Sunday, June 15, 2008

Horner Family of Yorkshire England & New Jersey

The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey
VOLUME XXII April 1947 NUMBER 2
THE HORNER FAMILY OF YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND AND BURLINGTON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY 1600‑1700
BY MILTON RUBINCAM, F.A.S.G.

The CONTRIBUTOR. Mr. Rubincam is Past President and Associate Editor, National Genealogical Society; Vice‑President, American Society of Genealogists, etc.
The dates in the title are not intended to be precise, but to indicate a general period in the family's history. The compiler wishes to tank here Mr. Adman Ely Mount editor of Genealogy & History, for helpful suggestions in the preparation of this article. Thanks are extended also to Mr. Charles Carroll Gardner, Associate Editor of the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, for straightening out a confusion (in the writer's mend and in certain printed works) that existed between Isaac Horner (.no. 27) and Isaac Homer (no. 32).

THE LATE WILLIAM STOCKTON HORNOR, in his book, This Old Monmouth of Ours (1932), pp. 138‑39, gave the following as the line of descent of the pre‑American ancestors of the Horner (Hornor) family of Burlington County, N.J.:
I. Bernard Horner; died 1559; buried at St. Crux Church, York.
II. Robert Homer; died at York 1599.
III. Robert Horner; of Leeds, Yorkshire. ii:,
IV. John Horner; of Tadcaster, Yorks; m. Isabel ___ , and had issue
i. John; settled in Burlington County, N.J.
ii. Benjamin; m. 1675, Mary Penson.
iii. Isabel; m. Thomas Cockshort.
iv. Isaac; settled in Long Island, N.Y., and later in Bur lington County, N.J.
John Horner, of Tadcaster, who married Isabel , was given as the brother of Bartholomew Horner, who married Margaret Nichols.
No authority was given for the above pedigree nor, for that matter, could the present writer find proper documentation for many of Mr. Hornor's other statements in his book, the value of which would have been greatly increased had he taken the trouble to cite his sources or references. Recent researches among the published parish registers of Leeds, Yorkshire, and the records in the District Probate Registry at York, disclose the above pedigree to be almost entirely erroneous.
The correct line of descent for the American family apparently is as follows:
I. Anthony Horner; of Tadcaster, Yorks (d. 1632) ; had sons:
II. John; of Tadcaster; m. Isabel Nichols. Son :
III. John; American settler.
II. Bartholomew; of Leeds; m. Bridget , Son:
III. Isaac; American settler.
It will thus be observed that, if the author's conclusions are correct, John and Isaac Horner, the progenitors of the New Jersey branches, were first cousins and not brothers, as commonly stated by Mr. Hornor and other writers.
The Homers belong to an old, numerous, and influential Yorkshire family, members of which held public office in that county as early as 1512, when Christopher Horner occupied the position of Sheriff of York. In the following century we find Robert Horner,
a staunch adherent of the Cromwellian party, selected to .fill the important offices of sheriff (1636), alderman (1644), and Lord Mayor of York (1646 and 1658). In September 1662, as a result of the restoration to the throne of the House of Stuart, he was deprived of his post. York Horner, of the same family, became sheriff in 1657, alderman in 1673, and Lord Mayor of York in 1676* [* James Torr, The Antiquities of York City, and the Civil Government thereof (1719), pp. 50, 99, 109, 173, 118‑19, etc,] : A certain Christopher Horner was alderman of Ripon, Yorks, at his death in 1663.
The precise connection of the Horners of York and Ripon with those of Tadcaster and Leeds, the ancestral lines of the New Jersey branches, is not known at the present time, but subsequent researches, if undertaken exhaustively, should reveal fully the relationship and establish the Burlington County families of the name as representatives of a fine old English stock.
The following genealogy is based principally on the first three volumes of The Registers of the Parish Church of Leeds (Vols. I, III, and VII, respectively, of the Publications o f the Thoresby Society) and the Yorkshire Friends' monthly meeting records preserved (in MS. transcripts) in the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia. The writer will gladly supply exact page references in the Leeds registers to interested persons who may wish to satisfy themselves of the authenticity and correct interpretation of these published records. The abstracts of Horner wills herein presented were supplied by Mr. E. Thompson, Chief Clerk of the District
Probate Registry at York, England, to whom thanks are returned for his co‑operation in this regard.

1. ANTHONY HORNER, the earliest proved ancestor of the New Jersey family, died early in the year 1632. His wife's name is not known at this writing. He resided at Tadcaster, in the West Riding+ of Yorkshire, about 20 miles N.E. of the city of Leeds (by rail) and 14 miles from York. [+Yorkshire is divided into 3 ridings for administrative purposes, namely, the North, the East, and the Nest. The riding is a Scandinavian institution, having been prevalent in Norway and Iceland. The word originally was thrithing or thriding. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. XXIII, p. 319.)]
Anthony Horner had issue, according to his will:
2. Anthony; see below.
3. Michael; m. Elizabeth . Further record unknown. 4. Bartholomew; see below.
5. John; see below.
6. A daughter, name not stated; m. George Turpin and had daughter: i. Margaret.
Abstract of the will of Anthonie Horner the elder of Tadcaster in the County of York, husbandman (dated January 27, 1631): To be buried in the churchyard of Tadcaster. To my sonne Anthony Horner the tenant right of my House wherein I live with the lands belonging. To Michael Homer my sonne one House with the lands belonging late belonging to Thomas Foster gent. To John Horner my some one cottage which I hold of the Earle of Northumberland with the land belonging. To Bartholomew Horner my sonne £20. To Margaret Turpin my grandchild £3.6.8. To Anne wife of my sonne Anthony the Bed I lie in with the furniture. To every grandchild a Lamb. To Elizabeth wife of my sonne Michael Horner 20s. To my sonne Bartholomew's wife 30s. To my sonne John Horner £3.6.8. To my sonne Michael Horner 2 kyne. To George Turpin 6/8. To my four servants 8s. each. The residue of my goods I give to Anthony Michael and John Horner my sonnes whom I make Executors. Witnesses: Thomas Tailor, Roger Harker, Peter Amyes. Probated Feb. 14, 1632, by the executors. (Vol. 42, p. 46.)

From the foregoing will it is evident that Anthony Horner was a man of modest means, possessed of property and servants. It is of historical interest to note that his feudal overlord was Henry, 9th Earl of Northumberland (mentioned in his will), who was called the "Wizard" by his contemporaries because of his proficiency in mathematics and chemistry [See the biography of the 9th earl in Annals of the House of Percy, by Edward Barrington de Fonblanque (Z vols.., 1887).] The male line of the House of Percy came to an end in 1670 with the death of the Wizard's grandson, Joceline, the 11th earl. [Since about 1120 the great feudal House of Percy had been lords of the manor of Tadcaster. They were generous landlords, under whose encouragement Tadcaster became a progressive town many of whose ciitizeus achieved a considerable degree of prosperity. "The land had always been for the most part free and unencumbered by grants to the monasteries, while under the lenient policy of its chief lords, scope was given for agricultural development which had its effect on the material well‑being of the people" (Harry Speight, Two Thousand Years of Tadcaster History, pp. 36‑37)].

2. ANTHONY HORNER, son of Anthony Horner, was born probably about 1600. He married Anne , mentioned in his father's will, but as she was not named in his own will, she died probably before 1660. Issue:
7. Ellen. Further record unknown.

Abstract of the will of Anthonie Horner of Tadcaster in the County of York (dated November 23, 1660): To William and lsabell Garnill's children 2/6 each. To my sister and Bryan Lancaster's children 2/6 each. To William Garnill my best britches dublet and coate. To Bryan Lancaster my Hatt workaday dublet and britches. To my brother Michael my horseman's coate. To Elizabeth Richeson a gander & a goose a cock and 2 hens. To my brother Bartolomew a little brass pott which was John Steads. To my brother John Horner a great pewther dubler and a little i one. To Katheren Richeson 20s. and a green bedstead with a rugge featherbed a payre of chests and two cods. To Thomas Marsden 13/4. To my daughter Ellen Horner all the rest of my goods and chattels whom I make Executor. I appoint my cousin (nephew?) John Horner of Tadcaster and my brother Bartholomew Horner Guardians of my daughter Ellen. To the Church ' l0s. To my (daughter's) Guardian 12s, a piece. Witnesses: Will Siddall, Thomas Goodbaine, John Horner. Not probated. (Vol. 43, fol. 143.)

The evidence now at our disposal is insufficient for a determination of the probable relationship of the testator to the Garnill and Lancaster families. Although "my sister and Bryan Lancaster" sounds precise enough, veteran genealogists realize that "sister" may be j, intended for "sister‑in‑law." It will be noticed that he appointed his ;j "cousin" John his executor, when he probably meant his nephew. These are matters that will have to be settled when additional data ji have been found.

4. BARTHOLOMEW HORNER, son of Anthony Horner the elder, of Tadcaster, was born probably about 1605. His father's will names him after his brother John, thus implying that John was the elder, but his brother Anthony names Bartholomew first, followed by John. We are thus uncertain as to the exact order of their births. The present writer has made Bartholomew the elder on the basis of the fact that his wife, Margaret Nichols, was older than her sister, Isabel Nichols, the wife of John Horner. Later researches may disclose the actual dates of birth or baptism of the brothers.
Bartholomew Horner resided in the city of Leeds, in the valley of the Aire river in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In the 17th century Leeds was a town of one long and wide street, Briggate, at the foot of which, on the old bridge spanning the Aire, was the cloth market held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Leeds today, as at that time, is a great center for the English cloth industry, and, as we shall notice in the course of this history, several of the Homers were clothiers. On the left side of Briggate was Boar Lane (the residence of one of Bartholomew Homer's sons), where were located the houses of several Yorkshire gentlemen, while opposite was Kirkgate (written Kirkgait in the old church registers), evidently another fashionable section of the town, for here lived, among other outstanding personalities, Edward Fairfax, the poet and translator, who died in 1635, and here was born, in 1658, Ralph Thoresby, the eminent historian of Leeds. At the end of Kirkgate was the vicarage, near which stood the parish church of St. Peter.* [*J. S. Fletcher, Leeds (1919), pp. 43‑44.] The parish registers show that Bartholomew Horner was a resident of Leeds Kirkgate, where he was buried on July 8, 1665. No record of his will, if any, has thus far been found.
Bartholomew Homer married ( I ) May 18, 1630, Margaret Nichols, probably the child of that name baptized on June 24, 1607, as daughter of Thomas Nichols, of Kirkgate. She was buried Sept. 26, 1643. Issue (parish registers):
8. Elizabeth; bap. Feb. 9, 1630/1; m. April 7, 1651, Richard Wighton.
9. Jane; bap. Sept. 30, 1632; no further record.
10. Stephen; bap. Dec. 27, 1633 ; bur. May 9, 1635.
11. Sarah; bap. April 22, 1635 ; .bur. May 9, 1635.
12. Hannah; bap. Sept. 26, bur. Sept. 28, 1636.
13. John; bap. Sept. 13, 1637; bur. Dec. 29, 1640.
14. Rebecca; bap. May 17, 1640 ; prob. the Rebecca Horner, of Tadcaster, who, on 11‑11‑1673, m. Alexander Hopwood, at Sherborne (Friends' records). Members of York Monthly Meeting. Rebecca d. 8‑23‑1679, leaving issue: i. Samuel, b. 8‑27‑1673 (or 8‑27‑1674); and ii. Isaac (b. 7‑23‑1679; d. 8‑7‑1679).
After Margaret's death Bartholomew married (2) Bridget ___,but the record of this marriage is not contained in the Leeds parish registers. It may be that they were married at Tadcaster, the records of which parish are not available at this time to the present writer. She was buried at Leeds Kirkgate, Feb. 18, 1650/1. Issue:
15. Bartholomew; see Below.
16. Sarah; bap. Dec. 6, 1646; bur. March 24, 1649/50.
17. Isaac; .see below.
18. Mary; bap. Oct. 13, 1650; prob. the Mary Horner who, on 6‑23, 1683, m. Richard Hinchliffe (Friends' records). Brighouse Monthly Meeting. No issue found by this writer.

5. JOHN HORNER, son of Anthony Horner the elder, of Tadcaster, was born probably about 1608‑10. He resided at Tadcaster, where he died before April 29, 1671, as will be evident from the document quoted later in our account of his son. He owned 3 dwelling houses as a tenant of the lord of the manor of Leeds Kirkgate. On June 10, 1635, he married Isabel, probably the child of that name baptized on Dec. 30, 1611, as the daughter of Thomas Nichols, of Kirkgate. She was, therefore, a sister of Margaret Nichols, who married Bartholomew Horner. Issue:
19. John; see below.
The baptismal record of John, son of John and Isabel Horner, is not found in the Leeds parish registers; neither do we know the names of their other children, if any. It is probable that he was born at Tadcaster. The Tadcaster registers commence in 1570; but unfortunately there are some breaks in the record, notably from 1625 to 1652*`‑the critical period in solving some of the Homer problems. No will for John Horner the father has been found.

15. BARTHOLOMEW HORNER was probably a son of Bartholomew Homer (no. 4) by his 2nd wife Bridget, although it is possible that his mother was the 1st wife, Margaret Nichols. A study of the chronology of this family is important in arriving at this determination. The elder Bartholomew's 1st wife died in 1643, and in 1646 his eldest daughter Sarah by the 2nd wife was baptized. The younger Bartholomew was married in 1666. If his mother was Margaret, we may assume that he was born about 1642/3, about the time of her death. At his marriage, therefore, he would have been about 23/24 years old. But 7 children were entered in the Leeds registers as the offspring of Bartholomew and Margaret (Nichols) Horner; why is there no record of a son, Bartholomew, Jr.? The answer probably lies in the fact that his mother was Bridget, the 2nd wife. If, as suggested above, Bartholomew married her at Tadcaster (inasmuch as no record is preserved at Leeds), the date of the marriage was about 1644 or 1645. As the Leeds registers are silent regarding the baptism of the son, we suggest that the younger Bartholomew was born (and baptized) at Tadcaster. It should be pointed out, however, that the Leeds registers contain frequent allusions by the clerks to the neglect of the parishioners to record their children's baptisms. "They continue still to baptize children at the severall Chapells within this Parish," is a typical complaint, inserted between Feb. 27 and March 1, 1634/5, "and yet are negligent in bringing in their names, and therefore you may know who is to blame if they have not registered." On the other hand, Bartholomew Homer, Sr., was so meticulous to register the baptisms of his other children, that it seems unlikely that he would slip up in the case of his namesake, who probably was baptized in Tadcaster.
The Yorkshire Friends' records reveal that Bartholomew Horner, of Leeds (identified here as son of Bartholomew Homer and Bridges, his 2nd wife), married Alice Cowper at Richard Stirke's house, 3‑2‑1666. They belonged to Brighouse Monthly Meeting. Alice died on 11‑24‑1685. The Quaker records give two dates of death for Bartholomew: 6‑8‑1678 and 6‑28‑1678. The latter probablyis the correct date, for the Leeds registers show that Bartholomew Homer, of "Bore laine," was buried in the Quaker burying place on Aug. 30, 1678. "Affidavit and Cert:" were given to this effect. The Friends' records described their residence as "Boore Laine", Leeds. Issue:
20. (still born) ; b. 11‑20‑1666.
21. Benjamin; b. 11‑6‑1667; m. at William Pycock's house at Pennall, Yorks, 8‑6‑1692, Christians, dau. of William Reedshaw (Readshaw), of Beckwithshaw. Benjamin Horner was a clothworker. Issue: i. Anne, b. 6‑2‑1693, d. 3‑11‑1695 ; ii. Tabitha, .b. 12‑23‑1694/5 ; iii. Sarah, 'b. 11‑21‑1696/7 ; iv. Alice, b. 11‑20‑1698, d. 6‑1‑1700; v. Elizabeth, b. 5‑18-1701; vi. Margaret, b. 4‑21‑1703; d. 12‑22‑1704; vii. Christiana, b. 5‑1‑1705; viii. Anna, b. 4‑19‑1707; ix. Benjamin, h. 7‑15‑1709; x. Patience, h. 11‑5‑1711; d. 3‑12‑1713. The transcripts of the Yorkshire Friends' records in the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania only bring the records down to 1725, so that it is not known at this writing whom the surviving children of Benjamin and Christians (Reedshaw)
Homer married.
22. Thomas; b. 4‑30‑1669 ; d. 1‑2‑1679/80.
23. Joseph; b. 6‑31‑1676 (or 6‑30‑1676) ; d. 2‑7‑1681.

Discussion: Besse's monumental work on the Quaker sufferers mentions Bartholomew Homer, but whether this man is the father or the son is not certain. It may be argued that the father could not have been a Friend since his burial is recorded in the records of the Leeds church, but this is not necessarily so. It is an established fact, for instance, that Thomas French, later of Burlington County, N.J., had his many children baptized in the Church of St. Peter & Paul at Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, long after he had become a Quaker.* [*See the long account of Thomas French in Vol. I of Howard Barclay French's Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas French (1909).] In 1659 Bartholomew Homer attended the trial of Samuel Watson, and, observing the justice "in a violent Passion, advised him to be sober, and for that Advice was committed to Prison† [†Jos. Besse, A Collection of the Sufferings of the People Called Quakers, Vol.. 11 (1753), p. 97]." If we have correctly identified the younger Bartholomew as the son of his father's 2nd wife, he was born probably about 1645; he was thus 14 years old at the time he admonished the magistrate. This action by a youngster is not as improbable as it seems; in those days Quaker youths and maidens took the doctrines of the Friends very seriously, and, mature beyond their years, deemed it proper to reprimand the authorities. It will be recalled that Hannah Wright, at the age of 16, followed a similar course of action when she advised New England judges to "spill no more innocent blood."‡ [‡Milton Rubincam, "Lydia Wright and Her Sisters: The Quaker Maidens Who Defied the Stern Puritans," Procs. N.J. Hist. Soc., April, 1940, pp. 109‑110.] On the other hand, this record may be intended for Bartholomew the father. The fact that his date of burial in 1665 is mentioned in the parish registers does not preclude the possibility that he turned Quaker. We have just noted that Bartholomew, Jr.'s burial was therein recorded, with the additional remark that he was buried at the Quaker burying place. In 1660 John, Bartholomew, and Thomas Horner (the last of whom is unidentified at present) were committed to prison for refusing to take the oath [Besse, op. cit.., Vol.. II, p. 102.] This last record certainly is indicative of the father's position as a Quaker. In 1671 Bartholomew Horner was deprived of goods valued at £55 because a Quaker meeting was held in his house at Leeds * [Ibid. Vol. II, p. 135] In this case Bartholomew the son was meant, for his father had died in 1665.

17. ISAAC HORNER, son of Bartholomew Homer and his 2nd wife, Bridget, was baptized on Oct. 6, 1648; his name was entered in the records as "Isacke" Some time in or before 1677 he emigrated to Oyster Bay, Long Island, N.Y., where, on the 17th of 1st month (March) 1683/4, he married Lydia, daughter of the late Peter Wright, one of the founders of Oyster Bay, and his wife, Alice, who, at the time of her daughter's marriage, was the wife of Richard Crab(be). Issue† [†H. D. Perrine, The Wright Family of Oyster Bay, L.I. (1923), pp. 68‑69]
24. Deliverance; b. March 26, 1685 ; d. 1714 ; m. 8‑3‑1704, Thomas Stokes.
25. Hannah; m. John Matlack.
26. Rachel; h. 1690 (aged 19 in the May,1709, census of Northampton Township, Burlington Co.) ; m. at Burlington Monthly Meeting, 4th mouth 21st, 1711, Joshua Humphries; d. before 1716 (date of her husband's second marriage). ** [**'Northampton Town Records, p. 19; William Wade Hinshaw, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. 11 (1938), p. 233]
27. Isaac; b. 1695. He and his brother, Jacob (no. 28), aged 14 in the May, 1709, census of Northampton Twp.
28.Jacob; b. 1695.
29. Bartholomew; b. 1700.

The writer believes that he has correctly identified Isaac Horner, the American immigrant, with Isaac, baptized in 1648 at Leeds,
Yorkshire, as the son of Bartholomew and Bridget Horner [ The vicar of Leeds at the time of Isaac Homer's baptism was Peter Saxton, \(..4., a graduate of Cambridge University, who became a preacher in 1611. He emigrated to New England in 1640, after a quarrel with the ecclesiastical authorities, and became minister at Scituate, Mass. where he joined those "who enlightened the dark Regions of America with their Ministry (Ralph Thoresby, Vicaria Leodiensis or, The History of the Church of Leedes in Yorkshire, 1724, p, 36). But his controversial spirit again involved him in difficulties, and he returned to Fn gland, becoming vicar of Leeds in April, 1646. He held that position until his death in October, 1651, when Isaac Homer was 3 years old]. As strong confirmatory evidence of this belief is the fact that the American Isaac named one of his sons Bartholomew, certainly after his father Bartholomew and/or his brother Bartholomew, both of Leeds.
Restrictions of space do not permit us to give a complete abstract of the records relating to Isaac Horner. The interested reader may find accounts of his activities in the published Oyster Bay Town Records and New Jersey Archives, 1st series. He was at Oyster Bay by 1677, when he was recorded as a clothworker, or Fuller. He was a member of the Society of Friends and, as such, refused three summonses to train with the military company. As a punishment for his refusal, his horse was "arrested," but was redeemed by two friends of his for 20 shillings. In 1682 he bought 50 acres at Beaver Swamp from the Indian chiefs at Matinecock, L.I., Suscanemon, Sehor and Werah and in 1684, as related above, he married Lydia Wright. They owned considerable property at Oyster Bay, which they sold in 1685 and 1686 upon removing to Burlington County, N.J., where they purchased 100 acres in the Second or London Tenth from William Biddle in the latter year, and later added 200 acres to their holdings by purchase from John Newman, of Burlington, carpenter. On December 18, 1708, Isaac Horner, of Northampton, Burlington Co., N.]., made his will, and two days later he died, according to Asa Matlack's voluminous genealogical notes, a transcript of which is in the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. On March 21, 1709, Horner's personal estate was inventoried by Thomas Stokes (his son‑in‑law) and William Hunt, and appraised at £128.12.6. His widow, Lydia Horner, was buried on 10(Dec.)‑23‑1713, according to Asa Matlack's notes. Isaac Horner was clerk of the Friends' meeting on Long Island, and, before his departure for New Jersey, he copied all of the vital statistics of Long Island Friends into a single parchment‑bound volume. He recorded the births from 1640, deaths from 1669, and marriages from 1663. One modern writer expressed his appreciation of Homer's contribution to genealogy by urging his readers to "bless his memory, O Genealogists." * [*"John Cox, Jr., "Quaker Records in New York New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, July, 1914, p. 264]

19. JOHN HORNER, son of John and Isabel Horner, is stated by William Stockton Hornor to have been born at Tadcaster about 1630, but, as shown above, his parents were not married until 1635. The date of his birth may be assigned tentatively to 1636/38. He was probably the John Horner who in 1660 was appointed guardian of his cousin Ellen by the latter's father, the younger Anthony Homer, who, in his will, distinctly refers to the elder John Horner as "my brother," but to his daughter's guardian as "my cousin," a term then loosely used to denote nephew or niece. W. S. Hornor states that John Horner the younger's first wife was Isabel , who died 1‑2‑1667, apparently without issue. The evidence is too tenuous at present to controvert this statement. The Yorkshire Friends' meeting records show that an Isabel Horner, wife of John, died on that date. But it should be pointed out that the Isabel who died in 1667 could have been the younger John's mother. It is likely that John and Isabel, the parents of John the younger, were the first of their branch of the family to leave the Church of England to embrace Quakerism. At any rate, the Friends' records reveal that John Horner (no. 19 in this genealogy) married Sarah Wilberforce, 3‑24‑1668. The following record, from the Leeds Court Rolls, dated April 29, 1671, gives interesting information about the landed property of John and Sarah Horner:* [*W. T. Lancaster, "The Manor Court of Leeds Kirkgate‑cum‑Holbeck;" Publications of the Thoresby Society, Vol. XXVI, Miscellanea, Vol. VIII, p. 145.]

"At this Court it was found that John Horner late of Tadcaster and Isabel his wife, who held from the lord of this manor three dwelling houses or cottages in Leeds Kirkgate (now or late in the occupation of Robert Brice, Thos. Hill, and Widow Coward), were dead; John Homer, their son, admitted tenant in their place.
"John Horner of Tadcaster, yeoman, surrendered into the hands of the lord, by John Ryther, a icustomary tenant, all those three dwelling houses or cottages in Leeds Kirkgate with all easements, appurt., etc., now or late in the occupation of Robert Hill, Thos. Brice, and widow Coward‑to the use of the said John Horner and his assigns during his natural life, and after his death to the use of the heirs of the said John Horner for ever; to hold from the lord by the accustomed rents and services, and he gives for a fine as in the margin [No fine was mentioned in the margin] and did fealty and was admitted tenant."* [*This document is an interesting survival of the feudal period of English history.]

Sarah (Wilberforce) Horner died and was buried on 9‑24‑1673, at Tadcaster. John married again, this wife (either his 2nd or 3rd, according to whether we accept Isabel, who died in 1667, as his wife or mother) being Mary Pearson, to whom he was united on 11‑13--1675 (or, according to another Quaker record, 11‑30‑1675).
Besse states that in 1658 John Horner and William Knapton, of Tadcaster, were set in the stocks for 2 hours for attending a Quaker meeting on the first day of the week (Sunday)† [†Besse, op. cit., Vol. II, p. 97.] . As already noted, John, Bartholomew, and Thomas Horner were committed to prison for refusing to take the oath (1660). It is quite possible that these records refer, not to John Horner the younger, but to his father John (no. 5).
In 1683 John Horner and his wife and children settled in Burlington Co., N.J. On July 16, 1684, William Black, late of Mansfield, stuffweaver, and Robert Murfin, late of the same place, planter, sold to John Horner, late of Burlington, yeoman, and his wife Mary, 2 plantations in Mansfield for 200 acres, above Crosswicks Creek, next to Robert Scholey's property. ‡ [‡New Jersey Archives, 1st sec., Vol.. XXI, Calendar of Records, pp. 497‑98]. John Horner died intestate in 1689. On April 27, 1689, John Snowden, Samuel Andrews, Francis Davenport, William Watson, Percival Towle, William Biddle, and Isaac Horner (his cousin) made an inventory of his estate, which was valued at £196.15.11. In 1690 and 1691 Isaac Horner, as administrator, rendered his account against the estate. On Dec. 4, 1691, court proceedings were instituted in the estate of John Horner. William Biddle, Francis Davenport, and John Horner (eldest son of the deceased man) were appointed guardians of Horner's younger children, Joshua, Isaac, and Mary; they gave bond on May 10, 1692. On the same date, "Isaac Horner, late administrator of John Homer's estate, delivers to them what he has of it." ‡‡ [‡‡Ibid Vol.. XXIII, bstracts of Wills, Vol. I, p. 238].
John Horner's children by 1st (or 2nd) wife, Sarah Wilberforce, were:
29. John; not mentioned in the Yorkshire Friends' records; stated by W. S. Hornor to have been b. ca. 1670; d. between Apr. 4, 1715, date of will, and Aug. 22, 1715, date of probate (NJ. Archives, XXIII, 239) ; John married. Mrs. Frances Brunson (widow); no issue. In 1698 John and Frances Horner were indicted for assaulting and beating a constable at Piscataway, N.J., where they then lived; they pleaded guilty and the husband was ordered to pay a fine. The wife, in addition to giving a bond for security, was ordered by the Court "not to keep company with Joseph Charley of Delaware Falls by night or by day upon ye forfeiture of her Recognizance. " Later, John Horner and Joseph Charley were charged with stealing hogs, but were acquitted. Horner was further indicted for selling strong drink by retail, without a license, and also was accused of selling strong drink to the Indians, an act contrary to the laws of the Province. (See George J. Miller, Ye Olde Middlesex Courts, 1932, p. 49. )

30. Mary; married. John Kelly (Killy) ; mentioned in her brother John's will.John Horner's children by his 2nd (or 3rd) wife, Mary Pearson, were:31. Joshua; b. 11‑7‑1676 (Yorkshire Friends' records). W. S. Hornor gives Sept. 14, 1676. English and European records usually give the day first, followed by the month, but Quaker records frequently give the month, then the day, which is the American method. In this connection, it is uncertain whether Joshua was born in the 11th or the 7th month, the latter corresponding to Sept., given by Mr. Homer; however, his assignment of the 14th day of the month is manifestly an error. Joshua died in Springfield Twp., Burl. Co., N.J., between Jan. 1, 1721/2, and Apr 20, 1723 (ICJ. Archives, 1st ser., XXIII, 239). He married Mary and left issue.
32. Isaac; born, 4‑17‑1678, according to W. S. Hornor, but this record is not included in the present writer's transcript of Horner data from the Yorkshire Friends' records; died. 11‑24‑1760, at White Hill, near Bordentown, N.J. (W. S. Hornor) ; married. 1st 1709, Elizabeth Sykes, who died. 4‑3‑1712 (Chesterfield Monthly Meeting Records* [*W. S. Hornor states that she died on 6‑3‑1712. He apparently reached this date through a misunderstanding of the chronology in force prior to 1752. The fourth month under the Julian calendar was June, whereas the sixth month (given by Mr. Hornor) was August. It is likely that he intended to show her death as occurring in June, 1712, but by giving the sixth month as the date, he implied that she died m August of that year].), and 2nd 1718, Elenor daughter of Samuel Bowne, of Flushing, L.I. (N.Y. Genealogical & Biograpical Record Vol. VI, p. 102).† [† H. D. Perrine asserts what Tenor Bowne was the wife of Isaac, son of Isaac and Lydia (Wright) Homer, but Mr. C. C. Gardner has expressed the opinion, in a letter to the writer, that Perrine was in error and that the evidence supports her marriage to Isaac, son of John Horner, as stated above.] Isaac was a lifelong member of Chesterfield Monthly Meeting and lived at Mansfield, on a plantation bought by his father, John Horner, in 1684. (West Jersey Deeds, R, p. 272; AAA, p. 187.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Isaac,

I am glad to see that someone has corrected the erroneous statement concerning the ancestry of the Horners in New Jersey. I am a Horner from York U.K. and have been amused by the simplification that one often sees in American genealogical sites concerning the supposed sole ancestor. There are as many Horners as there monasteries where they got their name from caring for the cattle and sheep. After the dissolution of the monasteries the Horners who often served as grange keepers were in a good position to acquire leases of former monastery lands from the big landowners like the Percy's, the Mowbrays and the Yorkes. The best documented history of Horner clans is from Nidderdale, where land had been owned by two monasteries - Fountains and Bylands. From this dale the Horners sent their sons to Ripon, Leeds, York and Hull as artisans or Merchants who very often dealing in the wool trade. Bernard Jennings 'A History of Nidderdale' would be a good first read if you want to follow up the Horners as social history.

Sue (Horner)

Kingsley IRELAND said...

Hi, I was very interested to see your site. I descend from Anna HORNOR/HORNER the daughter of Benjamin HORNOR & Christiana READSHAW.
Anna married firstly Nathaniel ENGLISH. Following his death she married William LONGMIRE, "an eminent Quaker Preacher" and maltster of Leeds, who was born to a Quaker family of Colthouse, near Hawkshead in the Lake District.Their son, Benjamin LONGMIRE moved to Castle Donington, Derbyshire, where he was a tobacconist in 1772 when he married Elizabeth PAGE nee PLOWRIGHT....
Kingsley IRELAND
"Tregare" 128 Penrice Road, Angaston South Australia 5353
PS Thomas HORNOR, the notable artist "Panorama of London" etc. was a 2nd cousin to Benjamin & Elizabeth's son, William LONGMIRE 1772-1848 -whose son Hiram LONGMIRE 1814-1880 was my gr gr grandfather, and emigrated to South Australia in 1848 on the "Harpley" with wife Ann and five children.

Isaac Horner said...

Thank you for your comment, I enjoyed reading it. Stories of our family are fascinating. I would enjoy hearing more of Hiram LONGMIRE and of his adventures as a colonist in Australia.

Anonymous said...

I am descended from Anthony Horner 1716 at Fingall North Yorkshire. He was a farmer. Have you a link with these Horners who mostly lived in Spennithorne , North Yorkshire?

Isaac Horner said...

dear Anonymous; I am sorry but I no information about the Horner family in England more than is in the Article by Milton rubincam.
Notice that the Rubincam article was published the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey in April 1947. which is about 64 years ago. It may be that other researchers have the information you are looking for. I looked in New Family Search and found an Anthony Horner christened 4 Oct 1761 in Spennithome, York, England whose Father was given as Anthony Horner. No other information was given about son or Father.