|
The following residents of Liberty
township were seventy-six years of age or upwards in 1876:
Robert Bell, Henry Matthew, James Boyd, George B. Leeper,
Ann Milligan, Elijah Phelps, Adam Miller, Thomas Stockdale,
James Lacham, James Gilson, William DeHarte, George Bell,
Alexander Robinson.
THOMAS
ALEXANDER
was born in Guernsey county in 1815. His wife, whose
maiden name was Barbara Frederick, born in Pennsylvania, was
eight years his junior. They reared a family of eight
children: Mary, wife of Samuel Dayton, Adam, Jessie,
James, Christina, Ferbrache, George, Marion, Elizabeth, the
latter the wife of Victor Lewis. Adam, the second
child, was born in Coshocton county in 1845. He was
married in 1869 to Nancy E. Thompson, who was born in
Guernsey county in 1850. They have five children:
Harvey, Laura, John, Mary, and Franklin. Mr.
Alexander has occupied his present farm since 1872. -
pg. 525
JOSEPH C. McMULLEN,
a native of Ireland, where he was born in 1793, emigrated to
Ohio when quite young, and made this State his home until
his death in 1865. His wife was Margaret
McCully, born in the State of Delaware in 1806, and who
survives her husband, passing the eventide of life in their
old home. Their family consisted of three children -
Ann, John K., and James. The former is
the wife of Mahlon Yarnall, and lives in Liberty
township. John K. resides in Iowa.
James, who was born in 1834, remains on the old farm
caring for his mother. - Pg. 525
JAMES BELL was born in
Ohio county, Virginia, in 1776. In 1810 they came to
Ohio and lived in Liberty township, this county, during the
remainder of their lives. They had a family of five
children, three of whom are now living - Robert, in
Liberty township, Andrew, in Hardin county, and
Hamilton. The latter was born in Virginia in
1809, came to Ohio with his parents when a child, and
still remains on the old homestead. He married, in
1831, Agnes Bell, who was born in Virginia in 1806.
Their children were: James, in Liberty
township; Joseph (deceased); George, and
Mary (twins), the former of Liberty township, and the
latter deceased; Margaret, Jane, and Robert,
deceased. James Bell, the father of
Hamilton Bell, entered three hundred and twenty acres of
land where Mr. Bell now resides. - pg. 525
R. R. MILLER,
the oldest child of Adam and Margaret (Ray) Miller,
was born at Montréal, Canada, in 1822. His father,
Adam Miller, was born in Ireland in 1795, and in
1821 married Margaret Ray, and came to
America, settling in Guernsey county, Ohio, Ohio, Jefferson
township, then moved to Liberty township, where he remained
until his death, which occurred in 1877, his wife having
died four years before. They were the parents of five
children: Robert, Joseph W., in Cambridge;
Elizabeth, deceased; John in Liberty township;
Jane, wife of James Geary. Robert R. came
to Ohio with his parents, and in 1846 he married Ellen
Frame, who was born in 1824, and died in 1856. To
them were born six children, only one living, Lafayette, in
Liberty township. He married for his second wife
Martha A. Ray, who was born in 1830, by whom he has five
children - Ellen N., at home; Gazelle, wife of
Dr. Leech, at Caldwell; Ellsworth, Harriet,
and Lodosky, all at home. Mr. Miller
remained with his parents until married, and after marriage
lived in Liberty for six years, and at Barnes's mill
one year, and other places, and is now living on a farm of
two hundred acres.
WILLIAM GIBSON, SR.,
immediately after his marriage with Nancy Larrison in
1794, moved near Wheeling, West Virginia. He was then
just of age, and his wife was three years younger.
Both were Pennsylvanians. Six years later they lived
in Belmont county, Ohio, for five years. In 1807 they
procured two canoes at Cambridge and going down Wills creek
landed where Liberty township now is. Being the only
inhabitants they built a rude hut, and afterwards erected a
more substantial home, where they lived until 1849, when he
died, the wife following in 1873. Seven of their
fourteen children survive, viz: William, Elizabeth, Mary,
Lucinda, Abel, Hiram, and James. James Gibson
was born in Belmont county in 1804, and married Matilda
Morrison in 1833. Miss Morrison was born in
Virginia in 1815. Their eight children are living,
viz.: Angeline, William H., Naphtali, Porter W.,
Nancy M., Margaret J., James M., and Milton.
Mr. Gibson has kept the hotel at Liberty for thirteen
years. He possesses two hundred acres of land, and is
a retired farmer.
JOSEPH BELL,
who came from Virginia to Ohio in 1807 and settled in
Liberty township, was a native of Ireland, born in 1775.
His wife, Margaret Hosack, who was about the same
age, accompanied him. He died there in 1839,and she
followed him in 1842, leaving a family of five children,
viz: Nancy, wife of Hamilton Bell; Margaret,
wife of Henry McCartney; Sarah, wife of Jacob
Welton; David and George, living in Liberty
township. George Bell was born in Virginia in
1801, and came to Ohio with his parents, where he married
Margaret Armstrong, of Pennsylvania. Their four
children are: Joseph, who married Mary Bell;
James, whose wife was Martha Boyd; Abraham,
husband of Anna Stiles; and John. All
live in Liberty township. Mr. Bell has lived
where he now is continuously since 1823. His farm
contains two hundred and forty acres.
ROBERT FORSYTHE
was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania,
in 1796, where his youth was spent. In 1818 he married
Elizabeth Bell, who was born in Ireland in 1798.
Soon after marriage, with his wife and mother came to Ohio
and settled in Liberty township, where he remained until
1832, when he removed to Wills township, near Washington,
and in 1869 went to Cambridge, where he died in 1873.
His wife has since died. Their children were:
Nancy, Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, Thomas F., James L., Cephas
P., and Robert H. The latter ws born in
1819, and married, in 1843, Rebecca Robe, of Wills
township. Their children were: Robert, Sarah
J., William R., Elmer J., and Anna M., the latter
deceased.
The
father of REV. JOHN MARTIN was born in Pennsylvania
in 1795, and in 1820 married Mary Williamson, who as
born in 1802. They remained in Pennsylvania two years;
then came to Ohio, and entered a farm in Jefferson county,
Ross township. The first house they lived in was only
partly covered with hickory bark, and without any floor.
They lived in that place until Mr. Martin's
death; then Mrs. Martin lived with her son
J. W. in Carleton, Ohio. The family consisted of
eight children, two of whom are still living, viz:
Samuel, who is a missionary in India, and John.
John W., the subject of this sketch, was born in
Jefferson county, Ohio in 1834. In his eighteenth year
he attended school at an academy, and afterwards taught in
the academy. In 1856 he entered Jefferson college, and
graduated in 1858. He then entered the Theological
seminary at Alleghany City, Pennsylvania, and graduated in
1861, and was ordained pastor at Carleton in 1861. In
1859 he was united in marriage to Susan E. Laughlin,
who was born in 1836 near Steubenville, Ohio, and died in
1860, leaving one child, J. H. Martin, who is a
member of the Freshman class of Muskingum college. In
1863 Mr. Martin married Nannie J. Erskine, by
whom he has three children, viz: Frank, also a member
of the Freshman class of Muskingum college; Samuel
and Dora E. at home. Mr. Martin spent
three years in the pastoral charge at Carleton, Ohio, then
took charge of the United Presbyterian church at East
Liverpool, Ohio, then removed to Kansas, remaining there
about five years in the Home Missionary work. His
health failing, he returned to Ohio, and located at North
Salem in this county, where he has been seven years pastor
of the United Presbyterian church of that place.
The
birthplace of GEORGE GIBSON was in St. Clairsville,
Belmont county, Ohio, where he was born in 1807. When
an infant his parents came to Guernsey county, and settled
near the present town of Liberty. He was here married
to Catherine Dehart, who was born in West Virginia in
1817. Their family consisted of Caroline, wife
of James Warden; Alfred, and William P. Mr.
Gibson married in 1841 for a second wife, Elizabeth
Miller, who was born in 1819. Their children are:
George W., Probitha, Samuel A., Maria, Albert, and
Annie, who are living, and Nancy, Mary M., Abigail,
and Porter A., deceased.
JAMES BEGGS
was one of the many sons of Ireland who have helped build up
the National domain. He and his wife, Ellen Miller,
were born in the old county in 1790, lived together and
ended their career almost stimultaneously. In
1798 they emigrated to Jefferson township, Ohio, but shortly
purchased land in Liberty township, where he died in 1867.
Mr. Beggs died shortly before. Their two
children are: Elizabeth, wife of Gilbert
McCully, and James. The latter was born in
Ireland in 1817. In 1841 he married Margaret
Parkison, of this county. Miss Parkison
was a daughter of Edward Parkison, and at the
time of her marriage was nineteen years old. Their
children were: James McGill; Barbara
A., dead; John, Dorcas J., Ida Bell, and James.
The Beggs farm contains three hundred and
fifty-seven acres.
NAPHTALI LUCCOCK,
a native of England, was born Nov. 15, 1797. In 1819
he embarked for Philadelphia, and engaged in the commission
business. The following two years he worked in a
stocking factory in Germantown, east of Philadelphia, and
while there, in 1822, married Jane Thomson, who was
born at Fort Sea, England. They settled in Wooster,
Ohio, for three years, where he taught school. They
then removed to Coshocton county, and remained four years,
and in 1831 finally settled in Guernsey county. Their
son Thomas S. was one of four children, the others
being: Benjamin, now dead; Samuel, and
Rebecca, who died in infancy. Thomas was
born in Pennsylvania in 1823. He married Susan
Heslip in 1848. They have seven children, viz:
John B., Ellen, Samuel, Benjamin, Henry, and
the Reverends Joseph and Naphtali. From
1875 to 1879 Mr. Luccock represented Guernsey
county in the Ohio Legislature. He owns twelve hundred
acres of land, is a general farmer, and keeps a store in
Liberty township.
JAMES
LEEPER, born in 1800, came with his parents to Ohio
while yet a child. They settled in Liberty township,
where he married Mary McCullough in 1825. He
died at the age of thirty-six. Mrs. Leeper
resides with her only son, James B., her daughter
Anna Also living with her. James B. Leeper
was born in Guernsey county in 1828. In 1850 he
married Sarah McCartney, who died in 1875.
Their children were: Robert A., Margaret V., Frank
W., deceased, and William N., Harriet, and
Mary at home.
|
