History: Family: "The Sampson Family" 1760's-: Westmoreland, Allegheny, Washington Cos, PA
excerpts from the works of Lilla Briggs Sampson,
Member Maryland Historical Society, various pages.
Footnotes added by Wayne M. Sampson.
Copyright 1914
By Lilla Briggs Sampson
composed and Printed at the
Waverly Press
By the Williams & Wilkins Company
Baltimore, U.S.A.
Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Wayne M. Sampson;
916 South Olive Street; Mexico, MO 65265.
wayne@morrisnet.net
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Pages 84-85.
THE SAMPSON FAMILY
By means of quite an extensive correspondence with this
family of Sampsons, I learned the tradition handed down from
their great-great-grandfather was as follows:
"Four brothers of the name of Sampson, settled in
Ballyloughlin near Cookstown, County Tyrone. Where these
brothers came from cannot be learned. Their names were
James, Ralph, George and Thomas."
"Little is known of Ralph, or practically nothing. I
discovered a will in a list of wills sent me from Dublin and
had it copied. He writes himself as of Derryloran, Bally-
loughlin. His wife was Mary _____ and the will was made in
1792. The children mentioned are Robert, John, Eleanor, who
married Thomas Dreining, William, Ralph, Mary, who married
John Adams, James, Thomas and George."
"Some one of the Sampson family with whom I have corre-
sponded in Ireland made mention of the warm friendship
existing between a family of the name of Adams and the
Sampsons. Ralph's daughter, Mary, married John Adams, while
another account mentions a John Sampson as marrying Mary
Adams. This John, with his wife, eventually came to America
and settled in Pittsburgh, Pa. I am fully convinced that
this John Sampson, who married Mary Adams, was also a son of
Ralph, and that these marriages occurred very near together,
as is frequently the case where a brother and a sister of
one family are united by marriage to a brother and sister of
another family. If this inference of mine should chance to
be correct (and the dates will also allow of it), then the
four brothers, John who married May Adams, William, Thomas
and James, all of whom came to America and settled in West-
ern Pennsylvania, were sons of Ralph Sampson of "Derryloran,"
Ballyloughlin, County Tyrone, Ireland."
*******
Pages 133-134:
THE SAMPSON FAMILY
I doubt if the most vivid imagination can picture the
hardships and terrors of those early days in Western Penn-
sylvania. Even the roads as late as 1786 were the paths of
the Redskins traversed by traders, indians and emigrants
from the east. The houses were built of logs, some of which
are standing today in some sections. The numerous Indians
and the depredations they committed forced many of the men
who were old enough, to belong to "The Rangers," a body who
could be called upon to fight the Indians at any hour, day
or night. Among these "Rangers on the Frontiers," as they
were called, were a number of Sampsons. In G. D. Albert's
History of Westmoreland County is this record:
"Thomas Sampson and William Sampson were Rangers on the
Frontiers belonging to Capt. Moses Carsons' Company, July 9,
1776 to August 9, 1776, also Thomas Sampson, Sr. and Thomas
Sampson were Rangers on the Frontiers in Capt. Morton's
Company."
*******
Pages 166-185:
THE SAMPSON FAMILY
With the assistance of court records and will, as also
the data given me by the descendants, I have proved there
were four brothers of the name of Sampson who came from
Ballyloughlin, near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland:
William, Thomas of the Greensburg Pike, James and John. Of
these brothers, two served in the Revolutionary War. Wil-
liam was in the famous battle of the Brandywine, as well as
many other battles. He kept at one time "The Black Horse
Tavern," near Webster, and was living there when his daugh-
ter Sarah, married Benjamin Beazell.
In the 10th volume of the Pennsylvania Magazine, under
"Notes of Travel," by William Henry, is the following notice
of "Black Horse Tavern:"
At Sampson's we had tolerable good accommodations.
Sampson's was in the forks, between the Monongahela and
Youghiogheny Rivers, a little more than half way
between Williamsport and Robbstown, (which is now West
Newton).
William Sampson, married Dorcas Neal, a sister of the
Mary Neal Beazell, who married his nephew, also a William
Sampson.
The father of Mary and Dorcas Neal was Matthew Neal, a
pioneer of the Monongahela Valley, who settled at Long Run
and was killed by the Indians.
William and Dorcas had two sons and six daughters. The
two sons were John and William. William married Jane Bea-
zell and had five children: Rebecca, John, Benjamin, Mat-
thew, and William, who married ________ and whose daughter,
Hattie Sampson, married Thomas Guy, and lives in Youngstown,
O. The six daughters of William and DOrcas were:
Sarah, who married Benjamin Beazell.
Dorcas, who married Jesse Stoneman.
Mary, who married Sam Devore.
Jane, who married a Monteith.
Margaret and Rachell, of whom I have found no record as
to their marriages.
William died in 1809 and is no doubt, buried in the
cemetery of the Old Stone Fells Church, near Webster, Pa.
This church was built by Benjamin Beazell (who married
William's daughter, Sarah Sampson) and one of the Fells
family who donated the land.
The noted Methodist preacher, Rev. James G. Sansom (no
doubt a connection of the Sampson family) preached in this
church at one time. Benjamin Beazell also built the first
house in the town of Webster, which was occupied by and
known as the "Rev. James G. Sansom Mansion."
Thomas Sampson, a brother of William also served in the
Revolutionary War.
There is no record obtainable of Thomas Sampson's birth
{see note 1.}, but he lived in a log house on the old
Greensburg Pike, where he owned a farm of 333-1/2 acres. He
died in this log house in August 1833 and his wife followed
him two weeks later. Thomas had many experiences with the
Indians. One story told of him is that he was sent ahead of
a party of men who were out trying to find some Indians who
had been committing depredations in the neighborhood. They
came to a place where there were high rocks on an old Indian
trail, and Thomas, not wishing to take time to walk around
these rocks, caught hold of a birch and swung himself around
over the rocks, landing in the midst of some Indians who
were eating their lunch among these same rocks. Thomas
yelled and whooped so that it frightened the Indians into
thinking it was a whole party of soldiers after them and
they scattered without attacking Thomas. His name is men-
tioned in the Pennsylvania Archives both in connection with
"Rangers on the Frontiers" and "Soldiers of the Revolution."
He is referred to in the 6th Series of the Pennsylvania
Archives, volume III, page 1389, under Return of Militia
Officers of County Westmoreland, "Third Battalion, Third in
Command." Also in Pennsylvania Archives, Volume II, on the
"Pay Roll of Capt. Moses Carson's Company of Westmoreland
County to range on the Frontiers, July 9, 1776 to August 9,
1776."
Under "Miscellaneous Officers," "Depreciation Pay
Rolls," he is again mentioned and under "Soldiers of the
Revolution of Westmoreland County," as Thomas Sampson,
Private. This was no doubt before he had been advanced in
the ranks.
Thomas Sampson married a Duff {see note 2.}, and had
nine children: John, James Thomas, Alexander, David, Eliza-
beth, Mary, William and Margaret. He is buried in Old Beulah
Cemetery, but no one knows the exact place where he lies.
The following beautiful tribute from the Pittsburgh Despatch
of May 24, 1886, is the only monument to his memory:
When the Western Pennsylvania's loyal sons and
daughters next stop for a moment from the whirl of life
to renew that most beautiful custom of modern days,
decorating the graves of the Nation's dead, each heart
should turn to a little, half-deserted, burial ground
that years and years ago became history through the
dead of heroes of an extinct band of men. Crowning a
range of hills that overlooks fertile valleys and
fields, some miles east of Wilkinsburg, is Beulah
Church and its humble last resting place, where sleep
scores of men and women who long since paid the last
great debt.
Within the limits of the rude enclosure rest the
ashes of four generations of soldiers. When the leaves
of the Judgment Book are unfolded old Beulah's church
yard will furnish ten warriors of the Revolution, three
of the War of 1812, two of the Mexican War, and over
twenty of the late rebellion for the final reckoning.
Some of them have been out of the strife for over
three-quarters of a century, resting there with birds
and trees and flowers through the summers and disturbed
by no harsher sounds than moaning winds during the
winter. Beulah Church is probably the oldest in Western
Pennsylvania -- it was built by rugged yeoman sometime
after 1750; its early history is lost in the mist of
years. Among the soldiers of the Sampson family, who
are buried in Beulah Cemetery, Major Thomas Sampson, of
Revolutionary fame, awaits the trumpet call in an
unmarked grave. Three generations of the family,
headed by Major Sampson, were represented on field of
strife, but his only monument consists of a good name.
John Sampson, a son of Major Sampson, took part in the
War of 1812; he was born in 1785 and died in 1859.
Coming down to the late war the names of many brave
young men who went forth to battle for their county and
returned in coffins, are to be found in Beulah; among
these were George Washington Sampson, a grandson of
Major Sampson; also Thomas Sampson, Company C - 63 P.V.
Other old family names are scattered through the peace-
ful shades of Beulah, making it one of the most noted
spots in the county.
Of the nine children of Thomas Sampson and ______ Duff
{see note 2.}, I find extended records of only three.
David, born December 13, 1800, married in Kentucky {see note
3.} and had five children: William {see note 6.}, Thomas
{see note 7.}, Stewart, Margaret and Theodosia {see note
4.}. David returned to Westmoreland County from Kentucky
{see note 5.} and died December 31, 1864. No doubt, he, too
is buried in Beulah.
Margaret, born September 21, 1797, married Stewart
Thompson, and has one son, Stewart S.D. Thompson, living at
Princess Anne, Maryland. Margaret died July 9, 1868, and is
also buried at Beulah, with a stone to mark her resting
place.
James was born August 15, 1786, and no record of his
death.
Thomas, born September 6, 1787, died December 2, 1846.
Alexander, born September 21, 1789, died February 4,
1832.
Elizabeth, born September 21, 1789, a twin to Alexan-
der, died September 10, 1797.
Mary, born March 30, 1792, died 1795, and no record of
death.
John was born April 20, 1785, the oldest of the nine
children, and lived, after his marriage, in a log house on
the old General Forbes road, where all his children were
born and where he died. He served in the War of 1812 and is
mentioned in the tribute to the soldiers from the Pittsburgh
Despatch I have already given. He married Jane Dampster,
and they had nine children, three of whom died in infancy.
The others were: John, Thomas, George W., Eliza J., Mary M.,
and Sarah.
Thomas and George Washington {see notes 7 & 8} both served in
the Civil War, and George was killed. They are both buried
in Beulah and also honored in the tribute to the Nation's
dead in the Pittsburgh paper.
Mary M., married Alexander Mulnix, and they had seven
children.
Eliza Jane married John Harrison, and had seven chil-
dren.
David H., married Jane Beale.
Margaret J., married Joseph G. Beale.
John Edmund married Willis Garver.
Alice M., married H.H. Wray.
James married Luella Alexander.
Frank J., married Jennie McCabe.
Anna E., unmarried.
James and Luella had four children: George, Alexander, Annie
Wray, Donald, and Joseph Shea.
John, son of John and Jane Dampster, was born May 13,
1832, in the old log house in the Forbes Road. He married
Kate A. Duff, February 6, 1862, who died _____. John is 6
feet 2 inches in height, and his youngest son Harold, is
also 6 feet tall. They are both great lovers of hunting and
take a hunting trip every fall, the father usually going to
Maine. He has a fine moose head mounted that he shot in one
of these trips to Maine, and also a beautiful white deer's
head.
John and Kate Duff had nine children, one, Frank H.,
died in infancy, but the other eight are all living. Seven
are married and six are living in the Frankstown Road with
their families. These seven married children have twenty-
seven children, and all have taken their Christmas dinner in
the old home as regularly as Christmas comes. Christmas of
1912 was the last happy reunion with the father and grandfa-
ther of this most united family, for in February 1912 he was
taken to his well earned rest; loved and mourned by all his
family, and everyone who ever met him. John Sampson was a
typical gentleman of the old school and a Christian in every
sense of the word. His children are:
George, born May 16, 1863, who married Lizzie Finley,
and have Wallace, Warren, Winifred, Evelyn, and Marjorie.
Albert L., born July 25, 1867, married Annie Hormel,
and have Belle, Kenneth, Esther, Beulah, Glen, Oren, and
Duff.
James D., born June 26, 1869, married Kate Watson, and
have Olive, Irene, John, Paul, James and Bessie.
Jennie, born June 7, 1871, married J.E. Wilson, and
have Clarence and Harry Ellis.
Harry E., born September 20, 1873, married Corene
Taylor, and have Stanley, Florence, and Vernon.
Annie Belle, born November 8, 1875, married Harvey
Beswarrick, and have Clifford, Clinton, Catherine, and
Harry.
John Howard, born November 20, 1883, married Bessie
Watson, and had one child, Margaret.
Lizzie S., born October 11, 1864, lived at home with
her father, who died in his 81st year and was more active
than many men at 50.
Thomas, son of John and Jane Dampster, married Martha
Vantine, and had three children: John, Arthur M., and Anna
M. Thomas was very fond of music and played the violin
well. This love of music was inherited by his son Arthur,
who was the possessor of a fine violin fully one hundred
years old, which was destroyed when his home burned to the
ground several years ago.
Arthur M., married Grace Foster, and has four children.
He lives on the Frankstown Road.
John E., married Phoebe Trees, and they also live on
the Frankstown Road. He conducts a grocery store which is
located very near his home.
Anna M., married Henderson Elliot, and they have four
children.
James Sampson, brother of William and Thomas, came from
Ireland in 1796. His son, John, had come over in 1788 and
sent back for his father, James. John, who, according to
the date of his birth was only two [Note: should read ten]
years old when came from Ireland to America, may have accom-
panied one of his uncles. There are such instances as Henry
Sampson, who was one of the "Mayflower" passengers, came
with his uncle Edward Tilley, and, according to history,
other members of his family came later.
James Sampson settled near Brush Creek, in Westmoreland
County. His wife was Mary Margaret Crook. James died August
20, 1831, and his wife died March 10, 1832. To them were
born seven children: John, James, William, Margaret, Thomas,
Sarah, and Samuel.
Margaret Sampson, daughter of James and Mary, I have
already given an account of as the wife of George Sampson,
of Cannonsburg, in Washington County.
Sarah Sampson, daughter of James and Mary, married
David Bell.
John Sampson, son of James and Mary, was born in Ire-
land, February 12, 1778, and, as I have already stated, came
to Pennsylvania in 1788. John Sampson died March 21, 1858,
and is buried in the West Newton Cemetery, as are other
members of this family. He was twice married. His first wife
was Mary McGavitt, whom he married March 24, 1809, and by
whom he had five children: Dorcus, Thomas, Nancy Jane,
Margaret, and James.
Of these five children James died in 1831 and Margaret
in 1836.
Dorcas Sampson, daughter of John and Mary, married a
Stoneman and had two children: John and Dorcas.
Nancy Jane Sampson, the daughter of John and Mary,
married Merry Montgomery.
James Sampson, the son of John and Mary, was twice
married, first to Maria Boise, and second to Mrs. F. Caroth-
ers. There were three children: Lavina, Mary Jane, and
Simeon.
Simeon Sampson married Maria Strumel and had four
children: Thomas, Hattie, Elizabeth, and May.
Mary McGavitt died September 17, 1826, and John was
married Lavina Lightburn, September 25, 1828. They had
four children: Elizabeth, born September 25, 1829; Benjamin
L., born March 16, 1832; Cornelia, born June 5, 1833, and
Sarah L., born August 12, 1836.
Elizabeth, the oldest, married William Boyd, of Alle-
gheny, and died leaving no children.
Cornelia died.
Sarah is living in West Newton, Pa.
Benjamin married Harriet Reed, October 26, 1871, and
they are still living in West Newton, Pa., where he conducts
a mill on the Youghiogheny River. Benjamin is 78 years old
and had been running this mill 20 years, July 1909. He is a
most active man, with fine intellect and wonderful memory.
The family are all Presbyterians and attend the Presbyterian
Church across the river from where they live.
Benjamin Sampson and Harriet had seven children, four
of whom died in infancy.
William R., born March 26, 1874, married Bess Cunning-
ham, and has one child, William C. They also live in West
Newton.
John B., born January 29, 1877, married Eva Smith, and
they have three children: Helen, Evelyn, and Sarah.
Margaret, born October 8, 1875, married John B. Hart,
and has three children: Harriet, George, and Paul B.
William Sampson, the son of James and Mary Margaret,
was born in 1765 and married a widow, Mary Neal Beazell, a
sister to Dorcas Neal, the wife of his uncle William. In the
year 1812 William Sampson moved to Horse Shoe Bottom, Carrol
Township, Washington County, where he successfully followed
farming and distillery business. At the time of his death in
1815 he owned 200 acres of land, part of which he purchased
for twelve dollars an acre. In his day, grain was cut with
a sickle and he was famed far and near for his dexterous
handling of that primitive implement, and for the amount of
wheat, barley, oats or grass he could cut in a day.
William and Mary had four children: Harvey, Thomas,
Dorcas and James.
Harvey Sampson, son of William and Mary, died unmarried
about 1841.
Dorcas Sampson, daughter of William and Mary, was born
September 22, 1804, and died February 3, 1847. She was
married to Elijah Teeple, June 1, 1841; was his second wife,
and to them were born two sons: John and James Harvey. John
died in infancy, and James Harvey married and has two chil-
dren and grandchildren. He is now 67 years of age and lives
with his wife in Monongahela, Pa.
Mrs. James Harvey Teeple writes of Dorcas Sampson that:
"she was a beautiful woman, fair, with blue eyes and
golden-bronze hair. That she was as good as she was
beautiful; a devout Christian, perfect wife and mother
and loved and respected by all who knew her."
James Sampson, a son of William and Mary, was born in
Westmoreland County in 1806. He married Mary Grant in 1840,
who was a daughter of Robert and Rebecca Grant, and a con-
nection of the Ulysses S. Grant family.
James and Mary had nine children, two of whom died in
infancy: Harriet R., Harvey James, William T., John Grant,
Mary Catherine, Margaret Jane, and Ada Ethel.
James Sampson came to Washington County in 1812, the
family settling in Horse Shoe Bottom, Carrol Township, now
near the present towns of Donora and Eldora. His father,
William Sampson, died when he was but twelve years old, and
the management of the farm devolved upon him. He grew up to
be a worthy man, possessing the qualities necessary to
overcome the difficulties with which the early settler was
beset.
A history of Washington County, Pa., gives this de-
scription:
The Sampson family are among the most influential and
wealthy citizens of Carrol Township. James Sampson a patri-
archal son of the Keystone State, is a retired agriculturist
and in his younger days a typical follower of Nimrod. He
took great pride in being the owner of the fleetest pack of
fox hounds in his section. Many a time, after doing a hard
day's work on the farm, he would spend almost an entire
night with his faithful dogs.
In a paper written by Mrs. Mary Grant Riggs, at a re-
union in Eldora, she writes that:
"Though James Sampson always resided on the farm, he was a
reader and a thinker. His instinctive uprightness in his
dealings with his fellow men mark him worthy of the esteem
in which he was held by his neighbors."
His daughter, Mrs. Weddell, of Monongahela, told me
that when hunting he could locate every dog by the sound of
their baying, and in consequence he always followed the dogs
he knew were the best hunters.
In a conversation with a Mr. Evans, of McKeesport, Pa.,
he told me that his people owned an extra fine fox hound,
and when "Uncle Jimmy" (as everyone called him) went hunt-
ing, he would always come or send for that special hound.
Mr. Evans also stated, that when foxes became scarce, the
hunters would burn an old ham bone, then tie a rope to it,
and one of the party would drag it about the country, keep-
ing the dogs locked up, but as soon as enough territory was
covered they would loose the dogs and the hunt began.
James Sampson carried on a distillery for twenty years
in connection with farming, and at his death owned 1250
acres of land, and frequently had as many as a thousand head
of cattle. In politics he was a Whig and a Republican and
voted with that party from the date of its foundation. His
daughter, Mrs. Weddell, spoke of his having a mania for
accumulating land, and in a talk with Dr. Van Voohies, the
author of the book called Old Monongahela, who was a life-
long friend of the Sampson family, he told this of Mr. James
Sampson:
"One bright Sunday morning, Dr. Van Voohies met him as
he was walking about his farm, looking very downcast. When
Dr. Van Voohies asked him the cause of his depression, he
replied that he could weep to think that he did not own all
the land he could see."
He was President of the Peoples Bank of Monongahela for
22 years. James Sampson passed away at the residence of his
daughter, Mrs. Harriet Tuman, in 1892, his wife having died
in 1888.
Harriet Sampson, a daughter of James and Mary, was
twice married; first, to Thomas Reeves, by whom she had two
daughters: Mary and Lena. Her second husband was Joseph
Tuman, and they reside in Charleroi, on the Monongahela
River, not far from the City of Monongahela.
Mary Catherine Sampson, daughter of James and Mary,
married Captain Jenkins, and had two children: Mary and
Virginia.
Margaret Jane Sampson, daughter of James and Mary,
married Mr. T. J. Weddell, and lives in Monongahela, Pa.
They have three children: James, Jessie and Mary.
Ada Ethel Sampson, daughter of James and Mary, married
Charles Roe Dallas, of Pittsburgh, September 29, 1880. Mr.
and Mrs. Dallas still live in Pittsburgh.
I am much indebted to Mrs. Dallas and Mrs. Weddell,
also to Dr. Van Voohies, of Belle Vernon, Pa., for points of
interest relative to the Sampson family of the Monongahela
River.
Mr. and Mrs. Dallas had four children: James Roe, born
January 18 1882; Sarah A., born February 13, 1886; Charles
Roe, born December 4, 1888; and Ada Grant, born February 25,
1893. Charles Roe, Jr., died February 1, 1893; and Sarah
A., died January 5, 1905. James Roe Dallas married Anne
Rinehart, March 9, 1909, and Ada Grant lives at home.
William Sampson, a son of James and Mary, married
Lucretia Welch, and has five children: Mary B., Sarah J.,
John W., Lucretia V., and William K.
James Harvey Sampson, a son of James and Mary, married
Jennie B. Yorty, and has six children.
John G. Sampson, a son of James and Mary, married Mary
V. Williams, and they have five children: Mary G., William
H., James G., Helen M., and Alice M.V. The history of
Washington County gives this account of John G.:
"He was a very progressive and enterprising citizen and
politically affiliated with the Republican party. He owns
276 acres of the best land in Carrol Township and breed some
of the finest horses in Washington County. He lives in the
old James Sampson home."
John Sampson, a brother to Thomas, William and James,
also from near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland, somewhere
about the year 1793. He sailed from Derry, in Ireland,
landed at Wilmington, Delaware and settled in Westmoreland
County after a visit to his brother, William, who lived near
Webster, at what was "The Forks of Gaugh." He had married in
Ireland Mary Adams, the daughter of a Presbyterian Minister,
and they and their family children took this long tedious
trip to America. The voyage was a very rough one; they were
blown a long distance out of their course, which made the
journey a much longer and a more tedious one. John and Mary
had six children: Thomas, Margaret, Sarah, William, Nancy
and John.
John Sampson, the son of John and Mary, was born near
Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland, December 25, 1788. He
was only about five years old when he came with his parents
to America, and his father died when he was about ten years
old, on their farm in Westmoreland County. John Sampson
eventually located in that portion of Pittsburgh, in those
days called Manchester. He was most successful in business,
owning white lead works, plough foundry, and lumber yards.
The latter years of his life were passed in a mansion on the
Ohio River, and he is buried in the beautiful Uniondale
Cemetery, in Allegheny. His grave lies on a hill which
commands a delightful view of the river and city. He Mar-
ried Letitia Lecky, of Martinsburg, Va., and to them were
born five children: Robert L., Mary, Benson Adams, Margaret
A., and Letitia Jane.
Robert L., the oldest, married Ellen Hughey, and had
one daughter, Ellen Letitia, who married Joseph M. Lippin-
cott, of Pittsburgh.
Mary, who was born February 17, 1817, married John
Hohrbach, and died March 13, 1864. They had six children:
Letitia L., Luther Wolsey, Margaret B., John B., Sarah S.,
and Robert L.
Benson A., was born October 20, 1818, and died August
24, 1872.
Margaret A., Married Andrew Jackson Stuart, and had one
daughter, Jane Letitia, who married Dr. Edward S. Lawrence,
and they have three children: Dr. J. Stuart, Edward S., and
John Sampson.
Mrs. A. J. Stuart resides in Philadelphia with her
daughter, Mrs Lawrence, and to them I am indebted for this
branch of the Sampson history. When Mrs. Stuart and her
daughter were abroad they visited this village of Bally-
loughlin, near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland, but found
the old records had been destroyed by fire, and they could
locate no one who remembered the Sampsons. But in the
village cemetery they found gravestones with the names of
Sampson.
Of the other children of John Sampson and Mary Adams,
Nancy married a McKee, Sarah married WIlliam Manown, Marga-
ret died young, and William went to Ohio.
Thomas, born in 1794, settled on a farm at Long River,
Allegheny County. He married to Anne Coon and they had nine
children. Thomas was a manufacturer of sickles as well as a
farmer and also conducted a flouring mill. The point where
this mill stood is still called "Sampsons Mills" {see note
9.} and is on the electric line running from McKeesport to
Irwin. The old log mill has fallen to pieces and only a
mill stone lying on the bank of little stream is lift to
show where the old mill stood. The miller's old log house,
however, is still standing and in a good state of preserva-
tion. Sampsons Mills is mentioned in some of the present
histories as a point which Washington passed on his march to
Virginia. Thomas Sampson was a zealous member of the Long
Run Presbyterian Church and died on his farm at Long Run in
1844. He is buried in the cemetery of the Presbyterian
Church.
Mary Anne Sampson, daughter of Thomas and Anne, married
Oliver Evans.
Susanna Sampson, daughter of Thomas and Anne, married
James Neal.
Letitia Sampson, daughter of Thomas and Anne, Married
John Foster.
I have no account of James H., John, or Margaret, chil-
dren of Thomas and Anne.
Adam C. (Coon) Sampson, son of Thomas and Anne, was
born February 15, 1828, in Allegheny County, near McKees-
port. He was three times married ad had nine children,
several dying in infancy. After his first marriage he came
to Monongahela to reside. The History of Washington County
states that:
"Mr. Sampson was a progressive citizen, a typical self-made
man and no one in the country enjoyed higher respect and
esteem. He was the first President of the Peoples Savings
Bank of Monongahela, and was one of the active, solid,
business men of the place. In religion he was a consistent
member of the Presbyterian Church and in politics a member
of the Republican Party."
I have a copy of the Will of Thomas Sampson, made in
1795, of Caredarh, County Armagh. He wills to his wife
Agnes, his two children John and Kit and makes a Ralph
Sampson and Andrew Sampson, his executors.
Located in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, are a large
number of Sampson who claim as their ancestor James, the
youngest of the four brothers, who settled in Ballyloughlin,
near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland.
This family of Sampsons have instituted and kept the
good custom of assembling together at some point in Tioga
County once a year (usually in August) for a "re-union of
the Sampson Family of Tioga County." I have been unfortu-
nate in not being able to attend any of these gatherings
since learning of the existence of these Sampsons.
I am indebted to Mr. James R. Sampson, of Wellsboro,
Pennsylvania; Mrs. Thomas J Bowen, also of Wellsboro; Mrs M.
J. Wheaton, of Covington, Pennsylvania; and Robert Kelly, of
Covington, for information regarding their immediate fami-
lies and ancestors. Also much is due Miss Mary Anne Hutch-
inson, of Houtzdale, Pennsylvania for assistance in tracing
different members of the family.
*******
FOOTNOTES:
1. Thomas Sampson's birth circa 1755.
2. Thomas Sampson's wife, Elizabeth Duff.
3. David Sampson married Mary Purcell, in Lewis County, KY;
No. 28, 26 October 1839, Marriage Book B, page 47.
"Lewis County Ken.
I certify on the 7th day of October 1839,
celebrate the rites of matrimony between David
Sampson and Mary Purcell, Given under my hand the
10th day of February 1840.
King D. McLane, J.P.
NOTE: There is a difference shown for the
date between the recording and the certification.
4. U.S. Federal Census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 5
September 1850. Wilkins Township.
Sampson, David age 49
Pircell 29
Margaret 11
Theodosia 9
William 7
Thomas 5
Stewart 3
5. David Sampson lived in Concord, Lewis Co, KY and all of
his children were born here.
6. William Sampson, born 22 Dec 1842, Concord, Lewis Co,
KY, enlisted in the military (Civil War), serving as Pri-
vate-22 Aug 1861, Corporal-Feb 1864, Sergeant-12 Jan 1865.
Company K. 30th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
Discharged 13 August 1865, Little Rock, Arkansas. William
returned to Noble County, OH, married Catherine Jane Mas-
ters, daughter of Richard and Malinda Masters, on 16 Decem-
ber 1865. William Sampson and the Masters family moved to
Miller Co, MO and settled near Brumley. William died 3
October 1869 and is buried at the Jackson Cemetery near
Ulman, MO. William and Catherine Jane had one son, George
Henry Sampson, born Brumley, MO, 8 November 1868.
[Addendum for 6. William Sampson by the contributor.
William Sampson entered into military service in Company K,
30th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on August 22, 1861 at Caldwell, Noble
County, Ohio. For much of the war the 30th Ohio Infantry was under
the command of either Gen. George B. McClellan or Gen. William T.
Sherman. William saw action in every battle in which the 30th
Ohio Infantry was involved from 1861 through 1865, including those at:
Antietam, Maryland 17 September 1862
Vicksburg, Mississippi 22 May through 4 June 1863
Missionary Ridge, Tennessee 25 November 1863
Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia 24 June 1864
Atlanta, Georgia 20 July through 27 August, 1864
William was discharged from military service August 13, 1865
at Little Rock, Arkansas. He returned to Ohio where on December
16, 1865 he married Miss Catharine Jane Masters of South Olive,
Noble County, Ohio. William with his new bride, Catharine Jane,
and her family, Richard and Malinda Masters and their other child-
ren, moved west and settled near the town of Brumley, in Miller
County, Missouri. In November, 1868 a son, George Henry Sampson,
was born to William and Catharine.
During the Civil War, due to living conditions, William had
developed a lung condition which was eventually to cause his death
in the fall of 1869. William was buried in the Jackson Cemetery,
Ulman, Miller County, Missouri. His first tombstone, purchased by
his widow, shows simply "William Samson; Died Oct. 3, 1869; Aged
26 ys. 9ms. 11 ds." In October, 1994, the 125th anniversary of his
death, the Veterans Administration as part of an ongoing project to
identify and mark the graves of all war veterans, provided a Civil
War commemorative tombstone. The new stone in white marble reads
as follows:
WILLIAM SAMPSON
PVT. CO. K 30 REG, OHIO INF
DEC 22 1842 - OCT 3 1869
Catharine Sampson was married a second time to Derrick Jeff-
ries of Casey County, Kentucky and Miller County, Missouri. After
this marriage, George Henry Sampson, who never knew his own father
William, became known simply as "Derrick Jeffries' stepson". When
Derrick died in 1888, Catharine and her son, George, and his wife
Mary Bell Jeffries, who was the daughter of Robert Kirkpatrick
Jeffries (1844-1909) and Purnecia Hinton McCubbin (1847-1904), and
Derrick's grand-daughter, made a decision to leave Miller County
and they moved to Paddy's Creek, near Roby, in Texas County, Missouri.
As Catharine felt she most likely would never again see her first
husband's grave, she had the original marker carved so that, in
her words,
"he should never be lost nor forgotten."
In 1999 a listing of the Jackson Cemetery was posted in the
Miller County, MO archives. This listing incorrectly shows:
SAMSON WILLIAM AGED 16Y 9M 11D DIED 30 OCT 1969
This brief history is to provide correct information for those
who may have some interest in this individual. For further infor-
mation on William George Sampson or the Sampson family, please
contact this writer.
7. Thomas Sampson enlisted in the military (Civil War),
serving as Private, Company C. 63rd Regiment of Pennsylvania
Volunteers, August 1, 1861, for 3 years at Pittsburgh, Pa.
He was granted a "Certificate of Disability for Discharge"
April 3, 1862.
8. George Washington Sampson, 101st Pennsylvania Volun-
teers, From "History of Allegheny County", page 564.
"George, son of John Sampson, died at Suffolk, Va., in
1863, while serving in the 101st P.V., in the Union Army."
*****
Following is the text of a letter written by George W.
Sampson to his brother, April 7, 1862. I have left the
letter as close as possible to the original:
Camp Keim Apr. the 7 1862
Dear Brother
I once more take my pen in had to let you now how I am
pretty well considering the climate and the cined of water
we have to drink the water is no quite as good as you
have there at home it slimy as anny frog pond there in
august we are now near Newport News back in the country
about two miles back in the pines and swamps we had a
pretty rough time comeing down the bay we had to run back
20 miles one night to get out of a storm we run back into
the potomac and anchored till morning and then started again
and anchored at fortress the next night and started the
next morning for Newport News we had view of the monitor
the great Northern gun boat at the fourt and also the reble
gunboat merrimac the terror of the bay we also saw the
two vessels of ours that was sunk by the merrimac in the
mouth of the James River and was in hiering of guns at the
Battle of yorktown they comenced on saturday morning
fought on till sunday evening we have not heard which side
is victoras I have seen what a rebble flag looks like I
saw one on pig point yeasterday pig point is just a cross
the river from Newport News within cannon shot of our guns
I have seen some of my old aquaintances some of in the 8
reserve and the 8 reserve is at Alexandra I have not
time or I would have went to see Jo Beal and dunk currens
we was camped withe in three miles of them for to days and
nights and I saw Duff and Chaffan and Long and Bright and
Morris they are still at Alexandra I rote to Thomas from
Alexandra and put ten dollars in it I dout wheter it would
reach there or not I would have sent more only I did not
like to risk it I have over $90 with me yet I expect I
will loss it laying around on the ground we are not fixed
up as nice as we were at washington we have to lay out on
the ground we had to carry all our baggage from the river
on our backs we had to go down and carry fifty thousand
Ball cartrages on sunday after surmon our chaplain
preached a most beautiful surmon in the morning and had
prayer meting in the eavning there is the ruins of a town
about six miles from here that the rebbles burnt and left
hampton was the name of it they sayed it looked hard to
see the walls of churches and large swelling houses standing
there all black and chared well I believe that is all at
preasant give my love to all the folks Nothing more at
present
G.W. Sampson
(letter is addressed as follows:)
Direct to Washington D C
forward after the regiment
NOTE: During the Civil War there were nearly as many
casualties from disease as there were from battle wounds.
George was stricken with Malaria in Suffolk, Virginia in
November, 1862 and died December 13, 1862.
9. The History of Sampson's Mill Church:
The seeds of Sampson's Mills Church were planted in the
early 1890's when a group of Christian loving people met at
various member's homes and held regular Sunday religious
school sessions.
Most frequently the meetings were held at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Evans, Sr., who lived on Pleasant Drive,
and area completely surrounded by farm lands.
In the early months of 1892, due to increasing member-
ship, the now named Mission School was looking for a meeting
place to accommodate the growing Christian fellowship.
Historical data found in some old books mentions that meet-
ings were held at times in the Jack's Run Schoolhouse which
was located at the corner of Jack's Run Road (Route 48) and
McClintock Road.
Among the many families in the early histories of
McKeesport - McKee, Shaw, Atwater, Huey, Penny and many
others - the name Evans is found. The Evans family was very
influential in the progress of Sampson's Mills church from
its very roots.
James Evans came upon the scene as a pioneer in 1796
when he was 21 years of age. He traveled on a visit from
Carlysle to the settlement located at the confluence of the
Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers. He found the area to
his liking and soon returned with his bride to settle in the
area.
James and Emily Alexander Evans lived on a 128 acre
farm, later known as the Evans estate, where they raised a
family of nine. Mr. Evans spent a very active life and
accumulated a modest fortune - mostly in real estate.
The eldest of their children was Oliver who was born
November 22, 1816. Oliver Evans attended medical school at
the University of Pennsylvania, but because he had defective
eyes, never practiced his profession. He married Mary Anne
Sampson, daughter of Thomas and Anne Sampson.
Mr. Sampson operated a grist mill at his home which was
located near the present intersection of ROute 48 and Lin-
coln Way in White Oak Borough.
Oliver and Mary Anne Evans resided on a farm located in
the area where Carnegie Free Library of McKeesport now
stands. Oliver worked his father's farm and developed his
real estate. Years later he and his wife moved to the
Sampson homestead in Versailles Township.
Mr Evans was the sister of James Harvey Sampson, a life
long member of the neighborhood and the last of his family
to occupy the old homestead, which was located across from
the first Sampson's Mills Church.
J. Harvey Sampson operated a grist mill located on what
is now the 2100 block on Lincoln Way. The mill obtained its
power for grinding during the early 1800's from the now
diverted waters of the nearby creek called Jack's Run.
A large stone wheel used in the mill was unearthed when
the Rainbow Shopping Center was constructed and is now
placed there as a marker to its historical past.
James Sampson died in 1892, and following the burial in
the Long Run Church graveyard, the friends remained at the
old homestead which then was occupied by Oliver Evans, Jr.
It was at this time they decided to open a school in the
little building across the road which was being used as a
voting place for the township.
Mrs. Evans was present at every session of the school
until her last illness, but her enthusiastic interest con-
tinued unabated until her death on September 20, 1895. Her
daughter, Anna Evans Bailey, and her husband, J.W. Bailey,
were present at the organization and like Mrs. Evans, they
faithfully kept up their attendance although living at the
old homestead in McKeesport, which is the present site of
the First United Methodist Church of McKeesport.
*******