LANCASTER, PA LINE

The earliest record i can find on this line is John Wiseley

"John Wiseley married Mary Bond, widow, October 20, 1721" - from Maryland and Deleware 1600-1800's Church Records. Pg 8 - in the section of St John's and St. George's Parish Registers 1696-1851

St Johns was located in Baltimore and Hartford Co. Maryland.

This John is usually listed as the father of the John who moved to Ohio circa 1800. But that presents a problem. The son John was born in 1750 and died in 1822 in OH. Why did the older John wait 30 years to start a family. It does not seem plausable.  Also if they had a Scotish background the traditional names of children followed a set order. First son was named after paternal grandfather, 2nd son after maternal grandfather, etc. That would indicate there may be a "missing" generation between the older John and the younger John. Pure speculation on my part but I have some doubts of the accuracy of showing the John married in 1721 as being the father of the 1750 John.
      But whoever the father and mother were we do have good records on the 4 children. Francis became a quaker. William moved a little west to York Springs (North of Gettysburg) and did not mention either spouse or children in his will. Perhaps he was a bachelor. Or if he married she may have died before he drew up a will. But there is no mention of a wife in any records so I will assume he was a bachelor until shown proof he was not.
       His sister Mary was married and John also married and heaed for Ohio. Actually a whole group (church-community??) left the Lancaster, PA area around 1800 and settled near Lancaster, OH.
       They would most likely have traveled on the road that George Washington had cleared for General Braddocks troops from Lancaster, PA to near Wheeling, Virginia (Now WV).  From there many travelers would have traveled by boat down the Ohio. But it is more likely that John and his family would have followed the recently completed Zane's Trace which crossed major rivers at Zanesville and what would be Lancaster, OH.  Zane's crew had built the road through very heavy mature forests and continual hills. The trace was filled with stumps that wagon and carts had to travel around or try to drive over them. That is mostly likely where the old expression came from. "I'm Stumped"  When a wagon axle got hung up on top of a stump then all forward progress was halted. Just as when we face a problem that "stumps" us.
More to come.