The Vaughns and Andrews of New Jersey
Edward Vaughn was the father of Rebecca Vaughn Wile, the first wife of Benjamin F. Wile and the mother of Anna Wile Wilder.
Little is known about Edward Vaughn, but what is known suggests that his family was prosperous. Edward first appears on known records
in the late 1780's in New Jersey. He is listed on a roll for a local militia in the area around Deptford and Woodbury in Gloucester County, New Jersey, which is directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. He ran for, and was elected Sheriff of Gloucester County at least twice. In 1790 he married Elizabeth "Betsy" Andrews, who seems to have come from New Jersey, perhaps near Woolrich Township. Their marriage, at the Swedesboro Church located nearby, is shown below.
Marriage Entry for Edward Vaughn and Betsy Andrews
Rebecca Vaughn Wile was the grandmother of James Lewellyn Wilder. She died in 1841 of bilious colic at Pleasant Valley, New York, and is buried next to her husband, Rev. Benjamin Franklin Wile in the Presbyterian Church cemetery there. Her father, Edward Vaughn, was the High Sheriff of Gloucester County, New Jersey in the 1790's and early 1800's. Her mother, Betsy Andrews Vaughn, created a sampler as a thirteen year old that has been passed down through the generations in our family.
A brief description of the materials and sewing technique of the Betsy Andrews sampler by Dr. Lynne Anderson of the University of Oregon.
Description of the Betsy Andrews Sampler
Below is a link to a scrap of paper that was among my mom's things all the time I was growing up. It gives the birth dates of Ann Vaughn Helfenstein, the sister of Rebecca Vaughn Wile. Ann's husband was "Uncle" Jacob Helfenstein, who Lew Wilder, his mother and sister were cared for by after the death of Francis Wilder in 1866. Jacob Helfenstein and Benjamin Wile were born and raised about two or three doors from each other in Philadelphia, and knew each other well. Jacob's older brother married a woman named Vaughn, too. Whether she was a relative or not is unknown.