James E. Hazard
(address withheld)
18 Dec 2000
To Roger:
Summary: The Friends Records effectively stop with Daniel Pegg, Sr.
What I did was to read the Births, Deaths and Marriages at Philadelphia MM from 1682 to 1750 and then the same data at Chesterfield MM, NJ and Wrightstown MM in Bucks Co. PA. I also checked the Abstracts for Hardwick & Mendham MM which serve Warren and Morris Co. in New Jersey. I looked at the index for Wills in New Jersey and only found a few references to the name Pegg – no wills, just citations as a witness or a minor mention – all in Hunterdon Co.
I decided that you might not have the following copies of Records from Philadelphia MM and I have a comment about a couple of them.
First is the Marriage Certificate for Daniel and Barbara Pegg Jones on 5 d 3m 1691. Note that there are no other Pegg names among the witness list.
During my search of the Marriage Certificates, I found only one entry for the Pegg name – copy enclosed. On 13d 9m 1706 when William Coates married Mary Smith, two of the witnesses were Tho: Coates and Eliza Pegg. There is no other entry for any of the Pegg family in the Certificates up to 1750.
In the Death Records I copied those 3 entries for Peg(g). Nathan Peg son of Daniell and Barbarah died 25d 4m 1698. In your papers there was a note that this “is a mistake”. I disagree – this is in chronological order in the Records and is, I’m sure, a fact. What probably happened is that there was another Nathan born after 1698 and he is not entered as such in the Birth Records. In fact, there are no entries for the births of Daniel and Barbara Pegg’s children.
Next is the Death Record for Mary Peg daughter of Daniel and Barbarah Pegg on 7d 5m 1701/02. And then that of Daniel Pegg on 23d 12m 1702.
When Elias Pegg was buried on 27d 2m 1717, it was stated that he was not a Friend. There is no record in any of the Philadelphia Meeting’s existing data for any other Pegg names. Thomas Coates and Elizabeth Pegg did not marry in Meeting – I believe because the family had already left the Society of Friends. They were no “socially active” by which I mean they didn’t go to weddings – at least as far as one can judge from the Certificates; except for the one I’ve enclosed for William Coates.
I studied the Records on the same basis for Chesterfield MM in New Jersey and for Quakertown and Wrightstown (they were mixed together in early times). There was no sign of the Pegg name.
My conclusion is that Daniel was a “marginal” Friend in the 1690’s and after getting into squabbles with various folks in the Meeting, he simply disconnected himself and his family. He was obviously in good economic shape in the 1680’s, but clearly things went a bit downhill later in life. His children moved away and did not try to reestablish their connection to the Society of Friends for whatever reason.
The only source I can imagine that would be of help are the civil records of Hunterdon Co. – and any other denominations that might still have records there.
I also did take a look at the Friends Abstracts for Derbyshire in England and there is no entry at all for the name Peg(g) in the Births, Deaths and Marriages from 1632 to 1725.
This took all together 6 hours so you are paid up as of now. I really can’t think of any other thing I could do with the Friends Records that would help. This is disappointing, but such is the case.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Hazard
