A
History of the Mumford family and descendants of David Mumford. Copied
from manuscript (badly faded) written by Anthony Wayne Mumford, January
1877. Copied by L.J. Mumford, 1941, and his daughter, Erma Mumford
Hahn, 1963. Edited and augmented by Eric Mumford, 1991.
Submitted by Beverly
Settlemire
David Mumford was born
near Elizabethtown, New Jersey, on the seventh of April 1755. Of his
parents we know very little. They were of English descent in
moderate circumstances. So far as known there were but two children,
James the oldest and David. They
both entered the Army of the Revolutionary War at its beginning and
continued together in the same company until James was killed in the
battle of Brandywine. This left David alone as far as we can learn
at present as nothing is found in books or papers that we are able to get
hold. Of either father-mother-or sister except one half-brother (we
know nothing). I have heard his name but have forgotten it. It
was not Mumford. But I recollect my father saying he had gone to New
York City and became wealthy.
As for David he continued in the army, and was one of
those patriots who in the winter of 1777 and '78 marked their pathway with
the blood of their feet in the snow at Valley Forge. He was a man of
fine appearance about 5'9" and very muscular. David
Mumford was married in 1779 to a young woman named Abigail Poole
aged 20 and of great beauty which she retained to a remarkable degree til
the time of her death which occurred at the age of 73 years.
After the close of the war they lived in or near
Elizabethtown until about the year 1786, where they had 3 children, the
third dying in infancy. Then they moved to Washington County, PA
where they had 5 more children, the next to the youngest dying quite
young. Their family record stands thus:
|
born |
|
| David Mumford |
April 7, 1755 |
4/17/1756 - 7/23/1818 |
| Abigail Poole |
Sept.17, 1759 |
|
| Margaret |
Sept.11, 1780 |
married John Williams |
| James |
Dec. 11,1783 |
12/14/178; married Catherine
Wright |
| William |
Oct. 12, 1786 |
died as infant |
| Sarah |
Jan. 4, 1788 |
married Wm. McFadden |
| Martha |
June 11, 1790 |
married Art. Johnson |
| William Harrison |
Nov. 9, 1792 |
married Elizabeth Rallyea |
| John |
Dec. 28, 1795 |
|
| Peter |
July 23, 1797 |
married Betsy Henry |
It will be observed that they named 2 of their
children the same, viz. William, the first having died in infancy.
In the year 1798 David Mumford and his son James
started for Northwestern PA. (from Washington Co., PA) in search of a
place to make a permanent home, and came to the place where Meadville now
stands in Crawford Co., where there was a block house and a few log cabins
huddled together for protection from the Indians. From Meadville they went
5 miles southeast to the high ground between French Creek and Conneaut
Marsh and took up a claim to a fine tract of 500 acres of soldier's land
having the promise of half for settling it.
Here David and his son built a log cabin and
the son, James, only 15 years old stayed and
kept possession while his father went back to Washington County to move
his family out, which took between two and three months, the distance
being about 200 miles over deep ravines, creeks and long spurs of the
Allegheny Mountains with no roads at all. He brought the first wagon
into Crawford County making his own roads and bridges. During this
time the son, James with two dogs and
two guns remained alone at the house they had built, living on game which
he killed and what he could find in the woods. Game was very
plentiful, also panthers and bears could be seen any day in the woods.
The Indians were quite numerous in this locality and somewhat troublesome
for at least the 2 months when his father arrived with the family. They
found themselves in a thickly wooded country with no cleared land --
no crops in the ground. They went to work and cleared a piece of
ground and sowed some turnips which was the only crop they got planted
that summer. In the Fall the Indians would come and steal them so
they had to watch them in order to save any of the crop. After the
provisions they had brought with them were exhausted they had to live
"on the woods." Their flour and salt was brought up the
Allegheny River and French Creek in canoes from Pittsburgh. When the
family arrived they brought with them a cow with a young calf and for
safety they built a pen of heavy poles against the back of their cabin.
I have heard the Old Lady tell that she had to get up as often as 3
times in one night to chase the bears away from the pen with a firebrand!
During the first summer there were three brothers
named Davis who came into the neighborhood in search of land.
After camping near for some time, Mumford began to suspect that
their intentions were not good, which proved true, for the three came to
the cabin one morning and after a short talk they told him that he had to
get out as they were taking over the place and ordered him to get out
without delay. This Mumford refused to do saying that the claim was
his and he intended to hold it, as he was within his rights and ordered
them off of the place. Then followed a tremendous fight in which
Mumford was the victor, whipping the three of them and driving them off
the place, backing the command with a ready rifle. The three left
and gave him no further trouble.
David and his wife were members of the Methodist Church and their cabin
became one of the first preaching places west of the Alleghenies. Here
the old people lived and died, David about the year 1816 after suffering
greatly from rheumatism contracted in the war. His wife Abigail died
on Christmas Day 1830.
Their oldest daughter, Margaret, married a
man named Williams and settled near
Chillicothe, Ohio.
James Mumford, the oldest son, married a lady
named Catherine Wright and settled on the south side of Conneaut Marsh,
Crawford Co., PA, where he raised four sons: Aaron,
David, Jackson, and Caneda and two daughters, Betsy
and Jane. All settled in Crawford Co. except Jackson who went
to Iowa.
Sarah, the second daughter of David married a
man named William McFaddin and settled east
of Meadville.
Martha, the third daughter, married Arthur
Johnson.
Peter Mumford, the youngest son married Betsy
Henry and lived on the old farm and took care of his mother. Peter
and his wife had five children. Peter left his wife and went to
Iowa, taking the oldest and youngest daughters with him.
William H. Mumford, next to the youngest son
of David and Abigail, married a woman named Elizabeth
Ralya and moved into the old homestead after Peter left and took
care of his mother until her death. Here were born to them nine
children: Abigail, David, William Wilson,
Anthony Wayne, Rebecca, Ezra, James, Rachel and John.
After the death of his mother (1830) the old homestead was sold and William
(H) Mumford bought a tract of 106 acres on Deer Creek in the
northeast part of Mercer County, PA right in the woods where he had to cut
away the trees to build a house. Here they lived and worked hard
clearing up a farm and raising a large family. After the family had
lived there about nine years, the wife and mother, Elizabeth,
took sick and died of bloody flux. William H Mumford
afterward married Sarah Wentworth and lived
in the same place until his death which occurred January 13, 1854.
