Early Orphans in Randolph County, (WV)
by William H. Rice
As realistic genealogists we should keep in mind that the lives of our ancestors may not always follow the patterns we expect them to and are thus difficult to place on a group sheet or into a computer program we use to keep track of them. A good example of this is a child that for any of several reasons has one or both of its parents unable to provide for him. Often the County Court took action to ensure that orphans were taken care of. The following list is taken from the Minute Books of the County Court for Randolph County. The note in the left margin is when that particular case first appears in the record. On the line to the right of these dates will be listed (N) the name of the child, (M) the child's mother, (F) the child's father, (B) the child's birthdate and (A) the assignment made by the Court for a guardian for the child. In many cases the name of the child or that of one or both of its parents are not given in the Court record. Only the information included in the Court record will be on the line to the right of the date in the sequence shown above:
26 Nov 1787 (M) Mary Johnston
25 Mar 1788 (M) Mary Friend (F) James Holder
26 Aug 1788 (M) Ealey Friend
27 Oct 1788 (N) Leah Pain (A1) Edward Hart (A2) Robert Maxwell
25 Nov 1788 (N) Samuel Warner (M) Jane Cutright (B) March 1774 (A1) Cornelius Bogard (A2) John Cutright
23 Feb 1789 (N) Thomas Drennon (B) March 1772 (A) Cornelius Bogard
22 Feb 1790 (N) John Gibson (B) 8 May 1777 (A) William Gibson
22 Aug 1791 (M) Margaret Quick (F) Thomas Shaw Junior
28 Jan 1793 (N) Benoni Helms (M) Jane Helms (B) Sep 1788 (A) Zerah Osborn
24 Mar 1794 (M) Naomi Ward (F) Henad McCall
22 Dec 1794 (N) Robert Clark (M) Lucy Jenkins (F) Robert Clerk
21 Oct 1796 (N) Nathan Davis (A1) William Currence (A2) Andrew Crawford (22 Jun 1807 date of assignment)
27 Feb 1797 (N) Rody Davis (M) Rachel Davis (A) John Whitman
22 Jan 1798 (N) Abraham Mace (M) Eve Mace (A) Asabel Heath
28 Aug 1798 (N) William Yeager (A) George Yeager
24 Sep 1798 (N) Delilah Mace (M) Ann Mace (A1) William Donoho (A2) Ebenezer Flanagan (22 June 1801 assignment)
29 Apr 1805 (F) James Wamsley
27 Oct 1806 (M) Mary Caysamore (F) Boston Stalnaker, Junior
27 Jul 1807 Orphan boy living with Moses Beaver in Horseshoe Settlement
27 Jul 1807 (N) James Ryan (M) Catherine Ryan
27 Dec 1807 (N) Robert Love (B) June 1801 (A) Adam Stalnaker
22 Feb 1808 (N) Jeremiah Brown (A) John Hart
27 Feb 1809 (N) Betsy Lewis (B) 25 Dec 1791 (A) Andrew Crawford
27 Feb 1809 (N) Nancy Lewis (B) 20 Apr 1796 (A) William Hickson
27 Feb 1809 (N) Nelly Lewis (B) 10 April 1802 (A) Edward Hart
27 Feb 1809 (N) Betsy Armstrong (B) 14 Feb 1795 (A) Wm Briggs
27 Feb 1809 (N) Polly Armstrong (B) 18 Sep 1799 (A) Andrew Crawford
27 Feb 1809 (N) Isaac Armstrong (B) 2 Jun 1805 (A) Wm Briggs
23 Oct 1809 (N) William Cox (B) 1795 (A) Thomas Wilson
23 Oct 1809 (M) Margaret Hardman (F) Jeremiah Riddle
4 Apr 1810 (N) Nicholas Mace (B) 1 Sep 1792 (A) John Currence (23 Jul 1810 (N) James Little (B) Mar 1802 (A1) Robert Ferguson (A2) William Daniels (24 Dec 1810 assignment)
22 Apr 1811 (N) Andrew Pearce (over 14 and chose John Ryan guardian)
25 Aug 1811 (N) Adinah Clifton/Adonijah Harris (M) Mary Clifton (F) James Harris (A1) Samuel Bonner (24 May 1814) and (A2) James Warner (28 May l821)
27 Apr 1812 (N) John Nail Riffle (A) Jeremiah Howell
22 Jun 1812 (F) James Warner
28 Dec 1812 (N) Betsy Hartsoc (F) Henry Hartsoc (A) Simon Walters
25 Jan 1813 (N) Rebecca Carr (M) Christina Cart (A) Samuel Bonner
28 Jun 1813 (N) Isaac Damron (A) Thomas Damron
27 Sep 1813 (F) John Hill Junior
23 May 1814 (N) Mary Summerfield (M) Margaret Summerfield (A) Ebenezer Flanagan
22 Aug 1814 (N) Nathan Houston (M) Margaret Laugherty
23 Aug 1814 (F) David Holder
28 Nov 1814 (F) Samuel Harris
27 May 1816 (F) John Scott
23 Sep 1816 (M) Jemima Taylor
24 Mar 1817 (N) Elijah Eaton (M) Rebecca Eaton (A1) Levi Skidmore (A2) John Currence (25 Aug 1817 assignment) (A3) David Evans (22 Sep 1817 assignment)
22 Sep 1817 (N) Betsy Skidmore (M) Sarah Skidmore (A) George Hill (Bond posted by Martin and Sarah Coberly)
22 Sep 1817 (N) Hiram Hewitt (M) Abigail Hewitt (A) Wm Marteney Sr.
27 Oct 1817 (N) Judy Eaton (M) Rebecca Eaton (A) John I. Chenoweth
28 Oct 1817 (N) Harmon Smith (M) Sarah Smith
26 Nov 1817 (M) Sarah Steerman (A) Benjamin Johnston
26 Jan 1818 (N) Delila Cover (A) William Smith Jr.
26 Jan 1818 (N) Wm. Maleson Sands (M) Betsy Sands (A) Aaron Gould
26 Jan 1818 (N) Jane Sands (M) Betsy Sands (A) Rice Vinson
27 Apr 1819 (F) John Smith
24 May 1819 (M) Elizabeth Cade (F) Baylis G. Butcher
28 Jun 1819 (F) John Phares
27 Sep 1819 (F) Josiah Bugbee
25 Oct 1819 (F) Bazel Moats
28 Feb 1820 (N) John Sands (M) Elizabeth Sands (A) Jonathan Smith
26 Jun 1820 (N) Arena Holder (M) Mary Holder (A) William Marteney
26 Mar 1821 (N) Michael Myers (A) William Marteney Senior
26 Mar 1821 (N) Pleasant Parrish (A) William Marteney Senior
24 Dec 1821 (N) Thompson Elza (F) Edward Elza (A) Levi Coberly
26 Feb 1822 (M) Jenny McLaughlin (F) Currence Smith
24 Sep 1822 (N) Washington Barnhouse (A) Joseph Pitman
22 Mar 1824 (N) Mary McKenney (F) George McKenney
27 Sep 1824 (N) Abraham Love (A) John Stalnaker
27 Dec 1824 (M) Sarah Snider (F) William Buckey
24 Jan 1825 (M) Susannah Pickens (F) Joseph Hart (B) 13 Dec 1824)
24 Jan 1825 (M) Catherine Button (F) David Minear Jr. (under 21)
28 Feb 1825 (M) Mary Stalnaker (F) Abraham Stalnaker
25 Jul 1825 (F) Job Westfall
25 Aug 1825 (N) John Smith (A) John Welch
25 Aug 1825 (N) William Coontz (M) Mary Coontz
28 Nov 1825 (N) Adam McLaughlin (A) William Currence Senior
23 Jan 1826 (N) Hinkle Ferth
27 Feb 1826 "Sons of Catherine Pearce" (A) George Coffman, Jr.
22 May 1826 "Male child" (M) Nancy Kittle (F) Joseph Hart
24 Jul 1826 (N) Sarah Shroyer (M) Barbara Shroyer (A) David Minear
25 Dec 1826 (N) Hannah Moats (P) Bazel Moats (A) David Minear
22 Jan 1827 (N) Sidney McLaughlin (M) Nancy McLaughlin (A) Matthew Wamsley
26 Mar 1827 (M) Sarah Nicholas (F) William Smith (of Jonathan)
26 Mar 1827 (N) Elizabeth McLaughlin (M) Nancy McLaughlin (A) John Smith
27 Mar 1827 (M) Margaret Miles (F) John D. Heckert
29 Apr 1828 (N) Emily Bowman (A) John Graham
26 May 1828 (N) Edward Triplett (M) Aggy Triplett (B) Feb 1825 (A) Lennox M. Camden
23 Jun 1828 (N) Penelope Dolly (alias Helmick) (M) Sarah Helmick (A) Henry Isner, Junior
23 Jun 1828 (N) William Moore (alias Coontz) (M) Polly Coontz (A1) Henry Martin (A2) Robert Chenoweth end (A3) to Daniel Moore Senior (28 Jul 1828 assignment)
23 Jun 1828 (N) Emily Moore (alias Coontz) (M) Polly Coontz (A) Henry Pane
22 Jul 1829 (N) Edmund Knotts (M) Sophia Knotts (B) 1821 (A) Benjamin Vannoy
23 Nov 1829 (N) John Middleton Myers (A) Edmund Wyatt
28 Dec 1829 (M) Catherine Phillips (F) John B. White
26 Jan 1830 (M) Mary Coontz (F) John Stout
23 Mar 1830 (N) Marteney Coontz (M) Mary Coontz (A) Solomon Wyatt
26 Jul 1830 (M) Mary Coontz (F) Johnson Smith (B) 2 Apr 1830
22 Nov 1830 (N) John Nicholas (M) Sarah Nicholas (A) Henry Buckley
27 Dec 1830 (M) Eliza McCall (F) Johnathan Arnold
24 Jan 1831 (N) Eugenius Daniels (M) Mary Daniels (now Land) (A) William Daniels
26 Sep 1831 (N) Daniel Lyman (M) Rachel Lyman (B) 1824 (A) John Bryant
26 Sep 1831 (N) Joel Lyman (M) Rachel Lyman (B) 1828 (A) John Bryant
NOTE: The majority of the children listed above were born out of wedlock.
The Allegheny Regional Family History Society
Post Office Box 1804
Elkins, West Virginia, 26241
arhfs@yahoo.com
Comments regarding this page to:
Deborah Johnson.
