The first record I found was the marriage record of “El” McGraw to Solomon Nelson in Greenbrier County in 1810. I immediately assumed, like numerous others, that her name was Elizabeth. It wasn’t until years later that I made the acquaintance of one of “Nelly’s” descendants who enlightened me. Nelly’s descendants believe she was born about 1788 in Maryland. I am not going to argue since that may well be the truth. Why? Because a man named “Martin Magraw” appears in the 1790 Washington County, Maryland Census, the first census in the nation. It looks like this:
Home in 1790 (City, County, State) Washington, Maryland
Males – 16 and over: 1 – Martin McGraw, Sr.
Males – Under 16: 4 – George Anthony, John, Martin Jr., newborn William
Females – (all ages): 3 – Margaret LNU, Mary Anne, Eleanor/Elender
Number of Household Members 8
The family was not in Washington County, MD much longer, as the next child to come along was Samuel, born in Augusta County, Virginia. Think “Staunton,” since the obvious “path” into Augusta County from Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland, is the Great Wagon Road out of Philadelphia. The path/trail from Bedford Courthouse, PA, to Hagerstown, MD is about 90 miles sans Interstate, which didn’t exist in those days. Hagerstown, MD to Staunton, VA: about 140 miles. Staunton to Lewisburg, WV is another 100 miles or so. The “pauses” along the route of migration was to rest the horses, farm or work a little for the remaining trip, avoid wintertime travel, have a baby and get it to an age suitable for travel, and hit the road in early spring. The distance in my calculations is approximately 330 miles.
Martin McGraw (Senior) disappears from the Bedford County, PA tax lists after 1785, then appears in the 1790 Census in Washington County, MD. There is no guarantee those two men are one and the same; it is the conclusion I have drawn from the records I have found. Martin McGraw Sr appears one time together with his newly married son, Martin McGraw Jr one time: 24 May 1806 Monroe County, WV.
CITATION: PP Tax List. IMG 129. “Familysearch: Sign In”. 2022. Familysearch.Org. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS73-S9T3-B?mode=g&cat=637416.
The 1806 Tax List is the last in which Martin Sr appears in either Monroe or Greenbrier Counties. The previous four years, he appeared in the Greenbrier County Tax Lists, then backing up to 1801, he appeared in the Monroe Tax List. Because he and other family members appear in both/either county over the years lead me to conclude the family resided on land that fell within both counties. I believe that put them in the vicinity of Clayton, WV, now situated in Summers County. Clayton is about 4 miles from Pence Springs via the Clayton – Hungard’s Creek Road. Remember that name: Hungard’s Creek. I’m going to use it in another document about Henry McGraw in a future post.
I have not researched the location in which Solomon Nelson and his family were living in the 1800s near the Greenbrier River, but I am certain they must have. Lewisburg, where the county courthouse is situated, is 22 miles from Pence Springs. That is a day’s walk or ride on horseback one way, not round trip. But I have found that, at least for many of the family members, the common denominator is the Old Greenbrier Baptist Church and/or its pastor, John Alderson.
But the officiating minister for Nelly and Solomon’s wedding was another Baptist minister, Josiah Osborne. He was a circuit-riding minister who often assisted John Alderson. The two men, along with James Johnson, organized the Big Levels Baptist Church near Lewisburg.
The last time Solomon Nelson is accounted in the Greenbrier County Tax lists was in 1816. No date of visitation by the commissioner was provided. By 1826, we find Solomon Nelson in the tax lists at Smyrna Township, Gallia County, Ohio. That’s about 160 to 200 miles from the Lewisburg/Greenbrier River area and roughly an 8-day trip. Yes, I know there is a space of 10 years between 1816 and 1826; I’ve just no idea where the Nelson family was during that time. In 1838, the Nelson’s were still in Gallia County, Ohio but by 1840, they are listed in the census in Madison County, Indiana. Headstone information tells us that Nelly died on 2 August 1845, while Solomon passed on 14 November 1846. According to their Find-a-Grave listing, the couple is buried in the Nelson Cemetery in Richland Township, Madison County, Indiana.
My records divulge the following children:
- John M. Nelson, b. 1811, d. 1881;
- Sarah Nelson, b. 1813, d. 1860;
- Benham Nelson, b. 1814, d. 1876;
- Elizabeth Bethany Nelson, b. 1819, d. 1893;
- Josiah R. Nelson, b. 1821, d. 1909;
- William A. Nelson, b. 1827, d. 1908;
- Ashford H. Nelson, b. 1833, d. 1854;
- Solomon Nelson II, b. 1835, no other info.
