Re: Mary Ellis Jones
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In reply to:
Mary Ellis Jones
5/28/00
Robert
Your query concerning MARY ELLIS JONES interests me from the point of view of my Holdich/Holditch/Houlditch/Holdridge research and the English origins of the families so named appearing in Carolina in the early 1700's.The following refs. may coincide with what you know about MEJ:
(a) Vol. 1 Abstracts of Wills of South Carolina 1670-1740
1. 10 August 1724 - will of James ELLIS of Charles Town Carpenter - one of the witnesses was James HOULDITCH
2. 7 December 1728 - will of Philip JONES, Planter of Berkely Co. - James HOULDITCH is a witness
(b) Files of Leonardo Andrea for Holditch etc. :
1.6 Aug 1803 Will of William Houlditch of Laurens Co. SC - witnessed by James Young, James Bailey and JAMES H. DENDY
2.In the McCreight section of these files containing the reminiscences of her ancestors, one Jemima McCreight nee HARDAGE claims descent from a James HARDAGE/HOLDIDGE of Berkeley Co. died c1745 (His inventory is contained on p97 of the Original Book of Inventories 1732-46.
This James is aligned as a son to a previous James Holditch/Houldich who died in SC 1701/02 and was married to Susanna Boyes in 1701 in London, daughter of Richard Boyes, who was granted administration of James's estate in March 1702.
Jemima McCreight also claims that James's widow Susie Boyce remarried (so there could have been more children of Sus. Boyes and unknown 2nd husband) but her account is rather confusing in that she says:
"the daughter of the first James Hardage married a Jones who was the son of PHILIP JONES and I think that another one may have married a Jones, but I believe she was a half sister of James Hardage(Holdidge) who died on the Broad River in the Parish of St. Matthew".
There may be grains of truth in this somewhere, but the lst James Holditch and wife Sus. Boyes did not have much time to produce more than one child (or twins) between their marriage in London in May 1701 and the administration of James's estate in March 1702.
Other names connected with the suggested family line by Andrea are:
1. James = Sus. Boyes
2.James = Mary Hassel
3.William = Lovina Holcombe
4.William = Mary Pollard and/or Leuvicey Bailey
Also the BREWTON name is given as a spouse of one Joseph Holdeatch/Holbeatch of St. Philip's parish whose will was proved in 1720.His widow Jane is said to have remarried to John Bruse in 1722.
None of this may have the slightest connection with your research, but I thought it worth telling you what I know in case you can offer any slight connection to the names and families mentioned.
Living in England I only have access to a few appropriate records and other people's research!
For what it is worth Jemima McCreight claimed that the first James Holditch came from Norfolk, England where, according to his age at marriage, he would have been born circa 1679.
There were also members of a Holditch family from Devon, England in the Caribbean circa 1670's in case this helps.
In any case it would be interesting to learn more about Mary Ellis Jones in case someone else can spot a connection.
Deborah Taylor