James Bothwell (1785-1863) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

James Bothwell

Born 20 Aug 1785 in Londonderry, Ireland

Son of Alexander Bothwell and Catherine (Hagen) Bothwell

Brother of Sarah Bothwell, Mary Bothwell, William Bothwell, John Bothwell, Alexander Bothwell II, Arthur Bothwell and Jane (Bothwell) Carothers

Husband of Charlotte (Potter) Bothwell — married 6 Dec 1810 in New Geneva, Fayette, PA

Descendants

Father of Mariah (Bothwell) Jones, Catharine (Bothwell) Foster, John Thompson Bothwell, James Kimble Bothwell and George Benson Bothwell

Died 4 Dec 1863 at age 78 in McArthur, Vinton, Ohio, United States

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Biography

James Bothwell was born 20 August 1785 in Londonderry, Ireland, to parents Alexander Bothwell and Catharine Hagan. Alexander was born in Scotland and Catharine was of Welsh heritage. The couple married in Scotland but soon moved to Ireland where son James was born in 1785. James was the second of eight children:

Sarah Bothwell
James Bothwell
Mary Bothwell
William Bothwell
John Bothwell
Alexander Bothwell II
Arthur Bothwell
Jane (Bothwell) Carothers

After immigrating to America around 1790, the family settled briefly in Winchester, Virginia, before moving and settling in what is now New Geneva, Pennsylvania. James was 21 years old when his mother passed away in 1806, and just 26 years old when he lost his father in 1811.

According to North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000, he married Charlotte Potter in 1810.

James and Charlotte had 11 children. The only supporting sources for them at this time is their inclusion in censuses after 1850 which list the names of children. Still searching for actual birth records.

Maria Bothwell 1812–1867
Rachel Bothwell 1813–1814
Catherine Bothwell 1815–1892
John Thompson Bothwell 1816–1911
James Kimble Bothwell 1818–1899
Alexander William Bothwell 1820–1898
Zara Costen Bothwell 1822–1827
George Benson Bothwell 1824–1907
Ezra Potter Bothwell 1825–1916
Samuel Hagen Bothwell 1827–1828
Henry Clay Bothwell 1833–1857

James Bothwell made the decision to move his family to Ohio in 1813. He traveled to Ohio first, secured the land, and began to build the structure that would later become his home. Then he returned to his family in Pennsylvania and helped them prepare for the more than 300 mile move.

James' wife Charlotte wrote a detailed description of the couple's move from German, Pennsylvania to McArthur, Ohio in a book called Personal Reminiscences and Subjects, Original and Selected, Compiled for the Information of My Children. The details below about their move and life in Ohio were taken from that book.

The family traveled first by wagon to New Geneva, and then by dugout canoe up the Monongahela River to Pittsburgh. Then they journeyed by flat boat down the Ohio River, which is a meandering route north and west before it turns south. They passed through Marietta, Ohio, before disembarking at Gallipolis, Ohio. They made the final journey to McArthur by wagon, traveling through thick forests and hills before reaching their final destination.

Upon their arrival to their new home, Charlotte discovered there was no roof, no floor, no chimney. and no windows. They stayed with other relatives who already had adequate shelter while James and his brother Alexander worked on finishing their home so it was habitable. Apparently habitable did not include a chimney, windows or a proper door, so Charlotte was forced to hang table cloths over the open windows and a heavy quilt over the doorway and endure masses of smoke taking over the interior of their small abode during cold months.

Tragically, the couple lost their youngest daughter, Rachel, due to illness brought on by exposure and nausea from their trips on the two rivers. She went unconscious two days before they arrived at their new home, and four days later she died.

James Bothwell died 04 December 1863, and he is buried in the Old McArthur Cemetery near his home. His will was proved just six days later in Vinton County, Ohio.

Land Patents ^[1]

Accession Nr: CV-0062-070

Document Type: Credit

Volume Patent

State: Ohio

Issue Date: 10/8/1824

Cancelled: No

Patent Details

Patent Image

Sources

↑ United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Land Patent, James Bothwell, Chillibothe, Vinton County, Ohio, 24 April 1820, 161.63 acres, see: http://bit.ly/2xBaBXA.
↑ Book Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 097 : 1912. Source Information: Ancestry.com. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. James Bothwell, born 1785, see: http://ancstry.me/2xkErQt.
↑ 1810 United States Federal Census, Year: 1810; Census Place: German, Fayette, Pennsylvania; Roll: 54; Page: 956 1/2; Image: 00171; Family History Library Film: 0193680. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1810 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Third Census of the United States, 1810. (NARA microfilm publication M252, 71 rolls). Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. See: http://ancstry.me/2w6bnh8.
↑ 1830 United States Federal Census, 1830; Census Place: Elk, Athens, Ohio; Series: M19; Roll: 126; Page: 187; Family History Library Film: 0337937. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. See: http://ancstry.me/2vrsZkY.
↑ 1840 United States Federal Census, Year: 1840; Census Place: Elk, Athens, Ohio; Roll: 377; Page: 392; Family History Library Film: 0020158. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. See: http://ancstry.me/2geLwOH.
↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX78-QXQ : 12 April 2016), James Bothwell, Elk, Vinton, Ohio, United States; citing family 96, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCL7-JSH : 26 July 2017), James Bothwell, 1860.
↑ Probate Case Files (Vinton County, Ohio), Ca. 1850-1864; Probate Place: Vinton, Ohio. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Ohio, Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Ohio County, District and Probate Courts. See: http://ancstry.me/2w6f06U.
↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV29-31NG : 13 December 2015), James Bothwell, 1863; Burial, McArthur, Vinton, Ohio, United States of America, Old McArthur Cemetery; citing record ID 55643582, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

James Bothwell (1785 - 1863)

Biography

Sources