Thomas Dennis, a member of the Religious Society of Friends, the Quakers, and two sons John and Samuel emigrated from Ireland to New Jersey between 16 Mar 1682 and 1 Apr 1684 (874, 1034). On 16 Mar 1682, the Moat Meeting of County West Meath, Ireland granted Thomas Dennis a Certificate of Removal (874). On 1 Apr 1684, Thomas acquired 40 acres of land in the West Jersey Provence of New Jersey from William Carlton (1034, Page 432).
Wills identify seven children of Thomas Dennis, Sr. The 18 Mar 1691 Will of Walter Forrest names John and Samuel, sons of Thomas Dinnis as well as daughters: Rebeckah, Mary, and Hannah (871). The 1 Jun 1720 Will of Thomas Dennis names children Thomas Dennis, Jr., William Dennis, Mary Dennis, and Hannah Dennis (866).
Samuel Dennis, son of Thomas Dennis and his wife Jane, married Ruth Tindall soon after 14 May 1711 in Gloucester, New Jersey (844, 870, 848). Abraham, John, and Rachel Dennis were children of Samuel and Ruth (Tindall) Dennis of New Jersey. An index of 1761 Haddonfield Monthly Meeting of Friends in Gloucester County records indicates and entry on Page 69 referring to John Dennis, son of Samuel.
Peter Dennis was born on 8 Aug 1777, likely in Jones County, Georgia (831). The Will of Jacob Dennis, Sr. made on 30 Oct 1816 in Jones County, Georgia, names his son Peter Dennis (304). Two bothers, Abraham Dennis and John Dennis, as well as John’s son Jacob Dennis acquired land in the Wrightsborough Township of St. Paul’s Parish of Georgia before 3 Jul 1770 (828). The Dennis brothers and Jacob were almost certainly members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers.
During 1754, Quakers settled on the Little River in St. Paul Parish of Georgia (939). In Dec 1768, Joseph Maddock and Jonathan Sell notified the governor of the Georgia Provence that 70 families had settled on a reserve set aside for Quakers from Orange County, North Carolina in response to a petition presented on 1 Sep 1767. Joseph Maddock was married to Rachel Dennis, a sister to Abraham and John Dennis.
In Jul 1769, 100 acres of land were reserved for each unmarried man of Wrightsborough, and Jacob Dennis was among those receiving grants (939). Jacob’s brothers, John Dennis and Abraham Dennis, were also granted land in the Wrightsborough reserve on that date.
Sources
828. Grant of 100 acres of Land to Jacob Dennis, Wrightsborough, Georgia, 4 Jul 1769. Candler, Allen D. The Colonial Records of the State of Georgia. Volume X. Proceedings and Minutes of the Governor and Council from January 6, 1767, to December 5, 1769. Franklin-Turner Company, Atlanta, Georgia, 1907. Page 815.
844. Samuel Dennis and Ruth Tindall Marriage Intention, Haddonfield Monthly Meeting, Gloucester County, New Jersey, 12 Mar 1710. Haverford College; Haverford, Pennsylvania; Minutes, 1710-1731; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
848. Samuel Dennis and Ruth Tindall Marriage Intention, Newton Monthly Meeting, Newton, Gloucester County, New Jersey, 14 May 1711. Women’s Minutes, 1705–1769, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes. Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
866. Abstract of the Will of Thomas Dennis, Newton Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, 1 Jun 1720. Nelson, William (Ed.). Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Volume XXIII. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Volume I, 1670–1730. The Press Printing and Publishing Company, Paterson, New Jersey. Page 135. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
870. Samuel Dennis and Ruth Tindall Intention to Marry, Minutes of the Newton Monthly Meeting, 9 Apr 1711, Newton, Gloucester County, New Jersey. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
871. Abstract of the Will of Walter Forrest, Salem County, Pennsylvania, 18 Mar 1691. Nelson, William (Ed.). Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey, Volume XXIII. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Volume I, 1670–1730. The Press Printing and Publishing Company, Paterson, New Jersey. Page 170. (Images: Ancestry.com.)
874. Thomas Dennis, Certificate of Removal from Moat Meeting, County West Meath, Ireland, 16 Mar 1682. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
939. Candler, Mark Allen. The Quakers of Wrightsborough, Georgia. The Magazine of History with Notes and Queries 14:17–23, Aug 1911.
1034. Nelson, William. Patents and deeds and other early records of New Jersey, 1664–1703. Genealogical Publishing, Co., Baltimore, Maryland, 2000. (Image on file.)