Mathias Crouse (abt. 1778 - abt. 1851)

Born about 1778 in Pennsylvania, United States

Died about 1851 at about age 73 in Grainger, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

Birth

Mathias Crouse was born in Pennsylvania in about 1778.^[1] He was the son of Matthias Krauss.^[2]

By the time his younger brother Henry was born in 1780, the Crouse family had migrated southwest from Pennsylvania to settle in Botetourt County, Virginia, on the Appalachian frontier.^[3]

Marriage

On February 16, 1801, Mathias married Elizabeth Armstrong in Botetourt County, Virginia.^[4]

Grainger County, Tennessee

By 1805, several members of his family had migrated further southwest and settled in Grainger County, Tennessee, where his brother Henry and sister Mary were both married in 1805.^[5] His father and sister's families both also appear in Grainger County in 1810.^[6] However, his father's will, made in July 1815, indicates that Matthias and his family were still in Virginia at the time the will was made.^[7] Sometime before 1830, however, his wife Elizabeth appears to have passed away. By 1830, Matthias Crouse had also settled in Grainger County, and appears as the head of his household without Elizabeth.^[8] It is unclear exactly how early he arrived in Grainger County because the 1820 census records for eastern Tennessee have been lost.

Matthias appears again as the head of his household in Grainger County in 1840.^[9] In 1850, he appears there again, living alone.^[1]

Death

He died not long after that, most likely in Grainger County, Tennessee, but the exact date is unknown.

Research Notes

Matthias is named in his father's will, ^[7] and the connection to his father Matthias and siblings is further corroborated by the similar migration patterns and the DNA matches described in the profiles of Matthias, his father, and his siblings.

Tracing the exact migration pattern of this family is challenging because of the gaps in the census records in Virginia and Tennessee during the period from 1790-1820. However, it appears clear from the available immigration, census and marriage records that his father originally arrived in America in Pennsylvania in 1771, and that this son Matthias was born there in about 1778. After that, the family migrated southwest to Botetourt County, Virginia, by 1780, and then to Grainger County, Tennessee.

Also note that the entry in the 1850 census says that he was 52, but this seems to be a clear error based on the other documentary evidence. Based on the date of his marriage and the family's arrival in Virginia by the time his brother Henry was born in 1780, it seems likely the actual year of his birth in Pennsylvania was about 1778, which is consistent with the 1830 and 1840 census records.

DNA

Although not formally triangulated, the connections between Matthias Crouse and his four children Matthias, Henry, Frederick and Mary are corroborated by multiple AncestryDNA ThruLines matches between Michael and Mark (descendants of Henry), to many other Ancestry members who appear to be reliably documented descendants of Matthias, Frederick, and Mary.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} 1850 U.S. census, Grainger County, Tennessee, population schedule, District 10, p. 148 (penned), dwelling 1060, family 1105, Mathias Crouse; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6717-DKN : accessed 2 Feb 2020); citing NARA M432, roll 880.
2. ↑ See Research Notes in this profile.
3. ↑ See profile for Henry Crouse.
4. ↑ FamilySearch, “Register of marriages, Botetourt County, Virginia, 1770-1853,” database with images (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9XF-74SX : accessed 28 Jan 2020) (accessible only from FHC), image 124, Mathias Crows & Elizabeth Armstrong, 4 Feb 1801, Virginia State Library, Botetourt County Register of Marriages 1770-1853, p. 119.
5. ↑ See profiles for Henry Crouse and Mary Crouse.
6. ↑ See profiles for Matthias Krauss and Mary Crouse.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Dr. Roger Crouse, "Abstract of the Life of Mathias Crouse," Crouse Crossroads, (http://crouseroads.com/mcrouse.html : accessed 4 Feb 2020).
8. ↑ 1830 U.S. census, Grainger County, Tennessee, [township not stated], Matthias Crouse; image, FamilySearch.org, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YYK-SYV3 : accessed 2 Feb 2020); citing NARA M19, roll 180.
9. ↑ 1840 U.S. census, Grainger County, Tennessee, population schedule, [township not stated], p. 118 (stamped), Matthias Crouse; image, FamilySearch.org, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYY1-9JXB : accessed 2 Feb 2020); citing NARA M704, roll 525.