Varysburg New York to Buckeye Lake Ohio 20 - 23 August

After leaving the Jae's home and wonderful hospitality on the morning of the 20th, Raven and I hit the road for Ohio.  Part of my grand adventure has been to continue my genealogical research on my Peacher ancestors.  John Peacher Sr. made his way from Harpers Ferry to Franklin County Ohio sometime around 1810.  He met and married Lydia Mollihon on the 15th of April 1811 in Franklin County.  On the 9th of may John purchased six quarter square mile pieces of property in Groveport, Madison Township in Franklin and Pickaway counties in Ohio.  He remained in Ohio until sometime in 1815 or 1816 when he sold his Ohio real estate and returned to the Harpers Ferry area. 

 

On the evening of the 20th Raven and I arrived at our campground at Buckeye Lake and settled in for the evening.  Early to bed and early to rise.  We're headed to the Ohio State Archives at the Ohio Historical Society the next morning.

 

The Historical Society is adjacent to the Ohio State Fairgrounds.  It brought back memories of a trip many years ago when Frank Tighe invited me and my roommates, from the Westinghous/Johns Hopkins class of 1964, to his parents farm in Findlay Ohio.  It happened that while we were there the Ohio State Fair was underway.  His parents took us to the fair.  The Ohio State Fair has to be one of the best in the country.

 

 

A day at the archives yielded copies of maps of Groveport Township and the original survey descriptors of John's land.  I had also been researching John's wife, Lydia's family.  Her father was born either in St. Mary's county Maryland or in the Dumfries, Prince William county area in Virginia.  His name was Raleigh Molohan.  His father was found dead in 1760 while Raleigh was still underage.  He was bound out as an indentured servant to learn the shoe making trade.  He married his wife Sabina and had at least six children. Sometime around 1789 he moved with his family to Fauquier Virginia and again to Hampshire County Virginia, now West Virginia in 1796.  The last record for Raleigh was in 1806 in Hampshire County.  His wife and family are in Franklin County Ohio by 1808 with no evidence of Raleigh.  I've been trying to find out if he died before, on the way, or after arriving in Ohio.  Research so far has not answered that question.

 

It's now the evening of the 21st and Raven and I trek to southern Franklin County to see the land that John had purchased and worked.  It appeared to be great agricultural land.

 

 

 

 

 

John's land as it looks today.

 

 

A night of rest and we're off for a second day of genealogical research.  This time we go to the Ohio State Genealogical Society Library in Bellville Ohio.  We finish mid day, go have an early dinner and turn in for an afternoon and evening of rest.  In the morning we head to Hamilton Ohio for a visit with my cousin Bill Peacher and his wonderful wife Judy.

 

I hope I haven't bored you too much with the genealogy thing.  I'm planning to write a book on the Peacher family.  There's lots of interesting and rich material to work with.