The Jarvis Family and Other Relatives

If you have reached us from Ancestry.com or another cached site,
please go to http://www.fmoran.com/mdstand.html to see the latest version of this page.
We welcome comments and inquiries. Please write us.

Family of Joseph "The Nicholite" Standley

The Nicholite movement was founded by Joseph Nichols about 1760. Nichols lived in Delaware near the Maryland border. Nichols had not been a religious person and spent his free time partying with his friends. During one of these escapades, one of Nichols' best friends became ill and died. This experience so shook Nichols that he began preaching to his friends of the light that he had come to believe shown in the understanding of man and to obedience to an "Inward Director." The area in which Nichols and his friends lived was populated by Quakers. This movement was greatly influenced by and had many similarities to the Society of Friends. They may have taken a stand against slavery even before the Quakers did. They did not believe in paid ministers; all marriages, births, and deaths were to be recorded. Marriages were performed in the same manner as Quakers and marriage to an non-Nicholite would cause one to be disowned from the meeting. Nicholites, like Quakers, did not believe in fighting and suffered many hardships because of this belief during the Revolution. Nicholites even referred to each other as Friends and were often called by others "New Quakers."

One major difference between Quakers and Nicholites was evident however. While Quakers were great believers in education and operated schools for that purpose, Nicholites saw evil in too much education and seldom had their children taught beyond the ability to read and write. In fact, from the number of Nicholites who make marks instead of signing their name on documents preserved n the public records, it would seen that many of them lacked even this basic education. Woolman, Nicholites, apparently influenced by Quaker John Woolman believed in austerity and plainness to the extreme. They wore only undyed cloth, would not even mix natural colors of yarn in woven cloth, would not wear black leather or black their shoes. Their furniture was very simple and there were no flowers in their gardens When ever possible they would travel by foot.

Joseph Nichols died in December, 1770, after only a few years of his ministry. He was survived by his wife Mary who married Levin Charles and migrated to Guilford County, his son Isaac and one daughter. Nichols' followers did not scatter or disband after his death but instead, in December 1774, organized themselves into a monthly meeting to meet at the house of James Harriss. It was this James Harriss who assumed the leadership role among the Nicholites. Meetings were held in various members' houses and sometimes they attended meetings for worship at nearby Quaker meeting houses. By 1775, the Nicholites had three meeting houses of their own in the border area of Maryland and Delaware.

In the 1770's there was a migration of people into the Deep River section of Guilford County that has been completely overlooked by historians. These people belonged to an obscure sect known as Nicholites. They have been so overlooked that even their descendents do not even know of them. A case in point is the recent history of Deep River township written by Will Pegg in whch he makes no mention of the Peggs being Nicholites. Richard Mendenhall married Mary Pegg a Nicholite, who was the daughter of Valentine Pegg, one of the original Nicholite emigrants into this area. Other prominent families in the area who were Nicholites were the Chipmans, Charleses, Horneys, Joseph Standley, and the Wheelers.

First Generation

Children of Joseph "The Nicholite" Standley and Sarah
William Standley (1756-) m. Deborah Horney (abt. 1758), d/o Jeffery Horney
Elizabeth Standley (1758-1832) m. John Masten (1761-1829)
Thomas Standley (1760-1813) m. Rachel Hanes (abt. 1761) of Guilford Co., NC
Mary Standley (1763) m. Ezekiel Teague
Sarah Standley (1766) m. Mathias Masten Jr. (1765-1856)
Reuben Standley (1768-1804) m. Mary Mock (abt. 1777-1817)

Second Generation

Children of Thomas Standley and Rachel Hanes
Samuel Standley (1782)
Sarah Standley (1788-1875) m. Johannes (John) Tash Sr. (1781-1832, IN)
Joseph Standley (1790) m. Mary "Polly" Barham
William Standley (1792) m. Jane Love, d/o James Love
Mary Standley (1793-1834) m. Jacob Tush/Tash (1790-1881, IN)
Thomas Standley (1794-1823) (died in Indiana)
Female Standley (1796)
Female Standley (1798)
John Standley (1800)
Female Standley (1802)
Female Standley (1804)

------------

Children of Reuben Standley and Mary Mock
Catherina "Caty" Standley (1796) m. Henry Ledford
Phebe Standley (1798) m. Darius Masten, her cousin (did Darius also marry Mary Fair??)
Elizabeth "Betsy" Standley (1800) m. William Haworth (abt. 1796)
Phillip Standley (1802)

Third Generation

Children of William Standley and Jane Love
Joseph Standley (1811) m. Roda Salmon (lived in Martin Co., Indiana)
Jacob Standley (1814)
Sabra Ann Standley (1816) m. James Dominick Sharum (m. in Martin Co., Indiana)
Rachel Standley (1826-1886) m. George Alexius Sharum (m. in Martin Co., Indiana)
John Standley (1827)
(children were born in Stokes Co., NC)

©, 2001-2007
Faye Jarvis Moran and Elizabeth H. Harris
faye@fmoran.com, ncgen@mindspring.com

Sources:

The Nicholites of Jamestown and Deep River by Jack Perdue
Guilford County, NC a Map Supplement by Fred Hughes, 1988, Custom House
Washington County Historical Society, Inc., 307 East Market St. , Salem, Indiana 47167
Moravian Archives, 4 East Bank Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101-5 307
Washington County Historical Society, Inc., 307 East Market St. , Salem, Indiana 47167
Marriage Bond, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC
Moravian Archives, 4 East Bank Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101-5 307
Centennial History of Washington County Warder W. Stevens, B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., 1916

Chronological list of documents used for researching the Standleys

Will of Joseph Stanley, 1804, Rowan Co., NC

Return to List of Families