– 2 – May 10, 2007

THE SEARCH FOR WILLIAM STEWART

My Mother’s personal papers included a copy of the family tree of her Stewart forebears that was prepared in the mid 1960’s by her 3rd cousin, Heber Ivo Rankin. It showed that Lieutenant William Stewart of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, married to Mary Gass, had 11 children, including William Stewart, my 3rd great-grandfather, born August 21, 1779. In the years following, as I began to document the Stewart family tree and Rankin’s work, I became aware of numerous references, including many in the Lineage Reports of The Daughters of the American Revolution that listed William, the son of Lieutenant William, as being married to a Jane Quigley or to an Eleanor Knox.

Dr. Robert F. Miller, in his book, A Family of Millers and Stewarts, published August 1909, considered by many to be an authoritative source on the descendants of Lieutenant William Stewart of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, states, that Lieutenant William Stewart’s son, William Stewart, born August 21, 1779, among other things, (1) married Eleanor Knox of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (2) settled on property on the Susquehanna River, which property was given to him by his father Lieutenant William Stewart (3) subsequently moved to Wayne County, Ohio, and (4) was the grandfather of J. H. Stewart.

An H. E. Keep (Helen Elizabeth Keep) of Detroit, Michigan, in “Egle’s Notes and Queries of Pennsylvania, 1700s-1800s, annual Volume 1898, XXXI, page 185 states “William Stewart married Mary Knox, of Harrisburg, and removed to Bridgeport, Ohio.” On page 186, she states that “William Stewart married Eleanor Knox and lists their six children, the youngest of which is named William. Whether Miller copied Keep’s work, which was written some 10 years earlier, without attribution, I do not know. See additional comments on Keep below.

The purpose of this memorandum, which is ongoing, is to refute the above assertions and to

correct a number of other errors by Miller and Keep with respect to Lieutenant William Stewart. The memorandum notes a number of incorrect references by descendants of Lieutenant William Stewart, who in applying for membership in The Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, relied erroneously on Miller’s and Keep’s work.

Miller does not show a Charles or a Robert as brothers of Lieutenant William Stewart. Rankin’s work, as well as that of a number of other researchers on the Stewart line list a Charles and a Robert as brothers of Lieutenant William.

CONCLUSION

On the basis of the work that I have done, I am of the firm opinion that William Stewart, married first to Sarah McKibben, my 3rd great-grandmother, and second to Mary Parker, is the son of Lieutenant William Stewart of Cumberland County and Mary Gass.

The most compelling evidence is a letter dated August 20th, 1825, Mercer County, Pennsylvania from Robert Stewart to his brother Galbraith, sons of Lieutenant William Stewart, in which Robert tells of the death of their brother, William. “… the Rev. Robert McGonaugh who was his Preacher wrote me a few lines dated the 10 day of this Aust which he states was the day of our Brother’s funeral he did not write any particulars he said that William and his Wife had started to go to her Fathers on the ninth Aust they had got about two miles from home when he took ill and died about two hours after short warning…”

A photocopy of this letter is shown in Frontier Families of Toby Township, Clarion Co., Pennsylvania by Heber Rankin, Janice Yingling, editor, Pittsburgh, Pa., May, 1995, Stewart - 7a. I have carefully reviewed the photocopy and cannot determine whether the name is McGonaugh or perhaps McGarrough. A typewritten version is shown on Stewart, pages 7 and 8, contains the name McGonaugh and is the reference I used in the preceding paragraph in deference to the author. As we shall see later, an examination of the original letter or a better photocopy might clarify this critical distinction.

The above reference to William Sewart’s death is consistent with a reference by Revered Peter Snyder in “History of William Stewart (1770-1825) and His Descendants, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, about 1910, in which he states, “I have heard the story of Mr. Stewart’s death but cannot verify it. The story goes that he and Mrs. Stewart were making a trip on horseback, when not far from home he was taken so ill that they stopped and dismounted where he died under a tree somewhere near the top of Gates Hill.” Reverend Synder also states that he “… was directed to correspond with Dr. R. F. Miller of St. Louis. Dr. Miller is a descendant of Galbraith Stewart, the fourth child of William, the original settler at Carlisle, Pennsylvania and a brother to William Stewart who settled in this section. Dr. Miller knew but little about our branch of the family and was particularly concerned about getting the history of his own ancestors. To him we are indebted for much of the history of the pioneer emigrants to this country.” It is unclear as to what date Snyder wrote to Miller and what information, if any, Snyder may have given to him. The fact that Synder says that we are indebted to Miller for much of the history, suggests that he wrote to Miller after Miller’s book was published. Presumably, Snyder was not aware of the Jane Quigley/Eleanor Knox reference and, if he was, he chose to ignore it.

The History of Clarion County, Pennsylvania, by A. J. Davis, Published 1887 states, “The first Presbyterian Churches in Clarion County, Pennsylvania were in Licking and New Rehoboth; the former is in Monroe Township, and the latter in Clarion Township. Both churches are said to have been organized in 1802. The first pastor was the Reverend Robert McGarrough, having been sent as a licentiate of Redstone Presbytery in the spring of 1804. He began his labors in these churches in June of the same year, but was not ordained and installed until 1807. ... During this period Mr. McGarrough organized Concord Church in Perry Township in 1807. …. He continued his labors at Concord and Callensburg until 1839, shortly before his death.”

Robert Stewart’s letter refers to Rev. Robert McGonaugh, perhaps McGarrough, while the reference by Davis is to Reverend Robert McGarrough. While (1) we have not been able to conclusively interpret the name in Robert Stewart’s letter and (2) given the possible differences in pronunciation and spelling among those early settlers, it is more likely than not that McGonaugh and McGarrough are in fact the same person.

As further evidence of the common problem of differences in spelling and recollection in those days, Judge Peter Clover in writing in Caldwell’s Illustrated Historical Combination Atlas of Clarion County, Pennsylvania, Published by J. A. Cadwell, 1877, states “The first church that was organized was the Presbyterian. Its first pastor, the Reverend Robert McGarrah…. Reverend McGarrah officiated also at Licking Church and occasionally at a church called Concord, in Perry Township”.

William Stewart was a member of Concord Presbyterian Church. A review of extracts of the cemetery records of the Concord Presbyterian Church, Perry Township, Clarion County (obtained from the Clarion County Historical Society) show a Sarah Stewart, W/o William Stewart, d/o Thomas McKibben, as having died 1918 (apparently a transposition – should be 1819) but no lot number (page 20). Page 21 shows a William Stewart H/o Sarah McKibben Stewart, with the same birth and death date that is shown in J. P. Rhein’s Family Tree Maker File, Family Page, but again no lot number. On August 21, 1999, I visited the Concord Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Perry Township and viewed the tombstone of William Stewart and Sarah McKibben, located in the old part of the cemetery below the highway on which the present Church and newer part of the cemetery now stand. The Reverend Robert McGarrough’s tombstone is directly behind that of William and Sarah.

The 1790 Pennsylvania Federal Census lists a William Stewart in Washington County, Pennsylvania. An analysis of the categories and number of dependents indicates that it is the family of Lieutenant William Stewart. The category of ‘Free white males under 16 years’ shows 3 individuals. This would have been sons, William (who would have been 11 years of age), Robert and George. Also listed in Washington County in the 1790 Census is a Thomas McKibben and an analysis of those categories indicates that this is the Thomas McKibben, father of Sarah, the first wife of William.

The 1800 Pennsylvania Federal Census shows that William was living with his father in Hopewell Township, Washington County. He would have been about 21 years of age and was not married at that time. His older brothers Benjamin, Galbraith, and John II are separately listed in Hopewell Township with their families.

William and Sarah McKibben were married on October 18, 1802 in Buffalo, Washington County. William and Sarah probably moved to Armstrong County (became Clarion County in 1839) sometime after April 6, 1806 as the Sexton, John Anderson of their church in Buffalo, gave a certificate that date stating “…they were free from Church censure and were members in full communion”. Other research places their arrival in Armstrong County between 1805 and 1808.

William Stewart, married to Sarah McKibben, was a blacksmith as was his father and brothers Benjamin and Galbraith.

Finally, I believe that Miller made a fundamental error in his reliance on the several letters he received from J. H. Stewart as shown on page 20 of A Family of Millers and Stewarts as commented on in the following paragraph. Miller’s error was compounded throughout the remainder of his analysis with respect to William Stewart II, as explained in further detail below.

.

THREE OTHER SCENARIOS THAT TEND TO

SUPPORT THE CONCLUSION THAT THE WILLIAM

STEWART, MARRIED TO SARAH MCKIBBEN, IS THE

SON OF LIEUTENANT WILLIAM STEWART

A grandson of Lieutenant William Stewart?

Was there a William who was the son of one of Lieutenant William’s brothers? I have an extensive database that lists all of the descendants in the third generation. There is a William, son of Galbraith Stewart I, born September 12, 1800, who married Mary Cummings. Their granddaughter, Harriet Eirene Red, born October 28, 1861 is a member of the DAR #75522. Her brother is Dr. William Stewart Red, born February 12, 1857, who wrote the letter to Miller, dated March 31, 1909 from Glasgow which is set forth on page 24. The name is shown as WM. STUART RED. Harriet Eirene’s cousin, Mary Jamison is also a member of the DAR #40009. Both of these show their lineage through Galbraith. This William Stewart is the grandfather of Miller.

The second and last William in this generation is William Stewart, my 2nd great-grandfather, born November 22, 1812 in Toby Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania. He was married to Elizabeth McCall. He is the son of William born 1779, married to Sarah McKibben.

Another Lieutenant William Stewart from Pennsylvania?

Was there another Lieutenant William Stewart from Pennsylvania who fought in the American Revolution? There was a William Stewart from Pennsylvania (see below) who served as a Lieutenant with the Second Canadian Regiment of the Continental Army. He joined his regiment in New York. He was an officer of the Continental Army. He served under Moses Hazen who was a Lieutenant in the British Army, on half pay, when appointed Colonel, Second Canadian Regiment, on January 22, 1776; Brevet Brigadier-General, June 29, 1781, retired June 1783. He died February 3rd, 1803. (Source – Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution.)

Several of the descendants of Lieutenant William Stewart of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in their application for membership to the Daughters of the American Revolution, have incorrectly referred to this William Stewart and to the donation land awarded to him. For example, see Daughters of The American Revolution Lineage Book, Volume 26, page 273.

Richard A. Stewart of Broadway, Virginia advised me that the Lieutenant William Stewart who served under Moses Hazen was awarded Donation land lot #595 in present day Mercer County, Pennsylvania for his service. He never occupied lot #595 and it was sold for taxes in 1820, never having been “seated”. Miller and or Keep may have been mislead by a Pennsylvania official into thinking that Lieutenant William Stewart was given lot #595. Alternatively, Miller may have relied on earlier work done by Helen E. Keep of Detroit Michigan, see comments following. Our Lieutenant William Stewart bought lot #578 from a Private William Liggins of the Pennsylvania Line. Militia veterans did not qualify to be given donation land. Lot #578 was then bequeathed to sons, Robert and George when Lieutenant William Stewart died, establishing the Stewart line permanently in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.

There was also another William Stewart, a Captain in the New York Militia from 1775 to 1176, who was a Lieutenant and Regimental Adjutant in the Second Canadian (Hazen’s) Regiment. He served from November 1776 to June 1783 and died February 5, 1831. This may be the source for the incorrect reference by H. E. Keep (see below) in referring to Lieutenant William Stewart of Cumberland County being an Adjutant with the Second Canadian Regiment. It also explains some of the incorrect references in citations in The Daughter’s of the American Revolution, in which Lieutenant William Stewart of Cumberland County is listed as being an Adjutant with the Second Canadian Regiment.

Another William Stewart?

Additionally, The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Original 50 Volumes, page 224, lists a William Stewart (1740-1784) who served as a second lieutenant in the Cumberland County Militia. He was born in Ireland; died in Cumberland County. He married an Elizabeth nee(?) in 1765. His descendant is Mrs. May Wells Creasy, DAR #51514, born in Muncy, Pennsylvania.