Cast Iron Stoves and Cannonballs

     Mary Elma Ashworth was the daughter of  John Ashworth and Caroline Rebecca Pennybaker.  The Pennybaker family has a long and colorful history!  And, as my dad would say it, there's some "highfalutin" folks in this family!  The name has been spelled many various ways over the centuries, including Pennybaker, Pennybacker, Pennypacker, Pannebecker, and the original Dutch spelling Pfannebecker.  The name literally means "baker of tiles."

     Caroline Pennybaker was born January 7, 1836 in Belleville, Wood County, Virginia (now West Virginia).  I have not yet found a birth record for her, but the Census records always record her place of birth as Virginia, and her parents, Isaac Pennybaker and Mary Alkire, got married in 1828 in Wood County, Virginia.  Soon after Caroline's birth, the family moved to Meigs County, Ohio.  Here is the 1840 census, showing the family in Bedford Township, Meigs County:

     Here is the 1860 Census, showing that the whole family, including Caroline's younger brother, John, was born in Virginia:

 

 

 

     Caroline Pennybaker Ashworth died September 12, 1918 and is buried in the Carleton Church Cemetery in Bedford Township, Meigs County.  Her husband, John Ashworth, died in 1898 and is also buried there.  Caroline's father, Isaac Pennybaker, died in 1893, but I have not yet found a record of where he is buried.  I hope to visit this cemetery in person soon!

 

 

 

     I believe Isaac's father is John Pennybaker, who was born in 1768 in Pennsylvania, and died in 1834 in Virginia.  John's wife was Phoebe Fugett, sometimes spelled Fewkett or Fewgett.  Their marriage is recorded in State of Virginia Marriage Records as taking place on June 25, 1793 in Shenandoah, Virginia.  She can be found as a widow in the 1840 Census of Wood County, VA.  Remind me sometime to tell you about the Blue Fewgett Family of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky......they had a recessive gene that produced blue skin.....real live Smurfs!

 

     John Pennybaker's father was Dirck Pennybaker, and this is where the story get really interesting!   Dirck was born in Providence, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania on January 1, 1737, son of another John Pennybaker and grandson of a very influential man in Germantown, PA, Hendrick Pannebecker. 

 

                                                  Birth record of Dirck Pennebacker  

  

     Dirck worked as a wagonmaster and worked with an ironmaster named Mark Bird.  Here he learned the iron trade and helped make cannonballs used in the American Revolution!  His family also owned a grist mill that supplied flour to the Revolutionary Army.  The farm where the mill was located was Pennypacker Mills, and is a historical site open to visit.  There is an archives of Pennybaker family records there, and that is where the birth record above came from.  On June 4-5, 2016, there will be a civil war re-enactment there.  Closeby is the mansion where one of the Pennypackers who became Governor of Pennsylvania lived.  He is responsible for documenting much of the Pennypacker family history.  The mansion is open for tours. 

 

                                              Pennypacker Mill

 

     Dirck moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains, which were full of iron ore, and built his own iron-working business.  His first iron business was called Redwell Furnace, close to Luray, Virginia.

 



                       The title on this mural is Dirck Pennybacker and his Redwell Furnace.

 

     Dirck built a second iron furnace on Smith Creek called Pine Forge.  The Pennybakers became well-known for their cast-iron stoves, which had their name stamped on the front panel.  One of the stoves is in the Mauck Meeting House, a historical building near Luray, Virginia.

 

 

                Notice "D. Pennybaker" inscribed in the banner of the design at the top of the stove.

 

      One of Dirck's sons, Benjamin, brother to "our" John, had a son named Isaac S. Pennybacker who served as a federal judge, U.S. Congressman and U.S. Senator.  How's that for "highfalutin" folks?

 

     Dirck died on February 15, 1802 from falling off his horse.  He was buried on his property.  The obituary was published in the Winchester Gazette on March 3, 1802.  His grandfather Hendrick will be the subject of his own blog post.

 

 

 

     For further reading about the Pennypackers, look for the following publications on Google:

 

A History of Shenandoah County by John W. Wayland

 

The German Element of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia by John W. Wayland

 

The Undying Past of Shenandoah National Park by Darwin Lambert

 

The Presence of African Americans in the Shenandoah County Iron Industry by Nancy B. Stewart

 

Biographical Sketches by Samuel W. Pennypacker

 

The Autobiography of a Pennsylvanian by Samuel W. Pennypacker

 

A Genealogy of the Pennypacker Family by Samuel W. Pennypacker

 

The Perkiomen Region, Past and Present, Vol. I by Henry Sassaman Dotterer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Blarney--Our Irish Roots!

 

County Wicklow, Ireland

 

   I introduced Mary Ashworth (1863-1928) as my great-grandmother in the previous post.  My father never really told me anything more about her, and she would have died when Daddy was only 10 years old.  She must, however, have maintained a relationship with Clarence, even though he didn't live with her for much of his childhood, because she is buried in the Burson Cemetery, right behind Clarence's grave with a grave marker that says "Mother." 

 

    It turns out that Mary Ashworth's family is a fascinating one to research!  Her great-grandfather, James Ashworth came to America in 1812, with his wife, Mary, and five children.  James and Mary were both 50 years old.  The children accompanying them were: Jonn, age 24; Cath, age 21; Thomas, age 20; Anne, age 18; and James, no age given.  James, Jonn and Thomas are listed as having the occupation of "weaver."  They departed on the American ship, the Vermont,  from  Dublin, Ireland about June 18, 1812 and listed their hometown as Wicklow Town, County Wicklow, Ireland.  County Wicklow is on the central eastern shore of  Ireland and is known as the "Garden of Ireland."

 

 

Passenger Manifest

 



     I'm sure the Ashworth Family was not prepared for the adventure that followed their departure! Although even the captain was unaware when they set sail, the U.S. Congress had declared war on Great Britain the day they departed.  Now the Ashworths not only had the dangers of a long sea voyage, but the dangers of war to contend with!  The British could have commandeered the ship and forced the Irish passengers to aid the British Navy.  It's probably a blessing that communication was so slow, and the passengers knew very little of what was going on until they were almost to their destination.  

 

     As the Vermont approached the American shore on July 17, 1812, one can only imagine the excitement of the passengers who saw their destination just ahead after a month-long voyage!  Commander Frederick Lee, on the cutter  Eagle, spied the Vermont off the coast of Connecticut  and demanded to board and search the ship.  Captain Samuel Nicoll of the Vermont provided all the necessary paperwork, including the passenger and cargo list.  That paperwork was preserved in the State of Connecticut records and provides an important part of our family history!

 

     I have found an enlistment record for the War of 1812 that shows a Thomas Ashworth, native of Ireland and the correct age for "our" Thomas (son of James) enlisting in the war effort in November 21, 1814 in Albany (I assume New York, not Ohio).  I believe he was only on the military roll for less than a month.  More research is needed! 

 

 

     James and his son Thomas are both listed in the 1820 census for Sutton Township, Meigs County.  It is interesting to note that they are listed as "unnaturalized foreigners."  James also appears in the 1830 and 1840 census records, but in Chester Township of Meigs County.  James died in 1844, so does not appear in any later census records.  James was buried in the Chester Cemetery, which I hope to visit soon!  Thomas is listed in the 1850 Census.  He died in 1857 and is also buried in the Chester Cemetery.

 

 

   



    

 

      Thomas married Nancy Blain on July 1, 1824 in Meigs County.  Nancy's father, James Blain, was also a native of Ireland, but I have found very little information on them so far.  Thomas and Nancy had a son named John Ashworth in 1828, who is our direct line ancestor.   Thomas died November 26, 1857 and is buried in the Chester Cemetery.

 

 

 Thomas Ashworth Tombstone

Chester Cemetery, Meigs County, Ohio

 

 

     John Ashworth was born December 8, 1828 in Meigs County.  He married Caroline Rebecca Pennybacker (just wait until you hear about her family!!!)  John and Caroline had at least 11 children, including "our" Mary Ashworth, Clarence Goldsberry's mother.  The death certificate for Mary below shows John and Caroline as her parents. It states that the cause of her death was tuberculosis.

 



 

 

 

 

     The pictures above are of Mary Ashworth's grave at Burson Cemetery.  In the bottom picture of Clarence and Ada's grave, you can see Mary's grave is right behind Clarence's grave (you can see the pink flowers in front of her stone).  Thanks to my sister, Suellen, and my mother for making the trip each year to Athens County before Memorial Day to make sure there are flowers on her husband's family graves.

 

     To read the entire article about the Vermont's voyage, do a Google search on "Irish Immigrants on the Vermont 1812."

 

     I hope you will celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year by remembering our brave Ashworth ancestors!

 

                                                                                                    Teresa