I recently found a webpage on familytreemaker.genealogy.com that claimed that the TODD family in New Jersey, USA originated in Longford, Ireland. No sources were cited. Below are the first two generations of Todds in America. Supposedly, William Todd, b. 1710 in Longford was the son of John and Margret (CAIN) TODD who emigrated to the USA in the early 1700's. I am having trouble finding information online and would like to prove or disprove this connection to Ireland.
Thanks for any assistance. -Lorie
Descendants of William Todd
1 William Todd b: 1710 in Longford, Ireland d: 15 Oct 1760 in Peapack, New Jersey
. +Jane Cammel
.... 2 William (Major) Todd b: 02 Apr 1761 in New Jersey d: 21 Sep 1845 in New Jersey
........ +Sarah Whallon b: 1763 d: 31 Aug 1811 in New Jersey m: Abt. 1783
.... *2nd Wife of William (Major) Todd:
........ +Ann Castner b: 22 Oct 1778 d: 22 Nov 1837 in New Jersey m: 22 Jun 1813 in Somerset County, New Jersey
.... *3rd Wife of William (Major) Todd:
........ +Mary Miller Honeyman m: 02 Aug 1838 in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
.... 2 George Todd b: Jul 1753 in New Jersey
........ +Mary Jane Fitzpatrick
.... 2 Jane Todd b: 1751 d: 06 Nov 1826 in Hackettstown, Warren, New Jersey
........ +Robert Caskey b: 1746 d: 1800 m: 06 Apr 1777 in New Jersey
.... 2 John (Major) Todd b: 1755 in Bedminster, New Jersey d: 04 Sep 1820 in Bedminster, New Jersey
........ +Jane Todd b: 1767 d: 1842 in Bedminster, New Jersey m: 06 Aug 1782
storbeck
Sunday 26th Feb 2012, 02:12AMMessage Board Replies
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Hi there,
Thank you very much for your query to Ireland Reaching Out.
I can direct you to a number of documents for County Longford that might be worth checking:
1641 Book of Survey and Distribution NLI Ms.965
1659 Pender's 'Census'. Repr. (Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997) (Irish Manuscripts Commission, 2002). LDS (Church of Latter Day Saints) Film 924648. And online: Genweb Longford
1726-27 Protestant Householders. This covers a number of areas in Longford. List compiled for the distribution of religious books. National Archives of Ireland M.102
1729 Presbyterian exodus from Co. Longford. Breifny, 1977-78.
1740 Protestants, Shrule & Rathreagh (Longford); Rathaspick (Westmeath). RCBL (Representative Church Body Library) GS 2/7/3/25
1747-1806 Freeholders. Registration book. National Archives of Ireland M.2745
Best of luck with your research.
Kind regards,
Sinead Cooney
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Hello from Longford,
Your enquiry is very interesting. Unfortunately, I cannot give you specific information to help your research since there are few genealogical records surviving from that period. Most church records in Longford date from after 1800.
However, if you do an online search for 'Todd' and 'Longford' you will find references to the family of Mary Todd, wife of President Abraham Lincoln. Her great-grandfather, David Levi Todd, is said to have been born in Longford and immigrated through Pennsylvania to Kentucky. The lack of sources on this side makes it difficult to confirm that information, though there is no reason to discount it.
The account of the 'Presbyterian exodus' of 1729, referred to by Sinead (above), does mention that Robert Todd died on the voyage. The voyage in question was organised by Col. Charles Clinton and involved about 150 Presbyterians leaving Longford to begin a new life in the USA. Clinton chartered a ship for the group and they sailed from Dublin on 20 May 1729. A typescript of his diary survives, though two articles based on it arrive at different figures for deaths on the journey; however they were in the region of 90. The survivors landed at Cape Cod on 4 October. Clinton's son George went on to become vice-president, 1804-'12. Many of the group worshipped in a church at Corboy. There is still a small Presbyterian community in that area.
The members of the group seem to have come from the same area of Co. Longford - generally in the middle and northern parts. Most were of Scottish descent.
Good luck with your search.
Martin Morris
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There seems to be no source for the legend that the Todds of New Jersey came from Longford.
However, we do know, using DNA, that the James Todd 1729 and David Todd b 1731 of Hunterdon Co NJ are not related closely to the Andrew d 1781, James d 1781 and Willliam todd d 1760 who lived in Somerset County, NJ. The former may indeed have come in 1749 as legend states, but the others came by 1735. James Todd b 1729 moved over to Somerset County as did his nephew JOhn Todd 1755-1820. They intermarried and thus confused the family historians who linked both groups togetther into the same family.
Richard McMurtry
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Oops!
Big Y DNA reveals that John Todd 1755-1820 is not a nephew of David Todd 1731 and John Todd 1729 of Hunterdon Co. He is more distant kin but more can not be said.
In previous thread, the Quaker John Todd d 1774/1775 of Chester Co is erroneously said to be the father of JOhn Todd 1755-1820. This is nonsense. They didn't even live in the same state! John Todd of Chester Co comes from the County Armagh Todds. John Todd d1755-1820 comes from the County Antrim Todds.
Richard McMurtry
Richard McMurtry