Re: Richard&Betsy (Taylor)/VirginiaCarolinas
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In reply to:
Re: Richard&Betsy (Taylor)/VirginiaCarolinas
Elaine Carwile 11/16/03
The name, of course, derives from Llewelyn, and there are, to me, four basic types of the 'F' versions. There is a family in southern England which has used something like Flewelling for some generations. There were Irish Flewelling's/Flewellen's who appear as coal miners in northern Pennsylvania in the middle 1800's, there are the 'southern' families (of which the Flewellen's, yours, is one of the most significant) originating in colonial Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas, etc., then there is the family origination on Long Island, New York about 1663 which uses variations: Flewelling, Flewwelling, Flewwwelin, Flewellin, Fluelling, Fleuelling, Flewellyn; with the first predominating. This last is my mother's family, and the one with which I am more familiar. In the vast majority of cases, variations of the name found north of the mouth of the Delaware River before 1850 (and even after, really; except for the Irish family) belong to the Long Island family.
Archie L. Colburn has emerged, in my estimation, as the most knowledgeable on the Flewellen's, your family. I sense that repetition of supposition, conjecture and legend may have made it necessary to review carefully the genealogy of that family, and to confirm the correctness of prior conclusions. I feel that Archie has actually made attempts along these lines. I note, for example, that he has a compilation on-lan, beginning with Dick and Betsey at:
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=alc2nd&id=I241http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=alc2nd&id=I241
In which he attempts to note some of the records he has used. This may be your best available guide at this time, and I feel you may take it as a reliable guide. I would suggest, however, that (at least as far as your direct ancestors are concerned) you make some effort to prove and record your proofs for each generation.
Following the links, Archie has:
Richard Flewellen m. Elizabeth Taylor. Their son:
William Flewellen b. ca. 1725, d. Halifax Co., North Carolina 1786, m. Elizabeth Holloway. Their sons do not appear to include a Richard Flewellen, as you suggest.
The transition from 'Flewellen' to 'Ellen' I believe refers to this family. Again, you would have to discuss this with someone more experienced; but my impression is that the name was broken into something like 'Flew Ellen' or 'Flu Ellen', and the 'Flew' or 'Flu' was dropped.
Thomas