Anthony Chamness Sr. ³

  General Notes:

Anthony and Sarah (Cole) Chamness were the founders of the Chamness
family in America.

Anthony Chamness was born on February 17, 1713 to John and Ann (Weary)
Chamness. His family lived in the area of Wapping, now part of London
located just southeast of the Royal Mint along the Thames. His parents were married at St. John's Church of Wapping on January 4, 1704. Anthony was baptized at St. John's when he was 18 days old.
Four older siblings and four younger siblings were also baptized there.
Anthony's birthplace is listed as East Smithfield, a road in that area. Birthplaces of his siblings include East Smithfield, Wiltshire Lane, and Parrott Alley. The family name is spelled "Chamniss" in the church records. The name had earlier evolved from "Champneys" and "le Chaumpeneys".

Family legend states that Anthony was lured aboard a ship in London,
kidnaped, and brought to the colonies. However researchers have found a record of indenture for Anthony. On February 9, 1725 he was indentured to John Cooke of London as a bond servant for 7 years. His home is listed as White Chapel in Middlesex County, which lies just east of Wapping. His destination was Maryland. The indenture lists his age as 15, but according to his birth date he was just turning 12.

Sarah Cole was born May 1, 1718, probably in Baltimore County, Maryland.
She was the daughter of Joseph and Susanna Cole. Joseph died in 1720, leaving
land to Sarah in Baltimore County. We do not know how long her mother lived afterward or whether she remarried. Family legend states that Sarah was also an indentured servant, however her grandparents, John and Johanna (Garrett) Cole, owned many tracts of land in Baltimore County and probably helped care for her. The Cole and Garrett families go back several generations in Baltimore County.

In 1732 Anthony would have completed his indenture and become a free man.
On November 24, 1735, Anthony and Sarah were married in St. Paul's Parish,
Baltimore County, Maryland. Their first 3 children (Elizabeth, Susanna, and Joseph) were born in Baltimore County. On August 26, 1741 they were given a certificate of transfer from the Gunpowder Monthly Meeting in Baltimore County to the Monocacy Meeting located near what is now Buckeyestown in Frederick County, Maryland. So far, this is the first reference to the family found in Quaker records.

Anthony and Sarah lived in this area from 1742 to 1749 and their next 3
children (Sarah, Mary, and Martha) were born there. Their church, the Monocacy
Preparatory Meeting, was initially part of the Hopewell (Virginia) Monthly Meeting.
In 1744 the Fairfax (Virginia) Monthly Meeting was formed which included the members of Monocacy. The land around the meeting was initially part of Prince George's County, Maryland, but in 1748 it became part of newly formed Frederick County.

The Chamness family left the Monocacy area in 1749 with a letter of
transfer from Fairfax Monthly Meeting to Carver's Creek Monthly Meeting in North
Carolina. They settled on Cane Creek in central North Carolina. This area was initially part of Anson County, but in 1751 it was included in newly formed Orange County. Anthony and Sarah's son John was born in "Orange County" on June 1, 1749, and they were among the initial overseers of Cane Creek Monthly Meeting when it was formed on October 7, 1751.

On June 24, 1751 Anthony received a Granville grant of 490 acres lying on
Cane Creek. This land is located near the present Cane Creek Friends Meeting
west of the village of Snow Camp. It was originally in Orange County, but became part of Chatham County and later Alamance County as these counties were formed.

Anthony and Sarah's next 6 children (John, Anthony, Rachel, Ann, Lydia,
and Joshua) were born in Orange County between 1749 and 1761. Another child,
Stephanus, was born about 1764. He is not listed in the Quaker records or in Anthony's will.

Susanna was the second oldest and first to marry in 1755 at age 17. Her
sisters Sarah and Mary were married on the same day in 1759 at ages 17 and 16
respectively. Sixth oldest Martha married in 1762 at age 16. Finally Joseph, third child and oldest son married in 1763 at age 23. The oldest daughter, Elizabeth, signed Joseph's marriage certificate in 1763, but died sometime before 1776 when Anthony made out his will.

On August 31, 1764 Anthony and Sarah signed papers selling land in
Baltimore County which had belonged to her father, Joseph Cole. Sarah died within the next year or two, leaving 6 children at home ages 4 to 16.

On September 1, 1766 Anthony was married to Rachel Haworth, widow of
Stephanus Haworth. She brought five of her own children to the family: Charity,
Sarah, Welmett, George, and Rachel. The two oldest, John Chamness and Charity Haworth soon found themselves married under conditions that caused the Quaker meeting to dismiss them. In 1769 Anthony Jr. was also dismissed over his marriage. That same year Joseph moved his young family out of the Cane Creek area to New Garden Monthly Meeting (North Carolina).

Rachel helped raise Anthony's remaining young children. She died on March
19, 1775 and was buried at Deep River Meeting. Anthony was remarried on May 9,
1776 to Margaret Williams, age 56, widow of William Williams. She brought several of her own children to the family, including Rachel, age 23. Rachel and Joshua Chamness, age 15, soon married and were dismissed by the Quaker meeting.

Anthony died on September 20, 1777. His will is on file in the North Carolina Archives. It bears a reminder of the Revolution going on at the time of
his death. It begins "I Anthony Chamness of Chatham County and province of North Carolina.." but the "province" has been crossed out and "State" has been written in above it.
Anthony and Sarah are buried in the cemetery at Cane Creek Meeting.

  Research Notes:

Will of Anthony Chamness
I Anthony Chamness of Chatham County and State of North Carolina This twenty-first Day of the Eleventh month commonly called November in the year of our Lord One thousand seven Hundred seventy and six:, Being in health of Body and perfect Mind and Memory Blessed be God. . And Knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die: I do make and ordain this my last will and Testament, and as touching our worldly Estate as it hath pleased God to Bless me with. in this I give devise and dispose of in Manner following, First I ordain and constitute my Eldest son Joseph Chamness to be my only and soal Executor of this my Last will and testament: I allow my funeral charges and just debts to be first paid out of my Estate: Also I give and Devise to my son John Chamness all that parcel of land whereon he now lives beginning at Betty Mayners southeast Corner Running thence north to Richard Kemps Corner thence west along Kemps Line to the petition fence: thence, of astrait Corner to Betty Mayners Line containing less or more to be freely possessed and enjoyed by him his heirs or assigns forever..... Also I give to my son Joshua Chamness the Remainder part of my land that I now live on to be freely possessed and enjoyed by him his Heirs or assigns forever. But if my son Joshua should decease without an Heir Lawfully Begotten of his Body, then his share of Land to be sold and the Money to be Equally Divided Between my sons Joseph and Anthony. I also give to my son Joshua one feather bed furniture and Bedstead [?] the waggon and all the geers and the three Work Creatures with all the plantation tools as two plows and an Iron toothed Harrow and Mattock and hoes and the working tools Belonging to the plantation with chears table and chest and his [?] and Yearling the puter tankard fire tongs and shovel and the largest [?] and hooks and [?] Rack Also I give and devise to my Daughter Ann Chamness the feather Bed furniture and bedstead that was called Elizabeths and the cow bell [?] and her [?] from this time with three puter basons and four puter plates and one puter dish I also give and devise to my daughter Rachel [?] three puter plates and two puter basons...I give to my daughter Susannah Reynolds five shillings ... I give to my daughter Sarah Vestal five shillings... I also give to my daughter Mary Davis five shillings ... I also give to my daughter Martha Husey five shillings ... I also give to my son Anthony Chamness my worsted suit best hat and tea kettle I also allow the Rest of my Cattle to be Equally divided Between my two sons Joseph and Joshua...I also allow my sheep to be equally devided Between my son Joshua and his Step Mother and the gees and the rest of the fowls with the hogs after they have been killed Their winters meat all to be Equally devided...I also allow her to have the half of the grain that is Raised on the plantation untill my son Joshua comes to age and after he comes to age if she pleases to live with him and to do for him and he pleases to let her then she may have the third of what is Raised and the flax also to be devided he is to [dress?] it and she to make it Ready for wearing - I also allow her all the goods and Chattles that she Brought here that was her former husbands to be her own and my children to have no clame therein I also give to my daughter Lydia Ward the Case of Drawers the puter Quart and fine flackes. I allow Sarah Wheeler to have the Course flackes I also allow Sarah Wheelers Eldest Dan Wellmet to have one Black Cow unmarked one puter dish The Coffy Pot and Canister and a tin spice box and a large puter Bason all which was Called her granmothers.... In witness and Testamony I Anthony Chamness do hereunto set my hand and seal the Day and Year first above written signed and sealed in the presence of ? Witnesses William Marshill Joseph Cloud [?] Jacob Marshill X Anthony A. Chamness (Seal) Mark Chatham County, Nov [?] 1783 Duly proved in open Court by the Affirmation of William Marshill & ordered to be Recorded.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Came to America, 1734.

Anthony married Sarah Cole, daughter of Joseph Cole and Susannah Darwell, on 24 Nov 1735 in St. Paul's Parish, Baltimore, Maryland. (Sarah Cole was born on 1 May 1718 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and died about 1765 in Cane Creek MM, Orange, North Carolina, USA.)

Anthony next married Margaret Evans (McGrew) on 9 May 1776 in Cane Creek MM, Orange, North Carolina, USA.^{1 2} (Margaret Evans (McGrew) was born in 1721 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA and died about 1795 in Loudoun, Virginia, USA.)