Ancestor of the
Month
December 2007
Thomas Ogle
b.
25 Jul 1721 d. before March 1803
Thomas Ogle was the second child and second son of John Ogle III (1690-1741) and Elizabeth Robinson Ogle (1700-1743). He was from a long line of British subjects who could trace their lineage back to
Charlemagne and the early kings of England. His great grandfather John
(of Delaware) Ogle (1649-1684) (“The Immigrant”) had arrived on American soil in 1664 as a British soldier serving
under Colonel Robert Nicholls who had come to protect British interests in the colonies--especially
against the Dutch in Delaware and New York. At that time John was only about
fifteen years old, but he performed his duties and stayed in the colonies after his military service was complete. It is he who began the Ogle family dynasty in America that spread to Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee
and other parts of the new world.
(John Ogle [“The
Immigrant”] was the AOM for October 2006. To read more about him, Go to
the link at the top of this page; then, when you reach the Archives, scroll down the Navigation bar on the left side to “John
[of Delaware] Ogle.”)
Parents and Siblings
Thomas’ parents John Ogle III (c1690-c1741) and Elizabeth Robinson Ogle (!700-1743) lived in New
Castle, Delaware, and at least one source indicates that John may have owned or run a tavern or inn on one of the main roads
in the area. This idea is suspect, however, since the Ogles had traditionally
been tobacco planters and farmers. The family was large, though not for the time, and Thomas grew up in a family of nine children.
(There is speculation that Elizabeth’s maiden name
may have been Ball rather than Robinson. In addition, there is speculation that
John III was the son of Thomas Ogle and Mary Crawford Ogle rather than the son of John Ogle, Jr. and Ellizabeth (Graham?)
Harris Ogle. The Ogle/Ogles Family Association gives equal weight to both
sets of parents as being the true parents of John Ogle III. Early Ogle history
is maddeningly replete with duplicate names and unclear relationships.)
1. William B. (b. 31 Mar 1719 in New Castle, Delaware d. 19 Oct 1805 in Perry Co., PA)
2. Thomas (our ancestor)
3. John (b. 27 Dec 1723 d. before 1790 in Mecklenburg Co., NC.) m.
Mary Elizabeth Robinson
4. Alexander (b. 1724. d. ? in KY)
5. Mary (b. 18 Jun 1726 d.1797 in Mecklenberg Co., NC)
6. Benjamin (b. 1727 d.1753 in Augusta Co., VA)
7. Elizabeth (b. 19 May 1729 d.?) m. John Stille 26 Sep 1754 in New Castle
Delaware
After the birth of Elizabeth, the Ogles apparently moved for a time to Lancaster Co., PA because their
last two children were born there.
8. Hercules (b. 6 Apr 1731 in Lancaster Co., PA d. Sep 1804 in Grayson Co., VA) m. Mary Carson (1739-1825)
Dec.1755 in Botecourt Co., VA
9. Lucretia (b. 19 Apr 1733- d. 1800 in Randolph Co, NC) m.
Abraham Stroud 1 Apr 1752 in New Castle Co., DE
John III’s
Death and Related Problems
Sometime
after Lucretia’s birth, the family moved back to Delaware. Eight years
later (c1741) John Ogle, III, died. Although the family had been tobacco planters
and farmers for three generations, they may still have had money problems. On
15 Nov 1743, the year of their mother’s death and two years after their
father’s death, the two youngest daughters were “apprenticed out” until they were eighteen. Lucretia was about eight and Elizabeth was about twelve. Money
may have had nothing to do with the apprenticeships. The girls were, after all,
orphans, and if none of their married siblings could take the girls, the family may have decided that Elizabeth and Lucretia
needed a more stable environment than their unmarried brothers could provide. In
any event, the girls’ apprenticeship papers were signed by their “Uncle Thomas.” There is debate as to which Thomas this might be. Some Ogle
researchers think that the Thomas in question was actually the girls’ brother Thomas (our ancestor) who at the
time was about twenty and was the oldest male living at home.
Thomas’
Marriage and Family
In 1748, when he was twenty-seven years old, Thomas met and married Elizabeth Robeson. The two were wed in the Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes Church) in New Castle.
(There is some speculation that Elizabeth’s name may have been Robinson or Robertson since no Robeson
family was found in the area. If this is so, then she fits in well with the Ogle
Elizabeths. Not only was there a plethora of Elizabeths chosen by the Ogle men
to be their wives, several of these women, beginning with Elizabeth Wollaston and Elizabeth Petersdotter, have mysteries surrounding
their surnames.)
(See the AOM article on John Ogle for the controversy concerning his wife’s name)
.
(As a point of interest, our Thomas. his father, his grandfather, his great uncle, and his great grandfather
all had wives named Elizabeth. In addition, he had a sister, aunt, and great
aunt named Elizabeth. Is it surprising that he also named one of his daughters
Elizabeth? Whew!)
Thomas
and Elizabeth started a family in New Castle and eventually had a total of eight children:
1. John (b. 1749/1755-d.?) m. 18 Jan 1773 Sarah
Dennis (b. 1755-d. ?) John and Sarah had thirteen children. They eventually migrated
to White Co., TN, then on to KY and IN.
2. Thomas, Jr. (b. 1749/1755-d.after 1802) m.
Isabella (Ibby) Wilson (b. 1755/1760-d. after 1802) Thomas and Isabella had eleven children.
They eventually settled in KY where they are buried, but their children moved on to MO.
3. Hercules (b. 1749/1755-d. 1827/1830) m. Sarah Morris (b. before 1775-d. 1825-1830)
Hercules and Sarah had ten children. They eventually settled in White Co., TN.
4. William (our ancestor) (b. c1756-d. 1803) m. c1778 Martha Jane Huskey
(b. c1760-d.1817/1826). William and Martha had seven children. The family moved to GA and SC where William died. Martha brought
the family on to TN.
5. James (b. 19 Nov 1770 d. ?) m. (1)
Hannah Brown (2) Catherine Wilkes. James and Hannah had ten children; James and
Catherine had three children
6. Sarah (b. 1757 in New Castle-d.?) m. Unknown Sargen (or Largen)
7. Elizabeth (here she is—another one!)
(b. 5 Mar 1761, New Castle DE-d.?) m. 1773 William Jennings (b. 16 Dec 1750, Bedford Co., VA-d. 15 Oct 1843, Carroll
Co., VA). Elizabeth and William had eleven children
8. Hannah (b. 18 Apr 1764 Rowan Co., NC –d. Sep 1840 Grayson Co., VA) m. Jonathan
Richardson (b.? – d. before 1839). Hannah and Jonathan had four children.
(Notice
the tendency of the Ogles to name their children after family members, adding to the “which one?” confusion. This tradition continued in the 1800’s in the Smokies where by the second generation
of living there, the men began to use their father’s first name to determine a middle initial in order to keep everyone
straight. For example, “William H.” was “William, son of Hercules.”
“William T” was “William, son of Thomas,” etc.)
The
Ogle Inn (or Tavern)
In the 1990’s the Delaware Department of Transportation discovered the remains of a cellar containing artifacts
from the 1700s while they were clearing lands for a highway. One of their project
reports says: “The archaeologists think this cellar was part of an inn operated by Thomas Ogle and his son James Ogle from 1739 to 1794.” (I’ve tried to match up all the Thomases and Jameses and the dates, and nothing
works out exactly right. Our Thomas fits as far as dates are concerned. His son James, however, was not born until 1770.
James would have been old enough to help his father during the last portion of the period, but not for the whole time. This inn was in all probability owned by one of our Ogles as there appears to be a
Thomas with a son named James in every generation, including brothers and cousins. The
problem of determining which of them might have been the owner is compounded since dates of birth and death are not available
for all the connected Ogles. (Perhaps the Thomas who owned the inn was
the same “Uncle Thomas” who signed the apprenticeship papers. The
Ogle Tavern could also be the reason that John, III, was reputed to have been an innkeeper.)
Owning an inn or tavern during that time would have been significant because as the Delaware Dept of Transportation
article points out, “In that period taverns were one of the main centers of community life for men, who gathered in
the tavern to drink, eat, and talk. Politics, in particular, was often managed from taverns more than from state houses or
court rooms.” The period of the inn’s existence covers the entire
Revolutionary War period.
The Augusta County Adventure
Several situations go against our Thomas owning the inn. For
example, in 1763 with a new country and new
opportunities calling, Thomas, two of his brothers (John and Hercules) and his sister Lucretia and her husband Abraham Stroud
reportedly decided to leave Delaware and move west where land was plentiful, inexpensive,
(and sometimes free), and where opportunities were more likely to present themselves.
Their destination was Augusta Co., VA, an area that played an important role in the settlement of America. Augusta Co. was huge; it had no western boundary and contained much of the Shenandoah Valley
as well as parts of several later states. It was an enticing destination for
pioneer families although insufficient government for such a large area posed problems for the settlers.
At
the time of their move to Augusta Co., Thomas was 42; John was 40; Hercules was 32, and Lucretia was
30, the baby of the group. Thus, this was not a group of young people off to
seek adventure. These were adults with families who knew the dangers they were
facing. When they set off to Augusta County in the southwestern part of Virginia
in 1763, they probably hoped to establish a more profitable life for themselves. Unfortunately, after about a year in Virginia,
Indian problems in the area caused them to move south across the border to North Carolina. Their final destination was not
a great distance from where they had tried to settle in Virginia. It seems unlikely
that Thomas would have participated in this Augusta County venture if he had had an inn in Delaware.
Move
to North Carolina
By
1760-64 Thomas and Elizabeth and their family were in Rowan County, North Carolina.
There they bought 320 acres from Andrew Smith and wife Anna, paying ₤60 for the property. In the deed, Thomas was described as a “groom,” (one who feeds, exercises, and cares for horses).
(Years later, from 1793-1795, these 320 acres would be divided among three of Thomas
and Elizabeth’s five sons: William, Thomas, and Hercules. In 1793 Thomas received 100 acres and Hercules 120. In 1795
William received the remaining 100 acres. At this time, the three sons were in
their late 30’s to early 40’s [about 37-43 years old]. James was
only 23; perhaps his age kept him from receiving land at this time. However,
back in 1789, Thomas had bought 140 acres of land in Grayson Co, VA from Thomas Black.
This land he deeded to James in 1801, just a year or so before Thomas died. James
did not receive the land until after his father’s death as the deed was not proven until then. I was unable to find land that had been deeded to John, Thomas and Elizabeth’s first son.)
The
Revolutionary War Era
When the Revolution came, Thomas
Ogle and his family were living in Virginia. Thomas was in his late 50’s
and there is no evidence that he participated in the Revolution. (There was
a Thomas Ogle from Virginia who joined the Revolutionary forces and served three years from 1777-1780 at Ft. Pitt and Ft.
Henry under Gaddis. This Thomas Ogle, however, was not ours.)
Though our Thomas did not serve,
his sons participated in the Patriot cause. Two of Thomas’ sons definitely
fought in the Revolution. Sons 1 and 3 (John and Hercules) volunteered and served
in the Montgomery County Virginia Militia under Capt. Jonathan Isom. Revolutionary
war service for Son 2 (Thomas, Jr.) is not as certain as John’s and Hercules’, but family belief is that he was
in the war. Although he is listed along with his brothers William and Hercules
as one who did not sign the oath of allegiance, this does not mean he was opposed to the war. Hercules, for example, did not sign the oath but did serve as a volunteer soldier during
the Revolution. The same could be true of Thomas, Jr. As far as Son 4 is concerned, there is no available evidence that says William (our ancestor) fought in
the war, but family tradition says that he did. In addition, some sources
indicate that William’s reason for going to TN at the turn of the century was to scout out land he had received
for his war service. Thomas’ fifth son, James, was born 10 Nov 1770 and
was therefore too young to participate in the war.
End
of the Journey
Thomas wrote his will on 2 March 1802 and died in March 1803. We do not
know his cause of death, but in his will he stated that he was “sick and weak in body but of sound mind and desposing [sic] memory.” Thomas
was buried in Peavine Ridge, Carroll Co., Virginia, and his will was proven in March 1803.
(Interestingly, the Ogle family suffered a relatively large number of deaths within a relatively short
period of time. Our Thomas died in 1803; his son William (also our ancestor)
died the same year. In addition, Thomas’ son Hercules died in 1804. Thomas’ brother William died in 1805.
These death dates are no doubt coincidental, but they are noticeable.
Provisions
of Thomas’ Will
Thomas’ will left all his movable property to his wife, Elizabeth.
After her death, the movable property was to be equally divided among the children.
In addition, he gave one dollar to each of his five sons (whom he named in the will) and one dollar to two of his daughters,
Sarah and Elizabeth. To daughter Hannah, he gave one cow. Often testators leave one dollar to a person just to make it clear that that is all he or she is to receive
from the will and that the person in question was not forgotten or inadvertently left out.
The sons who received one dollar had already received their inheritance in the lands their father had deeded to them
previously—except John. Sarah and Elizabeth had probably received
their inheritance early, too. Why Hannah received a cow is a mystery.
(John, like his four brothers, received one dollar in Thomas’ will, even though I did not find land deeded to
him by his father. In 1804, however, a year after his father’s death, John
bought 115 acres of land in TN from his brother Hercules. He sold the land four
years later in 1808. Perhaps this transaction had something to do with
the brothers’ inheritance, although John and his family did live in Grainger Co., TN for a while and may have just bought
this property to have somewhere to live.
Family Migration
After
Thomas’ death, his family continued to grow and prosper. Like many settlers
in the New World, the Ogles were almost nomadic—or at least had a touch of wanderlust.
Son John and his family migrated from the Edgefield District of SC to Grainger County, TN, lived there for a while
and then moved on to KY and finally to IN where they settled for good.
Thomas, Jr. and his family lived originally in Rowan Co., NC. In
the 1780’s they moved to Wilkes Co., GA and then to Edgefield County, SC.
Later they moved to KY. Thomas and his wife Isabella are buried in Kentucky,
but their children chose to move on to MO.
Hercules and his family lived in Montgomery Co., VA, Rowan County, NC, and Edgefield District, SC. Finally they moved to Grainger Co., TN. (In
1803 when Martha Jane made her bereavement visit to her mother-in-law in VA, she swung west and stopped on the way home to
visit with Hercules, who lived at that time in Grainger Co, TN.)
William and wife Martha lived for a time in Rowan Co., NC, in Wilkes Co., GA, and finally settled in the
Edgefield District of SC. William traveled to TN—tradition says to check
out land he had received for military service—found a spot to his liking, and planned to bring his family there. When he returned to SC to get his family and prepare for the move to the Smokies,
however, he became the victim of a malaria or typhoid epidemic and died. His
wife and family made the journey and established the Ogle family as a major influence in that region. (See more info in “South Carolina to the Smokies” Click the navigation bar for that title
on the left side of this page.)
James and his family lived for a time in GA, but apparently returned to Grayson Co., VA. Sarah’s fate is unclear, but Elizabeth and Hannah both seem to have kept to their roots in VA.
Thomas Ogle was Papaw’s great, great, great grandfather. If
you are Eli McCarter’s great great grandchild, Thomas Ogle is your 6 great grandfather.
Line of Descent from
Thomas Ogle to Eli McCarter
Thomas Ogle (1721-1803) + Elizabeth Robeson (1721-?)
William Ogle (1756-1803) + Martha Jane Huskey (1756-1826)
Thomas J. Ogle (1784-1862) + Sophia Bosley (1789/1790-1857)
Nancy Ogle (1810-1844) + Daniel Wesley Reagan (1802-1892)
Marriah Reagan (1842-1923) + Thomas Hill McCarter (1842-1923)
Rev. Eli McCarter (1886-955)+ Mary Elizabeth “Betsy” Hatcher (1889-1969)
Sources:
“Children of William Jennings and Elizabeth Ogle.”
VACaroll-L
Archives http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/VACARROL/2001-04/0988672599
DAR
Patriot Index, Vol. II, p. 158
“Elizabeth Petersdotter Yocum, Wife of the English Soldier, John Ogle,” The Ogle Genealogist,
Vol. 18, 1997, pp. 19-27.
Gwalhmey, John Hastings. Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution. Richmond:
Dietz Press, 1938. p. 593.
“Ogle” in Looking for
a Horse Thief
http://horsethief.info/ogle/oglejo.htm#top
“Interchange of Views Regarding the Identify of Elizabeth, Wife of John Ogle, Immigrant to Delaware
and the Parents of John Ogle.” The Ogle Genealogist, Vol.18, 1997,
pp. 27-52
McCarter Family Charts and Pedigree
Charts
“My Kentucky World” http://harlanogleky.tripod.com/id5.html
‘Notes Concerning Ogles in Early Colonial America” The
Ogle Genealogist, Vol.18, 1997, pp.123-125
Ogle Family Charts and Pedigree Charts
Pattersons of Augusta Co., VA http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~madgenealogist/Patterson-VA.html
Reagan, Donald B. Smoky Mountain Clans, Vol 1. Knoxville, TN: np, 1978, 129 ff.
“Sharon’s
Family” History Page.”
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~shill957/pafg165.htm
“Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest.” www.smokykin.com
State
of Delaware. Delaware Department of Transportation. Archaeoloogy Archives Del DOT Archaeology Series: No. 77
Coleman, Ellis E., Wade P. Catts, Angela Hoseth, and Jay F. Custer “1990 Final
Archaeological Investigations of the John Ruth Inn Site, 7NC-D-126, Red Mill Road and Delaware Routes 4 and 273”
http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/archives/D077.shtml
