|
The Setons of Meldrum
Alexander Seaton's father, John Seton, may have
been previously involved in Ulster and with the Hamilton and Montgomerie
families having also settled there, it is of no surprise that with their long traditional Seton ties and inter-marriage, and the highland scots
immigration to that country being highly active at that time, that Alexander was
able to settle in Ireland easily. In 1699, Alexander Seaton
took up permanent residence in Ireland and moved his family, leaving from the Port
of Glasgow, and became a Denizen of Ireland in Hillsborough, County Down,
Ulster. All of Alexander’s children
settled primarily in Ireland, though they frequently traveled back to Scotland.
Alexander is listed on various records of the time as "Seton", particularly in
settlement records and the Seaton family in
Ireland is later listed as being either from a place called, “Dranity” or Tullahoago.
These are both town-land names in
County
Tyrone and refer to Tullahoge, County
Tyrone. Dranity was a small farm-land name
that no longer exists.
(Reference the book: “The Quakers of Western
Pennsylvania”, by Jane Snowden Crosby).
 |
Market
Square, 19th cen. Hillsborough, Co. Down,
Ireland |
| | |
Alexander Seaton and Margaret Joass' children were as follows:
John Seaton,
named after his grandfather, was the 2nd son son of Alexander, and he married
Jane Edwards in Scotland. He was active in the "Rising" of 1715 along with his
brothers in Scotland, and fled to Ireland as a result. He there learned the
Tailor trade in Newry, County
Down and after his fathers death, went with
his family to
America where he was joined by two of his brothers
and his sister.
James Seaton,
Alexander’s 3rd son. He too was active in the "Rising" of 1715 along with his
brothers, and fled to Ireland as a result. In Ireland he was engaged in the
Linen Manufacturing in the early 18th century, then booming in the city of
Drogheda,
County Louth,
Ireland and likewise became quite wealthy. He married Martha (surname unknown)
and followed his brother to America (where he may have married a 2nd
time). James and Martha had twelve children, all boys: Alexander, John, James,
George, Thomas, William, David, Robert, Joel, Nathaniel, Hezekiah and Jared
(called Jeremiah).
James' son, George Seaton, married Nancy Amberson in the old country, had a
large family of 12 children by her and came to America about 1778 (from The
Seaton Family, Oren Andrew Seaton, Editor; Crane & Company, Topeka, Kansas,
1906).
Andrew Seaton, the 4th and youngest son of
Alexander, was active in the "Rising" of 1715 along with his brothers. As a
result, his property was confiscated and he fled with his brothers to Ireland,
where he kept a Public House in Newtownstewart, or Tullaghogue, County
Tyrone
and became quite wealthy, "so much so that he said when he left Ireland he
could have given each of his children their weight in gold as their portion".
He married 1st Jane Blake and had six children by her, and they left
to join his brothers in America in 1737 intending on settling in Boston, on a
heavily laden "snow-vessel" similar to a "brig" called the "Catherine".
He commissioned the ship from Workington, Cumbria, England, and it set sail from
Portrush, Antrim, Ireland, filled with valuable merchandise and was one of the
richest vessels to cross the ocean at that time, enroute to Boston,
Massachussetts. However, he was shipwrecked during the voyage at the east end
of Sable
Island off the coast of Nova Scotia, on July 17th,
1737.
There were 98 people who
died as a result of the wreck,
the 100 plus
survivors made it ashore to Sable Island where they used
the main sail of the vessel to construct a tent. The
ship's long boat had washed ashore but was somewhat
damaged, and over the next two days it was repaired and
on the third day the master, mate and others sailed it
to Canso. Despite the survivors enduring nine days of
hardship without food, "except a gill of dough and a
thimbleful of butter to each individual per day",
they were finally rescued by residents of Canso, who
mounted a successful rescue operation. While Andrew had
the misfortune of having his lower jaw broken during the
wreck, and
he and his children
survived, his youngest daughter, Anna, was for a time
lost and thought drowned, but was later found washed
ashore about two miles from the wreck, half-buried in
the sand, but alive. Andrew's wife Jane, however, sadly
died on the journey from the island to the mainland.
They journeyed from Sable Island, to Canso, Nova Scotia,
and from thence to Cape Ann and onwards finally to
Boxford, Massachussetts. Andrew nevertheless settled in
America and later married 2nd, to Miss Peggy Wood, and
she adopted two children from her step-daughter, Ismenia
Seaton.
Although Andrew lost much
of his possessions as a result of the wreck, he did
manage to recover enough to later rebuild his fortunes
in America before he died circa 1754.
After his death, his
eldest daughter,
Sarah
Seaton, traveled to England and enlisted lawyer Nathan
Haislup to settle her father's estate, and who was later
appointed Guardian of Andrew Seaton Sr.'s children.
Miss Peggy Wood married 2nd, Joseph Sewler.
References
for the three brother's can be found in the book
entitled: THE SEATONS OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, by Jane
Snowden Crosby (of Bradford Pennsylvania, July 1, 1945);
Oren Andrew Seaton's book entitled THE SEATON FAMILY,
WITH GENEALOGY AND BIOGRAPHIES, by Oren Andrew Seaton
(Topeka, Kansas: Crane and Company, 1906); Hayward's
HANCOCK, NEW HAMPSHIRE; Seccomb's HISTORY OF AMHERST,
NEW HAMPSHIRE; and THE HISTORY OF WASHINGTON, NEW
HAMPSHIRE; The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax,
Nova Scotia
Ruth Seaton, the daughter and youngest child
of Alexander Seaton,
left with her brothers to live in America.
She later married James Miller of Armagh,
Ireland on February 10, 1734, as his second wife,
(Noted as: "James
Miller, of Dublin, Ireland, 1st married Catherine Lightfoot, daughter of Thomas
Lightfoot and Margaret, widow of John Blunston, late of Darby. They married in
Ireland and lived for some time at Timahoe Meeting, County Kildare. After
emigrating from Ireland, they arrived in Philadelphia on September 10, 1729.
Catherine Lightfoot Miller died a few days later, on October 17, 1729. James
Miller then settled in New Garden, and married Ruth Seaton of London Grove, on
February 10, 1734. They later moved to Leacock, Twp., Lancaster Co., and he died
in 1749").
Thomas Seaton (Seton/Seeton),
1st and eldest son of Alexander Seaton and Margaret
Joasse was christened in Banffshire, Scotland, on the
10th September, 1677 (listed in the parish register).
Like all of his family he settled in County Down and
being the eldest son, inherited what remained of his
fathers estate in 1723. Unlike his brothers, he remained
in Ireland and it is from him that the Seeton/Seton
family of Nova Scotia descends as well as many Seaton's
of counties Antrim, Down and Tyrone in Ireland. We know
little of Thomas’ activities in Ireland, at this time we
do not know to whom he was married or of how many
children he had, though it appears that he had several
boys, and we do know of at least four grandsons: Thomas
(the 2nd), Robert, William and Jeremiah.
What is
certain is that there are a number of Seaton families
that were established from him in the Dromore region of
County Down and also
in Donaghmore and Dungannon, County Tyrone, Ireland:
such as
Robert
Seaton who married Jane McCabe of Co. Down, Ireland and had
three boys but sadly died enroute to America in 1806;
Jeremiah Seaton married Nancy Neal and had a large
family; William Seaton, who never married, originally
went to America and made a small fortune before
returning to Ireland and purchased a farm near
Stranorlar, Country Donegal, Ireland, near his brother
Jeremiah who had also settled in Co. Donegal.
Jeremiah's children settled into various parts of
America throughout the 1800's and his son Samuel settled on Presque Isle for sometime.
Thomas
Seaton (the 2nd), was born circa 1727 and maintained
various family business interests and Flax farming
around Tullahoge (Tellahoago, also called Dranity), a
hamlet in the parish of Desertcreat, in the Upper
Dungannon Barony, near Cookstown Co. Tyrone. Of Thomas
(the 2nd) was also know very little, though we know from
Nova Scotian family notes of his son James that he had
three children: Mary, Thomas (the 3rd) and James. While
there are precious few records remaining for this period
in Ireland, his sons are listed on the Freeholder's List
for 1796 in the Barony of Dungannon along with their
cousin Ezekiel who is likewise listed on the same
Freeholder's list. Ezekiel SEATON emigrated to America
in 1799 and lived a number of years in Philadelphia,
where he conducted a hotel. He had a daughter Elizabeth
who married John Graham of Co. Down, Ireland and who
immigrated to America and met and married Ezekiel's
daughter there.
Thomas
Seaton (2nd) died in 1811, aged 84 years and was buried
in the Presbyterian Graveyard in the Town or Townland of
Glebe (Derryloran also called Donaghenry), in the Civil
Parish of Donaghenry, Donaghenry Old, County Tyrone,
Ulster, Ireland. Of his three children: 1st a daughter
Mary who died early in life at 19 years of age; 2nd his
eldest son and heir also called Thomas (3rd) who died
shortly after his father; and 3rd a son James Seaton
(later spelt as "Seeton" in Nova Scotia) who
married Martha Crawford of County Tyrone and who emigrated to Nova Scotia and from whom descends the Seeton's of Nova Scotia. (Note: Thomas (the 3rd) may
also have had other children who remained in Ireland who
also utilized the spelling of Seeton as their
family-name - noticed for George Seeton who married Mary
Grimble and who immigrated to America in the mid-to-late
1800's and his brother John Seeton who ended up in
Australia circa the same time frame).
The family
are buried as per the Headstone inscription
from Dungannon which is as follows:
Here lieth the body of Mary Seaton who departed this life May 9th 1781 aged
19 years. Also Thomas Seaton who departed this life 14th May 1811 aged 84,
also his son Thomas who departed this life 19th June 1818 aged 44 years.
Also Jane Seaton also departed this life 18th Novr. 1828 aged 103 years.
>
Next
page
|
