Henry Z. Jones, Jr., (no known relation other than fellow genealogist) has written a book called Psychic Roots which examines those “coincidental” discoveries that genealogists make. He makes the argument that those coincidences could be our ancestors directing us to to find them. During my years of research I have had at least two of these “Psychic Roots” occurrences when something said, “Hold on, take a closer look at this resource, don’t just rush on by.” Or, times when the same name just kept appearing, no matter the source I was researching.
It was the latter that I will relate as my first “Psychic Roots” experience. While researching Craven County’s early records over a period of years, I kept seeing the name John Bernard Schoenewolf (with twenty other spellings), Each time I saw the name, I would get a curious feeling; like something was telling me to remember this name. John Bernard Schoenewolf showed up in a 1747 petition, he constantly appeared in the early Craven County court records, served as guardian to an orphan, sued on behalf of another orphan who was being mistreated, bought and sold land, and much more, too numerous to mention just now.
One day as I was working on my Bush line, I discovered a deed from John Bernard Schoenewolf to a William Bush. The 1744 deed begins:
To All Christian People to whom these presents shall come. I John Barnard Chenewold of the Province of North Carolina and County of Craven send Greeting. Know ye that I John Barnard Chenewold for and in consideration of the love good will and affection which I have and do bear to my loving son William Bush of the county and province aforesaid have given and granted and by these presents do freely fully clearly and absolutely give and grant unto the said William Bush two certain tracts or parcels of land…
Later in the same deed, after all the metes and bounds are described, the deed continues:
To have and to hold [the] devised premises with appurtenances unto my daughter Mary Ann Bush and to her husband William Bush aforesaid.
[Craven County Deed Book 3, page 34; deed dated 4 October 1744 and registered 20 March 1744/45. ]
Following this deed is a deed from John Bernard Schoenewolf to his son Charles. So here was John Bernard’s daughter, Mary Ann, married to a William Bush, along with a brother, Charles. Was she my ancestress? Was he my ancestor? That’s where things get a little convoluted, and a brief history of the Bush family needs to be presented.
My most recent male Bush is Levi Bush, who was born in June 1776, and died around 1817. His birth date is obtained from the Craven County Court minutes of September 1790, when Levi, “aged 14 years in June last,” was apprenticed to Joel King to learn the art and mystery of a cooper. Levi’s father was a William Bush, who died between 18 December 1783 (when his will was written) and March 1784 (when his will was presented for probate). This William Bush is not the William Bush married to Mary Ann, as he names his wife “Margrat” in his will. Also named in the will are his children: William, Benjamin, Oliver, Levy (my Levi), Seania (a daughter), Mary, Sarah, Fama (Euphemia), and possibly Hardy (a smudge covers part of the name). Ebenezer Guttery was mentioned in the will of William Bush, served as a witness to the will, and proved the will in court.
William (d.1783/4) was the son of another Levi Bush, who died in 1764. Life for William and his brother, Daniel, must have been hard. Upon Levi’s death, the administrator of the estate made a note on the inventory that “part of the provisions mentioned in this Inventory was expended in maintaining the children of the Decd. from the Time of his Death till the Vendue [public auction of the property], also part of the Cloth mentioned was made up for the children who were almost naked.” [Inventory of the Estate of Levi Bush Decd. in Craven County Estates Records, Levi Bush , 1764, folder.] Shortly after, William, aged 18, was apprenticed to Frederick Acreman on 4 April 1764, making William born about 1746. His brother Daniel was 7, and also apprenticed to Frederick Acreman. Both were to learn to become coopers.
Still we haven’t gotten far enough back in time to be the William Bush who married Mary Ann Schoenewolf, so where do we turn now? Remember Ebenezer Guttery mentioned in the will of William Bush (d. 1783/4)? Let’s check on him.
Ebenezer Guttery left a will dated 27 February 1785 [probated March 1785, Craven County Original Wills]. Among the numerous items in his will, Ebenezer left a bequest to his “Sister Marget Bush” of 1000 State Dollars and 1 hard dollar. His “Well Beloved Cozen Wm. Bush” was left a suit of clothes, a hat, and knee buckles, while his “Well Beloved Cozen Oliver Bush [was left] my Dweling house and plantation Where I Now Live after my mother’s Decest.” Speaking of his mother, he left his mother Mary Brown “all the Rest of my Moveable Estate Dureing her Life time.” So the pieces are beginning to fall into place. Here we have Ebenezer Guttery with his mother Mary Brown, a sister Marget Bush, and two Cozens (nephews) William and Oliver Bush. [See Helen F.M. Leary, Ed. North Carolina Research. 2nd ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Genealogical Society, 1996), p. 576 for definition of Cousin, “in early usage, commonly the child of one’s brother or sister”.]
Who was Ebenezer’s father? A look for Guttery, Guthrie, etc., found a will for Benjamin Guthrey dated 10 July 1759 [probate information not included, Craven County Original Wills]. In the will, Benjamin leaves property to his wife Mary, his son Ebenezer, and hints at two other children but does not name them [i.e. “Breeding Catel to be Equaly Divided amongst my three children”–assuming Ebenezer is one of the three, this leaves two other children].
Further research on Benjamin Guthrie finds a deed [Craven County Deed Book 9/10, page 82] dated 11 August 1755 from Charles Shenewolf to “my Brother and Sister Benjamin Guthrie and his wife Anmary Guthrie” for love and respect. So, we’ve returned at last to Mary Ann Schoenewolf, daughter of John Bernard Schoenewolf. She married first William Bush before 1744, when John Bernard gave some property to them. She married secondly Benjamin Guttery/Guthrie before 1755, when Charles Shenewolf, her brother, gave them property. Mary married thirdly a Mr. Brown by 1 February 1781 when “Ann Mary Brown” and her son Ebenezer Guthry were sold property by William Bush [Craven County Deed Book 24, page 165]. Ann Mary/Mary Ann Schoenewolf Bush Guttery Brown died about 1793 [see Craven County Estate Records, Brown, Ann Mary, 1793, and Brown, Mary Ann, 1793, files].
So after years of research, and numerous stumblings upon the name John Bernard Schoenewolf, that serendipitous moment occurred when I realized he was my ancestor just waiting to be discovered. My line from John Bernard is through Mary Ann, then through her daughter Margrat. Whether Margrat was the daughter of Benjamin Guthrie or William Bush I have been unable to determine, but for clarity’s sake use Guttery for now. Margrat and William Bush had son Levi, who had daughter Nancy. Nancy married Morgan Ipock and had a daughter Elizabeth. Elizabeth Ipock married Stephen Edward Morris, the grandfather of my great-grandmother Jones, so John Bernard Schoenewolf is my 8-greats grandfather (if I counted correctly).
One further “Psychic Roots” moment about John Bernard. While reading Henry Jones’s Psychic Roots, I again stumbled upon John Bernard Schoenewolf. Pages 191 to 194 in that book relate a story by Helen Leary on her researching the Shoenewolf family. It seems I just can’t get away from him, so I’ll devote another post on him in the future.
Next time, I’ll relate my second “Psychic Roots” experience on the Griffin family.