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.

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The Family of Daniel Goss and Lydia (Ackley) Goss

Daniel Goss  married on 13 August 1813 in Washington County, Ohio to Lydia Ackley born about 1795 in Connecticut.  She died 20 October 1873 in Belpre, Washington Co., Ohio per the death records there. 

Source:  Probate Court, Washington County, Ohio, Washington Co. Marriage Records, V1-3, FHL #0941958.  Or you can go to the courthouse and view the books which are copies of the index.

I cannot determine where Lydia is buried.  It is possible she is with Daniel in an unmarked grave in Rockland Cemetery.  She may have had a sister named Clarissa. I do not know anything about Lydia’s parents.

The 1820, 1830 and 1840 U.S. Federal Census for Belpre are statistical.  Only Daniel Goss appears as the head.  The rest is in numbers.  I have tried to present here a table of those three census for Daniel Goss to get an idea of how his family looked during those years.  It is a summary not the complete census. 

We see that Daniel was consistent at 5 members to the family during those years.  A next step would be to compare the family names from the other census years to see how they might fit with these statistics. I will let others take a crack at it. 

Note:  To view the table click on it to open in a larger page and then hit the back arrow to return to this blog.

Census 1820-1840

Daniel and Lydia are in the 1850 census for Belpre, Washington Co., Ohio:

Line 6 – 168/175 Daniel Gofs (Goss) age 59, Farmer $2,000, born in Virginia, Lydia Gofs, age 54 born in Conn., Thomas B. Hibbard, 28, Farmer, born in NY, Sarah H.P., 25 born in Ohio, Santha I. Rosencrans, age 11, born in Ohio, Lucy D. Rosencrans age 9, born in Ohio, [Lawrence] Linn age 9 born in Ohio.

Source:  1850 U.S. Federal Census, Belpre Township, Washington Co., Ohio, pg. 325, FHL# M653_1049. Ancestry.com.

They are still listed in the 1860 Census but a Thomas Hibbard is the head of household.

1109/916 Thomas Hibbard 38 yrs. $4000/$2095, Born New York. Hibbard, Sarah M. 36 born Ohio, Edna 9, born Ohio, Sarah, 5 born Ohio, Daniel Goss 70, laborer, born Virginia, Lydia age 65, born Conn., Lucy P. Rosecrans age 17 born Ohio

Source:  1860 U.S. Federal Census, Belpre Twp., Washington Co., Ohio, pg. 282 FHL# M423_738.  Ancestry.com.

In the 1870 Census Lydia is still alive.

Line 1, 1, 1, Hibbard, Thos. 49, M, w, Farmer, $6000, $1100. Born NY.  Hibbard, Sarah M, 44, F, W. keeping house, born Ohio. Hibbard, Edna A, 19, F, W. teaching school, born Ohio.  Hibbard, Sarah A., 15, F, W. assisted at home, born Ohio. Goss, Lydia, 74, F, W. aid in house keeping, Connecticut. Rosecrans, Lucy 28, F, W. aid in house keeping, born in Ohio

Source:  1870 U.S. Federal Census, Belpre Twp., Washington Co., Ohio, M593=1278, Pg. 50A FHL#552777. Ancestry.com.

Line 33, 475, 486, Hibbard, Thomas B. w, m. 59. farmer. NY, Vermont, NY.  Hibbard, Sarah M, W, F, 54, wife, Ohio, VA, Conn. Hibbard, Ada S., W, h, 25, daughter, Ohio, NY, Ohio. Rosecrans, Lucy D., w, h, 36 adopted daughter, Ohio, VA, VA.

Source:  1880 U.S. Federal Census, Belpre Township, Washington Co., Ohio, FHL#1255075, pg. 66B, Roll #1075. Ancestry.com.

More about this family is featured in the book:  History of Marietta and Washington County on pages 1134 to 1135: The Thomas Birt Hibbard family sketch which gives a great deal of detail about Thomas.  It is very long so I will only emphasize certain parts:

Thomas Birt Hibbard deceased who spent half a century of his active life in Belpre township, was born near Sacket Harbor, New York, December 1, 1821 and died April 26, 1902.  He is the son of James S. Hibbard, a former resident of Sacket Harbor, who located in Athens County, Ohio, when the subject of these lines was but eighteen months old…

He married (James the father) Lucy Blanchard, whose mother’s maiden name was Birt, which was adopted by the subject of this sketch as his middle name….

Mr. Hibbard was the eldest of nine children who grew to maturity:  Sophia, Henry, Joliette, Clark, Louisa, Mary, Rudolph and Lucy…

He was joined in marriage with Sarah Porter, a daughter of Samuel Porter, who was a native of Massachusetts, but went west and settled in Ohio, near Little Hocking, in the early part of the history of Washington County. 

Mr. Hibbard and his wife reared two daughters, Edna A and Sarah A, both of whom are deceased.  Edna married Prof. Guthrie and their union was blessed with two children – Frank H. and Hattie A., wife of William Ellwood.  Sarah A. married William Richards and five children were born to them, as follows:  Birth H, Ruby, Garnet, Victor and Emerald.  

Mrs. Hibbard crossed the river of death to the life beyond, September 16, 1894 aged seventy-seven years.  She was a devout member of the Congregational Church.

The foregoing notes were furnished to the publishers of this book by Lucy D. Rosecrans, or Lucy Goss, as she is more commonly known, as a tribute to the memory of Mr. Hibbard. Lucy D. Rosecrans is a niece of the illustrious Gen. (Wm. Stark) Rosecrans and also of Bishop (S.H.) Rosecrans, formerly of Cincinnati. When but two weeks old, she was adopted by Daniel Goss and his wife (of Belpre Township). She has two brothers, Columbus and Eli, both residents of California (1902).”

On line family trees at Ancestry have her name as Sarah M. Goss Parker giving her a totally different set of parents other than Daniel or Lydia? Unfortunately the trees at Ancestry do not give sources.  I have not contacted the individuals of those trees.

The above information states Thomas Birt Hibbard married a Sarah Parker.  They had Edna A. and Sarah A.   

I can see that there will need to be some serious digging into Daniel and Lydia’s family connections in order to sort out the family relationships.  Studying the Rosecranz family and also Thomas Birt Hibbard’s life in Belpre and the Parker family. 

The 1900 Census shows that Thomas is alone except for Lucy Rosecranz who is living with him.  Besides the fac that his name is creatively spelled we see that her relationship to him is not indicated? The wd is crossed off and a 2 is next to it and that is very puzzling? 

line 20, 232, 232 Hitlard, Thomas, Head, w, m, Dec 1821, 77, wd 2, 2 born 1 living, New York, father born Vermont, mother born New York,  Farmer, 0, yes, yes, yes, O, F, F, 127.  Rosrecrans, Lucy, w. F, Feb 1841, 59, S, 0, 0, born Ohio, father born Germany, mother born Virginia, yes, yes, yes, O, F, F, 128.

I leave Daniel with many questions yet to ask about his and Lydia’s life in Belpre.  In the photo below you are looking southeast. Rockland is a big cemetery with many secitons.  The small stone with the person laying next to it is Daniel’s.  My hubby was trying for more details.

Rockland Cemetery Overview

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Daniel Goss a Man of Conviction, Belpre, Ohio!

Belpre Water Towers

Daniel Goss was another son of Solomon Goss and Olive (Scott) Goss. He migrated to Belpre, Ohio to live.  Belpre is about 14 miles south of Marietta.  You follow the highway as it curves south along the Ohio river.  Belpre is tucked in along the north edge of the river as it turns west and then curves south.      

Daniel is often confused with a possible younger brother David Goss. Daniel was 10 years older than his younger brother.   

Daniel was born 23 September 1790.  The census indicates that he was born in Virginia, which is very interesting. 

West Virginia was not established till June 20, 1863 when it seceded from Virginia during the Civil War long after the death of Solomon Goss, the father.  One of the goals I have had is to track Solomon Goss and determine the route he took to get to Ohio from Eastern Pennsylvania. If Daniel was born in Virginia, this means that a search of Virginia records is in order.  I have done some research into deeds in Williamstown, West Virginia looking for his brother-in-law John Andrews Spracklin.  I didn’t have much luck. This is another item for the ToDo list. 

Daniel died 18 November 1868 in Belpre, Washington Co., Ohio according to his tombstone (see below).  He is not listed in the death records at the courthouse, which is very curious? He is buried in Rockland Cemetery, Belpre, Washington Co., Ohio.

Daniel Goss 1890 to 1868

It reads:  Daniel Goss, Born Sept 23, 1790, Died Nov. 18, 1868, Ae 75 yrs, 1 mos. and 25 days. There is more wording on the tombstone and so far it escapes me what is written there?  

The publication I consulted didn’t give any more detail about what was written on the tombstone.  (Click the photo and it will open to a bigger picture but don’t forget to click the back button to return to this post.)

Source:  Rockland Cemetery Inscriptions, Belpre Twp., Washington Co., Ohio FHL#977.198 V3r, pg. 92, 1982, by the Washington County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. 

FindAGrave has a listing for this cemetery but no Daniel nor Lydia is mentioned. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&GSln=McCualsky&GSiman=1&GScnty=2123&CRid=42977&pt=Rockland%20Cemetery& 

The USGenweb Archives Ohio has more information and photographs and no Daniel or Lydia Goss:   http://www.usgwarchives.net/oh/washington/photos1-index.html

I was so happy to find his tombstone and view it.  There was no stone for his wife Lydia and actually no stones close around him.  It is possible she is there but not identified? 

The Belpre Historical Society is updating the cemetery transcriptions and trying to make it easier to find the stones.  I called them before I went to Ohio and they were very helpful.  They gave me the section and lot number so I could find him easily. Rockland is not a small cemetery. 

Belpre Historical Society, Belpre, OH

Rockland Cemetery is south of Hwy 32/7 and best reached via Hwy 618 or the James A. Rhodes Appalachian Hwy/Washington Blvd.  The cross street is Victor St. 

On July 1, 1815 Daniel Goss applies for a license for the purpose of manufacturing or making leather.  A bond is made for $300.00.  This was signed by Daniel Goss.  Followed by a James Whitney and Wm. Skinner as securities. This document was in the Special Collections at the Marietta College.  It is several pages and very fragile.

License to Make Leather!

Daniel acquires land in a deed on  2 October 1815 from his father Solomon Goss for the land in Knox Co., Ohio.  In this deed Solomon refers to Daniel as his “third son of the Town of Bell-Pree.”  There are two pages for this deed.  Here only one page is featured.

Daniel Goss was very active in Belpre. 

pg. 506 Belpre Twp. – Prior to 1815 Daniel Goss, a native of New England, settled near Miles mill. Thos. Burt Hibbard owned the place in 1858 and in 1875 according to maps of those dates. He (Daniel) had a tan-yard. He was a leader in the Methodist Church, and helped organize its first society.”

pg. 519: Belpre Twp. – During the fall and winter of 1820-21 a soc. was organized (Meth Episcopal), there being the first class books thirteen names, as follows: Daniel GOSS and his wife Lydia, Samuel Hooper, Clarissa Ackley, William P. Howe, A. Gridley, Eliz. Howe, Leroy Gridley, Susan Oaks, Susan O’Brien, Chester and Caroline Gridley and Louis Bradford. Daniel Goss, who was one of the most energetic of the early Methodists, was appointed class leader. Among his papers there were found the old subscription paper for the building of the church: – in this list Daniel gave $40.00 in a long list and Solomon Goss gave $2.00.

A log church was built near the forks of the Little Hocking north of Centre Belpre (or Porterfield), of which church there is now (1881) no vestige. The quarterage paid in 1821 and 22 was twelve dollars and 13 1/4 cents, and was subscribed in the following sums: Daniel Goss, cash $2.50 etc.

The Cedarville Church – By the year 1832 the Methodists in Belpre decided to build a house of worship at Cedarville, on the Ohio. Daniel Goss and Daniel Ellenwood were among the first trustees and members of the building committee.

Source:  1788-1881 History of Washington County, Ohio with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, published by H.O. Williams & Bros in 1881 and reprinted in 1976.  Sponsored by the Washington Co. Historical Society. Please note that there are several history books on Washington Co., Ohio and it can get confusing.  Porterville and Cedarville do not show on current maps having become part of Belpre.   Historic Map Works has a great Belpre Township map for 1875.  You can find Cedarville on the Ohio just as it turns west and across from Blennerhassett’s Island.  Further west by the “Belpre Middle Settlment” is the name T. Hibbard.  This was the former land own by Daniel Goss. Apparently the use of Porterville was gone by 1875 and it was known as Centre Belpre. 

Daniel appears in another history that covers Belpre:

pg. 112: The Temperance Reform – Daniel Goss, Perley and Wm. P. Howe, Geo. Dana Sen. and O.R. Loring…prompt in this work. It was the custom in earlier years when neighbors gathered for a “Raising Bee’ to lubricate them freely with whiskey, but the sentiment of the Christian men in Belpre was so far advanced that when the frame of the Methodist Meeting House in Rockland was raised in 1832, no ardent spirits were provided. This is said to have been the first frame so raised in Washington County…”

 http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Controversies/The-American-Temperance-Society.html

pg. 121: Chapter XII, Slavery and the Underground Railroad: “There were in Belpre — people gloried in the name of “Abolitionists’ though it was given to them by both Whigs and Loco Focos, as a term of reproach. Among these were Capt. John and Mr. Jonathan Stone, Perley Howe, Daniel GOSS, Joseph Smith, T. B. Hibbard and others in different parts of the town.”

Underground Railroad in Belpre, OH

More on the underground railroad in Southeastern Ohio http://henryburke1010.tripod.com/id60.html

I can’t help myself but Wikipedia gives this explanation for the term Loco Focos:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locofocos 

Pages 183-185 – Methodist Churches – there were occasional services held by itinerating Methodist ministers from Virginia in various homes in the township but the commencement of this part of the history was in 1820 when a class of thirteen members was organized with Daniel GOSS as leader. Of this number two soon withdrew and two were expelled leaving nine. About this time a log meeting house was erected near the Little Hocking about one mile north of Porterfield Station, and in the vicinity of the home of Daniel Goss. All traces of this building have disappeared….

About April 1st, 1832 work was commenced on the proposed meeting house and the 9th of June following, the third quarterly meeting was held in the building. The work was greatly facilitated by the memorable flood of 1832 on which the lumber was floated by Daniel Ellenwood from the mill on Little Hocking. This is memorable as being the first building in Belpre Twp. that was raised without liquor and at which there was neither accident nor want of help. In 1842, Daniel Goss was leader of Class No. 2 which met in the church.”

Source:  A History of Belpre, Washington Co., by C.E. Dickinson D.D., Ohio, Globe Printing & Binding Co., 1920. This book is online at the Internet Archive. 

In still another history book:  History of Marietta and Washington Co., Ohio

pg. 390 – Barlow Methodist Episcopal Church…

pg. 391: The Barlow Methodist Episcopal Church. The site of the present (1902) church was selected and deeded by Jesse Lawton and John M. Proctor to John Houghland, Luman Richards, David Ormiston, Daniel Goss, and Jacob Bridges, trustees (1836).”

Source:  History of Marietta and Washington Co., Ohio and Representative Citizens, Edited and compiled by Martin R. Andrews, M.A., Biographical Publishing Co., 1902.

I was unable to locate an estate file for Daniel but I did find a deed. This deed was dated July 10, 1867 and recorded a year later July 13, 1868.  It is in FHL#935960 Vol. 68 pg. 343 of Washington Co., deeds.  Daniel Goss, Gilbert O’Neal, Samuel Barkley, Thomas McFarland and Jesse Pride are the Grantors and they are selling land to Grantee John Edswick for $5.00, in Cedarville, Ohio.  This is a quit claim deed. The men listed as Grantors are the Trustees of the ME Church. The description is very detailed regarding the land being sold. It is interesting that this was recorded just months before Daniel’s death. 

Daniel was listed as an heir in the estate file of his sister Mary Goss.  See the post on this blog dated:  December 18, 2011 “Mary Follows Her Brother Solomon Goss to Iowa!” 

Daniel Goss was apparently a man of conviction and faith.  In the next post Daniel’s marriage to Lydia Ackley will be discussed.

******

Notes:  I was surprised to find the sign (see above) regarding the Underground Railroad in Southeastern Ohio outside the Belpre Historical Society.  Later we were returning to Columbus to fly home, my husband and I drove up Hwy 77 and turned west on Hwy 70 and we stopped in Zanesville. 

We went to the Pioneer & Historical Society of Muskingum County, Ohio and learned about the town being divided in half on the issue of slavery and that if was very dangerous to assist runaway slaves.  In the house was a hiding place for the runaway slaves under the floor.  It looked very small and cramped.  If you click the link to this society you will find another name mentioned.  Does the name Rufus Putnam mean anything to you?

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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 .   

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

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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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