Claunch – Opening Doors in Brick Walls

An Example of What You Can Do With the Personal Property Tax Lists

I shared last week’s post, Personal Property Tax Lists for Rockbridge County, Virginia, to several genealogy groups on Facebook for counties in Virginia and West Virginia. I added a comment to each with the link to the appropriate county’s PPT list. It was a tedious procedure as I searched for the county in the catalog, opened up the category for taxation, clicked the PPT collection to check if it was restricted or not, and finally copied the link to the catalog entry as a comment to my post in each group. I found at least one county had a camera with a key, normally meaning it is restricted, but I was able to access the images.

While preparing to write this post, I found a way to generate a complete list of all of the Personal Property Tax List collections for Virginia counties (including West Virginia counties once part of Virginia). Go to the FamilySearch Catalog and search for the author of the PPT collections: Virginia. Commissioner of the Revenue.

Or click on the door below to go directly to the list of Virginia and West Virginia counties with PPT lists in the Family Search catalog! FamilySearch is free but you need to create an account if you are a first-time user to be able to view the records. If you have already created an account, be sure to log in to view collections.

Use the PPT to fill in the pre-1850 census years

The personal property lists now available on FamilySearch cover the period 1782-1851 on average. Some counties have a larger range and some a smaller range. Although there are variations from county to county, for the most part, they cover a period in which the census includes only the head of household’s name and tick marks for the other persons in the household.

Comparative analysis of early personal property tax records from year to year is useful in drawing conclusions about the residence, property, and status of our ancestors.

I’ve been wanting to work with the PPT lists for two decades. I have ancestors who disappeared after a census and didn’t leave a death record or any of the other records that would help determine an approximate date of death.

Dennis CLONCH of Kanawha formerly of Mecklenburg

Dennis CLONCH lived in Kanawha County, (West) Virginia when the 1810 census was enumerated.¹ He moved there from Mecklenburg County about 1806 after marrying Nancy BEASLEY in Mecklenburg in 1803. By 1820 his wife Nancy was the head of household in Mason County, (West) Virginia. Dennis died without a will or probate records. His death, up until now, has been estimated between 1811-1820. No known children were born to Dennis and Nancy after about 1811 when their daughter Sarah was born. This is a large gap in his and his family’s lives.

Using the Personal Property Tax List to Calculate a Year of Death

The PPT lists for Kanawha and Mason counties were checked and helped make a better calculation of when Dennis CLONCH died.

From 1806 to 1809, except for 1808 when no tax list was prepared for Virginia, Dennis was in Kanawha with one male older than 16, 0 blacks 12 & not 16, 0 blacks over 16, and 0 horses & cattle.², ³, ⁴

By 1810 Dennis had acquired a horse or a head of cattle.⁵ From 1811 until 1814, he was the over 16 years old male listed on the tax list with one horse or cattle and no enslaved persons.⁶, ⁷, ⁸, ⁹

In 1815 the column for horses & cattle was split into two categories on the tax list. Dennis, still the only male, had no blacks, one horse, and seven heads of cattle.¹⁰ His surname was spelled CLAUNCH in 1815, the spelling used by his father and siblings when they lived in Mecklenburg County.

In 1816 horses & cattle were once again counted in one column. Dennis, the only male over 16, had no blacks and two horses &/or heads of cattle.¹¹ In 1817 the number of horses &/or cattle went up to three.¹²

In 1818 and 1819 Dennis CLONCH did not appear on the Kanawha personal property tax list nor did he appear in the same tax list for Mason County where his wife Nancy was enumerated on the 1820 census.¹³ Since he is missing on the 1818 and 1819 tax lists and his wife was on the 1820 census, this could mean that Dennis died about 1817-1818 or at least during the time period between 1817 and 1820. I can now list his death as between 1817-1820 instead of between 1811-1820. More precisely between 7 March 1817-7 August 1820 as the 1817 visit was on March 7 and the 1820 census was officially enumerated on the first Monday in August.

How affluent were your ancestors?

What else was learned by analyzing the personal property tax lists? Most of the early years did not include much information but in 1815 the Kanawha County PPT list included many categories helpful in establishing the wealth of an ancestor.

1815 Personal Property Tax List column headings.

In 1815 Dennis CLONCH didn’t own any of the following:

Any kind of carriage (two-wheeled, stage wagon, public stage, phaeton, or other four-wheeled riding wagons)
A mill, tool barge, ferry, or tanyard
A silver or gold watch
A stable to accommodate even one horse
A house exceeding in value of $500
An icehouse
A clock with wooden or metal works, with or without a case
A coal pit
A printer or have revenue from an annual subscription to the paper
Bureau, secretary or bookcase, chest of drawers, wardrobe or clothespress, dining table, bedstead, sideboard without drawers or doors, tea table, card table in whole or in part of mahogany, sideboard with drawers or doors, settee or sofa, chairs, carpets, window curtains or Venetian blinds within the window of any house
Portraits, picture, print or engraving, mirror or looking glass, pianoforte, harpsichord, organ, or harp
Bureau, secretary or bookcase, chest of drawers, wardrobe or clothespress of any other wood other than mahogany
Urn, coffee or teapot, candlestick, lamp, chandelier, decanter, pitcher, bowl, goblet, washbasin stand or salver, tankard, cup, or waiter

The only thing my ancestor Dennis owned in 1815 was seven head of cattle.

My 4th great-grandfather Dennis CLONCH came to Kanawha County after several of his brothers went to Kentucky. He probably expected to make a good living. In the end, he died before he was forty leaving a widow with five children, three between 10 and 15 and two just under 10 years of age.

The personal property tax list didn’t include much information but enough to learn when my ancestor died and how difficult life must have been in the early 1800s in almost Heaven, West Virginia.

1810 U.S. Federal Census, (index and images), Ancestry, citing Third Census of the United States, 1810 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C. NARA microfilm publication M252, 71 rolls, Roll: 69, Family History Library Film: 0181429, Virginia, Kanawha, image 411, page 135, line 10, Denis Clounch household. The official enumeration day of the 1810 census was the 1st Monday in August (6th). (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 9 December 2014). ↩
“WV Kanawha Personal property tax lists, 1792-1850”, FamilySearch.org, Virginia Commissioner of the Revenue (Kanawha County) (citing microfilm of original records at the Virginia State Library in Richmond, Virginia), Personal property tax lists, 1792-1832, Film 2024596, DGS 7849142, image 71 of 773, right page, 1806 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-5992-L?i=70&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 103 of 773, 1807 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-599N-2?i=102&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 123 of 773, 1809 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-599V-8?i=122&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 140 of 773, 1810 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-5996-6?i=139&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 159 of 773, 1811 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-5998-S?i=158&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 176 of 773, 1812 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-599Q-C?i=175&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 191 of 773, 1813 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-599C-Z?i=190&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 224 of 773, 1814 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-599H-B?i=223&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 239 of 773, 1815 Dennis Claunch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-59M1-H?i=238&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 278 of 773, 1816 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-59MR-3?i=277&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., image 310 of 773, 1817 Dennis Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-59MG-1?i=309&cat=776502 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
1820 U.S. Federal Census, (index and images), Ancestry, citing Fourth Census of the United States, 1820 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C., NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls, NARA Roll: M33_138, Image: 135, Virginia, Mason, page 121, first line, Nancy Claunch household. The official enumeration day of the 1820 census was the 1st Monday in August. (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 13 December 2014). ↩

The Estate of William Clonch (1807-1863) of Mason County, West Virginia – Part 2

Recap: William CLONCH married Ann Eliza HILL in 1832. She left him or they separated before 1840. She remarried in 1842 and was listed as the widow of Wm C CLAUNCH. William lived with Mary DOSS from about 1840 until his death in 1863. Eight children were born between 1840 and 1855 during the years William and Mary were together. William left a last will and testament naming Mary DOSS and her seven living children as his heirs.

January the 17th 1863
This is my Last Will and testimony wherein I do wish to will my Land to Mary Doss and her Children John William Doss, Alexander Doss, Loving Ann Doss, Elizabeth Jane Doss, Thomas Eli Doss, Joel Doss and Charles Henry Doss and my wish is that the said Mary Doss and her said heirs shall hold the percession of said Land and to work it at their option untill the said Mary Dosses Death and then to be Equally Divided between said Children and that the said Land shall not be transfered out of the family if it is that the said transfer shall not stand …

In The Estate of William Clonch (1807-1863) of Mason County, West Virginia . Part 1, John W. CLONCH (commonly known as John W. DOSS) granted the land to James W. PATTERSON in 1865 for $75. In 1875 J. W. PATTERSON and his wife Lavina A. (Loving Ann DOSS mentioned in the will) sold the land back to John W. CLONCH DOSS for $85.

Four Land Deeds Involving the Heirs in Law of William CLONCH Deceased

As William had stipulated in his will, the land had remained in the family. Apparently Mary E. DOSS died before 26 October 1891 as her children began selling their parts of the land lying in the County of Mason in 1891 and 1892. In 1892 and 1893 Mr. Smith, the clerk for Mason County, West Virginia, was busy recording deeds for the estate.

John W. CLONCH to Charles H. CLONCH

John W. CLONCH and his wife Mary E. conveyed John’s 1/7th interest in his father’s estate to his youngest brother Charles H. CLONCH on 26 October 1891.¹

At this time I need to point out that although Mary E. is seen here as his wife, they did not legally marry until 7 May 1895. Mary Ellen LEMASTER had lived with John since his divorce from his first wife in 1864. They could not marry as she was still married to John’s brother Alexander CLONCH. Alexander and Mary Ellen’s divorce was not pronounced until March 1880.

More important is the wording in this deed – his father’s estate. This is the first record I have seen which shows a father-child relationship between William and one of the DOSS children mentioned in his will.

Mason County, West Virginia Deed book, v. 51-52 1891-1892, page 166

In margin:
Delivered to J. M. Bugg Sept 8/92 (8 September 1892)

This deed made this 26th day of Oct. 1891 between John W. Clonch & Mary E. his wife of Cabell County, West Virginia parties of the first part, and Charles H. Clonch party of the second part.
Witnesseth That the said parties of the first part, for and in consideration of one hundred and fifty dollars in hand paid the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged doth grant unto the party of the second part all of there (sic) interest

Mason County, West Virginia Deed book, v. 51-52 1891-1892, page 167

in the undivided tract of land on the waters of Crab Creek in the County of Mason and known as the William Clonch land and bounded as follows with line of Andrew Roberts on the S0uth side to the land of Chas Beals with same to John Deems line to John Sheline’s line with his line to the place of beginning.
This deed is only intended to convey the one seventh of said tract being the interest of said John W. Clonch in his father’s estate.
And the said parties of the first part doth hereby covenant with the party of the second part, that they will warrant generally the property hereby conveyed.
Witness the following signatures and seals.
………………………………………John W. Clonch
………………………………………Mary E. Clonch

State of West Virginia
Cabell County ss:
I James H. Wright a Notary Public, in and for the County aforesaid, do certify, that John W. Clonch & Mary E. Clonch his wife whose names are signed to the foregoing writing, bearing date the 26th day of Oct. 1891, have this day acknowledged the same before me in my said County.
Given under my hand this 26th day of Oct. 1891.
………………………………………James W. Wright
………………………………………Notary Public

West Virginia, Mason County Court Clerk’s Office May 6, 1892
The foregoing deed was this day presented in said office and with the certificate thereon is admitted to record.
………………………………………Teste
………………………………………J.P.R.B.Smith Clerk

Heirs at Law of William CLONCH deceased to Charles CLONCH

Six months later, on 26 April 1892, Alexander Clonch and his wife Tobitha, Thomas Clonch and his wife Missouri, Lovinia and her husband James W. PATTERSON, Joel CLONCH, and Betsy CLONCH were conveying about 73 acres, their part in the estate, to the same Charles CLONCH.²

Mason County, West Virginia Deed book v. 53 1892-1893, page 31

In the margin:
Delivered to John P. Austin Aug 25/93 (25 August 1893)

This deed made this 26th day of April 1892 between Alexander Clonch and Bertha his wife Thomas Clonch and Mousourie Clonch his wife Lovinia Patterson and James W. Patterson her husband Joel Clonch and Betsy Clonch, of the first part heirs at law of William Clonch deceased and and (sic) Charles Clonch party of the second part.
Witnesseth That for and in consideration of one hundred dollars and other valuable considerations the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged doth grant unt (sic, unto) party of the second part all of a certain tract or parcel of land situate on the waters of Crab Creek in the District of Clendenin County of Mason State of West Virginia bounded and described as follows To wit
Beginning at a white oak corner in original out line thence S 50° E 124 poles to a stake thence S 63° E 120 poles to a stake thence N 34 1/2° E 32 poles to a stake thence S 82° W 92 poles to a stake thence N 7° E 30 poles to a stake thence N 45° 30 W 101 poles to place of beginning estimated to contain seventy three acres more or less. To have and to hold to party of second part his heirs and asigns (sic) forever and the parties of the first part warrants generally the property hereby conveyed.
Witness the following signatures and seal
………………………………………Alexander Clonch
………………………………………Tobitha Clonch
………………………………………Thomas Clonch
………………………………………Mousourie Clonch
………………………………………Lavinna Patterson
………………………………………James W. Patterson
………………………………………Joel Clonch
………………………………………Betsey Clonch

State of West Virginia
County of Mason
To Wit
I John P. Austin a Notary of the said County do certify that Alexander Clonch and ___ Clonch his wife Thomas Clonch and Mousourie Clonch his wife Lovinia Patterson and James W. Patterson her husband Joel Clonch and Betsey Clonch whose names are signed to the writing hereto

Mason County, West Virginia Deed book v. 53 1892-1893, page 32

annexed bearing date the 26th day of April 1892 have this day acknowledged the same before me in my said county.
Given under my hand this 29th day of April 1892.
………………………………………John P. Austin Notary Public
………………………………………John R. Vest Jr. ” “

State of West Virginia
County of Mason
To wit
I John R. Vest Jr. a Notary P of the said County do certify that Alexander Clonch and Tobitha Clonch his wife whose names are signed to the writing hereunto annexed bearing date the 26th day of April 1892 have this day acknowledged the same before me in my said County.
Given under my hand this 17 day of May 1892.
………………………………………John R. Vest Jr.
………………………………………Notary Public

West Virginia, Mason County Court Clerks Office November 14, 1892.
The foregoing deed was this day presented in said office and with the certificate thereon is admitted to record
………………………………………Teste:
………………………………………J.P.R.B.Smith Clerk

Heirs at law of William CLONCH deceased to Joel CLONCH

On the same day John W. CLONCH and his wife, Alexander CLONCH and his wife, Thomas CLONCH and his wife, Charles CLONCH and his wife, Lovenia CLONCH and her husband J.W. PATTERSON, and Betsy CLONCH granted to their brother Joel CLONCH a tract of land estimated at about 22 acres.³

Mason County, West Virginia Deed book, v. 54-55 1893-1895, page 156

In margin:
Delivered to Joel Clonch Aug 22/94 (22 August 1894)

This deed made this 26th day of April 1892 between John W. Clonch and Mary E. Clonch his wife Alexander Clonch and Bitha Clonch his wife Thomas Clonch and Missouri Clonch his wife Charles Clonch and Nancy Clonch his wife Lovenia Patterson and James W. Patterson her husband and Betsy Clonch parties of the first part heirs at law of William Clonch deceased and Joel Clonch party of the second part Witnesseth that the said parties of the first for and in consideration of Fifty Dollars and other valuable consideration the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged doth grant unto the party of the second part all of a certain tract or parcel of land situate on the waters of Crab Creek in the District of Clendenin County of Mason and State of West Virginia Bounded and described as follows Beginning at a stake in original out line and corner to land of John Deem thence S 65° W 70 poles to a stake thence S 15° E 50 poles to a stake Thence N 67° E 70 poles to a stake Thence N 13° W 50 poles to place of beginning estimated to contain Twenty two acres more or less To have and to hold to party of second part his heirs and assigns forever and the parties of the first part warrants generally the property hereby conveyed Witness the followin (sic) signatures and seal.
………………………………………Alexander Clonch

Mason County, West Virginia Deed book, v. 54-55 1893-1895, page 157

………………………………………Tabitha Clonch
………………………………………Thomas Clonch
………………………………………Missourie Clonch
………………………………………Betsey Clonch
………………………………………Charles Clonch
………………………………………Nancy Clonch
………………………………………Lovinia Patterson
………………………………………James W. Patterson
………………………………………John W. Clonch
………………………………………Mary E. Clonch

State of West Virginia
County of Mason
To wit:
I John P. Austin a Notary of the said County of Mason do certify that Thomas Clonch and Missourie (sic) Clonch his wife and Charles Clonch and Nancy Clonch his wife Lovinia Patterson and James W. Patterson her husband and Betsy Clonch whose names are signed to the writing hereto annexed bearing date 26 day of April 1892 have this day acknowledged the same before me in my said County.
Given under my hand this 29th day of April 1892.
………………………………………John P. Austin Notary Public

State of West Virginia
Mason County
To wit
I Ashbell Hughes a Justice of the peace of the said County of Mason do certify that Alexander Clonch and Tabitha Clonch his wife whose names are signed to the writing hereto annexed bearing date 26th day of April 1892 have this day acknowledged the same before me in my said County.
Given under my hand this 16th day of February 1893.
………………………………………Ashbell Hughes J.P.

West Virginia, Mason County Court Clerks Office October 3rd 1893
The foregoing Deed was this day presented in said office and with the certificate thereon is admitted to Record.
………………………………………Teste:
………………………………………J.P.R.B.Smith Clerk

Heirs at law of William CLONCH deceased to Lovina PATTERSON

Then three days later on 29 April 1892, John W. CLONCH and his wife, Alexander CLONCH and his wife, Charles CLONCH and his wife, Thomas CLONCH and his wife, Joel CLONCH, and Betsy CLONCH conveyed 42 acres to their sister Lavina PATTERSON.⁴

Mason County, West Virginia Deed book, v. 53 1892-1893, page 202

This deed made this 29 day of April 1892 between John W. Clonch and Mary E. Clonch his wife Alexander Clonch and Betha Clonch his wife Charles Clonch and Nancy Clonch his wife Thomas Clonch and Mousourie (sic, Missouri) Clonch his wife Joel Clonch and Betsey Clonch heirs at law of William Clonch deceased of the first part and Lovenia Patterson of the second part Witnesseth that the said parties of the first part for and in consideration of one hundred dollars and other valuable considerations the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged doth grant unto party of the second part all of a certain tract or parcel of land situate in the District of Clendenin County of Mason and State of West Virginia and on the waters of Crab Creek Bounded and described as follows Beginning at a stake in original line thence N 34°

Mason County, West Virginia Deed book, v. 53 1892-1893, page 203

E 30 poles to a stake thence N 44° W 82 poles to a stake thence N 17° W 34 poles to a stake thence S 67° W 90 poles to a stake thence S 45° 30 W 29 poles to a stake thence S 7 W 30 poles to a stake thence N 82° E 92 poles to place of beginning estimated to contain 42 acres more or less to have and to hold to party of second part her heirs and asigns (sic) forever and parties of first part warrants generally the property hereby conveyed Witness the following signatures and seals.
………………………………………John W. Clonch
………………………………………Mary E. Clonch
………………………………………Alexander Clonch
………………………………………Bitha Clonch
………………………………………Charles Clonch
………………………………………Nancy Clonch
………………………………………Joel Clonch
………………………………………Thomas Clonch
………………………………………Mousourie Clonch
………………………………………Betsey Clonch

State of West Virginia, County of Mason to wit
I John P. Austin a Notary of the said County of Mason do certify that Charles Clonch and Nancy Clonch his wife Thomas Clonch and Mousourie Clonch his wife and Joel Clonch and Betsy Clonch whose names are signed to the writing hereto

annexed bearing date 26 day of April 17892 have this day acknowledged the same before me in my said County. Given under my hand this 29 day of April 1892.
………………………………………John P. Austin Notary Public

State of West Virginia
Mason County
To Wit
I Ashbell Hughes a Justice of the peace of the said County of Mason do certify that Alexander Clonch and Betha Clonch his wife whose names are signed to the writing above bearing date the 26th day of April 1892 have this day acknowledged the same before me in my said County Given under my hand this 5th day of July 1892.
………………………………………Ashbell Hughes J. P.

West Virginia Mason County Court Clerk’s office January 30th 1893.
The foregoing Deed was

Mason County, West Virginia Deed book, v. 53 1892-1893, page 204

this day presented in said office and with the certificate thereon is admitted to Record.
………………………………………Teste
………………………………………J.P.R.B.Smith Clerk

What was going on?

We have here deeds mentioning 1/7th of a part (likely of the 73 acres), 73 acres, 22 acres, and 42 acres which add up to about 137 acres. In 1865 and 1875 (deeds seen in Part 1) the tract or parcel of land contained one hundred and forty-eight acres more or less.

It would seem that Charles was interested in keeping the tract of land with about 73 acres, Joel the 22 acres, and Lovina the 42 acres – all of this being part of the original tract of 148 acres. What of the 10 acres difference? Was it lost in the division of the three tracts?

I tried to plot the tracts of land with the calls mentioned in the deeds. Joel’s tract was 22 acres while Lovina’s calculated to 39 acres, close to the 42. There appears to be one or more problem calls in the 73 acres deed and I was not able to plot the tract using Tract Plotter. I was hoping by plotting the three tracts I would be able to put the pieces together to form the original 148 acres.

The index for the grantor is available up to 1935. Charles and his wife Nancy leased out the oil and gas rights on the 73 acres property in 1896. In 1918 they sold 73 and 1/2 acres in Clendenin district. This is likely the same piece of land but deeds are only available online up to 1901. Joel sold his 22 acres to Lovina’s son Thomas E. PATTERSON in 1894. The land which went to Lovina and her husband appears to have remained in the family well into the new century.

While searching for these deeds I also checked to see how William CLONCH came to be the owner of this 148 acres tract of land in Clendenin District of Mason County, West Virginia. No deed was found. This appears to be a task for another day.

Was William CLONCH the father of Mary E. DOSS’s children?

The purpose of following the land was to find any details in the deeds which would show Mary E. DOSS’s children’s father was William CLONCH. Three of the deeds show her children were heirs at law of William CLONCH deceased while only one mentions a parental relationship with this line: This deed is only intended to convey the one seventh of said tract being the interest of said John W. Clonch in his father’s estate.

DNA may hold the answer

I’ve been able to attribute segments from the DNA test I manage to William’s parents. There are at this time two descendants of his daughter from his marriage to Ann Eliza HILL matching the test. The only known MRCA is William CLONCH. Secondly, the DOSS line is one of those old Virginia families with many matches and I’ve been able to paint segments for Mary DOSS’ grandparents eliminating these from the segments which would be coming from CLONCH. At this time, I believe the DNA shows William and Mary were my Alexander’s parents – unless a match comes along and messes everything up.

Genealogy Sketch

Name: William CLONCH
Parents: Dennis CLONCH and Nancy BEASLEY
Spouse: Ann Eliza HILL, non-spouse *Mary E. “Polly” DOSS
Children: Mariah Jane, John W., Alexander, Lavinia Ann, Jeremiah, Elizabeth Jane, Joel, Thomas Eli, Charles Henry
Whereabouts: Mason County, West Virginia
Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: 3rd great-grandfather

1. William CLONCH
2. Alexander CLONCH
3. Rebecca Jane CLONCH
4. Myrtle Hazel ROOP
5. Fred Roosevelt DEMPSEY
6. Cathy Meder-Dempsey

“Mason County (West Virginia), County Clerk, Deed books, 1803-1901” (database with images), FamilySearch (microfilm of original records at the Mason County Courthouse), Film 567367, DGS 8293094, Deed book, v. 51-52 1891-1892, image 484 of 706, pages 166-167. 1891 John W. Clonch (1/7 of William Clonch’s estate) to Charles H. Clonch.(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-Q94J-G?i=483&cat=76718 : accessed 23 January 2019). ↩
Ibid., Film 567368, DGS 8293095, Deed book, v. 53 1892-1893, image 74+75 of 382, page 31+32. 1892 Heirs of William Clonch to Charles Clonch.(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-Z96Z-8?i=73&cat=76718 : accessed 12 January 2019). ↩
Ibid., Film 567369, DGS 8293096, Deed book, v. 54-55 1893-1895, image 132 of 757, pages 156-157. 1892 Heirs of William Clonch to Joel Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-H9NY-S?i=131&cat=76718 : accessed 24 January 2019). ↩
Ibid., Film 567368, DGS 8293095, Deed book, v. 53 1892-1893, image 160+162 of 382, pages 202-204. 1892 Heirs of William Clonch to Lovinia Patterson. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-Z9XS-2?i=159&cat=76718 : accessed 12 January 2019). ↩

The Estate of William Clonch (1807-1863) of Mason County, West Virginia

Up until a few weeks ago, I knew very little about the land owned by my third great-grandfather William CLONCH (1807-1863). He wrote his last will and testament on 17 January 1863, It was recorded on 6 April 1863 in Mason County¹ less than three months before West Virginia was admitted to the Union on 30 June 1863.

For background information please refer to the links in the Genealogy Sketch Box at the end of this post. For the short story see my reply to Amy in the comments below. 🙂

The Land is Mentioned in a Will

In his will William left a certain tract of land to Mary DOSS and her children John William Doss, Alexander Doss, Loving Ann Doss, Elizabeth Jane Doss, Thomas Eli Doss, Joel Doss, and Charles Henry Doss. William stipulated in his will:

Mary Doss and her said heirs shall hold the percession (sic) of said Land and to work it at their option untill the said Mary Dosses Death and then to be Equally Divided between said Children and that the said Land shall not be transfered out of the family if it is that the said transfer shall not stand

Mary DOSS and her children had been found living with William CLONCH in 1850² and 1860³ on the census. In 1850 Mary and the children were enumerated with the DOSS surname but in 1860 the entire household were listed as CLONCH.

William CLONCH the inferred father of the DOSS children

Earlier research had turned up a land deed in the Mason County deed book 53, page 202, dated 29 April 1892 in which the heirs of William CLONCH sold the property to Louvenia PATTERSON, seen as Loving Ann DOSS in the will. Only the source of the record was given, not the actual wording.

Great importance was given to this document and it was surmised from the content of the record that the children of Mary DOSS, who were now using the CLONCH surname in 1892, were, in fact, the children of William CLONCH and Mary DOSS.

I am extremely grateful to the persons who have researched this line before me and shared their work online and via emails. However, I am no longer a beginner and I want to see the evidence, not just know it is out there.

New Records on FamilySearch

The Deed Books of Mason County, West Virginia, for the period 1803-1901 are now online at FamilySearch. I located the 1892 deed mentioned above as well as several more which led up to this one.

John W. CLONCH to James W. PATTERSON, 30 August 1865

Two years after the death of William CLONCH we find the first mention of his estate in the deed books. John W. CLONCH, commonly known as John W. DOSS, grants to James W. PATTERSON his undivided interest in a certain tract of land devised to his mother Mary DOSS during her lifetime by William CLONCH. The tract of land having 148 acres more or less and bounded by the land of John W. Deem, James H. Hooff, Charles T. Beale & John Sheline.

James W. PATTERSON was the brother-in-law of John W. CLONCH. Lavina Ann DOSS married about three months after her father’s death. Her parents are listed as Wm Clonch and Mary Doss on the marriage record, however, the name of the father, Wm Clonch, has been struck out on the document.

The land, therefore, remained in the family. This is the 1865 record with transcription.

John W. Clonch to James W. Patterson, 30 August 1865⁴

This deed made this 30th day of August 1865 between John W. Clonch of the first part heir at law of William Clonch deceased and James W. Patterson of the second part Witnesseth that for and in consideration of Seventy five dollars in hand paid to the party of the first part by the party of the second part the receipt when of is hereby acknowledged the said John W. Clonch, commonly known as John W. Doss doth grant unto the said James W. Patterson all his undivided interest in a certain tract or parcel of land lying in the County of Mason and State of Virginia and adjacent & bounded by the land of John W. Deem, James H. Hooff, Charles T. Beale & John Sheline and is devised to his mother Mary Doss during her life by William Clonch whos (sic) Will is recorded in the Recorders office in Mason County and at her death to her heirs wherein the said John W. Clonch is one of said heirs which tract or parcel of land contains one hundred and forty eight acres more or less the said James W. Patterson to have and to hold after his said Mothers death to him and his heirs forever the said John W. Clonch undivided interest right or title therein either at law or in equity Witness the following Signature and Seal the day and year above written.
……………………………………………John W. Clonch (x his mark)

West Virginia Mason County Recorders Office August 30th 1865
This day personally appeared before me the undersigned Recorder of said county in said office John W. Clonch whose name is signed to the within Deed bearing even date herewith and acknowledged the same to be his act and deed. And thereupon the same being Stamped with Internal Revenue Stamp for fifty cents is admitted to Record.
……………………………………………Teste
……………………………………………James H. Holloway, Recorder

J.W. and Lavinia A. PATTERSON to John W. CLONCH DOSS, 17 September 1875

In 1875 James and Lavina PATTERSON sold the tract of land back to John W. CLONCH DOSS. Both surnames are on the land deed for the grantee. The 1865 land deed is referenced in the 1875 deed. Mary Ellen DOSS and her heirs are also mentioned in the deed showing the mother of the DOSS children was still living. This is the first record I’ve seen with her middle name.

The land remained in the family. This is the 1875 record with transcription.

J.W. and Lavinia A. Patterson to John W. Clonch Doss, 17 September 1875 ⁵

This Deed made this 17th day of September 1875 between J. W. Patterson and Lavina A. his wife of the first part and John W. Clonch Doss of the second part. Witnesseth: that for and in consideration of the sum of Eighty five Dollars cash in hand paid to the said parties of the first part the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged they the said parties of the first part do hereby grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the said party of the second part all of one undivided interest in and to the following described tract or parcel of land lying and being in the County of Mason and State of West Virginia and bounded as follows, to wit: by the land of John W. Deem, James H. Hooff, Charles T. Beale, & John Sheline which said tract or parcel of land contains one hundred and forty eight acres more or less and being the same land which was conveyed by the said party of the second part to the said parties of the first part by Deed dated on the 30th day of August 1865 and duly recorded in the Mason County Court Clerks office in Deed Book No. 19 folios 224 & c. to which said deed reference may be had for a more complete description of said land. To have and to hold the same unto the said John W. Clonch Doss during his natural life and at the death of the said John W. Clonch the said land is to go to Mary Ellen Clonch & her heirs forever. And the said parties of the first part hereby covenant that they will warrant generally the property hereby conveyed.
Witness the following signatures and seals.
……………………………………………J. W. Patterson
……………………………………………Lavina A. Patterson (x her mark)

West Virginia Mason County Court Clerks office September 17th 1875.
J. E. Kimberling Clerk of the County Court in and for the County and State aforesaid do certify that J. W. Patterson and Lavina A. his wife whose names are signed to the writing hereto annexed bearing even date herewith have this day acknowledged the same before me in said office to be their act and deed and the said Lavina A. Patterson wife of the said J. W. Patterson being examined by me privily and apart from her said husband and having the writing aforesaid fully explained to her she the said Lavina A. Patterson acknowledged the same to be her act and declared that she had willinglyly (sic) executed the same and does not wish to retract it and thereupon the same is admitted to record.
……………………………………………Teste
……………………………………………E. Kimberling Clerk

What Happened to the Land after 1875?

After 1875 there are no entries for Clonch or Doss individuals selling the land from the estate of William CLONCH until four deeds are made in 1891 and 1892 and recorded in 1892 and 1893. These will be shared together in the next post.

Genealogy Sketch

1. William CLONCH
2. Alexander CLONCH
3. Rebecca Jane CLONCH
4. Myrtle Hazel ROOP
5. Fred Roosevelt DEMPSEY
6. Cathy Meder-Dempsey

“West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971” (database with images), FamilySearch (digital images of originals housed at local county courthouse in West Virginia), FHL Film #567420, Item 2; DGS 4715359; Mason Will book, v. 01A 1833-1875, image 104 of 165, page 166-167. Last will and testament of William Clonch. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18256-40179-14?cc=1909099&wc=10916722 : accessed 12 January 2019). ↩
1850 U.S. Federal Census, (index and images), Ancestry, citing Seventh Census of the United States, 1850 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration,Washington D.C., NARA microfilm publication M432, 1009 rolls, Roll: M432_959; Image 371; Virginia, Mason, District 38, image 121 of 165, Sheet No. 422A, Lines -23, HH #842-853, William Clonch household. (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 January 2019). ↩
1860 U.S. Federal Census, (index and images), Ancestry, citing Eighth Census of the United States, 1860 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C., NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls, Roll: M653_1361; FHL Film: 805361; Virginia, Mason County, District 2, image 25 of 68; Page No. 46, Lines 21-30, HH #345-316, Wm Claunch household. “.” (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 January 2019). ↩
“Mason County (West Virginia), County Clerk, Deed books, 1803-1901” (database with images), FamilySearch (microfilm of original records at the Mason County Courthouse), Film 567256, DGS 8292936, Deed book, v. 18-19 1863-1866, image 416 of 598 pages 224-225. 1865 John W. Clonch (his part of William Clonch’s estate) to James W. Patterson.(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRQ-DSCQ-T?i=415&cat=76718 : accessed 23 January 2019). ↩
Ibid., Film 567355, DGS 8292989, Deed book, v. 28-29 1873-1877, image 207 of 651, pages 358+359. 1875 James W. Patterson to John W. Clonch the land conveyed in William Clonch’s will to Mary Ellen Clonch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-S38Z-6?i=206&cat=76718 : accessed 24 January 2019). ↩

Rocking the Shared Matches on AncestryDNA

This year I planned on spending more time working with my brother’s AncestryDNA results and sharing discoveries here but…

The census analysis I’m doing for James SIMS and his sixteen (16) children for the Rewriting the Biography series is taking a lot more time than I had expected. I normally give myself a break the day after a post is published to look over new matches on AncestryDNA. OK, I admit I find myself checking more often than the day following a post.

Nearly two years ago, I wrote about the 6 AncestryDNA Notes for Easier Comparison and How I Use and Manage AncestryDNA Notes. Since writing those posts not much has changed with the content of the notes or how I use them. But there is one neat Chrome extension I can no longer do without – and I hadn’t heard about it when I wrote the posts in 2016.

A Time-Saving Chrome Extension

MedBetterDNA has an option you can check to “always show Notes” of your matches on AncestryDNA (see link at the end of this post for more information about this extension). All notes made for matches will show on the page you are viewing without your having to click each to open them. You see all your notes! And this simple trick is helping me to feel like a DNA rock star!

Take this match, for example. When she first turned up there was no tree linked to the DNA. She had a public tree which was viewable but it did not have a paternal side. Public trees which you can see do not necessarily have to have the match as the home person or even be the match’s tree.

Shared Matches on AncestryDNA

When I looked at the Shared Matches (SM) with all the notes open, I saw a pattern which indicated the match was coming from a particular line. Right off I could tell she is a paternal match for my brother. I use an emoji of a bride for maternal matches, a groom for paternal matches, and a leaf for Shared Ancestor Hints (SAH). The groom was showing up in many of the notes for the Shared Matches.

The first cousin is a paternal match, i.e. points to DEMPSEY or ROOP. There are no shared matches with second cousins. The two 3C matches are cousins who share Alexander CLONCH, who was the grandfather of my paternal grandmother, Myrtle Hazel ROOP.
The first two matches in the 4th cousin category have Alexander CLONCH as the MRCA or most recent common ancestor. The next two have William CLONCH and Mary “Polly” DOSS, Alexander’s parents.
The next four 4C matches have as MRCA, the CLONCH-DOSS couple or Alexander CLONCH.
The next four of five 4C matches have the CLONCH-DOSS couple as the MRCA. One match has no tree and their name is not familiar to me. However, this test has a match with a cousin who also shares the CLONCH-DOSS couple as the MRCA.

There are 22 more predicted 4C shared matches (Possible range: 4th – 6th cousins). Nearly half of these do not include trees and an MRCA has not been determined. Seven have the CLONCH-DOSS couple. One match is a double 4C1R through Dennis CLAUNCH and Nancy BEASLEY (parents of William) AND through Levina DOSS (mother of Polly DOSS) – which will make for interesting chromosome comparisons. Four matches are at least 5C1R and have Jeremiah CLAUNCH (father of Dennis) as the MRCA.

Taking a Look at The Big Picture

Viewing the shared matches’ notes at the same time makes this part of “guessing” where the match may be sharing DNA much easier. In this case, I was able to assume she must have a connection to Martha Angeline CLONCH, a daughter of Thomas Eli CLONCH and granddaughter of William CLONCH and Polly DOSS. This may not be obvious from the above notes. I have access to one of Martha Angeline’s descendant’s tests (one of the shared matches above) who is a much higher 3C match to this lady. The Shared Matches he has also point to this area of the family tree.

And Then A Tree Was Linked

Now for the ta-dah moment. Early in July while checking out the DNA matches I noticed the match now had a tree attached. She’s on the first page (top 50 matches) with 60 cMs on 4 segments which made it easy to spot when all notes are open. Skimming through the notes I notice when a match who had No Family Tree or a Private Tree in mention in their notes are now showing an attached family tree. When I viewed the public tree she’d linked to her DNA results I saw it included her paternal side which was missing in the public tree I had viewed.

Cropped screenshot of her tree in the area I suspect the match.

Who did I see as her great-grandfather? Thomas Eli CLONCH, the son of William and Polly and the father of Martha Angeline. Her grandmother Fanny was Martha’s sister. Her great-grandfather Thomas Eli was my 2nd great-grandfather Alexander CLONCH’s brother.

Can you imagine my excitement [insert genealogy happy dance here] at finding our match is exactly where I thought it would be? I shortened the note to read: 60 cMs 4 segs. 3C1R thru William CLONCH and Mary E. “Polly” DOSS. MRCA found 9 July 2018. Need to follow up with a message.

I sent a message on July 22 including the link to my post, Dear Cousin – We Have a DNA Match, Now What? and received a reply less than 48 hours later followed quickly by a second with her Gedmatch kit number. She matches known cousins descended from the CLONCH-DOSS couple on Gedmatch on chromosomes and segments which can now be attributed to the couple.

We’ve shared a few more messages. She’s given me permission to use her match, without identifying information, as an example. To help others understand how they can use Shared Matches on AncestryDNA – to figure out which part of the family tree the match is coming from or to zoom in on the possible most recent common ancestor.

How This Helps in the Long Run

Rebecca Jane CLONCH is the mother of my paternal grandmother Myrtle Hazel ROOP.

The fourth cousin shared matches to DNA matches who are related through one of the CLONCH ancestors are going to be the keys to open the doors in several brick walls. Both sets of grandparents of my 2nd great-grandmother Tabitha Ann COOLEY, wife of Alexander CLONCH, are unknown. The father of my 3rd great-grandmother Mary “Polly” DOSS, “wife” of William CLONCH, is also unknown. Matches are also showing up for people who descend from siblings of Dennis CLAUNCH whose mother’s name is unknown.

MedBetterDNA can do more than always show notes. Click here to see more filtering options.

I’d love to hear about the methods you use to help work with your AncestryDNA results. Anything which makes this complicated subject easier is always welcome.

P.S. My apologies to my followers who receive notifications per email. The post was inadvertently published on the day I began writing it instead of the moment I hit the publish button.

Will DNA Help in Getting Around the Hill?

In the twenty-four years of doing genealogy I’ve learned to not take other researchers’ information for granted without retracing their work. I knew this fairly early on and when reviewing my database I still find branches of the family tree which need pruning and a bit or a lot of support.

For the CLONCH line I relied heavily on Ralph Hayes’ genealogy work as a guide. I gave him credit for information I quoted and was not able to corroborate through my own research. In time I was able to confirm much of his work but questions have remained.

One of these was the parentage of Dennis CLONCH, a twelve years old boy living in the same household as Nancy CLONCH, widow of Dennis CLAUNCH (spelling of the surname changed after his death). Someone at some time thought his parents were John CLONCH and Elizabeth DOSS. In a timeline frame this just didn’t work for me.

It is my belief he was the son of John’s brother William CLONCH and his wife Ann Eliza HILL. Dennis CLONCH aka Dennis HILL was not mentioned in the will of William CLONCH which may have lead an earlier researcher to assume he was the son of John CLONCH, John being the only other known male CLONCH in the area during this time period. The CLONCH families in Mason County, West Virginia, were all descendants of Dennis CLAUNCH and Nancy BEASLEY through their sons, William CLONCH and John CLONCH. They also had two daughters whose children passed on the husbands’ surnames, not the CLONCH name.

In my last two posts Difficulty Getting Around the Hill and Here We Go Dancing ’round the Hill I discussed the paper trail I found which supports my assumption that Dennis CLONCH and Dennis HILL were the same person.

When I shared Difficulty Getting Around the Hill with Ralph I wondered if he knew what I planned for this post when he replied:

Actually this Dennis was the son of the milkman.

How does DNA fit into the picture?

When I received the results of my brother’s DNA test at Ancestry I first looked at the closest matches. I searched for surname matches. Nothing new showed up so I began looking deeper into the more distant matches to help with some of my brick walls.

One of my brick walls is John COOLEY b. 1827 in Missouri. During this period of time ALL of my American ancestors were in Old Virginia. I searched for matches with ancestors in Missouri and found a match in the Distant Cousin range with the Missouri location but not for the COOLEY surname. You get the gist of this. I was all over the place, grasping at straws.

Although I wouldn’t suggest this method of searching through DNA results, it turned up, by accident or coincidence, a match with R.S., an Ancestry member with a small tree of 15 people. In the tree was R.S.’s great-grandfather Albert Henry HILL born 11 September 1876 in Missouri. He did not have parents but the year and place of birth was a match for Albert seen in Dennis HILL’s household in Saline County, Missouri, in 1880. This was before I began going over the HILL (line), before I wrote The Mysterious Ann Eliza HILL, wife of William CLONCH, and the two posts which followed.

Is the date of birth seen in the Dennis Hill family Bible enough proof?

If R.S.’s Albert Henry HILL was the son of Dennis HILL and Dennis was the son of my 3rd great-grandfather William CLONCH, then R.S. and my brother would be (half) 4th cousins (being descendants of William’s two relationships). The 6.5 cMs shared DNA (across 1 segment) fits in the relationship range fourth cousins once removed or third cousins three times removed. I know less than 7 cMs is not considered reliable – only about 5% of matches in this area may have a common ancestor. R.S. has no shared matches with any of my brother’s matches. I was stumped until I learned Ancestry does not show shared matches for persons who share at the Distant Cousin level. They only show shared matches up to fourth cousins.

There are at least a dozen people who descend from Dennis CLAUNCH and Nancy BEASLEY who have tested and have matches with my brother. I need to:

request access to their DNA results on Ancestry or
ask them to check their matches for R.S. as a distant cousin or
request they upload their results to GEDMatch for comparison.

When my brother’s DNA results came in I waited a few weeks before I began reaching out to his matches. R.S. quickly replied but was a bit wary of my theory pertaining to his Albert Henry HILL being the son of Dennis HILL aka Dennis CLONCH. I fully understood his hesitation to not accept everything I was telling him as fact. Our contact is touch and go. Ancestry messaging from the DNA page didn’t work. My email provider was blocked by his and I had to use a different email account. His computer was fried and had to be rebuilt.

While trying to keep in touch with R.S. I began checking out the CLONCH matches. Some I messaged back in June and others this past week. So far only one person has gotten back to me. Since I have done a lot of reverse genealogy for the CLONCH line I already had many of the matches’ lines at least partly documented. These are the ones who had trees or who I recognized.

Now the waiting begins….

Since making contact with the matches is taking longer than I expected it may be a while before we can test Ralph’s (just joking) theory about Dennis being the son of the milkman. Or even begin thinking about DNA giving us proof Dennis HILL was the son of William CLONCH and Ann Eliza HILL or the son of Ann Eliza HILL and another man or the son of an unknown child of Dennis CLAUNCH and Nancy BEASLEY.

It’s a bit frustrating to have to wait but I’m going to look on the bright side. While working on the paper trail for Ann Eliza HILL and Dennis HILL, I found a bible transcription and an obituary, and located the married children of Dennis HILL. I don’t give up easily when doing genealogy research. In this case finding a living descendant of Dennis’ son Albert – with a DNA match to my brother – pushed me find more or was it genetic memory?

Will DNA help in getting around the Hill? I’ll keep you posted on any new developments.

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Difficulty Getting Around the Hill

In The Mysterious Ann Eliza HILL, wife of William CLONCH I brought up the question of another child born to the marriage of my 3rd great-grandfather and his wife (not my ancestor) Ann Eliza. Their daughter Mariah Jane was mentioned in William’s last will and testament with “three dollars to Mariah Jane Patterson.” Mariah Jane and her husband John PATTERSON protested the will but were overruled.

My 3rd great-grandmother Mary E. “Polly” DOSS lived with William in what may have been considered a common-law marriage. She gave him eight children, seven who lived to adulthood and were named with their mother’s surname in William’s 1863 will.

Mariah Jane was the only child outside of his DOSS children who was acknowledged by him. No other child came forward to protest the will.

However there remains the question of the parentage of a child named Dennis CLONCH found living with William CLONCH’s mother Nancy in 1850. He was likely a grandchild named after his grandfather Dennis CLAUNCH who died in the 1810s leaving Nancy to raise their four known children: Elizabeth, John, William, and Sarah. Before 1850 the surname was spelled CLAUNCH, both spellings were used interchangeably for a decade or two before the CLONCH spelling became common to most members of the family in West Virginia.

Who was Dennis CLONCH and What Became of Him?

The short story is:

Dennis CLONCH was born 8 March 1838 in (West) Virginia. He married Mary Ann BAKER on 16 November 1858 in Gallia County, Ohio. They had a son John William CLONCH born on 19 March 1860 and died on 9 February 1861. The first name given to the child may have caused an earlier researcher to assume Dennis was the son of William’s brother John. Dennis began using the HILL surname after the 1860 census and before 21 February 1862 when he enlisted in the Union Regular Army at Gallipolis, Ohio. Neither Dennis CLONCH nor Dennis HILL were mentioned in the will of William CLONCH in 1863. Dennis moved to Missouri about 1871 and died in Miami, Saline County, Missouri, on 31 July 1893.

It is my belief Dennis, who switched from using CLONCH to HILL as his surname, was the son of Ann Eliza HILL and may not have been acknowledged by her husband William CLONCH. Could this be the reason they parted ways?

And this is the long story:

Dennis CLONCH may be the male child aged under 5 in the 1840 census listing for Eliza CLAUNCH found in Gallia County, Ohio, across the river from Mason County, West Virginia.

1840 U.S. Federal Census
Gallia County, Ohio
Galliapolis
Eliza Claunch
1 male under 5 yo
1 male 5 & under 10 yo
1 female 20 & under 30 yo (Eliza)

No male child under the age of 5 was found in the household of William CLAUNCH (the assumed father)
No male child under the age of 5 was found in the household (of the assumed grandmother) Nancy CLAUNCH in 1840. John CLONCH was most likely still living at home with his mother Nancy in 1840 and represented by a tick on the census listing.
Elizabeth CLAUNCH, the oldest child of Dennis and Nancy, married Meredith PARSONS in 1825 and was likely deceased by 1840. Her widower did not have a male child under the age of 5 in his household in 1840.
Sarah CLAUNCH, the youngest child of Dennis and Nancy, married William WILLIAMS in 1832. Their children are accounted for in 1840.
Neither Elizabeth nor Sarah, sisters of my William, would have a son who carried their maiden name as they were married at the time of Dennis’ birth.

1850censusclaunch — 1850 > VA > Mason >38th District > Sheet 385A > HH#333-334 > household of John W. Clark 56 with Nancy Clonch 75 and Dennis Clonch 12 (Ancestry)

In 1850 Dennis CLONCH was 12 years old and living in the same household as Nancy CLONCH.

1850 U.S. Federal Census
Mason County, (West) Virginia
The 38th District, Sheet No. 385A
Enumerated by me on the 14th day of August, 1850. C. B. Waggener, Ass’t Marshal.
HH #333-334
John W. Clarke 56 M Laborer Virginia cannot read & write
Nancy Clonch 75 F Virginia cannot read & write
Dennis Clonch 12 M Virginia

Note: The relationship between Dennis and Nancy is not mentioned on the census however the ages suggest a grandchild/grandparent relationship.

1858DennisClaunchmarriage — “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XD4K-4LM : accessed 13 Jul 2013), Dennis Claunch and Mary Ann Baker, 1858.

On 16 November 1858 Dennis CLAUNCH, who was four months shy of 21, and Mary Ann BAKER went across the Ohio River to Gallia County, Ohio, to marry. The record does not mention places of residence, names of parents, or places of birth. After their marriage they were found back in Mason County with their son John W. who was three months old.

1860 > (W)VA > Mason > District 2 > page 23 > HH#188-164 > household of Dennis Claunch (Ancestry)

1860 U.S. Federal Census
Mason County, (West) Virginia
Township: Murcers Bottom P.O. Page: 851
HH #188-164
Dennis Claunch 23 M Laborer 0 55
Mary A. Claunch 18 F
John W. Claunch 3/12 M

Their son’s birth and death were recorded in the registers of Mason County under the name CLONCH. His death was reported by his grandfather William BAKER on 9 February 1861. His age was erroneously listed as 9 yrs 9 months 20 days; he was only 10 months and 22 days.

On 21 February 1862 Dennis HILL, no longer going by CLONCH, enlisted in Gallipolis, Ohio, in the Regular Army 19th Infantry Regiment (Union). His rank at enlistment was Private. Born in Virginia, he was 23 years old, blue eyes, brown hair, light complexion, and 6 feet tall. He was given a disability discharge on 2 April 1862 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Following his discharge Dennis returned to Mason County to his wife and baby daughter Sarah who was born on 4 February 1862, seventeen days before her father was recruited. In 1870 the family was living in Clendenin, Mason County, and had grown to include Dennis 28, Mary A. 26, Sarah C. 8, Mary E. 6, and Barbra 4. The image of the census page is very light still the surname HILL can be deciphered.

1870censushillwvmason — 1870 > WV > Mason > Clenendin > page 42 > HH #305-307 > household of Dennis Hill (Ancestry)

The family likely moved to Missouri after the birth of son James Isaac on 19 April 1871 and before the birth of daughter Ida about 1873. In 1880 they were found in Chariton County.

1880 > MO > Chariton > Mendon > Sheet 600B > HH#14-14 > household of Dennis Hill (Ancestry)

1880 U.S. Federal Census
Chariton County, Missouri
Mendon, Sheet 600B
HH#14-14
Hill, Dennis W M 40 married WV VA VA
Hill, Mary A. W F 36 wife married WV VA VA
Hill, Sarah F. W F 18 daughter single at home WV WV WV
Hill, Amanda W F 16 daughter single at home WV WV WV
Hill, Barbara E. W F 13 daughter single at home WV WV WV
Hill, Isaac W M 9 son single WV WV WV
Hill, Ida W F 7 daughter single MO WV WV
Hill, Albert W M 4 son single MO WV WV
Hill, Emety W M 2 son single MO WV WV

MRIN00501 Hill, Dennis and Mary A. — Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934; Name: Dennis Hill; State Filed: Missouri; Widow: Mary A. Hill

In December 2009 I was contacted by a researcher about Dennis CLONCH and Mary Ann BAKER in my database. The couple had the same date of marriage as his daughter-in-law’s ancestors Dennis HILL and Mary Ann BAKER.

He’d obtained the Civil War Pension documents relating to Mary A. HILL’s application for a federal pension on her husband Dennis HILL’s service. The file included an affidavit from the attending physician relating the time and place of death, 31 July 1893 in Miami, Saline County, Missouri.

In the package was also a certified copy dated 1897 of the marriage record of Dennis HILL and Mary Ann BAKER for their marriage in Gallia County, Ohio, on 16 November 1858. When he found my information he thought it was a clerical error (on my part or the county clerk) and after checking with me he requested verification from the county. I never heard back from him. In the meantime I found the marriage record which confirmed the surname was CLAUNCH at the time of marriage and not HILL. I contacted him June 26 and am waiting for a response.

The date of death found in the pension file was confirmed by a cemetery reading of Miami Cemetery, Miami, Saline County, Missouri, compiled by Shirley Haynes & Avlyn Conley and available as a PDF online (page 37 of 92). My annotations to the information are in brackets.

Hill, Dennis d. 31 Jul 1893 Aged 55 yrs 4 mos 23 ds.
Hill, Sarah E., dau of D. & M. A., d. 1 Jul 1892 aged 30 yrs 4 mos 25 ds
Hill, Bernard W. b. 6 Aug 1906 d. 19 Jul 1915 [s/o James I.]
Hill, Etta B. 1874-1952 [wife of James I.]
Hill, James I. 1871-1945 [son of Dennis]

After Dennis HILL’s death I tried to follow his children. Some were not traceable while others led to some interesting finds.

John William CLONCH 1860-1861. Died at less than a year of age.
Sarah E. HILL 1862-1892. Seen as Sarah C. in 1870, Sarah F. in 1880, and Sarah E. on cemetery reading. Apparently never married.
Anna Bell HILL 1865-1919. Seen as Mary E. in 1870, Amanda in 1880, and Annie in 1900. A death record confirmed her name was Anna Belle and daughter of John (sic) HILL and Mary BAKER. The first name of the father was not a match however she was found in the 1900 census, listed as Annie WANNAMAKER, a widow, and sister of head of household James Isaac HILL. She had a daughter Corinne, born in August 1895 per 1900, who married a widower and raised his daughter. Corinne and her husband did not have any children of their own.
Barbara Ellen HILL 1867-?. Her birth on 21 March 1867 was recorded in Mason County, West Virginia. Seen as Barbra in 1870 and Barbara E. in 1880. No marriage or death record found.
James Isaac HILL 1871-1945. He was found in 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 census in Saline County, Missouri, where he married Etta Belle NICHOLS in 1903. His 1945 death record confirms he was the son of Dennis HILL. He had three sons with his wife, one is known to have died young.
Ida HILL 1873-?. Seen only in the 1880 census. No marriage or death record found.
Albert HILL 1876-1910. Seen as Albert in 1880. He married about 1898 Blanche FORQUER, whose parents had moved to Saline County, Missouri before 1900. No marriage record was found. Albert was in Bruno, Butler County, Kansas, in 1900 and in Sedgwick County, Kansas, for the 1905 state census. He died in Sedwick in 1909 or 1910 (discrepancy found, no death record), in any case, prior to the census. His widow was seen with four children in 1910, the youngest would die soon after (the 3rd of 3 to die bet. 1905-1910). By 1915 she’d married a widower Charles H. WAUGH and gave him a son in 1915. They were in Sedgwick for the 1920, 1925, and 1930 census. Albert and Blanche’s son, Robert A. went to California by 1928, was in Los Angeles in 1930. By 1940 his brother Clifton G. had joined him in Bernadino County. Robert died 1965 and Clifton in 1961 in Bernadino County. It is not known what happened to the oldest child, a daughter Bessie b. Sep 1899.
Emety HILL 1878-?. Seen as Emety on the 1880 census. No marriage or death record found.
Zettie May HILL 1882-1967. Born after the 1880 census she was found in 1900 with her brother Isaac and sister Annie. By 1904 she had traveled back to her parents’ home state and county and married in Mason County, West Virginia, Charles Franklin CHAPMAN. They were in Oklahoma for the birth of their first two children, New Mexico for the third, and Texas for the fourth. Following Frank’s death in the early 1930s (she was seen as a his widow in an OK city directory in 1935) Zettie May remarried in 1936 to an older man, Adolphus “Delphus” BOTCHLETT (1853-1945). After his death in 1945 she married Rufus CAREY in 1948.

As Dennis HILL’s wife tried to obtain a pension for his Civil War service we know she was living in 1897. She was not found in the 1900 census with three of her children who were living together in Saline County or with son Albert Henry living in Kansas. She appeared in the household of his son James Isaac HILL in 1920. I assumed she remained in Missouri but could she have gone back to West Virginia before 1900 or when Zettie May went there and married? I widened my search and found her living next door to Zettie May in New Mexico in 1910. How did I miss her?

Where was she in 1900? Was she with one of her other children? Where was she after the 1920 census? No record of death was found in Missouri (records are online). Did she go back to living near her youngest daughter Zettie May? Oklahoma, where Zettie May lived, does not have death records online. She was not found on Find A Grave in the area Zettie May lived nor in Saline County, Missouri.

Two of Dennis HILL and Mary Ann BAKER’s children are known to have died young. Four of their children married and had children yet three children were impossible to locate after 1880. What became of these children? Where else can information be found on this elusive family? The questions led me to an amazing discover. Join me in doing the genealogy happy dance next week, same time, same place.

P.S. Of course I left a comment for Cheri Hudson Passey about my genealogy happy dance on her weekly post Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance!

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The Mysterious Ann Eliza HILL, wife of William CLONCH

My third great-grandfather William CLONCH (1807-1863) had eight known children with my third great-grandmother Mary “Polly” DOSS (1816-bef. 1892). They were never married. Seven of the children were named in William’s last will and testament – with DOSS as their surname. Five of the seven were boys and used the CLONCH surname for the rest of their lives passing it on to their children.

1863williamclonchwill — West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971; Mason Will book, v. 01A 1833-1875; Page 166-167 (image 104); online https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18256-40179-14?cc=1909099&wc=10916722

Also mentioned in the will was his daughter Mariah Jane PATTERSON, née CLONCH. She was a child from his marriage to Ann Eliza HILL (1812-1895). There are several mysteries surrounding this wife.

1863williamclonchwill2 — West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971; Mason Will book, v. 01A 1833-1875; Page 166-167 (image 104); online https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18256-40179-14?cc=1909099&wc=10916722

In early records, the CLONCH surname was spelled CLAUNCH. William CLAUNCH, as he was seen in this entry, of Mason County, Virginia, married Ann Eliza HILL of Gallia County, Ohio, on 20 August 1832 in Gallia County.

claunchhillmarriage — “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XD4V-KPD : accessed 21 Jun 2014), William Clauseck (sic, Claunch) and Ann Eliza Hill, 20 Aug 1832; citing Gallia, Ohio, United States, reference p220; FHL microfilm 317652.

They had a daughter Mariah Jane who may have been born about the time of the marriage or soon after. William CLAUNCH was found in the 1840 census in Mason County with a young female 5 and under 10 years old, assumed (by me) to be his daughter Mariah Jane, and a woman 20 and under 30 years old. In my early years of researching this family, as far as I could tell, most CLONCH researchers believed Ann Eliza HILL died or divorced William CLONCH however no record of divorce has been found. I suspect there is none as you will see in a moment.

1840 U.S. Federal Census
Mason County, (West) Virginia
Page 214
Claunch, William
1 male 30 & under 40 yo (William)
1 female 5 & under 10 yo (Mariah J.)
1 female 20 & under 30 yo (wife or common-law wife)
3 persons in household
1 person engaged in agriculture

The daughter Mariah Jane was married by 1850 and was never seen by name with her father on a census. On the census, she was 19 in 1850 and 27 in 1860.

The woman seen with William in 1840 could not be his wife as Eliza CLAUNCH was found in the census of Gallia County, Ohio, with two young males in her household. William and Ann Eliza were living in separate households in two states.

1840 U.S. Federal Census
Gallia County, Ohio
Galliapolis
Eliza Claunch
1 male under 5 yo
1 male 5 & under 10 yo
1 female 20 & under 30 yo (Eliza)

Were they her sons and sons of William CLAUNCH? When William made his will in 1862 he mentioned only his daughter Mariah Jane from his marriage to Ms. HILL – no sons! If Eliza had her own household, are we seeing Polly DOSS in William’s household? She would give birth to William’s son John William in December.

For a better understanding of what was going on I needed to discover what happened to Eliza in later years.

The marriage between William and Eliza may have been in difficulties early on. Who was to blame, William or Eliza, or both parties? The short of it is we know William never married the mother of his DOSS (later known as CLONCH) children. Was this because he was never legally divorced from Eliza? His wife Eliza, however, remarried as a widow!

Imagine my surprise when I found a record for Anna Eliza CLAUNCH, widow of Wm. C. CLAUNCH, marrying Andrew GAUSE on 26 March 1842 in Kanawha County, Virginia.

1842marriage1 — http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=12568001&Type=Marriage

1842marriage2 — http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=12568001&Type=Marriage

Ann Eliza HILL’s husband William CLAUNCH did not die between the time of the 1840 census and her remarriage on 26 March 1842. Could the names be a coincidence? Who was this lady who married Andrew GAUSE?

Let’s continue looking for Ann Eliza CLAUNCH, now Mrs. GAUSE. I followed the lady and her second husband as well as their descendants. Would the children she had with her second husband have her maiden name on their death records?

In 1850 she was with Andrew GAUSE in Lawrence County, Ohio, with five children.

1850 U.S. Federal census
Lawrence County, Ohio
Upper Township, Sheet 449A
Enumerated by me on the 16th day of August, 1850.
HH #8-8
Andrew Gause 28 M Miner Pennsylvania cannot write
Eliza Gause 39 F New York cannot read & write
Thomas J. Gause 14 M Ohio cannot read
Elinor Gause 12 F Ohio
Francis E. Gause 6 M Ohio
Henry F. Gause 4 M Ohio
Mary A. Gause 1 F Ohio
Benj. Bosner 28 M England

It is not known if Thomas J. age 14 and Elinor age 12 are children of Andrew and/or Eliza or Andrew’s relations. Neither have been traced in later census or other records. The three younger children were born after the marriage took place in 1842.

In December 1855 another son was born into the family. By 1860 all children seen in 1850, except for Henry F., were missing in the household and the surname was now spelled GAUZE:

1860 U.S. Federal census
Gallia County, Ohio
Ohio Township, South New Castle
Andrew Gauze 38 Pennsylvania
Eliza Gauze 48 New York
Henry Gauze 14 Ohio
Alexander Gauze 5 Ohio
Cynthia Ross 27 Ohio
John Ross 4 Ohio
John Thompson 28 Ohio
Frederick Ginder 17 Germany

Andrew GAUZE and his wife Eliza’s little family included only sons Henry F. and Alexander. These would be the only two possibilities of finding death records with the maiden name of the child’s mother.

In 1870 Eliza did not appear on the census however her two sons were found. Henry F., the elder, was married with two children living in West Township, Columbiana County, Ohio. Alexander at age 15 was living with a Johnson family and working as a coal miner in Canton Township, Stark County, Ohio.

Eliza’s husband Andrew GAUZE remarried in 1862. Did Eliza die soon after the 1860 census?

1862GauzeClarkmarriage — Marriage Record Groom’s Name: Andrew Gauze Bride’s Name: Lovina Jane Clark Marriage Date: 08 May 1862 Marriage Place: Gallia,Ohio Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M51322-2 System Origin: Ohio-ODM Source Film Number: 317653 Collection: Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-22512-71913-67?cc=1614804

Andrew GAUZE and his new wife were found in the 1870 census, living in Rome Township, Lawrence County, Ohio.

1870 U.S. Federal Census
Lawrence County, Ohio
Rome Township, Page No. 16
Enumerated by me on 22nd the day of July, 1870. Wm H Sloan, Ass’t Marshal.
Bartramville Post Office
HH #120-115
Gauze, Andrew 48 M W Coal miner WV cannot write
Gauze, Lavina 30 F W Keeping house WV cannot write
Clarke, Geo. 15 M W Farm work WV attended school within year
Note: Lovina’s maiden name was Clark; George may be her relative.

Andrew and Lovina Jane were not found in 1880. On 27 March 1897 a 45 years old Levina GAUZE (was she Andrew’s widow?) was marrying the 70 years old Lem (Lemuel) BAILEY in Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia. By 1900 the bride may have died as the groom is listed with his son on the Huntington census as widowed.

The search for Andrew GAUZE and his second wife Lovina Jane CLARK came to a dead end between 1870 and 1900. Or so I thought! I found Vina GAUZE (widow of Andrew) listed in the city directory of Huntington.What happened to Andrew and his second wife is not important to the continuation of Eliza’s story but I’d hope it would give me more clues.

What happened to Andrew and Eliza’s sons after 1870?

The older son Henry F. GAUZE was found in:

1880: Shiawassee County, Michigan
1890: Special Schedule (Stark County, Ohio)
1895: Clay County, Indiana
1900: missing; wife and children found in Saginaw County, Michigan
1910: alone in Saginaw County, Michigan (wife died in 1912)
1920: with another woman in Saginaw County, Michigan; he married her following the census in April and his parents were listed as father A. J. GAUZE, mother Eliza HILL.

The younger son Alexander GAUZE remained in Stark County, Ohio, and was found there at the time of the 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 census. In 1880 his mother Eliza GAUZE was found with him and his family:

1880 U.S. Federal Census
Stark County, Ohio
Canton Township, Page No. 24
Enumeration District No. 135, Sheet No. 300D
Enumerated by me on the 11th day of June, 1880. Henry R. Packer, Enumerator.
HH #200-208
Gauze, Alexander M W 25 married Miner unemployed 4 months during census year Ohio Virginia New York
Gauze, Sarah Jane F W 26 wife married Keeping House Ohio Pennsylvania Ohio
Gauze, Emery W. M W 4 son single Ohio Ohio Ohio
Gauze, Albert Byron M W 3 son single Ohio Ohio Ohio
Gauze, Howard Ellsworth M W 8/12 son single Ohio Ohio Ohio
Gauze, Eliza F W 68 Mother widowed New York New York New York

Eliza was listed as widowed even though her husband Andrew had remarried. Or did I follow the wrong Andrew GAUZE?

Finding her in the 1880 census with her son led to the death record of Ann Eliza GAUZE. She died in Howenstine, Pike Township, Stark County, Ohio, on 28 October 1895. Neither the names of her parents nor her maiden name were mentioned on the entry in the death register. New York was the place of birth, consistent with the 1850, 1860, and 1880 census.

1895annelizagauzedeath1 — Left page of ledger

1895annelizagauzedeath2 — Right page of ledger

[Source: “Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F665-HWB : 13 December 2014), Ann Eliza Gauze, 28 Oct 1895; citing Death, Howenstine, Pike Township, Stark, Ohio, United States, source ID v 3 p 184, County courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 897,621.]

Per her Find A Grave memorial, cemetery records show she was buried in Melscheimer Cemetery in Canton. Her son Alexander, as well as many of his descendants, are also buried in the same cemetery.

I left the sons’ death records for last. Her younger son Alexander died 7 February 1920 in Stark County, Ohio. His death certificate names Eliza HILL as his mother. There is a discrepancy on the name of his father.

1920AlexanderGauzedeath — “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8LF-4J9 : 8 December 2014), Alexander Gauze, 07 Feb 1920; citing Canton, Stark, Ohio, reference fn 16829; FHL microfilm 1,985,129.

Her older son Henry F. died a year later on 13 February 1921 in Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois. No image of the death certificate was found however the indexed information shows the mother’s maiden name was HILL and the father’s name as Andrew.

1921HenryFGauzedeath — https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQFY-D5Z

Why did I spend so much time researching the GAUZE children of Ann Eliza HILL? First to prove the wife of my 3rd great-grandfather William CLONCH did not die. This may have been the reason he never married the mother of his children, my 3rd great-grandmother Mary E. “Polly” DOSS.

Secondly, I hoped it would lead me to more information on the children Eliza had with William CLONCH. Mariah Jane was the only child outside of his DOSS children he acknowledged in his will. She and her husband John PATTERSON protested the will in which he gave “three dollars to Mariah Jane Patterson.” The attorney they hired to represent them was not able to oppose the will and they had to pay the expenses of the court.

Is it possible Eliza and William had another child? I believe there is the likelihood of another child but who were his parents? Eliza and William, Eliza and another man, or William and another woman? Stay tuned for more to come.

Genealogy Sketch

Name: Ann Eliza HILL
Parents: Unknown, per 1880 census born in New York
Spouse: William CLONCH(*) and Andrew J. GAUZE
Children: Mariah Jane CLONCH, Henry F. GAUZE, Alexander GAUZE
Whereabouts: Mason WV, Gallia OH, Lawrence OH, Stark OH
Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: wife of 3rd great-grandfather

1. William CLONCH‘s wife Ann Eliza HILL
2. Alexander CLONCH
3. Rebecca Jane CLONCH
4. Myrtle Hazel ROOP
5. Fred Roosevelt DEMPSEY
6. Cathy Meder-Dempsey

Look Who’s Using DNA for Genealogy Research

In mid-March I received this message from one of my siblings:

Just wanted to let you know that I ordered a DNA kit from ancestry.com. I will send you the results when I get them. Hopefully it will be useful in your research.

When his results came in late May he sent me this message and screenshot:

Hope this doesn’t mess up your research too much.

I thought he was holding out on me, waiting to let me know only after he came to visit for Mom’s 80th birthday. But the results truly did not come in until the early morning of the day he was to arrive in Luxembourg.

He turned administration over to me as he thought I would know better what to do with the test results as he does not do genealogy.

I haven’t done DNA testing but my second cousin Laura [daughter of Geraldine Dempsey Workman (1931-2007) – the first person I know of who worked on our family tree] shared her DNA page with me earlier this year. Since Laura and I share great-grandparents (William Henderson DEMPSEY and Laura Belle INGRAM) 3/4 of her matches did not have anything to do with our common line. It, however, helped me to get a feel for Ancestry’s DNA page before my brother’s results came in.

The ethnicity results (above) of 100% European were to be expected although it blew the theory of a Native American connection right out of the water. Or so I thought. Where do the 10% Italy/Greece fit into our family tree?

After a week or so of trying to figure out some kind of system to work through the matches on Ancestry, I decided to download the raw DNA data and upload it to GEDmatch. After the kit was tokenized and while I was waiting for the batch processing to complete I did a heritage test.

Admix Results (sorted):

#	Population	Percent
1	Early Neolithic Farmer	43.00
2	Western European/Unknown Hunter-Gatherer	25.49
3	Ancestral South Eurasian	18.91
4	Caucas-Gedrosia	7.59
5	NearEast	1.65
6	Amerindian	1.43
7	Ancestral South Indian	1.20

1.43% Native American DNA for my brother. I understand he got about 50% of his DNA from our father and 50% from our mother (European). Family tradition is the NA connection is through our paternal grandmother Myrtle Hazel ROOP‘s mother Rebecca Jane CLONCH. If I keep doubling the percentage (which may not be scientifically correct) I get 91.52% at the 4th great-grandparent level. Dennis CLAUNCH and Nancy BEASLEY are the only known set. Another ancestor at this level was Levina DOSS who had her children with an unknown man. The unknowns are COOLEYs and TREADWAYs.

I admit this was just a game I was playing before I begin to get serious about using the DNA results for research purposes. But who knows, maybe I’m on the right track.

Oh yes, Laura and my brother are “predicted 2nd cousins” and share 381 centimorgans across 15 DNA segments.

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52 Ancestors: #51 Nancy BEASLEY, wife of Dennis CLAUNCH or Dennis CLONCH

“The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”

This is entry #51 in Amy Johnson Crow’s Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

We are nearly there! I’ve made it this far – didn’t miss a week – this one and then THE LAST!!!

#51 Nancy BEASLEY, wife of Dennis CLAUNCH or Dennis CLONCH

My 4th great-grandmother Nancy BEASLEY is another one of my brick walls. I have no idea who her parents were or where they came from. She was first seen in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, on 8 November 1803. On that day William JUSTICE was security on Nancy’s marriage to my 4th great-grandfather Dennis CLAUNCH.¹

Nancy was born in Virginia before the end of the American Revolutionary War (19 Apr 1775-14 Jan 1784). From early census listings I calculate her birth at about 1781-1784.

Year         Range            (Calculated)
1810       26 thru 44    (26 thru 29)
1820       26 thru 44 (36 thru 39)
1830       40 thru 49 (46 thru 49)
1840       50 thru 59       (56 thru 59)
1850            75                 (66 thru 69)

In 1850 she was listed as 75. This is not reliable as it doesn’t match the age range on the pre-1850 censuses which appear to be consistent. I took the 1840 range of 50 thru 59 and worked back; 1830 was 40 thru 49; 1820 would be 30 thru 39; 1810 would be 20 thru 29. Since the 1810 range was 26 thru 44, the range 20 thru 29 can be narrowed further to 26 to 29. Then I added 10 years for each decade as seen in the parenthesis. The range 66 thru 69 for 1850 is off by 6-9 years compared to what is seen on the actual 1850 census. Could it be that the 1850 age of 75 was correct and the previous years were off?

Following their marriage, Nancy’s husband Dennis CLAUNCH was seen on the 1804 and 1805 tax lists of Mecklenburg County.² By 1806 Nancy and Dennis had moved to Kanawha County in what would later become West Virginia. Her husband Dennis was on the 1810 census of that county with his name spelled CLOUNCH.³ Nancy had given birth to two girls and a boy by this time.

1810 U.S. Federal Census > VA > Kanawha (ancestry.com)

Following the 1810 census Dennis CLOUNCH, as he was last seen, disappears and it is believed that he died between 1811-1820 as Nancy is seen with her own household from 1820 until 1850.⁴ Nancy and Dennis’ children were most likely all born in Kanawha County:

◉ Child 1: _____ CLONCH, born bet. 1805-1809. A tick for her is on the 1810 and 1820 censuses. This daughter remains nameless.
◉ Child 2: Elizabeth CLONCH, born bet. 1805-1809. She married Meridith PARSONS (1805- ) on 26 February 1825 in Mason County, (West) Virginia.⁵ She died before 1840.
◉ Child 3: William CLONCH (1807-1863) was born about 1807. He married Ann Eliza HILL (1812-1895) on 20 August 1832 in Gallia County, Ohio.⁶ They went separate ways and William had a relationship with Mary E. “Polly” DOSS with whom he had 8 children. He died on 20 January 1863 in Mason County, (West) Virginia.⁷
◉ Child 4: John CLONCH was born about 1810. He married Elizabeth DOSS (1817-1880), sister of Mary E. “Polly” DOSS, on 15 September 1842 in Gallia County, Ohio.⁸ He died between 1844-1847 most likely in Mason County. His widow married again in 1848.⁹
◉ Child 5: Sarah CLONCH was born about 1811. She married William WILLIAMS (1808-the 1850s) on 4 January 1832 in Mason County.¹⁰ After his death and before 1860 she married James William GALLIWAY (1832-1880). She died after 1880.

1820 U.S. Federal Census > VA > Mason (ancestry.com)

1820 U.S. Federal Census¹¹
Mason County, (West) Virginia
Page 121
Name: Nancy Claunch
Enumeration Date: August 7, 1820
Free White Persons – Males – Under 10: 2 (John and unknown b. bet. 1811-1815)
Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15: 1 (William)
Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25: 1 (John W. Clark? age 24-25)
Free White Persons – Females – Under 10: 1 (Sarah)
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15: 2 (Elizabeth & unknown b. bet. 1805-1809)
Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44: 1 (Nancy)
Number of Persons – Engaged in Manufactures: 1
Free White Persons – Under 16: 6
Free White Persons – Over 25: 1
Total Free White Persons: 8
Total All Persons – White, Slaves, Colored, Other: 8

Nancy was engaged in some kind of manufacturing in 1820. She wasn’t involved in agriculture or commerce. What was she doing to earn a living for her family? Who was the young man living in her household? Is the other unknown younger male seen in her household another son born between 1811-1815?

Nancy’s oldest known daughter Elizabeth married Meridith PARSONS (1805- ) on 26 February 1825 in Mason County.

1830 U.S. Federal Census > VA > Mason (ancestry.com)

1830 U.S. Federal Census¹²
Mason County, (West) Virginia
Page 138
Name: Nancy Claunch
Free White Persons – Males – 15 thru 19: 2 (John and unknown b. bet. 1811-1815)
Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29: 1 (William)
Free White Persons – Males – 30 thru 39: 1 (John W. Clark? age 34-36)
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 14: 1 (unknown b. bet. 1816-1820)
Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19: 1 (Sarah)
Free White Persons – Females – 40 thru 49: 1 (Nancy)
Free White Persons – Under 20: 4
Free White Persons – 20 thru 49: 3
Total Free White Persons: 7
2 persons cannot read & write
Total – All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 7

By 1830 Nancy’s children William, John, and Sarah are still at home. But, as in 1820, there are also other persons in the household who cannot be identified. I wonder if the age range for the girls is correct. Could the older girl be the unknown daughter and the younger girl Sarah? This census did not include the column for the occupation of the adults in the household. Was Nancy or the man living in her household still working in manufacturing or in agriculture as seen later in 1840?

Two of Nancy’s children married in 1832, her youngest daughter Sarah and her oldest son William. Her oldest known daughter Elizabeth died during the 1830s.

1840 U.S. Federal Census > VA > Mason (ancestry.com)

1840 U.S. Federal Census¹³
Mason County, (West) Virginia
Page 219
Name: Claunch, Nancy
Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29: 1 (John)
Free White Persons – Males – 40 thru 49: 1 (John W. Clark? age 44-46)
Free White Persons – Females – 20 thru 29: 1 (unknown b. bet. 1816-1820)
Free White Persons – Females – 50 thru 59: 1 (Nancy)
Persons Employed in Agriculture: 1
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write: 4
Free White Persons – 20 thru 49: 3
Total Free White Persons: 4
Total All Persons – Free White, Free Colored, Slaves: 4

In 1840 one person in Nancy’s household was engaged in agriculture. This was most likely the older man who was living in her household or perhaps her youngest son John who would be marrying in 1842. And who is this young lady born between 1816 and 1820? Is it possible I’ve gotten the family group wrong and Nancy had a daughter younger than Sarah and the older daughter was married by 1820?

Nancy’s son John CLONCH died between 1844 and 1847 most likely in Mason County, (West) Virginia. Her son William’s wife Ann Eliza left him leaving two children. William raised their daughter Mariah Jane but the “son” Dennis lived with his grandmother Nancy.

It is my belief that Dennis was the son of Ann Eliza HILL and may not have been acknowledged by her husband William CLONCH as his. Could this be the reason they parted ways? Dennis CLONCH (1838-1893) was born on 8 March 1838 in (West) Virginia.¹⁴ He married Mary Ann BAKER (1842-1920) on 16 Nov 1858 in Gallia County, Ohio.¹⁵ They had a son named John William CLONCH born on 19 March 1860 and died on 9 February 1861.¹⁶,¹⁷ The first name given to the child may have been what caused an earlier researcher to assume that he was the son of John. Dennis began using the HILL surname on 21 February 1862 when he enlisted in the Union Regular Army at Gallipolis, Ohio.¹⁸ Neither Dennis CLONCH nor Dennis HILL was mentioned in the will of William CLONCH in 1863.¹⁹ He moved to Missouri about 1871 and died in Miami, Saline County, Missouri on 31 July 1893.²⁰

In 1850 John W. CLARK is the head of the household that Nancy and Dennis are living in.

1850 U.S. Federal Census²¹
Mason County, (West) Virginia
The 38th District, Sheet No. 385A
Enumerated by me on the 14th day of August, 1850. C. B. Waggener, Ass’t Marshal.
HH #333-334
John W. Clark 56 M Laborer Virginia cannot read & write
Nancy Clonch 75 F Virginia cannot read & write
Dennis Clonch 12 M Virginia

Nancy BEASLEY died between 1850-1860 most likely in Mason County, (West) Virginia. Surviving were two children: her son William, my 3rd great-grandfather, and her daughter Sarah. John W. CLARK must have had a close relationship with the CLONCH family as he was found in William’s household in 1860.²²

1860censusclaunch — 1860 U.S. Federal Census > VA > Mason (ancestry.com)

As early as 1820 Nancy had a male in her household who was not a son. He consistently shows up in the later census listings until we see Nancy living in the household of John W. CLARK in the 1850 census. There are also a male and a female seen in 1820 and 1830 who could have been children of Nancy and her husband Dennis but I wonder if they could be children of John W. CLARK. The female is still living in Nancy’s household in 1840. Later in 1860, as seen above, John CLARK is living in the household of Nancy’s son William CLONCH. Who was John W. CLARK? Was he a widower with two small children hired by Nancy to help out? Was there a relationship between Mr. CLARK and Nancy? Was he a son-in-law? The husband of the unidentified daughter seen in 1810 and 1820 as born between 1805-1809? So many questions that need to be answered.

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Last week I left you with a cliffhanger:

You might ask why I call my 4th great-grandfather Dennis CLONCH and not Dennis CLAUNCH as he was seen in all records except the 1810 census where his name was spelled CLOUNCH? I’ll tell you that story next week.

During the early years after Hieronymus GLANTZ came to America, the surname evolved from Glantz to Glance to Glansh, Clansh, Clanch, Claunch, Clounch, Clonch. Dennis didn’t change his surname. After Nancy and Dennis died the children and grandchildren were seen with their surnames spelled CLONCH. Dennis’ brothers who went to Kentucky had children who kept the spelling CLAUNCH. All of the names – Claunch, Clounch, and Clonch were pronounced the same.

Now that I’ve re-evaluated all of the records available to me (I admit there weren’t many), I see that Dennis should be listed as Dennis CLAUNCH and the change in the spelling of the surname should only show up in the next generation. It was easier to think of him as Dennis CLONCH as his son, my 3rd great-grandfather, was William CLONCH but, to be consistent and avoid confusion, it is best to use the spelling seen in the records: Dennis CLAUNCH.

This Post was Updated on 18 December 2022: Missing source citations were added, images were scaled, and some corrections were made to the text and format.

“Marriage bonds, 1770-1912,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/641904), citing microfilm of original records at the Virginia State Library & Archives in Richmond, Virginia, Film 1870762, DGS 7734579, Marriage bonds, C (con’t.)-G (con’t.) 1770-1810, images 36+37 of 902 (cover and bond), 8 Nov 1803 Dennis Claunch and William Justice went bond for the marriage of William Claunch and Nancy Beasley. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91S-R9FS?i=36&cc=2134304&cat=641904 : accessed 20 March 2021). ↩
“Personal property tax lists, 1782-1850,” browse-only images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/638357), citing Microfilm of original records at the Virginia State Library and Archives in Richmond, Virginia, Film 1854098, DGS 7857023, Personal property tax lists 1782-1805, image 1032 of 1116, 1804 PPT, page 10, 5th entry, Dennis Claunch 1 0 0 0 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS73-9SMP-G?i=1031&cat=638357 : accessed 28 November 2021) and image 1062 of 1116, 1805 PPT, page 10, entry 6, Dennis Claunch 1 0 0 0 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS73-9SMK-8?i=1061&cat=638357 : accessed 16 March 2021). ↩
1810 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7613/), citing Third Census of the United States, 1810 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C. NARA microfilm publication M252, 71 rolls, Roll: M252_69, Family History Library Film: 0181429, Virginia, Kanawha County, image 411, page 135, line 10, Denis Clounch household (accessed 9 December 2014). ↩
Dennis CLONCH died between 7 March 1817 and 7 August 1820 as was proven in An Example of What You Can Do With the Personal Property Tax Lists. ↩
West Virginia Vital Research Records Project (database and images), West Virginia Division of Culture and History, citing county records in county courthouses, West Virginia (A collaborative venture between the West Virginia State Archives and the Genealogical Society of Utah to place vital records online via the West Virginia Archives and History Web site accessible at https://archive.wvculture.org/vrr), West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm /567389, image 10, Mason County marriages, line 10, Meridith Parsons and Elizabeth Clonch 6 Feb 1825 by William R. Gould (http://images.wvculture.org/567389/00010.jpg : accessed 18 June 2022). ↩
“Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1614804), citing digital images of originals housed at the county courthouses in Ohio, Film 317652, DGS 4016313, Gallia County Marriage records 1803-1843 vol 1, image 118 of 240, Record of Marriages of Meigs County, page 220 (stamped), 2nd entry, 20 Aug 1832, William Claunch and Ann Eliza Hill (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRMD-S2C5?cc=1614804&wc=Z51G-N38%3A121350101%2C121422401 : accessed 20 June 2022). ↩
WVCulture.org, West Virginia Deaths, 1804-1999, FHL microfilm 567384, image 168, Mason County Register of Deaths, 1862-1863, line 24, William Clonch, 20 Jan 1863, typhoid fever, parents not known, born Kanawha County, Va., gunsmith, consort of Mary Clonch (http://images.wvculture.org/567384/00168.jpg : accessed 15 December 2009). ↩
“Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016,” Gallia County Marriage records 1803-1843 vol 1, image 213 of 240, Record of Marriages of Meigs County, page 400 (stamped), 4th entry, 15 Sep 1842, John Clonch and Elizabeth Doss (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RMD-S2Q4?i=212&cc=1614804 : accessed 21 June 2022). ↩
Ibid., Gallia County, Marriage records 1843-1862 vol 2, image 53 of 238, page 123, entry 3, Steed, John md. Clontch, Elizabeth on 26 October 1848 in Gallia County, Ohio. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRMD-S2TC?cc=1614804&wc=ZRCJ-T38%3A121350101%2C121462701 : accessed 1 July 2022). ↩
WVCulture.org, West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 567389, image 17, Mason County marriages, line 8, William WIlliams and Sarah Clonch 4 Jan 1832 married by Daniel Smithers. (http://images.wvculture.org/567389/00017.jpg : accessed 18 June 2022). ↩
1820 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7734/), citing Fourth Census of the United States, 1820 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C., NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls, NARA Roll: M33_138, Image: 135, Virginia, Mason, page 121, first line, Nancy Claunch household (accessed 13 December 2014). ↩
1830 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8058/), citing Fifth Census of the United States, 1830 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C. NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls, Nara Roll M19_198, FHL Film: 0029677, Virginia, Mason County, page 138 (double-page spread), line 13, Nancy Clonch (accessed 13 Dec 2014). ↩
1840 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8057/), citing Sixth Census of the United States, 1840 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C., NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls, NARA Roll: M704_568, FHL Film: 0029689, Virginia, Mason County, page 219 (double-page spread), line 17, Nancy Clonch (accessed 15 December 2014). ↩
Shirley Haynes & Avlyn Conley, compilers, Tombstone Inscriptions (with added information) from cemeteries in Saline County, Missouri, Volume 2, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org/library/books/idurl/1/241538), image 37, page 10, Miami Cemetery, Miami, Saline County, Missouri > Hill, Dennis d. 31 Jul 1893 Aged 55 yrs 4 mos 23 ds (accessed 26 June 2022). Note: age at death calculates to a birth date of 8 March 1838. ↩
“Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016,” Gallia County Marriage records, 1803-1955; index, 1803-1950 > Marriages, v. 1-2 1803-1862, image 195 of 238, Record of Marriages of Gallia County, page 376, 5th entry, 16 Nov 1858, Dennis Claunch and Mary Ann Baker (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRMD-S2KX?i=194 : accessed 1 July 2013). ↩
WVCulture.org, West Virginia Births, 1853-1930, FHL microfilm 1855007, image 483, Register of Births for Mason County, page 445-446 (stamped, double-page spread), line 28, 18 Mar 1860, John Wm Clonch. (http://images.wvculture.org/1855007/00483.jpg : accessed 2 September 2009). ↩
Ibid., West Virginia Deaths, 1804-1999, FHL microfilm 567384, image 166, Mason County Register of Deaths, line 44, John W Clonch, died 9 Feb 1861, age 9 yrs 9 months, 20 days (sic). (http://images.wvculture.org/567384/00166.jpg : accessed 14 Dec 2009). ↩
“U.S., Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914,” database with images, Ancestry, citing Register of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, 81 rolls); Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s-1917, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington, D.C., 1859-1862, Duplicates; H-Z; image 51 of 620. Name: Dennis Hill; Birthyear: abt 1839; Birthplace: Virginia; Enlistment Age: 23; Enlistment: Feb. 21 in Gallipolis, Ohio; Description: blue eyes, brown hair, light complexion, 6 ft; Discharge: 2 April 1862 Disability D. at Indianapolis, Ind. (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/271599:1198 : accessed 18 Dec 2009). ↩
“West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971,” database with images, FamilySearch, digital images of originals housed at local county courthouse in West Virginia, FHL Film #567420, Item 2; DGS 4715359; Mason Will book, v. 01A 1833-1875, image 104 of 165, page 166-167. Last will and testament of William Clonch. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18256-40179-14?cc=1909099&wc=10916722 : accessed 12 January 2019). ↩
See Note #14, supra. ↩
1850 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/), citing Seventh Census of the United States, 1850 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C., NARA microfilm publication M432, 1009 rolls, Roll: M432_959; Image 297; Virginia, Mason, District 38, sheet 385A, lines 28-30, household 333-334, John W. Clark (accessed 13 January 2019). ↩
1860 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/), citing Eighth Census of the United States, 1860 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C., NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls, Roll: M653_1361, FHL Film: 805361, West Virginia, Mason County, District 2, Page No. 46, lines 21-30, household 345-316, Wm Claunch (accessed 13 January 2019). ↩

52 Ancestors: #50 Dennis CLONCH a.k.a. Dennis CLAUNCH

This is entry #50 in Amy Johnson Crow’s Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

And the countdown continues. Two more to go!

#50 Dennis CLONCH a.k.a. Dennis CLAUNCH

“I have not made a positive connection from my earliest CLONCH ancestry (Dennis CLONCH of Kanawha County, (West) Virginia to the emigrant Hieronymus GLANTZ).” ~ Ralph L. Hayes

The late Madison Lockhart “Matt” Claunch of Brownsville, Texas, and Ralph L. Hayes of Alamo, Texas, are to be credited with the work done to connect Hieronymus GLANTZ (a.k.a. Jeremiah CLAUNCH) to my 4th great-grandfather Dennis CLAUNCH (a.k.a. Dennis CLONCH). Matt Claunch and Ralph Hayes used tithe lists, tax rolls and lists, levies, land records and surveys, debt collections, ordinary licenses, and court records.¹ The surname spellings in these records varied: Glantz, Clonch, Claunch, Clansh, Clanch, Clounch.

The immigrant Hieronymus GLANTZ came to America in 1732 with his wife, a daughter, and a son. On the ship list he was seen as Jerimy GLANCE age 29, his wife as Marrea Medl GLANCE age 30, his daughter as Anna Margreate GLANCE age 9, and his son Hance Michalle GLANCE age 4.² He signed the Oath of Allegiance with the name he had used in the old country, not the name seen on the ship list.³

His wife died soon after their arrival and Hieronymus married Anna Barbara MACK on 15 October 1733 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.⁴,⁵ It is very likely that Jeremiah and his bride Barbara knew each other from the old country. Her father Georg Michael MACK arrived in America on the Adventure, the same ship as Jeremiah, on 23 September 1732. Barbara arrived 10 days earlier on 13 September 1732 on the Pennsylvania Merchant.⁶ From 1750 through 1752 George MACK was seen in the household of his son-in-law Jeremiah CLAUNCH in Lunenburg County, Virginia.⁷

I considered making a chronological chart of all of the information listed in Ralph L. Hayes’ 2004 post “Chronology of the Early Glance/Glantz/Clonch/Claunch Family.”⁸ However, every time I looked through the list I saw a different possibility for the family configuration. I have not been able to look up all of the information and cannot vouch for accuracy and completeness. Perhaps others who study Ralph’s chronology will come up with a different scenario. But this is the short version of what I think the connection is from the immigrant to my 4th great-grandfather Dennis CLONCH:

Hieronymus GLANTZ was known as Jeremiah CLAUNCH once he settled in Lunenburg County, Virginia. He may have married again as he is seen with a wife named Margaret in 1748 and 1758. Since his father-in-law was seen with him in 1750-1752 it is also possible that Anna Barbara used a different name (Margaret) once she came to America. Please remember that this is pure speculation on my part. Jeremiah may have had sons or grandsons named Jeremiah Jr., Edmund, Jacob, John, and Barnet/Barnaby. These names were found at the same time on the tax lists of Montgomery and Wythe counties. Jeremiah CLAUNCH Jr. seen in Montgomery and Wythe from 1783-1793 (and even later in Grayson – all due to the changing county lines) cannot be the Jeremiah CLAUNCH who was seen in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, from 1783 to 1799. Note that the use of Jr. was seen in the records and does not necessarily indicate that Jeremiah Jr. was the son of Jeremiah Sr. Conclusion: The correct relationship to the immigrant is not known. Sorry folks! If the records do not turn up, DNA testing may have to be done.

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Accessed online: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/File:Vamontgomery.jpg

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Accessed online: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/File:Vamecklenburg.jpg

The Jeremiah CLAUNCH group in Mecklenburg County, Virginia

Jeremiah CLENCH was in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, at the time of the first tax lists were recorded in 1782 with 6 whites and no blacks in his household.⁹

In 1783 Jeremiah CLAUNCH bought 60 acres of land from Joseph and Ann DECKER on the North prong of Eastlands Branch in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.¹⁰

Update 29 November 2021: the land tax lists for the years 1787 to 1799 were found on FamilySearch but have not been included in this post.

Jeremiah was on the land tax records with his 60 acres in the Lower District of Mecklenburg County from 1787 to 1799. Images were found for the years 1789 and 1799:

There was no standard form and tax collectors had to draw up their own forms with column headings: Name of individual charged with tax; Quantity of land; Rate of land per acre; Value of land; Amount of tax.

1789landclaunch — 1789 Mecklenburg County Virginia, Land Tax : accessed 12 Dec 2014

1799landclaunch — 1799 Mecklenburg County Virginia, Land Tax A : accessed 12 Dec 2014

Jeremiah CLAUNCH was found on the Mecklenburg County personal property tax list the year following the acquisition of land up until 1805:

● 1784 Jeremiah CLAUNCH
● 1785 Not on a list
● 1786 Jeremiah CLAUNCH
● 1787 Jeremiah CLAUNCH
● 1788 Jeremiah CLAUNCH
● 1789 Jeremiah CLAUNCH
● 1790 Jeremiah CLAUNCH (image below)
● 1791 Jeremiah CLAUNCH
● 1792 Jeremiah CLAUNCH and son Wm
● 1793 Jeremiah CLAUNCH (the year Wm married)
● 1794 Jeremiah CLAUNCH and son Matthew
● 1795 Jeremiah CLAUNCH and son Matthew
● 1796 Jeremiah CLAUNCH and sons Matthew and Dennis
● 1797 Jeremiah CLAUNCH and son Dennis (Matthew missing)
● 1798 Jeremiah CLAUNCH and son Dennis (Matthew missing)
● 1799 Jeremiah CLAUNCH and son Jacob (image below), Dennis CLAUNCH (image below), and Matthew CLAUNCH (image below)
● 1800 Jeremiah CLAUNCH and son Jacob (Dennis and Matthew on their own)
● 1801 through 1805 Jeremiah CLAUNCH (his sons have their own listings)

In the above Jeremiah was seen alone on the tax lists in the earlier years and then sons’ names were included as they reached the age of 16. The order of birth of the sons was: William, Matthew, Dennis, and Jacob.

Following the date and name of the taxable person, the first column was the number of white male tithables over 16, 2nd column was the number of slaves above 16, 3rd column was the number of slaves 12 to 16, and 4th column was horses, mares, colts, and mules.

1790taxclaunch — 1790 Mecklenburg County, Virginia Tax List B : accessed 12 Dec 2014

Jeremiah’s oldest son William CLAUNCH married Betsy ALVIS on 5 August 1793 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. William BLACKETTER was security. Notes were included from Jeremiah CLAUNCH, father of William, and David ALVIS, father of Betsey, giving their permission. Sherd HICKS was a witness.¹¹

Although William was not found on the tax lists mentioned above, this marriage shows that he was the son of Jeremiah. He was not on the 1794 tax list. Could this mean that he moved to Mercer County, Kentucky following his marriage in 1793?

“Jeremiah CLONCH” went bond with Peter JONES for the marriage of Peter JONES and Sarah JACKSON on 11 December 1797 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.¹²

Jeremiah CLAUNCH married Prudence JACKSON on 21 March 1799 with Samuell ALLGOOD as security in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.¹³ Prudence was the sister of Sarah JACKSON. They are named in their mother’s will written in 1800 and proven in December 1807.¹⁴

At first, I thought this marriage was for the son of Jeremiah. After studying the tax records and the earliest census records I have come to the conclusion that Jeremiah who married Prudence must be the same person as Jeremiah seen on the tax lists above. This would mean that Jeremiah, father of William, Matthew, Dennis, and Jacob was widowed before 1799.

Matthew CLAUNCH married Elizabeth ALLGOOD on 29 August 1799 (Samuel ALLGOOD, security) in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.¹⁵

Dennis and his brother Matthew were on the 1799 tax list:

1799taxclaunch — 1799 Mecklenburg County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List B : accessed 12 Dec 2014

Father Jeremiah was on the same tax list with their brother Jacob who was not yet 21 years of age in 1799.

1799Btaxclaunch — 1799 Mecklenburg County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List B : accessed 12 Dec 2014

From the tax records, we know that Jeremiah was still living in 1799. His oldest son William was widowed and remarried in 1798 in Mercer County, Kentucky. This gives us a 1793-1798 window for his move to Kentucky which I believe can be narrowed to 1793-1794 as William was not seen in Mecklenburg tax lists. According to information supplied by Ralph L. Hayes, Jeremiah CLAUNCH sold livestock and household goods in Mecklenburg County in 1800. Was he preparing to move? Family tradition is that William, Matthew, and Jacob moved to Mercer County, Kentucky, in the late 1790’s – tax lists prove this wrong in the case of Matthew and Jacob! They left only about 1805.

Let’s see what’s going on in Mecklenburg County after 1800.

◉ Dennis CLAUNCH and Nancy BEASLY were married on 8 November 1803 (William JUSTICE as security) in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.¹⁶
◉ Sally CLAUNCH married Allen CHAVOUS on 7 September 1804 (Drury JOHNSON, security) in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.¹⁷
◉ Jinny CLAUNCH married Samuel ALLGOOD on 29 December 1804 (Matthew CLAUNCH, security) in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.¹⁸

There is no mention of their father Jeremiah in these marriage records. However, we see that Matthew was still in the area in December 1804 as he was security for his sister Jinny’s marriage. If he moved to Kentucky with his brother Jacob, the move took place in 1805 or early 1806 as we see Jacob CLAUNCH marrying Mary “Polly” GRAY on 26 June 1806 in Mercer County, Kentucky.¹⁹ Their sister Jinny and her husband Samuel ALLGOOD moved to Henderson County, Kentucky, sometime after their marriage and before 1820. There is no 1810 census for Kentucky.

Jeremiah CLAUNCH and his wife Prudence were mentioned in chancery records of Mecklenburg County dated 10 January 1809. The images are not online (as of December 2014 — I have since been able to access them) and can only be viewed in original at the Library of Virginia. I will definitely be checking back from time to time to see if the images are available. I am hoping that they will include information about their location and status. In the meantime this is what another researcher found:

“On 10 January 1809 Ann Stewart was called “widow of John Stewart formerly Ann Jackson” in a Mecklenburg County chancery suit by which she and Patsy Jackson, Peter Jones and Sally his wife (formerly Sally Jackson), and Augustine Smith sued Isaac Jackson, Jeremiah Claunch and Prudence his wife (formerly Prudence Jackson), William Jones and his wife Charity (formerly Charity Jackson), to sell 296 acres which had belonged to Henry Jackson, deceased. The land was sold to Roderick Coleman who distributed 17 pounds, 14 shillings to each litigant on 11 July 1809 [Orders 1809-11, 5].”²⁰

Dennis CLAUNCH

My 4th great-grandfather Dennis CLAUNCH was seen on the tax lists of Mecklenburg County, Virginia in 1800, (missing on 1801 and 1802), 1803, 1804, and 1805. He most likely moved from Mecklenburg County to Kanawha County in 1805-1806. This is about the same time as Jacob and Matthew’s move to Kentucky. Did they travel together with Dennis and his family stopping in Kanawha as his brothers continuing on to Mercer County, Kentucky?

I have one last record that I believe belongs to this family group. In about 1791 a boy named Jeremiah CLAUNCH was born in Mecklenburg County.²¹ This was before any of Jeremiah’s sons married therefore I believe that he may have been a son of Jeremiah – and his youngest child if he did not have children with Prudence.

Many of Jeremiah CLAUNCH’s children were born during the American Revolutionary War (19 Apr 1775-14 Jan 1784). Assuming that Jeremiah was 21 years of age when his oldest child was born, I estimate his birth at 1752 or earlier.

❧ William CLAUNCH (1773-aft 1820) was born about 1773. William married(1) Betsy ALVIS on 5 August 1793 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. He married(2) Rebecca BOTTOM on 14 June 1798 in Mercer County, Kentucky.²²
❧ Matthew CLAUNCH (1776-1846) was born about 1776. Matthew married(1) Elizabeth ALLGOOD on 29 August 1799 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. He married(2) Mahala NICHOLS (1812- ) on 3 March 1843 in Mercer County, Kentucky.²³ Mahala was 21 years of age. He died in 1846 in Mercer County, Kentucky.
❧ Dennis CLAUNCH (1779-aft. 1817) was born about 1779. Dennis married Nancy BEASLEY on 8 November 1803 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. He died after the 1810 census.
❧ Jacob CLAUNCH (1782-1843) was born about 1782. Jacob married Mary “Polly” GRAY on 26 June 1806 in Mercer County, Kentucky. He died before 1843 in Mercer County, Kentucky.
❧ Sally CLAUNCH (1785- ) was born about 1785*. Sally married Allen CHAVOUS on 7 September 1804 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. No further information found. It has been estimated that she was close to 18 when she married.
❧ Jinny CLAUNCH (1785- ) was born about 1785. Jinny married Samuel ALLGOOD on 29 December 1804 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. *In the census for the years 1820 through 1840 she was consistently seen in an age group that shows her birth being between 1780-1790. Assuming she was close to 18 when she married, it would put her closer to being born between 1780-1786.
☙ Jeremiah CLAUNCH (1791-?) was born about 1791 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. He served during the War of 1812. If his age on the record of enlistment is correct he would have been 16 in 1807, two years after his father was last found on the Mecklenburg PPT lists. No further information was found.

Dennis is said to have been on the 1806 and 1809 tax lists of Kanawha County. Years ago I requested a lookup of these lists but did not receive any replies. UPDATE 21 March 2021: I have since been able to access the PPT lists at FamilySearch and wrote An Example of What You Can Do With the Personal Property Tax Lists.

In 1810 Dennis and his wife had three children under the age of 10 in their household, a boy and two girls.

1810censusclounch — 1810 U.S. Federal Census > VA > Kanawha (ancestry.com)

1810 U.S. Federal Census²⁴
Kanawha, Kanawha County, (West) Virginia
Name: Denis Clounch
Free White Persons – Males – Under 10: 1 (William)
Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44: 1 (Dennis, b. 1784 or earlier)
Free White Persons – Females – Under 10: 2 (Elizabeth and unknown)
Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44: 1 (Nancy, most likely 26-30)
Number of Household Members Under 16: 3
Number of Household Members Over 25: 2
Number of Household Members: 5

Note: Dennis first showed up on the tax lists with his father in 1796 which would mean that he was over 16 at the time putting his year of birth at abt. 1779. By 1799 he was seen alone on the tax list which normally would mean that he was at least 21 putting his year of birth at abt. 1778. The age range for 1810 puts his birth at 1784 or earlier. Dennis most likely was born between 1778-1780, I’ll pick the middle value and say he was born about 1779.

As Dennis was in Kanawha in 1810 this would mean that he moved his family to Mason County following the census and before his death OR his widow Nancy moved to Mason County following his death as she was the head of a household in Mason in 1820. My 4th great-grandfather Dennis CLONCH died between 7 March 1817 and 7 August 1820.²⁵ There is no family tradition concerning his death and no death record was found.

You might ask why I call my 4th great-grandfather Dennis CLONCH and not Dennis CLAUNCH as he was seen in all records, except the 1810 census where his name was spelled CLOUNCH? I’ll tell you that story next week.

This Post was Updated on 11 December 2022: Missing source citations were added, images were scaled, and some corrections were made to the text and format.

Madison Lockhart Claunch, The Family of Madison Love Claunch, Sr., FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/673687/), self-published by M.L. Claunch, Brownsville, Texas, 1985. ↩
Egle, William Henry, 1830-1901, Names of foreigners who took the oath of allegiance to the province and state of Pennsylvania, 1727-1775, with the foreign arrivals, 1786-1808 (1892), Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/namesofforeigner00eglew), published by E. K. Meyers, state printer, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 1892, pages 57-61, ship Adventure. ↩
Ralph Beaver Strassburger, LL.D., President of the Pennsylvania German Society, edited by William John Hinke Ph.D., D.D., Pennsylvania German Pioneers, A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals In the Port of Philadelphia From 1727 to 1808, Volume II, Facsimile Signatures 1727-1775, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniagerm04penn_1/mode/2up), published by Pennsylvania German Society, Norristown, Pennsylvania 1934, p. 74 and 76, facsimile of Hieronymus Glantz’s signature. ↩
Coming Soon: A post on why I list the bride as Anna Barbara Mack and not Erna Barbara Mack. The link to the post will be added here. ↩
“Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013,” indexed database, Ancestry, citing Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, PA – Adams > Conewago > Dutch Reformed > Dutch Reformed Church RecordsJohn Casper Stoever Ministerial Records > image 71 of 134 > line 35 > Hieronÿmus Glantz und Anna Barbara Mackin Philadelphia 15 October 1733 (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/216242715:2451? : accessed 28 November 2022) ↩
Egle, Names of foreigners who took the oath of allegiance, pages 45-47, ship Pennsylvania, 11 September 1732, Barbara Mack and Anna Mack. ↩
The Family of Madison Love Claunch, Sr., p. 14-15. ↩
Ancestry Message Boards, Ancestry, Family History > Surnames > Glantz > “Chronology of the Early Glance/Glantz/Clonch/Claunch Family” by Ralph Hayes dated 24 May 2004 (https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.glantz/55). ↩
North, Simon Newton Dexter, 1849-1924; United States. Bureau of the Census, Heads of families at the first census of the United States taken in the year 1790 : records of the State enumerations: 1782-1785, Virginia, digital copy, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/headsoffamiliesa00nort/page/n1/mode/2up), Washington [D.C.], 1908, Mecklenburg County, Virginia, 1782 List of Lewis Parham, page 33, col. 4, first name on list, Jeremiah Clench 6 white 0 blacks. (https://archive.org/details/headsoffamiliesa00nort/page/33/mode/1up?q=Jeremiah : accessed 28 November 2022). ↩
“Deed records, 1765-1905 ; general index to deeds, 1765-1933,” browse-only images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/403497), citing microfilm of original records at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse in Boydton, Virginia and at the Virginia State Library and Archives in Richmond, Virginia, Film 32534, DGS 7895939, Deed books, v. 5-6 1777-1786, image 473 of 611, Deed Book 6, page 283-284, 14 Jul 1783 Decker to Claunch 60 acres. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4X-SHK2-6?i=472&cat=403497 : accessed 28 November 2022). ↩
“Marriage bonds, 1770-1912,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/641904), citing microfilm of original records at the Virginia State Library & Archives in Richmond, Virginia, Film 1870762, DGS 7734579, Marriage bonds, C (con’t.)-G (con’t.) 1770-1810, image 40 of 902 (permission slip), David Alvis father of Betsey Alvis willing for her to marry William Claunch; image 41 of 902 (permission slip), Jeremiah Claunch father of William Claunch gives permission for William to marry “said Alvis”; image 42+43 of 902 (bond and cover), 5 Aug 1793 William Claunch and Wm Blaketer went bond for the marriage of William Claunch and Betsey Alvis. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91S-R962?i=42&cc=2134304&cat=641904 : accessed 29 November 2022). ↩
Ibid., Film 1870764, DGS 7734581, Marriage bonds, J (con’t.)-Mc 1770-1810, images 57+59 of 735(cover and bond), 11 Dec 1797 Peter Jones and Jeremiah Clonch went bond on the marriage of Peter Jones and Sarah Jackson (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91S-Y3SN-Z?i=58&cc=2134304&cat=641904 : accessed 30 November 2022). ↩
Ibid., Film 1870762, DGS 7734579, Marriage bonds, C (con’t.)-G (con’t.) 1770-1810, images 44+45 of 902 (cover and bond), 21 Mar 1799 Jeremiah Claunch and Samuel Allgood went bond for the marriage of Jeremiah Claunch and Prudence Jackson. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91S-R9NG?i=44&cc=2134304&cat=641904 : accessed 29 Novemberr 2022). ↩
“Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1983,” (index and images), Ancestry, citing original data of Virginia County, District, and Probate Courts, Mecklenburg County, Will Books, Vol 4-6, 1797-1810, image 498 of 650, Will Book 6, page 43, Last Will and Testament of Anne Jackson written 21 Sep 1800 and proved 14 Dec 1807 (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9085/images/0032519-00497 : accessed 14 March 2019). ↩
“Marriage bonds, 1770-1912,” Film 1870762, DGS 7734579, Marriage bonds, C (con’t.)-G (con’t.) 1770-1810, images 38+39 of 902 (cover and bond), 29 Aug 1799 Matthew Claunch and Samuel Allgood went bond for the marriage of Matthew Claunch and Elizabeth Allgood. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91S-R9K7?i=38&cc=2134304&cat=641904 : accessed 29 November 2022). ↩
Ibid., Film 1870762, DGS 7734579, Marriage bonds, C (con’t.)-G (con’t.) 1770-1810, images 36+37 of 902 (cover and bond), 1803 Dennis Claunch and William Justice bond for the marriage of William Claunch and Nancy Beasley. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91S-R9FS?i=36&cc=2134304&cat=641904 : accessed 20 March 2021). ↩
Ibid., Film 1870761, DGS 7734578, Marriage bonds, A-C (con’t.) 1770-1810, images 847+848 of 914 (cover and bond), 7 Sep 1804 Allen Chavous and Drury Johnson went bond for the marriage of Allen Chavous and Sally Claunch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91S-TBFT?i=847&cc=2134304&cat=641904 : accessed 2 December 2022). ↩
Ibid., Film 1870761, DGS 7734578, Marriage bonds, A-C (con’t.) 1770-1810, image 128-129 of 914 (cover and bond), 29 Dec 1804 Samuel Allgood and Matthew Claunch went bond on the marriage of Samuel Allgood and Jinny Claunch. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C91S-TBMW?i=128&cc=2134304&cat=641904 : accessed 29 November 2022). ↩
“Marriage records, 1781-1963,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/135068), citing microfilm of original and typescript at the Mercer County courthouse in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, Film 191843, DGS 4705526, Loose papers, file 4 1804-1808, images 409+410 of 929, 23 Jun 1806 Jacob Claunch and John Gray went bond for the marriage of Jacob Claunch and Mary Gray (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-YX95-4J?i=409 : accessed 30 November 2022). ↩
Paul Heinegg, Stewart Family, online http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/Stewart_Family.htm, accessed 10 July 2013 – a chapter in Mr. Heinegg’s book Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia ↩
“U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914,” searchable database with images, Ancestry, citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, 81 rolls; Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s-1917, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington, D.C. ↩
“Marriage records, 1781-1963,” Film 192267, DGS 4705549, Registers, v. 1-3 1786-1875, image 42 of 530, Register 1, page 72, 13th entry, 14 Jun 1798, William Claunch and Rebecca Bottom. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-YDSG-B5?i=41&cc=1804888 : accessed 2 December 2022). ↩
Ibid., Film 192267, DGS 4705549, Loose papers, file 12B 1843-1844, image 167-169 of 513 (marriage bond + cover and over 21 slip for bride), 3 Mar 1843, Matthew Claunch and James Bottom went bond on the marriage of Matthew Claunch and Mahala Nichols. . (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-Y63K-JT?i=167 : accessed 2 December 2022). ↩
1810 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7613/), citing Third Census of the United States, 1810 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C. NARA microfilm publication M252, 71 rolls, Roll: M252_69, Family History Library Film: 0181429, Virginia, Kanawha County, image 411, page 135, line 10, Denis Clounch household (accessed 9 December 2014). ↩
As discussed in my post published on 21 March 2021, An Example of What You Can Do With the Personal Property Tax Lists. ↩