Was Alice Henderson, wife of James (b aft 1695 Somerset Co MD), a Kollock or a Pollock? Or neither?

In a recent article discussing the likelihood of a connection between James "Isaac" Henderson of 1732 Onslow County NC and the older group of Hendersons on the Delmarva Peninsula, I stated:

"John and Elizabeth [Henderson] had a son named James (b aft 1695 d bef Aug 1776) who married Alice Kollock (could this be "Pollock," a prominent name in early Bertie & Onslow Counties?) but from what I can tell of him and his descendants (including another son named James who m Sarah Merrill), this family stayed in the area of Somerset and Worcester Counties in MD and is pretty well accounted for."

To satisfy myself that "Kollock" was not a mis-spelling of "Pollock," I had a quick look this afternoon just to see if there was an actual "Kollock" family living in the vicinity of Somerset County MD in the late 1600's, and sure enough, Jacob Kollock had settled the area around Lewes and Rehoboth Bay as early as 1689. There is an 1865 book of the family's genealogy free to read online which does as decent a job of enumerating the family's generations as one might expect from an older work of genealogy.

Down the Kollock rabbit hole I went.

But the further I burrowed, the more I began to wonder at a Kollock connection with our group of Delmarva Hendersons. The information I was given in my database shows James Henderson, son of John & Elizabeth Barnaby Henderson, marrying an Alice Kollock in Somerset County MD about 1715. Estimated dates of birth for James and Alice are "about 1695." A birth around that time would have most likely made Alice a granddaughter of Jacob Kollock through his sons Simon, Cornelius or Jacob Jr. (Jacob Sr.'s seven children seem pretty clearly outlined and there is no Alice among them.)

Although I didn't see children of Cornelius or Jacob Jr. in the book, Simon did have a granddaughter named Alice who married a John Henderson (not James). Further investigation yielded a marriage date of 24 Jan 1763 in Lewes, DE -- too late to be the Alice Kollock who married James Henderson.

Additional digging online turned up the information that Alice was the daughter of Shepard Kollock (who was in turn son of Simon, and grandson of Jacob). Simon died intestate so there were subsequent court records in Sussex County DE which helpfully outlined the relationship of some of the Kollock family members. Of most interest to me, however, was this account from Land Records of Sussex Co DE, Deed Book L No 11 and M No 12:

George Kollock, ship joyner,
from Boaz Manlove, High Sheriff of Sussex Co. 
4 May 1769. 

Simon Kollock, Esqr., late of Sussex Co., died intestate, and 2/3 of his tract fell to Shepard Kollock, eldest son, admr. of his late father who left and bequeathed by his last will the afsd. land amongst his several heirs, which heirs exhibited a petition to the Court of Common Pleas for a division of the land and the above land was allotted to Alice Henderson wife of John Henderson, shopkeeper, being one of the heirs of Shepard Kollock, land in the suburbs of the town of Lewes, on the southeast side fo the main county road that leadeth from the town of Lewes to Rehoboth and on the northeast side and adjoining David Hall's land which he bought of Simon Kollock, one of the afsd. heirs and joining the afsd. George Kollock's land on the southwest side of his land, being part of the afds. dividend or tract surveyed and divided of 42 1/4 acres, which John Henderson as above mentioned by a certain obligation became indebted to John White and Samuel Coldwell of Philadelphia, merchants and sometime afterwards said White and Coldwell recovered a judgement against afds. Henderson for the sum of the afds. obligation and whereas his land was seized and sold by public sale to George Kollick for 40 shillings. Wit John Russel, Wm Prettyman. Within deed ackn. 4 May 1796

George Kollock, Sussex co., joyner, from Alice Henderson, Sussex Co., spinster. 4 May 1769 For 87. Parcel of land being part of a larger tract granted by patent to Alexander Molleston, late of afds co., dec'd, and by sundry deeds of conveyances became the property of Simon Kollock, Esqr. late of the county adsd., died intestate and Shepard Kollock admr. of afds. Simon Kollock and the land became the property of Shepard Kollock and the land fell to the heirs of afds. Shepard Kollock and a parcel was allottted to Alice Henderson, one of the daughters of afds. Shepard Kollock. Lnd being in the suburbs of the town of Lewes joining land of David Hall and George Kollock. 41 1/4 acres. Wit: Benjamin Miflin, John Haverlo. Within deed of sale ackn. 5 May 1769.

So it appears that John Henderson, shop keeper, had nearly let his wife's inheritance slip out of the family but it was rescued by Alice's brother, George.

I don't know what to make of the 1769 appellation "Alice Henderson, Sussex Co., spinster" -- did she leave him for what he'd done?

I have found several trees online that show Alice Kollock (w/o "James" Henderson) as the daughter of Simon and Comfort Shepard Kollock, however, the information above clearly calls Alice Henderson "one of the daughters of the aforsaid Shepard Kollock" -- not a daughter of Simon.

At any rate, it seems clear to me that the Alice Kollock who married a John Henderson in Sussex County DE is not the Alice Kollock we are looking for as a wife of James Henderson of Somerset Co MD. I have no idea who the younger Alice's husband John Henderson was, or whether he was even connected with the "Delmarva James" Henderson family. I am adding him to the database as husband of Alice Kollock, and I am adding Alice as daughter of Shephard, but I have no parents for this John. If anyone can shed any light on him, please do so in the comments section below.

I am developing a nasty little suspicion that there might not have been an Alice "Kollock" who married James Henderson circa 1715 in Somerset County MD. Still, have to explore every avenue. Maybe she was the daughter of Cornelius, or Jacob Jr.?

A quick search for further information on Jacob Kollock Jr. and Cornelius Kollock revealed that Jacob Jr. was likely too young to be father of an Alice born around 1695, he himself only having been born in 1692. Although he did marry an "Alice Shepherd," I don't think he's a candidate for our purposes.

Here is his obituary from the Pennsylvania Gazette, March 26, 1772:

JACOB KOLLOCK - On the 7th of last Month departed this life at Lewes-Town in the County of Sussex, in the 80th year of his Age, after a long and tedious illness which he endured with great fortitude and Christian Resignation, Jacob Kollock, Esq., who for upwards of forty years was annually chosen one of the Representatives in Assembly for said County; and for the same Length of Time he was President of the Court of Common Pleas, a Trustee of the Loan Office, Register of Wills, Clerk of the Orphans Court, and Treasurer of the County, all which Offices he executed with great Reputation. And in the various Stations of private Life his Conduct was irreproachable ; he was an affectionate Husband and Father, a faithful Friend, and a kind Master. His steady Perseverance in a virtuous Course of Life rendered him deservedly beloved by all his acquaintance. He was Colonel of the Sussex Regt. 1756. —The Pennsylvania Gazette, March 26, 1772

So scratch Jacob Jr.

Now, what about Cornelius? A search of the LDS records shows the children of Cornelius as: Simon b 1723, William b 1725, Sarah b 1727, Mary b 1729, Royal b 1721, and Samuel b 1733. No Alice, and all too born to late to align with the Alice we're looking for.

My guess at this point is that process of elimination has shown that Alice, wife of James Henderson b ca 1695 in Somerset County MD was unlikely to have been Alice Kollock since no Alice was found among the Kollock family during the correct time period. I believe that researchers may have mistaken the Alice Kollock who married John Henderson in Sussex Co DE in 1763 for Alice, wife of James Henderson of Somerset County MD -- although how that could have happened, considering the clarity of the records, is a mystery to me.

If anyone is aware of documents that can disprove my theory of a case of mistaken identity, please contact me and point me in the direction of the missing records! I would be delighted to be able to re-connect the Kollocks to the Delmarva Henderson tree, but at this point, I feel I must remove them.