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Our First Everingham Generation 
Jersey Volunteers during the American Revolution, and knowing the Dell family of New Jer- sey that he eventually married in to. Some of his children are also noted as being born in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Many early Everinghams were from Monmouth County, NJ. The Dell family was from New Jersey and were part of some of the early loyal- ist volunteers of New Jersey, many of which were from Sussex County, NJ. James was from, but we do know that New Jersey seems to be the home of many Evering- hams. It would seem, from the evidence found so far, that he was also from New Jersey and probably lived near the Dell family in the 1780's. of this family due to his choices during the American Revolution. Page 18
Generation One & The Revolutionary War This is the first generation of Everinghams documented in great detail in North Amer- ica "In this Family Line". You will also see from the information that follows, that the DELL family were very closely related to the EVERINGHAMS for several generations in the 1700's and 1800's. These are the 18th century Everinghams of the US and Canada. It was in the 1600's and 1700's, when Everinghams came to North America, pre- sumably from England. They mainly settled in New Jersey. James Everingham was born between 1750 & 1760 in New Jersey. He is our first generation. Theories of his heritage exist, but more research will need to be done. The family information that fol- lows documents some of the descendants of James and his first and second wives. James first married Chloe DELL in 1780. She was born about 1759 in New Jer- sey, the daughter of Basnett DELL (b.1720) and Hannah BURRIS (b.1724). James and Chloe's sons were named William, Adoram, and James. Their daughter, Anna Eliza Everingham married Hendrick "Henry" Hoshall IV, of Stamford, Ontario. His family is outlined in the David Glenn Kilmer book, "the Hoshalls". James fought in the Revolutionary war as a private in Joseph Barton's New Jersey volunteers. Two generations later, James' grandson George (b.1815), son of James Jr. & Sally Brooks, named his 4th child Joseph Barton Everingham, in memory of the man his grandfather fought for in the war. The question is... why would they name a child af- ter the commander of a grandfather's war unit? It's easy to speculate that James probably had great respect for Mr. Barton and probably told grand stories about him. Sadly, any Revolutionary war era stories that may have been told over the first few generations, have probably been lost with time. Friends and brothers-in-law of James, two "Dell" boys also fought in the same unit and some of the records of their antics show that they may have been a wild bunch. The research of several Canadian & Americans, confirms that James Everingham, Henry Dell and his brother Adoram Dell , served in the New Jersey Volunteers, under Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Barton. The Jersey volunteers fought on the side of the British. At that same time, at least eight Everinghams are known to have fought in the Revolutionary War on the side of the Rebel Continental Army. It has not been proven how any of those Everingham men were related to our James of New Jersey, but most of them were also from New Jersey. Any early records that may have existed, have not been found, and may no longer exist. In 1776, the British colonies, later known as the United States, were very volatile. It was a terribly disturbing time when leaders of the colonies got together and signed the Declaration of Independence. The times were made even worse when 30,000 British troops arrived in New York harbor. In that first year of war, the Continental Army's only major victory was Washington's capture of Trenton at the end of the year in 1776. It was the bravest of men and those who had the most to lose financially or politically, who took Page 19
up arms against the mighty Great Britain. At this time in history, England was the most powerful nation in the world. World sentiment was that England was invincible, although many relished in the Continental Rebel Army's defiance of England. Early in the American Revolution, things looked bleak for the American Rebels. Most nations and even many of the people of the American colonies saw the Revolution and America's independence as impossible or at least improbable. The 1st & 5th Battalion of Loyalist Jersey Volunteers The first battalion of New Jersey volunteers was the first loyalist corps formed after the British arrived in the colonies. Those first men took up their personal arms and wel- comed the British. Commissioned July 1, 1776, they were first led by Lieutenant Colonel Elisha Lawrence. In October, Sergeant Lewis Barber was shot on a guard boat between Staten Island and New Jersey, and became the first Jersey volunteer killed in action. By November, Joseph Barton of Newton received a warrant from Brigadier General Skinner to raise a battalion of Loyalists from Sussex County, New Jersey. Bartons' men were called the 5th Battalion of Jersey Volunteers. We know that James Everingham, and his future brothers-in-law, Henry and Adoram Dell were all part of the Loyalist movement. The Dells served earlier than James. One muster roll has the date 1780, next to James Everingham's name. This is possibly a note of the date he joined. Muster rolls and lists of loyalist troops were not regularly recorded until about 1778. The battalions exerted control over their post, raising recruits and capturing prison- ers with little resistance, until December of 1776. The British army set off chasing Wash- ington's Continental Army. Washington was victorious at Trenton and Princeton. In 1777, Henry (listed as Henry Dill) and Adoram Dell (listed as Doram Dell) show up in muster rolls of Captain Silas Hopkin's Battalion, under the command of Colonel Joseph Barton. Meanwhile, Barton began gaining the respect of his men by personally leading the 5th Bat- talion on raids in early 1777. Then, in August, about 30 of the 5th's men were captured, along with Barton himself. This is about the time when Adoram Dell was captured. At the same time, 2000 Continental troops surprised the 1st Battalion and took over 80 prisoners including their leader, Lt. Colonel Elisha Lawrence. By early 1778, both the 1st and 5th Battalion were disintegrating and rapidly losing morale. American General Sullivan led a group of Patriot rebels north against all British sympathizers & Indians. Many Indian villages and people were completely wiped out. The British forces suffered illness and desertion, and many were killed in Sullivan's raid, or were now prisoners of the Rebels. It's interesting to note that a Patriot named William Everingham of Burlington County, New Jersey, was injured during Sullivan's raid. William was wounded in the left shoulder and cheek fighting the Indians that would later become part of James Everinghams extended family in Brant County, Ontario. On April 25, 1778, the 5th Battalion merged with the 1st, although both unit's com- manders were still prisoners of the rebels. On May 23, Adoram Dell died of wounds on Staten Island, New York, while still a prisoner of the rebel forces. Adoram was about 22 years old. Page 20
In July of 1778, the two commanders were exchanged in a prisoner deal. Barton was traded first, and immediately assumed command of the new 1st Battalion. This did give the group a strong leader, but caused other friction among the recently merged group of men. Officers of the former 5th were extremely loyal to Barton, but members of the old 1st Battal- ion were loyal to Lawrence. To boost the Battalion's power, in September, 40 men from VanDyke's West Jersey Volunteers were added. Tensions remained among the men, and Richard Cayford, a supporter and ally of "Lawrence" was put under arrest by Barton at least two times by 1779. Not helping matters, Brigadier General Skinner, a friend of Lawrence, was commander over Joseph Barton. In January of 1780, Ensign John Lawrence, a relative of Lt. Col. Elisha Lawrence, was involved in a bar-room brawl with an officer from another Battalion. Lawrence was up- set over the officer's slanderous remarks about the 1st. The following night, the two re- solved their differences with pistols. Lawrence was wounded and the Officer was killed. A court marshal later cleared ensign Lawrence of any wrong-doing. This was not an isolated incident, and illustrates the volatile atmosphere. This was the same year that James Evering- ham married Chloe Dell, sister of Adoram & Henry Dell. January 16, 1780, nearly 3000 Continental troops attempted to take Staten Island from the British. The Loyalist troops remained in their fortifications as the rebel troops suf- fered from the harsh weather's deep snow and temperatures. Reports suggest that after the first night, five hundred rebel soldiers were sent back with frost bite. They managed to cap- ture only one of Barton's 1st Battalion, and a few from another group, but were defeated by mother nature. September 11th of 1780, James Everingham (listed as James Everingem) & Henry Dell were both still active, in a muster roll of Captain Crowell's 1st Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Barton. In October, a vessel of goods was cap- tured by a rebel Privateer. Most of the men captured, guarding that ship, died or remained prisoners during the war. The tides drastically turned in 1781. British General Cornwallis surrendered to the Continental army, a defeat suffered by the British that they could not recover from. A more personal blow to the 1st Battalion also came that year. With higher forces working against him, Lt. Col. Joseph Barton was arrested on 10 counts of misconduct and disobedience of orders. One item Barton was charged for, was having his men build frames for houses, that he sold in New York City. Guilty or not, loyalty to Barton hurt the 1st Battalion and many are known to have deserted. James Everingham is thought to have been very loyal to Barton. This may have been close to the point at which James, and Henry decided to leave their posts. Dell family notes suggest that Henry deserted February 1, 1782. James deserted Feb- ruary 6th, 1782. These dates fit perfectly with speculation over Barton's arrest. Several Battalions merged with the 1st, and they would see a few commanders over the next year as they garrisoned at Newton, Long Island until the end of the war in late 1782. On October 10, 1783, the 1st Battalion of New Jersey Volunteers was officially disbanded. Page 21 Theories, Thoughts and Speculation Contrary to what is shamefully hidden today as offensive to a minority few, the early settlements in the British Colonies were nearly all very devout followers of some form of Catholic or Protestant Christian religion. Religion was a large part of everyone's lives in- cluding the founding fathers of America and the British they eventually fought. The very documents that formed the United States were based and included frequent reference to "God". Many of James Everingham's descendants are noted in census and other records as Methodist, Protestant, Lutheran, Baptist, and even Church of England. I don't wish to fill this book with supposition, so I've attempted to add details backed with documentation whenever possible. However, a bit of speculation is healthy to keep all avenues of future research open. It is easy to imagine that several various events could have shaped the lives of James Everingham and his family during the American Revolution. Since all other Everingham families that fought in the war were Patriots, it is possible that James was not related or a recent immigrant from England. The Revolutionary War lasted from 1775 to 1782, with many incidents occurring prior to, and after those dates. Unrelated books and genealogies have documented how men changed sides on rare occasion during the war for various reasons. It is not at all documented and not terribly probable, but possible, that James was a Patriot like the other Everinghams of the era, until some event prompted his switch to support the British, perhaps the death of Adoram Dell in 1778. Another James Everingham (Patriot) enlisted September 10, 1778 under Captain Thomas Butler in the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Regiment of Pennsylvania. It is probable that this Patriot James could be the same James Everingham identified a few pages earlier as (James Everingame) of PA. It is possible that this was our James, but not likely. Could our James Everingham have been a victim of home or property destruction, purposefully or even accidentally? Could he have been the target of some misunderstand- ing? Perhaps his stand on a particular issue pitted him against neighbors. Could someone in his family have been killed by Rebel or vigilante forces? His brothers-in-law were also Loy- alists which forces you to immediately wonder if his loyalty was rooted in his alignment with his Dell family and friends. Maybe he followed some of his Dell family to Canada. Family notes show him arriving in at Decu Falls, Upper Canada in 1786. Other notes also identify him obtaining provisions from a British post at Niagara, on his way to Canada with his wife & three sons that same year. This was a stop-over rations post, for people who were heading to Canada's British controlled soil. On November 14, 1786, James showed up again on a rations list at Niagara, picking up food. The British signed the Articles of Peace on November 30, 1782, thus officially end- ing the war. British troops left New York before 1784. Why did James wait until 1786 to move his family to British controlled soil? Was it because he had Everingham or Dell fam- ily here in the New Jersey area? Did he finally leave because of unfair treatment, as many did? Many questions are left unanswered and may never be known.
Page 22
The United States of James' time, was very different than the United States we know today. (see map)
After moving to Canada in 1786, James and Chloe had a daughter they named Anna in 1788, but sometime after that, Chloe died. By 1793, James had married a younger
woman named Catherine, the daughter of another Loyalist, Jacob Lemon. Catherine was
only 4 years old when James married his first wife Chloe. James and Catherine had two
children; Charity, who married Adoram DELL in 1822, and Jacob (b.1795) who married
Margaret DELL in 1817. Page 23
A few stories have cropped up over many years of research on our family. One group of stories seem to have a single theme in common; "three brothers came to the American Colonies from England." The stories never tell if the three brothers came with parents or alone, but A variation of this story was found in the family Bible of James Everingham's grandson (shown here).
With the theme of three Page 24
Other Stories about where our first generation, James Everingham originated from. It is quite possible, that we may never know for sure where our first genera- tion James Everingham originated from. I believe that it is probable that we may find a link that is more reliable than circumstantial evidence. With the huge pro- gress recently in Genetic testing, I think that it is only a matter of time before con- crete connections are made. For now, we only have the stories and speculation of past generations to go by. There is another story of the origin of our James Everingham. This story gained prominence in the early 1900's when a notice began to surface that geared it's mailings to people with the name "Everingham." The mailings told about grand estates in England that were to be sold off, and how heirs were being sought to distribute the fortunes of the final sales of the huge Everingham estates. Many people were pulled into the idea of a possible gold-mine for our family, and won- dered if maybe a great fortune awaited us Everinghams. A story surfaced about an Everingham family that told of a man of high English society who had two "or more" sons. One son married the girl that his parents picked for him, as was common practice for the upper class in those days. The other brother, refused to be forced into marriage and was disinherited from the family's great prestige, power and money. The problem with this story is, that it has been used over many generations in other families and in countless fiction books totally unrelated to our family, for many years. The story continues with the one brother moving away to the American Colonies to start his new life. From there he ended up in Canada. This story conveniently fits nicely into the history of our first generation James Everingham who lived in New Jersey and later moved to Canada after the American Revolu- tion.
United States, Canada and England dug into the validity of the claims for many years in the early to mid 1900's, and a great deal of money was spent on legal fees. It was a nice boom to the law business, but no big fortunes were uncov- ered. I do not want to say that every aspect of the stories were fraudulent or that every- one who had high hopes in- vested in the stories were fool- ishly wrong, because any of us could have been enticed by the promise of millions. Page 25
In the 14th century, the Everingham family, were very prominent and extensively wealthy. We would all hope to be part of that. There were in fact, many Everinghams with great hopes of being part of the ancient Everingham fortunes. One letter found (previous page) illustrates the level of excitement and legal involvement. In hindsight, we can not say if the lawyers involved had good intentions or if this was a scam from the start. Today, we know that the Everinghams owned great estates, castles, and were the hereditary keepers of the very same Sherwood Forest of Robin Hood fame. The fam- ily also served several Kings, served in Parliament, held other public offices and had other im- portant titles and riches. But by the 20th century, when the stories of inheritance emerged, all of this was splintered up among other families. The main Everingham family of that era had died out and all that was left were distant relatives and other families that had married into the Everingham family. Over the years, the lands, manors, and castles had passed into other hands being passed down to fringe relatives and sold off over hundreds of years. So why would any of us have claim to them? One search for information produced a letter from Arundel Castle, west Sussex, England on June 22, 1983. They noted that the connection or lack of a connection of the Everingham family with the Dukes of Norfolk. The late Duke's mother was the owner of the Everingham estate in Yorkshire, she was Gwendolen Constable-Maxwell, Baroness Herries in her own right. The Constables were a Yorkshire catholic family who lived at Everingham for many centuries. The Maxwells, were a Scottish family who joined in marriage in 1758. Thus their estates have no connections to any American or Canadian Everinghams. With all of this in mind, it is somewhat unlikely that the stories of the Everingham man being disinherited by his family and leaving England, had anything to do with our James Ever- ingham. In fact, it could have very well been fiction, but it does make you wonder.
The Everingham family, now known as Northern College. Page 26
The Children of James Everingham, Chloe Dell & Catherine Lemon Page 27
When the Everinghams of this generation were
1803 Louisiana is purchased from France.
1807 The US Bans the importation of Slaves
1808 James Madison was elected President.
and the next Several generations of
1812 The War of 1812
1816 James Monroe elected President
1819 Florida is taken by the US from Spanish.
1836 "The Alamo, Texas"
James and Chloes' first child William was born April 9, 1781 in Trenton, Mercer County, NJ and married Eliazbeth OSTRANDER November 10, 1803. William and Elizabeth had 14 children; 1. James (b.1804) This 3rd generation "James" married - See map on next page Nancy MATTHEWS Oct 10 1827. They had 8 children. (at 79, this James Everingham married Mennonite widow Anna Boughman in 1883) 2. Chloe (b.1806) 3. Andrew (b.1808) married Elizabeth Ann Dell who died in 1849, He married second to Susannah Dell. Andrew and Elizabeth had 3 children, Andrew and Susannah had 10 children. Their youngest child was Jesse Owen Everingham of Onaway, MI. 4. Jane (b.1809) 5. Anna (b.1812) 6. William (b.1814) 7. Mary J. (b.1816) 8. Martha Burch (b.1818) 9. Martha L. (b.1819) 10. Elizabeth (b.1821) 11. Jacob (b.1823) 12. Maria Louisa (b.1826) 13. John B. (b.1828) 14. Henry (b.1833) To conserve space, & avoid confusion, the extensive families of these Everinghams are not included here.
James and Chloes' second child Adoram was born March 21, 1783 at Trenton, Mercer
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