History and Research

Henry (1^st generation) was probably born in Lesbury, Northumberland, England. Ref [27] says he was born and married in Germany and may have used the name Heinrich. It says he left Germany in about 1770, age 15. Birthplace of Henry in Germany is from “Portrait and Biographical Album, Vermilion Co., IL”, 1889 Biographical Sketch of Ersom French, son of George French, and grandson of Henry French, Chicago, Chapman Bros., pgs 735-736. This portrait also says that after being married to Elizabeth Ersom (a German name), Henry French left his home in Germany and sought a new field of labor under the banner of freedom, in the land of liberty [27]. It is assumed that Henry was born in England and met his presumedly German wife in either England or Germany, and after living with her at their home in Germany, they immigrated to America.

Lesbury is a small rural village situated on the north bank of the Aln River, within a parish of the same name. Located just 3 ½ miles southeast of the town of Alnwick on the main coastal road. Lesbury has had a long history of settlement. It stands within the lands of the Percy family, Dukes of Northumberland, and includes Lesbury House, a former property of the family. At the end of the thirteenth century it was recorded that there were 13 people eligible to pay tax. Lesbury at that time, with no great wealth or landmarks to attract attention to it, seems to have escaped the worst of the border warfare, which rampaged for centuries.

NOTE: Letters (A, B, etc.) indicate family members born in England.

Generation B

B*. ANDREW FRENCH, b. ca. 1690 in England, m. Margery Frizzell on 5 Feb 1712 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England. Buried on 11 Apr 1757 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England [7]. Margery F. Frizzell was b. ca. 1691 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England.

Generation A

Children of Andrew and Margery (Frizzell) French, B.

A.1* HENRY FRENCH, christened 13 Dec 1713 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England, m. Isabell Maxwell on 11 Apr 1751 in Embleton, Northumberland, England. Isabell was christened 7 Jan 1721/2 in Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, the dau. of Isaac and Mary (Wake) Maxwell [7] [49].

A.2 MARGARET FRENCH, christened 23 Jul 1715 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England [7].

A.3 ELIZABETH FRENCH, christened 22 Sep 1719 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England [7].

First Generation

The Immigrant Families: For more details, please see the American Descendants of this line.

1.1 JAMES FRENCH, b. 19 Feb 1752 christened 13 Dec 1713 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England, m. Isabell Maxwell on 11 Apr 1751 in Embleton, Northumberland, England. Isabell was christened 7 Jan 1721/2 in Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, the dau. of Isaac and Mary (Wake) Maxwell [7] [20] on 19 Feb 1752 [36].

1.3* HENRY FRENCH, SR., b. 9 or 12 Mar 1755 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England, d. 11 Aug 1821 in Mercer Co., KY, m. Elizabeth Ersom [27] (or Earsom as one of the French daughters married Simon Pancake and Simon’s other was an Earsom [40]), ca. 1770 in Germany [35]. Elizabeth was b. 30 Nov 1755, d. 22 Mar 1828 at age 72 [31] in Mercer Co., KY [33]. Henry was a Gunsmith, Blacksmith, and Armourer [35]. Henry immigrated probably ca. 1770 to 1.4 JOHN FRENCH, b. 30 Jan 1757 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England [7] [20] [36].

1.5 SARAH FRENCH, b. 11 Feb 1759 in Lesbury, Northumberland, England [7] [20] [36]. She m. Joseph Marler and d. in 1856 at Breton, Washington Co., Missouri [49]. They had 7 children: Henry, Elizabeth, Joseph, Steven, Michael, William, and John [49].

Contents

History and Research

Generation B

Generation A

First Generation

Bibliography

English Records