Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Isaac Conrow & Sara Darling & Family

The following material is about Isaac Conrow who came to America some time in the 1670's with his Mother whose name we do not know, with his brother Jacob Conrow, and with his Step-father Mathew Allen. It is based on an article entitled “Mathew Allen of Burlington County” found in the book Genealogies of New Jersey Families Vol I pages 169–172.

It seems that in England, Isaac and Jacob Conrow’s parents married and had two sons Isaac and Jacob. We are not sure of the year they were born but between 1668 and 1675 is probably a good estimate; they may have been born a year or few sooner. Some time after Mr. Conrow died, his wife, who was named in the records just as “Widow Conrow”, married a good man named Mathew Allen who was born about 1645–55 in England. Then Mathew Allen and his wife and the children, Issac Conrow and Jacob Conrow sailed across the Ocean to America. [In this history the mother “widow Conrow or Mrs. Allen” will be considered the First Generation to come to America on the Conrow Line, and Isaac2 and Jacob2 will be considered second Generation in the Conrow line.] This little family first settled on a farm of 200 acres near Upland , Chester township, Pennsylvania in November of 1678. In 1680 Mathew Allen bought 3200 acres in Burlington County on Delaware River near Rancokus Creek, as well as 200 acres and some small lots in Burlington. He took up his residence in Burlington, but sold his house and lot there in Sept. 1685. He may have moved at that time to his large tract in what was set up a Chester Township. So it seems that Isaac and Jacob grew up on a farm where there was always lots of work to be done, and perhaps farm animals to be tended The records indicate that Mathew Allen conveyed land to Jacob in 1683 and perhaps he conveyed land to Isaac at that time also. It may be that Mathew Allen conveyed this land to the boys when their mother died. There may be more to this than meets the eye. One writer stated that the “Concessions and Agreements” which was the governing document for some period of time made provision for members to take up land up to 500 acres. It seems that the Document referred to as the “Concessions and Agreements” made provisions for the orderly taking up of land. In, which gives a record of the Burlington court beginning on June 14, 1680; on page 8, under the date of May 3d, 1681, to prevent illegal taking up of Land; “It is further ordered That noe person or persons from hencefforth shall take up, survery or settle any Lott or Lotts of Land until they obtaine an order from the commissioners or any two of them to appoint the Surveyour (Elected for that purpose) to lay out the same.” This notice was followed by the following: May 3d, 1681, “It is then further ordered That all Freeholders and Inhabitants within the Jurisdiction of the court appeare at the next court, then and there to sign the Concessions; or shew their reason for their refusal.”
In 11th or 12th month of 1693/4 page 162 of the THE BURLINGTON COURT BOOK the following is recorded: “[Caveats] Matthew Allen enters A Caveat against Recording Isaac Conaroes 500 Acres Land alsoe a Caveat against the Recording Jacob Conaroes 500 Acres Land And Daniell Leeds ordered to bring them both into Court. And Mathew Allen then to appeare and give notice to the two.” On page 165 it tells of action taken at the Court of Quarterly Sessions: May 8th 1694: “[The Caveat entered against Jacob Conoroes Land taken of] Matthew Allen declares that the Caveat by Him Entered last Court against recording the Survey of Jacob Conoroes 500 Acres may be taken of and it is ordered to be taken of.” And at the bottom of page 165, it says: “ Mathew Allen’s Caveat entered last Court now to be heard per order last Court: Mathew Allen declares the 500 acres for Jacob Conoroe hee takes of: see that it may be recorded See this entred above.” The record concerning Isaac’s 500 Acres is not found.

Isaac's and Jacob's mother died sometime before 1687, for at that time their step-father married second, Rachel French, who was born 24 March, 1663/64 at Nether Heyford, Northants, England. Mathew Allen and Rachel; had four children born who were as younger brothers and sisters to Isaac and Jacob. The children’s names were : Mathew2 Allen, born Oct 23, 1688, in Burlington County, New Jersey. Next was a little girl Mercy2 Allen, born March 13, 1693. Then another girl, Mary2 Allen, born Oct 23, 1695; and finally, Thomas2 Allen, born April 7, 1699. In 1695, Mathew Allen was Constable in Chester township. Mathew Allen’s will, Sep. 17, 1701–Oct 17, 1701, calls him of Chester township and names wife and four children. He left three shillings apiece to Isaac and Jacob Conrow and to Anthony Frier. The first two were sons of his first wife “the widow Conrow” and Anthony Frier may have been a younger brother of their Mother who she was raising with her two sons.
Matthew Allen married Martha Stokes, 7th month, 1737. Newton Meeting.
William Allen, Son of Matthew, dec’d, and Judith Stokes, daughter of Joseph, 12 mo, 1745. Newton Meeting.
In 1699 Jacob Conrow deeded land given him in 1683, by consent of his step–father Mathew Allen.

Isaac Conrow and Sara Darling
We now will try to tell the story of Isaac Conrow, who was born in England perhaps between 1668 and 1675 and came to the Colonies sometime in the late 1670's with his mother, his brother Jacob, and his step–father, Mathew Allen. They settled at Upland, Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1678; then moved to Burlington County New Jersey in 1680. In 1683, his stepfather transferred some land to Jacob and then in 1685 sold the Burlington house and town lots. Issac’s mother died, perhaps as early as 1683, but certainly before 1687, for at that time their step-father, Matthew Allen, remarried. Isaac may have been between 12 and 17 at the time. We do not know much about Issac’s youth. Isaac married, about 1700, Sara Darling whose parents we have not yet identified for sure.
In second month, 22nd day of 1705 on pages 306-7 of THE BURLINGTON COURT BOOK; it gives the names of new constables for each Township in the Courts jurisdiction; Isaac Coneroe is given as the constable of Chester Township.
Isaac Conrow and Sara Darling had two children, Darling and Issac. In the marriage record for the son Isaac it says Isaac Connaro, son of Isaac Connaro of Gloucester County. This may indicates that Issac and Sara lived for a time in in Gloucester county.

Darling3 Conrow, born about 1705–1715 of Burlington, married March 16, 1733 Deliverance Stokes , of Burlington, born, September 18, 1713, daughter of Thomas Stokes and Deliverance Horner. Darling and Deliverance are mentioned in connection with their home in the book Moorestown and her Neighbors, p116; as follows “This old brick house was erected in 1751. The initials and date, ‘D. and D.C. 1751" letters stand for Darling and Deliverance (Stokes) Conrow who were married in 1733. The eastern end of the building is undoubtedly the oldest and was probably erected by Darling Conrow at the time of his marriage in 1733 and enlarged in 1751. They had six children:
Joseph 4 Conrow, born about 1736, married Oct. 3, 1761, Valaria Moore, of Burlington.
Samuel4 Conrow, born about 1738
Mary 4 Conrow, daughter of Darlin married Aarron Haines, son of Nathan Haines dec’d, 11th mo, 1754. Haddonfield Meeting. p113.
Elizabeth 4 Conrow, born about 1742, married Anthony Hollingshead [this couple are our progeniotors]
Hanna 4 Conrow, born about 1744
Darling 4 Conrow, born about 1746, Married August 24, 1766, Sarah Elkington [NJCD:72]

Isaac 3 Conrow, born about 1705–1715. His marriage is recorded as follows: “Isaac Connarro, son of Isaac Connaro of Gloucester County, married Elinor Wright, daughter of Jonathan Wright of Burlington County, married 22nd day, 8th month, 1730 at the Meeting House.”

We don’t know much about Jacob Conaroe, who was born in England and came to the Colonies with his brother Isaac, his mother and his step father Mathew Allen. But the following Conrows could be his children

Thomas Conaro and Mary Antrum proposed the 2nd time, 7th day, 1st month 1747–48. Burlington meeting.
4th day 2nd mo, 1748, Mary Antrum reported marrying to Thomas Conrow.
Burlington meeting.7th da, 4th mo, 1755, Thomas conrow disowned for disunity. Burlington meeting

The Darling Family
not yet nailed down

Isaac Conrow, raised in a "Right Good Family"

The full history of Isaac Conrow may never be told; it seems that there are very few references in the original sources which mention him specifically. It may be, that the best way to know about Isaac is to study the information that is known about the people around him.
There is a story about two farmers visiting in a tool shed of one of them. The visiting farmer notice a sturdy well used ax in one corner of the shed, and commented to the other, “That’s a pretty good looking ax you have there.” The owner relied, “That’s a right good ax; that there ax has gone through two heads and three handles; I’ve never known a better ax than that one”
“That there ax" is very much like the family in which Isaac and Jacob Conrow were raised. Somewhere in England, a man whose last name was Conaroe or Conrow [spelling didn’t mean much before dictionaries were printed] married a lady whose name we do not know; so we will refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. Conrow.
This Conrow family had at least two children, two boys Isaac and Jacob Conrow. Mr. Conrow died, and Mrs. Conrow was referred to as “the Widow Conrow”. We do not know how long they were married, nor at what age they married, nor do we know where they lived.
In England, the widow Conrow married Matthew Allen and came to New Jersey. The family now consisted of Matthew Allen, the former widow Conrow, now Mrs Allen and Isaac and Jacob Conrow; it seems that a third young man named Anthony Fryer or Frier came with them. The relation between the Fryer, Allen and Conrow families is not known.
We know of no children born to Matthew Allen and the widow Conrow. She died before 1687, in New Jersey.
Matthew Allen Married second, Rachel French, The daughter of Thomas French.
The History of the Thomas French Family is well known; and has been published as the Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas French Who came to America from Nether Heyford, northamptonshire, England, and Seattleed in Burlington in the Province and Country of West New Jersey, of which he was one of the Original Proprietors, together with William Penn, Edward Byllynge, Thomas olive, Gauen laurie and other etc., printed in 1909; Written, Compiled and Published by Howard Barclay French, a 7th generation descendant of Thomas French. [Such a long title makes for a very long sentence.] This book is available for free download on Google Books.
We now continue with this extended family, in which Isaac Conrow was raised.
Mathew Allen and Rachel French had four children Mathew. Mercy, Mary, and Thomas. Mathew Allen died in September or October of 1701, at Chester, Burlington County, New Jersey.
Rachel French, now widow of Mathew Allen married second, Feb 9, 1702, Hugh Sharp, son of William and Hannah Sharp. Two children, daughters, were born to Hugh Sharp and Rachel French, teir names were Hannah and Rebbecca.
Hugh Sharp died in 1841; he wrote his will on 5 Oct. 1741, the will was affirmed 13 Jan. 1742.
Rachel French survived her husband.
Thus we see that in the three marriages, Isaac Conrow had a father and a mother, a step father and a Step mother, and a second step father.
There are number of articles written about the Allen Family, the French Family, and the Sharp Family.
In this Blog and in linked blogs we hope to learn and present more information about the background and the life and times of Isaac Conrow

Isaac Conrow married about 1698 and Isaac's daughter, Alinor, was mentioned in his step-father, Mathew Allen’s will.