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.

Bishop Cemetery sans Bishops

Searching through cemetery inscriptions is made easier by historians who have carefully transcribed every name and date and published it online. The Bishop Cemetery, described as being 1/10 mile west of State Route 559 and 2/10 mile north of County Road 44, was always curious to me because despite its name and location on old Bishop land, there are no Bishops buried there. Just three graves are there, belonging to a 67 year old Doctor and Senator, and two infants, one being the infant child of the doctor, and another with the surname Clarke. I was confused about this until I found this passage about the good doctor in the 1880 book History of Logan County and Ohio by Perrin, et. al.:

"Dr. John D. Elbert, of Kentucky, was the first physician in this township. He came in 1809, and settled on the farm now owned by Job Bishop. He was one of the founders of the first Methodist Episcopal Church, and died on his way to visit a patient, December 28, 1838. The epitaph upon his gravestone expresses the opinion of those who knew him well. It is as follows: "Dr. Elbert was a good physician, an honest man, a sincere Christian and truly the friend of the poor and afflicted. He died in the 67th year of his age." (page 468)

This is a fascinating clue about the place in time that Job Bishop (1824-1911) acquired his farm. He would have been 14 years old when Dr. Elbert died. The Clarke baby was buried in the Bishop Cemetery in 1853, just one year before Job Bishop was married to Mary Inskeep Moore. This probably means that the land was owned by the Clarke family in between being owned by the Elberts and the Bishops.

Job Bishop and his wife Mary lived and worked the land for many years and were very successful. However, they were not laid to rest in the little Bishop Cemetery. Not far from their land is the Mt. Moriah Cemetery, where a church and schoolhouse once stood. This is the place where Job and Mary were laid to rest among other members of their community. That small family cemetery might be more appropriately called the Elbert Clarke Cemetery, but I wouldn't have learned anything had it been called that.

Job Bishop is my husband's great-great-great-grandfather as follows: Job Summerfield Bishop > James Henry Bishop > Glen Owen Bishop > Jimmie R. Bishop > Bruce Bishop > Dusty Bishop