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Stacey,
I have checked the microfilm birth records for Wythe County. I have been able
to find the birth records for Smyth County and whether or not they are
available on interlibrary loan.
I mentioned earlier the article I found that showed a Susan Ross as the only
female in a boarding house for men that worked making lead shot for the
confederacy. While researching I also found one other possibility for Andrew
Pierce, but he was listed in the census for Virginia in 1860. He was living in
a boarding house that housed railroad engineers and other people who worked
for the railroad. In 1860 there was a railroad station in Rural Retreat (Mt. Airy).
So thinking outside the box, he could have been in that area at the time.
The thing that makes me think John Wesley Ross’s mother Susan was never
married, is his marriage record. He was only 22 when he married. At that age
you would think he would have known his father’s name if anybody knew who
his father was.
I found no other children in the Lost Children of Wythe County that I thought
could be even remotely connected. I have seen the first four volumes of Mary
Kegley’s “Early Adventurers of the Western Waters”. I have yet to see her
volume five.
Thank you again for all your help. It would be really wonderful if I could figure
this one out. I have a niece that is very interested in the family genealogy.
She is currently struggling with the West Nile Virus. It would be nice to have
some interesting addition to the family history to give her.
Did it again. Tried to edit and lost it.
The above post should have said Andrew Pierce was not listed in the 1860
census. He was listed in the Philadelphia Pa. census in the railroad boarding
house.
Stacey,
Here is another piece of this puzzle. I would really like your opinion.
The death certificate shows Susan Ross born in Grayson County in 1824.
It lists her parents as Cherine and ____ Ross.
In the 1820 census there are only three Rosses listed.
One is Steven Ross. I know he married Elizabeth Anderson. So I eliminated him as a possibility.
The second is Henry Ross. He married Catherine Morgan Burris on
the 31st of December 1807 in Monongalia County Va. In later
census there is a list of 7 children. There is a gap of births between
1820 and 1826. Is it possible that they had more children that were
not listed? I have seen notes on other families that list children and
say they have not been able to identify some of them.
The third is William Ross. It seems very little is known about him. There
are so many William Rosses in that era that I have not been able to
tell which one for sure. One that I think is a possibility is Henry’s
brother William. He married a Catherine Harp (or Harper) in 1801 in
Monongalia, Va.
Is it to much of a stretch to think that Cherine might have been
Catherine? I’ve tried to think of other sounding names for that and
have only been able to come up with Sharon or Karen. I can find
no Ross women with those names.
Also do you know if there is a transcription of the 1830 census for
Grayson County Va. available on line or by interlibrary loan? I have
been unable to find one.
I found something really really interesting. It is in the notes I made
from one of the Early Adventurers of The Western Waters Series. It is
information on Wythe County that identifies the William Ross I was
looking for. I won’t put all the information here because it is too
lengthy, but will tell you the short version.
On page 342 there is information about William Ross who appeared in
records about the militia list of Captain Stephen Sanders. William Ross
was married to Rachel Fugate Ross. He died late in 1825. William Ross
Jr. was appointed administrator.
On page 343: Following the death of William Ross, Catherine Ross
orphan of William Ross deceased, upwards of age 14, chose Thomas
Graham her brother-in-law, as her guardian (Wythe County Order Book 1826-1829, October 23, 1829, p. 575). Several fo the heirs conveyed
their interestsin the land to Robert Sayers, who had married Senah,
daughter of William Ross, in 1824. The others mentioned included
Charles Dudley who married Anne (Ann) Ross in 1827, Robert Yancey
who married Catherine L. Ross in 1829, Samuel Slone (Sloan) who married
Clarissa Ross in 1821, Thomas Graham who married Euphemia Ross in 1821, Kesiah Calfee of Monroe County, Indiana and Rachel Haines of Wythe
County, Reuben and Randolph Ross ( of White County, Tennessee) transferred their interes to their mother, who in turn conveyed to Sayers (Wythe County Deed Book, 10, p. 599, Book 11, pp. 313, 496, 502; Book
12 pp. 168, Book 13, pp. 230, 231, 232, 233.)
The thing that really got my attention was-when I was going over
the microfilm of Wythe County births for 1860 there was an entry-
Jno W. (child), Dudley (I don’t remember the first name) (father),
Susan Dudley (mother). Unfortunately I already sent the microfilm
back and did not keep a copy of that page.
Now if I can just figure out where this fits.
Hi Shardel,
I haven’t had any luck in trying to find the other possible children of Susan Ross.
I have been able to find the birth records for Smyth County and whether or not they are available on interlibrary loan.
According to the Latter-Day Saints catalog, they have either the Index to Births or the Register of Births 1853-1917 for Smyth County available. I don’t know what they charge. Normally, if I request inter-library loans, I just ask my library and they do the searching for me. Try this link and see if it works:
It lists her parents as Cherine and ____ Ross.
Is Cherine definitely the mother and the unknown or illegible the father? Was the record handwritten or was it typed record after the fact? If it indeed says “Cherine” than, yes, it could be a garbled up “Catherine”.
Also do you know if there is a transcription of the 1830 census for Grayson County Va. available on line or by interlibrary loan? I have been unable to find one.
The 1830 is available on Ancestry. If it is the 1840 that you are looking for, I believe Ancestry only has the Eastern District. I did find a link where somebody else transcribed it. It is at:
Eastern District:
http://www.newrivernotes.com/va/gray1840cen.htm
The only Ross listed is Samuel Ross.
Western District:
http://www.newrivernotes.com/va/grayson1840west.html
The following Rosses are listed: Stephen, Wilburn, William, Joseph, and Eli.
Here are the marriages listed for Grayson and Wythe Counties…
Virginia Marriages, 1740-1850 (on Ancestry.com)
Groom Name Bride Name Marriage Date County
Stephen Ross Elizabeth Anderson 12 Mar 1818 Grayson
Andrew Ross Mary Cross 25 Sep 1824 Grayson
William Ross Milley Anderson 29 Apr 1824 Grayson
James Jr. Anderson Polly Ross 4 Mar 1830 Grayson
Wilborn Ross Adam Perkins 3 Jul 1835 Grayson
Jesse N. Ross Nelly Hash 31 Dec 1848 Grayson
William G. Ross Dianah Rimer 7 May 1848 Grayson
Thomas Graham Euphemia Ross 20 Sep 1821 Wythe
Charles Dudley Anne Ross 3 Aug 1827 Wythe
Enoch Ross Elizabeth Miller 25 Apr 1829 Wythe
Robert J. Yancy Catherine L. Ross 17 Oct 1829 Wythe
In the 1830 census, there were 2 Ross’ listed in Grayson County: Stephen and William. They were indexed as “Rop”. However, they both had females under 5 in their household, which Susan would fit in. In the 1840 census, Stephen, William and Eli all have females 15 to 20 in their household. In the 1850 Grayson, william Ross (age 48, NC) with wife, Milly, and 3 sons (one named Stephen). There is also a John W. Ross (age 29, VA). Possible brother/cousin to Susan? Stephen Ross (age 50, VA) is living with his wife, Elizabeth, and three children (including a son, Andrew J. Ross, age 20).
I would lean towards William or Stephen as Susan’s family. It looks as though William and Stephen may have been brothers who married Anderson sisters.
Home in 1850(City,County,State): District 19, Grayson, Virginia
William Ross 48
Milly Ross 50
Stephen Ross 25
James Ross 17
John Ross 14
William Ross 10
Home in 1850(City,County,State): District 19, Grayson, Virginia
Stephen Ross 50
Elizabeth Ross 53
Andrew J Ross 20
Sarah Ann Ross 12
George W Ross 11
Nancy Anderson 60
Mahala Anderson 22
Stacey
Stacey,
I really appreciate all of the information you found. I’m sure it will be
helpful.
Records on microfilm can be gotten at an LDS church about 50 miles
from me. They only charge me the postage which is more than
reasonable. It takes about 3 or 4 months to get them after I order
them.
The first record I saw naming Cherine Ross was a transcription. A lady
from Wytheville very graciously went into where the records were stored
and took digital pictures of the original record for me. It is a hand
written record. Under parents it says Cherine and ______ Ross.
The information I am finding on William Ross and Rachel Fugate is
totally confusing. The only birth date I can find for Rachel Fugate
is 1753. I have found birth date on the children named in the will
I mentioned in a previous post. The oldest was born in 1795 and the
youngest in about 1826. It seems odd to me that their first child
would be born when Rachel was 42. The last one listed-she would
have been 73 (no way unless they were raising a grandchild).
In searching the 1840 census for Smyth County, I found one Ross
named Joshua. I have been trying to locate records on him. There
seems to be much conflicting information, expecially on birth date.
Birth dates range from 1789 to 1835. If the 1835 is correct he
possibly could have been a brother or cousin of Susan Ross. His
father is listed as Andrew J. Ross. His mother is listed as Susan
Lowry. Birth place for both has been listed as Cherokee Nation
East (there seems to be a large difference of opinion as to what
state the births were in). They also list a native american name
for his father, Tlo-star-ma. He is only one of several Joshua Rosses
I have found. Still trying to narrow that one down.
Stephen Ross married to Elizabeth Anderson was a prominent Quaker
minister in Grayson County. They did have a daughter named
Susan. However I was able to identify her, her marriage, and
children. I do not think that is the Susan I am looking for.
There is an older William Ross that owned land in the last half of
the 1700s in what would now be Wythe and Grayson Counties.
He was probably the grandfather of the brothers William and Stephen.
Still working on that one.
Thank you again for all your help.:D
The 1824 Personal Property Tax List for Grayson County only lists
two Ross: Stephen and William.
Stephen B. was the son of Joseph Ross who was the son of George
Ross. Stephen was born 1800 Va. and died Feb. 1880 in Grayson
Co. Va. He married Elizabeth Anderson on 12 Mar. 1818. They had
the following children: (All born Grayson County)
Jospeh W. b. 1818 who married Luzania Anderson
John W. (Wythe) b. 1820 who married Susan Keisling
Jesse b. 23 Feb. 1823 who marrid Ellen Hash
William Granville b. 13 Jan 1828 who married Dianna Rimer
(Possibility he was a twin-some records also list Mahala b. 1828)
Andrew Jackson b. 7 Jun 1830 married Lucy Bonham
Sarah Ann b. 24 Mar. 1834
George W. b. 15 Jan. 1837.
This list does not account for the female in the over 5 in the 1840
census. However since Stephen was Quaker, if that child was
dismissed from the church for some reason all records of her in
the church records would have been erased.
I have not found the records for William yet-still looking.
Also have not been able to find the middle names for either
Elizabeth or Milly Anderson. In the early records I have seen
many times that a middle name was used.
Everything I have seen in the last year indicated that Stephen Ross was a
Quaker minister. Today I was reading the will of John Anderson (father
of Elizabeth Anderson), it said he was a Baptist minister.
I know that many of the Pierce family were Quakers. Did research on them
in Hinshaw’s Encyclopedia of American Quakers.
Ellender Bird was the mother of Andrew. I have found
references that say she was native american. This is why I thought it was
a possibility that Susan Ross was also native american.
Bird is a name that’s been associated with Saponi families. Perhaps the name was adopted as a result of William Byrd’s association with them. (See William Byrd’s “History of the Dividing Line Twixt Virginia and North Carolina.” http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/byrd/byrd.html)
I just ran a google map of Wythe County, VA. Can’t see if Roanoke is in Wythe County, but is near it. That vicinity is where the Tutelo were first noted historically.
Also, I noticed that Rural Retreat and Mt. Airy are both discreet towns. Rural Retreat is in Virginia, apparently on the other side of some hefty mountains, from Mt. Airy, which is in North Carolina, and is ‘famous’ as the town TV’s Mayberry was based on.
Linda,
Thank you for the information.
Early in Virginia and North Carolina history there were two Mt. Airys. It gets a little
confusing sometimes when researching because I must be careful to make sure
which one they are talking about. Mt. Airy in Virginia changed its name to Rural
Retreat.
There is one term you used that I do not understand. What is a discreet town?
If I may, Roanoke is an independent city geographically located within Roanoke County. Mt. Airy, NC is in Surry County, which is adjacent to Patrick & Grayson Counties in VA. Aging Hwy 220 connects Roanoke to parts of NC. Seem to recall it being an old trade route or maybe part of the Great Wagon Road. Matrimony Creek (mentioned by Byrd) is right off 220, between Martinsville and the NC state line. In Henry County.
Shardel, am trying to catch up and jog my memory. There is a very large Ross family from VA that spread out pretty far and wide. The Anderson connection is what stands out to me. These are said to be related Scottish clans. Ross Chapell (sp) wrote a book about the first several generations of this family, which may be of help.
Shardel, here is the link to the book I mentioned:
Has an index of persons and of counties in the book. Wythe County is included, as is a John W. Ross.
First of all, Beeleaf thank you for taking the time to add information
to this thread.
You are correct about the Ross family being very large and very mobile.
The information I have divides into three very prolific lines that were in
early Virginia. The first one was Alexander Ross who got 100,000 acre
grant from the King of England. He was responsible for (if I remember
correctly 76 families) settling in Virginia. Then there was the John Ross
that is the patriarch of Ross Chappell’s book. I own a copy of that and
have read it from cover to cover several times. The third one that comes
to mind is Hugh Ross. These three were all Scot/Irish. There were two
factions. One was Quaker. The other Presbyterian. It is my understand-
ing that the two sides didn’t have much to do with each other. Then
there is the complication of John Ross who became chief of the Cherokee
tribe. Add to that the families large number of children in each family
and the many, many times they moved (and in all directions), makes
this family very hard to trace accurately. Also many in this
family used the same first name over and over.
I have solid records to get me this far, but from here on it has been
like looking for a needle in a hundred haystacks. Any and all help is
so much appreciated!!!!!
I also have researched the Hinshaw, Encyclopedia of American Quakers.
I do know that many of the Pierce side of the family and a few Ross
were Quaker.
I just noticed in your signature that some of your ancestors were Turners.
There is a William Ross in Wythe County that was married to a Catherine
Harp. There is a Susan Ross in the 1880 census in Kentucy that I believe
may be related to them. There is a younger Harp male living in the same
household. A few entries away there is a household of Turners. I also
remember there was one of the 80+ Susan Ross that married into the
Turner family.
Wow, Shardel. That’s a lot more than I knew about ’em. Thank you.
Yes, Turner on both sides of family. Where they came from, I do not know. But they do connect to the Ross bunch. Am only familiar with those who stayed in the Patrick/Henry/Franklin County area of VA. My gg grandpa was Thomas Turner, a Primitive Baptist minister from there. However, I do recall seeing some letters written by either a Ross or a Turner who migrated to Tenn or KY from Patrick Co.
Beeleaf,
There are 47 Turners listed in the Ross Chappell book. If there is a
name you would like me to look up just let me know.
The Susanna Ross I mentioned in the previous post was a descendant of
Daniel Ross (1740 to 1822) who married Elizabeth Garth. She was the
8th daughter of his 10th son (also Daniel). She was born 14 Sep. 1817
in Patrick Co. Va.; died 4 Mar 1888 in Patrick County, Va. buried Turner Cemetery; married 14 Nov. 1833, Patrick County Va., to Crawford Turner ( son of John Turner and Nancy Burnett), born 5 May 1807; died 17 July 1865 in Patrick County Va. The household of crawford Turner is listed in the 1850 census of Patrick Co.
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