318 – A Genealogy Dilemma

Mark Jarvis

Gilbert and Martha Cheney are our 5th great-grandparents. We’re sure of that. We have a paper trail from Gilbert and Martha to our present-day Cheneys.

But we have a problem. We don’t know Gilbert Cheney’s parents.

In previous stories, we’ve claimed that Charles Cheney is our 7th great-grandparent. But we don’t have a paper trail link from Gilbert Cheney to Charles.

A hypothesis

I’m hypothesizing that Gilbert Cheney is a grandchild of Charles Cheney, and a great-grandchild of patriarch Richard Cheney. Furthermore, I’m postulating that Charles Cheney’s son Shadrack is Gilbert Cheney’s father.

Here’s the hypothesized family tree:

Let’s consider circumstantial evidence.

  • The Ricketts family is closely related to Cheneys
  • Shadrack Cheney serves in Maryland Militia with Ricketts
  • Documented migration of Cheneys and Ricketts from Maryland to Pennsylvania
  • Gilbert Cheney lives next to Ricketts in Pennsylvania
  • Naming patterns of sons use “Shadrach” and “Gilbert”

The Ricketts

Mary Ann Cheney, a daughter of Charles and Anne Cheney, married Edward Ricketts in Anne Arundel, Maryland. The Ricketts were neighbors of the Cheneys.

Edward and Mary Ann Ricketts had numerous children, among them Edward Jr. and Jeremiah and Cheney Ricketts. Cheney was named after his mother’s family line. So Edward Jr. and Jeremiah and Cheney Ricketts and their siblings are all grandchildren of Charles Cheney.

Margaret Cheney, another daughter of Charles and Anne Cheney, married William Ricketts in Anne Arundel, Maryland.

Cheney Ricketts

Cheney Ricketts plays an important role in this hypothesis. He was the son of Edward Ricketts and Mary Ann Cheney Ricketts. His name is obviously a namesake for his mother’s maiden name. It’s also such a unique name that it’s easy to identify in source records. There may be several people named Charles Cheney or Edward Ricketts, but there’s only one Cheney Ricketts.

When I find a source document with the name Cheney Ricketts and the name of another Cheney family member, it suggests of a relationship between Cheney descendant families.

Maryland Militia

Maryland Militia Deployment – Capt. Chapline – 13 days

Here are lists of Maryland Militia members from 1732 to 1764.

These aren’t Revolutionary War militia, but rather militia volunteers called up for various Native American insurrections or the War with Canada in 1746 or the French and Indian War in 1757.

For example, Cheney Ricketts and Shadrack and Greenbury Cheney are listed in Captain Moses Chapline’s Company for a 13 day deployment.

Shadrack and Greenbury Cheney and Edward Ricketts are listed for another 55 day deployment in Captain Chapline’s Company.

Maryland Militia Deployment – Capt. Chapline – 55 days

Cheneys and Ricketts move to Pennsylvania

Barree Township Tax Rolls – 1775

During the 1770s and 1780s, families from Anne Arundel moved to western Pennsylvania, including Cheneys, Ricketts, Iiams, and others.

Shadrack Cheney didn’t move to Pennsylvania because he died in 1767 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

Edward and Jeremiah and Cheney Ricketts were in Barree Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Gilbert Cheney was their close neighbor.

In this 1775 tax roll for Barree Township, we see Gilbert’s name listed with Edward and Cheney Ricketts.

Throughout the next decade, Gilbert Cheney and his family lived near the Ricketts families.

Gilbert Cheney and Ricketts on tax rolls

The circumstantial evidence suggests that Gilbert Cheney is related to the Ricketts. I think Shadrack Cheney is Gilbert Cheney’s father. That makes Gilbert Cheney a first cousin of Cheney Ricketts.

Mary Ann Cheney Ricketts and Shadrack Cheney

Documented migration from Anne Arundel, Maryland

We’re hypothesizing that Gilbert Cheney is from the Cheney families in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Certainly, his Ricketts cousins are from Anne Arundel.

Furthermore, there are other records and genealogies that demonstrate that Cheney families from Anne Arundel did move to Bedford County.

Duvall Family Genealogy

Genealogical Reasoning

While no birth record or will directly names Gilbert Cheney as a son of Shadrack Cheney, several strands of circumstantial evidence suggest a familial connection.

1. Maryland Militia

  • Shadrack Cheney and various Ricketts were listed together on Maryland Militia deployments.

2. Geographic Proximity

  • Gilbert Cheney appears on 1775 Barree Township tax rolls alongside Cheney Ricketts and Edward Ricketts.
  • These Ricketts are confirmed grandchildren of Charles Cheney through his daughter Mary Ann.
  • Living near known relatives strengthens the case for kinship.

3. Migration Patterns

  • Families from Anne Arundel County, Maryland—including Cheneys, Ricketts, and Iiams—migrated together to Bedford County, Pennsylvania in the 1770s–1780s.
  • Dr. Jeremiah Duvall led a group of about 30 families westward in 1787, including multiple Cheney households.
  • Gilbert’s presence in this community suggests shared origins.

4. Naming Conventions

  • The name “Cheney Ricketts” honors maternal lineage—Mary Ann Cheney, daughter of Charles.
  • Gilbert Cheney could be a namesake of Shadrack’s step-brother Gilbert Pattison.
  • Gilbert Cheney named one of his sons Shadrach, possibly a namesake of his father Shadrack.
  • Gilbert’s descendants continue the Cheney naming tradition, reinforcing family identity.

5. Absence of Contradictory Evidence

  • No records place Shadrack Cheney in a different Cheney line or region.
  • No records place Gilbert Cheney in a different Cheney line or region.
  • Gilbert’s timeline and location align with the Anne Arundel–Bedford migration corridor.

6. Logical Placement in Known Family Tree

  • Gilbert is likely a grandson of Charles Cheney and great-grandson of Richard Cheney, consistent with generational spacing.

Based on the circumstantial evidence, I feel confident concluding that Gilbert Cheney is a descendant of the Cheneys in Anne Arundel County. It’s likely he’s the son of Shadrack Cheney, grandson of Charles Cheney, and great-grandson of patriarch Richard Cheney.

Genealogy is rarely a straight line. It’s a mosaic of records, relationships, and reasoned speculation.

While we may never find a definitive document linking Gilbert to Shadrack and Charles Cheney, the circumstantial evidence is strong.

In the next post, we’ll return to the paper trail and follow Gilbert Cheney’s life in Pennsylvania.

Nibbles Extra Credit – A Genealogy Coincidence

We’ve seen that the Cheneys had a close relationship with the Ricketts family in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Several of Charles and Anne Cheney’s daughters married sons of Thomas and Rebecca Ricketts.

In an interesting coincidence, members of the same Ricketts family are ancestors of our Jarvis family line. Thomas and Rebecca Ricketts of Anne Arundel County, Maryland are our 9th great-grandparents.

Marriage license – Joseph Jarvis and Martha Buchanan

In 1852, Joseph Jarvis married Martha Buchanan in Jefferson County, Indiana. Martha’s grandmother was Hannah Ricketts. Hannah was a descendant of the Thomas and Rebecca Ricketts of Anne Arundel County, the same Ricketts family that intermarried with Cheneys.

Small world.

Timeline

Sources:

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