Bios - Obits - Stories
DENNIS
Extracted from: EARLY FRIENDS FAMILIES OF UPPER BUCKS
By Clarence V. Roberts, 1925
Joseph Dennis, the pioneer of the Richland family of that name, came to Bucks County about 1737. He is supposed to have been the son of John and Rachel (Hull) Dennis, of Woodbridge, New Jersey, born there 3 mo. 8, 1697 (O.S.). The Dennis family of New Jersey are principally descendants of Robert Dennis, an early settler of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, who according to the Connecticut records was at Portsmouth in 1645. This Robert Dennis purchased land in Monmouth County, NJ, in 1691, of his brother-in-law, Jedediah Allen, and an effort has been made to identify him or his son Robert with Robert Dennis, one of the first patentees of Woodbridge, May 21, 1666, but this seems to be contradicted by the fact that Robert Dennis of Portsmouth died there in 1691. Robert Dennis of Woodbridge came from Wymouth, Mass, and was granted land at Woodbridge by Philip Carteret, and was one of the associates of the Woodbridge patent, above mentioned. He was a surveyor and a member of the first legislature of New Jersey, which met at Elizabethtown May 26, 1668, and represented Woodbridge, with Samuel Moore, in the legislature for the years 1669 and 1772. Woodbridge Township was charter June 1, 1669, and patents were granted to Robert Dennis for 448 acres; Samuel Dennis 94 acres; John Dennis 107 acres; Thomas Bloomfield 92 acres; John Bloomfield 90 acres. There has been considerable speculation as to whether Samuel and John Dennis were sons or brothers of Robert Dennis. John, at least, was probably a son of Robert. John Dennis, born about 1640, married 10 mo. 18, 1668 (O.S.), Sarah Bloomfield, daughter of Thomas. He was granted 107 acres in Woodbridge, adjoining John Bloomfield, by Philip Carteret, Esq., Governor, on 8 mo. 16, 1669. John Dennis, Jr., son of John and Sarah (Bloomfield) Dennis, was born at Woodbridge 7 mo. 9, 1669, and died there 11 mo., 1702-03. His will was dated Jan 3, 1702-03, and probated March 27, 1703, and the inventory of his estate made January 28, 1702-03. He married, 2 mo. 8, 1691, Rachel Hull, daughter of Benjamin and Rachel Hull, and granddaughter of Hopewell Hull, of the original associates in the Woodbridge patent. Both John Dennis, Sr., and John Dennis, Jr., were carpenters. The will of John Dennis, Jr., mentions his uncle, Samuel Dennis, and brother-in-law, Nathaniel Fitzrandolph, who had married Grace Hull.Children of John and Rachel (Hull) Dennis: Tunis b. 10-29, 1694 Joseph b. 3- 8, 1697 d. 1767 Rachel b. 3-14, 1699 John b. 11-14, 1700-01
Whether Joseph Dennis, son of John and Rachel, was the pioneer of the Bucks County family remains somewhat in doubt for the reason that historians have assigned this Joseph to Middletown, Monmouth County, N.J., where the will of a Joseph Dennis was probated 10 mo. 8, 1814. There does not seem to be any proof of the identity of the two men. Joseph Dennis, son of John and Rachel, did remove to Monmouth County, where he made a deed May 30, 1727, to Thomas Ayres for land on the line between Piscataway and Woodbridge, patented to his father, John Dennis in 1669, to which he affirms he had an “absolute estate of inheritance.” Following this conveyance of his heritage in New Jersey he probably removed to Bucks County. Tradition in the Dennis family of Haycock makes Jonathan Dennis the fist ancestor, but this is a mere supposition on the part of descendants of the 5th and 6th generations. However, it is possible that Joseph Dennis may have been the son of Jonathan Dennis, another son of Robert of Woodbridge. This Jonathan Dennis married Rachel Moore.Children of Jonathan and Rachel (Moore) Dennis: Elizabeth b. 8- 8, 1678 Mary b. 2- 7, 1682 Rachel b. 8-30, 1683 Jonathan b. 11-29, 1685-86 Joseph b. 12-18, 1687-88 Charles and Sarah b. 11- 4, 1689-90 Hannah b. 11-26, 1691-92 There are so many branches of the Dennis family in New Jersey, the members of which bore similar names, that it is impossible to determine to what branch Joseph Dennis of Bucks County did belong, but a careful study of the genealogy of the different branches strongly indicates that he was a son of John and Rachel of Woodbridge, as above stated. Charles E. Stickney, in his little book entitled, “Dennisania,” published at Wantage, Sussex County, J.J., in 1904, after giving a large amount of genealogical statistics of the early Dennis families of New Jersey, concludes that Joseph was a son of John and Rachel. A branch of the Dennis family of Woodbridge migrated to Cape May County and settled at the site of the present town of Dennis or Dennisville. The names of Joseph, Jonathan, and Charles also appear in this branch. Another branch of the family settled at Cohansey, Salem County, New Jersey, apparently founded by Jonathan Dennis, Jr., of Woodbridge. This branch spread over into Cumberland County and members of the family have migrated to Pennsylvania at different dates, one branch of the family being still residents of Falls Township, Buck County. Henry Dennis, son of John of Salem County, married, 3 mo. 14, 1751, Martha Lynn, of Philadelphia, and the death of several of their minor children is recorded on the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting Records. Thomas and Mary Dennis were also members of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, and the birth of their son Benjamin, 6 mo. 13, 1713, is recorded there. Cornelius Dennis and Mary Durborrow were married at Philadelphia Monthly Meeting 5 mo. 30, 1735.