John and Lydia Spracklin settle on Solomon Goss Land in Knox Co., Ohio

John and Lydia settled on the land in Knox County, Ohio, purchased by Solomon Goss, Lydia’s father, from Zaccheus Biggs on 28 July 1802.

Mr. Biggs has a patent for land for Knox County at the BLM Land website as well as many others. On the patent it states that he obtained the land, “4000 acres, appropriated for satisfying Warrant for Military Service.”  The Biggs family was very busy in Ohio buying and selling land.  They were not the only ones.

The link below to the BLM will take you to the search page.  I used in my search, Ohio, Knox Co., and “Biggs.”  This search will get you to the patent Biggs had for Knox County.  It showed up at the bottom of the search page.  If you just search for Zaccheus Biggs you might not get the one you want.  Also be aware that they spell the name most creatively especially the first name in many abstracts and documents.

The Biggs Patent before Solomon Goss

http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx#searchByTypeIndex=0&searchTabIndex=0

Title Transfer:  3/20/1800

Land Office:  Ohio,

Authority:  June 1, 1796 United Brethren Warrant (1 Stat.480)

Survey:  Ohio

Acres:  4000

Accession/Serial Nr.: OH2100

BLM Serial Nr.: OH No S/N

Sec. 2, Twp. 6-N, Range 14-W, US Military Survey, OH, Knox 2nd quarter of Township

There is a deed at the Washington County Historical Society in Marietta in the stacks in books. It is down the hall and around the corner.  This society was given a great many records from their county courthouse so you may have to check with them for older records.

Zaccheus Biggs is selling 450 acres of land to Solomon Goss in 1802.  The deed is very hard to read and of course the book contained only a copy of the original deed handwritten by the court clerk. It was very faint in certain parts of the document where the ink had faded.

Zacch* Biggs)

Deed)

Sol. Gofs) 

Know all men by these presents that I Zaccheus Biggs of Jefferson County in the Northwest Territory, Esquire. For and in consideration of the sum of Four hundred and fifty dollars to me paid in hand before the ensealing hereof, by Solomon Gofs of the County of Washington in said Territory, husbandmen, the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge and myself therewith contented and satisfied, I do hereby give grant bargain sell and convey unto the said Solomon Gofs his heirs and asfsigns forever a certain tract or parcel of land lying and situate in the County of Fairfield in the Territory aforesaid containing four hundred and Fifty acres, bounded and butted as follows viz:  beginning at a post at the Northeast corner of Section Number Two in the Sixth Township of the fourteenth range of the United States, Military Lands ___ called, thence [west ] Seventy two chains [courfing a small branch of Owl Creek  thirty Links upside of a post, thence south sixty two chains & thirty links to a post Thence east Seventy two chains to a post thence North Sixty ___ chains __________to place of beginning.  To have and to hold the gr____and bargain premises with the privileges and appurtenances thereof to him the said Solomon Gofs, his heirs and asfigns forever as of Fee Simple and ____ said Zaccheus Biggs _____any heirs, executors and administrators.  Covenant with the said Solomon Gofs his heirs and asfigns that I ____lawfully Seized is free of the premises that they are free from all impediments _____ that I will so warrant and _____the same.  To the said Solomon Gofs his heirs and asfigns forever, against the lawful claims and _______of all persons claiming __________________.

In witnefs whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 28^th day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & two.  Signed and sealed by Zac’hs Biggs

Singed Sealed & delivered in the present of ___Rufus Putnam and So____Putnam

Washington County __ Personally appeared this twenty eight day of July, Eighteen hundred & two Z___ Biggs signer and sealer to the witnessed Instrument and acknowledged it to be his act & deed Before me.

____Rufus Putnam Justice of the Peace.

412 Washington County __ January 15, 1803 __________is a true copy and text Dudley [Headbridge] Rec’d

Page 1 of the Zaccheus Biggs deed of Land to Solomon Goss 1802

In 2007, I was traveling in the northern part of Ohio.  I had attended the FGS (Federation of Genealogical Societies) conference in Fort Wayne were the Allen County Library is located.  After that conference I headed east to Ohio which is about two hours to get to Kenton, Ohio and then another hour to Mt. Vernon, Ohio.  I couldn’t pass it up.  Knox County was part of Fairfield County till it broke off after this deed was written and recorded in March 1, 1808.

The Recorder of Deeds in Knox County is in the Records Center and they had this huge map of Knox County dated 1847.  Yes, before three of the townships were annexed to Morrow County which was established in 1848.  I purchased the large map for $5.00.  I do not know if they are still selling them?

The Knox County Genealogical Society is in the basement.  If you visit stop by.  Their hours are limited so check their website.

The deeds are on the main floor and the court records are in the basement of the Records Center near the genealogical society.

This website is for all government offices in Ohio so be careful if you start exploring, they do have a map to the location, I have identified Knox for you:   http://www.ohiorecorders.com/knox.html

Knox County Records Center, Ohio, Go here for the Records for Knox Co, Ohio

Lovely Courthouse but it is not where the records are!

Here is a portion of that map featuring the townships of Liberty and Bloomfield Twps. Remember South Bloomfield was part of Knox in 1847 but became part of Morrow County in 1848.  The area in yellow highlights the Spracklin land and a little more.

Knox County before Morrow is formed 1847

NOTE:  This map is not only important for Spracklin Research but for anyone who had family in Knox Co., Ohio in 1847.  This is also important to me for my John and Mary Keller research. The parents of Elizabeth Keller who married Daniel D. Spracklin a son of John and Lydia Spracklin.

Interesting stuff:  In the past I have mentioned Rufus Putnam and the deed above is signed by a Rufus Putnam. He was a Justice of the Peace in Washington County.  I visited his land in North Brookfield, Massachusetts where he lived before he left for Marietta, Ohio.  I visited Campus Martius and viewed the house that he lived in.  They had it indoors inside the museum to preserve it.  The land office building is outside this museum.  He knew the Goss family.  He knew Capt. Philip Goss and Judith and probably Philip Goss and Keziah Cooley.

Try this link to his papers at the Marietta College Library Special Collections.  Who knows you might get luckier than me and find something about your family.  Click on the finding aid to see all the people he interacted with in his life.  Does the name Timothy Pickering mean anything to Goss researchers.  Also try the search engine.  Enjoy.

http://drc.library.marietta.edu/handle/2374.MARIETTA/428

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John and Lydia Spracklin’s Life in Knox County, Ohio

In the last post, I used the tax and census records of Washington County, Ohio to get close to figuring out when Lydia stopped paying taxes in Washington County on the land in Knox County and came to conclusion that it happened about 1820.

Solomon Goss, her father, was on his own again on the land in Fearing Twp. in 1821.  Daniel Goss, the son and brother, appeared on the same page or not, depending on the year.  Solomon Goss (Jr) doesn’t appear till 1826. Solomon Goss (Jr) was to inherit the land.  I refer you to the post on the will of  Solomon Goss, dated December 2, 2012:  The Will of Solomon Goss 1810!

In the last post, I presented a study of the early years of the Solomon Goss family using the U.S. Census and Ohio Tax records at Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org.  This is the post dated March 14, 2013:  John and Lydia (Goss) Spracklin Migrate to Knox Co., Ohio!

The post dated March 6, 2013:  Lydia and John Andrews Spracklin Family, I shared a summary of the their children.  In that post I presented the 1830, 1840 U.S. Census and several Tax Records for Ohio 1825 and 1835.

Let’s revisit these and review them again with additional information:

1825 Ohio Tax Duplicate record

Index of the Ohio 1825 Tax Duplicate. 

pg. 36 –
Sylvanus Cook WN (Wayne) C 13 (There are several columns of Cooks listed pg. 36-37.);
pg 64 Beder Goss PG (Portage) C 45;
Daniel Goss KX (Knox) N 20;
Daniel Goss WS (Washington) N 59;
David Goss MN (Medina) N* 32;
David Goss PG (Portage) C* 44;
George Goss – See Fricker (maybe Pricker), John;
Henry Goss HC (Hocking) A 4;
John Goss PG (Portage) C* 44;
Levi Goss KX (Knox) N 19;
Martin Goss HC (Hocking) C 4,
Mary Goss KX (Knox) N 20;
Solomon Goss WS (Washington) N 59;
pg. 44 there are 8 Delano names but no Stephen;
pg. 89 there are many Kellar/Keller names listed, there are 10 John Kellers noted. One is listed in Keller, John MO (Monroe) C 20;
pg. 155 is listed a Spraelin, John KX (Knox) C 49.

Index of the Ohio 1825 Tax duplicate, compiled by Gerald M. Petty, 1981, FHLBook#977.1 R42 p. FHL#1597666.  

We do find John Spracklin in the 1830 U.S. Federal Census in Liberty Twp. which I presented below. There is a woman between the ages of 30-40 living with him.  I believe that it is reflecting three of their children:  Mary 6, Peter 4, and Solomon Goss is 2 years.

John Spracklin is listed as head 4th down from top. This is a statistical census and does not give the names of the family members living with him but it does give age ranges for male and female.

NOTE:  The comments following the numbers are my speculations, if you disagree that is okay with me.  Please comment if you have any thoughts.

Free White Persons – Males:
under age of 5 – lists 3  - Mary, Peter, Solomon Goss?
10-14 – lists 1  -  Ida?
20-29 – lists 1 – I do not know who this might be
40-49 – lists 1 – John himself, age 35?
Females:
5 to 9 – lists 1 - Ida?
30-39 – lists 1 – This is probably Lydia, age 34?

Under 20:  5

20 – 49:  3

Total:  8

Total of All – (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 8

1830 Peter and John Spracklin Appear

There is a listing for a Peter Spracklin in the 1830 U.S. Census living in Liberty Twp., Ohio. Peter is on the first line.   John Spracklin  is on the 4th line down.

Is this Peter the father or Peter the son?  Well I believe it is the father before he moves to Hardin County, Ohio and settles there.  The Peter who is John’s younger brother is living in Kensington, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1830 with 11 people and will later migrate to Trenton, New Jersey.

I will post in the future about Peter and Elizabeth’s children. My focus is on John and Lydia then each one of their children. Here is a quick list of Peter and Elizabeth’s family:  John, Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth, Parmelia, Anna, Peter, Alfred and George.

Peter Spracklin (SR), 1830 U.S. Census Liberty Twp., Knox. Co., Ohio

Males: 
Males 15-19: 2 - George is in this age group.  Alfred would be 22 years old so he doesn’t fit? So who is the 2nd child?

Males 50-59: 1 – Peter Spracklin the father

Females

Females 50-59: 1 – Elizabeth Spracklin the mother

Under 20: 2

Total Free White:  4

All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 4

Source: 1830 U.S. Federal Census, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio, pg. 251, Roll #M19_134, Film#0337945, Image 505, Ancestry.com.  Peter Spracklin pg. 251, NARA #M19, Roll #134, FHL #0337945.  Peter Spracklin – Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Page 236, NARA M19, Roll #157, FHL #0020631.

Index of the Ohio 1835 Tax Duplicate Record has this information:

Sylvanus Cook WNESGC C 17;
Daniel Goss WSHBLP C* 25; 
David Goss PRTRND C 209; – Ebenezer Goss’ son living in Portage Co., Ohio
John Keller KNXWNE 7 235;  
Spracklin, John KNXLBR C* 161.

Source: Index of the Ohio 1835 Tax duplicate, compiled by Gerald M. Petty, 1987, FHLBook#977.1 R42 pg. 

I did  tax record research at the Ohio Historical Society on my trip in 2011 and found John Spracklin in Liberty Twp., in 1835, 1836, 1837.  When you look at the Tax Record films you get more detail.  There are two pages to these tax records.   This photo is page 1 and only a portion.

John Spracklin 1835 Tax Record

Caution:  These films were very difficult to read,  I was having trouble keeping the years correct.  I reviewed the film twice but still I am not happy with my recording of the data.  I would like to go back.

The most important part is the land description and it is the same one for all tax records for this time period for John Spracklin.  He adds more land in 1837 as he accumulates more.

1835 Tax Record:  John Spracklin, No. 18 Liberty, R 14, T6, Qtr. 2, E pt 3, 050 acres, value 075. 2nd line Lot 2, 100 acres, 2.2.5 – 2nd page 161 covers the taxes for a total of 0.63.8.

1836 Tax Record –  No. 18, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio, R14, T 6, Qtr 2, E pt 3, 050 acres, 075 value, R14, T6, 2, lot 2, 100 acres, 2.2.5 value, 2nd page 143 total taxes: 0.84.6.

1837: John Spracklin, R14, T6, qtr 2 E pt 3, 050 acre, 075 value, 2nd line R14 T6, qtr 2, 2, 100 acres, 225 value. 3rd line R14, T6, qtr 2, E pt 1, 050, 075, pg. 150 total tax 1st line 0.84.3, 2nd 2.53.1, 3rd line total tax 7.31.2

Source:  Ohio Historical Society – Tax duplicates (microform) 1809-1814, 1816-1838 Film #GR2532 1835-1837.

1840 Census, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio. Again this is statistical and only shows number of males and females living in the house, John is the 9th from the bottom of the page.

Males:
5-10 lists 1
10-15 lists 2
30-40 lists 1
40-50 lists 1 - John Spracklin about age 45?

Females:
under 5 – lists 1
5-10 lists 1
15-20 lists 1
40-50 lists 1 - Lydia about age 44?

Source: John Spracklin, 1840 U.S. Federal Census, Liberty Township, Knox Co., Ohio, Roll 406, Page 241, Image 486, FHL#0029169, Ancestry.com.  

In 1850 we finally get to a census that tells us something about the family.

Sadly this is the only census we see Lydia listed in.  She will die very soon in January of 1851.

Try searching using this spelling, “Spacklin,” to find him on Ancestry.com.

John Spacklin age 55, no occupation given, born in England
Lydia Spacklin, age 54, no occupation given, born in Ohio
Mary Spacklin, age 26, no occupation given, born in Ohio
Peter Spacklin age 24, Farmer, born in Ohio
Solomon Spacklin, age 21, blacksmith born in Ohio
*Daniel Spacklin, age 20, farmer, born in Ohio
Olive Spacklin, age 19, no occupation, born in Ohio
John, age 15, no occupation, born in Ohio
Lydia, age 12, no occupation, born in Ohio

Source: John Spacklin (Spacklin) Family, 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio, No.84, 157, #79, [9] of Sept. 1850. L. V. Parke, NARA Roll M432_700, page. 79A, Image 682, Ancestry.com Image 28 browsing in Knox Co., Liberty Twp. 

So we know that John and Lydia (Goss) Spracklin migrated and settled on the land in Knox County, Ohio about 1820-1821 and raised their family.  The land in Knox County was bequeathed to Lydia in 1815 by her father Solomon Goss in a deed.  This land was to be bought and sold among the Spracklins, Goss and those families that married into these families.  The land was sold after the death of John in 1862 in deeds and in his estate papers.  More to come on John and Lydia (Goss) Spracklin.

*My 2nd great grandfather.

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Lydia and John Andrews Spracklin Family

John Andrews Spracklin immigrated to the United States in 1817 and two years later he married in 1819 to Lydia Goss, daughter of Solomon Goss and Olive (Scott) Goss.

Lydia and John Andrews Spracklin had nine (9) children.

What follows below is a summary of their family.  I will present more information on what I know of each family in later posts and give sources in more depth.

1.  Alfred Spracklin, no further information or burial site found.  It is possible he was born in Washington Co., Ohio?  I did look for him when I was there but I was unable to locate a grave.  I did not find a record for his burial in Knox County either.

2.  Ida Spracklin is buried in the Green Valley Cemetery, in Knox Co., Ohio next to her parents.  The tombstone information reads:  6/7/18?? a. 10 y.  If we base her birth on the birth of her sister Mary, we might place her death around 1822 or 1823  1832-33?

3.  Mary G. Spracklin was born in 1824 in Knox Co. and died 25 August 1905 in Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio.  She married 20 May 1852 to a Henry Glancy b. 1803 and died 20 May 1891.  Henry may have been married twice before and one of the wives was named Abigail Mason whom he married on 30 August 1846.

4.  Peter John Spracklin was born 29 January 1826 in Knox Co., Ohio and died 6 May 1899 in Belle Plaine, Benton Co., Iowa.  He is buried in the Wright Cemetery in Belle Plaine.  I had him as Peter D. Spracklin?

He first married Mariah Brokaw (Brocaugh has a variety of spellings) 20 June 1851 in Morrow Co., Ohio.  She was born 21 Feb, 1831 in Ohio and died 29 July 1855 in Belle Plaine, Benton Co., Iowa.  She is also buried in the Wright Cemetery.

Peter married a 2nd time to Catherine Snyder Russell on 25 October 1857 in Benton Co., Iowa.  She was born 27 January 1837 and died on 29 March 1913, Chadron, Dawes Co., Nebraska.  Peter had 2 children with Mariah and 9 children with Catherine.

5.  Solomon Goss Spracklin was born 4 March 1828 in Knox Co., Ohio and died 4 September 1909 in Modale, Harrison Co., Iowa.  He is buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Harrison Co., Iowa.  He married Louisa Jane Avetts on 2 April 1857 in Johnson Co., Iowa. She was born 26 May 1839 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee and died 14 December 1928 in Missouri Valley, Harrison Co., Iowa.  She is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.   Solomon and Louisa had nine (9) children.  This family has been thoroughly researched by a cousin who is a descendant.

6.  Daniel D. Spracklin 16 Feb 1830 – my 2nd Great Grandfather.  I have shared about Daniel in my blog:  The Barclays of Pine River in the posts dated November and December 2011.  The Barclay blog is where I discuss the life of his daughter Amarilla Spracklin my great-grandmother.  Some Spracklin researchers spell Daniel’s middle name as “Dair” and others spell it “Dare.”  I have seen it both ways.  I have never seen where by 2nd great grandfather has spelled is middle name.  He always used “D.D. Spracklin” or Daniel D. Spracklin.

Daniel was married twice 1st to Elizabeth Keller in 1852 and they had four children including Amarilla.

 He married again a second time to Sarah Blacketer Allgood in 1863 and they had seven children.  Sarah and Daniel are buried in the Community Cemetery 11 miles west of Millersburg. See  ”BJM’s Cemetery Discoveries” blog for the Community Cemetery and for the Titler Cemetery.

http://bjmcemeterydiscoveries.blogspot.com/search/label/Community%20Cemetery

7.  Olive Elizabeth Spracklin born 25 July, 1833 probably in Knox Co., Ohio.  She died in Nebraska on 18 March, 1892.  She first married a Samuel McNutt and he probably died sometime before 1876 in Benton Co., Iowa.  She then remarried to a Wm. P. Merrifield who was born about 1829. I believe she is buried in the Table Rock Cemetery in Nebraska.

8.  John Andrews Spracklin (Jr.) was born 1835 in Knox Co., Ohio.  This son of John and Lydia is usually confused with his father.  To make it even more confusing they died within months of each other.  John is not called “Jr.” to my knowledge but I am using this to separate him from his father.  John Andrews Spracklin (Jr.) died on the 19th of June 1863 at Vicksburg (Walnut Hills), Warren, Mississippi.  He was a soldier in the Civil War and died of a head wound.  I have a great deal of information on John and his wife Drusila (Drucilla) Elizabeth Wolverton.  John and Drusila married 3 November 1855 in Knox. Co., Ohio.  Drusila died 26 September 1875 in Knox. Co., Ohio but I have not been able to find a burial site for her.  She is said to have been buried in Green Valley Cemetery near Mt. Vernon, Ohio where John and Lydia are buried, but I have not found a publication that lists a tombstone for her.  I walked the cemetery on my visit in 2011 but came up with no burial for her.  John and Drusila had three children.

9.  Lydia Spracklin was born 24 January 1838 and died 7 November 1902 in Table Rock, Pawnee Co., Nebraska.  She is buried in the Table Rock Cemetery.  She might have married first to Samuel Sharpneck on 21 June 1855 in Knox. Co., but I have not found anything else out about him.  She married for the 2nd time to Richard Kenner, an Englishman, on 9 September 1856 in Knox. Co.  He was born 16 February 1829 (Jan. 20, 1829 per his tombstone) in Devonshire, England and died 6 May 1901 in Table Rock and is buried in Table Rock Cemetery.  They had three children.  Lydia and Richard took care of the senior John Andrews Spracklin at the end of his life per the 1860 census.

In future posts I will share further information on these children of John and Lydia (Goss) Spracklin.

Trying to pin down John and Lydia’s movements in the early 1820′s in Ohio has not been easy. So far this is the earliest that I can place them in Knox County, Ohio.

1825 Ohio Duplicate Tax Records - Index of the Ohio 1825 Tax Duplicate, pgs. 35-36 Cook, pg. 44 Delano, pg. 64 Goss, pg. 89 Keller, pg. 155 Spraelin, FHL#977.1 R 42 p. Petty’s Press, Columbia, Ohio 1981.  The originals are at the Ohio Historical Society.

Finding John in the 1820 Ohio census or other locations has failed, my theory is that he living with Wine Rood, his uncle by marriage, at the time. The possibility that John was in Virginia has been suggested by an online researcher at one of the message boards.

I did a little poking around but did not find anything on John in the deeds and tax records for Wood Co., Virginia, the area right across from Marietta.  It does suggest that it might be a good idea to study Virginia for more information.

Here are the sources I studied and my findings so far for John Andrews Spracklin in Virginia:

Results for  John Spracklin on films searched in Wood Co. for John Spracklin. Does not mean he wasn’t there just did not find him in these sources.

Personal Property Tax Lists 1801-1850 for Wood Co., West Virginia and found no trace of John Spracklin in FHL#2026409.  I looked at 1823.

Also checked deeds for Wood Co. West Virginia FHLs #577161 and 577167 – Grantee and Grantor Indexes 1798-1935. 

We do find John in the 1830 U.S. Federal Census in  Liberty Twp.  There is a woman between the ages of 30-40 living with him.

John Spracklin is listed as head 4th down from top. This is a statistical census and does not give the names of the family members living with him but it does give age ranges for male and female.

Males:
under age of 5 – lists 3 
10-15 – lists 1
20-30 – lists 1 
40-50 – lists 1 – John himself?
Females:
5 to 10 – lists 1
30-40 – lists 1 – This is probably Lydia 

Source:  1830 U.S. Federal Census, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio, pg. 251, Roll #M19_134, Image 505, Ancestry.com.

1840 Census, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio. Again this is statistical and only shows males and females living in the house, John is the 9th from the bottom of the page.

Males:
5-10 lists 1
10-15 lists 2
30-40 lists 1
40-50 lists 1

Females:
under 5 – lists 1
5-10 lists 1
15-20 lists 1
40-50 lists 1

There is also listed below John Spracklin a John Kellar (spelling is different).

Source:  John Spracklin, 1840 U.S. Federal Census, Liberty Township, Knox Co., Ohio, Roll 406, Page 241, Image 486, FHL#0029169, Ancestry.com.

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A Wish Fulfilled: Solomon and Polly Goss’s Graves & sister Mary!

Sometimes I think I have a genealogy angel watching over me.  Recently I have been very blessed.  A cousin found me on this blog and she has been very kind and very helpful.  She went out and found the tombstones of Solomon Goss (Jr.) and Mary (Polly) Coburn Devol Goss!  Next to them was Solomon’s sister Mary Goss!! 

Talk about a genealogical happy dance!

The following tombstone photographs were taken by Pat Stoudt a descendant of Virda Huston Spracklin,* a half-brother to my Amarilla Spracklin Barclay. 

Solomon and Polly are buried in the Burge Cemetery in New London, Henry Co., Iowa.  The book by Jerry Devol that I featured in my post of January 29, 2012 “A Little About Mary “Polly” Coburn Devol Goss!” is not correct.  It states that they were buried in Oskalooska, Mahaska County, Iowa. 

Solomon’s will was probated in Henry Co., Iowa and they are in the 1860 U.S. Census there and it all makes better sense!  See the last post about Solomon Goss (Jr.) estate file.  

The Burge Cemetery is west of New London in Henry County off of Main Street and sandwiched between Oasis Avenue and 257th St.  New London is south of Iowa City and located in the southeastern part of Iowa.

A sign for the Burge Cemetery, Henry Co., Iowa!

Burge Cemetery Sign off 260th

Plaque on the pillar for the Burge Cemetery!

Plaque Pillar - Back Entrance

Overview of the Burge Cemetery!

Overview of Burge Cemetery, Goss Stones!

The three stones stand together!

The Goss Stones!

Find A Grave has a listing for Mary Goss d. 1859, Mary S. Goss d. 1865, Solomon Goss d. 1864 and Harriet M. Goss Maynard the daughter who died 1880.  I think some of the listing is not correct?   http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=685810  There are no photos of the tombstones at this site.

Solomon Goss (Jr.) stone, apparently it had been reattached?  It is difficult to see the dates it is so close to the ground.   

Solomon Goss the Son of Solomon & Olive Goss

This is a closer look and you can make out 1864!

Close up of Solomon's stone

The next stone is of Mary C. Goss wife of S. Goss.  It is definitely a C, not an S as listed at FindAGrave.

Mary C. Goss (Polly Coburn Devol)

Mary Goss, the sister!

Mary Goss, sister to Solomon and daughter of Solomon & Olive Goss

FindAGrave has her years as 24 yrs.  I think it reads 84 which would be more accurate! Here is a close up! (Click on the photographs and they will be made larger.  Remember to click your back button to return to this post!) 

This gives a death of April 6, 1859.  See my post dated December 18, 2011, “Mary Follows her Brother Solomon Goss to Iowa!”  I did not have this information when I published that post so this is good news.   

Closer Look at Mary Goss' tombstone

 

Mary Goss, the top of the stone. The sister!

Here is another overview of the Burge Cemetery, New London, Henry Co., Iowa:

I would like to thank Pat for taking the time to go to this cemetery and take these great pictures.  It is not easy to photograph tombstones!   I am glad she had fair weather.  It looks like it is well-kept and that is good news!  I wish I could have gone!  I so love to find my ancestors graves! 

Harriett Goss Maynard is also at the Burge Cemetery, she is a daughter of Solomon and Polly Goss. Here is a link to the Iowa Gravestone Photo Project with a picture of her tombstone:

http://iowagravestones.org/gs_view.php?id=225869

The main page for the Burge Cemetery but I am not finding anyone other than Harriett. Iowa Gravestones website:

http://iowagravestones.org/cemetery_list.php?CID=44&cName=Burge

*Virda Huston Spracklin is discussed briefly in the posted dated December 2, 2011 “Sarah and Daniel’s Family, the second Family!  This post is written on my blog: The Barclays of Pine River: The Lives of George and Amarilla Barclay.  I am slowly working my way to revealing more about the full and half siblings of my great-grandmother Amarilla Spracklin Barclay Dawes Urton on the Barclay blog.  A link to this blog is on the right side panel under Blogs I like!

++++++++

A Tip:  This website “The Families of Dennis W. Brumm“ has photographs of some of the Burge Cemetery tombstones and a map showing its location, as far as I can tell no Goss are listed.  It is a very nice and worth checking out there is so much more presented there.  Go to the top of the website  and just above the picture is a Find drop down menus and more: 

 http://brumm.com/genealogy/showmap.php?cemeteryID=4&PHPSESSID=c3e93e92c3c24992994b731071eb1146

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Visiting a Cousin In West Virginia!

A Bridge Over The Ohio River to West Virginia

I added my 25th state when I entered West Virginia on Labor Day September 5, 2011.  Granted some were brief visits like Texas because of an airplane connection.  So that means I have 23 more to go. HA!

My purpose was to visit a half cousin once removed on my Spracklin side or rather my dad’s maternal side.  She is a descendant of Peter George Spracklin the half-brother of my great-grandmother Amarilla Spracklin Barclay Dawes Urton.  Yes those are all her last names because she married three times. 

Janice and I share photographs

Janice, my cousin and I met on Facebook through another full cousin of mine.  Our shared ancestor is Daniel D. Spracklin who married twice first to Elizabeth Keller and then after her death to Sarah Blacketer Allgood.  I come down from Elizabeth while Janice comes down from Sarah.  Amarilla is Elizabeth and Daniel’s youngest daughter. 

Janice was born in Estherville, Iowa to Ivan and Florence Louella Nick and partially raised in Reading, Pennsylvania.  I visited Pennsylvania several years back but didn’t go to Reading because I didn’t realize there were all these Spracklins living there.  After a very full life Janice decided she liked the mountains of West Virginia so she set down roots.  She found a house that is a work in progress but I think she is open to that challenge.   

One of Janice's puppies!

My hubby and I left Marietta around 7:50 am and headed across the bridge over the Ohio River on Interstate 77 into West Virginia.  Tropical Storm Lee was reminding us of the fury of Mother Nature by dropping a ton of rain on us as we traveled to visit with Janice.  Once off Interstate 77th we were on winding country two lane roads through beautiful farm land, past meandering rivers filled with stilt.  I spotted several footbridges and wondered if that would be a fun adventure to cross one?  The road took us onto mountains and ran along the ridges so I could look down into the convoluted valleys filled with trees.  Western West Virginia is very pretty. 

I told Janice we would be at her house by 9:30 am and we were there almost to the minute.  Janice is even smaller than me and I gave her a hug afraid I might crush her.  Her daughter Crissa and family were visiting.  They had given Crissa a 50th birthday party the night before so I wished her a Happy Birthday.  They were preparing to head back home.  They were able to party on the new deck that surrounds Janice’s home and was built by Janice’s youngest son Bill and his friend.  There was the smell of new fresh wood.  Bill had to work so I was not to meet him this time.  Too bad I live so far away for he does good work.  The deck was beautiful. 

Once the company had left, Janice and I spent the day chatting about family history and getting to know each other.  Janice fed us twice and we were happy and content.  She told me about her grandfather Peter George.  She said he was a bit of a dreamer and wanderer and that explains why I had so much trouble tracking him.  She said her father Ivan worked hard to give them a good life.  Janice is very eager to meet other cousins so please contact me if you wish to share and I will get her in touch with you.   It was a good day but ended too soon and there were still many questions that I wanted to ask Janice and I am sure she wanted to ask me. 

My hubby and I made it back to Marietta as night began to fall.  We had traveled the winding roads of West Virginia in light rain which made it easier to enjoy the lovely scenery, but by the time we were back in Marietta it was again heavy rain.  It was a long but happy day keeping up with Spracklins!!

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Hardin County – Kenton, Ohio

The Hardin County Genealogical Society (HCGS) in Kenton, Ohio is a very active and excellent genealogical society.  I visited them in 2007.   It is now 2011 and it is interesting how memory works.  I had them in the wrong place on Franklin Street.  They are situated right in the heart of Kenton on the south side of Franklin Street next to the theatre and just west of the courthouse.  They are sort of diagonally across from  Brunnell’s restaurant which is on the northeast corner (not open Mondays).  Great for getting some food it you get hungry researching. 

Hardin County Genealogical Society to right of building

I called ahead and made an appointment because they don’t have hours that worked for me.  They are open in the afternoon on Tuesdays.  They are very accommodating.   I spent three hours at the HCGS. 

I was particularly interested in trying to find Caroline Keller Van Houten.  She and her husband Joseph left Morrow County and headed for Hardin County sometime after 1883 and were there by the 1900 U.S. census and settled in Washington Township.  Caroline was the sister of Elizabeth Keller Spracklin my 2nd great-grandmother.  I did not find where they were buried in Washington Township.  I did find their death information at HCGS in the death records.  

Lobby of the Hardin County Genealogical Society

While at the HCGS I looked at several folders for Spracklins.  They have filing cabinets with family histories. George P. Spracklin was in their file of  Civil War veterans.  He is buried in Lee Cemetery as well as other family members.   There was not that much on the Spracklins and the Goss so I think it is time for me to fill out a Pioneer Application and send some reports for their files. 

Hardin County records at HCGS

They have eight volumes of copied obituaries, marriages and death notices from the local newspapers.  It was quite a collection and spanned 1850 to 1900.  They also have other years in the 1900′s like 1902 and 1933.  You can see what they cover in their publications for sale section on their website.  Didn’t find anything of interest on the Spracklins or the Goss.  This is very discouraging to me.  I love obituaries and gossip in newspapers. 

They also have a collection of Hardin County courthouse records like probate, mortgages, chattels, deeds and so much more.  Three hours is not enough time. They are in the process of placing their collection information on their website so check back occasionally.  Some sources are the original courthouse records and some are photocopies of the records. 

I was there in Kenton for two days and on Monday, I visited the Lee Cemetery.  This was my second time there and I was so excited.  My memory of it was accurate in some areas but not in others.  Lee Cemetery is on CR144 just southeast of Kenton off Hwy 309.  You drive past Pfeiffer Station and just before you get to Hepburn you will find it on the left as you travel east.  There is a Morrison Cemetery that comes up first and then Lee.  I did remember the farm but it was much closer to the cemetery than I remember.  The horses were in the pasture to the west having breakfast.  There was a pony hiding in the grass.  The cattle were in the other pasture across the road.  This is Amish country and once again a horse and buggy came by but this time it was filled three children, two boys and one little girl with a black hat.  I waved and they waved back.  The horse seemed to know where to go because the young boy who was driving it was looking everywhere but straight ahead.  Clop, Clop, Clop!!  I was told that the Amish came about the 1950′s. The Spracklins, Lawrence, Cooks, Myers and more are buried in Lee Cemetery.  I will prepare another post to feature this cemetery for it is very important to our family.   The header photo of this blog is currently an overview of the Lee Cemetery.

Lee Cemetery CR144 after Pfeiffer Station

Just east on CR144 and past Hepburn, I came to a crossroads of CR245 and took a picture of the area.  I believe this to be where Peter and Alfred had their land in Dudley Township, Hardin Co., Ohio.  Returning along CR144, I made a turn onto CR235 going north and then left onto CR140.  This is a single lane road and as I headed west a deer came out of the corn stalks and panicked when it saw my car.  A cat went running across the road.  Proceeding cautiously, I positioned myself to take a picture of what might be the area of the land that Solomon Goss (Jr.) had lived on.  He was living not to far from Peter Spracklin.  Solomon Goss’s sister Lydia married John Andrews Spracklin a son of Peter and Betty’s.  After he sold his father’s land in Washington County, Solomon, the son, headed to Hardin and was there for maybe 17 years and his son Wesley left for Iowa.  Shortly after Solomon Goss packed up his family and headed there to Henry County first and finally Mahaska County where he is buried in Iowa.

Peter and Alfred Spracklin Land Dudley Twp

 

Solomon Goss (Jr.) Land CR140

  

My next destination was Grove Cemetery (also St. Mary’s) which are right on Hiway 309 and I had been curious and stumbled on some Spracklins in this cemetery.  Peter John and Mary Spracklin are buried there along with their two daughters Myrtle and Arloa.  Peter John is one of George and Arloa Spracklin’s sons.  George is a son of Peter and Betty Spracklin and younger brother to my 4th great-grandfather John Andrews Spracklin.  George, the father,  left after the death of Betty in 1860, sometime around the mid 1860′s for Shelby Co., Illinois and he is buried there.  I had the honor of emailing and chatting with Hellen Cox Tregillis.  She sold me a copy of her book “ABC Chronicles of Stoneburner, Spracklin, Austin and Boyles.”  She was very kind and helpful regarding the family and was willing to share what she knew.  Unfortunately Helen passed away at the end of 2004.  I will share what little I know about Helen and her book in a later post.   I found Peter John and family in section 4C  on the east and north side of this area which is in the center of the cemetery.  It is not a small cemetery.  The HCGS have the funeral records for this cemetery but be careful for they might not interpret the information correctly.  I was given directions to the wrong area and found them thanks to FindAGrave.  I will write another post about this visit to Grove Cemetery. 

The next stop was lunch at Jolene’s Cozy Cafe on Hwy 67.  I had a salad.  They are open for lunch and dinner and serve cafeteria style.  The restaurants in Kenton are  basic so this was nice to go to and chat with friendly people and have a descent salad.  The night before I had stopped at Michael Angelo’s Pizzeria.  It was pleasant and the food was okay.  I am afraid I am a snob! 

Hardin County Courthouse, Kenton, Ohio

The Hardin County Courthouse is a big beautiful building in the center of Kenton.  The entrance faces west.  I asked for the Peter Spracklin Estate file and the nice lady in the Probate office had to go downstairs into the basement after she verified that the estate did exist in the big books.  It took two index books to find it.  I was stunned they let me take the 4 packets out into the hall and look at them.  They also let me photograph them!  So I spent the next hour lovingly opening each packet and taking pictures in very poor light.  Now I already had a copy of this probate file from the last trip but it was very poorly copied.  Now I will be able to make sense out of what my cousin had obtained.  I know she will be thrilled to get these much better copies.  The highlight of this packet is Elizabeth (Betty) Spracklin making an X to sign away her Administrator duties to her son George. 

Next door to the Probate office (2nd floor) was the Recorders Office and I entered.  They had big books out in the reception area but not the deeds.  The nice lady took me into the back area and there was this huge room with stacks of court books.  She showed me where to look and I started pulling Grantor books.  I had done a whole lot at the Family History Library so I already had what I needed on the Spracklins.  I just wanted to see the books and get an idea.  The A-B was way up high and I had to use a ladder.  I am afraid my right wrist is not doing to well due to arthritis so there was no way I was going to be able to put it back.  I barely got it down. I was able to get other books off and back on.  I was not finding the name Andrews.  I asked the lady if the records from the parent county were transferred and she said not always.  So it is wise to check if you are looking for early deeds.  The Andrews name is Betty Spracklin’s maiden name.

My curiosity was satisfied and I thanked them, apologized for not putting the book back and headed out for the M.L. Johnson District Library down the street.  I like small towns because everything is so close and it takes just minutes to get there. HA!  In Seattle it can be a whole day or afternoon excursion. 

Much to my surprise the M.L. Johnson District Library has a small genealogical collection 180 degrees from the front door and it has a sign.  They had county books, another set of the Hardin County Genealogical Society books.  Newspapers  to view if you wanted.  Not bad!  I also liked it because the hours of the HCGS are not that great and even an appointment doesn’t give you all the time you need.  They had the cemetery records of the HCGS and tried again for the Van Houtens and found them!  Genealogical HAPPY DANCE!  They are in Dunkirk Cemetery in Blanchard Township which is 10 minutes north of Kenton.  So I was pleased and happy that I took the chance to go to this library and found a small treasure. 

M. L. Johnson District Library, Kenton

Genealogy area of Kenton Library

My lodging in Kenton was at the Country Hearth Inn which use to be an Amerihost.  It is on Hwy 67th and Hester St. just past the hospital entrance.  My cousin and I had stayed there before and it was okay then and it was okay now.  They have a Continental Breakfast.  I do know that they have a B&B in the downtown area and that there is the BJ and Kenton motels on Hiway 309. 

If you decide to go to Kenton to do genealogical research the Hardin County Genealogical Society, the courthouse and the library are all good possibilities.  I have found Hardin County records to not be as available elsewhere like other counties.  Not sure why?  The Family History Library does have some of the records and I have done well.

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Ohio Bound: The Goss Family Story Continues!

My trip to Ohio is almost here!   Here is a bit of a quick review of why I am off to Ohio!

The story of the Goss family started in Boston or what was called Muddy River (Roxbury) in the mid 1600′s.   Philip Goss settled there and married 1st Hannah Hopkins and 2nd Mary Prescott.  He migrated to Lancaster purchased land from Joseph Rowlandson 1687 and settled there.  He is buried in the Old Settler’s Burial Ground in Lancaster.

Philip Goss of Roxbury & Lancaster

His son Capt. Philip Goss and wife Judith Hayward Goss moved to Brookfield and lived their lives in that area.  They are buried in the Old Indian Burial Ground in West Brookfield. 

Capt. Philip and Judith Goss 2011

Philip and Judith’s son Philip (III) married Keziah Cooley and it is not clear how or where he is buried but there is an estate file for him in 1742 in the Worcester County Records as well as for the Philip Gosses mentioned above I & II.  Keziah and Philip (III) had a son name Philip which I call number 4 (IV) in order to keep him straight from other Philips.  He migrated to Simsbury or rather North Granby, then to Granville and next to Becket.  He didn’t stop there heading for the area around Wilkes-Barre which we know as Lucerne County, Pennsylvania.  It is a long and sad story what happened in Pennsylvania because it was considered part of Connecticut for a long time.  Many of the descendants of Philip Goss IV stayed in Pennsylvania but several of them did not and they migrated to Ohio. 

My up and coming trip to Ohio next week will delve into the history of those Goss ancestors that migrated to Ohio.  So basically I started with Pennsylvania and wrote about my trip there in Pennsylvania Wanderings and then I went to Massachusetts Meanderings and wrote about my travels there (see side bar Blogs I like).    

Ebenezer Goss went to Portage County, Ohio about 1804.  Ebenezer is a younger brother to my Solomon Goss, my 4th great-grandfather, who migrated to Ohio first to what is now the Dayton, Ohio (1796) area and then to Marietta, Ohio in Washington County and was there about 1798.  Nathaniel Goss another brother to Solomon and Ebenezer had a son name John who migrated to Ohio and settled near Ebenezer.  Just recently someone emailed me about Sewards (Seawards) in Ohio and I realized that some of the Enos and Sarah Goss Seward family migrated to Ohio and beyond. 

Here are two sources that you need to read if you are not familiar with this line of the Goss family.  They are downloadable from the Family History Library and more. 

Paul H. Goss – Goss Family 

The chart below is based on one of Paul H. Goss’ (Rev. Paul H. Goss or Paul Henry Goss) manuscript in which he discusses sources. 

First Generation: PHILIP (1) GOSS, the Immigrant Ancestor of Roxbury and Lancaster, Massachusetts 1652 to 1698
Married 1st, Hannah Hopkins about 1675	Married 2nd Mary Prescott m 29 March 1690
2nd Generation
PHILIP (2) GOSS 1676 to 1747 Married Judith Hayward m 30 Aug. 1699	JOHN (2) GOSS b. 1/20/1693, died about 1745 Married Mary Woods m 9 Nov. 1711
3rd Generation
PHILIP (3) GOSS b about 1700 and died 1742 Brookfield, MA Married Keziah Cooley m 25 Nov. 1723	PHILIP (3) GOSS, b. circa 1720 at Lancaster,MA. Died 17 Apr. 1804 in Winchester, NH Married Hannah Ball m 12 May 1748
4th Generation
**PHILIP (4) GOSS, “of BROOKFIELD” b. 18 Nov. 1724 died 9 Nov. 1778 Married Mary Kendall of Lancaster 7 Jun 1744 Left Brookfield for Simsbury (North Granby), Granville, Becket and then to Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.	PHILIP (4) GOSS, of Montague,Massachusetts. b. 17 Oct 1757, died 23 Jun 1840 in Montague, Franklin, Massachusetts Married Esther Gale 23 Sep 1779 Winchester, NH
5th Generation
PHILIP (5) GOSS, Jr., Harveyville, Pennsylvania b. 12 Aug 1746 died 25 Oct. 1833 in PA Married Hannah Darby unknown	PHILIP (5) LAMPSON GOSS of Brighton,Ohio married twice died in 1878.

Elbert Garrett Goss – Descendants of Philip Goss of Lancaster, MA 1650  This discusses the descendants of John Goss the 1/2 brother and son of Philip Goss and Mary (Prescott) Goss.  His family is featured in the 2nd column.  

There is another recently published book by David Goss – Abel Goss of Lower Waterford, that further digs into the John Goss line and where the descendants that went to New Hampshire migrated too. 

These sources are not all the sources for these Goss family lines.  They are just the beginning.  It is confusing for there are a  lot of “Philip Goss” names in the family lines.  Be advised that there are other Goss lines in New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania and in the southern states that are not our line.  I refer you to Paul H. Goss’ manuscript cited above for clues and a start. 

**My interest and focus on the family of Philip Goss and Mary Kendall Goss who died in Huntington Township, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.  See the chart above 1st column Philip #4.  Philip and Mary had:  Sarah m. Enos Seward, Philip Goss Jr. m. Hannah Darby, Experience Goss, Nathaniel Goss married Hannah Scott, Comfort Goss, David Goss, Solomon Goss m. Olive Scott,  Mary Goss, Ebenezer Goss who marred Bede Blakeslee.  

The Spracklins married into the Solomon Goss family.  I will visit those family history sites near Mount Vernon and Kenton, Ohio where the Spracklin’s settled.   Daniel D. Spracklin (son of John and Lydia Spracklin a daughter of Solomon and Olive) married Elizabeth Keller in 1853.  Elizabeth’s mother was a Delano.   I will visit Morrow, Franklin and Knox County again and see if I cannot learn more about the Delano and Keller families.   

As I stated, this blog will cover the highlights of my trip to Ohio this August (wow it is almost here!) and not be a travelogue – day-to-day!  I will however, as I always do, journal the trip and take lots of pictures.   Information from this trip will be discussed in future posts.

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Ancestor Outline by Armindo Spracklin

My Aunt Miriam sent to me three pages of an ancestor outline about 1987 with surnames of Spracklin and Goss written on it.  I do not remember how many times I studied it but it was with me for a long time before I jumped in and starting looking for the family.  Survival and life intervened and kept me busy.  I waited too long and started about the end of 1998. The last of my father’s family had passed and I realized I needed to get busy and start the search for family. 

Who is Armindo?  She is the wife of Charles Edward Spracklin.  Charles is a half-brother to my great-grandmother Amarilla Spracklin. 

Aunt Miriam didn’t know who Armindo was, she thought it was Amarilla using another version of her name?

The formal name I have is Arminda Victoria Ward Spracklin born on 17 June 1883 in New York Mills, Otter Tail, Minnesota and died on 26 July 1955 in Bozeman, Gallatin Co., Montana. She wanted to be buried in the mountains according to a cousin, so her son took her there.  I visited her grave and it is there in the Sunset Hills Cemetery in Bozeman (2010)  but she has no stone!  The cemetery office verified her burial and the caretaker even took us to the gravesite. 

Armindo copied these records from some source but I do not know from whom? I do have a theory?  Charles Edward (Ed) and Armindo lived north of Pine River near my great-grandmother Amarilla.  There will be future posts about this couple along with sources.

Page one places the surnames of Spracklin and Goss together in the marriage of John Andrews Spracklin to Lydia Goss.  They married the 19th of July, 1819 in Washington Co., Ohio. 

Source:  Marriage Records of Washington County, Ohio, Probate Court, V1-3, FHL#0941958.   There are other marriages of the family in this film.   (FHL – Family History Library in Salt Lake City.)

Ancestor Outline page 1

Page 2 is slightly cut off on the left side.  It came to be in this cutoff version.

Page 3 covers the surname of Allgood.  Daniel married twice and his second wife was Sarah Blacketer Allgood.  Emily was the only child that survived in this family and she lived to adulthood, married and had children.  Where Edward, Sarah’s first husband, and the other children are buried I do not know but wonder if they are in unmarked graves in the Titler Cemetery near Marengo, Iowa along with other family.   A lot of the stones in that cemetery are broken and piled under trees and not situated on the graves.  I almost fell when I stepped into a depression in the ground, which was probably a grave. It is mowed but the tombstones are in bad shape. 

See my blog “BJM’s Cemetery Discoveries,” http://bjmcemeterydiscoveries.blogspot.com/search/label/Titler%20Cemetery  I have pictures of the some of the stones from Titler Cemetery featured on that blog. 

Ancestor Outline page 3

I share these three pages with you and ask that you give credit to my Aunt Miriam McDonald for preserving them all these years and to Armindo Spracklin for taking an interest in our family. 

In future posts I will delve into more detail on these families, what I know and don’t know and the connection to the Goss family in Ohio.

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Welcome!

Welcome to this blog about my 4th great-grandfather Solomon Goss. 

Solomon was born near Granville, Massachusetts on June 16, 1754.  He died in Fearing Township, Washington County, Ohio on July 1, 1825.  This blog will cover his ancestors and his descendants.

Granville Town Circle and Public Library 2011

I have been studying and researching Solomon his descendants and ancestors for over 12 years.  That may not seem like a lot, but I have worked on this almost every day during that 10 years.  I left my job at the end of 2000 and recently officially retired.  It has been an intense 12 years.

As you known genealogy is a never-ending quest and one is never done.  You finally find that one clue and it answers some questions and then opens up a whole set of new ones.  So I will do my best to share what I do know and what I don’t know and hopefully it will open a door for someone else.

Solomon Goss is a pivotal ancestor.  By that I mean, if he had not come from Pennsylvania to Ohio my family lines might have been very different.  He left his family and friends in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  His mother and father were Philip Goss and Mary Kendall Goss.  Mary is buried in the Scott/Waterton Cemetery in Huntington Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  Philip’s parents were Philip and Keziah Cooley Goss and they lived in Brookfield, Massachusetts.  Going back another generation we have Capt. Philip and Judith Hayward Goss who are buried in the Old Indian Cemetery in West Brookfield, Massachusetts.  The next generation back is Philip Goss of Roxbury and Lancaster who married first Hannah Hopkins and second Mary Prescott.

I visited in April 2011 the towns and the cemeteries where Solomon’s ancestor lived and died and wrote about that in my Massachusetts Meanderings and More blog at: 

http://massmeanderings.blogspot.com/

Solomon and Olive (Scott) Goss had eight children of which their youngest daughter Lydia married John Andrews Spracklin.  They moved up to Knox County, Ohio and lived on land that her father deeded to her in 1815. 

John and Lydia had Daniel, along with 8 other children, and Daniel married Elizabeth Keller whose parents were John Keller and Mary Anne Delano. 

We now have a Spracklin marrying into the Goss family and a son of a Spracklin marrying into the Keller and Delano family.  The Goss and Delano families go back to the American Revolution and to Mayflower.  Keller is still a mystery and hopefully one day John’s parents will be discovered.  

Daniel D. Spracklin and Elizabeth Keller had four children and their youngest daughter Amarilla is my great-grandmother.  Amarilla’s life is being featured in my blog:  The Barclay’s of Pine River, The Life of George and Amarilla Barclay:  

http://barclayspineriver.wordpress.com/

There will be some cross posting and a little duplication with my other blogs but I have decided that it works better if I separate out the different family grouping and target them in separate blogs. It makes more sense to me.

Where is Fearing Township?  It is in Washington County, Ohio.  It is north of  Marietta which is located on the Ohio river in the southeastern part of Ohio on the border with West Virginia.   I turn to Wikipedia for a little help in defining this township: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearing_Township,_Washington_County,_Ohio

This blog will be a big undertaking and hopefully I will be able to do justice to the families of  Goss, Spracklin, Keller and Delano. 

Come join me!

Hint: Please understand when using a source like Wikipedia, or any source for that matter, it is always good to seek out additional information to verify.     

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