The subjects of this sketch were natives of Hardy County, Virginia. The year of 1818 found them quite advanced in years, and parents of two sons and two daughters, grown to manhood and womanhood. Realizing that these children would soon be in need of homes and means of maintenance of homes, and that their only assets were limited to their robust health, strong constitutions and unswerving determinations to do for themselves and their dependents in the way and manner that their Creator would approve, decided that the lands of the unbroken forests were offering much better opportunities to acquire homes and independence than could be found in a country where labor was performed only in involuntary servitude and was looked upon as a disgrace when performed by a white person, decided to bid farewell to their many beloved friends and relatives in their beautiful southern land, and cast their lot with their children in a strange land where their industry and efforts would be considered a credit rather than a disgrace. That these patriarchs were a God-fearing people as evidenced by prominent Biblical names given to their children, viz: Adam, Michael, Sarah and Elizabeth, in the order of their births.
At this time, Sarah was the wife of John Shirk: also a native of Hardy County, and their eldest child, Aaron, who was already eight years old.
In the same county, at this time, were the family of Mordicia Baughan, natives of South Carolina, in which family a brother and sister married into the family of Isaac Brake. Jeremiah became the husband of Elizabeth Brake, and Eve Baughan became the wife of Adam Brake.
Occurrences of this kind, in which a brother and sister of one family would marry a brother and sister of another family became quite common, as in the case of Polly Shirk, a sister of John Shirk, becoming the wife of Michael Brake; the children of such contracting parties becoming doubly related.
In the first mentioned year, the journey to Ohio was undertaken and before giving details of that undertaking, it might be of interest to the younger generation to know the conditions as they existed here at that early time.
Judging from what Colonel Curry has recorded in his "Early History of Union County", we note that but few settlements had yet been made, nearly all in the southern part of the county; that there were no roads better than Indian trails, bridle paths and blazed timber; that the County was organized in the year of 1820; but few mills were in operation at that time where it was possible for the settlers to have a sack of corn cracked; wild turkeys, deer and other game was in abundance and were a source of dependence by the settlers for their sustenance; the howl of the wolf and the scream of the panther ringing through the woods oft times added loneliness to the night; a few Indians were here yet, but mostly friendly; a few settlements had already been made in Liberty Township, along the banks of Mill Creek; the merry ring of axman is beginning to be heard in every direction; cabins being built, land cleared and made ready for civilization. In the year of 1818, the Brake and Shirk families left their southern homes to share the hardships which were sure to follow in the wilds of Ohio.
After a long and difficult journey, lasting about six weeks, fording many swollen streams and crossing the mountains, their teams and covered wagons at last landed in Ross County, Ohio, where they continued to remain for about two years, before taking another start for parts farther north, finally locating upon lands now owned by John Hamilton in Liberty Township, about one and a half miles south of a point where Peoria now stands and on the Marysville Road. The family of Mordicia Baughan also came at the same time from Ross County, settling a little further north on lands now owned by F.E.Dodge.
Sometime later, Adam Brake located upon lands now owned by Dr.Thompson, just across the road from the cemetery south of Raymond; Jeremiah Baughan remaining upon the farm with his father, the venerable subjects of our sketch, remaining at the home of John Shirk during their remaining days. Thus, it will be seen that quite a large settlement was made in an unbroken timber land by many people so closely connected, and where all continued to live until overtaken by a good and ripe old age. The statement that all, without a single exception, were good and useful citizens and neighbors, has never been challenged; a credit to which their many distant descendants may well point to with pride. While there is much that would be of interest that could be written concerning the many distant descendants of the subjects of this sketch, space forbids much mention being made, other than who the grand-children were--children of Adam, Michael, Sarah and Elizabeth; leaving no mention being made as to whom they married or where they afterward lived.
The children of Adam and Eve (Baughan) Brake were: Isaac, William, Mary, Sarah, George and Amanda; the latter dying before married.
The children of Michael and his wife Polly (Shirk) Brake were: Aaron, Elon, John, Hiram, James, Mary, Michael, Angeline, Emma Jane and Martin.
The children of Sarah and her husband, John Shirk were: Aaron, Betsy, Nancy, Henson, Hiram, Jemima, Alfred, Jonaas, Isaac, Silaas, John, Sarah and Lucy.
The children of Elizabeth and her husband Jeremiah Baughan were: Mary Ann, Delilah, Helen, Elizabeth, Michael, and Elma. (Delilah was my mother.)
Of the many grand-children herein mentioned, many later married and continued to live in their native county during their whole life, while others moved to other and distant places. Yet, so far that is known to be certain, there is but one living at this time (August, 1924), viz: Mrs. Elma Johnson, daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth Baughan. While the grand-children of these worthy ancestors have become almost extinct, yet the "great", "great-great", and "greater" is already a legion. While we realize that this narrative should be as brief as possible, yet we are persuaded to believe that it will be of special interest to many of the younger generations to learn the circumstances concerning the strange and unusual death of their venerable ancestor, Rosanna Brake, which occurred in the year of 1826.
It is related by Colonel Curry in his history of the Early Settlers of Union County, that Mrs. Brake became the victim of some strange disease during the latter years of her life; that when she felt these spells coming on, she had a great desire for water; that if she could get the water as soon as she felt the spells coming on, she was always able to ward them off and was soon relieved; that she always observed that in case she could not get water immediately, she believed she would die; that she left the other members of her family at the home of a neighbor where a shooting match was being held one afternoon and started to return to her home, all alone; that upon her failure to return that evening, alarm was sounded and all the neighbors turned out and joined in an all night search. It was not until the next morning before her body was found near some water; that it was the belief by her friends that she was overtaken by one of her strange spells on her way home, but was unable to reach the water in time to save her life. With the aid of this brief narrative, we believe that it will be found possible by many to determine just how closely or how distantly they were related to not only the subjects of this sketch, but to many other families and persons as well.