^Erkeiec. E|Vyooa A/£S
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A/£s ^erKeiec. E|vYooA r To the Memory of MY MOTHER Lucinda (Doak) Hanes 1848-1921 who at the age of seventy, with almost unerring memory, gave to me the basis of the information herein contained—this Book is lovingly dedicated by The Author. H B. E. HANES, Author. TABLE OF CONTENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS Pages Dedication 1 Biography of Pioneers, Samuel and Elizabeth Doak 3-5 Biographies of Their Children 6-16 Genealogy of Descendants of Samuel Doak 17-79 Origin of the Name "Doak"—Its Meaning 80 Letters from "Old Ireland" 80-81 From England 81 Will N. Doak's Ancestry back to "North of Ireland" 82-83 Letters from Member President Hoover's Cabinet 83-84 Other Prominent Doaks in America 84-89 More Pennsylvania Doaks 90 Other Doaks Now Living in U. S. A 90-92 Valuable Information from Ireland 92-95 The Doaks in America—Whence—Who? 95 Grandchildren of the Pioneers Yet Living 96 The Beginning of the Family Tree 97 Index to Fourth Generation To Find Your Name in This Book: Figures before names in the Genealogies indicate the genera tion, counting the Pioneer, Samuel Doak, as No. 1. The Index to Generation 4—appears on last pages of this book. If you are in generation 5, your parent's name is there, if in generation 6, your grandparents' name; and if in generation 7, your great- grandparents' name. Turn to page shown opposite that name, and read down through family to your own name. To Trace Your Ancestry: When you have found your name (following instructions given above) then the first preceding smaller number is by the names of your parents, the next preceding yet smaller number is by names of your grandparents, and so proceed back to ths Pion eers, Samuel and Elizabeth Doak. The Asterisk (*) is placed after names of persons reported as deceased prior to the publication of this book. For probable relationship to other prominent Doaks in Ireland and America, you are referred to letters and other information published herein. See table of contents above. From information received too late to rectify the error (be cause most copy was already in hands of publishers) it has be come evident that in many families not all names of children are chronologically arranged as to dates of birth; but fortunately this is not a serious error. A LATER HOME OF THE PIONEERS DOAK ANCESTORS SAMUEL and ELIZABETH (MALSEED) DOAK came from Ireland to the State of Pennsylvania about the year Eighteen Hundred, thence into Virginia (now West Virginia) in Eighteen Hundred Twenty-four. They purchased the farm which is now known as "The Perry Hudson Farm" at Central Station, Dodd ridge County; but soon sold this farm, accepting in part payment horses, wagons and guns—the first two being essentials to travel and the last named because of the necessity to kill wild game, and of the hostility of the Indians. They removed with their family into Ohio from which State they returned after a little more than a year had elapsed, and settled permanently on Middle Island Creek, near Joseph's Mills, in Tyler County, over the hill from the present town of Deep Valley. A deed, or land-grant, from Governor Wood to Samuel Doak, dated February 28, 1838, for "The residue of five hundred acres of land" is recorded in the county clerk's office in Middlebourne, the county seat. From the forest they cut the trees and built their first home here of round logs, chunked and daubed, situate just across the flat from the George Bond home, near a large spring. Many years later Samuel Doak and his son Samuel, Jr., erected a new hewed-log house nearby, and they moved into it. A daughter of Samuel, Jr., now living at the age of eighty-six, says that no door being hung at the time, a blanket was hung at the opening, and a fire must be kept burning at night when the men were away to keep out the wolves. The picture published here was taken after this house ceased to be occupied as a home, and it has since been torn down. Here these hardy pioneers—"Children of the Emerald Isle"— lived and loved and labored and reared their happy family. From the virgin forest they cleared their farm upon which it was necessary to grow most of their "living." They grew flax which they hackled and wove into linen cloth for their clothing, and wheat which they cut with a sickle, flailed out with clubs, and ground in a hand-mill. Here later probably they (like their children after them) sent their children to "Subscription Schools," paying tuition, the school occupying a round-log chunk- ed-and-daubed hut, with greased paper for windows, the "schol ars" sitting on benches hewed from split logs, turned flat side up, and with legs of pegs driven into holes bored into the curved (bark) side. These schools were of short duration, and many times far from the home. Of their six children, the eldest two—William and John—died in their youth; the other six, Robert, Alexander, Samuel, Jr., James, Hiram, and Margaret, lived to "a ripe old age," rearing in turn their own families the children for the six families total ing fifty-six and grand-children totaling two hundred seventy, as shown in "The Beginning of the Family Tree" and the Index in this book. Meekness is one of the Doak virtues, and the truth of the Beatitude of Our Lord, "Blessed are the Meek for they shall inherit the earth," is manifest in the genealogies of this book wherein are recorded the names of more than thirty-two hundred descendants of these good people, including those so fortunate as to be adopted into the Doak family by "The Holy Bonds of Matrimony." There are a few questions upon which the opinions of the oldest living descendants differ. There is a legend to the effect that a brother of Samuel Doak, probably Robert by name, came with them to America and that he either remained in Pennsyl vania or removed into Ohio settling in the Sciota Valley. Many of the descendants believe that Mrs. Doak's maiden name was Malseed, and the Author has found a few people in Ireland by that name, as published in the letters from Ireland in this book. Others have been informed that the name was Mals- bury. Some say also that the name "Mary" preceded the name Elizabeth, constituting the double name Mary Elizabeth. It has been suggested that the latter name must have been a favorite with the family, because two of the sons married girls of that name. Most agree that they were married before embarking, while a few descendants believe they became acquainted aboard ship, and were married upon landing in America. The following bit of legnedary information contained in a newspaper clipping in the possession of a grandchild who is still living, is of interest. After telling of the presence in the county seat of a grandchild of these pioneers, the article adds, "Here we might note a story of thrilling adventure. The foreparents of the Doaks came from Ireland; and when they started, 'Grandmother Doak' then a win some young bride, fell overboard while negotiating the gang plank at the wharf. 'Grandfather' Doak instantly sprang to the rescue. He was a strong sturdy young man, and came to the sur face of the thirty odd feet of dampness with his loved one in a moment. But 'Grandmother' left one slipper in the soft sticky mud on the farther shore." Another legend says the wife was of Royal Blood, and because the husband was not, it was thought best to "run away" to America. It is known that they came across "The Big Water" in a sail boat, the only kind in use in those early days, and were fourteen weeks enroute. Some of their grandchildren yet living recall hear ing grandmother tell of the thrilling—and in those days, rare— experience of crossing the ocean. All those now living who had the pleasure of knowing these pioneers are ready and anxious to endorse this statement made a few days before the publication of this book, by their former neighbor, George Davis, now ninety years of age, and residing at Joseph's Mills, W. Va.—"They were fine people, and reared a good family." ROBERT AND MARY (IRELAND) DOAK 6 ROBERT DOAK ROBERT DOAK, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Doak who came to this country from Ireland, was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1804. Removed with his father's family to Tyler county, Virginia, (now West Virginia) in 1825. The same year he was married to Mary Ireland whose family alsn came from Pennsylvania. Imagine the hardships when they settled and established their home in a log cabin in an unbroken forest near where the village of Wilbur now is. Here they felled the forest and reared their family of ten children. Their names and the dates of their births are as follows according to the family record written pre sumedly by the head of the family himself: Margaret, December 8, 1826; Eliza, September 28, 1828; Agnes, August 25, 1831; Jesse, September 5, 1832; John, January 30, 1834; Alexander, February 23, 1836; Herrilda, May 1, 1838; Freeman, March 8, 1843; Elizabeth, January 1, 1845; Martha, August 1, 1847; Pris- cilla, August 3, 1849. Robert Doak had two occupations, that of farmer and preach er of the Gospel. He took a very deep interest in matters per taining to religion and became identified with the principles of the Restoration movement in 1836 and was one of the founders of the Arnolds Creek Church of Christ located three miles from his home.