The Culver family of Delaware County, Ohio

The Culvers


Just the Facts

The main source documenting the Culver family of Porter Township, Delaware County, Ohio is found in the History of Delaware County, Ohio (1880) in a biography of B. Culver of Condit, Delaware County. While such biographies do not constitute a primary source and are prone to significant misstatements, this entry has generally been the starting point for information on this family.

This biography states that B. Culver (Bazel or Bazeliel in other sources) was born 28 March 1811 in Berkshire Township (Sunbury Township by 1880), son of John and Catharine (Johnson) Culver. John Culver was reportedly born about 1770 in New Jersey and Catharine was born about 1779 in Pennsylvania. John Culver died in 1823. After his death, Catharine married a Mr. Beard and moved to Missouri. John and Catharine were parents of 12 children, including Bazel, 3 of whom were living in 1880. Elsewhere in the same volume, John Culver is said to have settled north of Culver’s Creek in Porter Township in 1809, together with Michael Ely.

John Culver is listed on the 1820 Census of Sunbury, Delaware County, Ohio as follows:

Free White Persons - Males - Under 10: 3
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 15: 2
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25: 2
Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over: 2
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10: 3
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15: 2
Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over : 1

This suggests that the family was composed of between 12-14 children. The only proven child is Bazel, who is tied to the family via the 1880 biography.

Speculation based on records

The 1830 Census records a number of Culver families in Delaware County, Ohio, including John and William Culver in Porter Township and Edward in Burlingame. William is immediately adjacent to Timothy and James Meeker (likely his father-in-law and brother-in-law). Many members of the Point and Place families are also found on the same page.

By 1840, a number of Delaware County, Ohio Culvers were resident in Amanda Township, Allen County, Ohio. They appear in close order on the census, including John Culver, William Culver, Orange Culver, and Victor Beard (who is assumed to be the Mr. Beard who married Catherine Johnson Culver after 1823).

It appears that William Culver and his family moved to Daviess County, Missouri, probably with Victor and Catharine Beard, in 1840-1841. Susan Culver married James Place in Daviess County, Missouri in 1841, although the family later returned to Amanda Township, Allen County, Ohio. Court records in Daviess County suggest that a Victor Beard was alive and associated with a Culver in an 1851 court case.

This data suggests a sibling relationship between several additional Culvers, namely:

1. William Culver (1796-1888) of Allen County, Ohio and later Daviess County, Missouri. His first wife was Sally Meeker, likely a daughter of Timothy Meeker; his second wife was Savannah Place, daughter of Peleg Place and Ann Bensley Place
2. John Culver (1800-1872) of Allen County, Ohio. He married Phoebe Place, daughter of Isaac Place and Clarinda Loveman Place.  
3. Orange Culver (1805-before 1850) of Allen County, Ohio. He probably married Esther Point, daughter of Daniel Point and Esther Meeker Point
4. Susan Culver (1817-1891) of Allen County, Ohio. She married James Place, son of Isaac Place and Clarinda Loveman Place.

Together with

5. Bazel Culver (1811-1891), of Delaware County, Ohio, who married Elizabeth Thomas, referenced above. this tentatively ties together five children.

The death certificate of Mary (Meeker) Williamson (1832-1913) of Porter Township, Delaware County, Ohio, lists her parents as James Meeker and Sarah Elizabeth Culver. James Meeker was an early pioneer of this township. His family intermarried with the Place, Point, and Culver families both in Delaware County, Ohio and in Allen County, Ohio, where they became neighbors in the 1850s-1860s. James’ wife was deceased by 1850, but it is assumed that she was another daughter of John and Catharine Culver.

Speculations

Although no definitive listing of the children of John and Catharine Culver has been found to date, several online trees give consistent names and birthdates for children as well as birth and death dates for John and Catherine. It seems reasonable to suspect that this data is drawn in some form from a family Bible record. Where able to be verified, the data has generally proven reliable. The record lists the following:

John Culver (11 Jun 1767-8 Sep 1823)

Catherine Johnson Culver (20 May 1774-4 Mar 1848), married 17 Mar 1791.

Children:

1. David Culver (b. 22 May 1793)
2. Betsey Culver (b. 23 Jan 1795)
3. William Culver (b. 8 May 1797)
4. John Culver (b. 3 Jun 1800)
5. Phoebe Culver (b. 17 Sep 1802)
6. Orange Culver (b. 22 Jan 1805)
7. Sallie Culver (b. 10 Mar 1807)
8. Katherine Culver (b. 11 Jan 1809)
9. Bazeleel Culver (b. 28 Mar 1811)
10. Caroline Culver (b. 1813)
11. Mary Culver (b. 22 Feb 1815)
12. Susan Culver (b. 4 Jul 1817)

Six of these children (David, Phoebe, Sallie, Katherine, Caroline, and Mary) remain unknown beyond this record. Most likely married in Delaware County, Ohio prior to the loss of all marriage records there in 1835. The biography of Bazel Culver (1880) states that only three of John Culver's 12 children were alive in 1880. Since Bazel (d. 1891), William (d. 1888), and Susan (d. 1891) were alive, it is assumed that the others were deceased by 1880.

There is little on which to base assumptions about the background of John Culver and Catharine Johnson Culver beyond the meager data cited above. The fact that the family was living very near Edward Culver in 1820 suggests a relationship, but none has been proven. Edward was the son of Jonathan and Sarah (Hinman) Culver of Litchfield, CT and later Canaan, Columbia County, NY. He had no brother John. The naming patterns of this extended family also do not match well those of John and Catharine’s family. However, it is likely that John fits somehow into the broader Edward Culver/Colver family of New England. Various lines of this extended family did follow a migration pattern from Connecticut to the Hudson River Valley of New York State to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

There are two families in Luzerne County, PennsyIvania that hold promise. The first is the Daniel Culver family of Connecticut and later of Huntington Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Daniel appears on the 1796 tax list of Huntington Township. It is likely that he had sons Aaron, Reuben, and Samuel and a daughter, Phoebe, who married Miles Sutliff. The naming patterns of these families were similar to the Culver family of Delaware. The Daniel Culver family also associated closely with the John Johnson family of Huntington Township. This is likely the John Johnson who married Eunice Meeker, sister of Timothy Meeker of Delaware County. Several other Johnsons lived nearby. It is possible that John Johnson and David Johnson who married Eunice and Johanna, daughters of Amos Meeker, were brothers of Catharine Johnson Culver. This is purely speculation.

The other possibility is the family of David Culver of Exeter Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania (located on the opposite side of Luzerne County from Huntington). David Culver was a son of Robert Culver of Schooley’s Mountain, New Jersey. David and his son, David O. Culver (born about 1769) settled in Luzerne County, Pennslyvania about 1797. The younger David O. died in Luzerne in 1831 and is buried there. The elder David apparently moved back to New Jersey where he died. There does not appear to be a close relationship between the Daniel Culver family of Huntington and the David Culver family of Exeter. The naming patterns of both families resemble those of the John and Catharine (Johnson) Culver family to some degree.

Note: Footnotes are not included in this post due to technical limitations. They are available on request.

The Point family of Delaware and Allen Counties, Ohio

The Point Family


Daniel Point was born around 1780, reportedly in New York. His wife, Esther, was born around 1785, also reportedly in New York. Daniel and Esther were living in Marion Township, Allen County, Ohio in the summer of 1850 near their likely son, William G. Point and his family, the children of John and Rachel (Clawson) Patton, and a number of members of various Clawson families. Esther’s maiden name was Meeker. They were living in Jennings Township, Putnam County, Ohio in 1840, again near members of the Clawson and Patton families.

Daniel and Esther appear to have moved to west central Ohio sometime between their (likely) daughter Eliza’s marriage in Delaware County in 1838 and the marriage of their son, Aaron, in Allen County in 1839. They are listed on the 1830 census of Porter Township, Delaware County, Ohio, amidst many members of the Place, Culver, and Meeker families, among others. They also appear in Delaware County, in an area listed as Kingston, in 1820, again near members of the Meeker, Culver, and Place families. Quite a number of families from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania appear to have settled in eastern Delaware County, Ohio.

“Daniel Pint” is listed as one of the earliest settlers of Porter Township, Delaware County, Ohio. Although two mentions of him as an early settler do not list a date, it suggests around 1810 or shortly thereafter. One mention, however, erroneously states that Daniel lived and died in Delaware County.

Daniel and Esther appear to be resident in Peters Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1810. Their neighbor is Jonathan Coleman, who was their neighbor a decade earlier in Luzerne County, eastern Pennsylvania. It is probable that this location near Pittsburgh was a relatively short-term stop for the family before settlement in Ohio.

In 1800, Daniel and Esther appear as a relatively young family with one child on the census of Plymouth Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with neighbors Jonathan Coleman and Richard Closson. Richard Closson would later go on to settle in Delaware County, Ohio. At this point, the Meeker family was resident in Huntington Township of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

Census records suggest that Daniel and Esther had one male child born before 1800, 2 sons and 3 daughters born between 1800-1810, 3 more sons and 1 more daughter born between 1810-1820, and possibly 1 more son and 2 more daughters born between 1820-1830. The counts of children are relatively stable across the decades.

The only firmly documented child of Daniel and Esther Meeker Point is

1. Charles (1821-1910), whose parentage is attested by his death certificate.

Family information based in secondary sources

Several unsourced on-line family trees provide a list of children of Daniel and Esther Point. Most trees have significant consistency. They also largely align with census data of known ages of children and other circumstantial evidence.

Supposed Children of Daniel and Esther (Meeker) Point

1. John Point – born about 1798 in Pennsylvania (likely Luzerne County), he married Rachel Bensley, who was born about 22 August 1804 in Pennsylvania, daughter of John Bensley and Mary Wilson. They lived in Porter Township until after 1850, when it appears that John died. Rachel was living with her daughter, Elizabeth Cramer, in 1860 in Marion Township, Allen County, Ohio, near the Patton and Clawson families. Several of their children lived near Spencerville in Allen County, Ohio.

2. Stephen Point – born about 1800. Unsourced family trees suggest he married Katie Meeker, probably a daughter of Timothy Meeker of Porter Township, Delaware County, Ohio. They may have been resident in Granger Twp, Medina County, Ohio in 1830 near the family of a David Point. Of all of the listed children, there is the least evidence to support Stephen.

3. Jemima Point – born 1 Nov 1802 in Pennsylvania (probably Luzerne County). She married Reuben Place, a son of Peleg Place and Ann Bensley Place of Porter Township, Delaware County, Ohio on 14 March 1820, probably in Delaware County, Ohio. Jemima died in Boone County, Indiana in 1862. Reuben and Jemima were living near members of the Culver family in Amanda Township, Allen County, Ohio in 1840.

4. Johanna or Joanna Point – born about 1804 in Pennsylvania (probably Luzerne County). She married William Place, probably in Delaware County. They were living in Delaware County near Daniel Point in 1830 and by 1840 had relocated to Daviess County, Missouri. They appear to be one of the earliest of the Delaware County families to settle in Daviess County. They would later be joined by numerous members of the Culver and Place families.

5. Esther Point – born about 1805 in Pennsylvania (probably Luzerne County). She married Orange Culver, son of John and Catharine (Johnson) Culver, probably in Delaware County, Ohio. They were living in Amanda Township, Allen County, Ohio in 1840. It appears that both Orange and Esther died prior to 1850. Their daughter, Priscilla, was living with her grandparents in 1850.

6. Aaron Point – born around 1810 in either Pennsylvania or Delaware County, Ohio. Aaron moved with his parents to Allen County, Ohio prior to his marriage to Mary Clawson, likely daughter of Thomas Clawson and Hannah Rawlings Clawson, on 27 Jun 1839. Aaron was living near his brother, Squire, in 1840 in Blanchard Township, Putnam County, Ohio and in Marion Township, Allen County, Ohio in 1850. Aaron died in a fight in September 1852. His obituary said that he had “been drunk and querulous most of his life.”

7. Squire Point – born around 1811, probably in Delaware County, Ohio. He married Mary Peterson and was living with her family in 1850 in Amanda Township, Allen County, Ohio. He died prior to his wife’s remarriage to Samuel Walker in April 1851. No known children.

8. Eliza Point – born around 1815 in Delaware County, Ohio. She married Andrew Miller on 1 February 1838 in Delaware County, Ohio.

9. William G. Point – Born between 1818 and 1822 in Delaware County, Ohio. He married Anne Patton, daughter of John and Rachel (Clawson) Patton, on 26 Mar 1846 in Putnam County, Ohio. They were living next to Daniel and Esther Point in 1850. Anne died between 1852 and 1858 and William married Eliza (Bryan) Fulk, daughter of David and Nancy (Stevens) Bryan. He died after 1870.

10. Charles Point – Born 8 Nov 1821 in Delaware County, Ohio. He married Euphemia Clawson on 14 Sep 1843 in Putnam County, Ohio. She was probably the daughter of Frederick Clawson and Barbara Smith Clawson. She appears to have died by 1850, as at least Charles’ oldest son, Stephen, was living with his grandparents in 1850. Charles married Hannah Patton Manning, daughter of John and Rachel (Clawson) Patton, on 7 September 1854 in Allen County, Ohio. Hannah died shortly after, apparently without children. Charles married Adeline Drew Wright Clawson, widow of Thomas Clawson (brother of Euphemia, cousin of Hannah) on 13 Sep 1858 in Van Wert County, Ohio. He moved with his family to near Shell Rock, Jackson County, Iowa, after 1870. He died there in 1910.

Some presumptions based on available data

Although no definitive proof of the children of Daniel and Esther (Meeker) Point has been found to date, the above outline appears to hold together based on circumstantial evidence. Some researchers have suggested a son Henry as well.

Esther Meeker Point is probably the daughter of Amos and Johanna (Force) Meeker of New Jersey and later of Huntington Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The 1790 Census of Luzerne County appears to show that the family had at least four daughters. Daniel and Esther’s residence in Luzerne County in 1800 seems to confirm the tie to this area. The repetition of relatively uncommon names in the Meeker and Point families (Aaron, Johanna, Squire) further strengthens the likelihood of relationship. Esther was probably a younger sister of Timothy Meeker, the progenitor of the various Meeker families with whom the Points intermarried in Delaware and Allen Counties, Ohio.

Daniel Point was likely a son of the Mary (?) Point enumerated on the 1790 census of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Daniel Point was likely a brother of Barbara Point who married Jacob Closson of Delaware County, Ohio. Jacob was a son of Richard Closson who was resident near the Points in 1800 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. There may be a distant link between the Richard Closson family of Delaware County, Ohio and the Clawsons of Allen County, Ohio, into whom the Point family intermarried. Daniel was also likely a brother of Jemima Point, who married James Roberts, son of Hezekiah Roberts, and settled in Delaware County, Ohio at an early date. Daniel is almost certainly related in some way to Jonathan Coleman as well.

I was unable to place footnotes in this blog format. However, I am happy to provide the footnotes upon request.

The enigmas of Delaware County, Ohio

As a native Buckeye, I grew up knowing the Delaware area as a prosperous northern suburb of Columbus. It was only in beginning to explore my family history in the 1990s that I started to know something of the history of the area.

Nearly all of my family lines (excepting some East European immigrants) came to the areas around Allen County, Ohio through one of four "clusters." The first is a cluster around Lancaster, Fairfield County, Ohio. These families tended to be Mennonite or Brethren (at least in their distant roots), and came to Ohio from Pennsylvania or, in many cases, from Pennsylvania via a several-decades-long sojourn in or around Rockingham County, Virginia. These lines intermarried frequently from the early 1700s to the early 1900s. The Blosser family has been my main line of inquiry in this area, along with Mericles, Stemens, Beerys, Millers, and Moyers.

A second "cluster" seems to have come up the Miami Valley from Cincinnati to the Dayton and Troy areas before coming further up the valley to West Central Ohio. Many of these families settled at Fort Amanda in the late 1820s. The Clawsons have been my main anchor family on this line, although I've done less work on the interlinkages. There are some clear points of overlap with the Fairfield cluster as well, most especially the Patton, Moyer, and Rinehart families. The Youngs are another part of this migration.

A third "cluster" that is less represented in my lines than some other natives of Allen County area centers around Ross County, Ohio. A number of my Van Wert County, Ohio families have their early Ohio roots in Ross and nearby counties, including the Priddys and the Tomlinsons. These families seem to have diverse roots in Virginia/North Carolina as well as Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Recently, I have been working more on what is potentially a fourth cluster, centering around Delaware County. I first stumbled onto this family through my paternal grandmother's line, the Meekers. "My" Meekers came to Amanda Township in southwest Allen County in the 1850s. For many years, I did not realize that they joined a number of relatives and relatives-by-marriage who had settled there as early as the 1830s (Culvers, Points, Places). These families then intermarried deeply with many of those who came via the Miami Valley route - the Clawsons, Sunderlands, Youngs, Pattons, etc. This "Delaware cluster" also has links to Fairfield County.

Further probing into these families has surfaced what I would call one of the most interesting multi-generational migration patterns that I've found in my research. Many of these families seem to have their roots in Connecticut before late 19th century migration to northeastern Pennsylvania (especially Luzerne County). Some families seem to have migrated in the mid-18th century from Connecticut to New Jersey, just across the border from NE PA. From Luzerne County, many of these families made their way to Delaware County, Ohio, some seemingly via northeastern Ohio's Western Reserve lands (with their own connections to Connecticut!). From there, many Delaware families migrated to Allen County, Ohio and some westward further to Illinois and Missouri.

What is becoming very interesting is the beginnings of connections between some of these clusters going as far back as 18th century New England. Perhaps more than ever before, I am seeing that people migrated with purpose. Although one branch of a family may have migrated toward New Jersey at an early date and another to Pennsylvania, this doesn't mean that their descendants will not mix again in Ohio a couple of generations later. The interweaving of various Clawson families is especially fascinating to me these days. But, as always, the more I know, the more questions I surface. And the more aware I am of how much bad information is out there...

Delaware County is proving to be one of the most challenging in my research in terms of records. The complete destruction of marriage records prior to 1835 makes it feel more like working in 18th century Pennsylvania. The fact that the entire Meeker family (those who remained in Delaware) seems to have disappeared without a trace from Delaware County cemeteries and most other records (besides census) between 1840-1880 is another puzzle. Was there at some point a family cemetery that was destroyed? Why does there seem to be a glaring absence of land and estate records, since it appears from the census that my ancestors had some property? These and many other questions remain, including intriguing naming patterns (Phoebe and Esther, anyone?). All of this is a good reminder that genealogy is, in the end, micro-history, or the surfacing of some greater story through the unraveling of our ancestors' lives.

More to come, or so I hope, on these various families.