Tenth Generation

600. John Chenoweth⁵⁶⁸ was born in 1706 in USA, Pennsylvania or Maryland.⁵⁶⁸ He signed a will on 3 November 1770 in USA, Virginia, Frederick Co..¹⁴¹⁹ I will that all my just debts and funeral charges be fully paid and discharged.
ITEM, I give and bequeth to my eldest sons William and John Chanoweth all my land and Plantation on Cancanon in Hampshire County to be equally divided between them to them thier heirs and assigns forever.
ITEM, I give and bequeth to my three sons Absalom, Thomas and Richard Chenoweth all my land and Plantation whereon I now live to be equally divided between them to them their heirs and assigns forever. The said land not to be sold during their Mother's natural life and they to pay the following legatees; my son Absalom to pay the sum of thirty pounds Virginia currency and my said son Thomas to pay the sum of twenty five pounds like currancy money and my said son Richard to pay the sum of twenty five pounds like current money the said _____and to do the remainder to be equall divided between my three daughters Elizabeth, Mary and Rachel.
ITEM, I give and bequeth to my son Arthur Chenoweth one schilling and three pence
ITEM, I give and bequeth to my daughter Mary one cow and calf and one featherbed and furniture
ITEM, I give and bequeth to my daughter Rachel one cow and calf and one featherbed and furniture.
AND LASTLY, I do hereby constitute ordain and appoint my loving wife Mary Chenoweth sole executrix of this my last will and testament revoking and making void all other former wills and testaments made at any time. Ratifying and confirming this only to be my last will and testament. It is here to be remebered that my son Richard is to have my Smiths tools to work with during his mothers natural life provided he stay and work on the Plantation and at her death the said tools are to be sold and the money to be divided between my three daughters and further my will is that after my just debts and funeral charges are fully paid and discharged the remainder of my moveable estate to be equally divided between my three daughters, Elizabeth, Mary and Rachel and in confimation of this to be my last will and testament I have hereunto set my hand and seal this third day of November 1770
John Chenoweth X (Seal)

Signed sealed and acknowledged by the testators to be his last will and testament in the presence of us
John Salisberry
William X Salisberry
M. Morgan
CODICIL
It is here to be remebered that before signed and sealed that the said testator doth give unto his grand daughter Mary Chenoweth, daughter of his eldest son William, one heifer called the mottled heifer, one ewe and lamb provided she stay with her grandmother during her said grandmothers natural life of until she becomes to age

He died on 5 March 1771 at the age of 65 in USA, Virginia, Frederick Co..⁵⁶⁸ John was the oldest son, born 1706, probably in Pennsylvania or New Jersey before the family came to Maryland. Cora Hiatt claimed he and the next couple of siblings were born in England, but that seems unlikely. John married Mary Smith. Her parents are unknown at this time. Some think she came from Pennsylvania, but the wedding was recorded on November 26, 1730 at St. John's Parish, Baltimore County, Maryland. John and family are found living on leased land in 1737 in the Middle River Hundred, next door to his brother-in-law, John Watson, husband of John's sister, Mary. John Chenoweth and his wife Mary would have 9 known children, the first ones born in Maryland, the last ones in Virginia. They form the largest body of known descendants in the family. In 1762 John is known to have received a patent for land in Frederick County, Virginia from Lord Fairfax. (this later became Berkeley County and still later West Virginia). It is likely that John, however, along with his brothers William and Thomas, located in Frederick County, Virginia sometime before the death of their father in 1746. Indeed the last record of a John Chenoweth found in Maryland for several decades following is 1742, lending credence to the theory that the family moved somewhat together to Virginia.
Like his father, John is given to have been a blacksmith and died with substantial land holdings in Virginia. In his 1770 will, written at about age 65, John mentions each of his 9 children and widowed wife, Mary. To his two oldest sons, William and John, he willed 248 acres of land on the Cacapon River in Hampshire Co. To Absolom, Thomas and Richard, he willed the lands upon which he lived, part of 314 acres patented from Lord Fairfax. At the time this land was in Frederick Co. near "Torytown", but in 1773 it would just a couple of miles north of the border in newly formed Berkeley Co. To his son Arthur, he left one dollar.
Within two generations all of John's descendants had left this part of Virginia, that was later to include Berkeley and Hampshire Cos., WV. A large group, including sons: Richard and Arthur, daughters: Elizabeth and Rachel, and 3 grandchildren: Jonathan, William and Absolom, Jr., went to Kentucky, mainly Jefferson Co. Three sons: William, John and Absolom died in Virginia, and their children went to Ohio, Kentucky and one, to Indiana. John's son, Thomas(3), after returning to Maryland, married there, and late in his life took his family to Botetourt Co., VA, before his death in 1780. John's grandson, John(4), moved and settled due west in what would be Randolph Co., WV. Many of the families of John associated with the Baptist Church. Mary M. Smith and John Chenoweth were married on 26 November 1730 in USA, Maryland, Baltimore Co., St. John's Parish.⁵⁶⁸

601. Mary M. Smith⁵⁶⁸ was born before 1713 in USA, Maryland, Baltimore Co..⁵⁶⁸ She died after 1773 at the age of 60.⁵⁶⁸

Children were:

300
i.
William Chenoweth.
ii.
John Chenoweth was born on 13 November 1735 in Maryland Colony, Baltimore Co..⁵⁶⁸ He died on 29 April 1812 at the age of 76 in USA, Virginia, Hampshire Co. (now West Virginia).⁵⁶⁸
iii.
Thomas Chenoweth was born in 1737 in Maryland Colony, Baltimore Co..⁵⁶⁸ He died on 8 May 1780 at the age of 43 in USA, Virginia, Botetourt Co..⁵⁶⁸ fought in Revolutionary War.
iv.
Captain Richard Chenoweth^568,1420 was born between 1738 and 1748 in USA, Virginia or Maryland.⁵⁶⁸ He died in June 1803 at the age of 65 in USA, Kentucky, Jefferson Co..⁵⁶⁸ fought in Revolutionary War
His sister Rachel was at CPT Richard Chenoweth and wife Margaret "Peggy" McCarty home when it was burned and Margaret scalped by Shawnee Indians on July 17, 1789. Rachel was there with her daughter Elizabeth Seaton who was to marry a Military Guard of the Chenoweth Station, John Rose on August 20, 1789.
Gideon Chenoweth born 1770, oldest son of CPT Richard and Margaret McCarty Chenoweth, was listed at home when the 16 Shawnee Indians attacked their home on July 17, 1789. Gideon was 19 at the time. At age 21, on November 3, 1791, he was killed by Indians at St Clair's Defeat at Ft Recovery in Ohio. On February 7, 1792, the Jefferson Co., KY court declared CPT Richard Chenoweth father and heir of Gideon Chenoweth.
Three children of CPT Richard and Margaret McCarty Chenoweth were killed at the massacre at their home. The children were Levi, and Mary "Polly" Chenoweth. The third child has never been correctly identified. Margaret McCarty Chenoweth was on the 1820 census but died before the 1830 census. Margaret died at the home of her daughter Amelia Mildred Nash, wife of Harmon Nash. Margaret never married the second time as has been incorrectly stated. That may have been her brother's daughter. CPT Richard was listed on the 1800 census but was dead by the 1810 census. It seems he died in 1803 from severe injuries received by a tree falling on him in 1796. Richard and Margaret and a number of their children and family are buried at the Richard Chenoweth Cemetery in Middletown, KY.
Chenoweth Website note: Betty's source for Rachel Seaton and her daughter being at Richard's home was found in what she describes as military papers she reviewed at the Filson Club in Louisville. Unfortunately she has never been able to locate this citation again to make a copy of it. The account is at odds with other published accounts including the research of Blaine Guthrie. Rachel's husbands name is correctly just Kenner Seaton, even though Chenoweth accounts list his first name as James Kenner. He did have a brother named James, named for their father. A full listing of Rachel's and Kenner's children can be found at the website. Some of the dates vary with those found at the website.)
John’s son Richard is well known for his early forage into Kentucky to become one of the 7 founding fathers of Louisville. The story of the “Chenoweth” Massacre is well known and several articles at the site describe aspects of his life. He was the first of the two sons of John(2) who headed west and appears to have been a magnet to draw others of the line of John west to the Louisville area of Kentucky including his brother Arthur, his sisters Rachel Seaton and Elizabeth Stewart, and his three nephews, William, Jonathon and Absolom, Jr. This Kentucky base would be the springboard for later migrations into Indiana, Illinois and Texas. Richard married Margaret 'Peggy' McCarty. Her father is believed to be Nicholas McCarty. The Chenoweth histories spell her name as McCarthy and give her father as Thomas. There are still today lots of questions about Richard. His birth is ranged between 1738 and 1748, probably in Frederick Co., VA. I suspect he was on the older side of this. It is possible that Richard was married before Martha as Pirtle’s account refers to his son Gideon as a “near” relative of James. We do know that he was married to Martha by 1773 when he and Martha signed the deed selling the land left to Richard and his two brothers Thomas and Absolom. Shortly after this he left for the west. We know he was in Monongalia Co. as he sold land there to James Seaton, the father-in-law of his sister Rachel. Accounts say that by 1775 he settled near Wheeling on the banks of the Ohio. This was very dangerous territory in those times, subject to constant raids and strife with the many Indian tribes of the Ohio who sought to resist the intrusion of white settlers from the Colonies. In 1776 he joined the party of George Rogers Clark to settle near the Falls of the Ohio. This settlement became known as Louisville. There is far too much here to relate and those interested should read the site articles on Richard. There are only 3 lines of descendants that extend to present day of Richard’s 11 or so children. Three are believed to have died in the Chenoweth massacre, Gideon died in the Indian Wars, Tabitha never married, Jane and Naomi are not known to have had children, and Ann’s Bonderant lines are not brought into the 20th Century. This leaves Thomas, James and Amelia who married Harmon Nash. Thomas moved to Indiana and some of his children went to Iowa. Most of the family of James stayed in the Kentucky area and much of Amelia’s family still is missing to us. The 1850 Census gives us 19 families living in Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio.
v.
Absolum Chenoweth was born in 1745 in USA, Virginia, Frederick Co.. He died on 12 April 1773 at the age of 28 in Virginia Colony, Berkeley Co., (now West Virginia).⁵⁶⁸
vi.
Mary W. Chenoweth was born in 1748 in Virginia Colony, Frederick Co., (prob).⁵⁶⁸ She died on 27 July 1830 at the age of 82.⁵⁶⁸
vii.
Elizabeth Chenoweth was born in 1750 in Virginia Colony, Frederick Co., (prob).⁵⁶⁸ She died on 7 February 1786 at the age of 36 in USA, Kentucky, Jefferson Co..¹⁴²⁰
viii.
Arthur Chenoweth⁵⁶⁸ was born on 16 July 1752 in Virginia Colony, Frederick Co..⁵⁶⁸ He signed a will on 26 December 1828 in USA, Indiana, Bartholomew Co..⁵⁶⁸ In The name of God Amen. I Arthur Chenoweth of the County of Bartholomew and the State of Indiana considering the uncertainty of the mortal life and being of a sound and perfect mind and memory blessed the Almighty God for the same do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following that is to say. After paying all just debts, I will and bequeath to my beloved children Absolum John Polly Arthur Margaret Rachel Eleanor and Anne my estate equally, that which will fall to my son Absolum or so much of it as will satisfy a debt he owes to the estate of Boston Shehan to which myself and others are securities to be kept in the hands of my Executers to satisfy said debt. My son John has received sixty dollars besides a ten dollar note which came out of his part of the estate and I do hereby appoint Abraham Chenoweth and Benjamin Irwin both of Bartholomew County my sole executors of this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills by me made. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the saith day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty eight.
(signed) Arthur Chenoweth
Signed sealed published by the above named Arthur Chenoweth to be his last will and testament in presence of us who have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses of the testate.
Recorded March 6th, 1829 page 56 Bartholomew County Ind.
He died after 26 December 1828 at the age of 76 in USA, Indiana, Bartholomew Co., Columbus.⁵⁶⁸ Arthur was last son of John Chenoweth and Mary Smith. For years he has been misplaced in the Chenoweth histories starting with Cora Hiatt in 1925. A fuller explanation of this confusion is found on the Chenoweth Website.
He was born in Virginia and married, at the age of 21, Elspa Lawrence. He and Elspa started their family in Hampshire County, Virginia where they are found in a 1783 Census conducted by Levi Ashbrook, Arthur's brother-in-law. Shortly thereafter Arthur moved to Jefferson County, Kentucky where he and Elspa completed their family of 12 known children. Here Arthur is known to have administered the will of his sister, Elizabeth, and his daughter Rachel would marry the son of his nephew, William. In the tax rolls of 1789 and 1800 Arthur lived on Floyd's Creek located in Jefferson Co. Somewhere after 1823, Arthur and Elspa moved again, for the final time, to Bartholomew County, Indiana. Bartholomew had formed in 1821, when Indiana lands were made available. This available land was probably the attraction that drew these families there. Here Arthur lived to the old age of 89, dying just before the 1830 Census. It is believed that Elspa died the same year. Arthur left a will there naming all his children. Arthur had a Bible which was passed down to his son John. John inturn passed the Bible to Lewis Rose who passed it to Mathias Rose who passed it to William Lewis (page 84, Hiatt). 'Cy', Mathias Rose II, included a page copy in his family study from Montana.
ix.
Rachel Chenoweth¹⁴²¹ was born on 7 May 1754 in Virginia Colony, Frederick Co..¹⁴²⁰ She died on 4 July 1807 at the age of 53 in USA, Kentucky, Jefferson Co..¹⁴²⁰ Rachel was at the home of her brother, CPT Richard Chenoweth and wife Margaret "Peggy" McCarty when Richard's home was burned and Margaret scalped by Shawnee Indians on July 17, 1789. Rachel was there with her daughter Elizabeth Seaton who was to marry a Military Guard of the Chenoweth Station, John Rose on August 20, 1789.