James Moon, Jr.

James Moon, Jr.

• Birth: 1668 Bristol, England
• Death: Apr. 6, 1755 Fallsington Bucks County Pennsylvania
• Son of James Moon, Sr. and Joan "Jane" (Burgess) Moon
• Husband of 1) Mary Wilsford 2) Agnes Priestly

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH - JAMES MOON JR.

Milton Moon, Silver Spring, MD, wrote this sketch.

JAMES MOON Jr., the eldest son of James Moon and Joan Burgess was born in England about 1669. His parents came to this country and into Bucks County, PA in 1682 and it is to be assumed that he accompanied him at that time. His father's will names him as his eldest son and suggests, by the ordering of the children, that he was probably the second child. We know from a property deed that he purchased land jointly with his father in Bucks County, PA in 1688.

He married first to Mary Wilsford on February 2, 1697. The marriage was recorded in the minutes of the Falls MM, but no information on the parentage of Mary is given. The record states that James Jr. was granted a certificate to marry Mary Wilsford, and this would normally mean that, as a Quaker, she was not a member of the same meeting.

Three children were born to this marriage; namely John Moon, April 12, 1698, Simon Moon, April 11, 1700, and Thomas Moon, June 4, 1701. These births were not recorded in the Falls MM records, which may indicate that the children were not born there.

Mary (Wilsford) Moon died prior to 1712 as indicated by the remarriage of James Jr. in 1714.

Of the children we have the following information:

1. John, the oldest, does not appear again in any record available to me.
2. Simon, who married Lauretha Humphrey, later moved to VA and was the forebearer of a large family of Moons who pioneered into North Carolina and later to states west and south.
3. Thomas was in Philadelphia in 1726 at the time his children were christened.

After the death of Mary (Wilsford) Moon, James Jr. married Agnes Priestly, daughter of John Priestly Sr. and his wife Agnes Priestly, on September 3, 1714. This marriage was also noted in the Falls MM minutes with the statement that James Moon was reported to have married Agnes Priestly. This indicates that James Jr. was still a member of the Falls MM but that the marriage did not occur there. Here again, Agnes must have been a Quaker since he was not disowned. To this marriage one son was born.

He was named John Moon, leading one to suspect that the John Moon of the earlier marriage may have died in childhood. This birth, on August 4, 1717, was recorded in the Falls MM birth records.

I have very little information on the life of James Moon Jr. Jourdon states that he lived his life in Bucks County, and that he was deputy sheriff in 1714. Data available to me indicates that he died in 1755 at which time he would have been eighty-six years of age.

Inscription: (unmarked)

Note: There are no inscriptions on the Quaker gravestones of this period, and it is not known which stone was his.

Don't confuse with brother James who married Mary and Agnes and died on April 6, 1755

Estate of Jasper Moon. Letters of administration being granted his widow in Pennsylvania April 29, 1726. He was a carpenter. The Letters of Administration for Jasper are signed by a James Moon (brother) as well as Susannah Moon (wife)

"Additional notes by Darrell Brown

"The parents of James Moon Jr are said to have been married in Bristol, England, so it is assumed that he was born in Bristol.

"According to records of the Society of Friends, in 1722 the home of James Moon burned down, along with the home of Thomas Clifford. The loss was estimated at 600 pounds, worth today about 42,000 British pounds or 57,000 US dollars. This was an exceptionally large sum in those pioneer days. Over the next two years, the Friends Meetings throughout eastern Pennsylvania raised money by subscription for enable James Moon and Thomas Clifford rebuild and refurnish their homes. A result of that fund-raising might be the log house that still stands in Fallsington (see photo). It was built on land that had been owned by Samuel Burgess, the deceased grandfather of James Moon Jr., and it adjoins the land of his father, James Moon Sr. It is believed by some that Edmund Lovett constructed the original part of the house, after he purchased the land in 1685. The first written record of the house itself is in 1760, after the death of James Moon in 1755. In 1769 it was occupied by Samuel Moon, a nephew of James. Like other Quaker houses of that time and place, it was built according to a Swedish design recommended by William Penn, the founder of the colony."

Research Notes

James Moon II was the son of James Moon. James emigrated to America and started a farm in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Later his father, James Moon Sr. sold his Farm in Gloucestershire, England and brought his wife and other children, and joined son James Moon II there. Later James Moon II relocated to North Carolina with his wife and children where he passed away in approximately 1740. His brother Roger Moon took over the Moon family farm in Pennsylvania.

Biographical Sketch of James Moon, Jr., by Milton Moon, Silver Spring, MD
at genealogy.com :

JAMES MOON Jr., the eldest son of James Moon and Joan Burgess, was born in England about 1669. His parents came to this country and into Bucks County, PA in 1682, and it is to be assumed that he accompanied them at that time. His father's will names him as his eldest son and suggests, by the ordering of the children, that he was probably the second child. We know from a property deed that he purchased land jointly with his father in Bucks County, PA in 1688.

He married first to Mary Wilsford on February 2, 1697. The marriage was recorded in the minutes of the Falls MM, but no information on the parentage of Mary is given. The record states that James Jr. was granted a certificate to marry Mary Wilsford, and this would normally mean that, as a Quaker, she was not a member of the same meeting. Three children were born to this marriage; namely John Moon, April 12, 1698, Simon Moon, April 11, 1700, and Thomas Moon, June 4, 1701. These births were not recorded in the Falls MM records, which may indicate that the children were not born there. Mary (Wilsford) Moon died prior to 1712 as indicated by the remarriage of James Jr. in 1714.

Of the children we have the following information: John, the oldest, does not appear again in any record available to me. Simon, who married Lauretha Humphrey, later moved to VA and was the forebear of a large family of Moons who pioneered into North Carolina and later to states west and south. Thomas was in Philadelphia in 1726 at the time his children were christened.

After the death of Mary (Wilsford) Moon, James Jr. married Agnes Priestly, daughter of John Priestly Sr. and his wife Agnes Priestly, on September 3, 1714. This marriage was also noted in the Falls MM minutes with the statement that James Moon was reported to have married Agnes Priestly. This indicates that James Jr. was still a member of the Falls MM but that the marriage did not occur there. Here again, Agnes must have been a Quaker since he was not disowned. To this marriage one son was born. He was named John Moon, leading one to suspect that the John Moon of the earlier marriage may have died in childhood. This birth, on August 4, 1717, was recorded in the Falls MM birth records.

I have very little information on the life of James Moon Jr. Jourdon states that he lived his life in Bucks County, and that he was deputy sheriff in 1714. Data available to me indicates that he died in 1755 at which time he would have been eighty-six years of age.

From The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, eds. Warren S. Ely and John W. Jordan, 2nd edition, 1905, as reprinted in two parts in 1992, as A Genealogical and Personal History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Part 1, p. 232:
James Moon and Joan Burges were married near Bristol, England, and with a family of children were among the early emigrants to settle in Pennsylvania. By deed dated 10 mo. 13, 1688, he purchased of James Hill 125 acres of land in Falls township, one and a half miles west from Morrisville, and largely covered in 1905 by the classification yard of the Trenton branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. On 12 mo. 11, 1706. he conveyed the same by deed in fee to his son Roger. James Moon's will mentions six children: Sarah, James, Jonas, Jasper, Mary and Roger. James married Mary Wilsford, 1 mo., 1696, and afterward Agnes Priestly, in 1714; he deceased 4th mo. 6, 1755.

From The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, eds. Warren S. Ely and John W. Jordan, 2nd edition, 1905, as reprinted in two parts in 1992, as A Genealogical and Personal History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Part 1, p. 232:
James Moon and Joan Burges were married near Bristol, England, and with a family of children were among the early emigrants to settle in Pennsylvania. By deed dated 10 mo. 13, 1688, he purchased of James Hill 125 acres of land in Falls township, one and a half miles west from Morrisville, and largely covered in 1905 by the classification yard of the Trenton branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. On 12 mo. 11, 1706. he conveyed the same by deed in fee to his son Roger. James Moon's will mentions six children: Sarah, James, Jonas, Jasper, Mary and Roger. James married Mary Wilsford, 1 mo., 1696, and afterward Agnes Priestly, in 1714; he deceased 4th mo. 6, 1755.

From The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, eds. Warren S. Ely and John W. Jordan, 2nd edition, 1905, as reprinted in two parts in 1992, as A Genealogical and Personal History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Part 1, p. 232:
James Moon and Joan Burges were married near Bristol, England, and with a family of children were among the early emigrants to settle in Pennsylvania. By deed dated 10 mo. 13, 1688, he purchased of James Hill 125 acres of land in Falls township, one and a half miles west from Morrisville, and largely covered in 1905 by the classification yard of the Trenton branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. On 12 mo. 11, 1706. he conveyed the same by deed in fee to his son Roger. James Moon's will mentions six children: Sarah, James, Jonas, Jasper, Mary and Roger. James married Mary Wilsford, 1 mo., 1696, and afterward Agnes Priestly, in 1714; he deceased 4th mo. 6, 1755.

Additional notes by Darrell Brown
Since James Jr. emigrated from England with his parents, and they had lived in Bristol, it is presumed that James was born in Bristol.
According to records of the Society of Friends, in 1722 the home of James Moon burned down, along with the home of Thomas Clifford. The loss was estimated at 600 pounds, worth today about 42,000 British pounds or 57,000 US dollars. This was an exceptionally large sum in those pioneer days. Over the next two years, the Friends Meetings throughout eastern Pennsylvania raised money by subscription for enable James Moon and Thomas Clifford rebuild and refurnish their homes. A result of that fund-raising might be the log house that still stands in Fallsington (see photo). It was built on land that had been owned by Samuel Burgess, the deceased grandfather of James Moon Jr., and it adjoins the land of his father, James Moon Sr. It is believed by some that Edmund Lovett constructed the original part of the house, after he purchased the land in 1685. The first written record of the house itself is in 1760, after the death of James Moon in 1755. In 1769 it was occupied by Samuel Moon, a nephew of James. Like other Quaker houses of that time and place, it was built according to a Swedish design recommended by William Penn, the founder of the colony.

Further information on the Fallsington Meeting of Friends can be found here.

References

1. James' birth and death information is available at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134219534/james-moon The above-mentioned URL states that James was born on 12 April 1668 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, but an article below states that James was born in England.
2. Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Nov 26 2019, 12:03:01 UTC
3. Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 30 2022, 23:27:31 UTC
4. Reference: Ancestry
5. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Moon-10
   1. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Minutes, 1683-1730; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: MR-Ph 177
   2. Hinshaw, William Wade and Thomas Worth Marshall, Compiler. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Volume II. Includes Monthly Meetings for Salem, New Jersey; Burlington, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Falls, Pennsylvania Originally published: Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1938. Reprinted: Genealogical Publish Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1969, 1991, 1994. Falls Monthly Meeting, page 1016
   3. Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Falls Copy Births, Deaths and Marriages; Collection: Quaker Meeting Records; Call Number: RG2/Ph/F35 3.1
   4. Jordan, John W., LL.D., Editor. Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania. Genealogical and Personal Memoirs. Volume III. New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1911. page 1285 NOTE: Someone has removed the location and tags where this citation originally appeared.
   5. Davis, William W. H. A Genealogical and Personal History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Originally published 1905; Reprinted for Clearfield Company, Inc. by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, Maryland. 1992, 1994, 1999. pages 212-213
6. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LBLQ-6NS cites
   1. "Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-899B-2Y4T?cc=1999196&w... : 3 July 2014), Bucks > Wills 1713-1759 vol 1-2 > image 23 of 382; county courthouses, Pennsylvania.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jan 21 2023, 19:19:43 UTC