History - Settlers

Green Brook History

The Vails of Green Brook

Descendants of Thomas Vail

86. Abigail⁵ Vail (Stephen⁴, Samuel³, Samuel², Thomas¹) was born April 14, 1742 in Green Brook, Somerset New Jersey, and died Bef. 1809 in Redstone, Fayette, Pennsylvania. She married Thomas FitzRandolph November 23, 1763 in Plainfield, New Jersey, son of Richard FitzRandolph and Elizabeth Corlies. He was born December 21, 1740 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and died July 21, 1801 in Redstone, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

Notes

Thomas FitzRandolph:
He and Abigail (5) came to Fayette Co., Pennsylvania, with Abigail's brother "Black Abraham" (5) Vail circ. 1790.

Children of Abigail Vail and Thomas FitzRandolph are:

	343	i.	Phebe⁶ FitzRandolph.
	344	ii.	Elizabrth FitzRandolph.
	345	iii.	Edward FitzRandolph.
	346	iv.	Thomas FitzRandolph.
	347	v.	Catherine FitzRandolph.
	348	vi.	Richard FitzRandolph, born December 17, 1769 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey; died 1854 in Redstone, Fayette, PA,. He married Lydia Mackey.
+	349	vii.	Stephen FitzRandolph, born February 17, 1772 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey; died September 16, 1849.

87. Abraham⁵ Vail (Stephen⁴, Samuel³, Samuel², Thomas¹) was born June 12, 1744 in Green Brook, Somerset County New Jersey, and died Bef. January 10, 1840 in Menallen T'w'p., Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. He married Margaret FitzRandolph August 28, 1766 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, daughter of Robert FitzRandolph and Catherine Taylor. She was born March 11, 1743/44.

Notes

Abraham Vail:
Abraham (5) Vail, "Black Abraham," and his family settled in the Redstone district of Fayette County, Penn'a, in about 1790-'93, and he lived there till the time of his death. Here he became a member of the Westland Meeting bringing from the Rahway and Plainfield M. M. a certificate dated 4 July, 1793, for his wife, Margaret, and himself together with their children Benjamin and Mary, both then of age and clear with respect to marriage engagements, and their younger children Margaret, Samuel, Stephen, Catherine, and Taylor Vail.

WILL OF ABRAHAM (5) VAIL

      His Will is dated 20 May, 1833; was not probated till 10 January, 1840, and is on file in Uniontown, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

      In his Will he makes no mention of his wife so the assumption is that she had died before he drew up that document.

      He is "of the Township of Menallen, County of Fayette, being far advanced in life"; mentions separately his sons Benjamin and Robert, saying that he had "given them their share in full." To his son Samuel (6) Vail he gives land adjoining Jeremiah Piersol. To his youngest son, Taylor (6) Vail he gives the remainder of lands in Menallen Township, adjoining lands of John Wood, Charles McCormack and others. He has already given his son Stephen (6) his share, as also to his daughter Catherine Davis. He gives to Charles (7) Vail, son of Samuel (6), and to his sister Priscilla Pile. Likewise to his grand-daughter Mercy Cope, daughter of Samuel Cope. To Margaret, daughter of Samuel (6), Abraham makes a special legacy, and then follows -- "the six following persons being grandchildren and children of son Samuel, (i. e.) Joel, Jesse, Edward, Agnes, Lydia and Abraham." His friends Samuel Cope, Jr., and Dorsey Cope are named as full Executors. The witnesses are Jeremiah Piersol, Job Wheatley and Samuel Cope.

Abraham Vail and Margaret FitzRandolph:
Marriage: August 28, 1766, Woodbridge, New Jersey

Children of Abraham Vail and Margaret FitzRandolph are:

350

Mary⁶ Vail. She married Jesse Ball.

Mary Vail:
She is not mentioned in her father's will, and probably had died before that time.

351

ii.

Robert Vail. He married Sarah Thorn.

Robert Vail:
is not mentioned in the Certificate of the Rahway and Plainfield Meeting already noted. It is possible that he did not come to Fayette County with his parents. His father mentions him in his will as having "had his share."

352

iii.

Samuel Vail, born in Green Brook, Somerset County New Jersey. He married (1) Agnes Grissell. He married (2) Elizabeth Grissell.

Samuel Vail:
He was of Menallen Township when he made his Will, which is dated 25 December, 1854, and proved 8 May, 1865, and it is probable that he still lived on the land he inherited from his father. He calls himself "far advanced in years" when he made his Will. He bequeaths to his wife Elizabeth and to his children, thus; -- his sons Joel (7) Vail and Jesse (7) Vail; to the children of his daughter Priscilla Pile, viz., Hannah, Agnes, Charles, and Albert Pile "who now reside in Morgan County, Ohio, -- to his daughters Hannah Richardson, Mercy Cope, Margaret McGrew, Agnes Frazier and Lydia Vail. Lydia (7) Vail was to have a home with her mother. The homestead was left to Samuel's two sons Edward (7) Vail and Abraham (7) Vail, who were also to care for their mother Elizabeth; and these two sons were named as Executors.

	353	iv.		Stephen Vail.
	354	v.		Catherine Vail.

Catherine Vail:
Mentioned as Catherine Davis in her father's will. No mention of children; nearly seven years elapsed between the making of the will of Abraham (5) Vail and its probate, and there may, of course, have been numerous children.

355

vi.

Benjamin Vail, born 1767. He married (1) Rebecca Webster in Ohio. He married (2) Hannah Fawcett Fernley.

356

vii.

Taylor Vail, born 1784; died 1866.

89. Samuel⁵ Vail (Stephen⁴, Samuel³, Samuel², Thomas¹) was born August 23, 1754 in Greenbrook, Somerset, New Jersey, U.S.A., and died April 12, 1846 in Middletown, Butler County, Ohio, U.S.A.. He married Deziah Jennings November 06, 1775 in Somerset, NJ, daughter of Isaac Jennings and Sarah Vail. She was born June 14, 1758 in Hunterdon, County, NJ, and died July 20, 1828 in Butler County, Ohio, U.S.A.

Notes

Samuel Vail:
Burial: Clawson Cemetery, Princeton, Butler Co. Ohio

Deziah Jennings:
Deziah was thought to be one of the heirs of the Jennings estate of England. The legacy amounted to about 44 million dollars and has been in probate near a century, and not known to be settled yet.

Children of Samuel Vail and Deziah Jennings are:

+	357	i.	Isaac⁶ Vail, born February 17, 1777 in New Jersey.
	358	ii.	Stephen Vail, born March 07, 1779 in New Jersey; died September 27, 1845. He married Elizabeth Craig; born Abt. 1783 in New Jersey.
	359	iii.	Huldah Vail, born April 25, 1781 in New Jersey. She married James Marshal; born Abt. 1777 in New Jersey.
+	360	iv.	Henry Washington Vail, born May 09, 1783 in New Jersey; died November 14, 1831 in Butler County, Ohio, U.S.A..
+	361	v.	Thomas Vail, born May 26, 1785 in Green Brook, Somerset County New Jersey; died February 26, 1873 in Industry, McDonough County, Illinois, U.S.A..
+	362	vi.	Peter Jennings Vail, born February 06, 1788 in Virginia; died August 23, 1859.
	363	vii.	Samuel Vail, born November 25, 1789; died December 15, 1833 in Westchester County, New York. He married Margaret Russell WFT Est. 1796-1840; born WFT Est. 1775-1809; died January 18, 1841 in Westchester County, New York.

Samuel Vail:
Burial (From Charles Rockett, on the Westchester County GENWEB)

In Anderson Grounds on King St(Rye/Portchester), I find a Samuel VAIL,d.12/15/1833,age 44/00/20 and his wife Margeret,d.1/18/1841,age48/11/00.

+	364	viii.	James A. Vail, born February 06, 1792 in Pennsylvania; died July 07, 1871 in Montgomery County, Indiana.
+	365	ix.	Abraham Vail, born September 02, 1794 in Washington County, Pennsylvania; died August 21, 1874 in Illinois.
	366	x.	Sarah Vail, born September 02, 1797 in Washington County, Pennsylvania; died February 02, 1820. She married Oath Long March 02, 1815 in Butler County, Ohio; born Abt. 1792 in Butler County, Ohio, U.S.A..

+	367	xi.		Rebecca Vail, born November 12, 1798 in Pennsylvania; died 1869.
	368	xii.		Esther Vail, born May 06, 1801 in Ohio; died April 01, 1829. She married John Gungle April 09, 1822 in Butler County, Ohio; born Abt. 1797 in Ohio.

369

xiii.

Phebe Vail, born August 19, 1805 in Ohio.