I am trying to gain more data on John Perrin Sr. and Jr., particularly to understand their progeny (son Thomas Perrin born ? 1763, grandson James K Perrin born 1809). I am new at this -- can anyone direct me? Richard Perrin Day

Richard- Because John Perrin, Sr. crossed the lives of the Twigg families from mid 1700's in present day Washington and Allegany Counties, Jerry Twigg has research acquaintances of Robert Twigg's and has written the following on John Perrin. With his permission, I am posting a story based on material gathered by Jerry B. Twigg in regards to John Perrin. If you are interested, you can contact me off the List and I can give you Jerry Twigg's address and phone number for you to contact him. I have a copy of John Perrins's will and his Distrubtion of Accounts as well as deeds for property owned by John Perrin. I also have an original letter written by John Perrin stating he dropped charges on someone and it is dated. The paper is extremely fragile and shows much wear on the folds. I put it away to keep it from being damaged and right off, I don't know where I put it. When I find it, I will let you know what it says. It is a document that looks like it should be int he State Archives. I* had it checked and yes, it is authentic. How it came to be for sale on e-bay, I have no idea but I was delighted to get it. JOHN PERRIN: John Perrin certainly the most interesting of those whom we can identify with the Twigg family. From about 1745 until his death in 1769, John is believed to have lived somewhere in the Antietam-Frederick area. He was a Frenchman whose origin is unknown. We do know that during the period mentioned above, he was a tanner and that during the war years, he along with his sons, Edward and John Jr. served in the company of Joseph Chapline. It is as a tanner that he most likely became acquainted with Robert Twigg for he would have been one to whom Robert would have taken hides for trade or the making into leather. We also know that John owned the original grand to Sink Hold Bottom, issued to him in 1761 and that through this relationship, Robert most likely became aware of the property he would eventually buy from John Perrin. From information compiled by Ben Johnson Jr. on the property of Capt. Griffith Johnson, we find that Benjamin Johnson, eldest son of Griffith, after the death of his first wife, married Drusilla Perrin, daughter of John Perrin, Jr., an early resident of Bedford Co., PA. John Jr. was born in 1722 and it is likely that the family was living in the Murley Branch area of Western MD at the time. John Perrin, Sr. was the father of three boys and two girls. Nothing is known of his wife except that she apparently had died before John wrote his will in 1769. Given his trade as a tanner, he was probably typical of the pioneer Frenchmen of New France and spent his early years in this mountain region as a fur trapper and trader among the Indians. The reason for placing John in the Murley Branch area is the he also owned "Three Springs Head" which John Twigg of Robert purchased from the Perrin estate in 1773. The title to this property describes the inclusion, "all houses, buildings and improvements there on". The implication here is that this was the mountain home of John Perrin, Sr. If so, he was undoubtedly a compatriot of Thomas Cresap who had his own trading post at Oldtown. Cresap being amount other things a surveyor, probably surveyed both tracts for john. It may have been the death of John's wife that caused him to consider the family removal to a more populated area and the suggestion of Cresap whose home was at Long Meadow (in Washington Co.), that the Antietam area would be ideal. By 1745, John Perrin, Jr. apparently had married and decided to remain behind. However, according to Ben Johnson, Jr., John's wife and baby were killed in an Indian raid, leaving him little reason or desire to remain so far from civilization and so he, too, came East to join his father and to serve in the militia against those who had killed his family. In his will, John Perrin, Sr. requested that all of his property be sold and that the money be divided equally between his sons and thus it was through the Perrin family that the Twigg family purchased and settled upon the land around Murley's Branch.

I'm very glad to see Sharon's message on the Perrin family. My familys moved into the area around Flintstone and Twiggtown but at a later day, ca. 1755 and the early 1800's. They came down from Bedford Co. PA. The oldest Hamilton I have was Jonathan who married Mary Gordon and lived in the Bean's Cove area of Bedford Co. One of their sons was John Hamilton who seems to have died before 1841 since John's son, Jonathan's grandson, went to live with the Lennix Perrin family. Below is from one of the files on record at the Allegany County Orphans' Court. "This must be the grandson of Jonathan Hamilton. An indenture was made by Jonathan on 29 May 1841 with Lennix Perrin of Allegany County Maryland, for the placement of Jonathan's grandson, John Hamilton, in bond until 13 March 1846. At this time John would be of age and was to be given his freedom. John was to receive from Lennix Perrin: training as a blacksmith, six months of schooling, good and sufficient meat, drink, clothing, lodging, and other (necessities), plus twenty dollars at the expiration of the 5 year term. (A copy of this document is taken from the book of Indentures on file in the Orphans Court of Allegany County Maryland. I also have a son of Hilary Willison, Frederick Norval Willison who was born in 1873 and who married Judith Perrin, daughter of Jerros Perrin and Deborah Perrin. Judith died in 1948. They lived in the Flintstone area. Connie