Descendants of
ROBERT VINING & MARY ?
of Wincanton, Somerset, England, Part 4
Karolyn Rae Roberts

RV2 - William Vining b1641 Wincanton Parish, Somerset, England - Note: Died young in Wincanton,Solmerset, England (Source: Rootsweb Files)

RV3 - Abraham Vining (Dyer) b1643 Wincanton Parish,Somerset,England (Source: Rootsweb Files) (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes)

RV4 - Robert Vining (Twin) b1645 Wincanton Parish,Somerset,England (Source: Rootsweb Files) - mabt 1665 Wincanton,Somerset,England Julian ? babt1645 Wincanton,Somerset,England

RV41 - Elnor Vining b1667 Wincanton,Somerset,England

RV5 - William (II) Vining (Twin) b1645 Wincanton Parish, Somerset, England (Source: Rootsweb Files) - d,,,MA - Named after his brother that died. Immigrated to Portsmouth,Rockingham, NH (Oliver Smith-Gen. Tree; Online) - mabt 1681 NH Mary/Johnna

? (Records of Lori Vining)

• RV51 - Capt. Benjamin Vining - b7/22/1684 (FamilySearch) - d9/5/1735 Salem,Salem,NJ (Genealogical Dictionary of New England Settlers,v4,p374) - mabt 1708 NH 1Ann ? - mSalem,NJ 1Mary Middleton (Daughter of Hugh Middleton) - b1705 (Records of Lori Vining) Salem,NJ d9/1 or 5/1735 - Mary later married Nicholas Ridgeley on 12/23/1736 who was born 2/12/1694 at "Wardridge" Anne Arundel,MD (Rootsweb Online) Mary & Nicholas had Charles Greenberry Ridgely, Nicholas Ridgely, Sarah Ridgely, & Elizabeth Ridgely. Benjamin was tax collector of the port Portsmouth.Rockingham,NH, but removed to Salem, NJ and became tax collector of Salem & Marblehead, MA Benjamin removed to Philadelphia, PA and was J.P. 1751-1717; in 1722 he removed to Salem,NJ where he was Warden of the Episocopal Church. (Records of Lori Vining) Benjamin & Mary had 3 children: John, Benjamin, & Mary. (Records of Lori Vining) Burial of Benjamin: Near the Chancel in St. John's Church,Salem,NJ Inscription on Tombstone: In memory of Benjamin Vining, Esqa., late collector of Salem and Marvel Head, in New England, son of William and Mary Vining of Portsmouth, in Hampshire who dyed the first of Sept. 1935, age 52 years.. - Burial of Mary: Under an aisle of the Episcopal Church, Salem,NJ - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) It has been thought that Benjamin was John's child and was adopted by William of Portsmouth, John's brother. But in John's will, he left his fortune to eight children and his wife, Hannah not yet being born, and Baby Benjamin would have already died. (Gene Pool Records lists a Benjamin Vining in the deaths for 1685)

  RV511 - Hon. Chief Justice John V. Vining, I - b1725 Salem,Salem,NJ - d11/13/1770 Kent,DE - m4/28/1749 1Rachel Ridgeley (Daughter of Nicholas Ridgeley & his first wife) - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) - d11/6/1753 - Burial: Christ's Church of Dover, Del. near her father - m1/16/1755 Kent,DE 2Pheebe Wynkoop dKent,DE Burial: Christ Church Cem.,Dover,Kent,DE - John was raised by his stepfather, Nicholas Ridgeley of Dover, Del. John owned a large tract of land in Salem County, NJ and then moved to Deleware. He was a brilliant lawyer, and there he was well thought of and elected to the highest post. John was Speaker of the House & Chief Justice of Delaware. - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) - Vining, John. Eulogium: delivered... at the State House in the town of Dover, on 2/22/1800. In commemoration of the death of General George Washington, by John Vining, Esquire... . Philadelphia: 1800. 20 pages. (Virginia Articles advertised) John is buried in the aisle of the Episcopal church (St. John's). The sepulcher stone covering has written on it: In Memory of Hon. John. Vining, Esquire. Speaker of The Three Lower Counties of Delaware who departed this life 11/13/1770, Aged 46 years. His will was made 11/13/1770 Kent,DE [Liber L,Folios86-87] Names in will brother, Dr. Charles Ridgely of Dover. (Online)

  RV5111 - Benjamin Vining babt 1752 [Mother: Rachel Ridgeley] - Died before his father. - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) - Will:11/14/1785 (Calendar of Kent Co. Delaware Probate Records 1680-1800) - dKent (Rootsweb Online)

  RV5112 - Nicholas Vining babt1754 MA [Mother: Rachel Ridgeley] - Died before his father. - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes)

  RV51121 - John Vining (Calendar of Kent Co. Delaware Probate Records 1680-1800) b ,Kent,DE - (FamilySearch)

  RV51122 - Elizabeth Ann Vining (Calendar of Kent Co. Delaware Probate Records 1680-1800) - bKent (Rootsweb Online) - mDr. William Moleston, Physician - William's Will: 9/26/1790 (Calendar of Kent Co. Delaware Probate Records 1680-1800)

  RV51123 - Mary Vining (Calendar of Kent Co. Delaware Probate Records 1680-1800) bKent,DE (Rootsweb)

  RV5113 - Mary Vining - b1756 - Dover,Kent,DE - d1821at the "Willows" in Wilmington. Burial: Unmarked grave at Old Swedes Church. (Following Article) Brother John of above was brilliant; but a dissipated wastrel who went through his money and Mary's, his sister. In the Ridgeley House in Dover, Del., there is on view the tea set given to Mary by her fiance before he went west to fight the Indians, where he died on the field. - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) "Mary Vining, Belle of the American Revolutionary period" listed in the burials in "The History of Old Swede Church."

  Mary Vining "Belle of Delaware" Because of her renowned beauty, wit and charm, Mary Vining was famous near and far as the "Belle of Delaware" during the Revolutionary era. When Thomas Jefferson visited French Queen Marie Antoinette, one of the first questions she asked him was whether Miss Vining of Delaware was really as lovely as she was said to be.

  As a child, Mary lived in a mansion facing Dover's Green, where the Supreme Court building now stands. Her father, Chief Justice Vining, died when Mary was 14, leaving her and her brother John (nicknamed "the Pet of Delaware" and later a member of Congress and the U.S. Senate) a very substantial fortune. Mary Vining was said to have been well educated, speaking both English and impeccable French, and her voice was "as sweet as music." During the Revolution she won the admiration not only of Lafayette and many on Washington's staff, but also of General Howe's British officers quartered in Philadelphia in the winter of 1777, where Mary spent much of her time. Mary Vining. A written offer of marriage of Caesar Rodney is existence. (Amer. Hist. Register, July 1895, No. II, p. 1190.) Ultimately it was "Mad Anthony Wayne," one of Washington's closest and most trusted advisers, who would win Mary's heart. After Wayne's invalid wife had died, and Mary Vining was nearly 40, she became engaged to the General, who presented her with a tea set--still preserved at the Ridgely House in Dover--to commemorate the occasion. The wedding date was set for January, when General Wayne would return from a mission to make peace with the Maumee Indians. Tragically, on New Year's Day, Mary received word that her fiancé had died of appendicitis at Presque Isle on Lake Erie. She immediately went into mourning, and until her death wore black dress and a widow’s cap. A friend in 1797 wrote of her romance with Wayne: "That he was brave is undoubted, but such a weather-beaten vulgar affected old soldier I should have thought would not have suited her refinement." Her brother having squandered her immense fortune, Mary Vining was obliged to sell her coach and horses, and to dismiss her staff of servants. In 1821 she died in a little cottage called "The Willows," where the DuPont Building now stands in Wilmington, and is buried in an unmarked grave at Old Swedes Church.

  (Photo: Senator John Middleton Vining 1758-1802)

  RV5114 - Senator John Middleton Vining, II - b12/23/1758 Dover,Kent,DE - d2/2/1802 Dover,Kent,DE - Burial: Christ Church Cem. of Dover - (Genealogical Dictionary of New England Settlers,v4,p374) - m11/24/1790 NY,NY,NY Trinty Church Parish Anna Marie/Maria Seton (daughter of William Seton, Esq.) bDover,Kent,DE (FamilySearch) of NY state. Political Party: Pro-Administration;Federalist - Representative in Congress from State of Deleware early under the new Constitution. (Genealogical Dictionary of New England Settlers,v4,p374) a Delegate Continental Congress 1784 - 1786.- (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes , a Representative, and a Senator from Delaware; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1782 and commenced practice in New Castle County; Member of the Continental Congress 1784-1786; member of the State house of representatives in 1787 and 1788; elected to the First and Second Congresses (March 4, 1789-March 3, 1793); was not a candidate for renomination in 1792; member of the State senate in 1793; elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1793, to January 19, 1798, when he resigned; interment in Episcopal Cemetery. (Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1949; BiographiesV,page 1957) He was a delegate to the Continental congress, 1784-86, and was a representative in the 1st and 2d U.S. congresses, 1789-93. He was elected a U.S. senator from Delaware in 1793, resigning in February, 1798, when he was succeeded by Joshua Clayton, who died in the came year, and William Hill Wells completed the term. (The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume XV Vinton, Alexander Hamilton) On August 25, the Senate received seventeen House-passed amendments. By combining separate amendments, the Senate consolidated these to twelve. For instance, they combined the idea of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press into a single amendment, which we now honor as the First Amendment. After the Senate returned the amendments with changes, the House called for a conference committee and appointed James Madison, Roger Sherman, and John Vining as its conferees. The Senate appointed Oliver Ellsworth, Charles Carroll, and William Paterson; thus, four of the six conferees had been delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The Senate conferees reported back on September 24, and the following day the Senate voted to send the twelve amendments to the states. The states adopted ten of these; the two which were rejected would have fixed the size of the House of Representatives and prevented any congressional salary increase from taking place during the Congress in which it was passed. (Historical Almanac of the U.S. Senate by Robert J. Dole Final Day of the Senate's First Session ) John was present at the Inaugeration of George Washington. (Prominent American Descendants)

  Second Amendment Series: (Part of Document) Down to the Last Second (Amendment) Tim Winward, February 23, 2000 -- Participants in the various debates on firearms, crime, and constitutional law may have noticed that not all versions of the Second Amendment being quoted by the antagonists are the same. The two main transcriptions differ in punctuation- specifically, in the number of commas used to separate those twenty-seven words. But which is the correct one? The answer to this question must be found in official records from the early days of the republic. Therefore, a look into the progression of this declaratory and restrictive clause from its inception to its final form is in order. Before beginning, one must note that common nouns, like "state" and "people," were often capitalized in official and unofficial documents of the era. Also, the letter "f" was at times used in place of the letter "s" in both print and manuscript. For example, "Congress" is sometimes spelled as "Congrefs," as is the case in the parchment copy of the Bill of Rights displayed by the National Archives. The quotations listed here are accurate. With the exception of the omission of quotations marks, versions of what is now known as the Second Amendment in black boldface appear with the exact spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as the cited originals. During ratification debates on the Constitution in the state conventions, several states proposed amendments to that charter. Anti-Federalist opposition to ratification was particularly strong in the key states of New York and Virginia, and one of their main grievances w as that the Constitution lacked a declaration of rights. During the ratification process, Federalist James Madison became a champion of such a declaration, and so it fell to him, as a member of the 1st Congress, to write one. On June 8, 1789, Madison introduced his declaration of rights on the floor of the House. One of its articles read: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country: but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person. On July 21, John Vining of Delaware was appointed to chair a select committee of eleven to review, and make a report on, the subject of amendments to the Constitution. Each committeeman represented one of the eleven states (Rhode Island and North Carolina had not ratified the Constitution at that time), with James Madison representing Virginia. Unfortunately, no record of the committee's proceedings is known to exist. Seven days later, Vining duly issued the report, one of the amendments reading: A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringe d, but no person religiously scrupulous shall be compelled to bear arms.

  • RV51141 - John Seton Vining b11/21/1791 - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) Christened 12/4/1791 Trinity Church Parish,NY,NY,NY (FamilySearch)
  • Seton, Samuel Waddington, Edward Augustus Seton, Barbara Cecilia Seton, Anna Maria Seton, William Seton, Richard Bayley Seton, Catharine Charlton Seton, Rebecca Seton, John Seton Vining, William Henry Vining, Benjamin Checo(?)(Chloe?) Vining, Charles Ridgley Vining, William Seton Maitland, Benjamin Maitland, Eliza Maitland, John Wilkes Maitland and Rebecca Seton Maitland, infants under the age of 21 years by James Seton their guardian and James Seton, John Carson Seton, Henry Seton, Martin Hoffman and Maria Frances his wife, Gouverneur Ogden and Charlotte Carson his wife and Harriet Seton to Stephen N. Bayard of the City of NY to sd. Honore Chaurand, now of Coxackie in the State of NY, formerly of Hantz in the kingdom of France of which he was a native born subject arrived in the City of NY some time in the year of our Lord 1793 with an intention to settle and become an inhabitant and citizen of the said state of the US of America. That sometime in the year 1794, he agree to purchase from Samuel Sackett lot 29 in the town of Fabius containing 600 acres for $750 which he paid out of his own proper monies. That then being an alien and having great confidence in the integrity of and honor of William Seton then of the said City of NY, Esq. but now deceased he the sd. Honore Chaurand then applied to the sd. William Seton to take a conveyance of the said lot to him and his heirs in fee in trust for the said Honore Chaurand and his heirs which he accordingly did as will appear by a letter dated March 1, 1794 written by William M. Seton the son and partner in trade of the sd. William Seton for himself and his father by ref. to the sd. letter contained in and making a part of the sd. Bill of Complaint on file in the clerk’s office of sd. Court. That the sd. Samuel Sackett together with Elizabeth his wife by deed dated March 5, 1794 conveyed to the sd. William Seton and to his heirs and assigns forever the sd. lot of land...that some time in the year 1809 the sd. Honore Chaurand sold the above mentioned lot of Stephen N. Bayard...that the said William Seton departed this life some time about the month of June, 1798 and that the defendants are his children and grandchildren and heirs at law...March 28, 1802. In 1851, Honore Chaurand was granted land at Coxackie, Green Co., 333 acres & at Coeymans, Green Co. 1816 (S,257) lot 29 (Property Sales by Date of Recording, Town of Fabius: 1790-1819)

• RV511142 - Charles Ridgley Vining - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) babt1784 Dover,Kent,DE (FamilySearch)

• RV51143 - Benjamin C. Vining - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) babt1788 Dover,Kent,DE (FamilySearch)

• RV51144 - William Henry Vining Christened 11/23/1794 Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church,Wilmington,New Castle,DE (FamilySearch) - removed to Waddington, N. Y.; studied law, and in 1821 was elected to assembly but sailed to the W. I., and d. at St. Croix, in 1822; evinced exalted talent and had a brief but brilliant career. (Hough' s Hist. St. Law. and Ft. Cos. N. Y., p. 611)

RV5115 - Abraham Vining (Calendar of Kent Co. Delaware Probate Records 1680-1800) b12/5/1762 (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes)

RV192 - Benjamin Vining (Records of Lori Vining) b8/13/1731 - died at age 7 and buried in his father's grave in church. (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes)

RV193 - Mary Vining (Records of Lori Vining) b1733 - d10/13/1764 at the birth of the twins - m2/1764 Rev. Charles Inglis, D.D. b1734 Ireland of Christ Church, Dover. (Son of Bishop Archibald Inglis) Later, Charles was first bishop of Nova Scotia. The twins were born and one died at birth and the other 29 days later, apparently premature. (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) " "Charles Inglis, the first Colonial Bishop of the British Empire, who was born in 1734, and about 1756 came to America to teach in the Free School at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 1758, at the hands of the Right Rev. Thomas Hayter, Bishop of London, he was ordained deacon and priest, and from 1759 to 1765 was in charge of the mission of Dover, Delaware, his field comprising the whole County of Kent. From England, after "a long and dangerous voyage," he came directly to his mission, and on the first of July, 1759, began his work there. On a salary of fifty pounds a year he laboured in Delaware for five years, but on the 28th of August, 1764, the vestry of Trinity Church, New York City, resolved to call him as assistant to the Rev. Samuel Auchmuty, who was also at this date elected to the rectorship of the church. "Besides what might be raised for him by subscription," and with a sufficient sum being given him for the expense of his removal from Delaware, Mr. Inglis was promised by the church a salary of two hundred pounds per annum, currency. In February, 1764, he married at Dover, Mary, daughter of Captain Benjamin and Mary Vining, born in 1733, but on the 13th of October of 1764, the young wife died in childbirth; they had been married only 8 months." (Book: Bishop Charles Inglis & His Descendants, 1908)

RV6 - Sarah Vining babt1645 - (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) - m1670 Weymouth,Norfolk,MA Thomas Porter (The Vining Family by Dorothea Vining Barnes) (son of Richard & Ruth Porter from England) b1641 Weymouth,Norfolk,MA - d12/17/1672 Weymouth,Norfolk,MA (Ancestoral File) Children were: Thomas Porter & Thomas Porter (Ancestoral Records)

RV7 - James Vining/Dyer b1648 Wincanton Parish,Somerset,England (Source: Rootsweb Files) (alias Dier/Dyer). He was the grandson of John Vining, his father's father. It is assumed that the namesake of James is Sir James Dier 1512 - 1582, father of his mother.

RV8 - Elinor/Ellinor Vining b1650 Wincanton Parish,Somerset,England (Source: Rootsweb Files)

RV9 - George Vining b1655 Wincanton Parish,Somerset,England (Source: Rootsweb Files)

Note: County Courthouse Records: Plymouth,IN, Births & Deaths 1882-1973, not recorded before 1882, and not always after.Historical Society Library, 123 Michigan,Plymouth,IN 46563 (219-936-2306)

Area Newspapers of the Period: Bourbon Mirror, News Mirror

Credits: Karolyn Roberts, Cynthia Dean, Charles A. Vining, Judie McCafferty, Kathy Burden Shaffer, David C. Crankshaw, Deb Ferris, Carolyn Good, Jimmie McDaniel, Sarah Risdahl, Sandy Lockman, Lori Vining, Stephen Vining, Gary Norton Bullinger of Warrenville,IL, Darleen Vining, Barbara Sullivan, Coralee Griswold of the Griswold Family Association, Elko, NV , Thomas F. Vining of Bowdoin, ME and his Vining site http://www.vfthomas.com/Viningfamilies.htm with various records and pictures, Debra Brock Bateman, Pictures of Gail Martin, Rev. Norman Tracy Vining of Cambria,CA, & Catherine Jump

Corrections, additions, etc.¾ krob@surfbest.net

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Saturday, May 31, 2008
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