Ralph Slack LONGWELL ^17,18

  General Notes:

In Baskins 1880 History of Delaware Co., Ohio it is said Ralphs family came to Delaware Co., Ohio in 1806 (page 813). There is some dispute about his birth place, The later history says Maryland, in a biographical sketch of his son, Norton T. Longwell. In the 1850 and 1860 census it mentions his birth place as Pa. , but in the 1870 census it states Kentucky. Ralphs family did move around alot. In the Morrow Co.History of 1880 under Ralph's grandson, Harry Longwell of Peru Twp.(page 655) " Ralph Longwell, his grandfather, a soldier of the War of 1812, emigrated from Kentucky shortly after the war." This may be in error since most accounts have him here and enlisted in a Delaware Co. , Company of Capt. Elias Murray's Cavalry in 1813.(*2)2 Ralph also re-enlisted in Capt. Henry Slacks Co. also from Delaware County. Both these records are from the Rooster of The War of 1812 on pages 116 and 146. Also Ralphs brother Robert was in Lt.Addisons Garvers Company from Delaware Co.. After the war Ralph was married to the daughter of Daniel Greene Thurston , who had moved into the area in 1810. Daniel and his wife Francis had 13 children. Ralph married their daughter Elizabeth Thurston on or about the 15th day of January 1819. This information came from a letter from Joseph Thurston, who vouched from Betsy in the pention for her claim in 1879. The other date was furnished by Glenn Clay. After marriage Ralph & Elizabeth moved to Marion Co. the township of Morven ( which is now Cardington in Morrow County) probably because the rest of the family did. They were there at the time of the 1830 census. They moved back to Brown township around the time Ralph purchased land R.18 tp.5 sec 1. lots 28 & 29from Joseph Thurston on August 12, 1833 (recorded in Delaware Deed book Vol. 11 page 33.). Ralph and Elizabeth continued to buy land in Brown & Kingston Townships trough 1863. On the April 30, 1839 they gave the land south of Old Eden Cemetery to the 1st Presbyterian Church of Brown twp. , where they built there first church. This building was used until November 26, 1856 when they wanted to move the Church into the town of Eden. Ralph and Betsy then donated land lots 50 & 51 to the church and they built another church which still stands but was later used as a K of P Lodge. The old Church was given back to Ralph and Elizabeth on February 4, 1858. Ralph's son Norton T. Longwell lived in this old church until he sold it to Luther Sheets on April 16, 1919. Luther Sheet's son, Henry Sheets and his wife Virginia live in the old church today. It has been added to and moderized into a comfortable home. Ralph took a major part of the development of his community. Often being a Township trustee and contributing a large sum of money towards the railroad which was suppose to be built in the mid 1850's. Ralph, like many others, lost what they invested. Had the railroad been built, Eden would have grown, like Ashley and other towns it passed through. Eden is much the same. Ralph and Elizabeth had a large family of 13 children. Most of the children lived to a ripe old age. Albert, one of their two sons was the exception. Ralph & Elizabeth were well off before their deaths.

Baskins 1880.
At length, a society of the New School Presbyterians was formed, with the following members: John Hestwood and wife, Hugh Lee and wife, Robert Kinkaid and wife, James Kinkaid and wife. They built a church of hewed logs, in which they worshiped for several- years; the Methodists also occupied it on special occasions. In 1841, a frame church building was erected by the congregation near the same spot. But they allowed their imagination to run away with them, and laid their foundation on such an extensive scale, that they were unable to complete the building. Finally they tore it down, and of the material erected a smaller one upon the same site. This building was superseded by a more pretentious one in 1855, and the old church converted into a residence, which is now occupied by Norton T. Longwell. The first Pastor of this congregation was Rev. Mr. Jenks, who had charge of a church in Kingston Township at the same time.


BONDS: Early Delaware County, original located Delaware Historical Society. 31-11 estate for Timothy L Trall September 12, 1838 Alexander Thrall. Ralph S. Longwell Daniel G. Thurston

View Record Ralph Longwell CAPT. MURRAY'S COMPANY, CAVALRY, OHIO MILITIA. PRIVATE PRIVATE View Record Ralph Longwell 3 REGIMENT (ROOT'S), OHIO MILITIA. PRIVATE PRIVATE View Record Ralph Longwell 3 REGIMENT (STRONG'S), OHIO VOLS. PRIVATE PRIVATE

Source Information:
Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007.

Legal Land Description: Section Twp Range Meridian Counties14 6-S 17-E 1st PM Morrow ( I believe this may be the land is now Morrow Co., But then it was Morven Then Marion Co., Now Morrow Co., Ohio)

Letter from William Monroe to wife, Mary Jane Beebe
June 4, 1850 (California Gold Rush).
Several from Eden one of Uncle Ralph's son in laws is in a company about a day ahead. I learned from the Ohio folks of Uncle Samuel Thurston's death but that the rest of my folks were all well. Well I have written to grandmother since I left home.
http://www.geocities.com/scarletgen/oldlettersnthings/monroeletters/wifchildrnfrmwmmonroe6450.html


Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 for R. S. Longwell
Name: R. S. Longwell
Gender: Unknown
Burial Date:
Burial Place:
Death Date: 08 Jun 1872
Death Place: Brown, Delaware, Ohio
Age: 79
Birth Date: 1793
Birthplace: Md
Occupation: Farmer
Race:
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name:
Father's Birthplace:
Mother's Name:
Mother's Birthplace:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B07303-0
System Origin: Ohio-EASy
Source Film Number: 1983725
Reference Number: v 1 p 52

  Noted events in his life were:

• Birth: Copy of births of James and Nellie(Slack) Longwell's children: Various Places in US.

• Military Service: 1812 Elias Murrays's Cavalry, 1813, Canada. Among the earliest. troops to be called out was a company of light horse belonging to the State militia, or the muster-rolls of which were found the familiar names of Elias Murray as Captain, James Crawford as First Lieutenant, David Prince a: Second Lieutenant, and Joseph Prince, Robert Jamison, Sylvester Root, Morris Cowgill, Alexander and William Smith, Ralph S. Longwell John Slack, J. Harter, Forest Meeker, John Wil son, Thomas Dunham and James Carpenter, a; privates.

• Land Warrant: Ohio Land from service in War of 1812, 1822, Ohio.

• Personal Photo: Possibly Ralph and Elizabeth from Charles Dimsha, 1857, Delaware Co., Ohio, United States.

• Burial: Ralph's grave, 1872, Old Eden Cem., Kilbourne, Brown, Delaware, Ohio.

• Marriage Notice: Letter From Joseph Thurston for Pension for Betsy, 1879, Delaware Co., Ohio, United States.

Ralph married Elizabeth "Betsy" THURSTON, daughter of Daniel Greene THURSTON and Francis "Fanny" THAYER, on 19 Dec 1819 in Berlin, Delaware, Ohio, USA. (Elizabeth "Betsy" THURSTON was born on 22 Sep 1804 in Whitehall, Washington Co., New York, died on 6 Dec 1888 in Kilbourne, Brown, Delaware, Ohio and was buried in Old Eden Cem., Kilbourne, Brown, Delaware, Ohio.)

  Marriage Notes:

Another Date would be Jan. 15th 1819 see Joseph Thurston's letter for Betsy's Pension.