In 1743 Margaret, who was called Peggy, was born. She would marry Nathaniel Bivens and become my 6x great-grandmother.
I don’t know much about her yet, not even her last name for sure. Could be Tyler, could be Taylor, but I found several accounts that say she stowed away to America at age 12. What a brave little girl.
By all accounts it seems her mother died and her father was getting married again. One report said she had family in America, another said she had family “going” to America. Maybe she was able to stowaway with the relatives who were going to America so she wasn’t entirely on her own.
Several reports say she was born in Holland and she sailed from London, likely landing in Philadelphia or another nearby port because a few years later, about 1759, she married Nathaniel Bivens of Pennsylvania.
Family legend says they moved from Franklin County, Pennsylvania to Anson County, North Carolina sometime during or just after the Revolutionary War years. Nathaniel and Peggy had ten children. Their son John, born in 1760, was my 5x great-grandfather. He grew up and married Jemima Crockett, Davy’s cousin. I have that John Bivens was born in North Carolina, but if that was the case the family would have moved to North Carolina many years before the revolution which started in 1776. Another report says the family moved to North Carolina in 1773, which means John was born in Pennsylvania. Many strings to untangle when teasing out the family history.
But in my book the hero of this story is Peggy, the little girl who stowed away to America. I hope I can find out more about her. Was she running away from something, or, like so many other folks seeking adventure in a new place? I’ll keep looking and if I find anything else I’ll let you know.
Here’s the direct line from me to Peggy.
| Jan Miller Stratton | |
| Darlene Rose | James W. Miller |
| Thomas Edwin Rose | Lela Scott |
| William Thomas Rose | Bessie Belew |
| Mittie Bryant | John Henry Rose |
| Elizabeth Bivens | Levi Thomas Cochran |
| John Bivens | Jemima Crockett |
| Peggy Tyler |
Nathaniel Bivens |
American Saga 
Debbie Cravens
February 9, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Jan, That is a great story. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for sharing. Debbie Cravens
Jan
February 10, 2014 at 9:39 am
I’m glad you liked it Debbie! She’s so inspiring! Thanks for reading! Jan
Martha Powers
May 16, 2016 at 4:31 pm
So interesting! I, too, am a 6th generation grandchild. Wish there was more to learn about her parents. I’ll keep researching.
Thank you for the article.
PS- my direct line is Stinson, Benton, Williams,Bivens
Jan
June 6, 2016 at 11:01 am
Thanks Martha!
I wish I knew where to look for more about her. Let me know if you find anything.
Jan
David Galloway
December 29, 2016 at 7:15 pm
Hello Jan,
Margaret “Peggy” Tyler is my 6th great grandmother. I’m currently trying to validate the Jemima Crockett we share as an ancestor. The information you shared about Peggy is very fascinating.
Dave
Jan
January 16, 2017 at 7:00 am
Hi Dave,
I would love to know what you find about Jemima Crockett. I hear there is disagreement about who she is and where she came from. Since I was little I’ve always heard we were related to Davy Crockett–many years before following a hint on a family tree could take you in a whole wrong direction. When I found her, it validated what I’d heard and I haven’t done much beyond that.
Thanks for reading, and keep in touch. One can never have too many cousins.
Jan
Joyce Erickson
June 21, 2017 at 2:04 pm
Hello,
I am seriously researching my family line. Through my grandmother, Nathaniel Bivens is my 6th great-grandfather. Yes, I also had found the stories that Peggy Tyler was a stow-away and married Nathaniel at a early age. I would love to share and discuss our tree with anyone interested. My private email is ericksonjoyce7@gmail.com
Jan
June 21, 2017 at 3:27 pm
Hi Joyce ~ Thanks for reading and getting in touch with me. Nathaniel Bivens is also my 6th great grandfather. So are we 5th cousins?
I’ve sent an email so we can talk more. I hope you know more about Peggy than I do. Her story fascinates me.
Jan
Derial Bivens
April 11, 2019 at 7:50 pm
My grandfather often talked about how his grandfather talked about his grandmother (Jemima Crockett Bivens) being David Crockett’s first cousin. After Jemima’s husband, John Bivens died in NC, she migrated with her children, her sister (I forget her name), her brother Archibald, and father Robert Crockett, son of Archibald David Crockett. Robert and wife Rachel Kerr are buried in the Elk Ridge Cemetery near Lynnville, TN. Her first cousin, David was one of the founding commissioners in Lawrence County, Tennessee, where I grew up. My maternal grandmother and great-grandmother were both born in a house next door to where I grew up. (The farm has been handed down through the family since 1847). That house was built by David Crockett in 1819. So, I have a “Crockett Connection” on both sides of my family. Interestingly, my grandmother, my mother, myself, and my oldest son all attended David Crockett Elementary School, which was established on land owned by him while he lived there. For what it’s worth, he NEVER went by “Davy” or “Davey” in his lifetime and stories are told of how he would take umbrage if anyone ever called him that.