William Iiams Sr. (1640 - 1703)

Born 1640 in Stratton, Cornwall, England [uncertain]

Husband of Elizabeth (Cheney) Iiams — married 1669 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Descendants

Died 27 Jul 1703 at about age 63 in Birdsville, Anne Arundel, Maryland

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Catherine Rivera [send private message], Jane Shipley [send private message], Kristen Stout [send private message], and Fred Remus [send private message]

Disputed Origins:

From Jenny Redo: 24 Feb 2016. I have the YDNA from two male Ijams who are not closely related to each other. Both Ijams males have E-L117 as their haplogroup. When you look at their origins, it is likely our ancestor is from England. Interestingly, at 111-markers these to ONLY match each other (and no one else at FamilyTreeDNA). At 67-markers we match to a man with the last name of Wells (Genetic distance 1) and another of Corbell (Genetic distance=3).

The Legend

All Hallows Episcopal Parish, a 248 year old structure in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland burned to the ground in February 1940. Various Ijams/Imes historians state that William Iiams [or Eyoms] made oath in court in Maryland that he was the son of Sir Robert I'ans/I'ams, Chief of the Ordinance for the Queen and Quartermaster General and that this description identifies him as Sir Robert Innes/I'ans listed in the Brisish records as having married Lady Grizel Stewart/Stuart daughter of the Earl of Moray. According to Imes in America researchers, the name originated in 1160 as Innes and has since been spelled I'ans, Eyoms, Eyams, Iiams, Ijams, Ijames, Iames, Iiames, Iams, Imes since William came to America in the 1600s. One theory in particular is that scriveners thought the appostrophe in I'ans/I'ams was a J and thus the original Ijams spelling in America. For the purpose of making the name easier to spell, many descendants changed their names to Imes and Iams in later years but many have retained the original spellings.^[1]

The Reality

Most sources show his parents as unknown. The parents were previously given here as Robert Iiams and Grizel Stewart. That was sourced to a user-submitted Ancestry.com family tree without any supporting sources. They are almost certainly not his parents (more below), and no credible support was provided for that connection. Other disputed data in the individual sections below also needs better proof.

The entire tree for William Ijams (Iiams, etc.) starting with his parents and going back is WRONG!?!?

This from IjamsFAQ:

Q. What hard evidence is there of our heritage in Europe?

A. There is none. A number of family members, some of whom are very competent genealogical researchers, have searched through the years for uncontested documentary evidence of where William was born, what his parents' names were, where he lived, when he crossed the Atlantic and so forth. To date, no such firm evidence of any connection to the European continent has been found. There are no records showing William's entry into Maryland. No proof has been found of his financing his own passage, being transported by another or coming in as an indentured servant.(RI)

I wish I could tell you some more positive information, but my great-grandmother was an Iams and I've done a lot of research on the early generations of this family. Unfortunately, most of the pre-1650 information on this family is unsubstantiated and almost certainly incorrect.

The connection between the family of William Iiams/Ijams/Eyams, the emigrant to Maryland, and the family of Robert "Ians" Innes and Grizel Stewart of Scotland is clearly wrong, although it continues to be perpetuated as proven fact by many members of the family (largely, I believe, because Grizel Stewart was the granddaughter of King James V of Scotland and people want to have a royal ancestor or two). More. Another claim, that William was the son of a fellow named Ion or Ians from Cornwall, is based on name similarity only, and to my knowledge there is no primary source documentation on it.

Sad to say, but at this time, the only thing I've seen which is reliably documented is from William Iiams on forward. Where William himself came from, and what his parents' names were, are unknown. It seems likely that he was Scottish or Welsh in origin, but even that is a guess. (GB)

So, it would appear that his entire ancestry is a fanciful creation of someone attempting to create a connection to royal ancestors. Several researchers on the Iiams Family Facebook group, including the author of the page linked above, agree that William's parents are unknown, and that no support for the parents previously shown has been found, or presented by those making this claim. - FR

Biography

Name

"The earliest records of Maryland show that the name was spelled in various ways, Eyams being the earliest. Other modified forms were Iioms and Iiams. After 1800 or before several branches of the family subsituted a "j" for the second "i" while other branches, especially those which removed to southwestern Pennsylvania dropped one "i" and now spell it as Iams. A minority group, however, retains the old spelling of Iiams. The form Ijames is also found today, especially in the West. ^[2]

Name: William IJAMS^[1]

William Iiams, Sr.^[3][4]

William /Iiams/^[5][6]

William /Ijams/^{[citation needed]}

William /Iams/^{[citation needed]}

William /Iambs/^{[citation needed]}

The Iiams name has been spelled a number of different ways over the years. I think part of it is some people having a hard time accepting that a name could start with two i's. Also, styles of handwriting have changed from time to time. In looking at old census pages, there was a style of writing that used to be popular and you could not tell the difference between an i and a j the way they wrote them. I think this is one of the main things that caused the name to be misspelled a lot.^[7]

Birth

William Iiams' date and place of birth is uncertain. These have been reported:

• Abt 1637 in Stratton,Cornwall,England^[1]
• 1640 in the South River Hundred, Anne Arundel County, Maryland^{[citation needed]}. This is quite unlikely because formation of the South River Hundred did not begin until after 1649.
• 1645 in Stratton, Cornwall, England^{[citation needed]}. Not impossible, but what is the basis?
• 1650 in England. ^[7] Find a Grave does not cite further sources, but this date is plausible, and as for place, "somewhere in England" can hardly be wrong! JD

Arrival in Maryland

"As in all families the emigrant is the most interesting. William Iiams was seated in the South River Hundred as early as 1665. His entry into Maryland is rather inauspicious, that is, there is no record of his financing his own passage or being transported by another or his coming in as an indentured servant. All extant records style him as a freeholder. Furthermore, there is no record of filing for land-rights. Besides the deed of gift from his father-in-law (Richard Cheyney), he had other plantations at the time of his death." ^[8]

Marriage

William Iiams married Elizabeth Cheney (1652 - 1726)^[7]

Husband: William Iiams

Wife: Elizabeth Cheney

Date: 1669

Place: Anne Arundel, Maryland, USA^[5]

The following proves the marriage of William Eyams: ^[2] Elizabeth Iams, relict of William Iams, deceased, produced a deed of gift from Richard Cheyney and petitioned that it be recorded...Richard Cheyney the Elder of South River, Planter, on 29 May 1663 was granted 'Cheyney's Resolution' lying on the south side of South River, containing 300 acres...This tract he conveyed on March 1, 1674, for the consideration of natural love and affections unto my son-in-law, William Iiams and daughter Elizabeth now wife of William Iiams with the consent of my wife 400 acres of 'Cheyney's Resolution' during their natural lives and after their decease to the male heirs of their bodies.

Death

William Iiams died in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, July 27, 1703. ^[7][6][9]

Death: 27 JUL 1703 in Anne Arundel Co.,Maryland^[1]

Burial

William Eyams was a member of the Established Church, being a communicant of All Hallow's Parish, where records show the marriages and baptisms of many of his descendants. He was buried from the parish church on July 29, 1703. ^[2]

William Iiams was buried in All Hallows Church Cemetery, Anne Arundel County Maryland. ^[7]

Burial: 29 JUL 1703 All Hallows Parish,Anne Arundel Co.,Maryland^[1]

BURIAL: Burial 29 Jul 1703 is recorded in old church records, All Hallows Protestant Episcopal Church,Anne Arundel Co., Maryland--Parish Register 1669-1721, p. 23. ^[1]

Will

WILL: Dated 16 Feb 1698, probated in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland 10 Nov 1703; names wife Elizabeth, son William, daughter Elizabeth Duvall, son Richard, and son George. Parish register lists his burial as 29 July 1703.^[1]

WILL: Eyoms, William,A. A. Co.,16th Feb., 1698; 10th Nov., 1703.^[1]

• To eld. son William, 5 shillings.
• To dau. Eliza: Duvall, 5 shillings.
• To son Richard and hrs., 100 A. (unnamed) nr. Patuxent R., Prince George's Co.
• To young. son George and hrs., 100 A. on s. side Western Run.
• To wife Eliza:, extx., dower rights.
• Residue of personalty to be divided among sons Richard and George, and daus. Hester and Susanna.
• Test: Clement Davies, Rich'd Chaney, Jno. Robertson, Robt. Davis. 11. 358.

Children

Children of William and Elizabeth (Cheyney) Iiams as listed by Newman: ^[2]

1. William Iiams, Jr. born 1670, married Elizabeth Plummer
2. Elizabeth, married first Daniel Clarke, second Samuel Duvall, June 18,, 1697
3. Richard Iiams, born 1673, married first Anne Cheney, second Elizabeth. Newman has no surname for Elizabeth, but Find-a-Grave provides the name Gaither.^[7]
4. George Iiams married Elizabeth. Newman has no name for Elizabeth, but Find-A-Grave provides the name Bashford.^[7]
5. Susannah Iiams married first Thomas Fowler, second Mark Brown Oct 15, 1696.
6. Hester Iiams married first John Duvall, second John Nicholson Dec 23 1708

In addition, Find-a-Grave lists a child not listed by Newman:

1. Charles Iiams^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Imes/Ijams, Hall, Meriwether, Mobley, Brown, Deaver, Nogrady, Kovatch, Veger, etal . . . "oh, what a tangled web we weave". http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=seeeye&id=I8493. Accessed August 14, 2015
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} "Iiams Family," in Harry Wright Newman, Anne Arundel Gentry. Baltimore: Lord Baltimore Press, Maryland Pioneer Series, 1933. Reprinted 2009, Apple Manor Press, www.yesterbooks.com. pp. 392-394
3. ↑ Source: #S34 Page: v.1, p.290-92.
4. ↑ Source: #S35 Page: p.244ff.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Source: #S-217454619 Source number: 6791.000; Submitter Code: HDG.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Source: #S-216118700 Death date: 27 July 1703. Death place: All Hallows, Ann Arundel, MD, USA
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7} William Iiams, Find A Grave Memorial# 104223148 created by Nathan Haines. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=104223148. Accessed August 14, 2015
8. ↑ Harry Wright Newman, Anne Arundel Gentry, 1970 Edition,
9. ↑ Another account without citation gives date and place of death as 29 July 1702 in Anne Arundel, Prince Georges County. 29 Jul is from a personal family tree (no other source given). Date of death would be 9 days after burial date shown in Anne Arundel County: Church Records of the 17th and 18th Centuries, cited on burial, below. Also, Anne Arundel is not in Prince George's County, but is itself a separate county. 27 Jul is from the same type of sources, with the same problems. Using JUL 1703.

• "Pedigree Resource File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:3JSF-R6V : accessed 26 September 2018), entry for William Liams, cites sources; "Walbridge-Webber Family Tree" file (2:2:2:MM6Z-5W2), submitted 30 April 2018 by Qwerty61843 [identity withheld for privacy].

• Source: S122 F. Edward Wright. Anne Arundel County: Church Records of the 17th and 18th Centuries. Westminster, MD: Willow Bend Books, 2002, p. 15.

• Source: S34 Harry Wright Newman. Anne Arundel Gentry: A Genealogical History of Some Early Families of Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. 3 v. Annapolis [Maryland] : H.W. Newman, 1970-1979 (Reprint: Delaware: Colonial Roots, 2003).

• Source: S35 Thomas John Hall III. The Hall Family of West River and Kindred Families. Denton, MD : Rue Publishing, 1941.

• Source: S36 Three books above cited on Pitard.net.

• Source: S7 Find a Grave memorial page.

• Source: S-217454619 U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900. Yates Publishing. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. Database of marriage information from multiple sources. Commonly includes contradictory information (dates, places, etc.) and is entirely unverified by the compilers.

• Source: S-216118700 Family Data Collection - Deaths. Edmund West, comp. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. Another compilation of unverified information, complete with conflicting claims.

• Source: S-277766635 Ancestry Family Trees. User submitted. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network.

• Source: S32 Personal Individual Genealogy: Dearth Family, Extended. Gives no sources.

Acknowledgments

• WikiTree profile Ijams-2 created through the import of mcdougle 2010-06-30.ged on 01 July 2010 by David McDougle. See the Changes page for details of edits.

• WikiTree profile Ijams-17 created through the import of LaBach Family TreeApril28_2011.ged on 05 May 2011 by Bill LaBach. See the Changes page for details of edits.

• WikiTree profile Iiams-14 created through the import of Hummel_Goerl_Cecil_Miller Fami(3).ged on Jun 12, 2011 by Angela Hummel. See the Changes page for details of edits.

• WikiTree profile Iams-8 created through the import of My Family File.ged on Aug 31, 2011 by Jane Entwisle. See the Changes page for details of edits.

• WikiTree profile Iiams-62 created through the import of Remus Wikitree.ged on Feb 12, 2012 by Fred Remus. See the Changes page for details of edits.

• WikiTree profile Ijams-84 created through the import of Duckett Family.ged on Apr 4, 2013 by Catherine Rivera. See the Changes page for details of edits.

• Maternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between David Roberds and Katherine Mills his ninth cousin 1x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are their 9th-great grandparents, William Iiams and Elizabeth Cheney. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 5th-8th Cousins, based on sharing 9 cM across 1 segments.