During the Civil War in England around 1650, he was a Captain in the Parliament Army when Cromwell conquered Ireland. After the war, Capt. Starr settled in Ulster and is the ancestor of the Starrs of Chester Co. PA. Only one son's name has been preserved, John Starr.
First, there was John Starr the First. Or, for simplicity's sake John Starr I. Probably born between 1485 and 1500. He lived in the very small town of Beer, which is about one mile south of Seaton, in Devonshire, England. Beer (or Beere as it was spelled at the time) is described today as a small fishing village, once a harbor for pirates.
His eldest son, John Starr II, purchased "The Manor of Beere" in the year 1550. If we suppose he was between 20 and 40 when he bought it, we have an estimated birthdate of between 1510 to 1530.
Next, came John Starr III, who obtained a share of the manor estate. John III had several sons, one of whom was named William Starr.
William Starr's 5th son was named John Starr IV and he died in 1646, buried in the Parish Church of Beere.
John Starr IV's son was Captain John Carran Starr with whom we were already familiar.
Captain John Carran's son John did journey to America, but returned to Ireland and died there.
In 1649, Captain John Starr accompanied the forces of William of Orange into Ireland to put down Catholic revolts there. The subjugation of the Irish was bloody and complete. Many ranking officers like Captain Starr were given land grants in Ireland and settled there. Captain Starr settled in county Meath around the town of Oldcastle, and became a Quaker. He married an English woman named Mary, and their son John also married in Oldcastle to a Mary Thompson in 1673 and produced 9 children (six sons and three daughters). Four of these sons emigrated to America between 1712 and 1717. James was first and was among the earliest settlers of Phoenixville, PA, which today has a street named "Starr Road" in the middle of town. The other brothers all settled nearby in Chester County, Berks County, and Wilmington, DE. They were all Quakers and can be found in the records from many of the oldest meeting houses in the region.
In the Chester County Historical Society in West Chester, Pennsylvania there is a folder containing 8 very large charts, apparently compiled by the genealogist Francis D. Brinton, which contain genealogical relationships of some of the early descendants of John Starr and Mary _____ from Ireland. Heading the first of these charts are the following two paragraphs, which I have transcribed verbatim, and which are the basis of information on the internet about the early ancestry of Captain John Starr and his descendants.
"The Manor of Beere is one mile south of Seaton, in Devonshire, England. It was purchased about 1550 by John Starr, of Beere, eldest son of John Starr. In turn John Starr III in a division of the Manor obtained a share of it. He had a younger son William Starr, whose 5th son was a John Starr, buried 1646 in the Parish church of Beere." ---------------- "When William of Orange invaded Ireland to subdue the forces supporting the King James II, in 1688, a John Starr accompanied the English Army. After the war was over, John Starr remained. If this account is true, he must have moved his family from England."
In my opinion, the author appears to be speculating that our Captain John Starr is indeed this 5th son of William Starr without being able to actually document the connection. I would be interested to know if anyone can supply any additional information about these early Starrs, particularly with references. Note that our Captain John Starr would have been at least about 60 years old in 1688. His son John, father of our immigrant ancestors, would have been about the right age, but he was presumably a son of John, not of William.
FOOTPRINTS OF THE FAMILY IN IRELAND
Dear STARR Cousins,
Shortly I will be off to spend a week researching the STARR family in Ireland. This will allow me time to do research in and around Dublin and see some sights too. I will be taking two short day trips. The first will be to the place where James STARR and Rachael LAYBOURNE lived before they moved to Chester County, PA. The other day trip is to view the Quaker Records for Ulster. So, what do we know about where James STARR and Rachael LAYBOURNE lived? Rachel is much easier. Let’s start there.
Rachael LAYBOURNE (by the way – this is how her last name is spelled in the Quaker church records) lived in County Carlow. According to my records, Rachel was born 7 August 1686 in Ramestown , County Carlow, IRE. Her father was Joseph LAYBOURNE of Black Hadleigh, County Durham, ENG. Our James STARR married Rachel LAYBOURNE on 22 August 1705 in Ardnahue, County Carlow, IRE.
To make a long story short – “Ramestown” and “Ardnahue” are the smallest unit of geographic measurement in Ireland called “TOWNLANDS”. There are roughly 64,000 townlands in Ireland and it is the address for people living in the country. So roughly speaking, a bunch of townlands make up a “Parish”, multiple parishes make up a “County”, the Counties are divided into four “Provinces”. In modern spelling the Rainestown townland lies in Killerrig parish in County Carlow, just outside of Carlow Town the county seat. If you’re interested – purchase “Discoverer Map Series – Sheet 61” from the Ordinance Survey of Ireland, which maps townland names.
So, if James and Rachael are married County Carlow, are they both from there? NO.
According to the LDS microfilm role #571,395 of the “Society of Friends (Quaker) - Carlow Monthly Meeting (Carlow, Ireland)” – Book 2 Pg 44, the “Abode” or residence of James is listed in the marriage register as “Co. Cavan”. As I mentioned earlier, County Cavan is now part of the Irish Republic, but as part of the Province of Ulster, the Quaker records are at a repository in Lisburn, near Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Next, a brief word about the chosen religion of our ancestors. According to GENUKI web site –
“The Quakers in the 1650s were a radical group and were perceived as a threat to the government. (William) Edmunson was one of the most prominent of the Quakers and this lead to frequent imprisonments. William's imprisonment in Armagh jail was the first of many sentences, which found him in jail in Cavan, Belturbet and Maryborough (Portlaoise). Edmundson decided to take up farming and moved with his family and several other Quaker families to land owned by a Col. Nicholas Kempston in County Cavan. The Quaker community increased in Cavan as a result of the conversion of a number of other settlers, including John Pim and William Neale. They moved to Cavan in the hope of starting a new life free from prosecution. Although Kempston was not a Quaker, he was sympathetic to the community. He promised to build a meeting house and 'do great matters to promote the truth.”
There are also two positive hits for James’ family which I have found so far. The first mention of the STARR family is from 1679! It is a short reference found in "A Great Cry of Oppression" written in 1683 by Stockdale.
“In 1679, John STARR and William Haddock, of Parish of Magheragall, County Antrim, suffered persecution for tithes.” Pg 120
The second reference to the family is finding James listed with a number of other representatives from the other local meeting houses to receive a copy of a book called “Barclay’s Apology”.
“At Ulster Province Meeting – 3 Mo I, 1703, Barclay’s Apology to be delivered to James STARR of Old Castle, John Combs, for Lisburn, Sam Wilkerson for Antrim, …” [and 10 others]. Pg 394 Myers, (1902).
Taking these two citations together and assuming that the John STARR mentioned is James’ father, the STARR family was living in County Antrim and this may be where James was born in 1676. At some time prior to the second citation in 1703 James’ family probably moved to County Cavan – per the marriage records.
The town of Oldcastle is located close the county line in NW County Meath. Even though it is not in Ulster, its Quaker records seem to be a part of the Ulster Monthly Meeting. Cavan Town is the seat of County Cavan, but the largest market town near to Oldcastle was Cootehill, named for Thomas Coote.
Some time before August 1705 James moved to County Carlow and got married. He stayed there until 1712 when he immigrated to the colonies. I am not sure if our STARR Family was a part of the new Quaker settlement in County Cavan mentioned by GENUKI, but I am looking into this possibility.
It appears that James was a respected Quaker, since he was representing the Oldcastle Meeting House in 1703. Unfortunately, James does not list his parents in the marriage record, but his bother Jerimiah STARR who marries in 1716 lists his father as “John STARR, Oldcasle” from the Carlow Quaker records. In the same records we find Elizabeth STARR (James’ sister) who married in 1704 listing her parents as “John & Mary STARR”.
I have found all the following references to a James STARR. At first glance, they seem to be all across the map. But like so many things in Ireland - after close inspection, all appear to a least partially true!
“James STARR, from County Meath”
“James STARR was a farmer in County Caven”
“James STARR of Coothill” and
“James STARR was a farmer in County Caven, IRE”.
So ends my initial hunt for STARR family footprints in the Irish countryside. Hopefully I’ll get some luck, kiss the Blarney Stone, and the story will all fall into my lap.
Best,
Steven W Morrison – Olympia, WA
Foxhallguy@comcast.net.