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Old Jehu's Original Homestead
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The Original Woolsey Homestead - Leatherwood Creek on Jacks Fork of the Current River

ABOUT OUR FAMILY

Our Connections (video attached to above photo)

Jehu Moses Woolsey - the elder (not to be confused with the misnomer, John D. Woolsey) b 1815, Jessamine Co, KY, d "during the war," md in Perry Co, IL, 1 Sep 1836 to Jane Davis (1st wife), md again to Elizabeth J. Burklow (2nd wife).

Old Jehu Moses Woolsey is most probably the son of Jacob C. Woolsey and Elizabeth Weger. Although Jacob C. Woolsey had a very large family, yet no will or distribution of land/goods has been found. For this reason it has been a challenge to pin down the entirety of Jacob C. Woolsey's family.

Jacob C. Woolsey is the son of Richard Woolsey (Rev. War) and Nancy Plumbstead, of Ulster & Orange Counties, New York, and Washington County, Virginia, and of Jessamine County, Kentucky, where he applied for a pension for his Revolutionary War Service in Orange County, New York.

Richard Woolsey, who married Nancy Plumbstead, is the son of the Reverend Thomas Woolsey of Westchester & Ulster Cos, NY and Washington County, VA, and he is buried in what is now Smyth Co, VA. His wife is Sarah ______ (Pierce?).

Jacob C. Woolsey was born in Washington Co, VA and married in Greene County, Tennessee, and then lived in various counties in south western Illinois, joined the Mormon Church and lived in Nauvoo, Illinois, and then moved west with the Mormons. He came to Utah Territory in 1848, and dug the grave of Abigail Schaeffer Woolsey (sister-in-law) on the plains of Wyoming. Abigail Schaeffer Woolsey was the widow of Joseph Woolsey of Fayette Co, IL, which Joseph Woolsey was a brother of Jacob C. Woolsey, who, with two or three wives, may have had as many as 15 children...or more!

[primary source (*with modifications*): Wilford Whitaker, Woolsey family researcher] It must be noted that many others, including Mrs. Sewell and Ralph A. Wantland, have contributed beyond measure to the effort of tracing our direct line of Woolseys. A heart-felt measure of gratitude is eternally conveyed to those who have genuinely advanced the work!

Our Woolsey Line of Descent

George Woolsey, Sr., born c. 1584 in Kirstead, a small parish about 30 kilometers northwest of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England, married Frances Roberts and begot George Woolsey, Jr., (Joris the Immigrant of New Amsterdam) in 1610 of Greater Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. (Please note: Some records show that George/Joris Woolsey's father was named Rev. Benjamin Woolsey).

George Jr.(Joris)married Rebecca Cornell and begot Thomas Woolsey in 1655/56 of Hempstead/Flushing, Long Island, New York.

(Please note: The research of Wilford Whitaker shows no issue for George Woolsey, Jr., bearing the name "Thomas" for the year 1655/56. However, it is worth noting that in Mr. Whitaker's research there is an obvious 7-year birth-gap between two of George's children, Joris in 1652 and Rebecca in 1659. According to Mr. Whitaker's research, there was only a 2 to 3 year interval between the births for all of George's other children. According to Mrs. Sewell's research, Thomas, born in 1655/1656, would easily fit within this 7-year gap between the children, Joris and Rebecca.)

Thomas married Ruth Bailey and begot Richard Woolsey in 1697 of Jamaica, Long Island, New York.

Richard married Sarah Fowler and begot Rev. Thomas Woolsey in 1719 of Bedford, Westchester County, New York.

Rev. Thomas married Sarah ? and begot Richard Woolsey in 1750 of Bedford, New York.

Richard (Rev. War) married Nancy Ann Plumstead and begot Jacob C. Woolsey in 1782 of Washington County, Virginia.

We "believe" that Jacob C. Woolsey married Elizabeth Weger and begot Jehu Moses Woolsey (the elder) in 1815 of Jessamine County, Kentucky.

Old Jehu Moses Woolsey married Jane Davis and begot Charles Woolsey in 1842 of Perry/Williamson County, Illinois.

Charles married Nancy E. Tharp and begot Jehu Moses Woolsey (the younger) in 1872 of Hattie, Pierce Township, Texas County, Missouri.

The younger Jehu Moses Woolsey married Elnora Adkins and begot Ivy Albert Woolsey (Till) in 1905 of Hattie, Pierce Township, Texas County, Missouri. (Young Jehu and Elnora had six other children: Everett, Ervie, Vada, Wilbert, Herbert, and Archie... of whom a multitude of other cousins spring.)

Ivy/Till Woolsey married Carmel Frazier and begot three sons: Ivy Albert Jr. in 1929 of Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, Eugene in 1932 of Arroll, Texas County, Missouri, and Dale Woolsey in 1934 of Summersville, Texas County, Missouri.

Ivy Albert Jr. begot one son, Edwin Woolsey in 1957.

Eugene begot one son, Curtis Woolsey in 1958.

Dale, dying before being married, left no issue.

(Primary Source: Research of Mrs. Sewell in comparison with that of Wilford Whitaker, being combined with our own recent family records.)

About the Family Roots

Family of George Woolsey, Sr.
(according to the research of Wilford Whitaker)

GEORGE WOOLSEY, Sr. was born about 1584 in a small parish about 30 kilometers northwest of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. This parish is still known as Kirstead, but then included another neighboring, smaller parish and the two were known as "Langhale-cum-Kirstead". Langhale or Langhall was once a parish church, but that church has long since been destroyed, as well as the early parish registers for both churches. Because these registers were destroyed, there are no baptism, marriage, or death records for this early period.

George Woolsey, Sr. was apprenticed in 1604 to Nicholas Cuttinge, grocer, of Great Yarmouth. George served out his apprenticeship and was enrolled as a FREEMAN of Great Yarmouth in 1611, at which time he took on his younger brother Philip Woolsey, as an apprentice. As George, Sr. approached the end of his apprenticeship and anticipated his gaining his journeyman's entry into the Guild of Grocers in Great Yarmouth, he married FRANCES ROBERTS, possibly of Great Yarmouth. They must of have been married in Langhale-cum-Kirstead as no record of their marriage has been found in Great Yarmouth, probably in the latter part of 1610.

Frances Roberts was born abt 1590, possibly not in Norfolk County, England, as neither she nor her parents have been found in the many records searched of that county.

Children of GEORGE WOOLSEY, SR. and FRANCES ROBERTS:

JOHN WOOLSEY, christened 27 Oct 1611 at St. Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth. He married in the Dutch Reformed Church in Rotterdam 8 Mar 1637 to Maeijke Fransdaughter. [Was he the John Wolsey who died before 20 May 1692 in Jamaica, Long Island, New York?]

ROBERT WOOLSEY, christened 13 Mar 1613 at St. Nicholas Church.

**GEORGE WOOLSEY, christened 15 May 1616 at St. Nicholas Church, our "Immigrant Ancestor"

FRANCES WOOLSEY, born abt 1617, her christening has not been found but she married 20 Jul 1633 in the Reformed Dutch Church in Rotterdam as Francijntje Robberts Wolsey to Abraham Jansz Brouwer, "Single man".

It is possible there were other children, possibly born in Holland.

At this time, the Dutch were leaders in world trade, and George, Sr. took his family to Rotterdam, Holland, sometime before 1623, where in that year, he was called a "tobacconist", indicating an importer and trader. He remained in Rotterdam, in South Holland, until he died sometime during the week of 21 Oct and 28 Oct 1629.

.....................................................................................................................................................
**GEORGE WOOLSEY, Jr. The Immigrant Ancestor

Our immigrant Woolsey Ancestor appears to be one George Woolsey of Yarmouth or Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Born 27 Oct 1610, he and his parents moved to Holland when he was a young lad, where his father worked for a Dutch Company. In Rotterdam, he quickly picked up the Dutch language, and was a big help in business for his father. He came to Salem in 1623, age 13.

JORIS/GEORGE WOLSY came to New Amsterdam in 1643; md 9 Dec 1647, in New Amsterdam [Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church], Rebecca Cornell.

George and Rebecca's Issue:
Sara, bp. 7 Aug 1650;
Joris, bp 18 Oct 1652;
Rebecca, bp 4 Apr 1659;
Johannes, bp 16 Jan 1661;
Maritje, bp 19 Mar 1664 - all at New Amsterdam [New Amsterdam Dutch Reformed Church];

William and Marritje, bp 30 Jun 1678, at Brooklyn [Brooklyn Dutch Reformed Church]; by which it may be inferred he resided there at that date.

There was, as per p. 128 of Vol. IV. of the Genealogical Record, a George Woolsey, an English boy, b in 1610, who had resided with his parents in Rotterdam, came over in a Dutch vessel with emigrants in 1623 and went to Plymouth, MA, and in 1647 made his appearance in New Amsterdam. In 1648 he was a fire-warden in said city. In 1661 there was a George Woolsey among the freeholders of Jamaica, and in the beginning of the 18th century there were Woolseys, probably descendants of Joris or George, residing in Flatlands. He signed his name, Joris Wolsy.

(source: Wilford Whitaker)

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