Volume 2 - Preface

Because of the sheer bulk of material used in compiling this record of descendants of Daniel Payne of Accomacke, it was considered desirable to present the material in two volumes, this being Volume II. The table of contents shows that only the maternal collateral families associated with the Isom’s and Mitchell’s and the family of Clyde and Belva Payne are included herein. In Volume I we find all of the preceding generations of the paternal side of the family that have been proved along with associated collateral ancestral families. Although the title of this work indicates that it concerns a certain Daniel Payne and some of his descendents, the two volumes that make up this account are far more than that. Within their pages are touched on, perhaps in a miniscule way, the names and a portion of the lives of families that have contributed to the many generations which have constituted our family throughout the centuries, including the present generation. The simple truth is that we know practically nothing about the personal lives of any of our ancestors except for the last few generations and there are holidays in what we know of them.

For example, the emigration of our ancestors toAmerica, the early Pilgrims, Puritans and Cavaliers, to establish the English colonies was an event that had never been witnessed in the previous millenniums of world history. In numbers that are not so impressive today, where we count the world’s population in the billions, twenty five thousand and more people leaving the land of their birth in the early seventeenth century, to start anew in a far and unknown land, was an event of great magnitude. While the research that I have been able to do has been rather insignificant in comparison to all that has been written and available to research, prior to Winthrop on the Arbella, in 1630, not one personal account of the trials and tribulations, the daily routine; how they managed to perform the simple necessities of living on board a vessel for long voyages at sea, has been found. Such a personal account would be invaluable, but if one was written, it has eluded historians and genealogists to this day. The voyages by the Pilgrims toAmericawere undertaken, on occasion, in vessels as small as 60-70 feet in length and often in the dead of winter. From personal experience, I can vouch that theNorth Atlanticcan be a most inhospitable place even if one is on a major man of war or a stately cruise ship. We know from the ship’s records and manifests that death took its toll, for causes ranging from accidents to diseases, such as small pox, to scurvy.

Most of the sea faring vessels at the time the great emigration toAmericabegan, carried either fishermen, traders making short voyages in theNorth SeaorMediterraneanor members of the various navies. They simply had no knowledge of the requirements of a balanced diet to see them safely through a voyage at sea that could last up to three months. Thus scorbutic starvation, or scurvy, early on was the main scourge of our Pilgrim ancestors. The effects of scurvy, while not well understood, were not unknown at the time of the great emigration, but it was people like Drake, Raleigh, Magellan and others that made voyages to circumnavigate the globe, who were familiar with scurvy and methods to help control it. However, there was little transfer of this knowledge and documentation in the beginning. Besides, those early explorers were generally voyaging in tropical climes and were able to make frequent stops to replenish their fresh water and fresh provisions. That fortuitous happenstance did not exist for our ancestors traversing theNorth Atlanticin all seasons of the year. It should also be remembered that up until the late fifteenth century, most sea voyages were of rather short duration, that is, mostly around northernEuropeand in theMediterranean Sea. However, our early ancestors were fast learners and by the time of the Winthrop Fleet arrival in 1630, their knowledge of dietetics had vastly improved. Half of the passengers on the Mayflower succumbed to scurvy and even thoughWinthropcame along ten years later, some two hundred of his group out of a total of seven hundred perished from all causes, but scurvy was probably a significant factor even though his arrival was in the summer, not the dead of winter.  The scurvy problem would have been far worse if it had not been for the requirement to carry copious quantities of beer to supplement fresh water. Water had a tendency to become rancid after extended periods of time in the casks carried to sea, thus the ratio of water to beer on the long duration cruises was approximately five to one. That is, a ship may have carried 2000 gallons of fresh water, but 10,000 gallons of beer. This practice did not really end until the Industrial Revolution and propulsion by steam power. Advancing  technology gave us much faster ships, thus cutting the length of time spent on voyages and also provided the ships with the capability to make fresh water while at sea.

We do not claim any family connections from the Mayflower, but as you follow the various ancestors as listed in the text, you will find that members of our family are found arriving on America’s shores in the 1620’s and 1630’s, in both Virginia and New England, or upper Virginia as it was then considered. Many more arrived in the latter part of the 17^th century with Penn, to settle in his new Proprietary and our German ancestors a bit later in Pennsylvania and on until 1804, when William Hay emigrated with his family from Scotland, thus the only one to arrive after the American Revolution and the last of our immigrant ancestors. Most surely their transport was not a walk in the park and we know quite well how difficult it was to carve out a new life in a hostile environment and with a minimum of the conveniences of the society which they had left behind. It is to those intrepid adventurers and to my father and mother,Clyde and Belva Payne that this work is dedicated.

Volume 2 - Introduction

David Hume, in his "History of England", observed that there is a “curiosity entertained by all civilized peoples, of inquiring into the exploits and adventures of those forebears who helped to establish and define their nations.”  While this curiosity is exhibited by nations, the same can be said in the case of individuals, as all of us have, or should have, a lively and personal interest in the history of our lineage and of those whose blood and characteristics we have inherited. 

As is the case with many others, I have long entertained considerable curiosity concerning my ancestors.  Where did they come from, why, and whom did they leave behind them?  Genealogy is a time consuming and some what expensive hobby, so why do we pursue it? Cousin Bob Jones sent me a short article that may answer that question. The article is entitled “We are the Chosen” and is as follows:

In each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again, to tell their story and to feel that somehow they know and approve.

Doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called, as it were, by our genes. Those who have gone on before cry out to us: Tell our story. So we do. In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors, “You have a good family; you would be proud of us.” How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow that there was love there for me? I cannot say. It goes beyond documentary facts. It goes to who I am and why do I do the things I do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying I can’t let this happen. The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family. It goes to deep pride that the fathers fought and some died to make and keep us as a Nation. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. It is of equal pride and love that our mothers struggled to give us birth; without them we would not exist and so we love each one, as far back as we can reach. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and care and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are they and they are the sum of who we are. So as a scribe called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to take my place in the long line of family storytellers. That is why I do my family genealogy and that is what calls those young and old to step up and restore the memory or greet those whom we had never known before.    (unknown author).

Writing Volume II was, perhaps, a bit easier than in the case of Volume I. In neither case did we find a previous work concerning our direct ancestors, that is to say, the Paynes and in this instance, our Isom and Mitchell ancestors. There were a good many books written concerning Payne collateral ancestors and the same is true in this Volume for our Isom and Mitchell families. Cousin Ralph Baldwin gave us an excellent source in his book “Theophilus Baldwin 1792-1851 and his Descendants North Carolina-Indiana.” Ralph was helped immensely with the research and contributions of our cousins Dr. L.C. Baldwin and Mary Kay Baldwin Schroeder, as noted in his book and herein as well.  Another book, “Trails of Our Fathers,” originally written by Thomas Henry Silliman Schooley, later revised and greatly expanded by his grandson, James B. Schooley, Ph.D., and this source has been used extensively here as the author gives us a very good insight  into the daily life of the Quakers, including excerpts from a diary written by one Joseph Dyer. Joseph Dyer noted such things as deaths, births, marriages, accidents and even some political events, including the death of George Washington and the Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton duel. Dyer’s diary covered some fifty years of Quaker activity, beginning in 1763 and ending in 1805, presumably at his death. The number of people that died by accident and particularly from disease is rather startling. As these statistics must have equally applied to society in general and thus to our other immigrant ancestors, it is a miracle that anyone survived to write and to read about their trials and tribulations.

Another great book of some of our ancestors is “The Maris Family of the United States; a Record of the Descendants of George and Alice Maris 1683-1885.” This large book, compiled by cousins George L. and Annie M. Maris, contains a wealth of information on the Maris family and also the Simcock family. Cousin May Schooley published an excellent book on the Schooley’s, “A Pioneer Schooley Family”, which we have referenced. Also, other publications, including excerpts from the “Monthly Meetings”,  the Welcome Society’s book, the History of Chester County and many others. Certainly much credit is due aunt Nora Mitchell Mason and cousin Wilma Mason Kimbley for the information aunt Nora supplied in her writings and in the many pictures that she preserved and that were passed on by cousin Wilma and later by her son David Kimbley.

Researching the records, trying to learn more of our origins and ancestors has proved to be a long and difficult task, but interesting and inspiring in every way. Perhaps a quote from the writings of a noted author and philosopher states it best: “To learn and from time to time to apply what one has learned-----isn’t that a pleasure”? (Confucius, c.500 B.C.). That rather sensible observation still applies after the passing of some 2500 years and we take pleasure in the fact that by research and writing this book we now  know something more of the life and times of many of our ancestors. We have found that our blood lines stem from many sources, however the English, Welsh and Scotch appear to be dominate. We are left with the satisfaction of knowing that our family has played a role in the establishment, settlement and development of our great Nation, helping to expand the frontier ever westward, but sadly at the expense of the Native Americans.

Credit for material extracted from the above listed sources is given at the time in the particular chapter that such use was made. Volume II brings us to the last few generations and a more extensive use of pictures to embellish the story. We most certainly are grateful to Charles D. Payne Jr., particularly for his contributions in improving the quality of old family photographs as they have added considerably to the reality of the chapters that constitute Volume II.

While we can preserve and present material in a variety of ways, such as on CD’s or an iPOD, perhaps the preferred way to make material available, which one has written, is in book form. The various accounts for all of the Payne and collateral ancestors constitute a rather formidable amount of information. With that in mind and for other reasons, it has been decided to print the material in two volumes. This serves to hold down the cost of the publications and in reality, except for the descendants of Clyde and Belva Payne, collateral relatives in Vol. I have no link with those of Vol. II and vice versa.

The collateral ancestors except for those ancestors found in the Isom/Mitchell portion of Volume II, are found in Volume I of “Daniel Payne and some of his Descendants.” Thus in Volume I we find: Chapter One, Daniel (1) Payne of Accomacke; Chapter Two, John (2) Payne; Chapter Three,  Jacob (9) Payne; Chapter Four, John (16) Payne of Maryland and Indiana; Chapter Five, John (22) Payne and Chapter’s Six, Seven and Eight; Francis (29) Payne of Indiana and Illinois. In Volume II we have: Chapter I The Isom’s and collateral families; Chapter II; The Mitchell’s and collateral families and Chapter III; The Family of Clyde and Belva Payne. If one takes a look at page xiii, following, entitled “Clyde and Belva Mitchell Payne and a Few of Their Ancestors,” one will have an idea of the scope of collateral ancestors covered, at least to some degree. I only add this word of caution. The only ancestor that we can be absolutely sure of is our mother. Common sense tells us that we have many more, however, in searching genealogy records covering centuries, there are many opportunities to be led down a wrong path. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, that has happened in these pages, thus one should not believe without reservation that all of the people listed herein who could be direct ancestors, in fact, are. A good example in this book, Volume II, is the Isom family. A greater hodgepodge of information cannot be found than that presented by the family Isom, although there is the possibility that all listed are, in one way or another, family. Thus it is that several views on Isom genealogy are cited with the hope that future researchers may find the material useful, but in the final analysis, only the last few generations of the Isom’s listed herein are positively claimed as members of our family.