SOURCE: "Geneology of the Vestal Family from 1683 to 1893", From the Mendenhall/Lightfoot file folder collections at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA 19107

In the year 1682 William Penn founded Philadelphia. In the following year there arrived from England two thousand emigrants; with the came one William Vestal; original progenitor of the family of that name. Two brothers started from London, England, Daniel and William, young men. Daniel died on the ocean and was buried at sea. On board William formed an attachment for a young woman from Wales named Elizabeth Messer, when they arrived at Philadelphia they married. Nothing is said about the old gentleman, but that he was an earnest and consistent members of the society of Friends (Quakers). To our knowledge seven children came to the estate on manhood; they were David, James, William, John, Thomas, Jemima and Mary. Of these very little is know to us. Their father built a large stone house in which he lived and died. The son John lived at the homestead. On of the girls married a man by the name of Chapman and moved to South Carolina. William remained single. Thomas emigrated to Chatham Co., North Carolina and married Elizabeth Davis; they had ten children viz: Jemima, Thomas, Hannah, Mary, William, Rachel, John, Jesse, David and Silas.

Jemima married Joseph Doane and moved to Hamilton Co., Ohio, in the earliest settlement of that State. Of their several children we know nothing.

Thomas, commonly called Faubush Tom married a Miss Thomas. They had seven children viz: William, Mary, Elizabeth, Jemimah, Rachel, Thomas and John. His first wife dying he married a widow name Margaret Zacery; they had one daughter, a remarkably handsome lass named Olivia. They lived and died in Surrey County., N.C. He bore arms in the revolutionary struggle, thereby depriving him of church membership, though very young at the time.

Hanna married John Pickett and lived and died in Chatham Co., N.C. Mary married Wm. Marshall. They also lived in the same Co.

William Vestal married Mary Wheeler; they had eight children viz: Thomas, John, William, David, Solomon, Alfred, Zemrey and Mary. He died in the old settlement on Rocky River. Rachel married Stephen Hobson and moved to Surrey Co., N.C. They had seven children viz: Thomas, William, George, David, Stephan, Annie and Elizabeth.

John Vestal married Hannah Dickson and moved to Ohio. They had some children; but he died young. Jesse Vestal married Sophia McDonald. They lived in Chatham Co., N.C. They had nine children viz: Elizabeth, Jemima, Silas, Asa, Mary, William, John, Messer A, and Tilman. Jesse was left a widower at thirty odd. He never married again but spent the balance of his life in travel. He died in Chatham Co., N.C. aged 82 years.

David Vestal married Elizabeth York. They had several children. As far as known their names were Hiram, Seymour and Sarah. He married a second wife, a Miss Evans. He lived and died in Chatham Co., N.C.

Silas Vestal married Rachel Calberson. Their Children as far as known are Jesse, Zemrey, Rachel and Solomon. He lived and died on the Rocky River. Chatham Co., N.C. "Faubush" Tom Vestal's first, was Mary, married William Hamblin of Surrey, Co., N.C. Jemima married, name unknown to us, and moved to Indiana. Rachel married a Jonathan North of Surrey and moved to Indiana. Thomas commonly called red-headed Tom, married Obediana William and moved to California. They had several children viz: as far as known William, Louis, Harden, Mary, Sarah, Lucinda, Anna and Thomas.

Wm. Vestal and Mary Wheeler's family settled as follows: Thomas Vestal married a girl named Brower; had a large family; names unknown to us. They lived and died in Chatham Co., N.C. John Vestal moved to the town of Belford Indiana; was a man of wealth and integrity. He married there and raised five children. of the family nothing more is known by us.

Wm. Vestal married Miss Nubia; lived in Chatham Co.; family unknown to us. David Vestal also married a miss Nubia. They had some children; he died young; was killed trying to save the life of his father.

Solomon Vestal married a Miss Branson and lived in Chatham Co. N.C.

Alfred Vestal married a Dutch girl named Staley; lived and died in the same Co.

Zemry Vestal unknown. Mary Vestal married a Nubia; brother to the wives of her brothers. They also lived in Chatham Co., N.C.

Rachel and Stephen Hobson's family having lived more immediately in our neighborhood and being very intimate, we will step out of our original design and say that Thomas married a Miss Williams and moved to Indiana, of them nothing more is known.

Wm. Hobson married a Miss Hadley and raised a numerous family. They lived in Surrey Co., N.C.

George Hobson married Annie Marshall and moved to Indiana.

David Hobson married a Miss Annie Hadley. They had ten children viz: Hadley, Lemuel, Rachel, Ruth, George, Alfred, William, David, Elizabeth and Joshua

Stephen Hobson was married four times. His first wife was named Bond. They had children as follows: William David; Annie, Caleb, Jesse and Stephen. The second wife was named Elizabeth Vestal, a member of out family. They had one child. The third wife was named Moore; they had several children. They lived in Surrey Co., N.C.

Annie Hobson married a Marshall and moved to Indiana. One other daughter of Aunt Rachel Hobson married a Jonathan Wiles and moved to Indiana.

The family of John vestal and Hannah Droxson are unknown to us.

Jesse Vestal and Sophia McDonald's family comes next in order. Elizabeth Vestal married Joshua Barker of Chatham Co., N. C. They had seven children viz: Ruth, Samuel, Brantly, Jemima, Ameria, Tilman and Jesse.

Jemima Vestal and Benjamin Cox married and moved to Indiana near Indianapolis. Their children were Lavina, Paulina, Asa, and the names of the rest we do not know. Silas Vestal married Bethsheba Jones of Surrey Co., N.C. They had four children viz: Alexander, Isaac, Nancy and Caswell. He died in Tenn.

Asa Vestal married Elizabeth De Jarnette; they had six children: Richard, Martha (dead), Emily (dead), Columbus (dead), DeWitt C. and William (dead). They were married in Surrey Co., N.C.; moved to Missouri and in 1819 moved to California and settled in San Jose, Santa Clara Co. (where they lived until their death in Dec. 1883).

Mary Vestal married one of the same name and line, John T. Vestal. They moved near Nashville, Tenn. Their children are named Anderson, William, Henderson, Jessie and Eliza.

William Vestal married first Nancy Runnels of East Tenn. Their children is as far as known: Jesse, Madison, Tilman, Eliza, William, Maria, Lucinda and Martha. He has been married to four wives. P.O. address is Bentonville, Arkansas.

Messer. Amos Vestal married Rhonda Mendenhall; their children are Delphina, Laura, William and Tilman. P.O. Nashville, Tenn. John died single in Paducah, Ky. Tilman Vestal married in South Carolina; his children are unknown to us. He know lives in Alabama.

The above genealogy was dictated by Asa Vestal son of Jesse Vestal and Sophia McDonald in the year 1862.