JOHN GARDNER, SR., one of the pioneer settlers of this county, was born in 1757 and died September 10, 1821. He came from Wales to America about the middle of the eighteenth century, settling on the banks of the Potomac river, near Mt. Vernon, the home of Washington, and was familiar with the patriot. In his early days he came to Washington county (between 1770 and 1774), married Elizabeth Clark (in 1783), daughter of James Clark, and moved to the farm, then known as Greathouse Castle, where they both died. They were buried in Cross Creek graveyard, where a marble monument, eight feet high, marks their resting-place, and bears their names. Elizabeth Clark, born in 1748, died October 1, 1853, was left by herself one day before her marriage, busy at her loom, while her father, James Clark, Alexander Leeper, a brother-in-law Samuel Leeper, and others went to the Leeper farm to build some fence; and John Yeaman went to a garden, about one and one-half miles off, to get some parsnips for dinner. The latter, on his return, stopped at a spring to get a drink of water, and was sitting on a log resting, when the Indians rushed on him, and killed and scalped him. The same day, before they killed Yeaman, they came on James Robinson and his son, where they were fixing or preparing ground to plant potatoes. The boy got on the horse, but the father missed his jump and fell, and the Indians killed and scalped him. The boy made home in safety. The Indians came along where Miss Clark was weaving. She, seeing them, got up in the loft of the loom-shop, and covered herself with flax-tow. They came in and took some meat from the pot that was boiling on the fire, cut some of the web off the loom and left. She expected to be burnt alive, but they did not know she was there. When the men came for dinner, she told the tale, and they went to hunt up Yeaman, but found him as described. They started in pursuit of the Indians as soon as they could get help, and traced them to the Ohio river, near Mingo bottom, in time to see them climb the bank on the other side. Knowing there was a large force at Mingo, they returned home, and next day they buried Mr. Yeaman near where he was killed, under a gum tree on the farm now owned by George Criss' heirs, one and one-half miles west of Eldersville, where there were several persons buried from 1770 to 1775. Those were the last deaths at the hands of the Indians in these parts. The whites had a fort on the Richard Wells farm; but had not been troubled much with Indians for some time, so were not on the lookout, and they had just come from the fort a short time before. The grant of land to John Greathouse, made by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, comprised 289 acres on Harmon run. It was surveyed March 7, 1775, and September 15, 1784, and deeded to Greathouse July 7, 1786, with other lands amounting to 400 acres. The children born to John and Elizabeth (Clark) Gardner were William, born August 7, 1784; Sarah, January 7, 1786; Margaret, July 26, 1785; Lydia, March 27, 1790; Rachel, November 25, 1792; John, October 2, 1794; James, May 29, 1796; David, March 23, 1798; Samuel, May 15, 1801. All have passed away except James, who is living with his son, Levi, in Hancock county, W. Va., where he has seventeen oil-producing wells on his farm of 300 acres in the Turkey Foot oil region. David Gardner, born March 23, 1798, married Nancy Donovan in 1819, and to this union the following named children were born: Eliza, born November 22, 1820 (married G. Swearingen); John, October 1, 1822 (married Parmelia Gardner, August 20, 1846; David (married Lizzie Merryman, of Brooke County); Thomas (died in youth); James (married Mary Sanders, of Brooke County, Va.); George (married Mrs. Lizzie Robinson, of Steubenville, Ohio); Rezin (died in early youth); William (married Carity Hendricks, of Brooke county Va.); Rachel (married Reason Walker, of Washington county, Penn.); Anne (married W. B. Morrow, of Brooke county, Va., now of Selina, Kans.); Martin (married Lizzie Sanders, of this county); Mary (married D. F. Patterson, of Patterson's Mills, Penn., now a prominent lawyer of Pittsburgh, Penn.). Thomas Donovan, Sr., came from Baltimore, Md., with his family in 1812, and settled on the farm now occupied by his son, Thomas, now a man over ninety years old. The pioneer of the name in this county was born September 10, 17 . On August 3, 1787, he married Anne Cole, born November 7, 1765, and their children were Honor, born May 26, 1788, married Thomas Wheeler; John, born June 8, 1790, died January 5, 1834; Abram (1), born November 26, 1792, died November 26, 1795; Sarah, born March 11, 1795; Harriet, born March 17, 1797; Ellen born March 11, 1799; Nancy, born December 16, 1800, married David Gardner in 1819; Thomas, born February 14, 1803; Abram (2), born May 3, 1805; Cornelius, born September 20, 1807; Ruth, born March 26, 1810; and Selina, born February 9, 1813. All are numbered with the dead, except Thomas Donovan, named above. Samuel Gardner, born May 15, 1801, married Ruth Sharp, in 1826. Their children were Permelia, born November 8, 1827; Clarissa, November 17, 1829; Edward M., January 7, 1832; Jane, July 14, 1834; John F., December 27, 1836; Levi S., May 23, 1839; Samuel Scott, June 27, 1842; James H., April 13, 1845, and David Reeves, April 13, 1845. The father of this family died April 1, 1877, leaving to the heirs a tract of 600 acres connected with the home farm. John Gardner, born October 1, 1822, married Permelia Gardner, August 20, 1846. She is the eldest daughter of Samuel Gardner, named above. The children of this marriage are D. S. Gardner, born July 9, 1847; Edward Morgan, born June 16, 1849, died January 23, 1854; Thomas D., born October 14, 1850, died March 21, 1876; Marion F., born October 23, 1852; Emma, born April 29, 1855; Ruth Ella, born December 7, 1858; Reason Walker, born November 19, 1861; Freeman Sharp, born September 14, 1864; Lucy Etta, born July 3, 1866; Nancy Cora Austa, born January 21, 1869, and Robert C., born November 12, 1872. John Gardner, Sr., was a Presbyterian; Elizabeth, his wife, united with the Disciple Church, founded by Alexander Campbell, of Bethany, Va., and commonly called Campbellites, now known as the Christian Church, and was a faithful member, and regular at all convenient meetings until she lost her sight. Being blind for many years, but very industrious, she was nearly always knitting, and could shape a very nice stocking, knowing when she would drop a stitch. Their son, William, married Patty Wilcoxen, and settled near Lisbon, Ohio; afterward settled on a farm near Holliday's Cove, Va. Their children were John, Samuel, Robert, William, Betsy, Verlinda and Margaret. Sarah married Arch Freshwater, their children being John, Arch, William, David, Fanny and Betsy. Margaret married John Hindman, of Brooke county, Va., settled on a farm on the road from Washington (Penn.) to Steubenville (Ohio), but exchanged that for other land and mill property at Holliday's Cove, where they ended their days. Their children were Betsy, John (representative to Richmond, who was killed by the cars while walking on the track in sight of his house a few years ago), James, William, Samuel, Frank, Cyrus, Harriet, Margaret and Mary, nearly all devout Christians. Lydia married David Chambers, settled at Cadiz, Ohio, kept a hotel for many years, went on a farm and died, leaving John, David, Nancy and Rachel. Rachel married Robert Scott, settled and spent their days on a farm on the pike from Wellsburg, Va., to Washington, Penn., where they kept a tavern and store, and worked their large and fertile farm, which still belongs to their heirs, for many years. Both were very useful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and were the means of building the Franklin meeting house. Their children were Eliza, married to Rezin Reeves, of Wellsburg, Va.; Permelia, married to Rev. James Hopkins, and located at Sewickley, Penn. (Mr. Hopkins died a few years ago; he was a ruling elder for many years; his widow is still living); Katharine, married to Rev. Crea, and they lived on part of the home farm until their death; Mary, married Edward Hunter, and took the home house to live in, which is now occupied by their two children, Robert and Ella; Rachel, married to Rev. George Hudson (he and family own part of her father's farm, she being dead for many years); David, who went West while young; McKendry, Fletcher and Ella, living at Washington, D. C.; John, married to Eliza Reeves, of Brooke county, Va., and lived at Wellsburg many years, where he kept a store and tavern, and had an interest in a steamboat called "The Swan" (he ran coaches, and was a very useful man; he moved to a point opposite East Liverpool, Ohio, where he had a large tract of land, built a large house, established a ferry, and left a considerable fortune to his three children; he was justice of the peace for many years; James, married to Mary Sharp, and settled near Paris, Penn., on a beautiful farm, raised a large family, became rich, and is yet living (his wife died many years ago; his sons were good workers, as were also his two daughters); Eliza, married to Rev. James Campbell, who preached in the Paris church for many years, moved to near Cincinnati, Ohio, and died leaving his family on a fine farm; Levi, who owns a large farm (on which there is much oil), and lives on it, (his children are all married; he married Miss Hannah Vanordstrand); Samuel, a bachelor, lives a rather retired life, spending the summer on his farm near Paris, Penn., and at his fine residence near Natchez, Miss., where he went to live with an old aunt in his younger days (he saw pretty hard times during the war, and had a great amount of property taken); David, married to Miss Amanda Butterfoss, of Paris, Penn., settled near his old home, and raised a large family; James, the youngest son, married to Miss Mary McGuire, who had two daughters, and died on the way to Tennessee, where they were moving (he owns a small farm near Colliers, Va.; his daughters are both married, and he is alone). David and Nancy, his wife, belonged to the M. P. Church until their death in 1845. In August David was a delegate to Conference, returned home, and but a few days after was taken ill with dysentery and died (he was a Jackson Democrat). Their children were Eliza, who married George Swearingen (they moved last to Ida county, Iowa, where he died and she is still living); John, married to Permelia Gardner, and living on the old Samuel Gardner home (their children are scattered, two being in Dakota, the rest near home; three are married, six single and two deceased); Samuel, married to Ruth Sharp (they belong to the Church of Christ); Edward is living on a part of the home farm, married to Rebecca Gardner (he has erected a fine house and other good buildings); S. S. has a part of the homestead, and resides on it; D. R. owns the farm of forty-seven acres, well improved land, where his father died.

Text taken from page 898 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed March 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project. Published April 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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