My Grandfather's name was John Ramsey
and of Scotch-Irish parentage. About the year, perhaps about 1776 he
removed from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Washington County, Pennsylvania,
and settled near the town of Washington in that county and not far from Burgetstown.
It must have been about 1800 he with his family moved across the Ohio River
into Beaver County, (that portion which is now a part of Lawrence County),
and settled in the woods where he with my father improved a good farm about
five miles North of Enon Valley. He and my Grandmother died there and
were buried by the Old Bethel Church about one mile from his farm.
He had four sons, James, Robert-(my Father), David, and John. James
settled at Holliday's Mill in Liberty Township, Trumbel County, Ohio, within
seven miles of the town of Warren, and I think his son William is the father of those sheepmen in Llano and San Saba Counties, named Ramsey. Uncle David, I suppose, died at or near Enon Valley, Pennsylvania. He went through the War of 1812 as a teamster. Uncle John died at Chilacothie, Ohio, when in the war of 1812.
Father sold the old farm and moved to Newburgh, a new village on the road
from Enon Valley to Mount Jackson. (Two and one half miles from Enon
Valley). From there he bought a small tract of land, (fifty acres),
close to where the Depot now is on the P.F.W. & Chicago R.R. but sold
out just before the Railroad was built and kept Hotel at the Old Brick Stage
Stand at Old Enon Valley, which is on the Pittsburgh and Cleveland Pike.
From there he went to Allegheny City, where he died of cancer on his throat
just before the War of 1860.
Father had three sisters. One married Moses Ross and lived within seven miles of Steubenville, Ohio. One married a Smith
and lived somewhere in the neighborhood of Washington, Pennsylvania. The
other one never married and father maintained her until his death when she
went to Ross' in Ohio. I never heard from her afterwards. Her
name was Barbara.
My mother's name was Mary Moore. Her father was known as Old Scotch John Moore,
who lived and died at his old farm near Coontown on the Beaver River.
So my ancestors were mostly Scotch. Father and mother had eleven children,
of which I was born first. Several died in infancy and only four are
living at this date. Sinah E. Elliott and John in Texas and Sarah M. Yeagle in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania.
I married Ellen Taylor on Beaver Dam Run, near Enon Valley, Pennsylvania, whose father was William Taylor, who came to this country in an early day from Ireland. He married Anne Wilson of American birth East of the Allegheny Mountains before they moved to Beaver County. The old stock of the Ramseys were strict Associate Reformed Presbyterians, better known as Secedars. The Taylors were Old School Presbyterians.
I married Ellen Taylor at her old home February 6th, 1849, and moved direct to Beaver Falls, twenty five miles below Pittsburgh, where my daughter Mary Ann was born July 25th, 1850, and departed this life April 9th, 1871. Robert Emmet was born at Bridgewater, Pennsylvania, October 27th, 1852. Ella Minerva was born at Jackson, Mississippi, November 8th, 1854. William Alexander was born at Jackson, Mississippi, July 29th, 1856. Clara White
was born at Jackson, Mississippi, August 5th, 1858. Frank Taylor was born
in Burnet County, Texas, June 15th, 1861. After my marriage I was engaged
in the Saw Mill Business until coming to Texas. We moved to Jackson,
Mississippi, in 1852 and from there to Burnet County, Texas, in 1860.
I, A.M. Ramsey, was born at the old home in Pennsylvania June 4th, 1825. Ellen Taylor born at her old home near Enon Valley, Pennsylvania, August 4th, 1823. I was named after an old Secedar Minister, Alexander Murray.
I was the oldest of eleven children and my wife the youngest of eleven.
Six girls and five boys in each family and when we were married there were
the same number of boys and girls living in each family. Two boys and two
girls of each family are at this date alive, Viz. John Taylor and Mrs. Sarah Sampson, Thomas Taylor and my wife Ellen. John Taylor being the oldest and my wife the youngest of the family. Of the Ramsey family myself, Mrs. S.E. Elliott, Mrs. Sarah M. Yeagle and John.
My sisters and brothers names were Sinah E., Sarah M., Amanda, Jane and another infant sister name I do not remember and Minerva T., John, David E., Robert Smith and James Ross. Minerva R. died when about grown at Allegheny City. The other sisters died in childhood. Robert S. died at Enon Valley when a boy. James R. died in the War of the Rebellion in the Northern Army at Vicksburg, Mississippi, about 1864.
David E. crossed into Mexico during the War of 1861 and I have never heard of him. He left Gonzales going toward Mexico.
Since writing the foregoing my dearly beloved wife Ellen departed
this life at our home at Mahomet, Burnet County, Texas, April 19th, 1890,
at five o'clock A.M. after a long and lingering illness of consumption.
A.M. Ramsey
See Photos of the Ramseys in the Photo Album.
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