Cousins, I've been so busy since arriving home in mid-August, going to a workshop and then starting school, that I've had little time for more than to read my e-mail and respond to the most pressing things. But I've been wanting to share some thoughts and ideas that are beginning to take shape, regarding John Shuman of Monongalia Co., WV. We need to take a careful look at the information William Shuman provided in mid-July, regarding the Jacobs Lutheran Church baptismal records. as he pointed out, the book in Uniontown, PA appears to be inaccurate, but that provided by the retired Lutheran minister is strikingly close to names we already have. >Anna born 2 April 1794 and bapt 19 Jul 1795 Parents were Johannes Schuman >and Elisabeth sponsers the parents. John and Elizabeth had a "Hannah," but she is generally thought to have been born about 1807. I don't know that anyone has any solid proof for a DOB on her, however. Could she really have been born 12 years earlier than we thought? > Next was Rachael born 1 June 1795 bapt 19 >July 1795, the parents were Johannes and Elisabeth, John and Elizabeth had a Rachel, whose DOB has been given as "about 1793" but again, I don't know that anyone has any solid proof for a date. > next was Joseph born 11 >May 1797 bapt on 30 July 1797 and the parents and sponsers were John Shuman >and Catarina (Catherine) Schuman John and Elizabeth's oldest son was Joseph. Again, no firm date has been established for his birth, although it is often given as "about 1790." It is interesting to note that his wife's DOB is 1798, so 1797 would not be out of line. What is a much bigger problem is the name of the mother, which is given as Catherine. Could the "circuit riding" priest who performed the baptism simply have written the wrong name? > and the last child was Rebecca born 30 >August 1799 and bapt 14 September 1800 the parents were Philip Schuman and >Sophia . This would be consistent with "our" Philip, whose wife is thought to have been Sophia. Unfortunately, we know little if anything else about Rebecca, although judging from the 1810 census, he had a couple of daughters that haven't been identified. > Also in the records was a chikd Thomas Kindel born 27 November 1794 >and the parents were John Kindel and Elizabeth. > There were two or three Kendall families living in close proximity with the Shuman families in Georges Twp. We have other documentation that Samuel and Jeremiah were there. They DID have a brother John, so it's possible that is who is named here. We found that there are records of a John Shuman (sometimes with a "Jr," sometimes with a "Sr") in Georges Township for most of those 10 years from 1789 to 1798. But John is not there in the 1800 census. Then, we find this document in Monongalia Co, WV: >Page 170, 12 October 1802 >James and Hannah WALKER, Fayette Co, PA, to John SHUMAN Jr. 100 acres on >Papaw Creek, no adjoiners named. Patented to James Walker, 2 January 1799. >Consideration: L50, VA. Signed: James Walker, Hannah [K] Walker. >Witnesses: none. Acknowledged in court, October 1802. Del: to John Shuman >Jr, 25 August 1803. Recorded: OS 2:506 and so, we calculate that he and his young family moved south a few miles to the Pawpaw Creek area of Monongalia Co, WV sometime between 1797 and 1802. BUT.... During our visit to WV in July, we found some of the records of Claud C. Kendall, who had lived in Mannington, and who is a SHUMAN descendant through Mary, wife of Samuel Kendall II. Claud C. Kendall states that Samuel Kendall I and his brother Jeremiah had been in the area around Little Dents Run about 1782, but after an Indian raid killed a neighboring family, they withdrew to Fayette Co, PA where Jeremiah remained. But Samuel I returned to the Big Dents Run area, and settled near Rexs Run. He says: Not liking it there [PA] he came back with the John Shuman Family to Big Dents Run, Mannington, and settled... 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... On another page, he includes these comments: The Shuman Family settled at the Head of Drake's Run, Mannington, W. Va. and there were enough members in the family (his married sons, etc.) to call it the Shuman settlement as listed in Deed dated Aug. 4, 1820, monongalia Co, W. Va. Bk. 1, Page 258 - James Kendall to Thomas LeMasters... And in a notebook in the Genealogy Room at the Fairmont Library, I found a collection of rough drafts and letters regarding "The Kendalls of Marion County" but I did not find the name of the author. In one of the rough drafts, I found the following passage: He [Samuel I] moved to Dents Run Mannington District now Marion County West Virginia in 1801 with the John Shuman Family who settled on Drakes Run (this was known as the Shuman Settlement) and lived there until 1820, when he moved to Ministers Run... So, what are we to make of this? It certainly appears that there is some basis for placing the John Shuman Family at Drakes Run north of Mannington during the period in which his older children would be looking for spouses. And we know that two of Samuel I's children married John Shuman's children. We also know that the wife of Joseph Shuman was Elizabeth Beaty, whose father owned much of the property along Buffalo Creek (into which the Dents Run creeks flow). It thus seems logical that John could have lived in that area. But what about the PawPaw District property? Why did he purchase it in 1802 if he didn't live there for nearly 20 years? On the other hand, why would these Kendall researchers bring in the John Shuman Family as neighbors and friends if it wer not true? My head is spinning! What do some of the rest of you think about this? Regards! JS _______________________________________________ James Shuman, Telecommunications Coordinator The California Arts Project jshuman@telis.org http://www.ucop.edu/tcap/ _______________________________________________