A volume dedicated to Jonathan Stark and his descendants properly begins with a discussion of their genealogical link to the New London County, Connecticut, Stark Families. Jonathan Stark and Sarah Lacock of New Jersey had six sons; all of whom we will prove lived in Kentucky from 1785 to 1810. Their names were James, Jonathan, Christopher, Daniel, Joseph, and John. Contrary to earlier research, new information has provided circumstantial evidence Jonathan Stark of New Jersey was the son of William Stark (Junior) and Experience Lamb of Groton, New London County, Connecticut, grandson of William Stark (Senior) of the same place, and great-grandson of Aaron Stark [1608-1685], our family patriarch, who arrived in New England about 1630 from England or Scotland.

Many earlier researchers attempted to link the Kentucky Starks to the New Hampshire Stark families, of which General John Stark of Revolutionary War fame was a member. DNA evidence of male descendants of the New Hampshire families and of the Aaron Stark families — with the surname Stark — has proved, however, that these families were not related. Several of those tested were descendants of Jonathan Stark of New Jersey, the patriarch of the Kentucky branch, which indicates they are not descendants of the New Hampshire families but instead are related to other males with the surname Stark — males known to have descended from Aaron Stark [1608-1685].

This recent research has corrected mistaken interpretations that have circulated for many decades. In 1927, Charles R. Stark published a book entitled, The Aaron Stark Family, Seven Generations of the Descendants of Aaron Stark of Groton, Connecticut.[1] His entries on page 20 were the cause of speculation the six Stark brothers were children of Christopher Stark (Junior), born in Groton in 1728. In the 1942 Stark Family Association yearbook, Mrs. Virginia C. Shriner of Terra Haute, Indiana, a descendant of Christopher Stark and Martha Vineyard, published an article entitled, ”Some Lost Branches of the Aaron Stark Family.”[2] In her opening paragraph, she wrote:

“As early as 1774, three young brothers by the name of Stark married and migrated to what is now Amwell Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. This frontier district was claimed by both Virginia and Pennsylvania until 1782. These Stark Brothers were James, Christopher, and Daniel, and following the Revolution, all three moved their families to Kentucky. There is considerable evidence which indicates that these Stark Brothers were originally from Dutchess County, New York, and were quite likely the sons of Christopher Stark, No. 86, A. S. F.” {A. S. F. stands for Aaron Stark Family, the above referenced text by Charles R. Stark.}

Mrs. Shriner was suggesting that Christopher Stark -- individual #216 in the Charles R. Stark book -- was the same Christopher Stark who married Martha Vineyard. His siblings were said to have been James and Daniel Stark, leading Mrs. Shriner to the conclusion the father of the brothers living in Washington County, Pennsylvania, was the Christopher Stark (Junior) listed as Individual #86 in Charles R. Stark’s publication. Based on this speculation, many researchers organized their family information in accord with Mrs. Shriner’s 1942 article.

Overlooked were Mrs. Shriner's comments the following year in an article entitled "Further Comments on Some Lost Branches of the Aaron Stark Family."[3] In paragraph five of this article, Mrs. Shriner questioned the accuracy of her 1942 article:

"It now appears that the James, Christopher , and Daniel of the Lost Branches were more likely to have been the grandsons of William Stark, No. 17 {In A. S. F. text} than grandsons of Christopher Stark, No. 18......Since the older children of the three Stark men in Lost Branches were born about 1770, it would indicate that the three brothers were born no later than 1750, which would make them almost too old to have been the sons of Christopher Stark, No. 86, who was born in 1728. Could not these three brothers have been the sons of Jonathan Stark, No. 76...."

Mrs. Shriner’s 1943 question, which suggests the Kentucky brothers may have been sons of Jonathan Stark and grandsons of William Stark (Junior) and Experience Lamb, effectively corrected her article of the year before, but too few researchers noticed it Now we have the proof that she was right in 1943.

Were Jonathan Stark of Connecticut & Jonathan Stark of New Jersey The Same Person?

Charles R. Stark reported William Stark (Junior), individual #17, married Experience Lamb on April 13, 1710. Their first child was named Jonathan, born December 10, 1712. This birth and parentage is confirmed by the Groton, New London County, Baptismal Records.

March 3, 1715/16, William Stark (Senior), the father of William Stark (Junior), conveyed property to his son as a gift; however, a clause was inserted which prevented William (Junior) from selling the property during his natural life. The clause stated:

"...that I ye abovesd William Stark for ye good will and kinder affection I bear to my son William Stark Junr and my Grandchild Jonathan Stark both of Groton in ye County of New London aforesd have fully freely and absolutely given granted aliened ensealled and confirmed unto William Stark Jun aforesd a certain tract of land during his naturall life and then to my grandchild Jonathan Stark aforesd and his heirs..."

Jonathan was 4 years old when this deed was made. William (Senior) most likely inserted this clause because William (Junior) had received an earlier gift of property from his father on December 21, 1713 – property that he then sold to his father-in-law, Isaac Lamb, on April 1, 1714. Keeping property in the family was important to these early colonials, and William (Senior) wanted assurance this property would remain in the family. This document provides proof there was a Jonathan Stark living in Groton and his parents were William Stark (Junior) and Experience Lamb; as reported in Charles R. Stark’s text.[4]

A few weeks after Jonathan turned 21 years of age, there was a deed transaction in which one boundary of the property described was common with the property William Stark (Junior) received as a gift.

"December 27, 1733; John Smith of Groton sells 300 acres to Abiel Stark of Lebenon, Windham County, Connecticut, bounded on its southeast corner by the property of Jonathan Starks."

Because this was the same property deeded to Jonathan and his father, the transaction suggests William (Junior) may have been deceased: Jonathan was of age and now the legal owner of the property, which he could not sale until his father died.[5] On May 5, 1736, Jonathan sold this property. The deed states:

"Jonathan Starke of Groton for 64L paid by Aaron Fish of Groton a certain tract of land … adj Thomas Parke now Daniel Denisons … the Darke swamp near the bridge … adj Edward Ashby, Daniel Denison to the Brook Side to a Maple tree … with the House and buildings thereon … 16A … Dated 5 May 1736 … Recd 5 May 1736 … Signed Jonathan Stark … wit Chrisr. Avery, Samuel Lester.”[6]

These documents confirm that Jonathan Stark -- most likely Individual #76 in the Charles R. Stark publication -- was living in Groton, New London County, Connecticut, and was the son of William Stark (Junior) and Experience Lamb.

Jonathan Stark first appears in the New Jersey records in 1734, when he was a witness to a deed transaction for Mary Insley of Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey.[7] If this was Jonathan Stark of Groton, why would he suddenly appear in New Jersey in 1734?

Charles R. Stark wrote:

"Aaron Stark was formerly of Groton, where he was named as one of the grantees in the deed of William Stark, Sr. to the First Baptist Church Mar. 24, 1717/18. About 1730 or 1732, John Culver, Jr. conducted a party to New Jersey, where they settled at a place called Schooley's Mountain. It is supposed that Aaron Stark was one of this company, as on May 29, 1744, he was of Roxbury [Flanders], Morris County, New Jersey."

"Aaron Stark of ye Black River in ye County of Hunterdon East Jersey for 220L paid by Jonathan Collver formerly of Groton now Resident in Black River and in the County of Hunderdon, sold, 20A, in Groton upon a place known by ye name of Fort Hill..."[8]

Theodore F. Wolfe wrote:

"The sect (Rogerenes) had been founded in New London in 1674, by John Rogers, who passed most of his subsequent life in prison, and, as persecutions by the church authorities began almost immediately, it is not improbable that this New Jersey community may have made their exodus by the beginning of the eighteenth century. Why they chose this comparatively rough tract of land for their settlement in preference to the more level and more easily cleared and cultivated lands of the plain bordering the nearby Alamatong (the Indian name for the Black River) will never be known."[9]

Morris County, New Jersey, was created on March 15, 1738/39, having been separated from Hunterdon County. Morris County itself would later be subdivided to create Sussex and Warren Counties. Schooley's Mountain was located in Roxbury Township, created in 1740 from Morris Township.

The 1734 deed described Aaron Stark as a resident of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, which suggests Aaron was a member of the Rogerene movement. If Jonathan’s cousin, Aaron Stark, had moved to New Jersey about or before 1734, then it would not be unreasonable to suggest Jonathan Stark of Groton moved to New Jersey at the same time and witnessed the deed of Mary Insley.

However, suppose Jonathan Stark of New Jersey was the son of Aaron Stark, reported as individual #37 in the Charles R. Stark publication. According to it, Jonathan Stark (son of Aaron, individual #101) married Margaret Ball on March 14, 1765. Many researchers of this couple report their marriage occurred in Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, on this same date. Recent research, though, suggests that the Jonathan Stark who married Margaret Ball was not a son of Aaron Stark, as reported in Charles R. Stark’s text, but was actually the son of Jonathan Stark, individual #76, the son of William Stark (Junior) and Experience Lamb.

From all indications, after 1750 (and perhaps before then), a Jonathan Stark lived in the region of New Jersey known as Hardwick Township. From 1713 to 1738, the region was within the bounds of Hunterdon County, and it became part of Morris County in 1738. The present-day township of Hardwick, which was incorporated on January 22, 1750, included the present-day townships of Frelinghuysen and Allamuchy in Warren County and Hackettstown and Green in Sussex County. Recognizing the hardship of traveling to Morristown for court business, the legislature created Sussex County from part of Morris County on June 8, 1753.

Jonathan owned a gristmill in Hunterdon County in 1750. Research has uncovered his advertisement to sell or let a mill, located in Bethlehem Township, just across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania.[10] Further evidence of residence in the region is suggested in the 1984 paper by Morgan Edwards entitled, “Edward's Materials Towards a History of the Baptists." Researcher Carol S. Stark wrote:

"That about the year 1754 that Jonathan Start & his wife Sarah were members of the Bethlehem [in Hunterdon County] Baptist Church, which was the name of the township where it existed. In 1763, fourteen persons formed a church at Knollton [Sussex County]. Three of these people were Joseph Lacock and Jonathan Start and his wife Sarah. There was no Start family in Sussex Co., associated with Joseph Laycock. This was Jonathan & Sarah Stark. The Knollton land was a gift from the Rev. Henry Crossley. Henry was a witness to the will of Joseph Laycock who died in 1760. Another witness to this will was James Stark."[11]

The will of Joseph Lacock was dated August 27, 1760, in Hardwick Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, and witnessed by Henry Crosley and "Jeames Stark."[12] Children named in this document were John, Nathan, Joseph, Sarah, Elizabeth, Henry, and William Laycock. Henry Crosley did the inventory of the Lacock estate and Joseph and William Lacock were named co-executors. Therefore, the Jonathan Stark family and the Joseph Lacock family appear to have had common interest from 1754 to 1760. There is additional evidence that this association of the Stark and Lacock families was formed even earlier than that.

Although no record of marriage has been found for Jonathan Stark and Sarah Lacock, there is other evidence to show that they were man and wife. .In 1986, Raymond Martin Bell published a booklet titled, The Lacock Family of Washington County, Pennsylvania. Bell stated:

"The Lacocks apparently originated in New Jersey. The first record is that of Joseph Lacock in Burlington County in 1711. In 1714, he was in Middlesex County, in 1715 in the Woodbridge militia. He is likely the Joseph Lacock who died in Hardwick Township, Sussex County between August 27, 1760, when his will was written, and October 8, 1760, when it was probated. He named children John, Nathan, Joseph, Sarah, Elizabeth, Henry, and William. A wife is mentioned, but not named. His son, Henry, died about the same time, for a bond was issued in his estate September 28, 1760. "[13]

If this research is accurate, then there was a Lacock family living in the area around Woodbridge by 1734, the same place where Jonathan Stark witnessed the Mary Insley deed transaction. Joseph Lacock's Will was witnessed by James Stark in 1760, which demonstrates that Stark was an adult of at least 21 years of age at the time.¹² On January 3, 1765, the same James Stark was named (with his mother, Sarah) as administrator of the estate of Jonathan Stark of Hardwick Township, Sussex County, New Jersey. A fellow bondsman was Joseph Lacock, who was most likely a relative of the Joseph Lacock’s wife, Sarah Stark.[14]

Thus not only does the Will of Joseph Lacock refer to a daughter named Sarah and James Stark as a witness, the 1765 probate record of Jonathan Stark (recorded in the same township and county) named his widow, Sarah Stark, and son, James Stark, as administrators of his estate. Named as fellow bondsman to the administrators was Joseph Lacock, most likely the son named co-executor of Joseph Lacock's Will in 1760. A fellow bondsman, more often than not, was either a relative or very close friend of the family. On the basis of this evidence, we can conclude that Sarah Lacock, daughter of Joseph Lacock, was most likely the widow named Sarah Stark in the Jonathan Stark probate record.

In summary, despite the lack of any document stating that Jonathan Stark of Groton, New London County, Connecticut, moved to New Jersey, there is enough circumstantial evidence for us to consider it as very likely. Accordingly, in this publication, the Jonathan Stark of New Jersey who married Sarah Lacock will be presented as the Jonathan Stark of Groton Township, New London County, Connecticut – the man who was the son of William Stark (Junior) and Experience Lamb. A later section will prove that the six brothers named earlier were sons of Jonathan Stark of New Jersey, and DNA evidence will further prove that the descendants of these brothers were related to each other and other descendant lines from Aaron Stark.

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Sources & Footnotes

1. Charles R. Stark, The Aaron Stark Family; Seven Generations of the Descendants of Aaron Stark of Groton, Connecticut (Boston, Massachusetts, 1927).

2. Virginia C. Shriner, Some Lost Branches of the Aaron Stark Family (Stark Family Association Yearbook, 1942), pages 27-31.

3. Ibid, Further Comments on Some Lost Branches of the Aaron Stark Family (Stark Family Association Yearbook, 1943), pages 49 thru 51.

4. Groton, New London County, Connecticut, Deed Records, Book 1, pages 341-342. Transcribed by Gwen Boyer Bjorkman from Microfilm #4293, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Library.

5. Ibid, Book 3, page 125. Transcribed by Gwen Boyer Bjorkman from Microfilm #4295, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Library.

6. Ibid, Book 4, page 26. Original transcribed by Gwen Boyer Bjorkman from Microfilm #4294, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Library.

7. Carol S. Stark, Starks and Lacocks of Sussex County New Jersey, Loudoun County, Virginia, & Washington County, Pennsylvania (Gresham, Oregon, 1997).

8. Groton, New London County, Connecticut Deed Records, Book 3, pages 160-161.

9. Theodore F. Wolfe, The History of Morris County (Lewis Publishing Company, 1914), Chapter 18, “The Rogerenes First Whites in Roxbury Township.”

10. Stark, Starks and Lacocks of Sussex County [Author’s note: According to the research of Carol S. Stark, this was Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey and was not in Bethlehem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. A letter from the Bucks County Genealogical Society to Carol S. Stark dated February 18, 1990, and signed by Roberta Daymon reported, "Terry McNealy put the Stark reference in his book (Index to Bucks County, Reference in Pennsylvania Gazette) because the river that feeds into the Delaware River was referred to as the "Little Delaware". Bethlehem City is about 10-15 miles from the real Delaware River, then in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Jonathan’s advertisement states his property was one mile from the river in Bethlehem.]

11. Ibid. Also see: Morgan Edwards, Edward's Materials Towards a History of the Baptists (Heritage Papers; Danielsville, Georgia, 1984), Volume 1, page 118.

12. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, 1670-1760. Also see Ancestry.com. [database online]: Original data New Jersey Historical Society. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Administrations, etc. Newark, New Jersey, New Jersey Historical Society, 1901. Ancestry.com Database Record: Name: Joseph Lacock ; Date 27 August 1760; Location: Hardwick Township, Sussex County; Wife: [not named]; Children: John, Nathan, Joseph, Sarah, Elizabeth, Henry and William; Executors: sons Joseph and William Lacock; Witnesses: Edward Pigot, Jeames Stark, Henry Crosley; Proved: Oct. 8, 1760 -- Libra (Book) 10, page 465; Year 1760; Inventory: £124.9.3, by Henry Crosley and Ephraim Darby.

13. Raymond Martin Bell and Irene Putnam Ligian, The Lacock Family of Washington County, Pennsylvania, based on research by Walter Byron Lacock 1897-1974 (Washington, Pennsylvania, 1986), page 2.

14. Sussex County, New Jersey Wills and Administrations, Libra (Book) 12, page 232; Year 1765. Abstract: “…the administration of the estate of Jonathan Stark of Hardwick, Sussex County, wheelwright, in testate. Adm'rs Sarah Stark (widow) and James Stark. Fellow bondsman Joseph Lacock, all of the same place. 3 Jan. 1765, Inventory, £121.4.10, made by John Laforge and Samson Dildine.”