Maple Migrations

Surnames/tags: MAPLE_MIGRATIONS maple

The goal of this project is to untangle the relationships between MAPLE Families that migrated to western Pennsylvania and the Northwest Territory before Ohio statehood.

Right now this project just has one member, me. I am Bruce Maple. I will be summarizing what is known about the children of Benjamin Maple Jr here, and I will be posing questions about them and their descendants.

Will you join me? Please post a comment here on this page or send me a private message. Thanks!

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Description of the Maple migration to Ohio in a biography of one of William Maple Sr's descendants:^[1]

"AARON MAPLE, a general contractor and builder at Galion, O.. whose activities in this direction have covered a period of 18 years, was born near Richmond, Jefferson county, Ohio, May 20, 1866.

The first Maples came from England to Princeton, N. J. Six brothers emigrated to Huntington, Pa., in the year 1761. William Maple and his brother Thomas came from Port Homer, Jefferson county. Ohio, they being two of the six brothers above mentioned. coming here from Huntington. William Maple married Kessiah Larrison in the year 1791. When the state was admitted to the Union in 1803 he bought a farm, paying for it with Continental money. He was a farmer and veterinary surgeon by occupation. To this union were born four sons—William, George, Benjamin and Jacobs, and five daughters — Abbie, Polly, Sarah, Clara and Kessiah. William emigrated to Bourbon county, Kentucky. George emigrated to Coshocton county, Ohio. Benjamin married Mary Rick and was the father of 23 children and was captain on the northern lakes in the War of 1812, but still retained his residence in Jefferson county, Ohio. Jacob married Catherine Adams and lived in Jefferson county, Ohio. Polly married Robert Maple and lived in Jefferson county, Ohio. Sarah married John McClain and also lived in Jefferson county, Ohio, of which marriage there were eleven children born. This John McClain was the grandfather of the mother of the subject of this sketch, consequently a maternal great grandfather. Clara married James McClelland. Kessiah married George Gulp. Abbie, who was the eldest daughter, married her cousin, Aaron Maple, son of Thomas, this Aaron being our subject's great grandfather in the direct paternal line. To them were born two sons—Thomas, who died in infancy, and Aaron (2nd), the latter being the grandfather of the present Aaron Maple.

Aaron MapIe (2d), above mentioned, was born May 19, 1798. In 1822 he married Catherine Bowers, who was of German descent and bom in Jefferson county. In 1826 he secured land from the Government, the deed being dated Oct. 6th and signed by President J. Q. Adams. This document is now in the possession of his grandson, Mr. Aaron Maple of Galion. Aaron Maple (2d) died in 1873, having attained his 75th year. His wife Catherine lived to the advanced age of 86, dying in 1888. They were good people in every relation of life and worthy members of the English Lutheran church. To them were born three sons and three daughters: Abbie died June 6, 1850. Thomas Maple married Elizabeth Wright of Jefferson county, Ohio and moved to Alexandra, Kansas in 1878. William B. Maple married Anna Maple and moved to Pawnee, Kansas in 1881 ; to them were born nine children. Sarah Maple married William Heisler and moved to Harrison county, Ohio; to them were born two sons — John T. and Henry A. Anna Maple married George Maple and to them were born ten children. Tillie Maple moved to Columbiana county, Ohio and resided with her niece, Mrs. Thomas Randolph.

George B. Maple was born January 4, 1826. He grew to manhood on his father's farm, of which he came into subsequent possession and where he continued to live until his death, which took place in 1893, when he was 67 years old. He was married Sept. 10, 1857 to Jane McClain, by the Rev. L. Grier, a United Brethren minister. She was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, her people having been early settlers in Jefferson county. She died there in 1889, when aged 57 years. Both she and her husband were members of the Lutheran church. To them were born four sons and one daughter : Lewis H. Maple married Moody McClain of Harlem Springs, Carroll county; in 1888 they moved to Gallon, O., where he worked on the Erie Railroad for 22 years in the carpenter and interlocking department. In 1911 he resigned, to take a position with his brother Aaron in the building line. To them were born five sons—John R., Lewis M., Dean P., Joseph D. and Roderick W. Etta Maple married George W. McClain and lives on the old homestead. William M. and Olive C. died in infancy.

Aaron Maple, the direct subject of this sketch, whose nativity has been already given, attended country school and worked on the farm for his father until he was 21 years old. He then learned the carpenter's trade, at which he was employed until 1891, when he went to Galion, O., and worked four years there for the Erie Railroad in the carpentering department. In 1895 he resigned this position and entered into his present occupation as contractor and builder. He is a competent and reliable contractor and for many years has done a large share of this work in Galion.

Mr. Maple was married at Galion, May 21, 1896, to Miss Bertha M. Aukerman, of Galion, who was born in this city and graduated from the Galion High school in the class of 1895. Her parents, James L. and Sarah C. (Cockrell) Aukerman, were natives of Wayne county, Ohio, where they lived before coming to Galion. Mr. Aukerman was identified with the Erie Railway from the time it was built until his death in 1898, at the age of 53 years. Mrs. Maple's mother resides in Cleveland, O., and is now in her 66th year. A brother of hers, Clayton E., succeeded his father with the Erie and resides at Galion, with wife and son, James McClure. Mrs. Maple has one sister, Winifred, now the widow of William Ritzhaupt, who left five children—Roy, Laura, Catherine, Mary and Hazel.

Mr. and Mrs. Maple have one daughter, Georgetta, who was born March 26, 1899. They are all members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Maple is identified with the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen and the Order of Ben Hur, and he belongs also to the Commecrial Club."

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Mention of the Maples as pioneers of Jefferson County, Ohio:^[2]

"SALINE TOWNSHIP.

This township is situated on the extreme northeastern corner of the county. The historic Yellow creek flows through the entire length of the township and enters the Ohio river at Linton post office. Along the banks of this creek for ages the dusky red men trod the warpath, and over this now peaceful ground has many a weary captive toiled towards a horrid death at the stake, or a scarcely more desirable life of captivity among those who had no mercy on the white race. It was at the mouth of Yellow creek that the massacre of the Logan family took place by Greathouse's band, a full history of which is given in another part of this work.

An Indian trail formerly extended along Yellow creek for five miles from its mouth, at the end of which there was, years ago, indications of an encampment, and stones have been unearthed which bear the marks of fire upon their surface. The wild and romantic beauty of the scenery allured the red men of the forest, and the clear waters of Yellow creek and its tributaries, for which the township is justly noted, furnished numerous watering-places for the deer and other wild beasts, which were pierced by their arrows as they wandered to the bank to drink. The speckled trout darted through the brooklets, which were seemingly inexhaustible depositories of food, and the beaver sported in his meadow, inviting capture: All that uncultivated nature ever furnishes in this northern climate was produced in abundance, and it may be supposed the Indian here found enjoyments adapted to his rude tastes, and as elevated as he was capable of appreciating.

SETTLEMENT.

Settlements were not made in Saline for more than twenty years after the massacre at the mouth of Yellow creek, and during that time extensive military operations had taken place upon this continent. The conflict between the English and the colonists had been decided, England having lost her thirteen colonies, and a new power had arisen upon the political horizon. The savage tribes—the original owners of the soil-had been the last to yield, but before the first settlement was attempted, they, too, had been completely subdued and were harmless.

William McCullough came to this township and located at the mouth of Yellow creek prior to 1800. About 1795 Samuel Vantilburg came to this part of the county to make a permanent settlement. He located near where Port Homer now stands, and a number of his descendants are still in the county. The Crawfords came in 1807. Jacob Wesley was probably the first white man to penetrate the wilds of Saline township with a view to settlement, but at what date we could not learn. As early as 1800, we find Joshua Downer here prospecting among the hills and valleys; he was the first to discover salt in this township, about the year 1806. Samuel Potts and his brother Henry came in about 1803. The Maples were pioneers here, and also the Householders, and many others too numerous to mention. Among the old settlers who were quite prominent in their day, may be mentioned Jacob Groff and Mr. Hammond, the latter owning Hammondsville.

At the mouth of Yellow creek, on the farm of the McCulloughs, may be seen a few scattering stone, said to be the remains of a block-house which stood here at a very early day,but the information concerning it is very meagre and unsatisfactory, though it is quite evident that at one time such a place of defense existed somewhere in the neighborhood."

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Jefferson County was formed on 29 July 1797 from the part of the Northwest Territory that encompassed what is now northeastern Ohio. Several of David Maple Sr's sons appear to have been present in Jefferson County soon after its formation.

Signatories to the PETITION TO CONGRESS BY INHABITANTS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, 1799^[3] included:

Tunis CORNELL - Father in law of Jacob Maple

Jacob MAYPOLE - son of David Maple Sr

David MAYPOLE - son of David Maple Sr

John MAYPOLE - son of David Maple Sr

At the time the Maples first appeared in Jefferson County, the minimum purchase for patenting land was 640 acres (at $2.00 per acre). This was beyond the means of most farmers. By 1804, the minimum purchase was lowered to 160 acres (at $2.00 per acre; 1/4 in down payment, and the rest in 3 annual installments).

in 1805, David Maple Sr made a down payment for 160 acres in Springfield Township, Jefferson County.

In 1807, Jacob Maple made a down payment for 160 acres in what is now Washington Township, Carroll County.

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The migration of David Maple Sr's family to Ohio was described in a biography of his grandson, William Johnson:^[4]

"William Johnson, one of the oldest living residents of Columbiana county, was born in Pennsylvania, September 21, 1801, and is the son of Thomas and Mary (Mapele) Johnson, who were natives of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, respectively. When he was two years of age his father was drowned, after which sad event the mother with her family, accompanied by her father's family, came to Ohio, and settled near Amsterdam, on the head waters of Yellow creek, where the grandfather entered a quarter-section of land, upon which they all lived for a time. Misfortunes overtaking the land, having fallen into other hands, the family afterward settled near Hammondsville, and from thence settled on a tract near Summerset, which they leased, and upon which they lived for some years. The family was here divided, the mother removing to a farm on Yellow creek, where, in October, 1826, William was married to Sarah Yeagley, a resident of that neighborhood, where they lived about ten or twelve years."

On October 3 1805 "David Maple of Fayette County, Pennsylvania" made an $80 initial payment for land in Springfield Township, Jefferson County, Ohio (the southeast quarter of Section 14, Township 12, Range 4, on the Elk Fork of Yellow Creek, near where the town of Amsterdam was later founded in 1823).^[5] The total purchase price was $320, but David never made any additional payments. The land was patented on April 4, 1811 by John Montgomery.^[6]

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The migration of John Maple (son of David Maple Sr) from Pennsylvania to Ohio:^[7]

"Edward MAPLE. After having long been numbered among the successful representatives of farm industry in his native county, Mr. Maple sold his farm and in the spring of 1920 removed to Carrollton, the county seat, where he is now living retired and finds merited surcease from the industrial labors and responsibilities that were formerly his portion.

Mr. Maple was born in Center Township, Carroll County, on the 31st of May, 1851, and is a son of David and Elizabeth (Dray) Maple, the former of whom likewise was a native of Center Township, where he was born in the year 1821, and the latter of whom was born in Trumbull County, this state. David Maple was a son of John and Mary Maple, who came from Pennsylvania to Carroll County in the early pioneer era, before the organization of the county, and who settled in Center Township, where the father obtained a tract of land and reclaimed a farm from the forest wilds. On this old homestead he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives, reared their children and contributed their portion to the civic and material development of the county. David Maple early began to assist in the arduous work of the pioneer farm which was the place of his birth, and his educational advantages were those afforded in the primitive schools of the locality and period. He eventually became the owner of a valuable landed estate of 600 acres, and was one of the substantial farmers and honored citizens of Center Township at the time of his death in 1888, his wife having passed away in 1886. He was a republican in politics and his wife was a member of the Christian Church. They became the parents of six children—Edward, Jacob, Mary Elizabeth, Susan, Anna Theresa and George Washington.

The old homestead farm gave its benignant influence and discipline to the childhood and youth of Edward Maple, and his alert mind broadened its ken through his application to study in the public schools of the locality. He learned all details of farm industry while yet a youth, and when the father made provision for his children by giving to each a farm Edward received as his allotment an excellent place of 160 acres in Center Township. This farm, upon which he made many improvements of modern order, continued as the stage of his successful activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower until 1920, when he sold the valuable property and in April established his home a Carrollton, where he purchased the attractive residence in which he and wife delight to extend welcome to their host of friends in the county. In politics Mr. Maple has never deviated from the line of staunch allegiance to the republican party, and while he has had no ambition for public office he gave effective service during his incumbency of the position of assessor of his native township. Both he and his wife hold membership in the Reformed Church.

On the 27th of September, 1887, Mr. Maple was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Barnhouse, who was born in Perry Township, Carroll County, August 26, 1853, a daughter of Samuel and Susannah (Stewart) Barnhouse, both natives of Carroll County, where the respective families were founded in the early pioneer days. Mrs. Barnhouse was a daughter of Mahlon Stewart, a prominent and influential pioneer of whom more specific mention will be found in connection with other personal sketches appearing in this work, be having been the founder of the village of Perrysville, this county. Mr. Barnhouse died in 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Maple have four children: Howard is married and resides in the city of Canton, Stark County, he having served two years during the nation's participation in the World war and having passed about one year in France. where he was assigned to the mail department of the service of the American Expeditionary Forces: Ralph E.. of Carrollton, married Miss Bessie Noble, and they have two children, Marion and Joseph; and Oma and Curtis remain at the parental home. Edward Dray, maternal grandfather of Mr. Maple, was one of the men associated with pioneer ore mining and other kindred operations near Niles, Trumbull County, and he also served as a soldier in the War of 1812. He finally established his residence on a pioneer farm in East Township, where his wife died, and he passed the closing period of his life in the home of his daughter Elizabeth, mother of the subject of this review, where he died when about ninety years of age."

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1. ↑ John E. Hopley, "History of Crawford County, Ohio and Representative Citizens", Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, IL (1912), pages 1156-1157.
2. ↑ J. A. Caldwell, "History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio", The Historical Publishing Company, Wheeling, WV (1880), page 581.
3. ↑ The Territorial Papers-Northwest Territory, Volume 3, page 54
4. ↑ Judge G. L. Cranmer, History of the Upper Ohio Valley, Volume 1, Brant and Fuller, 1890 , Page 308.
5. ↑ Register of the Steubenville Land Office: Certificate 1759.
6. ↑ Tract Book and Entries, Congress Lands, 22 Ranges and the United States Military District: Volume 2.
7. ↑ Judge H. W. Eckley, "History of Carroll and Harrison Counties, Ohio, Volume II. Lewis Publishing Company, 1921, pages 525-526.