The Nottingham Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787-1850/1860): William Nottingham (1669-1719)

Nottingham in Jennings Cropper Wise, Ye Kingdome of Accawmacke Or the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the 17th Century, p. 71
Jennings Cropper Wise, Ye Kingdome of Accawmacke Or the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the 17th Century (Richmond: Bell, Book, and Stationery Co., 1911), p. 71

Or, Subtitled: Silver Clasps, Sidor Presses, and Cows Named Clove

I’ve now posted eleven postings* tracking the ancestry of Strachan/Strahon Monk, who was born about 1787 in Bertie County, North Carolina, and who died between 1850-1858 in Hardin County, Tennessee. About 1805, Strachan Monk married Talitha, daughter of Jesse Cherry (1749-1808) and Elizabeth Gainer (abt. 1761-1836) of Martin County, North Carolina. Between 1810-1820, this couple moved to Tennessee, joining a number of Talitha’s brothers there, who were early land speculators in the daughter state of their native North Carolina.

Two of Talitha’s brothers — Jesse and Isham — settled in Hardin County, as Strachan and Talitha Cherry Monk did, while other of her brothers — Lawrence and Darling, who remained in Martin County, and Daniel, who settled in Haywood County, Tennessee — owned land there. As a previous series of postings about Strachan and Talitha Monk’s years in Hardin County demonstrated, they lived there on land on the Tennessee River loaned to them by Talitha’s brother Daniel (see herehere, and here).

Continue reading “The Nottingham Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787-1850/1860): William Nottingham (1669-1719)”

Tracing the Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787 – 1850/1860) to Northampton County, Virginia: William Monk (d. 1716)

Northampton County, Virginia, Courthouse, 1731
Northampton County, Virginia, courthouse (built in 1731), with yours truly standing beside it, 1991.

Or, Subtitled: A World of Goodwives and “Hay Dogg, Hay Dogg”

In my previous posting, I explained why I’m confident that a William Monk and William Monk Jr. who witnessed the will of Samuel Palmer in Northampton County, Virginia, on 19 February 1708/9[1] are a father and son, and why I’m also confident that William Jr. is the man of that name who died in 1750 in Northampton County with wife Elizabeth, daughter of William and Mary Nottingham. To review my reasons for reaching these conclusions, please click the link I’ve provided and read my previous posting. Continue reading “Tracing the Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787 – 1850/1860) to Northampton County, Virginia: William Monk (d. 1716)”

Tracing the Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787 – 1850/1860) to Northampton County, Virginia: William Monk (abt. 1690 – 1750) (2)

Monk, William, Northampton Co., Va., Wills and Inventories 27-R, #19, 1740-50, p. 531 (1)
Will of William Monk, Northampton County, Virginia, Wills and Inventories 27-R, #19, p. 531 (part 1).

Or, Subtitled: Hand Mills, Small Swords, and Beds and Bolsters

In my last posting, I pointed you to the 18 September 1749 will of William Monk in Northampton County, Virginia, to show you that Nottingham Monk, who died before 20 July 1793 in Bertie County, North Carolina, was William’s son: the will names him as such.[1] The first record I find of William Monk in Northampton County is in another will: on 19 February 1708/9 William Munk and William Munk Jr. witnessed the will of Samuel Palmer, along with Robert Howsen and William Dyer.[2] The two Monk men signed by mark. Continue reading “Tracing the Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787 – 1850/1860) to Northampton County, Virginia: William Monk (abt. 1690 – 1750) (2)”

Tracing the Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787 – 1850/1860) to Northampton County, Virginia: Nottingham Monk Sr. (bef. 1720 – 1793) (1)

Monk, William, Northampton Co., Va., Wills and Inventories 27-R, #19, 1740-50, p. 531 (1)
Will of William Monk, Northampton County, Virginia (Wills and Inventories 27-R, #19, 1740-50, p. 531) (first half)

Or, Subtitled: So That’s Why the Name Sorrowful Margaret Pops Up in My Monk Research!

In my series tracing the ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787 – 1850/1860), I’ve now told you almost all that I know about his parents Nottingham Monk (abt. 1755 – 1818) and Rachel Strachan (abt. 1755 – 1816). In this posting, I’m going to move on to the story of the older Nottingham Monk (bef. 1720 – 1793) who was father of the Nottingham Monk who married Rachel Strachan.

Continue reading “Tracing the Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787 – 1850/1860) to Northampton County, Virginia: Nottingham Monk Sr. (bef. 1720 – 1793) (1)”

Select Documents from the Estate File of Nottingham Monk, Jr. , Bertie County, North Carolina — The Estate Inventory, Complaint of Amos Rayner, and Answer of William Anderson Transcribed

Monk, Nottingham Estate File, Amos Rayner Complaint
Complaint of Amos Rayner to Bertie County, North Carolina, Equity Court , re: estate of Nottingham Monk, 17 January 1825 (opening paragraphs), from loose-papers estate file of Nottingham Monk held by North Carolina archives.

The following are select documents from the loose-papers estate file of Nottingham Monk Jr., Bertie County, North Carolina, which I have transcribed and which were cited in the previous posting, to which I’m attaching these transcriptions. In addition to these documents from the estate file, I’ve transcribed the account William Anderson made as estate administrator on 9 March 1830, the various store accounts of Nottingham Monk discussed in the previous posting linked above, the widow’s allotment to Nancy Monk, and the accounts of the sale and hire of enslaved people belonging to the estate in 1818, 1819, 1820. I am not publishing those other transcripts here, because the resulting posting would be very lengthy. But if any reader of this posting would want copies of the transcripts, I would gladly provide them, if you’d contact me via the messaging system of this blog. Continue reading “Select Documents from the Estate File of Nottingham Monk, Jr. , Bertie County, North Carolina — The Estate Inventory, Complaint of Amos Rayner, and Answer of William Anderson Transcribed”

Will the Real Strawhorn Monk Please Stand Up? Documenting the Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787 – 1850/1860), Son of Nottingham Monk and Rachel Strachan (5)

Monk, Nottingham , Share to Heirs, 1830
William Anderson’s 9 March 1830 account as administrator of Nottingham Monk showing distibutive shares paid to Monk’s heirs: Amos Rayner was paid the shares of Monk’s widow Nancy, son Nebuchadnezzar, and daughter Rachel; Thomas Bond received the shair of Monk’s daughter Elizabeth; Strachan/Strahon Monk received a share; and William Anderson received a share on behalf of wife Jennet — original in Monk’s loose-papers estate file, North Carolina archives.

Or, Subtitled: How to Have Fun with Old Estate Records

The loose-papers estate file held by the North Carolina archives for Nottingham Monk is an extensive, genealogically rich collection of documents — 319 items in all. I went through the file some years ago, before such records began to be digitized and made available through websites like Family Search or Ancestry, and had large portions of the file photocopied, making notes on it. For anyone researching this or other Bertie County, North Carolina, families in the late 1700s and early 1800s, the digitized copies of this estate file available at Family Search and Ancestry are a treasure trove of material with valuable information. Continue reading “Will the Real Strawhorn Monk Please Stand Up? Documenting the Ancestry of Strachan Monk (1787 – 1850/1860), Son of Nottingham Monk and Rachel Strachan (5)”