Beyond Hannah Welch

Introduction

The search for Hannah Welch's origins involves piecing together evidence from historical records, family accounts, and secondary sources. Despite the scarcity of direct information on Hannah's early life, her marriage to John P. Smith connects her to one of Harrison County’s most prominent pioneer families—the Smiths. John P. Smith was the son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Peregoy) Smith, early settlers who played a vital role in the region’s development and the establishment of its religious and civic institutions.

This investigation examines census records, marriage records, and various secondary sources to trace Hannah’s life journey, identify potential familial connections, and assess any discrepancies or gaps in the records. Throughout, the goal is to shed light on Hannah’s possible origins and her connection to the pioneering history of Harrison County, Ohio.

Hannah in the Census Records of Stock Township, Harrison County, OH

Year	Dwelling Number	Adults in Household	Children in Household	Relevant Birthplace Information	Additional Information
18504	316	John P. Smith (27) Hannah Smith (26) John Smith (77) Elizabeth Smith (68)	Margaret E. Smith (4) William K. Smith (3) Susannah A. Smith (0)	John listed as born in Harrison County, OH; Hannah in Harford County, MD; all children born in OH	Household includes parents of John P. Smith, Daniel and Elizabeth (Peregoy) Smith. Daniel’s name was mistakenly listed as John (birthplaces for both parents listed as Baltimore County, MD).
18605	2001	John P. Smith (37) Hannah Smith (36) Elizabeth Smith (78)	Margaret E. Smith (14) William K. Smith (13) Susannah A. Smith (11) Mary J. Smith (9) Edney M. Smith (7) Amanda Smith (5) Nathan A. Smith (4) McKenney Smith (1)	John listed as born in OH; Hannah in MD; all children listed as born in OH	Residence adjacent to a Nancy McKinney. Daniel Smith died in 1856. Elizabeth (Peregoy) Smith remains in the household.
18706	105	John P. Smith (48) Hannah Smith (46)	Sue A. Smith (21) Mary J. Smith (19) Edna M. Smith (17) Amanda K. Smith (15) Nathan A. Smith (13) McKenney A. Smith (11) Martha A. Smith (9) David Mc Smith (7)	John listed as born in OH; Hannah listed as born in PA; all children listed as born in OH	Residence adjacent to a Nancy McKinney. Elizabeth (Peregoy) Smith died in 1866.
18807	131	John Smith (58) Hannah Smith (56)	Edna Smith (29) Amanda Smith (25) Nathaniel Smith (23) David Smith (17)	John listed as born in OH; Hannah listed as born in MD; all children listed as born in OH; John’s parents listed as born in MD; Hannah’s mother listed as born in MD; birthplace of Hannah's father not reported.
19008	283	John P. Smith (78) Hannah Smith (76) Amanda Smith (42) James Willoby (28)		John listed as born in OH; Hannah listed as born in OH; Amanda listed as born in OH	States that 9 of Hannah's 10 children are still living. James Willoby is listed as a boarder, and there is no known relation between him and the family.

Interpretation of Census Data

Based on the detailed information provided in the 1850 census, it is highly likely that Hannah Smith was born in Harford County, Maryland. This aligns with the more consistent reporting in other records, while the information in the 1870 census appears to be a deviation John P. Smith is noted as being born in Harrison County, Ohio, to Daniel and Elizabeth (Peregoy) Smith, who originated from Baltimore County, Maryland. Evidence revealing John P. Smith's father's true name as Daniel will be addressed in subsequent sections.

The names and ages of John and Hannah’s children, derived from the census data, suggest the following likely birth years:

• Margaret E. Smith (b. 1846)
• William K. Smith (b. 1847, d. 1881)
• Susannah A. Smith (b. 1850)
• Mary J. Smith (b. 1851)
• Edney M. Smith (b. 1853)
• Amanda Smith (b. 1855)
• Nathan A. Smith (b. 1856)
• McKinney Smith (b. 1859)
• Martha A. Smith (b. 1861)
• David Mc Smith (b. 1863)

Across the census records, a few key patterns and details emerge regarding the Smith household and those close to it. John P. Smith was consistently listed as a farmer, while Hannah kept house. Census records also repeatedly show the Smiths residing next to Nancy McKinney, who appeared in the 1860 and 1870 records with a significant discrepancy in her reported age. The connection between the Smith family and Nancy McKinney remains unexplored, although a preliminary search of marriage records reveals that she is likely the Nancy Campbell who married John McKinney 1820 in Harrison County, Ohio.⁹. Additional research should focus on ruling out or confirming a familial relationship between the Smith family and their neighbor Nancy McKinney, who appears to be the namesake of John and Hannah's 8th child.

Hannah's Marriage Record

We learn Hannah's maiden name Welch from her marriage record. Hannah Welch married John P. Smith on February 13, 1845, in Harrison County, Ohio¹⁰.

Burial at Pleasant Valley Cemetery

Hannah W. Smith’s gravestone, located at Pleasant Valley Cemetery, records her birth as April 5, 1824, and her death as September 22, 1901. This cemetery, positioned near Tappan Lake on US 250, was central to the farming town originally known as Pleasant Valley. The town was founded around the Pleasant Valley Methodist Episcopal Church, built on land owned by Major John Stinson Lacey¹¹.

The cemetery is closely tied to the history of the Smith family, as Daniel Smith was the first to be buried there in 1856¹¹. Over time, the area became known as Smithdale due to the prominence of the Smith family¹¹. Census records indicate that the post office serving the Smith household was Laceyville, which was likely an early name for this same farming town.

The presence of the Methodist Episcopal Church near the cemetery suggests that John and Hannah were attendees of the church, and probably indicates their religious affiliation.

Secondary Sources

According to historical publications published in the 1890s and 1900s (decade), we learn some key facts about the Smith family. Daniel Smith played a foundational role in the development of Stock Township. He was described as "one of the earliest members of the Methodist Episcopal Church" and was actively involved in its organization and support.¹ Daniel (born 1774 in Maryland²), and his wife, Elizabeth Perrigo, migrated from Maryland to Ohio in 1821, settling in Stock Township, where their son "John Perrigo Smith" was born.¹

The most relevant piece of information about Hannah comes from a biography of her son-in-law, Samuel H. Miller, in the Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio, in which Hannah, referred to as "Anna (Welch) Smith" [sic], is described as "a native of Franklin Township, Harrison County, Ohio, and a member of another of the sterling pioneer families of Harrison County."³ This contrasts with her birthplace of "Harford County, Maryland," as stated in the 1850 census, which likely contains information directly from Hannah herself. The specific mention of Franklin Township, along with the familial relationship to Mr. Miller, suggests that Hannah likely arrived in Ohio as a young child with her pioneering family and grew up in Franklin Township.

Welch Households in Early Census Records

After manually examining all Welch households in the 1820 through 1840 Federal census records for Franklin Township and all adjacent township and their enclaves, Welch families were identified in Dohrnam Township (a historical township that included much of present-day Franklin Township), Monroe Township (Harrison County, north of and adjacent to Franklin Township), Stock Township (Harrison County, east of and adjacent to Franklin Township), Mill Township (Tuscarawas County, also west of and adjacent to Franklin Township), and Uhrichsville (Tuscarawas County, an enclave of Mill Township). This goal of this analysis was to identify Welch families that could be further researched in hopes of determining the parents of Hannah (Welch) Smith.

Year	Dohrman Twp	Monroe Twp	Stock Twp	Mill Twp	Uhrichsville
1820
1830	George Welch William Welch, Sr. William Welch, Jr.
1840		John Welch George Welch William Welch	Samuel Welch	Isaiah Welch George Welch William Welch Joseph Welch Abner Welch	John Welch

Early Welch Marriages

The next step of the analysis was to search via FamilySearch for all Welch marriages in Harrison and Jefferson Counties between 1820-1850 and create a color-coded table where blue rows indicate a Welch groom and pink designates a Welch bride.

Primary	Date	Marriage County	Spouse
James Welch	23 December 1824	Harrison County	Jane Wagstaff
Lenday Welch	1824	Harrison County	John Fairchild
William Welch	23 August 1825	Harrison County	Isabella Crawford
Thomas Welch	3 May 1825	Tuscarawas County	Sarah Barkhammer
Sarah Welch	9 August 1825	Tuscarawas County	Benjamin Warfield
James Welch	24 October 1826	Tuscarawas County	Hannah Brisben
John Welsh	27 May 1827	Tuscarawas County	Anna Maria Uhrich
Rhoda Welch	5 June 1828	Harrison County	John Mansfield
Margaret Welch	18 September 1828	Tuscarawas County	John Delong
Mary Welch	1829	Harrison County	Jacob Vorhes
Isaiah Welch	14 June 1831	Tuscarawas County	Mary Maria McClanigan
Sarah Welsh	3 February 1831	Tuscarawas County	Coby Clark
Hannah Welch	6 September 1831 or 9 June 1832	Tuscarawas County	John E. Cahill
James Welch	1833	Harrison County	Martha Slemmons
Mary Welch	1833	Harrison County	George Fisher
John Welch	21 March 1833	Harrison County	Margaret Gilmore
Timothy Welch	18 September 1834	Harrison County	Octavia Suddith
Daniel Welch	5 May 1834	Harrison County	Mary Gray
Joseph Welch	23 January 1834	Tuscarawas County	Caroline Shomel
Samuel Welsh	13 November 1834	Tuscarawas County	Martha Moore
Elizabeth Welch	3 September 1835	Harrison County	Samuel Osburn
William Welch	21 April 1835	Harrison County	Adeline Phillips
Polly Welch	4 February 1836 or 2 April 1836	Tuscarawas County	George Sterling
Levi Welch	20 June 1837	Tuscarawas County	Joanna Wolfkill
Perlina Welch	2 November 1838 or 11 February 1838	Tuscarawas County	William Sears
Rebecca Welch	28 August 1838	Tuscarawas County	Andrew Barclay
Abner Welsh	28 March 1838	Tuscarawas County	Susannah Barrett
Elizabeth Welch	1838	Harrison County	James Kennedy
George Welch	3 May 1838	Harrison County	Margrett Adlman or Alderman
Elleanor Welch	14 February 1839	Harrison County	Joseph Dunbar
Modelena Welsh	25 April 1839	Harrison County	Caleb Huff
Nancy Welch	1840	Harrison County	Matthew Johnson
Mary Welch	1840	Harrison County	Abraham Barger
William Welsh	22 October 1840	Harrison County	Agness Fisher
Mariah Welsh	4 May 1841	Harrison County	Walter B. Beebe
Ann Welch	1841	Harrison County	Matthew G. Slemmons
Rebecca Welsh	13 Dec 1842	Tuscarawas County	Samuel Haskins
Thomas Welch	25 Aug 1842	Tuscarawas County	Sarah Jennings
Rachel Ann Welch	1842	Harrison County	William R. Allison
Mariah Welch	1842	Harrison County	George Taggart
Rex Welsh	22 Dec 1842	Tuscarawas County	Sarah Jones
John Welsh	11 Feb 1843 or 2 Nov 1843	Tuscarawas County	Clarissa Chase
Susannah Welch	29 Jan 1843	Harrison County	Jesse Huff
Wm. G. Welch	25 Apr 1844 or 16 May 1844	Tuscarawas County	Elizabeth Barkley
Thibe Maria Welch	6 Aug 1844	Tuscarawas County	Abraham Covert
John Welch	24 Apr 1844	Tuscarawas County	Ann Eliza Harbough
Elizabeth Welch	23 May 1844	Tuscarawas County	David Judy
Caroline Welch	4 Nov 1845	Harrison County	Thomas C. Rawles or Rowles
Hannah Welch	1845	Harrison County	John P. Smith
William Welch	12 Sep 1845	Harrison County	Emily Jane Nixon
Mary Welch	1845	Harrison County	Robert Jamison
Nancy Welch	6 Apr 1845 or 4 Jun 1845	Tuscarawas County	David Ankeny
Zachariah Welch	25 May 1845	Tuscarawas County	Anne Casebeer
Margaret Welch	4 November 1847	Harrison County	William Custer
Ann Eliza Welch	6 May 1847	Tuscarawas County	Nathan Maxson
John P. Welch or John T. Welch	29 June 1847	Harrison County	Sarah Rowley
Catharine Welch	14 September 1848	Tuscarawas County	Nicholas Cis
David Welch	10 April 1848	Harrison County	Mary Dunning
Selena Welch	18 December 1849	Tuscarawas County	Festes A. Cooley
Sarah Welch	22 January 1849	Tuscarawas County	John Carver
Martha Jane Welch	1849	Harrison County	John McCullough
Mary Welch	1849	Harrison County	Charles Koogler
Samuel Welch	1849	Harrison County	Elizabeth Keepers
Jacob M. Welch	19 December 1850	Tuscarawas County	Mary E. Dawson

Our preliminary use for this marriage data is to include families of the Welch wives to our early census table, so let's cull the list to pink rows only and specifically Welch brides married between 1820 and 1840 who might appear in the 1830 and 1840 censuses as a tick in the household of their husband.

Primary	Date	Marriage County	Spouse
Lenday Welch	1824	Harrison County	John Fairchild
Sarah Welch	9 August 1825	Tuscarawas County	Benjamin Warfield
Rhoda Welch	5 June 1828	Harrison County	John Mansfield
Margaret Welch	18 September 1828	Tuscarawas County	John Delong
Mary Welch	1829	Harrison County	Jacob Vorhes
Sarah Welsh	3 February 1831	Tuscarawas County	Coby Clark
Hannah Welch	6 September 1831 or 9 June 1832	Tuscarawas County	John E. Cahill
Mary Welch	1833	Harrison County	George Fisher
Elizabeth Welch	3 September 1835	Harrison County	Samuel Osburn
Polly Welch	4 February 1836 or 2 April 1836	Tuscarawas County	George Sterling
Perlina Welch	2 November 1838 or 11 February 1838	Tuscarawas County	William Sears
Rebecca Welch	28 August 1838	Tuscarawas County	Andrew Barclay
Elizabeth Welch	1838	Harrison County	James Kennedy
Elleanor Welch	14 February 1839	Harrison County	Joseph Dunbar
Modelena Welsh	25 April 1839	Harrison County	Caleb Huff
Nancy Welch	1840	Harrison County	Matthew Johnson
Mary Welch	1840	Harrison County	Abraham Barger

1830 Census Search Results for Welch Brides' Husbands

Here is a summary of our findings from the 1830 census search for husbands of Welch brides:

John Fairchild - Not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties.

Benjamin Warfield - Found in Green Township, Harrison County, which is outside the targeted area.

John Mansfield - Found in Harrisville, Harrison County, which is outside the targeted area.

John Delong - Found in Dohrman Township, Tuscarawas County, which is within our targeted area.

Jacob Vorhes - Not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties.

Widow searches and re-marriage searches were also performed for the Welch wives married prior to 1830 whose husbands could not be located in the 1830 census in the targeted areas, but they provided no additional relevant information.

1840 Census Search Results for Welch Brides' Husbands

As we continue our search in the 1840 census for husbands of Welch brides, here are the findings:

John Fairchild - Still not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties.

Benjamin Warfield - Found in Mill Township, Tuscarawas County, under the name "Benjamin Warpel," which fits our targeted area.

John Mansfield - Not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties. Rhoda (Welch) Mansfield appears with her husband in later censuses of Jefferson County, Ohio, outside the targeted area.

John Delong - Margaret Delong, his widow, appears in Monroe Township, Harrison County, which is within the targeted area.

Jacob Vorhes - Still not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties.

Coby Clark - Not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties.

John Cahill - Not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties.

George Fisher - Found in Monroe Township, Harrison County, which fits our targeted area.

Samuel Osburn - Found in Archer Township, Harrison County, which is outside the targeted area.

George Sterling - Found in Eastport, which is an enclave of Mill Township, Tuscarawas County, fitting within our targeted area.

William Sears - Not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties.

Andrew Barkley - Found in Rush Township, Tuscarawas County, which fits our targeted area.

James Kennedy - Found in Moorefield Township, Harrison County, which is outside the targeted area.

Joseph Dunbar - Found in Archer Township, Harrison County, which is outside the targeted area.

Caleb Huff - Found in Monroe Township, Harrison County, which fits our targeted area.

Matthew Johnson - Not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties.

Abraham Barger - Not found in either Harrison or Tuscarawas Counties.

Updated Early Census Chart

Now let's update our early census chart with the updated information. I've removed 1820 since we didn't find any relevant information from that census year. I also took some liberties inasfar as standardizing the spellings of the names.

Year	Dohrman Twp	Monroe Twp	Stock Twp	Rush Twp	Mill Twp	Uhrichsville	Eastport
1830	George Welch William Welch, Sr. William Welch, Jr. John Delong (husband of Margaret Welch)
1840		John Welch George Welch William Welch Margaret (Welch) Delong (widow of John Delong) George Fisher (husband of Mary Welch) Caleb Huff (husband of Magdalena Welch)	Samuel Welch	Andrew Barclay (husband of Rebecca Welch)	Isaiah Welch George Welch William Welch Joseph Welch Abner Welch Benjamin Warfel (husband of Sarah Welch)	John Welch	George Sterling (husband of Polly Welch)

The result is that our research short-list now includes 4 targeted households in the 1830 census (all in Dohrman Township), and 16 households in the 1840 census. We can proceed in a number of ways with our research from this point. For example, we could look at the ages of the household members in each census. Or, we could search for the 1840 families in the 1850 census to discover more information about their birthplaces. Or, we can search for references to these families in the historical collections where we already gained considerable insight about the Smith family. We should pursue all of these avenues of research, but since we believe Hannah was a child of a Harrison County pioneer family, and since we already know that the 1850 census of Harrison County contains the birth counties of each family member, we will prioritize searching for the seven 1840 Monroe Township and Stock Township Welch households in the 1850 census, in hopes of finding some connection(s) to Harford County, Maryland.

Samuel Welch (Stock Township)

After a diligent search, it appears that Samuel Welch of Stock Township had died prior to the 1850 census. I was able to locate him in 1820 and 1830 in Archer Township, which neighbors Stock Township to the east. Based on the census data, he appears to have been born in the early 1770s^{12, 13, 14}. Having been a resident of the county since prior to Hannah's birth in Maryland, it seems highly unlikely that Samuel is the father of Hannah. Furthermore, the will of a Samuel Welch (written 4 May 1849, probated 5 Apr 1850) indexed in the Historical Collections of Harrison County likely pertains to Samuel of Stock Township. The index lists the children of Samuel Welch as John, James, William, Nancy Johnson, Eleanor Dunbar, and lists grandchildren Elizabeth Fisher and Catherine Welch¹⁶. There is no mention of Hannah to be found. This narrows the list down to the 6 Monroe Township households.

John Welch (Monroe Township)

The 1840 census indicates that John was born in the 1780s¹⁶. This aligns him with a John Welch who appears in Archer Township in the 1830 and 1850 census, and who later appears in Stock Township in 1860 and 1870. Based on the fact that the 1850 through 1870 censuses list his wife as Jane^{17, 18, 19}, combined with fact that in the 1850 census, there is an Elizabeth McClelland living in the household¹⁷, this John must surely be the John Welch (1783-1872) who married Eliza Jane McClelland in 1813, who is referenced in the NSDAR lineage book ²⁰. These census records consistently have him born in Ireland and have Jane born in Pennsylvania^{17, 18, 19}.

Evidence in Favor of Connection to Hannah	Evidence Against Connection to Hannah
Maiden name of wife is McClelland, which is strikingly similar to the middle name of Hannah's 10th child David McClellan Smith, which is revealed in his entry in the Directory of Deceased American Physicians.21 There is a tick for a 15-19 year old female in the 1840 census who has left the household by 1850.	Eliza Jane (McClelland) Welch appears to have been born in Pennsylvania, not Maryland. There is no discernable connection to Harford County, Maryland. Stronger candidates for the immediate family of Hannah would be those households that were present in the 1830 Dohrman Township census, since this overlaps with present-day Franklin Township.

George Fisher (Monroe Township)

Inspection of the 1850 census of George Fisher of Monroe Township reveals that the George Fisher of Monroe Township is not the same George Fisher who married Mary Welsh. Rather, this is the George Fisher that married Margaret Shamell in 1832²², and Margaret was still living with George in Monroe Township through 1880²³, so Mary Welch could not have been this George Fisher's wife. Furthermore, take note that the will of Samuel Welch, mentioned above, mentions a grandchild named Catherine Fisher¹⁵, so the Mary Welch who married a George Fisher was probably the daughter of Samuel, and she had probably died prior to 1849 when Samuel's will was written.

Magdalena (Welch) Huff (Monroe Township)

The 1840 census shows that both Caleb and Magdalena were in their 20s at that time²⁴. That means Magdalena was born no earlier than 1810, and pretty much rules out her being the mother of Hannah through a prior marriage to a Welch. However, a more interesting would be whether or not Magdalena might be a sister of Hannah. However, the 1850 through 1880 censuses reveal that Magdalena was born about 1820 in Ohio^{25, 26, 27, 28}, 4 years before Hannah's birth in Maryland. Worthy of note, though, is that Magdalena's parents were Maryland natives, as revealed in the 1880 census²⁸. Still, there is no solid evidence of a Harford County connection; and in all likelihood Magdalena's parents arrived in Ohio before 1820, before Hannah's immediate family arrived, so it would be unlikely that Magdalena and Hannah were sisters.

George Welch (Monroe Township)

The 1850 census puts George Welch in Monroe Township, and reveals his wife's name is Margaret and that he was born in Ohio around 1819³⁰. This must be the George Welch that married Margaret Adleman in 1838³¹, as the Adlemans are in the next dwelling beside George in 1840²⁹. Again, his Welch family must have been in Ohio prior to the birth of Hannah in Maryland, so George is not a good candidate to be a brother of Hannah.

This brings us to an interesting point in our quest, as we've narrowed the field of suspects down considerably, and the names of the remaining 1840 contenders correspond with 1830 suspects in Dohrman Township:

1830 Dohrman Twp	1840 Monroe Twp
George Welch William Welch, Sr. William Welch, Jr. John Delong (husband of Margaret Welch)	William Welch (same person as William Welch, Jr. from 1830) Margaret (Welch) Delong (widow of John Delong)

William Welch Jr. (Dohrman/Monroe Townships)

While the right age to be Hannah's father, having been born around 1798, there is no tick for a girl Hannah's age in either the 1830 or 1840 census^{32, 33}. In 1850, we see that he is the William Welch who married Isabella Crawford in 1825^{34, 35}. There is no indication that Isabella was anything other than his first wife, i.e. no children in the house in 1830 that would predate the marriage. We also see that William was born in New Jersey³⁴. It is highly unlikely that William was Hannah's father.

Margaret (Welch) Delong (Dohrman/Monroe Townships)

Assuming the family history is correct that Hannah came from a pioneer family of Franklin Township, at this juncture, Margaret is our last best hope to find a household for Hannah in the 1840 census! In the 1840 census, there is a tick for a young lady Hannah's age (15-19) in the household. No "Margaret Delong" could be found in the 1850 census, but a quick search of the marriage records reveals that the widowed Margaret had remarried a widower Nicholas Wheeler in 1841 ³⁶. Margaret was residing with Nicholas in Monroe Township in 1850 and the census indicates she was born around 1793 in Maryland³⁷.

As luck would have it, our favorite 1850 census worker wrote out the complete name of Margaret's county of birth, none other than Harford County, Maryland. At this point, I believe we have found the mother of Hannah, likely already a widow of a Welch at the time she married John Delong in 1828.