REV. JOHN S. MARQUIS, D. D. The family of which this gentleman is a worthy representative is one of the oldest of Cross Creek township. They are descendants of French Huguenots, who fled from France on account of religious persecutions, and settled in Ireland. In 1720 William Marquis and Margaret, his wife, together with their son Thomas and daughter Mary, emigrated to this country from Ireland, and settled in Frederick county, Va., near to Winchester. It is believed that some of the children of this family remained in Ireland. Some years after their parents came to America, Thomas Marquis married Miss Mary Colvile, and Mary Marquis married John Wilson, and died shortly after. Thomas was the father of seven children - four sons and three daughters - named as follows: William, James, John, Thomas, Elizabeth, Sarah and Anne. Thomas Marquis, the father of these children, was killed by the falling of a limb of a tree, whilst gathering corn. His children were brought up under the direction of his brother-in-law, John Wilson, who was a school teacher, and a religious man, consequently they were carefully educated, both secularly and religiously. William Marquis, son of Thomas, married Miss Elizabeth Vance, and reared a large family, most of whom came to this county, but afterward moved to Ohio. Hon. William Vance Marquis, ex-lieutenant governor of Ohio, is a great-grandson. James Marquis married Miss Mary Vance, a sister of the wife of his brother William, and his family, which was large, came to this county, but afterward went to Ohio. John Marquis, third son of this family, was the first of the name to settle in this county, and was one of the first settlers of Cross Creek township. He was born June 10, 1750, and married Miss Sarah Griffith, of Frederick county, Va. He settled, in 1774, on a tract of land for which he obtained a warrant February 23, 1786, and afterward received a patent. This tract was called "Marquesata", and contained 421 acres, and allowance, embracing the farms now owned by H. C. Anderson and Robert Anderson, and a part of the farm of Richard Wells, called the "Mason" farm. For some time, on account of the Indian raids, he was obliged to keep his family in Vance's fort, while he tried to clear his farm. Once, while in his cabin, he heard the report of a rifle close at hand, and going out he saw a party of Indians killing his hogs. On seeing him they immediately gave the war whoop and rushed down upon him. It was a race for life, and although the Indians were so close to him at the start that he heard their footsteps in pursuit, yet he outran them and arrived in safety at Vance's fort. He was noted among the scouts and backwoodsmen as a fleet runner, and he was a man of strong and decided character; for many years was an elder of the Presbyterian Church of Cross Creek. He died February 25, 1822. He raised a family of nine children - six sons and three daughters, viz.: Thomas, John, Mary, Sarah, Edward, Robert, James, Anne and William, of whom Thomas married Nancy Marquis, his cousin, and they had a large family; John married Elizabeth Taggart, and they spent their days on a farm in Jefferson township, now owned by their son James T. Marquis (Rev. John A. Marquis, pastor of a Presbyterian Church at Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Penn., is a grandson, and Mrs. Rev. J. B. Lyle, of Scottsdale, is a granddaughter); Mary Marquis married Hon. Joshua Robb, who was for many years an associate judge of the courts in Logan county, Ohio, and he represented that county in the State Legislature for several terms (Hon. Judge T. M. Robb, of Lima, Allen Co., Ohio, and Hon. Vance Robb, of the same county, also Hon. James Smith Robb, M. D., of Logan county, Ohio, were their sons); Sarah Marquis married John Nelson, and lived near Bellefontaine, Logan county, Ohio (they had a family of eleven children); Edward Marquis was twice married, first to Margaret Marquis, and then to Elizabeth Newell (he had several children; his home was near Mt. Vernon, Knox Co., Ohio); Robert Marquis was also twice married, first to Hannah Van Nordstrand, and afterward to Mary Stevenson (his children, all of the second marriage, we're Newton, Rev. John S., Miles and Robert, of whom Newton married Mary Patterson, daughter of Hon. William Patterson, and granddaughter of Gen. Thomas Patterson, of Cross Creek; he died when a young man); Rev. John S. Marquis, D. D., married Margaretta Bryant McConaughy (he was for seventeen years pastor of Pigeon Creek Presbyterian Church in this county; his home is now Washington, and he has supplied the church of Lower Ten Mile at Amity, Penn., for nearly seven years). (Prof. J. S. Marquis, principal of Brainerd Institute, Chester, S. C., and Hugh McConaughy Marquis, S. K. of the B. & O. R. R. Works at Glenwood, Penn., are grandsons of Robert and Mary (Stevenson) Marquis; Miles Marquis died young; Robert Marquis was twice married, first to Jane Patterson, daughter of James Patterson, and granddaughter of Gen. Thomas Patterson, and his second wife was Elizabeth Scott (they now reside in Caldwell county, Mo., and have a family of seven children - four sons and three daughters). James Marquis, fifth son of the pioneer John, married first Nancy Roberts and afterward Nancy Elliott (he died in Knox county, Ohio; Mrs. Rev. N. C. Helfrich, of Plymouth, Ohio, is his daughter); William Marquis, (sixth son of John) married Elizabeth Adams, and lives near Tiffin, Seneca Co., Ohio (Mrs. Rev. Solomon Cook of that county is his daughter); Anne Marquis (third daughter of John) married Isaac Morrison, and they lived near Bellefontaine, Ohio. The children of John and Sarah (Griffith) Marquis were noted for their musical talents and fine musical voices. Dr. John Stockton told the writer, that Robert Marquis had the finest musical voice of any man he ever heard sing. John Marquis and his brother Thomas (afterward Rev. Thomas Marquis), in company with some others, pursued a baud of Indians, which had made a raid into that neighborhood, in 1776, murdered one woman and took captive another woman (Reynolds) and child. They came upon the Indians just at daybreak, as they were making a raft to cross the Ohio river opposite where is now Mingo Junction, on the Pan Handle Railroad. Seven of the eight Indians were killed, and one man of the pursuing party. The families of James T. Marquis and of Rev. J. S. Marquis, D. D., are the only descendant of John and Sarah Marquis now residing in this county. Rev. Thomas Marquis, the fourth son of Thomas and Mary (Colville) Marquis, was born in Opequan Valley, Va., in 1753; was married March 5, 1776, to Jane Park, and some time after came to Washington county. He settled on a tract of land for which he took out a warrant February 23, 1786, and afterward obtained a patent. This tract was called "Marrigate" and contained 417 acres, and allowances. The tract embraces one of the farms now owned by Richard Wells, the farm of the Bebout heirs, and a part of the Perrine tract. Afterward, by deed dated August 27, 1794, he purchased from Alexander Wells, of Cross Creek, and Nathan Cromwell, of Baltimore, a tract of 500 acres, embracing lands now owned by Hon. J. S. Duncan, John Lee, a tract (called the "McConnell" farm) now owned by W. C. Lee, and a part of the farm of Rev. J. S. Marquis, D. D. His family was obliged to live for a time in Vance's fort, owing to the incursions of the Indians, and while there he was converted under the preaching of Rev. James Power, D. D. By the advice of Revs. Smith and Dodd he commenced preparation for the ministry. His classical education was obtained at Canonsburg Academy, and he studied theology under the direction of Rev. Dr. McMillan and Rev. Joseph Smith; was licensed to preach the Gospel by the Presbytery of Redstone at Dunlaps Creek, April 19, 1793. He soon received three calls - from Bethel and Ebenezer, Ten-Mile, and Cross Creek. He was a natural orator. The tones of his voice was so musical that he was called the "Silver-tongued Marquis". He was pastor of Cross Creek Church for about thirty-three years. While on a visit to his son-in-law, Rev. Joseph Stevenson, he was attacked with fever, dying of same September 27, 1827, and was buried in the cemetery in Bellefontaine, Ohio. He had a large family of children, and his descendants are scattered far and wide. Rev. John M. Stevenson, D. D., one of the secretaries of the American Tract Society, at New York, Rev. James E. Marquis and Rev. Thomas Marquis Newell were grandsons. Rev. W. S. Marquis, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Rock Island, Ill., is a great grandson, and Mrs. Patton, wife of Rev. Dr. Patton, president of Princeton College, Princeton, N. J., is a great granddaughter. Only one of the daughters of Thomas and Mary (Colville) Marquis (Anne) came from Virginia to this county; she married Maj. James Park, who was killed by the Indians on a farm now belonging to the heirs of Josiah N. Scott, Esq., in Jefferson township, this county. The other daughters married in Virginia - Sarah married John Vance, and lived near Holstein, Va.; Elizabeth married Daniel McCauley, and remained in Virginia. There were some others of the name of Marquis who lived in this county, and were cousins of the children of Thomas and Mary (Colville) Marquis. George Marquis was one of the first bench of elders of Cross Creek Church. Samuel Marquis also lived near to Burgettstown, and John also lived in the same neighborhood. If these were first cousins of John and Rev. Thomas Marquis, as they claimed, William Marquis, who came from Ireland in 1720, must have left other children in Ireland, who came to America at a later period; and this appears most likely to be the case as all these parties came from near Winchester, Va., to this county.

Text taken from page 182 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed March 1997 by Bobbi Steele of Indianapolis, IN as part of the Beers Project. Published March 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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