Abel GATES

Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 1850, Living in York, Belmont County, Ohio
• Occupation: 1850; Farmer
• Census: 1860, Living in York, Belmont County, Ohio
• Occupation: 1860; Farmer
• Census: 1870, Living with son, Robert, in York, Belmont County, Ohio

Notes:

Information from Mariana L Zuelsdorf:

The testimony of witnesses to prove the same together with the orders and enty of probate in said court, made concerning the same.

Thomas Cochran

Probate Judge

Will of Henry Gatts, deceased

Know all persons that I Henry Gaits being at this time in usual health of body, and mind, do make and ordain this may last will and testament. I do this knowing the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death, and that in all probability at no distant day--Having in the first place conveyed the farm on which I now live to my son Robert B. Gaits, for which in addition to the amount that he paid me he is to keep and maintain me and my beloved wife Elizabeth during our natural lives. It therefore only remains for me to dispose of the money and other effects, which I do in the following manner, viz The Eighty acre of land I own in the State Illinois, if not sold before my death I wish it to be sold as soon after as convenient, and the money arising from its sale and the money now due me from other persons to the amount of about Six hundred dollars to be divided part and part equal between my six daughters, viz--To Lydia Harman, one sixth part to Sevilla Boger, one sixth part, to Mary Harman one sixth part, to Barbara Crist if living, one sixth part, and if she be dead to her heirs, to Catharine Powell one sixth part and Caroline McIntire one sixth part. My household furniture, of any description, I wish my daughters above named to distribute satisfactorily among themselves, if they desire not to do so then sell it and divide the amount realized among themselves. the few farming implements & wagon of mine devise to my son Robert B. Gaits.

Given under my hand this 29th day of May, in the year A D 1869

attest. Harrison Massie His

Martin Baker Henry X Gaits (Seal)

Mark

Henry married Elizabeth BROWN on 17 Apr 1817 in Belmont County, Ohio. Elizabeth (daughter of Abel BROWN and Lydia STUCKEY) was born about 1802 in York Township, Belmont County, Ohio; died about 1897 in Belmont Co., Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 1850, Living with husband in York, Blemont County, Ohio
• Census: 1860, Living with husband in York, Blemont County, Ohio
• Census: 1870, Living with son, Robert, in York, Belmont County, Ohio

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: George Gates

Notes:

Information from mariana L Zuelsdorf:
History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio. J.A. Caldwell. Historical Publishing Co., 1880 Page 417
"York was one of the original civil townships and erected November 25, 1801, as follows: The third to begin on the Ohio river at the southeast corner of the township of Pultney.......thence up the river to the place of beginning, to be called and known by the township of York. This township has been the scene of severa Indian depredations, prominent among which was the battle of Captina....this battle occured in 1794, on section 8, at the mouth of Cove Run.
.........George Gates (setled) Septembe 28, 1804......Abel Brown (settled )December 21, 1805

From: "Belmont Co., Ohio before 1830." Irene M. Ochsenbein and Catharine F. Fedorchak. 1977. Page 53
"George Gates is buried in the Boger Cemetery, York Township, Belmont Co., near the junction of State Road 7 and S.R. 148. He emigrated from Germany to eastern PA., then to Washington Co., PAS., in 1790, then to Washington and Belmont Cos. in Ohio, near the boundary with present day Monroe Co. His will is on file in Belmont Co. and the following children are named: 1. Mary; 2, Susan; 3. Daniel;4. Valentine; 5. Henry; 6. George; 7 Solomon; 8. Sevilla; and 9. John."

"Monroe County, Ohio: A History. by Theresa A. Maienknecht and Stanley B. Maienknecht. Chapter XXX Switzerland township. Page 408
"Early in the month of April 1819 a colony of ten Swiss families embarked in a flat boat......After leaving Wheeling they were informed that at Captina there was a great quantity of vacant land, and that there they would find two men (Henry Sweppy and George Goetz) who could speak German, and were urged to stop there. On the 15th day of September they landed there and were kindly received and cordially welcomed by the old settlers of the Valley of Captina, viz: the Greens, Lemleys, Moores, Browns, Goetz, Sweppy, Ruble, Smith, and others."
"Along the river all was a forest, except an improvement opposite Fish Creek, then owned by George Goetz. On Big Run, Jos Blare, Hendershot Lemley and the Smiths had made some improvement. In Belmont County, on Captina and Cat's Run, was settled by the Greens, Browns and Goetz, before mentioned."

Georg married Maria Sybilla STEHELI on 11 Jun 1782 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Maria (daughter of Johann Melchior STEHELI and Maria Sybilla ?) was born in 1761 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; died on 09 Dec 1850 in York Township,Belmont County, Ohio; was buried in Boger Cemetery, York Township, Belmont Co., Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 1850, Living with daughter, Susannah Gates Brisen, in York, Belmont County, Ohio

Notes:

Information from Mariana L Zuelsdorf:
(from written history by James Edward Brown and Leona Brown June 1997)

Abel and Lydia came to the area which is now Wheeling, West Virginia. Their first child, Jacob, was born in the Wheeling area, which was then part of Virginia.

Wheeling area was called Fort Fincastle in 1774, and in 1776, the Fort's name was changed to Fort Henry in honor of Patrick Henry. The siege of Fort Henry took place about eight years before Abel and Lydia came to Wheeling. The road to Maysville, Kentucky was built while they were living in the Wheeling area. Able and Lydia son Isaac, born in 1801, states he was born in Ohio so the family must have moved across the Ohio River to the Captina Creek, York Township area by 1801, then took up land east of the Dover Bridge in 1805.

A clan history, read at a Brown Reunion held at Alledonia, Ohio about 1946, sent by Mary Brown, widow of Frank Brown, states that Abel and Lydia came from New Jersey in 1792, and located near Wheeling. It also states that their son Joseph was born in 1794 in a Blockhouse designed by George Rogers Clark, which stood near the corner of 11th and Main Street, in Wheeling.

Abel had a brother John, who he referred to in his will as his "esteemed brother, John" and named him as one of his executors. Abel's brother John left a will dated July 25, 1848, which awarded his wife Barbara the rent from two farms, with the remaining wealth to be divided between Jacob and Joseph Brown, sons of his brother Abel. He gave Mary Ann Ring and Harriet Ring, daughters of Alexander F. and Elizabeth ring, bedstead and bedding. He also gave Barbara and Elizabeth Ring twenty-five dollars each.

According to a history of Belmont and Jeferson Counties, concerning the settlement of York Township: George Lemley bought land i Section 14 in 1801 and Abel Brown purchased land there on December 21, 1805, and William Brown in 1805 as well. Able Brown received two dollars for killing one wolf over six months old that year.

In the tax lists of 1820, the Range, Township and Sections are given and contain the following:

William Brown R-3 T-4 S-27 original owner Henry Huffman

Able Brown R-3 T-4 S-27 original owner Henry Huffman

John Brown R-4 T-5 S-7 original owner Jacob Brewer

It would appear that Abel and William bought adjoining or the same land from Henry Huffman. There is probably some relationship between Abel and William; they could possibly be brothers. William, Abel, and John Brown were listed together in York Twp in 1806, 1810, 1815, 1817, and 1820.

In a statement by Arch Brown are the following comments:

On April 7, 1808 Abel bought a 192 acre farm in York Twp., from Henry Huffman. This farm lay along Captina Creek, below Dover, and is now known as the Pearsol Farm. the deed of Abel Brown for this farm can be found at St. Clairsville, Ohio Courthouse Deed Book B p 312. It is R-3 T-4 S-27. the price paid by Abel to Huffman was five hundred dollars, according to the deed. On October 3, 1822, Abel gave Jacob and Joseph 82 acres each of R-4 T-5 S-13 (Vol J. p 10-11). the rest of Abel's land was sold in 1852 to Michael Dorsey.

According to a story told by Ike Brown, he had two uncles who were captured by Indians while they were young. Eventually they escaped and came home. One of the boys got along well with the Indians and returned to visit them in later years. Evelyn Dowdle of St. Clairville has a family tradition that is much the same. "The Indians taking two of the Brown's sons while they were skating on the ice on Captina Creek. their mother would rock and cry, not knowing if her sons were living or dead. With the smaller one sleeping in his big brother's arms, they slipped away from the Indians one night, finding their way back to Captina Creek from Chillicothe, Ohio. One of the Brown boys would go back to visit the Indians and one would not sleep in a bed as he was used to the way the Indians lived."

The story does not say how long the boys were captives. the distance from Chillicothe to Powhaten Point is approximately one hundred and twenty miles. these boys may have been sons of Abel and Lydia. Jacob and Joseph were born in the Wheeling area. Assuming the capture took place about 1800, Jacob would have been 9 years old, Joseph 6 years old, and John probably about 3.

According to historians, the last Indian battle on Captina Creek took place May 1794 with settlers coming into the Captina Creek area soon after this battle.

Abel married Lydia STUCKEY about 1790. Lydia (daughter of Jacob STUCKEY and Hannah CREE) was born on 16 Dec 1770 in New Jersey, USA; died on 26 Dec 1861 in York Twp., Belmont County, Ohio; was buried in York Twp., Belmont County, Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 1860, Living in Washington, Belmont County, Ohio
• Occupation: 1860; Farmer

Notes:

Family reportedly part of Pennsylvania Dutch. variations of family name: Goetz, Getz, Gatz, Gaits. By the close of the Civil War, it was Gates.

Andreas married ? UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Johann married Maria Sybilla ? about 1745. Maria was born about 1725. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jacob married Hannah CREE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]