Amanuensis Monday: 13 Feb 1797 deed from the Heirs of Absalom Fox to Jonathan Fox

Last week I alluded to the number of deeds regarding the Fox family in 1797-1798. Three have been found, all dated 13 Feb 1797, in which one of the heirs of Absalom Fox is granted land by the remaining heirs. However, there were more than three heirs of Absalom Fox, so I will need to look into whether the land was divided only three ways and the other heirs perhaps had other inheritances, or whether there are more of these deeds that I have yet to find.

Absalom Fox was my 6great-grandfather, and his son David was my 5great-grandfather. This first deed is to David's brother Jonathan. I love how these deeds name all the heirs.

[p. 680]

The Heirs of the )

Estate of Abolam )

Fox )

to )

Jonathan Fox )

This Indenture Made this thirteenth Day of February

in the year of our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and Ninety seven

[p. 681]

Between Christion Fox widow of Absalom Fox decd. David Fox and

Sarah his Wife, Charles Fox and Mary his Wife, Bonham Fox and

Temporance his wife, Sampson Sargant and Ivy his wife, David

Sutton and Anchor his wife, Mary Fox, and Rebekah Fox, all of the

County of Washington and State of Pennsylvania of the one part and

Jonathan Fox of the same place of the other part Witnesseth that the said

Christion Fox Widow, David Fox and Sarah his wife, Charles Fox and Mary

his wife, Bonham Fox and Temporance his wife, Sampson Sargant and

Ivy his wife, David Sutton and Anchor his wife, Mary Fox and Rebekah

Fox Hath bargained Released and Confirmed and for ever Quit Claim of

and to a Certain Tract of land hereinafter described unto Jonathan Fox his

Heirs and Assigns forever a Certain Tract of Land Situate on a Branch of

Ten Mile Creek Beginning at an Elm Tree Thence by land of David

Sutton North Seventy Degrees West Eight perches to a Stone North forty

Degrees West Seventy six perches to a Stone North fifteen degrees West

Tenty eight perches to a white Oak Thence by land of David Frazee North

thirty degrees East Seventy eight Perches to an ash, Thence by land of Philip

Luallen South forty seven degrees East Two hundred and two Perches to

a Stone Thence by land of Charles Fox South Twenty six Degrees West

fifty two Perches to a Stone thence by land of sd. David Sutton North

forty six and a half degrees East Ninety six perches to the beginning

containing Ninety eight acres and three Quarters of an acre Strict Measure

being part of a Tract of Land Called "Fox Hill" which was Surveyed in

Pursuance of a warrant granted to Absalom Fox Dated the 26th of January

and by Pattant 14th Day of October in the year 1788 which is Inrolled in the

Rolls Office for the State of Pennsylvania in Patent Book No.  Page

To have and to hold the said Tract and Piece of Land with the Appurten=

=ances thereunto belonging or in anywise appurtaining thereto unto the said

Jonathan Fox his Heirs To the only proper use benefit and behoof of him

the said Jonathan Fox his Heirs and Assigns for ever from us and

[ower?] heirs and from any Person or Persons Claiming or to Claim in under

through or by us or any of our heirs shall and will warrant and Defend

for ever. In Witness whereof the said Christion Fox as above David

Fox and Sarah his wife, Charles Fox and Mary his wife, Sampson Sargant

 

[p. 682]

and Ivy his wife, David Sutton and Anchor his wife, Mary Fox and

Rekah Fox Heirs of the Estate of Absalom Fox decd. have hereunto set their

hands and Seals this Day and year above written Christion her X mark Fox (seal)

David Fox (seal) Sarah Fox (seal) Charles Fox (seal) Mary

Fox (seal) Bonham Fox (seal) Temperance Fox (seal)

Sampson Serjant (seal) Ivy her X mark Sergant (seal) David Sutton (seal)

Anchor Sutton (seal) Mary Fox (seal) Rebekah Fox (seal)

Signed Sealed and Delivered in Preasants of us  Isaac Leet [poz?]

Mary Sutton   Isaac Leet

Washington County [sall?]

This Day Personally appeared before me the Subscriber a Justice of the

Peace in and for said County Christian Fox widow of Absalom Fox decd David

Fox and Sarah his Wife, Charles Fox and Marah his wife Sampson Sargant

and Ivy his wife, David Sutton and Anchor his wife, Mary Fox and

Rebekah Fox and acknowledged the within Instrument of writing it being

a Deed of Conveyance to be their Act and Deeds the several Women being

examined Seperate and apart from their Husbands, each one for themselves

acknowledged that they became a party thereto of their own free will and

accord without the controul of their Husbands or any other Person allowing

the same to be Recorded as such In Witness whereof I have hereunto set

my hand and seal this thirteenth Day of February 1797

Isaac Leet

Recorded and compared with the Original the 21st February 1797

Samuel Clarke Recorder

 

One of the witnesses, Mary Sutton, was probably related to both David Sutton (the husband of Absalom's daughter Anchor) and Sarah Fox (the wife of Absalom's son David Fox). They were siblings, and also had a sister named Mary. I have no marriage recorded for Mary, so her surname may still have been Sutton at this point. Their mother was also sometimes called Mary, and I have no death date recorded for her, so she may still have been alive at this point. She would have been about 53 years old, so it seems likely. Those two seem to be the most probable candidates.

 

The very next deed in the book is to my 5great-grandfather David Fox, but we will look at that one later.

Source:

Washington, Pennsylvania, Deed books, 1781-1886; deed index, 1781-1924, 1M-12: 680-682 (images #378-379 of 420), The Heirs of the Estate of Absalom Fox to Jonathan Fox, deed, 13 Feb 1797; digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Deeds v. 12, 1M 1796-1797," FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 29 Sept 2024).

Amanuensis Monday: 1798 deed from William Wells Esquire to David Fox

This deed could prove quite interesting when I get to the point of analysis, as there are a number of deeds within the Fox family during this and the previous year. Most of them are in Washington county, Pennsylvania, but this one is in Hamilton county, Ohio. The buyer, David Fox, is my 5great-grandfather.

 

[p. 256]

This Indenture made the sixteenth day of Feb-
-ruary in the year of our Lord one thousand
seven hundred and ninety eight between Wil-
-liam Wells Esquire of the county of Hamilton
in the Territotory of the united States north west
of the River ohio of the one part and David
Fox of the same place of the other part wit-
-nesseth that the said William Wells for and
in consideration ot two thousand and eighty
Dollars to him in hand well and truly paid
at or before the ensealing or Delivery of these pre-
-sesnts by the aforesaid David Fox the receipt
whereof the said William Wells doth hereby ask-
-nowledge and thereof & therefrom doth acquit exon-
-erate and discharge the aforesaid David Fox
his heirs and assigns forever, have given granted
bargained sold aliened, released enfeoffed conveyed
and confirmed and by these presents do give grant
bargain sell alien release, enfeoff, convey, and con-
-firm, unto the said David Fox his heirs and
assigns forever. All that entire section numbered
Thirteen, situate lying and being in the fourth Town-
-ship in the third or military range in the miami
purchase in the county of Hamilton and Territory
aforesaid containing six six hundred and forty
acres. To have and to hold the above described
premises to the said David Fox his heirs and
assigns to the only proper use, benefit and behoof
of the said David Fox his heirs and assigns
forever. And the said William Wells for him-
-self his heirs executors and administrators doth
covenant grant and agree to and with the said
David Fox his heirs & assigns that all and singular
the above described premises against all and every
lawful claim and demand whatsoever to the said
David Fox his heirs and assign will forever
warrant and defend by these presents. In Witness
whereof I the said William Wells have hereunto set my

[p. 257]

hand and seal the day and year first above written.
Signed Sealed &c )
in the presence of ) Wm Wells (seal)
Jno. S. Eano )
Levi Woodward ) Territory of the United states
North West of the River ohio Hamilton ss.
Before me Aaron Cadwell Esq. one of the Jus-
-tices of the court of Common pleas in the county
aforesaid came personally Wells Esquire the within
grantor who acknowledged the within Instrument
of writing to be his voluntary act and Deed for
the uses and purposes therein contained agreeable
to the statute &c In Witness whereof I have
hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal at Sin-
-cinnati the seventeenth day of February in the year
of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and
ninety eight.
Aaron Cadwell (seal)

Source:

Hamilton, Ohio, Deeds 1787-1877 ; index 1787-1878, C-1: 256-257 (image #145 of 557), William Wells Esquire to David Fox, deed, 16 Feb 1798; digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Deeds v. C-D 1796-1807," FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 28 Sept 2024). 

 

Amanuensis Monday: 6 May 1813 deed from Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his wife to Josiah Wade

I don't really have much to say about this one. Apart from Josiah Wade, who is almost certainly my 4great-grandfather, none of the names of either the sellers or the witnesses ring any bells for me. I have yet to do any research on the land, so there is nothing for me to comment on there. So I guess I'll just dive in.

[p. 266]

Lockhart to Wade
Recorded October 27th 1813
Joseph Darlinton Recr A.C.


This Indenture made
this 6th day of May in the year
one thousand eight hundred and
thirteen between Josiah Lock-
hart and Nancy his wife of the county of Adams and
State of Ohio of the one part and Josiah Wade of the county
aforesaid and State aforesaid of the other part Witnesseth
that the said Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his wife for
and in consideration of the sum of two hundred and forty six

[p. 267]

Dollars current money of the United State of America to them
in hand paid the receipt whereof we hereby acknowledge and
forever acquit and discharge the said Josiah Wade his heirs Exe-
cutors and administrators have granted bargained sold aliened and
confirmed and by these presents doth grant bargain sell alien
and confirm unto the said Josiah Wade his heirs and assigns
forever and all that tract or parcel of land lying and being in the
county of Adams and state of Ohio situate and lying on Kites
fork of Eagle Creek apart of the tract No 651 entered in the
name of William Holliday and Patented to Robert Lockhart
and conveyed by deed to the aforesaid Josiah Lockhart bounded
and described as follows Beginning at an ash and Ellem near
a branch the East corner to said Survey runing [sic] West on hun-
dred and eighty poles to a sugar tree and Maple thence north
One hundred and forty poles to two ashes thence East one hun-
dred and eighty poles to two hickerys [sic] thence south one hun-
dred and forty poles to the beginning containing one hundred
and fifty seven acres and Eight poles Together with all im-
provement water courses profits and appurtenances whatso-
ever to the said premises belonging or in any wise appertain-
in and the reversions remainders and profits thereof and all the
estate right title interest property claim and demand of
they the said Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his wife of
in and to the same To have and to hold the lands hereby convey-
ed with all and singular the premises and every part and parcel
thereof with every of the appurtenances unto the said Josiah
Wade his heirs and assigns forever to the only proper use and
behoof of him the said Josiah Wade his heirs and assigns for
ever And the said said Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his
wife for heirs executors and administrators do covenant pro-
mise and agree to and with the said their heirs
and assigns by these presents that the premises before mentioned
now are and forever hereafter shall remain free of and from all
former and other gifts grants bargains sales dowers right and
title of dower judgments executions titles troubles charges and
incumbrances whatsoever done or suffered to be done by they the

[p. 268]

said Josiah Lockhart And the said Nancy Lockhart his
wife and their heirs all and singular the premises hereby
bargained and sold with the appurtenances unto the said
Josiah Wade his heirs and assigns against him the said
Josiah Lockhart and his heirs and all and every other per-
son or persons whatsoever doth and will warrant and for
ever defend by these presents In Witness whereof We the
said Josiah Lockhart and Nancy Lockhart hereunto
set our hands and seals the day and year first above written
signed sealed and delivered in the presence of us } Josiah Lockhart (seal
Nancy Lockhart (seal)
Matthew Campbell Aaron Moore
State of Ohio Adams County ss
This day the within named Josiah Lockhart and Nancy
Lockhart his wife personally appeared before me the sub-
scriber a Justice of the peace for the county aforesaid and
severally acknowledged the within signing and sealing
to be there act and deed for purposes therein mentioned
the said Nancy Lockhart being by me first fully in-
formed of the contents of the within deed also examined
seperate [sic] and apart from and out of the hearing of her hus-
band declared that she executed the same and relinquished
her right of dower to the premises therein mentioned freely
and of her own voluntary will and accord without the co-
ersion or compulsion of her husband In Witness whereof
I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 20th day of
May 1813 Aaron Moore (seal)

Source:

Adams, Ohio, Deeds, 1797-1900, 7: 266-268 (images #515-516 of 575), Josiah Lockhart and Nancy his wife to Josiah Wade, deed, 6 May 1813; digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Deeds, v. 6-7 1806-1814," FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 5 Aug 2024).  

 

Amanuensis Monday: 19 Feb 1814 deed from William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney his wife to Joseph Wade

I love this deed because, although it does not lay out what the relationship between these individuals is, it suggests a familial relationship between them. Josiah Wade is almost certainly my 4great-grandfather (the relationship remains unproven), and Sydney was the woman he married in 1809. This marriage was over a decade after the birth of my 3great-grandfather, so she was probably not his mother.

The William Wade in this record probably refers to Josiah Wade's father. Josiah has no known brother named William, and the birth of his son William was still four years away.

Most exciting to me is the presence of the name Joseph Wade, which is the name of my 3great-grandfather, Josiah's probable son. He would have been of an age at this point--about 17 years old--to possibly be investing in his first land. However, this Joseph could also be Josiah's brother of the same name. And the payment of $100 suggests someone with some means. At the age of 17, one might expect a property purchase from his father and grandfather to be more of a token amount. Tracing this property through its sale or inheritance will probably be able to solve the question of which Joseph Wade is the buyer.







[p 103]

Wade to Jos Wade ) This Indenture made this nineteenth day of
February in the year of our Lord one thousand
Eight hundred and fourteen between William Wade and Josiah Wade
and Sydney Wade his wife of the county of Adams and State of Ohio
of one part and Joseph Wade of the county and State aforesaid of the
other part Witnesseth that the said William Wade and Josiah Wade
and Sydney his wife for and in consideration of the sum of one hun-
dred dollars current money of the United States of America to them
in hand paid the receipt whereof they do hearby [sic] acknowledge and for
ever acquit and discharge the said Joseph Wade his heirs Executors
and administrators hath granted bargained sold aliened and con-
firmed and by these presents doth grant bargain sell alien and confirm
unto the said Joseph Wade his heirs and assigns forever all that tract
or parcel of land lying and being in the county of Adams situated on the
East fork of Eagle Creek Beginning at a white oak and hickory a
corner to Arthur McFarland and running thence South forty nine

[p 104]

Degrees West forty two poles to a Stake near a white Walnut
thence South three degrees ten minutes West forty seven poles to a
buckeye and Walnut thence South forty five west forty five poles
to a Sycamore on the bank of the Creek thence north fifty degrees
West one hundred and forty poles to a stone at the state road thence
South forty tow and a half west Sixty Six poles and nine tenths of
a perch to a Stone in the Division line between Robert McDaid
and William Wade thence with said line North thirty minutes West
one hundred and Sixteen poles to a black Walnut north East cor-
ner to said McDaid thence South Eighty Eight degrees East fifty
Eight poles a white oak thence South two degrees West forty two
poles to a white oak thence South Eighty Eight East one hundred
and sixty three poles to the beginning corner together with all im-
provements water courses profits and appurtenances whatsoever to the
said premises belonging or in any wise appertaining and the reversions
remainders and profits thereof and all the estate right title interest pro-
perty claim and demand of them the said William Wade and Josiah
Wade and Sydney his wife of and and to the same to have and to hold
the lands hereby conveyed with all and singular the premises and
every part and parcel thereof with every of the appurtenances unto
the said Joseph Wade his heirs and assigns forever to the only pro-
per use and behoof of him the said Joseph Wade his heirs and assigns
forever and the said William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney
his wife for themselves theare [sic] heirs executors and administrators do cove-
nant promise and agree to and with the said Joseph Wade his heirs
and assigns by these presents that the premises before mentioned now are
and forever hereafter shall remain free of and from all former and other
gifts grants bargains sales dowers right and title of dower judments
executions titles troubles charges and incumbrances whatsoever done
or suffered to be done by them the said William Wade and Josiah
Wade and Sydney his wife and theair [sic] heirs all and singular the
premises hereby bargained and sold with the appurtenances unto
the said Joseph Wade his hiers and assigns against them the said
William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney and thare [sic] heirs
and all and every other person whatsoever doth and will warrant
and forever defend by these presents In Witness whereof they the
said William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney his wife have

 

[p 105]

hereunto set their hands and seals the day first above written
Signed Sealed and delivered in the presents of us ) William Wade (seal)
Edmund Wade, Amos Duncan interlined before ) Josiah Wade (seal)
signed on the fif- ) Sydney her + mark Wade (seal)
teenth line
State of Ohio Adams County Ss
This day personally appeared before me the subscriber a Justice of the
Peace in and for the county aforesaid William Wade and Josiah Wade and
Sydney his wife and acknowledged the within signing and sealing to be
there act and deed for the purpose mentioned also Sydney Wade being sepe-
rate and apart and out of the hearing of her said husband declared that
she relinquished her right of dower to premises therein mentioned freely
and of her own Voluntary will and accord without the coercion or copulsion [sic]
of her husband In testimony wheareof [sic] I have heareunto [sic] set my hand and seale
this 19th day of February 1814 Aaron Moore (seal)
Recorded the 17th day of August 1814
Joseph Darlinton Recorder A.C.

The names of the witnesses are also of interest. Edmund Wade could have been either Josiah Wade's brother or his son; he had both relations of that name. The other witness, Amos Duncan, could have been a father-in-law or a brother-in-law. Sydney Wade's maiden name was Duncan.

Source:

Adams, Ohio, Deeds, 1797-1900, 8: 103-105 (images #72-73 of 549), William Wade and Josiah Wade and Sydney Wade his wife to Joseph Wade, deed, 19 Feb 1814; digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Deeds, v. 8-9 1814-1817," FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 5 Aug 2024).

 

Sunday's Obituary: Willis W. Wade

Yikes! Has it really been over a year since I have posted anything to this blog? (Edit: No, I posted something in July.) I suppose I can believe it, as my day job has been increasingly demanding the past few years and, sadly, I can devote less and less time to genealogy. My interest has not waned, but it is seldom now that I can sit down and concentrate on it for the amount of time necessary to create thoughtful blog posts.

I have, however, made many new discoveries over the past couple years. A summer road trip in 2023 took me to the FamilySearch Library and retraced the route my Underwood ancestors traveled through Utah and Idaho. Naturally, I did a fair amount of research along the way. I also took video footage and am slowly working my way through editing it and posting it to my YouTube channel.

FamilySearch's introduction of searching through computer-transcribed handwritten records has yielded some amazing results for me, as well. The project is still in beta testing, but I highly recommend you try it out if you haven't yet. You can access it at https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/

Both of these activities have filled my to-do list with numerous documents to transcribe--in addition to the ones I already had. So perhaps I will keep this blog active for a while with these transcriptions as I slowly make my way through them. Not the most exciting content, perhaps, and bound to be rather disjointed as I jump from branch to branch, but at least it is something to keep my hand in.

Since it is Sunday, I might as well begin with an obituary. This one is for Willis W. Wade, my first cousin three times removed. He was a son of Joseph S. Wade (my great-grandfather Allen C. Wade's brother) and his wife Susan Evins.

Willis W. Wade


LODI, Sept. 9--Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. tomorrow in the Hale & Bawden Funeral Home for Willis W. Wade, 84, retired local farmer, who died yesterday in his home at Rt. 4, Box 98.


Following the rites, graveside services will be conducted in Cherokee Memorial Park under the auspices of the Lodi Masonic Lodge.


Mr. Wade is survived by his wife, Sarah; a son, William J. Wade of Lodi, an officer in the Lodi Masonic Lodge; 2 daughters, Mrs. Bertha Spaulding and Mrs. Edna Brown, both of Ontario, Calif.; a sister, Miss Carrie Wade of Lodi; 2 grandsons and a graddaughter, including Mrs. Lataine Hughes of Turlock; and 5 great grandchildren.


Mr. Wade was the father of the Herbert A. Wade and Mrs. Lottie E. Wilson of Lodi.


A native of Falls City, Neb., Mr. Wade was a member of the Grandfield, Okla., Masonic Lodge and he was a past member of the Lodi Lodge of Odd Fellows.

Source:

"Willis W. Wade," Stockton Record, 9 Sept 1955, p. 15, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 Feb 2023).

Estate Sale Genealogy

Last Saturday I had the eerie experience of going to what could almost have been my own future estate sale: it was mostly genealogy and classic movies. Sadly for the person who had passed, but happily for me, the genealogical materials were literally being given away. Most of the books were either obsolete or not within my areas of interest, but I did find one book I desired. When I asked the price, they said, "You can have it." In the free box I found a box of old CD-ROMs from Ancestry, Family Tree Maker, and more. Although I suspected they were probably obsolete, I grabbed the whole box to look through at home.

When I got home, as expected, the software CD-ROMs were too old for my operating system, but I discovered that most of the CDs in the box were actually photo CDs, containing many scans from someone's old photo album. And one was actually an audio CD, containing a digitization of a wire recording made in the 1950s!

Well, you know that I can't throw out someone's genealogical documents, especially when there are so many clues to help me connect them to the correct family. Although it did not occur to me until it was too late that I should have taken note of the address of the sale to help identify the former owner of the documents, many of the photos are named, and a few of the CDs even contain family trees. Perhaps (and hopefully!) I will discover that all of these are already shared in places such as the FamilySearch tree, WikiTree, and Geni. If that is the case, I won't need to worry so much. But until I can be sure that they are available to those who have an interest, I will slowly comb through.

Sunday's Obituary: Mr. Mohney

One of my favorite finds during my most recent access to Newspapers.com is also one of the most enigmatic. I am taking liberties in applying the term "obituary" to this article, but... it's my blog and I can do what I want. And I'm dying to write about this one. (No pun intended.)

Clarion County.--A Mr. Mohney, who resided near Reimersburg, was kicked in the stomach by a horse from the effects of which he died in less than twenty-four hours. He was walking along conversing with a person on horseback, when to avoid the worst part of the road he crossed over behind the horse when the animal kicked him. He suffered most excrutiatingly [sic] until death came to his relief. Truly "in the midst of life we are in death."

Why do I find this article so compelling? It doesn't even record Mr. Mohney's first name. It was originally clipped by another user, who titled the clipping "Adam Mohney Death," but I have yet to locate any substantiating documents for that name.

Even so, the article supplies so many intriguing possibilities, and may even be a clue to my most recent brick wall. Most of my family lines can be solidly traced back several generations, but the parents of my great-grandfather John S. Brosius seemingly appeared out of nowhere in 1852. In that year, my great-great-grandfather Adam Brocius purchased 50 acres in South Shenango township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Before then, my Brosius line is a mystery.

Adam Brocius' wife is remembered in my family as Margrette Mooney, but the surnames of numerous DNA matches suggest that her surname was actually Mohney. However, I have thus far been unable to discover exactly how she ties into the Mohney family. So the mere coincidence of the surname Mohney is not enough to attract more than cursory interest in this article.

The surname Mohney combined with a kick of a horse causing death is clear reason for interest, though. As I have mentioned in at least one previous post, there is an oral history within the Brosius family of a grandfather dying by being kicked by a mule. Who the grandfather was who died in that way is inconsistent, depending upon the storyteller, sometimes being John S. Brosius himself and sometimes his father Adam Brocius. So it seems entirely possible that the victim wasn't either of them at all, but perhaps the story is a mangled remembrance of the death of Margrette Mohney's father, or at least someone in her line.

Her parentage has not yet been determined, so it could be that this Mr. Mohney is her long-lost father. Naturally, proving such an optimistic hypothesis will take a great deal of additional research, but it gives me a starting place. I am reasonably certain that Adam Brocius and Margrette Mohney moved to South Shenango from elsewhere in Pennsylvania, but both surnames are surprisingly common in that part of the country during the appropriate time period, so any hint of a starting place is greatly appreciated.

Mr. Mohney's death took place in 1858, when Adam and Margrette Brocius would have been a young married couple. No indication of Mr. Mohney's age is given in the article, so it is not impossible that he was of the right age to be Margrette's father. The location of his residence and death is in Clarion county, which is not far from Crawford county, sitting to the southeast, with only Venango county dividing the two. Even in those days, it would have been a reasonable distance to migrate while still remaining near enough to occasionally visit family for special occasions.

So now my task is laid before me. I need to build out Mr. Mohney's family tree, and see if I can discover if he connects in any way to Margrette Mohney. If not her father, perhaps he is her brother or an uncle. Or perhaps this is just another wild goose chase.

Sources:

"Pennsylvania Items: Clarion County," Raftsman's Journal, 6 Jan 1858, p. 2, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 Feb 2023).

Crawford, Pennsylvania, Deeds Xeroxed by Gloria Brosius and sent to Amber Brosius, John Ralston to Adam Brocius, 30 Nov 1852; Crawford County Office of the Clerk of Courts, Meadville.