Even though George Josiah Marsh, the son of Josiah Marsh, gave us his birthplace and parents in the history he wrote near the end of his life, it was hard to find Josiah in the census. It took an afternoon of looking, but I finally found him - his name had been misspelled as Joisha in the index. But then the place seemed wrong. George Josiah said that he was born in Randolph, and the census said Conewango. A town historian explained that Conewango and Randolph, Cattaraugus, New York, sit so closely that no one there really knows the boundary line. Josiah died before the next census was taken, but at least one of his neighbors listed in Conewango in 1830 was in the 1840 census in Randolph. Randolph was officially formed from Conewango on Feb 1, 1826, but the boundaries changed over the years. Town historians have not been able to find anything on the family. Letters were sent to all the Marshes in the area, but none of them knew anything about Josiah. Many of the land records were lost in a fire, which is noted over the internet at the site for the county of Cattaraugus. Numerous other records were gone through from the library in Salt Lake City. Our family paid a small amount to a very fine researcher to research the problem, but he was not able to help at all with the Josiah Marsh question.

I returned to this line in the early 1990's. Josiah must have gone to Cattaraugus County with his parents as he met his wife, Sally Clotilda Powell, there. It is easy to find Sally's family in the early Cattaruagus records. There was something found in the census that proved to be the answer. There were other Marsh names listed on the same page, and they lived side by side as neighbors. The names were interesting and uncommon, Lemuel Marsh and Julius Marsh and Orrin Marsh, all living side by side of Josiah. Lemuel was the man old enough to be the father, and Josiah, Julius, and Orrin were brothers! Still, Lemuel could not be found in the 1820 census, and there was no idea where he was from.

It was back to this question in the early part of 2004. Had someone else found something that would help? Lemuel or Josiah was not found over the internet, but there was an Orrin born in Vermont about the right time submitted to the Pedigree Resource File of familysearch. A Julius Marsh was found from the same town and right time period. For some reason, Josiah was left out of the index, but he was in the file. The odd thing was that there was no father listed. There were other Marsh names from the same family. The submitter could not be contacted by the e-mail address given. The records of St. Alban's, Franklin, Vermont, show the first nine children of this family with no parents listed. The "History of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties" also list the fist nine children of this family with no father listed, but the Vermont vitals completely missed the family.

• 17 July 1794. David Warner sold the south half of lot 84 to Lemuel Marsh.
• 29 December 1801. John Spencer sold fourteen acres of David's land to Lemuel Marsh (both men named as executors of David Warner's will) to raise money to pay debts owed from the estate.
• 1 January 1807. David Powers sold the whole of lot 84 at public vendue to Lemuel Marsh.
• 24 June 1807. Lemuel Marsh gave Rebecca Warner a life lease on the fourteen acre piece he had purchased from David Warner.
• 27 June 1807. Lemuel Marsh quit claimed land on lot 84 to Moses Post (lower Cunadol) and John Spencer (Clarendon) according to the will of David Warner.
• 9 March 1813. Lemuel Marsh mortgaged some land to N.W. Kingman
• 17 April 1817. Lemuel Marsh sold to Aaron Howard for $650 dollars the south half of lot 84, fourteen acres on the east end of the north half of the lot, and sixty-four acres on the west side of the road, which part was still encumbered by mortage, and Aaron Howard was to pay what was owed.

In the 1800 census of St. Alban's, it said that Lemuel had five children under the age of ten, two boys and three girls. That was likely a census mistake according to Lemuel's record of his children. It should have said three boys and two girls. Some census indexes have read the name "Lem Marsh" as "Lem Mank", and that is the way it was indexed in the 1810 census.

The town records turn up a little more information on him (0028859). The lists of members of the town in 1790, 1791, and 1792, did not show him or any other Marsh for that matter. There was no list of town members in 1793, but his daughter's birth indicates he was there. The list of town members quit in 1793, but he was listed on the Grand Tax list in 1799 having paid $51.25. On 3 Mar 1800, he was made a surveyor of highways. This seemed to be a job for only a year as he was not listed again for another few years. In 1800 he was also on the Grand Tax list having paid $72.50. In 1801 he paid $112.50 on the tax list. In 1803 Lemuel was listed as an elector for a representative to Congress. He was on the Grand Tax list for 1803. In 1804, Lemuel was again sworn to be a surveyor of highways and was assigned the "north middle". He was on the 1804 Grand Tax list for $95.00 and in 1806 for $95.00. Lemuel was a highway surveyor again in 1807, and he was on the tax list for the year for $98.50. Lemuel had some responsibility in 1808 to count or report the scholars of his area in the 5th District that were of the age of four years to eighteen years, and he reported that there were 60. He was voted to this position on the 30 Apr 1808. He was on the Grand List for the amount of $95.00. In September of 1808, Lemuel was again an elector for a representative to Congress. He was elected to be a petit juror in 1809, and he reported 65 scholars in the 5th District in the same year. He paid $119.75 in taxes. He was a petit juror again in 1810, and he reported 57 scholars in his district in that year. He voted for a representative to the assembly, and he paid $106.50 in taxes. He paid $188.75 on the Grand Tax List for 1811; there were 38 scholars reported. There were scholars mentioned for his district in 1812, but the trustees were not given. There was another reference to him being either a juror or a highway surveyor, but it was not clear which one. Lemuel voted as a freeman in 1812 and was a surveyor in 1813. For taxes in 1812, he paid $100.75, in 1813, it was $106.00, in 1814- $114.50, 1815- $136.75, 1816- $134.50, and in 1817, he paid $139.00. That was the end of the tax information that could be found. In 1814 Lemuel voted as a Freeman, 1815 he voted for a town representative, in 1816 he was on the Freeman's list as voting and also cast a ballot for a town rep. In 1816 Lemuel's son, Walter, was admitted and sworn as a Freeman. In 1817 Lemuel was a surveyor of highways and voted, but after that there was no trace of him. There were some missing records through that time, but he did not pay any taxes in 1818 or 1819. It may have been a bit of a surprise that he was leaving town as he was elected to be a surveyor of highways in March of 1817, just a month before he sold his land.

It was later found that Lemuel had at least four sons who were editor/printers, and at least three who were preachers. This says something about Lemuel and Rosanna's interest in education and religion.

Every resource in the Vermont Research Guide did not turn up Lemuel's father. There was an old sheet found that said an Amos Marsh had a son, Lemuel. The Clarendon town office said that they did not have an Historical Society, but I could contact a Dawn Hance there. She directed me to Amos' probate. "Set out and distributed to Lemuel Marsh the son of the deceased a piece of land beginning at the SW corner of the third and..." This also had Lemuel's actual signature, as after he was fourteen, he was able to choose his own guardian.

Lemuel's deeds gave the information as to who his wife must have been. Rosanna Warner Marsh's name was found in David Warner's probate, as well as Lemuel being an executor of his father-in-law's will. Dawn Hance's knowledge that the David Warner and Amos Marsh farms sat together in Clarendon added to the evidence for the parents of both individuals. Lemuel followed his school sweetheart when her father moved from Clarendon.

Lemuel leaving Vermont so quickly was later understood by the fact that there was a terrible freeze there in 1816 that destroyed the crops. By the spring of 1817, prices were so high on everything that people could not even buy seed for their land. People left Vermont in droves, and Lemuel and his family went with them. That explains the "surveryor of highways" one month and selling his land the next.

It was later found that Lemuel likely went to Bergen, Genesee, New York where he was found in the census of 1820 under the name of Lemuel Mash. There it became apparent that Lemuel had more children than were recorded in St. Alban's. The biography of Lemuel's grandaughter, "The Life and Work of Jane Marsh Parker" by Marcelle LeMenager Lane, says that Jane's father and Lemuel's son, Joseph Marsh, was "the son of a Vermont pioneer in the Genesee Valley...one of sixteen children". The census records have only indicated the thirteen shown here; perhaps some died young.

Lemuel's son, Walter, was in the neighboring town of LeRoy with some cousins. Neither man was found in the land records of Genesee; perhaps they did not record their deeds or they did not purchase land there. The move to New York left Lemuel's two married daughters behind in Vermont.

It was interesting that Hollis Marsh was found as his name was first seen in the Cattaraugus County records. He was probably living with his father in the 1830 census, and there is a history of him that said he died in 1837 of pneumonia after his marriage to Polly Scudder. Lemuel lost so much in that time period. There was Josiah's death in 1831, James' death in 1832, Hollis' death in 1837, and Orrin and Lemuel Lucius likely died in the same time frame. But these came after the greatest loss of all; Rosanna Warner Marsh died in 1824. Lemuel married a second time, and the two girls, 10-15 years old, living in his home, were likely step-daughters.

While only a theory that came late in the research, I think that Lemuel married (2) Roxanna Chapin, the wife of Nathaniel Barmore, and mother of Roxanna Barmore who married William Marsh. Listed here are the evidences:

• The Barmores and the Marshes would have known each other from Bergen, Genesee, New York.
• Nathaniel Barmore died in 1821 in Bergen, about the same time that Rosanna Marsh died, also in Bergen.
• Roxanna Chapin Barmore was born in 1782, and was the right age to be Lemuel's wife from the 1830 and 1840 census. From the census work done on her children by William Utermohlen, Roxana was not living in the home of any of her children in the 1830 and 1840 census years, which points directly to a second marriage.
• Roxanna's two youngest daughters were the only ones of the Barmore children that were not married by 1830, and the only ones that Roxanna would have still had with her. They were also the right age to be the teenage stepdaughters from the 1830 census.
• The Barmore's four youngest children all married in Cattaraugus County, starting in 1827. It would seem that their mother must have remarried someone whose move would take her and her family to Cattaraugus; it is doubtful she would have moved on her own. Lemuel was known to be in Cattaraugus by about 1826, because of his son, Josiah, marrying Sally Clotilda Powell about that time.
• William Marsh marrying the Barmore's daughter, Roxanna Barmore, shows there must have been some family proximity. They could have shared several years in the same home before their marriage. It may also be an indicator that Lemuel Marsh was living in the William Marsh home (1850) rather than the Amanda Jane Marsh White home (next door to William) as William and Roxanna would have been caring for both William's father and Roxanna's mother. Had it previously just been Lemuel, he would have likely been in Amanda's home.
• Adna Barmore, Roxana's son, was living next door to the Marshes in the 1840 census. His mother living in Lemuel's home makes that more probable.
• At least six of the Barmore siblings wound up in Berrien County, Michigan, and LaPorte County, Indiana, living very near to William and Roxanna Marsh (with Lemuel in their home in 1850) and Freeborn and Amanda Jane Marsh White. Roxanna Chapin Barmore (Marsh?) may have started on the trip with them to that area, and died before the 1850 census. Barmore family records show that Roxana died in 1857 (place unknown), but she has not been located in the 1850 census.

Lemuel gave right-of-way to the railroad in 1839.

In looking for men that could have been Lemuel's sons, William Marsh was found in the 1850 Berrien, Michigan census, just the right age and born the right place to be a son, but the astonishing thing was finding Lemuel living with him!! Later, Amanda Jane Marsh White, Lemuel's daughter was found living right next door to William and Lemuel. More finds showed that William was living on farms in Berrien County, Michigan, and Hudson, LaPorte, Indiana, just a day's wagon drive between the two.

-Map from deeds showing the confluence of Conewango Creek and Little Conewango Creeks and lot 33 in two pieces, the top square being William's land, and the bottom square being Hollis' land. It must have been Lemuel's 100-acre lot originally.

It seems that William got his father's land some way in Cattaraugus County. There was no record of any other sale of any property other than when William and Roxanna sold part of lot 33 to Nathan and Polly Sears (Polly being Hollis' widow) at the end of 1843. Hollis may have originally had a piece of it also as the land he deeded to Polly from his will forms the southern boundary of part of lot 33. This same lot sits right below the confluence of the rivers described in the history for Hollis. Whether this deed was one that burned or whether it was never recorded is not known, but there is no record in Cattaraugus County for Josiah's, Hollis', Orrin's, Julius', William's or Lemuel's purchase or sale of land, except in the case of William selling part of lot 33 before leaving for Michigan. Someone in the county record office in Cattaraugus said it was common to not record your deeds there, and there was no law that said you had to. William also mortgaged "a part" of lot 33 in 1839, and it seems that Hollis got part of lot 33, and William got the other part, both from their father, Lemuel. Nathan sold the part that he purchased from William and moved on, but Hollis' son, Hollis Jr. stayed in Randolph for years and mortgaged the property he received from his father's will numerous times before the property was sold. A map of Conewango can be viewed over the internet showing lot 33 clearly at the bottom of the township.

There may have been a family meeting in Lemuel's home after 1832, either formal or informal. Lemuel knew that two, maybe four or five of his sons were dead. Walter may have returned from Ohio before he left for Illinois. Joseph's records show that he was not too far from home to have returned also. This was likely when Lemuel's land was passed to William and Hollis (perhaps with the understanding that they would care for him), and other decisions were made about inheritance. There were likely decisions by individuals in the family about the direction they would take. Some of Parmele's children may have influenced others in the family or were influenced, as they went to Illinois from Vermont, very near to where Walter wound up, and where Julius would eventually spend some years. No one would have guessed that Hollis, too, would be gone within just a few years.

After finding that Lemuel's son, Joseph, was an early leader in the Millerite movement, it would be interesting to know if the sale of land in Cattaraugus had anything to do with the same movement. It is certain that Joseph would have communicated with his family about his belief. Did they and the Barmore's believe it also? Did the group first go to Rochester, and then on to Michigan after the disappointment came?

A very, very special thanks to Jan Stilson, Church of God Historian, for furnishing the obituary of Lemuel Marsh.

Marsh, Joseph, "Obituary of Lemuel Marsh" Advent Harbinger and Bible Advocate Vol.2:341 July 6, 1850. Used with permission of Atlanta Bible College Archives.

"Lemuel Marsh - Father of the editor, died at Hudson, LaPorte, Indiana 3 June 1850, in the 80th year of his age.

He spent the early part of his active life in St. Alban's, Franklin Co., Vermont, his native State, where he professed faith in Christ, and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church.

In A.D. 1817, he moved to LeRoy, Genessee, New York, where, on account of denying the trinity and believing in the Unity of God, and that Christ is the Son of God, he was turned out of the M.E. Church. My mother and one or two brothers were turned out of the same church about that time, for the same cause.

In LeRoy he buried his first wife, my pious mother, and soon after marrying his second wife, moved to Randolph, Cattaraugus, N.Y., where he buried three sons, my dear brothers, who died happily in the Lord.

After spending several years of deprivation and incessant toil in the wilds(?) of Randolph, he moved to Hudson, Indiana, to fill up the measure of his days in that new and fertile country. There he paid the debt of nature, there he now (?), sleeps in death - (?) we trust, to awake to (?), and have a glorious part in the first resurrection.

Blessed be the Lord!" (Last sentence illegible.)

Lemuel outlived at least six of his children, none of which died young, and he may have outlived three others. Two more died within the next decade.

A very special thanks to Sheron Long for sharing a letter that Hollis Marsh Jr. wrote to Jane Marsh Parker which told of his grandfather's (Lemuel) move to Michigan. It can be read on this website under the info for Hollis Marsh Sr.

Bergen Cemeteries listed here did not give any info on the Marshes - Mt. Rest, Richmond Family Plott, Saint Bridget, Red School House, Stone Church Rural, and East Bergen. LeRoy Cemeteries did not turn up anything either.

Lemuel's brother-in-law, John Spencer, had a sister that married Israel Robinson, the son of one of Lemuel's guardians.