Oak Grove Cemetery, Washington Co., Ohio

Oak Grove Cemetery is located in Marietta in Washington County, Ohio.   There is a book that has the burials listed:

Source:  Oak Grove Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio Burials 1860 to 1920, published by the Washington County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society 1991.  

Oak Grove Burial Book 1991

Here is a map of Oak Grove.  Section 19 is where the bodies from the Old Burying ground where moved to and where the memorial plaque is located.   Find A Grave has this cemetery listed to a total of 9340 graves.

Oak Grove in Marietta

In my post of September 13, 2011 “Marietta and Washington County – A Dream Come True!” I mention my visit to Oak Grove Cemetery because I was in search of Solomon Goss, Olive, David and their grandchildren’s graves.

The post before this dated January 8, 2013 is  about Mound Cemetery.  In that post,  I described the Mound Cemetery book and the different burying grounds used before Mound and Oak Grove and the lack of recordkeeping before 1858.

In Oak Grove there is the history plaque that is dedicated to Englehard Hopper and below his biography is a reference to The Old Burying Ground:

Historical plaque in Oak Grove

“The original burial site of the early pioneers was 600 feet SW of this spot.  28 people were interred there between August 1788 and September 1801, except during the Indian War of 1791-94.  In the Fall of 1871, the remains of 26 were brought to this this lot.  Two were reinterred in the Mound Cemetery.  Contributions by the Durm Family, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Washington Co. Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society.”

The dates given on this plaque are well before Solomon Goss who died in 1825.

This  is the memorial stone erected to the memories of the unknown pioneers.  Next to it are the graves of James Mitchell Varnum and his SAR emblem, and E. Hopper’s grave and emblem.

Oak Grove Cemetery, Pioneer Memorial Stone and more

There is a plaque for James Mitchel Varnum.

James Mitchell Varnum plaque in Oak Grove Cemetery

This is looking down from the Pioneer Monument which is located on a steep hill:

Oak Grove Cemetery

Here is the entrance to Oak Grove Cemetery:

Entrance to Oak Grove

Much to my frustration and disappointment I did not find any clues as to Solomon, Olive, David and the grandchildren’s burials in this cemetery.  I did take the time to find the Pioneer Memorials in Oak Grove and Mound Cemeteries and pay my respects.

A DAR or SAR emblem placed near or in one of these cemeteries may be a possibility for the future to honor Solomon Goss, we will see.

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Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Washington Co., Ohio

Mound Cemetery Entrance Gate

To find the grave site of Solomon Goss and his wife Olive, his son David and the two babies of Solomon Goss, Jr, I studied the cemeteries of Marietta and its surroundings.

Map of Mound Cemetery – also one in the book

Mound Cemetery is one of the oldest.  Was it possible that they transported Solomon’s body to Mound Cemetery from Fearing Twp.?

I was not finding Solomon, nor Olive and their family in any of the Fearing Twp. Cemeteries so I decided to explore Marietta closely and learn about the history of the cemeteries in the area.  I was disappointed to find out that they did not keep records till about 1858 and older burying grounds were opened for development and the bodies were moved at various times to either Mound or Oak Grove.

An Overview of Mound Cemetery

There is a very excellent book that I have already mentioned in the last post.  I suggest that you get a copy of it if you can and read the chapters that are about the history of the area they do mention names of deceased in these pages other chapters including a very carefully prepared listing of the plots and graves in the last couple of chapters.   This book is at the Ohio Genealogical Society in Bellville, Allen County and probably in a major genealogical society or library near you.

 ”Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio” by Owen Hawley.  This is an excellent book published in 1996 by the Washington County Historical Society.

Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio

This book describes the really old cemeteries/burying grounds and what happened to them and the bodies – Here is the Table of Contents:

• Prologue:  Requiem
• East Marietta Burial Sites Before Mound Cemetery

a. Emerson Hill (Old Burying Grounds) “The earliest cemetery was east of the Muskingum in Marietta was the “Ten Acres lying between City Square number thirty-three and the tree acre Lots…which is to be kept as a burying ground forecver (Archer Butler Hulbert, Records of the Ohio Company, Marietta, 1917, II 208) This covers City Square 33 which is the entire block bordered by Sixth, Seventh, Tupper and Wooster streets….Location of this earliest burial ground appears on the “Plan of the Town of Marietta” signed by Rufus Putnam, Superintendent of the Ohio Company’s Surveys, 20 April 1802. ” Names are listed that were buried there but no Solomon Goss. page 5. “…26 others whose remains were exhumed in 1871 and reinterred in the Pioneer Lot in Sect. 19 Oak Grove Cemetery.”  Only two could be identified positively.

“The hill-hugging Pioneer Lot in Sect. 19 in Oak Gove Cemetery is marked by a white monument bearing only the legend “To the Memory of the Unknown Pioneers who Rest Here.  This stone is erected by the Washington Co. Pioneers Association, A.D. 1875.  Names pass away but deeds live on.” In front of this onument are two bronze DAR and SAR gravemarkers for James Michell Varnum…Englehard Hopper.”

Note: The Washington Co. Pioneers Association is defunct and is now the Washington Co. Historical Society.

b. Warren Street at Third Street “This burial ground was opposite City square 11…only one Warren Street burial was recorded: that of Brig. Gen Benjamin Tupper…remains were removed to Mound cemetery.

c. Wooster Street at Third Street…the site of another early East Marietta cemetery.”  It is unclear as to whether the burials were removed to Mound Cemetery?

• Burial Records and Reading of Mound Cemetery
  • “Strange as it may seem, with certain exceptions, Marietta did not always keep a careful record of where it planted its dead.  This is true even of Mound Cemetery for a  considerable part of the 19th century…Rufus Putnam to whom that land had been leased in March 1791 gave the Square to the town for use as  a public burying ground.  It was not, however, until 3 May 1803 that trustees of the Ministerial Land officially set aside a portion of Mound Square as a burial ground; since the ground lay within Section 29 (Ministerial Land), only its trustees could make such official designation.”

“Although no written record of interments was kept before August 1858 it is possible to determine that by May 1803 there and been four burials in Mound…”

It goes on for pages about the history of the Mound Cemetery.

• Marietta’s Ancient Earthworks
  

  The Mound in Mound Cemetery

• Cemetery Fence, Gate and DAR Memorial Plot
• The Receiving Tomb (Ward Stone Vault)
• Tombstones, Stonecutters and Gravestone Designs
• African Americans in Mound Cemetery
• Other Happenings in Mound Cemetery
• Funerals, Funerary Customs and Memorial Verse
  • “…The burial of one early Mound Cemetery couple attests to this.  Caleb Thorniley Sr. died 26 August 1807; his wife Mary (Alcock) Thorniley died within 48 hours on 27 August 1807.  John Holt, Joseph Lincoln and Nathaniel Saltonstall also died during this time.  Writing to his brother Dudley Woodbridge Jr. from Marietta on 5 September 1807, William Woodbridge began: “I am sorry the truth will warrant me in saying that our little town has been and continues to be unhealthy, not withstanding its well merited character of healthiness, a fever has raged among us almost as fatal as the yellow fever. Majr. Lincoln is dead & his wife is at the point of death.  Nott is dead.  Old Thorniley & his wife are dead…There is scarcely a family at the point up and down the Ohio for many miles which has not one or more sick in it.”
  • Conditions during the summer epidemic of 1822-1823…were even more grisly than they had been in the epidemic of 1807.  Since the mortality rate was higher, an even larger number of people were given unceremonious burials. ”
    • There is much more description in this chapter than I have written here.  I was interested in the epidemics.
• Abbreviations, Symbols and Sources
• Burials and Plot Owners – lists in detail the burials they know about and other research done like newspapers
• Index to Buried Names – a quick index to the names throughout the book
• Epiloque: Passage from Shakespeare

Mound Cemetery’s Dedication to the Pioneers of the area.

The  plaque below reads: To the Memory of the Soldiers of the American Revolution buried in Washington County, Ohio Whose Graves are Unknown, erected by the Marietta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution 1927.  In front of this memorial are rows and rows of the DAR emblem with the names of some of the soldiers on them.  No Solomon Goss was listed.   On my visit I did not go to the DAR house which, I believe, was across the street from the Oak Grove Cemetery.

The DAR Plaque for the Revolutionary War Soldiers

Abraham Whipple’s Monument

Ebenezer Sproat’s Tombstone

On my trip to Massachusetts in the Spring of 2011, I took a drive up to the home of Rufus Putnam’s when he was living in North Brookfield.  In my post dated April 13, 2011 “Monday, April 11, 2011: The Brookfields, At Last.”  This was described in my blog about my trip to Massachusetts and Connecticut in 2011.  I wrote about this visit to Horseshoe Lake.  You will have to scroll to just after the North Brookfield Library to find the part about Rufus Putnam. 
http://massmeanderings.blogspot.com/

You cannot study the history of Marietta without seeing or hearing about Rufus.  I even visited the Campus Martius and toured his house.  I believe he knew my Goss family.  See the post dated September 13, 2011 “Marietta and Washington County – A Dream Come True!” written for this blog where I discuss visiting Rufus’ house in Marietta.

The tombstone of Rufus Putnam a very important man in the history of Marietta and more

This is a very interesting cemetery and well worth exploring:  Find A Grave has this cemetery listed but I do not know if they have all the tombstones included so you might want to consult the book above and also talk to the cemetery office.

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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 Will of Solomon Goss 1810!

Solomon and Olive (Scott)  Goss had Elizabeth, Noah, Mary, Solomon Goss (Jr.), Daniel, Levi, Lydia and David.  I have posted about each of these individuals in past posts.

I have just begun with sharing about Lydia and her life and plan to do more.

It is time now to show the relationship of Solomon Goss to his children.

In 1810 Solomon Goss wrote his will and it was on file at the Washington County Courthouse for years.  What I share with you below is a transcription obtained by Flora Montanye Osborn sometime in the 1940′s.

Transcribed Version

I verified this transcription with the will in the court clerks version:

Source:  Probate Record, 1789-1855 Probate Court, Washington Co., Ohio, Index V A #FHL#946211 Under “G,” Will Record Vol. 4 pg. 132 and 133 FH#946211.  I did had a bit of trouble finding it in these films so do take your time it is there.  I also looked at the copy in the Washington County Courthouse books when visiting in there in 2011.

Solomon Goss Will pg 1

Solomon Goss Will pg 2

In the name of God, Amen; I Solomon Goss, of the Town of Fearing Co. of Washington and State of Ohio, Although laybouring at present under some indisposition of body, yet being of sound and disposing mind and memory and understanding through the mercey of God do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following.

First and principally I resign my soul with the utmost humility into the hands of Almighty God my Creator, humbly hopeing for a blessed immorality through the merits and mediation of my Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ and my body I desire may be decently buried at the expense and discretion of my Executor. And as for such temporal Estate as the Lord in his great goodness and mercy hath instructed me to be Steward of, I give devise and dispose thereof as follows, I give and bequeath to my son Solomon Goss, my messuage of tenements wherein and wheron I now dwell with the appurtenances with all the privileges in any way or manor their unto belonging Sittuate in said Town of Fearing which is Lot No. — Allso all my personally property which I own or am in Lawful possession to the said Solomon with the exception of two cows. I give and bequeath to my sons, Noah, Daniel and Levi one hundred acres of land each and to my three daughters Elizabeth Lake, Mary and Lydia Goss fifty acres of land each, which land thus bequeathed to my three sons and three daughfters lyeth in what is called the Milletary tract of land in Range 14 Twp. 6th N. East Corner of Section 2nd to be equally divided among them in joint of Quallity & according to quantity. I do also give and bequeath to my two daughters Mary and Lydia Goss one cow each, being the two cows above reserved which will be left in the hands of my Executor. The one to Mary in three months after my deceas the one to Lydia in three months after she arrives to the years of eighteen if they then demand them, or any time thereafter. An I do hereby will and appoint that my Executor shall pay all cost and charge that he shall be put to in the Execution of this Will and I do hereby revoke all other Wills by me formerly made, and declair this only to be my last Will and Testament and appoint my son Solomon Goss Executor there of in Witness whereof I the said Solomon Goss have to the first side of this sheet of this my will set my hand to this last side being the second my hand and seal, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and ten Twenty sixth day of March.

Solomon Goss (SEAL)

Signed, Sealed, Published and declared by the said Testator Solomon Goss as, and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who have subscribed our names as witnesses thereto in the presence of the said Testator.

Robert Baird
Thomas Stanley
Lucy Stanley

Flora stopped at this point but I found more in the court clerk book and I transcribed it as best I could:

The State of Ohio – Common pleas April 1828

Washington Co., PA — This judgment of writing purporting to be the last will and testament of Solomon Goss late of Fearing in this County deceased was presented in court for probate. Whereupon Percy Blake the late Lucy Stanley being sworn deposed and said that she and Thomas Stanley and Robert Baud, with the latter now deceased, subscribed their names as witnesses to the said will in the presence and at the request of the testor who at that time was of sound mind. And ____Warner being also sworn he and the said Percy Blake both deposed and said that the name of Thomas Stanley subscribed as a witness to said will is the proper hand writing of the said Thomas Stanley now deceased, they having frequently seen him write, and being acquainted with his hand writing and therefore the said will and probate thereof are approved and ordered to be recorded. An on the motion of Solomon Gofs the Executor the said will named, ____granted him he having taken the oath that required by Law and together with George Dunlevy & Elisha Allen his Securities ____and acknowledge their bond in the penalty of four hundred dollars conditioned as the law ditates and the Court appoint ____Scanna, Doirt Ward and Asak Perkins to appraise the personal property belong into the said decedents Estate agreebly to Law. Geo. Dunlevy, Clerk.

In this will, Solomon clearly names his children: Solomon as executor, Noah, Levi, Daniel, Elizabeth, Mary and Lydia.

========================================================

There are several points that I wish to express regarding this will.

1)  Solomon makes no mention or provision for his wife Olive (Scott) Goss.  There is no mention of my “loving wife, I bequeath to her.”

2) On all the deeds written by Solomon Goss selling the land in Knox County, Ohio to his children, you will not find the statement for release of dower by Olive at the bottom of these 1815 deeds.

3)  Why does he name his children and their relationship to him in the deeds?  Most deeds do not have that type of wording.

 I submit. that Olive (Scott) Goss did not die on 4 July 1825 like so many publications and sources indicate, but she died prior to Solomon’s will being written.  The will was dated March 26, 1810. He is said to have died on 1 July 1825.  The July 4th date was probably Solomon’s burial date not Olive’s death date.  Unfortunately the graves have been lost to time so I was unable through extensive research to verify this information on my visit to Washington County, Ohio in August/September 2011.

3)  Solomon makes no mention of David, his youngest son or any provisions for him in the will? I did not find a deed for the land in Knox County with David’s name.

I also submit that David the youngest son died before 1810 as well.

Solomon Gosses’ will was probated in 1828 but the only piece of paper from that estate is the court clerk copy of the will itself.  There are no inventories, final accounts, heirs-at-law or other documents.  This is a photograph of the index page on the microfilm showing that at the very bottom they list only one document for Solomon Goss in contrast to the listing given above for another individual.

Probate Index, Washington Co., Ohio

Executor Notice!

This Executor Notice was in the newspaper clipping files of the Washington Co. Historical Society and is the only other evidence that a process was done regarding Solomon’s estate.  I did not find an obituary notice in these clipping files.  I did not take time to study the newspapers which I believe are rather thin in editions  for the 1825 -1828 time period.

A Serious Situation:  Again, the original will of Solomon Goss is missing from the files in the Washington County Historical Society.  Someone removed in back in 1992 leaving a note with initials that was useless.  This was before the books were transferred to the society.  So don’t blame them.  I was there and witnessed in September of 2011 when the President of the Washington County Historical Society tried to find the will for me.  He was very upset when he was unable to do so.  I was also very disappointed for I had traveled many miles to see this original will.

If you know where the  original will is please return it to the historical society so that others like myself can enjoy it in the future.

In this will Solomon Goss acknowledges his children:  Elizabeth, Noah, Mary, Solomon, Daniel, Levi, and last Lydia.  If you are a descendant of Solomon Goss and Olive (Scott) Goss please leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you.

=========================================================

NOTE:  Some of the abstracted published books on the wills and estates of Washington County are incorrect regarding Solomon Gosses’ estate. They confuse the father with the son of the same name.  So please be careful.  Here is an example.

Abstracts of Wills & Administrations of Estates of Washington Co., Ohio Compiled by Genevieve, Mary Potts 390 Oak St. Columbus, Ohio – no date, Fiske Lib. 7/2002 Binder for Washington Co.

Goss, Solomon – of Fearing Township. Will made 3/26/1810, probated April 1828. Children, Noah, Daniel, Elvi (Levi), Solomon, Mary, Lydia and Elizabeth (Lake). 4, 132. NOTE: His wife, Mary was the daughter of Gilbert Deval, Jr. and his wife Mary (Coburn) Deval. See “Genealogy and History of Hugh and Wm. Mason and Allied Familes by mary Eliza Mason. 

It was Solomon Goss the son that married Mary Deval/Devol, better known as Polly.

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What Happened to David Goss?

My trip to Ontario and Quebec came to a close and I was busy getting caught up with that project. It was a big challenge. 

 

Sunset on the Ohio River 2011

 

It is time to resume posting about the children of Solomon Goss and Olive Scott Goss.  I left off with Daniel Goss and after him comes Levi and Lydia with David being the youngest child. 

David is a puzzle.  Sigh!

David and Daniel have been confused in abstracted published works. I have posted about Daniel Goss in these two posts:

Daniel Goss a Man of Conviction, Belpre, Ohio! Dated March 26, 2012
http://sgossfamily.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/daniel-goss-a-man-of-onviction-belpre-ohio/

and The Family of Daniel Goss and Lydia (Ackley) Goss dated April 9, 2012: 
http://sgossfamily.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/the-family-of-daniel-goss-and-lydia-ackley-goss/

David would have been the youngest son of Solomon Goss and Olive (Scott) Goss.  David Goss was born 15 January 1799 in Washington County, Ohio.  

There is no formal birth record on this child. I have tried to find it in the Washington County records.  It may be found in church records if they exist.  The problem is figuring out exactly where his father was living at the time.

Elizabeth Goss the older sister married Andrew Lake on May 17, 1798 in Washington County, Ohio so this means that Solomon Goss had migrated and settled there by that time.

David must have died early 1810 or before 1810 because he is not mentioned in his father Solomon Goss’ will which is dated the 26th day of March 1810. 

There are no deeds prepared by Solomon Goss the father with the name David written in them.  This is regarding the land in Knox County that Solomon Goss deeded to his children in 1815.

In past posts I have shown that the other siblings Elizabeth, Noah, Mary, Daniel did have deeds by Solomon the father very clearly stating the child and their relationship to him except for Solomon Goss (Jr.) who inherited the land in Fearing Twp., Washington Co., Ohio. Levi and Lydia received land as well.  I will discuss the will and the land holdings of Solomon Goss in future posts.   

The census for Ohio is all but destroyed for the earlier years so it makes it difficult to even get a statistic for Solomon’s family.  Tax lists are wonderful sources but they only give detail about the owner and their property unless you get lucky and a note is written in the margins. 

According to the book:  State Census Records by Ann S. Lainhart Ohio did not have any state census.  She writes:

“Ohio did not take any state censuses, but starting in 1803 a census of eligible voters (Quadrennial Enumerations) was taken every four years as required by the first Ohio Constitution.  At that time the only eligible voters in Ohio were free white males age 21 and older…They list the head of household and either the number or names of other eligible voters in the household.  There was also an earlier 1800 territorial census which preceded statehood and listed the names of eligible voters under the names of the heads of households in which they lived…

Unfortunately, few of Ohio’s quadrennial enumerations have been found…The records that do exist are not housed in one archive.  Most are distributed among the Ohio “Network of American History Research Centers” created in 1970.”

Solomon Goss in the early years of Washington County as found on Ancestry under census.

• 1800 U.S. Census – No results for Solomon Goss in Ohio
• 1800 Tax List for Washington County – Solomon Goss in Marietta Twp.
• 1803 State or Colonial Census for Washington County, Solomon Goss in Adams Twp.
• 1809 Tax List for Washington County, Solomon Goss, Fearing Twp.
• 1810 U.S. Census is transcribed at this link but it gives no details.

 
http://www.usgwcensus.org/cenfiles/oh/washington/1810/index/index01.txt

This link is to Family Search had their index of Ohio Tax Records: 
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://hr-search-api:8080/searchapi/search/collection/1473259

At this point, I have not looked at the actual tax lists and or territorial census for Washington County in 1800.  Remember Washington County was much bigger back then.  I am reconsidering that choice.

Again I turn to Flora Montanye Osborn as the only source for this child’s existence. She must have had a bible or learned of these births through her family connections.  Her father was Levi Goss a brother and I will discuss him in future posts and also more about Flora and her manuscripts and articles.

When I visited Marietta this past year in August and September of 2011 one of my goals was to try to figure out where David, Olive and Solomon Goss the father are all buried.  I will devote several posts to this topic; so far I have not been able to find them? 

So I am very frustrated regarding David and his fate. 

The President of the Washington County Historical Society told me that Marietta had been a shipping port at one time and the ships would dock and bring disease that would make its way up the Muskingum River without mercy.  Did David get caught in one of these outbursts? Did Olive Scott Goss, his mother?

What happened to David Goss? 

If you know or have any information on Dave please contact me.  See the About page for contact information, or leave a comment.

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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.

*******

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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