Noah Goss, A Mystery!

Noah Goss is sort of a mystery, at least he is to me.  I have tried to learn more about him, a son of Solomon Goss and Olive (Scott) Goss.

Noah Goss was born 24 June 1782 which means he probably was born in what is presently called Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  This is the area around Wilkes-Barre that was under the ownership of Connecticut at the time and the land squabbles between Pennsylvania and Connecticut were still going on.   The Revolutionary War was ending so it might have been safe for Solomon and Olive to be living in the area?  

The only record I have found on Noah’s birth is from the information on his tombstone in the Green Valley Cemetery in Knox County located next to his sister’s tombstone - Lydia (Goss) Spracklin.  It states he was 51 years old at his death.  His death date is 18 July 1833 and the age at his death is 51 years.  This means he was born about 1782.

Noah Goss Tombstone

 

As you can see from his tombstone it is standing, but it is damaged and there is evidence that it is flaking.  Someone fixed it for you see at the base what looks like a circular line of new cement.  Fortunately, his grave stone has been recorded and published.  Find A Grave has another photo and description of his tombstone.   

 

Noah Goss more detail

 

Noah Goss

 

The actual date of birth comes from the manuscripts of Flora Montanye Osborn “Additions to the Cooley Family,” The Detroit Society for Genealogical Research Magazine, Vol. VII, No. 1, Sept-Oct, 1943.  This magazine can actually be found in a large public library, or the Family History Library.  You can contact the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library or  seek out the “Keziah Cooley Goss Chapter of the D.A.R., May 3, 1942, Yearbook 1943-1944, FHL#940938 Items 4-5.”

 

Where Flora found this information is unclear.  I suspect she might have learned of these dates through her family connections because she cared for several of the elderly children of Levi Goss, Noah’s younger brother.  Believe me I have tried to find  her sources but have not been able to locate her actual research files which I had hoped might be at some archive in the Ann Arbor area of Michigan? I know that she was a member of the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research but they don’t seem to have her files? Flora did a lot of research on the Goss family back in the 1940′s and is the great-granddaughter of Levi Goss.  She died in 1951 and is buried in the Rice Cemetery near Milan, Michigan.  I will post more on Flora and her work at a later time.

 

As far as I know, Noah did not marry.  If he did it is not recorded in Washington County or in Knox County, Ohio marriage records or indexes which I have studied on several occasions.

 

Ohio Historical Society Reading Room

 

The circumstances of his death would be interesting to know.   I have not been able to find an obituary notice or article about his death either in the newspapers or the abstracted newspaper publications of  Knox County, Ohio.   The newspapers in Ohio are a tough record to search as I learned on my visit there in August of 2007 and again in 2011.  A lot of issues are missing.  There is the fact that they just didn’t publish death information like obituaries until much later.  Still I gave it a valiant try and if you have ever done newspaper research you know it can be slogging work!  I also checked the county abstracted published newspaper books and did not find anything that was of significance. 

 

An estate file has not been found for Noah Goss in Knox County, Ohio where he died.  I have looked at the probate indexes at the Knox County courthouse annex on two occasions and studied the microfilms done by the Family History Library and have had no luck. 

 

What little I know of Noah has come from two deeds that he was involved with. 

 

One is when his father Solomon Goss sold to him the land in Knox County, Ohio and the other is when Noah turned around and sold it to a Stephen Minton.

 

Deed dated  October 2nd, 1815:  Deed of Solomon Goss of Fearing Twp., Washington Co., Ohio selling land to Noah Goss his eldest son in Knox Co., Ohio for $200 (100 acres). Witnesses were Simon Porter and Solomon Goss Jr. and Joel Tuttle JP. Description of Land: ” …certain tract or parcel of Land, Situate and being in said State of Ohio, in the Fourteenth Range & Sixth Township of the United States Military Lands so called, containing one hundred acres, being part of a – tract of Land deeded to me the said Solomon Goss by Zaccheus Biggs July 28th, 1802, Refference thereunto being had, and is butted and bounded as follows, beginning at the North West corner of the tract, Thence Running East Forty eight Chains, Thence South Twenty Chains 83 1/3 Links Thence West Forty eight Chains to the West line of said Tract, Thence North Twenty Chains 83 1/3 Links to the place of beginning.” Knox County, Ohio Deeds, FHL#314037, Vol. B-C pg. 276.  

 

S. Goss to son Noah Goss: Deed

 

 

Deed Dated:  Dec. 15, 1815:  Deed in which Noah Goss sold his land to Stephen Minton of Morris Twp., Knox Co., Ohio on Dec. 15, 1815 recorded in Dec. 16, 1815 and witnessed by Benjn Hillman and Benj. Barney also JP. Description of the land: ” …certain tract or parcel of land, situate and Being in the said State of Ohio in the Second Section, Fourteenth Range and Sixth Township of United States Military Lands so called, containing one hundred acres, being part of a tract deed to Solomon Goss by Zaccheus Biggs July the 28th 1802, Reference thereunto being had – And butted and bounded as follows, Beginning at the North West corner of said tract, thence running East forty eight chains, Thence South Twenty chains 83 1/3 links, Thence forty eight chains to the West line of said tract Thence North Twenty chains & Eighty three & 1/3 links to the place of beginning. To Have and To hold the said….”  Knox County, Ohio Deeds FHL #314037, Vol. B-C pg. 320.

 

Solomon Goss (Sr.) prepared a series of deeds for all but one of his living children in 1815.  They are recorded in Knox County, Ohio deeds.  Normally in a deed, relationships are not stated, but much to my delight they are in these deeds.   

 

 

 

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The Lakes: Rainbow Cemetery, Washington Co., Ohio!

Getting to Rainbow Cemetery is a little confusing.  You have to cross the Muskingum River and that is a little tricky because there are no direct bridges that take you directly to the area where the cemetery is located.  

Rainbow Cemetery Sign

Because I was headed for Beverly to the northwest, I took the route from Marietta north and northwest on Hwy 60 to the town of Lowell.  We turned left at New Bridge Street/McClain Street and went up over the bridge  and over the river.  Right after the bridge we turned left again heading southwest on Muskingum River Road.  You are doubling back because you have to follow the Muskingum river which meanderings along.  The road will become Township Road #32 for a couple of miles.  It travels close to the river and follows the railroad tracks which you will cross several times and they are bumpy. 

The road will curve around in a big arc taking you and turning you northwest again.  Hmmm…maybe this arc is why they called it Rainbow?  Just when you think you have messed up and missed the cemetery you will find the small white sign to the right next to the railroad tracks.  It is about 4 miles from the bridge. (See photo above.)

The road into Rainbow Cemetery! Go to the right!

You turn right and cross the railroad tracks onto Rainbow Cemetery Road and drive through what looks like people’s driveways.  The cemetery is located back and behind them.  The car is pointing in the opposite direction and leaving the road.  Go right over the railroad tracks!

Rainbow Cemetery off in the distance!

You can actually see it from the road as you start to curve around but it is in the distance to your right.  If you come the other way through Marietta crossing the bridge and up and around remember directions are reversed. 

My hubby and I actually visited the cemetery twice.  The first time we could not find the tombstone for Archibald and Mary (Bird) Lake!!!! 

Something like the Bermuda Triangle occurred!! I swear it wasn’t there the first time.  Well it was there for here is a photo I took on our first visit and you can see it in the distance (see photo below). 

Rainbow Cemetery Overview!

Click on the photo to make it larger.  Zero in on the turquoise flowers on the right of the tombstone in the foreground third over, then go diagonally back from that and there is the tombstone for Archibald and Mary in front of a rounded dome-shaped stone in the distance. You can tell because it has all the plaques on it.  Sigh…it pays to be persistent, HA!  (Don’t forget to click the back arrow to get back to this blog!)

Entrance to Rainbow Cemetery

 

Find A Grave has a nice listing for this cemetery and tombstone photos as well.  Interment has some as well.  If you go to Washington County, I would go to both the Washington Historical Society and the Washington County Public Library Annex which has the genealogical selections and is down the street from the main library.  They have a different mix of records for the cemeteries. 

 

Here is an overview of the Archibald and Mary (Bird) Lake tombstone which has Elizabeth and Andrew’s information as well. See my previous two posts for more detail.  Sorry about the rain spots!

 

Lake Tombstone Overview!

 

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Archibald and Mary (Bird) Lake, Andrew’s Parents!

Andrew Lake’s parents were Archibald Lake and Mary Bird.  They came from England to Newfoundland and from there they move to New York staying there for some time.  Archibald decided to migrate and settled in Washington County about 1789.  They lived at Campus Martius because the Indian issue had not yet been settled until about 1795 when they moved to Rainbow north of Marietta.

There was a  town and area called Rainbow north of Marietta and still is but there isn’t much there today according to the President of the Washington County Historical Society.  I came upon this very interesting blog called “Historical Marietta: and the article was about the settlement of Rainbow apparently taken from the newspapers.

http://historicalmarietta.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-settlement-of-rainbow.html

Archibald and Mary had the following children:  1) George, 2) James, 3) Thomas (1760-1854), 4) Andrew, 5) William, 6) Sally, 7) Margarette. 

One of the history books about Washington County states there were 8 children?  The plaque on the tombstone makes this claim as well?

“Among the first settlers of Rainbow were Archibald and Mary Lake, who located on the place now owned by Israel Devol. Archibald Lake married Mary Bird, of London, and being a seafaring man, removed to New Foundland, where he was employed in the fisheries, which at that time were very profitable, as the strict observance of Lent in Catholic Europe caused a great demand for fish. When that place came into the possession of the French he moved his family to New York and worked in the ship-yards. During the Revolution, when General Washington evacuated the city of New York, the Lake family followed the army up North river, where Mrs. Lake served as matron, first at Fishkill, and then at New Windsor hospital. Mr. Lake was appointed a deputy commissary to the hospital, and ranged the adjacent country in search of provisions for the sick. More than once did Mrs. Lake receive the personal thanks of General Washington in recognition of her valuable services. After the army was disbanded Mr. and Mrs. Lake returned to New York. After the war, shipbuilding being a poor business, and Mr. Lake accidentally hearing of the Marietta colony, decided to emigrate to the west. Accordingly, in 1789, he removed to Marietta. His family consisted of eight children, of whom three sons, James, Thomas and Andrew, were young men. The spring after their arrival the small-pox broke out, and during the terrible pestilence Mrs. Lake heroically served as nurse, and her superior knowledge of the art of nursing, in all probability, saved many a valuable life. Probably one of the first Sunday-schools in America was taught by her, in 1791, at the Campus Martius. Being early converted she felt it to be her duty to care for the souls, as well as the bodies, of those with whom she was wont to be associated. She collected in her little room on Sabbath afternoons the children who were wont to indulge in all sorts of amusements upon the holy day. After the conclusion of the service by Rev. Mr. Story she held Sunday-school, giving the youth instruction from the Bible and the Westminster catechism. She was peculiarly adapted to impart religious instruction to the children, and hence her work was crowned with merited success. April 27, 1795, the Lake family became residents of Rainbow. Mrs. Lake died the next year after her settlement, and her husband did not long survive.” History of Washington County, Ohio, H.C. Williams & Bros., 1881, pg. 609.

Archibald was born 1 July 1720 and Mary Bird was born 1728 in England. 

There is a tombstone with a plaque in the Rainbow Cemetery in Muskingum Township north of Marietta which I visited. This plaque was provided by the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Marietta Chapter.  See the Marietta Times article of Wednesday October 22, 1975 ” Mary Lake’s name was a household word,” for more information. (I found a copy at the Washington County Library Annex in the cemetery records.)

Mary (Bird) Lake and Archibald Lake - DAR Plaque

Mary died a couple of years before her husband 27 April 1796.  Archibald died on 1 July 1798. It is interesting that his name is spelled using  ”Archibold” in some places.

Archibald is also on the base!

I suggest that if you are a descendant of this family go directly to the DAR Library Online Research and click on the membership tab and type in this National number #263167.  From there you can do other searches.  You will have to pay if you decide to make a selection.  I have visited the DAR Library on several occasions and conducted these searches in person.  Yes, I have paid for the results for other surnames but not Lake.  I have found it very worthwhile.   

Another link about Mary Bird Lake: 
http://kansasdar.org/johnhaupt/women.htm

Another plaque for Archibald!

Andrew was appointed the administrator of his father, Archibald’s, estate on 25 June, 1800 and the Inventory was completed 7 October 1800.   All that was contained in the file for the estate was the granting of the Administration to Andrew and a short  inventory of the personal possessions of Archibald Lake.  Apparently Archibald had no will.  I have not studied deeds for this family there is always the possibility of partition deeds (selling the land) and gift deeds to the children. 

“At a Special Court of Probate held at Marietta in & for the County of Washington on the 25^th Day of June 1800, came Andrew Lake & prayed that Administration should be committed to him on the Estate of Archibald Lake late of said County deceased.  Administration was then upon committed to him of Bonds taken for 1,000 dollars. Bondsmen Joseph Wood and William Stacey. Appraisers Joseph Barker & [Sardins] Stone.”

 Source:  Probate Index FHL#946211, Administration Granted Vol. 1, pg. 38, Inventory Vol. 1, pg. 41-42 FHL#946211. 

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Note:  When I was planning my trip to Ohio I discovered that Union Twp. was missing from the Washington County maps of the townships of today.  It was dissolved in 1877. Here is a link to a Washington County Blog that might help with the History of the Townships.  This will cause confusion with land research and pinning down a location.   

Try Wikipedia for a current crude map of the townships as of today: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Ohio
 

Historic Mapworks has more detail with their maps. 
http://www.historicmapworks.com/Browse/United_States/Ohio/

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Elizabeth Goss Marries into the Lake Family!

Elizabeth Goss, daughter of Solomon and Olive (Scott) Goss, did well in life.  She married into the Lake family who had established themselves in Washington County by 1789, well before Solomon Goss settled there. 

Elizabeth was born 9 December 1777/1778 and she died 20 April 1845.  Elizabeth is my 3rd Great-Great aunt.  She is the older sister of Lydia (Goss) Spracklin my 3rd Great Grandmother. 

Elizabeth (Goss) Lake 1788 - 1845

Elizabeth married Andrew Lake on the 17th of May 1798 in Washington County, Ohio.  The tombstone inscription above has 1797 for their marriage year?  I did not find any obituary notice for Elizabeth in the files of the Washington County History Society in Marietta. 

Source: Ohio Marriages, Recorded in County Courts Through 1820: An Index, pg. 405, Jean Nathan, Chairman, compiled by the Ohio Genealogical Society, 1996.  Another source is:  Gateway to the West, Vol. II, Number I, January-March 1969, Washington County, Ohio Marriage 1789-1798.  “Lake, Andrew to Elizabeth Goss – both of Adams, 5-17-1798.

This marriage is a very important event because it gives an estimate of the date that Solomon and Olive (Scott) Goss, Elizabeth’s parents, settled in the Washington County area.  Solomon when he left Pennsylvania, did not go directly to the area north of Marietta.  He first headed to what was later called Cincinnati and went up the Mad River to the area to become Dayton.  More on that in a later post.

I had hoped that Elizabeth and Andrew would give more clues regarding Solomon Goss and Olive but so far that has not happened, instead there is more information about Andrew’s parents Archibald and Mary (Bird) Lake.

Andrew Lake was born 22 August 1764 probably in New York?  He died several years after Elizabeth on 5 January 1849.  Both are buried in Rainbow Cemetery, Washington County, Ohio.   Their plaques are at the base of Andrew’s parent’s tombstone.

Andrew Lake 1764 to 1849

 

Please realize that I am not an expert on the Lake Family and I have not taken time to really dig into their history.  So doublecheck the information you find here.

This is an excerpt taken from the  History of Washington County, Ohio, H.C. Williams & Bros., 1881, Muskingum Township, pg. 609. 

 ”…Their son Andrew was a carpenter by trade, at which business he worked whenever an opportunity was afforded, and during the remainder of the time he was an honest tiller of the soil. In 1797 he married Miss Elizabeth Goss, whose parents resided on Duck creek. The marriage ceremony was performed at the bride’s house by ‘Squire Monroe, and the young couple at once came to Rainbow, where the young people treated them to a genuine, old-fashioned house warming. They had nine children, of whom William, Tirzah, Jane, Mary and Dauphin are dead; Hannah is the wife of Courtland Sheppard, of Harmar; Sarah is the widow of Isaac Monett, and resides with her son in Marietta; Preston and Daniel are in Iowa, and Solomon is living in Kansas.”

If you stop and count, the quotation above has 10 children.  The last being “Solomon?”  

I refer you to a Genforum messages dated approximately October 23, 2002, regarding “iNFO ON FAMILY”  in which a descendant gives a very nice genealogy of the Lake family.  The author was Gary Linn.  You might have to dig around a little to find this:   
http://genforum.genealogy.com/oh/washington/messages/819.html
 

The children of Andrew and Elizabeth (Goss) Lake are as follows based mostly on Mr. Linn’s findings:

1)  William Lake born 30 January 1799 in Washington County, Ohio and died 23 November 1820 in Washington County.

2)  Tirza Lake born 20 April 1802 in Washington County, Ohio. 

3) Hannah Lake born 6 February 1806 in Washington County and died 2 August 1883 in Washington County and is buried in Rainbow Cemetery under the name of Shepard.  She married a Courtland Briggs Shepard (1801 to 9 Nov. 1883).  Apparently they had 10 children:  Jane, Thomas, Andrew, Elizabeth, Mary, Frances, Cinderella, Courtland, Daniel and William.  Find A Grave has a picture of Hannah’s tombstone under their Rainbow Cemetery section.

4) Jane Lake born about Jan 1804 in Washington County and died 20 March 1853 in Washington County.  She married an Asa Davis and had two children:  Asa Gorton and Elizabeth.

5) Mary Amanda Lake born 17 April 1808 and died 23 July 1820 in Washington County, Ohio.

6) Sarah Lake was born 13 July 1810, married an Isaac Monet who died about 1838.  They had 3 children: Jacob, Andrew and Moses.

7) Dauphin McKendrie Lake was born 29 January 1813 and died about November 1847 in Washington County, Ohio.

8) Preston Lake born 25 November 1815, and married Julia S. Harrington.  He may have been a doctor.

9)  Daniel Goss Lake born 23 September 1817 and died about 1894. He married Abagail Sniff Cole and they had Preston Boardman Lake and Ulysses Cole Lake. 

10) Solomon Lake (added per the Washington County History).

Andrew and Elizabeth (Goss) Lake had lands in Washington County.  To find those lands records, I suggest that you go to the Marietta College, Special Collections, Digital Collections - Manuscripts and Documents of the Ohio Company Associates. 

Andrew Lake will be appointed the Administrator of his father’s estate in June of 1800.  I will share more about that in the next post. 

The early census are statistical and some where lost.  However, Andrew Lake appears in the August 1803, Adams, Washington County, US Territorial Census on Ancestry.com.  He again appears in the 1820, 1830 and 1840 U.S. Federal, Washington Co., Ohio Census.  Although his name might have been interpreted as “Anderson” Lake in the 1830. 

Andrew Lake is found in the  tax records for Washington County, Ohio starting with the year 1801 to about 1845.   These are on Family Search under “Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850.”  You can access the online index but you might have to view them at a Family Search Center or sign in to the site.

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Solomon and Olive Goss’s Family!

It is now time to turn to my research on Solomon and Olive (Scott) Goss, my 4th great grandparents, who lived their lives during major conflicts like the American Revolution, the Wyoming Massacre and the Connecticut and Pennsylvania land wars.  Life was probably good when they were young children but once their parents decided to move to the Wyoming Valley near the Susquehanna River in about 1769, things got very interesting and probably difficult? Connecticut claimed the area and Pennsylvania was not happy.  Then about 23 years later Solomon left Pennsylvania around 1792-1793 and headed for Ohio which was virgin lands. 

Wyoming Valley!

The marriage date for Solomon and Olive’s marriage is given as 25 June 1776.  Unfortunately and even with a lot of searching I have not found a primary source for this marriage and a location.  I have tried vital and church records for Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania.  I have studied every possible piece of history about the Wyoming Valley area.  I would call it a comprehensive search but not necessarily exhaustive.  I visited the Wilkes-Barre area, Connecticut and Massachusetts investigating their resources but nothing has come up on this marriage. 

So I have placed their marriage in Plymouth, now Pennsylvania, across the river from Wilkes-Barre based on their parents land holdings at the time and land records for Solomon Goss.* I refer you to the map above (Microsoft Streets & Trips).  Click on the map and it should open up into a bigger screen, just remember to hit the back button to return to this blog. 

I will discuss Solomon and Olive’s earlier years in more detail in the future and their origins, so this topic of their marriage will be revisited.  If anyone has any primary or even a secondary source (church, bible)  for this marriage and a location please leave a comment. 

The Second Continental Congress voted in favor of independence on July 2, 1776, so they married just days before this momentous event.   Here is a link to a timeline about the American Revolution.

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/revwartimeline.htm

Try this link for the conflict over the land between Connecticut and Pennsylvania as a start:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennamite-Yankee_War

Wyoming Massacre:
http://www.colcohist-gensoc.org/Essays/wyomingmassacre.htm
 

The Susquehanna River - Wilkes-Barre 2008

Solomon and Olive had a family of seven (7) children.

1.  Elizabeth Goss was born 9 December either 1777 or 1778 in the Wyoming Valley probably in Plymouth.  She married Andrew Lake on 17 May 1798 (1797?) in Washington County, Ohio and raised a large family.  Andrew and Elizabeth are buried in the Rainbow Cemetery in Washington County, Ohio.  

2. Noah Goss was born 24 June 1782 probably in the Wyoming Valley (Plymouth).  As far as I am aware Noah never married.  Noah died the 18th of July 1833 and  is buried next to his sister Lydia in the Green Valley Cemetery in Knox County, Ohio. 

3.  Mary Goss was born 4 March 1785 probably in the Wyoming Valley (Plymouth).  Mary didn’t marry but she followed her brother Solomon Goss (Jr.) to Hardin County, Ohio and then to Iowa and is buried probably in Henry County, Iowa.  She died before the 13th of April 1859 in Mt. Pleasant, Henry Co., Iowa. 

4.  Solomon Goss  was born about 5 May 1788 probably in the Wyoming Valley (Plymouth) in Pennsylvania.  He married Mary (Polly) Coburn Devol on 19 November 1812 in Washington County, Ohio.  They lived on his father’s land till about 1832 when Solomon sold it an migrated to Hardin County, Ohio settling near Peter Spracklin the father of his brother-in-law John Andrews Spracklin who married his sister Lydia.  For ease of identification I usually refer to him as “Jr.”  Solomon Goss (Jr.) died 1 November 1864 in Oskaloosa, Mahaska Co., Iowa (death provided by an online source).  Back in 2003 I traveled to Iowa.  I did not blog about that trip so I will share in future posts. 

5.  Daniel Goss was born 23 September 1790 per his tombstone.  He died 18 November 1868 in Belpre, Washington County, Ohio.  He married  Lydia Ackley on 13 August 1813 in Washington County.  He is buried in the Rockland Cemetery in Belpre, Washington County, Ohio.  Lydia Goss is listed in the death records of Washington County as passing on the 20th of October 1873 in Belpre, Washington County, Ohio.  I do not know where she is buried?

6.  Levi Goss or rather the Rev. Levi Goss was born 22 October 1793  maybe in the Wyoming Valley or somewhere on route with his parents to Ohio.  He married Sophia Rummerfield (no record yet found) probably in northern New York state and he died on 31 March 1872 in Medina Township, Lenawee County, Michigan.  He is buried with his family and wife in the Goss Cemetery west of Morenci, Michigan. I visited Levi on a earlier trip to Ohio in 2007 and I will share what I found in later posts. 

Levi is the great-grandfather of Flora Montanye Osborn.  Flora contributed to the research on the Goss family back in the 1920′s to the 1940′s.  She was a member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and Mayflower. She corresponded with Paul H. Goss who wrote many manuscripts and articles on the Goss Family.  In the future, I will write about these two individuals and their contributions to the body of knowledge of the Goss family. 

7.  Lydia Goss was born 8 June 1796 probably either in what was eventually called Cincinnati or maybe in what became Dayton, Ohio? The history books of the Montgomery County area state that another male child was the first-born in Dayton?  One of Lydia’s children’s obituaries told the story that Lydia was the first child born in Dayton!  More on this in a later post.  Lydia married John Andrews Spracklin on the 19th of July 1819 in Washington County, Ohio.  She and John are buried with Noah and Ida in the Green Valley Cemetery in Knox County very close to the land that was bequeathed in a deed in 1815 to Lydia by her father Solomon Goss.  Lydia and John A. Spracklin are my 3rd great grandparents and this is my link to the Goss family through her father Solomon. 

8.  David Goss was born probably sometime in the late 1790′s in Washington County but so far no record has been found of his birth or his death which might be about 1810 in Fearing Township, Washington County, Ohio? I will discuss David a little more in a future post.  Not much is known about David but he is usually confused with his brother Daniel. 

NOTES:  Susquehannah was spelled with an “h” at the end in the beginning and then it was later dropped. 

The Wyoming Valley is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and I found this online series of maps that might help to show it in more detail: 
http://www.mapcenter.org/community/wv-model.html
  My map above is not as detailed and I am focusing more on the area that was specific to the Goss, Scott and allied families.

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Sources:   Here are the general categories of the sources used: Washington County, Ohio vital records, Washington County Cemetery Records, cemetery visits, tombstone photographs, the manuscripts and articles of Paul H. Goss and Flora Montanye Osborn, DAR Applications, compiled indexes, estate files, county history books, deeds, tax lists,  U.S. Federal Census, family histories and more.  Each child and their family will be discussed in more detail in future posts with sources. 

*If you have ancestry in this area of Pennsylvania that has been discussed in this post, you will need to study the writings and books of Donna Bingham Munger.  Her Connecticut’s Pennsylvania “Colony” 1754-1810 Volumes:  Proprietors, Settlers and Claimants are a must.  This link to Amazon has them for sale.  However, you should be able to find copies in your local large library, archive or genealogical society.  Donna, my friend, took many sources and created a detailed index of the land records for the area.  I have seen some of these sources and they are not easy to read.  This three volume set can be of great help to researchers .   

Connecticut's Pennsylvania "Colony": Susquehanna Company Proprietors, Settlers and Claimants, Volume 2 The Settlers

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Reflecting On My Travels!

It has been a busy year.  I have traveled to Massachusetts and Connecticut in search of Goss history and just recently finished the trip to Ohio again in search of more Goss history.  I am very pleased that my trips have been of great help to others and I hope that it will open doors to their research. I have made several friends and contacts along the way and I am grateful for their help and their willingness to share that knowledge. 

My trip binders for Ohio are organized and I can now get the research sourced.  I had accumulated too much and had to make two binders for this trip.  As I work my way through it will be consolidated.

Ohio Trip Binders

I enjoyed both my adventures and really like Massachusetts.  I also like Connecticut but find some aspects of it a bit odd like their genealogical rules about accessing records.  I like being able to get someplace quickly and these two states qualify.  I found Ohio very different from my concept of that state.  It was pretty and reminded me of home.  It was not as industrial as I had expected but then I was not really in the bigger towns except Columbus and only brushing by Cleveland and Akron.  

The goal of this blog is to discuss the genealogy of Solomon Goss and his ancestors in the Goss family and the allied families that my line connects to such as Spracklin, Delano, Keller, Barclay and more.  It is now time to turn to a more involved and detail study of these families which covers what I do know, what I have learned from my travels and what I still don’t know!  I have more cemetery photographs to share from both trips and will be getting to that soon. 

Come join me!  There are several ways to contribute.  You can subscribe to this blog and receive copies of the newly published posts, leave a comment, and click the “like” for this post. If you have a great deal of information to share I am open to having you being a contributing author.  You can also contact me is through the Compiler page at the top of this blog.  

If you would like to visit other blogs of mine check out the right side of this blog and the “Blogs I Like” section.  There is method to the madness of several blogs and there will be some cross posting and references to my other blogs.  The Goss connect to the Spracklins and the Spracklins connect to the Kellers which leads to the Delanos.  The Spracklins also connect to the Barclays and the Barclay’s connect to the McDonald/MacDonalds. 

The header photograph is of the Ohio River in Marietta and every time I look at it my heart jumps with joy or I pause and marvel that I finally visited that area of Ohio. 

As an end to my trip to Ohio but the beginning of more posts to follow, I leave you with a few more visions of Ohio!

The Ohio River at Marietta

 

 

 

The Muskingum River

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Marietta and Washington County – A Dream Come True!

For years I have wanted to visit Marietta and do genealogical research in Washington County, Ohio.  I have been studying Solomon Goss for years and this was a major goal of mine.  I visited the area on my recent trip from Friday September 2 to Wednesday September 7th, 2011.  It was a very busy visit.

I picked up my hubby at the Columbus airport on September 1st, 2011 and we drove back to Mount Vernon and the Apple Valley Resort condo for one more night.  Checking out the next day we drove down to Gambier and took a quite visit to the Oak Grove Cemetery there looking for more Kellers.

Heading south we drove down Hwy to Hwy 229 to Hwy 31, 586 and 146 where we came out in Zanesville. It was an interesting scenic drive over country roads that went through beautiful farmlands.  From Zanesville we got onto Interstate 70 and headed east to Interstate 77 to go south to Marietta.  We stopped at a Denny’s for some lunch and discovered a very different Denny’s.  This one was a vintage Denny’s.  The waitress said there were about 80 built but only around 40 left operating.  This one had an Art Deco appearance.  It was really easy to get to Marietta from Zanesville and took about 1.5 hours maybe less.  Know that I know the way I see that it was pretty easy.

Washington County Historical Society

We arrived in Marietta in time to visit the Washington County Historical Society which is located north of the city in a sort of group of official looking brick buildings.  There was highway work going on so it was a little confusing to find the entrance.  I spent the first part of my visit getting signed up for their membership and studying their cemetery listings.

The sad part was when the President Ken Finkel tried to find the original will of Solomon Goss.  It was missing!!!!!

Someone had taken it back in 1991 and left a note with initials.  Mr. Finkel was very unhappy and tried another document that was also missing.  The rest were okay for I searched for them on the following Tuesday when I visited again.

I had traveled a long way to see this will of Solomon Goss’s and this was very disappointing to me.  Taking a document like this makes it so that those who are descendants will never get to see it.  I can just imagine that it is now lost forever.

I checked the courthouse later in the week and they didn’t have it.  A lot of original documents were given to the Historical Society and they are taking very good care.  This was not their fault.  I felt bad that I upset Mr. Finkel really cares about the records of Washington County.  I do too.

PLEASE DON”T TAKE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS!

There is a Mound Cemetery in Marietta that is very old.  They have a monument to the Revolutionary war soldiers.  They also have a Pioneer Monument to the lost graves of those buried in the area.  I have been trying to figure out where Solomon Goss, Olive (Scott) Goss, their son David and two of Solomon Goss (Jr’s.) babies might be buried.  Many tombstones are lost, flooding has taken its toll in 1913 and again in 1937?  There are readings of the many cemeteries in Washington County at the Historical Society and the Library but these are the larger cemeteries not the family ones on private land that may exist now or are gone totally.

Mound Cemetery Entrance

We had dinner at the Lafayette Hotel in the downtown area of Marietta.  It is located on the Ohio River and there is a little park there to view the river and see the sternwheeler boats tied up.  It was very lovely inside the hotel.  The dining room looked like it had been a theatre at one time and apparently they do occasionally hold events.  I did not book us into it because their website worried me with the broken links.  My husband was told they were updating it?  We stayed at the Comfort Inn on the other side of Interstate 77th.  It was okay but not the best Comfort Inn that I have stayed at.

Lafayette Hotel in Marietta

The Ohio River at Marietta

The next day we went to the Washington County Genealogical Society which has its collection in the library annex at the Washington County Public Library Local History and Genealogy Annex which is a completely different building than the main Library and situated a block south on the corner.  Again I looked at cemetery records, family history files, and more.  They had microfilm to access as well.  It was a very nice library.  I joined the Washington County Genealogical Society for $8.00.

Washington County Library Local History & Genealogy Annex

The next cemetery was Oak Grove which also had a Section 19 where they had moved many of the old pioneers to that area of the cemetery from the old locations in Marietta.  From the book about Mound Cemetery (very good book) I figured out that there were probably about 3-4 cemeteries that had disappeared because of removal to other cemeteries in Marietta.  I will talk more about this and the cemeteries of Washington County in a future post. Oak Grove Cemetery is on a hill with one lane roads that wind around.  It is a very hilly and scary cemetery because of these narrow roads, so be careful.

Oak Grove Section 19 Pioneer Monument

My husband said the man from the Marietta Cemetery Department called and left a message saying he didn’t find any Goss in Marietta.  So he did search.  The question is whether he did all cemeteries in Marietta or just Oak Grove.  I will let you know when I figure that out.

We also visited the Campus Martius Museum.  There is a three floor museum in the building and out buildings including the original Ohio Land Office that Rufus Putnam worked out of.  Also his home has been rebuilt inside the museum and you are taken on a tour of it.  It was so hot I had to leave because I started to get a little shaky.  Rufus and I are fast friends for I have seen the location of his home in North Brookfield.  I shall do a tribute post to this man, he knew my family and was quite a player in the history of the southeastern Ohio.   The name of the museum is pronounced like Marcius without the “t,” and is a Latin word.  We did not have time for the Ohio River Museum which would have been very interesting.

I have to admit I am confused.  I have seen documents coming from Campus Martius regarding genealogical research but apparently that has changed.  I tried to find out on my visit just what the status was for researching at this museum but I did not make much progress.  I was told it was not a research library but maybe you can visit by making an appointment.

The weather in Ohio had been fine till I picked up my hubby at the Columbus Airport on Thursday September 1st.  It had turned hot and muggy.  They did not get hit with Hurricane Irene but they were just about to get hit with heavy rain from Tropical Storm Lee. The Washington County Fair was taking place while we were there so we visited on Saturday in hot, muggy weather to see the hynotist at 6 pm.  It was a fun performance but I decided we needed to eat in a cool restaurant and they had an Applebee’s near our hotel.  It worked.  We would be missing the Sternwheeler Festival coming up in the next week.

On Sunday, September 4th we toured Washington County and visited several cemeteries:  Rainbow, Watertown, Rockland and Harmar.  I will discuss my findings in future posts.  I was looking for Goss, Scott and Lake burials and I wanted to see the general state of condition of the cemetery and get a feel for the distances.  We stopped in Belpre where the Historical Society is located but they were closed for the weekend.  I did call them before I headed to Ohio and they were very helpful in locating a grave in the Rockland Cemetery.  They are redoing the cemetery publications.

Belpre Historical Society

Sunday we ate at Austyn’s which was very fancy and located in the heart of Marietta.  Later was the Buckley House on our last night which was even more fancy.  I had salmon with peach sauce and it was delicious.  The Buckley House is an old Victorian home that used to be a B&B so it is a little unusual for a restaurant.  The theme is black and white with touches of red.  A really happy end for a last night in Marietta.

Tuesday I revisited the Washington County Historical Society and dug into the court documents for Solomon Goss, Obadiah Scott and Wine Rood.  They have indexes and finding aids.  I used white gloves to look a the original records.  Mr. Ken Finkel the President helped me try to find Obadiah Scott’s burial but it was not happening in published records.  He should be in the Waterford Cemetery.  He also helped with trying to locate a deed regarding Solomon Goss.

After the historical society we headed to the Marietta College in the rain.  My goal was the Special Collections.  I was greeted by Linda the archivist and she helped me to further dig for clues and answers.  I highly recommend a visit to this College which is in the heart of Marietta.  Linda is wonderful and friendly and very helpful.  They have a lot of information about the Ohio Company and Rufus Putnam on their digital website.  Very good.

Marietta College Special Collections

On Wednesday our last day, I visited the Washington County Courthouse probate office, recorders office and clerk of the courts.  It was a wonderful visit.  In fact, all my visits to courthouses in Ohio have been very enjoyable and the staff have been helpful and friendly.

Washington County Courthouse records

My time was up and we headed back to Columbus via Interstate 77 north and then west on 70.  We stopped in Zanesville and visited the Pioneer & Historical Society (Muskingum County) there and took a tour.  Did you know Zanesville was on the Muskingum River and did you know it was four towns before becoming one? Rufus Putnam and family were big in the history of the area?  Oh, it was also like Marietta part of the Underground Railroad.

Ah yes, Solomon Goss’s land.  Where is it?  That is for another post in the future.  It is on private land so I cannot reveal too much.  I would like to point out that a cousin gave me information years ago and it is wrong!  So be careful.

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Fredericktown, Ankenytown and OGS, again!

Forest Cemetery Entrance

John Keller and Mary Ann Delano married in Fredericktown.  I had wanted to visit the historical society and tried to contact them but the phone numbers on the website are not correct and out of date or the people did not respond to my inquiry.  I tried email and finally got a message from the President who was not very helpful and told me to Google my names!  I was also told they are only open on the 2nd Sunday so I missed them by a few days.  I reviewed their website and realized that was my error.  Did he offer an appointment, no.  I am sorry, I try to be positive about a repository but this is not a good thing.  Here is the link and I suggest you start real early to see if you can arrange some kind of visitation if you truly wish to dig into their holdings.  The building looked very interesting.

Fredericktown Historical Society

I wanted to see Fredericktown so I went up there and toured around.   I stopped at the Forest Cemetery and found the Keller tombstone I was looking for within minutes.  Sometimes it just works out like that. HA! Fredericktown was not like I had imagined but more industrial.  Of course I did not do much investigating and seemed to be on small hills.  There is another old cemetery in the town and I didn’t stop at the library but I did drive by. 

After my visit to Fredericktown I headed up to Ankenytown to see the Owl Creek Cemetery.  Now this is a United Brethren cemetery and not Methodist.  There are Kellers buried there and I wanted to see the graves and stones.  I am trying to separate out Kellers into family groups in Knox and Morrow to see if I cannot break through the deadend on John Keller’s origins. I believe this group of Keller’s had come from Germany and settled about the mid 1820′s. So they are probably not John’s family but you never know! I have other research going but this is one idea.  I expected to drive awhile to get there but I was there in no time from Fredericktown.   In our time, using a car, it is easy to get around but back then it took them much longer to get to a location.  However, Fredericktown was the bigger town back in the early 1800′s with Mount Vernon taking over later on. 

Owl Creek Cemetery

I was told by a man at the Morrow County Genealogical Society that it was very hard to find parents in early Knox county or Ohio? I have seen written publications attempting to do just this with the Keller name.  He may be right but I am remaining open. If you have John Keller and Mary Delano origins we need to rally together to figure this out!  Contact me on this blog by leaving a comment or find me through the Compiler information by clicking the tab above.  I am willing to offer you authorship of a post or posts to this blog with your theories and your name for full acknowledgement of your efforts.   I have discussed this issue of John Keller’s origins with a cousin who is equally obsessed as I am about it. She has a sharp eye for details and has studied the early census.  More on they mysteries of John Keller’s origins in future posts.

My next goal was to revisit the Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS).  I decided take the opportunity while still near and in Ohio to visit them a second time.  They are not that far away in Bellville from Mount Vernon.  Just remember to turn left onto Hwy 97 off Hwy 13 in the center of the town of Bellville. If you come by Interstate 71 take exit 165 and turn south and drive past the Dutch Heritage Restaurant. OGS comes up on the right!  This time I grabbed a sandwich and settled in.  

Go and visit this archive if you can.  The OGS’s new facilities are wonderful and they have everything organized to make it easy to access.  It kinda reminds me of the DAR library in the arrangement and style.  The staff and volunteers are very helpful and friendly.  My goal was to study First Families to see if I could find any John Keller or other surname information connections. 

Ohio Genealogical Society Stacks

About 4 pm I headed south to the Columbus Airport to pick up my hubby who was joining me for the final week in Ohio.  I was not looking forward to driving on the freeways near Columbus.  It was rush hour so the timing was not good and I got off at the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) exit and waited at the McDonald’s there till I heard from my hubby.  The exit was 17th Ave E, making it easy to spot the OHS building if you come by the freeway.  

To get to the airport I took a different drive through the eastern streets and it was interesting to see another part of Columbus, Ohio.  Stelzer Avenue is pretty easy to negotiate and goes right by the entrance to the airport.  Car rentals are located in the parking garage with their offices on a lower floor.  I parked in the parking area one floor up – there is long and short-term parking in the garage.  I wanted to sign up my husband so he could drive the rental car.  My timing was not bad and I waited a short time in the baggage claim area.  

We left the airport and Columbus by heading east on Hwy 16 back to Granville then north to Mount Vernon.  I had visited the Old Colony Burial Ground cemetery the past Saturday but I was struggling with fatigue.  I felt I had not done a good job and I was helping a cousin with her research.  So I wanted to go back and find a grave I had missed.  Well, we arrived in the dark!! 

The Old  Colony Burial cemetery, in Granville in Ohio,  is partially situated on a steep hill and is a good size.  On the side of the shed on the lower area is a map of the tombstones and a list of names encased in glass.  I had trouble with glare and thought I could redo my photos and my hubby could also try.  It was too dark to do anything.  Fortunately, my hubby brought a small flashlight.  He used that to highlight the tombstone I had missed.  He found it using the map and highlighting that with the flashlight and taking a picture.  His Olympus digital camera is very good and in some ways does better than my Sony Cybershot.  He took a picture of the map so he could figure out where the stone was.  Now cemeteries close at dusk, so we were pushing it.   Also it is not safe to walk in a cemetery in the dark (very dark no extra lighting) for you can trip and this was a steep hill to the stones up from the shed.  We took our time and made careful steps.

I was glad to get the stone and location of it but my plan was not that good.  I was pushing the limits here and I am telling you about this as a warning.  When you go on a trip you can get yourself into a “pickle” by pushing too hard!   The center of  Granville was busy with the night activities and couples were walking around.  This is a city not a small town like the one in Massachusetts.  

I usually don’t drive in the dark but I am proud of me for doing so.  I took Hwy 661 up to Mount Vernon and because I had experience driving it in the daylight I was okay and I had my hubby with me.  Just remember things do look different in the dark!  We made good time and were soon back in Mount Vernon and headed to the condo in Apple Valley.

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Mt. Vernon County Seat – Knox Co., Ohio

 I visited Mt. Vernon from August 26 to September 2, 2011.  I am home now but I will continue to post highlights about the trip and archives that I visited and hopefully it will assist you in your research in these areas of Ohio.

Records Annex, Knox County, Ohio

Mt. Vernon is the county seat for Knox County, Ohio.  The courthouse is located just down from the Records Annex  at 117 High Street in Mount Vernon (Hwy 36) and not far from the round-about in the center of Mt. Vernon.   The Recorder’s office (for deeds) is on the floor when you enter through the main door.  The Record Center is in the basement.  I suggest you visit both for court documents such as probates, court records and more.  The clerks are all helpful and very nice.  The Recorders office has the indexes and books right out there for you to access.  The first index to 1843 contains a listing of old deeds.  I asked the clerk behind the counter and was told they go all the way back in the first book to 1803.  They will let you take photographs. 

Deed Index, Knox County, Ohio

I  tried to dig deep into early Knox County history looking for Kellers, Delano, Askins and more.  I have already studied the Spracklins and associated surnames of the children so I am confident I have them covered.  I decided this time to emphasize the other surnames. 

The Knox County History and Genealogical Society is also located at 117 High Street  in a room in the basement area right across from the Records Center office.  They have updated their website so you might want to check it out.   They are very small but I noticed that there was change from my last visit and they had been busy.  They have an obituary file, family histories, have books and more.  They are also very helpful.  Hours are short so check the website.  They are in the process of updating the cemetery books done by R. DeLauder so keep and eye out because they will make them even better.  Unfortunately they have to rebuild the database because the company that printed the books went out of business.  They could use volunteer help. 

Public Library of Mount Vernon & Knox County

The Mt. Vernon Public Library  (Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County) is located on Sugar Street and Mulberry St.  There is parking in the back of the library.  You can enter on Sugar (a narrow ramp up to the parking) or try Mulbery which is one way going south.  I visited the History room in the Mount Vernon Library which is heavy on Knox County sources.  They also have Mount Vernon newspapers on microfilm, family histories, city directories, school yearbooks and more.  It is worth a visit.  I spent two hours one day and another hour on another day at the library checking sources for obituary readings, plat maps and more. 

History Room of Library, Mt. Vernon, Ohio

The Mound Cemetery, one of the oldest in Knox County, is just north of the public library and even if you don’t have family buried there I suggest you visit it.  It is amazing, for there are a lot of huge, I mean huge, monuments in this cemetery.  I was overwhelmed by it.  You know me, I have seen a lot of cemeteries on my travels but this was awesome.  So once again get a map from the Delauder publications (Knox county books) so you can find the graves you are interested in and that may still be a challenge.  I will feature this cemetery in another post in the future. There are Kellers buried in Mound Cemetery.

Overview - Mound Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, Ohio

My recommendations are that if you want to do genealogical research in Knox County then you need to visit the Knox County Historical Society, Knox County History and Genealogical Society, the Mount Vernon Public Library and the Courthouse Annex and include the Morrow County Genealogical Library Annex as well.  Each has sources to offer and is worth a little of your time.  Now they might duplicate what each other has but because of the short hours of some of these respositories you may have to revisit a book or source and you will find it at one or the other location. 

I would like to encourage those of you with Knox and Morrow County roots, including the surrounding counties,  to submit some form of our family history:  copy of a bible, chart, booklet, reports to the historical society and genealogical societies.  It is really needed!!!!  I would also like to encourage you to volunteer your help if you live in the area or join as a member and learn about the people who built this State of Ohio.

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Previous Travels: In Search of Family History!

Traveling to a family history location is very important to me.   So, I have made a big effort to go to as many family history locations as I can manage! 

In April 2011, I traveled to Massachusetts and Connecticut to go in search of Goss and Barclay ancestors.  I described my experiences on that trip in the blog:  Massachusetts Meanderings and More!!  I visited cities like Brookfield, Lancaster, Becket, Granville and more.   I studied the graves at several cemeteries like the Old Indian Cemetery in Brookfield where Capt. Philip Goss and Judith (Hayward) Goss are buried.  They are Solomon’s great great grandparents. 

Old Indian Cemetery, West Brookfield, MA 2011

Going further back to 2008,  I traveled to Pennsylvania and shared that experience in the blog:  Pennsylvania Wanderings…!   That blog was about my trip to the Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County area where Philip Goss and Mary (Kendall) Goss settled.  That blog is a bit old and some links are broken but rather than fix those links I left them alone.  The blog still has good information such as pictures of the towns, historical sites and cemeteries that are part of the Goss history. 

Forty Fort - Nothing is left of the old fort

The recent trip to Massachusetts is where the Goss family came from in Massachusetts, and the Pennsylvania trip was where my line of the Goss family went to.   One day I will return to Boston and head west and see if I cannot dig further into the family history.  

There are many more trips taken to search for family history that I did not blog about. 

In June of 2003 I traveled with my husband to Plymouth, Massachusetts and visited the Mayflower Society Museum and Library and  I spent four lovely days researching sources in the  Library behind the big house.  I even managed the research although I had a cold.  During this same trip, we traveled to Boston so my husband could attend a conference there.  I took the opportunity to visit the New England Historic and Genealogical Library and the Boston Public Library where I found more sources and information. 

The Mayflower Society House, Plymouth, MA

I have traveled on three separate occasions to the DAR Library in Washington D.C.  The first in 2000, the second in 2008 and recently in 2011.  I shared the 2011 experience in the Massachusetts blog and a little of my experience in 2008 in the Pennsylvania blog.   I spent a great deal of time searching sources when I was at this library. 

D.A.R. 2008

There have been several trips to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City where there are many sources to study and discover.  I have been there in the hot summer and during a snow storm.  The Family History Library is going through a major change and within the next 10 years they should have digitized their collection.  A lot of sources are being posted online that can be accessed from home while others are only accessed there at the library. 

In August of 2007, the Federation of Genealogical Society and APG were having a conference in Fort Wayne.  I knew I had to go and visit the Allen County Library.  They had just opened up the brand new library.  The curious creature that I am, I realized that Ohio was only two hours to the east with Michigan about the same.  I did not blog that trip but I will share some highlights in this blog.  This trip was in search of Spracklin, Goss, Delano and Keller family history. 

The header photo of this blog is the Lee Cemetery in Hardin County, Ohio where Peter and Elizabeth “Betty” (Andrews) Spracklin and some of their children rest.

All the repositories that I have mentioned are excellent facilities to do research on the Goss family and more.  I have had some great discoveries and some disappointments but I am glad I had these opportunities.  I have been blessed to have the chance to travel a great deal in search of my family history!

I am not done yet, I am off to Ohio for the second time in August 2011.  I will share some of my experiences in this blog.

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