This portion deals with the several possible Scenarios of The Helms
saga:
1) English/Barbados 2) Rhode Island 3) Irish 4) German 5) Bethlehem, PA, Possibly Bethlehem TWP, Hunterdon Co., NJ 6) Dutch and Holstein 7) Swedish 8) Religion 9) French 10) Summary 11) Table which shows the locations of people having names associated with the Helms. |
The English/Barbados Connection
There were numerous
Elmes in England and the Caribbean. Some have been shown to have migrated
to the continent in Colonial times. Some to New England and SC. We have
not discovered and in our lines; However we have carried along extensive
work on this. Also there was some Falkenburg data in Barbados. The William found there may be significant. The results of
my searches in the Library of Congress and those in Barbados by Medford
and Susan Grimshaw are discussed in Appendix A. Recent disclosures
by Susan Grimshaw, from her 3 visits to Barbados, have generally confirmed,
and extended, the information we had on Barbados. She tried to get
enlarged versions of the Barbadian Helmes wills in England, since some
possessions in England were mentioned. However, that did not succeed.
A review of Barbados
History shows that the collapse of the sugar trade and the English disturbances
leading to the Cromwell regime may be factors in the Helme's migration
from Barbados. The arrival of the Helme's in Barbados There were Catholic-Protestant struggles
in Barbados of which we do not have information. We do know that some
of the English Helme's were Catholic in Lancashire, England. Susan Grimshaw
is developing a rationale where the Helme's in Dorset County, England,
were involved with Barbados. One George Helme had a brewery in London.
A link with Barbadian sugar is a potential. Recent searches in St. Christophers
(Kits) mention the sale of former Jesuit property there. That Catholic
phase is not documented. The French had moved into the Great Lakes in 1673, but that seems a long way from Barbados. However, the French had Caribbean Settlements and naval friction could have been a factor, and the friction between them was widespread. In a later time, King George's War (1744-48) broke out in the Caribbean because of trade conflicts, which had likely begun before that time. By 1761 the French Navy and Merchant Marine had been demolished, but that opened the door for French piracy in the Caribbean. Also, Barbados is a small 160 sq. mile island and could have become crowded. Moses Helms (sp. Hellim) had a lot at the Raritan River in Piscataway
in 1740. The settlement at Piscataway was established by a Barbadian,
Captain William Standiford, for whom several pieces of land were found
in Barbados. A Welsh promoted Baptist Church had been founded
at Piscataway in New Barbados TWP in about 1700. It would be logical
to link Moses or the NC Helms brothers with the Welsh Baptist church
there, and the Welsh Baptist/Presbyterian groups in the PA/DE area.
Moses established a Presbyterian Church in VA, later, possibly because
of his wife's influence. The Jamison's in PA were Presbyterian.
(Moses wife's family, Jamison, was not explicitly found in PA; but,
Jamison's were found in Baltimore and NY in 1703, and extensively in
PA, particularly in Warwick TWP at Jamison, PA.) Her father's
name is supposed to have been William. There were timely Jamestown
in Lancashire, England who have not been searched. There were
Baptists in Lancashire, too who have not been searched either. The Helms in NC
were Baptist. I associate their Primitive Baptist church with the English
Particular Baptist branch, because of having similar practices. Recent
information traces the Helms Church to the Welsh settlement in SC, most
definitely (see note from W. Helms of SC.) However, Baptist-like principles
are to be found in Dutch, and German and French Reformed groups such
as the Huguenots in France. Additional data has been found for Barbados. However, data for additional Helmes and associated families has been found throughout the Caribbean. That will be dealt with in the English Section. The disappointing thing is that, so far, none have been definitely found to have come from the Caribbean and having a definite trail here. In addition, much new data has been found relative to England itself, which will also be reported in the English Section. In lost Virginia records recovered from England, a William Helms
and a George Tilman/Tilghman have been found in Prince Georges County,
Va. about 1704. George is tied to Christopher Tilghman/Tilman
who had settled in Charles City County, VA earlier. William may
tie to the Virginia Pioneer, John Helme/Hilme, at Jamestown early 1600's,
which is about 30 miles away. There was a Tilghman girl Elizabeth
(b. 1694) in Christopher's line who may have been the Helms brothers'
Mother. William may be the father. This information comes from
Mrs. Grimshaw. See the following sections for details.
We have long known that the basic HELM/HELME/HELMS name was spelled a number of ways in England, and elsewhere, and some of the spellings have persisted until today, more or less establishing independent lines. We have a collection of data for Barbados settlers which shows some of those spellings. Even the spelling HOLMES was sometimes used interchangeably with Helmes. Therefore, we have to extend our searches to those variations. One reason is that data for decades in Barbados is sparse and by considering those names, maybe we can better establish connections to the American mainland, and by that reflect back to England for their origins. In addition, we have found a number of other lines connected with the HELMES in Barbados and, possibly, by a little looking around, we will be able to better trace people to America. As an example, Broome is a name which occurs together with the HELMES in the Caribbean and the HELMS in America, and there are others. A collection of such data, grouped in lines
for various families found in Barbados, is shown in this table.
To view the table CLICK HERE.
Broome's and Jones are examples of possible connections found both here
and there. The reason the connections with the mainland are so
sparse is that many of the Ship's Passenger listings have been
lost because of the Bridgetown fire, the many hurricanes, the tropical
climate, and neglect, as discussed elsewhere in this website.
|
The Rhode Island Connection (Christopher HELME/ELME - 1632)
Christopher Elme/Helme of Long Sutton, Lincolnshire,
England settled in RI. His children were born after about 1700 and
his grandchildren were born after about 1730; therefore, Christopher was
not likely to have been a direct ancestor of the NC Helms. A data
file for Christopher Helme is located on this site. Click
here to access that data in a new window. The link at the bottom
of the page will take you elsewhere. Christopher had great-grandchildren named Thomas and
Jonathan who would have been born one generation later than the NC Helms
brothers. Thus, Christopher Helme of RI is not seen by this writer
as a root person in the NC Helms Brothers lines. I do not know
if William Helme of Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, England had other children
who came here. That William had three wives. The relationship,
if any, of the families of Thomas Helme of Goosnargh and William (father
of Christopher) of Long Sutton have not been defined. Sarah Helme's
will in Barbados said that son Barraby/Barrely returned to England.
A search for him there has been made without success, unless the name
was a nickname and, in England, he was listed as Barnabus, who was found
on a timely basis. Some of the Helm children were educated in
France. It is possible that Barrely did not actually go to England
from Barbados. Joseph W., Nathan, and Byron Helme were said
to have been in MA Colony, along with Rozetta (Helms) Williams.
Helms could have followed Roger Williams to RI, since Rozetta was married
into the Williams family. There were a number of Williams in the
MA Colony. It is not known if any or all went to RI with Roger.
So far as I know, no descendants of the MA Helms are known. Any
possible relation between Christopher and Joseph, Nathan and Byron Helme
is not known. A group from the MA Colony migrated to Greenwich,
Fenwick's Colony in Salem, NJ. No list has been found. They probably
founded a Baptist Church in NJ. There is considerable confusion
of the Helme and Holme names there. Also, it appears that the
New England Helmes used the Elme/Elam/etc. spellings rather than the
"H" spelling. They are traceable with that revised spelling.
No significant new data has been found by our research group, but Don Strahle of Canada has considerably expanded the lists of descendants of the original Christopher Helme/Elme of Rhode Island. He has published his book and is working on the Allied families. It continues to be felt that there is no connection with the Helms brothers in NC, in 1747. |
In my review of the Moses Helms material which
I have - looking for something on his being in or coming from Dublin--
I rediscovered some Hibernian Research Company material which Gerald Helms
had sent me earlier. In it, there was some information on an Isaac
Helme (Hilme). They mention a Will of Isaac Helme (Hilme) of Dublin
City in 1688. He was listed as a "clothier".
Just recently, we have followed up the prior Irish search by Hibernian with a researcher in Dublin. The results may be seen on another page, Click Here to view the results. Ms. Byrne found additional data on Helme people in Ireland. These two efforts are inconclusive except to show that there were persons with Helms related surnames in Ireland in the right time period for us. However, this data does not show any movement of these people towards America. It does indicate that more attention should be paid to Ireland. It is known that the Polk family from Robert and Magdalene Pollock/Polk, who were associated with the Helms in NC did come to America through Ireland, the family having originated in Scotland. There, the name is also listed as Pollock and some Polk settlers continued that spelling here. Extensive data exists for Polk/Pollocks in MD, PA and NC. It is planned to have a Polk section in this website in the future. We did find data which showed that Moses and Thomas Helm came here from Dublin and that Thomas appeared in Cecil Co, MD Court for Ann Drenon, in 1716. Pertinent date abstracted from the will is repeated here for convenience: Isaac Hilme/Helme of Dublin, Clothier, 6 July 1688, proved 16 July, 1688. Wife Sarah (Deane?)
Brother, Abraham Helme
Friends
There was another 1696 will for Sarah Helme,
alias Deane, widow, likely the widow of the Isaac Helme/Hilme above.
I also note that they did not find any sons
of Isaac in the above Will, but suggested further searching in Church records
there but had run out of funds on the requested search. They searched
records of several Dublin Churches. My view would be that the births
of that Isaac's children were not in Dublin, possibly not even in Ireland
in about 1650. Several items in the collections of family stories
involve Dublin. My idea had been that they were transients; but if
they were early Protestants, or Catholics, they may well have had to get
out of England in the 1600's. The English immigration to Londonderry
County, Ireland began about 1613. Records show that some Irish Presbyterians
(likely Scots) emigrated to Boston, with Potatoes, in 1718.
It may be significant that this Irish Isaac was a clothier, similarly to
George Helm at Winchester, VA and Moses Helim at Piscataway, NJ.
I like the name Sarah for Isaac's wife - it fits my
idea about what the name would have been for Tilman's mother (Sarah,
Elizabeth, or Mary). This fits in with the English habit of reusing
the same names over and over in succeeding generations. Anyway,
someone who died in 1688 obviously would not have been the father of
Tilman. He might have been a grandfather. The nephew, John
Helme, in the Will is interesting. I'd guess nephew, John, and
daughters, Martha, and Deborah were born about 1650 +/- 10 years, depending
on the age of Isaac at death. The idea of John and Isaac Helms
there is itself interesting. My list of possible names of the
father are William, James, and John, rather than Isaac. Anyway,
I assume that Gerald did not ask them to continue a search at Dublin,
since it looked unpromising there. Abraham might have been a younger
brother of Isaac; so, there may have been other sons of Abraham later,
and the absence of listed sons in the will does not necessarily mean
that there were no sons of Isaac. The will does prove that there
were Helme's in Ireland. A better place to look would have been
Londonderry or Armagh Counties. I would associate the people leaving
from Dublin as caused by the fact that it was an oceangoing port.
In about 1610, numerous German "Palatine Protestants"
were sent to Ireland by the English. Some were settled in Dublin,
some in Western Ireland. Their identification and disposition has
not been addressed. Likely some came here, some are known to have
gone back to England
Bob Law, who wrote the book on Moses Helm,
thinks that Moses may have come from Tyrone County, Ireland. Also,
it seems to me that, at most points for various Helms "moves", we have
seen other Helms there at the same time or before. I have mentioned
the role of Moses as a possible way-station at Piscataway, NJ, at Winchester,
and in Bedford County, VA - even the Thomas Helms who had an Inn at
Williamsport - even though it was in a later time period (1800) -maybe
there was a Helms there as a forerunner to that Thomas Helms in 1800.
(A Thomas H. was listed in York and Washington County, PA 1790 census).
Then, there are the several Helms trickling out of Barbados, and there
is Moses trail of lots (Piscataway, Winchester, and Bedford County,
VA). These could have been relatives of various sorts. That
might say that there was a relative(s) at Bethlehem for Moses to go
to in the Bethlehem area in 1741-43. I have checked that out very
carefully. Only Germans were there initially; although, some "locals"
were used in the construction. Others were not permitted to buy
property there. In fact, since none of them had been naturalized,
someone had to sign papers for them. It took 8 years to be naturalized;
in the meanwhile, they could not own land. If the Helms were German,
seeking out other established Germans would have been customary and logical.
I have not seen anything which placed them in the German group.
That could well have been Tilman and others.
We also have the possibility of multiple Helms trips from PA to NC, remembering
that the Deeds there were staggered, with the earliest going to George
and Thomas in 1749, with Tilman and Jonathan being later. Then, there
are the multiple Helms at Barbados and various ones coming here on different
dates. I see a possible relay system in play. Later, the list of
Helms in Barbados was expanded.
I noticed the Deane name for Isaac's wife. The Deane's were from the same area in England as the Goosnargh English Helmes. One of my daughters married the son of a 2nd generation Dean family here. I know something of their background. Recently, I found records of Deane's in Dublin, in the time of King John. |
Bethlehem, PA was founded in 1741 by Moravian missionaries from an evangelical German Baptist group. The Moravians and Brethren had an early beginning in Germany which is dealt with here. This file is offsite so Click here to read this file in a new window. Nearby, Emmaus and Nazareth, were also Moravian settlements of a Cloister nature. Both were near Easton which was at the junction of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. By being associated with Bethlehem, PA, Moses Helms and the NC Helms brothers imply a connection to the German Baptists, since Bethlehem was nearly a closed German community at first. A reasonable assumption might be that the incoming Germans sought out the existing German settlements whenever they arrived. They often moved on, because of lands opening up in new areas, such as Western PA, MD, VA, and the Carolinas. The Bethlehem settlement is too late for the initial Palatines, but not the second wave mentioned above. A more reasonable assumption is to relate most strongly to the Welsh Baptists in SC. Recently we have found a Bethlehem TWP in Hunterdon County, NJ across
the Delaware River, opposite the Bethlehem, Easton area of PA. Thus,
it is possible that the Helms trip south could have started in Bethlehem
(TWP), NJ rather than in Bethlehem, Bucks County, PA. Also
we have found a Bethlehem Parish near Albany. NY where both Helm's and
Falkenburgs were found. An early Helms Mill, owned by
Thomas Helms was at Hackettstown, NJ. One reference indicated that at
one time the actual area of Bethlehem, PA was within the NJ proprietors'
lands; so, there may be confusion with regards to "Bethlehem"
in the Helms story, and depicted by Gerald Helms' book. Dr. Peter Craig, in a letter to the writer dated 25
Aug 1995, identified several German Helm Philadelphia County birth records:
Adam, son of Peter and Maria Helm b. 4 Sep 1766, son, John, b.28 Mar
1769; Jacob, son of Peter and Elizabeth Helm b. 4 Jul 1772, daughter,
Margareta, b. 7 Jan 1776, son, Peter, b. 5 Mar 1779, daughter, Maria,
b. 7 Jun 1781 10 Jul 1762; Margaret, daughter of Christian and Martha
Helm, b. 17 Jan 1774, son, John, b. 5 Jan 1771, daughter, Margaret,
b. 17 Jan 1774, daughter, Eliz., b. 1 Feb 1777, son, Charles, b. 20
Mar 1779, all baptized at the First Moravian Church (German); Henry
and John Bethel, twin sons, of Christian and Martha Helm, baptized at
St. Michaels & Zion Church (German) Philadelphia, PA. None
of these are pertinent to the NC Helms brothers family issues.
Also, no births were listed by Dr. Craig for the Bethlehem, Nazareth
or Emmaus Moravian settlements. A list of individuals in Bethlehem
in the time of the French and Indian War is available but I have
not yet seen it. It was called for by the authorities who feared
that the pacifist Moravians were harboring Indians who had committed
murders, or others. One theory about the Helms involvement with the Bethlehem, PA area would have them possibly associated with establishing the roads and infrastructure of the Colonial Frontier forts above Bethlehem. These roads were established about the time the Helms Brothers were supposed to have been there (about 1740-47). Dates for the roads and Forts has been established, but no Helms have been identified in that so far. The Barbados Helmes were military (Militia) which lends weight to that theory that they may have participated. The Helms were surveyors and surveys were largely done by the Military in Colonial America Present continuation of searches at Smithfield
TWP near the Colonial Fort Penn is leading to a conclusion that it was
a place where Helms could have been in the early 1740's. (That TWP
no longer exists, and the area is now in Monroe County). Alternatively,
there was an area identified on early maps as Smithfield, Williams TWP,
just south of Easton. A farm of Thomas Hellem has been referred to
in Lower Smithfield TWP in Bucks County History. Another Smithfield
was Lower Smithfield is which is now in Monroe County. The Thomas
Hellem property was sold by his daughters. The deed was found at
Harrisburg and it indicated that he was probably a Dutchman, Helling.
Helling may also be a German spelling. The Pennsylvania Dutch were
not usually Dutch at all, but were associated with the title "Deutch" which
meant German. On the other hand there were actual Dutch in Eastern
NJ and NY, stemming from the earlier Dutch settlement in NY and possibly
later immigrants.
Census data for a William Helms was found at Rock
Hill TWP, PA, near Quakertown, just south of present day Allentown,
PA. In later time, Northampton and Monroe Counties were created
in these sections of upper PA. The trigger for settlements in
the Northampton County area was the fraudulent "Walking Purchase" which
opened that area for settlement; albeit, at the expense of bad Indian
relations. Thus, it was the trigger for Indian attacks as well
as for settlements and ultimately the frontier forts. A book "Report of the Commission for the Establishment
of the Pennsylvania Frontier Forts" has been identified which lists the
military and other participants. The report has been read and there
were no Helms listed, but the report is silent on the road building aspect.
Robert Morris was Governor. Parsons, the Proprietor's agent in Easton,
PA may have been involved as well. Legislative acts and personal
papers relating to the forts and roads out of Bethlehem are also being
sought. The roads are infrequently mentioned in the records of the
Assembly. No systematic collection has been made of those legislative
actions. (It was useful for the Moses Helm story in Bedford County,
Va. to find the acts of the Legislature giving him the contract to build
and maintain roads there. It was hoped that similar information could be
found about the Pa. roads). Both Leonard and Meredith Helme had similar
contracts in Frederick County, VA. Both Moses and Leonard were cited
for laxity in doing the maintenance part of their jobs. Both had
a group of people with them to do the work. In Leonard's case
in Frederick County, VA, the workers were indentured servants. In
the case of Moses, it appears that they were simply a group working together.
Moses group has been identified by name.
It will be remembered that Moses Helm went to Bedford County, VA as the chief of a road building crew authorized by the Legislature. He may well have had a role in planning or building the roads from Bethlehem to the Forts. Involvement with those projects is in my mind the most logical reason I have found for the Helms to have been in Bucks County at that time. (Although land had become scarce and the opening up caused by the "Walk" could have been a reason). The PA county structure has changed a great deal since then, but the events would have been in the upper reaches of Bucks county then. Present-day Rte 100 which passes by the Israel Helm Brandywine lot extends to the region of the Blue Mountain where one of the line of forts, Fort Lehigh, was built in 1755. It also connects to old roads to Emmaus and Bethlehem. One old map notes Rte 100 leading to Bethlehem. We had found a house ruin and an old Carriage Inn or early Rail Station on that road near Chadds Ford. Present-day Rte 1 through Chadds Ford would have been a "Kings road" from Kennett Square, and portions of the upper end of Rte 100 are shown as "King' Road". The family story is that the brothers were on a Kings road, one on either side of a boundary, which fits the Brandywine site at the circular Delaware boundary at Brandywine Creek. The Broome's, a family which married into the Helms, in NC was supposed to have been close by. Broome's were found in the Darby TWP tax list, along with "Taxable" Helms, in about 1715-20. Extensive data for Broome's in England and in the Caribbean have been found, as well as Broome settlers in MD. However, the link between those Broome's and the family which intermarried with the Helms in NC (Wm Broome, son of John B., -m. Eliz Helms, daughter of Tilman Helms, in 1772) has not been found, as yet. Some Helms in Chester County at that time (Job, Isriel, and William) have been identified with the Swedish Helms by Dr. Peter Craig. |
The Dutch and Holstein Connection
This section includes data for both Dutch and Holstein connections, which will be continued until we definitely establish one or the other or perhaps both origins for the Helm(?) people found so far. Much literature falsely shows Holstein in Germany, Whereas it was then in Denmark. Dutch Data I also ran into a record for Peter Helm, originally
from Holland, who added an "S" to his name. He had a son Peter
and a grandson Peter D. Helms, born 1843. His grandfather would
have come in about 1780. They settled at Reading, PA, were later
at Philadelphia, then at Pike County, where the grandfather died in
1850. Peter D.'s children were Richard, Jeremiah, Lucy, Peter
D., Jr., Birch, and Clinton. These details may help determine
who Peter Helms is, if we run into him in the studies. Peter Helms
born before about 1785 looks like a unique Helm(s) line. (Coming
from Holland does not mean he was Dutch. In that time, they spoke
of Low Dutch, meaning Hollanders, and High Dutch, meaning German.
Almost all of the German emigres I read about in 700 pages of German
Emigrants came from Rotterdam, Holland or on Rotterdam ships).
A great number came down the Rhine to the Baltic and left from Dutch
ports in Dutch Ships. The Dutch family Hellinck, a weaver, in Leyden, Holland
where the Pilgrims first went in self-exile, was a Dutch Helm. The "ck"
ending means grandson of. (That spelling can be found
in Early PA) The Pilgrims learned weaving as a trade while
in Leyden. It could be significant that Moses Helm was listed as
a "weaver" in his Piscattaway Deed, and the Irish Isaac above was a "clothier",
and that George Helm in Winchester, Va. had a Loom. Although, working
in textiles was the principle activity of the English who had occupied
Londonderry and other northern counties in Ireland, from where many later
came to America.
The presence of Hellins and Hellings in Bucks County then and today may be significant. Are they another Helm/Helms line? Are they Dutch Helms? What is the derivation of their spellings? A friend has identified a Dr. Helm in Suranam, currently. In addition, in the discussion in Part Seven OTHER HELMS, we have found a possible Helms-like immigrant from either Holland or Holstein, where in 1642, Jan (John) Helms was said to have immigrated from Barltt, North Brabant Holland to PA, according to; The Ketelhuyn Chronicles 1451-1899 and The Swart Chronicles 1338-1899. Actually he apparently first came to the NY Dutch colony, located near Albany NY, which was later taken over by the English and later overrun by the Indians. Perhaps the Helms were scattered like the other inhabitants. History says that most of the Dutch remained after the English take over. We found North Brabant, as Noordbrabant province, S Netherlands, presently bordering on Belgium to the south and on Germany to the east. The capital is Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch); other cities include Tilburg, Eindhoven, and Breda. However, we have not found a Bartl/Barlt there. To view a map of the possible location of Bartl click here to view in a new window.
In addition to that supposed entry into PA, we found a Jan Helmsz(en) (Jan de Bock) from Barlt in Holstein at south Dithmarschen District. He arrived at New Amsterdam, the Early Dutch colony, by "den Houttuyn" on August 4, 1642. We also found him at Bethlehem Parish, near Albany NY, where he or a descendant had a farm. See the map for S Dithmarschen click here to view in a new window. This is the district where we also found a Barlt which was a parish in the area. The name was variously spelled. Bartl has a church emblem, perhaps meaning a Parish. (Kirchdorfer) Elfie Wilde, our German specialist, has found that Barlt is a small town, in June 2005 population was 853. But they govern themselves. Barlt used to belong to the parish of Meldorf. (See Meldorf just above Bartl on the map) But, in 1428 they built their own church, giving the reason that it was too hard to go to Meldorf to attend church when the weather was bad. They still had to pay money to the church in Meldorf. Between 1598 and 1600, the church was renovated. Helmsand is an island shown in the sound, that is uninhabited. Today, it is connected to the mainland by a dam and is now part of a National Park, protecting birds. No indication of why it named Helmsand. Of course we are considering things of 300 years ago. The Bartl Church records start too late for us; but, the Meldorf church records start in 1520. We have leads on availability of LDS microfilm of those church records, and can expect more family data in the future. A historical review has shown that the status of that area has varied a great deal because of numerous wars. It was part of Denmark at one point, but now it appears to be part of Germany. The populous in Dithmarschen is largely German and has been that way for a long time; so, it is not possible to determine the probable nationality of Jan Helms(sp in the 1600's). Our best lead is the church data, as mentioned above. The coincidence of the place, Bartl is striking.
It is possible that Jan's path to America was through Holland, as many
came here on Dutch ships. And Holland is right
next to the district of Holstein. Jan first settled in the Dutch Colony
near Albany, NY. The year, 1642 is a potentially compatible date for
this Jan/John to have also been the NC Helms originator in some way,
possibly involving the South Carolina (SC) Hellums as discussed later
in Part Seven, OTHER HELMS . |
The family history of the early Swede, Captain Israel Akeson (alias, Helm), was studied and does not seem to relate to the NC Helms. Although, Israel Helm, Jr. is really unaccounted for since he was supposed to have "gone to sea" about 1691, and another son or grandson would be needed from the Captain Israel Akeson (alias Helm) line to forge a link to the NC Helms brothers. See the Peter Craig comments above. There are ships passenger listings for Israel Helm in 1692-93, going between Philadelphia and NY, which need to be resolved. However, until some additional trace of a link is found, the English Helme's (John, William, and Thomas) remain the principle focus of the search for a father to Tilman and George by this writer. I have some ideas about Israel Jr. having been in Barbados. (1) There were other Helms family segments there in addition to Helmes, (2) Claypool land was there and he may have been a surrogate purchaser for Israel Jr.'s mother, since she became indebted to him for some reason. The mother also stayed in Philadelphia when Capt. Israel went to live at his NJ home, Helmstatt. My guess is that she stayed there at the waters edge hoping for the return of her eldest son. Dr. Peter Craig said he thought that Israel Jr. was not in any real danger from the pig stealing charge which he skipped bail on, an Archivist in NJ disagreed. It was a repeat offense, the English had taken control of the local court from the Swedes, and the English Common law would have been enforced. Pigs ran free in the colony in "open range", we would say. They were branded by slitting their ears and such markings were registered. Israel, Jr. was accused of altering such markings on some pigs. The English Common Law in effect in Pa. gave the judges wide latitude of punishments, branding, whippings, hand severing, or banishment to Australia for that offense. The senior Israel had been one of the Swedish colony judges but the incoming English had displaced them all, with the exception of Capt. Israel. I think that Israel, Sr. was not sure he could protect him. Also, Israel, Sr. remained a judge only one year after the English took over. He was active politically in NJ after going there, which may account for the 1992-92 ships passenger listings, mentioned above. The affairs of the NJ colony were conducted at Elizabethtown. Israel, Sr. was a member of the Legislature. There is some Barbados data suggesting our line if the spelling of Holme were accepted. Israel Jr. might well have changed his name to avoid extradition. For several years we have considered the question of how to differentiate between the descendants of the Swede, Captain Israel Akeson, Alias Helm, and other HELMs who we find in Pa and NJ. This file, CLICK HERE TO VIEW, provides the best data we presently have on Captain Israel's line. It also includes some individuals who have been alluded to as illegitimate descendants, just for completeness. These data provide a location in some cases and the approximate dates for most of them. The Swedish names are not of certain spelling, as most had an alias, assigned to them or adopted by them after they were here. The timeframe falls into the time slot appropriate for our purpose. A recently established website dealing with the Swedish Colony on the Delaware River can be found at: http://www.colonialswedes.org/Forefathers/Helm.html A picture of the famous Gloria Dei Swedish Church may be found at: |
In view of the strong involvement of the NC
Helms brothers and their descendants in religious matters, and since they
were said to have come to NC from a Welsh settlement or with a Welsh group
in the Philadelphia area, the next step in the search was of the religious
and historical records at the West Chester, PA and Philadelphia Libraries,
and later in other counties in PA and NJ.
This located a Rev. John Helme/Holme/Helling
(but Probably John Holmes) at Lower Dublin (1686) in the Pennypack Baptist
church which met in the Barbados Storehouse. A Presbyterian, Rev.
George Craig, Sarah Smith in the first Baptist Church of Phil. and William
Smith in Philadelphia, were there in the 1700 time period.
We found a Richard A. Tilghman who married
Susan Toland , Apr 26, 1860,and they had six children, but he is out
of our date range of interest. (Added Feb 2003). Extensive Tilghman genealogical information, and Craig and Smith Genealogies were found in PA and MD, but need to be studied further. Virginia Cordes, in a letter to Gerald Helms in 1984 had previously shown Daniel Helms at Marple TWP in 1715, and John and Thomas Helms on the 1715 Darby taxables list in "Delaware County History" by Ashmede. Significantly, Moses Helm was instrumental in founding a Presbyterian Church in Bedford County, VA where he settled, as described by Samuel K. Helm. I did not find anything on the Fortenbury/Falkenbury's, initially. A Falkenbury was in the Swedish Colony and served as an Indian Interpreter at Little Egg Harbor, NJ. It is not presently known how we get from Falkenburys in NJ/Pa to Falkinburys in NC in Tilman's time, and how we relate the Falkenburgs and George Helm, found on the Wagon Trail in the Shenandoah Valley. However, it appears that the real link is with Falkenburgs who passed through Cecil County, Md and were in the Shenandoah Valley region of VA as outlined above, rather than from the Falkenburgs of Little Egg Harbor, NJ. More recently we have found additional
Falkenburgs in NY and PA. Click here to go directly
to the table. Later, I used the GRS genealogical index and
the LDS listings to extend these historical and religious library searches,
and did find Falkinbury families in Western VA, Anson County, NC, and
elsewhere. The spelling of these names is an issue, according
to Dr. Peter Craig, the name derives from a Holstein family of George
Falkenburg, sometimes spelled "bury" and pronounced "berry" by the Swedes,
who was an ancestor of some early Delaware River Swedes. Sometimes
the name was spelled Fortenbury, as in some accounts of George Helms
wife, Mary Margaret. There were Fortenbury deeds in NC contemporary
with the NC Helms brothers. See Appendix. Recently Harold Polk
has developed information which placed a Falkenbury as an Indian interpreter
in Little Egg Harbor, NJ, and linked him with the Delaware Swedes. The
Falkenburgs were known to have gone on to SC. Christopher Helme initially settled in MA Colony but went to Exeter, NH with Antimonium dissenters from Puritanism (one who emphasizes the role of faith in salvation, rather than works-a distinctive Baptist position), then to RI in further dissociation from the Puritans. His descendants were into the Baptist faith in RI, as his descendants are mentioned in RI Baptist church records. |
French Connection
Recently DNA data has became available through Y- DNA genetic test results of known NC Helms descendants, that has identified the HAPLO group for that line. By study of the details of the specific markers a definitive HAPLO Group, R1b, has been identified for the NC Helms; and, it is a well known group which has been found to have come from France to England. Just when this arrival occurred is conjectural. By the times of the Colonial period, those people had likely been assimilated into the general population. But whenever they were, and bearing whatever name they used, the ones of our interest had that same Y-DNA imprint suitable adjusted for mutations. After those distant times, migrations of continental people continued and some migrated from France to England before the Roman conquest. It is believed that they initially settled in SE England, from about 1200BC to 400AD but continuing. Those initial settlers did not have surnames as we do today. Therefore, surviving companion persons still in France could have migrated here via England or directly to the USA at any time with or without using the Helms surname. We have no assurance that we are the only line here possessing that DNA. In about 1066-1100 AD, William the Conquer, established a new land inheritance procedure in conquered England which was intended to make all of England the perpetual inheritance of his conquering Officers. To do that, he began the idea of surnames, which eventually was established throughout England. (His secondary purpose was to be sure he collected taxes for all of England). The earliest Helms-like surnames, we know about in England, appeared in about 1300. So this date marks the beginning of the so-called Genealogical family tracing techniques which we use today. New Genealogical surnames came from a number of things, such as place, occupation, and what was called the Paternal method, widely used in many countries, which resulted in many surnames ending with, son (like Wilson, Johnson, or other such symbolic names). These names may not be useful Genealogical or Generic purposes. There were many Wills or other first-named people with differing genetics and most had sons. So, all Wilson's were obviously not genetically kin. similarly any Helms whose name came from a place named Helm are not necessarily all kin. However, any which are kin are so-marked by their Y-DNA. Therefore, DNA is a powerful tool for Genealogical purposes. Genetic techniques trace all the way back to their origin in Africa eons ago and areas therein still have people with those genetic labels. In fact, Cameroon is strongly indicated as the starting point and a large fraction of the present populace there has that R1b HAPLO Group involvement. Always remember that many mutations will have occurred over that time period. Mutation rates vary with the Y-DNA markers, with some being slow and others being faster markers. A genetic line is promoted by the persistence of the markers which are changing more slowly. There is considerable literature available which goes into the details. It is not our purpose here to detail it. The point to be made here is that one of the results from the NC Helms Y-DNA studies, is described in Part 9, herein, was the identification of the probable path and timing of their migrating to England. Additionally, one would expect some remnants of people remaining in France after any migrations to England. Presumably some may have the same genetic label as the NC HELMS. Whether genealogical continuity has been maintained is conjectural. That can only be proven by DNA testing. We have not found any leads to Helms or similarly named people
coming here directly from France. We do know that there are some who are working
in that area. Our interest here is in letting anyone having
French Helms data know about our interest, and hopefully adding to this
area. |
Summary
The parents of Tilman, George, and Jonathan
Helms remain elusive, but there is some chance that a little more work
may place them in Bucks County in the early 1740's. However, a strong
possibility exists that the Helms marriages did not occur until they were
in NC, after 1747-8. All of the families seem to have been in NC
then. Of course, these families could have traveled together to
or gathered at NC. The recent finding
of Thomas Helms, in NJ, who might have been linked with NC, and finding
Helm's and Falkenbyurgs at Bethlehem parish near Albany NY means that
the initial Helms wagon trip to NC may have originated in NJ or NY rather
than PA. And, there was a strong German Baptist flavor to the Hunterdon
County, NJ situation. The changes in NJ County structures has to be
factored into the data. As for the brothers wives, the listings, so
far examined in these various ways, say that NJ, PA, NC, and SC could
have been the place where some if not all of the Helms brothers families
came together with their wives' possible relatives. For Tilman,
the Craig's were in the upper Bucks County area and a Wm. Craig has
been found on the Blunston Licenses List for deeds West of the Susquehanna
River after 1733. The Smiths were in the early PA Colony, but
are too elusive, and the Falkenbury/Fortenbury's are very scarce, but
present in the Swedish Colony on the Delaware. A lead to Falkinbury's
in NY, PA, VA and NC is compelling. Whether the family came to
NC with the Helms, or a daughter married a Helms in PA or NC may be
irrelevant. A major problem is the gap in time between the supposed
marriages in NJ in the mid 1740's and the coming of children 8 to 12
years later. I think it is likely the marriages occurred in NC. At
the present time, it is more logical that the Helms brothers marriages
may have occurred about the time the households were established and
the birth of their children in NC as evidenced by their deeds and the
children's birth dates. This is still being studied.
Some of all of the families were in various colonies in the appropriate time period. This is summarized in the following table, which identifies people for further study. The connection with the Colonial Frontier Forts will be dealt with later. The next step will be to search for more information on each of these people. Because of the unique group of Falkenbury
first names it is sort of easy to visualize their path through the colonies
to SC by 1790, but specifically, placing them in Anson CO NC with the
Helms in 1763. The link with George Helms in Shenandoah in the 1740's
is also apparently established. We have not treated their spread from
SC, after 1790. The historical records of the Falkenbury family have
not been very kind about the spelling of their surname.
The following table lists the occurrence of which we are aware of for
the Falkenburgs and other key people. For a table of Falkenburg sources see the table. Click here
OCCURRENCES OF VARIOUS HELMS AND OTHERS IN THE COLONIES
Notes: (1) The Samuel's at ENJ in 1643 and at the Brandywine in 1701 could not be from Christopher/Rouse Helme line in RI. Also may have been a typographical error, meaning to say Israel. (2) Significantly, two Thomases and John and William were found in Barbados: Major Thomas and Captain Thomas. That has not been factored into prior genealogical studies. This John was in Maryland in a large grant to Sewald as an indentured servant. (3) Rev. John Helme/Holme/Helling at Pennypack in 1686 requires further scrutiny. (Probably Holmes.) (4) The Thomas Helms (1723 Stafford County, Va. Rental rolls) is resolved by Samuel K. Helm's book, pp 27-29, as son of Leonard and brother of Meredith in the VA Helm line. (5) It was said in some Tilghman Genealogies that the same Tilghman's were correctly listed in more than one state. For instance, the History of Chester County, PA by Pope listed Benjamin, Edward, James, Richard and William Tilghman, some of whom have also been found in MD/DE records. Some were lawyers, whom have also been found in MD/DE records. Some were lawyers, some military which may account for this. (6) Years ago, Martha Helms Bates had developed a listing of children of Israel Helm, Jr. This has been contested by Dr. Peter Craig, a noted Genealogy expert on the Delaware River Swedes. Bates had shown a son, John, b. 1695 who could possibly have been the father of the NC Helms brothers. Until some additional evidence of this is found it is best not to use that case. The nature of the small 200 family Swedish community and the good documentation of the ancient Swedish Colony suggests that it would have been difficult for a family of the NC Helms brothers' apparent size to have gone unnoticed in a Swedish family in the Delaware River region. Also, some of the Helmes we have been tracking seem to have emerged from Barbados when coming to the Colonies, rather than from an indigenous source, or from England. Of course, It is possible that Israel, Jr. went to Barbados in 1691, married and had children who trickled back to the Colonies in the 1720's or 30's. Some of the "family stories" show them at places similar to the old Israel Helm sites. Also, the Ships passenger listings of Israel Helm in 1692-3 between Philadelphia and NY remain to be explained. That was not likely to have been Captain Israel Helm, according to Dr. Peter Craig, who also said that "passenger listings" are unreliable. The Helms coming from Barbados have been attributed by genealogists to the English Barbados have been attributed by genealogists to the English Helme family from Goosnargh in Lancashire, England. Christopher was later found to have originated from the family of WM. Elme/Helme of Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, England. The connection of the Goosnargh and Long Sutton Helmes is not presently known. (7) The John and Thomas Helms in taxables list at Darby, PA in 1715 and the Daniel at Marple, also in 1715 remain to be accounted for. As mentioned in note 5) above, Martha Bates had shown a son, John (supposedly b. 1695), to Israel Helm, Jr.; but Dr. Peter Craig denied this. Peter Craig had shown a William Helms at Darby in 1765-74 (earlier in Ridley, b. abt 1728); so, there was other Helms lines around. That William may have been too late to have interacted with the NC Helms brothers. In fact, Barbados records place him in the next generation after Thomas and John. There were Thomas and John Helme's in the Christopher-Rouse-Samuel line in RI in about 1700, who might be the source of these Helm(s) people. There was a Daniel in ENJ in 1780 who may descend from the 1715 Marple Daniel. Also Christopher's son, Sands Helme, died in Surinam, a colony ceded to the Dutch in the treaty ending the fight over NY. (8) There was a Hellam (Hallam) TWP listed in York County, PA in the 1790 Census, but no Hellam's or Helm(s) were listed there. (Halam is an English spelling of Helme.) (9) Rev. Alexander Craighead was an early minister in the Carolinas. (Gerald Helms pa 41) (10) The Thomas Helms in Ann Arundel County, MD in 1708 needs to be explored. (11) These are the first people with the exact spelling, HELMS, who have been found in NJ. The implication is that they were in the geographical area of Hunterdon County, rather than in present-day Gloucester, hence probably have no connection with the Swede, Captain Israel Akesson (alias Helm). The Court Records for Glouster County were burned in 1745, so there may well have been other HELMS there before 1767. Hunterdon County was split off from Glouster County, so the precise location of these people cannot be determined from the county location only. The source of these marriages is the"Hunterdon County, New Jersey Marriages, 1790-1850". (12) Nicholas was said to have come there from NC and Hunterdon County Records show: "Bastin Mires of Bethlehem, cooper, and Nicholas Tilman, mason, (now) live in Amwell", (1770) #31039. That Bethlehem would be the Bethlehem TWP in Hunterdon County. Nicholas was involved with the Morris Canal. Presently, we are not able to connect him with the Tillman/Tilghman families we have documented. However, there was a timely Richard Tillman in Anson County, NC. We have a NJ website note that "(Old) Amwell TWP was formed by Royal Charter in Burlington County, NJ, 1708, and in Undesignated Areas: Bethlehem TWP Existed in 1730, details uncertain.", Ref. "Some Records of Old Hunterdon Co. 1701-1838", Phyllis B. D'Autrechy, Trenton, 1979. Hunterdon was an early county, split later. (Old material should not be read with current geography in mind.) Some possible descendants of Nicholas are shown in this file, Click here to view. (13)Just lately we have identified a John Tilghman who was b.in MD but probably died in Maine. This is drawn from a list of Early New England Settlers, which showed John in Maine, and from the Genealogy of Johannes Tilghman of England, c. 1225, by Karen Sola. John Tilghman was b. in Somerset CO, MD after 1652, m. Magdelen Gutch in Mass, 1679, they had children: Mary and Christopher. Mary married Mr. Soper and Christopher m. Hulda Hans. John's parents were Christopher Tilghman and Ruth Devoshire. Christopher was the grandfather of the Elizabeth who was b. 1694 who we have determined would have been a possible North Carolina Helms brothers' mother, as discussed in this website. (14) Samuel Blunston was authorized to grant Licenses to "Sundry Persons to Settle and take up land on the West side of Susquehanna River by the Hon. Thomas Penn Esq.", dated 11 day of January 1733. A list is available in the Pa. State Land Office (Dept. of Internal affairs) a Harrisburg, Pa. page 7 of "Blunston's License Book " office # 64). Of particular interest to us are: Polk, Shelby, and Craig, known allied families of the NC Helms. Wm. Craig is of special interest on account of Tilman Helms wife, Rachel Craig (15) Christopher Helm and a grandson, Robert and several others have been found at the Bashin Ridge Presbyterian Church, SOmerset Co., NJ. It appears that Christopher would have been of the same generation as the NC Helms Father. We also have another Christopher when Leonard Helm left him 40 Shillings in 1745 in Winchester, VA. (16) First Court Record ???? Vol 2, 1797 A Samuel Holmes (possibly Helmes) was a plaintiff against Thos Buchmon; and on 17Dec1712 a Sam'll Helmes is listed as a juror. A NJ archivist things these are the same person. So we probably have a Samuel Helmes in Clovente Co., NJ by 1797. No other data available due to county records having been burned. (17) "The Documentary
History of of the State of NY Vol I" gives a list of the free holders
in Albaby in 1720. There are are several Falkenburghs and Valkenburghs.
(Johannes, Hendy, and Jacob Valkenburgh) and Jaac Falkenburgh. The spelling
is not exact but is strongly suggestive that it is the Falkenburgs who
were later in MD, VA and the Carolinas. Hendy is obviously Henry, and
Jaac is obviously Isaac. (18) William Helmes, 1704 in SE VA is one of the most timely Helms persons we have had who was close to a Tillman family. William or one of his children may have married into the Tillmans, and there was a Tillman girl, Elizabeth b. 1694 -just the right age in that Tillman line. More information is available in the linked file: William Helms Hulmes Notes. Helmes Wife in 1759 at Albemarle Co. (19) Richard Tillman, b. 1727 was from the line of George Tillman and Mary House in Prince George Co., VA. Richard d. abt 1800 in Montgomery Co., NC (derived from old Anson Co.). George was an early neighbor to William Helme on Blackwater Creek Pr. Geo. Co., VA , according to lost VA records found in England. To find Richard in Anson Co. may be highly significant in our search for the possible Tillman mother of the NC Helms brothers. We have focused on Elizabeth b. 1694 to Gideon and Margaret Manax. Richard was in the next generation after Elizabeth in a parallel line (like a nephew). John Tillman who was father of Tobias was similarly a nephew. John and Tobias were also contemporaries with the Helms in the Carolinas. (20) "Land
Records of Cecil Co, MD No. 3 p 224 shows: (21) Wm. and Sarah Elmes bought Ashley Green from an Ashley in 1696, but sold it back to a member of the Ashley family in 1735, Cecil Co., MD. Wm was listed as a Vestryman in the Shewbury PC Church in about 1704. The sale may have meant that Wm. left that area. (22) PA Colonial
Records 1600-1800's, "Abstract from "The American Weekly Mercury"
pa 65, 9/13/1733 . It reads: (23) Militia data
from Augusta Co., VA shows an item: (24) This John appears to have been a business person. Note that we had two John Helmes in Charles County, MD the first John died. We have both purchase and sale data for a plat called "Shrewsbury'. To view a indenture for this second John Helme CLICK HERE. The document is from the Charles County Court, Liber E Folio 175, dated 10 MAR1673. John Helme sold that place to Henry Asdpenall in 1674 and no other record has been found for him. That is recorded in Archives of MD, Early holdings P78,79, 1674. John married Mary, the widow of John Mills. He may have moved to Upper MD. To view this file CLICK HERE. (25) This Jan or John Helmsz(en) in NY 1642 has been associated with the Hellums of SC, and might have been a forerunner of the NC Helms. In the Falkenburg column, we list serveral Falkenburgs. In the same Rensselaer section, nr. Fr. Orange we have Isaac, Thomas, Melgert, John, Jacob. Andries and Claes (Nicolous) Falkenburg with some listed as Valkenburgs, which seems to have been a Dutch spelling, Also a list of all of the Free Holders at Albany lists others namely: Jochim, Bartlemeus, Lamert, Hendrick (Henry), and Jaac who may be the Isaac at Rensselaer. Some may have been at Ft. Orange. (26) Lambert Van Valkenburg was in NYC before 1644. His arrival has not been discovered. His genealogical account has a good discussion about the spelling. The surname comes from Van Valkenburgh, meaning in Dutch, 'from the castle of the falcons' (van=from; valken=falcons; burgh=castle), It sometimes reverts to Valk or Valck which mean 'falcon'. And has resulted in Falconburh whereas the original name in Holland was Valkenburg, or vice versa since it is an international family. Even today, the descendants of Lambert still use Valkenburg in both Canada and America. a further deviation is Valic or Volick. Valck and Volk and Follick (the German/Dutch accent making a 'v' sound like an 'f' to English ears). His genealogy to the present has only one Helms entry, in the late 1800's. So it appears that there were Dutch and Germanic Falkenburgs in Colonial NY. Lamberts ancestry is traced to very early times. His genealogy is available. At: http://www.navvf.VVgene/pafg/ (27) John Helin 1623, sometimes given as John Helme. (28) Matthew Helmes transported to "the James River area" in 1683 by Wm. Harrison and the Math Elmes in Norfolk in 1680 may be the same person, since the Norfolk settlement was also on the Mouth of the James River, and Helme and Elme were often interchanged. Matthew may have been a forerunner of the William found at Pr Geo Co. in 1704. We have not found any data for William before or after Pr Geo Co in 1704, so Matthew might be a forerunner, and, now, finding William's wife mentioned in Albemarle Co. suggests they may have moved there after selling that Pr Geo 133 a. property. If we could find Matthew in the Caribbean before 1680, it might lead us back to England for that line.
These listings were the first step, when combined with other information, to begin looking for additional data on specific families. The census indexes were generally for "heads of families", so it does not tell us if they had a daughter, Elizabeth, Sarah, Rachel, or Mary Margaret. The actual census enumeration form might provide more information -- like number in the household, more names and ages possibly, and possibly different generations, although that kind of data only became collected after about 1790, which is after our time of interest. Sometimes it is possible to infer things from their neighbors (as in the case of the Thomas/George/Tilman Helms adjacent sites in NC). And those above at Rensselaer with Jan Helmsz(en) or his descendants. Jan was there in 1642. In 1720 there were Helme Janse, and Helmes Vedder, both names and surnames may be inversed. For a table of Falkenburg sources see the table. Click here |