Abraham Gish[1] was born in 1769 in Penryn, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the youngest of six known children and five sons of Christian Gish and Catharina Houk.
He married four times: His first wife was Elizabeth Franz, his second was Mary Frye, third was Charity Rosanna Bean, and fourth was Mrs. Asenath Murray Thompson.
On 1 June 1805, when he was in his mid-thirties, he married Mary Fry. She bore him one known child, a daughter whom they named Sarah.
1800 census
Abraham Gisch appears in the 1800 United States Federal Census living in a household of eight members, three males and five females.
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1800 Census Image for Abraham Gish household
Name: Abraham Gisch; Home in 1800: Donegal, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10: 1; 16 thru 25: 1; 26 thru 44: 1.
Abraham Gisch appears in the 1820 United States Federal Census living in a household of seven persons, three males and three females and one young male slave..
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1820 Census Image for Abraham Gish household Abram is second from the bottom.
Name: Abram Gish; Home in 1820: Botetourt County, Virginia; Enumeration Date: August 7, 1820.
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 15: 1; 16-18: 1; 16-25: 1; 45 and over: 1.
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10: 1; 10-15: 1; 45 and over : 1.
Slaves - Males - 14-25: 1.
Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture: 4.
Free White Persons - Under 16:3; Over 25: 2.
Total Free White Persons: 6.
Total Slaves: 1.
Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other: 7.[5]
1830 census
Abraham Gisch appears in the 1830 United States Federal Census living in a household of seven persons, five free of whom two are males and two young males slaves.
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1830 Census Image for Abraham Gish household Abraham, Sr., appears at the top of the list.
Name: Abraham Gish Senior; Home in 1830: Botetourt County, Virginia.
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5: 1; 60-69: 1.
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5: 2; 40-49: 1.
Slaves - Males - 24 thru 35: 2.
Free White Persons - Under 20: 3; 20-49: 1.
Total Free White Persons: 5.
Total Slaves: 2.
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 7.[6]
1840 census
Abraham Gesh [sic., i.e., Gish] appears in the 1840 United States Federal Census living in a household of six persons, all free whites, three males and three females. Two persons are employed in agriculture.
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1840 Census Image for Abraham Gish household
Name: Abraham Gesh [Abraham Gish]; Home in 1840: Botetourt County, Virginia.
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5: 2; 5-9: 1.
Persons Employed in Agriculture: 2
Free White Persons - Under 20: 5
Total Free White Persons: 6
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves: 6.[7]
1850 census
Abran [Abram] Gish appears in the 1850 United States Federal Census as a literate 82-year-old farm with $5000 in real property, living with his literate [fourth] wife, Agenith, who is 32 years younger than he, and three literate single adult children, one son and two daughters. His son is a miller without real property.
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1850 Census Image for Abraham Gish household
: Name: Abran Gish [Abram Gish]; Age: 82; Birth Year: abt 1768; Birthplace: Pennsylvania; Home in 1850: District 8, Botetourt County, Virginia; Gender: Male; Family Number: 1608.
On 15 March 1858, when he was in his late eighties, Abraham died of unknown causes in Daleville, Botetourt, Virginia. He is buried in Daleville cemetery, Daleville.
Bio: Abraham Gish is the son of Christian Gish and Catherine Sophia Hock. He married 1st Elizabeth Franz and had children John C, Abraham B, Mary, Jacob and Elizabeth. Wife 2 is Mary Frye and had children Sarah, George, Sophia, Samuel. Wife 3 is Charity Rosanna Bean (17 Jun 1824) and children Christian, Rosanna, Susanna, Mathias, Eliz. wife 4 Asenatha Murray (15 Feb 1842) children James, Ann,William. 1850 Dist 8 Botetourt, Va. Abram Gish 82 Pa, Agenith 50 Va; Rosanna 19 Va; Eliza 17 Va; Christian 25 VA. Abraham was single in 1790, living with his parents in Cumberland Co, but by 1792/93 he married the first of four wives. The old tombstone (inscribed "E") is in Daleville Cem. Botetourt co, Va. His fourth wife Mrs. Asenath Murray Thompson, a daugther of John Murray, was counted in the 1860 census of Roanoke Co. Va., with three unidentified Gish Children in her home: James 14, Annie &, and William 2, by 1870 they were gone. When Abraham came to Virginia, he became a neighbor of his brother Jacob on the Big Lick Road, the route used by travelers going to the Carolinas. He bought land of his father just before he died in 1796, and he assisted in the administration of that estate. He also kept a day-book, covering the years between his twenty first birthday and death. Before it disappeared, someone copied a few items from it, primarily the ones showing Sophia was kept by various members of the family following Christians's death. No one copied the date she died. Abraham outlived his brothers and sister, he left a will (book E pg 218-25) in which he was called "Abram" throughout. The following is a part of his will: First he resign his soul to God. 2nd he direct that all his debts and funeral expenses be paid. 3rd He states that he desire that the land on which he reside containing 250 acres be sold when his youngest son Mathias Gish arrives at lawful age, and that the proceeds shall be applied to the raising and schooling of his four youngest children, Christian, Matthias, Rosannah and Eliza Gish and for the support of his wife Ascenath. He also mentions two daugthers, Susannah Atwell, and Sophia Burns and four sons Abram and Jacob, John C., George, and a son in law Jacob Peterman, but doesn't say who his wife is. There was a Abraham Gish of Donegal township, Lancaster Co. Pa who recovered a judgment against Michael Garber in the Supreme court of Pa, for f50 10s. in gold or silver. Ther judgment was rendered at the April and July term of said court in 1788.
Family Members: Parents: Christian Gish (1735-1796), Catherina Sophia Hoch Gish (1732-Unknown); Spouses: Elizabeth Franz Gish (1770-1804), Mary Frye Gish (1786-1840), Charity Rosanne Bean Gish (1796-1840), Asenatha Thompson Gish (1800-Unknown); Siblings: Christian Gisch Gish (1756-1816), John G Gish (1757-1815), George Gish (1762-1830), Elizabeth Gish Harshbarger (1765-1847), Jacob B Gish (1767-1836); Half Siblings: George McHenry Gish (1762-1830); Children: Abraham Gish (1797-1876), Jacob Gish (1803-1856), George Gish (1806-1893).[9]
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Abraham by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Abraham: