Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
The marriage of Henry Van Dyke and Amy Freeman is unsupported (at this time) specific primary evidence. It is, however, supported by an extreme amount of circumstantial evidence, described below.
In 1740 we find "Martha d. of Joseph Blanks and w. Amy; b. April 15; c. April 27, 1740: gdpts. Thomas Booth, Prudence Jones, Susanna Lilly." - from Register of Albemarle Parish, Surry and Sussex Counties 1739-1778. Transcribed and Edited by Gertrude R.B. Richards Ph.D. Indexed by Florence M. Leonard. Published by The National Society Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia; 1958. pg 34, found at http://seibelfamily.net/BoothResearchVA.htmhttp://seibelfamily.net/BoothResearchVA.htm 7 Jan 11. Other children (a daughter Mary) are listed in notoriously un-sourced internet websites.
This is the first concrete reference to her so far, and the presence of Prudence Jones, likely her grandmother or a cousin (if her uncle Arthur Jones had a daughter Prudence, since her grandmother might be too old to take on the role of godparent). This reference is likely the source of the "before 1723" birth estimate filed in LDS records. Obviously the "circa 1729" dates also popular seem extremely unlikely. We can say she was born around or before 1724, perhaps, in order to have a child and live through the experience. We actually don't yet know if Martha lived after the christening...
Her husband Joseph Blanks had purchased land in Brunswick County Virginia in 1737 and 1747 which also helps set our estimate of his age and social status. Joseph Blanks appears in the 1748, 1749, and 1750 (1751 list does not appear to legibly display Blanks or Van Dyke names) tithe lists for Lunenburg County. His older son Richard Blanks appears with him in the 1750 list. In 1752 we find Amy Blanks articulated with two slaves, probably. So Joseph Blanks Sr. was dead by 1752.
In 1756 Richard Blanks acquired 200 acres of land in Lunenburg County Virginia which would be transferred to Henry Van Dyke on 30 June 1760, with a Joseph Blanks as a witness. This Joseph Blanks is the same Joseph who will appear with Henry Van Dyke in the 1764 tithe lists. He is, in short, the son and heir of Joseph Blanks Sr, Amy's first husband. Joseph Blanks who witnesses and Richard Blanks who conveys are both Amy's step-sons from Joseph Blanks Sr.'s first marriage. Richard was too old in 1750 to have been conceived by Amy. He was, rather, of similar age. It is possibly this Richard who internet sources tell us married on 9 Oct 1753 to a Winifred House, because Richard does not feature again in our records.
The records between Amy's widowhood in or before 1752 and her already-marriage to Henry Van Dyke on 2 June 1761 are scant. There is a Hannah Blanks who has, on 20 Mar 1753, contracted to married a Cornelius Cargill (and possibly left a will in 1757...). The gap is sufficient that many solutions present themselves. At present we can simply say that we do not know what happened between 1752 and 1761, but it is likely that the Summer 1760 land transfer to Henry Van Dyke was due to his and Amy's marriage or betrothal. Henry, it will be remembered, has just recently been widowed in Granville County, North Carolina, and has come to Lunenburg, still with attachments (land, children, in-laws) back in Granville County.
The only direct tie we seem to have between Henry Van Dyke and a Freeman name is this 1762 witnessing in a court case by a "Jos. Freeman", likely Josiah Freeman, Amy's brother.
Joseph Blanks Jr. will, in 1766, assist in laying off Amy land dower, as shown in a link above. It seems Amy felt she could trust her step-son in this task.
We know that Amy died sometime after her 7 Apr 1786 release of dower interest in the 200 acres. Internet databases state she died ON that day, of which there is no proof. It is tempting to wonder if Henry Van Dyke's exodus from Lunenburg County after this was due to the land being lent to Henry and Amy Van Dyke during Amy's lifetime with reversion back to Joseph Blanks' heirs after her death...
Much more work remains to be done in documenting the Freeman and Prudence Jones (daughter of Arthur Jones, certainly, and Prudence Baldwin - perhaps) ancestry of young Amy, but at least we now have the proof so zealously hidden by those who obviously discovered these facts long ago and contributed the conclusions, if not the sourcing or logic behind them, to numerous internet databases.
Kelly in Va.
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
Chuck Van Dyck 2/15/11
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
Kelly Leighton 2/15/11
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
Larry Van Dyke 7/07/11
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
Chuck Van Dyck 2/15/11
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
Kelly Leighton 2/15/11
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
Chuck Van Dyck 2/23/11
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
Kelly Leighton 2/26/11
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
Chuck Van Dyck 8/14/11
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
Chuck Van Dyck 8/14/11
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke
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Re: Henry Van Dyke and Wife Amy Freeman Banks Van Dyke