DESCENDANTS OF RICHARD
SKINNER AND SUSANNAH POULAIN
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This is an attempt to collect all available information on Richard Skinner, Sussanah Poulain and their descendents to the year 1800.
Files on individual Skinners can be accessed from the Family Tree included elsewhere. Each person's Family Record includes the following:
Family Record Summary - this is the usual information concerning the peron's birth, death, spouse(s) and children. Each line of information includes a source reference number, in parentheses ( ), that points you to the actual source of that information.
Any source references needed to show the proof of linkage between parents and children are included in the Family Records of the parents. That information is not repeated in the Family Records of the children.
A parent's Family Record may show some details about each child, such as birth, death and spouses. If you see no source references to support those details, it is because the children have their own individual Family Records containing that information.
Biography - this is a chronological listing of all known records pertaining to that individual. Again, each line of information includes a reference number directing you to the source.
Commentary - comments and speculation from me. My interest is to understand more about these people who helped to found this country than just their family trees.
Source References - this is the actual original source materials, copied verbatum.
Materials copied verbatum are enclosed in quotation marks. I identify those situations where source materials have been summarized, without copying them verbatum. A series of dots...... within quoted materials indicates places where I removed irrelevant text. In some cases, I have included my own comments within the quoted material of others. To segregate my comments, they are placed within brackets preceded by my initials [KDS note - this is an example.] .
Much of the source references are the work of other professional and amatuer geneaologists. In the ideal world, their mixture of fact and conclusions would be removed from the files and replaced with the actual original source references that they worked from. I am slowly trying to weed out some of this material as the original source references are found.
Some source materials contained in these files are of limited value. Consequently, they are never referred to, but remain as a part of this permanent on-line collection.
ABBREVIATIONS:
KDS - me
CCG - New Jersey genealogist, whose files are located at Rutgers University and elsewhere. His work is taken from Jersey records and is useful only if you have not visited those records yourself.
GRS - George Richard Stevens
could not locate him; he resided in the Fairfax, VA. area
have just one letter from him written 1966; letterhead is from the The George Washington University. This letter provides some information on the early Skinners, but is filled with mistakes and of little value.
LDS - The Church of Latter Day Saints Library System
VEM - Virginia E. Minotty (deceased 1980's). Virginia did a tremendous amount of work developing a family tree for the Skinners of South Jersey, unrelated to Richard and Susannah. Her work is on file at the Glou. Co, Historical Society, Woodbury, NJ.
Virginia does not descend from Richard and Susannah and her work relating to this family line is of limited value. However, Virginia does include some relevant information from other genealogists:
Natalie Fernald - Virginia's work occasionaly makes reference to Nathalie Fernald, apaprently an early twentieth century genealogist. I am not familar with Fernald, though her work may be sitting at the Glou. Co. Historical Society. There are some unique facts in Virginia's work, such as information relating to the brothers Daniel and Abraham Skinner, that have not been found elsewhere and that were likely obtained from Fernald.
Franklin Skinner - Virginia's files include newspaper articles on the early Skinners written by Franklin Skinner. Franklin's work is of limited value. Like Virginia, Franklin does not descend from Richard and Susannah Skinner. Franklin was a peer of Nathalie Fernald with whom he corresponded. At the time, Natalie had expressed frustration with Franklin's genealogical conlusions that appear in the newspaper articles.
Virginia's notes include the work of other 1960's genealogists with whom she collaborated. Like Virginia, none of these genealogists descend from Richard and Susannah and their work in this area is of little value:
DSW - Doris Seymour Wahl (Mrs. Gordon A. Wahl)
2475 Linwood Ave. Niagara Falls, NY (716-297-7421)
telephoned husband in 1995; she had died 11 years earlier
her files are in the Buffalo & Erie City Public Library (716-858-7114 reference desk), primarily filed under the name "The Skinner Kinsmen" and including -
Works by others in the library -
NES - Norman E. Skinner
originally at 4908 Smedley St. Philadelphia, PA
could not locate him
AMBW - Ann Magill Bailey Wallin
Edgartown, MA
OTHER SOURCE REFERENCES:
Books, most notably "The New Jersey Browns".
published works of the nineteenth-century New Jersey historians - Whitehead, Daly and Hatfield, and the early-twentieth century historian - Ora J. Monnette. Their work is important in that they reference early Jersey records that have since disappeared. They also reference Jersey records that are still available today, but that require some degree of translation to modern English.
published works of amateur Skinner genealogists, available through the Church of Latter Day Saints library system -
a. Harry Rush
b. Lester Granville Holcombe
DEFINITIONS:
Calendar Year -
"Before 1752, the year was considered to start on the 25th of March. Dates from 1 January to 24 March were shown as being part of both the current and previous year. For example, 10 February 1723 in today's world would have been written as 10 February 1722/3, or occasionally, just 10 February 1722, but never 10 February 1723. Although most published materials show the double date or make the appropriate correction, the change must be considered in reviewing original records. Reference http://webexhibits.org/calendars/year-text-British.html for additional information.
Distances
chain - 66 feet
rod - 16.5 feet
Geography -
Blazing Star - now known as Cartaret, NJ
Blazing Star Landing - now a part of the borough of Roosevelt
Navesink - Monmouth
Spanktown - now Lower Rahway
Woodbridge Neck - now Port Reading
Road from Woodbridge to Blazing Star - now Woodbridge Avenue
Lower road from Woodbridge to Blazing Star - now Rahway Avenue
Legal Terms -
Administraton cum testament annex (c.t.a.) - occurs if a testaor in his will fails to name an executor or if the executor fails or refuses to act.
Executor - named in a will as being the person responsible for seeing that the provisions of the will are carried out.
Chattel - slaves, a lease, a broad term for personal property.
Codicil - official revision to an existing will
Fellowbondsman - Refers to people other than the Executor who agree to see that the provisions of the Will are carried out.
Freeholder - a person owns the rights to property for an indeterminate time as opposed to one who has leasehold rights for a limited time.
Intestate - indicates that a death had occured in the absence of a Will. Once the court was informed that an individual of sufficient property had died intestate, it appointed an administrator or administratrix (woman) - someone who would oversee the preparation of an estate 'inventory' of real and personal property and work with the court in determining beneficiaries.
Renunciation - a refusal to accept a testamentary transfer or transfer by will.
Testate - indicates that a death had occured in which a Will had been left.
Testator - a person who makes a Will for themselves
Money - L10:2:4 equals 10 pounds, 2 shillings, 4 pence.
Quitrent -
"In feudal times lands were held subject to the payment annually of certain goods and services. During the fifteenth century men began to make payments in money in lieu of these customary obligations. By the payment of such a sum called a quitrent, a man (usually a freeholder or a copyholder) was able to quit himself of all other feudal obligations. "Per "The Province of East New Jersey, 1609-1702", p28, John E. Pomfret, 1962.
Sheriff - charged with collecting the quitrents
Misc. -
idem - same as previous footnote
vide ante - see prior mention of this subject