Ancestors of Charles Stephen DeFrance (Direct DeFrance Line)
The DeFrance Family in America all started when John Henry DeFrance arrived from France, as a boy, in about 1740. He soon settled in Dauphin County, PA and married Anna "Polly" Allison, the daughter of James Allison and Rebecca Howard. Two sons were born, John in about 1761, and James about 1762. Anna died in childbirth when James was born. The babies were raised by Anna's brother James Allison and sister Sarah Allison.
About 1764 John Henry DeFrance married Elizabeth Boone. It is believed that Elizabeth was a member of the famous Boone family but a connection has never been made. John Henry and Elizabeth had seven children.
John Henry for some unknown reason enlisted in the First New York Regiment on December 7, 1779 for the duration of the Revolutionary War. He died about 1793.
All of John Henry's children were born in Eastern Pennsylvania. John married Jane Caldwell and migrated to Cross Creek Village, Washington County, PA. James married Elizabeth Arthur and migrated to Guy's Corner, Crawford County, PA. Charles married Elizabeth Neall and migrated to Matchez, MS. Rebecca married John Clendenin and migrated to Lycoming County, PA. Mary married Thomas Gildy and migrated to Jersey Shore, Lycoming County, PA and little is known of her descendents. Anna migrated to Lycoming County and never married. Abram Boone married Mary Howard Sessions and migrated to Natchez and Port Gibson, MS. Hawkins Boone married Nancy Duffy and migrated to Lycoming County, PA. Elizabeth married Daniel Updegraff and migrated to Lycoming County, PA. As the frontier constantly moved west most of the DeFrance family moved into the new lands. Today they populate most of the United States and some migrated to Canada.
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John DeFrance was born about 1761 in East Heidelberg, Cumberland Co., then Franklin Co., PA. There he married Jane Caldwell and migrated to Cross Creek Village in Washington County, PA. John served in the Revolutionary War in the Lancaster County Militia. He was in the battles of Trenton and Princeton. After the death of Jane Caldwell he married Martha Ramsey and had one daughter, Martha who married Thomas Donahoo. He died on July 20, 1838 at Cross Creek Village and is buried at Candor, Washington Co., PA in the Raccon Presbyterian Church Cemetery. John and Jane had the following children: John who never married, James who never married, Hugh D. who never married, Sarah who married John McCarty, Allison who married Martha Allender, Rebecca who married Robert DeFrance, Mary Ann who married William Cree, Jane who married John Allender, Ruth who died young and Marie who married John Ewing.
Allison DeFrance was born in 1796 in Washington Co., PA. He married Martha Allender in 1818. He owned a farm and operated a flour mill on Buffalo Creek at Dutch Fork, Washington Co., PA. He died there in 1859. Allison and Martha had the following children: Hugh Caldwell who married Margaret Loeffler Shaler, Jane who married Abraham Morrow, John who married Margaret Parkinson, James who married Susan Clemens (James was a soldier in the Indian Wars of the old west), Caldwell who married Margaret Drischol, Martha who married John Miller, Allison who married Mary Alice Cowan, Charles who married Hester Meloy, Elizabeth Ann who married Joseph Alexander McWreath and Freegift Crawford who married Sarah Marinda Chippy.
Charles DeFrance was born 01 Nov 1833 at Dutch Fork, Washington Co., PA. He married Hester Meloy. Charles was a farmer and died 18 Jan 1911 at Claysville, Washington Co., PA. They had one child Reese Meloy.
Reese Meloy DeFrance was born 20 Oct 1858 at Dutch Fork, Washington Co., PA. He married Sarah(Sadie)Maude Laird in 1882. Reese was a farmer and died 23 Apr 1928 at Claysville, Washington Co., PA. Reese and Sadie had the following children: Charles (Charley)Hoon who married Beulah Mariah Johnson, Ruth Margaret (Nellie) who married Clyde Scott and Jane Meloy (Jeane) who never married.
Charles Hoon DeFrance was born 31 Aug 1884 at the farm in Donegal Twp., Washington Co., PA. He married in Beulah Mariah Johnson, the daughter of Tolbert Fenning Johnson and Grace Evelyn Biddle. They had a son who died at birth, Charles Reese. The other son is Charles Tolbert
Charles Tolbert DeFrance was born 30 Jul 1934 at Wheeling, Ohio Co., WV. He married Daisy Cascante-Mora on 12 May 1973 at San Jose, Costa Rica. They have the following children: Charles Stephen and Jacelyn Dyann.
Charles Stephen (Steve) DeFrance was born on 16 Jun 1974 in DeLand, FL. Steve graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, SC and now works in Washington, DC where he is attending George Washington University working on his Masters degree in Forensic Science.