John Logue Sr. and his Angry Neighbor Conrad Helm

What bit of intrigue sparked the debate between these two Londonderry neighbors?  We may never know, but clearly, in the following court documents, Conrad Helm was not very happy about something as it related to my 4^th Great Grandfather, John Logue Sr., of Bedford County, Pennsylvania.  Peruse the transcribed notes of the following documents (I purchased one of these original documents several years ago; while the other two were eventually sold on eBay for an amount greater that I was able to afford).

Document 1:

County of Bedford of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the constable of London Derry Township, greeting,

Whereas John Logue Senior of the township and county afore said hath this day made oath before David Bonnell one of our justice of the peace in and for said county, that he is afraid that Coonrad Helm of London Derry Township will do him some bodily harm, and hath therefore prayed surety of the peace against him, these are therefore to command  you to take the said Coonrad Helm and bring him before the said David Bonnell or some other justice of the peace for this county, to find sufficient surety as well as for his appearance at the next general quarter session of the peace to be held for the county afore said, is also in the meantime to keep the peace, especially toward the said John Logue senior.

Witness this said David Bonnell at London Derry Township this seventh day of October Anno Domino 1811

Given under my hand and seal   David Bonnell

 

Document 2:

October the Seventh Anno Domino 1811
John Logue Senior personally came before me, David Bonnell one of the justices of the peace in and for the county of Bedford, and was duly sworn, and on his solemn oath deposeth and saith, that Coonrad Helm has lately, repeatedly threatened that he would take his life, and that the said Conrad Helm ordered his wife Mary Helm to fetch him his gun and swore that he would kill him, and that he verily believes that he goeth in danger of his life, and that he doth not require a surety of the peace for malice, vexation and revenge, but purely for his ownly safety,

Conrad Helm (the Principal) bound in Two Hundred Dollars to appear at the next court of general quarters of the peace to be held at Bedford borough for the county of Bedford and George P Schultz (the Surety) bounds in Two Hundred Dollars,

Coonrad Helm of London Derry Township Bedford County, mason, tent in $200 George P Schultz of the same place yeoman tent in $200

Upon conditions, that if this said Coonrad Helm shall personally appear at the next court of general quarter sessions of the peace to be held at Bedford burough in and for the county of Bedford then and there to answer such matters and things as shall be objected against him, on behalf of the Commonwealth, for breaking the peace by threatening the life of a certain Jon Logue Senior, and shall in the meantime keep the peace, and be of good behaviors toward all the liege subjects of the Commonwealth, especially toward John Logue Senior, and not depart the said court without license then the above recognizance to be Void, otherwise the several sums of money to be levied of their goods and chattels, lands and tenements, respectively to the use of the Commonwealth.

Taken and acknowledged the 12^th Day of October AD 1811

David Bonnell

Document 3:

John Logue Senior and the Commonwealth versus Conrad Helm

Thomas McGibbons  personally came before me the subscriber one of the justices of the peace in and for the county of Bedford on Saturday the 12th day of this instant and was duly sworn in on his solemn oath deposeth and saith that on the fourth day of this instant that he saw Conrad Helm a coming down from Bedford and that he asked the said Helm how he made out with his affairs and John Logue senior, and he further saith that Helm said that he made out well enough for they told him that he should take a club  and if he should kill him they would keep him clear, and further this deponent saith not.

Thomas McGibbons

 The above deposition was taken sworn in subscribed to before me the 12th day of October Anno Domino 1811 David Bonnell

 

 

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The Tragic Life of Horatio Higbee, London Artist

The Tragic Life of Horatio Higbee, London Artist

Horatio Higbee was born 12 April, 1837¹ in Radcliff, London, England, to George Robert Higbee and Jane Kirby. Though no longer in existence, Radcliff was once a hamlet lying near the north bank of the River Thames between the districts of Shadwell and Limehouse. Today, this area is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and is located just to the south of Stepney.

In this same year, Charles Dickens wrote of London; “Eleven o’clock, and a new set of people fill the streets.  The goods in the shop-windows are invitingly arranged; the shopmen in their white neckerchiefs and spruce coats, look as it they couldn’t clean a window if their lives depended on it; the carts have disappeared from Covent-garden; the waggoners have returned, and the costermongers repaired to their ordinary ‘beats’ in the suburbs; clerks are at their offices, and gigs, cabs, omnibuses, and saddle-horses, are conveying their masters to the same destination.  The streets are thronged with a vast concourse of people, gay and shabby, rich and poor, idle and industrious; and we come to the heat, bustle, and activity of NOON.”.

This was Horatio’s London, a bustling metropolis with masses of humanity of every thinkable variety. Young and old, healthy and infirm, industrious and lazy, wealthy and poor. Above all, poor, and growing by leaps and bounds. London’s rapid growth during the 19^th Century was unprecedented. In 1800, London’s population was about 1,000,000, and reached nearly 4,500,000 by the 1880’s. Much of that growth can be attributed to the advent of the railroad coming to London. Starting in the late 1830s, competing railway companies pushed into London as far as they could, displacing the masses of poor, and then building their great train terminals. This created a ring of railway stations that are familiar names today: London Bridge Station (1836), Euston Station (1837), and Paddington Station (1838).

19th century London was also a city of great poverty, where millions lived in overcrowded and unsanitary slums. The life of London’s poor was graphically immortalized in the novels of Charles Dickens. Sketches by Boz, Bleak House, and Oliver Twist. We all have a sense of what life was likely like for little Horatio and his family.

Horatio was the fifth child born to George and Jane. At the time of his birth, Horatio’s father, George, was a Mariner¹. A Mariner at the time could have been a sailor, a merchant mariner, a fisherman or any number of other sea-and-ship-related professions. Horatio’s siblings included Mary Ann (born in 1829), possibly George Porter (born in 1830), Jane (born in 1831), and Emma (born in 1835). Horatio was christened 1 October 1837² in the Anglican Church at St. Dunstan, in the district of Stepney (Middlesex, England). St Dunstan’s has a history dating back to the 10^th Century, though the building that Horatio would have known in 1837 was much newer, having been built in the 16^th Century.

With a few upgrades since, that building still stands today. St Dunstan’s is surrounded by nearly seven acres of grounds and cemetery. The church itself has a long history and tradition of association with the sea. Many mariners and sailors are buried there. It was once known as the “Church of the Sea”. Perhaps that is the association it held for George Higbee and his family. This rendering is circa 1804.

The exact place of residence at the time of his birth is not known, but by the time Horatio was 4, the 1841 census notes that he and his mother were living on Diamond Row in Stepney³. Diamond Row no longer exists, but is known today as Redmans Road in Stepney⁴.

Horatio’s father George was not listed as residing at home in 1841. Perhaps as a Mariner, he was off to sea; however, it is possible he had already died by this time. His mother Jane’s occupation was listed in the census as being a Dress Maker.

By the time Horatio is 14 in 1851, he and his mother Jane, and his 16-year-old sister, Emma, are living as lodgers in the home of Mary Lethbridge⁵. Mary has a grown son, Richard, and a grown daughter, Frances, living in the home. Mary, Richard, Frances and Jane are noted as being widows and widower. Also living in the home is an older couple, John and Sarah Gall. The Lethbridge home is at number 24 Redmans Road, Stepney. The Redlands Primary School now stands on this spot where the Higbee family once lived.

By 1856, young Horatio is working as a Tobacconist at 2 Wentworth Place, in the Mile End Old Town district⁶. He is listed in the City Directory of that year. While smoking in England had a long history, dating back to the sixteenth century, tobacco had been primarily smoked in pipes.  Added to this over the years was both snuff and cigars. By the mid-nineteenth century, hand-rolled cigarettes, which had long been popular in continental Europe and the Middle East, were introduced to British soldiers during the Crimean War (1853-1856). It is likely that Horatio found himself making and selling a combination of the lot. With Horatio’s name being the only name mentioned in the City Directory at this tobacco shop location on Wentworth, it begs the question: is he employee, manager or owner?

On the 24^th of April, 1858, at 21 years old, Horatio married Eliza James in the parish church, St. John of Jerusalem, in South Hackney. The church was fairly new in Horatio’s and Eliza’s time, having only been consecrated in 1848.

The original stone spire was damaged during the WWII and replaced by the current copper clad wooden structure.   Its nave is 60 feet in height and the spire 187 feet. At the time of their marriage, the record indicates that both Horatio and Eliza were residing in South Hackney. Horatio’s father is again noted as a Mariner, while Eliza’s father, John, is noted as an Iron Foundry worker. No mention is made in the record as to whether George Higbee is deceased or living (though presumed dead from Jane’s “widow” reference earlier), but John James, Eliza’s father, is a witness to the marriage.   While Horatio’s occupation in 1856 was as a Tobacconist, his marriage record in 1858 lists rank or profession as “Artist”. I find that very intriguing and wonder what type of artist he was.

1858 was a notable year for London, it was called the year of the “Big Stink”. For years, with the growing population of London fast outpacing the limited infrastructure to handle an ever-increasing volume of human waste, the River Thames had become the unfortunate but logical repository of that waste. Though London did have the beginnings of a sewer system, it was significantly underdeveloped.  Many cellars had cesspools underneath their floorboards. With these cesspools overrunning, the London government decided to dump the waste into the river. The banks and depths of the river were becoming polluted beyond imagination, and the smells that hung over the city were stifling. This was a problem that impacted even the least sensitive noses of the wealthy, the middle class and the poor alike. It was also becoming much more clear, scientifically, that this waste problem was partly responsible for the many outbreaks of cholera that London had seen in the prior few years. By the summer of 1858, with summer temperatures at an unseasonable high, the problem became simply unbearable. Fortunately for the poor, the impact on the wealthy was so significant that they finally decided they needed to do something about the problem.  An editorial in The Times of London on June 18th, 1858, reads:

What a pity it is that the thermometer fell ten degrees yesterday. Parliament was all but compelled to legislate upon the great London nuisance by the force of sheer stench. The intense heat had driven our legislators from those portions of their buildings which overlook the river. A few members, bent upon investigating the matter to its very depth, ventured into the library, but they were instantaneously driven to retreat, each man with a handkerchief to his nose. We are heartily glad of it. (GSOL, p. 71)

The public outcry finally prompted action from local and national administrators who had been considering possible solutions for the problem, including a series of sewers that would move the refuse far beyond the metropolitan area where it could be better handled. This historical event likely impacted the lives of Horatio and Eliza as well.

At the time of their marriage, Eliza was apparently already pregnant, as less than six weeks later, on June 8^th, 1858, a son, Algernon Horatio Skingle Higbee, was born to Horatio and Eliza. A month after he was born, Algernon was christened on July 4^th in the same church as his father, St. Dunstan’s in Stepney. Algernon’s christening record notes that their home address was number 65 King Street. King Street is no longer in existence, but was once where Christian Street now sits in Stepney⁷.   This rendering is of King Street in 1886, slightly later than when Horatio and Eliza would have lived there.

It is just after Algernon’s birth that tragedy strikes the life of Horatio. The death index of 1858 indicates that Eliza James Higbee died in June. We do not have her death record so we do not have the details of her untimely death. However, we may surmise that perhaps she died in childbirth. Historical accounts also indicate that London experienced a significant Cholera outbreak in the summer of 1858, so was Eliza perhaps a victim of Cholera? One can only imagine how that tragic death might have impacted Horatio and the newborn Algernon. What would become of Algernon? What would Horatio do? For six months Horatio apparently struggled deeply with the loss of his wife. Several records seem to hint that Algernon may have been sent to live with other family members⁸. Horatio moved in with his widowed mother, Jane, likely near where he worked. The depth of Horatio’s despair was highlighted in a tragic news story from the London Morning News, dated December 24, 1858:

Extraordinary suicide. Yesterday afternoon Mr. W. Baker, the coroner, held an inquest at the Fountain Tavern Stracey-Street, Stepney, on view of the body of Horatio Higbee, age 22 years, who committed self-destruction by swallowing a quantity of prussic acid, under the following circumstances: Jane Higbee, of No. 69 King Street, near the Thames police court, said the deceased was her son, and lately he had been lodging with her. He was formerly in business at Mile-end, but through the death of his wife and other afflictions his mind had been unsettled. Deceased would frequently sit for hours in a low in melancholy mood, and was evidently disturbed in his mind. On Saturday last deceased came home from his occupation, and seemed rather dull, but made no complaint to witness. He partook of supper, and about 11 o’clock he retired to his sleeping apartment, and witness saw no more of him until the following morning about 9 o’clock, when she went to his room to call him to breakfast, but she could not gain admission, nor obtain any answer. Witness called assistance, when the deceased was found lying on the bed with his head hanging down towards the floor, and he seemed to be quite insensible. There was a little vomit upon the carpet, as if the deceased had been sick, and witness found a teacup containing a portion of liquid. Medical aid was sent for, and Dr. Corner soon arrived, and pronounced life extinct. There was no writing or anything found in the room to account for the act. Dr. Corner, of Ireland Road, near Mile-end Road, Stepney, said that when he reached the house and examined the body he had been dead several hours – most probably from the previous night. There was an appearance of the deceased having died from poison, and upon making an analysis of the liquid found in the cup, witness ascertained by tests that it contained cyanide of potassium or prussic acid, a deadly poison, used in photography. Other evidence having been taken, the coroner remarked on the case, after which the jury returned a verdict the temporary insanity.

This was the deeply tragic and heartbreaking ending of the life of a newlywed and a young father. Perhaps the challenges of life were just too much for the sensitive heart of this aspiring artist. Temporary insanity? Who can say. But certainly he died of a broken heart.

 

Horatio’s own signature on his marriage record

 

Footnotes:

¹London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906 , Tower Hamlets St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney 1837

² England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

³ file:HIGBEE Jane Kirby 1841 Stepney Middlesex England census no George Robert in the home son Horatio.jpg

⁴ http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/744bf61a-564a-48c4-87ba-a16a17495386

⁵ 1851 census

⁶U.K., City and County Directories, 1600s-1900s

⁷ http://www.maps.thehunthouse.com/Streets/New_to_Old_Abolished_London_Street_Names.htm

⁸Census for 1861: HIGBEE Algernon Horatio Skingle 1861 Spitalfields Whitechapel London England census 2 years old living with half aunt & uncle Robinson HIGBEE HIGBY

 

 

 

Honoring 1Lt James Amos on Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day 2016, as we honor those who have died in the service of our country, I am remembering a second cousin on my father’s side, 1Lt James Norwood Amos. James fought with the 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division in WWII. He was among the many that stormed the beaches of Normandy in June of 1944. While he survived the beach landing, he was killed 30 days later, on July 6, 1944, as the 357th “attempted to take Beaucoudray, a small town whose capture was to develop into one of the toughest engagements to the entire war. This six day battle saw the type of slugfest which is so costly to both sides”*.  He is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer,. Basse-Normandie, France. He made the ultimate sacrifice. I salute him for his valor. And I honor all of those who served and died so courageously.

The grave marker is in the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. The two portrait pictures are James’ Junior and Senior High School portraits. The picture in uniform is noted, online, as being James. I do wonder about the uniform, however. His military record clearly shows he was with the U.S. Army. This appears to me to be a Navy uniform. Am I mistaken? Could this photo be attributed incorrectly?

*Regimental History of the 357th Infantry; Compiled by SSgt. George von Roeder; First Edition
printed by the Ferdinand Nicki Buchdruckerei Weiden, Oberfalz, Bavaria

The Mystery of the Gimer/Geimer Family of Somerset County, Pennsylvania

Susannah Gimer was my 4th Great Grandmother. She was born 14 January 1812 (as calculated from her tombstone) and died 29 March 1880 in Northampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania due to “Dropsy” (edema in modern vernacular), according to the 1880 Federal Mortality Schedule for Northampton, Somerset, PA. She married my 4th Great Grandfather, Joseph Lybarger Sr., 27 Nov 1827, in Berlin, Somerset, PA. While significant information is known about the ancestry of the Lybarger family, nearly nothing is noted in family history records about the GIMER family and  and the origin of the name. In the various marriage and death records of Susannah’s children, her maiden name is listed as GIMER and GEIMER.

The following information has been gathered in relation to the GIMER family line from Bedford and Somerset County, Pennsylvania.Which, if any, is directly tied to my Gimer line is still a question. If this information strikes a chord with anyone, I hope they’ll let me know:

1. Johann Adam Geimer, was a pioneer to Pennsylvania from Rotterdam on the ship “Two Brothers, from the Electorate Palatine & Triers, Hapsburg”, arriving in Philadelphia, 1749 (In what part of Pennsylvania did he settle?)
2. Adam Geimer is found in the Philadelphia, PA census of 1752
3. John Geimer Land Warrant, Brothers Valley Township, Bedford PA 1773 (what is John’s relation to Adam? Or are John and Adam the same person? Johann Adam.)
   Note: BROTHERS VALLEY was organized as a township of Bedford county, in 1771, and was the first township formed west of the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania. It then included all of the present county of Somerset which is situated west of the Allegheny Mountain. The county of Somerset was created April 17, 1795 from the western part of Bedford County lying between the Allegheny Mountain range to the Laurel Hill range.
4. Philip Geimer is born in 1773 in Maryland, per a genealogy on Ancestry for the Matthews family. See Figure 2 below. The census records seem to indicate birth before 1755.
5. Widow Guimer Bedford PA Tax List 1781 (Is she widow to Adam? Or John? Or someone else?)
6. Widow Guimer Bedford PA Tax List 1782
7. Philip Geimer marries Maria Elizabeth Mathews Somerset PA (according to a Mathews family genealogy online – no sources noted)
8. Philip and Maria Mathews Geimer have the following children according to the Mathews genealogy online: Magdalena Geimer, born 09 Apr 1795, Somerset, PA; George Geimer, born January 1798, Somerset, PA; and Elizabeth Geimer, born 16 Jan 1800, Somerset, PA. Another genealogy on Ancestry.com suggests a daughter Catherine Geimer, born 1805 in Somerset, PA. Are there other children?
9. Philip Gimer Pennsylvania Septennial Census Brothers Valley Somerset PA 1800
10. Philip Gimer Pennsylvania Septennial Census Brothers Valley Somerset PA 1800 (this is a second version of the same record)
11. Philip Kymer Federal Census Brothers Valley Somerset PA 1800
12. Philip Geimer Bail Bond Brothers Valley Somerset PA 1802
13. Philip Keimer Federal Census Southampton Somerset PA 1810
14. Susannah Gimer (my 4th Great Grandmother) is born PA 1812; the date according to her tombstone and the place per the Federal Mortality Record in 1880. Who is her father? Is Philip possibly her father?
15. Sara Guimmer baptism Milford Somerset PA 1822 with parents noted as David & Elizabeth Guimmer (also baptized at this location is John Domer, sibling to Susannah Domer, daughter-in-law to Joseph Lybarger and Susannah Gimer)
16. George Gimer Tax Lists Allegheny Somerset PA 1827 (The Mathews genealogy indicates George was a son of Philip – is this that George?)
17. Joseph Lybarger and Susannah Gimer are noted in the 1840 Federal Census Southampton Somerset PA
18. George Gaimer is found in the Brook County, Virginia federal census 1850 born PA about 1797
19. George Geimer is also found in the Federal Census for Pickaway Ohio 1850 born PA about 1773 (according to the Mathews genealogy, this is George, son of Philip though the birth year is off. Is this instead a possible sibling to Philip?)
20. Lastly, there is a GEIMER burial record noted and referenced in the transcribed record of burials in the WH Bowman Farm Cemetery in Northampton Somerset PA cemetery. It states “Geimer Family, no names, no markers” and notes “froze to death” (per transcribed WPA records on the Somerset County website) Who are these Geimers? What happened to them? What a tragic historical note. I would hope to find out the story of these Geimers at some point. 

Online, the “Descendants of Johann Jacob Mathews” family genealogy notes 3 children for Philip Geimer and Elizabeth Mathews. An additional ancestry listed online at Ancestry.com (a submitted genealogy) notes 4 children. What do the Federal Census records indicate? They are summarized here:

The 1800 Brothers Valley, Somerset, PA census for Philip Kymer indicates that Philip’s household had more children than the two genealogies noted above recognize. To summarize, the household would have:
• a father (born before 1755)
• one son (born between 1790 and 1800)
• three daughters (born between 1790 and 1800)
• an older daughter or even sister perhaps (born between 1775 and 1784)
• and perhaps a wife (born between 1756 and 1774)

The 1810 Southampton, Somerset, PA census for Philip Keimer indicates that Philip’s household would have had:

• a father (born before 1765)
• one son (born between 1795 and 1800)
• three daughters (born between 1800 and 1810)
• two daughters (born between 1795 and 1800)
• a female (born between 1766 and 1784) – in this case is this the older daughter or sister and Philip’s wife, Elizabeth Matthews, has already passed away? Or is this Elizabeth? Based on ages it could be either.

There does not appear to be a Census record for Philip in 1820. Is it possible that Susannah Gimer, born around 1812, is also a child of his?

Is this the possible genealogy of the Gimer line in Somerset and Bedford County, Pennsylvania:

Adam Geimer arrives 1754 PA

Possible son of Adam Geimer:  son John,  land warrant 1773 Bedford
Possible wife of John:  Widow Geimer,  tax rolls 1781, 1782 Bedford

Possible son of John Geimer:  son George, born 1773 PA (later moved to Ohio?)
Possible son of John Geimer:  son Philip, born perhaps a range of 1755-1780 Somerset PA

Possible children of Philip Geimer (Keimer):
-daughter Magdalena
-son George born 1797 PA (later moved to Virginia?)
-daughter Elizabeth born 1795
-daughter Catherine born 1800
-son David born ?? (David Guimmer) Somerset PA
-daughter Susannah born 1812 Somerset PA

Who might have further insight into this Geimer, Gimer, Keimer genealogy? 

 

Discovering John Logue of Ireland and Bedford County, Pennsylvania

John Logue, referred to as John1 in this document, was my fourth great grandfather. In researching his life I find there were two John Logues in early Pennsylvania history, both of Ireland, living (and dying) about the same time and living in many of the same places. This second John Logue is referred within as John2. This overlapping of lives had created a bit of confusion and has generated some, seemingly inaccurate, information associated with the two. Some deeds associated with one belong to the other, and vice versa. I hope to highlight and eventually clarify some of this misinformation.

John2 seems to have much more documented history compared to John1. John2 was married to Mary Buchanan Sproul. To date, the wife of John1 is unknown. I do find a few references in some online genealogies, but those names almost appear to be guesses as no documented references are currently found.

There is a Will, transcribed online, for John2. In it are noted the names of his wife, Mary, and children. His children are noted as: Andrew, James, William, Robert, John, Kitty Twehiligar, Polly, Sally, Charles and Betsy.

No Will seems to exist for John1. There is a reference to John1 in the History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, written in 1884. This reference notes that John Logue was a revolutionary soldier settling on Little Will’s creek (Londonderry Township) about 1800, moving from Cumberland Valley Township. Logue purchased property from Godfrey Wolford, who was an early settler. This document notes that John1’s children were: John Jr. (who was born in Cumberland Valley Township in1797), James, Daniel, Andrew, Isaac, George, Elizabeth and Hannah. (source: The History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, 1884, Waterman, Watkins & Co., p. 370.)

There is an SAR and DAR documented war record for John Logue, serving under Captain Ramsey, entering from Chester County, Pennsylvania. This record is currently associated primarily with John2, though some online genealogies make reference to that record when speaking of John1. I do believe that it is correctly associated with John2. His history does indicate that prior to coming to the western counties of Pennsylvania, he was living in Chester and Cumberland counties in eastern Pennsylvania. This would more closely match a Revolutionary War enlistment in Chester County.

John2 spent most of his adult life in Armstrong and Clarion counties, in the upper west portion of the state. He is buried in Clarion County. A headstone marks his grave. John2 is found in the Armstrong County Census records for 1810, 1820 and 1830.

John1 spent his life in Londonderry Township, Bedford County, PA. John1 can be found in the Bedford County Census records of 1800, 1810, 1820 and 1830. There is no known gravesite for John1. The website, “Mother Bedford” (a historical site related to the history of Bedford County), notes that Revolutionary War Patriot, John Logue, is buried in Bedford County. It is possible that John1 also had a service record from the Revolutionary War, but the one most often found on the internet relates, supposedly, to John2.

In the Pennsylvania Septennial census records for 1786, there is a John Logue noted in the Huntingdon, Bedford, Pennsylvania census. As there is also a John Logue in the 1786 Chester County, Pennsylvania census, it is likely that the Bedford/Huntingdon John is John1 and the Chester reference is to John2. (Source: Septennial Census Returns, 1779–1863. Box 1026, microfilm, 14 rolls. Records of the House of Representatives. Records of the General Assembly, Record Group 7. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, PA on Ancestry.com)

There are three John Logues in Huntingdon County, PA, north of Bedford in the 1790 census records. Is this both John1 and John2, plus another? The proximity to Bedford County certainly suggests that one could be John1. Many of John2’s children are said to have been born in Huntingdon County, so it is possible he was there also in 1790. However, some internet genealogy records note that John 2 married Mary Buchanan Sproul in 1792 in Chester County (in the far eastern part of the State). If that is the case, then it would seem unlikely that he would have been listed in the 1790 Census for Huntingdon County, so far west two years earlier. Of course, the marriage reference could be wrong. The 1800 Federal census for Huntingdon County shows one John Logue. Which is this? Is it possible that the two Johns had crossed paths in Huntingdon County in the 1790’s? This could certainly have added to the confusion that came about later on. Is it possible that the 1800 reference, then, relates to John2, as John1, by then, had moved to Londonderry Township in Bedford County?

From Ancestry.com, a reference is made to John2:
From Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania 1898; in reference to story about Homer N Logue p 1542
Our subject’s paternal grandfather, John Logue, was a native of County Donegal, Ireland, and at the age of 13 was bound out to become a sailor. After a few trips to America, he became infatuated with this country, and in order to remain he deserted the crew. He located east of the mountains, and later on Bear Creek in Butler county, Penn., his farm being now known as the Sheppard farm, very rich in oil. He wedded Mary Sproul, who was also born on the Emerald Isle and came to the United States shortly after he located here. When crossing the mountains to make a new home in Clarion county they had three children, two of whom they placed in sacks with their heads out, and these sacks they hung across the back of a horse. Their family consisted of the following named: William, Catherine, Sarah, James, John, Robert, Andrew and Elizabeth. All but Elizabeth are now deceased.”

Family story of John Logue, Sr. (mainer104 added this on 28 May 2012)
John Logue, Sr., was born in Ireland around 1757. It was said he was schooled for a priest in Ireland, but he ran away from home and came to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1774. He fought with the Americans at the Battle of Bunker Hill, but not as an enlisted soldier. Shortly after that he went to eastern Pennsylvania and on June 18, 1774 (or 1777) he enlisted as a soldier in Captain John Ramsey’s company of Chester County, Pennsylvania, militia, commanded by Colonel Lloyd K. Sproul (Spraul, Sprogel). This company was mustered into U.S. service July 11, 1777. The military record of John Logue, Sr., may be found in the Book of Pennsylvania Men of the Revolution, Volume 2, Page 79. He married Mary Buchanan Sproul in 1793, who was born in 1770 and Died August 26, 1840. She had been married to Col. Sproul. He was killed, and John Logue was sent to bring her the news of his death. They came to western Pennsylvania and settled near the old spring on a tract of land given him for serving in the army. There he built a large house known in later years as the Logue Mansion. This farm lies between St. Petersburg and West Freedom via Grass Flats. He died June 6, 1833, and was buried in the old cemetery at Concord Church (Presbyterian) in Perry Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania.

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Below is a summary of some Historical Records of JOHN LOGUE and his movement across Pennsylvania. Some seem clearly related to John1, while others are tied to John2. A few are not as clear, and are noted as John? Is this yet another John Logue? Or a son? Or John 1 or John2? The years are listed chronologically, with each county noted. You can see where the two Johns perhaps cross paths:

JOHN2 – 1777 John Logue Militia                        Chester County                      Private in Revolutionary War

source: LOGUE John Pennsylvania Archives Serives 2 Volume XIV Muster Rolls of Chester County PA Page 79 on Fold3 Probably the John2 and Sproul Under Capt John Ramsey

JOHN? – 1780 John Logue  Supply Rates          Cumberland County

source: LOGUE John Pennsylvania Archives Series 3 Volume XX Supply Rates Cumberland County 1780 Page 296 on Fold3

JOHN2 – 1780 John Logue  Tax Rates                Chester County                      Noted as LOGE

source: LOGUE John 1780 Tax Rates Chester County LOGE Fold3_Page_289_Pennsylvania_Archives

JOHN2 – 1781 John Logue  Tax Roll                    Chester County

source: LOGUE John 1781 Tax Chester County Fold3_Page_451_Pennsylvania_Archives and LOGUE John 1781 Tax Chester County Fold3_Page_635_Pennsylvania_Archives

 

JOHN? – 1781 John Logue  Muster Rolls          Cumberland County             Corporal

source: LOGUE John Pennsylvania Archives Series 5 Volume VI Muster Rolls Cumberland County 1781 Page 423 on Fold3

JOHN? – 1781 John Logue  Muster Rolls          Cumberland County             Noted as John Louge

source: LOGUE John Muster Rolls Cumberland County LOUGE Fold3_Page_636_Pennsylvania_Archives

source: LOGUE John Muster Rolls Cumberland County LOUGE Fold3_Page_637_Pennsylvania_Archives

JOHN? – 1782 John Logue  Taxables                  Cumberland County

source: LOGUE John Taxables 1782 Cumberland County Fold3_Page_570_Pennsylvania_Archives (1)

JOHN1 – 1785 John Logue  Tax List                     Huntingdon County

source: LOGUE John 1785 Bedford Tax and Exoneration Record

JOHN1 – 1786 John Logue  Census                     Huntingdon County

source: LOGUE John 1786 Huntington Bedford PA census likely our John as other John is in Chester PA in 1786 metadata

JOHN2 – 1786 John Logue  Census                     Chester County

source: LOGUE John 1786 Oxford Chester PA census likely the other John metadata (as he served with Capt Ramsey in the Revolutionary War from Chester)

JOHN1 – 1788 John Logue  150 Acres               Huntingdon County              Noted as LOUGE

source: LOGUE John Taxable Land Huntingdon PA Archives Services 3 Volume XXII 1788 from Fold3 John Louge

JOHN1 – 1788 John Logue  Militia                       Huntingdon Militia               Under Capt Little

source: LOGUE John Pennsylvania Archives Series 6 Volumn III Militia Rolls 1783-1790 Huntingdon County PA Page 449 AND LOGUE John Pennsylvania Archives Series 6 Volumn III Militia Rolls 1783-1790 Huntingdon County PA Page 448

JOHN2 – 1788 John Logue  Tax List                     Chester County

source: LOGUE John 1788 Ancestry.com Pennsylvania Tax and Exoneration 1768-1800

JOHN1 – 1789 John Logue  150 Acres               Huntingdon County

source: LOGUE John 1789 Huntingdon Tax and Exoneration Record

JOHN1 – 1790 John Logue  Federal Census     Huntingdon County

JOHN1 – 1791 John Logue  Muster Roll            Huntingdon County

source: LOGUE John 1791 Muster Roll Huntingdon County Fold3_Page_324_Pennsylvania_Archives

JOHN1 – 1793 John Logue  186 Acres               Huntingdon County

source: LOGUE John Warranties of Land Pennsylvania Archives Serices 3 Volume XXV Huntingdon County Page 732 on Fold3

JOHN? – 1794 John Logue  Land Warrant        Cumberland County             With a George Logue and Adam Logue. These two are supposed to be brothers to John Logue (husband of Mary Sproul – John1)

source: LOGUE John 1794 Land Warrant Cumberland County Probably NOT our John Fold3_Page_710_Pennsylvania_Archives

JOHN1 – 1798 John Logue  Tax List                     Huntingdon County

source: LOGUE John National Archives Pennsylvania US Direct Tax Lists 1798 on Ancestry com

JOHN1 – 1799 John Logue  Land Deed note   Bedford County

source: LOGUE John Land Deed 1799 research

JOHN1 – 1800 John Logue  Federal Census     Bedford County

By 1800, JOHN2 seems to be in Butler/Armstrong/Clarion County

JOHN1 – 1810 John Logue  Federal Census     Bedford County

JOHN1 – 1820 John Logue  Federal Census     Bedford County

JOHN1 – 1830 John Logue  Federal Census     Bedford County

Time to get started….

For some time now I have gathered names, dates and places of many, many ancestors. I have worked to organize, compile and source this information to a great degree. The volume grows larger each day. Despite the gratification of gleaning more and more stats, however, I have found that the greatest satisfaction has come from the sense of connection that I now feel toward these ancestors of mine. They were living, loving, breathing individuals, challenged by trials and filled with joy. How similar are our lives, despite the decades and centuries that separate us. Their stories deserve to be told; their names remembered. I hope to do just that, to some degree, in this blog. I also hope to use this venue to detail research successes and roadblocks and to connect with living kin who share a common interest in our past. I suppose it is very likely that I will be the only individual who will ever read these posts, but at least I will have made my meager attempt to record and share my ancestors’ lives on the world wide web. I look forward to this journey.

Mike