Hi, This is my mother's family. Francis s Bennett Hancock married Elizabeth Shepherd. His father was John Hancock married Margaret Louisa Marshall, daughter of David and Frances Marshall of Talbot County, GA. John was born May 1, 1819, at Edgefield, SC, probably Steven's Creek. He died on April 19, 1898, in Talbot County, GA and is buried in the cemetery at Roland Primitive Baptist Church in Upson County, GA. Margaret was born on August 21, 1824, in Jones County, GA. She died on October 13, 1891, and is buried in the cemetery at Roland Primitive Baptist Church in Upson County, GA. John's parents were John Hancock and Elizabeth. They lived at Edgefield, SC and Talbot County, GA. They are probably buried in the cemetery at Roland Primitive Baptist Church in Upson County, GA in unmarked graves. John's brothers were James and Oliver Hazzard Hancock. Oliver married Nancy Railey in Tolbot County. They later moved to Harris County, GA. John's grandparents were John Hancock and Ann Oliver. They were married in Petersburg, VA. before 1764. She lived in Petersburg. He lived Chesterfield County, VA. Their children were: Peter, Polly, Sarah, John, Thomas, George, William, and Simon. John and Ann moved to Edgefield, SC. before 1769. John and Margaret married in Talbot County, GA on July 25,1841. They lived at Pleasant Hill in Talbot County, GA. There children were: 1. Francis Bennett Hancock born June 24, 1849 Married Elizabeth Shepherd. They are buried in the cemetery at Roland Primitive Baptist Church in Upson County, GA. They moved to Upson County, GA after their marriage. Their children were: Maude "Maddie" F. Hancock, Clara L. Hancock, Marshall Lennie Hancock, Shepherd Bennett Hancock, Alva Norris Hancock, Ira Cleve Hancock; his wife is still living, Lizzie Lou Hancock; my grandmother, George A. Hancock, Annie Belle Hancock, Ruth Hancock, Isaiah B. Hancock. All married and lived in Upson County, GA at Crest. 2. Robert A. Hancock was born in 1854. He is buried in the cemetery at Roland Primitive Baptist Church in Upson County, GA. 3. Francena Hancock was born 1856. She married William Robert Kersey. They moved to Texas. 4. Nancy Jane Hancock was born 1859. She married George W. Brown. She was a member of Friendship Baptist Church in Upson County, GA. 5. Silas P. Hancock was born in January of 1861. He married Mary Ann Brown. They lived in Sycamore, GA. 6. Martha Jane Hancock was born on October 21, 1863. She never married. She lived in Talbot County, GA with her parents. She died March11, 1896. She is buried in the cemetery at Roland Primitive Baptist Church in Upson County, GA If you would like more information, I have Margaret's family back to Boston in 1633. I think that I have John's family back to the 1600s in VA. also. I don't have proof of that yet. Are you a family member? My mother, sister, and myself went to the Hancock family reunion in June at Crest, GA. Mary Wolfe

Hi All, I again need your help. Back on December 11, 2000, Julia Wood sent an e-mail to the list explaining why The John Hancock had no descendents. Would someone please send me a copy of that e-mail. Thank you so much, best wishes Bill Felknor billf2k@yahoo.com

I am looking for information on the following members of the Hancock family in Upson County, Ga. Francis Hancock and his wife Louise Marshall Their son Silas P. Hancock who was a cotton planter was married to Mary Ann Brown. He died in Sycamore, Ga. Silas and Mary Ann had the following children: Grace Pearl who married Benjamin W. Daniel Gunter Hancock who owned several bakeries Arvin Hancock was a blacksmith Cleon Hancock ran a small grocery Albert Hancock was career navy Grady Hancock was a machinist Thomas Hancock was in the Merchant Marine Inez Hancock was a homemaker Fannie Lizzie Hancock-homemaker Sally Lou operated a millinery shop Ruby was a homemaker I am looking for anyone who knows the early history of this family and where they came from. Gratefully, Myra Daniel

Yes, Jim, I received yr letter with all the extra "junk" in each sentence. But your is not the first one that has come thru like that. I am wondering what happens and what the remedy is. Perhaps the rootsweb folks can shed some light on that. Linda

Hi, I am also interested in the Flournoy part of the Bible also because a later generation of Flournoy married into my family. Mary

My stepdaughter will be going to RM College this fall (actually starts on Aug 21st). If anyone can nail this clue down, I will be down there and can do some research. Let me know.

There were also unconnected Clement Hancocks in Chesterfield Co VA...they're in the list archives. ~malinda jones ArvilH@aol.com wrote: > Mary: Petersburg is an independent city - not a part of any county. It is > located at the border of Chesterfield and Prince George counties. It is on > the Appomattox River about 20 miles south of Richmond. I visited Petersburg > briefly in January of this year. It's a very old (small) town, first settled > in 1646, and has a lot of history related to the Civil War. > I have long been aware of John Hancock and Ann Oliver who, according > to LDS records, were married in Petersburg. I doubt that John was BORN in > Petersburg; probably in adjacent Chesterfield County. The Hancocks that were > living in that area at that time certainly were descendants of William - and > I know of no other Hancocks that were there - yet I have never been able to > connect this John. In any event, I believe you should be thinking > Chesterfield County rather than the town of Petersburg. > > Arvil > > ==== HANCOCK Mailing List ==== > Feel free to post the data you find on HANCOCK > in your research. Census, bible, wills, marriages, > deaths, cemetery, deeds, tax lists, and other > useful data. You might help a cousin who needs it.

Thank you Arvil. Maybe you are correct about Chesterfield County. I have this John traced to Edgefield SC. From there his son John and grandson John are in Talbot County, GA. The later John is my gggrandfather. Happy Birthday! Mary

Mary: Petersburg is an independent city - not a part of any county. It is located at the border of Chesterfield and Prince George counties. It is on the Appomattox River about 20 miles south of Richmond. I visited Petersburg briefly in January of this year. It's a very old (small) town, first settled in 1646, and has a lot of history related to the Civil War. I have long been aware of John Hancock and Ann Oliver who, according to LDS records, were married in Petersburg. I doubt that John was BORN in Petersburg; probably in adjacent Chesterfield County. The Hancocks that were living in that area at that time certainly were descendants of William - and I know of no other Hancocks that were there - yet I have never been able to connect this John. In any event, I believe you should be thinking Chesterfield County rather than the town of Petersburg. Arvil

In a message dated 08/01/2001 6:40:19 AM Central Daylight Time, HANSER5@aol.com writes: > Can someone please check that letter I sent and see whether it looks that > way > to you? If so, I'll resend it to the list. > > Jim, it did have HTML code every place that you had put and apostrophe, or quotation mark, but it wasn't unreadable. No need to send again, it was probably copied and pasted from richtext or such. I do applaud you on your careful and detailed research, and the courage to question research that you find flawed. The hardest thing that I have found is in trying to convince others whom have clung to the early research, as gospel, and have never followed the documents for themselves, that the family they are claiming, isn't theirs. They don't seem to understand that saying it is so, doesn't make it so. My goal it to find my ancestors, regardless of who they are or what they are, not to invent ancestors or claim those who aren't mine. If some refuse to accept the truth, or continue to publish the errors, it really doesn't change the facts, but keeps the confusion going when it is found on the Internet or in libraries by new researchers. We should keep our minds open to all possibilities, even though, in some cases, there isn't enough evidence to prove one way or another. Exploration and discussion is healthy, and if a line is true, it will hold up under scrutiny. Julia French Wood

Hi all, I apologize for sending this in the wrong way. I will try again. Does anyone know if any of William's children, grandchildren, etc., moved to Petersburg? I am looking for John Hancock who was born in Petersburg in 1735. He married Ann Oliver in Petersburg in 1764. I know that some of the children were William, John, George, and Peter. He fought in the Revolutionary War. He died in SC or GA. Mary

Hi all, I have been reviewing some very old maps that I have come across. On a 1756 map, I found a town called Hancock at end of the Ogeechee River where it flows into the Atlantic at St. Catherine's Island, GA. Also, I found the name of a town called Hancocks in NC in 1747. It is about where Durham, NC is today. Mary

Hi all, Does any one know if any of William's children, grandchildren, etc moved to Petersburg? I am looking for Col. John Hancock who married Ann Oliver in Petersburg in 1764. John was born in 1735 in Petersburg. Thanks. Mary

Hi all, I recently came across some very old maps of VA, NC, SC, GA. On an 1747 map there was a town called Hancocks about where Durham NC is today. Mary

Hello List: This is weird! I receive letters from this list in Digest format. I just read the latest Digest and what I got was garbled, at least as to my last sent letter. The other letters sent in were just fine. For example, the end of my letter was shown as "...I think we=E2=80=99re all seeking the truth. For me, until something more=compelling=20 arises, I will show the=E2=80=9Cnew=E2=80=9D alignment. =20 Let=E2=80=99s continue the research and the good discussions!..." Can someone please check that letter I sent and see whether it looks that way to you? If so, I'll resend it to the list. Thanks, Jim

You're right. HANSER5, to keep on with what we do know for fact and look for the rest. This isn't my line but I love the discussion. We ALL will get on the tracking... I am from a William Hancock from Massachusetts. but grew up in VA down Lexington way.. My PERRY anc started in 1670.MD and are thought to come from one of three Perrys in VA...Joseph Perry has our earliest PROVEN birth..can't find HIS parents yet! Alicia

Cathy - There are so many William Hancocks it is hard to sort them out. The William who married Sarah Harding is my g-g-g grandfather and it is believed by some and disputed by others that he was the son of John D. Hancock and Elizabeth Maddox. My g-g grandfather William married Sarah Asher and they were divorced in 1837. They had a son named William Vardamon Hancock. Are you descended from any of the Williams? Theda Kells Hoyt

The first reference to the Hancock Bible, that has been so much discussed, was made by Professor William Preston Johnston (1831-1899) in his book 'The Johnstons of Salisbury.' Johnson was a Colonel in the Conferderate Army during the Civil War and served on the staff of Jefferson Davis. After the war, he was a professor at Washington and Lee until November, 1880 when he became president of LSU. When Tulane was founded in 1884, he became its first president. He published a number of scholarly works in addition to his own family history, which included Hancock connections. The "Bible" received further publicity when J. Rives Childs published his genealogical research in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography beginning in 1925. Childs was a native of Lynchburg, VA and a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in 1912. He earned a graduate degree from Harvard in 1915. He served for 30 years in the American Foreign Service, during which he published an enormous volume of writings on a variety of subjects. The works of J. Rives Childs are housed in a Special Collections area at Randolph-Macon College. The Bible in question is that of Simon Hancock (1717-1791) who married Jane Flournoy. It is often referred to as the Simon Hancock-Jane Flournoy Bible - but J. Rives Childs referred to it as the Hancock-Brown-Childs Bible. There can be no doubt that this Bible existed and that it was accurately quoted by Johnston and Childs. It is unfortunate that it can no longer be located by the librarian at Randolph-Macon. In January of this year I was in Washington for the inauguration of President Bush. The next day I drove down to Asheland, VA to visit the library and to try to determine what may have become of the Bible. It was not my day. It was between semesters. The library was closed and the campus was nearly deserted. Finally, I want to say "many thanks" to all of you who have sent me birthday greetings. This one was a big one. The Bible (Psalm 90) says: "The days of our years are threescore and ten; and if by reason of strength they become fourscore years, yet is their strenght labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." That's the Old King James Version. A more modern version says: "Seventy years is all we have - eighty if we are strong; yet all they bring is trouble and sorrow; life is soon over, and we are gone." Some consider seventy years to be a life sentence on this planet. If so, I have served my time. 'Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come; Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.' I have been trying hard to retire from the genealogy business. Thanks to many of you, I'm not having much success. Love and Blessings, Arvil

RE: Randolph-Macon near Front Royal I just looked up their webpage. I stand corrected . They are an academy of the Randolph-Macon system. If interested, their website:<A HREF="http://yp9.superpages.com/cgi/clicker.cgi?SRC=aol3&S=VA&T=Front+Royal&Z=&C=schools&CID=&ACTION=log,red&LID=0005182018&FL=url&TL=off&LOC=http://www.rma.edu">Click here: Welcome to Randolph-Macon Academy</A> or www.rma.edu Linda

If memory serves me correctly, there is a Randolph-Macon near Front Royal VA. Linda