Family Legend - Who is Ralph Hankins' Father - Week 2 of #52Ancestors
Based on a sketch of a member of the Hankins family in some county history and info found in an unpublished family history - I thought I knew who the father of Ralph Hankins (1776-1863) - the earliest Hankins ancestor I had any real information about.
Both sources I found shared some common information (the family history probably had info from the county history) and a few different details. But between the two of them - what I was sure I knew was that
1. The father of Ralph Hankins (1776-1863) was named Ralph.
2. He had four children - the family history provided a few names - Rachel who married a Barton, Polly who married a McDaniels, Sally married Lucas Wurtz (they were rich), and Ralph
3. He was from Norway.
4. And he crossed the Delaware with George Washington.
So based on this information, I enthusiastically set out to learn more about Ralph Hankins who crossed the Delaware with George Washington. In my imagination - he was even in the same boat with Washington.
And no matter where I looked, I could not find any records of a Ralph Hankins in Colonial America anywhere. I probably looked at every Hankins query in the Boston Transcript and other early genealogical publications. I pursued every "three brothers" story in hopes of finding my missing Ralph. And never found him.
As the years passed, and I learned more about doing genealogical research - I took another look at my missing Ralph Hankins. This time instead of looking for Ralph the father - I looked for what records could I find for Ralph the supposed second Ralph - and did anything there tell me who his father was.
Finally one day while looking at published New Jersey Will abstracts - I found reference to Richard Hankins of Hopewell, Hunterdon County - will probated March 7 1798 that listed heirs Mehetable, Hannah, Elizabeth, and Ralph. A record for February 6, 1800 listed additional children Daniel, Rachel and Mary.
Finally - a concrete lead to follow. Based on further research in New Jersey records, I learned that Richard Hankins married Elizabeth Pinkerton, daughter of Henry Pinkerton and Keziah. His earliest appearance in the records I've found is on the 1778 taxpayer rolls for Hopewell, Hunterdon County. In 1783, he conducted the inventory of the estate of Benjamin Reeder (another of my ancestors!!!!) and served as Overseer of the Roads and Commission of Appeal at various times.
I have never found any vital records for Richard Hankins. My one indication of his age was that in 1792, he was listed as a member of the Hunterdon Militia which included every free & able-bodied white male citizen between the ages of 18 and 45. So he was born sometime between 1747 and 1774. Richard of Hopewell is the only Hankins listed as a member of the militia - so presumably he was the only adult male Hankins in the county at the time.
The 1790 census records for New Jersey have not survived
So his name was Richard not Ralph.
As for the four children - additional research has shown Richard and Elizabeth had 8 children. Their tentative birth order is
1. Hannah - born probably before 1776 - died after 1809 when she executed a deed
2. Mehetable -born 1770-1780 died before July 1849. She married John Akers (about 1777 - July 1849) before 1800
3. Ralph - born Feb 19, 1776 in New Jersey. He died September 9, 1873 in Tusten, Sullivan County, New York. Ralph married four times.
4. Elizabeth - born about 1780 died after 1850 - she married Asa Burroughs (about 1783-after 1850) in 1807
5. Sarah - born about 1787 died September 13, 1850. She married Lucas Weart (between 1770-1780 - before April 1848). And no I haven't been able to confirm if they were rich.
6. Daniel - born about Feb 22 1788 died May 17 1871. He married Salome Bellas (1786-1880) in 1811.
7. Rachel - born Jan 11 1790 died Aug 30, 1853. She married John Barton (1789-1872) in about 1808.
8. Mary - born Aug 31, 1793 died Dec 24 1882. She married John McDaniels (1790-1873).
So there were eight known children not four - but in the info on the spouses of the daughters was correct.
Was he from Norway?
Without any vital records or other contemporary sources indicating where Richard came from, I can't say for certain.
My guess is no - he wasn't from Norway.
What evidence I have for his origin leans towards Scotland.
He appeared in Hunterdon County, New Jersey probably as an adult sometime before 1776 (first known specific birth date for a child) - probably several years before that, since the Pinkerton family was in Hunterdon County in the 1750s and Richard and Elizabeth presumably married there. And if Ralph was the third child, the marriage probably took place before 1774 and Richard and Elizabeth didn't get married the minute he arrived.
The Pinkerton family were associated with Presbyterian Church and their origins appear to be Scottish.
Richard's youngest daughter Mary lived until 1882. In the 1880 census, she listed her birthplace as New Jersey and both her parents having been born in Scotland
There are Hankins families in several parts of Scotland in the mid-1700s, but so far I haven't found any Richard Hankins' the right age to be the immigrant.
So no evidence for Norway, some evidence for Scotland.
And as for crossing the Delaware with George Washington - having looked at every record I could find - I have seen no evidence that any Richard Hankins in New Jersey did anything to indicate support for either the Patriot or Loyalist cause during the American Revolution.
So no he didn't cross the Delaware with George Washington
And please - don't get me started on all the online trees that have Richard definitely born in Scotland in 1747 - as either the son of a couple in Berkshire who had all their children baptised in the same parish except for Richard with no baptismal date and the only one born in Scotland within a couple of yers of siblings on either side being baptized - or the grandson of a man born in New Jersey in the 1680s whose son left no records.
In summary - the legend was
His name was Ralph, he had four children, he was from Norway and he crossed the Delaware with George Washington.
Reality is
His name was Richard, he had eight known children, best guess for his origins is Scotland and no he didn't cross the Delaware with George Washington.
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