Fellow Family

Fellow Family
in England 1500 – 1700

Version 2.0 : 07/19/2005

Generation 2

Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England

Robert Fellow was born in 1619 in Parish of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. We don’t know if he married or had any children.

We do know that the will of his nephew, Richard Fellow in 1706, names two cousins John Fellow of Bellingdon and John Fellow of Penn,

one most likely the son of this Robert and the other of his brother Thomas.

Elizabeth Fellow was born abt 1620-25 in Parish of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. She married Henry Pratt.

They had the following

Children:

Henry Pratt	Born before 1706	Of Dagmeall?
Thomas Pratt	Born before 1706	Of Bellingdon
John Pratt	Born before 1706	Of Bellingdon
Elizabeth Pratt	Born before 1706		Married Pain? Of Wendover

We know of the children of Elizabeth Pratt from the Will of Richard Fellow proved 1706. They are named and identified as cousins.

“four closes of arable land with the hereditaments and appurtenances unto said Cozen John Fellow of Bellingdon aforesaid and to his heirs and assigns forever . Subject heretofore to the payment of the sum of ten pounds of lawful money of England unto Each and Every of the Brothers and Sisters of him the said John Fellow and of the like sum of ten pounds a piece unto my four Cozens Harry Pratt the Elder of Dagnaelll? in the said County of Bucks Thomas Pratt and John Pratt of Bellingdon aforesaid and Elizabeth Pain? wife of Robert Pain? living near Wendover in the said County of Bucks”

Mary Fellow was born in 1626 in Parish of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. She married William Hill.

We have no additional information about her or any descendants.

Richard Fellow does not mention cousins in this line in his will of 1706.

Sarah Fellow was born in 1630 in Parish of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. She married Robert Wood.

We have no additional information about her or any descendants.

Richard Fellow does not mention cousins in this line in his will of 1706.

John Fellow was born in 1632 in Parish of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England and died in 1710. He married Sarah Stuart

They had the following

Children:

Richard Fellow	Born abt 1650 - 1670	Chesham	Married Sarah Chester	Died 1706	Chesham, Bucks
Robert Fellow	Born abt 1650 - 1670	Chesham	Married Elizabeth Cocke/Peck

We know of the children of John Fellow from the Will of Richard Fellow proved 1706.

This Robert Fellow may be the Grandson Robert Fellow named in Robert Fellow’s will in 1652.

John Fellow, Blacksmith of Chesham, left a will dated 8 May 1710, but we do not have the details of his estate.

Lowndes Family of Chesham.

Their documents include many references to the Fellow family, their lands, wills and legal affairs. The Lowndes family bought up many of

the Fellow family properties to incorporate into their estate over several generations.

John Fellow inherited with his brother Thomas the “Shop and Shoeing House” of his father Robert Fellow and followed his father as a

Blacksmith.

Thomas Fellow was born in 1635 in Parish of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. We don’t know if he married or had any children.

We do know that the will of his nephew, Richard Fellow in 1706, names two cousins John Fellow of Bellingdon and John Fellow of Penn,

One most likely the son of this Thomas and the other of his brother Robert.

[This Thomas is POSSIBLY the same as Thomas Fellow of Chepping Wycombe, who was given an estimated date of birth of 1650]

William Fellow was born in 1635 in Parish of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. He married Sarah ___?

They had the following

Children:

William Fellow	Born abt. 1660
Robert Fellow*	Born abt. 1665		Married Sarah Littleboy	Died abt 1717	Maryland
Sarah Fellow	Born abt. 1670
Mary Fellow	Born abt. 1675
Elizabeth Fellow	Born abt. 1680	Of Chartridge	Married Hyrah Gate

We know of the children of William Fellow from the Will of Richard Fellow proved 1706.

“I give and devise unto my Cousin William Fellow (Son of my Uncle William Fellow of Chesham aforesaid) and to his heirs and assigns forever all that my Messauge or Tenement with the appurtenances wherein Robert Pratt now dwelleth with the outhouses and Backside belonging thereunto situate and being in Chesham aforesaid subject hereinafter to the payment of the several Annuities of monies hereinafter next mentioned and bequeathed (that is the say) the Sum of twenty pounds of lawful money of England unto his Brother Robert Fellow and the like sum of twenty pounds of like money unto his Sister Sarah Fellow and the like sum of twenty pounds of like money unto his sister Mary Fellow and the like sum of twenty pounds of like money unto his sister Elizabeth Gate All with said several legacies of Twenty pounds I do hereby give and bequeath unto the said unto the several legatees before named and do charge the same upon my said Messuage or Tenement herein before devised unto my said Cozen William Fellow to be paid within six months next after my decease”

We now have the following data:

1. Buckinghamshire: Chesham - Parish Register, 1538-1636

“Baptized - Thomas and Willia sones of Robert and Elizab: Fellowe 23 Jul 1635”

2. Will of Robert Fellow, Blacksmith of Chesham proven 1652

“son William Fellows and to his assigns Forty pounds …. son William Fellows and his heirs, the said Close called Bottoms Close …”

3. Will of Richard Fellow, Draper of Chesham proven 1706

“Cousin William Fellow (Son of my Uncle William Fellow of Chesham aforesaid) ……his Brother Robert Fellow”

4. Bible record transcribed by Wilber K. Thomas in the 1930s Bible signed by Robert Fellow in 1771 [1]

                                                                                   "William Follow, born 10 o'clock being the 3rd day of June 1635 (in England)

                                                                                                           Sarah Follow born ten o'clock at night Nov. 13th, 1637

                                                                                                           Robert Follow born Nov. 21, 1694 (in England)

                                                                                                           John Follow born Nov. 20th 1697

                                                                                                           Mary Follow born Nov. 2nd, 1703

Bible record published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by The Bible Association of Friends in America, 1844

                                                                                            Robert Fellow was married to Sarah Littleboy the 19th day of the 8th month 1696 [3]

John Fellow son of the above was born the 20th of the 11th month 1697 [2]

6. Buckinghamshire Parish Registers. Marriages at High Wycombe, 1600 to 1812.

Robt. Fellow & Sarah Littleboy 19 Oct 1690

7. Will of Richard Fellow, Draper of Chesham proven 1706

“ AND unto my loving friends Josiah Oxon? of Chesham aforesaid Snoter and Joseph Groth of Younger of Chesham aforesaid Ironmonger I give the sum of ten pounds of like money to be paid unto them of or one of them by my said Executrix within three months next after my death and to be by them of out of them distributed unto and amongst such of my poor friends called Quakers as they shall think meet

……

And I doth desire her to bury my body in the Burying Ground belonging to my friends the people called Quakers in Chesham aforesaid.”

Conclusion:

From the confluence of dates, names, relationships and the fact that Richard Fellow directed his burial in the Quaker Burying Grounds, I think we have identified the family of Robert Fellow who came to Maryland in America sometime after his first child was born in 1694 and before he appeared in the records of the Sept 1697 Orphan’s in Talbot County Maryland. This Robert Fellow was also a Quaker.

[1] I believe that the "Follow" spelling is a mistake made in 1937 when it was copied by Wilber K. Thomas. Perhaps this same Bible is the source of Henry C. Coffin's fanciful "Follow" story in his family history. The databases now available from the UK do not get any hits on the surname of "Follow", but tons for Fellow and other spellings (Fellows, Fellowe, Fellowes). Looking at the handwriting in the 18^th century will of Richard Fellow we see many letters that look different to our modern eyes. Here (in the probate clerk’s handwriting) is the phrase “my brother Robert ffellowes” The first small “e” in “ffellowes” has a very high and small loop, making it appear as a modern small “o”. Notice the spelling of Fellow “ffellow”. The double small “f” was a capital “F”.

[2] A moment of trust is involved here. "Nov. 20th 1697" and "20th of the 11th month 1697" are not necessarily the same. The 20th of the 11th month is a Quaker format, which also would imply that the date is Old Style and with the first month being March and the 11th month being January. But, I am going to make the assumption that an ancestor that didn’t make the necessary conversion changed the “pagan” date to the “Quaker” format.

[3] Now I am going to use the opposite logic. "Oct. 19th 1690" and "19th of the 8th month 1690" are the same if we assume an ancestor that DID make the necessary conversion to change the “pagan” date to the “Quaker” format. The "1696" is an obvious transcription mistake, since the oldest child Robert is born in 1694.

Go to Generation 1 of Fellow Family In America

Go to Generation 1 of Fellow Family In England

Go to Generation 3 of Fellow Family In England

Go to Buckinghamshire Fellow Families In England

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Cynthia Joyner
joynerdc@cox.net

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