Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightburn of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and His Descendants

By Robert C Lightburn

I first became interested in genealogy when I was about twelve. It was then that my paternal grandmother first introduced me to a book entitled Genealogy of the Fell Family in America Descended from Joseph Fell. This book, which was published in 1891, included my grandfather, Charles McConnell Lightburn. I was struck by the time span covered by the book—nearly three hundred years—and was fascinated by the fact that all of the people in that book were related to one another and to me either by blood or marriage!

My grandmother later gave me that book, and it became the first book in my genealogical library. My grandfather and my great-aunt Mary told me that their father had fought for the North during the Civil War by the side of his older brother, who was a brigadier general. This fascinated me. They also told me that there was a town in West Virginia called Lightburn. I couldn’t wait to find it on a map!

My own genealogical research did not begin until the late 1970s when I requested the Civil War records of my great grandfather, Calvin Luther Lightburn, and his brothers from the National Archives. During the 1980s, I continued my research, albeit at a very low level of activity. It was not until the early 1990s when I moved to the Washington, DC, area that I became intensively involved in—some might even say addicted to—genealogy. The resources in the Washington, DC, area are extensive, and I ended up spending many happy (and sometimes frustrating) hours conducting research in the National Archives, Library of Congress, and the library of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

By 1999, I had amassed a great deal of genealogical information, most of which was stuffed in cardboard boxes. I was encouraged to put what I had on paper by Faye M. (Brown) Lightburn, who had published her book, Revolutionary Soldier Samuel Brown and Some of his Family in 1993. So after attending several related sessions at the National Genealogical Society Conference in the States, which was held that year in Providence, Rhode Island, I finally screwed up my courage and plunged in. I published the original book in 2003. This book is the second and probably last edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781532062490

Robert C Lightburn

Bob Lightburn, author of this book, was born in Denver, Colorado. He is a great-great-great grandson of Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightburn. He received a B.S and an M.S. degree in engineering from the University of Colorado and University of California at Los Angeles, respectively. Except for seven years as a professor of Computer Science at the State University of New York, he spent his entire professional career as an engineer. He retired in 1999 after 23 years as a systems engineer with Lockheed Martin. He is married to Anne Elizabeth Hodson. They have three grown children and live in New Jersey.

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Copyright © 2018 Robert C. Lightburn.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-6248-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-6249-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018913603

iUniverse rev. date:   03/14/2019

To all who have come

before me, those who will follow and, most of all, to my extended family

Contents

Preface

List of Abbrevations

Chapter 1   Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightburn, the Progenitor

Chapter 2   Second Generation

Chapter 3   Third Generation

Chapter 4   Fourth Generation

Chapter 5   Fifth Generation

Chapter 6   Sixth Generation

Chapter 7   Seventh Generation

Chapter 8   Eighth Generation

Chapter 9   Ninth Generation

Chapter 10   Allied Families

Hayden Family

Fell Family

Dunn Family

Duckett Family

Johnson Family

Hodson Family

Appendix A   Inventory of Goods and Chattels

Appendix B   Deed William Sampson to Benjamin Lightburn

Appendix C   Origin of the Lightburn Surname

Appendix D   Distribution of the Lightburn Surname In the United States and England

Appendix E   Variant Spellings of the Lightburn Surname

Appendix F   Lightburn Family Gatherings

Appendix G   Descendants of Stafford Lightburne

Appendix H   Descendants of Samuel Hayden

Appendix I   Descendants of George Hodson

Appendix J   James Horne Lightbourne

Appendix K   Lightbourne Family Tree

Appendix L   Darrell Family Tree

Appendix M   Descendants of Benjamin Lightbourn

Appendix N   Descendants of Hugh McConnell

Bibliography

Name Index

Contents

Figure 1.1 – Descendants of Joseph Lightbourn.

Figure 1.2 – Braddock’s Road and Forbes’ Road, 1755-1758.

Figure 2.1 – Harriet Lightburn.

Figure 2.2 – Benjamin Lightburn.

Figure 2.3 – Lightburn, West Virginia.

Figure 3.1 – Nancy (Wilson) Turner.

Figure 3.2 – Asa MarinerTurner.

Figure 3.3 – Joseph Andrew Jackson Lightburn as a young man.

Figure 3.4 – General Joseph A. J. Lightburn.

Figure 3.5 – Joseph A. J. Lightburn signature.

Figure 3.6 – General Lightburn’s home, Lightburn, West Virginia.

Figure 3.7 – Broad Run Baptist Church, Lightburn, West Virginia.

Figure 3.8 – Benjamin Willey Lightburn.

Figure 3.9 – Amos V. Hevener.

Figure 3.10 – Salina (Lightburn) Romine and some of her descendants.

Figure 3.11 – Salina (Lightburn) Romine, John Fell Lightburn and Rizpah Lavinia

(Lightburn) Hevener

Figure 3.12 –Salina (Lightburn) Romine

Figure 3.13 – Mary Lightburn

Figure 3.14 – Charles Oscar Moore.

Figure 3.15 – Ida C. Moore.

Figure 3.16 – From a List of Prisoners Confined in Military Prison at Wheeling, Virginia.

Figure 3.17 – John Fell Lightburn.

Figure 3.18 – John Fell Lightburn and Elizabeth Pamelia (Hare) Lightburn taken about 1893

Figure 3.19 – Fell Benjamin Lightburn, left with Cloy Wilson and Will Lemon.

Figure 3.20 – Martin Van Buren and Mary (Gibson) Lightburn.

Figure 3.21 – Homestead Certificate for Martin Van Buren Lightburn.

Figure 3.22 – Martin Van Buren Lightburn and John Fell Lightburn taken about 1913

Figure 3.23 – Calvin L. Lightburn and Lucinda H. Dunn Marriage license and certificate.

Figure 3.24 – Triplets Calvin Dunn Lightburn (left), Joseph Benjamin Franklin Lightburn (middle) and John Martin Lightburn (right) taken in 1873.

Figure 3.25 – Calvin L. Lightburn signature.

Figure 3.26 – Portrait of Calvin Luther Lightburn.

Figure 3.27 – Calvin Luther Lightburn with family.

Figure 3.28 – Calvin L. Lightburn death certificate.

Figure 3.29 – Lightburn family plot at Crown Hill Cemetery, Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Figure 3.30 – Bob and Mary (Lightburn) Caffrey.

Figure 3.31 – Excerpt from Mary (Lightburn) Caffrey’s diary listing some of the books that

she read in 1906.

Figure 3.32 – Franklin Eddie Terry Lightburn.

Figure 3.33 – Helen (Eggleston) Lightburn

Figure 3.34 – Benjamin Franklin Lightburn and John Fell Lightburn

Figure 4.1 – Horace Whittlesey Lightburn

Figure 4.2 – Luther Grant and Florence (Goodloe) Lightburn

Figure 4.3 – Mary Rebecca Hevener

Figure 4.4 – Edwin Luther Beard taken March 1871

Figure 4.5 – George Washington Hevener

Figure 4.6 – Emma Cornelia Hevener

Figure 4.7 – Lina Lightburn

Figure 4.8 – Martin Luther Lightburn birth certificate

Figure 4.9 – Martin Luther Lightburn

Figure 4.10 – Alice (Peterson) Lightburn

Figure 4.11 – Carl Struckman certificate of citizenship

Figure 4.12 – Carl Struckman

Figure 4.13 – Cora (Lightburn) Struckman

Figure 4.14 – Calvin Dunn Lightburn and family

Figure 4.15 – Charles McConnell Lightburn

Figure 4.16 – Lightburn Family in Denver

Figure 4.17 – Original house at 4145 Clay Street, Denver, Colorado

Figure 4.18 – House at 4145 Clay Street after modernization

Figure 4.19 – Helen and Billie Lightburn at a Delta Omicron gathering

Figure 4.20 – Helen (Duckett) Lightburn in her yard at 4145 Clay Street

Figure 4.21 – Emma May Lightburn

Figure 4.22 – William Henry McConnell and Emma May (Lightburn) McConnell

Figure 4.23 – Croner John Lightburn and Ethel May (Cole) Lightburn on their wedding day,

1 January 1900

Figure 4.24 – Croner John and May Ethel (Cole) Lightburn with nine of their children on the

occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary, 1 January 1950

Figure 4.25 – Blanche Lavina (Taylor) Lightburn

Figure 5.1 – Joseph Benton Lightburn, Sr.

Figure 5.2 – Susan (Davisson) Lightburn

Figure 5.3 – Joseph Benton Lightburn, Jr

Figure 5.4 – Nadine (Olmstead) Lightburn and John Luther Lightburn

Figure 5.5 – David Keith Lightburn

Figure 5.6 – Family gathering at the Curzons, Denver, Colorado

Figure 5.7 – Kenneth Charles Lightburn

Figure 5.8 – Bob, Kenneth, Phyllis and Jean Lightburn

Vivian (Lounsbury) McConnell, Theodore Roosevelt McConnell, Pat(?)

McConnell and Bertha Jane (Reese) McConnell

Figure 10.1 – Ancestors of Elizabeth (Hayden) Lightbourne/Lightburn

Figure 10.2 – Ancestors of Rebecca (Fell) Lightburn

Figure 10.3 – Ancestors of Lucinda Helen (Dunn) Lightburn

Figure 10.4 – Marriage Record for Michael Dunn and Lucinda Cecil

Figure 10.5 – Ancestors of Helen Josephine (Duckett) Lightburn

Figure 10.6 – Martin Duckett

Figure 10.7 – Martin Duckett death certificate

Figure 10.8 – James P. Du

Figure 10.9 – Ancestors of Jean Marie (Johnson) Lightburn

Figure 10.10 – Phillip Charles Johnson (born Karl Filip Johansson).

Figure 10.11 – Cottage in Gistad, Östergötlands, Sweden – birthplace of Karl Filip Johansson

Figure 10.12 – Otelia Josephine (Anderson) Johnson

Figure 10.13 – Frank A. Anderson (born Frans August Andersson

Figure 10.14 – Mary F. (Strauss) Anderson (born Maria Josefina Eriksdotter)

Figure 10.15 – Ancestors of Anne Elizabeth (Hodson) Lightburn.

Figure 10.16 – John and Frances (Guerin) Hodson

Figure F.1 – Surprise 70th Birthday Party for Barbara (Struckmann) Hunt

Preface

I first became interested in genealogy when I was about twelve. It was then that my paternal grandmother first introduced me to a book entitled Genealogy of the Fell Family in America Descended from Joseph Fell. This book, which was published in 1891, included my grandfather Charles McConnell Lightburn. I was struck by the time span covered by the book – nearly three hundred years – and was fascinated by the fact that all of the people in that book were related to one another, and to me, either by blood or marriage!

My grandmother later gave me that book, and it became the first book in my genealogical library. My grandfather and my great aunt Mary told me that their father had fought for the North during the Civil War by the side of his older brother, Joseph Andrew Jackson Lightburn, who became a Brigadier General. This fascinated me. They also told me that there was a town in West Virginia called Lightburn. I couldn’t wait to find it on a map!

My own genealogical research did not begin until the late 1970s when I requested the Civil War records of my great grandfather, Calvin Luther Lightburn, and his brothers from the National Archives. During the 1980s I continued my research, albeit at a very low level of activity. It was not until the early 1990s, when I had moved to the Washington, D.C. area, that I became intensively involved in, some might even say addicted to, genealogy. The resources in the Washington, D.C. area are extensive, and I ended up spending many happy (and sometimes frustrating) hours conducting research in the National Archives, Library of Congress and the library of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

By 1999 I had amassed a great deal of genealogical information, most of which was stuffed in cardboard boxes. I was encouraged to put what I had on paper by Faye M. (Brown) Lightburn who had published her book Revolutionary Soldier Samuel Brown and Some of his Family in 1993. So, after attending several related sessions at the National Genealogical Society Conference in the States, which was held that year in Providence, Rhode Island, I finally screwed up my courage and plunged in. The first edition of this book was published in 2003. In 2005 I published a supplement to the book the purpose of which was to correct known errors and to add significant new material that I accumulated since publication of the original.

The second edition of the book combines the original and supplement and includes the result of additional genealogical research that I have completed since 2005. This book is far from complete. In fact, it may never be complete. It is my hope that someone else, perhaps another descendant of Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightburn, will have the interest to add to and/or correct what I have compiled so far. If such is the case, I would like to suggest two areas for further research:

• Determine the ancestry of Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightburn.

• Determine the ancestry of John Leybourne/Lightbourne.

These items have been my brick walls (genealogists don’t speak of dead ends, rather they speak of brick walls). I believe that Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightburn was probably born in Bermuda but I still haven’t been able to prove it. The family legend, which is included on page 1, is at least in part untrue. This Benjamin (referred to as James in the family legend) did not attend Princeton¹ (then known as the College of New Jersey) nor did he enlist in the Continental Army. I had entertained the thought that he may have fought with the British or the Loyalists instead and either deserted or was captured by the Americans. However, his name does not appear on the muster rolls of any of the British units that were involved in the Battle of Princeton² and, as near as I can determine, no Loyalist units were involved in that conflict. I should mention that that I have done some research on a Benjamin Lightbourn who was living in and around New York City from 1776 until at least 1788. I have included what I have learned to date in Appendix M, Descendants of Benjamin Lightbourn. I do not know when or where this Benjamin Lightbourn was born nor do I know who his parents were. This Benjamin Lightbourn may be the same person as Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightburn, my great great great grandfather. The name and dates certainly fit. However, if these two men are the same person, why would Benjamin Lightbourn of New York City have left his wife and two children around 1789 and move to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania? In the case of John Leybourne/Lightbourne, what is known about him is that on 17 December 1653 he was occupying land at Burrow’s [sic] Point in Warwick Tribe, Bermuda.³ He is also listed in Richard Norwood’s Map of Bermuda, 1662-1663 as owning one share (lot no. 53) in Warwick Tribe having purchased it from a Martin Bond. John Horne Lightbourne believed that his (John Leybourne/Lightbourne’s) father was John Leybourne although in an earlier version of the family tree that he compiled he lists the father as Rev. Dean William Leybourne (Dean of Derry Cathedral, 1670-1671). So, there continues to be uncertainty about his parentage. Unfortunately, the records of the Somers Island (Bermuda) Company, which may have shed some light on who John Leybourne was or at least where he came from, do not appear to have survived.

I may have broken through one of these brick walls through DNA testing. DNA testing, especially Y-chromosome (or Y-DNA) testing, is rapidly gaining acceptance by the community of genealogists. Y-DNA is passed from father to son. For example, my Y-chromosome is the same as my father’s, my paternal grandfather’s and so forth. In December of 2004 I submitted my DNA for testing as part of the Bahamas DNA Project. Preliminary results of this testing indicate that Ron Lightbourn and I share a common male ancestor. The following was received from the project’s administrator Peter J. Roberts:⁴

From the initial 12 marker results, it is now quite clear that they [Ron Lightbourn and I] both share a direct paternal-line Lightbourn ancestor in Bermuda. This is because they are a 12/12 [12 Marker Y-DNA test] match with each other and have no relatively close matches with about 30,000 others with mostly European ancestry who have tested. This relationship was suspected by traditional genealogy. These Y chromosome results now confirm this relationship.

This is pretty exciting news but just what does it mean? Ron Lightbourn⁵, a friend and colleague of mine, who resides in Nassau, Bahamas, is a known descendant of Joseph Lightbourn (1692-1759)⁶, a Bermudian. My best guess is that my great great great grandfather, Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightbourn of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, is the same person as Benjamin Lightbourn (b. ca 1753)⁷, son of John Lightbourn⁸ and grandson of Joseph Lightbourn (1692-1759). I have thus concluded that this Joseph Lightbourn is the common ancestor of Ron Lightbourn and myself and, if so, makes us 7th cousins. Furthermore, this means that we can, in all likelihood, safely trace the ancestry of Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightbourne back to John Leybourne/Lightbourne⁹ who settled in Bermuda around 1662. Perhaps in the future, DNA testing will help us break through one of my other brick walls, that is to help us determine the ancestry of John Leybourne/Lightbourne.

During the course of research, I have come into contact with many wonderful people who have given me information and/or encouragement. It is impossible to acknowledge them all in this short space. However, first and foremost, I would like to thank my wife Anne for her patience and understanding, especially during those trips to courthouses and libraries in less than completely scenic locations. My thanks also go to Joseph Benton Lightburn Jr., Frances (Lightburn) Cressman and Mary Virginia (Rothlisberger) Rinehart for information about Joseph Andrew Jackson Lightburn and his descendants; John Lightburn for information about the descendants of John Fell Lightburn; Ginny (Lightburn) Williamson, Barbara (Struckman) Hunt, John Lightburn and Marge (Lightburn) Kramer for information about Calvin Luther Lightburn and his descendants; and to Jacquie (Lightburn) Corley, Mary (Grattan) Lightburn, Sarah (Lightburn) Jenkins, Belle (Keys) Lightburn and Robert A. Lightburn for information on the descendants of Benjamin Franklin Washington Lightburn. I would also like to thank Berene (McConnell) Sullivan and Mae (Kimmett) Westergard for their contributions to the descendants of Hugh McConnell (1829-1910) and to Bob Druley for the many photographs that he sent to me. In addition, I am indebted to Janet (Marsh) Lawrence for a wealth of information on the descendants of William Logan Marsh (1822-1897).

Thanks posthumously to James Horne Lightbourne (1875-1965) for his marvelous research on the Lightbourne and Darrell families. I also want to thank Ron Lightbourn of the Bahamas for his enlargement of and corrections to the Lightbourn(e) family tree, which was compiled by James Horne Lightbourne, especially for the two Bahamian branches of Lightbourns.

I am indebted to Faye M. (Brown) Lightburn and Lynda (Twyman) Paffrath not only for the material that they have provided me over the years but also for their encouragement to write this book.

                                         Robert C. Lightburn

                                         307 New Jersey Avenue

                                         Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742

List of Abbrevations

Introduction

This is the story of the Lightburn family in America.

It is also a history of America, for Lightburns and their allied families seem to be found in every nook and cranny of our nation’s past. They were involved in the early settlement of the Eastern seaboard. They took part in the American Revolution. One person was ousted from his Quaker Church for making and mending shoes for Gen. Washington’s Continental Army at Valley Forge.

Lightburns and their allied families were pioneers in western Pennsylvania and were part of the westward expansion after the Revolutionary War. One ferried other pioneers on their way west across the Youghiogheny River at Budd’s Ferry. During the Civil War it was literally brother against brother — three Lightburn brothers fought for the Union, one who became a Brigadier General, and another brother fought for the Confederacy.

Following the Civil War, many Lightburns headed west. One tried his hand at farming in Kansas until the grasshoppers ran him out. He later settled in California. Still another crossed the plains and Rockies in a covered wagon to open a general merchandise store in what is now Salt Lake City, Utah. Lightburns and their allied families were found in some of the early western mining towns — South Pass City, Leadville, Alma and Cripple Creek among others.

Lightburns and allied families fought in the nation’s wars. They served their country not only in the Revolutionary and Civil wars but also in the War of 1812, World Wars I and II and the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The Lightburns or allied families worked as blacksmiths, farmers, millers, carpenters, store owners, miners, doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, engineers, railroad men, teachers, newspaper reporters, waiters, painters and preachers. People who helped build this nation. Two of them ran for President of the United States — Democratic Party Candidate Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956 and Constitutional Party Candidate Joseph Benton Lightburn Sr. in 1964. Some descended from John Alden of Mayflower fame. Others descended from John Heydon who landed at Dorchester, Massachusetts aboard the good ship Mary and John in 1630. One family had their Colorado house win the Better Homes & Gardens contest in the Depression years. One was a teacher who worked part-time as a milkman, delivering poems along with milk to his customers.

They lived in places like Fort Defiance, Lost Creek, Duck Creek, Jane Lew, Mingo Flats, Tiskilwa, Blue Eye, Leadville, Cripple Creek, Alma, Red Bluff, Puyallup and Cosmopolis.

They were friends of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, poet Henry W. Longfellow and Mormon leader Brigham Young. One Lightburn, who later became a Brigadier General for the Union in the Civil War, had a close boyhood friend — one that would later become a general for the Confederacy, General Thomas Stonewall Jackson.

You can see that the Lightburn story is one that has been painted on a rather large canvas. It all began with the progenitor of this family, Benjamin Lightbourne (the surname got changed to Lightburn about 1800), who settled in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania around 1785.

His origin is unknown but it possible, maybe even likely, that he was born in Bermuda. Lightbourne, and the variant spelling Lightbourn, is a fairly common name in Bermuda today and has been since the first Lightbourne (John Lightbourne) settled there around 1660. Bermuda itself was settled in 1609 by a group of English colonists who were shipwrecked there on their way to Virginia. Originally known as the Somers Islands, Bermuda became a crown colony in 1684. It is still a British Overseas Territory.

The early Bermudans, including John Lightbourne, were English. Thus, if our progenitor did come from Bermuda, his ancestors were probably English. If he did not come from Bermuda, he almost certainly came from the British Isles directly. In either case, the origin of the Lightburn family is England (although some would say Scotland).

James Horne Lightbourne (1875-1965) compiled a massive Lightbourne family tree, which he submitted to the Library of Congress in 1950. He traced his line back to a Wilmarc (Wihomar, Wimar, Wimarc, Wymare, Wymer) who was living (in England) in 1025. Early records refer to the marriage of Wilmarc to a Nobilis Mulier. The inference was that he was a Norman married to an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman. Thus, it is possible that not only are we descended from the English but also from the Normans who were, themselves, descended from the Vikings.

This book includes individuals from Wilmarc in (who was living in 1025) to those born up to and including 2018. It tells the story of Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightburn and his descendants through nine generations along with allied families. These families who married into the Lightburn family include names like Hayden, Fell, Dunn, Duckett, Johnson and Hodson. They all have interesting stories, and they can be found in all parts of the country today. If you are a Lightburn and you run across another Lightburn in the United States the chances are pretty good that you are related.

I have included biographical information of all deceased individuals wherever possible through the seventh generation and also in the appendices. I have used both primary and secondary sources to compile this book. Primary sources were used to the greatest extent possible. These sources include, but are not limited to:

Primary sources:

– Vital records (birth, marriage and death)

– Wills and estates

– Letters of administration

– Deeds

– Military records

– Tax records

– Official letters

– Federal and state census records

– Passenger ship records

Secondary sources:

– Published genealogies and biographies

– Published histories

– City directories

– Obituaries

– Church records

– Family bibles

– Diaries

– Personal letters

– Cemetery inscriptions

– LDS International Genealogical Index (IGI)

– DAR Genealogical Records Committee (GRC) reports

– Newspaper articles

– Genealogical databases (e.g., LDS Ancestral File)

– Information provided by descendants and connecting families

– Internet material

I have used the Register system (used by the New England Historical and Genealogical Register) as the numbering system throughout this book. A few words about this numbering system are in order. If there is an Arabic numeral before a child’s name, it means that the child had one or more descendants that will be carried forward into the next generation. It also means that this is the individual number that has been assigned to them. For example:

Children of JAMES WILSON and GRACE SEYMOUR are:

Charles D., Henry Seymour and Grace Seymour Wilson’s descendants will be carried forward, so they have an Arabic numeral before their names. Charles D., Henry Seymour and Grace Seymour, Wilson’s individual numbers will be 40, 41 and 42 respectively. Harriet and Clara on, on the other hand, had no descendants, and therefore do not have an Arabic numeral before theirs.

Chapter ONE

Benjamin Lightbourne/Lightburn, the Progenitor

1. BENJAMIN¹ LIGHTBOURNE was born on 14 June 1756 in Bermuda, and died 21 August 1802 in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. He married ELIZABETH HAYDEN abt. 1790 in Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania, daughter of CHRISTOPHER HAYDEN and ELIZABETH SUTTON. She was born 7 June 1767 in Morristown, Morris Co., New Jersey, and died 14 October 1841 in Pennsylvania.

Who was Benjamin Lightbourne? Where did he come from? These are questions that I asked myself a number of times during the many years I spent researching this man. As I write, I still do not know a great deal about him. I found what is perhaps the most interesting account of him in a book entitled The Fells of Longlands¹⁰ by Blanche Craig:

James Lightbourne was born to a wealthy young couple on the island of Bermuda where they had large estates. Orphaned when he was a young child, he was raised by two of his father’s sisters, the family name originally had been Lightbourne. When he was old enough, the aunts sent him to Princeton. While there, the Revolution began and he wrote his aunts that he intended to enlist in the Continental Army. They replied that if he did they would disown and disinherit him. Scorning their threat, in 1777 he joined a cavalry company being recruited in and around Princeton. In the battle of Princeton (which was fought on 3 January 1777) the company was cut to pieces. James Lightbourne received a broken thigh, but escaped capture by crawling into the top of a fallen tree and hiding there. His wound left him lame for life, but he was made a Quartermaster in Washington’s Army and served until the end of the war.

Immediately after the Revolution had ended, James Lightburn came to Budd’s Ferry on the Youghiogheny River, two miles above West Newton, which was then known as Simeral’s Ferry. He found employment as a ferryman and soon married Elizabeth Hayden, of the pioneer Hayden family. Their four children were Sophia, Lavina, Margaret and Benjamin Lightburn. ….

Now this is really a great story. James Lightbourne the patriot! But wait a minute. I thought we were talking about Benjamin Lightbourne not James Lightbourne.¹¹ Well, we are, and that is the first problem with this story. Sadly, much of the rest of the above story is also untrue. Besides the discrepancy of given names, I have not found any evidence that he was ever in the Continental Army let alone having served as a Quartermaster.

There is also no evidence that he ever attended Princeton, then known as the College of New Jersey. In answer to my query about whether any Lightbourne had ever attended Princeton, the response was There is a non-graduate card for a James Lightbourne, but the information about him in our files is rather limited. Most of the information comes from others requesting verification of family lore, which the university cannot provide.¹² I later visited the Princeton University Library and found nothing but a couple of letters like my own in his file.

Finally, Benjamin and Elizabeth Lightbourne had seven not four children. Parts of the story are, however, true. He was a ferryman at Budd’s Ferry, and he did marry Elizabeth Hayden. He may also have walked with a limp, which could explain the war story. And he may well have come from Bermuda and been left without an inheritance. More about the possible Bermuda connection later.

Although I found no evidence that Benjamin (or James) Lightbourne fought in the Revolutionary War, I should mention that I did find a John Lightbourn of Philadelphia who was master and part owner of the sloop America.¹³ The America, which was commissioned on 27 November 1778, had six guns and a crew of 20.¹⁴ I also found three Lightburnes who fought for the Americans during the Revolution. They were Stafford, Richard and Henry Lightburne. Stafford and Richard Lightburne were lieutenants, and Henry Lightburne was a captain in the Virginia State Navy.¹⁵, ¹⁶, ¹⁷ The relationship between Henry and the brothers Stafford and Richard is not known, but it is likely that he was their brother. The descendants of Stafford Lightburne through six generations are shown in Appendix G. I have found no evidence linking John Lightbourn or the aforementioned Lightburnes to Benjamin Lightbourne.

Benjamin Lightbourne is not the first person with that surname to settle in America. In addition to the three Lightburnes mentioned in the preceding paragraph, there is at least one other person that probably preceded him to our shores. The earliest arrival may have been Joseph Lightburn of Prince William Co., Virginia. He must have been a pretty notorious fellow as he was hanged for Robbery on the Highway, and for Horse Stealing on 23 November 1739.¹⁸ In 1718, the British Parliament passed the so-called Transportation Act. Under this Act, approximately 50,000 convicts were forcibly transported to the American Colonies between 1718 and 1775. Perhaps this Joseph Lightburn was one of those convicts that the British so cheerfully dumped on our shores.

Another early arrival to America, Susanna Lightburn, appears in the 1790 New York census.¹⁹ Subsequent research has shown that she was the wife of still another Benjamin Lightbourn. He and his descendants are shown in Appendix M.

Still another early arrival was Samuel Stiles (or Styles) Lightbourn, a Bermudan sea captain. He sailed between Bermuda and Savannah, Georgia, before finally settling in Savannah around 1800. Samuel Stiles Lightbourn appears as individual number 85 in Appendix K entitled Lightbourne Family Tree.

Blanche Craig wrote The Fells of Longlands, part of which was quoted at the beginning of this chapter, in 1959. Unfortunately, she did not cite her sources. At the time she wrote her book, she was Historian of the Fell Society of Western Pennsylvania. I was unable to locate the source material for her book either from the Fell Society of Western Pennsylvania, which is no longer in existence, or from other libraries in Western Pennsylvania.

So, where did her story come from? Most likely Blanche Craig obtained it either from a descendant of Benjamin Lightbourne or from a secondary source such as the Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. This book, which was published in 1890, is the earliest reference I found that includes a variation of this story. It includes the following in a biographical sketch of Benjamin L. Sampson whose father John Sampson married Lavina Lightburn, one of Benjamin Lightbourne’s daughters:

Benjamin Lightburn was born on one of the Bermuda islands, came to New Jersey in 1774 and entered Princeton College. He attended that institution for two years, then enlisted in the Continental army, was wounded at the battle of Princeton and served during the remainder of the Revolutionary war as a quartermaster. In 1783 he immigrated to Pennsylvania and settled in Rostraver Township at Budd’s Ferry, where in 1790 he married a Miss Hayden. He died in 1802 and left a family of seven children. He was a farmer and member of the established Church of England.²⁰

It should be noted that he is referred to as Benjamin rather than James. So where did the given name James come from? I have seen this person referred to as James Lightburn (or Lightbourne) in sources other than The Fells of Longlands. The earliest such reference is an article in the May 1938 issue of The West Virginia Review, which said, Benjamin Lightburn was the son of James Lightburn, who was born in the Bermuda Islands of Scotch ancestry. He had served in the Revolutionary War in George Washington’s army. He was severely wounded in the battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777.²¹ The author acknowledged that he received his information from members and friends of the Lightburn family. It is possible that this person went by the name James. However, I think that this may have been a case where one person erroneously thought the name was James and then this fact got put into print. After that, this fact found its way into subsequent sources, such as the Family Record of James and Elizabeth (Hayden) Lightburn²² and The Fells of Longlands, and the error was thus perpetuated.

So, what is known about Benjamin Lightbourne, and how much of the above accounts is true? My best guess is that he was the child of John and Mary (Darrell) Lightbourn, who were both Bermudans. John Lightbourn was a great grandson of John Leybourne/Lightbourne who settled in Bermuda about 1660. John and Mary Lightbourn had three children. Their third child, Benjamin, was born around 1753. His father died around this same time and his mother died before 1760. So, this Benjamin Lightbourn was orphaned by the time he was six or seven years old. John Lightbourn was from a family of five children. Mary Darrell was from a family of nine children. John Lightbourn’s brother Samuel married Jane Darrell (Mary’s sister) and his sister Mary married Joseph Darrell (also Mary’s sister). So not only was that generation of Lightbourns and Darrells closely related, so to speak, but there was also an abundance of aunts and uncles to take care of the orphaned Benjamin Lightbourn. These relationships are shown in Figure 1.1 as some of the descendants of Joseph Lightbourn.

Fig11DescendantsofJosephLightbourn.jpg

Figure 1.1 – Descendants of Joseph Lightbourn.

The relationships are also shown in the Lightbourne and Darrell family trees, included as appendices K and L, respectively. John Lightbourn appears as individual number 61 in Appendix K. Mary Darrell appears as individual number 69 in Appendix L. It should also be noted that Lightbourns and Lightbournes have lived in Bermuda since the middle of the 17th century. Also, the trailing e in the surname seems to come and go. Thus, not too much importance should be attached to the exact spelling of the surname.

Benjamin Lightbourne probably arrived in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania around 1785. Whether he came from Bermuda or elsewhere is not known. He settled on, or near, the Youghiogheny River in Rostraver Township about a mile below (upstream from) West Newton. This was also several miles downstream from the point where Braddock’s Road crossed the Youghiogheny as shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure12.jpg

Figure 1.2 – Braddock’s Road and Forbes’ Road, 1755-1758.

(Reprinted from William Dollarhide, Map Guide to American Migration Routes, 1735-1815, p. 12, by permission of Heritage Quest.)

It was at this location that Benjamin Lightbourne rented a house from Joseph Budd, a large landowner in the area, where he and his brother, Joshua, owned and operated Budd’s Ferry.²³ Benjamin Lightbourne was most likely a ferryman on Budd’s Ferry and probably built or repaired boats there as well. The inventory of his estate made in 1802 included two boat frames and 250 feet of boat plank. Budd’s Ferry and Simeral’s Ferry (now West Newton) were located on or near Braddock’s Road that, along with Forbes’ Road, was the main east-west thoroughfare through Pennsylvania during the latter part of the 17th century.²⁴ These two ferries transported people coming from the east across the Youghiogheny River. They then continued approximately five miles west to places like Webster, which was (and is today) located on the east bank of the Monongahela River. Once they reached the Monongahela River, travelers could proceed by boat down the river to the Ohio River and thence to points west. The cost to cross on Simeral’s Ferry was a six pence for man and horse, four pence and a half-penny for cattle and foot person, and militia was four dollars a day.²⁵

Benjamin married Elizabeth Hayden about 1790. She was born on 7 June 1767²⁶ in Morristown, New Jersey, the daughter of Christopher (Sr.) and Elizabeth (Sutton) Hayden. She and a number of other Haydens had moved to Westmoreland Co. from Morris Co., New Jersey in the 1780s. Her uncle, Nathaniel Hayden, along with Joseph Budd helped found the Salem Baptist Church located near West Newton in 1792. They along with their wives were among the first persons baptized in that place.²⁷ (The Hayden family connection is shown the chapter entitled Allied Families.)

Not too much appears in the public record regarding Benjamin Lightbourne. He is not shown in the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania 1783 census. The first occurrence may have been in the 1790 Rostraver Township, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania census.²⁸ In that census there appears: lightbone, Joseph, 1 free white male 16 or over, 1 male under 16, and 2 free white females in the household. Although the surname is listed as lightbone, census takers often wrote down what they heard, i.e. Lightbourne may have sounded like lightbone to the census taker. Furthermore, Joseph may have come from the fact that he resided on the property of Joseph Budd who was listed nearby on the same census. Perhaps Joseph Budd even provided the information for his tenant.

The population of Rostraver Township, according to the 1790 census, was 1,087. This included 253 free white males 16 or over, 290 males under 16, 495 females and 49 slaves.²⁹ Benjamin Lightbourne does appear, however in Westmoreland County as a witness to the will of Timothy Wood, proved 26 January 1798.³⁰ Finally, he appears in the 1800 South Huntington Township, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania, census as: Lightbourne, Benj, 2 free white males under 10, 1 male 26-45, 1 male 45 & over, 3 free white females under 10, 2 females 10-16 and 1 female 26-45.³¹ South Huntington Township is located just across the Youghiogheny River to the east of Rostraver Township.

Benjamin Lightbourne died intestate on 21 August 1802. The settlement of his estate was mentioned in Marriage and Death Notices from Weekly Newspapers, 1818-1865, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.³² According to a notice in the 22 August 1818 issue of the Westmoreland Republican, the Benjamin Lightburn estate was to be finally settled on 24 August 1818. His estate was estimated at 200 pounds at the time of his death, but what did that mean? Although the United States adopted its modern currency system in the 1790s, old account books and other records were kept in pounds, shillings and pence. Furthermore, each state had their own currency; i.e., there was the Pennsylvania pound, the New York pound, etc. The state currencies were not equivalent to British currency. Thus in the 1820s, one U.S. dollar (based on the Spanish milled dollar) was worth six shillings of the old New England, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee money; eight shillings of New York and North Carolina money; seven shillings, six pence of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland money; four shillings, eight pence in South Carolina and Georgia money; and four shillings, six pence of British money. Therefore, a person with an estate of 200 Pennsylvania pounds in 1802 would be worth, at that time, $533.33 in federal money. The New York and North Carolina currencies made some sense, since at eight shillings to the dollar, four shillings was fifty cents and two shillings was the same as two bits of a Spanish dollar — twenty-five cents.³³

Although Benjamin Lightbourne was not wealthy and owned no land, at the time of his death he and his family most likely lived a fairly comfortable life. They certainly were not hungry as the inventory of his estate included 35 ½ bushels of wheat, eight sheep, two cows, one heifer, two yearling steers, one sow and three pigs.

On 31 August 1802 Elizabeth Lightburn and Samuel Hayden (probably her brother) were named administrators of the estate of Benjamin Lightburn, they having given bond of two hundred pounds for the faithful performance thereof Nathaniel Haydon (Hayden) and Joseph Budd Sureties. Nathaniel Hayden and Joseph Budd were Elizabeth Lightburn’s cousin and landlord, respectively. Elizabeth Lightburn and Samuel Hayden were required by the court to make a true and perfect inventory of all and singular the goods and chattels, rights and credits of the deceased Benjamin Lightburn by September 31st. It should be noted that Elizabeth Lightburn made her mark X on the document naming her administratrix. This simply meant that she could not write and probably could not read either.

Joshua Budd and Stephen Lowry appraised Benjamin Lightburn’s estate on September 2nd at $543.85 (slightly more aforementioned estimate). They noted in their appraisal that the total of $543.85 should not have included book accounts worth $241.43 ½ and notes worth $100.95. Joshua Budd and Stephen Lowry made oath on their appraisal before a justice of the peace on the 4th. The goods and chattels were sold at vendue (like an auction) on the 5th and 18th of September raising a total of 99 pounds, 4 shillings and 7 pence. The inventory sold at vendue, including the names of those who purchased each of the items, is shown in Appendix A.

From the Orphan’s Court Minutes of June, 1804:

Upon the petition of Elizabeth Lightburn widow and relict of Benjamin Lightburn late of Westmoreland County deceased. To the Court setting forth that your petitioner’s husband died intestate leaving your petitioner his widow and seven children all of whom are under the age of fourteen years and praying the Court to appoint Andrew Findley or some other proper person or persons guardian over said children. The Court did thereupon appoint Andrew Findley Esq. Guardian over the person and estate of said children to wit. Elizabeth Lightburn, Levina [sic] Lightburn, Harriet Lightburn, Joseph Lightburn, Benjamin Lightburn, Cornelia Lightburn and Sophia Lightburn until they severally arrive to the age of fourteen years.

In some states, such as Pennsylvania, the Orphan’s Court had jurisdiction over matters relating to the administration of the estates of decedents. Therefore, when a father died intestate, i.e. without having made a will, the Orphan’s Court normally appointed a guardian who was entrusted with the administration of the property of minors and jurisdiction over any adoption proceedings. The day-to-day responsibility for raising the children was left to the mother, in this case Elizabeth Lightburn.

Elizabeth Lightburn appears in the 1810 Elizabeth Township, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania, census as: Lightburn, Elizabeth, 1 free white male 10-16, 2 free white females 10-16, 2 females 16-26 and 1 female 26-45.³⁴ Elizabeth Township is across the county line just to the north of Rostraver Township. She is also listed on the Rostraver Township, Westmoreland Co. tax list in 1817 as: Lightburn_____; widow; 1 cow; (8).³⁵ I believe that (8) refers to the number of persons in the household, which would indicate that all the children were living in her household at that time. Elizabeth was enumerated in the 1820 Rostraver Township, Westmoreland Co., census as: Lightburn, Widow, 1 male 18-26, 2 females 16-26, 1 female 26-45, and 1 female 45 & up.³⁶ She died on 14 October 1841,³⁷ probably in Westmoreland Co..

So how was it that the name got changed from Lightbourne to Lightburn? Between 1790 (if one includes that census) and 1802 the name was variously spelled lightbone, Lightbourne, Lightbourn and Lightburn. However, in court documents between 31 August 1802 and 7 June 1819 and in the 1810 and the 1820 census records, the name appears as Lightburn and has been spelled that way ever since.

Children of BENJAMIN LIGHTBOURNE and ELIZABETH HAYDEN are:

Chapter TWO

Second Generation

2. ELIZABETH² LIGHTBURN (BENJAMIN¹ LIGHTBOURN) was born 26 December 1790 in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania, and died 29 February 1848.³⁸ She married JAMES MCKIVER abt. 1812, son of Henry McKiver and Mary Unknown probably in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania.³⁹, ⁴⁰ He was born 25 February 1780 in Pennsylvania, and died 13 May 1845.

Children of ELIZABETH LIGHTBURN and JAMES MCKIVER are:

3. LAVINA² LIGHTBURN (BENJAMIN¹ LIGHTBOURNE) was born 15 February 1792 in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania,⁴¹ and died 6 March 1879 in Westmoreland Co.; bur. at West Newton Cemetery in West Newton, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. She married JOHN SAMPSON 25 September 1828, son of JAMES SAMPSON and MARY MARGARET CROOK. He was born 12 February 1778 in Ballylothin,Tyrone, Ireland,⁴² and died 21 March 1858 in West Newton; bur. next to his wife at West Newton Cemetery.

Lavina Lightburn married John Sampson after the death of his first wife Mary McGavitt, who died on 17 September 1826. John Sampson … came in 1785 with his uncle William Sampson to what was then called the Black Horse tavern. It was a famous resort of Rostraver township at that time.⁴³ John probably served as a lieutenant in Capt. David Alter’s Company of Pennsylvania Militia, Colonel Irwin’s Regiment during the War of 1812.⁴⁴ John Sampson was a farmer (and) … a democrat …⁴⁵

John was a farmer. He died on 21 March 1858 in West Newton, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania and is buried in West Newton Cemetery, as are other members of his family.⁴⁶ Lavina died on 6 March 1879 in Westmoreland Co. and is buried next to her husband in West Newton Cemetery.

Children of LAVINA LIGHTBURN and JOHN SAMPSON are:

4. HARRIET² LIGHTBURN (BENJAMIN¹ LIGHTBOURNE) was born 13 September 1793 in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania,⁴⁷ and died 18 April 1873 in Coitsville, Mahoning Co., Ohio. She married ANDREW (or ANDRUS) WILSON 28 December 1818 in Youngstown, Trumbull Co., Ohio⁴⁸, son of JAMES WILSON and MARTHA WILLOCKS.⁴⁹ He was born 1 December 1786 in Pennsylvania, and died 1 September 1846 in Youngstown.

Andrew Wilson served as a private from Ohio in Capt. John McNeal’s Company (Calvary) during the War of 1812. He was enumerated in the 1820 and 1830 Trumbull Co., Ohio censuses.⁵⁰, ⁵¹ I was unable to find him in the 1840 census. He died in 1846 in Youngstown, Ohio. Andrew Wilson was listed as a householder in Youngstown Township, Mahoning Co., Ohio in 1826.⁵² In the Trumbull Co., Ohio court records appeared the following: "The widow of Andrew Wilson [Harriet], late of Youngstown, Ohio dec’d now residing at Weathersfield, Ohio. Allegation of insanity and application of Guard. Filed February 13 AD [sic] 1871. Inquest held. Statement of property filed and Joseph Kincaid appointed Guardian."⁵³

Figure21.jpg

Figure 2.1 – Harriet Lightburn.

Andrew died on 1 September 1846. Harriet died, at the age of 80, on 18 April 1873 in Coitsville, Mahoning Co., Ohio.⁵⁴

Children of HARRIET LIGHTBURN and ANDREW WILSON are:⁵⁵

x. SARAH MCCOY WILSON, b. 26 June 1837, Youngstown, Trumbull Co., Ohio; d. 13 January 1917, Youngstown, Mahoning Co., Ohio; bur. Pioneer Methodist Church Cemetery, Youngstown; m. IRA ALLERTON MARINER, 23 October 1860, Youngstown, Mahoning Co., Ohio.⁵⁶, ⁵⁷ He was b. 23 November 1827, Coitsville, Mahoning Co.; d. 1886; bur. Pioneer Methodist Church Cemetery, Youngstown.

5. JOSEPH² LIGHTBURN (BENJAMIN¹ LIGHTBOURNE) was born 3 January 1795 in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania,⁵⁸ and died 25 February 1826 in Youngstown, Trumbull Co., Ohio; bur. at Price and Kyle private cemetery in Youngstown. He married ELEANOR KYLE 6 April 1819 in Youngstown, daughter of JOSHUA KYLE and MARY STEWART.⁵⁹ She was born November 21 November 1795 in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania,⁶⁰ and died 21 October 1856 in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., Ohio; bur. at Price and Kyle private cemetery in Youngstown.

Around 1810 Joseph Lightburn moved to Trumbull Co., Ohio and settled in Youngstown. He served as a private in Capt. Stephen Oviatt’s Company of Infantry, 2nd Regiment (Cotgreave’s) Ohio Militia during the War of 1812.⁶¹ He was enumerated in the 1820 Trumbull Co., Ohio census as Lightburn, Joseph, 1 male 18-26, 1 female under 10, 1 female 18-26.⁶² The census also stated that he was engaged in agriculture. Joseph died on 25 February 1826 in Youngstown and is buried in the Price and Kyle private cemetery.⁶³ After his death, the Court appointed his widow, Eleanor, guardian of their two daughters Elizabeth and Levina (sic), both under twelve at that time.⁶⁴ Elener (sic) Lightbourn was listed as a householder in Youngstown Township, Mahoning Co., Ohio in 1826.⁶⁵ Ellener (sic) Lightburn was listed as a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Youngstown in 1827. She was enumerated in the 1830 Trumbull Co., Ohio census as Elinor (sic) Lighburn.⁶⁶ Eleanor Lightbourn was listed, along with her two daughters, as a member of the congregation of The Disciples of Jesus Christ in 1839.⁶⁷ She was living in Austintown and Braceville, Trumbull Co., in 1840 and 1850 respectively.⁶⁸, ⁶⁹ She died on 21 October 1856 in Youngstown and is also buried in the Price and Kyle private cemetery.⁷⁰, ⁷¹

Children of JOSEPH LIGHTBURN and ELEANOR KYLE are:

6. BENJAMIN² LIGHTBURN (BENJAMIN¹ LIGHTBOURNE) was born 1 May 1796 in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania,⁷² and died 24 April 1878 in Westmoreland Co.; bur. at Salem Baptist Church Cemetery in Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. He married (1) REBECCA FELL 18 December 1823 in Westmoreland Co., daughter of PETER FELL and MARY WALKER. She was born 25 November 1798 in Westmoreland Co., and died 19 June 1844 in Lightburn, Lewis Co., West Virginia; bur. at Broad Run Cemetery in Lightburn. He married (2) NANCY ANNE LYONS 10 June 1847 in Harrison Co., Virginia, daughter of JAMES LYONS and MARY NEWHOUSE. She was born 1804 in Yorktown, York Co., Virginia and died 9 May 1874 in Lightburn, West Virginia⁷³. She is bur. at Broad Run Cemetery in Lightburn.

Benjamin Lightburn’s father died when he was six, leaving his mother to raise him and six siblings all under the age of fourteen. According to census records, they lived in Elizabeth Township, Allegheny Co. in 1810,⁷⁴ and in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland Co. in 1820.⁷⁵ Since these two townships are adjacent to one another, the family most likely did not move very far.

Benjamin’s first wife, Rebecca Fell, was the daughter of Rev. Peter and Mary (Walker) Fell.⁷⁶ The Fell family connection is shown in the chapter entitled Allied Families. Benjamin and Rebecca had eleven children. Their first child, Joseph Andrew Jackson Lightburn, was born on 21 September 1824 in Webster, a small Pennsylvania town begun in 1833 that was named after statesman Daniel Webster. Today, it is a small, nondescript town nestled on the east bank of the Monongahela River. Webster is directly across the river from Donora, site of disastrous smog in 1948. Severe air pollution existed there between October 26 and 31, causing 20 people to become asphyxiated and more than 7,000 others to become hospitalized or ill as result.

Benjamin Lightburn bought his first property on 23 September 1825 from William Sampson and his wife Jane. The indenture (legal deed) for this property is shown in Appendix B. The indenture includes the statement … separate and apart from her husband … (Jane Sampson) acknowledged that she signed the same of her own free will without coercion or compulsion. This was a common but seemingly curious statement to find in such a document. What did it mean? Up until 1830, women in America could not own real property. Only men could own property. However, when it came time to sell property, in certain states such as Pennsylvania, a separate examination of the wife was required. This was to see whether she agreed to the sale or had been coerced or prompted into agreeing. This process afforded the wife a certain degree of protection, because, under the Law of Common Inheritance, a widow was entitled to one third of the real property owned by her husband at the time of his death. This was called her dower rights and was her minimal right to his estate.

Figure22.jpg

Figure 2.2 – Benjamin Lightburn.⁷⁷

Benjamin Lightburn bought this "parcel of land situate [sic] on the waters of the Monongahela river in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County containing sixty four acres and one hundred and two perches strict measure for 646 dollars 37 ½ cents."⁷⁸ He bought an additional 21 acres, adjacent to his own, located on the border of Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, from Nathaniel Hayden on 24 December 1831 for $194.34.⁷⁹

Not much is known about the lives of the Lightburn family during their years in Webster, although they probably lived comfortable lives. Benjamin was a blacksmith and farmer and, unlike his father, had enough money to buy land. Many of Rebecca’s relatives lived in the area, so family gatherings were, no doubt, fairly common. Rebecca had four brothers, seven sisters and numerous aunts and uncles. (Her father, Peter Fell, was one of nine children.) There was then, and is today, the town of Fellsburg nearby. Many family members, including Rebecca’s father, are buried in the Fells Church Cemetery in Fellsburg. The Lightburn children also were provided a fairly decent education for the times. Benjamin no doubt voted for Andrew Jackson in 1832 and 1836, since he has been described as a Jacksonian Democrat.

By 1838, Benjamin Lightburn must have decided to move. On March 22nd of that year, he and his wife Rebecca sold all of their land in Rostraver Township (eighty six acres and thirty seven perches strict measure, according to the deed) to Lemuel Martin for $1,500.00.⁸⁰ Shortly thereafter, on April 18th, Benjamin Lightburn of the County of Westmoreland, state of Pennsylvania bought 263 acres of land "situate [sic] on the East side of the west fork of the Monongalia [sic] river" in Lewis Co., Virginia (later to become West Virginia). This was his first purchase there.⁸¹ By 1841, he would acquire a total of more than 600 acres, all located on or near the mouth of Broad Run, less than two miles from the Harrison County line.

It is not clear exactly when Benjamin Lightburn and his family moved to Lewis County. However, it must have been on or before 22 April 1839, because on that date Benjamin and Rebecca Lightburn came before two Justices of the Peace, William Powers and Samuel G. Jones, in Lewis County to state that the indenture for three lots in the Town of Webster, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania might be recorded according to law.⁸² On 7 October 1840, the household of Benjamin Lighthouse [sic] was enumerated there with three males (one under five, one 15-20, one 30-40) and five females (one 5-10, three 10-15, one 40-50).⁸³ This most certainly was Benjamin Lightburn as the ages of those in the household match almost perfectly with members of his family.

Benjamin Lightburn moved to Lewis County relinquishing his trade of blacksmith.⁸⁴ With the help of his sons, he built a millrace at the mouth of Broad Run and erected a mill of the overshot type.⁸⁵ The mill which was established some time before 1840, formed the nucleus of (the community called Lightburn’s Mill and later) the present village of Lightburn.⁸⁶, ⁸⁷ Lightburn was probably a village in 1920, but today it consists of only a few houses. His first mill, which was built on a creek, proved to be unsuccessful. Perhaps this was because the flow of water in the creek was insufficient or unreliable. So, Benjamin Lightburn built a second mill on the West Fork River (now the West Fork of the Monongahela River), between the present bridge over the stream and the mouth of Broad Run.⁸⁸ This mill vied in popularity with that of the famous Jackson’s Mill, a short distance to the south, on the West Fork River.⁸⁹ In 1925 the towns of Lightburn and Jackson Mill were both located in the northern part of Lewis County.

Figure23.jpg

Figure 2.3 – Lightburn, West Virginia.

Three millstones from the Lightburn mill were recovered from the West Fork River in August 2000 by Andy Fox and are on display in his yard in Jane Lew, West Virginia

Rebecca (Fell) Lightburn died on 19 June 1844 in Lightburn, Virginia. She is buried at Broad Run Baptist Church Cemetery. Following her death, Benjamin Lightburn married Nancy Anne (Lyons) Whittlesey on 10 June 1847.⁹⁰ She was born in 1804, the daughter of James Lyons and Mary Newhouse and the widow of Steven Whittlesey, who died on 18 March 1846. Benjamin and Nancy Lightburn had only one child, Jefferson Polk