Rebecca Fee background

THE FEE FAMILY Prepared by Norma F. Jennings

Much of the Fee ancestry remains speculative. The most likely candidates for relatives of our Rebecca Fee (whose marriage to Thomas Garrott [Jarrard] February 14, 1799, was recorded as Elizabeth Fee in Montgomery Co., Maryland) are William and Elizabeth (Dawson) Fee. It is quite possible and probable that Thomas and Rebecca were actually married in southwestern Pennsylvania by an itinerant minister who recorded the marriage when he returned to Baltimore, Md since there were no churches in that area when it was first settled. This would explain her name being recorded as Elizabeth rather than Rebecca as she was called 'Becky' by the family and these members often recorded these marriages from memory or scanty notes. Becky would have only been fifteen or sixteen at the time of their marriage.

If one is to note the naming patterns common during those times, one finds that Thomas Jarrard and Rebecca Fee had a son, William, born January 23, 1801, whom they had baptized at a camp meeting in March in the Alleghany country. In the 1800 Beaver Co., Pa. census they had one infant daughter. At this time, Rachel appears to be the eldest daughter as she was born before 1803. The second son, John was born in 1805. While very little is known of their life before they came to southwestern Pennsylvania, the following excerpt fits in with what we do know from family records. The dates would indicate that William may have been a brother rather than the father of Rebecca.

Ref: Biography of John Fee - 'William Fee (father of subject) was born in Maryland, coming toWashington county, Penn., when about sixteen years of age, and was afterward married to Elizabeth Hamilton, a native of North Strabane township, this county, and daughter of David

        Hamilton, whose father came to Chartiers township when but five years of age. He
        served six months in the Revolutionary war. The father of Miss Hamilton was born
        March 10, 1750, near Carlisle, Penn., where he was united in marriage with Margaret
        Gardner, and afterward came to Washington county, settling in South Strabane
        township, where he followed farming. He died in 1840, his widow in 1848; both were
        members of the Presbyterian Church.

        After his marriage to Elizabeth Hamilton, William Fee lived for some time in North
        Strabane township, this county, moving to a farm in Chartiers township about 1822,
        where the following children were reared: Harriet (widow of William Harsha, of
        Canonsburg, this county), Elizabeth (deceased in 1851), John (subject), David (married
        to Maria McLaughlin, and died in 1852), Samuel (deceased October 8, 1849) and
        William G. (of whom mention is made further on). Mr. Fee was an active member of the
        Whig party, serving as justice of the peace for many years, and in religion a member of
        the Cross Roads United Presbyterian Church. He died November 25, 1861, being
        followed by his wife on October 28, 1877.

        John Fee was educated in the schools of Chartiers township, and then learned the
        carpenter's trade, which he followed about thirteen years, spending six months in
        Cincinnati in 1843. On September 29, 1847, he was married to Hannah Quinn, a native
        of Washington borough, but reared in Chartiers township. She is a daughter of James
        Quinn, who was born in Ireland, and settled in Washington county, Penn., at an early
        day. Mrs. Fee has one living brother, James Quinn, of Tyner, Ohio. The following
        children have been born to John and Hannah Fee: Lida A., John, David (married to Eva
        Pattison, and living at Canonsburg, this county), Rebecca (wife of Matthew A. Cain, of
        Chartiers township), Samuel (married to Anna McCoy, and living at McConnell's Mill),
        Ellis, Harry (married to Jennie McCarty, and living at McConnell's Mill), and William H.
        (married to Julia M. Humphrey, and living in Canonsburg). After his marriage John Fee
        settled on the farm of 113 acres, where he is now living. This farm is of excellent soil,
        has upon it a considerable amount of timber and is underlaid with a vein of No. 1 coal.

        Mr. Fee has served the public several terms as school director, and both he and Mrs.
        Fee are held in high esteem by all who know them. Both are faithful and consistent
        members of Cross Roads United Presbyterian Church. Politically Mr. Fee is a
        Republican.

        Mr. Fee's only living brother is Prof. William G. Fee, of Cherokee county, Iowa,
        married to Elizabeth Welch. He is a noted educator, and has twice held the office of
        county superintendent of schools for Washington county, Penn. He removed from
        Canonsburg to Iowa in 1878, where he owns a quarter section of land. He is an elder in
        the United Presbyterian Church, of Quimby, Iowa.'

Text taken from page 727 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893).

Other Fee Families The following excerpts were extracted from various sources and have not been documented as to relationships to our family. They are only listed here as research possibilities.

Colonel John Fee, b. 1759 d. 26 August 1845 married 1) Patience Kelly and had one known son, John. He married 2) Jane Jackson and had a son George Fee, b. 1820, who married Mary Porter. She was born on the ship from Ireland to the USA. George and Mary had eight known children, Jackson, William, John, Washington, James, Rachel, Lydia, and Mary. This family moved from Huntingdon Co., Pennsylvania to Fairfield, Iowa. Since Rebecca Fee married Colonel Gooding as her second husband and other records show an ongoing association with the military, it is possible that she was the daughter of an officer. (Scrapbook of Fairfield obituaries and writeups)

George Fee, who d.1739 came from England to Baltimore, Maryland around 1690 and settled in Frederick Co., Maryland. His sons John and Thomas (1732-1816) went to Greene Township, Washington Co., Pennsylvania around 1781 as they were both in the Washington County, Pennsylvania tax lists of 1781. Thomas went to Mason County, Kentucky in 1793 and then on to Clermont Co., Ohio in 1795. William, Thomas and Thomas, Jr. were all taxed in Franklin Township, Washington Co., Pa. in 1793. John Fee was remained in Greene Township. Thomas Fee also served in the Washington County, Pennsylvania militia as a private. He was buried at Morrow, Ohio. He married second to Sarah Leith. Benjamin Lakin married Rachel Fee 1739-1811, daughter of George Fee. Benjamin Lakin was born in Montgomery Co., Maryland in 1739. Their son, Benjamin, was a minister. The family later moved to Clermont County, Ohio.

John Fee and Thomas Fee were both in the Washington County, Pennsylvania tax list of 1781. Thomas Fee's son John Fee (1757-1822) was a tobacco planter in Bracken County, Kentucky and an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Sharon for 30 years. He married in 1783 to Elizabeth Bradford; daughter of William Bradford, who came to Washington County, Pennsylvania before 1780.

That one of these families is that of Rebecca Fee who married Thomas Jarrard is undisputable; however, her precise parentage has not been traced.

The Family of Thomas Jarrard/Rebecca Fee

Generation No. 1

1. Thomas2 Jarrard (Andrew1) was born 1772 in Virginia, and died October 16, 1823 in St. Clair County, Illinois. He married Elizabeth Rebecca Fee February 14, 1799 in Montgomery Co., Md.1.

Children of Thomas Jarrard and Elizabeth Fee are:

2 i. Mary3 Jarrard, born Abt. 1800. She married Robert Bailey December 26, 1816.

Notes for Mary Jarrard: The Brooke Co. Virginia marriage records have Nancy Jarrard marrying Robert Bailey on December 24, 1815, but the Adams County, Ohio records say he married Mary Jarrard on December 26, 1816. Nancy and Mary Jarrard are probably the same person, as that is the name on her tombstone and Robert Bailey purchased her father's silver watch at his estate sale. They are buried in the Union Cemetery in St. Clair County, Illinois.

3 ii. William Jarrard, born January 23, 1801 in Alleghany Co., Pa.; died Bef. 1820.
+ 4 iii. Rachel Jarrard, born Bef. 1803. of age in 1823
+ 5 iv. John Jarrard, born 1805 in Virginia.of age in 1823
6 v. Amanda Jarrard, born Bef. 1810.
7 vi. Elizabeth Jarrard, born Bef. 1810.
8 vii. Delilah Jarrard, born Aft. 1810.
9 viii. Lydia Jarrard, born Aft. 1810.
+ 10 ix. George Jarrard, born 1819 in St. Clair Co., Ill; died 1884.

Generation No. 2

4. Rachel3 Jarrard (Thomas2, Andrew1) was born Bef. 1803. She married (2) Daniel M. Barker2, son of Zebediah Barker and Susanna. She married (1) John Ross December 18, 1817.

Child of Rachel Jarrard and Daniel Barker is:
11 i. Susan O.4 Barker.

5. John3 Jarrard (Thomas2, Andrew1) was born 1805 in Virginia. He married Elizabeth Harrison November 13, 1824 in St. Clair County, Illinois, daughter of Thomas Harrison and Margaret Galbreath. They were divorced.

Children of John Jarrard and Elizabeth Harrison are:

12 i. Mary Ann4 Jarrard. She married a Johnson.
13 ii. Margaret Jarrard, born January 13, 1826; died December 12, 1898 in Brooklyn Ctr., MN. She married Mahlon Atliff Green November 09, 1847 in Belleville, Il.

10. George3 Jarrard (Thomas2, Andrew1) was born 1819 in St. Clair Co., Ill, and died 1884. He married Mary Jane Cummings June 03, 1841 in St. Clair Co., Ill., daughter of John Cummings and Mary Hubbard.

Children of George Jarrard and Mary Cummings are:

14 i. Louisa Ann4 Jarrard, born 1844 in St. Clair County, Illinois; died 1929 in Washington Co., Iowa. She married James McAtlin March 18, 1875 in Washington County, Iowa.
15 ii. Benjamin Franklin Jarrard, born February 28, 1847 in St. Clair Co., Ill; died March 26, 1926 in Washington Co., Ia.. He married Nancy Ellen Fulton February 26, 1874 in Washington Co., Ia..

Endnotes

1. Marriage Records, Montgomery County, Maryland.
2. DAR Records.