Children of Joseph
and Elizabeth Darrah:
1. Eldest
daughter Rosina Darrah, possibly pronounced Ro Sina’ and nicknamed Sina in the
family, married William S. Hughes in Muskingum County on October 13, 1836.
Muskingum County has a William
Hughes on the 1830 Census with a wife the right age range as Rosina, but there
are three children too old to be Rosina’s. This William may be the father of
Rosina’s husband. This William also appears on the 1840 Census with additional
children.
A second William is on the 1840
Census in Dresden with a wife the right age, so this is more likely our Rosina.
There is a second unidentified male in the same 20-30 year age category, maybe
a brother of William. Rosina is in the right census group at age 37, but it
looks like William is a group too low. Enumerator error?
On the 1850 Census William and
“Dinah” are in Franklin County with ages 49 and 47 listed correctly. In neither
case are any children listed, so the couple may have been childless.
A national search of both the 1860
and 1870 Censuses failed to turn up either member of the couple, so they may
have both died fairly early.
2. Second
daughter Mary Darrah, born in 1804 in Muskingum County, married Joseph Chapman
on February 10, 1825, at the age of 21. Joseph’s entry on the 1830 Census of
Springfield Township shows himself at 20-30, a female, age 20-30, evidently
Mary at 26; one male under five, later identified as Wells M., born March 3,
1827; one female, aged 15-20, unidentified (sister, maid?); and two females,
also under five. These last two girls are probably Hannah, born September 28,
1825, and Mary, born May 24, 1830, just before the census.
The 1840 Census of Lima Township of
Licking County, just to the west of Muskingum, has Joseph at 30-40; a female at
20-30, probably Mary at 36 and mis-marked by the enumerator; one female 10-15,
probably Hannah at 14; one female 5-10, probably Mary at 10; and a third female
under five, probably Rebecca, born in 1835.
Chapman researcher Leon Chapman
reports that Mary Darrah Chapman died in Muskingum County on September 23,
1840. If so, Mary would have had two other children, Levi, born in 1837, and
James born in 1839. This is based on the 1850 Census of Fairfield County, just
south west of Licking County, where Joseph is listed with these children and a
different wife. Leon Chapman lists a William Chapman born on September 22,
1840, which would have meant Mary died as a result of childbirth. William is
not listed in 1850, so he may have died soon after Mary’s death.
Joseph, after Mary’s death a
widower with at least six children, needed a wife in a hurry. Within three
years he married again, to Elizabeth [Unknown], and proceeded to have four more
daughters, Sarah, Frances (Fanny), Emeline, and Louisa.
Prolific father Joseph Chapman also liked to travel, for he
was living in Woodford County, Illinois, by the 1860 Census, at the age of 51.
Of Mary Darrah’s children, Hannah
married J. Williams about 1845, possibly in Fairfield County; Wells M. married
Elizabeth Moyer and moved to Mahaska County, Iowa; Mary married J. Craiglow. At
this time, we do not know the fate of the rest of the children.
3. Francis B.
Darrah, the only son, was born in Muskingum County ca1808 and lived with his
parents until his marriage to Adeline Dozier on November 1, 1835. He was 27.
Francis and Adeline had two sons by the 1840 Census: Joseph, born in 1838, and
an unidentified son who seems to have died before 1850.
On the 1850 Census two more sons
have been added to the family, John, born in 1844, and Henry, born in 1847.
Francis evidently named his sons after his father and uncles. I would not be
surprised to learn the dead son was named Robert!
Joseph, age 83, and Elizabeth, age
78, were living on the same farm as Francis in 1850 and were probably retired
and enjoying their grandchildren.
After 1850 this family seems to have dropped off the earth.
A national search of the 1860, 1870, and 1880 Census indexes turned up nothing
on any of them, and a search of the IGI revealed nothing either. Francis and
his family in later life is now officially a mystery.
4. Hannah
Darrah, third daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth, was born in Muskingum County on
July 22, 1808. She lived with her family until September 25, 1836, when she
married Charles Green. Hannah was 28 years old, and
evidently her husband was four years younger than she.
Charles and Hannah had a son Joseph
Henry (there are those names again!) in 1837; a second son, John E. in 1841;
and a third son, Charles A. in 1845. They seem to have had no daughters.
The Green family continued to live
and farm in Muskingum throughout their lives, as they appeared on the census
there through the 1880’s. Hannah died on January 20, 1888, and she is buried in
McKendree Chapel Cemetery there, along with her husband, whose burial date is
uncertain.
On the 1860 Census the Greens have
a Thomas Dorah, age 9, living with them. Who this is I do not know. [A younger
son of Francis?]
On the 1870 Census their son
Charles A. Green, his wife Frances Sharpe Green, their son Howard, and Frances’
sister Ella Sharpe, were living with them, and the 24-year-old Charles was
working on his parent’s farm. On the 1880 Census, grandsons Howard, Elmore,
Ernest, and Oliver were listed with them, but the boys’ parents are missing.
5. Youngest
daughter Rebecca Darrah was born in Muskingum County in 1812 and lived with her
family until November 12, 1837, when she married Frederick A. Seborn. Frederick
was a lawyer and farmer and was well to do financially. The couple seems to
have had servants most of the time.
Rebecca and Frederick had no children and lived in Muskingum
County for the rest of their lives. At present I do not know when they died or
where they are buried.
