<b>
</b>JOHN GORSUCH. The ancestry of the Gorsuch families of Jackson and Meigs Counties, OH, can be traced back to a John and Mary Gorsuch, who in the early nineteenth century were living near the VA / PA border [in the areas of Brooke Co., VA (now WV); Beaver Co., PA; and Washington Co., PA]. It is believed that John and Mary Gorsuch are identical to the John Gorsuch and Mary McClung, who were married in Baltimore Co., MD in October, 1791. A close study of the family of John and Mary Gorsuch reveals various links between this family and the McClung family.

Our John Gorsuch can almost certainly be identified as the John Gorsuch, son of Charles Gorsuch III [see NOTE 1] (1725-1792), of Baltimore Co., MD, who was mentioned in his father’s will (dated 3 August, 1792; proven 14 December, 1792). In his will, Charles Gorsuch III bequeathed one shilling each to his sons Thomas, Charles, Benjamin, Elisha , and <b>John </b>Gorsuch, with the note that they had already received their portion of his estate. The only known wife of Charles Gorsuch was Sarah ________ . The first six children of Charles and Sarah ( ______ ) Gorsuch, whose births were recorded in the register of St. Paul’s Church, Baltimore, were Thomas (born 5 January, 1750-51); Dorcas (born June, 1752); Charles IV (born 1 Feb., 1753-54); Benjamin (born 29 April, 1755); Elisha (born 21 January, 1757); and Joshua (born 20 April, 1759). While it is known from his will that Charles Gorsuch III had six younger children (viz. John, David, William, Nicholas, Sarah, and Ruth), no wife is mentioned therein and it is not known whether Sarah was the mother of these six younger children or if perhaps Charles had been widowed and had a second wife (as some have surmised). Based on this information, it is certain that John Gorsuch was born after 1759 and probably in the early- to mid-1760s.

Mary (McClung) Gorsuch was born in Baltimore Co., MD (probably in St. James Parrish) in about 1773.[see NOTE 2] Her parents were Robert [see NOTE 3] and Mary ( _____ ) McClung. Robert McClung is believed to have immigrated from Ireland to MD in the mid-1700s. Robert McClung apparently served in the American Revolution for a period of sixteen months. [see NOTE 4] Among the brothers and sisters of Mary (McClung) Gorsuch, at least three would move west into PA and OH [see NOTE 5].

John Gorsuch is found in the 1790 census of Baltimore County (Patapsco Lower Hundred, pg. 209). In this census, John Gorsuch was probably living on part of his father’s plantation. John’s household in this census consisted of two males (age 16 or over)—which would be John Gorsuch and probably one of his brothers—and also one slave. Next to John Gorsuch in this census is the listing for his brother, Joshua Gorsuch. The Joshua Gorsuch headed a household consisting of two males (age 16 or over)—which would be Joshua Gorsuch and probably one of his brothers. Following the listings for John and Joshua Gorsuch, the next household is probably that of their father, Charles Gorsuch (III). In this census, this Charles Gorsuch headed a household consisting of one male age 16 or over (Charles), one male under 16 (probably son, Nicholas Gorsuch, who was born about 1774), one female, and five slaves.

On 5 October, 1791, a marriage license was issued in Baltimore Co., MD for John Gorsuch and Mary McClung. They were no doubt married on or shortly after that date. The last known record in Baltimore County pertaining to this John Gorsuch was a 1796 land record in which he joined with his brother-in-law, Charles Peregoy (who had married John’s sister, Ruth Gorsuch) in selling a jointly-owned tract of land called <i>Jeopardy</i>. It is believed that John and Mary (McClung) Gorsuch moved from Baltimore Co., MD to western PA in about 1798.[see NOTE 6] By this time, several of their relatives had already made the move from MD to PA. Elizabeth (McClung) Jones—an older sister of Mary (McClung) Gorsuch—and her husband, William Jones, had moved to Washington Co., PA in about 1793. Benjamin Gorsuch—a first cousin of John Gorsuch—had also moved to Washington Co., PA in the 1790s. Benjamin’s brother, Thomas Gorsuch (who had married Rachael McClung—another sister of Mary (McClung) Gorsuch) also probably moved to western PA shortly after selling their land in Baltimore Co., MD in August, 1798.

The next known record of the John Gorsuch family is found in the 1810 census of Beaver Co., PA. There John is listed as “John Gossage” in Shenango Township, pg. 22. In both the 1810 and 1820 censuses, John is listed as “John Gossage”, which might be an indication as to how this Gorsuch family pronounced their name. At the time of the 1810 census, John and Mary’s household consisted of three sons and two daughters. Living near John Gosuch in 1810, also in Shenango Township, was the family of Jacob Stiffler. In about 1815, the oldest Gorsuch daughter, Mary, would marry the oldest Stiffler son, Peter.

By the time of the 1820 census, both the Gorsuch and Stiffler families had moved.
Jacob Stiffler would move to Hanover Township in the southwestern corner of Beaver Co., PA. Across, what was then the PA / VA border, from Beaver Co., PA was Brooke Co., VA (now WV). It was into Brooke County, that John Gorsuch had moved his family by 1820, joining several of his relatives who had already settled there. Early residents of Brooke Co., VA included Keziah (Wheeler) Gorsuch—widow of Thomas Gorsuch and sister-in-law of John Gorsuch; William and Nicholas Gorsuch—sons of Thomas and Keziah (Wheeler) Gorsuch and nephews of John Gorsuch. This Nicholas Gorsuch had married his first cousin, Jane Ensor—daughter of John and Dorcas (Gorsuch) Ensor and a niece of John Gorsuch. Another niece of John Gorsuch and a sister of Jane (Ensor) Gorsuch was Ruth Ensor, who had married Elisha Stansbury in Baltimore Co., MD and had moved to a large 335 acre farm in Brooke County. The Elisha Stansbury farm was located along the VA / PA border near Wierton. Many early members of the Gorsuch and Stansbury families were buried in the Stansbury Cemetery that was located on this farm.[see NOTE 7] In the 1820 census, John Gorsuch is listed as “John Gossage, Sr.” [see NOTE 8] in Wellsburg Township (pg. 26). At this time, John and Mary’s family consisted of three sons and one daughter. The two oldest children, Robert(?) and Mary, had already married and were no longer at home. John Gorsuch is not found in the 1830 census in either Brooke Co., VA or in the neighboring counties of Beaver Co., PA or Washington Co., PA. It is believed that he died in 1828 [see NOTE 9], and by that time he had moved his family to Hanover Township, Washington Co., PA. He was probably near the age of 65 at the time of his death. He may very well be buried in the Stansbury Cemetery where one of the gravestones carries the simple inscription: “J. G.”.

In 1830, Mary (McClung) Gorsuch—by then a widow—was apparently living in Hanover Township, Washington Co., PA. This township bordered on Brooke Co., VA and also on Hanover Township, Beaver Co., PA. The oldest male in the Gorsuch household was David Gorsuch, who was not yet married and was at this time about 27 years old. In the 1830 census of Hanover Township, Washington Co., PA (pg. 345), David Gorsuch is listed as “David Gosage” and his household consisted of two males age 20 to 29 (this would be David Gorsuch and his brother, Thomas Gorsuch), one male age 15 to 19 (this would be John Gorsuch, Jr.), one female age 50 to 59 (this would be Mary (McClung) Gorsuch), one female age 20 to 29 (this would be Rebecca Gorsuch), and one female under five years of age. This last listed female was almost certainly an Elizabeth Gorsuch, who appears to have been a relative of this Gorsuch family. This Elizabeth Gorsuch was born in PA on 30 December, 1829. She moved with this family to Meigs Co., OH, and she married there on 28 May, 1850 to Joseph N. Dowden. The exact relationship of this Elizabeth Gorsuch to John and Mary (McClung) Gorsuch is not known, but it is likely that she was their granddaughter [see NOTE 10]. At the time of the 1830 census, the Gorsuch family had many extended relatives living nearby. Samuel McClung, an older brother of Mary (McClung) Gorsuch, had moved his family from Baltimore Co., MD to Washington Co., PA in 1811 [see NOTE 11]. The family of Mary’s recently deceased sister, Elizabeth (McClung) Jones were also still living in Washington Co., PA. Bordering on Washington Co., PA, various members of the Gorsuch family were still living in Brooke Co., VA (now WV). Adam McClung, a nephew of Mary (McClung) Gorsuch, was living in Brooke County, as were also Peter and Mary (Gorsuch) Stiffler—the oldest daughter of John and Mary (McClung) Gorsuch. It is likely that most of these connected Gorsuch and McClung families were living in a twenty mile radius near the Brooke Co., VA / Washington Co., PA state line.

During the mid-1830s, Mary (McClung) Gorsuch and five of her six children moved into OH. It is likely that many of them traveled by way of the Ohio River (which formed the western border of Brooke Co., VA) down to Meigs Co., OH. Pomeroy, the county seat of Meigs County, was an important port city on the Ohio River. On 22 March, 1836, David Gorsuch purchased 160 acres in Meigs County from James Smith (Meigs County Deeds Vol. 5, pg. 32). In 1840, David and Sarah (Hanlin) Gorsuch sold 80 of these acres to his brother, John Gorsuch (Meigs County Deeds Vol. 7, pg. 581). On 26 July, 1836, Thomas Gorsuch purchased 100 acres in Meigs County, but by December of that year he had sold this tract to Paul Stiffler [see NOTE 12] and moved a short distance west into Jackson Co., OH—where his older sister, Mary (Gorsuch) Stiffler had already settled.

Mary (McClung) Gorsuch lived with several of her children during the latter years of her long life. At the time of the 1840 census, she was probably the older female living in the household of her daughter, Rebecca (Gorsuch) Clark in Meigs Co., OH. At the time of the 1850 census, she was living in Franklin Township, Jackson Co., OH with her son, Thomas Gorsuch. This census shows “Mary Gorsuch” as age 77 and born in MD. At the time of the 1860 census, she was again living in Meigs Co., OH, in the home of her son, John Gorsuch, Jr. This census records her age at that time as 87 and her birthplace as MD. Mary (McClung) Gorsuch died probably in Meigs Co., OH on 28 January, 1861 at the age of 87 or 88 years [see NOTE 13]. Her place of burial is not known.

CHILDREN OF JOHN and MARY (McCLUNG) GORSUCH:

Robert Gorsuch (?)
Mary Gorsuch
David Gorsuch
Rebecca Gorsuch
Thomas Gorsuch
John Gorsuch

NOTES:

1--The birth of Charles Gorsuch III was recorded in the register of St. Paul's Church as 12 October, 1725. His parents were Charles Gorsuch II and Sarah (Cole) Gorsuch. This Sarah Cole was the daughter of John and Johanna (Garrett) Cole, of Baltimore Co., MD. The parents of Charles Gorsuch II were Charles Gorsuch I (the immigrant) and his wife, Sarah (Cole) Gorsuch (daughter of Thomas and Priscilla ( ____ ) Cole, of Baltimore County). The fact that Charles Gorsuch I married a Sarah Cole; that their son, Charles Gorsuch II, also had a wife named Sarah Cole; and that Charles Gorsuch III also had a wife named Sarah, has provided a great amount of confusion to many early researchers of the Gorsuch family.

2--The date of birth of Mary (McClung) Gorsuch is calculated from her age as shown in the 1850 census of Franklin Township, Jackson Co., OH (pg. 307) and the 1860 census of Salisbury Township, Meigs Co., OH (pg. 10). In the 1850 census (when she was living with her son, Thomas Gorsuch), her age is shown as 77. In the 1860 census (when she was living with her son, John Gorsuch), her age is shown as 87. In both censuses, Mary's birthplace is recorded as MD. If she was born about 1773, then she would have been about age 18 at the time of her 1791 marriage to John Gorsuch. A military affadavit (R 6626) filed in the Washington Co., PA court by Samuel McClung (Mary's brother) shows that the Robert McClung family lived in St. James Parrish in Baltimore Co., MD between 1763 and 1777 (which was during the time in which Mary was born).

3--Robert McClung, of Baltimore Co., MD, probably died prior to 1790. In the 1790 census of Baltimore Co., MD, Mary McClung--apparently the widow of Robert McClung--is shown as the head of a household consisting of one male (age 16 or over), three females, one other free person, and one slave. Nearby was located the household of Joseph McClung (a brother of Mary (McClung) Gorsuch). Joseph McClung's household in 1790 consisted of one male (age 16 or over), one male (age under 16), four females, two other free persons, and four slaves. The administration of Robert McClung's estate began in Baltimore County on 16 February, 1792 (Baltimore County Administration Accounts 10:546). A land record regarding the settlement of Robert McClung's estate (Baltimore County Deeds Liber WG, no. KK, pg. 541) names his daughter, Mary (McClung) Gorsuch, and her husband, John Gorsuch. Another daughter of Robert McClung was Rachel McClung, who married Thomas Gorsuch (a nephew of Charles Gorsuch III) on 16 December, 1787. Thus, we have two McClung sisters marrying Gorsuch first cousins.

4--Robert McClung's military service is based on this statement in the <u>History of the Lower Scioto Valley, Ohio</u> (1884), pg. 567: <i>"Adam McClung was born in Baltimore County, MD in 1805, a son of Samuel and grandson of Robert McClung...His grandfather went into the war of the Revolution as a soldier, taking his son, Samuel, then only ten years old, with him and remained 16 months."

</i>5--These three were Elizabeth (McClung) Jones (wife of William Jones), who moved to Washington Co., PA; Rachel (McClung) Gorsuch (wife of Thomas Gorsuch), who moved to Allegheny Co., PA and later to Wayne Co., OH; and Samuel McClung, who moved to Washington Co., PA. Two of Samuel's sons, Modecai and Adam McClung, would eventually settle near their Gorsuch cousins in Jackson Co., OH.

6--This is based on the statement found in the <u>History of Beaver County</u> (Philadelphia: A. Warner, 1888), pg. 850, regarding the Robert Gorsuch family, which states that <i>"Robert came across the mountains [from MD to western PA] at the age of six years, in 1798, with his father, when Indians were numerous in Pennsylvania. He settled in Washington County..."</i>. This book further identifies the father as John Gorsuch. More information regarding this source will be found under the listing for ROBERT GORSUCH.

7--Among the earliest burials in this cemetery, whose markers still exist, are:

Kezia (Wheeler) Gorsuch (d. 1834) [wife of Thomas Gorsuch and sister-in-law
of John Gorsuch].

Ruth (Ensor) Stansbury (1779-1838) [a niece of John Gorsuch]

Nicholas Gorsuch (d. 1857) [a nephew of John Gorsuch]

Jane (Ensor) Gorsuch (d. 1862) [a niece of John Gorsuch]

No doubt other family members were buried there in either unmarked graves or whose markers have been lost over time.

8--In this same census, also in Wellsbury Township, is found a "John Gossage, Jr.", who has not been identified. It is likely that this was a younger relative--perhaps a nephew--of John Gorsuch. The use of the suffixes "Sr." and "Jr." were commonly used at that time to distinguish between two people with the same name indicating which was older and which was younger, unlike in more modern times when these are used strictly to indicate a father and son relationship. As will be seen, John Gorsuch--the son of John and Mary (McClung) Gorsuch--was born in 1811 was therefore only 9 years old at the time of the 1820 census.

9--From <u>History of Beaver County</u> (Warner, 1888), pg. 850: <i>"John Gorsuch died near Paris, PA in 1828".</i> Paris was located in Hanover Township, Washington Co, PA, very near the Brooke Co., VA line. <i>
</i>

10--Elizabeth may have been a daughter from an earlier marriage of David Gorsuch or she may have been an illegitimate daughter of one of the Gorsuch children. It is also possible that she was some other relative or perhaps an orphan, whom the Gorsuch family took in and raised. There are, of course, other possibilities. Elizabeth appears to have been raised by Rebecca (Gorsuch) Clark. Information regarding Elizabeth Gorsuch, and her husband, Joseph N. Dowden, was provided by Doris A. Guy (a descendant of Rebecca (Gorsuch) Clark). In a message, dated 14 October, 2003, Doris wrote concerning Elizabeth and Joseph: "They were always considered family, they came to Iowa and then moved on to California. Their children have always called by great-grandparents Amos and Anna Jane Lamb Clark, aunt and uncle, from letters that I have...My Dad always said they were some relation, but didn't know how."

11--This date is taken from the military affadavit of Samuel McClung (R 6626) filed in Washington Co., PA--as cited above.

12--Paul Stiffler was the son of Jacob and Sarah (Claar) Stiffler and a younger brother of Peter Stiffler, who had married Mary Gorsuch (a sister of Thomas Gorsuch).

13--The date of death of Mary (McClung) Gorsuch is found in the family bible of Rebecca (Gorsuch) Clark. The Clark family bible (published in 1845 by the American Christian Bible Society) contains various dates of birth, marriage, and death of members of the Clark family, and also the statement "Mary Gorsuch died January 29 A.D. 1861". The Clark family bible is now in the possession of Doris Guy, a Clark descendant.

• Married: OCT 1791 in Baltimore Co., MD

1. Robert Gorsuch b: 1792 in Baltimore Co., MD
2. Mary Gorsuch b: 7 APR 1797 in Baltimore Co., MD
3. David Gorsuch b: ABT 1803 in PA
4. Rebecca Gorsuch b: 16 APR 1806 in PA
5. Thomas Gorsuch b: ABT 1808 in PA
6. John Gorsuch b: 1 JUN 1811 in PA