The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-08-29

his action in contributing to the sue
cess of to days affair. At consider
able expense he prepared the grounds
placing them in magnificent condi-
, ton. The Flemings feel that they
owe him debt of gratitude.
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
The Fleming family, the national
reunion of which was held to-day, is
one of the most numerous in the
United States. The American branch
of it is directly related to the ancient
Scotch Irish family hearing that
name, and is descended from four
brothers who immigrated from Ire
land in 1850 (211 years ago) and
took mp land under WIN. Penn in
what is now Kent county. Delaware.
The private records of the family are
few and limited. No at the time
of the first settlement took any &C
count Of passing events for the bene-
MT OF generations TO come, and the
only source left from which can
be gained anything like reliable
history of these ancestors of the
Flemings, which have since become
so numerous in Delaware, Pennsyl-
vania, Virginia, Indiana and other
Western and Southern States, are
the public records of surveys, deeds
and wills to be found on record in
the respective offices at Dover and
for Kent county in Delaware.
1t there appears that the first emf
grants by the name of Fleming were
in 1850, as above mentioned. The
land on which they settled was in
what is now known as Mispillion |
Hundred, Kent CO., and embraced
tract of country three miles square
The fonr families settled near to
gether, probably for self protection,
and to be near and to assist each
other.
They were all, as far as known, Of
the Presbyterian faith, and were
among those dissenters from the
church of England who sought free
dom from persecution by emigration
to the new world. OF this there can
be little doubt, though the evidence
is circumstantjal.
FAMILY RECORDS.
AS above remarked, the county re-
cords in Delaware furnish the only
reliable data of a historical nature.
Though tradition tells of the fact
that the four brothers mentioned
settled in Kent county and founded
the great American branch of the
family, that they cultivated large es-
tates and grew wealthy, &C., it is
not until 1854, many years after
their landing that the first authentic
record appears on the court books, in
the shape of the will of Robert Elem
ing, who died in that year. He left
to survive him widow, Alice Elem
ing and several children. Among
other things he gave Robert Fleming,
a son of Alexander Fleming, $50
acres of land. This was probably
his nephew and godson. He also
left David, a son of John Fleming,
another brother, farm of $50 acres,
The next will of record is that of a
son of one of the four original broth
ers, George Fleming, who died May
20. 1853. He left his widow, Eliza
beth, and four children large land
ed estate. Two of George Fleming's
children were daughters. One of
them, Martha, married John Cox,
and the other married Alexander
King, and from them have descend
ed some of the numerous branches
of the Cox and King families in Del
aware and Pennsylvania. These
daughters and their descendants
lived and died in the old Fleming
homestead in Delaware, which is
still standing occupied by lineal des-
cendants of the original Flemings.
OF the landed estate, the present
Delaware railroad runs through a ,,
portion. Upon it is built the town
of Pennington which is named after
Pennington, West Virginia, vii
lage situated near Fairmont, West
Virginia, which latter town was
founded by members of the Fleming
family who emigrated from Della
ware, as hereafter shown. A quar- i.
ter of mile east of Pennington,
Delaware, is the old Fleming bury
ing ground where the remains of the ,
early Flemings are resting.
THE WEST VIRGINIA FLEMINGs. j
The next will is that of William
Fleming who died July l, 1866.
Next is the record of Alexander :
Fleming who died intestate August i
80, ITO. William Fleming, jr., q
died June 7, 1884. He left widow, t
Ann, and five sons TO survive him, i
from some of whom have decended i
the Flemings in West Virginia and t
other western localities, and whose
name is legion. The names of these i
five sons were Nathan, Boaz, Benaiah q
and Benoni, sons by William, jun 4
ior's, first wife, Jane Frame, and i
Thomas Fleming, son by his sec q
ond wife, Ann Hudson. Benaiah t
remained in the old homestead, but
the others emigratad to Western
Virginia, settling in the vicinity of
Fairmont. They liked the country,
and in December, 1903, they return
ed TO Delaware and sold their inter- 2
est in their fathers estate to Ben
aiah. The latter lived till 1S45, and, X
dying, left a will leaving the home d
stead to his sons. On their deaths {
it passed into the hands of Benjamin c
II. Thorp, husband of Mary E, !.
daughter of Nathan Fleming. The .
Thorps are also one of the oldest =
and best families of Delaware, and, I
like the Flemings with whom they x
are connected, have furnished to the
States many distinguished men, Gov !.
ernor Thorp being one of the most .
distinguished, and connected by y
blood ties with the Jennings.
Shortly after the emigration of the o
four brothers above mentioned to Q
Western Virginia, James and Jacob g
Fleming Tin 1876 sold their land u
in Delaware and also moved west a
ward. They were sons of the Rob
ert Fleming mentioned above, who u
died in 1884, and they settled in a
Ohio, near Chillicothe, and Their u
descendants are now scattered 0
Ohio and the West. g
Otbpr man hare IF fha nalo