally accepted as Scottish, isreally Norman (unreadable). The name in its original form being deForrest. It is obviously derived from an extensive woods as indicatedby the area of those bearing it.
Though the name is often found in the early records of Scotland,the exact date in which they came from France to Scotland is notknown. The name Forrest appears as early as 1533.
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James Forrester:
"Our line of the Forrest Family descends from James Forrester o fOrange Co. NC. The Forrest Family is believed to have emigraged fromEngland to America. They may have moved to NC from Virginia. JamesForrester is listed on the tax list of Orange County NC along with hissons Thomas, William, and James in 1755. James Forrester died in 1755and his will was probated in the December 1755 Court.
"Orange Co. NC was formed in 1752 from the counties of Bladen,Johnston, and Granville. There are records of deed transactions inJohnston County from James McIllwain to James Forrest in 1750 and fromJames Forrest to Abram Taylor in 1752. James Forrest is mentioned inthe Minutes of Court in the Orange Co. record in 1752 and the Tax Listof Orange Co. lists James Forrester and his sons Thomas, William, andJames in 1755."
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From Talma Klaassen
p.31 copied from archives James Forrest will prov. Dec 1775 sons
Wiliam and James, land on Eno River, sons Benj. and Thomas , wife Ann,
son in law John Manning land on Eno river. (Research by the lateGladys Richey)
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Orange Co., NC Tax List:
1755 F623 FORESTER James Sr. N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
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From Owen Forrester at email
Will of 9/5/1755 was proven in December, 1755. It lists the sons shownas
children and mentions Ann as wife. Letters of administration weregiven to
William in March, 1760 and he filed an inventory in August, 1760.Bondsman on the Letters of Administration were Benjamin, Thomas,James, and Abraham Nelson. Jury, tax and other court records ofOrange County, NC show that in 1755 there was a James Forrest orForester Senior and Junior in the County.
The Compiler deduces that James, Sr. was the father of William, fatherof
Joel, and James. This coincides with the same line reported in Vol. Iof
WFT.
Orange County was formed from Granville and two other counties.
According to Lefler's "History of Orange County" settlers ofScotch-Irish
decent were flocking to the Hico community along the Eno River withmany
coming from Pennsylvannia. The Forrests had lands along the EnoRiver. An Alexander Forrest came there from Lancaster County, PN. andsettled about...
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Data from Marion Lynn Laster
(James Forrester, Jr. was Lynn's 4th great grandfather)
"Id: K-1008 (Oldest Known Ancestor)
House of Forrester II: Line X, and pages 30, 126, 211.
Gedcom Sources: Amelia Forrest Bogard, Lynn Laster.
Source: Vines and the Branches book.
Location: Orange Co., North Carolina.
Biography: Believed to have come from Maryland. Copy of his Willdated
September 5, 1755, Will Book D, Proved December Court 1755, Orange
Co., North Carolina. Will of James Foraster (sic), includes the
following: Sons William ), James to both is given land on Eno
River. Benjamin and Thomas ) is given "my plantation", and to
my son-in-law, John Manning, 200 acres of land on the Eno River.
Wife and Executrix - Ann. Witnesses: Pat McCulloch, Hugh Wood, Clerk
of theCourt, James Watson. This recorded on page 30, House ofForrester,
Vol. II.
Court March 1760 - Letters of Administration on Estate of James
Forrest (sic) granted William Forrest, Bond of 300 pounds withBenjamin, Thomas and James Forrest and Abram Nelson securities.
August Court 1760 - William Forrest, Administrator of James Forrest,
deceased, filed inventory of estate.
It should be noted spellings of our name such as Forrest, Forest,
Forrester,Foraster, Forrister, Foster, Forester, etc. were usedinterchangeably in refering to the same person in the records ofOrange County, North Carolina. This was a common practice since manycould not read or write, and depended on others to spell their names.
Families of Leathers, Woods, Grishams (sic), Dorsett, Curry with whom
they intermarried were also listed in the St. Mary's district and itis
interesting to note that the name of the District, since in referringto Maryland Records in the Documentary Section (House of Forrester II)it will be seen thatForrests lived in St. Mary's Parish Maryland.Apparently St. Mary's District Orange Co. was on the Eno River, forthe tax list mentions persons with land on the Eno (Will of JamesForaster proved 1755 gives land on the Eno River to sons William andJames.
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Book is Orange Co Nc abstrats of Wills :
...on page # 4 in front of the book , it has a will for James Foraster ,
-------------------- this will does not have an index number
.--------------------------------------- this will comes from
"abtracts of the minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessionsof
Orange Co NC 1752 - 1766
Page 124 Will of JAMES FORASTER dated Sept 5 1755, proved Dec
1755 ---sons William & James ,land on Eno River ------- sons Benjamin&
Thomas , my plantation --------- son in law John Mannig ,land onEno
River ---------- executrix wife Ann ------------- witnesses Pat
McCulloch, Hugh WOOD ------ the clerk of court was James Watson ----no
mention of the probate of this will is in the court records
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USGenWeb Archives by: Wendy Forester Wynkydynk@aol.com
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Contributor's Note: This is the will of my husband's ancestor James
Foraster, (b. abt 1700; d. 5 Sep 1755, Orange County, NC). He wasmarried
to Ann Ashley. I tried to leave the spelling as it was in theoriginal
paper and only put clarifying words in parenthesis when the words were
very hard to decipher. I have left his name spelled as it was first
written in the will. It appears by his X at the bottom of the will,that
he himself was not able to write his name so it was spelled at the
discretion of the holder of the pen. As you will notice in this one
document the surname is spelled 4 different ways and another way whenthe will was proved.
WILL OF JAMES FORASTER
(descendents of James & Ann Foraster, spell the surname many different
ways, including but not limited to: Forester, Forrester, Forrest,Forest, etc.)
In the Name of God amen James foraster of the provens of northCarolina and in Orang County being weake in body but in perfict mindand memory thanks be to God for the same Calling to mind themortallity of my Body that it is appoinded for all men once to Die Igive and bequeth my love to the hand of God that gave it and my bodeyto the Earth to be buereed in acresten (A Christian) and desent mennerI do Constate make and orde this to be my sole and last will oftestamen revoking all former wills by me made as for my worldly Estateit hath pleased God to bestow on me I Give and bequeth as foloweth IGive and bequeth to my son William foraster the plantation he nowlives on leying on the North Side of Eno River to be bounded by thesaid River and a brench Comonly Called the High hill Brench to liveand his heirs for Ever.
I Give and bequeth to my son James forster all the Residue of my Landon
the North side of the Saide River to him and his heirs for Ever. Igive
and bequeth to my son in law John Manning two hundred acres of landmore
or less the place where he lives on now leying on the South side ofthe
Said Eno River in orang County to him his his heirs for Ever I Giveand
bequeth to my son Benjamin foraste the plantation I now live onContaining
on half of the Resdue of my land to him his heirs for Ever then I Giveand
Bequeth all the Resedue of my Said Land on the South Sid (side) of the
Said River unto my son Thomas foraster to him his heirs for Ever thenI
Give and bequeth unto my loveing wife ann forastor all the Rest of my
Estate During her naturall Life or widow hood my will and desires atthe
Death of my said wife or the Removael of her from widow hod (hood)all
the Saide Estate given her Shall be Equal Devided amongst all myChildren
then I appoint my Said wife Ann whole and Sole Executor to this myLast
will and testament for witness whereof I heave hereunto Sett to myhand
and Seal Fifth Day of September Seventeen hundred and Fifty five.
Signed Sealed published and Delevred in presents ofPat? McCulloch HughWood
his mark X James foraster
N. Carolina Orange to Wit December Court 1755 Present His Majesty'sJustices the within Will was proved in open Court according to theDirections of an Act of Assembly of this Province by the oath of HughWood, one of the within subscribing evidences who swore that thewithin named James Forrest was in perfect mind & memory at the timeof the execution thereof & also Delivered the same to be his last Will& Testament.Test. JaS Watson C. C.
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ORANGE COUNTY, NC MINUTES, 1752-1761, Book I, Mar 1760, page 423 : "Ordered that William Forrist (sic) have Letters andAdministration on the Estate of James Forrist Deceased he having give(sic) Bond with Benjamin Forrist, Thomas Forrist, James Forrist andAbraham Nelson. Security's in the sum of three hundred Pounds.Proclamation Money for his due Performance of his said Office."
August Court 1760-William Forrest, Administrator of James Forrest,dec'd filed inventory of estate.
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ORANGE COUNTY, NC MINUTES, 1762-1766, Book II, Aug 1766, page [1016]-458:
"Ordered that Benjamin Forrist (sic) have letters of Administration on the Goods & Chattles Rights & Credits of John Manen Deceased, hefirst Giving Bond with Phillip Johnston & Phillip Dosset Senr. Security's in the sum of Two hundred & fifty pounds agreable (sic) to La wwhereupon the said Administrator returns into court an Inventory o fthe said Estate."
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ORANGE COUNTY, NC, Deed Book 4, page 43:
"Page 261, 4 May 1762, William Forrest, Thomas Forrest, & Benjamin Forrest of Orange to John Mannin of same, fifty pounds, 200 acres, on S side of Eno R., begin at Benjamin Forrest's cor. white oak o nbank of Eno R., S45W 82 p. to a pine, S10E 168 p. to a black jack , E122 p. to a cor., N 220 p. to the river, up river to first station;signed: William Forrest, Thomas (+) Forrest, Benjamin (B) Forrest ;witness: (none listed); acknowledged May 1762 Term; this deed is registered from a copy taken from Book H folio 90."
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Orange County Records Vol 12, Inventories and Accounts of Sales1758-1785
Inventory of the Estate of James Forrest deceased
Account (sale) of the estate of James Forrest deceased. Includes
names of people and what they bought.
Orange Co court, May 1763.
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Ancestry Homepage DATA:
Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution
Pierce'S Register
[p.313] VOUCHERS ; page 462
Names: James Forrester; Rank: Do;Sums received: 62.64
Description of service: N. C. Militia; Commencement of pension: Do;Ages: 71
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierce'S Register
APPENDIX ; page 576; 507. Forrester, James, Privt.
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Ancestry Homepage DATA: Pennsylvania Marriages Prior to 1790
Pennsylvania Marriages; F.; 1767, Aug. 26. Forrester, James, andJeminine Corssen.
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Orange County, N.C. Marriages:
Groom Bride Date
Forest, James Gicie, Elisabeth 7/26/1862
Forest, Silas Lovins, Polly 10/08/1799
Forrest, Alexander Thompson, Eliz. 6/26/1838
Forrest, Alexander Taylor, Polly G. 8/23/1820
Forrest, Ila Chizenhall, Christy 11/23/1804
Forrest, James Wolf, Martha Jane 5/27/1859
Forrest, Jno. A. Goodloe, Mary E. 9/23/1840
Forrest, John Russel, Ellenor 10/18/1787
Forrest, John D. Thompson, Eliz. 2/7/1853
Forrest, Josiah Dossett, Rachel 2/24/1809
Forrest, Nathan Baugh, Nancy 1/14/1799
Forrest, Phillip Cates, Lydia 12/26/1801
Forrest, Steven Taylor Thompson, Margaret 9/29/1840
Forrest, Williams Taylor, Frances H. 10/1/1825
Forrest, (?) Benjamen Whitlow, Suzannah 2/28/1799
Forrester, (?) Benjamin Whitlow, Suzannah 2/28/1799
Forrist, Benjamin Hill, Sarah 12/1/1785
Forrist, John Clark, Mary 4/23/178?
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Forrester Family Orange Co., NC Tax List:
1755 F623 FORESTER James Sr. N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1755 F623 FORESTER William N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1779 F623 FORREST Benjamin N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1779 F623 FORREST Hesekiah N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1779 F623 FORREST Isaac N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1779 F623 FORREST James N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1779 F623 FORREST John N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1779 F623 FORREST Lovisa N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1779 F623 FORREST Shadrach N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1779 F623 FORREST Stephen N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1755 F623 FORSTER James Jr. N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1755 F623 FORSTER James Jr. N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1755 F623 FORSTER James Sr. N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1755 F623 FORSTER Thomas N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
1755 F623 FORSTER William N/A N/A N/A Tax Roll
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From Owen Forrester
You don't go to Hillsborough.
The first thing I learned is that in NC, the original wills and estaterecords are in NC Archives in Raleigh. They are extremely wellorganized, and so you have the feeling that if the record exists it isthere and you will find it. Archives also has clear microfilm of thegrantor-grantee indices and the deeds as well as copious abstracts. Inthe same building is the NC Genealogical Library with the usual sortof genealogical journals, family and county histories and verticalfiles that users have contributed.
I did go to Hillsborough, the county seat of Orange County. It is acharming and historic town. There are many homes standing since thelate 1700's and it has a pretty good genealogical collection itslibrary. It sits on the Eno River. James Forrest owned land thatspanned that river East of town. Hillsborough was laid out in 1754 atthe point where the Great Indian Trading Path crossed the Eno.Regulators were tried and hung there and it was the site of the NCConstitutional Convention of 1788 where the delegates demanded a Billof Rights before they would ratify the US Constitution. The visitors'center is in the home where Gen. Johnston negotiated the surrender toGen. Sherman in 1865.
You don't research Orange County Records.
Well, if you are trying to learn more of the first Forrest settler,James, you won't learn much in Orange County about when he came andwho came with him. Orange County wasn't formed until 1752 and Jamesdied there in 1755. Lord Granville controlled the granting of theareas' land and he opened a land office to patent land in the 1740's,so it is likely that James came during that period. In any event thereis no record in Orange of when James first obtained land in thecounty. I checked all the NC land grant records and none show Jamesreceiving land before his death. A book, Land Grant Records of NorthCarolina: Volume I, Orange County 1752-1885, shows 2 grants to JamesForrest on the Hico River in 1779, a grant to James on Staggs Creek in1784, 2 grants, to Shaddrack in 1782 and 1785 and a grant to Robert in1780.
Orange County was formed from Granville, Johnston and Bladen Counties.I tried to look for land transfers to James in those counties andfound none, though I was rushing at this point and so I would like tocheck this again. I can't find the Hico River, but I believe it to bein present Person County, NC crossing the VA line.
Forrest in Orange County in the Eighteenth Century
One of the questions I wanted to answer was how many Joel Forrest'sthere were between William, son of James, and Joel of Greene County,GA, husband of Sarah Tatum, the scion of my Forrester line in GA. Aline on a World Family Tree disk suggests that William had a son,Joel, that was born in 1753. Joel of Greene was born in 1772. Idiscovered no evidence to support the existence of the "two Joel"theory. The Joel (b. 1753) would have been 21 in 1774. We see no landgrants to him though we have other Forrest receiving grants in theperiod. A colonial census of Orange County shows James, Sr, William,James Jr. and Thomas in 1755, and Benjamin, Hesekiah, James, Lovisa,Shadrach, and John in 1779, but no Joel.
A list of NC Taxpayers1701-1786 shows Henry Forrest in Gates County in1786, James Forrister in Beaufort in 1755, James Jr. and James Sr. inOrange in 1755, James in Perquimans in 1740, James in Surry in 1771,John in Brunswick in 1772, Mary in New Hanover in 1767, Richard inGranville in 1769, Thomas in Orange in 1755, William in Bladen in1763, and William in Orange in 1755. Again, there is no Joel in theState of NC.
A list of Orange County Taxpayers: 1784-1793 lists Benjamin Forrest inSt. Marys Parrish 1785, 1787, 1788, and 1792. Other Forrest listedwere Grisham(St. Marks), 1785; Isaac (St. Mary's) 1785, 1787-8, and1792; James (Orange), 1787-88 and 1792; John Jr (Orange), 1788; JohnSr (Orange), 1792; John (Orange), 1787-8 and 1791; Lewisa (St. Marks),1785; Louisa (St. Marks), 1787; and Stephen (St. Marys), 1787-8 and1792. And, again there is no Joel.
The last pieces of this puzzle are the will of William Forrest whichleaves land between Spring Branch and Ellerbees Creek to Joel and aconveyance of land on Ellerbees Creek and Spring Branch from Joel ofWilkes County, GA to Isaac Forrest of Orange. The deed is datedDecember, 1793, meaning that Joel was in his 21 year. (The deed waswitnessed and proved by Stephen Forrest.) I conclude that there was nosecond Joel and that Joel had moved to GA and deeded his inheritanceas soon as he could do so legally.
Forrest Wills in Orange County
James Foraster - Names sons William, James, Benjamin and Thomas ,son-in-law John Manning, and wife, Ann. Wills land on either side ofthe Eno River. Made in 1755, proved December Court, 1755
Benjamin Forrester - Names wife, Sarah, Sons, Ila, Edmund, Josiah, andBenjamin (married Susannah Whitlow 28 February 1799), daughters,Jemimah Woods (wife of Harris Woods), Drucilla Dosset (wife of WillamDosset), Betsy and Milley. Made 5 November 1800, James and JosephWoods, Executors.
William Forrest - Names sons Shadrack, Gresham, Joel, William, Jesseand wife Lovisia. Executors: Edward Gresham, Archer Gresham, andLovisia. Witnesses by Isaac Forrest and Edward Gresham Made 8 August1777, proved August Court, 1778
Inventory of property of William Forrest - includes 420 acres of land,one negro, 99 Pounds, money, 13 cows, 31 pigs, 5 sheep, 4 beds, 2guns, shoemaker tools, 11 books and 2 tomahawks. Return made by IsaacForrest and Archer Gresham. Made 8 August 1777 (William was one of thefew literate of the Forrests)
Isaac Forrest - Names sons Siloas and Willias, daughters Mary, Sary,and Milley. Brother Sharick and James Currey, Executors. Witnesses bySilas Forest, Philon Forrest, Thornberry Anderson.
Other Tidbits - NC Archives had a map of the original Orange Countywith the early plots and the names of land owners. It shows BenjaminForrest owning land on both sides of the Eno River, North of Durham,North Northwest of Duke University and East of the Roxboro Road.Nearby land owners included James Wood, William Chizenhall, WilliamDosset, James Curry, Davis Gresham and Edward Gresham. Shaddrach ownedland 3 plantations away, South Southeast of Benjamin on EllerbeesCreek.
| Sources |
- Title: International Genealogical Index (R)
Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Publication: Copyright (c) 1980, 2002, data as of May 7, 2004
- Title: Ancestral File (R)
Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Publication: Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998