Perhaps Jacob Stover, Jr.

Seen as Jacob Harley, son of Robert Harley

http://adkinshorton.net/getperson.php?personID=I5394&tree=ah

Jacob Stover (Stober, Stauber, Stauffer — The red border around Jacob's surname indicates this is updated information somewhat resolving previously posted ambiguous information.) Married Mary Adkins

• Per researcher, Ralph Adkins, Jacob Stover & Mary Adkins were both in Snow Creek District of Lunenberg Co, VA in 1754; which is also the birth year for Mary's oldest child, David Adkins.

• DNA evidence suggests that Jacob Stover, Jr. was the father of Mary's children (him being at least the most likely candidate).

• It is unclear why Mary's children bore the Adkins name.

Heritage unproven Robert 1st Earl (d. 1724) was succeeded by Edward only son of first wife. Thomas the son of Robert's second wife maybe father of Jacob (John?).

Royalty with no death date? Is the John below perhaps this "Jacob" (often used nickname)

away to America?

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~yewenyi/9513.htm

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/PRF/individual_record.asp?re...

Gene Pool: Sherod Adkins Birth: 1766-- Botetourt, Fincastle, VA Death: -- Spouse: Sarah Lucas Parents: Jacob Harley, Mary Adkins

From Family notes of Virginia Pierce of Salem, OR 97303 : "Mary Adkins is the mother of Jacob Adkins, who married Phoebe Bradshaw. There are several stories about the marriage of Mary Adkins and Jacob. We are not sure what his last name is. Some say it is Harley. However, it seems to b e a fact that he was sent to America as a tax collector for the Crown. They had seven children. Mary's brothers did not like him and fought with him. He wa supposed to be the son of an English Earl - the Earl of Oxford. Some people called him Jacob Oxford, but that was not his name. When the revolutionary war arose, he was called back to England, and he did not take Mary and their children with him. He never returned to America. When he died he left some money for Mary and the children, but they would have had to go to E ngland and present their claim for it, so they never received anything. Mary raised her family alone and they all turn ed out to be good people . The children all took their mother's name ADKINS."

http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jjadkins/chronicles/indexSept98.htm l : "Mary ADKINS (35) was born in 1735 in Goochland County , Virginia.(36) She died between 1814 and 1820 in Cabell Co unty, Virginia .(37) Mary Adkins is the mother of almost al l Adkins descendants of Southwestern West Virginia. With most family researchers her descendants make up the so-calle d "Royal Line". This Royal Line theory comes from the family oral tradition that Mary lived common law with a descendant of the Earl of Oxford. According to the tradition, he deserted Mary and her children during the Revolutionary War and returned to England. Because the family name of the person that held the title 'Earl of Oxford' during the mid 1700 s was Harley it was assumed by almost all researchers that this man's name was Jacob Harley. Mary Adkins is buried i n an unmarked grave on Beech Fork at the mouth of Bowen's Creek."

As reported by Paul Dyer with references from Lambert Papers on the Adkins Family, by Hariam Adkins, Mae Adkins Tabor' s recorded in Wayne Couty News, and Ronnie Adkins of Montgo mery, Alabama:

"Jacob HARLEY was born about 1733 in Oxford, England. Son of an English Earl came to America as a Tax Collector and met Mary Adkins, and by common law marriage, lived with her and was the parent of several children.

When trouble between the Colonies and England began, Jacob Harley returned to England without his family. At his death he left a large sum of money to his son Jacob, but he refused to go to England to claim his fortune. Instead, in 17 79, he, with his mother, brothers and sisters crossed the Allegheny Mountains and later, setteled in the Beech Fork section of what is now Wayne County, WV."

"IRISH BURKS OF COLONIAL VIRGINIA AND NEW RIVER," Patrici a Givens Johnson, Walpa Publishing, 4201 Prices Fork Rd, Bl acksburg VA, 24060, 1992., According to Johnson, there wa s no marriage between Jacob HARLEY and Mary ADKINS/ATKINS . All of her children went by the name of ADKINS/ATKINS.

Grace Gregory's," Book of Remembrance," Records that Jacob was a descendant of the Earl of Oxford.

IGI. 5029209, 1553932.

"IRISH BURKS OF COLONIAL VIRGINIA AND NEW RIVER," P. G. Johnson, Walpa Publishing, 4201 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg VA , 24060, 1992, p. 172: "The ATKINS family say that Mary ATKINS had lived with a British tax-collector named Jacob HARLEY who was the son of the third Earl of Oxford, a Royalist . Jacob HARLEY had six children by Mary ATKINS. When the Revolutionary War broke out he went back to England deserting Mary and the children who bore the ATKINS name (Hobert O . Franklin, quoting from Fred Lambert Collections, Marshal l Univeristy, Huntington, WV)."

Jacob married Mary Adkins, daughter of William V. Adkins Sr and Elizabeth Parker, in Virgina, USA 163,164.,165 (Mary Adkins was born in 1735 in Goochland, Goochland, Virginia, USA,163,164,165 died in Beech Hill, Mason, West Virginia, USA 163,164,165 and was buried Unmarked Grave on Beech Fork in Mouth Of Bowen's Creek 164.)

http://adkinshorton.net/getperson.php?personID=I5394&tree=ah

Note in brief clarification related to the allegation that Jacob Harley was the "Earl of Oxford" by Doug Couch, owner of this website:

This family legend seems to be unfounded. One website (site not recorded) which cited this "title" stated that it was a term of endearment, rather than a bona fide English title. This is a more likely scenario.

The earliest Earls of Oxford (20) all lived too early to have been the father of a Jacob Harley married to Mary Adkins, except perhaps the last, Aubrey de Vere, the 20th Earl of Oxford, rather than the 3rd as often cited as Jacob's father. Records from peerage show both those Earls who succeeded to the position, and those who did not. The Earls of Oxford held the position from 1110-1703.

Also called Earl of Oxford, were the Earls of Oxford and Mortimer. The time period for these Earls is more compatible with the Jacob legend, holding the position from 1661-1853. Of these, the 3rd Earl, Edward, had three sons, Edward (4th Earl), John (father of Edward the 5th Earl), and Thomas (Mayor of London). None of these more contemporary Earls' cited descendants were named Jacob. This does not prove there was no Jacob son; however, it "may" indicate that such a son was illegitimate and not in line for the Earldom.

There were also the Earls of Oxford and Asquith from 1852 to the present day. These Earls were all born too late to have a son named Jacob married to Mary.

If Jacob was known to be a descendant or other relative of an Earl of Oxford, and thus lovingly called an Earl by his family, no connection has been shown. One or two authors of genealogy works have cited him as such, but unless someone produces the basis of such a citation, it has no value.

If there had been a Jacob, Earl of Oxford, or a Jacob in line to become Earl of Oxford, it is unlikely he would run off to North America and abandon such a vast wealth, and there are protocols and expectations involved. It is also unlikely that such a man would have a son, Jacob (Jr.), who would inherit all this wealth and then ignore it in favor of a trip across the Allegheny's, as is sometimes also part of the family legend. Whether a term of endearment or simply a wild family tale, there is little reason to accept it as a fact. If Jacob returned to England, where is the record of such a voyage, as there surely would be one?