| Theophilus Ballengee |
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In the 17th century, France's Louis XIV was the most powerful monarch Europe had seen since the Roman Empire. The Thirty years war resulted in the destruction of 18,000 villages, 1,500 towns and 2,000 castles. It was within these settings in 1650 that Theophilus Ballengee was born in France. His son, Evi Ballengee, was born in 1674 in Potier, Poitou, France. Theophilus Ballengee "was shot during the dragonades of Louis XIV, and his wife and children fled for refuge to the caves and forest of their native province where they were concealed for several months until they were able to escape with others, most likely to Dover."5 From England "[Evi Ballengee] emigrated to America [probably New Jersey or Pennsylvania] between the years 1682 and 1690."5 In The Colonies Evi Ballengee was a weaver by trade. At age 23 he married Christina de la Plaine on June 10, 1697. Christian was the daughter of Nicholas de la Paine and Susannah Cresson. The wedding took place at a meeting of 39 friends in Market Street Philadelphia, PA. Witnesses were her brother James and his wife Hannah. Evi and Christina Ballengee made their home in Little Egg Harbor, Burlington Co., New Jersey. There they had 9 children: 1. Elizabeth Ballengee, 1699; died July 11, 1747 2. Evi Ballengee, Jr., born Jan. 25, 1700 3. James Ballengee, born Jan. 24, 1703; died March 3, 1790 4. Nicolas Ballengee, born Feb. 2, 1706 5. Michelle Ballengee, born Jan 3, 1708 6. Susannah Ballengee, born 1710 7. Joshua Ballengee, born 1712; died June 22, 1761 8. Isaac Ballengee, Born 1715 *(This is the Uncle of the Isaac Ballengee we are descendant from.) 9. Samuel Ballengee, born 1720; died Jan. 26, 1795 |
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| Evi Ballengee Jr. married Susanna English on April 18, 1738 in Cape May, New Jersey. Evi and Susanna first made their home at Little Egg Harbor, NJ. They latter moved south to Cape May, NJ. Evi Ballengee Jr. and Susanna English had three sons. The first was Evi Ballengee III; then, Isaac Ballengee was born in 1747 in Little Egg Harbor, Burlington Co. New Jersey. The name of his third brother is not known. |
| *This Issac Ballengee was born in 1715, married? And had three sons and a daughter. This Issac is the Uncle of the Issac we are following. |
| By now I am sure that you have noticed that the Ballengee family named their children after their ancestors. The names Evi, Isaac, Thomas, James, Elizabeth are used many times down through the generations. One of Isaac Ballengee's Uncles was named Isaac. Following the custom, Isaac named one of his sons Isaac and a daughter he named Elizabeth. My great, great, great-grandfather, Isaac Ballengee (son of Evi Ballengee Jr. and Susanna English was born in 1747 at Little Egg Harbor, NJ) was at Cape May, New Jersey* in 1762. He worked as a sailor along the East Coast.1 |
| *Isaac Ballengee has been wrongly listed as coming from the Island of Jersey in the English Channel. The confusion arises from the name Jersey. |
| "Edmund Randolph, Esquire, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting. Know ye, that by virtue of a certificate in right of settlement given by the Commissioners of adjusting titles to unpatented lands in the District of Augusta, Botentaut and Greenbrier and in consideration of the ancient compensation of one pound sterling paid by Isaac Ballengee into the Commonwealth, there is granted by the said Commonwealth unto the said, Isaac Ballengee, assignee of Isaac Taylor, a certain tract or parcel of land, containing 184 acres by survey being dated the third day of Dec. 1785, lying and being in the County of Greenbrier, on the Kanawha [Now called the New River], below the mouth of the Greenbrier River as follows, and bounded as follows towit- Beginning at an ash and birch, at the Sheep Rock Branch, thence running S.27 E.66 poles along the foot of a hill to a yellow linn and poplar, N.72 W.54 poles, to a hickory on the River bank, and down the meanders of the same N.46 W.30 poles to a hickory S.54 W. crossing Closing in an island."1 |
| Isaac soon entered the newspaper business. His brother Evi Ballengee III became a farmer near the mouth of the Greenbrier River, Virginia. Isaac Ballengee married Jean___ (believed to be of French descent) in North Carolina in 1767. Isaac and Jean had three sons, George, Henry (my great great grandfather 1778-1839), and Isaac II; and, four girls, Susan, Elizabeth, Florence, and Polly. The family left North Carolina with the intention of moving to the Ohio Valley, or beyond; however, when they stopped along the way at the bachelor Evi Ballengee's farm one of their children became ill. They decided to stay on the farm, and the two brothers farmed together a few years until Isaac bought squatter's rights to 184 acres, and island, the present location of Hinton, West Virginia. The "Squatter's Title" for the property reads as follows: |