French Family Association

The Official Website of the Surname French

Descendants of Otho French, all born with the surname French.

Chart #41, Samuel and Ann French, 1680
Sherborne, Dorset, England

Otho French, 1707
Anne Arundel Co., MD

William Morgan French, 1807
Baltimore, MD; Allegheny Co., PA
Stanton, Powell Co., KY
Belmont Co., OH

This chart updated by Mara French on 9/28/16. Numbers in brackets [ ] show sources and refer to the Bibliography. An asterisk (*) shows continuation of that line. You are welcome to have me add or delete any information here -- Contact. Always a “work-in-progress” for which I take no responsibility for errors, but I do the best research I can. Revisions: 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016. Former FFA Chart #189 was merged into FFA Chart #41.

Contents

FFA Home Page

Foreword

Caution

Lineage Outline

Genealogy Generations: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

“From Prairie to Palestine” early details on Otho French (1707-1780)

From Prairie to Palestine: The Eva Marshall Totah Story, edited by Lyla Ann May, pages 391-401 (however, p. 401 is not online), “History of the French Family”.

Cross-Reference French Chart / DNA Groups

Family Tree DNA – French Surname DNA Project, see Test 75063 (DNA Test Group 1)

DNA Testing

Bibliography and Records

Foreword

I’ve researched this line just about all I can at the moment from ancestry.com and from the internet, but there is still a lot more to add when I have time. Always a “work-in-progress” for which I take no responsibility for errors, but I do the best research I can. FFA Chart #189 has been combined into FFA Chart #41. Although Otho and William Morgan French are not in my line, I will continue to do research on them as time permits. My line is FFA Chart #6. Because this line comes from Sherborne, Dorset, England, and FFA Chart #11 is from an area nearby Sherborne (with the same names Jeremiah and Samuel), I was very careful not to include the Jeremiah or Samuel from that line in this FFA Chart #41. The DNA on these two lines is entirely different.

Caution

Research shows that in all probability, this family emigrated from Dorset, England, but a 100% confirmation has not yet been found as an immigration record cannot be found. Otho French must have immigrated to America between 1720 and 1728; his parents did not immigrate as they died in England, and his first child was born in Maryland in 1729. Analysis of this emigration:

· The Christian names of the generation immediately before emigration from Sherborne, Dorset, England, match almost precisely with the names of the next generation who were the first immigrants in Maryland, and almost in the same order depending on, of course, if they were sons or daughters. In other words, Otho who was born in England named his children in Maryland after his family abroad. As no immigration record could be found for Otho, these names and their dates of birth may be the only proof that the family came from Sherborne.

Fourth Generation -- England Samuel and Ann French’s 9 children in order by number, all born in England. Only Otho immigrated to Maryland and used the same family names for his children shown at right.	Fifth Generation -- Maryland Otho Sr. and Emma French’s 10 children in order by number, all born in Maryland, named after his family in England born in the previous generation shown at the left. Names almost in the same order.
1. Samuel, Samuel’s son	1. Samuel, named after Otho’s father
2. Agnes, Samuel’s daughter	2. Otho Jr., named after Otho himself
3. Otho Sr, Samuel’s son, who immigrated to Maryland and married Emma	3. Ann, named after Otho’s mother
4. Ann, Samuel’s daughter	4. Agnes, named after Otho’s sister
5. Martha, Samuel’s daughter	5. Benjamin, named after Otho’s brother
6. Joanna, Samuel’s daughter	6. William, named after Otho’s grandfather as all the names of Otho’s brothers were already used.
7. Benjamin, Samuel’s son	7. Martha, named after Otho’s sister
8. Ann, Samuel’s daughter after first Ann died.	8. Israel, another male son – all names of Otho’s brothers were already used.
9. Sarah, Samuel’s daughter named after unknown.	9. Joanna, named after Otho’s sister
	10. Emma, named after Otho’s wife

· The names “Samuel” (Otho’s father), “Ann” (Otho’s mother), and “Otho” (himself), all born in England, are the names of Otho’s first 3 children in Maryland.

· The name Benjamin is the first named son both in Maryland and in England after the parents names Samuel and Otho.

· The name “Otho” cannot be found elsewhere in England (only in Dorset) using ancestry.com or familysearch.org. This includes only the name “Otho” and not “Otto” or “Ortho”.

· Otho and all his siblings were born in Sherborne, Dorset, England. Otho probably immigrated while fairly young, but immigration records have not been found.

· The nearby French family in Halstock, Dorset, England, have different Christian names, i.e., Lydia, Gulielmi, Egidius, Phyllis, Johannes, Visilla, Philip, Edith, Julian, John, and Henrici, all of which are entirely different than the Otho French family.

· The nearby French family in Haydon, Dorset, England have some of the same Christian names, i.e., Otho, Iddeth, John, Thomas, Elizabeth, William, and Roger. The Otho mentioned here was christened 7 August 1633, the son of William, who also had daughter Iddeth (Edith?).

· Haydon is 2 miles SE of Sherborne. Folke is 3.5 miles also SE of Sherborne.

· When researching the surname French in England, best to also try the spelling ffrench, as that is how the capital “F” was handwritten, looking more like two lowercase f’s in a row. You will see this spelling in following documents.

Lineage Outline

Outline of the Entire Family in short form. The detailed version appears below. The outline acts as an index to find your ancestor by number and is very helpful.

First Generation

1.1* William French, Sr., b. ca. 1609?, m. Pretesa Browne on 22 Jul 1627 in Haydon (near Sherborne), Dorset, England, no further information except from his children below who state that their father was William. No early Browne family in Dorset.

Second Generation

Children of William French, Sr. and Pretesa Brown, 1.1

2.1* William French, Jr., b. ca. 1629, m. Elizabeth who was from nearby Folke, Dorset, England. No further information except from their children below. No parents stated. Lived in Folke, Dorset, England after married, perhaps because Elizabeth was from Folke. Many women named Elizabeth, born ca. 1638, lived in Folke with the surnames Hobdich/Hebditch, Perse/Pearse, Pymm, Swetman, Syneor/Synder, Cuffe, and Fitz/Fitzsymmons.

2.2 Edith (Iddeth) French, baptized 12 May 1630 in Haydon, Dorset, England, the daughter of William French.

2.3* Otho French, baptized 7 Aug 1633 in Haydon, Dorset, England, the son of William French. He m. Agnes ca. 1674 as their children were born 1675 and afterwards. His wife, Agnes, died 7 Sep 1683 in Sherborne, as the wife of Otho. Otho d. 11 Mar 1699 in Sherborne, Dorset, England, as a widower.

Agnes may have had one of these surnames:
Agnes Barnard, baptized 6 Jan 1632, dau. of Johan, in Sherborne.
Agnes Brook, baptized 23 Feb 1637, dau. of Richardi and Editha, in Sherborne.
Agnes Durnford, baptized 29 Sep 1641, dau. of Henry, in Sherborne.
Agnes Easton, baptized 25 Jun 1637, dau. of Robt. And Alicia, in Sherborne.
Agnes Master, baptized 20 Oct 1639, dau. of Gulielmi and Jane, in Sherborne.
Agnis Ashford, baptized 20 Aug 1637, dau. of Nicholas and Angetis, in Sherborne.
Agnes Lamberts, baptized 29 Apr 1632, dau. of Johannes, in Sherborne.
Agnes Pitman, baptized Mar 1632, dau. of Gulielmus, in Sherborne.
Aganes Sper, baptized 13 Apr 1639, dau. of Anthony and Ruth, in Sherborne.

2.4* Roger French, b. ca. 1640, m. Elizabeth Granger in 1672 in Haydon, Dorset, England. Her father was Christopher Granger. No document as to who his father was. “An” Elizabeth French d. 17 Mar 1734 in Haydon and was buried at St. Catherine’s Anglican Church Cemetery (may not be same person as Roger’s wife).

Third Generation

Children of William French Jr. and Elizabeth, 2.1

3.1 John French, b. 9 Apr 1657 in Folke (near Sherborne), Dorset, England, son of Wm & Elizabeth.

3.2 Luce French, b. 1660 in Folke, Dorset, England, dau. of Wm & Elizabeth.

Children of Otho French and Agnes, 2.2

3.3 Agnes French, daughter of Otho. Her mother Agnes died in 1683. Agnes the daughter died 29 May 1695 in Sherborne.

3.4 John French, baptized 29 Nov 1676 in Sherborne, Dorset, England, the son of “Other and Agnis”, which should read Otho and Agnes. His mother died in 1683 [36], his father Otho d. 1699 in Sherborne.

3.5* Samuel French, b. ca. 1675, of Sherborne, Dorset, England, parents are not mentioned. Samuel m1. Martha Balster (probably Bolster) on 20 May 1700 in Folke, Folke, Dorset, England. “A” Sarah Bolster was baptized 29 Apr 1685 in Folke, Dorset, England, the dau. of John Bolster and Martha Wood who were married 6 Oct 1674 in Folke, Dorset, England. Martha Bolster, the mother, was buried on 14 Mar 1691 in Folke, Dorset, England. Martha Bolster, the daughter, may have been born ca. 1680; likewise Samuel may have been born 1675. The Bolster family moved to Sherborne ca. 1778.

She died after having their son, Samuel, who was christened 25 Feb 1700 (1701) in Sherbourne, Dorset, England. Martha died 15 May 1702 in Sherbourne, as the wife of Samuel. Then Samuel remarried and named a daughter Martha (named after his first wife). Samuel was buried 20 Aug 1756 in Sherborne.

Samuel was a widower when he married Ann Masters of East Coker, Somerset, England (which is about 5 miles SW of Sherborne) on 18 May 1703 in Sherborne, Dorset, England, exactly a year after his first wife, Martha, had died. Ann Masters died 23 Apr 1741 in Sherborne, Dorset, England. Her burial record states she was still married to Samuel and was not a widow. Ann gave birth to her last child, a son, on 2 Nov 1725 in Sherborne. Samuel was buried 20 Aug 1756 in Sherborne. The fact that both Samuel and Ann remained in England proves that they did not immigrate to Maryland as their son Otho did.

From Dorset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, Sherborne, 1538-1812. Here it states that Samuel was a widower of the Sherborne Parish, and that he married Ann Masters (the Old English “s” looks more like modern day “f”).

Samuel was buried on 20 Aug 1756 in Sherbourne. No further information is given on the original record whereas all other records identify the person as “son of” or “widower”, etc., therefore he was probably an elderly man.

Children of Roger French and Elizabeth Granger, 2.4

3.6* Jeremiah French, Sr., 18 Jun 1681 in Yetminster (near Sherborne), Dorset, England, states his father was Roger French. Jeremiah m. Elizabeth Chaffey in 1710 in Sherborne. Elizabeth Chaffey was baptized on 27 Feb 1694 in Sherborne, the daughter of Walter and Ann Chaffey. Walter Chaffey died in 1740 in Sherborne. The Chaffey family was extensive in Sherborne. Their children Mary, Jeremiah, Elizabeth, Samuel, and Barter all died young. Mary II died a spinster. John “may have” moved to West Parley but records aren’t clear.

Jeremiah French married Elizabeth Chaffey on 24 Dec 1710 in Sherborne.

Jeremiah was buried on 22 Feb 1749 at the Workhouse in Sherborne. The workhouse was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment. The Abbey Priory in Sherborne served as a workhouse between 1737 and 1749.

Most probably Jeremiah was unable to care for himself, and lived in a home “workhouse” that took care of him until he died on 22 Feb 1749 in Sherborne; he would have been about 70 years old; no details given, except he was not young or the burial record would have said “son of”. Jeremiah and Otho French lived in Sherborne at the same time and were of the same generation.

Fourth Generation

Children of Samuel French and Martha, 3.5

4.1 Samuel French, christened 25 Feb 1700 in Sherbourne, Dorset, England, was buried on 27 Jun 1701 in Sherborne.

Samuel, son of Samuel and Martha, was buried on 27 Jun 1701 in Sherborne.

Samuel’s mother, Martha, was buried 15 May 1702 in Sherbourne, as the wife of Samuel. Samuel (his father) then married Ann Masters and named one of his daughters Martha.

Children of Samuel French and Ann Masters, 3.5

4.2 Agnes French, christened 20 Jun 1704 in Sherbourne, Dorset, England, the daughter of Samuel French and Ann. Agnes was buried 23 Aug 1734 in Sherbourne as the daughter of Samuel and Ann; she was 30 years old and probably never immigrated to Maryland, nor did she marry.

From Dorset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, Sherborne, 1730-1739.

4.3* Otho French, christened 15 Jan 1705 in Sherborne, Dorset, England, the son of Samuel and Ann French. The names “Samuel”, “Ann”, and “Otho” are the names of Otho’s first 3 children. Because his mother died in Sherborne, it is obvious that Otho was the first emigrant of this family to Maryland. From Dorset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, Sherborne, 1730-1739. Otho must have immigrated shortly before he married Emma Dowlin (or Jamemma Dowling) on 30 Jul 1727 in All Hallows Church, Westminster Parish, Anne Arundel, MD, and before their first son Samuel French was born on 11 Dec 1729 at Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel Co., MD. If he immigrated in 1726, he would have been about 20 years old.

Later baptized on 12 Jan 1707 in Anne Arundel County, MD, d. ca. 8 May 1880 in Anne Arundel, MD, he m. Emma Dowlin (or Jamemma Dowling) on 30 Jul 1727 in All Hallows Church, Westminster Parish, Anne Arundel, MD, an Anglican church (the Church of England). There is no mention of an earlier French in Anne Arundel Co., MD, before Otho French. Note that Otho in Maryland named his first children Samuel and Ann after his parents.

Emma Dowlin was b. 10 Nov 1709 [8], d. 5 Apr 1780. In 1776 at age 69, Otho lived in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel Co., MD, according to the Maryland Census, 1772-1890. For early details on Otho French (1707-1793), see “From Prairie to Palestine”. Marriage records listed below:

Below: Register of Maryland’s Heraldic Families, p. 222

All Hallows Church

All Hallows Church, also known as The Brick Church, is a historic church located at 3604 Solomon's Island Road, in Edgewater (or Harwood), Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. Parish records date back to 1682, indicating that it existed prior to the Act of Establishment (1692) passed by the General Assembly of Maryland laying off the Province into 30 Anglican parishes.

The following is a brief history of All Hallows Parish. A fuller history of All Hallows, compiled and written by Parish member, Gail Enright, is available through the Parish Office.

The Brick Church: In October of 1729, the General Assembly of Maryland assessed a tax of 20,000 pounds of tobacco to build "The Brick Church." The building's Interior was altered extensively during the 19th century according to needs and tastes of the time. A fire in 1940, left only the walls standing, but the subsequent rebuilding efforts restored The Brick Church to its original Georgian style.

All Hallow’s Parish, South River, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, established in 1692, construction completed in 1756, is one of the original 30 Anglican parishes (Church of England) in the Province of Maryland. The interior was gutted by fire in 1727. It was modernized in 1825 and again in 1885. After a fire in 1940, reconstruction restored the building to its 1710 appearance.

The continuous roofline around the vestibule indicates one of the differences between this church and the St. James Parish, plus the style of the windows is slightly different.

All Hallows Church, 3604 Solomons Island Rd., Harwood or Birdsville, MD (red circle); whereas, the St. James Church is at 5757 Solomons Island Rd., Lothian, MD, which is the city at the bottom of this map. No French is buried at this cemetery among the 397 interments.

All Hallows Church, July 2009 (below)

St. James Church

This plaque honoring Henry Hall (see Wikipedia) who was well-known to the French family were both of Anne Arundel County, MD. Benjamin’s father, Otho French, mortgaged “Wade’s Increase” to Henry Hall Sr. for 61 pounds and 18 shillings in 1754. The St. James Church was completed in 1765, completed 9 years after the All Hallows Church. There were 3 generations of men named Henry Hall. No French is buried at this cemetery, but 54 members of the Hall family, including Henry Hall (1676-1722), are buried here among the 1,164 interments. Henry Hall was born in Essex, England, not in the county of Dorset; therefore, the two families met in Maryland.

St. James Church is at 5757 Solomons Island Rd., Lothian, MD; whereas the All Hallows Church is at 3604 Solomons Island Rd., Harwood, MD, shown north of Lothian on the map below. The red circle shows Herring Bay.

St. James Parish Episcopal Church in 1936 (below).

St. James Parish Episcopal Church nowadays (below).

Chronology

1705 Jan 15 – Otho French was christened 15 Jan 1705 in Sherborne, Dorset, England, the son of Samuel and Ann French.

1707 Jan 12 – Otho French’s christening date as stated in Anne Arundel County, MD, after he immigrated.

1709 Nov 10 – Emma Dowlin was born, the dau. of William Dowlin who was born ca. 1689.

1720-1726 – As Otho’s parents did not immigrate to Maryland, he probably immigrated during this time, but no records have been found. So far it appears as though he’s the only sibling to immigrate. All others were buried in England.

1727 Jul 30 – Otho married Emma Dowlin (or Jamemma Dowling) in All Hallows Church, Westminster Parish, Anne Arundel, MD, an Anglican church (the Church of England).

1729-1749 – Otho and Emma had 10 children: Samuel, Otho Jr., Ann, Agnes, Benjamin, William, Martha, Israel, Emma, Joanna.

1733 Sep 8 -- Thomas Rutland 12.25 A AA £441.19.1 £357.8.0 Sep 8 1733. Thomas Rutland d. 24 Dec 1731 in South River, Anne Arundel, MD.

A second inventory is cited in the amount of £7.15.0. Received from: Humphry Meridith, John Jacob Clough, Stephen Steward, Otho French, William Witherly, John Lawson, Philip Hammond, Nicholas Watkins, Elisabeth Coyle, Abigail Hudson, Moses Adney, Thomas Hinton, William Tucker.

1736 Mar 5 – Murdock Dowlin of Anne Arundel County died and was probably a relative of Otho’s wife, Emma Dowlin.

1741 May 12 – Otho, cordwainer (shoemaker), aged 33, made a written deposition to the Court attesting that he was a tenant on the plantation where Stephen Warman lived and that he knew him to be of sound mind at the time Stephen made his will and during his last days [27].

1742 Jan 26 -- Deed of purchase of land in 1742 by Otho French from John Hopper of 100 acres of “Wade’s Increase” which were 2 pieces of land, one was 75 acres and the other was 40 acres in Anne Arundel County, MD. It had been part of a grant to Robert Wade in 1678. On the property deeds, Otho was called a “planter,” the common term for holders of large acreage. See below Deed of Purchase.

1754 – Otho mortgaged “Wade’s Increase” to Henry Hall for 61 pounds and 18 shillings [27]. Henry Hall Sr. was b. May 1695 in Charles, Washington, MD, and d. 9 Dec 1773 in Frederick, Frederick, MD. Both the French and Hall families a couple generations later moved to Ohio living nearby each other; in fact, William Hall lived with Otho French (of another generation), as William’s father, Henry Hall Jr., had died.

1765 – Otho mortgaged “Wade’s Increase” to Nicholas Maccubbin for 90 pounds, 12 shillings. The Maccubbin family has 2 gravestones at the All Hallows Church Cemetery. No French gravestone exists.

1773 Jan 1 – From the Maryland Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland.

1776 – At age 69, Otho lived in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel Co., MD, according to the Maryland Census, 1772-1890. His household consisted of 2 white males and 1 white woman. Presumably, the two males were Otho and one of his sons, and the woman was his wife, Emma. The census also showed William French in All Hallow’s Parish, presumably Otho’s son living separately and not yet married, as well as son Benjamin French in St. James Parish.

1776 Nov 25 – Otho transferred the deed “Wade’s Increase” to his son, William.

1778 Sep – Otho repaid the sum of 112 pounds, 16 shillings and 5 pence to Nicholas Maccubbin and the mortgage was released.

1780 May 8 – Otho died previously to this date. An inventory dated 1780 found in Anne Arundel County records, reads:

An inventory of goods and chattels of Otho French, late of Anne Arundel County, deceased, appraised in current money of this province, by us the subscribers (being thereto lawfully authorized and sworn) this eighth day of May Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred Eighty (1780).

Following is a list of household goods, tools, feather beds, furniture, and twenty-seven pounds of pewter, two yearlings, etc. are the signatures of the appraisers, Joseph Howard and Thomas Henry Hall; and in closing was written: July 29, 1780 came William French, son of Otho French and made oath to the truth of the within inventory.

1780 Apr 5 – Emma Dowlin French died. In her will dated 1780, she left “whatever she had to son, William, daughter Ann, and daughter Joanna.” Apparently Otho predeceased her [27].

1780 Jul 29 – Otho’s son William made oath to the truth of the within inventory of his father [27]. Both Otho and his wife, Emma, died in 1780 and their son, William and his family, remained in Anne Arundel County. Otho’s son Israel moved to Frederick County, and son Otho Jr. moved to Baltimore County. Israel’s son, Otho, moved to Ohio in 1799 and had son Otho in 1814 at the old home place on Tacoma, two miles east of Barnesville.

1793 –An accounts testament list was drawn up 13 years after Otho’s death, made by his son, William, listed the assets of Otho French. It gave a final statement of money for the accountants and showed disbursement of funeral expenses [27].

Deed of Purchase in 1742

Deed of purchase of land in 1742 by Otho French from John Hopper of 100 acres of “Wade’s Increase” which were 2 pieces of land, one was 75 acres and the other was 40 acres.

http://books.google.com/books?id=NDcIVQ1dHAwC&pg=PA392&lpg=PA392&dq=%22Wade's+Increase%22&source=bl&ots=6FIZg4VkED&sig=jqP0E2YKo-C9Mn-mOCegbpl-rCI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=AvQtU6e5JsaCogT_lYLgAw&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Daniel Chester French was not related to the Otho French family as he was a descendant of Edward French, FFA Chart #4. The Jacob French of 1752 is probably FFA Chart #195.

4.4 Ann French, christened 30 Jan 1707 in Sherbourne, Dorset, England, the daughter of Samuel French and Ann. She was buried at age 2 on 11 Apr 1709 in Sherbourne, and her parents used this name for a second daughter.

4.5 Martha French, christened 13 Feb 1709 in Sherbourne, Dorset, England, the daughter of Samuel French and Ann. No other records can be found for Martha.

4.6 Joanna French, christened 17 Jun 1712 in Sherbourne, Dorset, England, the daughter of Samuel French and Ann. Joanna m. Thomas Sansom on 5 Feb 1735 in Sherborne.

Thomas Sansom christened 19 Mar 1705, the son of William and Ann Sansom.
Thomas Sansom m1. Edith Goulding on 7 Jun 1729 in Sherborne.
Edith Sansom was buried 27 Dec 1735, the wife of Thomas Sansom.
Thomas Sansom m2. Joanna French on 5 Feb 1735 in Sherborne. Consider old calendar where Jan., Feb., Mar. were part of the earlier year and the new year began Apr 1; therefore this date was probably 5 Feb 1736 in today’s calendar.
Thomas Sansom registered for duties as a master of carpentry for John Stacy who paid for apprentices’ indentures in Sherborne on 5 Aug 1737.
Thomas Sansom was buried 9 Feb 1743 in Sherborne.

Joanna Sansom was buried 2 Jun 1760 in Sherborne, a widow. The purpose of this research is to prove that Otho French and his siblings were born in Sherborne and not all of this family immigrated to Maryland.

“Other” men named Thomas Sansom in Sherborne have these records:
Thomas Sansom m. Susan Allin on 14 Oct 1616 in Sherborne.
Thomas Sansom m. Marie Fisher in Apr 1654 in Sherborne.
Thomas Sansom was buried 15 Aug 1677 in Sherborne.
Thomas Sansom was christened 6 Apr 1719 in Sherborne, parents unknown; he was probably an adult.
Elizabeth Sansom was buried 17 Sep 1733 in Sherborne, the wife of Thomas Sansom.
Thomas Sansom m. Margaret Bowditch on 22 Oct 1734 in Sherborne and had son William christened 23 Oct 1735.
Thomas Sansom m. Mary Parker on 15 Nov 1736 in Sherborne.

4.7 Benjamin French, christened 2 Jul 1714 in Sherbourne, Dorset, England, the son of Samuel French and Ann. From Dorset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, Sherborne, 1730-1739.

Benjamin was buried 28 Feb 1765 in Sherborne. I’m not sure what it says below his name. No other records can be found for a Benjamin in Sherborne. The reason this name was researched further was because Benjamin’s brother, Otho, who immigrated to Maryland, named one of his sons Benjamin, who was b. 20 Nov 1738.

4.8 Anne French, christened 8 Oct 1717 in Sherbourne, Dorset, England, the daughter of Samuel French and Ann. No other records can be found for Anne.

4.9 Sarah French, was buried 19 Jul 1723 in Sherborne, the daughter of Samuel and Anne French.

4.10 male French, was buried 2 Nov 1725 in Sherborne, the son of Samuel French.

Children of Jeremiah French Sr. and Elizabeth Chaffey, 3.6

Jeremiah French and Elizabeth Chaffey married 24 Dec 1710 in Sherbourne; neither immigrated to America.

4.11 Mary French, baptized 23 Aug 1711 in Sherborne, probably died young as another daughter was then named Mary.

4.12 Jeremiah French, Jr., baptized 5 Aug 1713 in Sherborne, son of Jeremiah French and Elizabeth had son Moses in 1735 in Sussex, Sussex, NJ, and he had a son Jeremiah, b. 1759 in NJ who eventually moved to PA. See FFA Chart #22. No verification on these descendants, but analysis is included below.

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Start of Proposed Descendants of Jeremiah if he indeed immigrated to New Jersey

It was Jeremiah’s cousin, Otho born 1705 in Sherborne, who immigrated to Maryland first from this line. Therefore, it is quite possible that both these men from the fourth generation immigrated about the same time. The descendants of Jeremiah Jr. (4.2) of FFA Chart #179 and his cousin Otho (4.11) of FFA Chart #41 have the same DNA test results in DNA Test Group 1. The name Moses must have come from someone in the U.S. Let us suppose that Jeremiah married and his wife’s father’s name was Moses, so he would have been born ca. 1685.

Otho is first noted in Maryland on 1727 Jul 30 when he married Emma Dowlin (or Jamemma Dowling) in All Hallows Church, Westminster Parish, Anne Arundel, MD, an Anglican church (the Church of England). He was age 22. He names his children the same names as his siblings.

In 1727 when Otho appears in Maryland, Jeremiah would have been age 17, and he and Otho could have traveled together, or about the same time, but Jeremiah went to NJ and Otho went to MD.

Could there have been another generation born between the Jeremiah born in 1713 and the Jeremiah born in New Jersey in 1759? That is 46 years, quite old to have a child. There could have been another generation in between, say born halfway between those dates ca. 1735, and yes, that is Moses, born 1735.

Jeremiah French is listed in the 1790 census of Northumberland, PA, where his father Moses lived, plus Jeremiah named a son Moses.
2 males under 16, Moses, b. 1783 and William b. 3 Jun 1790 in Northumberland.
1 male over 16, Jeremiah, born before 1774, who was probably the one born in 1759 in NJ.
2 females, wife Margaret, b. 1765, and dau. Sarah, b. 1786.

Jeremiah’s children were Moses, b. 1783; dau. b. 1786; William, b. 1790; Jeremiah Jr., b. 1791, and dau. b. 1793. The rest of his line is detailed in FFA Chart #179.

The name “Moses” is a big clue, as there was a Moses French born 1735 in Sussex, Sussex, NJ, who d. 28 May 1797. No one has come up with the name of his father, but it could very well have been Jeremiah from Sherborne, Dorset, England, as they were both in NJ at the same time. The Moses who was born in 1735 married Rebecca Congleton and had son John Congleton French in 1766 and Aaron French in 1767 and she could have also had Jeremiah French in 1759. DNA from descendants of Moses and Aaron show that they are also part of DNA Test Group 1. Aaron French is in the 1790 census of Washington County, PA, showing that he, too, moved from NJ to PA. See Aaron French FFA Chart #21, and Moses French FFA Chart #22. Furthermore, note that one of the descendants of Moses was Jeremiah French, b. 16 Jan 1837 in Sheshequin, Bradford County, PA. The father of this Jeremiah was Walter, his grandfather was Aaron, and his great-grandfather was Moses.

From “Journey to Day Before Yesterday” by Rhoda English Ladd: In Northumberland County in Pennsylvania, off the main road, Route 249 between Keeneyville and Little Marsh, is a road that winds up around the hills into an area well known as French Hill. To the north is Farmington Township and to the west, Chatham Township. French Hill was named for the French family. There was French Hill School and French Hill Cemetery. In 1919 a series of stories was written by one calling himself “old Chathamer.” This early history is important because several persons are collecting data on this pioneer family. French Hill was first settled by Moses French in 1833. In 1834 his brother, William, came. Both were sons of Jeremiah French, a Revolutionary War soldier. This family moved from Northumberland County up the Susquehanna River to Bradford County, and later settled on the Chemung River near Elmira, where William French was born, June 3, 1790. These pioneers erected log houses, cleared the land, and made homes for themselves that were quite comfortable. In addition to farming, Moses French raised honey. He had two sons, Moses, Jr. and William. He also had daughters. His farm was located just below the school house (see Middlebury Township in the 1874 atlas). The farm in 1919 was owned by N.T. (Nathan Towner) French. Near this farm was the one owned by William French. Needed is burial place of Jeremiah French, his wife’s name, and a complete list of their children.

Jeremiah’s proposed cousin, Otho, immigrated to America, and it is very likely that Jeremiah did also, as “a” Jeremiah French appears in NJ at the same time, plus the descendants of both Otho and Jeremiah in America have the same DNA test results in DNA Test Group 1. The name Moses must have come from someone in the U.S. Let us suppose that Jeremiah married and his wife’s father’s name was Moses, so he would have been born ca. 1685.

5.x Moses French, b. 1735 in Sussex, Sussex, NJ, m. Rebecca Congleton, d. 28 May 1797 in Sandyston, Sussex, NJ. Lived in Shamokin, Northumberland, PA. See FFA Chart #22.

6.x Jonathan French, b. ca. 1760, settled on the Maurnee River, OH.

6.x John Congleton French, b. 1766 in Sussex, NJ, m. Martha Morris. John d. 10 May 1859 and Martha d. 15 Jan 1849 in Moreland Lutheran Cemetery, Lycoming County, PA. See FFA Chart #22.

6.x Aaron French, b. 1 Mar 1767 in Sussex, NJ, lived in Washington Co., PA in 1790, m. Mary Myers, d. 1 Jan 1851 in Sheshequin, Bradford, PA. See FFA Chart #21.

Unknown Parents

6.x Jeremiah French III, b. 1759 in Sandyston, Sussex, NJ, m. Margaret Van Gorder in 1782, d. 1846 in Erin, Tioga or Chemung, NY, age 97. Moved to Middlebury Center, Tioga Co., PA in 1774. A Revolutionary War soldier. Moved to Shamokin, Northumberland, PA 1791-1791. He then moved from Northumberland County up the Susquehanna River to Bradford County and later settled on the Chemung River near Elmira, Chemung County, NY, where son William was born in 1790. See FFA Chart #179.

Jeremiah attended the Zion Lutheran Church in Oldwick, NJ, in 1778 with his wife Margarite Van Gorder, as does Richard French of FFA Chart #112, and Noah French of FFA Chart #19, all of whom have had descendants take the DNA test and all of them fall into DNA Test Group 1, matching exactly.

7.x Moses French, b. 1783 in PA, lived in Owego, Tioga, NY in the 1800 census, m. Nancy Dearborn. Settled in Northumberland, PA on French Hill in 1823.

7.x Sarah French, b. 1786 in PA, lived in Owego, Tioga, NY in the 1800 census.

7.x William French, b. 3 Jun 1790 near Elmira, NY, lived in Owego, Tioga, NY in the 1800 census. Moved to Northumberland, PA, French Hill in 1834, m. Esther Martin and had 6 children: Nehemiah, William Jr., and John W., Mariah, Louise, and Lucretia. He d. 1881.

7.x Jeremiah French Jr., b. 1791 in Owego, Tioga, NY in the 1800 census, m. Charlotte Van Gorder, d. 1847.

7.x Flora French, b. 1793 in NY, lived in Owego, Tioga, NY in the 1800 census.

End of Proposed Descendants of Jeremiah if he indeed immigrated to New Jersey

--------------------------------------------------

4.13 Elizabeth French, baptized 3 Dec 1714 in Sherborne, daughter of Jeremiah French and Elizabeth, and she was buried 17 Dec 1714 in Sherborne.

4.14 Mary French, baptized 10 May 1716 in Sherborne, daughter of Jeremiah French and Elizabeth. She died on 21 Jan 1783 as a spinster in Sherborne.

4.15 Samuel French, b. Jul 1718 in Sherborne (not verified), buried 6 Feb 1735 in Sherborne, the son of Jeremiah French and Elizabeth (verified). Samuel French was buried 6 Feb 1735 in Sherborne, the son of Jeremiah French and Elizabeth.

4.16 Barter French, b. 8 Aug 1720 in Sherborne, son of Jeremiah and Elizabeth, d. 17 Jan 1731 in Sherborne, son of Jeremiah (verified).

4.17* John French, baptized 24 Aug 1722 in Sherborne, the son of Jeremiah French and Elizabeth. Future research may indicate he immigrated to America as no marriage or burial date can be found for him in Sherborne.

4.18 Elizabeth French II, b. Jul 1724 in Sherborne.

4.19 Deborah French, b. 22 Jun 1727 in Sherborne, the daughter of Jeremiah French and Elizabeth. She married Thomas Chant on 25 Dec 1760 in Sherborne, witnesses William Whitehead and John Simonds by bands. John Simonds also witnessed the marriages of William French of Poole, Dorset, England, and Ann Moor. This shows the connection of the village of Poole (very near Sherborne) to the French family. Daughter Mary was a baseborn daughter baptized on 9 Aug 1771; no other children are listed. Thomas Chant was buried 24 Aug 1777 in Sherborne. The Chant family was extensive in Sherborne.

Fifth Generation

Children of Otho French Sr. and Emma Dowlin, 4.3

Otho named his children after his parents, siblings and after himself and his wife, the exact same names as those from England.

5.1 Samuel French, b. 11 Dec 1729 at Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel Co., MD. He could have been the Samuel French who bought 50 acres of land in Kent County, MD, in 1752. No further records have been found.

5.2 Otho French, b. 24 Nov 1731. He enrolled in the Revolutionary War militia under Benjamin Ramsey, Captain on 16 Sep 1775 [27].

For details on Otho French Jr., see “From Prairie to Palestine”, p. 396.

Chronology

1731 Nov 24 – Otho Jr. was born in Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel County, MD.

1768 – Otho signed a petition to the Upper and Lower Houses of Assembly to change the County seat from Joppa to Baltimore, as Joppa was considered too small of a town. If he were Otho, Sr., he would have been 61 years old; if he were Otho Jr., he would have been 37 [27]. It is assumed this was Otho Jr. as he was living in Baltimore County, whereas his father was living in Anne Arundel County.

1775 Sep 16 – Otho Jr., aged 44, enrolled in the Revolutionary War militia under Benjamin Ramsey, Captain [27].

1790 census – Otho French Jr. appears in Patapsco Lower Hundred, Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Otho Sr., had died by 1780. This census indicates that Otho Jr. may have married.
1 male, Otho Jr.
2 females
1 child
1 slave.
(Benjamin French, Otho’s brother, appears in a separate residence with 2 males, 1 female, 3 children, and 4 slaves).

Inhabitants of Anne Arundel County, All Hallows Parish. The columns to the left are: white men, white females, white children, black men, black females, black children, total, as per Maryland Records, Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church, by Galius Marcus Brumbaugh.

1791 Oct 12 – Otho and Sarah French signed as witnesses for Robert Abercrombie in Baltimore County, MD. Sarah may have been the daughter of Otho’s brother, Benjamin, with Benjamin’s second wife, Mary Abercrombie. But Sarah was born in 1788 and would only have been 3 years old in 1791. More research is needed. It does say that Otho French with Sarah French as “one of the witnesses”, not two.

1800 census – Otho is not listed anywhere.

5.3 Ann French, b. 21 Feb 1733 in Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel Co., MD, dau. of Otho and Emma. She is mentioned in her mother’s will of 1780. She wrote her will in Anne Arundel, MD, in 1785. No further information found.

From the Index of Wills of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, 1777-1917. (3 Frenches below are probably from the 4^th or 5^th generations)

5.4 Agnes/Agness French, 20 Apr 1736 in Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel Co., MD, dau. of Otho and Emma. No further information found.

5.5 Benjamin French, b. 20 Nov 1738 in Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel Co., MD, son of Otho and Emma. He m. Deborah Gist or Geist, and perhaps had a second marriage to Mary Abercrombie on 11 Nov 1784 in Baltimore, MD, plus they may have had daughter Sarah French who was b. 1788 and d. 1811. More research is needed.

Chronology

1738 Nov 20 – Benjamin French was born in Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel Co., MD.

1760 Aug 7 -- From the Maryland Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, 7 Aug 1760. Herring Bay is very close to Calvert County which is the county immediately south of Ann Arundel County. Herring-Bay is the location of St. James Parish.

1763 Oct 13 -- From the Maryland Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, 13 Oct 1763. Even though this newspaper article seems similar to the one in 1760, the location is in Calvert County. There is “a” Benjamin French living in Calvert County in the 1800 census, but he is far too young to be the Benjamin born in 1738.

1775 Jun 25 -- Benjamin m. Deborah Gist on 25 Jun 1775 in Anne Arundel County, MD, at the age of 37. The surname Gist appears in early Maryland records (Elizabeth, Rachel, John, Violetta, Ellen, Anne, Joseph, David, Jonathan, Joshua, Maria, Sarah, Susannah, and Thomas Gist were all born ca. 1750 in Baltimore, MD). No children of Benjamin were recorded between 1775-1785; only children of his brother William were recorded except for “A” Sarah French, b. 1778 in Anne Arundel, MD, m. James Rusk or John P. Bell, d. 1811.

As for the list of marriages in Maryland shown below, only Benjamin and Otho are part of the family of this document. The others are listed here to differentiate them as other lines and are further explained in the Bibliography, Ref. [32]. The “AA” stands for Anne Arundel. This St. James’ Parish is a historic church located on Solomon’s Island Road in the hamlet of Tracy’s Landing in Anne Arundel County, established in 1692; a newer larger church was built and completed in 1765, before Benjamin was married, and continues to serve the congregation today. This church was combined with All Saints Church in Frederick County, Maryland, in 1768.

Could Benjamin m2. Mary Abercrombie? Undocumented sources indicate Benjamin married Mary Abercrombie on 11 Nov 1784. More research is needed.

1776 census -- The 1776 Maryland Colonial Census shows Benjamin listed with the St. James Parish in Anne Arundel Co., MD, with 1 white woman, 6 white boys, 1 white girl, 1 Negro man, and 1 Negro woman [27]. The 1776 census of St. James Parish lists only Bazel French (or Basel) and Benjamin French. “A” Basel Gist is listed in the 1830 census of District 5, Anne Arundel, MD, as a female, age 40-50, b. 1780-1790. “A” Basil Guest is listed in military service, 1812-1815.

Otho French and William French appear at All Hallows Parish, also in Anne Arundel County, MD. If Benjamin married in 1775 at age 37 -- maybe these 7 children listed below were from and previous marriage or children from a previous marriage of Deborah Gist. If they had 7 children born before 1776, one could predict the first was born 1766 or before.

1 white woman – Benjamin’s wife
6 boys, must be under 18 (b. after 1758).
1 girl born under 18 (b. after 1758).

1784 – Benjamin m2. Mary Abercrombie on 11 Nov 1784 in Baltimore, MD.

1790 -- Benjamin French appears in a separate residence from Otho French, with 2 males, 1 female, 3 children, and 4 slaves. This census record has validity simply for the fact that Otho is also listed, and he was probably Benjamin’s brother.

Benjamin lived in the 1790 census in Patapsco Lower Hundred, Baltimore, MD.
1 male under 16
2 males over 16, Benjamin French, born before 1774
3 females, wife Deborah
4 slaves

5.6* William French, Sr., b. 14 May 1741 or 24 May 1744 in Anne Arundel Co., MD, son of Otho and Emma, m. Susanna Morgan in Jan 1780, the year his father died. William and Susanna had 3 children: Nicholas, William, and Emma, all born at the Westminster Parish in Anne Arundel County, MD. His wife’s surname Morgan is a strong connection to William Morgan French and John Morgan French who used Morgan as a middle name. William d. ca. 1800 in Anne Arundel, MD.

Chronology

1741 May 14 – William was born in Anne Arundel County, MD. Below: Register of Maryland’s Heraldic Families, p. 222

1776 Maryland Colonial Census -- William is listed in the All Hallows Parish in Anne Arundel Co., MD, with a white male, and with one taxable male [27].

Inhabitants of Anne Arundel County, All Hallows Parish. The columns to the left are: white men, white females, white children, black men, black females, black children, total. Maryland Records, Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church, by Galius Marcus Brumbaugh. Census taken at a time before William married and when his father Otho was still living.

1778 Mar 1 -- William served in the Army and took the Oath of Allegiance before the Honorable Richard Harwood, Jr. on 1 Mar 1778 and was drafted in Oct 1780 to serve in the Army until 10 Dec 1780 [27], right after his father had died.

1780 Jan – William married Susanna Morgan. She was born between 1756-1774 as per the 1800 census; more precisely, she was probably born between 1756-1762. “A” John Jacobs Morgan was born 9 Jan 1763 in Anne Arundel County, MD, the son of Richard and Susanah Morgan who are also probably the parents of William’s wife Susanna Morgan. The Morgan family was also of All Hallows Parish.

Pre-Feb 1780 – William’s father, Otho, died.

1780 Feb 26 -- From the Maryland Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, 24 Mar 1780. William’s elder brothers are Otho Jr., and Benjamin.

1780 – Both of William’s parents died during this year. He is mentioned in his mother’s will of 1780, and he was probably the executor of his father’s will and inventory, also in 1780, and again in 1793 when his father’s inventory was retaken.

1790 census – Only 12 men named William French lived in the entire 1790 census of the U.S. Only one lived in Maryland, and that was in Anne Arundel County, with 6 family members:
2 males under 16, born 1774 or after, son Nicholas b. 1781, and son William Jr. b. 1783
2 males over 16, born 1774 or before, William Sr. b. 1741, and perhaps a brother (only could have been Samuel)
2 females, wife Susanna, and dau. Emma b. 1788.

1793 Jul 31 – From the Maryland Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, 8 Aug 1793.

1800 census – Only 20 men named William French lived in the entire 1800 census of the U.S. None lived in Maryland. William definitely died between 1793-1800 as his wife, Susan, is listed as head of household in Anne Arundel, MD. Son Nicholas was age 19 and son William Jr. was 17; their whereabouts in 1800 are unknown. Other Frenches in 1800 in Maryland were Ariana French, Montgomery, FFA Chart #166; Benjamin French, Calvert, unk.; Bennett French, Baltimore, unk.; Bernard French, Montgomery, FFA Chart #166; Domonick French, Baltimore, unk.; Jacob French, Calvert, unk.; Joan French, Montgomery, FFA Chart #166; John French, Montgomery, FFA Chart #166; Simon French, Baltimore, unk.
1 female, age 10-15, dau. Emma, b. 1788
1 female, age 26-44, Susan, wife of William, b. 1756-1774
4 slaves

1800 Sep 10 – From the Maryland Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, 16 Oct 1800. William’s father owned land called “Wade’s Increase”.

1810 census – Only 11 head of household named French lived in Maryland: Simon, Benjamin, Daniel, Elloner, George, J., Jacob, Ledia, P., P., Thomas. William and Susanna French cannot be found.

5.7 Martha French, b. 3 May 1744 in Anne Arundel Co., MD, dau. of Otho and Emma. She m. Isaac Short [7] on 15 Feb 1738/39 in Anne Arundel Co., MD [7]. They had 10 children: Martha, Ann, William, Mary, Elizabeth, Emma, Richard, Joanna, Rebecca, and Israel, mostly born in Hampshire Co., VA, and Richard died in Shelby Co., OH [7], where several other Frenches resided.

From the Maryland Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, 6 Oct 1774.

5.8* Israel French Jr., b. 16 Sep 1746 in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel, MD [27], son of Otho and Emma, d. 16 Aug 1820 in Belmont Co., OH, at age 73 [6]. He m. Margaret Grant on 25 Dec 1770 in Frederick Co., MD, at age 24, and had 5 children [7]. Margaret was b. 16 Jan 1746 and she d. 7 Jan 1785 when her children were all relatively young. The following data is from the Pipe Creek Monthly Quaker Meeting in Carroll County, MD, showing marriage, birth, and burials between 1681-1935.

Chronology

1746 Sep 16 – Israel French was born in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel, MD.

1746 Jan 16 – Israel’s wife Margaret was born.

1770 Dec 25 -- Israel m. Margaret Grant in Frederick Co., MD, at age 24 [27]. (“Marriage Register of Rev. David Love,” discovered by Peter Wilson Coldham in the Public Record Office, London (PRO: AO 13/61(II)/ 420ff.)

1772-1779 – Had 5 children, Ann (7 Mar 1772), Emma (6 Oct 1773), Joanna (29 Jun 1775), Otho (2 May 1777), Israel Jr. (21 Oct 1779)

1775 – Israel, Margaret, and their children left the Anglican Church – the official Church of England – and became Quakers and moved to Pipe Creek, Frederick County, MD, where there last 2 children were born, 2 sons. The Quaker faith strictly opposes war.  Religion was a much larger part of life back then and to change faiths was a serious commitment [28].

1776 -- Israel Sr.’s only known encounter with the American Revolution was in 1776 when he was fined 2 pounds by a Maryland War Commission for not enrolling with the local militia to train for combat. He held fast to his new Quaker faith and joined the Quaker Friends Meeting House [28], which is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, 455 Quaker Hill Rd., Union Bridge, MD, which is now over the Frederick County line into Carroll County, MD.

1785 Jan 7 – Margaret Grant French, Israel’s wife, died when her children were all relatively young: Ann (7 Mar 1772), Emma (6 Oct 1773), Joanna (29 Jun 1775), Otho (2 May 1777), Israel Jr. (21 Oct 1779).

1790 – Israel was registered at the Pipe Creek Quaker Friends Meeting House.

1790 census – Israel was living in Frederick County, MD. He was age 16+ and living with 2 females age 16+.

1792 Aug 1 – Israel purchased 20 acres of land in Pipe Creek, Frederick County, MD, called “Hickory Plains.” The land was originally surveyed in 1760. Like his father, Israel was a farmer, perhaps a tenant farmer, until he was able to buy his own land in 1792 [27].

1800 census – Israel lived in District 1, Frederick County, OH
1 male age 16-25, b. 1775-1784, Israel French, Jr., b. 21 Oct 1779
1 male age 45+, born 1755 or earlier, Israel Sr.
1 female age 10-15, b. 1785-1790,

1820 census -- There’s another Israel living in Mount Pleasant, Jefferson County, OH – this is the one born in 1779, Israel Jr.

1820 census -- Israel lived in Mount Pleasant, Jefferson Co., OH
1 male, age 10 and 16, b. 1804-1810, Israel French 3^rd.
1 male, age 45 years old or over, b. 1775 or before, Israel Sr.
1 female under 10, b. 1810-1820, Julia
1 female between 10 and 16, b. 1804-1810, Zeruah
1 female, age 45 years old or over, born 1775 or before, Deborah
The French household was the only one on its census page that owned a slave: one girl under 14. As Ohio was a free state, it is unknown how this could have been the case. Perhaps the family had a servant girl living with them that the census taker put down as a slave [27]. It listed Israel as a “manufacturer” for his occupation.  Along with occasional land dealings, he was also known as a teacher throughout the region.  An interesting note in the census indicated that there was a free Black Girl living with the family and in the 1830 census a free Black Boy was residing there as well.  They would be paid for doing typical household chores [28].

1820 Aug 16 -- Israel died in Belmont County, OH, on 16 Aug 1820, a few days after the 1820 census and one month before his 74^th birthday. The location of his burial is unknown, but in those days it was typical for someone to be buried on their own land [27].

See [30] p. 394. Stillwater is just outside Barnesville in Belmont Co., OH.

From Jefferson County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society: http://jeffcochapter.com/french.html

The “French” surname is an old colonial name; one branch of which settled in the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County area of Maryland in the late 1600’s.  It is not known exactly when they arrived in America.  Otho French is one of the first known Frenchs in Maryland.  He was born there around 1707.  His son Israel (Sr.) was born in the All Hallows parish in 1746.  Israel French married Margaret Grant at the All Hallows Anglican Church in 1770.  Their first three children would be born in Anne Arundel County.

The early 1770’s were a very turbulent time in the British Colony of America.  It was a time of mis-trust between the colonials and the British - the talk of a revolution was in the air.  It was potentially a great danger to a young family like the French’s who were living in the bustling, strategic commercial area of Annapolis.  Some colonists were opposed to a war.  Some became British sympathizers – Tories – and were publically ridiculed.  Others were pacifists but were not British sympathizers.  The French Family were not Tories but most likely did not support war.

Around 1775 with a war looming, Israel Sr. and Margaret French changed their lives greatly.  They left the Anglican Church – the official Church of England – and became Quakers.  The Quaker faith strictly opposes war. Religion was a much larger part of life back then and to change faiths was a serious commitment.  The French Family also relocated from busy Annapolis to remote Frederick County in western Maryland where warfare would probably not invade their life.  Israel Sr’s only known encounter with the American Revolution was in 1776 when he was fined 2 pounds by a Maryland War Commission for not enrolling with the local militia to train for combat.  He held fast to his new Quaker faith.

In Frederick County, the French’s built a homestead at Pipe Creek where a Quaker Friends Meeting House had been established in 1735.  They had a few more children including Israel Jr. who was born in 1779.  The family lived a quiet life farming the land in the Pipe Creek community for over 30 years.  They were registered in the 1790 and 1800 census for Frederick County Maryland.  Israel Sr. and Margaret died around 1820 most likely in Maryland but possibly in Ohio.

5.9 Joanna French, b. 11 Dec 1749 (twin) in Anne Arundel Co., MD, dau. of Otho and Emma. She m. William Pearce on 22 May 1768 in All Hallows Parish, MD, in Anne Arundel Co., MD [7]. She is mentioned in her mother’s will of 1780.

5.10 Emma French [6], b. 11 Dec 1749 (twin) in Anne Arundel Co., MD, dau. of Otho and Emma [7]. She is not mentioned in her mother’s will of 1780.

Sixth Generation

Children of William French and Susanna Morgan, 5.6

6.1* Nicholas French, b. 3 Apr 1781 and christened at the Westminster Parish in Anne Arundel Co., MD, m. Rebecca Chaney 22 Sep 1802 in Anne Arundel, Maryland, of St. James Parish.

Below: Register of Maryland’s Heraldic Families, p. 222

1781 – Both Nicholas French and Rebecca Chaney were born the same year.

1802 Sep 22 – Nicholas French m. Rebecca Chaney in Anne Arundel County, MD.

1807 Sep 9 – Son William Morgan French was born in Baltimore, Baltimore Co., MD.

1810 census – Cannot find.

1818 – Son Joseph James French was born in Maryland. He moved to Waco, TX.

1820 census – Nicholas lived in District 1, Baltimore, MD. Puzzled by the name Nicholas French being listed as head of household, yet no age listed fits his age.
2 males under 10,
2 females under 10
1 female 10-15
2 females 26-44, b. 1776-1794, Rebecca Chaney French, b. 1781
1 female 45+, born before 1776, Susanna Morgan French, Nicholas’ mother, b. ca. 1760.
no slaves

1830 census – Nicholas French in Baltimore Ward 4, Baltimore, MD
1 male 5-9
1 male 40-49, b. 1781-1790, Nicholas born in 1781.
1 female 5-9
1 female 10-14
1 female 15-19
1 female 40-49, b. 1781-1790, b. 1781

1830-1840 – Nicholas French might have died as his wife is living alone.

1840 census – Son William French is listed in Baltimore Ward 4, Baltimore, MD
He was age 30-39 or b. 1801-1810. In this census is also a female age 50-59, born 1781-1790 who could very well have been Rebecca Chaney. It would stand to reason that Nicholas named a son William after his father.

1850 census -- Rebecca Chaney is listed in the 1850 census of Baltimore Ward 11, Baltimore, Maryland, age 69, b. 1781, living with the McKeever family and 5 unrelated people all born in England, Ireland, and Maryland. Son Joseph and his wife Rachel are living in Baltimore Ward 6, Baltimore, MD.

6.2 William French, b. 16 Jan 1783 at the Westminster Parish in Anne Arundel Co., MD.

6.3 Emma French, b. 26 Nov 1788 at the Westminster Parish in Anne Arundel Co., MD.

Children of Israel French Sr. and Margaret Grant, 5.8

Had 5 children, Ann (7 Mar 1772), Emma (6 Oct 1773), Joanna (29 Jun 1775), Otho (2 May 1777), Israel Jr. (21 Oct 1779)

6.4 Ann French, b. 7 Mar 1772 [7] in Anne Arundel County, MD [28] [27]. She m. Moses Given in Pipe Creek, Frederick Co., MD, on 31 Aug 1797 [7] in Maryland. She d. 1845 and Moses died in 1865. Both are buried at the Concord Quaker Cemetery in Belmont Co., OH. Moses Given was the son of James and Isabella Given.

6.5 Emma French, b. 6 Oct 1773 [7] [27] in Anne Arundel County, MD [28] [27]. She m. Joseph Steer on 2 Feb or 20 Jan 1814 in Belmont Co., OH [7]. Therefore, siblings Emma, Otho, and Israel were all living in Belmont Co., OH, by 1815 [28] [30]. Perhaps Emma and Joseph had a son named Joseph G. Steer who m. Elmira T. French on 23 Jul 1884. James and Abigail (Edgerton) Steer moved to Loudoun County, Virginia, about 1762, thence to Frederick County, Va., in 1766, and thence to Belmont County, Ohio, in 1813. They had a numerous family — Hannah, married Moses Piggott 10th mo., 10th, 1793 ; Abigail, born 1st mo., 15th, 1768, married George Cope 4th mo., 15th, 1790; James, born Frederick Co., Va., 7th mo., 29th, 1781, died Belmont County, Ohio, 6th mo., 37th, 1874, married Ruth Wilson 7th mo., 29th, 1819; Rachel married James Raley 6th mo., 4th, 1788; Grace, born 3d mo., 9th, 1763, married John Cope 1793; Mary, who married John Doudna; Susannah, who married John Cowgill 8th mo., 23d, 1810; Sarah, born 2d mo., 27th, 1778, died 8th mo., 15th, 1828, married Samuel Cope (brother of George and John) 11th mo., 30th, 1797; and Joseph, who married Emma French (for details, see http://www.robertmackayclan.com/steergen/).

Chronology

1800 – Israel and his sister Emma were registered at the Pipe Creek Quaker Friends Meeting House.

1807 Jun 23 -- Emma was granted certificate to Stillwater on 22 May 1809 at the Quaker Friends Meeting.

See [30] p. 394. Stillwater is just outside Barnesville in Belmont Co., OH.

6.6 Joanna French, b. 29 Jun 1775 [7] [27] in Anne Arundel County, MD [28] [27]. She d. Jul 1779 in MD, age 4 [7].

6.7* Otho French II, b. 2 May 1777 in Pipe Creek, Frederick Co., MD [27] [7].

He d. 27 Sep 1857 in Warren, Belmont Co., OH and was buried at the Friend’s Township Cemetery in Barnesville, Belmont County, OH. Apparently this cemetery in Tacoma and not in Barnesville. He m. Elizabeth Anderson on 18 Feb 1802 in Frederick Co., MD at the German Reformed Church, later called the St. James Reformed Church. She was b. 26 Sep 1782 in Frederick Co., MD. They had 12 children. They moved to Warren Township in the Spring of 1802. For details on Otho French II, see “From Prairie to Palestine”, p. 395.

Chronology

1777 May 2 – Otho French II was born in Pipe Creek, Frederick Co., MD.

1799 -- Tipton B. Hall was b. 10 Nov 1822 in Archer, Harrison, OH, d. 23 Mar 1899, and was buried at the Bethel Cemetery in Harrison County, OH. Tipton’s father, William, was born about 1799 and died in 1878. William’s father was Henry Hall, born 21 Jul 1751 in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel, MD, and worshipped with Otho French’s descendants there before both families moved to OH. Otho moved to OH in 1799 when he was 22, just at the time when William Hall was born and his father Henry Hall had died. William then resided with Otho French until William became of age. Those years would probably be from 1799 until 1815 at which time William married Hannah Tipton. Belmont and Harrison counties are next to each other, but no determination has been made as to where Otho was living between 1799 and 1815 as the Ohio’s first census was in 1820 at which time Otho was living in Belmont County, OH.

1800 -- Family home of Otho French Jr. built in early 1800s in Belmont County, OH, 2 miles east of Barnesville, OH.

1802 Feb 18 -- Otho m. Elizabeth Anderson on 18 Feb 1802 in Frederick Co., MD at the German Reformed Church, later called the St. James Reformed Church. She was b. 26 Sep 1782 in Frederick Co., MD. They had 12 children.

1802 Spring – Otho and Elizabeth moved to Warren Township, Belmont County, OH in the Spring of 1802.

1806 – Otho is recorded on the Tax List of Belmont County, OH.

1807 – Otho is recorded on the Tax List of Kirkwood Township, Belmont County, OH.

1808 -- Otho is recorded on the Tax List of Kirkwood Township, Belmont County, OH.

1809 -- Otho is recorded on the Tax List of Warren Township, Belmont County, OH.

1810 -- Otho is recorded on the Tax List of Warren Township, Belmont County, OH.

1817-1818 – Otho is recorded on the Tax List of Warren Township, Belmont County, OH.

1820 census – Otho is listed in Warren, Belmont, OH, with a family of 24:
2 males under 10
2 males ages 16-18
3 males ages 16-25
1 male 45+, Otho, b. 1777
1 female under 10
3 females ages 10-15
1 female 16-25
1 female 45+
12 others, probably workhands on the farm

1840 census -- Otho is listed in the 1840 census as living in Warren Township, OH. The household consisted of a man 50-60 years old (born 1780-1790), 3 young men between 20-30, a boy between 16-20, and a young woman between 20-30.

1850 census, Otho (age 72) and Elizabeth (67) were living alone on their land that was worth $2,000 [27].

Among the first pioneers of Warren Township was Otho French, and as he was conspicuous among them, firmly impressing upon early times some of the peculiarities of his own character, from the many noted incidents in his career, we will present a few of the more salient. After settling in Ohio, Mr. French, in a very brief period, became an expert hunter, surpassing all competitors, and his fame, in this respect, was so great that his neighbors, many times, would work in his clearings in order that he might go to kill game for them. In this manner he acquired a most consummate knowledge of the means to secure game. An old acquaintance and relative of Mr. French has kindly furnished us with some interesting hunting incidents in this life [27].

Mr. French had two modes for hunting turkeys: first, the old stratagem of hiding and then calling like one of a flock. He however, combined with it a well trained turkey-dog which would scatter the flock, calling them would bring large numbers of the disturbed flock about his hiding places, thus giving him more numerous chances to kill them. Second, to hunt out their roostings and shoot them by moonlight. He discovered at this first trial by moonlight that to shot his turkey, the main must be taken from 6 to 8 inches beyond the point desired to be hit. These nocturnal expeditions were generally successful [27].

Of wolf hunting he says, “Mr. French was the most accomplished wolf trapper ever resident in Belmont County. So expert did he become in the capture of these animals that he rarely failed, if he set his traps, to catch one of them. The wolf is your sly customer, and can only be caught in a trap by much deception [27].

During the winter of 1815, Mr. French captured six wolves. His traps that winter were set on the Leatherwood, about two and a half miles southwest of Barnesville. His mode of trapping was to place the bait near a stream of water, so that the wolf could not get it without crossing the stream from the opposite side. He would set the trap under the water, and place a flat stone on the treadle, and lay others a short distance apart from the banks to the trap, for the wolf to step on. He never could catch any unless the trap was set under water. The last one he caught in his traps in the winter of 1815, as soon as it saw Mr. French laid down as quietly as a dog. He thought it was of the kind that they said could be handled like a kitten. French came up and touched it. It showed its teeth. He then reached his hat out to it, which was seized and torn to pieces. Mr. French then determined to take it home alive. Having, with the assistance of a friend, secured and muzzled it, he started home. As he passed through Barnesville, he caused quite an excitement by having a live wolf tied on his horse behind him [27].

Mr. French was also a great bee hunter. In early times there was no bee-moth, and the old hives were often very rich in honey. He very frequently obtained as much as twenty to twenty-five gallons from one bee tree. The greatest quantity he ever got from one swarm was found in a limb, the hollow of which was fully ten feet long, and over a foot in diameter. His manner of finding a bee tree, was to place bait in some convenient place, and watch the course of the bees [27].

Mr. French killed a great many bears within the limits of Warren Township. Once he found a bear’s den in a large poplar. So collecting a number of youngsters to help him cut the tree, they paraded at the spot, in high glee at the coming sport. French set his gun against a tree near at hand, but as to be out of the way of the falling tree. They then commenced cutting down the old poplar. They had not chopped long before they heard some noise up the tree, and looking up, beheld the bear coming down. French thought of his gun, and started for it on the run. The boys thought he was running to escape from the bear, and so cut dirt as fast as their legs could carry them. Some of them did not stop until they were out of sight and hearing. French shot the bear, and had a hearty laugh at the expense of the boys [27].

In all his hunting adventures, he was never injured by any wild animal. The narrowest escape he ever had was from a wounded buck. He had shot it in the shoulder, and so disabled it that his dog soon brought it to bay. Before he could reload his gun, the deer had caught the dog between its horns and pinned him to the ground. French re-loaded his gun as quick as possible, and ran up close, so as to shoot it in the head. As soon as the deer saw him, it loosed its hold on the dog, threw its hair all back the wrong way and pitched at French, who barely had time to level his gun and pull the trigger, before the deer would have been upon him. His shot was fatal, and the buck fell dead at his feet [27].

The most remarkable feature of Mr. French’s life was his persistent, uniform and ceaseless opposition to the use of spirituous liquors as a beverage. There were no circumstances in which he tolerated its use, as such, either by himself or by others, and in this particular has set an example that should be followed by all who teach total abstinence: “put in practice yourself, what you preach to others. Do not talk temperance and act whiskey”. He would not walk on the side-walk in front of a tavern at which liquors were sold. Sooner than do so he would walk out into the deep mud or snow of the street, until he had passed the tavern, and then come on the side-walk again. And nother could induce him to enter such a tavern if he know it. During the latter years of his life he was in the habit of entertaining droves and drovers. His universal inquiry of the drovers was: “Has any of your stock been fed at a still house? If they have, you cannot stop with me.” [27].

Otho left Frederick County with his friend and neighbor, Robert Plummer (who was also a Quaker), who was from New Market in Frederick County. They reached Marietta, the first settlement on the Ohio River, and learned from surveyors of the new land that there was beautiful land in eastern Ohio that was being designated as Belmont County. They staked out a claim of 600 acres in Warren Township, Belmont County [27]. Otho m. Elizabeth Anderson on 19 Feb 1802 in Frederick County, before he had returned to Warren Township in the spring of 1802 where he had staked out land [27]. Abraham Plummer had agreed to sell him the southwest part of Section 10 comprising 100 acres, as Abraham has returned to Maryland and moved out to Ohio immediately in 1801. This transaction was recorded on 20 Aug 1804 in the first book of deeds of Belmont County. Otho put up a crude log cabin, but not long after built a “fine hewn log cabin” where they lived until he built a two-story brick house with a large cellar and high attic. It was still standing in 1993 when Martha Frasher Laney wrote the French family genealogy, and was still known as “The French House.” Otho left Frederick County with his friend and neighbor, Robert Plummer, who was from New Market in Frederick County. They reached Marietta, the first settlement on the Ohio River, and learned from surveyors of the new land that there was beautiful land in eastern Ohio that was being designated as Belmont County. They staked out a claim of 600 acres in Warren Township, Belmont County [27]. Otho m. Elizabeth Anderson on 19 Feb 1802 in Frederick County, before he had returned to Warren Township in the spring of 1802 where he had staked out land [27].

Otho left Frederick County with his friend and neighbor, Robert Plummer, who was from New Market in Frederick County. They reached Marietta, the first settlement on the Ohio River, and learned from surveyors of the new land that there was beautiful land in eastern Ohio that was being designated as Belmont County. They staked out a claim of 600 acres in Warren Township, Belmont County [27]. Otho m. Elizabeth Anderson on 19 Feb 1802 in Frederick County, before he had returned to Warren Township in the spring of 1802 where he had staked out land.

The following is excerpted from Centennial History of Belmont County, Ohio, ed. Hon. A.T. McKelvey 1801- 1901. For the complete article, see Ref. [35]. 

A noted hunter in those days was a pioneer named Otho French, whose skill in trapping wolves, fighting wild cats, killing bears and deer, and gathering wild honey, are still listened to with entire credulity and enthusiasm by the younger generation.  French was a zealot in the cause of temperance, and in those days of universal indulgence in the strong drink, refused to entertain in his cabin those carrying liquor about their persons, or shelter the drovers' hogs that were fattened at a distillery.

1806 -- Belmont County tax records confirm that Otho French paid taxes in the county in 1806, in Kirkwood Township in 1807 and 1808, and in Warren Township in 1809 and 1810. He is not listed in the U.S. Federal Censuses of 1810, 1820, or 1830.

Otho French was among the first pioneers of Warren Township. He was born in Frederick County, Maryland in 1777. He did not have much of an education as his parents were poor but very respectable.

In the year 1800, Robert Plummer, a neighbor, asked him to go "West" with him and assist him in the selection of some land for entry, and he would sell French a part of the land so taken up. They could not in those days, get less than a section of land. Otho accepted the proposition and they started on their journey. At Marietta, Ohio, they heard such glowing accounts of section 10, Warren township, that they got someone to point out the section line that led to it.

Following this line north, they reached section ten and knew as soon as they reached it so vivid had been the description given them at Marietta. They made the entry and returned home. Robert Plummer and his family came at once in 1801. The country was all timber, and with few if any roads. It is said it took the Plummers five days to come from the open road where Morristown now stands, to the present Plummer homestead near Tacoma, Ohio. The way had to be cleared as they came.

Otho French married in a short time after he returned to his home in Maryland, and they came to Warren township in 1802. Robert Plummer, as he had agreed to do, sold him the southwest part of section 10 on easy terms. He at once put up a crude log cabin but soon built a hewn log cabin where they lived for some time. Later he built a brick two-story house, with two large rooms downstairs and two up. It had small windows -- two in the front and two in the back -- with small panes of glass. A well was dug at the front of the house near the northeast corner and water was drawn by windlass. There was a cellar under the entire house. In the northeast corner, an opening was made in the foundation about two by three feet, even with the top of the well. This opening made a deep shelf and here they kept their milk and butter -- in a primitive refrigerator.

There were two or three steps up to the doors on the first floor. Large fireplaces were in the downstairs rooms. Each room, both upstairs and down, had a large closet. Shelves in the downstairs closets were used as cupboards and in the upstairs, there was one shelf the length of the closet and hooks below for clothing. The ceilings were very low and the doors so low that a man had to stoop to pass through. The closed stairway was narrow with only space for one person. The steps were straight and rather steep to a landing, then two more steps to the second floor. Under these steps was the cellar way.

The cellar has never had to be cemented as it has a solid stone floor. So this house "built on a strong foundation" has stood straight and solid all years. It must have been built about 1815, we have not been able to learn the exact date.

There were many wild animals in this new and unsettled country and Otho French was a noted hunter and trapper. The outstanding feature of his whole life was his strong opposition to "spirituous liquors". The State of Maine had passed a temperance law, the first in the United States. Otho French wanted Ohio to adopt the same law and was so strong for it, he had a sign over his front door, "Hold on to the Maine Law forever."

He kept drovers and their flocks over night, and they always were asked the question, "Are your stock fed on Brewers grains?" If they had been, they were never allowed to stay. One evening a drover stopped. He was asked the usual question and replied "No", but in some way Otho had learned he had not been told the truth, and although supper was on the table they were not allowed to stay.

My mother used to tell me, when she was a little girl, she was passing with her father on horseback and she saw Otho standing at the front door gently pushing a drover away and was telling him he could not stay as his stock were fed on Brewers grains.

When he was on his death bed, he asked his family to have engraved on his tombstone, "Hold on to the Maine Law forever," which request was granted and that tombstone can still be found in the "French" or township graveyard, one fourth of a mile southeast of Tacoma, Ohio, across the Baltimore and Ohio railroad tracks. The epitaph reads “Hold on for the maine law until the curse is banished from our nation.”

He died in his 80th year.

Source: Written by: Anna Bailey Patten.

Note: Otho French was not a Friend or a member of Stillwater Quarterly meeting but he was so closely connected with the early history of the Friends of Warren township, we feel his history should be recorded here.

Website: http://strattonhouse.com/index.php?section=history&content=30013737

Wolf Hunting Near Barnesville, Ohio

by Marie Bundy

Otho French, who lived in Tacoma, east of Barnesville, was well known for his skill in hunting during the early 1800s. During the winter of 1815, he captured six wolves in his traps set in the Leatherwood valley. The last wolf upon seeing Mr. French laid down as quietly as a dog. He thought it was of the kind that they said could be handled like a kitten. Mr. French came up and touched it and it showed its teeth--he reached his hat out to it, which was seized and torn to pieces. Mr. French then determined to take it home alive. Having, with the assistance of a friend, secured and muzzled it, he started home. As he passed through Barnesville, he caused quite an excitement by having a live wolf tied on his horse behind him.

Source: History of Belmont & Jefferson Counties

Website: http://strattonhouse.com/index.php?section=history&content=minute_wolf_hunting

1856 Sep 27 – Otho French died, aged 79 years and 5 months and was buried at the Friends Township Church in Tacoma, Belmont County, OH. The gravestone is difficult to read – if anyone has a better copy, please report it to marafrench@mindspring.com. It appears to say “Sr.” after his name and not “Jr.” “Hold on for the maine law untill the curse is banished from our nation.”

Friends Township Cemetery is located on Township Road 184 (Bailey Road), just past the intersection with OH-147, in Tacoma, Ohio (Warren Township, Belmont County). The coordinates are 39° 59' 44.05" N, 81° 8' 44.13" W. 

Friends Township Cemetery, also known as French Cemetery, is no longer active. There are many old gravestones, and although a few have been damaged, most are in good condition. The grounds are very well maintained by the township. From Otho’s birthdate of 2 May 1777 and adding 79 years and 5 months, the date is 27 Sep 1856. Other surnames in this cemetery are Moore and Douglass who may be connected to the French family.

6.8* Israel French, Jr., b. 21 Oct 1779 [7] [27] in Pipe Creek, Frederick Co., MD. He m. Deborah ca. 1805 in the Short Creek Meeting House and had a daughter Zeruah in 1807 [28]. Daughter Juliann was born on 21 May 1813. In 1810 Israel French Jr. purchased a brick house in New Market, Frederick Co., MD. New Market was founded in 1793 by two gentlemen of the area, Nicholas Hall and William Plummer, both of whom had close ties with Israel French. Nicholas Hall sold the first lots, thereby setting into motion the plan to establish a town beside the rough wagon trail, known as the Baltimore Turnpike. The street is now a National Historic Landmark [27]. By 1812, the town had a button factory, nail factory, wheelwright shops, blacksmith shops, tanneries, dry goods, grocery stores, inns, taverns, livery stables, wagon stands, distilleries, and a house of entertainment.

Israel Jr. may have worked in the real estate business or had a partnership with a Joel Elliot. In 1812 he bought land for Elliot in Frederick County, Maryland and later in 1815 he bought land for Elliot again in Belmont County, Ohio. Israel Jr.’s brother Otho and sister Emma had previously bought land in Ohio as well.  These three French siblings all decided to relocate their families to neighboring Belmont and Jefferson counties in Ohio between 1810 and 1815.  This area was the wild frontier of America back in those times but it also had a strong Quaker population [28].

Israel French Jr. decided to build a home in Mount Pleasant village in Jefferson County.  The town was founded ten years earlier as a haven for North Carolina Quakers who had aligned themselves with the Anti-slavery cause. The town is only a few miles from the Ohio River and the slave-holding Virginia border (West Virginia today).  Here the Quakers would be more easily able to help escaped slaves along their northward journey on the Underground Railroad. Black residents were integrated into the Mt. Pleasant society; some purchasing property on the lands bought and divided by Israel French Jr. [28]

1804 Nov 16 – Israel French Jr., while living in Columbiana, OH, was admitted to the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting in Columbiana, OH, for the Pre-Separation/Hicksite Meeting of the Quaker Friends.

1800 – Israel and his sister Emma were registered at the Pipe Creek Quaker Friends Meeting House.

1807 Sep 22 – Israel was rocf (received on certificate from) Pipe Creek Quaker Friends Meeting House, and attended the Concord Monthly Meeting [30]. Emma was rocf on 20 Jun 1807.

1800 census – Israel Sr. lived in District 1, Frederick County, OH
1 male age 16-25, b. 1775-1784, Israel French, Jr., b. 21 Oct 1779
1 male age 45+, born 1755 or earlier, Israel French Sr.
1 female age 10-15, b. 1785-1790, unk – who could this be?

1807 Jun 23 -- Emma was granted certificate to Stillwater on 22 May 1809 at the Quaker Friends Meeting.

1807 Sep 22 – Israel was rocf (received on certificate from) Pipe Creek Quaker Friends Meeting House, and attended the Concord Monthly Meeting [30]. Emma was rocf on 20 Jun 1807.

1810 census – Israel lived in Frederick County, MD.
2 males, ages 10-15, b. 1795-1800, unk.
1 male age 26-44, b. 1766-1784, Israel b. 1779
1 female under 10, b. 1800-1810, Zeruah
1 female age 26-44, b. 1766-1784, Deborah

1810-1815 – Israel decided to relocate his family to Belmont and Jefferson counties in Ohio.  This area was the wild frontier of America back in those times but it also had a strong Quaker population [28]. He built a home in Mount Pleasant village.

1820 census -- Israel lived in Mount Pleasant, Jefferson Co., OH
1 male, age 10 and 16, b. 1804-1810, Israel French 3^rd.
1 male, age 45 years old or over, b. 1775 or before, Israel Sr.
1 female under 10, b. 1810-1820, Juliann
1 female between 10 and 16, b. 1804-1810, Zeruah
1 female, age 45 years old or over, born 1775 or before, Deborah
The French household was the only one on its census page that owned a slave: one girl under 14. As Ohio was a free state, it is unknown how this could have been the case. Perhaps the family had a servant girl living with them that the census taker put down as a slave [27]. It listed Israel as a “manufacturer” for his occupation.  Along with occasional land dealings, he was also known as a teacher throughout the region.  An interesting note in the census indicated that there was a free Black Girl living with the family and in the 1830 census a free Black Boy was residing there as well.  They would be paid for doing typical household chores [28].

The late 1820’s would be a time of reckoning for the Quaker population through out the United States and especially in Mt. Pleasant where a revolution would take place.  Oddly enough, the Society of Friends who based much of their faith in non-violence would see the potential towards violence as a reality amongst themselves.  Elias Hicks was a travelling Quaker from Long Island, New York who preached about the straying of the Society of Friends.  He believed that the traditional Quaker methods taught by John Woolman were being forgotten and that they should return to the faith and values of the Quaker forefathers.  Hicks’ popularity was very strong in Ohio and Indiana otherwise known as the “Northwest Territories” of the US at that time.  His followers would become known as “Hicksites”.

Israel French Jr. had become a respected and well-known Quaker leadership figure in Mt. Pleasant.  He was in favor of the preachings of Elias Hicks and the return to traditional values along with a large number of other Ohio families.  Quakers would hold quarterly meetings in regional areas of individual states and in the last quarter meeting of 1827 the separation of beliefs became evident.  Israel and a few other Hicksite Friends were to be appointed as committee members but had their names erased and were excluded from holding office by the Orthodox Quakers.  Israel and his colleagues were assuredly upset.  Though they still considered themselves Friends, they bided their time until the 1828 yearly meeting of ministers and elders.

In September of 1828, the Quaker Ohio yearly meeting was held at Mt. Pleasant.  At the first days meeting, Elias Hicks was verbally harassed following his speech and later that night a confrontation was planned.  It is known that during the week of the meeting, Hicks and his supporting elders also held private evening meetings at the home of Israel French, Jr.  As the second day’s meeting was about to begin, Israel stood up and protested that he would no longer recognize the clerks of the meeting and that new ones should be appointed.  About half of the attendees agreed stating, “I concur.”  Another from Israel’s party called for a new (Hicksite) head clerk of the meeting.  Again, a large number spoke, “I concur”.  After this, voices were raised for and against the disturbance then some shoving began.  Order was restored shortly there after and no more physical confrontations occurred.  Since Hicksites had the slight majority of numbers, the Orthodox Quakers had to vacate the meeting house and held their conference outside.

This rebellion officially would split the Society of Friends throughout the young United States.  Accounts of the events from the schism have been clearly documented through transcripts of the legal proceedings that were held in 1828 and 1829.  Some Hicksites including Israel French Jr. were fined a token amount and did 30 minutes of jail time for inciting riotous behavior.  A retrial at the Ohio Supreme Court over-ruled the fines and determined both parties should share the blame.  In an 1829 letter written by Israel Jr. to Elias Hicks, he tells Hicks about the continuing disputes between the two Quaker factions and little hope for a fast reconciliation, “…but from Ohio I fear a long course of probation awaits thee.  Thy shepherds appear to have been smote with blindness and thy flock scattered while devouring wolves seek them for a prey.”

1829 Apr 9 –

Letter To Elias Hicks From Israel French Jr.

Bridgeport, Ohio

April 9, (1829)

Dear Friend,

I received thy very acceptable favor of the 21st of the 2nd month last.  We were rejoiced to hear of thy safe arrival at home for reports had been put in circulation that thou hadst been denied that favor and had departed this life before thou had reached the arms of thy family.  But it appears to have been ordered otherwise by our gracious and kind heavenly father whom I trust thou hast been serving with fidelity in so much that the enemies of all good have thereby been incited to jealousy.  And finding that thou couldst not be brought to bow down and worship the work of men’s hands for all the kingdoms that the world could present, nor get to cast thyself down where set as it were on the pinnacle of the temple; this spirit of anti-christ hath become exceedingly enraged - pursuing with unrelenting hate every appearance of the steadfast reliance on him who alone remains to be the author and finisher of the true Christian faith.

I have also seen in a New York paper an account of the departure of thy dear consort.  Have felt deep sympathy on the occasion for as mortal beings, we cannot help feeling our depreciations - especially those of so tender a tie.  But when we recollect, we are so soon to follow and have the appearance of a well grounded hope of reunion in that state where the wicked cease from troubling, the weary are at rest, and the poignancy of grief is abated; and this I trust dear friend, is thy liberation.  And it must have afforded some consolation to thy mind that thou wast permitted to arrive in time to witness the closing scene of her with whom thou has passed so great a portion of time in that union of love that constitutes the greatest felicity allowed to us here, which we may reasonably conclude that forms an important item of the joys to be realized in a never ending state.

I also heartily rejoice that thou wast favored to perform my visit or rather that we were favored to have thy company and services at the time we did.  Many have been convinced of the falsity of the charges against thee, but there are still thousands in our country who having suffered themselves to be imposed on receiving too easy credulity - the false statements of their leaders - are yet sitting as it were in darkness.  It is a time of great trial indeed to see so many of our friends drawn away by this dark accusing spirit and become so bewildered that they cannot receive the truth.  If “the darkest time is just before day” (as thou observed to me near our parting) surely we may hope that the day may begin to dawn ever long and I think it will in the East, but from Ohio I fear a long course of probation awaits thee.  Thy shepherds appear to have been smote with blindness and thy flock scattered while devouring wolves seek them for a prey.  But I will be silent perhaps – it’s all in the ordering of wisdom by him who knows best and that these trials are permitted to work some great good at present in mercy concealed from the view of many.

Our meetings are mostly attended but I think that there are many that still go with our opposers on account of them being in possession of most of the meeting houses and perhaps other reasons of a private nature & popularity.  There have been a few desertions from our ranks but they were mostly where Friends are in the majority.  Where Friends are small in number and have been much tried, there has been an accession to their numbers – particularly at Smithfield Friends – they at first considered themselves almost too weak to hold a meeting at all but they have gathered up and hold a monthly meeting and are preparing to build themselves a house.

At Concord, Friends have braved the storm until the Orthodox have left them and hold their meeting in the schoolhouse.  Elisha Bates and Rebecca Updegraff made an appointment at Concord last first day for a meeting at 2 o’clock in the afternoon to be “principally for the Separatists” – using a great deal of ingenuity to get them by their attendance to acknowledge themselves as Separatists.  They soon informed them (at the close of the forenoon meeting) that if they wanted the meeting house for themselves as Separatists from the Society of Friends, they could have it, but that they could not sanction them by giving their attendance and retired to their homes.  The Orthodox held their meeting in the schoolhouse and withdrew also, but at some other meetings they have not been so guarded but have opened their meeting house and attended.  I know not what is best but I am very fearful that Friends will not be sufficiently attentive to “be aware of the Leaven of the Pharisees”, and more especially as they are now assuming a softer tone better calculated to allure the innocent.

I received an interesting letter a few days since from Noah Haines from Waynesville, Miami County.  This dear Friend appears to continue alive in the truth.  He informs us that after making great efforts to scatter and drive Friends from the meeting house (which Friends bore with patience but persevered with firmness to hold all their meetings) the Orthodox are having them in most of their meetings in that quarter.  I also received a letter some time ago from dear Amos Peaslee.  Not with standing his great trials, he appears to continue to be engaged as a laborer in the Lord’s vineyard – visiting the meetings in Jersey; but I think there is no place where the declaration “the harvest is truly great and the laborers are few” is realized than in our poor Ohio.  And my mind is often drawn to the junction “pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth laborers into his harvest”.

And I have been ready to say is not our case similar to that of David and his men when pursued by Saul?  We have a number of raw and undisciplined men and pursued by those who have appeared in former times to be the Lord’s anointed. And oh if we may in mercy be so preserved as David was not to stretch forth a carnal hand against them although they may appear to have fallen as Saul’s head.  I hope we may yet be made to rejoice as David did not at the overthrow of those that sought his life but in the God of his salvation that preserved him from evil, so that in time all Israel were brought back – and that this may be the case with our poor deluded brethren.  That they may return to their first love and put this accusing spirit from them is the sincere desire of my soul.

We are all in usual health.  My dear Wife and Daughter join in much love to thee hoping that thou mayest continue to persevere in the path of perfect obedience so as to witness the sun of righteousness to gild thy evening days and receive in the end the answers of well done good.  And faithful servant, enter thou into the joys of the Lord.  I subscribe thy friend and brother in the truth – Elias Hicks.

Israel French

PS.  Please present our love to our dear friend Jesse Merritt, also to our dear friend Townsend Hawkhurst if way should open.  He paid us a very acceptable visit some years ago and as well as I recollect, was the second person that the Orthodox undertook to grind because he observed in his testimony that the captain of our salvation “was placed in the same predicament with ourselves.  Being in all points tempted as we are _______(letter torn) sin”, this gave offense to some of “the better part of society” as they stated themselves at that time.  And they refused to give him an endorsement though Ann Taylor told me then that she considered him a solid Friend.

I think sometimes it will “devolve on me” to write a history of the Ohio yearly meeting as I recollect not to have been absent from a single meeting of it from its commencement until I was dragged away from it by the civil officers at the insistence of Orthodoxy in 1828 – a span of 16 years during which time from my peculiar situation and standing, I became acquainted with the origin of many things that would be well to be preserved as beacons to warn succeeding generations of the rocks on which our bark appears at present to have been shattered.  If it is not too great a burden or if thou hast anything to communicate for our help or encouragement, I should be glad to receive a line from thee when it may be convenient.

NB.  It is hard to ascertain the standing of the parties as regards to numbers.  The Orthodox make a great parade at meetings for discipline, going in flocks from neighboring meetings, perhaps to make a show of strength to discourage us.  But from what we have ascertained by actual enumeration in some meetings, we think an equal division is not far from the truth of the case and it is quite uncertain on which side the majority would be.

1830 census – Mount Pleasant, Jefferson County, OH
1 male age 20-29, b. 1801-1810, Israel French 3^rd.
1 male age 50-59, b. 1770-1780, Israel Sr.
1 female age 15-19, b. 1811-1815, Julia
1 female age 20-29, b. 1801-1810, Zeruah
1 female age 40-49, b. 1781-1790, unk.
1 female age 50-59, b. 1770-1780, Israel Sr.’s wife

Israel Jr. would correspond occasionally with Halliday Jackson – a Hicksite Quaker from Darby, Pa.  Jackson was visiting the Mt. Pleasant meeting the day the schism took place and was called to testify in the subsequent trials.  From 1830 to 1833, Israel would send letters to Jackson keeping him abreast of the Society’s issues.  One October 1830 letter described the split over the use of the existing meetinghouse.  The Hicksite and Orthodox Friends came to an agreement for a while for both of them to use the same meetinghouse for yearly and other meetings although at different times.  There were still very bitter feelings evident as Israel Jr. told Jackson, “We closed the 5th day and left the house in good order for the reception of our enemies – for so I think we may justly call them.  They have manifested so much enmity of late – endeavoring to assail and destroy if possibly the reputation of every minister that appears to be pointing the way to life.”

There is little doubt that the on-going hard feelings from the Hicksite separation put attention and stress on the French family.  Young Israel III may not have supported the radical Quaker ways of his father and his name has not been found on transcribed Quaker records.  Around 1829 Israel III left the family and moved back east to Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania – 60 miles from Frederick County Maryland.  There he was married as a Methodist in 1830.  However, Israel Jr’s daughters were known to strongly support their father in religion and in the Abolition cause. Around 1830, Zeruah French married Joel Wood who was a prominent figure in the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society.  He helped form the Liberty Party which put a Presidential Candidate on the ballot.  Julia French would marry Dr. Caleb Cope in 1849. He was raised on an Underground Railroad stop.  He helped his father Joshua hide slaves in a clever spot behind their sawmill’s water wheel.

The French’s became members of the Short Creek Friends Society - one mile west of Mt. Pleasant - after the Orthodox Quakers re-took control of the Mt. Pleasant meetinghouse.  Israel Jr. still continued his leadership role; he was the head clerk at the Wheeling (West) Virginia Friends yearly meeting in 1831.  He was also an agent and writer for the “Advocate of Truth” from 1830 – 1833.  The “Advocate” was a monthly published news and opinion pamphlet of the Hicksite Quaker Friends Society.  In one of the 1831 issues, Israel described a bit of hope for the relationship between the two factions.  The meeting house was being swept out by Mr. Richards, a Hicksite, after a meeting when an Orthodox guard of the building walked up and stated, “’I am appointed to keep the house’ to which Richards replied, ‘And so am I and would be as well pleased with thy help as any person’s’ and pointing to a broom, the guard took it and they swept it out together.  This is I think the first instance I have heard of anything like the parties joining in active operations within the limits of our Yearly Meeting since 1828.”

1830 Oct 4 –

Letter To Halliday Jackson From Israel French Jr.

Colerain, Ohio

October 4, [1830?]

Esteemed Friend Halliday Jackson,

Thy very acceptable letter with the pamphlets therein mentioned came safe to hand.  This interesting work of our natured friend Job Scott has been rather scarce here and was an acceptable present from you.  I gave them to our Committee for Sufferings and they were divided by them among the quarters for further usefulness.  I had wanted to get some of them also in the Letter of Luke Howard and have this work, Luke’s letter attesting it and Job’s character, and the “Answer to Luke by a Friend in America” all bound together.  This would please the subject in a prominent point of view to every reader and I think be more generally useful than to have them separate.  I am now supplied with about 10 of these treasures and the answer to Luke Howard but have not Luke’s letter.  If there are any of them that can be readily obtained with you, I would be glad if thee would send me an equal number (or more) to enable me to carry my design into effort.  Perhaps thou can find some safe hand to send them by as I am in hopes some more of our friends will find themselves drawn to visit in gospel love their poor little weak brethren in the west.

Thee requested me to give thee our account of our yearly meeting.  My apology for not attending to it sooner is in disposition in my family.  My daughter – my only child I now have with me – was taken ill during the yearly meeting week.  We almost despaired of her life for sometime.  And this has been the first day that she has been able to sit up and but little at a time yet, but she appears now to be in a way to recover.  Her case was fever of the rather of the typhoid type.  There have been many cases of this and dysentery amongst us this summer and several deaths – mostly young people in the bloom of life.

With regard to our yearly meeting, I think it was rather larger than it was last year – especially on the sister’s side.  We had the company of Elizabeth Cox and companions Mary Matthews accompanied by her husband Eli Matthews from Baltimore, and Joseph Cadwallader, Amos Cook and Samuel Paine from Indiana.  Our dear ancient friend Hugh Judge also attended – alive in the truth – and seemed to enjoy himself as well as I have ever seen him.  Near the close he bore testimony to it’s being one of the most solemn and interesting yearly meetings he had through the long course of his life and ever been favored to sit in.  And indeed I can add my testimony that for solemnity of feeling and harmony of proceeding, I have seldom if ever seen one to equal the present.  Not that we were all in one opinion on matters that came before us but all seemed to be striving to advance the cause; and when after free and open discussion, the best way seemed to be pointed out.  All seemed willing to relinquish their own previous views and adopt it.  We closed on the 5th day and left the house in good order for the reception of our enemies – for so I think we may justly call them.  They have manifested so much enmity of late – endeavoring to assail and destroy if possibly the reputation of every minister that appears to be pointing the way to life. 

Poor Joseph Cadwallader – a more innocent or honest man I think lives not.  He has all the innocence of the dove but lacks the wisdom of the serpent which really appears to be requisite among such wolves.  They have strove to circumscribe his labors in these parts, raising a report that he had twice made sale of a piece of property.  And rather than be exposed, had been induced to refund the purchase money and a good deal more so as by insinuation to make him appear quite fraudulent.  Now the truth appears to be Joseph sold a town lot, had a deed prepared, notified the purchaser who promised to call and get it.  Joseph moved to Indiana.  The purchaser (who was brother-in-law to Joseph) called on Joseph’s brother who was the person who held the deed but managed so as not to have left it - Joseph’s brother also moved to the west.  And now when Joseph was with us, his brother-in-law called on him apparently in a very friendly manner and after stating that he had not got his deed, [he was told] that the lot had been sold for taxes and received from Joseph a sum as a full indemnity and satisfaction of all claims.  And Joseph in that confiding way which is common to good and unsuspecting men, paid the money without ascertaining where the deed was, or taking any receipt, or clearance from his brother-in-law – after which this wicked version of a tale was put into circulation.  I have been thus particular as this upright movement was made to look so bad here.  I do not know how black it may appear by the time it reaches your lying friend. 

I have no late account of the trespass case, so conclude and remain thy friend,

Israel French

PS – I would take it as a favor if thee would – when thee goes to the city – call on Marcus TC Gould and have the direction of my paper altered to be forwarded in future to Farmington, Colerain Township, Belmont County, Ohio; to which place thee will also please to direct thy letters.  My present residence being about 5 miles south of Mount Pleasant.

NB – It may be proper to note that the lot sold by Joseph Cadwallader had fallen in value and that his brother-in-law had offered to sell it for one-half of what Joseph now paid him.  So it will appear that Evan Herford (as his name ought to be recorded somewhere) – he being the purchaser and brother-in-law – had a double purpose to effect to obtain more than the present value for his lot which might have satisfied a man merely covetous and second to injure a man whom he envies.  Well, might Solomon say who can stand before envy?  Joseph seems to be improving in best wisdom and nothing appears to remove the enmity of those people so much so, any of those they would wish to ____________[letter torn] because they have unjustly called them __________[letter torn] abiding in the Truth.

1831 Feb 23 and 1832 Dec 19 – in Short Creek and White Water [30], p. 146.

1831 Feb 24 – Time of Courts – common pleas – for Jefferson County, Ohio at Steubenville for 1831 – May 2nd, August 22nd, Nov. 21st.  Supreme Court – October 14th.

Letter To Halliday Jackson From Israel French Jr.

Rural Retreat near Farmington, Belmont Co, Ohio, 2nd mo. 24th, 1831

My Endeared Friend Halliday Jackson,

I have just returned from attending our quarterly meeting at Short Creek house.  The meeting was, I think, as large as any we have had since the separation and love & harmony reigns among us.  And there were some small appearances among the middle aged class that seemed to rest as dew on the parched field and we were led to hope that our Zion might again arise and put on her beautiful garments. 

Our meetings for discipline are for the most part encouraging but when we return to our little meetings, we are often deeply tried when we find that many (particularly of our young people) are absent.  On these rests the hopes of succeeding days and when we observe that those who have stood as pillars in the church militant are daily called from words to rewards, we naturally look around to see where are the successors of those standard bearers – scattered abroad!  Greedy wolves hast entered in by which the flock have been scattered and we have not, I fear, been sufficiently devoted to the author of all true wisdom – so as to be rightly instructed how to gather the flock and lead them back into the fold of peace and rest.   I have often been led to view the gospel day as described by one of the Lord’s prophets.  Formerly when “Righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters do the sea”, the language is then to be “Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of our God and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths.”  And when I contrast this with what I have observed to be the practice of the society for more than 30 years in the exercise of our discipline, I am led to conclude that the glorious privileges of that day are but dimly seen and perhaps still less felt and enjoyed.

The chief object of all religious society appears to me to be to lead one another into the enclosure of love and good will in which God designed should be in the inheritance of all his children.  The whole human family as from this source alone proceeds all righteousness.  And from all righteousness, all happiness and the true and complete happiness of the creature can only bring glory to the creator and thereby answer the end for which man was created.  These I believe to have been the views of all in every age who have through obedience obtained the privilege of having their eyes anointed with the eye salve of the kingdom.  Now when we look at the labor that has been used to separate the weak and diseased from the flock, instead of endeavoring to heal and restore – binding up that which was broken and leading back that which has gone astray – I say when we look back, can we not trace a great deal of the proceedings of society to Pharaseatic origin?  And as there has been several revisions of the discipline since the declension, would it not be well to let it undergo a strict scrutiny and to prune it from everything – if anything there be (when examined by the piercing light of gospel truth) that bears the stamp of Idolitry or self sufficiency which is Babylon, the mother of harlots and the abomination of the whole Earth.

When I took my pen, I had other subjects in view, but the foregoing coming before me I have penned it down and feel free to commit it to thy care.  And I will now turn to what I at first had in view which was to inform thee that the actions for trespass as it is termed is expected to come on at the next term on the 2nd of the 5th month next.  B. Tappan is the only attorney at present retained by Friends.  I have not seen or heard anything from him since the court in the 11th month last.  He informed me then that the Orthodox had withdrawn their demurrer and were pressing for to join issue in the common pleas, but that he had no curiosity to have it tried before such a jury as might be obtained there.  What course he means to pursue, I know not.  He said he would write to me timely but I have heard nothing from him since.  One of my neighbors was up lately who gave me the following statement, “The plea put in by Tappan was that his clients being members of Friend’s Society could not trespass on their own property, therefore no cause of action.  To this their council demurred, alleging that members of the same society might commit trespass by entering against the prohibition of the trustees.”  This was a law point for the judge to decide and he (my informant) understood that the judge had decided against the authority of the trustees to prohibit a member from entering.  Now if this statement be correct and issue is joined on the assumption of a right of membership by the defendants and a denial of it by the plaintiffs, it appears to me that it will open a wide field for discussion.  In the first place, I expect it will be necessary for Friends to prove their right of membership.  This can perhaps be done by the records of the meetings.  These of course would have to be properly authenticated and under seal of sufficient authority to gain credence and admission as evidence in our court.  If this is attended to and rendered sufficiently secure so as to be admitted on the records of the court, it will then lie with the Orthodox to disprove it which will open a door to examine the grounds of their proceeding in regard to disownments, etc, etc, etc.

Our committee for Sufferings (discussed??) of holding a meeting at the stated time last 6th day but the few who met consisting of seven members being impressed with belief that the interest of society required a special meeting, have fixed upon the 2nd 6th day in the 3rd month for that purpose and appointed a committee to notify the members generally.  I am not at present a member of that committee and have no appointment that requires my attention to the law cases, but feeling a deep interest in all that concerns Society, I meet with them when convenient and was with them when the special call was concluded on.  The object of the call was in part to be ready to give the necessary attention to the present suit, but more particularly to take the general subject of law into consideration in order to agree upon what cause would be most consistent for Friends to pursue in the event that any more suits being brought against us.  Some tender minded Friends are of the opinion that in our situation, a better effect would be produced by throwing all the weight on them by just attending when summoned to appear and answering to such questions as might be put to us - without employing attorneys to defend or attempting much defense in any way.  I am not inclined to think that we can lay down any rule of action that will suit all cases, but I an glad the committee are to come together believing that a free communication on the subject might be useful.  And any thing that thee may wish to communicate to the committee will be promptly attended to if forwarded to thy sincere friend -                   Israel French

The severe shock Society received from the conduct of the members composing the select committee before and at the time of separation has induced some of the monthly meetings to decline making any appointments.  And the question is beginning to arise – whether the time of its usefulness has expired and we may safely abolish it and rest the judging of the fitness of every concern with monthly meetings to be exercised by them (by special committee or otherwise) as truth may open the way.  Or whether by reorganizing, it can be placed on its ancient foundation and can become again (instead of a curse) an ornament and a blessing to Society as we believe it to have been in former times.  I should like to have thy judgment on this subject.

1832 -- Around 1832, Israel Jr., Deborah, Julia, Zeruah and Joel Wood moved to Richmond in Wayne County, Indiana – another Quaker settlement in the “Northwest” United States - and joined the Whitewater Chapter of the Friends.  Perhaps he felt no longer able to make a positive change amongst the split Mt. Pleasant, Ohio Society.  Early in 1833 Israel Jr. wrote to Halliday Jackson, “I am now with all of my family in a strange land among strangers where the harvest appears to be truly great and the faithful labors fine, but I feel very much stripped and sometimes I fear I shall be ranked as a deserter.”

From the Whitewater Friends Burial Ground Hicksite: Cemetery notes and/or description:

In August of 1828 a group of members known as Hicksites, divided into a separate meeting. This division took place many of the Friends Meetings in 1828. This group from the Whitewater Monthly Meeting were identified from this time forward as Hicksite. In 1829, the land now marked by the monument was the site of Whitewater Friends Burial Ground, Hicksite. This location is on the west side of North 10th Street between North G street and North F street, Richmond, Indiana.

This cemetery has been completely obliterated and replaced with houses, businesses and roads. In the years 1871, 1882, 1911, 1912 and 1956, some internees were removed to other cemeteries. Most of the moves were to Earlham Cemetery with some to Goshen, Ridge, and Hoover cemeteries. Each time, only those internees with grave stones were moved. These disinterments and moves were based on grave stones being found during construction and excavation. At one time many unknown graves were transferred to Earlham Cemetery and marked as unknown. Today, the Whitewater Hicksite monument, pictured on the right, is the only way to identify this historic location. Many of the internee's were never disinterred or moved.

Wayne County was a major hub of the Underground Railroad, locally lead by Levi Coffin, a cousin of Lucretia Mott– the Quaker Abolitionist / Social Reform leader.  The late 1830’s saw another gradual divide taking place in the Society of Friends.  Levi Coffin became a powerful figure in the Indiana Anti-Slavery campaign.  His strong desire for the Quakers to pay more attention to Abolition made him and his associates very controversial.  In 1838, Israel Jr. was selected to take part in a Hicksite Quaker committee that travelled to remote Friends meetings to get a feel for how they collectively viewed the importance of Abolition. 

It appears that Israel French sided with the “Anti-Slavery Friends” as in 1842 he was nominated to a four person committee by the Indiana Anti-Slavery Society in order to meet with Henry Clay, the famous Kentucky Senator.  When Clay was to lecture in Indiana, the committee was to present him with a petition asking him to free his slaves.  Israel Jr. declined that nomination however because he was elected as a business director for the annual meeting of the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society.  His daughter Julia was also a business director for the three-day meeting. 

Five months before Israel Jr. passed away in August of 1846, he must have again voiced his strong opinion, this time to the changing hierarchy of the Hicksite Quakers. In doing so, he was dismissed from the Friends due to disunity.  It has not been discovered exactly what this “disunity” was, but his anti-slavery opinions may have become too much for the Quaker elders.  The matter may have come up again at the 1847 Indiana Quaker Yearly meeting.  At that meeting, Israel Jr. and some of his compatriots were slandered so much so that it was noted in a letter written by Lucretia Mott.  “I do not at all wonder, that John Mott should have little hope of any revival in the Society in its present form.  What an abomination - the proceeding in Indiana, against such men as Morris Place, Israel French, and some whom we could name--Fredk. Hooker & wife &.c &.c!  All from the intolerance of a few ruling Spirits.”  Lucretia Mott was clearly on Israel Jr’s side, after all he had recently died and was defenseless.   She also felt the Hicksites were now forming their own factions – mostly split on the Abolition issue.

Deborah French passed away only 18 days after her husband in 1846 and both were interred at the non-sectarian Goshen Cemetery just north of Richmond.  Ironically, they were not interred as members of the Society of Friends - the religious group they had faithfully followed their entire lives.  The Indiana Quakers also dismissed Julia French for disunity a year after her father.  She then moved back east and married Caleb Cope in Mount Pleasant in 1849, so she returned to her Ohio roots. 

Israel French Jr. lived his life with passion for his faith in God and the Abolition causes of the 1800’s.  Many people like him get lost in the vast history of the US, yet we are indebted to them for the important roles that they played in championing religious and social Freedom.

From Jefferson County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society: http://jeffcochapter.com/french.html

Around 1805, Israel Jr. started a family of his own.  He married a lady named Deborah and they had a daughter Zeruah in 1807.  In 1808 and 1813 came two more children: Israel 3rd and Julia.  Israel Jr. may have worked in the real estate business or had a partnership with a Joel Elliot.  In 1812 he bought land for Elliot in Frederick County, Maryland and later in 1815 he bought land for Elliot again in Belmont County, Ohio.  Israel Jr.’s brother Otho and sister Emma had previously bought land in Ohio as well.  These three French siblings all decided to relocate their families to neighboring Belmont and Jefferson counties in Ohio between 1810 and 1815.  This area was the wild frontier of America back in those times but it also had a strong Quaker population.

Israel French Jr. decided to build a home in Mount Pleasant village in Jefferson County.  The town was founded ten years earlier as a haven for North Carolina Quakers who had aligned themselves with the Anti-slavery cause.  The town is only a few miles from the Ohio River and the slave-holding Virginia border (West Virginia today).  Here the Quakers would be more easily able to help escaped slaves along their northward journey on the Underground Railroad.  Black residents were integrated into the Mt. Pleasant society; some purchasing property on the lands bought and divided by Israel French Jr.

Israel Jr. and Deborah’s family was enumerated in the 1820 Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson County, Ohio census.  It listed Israel as a “manufacturer” for his occupation.  Along with occasional land dealings, he was also known as a teacher throughout the region.  An interesting note in the census indicated that there was a free Black Girl living with the family and in the 1830 census a free Black Boy was residing there as well.  They would be paid for doing typical household chores.  The next seven years were tranquil for the French’s and the Mt. Pleasant community.

Around 1805, Israel Jr. started a family of his own.  He married a lady named Deborah and they had a daughter Zeruah in 1807.  In 1808 and 1813 came two more children: Israel 3rd and Julia.  Israel Jr. may have worked in the real estate business or had a partnership with a Joel Elliot.  In 1812 he bought land for Elliot in Frederick County, Maryland and later in 1815 he bought land for Elliot again in Belmont County, Ohio.  Israel Jr.’s brother Otho and sister Emma had previously bought land in Ohio as well.  These three French siblings all decided to relocate their families to neighboring Belmont and Jefferson counties in Ohio between 1810 and 1815.  This area was the wild frontier of America back in those times but it also had a strong Quaker population.

Israel French Jr. decided to build a home in Mount Pleasant village in Jefferson County.  The town was founded ten years earlier as a haven for North Carolina Quakers who had aligned themselves with the Anti-slavery cause.  The town is only a few miles from the Ohio River and the slave-holding Virginia border (West Virginia today).  Here the Quakers would be more easily able to help escaped slaves along their northward journey on the Underground Railroad.  Black residents were integrated into the Mt. Pleasant society; some purchasing property on the lands bought and divided by Israel French Jr.

Israel Jr. and Deborah’s family was enumerated in the 1820 Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson County, Ohio census.  It listed Israel as a “manufacturer” for his occupation.  Along with occasional land dealings, he was also known as a teacher throughout the region.  An interesting note in the census indicated that there was a free Black Girl living with the family and in the 1830 census a free Black Boy was residing there as well.  They would be paid for doing typical household chores.  The next seven years were tranquil for the French’s and the Mt. Pleasant community.

Around 1832, Israel Jr., Deborah, Julia, Zeruah and Joel Wood moved to Richmond in Wayne County, Indiana – another Quaker settlement in the “Northwest” United States - and joined the Whitewater Chapter of the Friends.  Perhaps he felt no longer able to make a positive change amongst the split Mt. Pleasant, Ohio Society.  Early in 1833 Israel Jr. wrote to Halliday Jackson, “I am now with all of my family in a strange land among strangers where the harvest appears to be truly great and the faithful labors fine, but I feel very much stripped and sometimes I fear I shall be ranked as a deserter.”

Wayne County was a major hub of the Underground Railroad, locally lead by Levi Coffin, a cousin of Lucretia Mott– the Quaker Abolitionist / Social Reform leader.  The late 1830’s saw another gradual divide taking place in the Society of Friends.  Levi Coffin became a powerful figure in the Indiana Anti-Slavery campaign.  His strong desire for the Quakers to pay more attention to Abolition made him and his associates very controversial.  In 1838, Israel Jr. was selected to take part in a Hicksite Quaker committee that travelled to remote Friends meetings to get a feel for how they collectively viewed the importance of Abolition. 

It appears that Israel French sided with the “Anti-Slavery Friends” as in 1842 he was nominated to a four person committee by the Indiana Anti-Slavery Society in order to meet with Henry Clay, the famous Kentucky Senator.  When Clay was to lecture in Indiana, the committee was to present him with a petition asking him to free his slaves.  Israel Jr. declined that nomination however because he was elected as a business director for the annual meeting of the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society.  His daughter Julia was also a business director for the three-day meeting. 

Five months before Israel Jr. passed away in August of 1846, he must have again voiced his strong opinion, this time to the changing hierarchy of the Hicksite Quakers. In doing so, he was dismissed from the Friends due to disunity.  It has not been discovered exactly what this “disunity” was, but his anti-slavery opinions may have become too much for the Quaker elders.  The matter may have come up again at the 1847 Indiana Quaker Yearly meeting.  At that meeting, Israel Jr. and some of his compatriots were slandered so much so that it was noted in a letter written by Lucretia Mott.  “I do not at all wonder, that John Mott should have little hope of any revival in the Society in its present form.  What an abomination - the proceeding in Indiana, against such men as Morris Place, Israel French, and some whom we could name--Fredk. Hooker & wife &.c &.c!  All from the intolerance of a few ruling Spirits.”  Lucretia Mott was clearly on Israel Jr’s side, after all he had recently died and was defenseless.   She also felt the Hicksites were now forming their own factions – mostly split on the Abolition issue.

Deborah French passed away only 18 days after her husband in 1846 and both were interred at the non-sectarian Goshen Cemetery just north of Richmond.  Ironically, they were not interred as members of the Society of Friends - the religious group they had faithfully followed their entire lives.  The Indiana Quakers also dismissed Julia French for disunity a year after her father.  She then moved back east and married Caleb Cope in Mount Pleasant in 1849, so she returned to her Ohio roots. 

Israel French Jr. lived his life with passion for his faith in God and the Abolition causes of the 1800’s.  Many people like him get lost in the vast history of the US, yet we are indebted to them for the important roles that they played in championing religious and social Freedom.

Seventh Generation

Children of Nicholas French and Rebecca Chaney, 6.1

7.1* William Morgan French was b. 9 Sep 1807 in Baltimore, Baltimore Co., MD, m. Ann Richards 1829 in Allegheny Co., PA, William d. 4 Oct 1898 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, age 91. Ann was b. in Wales on 10 Aug 1810, d. 17 Jan 1874 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY. By 1833 they were on Hatchers Creek, Powell Co., KY. William was a millwright and worked in a small rolling mill in what is known as Clay City, KY [14]. After a few years the mill closed up and he bought a farm on Hatcher’s Creek and there raised a family of 5 girls and 3 boys. They all married. It would stand to reason that Nicholas named a son William after his father.

Their son John was born in PA, and the rest of the children were born in KY, indicating that William and Ann moved to Hatcher’s Creek, Powell Co., Kentucky about 1832.

1840 census – William French is listed in Baltimore Ward 4, Baltimore, MD
He was age 30-39 or b. 1801-1810. In this census is also a female age 50-59, or born 1781-1790 who could very well have been his mother Rebecca Chaney.

1850 census of Montgomery Co., KY, William was 43, Ann was 42, and they were living with their children: John (20), Elizabeth (17), Nicholas (15), Mary Jane (13), William (10), Josephine (6), Irene (3), and two boarders: Robert Knox (who eventually married Mary French and had 5 children) and Fanny Hall. William was a farmer, born in Maryland. Powell Co. was cut from Montgomery Co. in 1853.

1860 census – William French, Stanton, Powell Co., KY, as age 52, b. ca. 1808 in MD, a farmer, living with his wife Ann R. French, 50, and 3 children: Josephine 15, Francis 13, and Eoline 8.

1870 census -- Stanton, Powell Co., KY, William living with his wife and daughter Evlina, 17. Living next door to them is the Hall family of 5. In this same census of 1870 is a William French, age 30, born in PA in 1840, a farmer, living almost next door to William born 1807. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, 24, and their children: Adaline 11, Pleasant 9, Lewis 7, Louisa 7 (twins), and Lucy 4.

1880 census --William is 72 and living in Powell Co., KY, a farmer, with his wife Ann, born in England as were her parents, and with the Knox family of 5. This is one of the most helpful census records, because it tells where his parents were born. Both parents were born in MD – I would imagine his father was b. ca. 1780. Also in this 1880 census, William Jr. (40) and his wife Mary E. (36) live with their large family: Adaline 20, Pleasant 19, Louisa 17, Louesa 17, Lucy A. 14, Annie J. 7, Preston 6, James 4, and Maimie 2. This latter William of 40 years of age was born in Kentucky, his father born in MD, and his mother in Wales, which indicates that he is the son of William born 1807. Son James is listed as not being a direct relative (could have been the census takers error), but the others are his children.

7.2* Joseph James French, 1821 in Maryland, lived in Waco, McLennan, TX, m. Rachel Emily Wilcox, who was b. 1821, the daughter of Daniel B. Wilcox and Sally Hollingsworth. Rachel d. 1905. Joseph d. 2 Feb 1879 and is buried at the Elmwood Cemetery in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, NJ.

Below: Register of Maryland’s Heraldic Families, p. 222

From “Register of Maryland’s Heraldic Families: period from 1634, March 25^th to March 25^th, 1935, Tercentenary of the Founding of Maryland, by Alice Norris Parran, 1935, 873 pages.

1818 – Joseph James French was born in Maryland.

1821 – Rachel Emily Wilcox, his wife, was born in Maryland, the daughter of Daniel B. Wilcox and Sally Hollingsworth.

1850 census – Joseph is age 29, b. ca. 1821 in Maryland, living in Baltimore Ward 6, Baltimore, MD, with his wife Rachel, age 29, and children Elizabeth A. 6, and William 5, and Emma just born, and Daniel Wilcox, 67 (b. 1783 in MD), Rachel’s father.

1860 census – Joseph J. French was age 39, living with Rachel E. French, age 39, and their children Elizabeth A. French, age 16, William L. French, age 14; Charles F. French, age 9; George W. French, age 7, and John H. French, age 2 in Baltimore Ward 7, Baltimore, MD.

1870 census – Joseph and Rachel were 49, living with children Charles, George, John, Joseph 12, and William 9 (assuming that the first William had died), living in Baltimore Ward 3, Baltimore, MD.

1880 census – Rachel French, age 60, born ca. 1820 in Maryland, living in Waco, McLennan, TX, widowed, states that both her parents were born in Maryland. She was living with her son George French, age 27 (b. 1853), and George’s wife Mary French, age 22.

Children of Otho French and Elizabeth Anderson, 6.7

Five of these children died in infancy or when very young: Israel, Samuel, Elizabeth I, Elizabeth II, and one other .

7.3* William French Sr., b. 5 Dec 1802 in MD [7], d. 19 Dec 1853 at age 51, and is buried at the Stewart Cemetery in Randolph, McLean County, IL. William m. Mary Bundy on 12 Aug 1824 in Stillwater, Belmont Co., OH. Mary Bundy was b. 25 Feb 1805 in NC, the dau. of William Bundy and Sarah Overman. They had 7 children. William is listed in the Quakers monthly meetings of Stillwater, OH, with his children. FIND STONE It was not until 1804 that William’s father moved to Ohio. He m2. Ann Stubblefield who was b. 10 Jul 1817, d. 8 May 1887, and is buried at the Stewart Cemetery in Randolph, McLean County, IL.

See [30] p. 394. Stillwater is just outside Barnesville in Belmont Co., OH.

7.4 Israel French, b. 2 May 1805 in OH [7], d. Sep 1818 at age 13.

7.5 Rhoda Ann French, b. 9 May 1807 in OH [7], d. 1889 in Girard, Crawford Co., KS. She m. Philip Strahl on 1 Feb 1826 in Stillwater, Belmont Co., OH [27]; he was b. 11 Aug 1799; they had 7 children: Otho, Frank, David, Eli, Otho, Mary, Eliza [7]. The Strahl line originated in Karlsruhe, Germany, on the banks of the Rhine River, in the southwest region of Germany near France known as Bundesland-Baden-Wurttemburg. See Wikipedia for the biography and a photo of son Otho French Stahl. Otho French Strahl was born on 3 Jun 1831 in Malta Township, Morgan County, OH, and was wounded fatally at Franklin, TN, on 30 Nov 1864; he was a German American attorney and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

See [30] p. 394. Stillwater is just outside Barnesville in Belmont Co., OH.

7.6 Samuel French, b. 25 May 1809 in OH [7]. Died in infancy.

7.7 Dorcas French, b. 28 Oct 1810 in Belmont Co., OH [7], d. 9 Jan 1898 in Elliott’s Crossroad, Morgan Co., OH, at age 87. She m. Elijah Elliott on 27 Jan 1831 in Belmont Co., OH, and had 12 children: Otho, Joan, Elizabeth, William, Rachel, Rebecca, Isaac, Julia A., Erasmus Elijah, Jesse Thomas, Archimedes, and Frances E. Elliott.

7.8 Elizabeth French, b. 4 Oct 1812 in OH [7], d. 10 Jul 1822, at age 9.

7.9* Otho French, Jr., b. 7 Oct 1814 [7] in OH, d. 8 Apr 1886 at age 71, m. Rebecca Leeke on 18 Oct 1838 in Belmont Co., OH, and had 10 children. She was b. 1816 and d. 1887. For details on Otho French, see “From Prairie to Palestine”, p. 396-398+.

In the list that follows, the names given are those of the commissioners in the December term of each year, as new members of the board enter upon their office at that term.

Excerpted from History of Morgan County, Ohio, by Charles Robertson, M.D., Chicago, L.H. Watkins & Co., 1886.  Accessed on 7/26/08 via http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Morgan/MorganCVIIIP110.htm.

County Commissioners.---1819 (June to December), Sylvanus Piper, David Fulton, Robert McKee ; 1819 (December), * Richard Cheadle, John Shutt, William Montgomery ; 1820 Richard Cheadle, William Montgomery, Andrew Wharton; 1821, Richard Cheadle, Andrew Wharton, Dennis Gibbs ; 1822, Andrew Wharton, Dennis Gibbs, John Shutt ; 1823-24, Dennis Gibbs, John Shutt, Enoch S. McIntosh ; 1825, Dennis Gibbs, Enoch S. McIntosh, Samuel Aikens; 1826, Dennis Gibbs, Samuel Aikens, Jacob Fouts; 1827-28, Samuel Aikens, Jacob Fouts, Josiah Burlingame; 1829- 30, Samuel Aikens, Josiah Burlingame, Samuel Murray; 1831-32, Josiah Burlingame, Samuel Murray, David Edwards ; 1833, Samuel Murray, David Edwards, Dexter Brown ; 1834, Samuel Murray, Dexter Brown, Thomas Williams ; 1835-37, Dexter Brown, Thomas Williams,Worley C. Shugert ; 1838, Dexter Brown, Thomas Williams, Richard Cotton; 1839, Thomas Williams, Richard Cotton, John Archibald ; 1840-42, Richard Cotton, John Archibald, Sam'l W. Rogers; 1843, Richard Cotton, John Archibald, James Dunlap; 1844 ; John Archibald, James Dunlap, Jesse Blackmer; 1845, James Dunlap, Jesse Blackmer, Otho French ; 1846, Jesse Blackmer, Otho French, Samuel Adams ; 1847, Otho French, Samuel Adams, David Holbrook.

Death of Otho’s wife “Our Mother” who died at age 81 years, 9 months, and 20 days, and is buried at the Friend’s Township Cemetery in Barnesville, Belmont County, OH. The “SA” after Otho’s name, does not stand for Senior. Apparently their children were responsible for this gravestone, and their son, William Thomas French, was buried at the same cemetery, and so was Otho’s brother Israel. Apparently this cemetery in Tacoma and not in Barnesville. Friends Township Cemetery is located on Township Road 184 (Bailey Road), just past the intersection with OH-147, in Tacoma, Ohio (Warren Township, Belmont County). The coordinates are 39° 59' 44.05" N, 81° 8' 44.13" W. 

Friends Township Cemetery, also known as French Cemetery, is no longer active. There are many old gravestones, and although a few have been damaged, most are in good condition. The grounds are very well maintained by the township. Other surnames in this cemetery are Moore and Douglass who may be connected to the French family.

7.10 Cassandra A. French, b. 25 Oct 1816 in OH [7]. She m. Frederick Lamping on 19 Dec 1839 in Belmont, OH.

7.11* Israel French, b. 21 Sep 1818 in OH [7], d. 29 Jul 1900, m. Susan Sunderland and lived in Warren, Belmont Co., OH, in the 1850 census with their 2 daughters, Elizabeth A. 3, and Julia A. 1. By the 1860 census in Warren, they had 5 children. By the 1870 census, they had moved back east to Parkensburg Ward 1, Wood Co., WV. By the 1880 census, they were again in OH, in Washington, Monroe Co., OH, living with daughter Julia, and Israel states that both his parents were born in Maryland. In the 1900 census, Israel and Susanna lived in Warren, Belmont Co., OH, and Israel died shortly after the census was taken. He was buried at the Friend’s Township Cemetery in Barnesville, Belmont County, OH. Apparently this cemetery in Tacoma and not in Barnesville. Israel’s wife, Susan, was also buried in the cemetery; she was b. in 1823 and d. in 1903.

7.12 Anna French, b. 4 Dec 1820 in OH [7].

7.13 Elizabeth French, b. 10 Jan 1824 in OH [7], d. 7 Mar 1824 in infancy.

7.14 Samuel E. French, b. 20 May 1825 in OH [7], d. 29 Mar 1856 at age 30.

Children of Israel French Jr. and Deborah, 6.8

7.15 Zeruah French (daughter), b. 1807 [28]. Israel Jr’s daughters were known to strongly support their father in religion and in the Abolition cause. Zeruah French married Joel Wood on 22 Apr 1830, who was a prominent figure in the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society.  He helped form the Liberty Party, which put a Presidential Candidate on the ballot [28]. See [30] p. 312.

7.16 Israel French 3^rd, b. 1808 [28]. Around 1829 Israel III left the family in Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson County, OH, and moved back east to Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania – 60 miles from Frederick County Maryland.  There he was married as a Methodist in 1830. May have had daughter Anna S. French who married Lindley M. Bracken on 22 Oct 1867 (see data below).

7.17 Juliann French, b. 21 May 1813 [28] at the Short Creek Meeting House, Mt. Pleasant. Israel Jr’s daughters were known to strongly support their father in religion and in the Abolition cause. Julia French would marry Dr. Caleb Cope in 1849.  He was raised on an Underground Railroad stop.  He helped his father Joshua hide slaves in a clever spot behind their sawmill’s water wheel [28].

Apparently the family disjoined the Mount Pleasant Short Creek Friends Meeting House for Quakers in Ohio ca. 1829.

Eighth Generation

Children of William Morgan French and Ann Richards, 7.1

8.1* John B. French, b. 25 Apr 1830 in Pittsburg, Allegheny Co., PA, d. 2 Oct 1900 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY.

According to the 1850 census, John m1. Sarah McLaughlin of KY on 25 Sep 1851 in Fayette Co., KY, at the home of the bride in presence of Robt Knox and Mary J. French, signed by Thomas White, Minister of the Church of Christ. Sarah McLaughlin, was b. 26 Apr 1832 in Montgomery Co., KY and died 1907 at Stanton, KY.

John m2. Anna “Ann” E. Kennon [3] on 2 Jan 1866 in Robert E. Kennon’s residence, Estill Co., KY, recorded in Estill Co., KY, Marriage Records, Vol. #6, page 159; born 1848 in Estill Co., KY, d. 1928 in Powell Co., KY. She was buried in the Kennon Cemetery, Clay City, Powell County, KY. John d. in 1900 in Stanton, KY, before his father died. He is buried at the French Cemetery, Hatcher’s Creek, Means, Powell Co., KY [3]. Anna Kennon is buried at the Kennon/Wells Cemetery, located at Ballard Branch of Hardwick’s Creek, Clay City, Powell Co., KY [3]. According to www.findagrave.com, he is buried at the French Cemetery in Stanton, Hatcher’s Creek, Powell Co., KY. He was the grandfather of Ref. [14].

The 1860 census shows John as Jno French, age 30, and his wife Sarah, age 28, living in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, with their children: William G. French (8), David N. French (6), Elizabeth A. French (4), and George W. French (1). John is still a farmer.

In the 1870 census, John is still living in Stanton, Powell Co., KY with his family: William G. French (17), David N. French (16), Elizabeth A. French (13), George W. French (11), Eliza R. French (8), Christopher French (7), Sarah F. French (5), Eugene French (3), John M. French (1). John is still a farmer.

The 1880 census shows the family still living in Powell Co., KY where John is 50, Sarah A. 48, Annie 23, Christopher 17, Sarah F. 15, Eugene 13, John M. 11, Charles E. 9. Living next door to them are William 27, Jane M. 22, and Clarence 4. James French, age 16, lives next door on the other side with the Conley family.

In the 1900 census, John and Sarah are living alone in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, ages 70 and 68. John is no longer in the 1910 census.

8.2 Elizabeth Ann French, b. 21 Feb 1832 in Pittsburg, Allegheny Co., PA. She married George (or Garlen) W. Lyle. He was born 1830 in Kentucky and d. 1910 and is buried in the Kennon Cemetery, Clay City, Powell County, KY, inscription: W/O G. W. Sr. Children of Elizabeth French and George Lyle are: William Daniel Lyle, born November 1855 in Estill Co., Kentucky. He married Belle Shimfessel March 17, 1883 in Augustin Shimfessel's home, Estill Co., KY, recorded in Estill Co., KY, Marriage Records, Vol. #14, pages 295-296, & Vol. #10, pages 342-343; born 1864 in Estill Co., Kentucky. Second child was John B. Lyle, born October 05, 1857; died August 29, 1911. He married Adaline "Ada" F. Snowden September 22, 1881 in Estill Co., Kentucky, recorded in Estill Co., KY, Marriage Records, Vol. #4, pages 27-28; born August 20, 1863 in Estill Co., Kentucky; died September 18, 1948. Third child was Julia N. Lyle, born February 1862 in Estill Co., Kentucky; died July 05, 1932 in Irvine, Estill Co., KY. She married Archibald David Snowden, Jr. April 14, 1881 in Estill Co., Kentucky, recorded in Estill Co., KY, Marriage Records, page 216, & Vol. #10, pages 284-285; born October 28, 1857 in Estill Co., Kentucky; died May 30, 1925 in Irvine, Estill Co., KY [3]. Other children of Elizabeth Ann French were Morgan R. Lyle, Overton A. Lyle, and L. C. Lyle [3].

8.3 J. Nicholas “Nick” French, b. 5 Oct 1834 in Pittsburg, Allegheny Co., PA, m1. Catherine Susan Garrett May 19, 1859 in Wesley Garrett’s residence, Powell Co., KY, recorded in Powell Co., KY, Marriage Records; she was born 1832 in Estill Co., KY, and d. in 1870. They had 3 children: James P., Henrietta, and James M. It is assumed that James P. died young, as James M. is listed in the 1880 census of Precinct 2, Powell, KY, (living next door to William and Jane M. French), age 30 or born in 1850 with his wife Henrietta, age 27, and their children John T. 8, James E. 6, Hellena 4, Albert 2, and Minnie M. 3/12 born in Feb 1880.

Nicholas m2. 7 Oct 1889 to Sarah Jane Pelfrey. She was b. 10 Jul 1863 in Wolfe, KY, d. 17 Feb 1892. No children.

1880 census of Powell Co., KY, Nicholas French, age 44, the brother-in-law of the Hall family.

Nicholas d. 13 Feb 1913
in Powell Co., KY [3] and is buried at the French Cemetery, Hatchers Creek, Means, Powell Co., KY [3]. The following gravestone appears in the French Cemetery of Stanton, Powell Co., KY.

8.4 Mary Jane French, b. 30 Jun 1837
in Pittsburg, Allegheny Co., PA [3].

She m. Robert Knox on 15 Jun 1854 in Powell Co., KY. He was b. 1828 in Stanton and d. in 1868 and is not listed in the 1880 census of Precinct 2, Powell Co., KY, as Mary J. is listed as widowed. Their children were Thomas b. ca. 1861, William b. ca. 1865, Amanda b. ca. 1866, and Dora b. ca. 1868. Next door to them was Mary Yocum, an ancestor of Ref. [1] and the mother of Francis Yocum who m. Elizabeth Ann French of generation 3. Next door to Mary Jane on the other side was her brother William and his 9 children: Adaline (age 20), Pleasant (age 19), Louisa (age 17), Louese (age 17), Lucy A. (age 14), Annie J. (age 7), James (age 4 – perhaps a grandchild), and Maimie (age 2, daughter), all born in KY. Mary Jane and Robert Knox had 5 children: Elizabeth, Amanda, William Thomas, Henrietta, and Dora [3].

8.5* William Richard French, b. 3 Aug 1839
in Pittsburg, Allegheny Co., PA, d. 1923 in Holden, Johnson Co., MO and is buried there in the Holden Cemetery, m. Mary Elizabeth Ewen in 1858, and had 11+ children.

William and Mary (Ewen) French, 1891, taken in Sedalia, MO, William is 53, website: http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/4789434/person/-1021707074

Chronology

1839 Aug 3 – Richard was born
in Pittsburg, Allegheny Co., PA, his father in Maryland, and his mother in Wales.

1870 census -- William French is listed in the 1870 census, age 30, born in PA in 1840, a farmer, living almost next door to William, his father, born 1807. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, 24, and their children: Adaline 11, Pleasant 9, Lewis 7, Louisa 7 (twins), and Lucy 4.

1880 census -- William is 72 and living in Powell Co., KY with his wife Ann and the Knox family of 5. This is one of the most helpful census records, because it tells where his parents were born. Both parents were born in MD – I would imagine his father was b. ca. 1780. Also in this 1880 census, William Jr. (40) and his wife Mary E. (36) live with their large family: Adaline 20, Pleasant 19, Louisa 17, Louesa 17, Lucy A. 14, Annie J. 7, Preston 6, James 4, and Maimie 2. This latter William of 40 years of age was born in Kentucky, his father born in MD, and his mother in Wales, which indicates that he is the son of William born 1807. Son James is listed as not being a direct relative, but the others are their children.

1900 census -- Rose Hill, Johnson Co., MO, William was 60, b. Aug 1839 in PA, his father was born in Maryland and his mother in Wales. He m. Mary E. in 1858 and they’ve been married for 42 years. Mary was b. Nov 1843. He was a farmer. Listed with them in the 1900 census is Lewis R. French, a son, b. Apr 1882 in KY, aged 18; and Nora E. French, a daughter, b. Oct 1886 in KY, aged 13. At Nora’s birth, her mother Mary was 43 years old.

Ref. [14] notes that William M. French and Anne Richards had children William, Nicholas, John, Lena, Irene, and Joanne. At the moment, these names do not seem to fit in with the ones mentioned above.

1910 census – William was age 70 living in Kingsville, Johnson, MO, married to Mary E. French, living with their son Lewis who was 25. William was a farmer and owned his own farm.

1920 census – William (76) and Mary (73) were living alone in Rose Hill, Johnson, MO.

1923 – William died in Holden, Johnson Co., MO and is buried there in the Holden Cemetery,

8.6 Adeline R. French, b. 31 Jan 1843 in Powell Co., KY, d. 24 Jan 1844 (1 yr).


8.7 Josephine French, b. 20 Nov 1844 in Powell Co., KY, d. 11 Oct 1918
, m. Green Hall, b. 1841 in KY.

8.8 Frances Irene French, b. 17 Nov 1847 in Powell Co., KY, d. 11 Jul 1867


8.9 Eoline or Evlina or Delina or Lina French, b. 7 Nov 1852 in Powell Co., KY. She married Thomas “Tom” Conley 1874 in Powell Co., KY, recorded in Powell Co., KY, Marriage Records, Vol. #2, page 176. He was born 1854 in Kentucky. They had 3 children: Annie Conley, Hattie M. Conley, and Everett Conley [3]. Eoline d. 20 Jan 1913 in Powell Co., KY.

Children of Joseph James French and Rachel Emily Wilcox, 7.2

8.10 Kate French.

8.11 Elizabeth A. French, b. 1844, m. Edward T. Morgan.

8.12 William L. French, b. 1846.

8.13 Emma French, b. 1850 in Baltimore Ward 6, Baltimore, MD.

8.14 Charles Frederick French, b. 1851, m. Laura Virginia Gaunt, dau. of Samuel Gaunt of Manchester, England. They had daughter Nellie Waters French m. Elmore Berry Jefferies and had one daughter, Janet Baratrom Jefferies, who m. Charles David Harris. Charles ws in the Civil War on the side of the Union in Maryland in Battery B, Maryland Light Artillery for 6 months between 1863-1864 as a Private. In 1880 he lived in Baltimore, married to Laura, was a machinist, and had 2 daughters, Bessie E. French 6, and Nellie W. French 2. By the 1900 census, added children were twins Mary A. and Harry B., both 19, and Vernon Charles 9. Future generations will be added as I have time.

8.15 George W. French, b. 1853 in Maryland, m. Kate C. Morgan, and had daughter May B. b. 1879. Future generations will be added as I have time.

8.16 John H. French, b. 1858. Future generations will be added as I have time.

Children of William French Sr., and Mary Bundy, 7.3

8.17* Eli Harrison French, Sr., b. 30 Aug 1825 in Stillwater, Belmont Co., OH [7], d. 17 Feb 1892 in Chalk Level, St. Clair Co., MO. He m1. Mary Jane Mason on 9 Aug 1860 in Newton Co., MO, and had dau. Eliza Jane French. He m2. Sarah Jane Stine on 2 Aug 1866 in Cass Co., MO and had children William Otho French (twin) (b. 5 Jun 1867 in Austin, Cass Co., MO, d. 1867 at birth), and Sarah Darcas French (twin), b. and d. 5 Jun 1867 in Austin, Cass Co., MO [7]. Most likely Sarah Jane Stine died in childbirth with her twins. He m3. Elizabeth Bailey on 6 Sep 1868 in McDonald Co., MO, and had children Charles Francis French, James William French, Sarah Rosetta French (b. 25 Jun 1874 in St. Clair Co., MO, d. before 1910, m. 1 Mar 1891 to Felix Albert Brandon), George Bailey French, Emma Loretta French, Albert Weaver French, Alonzo Franklin French, Annie L. French, and Eli Harrison French [7]. Elizabeth Bailey was the dau. of Rebecca Smith and James Bailey, d. in St. Clair Co., MO, 1894.

9.18 Otho French, b. 5 Apr 1828 in Deerfield, Morgan Co., OH [7], d. 16 Jan 1856 in Ames, Story County, Iowa, and was buried at the Bloomington Cemetery.

9.19 Sarah E. French, b. in Ohio, m. Franklin Thompson [7].

9.20 William French, Jr. [7].

9.21 Emma French, b. 4 Apr 1838 in Barnesville, Belmont, OH, m. James Phelan [7], d. 30 Nov 1923 in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, CA. She was buried at the Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone, Boone County, Iowa.

9.22 Martha French [7].

9.23 Cassandra French, b. 16 Mar 1836 in Athens, Belmont Co., OH, d. 23 May 1856 in Ames, Story County, Iowa, and was buried at the Bloomington Cemetery, m. William Thompson [7], aged 20 years, 2 months, 7 days.

William Thompson was only about two and one-half years old when his father died. He afterward made his home with his mother and stepfather until he attained his majority. He then engaged in farming on his own account, and three years later was married, in Randolph Township, to Miss Cassandra French, who was born at Athens, Belmont Co., Ohio, March 16, 1836. She came with her parents to Illinois in her girlhood, and remained with them in this township until her marriage. A few weeks after this event the father sickened and died, the mother having died when Cassandra was five years old. Of this marriage of our subject there were born two children: Oliver C. married Miss Mary Gard, and they live in Ida County, Iowa; he has been County Surveyor several terms and is now a land agent. Minerva became the wife of Henry Talbert, and they reside on a farm in Morrison County, Kan. [ed., Morris County] Mrs. Cassandra Thompson departed this life at the home of her husband in Story County, Iowa, in 1856. 

Mr. Thompson was the second time married, in Boone County, Iowa, March 4, 1858, to Miss Mary M. Jones. This lady is a native of Wayne County, Ohio, born Aug. 31, 1835.

9.24 Rhoda A. French, b. 26 Dec 1848, m. John W. Spaid, d. 31 Jul 1931, and is buried in the Stewart Cemetery, Randolph, McLean County, IL.

9.25 Mary P. French, b. 29 Jan 1851, d. 5 Sep 1853, and is buried in the Stewart Cemetery, Randolph, McLean County, IL.

Children of Otho French and Rebecca Leeke, 7.9

8.26 Samuel Leeke French, b. 29 Mar 1841 in OH, lived in Warren, Belmont Co., OH, in the 1850 census. He m. Amanda Bundy on 19 Oct 1865 in Belmont, OH.

See [30] p. 394. Stillwater is just outside Barnesville in Belmont Co., OH.

8.27* Israel Erasmus French, b. 1843 in OH, lived in Warren, Belmont Co., OH, in the 1850 and 1860 census. He m. Sarah Irene Dawson on 8 Mar 1866 in Belmont Co., OH, and had 2 sons. Sarah Irene was b. 1844, d. 1906.

See [30] p. 394. Stillwater is just outside Barnesville in Belmont Co., OH.

This veteran gravestone of a veteran is that of Israel Erasmus French. It reads Sgt. I. E. French, from the Friends Township Cemetery in Tacoma, OH. Friends Township Cemetery is located on Township Road 184 (Bailey Road), just past the intersection with OH-147, in Tacoma, Ohio (Warren Township, Belmont County). The coordinates are 39° 59' 44.05" N, 81° 8' 44.13" W. 

Friends Township Cemetery, also known as French Cemetery, is no longer active. There are many old gravestones, and although a few have been damaged, most are in good condition. The grounds are very well maintained by the township. Other surnames in this cemetery are Moore and Douglass who may be connected to the French family. Israel Erasmus French’s mother was also buried in this cemetery and so was his brother William Thomas French.

8.28 Elizabeth French, b. 24 Jan 1845 in OH, d. 19 Nov 1846 in infancy.

8.29 Mary Ellen French, b. 19 Feb 1847 in OH, d. 2 Jul 1883. She m. Joel D. Bundy on 16 Jul 1870 in Belmont Co., OH, and had daughter Emma, lived in Warren, Belmont Co., OH, in the 1850 census. By the 1880 census of Warren, Belmont Co., OH, she was widowed and living with her daughter, Emma Bundy, 8. Mary Ellen Bundy was buried at the Stillwater Friends Cemetery in Barnesville, Belmont, OH, with the rough stone inscription “MEB”, undated. This cemetery is also known as Friends Olney Cemetery on CR 102 (Roosevelt Rd.), Barnesville, with 813 interments, most surnames are Bailey, Bundy, Hall, Smith, but no French; website: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GScid=2378968.

8.30 William Thomas French, b. 19 May 1849 in OH, d. 24 Mar 1865 at age 16 in Camp Chase, OH. He lived in Warren, Belmont Co., OH, in the 1850 census. He was buried at the Friend’s Township Cemetery in Barnesville, Belmont County, OH. Apparently this cemetery in Tacoma and not in Barnesville.

William Thomas French d. 24 Mar 1865 in OH, son of O. & R. French, died at Camp Chase, aged 15 years, 10 months, and 5 days, buried at Friends Township Cemetery, Belmont Co., OH. The engraving is of a hand holding a flag.

Friends Township Cemetery is located on Township Road 184 (Bailey Road), just past the intersection with OH-147, in Tacoma, Ohio (Warren Township, Belmont County). The coordinates are 39° 59' 44.05" N, 81° 8' 44.13" W. 

Friends Township Cemetery, also known as French Cemetery, is no longer active. There are many old gravestones, and although a few have been damaged, most are in good condition. The grounds are very well maintained by the township. Other surnames in this cemetery are Moore and Douglass who may be connected to the French family.

8.31 Martha Elizabeth French, b. 21 Apr 1851 in OH, d. 26 Jun 1856 at age 5.

8.32 James A. French, b. 8 Mar 1853 in OH.

8.33* John C. French, b. 22 Oct 1856 in OH. He m. Amanda Jones on 30 Oct 1881 in Belmont Co., OH. John and Amanda appear in the 1900 census of Warren, Belmont Co., OH. They had 5 children.

8.34 Julia Mariah French, b. 10 May 1858 in OH, d. 19 Sep 1907. She m. William H. Campbell on 3 Jul 1876 in Belmont Co., OH, and had 5 children: Delia Mae Campbell, Katherine Campbell, George Campbell, Cora Campbell, and Grace Campbell [7].

Delia Campbell Frasher, mother of Martha Frasher Laney, granddaughter of Otho French of Belmont Co., Ohio

Julia French Campbell, mother of Delia Campbell Frasher, daughter of Otho French of Belmont Co., Ohio

8.35 Clarence E. French, b. 21 Mar 1860 in OH, d. Sep 1860 in infancy.

8.36 Emma Lorena French, b. 16 Oct 1862 in OH, d. 14 Apr 1871 at age 9. She was buried at the Friend’s Township Cemetery in Barnesville, Belmont County, OH. Inscription on her headstone says: Aged 8 years and 6 months. This cemetery is in Tacoma, not Barnesville.

Children of Israel French and Susan Sunderland, 7.11

8.37 Elizabeth A. French, b. ca. 1846 in OH.

8.38 Julia Ann French, b. 30 Sep 1848 in OH. She remained living with her parents in the 1880 census of Washington, Monroe Co., OH, when she was 31, and in the 1900 census of Warren, Belmont Co., OH, when she was 51.

8.39 Sarah E. French, b. 1851 in OH.

8.40 Josephine French, b. 1857 in OH. At age 13, she moved with her parents and sister Julia to Parkersburg Ward 1, Wood Co., WV, in the 1870 census, also living with Ellen French 19 and Erasmus French 17, relationship unknown.

8.41 Cosmos Erasmus “Cos E.” French, b. 11 Mar 1863 in OH, m. Anna in 1891who is listed in the 1900 census of Warren, Belmont Co., OH, born in England, and the daughter-in-law of Israel and Susan French whose son Cos who had died; she was age 45 with their daughters, Susan 8 and Gladys 1. Anna’s father was born in Ireland and her mother in England.

Ninth Generation

Children of John B. French and Sarah McLaughlin, 8.1

9.1 William G. French, b. 19 Jul 1852 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. 10 Oct 1874 to Jane M. Holley [14], d. 4 Jun 1903.
In the 1880 census of Stanton, Powell Co., KY, William and Jane were living with his parents and their son Clarence E., age 4, b. 1876. Later they moved to Laomi, Illinois, and raised 4 sons; the youngest son lived in Lexington, IL [23].

9.2 David Nicholas “Nick” French, b. 21 Feb 1854 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. Mattie Hall on 14 Mar 1883 [14] [23], d. 30 May 1885.
They had 2 children: Millard married and moved to Terre Haute, IN. Ottie (girl) married in LeRoy, IL and moved to Atlanta, IL, and had 6 children; 4 girls and 2 boys. The oldest boy married to an Atlanta girl and was superintendent of a telephone district near Detroit, MI. The girls all married Atlanta boys and lived in Altanta, MI [23].

9.3 Elizabeth Ann (Annie) French, b. 27 Oct 1856 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. 17 Mar 1881 to Francis Milton Yocum (b. 6 Apr 1857, d. 31 Feb 1924, a farmer, son of John Yocum and Jane Hudson of KY), d. 18 Jul 1905 in Stanton, KY.
Francis Yocum is listed in the 1880 census of Powell Co., KY. They had son Andrew Jackson Yocum (1883-1958) who lived in Crandon, WI. Elizabeth was buried in the French Cemetery, Stanton, Powell, KY.

9.4 George W. French, b. 29 Jan 1859 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. 14 Dec 1884, d. 28 Dec 1939. He resided in Bloomington, McLean Co., IL and died in 1939 in LeRoy IL. He m1. Ella Hall and m2. Mary Killion. In the 1880 census, he might have lived in Loami, Sangamon Co., IL, age 21, b. 1859 in KY, a farm laborer, single. He had son David R. French, b. 1887 in Loami, IL, resided in Bloomington, IL, and died in 1953 in Silvis, IL. Altogether they had 4 boys and 3 girls. The eldest girl, Mable, married a man named Timson and they raised one boy and lived in Downey, CA.

9.5 Eliza Rebecca (Elsie) French, b. 9 Jan 1861 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. 25 Feb 1880 to Belvin J. Ewing [14], d. 21 Aug 1935.
They had a family of 10 children, one living in Jackson, KY.

9.6 Christopher “Kit” Mayhew French, b. 9 Jan 1863 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. 1 Feb 1894 to Emma Catherine Smith [14] in 1894; she died in May 1940. In the 1880 census of Precinct 2, Powell, KY, he was 17, b. ca. 1863 in KY, father was John born in PA, mother was Sarah A. born in KY, he was single and working on the farm. Christopher d. 11 Mar 1963 in Atlanta, Logan Co., IL. In the 1900 census, he was 37 and living in Dixon, Lee Co., IL. Christopher was a machinist. In the 1930 census, he and Emma were living in Lyons, Cook Co., IL, with son Charles E. French, age 26.

Christopher d. 11 Mar 1963 in Atlanta, Logan Co., IL. Christopher lived to be 100 years old and is buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Farmer City, DeWitt Co., IL.

9.7 Sarah (Sally) Frances French, b. 14 Jul 1865 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. 25 Nov 1897 to Warren Martin, d. 27 Dec 1925.


9.8 A. S. Eugene “Eugene” French, b. 16 May 1867 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. 7 Mar 1889 to Mattie Rose [14], d. 15 Mar 1959, and is buried at the Stanton Cemetery in Powell Co., KY. They had one daughter who married and had no children. Eugene’s son-in-law took possession of the farm.




9.9 John Morgan French, b. 2 Apr 1869 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. 24 May 1896 to Minnie Maple ([14], d. 22 Aug 1901.
They had 2 sons and 1 daughter. One son lives in Jackson, KY, and the other in Stanton, KY. Their daughter, Fern, lives in Nashville, TN with her husband, surname Mitchell. John was living with his parents in the 1880 census of of Precinct 2, Powell, KY, age 9. Living next door but perhaps on the same property is William French listed as son of John and Sarah, age 27, with his wife Jane M., age 44 and their 4-year old son Clarence, listed as grandson to John and Sarah, but these last 3 are listed as a separate family. Also a neighbor next door is James French, age 16, working as a servant for the Conley family.

9.10 Charles Edward French, b. 14 Jul 1871 in Stanton, Powell Co., KY, m. 28 Dec 1898, d. 22 Oct 1925 of an operation in Watseka. He m. Nellie James of Hazel Green, KY. Charles attended Transylvania College and lived in Anniston, Alabama for a while and then settled in Illinois living in Ashland, Tulluls, and then in Virginia, Gibson City, and Onarga, IL. They had son Carlin Scott French, born at Lexington, KY, while his father was attending Transylvania College. They lived in Anniston, AL, for a while and then settled in Illinois living progressively in Ashland, Tulluls, and then Virginia, Gibson City, and Onarga, IL. (Don’t know who this is: Mrs. Malvin French died at the house of a sister, Mrs. James Amy, in Marshall, IL, in 1940.)

9.11 Ralph L. French, lived in San Diego, CA.

Children of J. Nicholas French and Catherine Susan Garrett, 8.3

9.12 James P. French.

9.13 Henrietta French.

9.14* James M. French, b. 1850, m. Henrietta.

Children of William R. French and Mary Elizabeth Ewen, 8.5

9.15 Adaline French, b. 1859, age 11 in the 1870 census of Powell Co., KY.

9.16 William Pleasant French, b. 1861, age 9, in the 1870 census of Powell Co., KY.

9.17 Lewis French (twin), b. 1863, age 7, in the 1870 census of Powell Co., KY.

9.18 Louisa French (twin), b. 1863, age 7, in the 1870 census of Powell Co., KY.

9.19 Lucy A. French, b. 1866, age 4, in the 1870 census of Powell Co., KY.

9.20 Annie Jane French, b. 1873 in the 1880 census of Powell Co., KY, m. Joseph Mitchell Means and had 5 children, d. 2 Dec 1935 in Nevada, Vernon, MO.

9.21* Taylor Preston French, b. 20 Mar 1875 in Powell, KY, in the 1880 census of Powell Co., KY, m. Mary Ellen George who was born in TN [18], from Rose Hill township, Johnson Co., MO. Preston died 30 Dec 1943 in Kansas City, Jackson, MO, and is on the same stone as his wife. In the 1920 census, he was known as “T. Press”, living in Kansas City Ward 13, Jackson Co., MO, married to Martha E, stating that both his parents were born in KY. The cemetery where members of this family are buried is in the area of the farm home of Preston Taylor French, Rose Hill Cemetery in Latour, Johnson County, MO. Preston’s son William Lowell French and his wife Lacy Mae raised all three of their children on that same farm.

9.22 James French, b. 1876 in the 1880 census of Powell Co., KY.

9.23 Maimie French, b. 1878 in the 1880 census of Powell Co., KY.

9.24 Lewis Richard French, b. 22 Apr 1882 in Mount Sterling, Montgomery Co., KY, listed in the 1900 census of Rose Hill township, Johnson Co., MO, living with his parents. He d. 4 Mar 1957 in Latour, Johnson Co., MO, and is buried at the Holden Cemetery in Holden, Johnson Co., MO.

9.25 Nora E. French, b. Oct 1885 in KY, listed in the 1900 census of Rose Hill township, Johnson Co., MO, living with her parents. She d. 1980.

Children of Eli Harrison French and Mary Jane Mason, 8.17

9.26 Eliza Jane French.

Children of Eli Harrison French and Sarah Jane Stine, 8.17

9.27 William Otho French (twin) b. and d. 5 Jun 1867 in Austin, Cass Co., MO [7].

9.28 Sarah Darcas French (twin), b. and d. 5 Jun 1867 in Austin, Cass Co., MO [7].

Children of Eli Harrison French, Sr. and Elizabeth Bailey, 8.17

9.29 Charles Francis French, b. 13 Jul 1869 in Pineville, McDonald Co., MO [7].

9.30 James William French, b. 29 May 1871 in Pineville, McDonald Co., MO [7].

9.31 Sarah Rosetta French, b. 25 Jun 1874 in St. Clair Co., MO, d. before 1910, m. 1 Mar 1891 to Felix Albert Brandon, [7].

9.32 George Bailey French, b. 2 Sep 1876 in St. Clair Co., MO, d. 6 Sep 1876, age 4 days [7].

9.33 Emma Loretta French, b. 6 Oct 1877 in St. Clair Co., MO, m1. Walter J. Wood, m2. Marshall E. Withers [7].

9.34 Albert Weaver French, b. 7 Dec 1879 in St. Clair Co., MO [7].

9.35* Alonzo Franklin French, b. 12 Dec 1881 in St. Clair Co., MO, d. 16 Jun 1965 in Jackson Co., MO, and is buried at the Oakland Cemetery in Buckner Co., MO, m. Lucy/Lucie Fannie Hunter. She was b. 12 Oct 1881 in St. Clair Co., MO [7].

9.36 Annie L. French, b. 4 Jan 1884 in St. Clair Co., MO [7].

9.37 Eli Harrison French, Jr., b. 13 Sep 1887 in Arkansas [7]. He m. Verna and d. 11 Nov 1979 in Portland, OR.

Children of Israel Erasmus French and Sarah Irene Dawson, 8.27

9.38 Harry Clifford French, b. 28 Jan 1867 [7]. He m. Louise Minninger and had 2 daughters, Ruth French, b. 22 Sep 1891 and Ethel French, b. 24 Dec 1895 [7].

9.39 Karl Erasmus French, b. 19 Sep 1868 [7]. Karl m. Louise J. Balz and had daughter Thelma Katherine French [7].

Children of John C. French and Amanda Jones, 8.33

9.38* George “Guy” French, b. 11 Oct 1882 in Warren Township, Belmont County, OH, d. 6 May 1926 in Springfield, Clark Co., OH, and is buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Springfield. He appears in the 1900 census of Warren, Belmont Co., OH, living with his parents. He m. Mary Frances McConaughy and had 2 sons.

9.39 Emery French, b. Jun 1883 in OH. He appears in the 1900 census of Warren, Belmont Co., OH, living with his parents. In the 1910 census of Valdez, Division 3, Alaska Territory, Emery was single and living as a lodger among many other young men. In the 1920 census of WDC, Emery was single and an inmate at the United States Soldier’s Home among many other men. He was in the same place in the 1930 census.

9.40 Mable French, b. Mar 1887 in OH. She appears in the 1900 census of Warren, Belmont Co., OH, living with her parents.

9.41 Edna Laura French, b. 21 Sep 1897 in Belmont, OH. She must have died before 1900 as she does not appear in the census. She is listed in the birth records as the daughter of John C. French and Amanda Jones.

9.42 Clyde French, b. Apr 1889 in OH. She appears in the 1900 census of Warren, Belmont Co., OH, living with her parents.

9.43 Eva French, b. Dec 1899 in OH. She appears in the 1900 census of Warren, Belmont Co., OH, living with her parents.

9.44 Thelma French, b. 14 Jun 1903 in Olivett, Belmont, OH, as the daughter of John French and Amanda Jones.

Tenth Generation

Children of Christopher Mayhew French and Emma C. Smith, 9.6

10.1 Infant son French, b. 1894, d. 22 Jun 1894 and was buried in the Campground Cemetery in Farmer City, DeWitt County, IL.

10.2 Ralph Lawrence French, b. 27 Apr 1897 in Dixon, Lee County, IL, of San Diego, CA, m. Neva Daphne Gutches [14]. She was b. 1898 and d. 1976. They had 2 daughters. In the 1910 census of La Grange, Cook Co., IL, he was living with his parents and brother, supposedly Beyriel had died. Ralph d. 25 Jul 1983 in San Diego, San Diego Co., CA. Ralph was a radio repairman and Neva was the dean of the San Diego College for Woman before it merged with San Diego University, a men’s college, to form the University of San Diego.

They had 2 daughters who appear in the 1940 census of San Diego: Judith M. French age 13, and Carolyn N. French age 9. Judith May French was b. 14 May 1926 in Washington, m. Hold, d. 13 Nov 1993 in San Diego, CA, and her ashes were scattered at sea. Carolyn Norma French was b. 20 Jan 1931 in San Diego, m. Guy Buono, d. 16 Mar 2012 in Bonita, San Diego, CA.

Obit as published on July 26th, 1983 in the San Diego Union:

French--Ralph L. Father of Carolyn Buono and Judith Holt, 2 granddaughters, 1 great-grandson. Services Wed. 11 a.m. Featheringill Mortuary.

10.3 Beyrlel or Boyrel French, b. 1899 in IL. She appears only in the 1900 census of Dixon, Lee Co., IL, living with her parents and brother Ralph. It is assumed she died young before the 1910 census.

10.4 Charles E. French, b. 1904 in IL, of Chicago, IL. He had 1 son and 1 daughter. The son worked for the Northwestern Railroad as a clerical worker in the Chicago Office. His sister Sallie married and raised 3 boys and 1 girl, all living around Stanton, KY. In the 1910 census of La Grange, Cook Co., IL, he was living with his parents and brother, supposedly Beyriel had died.

Children of James M. French and Henrietta, 9.14

10.5 John T. French, b. 1872.

10.6 James E. French, b. 1874.

10.7 Hellena French, b. 1876.

10.8 Albert French, b. 1878.

10.9 Minnie M. French, b. Feb 1880.

Children of Taylor Preston French and Martha Ellen George, 9.21

10.10 Beulah May French, b. 20 Jan 1902 in Latour, Johnson Co., MO, d. 5 Mar 1990 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO [18], m. James Otis Wheat, and had sons James and Billy. James was b. 1 Oct 1901 in MO, and d. 28 Jun 1960 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO [18]. One of their sons, James Otis Wheat, Jr., was b. 1923 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO, d. 16 Jan 1986 in Kenner, Jefferson Co., LA [18]. The second son was William E. Wheat, b. 1925 in MO [18]. The third son Dale G. Wheat was b. 4 Jun 1933 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO [18].

10.11* William Lowell “Lowell” French, b. 8 Dec 1902 in Latour, Johnson County, MO, m. Lacy Mae Bridgforth [18] on 25 Jan 1930 in Jackson, MO, and he d. 4 Aug 1988 in Holden, Johnson Co., MO, and is buried at the Holden Cemetery in Holden, Johnson Co., MO. Lacy was b. 21 Apr 1907 in Peculiar, Cass Co., MO, and d. 4 Jun 1999 in Shawnee Mission, Johnson Co., KS, the dau. of Charles Benjamin Bridgforth and Mary Lizabeth “Molly” Moses.

In the 1920 census, Lowell was 17 and living with his parents and siblings in Kansas City Ward 13, Jackson Co., MO.

In the 1930 census, Lowell and Lacy lived in Rose Hill, Johnson Co., MO. Lowell states that his father was born in KY and his mother in TN.

In the 1940 census of Rose Hill, Johnson Co., MO, Lowell and Lacy are living with children Robert, Russell, and Rowena.

10.12 Pleasant French, infant brother, b. 21 Dec 1906, d. 5 Jan 1907 (2 weeks), and buried at the Quick Cemetery in Johnson County, MO [18].

10.13 Lucy Lea French, b. 21 Jul 1909 in Latour, Johnson Co., MO, d. 18 Dec 1997 in Harrisonville, Cass Co., MO [18], m1. Andrew Aszmus who was b. 31 Jul 1907 in Kansas City, Wyandotte Co., KS and d. 10 Dec 1958 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO [18], m2. Roy G. Biggins on 25 Apr 1959 in Jackson, MO. Lucy m3. Forest F. Feeback; he was b. 30 Apr 1903 in Latour, Johnson Co., MO, d. 16 Mar 1999 in Harrisonville, Cass Co., MO [18].

Children of Alonzo Franklin French and Lucy Fannie Hunter, 9.35

10.14 Roy Alonzo French, b. 14 Dec 1902 in Appleton City, MO, m. Lottie Gertrude Groves on 2 Oct 1926 in Warrensburg, MO, d. May 1965 in Dade Co., FL. They had dau. Lou Ann French, b. 1935.

10.15 Ray Franklin French, b. 1906, d. ca. 1970.

Children of George “Jene” Guy French and Mary Frances McConaughy, 9.38

10.16* Harland Otho French, Sr., b. 1 May 1904 in Barnesville, Belmont Co., OH, d. 20 Jul 1948 in Coffee County, Georgia at age 44. He m. Beatrice Lenora Jackson ca. 1924 and had at least 1 son. She was b. 5 Jan 1909 and d. 9 Nov 1932 in Warren, Belmont, OH. In the 1910 census, Harland was only 5 and living as an inmate in the Belmont County Children’s Home with 42 others, none with the name French. The head of household was Thomas W. Branson. This home was in operation from 1880 to 1981 and demolished in 1990. By the 1930 census, Harland was living in Barnesville, Belmont, OH, on East Main Street, age 25, with his wife Beatrice, age 21, and their son Harland Jr. who was almost 4 (3 11/12). He was a commercial salesman in advertising. They were living with Harland’s sister-in-law Marguerite who was age 17.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer of Cincinnati, OH, 27 Jul 1924

10.17 Lester James French, b. 21 Feb 1906 perhaps in Barnesville, Belmont Co., OH, d. Nov 1979 in Richmond, Henrico, VA, age 73, at home living at 1408 Hyner Circle. His death certificate states that his father was Otho French (info given by his family, but this information is incorrect) and mother was Mary McConaughy. He had lived in Kentucky as it was there that he applied for his social security card. He m. Violet Leola Linkenhoker who was b. 22 Jan 1916 in KY, the daughter of Warren Linkenhoker and Cordia May, d. 29 May 1987 in Lovettsville, Loudoun, VA. In the 1920 census she was living in Coburn Fork, Pike, KY, and in the 1930 census, she was living in Stone, Pike, KY, still single, but she met and married Lester soon afterwards in Kentucky. Lester is listed in the 1940 census of Varina, Henrico Co., VA as a millwright, age 35, living with his wife Violet L., age 24, and their 2-year old daughter Janet M. French, b. 1938. Lester was very talented in making jewelry and his brother Harland was an artist and did war bond paintings [17].

Eleventh Generation

Children of William Lowell French and Lacy M. Bridgforth, 10.11

11.1 Robert Lowell French, b. 17 May 1931 in Latour, Johnson Co., MO. In the 1940 census of Rose Hill, Johnson Co., MO, he was living with his parents and siblings. Robert d. 21 Oct 1992 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO [18].

He m. Mary Lou Belew who was b. 19 Aug 1937 in Appleton City, MO, and d. 20 May 2010 in Independence, Jackson Co., MO [18]. Both are buried at the Holden Cemetery in Holden, Johnson Co., MO.

11.2 Russell Wendell French Sr., b. 24 Aug 1933 in Latour, Johnson Co., MO, m. Mary Joan Weir [18] on 2 Jun 1956. In the 1940 census of Rose Hill, Johnson Co., MO, he was living with his parents and siblings. Mary Joan Weir was b. 12 Feb 1936.

From the Moberly Monitor Index of Moberly, Missouri, 27 May 1957.

Russell d. 5 Apr 1982 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO [18] and was buried at the Holden Cemetery in Holden, Johnson Co., MO. His last address was 4325 S. Dover Ave., Independence, MO. Note his sister, Rowena “Sissy” French Hakan’s gravestone in the background. Russell and Mary Joan had son Russell Wendell French, Jr.

11.3 Rowena Mae French, b. 25 Mar 1935 in Latour, Johnson Co., MO, d. 10 Mar 2016 in Overland Park, Johnson County, Kansas [18]. She was buried in the Holden Cemetery, Holden, Johnson County, Missouri. In the 1940 census of Rose Hill, Johnson Co., MO, she was living with her parents and siblings. She m1. William Harold Chaney who was b. 29 Jan 1935 in MO and died 14 Feb 2008 in Clinton, MO [18]. They had a daughter. Rowena m2. Guy Warner Smith on 8 Aug 1959 in Jackson, MO; he was b. 11 Dec 1931 in MO and d. 18 Sep 1995 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO [18]. They had a daughter who lived only one day; she was born in 1961 and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Johnson County, Missouri. This cemetery is in the area of the farm home of her ancestor, Preston Taylor French and his son, William Lowell French and Lacy Mae, who raised all three of their children on that same farm. She m3. Melvyn Joseph Hakan on 18 May 1971 in Las Vegas, NV; Melvyn was b. 30 Jan 1922 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO, and d. 4 Feb 2012 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO [18]. Rowena’s last address was 11046 W. 97^th Circle, Overland Park, KS.

Children of Harland Otho French, Sr., and Beatrice Jackson, 10.16

11.4* Harland Otho French Jr., b. 14 Apr 1927 according to findagrave, d. 13 Mar 1952 in Angola, Steuben Co., IN and is buried at the Flint Cemetery in Angola. He m. Norma Miller according to findagrave, and had 3 children. In 1950 they lived in Fort Wayne, IN. Norma m2. Jim Wisner after Harland died when their children were still young.

From The Times Recorder in Zanesville, OH, 15 Mar 1952.

11.5 Peggy Ray French, b. 26 Aug 1931 in Cambridge, Guernsey County, OH, d. 12 Oct 1931 in Wheeling, OH or WV.

Twelfth Generation

Children of Harland Otho French Jr. and Norma Miller, 11.4

12.1 Linda French, b. 3 Mar 1945 in Auburn, IN, d. 22 Mar 2013 in Colorado Springs, CO, m1. Jack Barney Prosser in Jul 1965 in Angola, Steuben Co., IN. She m2. in Colorado Springs, CO, in Feb 1989 after Jack had died. Linda and Jack Prosser had 3 children: Troy, Jason, and Clint.

12.2 Alana R. French, b. 23 Mar 1947 in Auburn, Dekalb Co., IN, d. 13 Apr 1992 in Sheridan, WY. She m. Penland.

12.3 Stephen Harland French, b. 22 Nov 1948 in Fort Wayne, IN, d. 12 Nov 2007 in Mount Clemens, Macomb Co., MI. He m. Virginia on 27 May 1982 and had daughter Rachel. He was buried at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Oakland Co., MI with the inscription: SR US NAVY VIETNAM.

Steve H. French, 58, of Mount Clemens, died Monday, Nov. 12, 2007, surrounded by his family. He was born Nov. 22, 1948, in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Mr. French, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, married Virginia on May 27, 1982, in Denver, Colo. The couple made their home in Colorado before moving to Macomb County in 2005.

He was a sports enthusiast who enjoyed the outdoors. He loved gospel and country music, and especially enjoyed listening to Elvis Presley.

His family described him as a caring and compassionate man who always wanted to help others. Family members said he will be deeply missed by the many people he had touched in his lifetime.

Mr. French is survived by his wife, Virginia; mother, Norma Wisner; daughter, Rachel McKenna; sisters, Linda Livingston and Julie Adams; mother-in-law, Marion Puffpaff; brother-in-law, Frank (Kay) Dapice; sisters-in-law, Paulette Ireland and Antoinette Dapice; and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his father, Jim Wisner; and sister, Alana Penland.

[Comment: the obituary lists his father as Jim Wisner who could have been the second husband of his mother after Harland Otho French. Harland died 13 Mar 1952 when these 3 children were very young, 7, 5, and 4, and Norma probably married Jim Wisner to give these children a father.]

DNA Testing

Administered by Julia French Wood. For any questions regarding DNA, please email Julia at juliaFWood@aol.com.

A proven source would be for a male with the surname French of this line to take the DNA test. It is a simple test that doesn’t involve blood. A kit is delivered to your house with special brushes for you to take cheek swabs and the tip is injected into the tiny test tubes to be returned to the lab. After the tests that you ordered are completed, in about 4 weeks, you will be notified and can log in to your personal page at the company to view your results and your DNA matches. The FamilyTree DNA website gives a special lower price to those with the surname French. Read about those who approve of it: Customers’ Comments and Testimonials. Julia French Woods, administrator of the French DNA website, suggests the 37 marker test (Y-DNA37), but if you want to start with 25, you can upgrade to a higher test at a later date without retaking the test. Check the FFA Home Page under DNA for more information.