John Swetnam

  General Notes:

John Swetnam is believed to be a grandson of the immigrant Swetnam.There is a record of a William Swetnam married to a Susannah Ficklin, the sister of Sarah Ficklin. It is believed that William may have been the brother of John Swetnam. ³⁴⁸

  Information about this person:

• Background Information: Found at Ancestors of Don and Edith Collins: Rootsweb.
In the early 1800's Lord Swettenham died in England, without heirs, believing there might be an heir in America, a solicitor was sent to Virginia toinvestigate after searching records, the heir was located, told of his inheritance, estimated at nearly $2 million, but in order to claim it, he would have to move to England to live and swear allegiance to the Crown, otherwise it would revert to the Crown. This he refused to do, he renounced his claim to the estate, preferring to remain in America. The heir was John Sweatman, father of Neri Sweatman. It is not known just when the Sweatman lines changed the spelling of the name to Swetnam, but records indicate in the 1800's.

• Background Information.
The earliest record is of Alexander Sweatman, died 1789, who married Ann Roane and lived in what is now Stafford County. He was probably a son of the immigrant. No positive record of the children, but he is believed by some to have been the father of John Sweatman (b. 1740's) married after October 1772 Sarah Ficklin (Fickland), King George County, Va., granddaughter of William and Sarah Ficklin, who migrated from England about 1710 or 1720 and settled in Brunswick Parish, King George County, William Ficklin died before April 7, 1757, when a deed to the estate was made to his son, Benjamin. John Sweatman lived in Culpeper County, Va. Have record of but two sons, Neri and William. In the early 1800's Lord Swettenham died in England, without heirs, believing there might be an heir in America, a solicitor was sent to Virginia to investigate after searching records, the heir was located, told of his inheritance, estimated at nearly $2 million, but in order to claim it, he would have to move to England to live and swear allegiance to the Crown, otherwise it would revert to the Crown. This he refused to do, he renounced his claim to the estate, preferring to remain in America. The heir was John Sweatman, father of Neri Sweatman. It is not known just when the Sweatman lines changed the spelling of the name to Swetnam, but records indicate in the 1800's.

John married Sarah Ficklin, daughter of Thomas Ficklin and Susannah Bruce, in 1772 in Virginia, USA. (Sarah Ficklin was born before 1751.)