Eleventh Generation

1966. William IJAMS Sr⁴ was born about 1650 in Stratton, Cornwall, England. He was buried in 1703 in All Hallows Church, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA. He died on 29 July 1703 at the age of 53 in South River, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA.¹¹⁶ The family of Iiams or Ijams is distinctively Maryland, and perhaps no family has intrigued the historian more as to its derivation. It is not listed among the ancient names of Britain, although some believe that is a corruption of James or the Scottish Ian. In the seventeenth century the letters i and j were interchangeable, and the family and Christian name of James was often written as Iames. In th e early period of the family in Maryland, however, there is a persistent double 'ii' which is certainly not characteristic of the English language. Double vowels are an unmistakable characteristic of the ancient Dutch and Flemish tongues, and there is more reason to believe that the origin is Dutch or Flemish rather that British. Unfortunately, the emigrant was unlettered and therefore no record of his signature is available to prove the precise manner in which he inscribed his name. The clerk of the Probate Court wrote his name phonetically as 'Eyonms' which would indicate that it was pronounced at that time with two syllables. It is related by the branch which settle in Western North Carolina that they became acquainted with the alleged Marshal Ney, of Napoleonic Army, who taught French in the neighborhood and that the name was French and that it should be spelled with the 'j'. The tradition is that the French teacher or the one-time Marshal Ney was smuggled out of France, whereby another man was substituted for him at the execution. It is known, however, that some members in Maryland had already adopted the 'Ij' before the North Carolina migration. The branches which settled in the southwestern Pennsylvania dropped the double vowel and became known as 'Iams'. The orthography of 'Jiames' is frequently found in the colonial period. As in all families the emigrant is the most interesting.
William Iiams was seated in the South River Hundred as early as 1665 and pursued the honorable occupation of planter . His entry into Maryland is rather inauspicious, that is, there is no record of his financing his own passage or being transported by another or his coming in as an indentured servant. All extand records style him as a freeholder. Furthermore, there is no record of filing a claim for land-rights. Besides the deed of gift from his father in law, he had other plantations at the time of his death. An early courthouse fire at Annapolis destroyed all recorded deeds, but many land owners brought their copies to court and had them recorded for posterity. By this manner the family of his wife was identified. 'Elizabeth Iiams relict of William Iiams deceased produced a deed of gift from Richard Cheyney and petitioned that it be recorded....Richard Cheyney the Elder of South River Planter on 29 May 1663 was granted Cheyney's Resolution lying on the south side of South River containing 300 acres...this tract he conveyed on 1 March 1674...for the consideration of natural love and affections unto my son in law William Iiams and daughter Elizabeth now wife of William Iiams with the consent of my wife of 400 acres of Cheyney's Resolution during their natural lives and after their decease to the male heirs of their bodies.'
Richard Cheyney, the father in law of William Iiams, was a large land owner and planter of the South River Hundred and had emigrated to Maryland about 1650, with his wife, Charity. The Cheyney family of ancient antiquity was ennobled in England, but through extravagance and being Royalists during the Civil Wars lost most of their property. There is every reason to believe that the Maryland emigrant was a scion of this ennobled family. He was lettered and the fact that he financed his own passage and that of his young wife is further indication of his social level. While many Marylanders today can claim descent from this early settler, in some manner the younger generations lost most of their property and were not inclined for public service or social attainment, with the result that the later history of the family from extant records is rather sketchy. The earliest entries in All Hallow's Parish are those of the Cheyney family and while the entries antedate the establishment of the parish, it is evident that the family kept their own records and at the time of the establishment of the parish as the State Church, the heads of the family had their births recorded for posterity. The first wife of Richard Cheyney died early in Maryland and he married secondly Eleanor and left a large issue her her - but the mother of Madam Iiams was of the first marriage which was certainly consummated in England. Later spelling of the name became Chaney and Cheney, but Cheyney was the accepted orthography of the 17th century. Radulfus de Caisned was an English subject shortly after the Norman Conquest - de Chainei was another ancient form.
William Ijams last will and testament was dated February 16, 1698/9, with Clement Davies, Richard Chaney, John Roberts on and Robert Davis as the witnesses. It was probated in Anne Arundel County on November 10, 1703. The parish register records his burial as of July 29, 1703. To eldest son William 5 shillings. To daughter Elizabeth Duvall 5 shillings . To son Richard and heirs 100 acres of land near the Patuxent River in Price George's Co.
To young son George 100 acres of land on the south side of Western Run. To wife Elizabeth her dower rights. Residuary estate to children Richard, George, Hester and Susanna. His widow and executrix filed an account upon the estate on February 7, 1706/7, and reported a balance in her possession of 37 pounds, 8 shillings and 4 pence.
Hester Iiams, a younger daughter of William Iiams, was of a romantic nature and had an affair with Captain John Duvall, one of the leading Military officers of the Province, and the son of Mareen Duvall, the Huguenot. On April Apri l 16, 1705, with the consent of his wife, Elizabeth, he made a deed of gift to Hester Iiams, 'spinster' of a portion of 'Burgess' Choice' which bordered the portion which had been sold to Richard Iiams. It contained a dwelling house, orchards, gardens and other improvements. It was to be retained by her during her natural life, or in the event of her marriage or if she had any other children, the improved land with all household effects was to be divided among the children of Hester Iiams then in being to share and share alike. The register of All Hallow's Parish records the following children of Hester Iiams: Anne Iiams, the daughter of Hester Iiams, baptized March 25, 1706; Elizabeth Iiams, the daughter of Ester Iiams, born August 15, 1703; John Iiams, the son of Ester Iiams, baptized September 13, 1702.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/104223148/william-iiams
The Iiams name has been spelled a number of different ways over the years. I think part of it is some people having a hard time accepting that a name could start with two i's. Also, styles of handwriting have changed from time to time. In looking at old census pages, there was a style of writing that used to be popular and you could not tell the difference between an i and a j the way they wrote them. I think this is one of the main things that caused the name to be misspelled a lot.
William and his wife had several children born in Maryland.
1= William Iiams, Jr. married Elizabeth Plummer
2= Elizabeth married first Daniel Clarke, second Samuel Duvall
3= Richard Iiams married first Anne Cheney, second Elizabeth Gaither
4= George Iiams married Elizabeth Bashford
5= Susannah Iiams married first Thomas Fowler, second Mark Brown
6= Hester Iiams married first John Duvall, second John Nicholson
7= Charles Iiams Elizabeth CHENEY and William IJAMS Sr were married in 1669 in All Hallows Church, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA.

1967. Elizabeth CHENEY⁴ was born on 30 October 1652 in South River Hund, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA. She was baptized on 19 June 1698 in All Hallows Church, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA. She was buried in 1726 in All Hallows Church, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA.¹¹ Elizabeth died on 8 April 1726 at the age of 73 in Birdville, Anne Arundel, Maryland, USA.¹¹ Elizabeth and her sister Ann Jacob appeared in court concer ning the
settlement of their father's will. In court Elizabeth sai d she was 74 years
old, married 1669 to William Ijams who was in South River H undred by 1665.

Children were: