Chris Bowen <cbowen@flanet.com> wrote: >I was wondering if anyone has noticed or has information on whether or not >Mary Smith who married Samuel Kendall in Uniontown, PA is or might be a >sister to >Elizabeth Smith who married John Shuman also lived at one time in Uniontown. >The Shuman's of this region Monogehelia, seemed to have married into the >Kendall >family and it appears Samuel Kendall and John Shuman where about the same age. >Any ideas? PS Yes I'm still out here in space - Chris Bowen I've asked around a bit but haven't found anything conclusive. What I found last summer is that Claud C. Kendall, a descendant of both Samuel Kendall and John Shuman, did a great deal of investigative work before he died, and left some of the important parts of it to the Library at Mannington (Marion County), WV when he died in 1993. He states that in 1782 Samuel came with his brother Jeremiah and wife to "the head of Little Dents Run in Mannington District then Harrison County, Va. now Marion County, W. Va." but after two years moved to the Uniontown area because of Indian trouble, and is listed there in a tex report for 1785 as being a cooper and wagon maker. He states that Samuel didn't like it in Uniontown and returned about 1790 "with the John Shuman family to Big Dents Run, Mannington" and settled on what is now called Rexs Run. "The Shuman family settled on the head of Drakes Run off of U. S. 250 about 2 miles north of Mannington where they stayed till 1820 when they sold and moved to Ministers Run..." [We think we know from other evidence that John was in Georges Twp, Fayette Co, PA until at least 1797 or 1798.] We know that the probable reason for the name "Ministers Run" is because one of the earliest settlers there was a minister, John Smith. I have not found anyone who knows who his parents were. Here is what Claud C. Kendall says regarding Samuel Kendall's wife, Mary Smith: Mary Susanna SMITH - ------------------------------------------- Birth: 20 Jan 1755, Cannons Run, Stafford, VA Death: 25 Sep 1808, Dents Run, Mannington, Marion Co, WV Father: Richard SMITH Mother: Elizebeth DAVIS Spouse: Samuel KENDALL Birth: 30 Aug 1749, Cannons Run, Stafford, VA Death: 20 Nov 1823, Dents Run, Mannington, Marion Co, WV Marriage: 15 Mar 1780 -alternate marriage date is 1778. -her birth was registered at Overwharton Parish Records, pg. 175 One of my good genealogy contacts in the Fairmont area, Laura Michael, says she's pretty sre that Elizabeth Smith (John Shuman's wife) and John Smith were siblings, but hasn't found any primary source proof. Also, we should be aware that Elizabeth was born in 1772, which is 17 years after Mary was born. That wouldn't rule out the possibility that they were sisters, but it would make it a bit less likely. Perhaps aunt and niece? Samuel was likewise at least 15 years older than most accounts for John Shuman's birth. Thus, we do have to wonder what would have caused them to move together from PA to VA-- was it simply friendship, despite the age difference, or was a family relationship somehow involved? Of course, one of the problems is in trying to follow a surname like "Smith" and discovering that there have been a good many of them even during this early period of settlement in the area! What do some of the rest of you have? JS ____________________________ James Shuman, art instructor Modesto High School jshuman@telis.org ____________________________