John Rowntree & Jane Hardy

Sally’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great Grandparents?: probably not –

John Rowntree 1622- ca 1680 | his parents
& 1646 Jane Hardy 1625-1684 | her parents
of Stokesley, Yorkshiere & London, England

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This is my working hypothesis – the way I see it as of this moment!!

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John Rowntree was the son of Joseph Rowntree 1598-1660 and his wife Rebecca Toms 1601-1656.

John Rowntree married Jane Hardy in 1646.

Children of John Rowntree and Jane Hardy:
1. Francis Rowntree 1649 – 1723
married 1670 Sarah Coleman 1655-1723
2. Elizabeth Rowntree
3. ? Charles Rowntree est 1655 – bef 1704
4. ?Robert Rowntree est 1660
a. Francis Rowantree

From “The Rowntrees of Riseborough”

The Rowantrees are probably of Scandinavian origin — (the Rowan Tree was the Viking sacred tree) — and early settlements appear to haave been made in Ireland, Cumberland and the Cleveland district of Yorkshire especially at Stokeley and in the adjoining parishes.

The earliest recorded Rowntree will is that of Lawrence Rowntree of Newby, dated 1557. In the Public Record Office, London, there is an account of a lawsuit, brought by daughter and son-in-law against John Rowntree in 1521, which shows the latter to have been possessed of land and houses in Borrowby, Yorkshire. Between 1600 and 1700 there are eight lawsuits, all of which connect the Rowntree name with north Yorkshire. These lawsuits show that the Rowantrees were Yeomen farmers..

The Rowantrees were men of strong and independent views and members of the family are found in trouble with the authorities both religious and secular. As early as 1605 Will and Margaret Rowntree of Seamer are recorded as Recusants. Also in 1614 James Rowntree, Yeoman, is similarly described. Then in 1615 appears this entry in the Stokesley Parish Register: —

” Aug 29. Agnus Rountree of tantan was burr, the same day at nyght in semer churche yarde a recusantt.”

From Chancery Court and other records it appears that the Rowntrees were inclined to take the Parliamentary side in the Civil War, with an occasional exception. From one source we learn of a Quartermaster Ralph Rowntree, taken prisoner in 1640. Perhaps this was the Ralph Rowntree, Yeoman, of Stokesley, who was tried in 1663 in connection with a Presbyterian rising, on which occaasion he was set free, conditional on finding securities and taking the oath of allegiance. A warramt of 1644 sequestrated the estate of “William Rowntree of Birdforth, being now in arms against the King and Parliament.” Was this the same William who was indicted in 1644 for “not coming to church,” and who joined Quakers soon afterwards?

A more amusing instance of a Rowntree coming into conflict with authority was the indictment in 1615 of a Ralph Rowntree of Stokesley, yeoman, for “breaking the park of one Magdalen Bruce there dwelling, and hurting and chasing her deer with a greyhound.”

An American branch of the Rowantrees trace their descent from an English forbear who settled in Ireland as a member of the St. James’ Plantation in Cromwell’s time.

Henry Rowntree, born 1546, who was married at Ingleby Greenhow was Vicar of Kirby-in-Cleveland, and may possibly have held the living of Ingleby along with the Vicarage of Kirby. Some rowntreees became Mariners — including John, son of the above-mentioned Quaker, William. An Alderman John Rowntree was apparently in business in Leeds, and at one period Mayor of that town. “1700 — July 19. At Leeds sessions and we dined that day at Mr. Rontre the Mayors in Boar Lane.” from Sir Walter Calverley’s diary.

The first Quaker Rowntree was Francis of stokesley who became a member of the society between 1650 and 1660. as recorded in “The first Publishers of Truth”:–

“John Whitehead was instrumental to gather and settle meetings, for he declared ye Truth through their Markets, and many believed…….at Guisbrough…..ffrancis Rountree.”

An Episcopal Return of 1669 reports that a Quaker Conventicle was held at Stokesley in Francis Rowntree’s house with a congregation of 30 or 40 persons. (It also reports as Anabaptist Conventicle at the house of Henry Rowntree of Stokesley).

Francis is also recorded as a member of Stokesley Meeting in 1668. The births of his eldest two Children, 1654 and 1658 respectively, are entered in the Church Register, while the names of his six younger children appear in the Quaker records. (Mary, the daughter born in 1658, married a Quaker).

William Rowntree of Great Busby, who died in 1680, has already been mentioned as having joined Quakers. He was buried in “Francis Rowntree’s ground near Stokesley”. His son John (the Mariner) married at Roxby, 1711, had two children one of whom was named Peregrine Rowntree.

Another tradition handed down among the Rountree or Rowantree family is that when the Norsemen warriors took over England in about 1500 one of the valiant warriors was rewarded by being given a large estate. On this estate there grew a large number of Rowan trees, so he took the name Rowantree from them.

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Francis Rowntree 1649-1723 | his parents
& 1670 Sarah Coleman 1655-1723 | her parents
of Stokesley & London, England & Ireland
& ?Nansemond County, Virginia

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Francis Rowntree was the son of John Rowntree 1622 – ca 1680 and his wife Jane Hardy ca 1625-1684. Francis Rowntree married Sarah Coleman in 1670.

Children of Francis Rowantree
1. Robert Rowntree ca 1671
2. John Rowntree ca 1672-
3. Thomas Rowntree ca 1673-
4. Francis Rowntree ca 1674-
5. William Rowntree ca 1675-
6. Moses Rowntree ca 1676-
7. Charles Rowntree 1680 London -1759 North Ireland
married m 1712 Lydia McMan 1682-1747

Francis Rowntree who I had thought was our Ancestor embarked for Virginia from the north of Ireland with six of his seven sons the year of a smallpox epidemic. (His youngest son Charles Rowntree came down with small pox just as the ship was about to leave and he and his mother stayed behind in Ireland. The father and the other brothers all embarked for America as they had “already paid their passage.” as Joseph Rountree related below. Joseph’s ancestor emigrated ca 1750.
We are also told by Walter Rountree who emigrated to New York City in 1896, another descendant of Charles that some died from “ship fever on the voyage.”

ref: Rowntree and Rountree Family History by Joseph Gustave Rountree II + family & official records

from Walter Rountree’s scroll:
Quoting some history, relative to the Battle of the Boynewater, this occurred in July 1690. There King William lost barely 500 men, while King James lost about 1,500 men. James then fled to France, where he spent the remainder of his life.
His only son, James, is known as James the Pretender. Queen Mary, wife of William and the daughter of James, who was defeated, died of smallpox December 28, 1694. My Uncle Cooper Rountree told me many things relative to our ancestors, as he had heard it while he was a small boy. He was past 80 years old at the time he told me.
He said there were two brothers who came over together. When Thomas came over and worked at the ship-carpenter business in Pennsylvania and then returned to Ireland the other remained here in the United States.
He said his name was John Rountree and he had fought in the Revolutionary War with England and that after the war he married and raised a family.
He also said some of the six sons who left Ireland with their father did not reach the United States as some had died from Ship fever on the voyage.

A COPY OF “ROUNTREY” OR “ROUNTREE” FAMILY HISTORY

by Joseph Rountree

A good many years ago there was a male child found in York Shire England by a rich Land-Lord under a rowan tree (otherwise called Mountain Ash) but in England called rowan. The child was dressed in very rich clothing which bespoke for it wealthy parentage, the kind hearted Land-Lord took it home and raised it as if it were his own child not knowing its origin; he named it Rowantree after the tree under which it had been found.

The boy grew up and was educated by his foster father, and in time married and raised a family, and they became numerous. When William III, King of England, dethroned his father-in-law King James II. King James then went to Ireland and raised a large army of Irish, thinking to get himself reinstated on the throne of England, but William raised a large army in England and went over to Ireland, and there were two brothers of the Rowantree’s that went over in his army, and after the battle of Boyne Water when William’s forces conquered James’ forces. William then disbanded a part of his army and the two Rowantrees were in that part of the forces that were disbanded. They concluded to stay in Ireland, one of them stopped in the South of Ireland and among the Celtic race of people a nation of that country; but little is known of his generation. The other brother settled in the north of Ireland and married among the Anglo-Saxons, who previous to that time had populated that part of Ireland. He raised his family there and in time they became numerous.

When there was a great emigration from Ireland to the Province of Virginia in North America, one old man named Rowantree took passage for himself and family for Virginia but before the ship was ready to sail, his youngest son took small pox and was not admitted aboard the ship, and as passage had been paid, he and six of his sons went on in the ship and settled in Nancemound County Virginia, from this family of Rowantree the various families that are scattered over the United States sprang.

The seventh son was left in the care of his mother, he recovered from the smallpox, and from that son our family sprang. He married in Ireland and raised a family and they multiplied and became numerous.

When my Uncle Joseph’s father was nineteen years old he took passage in a ship for America, and stopped in the Province of Pennsylvania and worked at the ship carpenter’s business some two or three years and then went back to Ireland and after staying there a few years he married Eva Sturgir (Sturgess) a daughter of Andrew and Rachel Sturgir. And after his marriage they took passage for America and stopped in Pennsylvania remained there until three of their children were born. Then he emigrated to North Carolina there the balance of their children were born and died. The earthly remains lies buried in the grave yard of Little River Meeting House. My father and mother raised six sons and two daughters to be grown. One son and two daughters died in infancy. The six sons were married, William, John, Charles, Andrew, Thomas, and myself Joseph; my sisters were named Rachel and Lydia. My father was the son of Charles and Lydia Rowantree, and my father’s name was Thomas. By some means the family have been spelling their name Rountree instead of Rowantree, but that is not proper for they took the name from the tree under which that boy baby was found.

We all raised families except William and Thomas and are scattered in different states, William died a single man, Thomas married but raised no family, I raised a family of eight children to be grown, two died in infancy. My grown children are six sons and two daughters, my sons names are James Mendreth, Zenas Marion, Lusius Amandar, Marzavin Jerome, Almus Linnacus, and Allen Jones. My daughter’s names are Louisa Amanda and Almanda Caroline. My children have families except Allen Jones, he died a young man. I emigrated from North Carolina to Tennessee in 1819, and from Tennessee to Missouri in the winter of 1830 and 1831. It is now the 18th day of Dec 1867. On the 14th of last April I was 85 years old and am in good health.

Signed Joseph Rountree

This is a copy of the history of the Rountree family as given by Grand Father in his hand writing, which I now have in my possession. Newton M Rountree

The above is the “history” Grandmother Parker treasured. SMK.

Charles Rowntree 1680 London -1759 North Ireland
married Lydia McMan 1682-1747
1. Charles Rountree 1710 Amaugh Co, Ireland- Ireland
married 1730 in Killigriffe, Ireland Mollie Coleman
a. Jack Rountree
b. Mary Rountree
c. Jennie Rountree
d. James Rountree
e. Nancie Rountree
f. Billy Rountree
g. Charles Rountree
h. Dick Rountree
i. Nellie Rountree
j. Tom Rountree
k. Peter Rountree
2. John Rountree (Ireland)

3. Thomas Rountree 1733 – 1805 age 72 North Carolina
married 1755 Eva Sturgess 1738 – 1805 age 52 ?
a. William Rountree dsp
b. John Rountree 1762 PA – 1821 Emanuel Co GA
i. Joshua Rountree 1783 – twin
married Zelphia Durden [Darden]
ii. George Rountree 1783 – twin
iii. Nancy Rountree
married George Dekle
c. Charles Rountree
d. Andrew Rountree
e. Thomas Rountree
married but no issue
f. Joseph Rountree 14 April 1782 –
i. James Mendreth Rountree
ii. Zenas Marion Rountree
iii. Lusius Amandar Rountree
iv. Marzavin Jerome Rountree
v. Almus Linnacus Rountree
vi. Allen Jones Rountree [died a young man]
vii. Louisa Amanda Rountree
viii. Almanda Caroline Rountree
g. Rachel Rountree
h. Lydia Rountree