This article was published
in the
Morgan County Democrat
of March 13, 1908
Among the early settlers of
McConnelsville and vicinity must be mentioned John Hammond, as probably a
larger number of his descendants are or have been residents of the county than
those of any other person.
Mr. Hammond and family came from Baltimore in 1819, and settled on a farm in
Bloom township. He and his wife Ursula and daughter Margaret and two of his
sons, William and James, who were carpenters, came in an emigrant wagon to the
land, which was entirely unimproved. They lived in the wagon, the women doing
the cooking while the men built a house in which to live.
Here Mr. Hammond lived and with his children improved the farm and was engaged
in farming till the year 1840 when he and his wife now grown old retired from
active life and removed to McConnelsville and lived in a house which his
son-in-law, Samuel McCune, built on Lot 2, purchased of Robert McConnell. This
is the same house that Attorney Danford recently had moved when he erected his
present residence. Mr. Hammond did not live long to enjoy the new home. He died
very unexpected, on the 11th day of November, 1841, at the age of 70 years. I
was living with my parents across the street and saw Mr. Hammond go down the
street in his usual health and with half an hour I saw him borne home a corpse.
After the death of her husband Mrs. Hammond lived with her children going from
one family to another as she preferred. She died October 3rd, 1863, at the
advanced age of 92 years. They were the parents of 13 children, all but the
youngest of whom lived to adult age, were married and had children.
The following are their names in order of their birth: Catherine, Elizabeth,
Sarah, William, Margaret, George, Benjamin, John, Nancy, James, Thomas, Mary
and Jehu.
Catherine the oldest child married Joshua Mummey. They lived on a farm on Tyson
Run in Meigsville township till the husband's death when she move to Iowa where
she died at the age of 101 years. They were the parents of 8 children. Their
names are William, Sarah (Mrs. John Smith), Nancy Ellen (Mrs. Smith), Benjamin,
Samuel, John, who died in childhood, Ursula (Mrs. Alex Smith) and Mary who died
single at 18 years of age.
The second child was Elizabeth, who married George Crow, a farmer of Bloom
township. They also raised 8 children. Their names are John, Philip, Sarah,
Mary (Mrs. Daniel Jewett), Isaac, Ursula and Benjamin. None of the children are
living but Isaac of Iowa, and their descendant have nearly all removed from the
county. She died at the age of 84 years.
Sarah the 3rd child married John Mummey, a brother of Catherine's husband.
Their children were David and Jacob. They also were farmers of Meigsville
township. David kept a grocery for a number of years in McConnelsville in the
building erected by his uncle William Hammond. Jacob was a farmer of Meigsville
township. Both moved west.
William was the fourth child and oldest son of John and Ursula Hammond. He was
born April 22nd, 1798, and died Nov. 7th, 1880, aged 82 years. He married
Eleanor Mummey, a sister of Catherine's and Sarah's husbands, thus uniting 3
Hammonds to 3 Mummey. The children of this union were Eliza (Mrs. John Wood),
Margaret Ellen (Mrs. Robert L. Morris), and 3 children who died of scarlet
fever, named Benjamin, Philena and John. He was engaged for a number of years in
the manufacture of salt with his brother-in-law Geo. P. Morris, afterwards
moving to McConnelsville where he erected a fine brick residence and also a two
story brick business building, it being the one now occupied by Mr. Mendel as a
furniture store, and owned by C. H. Morris.
The fifth child was Margaret. She was born Oct. 18th, 1799. She was married to
Geo. P. Morris in 1822, while they were both residents of Bloom township. Mr.
Morris and his wife's brother, William, engaged in the manufacture of salt for
a number of years; they both moved to McConnelsville, Mr. Morris carrying on
the tinning business and afterward a hardware store an both are still continued
by his grandchildren: Charles H. Morris and the Scott boys in the building
erected by Mr. Morris. Mrs. Morris died March 18th, 1889, being nearly 89 years
of age. Their children were Maria (Mrs. Charles P. Scott), Mary J., who died a
young woman, Robert L., who married Margaret Ellen Hammond, William and Jehu
who died in childhood.
George, the sixth child married Jane McCune. They lived on the home farm where
they first settled with his father, in Bloom township and where he died at the
age of 71 years. Their children are Esther Ann (Mrs. James Richardson), Sarah
Jane (Mrs. Nelson Peterson), Harriet (Mrs. George Hibler), and Elmina (Mrs.
Henry Gillogly). Mrs. Richardson is the only one of the family living in the
county. Her sons Harlan D., Henry H., Elmer E., and George B. are all
progressive farmers and breeders of improved stock and poultry.
Benjamin, the 7th child, married Esther McCune, a sister of George's wife. They
also were farmers of Meigsville township. Their children are Thomas, formerly
Post Master of McConnelsville, Sarah (Mrs. John Strong) who is the mother of
Frances (Mrs. B.F. Maston, Howard, the editor of the Herald, Lewis, a farmer of
Meigsville township, George, superintendent of Malta schools, and Burton of
Malta, all well known in this community.
The 8th child is John; he married Margaret Farris. They were the parent of 3 children.
I have not been able to get further particulars of the family.
Nancy is the 9th child and she married Samuel McCune, a brother of George's
wife, and also Benjamin's, making 3 of the Hammonds married to 3 of the
McCunes. Mr. McCune was a prominent farmer and stockraiser of Bloom township.
They were the parents of 10 children all of whom lived to adult years. They are
James, who was an enterprising farmer living across the line in Muskingum
county, recently deceased, Ezekeil, who moved west, Pardon Cook, John, Mary
(Mrs. -- Jewett), William a soldier in the rebellion, Maria (Mrs. Wm.
Thompson), Sarah (Mrs. John Triplett), Anna (Mrs. Ed Miller), and Eliza (Mrs.
---). Mrs. McCune live to quite old age.
James, the 10th child, married Hannah Scott. They were the parents of a dozen
children. They are John, George, Benjamin, Franklin, Jerusha, Amanda (Mrs. ---
Spencer), Clarinda (Mrs. David Thompson), Peninah (Mrs. Millard Fogle),
Melissa, Hannah, Edward and Sylvanus.
The 11th child of the family was Thomas. The greater part of his life he was a
farmer in Bloom township, but kept store for a while in McConnelsville with two
of his sons-in-law, Wm. Simpson and Thomas Hammond. He married Rebecca Shannon.
They raised five children all married and raised families and unless some have
died recently they are all living in different parts of the west. Their names
are Nancy (Mrs. Wm. Simpson), Adaiah (Mrs. Thomas Hammond), Victoria (Mrs. Wm.
Stevens afterwards Mrs. Elzy Fouts), Thomas Benton and Charles Hood.
The 12th child is Mary who married Wm. Morris, a brother of Geo. P. Their
married life was short as she died in about a year leaving twin children who
died in infancy.
The 13th child was named Jehu and died before reaching manhood.
Mr. and Mrs. Hammond were the parents of 13 children and 72 grandchildren.
The Hammonds were a robust, long lived family, noted for their industry and
enterprise, and among their descendants may be found many of our most prominent
citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond and the most of their children and grandchildren
were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.