THE C.ANTRILL-C.ANTRELL GENE.A.LOGY A RECORD OF THE DESCENDANTS OF RICHARD CANTRILL, WHO WAS A RESIDENT OF PHILA­ DELPHIA PRIOR TO 1689, AND OF EARLIER CANTRILLS IN ENGLAND AND ~RICA BY 0 SUSAN CANTRILL CHRISTIE THE GRAFTON PRESS GENEALOGICAL PUBLISHERS 70 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK Cl'f'yright, .r(J08, Bv SUSAN CANTRILL CHRISTIE :.I, .·~- ] ' ..... : \ - /4.-- -- v..... \ ., r -~JJ. ~Op .- --- "- ~Io - ..: ~ • > TO MY DAUGHTER LOUIE CHRISTIE CANTRELL WHO ASSISTED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS VOLUME CONTENTS Preface ix History Xl Richard Cantril! 3 Descendants of Joseph 2 Cantrill of Philadelphia 7 Descendants of Zebulon 2 Cantrell of Philadelphia 147 Descendants of Benjamin 1 Cantrell of Massachusetts 209 Descendants of Isaac 1 Cantrell of Ireland and Philadelphia 213 Unclassified Records 219 Supplemental Lines . • 225 Appendices Will of Stephen Cantrell 231 Jamestown Reunion 237 Index 245 PREFACE FoR many years I have had a strong desire to know more about the Cantrill family, but not until 1897 was sufficient data obtained to furnish a reliable basis for this work. It is published now with a full knowledge of the many imperfections that will be manifest to many who read it. Many difficulties have attended the collec­ tion and compilation of the material and at times the work has been most discouraging. If some branches of the family have been treated briefly, it is only owing to the lack of information and meager data furnished by the descendants. It is with a deep realization of how impossible it is to make any History, or Genealogy, of a family entirely perfect, that I now publish the result of more than ten years' research. It is probable that it could be made more complete by waiting and working longer, but many of those who have been interested in the collec­ tion of the material have already passed away, others are growh1g old, and the writer is anxious to put into permanent shape the information collected, which has never been printed regarding the Cantrill family before. The ·cantrill family is one of the oldest families in America. In the course of this work innumerable histories, genealogies and records have been carefully searched in the Astor and Lenox Libraries, New York Historical Society, New York Genealogical Society and Court Records, New York; Brooklyn and Pratt Libraries, Brooklyn; Boston Library, Historical Society and Court Records, Boston; Friends' Library, Pennsylvania 'Historical Society, Records of old Philadelphia churches and Court Records, Philadelphia; Pennsylvania State Library, Harrisburg; Court Records, Westchester, Pa.; Illinois State Library, Springfield; Congressional Library and Census Department, Washington; and Court Records in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, North Caro­ lina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. A thorough search has also been made in London, England, of Court Records and emigrant lists of the seventeenth century by a reliable English genealogist. I am also indebted to Rev. Edgar Harlan Kellar and X PREFACE Mrs. Francis Hardin Hess for searching records at the British Museum, London. In :finishing this self-imposed task, which has also given me many hours of pleasure and profit, I wish particularly to express my appreciation of the encouragement and material help that has been given me by Mrs. William A. Cantrell, Little Rock, Ark.; Mrs. James E. Cantrill, Georgetown, Ky.; Miss Mary Cantrell, McMinnvill'e, Tenn.; Mrs. Laura Cantrell Kinser, Tellico Junction, Tenn.; Mr. John H. Cantrell, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Mrs. W. W. Whiteside, Oxford, Ala., and to many others. Finally, in presenting these facts regarding the history and genealogy of the Cantrill family which I have been able to collect, I do so in the hope that they will be an inspiration to every member of the family to continued patriotism to our country, and pride in our family. SUSAN CANTRILL CHRISTIE. 231 Madison Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. HISTORY ORIGIN AND SPELLING OF THE NAME THE name of Cantrill wherever found can be traced to the origi­ nal family of Chantrell, or Cantrelle, in France. In "Armorial Generale," by J. B. Rietstap, the name is given as Chantrell, Cantrelle and Canteral; in "La Grande Encyclo­ pedia," as Chantrell and Canteral;' in "La France Heraldique," as Chantrell (de) and Chantre (le), while in" Noblisse Universale," by M. L. Vicomte Magny, it is given a:s Cantrel. In "British Family Names," by Henry Barber, the following appears: "Cantrell (French), Cantrel, Chantrell. The first of the name in England was William Chantrell, time King John, A. D. 1199." Mark Antony Lower gives the definition thus: "Can.trill, Can­ trell, from Cantrellus, the little singer." Charles Waring Bardsley, in his "Dictionary of Surnames," says: "Cantrell, Cantrill, one who rang the Chantrelle. Chantrelle, a small bell. Chanter, to sing." The name is spelled in various ways, viz: Cantrill, Cantrell, Cantrall, Cantrelle, Cantril, Cantrel, Cantral, Chantrell and Chauntrell. The spelling has always been one of personal taste, even brothers have spelled it differently. · In this book the nil.me is spelled as found in Capt. John Smith's Works, or as it is spelled by the different branches of the family. The earliest records of the family are French. The first mention of the name outside of France is William Chantrell, who retained the French spelling of the name, in England fo time of King John. THE FAMILY IN ENGLAND From the twelfth to the fifteenth century the nanie appears in English records from time to time, and after that time appears many times in England and Ireland, as well as in France, usually spelled Chantrell, Cantrill or Cantrell. xii THE CANTRILL-CANTRELL GENEALOGY William Chantrell, temp King John, was probably the first of the name in England. In the" History of Melbourne, County Derby," second edition, (no date), page 175, by J. J. Briggs, the author says: "The Cantrells were a very ancient family and are supposed to have been located at Kings Newton about five hundred years. By deeds still extant in the family, we find that they possessed lands there as early as the reign of Henry V, about 1413. Other deeds and surveys also show that they were considerable landed proprietors during the reigns of Henry V, Henry VI, Edward V, Edward VI and Henry VII." . From the "History of Cheshire," by Ormeod, we learn that the Chantrells were possessed of lands in Cheshire as early as 1412, , and in this History the pedigree is given of John Cantrell, 1424 (taken from the "Plea Recog Rolls "), with the same coat-of-arms that is given later in the " Visitation of Cheshire, " 1580, of Chan­ trell of Bache; " Visitation of Suffolk," 1612, of Cantrell of Bury St. Edmunds and " Visitation of Berkshire," 1664, of Cantrill of Wokingham. Various histories of Cheshire have a great many records, _cover­ ing a period from 1422-1558, showing that the family of Chantrell was a prominent one and that they were large landed proprietors, and speaking of the family as a very ancient one. The name is enrolled in English records as patriots, soldiers, sailors, college graduates, schoolmasters, barristers, writers, i:ectors and vicars of the Church of England. Hugo Chantrell was an archer in the retinue of Lord Grey of Codner at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415. John Chantrell received special favors from the Prince of Wales in 1460 for good service at the Battle of Bloreheth. Ralph Cantrill was Vicar of Chesterfield in Derbyshire in 1461. William Cantrell, a Master in His Majesty's Navy, particularly distinguished himself at Trencomale in the East Indies, Decem­ ber 16, 1747, on an occasion where few would perhaps have shown the same contempt of danger. In bringing powder from the maga-1 zine one of the boats blew up and a large firebrand fell blazing into another boat, in which were forty-five barrels of powder, covered only by a sail; it stove one of the barrels and must inevitably have sent all the people employed into the air, had not Mr. Cantrell taken the burning brand from the powder, thrown it overboard, HISTORY xiii quenched the remains of the fire on the sail and restored all to safety. There are many interesting records in Derbyshire of the Can­ trell, or Cantrill, family (as the name is alternately spelled), which was closely identified with St. Alkmund's Church for over a cen­ tury. St. Alkmund's Church is supposed to have been founded as early as the ninth century, and is undoubtedly the oldest church in Derby. In the Register of this church is an autobiography of John Cantrell, minister and schoolmaster, covering a period from 162i to 1656. John Cantrell had a son Simon Cantrell, who was the father of Henry Cantrell, a miscellaneous writer and Vicar of St. Alkmund's for fifty years, in whose honor there is a flag within the Commune Rails of the church. There is a tablet on the south wall of the chancel of the same church to William Cantrell, a son of Henry, who was Rector many years of St. Michael's in the bor­ ough of Stamford, and in the county of Lincoln, and in the county of Rutland. There are also many interesting records of the Suffolk branch of the family. Ralph Cantrell, Gentleman, of Thorpe Hall, Hem-· ingstone, county Suffolk, was Scribe to the Bishop (Lord of Norwich, 1519-i9), and his pedigree is given in the" Visitation of Suffolk," 1612, and of Berkshire, 1664. Of his sons many records are found, one was William Cantrell, regarding whom we learn, from the "Antiquities of the County Suffolk," Vol. 1 page 118: "Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, whom Queen Elizabeth beheaded, having in 1556 put his vast estates in trust to William Cantrell and others, the Queen allowed him to continue to act as Trustee until she sent the Earl of Arundel to the Tower, when she ap­ pointed William Cantrell to act for herself.