I am subscribed to onelist and I thought I would give you this info from it. LETTERS WRITTEN TO JOSEPH S. WEST BY LESLIE C. WEST ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Red Oak, Ohio April 21th , 1890. Mr. L.C. West In answer to your of the 18th, I write. I suppose from what you say, you belong to our family connection. I am sorry that you did not state to what branch of the family you belong. I will give you what history I have on family. My great grandfather (Thomas) lived in Fairfax County Virginia. His wife’s maiden name was Sarah Trammel. They had six sons. John, William, Hugh, George, Thomas, and Robert and three daughters Nancy, Sally, and Sibba. William settled opposite Marietta, Ohio; Hugh, near Brookville, Indiana; George, near Bethel, Clermont Co.,Ohio; Thomas, remained in Virginia; Robert, the youngest, lived near Centerville, Clinton Co., Ohio. My grandfather (John) settled in this county opposite Maysville, Ky. Near Aberdeen, the noted “Gretna Green” of Ohio. Nancy married Joab Reed and lived in this county; Sally, remained in Virginia, marrying some one whose name I do not know; Sibba never was married. Please answer if you belong to the connection and give me the history of your branch of the family. I have seen George, Hugh, and Robert, also Joab Reed. Robert married Henrietta Fairfax. It is likely, from the best information I have, that the family traces back to Lord De La War, who settled the State of Delaware. Give my kind regards to Mr. J.B. Norton, who was an old pupil of mine and a very bright one. Very sincerely yours Joseph S. West Red Oak, Brown County, Ohio ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Red Oak, Ohio May 25th, 1892 Mr L. C. West Dear Sir: I received you very welcome communication some days since and delayed answering till I could talk with some of the relatives here. I am sorry that I cannot now give you a more satisfactory account of our family. As I wrote you. my great grandfather, Thomas West, lived in Fairfax county, Old Virginia, and I suppose died there. Our great grandmother, Sarah Trammel West, live to come west with her children and make her home with the family of her son, John. there are three of tour of the relatives living here who remember her. An older sister of mine says she was at my father’s home the morning after I was born, being the 8th of December, 1828, at my Aunt Ellen Baynes’. Alfred West, son of George West, of Clermont County, came and got her effects for a sister of his to whom she had bequeathed them. She died at the age of 83. The children of Thomas and Sarah West were ( I don’t know the order of their birth, except that Robert was the youngest), sons Thomas, William, John, Hugh, George, and Robert. The daughters were Nancy, Sally and Sibba. Thomas remained in Virginia, I do not know anything of his family, except that I think his son, George, came west and lived for a time in my grandfather’s family, afterwards married and settled near Williamsburg, Clermont County, where he raised a family of respectable children, one son serving in the Legislature of the State and one being a Methodist preacher of some note, located for a time in Cincinnati. Of William’s family, to which you belong, you have given a very satisfactory account. Hugh settled near Brookville, Indiana/ One of his daughters visited us about 1896, making the trip on horseback. My recollection is her father visited us about the same time. George was married four times and raised 23 or 25 children, living near Bethel, Clermont County. I have seen him several times, his son James was noted as a drinker and fighter. Alfred was a very worthy man. He and others of the removed to the vicinity of Vincennes, Indiana, bought land, which proved to contain coal. from which they realized a competency. I know nothing further of the family, except the youngest. Andrew, left an orphan, lived with relatives of his mother and went to school with me about 1851. He is now, if living , about 50 years old. Robert, the youngest son of Thomas Sr., married Henrietta Fairfax, and settled near Centerville, Clinton County. I visited them about 1846, at which time both were living. He was a very fleshy man (something quite unusual in the family), about 5 feet 8 inches in height, yet weighing over 300 pounds. He had three sons and eight daughters. Harrison married a McFadden; Benson married a Grace; Vincent, died young; Melinda, married I.N. McVay; Kate married C. McVay; Nancy married James Evans; Polly, married Hugh McFadden; Martha married Thomas Babb; Hannah, married E. Edwards; Eliza, married John Morton; Henrietta married Thomas McVay. Quite a number of the family still live I Clinton County Ohio. Sarah West married “well” as I was told, and I suppose remained in Virginia, as I know nothing more of her family. Nancy married Moab Reed, she must have been among the oldest of the family, as her husband was in the Revolutionary War. I use to set at his feet, when a child, and hear him tell anecdotes of the war, and old Virginia, of which he had a bundles store and delighted in nothing so much as to fight his battles over again with delighted listeners, such as we were. He was a brother to your great grandmother. My sister says that one of George West’s wives was also a Reed there was always a vein of waggery running through the Reed stock. While Joab was in the Army, they were short on rations. The home folks cooked a big kettle full of hominy. One of the girls, looking at the hominy, and thinking of the brother in want, said, “I wish Joab had all that hominy in his belly.” The men were in the army and the women had to work in the fields. Two of the Reed girls were grubbing , a man rode up to them and said: “How are you ladies?” One of them, looking up, said: “You certainly must be a ____ fool to think you see ladies’grubbing.” Joab had two sons and four daughters. The sons, Travis and William, spent their lives and left families here. The daughters married, one a man named Tiller, one Booz, one Warren, and the other Lawwill. Joab used to talk much of overseeing at Henderson’s quarters, which, I understood to be in West Virginia. His tongue would get a little thick sometimes and he would say: “ I whipped skin enough off of niggers’ backs to shingle a barn.” And now I come to speak of John’s family. He married Eleanor Edwards in Virginia and 5 or 6 of their children were born there. They removed to Washington, Mason County, Kentucky, about 1796, where my father was born the first day of January, 1797. In 1798, they removed to the Ohio side opposite Maysville, then called Limestone, where he continued to reside until 1808, when he died, leaving my father, then 11 years old, as the main stay of the family. There were four brothers and five sisters. The brothers were William, James, John, and Edward. The sisters were Lizzie, Lettuce, Sarah, Jane, and Ellen. Lizzie married John Middleton. They lived together as husband and wife for 75 years. The last of their life was spent in Champaign County, Ohio. Moving there about 1835. They had six sons, William, James, Thomas, John, Washington, and Edwards. They had five daughters, Lettuce, Eleanor, Susan, Sally and Lizzie. Lettuce married David Hatfield, Ellen married Steven Thompson, Susan married Abraham Thompson, Sally married Hiram Dernald, and Lizza married ____ Perry. Lettuce West married John Brown, their sons were David, William, John, George, James, and Edward. James and Edward settled in Peoria, Illinois. two of George’s sons John and William, are near Mt. Hope, Kansas. The daughters of John and Lettuce West Brown; Milly married ___ Brown; Jane married Joel Martin; and Sarah married Charles Abbot. My Aunt Sarah( daughter of John and Eleanor) married John Wood and settled at Indianapolis. Their sons John and William, are there yet. The daughters were Eleanor, Phebe, Mary, Martha, and Cornelia. Phebe married ___ Daugherty and is still living in Columbus, Ohio. Cornelia married Robert Browning and is still living somewhere in the west. The others are dead. My Aunt Jane (daughter of John and Eleanor) married her cousin, Travis Reed. To them were born sons John, Joab, Edward and Terry; daughters Nancy, Ellen, Sarah, Julia, Lucy, Lizzie, Hannah, Mary and Emily. These all married except Ellen, who remained single and still lives in Shelby County, Indiana, and Lucy who married James Middleswart and lives somewhere in Iowa. My Aunt Ellen (daughter of John and Eleanor) married Samuel Bayne. With them my great grandmother (Sarah Trammel) died. They had two sons, James and John, who both died in Southern Kansas. James in Wichita of heart decease and John at Anthony in and about which they both lift families. Aunt Ellen daughters were Julia, Ellen, Malinda, Nancy, Abby, Mary, and Susan. Julia married William King, Ellen married her cousin George Brown, whose boys are in Mt. Hope Kansas; Malinda married James Wright, who lived near Washington Illinois; Nancy married ___ Thompson, also in Woodford County Illinois. Susan married George Brown whose family live in western Kansas. My Uncle James (son of John and Eleanor) was killed by a horse running away from a plow when he was 9 years old. Uncle William (son of John and Eleanor) married Mary White. Their sons were, John who died here leaving a large family. William B., who you wrote, lives here with quite a large family, and James is a Presbyterian preacher some were in Illinois. Of the daughters, Lucy married James Campbelland still lives at the age of 85 near Marion Indiana. Sarah married John Beasley, and Jane married Harrison Beasley. The Beasley’s were uncles of James Beasley Norton, your friend. Hester, married Nicholus F. Devore, and Helen married Joseph Hamilton. Harrison and wife still live in Marshelltown, Iowa. My Uncle Edwards ( son of John and Eleanor) married Sarah Edwards. ( they were 1st cousins) To them were born, John, George, (married Marry Thorp) Alexander, Russell, and Edwards; daughters were Martha, Susan, Ellen, Amanda, and Letitia. These all married and have families and live mostly here. My father John married Levinah Stewart. They live here and had eight children who lived to be grown. Susan married Harrison Pickerill and moved to Indiana, died young, leaving one daughter, who married I. N. Saunders, and lives somewhere in the west. My sister Ellen married J.W. Pickerill. They are living here. Abigail married W. N. Ramey and is living in Unadillia, Nabraska. Caroline married O. H. Bartholomew and they live in St. Louis. He is pastor in one of the city church. My brother James lives near Washburn, Illinois. William lives near Unafilla, Nebraska. He was a major in the army and served two years in the Legislature of Ohio. My brother died here leaving a family, and last but not least ( I have weighted 325 pounds), I married Susan Dixon and we are the parents of 12 children, 6 sons and 6 daughters. The sons are John William, William Nimon, Thomas Archie, James Henry, and Joseph Stewart, and Oscar Aid. the girls are Lizzie, Louisa, Mary, Levinah, Martha, Ellen, Sarah Wood, and Susan, Of these four are married John W. is practicing in Philadelphia. Wm N. is farming near here, Archie is at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, expecting to graduate this spring. Lizzie married Archie Liggett and he lives on a farm. Levinah married William Smith and is in Ogee County Nebraska. Our family of West, the Reeds, and the Browns have been Democrats, the Reeds, Middletons, and the Browns have been members of the Christian ( Campbellite) church. Uncle Williams (son of John and Eleanor) family are Methodists and Presbyterians. Baynes were United Presbyterians. Robert West and families were Christian ( New Lights). I am afraid you won’t read this. I hope and think you ought to. It won’t be as much trouble to you to read as to me to write it. If you don’t read it, please send it back. I have always of late years taken quite an interest in family history. I suppose from the best information I have the families in Virginia were poor; and it has been with the most of us “root pig or starve” ; and most of the family have chosen to root. I think there is much honesty and a great deal of energy in the blood. If this should interest you, please answer. Yours Truly Joseph S. West I have supposed that Joseph’s statement that Thomas West, one of the brothers, had remained in Virginia, was correct. But in an effort to get into communication with some of George West’s family in Clermont county, Ohio I wrote Samuel A. West ( Major) of Milford of that county, but the fact I gave him did not agree with the history of his family, and he handed my letter to Rev, R. E. Smith a Methodist minister, stationed at Milford at that time, January, 1895. After several litters had passed between us, I became convinced that Thomas West had come west about 1800, and settled at, or Bethel, Clermont county, Ohio. Mr Smiths mother was Sarah West, and Thomas West was his great grandfather. He suggested I write his Uncle William at Ames, Iowa, for additional facts, as to the family, which I did, and received the following letter: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Rock Rapids, Iowa, Mar. 2, 1897 Mr. Leslie C. West, Spring Hill, Kansas Dear Sir: My father has turned your litter over to me to answer. He is not living in Ames at present, but is making his home at this place. I presume you are correct in your conclusion athat your great grandfather and mine were brothers, and that your the great great grandgather was one and the same man Thomas West of Fairfax County Virginia. Rev. R.E. Smith iss a nephew of my father’s, a cousin of mine. My great grandfather was Thomas West and came from near Culpeper, Virginia, to Clermont County, Ohio. He died near Bethel, in that county. His sons were John, James, William, George, and Hugh. Of the daughters I have no definite information, but I believe ;one was Elizabeth, who married a Bennet; andother Hannah, whose name agter marriage was Beck. I believe the entire family lived and died in Clermont county, Ohio. George, my grandfather, married an Elsberry. His children were Agatha, thomas, Elizabeth, Sarah, Nancy, Mary, George, Isaac, William, Enoch and Falvius. Agatha West, the olderst is in her 88th year. She probable could give you more definite information than my father. Thomas died in infancy, Elizabeth married Charles Harry Palmer, is now living in Kansas. Sarah married a Smith; and Rev R. E. Smith is her son. Nancy married Daniel Smith, Mary married Wm L. Kane. George died in infancy. Issac shen 14 years of age. William, my father, maried Harriet Porter and came to Iowa in 1863. Enoch, an M. E. minister, died at Urbana, Ohio, and left a family of two boys and two girls, who still reside thhere. Flavius died at the age od nineteen. I think my father told me that Nancy and Mary still live at Williamsburg. Almost the entire family remained in that vicinity, my father being an exception. Of our immediate family, there are two, Falvius and William, at Ogden, Oowa, Nannie West Breneman and Orella West Fitchpatrick at Ames, Iowa, Clara Manning at Sheldon, Iowa. Harriet West and myself at this place. Possible I have given you a more extended accoount of our branch og the fomily than you desire, but I trust you may be able to get some useful information from it. From the accout you give of athe family, I an convinced that we are cousins thrice removed. My father was much interested in your letter, as was also I. Very truly, Agatha West Ramsey William West Sr., my great grandfather, lived in Fairfax County, Virginia. He married Susana Reed and their children were all born there. They removed to Wood County Virginia, now Pleasant County West Virginia, about 1805. Susana Reed West died about 1823 and William Sr. was drowned in the Ohio river, at the mouth of Bull Creek, in Virginia about 1827. I think their graves are unmarked. He was a cabinet maker, and a “secretary-bureau” he made is now in my possession and prized very highly by me. My information is that he was about 70 years old when he died. I suppose his brother, Hugh, who afterwards settled at Brookville, Ind. came to Wood County, with him, as he lived there for a time, going to Indiana about 1827. William Sr. and Susanna’s children were: Newman, Sally, William, Russell Wilson and Susanna. Newman wasborn January 19,1792. He married Eliza Sharp in Wood County. They moved to Carroll County, Ind. He died April 10,1866. their children were: Susan, Sarah, Charles Russell, John Wilson, Martha Ann, Jane Elizabeth, George Gale and Mary Minerva. Susan married Hiram Berkshire: had no children. Sarah married Felix McLaughlin, had three boys and three girls. William Spencer married Elizabeth Kuns, Archibald Tich married Elizabeth Feather? they had no children. John Wilson married Delilah A. Cronk; they had ten childtrn, three boys and seven girls. Lived in McCain County, Ill. Martha did not marry. Jane married Christian Wood They lived in Texas whin the Civil War came on BACK TO WEST GENEALOGY West Site established 1998 by Andrea at WayWard Cats Studio. MYTHOS: HISTORY, GENEALOGY, STORYTELLING | HISTORY | GENEALOGY | STORIES | BIBLIOGRAPHY | LINKS | HOME | Mythos established 17 June 1997 Last updated 15 February 1999 Graphics by Trajectories Studios Contents and Graphics copyright ©1999, Mythos and Trajectories Studios Comments to: rshannon@mail.utexas.edu