Double Cousin Marriage

In the earliest years of the 19th century, the landscape of Logan County was sparsely populated, and cousin marriages in small settlements were commonplace. Sometimes, even double cousins were married to one another. Between 1805 and 1806, together with their families, cousins James Bishop and Eliza Inskeep, aged 6 and 2, made the journey to Logan County, Ohio from Culpeper County, Virginia. After settling in their new home and growing into adulthood, James and Eliza were married and raised 9 children.

James and Eliza were double cousins. Instead of sharing one set of grandparents, they shared both sets. Eliza's mother and James' father were siblings, and James' mother and Eliza's father were siblings. Double cousins are more closely related than regular cousins. "Genetically, they are equal to siblings" reports Wikipedia on the subject, as they have "double the degree of kinship as ordinary first cousins."

James and Eliza lost one daughter before her first birthday, which was, sadly, more common in those days. However, I am unqualified to diagnose the cause of death of their three daughters who died at age 20, 23, and 23, respectively. However, I don't think it is unethical to guess that they may have unfortunately inherited a genetic condition that prevented them from living into adulthood, though it is pure speculation on my part.

Despite the loss of three children as young adults, one son of James and Eliza was known as being a very strong and intelligent man. Job Summerfield Bishop (1824-1911), the oldest son of James and Eliza, lived to be 86 years old. With a wife, Mary Inskeep Moore, and two small children at home, Job served in the Union Army during the Civil War, enlisting in 1861 as a Private in Company E, 62nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He received a disability discharge in 1862. Known for his "zeal and progressive spirit," and for "being a wide-awake, intelligent and enthusiastic farmer," Job served as Treasurer for the Order Sons of Temperance in the latter part of the 19th century (Perrin, et.al., 1880, pgs. 479, 642). The 1875 and 1890 plat maps of Zane Township shows that Job owned 101 acres along what is now State Route 559. The censuses indicate that he owned his land free and clear.

For a visual example of the double cousin relationship, take a look Job's pedigree:

(click to enlarge)

My husband descends from James and Eliza in the following way: James Bishop and Eliza Inskeep > Job Summerfield Bishop > James Henry Bishop > Glen Owen Bishop > Jimmie R Bishop > Bruce Bishop > Dusty Bishop.

Quakers and Methodists

Some of the first pioneers to settle in Ohio after the American Revolution were of the Quaker religion, and John Garwood, Sr. was a Friend. Considered to be the very first settlers in the region, he and his wife Esther Haines migrated from Virginia between 1803 and 1804 and built their cabin on Otter Creek, where today stands the village of East Liberty. A year later, the first Friends meeting house was built about 1.5 miles south, where the only thing left today is the Darby Creek Cemetery. Methodists and Quakers shared this first church building for several years until a Methodist building was built near the village of Middleburg. In 1810 John Sr. met the community's need for a flouring-mill when he built one near his home. His mill quickly became a common meeting place where a village and post office sprang up around it and all roads and trails diverged from it for a great distance. The mill on Otter Creek was such a well-known center that the village around it was called Garwood's Mill (Perrin, et.al., 1880, pages: 479, 536, 540, 542, 539).

John Garwood, Sr. is my husband's great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather as follows: John Garwood, Sr. > Margaret Garwood > Job Inskeep > Sarah Ann Inskeep > Etta May Morton > Glen Owen Bishop > Jimmie R. Bishop > Bruce Bishop > Dusty Bishop

Several of John Sr.'s children and their spouses migrated to the same region of Ohio between 1805 and 1806. Altogether came six sons and five daughters (and of course, many grandchildren). One of his daughters, Margaret, was the wife of Methodist minister Joshua Inskeep, also from Virginia. Joshua and Margaret settled in Zane Township, probably near the village of Middleburg. Johnny Appleseed came through and planted a nursery on the Inskeep farm in 1810. How cool is that? :) Noted as being a man of "most remarkable pluck," Joshua Inskeep built the first brick house in the township of Zane, a building which was still standing in 1880, and which I hope is still around today, but have not yet been able to locate. Generous hosts, Joshua and Margaret were known to entertain 50 to 75 people during Methodist quarterly meetings. In 1815 Joshua built the first saw-mill on Mill Branch, where there was a Methodist church and a schoolhouse, and the area became known as Inskeep's Mill. In 1836, Joshua donated more than half the funds to build an elaborate new Methodist Church building, but the project was too large for the congregation and was later sold to be used as a carriage factory (Perrin, et. al., 1880, pages: 467, 471, 479, 483-84, 536, 641).

Joshua Inskeep is my husband's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather as follows: Joshua Inskeep > Job Inskeep > Sarah Ann Inskeep > Etta May Morton > Glen Owen Bishop > Jimmie R. Bishop > Bruce Bishop > Dusty Bishop.

John Garwood, Sr. settled near East Liberty,
and Joshua Inskeep settled near Middleburg
(click to enlarge)

John Sharp mentioned in 1880 publication

About John Sharp it is said that:

“In the year, 1803, John Sharp, brother of Job Sharp, who had remained behind his brother in Virginia, followed after and settled in the immediate vicinity. He began to improve and clear his land, harassed, however, by all the drawbacks incident to pioneer life. He reared a family of eight sons and three daughters. He died at the advanced age of 98, universally beloved and respected. Many of his descendants are well-to-do citizens of this township.” (Perrin, et.al., 1880, pg 466)

John Sharp > Sarah Sharp > Sarah Ann Inskeep > Etta May Morton > Glen Owen Bishop > Jimmie R. Bishop > Bruce Bishop > Dusty Bishop

Captain John Sharp

My husband descends from several early pioneers of Logan County Ohio, including Captain John Sharp, veteran of the American Revolutionary War. Captain Sharp's grave is 2 miles north of the village of Middleburg, just off County Road 152 in the Darby Creek Cemetery of Zane Township, Logan County, Ohio, and reads:

JOHN SHARP

CAPTAIN

ARMAND'S PARTISAN CORPS

PA TROOPS

REV WAR

MARCH 7, 1854

Now, if you are a history nut like me, you are wondering "What is Armand's Partisan Corps?" According to the National Parks Service, it was a group of mostly foreign volunteers in the Continental Army. Wikipedia suggests it was a dragoon unit. This website gives a biography of Colonel Armand, a Frenchman who founded the Corps and led into battle thousands of volunteers for the War of Independence.

Captain Sharp is my husband's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, and is related to him directly as follows: John Sharp > Sarah Sharp > Sarah Ann Inskeep > Etta May Morton > Glen Owen Bishop > Jimmie R. Bishop > Bruce Bishop > Dusty Bishop