Buffalo and Bears in Athens County?

               Almira/Elvira Bobo (Sprague) was born in 1826 in Lodi Township, Athens County, Ohio to Joseph and Hanna Moore Bobo.  A narrative written by Joseph Bobo is included in the book History of Athens County and Incidentally of the Ohio Land Company and the First Settlement of the State at Marietta (which is available to read online).  In his narrative, Joseph states that his parents, Henry and Sarah Black Bobo, came to Athens County in 1798 (which was then a part of Washington County).  They settled on Margaret Creek, where Joseph was born in 1802, then moved to Lodi Township in 1810 “which was all wilderness then.” Joseph describes taking grain to a mill in a canoe by going to the mouth of the Hockhocking River 40 miles, then 30 miles up the Ohio River to Marietta, and 2 miles up the Muskingum to Belpre.

                Joseph tells about hunting deer, bears, turkey, and even a few elk and buffalo.  He states that the last buffalo was seen in 1815 in Meigs County.  He tells the story of his father Henry going into caves after bears with a torch in one hand and his gun in the other.  One time, the bear came running after him, and he just laid flat as he could and the bear ran over him, tearing his clothes.  Luckily, he had a buddy standing guard outside the opening of the cave who killed the bear.  Supposedly the bear weighed 390 pounds.

                Joseph married Hanna Moore on September 18, 1823.

 

 

                Hannah Moore Bobo died in 1853 and is buried in Williams Cemetery in Lodi Township, Athens County.  Joseph married Mary Wren (or Renn) in 1854.  His house burned to the ground in 1871, according to a newspaper article.  He died in July 1880 and was buried in the Williams Cemetery.

 

 

                Henry Bobo was born in 1771 in Prince William County, VA.  His parents were Gabriel Bobo (1719-1790) and Elizabeth Garner Bobo (1729-1813), also of Prince William County.  There are graves for Gabriel and Elizabeth Bobo in the Elk Cemetery in MacArthur, Vinton County, Ohio.  Research gets very confusing from this point on.  The name is of French origin and is spelled in a variety of ways:  Bubboe, Beaubeau, Baubeau, and many more. I believe Gabriel’s father was also named Gabriel, and was the original Bobo to come to America in about 1700.  That Gabriel married a widow, Elizabeth Spencer White. Some researchers feel that Gabriel and Elizabeth’s son, Spencer, is the father of the second Gabriel (making Gabriel Sr. the grandfather rather than the father of Gabriel Jr.).  Others suggest that Gabriel, Jr. is the son of Gabriel, Sr. and another wife.  Elizabeth Spencer White Bobo was responsible for helping at least five people come to America by paying for their passage in exchange for their land grants.

                The Bobo Family were persecuted in France for their Protestant beliefs.  A Gabriel Baubeau was living in 1691 St. Sauvant, France with three sons. There is a record of two Baubeau brothers being sentenced to death in 1697 for meeting in the woods for an Easter service. They were to be hanged and their bodies displayed on two different main roads to discourage any others from congregating to hear the Protestant teachings.  The French religious refugees became known as Huguenots.  There is an organization known as The National Huguenot Society and we would qualify for membership as descendants of Gabriel Baubeau.  We have another Huguenot ancestor: Andreas Souplis, who I wrote about in a previous blogpost titled “The Sheriff of Germantown.”     

The Sheriff of Germantown

     Peter Dirck Keyser's wife was Margaret Souplis.  She was born in 1682, probably in New York, NY.  Her parents were Andreas and Anneke Souplis.  There are many variation of both first and last names here, including Andris, Andre, and Andrew for the first name and Supplee, Suplea, Souple, and Suplee for the last name. 

     Andreas was born in France  in 1634 and was of "distinguished parentage," according to the Biographical Annals of Montgomery County, PA, Volume II.  He had served as a colonel in the French Army, but became a Huguenot, or French Protestant and probably had to resign.  The Army was expected to enforce the desired eradication of the Protestants from the Roman Catholic country.  The Edict of Nantes, issued in 1598, had allowed the Protestants to worship as they please.  However, in 1685, a new king revoked the Edict of Nantes.  This led to extreme persecution and mass exodus of the Huguenots.  The Huguenot Society states that the revocation caused France to lose "half a million of its best citizens."  The Huguenots were influenced mainly by the writings of John Calvin.

The Huguenot Cross

     One record states that Andreas escaped France with a following of 30 other Protestants, but only seven survived the trip.  The little group is said to have settled in Germany, or possibly Holland.  By about 1684, Andreas had moved to America, probably landing in New York.  There is a record of him being a "burgher" or free citizen in New York, or "New Amsterdam" as it was called at the time.  By 1686, he had moved to Germantown and in 1691, he was appointed the first Sheriff of Germantown. 

     After Anneke died, Andreas married a widow named Gertrude.  His will left one-third of his estate to Gertrude, and two-thirds to be divided among his five children:  Bartholomew, Margaret, Ann, Andrew and Jacob.  Andreas died in 1726, at 92 years of age.  He was buried in the Old Swede's Episcopalian Church in Philadelphia.  He had numerous grandsons who served in the American Revolution.

                       

                       

                                                                Will of Andris Souplis

In The Name of God Amen This Twenty fifth Day of March in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred and Twenty four I Andrew Suplea of the Township Kingsess in the County of Philadela in the Province of Pensilvania, Weaver, Being Aged & weak of Body But of Sound & perfect Memory & health praised be God and knowing the uncertainty of this Life on earth and Being Desirious to Settle things in order Do Make this my Last Will & Testament in Manner & form following That is to Say First and principally I Comend my Soul to Almighty God my Creator And my Body to the earth from whence it was Taken to be buried in Such Decent & Christian Manner as to my Executls hereafter named That be Thought Neet & Convenient And as Touching Such worldly Estate as the lord in Mercy hath lent me my will & Meaning that the Same Shall be Employed & Bestowed as hereafter in this my will is Expressed And first I will that all my funeral Charges and Just Debts be fully paid & Discharged by my Executls hereafter named And The Remainder of My Personal Estate Goods Cattle & Chattles (after my sd Debts are paid) I will and Order that the Same be Divided into three Equal parts and Third part I Give to my welbeloved wife, Gertra Suplea And the other Two parts to be Equally Divided Between my five Children (viz) Bartholomew Suplea, Margaret, Andess, Ann and Jacob. And As for my House & plantation and Tract of Land Thereunto Belonging and all other the Appurtenances whereon I now Live, my will is that My Loving wife Gertra aforementioned Shall have and Enjoy the Same for & (the original paper is torn at this point) Her naturall life ( if remaining my Widow) Provided she always (again, the paper is torn) Timber now (torn) premises (torn) Of any nor Clear any Land And (torn) Of no more Timber then what will be wanted for Reparing the Buildings Fences & firewood. And after my sd wifes Decease or Marriage my will is that my Son Andrew Supplea & my Son in law Peter Caylor*  Do Sell my Sd House and plantation Land & appurtenances for the Best price that Can be had for the Same And that they or the Survivor of them Do make a Title to the purchaser thereof which I do hereby Impower them to Do And the Money Arising from the Sd Sail my will is that the Same Be Equally Divided Among my Children aforenamed And as Touching my Daughter Anns Share the Sd Money arising from the sail of my Sd Land and her Share of my personal estate afforementioned my will is That the Same be Lay'd out on Interest by my Exts for her use the Interest to be paid her yearly And in Case She Survive her present husband Charles Yeocum Then the Sd Money to be paid her wholy but in Case he Survive then the Same to be Divided Amongst her Children And to be paid to them at the Respective Age of Twenty one years or Marrige day which of the Two Shall first happen each parties Share to be kept at Interest for the Respective uses untill paid And I Do hereby Nominate my Sd Son Andrew Supplea & my Soninlaw Peter Cayson Executls of this my Last will & Testemt: Hereby Revoking all former wills by me made either by word or writing & declaring to be my Last will & Testament In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal dated the day & year above Written

Andris Souplis
Sealed Signed published & Declared to be his Last will & Testament
*"Peter Caylor" refers to daughter Margaret's husband, Peter Dirck Keyser


 

Old Swede's Church, Philadelphia