Moses Webb & Hannah Matthews

Generation No. 2

1. MOSES² WEBB (JOHN¹) was born Oct 02, 1743¹ in Berks Co., Pennsylvania, and died Bet. 1780 - 1790 when he drowned in the Sandy River in Kentucky. He married HANNAH MATTHEWS Bef. 1764 probably in Berks Co., Pennsylvania , daughter of JOHN MATTHEWS and SARAH MILLER*. She was born Aft. 1750 in Exeter Twp, Berks, Pennsylvania, and died Aft. 1810 probably in Rockingham Co., VA. Hannah married 2nd before 1791 probably in Rockingham County, Virginia WILLIAM RATCHFORD born before 1765. (*speculated parents see below)

Exeter Monthly Meeting held at Maiden Creek 25th day of the 1st month 1759, pg 314²

“Exeter representatives report that Mosses Webb son of John Webb is enlisted as a soldier in the Kings' Service.  The meeting upon considoring, that by his Inlistment he hath disowned the principles of Friends, and being informed, that notwithstanding much pains hath been taken by his near Relations & Friends to procure his release, which when they had so far done as that nothing but his consent was wanting to compleat it, he refused to go home to his parents, think that treating with him will not be productive of any good effect, do therefore appoint Thomas Lee and Samuel Hughes to draw an essay of testimony against him & bring to next meeting.”

Eexeter MM 22 day of the 2nd month 1759, pg 3192:

“An essay of a testimony against Mosses Webb being now produced and read was ordered to be signed by the clerk; and the said Mosses being now gone with the Army so as that reading the same to him will be difficult to accomplish...”

After the Exeter MM records we find no further evidence of Moses in Berks Co., Pennsylvania. He does not appear on any Berks County tax list^3,4 and may have been in the military or he may have been living with his parents. If he was living with his parents he would not have appeared on the tax rolls until he was 21 which would have been 1864 or 1865. Interestingly, Moses does not appear as a witness at any Quaker marriages⁵ as do a number of his siblings. We do know, from his grandson, the Rev. J. Wesley Webb, that he was in Berks County in 1864 when his only proven child Jeremiah was born. He apparently departed Berks County shortly thereafter.

The Rev. J. Wesley Webb, grandson of Moses Webb, in a letter written to Lyman Draper dated August 22, 1883⁶ provides us the following:

“Now in regard to the Webb family – my great grandfather married a sister of Daniel Boone. He was one of the ___ who came from Wales and settled in Pa. One brother settled in Tennessee and one in Alabama. I do not remember my great grandfather’s given name – of course it was taken from the Bible, being Quakers. My impression is that the most of the family went with the Boones to North Carolina. My grandfather’s name was Moses and my grandmother was Hannah Matthews. My grandfather went with Daniel Boone to Kentucky and was drowned in the Sandy River. My father’s name was Jeremiah – born in Pa December 25th 1764 – died on Mossy Creek Va December 26, 1838. Not long after the death of Henry Miller (which occurred in the North ___ right hand fork, in 1790--) he married Catharine Aleshyre and took his bridal trip on horse back from the Valley of Va to Daniel Boone and my grandfather Webbs in Kentucky.”

In a second letter to Lyman Draper dated September 1, 1887⁶ the Rev. Webb is more specific about where in Pennsylvania his great-grandfather lived: “He lived in the Berks region of Pa but do not when he died.” Clearly the Rev. Webb is referring to his grandparents John Webb and Mary Boone who we know was not a sister of Daniel Boone but was the sister of Daniel's father Squire Boone. Although he is correct about where they were from both in Pennsylvania and Wales and also that they were Quakers. In the same 1887 letter the Rev. Webb referring to Daniel Boone states “He ran a salt furnace on Sandy River on Kentucky**** for a while” The astericks refer to a footnote by Lyman Draper “This is an error, it was his son, J___ B. Boone”. Although in error the Rev. Webb, combined with the location of of his father's death, gives us some idea where to look for more information on Moses Webb. This may refer to the Sandy River bordering Mason Co., Kentucky where in the 1795 and 1797 tax lists there is a Moses Webb.

In the Rev. Webb's 1883 letter to Draper he clearly identifies his grandparents as Moses Webb and Hannah Matthews. Only three other Moses Webb have been found in the Berks County records: Moses the son of Samuel born 1787¹, Moses the son of James born 1775⁷, and Sgt Moses Webb born about 1761 and none of these could have been the father of Jeremiah who was born in 1764.

Also in the 1883 letter the Rev. Webb names a number of anunts and uncles:

“Uncle Moses settled in Harrison County Ky. My aunt married a Morgan. You know something of the Kentucky Morgans. Uncle Benjamin went to the same state, so did Uncles Asa, Mace, Elijah and Elisha.”

This statement by the Rev. Webb is as important to research on Moses Webb as it is on the family of his brother James Webb as most of the aunts and uncles named by the Rev. Webb have now been identified as children of James Webb & Mary Matthews rather than children of Moses Webb, as was previously thought. This clearly establishes the relationship between Moses Webb and his brother James Webb of Rockingham Co., Virgina.

Furthermore, this relationship is affirmed as in August 1804 James Webb, now residing in Jessamine Co., Kentucky, in obvious response to the Matthews v. Warren⁸,⁹ civil case (see below) gives power of attorney to Jeremiah Webb of Augusta Co., Virginia in which he identifies his wife as Mary Matthews daughter of Robert Matthews of “Burks County Pennsylvania” (Jessamine Co., KY Deed Book A, p. 509). For several reasons, this appears to be James' nephew Jeremiah A. Webb son of Moses Webb rather than James' son Jeremiah. First, Jeremiah Webb witnesses the will of Henry Miller¹⁰ in Augusta Co., Virgina in 1796 and Henry's death is noted in the 1883 letter to Draper. Henry Miller was the brother of Sarah Miller. Sarah Miller, as noted above is believed to be the mother of Moses' wife Hannah Matthews and therefore Jeremiah's grandmother. We also note the middle name of Miller in four of Jeremiah's children. Second, Jeremiah A. Webb, son of Moses, married in Augusta Co., Virginia 27 Mar 1804¹¹ Catharine Ailshire which is confirmed by the Rev. Webb in his 1883 letter to Draper. Third, in April 1804 Jeremiah Webb's Augusta County deposition is noted in Mary Gilmer v. Peter Sipe⁸. Fourth, the Rev. Webb notes in 1804 his parents “took his bridal trip on horse back from the Valley of Va to Daniel Boone and my grandfather Webbs in Kentucky”. Jeremiah A. Webb appears on the tax rolls of Augusta Co., Virginia continuously from 1799 on with the exception of 1804 during which he was in Kentucky and James Webb probably gave him the power of attorney during this visit. It seems highly unlikely that James Webb would have vested such power in Jeremiah unless he was his nephew.

As yet we have failed to find any record of Moses other than that provided by the Rev. J. Wesley Webb although the search has not yet exhausted all possibilities. We do find a Moses Webb in records of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky but have not yet been able to distinguish between them and the son of John Webb and Mary Boone. It may be Moses who purchased land on the Yadkin river along with brothers George and Benjamin or this may be Sgt. Moses Webb who served in the Revolution from Berks County.

The research of Diana Lehman¹² strongly suggests that John Matthews, son of Robert Matthews and Mary Coles, married Sarah Miller, daughter of Stephen Miller and Sarah Warren/Warin, and that Hannah Matthews, daughter of John, first married Moses Webb and later married William Ratchford/Wratchford⁸.

From the Matthews v. Warren civil case, filed in Augusta County, Virginia contesting the settlement of Robert Matthews estate, we know that Hannah Matthews, daughter of John Matthews, married William Ratchford. There is no marriage record for Hannah Matthews and Moses Webb listed in Berks Co., Pennsylvania or Augusta or Rockingham Co, Virginia in Vogt & Kethley. Neither is there any marriage record of her second marriage to William Ratchford/Wratchford or variants that I have been able to find. It seems likely that Moses and Hannah would have married in Pennsylvania since Hannah would have been very young when she married and most likely would have been living with her grandmother Mary Matthews Cherrington in Berks County. Diana Lehman has done exhaustive research on Moses Webb and Hannah Matthews for which we are indebted. Her research, which is very good and very probable, seeks to show that Hannah was the child of John Matthews and Sarah Miller of Berks Co., Pennsylvania. Diana's research uncovered the letters from the Rev. J. Wesley Webb to Lyman Draper in which the Rev. Webb details his family and identifies his grandmother as Hannah Matthews. Unfortunately we have yet to find a marriage record or conclusive proof of her father as John Matthews of Berks County, Pennsylvania. We do know than John Matthews did have a daughter Hannah in Berks County and we find no other records of a Hannah Matthews. It appears very likely that Hannah Matthews daughter of John Matthews and the wife of Moses are the same person but proof is still lacking. As noted above Jeremiah Webb witnessed the will of Henry Miller and was even living among the Miller families in Augusta County. We also find the Miller name was prevalent in the names of Jeremiah Webb's children which further supports the speculation. See the Robert Matthews research for more details on Hannah's parents. The following records probably petain to William Ratchford and have not been fully investigated for further clues as to family relationships but are included here to assist other researchers.

3/21/1791 WRATCHFORD &c vs MATTHEWS & Co.¹³ this day came the parties by their Attornies & ye Argaments of Council being Heard on both sides it is ordered & Decreed that ye Complainants recover vs ye Deft ye sum of L53..11..5 with interest thereon from ye Month of June A.D. 1762 untill this date deducting from ye Interest afsd L9..10.. amounting in all to the sume of L121..2S.10d from which decree the Deft prayed an Appeal which is granted on their Complying wh the Law.

5/24/1791 WRATCHFORD & others vs MATHEWS &c.¹⁴ Cha the Defts in this cause not having given bond agreeable to ye O: at ye Last term. O: for Appl is set aside &c.

8/28/1794 JOHNSON vs. GRATTAN Exors¹⁵. Jury sworn to wit: Thomas GILMORE, Mark RIGS, Alexr GRAHAM, James RIGS, James BLACK, William DONAPHIN, William RATCHFORD, David RADER, John MALCUM, James SPINCK, James LOCKARD & Benjamin HARRISON.

Generation No. 3

2. JEREMIAH A.³ WEBB (MOSES², JOHN¹) was born Dec 25, 1764 in Pennsylvania, and died Dec 26, 1838 in Mossy Creek, Augusta, Virginia. He married CATHARINE AILSHIRE Mar 27, 1804¹¹ in Augusta Co., Virginia, daughter of JACOB AILSHIRE and JANE JUDD. She was born Abt. 1786 in Virginia (1850 Augusta Co, VA census), and died Jun 12, 1855 in Augusta Co., Virginia.

3/9/1796 Henry MILLER signed will⁹; pr. April 1796. Wife Hanah, sons Samuel, William, James, Henry, daughters Hannah, Martha and Rachel LEWIS. Exec: Sons Samuel and James MILLER, John LEWIS. Wit: Samuel FORSYTHE, Jeremiah WEBB, Saml. MILLER, James MILLER.

Also found in Augusta Co., VA Marriages¹¹ are two Ailshire marriages that may well be related siblings of Catherine:

John Ailshire & Elizabeth Dunlap 2 Nov 1809; min- William King

Nancy Ailshire & Thomas Ralston 22 Mar 1810; min- William King

Generation No. 4

9. REV. JEREMIAH WESLEY⁴ WEBB (JEREMIAH A.³, MOSES², JOHN¹) was born Jun 05, 1826 in On Mossy Creek, Augusta Co., Virginia, and died Aft. 1890. He married (1) MARY E. SHUMATE Nov 19, 1851, daughter of BAILEY SHUMATE and LUCY MILLS. She was born Abt. 1829 in Albemarle Co., VA, and died Bet. 1880 - 1890 in West Virginia. He married (2) MARY VIRGINIA SHINN Nov 06, 1890 in Harrison Co., West Virginia. She was born Abt. 1863 in Harrison Co, West Virginia.

Notes for REV. JEREMIAH WESLEY WEBB:

Prominent Men of West Virginia. [p.693] WILLIAM L. BRIDGES.

J. WESLEY WEBB was born in Augusta county, Virginia, June 5, 1826; was educated in private schools of his native county; at the age of nineteen, he became principal of Middlebrook Academy, and remained in that position three years, when he was made principal of Roller's Academy; served efficiently as such principal for several years; became a student of medicine at Harrisonburg, Virginia, under the tutorage of the renowned Dr. Clay; became a Christian, closed his medical books, and, in 1850, entered the Christian Ministry in the M. E. Church. He came to Western Virginia in 1853, and for a year was principal at Baxter's Institute in Buckhanuon. The next year he joined the Western Virginia Conference and began a regular ministerial career, which has continued to the present. He is a preacher of great power, and has filled many of the best stations in the Conference. In 1872 he was chosen as a delegate to the General Conference of his Church, which met that year in Brooklyn, N. Y. During his ministry he has been instrumental, as pastor and Presiding Elder, in the erection of between sixty and seventy churches and parsonages. As a recognition of his literary and theological attainments, several years ago, Mount Union College conferred upon him the degree of D. D.” [Ancestry.com. West Virginia Prominent Men [database online]. Orem, UT: Ancestry.com, 1998. Original data: Atkinson, George W. Prominent Men of West Virginia, Vol. I-II (2). Wheeling, WV: W.L. Callin, 1890.]

Notes: Middlebrook Academy is probably in Middlebrook, Augusta Co., VA. There seems to be conflicting data on the Roller's Academy - current data indicates it wasn't started until later, however, there does seem to be some indication it may have begun earlier.

Endnotes