Solomon Scoggin

Solomon Scoggin is my oldest known ancestor on my mother's side. He is my great-great-great-great-grandfather (four greats!). While we do not know when he was born, we know that his marriage was recorded in Frederick County, Virginia in 1792.

Alternative Spellings

My mother spelled her last name "Scogin". Most records of Solomon Scoggin spell it with two Gs. A few spell it as Solomon Scoggins, with the frequently occuring plural form. We believe that his name appears as Solomon Schoggan on the 1790 census for Newlin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Family lore tells us that Solomon Scoggin was Scots/Welsh.The 1790 US Census spelling of Schoggan may actually reflect Swedish origins.\1

The Historical Society of Delaware has a wonderful research library. They have some information on a Solomon Schaggen, who may, or may not, be the same person. Follow this link for a writeup extracted from their Solomon Schaggen information.

Records found by other researchers

His date of birth is unknown but he is said to have been a Welshman (from Wales, Great Britain). The oldest records we have on him are found in the Pennsylvania Archives. The Archives reflect that he was a member of the Pennsylvania Militia, Chester County, in 1780, during the Revolutionary War. He is listed as assessing property for taxes in Chester County in 1785, and is again listed as a member of the Pennsylvania Militia, Chester County, in 1786.

The first census of the United States, taken in 1790, lists him as a "head of family" with one male child and two females (wife unknown) in Chester County.

Solomon appears as Solomon Schoggan on the 1790 census for Newlin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania

He migrated to Hamilton County, OH in about 1795, and died there in 1818.

Frederick County courthouse

On Thursday, August 8, 2001, I (Pat Farrell) went to the Frederick County, Virginia courthouse and located Solomon's mariage license registry. This page represents what I learned from the records.

Frederick County Virginia

Frederick County, Virginia is nestled in the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley. Estimated population for Frederick County in 1999 - 2000 is 55,823. Frederick County contains the City of Winchester and two incorporated Towns, Stephens City and Middletown. Frederick County is rich in history with six civil war Battlefields.

Winchester VA is the county seat of Frederick County. It is at the intersection of State Route 7 and Interstate 81. It is about 70 miles west of Washington DC, and 60 miles west of Falls Church, VA.

Contrary to initial expectations, Fredericksburg Virginia is nowhere near Frederick County Virginia. One would think that Fredericksburg was a burg in Frederick county, but no, it is about 60 miles south east of Frederick county. Since it is a "city" in Virginia, Fredericksburg is not in any county. Follow this link for more information on the City of Fredericksburg, VA.

Frederick County Virginia marriage records

The Frederick County marriage records have been transcribed into large typewritten books. Book 1 contains the earliest records, from 1782 through 1852. Each marriage license is recorded in a single line, with names segmented alphabetically (all the Sa through So on one page) and then the marriages are recorded chronologically. Of course, the records are ordered by the male's name. Female names are included, and cross referenced, but it was a man's world in the 1700s.

The records are located at:

    Frederick County Circuit Court
    The Judicial Center
    5 North Kent Street
    Winchester, Virginia 22601

Solomon Scoggin's record

Solomon Scoggin's record is located in Book 1, Page 149, line 29.

The line looks like:

Groom Bride Date Minister

Scoggin, Solomon Taylor, Jane Oct 2, 1792 Christian Streit

There were no other obvious Scogin/Scoggin entries on the page.

It was clear that Reverend Streit was popular, as he was listed as the presiding minister at a significant percentage of the weddings on the page.

There is no evidence on whether Solomon lived in Virginia before or after the wedding. In that period, it was common for traveling ministers to perform marriages as part of their rounds, and then record the marriages once they returned to civiliazation.

Solomon Scoggin's date of birth is unknown but he is said to have been a Welshman (from Wales, Great Britain).1 The oldest records we have on him are found in the Pennsylvania Archives. The Archives reflect that he was a member of the Pennsylvania Militia, Chester County, in 1780, during the Revolutionary War. He is listed as assessing property for taxes in Chester County in 1785, and is again listed as a member of the Pennsylvania Militia, Chester County, in 1786. The first census of the United States, taken in 1790, lists him as a "head of family" with one male child and two females (wife unknown) in Chester County.

Other related records

I looked at the Taylor marriage records from the same book. While Taylor is too common a name to provide much information itself, I was hoping to find other Taylor marriages performed by Minister Streit, and hoping that they had either unique given names, or married spouses with unique family names.

The first data point of interest is that Jane Taylor is listed twice on the Taylor page. Once for the Solomon Scoggin marriage, and also:

Jenkins, John Taylor, Jane Oct 15, 1789 Alexander Balmain

The entry for Jane Taylor has an asterisk, signifying that the same name was listed more than once. It was not clear whether this meant that the same person was listed more than once.

Note, that the earlier family records showed that Solomon had a wife and children in the 1790 census. It is possible that the recording in 1792 was of this marriage, that had to have been several years old, or it may be a second marriage for both Solomon and Jane Taylor.

Here is what I found on the Taylor page that might be related to Solomon:

Groom Bride Date Minister

Taylor, Jacob Lemons, Polly Feb 25, 1789 Christian Streit

Taylor, Benjamin Horner, Ann May 18, 1790 Christian Streit

Taylor, Griffin Cannon, Molly Sep 10, 1790 Christian Streit

Taylor, William Miller, Ann Dec 30, 1791 Richard Swift

Taylor, William Chitter, Jane Dec 18, 1792 Christian Streit

Taylor, Amos Fenton, Mildred Jan 1, 1796 Alexander Balmain

Taylor, George Peck, Ann Feb 27, 1796 Bond Book,
John Peck, Surety

Taylor, John Davis, Elizabeth Oct 3, 1796

Taylor, Edmund H. Thruston, Eloisa Feb 23, 1797

Taylor, Benjamin Hastings, Sarah Jun 1, 1797

Taylor, Septimus McMahon, Mary Aug 10, 1797

Taylor, William Dunlap, Elizabeth Oct 19, 1797

Taylor, Walter, Jr. Jones, Polly Oct 10, 1799 Christian Streit

Taylor, John Waln, Ann Dec 18, 1799

Taylor, Samuel Maky, Mary May 21, 1801 Alexander Balmain

Taylor, David Martha Hatt March 12, 1801 Christian Streit

Taylor, Mandy Williams, Catherine Oct 21, 1801 Alexander Balmain

Taylor, Eben Ship, Nancy Oct 27, 1801

Taylor, Henry Carr, Elizabeth Aug 24, 1801 Christian Streit

Some of these entries do not have the minister, I think I may have not properly recorded the information. There were several other entries listed as "Bond Book" which seems to mean that the father swore that the marriage was legal.

Solomon's Farrell descendants

Approximately 150 years after Solomon Scoggin's marriage license was registered in Winchester, Solomon's great-great-great-grandaughter Clare Margaret Scogin Farrell moved with her husband and family to within 60 miles of Winchester.

Footnote:

1) Debrett Ancestry Research Ltd, The Scoggin Family, Janurary 2002, commissioned by Ms. Bonnie L. Butera