William Huff (1761 - 1830)

Born 22 Apr 1761 in Bedford, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Barnes) Huff — married about 1792 in Gallipolis, Gallia, Ohio, USA

Descendants

Died 1830 at about age 68 in Harrison, Ohio, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kimberly Huff [send private message]

Biography

William HUFF (22 Apr 1762 Bedford Co, PA - prob. d 1819 Harrison Co, OH) was old enough to be a fifer in the Battle of Brandywine in 1777. By family tradition, his fife was cut almost in half by a blow from a British officer's saber. (The records actually show William Huff, Bedford Co Rangers, Capt Thomas Paxton's Comp, drew 59 days pay for service from 12 Sep until 10 Nov 1776 - Vol 5, Serial 5, p 52, PA Records.) If the fife story is correct, it was for later service, not yet identified.

William HUFF was with his parents in their move from Bedford Co, PA, to Washington Co, PA in 1780. In 1784, he showed up in Short Creek Valley of Jefferson Co, OH, before white settlers were allowed there. In 1784, William md (1) ??? and she had two daus:

1. Hannah HUFF (15 Sep 1785 PA/OH - ) md William PARKER and had ch.
2. Mary HUFF (12 Feb 1788 PA/OH - 1814 OH) c 1807 md Arthur BARRETT, III (1780 VA - 1845 Cadiz, Harrison County, OH), and they had 4 ch to include Meredith; Lewis; William H. (10 Jun 1812 - ); and ???.

After his first wife died, William became active as an Indian Scout, and he was in the ill-fated expedition of General lArthur ST CLAIR against the Indians in Western OH. The Indians won a great victory on 17 Sep 1791.

During his travels as an Indian scout, William went down the Ohio River to Gallipolis, the county seat of Gallia County. There he met a widowed school teacher who had come to the frontier in 1788. In 1792 in Gallia Co, OH, William md (2) Mrs. Elizabeth ENSWIGER? (or ENSWINGER? or ENSMINGER?) BARNES (1774 near Boston, MA - c 1866 near Huntsville, Hardin Co, OH). She died in the home of her granddau Elizabeth (HUFF) MESSENGER, a dau of her son Reuben.

In 1799, William HUFF was commissioned as a Captain in the First Regiment of Jefferson Co, OH, militia. Then William lived at some times in Ohio Co, WV, but his children show birth states of OH. At least by 1810, he moved into that part of Jefferson Co which became Harrison Co in 1813. He was in Washington twp by 1810. He bought a town lot in Cadiz, Harrison County, Ohio, in 1814.

Harrison Co Probate Records show that William HUFF died intestate in 1819, and that Samuel HUFF was appointed guardian to his minor son Johnson. This son is not on currently known family records, but son John W. was a minor at the time. As the sons grew up, some settled in Hardin Co, OH, and others in Guernsey Co, OH. Most of the HUFF families of those two counties are descendants of William. Some gradually drifted west.

Ch as now known were:

1. Michel HUFF (22 May 1793 Ohio Co, WV - ) md Peter JOHNSON as his second wife. They had three JOHNSON ch:
2. Nathan HUFF (7 Dec 1796 Ohio Co, WV - 7 Mar 1877 Crawford Co, IN, near the Ohio River) md Rachel ASHER, and their five ch incl: Elizabeth HUFF; John HUFF; poss. William HUFF; (A William HUFF (1825 PA - 1850/60) lived next to Nathan in 1850 in Guernsey Co, OH, and he md Tamsen A. ??? (Aug 1825 PA - after 1910) and their three ch were John HUFF; Hester A. HUFF; and William J. HUFF.
3. Zaccheus Biggs HUFF (26 Aug 1798 Jefferson Co, OH - ) on 21 Dec 1820 md Margaret DOHENY and their three ch incl Zaccheus Biggs HUFF, Jr; Z. B. HUFF md (2) on 4 Aug 1832 in Tuscarawas Co, OH, Temperance JOHNSON ( ).
4. Minerva HUFF (3 Oct 1800 Jefferson Co, OH - 14 Jan 1875 Crawford Co, OH) on 9 Dec 1819 md James Perry BEALL ( d 1869), and they had 10 BEALL ch:
5. William HUFF, Jr. (9 Feb 1803 Jefferson Co, OH - ) apparently md and had a family, but it is not yet identified.
6. Reuben HUFF (8 Aug 1805 Harrison Co, OH - 7 Sep 1865 Ada, Hardin Co, OH) md (1) Henrietta MCADOW (1804 PA - ) on 11 Feb 1830 and had 6 ch to incl Elizabeth HUFF; Adaline HUFF; Lalia HUFF; James M. HUFF; Arthur Barrett HUFF; and Sarah Jane HUFF. He md (2) c 1862, Widow Mary HUNTER, but they had no ch.
7. Susannah (7 Dec 1807 Harrison Co, OH - ) on 3 May 1827 md William COLEMAN, and there was one COLEMAN ch.
8. John W. HUFF (18 Feb 1810 Harrison Co, OH - c 1855 near Patterson in Hardin Co, OH) on 13 Oct 1831 in Tuscarawas Co, OH md (1) Prudence DUNLAP and (2) on 7 May 1843 Michel CROMLETT. Ch incl Bethany HUFF; Elizabeth HUFF; and James V. HUFF from the second marriage. There may have been ch from the first marriage.
9. Cyrus W. HUFF (8 May 1812 Harrison Co, OH - 20 Mar 1882 Minnetrista twp, Hennepin Co, MN, died of diptheria). He md (1) on 5 Nov 1833 in Guernsey Co, OH, Mary ASHER (1813 OH - ), and her ch were Evelinah HUFF; John Milton HUFF; Samantha HUFF; and Elizabeth HUFF; and (2) Eliza WAKEFIELD (1825 OH - ), dau of Nathaniel and Frances WAKEFIELD. Her ch were Nathaniel HUFF and Albert HUFF.
10. Joseph H. HUFF (14 Jul 1814 Harrison Co, OH - d before 1860) on 18 Jul 1836 md Rebecca GILBREATH (1816 OH - ), dau of John GILBREATH, and ch incl Nathan Wesley HUFF; Francis M. HUFF; William HUFF; John HUFF; and Anna HUFF.

There is no bible record for the child listed in 1819 as a minor for whom Samuel HUFF became guardian. Samuel HUFF would have been an uncle. It seems probable the clerk made an error and that this was son John.

Huff lineage is William and two wives of PA, WV, and OH; Michael and Hannah (Doddridge) of MD, PA, WV, and OH; Michael and Elizabeth ( ) of MD and PA; John and Hannah (Morgan) of Kent Co, MD;

Notes:

• 1790 William Huff killed an Indian near present day Georgetown, OH.

• 1790 William Huff Harrison Co, OH, Eleazar Huff bought a Cadiz town lot.

• 1800 - 1805 William Huff and his brothers John, Joseph, and Eleazar made land entries in Short Creek twp of Jefferson Co, OH, before 1805.

• 1810 Jefferson Co, OH, Washington twp, William Huff had located by 1810, Jesse Huff by 1811, and John Huff by 1812.

• 1814 Harrison Co, OH, William and Eleazar Huff bought lots in the town of Cadiz.

• 1816^[1] : Nottingham, Harrison, Ohio, United States, William Huff taxed in Nottingham/Freeport twp.

• 1816 Harrison Co, OH, Eleazar Huff taxed in Short Creek Co, OH, p 65, Fairfield, Eleazar Huff 310210-10111

• 1819 Harrison Co, OH, William Huff d intestate, and Samuel Huff became guardian of son Johnson.

• 1820 Harrison Co, OH, p 87, Freeport, Elizabeth Huff 301100-01001

• 1826 Wood Co, OH, Eleazar Huff on tax list. (It said that Eleazar Huff of Highland Co, OH, moved to Wood Co for some time, then moved back to Highland Co. Mo

• 1828^[2]: Washington Township, Harrison, Ohio, United States. William Huff Tax Assessment

• 1830^[3]: Washington, Harrison, Ohio, United States. Elizabeth Huff 001-00000001. Son Nathan on same page

• 1830^[4] Highland Co, OH, p 56, Fairfield, Eleazar Huff 1012001-1111001

• 1840

• 1840^[5] Highland Co, OH, p 19, Fairfield, Esther Huff 00111-00111

• 1850

• 1860

• 1866 Hardin Co, OH, Huntsville, OH, Elizabeth Huff d. in the home of her granddau, Elizabeth (Huff) Messenger.

Sources

1. ↑ "Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:79LH-QG3Z : 2 April 2020), William Huff, 1816; citing multiple county courthouse offices, Nottingham, Harrison, Ohio, United States, p. , Tax records indexed by Ohio Genealogy Society; FHL microfilm 004021630.
2. ↑ "Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7MRT-DR6Z : 2 April 2020), William Huff, 1828; citing multiple county courthouse offices, Washington Township, Harrison, Ohio, United States, p. , Tax records indexed by Ohio Genealogy Society; FHL microfilm 004021630.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHGK-GNK : 19 August 2017), Elizabeth Huff, Washington, Harrison, Ohio, United States; citing 236, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 133; FHL microfilm 337,944.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHGK-JJW : 19 August 2017), Eleazer Huff, Fairfield, Highland, Ohio, United States; citing 56, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 133; FHL microfilm 337,944.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYV-D2N : 16 August 2017), Esther Huff, Fairfield Township, Highland, Ohio, United States; citing p. 19, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 403; FHL microfilm 20,168.

See also:

• Research by Capt Earle P. Huff, unpub. ms. in Library of Congress (#CS571-H837), Descendants of John Huff of Maryland.

• Max Huff, William Huff & 2 wives of PA & OH, 12/14/94

• Historical collections of Harrison County, in the State of Ohio, with lists of the first land-owners, early marriages (to 1841), will records (to 1861), burial records of the early settlements, and numerous genealogies. By Charles A. Hanna. New York : Privately Printed, 1900. There have been various reprints of this work and an online digitized version at https://archive.org/stream/oh-harrison-1900-hanna/oh-harrison-1900-hanna_djvu.txt

Notes

Note N763Killed by Indians? (cf William Long)

Possible birthplace Bedford County, PA 22 April 1762 <http://www.rootstotwigs.com/rootstotwigs/getperson.php?personID=I796&tree=MOFP> Accessed 8 July 2014