The Garretsons

The Garretsons by Donald Roger Hickman

2. Delaware to York Co., PA
(Casparius and William)

John's son Casparius was our 5^th great-grandfather, who married Ann Cox, granddaughter of Thomas Cox from England. Casparius lived in the Hockessin/Mill Creek area of New Castle County, Delaware. He owned 200 acres, which were close to if not over the boundary with Chester County, Pennsylvania. Casparius had 7 children, and the Quaker connection is again noted, as Casparius was appointed overseer (something like an elder) of the New Castle Friends Meeting on 2 May 1726, but he died the following winter at the age of 50.
Family of Casparius Garretson
Casparius Garretson born 1685 in Mill Creek, New Castle Co., DE, died 3 Dec 1726 in Mill Creek
married 1713 in New Castle to Ann Cox born abt 1690 New Castle Co., died bef 1762 Hockessin
Children:
1. John Garretson born 6 Jul 1715 in Delaware, died 30 Oct 1797 in Newberry Twp, York Co., PA, married on 5 Sep 1736 to Content Hussey
2^nd wife of John Garretson:
married on 22 Jun 1749 to Jane Carson
3^rd wife of John Garretson:
married on 20 Jan 1768 to Phebe Elliot
2. William Garretson born in 1716 in Hockessin, died 15 Dec 1792 in Warrington, PA, married 9 Sep 1742 in Kennett MM, Chester Co., PA to Mary A. Fraizer born 1722 Kennett MM, died 1782 in York Co., PA
3. Joseph Garretson born abt 1717, married 25 Jul 1745 to Mary Mills
4. Ann Garretson born abt 1718
5. Rebecca Garretson born abt 1719, married in 1734 to ____ Rogers
6. Naomi Garretson born abt 1720, married ____ Cox
7. Martha Garretson born abt 1722, married in 1751 to Benjamin Cox

Here is an extract from Casparius' will:

" …… to ann my dearly beloved wife whom I likewise constitute make and ordain my onely and sole executor of this my last will and testament all and singular my estate boath real and personal untill such time as my sons come to the age of twenty and one yeares then my eldest son John shall have my home plantation and land belonging there unto and my other two sons that is william and Josep shall have that parsel or piece of land lying on the Lime kiln Road william shall have that half of the Land which is now Improved and Josep the other half they onely paying unto my daughters the sum of thirty pounds Courent money when thy shall come to age then they to the afore said Land freely enjoy the same they their heirs and assigns for ever ….. John and william shall build an house for Joseph and cleare one acre of Land and plant one hundred aple trees there on and it is my will that my sons and daughters shall each of them have an equal share of my moveable estate ….. ".

William Garretson, our 4^th great-grandfather, was a weaver by trade and a Quaker all his life. He was born near Hockessin in New Castle, Delaware close to the Pennsylvania border and moved across the line where in 1742 he married Mary Fraizer, daughter of Alexander Fraizer from Scotland, at the Kennett Monthly Meeting in York County, Pennsylvania. Shortly thereafter, they moved much further west, over 60 miles into Lancaster County in what is now northern York County where he was appointed Overseer at the Newberry Township Preparative Monthly Meeting in 1746. This area was booming with settlers and William was part of a group in 1747 that obtained a patent for land to the southwest of Newberry in Warrington Township for the new Warrington Monthly Meeting house. He became known after that as William of Warrington and in 1748 was appointed Clerk of Warrington. York County was formed from Lancaster in 1749. When in 1754 William's brother in law James Fraizer died, "William Garretson and others of the people called Quakers" petitioned the York Co. Orphans Court requesting that the children of James Fraizer deceased "now with Thomas Cox may be taken from him and that John Garretson [William's brother], the executor, may have them and put them to proper place according to the laws of this Province and the rules of that society." It was ordered that said children be delivered to John Garretson.
William and Mary had 10 children. One of them, Mary, had the distinction of marrying Thomas McCreary, Jr., a son of our 4^th great-grandfather Thomas McCreary Sr. For those who are interested in such genealogical twists, Mary and Thomas were our 3^rd great-grand aunt and uncle.
Family of William Garretson

William Garretson born 1716 in Hockessin, New Castle Co., DE died 15 Dec 1792 in Warrington, PA
married 9 Sep 1742 Kennett MM, Chester Co., PA to Mary A. Fraizer born 1722 Kennett died 1782 York Co.
Children:
1. Casparius Garretson born 17 May 1745, died 18 Aug 1746
2. William Garretson born 11 Mar 1748, married to Mary Wethersed
3. Ann Garretson born 22 Feb 1750
4. Sarah Garretson born 2 Mar 1753, married in 1773 to James Wickersham born 1743
5. Miriam Garretson born 23 May 1755, married Vincent Parsons
6. John Garretson born 7 Jan 1757, married 22 Apr 1778 in Menallen to Tamar Hammond born 10 Sep 1759
7. Aaron Garretson, Sr. Born 16 Jan 1759 in York Co., PA, died 24 Aug 1830 St. Clair Twp, Bedford Co., PA, married 13 Oct 1779 in Menallen Twp to Mary Hammond born 18 Jun 1755, died abt 1832
8. Mary Garretson born 6 Nov 1760, married to Thomas McCreary, Jr. born 1754 in York Co., PA, died 7 Jul 1829
9. Naomi Garretson born 25 Aug 1762
10. Elizabeth Garretson born 16 Aug 1764

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