52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 23: Richard Mendenhall (1737-1773)

Richard Mendenhall - 7th great grandfather
b. 01 Nov 1737 Frederick Co., Virginia
d. 10 Oct 1773 Lee Co., Virginia

Parents: Mordecai Mendenhall (1713-1803) & 
                 Charity Grubb Beeson (1715-1809)

Siblings:
1. John (1739-1825)
2. Thomas (1741-1783)
3. Moses (1743-1835)
4. Stephen (1744-1822)
5. Mordecai Jr. (1746-1818)
6. Maris (1749-1750)
7. Aaron (1751-1793)
8. Charity E. (1754-1836)
9. Isaac M. (1756-1833)


Residences: 
1755 (age 18): Rowan Co., North Carolina
1759 (age 22): Rowan Co., North Carolina
1762 (age 25): Rowan Co., North Carolina


Family: 
Wife: Jane Thornbrugh (1737-1796), married on 24 Jun 1758
Daughter of: Walter Thornbrugh (1711-1783) & Margaret Beeson (1708-1780). 

Margaret was Charity's sister, so Richard and his wife Jane were 1st cousins. 

Richard and Jane had 8 children: 

1. John (1759-1835) 
2. Richard Jr. (1761-1845) 
3. Jane (1763-1793) 
4. Benjamin (1765-1835) 
5. Charity (1767-1853) 
6. Margaret (1768- ?)
7. Joseph (1770-1833) 
8. Aaron (1772-1840) 

and (at least) 63 grandchildren!!


Richard was part of a scouting party led by James Boone.

Here is an excerpt found online:  (I found this excerpt online several years ago and unfortunately, I didn't cite my source).

Richard was part of a scouting party led by James Boone, son of Daniel, which was ambushed by Indians at Wallens Creek, VA. During the American Revolution Daniel Boone made arrangements to sell what property he could not move with him and persuaded some of his wife's family, the Bryans, to join him on a trip to claim new land in Kentucky. He was joined by his brother, Squire, Squire's wife, Jane, and their three children, along with Benjamin Cutbeard and his wife, who was a niece of Daniel's. Making a total of five or six families, along with about 40 men who each had a horse or two to help carry all the supplies. Among these 40 men were John and Richard Mendenhall. Richard was 36 years of age and John, a first cousin, was 25.
The party left the Yadkin on 25 Sep 1773. Travel was slow as the trail was only wide enough for the pack horses, walking single file and all who were able-bodied had to walk. When they reached Wolf Hills, now Abingdon, VA, Daniel sent his seventeen year old son, James, along with John and Richard Mendenhall to go to Castle Woods, which was off the trail to the north about 25 miles. They were to pick up supplies and meet the main party further west. The main party would follow the old wilderness trail, through Moccasin Gap, over Wallens Ridge at a point about 10 miles east of the Cumberland Gap, where they would make camp and leave the women and children to rest until James and the Mendenhall party overtook them. They feared that if the Indians would attack it would be in that area and for protection they wanted the party to be together.
Upon arriving at Captain Russell's home on the Clinch River, Henry Russell, the seventeen year old son of Captain Russell, a man by the name of Isaac Crabtree and two Negro slaves named Charles and Adam, joined James Boone and Richard and John Mendenhall to help out with the supplies and farm tools. Captain Russell himself said he would follow along later as he had some necessary work to do at home before leaving. He would join David Gass who lived eight miles down the Clinch River.
James Boone and the Mendenhall party set out on 8 Oct 1773, following the old Fincastle Trail down past David Gass's place and crossed Clinch River at Hunters Ford, now Dungannon. From that point they passed through Rye Cove and took the Wilderness Trail over Powell Mountain to the head waters of Wallens Creek.
James and his companions could see signs, probably made by his father's party and he knew that the place of rendezvous was but a few miles ahead. However, darkness overtook them and fearing they might lose their way, they set up camp the evening of 9 Oct. Early in the morning of the 10th, Indians rushed up with knife blades raised and guns cracking. A man by the name of Drake and Richard Mendenhall were killed out right. James Mendenhall crept off mortally wounded. He had been attacked by a big Indian who he knew to be Big Jim, a Shawnee, who had roamed the Yadkin Country and had pretended to be a friend of his father. Henry Russell was shot through the hips and brought down. All in the party were killed except Isaac Crabtree and the two Negroes slaves, Adam and Charles.



Richard was killed in the ambush by the Indians and was buried in the woods near Lee Co., Virginia- 10 miles East of Cumberland Gap. He was only 35 years old.

Here is a gravemarker marking the spot where the ambush happened. 

How I'm related to Richard: 

Carrie Jeckering Smith (Me)

My parents

Harold Earl Mendenhall & Helen Ruth Seaver

Earl Dwight Mendenhall & Edna Grace Niles

Marion Richard Mendenhall & Louella Ida Munn

Richard Mendenhall & Margaret Frances Pierron 

Aaron Mendenhall & Christena Spielman

Richard Mendenhall & Sarah Pearson

Joseph Mendenhall & Deidamia Hill

Richard Mendenhall (7th great grandfather)

Wednesday's Portrait: Fordell Castle

Today's Portrait: Fordell Castle- the chapel

Fordell Castle is located in Fife, Scotland. My 14th great grandfather- William Henderson (William 2nd Lord of Fordell) (1520-1547) was married in the Fordell Caslte and then buried in the Fordell Castle Chapel Crypt. 

One Person at a Time...Elizabeth (Continued...)

~Even though I have a lot of people in my family tree, I also have a lot of "holes" that need more research. Over the next few months, I am going to attempt to patch up those holes by doing research one person at a time- starting at the beginning of the list~


Elizabeth- Continued...


#9. Elizabeth
Before Research:
Elizabeth married Benjamin Smith and they had at least 1 daughter- Martha Smith (b. 1829). Martha married my 3rd cousin, 5x removed- James Kelley Mendenhall (b. 1832).

After Research:
Elizabeth Pearson was born on 25 Sep 1803 in Catawissa, Pennsylvania and died on 31 May 1876 in Earlham, Iowa. Her parents were Benjamin Pearson (1759-1830) & Jane Burr (1768-1859). 
Elizabeth married Benjamin Smith (1804-1879) on 26 Jan 1825 in Flushing, Ohio. They had 9 children:

1. Lydia (1825-1911)
2. Tacey (1827-1869)
3. July (1827-1868)
4. Martha (1829-1886)
5. Abraham (1831-1905)
6. Mary Jane (1834-1922)
7. Candace (1836-1915)
8. Anne (1839-1845)
9. William Pearson (1846-1929)



#10. Elizabeth
Before Research:
Elizabeth was born in 1692 and died in 1763. She married John Minall (1667-1730)- my 6th cousin, 12th removed. They had at least 1 son: John Jr. (1730-1808).


After Research:
Elizabeth Wheeler was born in 1692 in England and died on 21 Apr 1763 in Bucklebury, England. She married John Minall (1667-1730) on 02 Feb 1727 and they had 1 son: John Minall Jr. (1730-1808).



#11. Elizabeth
Before Research:
Elizabeth married George Brown (B. 1820) and they had at least 1 son: J.N.D. Brown (1847-1923).


After Research:
Elizabeth Bryan was born on 11 Jan 1827 in Virginia and died in 1869 in Buckhannon, Upshur, West Virginia. Her parents were Stephan Bryan(t) (1783-1850) & Susannah Malone (1791-1850). She had 5 siblings:

1. Mary Ann (1813-1847)
2. Charles M. (1814- ?)
3. Harriet (1818-1886)
4. Charlotte Sallie (1823-1893)
5. Isabella Isabel (1826-1902)


Elizabeth married George E. Brown (1820-1891) on 16 Mar 1847 in Botetourt County, Virginia. They had 9 children:

1. John Newton David (1847-1923)
2. Melanetheu J. (1852-1900)
3. Florence Ann (1855-1929)
4. Alice Virginia (1857-1935)
5. Charles L. (1858-1877)
6. Grace Truman (1860-1938)
7. Elizabeth (1864-1880)
8. Ida M. (1866- ?)
9. Jessie Bell (1867-1910)



#12. Elizabeth
Before Research:
Elizabeth married Ellwood H. Mendenhall (b. 1838)- my 6th cousin, 6x removed.


After Research:
Elizabeth married Ellwood H. Mendenhall (b. 1838) and they had 7 children:

1. Henry (b. 1864)
2. Ellwood (b. 1883)
3. Martin (b. 1885)
4. Gussie (b. 1888)
5. Anna (b. 1892)
6. Crystal (b. 1894)
7. Howard (b. 1898)

Mappy Monday: Ireland

1.      Last week, I wrote about Rowan County, North Carolina where my 7th great grandfather lived. This week, I'm going to write about his wife- Jane Thornbrugh (1737-1796). 

Jane's grandparents were both from Ireland.

Edward Thornbrugh (1687-1734) was from Cootehill, Cavan, Ireland & Sarah Hannah Mary Haman was born in Lurgan, Galway, Ireland.

Part 1: Cootehill, Ireland

(Wikipedia)

Cootehill is a market town in the County of Cavan in Ireland. It was established in 1725 and gets its name from the marriage of Thomas Coote and Frances Hill. Thomas Coote was a judge of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland). 

I found a neat little website that is all about Cootehill tourism: http://www.cootehilltourism.com/.

Here are some notable things I saw on the site that I think would be interesting to check out if I were to ever visit this town!

~Cootehill Heritage Walking Tour: I am all about tours- especially when it involves history!

~Along this walk is the St. Michael's Chapel, built in 1826- the church is no longer there, but the site is 

this church was demolished in 1929 :(

~All the outdoor activities- hiking, fishing, golf!

Part 2: Lurgan, Ireland

Luran is a town in the county of Armagh, Northern Ireland. Lurgan has a lot of straight, wide planned streets and rows and rows of cottages. 

There are a lot of historic homes, including the Brownlow House- the home of William Brownlow. It is also known as "Lurgan Castle".

The Lurgan Park was orginially part of the Brownlow estate but is now a public park.

St. Peter's Catholic Church- located on North Street- built in 1832- beautiful!

Saturday Night Fun (On Sunday) :)

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun! (On Sunday)

I love participating in  Randy's (Genea-Musings) Saturday Night Genealogy Fun activities. Last night's challenge was: What date was your Grandfather born?


Here was the challenge: 

1) What day of the week was your grandfather born (either one)? Tell us how you found out. 

2) What has happened in recorded history on your Grandfather's birth date? Tell us how you found out and list five events.

3) What famous people have been born on your Grandfather's birth date? Tell us how you found out and list five of them.

4) Put your responses in your own blog post, in a comment on this blog post, or in a status or comment on Facebook.


Here's Mine: 

I chose my grandfather Paul George Jeckering (you can learn more about him Here) 

1) Paul was born on 19 May 1925. He was born on a Tuesday. 

2) There are several historical events on 19 May. I googled it and found a website: Historyorb.com:
Five Events: 
~1635: France declares war on Spain
~1848: First department store opens
~1884: Ringling Brothers circus premieres 
~1929: Cloudburst causes stampeded in Yankee Stadium, crushes 2 people to death
~1983: NASA launches Intelsat V satellite, no. 506


3) Famous people born on this day: (I just googled it: Famousbirthdays.com)
~Malcom X (1925-1965)- Religious Leader
~Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)- Explorer
~Andre the Giant (1946-1993)- Actor
~Brittani Kline (age 23)- Model
~Jodi Picoult (age 48)- Author

4) Done! :) 

Surname Saturday (On Sunday)- Niles

Today's Surname: Niles

My great grandmother was Edna Grace Niles. She was born 24 May 1894 and died on 29 Jul 1934 in Darke County, Ohio. Her parents were Joseph Niles (1857-1933) & Anna E. Shomber (1868-1947). There has been a lot of confusion about this woman in the past in the Genealogy World. There was a lot of confusion whether her name was Miles or Niles. I always thought it was Miles, until a distant cousin of mine (whom I met through Ancestry.com DNA) helped identify her true maiden name!

Here is Edna's Lineage:

Edna Grace
Parents: Joseph Niles (1857-1933) & Anna E. Shomber (1868-1947)
Grandparents: David Purdy Niles (1833-1914) & Clarinda Jane Robinson (1835-1909)
GGP: Hiram Niles (1805-1848) & Lucy Purdy (1805-1890)
2xGGP: Gaius Niles (1746-1840) & Rebecca Yager (1768-1832)
3xGGP: Nathan "Nathaniel" Niles (1724-1782) & Sarah Holmes (1726-1782)
4xGGP: John Niles (1680-1768) & Mary Ann Ely (1689-1767)
5xGGP: John Niles (1639-1683) & Abigail Ambrose Freeman (1639-1683)
6xGGP: John Niles (1603-1693) & Jane Reed (1611-1654)
7xGGP: John Niles (1580-1603) & Johane Paviot (1580-1603)

John Niles & Johane Paviot were both born in England.

NILES

Ancestry.com:

All UK, Outward Passenger Lists: There are 64,808 names on this list, here are a few that came to the USA.

Name                             Age       Birth                   Departure Date               Destination Port

Mrs. Elizabeth Niles      60         abt 1841             02 Jun 1901                     New York, USA

Charles Niles                 66         abt 1859              24 Oct 1924                    New York, USA

Henry Niles                    77        abt 1859              17 Jul 1936                     New York, USA

Fanny Niles                    64        abt 1861              24 Oct 1925                    New York, USA

Roma Niles                     58       abt 1862              23 Oct 1920                     New York, USA

All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: there are 10,482 names on this list, but here are a few that came to the USA.

Name                            Birth Year                           Arrival Year and Place

Andrew Niles                                                                                        Indiana

John Niles                                                                 1620-1650           New England

John Niles                                                                  1632                   Massachusetts

John Niles                                                                  1634                   Massachusetts

Rebecca Niles                                                            1700                   Virginia

F. Niles                           abt 1783                              1847                   New York, New York

Michael Niles                 abt 1790                               1812                  New York, New York

 Findagrave.com:

There are 6,827 matches for the surname Niles.

www.surnamedb.com/surname/niles:

This site states that the surname Niles is originally of Irish origin, which I didn't know. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Niall" which means "Champion". The English versions of this name is "Niles" and "Neels"- meaning "Son of Neil" 

www.houseofnames.com/niles-family-crest:

Spelling variations: 

Neilson, Nielson, Nilson, Nylson

Here's a Tip for Ya!

Hey Everyone,

I found a little "trick" to quickly identify member in your family who have died young, as an infant or child, or have died while giving birth. I've been using this trick for a couple of months and I really like it.

Here's what it looks like: 

So, just by looking at it, you can see that one child- Elizabeth Martha Jeckering died at a young age because I have the little angel picture there- I have this picture in place for a child that has died- ages 2-18. 

Here's a close up: 

You can also see quickly that the two youngest daughters- Irene and "Infant" died as infants or were stillborn because I have the picture of the baby angel- this is for babies stillborn or 1 day- 1 year.

Here's a close up:

Here is another example of these pictures in my tree:

This one shows my 3rd picture that I use for women who have died during childbirth or shortly after due to complications- the mother with wings holding a child. 

You can see right away that Mary Jeckering died giving birth to her second child- you can also see that both her daughters- both named Mary- didn't survive.

Here's a close up:

All three of these pictures that I use, I got off of Google and use them for my own private tree on Ancestry.com.