I have an Andrew ELIASON, who died in 1803 in Newcastle County Delaware. Probably in Red Lion Hundred. Andrew Eliason was married to Lydia Dushane, dau of Rachel __ Dushane Cazier, who d. 1789 in Pencander Hundred. Andrew was on the tax list for Red Lion Hundred at least by 1084. Rachel's husband (1) was one of the grandsons of Antione Du Chesne of New Amsterdam ans Staten Island, whose sons went down into Delaware around the first decade of the eighteenth century. Rachel's second husband was John Cazier. These families were part of a general exodus from NY, Staten Island et al, into the area around New Castle, Delaware, which took place just around 1700 to 1720. A lot of the upper part of Delaware had been a Dutch colony for a few decades. But at South River, thw western bank was being populated in areas taken by lands grants of August Hermans and the Van Bibbers, who were wrangling with Penn and with the English Lords for supremacy. By the time Andrew Eliason was born, the area is partly populated with desc. of New Netherlanders/Dutch colonials, partly by by Welsh who came with Penn, partly by English and Scots-Irish, and also by desc. of Swedes and Finns from the old Swedish colony at South River which was overtaken by the Dutch in 1655. Some of the New Amsterdam - Staten Island families seem to have made a stop for a generation or so in Bucks County PA; a few in Monmouth Co NJ or upper counites of NJ --other families seemed to go direct from NY to Delaware --again, early in the eighteenth century.. But where did the ELIASON family originate? Who was the original Elias(on)?? Can someone shed some light on this? And who were Rachel __ Dushane's father and mother?? The only one which comes to mind is so implausible, it seems ridiculous to even contemplate. Elias Simonsz DeHart (whose wife was Caty LAENEN V Pelt) and sons lived in Monmouth Co., NJ for a while, then in Bucks Co. Pa, some ending up in Amity Twp., Berks Co. PA. Old Elias was said to have been there but moved on; said to have died in North Carolina. But to my knowledge, that's never been proven... I think Elias did not like to go to church very much. If it helps any, I can give children of Andrew ELIASON and Lydia DUSHANE and a few more recent generations from our family records and from census (DE). Lydia Dushane's known siblings were Andrew, Hester HATTRY, Rachel McCINTIRE, and Susanna Cazier (CASIER). In addition to the foregoing, surnames associated between about 1690 to 1800 include Belville (of Philippe and Jean Belville/Belveal, Huguenot), VAN BIBBER/VAN BEBBER and Op den Graeff (of the Germantown 13), Vandegrift, HOLTEN/HOLTON (possibly of the Swedish colony), DALE (Scots-Irish, arrived Delaware ca 1680), CANON, BIDDLE, ELLISON (probably 'Allison' --English) --many of these in New Castle Co., DE for many years. So who was the original ELIASON? Thanks, Liz J