Sarah (Rhine) Byers (1779 - 1884)

Born Oct 1779 in Richmond, Henrico, Virginia, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Edward Byers — married 26 Feb 1806 in Kiger Twp, Gallia, Ohio, United States

Descendants

Died 15 Sep 1884 at age 104 in Washington Township, Jackson, Ohio, United States

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Biography

Sarah was born about 1779. She passed away in 1884.

CHILLICOTHE LEADER, CHILLICOTHE OH : 10 MAY 1884

Sarah Byers was mother to Elizabeth, who married Levi Goodrich jr. Elizabeth and Levi Goodrich jr would have Azariah Goodrich. Azariah would be father of Charles Azariah. Charles Azariah was father of John Edgar Goodrich.

BYERS - Edward Byers born about 1769 in Virginia and his wife, Sarah Rine, born about 1781 came to Jackson County with their family in the early days prior to 1820.Sarah was daughter of George Rhine & Mary Rhine. Edward died in Washington Twp. in 1855. Sarah lived to see her great-great-grandchildren and had over 900 descendants when she died September 15, 1884 at the age of 100/03 years.

Children: George Byers, March 3, 1806; Elizabeth Byers, 1808 m Levi Goodrich, Hester Byers, 1810 m Paton Cox, Isaac Lorenzo Byers, November 20, 1813; Charles Byers, 1816, Abraham Byers, November 21, 1822 m Eliz Baker; Mary Byers, 1823 m John Shiflet; Sarah Byers, 1824 m William Barbee; William J. Byers, 1826 m Sarah Ann Sinclair; Lucinda Byers m Rezin Maples, 1828; Charlotte Byers, 1829 m Joseph Baker; and Minerva Byers, 1832 m unk Hall.

Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 about Sarah Ryan Name: Buyers, Edward Spouse: Ryan, Sarah Marriage Date: 26 Feb 1806 County: Kiger Twp Gallia State: OH Marriage Book 1 pg. 005 By And. Erwin

1850 Washington, Jackson Co OH Home in 1850(City,County,State): Washington, Jackson, Ohio Household Members: Name Age Edward Byers 73 VA Sarah Byers 65 VA

1860 Washington, Jackson, Ohio Home in 1860: Washington, Jackson, Ohio Post Office: Raysville Household Members: Name Age Sarah Byers 76 Sarah Byers 9 James Byers 8

1870 Jackson, Jackson, Ohio Birthplace: Ohio

Home in 1870: Jackson, Jackson, Ohio Post Office:Jackson Household Members: Name Age Charles Byers 54 Eliza Byers 50 Sarah Byers 86 Martha Byers 21 Mary Byers 21 Charles Byers 18

1880 Jackson, Jackson, Ohio Home in 1880: Jackson, Jackson, Ohio House Number: 5740455

Household Members: Name Age Charles Byers 68 Eliza Byers 64 Martha Byers 30 Sarah Byers 96

Heritage Quest Online persi periodical Poplar Row Jackson ,OH : 2003 Vol 26 Iss.4 Sarah Rein Byers - Byers Station , centenarian bio 1884 [on 1880 census, Sarah notes age as 96, article written 1884, so Sarah 100/104]

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CHILLICOTHE LEADER, CHILLICOTHE OH : 10 MAY 1884

ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE

The Honorable old Age Attained By One Of The Pioneer Women Of Ohio

Who Came Into The State When Bears, Wolves, Panthers And Catamounts Formed the Bulk Of Its Population

The Life Story Of A Woman Who Never Wore A Corset, But Who Could Handle A Rifle, An Axe Or Needle With Equal Facility,

And Who Enjoys The Distinguished Honor Of Having A Line Of Direct Descendants Numbering Over One Thousand,

Mrs Sarah Byers, The Centenarian Of Byers Station A Remarkable Well-Preserved Woman, Who Is Not Yet Too Old To Work.

"Goin' by the figgers on the old man's turnston', and by the time she was married, an' by the age of her oldest child. I kalk'late her to be about 105 years old.Some cle she's 107,an' some thet she's 108, but I'll stan' by my figgerin',a'cause I know its kerrect.

The speaker was one of the oldest residents of Byers Station,as it was given on the CW&B's time card, or Mudtown, as the unaesthetic citizens of the place invariably call the little hamlet, and it is by the later title that the place is most generally known to the public.The old gentleman slowly enunciated remarks were directed to a "Leader" reporter,who had interrupted him in the work of rail splitting, to make a few inquiries concerning the age of a remarkable old lady, living a few miles back in the country,in whom the newspaperman had interested himself. This lady was Mrs Sarah Byers,certainly one of the most aged persons in the state about whose prowess in her younger years, and her astonishing vitality even at this day, a number of exceedingly stiff stories are expectant.

Mrs Byers lives a few miles from the station, back in the hills.Just how far back is a matter upon which the reporter isn't very clear. He asked a dozen people concerning the distance concerning the distance, and not one distance given agreed with another.One man said it was 4 and three quarters miles and the accurate estimates of 10 other men ranged anywhere between two and five miles.The roads were so heavy that a buggy was useless,and no one was willing to risk a saddle horse on the doughy thoroughfares. The only way to the old lady's castle in the hills was to walk there and a five mile jaunt through fields bright with wild forget me nots,spring beauties, buttercups, creamy may flower blossoms and golden dandelions on a bright May morning is a picnic that any fellow would enjoy.

The venerable lady's home a comfortable log house surrounded by a well kept orchard and bright green fields was finally found. An aged ,slight figured woman was sweeping the stone hearth before a huge fireplace when the reporter paused in the open doorway, waiting for the "come in" that came from the woman a moment later.

"Mother is in the other room", said the aged woman."She'll be in a little while when she has finished combing her her hair".

The slight figured, wiry old lady was Mrs Charles Byers, the wife of one of the centenarian's numerous sons,who with her family,is living in at the old home place to care for it's aged owner.

Presently an old lady,whose large boned form was considerably bowed, and who found a stout hickory cane a helpful support, came slowly into the room and seated herself in a split bottomed straight backed chair near the fire but directly in the drought of sun warmed air that passed through the house. A loose linsey woolsey dress of blue and black checks,a large red bordered cambric handkerchief worn as a collar and a snow white lace trimmed cap made up a costume that was certainly comfortable and not unattractive.

Mrs Byers appearance evidenced great age, but the pleasant , almost refined old face, did not bear the markings one would look for in a woman who had passed her hundredth year.The face was wrinkled, but not to the point of dis figuration,it was even reasonably full, and the skin had a pleasantly clear appearance.It was anything but leathery brown and withered.Mrs Byers still has considerably physical strength, and a mind that is astonishingly clear and retentive. She had never ceased to work up to within two years ago,when the entire right side of her body and face was affected by paralysis.For a long time, she was seriously crippled, but has now recovered almost completely, and can walk and talk with surprising freedom.But since that time her astounding vigorous has greatly decreased she says and the only work that she now attempts is knotting and sewing.

"Grandmother made this apron for me last week"said the daughter in law turning up the edge of the garment, to let the reporter see how straight the seams were and how small and evenly the the stitches had been taken.

"And here are a pair of stockings of cotton and woolen yarn mixed,that she has about finished.See what a nice shaped ribbed double heel she makes.?"

The stockings certainly were specimens of needle work of which the old lady had no occasion to feel ashamed.

"I dont do very much work anymore only a little knitting and sewing. It rests me so to work,and I wish I could do more like I used to be able to do three years ago," said the old lady in a slow but strong and even voice"but I cant stand it now. My eyes are pretty good, and with my glasses I can see to read the Bible without any trouble.Here of late I have had a queer pain in my head that I dont like."

The old lady said that she had always been very robust,and prior to being stricken-ed with paralysis had never been seriously ill.She had been compelled to do a great amount of heavy labor,labor that in part is ordinarily performed by men, That she had never worn a corset, or in anyway interfered with the natural development of her body, that she had never observed any particular rule of living only to see that she had sufficient nourishing food to eat,that in her younger days she frequently arose at midnight to commence work on a new day, and would labor almost incessantly until sunset, that for a week at a stretch she had taken but five hours rest daily that she had never acquired the old woman habit of smoking a pipe, and that she was almost a stranger to liquor.

Mrs Byers said she was born near Richmond, Virginia, in October 1779, her maiden name being Sarah Rein. Her father was of direct German descent, and was member of the Continental Army, under General Washington. Mrs Byers is a truthful woman. She disclaimed knowing anything about President Washington, further than what her father had told her, and the information she secured from that source was neither extended or valuable.George Rein, her father lived to be 110 years and two days old by authentic records.

When quite a girl her father about 1792 emigrated from Virginia to Ohio settling near Gallipolis which was then a small French settlement.When about 16 years old she met a young man named Edward Byers and within a year she had become his bride. She was then a tall full formed strong limbed woman possessing physical strength such as few men now enjoy.

Five children had been born to them before they determined to go to the western settlement of Ohio.But a time came when a little clumsy cart was hitched up and the family packed into and as much furniture and clothing as possible loaded onto a couple of pack saddles.Then a start was made for the section of land 640 acres that the husband had entered near the present site of Byers' station. A large part of the way was through the densest kind of wilderness penetrated only by bridle paths and the trails made by deer.Edward Byers was the second man to locate in that part of the county. A rough log house or tent , Mrs Byers called it was built sufficiently large to receive their plunder and furnish them sleeping room.Night after night one or more members of the family would be compelled to sit up to fight the wolves from the cabin door.It was almost impossible to raise hogs or sheep.Litter after litter of hogs were carried away by bears that would raid right into the pen near the house ,take the squealing youngsters up in their arms and make away to the woods.The wolves made it their business to see that the sheep in the fold did not multiply to an alarming extent.

Those were days of trial and hardship.Morning after morning Mrs Byers would take her axe and go into the clearing to work beside her husband and scores of trees have fallen beneath her vigorous blows. She learned to use the rifle effectively and when she leveled her long barrel weapon at a deer or wild turkey a death followed its discharge.She aided in planting all the crops and when harvest time came she was as handy in the wheat field with her sickle as any of the men.There was not any kind of work that the brave pioneer shrunk from and when it grew to o late to chop wood or split rails and she could split and pile her 100 a day or do other outdoor work she would make up a fire and by the light of pine knots which were kept replenished by the children she would spin flax or wool until bed time.She grew the flax prepared it for the loom and wove the linen for her husband's and children's wear for table cloths, towels and kerchiefs. She made homespun jeans for the male members of the family when deer skin suits were no longer easily procurable and she made all the flannel for her own and daughters wear.

Aged as she is , her hand has not lost its cunning and at her request her old spinning wheel was brought into the room A Twist flax was taken out of a roll and placed upon the distaff or rock by the old lady.The wheel was geared up and in a moment was merrily humming away. With easy grace the old lady fed the whirling machine with flaxen thread almost as fine as silk so fine in fact that one would think the old lady's sense of touch to feeble to feel it between her fingers but since her illness to years ago she has used her wheel but little.

Mrs Byer's husband in his latter years essayed to practice medicine in the town which he had laid out Byers station and was quite successful. They were living at the Station when the railroad came through and for sometime afterward but Mrs Byers has never been inside of a railway carriage or upon a car of any kind.This is true also of her son Isaac of Mrs Charles Byers and several other members of the family.

The old lady has a way of reckoning her age that makes her calculations perfectly trustworthy.. She was just ten years younger than her husband. Mr Byers died on the 30th of August 1865. Had he lived to this date he would have been 115 years old. Mrs Byers determines her age by subtracting 10 from 115 making her 105 years old.The record of Mr Byers age is unquestionably correct, as it records extant show.

Mrs Byers is the mother of thirteen children all of who lived to be of age. With the exception of a son who died when about 22 from the affects of an accident all of her children married and raised large families. Their children in time married almost without exception and raised families notable for their size. A careful computation of the lady's direct descendants made by the reporter presents a rather startling total footing.Twelve of her children married and raised families averaging 10 members each a total of 130. The total product of these 130 children was 780 and some of these great grandchildren have children of who no account is taken. The appended figures will explain themselves.

Myers Byers children 13 Her grandchildren 130 Her great grandchildren 780 Total 933

It is certain that her great great grandchildren now in the world will swell the list to over 1'000.The reporter visited the graveyard above Byer's station to satisfy himself of the correctness of all the dates given by the old lady and members of her family.

CHILLICOTHE LEADER, CHILLICOTHE OH : 10 MAY 1884

Sources

• Source: S-2057550951 Repository: #R-2139264563 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Page: Ancestry Family Trees Note: Data: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=22265477&pid=136
• Repository: R-2139264563 Name: Ancestry.com Address: http://www.Ancestry.com Note:
• Find A Grave: Memorial #42280247
• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M898-S22 : 15 September 2017), Sarah Byers in household of Charles Byers, Jackson, Jackson, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district ED 72, sheet 50A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,036.

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Rhine-11 created through the import of bowman Family Tree.ged on Jul 8, 2012 by Jerry Bowman.