Tofterå / Slettemoen genealogy


Peter Hanks [Parents] was born about 1673 in North Farnham, VA. He died about 1 APR 1733 in Annapolis, Anne Arundel, Maryland. He married Mary Beez on 20 AUG 1702 in St. Ann's parish, Anne Arundel, Maryland.

Mary Beez was born about 1680 in St. Ann's parish, Anne Arundel, Maryland. She died after APR 1733 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. She married Peter Hanks on 20 AUG 1702 in St. Ann's parish, Anne Arundel, Maryland.

Very little is known about Mary Beez (sometimes also spelled Beeze -- her name is presumed to be taken from her marriage record).

As she was married to a Hanks man, genealogists studying the ancestry of Abraham Lincoln identified her in their quest for information on Nancy Hanks' lineage. (Although her husband Peter is not ancestor of Nancy's the researchers did not know this at the time.)

Warren and Chidsey researched Mary's husband. Records of their correspondence are held and published by the Lincoln Financial Foundation.«u»«sup»[1] <https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Beez-1>«/u»«/sup»

We identify her as the first and only wife of «u»Peter Hanks«/u» from oft-cited marriage records in St. Anne's Parish, Anne Arundel County.
«tab»«b»birth: perhaps 1680«/b»
«tab»«b»marriage: August 20, 1702«/b» (as stated by Fishman, citing St. Anne's Parish) or 1707
«tab»«b»death: on or after April 1733;«/b» assuming she was the only wife of Peter, she have died some time after he wrote his will, in which he made his wife a legatee without giving her name. The will was dated April 3, 1733 -- some say she died around 1740.

Mary and Peter appear in some unsourced indexes with varying vitals. See «u»his profile <https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hanks-737>«/u» .
«b»A review of the actual St. Anne's Parish records would hopefully provide more and more certain information«/b»\f3

They had the following children:

  F i Lydia Hanks was born on 25 SEP 1704 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland.
  M ii William Hanks was born on 25 JUL 1707 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland.
  F iii Eleanor Hanks

Thomas Hanks was born about 1625 in Wiltshire, England. He died about 8 APR 1674 in Gloucester Co., VA. He married Elisabeth Lee about 1650 in Gloucester Co., VA.

Thomas was born in England. He most likely died during Bacon's Rebellion (8 April 1674), near Farnham, Virginia. He and his wife Elizabeth had at least three sons, William, George and Robert. All three sons settled in Richmond County, Virginia.

Thomas Hanks (Hank, Hancks, Hankes, Hanckes) was probably born between the years 1620-30 in or near the village of Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England. This is based on the fact that the Hanks Family in general, came from Malmesbury and there is a taxpayer named Thomas Hanks in Malmesbury in 1642, who is never in the tax roles again. As he was a tax payer in 1642, his birth most surely would have been before 1625. However, there is no real proof of when or where in England he was born. Almost all that is known of Thomas in America has been gleaned from Virginia land records, and to understand the significance of those records, a basic knowledge of headrights and indentured servitude is important:

By 1620, the Virginia Company had organized an effective system that enabled poorer Englishmen to sail for America. By law, any person who settled in Virginia or paid for the transportation expenses of another person who settled in Virginia should be entitled to receive fifty acres of land for each immigrant. Grantees had to pay annual quitrents (a kind of real estate tax), and "plant and seat" the land in order to keep it. The right to receive fifty acres per person, or per head, was called a headright. The practice was continued under the royal government of Virginia after the dissolution of the Virginia Company, and the Privy council ordered on 22 July 1634 that patents for headrights be issued.

A person who was entitled to a headright usually obtained a certificate of entitlement from a county court and then took the certificate to the office of the secretary of the colony, who issued the headright, or right to patent fifty acres of land. The holder of the headright then had the county surveyor make a survey of the land and then took the survey and the headright back to the capital to obtain a patent for the tract of land. When the patent was issued, the names of the immigrants, or headrights, were often included in the text of the document.

As valuable properties, headrights could be bought and sold. The person who obtained a patent to a tract of land under a headright might not have been the person who immigrated or who paid for the immigration of another person. Headrights were not always claimed immediately after immigration, either; there are instances in which several years elapsed between a person's entry into Virginia and the acquisition of a headright and sometimes even longer between then and the patenting of a tract of land.

The headright system was subject to a wide variety of abuses from outright fraud to multiple claims by a merchant and a ship's captain to a headright for the same immigrant passenger. Some prominent merchants and colonial officials received headrights for themselves each time they returned to Virginia from abroad. As a result of the abuses and of the transferable nature of the headrights, the system, which may have been intended initially to promote settlement and ownership of small plots of land by numerous immigrants, resulted in the accumulation of large tracts of land by a small number of merchants, shippers, and early land speculators.

The presence of a name as a headright in a land patent, then, establishes that a person of a certain name had entered Virginia prior to the date of the patent; but it does not prove when the person immigrated or who was initially entitled to the headright.
Indentured servants were men, women, and sometimes children who signed a contract with a master to serve a term of four to seven years. In exchange for their service, the indentured servants received their passage paid from England, as well as food, clothing, and shelter once they arrived in the colonies. Some were even paid a salary. When the contract expired, the servant was paid freedom dues of corn, tools, and clothing, and was allowed to leave the plantation. During the time of his indenture, however, the servant was considered his master's personal property and his contract could be inherited or sold. Prices paid for indentured servants varied depending on skills.

While under contract a person could not marry or have children. A master's permission was needed to leave the plantation, to perform work for anyone else, or to keep money for personal use. An unruly indentured servant was whipped or punished for improper behavior. Due to poor living conditions, hard labor, and difficulties adjusting to new climates and native diseases, many servants did not live to see their freedom. Often servants ran away from their masters. Since they spoke English, were white, and had specific job skills, runaway indentured servants were not as easily caught as were runaway black slaves. If runaway servants were captured, they were punished by increasing their time of service.

Most Hanks historians agree that Thomas had arrived in Virginia by 1644 and was among the estimated 75% or more of Virginia's settlers in the seventeenth century who came as indentured servants. There was widespread unemployment and civil war in England at that time, and young, poor, but often skilled workers saw America as the Land of Opportunity. Thomas was very likely among that class who was impressed by recruiters with promises of land in Virginia and other benefits for several years of servitude. However, at least one researcher speculates that he was a soldier in Lord Cromwell's army, was taken prisoner and transported to Virginia.

Whatever the case, Thomas was one of 27 headrights belonging to Thomas Fowke, a merchant of Westmoreland County, on a patent dated 10 June 1654. That, however, doesn't prove in any way when he arrived in the colony or that he was indentured to Fowke. In fact, no record of his indenture has been found, and it is evident he had been in Virginia for a number of years before Fowke claimed to have transported him. The proof is that the previous year, on 16 February 1653, Thomas claimed two headrights of his own in Gloucester County for transporting Joane Litefoot and John Range. Whether these were servants whose labor and headrights he had acquired together, or whether he bought the headrights separately, is not known.

Later that year, on 27 September 1653, also in Gloucester County, Thomas Hanks was a witness to the will of Robert Mascall, and by that will inherited 'one young sow, marked on both ears with the Swallow forke.' The gift of the young sow was probably something more than a neighborly courtesy, as young swine were then highly desirable.

Gloucester County was a new county formed in 1651 from York County. One side of Thomas' 100 acres was bounded by a stream called, in the patent, 'Hanckes Branch' which would appear to indicate that he had already been for some time a resident of the locality. Hanckes' Branch seems from the description in the patent to have flowed from the northwest into a swamp along the "Southeast side" of the Mattopony River. This river flows southeasterly, but curves southwesterly at one point. This swamp was to the left of where the river curves. This would have been the area just above the present day West Point, where the Mattopony and Pawmunkey rivers join to form the York River. Thomas' land extended northeast towards the Rappahannock River, where his holdings eventually reached.

Another important transaction was recorded on 10 February 1654. There lived in what was then Lancaster County, but on the South side of the Rappahannock, Abraham Moone, whose land holdings amounted to 10,500 acres. The greater part of this land had been bought in 1651 and 1653, but Moone was still buying land in 1654. Apparently he was elderly and in poor health, for he leased for three years to Thomas Hanks "The plantation whereon I now live," consisting of 300 acres with his house, four servants and one mare, reserving for himself and wife, one servant and a room in the house. As one of the servants had nearly served his time, Moone agreed to furnish another servant when the time of that one had expired. For this he acknowledged receipt of 16,000 pounds of tobacco in casks - a sizable transaction for the day. Thomas Moone did not live long after the lease was made. Early in 1655 his will was presented for probate, and was recorded February 20th, a year and ten days after making the lease.

There was an enormous demand in England for timber to build ships at that time, and other by-products such as tar, turpentine and resinous materials were also needed. By the wording of the lease, it appears that Thomas leased the land for its good stand of timber:
Further I do grant unto the sd Thomas Hanks the benefit and privlidge of my whole Dividant of land whereon I am seated for the benefit of timber or any other privlidges whatsoever. Abraham Moone In the presence of John Buckner & Erasmus Chamby"

Ten years later, Thomas began to expand his land holdings. His real estate was, from the legal descriptions, mostly of timberland. Over time he acquired enough acreage to extend his boundary line northeasterly to the Rappahannock River, where he possibly had a boat landing of his own. Thomas became a relatively large landowner, amassing various tracts of land totaling in excess of 2400 acres of timberland in Gloucester and New Kent counties. He leased a further 800 acres from Abraham Moone on Moraticon Creek in the Northern Neck area. How much of this land was held at any one particular time is uncertain. During this period of time, there was a great demand for labor to clear the forests and till the land. Thomas Hanks seems to have sponsored a number of indentured servants for that purpose.

It is thought that Thomas probably lost all of his land in Bacon's Rebellion due to confiscation. Although Bacon and his men were called rebels, there probably was some justification for their actions. They did not originally rebel against Berkley who until then was not a tyrant, but rather to his lack of protecting the planters, their families and farms against an Indian uprising that occurred in 1675 along this northern frontier. Bacon then, without Berkley's consent, called for volunteers to join with him and they defeated the Indians. Then Berkley, vain of his authority, viciously attacked Bacon and his men, and was defeated. Bacon died near the home of Thomas Hanks, 1 October 1676 and his supporters dissolved their unity. Venting a venomous revenge, Berkley then confiscated the lands and farms of Bacon's supporters and passed them to his own, banishing their families. Berkley was recalled by the King and soon died.

Thomas Hanks resided in the very area that was overrun by the Indians and fought over by the Berkley Troops. Within two weeks after the Indian Massacres started, sixty plantations had been burned and the families ravaged and killed. Likely the house and farmstead was burned by the Indians. If his lands were confiscated by Berkley, there would be no record of the rascality. Or if he died a natural death and there were probate records, the actions of the War Between the States and courthouse fires eliminated them. At least there are no further records.

Sources: Abraham Lincoln's Hanks Family Genealogy by Vicky Reany Paulson, in the library of Robin Lee. http://brazoriaroots.com/p1761.htm

Source: S-2103111469 Repository: #R-2142803482 Title: Family Data Collection - Individual Records Author: Edmund West, comp. Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Note: APID: 1,4725::0
NUGENT, NELL MARION. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666. Vol. 1. Richmond [VA]: Dietz Printing Co., 1934. 767p. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1983

From all of the resources checked, there are only four children known to have been born to Thomas Hanks & Elizabeth Lee: William, George, Robert & Peter
"U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Birth, Marriage & Death"

Source: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hanks-9

Elisabeth Lee was born about 1625 in Gloucester Co., VA. She died on 17 SEP 1702 in St. Margaret's parish, Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. She married Thomas Hanks about 1650 in Gloucester Co., VA.

Children:
George HANKS, b. 1652, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
William HANKS, b. 1 Feb 1655, Richmond, Virginia d. 7 Feb 1704, Richmond, Virginia
Richard HANKS, b. 1659, Richmond, Virginia?
Robert HANKS, b. 15 Aug 1661, Anne Arundel County, Maryland d. 1691
Peter HANKS, b. 1663, Richmond, Virginia d. 1 Apr 1733, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

There is no proof of the name of this person; most well researched trees indicate that the wife of Thomas Hanks and mother of his children is "unknown."[1][2]
A thorough analysis done by Vicky Reany Paulson in her book "Abraham Lincoln's Hanks Family Genealogy, published in 2014"[3] concludes that Elizabeth Lee is NOT the wife of Thomas Hanks. She may have been "Elizabeth," but there is no Elizabeth Lee in Virginia that matches what the birth information would have to be based on the births of the children.
Source: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lee-194

They had the following children:

  M i Peter Hanks

Peder Eivinds. Kolle was born about 1667 in Kolle, Fusa. He died in 1729 in Kolle, Fusa. He married Guro Vinsjansdtr. Moberg in 1691 in Os.

Bygsla bruk 2 på Ferstad frå 1691 til 1725.

Guro Vinsjansdtr. Moberg [Parents] was born about 1673 in Indre Moberg, Os. She died in 1747 in Kolle, Fusa. She married Peder Eivinds. Kolle in 1691 in Os.


Ola Eliass. Skjørsand was born about 1664 in Skjørsand, Fusa. He died in 1741 in Indre Moberg, Os. He married Ingeborg Vinsjansdtr. Moberg in 1701 in Os.

Ingeborg Vinsjansdtr. Moberg [Parents] was born in 1687 in Indre Moberg, Os. She died in 1753 in Indre Moberg, Os. She married Ola Eliass. Skjørsand in 1701 in Os.

They had the following children:

  F i Ingeborg Olsdtr. Moberg was born in 1702 in Indre Moberg, Os. She died in Askvik, Os.

Ingeborg var gift 1725 med Jens Indre Moberg på Askvik.
  M ii Elias Ols. Moberg was born in 1703 in Indre Moberg, Os. He died in Ytre Drange, Os.
  M iii Vinsjans Ols. Moberg was born in 1707 in Indre Moberg, Os. He died in 1765 in Indre Moberg, Os.
  M iv Nils Ols. Moberg was born in 1709 in Indre Moberg, Os. He died in 1740 in Indre Moberg, Os.
  M v Anders Ols. Moberg was born in 1712 in Indre Moberg, Os. He died in 1733 in Indre Moberg, Os.
  F vi Anna Olsdtr. Moberg
  F vii Guro Olsdtr. Moberg

Ola Bårds. Sørstrønen was born in 1722 in Sørstrønen, Os. He died in 1803 in Sørstrønen, Os. He married Guro Olsdtr. Moberg in 1745 in Os.

Guro Olsdtr. Moberg [Parents] was born in 1719 in Indre Moberg, Os. She died in 1824 in Sørstrønen, Os. She married Ola Bårds. Sørstrønen in 1745 in Os.


Ola Simons. Hovland [Parents] was born in 1674 in Hovland, Os. He died in 1738 in Hovland, Os. He married Kari Olsdtr. Hovland in 1696 in Os.

Kari Olsdtr. Hovland [Parents] was born in 1675 in Hovland, Os. She died after 1738 in Hovland, Os. She married Ola Simons. Hovland in 1696 in Os.

They had the following children:

  M i Vinsjans Ols. Hovland

Ivar Mikal Bjelkarøy [Parents] was born in 1870 in Bjelkarøy, Sund. He died in 1932 in Bjelkarøy, Sund. He married Anna Dortea Nilsdtr. Milde in 1898.

Anna Dortea Nilsdtr. Milde was born in 1870 in Store Milde, Fana. She died in 1936 in Bjelkarøy, Sund. She married Ivar Mikal Bjelkarøy in 1898.

Faren var Nils Hans. på Store Milde.


Lars Ananias Lars. Hjellestad was born in 1875 in Nordre Hjellestad, Fana. He died in Nordre Hjellestad, Fana. He married Elen Katrine Monsdtr. Bjelkarøy in 1897 in Sund.

Elen Katrine Monsdtr. Bjelkarøy [Parents] was born in 1873 in Bjelkarøy, Sund. She died in 1948 in Nordre Hjellestad, Fana. She married Lars Ananias Lars. Hjellestad in 1897 in Sund.


Ole Ols. Tyssøy was born in 1828 in Tyssøy, Sund. He died in 1902 in Lerøy, Sund. He married Synneva Hansdtr. Lerøy in 1855 in Sund.

Var først husmannsfolk på Storebø, der alle barna er fødde. Kom til Lerøy i 1879.

Synneva Hansdtr. Lerøy [Parents] was born in 1829 in Lerøy, Sund. She died in 1913 in Lerøy, Sund. She married Ole Ols. Tyssøy in 1855 in Sund.


Paal Michels. Arefjord was born in 1762 in Arefjord, Fjell. He died in Bildøy, Fjell. He married Anna Nilsdtr. Bildøy on 2 JUL 1788 in Sund.

Anna Nilsdtr. Bildøy [Parents] was born in 1765 in Bildøy, Fjell. She died in Bildøy, Fjell. She married Paal Michels. Arefjord on 2 JUL 1788 in Sund.

They had the following children:

  F i Malene Paulsdtr. Bildøy

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