Sarah Ann Freeman

Sarah Ann Freeman was my 2nd Great Grandmother.

Sarah Ann Freeman m. John Allen

     John D Allen m Mary A Lake

          Nell Sprague Allen m Philip Martin

               John L Martin m Florence Darling

                    Me

Sarah's life journey started on 7/23/1811 in Morris County, New Jersey. Her parents were likely Stephen Freeman and his wife Susan of Jefferson Township.  Stephen was a carpenter and appears in  1830, 1840 and 1850 census returns.  There is a house on Berkshire Valley Road in Jefferson Township that is reported to be "The Freeman House." The reference states "It is thought that a family that disappeared from this area may have built this house long ago."  "0.7 miles away we find The Washburn (Allen) House. Its deed goes back to 1804, the year Jefferson became a township".    The record of these two residences is pertinent as on 4/25/1831 Sarah married John Allen in Jefferson Township, and I have no doubt they belonged to these two families.  

Freeman/Allen Marriage Record

While the Freemans did disappear in the census returns after 1850, there were Allen's living there that I am sure were John Allen's relatives, I just have never been able to sort them out.  John Allen is an incredibly common name.  And, frankly, I don't think anyone knew how old they were back then.  Even when I am sure I have the same person I find dates of birth all over the place.

Stephen and Susan Freeman's graves are in the Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Oak Ridge, West Milford Township, Passaic County, New Jersey.  They likely died between the 1850 and 1860 census.
The young Allen couple, probably along with other family members and friends started West to settle in Ohio near where other Allen family members had already relocated.  The trip, in the 1830's was relatively easy as there were actual roads by that date.  They likely traveled to Philadelphia and picked up The National Road, as shown on the map below.  Originally the portion from Philadelphia to Wheeling was named the Cumberland Rd, and the piece from Wheeling through Muskingum County was part of Ebenezer Zane's Zanes Trace.  I like to think they took the ferry from Wheeling across the Ohio River to Martins Ferry, Ohio.  The very ferry owned by my 2nd Great Grandfather, Ebenezer Martin.  Wouldn't that just have been cool?  A couple of generations later, Ebenezer Martin's grandson marries Sarah Freeman Allen's granddaughter.

So, Sarah and John settled down in Mt Sterling, Ohio, a little town near Zanesville, Ohio.  On 2/14/1832 their daughter Elma A Allen was born.  And, a year later, 5/15/1833 my great grandfather John D Allen came into their lives.  But, tragedy was looming.  The Ohio River flooded its banks, and in the summer of 1833, the first significant cholera epidemic hit Ohio.  John Allen died 11/22/1833, leaving Sarah with two babies.  I believe he is buried in the Mount Sterling Cemetery, but there is no record, and so many of the stones are worn smooth by the years and years of weather.

I mentioned above that the Allen's probably came to the Muskingum County area because family and friends had already made the journey.  In the 1970's I was allowed into the archives of the Courthouse in Zanesville and held John Allen's disposition of estate papers in my hand, but no cell phone to take a picture in those days.  However, I wrote things down, and it appears one David Allen, along with Sarah were the executors of the estate.  David Allen was born in 1795 in Sussex County, NJ (right next to Jefferson Township in Morris County) and came to Ohio before 1817 at which time he is found to have married Sarah Spencer in Muskingum County - who, surprise - also was born in Sussex County, NJ.  However, the Spencer family, headed by one Ichabod Spencer, were in Ohio by 1807 when Ichabod paid taxes on property he owned.  Also originally from Sussex County NJ and living in the area is the Usual Headley family.  Usual (or Uzal) ran the Headley Inn on the National Road, the building is currently an antique store, I believe.  So, it looks like the Spencers & Headleys migrated first in about 1806, followed by David Allen & his father Noah Allen around 1817, followed by John & Sarah Allen in 1831.  There are Allens buried in the Headly family cemetery in Morris Co, NJ.  These people all knew each other.

So, even though she had just lost her husband, Sarah had a support group.  Elma and John D were appointed a guardian,  John Conklin, who I discovered lived right next to David Allen.  I have some paperwork regarding the guardianship, and when they came of age, Elma and John D received about $200 each out of the guardianship funds.

As was often the case where there is a young widow, there is an older man looking for a second wife to take care of his motherless children.  On 7/25/1835 Sarah married Benjamin Robinson and settled down on his farm in Brownsville, Ohio.  Brownsville is just a few miles down the National Road from Mt. Sterling.  Benjamin was 22 years older than Sarah.  His first wife,  Phoebe Grant died in 1834.  Benjamin & Phoebe had 11 children over the period 1812-1833.

Patience 1812-1885

Susannah 1814-1891

Lucinda 1816-1879

Elsie 1818-1904

Phoebe 1820-1820

Leroy 1823-1906

Sarah 1825-1909

Samuel 1827

George Washington 1828-1912

Susan 1831-1837

Benjamin 1833-1836

 I'm not sure how many of the older ones were still at home when Benjamin & Sarah got married, the 1840 census shows nine people in the household - this includes two of the four children Benjamin and Sarah would have.  So, Sarah & Benjamin, Elma & John D Allen, Nancy & Lucy Ann Robinson & three of Benjamin's children by his first wife.  Blended families are not new.  Benjamin & his first wife, Phoebe were born in Virginia and came to Ohio between 1816-1818.  I believe Benjamin received some land as a result of his father's service in the Rev War and he purchased property in 1820.  I would guess he was a farmer.

Alas, Benjamin Robinson died on 10/4/1845, not sure where he is buried.  Sarah is not having good luck with her husbands.  His first wife is buried in the Robinson family cemetery in Licking County, Ohio and I would assume he is there.   Sarah remained in Brownsville, Ohio and never remarried.  Brownsville, in Bowling Green Township, is such a small community, it would be such fun to see what I can find out.  Just a few months ago I was getting ready for my trip and looked her up again in FindAGrave, and since I last looked, someone uploaded her FindAGrave information was amended to include her grave location so, knowing where she was buried, I visited Cedar Hill Cemetery in Brownsville, Ohio and located her grave.  Interestingly enough, I had visited that cemetery in the 1970's looking for her husband and not knowing she was there with the new name of Robinson.  Her gravestone is extremely hard to read, and I was only able to confirm it was her by a few words AND the fact her daughter Nancy was buried right next to her, and her grave was legible.

Sarah's Grave

You can see my car in the background.  Luckily I did not have to walk up and down too many rows to find the grave.

Close up - not much detail left.

Nancy June Robinson

1837 - 1867

Nannie never married & lived with her mother

The view standing beside the Robinson graves.  Beautiful countryside.

Some other photos from Brownsville

When I was here in the 1970's this old general store was very much the same.  I went in to ask about cemeteries, but the individuals in the store were somewhat odd, and although I found Cedar Hill Cemetery on my own, I was nervous walking around, LOL.  They had "spooked" me.  Unfortunately, it was Sunday this visit and the store was closed.

Sarah's Children

Elma A Allen- Born 2/14/1832 in Mt Sterling, Ohio.  In 1857 Elma married Oliver Marion Hamilton.  In the 1860 & 1870 Census they had a Dry Goods Store in Bowling Green Township, Licking County, Ohio. Brownsville is the only community in Bowling Green Township, so perhaps the Robinson store is/was this place.  Sometime before 1880 the Robinsons moved to Columbus, Ohio where they operated a Grocery Store.  Unfortunately, Oliver died at age 54.  He is buried in Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio.  Elma and Oliver had five sons and three daughters.  Elma passed away in 1914.

John D. Allen - Born 5/15/1833 in Mt Sterling, Ohio.  My great-grandfather. By the mid-1860's John was married to Mary Ann Lake (Short) and started a family.  He was ALSO a grocer and had a store in Fultonham, Ohio and Lancaster, Ohio.  More about him in another chapter.

Nancy June Robinson - Born 4/2/1837   Nancy, called Nannie was a schoolteacher and died at age 30.  She never married and lived with her mother.  Nannie is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery next to her mother.

Lucy Ann Robinson - Born 9/29/1838  Lucy married William Edward Case who was listed as a school teacher in the 1870 census and a merchant in the 1880 census. They lived in Tuscawaras County, Ohio.   Lucy & William had four daughters and 1 son.  They were divorced between the 1880 census and 1896 as William Edward Case married Agnes Ross in 1896.  He was 56, and she was 20.  It appears the newly married couple headed for Virginia as they are listed in the 1900 census in Fauquier, Va.  They had two children, and William Edward Case died in 1908. Lucy Ann lived alone with a housekeeper until her death on 4/9/1928.  I have had a couple of DNA matches through Lucy.

Emeline Robinson - Born about 1842.   Emeline was a schoolteacher and lived with her mother through the 1870 census.  In 1880 she was residing with her brother Albert in Washington, Tuscawaras County, Ohio.  I lose her at that point and cannot find her in 1900.  She could have gotten married or died during that 20-year span.

Albert J Robinson - Born 9/2/1844  Albert married Eliza Mary Oldham in 1868.  In the 1870 census, they lived a couple houses away from the Hamilton's (see Elma above), and he is noted as a dry goods merchant. It appears they may have been in business together, but the 1880 census shows the Hamiltons have moved on to Columbus and Albert & his family is in Washington, Tuscawaras County, Ohio and he is listed as a Dry Goods Merchant.  Albert & Eliza had three sons and two daughters.  Albert passed away 1/19/1922.

So, all of Sarah's children were merchants and/or teachers.