Not the same as Mary Lawrence

Who was Mary Townley? The section of the tree above is dubious and should be replaced if better information is found. (But the following text should be saved somewhere as a warning.)

Disputed Origins

https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/mary-catherine-townley-2...

Born in New Jersey, United States on 1660 to Richard Townley and Mary Henrietta von Nassau-Dillenberg. Mary Catherine Townley married William Bentley and had 3 children. She passed away on 29 DEC 1690 in Elizabeth, Union, New Jersey, USA.

This "genealogy" could be related to a famous genealogical fraud of the 19th century. Basically: con men claimed there was an unclaimed "Townley" estate in England with no known heirs; they would sell worthless fake family trees with a phony line to a Townley descendent to American families. Various official-looking certificates, etc., were printed and peddled to guliable seekers of family fortunes. Many of the details of these fake family trees have worked their way into family lore. In text above, note emphais on wealth, estate, and dead-end lines -- all trying to convince Mercer family that they might be heirs to Townley estate.

See: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~tmark/TowneleyFraud.html

The parents of Mary Townley shown above are partially taken from "The Cox Family in America: A History And Genealogy of the Older Branches of the Family from the Appearance of Its First Representative in this Country in 1610" By Henry Miller Cox (New York, 1912). < GoogleBooks >

The relevant section says:

ISAAC* Cox, (Philip2, Isaac1),—merchant; b. in London between 1650 and 1655 ; thought to have been one of the original incorporators of the West Jersey Land Society ; bought land and settled at Elizabethtown, N. ]., about 1690; m. (i), in 1676, Sarah Trembley, née Sutton, widow of George Trembly, a Huguenot nobleman, and daughter of Sir Henry Sutton and Elizabeth, his wife, daughter of Lord John Berkeley; m. (2) Martha Graves, née Bentley, widow of Captain Jacob Graves, of the English Navy, whose daughter, Martha, was the second wife of Peter Trembley ; Trembley's daughter, Hannah, was the third wife of Philip4 Cox, whom she married, about 1737-8, m. (3) Mary Trembley, née Noe, widow of the Huguenot, John Trembley, brother of George, and daughter of Peter Noe and Margaret Clark, his wife. They had no children. Martha Graves was a daughter of William Bentley and his wife, Mary, daughter of Col. Richard Townley, by a daughter of Philip Cartaret; children: first marriage, [child] Philip ; probably others, but no record.

At this time I can find no other record of a "Mary, daughter of Col. Richard Townley, by a daughter of Philip Cartaret"

Note: some sources say Mary Townley is Richard Townley's daughter by his first wife. Also that Mary Townley married a man named __ Lawrence. Was William Bentley a second husband of Mary Townley?

____________________

This text (below) makes things even more difficult, as it mentions many of the names in this tree, but seems to confuse Elizabeth Stewart with Elizabeth Smith and George Cateret with Philip Cateret.

-- posted at:

http://www.genforum.familytreemaker.com/cgi-bin/print.cgi?trembly::...

"Genealogical Record of Mercer, Sutton and Cox Heirs to Their Ancestors' Estate"

compiled by James V. Snyder, Harvey, ILL. :

Sir Geo. Crateret who married lady Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of Charles I (Stewart) and Henrietta Marie daughter of Henry IV of France and Marie Medici of Florence. Sir George and his wife had extensive territories given them by her brother, James Duke of York, (after James II.) which were ceded to him by his brother, Charles II: fully one-half of New Jersey, N.E. portion belonging to Carteret's wife.

After Sir George's death she married William Larwrence. Carteret had a daughter Elizabeth who married Marquis Geo. Trembly an aristocratic French Huguenot, and had a daughter Johana who married Philip Cox as second wife 1729. He [Philip Cox] was born 1681, son of Isaac Cox, brother of Dr. Daniel, and Sarah (nee Sutton), daugher of Lord John Berkley and Mary Stewart, mother of William Prince of Orange (Holland) or William III of England.

Elizabeth married Marquis Geo. Trembley and had daugher Hannah who married Philip Cox, son of Isaac and Sarah who married a Sutton died no issue, then married Rev. David Sutton, a famous Baptist minister by whom there were seven or eight sons and three daughters.

{Marquis George Trembly is also described in the booklet as 'a French Huguenot of high family.]

Proof and tradition say, Hannah was an only daughter of John Trembly, a brother of George Trembly, and Mary only daughter of Peter Noe, also a French Huguenot of high family, and Margaret (nee Clark). He was wealthy and made a will to Mary and her descendants. She also made a will. She then had married Philip Cox and by him had sons, Isaac, Daniel and John; died young from drinking from a poisoned spring. Philip then married Mariah's daughter Hannah, by Trembly, and had three children, Isaac, Hannah and Susanah. All married Suttons.

Children of Rev. David Sutton and Sarah Sutton, (a widow of a Sutton) who was daughter of George Trembly and his wife a daughter of Carteret and Elizabeth (nee Stewart).

The rich widow who married the third time William Lawrence, had one son or more by Lawrence. The Province of Maryland was named in honor of Henrietta Marie Wife of Charles Stewart.

New Jersey was named in honor of the isle of Jersey, of which Sir Geo. Carteret was its governor.

Colonel Richard Townley and this widow who was Elizabeth Stewart Carteret had children. Charles (a Stewart name) Townley, Effingham Townley, Mary Catherine Townley married first Thomas Haryold, died in 1652, no issue. Married second time William Bentley, had two children. Married third time John Mercer in New York 1696, born 1652.

Rev. John Amos Mercer of Hillsborough, County of Down, Ireland married in 1657 a Miss Aaron.

John Mercer's genealogical ancestry. Had Four Children.

1st John Mercer, born 1652, married Mary Catherine Bentley, nee Townley.

2nd Moses Mercer, born 1654 had one child.

3rd Edward Mercer, born 1657, married a Trembly, a sister to Geo. and John Trembly. some say, no issue.

4th jane Mercer died single, no issue.

Among the old Sutton families, John Trembly was termed a duke. Hannah or Johana that married Philip Cox, son of Isaac and Sarah, was a daugher of John Trembly and wife. General tradition and all old descendants and those who talked with her only son Isaac Cox who died as late as 1837, over 100 years old, is that Hannah or Johana was only daughter of John Trembly and Mary only daughter of Peter Noe, and Margaret (nee Clark).

John Trembly, a brother of George, also a wealthy Huguenot, as was Peter Noe. Peter Noe was born about 1650, wealthy, made a will as to disposition of his lands, and so did his daughter Mary who married Philip Cox, born 1681, as his first wife, had three sons, all died from accidental poisoning, no issue by them.

Isaac Cox and Sarah, only child was Philip Cox, born 1681, married first Mrs. Mary Trembly, widow of John Trembly, about 1705 or 10.

Philip Cox married Hannah Trembly, daughter of first wife by Trembly, 1730, the only heir of Peter Noe and Her mother Mary, a daughter of Geo. Carteret. Philip made a will and Anthony Cozant (someone has written over this name to spell it Cozad), his nephew, was his executor. Hannah also made a will.

Isaac Cox, born about 1650-5, married Mary Trembly; married second time Martha Graves, daugher of a wealthy French Sea Captain, who was his only heir.

Had children. 1st Nancy Cox married Jacob Cozant, oldest son of Marquis Anthony Cozant.

Lawrence-Chase-Townley Association (Fraud) - Toronto, Canada 1886 List Price: $595.00 $495.00 (You save $100.00 ) < link >

The Lawrence-Chase-Townley Association made claims that were put forth by descendants of Mary Towneley and John Lawrence. Family Associations were formed in the mid and late 1800's - and as late as 1920 in various places in the United States and Canada. These organizations were incorporated and consolidated in order to gather funds to hire lawyers and take their claims back to England. At stake were estates in Lancashire, the Ashton Hall in Lancaster and Towneley Hall in Burnley. Other claims have also identified Corby Castle. One such case - was heard in the House of Lords in April 1890 the case of Lawrence Vs Lord Norreys and others. The American claimants of the Lawrences were represented by Col Joseph Fraser Jacquess. This was an appeal of the original case which was heard June 17, 1887 in the Queen's Bench Division before Lord Chief Justice and Mr Justice Day. The result of this appeal was that the case was thrown out of court and in 1894, Col Jacquess was in court proceedings defending the charges of fraud in the case. ….

Fraudulent pedigree

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/mercer/209/

Can anyone give me more definitive info about Elizabeth Bentley, wife of John Mercer, mother of Gideon, daughter of Wm and Mary (?) Townley?

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/mercer/992/

I have been told that there is no historical evidence of the existence of a Gideon Mercer.He is purely fiction.Elizabeth Bentley was supposed to have inherited a claim to New Jersey and her name found its way into many Mercer lineages about 1900, corrupting them.There is supposed to be a great load of material about this hoax or scam stored in Michigan.