Descendants of James Parsons, Captain

 

 

Generation No. 1

 

1.  JAMES¹ PARSONS,CAPTAIN

 

Notes for JAMES PARSONS,CAPTAIN:

Captain Parsons invited John Minear join him to go Cheat River in 1774,in Roane

County, Virginia(WVA).

 

They erected a fort for protection from the Indians and Lord Dunmore  the Governor of  the colony in

the muster of the Militias for an expedition against them.

When the fall crops were harvested they evacuated their families.  Sacrificing many of their  belongings and carrying things of value, these sturdy pioneers headed forMoorefield,WVA and resolved to return to lands. 

The Battle of Point Pleasant had been fought and the revolution was on.  They wandered back to Cheat.

 

Captain Parsons took possession of Horseshoe,because of pror claim.

John Minear went to St. George's,where he built a better,larger fort and re-organized his followers.

 

The Goffs' prior to the formation of Hardy County and with the first years assessments in the new coumty,were charged joinly

 with 45 acres and sixty-six acres of land near Moorefield,WVA.

 

This assessment continued until 1800 when Thomas Jonas Goff said farewell to his three brothers.

he settled in Winchester,Kentucky.

    

Child of JAMES PARSONS,CAPTAIN is:

2.    i. MARGARET² PARSONS, b. 1744, Maryland.

 

 

Generation No. 2

 

2.  MARGARET² PARSONS (JAMES¹) was born 1744 in Maryland.  She married THOMAS JONAS GOFF May 21, 1776 in Augusta

County,Virginia (recorded in marriage Bonds), son of UNKNOWN GOFF.  He was born 1744 in (believe the Goffs were born in

 Albany, New York)??, and died May 23, 1823.

 

Notes for THOMAS JONAS GOFF:

Thomas Jonas Goff paid taxes on land near Moorefield,WVA.

The Goffs prior to formation of Hardy County,WVA,paid taxes on land of 45 acresand 66 acres and continued until 1800,when

 Thomas Jonas Goff,said farewelllto his three brothers,and  moved to Winchester,Kentucky.

They raised a large family in Kentucky.

 

In summer of 1784,notice was served for on the claimnts for land grants by the State Commissioners,and said the hearing would

be near Clarksburg,to deliver the land grants.

 

The following is a copy of of one of the land grants executed to Salathiel Goff,then a County Court Commissioner of Harrison

 County,(W)VA.,newly formed from the Ohio and Monongalia,and thereby a "Justice of The Peace" of the Commonwealth.

 

"Know Ye that by virtue of a certificate in the right of settlement given by the commissioners for adjusting the title to unpatented

lands in the counties of Nonongalia,Yohogania and the ohio,and in

consideration of the ancient composition of  one pound,five shillings,paid by Salathiel Goff into the Treasury of the Commonwealth

unto the said Salathiel Goff a certain tract  or parcel of land,containing two hundred fifty acres of survey bearing the date the 13th of June,1781,lying andbeing in the county of Monongalia on Cheat River,nearly opposite the Horse Bottom,including his settlement

of  made thereon in the year 1776 and is bounded by as follows."

 

After they received own and their neighbors grants were returning Jubilantly in the Cheat settlements,riding horseback,

singe file along the Woodland trail.  A short distance belowwhat is now the town of Phillippi,where the path followed the

 narrows between the river and the hills,the horsemen in front,John Minear,suddenly encountered a string with a "shot-pouch"

attached,strung across the road,and  he halted "exclaiming"  "Indians".  he had no sooner gasped the words warning them,until

he fell dead from his horse pierced by a bullet.

Frederick Cooper & Daniel Cameron instantly met like fates.

John Miller succeeded in getting away and getting to Clarksburg to warn them.

Andrew Miller managed to also escape and made it  to the Tygarts settlements.

 

Salathiel tried to swim the river but could not get across,so he threw  his coat into the river

when he saw a deep hole cavern and hid in the den made by the otters.

The Indians followed the coat downstream,and he managed to leave the hole, get on his horse and escape to warn St. George's

garrison.

The Indians retreated and were pursued by Colonel Lowther's assembled scouts. Their camp was

located and attack was deterred until daybreak,when Lowther and his men made a surprise attack.

many Indians were killed and they headed for their towns beyond the Ohio and the loot was retaken by his troops.  Unhappily

one white settler was killed.

 

The four Goff brothers ,togther with their sons,acquired incresed holdings after the turn of the Century by patent and purchase,

much of which was within the boundaries of these counties.

We believe he and his brothers  were born in the vicinty of Albany,New York, where their direct ancestors came from Rhode Island

and Connecticut.

This is not positive and is only to be accepted for what it is worth as a research tool for

genealogists!!!!!!!!!  to work upon!!!!!

 

The First Positive appearance of the Brothers was in the Colony of Maryland.

 

When a census was taken was taken in the early days of Revolution and the three were recognized

as citizens of  that colony and reported living in the settlement  west of Fort Cumberland in the wilderness.

The three brothers mentioned were listed and inasmuch as the boundaries were undeterminedand in question at the time were

 the Census Enumerators were entirely within their rights listing them as being from Maryland.

However,they had wandered far from bailiwick to the southward and had established themselves in

the frontier settlements in what was Hampshire County,in or about Moorefield,WVA.

 

At this point Thomas Jonas Goff also appears,and by his marriage to Margaret Parsons daughter

of Captain James Parsons,May 21,1776,(recorded in the Augusta Couty,Virginia marriage bonds).

 

We have undisputable evidence that that the quarto  had resided in this region over ten years

 prior to the Revolutionary  War.

A few years before the marriage of  Thomas J. Goff,his brother John T. Goff had married Elizabeth

Welsh in Maryland,likely, within the boundaries of Prince George's County.

 

This Goff Book was published in 1984!!!!!!************************************

Seems to have excellent work on her information.!!!!!!  She was Way Ahead of our time!!

 

Elizabeth had a sister,believed to be Dorcas,who married James Riddle.

(But was Ann Welsh instead,Dorcas was her sister & mother's name)

 

John T. Goff &  Elizabeth Welsh,eldest child was James C. Goff,born July 21,1762,thus their

marriage must have occurred not before 1760 or 1761.

 

As the four brothers are known to have kept together in their pioneering their advent into Augusta County,Virginia  could have

scarely have been later than 1762 or 1763.

 

According to official evidence they were with Captain James Parsons and his little band of pioneers

when the first improvements were made.

    

Children of MARGARET PARSONS and THOMAS GOFF are:

      i. JONAS³ GOFF.

      ii. LEVI GOFF.

iii.ELISHA GOFF.

iv.STRAUDER GOFF.

     v. DRUSILLA GOFF.

vi.POLLY ANN GOFF.

vii.RACHEL GOFF.

viii.ELIZABETH GOFF.

     ix. MARGARET GOFF.

      x. POLLY GOFF.



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