Captain Eli G. Fleming from Indiana County to Tennessee

Eli G. Fleming, my second great uncle, was a colorful character compared to my other Fleming ancestors.  He was frequently in trouble with the law and obviously had a temper.  I obtained his pension file while at the National Archives this month.  His compiled military service record is available on Fold 3 as well as a general correspondence file showing his many petitions to Congress to have his Civil War service record reversed so he could obtain a pension.  According to his pension file, he had many health problems which he attributed to his Civil War service and was penniless at the end of his life.

Eli G. Fleming (abt 1827-1896) was a son of James Fleming (1782-1844) and Nancy Clawson (b. abt 1798 to 1800-d. Dec 1862 to Jan1863).  His father left his three sons, James, Eli G. and William, his land in his will when he died in 1844.  Eli sold his portion to his brothers, James and William, on 16 March 1852 in Conemaugh Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania for $1000.  According to The Indiana Weekly Messenger (Indiana, Pennsylvania) dated 9 May 1888, he sued his brother James Fleming but the suit was later settled.  It is not known what the suit was about.

Eli appears with his wife Elizabeth in the 1860 census in Warren County, Tennessee, with a post office address of McMinnville.  He enlists in the Civil War as a captain in Company F, 5th Tennessee Cavalry on 24 July 1862.  He was court marshaled on 23 January 1863 and sentenced to death for shooting and wounding his commanding officer, Colonel William B. Stokes, in the leg after an altercation over his candidacy for major in a regimental election and over charges of being absent without leave. The sentence was later reduced to dismissal from service by General Rosecrans but his name appears on a muster out roll for his company on 25 June 1865.  The book, The Papers of Andrew Johnson: 1862-1864, states "Both before and after his Army service, Captain Fleming was a scout and guide for Union commanders operating in Warren and adjacent counties."  The book, Homegrown Yankees:  Tennessee's Union Cavalry in the Civil War, also mentions Captain Eli G. Fleming and Colonel William B. Stokes.

Captain Eli G. Fleming ran against Colonel William B. Stokes in the election for Congress in Tennessee's Third Congressional District in 1867.   The book, Tennessee's Radical Army:  The State Guard and Its Role in Reconstruction, describes the acrimonious election between them.  Stokes accused Fleming of trying to assassinate him and Fleming accused the militia of trying to kill him.  Colonel Stokes won the election. 

He had two children by his first wife, Mary Elizabeth Bradford, whom he married about 1856 in Tennessee.  They had two sons, James T. (1861-1912) and William Bradford (1864-1926).  Mary Elizabeth separated from him in 1867 and divorced him in October, 1868.  She gave an affidavit on 7 December 1891while living in Dallas, Texas that is in his Civil War pension file.  She died in Dallas on 28 February 1911.  According to the newspaper, The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) dated 8 March 1874, Captain E. G. Fleming became intoxicated on "busthead whiskey" and "forcibly entered the residence of Mrs. Lizzie Fleming...and taking all the china and glassware from her table, together with some articles of silverware, highly prized as souvenirs of Mrs. Fleming's mother, and tying them up in the tablecloth, swung the same on his shoulder, breaking them and shivering them, mounted his horse, and left town with them.  A warrant was procured for his arrest...and Fleming made good his escape."

He had at least two other incidents where he was arrested after the Civil War.  According to the newspaper, Nashville Union and American (Nashville, Tennessee) dated 30 September 1869, George Fisher was allegedly stabbed by Capt. E. G. Fleming about 20 September 1869 in Huntsville, Alabama but there were no witnesses to the incident.  Capt. Fleming was charged and was bound over for the next term of the Circuit Court.  His bail was reduced from $2500 to $1500.  No other information is available regarding this incident.  According to The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) dated 16 July 1870, Captain E. G. Fleming was placed in the Rutherford County Jail on 11 July 1870 for stabbing Henry Primm, who was his rival for the affections of Betty White, whom he also stabbed.  Henry Primm was "colored" and Betty White was a "mulatto girl" with whom he had allegedly "been living on terms of intimacy."  No further information is available regarding this incident.

He was living in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee in the 1870 census.  He was married to Sallie D. Hoover on 30 April 1872 by Rev. Smith Bolin in Bedford County, Tennessee at her father, Jno P. Hoover's home.  He was living in District 1, Bedford County, Tennessee, in the 1880 census with his wife, Sallie, and two children, Lottie and Theodore.  Eli and Sallie had three children:  Lottie, born about 1874; Belmont or Theodore born about 1878; and Joe Ivie, born 7 March 1886.  They were living together as late as 6 October, 1885 when Eli's niece, Nannie Eightney, stated in an affidavit in his pension file that he and his wife with his son were living with her and her parents in Brady, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.  Eli's daughter was living with Nannie's brother, Eli Johnson.  Nannie said "his wife is hired by the week and he is pennyless.  I have let him have five dollars to enable him to prosecute his claim."

He and his wife were divorced on 10 December 1885 in Bedford County, Tennessee.  Their son, Joe Ivie, was born after they were divorced.  Sallie D. Fleming applied for a Civil War widow's pension on 5 July 1900 but her widow's claim was rejected since she was divorced in 1885.  According to The Indiana Progress (Indiana, Pennsylvania) dated 16 June 1887, "...Mrs. E. G. Fleming, now separated from her husband E. G. Fleming and living in Kentucky, desired the possession of her two children, now in the hands of the husband in this county, she accordingly sent a man from Kentucky to capture them..."  The alleged kidnap attempt was not successful. 

He applied for an invalid pension on 13 October 1885 claiming he was disabled since he "was injured in the right leg by riding eleven days in succession, below Nashville, in pursuit of Gen. Wheeler's rebels, exposed to very severe weather, sleeping in the snow, without shelter.  Also, on the same scout contracted rheumatism of back, shoulder, and breast."  His claim was rejected because "at the specified date of origin of alleged disabilities claimant was willfully disobeying his superior officers and was not in line of duty, as is shown by the record."  His repeated attempts to get a pension between 1891 and 1894 were rejected each time.  There were three Bills for Relief introduced in the House on his behalf:  HR No. 11368 in July 1890; House No. 8624 in May 1892; and House No. 5156 in January 1894.  He never received a pension due to his court marshal and the order dismissing him from service.

He lived in Washington, D.C. from about 1890 until at least 1894 when he is listed in a city directory.  He worked for the federal government for awhile but more information is not available as to where he worked or for how long.  He died on 10 January 1896 according to the application for widow's benefits filed by Sallie D. Fleming and the card record for his headstone provided for deceased Union veterans of the Civil War . 

The following timeline was taken from information given by him and others in his pension file:

was a grocery merchant prior to his enlistment

lived in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee from January, 1863 to 1870

lived in Bedford County from 1870 to 1885  (Post Office Bell Buckle) where he lost several crops due to his disability contracted in the service

was in mercantile business from latter part of 1863 to spring of 1865

grew cotton on the East Fork of Stones River in Rutherford County, Tennessee from the spring of 1865 and continued farming until 1869

went to Alabama four miles from Huntsville and put in 600 acres of cotton in that State (1869)

after above crop was gathered lived in Rutherford and Bedford Counties, Tennessee (sometimes in Rutherford County and sometimes in Bedford County near the line of the two counties; lived on rented land and hired labor and farmed but did not do the work himself

moved to Indiana County, Pennsylvania in March, 1885

lived with Charlotte and John Johnson, (sister and brother-in-law) and niece, Nannie Eightney, from 1 April to at least October 1885 in Brady, Indiana County, Pennsylvania

lived with Clark Fleming, second cousin, during winter of 1886-1887 until at least April, 1887 in Atwood, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania

lived in Indiana County, Pennsylvania until June, 1888 when he went to Leavenworth, Kansas

spent the month of June, 1888 in Leavenworth, Kansas

went to Dallas, Texas where he visited his sons and remained there until October, 1889

lived at National Temperance Home, Washington, D.C.; 516 13th St., NW, Washington, D.C.; and 1726 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. from at least 1890 to 1894

 

Where Is Daniel McCoy's Family Bible?

There was a notation in Daniel McCoy's Revolutionary War pension file for Hon. A. Drum, 23 August 1854, but there were no letters to him or from him in the file.  The Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia holds a box of papers for Augustus Drum who was an attorney from Greensburg, Pennsylvania and served one term in Congress (March, 1853-March, 1855).  Since I was visiting family at the end of June in Maryland and Pennsylvania, I decided to see if the Augustus Drum papers would yield any further information on Daniel McCoy.

There were two letters to Augustus Drum asking for his help since the surviving children of Daniel McCoy believed there was money owed to their deceased father from his Revolutionary War pension.
The first letter was from James McCreay, Shelocta, Indiana County, Pennsylvania and was dated 30 June 1854.  He stated in his letter that there were two surviving children of Daniel McCoy, his mother, Mary McCreay, and Joseph McCoy.  It also states that there is a family Bible.

  

The second letter was from James Gordon, Indiana County, Pennsylvania and was dated 25 April 1854.  He states that Daniel McCoy's son, Joseph McCoy, believes there is money owed to his deceased father from his Revolutionary War pension. 

Although Daniel McCoy had at least three daughters based on the early census records, Mary is the only child for whom we have a baptism record.  We know from the first letter that Mary married a man named McCreay and had a son James McCreay.  The 1850 census lists a Samuel McCreay with a wife Polly (Polly was a nickname for Mary) and a son James in Plum Creek Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. 

Samuel McCrea 78 born Ireland
Polly 68 born Pennsylvania
James 30 Laborer 

One of the trees on Ancestry.com lists the following daughters of Daniel McCoy but does not list any source(s) for the information:  Mary married to Samuel McCreasy, Margaret married to James McCain, and Nancy married to Nicholas Gordon.  Mary was married to a McCreay and there was a Samuel McCrea in 1850 in Plum Creek Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania where Daniel McCoy was living in the 1820 census.  The name Samuel McCreasy is very similiar to Samuel McCreay.  The letter from James McCreay supports the information in this tree for Daniel McCoy's daughter Mary.

The second letter was from James Gordon.  Daniel McCoy's daughter Nancy was supposedly married to a Nicholas Gordon but no census or other record can be located for a Nicholas Gordon in Armstrong or Indiana County.  It is interesting that James Gordon's surname is the same as that given for the husband of Daniel McCoy's unproven daughter Nancy.

There was a James McKean (similiar to McCain) living in Plum Creek Township in 1820 where Daniel McCoy was living.

I contacted the owner of the family tree on Ancestry.com but she had been given the information by someone and did not have a source for the information.  Since the first letter states there is a family Bible, one can only hope that maybe someone reading this blog will know if it still exists and where a copy of it is available.

Participation of Harry W. Rowland in Company F (Indiana County), 110th Pennsylvania Infantry in World War 1

Harry W. Rowland enlisted in the 10th Pennsylvania National Guard unit (Company F) located in Indiana, Pennsylvania on May 7, 1917.  The 10th Pennsylvania National Guard Regiment was mobilized on Sunday, July 15 and mustered into federal service on July 16.  It became part of the of the United States Army on August 5.  On Friday, September 7, the Regiment departed for Camp Hancock, Georgia for training purposes.  The 10th Pennsylvania National Guard Regiment became part of the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry on October 11, 1917, a part of the 28th Division (known as the Keystone Division) of the American Expeditionary Force.  A Short History and Illustrated Roster of the 110th Infantry is available on Google Books.  It has pictures of all the officers and enlisted men.  The following picture is that of Harry W. Rowland in this book.

The Regiment left Camp Hancock on April 24, 1918 for Camp Merritt in New Jersey where they received their equipment and  their final physical examinations.  On May 2 the Regiment went to Hoboken, New Jersey where they boarded four ships:  the Corsican, Demosthenes, The City of Calcutta, and Ansonia.  Harry W. Rowland boarded the Corsican along with other members of Company F.  The Corsican sailed on May 3, 1918 for Europe.  The Army Transport lists are available on Ancestry.com.  The easiest way to access them is to enter Army Transport as a keyword search in the card catalog.  The following page shows Harry W. Rowland's name on the Corsican Army Transport list.

The troops on the Corsican debarked at Liverpool on May 17 and left Dover for Calais, France on May 19.  They received training from both the British and the French before being placed in the front lines on July 4.  The History of the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry gives a detailed record of the unit's participation in World War 1.  It is available on https://archive.org to search and download.  It also lists all the officers and enlisted men in the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry.  Individual service records for many World War 1 veterans were destroyed in the fire in St. Louis, Missouri in 1973.  It is possible to know where a soldier was during the war if one knows what unit he was in.  The above book lists all the officers and enlisted men in the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry with additional information on them.  The following entry is for Harry W. Rowland on page 268.

ROWLAND, HARRY W. (1240653) Cpl. Co. F; Disch. May 23, '19; (75-17) Indiana, Pa. 

The war ended when the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918 at 11 am.  Company F with the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry remained in France and Germany and became part of the Army of Occupation until they returned home in May, 1919.  Harry W. Rowland left St. Nazaire, France on April 29, 1919 on the Santa Olivia and arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 12, 1919 with other members of Company F (see Army Transport lists on Ancestry.com).    He was discharged from Camp Dix New Jersey, on May 23, 1919.  The 28th Division (Keystone Division) had a Welcome Home Parade in Philadelphia on May 15, 1919 that over two million people watched.

Harry W. Rowland's discharge papers, application for a victory medal in 1922, and application for veteran's compensation from Pennsylvania in 1934 listed the following engagements he participated in: Champagne-Marne Defensive from July 15 to July 18, 1918; Aisne-Marne Offensive from July 18 to August 6, 1918; Fismens Sector, August 7 to August 17, 1918; Oise-Aisne Offensive from August 18 to September 8, 1918; Meuse-Argonne Offensive from September 26 to October 9, 1918; and Thiacourt Sector from October 15 to November 11, 1918. 

The applications of Pennsylvania men that participated in World War I for a victory medal and for veteran's compensation are available on Ancestry.com.

Payment Pension Voucher from the National Archives for Daniel McCoy who died in Armstrong County in 1821

While visiting my daughter in August in Rockville, Maryland, I went to the National Archives for three days while she was working during the day.  I had been there for three days in June looking for information on Daniel McCoy, a Revolutionary War ancestor who had applied for a Revolutionary War pension in June, 1820, prior to his death on 30 January 1821.  See previous blog posts on him for more information.  I wanted to find the pension payment vouchers to see what additional information they might provide on him that wasn't in his pension file.  There was nothing for him in the Selected Final Payment Vouchers that I checked in June (Record Group 217, Series 722).  I also checked Registers of Pension Payments (14 unindexed volumes) in Record Group 217, Series 206 in June to see if they showed when he was paid by the Pennsylvania agency in Philadelphia but there were no entries for him.  This is not as daunting as it seems since only certain volumes contain records for the Pennsylvania agency.  The early volumes are the only ones that contain information on payments made under the Act of 1818 but I did not know this until I looked at all the volumes.  

I decided to look at the Settled Accounts of Pension Agents in Record Group 217, Series 721 when I went back there in August.  I knew he had been approved for a pension on 10 July 1820 from his pension file and I knew that he had died on 30 January 1821.  I began by checking the Pennsylvania agency in Philadelphia for the fourth quarter of 1820 and the first quarter of 1821 but found nothing for him.  I then checked the second quarter of 1821 and hit the jackpot.  Daniel and John McCoy, as the administrators of his estate, filed for the pension payment due him.  They appointed Robert Toland, an attorney in Philadelphia, to receive the payment for them.  A pension payment could only be paid at that time by  a pensioner receiving the payment himself at the U.S. Bank in Philadelphia or having an agent receive it for him.  The administrators for Daniel McCoy, Sr. received $86.93 for the period from 4 March 1820 to 30 January 1821 when he died.  Among the papers with the pension payment voucher is a letter dated 9 December 1820 stating that the schedule of his property had been received and that his pension would be paid the next March but no arrearages would be paid.  The Pennsylvania agency was checked for the third quarter of 1820  but I found nothing for him.  Since he was approved for a pension on 10 July 1820 retroactive to 8 June 1818,  he should have received $167.16 in arrearages according to his pension file.  No record could be found of it having been paid during the period from July, 1820 to May, 1821 when the final payment was made on his pension.  I will look for it again if I am able to go back to the National Archives. The papers that were found with his pension payment voucher are included here since they contain valuable information that is difficult to access. 

The pension payment voucher was number 874 and was filed with the M's for the second quarter of 1821 for the Pennsylvania agency in Philadelphia.

 This is the pension certificate that was issued to him in July, 1820.

This is the four pages that the administrators submitted to receive the final pension payment for Daniel McCoy, Sr.  Note that it gives the date when he died and includes the signatures of his administrators, Daniel and John McCoy, who were also his sons.

This was the letter sent to Daniel McCoy, Sr. in December, 1820 that the schedule of his property had been received and that he would be paid the following March but that no arrearages would be paid.

The following is the power of attorney for Robert Tolland.

The following is the receipt for the final payment.

 

Rowland, Rundel, and Nichols Connections

I have been working on my Rowland family lately.  See the previous post on Welsh Origin of Griffith Rowland and his parents of Cambria County, Pennsylvania for background on the Rowland family.  William Rowland (1801-1883) was born in Cambria County and moved to South Mahoning Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania about 1838.  He married Clarissa Rundel (1809-1897) on 12 April 1832, probably in Cambria County.  According to the History of Indiana County by Stewart, her parents were Gilbert Rundel and Amy Nichols from Genesee County, New York.  This is the only place where I have found the maiden name of Gilbert Rundel's wife.  Gilbert Rundel was living in Jackson Township, Cambria County in the 1830 census and in Carroll Township, Cambria County in the 1840 census.  His wife Amy was living with her two sons Chaney and Asept in Carroll Township, Cambria County in the 1850 census.  She was born about 1774 in Rhode Island according to the 1850 census.  Gilbert was born between 1770 and 1780 based on his age in the 1840 census.  He probably died sometime between 1840 and 1850 since he does not appear in the 1850 census.

Part of Pennsylvania was claimed by the Susquehanna Company as part of Connecticut in the second half of the 1700's.  This was the  area along the Susquehanna River.  There was bloodshed and conflicts over this area claimed by both Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna Company settlers as part of Connecticut.  In 1782 court commissioners, under the Articles of Confederation, decided this area belonged to Pennsylvania but cautioned Pennsylvania to treat the Susquehanna Company settlers fairly.  Luzerne County was created in 1786 so that Susquehanna Company settlers could elect their own justices of the peace and representatives to the Pennsylvania legislature.  All of the land claims of the Susquehanna Company settlers were not resolved with Pennsylvania until 1810.  Luzerne County covered a much larger area in 1786 than it does today.  Present day Bradford County was created in 1810 from parts of Luzerne and Lycoming counties.   

Gilbert Rundel appears in the 1820 census in Canton Township, Bradford County, Pennsylvania.  He appears in the 1810 census in Caledonia Township, Genesee County, New York.  Caledonia Township is part of Livingston County, New York today.  

Gilbert appears in the 1800 census in Wysox Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  There is a Timothy Nichols living next to him in the 1800 census in Wysox Township.  Reuben Case, Timothy Nichols' son-in-law, is also living nearby.  Timothy Nichols and Reuben Case are living in Hebron Township, Washington County, New York in the 1790 census.  Gilbert Rundel appears on an assessment list in Granville Township, Washington County, New York in 1799.  Granville and Hebron townships in Washington County are adjacent to each other.  Timothy Nichols, Sr. transferred land in Hebron Township, Washington County to his son Timothy Nichols, Jr. in 1797.  Timothy Nichols, Jr. appears on an assessement list in Hebron Township, Washington County in 1799.  Reuben Case settled in present day Troy Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in 1798 according to a Bradford County history by Heverly.  Timothy Nichols and his son-in-law, Reuben Case, and Gilbert Rundel were all living near each other in Wysox Township, Luzerne County in 1800. 

A "Petition of the Inhabitants of Pennsylvania Who Settled on Lands Claimed Under Grants From the State of Connecticut" was read by Congress on 5 January 1802.  Among the 1150 names on the petition dated 1 November 1801 were those of  Reuben Case, Timothy Nichols, and Gilbert Randell.  Congress did not act on their petition since they felt the matter had already been settled.  It is believed that Amy Nichols' father was Timothy Nichols although positive proof has not been found.

Genesee County, New York was opened for settlement in 1802 and originally encompassed all of western New York.  Gilbert Rundel left Luzerne County sometime after 1801 and was living in Caledonia Township, Genesee County by 1810.  Sometime between 1810 and 1820 he moved to Canton Township, Bradford County.  Sometime between 1820 and 1830 he moved to Cambria County.  No deeds were found for Gilbert Rundel (also checked various spellings) in Genessee County, New York.  No probate records were found for Gilbert Rundel in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.

The 1820 census probably gives the best snapshot of Gilbert Rundel's family:
Free white males 16 thru 25-2
Free white males 45 and over-1
Free white females under 10-2
Free white females 10 thru 15-2
Free white females 45 and over-1
Number of persons engaged in agriculture-1
Cheney and Asept were living with Amy Rundel in the 1850 census but Clarissa is the only one of his daughters whose name is known.

Timothy Nichols married Experience Bowen on 9 September 1764 in Coventry, Kent County, Rhode Island.  Their marriage is recorded in the town records as well as the births of two of their children:  Experience born 2 November 1766 and Timothy born 12 July 1769.  Timothy Nichols household in the 1790 census in Hebron Township, Washington County, New York consisted of the following persons:
Free white males under 16-1
Free white males 16 and over-1
Free white females-4
His daughter Experience was not included in his household in 1790 since she had already married Reuben Case.  His son Timothy would have been about 21 in 1790.  If Amy was one of his daughters, then he had a son and three daughters whose names are unknown.  Note that the 1850 census states that Amy Rundel was born in Rhode Island.

Volume 3 of Richard Bowen (1594?-1675) of Rehoboth, Massachusetts and his descendants states that Timothy Nichols was a blacksmith and had sold all his property in Coventry, Rhode Island by 1772.  The book also states he was absent from Coventry's 1774, 1777, and 1782 censuses; and from its town "inventory" in 1778.  Where did Timothy Nichols move after he left Coventry?  He purchases land in 1790 in Hebron Township, Washington County, New York and is in the 1790 census there.  It should be noted that Washington County, New York is adjacent to Vermont and Connecticut.  The New England Historical and Genealogical website, American Ancestors.org, has a database that has many New England records.  The only records in its database for Timothy Nichols are for his marriage to Experience Bowen,and the births of their children, Experience and Timothy, mentioned previously.  Timothy Nichols and his son-in-law, Reuben Case, appear in the 1820 census for Danby Township, Tioga County, New York.  It is believed that this is where Timothy Nichols and his wife probably died since he does not appear in the 1830 census there.  There are no deeds or probate records for Timothy Nichols in Tioga County, New York.

If anyone has any additonal information on Gilbert Rundel or Timothy Nichols, I would love to hear from you.  Does anyone know the names of Gilbert Rundel's or Timothy Nichols' other children?





 

The Rodkey/Rathge/Radge Family of Christina Rodkey/Rotkey Married to William Buterbaugh

William Buterbaugh (1778-19August 1859)and his wife Christena Rodkey/Rotkey (1776-25 September 1859) are buried at the East Mahoning Baptist Cemetery in Indiana County, Pennsylvania.  They had eight children who will not be named since the Buterbaugh family is not our focus here today but their children are named in the following Indiana County deeds:  deed book 25, page 626 and deed book 26, page 121.  The short biography for Joseph L. Buterbaugh in Caldwell's 1880 History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania on page 482 gives his grandparents' names as William and Christina Buterbaugh nee Rotkey.  This is the only mention of her maiden name that I can find other than later family histories.  William Buterbaugh came from  Huntingdon County where Elias and Rosina Rodkey owned a tavern in Williamsburg, Woodberry Township.  A William Butterbaugh is living in Morris Township, Huntingdon Township in 1800 near Joseph and Peter Butterbaugh.  William Butterbaugh is 16 to 25 with a wife the same age and one son under 10.  He appears in 1810 in Allegheny Township, Huntingdon County under the name Wm Booterbaugh and in 1820 in Woodberry Township, Huntingdon County under the name William Butterbock.  He is in Green Township in the 1830 census under the name William Buterbaugh.

Now for the Rodkey family.  Elias Rodkey first apppears in Williamsburg, Huntingdon County in 1798 when he is taxed under the U.S. Direct Tax.  He owned 2 houses and 2 lots in the town of Williamsburg.  He also appears in the 1800 census but died prior to 
19 December 1801 when his wife Rosina and son Jacob filed letters of administration to administer his estate.  Rosina appears in the 1810 census as R. Rodkey in Williamsburg, Huntingdon County.  She is a female 45 years and over living near her son Jacob.  She died sometime after this.

Elias and Rosina Barbara Rodkey had children baptized at Friedens Lutheran Church (also known as the Allemangel or White Church) near Stony Run, Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania between 1762 and 1776.  The name was spelled Ratchen or Rathge in the baptismal records.  These records are available in Rev. Schumacher's record book, in the baptismal register for Friedens Lutheran Church, and on Ancestry.com.  There are two baptims for a Christine:
1). Christine Rathge, born 9 December 1773, baptized 1 January 1774
Parents:  Elias and Rosina Rathge
Sponsors:  Geo. Michael Reinhart and Chrine Boeander
2). Christine Margaret baptized 11 August 1776, 13 weeks old
Parents:  Elias and Rosina Barbara Ratchen
Sponsors:  Henry Geuck and Anna Marg. Boelender
If one goes by the information on Christena Buterbaugh's tombstone, she was born about 1776.  That would indicate that it is the second Christine but I have never seen the name Margaret used for her.

Elias and Christine Rodkey and their children appear in church records in Maryland between 1784 and 1796.  Elias and his wife Rosina Radge(h) appear in the records of St. Benjamin's Lutheran Church (also known as Krider's or Pipe Creek) near Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, as communicants and sponsors in 1786 and 1791.  Their son Jacob and his wife Margaret have two daughters, Elisabeth (1786) and Mary (1796) baptized at this church.

Elias' son Jac. Radgie, single, and his daughter, Cathr. Radge, single, were communicants on 7 November, 1784 at St. Mary's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Silver Run, Carroll County, Maryland.  It is assumed that Elias and his wife Rosina were living in Carroll County, Maryland also at this time. 

The Lutheran church record for St. Paul's Church of Arcadia, Baltimore County, Maryland, was destroyed in a fire but the Rev. C. Stork Jones published a pamphlet in 1902 on the history of the church.  According to this pamphlet, Elias and Rosina Barbara Rathge and their children Christina and Daniel appeared in the records for this church in 1794.

A Nicholas Rathge of Albany Township died in Berks County in 1760.  His will was written 22 April 1760 and probated 23 May 1760.  He names his wife Maria Anna Ursula and his children Elias and Anna Margaret in his will.  Elias Ratchen and Maria Ursula (son and wife of Nicholas Rattge) were sponsors for Maria Ursula, daughter of Johann Wilhelm Weynand and Gerdraut on 13 November 1757 at the Allemangel Church (see Record Book of Daniel Schumacher).  

Nicolas Rattge arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 26 September, 1737 on the ship, Saint Andrew Galley.  Although only male names are recorded on the ship's lists, his wife Maria Ursula and children Elias and Anna Margaret probably came with him since he was married and his children were born prior to his arrival.  Johan Nickel Radge and Maria Ursula Helffrich (May) were married on 4 December 1717 in Pfungstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt.  Anna Margretha Radje was born 22 May 1727 and baptized 25 May 1727 in Pfungstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt.  Elias Radgen was born 17 August 1732 and baptized 19 August 1732 in Pfungstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt.  These records are in Anna K. Burgurt's book, Eighteenth Century Emigrants From Pfungstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt To Pennsylvania.  They are available on FamilySearch.org.  There is a discrepancy on the last name of Maria Ursula.  FamilySearch states her name is Maria Ursula Helffrich.  Anna K. Burgurt's book states she is a daughter of Henrich Helffrich May.  The original marriage record needs checked to clarify which one is correct.

There was an Elias Ratgen on the same ship, Saint Andrew Galley, that arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 26 September 1737.  He is often confused with Nicholas Rathge's son Elias that died in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.  Elias Ratgen was a son of Joachim and Rosina Dorothea.  He was born 27 March 1715 and baptized 29 March 1715 in Pfungstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt.  He married Magdalena Spindler on 14 May 1737 in Pfungstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt.  His second wife was Rosina Ziegler according to the Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, page 940.  He died before 28 June 1788 in Berks County, Pennsylvania where he owned property in Cumru Township.  An Orphans' Court record in Berks County dated 25 March 1789 (Orphans Court Proceedings Volume 4, page 64) names his heirs.  It names his wife Rosina, his "eldest and only son Elias," as well as his daughters and their husbands.

Joachim and Rosina Dorothea Radge also had a son Johann Jacob Radge, who was born 25 October 1719 and baptized 28 October 1719.  He was on the ship, Robert and Alice, that arrived in Philadelphia on 3 December 1740.  He died before 28 July 1784 in Berks County, Pennsylvania where he owned property in Union Township.  An Orphans Court record in Berks County dated 11 August 1784 (Orphans Court Proceedings Volume 3, pages 105-106) names his heirs.  It names his wife Catharine, sons John and John Adam, as well as his daughters and their husbands. 

It is not known how the Elias and Jacob Radge, sons of Joachim and Rosina Dorothea Radge, were related to Nicolas Rathge but it is very likely that there was a close relationship since they were all from Pfungstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt.  It is possible that Joachim and Nicolas were brothers but further research into the records in Pfungstadt is necessary before any definite conclusion can be reached.

Daniel McMillen and Sons of Armstrong and Indiana Counties, Pennsylvania

Daniel McMillen was born in 1777 and was a son of John and Mary McMillen whose family was discussed in the last blog post. 
A biographical entry for William McMillen in the History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania by Caldwell on page 474 states that Daniel McMillen was a son of John and Mary McMillen.  John McMillen names Daniel McMillen as his executor in his will and Daniel McMillen is a witness for Thomas McMillen's will.  It is believed that Daniel and Thomas McMillen were brothers.  Daniel and Mary McMillen were living in Plum Creek Township, Armstrong County in the 1850 census.  Daniel and Mary both died sometime after 1850.

Daniel McMillen married Mary Reynolds, a daughter of John Reynolds, according to the biographical entry for William McMillen.  She was born about 1785.  John Reynolds' will was written on 6 September 1824 and was probated on 8 January 1825 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (see will book 1, page 122).  His will names his wife Mary and children.  He leaves his daughter, Mary McMillen, $50.  He signs his name John Runnels.

Daniel McMillen and Mary Reynolds had the following children:

1)  William McMillen (1808-1881) married Elizabeth Cessna (1814-1895). His will names 5 children (Indiana County WB 5, page 144-146).  He also had a son Silas according to census records and the biographical entry for him.
2)  John (born about 1814-died after 1880) and Martha Forster (born about 1833) had 10 children according to census records.
3)  Robert Beatty McMillen (1817-1878) married Catharine Helman (born about 1824-25-died before 1878).  Indiana County deeds name 9 children.
4)  Samuel McMillen (1822-1900) married Elizabeth Juart (1831-1919).  His will names 4 children (Indiana County WB 9, page 440.
5)  James McMillen (1825-1905) and Martha A. Powell (1839-1884) had 6 children according to census records and his obituary.

All of Daniel and Mary McMillen's children, except for their son John, moved to Indiana County.  John remained in Plum Creek Township, Armstrong County.  William, Beatty, and Samuel lived in South Mahoning Township, Indiana County.  James lived in Rayne Township, Indiana County and was in Company F, 74th Pennsylvania Volunteers, during the Civil War.

Beatty McMillen and Catharine Helman were my second great grandparents.  More information regarding their family will be given in a future blog post.