The RUST Family

in

Kanawha

     We will start with Samuel Rust, the father of our original Kanawha County settler's. He was born around 1748 in Westmoreland County, Virginia and he died around 1809 in Fauquier County, Virginia. He married Mary Lee Bailey around 1769. Her name is documented in a book called "A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri: with Numerous Sketches" which was published in 1876.  Inside is a biography on Thomas Hensley, who married Harriet Rust, a daughter of Samuel and Mary. It is important to note that both Thomas and Harriet were still living when the book was written and obviously supplied the information to the biographer themselves.

     The dates for Samuel's birth, marriage and death are calculated as such. Samuel was the eldest son of John Rust and his heir-at-law. He had only four whole siblings. He had younger brother Benjamin who was born about 1751, who was the older brother of John Rust born about 1754, who was the older brother of Vincent who was born about 1757. He also had a sister named Hannah Boley who was born about 1746. Samuel's oldest son, John, was a taxable male over the age of 16 in 1787.  This implies that John, Samuel's heir-at-law, was likely born around 1770. The chancery records of Fauquier, Virginia show a final exchange on a suit between him and a certain Daniel Floweree in September of 1809 and his son John Rust became his legal representative in October of 1811 because he was deceased. He does not appear in the 1810 census.

     As you can see, contrary to popular belief, he did not move to Kanawha County, nor is he buried in the family cemetery here. He died before a single Rust ever came to the Kanawha Valley. Although he inherited a substantial estate from his father, it seems that he died with very little. He was described as "insolvent" by his half-brother Capt. Peter Rust of Frederick, Virginia in an 1803 chancery suit. He supposedly drank heavily the last seven years of his life which likely lead to his death.

     There is a comprehensive list of his children among those same chancery records. Their names are given as; John Rust, Sarah McClanahan, James Bailey Rust, Hannah Torbert, Elizabeth Bailey Massie, Benjamin Rust, Samuel Rust, Lucinda Rust, Agnes Taylor, Harriet Rust, and Mary Rust. This is a list from 1816, so there are still a few unmarried children at that time. There are also a couple of deeds that were generously supplied to me by Pam Pearson that also list all of the children. 

This indenture made this 22 day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred eighty three Between Samuel Rust of the county of Fauquier of the one part & John Rust, James Rust, Benjamin Rust, Sarah Rust, Hannah Rust, Elizabeth Rust of the other part Witness for in consideration of the love, good will, & natural affection which the said Samuel Rust has for and bears toward the said John Rust, James Rust, Benjamin Rust, Sarah Rust, Hannah Rust & Elizabeth Rust hath granted, given & confirmed & by these presents doth grant, give & confirm two hundred acres of land on Goose Creek, five slaves viz; George, Lewis, Mary, & Alice, three beds, five horses, & four head of black cattle to have and to hold the lands hereby conveyed & all & singular other the appurtenances whatsoever to the only proper use & behoof of them the said John Rust, James Rust, Benjamin Rust, Sarah Rust, Hannah Rust, Elizabeth Rust, & their heirs, executors, administrators, & assigns forever & also to & to hold the slaves, furniture, horses, & cattle before as by these presents mentioned & hereby intended to be conveyed, which land, tenements, slaves before mentioned, furniture, horses & cattle as to be held by this said John Rust, James Rust, Benjamin Rust, Sarah Rust, Hannah Rust, & Elizabeth Rust, their heirs, executors, administrators, & assigns forever without the interruption of him the said Samuel Rust his heirs or of any person or persons whatsoever. In Witness whereof the said Samuel Rust hath hereunto set his hands and affixed his seal this day & year first above written. Sealed & Delivered in presence of John Moffatt, Thomas Fitzhugh, John Williamson, William Cooke, Joshua Kinnard, Matthew Rust, James Kinnard

Samuel Rust

This indenture, made this third day of June in the year of our Lord 1805 Between John Rust and Molly his wife, James Rust, Benjamin Rust, Gerrard McClanahan and Sarah his wife, Hannah Rust, & Elizabeth Rust of the county of Fauquier of the one part and Samuel Rust, Agnes Rust, Lucinda Rust, Molly Rust & Harriet Rust of the other part – Witness that for in consideration of the love, good will, and natural affection which the said John Rust and Molly his wife, James Rust, Benjamin Rust, Gerrard McClanahan and Sarah his wife, Hannah Rust, Elizabeth Rust, has for and being towards the said Samuel Rust, Agnes Rust, Lucinda Rust, Molly Rust, and Harriet Rust, hath granted, given, and confirmed and by these presents doth grant, give, & confirm unto each one of these an equal proportion with us of two hundred acres of land on Goose Creek, seven slaves, viz; Lewis, Lewis, Harry, George, Mary, Alice, & Charlotte, three beds,  & five horses, four heads of black cattle; to have and to hold the land here conveyed and singular other appurtenances, whatsoever, to the only use and behoof of the said Samuel Rust, Agnes Rust, Lucinda Rust, Molly Rust, & Harriet Rust, their heirs, executors, & administrators and assigns forever. In Witness whereof the said John Rust & Molly his wife, James Rust, Benjamin Rust, Gerrard McClanahan & Sarah his wife, Hannah Rust, & Elizabeth Rust have here unto set their hands and affixed their seals, the day and year first above written. Signed, Sealed, & delivered in presence of us; Jacob Braner, William Roach, Samuel Rust, Phillip Woolf, Vincent Rector

John Rust, Molly Rust, James Rust, Benjamin Rust, Gerrard McClanahan, Sarah McClanahan, Hannah Rust, Elizabeth Rust

     On May 6, 1799 Capt. Benjamin Rust bought 1500A of land from John Moffett. This land was part of the Fry Survey on the Kanawha and Pocatalico Rivers.  This land lies within tract #1 in the photo below. Around the same time he purchased from Aaron Grigsby part of lot #8. He did not go to Kanawha and settle it himself, instead he rented the land out to other settlers.

   

     The Fry Survey ended up in chancery, it had been sold by more than one person. Sometimes the owners themselves sold the same tract more than once. Several people were collecting rent off the Fry Survey claiming ownership. The Rust's were forced to settle the land themselves to lay claim. Capt. Benjamin Rust sent his nephews James Bailey Rust and Benjamin Rust to the lands in Kanawha to act on his behalf. Either he or his children sold the tract to James Bailey Rust for $5000 to be paid for in yearly allotments.

  The Rust family finally arrived in Kanawha County after November 1816.  They may have come with their mother Mary Bailey Rust but I can't find an actual record of her in Kanawha to substantiate this. This information has been copied from the book "Rust of Virginia" by Ellsworth Marshall Rust. This book is a wonderful resource but it was compiled from several people who submitted their genealogical data to him and he just published it. He apparently tried to fact check as much as possible. I have found errors just like any work of genealogy but the errors don't diminish the truly awesome amount of work done. My only annoyance is that most of the submitted lines do not site sources to help verify the information.  

     The children of Samuel Rust and Mary Lee Bailey are as follows:

1. John Rust born 1770 Fauquier County, Virginia. He married Mary 'Mollie' McClanahan on December 28, 1796 in Fauquier County, Virginia. She was born about 1778. They lived in Fauquier County, Virginia until 1821, they lived in Kanawha County from 1821 to 1825, then they moved to Bullitt County, Kentucky where John appears in the tax records from 1826 to 1833. He may have moved to Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky after that date but I have not found him in the records there. It would be hard to differentiate him from the other John Rust, who was from Massachusetts and operated a Hardware Store there. His children were taken from the book "Rust of Virginia". I can find very little in the records to prove the connections.  John Rust died before 1840 and his wife Mary died after 1850. They traveled to Kentucky with Thomas and Harriet (Rust) Hensley in 1825. The children listed in the book were:

A. Sarah Margaret Rust b. 1798 d. June 23, 1890 in Kanawha. She married Pleasant Thomas on December 26, 1822 in Kanawha.She had a large family of which I will talk more about later.

B. Samuel Young Rust b. c1800 married Sarah Wilson on May 15, 1828 in Bullitt County, Kentucky. They had at least two children possibly three. Caroline E. Rust b.1829 and Benjamin Franklin Rust b 1834. Samuel is in the Bullitt County tax records until 1834. Samuel's widow Sarah was living with her Wilson family in 1850 and 1870 Louisiana. She appears to be staying with the Rust's in 1860, so perhaps she was on a visit during the census.

C. James Bailey Rust b.1802 and died April 13, 1849 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. He married Sarah Forqueren December 12, 1839. They had at least two sons: George Jasper Rust b. 1846 d. 1932 and left a large family and James Rust b. 1849 and died in infancy. Sarah moved back to Putnam County, WV after his death. She married John Craig on September 25, 1853.

D. Amanda Rust b. c1804. I can find no other information on her. The Amanda Rust's that other researchers attach to this family are incorrect as they belong to the Hardin County, Kentucky Rust's. They were also born too late and in Kentucky. According to the early census records all the daughters of John Rust were born before 1815 and they would have all been born in Fauquier County. I hope one day to find more and update it accordingly.

E. Harriet Rust b. 1806 d. 1903 Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. She married Richard St. John on August 30, 1849 in Louisville. They had no children. She is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery.

F. Thomas Rust b. c1809. May have been the Thomas Rust who moved to Scott County, Kentucky before 1840 and married Elizabeth Warnock. He appears in the local newspapers of Louisville as late as 1851 for mail left at the post office. It's just as possible that like many of his siblings he died unmarried at that time since his mail was piling up and there was an odd reference about someone taking up his account. 

G. Mary Ann Rust b. 1810 d. 1898 Fresno, California. She married John Birkhead on December 2, 1830 in Bullitt County, Kentucky. She had a large family and moved first to Arkansas, then to Colorado, then to California. This line may have been the source of the research from the book.

H. Nancy Rust b. c1813. I can find no other information on her. Likely she died unmarried before 1850.

I. John S. Rust b. c1818 d. 1846 Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. He married March 3, 1840 to Elizabeth Fleming, she may have been the widow of John Fleming and her maiden name may have been Antle. In 1840 she and John are living in the 1840 census and there appears to be two young children in the household. They had at least one daughter of their own. Mary 'Mollie' Rust, who died unmarried in 1919.

J. Benjamin Singleton Rust b. 1822 died January 15, 1862 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. He never married and worked as a watchman or policeman. He was shot and killed while trying to make an arrest. He is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery. His obituary alludes to him having only two living sisters.

2. Sarah Rust b. 1772 married April 1, 1796 Fauquier County, Virginia to Gerrard McClanahan. She moved to Kanawha County with her siblings and it appears she died there. She is in the 1850 Kanawha County census.

A. John R. McClanahan 1800-1887 Married Elizabeth Maupin November 6, 1828 in Mason, WV.  He died in Kanawha

B. Benjamin McClanahan 1803-1830 Married Nancy Samuels January 5, 1828 Kanawha. He died in Kanawha

C. William Smith McClanahan 1805-1877 He married twice. First to Virginia Evelsizer c1844 and then to Arenia E. C. Mooney October 23, 1861. He died in Kanawha.

D. George Fleet McClanahan 1808  He married four times. First to Elizabeth Melton on June 13, 1833 and then to Alice 'Alsy' Jopling on December 14, 1845. Alsy was the daughter of Thomas Jopling and Patience Bailey. He married third Barbary Shrown. He married fourth Elizabeth Hawkins. He died in Oregon County, Missouri

3. James Bailey Rust b. 1775 d. 1849 He moved to Kanawha after November 1816. He was the first school teacher in Poca in 1817 and according to Laidley's History his school was in a small cabin about eleven miles up from the mouth of the Pocatalico. He married Mary Purcell January 1, 1807. There is a biography on his son Samuel by Jim Comstock that gives us the name of his wife.

A. Samuel Bailey Rust 1808-1887 He married his first cousin Elizabeth Rust d/o Benjamin Rust and Jane Thomas on May 20, 1836.

B. John James Rust 1811- No other info on him. He likely died unmarried. Last record I found him in was the 1850 Kanawha census with his siblings.

C. Rebecca Redmond Rust 1814-1843 Married Robert W. Wilson. She died c1843. According to a bio on her son Charles Bailey Rust b. 1839, she died when he was 4 years old.

D. Benjamin Rust 1816- He married Mahala Forqueren on November 30, 1839 Kanawha County. They had one daughter named Mary b. c1839 who is living in the family home with her extended family in 1850. I can find nothing more on him after 1850.
Mary married William Perry Emschwiller in 1876 and had one son John Bailey Emschwiller.

E. Vincent Redmond Rust 1818-1894 He married his cousin Matilda Ann Hicks daughter of Stephen Hicks and Emma Rust, and granddaughter of Capt Benjamin Rust and Hannah Bailey. He married second Mary Ann Hansford. He was a teacher. They died in Putnam County, West Virginia.

F. William Tobias Rust 1820- Married his cousin Emma Hicks, daughter of Stephen Hicks and Emma Rust. 

G. Richard Lawson Rust 1822-1872 Married his cousin Felicia Thomas d/o Pleasant Thomas & Sarah Margaret Rust on January 5, 1855 in Kanawha.

H. Mary Lawson Rust 1824-1850 died unmarried

I. George Bailey Rust 1826-1881 Married his cousin Mary V. Hicks d/o Stephen Hicks and Emma Rust on May 14, 1847 in Fauquier County, Virginia. Died Kanawha.

J. Thomas Henry Rust 1828- Died in infancy

K. Henry Thomas Rust 1828- Died in infancy

4. Benjamin Rust 1778-1824 He moved to Kanawha after August 1816. He married Jane H. Thomas d/o James Thomas and Elizabeth Roberts in 1817. He built the first sawmill in Poca. 

A. Elizabeth Rust 1818-1881 She married her cousin Samuel Bailey Rust as mentioned above.

5.  Hannah Rust born 1780 Fauquier County and died in Oktibbeha, Mississippi. She married William Torbert on June 1, 1805 Fauquier County. 

A. Thomas Addison Tobert 1811-1884 Married Sarah D. McKinnon

B. William C. Torbert 1819- 

6. Elizabeth Bailey Rust 1781-1865 Married Thomas Massie November 15, 1819 Fauquier County. She died in Warren County Virginia.

A. Thomas Benjamin Massie 1820-1908 He married twice. First to his cousin Catherine Cecelia Hicks d/o Stephen Hicks and Emma Rust. He married second Eliza Foushee.

B. John B. Massie 1823-  died unmarried

7. Samuel Rust 1785- He died unmarried and before 1816. He does not appear in the chancery list of August 1816.

8. Agnes Rust 1788 - Married Matthew C. Taylor on May 22, 1815 in Fauquier County, Virginia. She and her husband moved to Kanawha with her siblings c1817. She and her husband traveled with several of her siblings and their families in 1825 to Kentucky then Missouri. They died in either Cape Girardeau or St Louis, Missouri. It looks like they had at least six children.

A. Lucinda Elizabeth Taylor 1812-1844 She married May 1, 1828 George Steptoe Edmonds. She and her husband were neighbors of Matthew and Agnes in 1830. Thomas Hensley, husband of Harriet Rust was the witness at her marriage. This seems to point to her being a child of Matthew and Agnes. She would have been born prior to their marriage. Many researchers have adjusted her birth to 1816 to fit but that would make her 11 or 12 years old when she married which is highly unlikely.

B. John H. Taylor 1820- Married  Mary Ann Elizabeth Clark on September 10, 1839 Cape Girardeau, Missouri. They divorced in 1854.

C. Matthew C. Taylor b. 1823probably died unmarried St. Louis, Missouri

D. Walter Scott Taylor b. 1826 died unmarried moved to Jackson, Arkansas

E. Susanna M. Taylor b. 1829 married Lorenzo Davis in 1851 St. Louis. Had a large family and moved to Jackson, Arkansas.

9.  Lucinda Rust b c1790 and moved to Kanawha County with her siblings and married Isham Bailey Jr in 1817 Kanawha County. 

A.  Bushrod Bailey 1820-1890 Married his cousin Elizabeth McClanahan January 3, 1850 Kanawha County.

B. Alfred Bailey 1821-1882 Married Ann Elizabeth Agee June 14, 1853 Kanawha County.

(The Children below seem to be a product of a second marriage for Isham Bailey, possibly to a Frances Smith)

C. Fountain Smith Bailey 1829-1883 Married first Susanna Wright December 15, 1852 Putnam County, West Virginia. Married second  Nancy Jane Mottesheard August 30, 1857 Benton County, Missouri. He died in Holt County, Missouri.

D. Terisha Elizabeth Bailey 1831-1869 Married her cousin Isham Jopling on January 31, 1858 Benton County, Missouri. She died in Benton County, Missouri.

E. Saveree Bailey b c1832. Went to Missouri with his siblings and may have died there.

10. Mary Rust 1794-1852 Moved to Kanawha County with her siblings. Married Micajah Daniel on November 2, 1819 in Kanawha County. She moved to St Louis, then Cape Girardeau where she died.

A. Harriet Daniel 1822- Married John Wesley Hancock August 11, 1842 Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

B. Louisa E. Daniel 1825 - Married a cousin Fleming Hensley on October 21, 1852 St Louis Mo.

C. Robert Daniel 1829-

D. William Daniel 1830-

E. James H. Daniel 1833-

11.  Harriet Rust 1796-1876 Moved to Kanawha with her siblings. Married February 19, 1818 in Kanawha to Thomas A. Hensley. Moved to Kentucky in 1825 then to St Louis Missouri then to Montgomery County, Missouri where they died. 

A. Mary E. Hensley 1818-1901 Married September 24, 1834 St Louis, Missouri to James Harvey Berry. Bellefontaine Cemetery.

B. Albert Bailey Hensley 1820-1905 Married St Louis, Missouri to Catherine Denny

C. Lucinda Pauline Hensley 1822-1879 Married December 31, 1842 St Louis, Missouri to Perry Smirls

D. Thomas Pitman Hensley 1824-1890 Married January 20, 1859 Dorcas Ann White. Died Montgomery, Missouri.

E. Benjamin Franklin Hensley 1826-1910 Married March 27, 1867 Montgomery County, Missouri to Elizabeth Jane Clare

F. Emily Hensley 1828-1913 Married December 5, 1848 St Louis, Missouri to Robert J. Gilliland

G. William S. Hensley 1830-1902 Married Susan Clarkson

H. Bushrod Rust Hensley 1835-1917 Married Irene Bethel

I. Amanda Hensley 1837-1899 Married W. C. Archer

Various Thomas Family groupings from Albemarle and Buckingham Counties.

Ensign John Thomas

of Albemarle County Virginia.

also called Captain.

 John Thomas, commonly called Jack was born April 8, 1757 in Amherst County, Virginia to Cornelius Thomas
and Miss Henderson. He moved from Amherst to Albemarle County around 1778. This move seems to have coincided
with his marriage to Frances 'Franky' Lewis, daughter of Col. Charles Lewis and Mary Randolph. He was married
by November 1, 1779 when he and his wife Frances sold the land on Pedlar known as Thomas Mill Creek to Thomas Waugh and to Roderick McCullough. 

 

In 1779 he was drafted for a tour of three months as an Ensign in the American Revolution under Capt John Martin and Lieut. Nathaniel Garland. He was drafted for a second tour in 1781. It was during this tour that he was given a command to gather cattle and deliver them to Yorktown by Col. Nicholas Lewis. He would be called Captain by his neighbors for the remainder of his life for this act. His brother-in-law, James Lewis of Franklin, Tennessee, who was the widower of his sister Lucy said that he had known John Thomas for upwards of fifty years and could attest to the correctness of the evidence given.
 

Around the turn of the century a researcher wrote that John Thomas was married twice. From careful examination of the records I have found this to be inaccurate. Sadly, almost every researcher has used this early researchers work without verifying the source.

Evidence shows that Jack Thomas and Franky Lewis were married by 1776 and already had at least two living children by 1782.
Later evidence shows that Franky Lewis Thomas was still alive in 1814 when her son Charles Lewis Thomas died and created
a trust with his brother John Lilburn Thomas to take care of his mother. Franky Lewis Thomas died in 1834. This would make her the mother of every child born to John Thomas.

Cornelius Thomas, father of Jack, died in 1775. One of his last official acts was to draw up a contract on May 29, 1775.
This was a deed of gift of 16 slaves, 6 featherbeds, and two-thirds of his stock to his children; John, Norborne, Cornelius,
Elizabeth, Lucy, & Sally. He retained a life interest. His first wife was already deceased so we don't have a record of her first name. and on June 1, 1775 he entered into a marriage contract with Hannah Scott. Also on June 1, 1775, Cornelius Thomas wrote his
will. His new wife got the use of the house, son John Thomas land above Pedlar when he reaches 21, sons; Norborne, Cornelius,
and three daughters when married get slaves due him on his mothers death (Lucy Thomas Childress). Executors; James Nevil, John Henderson Jr,  Joseph Cabell, & David Crawford.The will was recorded on October 2, 1775.

All the children of Cornelius are unmarried and under the age of 21 at his death. Elizabeth Thomas married John Wood in 1776. Lucy Thomas was still under 21 in 1777 when a guardian bond was filed. Sarah Thomas was under 21 when she married Thomas Powell in 1782 since both her guardians gave permission for her to marry. Norborne Thomas was still under 21 in 1788 when his guardian bond was filed. These records imply that John was likely the oldest child.

In 1782 John Henderson, father of Mrs Cornelius Thomas wrote his will. He left a monetary amount to his grandchildren. He does not name a "Mrs Thomas" only her children. The grandchildren listed were; John, Norborne, Cornelius, Sarah, Elizabeth Wood, and Lucy Lewis. You can see that Lucy and Elizabeth are now married.


He does mention a Francis Henderson, but this is obviously an unmarried daughter. We know from Cornelius Thomas's will that his wife was already deceased by 1775 so this is likely why her name was omitted from her father's will in 1782.

On April 29, 1782 Charles Lewis, Father of Frances Lewis Thomas, and father-in-law of John Thomas wrote his will and left Franky and Jack a life estate of 1000A on the branches of Ivy Creek in Albemarle. This land was to pass to their son Charles Lewis Thomas after their deaths. John Thomas sold this land during his lifetime to Robert Draffin, who was not informed that it was only a
"life estate". This dispute ended up in Chancery. He also left his other grandchild, Mary Howell Thomas, a slave from
his estate.

This is how we know that John Thomas was already married to Franky Lewis by 1776. First, John Thomas was clearly not old enough to have been married or to have had several children before the two that were listed in this will. Second, it would be seriously unlikely for Charles Lewis to claim grandchildren that were not born to his daughter.

The Library of Virginia has bible records for John Thomas and Charles Lewis on microfilm. I have not seen a copy of this personally but I'm going to assume that is where other researchers have gotten exact birth dates and in some cases death dates for the following children:

John 'Jack' Thomas born April 8, 1757 died June 8, 1847.

Frances 'Franky' Lewis born January 24, 1759 died December 28, 1834.

1. Mary Howell Thomas born June 27, 1777 died c1802.

supposedly married Robert Snelson, who wrote to Thomas Jefferson from NY in 1802 to say that he had recently lost his little family. I have not found any other records for them.

2. Sarah Thomas born February 17, 1779 died July 10, 1795.

She is not in the Lewis will, bible record??

3. Charles Lewis Thomas born November 21, 1780 died May 13, 1814. He married Margaret M. Lewis, daughter of Nicholas Lewis. 4. Willis Thomas born April 17, 1782 died January 24, 1786.

He is not in the Lewis will, bible record??

5. John Lilburn Thomas born January 22, 1785 died October 24, 1846.  He never married and died at his fathers house.

6. Norborne Kerr Thomas born August 21, 1786 died April 4, 1832.

He married Elizabeth Ann Burwell and they both died in Richmond.

7. Elizabeth Lewis Thomas born June 23, 1788.

Bible Record??? She supposedly married Fontaine Maury and may have moved to Mercer, Kentucky. Have not been able to find her in records. I have nothing further on her.

8. William Isham Thomas born November 7, 1790 died September 17, 1792. Bible record???

9. Warner Cornelius Thomas born March 5, 1793 died May 30, 1865. Moved to Baltimore Maryland, Married Mary M. Moore.

10. James Wilton Thomas born January 12, 1795 died October 4, 1845. Married Eliza Ann Johnson and moved to Jefferson County, Missouri with his wife's family.

11. Bennett Henderson Thomas born March 12, 1797.

Bible record?? Can't find anything else on him.

12. Virginia Ann Mildred Thomas born July 15, 1799 died August 6, 1837. Bible record?? Have no other info on her.

13. Margaret Meriwether Thomas born July 19, 1802.

Married Julius W. Clarkson in 1825 and Robert Cashmere in 1838. Cashmere is also spelled Cushmore in a chancery suit and may have been Cushman. I have found no other records for them.

There is a chancery suit in the Albemarle index for Warner C. Thomas vs John Thomas etc in 1847. The surnames listed are: Clarkson, Cushmore, Johnson, Thomas and Lewis. The originals aren't online so if someone out there takes a look, drop me a line if it adds to some of the children above.

According to the descendant's of James Wilton Thomas, "Captain" John Thomas joined an "anti-tea" drinking society after the Boston Tea Party and refused to drink tea even on his deathbed. Even when it was advised by his physician, Dr. Randolph.

Mudhouse Mansion

A story of neglect

     Christian Rugh was born October 9, 1803 and died August 18, 1873 in Berne, Fairfield, Ohio, USA. He married Eleanor Spohn on June 10, 1835. She was born in 1813 and died between 1900 and 1910 in Lancaster, Fairfield, Ohio, USA. 

     Christian Rugh and his wife Eleanor Spohn had four children: 

1. Mary Ann Rugh (1836-1907) married James Bright and lived in Walnut Township

2. William Henry Rugh (1839-1940) married Maria L. Sites & Clara Miller

3. Thomas B. Rugh (1842-1862) Union soldier died in Kentucky

4. Benjamin Franklin Rugh (1844-1925) married Catherine Martha Bunn and lived in Lancaster

     I don't know for sure who he purchased his land from. He probably got some of it from his father Peter Rugh. In early census records Peter Rugh is living in Pleasant Township next to or very close to Solomon Rugh. Christian's nearest neighbor until 1859 was Solomon Rugh. That was the year Solomon died and he ordered that his property be sold and the proceeds divivded amongst his heirs. Solomon's son David lived on the property for many years after his death. I'm unsure if he purchased the property from his father's estate or it took several years to sell. By 1866 the tract was owned by Henry G. Miller.

 

       Christian's brother-in-law Abraham Kagy moved to Seneca County, Ohio before 1830. This is one of the people commonly referred to as having sold him some land. Henry Byler was the other person often referred to as selling him a tract of land. No mention as to whether it was Senior or Junior. Henry Byler Sr died in 1846, and Henry Byler Jr lived very close to Christian Rugh until 1859 when he sold his Pleasant Township farm and moved to Wayne County, Ohio. 

     By 1860 Christopher Rugh owned his complete farm. It was valued at $11,520 and totaled 288A at the time and was still listed as a 288A plot on the 1866 map in section 23 of Pleasant Township. At the time of his death in 1873 it was 270A. He had lost the 13A top right corner to John Martz. 

Did he sell it or was there a border dispute? 

1866 Pleasant Township Map

     Sometime between 1866 and 1870 Christian Rugh purchased two plots of land in Berne Township totaling 183A from Abraham Stutzman. His oldest son had married Maria L. Sites in 1865 and was given the Pleasant Township farm to live on. Christian Rugh, his wife Eleanor, and his youngest son Benjamin Franklin went to live on the newly purchased farm in Berne.

1875 Berne Township Map

      

 

1875 Pleasant Township Map

     In 1873 Christian Rugh died and in his will he left all of his real estate to his wife and most of his personal property. In lieu of his wife's life estate or after her death, his oldest son William Henry Rugh was to have the Pleasant Township farm and his youngest son Benjamin Franklin Rugh was to have the Berne Township farms. His daughter was to get $7000 in profit from "Pleasant" and $3000 from "Berne".

     So, William Henry Rugh  "inherited" the Mud House Rd farm. He and his wife Maria L. Sites (1848-1890) had two children there; Thomas E. Rugh (1866-1887) and Minnie B. Rugh Dennison (1867-1959). 

     The house that sat on the property at that time was a typical farmhouse in the Federal style. It is immortalized in the 1875 Atlas of Fairfield County, Ohio. If you look at the photos of the farm below you can see the house in the background.

1875 Atlas of Fairfield, Ohio

 

Close up of the house with his children and dog playing on the right side

     After the death of his wife in 1890, William Henry Rugh moved to Madison Township in Pickaway County, Ohio. At this stage it is possible that the farm in Pleasant Township was either leased or just sat empty. No doubt there were still farm hands that ran the farm itself. Eleanor Spohn Rugh was still living and still technically owned both the Pleasant and Berne farms. 

    Sometime after 1875 the new brick 10 room mansion was built. It was a stately Victorian built in the Second Empire Style.  The smaller brick house on the property was probably a remodel of the older Federal Farmhouse. We know that it was a fairly new house because there are two later articles describing it as "newly improved" and "modern pressed brick house".

     Benjamin Franklin Rugh retired from farming and his mother died sometime between 1900-1910. In 1917 the farm is advertised for sale. 

   

     It was almost purchased by Lewis E. Ruff, of the Fairfield Oil & Gas Company. In the end it was purchased by Henry Hartman in 1919.

     

     The house probably would have been better off had it been bought by Lewis Ruff or anyone else for that matter. It appears that the house sat empty for most of it's life. Every time Henry Hartman was enumerated he was listed at his Pitcher Street address.  Did they lease the farm? Was it occupied by caretakers? Henry Hartman (1855-1930) and Martha Huffman (1862-1948) had three children; Helena W. Hartman (1884-1963), Lulu Victoria Hartman Mast (1888-1952), Harold J. W. Hartman (1892-1930).

      The house definitely had a lonely history filled with neglect but there doesn't seem to be anything sinister attached to it. There were no slaves. The Rugh family and many of the early families involved had a Mennonite background so they were likely against slavery. Thomas Rugh died in the Union Army. I can only find one person who likely died in the house and that was Maria L. Sites Rugh. Families very frequently had stillborn babies, young children die of fever's etc.,  so it's possible that there were a few more unreported deaths. There is also the chance that they leased the house but the families that owned it didn't seem to live in it. If anything happened in recent years it would be very unlikely that it would already be forgotten. 

     Final Verdict! The neglected nature of the house made it look sad and creepy but the ghost stories are a hoax perpetuated by troublemakers. It hastened it's demise by convincing people that it was okay to trespass on someone's privately owned land and destroy the little bit of beauty that was left.

Daniel Phipps, Elizabeth Pringle, and Elizabeth Tenney

of Upshur County, West Virginia

      It can be really confusing when an ancestor gets married to people that have same first name. This is what happened with Daniel Phipps. I looked this family up for a friend and I was initially very confused because the data I was finding on them didn't seem to be very accurate. I was starting to think that maybe there were two entirely different families involved. I finally figured it out though. 

      Daniel Phipps was born March 25, 1807 in Charlemont, Franklin County, Massachusetts. He was the son of George Phipps and Catharine Fry. At the age of ten he left his parent's house and traveled to Virginia with Jacob Hunt. Jacob Hunt had agreed to raise and educate him and gave him 80 acres of land when he came of age. All of this is found on Jacob Hunts Revolutionary War pension application.

He was married for the first time to Elizabeth Pringle on August _ 1830 in Upshur County, West Virginia. 

Elizabeth Pringle was the daughter of John Pringle and Mary Cutright.

      

1840 Lewis County, West Virginia census

Daniel Phipps 30-39

Elizabeth Pringle 30-39

Mary Phipps 5-9

George Phipps 0-5

1850 Lewis County, West Virginia census

Daniel Phipps age 42

Elizabeth Pringle age 38

Mary Phipps age 18

George Phipps age 12

Catharine Phipps age 8

James Phipps age 1

Elizabeth Pringle Phipps died between June 1, 1850 and April 21, 1853 in either Lewis or Upshur County.

Daniel Phipps married second Mrs Elizabeth Tenney Howes on April 21, 1853 in Upshur County, West Virginia.

Elizabeth Tenney was born in 1819 to Josiah Tenney and Lydia Currence.  She married Silas G. Howes on August 18, 1838 in Lewis County, West Virginia.

1850 Lewis County, West Virginia

Silas Howes age 40

Elizabeth Tenney age 30

Lydia Jane Howes age 9

Serena Ann Howes age 4

Louisa Howes age 1 

Silas G. Howes died between June 1, 1850 and April 21, 1853.

1860 Upshur County, West Virginia Census

Daniel Phipps age 52
Elizabeth Tenney age 41
Serena A. Howes age 14
James Phipps age 11
Martha E. Phipps age 6
Ama Phipps age 3

They appear to be missing from the 1870 census but according to the Upshur County marriage register another daughter named Arminda was born in 1862.

Elizabeth Tenney and her second husband Daniel Phipps are mentioned in her mother's (Lydia Currence Tenney) will in 1864.

In 1866, Catharine Phipps Burrough (daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Pringle Phipps), applied for the pension of her deceased husband. One of the witness statements was from her step-sister Lydia Jane Howes Hunt (daughter of Elizabeth Tenney and Silas Howes). 

Group sheets follow:

Bailey's

From the 1783 and 1785 Amherst and Albemarle census 
(the underlined individuals would have been included in the census)

 Amherst

 *Moses Bailey (1 white soul) --- He was born May 9, 1755 Henrico County and died November 28, 1834 Madison County Alabama. Moses lived by himself in 1783. He moved to Elbert County, Georgia around 1786. He appears to be the brother of Hezekiah Bailey who also moved to Georgia a few months before him. He moved from Georgia to Madison County Alabama where he died. He married late in life to a Judith and had at least three sons all born after 1811. The only son he mentions in his will is William Jackson Bailey. The genealogies I found online for this family all seem mostly incorrect and unreliable, they all have children attributed to him that are born before the 1783 and 1785 census.

*Hezekiah Bailey (8 white souls) --- He was born October 12, 1751 in Henrico County and died January 6, 1812 in Elbert County, Georgia. He went by 'Ezekiah', which was likely a locality thing since I have found several people in Amherst that also used that form. He married Rebecca Neal (Nail) c1772. She was likely a daughter of either Julian or Nicholas Neal. They named a son Julian and another son had the middle initial N. although I haven't been able to find a record that states what his middle name actually was.
His children were: James born 1/23/1774, Samuel N. born 1/10/1775 , Sarah born 12/15/1777, Julian 12/2/1779, Ann Mary born 1/7/1782, Elizabeth born 2/17/1784, Rebecca born 3/13/1786, Milly born 3/17/1788, Nancy born 3/17/1788, Martha born 8/17/1791, Delania born 8/12/1792, Clarissa born 9/17/1794, Isham born 1/18/1796. The family moved to Elbert County Georgia in 1785. After Hezekiah died most of the children are in Morgan County Georgia and many of them moved to Alabama.

*Lucy Bailey (4 white souls) --- Lucy Phillips Bailey was the daughter of Leonard Phillips. She was born in 1755 in Amherst County and died in 1812 in Nelson County. After the death of her father in 1797 she moved to the dower land of Elizabeth Phillips Roberts. She may have married an Edward Bailey. There is a record of a Rev. Edward Bailey who traveled with Francis Asbury and died October 10, 1780 in Fluvanna County at a friends house. In his journal, Francis Asbury states that a daughter of Edward Bailey came from Amherst to hear him preach. Lucy's children were: Leonard aka 'Linny' who was deformed and died between 1798 and 1810, William who was born about 1779 and died in 1853 Nelson County (married Lydia Smith), and Winifred aka Winney (married William Smith).

*William Bailey (3 white souls) --- William Bailey was born December 24, 1756 in Albemarle County and died on January 4, 1837 in Smith County TN. He moved to Stovall Creek and Porrage Creek around 1771 with his father John, who was a son of Robertson. John Bailey patented 340a on Stovall and Porrage August 3, 1771. He also had another 39a on Porrage surveyed on April 25, 1773. On December 31, 1781 John Bailey and his wife Elizabeth sold 143a of the said 340a patent to Edward Harper. William Bailey was either deeded or inherited the remaining 197a. He married Sarah, who may have been a Harper in 1783. On June 13, 1789 William Bailey and Sarah, his wife sold his 197a share of the said patent to Joseph Nichols. He may have lived on the 39a survey that belonged to his father John, since Stovall and Porrage was in the southernmost portion of Amherst, near the border of Campbell County Va. He and his family remained in Amherst until 1817 when they moved to Smith County, TN. His children were: Susanna (Shepherd) born 1783, Cinda Rilla aka Lucinda (Stovall and Horsley) born 1785, Jonathan born 1787, Sarah (Butler and Wilkerson) born 1790, Saluda (Walker) born 1794, and Wyatt W. born 1798.

check back, I will add more as time permits..........