GEORGE REX GENEALOGY Ancestry and Descendants oF George Rex First of England to Pennsylvania in 1771 •• BY LEDA FERRELL REX Privately Published in Wichita, Kansas 1933 PUBLISHED BY THE FRANKLIN PRINTERY WICHITA, KANSAS PREFACE m To Charles Swan Rex we are indebted for the exis­ tence of this genealogy. In writing to Dr. Parks Rex under date of January 17th, 1893, he says: "I have been working on the Rex genealogy for more than two years" which he continued intermittently until the time of his death, May 12, 1917. In compliance with his request, the wor~ was then carried on by his eldest son, George B. Rex who diligently searched in all lines until some four years ago when he put the task into my hands. When it was first suggested to me I refused, but later the thought insistently recurred to my mind that if I did not do this work perhaps it might never be done. I had read in many letters written by Chas. S. Rex how desirous he was to finish the book and how he feared failing health would prevent. To have his hard work lost disturbed me, and again I thought, as the·father of my boy was gone, perhaps in his place it was my duty to do this work. As an offering to The House of Rex. in remembrance of the father of my boy, and for the benefit of my son and all others of the younger generations I bring my little con­ tribution. Tradition, history and dates are all as correct and complete as it was possible for me to obtain them. We are indebted to many members of the family for their loyal assistance, and only those who have had the experience realize what this means ; also, how great the effort is at times for smallest results. For the benefit of this book, Dan and I have personally interviewed people from Seattle, Washington, to Eliot, Maine; have visited the graves of IV PREFACE George Rex 1st and wife and of ten of their twelve children, their old homes, courthouses, and all places where records and information might be found, and have taken notes and pictures everywhere we went. This is from the notes of Chas. S. Rex: "I find our people all God fearing men and women; most of them warm hearted Christians holding prominent positions in all the various Protestant churches. The men the best of husbands and fathers and the women the best of wives and mothers. None exceedingly wealthy and none extremely poor. I have never known an Almshouse or prison door to shut on one of them." At any time I will appreciate receiving corrections or additions to the family data. Leda Ferrell Rex CCiaJ~ ffwan' (!}2ez, Pis• 115, Line IX. CONTENTS Page ~d~e m List of Illustrations _______________VI Aneestcjry of George R. _______________ 1 Will and Testament of George Re_Y_________ _ 6 . Inyentory and Appraisement__________ _ 8 Descendants of George R. ______________ 12 Line I 12 Line II 23 Lin• m s2 Line IV 65 Line V 68 Line VI 71 Line VII 88 Line VIII 109 Line IX 110 Line X 40 Line XI 147 Line XII 47 Errat._____________________ 156 -Index of Persons _________________57 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Facing Page Chas. Swan Rex.________________________ IV Rex Ancestral Home------------ VIII Oath of Allegiance, George Rex 1st 2 George the third, King of England___ 2 Hannah Lightfoot _________ .: .... _ 2 Original Log Portion of Geo. Rex 1st Home 2 Graves of Geo. 1st and Margaret Keppler Re 2 Gravestone of Geo. Rex 2n 12 Wm. Winters Re 12 "°. W. Virgin _____ 12 Sarah Jane Rex Beggs Kelly 12 Rare old bowl of Hannah Margaret Hughes 12 Gravestones of Mary Rex and Husban 12 Original Cornerstone of Bower Home 22 Bower Mi11 22 Gravestone of Elizabeth Rex-Bower 22 Bower Home 22 Closeup of Bower Home, Doorway and Chimney 22 Cornerstone Bower Mil 22 Geo. Washington Rex, wife and Family 40 Sarah Rex, Husband and Family 40 Geo. Rex 3rd, his i-We Son,, Geo. Franklin and Geo. E. and Geo. E. Jr______________ 40 Jonas Rex Home __________________ 40 D. J. Re. ______________________ 70 Gravestone Rhoda R------------------ 70 John Styles Rex . 70 Elizabeth Rex Snowden and chil _____________ 70 Rhoda (Mrs. Jonas) Re....,_ ______________ 70 Gravestone Jonas Rex ________________ 70 Jonas Rex Bible___________________ 70 Hannah Rex and Isaac Shane Home ___________ 88 Hannah Rex Shane_________________ 88 John Shane ------------------ 88 Hannah Goudy ___ ----------------- 88 Sarah Rex Day Cooakey ________________ 88 Elizabeth Winters_________________ 88 Gravestone of Hannah Rex Shane___________ 88 Benj. Rex Home ___ -----------------10 Benj. Rex Barn and Interior_____________ __...10 Benj. Rex Barn Cornerstone _______________._10 Martha (Mrs. Benj.) Rex Gravestone____________ ll0 Benj. Rex Gravestone________________ llO Geo. B. Re.___________________ 116 Robert Re.A.-____________________,_16 Mrs. Geo. B. Re..__ _________________..16 Jacob Vale· ----------------16 Anna Vale Rex and Family______________ ll6 Darwin Rex ____________________116 Martha Mar1:aret Vale-Downie _____________.16 House in which Anna Rex and Jacob Vale began Housekeeping_ll6 Gustave and Margaret Bard Faure_____ 116 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Facing Page Baby Catherine Bard and Mother Anna Johnson, ______ 122 Laura Cochran _____ 122 Phoebe Schimer 22 Frazier Bard __ 122 Minerva Frazier 22 Margaret Rex____ 122 Hugh Rex_ 22 Mary Alice Faure_ 122 Anna Rex Dance_____ 22 Boarding School Bill for Sarah Samantha Rex-MaxweJl _130 and terms. 131 Loren Edgar Rex, M. D 134 Dan Rex ______ · 136 Hallie Rex_____ 36 Lily Re 36 Loren Rex__________________ 36 Ferrell Home, Wichita, Kansas 136 Dan Rex and Mother 136 Rebecca Rex-Barrett and Husband James Barrett 36 Rebecca Rex-Barrett in Later Years 36 James Thompson 36 Ross Rex________ 36 Martha Thompson 136 Lily Rex Black. 36 Hallie Rex Cotto --136 Mrs. Harry Blac 136 Loren Re 36 Dorothy Black__ 86 ~~~c~~~~~ 1:: Mary Barrett.Haga 36 Margaret Rex-Culp and Family 136 Will Rex and Nephew Billy Culp 136 Lily Rex-Blac 136 Dr. Parks Re __136 Hallie Rex-Cotton and Baby 136 Ross and Brother Dr. Parks Rex 136 Martha Rex_________ 136 Chas. Black 136 Lydia Leffler and Daughters 36 Kitty Rex and Joseph Burson Home 40 Kitty Rex (Mrs. Joseph Burson) 140 Chas. Rex Bible_____ 140 George Rex ______ _______ 140 Clarinda Rex______ 140 Bible of Catherine Rex Burson __ 140 >.. C -:I 0 V •C t5• .. IV •C: •E :c0 ].. •u <C Ancest9ry oF George R~x "Like leaves on trees the race of man is found, Now green in youth, now withering on the ground; Another race the fallowing spring supplies, They fall successive, and successive rise So generations in their course decay, So flourish these, when those have passed away." In England at London or near there, in the year 1750, George Rex was born. He emigrated to the United States of America in 1771 and settled in Pennsylvania near Phil­ adelphia, and in 1772 married Margaret Kepler of Bucks Co. Pennsylvania. At the time of their marriage she was 20 years old and he 22 years of age. We have no authentic record of these ancestors but it is said she was very dark, heavy and short of statue, and German in nationality. This seems true as the text of her bible is German and the deeds on record at Lewistown, Pa.,­ Mifflin Co. her brother, Benjamin Kepler, signed in Ger­ man. Deed book D. pg. 471, 3-14-1785, he sells some land to George Rex. There is an unsupported statement that George Rex received an- annuity from the English crown as long as he lived. Was said to be a Tory and even that he served in the English army but we herewith show a copy of the original document where he took the oath of alle­ giance to the U. S. in 1777. All is printed but the names of Rex and Allen, the dates and the Northumberland Co. "Lancaster printed by Frank Bailey Northumbdt- 1 do hereby certify that George Rexworthy has vol­ untarily taken and subscribed the oath of Allegiance and Fidelity as directed by an Act of General Assembly of Penn­ sylvania, passed the 13th day of June, A. D. 1777 as Wit­ ness my Hand and Seal the 8th Day of December Anno 2 GEORGE REX GENEALOGY Domini 1777 Sam'el Allen (L.S.)" The long S. and double S. is used. Sometime after his marriage, George Rex is supposed to have moved from Buck Co. to Mifflin Co. on the Juniata River. Were several in the group, one of whom was Benj. Kepler, the brother of Margaret Kepler Rex. We find in Penna. Archives, Vol. XIX p. 53 and 54, George Rex, farmer, tax £4. 8D.--George Rex 1779, 1 horse 2 cattle, Cumberland Co.--1780, 2 horses 8 cattle, Cumber­ land Co ..--Vol. 20, 1781, 2 horse 3 cattle U.S. Census 1790 has George Rex listed a~ 1-3-6 (meaning 1 male head, 3 sons, 5 daughters and a wife). Mifflin Co. was formed Sept. 19, 1789, from Cumberland and North Cumberland Cos. Our private record says he had 8 children when he left Mifflin Co. and that the 9th child, Benjamin, was born in Green Co. 1-9-1792. There is a deed Book D. pg. 466, dated Nov. 11, 1790, where George Rexworthy and wife Margaret sell their land in Mifflin Co. to Nathaniel Hart considera­ tion 265 lbs. which would also seem to tell they were moving away. In Green Co. which was then Washington Co., March 21, 1796, recorded in Patent Book, P, Vol. 27, pg. 432, shows where George Rex patented 252½ acres of land called "Drowl", the old ancestral homestead near Jefferson, Pa.