As I write this, it's the Fourth of July weekend, and it seems fitting that I'm writing about the family of Alexis Lemmon (Jr.), who served in the Revolutionary War as a captain in the Maryland militia. We should never forget the sacrifices made by our ancestors to give us a chance at freedom, as well as life itself.
Alexis was born in 1746 in Baltimore, Maryland, and died in 1826 in Perry Township, Richland County, Ohio. I have had the honor of visiting his gravesite. He married Rachel Stansbury, the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Gorsuch Stansbury. (Hannah is one of our lines back to British royalty, if you trace her far enough.) They raised their family in Maryland, on an estate known as "Eight Sisters", because, yes, this family was blessed with daughters only. He owned a 400 acre estate in Maryland, so the supposition is high that he held slaves, although the only hint I've found was in the 1820 census, when "Electius" reported one slave.
Sarah was the first born, in 177, in Baltimore County, Maryland (birthplace of all of the children). She died in 1834 in Perry Township, Morrow County, Ohio. She was married to Abraham Hetrick, the son of Johan Jacob and Anna Elizabeth Nuss Hetrick. Their children are Mary Ann, Rachel, Elizabeth, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Susannah, Abraham, and an unnamed daughter who may have died at a young age. This is our line, and at some point I hope to write about the Hetrick families.
Ruth was born in 1774 and died in 1846 in Morrow County, Ohio. She married John Edwards, the son of Johan and Jane Flanigan Edwards. Their children are Christianaa, Alexis, Jessie, Rebecca, Edward, and Elias. (Marion is also seen as their child, but he seems to have been born much later; perhaps he is a grandson.)
Elizabeth was born in 1776 and that is what I could learn about her. There was an Elizabeth Lemmon who married a Robert Anderson in 1801, but I have been unable to determine whether this was her, or what might have happened to her, whether she was married or not.
Mary was born in 1778 and died in 1818 in Woodbury, Morrow County, Ohio. She married John Singrey (Singry), son of Christian and Elizabeth Ingold Singrey. Their children are Sarah, Jehu, Mary, John, Rebecca, and Harriet.
Rebecca was born in 1780 and died in 1855 in Perry Township, Morrow County, Ohio. She married John Shauck, son of John and Mary Magdalene Ebaugh Shauck. There are three known children born to Rebecca, but there may be more as yet not located. The known children are Elah (Eli), Mary Ann, and John.
Rachel is a bit confusing. Her birthdate is given as both 1780 (on the same date as Rebecca) and again on the same date but in 1782. So she may or may not be a twin. Also, she married Jehu Singrey in 1832, who is the son of Christian and Elizabeth Ingold Singrey (see Mary's paragraph, and also Jane's, who follows this one.) Because she was 50 or more when she married, there were no children born to this couple.
Jane, however, had married Jehu Singrey first. She was born in 1784 and died in 1831 in Morrow County, Ohio. Jane and Jehu, son of Christian and Elizabeth Ingold Singrey, have 6 children-Elizabeth, Rachel, Sarah, Joshua, David, and Alice.
Temperance was the final child. She was born in 1786 and died in 1814. SHe married Jacob Coltrider, the son of Johannes George Peter and Weylet, maiden name not found, Kaltreider. They may have had a son, Jacob, but I have not been able to verify that.
Rachel, Alexis' wife, died in 1823 in Baltimore County, Maryland. Alexis lost little time in moving to Morrow County, along with his as yet unmarried daughter, Rachel. All the surviving daughters lived within a short distance of each other, and Alexis must have taken great comfort in being in their presence once again.
I have a great deal of admiration for the daughters of Alexis and Rachel. They left home, probably together or within a short time period of each other, and traveled hundreds of miles to settle in a new to them land that was yet unsettled. Their husbands, pioneers and then leaders of their communities, helped build their state, and the daughters were there supporting them and raising their children to also be good citizens. They were remarkable, every one of them.