In search of the final resting place of Solomon Goss & Olive (Scott) Goss

Now that I have shared my findings regarding Solomon Goss’es will, I would like to share about my search for the final resting place of Solomon, Olive and David and Solomon Goss Jr’s two babies, while visiting the area of Marietta in September 2011.

Sadly, I was not successful in locating their graves.  I did give it a very good try.  Finding them with their stones would answer a lot of questions.  Here is what I did.

1.  I personally visited as many cemeteries as I could during the time I had. I noted their establishment dates like Rainbow, Harmar, Mound, Oak Grove, Berg, Rockland, and Waterford. Mound and Oak Grove are in the town of Marietta and they have monuments to the early pioneers. They also have DAR and SAR memorial plaques and flags:

Blog Posts about various cemeteries I visited:

1. Marietta and Washington County – A Dream Come True!, dated Sept. 13, 2011.  This post featured a little about Mound and Oak Grove and mentions my visits to Rainbow, Watertown, Rockland and Harmar.

http://sgossfamily.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/marietta-and-washington-county-a-dream-come-true/

2. Rainbow Cemetery was featured in the post The Lakes: Rainbow Cemetery, Washington County, Ohio, dated October 31, 2011:

http://sgossfamily.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/the-lakes-rainbow-cemetery-washington-co-ohio/

3. The Family of Daniel Goss and Lydia Ackley Goss, April 9, 2012 features Rockland Cemetery in Belpre.

http://sgossfamily.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/the-family-of-daniel-goss-and-lydia-ackley-goss/

I will present more of my photographs from my cemetery tour of Washington County in the next posts:  Mound, Oak Grove, Harmar, Berg, and Watertown.

2.  I studied as many of the published cemetery books for Washington County, Ohio, targeting the Marietta area and the Fearing Township area. The farther back a cemetery was recorded the better.  Some of these publications  are with the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.  I made an Excel spreadsheet as I studied the FHL records to keep track of my progress.  You will find that here in the form of a PDF:  SolomonGossCemSearch.  Some involved searching the newsletters of the genealogical and historical society for publications of the cemeteries in Washington County.  These publications cover established cemeteries not private ones.  I did not have time.

The Tallow Light is featured in the PDF – SolomonGossCemSearch.  It is the main publication of the Washington County Historical Society.

3. On my visit to Marietta, I visited the Washington County Public Library Genealogical and Historical Annex and searched their records, publications, maps and articles including the Jerry Devol collection. Mr. Devol has passed but he did leave his genealogical research which includes a lot of his cemetery research.  The volunteer at the annex, Lila Hill, is very knowledgeable and helpful and a member of the Washington Co. Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.  Here is their website:  http://www.washogs.org/index.html

4.  I worked with Jean Yost, President of the Sons of the American Revolution Marietta Chapter who was very helpful.  They had a listing on their website of soldiers of the American Revolution from the area and Solomon Goss was included under their “Spirit of ’76 Patriots.”  http://mariettasar.com/spirit76.htm  Of course, there is more information and names at their website and it is definitely worth studying.

5. Mr. Yost gave me the name of the current owner of Solomon’s land in Fearing Twp. We both personally visited the land and met the owner. I do not publish the owners name out of respect for his privacy but I am willing to share if you contact me or leave a comment.

The current owner of Solomon Goss’es land told me he had never found nor located any burials on his property.  I took his word.  He further stated that he had lived there all his life and his parents had been there for a good 80 years.  He mentioned that there were other burials sites on farms near him. The area is very hilly and the roads are gravel.  They are very rough, very steep and have deep ruts.  My husband was brave in our rental car and drove up a steep hill with huge ruts to the Berg Cemetery which is on top of a big hill.  We did venture up to one area east of Solomon’s land which placed us on a ridge.  Again we climbed steep hills with gravel roads to get there.  My husband knocked on a door but no one was home. The farm was filled with lots of equipment, buildings, houses, junk and overgrown grass.  It was not a good idea to explore their land because we did not have permission and that would be trespassing.  So we decided to back off.  Much to my sadness, I was told that some of the farmers had plowed over burials.

6.  I studied online versions of cemetery lists for Washington County.

a.  Find A Grave is a good place to start.  They have Rainbow, Berg, Watertown, Harmar, Mound, Oak Grove, Oak Grove, Rockland and many more. I did not visit the Stanleyville Cemetery in Fearing Township but you will find it on Find A Grave. Caution:  Online listings are not always complete so check a publication as well or search out other alternatives.

b. The Washington County Cemetery Index was very helpful:  http://wchs-ohio.org/cem_index.htm  It gives a listing of the cemeteries and townships they are in and it also has a surname index.  There are no Goss listings.

c. Cemeteries in Fearing Twp are:

• Berg Church 1st Protestant 1846,
• Berg Old
• Saint Jacobs,
• Chapman
• Cherry
• St. Jacobs
• Flanders 1874,
• Gerkin,
• August Spindler Farm/Hobby Farm (Goldsmith) 1822,
• Lynch Church 1842,
• Miller
• Minor
• Mt. Ephraim,
• St. Jacob Church,
• Stanleyville 1806,
• Zimmer Family (Tuttle Family) 1817.

As you can see I was having trouble finding establishment dates for these cemeteries. I did not find any Goss names in any of these cemeteries.

In evaluating these cemeteries in my search I had to consider the religious affiliation (Protestant, Catholic, German etc.) as well.  See my  SolomonGossCemSearch PDF listed in #2 above for more detail.

The Washington Co. Public Library Annex has Cemetery readings for all except Gerkin, Cherry, and Miller.

7.  I called several historical societies like the one in Belpre for the Rockland Cemetery to find out where the grave of Daniel Goss was located and was informed they were updating their cemetery book.  I tried the Marietta Cemetery department but struck out.

8.  I was told by the President of the Washington County Historical Society that Marietta used to be a big shipping port and the ships would come in and the disease they brought would race up the Muskingum River valley wiping out many people.  They would bury people quickly and fast back in those days.  Did Olive and David get caught in one of these epidemics?

9.  There were floods on the Ohio and Muskingum River that destroyed graves.  Harmar Cemetery suffered greatly which is one of the oldest.

Solomon died in 1825.  Olive his wife and David his son probably died earlier before 1810 so those events took place 187 years ago.  See my previous post regarding Solomon’s will and my conclusions about the deaths of Olive and David.  I have seen how quickly a cemetery can be overcome with fallen and broken stones and the elements.

10.  The town government did not keep records of the cemeteries in the early years and many were moved as progress came.

The book “Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio” by Owen Hawley is an excellent book published in 1996 by the Washington County Historical Society.  This book gives the history of the cemeteries in Marietta. I will share some of it in the post on the Mound Cemetery in following posts.

“Pioneer Cemeteries of Washington County,”  compiled by Mrs. C.R. Sloan.  ”Washington County (Ohio) Cemeteries 1789-1940,” by Mrs. Helen Hill Sloan, 1964.

Burials in Harmar Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio, Washington Co. Historical Society, April 1977

Oak Grove Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio Burials 1860-1920, by the Washington County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society

11.  The area around Rainbow was once a thriving community and it is possible that Solomon, Olive and David and Solomon Goss Jr’s two babies are buried in that area of Washington County, north and west of Marietta and west of Fearing Twp.  I personally visited Rainbow Cemetery.   I have posted about that cemetery.  See number #1 above for the link to the post I wrote on Rainbow.

12.  I have researched Solomon and Olive’s children trying to see if any information would shed light on the burial of their parents.  I have asked of descendants and cousins if they have any ideas or knowledge of the burials.

13.  Early vital records in Washington County were consulted.  Marriage is more widely published and death is very difficult to find before about 1867.

14.  I consulted the newspaper clipping files of the Washington County Historical Society and all I found was the estate notice that I have published in several posts in this blog regarding the Solomon Goss estate.  Here is a listing of Marietta newspapers I found in a Tallow Light publication.  As you read this list you see that there is a gap of missing issues right in the 1825 time period when Solomon died.

Marietta Newspapers and the years.

15.  I tried to find Obadiah Scott Jr’s resting place. He was Olive Scott Goss’es brother.  He is said to have been buried in the Waterford Cemetery/Round Bottom.  So we visited that cemetery but did not find any tombstone showing his burial. A Tallow Light publication did list him in the Waterford Landing Cemetery (Waterford Cemetery) on pg. 48 third from the bottom “Scott, Obadiah died 30 Nov. 1827 in 57th y.”

16.  I did find a listing for Wine Rood and Anne Andrews Rood and the Rood family in the Mound Cemetery in Marietta.  The Mound Cemetery book mentioned in #10 above has some good information about them.  Unfortunately when I visited the Mound Cemetery and searched out were they were buried I found no tombstones and that verifies what the Mound Cemetery book states. They are buried left of Rufus Putnam’s tombstone monument in the back north corner. Anne Andrews Rood is the sister of Elizabeth “Betty” Andrews Spracklin. I will talk about what I know about the Rood family in a future post.

In summary, I was traveling in an unfamiliar area with little time, so I had to target specific cemeteries and records.  I  feel that if the descendants of Solomon and Olive were to do more searching, it would require cultivating friendly connections to seek out further possibilities.  I did meet a lot of people while visiting Marietta and hopefully these contacts will remember me and something might turn up.

So Solomon, Olive, David and the two babies of Solomon Goss Jr. remain missing and I continue to dig into other records to learn about more them.

Read Full Post »

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!

 

Read Full Post »

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. 

***************

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/

Read Full Post »

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.

Read Full Post »

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.

*******

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 .   

http://www.amazon.com/Connecticuts-Pennsylvania-Colony-Susquehanna-Proprietors/dp/0788442392

Read Full Post »

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.

Read Full Post »