Person:David Strain (4)

Watchers
David Strain
m. Abt 1742
  1. John StrainAbt 1742 - 1826
  2. Elizabeth StrainAbt 1748 -
  3. Jennet StrainAbt 1751 - 1828
  4. James StrainAbt 1752 - 1789
  5. William StrainAbt 1759 - 1784
  6. Alexander StrainAbt 1763 - 1831
  7. David Strain, Jr.Abt 1766 - 1830
Facts and Events
Name David Strain
Alt Name David Strain, Sr.
Gender Male
Birth? Abt 1720 County Down, Ireland
Marriage Abt 1742 to Elizabeth _____
Alt Marriage Abt 1743 to Elizabeth _____
Death? Sep 1783 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Parentage of David Strain

David Strean/Strain was born c. 1720-1730 and died between the date he wrote his will, 2 Apr 1783—when he was “sick and weak” in body—and the date it was probated, 3 Oct 1783. Will Book D, page 365-7 was recorded in Hanover Township, then in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but now in Dauphin County. His inventory was also dated 3 Oct 1783. His wife Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) is mentioned in his will and also appears in his land warrant and patent as Elizabeth “Strain”. Prior to his death, records including tax assessments, land applications, land surveys, military service, oaths of allegiance, etc. show that David lived in Lancaster County from at least 1750 to 1783.

Children in his will include John, Jennet (Mrs. James McCreight), Mrs. John Wilson (first name unknown), Alexander, David, Jr. (under 21) and executor William, who died before probate. Jennet and David, Jr. both married in Hanover Township. Jennet, her husband and five of their seven known children are buried at Old Hanover Churchyard where her brother David, Jr. was married in 1792.

There is much confusion over David’a parents and siblings

David is suspected of being the brother of Reverend John Strain of York Co., Pennsylvania. According to Reverend George M. Scott’s Journal (W. PA. Historical Magazine, Vol. 17, p. 33, Narrative of a Pioneer Preacher: Geo. M. Scott) he says he boarded with a Widow Strain in about 1785 who had an excellent library of good books, formerly the property of her brother, the Revd. Mr. Strain, deceased. Also a David Strain signed a renunciation to administer his “dearest brother John’s will” following the Reverend Strain’s death, turning over the responsibility to his “mother in lae” instead. This mother in law was likely David’s step mother, making Reverend John and David half brothers, sharing the same father.

David’s father may have been John Strayn of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who died in 1752. John Strayn’s will named a son David, and a David Strayen witnessed the will. David’s son John was named first in his own will, and David may have followed the Scottish custom of naming his first son after his father. Other sons mentioned in the John Strayn will were Robert, John, William and Gilbert. Robert died a year after his father. It is believed that Gilbert relocated to Orange County, North Carolina and changed his last name to Strayhorn.

Source: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~straindna/DavidStrain2.htm


Information on David Strain

David STRAIN, Sr.[1]

Abt 1724 - 1783

Birth Abt 1724 County Down, Ireland Died Sep 1783 Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania

Father John STRAIN, Sr., b. Abt 1695, Aberdeen, Scotland , d. Bef Sep 1752, East Hanover Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania (~ 57 year Family ID F8385 Group Sheet

Family Elizabeth, d. say 1820, Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania Children

1. John STRAIN, b. Abt 1746, d. 1826, Orange Co., North Carolina (~ 80 years)
2. Elizabeth STRAIN, b. Abt 1748,
3. Jennet STRAIN, b. Abt 1751, d. 13 Sep 1828 (~ 77 years)
4. James STRAIN, Sr., b. Abt 1755, d. 1789, Augusta Co., Virginia (~ 34 years)
5. William STRAIN, b. Abt 1759, d. 1784 (~ 25 years)
6. Alexander STRAIN, b. Abt 1763, East Hanover Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania , d. Bef Mar 1831, Orange Co., North Carolina (~ 68 years)
7. David STRAIN, Jr., b. Abt 1766, Hanover Twp., Dauphin Co., PA , d. 1830, Augusta Co., Virginia (~ 64 years)

Advisory:

?The link between David and his son James can only be rated as a logical possiblity, but no definite evidence of the connection exists. More work is needed on James's parentage. I have debated about whether to even include David here as James's father. I have chosen to do so in the hopes that others may seen and comment on it, and because many other Strains get added to the site which might lead to other connections.

The information in Eva Strain's letter, attached as a .pdf document under "Histories," confirms a family story about the Strains, that three Strain brothers, sons of David Strain, migrated south. The same story appears in the narrative by Rev. D.I. Craig entitled "A Historical Sketch of New Hope Church in Orange Co., N.C.," in which he describes the foundation of the church by Gilbert "Strayhorn." Craig notes that "it seems that Gilbert Strayhorn's elder brother in Pennsylvania, whose name was David, had three sons. These sons came to N.C. in search of their uncle Gilbert, and after finding him in the neighborhood of New Hope, and they were no other than David, Alexander, and James Strain." This elder brother on this site is David Strain Sr., brother of Gilbert Strayhorn.

Rev. Craig's information is key for this site, it needs to be noted, because it is the only place that James is named as a son of David Sr. David "Strean" Sr.'s will "of Hanover Township Lancaster County" exists, dated April 5th, 1783, and does not name James as a son. It does name (in this order) wife Elizabeth, son John, son-in-law James "MCright," son-in-law John Wilson, son Alexander, son David ("when he comes to twenty one years old"), and at its end son William (executor with wife Elizabeth). The will also, however, vaguely mentions "my youngest child," and "my children now unmarried," and, after mentioning David, "the rest of my unmarried children." It was, apparently, possible that property given before death was not mentioned in a will, so there could be un-named children implied here.

Note the problems. Fathers could leave property to their children before death which would not be described in will. But, if the birthdates of his children John and James (1776 and 1780, respectively) are correct, James would have been married by 1783. And second, again, this means that the narrative of D.I. Craig is the only evidence which connects James Strain to David Sr.

A second issue aside from these is that Rev. Craig's narrative is also the only evidence linking Gilbert Strayhorn and his three nephews to the Lancaster Co. David Strain family.

In any event, information about David Sr. is known or can be guessed at. He was from County Down, Ireland. It seems likely that he fought in the Revolutionary War. There are two members of Capt. James Roger's Company, in Col. Timothy Green's Hanover Rifle Battalion, whose names are David Strain and Thomas Strain. He probably took the Oath of Allegiance in 1779.

The story about his death id related in Eva's letter; this story also appears in other researchers. He was drafted for work during hostilities against the British, and died, either by disease or injury, from the work. The fact that his death was two years after the end of the war probably means the effects of disease or some other debilitiation is most likely.

The tree "Burke-Ansley Two Great Families" on Rootsweb mentions the following source: The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research 4.3 (Summer, 1976): ___-___. (This tree also gives James as a son.)

There are other Strains.

--John Strain (from Lancaster Co., PA) had children Abigail Strain and Allen Strain; that Allen Strain had a child Mary Strain (this from ancestry.com, with no references cited: argh!), who married William Elliott Walke

--There is a John Strain who applied for a Rev. War pension: "Private, North Carolina Militia, $40.00 Annual Allowance $120.00 Amount Received February 12 1833 Pension Started Age 74 (1835 TN Pension Roll)" (from www.tngenweb.org). He must have moved from SC to Washington Co., TN later in life. [2]

Source: http://pitard.net/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I3861&tree=Pitard (added with permission 12/2010)