WVMONONG-L Archives

Archiver > WVMONONG > 2007-10 > 1192312969


From: Jane McCann Walsh <>
Subject: Re: [WVMONONG] Andrew Friend and Keziah
Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:31:43 -0500
References: <ae93c4ee0710131347p5e97f71csbce0505f8b9b1b36@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <ae93c4ee0710131347p5e97f71csbce0505f8b9b1b36@mail.gmail.com>


At 03:47 PM 10/13/2007, Matt Friend wrote:
>I am looking for any historical information about my FRIEND family that were
>a part of this county for nearly 50 years. The three names that were talked
>about in my family are Nicholas (aka Neils), Andrew, and John. . .
>. They had land along the South
>Branch of the Potomac River and Little Cacapon River.

Hi, Matt,
Sounds like you are referring to Hampshire County, WV, not Monongalia.

There is a section on the Friends in Cecil O'Dells book "Pioneers of
Old Frederick County, Virginia."
He writes that Israel Friend secured a Deed from the Indian Chefs of
the Five Nations for land beginning "at the mouth of Andietum Creek,"
referencing a Maryland State Highway sign at the junction of Harpers
Ferry Road and Limekiln Road. O'Dell adds that Israel Friend had a
mill on that property prior to 1736, and that he was in VA by 20 Dec
1735 being appointed attorney for Patrick Sims of Prince George
County, MD to recover a debt owed by Daniel Burnett; O'Dell
references Orange County Court Judgements of 1736. Israel Friend
received a land patent from the Colony of VA for 300 acres on the
Potomac River two miles north of present day Harper's Ferry and just
east of Bakerton, Jefferson County, WV. Israel's wife's name was
Sarah; he wrote his will 12 Aug 1749 and it was proved 5 June
1753; it listed his eldest son as Jonas, then Jacob and the youngest
was Charles; daughters: Catherine and Mary Friend. His brother
Charles was one of the executors along with Capt. Thomas
Swearingen. Apparently Jonas was aka Jonah whose wife was also named
Sarah; they moved to Augusta County on the South Branch of the
Potomac. From that information, O'Dell jumps to Andrew, Charles,
John and Nicolas Friend noting only that they lived and owned land in
Hampshire County in the early 1760's. Again, that sounds like your
group who were likely descendants of Israel.

O'Dell references a publication by Peter S. Craig entitled "The 1693
Census of the Swedes on the Delaware" and indicates that Israel's
Father was Andero aka Andrew Nilsson Friend whose Father was Nils
Larsson Frande aka Friend, who was reportedly on the Delaware River by 1648.

In Samuel Wiley's "History of Monongalia" there's a transcription of
some 1786 tax lists and one contains the name August Friend. Oren
F. Morton in his "A History of Preston County, West Virginia" writes
that "Friend is a pioneer name of the northwest of Garret [County,
MD] but members of the connection have crossed the Preston
line. John came with his wife and five children to the site of
Friendsville in 1760. Five more were born in his
blockhouse. Nicholas, the oldest son, was killed by Indians in
1776. Two other sons went to Missouri and the four sisters to
Ohio. Gabriel, Joseph and John remained in Garrett and have a
numerous posterity. Joseph married Sarah, Daughter of John
Green. Their Children were Andrew, John G., Josiah G., William E.
and two daughters." In Earl Core's second volume of "The Monongalia
Story" there is mention in a footnote that Augustine Friend was aka
Teen Friend who was a son of John Friend who was a brother of Charles
Friend, for whom there is an historic marker noting the site of his
home along MD Route 39 west of Oakland.
In Core's first volume, he writes that Jonas and Joseph Friend built
a small but strong blockhouse called Fort Friend in Randolph County
on lower Leading Creek which is now at the South end of Elkins.
Regards,
Jane


This thread: