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Bishop Asbury's famous journal (1958 edition) mentions
the following Swains: David L., (volume) II 263n.,
368n; George, II 263, 309; Matthias, II 94n; Nathan, II
597; and Richard, II 18, 503, 597. I looked up only the
latter two, but they are very brief references that do
not mention families.
Richard and Nathan were definitely both Methodist
ministers of the Philadelphia Conference. Richard began
in 1789 (and spent two or three years in New England,
besides his Phila. area assignments); then Nathan began
in 1799.
Richard and wife Charity Miller had daughters Harriet (who died as an infant) and Hannah, who died at about age 20. Hannah had married a Rev. Joseph Bennett, according to Methodist historian Robert B. Steelman, but Rev. Steelman can find nothing else about this Rev. Bennett.
Oddly, Hannah would have been only 16 when Richard died; yet his Will only mentions giving his horse, carriage and books to brother Nathan, and his savings to the Phila. Conf. to support other "worn-out preachers." The sickly Rev. Richard died just before his 45th birthday, at Nathan's home. I have photos of his grave, as well as Charity's. It is possible that Hannah was already set up with a guardian and property before 1808, but I'm only guessing.
So far, I know little about Nathan except that a
Memorial in an 1845 Methodist publication said he was
born June 27, 1767, in Cape May county, N. J. . . began
as an itinerant in the Philadelphia conference in 1799,
then retired from full-time preaching about 1815.
I've found elsewhere that he and an unnamed spouse then
sold over 100 acres of land in 1817, yet he was still
called Superintendent of the Tuckahoe (NJ) section of
the Phila. Conf. as late as 1825. Today, Superintendents have powers to appoint and evaluate preachers in their districts, plus substitute-preach; so this title may not mean what it seems. Perhaps it was more of an "emeritus" honor?
The Memorial said he relocated to Ohio at some point, where he apparently practiced as a traveling physician, having educated himself with books given him by Philadelphia physicians! I don't know if he lived with, or near, family in OH, but the same article says he "died, in his seventy-eighth year (March 1, 1845) at the home of an affectionate child, in Hamilton county, la." The OCR obviously fouled up that "la." I first took it to mean Iowa, but could it mean Indiana?
Will you please share what the Methodists sent you? Do
you have the place and other details for the 1811 Espy-
Swain marriage? Do you have 1850 or 1860 census info? I
will share whatever you have with Rev. Steelman, who is
still sharp, and may put "two and two together".
I've gone through several un-indexed books in search of
these brothers, plus now own a copy of Richard Swain's
abridged Journal (with Rev. Steelman as editor).
Unfortunately, this section of the Journal only mentions
that his mother was a Langley and that he and Nathan had
a brother Judah and an unnamed sister, both in S.Jersey. I have another request "out there," however, that may net more data.
-------------------------------------
NOTE: If any reader passes along what I've written
above, please credit Dolores Langley, plus contact me first at dol_sol@hotmail.com to determine if I have
corrections or additions. (There is no sense in passing
along "old info" that may, by then, be wrong!)
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