The deed implies that there was an original agreement of sale that commenced on 1 May 1722 and that a written agreement was executed and sealed by Samuel and Robert on 8 Aug 1722, but it does not say that they signed their names. A memorial of the written agreement was recorded on 13 Oct 1722, which basically means that the court clerk wrote a version of the agreement for the witnesses to verify. The first part of the deed is apparently the clerk's transcription of the written agreement. That is followed by a statement that a witness Herbert Stone swore that he saw Samuel and Robert "seal and execute" the agreement and that he saw George Stone "sign and seal" the agreement. The deed implies that Samuel was not present when the agreement was finally recorded in October, so his name was apparently obtained either from the original written agreement or verbally from the witness. We do not know who wrote the original agreement. Samuel and Robert might have been illiterate and might have simply signed the agreement with their marks and seals. In the records of Northern Ireland and Pennsylvania, the surname is usually spelled Verner or Vernor. There were multiple families named Verner in Ulster, most of whom appear to have been Presbyterians whose families migrated from Scotland. After he immigrated to America, Samuel's name was listed in a 1724 tax list. The internet site www.Rootsweb.com/~usgenweb has a list of names from the 1724 Pequea Township, Chester County, PA assessment list with the names Samuel Varner (sic) and James Varner (sic). In September 1725 Samuel's son David applied for title to Samuel's land in Pennsylvania, and the names were listed as Verner in that record. David and a younger Samuel were listed as Verner in a 1729 petition. Several County Armagh records list a Robert Verner, who might have been the same man as the Robert Varner of the 1722 deed, and a Robert Verner helped to guarantee the estate bond when David died in 1743. Thus, it appears that Samuel's surname was Verner and that he was related to the other Verner families in Ulster.
The 1722 deed says that Samuel was from the town of Levalleglish in the Parish of Loughgall in the Barony of O'Neil Land (O'Neil Land West) in the northern part of County Armagh. Be aware that there is a town called Armagh farther south in County Armagh. It is sometimes referred to as Armagh City or Town to distinguish it from the county of the same name, but writers often wrote "Armagh" without specifying whether they were referring to the town or the county, which can be confusing. Some of the land, including an orchard, was located in or near the town of Levalleglish, and some of the land was in a place that was spelled in the deed as Ballygahy, but which apparently should have been spelled as Ballygasey or Ballygassey. Samuel had leased the land from Robert Cope on 18 Feb 1691 (presumably 1691/2) and on 18 Sep 1713. I do not know if those original leases are recorded in the records of Northern Ireland. Records from those years are reportedly extant (still exist), but those leases are reportedly not listed in the Index of Deeds where the 1722 deed is listed, at least not under the name Varner. It is possible that there might be a listing under the names Cope or Verner, but it was quite common, even in America, for men to make an agreement of sale or lease and not record that agreement until much later when a subsequent sale or lease occurred. Thus, the 1722 deed might have been the only record of the leases of 1691/2 and 1713. I think that the date 1691/2 is important in trying to connect Samuel to his father, as I will discuss later.
The deed implies that the original leases were in the name of only Samuel, which I think is important in trying to determine Samuel's relationship to Robert. Samuel and Robert sold the leases for one hundred and eighty pounds Sterling. The deed implies that the agreement had commenced on 1 May 1722, which suggests that George Stone took possession of the land on that date, possibly as a sub-lessee. It says that the original written agreement was witnessed by Herbert Stone and Robert Brennan, Gentlemen of Armagh. The term "Gentlemen" refers to the social class that is just below the nobility, which usually includes well-born, well-bred men with some degree of wealth and property. When the deed was recorded, Herbert Stone appeared in court to verify the transaction, and the recording was witnessed by Thomas Dawson and Thomas Burke. All of the deed is in the same handwriting, including all names and signatures, which implies that the clerk or a later transcriber wrote all of the names. It is possible that witnesses did not formally sign the records of those times, but it is also possible that the original deed was later transcribed by hand from an older original record that might have had actual signatures. The deed implies that Samuel was probably still in County Armagh on 8 Aug 1722 to "seal and execute" the agreement, but he might have been gone by the time of the recording in October. Four months later, someone sold land across the road from where Samuel had lived, and that deed proves that Samuel had moved by the time of the second sale. However, that does not mean that he had migrated by that time. He might have been living elsewhere, preparing to migrate. The second deed was witnessed by an Edward Verner, which suggests that Edward and Samuel were related in some way, and other records suggest that they might have been cousins. We do not know why Samuel decided to sell and move to America at an advanced age, but history suggests that it was probably because of hard times, poor crops, increased lease rents, and religious persecution, which are factors that I discuss later in this chapter.
Samuel was apparently a farmer, and he was listed in the deed as a "purier", which was his occupation. The internet site www.houseofnames.com says that "purier" is a variation of the French word "poirier" that derives from the Old French word "perier". It originated in medieval Normandy in France and means "pear tree". It was often used to indicate a person who sold pears or owned an orchard. That implies that Samuel's main occupation was the growing of fruit. According to the Northern Ireland GenWeb internet site, most of the County Armagh landowners in the early-1600s were English, many of whom planted orchards similar to those of England. There were also Scottish landowners. The area northeast of the town of Armagh is a rich fruit growing region, and the town of Loughgall is now the center of the apple orchard area. Recall that Samuel's landlord was named Robert Cope. The Cope family were landholders in County Armagh from the early-1600s. Using that information alone might lead one to conclude that Samuel was of English descent. However, although the land in County Armagh was granted mainly to English owners and some Scots, the tenants were from a variety of places. Most of the tenant settlers in Ulster in the 1600s were from Scotland, a smaller proportion were from England, and a few were from other countries, e.g. France and Germany. Counties were divided into divisions called baronies. The barony of O'Neil Land was joined on the west by County Tyrone, on the southwest by the barony of Armagh, on the south by the barony of Fews, and on the east by Counties Antrim and Down. Loughgall Parish adjoined County Tyrone, the barony of Armagh, and the barony of Fews. Much of the land in those adjoining places was granted to Scots, including some in-laws of the Verner families of Scotland. A couple, John and Prudace Verner, held land grants in Ireland ca 1650, and they might have been Samuel's grandparents. Samuel's probable parents lived in County Antrim in 1683, which suggests that Samuel probably moved from there to County Armagh between 1683 and 1691/2. Many of the original landholders sold their land to others, and many had their lands confiscated during various conflicts. The Scots helped the English to quell rebellions in the late-1600s, which brought more Scots to Ulster, and Samuel could have been one of those men.
Robert was described as a weaver. Textile manufacturing was one of the main industries in Ireland, and it was devastated by a drought of 1714-19.
Notice that Samuel and Robert sold the leases in 1722, which was thirty-one years after Samuel had acquired his first lease in 1691/2. The Scots Migrate To Ulster, A Brief History (author unknown to me) states that, in the early 18th century (early-1700s), the 31-year leases came due that were previously given to the Scots as inducement to migrate to Ulster. The landlords raised the rents on the land that the Scots had improved, and many of the tenants could not afford to stay on their own land. Those leases had been granted at the end of the 17th century (1600s). Additionally, there was a serious drought from 1714 to 1719, which ruined the linen and woolen industries. Five thousand people emigrated from Ireland to America in 1717, and, when their favorable reports began to come back, the race was on. It says that all who left were Presbyterians, but I do not think that is true. It seems likely that some would have been of another faith.
Other authors state that there were other Protestant emigrants, e.g. Quakers and German Palatines. The Scots who migrated to Ulster were later called Ulster Scots by others overseas, and Americans coined the term Scotch-Irish. Many Scots resent the latter term, because they refer to themselves as Scots or Scottish and use the word Scotch to describe objects, e.g. whisky (Scottish spelling) and cloth. Many of us prefer the term "Scots-Irish", but, since the original term was Scotch-Irish, I will use it with apologies to the Scots. The information above is suggestive that Samuel and possibly Robert might have migrated to Ulster from Scotland ca 1691, but it is more likely that their forebears had migrated to Ireland much earlier and that both men were born in Ireland, rather than Scotland or elsewhere. Most evidence suggests that the Verner families of Ulster came from the vicinity of Edinburgh, Scotland and that their forebears had migrated from France to England and then to Scotland over the centuries. It is understandable that oral history related by descendants over the years might distort that migration history. One Verner line remained in Armagh and became wealthy. According to Verner Families, the titled line of Northern Ireland claim to descend from the Presbyterian Verner families of Scotland, but some of their descendants reportedly believe that their forebears migrated to Ireland from England, while others believe that they migrated from England to Scotland and then to Ireland. Some of that family also reportedly believe in a German or French origin. It is not proven that Samuel and Robert were related to those families, but circumstantial evidence suggests that they were. Another factor that confuses the record is that some people left Ireland during adverse times and later returned. It is possible that a Scots family settled in Ireland, encountered adversity and moved to England for a time, and then returned to Ireland. Some descendants of that family might have been told of a Scots origin, some of an Irish origin, and some of an English origin, depending upon which generation was telling the story. Further research for Samuel's origin should be focused on the records of Northern Ireland that are not referenced in this book, particularly those of the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast.
Some authors stated that "family tradition" said that Samuel was a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian. However, those authors were writing in the 1900s and might have been biased by what they knew about John Verner, Sr., born ca 1725, and the Scotch-Irish migrations. Clara Verner Wallace stated that Samuel was a Presbyterian, but provided no proof. There are Irish records that imply that some Verners might have been Quakers or married Quaker women. However, the Presbyterians were persecuted and often had to use other churches and ministers for such things as marriages. John's connections to his believed-father David and believed-grandfather Samuel are based on circumstantial evidence, e.g. time, place, and name associations, but are not proven. It seems to me that the "family tradition" was started by later generations who assumed that John's beliefs were those of his forebears, which is not necessarily true. Also, part of that "tradition" appears to have been taken from the Pettigrew family history and wrongly attributed to John's forebears, as discussed in Chapter Three. John was reportedly a Presbyterian, but I have never seen any proof. John's believed-father David was listed as a founding father of an Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania, but that does not prove the religious beliefs of David, of David's father Samuel, or of any of David's children. It also does not tell us if David changed beliefs during his lifetime or if he supported the Episcopal Church while believing otherwise. It is very possible that David helped to found the church because of personal, financial, or political reasons. Perhaps his wife was an Episcopalian. Records in Northern Ireland and Scotland suggest that the Verner families in Ulster were probably from Scotland and were mostly Presbyterian, but some might have been otherwise. Some other founders of that Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania were from families that were traditionally Presbyterian. I will discuss that further in Chapter Two. The fact is that we really do not know the exact origin and religious beliefs of Samuel and his forebears. Therefore, until further proof is found, we can only use the circumstantial evidence to infer possibilities and hope that some future researcher solves some of the puzzles.
Samuel lived in County Armagh, Ireland (now Northern Ireland) for more than thirty years before he immigrated to America, but we do not know where he was born or the origin of his forebears. Most circumstantial evidence suggests that he and/or his father and/or his grandfather probably migrated to Ulster in the mid-1600s from Scotland or possibly England and that their distant forebears had migrated there probably from France, but possibly from Germany. It is sometimes hard to clarify origins in France and Germany, because those two populations were so intermixed over the centuries.
Regarding descriptive terms of origins, consider the following points. If you knew that Samuel had been born in Ireland, that his father had been born in Scotland, and that his grandfather had come from France, would you say that Samuel was Irish, Scots, or French? If your father came from Ireland to America and became a citizen, and you were born in America, would you say that he was Irish or American? Would you say that you were Irish or American? My great, great-grandfather was born in Georgia, my great-grandfather was born in Texas, and my grandfather, my father, and I were born in Arkansas. I do not call myself a Georgian. Samuel lived in County Armagh for decades, but he probably did not consider himself to be Irish. Even if they were born in Ireland, the Protestants of Scots and English descent in Ulster would have considered themselves to be different from the native-born Catholic Irish. After several decades in Ireland, folks of Scots descent were culturally different in many ways from their forebears in Scotland, but they were also culturally different from the Catholic Irish. That is why Americans coined the term Scotch-Irish and why people elsewhere called them Ulster Scots. No such distinction seems to have been applied to people of English descent who lived in Ireland, but they too would have been different from their forebears in England in many ways. Thus, until we know Samuel's origin and beliefs, it is hard to apply labels to him. He was undoubtedly a Protestant, but we do not know if he was a Quaker, Presbyterian, or Episcopalian, or if he believed one and practiced another. Having said that, I think that the preponderance of evidence suggests that he was a Presbyterian, that he and/or his near-forebears (near in time) had probably come from Scotland, and that his distant forebears had probably migrated to Scotland from France, possibly via England. Thus, while it appears that Samuel was probably Scotch-Irish, we can not say that for certain.
The 1722 deed implies that the original leases were in the name of only Samuel, yet a man named Robert Varner was one of the sellers. Who was he? One possibility is that Robert was Samuel's oldest son and heir and that he had reached the age of majority by 1722. The deed implies that Robert was born by 1701, and he was probably born before 1700. Samuel was probably born between 1650 and 1670, so I list his birth as ca 1660. A Robert Verner was in records of County Armagh between 1714 and 1734 in regard to land in Ballygasey, and a Robert Verner wed there in 1719. Then, a Robert showed in Pennsylvania records in 1735, provided bond for the estate of Samuel's son David in 1743, and then disappeared from the Pennsylvania records. Those items alone suggest that Robert might have been a son of Samuel who remained in County Armagh for 10-12 years after the 1722 sale, then moved to America in 1734-5, and then died or moved after 1743. However, a second possibility is that Robert of the 1722 deed might have been a more-distant relative, e.g. a cousin, who might have loaned Samuel money using the leases as collateral. Perhaps Samuel gave some land to the Robert who married in 1719 or took him as a partner. There were two men named Robert in the records who might have been the man of the 1722 sale, other than a possible son of Samuel. The oldest was a son of the John Verner who died in 1684 with sons Robert, Edward, and Mathias. That Robert appears to have moved elsewhere and probably died about 1708. The other Robert was a son of Edward and thus was a nephew of the oldest Robert. Other evidence suggests that Samuel might have been a nephew or grandson of the John who died in 1684. If that is so, Samuel would have been a nephew or cousin of the oldest Robert and a cousin of the younger Robert. If the Robert of the 1722 deed was a son of Samuel, then there were three Roberts during those years. I have no record of a Robert in Ulster after 1734 until 1747, when the son of Edward died, owning land in Ballygasey. That in turn suggests that Edward's son might have been the Robert of the 1722 deed and the 1714-1734 Irish records and might have gone to America for awhile between 1734 and 1743. Edward witnessed the sale of land across the road from where Samuel had lived, which further suggests that the Robert of the 1722 deed might have been his son.
The name of the landlord Robert Cope is significant. The Cope family were prominent land owners in Ulster from the early-1600s. I visited the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast in 2003. Their film T-129 listed a Robert Verner on the 1714 Armagh Rent Rolls as being from Drumduff, and there was a town Drumduff in County Armagh. The name Robert Verner was also listed in 1725 and 1734 in reference to a possession in Ballygasey, County Armagh. Later, a search of the PRONI internet site found a document that was a list of "Freeholders allowed to vote" (PRONI reference number D/1928/F/1A). It showed that Robert Verner leased seventeen acres and woods in Ballygassey (sic) on 1 May 1734 from Robert Cope. The lease was for life at a yearly rate of seven pounds and two shillings. Robert Verner and Robert Cope of those records were probably the same men as in the 1722 deed, which suggests that the surname might have been more properly spelled as Verner or Vernor in the 1722 deed. Those records also imply that Robert Verner was probably born by ca 1690. I found other PRONI records with the names Verner and Vernor, but not Varner. That was the last record of Robert Varner/Verner that I found in the PRONI records. However, in 2006 I was given records by Janice Palmer (now McLellan) that were reportedly from the Armagh County Museum. Those records show the two men named Robert who were the brother and son of Edward and that a Robert Verner married in Loughgall Parish, County Armagh in 1719. The son of Edward died in 1747 owning land in Ballygasey, which in turn suggests that he was the man in the 1714-1734 records. The 1684 will of Edward's father John listed the surname as Varner, but the records of Edward list his name as Verner. Samuel's son David acquired Samuel's grant in Pennsylvania in 1725. That record proves that David was Samuel's son, and the surname was spelled as Verner in that record. A Robert Verner signed a Lancaster County, PA petition in 1735. Varner, Verner, Werner Families of America, page 2, says a Robert Vernor/Verner requested a survey for land in Lancaster County, PA on 23 Jul 1735 and for other land in 1736 and 1741, and a Robert Verner guarantee the bond for the estate of the deceased David Verner/Vernor in 1743, as discussed in Chapter Two. Other authors theorized that Robert of the 1722 deed was a brother of Samuel, but I do not agree. Janice Palmer (now McLellan) listed the Robert of Pennsylvania as a probable son of David, based on his having guaranteed the estate bond. However, it appears to me that the Robert of 1714-1734 County Armagh, the Robert of 1735-1743 Lancaster County, and the Robert who died in County Armagh in 1747 might have all been the same man. There was never any descriptive term to suggest that there were two men named Robert in County Armagh at the same time, e.g. elder or younger. The oldest Robert, Edward's brother, was probably the man who was listed in the 1660s, suggesting that he was born by the mid-1640s. He might have been the man in the records of Conner Diocese between 1693 and 1708. It is not likely that he was the man in 1722 or later, so I think that the oldest Robert probably died before 1714 and that the man in County Armagh was the son of Edward. It is possible that there were two Roberts in County Armagh by 1714, one the son of Edward and one a son of Samuel, but it seems more likely that there was only one.
It is likely that Samuel's son David and possibly some other sons were born in the 1690s. It is possible that Samuel had a first wife who died in the 1690s and that he remarried. The records from the Armagh County Museum, listed in Appendix 1-B, show that a Samuel Verner married Mary Moore in 1698 and had children named Charity, John, and Elizabeth. Again, there was no term, e.g. elder or younger, to suggest that there were two men named Samuel in County Armagh at the same time, and we know that the immigrant Samuel had leased land there in 1691/2. Thus, it is very possible that he was the man who married Mary Moore. That John was probably born ca 1702-6. A John Verner showed in Pennsylvania in 1734 and died there in 1754 with children named Samuel, Benjamin, Elizabeth, James, John, Mary, and Hannah. He might have been the son born to Samuel and Mary. The couple who I think were probably the immigrant Samuel's parents had sons named Benjamin, Samuel, and David. Benjamin was not a common name in the Verner families. A 1713 lease by Mary Moore's uncle William Moore had a stipulation regarding the life of John Verner that was removed in 1758 (the "8" is uncertain), suggesting that the man who died in 1754 was the son of Samuel and Mary. However, a Samuel who was younger than the immigrant Samuel showed in Pennsylvania, and he might have been the man who married in 1698, so the identity of the man who married in 1698 is not certain. I have seen no records to indicate that the John of 1734-54 Pennsylvania interacted with David Verner, but that is not surprising. If they were both sons of the immigrant Samuel, they would have been half-brothers, born to different mothers, and David was probably considerably older than John. If the Samuel who married in 1698 was a son or nephew of the immigrant Samuel, then John would have been David's nephew or cousin.