THE STUART FAMILY ARCHIVE

John Diven

Recorded life status: deceased

Named son; bequest of 200 pounds and appointment as co-executor. Source: James Diven’s 19 May 1818 will, Cumberland, Pennsylvania, pp. 75–77. This relationship is explicit in the will; identifying the testator with the compiled 1741 profile remains unconfirmed. Mother not assigned because this will does not establish her maternity for every child.

Research lead from FamilySearch’s machine transcript, not fully verified against handwriting: a deed dated 16 March 1830 names William McClure and wife Margaret as sellers to Joseph Diven for $700, involving 47 acres and 28 perches in Tyrone Township, Perry County. It recites James Diven’s will dated 19 May 1818, an executor conveyance to William Diven on 1 May 1822, and William’s transfer to McClure on 16 October 1829. It reserves a dower claim for Margaret Diven, widow of James, referring to an agreement dated 26 March 1822. The transcription contains obvious recognition errors; names, dates and quantities require a clear scan. It does not independently establish new parentage or prove Margaret was alive in 1830. Source: Perry Deeds 1827–1832, image 283 of 570. The overview screenshot is archived as 600.20.003; enlarged image tiles did not resolve clearly and the JPG download did not complete. Next checks: original 1 May 1822 executor deed, 26 March 1822 agreement, and 16 October 1829 conveyance. The next Sarah Williamson/Diven full-text search redirected to sign-in. Public searches did not establish an additional matching record.