Generation 6:
JOHN J. FOSTER was born in MD on 12 Sept in 1798 [1850 census], 1799 [1860 census], or 1793 [his tombstone]. His brother, FREDERICK LEVI FOSTER, was born abt 1792 in MD.

John J. Foster married FRANCES HENDRICKSON [b: abt 1800, PA] on 14 February 1822 in Harrison Co., OH. She was born 27 September 1800 in PA. SOLOMON HENDRICKSON and JESSE HENDRICKSON, last of McDonough Co., IL were her brothers. John served in Andrew Jackson's Army during the War of 1812, and later in the Blackhawk War. On January 1, 1836, he purchased 40 acres of land in Bethel Twp, McDonough Co., IL. John died 8 October 1861 and Frances died 21 Jan 1858. Both were buried in Scott's Methodist Church Cemetery in Bethel. He owned Pleasant Valley Mill, which is a very pretty spot just north of Colchester along the Lamoine River--was called Crooked Creek back then.

Generation 7:
It is very likely that John Foster and his older brother Frederick Levi Foster were children of JOHN FOSTER [b: abt 1770, likely Deer Creek, Baltimore Co., MD] and his wife CATHARINE SWANN [b: abt 1770 Swan's Delight, Baltimore Co., MD] who were married about 1787. Deer Creek and Swan's Delight later came to be in Harford Co., MD.

Generation 6:
Children of John and Catherine Foster are said to have been:
--[Frederick] Levi Foster [b: abt 1792, Swan's Delight, Harford Co.,MD]
--Daniel Foster [b: abt 1792, Swan's Delight, Harford Co., MD]
--John [J.] Foster [b: 12 Sept 1793/98/99, Swan's Delight, Harford Co., MD]
--William Foster [b: abt 1794, Swan's Delight, Harford Co., MD]
--Aaron Foster [b: 16 Dec 1799, Swan's Delight, Harford Co., MD] He was christened that same day at St. James of My Lady's Manor, Baltimore, MD.

Generation 8:
John's parents were likely SAMUEL FOSTER and his wife MARGARET ---?---.
The DAR Index shows: Samuel Foster b: abt 1730-40, d: bef 1 Oct 1793 m: Margaret ----, MD. DAR categorizes him as having done "Patriotic Service" [not military service]. This could refer to him having taken an Oath of Allegiance.
This PS category covers many things, from Collector of Provisions, to Minister who made Patriotic Sermons, to Wheelwright who assisted the Revolution.

Maryland marriage records indicate the following, though neither may be the same Samuel:
Sam'l Foster m: Margaret C/Gaton on 26 Feb 1749 [2 BA-200] Baltimore? [On the same page Bazl. Foster and Mary Allender are shown to have married 12-10-1749.]
Samuel Foster m: Margaret Guiton [Guyton] on 11 Feb 1750 [2 BA-244] Margaret is said to have been born abt 1730. St. James Parish, Baltimore to BENJAMIN GUYTON and CATHERINE ADAMS.
Samuel Foster is shown to have been born 8 Apr 1727 to Thomas Foster and Elizabeth --?--. [St. John's and St. George's Parish Registers, 1696-1851].

Generation 7:
Children of Samuel and Margaret Foster noted in Samuel's 1793 Will were:
--Samuel Foster
--Benjamin Foster [A Benjamin Foster is listed has having married Catherine Prather on 14 Feb 1798 in MD [3 AL-5]].
--Marget Ward
--Henry Foster
--William Foster
--Moses Foster [This Moses may be the one who is noted in an Estate Docket in Harford Co. on 14 June 1842.]
--Aaron Foster
--John Foster [very likely the John who married Catharine Swann, and likely father of Frederick Levi and John J.]

Catharine's father was FREDERICK SWANN [b: abt 1734, likely Baltimore Co., MD; d: 2 Jun 1794, Swan's Delight, Harford Co., MD] who married KATHARINE 'Caty' --?-- [b: abt 1740, likely Baltimore, MD; d: 26 Aug 1818] in abt 1760 in MD. Both Frederick and Katherine are buried in St. James of My Lady's Manor Cemetery, Baltimore, Baltimore Co., MD.

Generation 7: Children of Frederick and Katharine Swann are said to have been:
--Jacob Swann [b: abt 1755/1764, Swan's Delight, Baltimore, MD; d: bef 15 Jun 1805, Swan's Delight, Harford Co., MD]
--Mary Swann [b: bef 1766, Baltimore, MD] Living in 1818, buried at St. James of My Lady's Manor Cemetery, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD.
--Catharine Swann [b: abt 1770, Swan's Delight, Baltimore, MD; d: ? bef 1825, Swan's Delight, Street Twp, Harford Co., MD]
--Susannah Swann [b: abt 1772, Swan's Delight, Baltimore, MD; d: ? bef 1818]. She is buried in St. James of My Lady's Manor Cemetery, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD.
--Margaret Swann [b: abt 1776, Swan's Delight, Harford Co., MD]
--Elizabeth "Betsy" Swann [b: abt 1785, Swan's Delight, Baltimore, MD; Harford Co., MD; d: bef 1825, Baltimore City, Baltimore, MD]
--John Thomas Swann [b: abt 1786, Swan's Delight, Harford Co., MD; d: 28 Jan 1837, Baltimore, Baltimore Co., MD] He is buried at St. James of my Lady's Manor Cemetery in Baltimore.

Generation 9:
THOMAS FOSTER and ELIZABETH --?--.
Thomas Foster, schoolmaster, was in Baltimore County by 13 August 1706 [MGSB, Vol. 33, No. 1, Winter 1992]
when William and Mary Cromwell conveyed him 140 acres of "Bare Neck." [Baltimore County land records, RM#HS, p 613]
In 1718 Thomas Foster was ordered to serve Priscilla Freeborne extra time for having run away from her husband, Richard Freeborne, deceased. In 1719 Thomas Holland and wife Margaret conveyed him 120 acres, part "Holland's Chance." He married Elizabeth --?-- by whom he had a son Samuel, born 8 April 1727. [Robert Barnes, "Baltimore County Families, 1659-1759", 225]

Margaret Guyton's parents are said to have been BENJAMIN GUYTON [b: 4 Feb 1701; d: 1776] and his unknown first wife. He married (2) Amelia Scarf in 1753 and (3)Catherine Adams in 1765. Benjamin's will was written 17 April 1774 and probated on 7 July 1776 in Baltimore Co., MD. It mentions his daughter Margrett Foster. [It has been said that Benjamin lived across the road from Harford Co.] The will refers to Benjamin as a "planter" and names wife, Katran; sons, Benjamin, Underwood and Henry Guyton; daughters, Margarett Foster, Lydia Tout and Eleander Smith; the two Smith children, Anne and Rosana, as well as a negro, Norige. This may be a phonetic rendering of Norwich, England where Benjamin had immigrated from. [Maryland Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland, Wills Box 15, Folder 17]

Generation 10:
There is a possibility, which needs to be studied, that the father of Thomas was THOMAS FOSTER [b: 1660 England; d: 1710, Anne Arundel, MD]--m: ELIZABETH STEVENS. Thomas and Elizabeth are said to have had:
--Bazaleel Foster [b: 1700, Anne Arundel, MD; d: 1753]--m: Mary Mead on 24 Dec 1734 at St. James Episcopal Church in Baltimore Co., MD. In turn, they supposedly had children:
------Thomas Foster [b: 1735, Baltimore Co., MD]
------John D. Foster [b: 1737, Baltimore Co., MD]
------Benjamin Foster [b: 1739, Baltimore Co., MD]
------Bazaleel Foster [b: 1741, Baltimore Co., MD; d: 1753] This Bazaleel is said to have been the one who married Mary Allender in 1749, but, obviously there is a mistake somewhere about that.
Question: Did the above Thomas also have a son Thomas, who was the father of Samuel?

The parents of Benjamin Guyton are said to have been SAMUEL GUYTON JR. [b: abt 1668 in St. George's, Norfolk, England; d: May 1752, Norfolk, England] and MARGARET UNDERWOOD who married on 22 Dec 1691 in St. Gregory, Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Generation 11:
The parents of Samuel Guyton Jr. are said to have been SAMUEL GUYTON SR. [d: abt 1 Feb 1696, St. Martin's Place Parish, Norfolk, England] and ELIZABETH --?--.

Generation 12:
The parents of Samuel Guyton Sr. are said to have been JOHN GUYTON [b: abt 1605; died after 1662] and MARGARET --?--. John was a Reeder by occupation.

There are four family traditions about the family origins of John F. and Frederick Levi. At present, the first two seem to have the most accuracy. The second two appear to be efforts to merge family traditions with genealogical details of the Stephen Foster family:

----ONE [From a daughter]:
John J.'s father was JOHN FOSTER born in Ireland near 1740, who married FRANCES MOORE in London. Together they had five children and settled at Havre de Grace, Maryland. The father fought in the Revolutionary War. Sons JOHN J. FOSTER and FREDERICK LEVI FOSTER ran away from home. [No mention of any connection to Stephen Foster.]

----TWO [As generally understood in the family]:
The Foster family and their friends, the Scott family, all sailed from Londonderry, Ireland and landed in Havre de Grace, Harford Co., MD. From there they moved to the Lancaster area of PA, then to Carroll Co., IL, then to IL.

----THREE [From a daughter-in-law or granddaughter[?]--written in her Bible]:
ALEXANDER FOSTER emigrated from County Londonderry, Ireland about 1725, settled in Monmouth Co., NJ. In 1728 moved to Little Britain Township, Lancaster Co., PA. Alexander had three sons: (1) JAMES FOSTER [a Revolutionary War soldier--10th PA regiment 1777-1781] who married Ann Barclay; (2)William Barclay [?] Foster, who was a Presbyterian minister and Revolutionary War soldier; and (3) John Foster, who was a Revolutionary War soldier, who eventually settled in TN. James and Ann had sons William Barclay Foster and JOHN J. FOSTER. William was the father of Stephen Foster--which made John J. an uncle to him. John J. sometimes played the violin on boats on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in winters.

----FOUR [As compiled by a grandson]:
WILLIAM BARCLAY FOSTER was born in Bavaria, Germany in 1740, graduated from the University of Bavaria, and moved to London where he married FRANCES MOORE. Couple settled in Delaware and had five children. William was a Revolutionary War soldier. One son was William Barclay Foster, the father of Stephen Foster. The youngest son, JOHN J. FOSTER was born 1793 in Maryland, on the border of Virginia. In 1860, John J. Foster visited his noted nephew Stephen in Pittsburgh, PA. John J. was noted as a fine violinist.