The Swayze Family

A post (I hate the term “blog”) on this site dated 21 Oct 2017 describes a group of five cemetery markers in the Helt’s Prairie Cemetery for Swayze family members. Pat Shade, a fellow Wright family historian and my 3^rd cousin, and I have made conclusions (or at least educated guesses) about the identities of those who lay under those stones. But before looking at our analysis, we need to cover some history of the Swayze family.

Pat brought to my attention a book, Genealogy of the Swasey Family by Benjamin Franklin Swasey, privately printed, Cleveland, Ohio, 1910. Much of what Benjamin has written appears to be correct and is based largely on contemporary records and documents, rather than that scourge we face today, undocumented internet trees. But as noted by Jim M. Swayze (“Natchez Talk, 2014,” Descendants of the Jersey Settlers of Adams County, Mississippi, 75th Jubilee Reunion), the book is not without error. Below is what I have found by combining the works mentioned above with a little research on my own.

We will start with Obediah's great grandfather Samuel, whose life and that of his wife Penelope is briefly documented on their grave stones in Chester Congregational Cemetery, Chester, New Jersey. Today, the stones are unreadable, but were decipherable when Benjamin was living:

Cemetery Markers for Samuel and Penelope Swayze (Find a Grave).

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Here lies the body of Samuel Swayze, Esqr., who was born in Southold, Long Island, March 20, 1689; and removed from thence to Roxbury, May 17, 1737, where he continued to reside until he departed this life May 11, 1759, aged 70 years 1 month and 11 days

Here lies the body of Penelope, the wife of Samuel Swayze, who was born in Southold, Long Island, Feb. 14, 1690, and removed from thence to Roxbury, May 17, 1737, where she continued to reside until she departed this life Dec. 1, 1746, aged 55 years 9 months and 17 days.

When Samuel moved from Long Island, New York, to New Jersey, settling first in Roxbury Twp (today, Chester) and then in Oxford Twp (today, Hope), he took his family with him. One of those was his son Israel, whose story is also briefly told on his marker, in the Swayze Cemetery, Warren County, New Jersey:

Cemetery Marker for Israel Swayze I, 1941 (HABS).

In Memory of

Israel Swayze who

was born on Long island

and removed with his

father to Roxbury in

Morris County & from

thence removed to

Oxford in Sussex County

& died Aug. 27, 1774

aged 53 Years & 10 Months

My flesh shall slumber in the Ground

till the last Trumpets joyful Sound

then Burst the Chains with sweet surprize

And in my Saviours Image rise

Israel Swayze I's House, Hope, New Jersey, 1941 (HABS).

Obediah's grandfather, Israel the elder, who married Elizabeth Seward (remember that name), lived out his life in New Jersey, but that was not true of his son, also named Israel. Following the American Revolutionary War, Israel II, a Loyalist, fled with his family to the province of Ontario in Canada. He and his wife, Abagail Coleman, are buried in Lundy's Lane Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Israel Swayze II marker (Find a Grave).

One of the younger Israel’s children was Obediah (the spelling given on his will and other documents), who was born 2 Aug 1786, after his father is believed to have moved to Canada. But censuses give Obediah’s birthplace as New Jersey. It may be that Obediah did not know where he had been born, or was carried to Canada as an infant. Eventually, however, Obediah returned to the United States, ending up in Indiana.

The next post will deal with Lydia, Obediah’s wife, Richard Wright’s mother-in-law.