Working on Wednesday: James Rossell (About 1727 - After 1780), Wheelwright

As far as we know from the few existing records we have, this maternal sixth great grandfather lived his whole life in Northampton Township in Burlington County, West New Jersey.

[New England, New York, New Jersey and Pensilvania. By H. Moll, Geographer. (Printed and sold by Tho: Bowles next ye Chapter House in St. Pauls Church Yard, & Ino: Bowles at ye Black Horse in Cornhill, 1736?) Source: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection]

His occupation is listed on the marriage license granted on April 24, 1745, by Charles Read, secretary to Governor Lewis Morris which named "James Rosell of the Township of Northampton County of Burlington Wheelwright of the one part & Elizabeth Alcott of the same place Spinster of the other party."

[Original data: New Jersey State Archives.]

Now a casual glance at the record above might lead a modern person to see his occupation as Whoolwright. That's because it was written in the old fashioned Secretary's Hand in which the o's and e's look very alike when written in a word.

[Society of Genealogists. The National Family History Centre.]

Here's a video of the wheelwright's shop in Colonial Williamsburg and to learn more about the craft the Colonial American Digressions blog has a very informative post about it here.

James and Elizabeth's daughter Hope Rossell married Caleb Gaskill whose granddaughter Catherine Gaskill married Jessie Tomlinson.

© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.