Arnett
Ross Routh's Books
Below is an overview of contents of Ross Routh's
four books relating to the Routh family:
--John Arnett, Feb 1997.
The Routh Family in America, 1976. [pages for this ed]
Routh Family Revisited, 1978. This revision focused on
only the Jacob Routh (1745) and Isaac Routh (1772) families.
Stephen Routh, 1787-1871, And Some Descendants, 1980.
This is a compilation of the family of Stephen Routh with
some interesting biographical information on Asa Routh.
Our Routh Family, 1983. This edition gives a compilation of
the descendants of Jacob Routh (1745) only.
In addition to these four on the Routh family Ross published
the following book on the Wroe family:
William Wroe (1670-1730)
And Some Descendants
A Genealogy, 1980
Preface (to Routh Family in America and revision)
[As Ross points out, his volume doesn't pretend to be a
complete or totally accurate record of the Routh family of
America but rather his attempt to bring together the fruit of
his and many others' research. He found time in this and
subsequent volumes to present mainly family group sheets
and had to omit much of the interesting biographical material
and stories he had collected about many of the subsequent
ancestors. Exactly where all that material is now is unclear.]
Acknowledgements
[Ross pointed out in great detail the work of others who had
done the research which went into the family records he
presented including Tom Turpin of Jefferson City, MO,
mentioned in a previous e-mail correspondence.]
I. The Routh Family in England
[This chapter was based on the work of a Lt.Col H.C.Edric
Routh, R.A. of England whom Ross had a chance to visit
a few years later. Edric Routh composed A Short History
of the Family of Routh which gives a detailed account of
the English branch of our family. Edric is unable to
speculate on the exact names of the emigrants who
became our American ancestors. In Our Routh Family,
Ross gives more detail to this history, has reproduced a
part of the ancient Routh Pedigree sheet, photos of the
Routh Church, and Col. Edric Routh]
II. Early Rouths in America
This chapter, brief in the first volume, focuses mainly on
the Lawrence Routh born in Hawes, England about 1660
who married Ann Metcalfe and settled in Maryland in
1688 and then moved to PA and NJ. In this volume and
subsequent ones, Ross was unable to prove clearly a
connection between this PA/NJ Routh family and those
of North Carolina.
In Our Routh Family, Ross has reproduced several
documents including
1. an inventory of the estate of Laurance Routh 1693/4
which appeared in the Chester Co, PA Record of 1681-1697
2. copy of the birth sheet for Piscataway Town Records of
1668-1805 showing births of Thomas (1710), Edward (1713),
Zacheus (1717) and Lawrence (1719) to Laurence &
Mehitable Routh [spelled Routh.]
3. record of Piscataway ear marks for Larranc Ruth 1719 and
for Lawrance Ruth in Feb 1752
4. copy of newspaper notice offering a reward of five pounds
for a Lawrence Routh who escaped from jail at Perth Amboy
NJ 1751.
5. notes that Lawrence Routh (b.1719) m. Elizabeth Smalley
in the Piscataway Seventh Day Baptist Church on 19 Sep
1745.
6. Ross gives the following family sheet for Lawrence and
Ann Metcalfe:
1---Lawrence Routh b.1660, Hawes, Yorkshire, Eng
d. 16 Jun 1691 Chester Co, PA
m. 24 May 1683 in Hawes to Ann Metcalfe b.1665
d.bef 1748
2----Thomas Routh (1685, Hawes) m. Jane Pratt
3----Christopher Cross Routh (1712, Q.Anne, MD)
2----Lawrence Routh (1687, Hawes) m. Mehitable
3----Thomas (1710)
3----Edward (1713)
3----Zacheus (1717)
3----Lawrence (1719)
2----Rachel (1688, Easton, Talbot Co, Md)
2----Francis (1690, Weston, Chester Co, PA)
3----Francis (1715, Chester Co, PA)
m. Saran Simcock
4---James (1740, Chester Co) m. Eliz. Spear
4---Hannah (1743, Chester Co) m. Tho Dutton
4---Francis (1746, Chester Co) m. Eliz Taylor
3----John (1718, Chester Co, PA)
3----Anne (1721, Chester Co, PA)
m. Kingman Dutton
3----Barbara (1730, Chester Co, PA)
m. John Carter
III. Descendants of Jacob Routh (1745) [pp. 11-211]
[This Jacob Routh, b.1745 in Randolph Co, NC m. Martha
Redfern. Ross felt he was the son of Zacheus, while
Lawrence Routh of NC felt he was the son of another
Jacob. In his second book, Routh Family Revisited, Ross
obtained more information about Eleanor and others]
Among the children represented in family group sheets
using the sheet in the 1978 revision:
Eleanor (c.1769) m. Simon Adamson
Isaac (c.1775) m. Sarah Sloat
Joseph (1780) m. Elizabeth Murrell
{this is Ross' and my ancestral line}
(John Arnett)
John (1782) m. Elizabeth Mashman
Jeremiah (1784)
Esther (1781) m. James McCarroll
Zacheus (1788) {in 1978 but not 1976 ed}
{Zachariah (1785) [in 1978 but not 1976 ed]}
Jacob Jr (c.1791)
IV. Descendants of Joseph Routh (1747) [pp. 212-458]
[This Joseph b.1747 in Randolph Co, NC married Mary
Redfern, the sister of Martha above.Ross believed this
Joseph to be either the brother or first cousin of his
1745 Jacob Routh.]
Among the children represented in family group sheets:
Susannah (1767) m. Levi Leakey
Edward (c.1770) m. Jane Douglass
(Judith Mayfield)
James (c.1774) m. Rebecca Gower
{ancest of Tom Turpin, author bks noted}
also with web page
(Cathy Lynn Routh)
Jesse (1779) m. Nancy Douglass
Martha (c.1783) m. Samuel Moon
John (1786) m. Jane Moon
Mary (c.1789) m. Isom Good
Isaac (1792) m. Sarah Roberts
Jeremiah (c.1795) m. Ann Stout
(Jean Cobb)
V. Descendants of Jacob Routh (1750) [pp.459-582]
[Ross did not know the wife of this Jacob Routh b. 1750,
and was uncertain of his relationship to Jacob and Joseph
noted above. This Jacob and his descendants remained
in Randolph Co, NC and are featured in a book The Rouths
of Randolph Co pub abt 1979 by Lawrence Routh with
whom Ross carried on a lively correspondence. Lawrence
determined that Jacob Routh (b.ca.1755) married in ca. 1788
a Molly York (b.ca 1757, the daughter of Henry York) In his
research, Lawrence was led to believe that the father of his
Jacob was a Zachariah Routh who was first seen on tax
lists in Rowan Co in 1759. In later correspondence Lawrence
has further speculated on the parents of these first three
Routh progenitors, but there's no definite proof of lineage.]
Among the children of this Jacob Routh (as a composite of
Lawrence's and Ross' books):
Jeremiah (c.1780)
Aaron (1783) m. Mary Roach
Mary (1784) m. John Hall
Henry (c.1785) m. Elizabeth
Joshua (1788) m. Elizabeth Turner
unnamed son (1787)
unnamed dau (1789)
Jacob (1795) m. Jenny Roach
VI. Descendants of Jeremiah Routh (1740) [pp. 583-590]
[In his notes, Ross states that Jeremiah was born in Wales
and emigrated to America about 1760 settled in Virginia and
then after the Rev War migrated to Mississippi (Natchez) and
subsequent family moved on to Louisiana. In some of his
later correspondence, Lawrence Routh also noted that
Zachariah and Zacheus moved to Mississippi..thus adding to
the confusion.]
In this chapter, Ross mentions only one child of Jeremiah:
Job (c. 1770) m. Ann Muller
VII. Descendants of Isaac Routh (1772) [pp.591-604]
[Ross, for reasons which were unclear to Lawrence, felt that
this Isaac was the much younger brother of Jacob (1745). It's
probable that Ross based this theory on the fact that Isaac
was living in Jacob's household at the time of the 1790 census.
Ross has no information in either book on the wife of Isaac.
But from Sue Seibert's e-mail the wife was Mary Blakely.
In his first book Ross states that "there is some evidence, but
no positive proof, that Isaac Routh (1772) was the father of
Jonathan Routh (1800) and his two brothers,
Hugh C. Routh (1813) and Levin Routh (1817)." But two
years later with the publication of Routh Family Revisited,
Ross had placed Jonathan, Hugh and Levin as sons of Isaac]
In his first book Ross listed only Stephen and Isaac as
"proven" sons of Isaac (1772). In the 1978 revised version
these are the children Ross lists for Isaac:
Jacob (c.1795)
Stephen (1797) m. Sarah McCluskey
{Ross devotes an entire book to this family}
(Rick Ruth)
Hezekiah (1798) m. Elizabeth Posey
(Sam Redding)
Jonathan (1800) m1.Catherine Barringer
m2. Elizabeth Brown
m3. Nancy Thompson
John (1805) m1. Sarah Benton
m2. Sarah Leach
Isaac (1809) m1. Frances Gillihan
(Emma Elliott)
m2. Grace Sprowls
Hugh C. (1813) m. Mary Elizabeth Brown
Levin (1817) m1. Violetta Brown
(Sue Seibert)
(Neil Dalton)
(Phyllis Carpenter)
m2. Mary A. Bosley
William Jeremaiah (1824) m. Hannah Mills
VIII. Descendants of Jonathan Routh (1800) [pp.605-636]
[In Ross' first book he wasn't certain about parentage of this
Jonathan and listed him separately, but in the next revision
he is included in the family of Isaac Routh (1772) listed above]
Ross lists the following chldren of Jonathan Routh which are
the same in both editions:
William Anderson Routh (1828) m1. Margaret Benge
m2. Margaret Carter
m.3 Sarah Thompson
Martha Ann (1829) m. Joseph Melguin
Simeon A (1832)
Catherine B. (1835) m. William Henry Walker
IX. Descendants of Thomas Routh (1796) [pp.637-663]
[Thomas Routh was born 1796 in Bristol, England, and
assigned to duty in Canada in 1820. He married an Elizabeth
Larriat, of Tipperary, Ireland. The family settled in Canada and
descendants migrated to Maine and then to Florida.]
Children Ross identified in his book:
James (1818)
Thomas Neptune (1820) m. Bridget McClintick
William (1822)
Frances (1825)
Annie (1827)
Joseph (1828)
Elizabeth (1829)
X. Descendants of David Routh (1730/40) [pp.664-683]
[In his book Ross notes that this David Routh descended
from the Thorpefield Branch of the Routh family, was born
in England and settled in Norfolk, VA about 1760/65. He
married Sallie Burgess. The Routh name became extinct
in the line of son William, and the descendants of Robert
tended to stay in the Petersburg, Va area.]
There were two children identified by Ross:
William Routh (c.1766) m. Mary Wilkins
Robert (c.1770) m. Sally Owens
Index of Persons
Note: As pointed out previously, there are likely errors many of
these books as Ross would be the first to admit, and there may
me errors in my translation of some of his data above. But this
will give many some overview of the field and a starting point for
others.
Among the tasks which fall to us while we wait for someone to
discover those documents which will delineate our origins better
are the updating of the family during the past thirty years, setting
down some bio sketches of these ancestors, looking up Civil
War records, and filling in missing persons. Happy searching.
By reviewing some of the correspondence over the past few
weeks, I've been able to associate some e-mail addresses with
the folks noted in the skeleton above. Perhaps you could use
some skeleton like this to associate others.
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