Casto Connections Keeping You Up-To-Date

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2 Page Two Casto Connections, April, 2001 Casto Connections Keeping You Up-To-Date Reader Response This has proven to be a popular newsletter feature which I will continue for awhile. Here are some recent comments made by readers and other Casto researchers: Correction to last issue: Helen Hutchison (via telephone conversation): In the Queries section, Pat was looking for information on Percella Jane Smith who married Enoch Casto in I had printed then that Enoch was born in 1877 and died in It is very hard to get married 10 years before you are born!! Incredibly, Helen was the only subscriber to point this error out and she is legally blind!! I believe the correct year is Thanks for keeping me on my toes, Helen! Making an Version of this Newsletter: Danita s Note: There seems to be some confusion on this matter. I was not trying to save myself money by suggesting the newsletter. I was worried about you guys! However, many people scrambled to re-up quickly, thinking the newsletter was going broke! Believe me, all is fine here and the newsletter will continue to be published as long as there seems to be a need and I m able to do it. For right now, there doesn t seem to be enough interest in an edition so things will continue as they have been for the foreseeable future. Things I ve found but don t know what to make of yet: 1820 New York Census John S. Casto, page 79, New York County 1820 New York Census Michael Castoe, page 76, New York County 1840 Massachusetts Census Lydia Casto, page 83, Barnstable County 1840 New York Census James Casto, page 47, Monroe County 1860 New York Census Nicholas Casto, page 558, Westchester County 1860 New York Census Patrick Casto, page 802, Westchester County Upcoming Casto Reunions: Ohio Reunion The Annual Casto Reunion, Year 2001, for the Descendants of John Jerry and Rena Molze Casto will be held July 7, 2001 at Amoco Park (on State Route 7 South) in Marietta, Ohio, at 5:00 p.m. (Dinner at 6:00). What to bring: Meat, covered dish, drinks, and table service. Also, the same day: The annual golf outing! To attend, please contact Chris Casto (mark. casto@eramet-mn-us.com or (740) West Virginia Reunion See Back Page! Kansas Reunion I don t have any of the details on this one except that one of our subscribers will be attending and letting us know all about it in the October issue!

3 Page Three Casto Connections, April, 2001 The Daughters (?) of David Editor s note: The David referred to is the one commonly thought to be the progenitor of the West Virginia branch of the Casto family. One common theory is that he is the son of William Caustlo and Elizabeth Abbott. Another son is thought to be William Casto, b. 1717, d At this point in time, there is no solid evidence to prove or disprove these connections. DS As many long-time Casto researchers are aware, the earliest Castos in this country have been exceedingly hard to pin down in terms of solid documentation. It s a good bet our Casto ancestors were in New Jersey from the late 1600 s until the mid to late-1700 s for David s descendents and even later for William s. But since we can t even pinpoint David s birth, how many times he was married, and when and where he died, the following research is less reliable with the early generations and more solid as it unfolds. I have seen David Casto listed as having been born anywhere from 1705 to as late as Most researchers are familiar with his wife, Phoebe Gandy, because that marriage has been recorded. There has also been mention in some research to a wife name Marie. Reported daughters Martha and Rhoda, both born before 1752, suggest a marriage before the one to Phoebe. Other researchers believe Martha and Rhoda are David s sisters and not his daughters. For our purposes today, I m going to include them as daughters in order to share what I ve found on them. My current list of David s children is: (1) Martha, (2) Rhoda, (3) David Jr., (4) Phoebe, (5) John, (6) Catherine, (7) William, (8) Elizabeth, & (9) Sarah. While I realize that these children, as well as David s dates, are open to some debate, I welcome the debate in order to clarify this family s origins. One quick item I would like to point out is that in using these nine children, the first one was born in 1734 and the last in 1769, 35 years later. While that doesn t prove anything, it lends credence either to the theory that Martha was David s sister or that David had more than one wife. One source I examined closely was Eileen Vickers book, Casto Cousins, written in This book deals mainly with the three male Castos who spread the name to various counties in West Virginia David, John, and William. While I consider the first 17 pages a lot of creative imagination at best on the author s part, she does list some sources she used. The one I was most interested in was The Monongalia Story by Earl Core because Vickers states in 1773,...David Casto family went beyond here and established a claim at the mouth of the Buffalo Creek, on the Monongahela River. I followed up by contacting a library that contained this book and would like to share the following exact quote with you: Alexr Clegg and William Irwin assee of David Casto is Intitled to 400 acres of land in Monongalia County on the Monongalia River at the mouth of Buffaloe to Include his Settlement made theron in the year Marion County Now, I ll be honest with you. My first impression upon reading this was that David Casto was alive and in Monongalia County in But after looking at it a second time, I wasn t quite sure. So I contacted a person who was much more knowledgeable about such things than myself and was told this: Alexander Clegg and William Irwin, assignees of David Casto, are entitled to 400 acres of land in Monongehela County on the Monongehela River at the mouth of Buffalo, and this acreage includes all Casto's rights as explained in So Clegg & Irwin acquired Casto's land because it was assigned by a will, a forfeiture, a mortgage, or some other instrument. Were these guys sons-in-law? Merchants? Neighbors? I read it that the settlement was made in 1773, so that could mark the date of administration of a will or the date of the outcome of some other judicial action. (Continued on page 4)

4 Page Four The Daughters of David Casto Connections, April, 2001 (Continued from page 3) As far as Casto being alive in 1773, the wording, the best I can make it out, doesn't eliminate the possibility, but it does not substantiate it either. I suggest to next look for a deed in 1773 involving David Casto, especially one involving "heirs of." The deed would have the best chance of shedding light on the situation. The problem is that deeds were recorded in spotty fashion in this era. I am not familiar with the status of Virginia records during this period, so I cannot judge your chances of finding the deed. Start at 20% and work your way down. Establish, if you can, the relationship between Casto and the other parties. If they didn't marry in, then tax records might establish their geographical proximity. Etc., Etc. Just because a will for David has not been found in the past doesn t mean that new researchers shouldn t try again to find it. The David Casto mentioned could also have been David s son, also named David, b. abt I m always trying different tactics to find early Castos. That s one of the reasons I m working on David s daughters. We will start with Martha Casto. I found out some information on her from contacting some Harris family researchers. One such researcher, Barbara McCormick (bjmac@wilmington.net), sent me a copy of her research. She listed Martha as having been born Jan. 3, 1736 in Salem Co., NJ and died Nov. 26, 1815 in Deerfield Twp., Cumberland Co., NJ. She married Jonathan Harris on Jun. 14, 1753 in Cumberland Co., NJ. Two items of interest here: 1) she listed Martha as a daughter of William Casto and Elizabeth Abbott, and 2) Martha and Jonathan married a year after David Casto and Phoebe Gandy. I created a chart on the next page showing all the children and grandchildren I have for David Casto so I won t use the space here to list Martha s children. Did the Harris family migrate to West Virginia with the Casto clan? None of my research indicates that they did, which may work in our favor because modern-day researchers of this Harris family may not know about WV Castos and therefore not have used the same sources as we have. Names to be followed up on for this line include: Harris, Bowen, Brooks, Ingersoll. The second daughter of David Casto was Rhoda Casto, born between She married Daniel Biggs. In the past I had never taken the time to look closely at Rhoda so this was all new to me. Please read the sidebar if you re in the mood for a new Casto headache! Of all of the females I ve researched for this article, this one was the most elusive. Many researchers did not even have a spouse for Rhoda. Most list her as born in 1730 and the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Abbott) Casto a sister, not daughter to David. However, one researcher I contacted, Mike Lewis (mplewis@erinet. com), listed a spouse, Daniel Biggs, and two children. Mike had (Continued on page 5) CASTO-BIGGS Another Casto, Andrew, son of William 1717, married Rachel Biggs, and David, another son of William s married Amy (Hannah) Biggs. Noted Casto researcher, David Leroy Casto, had looked into the Biggs families and found several interesting items: The will of Rachel Fitz-Randolph (late Rachel Reeves) of Hopewell Twp., Cumberland Co., NJ, dated April 5, 1800, mentioned her niece, Ami Castow (deceased), and niece by sister Abigail Biggs, Rachel Castow. I believe there is a lot of confusion concerning the Biggs and Castos because it has been mentioned to me by different researchers that William Casto-1717 s sons Andrew and David were in Washington Co., PA in the 1780 s & 1790 s and that David and Phoebe s sons David and John were also living in that county at the same time. William s son David was born in Cumberland Co., NJ in David s son David was born in NJ approx There is a story on James Casto s web site that said Capt. John Biggs married Abigail Brown. Capt. Biggs was burned by Indians in Abigail took her children to Washington Co., PA, where her father lived. There Rachel met and married David Casto. The story goes on to talk of who was on the tax lists and then says if Andrew married Rachel Biggs and David married Hannah Amy Biggs, which David married Rachel Brown Biggs? That part of the story doesn t make sense because it was Abigail Brown that married John Biggs. It never said there was a Rachel Brown Biggs. To confuse matters more, Abigail Biggs appears on the tax list as (nee Smith) meaning her maiden name was Smith. Ina has Abigail Smith and Jeremiah Biggs as the parents of Hannah and Rachel. The will of Rachel Fitz-Randolph (late Rachel Reeves) mentions sisters Abigail Biggs and Easter Davis and nieces Ami Castow and Rachel Castow. This is a case where it would be best to review the Biggs families in the area as well as the Castos because of the duplication of names.

5 Page Five The Daughters of David Casto Connections, April, 2001 (Continued from page 4) Rhoda as having been the daughter of William, not David. He believes she was born in 1730 in Salem Co., NJ, and married to Daniel Biggs abt in Hopewell, Cumberland Co., NJ. Daniel Biggs is said to have died in January, Mike s line descends from their son, William, who was born in 1759 in Cumberland Co., NJ, fought in the American Revolution, and died on June 28, 1828 in Clinton Co., Ohio. Unfortunately, Mike didn t have any information on the other son, Daniel Biggs (Jr.?). I have listed some of Mike s sources at the end of this article for researchers to verify for themselves. I found a Daniel Biggs listed in the Jefferson County, Virginia census that I believe to be Daniel Biggs, Jr. William Biggs married twice. His first wife was Sarah Burr, who he married April 2, 1788 in Loudoun Co., VA. She died around 1803/04 in Jefferson Co., VA (later WV). William married second to Nancy Russell in 1807/08 in Loudoun Co. Sarah Burr Biggs died in Clinton Co., OH on Dec. 21, 1861, at the age of 100. By the time of the 1820 Census, there were several Biggs households in Clinton Co., OH Daniel, William, and Josiah. I also found several Biggs households on early NJ tax lists dating from 1773 to 1781 and a Daniel Biggs was on a Jury list from Cumberland Co. for Once again, I don t see any evidence of this Biggs line settling in West Virginia near their Casto cousins. The third daughter of David was Phoebe Casto. She was born in Cumberland Co., NJ on Jan. 2, 1755 and died Jan. 2, On Jan. 3, 1782, Phoebe married James McCown, who was born Sep. 2, 1758 and died Jan. 9, Eileen Vickers recounted an interesting tale involving Phoebe and her sister, Sarah, in her book, Casto Cousins: Phoebe Casto born 2 Jan 1755 (DAR record), grew up living with a family named Bean. As a young woman she and Sarah Casto Wright determined they were sisters by examining a birthmark. They had been separated on the frontier at the death of their parents. (Ref. Va. Moore from Isabel Long.) It has been easier to trace Phoebe Casto because of her husband s Revolutionary War pension records. One of their children, Edith McCown, married David Wright, son of Benjamin and Sarah (Casto) Wright, her first cousin. The McCowns did settle in the Jackson Co., WV area near the Castos and their descendents can be found in that area to this day. I have been contacted by many people researching the McCown line (also frequently spelled McKown) but am saddened to see how many don t list sources for their material. The fourth daughter of David was Catherine Casto. In what I am sure was a deliberate attempt to confuse future genealogists, Catherine Casto married Jonathan Harris, Jr., son of Jonathan Harris and Martha Casto (see page four). IF Martha Casto Harris is a daughter of David, that would mean her son Jonathan married his Aunt Catherine. IF Martha Casto Harris is a sister of David, then her son Jonathan married his first cousin, Catherine. In either event, Catherine Casto was born Dec. 19, 1758 in Cumberland Co., NJ and married about 1783 to Jonathan Harris, Jr. She died about 1834 in Ohio. Just to make sure that the genealogy stayed confused, Jonathan and Catherine s son, David, born April 6, 1784 in Cumberland Co., NJ, married Rebecca Casto, daughter of Azariah Casto and Hannah Golden. Azariah Casto was born May 1, 1750, the son of William Casto and Perthenia Purple. As I mentioned earlier in the newsletter, you cannot trace one line of the Casto family without being familiar with the other one as well! David Harris died before 1831 in Madison Co., OH, which is when Rebecca married for a second time, to Owen Adkins. Rebecca Casto, who was born about 1786, died after 1870 in Michigan. The fifth daughter of David Casto was Elizabeth, born abt in Monongalia Co., VA. She married in Fayette Co., PA in 1784 to Joseph Yard Province. Elizabeth died on Mar. 30, 1818 in PA and her husband later remarried to a woman named Rachel Reed. While I was looking up this family I couldn t help but be amazed to see that Elizabeth was the mother of 17 children! Joseph had 6 more children with his second wife, for a total of 23 children! Oh, my! Province is another one of those names that you will see with various spellings Provance, Province, Provence. The family stayed mainly in the Pennsylvania area, where both Joseph and Elizabeth died. Another of David Casto s children, John, married Margaret Province, although Margaret was (Continued on page 6)

6 Page Six The Daughters of David Casto Connections, April, 2001 not a sister to Joseph. As I was researching I kept finding references to Joseph s parents. A lot of researchers are not interested in the parents of someone who marries into the family but this time it made sense to copy the whole family. Joseph Yard Province was the son of Sarah Yard and John William Provence. Sarah Yard had been married once before to Jonathan Wright. One of the children from that first union, Benjamin Wright, married another of David Casto s daughters, Sarah (see below). The last of David s daughters Sarah married Benjamin Wright. Sarah was born March 10, 1769 and died before April, 1857, which is when her will was probated. They were married July 17, 1784 in Greene Co., PA and later moved to present-day Jackson Co., WV. Benjamin Wright, born 1755 and died around 1830, was a miller by trade and the site of his mill became Cottageville, WV. I was looking at what was written in Casto Cousins about this family, I noticed what might possibly be an error. She lists 12 children for Sarah and Benjamin, the first being Jonathan. She said Jonathan served as a private in the American Revolution. This can t be correct because Sarah and Benjamin didn t even marry until 1784, a year after the end of the war! Perhaps he served in the War of 1812 instead. When I originally came up with the idea for this article, I envisioned tracing each daughter and grandchild of David Casto up until to the time of the 1850 census. However, after getting involved in the research involved and seeing how many lines I was actually dealing with, I felt that was a bit too ambitious of an undertaking. What I have tried to do is give you some indication of areas where more research needs to be done while providing sources that may prove useful. After looking at all this data myself, I tend to believe that Martha and Rhoda would indeed be more likely to be sisters than daughters of David. My reasons are these: 1) the years when they were born, , are just on the cusp of when they would possibly fit as daughters but with Martha being married the year after David, it fits more likely as sisters; 2) I ve always had a hard time accepting that Jonathan Harris, Jr. would marry his aunt cousin, maybe, but I really question aunt; and 3) neither Martha nor Rhoda s descendents settled in West Virginia with so many other of David s descendents. While none of this is conclusive evidence, it does make a case for the sister theory. Please let me know if you have more info on any of these lines and I can always print an update in a future newsletter GREENE CO., PA CENSUS Morris Twp.: Casto, Abel 1 male male male female females female 45+ Whiteley Twp.: Caste, Jonathan 1 male female Caste, David 1 male male female female 16-26

7 Page Seven The Daughters of David Casto Connections, April, 2001 Child Born Died Married Spouse Children Martha Jan. 3, 1735/36 Nov. 26, 1815 Jonathan Harris, Sr. 1. Ruth 2. Jonathan Jr. 3. Josiah 4. Amos 5. Phillip Rhoda abt Daniel Biggs 1. William 2. Daniel David abt Jan. 23, Margaret Province 1. Phoebe 2. Sarah 3. George 4. David 5. Margaret 6. John Phoebe Jan. 2, 1755 Jan. 2, 1855 Jan. 3, 1782 James McKown 1. Isaac 2. Mary 3. Sarah 4. Gilbert 5. John John abt abt m1. Sarah m2.? 1. Rachel 2. David 3. William 4. John 5. Daniel Catherine Dec. 19, 1758 abt abt Jonathan Harris Jr. 1. David 2. Rachel 3. Martha 4. Nancy 5. Amos William Jan. 12, 1760 Nov. 11, 1836 May 6, 1795 m1. Hannah Bonnett m2. Margaret Parsons 1. Lucretia 2. David 3. William 4. George 5. James 6. Nancy 7. Jonathan Elizabeth abt Mar. 30, Joseph Yard Province 1. John 2. Benjamin 3. David 4. Sarah 5. Joseph 6. Elizabeth 7. Lydia 8. Patience 9. Samuel Sarah Mar. 10, 1769 bef. Apr July 17, 1784 Benjamin Wright 1. Jonathan 2. Elizabeth 3. Joseph 4. Daniel 5. David 6. Robinson 6. Sarah 7. Joel 8. Elizabeth 9. George 6. Samuel 7. Edith 8. Celia 9. Frances 10. James 6. Rebecca 7. Joel 8. George 9. William 8. John 9. Benjamin 10. Rhoda 11. Absalom 12. Levi 13. Isaac 10. Thomas 11. Jane 12. Phoebe 13. Jesse 14. Simeon 15. Uriah 16. Mary Ann 17. Elisha 7. Millicent 8. Mary 9. Benjamin 10. Rhuanna 11. Sarah 12. Charlotte

8 Page Eight The Daughters of David Casto Connections, April, 2001 Sources Used or Suggested for Future Research: Casto research by Ina Tuft, David L. Casto, and James Casto Harris research by Barbara McCormick Biggs research by Michael V. Lewis Casto Cousins by Eileen Vickers The Monongalia Story by Earl Core, Vol. I, page 254 Colonial America, NJ Census Index, page 254 (Biggs), 285 (Harris) Genealogy of Pennsylvania Families (1982) Vol. 1, p New Jersey Colonial Documents, p. 196 The American Genealogist, Vol. 37, pages (Inventory of Thomas Harris) Cumberland Co., NJ Marriages by H. Stanley Craig (1932, reprinted 1978) p. 27,58, 63, 67, 84, 90, 114, 236 Salem Co., NJ Marriages by H. Stanley Craig History of Gloucester, Salem, & Cumberland Counties, NJ by Cushing & Sheppard 1800, 1810 Pennsylvania Census NJ Marriage Records by William Nelson, p. 101 (Elizabeth Cushlow and John Kelley, ) NJ Patents & Deeds, , by William Nelson (1899; reprinted 1976, 1982) NJ Index of Wills (1913, reprinted 1969) Cape May County Marriage Bonds by. H. Stanley Craig and Dr. Julius Way (1931, reprinted 1978) Notes on Old Gloucester Co., NJ by Frank H. Stewart PA Marriages Prior to 1790 by John B. Linn & William H. Egle (1890, reprinted 1963, 1968, 1979) Genealogies of New Jersey Families, p. 973, 975 Sources used by Mike Lewis: History of Clinton County, Ohio 1882" Beers- William BIGGS, pg 799. History of Clinton County, Ohio 1915" Brown- William BIGGS, pg 129 & 317. marriage record- William BIGGS and Nancy RUSSELL RHODES, "Virginia Historic Marriage Register, Loudoun County Marriages " Vogt and, Kethley Jr pg 39. cemetery visit- William BIGGS, Sewell Cem, Vernon Township, Clinton County, Ohio. cemetery Info- William BIGGS, "Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots" vol 1 p-serial 11127, vol 2. military info- William BIGGS, II Leut under Cpt David PLATT's Company of the Cumberland, New Jersey Militia, on, roster Oct 1777 "Official Register of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War" Wm. T. Nicholson & Co., Printers 1872 compiled under the orders of Theodore F Randolpg, Governor pg 442 Cpt PLATT's Co, II Btn. military info- William BIGGS, "Abstracts of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots" vol A-D Hatcher pg 80. military info- William BIGGS, DAR apllications , , & will- William BIGGS, BooK A-B Sec B pg 53-55Clinton Counmty courthouse, Wilmington, Ohio (copy in possession, of Michael Vernon LEWIS). will- Nancy Russell RHOADES BIGGS, book 1 pg Clinton County courthouse, Wilmington, Ohio (copy in possession, of Michael Vernon LEWIS). marriage record- William BIGGS and Nancy RUSSELL RHODES, "Virginia Historic Marriage Register, Loudoun County Marriages " Vogt and, Kethley Jr pg 39.

9 Page Nine Casto Connections, April, 2001 Records Found of Castos in Indiana If you ve never had the opportunity to research family using Indiana records, you ve missed a treasure trove of information. Back during the Great Depression, one of the government work programs had people copying information which has proved invaluable to modern-day genealogists! I found many more records than I have space for here so I will print more at a later date. Name of Child Name of Bride or Groom Name of Father Name of Deceased Sex Color Marriage Records Death Records Age at Death Birth Records Name of Mother Sex Race Name of Spouse Date of License Date of Marriage County Book Page Lena L. Casto George H. Large April 4, 1893 April 4, 1893 Fulton F 39 John W. Casto Missouri A. Hogan Nov. 11, 1899 Shelby Jane Casto Frederick Hoosier Mar. 4, 1867 Shelby Jane Casto John Lambert Nov. 13, 1898 Shelby Nancy Casto Joseph Mings Dec. 14, 1871 Shelby Date of Death Date of Birth County Book Page Casto, (no name) W.W. Meredith F W June 19, 1900 Sullivan H-5 46 Brock, (no name) Leonidas G. Malinda Casto M W Jun. 2, 1885 Clay H-1 57 Casto, (no name) Emanuel Lizzie Muldrough M W July 10, 1901 Clay CH-2 32 Castor, (no name) Emanual J. Molingrove M W Jan. 7, 1887 Clay CH-1 38 Place of Death County Book Page Casto, Addrean M W 62 Dec. 11, 1915 Rensselaer Jasper CH Casto, Jerome M W 46 Aug. 16, 1900 Marion Twp. Jasper H-9 10 Casto, Alice F W 57 April 23, 1919 Shelbyville Shelby CH-7 10 Sources: Index to Death Records Jasper County Inclusive Letter A-Z (Indiana Works Progress Admin., 1939) Index to Death Records Shelby County Inclusive Letter A-Z (Indiana Works Progress Admin., 1940) Fulton County, Indiana Index to Marriage Records A-G, Book 1, Vol. 1, , Indiana Works Prograss Administartion, 1962 Index To Marriage Record Shelby Country Inclusive Volume II Letters H-O. Indiana Works Progress Administration, 1940 Index To Birth Records Sullivan County Inclusive Volume I Letters A-l Inclusive. Indiana Works Progress Administration Clay County, Indiana Index to Birth Records A-K Book 1 Vol 1, Indiana Works Progress Administration

10 Page Ten Casto Connections, April, 2001 You are Invited to the 2nd Annual CASTO FAMILY REUNION on Saturday, August 4, 2001 at Cedar Lakes Ripley, West Virginia 12:00 noon to???? Pot Luck Luncheon Please come and get acquainted with all your NEW cousins! Bring any old pictures, family stories to share, and any family history you may have. We are also searching for a photo of George Casto, Sr. OPEN TO ALL CASTO DESCENDANTS!!! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!! Hosted by Descedants of George & Elizabeth (Westfall) Casto: Wanda Casto Vicari, granddaughter of Leander C. Casto Eugene Casto, grandson of Leander C. Casto Melvin L. Casto, grandson of Joseph E. Casto Robert & Noreda McKemy, Grandson of David A. Casto Kellea Lewis, descendant of George Casto, Jr. Entertainment: Family Members please bring a baby picture of yourself with your name on the back and a wrapped gift for White Elephant Exchange - price limit for gift: $3.00 Lodging: Best Western McCoy s Inn Ripley ( ) $69.99 without discount $ tax 10% discount with military ID, AARP, & AAA Free breakfast with room 77 Motor Inn Ripley (304) $25 / single $35 / double Super 8 Motels Ripley (304) $49.39 / 2 people, $5.00 each additional person, children under 12, free. There is a 10% discount for reunions. Scottish Inns between Ravenswood & Ripley (304) $39.95 / double, double has full and twin bed.