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The Life and Times of Reverend ohn Corbly and the John Corbly Family Genealogy Collected and Compiled by Nannie L. Fordyce Published by the Compiler 513 South Main Street, Washington, Pennsylvania PRINTED] [ IN U·.S·Ac Stone Marker Erected by the John Corbly Chapter, D.A.R~, 1923 y NANNIE L. FORDYCE (Photo, June, 1902) The compiler was born and lived during the years of youth at Garard's Fort, Pa.; was a member of the John Corbly Memorial Baptist Church, then called Goshen; taught thirty-two years in grade schools. Research for John Co:r;bly records began in 1939. The greater part of the records have been gathered since 1947. Interest has been centered upon the patriotic and religious activities of John Corbly. His devotion to the religious cause, minister­ ing to the spiritual needs of the early pioneers, traversing much of the great frontier wilderness, "to bring God to men and men to God.'' '~Oh! tell me a story of the early years, Of the times as they used to be, I want plain facts, and I want plain words, When speech run free as the song of birds. "Tell me a tale of the timberlands, Of the old-time pioneers ... The old log house, the puncheon floor, The old fire-place with the crane swung out, And the latch-string through the door." JAMES WmTCOMB RILEY . Vl Preface Nestled on a small plateau commanding a panoramic view of the Garard's Fort section of Whitely Creek valley stands a church that is now a memorial to one of the earliest pioneer preachers and patriots of southwestern Pennsylvania. In the minutes of this church,· first called Goshen, but now the John Corbly Memorial Baptist Church, there is an entry as follows: "A meeting house built at Goshen in April 1771, and Worship continued in the Ministry of John Corbly." There is little in the quiet and peace of this valley today to remind us of the days when our pioneer ancestors raised the first log cabins in a vast wilderness and white civilization had its beginning. There is a stone marker -in front of the church erected by the John Corbly Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1923. The Garard's Fort cemetery is near by where are found the graves of John Corbly and two of his three wives, six of his daughters and their husbands, and many of the first settlers of this community. Fort Garard was located a few rods east of the cemetery. All of its traces that now remain are a few stones that line the entrance of a secret tunnel that extended into the fort and a well that is still in use. Much of the early history of this section of southwestern Pennsylvania has_ been lost. This is du_e in part to a fifteen-year ownership controversy between · Virginia and Pennsylvania. Records while under the jurisdiction of Virginia were destroyed by fire in 1796 at Morgantown now West Virginia. Records in Rich­ mond, Virginia, were destroyed by fire in 1865. Someone has defined history as "the record of man's life on earth and the sum of his achievements." It has also been written that "histories often contain imper­ fect information; of statements shaped and colored by training, principles, aims, and prejudices of its authors." The aim in compiling the story of the life and times of Reverend John Corbly has been to collect and bring together widely scattered authentic records. Records used have been gathered from county courthouses, church histories, county his­ tories~ Draper Manuscripts, Wisconsin Historical Society, Congressional Library, and wherever else reliable information could be found . .. vu Contents. CHRONOLOGY YEAR PAGE · 1733 February, born near London, England ____ 1 1747 Arrived in Philadelphia and went to Berks County, Pa. _______ 1 1751 Went to Winchester, Virginia --------------------- 1 1752 Married Abigail Bull ------------------------------- 1 1753 Converted under the preaching of Elder John Garard; united with the Mill Creek Baptist Church _______ 1 1765 June, received patent of land from Lord Fairfax _________ 1 1768 Preached at Tuckahoe Baptist Church _______________ 2 1768 Imprisoned in Culpepper jail------------------ 2 1768 Mrs. Corbly died--------------------- 3 1769 Came to the frontier of southwestern Pennsylvania _________ 3 1770-1774 Itinerant frontier Baptist preacher ______________ 3 1771 April, conducted· worship services at Goshen Church ________ 3 1773 Inshumental in establishing Goshen, North Ten Mile, and Church of the Yough Baptist churches 4 1773 April, sold Lord Fairfax grant of land _____________ 12 1773 Probable year of acquiring Pennsylvania farm __________ 11 1773 Married Elizabeth Tyler 12 1774 Indian War. Lived in Fort Garard ---------------- 14 1775 June, ordained Regular Baptist minister; called to pastorate of Goshen Church 6 1775 June, assisted in establishing Turkeyfoot and Sandy Creek Glades Baptist churches 6 1775 November, established Forks of Cheat Baptist Church________ 6 1775 Messenger to Ketocton Baptist Association ___ 8 1776 October, organized Redstone Baptist Association _____ 8 1776 Assisted in establishing Cross Creek and Patterson Creek Baptist churches 8 1776 Appointed Justice of the Peace by Gov. Patrick Henry _________________ 17 1776 December, probable date of election to the House of Delegates ___________ 9, 17 1777 November, place in House of Delegates declared vacant 9 1777-1780 Lived in Fort Garard; held worship services in frontier forts 21 1779 Made first plot of Louisville, Kentucky _________________ 21 1780 Served in Captain William Harrod's Company __________________ 25 1782 May, Corbly Massacre -------------------------------------------------------------- 27 1784 Married Nancy Lynn, third wife ---------------------------------------- ________________ 63 1787 -1790 Trustee of Washington Academy ------------------------------------ __ 30 1788 Received Pennsylvania patent for his farm land ____________ 11 Whiskey Insurrection: 1794 November, arrested on false accusation by an enemy ___________________ 31 1794 December, imprisoned in Philadalphia ____________________ 31 1795 March, paroled ------------------------------------------------ 31 1795 May, acquitted without trial ------------------ 31 1796 Last Washington County, Pa., tax assessment record 37 1800 Established Beaver Creek Baptist Church 39 1801 Established Mount Hermon Baptist Church 39 1801 January, commissioner Coroner of Greene County ________________ 30 1802 Attended last meeting of the Redstone Baptist Association ___________________ 38 1803 June, died at Garard's Fort; buried in Garard's Fort Cemetery 38 • 1X APPENDIX Memorials; Pageants ---------------------------------------------------------- 41 Tributes 41 Will _________ 43 Inventory of Personal Estate ---------------------------- _________ 45 Administration Account of Nancy Lynn Corbly ·---------------------------------- 46 Lord Fairfax Grant of Land to John Corbly _________________________ __ 47 John Corbly's Deed of Land and Release to John Rice ------------------------------------- 49 John Corbly Memorial Baptist Church Minutes Record ---------------------------------------- 50 Descendants of John Corbly Who Have Entered the Ministry and Missionary Work 57 Partial List of Soldiers of the Revolution Who Have Married Into the John Corbly Family . 58 GENEALOGY Quotations _____________________ ____________ 1 Names and Dates of Wives and Children of John Corbly ____________ 63 Margaret Corbly, George Morris Branch ------·----------- 64 Rachel Corbly, Justus Garard Branch ----------------------- 87 Priscilla Corbly, William Knight Branch ____________ 127 John Corbly Jr. Family ____ --------------------- 132 Delilah Corbly, Levi Martin Branch -------------- ________ 144 Mary Corbly, Jacob Myers Branch ----------------- 148 Andrew Lynn Corbly Family 153 Pleasant Corbly, Peter A. Myers Branch ____ 162 Cassandra Corbly, Joseph Gregg 169 Amelia Corbly, Amos Wright Branch 181 William Corbly Family 190 Index to Genealogy ____ 199 . X IDustrations Page Stone Marker -------------------------------------- V John Corbly Memorial Baptist Church ----------------­ V Nannie L. Fordyce --------------------------------­ vi John Corbly Map ----·------------------ 5 Justus Garard Home ____ 11 Massacre of Spicer Family ____________________ 13 Site of Fort Garard _______________________ 20 Secret Tunnel ----------------------- 21 Photostatic Copy of Letter __________________ 22 Map of Louisville, Kentucky _______________________ 24 John Corbly Memorial Baptist Churcli ________________ 27 John Corbly Home; Old Log Cabin _______________ 36 John Corbly Tombstone -------------------- 39 Goshen Church, Minute Book, Title Page _____________ 50 Goshen Church, Minute Book __________________ 51 John Corbly Memorial Church _________________ 54 Corbly Reunion and Home Coming ________________ 55 GENEALOGY Signature of John Corbly ------------------·---- 61 Lucretia Ann Donley Bodley __________________ 69 Mary Emily Bodley Barnes __________ _____________ 69 Maud Wilson Barns Voitelle Post _________________ 69 Marianna Barnes Steinbeck Ward _________________ 69 Mrs. Walter R. Garretson ___________________ 74 Rev. William Christy Craig ________________ __ 95 Corbly Fordyce ------------------------------------------ 99 Jane Baily Fordyce ____________________ ------------------------------------ 99 Raymond F. Murdock and Harry A. Murdock, Jr. ___ ------------------------- 110 William Corbly Lemley ----------------------------------------------------- 117 James Corbly Garard ______ ----·------------------- 119 J. Corbly Garard ___________ ___ 119 Dr. William Mestrezat Hudson _________________ 123 Thomas

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