52 Ancestors - #18 Elizabeth Hance - The Disorderly Quaker

I first learned of Elizabeth Hance from my cousin Lois’ research. She was the daughter of Joseph Hance and Ann Johns who were Quakers. She was born in the seventh month which for us would be September of 1741 in Calvert County, Maryland. (Since the Julian calendar was being used which started in March the Quakers considered the month of September the seventh month. This made January the eleventh month and February the twelfth month until the Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1752. The Quakers only used numbers not names for the days of the week and for the months.)

Elizabeth had two older sisters, Mary born 5^th day of the ninth month (November) 1738 and Ann born 1^st day first month (March) 1739/40, and a younger brother Benjamin born on the 19^th day of the third month (May) 1744.

According to Ancestry.com, “Meetings sometimes took disciplinary actions to reinforce the basic tenants of the religion. These included Disownments, in which a meeting affirmed that it did not “own” the offender and denied responsibility for his or her behavior.” Disownment was not permanent and the offender could apply for reinstatement after a year or so. Various behaviors could result in disownment such as swearing; theft; marriage outside of the faith, a first cousin, without consent of parents; slander; debt; neglecting family responsibilities; morals; dress; assault and so on.

The Quaker Records of Southern Maryland, 1658-1800 transcribed by Henry C Penden Jr. indicated that Benjamin Hance (son of Joseph and brother of Elizabeth) was married and disowned, and Ann and Elizabeth Hance, for acting disorderly were disowned, and Joseph Hance was “treated with” because of his children all on the 26^th of the fourth month (April) of 1765.

Elizabeth married Benjamin Franklin Hardesty (born around 1735), son of William Hardesty and Priscilla Lawrence about 1765 in Calvert County, Maryland.  Their first child Henry was born in Maryland and he was most probably followed by Elizabeth, Rebecca and Thomas. At some point they must have moved to Virginia because some of the children appear to have been born there - Samantha in about 1773, Benjamin in about 1776, William in 1777, Kinzea in 1779 and Samuel about 1782. According to some records Elizabeth and Benjamin may have had another child while living in Virginia.

In 1784 the family moved to Kentucky (which at that time was still part of Virginia.) Mary was born in about 1784, Sarah in about1786, and Francis in about 1790.

Elizabeth and Benjamin were married for 53 years when he died in 1818 in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Elizabeth died in 1833 on her will was probated in June of that year.  

Through Elizabeth Hance I descend from John Hance who came to America in 1659 and settled in Calvert County, Maryland. His second wife was Mary Sewell Kellett, the daughter of John and Eleanor Sewell, (John Sewell, was a Puritan immigrant in 1652.) John and Mary’s only child was Benjamin Hance born in 1692 in Calvert County. Benjamin Hance was married on the 28^th day of the seventh month (September) of 1711 in Calvert County, Maryland to Mary Hutchins, daughter of Francis and Elizabeth Hutchins. Benjamin and Mary were both Quakers. Their son Joseph Hance was born on the 10^th day of the ninth month (November). Joseph was the father of Elizabeth Hance.

Great Great Great Great Great Grandparents: Elizabeth Hance/ Benjamin Hardesty

Great Great Great Great Grandparents: Kinzea Hardesty Sr./Sally Campter (Kemper or Kempter)

Great Great Great Grandparents: Kinzea W Hardesty Jr./Mary (Pollie) Sallee Dingle

Great Great Grandparents: Mary Grave Hardesty/John Tucker

Great Grandparents: William John Tucker/Georgianna Katherine Ragan

Grandparents: Alva Ashbury Tucker/Effa Belle Graves

Parents: Elva Rosalie Tucker/Lionell Burris Mitchell