The Ancestors: Isaac WISEMAN (1738-1818) and Elizabeth DAVIS (1738-1807)

This was a hard piece to write. A month ago, after spending weeks gathering and reviewing all the information I had on these ancestors, I began writing this post. While drafting the post I kept finding other things to do. I went back and forth considering how I should write it. I’m now at the point that I just want to get it out of the way by publishing it as is.

Isaac WISEMAN (1738-1818) and Elizabeth DAVIS (1738-1807) were my 5th great-grandparents and the parents of my 4th great-grandmother Rachel WISEMAN (1769-bet. 1821-1824) who married Frederick HONAKER (1757-1824).

When I was new to genealogy research, I trusted the information I found and did not challenge it. As I began to do my own research, I questioned work done by others. In some cases, I made an effort to prove or disprove their research. I’m especially fond of working on my female lines but the WISEMAN family has always been put on the back burner.

For the WISEMAN line, I  attempted to locate evidence of the parents, siblings, husband, and children of my 4th great-grandmother Rachel WISEMAN and wrote about my findings in my 2014 post 52 Ancestors: #33 Rachel WISEMAN 1769-bet. 1821-1824.

The post was written during my first year of blogging. I didn’t include source citations. Links to online documents were used throughout the post but I doubt many readers clicked on them to view the records.  When I revisited my post and research I added 28 citations to make it easier for the reader or researcher to review the sources. [Did I mention the other things I’ve been doing?] 

Rachel’s story includes the names of all of her siblings as well as their spouses’ names and their dates of marriage. I’ve pondered how to write about Rachel’s parents Isaac and Elizabeth. Should I start from scratch or should I build on what has already been published?

Taking the middle road

I’ve decided to take the middle road which led me to work done by dedicated historians and genealogists of the WISEMAN family.

The Wiseman Family Association was first organized in 1908 by Dr. B. W. S. WISEMAN, compiler and author of a WISEMAN genealogy.¹ Benjamin Winfield Scott WISEMAN was a great-grandson of Isaac WISEMAN 1738 through his son Samuel (1771-1861). WISEMAN descendants and members of the association have continued to update the WISEMAN family tree originally created from information in B.W.S.’s book. Their website was initiated on 22 August 2003 and appears to have been last updated in 2017, likely before Ancestry took down the RootsWeb site. I don’t know if more recent additions to the family tree are available online.

B.W.S. WISEMAN, in his 1908 publication, acknowledged the work of his second cousin C.M.L. WISEMAN who published in 1902. B.W.S. gives a more detailed genealogy of most of the sons of Isaac WISEMAN 1738. Neither of the authors had any biographical information on the four daughters of Isaac other than their married names.

Charles Milton Lewis WISEMAN of the 1902 publication was a great-grandson of Isaac WISEMAN 1738 through his son Rev. John WISEMAN (1760-1842). He wrote the following:

Brief Sketch of the Wiseman Family

My grandfather, Rev. John Wiseman was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, before the War of the Revolution; indeed, was old enough and served in that war, and was in the memorable winter quarters at Valley Forge with Washington. His father, Isaac Wiseman, moved from Berks county, Pennsylvania, with a large family of sons and daughters to Rockingham county, Virginia, soon after the war, and there my grandfather married Sarah Green, one of another large family. From that county they moved to Monroe county, Virginia, where my father, Philip S. Wiseman, was born. Of the descendants of Isaac Wiseman and James Green some few remained in Virginia, others moved to Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana. The greater number moved to Ohio and Kentucky. The descendants of Isaac Wiseman alone must exceed 1,000 persons in number. The names of father’s uncles were William, Joseph, Isaac, Abner, Jacob and Samuel. Samuel died near New Salem at 90 years of age; Jacob and Abner in Kentucky, William and Joseph in Virginia, and Isaac near Gallipolis, Ohio. One of his aunts married a Blanton, who moved to Kentucky, and one a Honiker, who died in Virginia. I have been in the graveyard in Virginia, near Union, Monroe county, where Isaac Wiseman and wife are buried, and where father’s sister and brother are buried, and I have also been in the church near by, where they all attended Methodist church, and where my grandfather often preached. It is a lovely spot, with a hight range of mountains in full view for more than twenty miles.²

A bit further into the sketch of his family, C.M.L. wrote:

Rev. John Wiseman was commissioned a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the year 1785, by the first American Bishop of that church, Francis Asbury. The commission, in the Bishop’s own writing, is in the possession of the late Judge Wiseman’s widow at New Salem.³

I used the document he mentioned as the background of the featured image of this post. Immediately following this statement, the author listed names and dates for his line down from Isaac beginning with this list of the children of Isaac WISEMAN 1738:

FAMILY RECORD OF ISAAC WISEMAN, OF VIRGINIA.

Joseph Wiseman, born March 29^th 1759.
John Wiseman, born August 18^th, 1760.
Sarah Wiseman, born July 17^th, 1762.
Isaac Wiseman, born June 19^th, 1764.
Jacob Wiseman, born January 12^th, 1767.
Rachael Wiseman, born March 1^st, 1769.
Samuel Wiseman, born February 15^th, 1771.
Abner Wiseman, born 1772.
Betsey Wiseman, born 1774.
Peggy Wiseman, born 1777.
William Wiseman, born 1779.

Rachael is my 4th great-grandmother and all the rest are my 4th great-grand uncles and 4th great-grand aunts. Does a WISEMAN family Bible still exist today with the dates found in this derivative source?

The many men named Isaac WISEMAN

According to Robert N. WISEMAN, a historian of the Wiseman Family Association, the Isaac WISEMAN situation gets a bit confusing when it comes to how Isaac WISEMAN’s name is seen in family genealogies. Shortly after B.W.S. published his book in 1908 he discovered that Isaac WISEMAN (1738-1818) who he considered “Isaac I” had a father whose name was also Isaac. [I believe I’ve found how he made the discovery and will discuss this in a moment.] The Wiseman Family Association decided to dub the father “Isaac Sr.”⁴ One of Robert’s lines goes through Isaac Sr., Isaac I, Isaac II, Isaac III.

Personally, I believe it would be more helpful to consider the men by the year they were born as no records are to be found with the suffixes I, II, or III. I’ve opted to refer to my 5th great-grandfather as Isaac WISEMAN 1738 instead of Isaac I. His father will be considered Isaac the elder or Isaac Sr. as no year of birth is known.

As noted previously, historians of the Wiseman Family Association have been researching the family and sharing their information. The research notes and part of The Story of a Wiseman by Robert Dean WISEMAN (1933-2015) can be found here: Bob Wiseman Research. He included different steps taken to gather information and prove events as well as marking unproven or questionable information as such. Mr. Wiseman and the researchers he worked with spent years putting the information together. It would take a lifetime to check and follow-up on the research.

Many entries on tax lists for Berks County for Isaac Wiseman are listed by year and township in Bob’s research. I recently found the Tax Lists, 1752-1856 for Berks County, Pennsylvania are available online at FamilySearch. They are not indexed and browse-only. With the years and townships given in Robert D. Wiseman’s research notes, I may be able to locate some of these. A to-do item for a later date as it should be thorough and not restricted to locating the records already found. What if something important to the timeline has been missed?

Isaac WISEMAN (1738-1818) and Elizabeth DAVIS (1738-1807)

Isaac’s oldest son Joseph (1759-1836) applied for a pension in 1832 for his service during the Revolutionary War.⁵ He stated he “was born in the year 1759 in the County of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, as he has read the record of it in his Father’s bible, from which he recorded it in his own bible which is now in his possession.” After his death in 1836 and his widow’s death in 1842, his son Samuel applied for pension money on behalf of himself and his surviving siblings in 1847. He submitted his father’s family record with the dates of birth and date for my 5th great-grandparents Elizabeth DAVIS and Isaac WISEMAN.

In Joseph’s hand, as copied from his father Isaac’s Bible, “Elisabeth Wiseman daughter to Samuel Davis was born August 26th 1738 and Decst (deceased) July 19th 1807.”

Pages of Joseph Wiseman’s family Bible found in his Revolutionary War Pension Application file.

Also, “Isaac Wiseman son to Isaac and Marey Wiseman was born August 18, 1738 and Decest (deceased) May the 3 in 1818.”

Pages of Joseph Wiseman’s family Bible found in his Revolutionary War Pension Application file.

The above images are only two of the five images from the family Bible included in the file. The pension file also includes correspondence dated 1911 from B.W.S. WISEMAN requesting copies of the entire file. As Joseph’s family record gives the names of the parents of Elizabeth and Isaac, I believe this is the source that led to B.W.S.’s discovery that Isaac WISEMAN 1738’s father was also an Isaac.

Samuel DAVIS, father-in-law of Isaac 1738

Only the name of Elizabeth’s father is known from the family record submitted by his grandson Samuel (son of Joseph). Even with the maiden name, a marriage record of Isaac WISEMAN and Elizabeth DAVIS has not been found. It is assumed they married before the birth of their oldest child in 1759.

Isaac and Mary WISEMAN, parents of Isaac 1738

The maiden name of Isaac 1738’s mother Mary is unproven although some genealogists report it to be MARSHALL. While writing this, I have pruned the tree, removing John MARSHALL as the father of Mary and now showing her name as Mary _____.

Isaac 1738’s father Isaac, according to an old family traditional story, was born aboard a ship en route to America. Two dates are often noted: 1699 and about 1706. The first – 1699 – is from the theory that the father of Isaac the elder came over with William Penn on the Canterbury Merchant in 1699. No known passenger list exists for the ship. The second – about 1706 – is from the theory that Isaac the elder was the son of Thomas WISEMAN first seen in Germantown, Philadelphia County in 1706 when he purchased land from Matthias Van Bebber. Professional genealogists were hired by the Wiseman Family Association to obtain records but neither theory has been proven.

Isaac WISEMAN, the father of Isaac 1738, left Berks County around 1768 and was first seen on a tax list in Rowan County, North Carolina, in 1772.⁶ He bought land in Rowan County in 1778 and left it to his heirs in his will in 1779.⁷,⁸ His widow Mary left a will written 28 December 1790 and proven 10 November 1791⁹,¹⁰ as well as an inventory dated February 1792.¹¹ Although Isaac and Mary named some of their children in their wills, they did not mention Isaac.

The daughters of Isaac WISEMAN 1738 and Elizabeth DAVIS

Isaac and Elizabeth were the parents of eleven children born between 1759 and 1779. Much is known of their seven sons’ lines as they were looked into by the great-grandsons. Neither of the authors of the early genealogies of the WISEMAN family knew much of the four daughters.

From the brief sketch of the WISEMAN family it is knows that the family was in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Rockbridge County, Virginia. Sarah, the oldest, married in Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1782 where she and her husband James BARLEY raised their children.¹²

The next oldest daughter, Rachel also married in Rockbridge County. She married Frederick HONAKER in 1795.¹³ It was a second marriage for Frederick and Rachel brought a 10-year-old daughter into the marriage. Rachel and Frederick went with her parents and siblings to Greenbrier County around 1797-1798. They settled in the area that would become Monroe County in 1799. Rachel and Frederick raised their family in Monroe and are buried in the Rehoboth Church Cemetery where her parents are also said to be buried.

Elizabeth married John BLANTON in 1798 in Greenbrier County.¹⁴ They went to Kentucky where her brothers Abner and Jacob had also gone.

The youngest daughter Margaret, also known as Peggy, married Bartholomew RAMSEY in 1799 in Monroe County.¹⁵,¹⁶ They raised their family in Nicholas County and Fayette County when it was formed in 1831.

Now that I know where the information found in so many family trees is coming from, I have a better feel of what I can work on to leave a documented history of my 5th great-grandparents Isaac WISEMAN 1738 and Elizabeth DAVIS.

It would be awesome if someone reading this post would reach out to me with more information, especially on Elizabeth DAVIS during Women’s History Month.

© 2020, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.

---

1. Dr. Benjamin Winfield Scott Wiseman, Wiseman genealogy and biography, digital images of original, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/163120-wiseman-genealogy-and-biography : accessed 12 February 2020), FL52150_TN-1474326, digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2008 [originally published: Culver, Indiana, 1910] ↩
2. C. M. L. Wiseman, The Wiseman Family and the Old Church at New Salem : a brief sketch, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/57919-the-wiseman-family-and-the-old-church-at-new-salem-a-brief-sketch : accessed 12 February 2020), FL1103481_TN-76231, digitized by FamilySearch International, 2013, [originally published: Columbus, Ohio : Fred J. Heer, 1902], p. 7-8. ↩
3. Ibid., p. 23-24. ↩
4. Robert N. Wiseman, Senior Historian of the Wiseman Family Association, comment posted 3 February 2020 in the Nicholas County WV Genealogy group on Facebook and personal message conversation between Robert and Cathy on 24-25 February 2020. ↩
5. “Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database and images, Ancestry.com, citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls. Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C. Images of the papers in the Revolutionary War file of Joseph Wiseman including images of family bible pages with the names and dates of birth and death of his parents. ↩
6. Bob Wiseman Research. ↩
7. “North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998,” index and images, Ancestry, North Carolina County, District and Probate Courts, Wills and estate papers (Rowan County), 1663-1978, North Carolina, Rowan County, Original wills, Verble, Daniel – Zimmerman, Christian, file of Isaac Wiseman. (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 June 2019). ↩
8. Ibid., North Carolina, Rowan County, Wills, Vol A-F, 1757-1807, Isaac Wiseman, page 184. (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 June 2019). ↩
9. “North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998,” North Carolina, Rowan County, Original wills, Verble, Daniel – Zimmerman, Christian, file of Mary Wiseman. (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 June 2019). ↩
10. “North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970,” Rowan > Wills, 1781-1791, Vol. B > image 94+95 of 230, Will of Mary Wiseman, pages 179-181. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S7WF-3Q9C-79?cc=1867501&wc=32LR-7M3%3A169928201%2C170967101 : accessed 6 March 2020). ↩
11. “North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979,” database with images, FamilySearch, citing State Archives, Raleigh., Rowan County > W > Wiseman, Mary (1792) > image 2 of 3. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PPC-9MZF?cc=1911121&wc=Q6W1-9GT%3A184173301%2C183410401%2C198415701 : accessed 6 March 2020). ↩
12. Dodd,Jordan,  Virginia, Marriages, 1660-1800, [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997. Original data: Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Virginia. ↩
13. Ibid. ↩
14. West Virginia Vital Research Records Project (database and images), West Virginia Division of Culture and History (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 http://www.wvculture.org/vrr), West Virginia, Greenbrier, Jno. Blanton and Eliza. 1797/9 (1798), left page, last entry. (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=10970066&Type=Marriage : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
15. Ibid., Monroe County, 1799, Margaret Wiseman and Bartholomey Ramsey. 1799 Marriage Bond. (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11370451&Type=Marriage : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
16. Ibid., Monroe County, 22 October 1799, Margaret Wiseman and Bartholomey Ramsey. 1799 Marriage Record. (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11369649&Type=Marriage : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩

Wowsers! Ancestry Fixed My ThruLines

Last Sunday I gave feedback to Ancestry on my ThruLines™. As I was writing the feedback message I realized it might be good material for a blog post. At the end of the feedback message, I let them know I might use it in a post.

Dear Ancestry, My Feedback on the Step Relationship Bug in ThruLines sat around in my drafts until Wednesday. I took a few moments to check my ThruLines™ as I’ve done every few days since they came out – getting more and more irritated.

Wowsers! Those ugly grrr!! images I’d added to my great-grandfather’s step-mother and all of her ancestors are missing.

Could it be Ancestry took my feedback into consideration and got the step-relationships fixed? Had they been ready to roll out a fix before or after I sent my feedback? Does it matter? Well, yes, I would like to know why it happened so quickly following the feedback I gave. I want to know if this step relationship bug in the ThruLines™ was solved for everyone or just for me.

Screenshot courtesy of Ancestry

I’m seeing Milla Susan PETERS as my great-great-grandmother. I’ve been hoping to see her ever since they gave me Nancy Elizabeth JOHNSON, the 2nd wife of Gordon Washington ROOP, as a potential 2nd-great-grandmother showing half-cousins as full cousins.

Why, you ask, was I so excited about one ancestor being corrected? One right ancestor means I should be seeing her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents in my ThruLines™. All of these ancestors are from lines with many descendants who have had their DNA tested.

Screenshot courtesy of Ancestry

Although Milla Susan’s ThruLines shows only two DNA matches, the next generations have many more matches:

• 107 DNA matches through Jordan N. PETERS (father of Milla Susan)
• 33 DNA matches through Rachel PROFFITT (mother of Milla Susan)
• 68 DNA matches through Zachariah PETERS (father of Jordan)
• 129 DNA matches through Kesiah LIVELY (mother of Jordan)
• 113 DNA matches through David PROFFITT (father of Rachel)
• 110 DNA matches through Sarah COCKRAM (mother of Rachel)
• 123 DNA matches through Joseph LIVELY (father of Kesiah)
• 128 DNA matches through Mary L. CASH (mother of Kesiah)
• 97 DNA matches through Augustine “Austin” PROFFITT (father of David)
• 97 DNA matches through Elizabeth “Betsy” ROBERTSON (mother of David)
• 231 DNA matches through Edward COCKRAM (father of Sarah)
• 232 DNA matches through Mary WORTHAM (mother of Sarah)

It’ll take time to confirm each match is a descendant of the ancestor he/she is listed under as the lines down are only as reliable as the trees ThruLines™ uses to make the connection. The large number of matches for the PETERS, LIVELY, PROFFITT, and COCKRAM lines was expected due to the families being large and having many descendants.

But wait! Not only was the step-relationship corrected for Milla Susan PETERS, but I am now seeing  <<drumroll>>

Screenshot courtesy of Ancestry

William A. W. DEMPSEY and Sarah Ann WOOD as my 2nd great-grandparents. They’ve been missing from the ThruLines™ since they came out.

Screenshot courtesy of Ancestry

William is my most frustrating brick wall. Sarah Ann’s branch and all matches associated with it are very important. I hope they will help me to sort out all the matches for her side.  This would leave only matches which will point to William’s unknown parents and ancestry. At least that is the way I believe it should work. ThruLines™ is showing potential parents for him which I cannot accept at this time.

Sarah Ann WOOD’s ancestry is bringing in many matches which will also have to be verified.

• 41 DNA matches through William A. W. DEMPSEY.
• 45 DNA matches through Sarah Ann WOOD (wife of William A. W.)
• 87 DNA matches through Elijah WOOD (father of Sarah Ann)
• 93 DNA matches through Rachel HONAKER (mother of Sarah Ann)
• 92 DNA matches through William WOOD (father of Elijah)
• 90 DNA matches through Mary Ann McGRAW (mother of Elijah)
• 162 DNA matches through Frederick HONAKER (father of Rachel)
• 154 DNA matches through Rachel WISEMAN (mother of Rachel)
• 70 DNA matches through Bailey WOOD (father of William)
• 95 DNA matches through Nancy _____ (mother of William)
• 147 DNA matches through Martin McGRAW (father of Mary Ann)
• 109 DNA matches through Margaret “Polly” _____ (mother of Mary Ann)
• 173 DNA matches through Hans Jacob HONEGGER (father of Frederick)
• 30 DNA matches through Maria GOETZ (mother of Frederick)
• 202 DNA matches through Isaac WISEMAN (father of Rachel)
• 204 DNA matches through Elizabeth DAVIS (mother of Rachel)

Another New Feature

Screenshot courtesy of Ancestry

ThruLines™ are now connected to the tree linked to a DNA test. On the pedigree view of the tree, there is now a DNA symbol in on the left to turn on this feature which adds a little blue ThruLines™ icon next to the ancestors’ names. William, Sarah, and Milla are ThruLines™ ancestors but in the pedigree view above they haven’t been updated. I discovered this about the same time my ThruLines™ were fixed on Wednesday.

Did the feedback I sent on Sunday to Ancestry on the ThruLines™ help them to get this fixed? I will likely never know. But I believe this was a lesson in giving the best feedback possible to help the team to get ThruLines™ working correctly. As I wrote in my feedback to them, ThruLines™ could be a powerful tool.

© 2019, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.

52 Ancestors: #33 Rachel WISEMAN 1769-bet. 1821-1824

“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 #33 in Amy Johnson Crow’s Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

#33 Rachel WISEMAN 1769-bet. 1821-1824

My 4th great-grandmother Rachel WISEMAN was born on 1 March 1769 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. She was the 6th child of Isaac WISEMAN (1738-1818) and Elizabeth DAVIS (1738-1807).

Isaac WISEMAN and Elizabeth DAVIS, both born in August 1738 in Berks County, were married about 1758, most likely in that county. They were the parents of 11 known children all born in Berks County, Pennsylvania:¹

1. 1. Joseph (1759-1836) born 29 Mar 1759
   2. John (1760-1842) born 18 Aug 1760
   3. Sarah (1762-aft. 1841) born 17 Jul 1762
   4. Isaac (1764-1852) born 19 Jun 1764
   5. Jacob (1767-1839) born 12 Jan 1767
   6. Rachel (1769-bef. 1824) born 1 Mar 1769
   7. Samuel (1771-1861) born 15 Feb 1771
   8. Abner (1772-1830) born abt. 1772
   9. Elizabeth (1774-1830s) born abt. 1774
   10. Margaret (1777-1869) born abt. 1777
   11. William (1779-1842) born 6 May 1779

WISEMAN Family and the American Revolutionary War

Rachel was six when the American Revolutionary War began on 19 April 1775. By this time Isaac and Elizabeth had nine children aged between 1 and 16.

In August 1776 Rachel’s oldest brother Joseph WISEMAN was drafted in the first militia that went out of Berks County. This was only the beginning as can be seen in the declaration of service given by Joseph D. WISEMAN in 1832 at the age of 73 to obtain his Revolutionary War pension.²,³ His pension file includes the family records that his son Samuel submitted in 1847 when he applied for pension money on behalf of himself and his siblings as their parents were both deceased. These papers show the dates of birth and death of Rachel’s parents Isaac WISEMAN and Elizabeth DAVIS.

Elisabeth Wiseman daughter to Samuel Davis was born August 26th, 1838 and died July 19th, 1807.

Isaac Wiseman son to Isaac and Nancy Wiseman was born August 18, 1738 and died May the 3 in 1818.

WISEMAN Family Moves from Pennsylvania to Virginia

Family tradition is that Isaac and his brood, both married and single, left Berks County, Pennsylvania, and went up the Shenandoah Valley to Rockingham County, Virginia. In his declaration, Joseph states that he lived in Rockingham County, Virginia, about 10 years before moving in 1794 to Greenbrier County [the area which would later be Monroe County, West Virginia].

By the end of the war on 14 January 1784, the family had increased to 11 children, the oldest son Joseph and the oldest daughter Sarah were married. The marriage record for Sarah shows that she married on 3 November 1782 in Rockingham County. This would suggest that the WISEMANs made their move in 1782 [or earlier] and Joseph may have followed them only after he married his second wife.

Marriages of the WISEMAN siblings

1782 – Sib 1: Joseph D. WISEMAN married(1) Susannah MANLY abt. 1782 in Berks County, Pennsylvania

1782 – Sib 3: Sarah WISEMAN married James BARLEY on 3 November 1782 in Rockingham County, Virginia⁴

1785 – Sib 1: Joseph D. WISEMAN married(2) Elizabeth BATEMAN on 10 February 1785 in Robeson (Rabbesin) Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania⁵ (location confirmed by son Samuel)

1786 – Sib 2: John WISEMAN married Sarah GREEN on 10 May 1786 in Rockingham County, Virginia⁶

1790 – Sib 4: Isaac WISEMAN married Mary Magdalene ARMENTROUT on 9 August 1790 in Rockingham County, Virginia [record not located]

???? – Sib 5: Jacob WISEMAN married Rachael _____. She is listed as his wife in his will in 1839 and seen in the 1840 census as the head of the household.

1795 -Rachel WISEMAN married Frederick HONAKER on 28 September 1795 in Rockingham County, Virginia⁷ (The marriage bond, per an article in the Honaker Family Newsletter, was recorded in Shenandoah County. Shenandoah bonds on FamilySearch were browsed 6 August 2022 and the record was not found.)

1797 – Sib 7: Samuel WISEMAN married Polly BOWYER on 10 May 1797 in Rockingham County, Virginia⁸

1798 – Sib 9: Elizabeth WISEMAN married John BLANTON on 9 August 1798 in Greenbrier County, (West) Virginia⁹

1799 – Sib 10: Margaret WISEMAN married Bartholomew RAMSEY on 21 October 1799 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia¹⁰, ¹¹

1800 – Sib 8: Abner WISEMAN married Isabel BLANTON on 18 February 1800 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia¹², ¹³

1801 – Sib 11: William WISEMAN married Polly RAMSEY on 22 Oct 1801 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia¹⁴, ¹⁵

1804 – Sib 11: William WISEMAN married Phebe KILBURN on 31 January 1804 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia [record not located]

Rachel WISEMAN Marries Frederick HONAKER

As seen above the marriage of Rachel WISEMAN and Frederick HONAKER took place in 1795 in Rockingham County and the marriage bond was recorded in Shenandoah County as follows:

Know all men, by their presents, that we Frederick Conickor and Isaac Wiseman are held and firmly bound unto his Excellency Robert Brooke, Esquire, Governor of Virginia, and his Successors, in the sum of one hundred fifty dollars to the payment whereof, well and truly to be made, we do bind ourselves, our heirs, and each of our joint and several heirs, executors and administrators, jointly and severally firmly by their presence, felled with our feats, and dated the 24th day of September 1795 in the 24th year of the Commonwealth. The condition of the above Obligation is such, that whereas there is a Marriage suddenly to be solomized between the above bound Frederick Coniker and Rachel Wiseman, daughter of Isaac Wiseman of Rockingham County; if therefore there shall be no lawful cause to object of said Marriage, then this obligation be void, otherwise to remain in full force and virtue.
Witness: M. Gambill. Signed Frederick Honaker, Isaac Wiseman
[Source: Honaker Family Newsletter]

Rachel and Frederick Had 8 Known Children

• Ch 1: Isaac Morgan (1796-1885) born Bet.1796-1799
• Ch 2: Elizabeth “Betsy” (1797- ) born Bet. 1797-1800
• Ch 3: Margaret “Peggy” (1798-1879) born Abt 1798
• Ch 4: Rachel (1804-1860) born Abt 1804
• Ch 5: Sarah (1805-1862) born Bet. 1805-1806
• Ch 6: Anna (1806-1873) born 10 Sep 1806
• Ch 7: Letty (1810-1825) born Aft 1810
• Ch 8: Frederick Styrus (1810-1836) born Aft 1810

As Rachel lived with her husband Frederick in Monroe County, (West) Virginia, following their marriage until her death, her children were most likely all born in that county. Estimated years of birth were calculated after analysis of the pre-1850 censuses for children who did not live to be seen in 1850 and later censuses.

Many changes took place in Rachel’s life. She gave Frederick six children before her mother Elizabeth DAVIS died on 19 July 1807. Rachel had two more children following the 1810 census. Her father Isaac WISEMAN died 3 May 1818. Isaac and Elizabeth spent the rest of their days in Monroe County and were buried in the Old Rehoboth Churchyard near Union, the county seat. Three of their children, Abner, Jacob and Elizabeth who married John Blanton went to Kentucky; Samuel, John, and Isaac II went to Ohio; Sarah who married James Barley remained in Rockingham County, Virginia; Joseph, William, and Margaret, who married Bartholomew Ramsey, and Rachel, who married Frederick Honaker, stayed in West Virginia.

Following the 1820 census Rachel saw her oldest son Isaac Morgan HONAKER marry Rebecca Ann SAMS (1799-1860) on 28 October 1820 in Monroe County.¹⁶, ¹⁷

The next two marriages in the HONAKER house were those of Betsy and Peggy. As we do not know the exact date of Rachel’s death, she may or may not have seen these daughters marrying.

Elizabeth “Betsy” HONAKER married William SANDERS (1795- ) on 17 January 1822 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia.¹⁸, Betsy’s half-brother John HONAKER went bond with William SANDERS on 15 January 1822 in Monroe.¹⁹

Margaret “Peggy” HONAKER married Alexander CAMPBELL (1798-1881) on 30 Oct 1823 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia.²⁰ Peggy’s brother Isaac HONAKER went bond with Alexander CAMPBELL on the 20 October 1823.²¹

Rachel was the first of the WISEMAN children to pass away. She died between 1 April 1821 and December 1824 in Monroe County.²² She predeceased her husband Frederick HONAKER who died about December 1824 in Monroe County.²³

Three of Rachel’s daughters married within the year following Frederick’s death:

Rachel HONAKER married Elijah WOOD (1806-1885) on 4 January 1825 in Nicholas County, (West) Virginia.²⁴

Sarah HONAKER married Thomas J. REYNOLDS (1785- ) on 3 March 1825 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia.²⁵ Thomas went bond with Dudley G. Reade.²⁶

Anna HONAKER married Owen DUFFY (1800-1867) on 1 Sep 1825 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia.²⁷

The Burial Place of Rachel’s Parents

The log structure that was named Rehoboth was constructed in 1786 on land donated by Edward KEENAN. In 1788 the first American Methodist bishop, Francis ASBURY, preached the dedication service. In 1796 he ordained Frederick’s brother-in-law John WISEMAN as a Methodist minister. Nearly 50 years after Frederick HONAKER joined his parents-in-law in the grounds surrounding Old Rehoboth, a new meeting house was constructed. The old log relic lay abandoned for another half-century until it was restored in 1927. Another 30 years later a shed was constructed to further preserve the structure.

Robert N. Wiseman, the Senior Historian of the Wiseman Family Association, gave me permission to use this photo of the church taken in 1934 before the “shed” was added.

Old Rehoboth Methodist Church, near Union, WV — Oldest existing Protestant church west of the Alleghany Mountains. Left to right: Cousin Ambrose SLAGLE, Uncle Ernest Newton WISEMAN, Grandpa John Newton WISEMAN. Their ancestors Isaac WISEMAN I and Elizabeth (Davis) WISEMAN (my 4th great grandparents) are buried near the right back corner of the church. Submitted by : Robert Newton Wiseman, Wiseman Family Association. Photo courtesy of Robert N. Wiseman, used with permission.

And this is what the building looked like 70 years later when Irene Warner and her husband took her parents to visit the cemetery and meeting house.

Old Rehoboth Meeting House near Union, Monroe County, West Virginia. Courtesy of Irene (Rose) Warner (Find A Grave Contributor #46586932)

After giving me permission to use her photos Irene sent more with this explanation: “I have attached pictures of the inside of the church.  It was so special to get to see this old building in its original shape – very small inside; but it had a balcony…..[in this picture at the bottom and on the balcony are what] look like flat boards or similar; unfortunately, cameras didn’t do 3-dimensional pictures.  They are pictures of the LOG seats – a log was split in half; a person sat on the inside part of the seat, the bark was at the bottom; there are “peg legs” on the logs.  I’ll bet there weren’t too many long sermons in that church….don’t know how anyone could sit very long on a seat that hard…..”

Old Rehoboth Meeting House near Union, Monroe County, West Virginia. Courtesy of Irene (Rose) Warner (Find A Grave Contributor #46586932)

Balcony in Old Rehoboth Meeting House near Union, Monroe County, West Virginia. Courtesy of Irene (Rose) Warner (Find A Grave Contributor #46586932)

Outside walls of Old Rehoboth Meeting House near Union, Monroe County, West Virginia. Courtesy of Irene (Rose) Warner (Find A Grave Contributor #46586932)

A New Discovery – What Do You Think?

Working my way back on my paternal line has me looking at things that I haven’t worked on in a long time. In the case of the HONAKER and WISEMAN lines, I never really went in and checked on all the census and vital records for collateral lines. Both families have associations with historians who are keeping track of these families and updating as new information is uncovered. The list of Rachel’s siblings grew and then shrunk as I checked and checked for supporting records while writing.

I thought I’d found another child for Rachel’s parents but she turned out to be a granddaughter.

When Rachel WISEMAN married Frederick HONAKER on 28 September 1795 Rachel brought Edith, her 10 years old daughter, into the marriage.

Supporting documentation? I don’t have three sources for every event but I’d say, “Yes!”

On 23 May 1803, in Monroe County, Frederick HONAKER went bond with Seth BOGGESS for the marriage of Edith WISEMAN to Seth.²⁸ Edith and Seth were married on 9 June 1803 in Monroe by John WISEMAN.²⁹ I did not find a permission slip from her parents.

After finding the marriage I searched for the couple/family in the census, found them in 1820 and 1830, and then hit a dead end. As a last resort, I searched the internet for possible queries about the couple. An old GenForum posting³⁰ helped me locate the death record of Edith BOGGESS. I had been so focused on trying to locate the entire family in the census that I didn’t check for her death record.

On 5 February 1857 in Monroe County Edith BOGGESS died of cancer at the age of 72 years and 1 day. She was the daughter of Rachel WISEMAN (no father listed) and the consort of Seth BOGGESS. The informant was Wm SMITH, a relative.³¹

Further research shows that William SMITH was Edith’s son-in-law, the husband of her daughter Elizabeth.³² Per Edith’s death record she was born in Monroe and the date of birth can be calculated as 4 February 1785. The place of birth is not reliable as Monroe wasn’t formed until 1799. Her birth would have taken place about the time that the WISEMAN family came down the Shenandoah Valley to Rockingham. At this time, the only Rachel WISEMAN in the area who would have been old enough to have a child was Isaac and Elizabeth’s daughter Rachel who would turn 16 on 1 March 1785.

Would you agree that my 4th great-grandmother Rachel WISEMAN was the mother of an illegitimate daughter? Please leave a comment telling me what you think.

This Post was Updated on 14 August 2022: Missing source citations were added, images were scaled, and some corrections were made to the text and format.

© 2014–2022, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.

---

1. C. M. L. Wiseman, The Wiseman Family and the Old Church at New Salem : a brief sketch, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/57919-the-wiseman-family-and-the-old-church-at-new-salem-a-brief-sketch : accessed 12 February 2020), FL1103481_TN-76231, digitized by FamilySearch International, 2013, [originally published: Columbus, Ohio : Fred J. Heer, 1902], pg. 24, Family Record of Isaac Wiseman of Virginia, includes the dates of birth or year of birth for all of the known children. ↩
2. “Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database and images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1995/), citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls. Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C., Joseph Wiseman and Elizabeth, file number R11741 (accessed 11 February 2020). ↩
3. “Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters,” RevWarApps.org (online database http://www.revwarapps.org/), Pension Application of Joseph Wiseman (R11741) Elizabeth Wiseman NC PA, transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris, revised 3 March 2015. (http://www.revwarapps.org/r11741.pdf : accessed 12 February 2020). ↩
4. Dodd, Jordan. Virginia, Marriages, 1660-1800 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997. Original data: Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Virginia. ↩
5. Pennsylvania Church Records – Adams, Berks, and Lancaster Counties, 1729-1881 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: Extracted from microfilmed transcriptions of the original church records. The microfilmed records are located at the Family History Library. ↩
6. Dodd, Jordan. Virginia, Marriages, 1660-1800 ↩
7. “Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940,” database with images, FamilySearch, FHL Film Number: 7579045, Rockingham County (Virginia) County Clerk, Marriage register (ministers’ returns), 1791-1852, Item 2, image 84 of 520, page 11, entry 8, Fred Coniker and Rachel Wiseman, 28 Sep 1795. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89XF-296G-D?i=83 : accessed 6 August 2022). ↩
8. Ibid., FHL Film Number: 7579045, Rockingham County (Virginia) County Clerk, Marriage register (ministers’ returns), 1791-1852, Item 2, image 82 of 520, page 8, entry 8, Samuel Wiseman and Polly Bowyer, 10 May 1797. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99XF-29DK-D?i=81 : accessed 12 August 2022). ↩
9. 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 595040, image 11, Greenbrier County minister returns, Jno. Blanton and Eliza. 1797/9 (1798), left page, last entry. (http://images.wvculture.org/595040/00011.jpg : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
10. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710517, image 1380, Bartholomew Ramsey and John Wiseman went bond on 21 Oct 1799 in Monroe for the marriage of Margaret Wiseman and Bartholomey Ramsey. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710517/01380.jpg : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
11. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710516, image 1167, minister’s return by John Wiseman, page 1, 22 Oct 1799 Bartholomey Ramsey to Margaret Wiseman. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710516/01167.jpg : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
12. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710517, image 1405, Abner Wiseman and William Blanton went bond on 17 Feb 1800 in Monroe County for the marriage of Abner Wiseman and Isabel Blanton. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710517/01405.jpg : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
13. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710516, image 1168, Monroe County minister returns, page 3, entry 13, 18 Feb 1800, Abner Wiseman and Isabel Blanton married by John Wiseman. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710516/01168.jpg : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
14. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710518, image 116, William Wiseman and John Ramsey went bond on 17 Oct 1801 in Monroe for the marriage of William Wiseman and Mary Ramsey. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710518/00116.jpg : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
15. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710516, image 1169, Monroe County minister returns, page 6, entry 3, 22 Oct 1801, William Wiseman and Polly Ramsey married by John Wiseman. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710516/01169.jpg : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
16. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710519, image 1427, 28 Oct 1820 Isaac Honiker and Saml Sams went bond for the marriage of Isaac Honiker and Rebecca Sams. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710519/01427.jpg : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
17. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710516, image 1195, 9th entry, 31 Oct 1820, Isaac Honicker and Rebecca Sams. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710516/01195.jpg : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
18. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710516, image 1350, Monroe County minister returns, entry 2, Jas Christy married Wm Sanders to Betsy Honicker on 17 Jan 1822. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710516/01350.jpg : accessed 11 August 2014). ↩
19. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710519, image 1837, William Sanders of John Honicker went bond on 15 Jan 1822 in Monroe for the marriage of William Sanders and Betsy Honicker. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710519/01837.jpg : accessed 11 August 2014). ↩
20. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710516, image 1352, Monroe County minister’s return, 4th entry, 30 Oct 1823, Margaret Honicker and Alexander Campbell, married by James Christy. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710516/01352.jpg : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
21. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710520, image 10, Alexander Campbell and Isaac Honicker went bond 20 Oct 1823 in Monroe County for the marriage of Alexander Campell and Margaret Honicker. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710520/00010.jpg : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
22. Monroe County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court, “Deed book, 1789-1901; deed index, 1789-1969,” database with images, FamilySearch, citing microfilm of original records at the Monroe County courthouse, Union., Deed book, v. F-G 1814-1823, images 547 of 651, Deed Book G, page 415, 31 March 1821, Frederick Honiker and wife Rachel to Hugh Caperton and Henry Alexander 13 acres in Monroe near Rehoboth Meeting House . (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKV-G3X7-7?i=546&cat=98998 : accessed 7 August 2022). ↩
23. “West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971,” database with images, FamilySearch, digital images of originals housed at local county courthouse in West Virginia, Monroe > Will book, v. 002 1819-1829 > image 149+150 of 295 > page 255-257, Last Will and Testament of Frederick Honaker presented in December Court 1824 and proven. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-HRS3-Z?cc=1909099&wc=M6DN-B38%3A179686801%2C179709801 : accessed 17 August 2014. ↩
24. WVCulture.org, West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 495643, image 130, West Virginia, Re-Index and Copy of Marriage Record No. 1–Nicholas County, line 6, 4 Jan 1925, Elijah Wood and Rachel Hannaker, married by Jno Campbell, citing Nicholas County. (http://images.wvculture.org/495643/00130.jpg : accessed 25 April 2013). ↩
25. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710516, image 1351, Monroe County minister return, 3 March 1825 Thomas Reynolds and Sally Honeker married by Jas. Christy. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710516/01351.jpg : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
26. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710520, image 401, Thomas J. Reynolds and Dudley G. Reed went bond on 3 March 1825 in Monroe for the marriage of Thomas Reynolds and Sally Honeker. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710520/00401.jpg : accessed 12 February 2020). ↩
27. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710520, image 491, Owen Duffy and Will Spotswood went bond for the marriage of Owen Duffy and Ann Honiker 1 Sep 1825 in Monroe County. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710520/00491.jpg : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
28. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710518, image 414, Seth Boggess and Frederick Honaker went bond on 23 May 1803 (27th year of the Commonwealth) in Monroe County for the marriage of Seth Boggess and Edith Wiseman. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710518/00414.jpg : accessed 12 August 2014). ↩
29. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710516, image 1171, Monroe County minister’s return, 1803 entry 3, 9 Jun 1803, Seth Boggess and Edith Wiseman. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710516/01171.jpg : accessed 12 February 2020). ↩
30. GenForum, Wiseman Surname Forum, message 824, Re: Edith Wiseman b. 1780 PA or VA by Patricia Boggess 10 January 2001. (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/wiseman/824/ : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
31. WVCulture.org, West Virginia Deaths, 1804-1999, FHL microfilm 589915, image 17, Monroe County Register of Deaths, page 13, line 6, Edith Bogess, born abt. 1785, died 5 Feb 1857 in Wolf Creek, 72 years 1 day, married, mother Rachel Wiseman, spouse Seth Boggess. (http://images.wvculture.org/589915/00017.jpg : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
32. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710879, image 466, William Smith and Seth Boggess went bond on 17 Sep 1832 in Monroe County for the marriage of William Smith and Elizabeth Boggess. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710879/00466.jpg : accessed 12 February 2020). ↩

52 Ancestors: #32 Did Frederick HONAKER Use An Alias?

“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 #32 in Amy Johnson Crow’s Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

#32 Did Frederick HONAKER Use An Alias?

My fourth great-grandfather, Frederick HONAKER’s father Hans Jacob HONEGGER emigrated from Switzerland to America in 1749. Hans Jacob left Switzerland with his young wife and one-year-old son. Both perished at sea and Hans Jacob arrived alone in Philadelphia.¹

Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

Frederick HONAKER was born about 1757 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, to Hans Jacob HONEGGER (1718-1796) and his second wife Maria GOETZ (1737-1805). At the time of Frederick’s birth, his parents had been married for four years and had two sons, Jacob (1755) and Henry (1756).

Frederick County, Maryland

Around 1758 Frederick’s father moved the family to Frederick County, Maryland. Hans Jacob leased 56 acres of land owned by Lord Baltimore at Mount Pleasant on 16 March 1758 for £25.² He brought his land holdings up to 121 acres on 3 December 1761 by adding two adjacent tracts of 51 and 14 acres for £18.³ Not only did he increase his land holdings, but he also increased the size of his family giving Frederick two more brothers, Peter (1762) and Benjamin (1764).

The land was becoming scarce in Frederick County, Maryland, and the 121 acres of land that Frederick’s father had leased would not be enough to support the growing family. The 7-year stopover in Maryland ended when Hans Jacob and Maria executed a deed for the three tracts of land for £108.15 on 20 March 1765 to Frederick Eyson and headed for the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Shenandoah Valley in Virginia

Frederick was eight years old when the family made the move to Frederick County, Virginia. They settled on Passage Creek, at what is now Waterlick, where Hans Jacob bought 97 acres on 2 August 1765. Five more siblings were born: Joseph (1765), Nicholas (1767), Mary (1768), Elizabeth (1769), and Martin (1770). In the early 1770s, Hans Jacob began the lengthy process of acquiring a land grant from Lord Fairfax. Most of this land had been originally surveyed for Lord Fairfax by George Washington. On 5 March 1773, the grant for 121 acres was deeded to him. It adjoined his 97 acres tract and brought his holdings to 218 acres.

Frederick now had seven brothers and two sisters and the family was still growing. In 1772 the area of Frederick County where the HONAKER family was living became Dunmore County. Frederick’s brothers Abraham (1774) and Isaac (1775) and his sister Anna (1777) were born in this new county. In 1778 the name of the county was changed to Shenandoah County.

American Revolutionary War 19 Apr 1775 – 14 Jan 1784

“His [Frederick’s] early adult life involved him in an historic event of great importance to America. At about the same time that General George Washington and the Continental Army were emerging from a terrible winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Gen. George Rogers Clark was dispatched from Virginia with a small military force to break British control in the so-called Northwest Territory in the Illinois countery. Among the 178 recruits were three of Hans Jacob Honaker’s sons, Frederick, Henry, and Peter. Frederick was the first of the brothers to enlist with General Clark on 29 August 1777, in Capt. Thomas Buck’s Dunmore Militia in Woodstock, Dunmore (later Shenandoah) County, Virginia while his brothers enlisted on 1 March 1778. The determined force set out from Redstone on the Monongahela River in the spring of 1778, reaching the present site of Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. It continued marching for six exhausting days to Fort Kaskaskia, Illinois, through tackless wilderness inhabited by hostile Indians, in icy, high waters sometimes up to the men’s shoulders, with rations so short that the men were two days without food.”⁴

I am grateful to the researchers who have worked on the HONAKER family and have left a wealth of information. When no citations are given I cannot take the information at face value without searching for documents that confirm the given history. And this is good since it helps me make new discoveries!

Contrary to the above, I found that Frederick and Henry both enlisted on 29 August 1777. By searching through the “United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783” at FamilySearch, I found the original list of persons who enlisted with Capt. Thomas Buck’s Dunmore Militia.⁵

Frederick Honaker enlisted on August 29.

Henry Honaker enlisted on August 29.

Gen. George Rogers Clark’s Illinois Campaign ended with this dramatic climax:

Illustration of George Rogers Clark’s march to Vincennes in the American Revolutionary War, 1779. The Hero of Vincennes: The Story of George Rogers Clark, by Lowell Thomas 1929. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

“The sudden emergence from this waterlogged wilderness of Clark’s muddy, buckskin-clad warriers, with their flintlock rifles and tomahawks, took the Vincennes garrison so completely by surprise that the fort fell, after a brief struggle. It was one of the most heroic feats of arms ever performed, and it saved Illinois and Kentucky from falling to the British. When the treaty of peace was signed in 1783, Clark’s conquests were the major factor in the award of the entire northwest to the Americans.”⁶

After the Illinois Campaign, Capt. William Harrod spent the winter of 1778-1779 building a town at the Falls of the Ohio River, present-day Louisville. Frederick and Henry HONAKER were listed on this muster roll.⁷

As payment for their services in the Illinois expedition, Frederick, Peter, and Henry each was awarded 108 acres of land in Clark’s grant along the Ohio River in Indiana. They later sold their claims.⁸

Did Frederick HONAKER Use an Alias?

I have a slight problem with the above statement about the three brothers. In William Hayden English’s Conquest of the Country Northwest of the River Ohio, 1778-1783 and Life of Gen. George Rogers Clark I found Henry and Peter received 108 acres each⁹, Henry and P. sold their allotments¹⁰, and Henry and Frederick were on a payroll¹¹. However what has me puzzled is that, while I haven’t seen a list that includes Frederick receiving or selling his 108 acres, I did find the following:¹²

What does “Peter, alias Frederick Honaker” mean? Did Frederick go by the name Peter? Were there only two HONAKER brothers in Capt. Thomas Buck’s Dunmore Militia? If Peter enlisted on 1 March 1778 he would have been only 16 years old.

Frederick Returns Home, Marries, and Begins Raising A Family

Frederick returned to Shenandoah County, Virginia. He married Elizabeth GOLLIDAY (1759-1794) of that county in about 1782. In 1785, Frederick bought 243 acres of land in Rockingham County, Virginia.¹³ In 1788, he was reported to be in Capt. John Ruddell’s Company.¹⁴ In 1790 he was seen on the Rockingham County Tax List as Frederick Honnaken with 4 white souls, 1 dwelling, and 1 other building.

Frederick and Elizabeth had Magdalene, Polly, Jacob (1783), and John (1793) before Elizabeth died. These children were listed, in this order, in a deed executed by themselves with their father Frederick, on 21 July 1812, when they were all residents of Monroe County, (West) Virginia. The deed conveyed their undivided interest in the estate of Jacob GOLLIDAY, Elizabeth’s father, to William Baserman.¹⁵

On 12 August 1795 at the age of 77 years, Frederick’s father Hans Jacob executed his last will and testament.¹⁶ The original will is in a file drawer marked “Wills Etc. 1796-1814-1820” in Bundle 2 in Wythe Courthouse, per Rev. Al Elswick, Honaker Family Association Historian. Hans Jacob had moved to what is now Draper in Pulaski County in 1784. At the time that he lived there, the area was part of the county of Wythe, formed in 1790 from part of old Montgomery County. The will was probated on 10 May 1796 narrowing the time of Hans Jacob’s death to between August 1795 and May 1796.¹⁷

As Hans Jacob’s will was probated in May 1796 it is very likely that he was still living when Frederick remarried in September of 1795, a little over a month after Hans Jacob wrote his will.¹⁸

Frederick Conickor and Isaac Wiseman entered into a bond on 24 September 1795 in Shenandoah County on the marriage of Frederick Coniker and Rachel Wiseman, daughter of Isaac Wiseman of Rockingham County.¹⁹

Frederick’s second wife Rachel WISEMAN (1769-1821) was born on 1 March 1769 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, to Isaac WISEMAN and Elizabeth DAVIS.

From Rockingham County to Monroe County

Following the marriage, Frederick made plans to move his family from Rockingham County to what would become Monroe County in 1799. He bought a farm from Edward KEENAN and his wife Nancy near the Rehoboth Meeting House in the Sinks in Greenbrier County on 26 June 1798. KEENAN and his wife sold 243 acres of land conveyed from Patrick KEENAN and adjoining WISEMAN and SCARBROUGH for 5 shillings to Frederic HONIKER. Witnesses were William TENNIS, John JOHNSON, and John BLANTON.²⁰

As this transaction took place the year before the formation of Monroe County it was recorded in Greenbrier County.

In 1799 “Frederick Honecor” was listed on the first list of personal property owners in Monroe County, the earliest known list of citizens of the newly formed county.²¹

Library of Virginia

In July 1800, Frederick received a land grant of 57 acres on Lick Run adjoining the land of Edward KEENAN and KEENAN’s father’s land. The location of the grant is seen as being in Greenbrier. When the land was surveyed it was “lying and being in” that county. Frederick HONAKER now owned 300 acres in Monroe County.²²

Frederick HONAKER was on the Monroe Voters list in 1800. This was a list of qualified voters for the presidential election on 3 November 1800. It is of interest as suffrage at that time was very much restricted and a voter was a person of some property and consequence.²³

Frederick’s mother Maria GOETZ died about 1805 in Wythe County, Virginia.²⁴

By the time the 1810 census was taken Frederick and his wife Rachel had seven children: Isaac M., Elizabeth B., Margaret P., Sarah, Anna, Letty, and Rachel, my third great-grandmother. The exact order of birth is unknown as birthdates are not known for all of the children. A son Frederick Styrus was born following the census as no male under 10 is seen in the household in 1810.²⁵

1810 U.S. Federal Census
Monroe County, (West) Virginia
Monroe
Name: Fredk Honaker
Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15: 1 (Isaac M.)
Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25:   1 (John H.)
Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over: 1 (Frederick)
Free White Persons – Females – Under 10: 4 (Rachel, Sarah, Anna, Letty)
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15: 2 (Betsey, Margaret)
Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25: 1 (Rachel, range is off)
Number of Household Members Under 16: 7
Number of Household Members Over 25: 1
Number of Household Members: 10

1820 U.S. Federal Census²⁶
Monroe County, Virginia
Peterstown
Sheet No. 171
Frederic Honachar
Free White Persons – Males – Under 10: 3 (Frederick Styrus, 2 grandsons?)
Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25: 1 (Isaac)
Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over: 1 (Frederick)
Free White Persons – Females – Under 10: 3 (Letty, 2 granddaughters?)
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15: 2 (Sarah, Anna)
Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25: 3 (Betsy, Margaret, Rachel)
Free White Persons – Females – 45 and over : 1 (Rachel)
Number of Persons – Engaged in Agriculture: 2
Number of Persons – Engaged in Manufactures: 1
Free White Persons – Under 16: 8
Free White Persons – Over 25: 2
Total Free White Persons: 14
Total All Persons – White, Slaves, Colored, Other: 14

Frederick’s four children from his first marriage were married in 1803, 1808, and 1814.²⁷,²⁸,²⁹,³⁰ The first of his children from his second marriage Isaac Morgan HONAKER married Rebecca Ann Sams (1799-1860) on 28 Oct 1820 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia.³¹

Frederick HONAKER and his wife Rachel sold 13 acres to Hugh Caperton and Henry Alexander “near Rehoboth Meeting House where Honaker lives” on 31 March 1821.³² Frederick died in 1824 without mentioning Rachel in the will he left. Rachel WISEMAN must have died following the land transaction and before Frederick’s will was written on 30 November 1824.

Two of Frederick and Rachel’s girls married before he died: Elizabeth “Betsy” married William SAUNDERS on 15 January 1822 and Margaret “Peggy” married Alexander Campbell on 20 October 1823.³³,³⁴

Frederick HONAKER died about December 1824 and left a will naming all of his children.³⁵

Last Will and Testament of Frederick HONAKER

In the name of God, Amen. I, Frederick Honicker of the Co. of Monroe and state of Virginia being sick in body but of sound and disposing mind, do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner following that is to say. First I will and bequeath unto my beloved son John Honicker sixty acres of land part of the tract of land whereon I now live to be taken off that part of it where the S. John now lives so as to include the house and improvements which he has made, to him and his heirs forever. Second, I will and bequeath unto my son Isaac Honiker all my blacksmith tools of every description to him and his heirs forever. Third, I will and bequeath unto my daughter, Magdaline Cantley the sum of one dollar to be paid her by my executors. Fourth, after my death and after my children all come of the age of twenty one years I desire that the balance of the tract of land whereon I now live be sold by my Executor to the best advantage, and the proceeds thereof I desire to be equally divided between my children to-wit: Mary Davis, Jacob Honicker, Peggy Campbell, Rachel Honicker, Sarah Honicker, Anna Honicker, Letty Honicker, Betsy Saunders, and Frederick Styrus Honicker and until that event takes place I desire that my son John Honicker see to the management of my affairs and take care of the property which may remain on the place for use of such of my children as any choose to live here until the same shall be sold and such of the perishable part of my estate as may (on the sound discretion of my executor) be of use to support my children who may live on the plantation until the same be sold as aforesaid to be kept and supported on the plantation until the period aforesaid, and the balance of the personal property which may not be deemed necessary for the purpose aforesaid by my executor I desire may be sold immediately after my death, and the money arising therefrom after paying my just debts and funeral charges be equally divided between my last mentioned nine children and whenever my land shall be sold as herein before directed, I desire that all the property which may have been kept for the use of my children as aforesaid be sold and the money be equally divided between the aforesaid nine children to-wit: Mary, Jacob, Peggy, Rachel, Sarah, Anna, Letty, Betsy , and Frederick Styrus. Fifth, it is my will and desire that my son Isaac together with my children who now live with me, still continue to live on the plantation as usual and farm the same as they now do until my plantation be sold as I have before directed and the proceeds thereof be enjoyed in common as usual – I also desire my debts and funeral expenses to be paid out of the money arising from the sale of my personal property which may be directed to be sold by my executor Lastly, I do hereby constitute and appoint Richard Shanklin executor of my last will and testament, hereby revoking all other wills by me made and declaring this only to be my true last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 30th day of November 1824. Signed, sealed and ackd. in presence of Charles Keenan, George Whitcomb, and Jno. Hutchinson, Jr. (Frederick signed by mark).
At Monroe Court, December 1824: This last will and testament of Frederick Honiker dec. was presented in Court and proved by the oath of John Hutchinson, Jr. a subscribing witness thereto and the same is continued for further proof.
At Monroe Co., Court, 1825: The last will and testament of Frederick Honiker decd. was further proved by the oaths of Charles Keenan and Geo. Whitcomb two of the subscribing witnesses thereto whereupon the same is ordered to be recorded. (It appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that Richard Shanklin, executor named therein refused to take upon himself the execution thereof and thereupon Hugh Caperton is appointed Admr. with the will annexed, who came into Court and made oath and together with Richard Shanklin his security entered into and acknowledged bond in the penalty of One Thousand dollars, conditioned as the law directed, certificate for attaining probate thereof in due form is granted him.

Before the appraisement of the personal estate of Frederick HONAKER on 18 January 1825³⁶ and sale on 22 January 1825³⁷, his daughter Rachel HONAKER married Elijah WOOD on 4 January 1825 in Nicholas County.³⁸ His daughter Letty died soon after him and later in the year his daughters Sarah and Anna married.³⁹,⁴⁰ His son Frederick Styrus had a guardian, Henry Alexander, and boarded with his sister Anna and her husband Owen DUFFY in 1825.⁴¹

 

Courtesy of Irene (Rose) Warner (Find A Grave Contributor #46586932)

Frederick’s parents-in-law Isaac and Elizabeth WISEMAN are buried in the Rehoboth Church Cemetery. Frederick and Rachel’s burial places are not known but must have been nearby, maybe among the many unmarked graves surrounding Old Rehoboth Church. In 1988 the Honaker Family Association placed veterans’ memorial markers in the church cemetery for Frederick and his son Jacob beside the marked grave of Jacob’s son John B.⁴²

Frederick Honaker #12277437; Courtesy of S.G. Thompson (permission for use requested 8 Aug 2014 and received 26 Feb 2015)

This Post was Updated on 7 August 2022: Missing source citations were added, images were scaled, and some corrections were made to the text and format.

© 2014-2022, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.

---

1. Nadine W. Larson, Hans Jacob Honegger, From Switzerland to America, published by Stevenson’s Genealogy Center (Provo, Utah), 1987, pg. 44-46, 127-147. Digital Wythe County Collections (https://digitalwythe.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/hans-jacob-honegger.pdf : accessed 7 August 2022). ↩
2. MDLandRec.Net – A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland, database with images, Maryland State Archives, Annapolis (online http://mdlandrec.net/), MSA CE 108-3, Frederick County Court (Land Records) 1756-1761, Deed Book F, folio 0429-0431 [3 images]. 1858 Land Deed for 56 acres. (http://mdlandrec.net/main/index.cfm : accessed 28 January 2020). ↩
3. Ibid., MSA CE 108-4, Frederick County Court (Land Records) 1761-1762, Deed Book G, folio 0321 to 0323 [3 images]. 1761 Land Deed for two tracts of land, 51 acres and 14 acres. (http://mdlandrec.net/main/index.cfm : accessed 4 February 2020). ↩
4. Frieda Patrick Davison, Editor, Honaker Family in America, (Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore, MD, Copyright 1998 by The National Association of Hans Jacob Honaker Families) ↩
5. “United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783,” database with images, FamilySearch, citing NARA microfilm publication M246 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1980), 114-Virginia (jacket 341-364) > image 77 of 459, 2nd and 4th document on image (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G94M-4W3T?cc=2068326&wc=M61K-G38%3A355093201 : accessed August 2014) ↩
6. Virginius Dabney, Virginia – the New Dominion, (Doubleday & Co., New York, 1971, pg. 145) ↩
7. Howard L., Leckey, The Tenmile County and Its Pioneer Families, A Genealogical History of the Upper Monongahela Valley, (Apollo, PA: Closson, Press, 1993), pg. 254-255. ↩
8. Davison, Honaker Family in America, pg. 43. ↩
9. English, William Hayden, 1822-1896, Conquest of the country northwest of the river Ohio, 1778-1783 : and, life of Gen. George Rogers Clark, published by Bowen-Merrill Co., Indianapolis, Ind., Kansas City, Mo. in 1897. Digital copy of the book is available on Archive.org. page 846.  (https://archive.org/details/conquestofcountr6308engl/page/846/mode/2up?q=honaker : accessed August 2014). ↩
10. Ibid., page 1072. ↩
11. Ibid., page 1034. ↩
12. Ibid., page 1100. ↩
13. Davison, Honaker Family in America, pg. 43. ↩
14. Ibid. ↩
15. Shenandoah County (Virginia) County Clerk, “Deed books, 1772-1900 ; general indexes to deeds, 1772-1900,” database with images, FamilySearch, citing microfilm of original records at the Shenandoah County Courthouse in Woodstock, Virginia, Film 33895, DGS 8153239, Deeds, Vols. S-T 1810-1813, images 498-500 of 534, Deed Book T, pages 383-386, Honaker et al to Baserman deed. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKK-XQYZ?i=497&cat=385833 : accessed 6 August 2022). ↩
16. “Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1983,” (index and images), Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62347/), citing original data of Virginia County, District, and Probate Courts, Wythe County, Virginia, Wills, Vol 1-3, 1790-1831, Volume 1, page 39-41, image 181+182 of 863. 1796 Last will and testament of Jacob Honaker (accessed 22 January 2020). ↩
17. Ibid., Wythe County, Virginia, Wills, Vol 1-3, 1790-1831, Volume 1, page 39-41, image 181+182 of 863. 1796 Last will and testament of Jacob Honaker (accessed 22 January 2020). ↩
18. “Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940,” database with images, FamilySearch, FHL Film Number: 7579045, Rockingham County (Virginia) County Clerk, Marriage register (ministers’ returns), 1791-1852, Item 2, image 84 of 520, page 11, entry 8, Fred Coniker and Rachel Wiseman, 28 Sep 1795. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89XF-296G-D?i=83 : accessed 6 August 2022). ↩
19. Honaker Family Newsletter, National Association of Hans Jacob Honaker Families, Inc., misc. issues (2000-2014). I was unable to find the marriage bond in FamilySearch‘s collection “Marriage bonds and licenses, 1772-1901” for Shenandoah County, Virginia. ↩
20. Greenbrier County (West Virginia) County Clerk, “Deeds (Greenbrier County, West Virginia), 1780-1901,” database with images, FamilySearch, citing microfilm of original records at the Greenbrier County Courthouse in Lewisburg, West Virginia, Film 593545, DGS 7765144, Deeds, v. 2 1798-1803, image 44 of 380, pages 66-67, Keenan to Honaker. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM7-V4T5?i=43&cat=98577 : accessed 6 August 2022). ↩
21. Virginia. Commissioner of the Revenue (Monroe County), “Personal property tax lists, 1799-1850,” database with images, FamilySearch, citing microfilm of original records at the Virginia State Library and Archives in Richmond, Virginia, Film 1854107, DGS 7857028, Personal property tax lists 1799-1834 (1808 list not filmed and may be missing), image 16 of 1380, left page, 14 May 1799, Fredrick Honecor 1 0 0 3 tax 0.23. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS73-S9T8-1?i=15&cat=637416 : accessed 6 August 2022). ↩
22. “Land Office/Northern Neck Patents & Grants” (index and images from microfilm), Library of Virginia Archives (https://lva-virginia.libguides.com/land-grants), citing Virginia State Land Office, the collection is housed in the Archives at the Library of Virginia, Land Office Grants No. 46, 1797-1801, p. 34 (Reel 112). Honaker, Frederick. grantee, Land grant 16 July 1800, 57 acres on the Lick Run adjoining the land of Edward Keeman and his father’s land. (Greenbrier County). (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990007718220205756 : accessed 8 August 2014). ↩
23. Oren F. Morton, A History of Monroe County, West Virginia, McClure Company, Incorporated, 1916, pg. 472-473. ↩
24. Larson, pg. 134-147 ↩
25. 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 70, FHL Film 0181430, image 21, Monroe, Monroe County, Virginia, page 7, line 20, Fred(k) Honaker (k is superscript) (accessed 6 August 2014). ↩
26. 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_133, image 210, Peterstown, Monroe County, Virginia, page 171 (stamped), line 20, Frederick Honaker (Frederic Honachar), (accessed 13 March 2013). ↩
27. 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 1710518, image 454, 1803 marriage bond. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710518/00454.jpg : accessed 6 August 2022). ↩
28. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710518, image 1316, George Cantley and Jacob Honaker went bond for the marriage of George Cantley and Modlen Honaker daughter of Frederick 21 March 1808. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710518/01316.jpg : accessed 7 August 2022). ↩
29. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710518, image 1244, 18 Oct 1808 Jacob Honaker and Henry Groves went bond for the marriage of Jacob Honaker to Catherine Groves daughter of Jacob Groves. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710518/01244.jpg : accessed 7 August 2022). ↩
30. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710516, image 1187, 24 Sep 1814 John Honaker and Peggy Salms (sic, Sams) minister’s return by John Wiseman. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710516/01187.jpg : accessed 7 August 2022). ↩
31. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710519, image 1427, 28 Oct 1820 Isaac Honiker and Saml Sams went bond for the marriage of Isaac Honiker and Rebecca Sams. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710519/01427.jpg : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
32. Monroe County (West Virginia) Clerk of the County Court, “Deed book, 1789-1901; deed index, 1789-1969,” database with images, FamilySearch, citing microfilm of original records at the Monroe County courthouse, Union., Deed book, v. F-G 1814-1823, images 547 of 651, Deed Book G, page 415, 31 March 1821, Frederick Honiker and wife Rachel to Hugh Caperton and Henry Alexander 13 acres in Monroe near Rehoboth Meeting House . (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKV-G3X7-7?i=546&cat=98998 : accessed 7 August 2022). ↩
33. WVCulture.org, Virginia, Monroe County, 15 Jan 1822, Betsy Honicker and William Sanders marriage, William Sanders and John Honicker went bond. 1822 Marriage Bond. (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11371626&Type=Marriage : accessed 11 August 2014). ↩
34. Ibid., Virginia, Monroe County, 20 Oct 1823, Alexander Campbell and Margaret Honiker. 1823 Marriage Bond. (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11372163&Type=Marriage : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
35. “West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971,” database with images, FamilySearch, digital images of originals housed at local county courthouse in West Virginia, Monroe > Will book, v. 002 1819-1829 > image 149-150 of 295 > pages 255-257, Last Will and Testament of Frederick Honaker (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-HRS3-Z?cc=1909099&wc=M6DN-B38%3A179686801%2C179709801 : accessed 17 August 2014. ↩
36. Ibid., Monroe > Will book, v. 002 1819-1829 > image 153 of 295, page 262-263, Appraisement of the personal estate of Frederick Honaker. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-HRS6-9?cc=1909099&wc=M6DN-B38%3A179686801%2C179709801 : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
37. Ibid., Monroe > Will book, v. 002 1819-1829 > image 154 of 295, page 264-265, Bill of Sale of the estate of Frederick Honaker. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-HRS8-1?cc=1909099&wc=M6DN-B38%3A179686801%2C179709801 : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
38. WVCulture.org, West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 495643, image 130, West Virginia, Re-Index and Copy of Marriage Record No. 1–Nicholas County, line 6, 4 Jan 1925, Elijah Wood and Rachel Hannaker, married by Jno Campbell, citing Nicholas County. (http://images.wvculture.org/495643/00130.jpg : accessed 25 April 2013). ↩
39. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710520, image 401, 3 March 1825 Thomas Reynolds and Sally Honeker marriage bond. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710520/00401.jpg : accessed 12 February 2020). ↩
40. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710520, image 491, Owen Duffy and Will Spotswood went bond for the marriage of Owen Duffy and Ann Honiker 1 Sep 1825. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710520/00491.jpg : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
41. “West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971,” Monroe > Will book, v. 002 1819-1829 > image 194 of 295, page 338, 1825-1827 accounts for guardianship of Letty and Frederick Styrus Honaker.
    (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-HR9F-6?cc=1909099&wc=M6DN-B38%3A179686801%2C179709801 : accessed 17 August 2014) ↩
42. Find a Grave, (database and images) (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12277437/frederick-honaker: accessed 8 August 2014), memorial page for Pvt Frederick Honaker (1757–Dec 1824), Find a Grave Memorial ID 12277437, citing Old Rehoboth Cemetery, Union, Monroe County, West Virginia, USA; Maintained by S.G. Thompson (contributor 46616521). ↩

52 Ancestors: #30 William WOOD died 1835 in Fayette County, (West) Virginia

“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 #30 in Amy Johnson Crow’s Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

I’m starting a new generation of paternal ancestors with my 4th great-grandfather William WOOD. This generation has 23 known of a possible 32 individuals. They will take me to the end of the year and the end of this challenge.

#30 William WOOD died 1835 in Fayette County, (West) Virginia

During the early years of the American Revolutionary War (19 April 1775-14 January 1784) my 4th great-grandfather William WOOD was born in Greenbrier County, Virginia, to Bailey WOOD (d. 1826) and his wife Nancy (d. aft. 1826). As no date is known, I calculated the range for his birth, between 1776 and 1779, using the year of his marriage and the age groups that he was enumerated in on the 1810 through 1830 census:

1800 age 21 or older at time of marriage->->->born 1779 or earlier
1810 age group 26-44 (i.e. 31-44)->->->->->->born bet. 1766-1779
1820 age group 26-44 (i.e. 41-44)->->->->->->born bet. 1766-1779
1830 age group 50-59 (i.e. 51-54)->->->->->->born bet. 1776-1779

Update (24 July 2022): Recent research uncovered the first entry on the personal property tax list of Greenbrier County for William WOOD. The estimate for his birth has been changed from between 1776 and 1779 to about 1777 as he would have been 21 in 1798.¹

Several family historians list William WOOD as William Hicks WOOD. I haven’t found documentation that shows a middle name or even a middle initial. Recent discussions with other researchers nearly convinced me that Nancy was the daughter of Joseph HICKS (aka HIX) and Melvina COLE. However, I found an old GenForum post from October 2006 by Kitty Steele Barrera in which she wrote, “I know that the Nancy Hicks/Bailey Wood connection is tentative because I was the first to make the connection. I posted “Bailey Wood married Nancy Hicks?” and before long, it was all over the internet as a fact.“² Kitty mentioned in another message in the same forum that she can be blamed for starting the rumor and the Hicks part is pure speculation.³

I would like to emphasize that William WOOD (no middle name or initial) was the son of Bailey WOOD and his wife Nancy (no maiden name). As with all brick walls, further research is needed to prove/disprove the Wood to Hicks connection. I’m open to discussions and/or suggestions on the subject.

William WOOD’s father died before 21 September 1826 as an indenture mentioning the heirs and legal representatives of Bailey WOOD, deceased, and Nancy WOOD, his widow, reads as follows:⁴,⁵

This indenture made the 21st day of September one thousand and eight hundred and twenty six between James Wood and Polly his wife, Bailey Wood and Lucertia his wife, William Wood and Mary his wife, Richard Skaggs and Susannah his wife, Martin McGraw and Nancy his wife, Samuel McGraw and Elizabeth his wife, Katherine Wood, heirs and legal representatives of Bailey Wood, deceased, and Nancy Wood widow of Bailey Wood, deceased, of the county of Nicholas and state of Virginia of the one part…

From this we can “assume” that the following individuals were Bailey’s children:

• Susannah b. abt 1776 md. Richard SKAGGS 1789⁶
• William b. abt. 1776-1779 md. Mary Ann McGRAW 1800⁷
• Nancy b. abt. 1785 md. MARTIN McGRAW 1806⁸
• Bailey b. abt. 1785 md. Lucretia SKAGGS bef. 1807
• James b. abt. 1790 md. Mary “Polly” HALSTEAD 1810⁹
• Elizabeth b. abt. 1796 md. Samuel McGRAW 1812¹⁰
• Katherine b. abt. ?? no record of marriage

Lyle Lemasters, who did an immense amount of work on the WOOD family, suggested that heirs do not necessarily mean children of the deceased. Heirs could also have been grandchildren. Bailey’s sons James and Bailey Jr. both had daughters named Catherine. Katherine may have been a daughter or a granddaughter (daughter of a deceased son) as the name ran in the family. She may be the Catherine WOOD (born between 1794 and 1800) seen in the 1850¹¹ and 1860¹² census with a younger James C. WOOD (b. between 1823 and 1830). Neither has been located after 1860.

In June 1800 Martin and Margaret McGRAW gave permission for their daughter Mary Ann to marry William WOOD.¹³

Martin and Margaret McGraw give permission for their daughter Mary Ann to marry William Wood. West Virginia Division of Culture and History

On the 3rd of June 1800, William WOOD and John WOOD went bond on the marriage of William WOOD and Mary Ann McGRAW in Monroe County, (West) Virginia.¹⁴

Marriage Bond of Wiliam WOOD and Mary Ann McGRAW. West Virginia Division of Culture and History.

Who was John WOOD who witnessed the permission slip and went bond with William WOOD when he married Mary Ann McGRAW? John WOOD and Stephen WOOD were in the same area as William in 1820. Could he have been an older brother?

William and Mary Ann were married by Rev. John Alderson on the 18th of June 1800.¹⁵

Entry in the marriage register. West Virginia Division of Culture and History.

Six months after his marriage on 16 January 1801 William was granted 109 acres in the Valley and on Peters Mountain adjoining his own land called the Cave Survey &c in Greenbrier County.¹⁶

On 21 February 1809, David GRAHAM sold to William WOOD 214 acres for $1.00 on Hunget Creek adj. Henry Bank’s surveys.¹⁷

As the amount of land he owned grew, so did the family of William and Mary Ann:

• Enoch J. abt. 1801
• Margaret “Peggy” abt. 1801
• _____ (female) bet. 1804-1809
• Elijah abt. 1806
• Amos abt. 1807
• Allen abt. 1814
• Bailey bet. 1816-1819
• _____ (female) bet. 1816-1819
• Mary Ann “Polly” 5 June 1824

1810 U.S. Federal Census¹⁸
Monroe County, (West) Virginia
William Wood
Free White Persons – Males – Under 10: 2 (Elijah 4 and Amos 3)
Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15: 1 (Enoch 9)
Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44 : 1 (William 33)
Free White Persons – Females – Under 10: 2 (Margaret 9 and _____ <10)
Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44: 1 (wife, Mary Ann)
Number of Household Members Under 16: 5
Number of Household Members Over 25: 2
Number of Household Members: 7

On 9 September 1812 William WOOD, grantee, received 200 acres: 1) 100 acres on the Trace Fork of Mud River adjoining and above a survey made for John McCalister called the Bridge Creek Survey in Kanawha County¹⁹ and 2) 100 acres on Bryans Fork of Browns Creek in Kanawha.²⁰

1820 U.S. Federal Census²¹
Nicholas County, (West) Virginia
William Wood (pg. 205)
Free White Persons – Males – Under 10: 3 (Bailey, Allen, and ?)
Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15:  2 (Elijah 14 and Amos 13)
Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44 : 1 (William 43)
Free White Persons – Females – Under 5: (_____ <5)
Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25: (_____ 16-19)
Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44 : 1 (wife, Mary Ann)
Note: On the same sheet are Bailey, Stephen, and John!!!

On 22 March 1822 William WOOD was granted 50 acres on the waters of New River in Nicholas County.²²

A little over seven months later, on 1 November 1822 William WOOD, James SKAGGS, and Samuel WISEMAN were granted 75 acres on the Sugar Camp Creek a south branch of Gauley River in Nicholas County.²³

By this time William had acquired nearly 650 acres of land. Did he still own all of it or did he sell some or give parcels to his children?

Six months after the birth of his youngest child Mary Ann, William’s son Elijah WOOD married Rachel HONAKER (1804-1860) on 4 January 1825 in Nicholas County, (West) Virginia.²⁴

A year later William’s father Bailey WOOD was dead. We do not know when he died but his legal heirs sold his land on 21 September 1826 in Monroe County, (West) Virginia to John ALDERSON. William’s mother Nancy was still living; it is not known when she died.

At about the same time two more of William’s children married: 1) Margaret “Peggy” WOOD married Thomas WITHROW (1806-1880) on 12 October 1826 in Nicholas County²⁵ and 2) Enoch J. WOOD married Margaret JOHNSON (1800-1850) bef. 1827.

I had a hard time with the 1830 census. In the early days, I’d found an abstract of the census 1830 by Neva Jane Stout Bryant.²⁶ The numbers for William WOOD fit the family group. However, when I checked Ancestry years later I found that their abstract did not match Neva’s and the image was illegible. Last week I checked the Internet Archive using a tip by another blogger²⁷ and found a much better image.

I was able to get this image.²⁸ My transcription matched Neva’s:

1830 U.S. Federal Census > Virginia > Nicholas > William Wood. [Internet Archive https://archive.org/stream/populationsc18300198unit#page/n387/mode/1up%5D

1830 U.S. Federal Census
Nicholas County, (West) Virginia
William Woods (sic)
Home in 1830 (City, County, State): Nicholas, Virginia
Free White Persons – Males – Under 5: 1 (unknown)
Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 14: 1 (Bailey)
Free White Persons – Males – 15 thru 19: 1 (Allen)
Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29 : 1 (Amos)
Free White Persons – Males – 50 thru 59: 1 (William)
Free White Persons – Females – 5 thru 9: 1 (Mary Ann)
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 14: 1 (unknown 10-14)
Free White Persons – Females – 30 thru 39: 1 (unknown 26-35)
Free White Persons – Females – 40 thru 49: 1 (wife, Mary Ann)
Free White Persons – Under 20: 5
Free White Persons – 20 thru 49: 4
Total Free White Persons: 9
Total – All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 9

“It is interesting to know the names of the houses and of the proprietors who made famous the great state stands along the James River and Kanawha Turnpike.” The list of proprietors of the famous stage stands included William WOOD was at Dogwood Gap.²⁹

A tax list places William WOOD in the newly formed Fayette County on 5 June 1831 1831.³⁰

William WOOD was not moving around from 1800 until this 1831 tax list. He lived in Monroe, Nicholas, and Fayette counties but his location remained the same. The formation of new counties in old Virginia was the reason he lived in several counties but never actually moved from his homeplace.

Before William’s death in 1835 his sons Amos and Allen married. Amos WOOD married Susan PARRISH (d. bef. 1845) on 12 May 1831 in Nicholas County and Allen WOOD married Elizabeth JOHNSON (1808-1881) on 14 November 1832 in Monroe County.³¹,³²

William WOOD died in the summer of 1835, before 18 August 1835 when his sons Amos and Elijah filed a bond for the letters of administration.³³ He left no will and his estate was appraised.³⁴

The Appraisement Bill of the Estate of Wm Wood decd Fayette County September 14th 1835. In compliance with an order made by the County Court of Fayette at the August term. We Jones McCutcheon, William S. McVey and George Hunter after having been duly sworn by James Skaggs a Justice of the Peace for said County proceeded to appraise the following property, to-wit:

1 table 4.00
1 cutting knife and steel 1.50
1 foot adds .50
1 jug .371/2
1 Hoe and shovel .871/2
1 grindstone .50
2 old sickles .50
300 feet of plank 3.00
1 hoe .371/2
1 pig in the pen 1.00
1 man’s saddle 6.00
1 Books .75
1 pail .25
1 chain log hook and ox yoke 1.75
1 pair hames and chains 1.25
1 half bushel .25
1 wind mill 16.00
1 lot of wheat in the sheaf 10.00
1 lot of oats in the sheaf 75.00
unbroke flax 1.00
1 Barshear plow 5.00
12 head of sheape 10.50
1 yearling heifer 3.50
1 ox 20.00
1 small black bull 8.00
1 cow with a bull 12.00
1 large spotted cow 10.00
1 muly cow 8.00
9 geese 2.25
13 head of hogs 34.00
1 gray filly 35.00
1 bay mare 15.00
2 1/2 acres of corn 8.00
9 acres of corn 20.00
1 calf 1.00
1 mattock 1.25
1 axe 2.00
1 kittle 3.00
1 oven and lid 1.50
1 pot .50
1 oven 1.00
1 tub and churn 1.00
1 barrel and pail .62 1/2
1 shovel plow 1.00
1 pot rack 1.00
1 tub .50
1 woman’s saddle 3.00
1 hand saw 1 auger and two chisels 2.00
1 shovel .50
1 meal sifter .37 1/2
1 rifle gun and shot pouch 10.00
1 big wheel 2.00
1 spinning wheel 1.00
1 clock 15.00
1 press 8.00
1 small chest .25
1 old table .25
1 looking glass .75
1 smoothing iron, blowing horn and strainer .50
1 coffee mill .37 1/2
1 skillet and lid 1.00
1 pot and two pair of hooks 1.00
4 chairs 1.00
1 coffee pot .37 1/2
1 pair cords .37 1/2
1 cooler .25
Cupboard ware 2.75
1 loom 2.00
3 beads and bedding 50.00
1 due bill on Samuel Shawver .75
1 note on John Gwinn Signr. 10.00
1 note on Samuel Withrow 2.25
1 oald ax and tomahawk .25
Chairs and iron wedge .50
——————————— 429.41
James McCutcheon, William S. McVey, George Hunter Appraisers Fayette County Court-The Appraisement Bill of the Estate of William Wood deceased was received in open court and ordered to be recorded. Teste: Hiram Hill cfc.

His sons Elijah and Amos were administrators of his estate per the 1836 Bill of Sale found in Fayette County.³⁵ His widow Mary and sons Elijah, Amos, and Allen (A. Wood on the bill) bought items in his inventory. His oldest son Enoch was living in Ohio. Elijah, the next oldest son, was assigned as the guardian of Bailey and Mary Ann, children of William WOOD, deceased.³⁶

This Post was Updated on 24 July 2022: Missing source citations were added, images were scaled, and some corrections were made to the text and format.

© 2014-2022, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.

---

1. Virginia. Commissioner of the Revenue (Greenbrier County), “Personal property tax lists, 1782-1850,” (browse-only images), FamilySearch Microfilm of original records at the Virginia State Library in Richmond, Virginia, Film 2024557, DGS 7849126, Personal property tax lists, 1782-1816 > 1782 > image 361 of 891 > 1798 Personal Property Tax List > William Wood 1 0 0 1 9¢ tax. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQ2-3S3V-D?i=359&cat=777465 : accessed 16 July 2022). ↩
2. GenForum, Hicks Surname Forum, message 9940, Re: Bailey Woods and Nancy Hicks by Kitty Steele 29 October 2006 in reply to: Re: Bailey Woods and Nancy Hicks by Larry Surface 29 October 2006 (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/hicks/9940/ : accessed July 2014) ↩
3. Ibid., Wood Surname Forum, message 13961, Re: WOOD family–where in VIRGINIA? by Kitty Steele 25 November 2004 in reply to: Re: WOOD family–where in VIRGINIA? by Alice Hanson 15 November 2004 (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/wood/13961/ : accessed July 2014) ↩
4. Fox, Vernon A.,  Nicholas County, (West) Virginia Land Deed, Heirs of Bailey Wood to John Alderson, 21 September 1826, transcription received per email 31 May 2001. ↩
5. County Clerk of the County Court, Monroe County (West Virginia), “Deed book, 1789-1901” and “Deed index, 1789-1969” (manuscript on film, browse-only images), FamilySearch (Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969; 34 microfilm reels; 35 mm), Film 589502, DGS 8219401, Deed book, v. N 1840-1846, pages 187-189, image 124+125 of 411. Citing microfilm of original records at the Monroe County courthouse, Union. 1826 Bailey Wood heirs to John Alderson deed of bargain and sale. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSGX-491G-C?i=123&cat=98998 : accessed 1 January 2020). ↩
6. 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, Greenbrier County, 10 March 1789, Susannah Wood and Richard Scags married by John Alderson. 1789 Marriage Record (right page, 7th entry from bottom).  (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=10975982&Type=Marriage : accessed 2 January 2020). ↩
7. Ibid., West Virginia, Monroe County, Marriage Bond dated 18 June 1800 William Wood and John Wood went bond on the marriage of William Wood and Mary Anne McGraw (both of Monroe). (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11370480&Type=Marriage : accessed 2 January 2020). ↩
8. Ibid., West Virginia, Monroe County, 3 May 1806, Nancy Wood and Martin McGraw married by John Alderson, banns were published. 1806 Marriage Record (right page, 4th entry from bottom). (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11369727&Type=Marriage : accessed 2 January 2020). ↩
9. Ibid., West Virginia, Monroe County, 26 April 1810, James Wood and Mary Halstead married by John Alderson. 1810 Marriage Record entry (right page, last entry). (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11369380&Type=Marriage : accessed 2 January 2020). ↩
10. Ibid., West Virginia, Monroe County, marriage bond dated 19 May 1812, Samuel McGraw and Bailey Wood went bond on the marriage of Bailey’s daughter Elizabeth Wood and Samuel McGraw. 1812 Marriage Bond. (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11371819&Type=Marriage : accessed 2 January 2020). ↩
11. 1850 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), <i>Ancestry</i> (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, Year: 1850; Census Place: District 14, Fayette, Virginia; Roll: M432_943; Page: 336B; Image: 278. The official enumeration day of the 1850 census was 1 June 1850. (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 8 January 2020). ↩
12. 1860 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), <i>Ancestry</i> (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, Year: 1860; Census Place: District 3, Fayette, Virginia; Roll: M653_1344; Page: 373; Family History Library Film: 805344. The official enumeration day of the 1860 census was 1 June 1860. (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 8 January 2020). ↩
13. WVCulture.org, West Virginia, Monroe County, June 1800, William Wood and Mary Ann McGraw, permission slip from her parents. “June /newline/ Sir, this coms (sic) to let you now (sic) that I Marten and Marget Mcgraw is wiling that William Wood should have our daughter Mary Ann /newline/ To John Hutchason (Clerk) /newline/ The above was sworn to by John Wood one of the witnesses present.” 1800 Marriage Permission Slip. (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11370465&Type=Marriage : accessed 2 January 2020). ↩
14. Marriage Bond dated 18 June 1800 William Wood and John Wood went bond on the marriage of William Wood and Mary Anne McGraw (both of Monroe) ↩
15. WVCulture.org, West Virginia, Monroe County, 18 June 1800 William Wood and Mary Ann McGraw married by John Alderson. 1800 Marriage Record entry (right page, 1st entry under Alderson). (http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=11369625&Type=Marriage : accessed 2 January 2020). ↩
16. “Land Office/Northern Neck Patents & Grants” (index and images from microfilm), Library of Virginia Archives (https://lva-virginia.libguides.com/land-grants), citing Virginia State Land Office, the collection is housed in the Archives at the Library of Virginia, Land Office Grants No. 46, 1797-1801, p. 624-625 (Reel 112), Wood, William (grantee), Land grant 16 January 1801, 109 acres in the Valley and on Peters Mountain adjoining his own land called the Cave Survey &c. (Greenbrier County). (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990008446350205756 : accessed 22 July 2014). ↩
17. Monroe County (West Virginia), Clerk of the County Court, “Deed book, 1789-1901; deed index, 1789-1969,” database with images, FamilySearch, citing microfilm of original records at the Monroe County courthouse, Union, Deed book, v. B-C 1805-1812, images 349-350 of 636, Deed Book B, page 632-633, 21 February 1809 David Graham to William Wood 214 acres for $1.00 on Hunget Creek adj. Henry Bank’s Surveys. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKV-KSN9-J?i=348&cat=98998 : accessed 23 July 2022). ↩
18. 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: 70, Family History Library Film: 0181430, Virginia, Monroe, image 22, page 575, William Wood household. The official enumeration day of the 1810 census was the 1st Monday in August (6th). “.” (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 2 January 2020). ↩
19. “Land Office/Northern Neck Patents & Grants,”  Land Office Grants No. 63, 1812-1813, p. 195-196 (Reel 129), Wood, William (grantee), Land grant 9 Sep 1812, 100 acres on the Trace Fork of Mud River adjoining and above a survey made for John McCalister called the Bridge Creek Survey (Kanawha County). (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990008446370205756 : accessed 22 July 2014). ↩
20. Ibid., Land Office Grants No. 63, 1812-1813, p. 196-198 (Reel 129), Wood, William (grantee), Land grant 9 September 1812, 100 acres on Bryans Fork of Browns Creek (Kanawha County). (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990008446380205756 : accessed 22 July 2014). ↩
21. 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, 1820 U S Census; Census Place: Nicholas, Virginia; Page: 205A; NARA Roll: M33_130; Image: 389. The official enumeration day of the 1820 census was the 1st Monday in August (7th). (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 8 January 2020). ↩
22. “Land Office/Northern Neck Patents & Grants,” Land Office Grants No. 71, 1822-1824, p. 47 (Reel 137), Wood, William. grantee, Land grant 22 March 1822, 50 acres on the waters of New River (Nicholas County). (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990008446390205756 : accessed 22 July 2014). ↩
23. Ibid., Land Office Grants No. 71, 1822-1824, p. 408-409 (Reel 137), Grantee(s): Skaggs, James; Wm. Wood, and Samuel Wiseman, Land grant 1 November 1822, 75 acres (Nicholas County). (https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990008446400205756 : accessed 22 July 2014). ↩
24. WVCulture.org, West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 495643, image 130, West Virginia, Re-Index and Copy of Marriage Record No. 1–Nicholas County, line 6, 4 Jan 1925, Elijah Wood and Rachel Hannaker, married by Jno Campbell, citing Nicholas County. (http://images.wvculture.org/495643/00130.jpg : accessed 25 April 2013). ↩
25. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 495643, image 130, Re-Index and Copy of Marriage Record No. 1—Nicholas County, no page number, 9th entry, 12 Oct 1826, Thos Withrow, Margaret Wood, married by John Campbell. (http://images.wvculture.org/495643/00130.jpg : accessed 22 July 2014). ↩
26. 1830 Federal Census Nicholas County, Virginia (File 3 of 3), Submitted by Neva Jane Stout Bryant July 25, 2001 (http://files.usgwarchives.net/wv/nicholas/census/1830c.txt) ↩
27. Pointer, Caroline M, 4yourfamilystory.com blog and website, “Census Records for Free with the One-Two Punch {While Wearing Pink Bunny Slippers},” (https://www.4yourfamilystory.com/blog/census-records-for-free-with-the-one-two-punch-while-wearing-pink-bunny-slippers : published 16 July 2013). ↩
28. Internet Archive, 1830 Virginia Federal Population Census Schedules – Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Mason, Nicholas, and Ohio Counties, Reel 0198, image 388 of 588, Virginia, Nicholas County, page 191, line 10, William Wood (https://archive.org/stream/populationsc18300198unit#page/n387/mode/1up : accessed about 21 July 2014) ↩
29. J. T. Peters and H.B. Carden, History of Fayette County, West Virginia, Jarrett Print Co., Charleston, WV, 1926, page 135. ↩
30. Virginia. Commissioner of the Revenue (Fayette County), “Personal property tax lists, 1831-1850,” (browse-only images), FamilySearch Microfilm of original records at the Virginia State Library in Richmond, Virginia, Film 2024536, DGS 7849112, image 22 of 589, 1831 page 20. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQK-19VN-9?i=21&cat=777450 : accessed 3 April 2022). ↩
31. WVCulture.org, West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 495643, image 130, Re-Index and Copy of Marriage Record No. 1—Nicholas County, no page number, 14th entry, 12 May 1831, Amos Wood, Susan Parish, married by W. Carnefix. (http://images.wvculture.org/495643/00130.jpg : accessed 22 July 2014). ↩
32. Ibid., West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, FHL microfilm 1710879, image 516, 14 Nov 1832, Allen Wood and Charles W Johnson bond for the marriage of Allen Wood and Elizabeth Johnson. (http://images.wvculture.org/1710879/00516.jpg : accessed 23 July 2022). ↩
33. “Court minutes and order books, 1837-1928,” browse-only images, FamilySearch, citing microfilm of original records at the Fayette County, West Virginia courthouse., Film 585502, DGS 8613652, Minute books, v. 1-2 1837-1848, image 12 of 470, August Term 1835, 18 Aug 1835, page 11, 3rd entry, Amos and Elijah Wood, bond for letters of administration. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C34C-T9J7-H?i=11&cat=100698 : accessed 23 July 2022). ↩
34. “West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971,” database with images, FamilySearch, Fayette > Will book, v. 001 1832-1866 > image 33 of 292  (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-C9SQ-75?cc=1909099&wc=M6DN-5NG%3A179689901%2C179689902 : 23 October 2018) ↩
35. Ibid., Fayette > Will book, v. 001 1832-1866 > image 39 of 292 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-C9SQ-97?cc=1909099&wc=M6DN-5NG%3A179689901%2C179689902 : 23 October 2018), ↩
36. Court minutes and order books, 1837-1928, Film 585502, DGS 8613652, Minute books, v. 1-2 1837-1848, image 24 of 470, January Term 1836, 19 Jan 1836, page 35, Elijah assigned as guardian of young Bailey and Mary Ann Wood, children of William Wood. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C34C-T9FB-T?i=23&cat=100698 : accessed 23 July 2022). ↩

52 Ancestors: #17 Rachel HONAKER, wife of Elijah WOOD

“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 my 17th contribution to Amy Johnson Crow’s challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

#17 Rachel HONAKER, wife of Elijah WOOD

My 3rd great-grandmother Rachel HONAKER, one of eight children of Frederick HONAKER and his second wife Rachel WISEMAN, was born about 1804 (1850 age 46, 1860 age 56) in Monroe County in Old Virginia, now West Virginia. Besides her two brothers and five sisters, she also had two half-brothers and two half-sisters.

The Honaker Family Association (HFA)

Before I get into how I know that my Rachel HONAKER was the daughter of Frederick and Rachel, I want to introduce you to the National Association of Hans Jacob Honaker Families, Inc.

The Honaker Family Association (HFA) was organized in 1989, in Pulaski, Virginia. In 1992 the Association was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Virginia as the National Association of Hans Jacob Honaker Families, Inc. with its headquarters in Alexandria. In 1998 they published the book The Honaker Family in America, edited by Frieda Patrick Davison (Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore, MD,  © 1998 by The National Association of Hans Jacob Honaker Families). As updates and corrections from descendants are sent to the HFA they produce supplements to the book updating the material. The HFA has sold all copies of the book and there are no plans to reprint or publish an updated version due to the cost.

Which Rachel was the daughter of Frederick HONAKER?

On 24 April 2014 Lyle LeMasters wrote me the following:

I had a time trying to convince the Honaker Family that [our] Rachel was from this line. Her half and full siblings sold their part of Frederick’s land and she was listed in the deed records right in the middle of the rest of their deeds. The Honaker association finally accepted her as the daughter of Frederick with the deed. It just goes to show not to stay focused on your specific ancestor but on the whole group of related or possible relations…..
[underlined for emphasis]

Lyle was able to clear up part of a mix-up concerning several ladies named Rachel HONAKER in 2001.  The HFA considered him the research authority on the WOOD line and wrote the following in their supplement:

“There is mass confusion among Rachels here. Researchers reported that this and two other Rachels married William Brown in Monroe Co., W.Va. The others were this Rachel’s niece, Rachel[3] (Frederick[1], Jacob[2]) and her cousin Rachel[2] (Jacob[1]). Present evidence is sufficient to determine that this Rachel married Elijah Wood. We are unable to determine now which of the other Rachels married William Brown. To further complicate things, Elijah Wood married, second, Rachel Louisa McGraw prior to the 1870 census.”
[Source: The Honaker Family in America, 5 October 2001 Supplement, Chapter 3 – Frederick Honaker]

Even this explanation is confusing as we see two men named Jacob. One of them was Frederick’s brother and the other was Frederick’s son. The brother Jacob left a will in Russell County, Virginia, naming his children [Christeny Jones, wife of John Jones, Nancy Smith, wife of John Smith, Mary Penson, wife of John Penson, Elizabeth May, wife of John May] but no daughter named Rachel, single or married to William Brown. I believe that the elder Jacob was confused with Frederick’s oldest son Jacob who had a daughter named Rachel. But we are interested in Frederick’s daughter Rachel who married Elijah WOOD.

Rachel, daughter of Frederick HONAKER

Rachel’s father Frederick HONAKER left a will naming all of his children, several being underage. He wrote the will in November 1824. The date is not legible and is either the 20th or the 30th. It was presented in December Court 1824 and proven in January Court 1825.¹

Rachel married Elijah WOOD on 4 January 1825.² The following month Elijah and Rachel WOOD sold her part of her father’s estate as seen in:³

Monroe County, (West) Virginia Deed References:
1825 Elijah & Rachel Wood to Andrew and George Beirne Deed Bk H pg 218
The description says land only.
Rachel Honaker Wood’s brother Jacob sells land in 1825 to Andrew and George Beirne in Deed Bk H pg 219 Int Frederick Honiker Land

This Indenture made this 21st day of February 1825 between Elijah Wood and
Rachel his wife late Rachel Honiker of the one part and Andrew & George
Beirne & Co of the other part the first named parties of the County of
Nicholas and latter of the County of Monroe each of the state of Virginia
Witnesseth that the said Elijah ?(middle initial can’t make it out) Wood and
Rachel his wife for and in consideration of the sum of one dollar in hand
paid by the said Andrew and George Beirne & Co on or before the delivering of
these presents the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged have granted
bargained and sold and by these presents do grant sell and convey unto the
said Andrew and George Beirne & Co their heirs and assigns forever all that
part or parcel of land lying and being in the said County of Monroe which was
devised to the said Rachel Wood formerly Honiker by the will of said
Frederick Honiker decd be the same more or less with such appurtenances as
may be thereunto belonging & at the same time subject to such restrictions as
are mentioned in the will aforesaid and the said Elijah Wood & Rachel his
wife for themselves and heirs do covenant with the said Andrew & George
Beirne & Co and their heirs the land with its appurtenances aforesaid from
themselves & their heirs & from all other person or persons whatever to the
said Andrew & George Beirne & Co & their heirs or assigns will warrant and
forever defend.

In witness whereof the said Elijah Wood & Rachel his wife have hereunto set
their hands and seals the day & year first written.
Elijah Wood seal
Rachel her x mark Wood

Monroe County Clerks Office 22nd Feb 1825
This deed of bargain and sale from Elijah Wood and Rachel his wife to Andrew
& George Beirne & Co was acknowledged before the Clerk and the same is
admitted to be recorded.
Teste Isaac Hutchinson C.M.C.

This proves that Rachel HONAKER who married Elijah WOOD was the daughter of Frederick HONAKER. I don’t have a copy of this deed which Lyle LeMasters found and transcribed helping him to have the mixup corrected in The Honaker Family in America. On my wishlist: copies of the entire batch of deeds that pertain to Frederick HONAKER’s estate.

Update (1 January 2020): The deed was located on FamilySearch. In the transcription above, Lyle couldn’t decipher what he thought might be a middle initial. I don’t believe the very light mark between Elijah WOOD’s first and last name was meant to be a middle initial. Further in the document, his name was written several times as Elijah WOOD without a space or initial.

Monroe County, Virginia, Deed Book H, page 218, 21 Feb 1825, deed of bargain and sale for land devised to Rachel Honaker in her father’s will, Frederick Wood and his wife Rachel formerly Honaker to Andrew and George Beirne.

Rachel’s life as a wife and mother

In twenty years, from 1825 to 1845, Rachel gave birth to eleven known children. By 1830 she had a son Allen Alexander and three daughters, Amanda Jane, Sarah Ann, and Mary Salinas. Two sons, James Simpson and Elijah Stuart, and three daughters, Turze Lucresia, Nancy E., and Rebecca Ann, brought the number of children up to nine in 1840. In the 1850 census, we see two more sons, William Frederick and Lewis L. All have been documented as seen in Elijah’s story.

According to the 1850 census, unlike her husband Elijah who would become Justice of the Peace from 1852 to 1858, Rachel could not read & write.⁴

Rachel was last seen in the 1860 census.⁵ She died sometime during the 1860s as Elijah is seen with his second wife Rachel Louisa McGRAW in the 1870 census.⁶ Unless the Elijah WOOD family kept a family bible that was passed on to an unknown descendant, we will probably never know exactly when Rachel died as many records during this era were lost due to the Civil War.

In my research, I’ve found 71 grandchildren, 276 great-grandchildren….and still counting.

Please don’t hesitate to submit corrections, additions, or comments. They are always welcome!

This Post Was Updated on 24 April 2022: Missing source citations were added, the image of the transcribed deed was included, and some corrections were made to the text and format.

© 2014-2022, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.

---

1. “West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971,” database with images, FamilySearch, digital images of originals housed at local county courthouse in West Virginia, Monroe > Will book, v. 002 1819-1829 > images 149-150 of 295 > page 255-257, Last Will and Testament of Frederick Honaker, presented and proven in court (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-HRS3-Z?cc=1909099&wc=M6DN-B38%3A179686801%2C179709801 : accessed 17 August 2014). ↩
2. 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 495643, image 130, West Virginia, Re-Index and Copy of Marriage Record No. 1–Nicholas County, line 6, 4 Jan 1925, Elijah Wood and Rachel Hannaker, married by Jno Campbell, citing Nicholas County. (http://images.wvculture.org/495643/00130.jpg : accessed 25 April 2013). ↩
3. “Deed book, 1789-1901” and “Deed index, 1789-1969” (manuscript on film, browse-only images), FamilySearch citing microfilm of original records at the Monroe County courthouse, Union, filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969; 34 microfilm reels; Film 589465, DGS 7895627, Deed book v. H-I 1823-1831, image 138 of 686, Deed Book H, page 218, 21 Feb 1825, deed of bargain and sale for land devised to Rachel Honaker in her father’s will, Frederick Wood and his wife Rachel formerly Honaker to Andrew and George Beirne.  (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4F-NXX2?i=137&cat=98998 : accessed 1 January 2020). ↩
4. 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: 943, Virginia, Fayette County, District 14, sheet 337A (stamped), household 94-94, lines 19-27, Elijah Wood (accessed 3 April 2022). ↩
5. 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_1344, FHL 805344, Virginia, Fayette County, District 2, page 11, sheet 321, household 76-69, lines 20-23, Elijah Wood (accessed 5 April 2022). ↩
6. 1870 U.S. Federal Census (index and images), Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/), citing Ninth Census of the United States, 1870 population schedule, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C., NARA microfilm publication T132, 13 rolls, Roll: M593_1686; West Virginia, Fayette County, Mountain Cove, page 11, sheet 144A (stamped 144), household 74-74, lines 31-34, Elijah Wood (accessed 21 January 2022). ↩