33. ADAM MARVEL (PHILLIP P., THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Jul 19, 1772 in Sussex Co., DE, and died Abt. 1867 in Sussex Co., DE. He married (1) ELIZABETH HEATHER. He married (2) JANE THOMAS Feb 25, 1825 in Sussex, DE. She was born Abt. 1801.

Notes for ADAM MARVEL: Will of Adam Marvel, Dagsborough Hundred, Sussex Co., DE

Adam bequeaths all his property to his wife Sally Marvel for her natural life or widowhood except a negro woman named Hannah who is to be sold by the Executrix. After Sally's death or marriage the property is to be divided as follows. Son David is to receive all the lands, tenements, and appurtenances, a riding carriage and a negro named Charles. Daughter Betsy Ennis is to receive a negro girl named Sue. Granddaughter Sally Adline Ennis is to have a negro girl named Eliza, one cow and calf, and the second best bed and furniture. The remainder of the personal property is to be divided equally between the four granddaughters Sally Adline Ennis, Leweasa Harris Ennis, Miranda Short Ennis and Ezable Jackson Ennis. (5)Birth date. (1)MARVEL, Adam pg.#419, males under 10 (1), males 10-16 (1), males 16-26 (0), males 26-45 (1), males over 45 (0); females under 10 (1), females 10-16 (0), females 16-26 (0), females 26-45 (1), females over 45 (0); all others and slaves-01. (2)MARVEL, Adam Dagsboro Hundred #372 (3)Sally as Adam's wife. (4)Adam's birthdate and place. (Research notes compiled by Marguerite Moore, 1989.); (Vital Records of Kent and Sussex Co., DE).Adam's death date and place. ( (Research notes compiled by Marguerite Moore,1989.); (Elva Short Bible, 1994).SOURCES:1. Records of Lewes and Coolspring Presbyterian Church, Lewes, DE.2. 1800 DE Census of Sussex County, screen 11 of 84, CD151, 1st Edition.3. 1820-28 Sussex Co. DE Census, Screen 8 of 76, CD154, 1st Edition.4. Records of Presbyterian Church of Lewes, Indian River, and Cool Springs DE, 1755-1855.5.

Will of Adam Marvel, Dagsworth Hundred, County of Sussex, State of Delaware, Hall of Records, Dover, DE.; Jul 19, 1772, LEWES AND COOLSPRING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, LEWES, DELAWARE

Children of ADAM MARVEL and ELIZABETH HEATHER are:

34. DAVID MARVEL, JR. (PHILLIP P., THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Jan 18, 1775 in Sussex Co., DE, and died Sep 13, 1866 in Kent Co., DE. He married (1) ELIZABETH GILDER Dec 06, 1798 in Sussex, DE, daughter of HENRY GILDER and TAMAR DUNNING. She was born 1780 in Kent Co., DE, and died 1825 in Sussex Co., DE. He married (2) ANN BERRY Jan 19, 1826.

More About DAVID MARVEL, JR.: Burial: Cooper Cemetery.

Children of DAVID MARVEL and ELIZABETH GILDER are:

Child of DAVID MARVEL and ANN BERRY is:

35. PHILLIP MARVEL, JR. (CAPTAIN) (PHILLIP P., THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Feb 09, 1779 in Sussex Co., DE, and died Aug 19, 1851 in Dagsboro Hundred, Sussex Co., DE. He married ELIZABETH JEFFERSON Sep 03, 1801 in Sussex, DE, daughter of JOB JEFFERSON and SARAH MORRIS. She was born Apr 02, 1775 in Sussex Co., DE, and died Mar 29, 1827 in Sussex Co., DE.

Notes for PHILLIP MARVEL, JR. (CAPTAIN): Will of Philip Marvel, Dagsworth Hundred, County of Sussex, Sate of Delaware, Hall of Records, Dover, DE.

Philip bequeaths all the land to son Philip Marvel except for one acre which he set aside for a burying grounds. He also gives him a set of silver tea spoons, a still, casks, cider mill and all the appendages attached to the distiller, all the white corn on the premises, and the unexpired time of the apprentice William Timmons.

To son Manaan B. Marvel he gives three silver table spoons plus one third of the personal property.

Son Theodore W. Marvel is to receive a bed and furniture, a nine square counterpane, one cow and calf, three silver table spoons, fifty dollars in cash, and one third of the personal property.

To daughter Comfort Marvel Davidson, wife of Levin Davidson, he gives his silver specks and one third of the personal property.

Sons Manaan and Theodore are appointed executor.

Wife Elizabeth Jefferson, daughter of Job and Sally Jefferson, died in 1827. Philip signed his name Capt. Philip Marvel in good script. He had served in the War of 1812. (5) PHILIP MARVEL, CAPTAIN MARVEL'S COMPANY, DELAWARE.

Source: Veterans of the War of 1812 Marvel, Philip Nanticoke Hundred. (2) MARVEL, Philip pg.#419, males under 10 (1), males 10-16 (0), males 16-26 (1), males 26-45 (0), males over 45 (0); females under 10 (1), females 10-16 (0), females 16-26 (2), females 26-45 (0), females over 45 (0); all others and slaves-00. (3) Philip's death date and place, 22 March 1853. (4) Philip's death date and place, 19 Aug 1851. (Research notes compiled by Marguerite Moore, 1989.); (Elva Short Bible, 1994).

Philip's marriage to Elizabeth Jefferson. (Research notes compiled by Marguerite Moore, 7730 Emerson Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045, 1989.); (Elva Short Bible, 1994). 3. 1800 DE Census of Sussex County, screen 11 of 84, CD151, 1st Edition. 4. Records of Presbyterian Church of Lewes, Indian River, and Cool Springs DE, 1755-1855.

5Will of Philip Marvel, Dagsworth Hundred, County of Sussex, State of Delaware, Hall of Records, Dover, DE. 6. Proof that Philip is the son of Comfort and Philip Marvel .... Will of Comfort Marvel, County of Sussex, Sate of Delaware ... de Valinger, Leon, Jr. Compiled. "Calendar of Sussex County Delaware Probate Records 1680-1800". Page 103. Public Archives Commission, Dover, DE 1964

Children of PHILLIP MARVEL and ELIZABETH JEFFERSON are:

36. RACHEL MARVEL (ROBERT, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born 1755. She married JOSHUA ROBINSON.

Children of RACHEL MARVEL and JOSHUA ROBINSON are:

37. ANN MARVEL (ROBERT, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Abt. 1756, and died 1807 in Sussex Co., DE. She married CHARLTON SMITH. He was born Abt. 1750, and died 1804 in Sussex Co., DE.

Notes for ANN MARVEL: Will of Ann Smith, of Sussex County, Delaware, (Lib. H[?] fol. 275) dated 5 February 1807 probated 7 April 1807
...my beloved son William Smith should have one feather bed that his father desired he should have at my decease and one case that I bought of Jean Smith and no more of my Estate.
...my son's wife Luranah Smith should have my spiney wheel & no more of my Estate.
...my son Marvel Smith should have one pott that I lent him and also two Iron wedges and 1 ox chain and no more.
...my daughter Nancy Evans should have a new Habbatt and no more of my Estate.
...Barshaba Carpenor should have one small chest standing upstairs and no more of my Estate.
...my daughter Salley Smith should have Every thing that I possess that is not Legasied and also my will and Desire is that my Beloved daughter Salley Smith should be my Sole Executrix of this my last Will and testament as witness my hand & Seal this fifth day of February Eighteen Hundred & Seven.

Wit: Levin Connaway, Peggy "X" Smith Ann "O" Smith (Seal)

Children of ANN MARVEL and CHARLTON SMITH are:

38. ROBERT MARVEL (ROBERT, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Oct 07, 1804, and died Aug 20, 1899 in Hendricks Co., IN. He married (1) MARY SMITH. He married (2) SARAH WILKINS Aug 16, 1827 in Zanesville, Muskingum Co., OH. She was born Abt. 1810, and died 1875.

Notes for ROBERT MARVEL: Virdin, Donald Odell. "The Marvel Family: The Path to Delaware". Received copy of this document from Bonnie Fields, December 1995.

2. Proof that Robert was the son of Robert and Rachel Marvel .... Will of Robert Marvel, County of Dorcester, Sate of Maryland ... de Valinger, Leon, Jr. Compiled. "Calendar of Sussex County Delaware Probate Records 1680-1800". Public Archives Commission, Dover, DE 1964.

3. Will of Robert Marvel, County of Sussex, Sate of Delaware ... de Valinger, Leon, Jr. Compiled. "Calendar of Sussex County Delaware Probate Records 1680-1800". Public Archives Commission, Dover, DE 1964. Will of Robert Marvel -- Published July 17, 1817, Probated February 3, 1824

In the name of God Amen I Robert Marvel Sen of Sussex County & State of Delaware being week and infirm in body but of Perfect mind and memory and preasent thanks be to God for his mercies to me and Calling to mind the mortality of the Body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die and touching my worldly Estate wherewith it has both Pleased God to bless me with I do hear by Give and Devise in the manner and form following viz.

I give and bequeath unto Robert Barr all the lands I am Pofsest with to him and his heirs and assigns for Ever. I also leave my Negro man Robert to be freed at my death and my Negro woman Mint to bee free at the same time. I leave my Negro man fisher to be heired out or sold to Some Person in the Neighborhood that will not send him out of the State until he arrive at the age of twenty Eight years and I also Leave my Negro woman Jane and mingo the same way and al of them to be free from any further services for my Estate or administration forever and the moneys arising from the hire or sale of the three Negros last named is go to the Payment of my just debts or they may bee kept by my administrator during the above term if they will Pay my Debts and no longer and all the Residue of my Personal Estate I Leave to my wife at their disposal and I thereby Constitute and appoint my wife and Purnel Tindal my Sole Executor Revoking and annulling all and every other will or wills heretofore by me maid and this to bee taken as my last will and testament and none other as witnesses by my hand this Seventeenth day of July 1817.

Robert Marvel Test, Kohn Tindal, Miles Tindal Sussex County, Memorandum Feb 3, 1824

Before me Nathan Vichars Register appointed for the probate of Wills & granting of letters of adm for said County appeared John Tindal & Miles Tindal the two subscribing witnesses to the Within and fore going Will who being sworn on the Holy Evangals of almighty God do Severally declare and say that Robert Marvel did sign seal publish pronounce the same to be his last will and testament & at the doing thereof he seemed to be of a Sound \ mind memory and Judgment that they and Each of them and severally subscribe the same as Witnesses of said testator at his request. Nathan Tindal Regr.

Robert Marvel is believed to be the son of Robert and Rachel [Chase] Marvel, but this is based only on dates and location and his leaving his property to (nephew) Robert Barr. Robert Barr is believed to be the son of James and Chole [Marvel] Barr. According to other records Robert Marvel's wife was Mary Smith. Robert Marvel signed the will, however, the signature indicated that he was either feeble or with limited writing abilities.

Child of ROBERT MARVEL and MARY SMITH is:

Children of ROBERT MARVEL and SARAH WILKINS are:

Generation No. 10

39. NATHAN KNOWLES (PATIENCE MARVEL, DAVID, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Jun 17, 1795 in Sussex Co., DE, and died Feb 02, 1892 in Knowles Station, Indiana. He married TEMPERANCE BOREN Jan 31, 1822 in Gibson Co., IN. She died Sep 13, 1835 in Gibson Co, IN.

Child of NATHAN KNOWLES and TEMPERANCE BOREN is:

40. DAVID KNOWLES (PRUDENCE MARVEL, DAVID, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) He married NANCY PIPER. David went to Georgia with his uncle Prettyman Marvel and moved to Indiana about 1812 after a short stay in Kentucky.

Child of DAVID KNOWLES and NANCY PIPER is:

41. JOHN ROGERS MARVEL (PRETTYMAN, DAVID, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Apr 08, 1794 in Sussex County, Delaware, and died Nov 18, 1876. He married (1) MARY "POLLY" BARR Jul 16, 1818 in Gibson Co., IN, daughter of JOHN BARR and NANCY HAMILTON. She was born Oct 18, 1801 in Chester Co., SC, and died 1824. He married (2) ELIZABETH (BESSIE) WILLIAMS Jul 19, 1825 in Posey County, IN. She was born 1792 in Montgomery, Kentucky. He married (3) HENRIETTA GIDNEY Dec 10, 1845.

Notes for JOHN ROGERS MARVEL:  John and his sister Patience were the only children of Prettyman and Lavina that were born in Delaware. John was s small lad, some two years old, when his parents decided to move to Georgia. Life was not at all what John's father had expected in Georgia. Poor soil, poor crops, unfamiliar climate and conditions with failing health made Prettyman seek a better life for his family. When his father could put his affairs in order so that they could leave Georgia, John was almost fifteen years old. In pioneer days that meant John was almost a man. The decision to immigrate to Indiana Territory preempted a long and arduous journey, lasting between eight and nine months. On that journey John, no doubt, proved just how much of a man he was. When the Marvels had reached Indiana Territory they found the land to be heavily timbered. Being the oldest son he was his father's assistant and agent. Each winter was spent clearing trees and undergrowth to put more land into cultivation. In the fall of 1810, Prettyman had to return to Georgia to finish what remained of his business affairs. John was left to take care of his mother, brothers and sisters. This meant he had to provide them with meat by hunting and fishing also protect them from any unwelcome intrusions from man or beast. John Marvel volunteered to serve in the War of 1812 at the age of seventeen. He helped to guard the town of Vincennes. John married first, in 1818, to Mary 'Polly' Barr, daughter of John and Mary Agnes (Hamilton) Barr (See the Barr Family). The Barr family had come to Indiana about the same time the Marvels did. Polly died in 1824 and John married second on 19 July 1825, to Elizabeth Williams. She was the daughter of John Williams and was a native of Tennessee. She died at their home in Gibson county, Indiana in 1843 and was buried at Mounts' Station. Since several of his children had moved to Illinois, John left Indiana in 1865, going to Wabash county, Illinois, near Mt. Carmel, where he also owned land. John died 18 November 1876 in Wabash, Illinois and is buried in the Friendsville Cemetery

SOURCE: Cox, Carroll and Gloria, "We the People of North Central Posey County," printed by C&E Enterprises, a division of Hope's Hopechest, Route 1 Poseyville, IN 47633, 1993.1829 Marriage -- Indiana Marriages Through 1850, Indiana Genealogy Library.

Children of JOHN MARVEL and MARY BARR are:

Children of JOHN MARVEL and ELIZABETH WILLIAMS are:

42. PATIENCE MARVEL (PRETTYMAN, DAVID, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born 1796 in Sussex County, Delaware, and died Dec 04, 1882 in Gibson Co., IN. She married ROBERT "ROBIN/YOBIN" MONTGOMERY, SR. Apr 30, 1812 in Knox Co., IN., Indiana Territory, son of WILLIAM MONTGOMERY and MARGARET. He was born 1780 in Delaware, and died Apr 15, 1846 in Smith Twp., Posey Co., IN (Family Cemetery, no stone).

Notes for PATIENCE MARVEL: Patience was an infant when her parents moved from Delaware to Georgia. Being the oldest daughter, Patience was automatically 'Mother's Helper'. Even though she was only 13 years old when the Prettyman Marvel family immigrated to Indiana Territory, her responsibilities were great. In all pioneer cabins, and the Marvel home was no exception, the fireplace was built along one end of the cabin. This was the heart of the household. The Marvel house was friendly and hospitable and often the gathering place for friends and relatives. A frequent visitor was Robert Montgomery. Robert was a dedicated Presbyterian and had attended the same church in Greensboro, Georgia that the James Knowles family had attended. He came to Indiana Territory sometime earlier than the Marvels and Knowles families and was living with a Mr. Moore, on the Patoka River. When he heard that the Marvel and Knowles families had come to the Territory he moved closer to their cabins, to be near friends. Patience Marvel spoke with a lisp, which was fetching to Robert Montgomery. He watched her going about her many tasks, as the 'oldest daughter'. Her duties included such tasks as spinning, weaving, cooking, tending the kettles that swung from the cranes over the fires. When she would be heaping coals around the dutch oven on the hearth, her cheeks would flush and her eyes would glow from the heat of the fire. Evidently she kindled a fire in the heart of Robert 'Robin' also, because he decided she had to be his help mate and companion. The story of Robert's proposal to Patience is an often repeated story. It is told like this; "One morning he followed the girls, Patience and Comfort, to the milking pen. There he seated himself upon a stump and made himself useful by holding a calf by the ears while Patience milked. As he sat there, he concluded to have this important matter settled, for he suddenly said, 'Patia, will you milk my cows?' Now Patience, like all girls, would have liked more romance in a proposal, and she replied curtly, 'No, Yobin I won't milk your cows!' There was silence for along time, and Patience thought the matter finished. She considered Robin's good qualities and her heart softened. She said, 'Say that again, Yobin.' He asked, 'Say what?' She answered, 'Say what you said before.' Robin repeated the question and this time Patience answered 'Yes, Yobin, I'll milk your cows.' " Patience was the first of Prettyman and Lavina's nine children to leave the family home. When the Methodist circuit riding preacher came around they were married. Theirs was the first marriage in the Black River Basin of the Indiana Territory. Years later when Patience applied for a military pension, on Robert's service in the War of 1812, she was unable to prove eligibility. Finally, Nathan Knowles, the only living witness to the marriage testified to the marriage. Robert and Patience made their home in Smith Township, Posey county, Indiana. Robert died on 15 April 1846. He was buried, in the family cemetery, on the farm of his son James, near Cynthiana, Indiana. Patience then made her home with the youngest son, Thomas, in Gibson county, Indiana. She died in 1883 and was buried at Antiock, Indiana.

Montgomery, Patience Marvel, settled Gibson County 1807-08, previous residence Georgia. (1)
Reference to Patience Marvel marrying Robert Montgomery. (2)

Patience was living with son Samuel and Phoebe Elizabeth Pruitt when they decided to move to Illinois. She did not share the enthusiasm of the young people to move to Illinois, so she moved in with her youngest son, Thomas, in Gibson County, Indiana. She was buried at Antioch in Gibson County. (3)

Robert Montgomery was a soldier in the War of 1812, and in after years when she applied for a pension, she failed until Nathan Knowles, the only living witness to the marriage, testified to the facts. (3)

Patience was the first of the children of Prettyman and Lavina Rogers Marvel to leave the family home. She and Robert Montgomery were married on April 30, 1913, by the Methodist Circuit riding minister, Rev. Benjamin Edge. This was said to be the first marriage in the Black River Basin in the Indiana Territory. (3)

SOURCES: 1. Pioneer Ancestors of the Members of the Society of Indiana Pioneers, compiled by Ruth Dorrel, Family History Section, Indiana Historical Society, 1983, pg. 155.
2. Stormont, History of Gibson Co., IN, 1914, p. 59.
3. DAR Magazine. "Louisiana--The Miscellaneous Records 1970. the Montgomery Family 1780-1968. Presently by the General William Montgomery Chapter, Bastrop, Louisiana. May 1972. Received copy of article January, 1996.
4. All information on the family of Patience Marvel Montgomery was provided by Ruth Montgomery.
More About PATIENCE MARVEL: Burial: Antioch Cemetery
Notes for ROBERT "ROBIN/YOBIN" MONTGOMERY, SR.:

SUBSTANTIATED RECORDS OF PROOF -- The following notes reflect the course of investigation on Robert Montgomery.
Sometimes his name will be written as - Robert Montgomery; Robert "Yobin" Montgomery; Robert Prettyman Montgomery. I do not know if the middle names or nicknames are correct.
Montgomery, Robert b. Delaware ca. 1780, settled Gibson Co. ca. 1811, previous residence Georgia. (1)
Roll of the Army Commanded by William Henry Harrison from September 6 to November 24, 1811 - William Hargrove's Company of Infantry (Knox County area) - Private Robert Montgomery, discharged September 19th. (2)

The Montgomery family are among the oldest residents and settlers of Gibson Co., Indiana. Robert came to the county while he was yet a young man. In 1812 he married Patience Marvel, who was the daughter of Prettyman and Lavina Rogers Marvel. She was born in Delaware, and came with her parents to Gibson County, in 1811. She died in December, 1883, at the advanced age of 92 years. Robert enlisted twice as a soldier in the Indian wars of the Northwest. He served at the Battle of Tippecanoe, in 1811. (3)

Robert Montgomery Bible Records - copy. (4)
Robert Montgomery in the Battle of Tippecanoe - copy (5)
A Robert Montgomery, from the south-west part of the state, shot an Indian White Loon the morning after the battle. The Indian rode off and was never seen again. (6)
Marriage record. (7)
Children names of Robert and Patience. (10)
Robert Montgomery died April 15, 1846 and was buried in the family cemetery on the farm of his son James, near Cynthiana, Indiana. (11)

FAMILY TRADITIONS --  According to family tradition and Hounds, "John Tipton's Memoriers", Robert Montgomery was the last man to shoot at the Indian Chief called, "The Prophet." (Great grandson, Robert Montgomery of Cambridge City, Indiana had the powder horn that Robert carried as well as some papers with signatures on them.) His widow Patience, did receive a pension for his service at Tippecanoe. A granddaughter told how Patience scared away the wolves from the cabin door of an aunt by burning the end of a broom, while Robert was away. Finally, tradition claims that Robert was an orphan, leaving behind a sister and a brother in Greene County, Georgia. Upon hearing that the Marvel family had arrived in Indiana, Robert came down and lived with them; working for Prettyman Marvel, Sr.

Patience Marvel spoke with a lisp.

Around April 3, 1812, Robert followed Patience to where she was milking cows and held them while she milked. He suddenly asked, "Patia, will you milk my cows?" A quick answer was "No, Yobin, I won't milk your cows." After realizing what he said, she said, "Say that again, Yobin." He said, "say what?". She said, "what you said." He asked again and this time she said, "yes, Yobin, I'll milk your cows." They were married April 30, 1812, and first lived in Gibson County and later moved to Posey County, Indiana.

SOURCES: 1. Pioneer Ancestors of the Members of the Society of Indiana Pioneers, compiled by Ruth Dorrel, Family History Section, Indiana Historical Society, 1983, pg. 169.
2. Indiana Source Book, v.3, Battle of Tippecanoe, 1982, pp. 11, 13.
3. History of Gibson Co., Indiana, Tartt, p. 227, 1884.
4. Cox, Posey Co. History 1815-1900, v.2, p. 202
5. Stormont, History of Gibson Co., IN, 1914, p. 205, 207
6. Report of the Commission, Tippecanoe Battlefield Monument, "Judge Isaac Naylor's Description of the Battle of Tippecanoe", p. 146-151.
7. Indiana Marriages Early to 1825, Liahona Research, 1991, p. 217.
8. The Montgomery Family Magazine, edited by William Montgomery Clemens, vol. 1, July 1915, no.1; p. 8; Will of Thomas Montgomery, but otherwise no help.
9. Tri-State: Southwestern Indiana, Southern Illinois, and Western Kentucky Connections, Evansville, Indiana by Tri-State Genealogy Society, Nov. 1984; no help.
10. Cox, Carroll and Gloria, "We the People of North Central Posey County," printed by C&E Enterprises, a division of Hope's Hopechest, Route 1 Poseyville, IN 47633, 1993.
11. DAR Magazine. "Louisiana -- The Miscellaneous Records 1970. The Montgomery Family 1780-1968. Presented by the General William Montgomery Chapter, Bastrop, Louisiana. May 1972. Received copy of article January 1996.

UNSUBSTANTIATED INFORMATION THAT NEEDS TO BE RESEARCHED -- Will of Thomas Montgomery (Yeoman), Mill Creek, Hundred, 17 May 1794. Wife Mary; sons Benjamin, William Alexander, Thomas, James, Robert, Daniel, Samuel, David and Moses. Son John's 3 children: Minta, Mele and James. Daughter Margaret married to William Faron. Daughter Mary. Executor, son Moses. (Eleven sons). (8)

Robert Prettyman Montgomery b. 1780 in Greene County, Georgia. Robert's father was Samuel Montgomery and his mother was Polly McFarland.

HISTORY -- In 1811, during Indian troubles a fort stockade was built on Thomas Montgomery's place south of Owensville. The able bodied men joined General William Henry Harrison's army at Vincennes. The battle was fought 7 Nov 1811. The men returned and took up peaceful pursuits. (3)

How many know that 162 years ago, after a long cheerless night followed by the first light of morning of November 7, 1811, a small force of militia supported by a contingent of the Fourth U.S. Regiment, repelled a savage attack of the Indians of the Northwest? The latter were under the leadership of Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet, although only the latter took part in the engagement. This battle was not great in numbers but mighty in its consequence. It was the most significant engagement ever fought on the soil of Indiana.

Participants in this event numbered scarcely more than nine hundred under the command of General William Henry Harrison, then Governor of Indiana Territory. Encamped on a narrow ridge of dry land, in the midst of swamps into which it extended, were two hundred and fifty regulars, sixty Kentuckians, and six hundred Indiana pioneers - with the last named composing nearly two-thirds of the total force pitted against the enemy which had gathered at Prophetstown, a short distance to the east.

The incidents and adventures experienced on this occasion furnished the substance of fireside chats for many years thereafter. The descendants of these brave men are numerous throughout Indiana and elsewhere. Probably not more than a fourth of them know they had an ancestor in the Battle of Tippecanoe.

To perpetuate the memory of those persons who fought at Tippecanoe during this second and last struggle for independence, there is membership in the General Society of the War of 1812 open to male descendants. For women, as well as children up to twenty-one years of age, there is the National Society, United States Daughters of 1812, organized in 1892. There are four chapters in Indiana - Tippecanoe in Greencastle, Wabash Valley in Lafayette.

Eligibility to membership depends upon lineal descent from ancestors who rendered military, naval, or civil service to our country during the years 1784 through 1815 inclusive. Of particular interest to those with a Hoosier heritage, however, is the specific event of national significance which is claimed by many to have been "the first shot" in the War of 1812. Its decisive outcome insured the western frontiers with the opportunity for peaceful settlement.

THEORIES -- 1. Have never been able to pinpoint where Robert was born. In 1921, Basil E. Montgomery did research on Robert and said that he was born in DE however the records were burned so there was no proof.

2. If Robert was born in Sussex Co., DE this might explain why some of the family list his middle name as Prettyman. The other related families of Marvel, Knowles, and Prettyman all lived in the Sussex Co., DE area of Lewes. There was a lot of intermarrying. Prettyman is a very unusual name that only seems to show up in the Knowles, Montgomery, Marvel, Prettyman lines.

3. The Knowles, and Marvels left DE for Greene Co., GA around 1795. Going on the assumption that Robert was born in DE I theorized that he probably went to DE about the same time as the Knowles, and Marvels since there was a migration to GA about that time. There is a Robert Montgomery listed in the 1805 GA Land Lottery as over 21 and single and in Hancock Co. which is next door to Greene Co. A Knowles source said that Robert and James Knowles attended the same church in GA. James lived in Greene Co., GA. But, who knows where the church was?

4. Family tradition says that Robert left a brother and sister in Georgia. According to research done by Basil E. Montgomery the brother was named James and the sister named Martha.

5. The source that states Robert's father as Samuel and mother as Polly McFarland is new data. I have a Knowles "cousin" who got this information from her cousin. I have no sources or facts to back this up.

More About ROBERT "ROBIN/YOBIN" MONTGOMERY, SR.: Burial: Buried in a family cemetery which is now gone. Military: Nov 07, 1811, Military: War of 1812. Served in the Battle of Tippecanoe. Occupation: Farmer

Children of PATIENCE MARVEL and ROBERT MONTGOMERY are:

43. COMFORT MARVEL (PRETTYMAN, DAVID, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Apr 04, 1799 in Green County, Georgia, and died Oct 21, 1865 in Barnett Twp., DeWitt, Illinois. She married JOHN BARR Jan 29, 1822 in Gibson Co., IN, son of JOHN BARR and NANCY HAMILTON. He was born Apr 04, 1799 in Chester, South Carolina, and died May 13, 1882.

Notes for COMFORT MARVEL: Comfort was named after her maternal grandmother, Comfort (Prettyman) Rogers. In 1824, John and Comfort Barr, accompanied by Prettyman, Jr. and Rebecca Marvel, left Indiana in search of a location less populated. They started toward Illinois, the women riding horseback, driving the cattle and sheep, while the men walked and drove the oxen hitched to the two-wheeled carts containing their possessions. There were very few trails to follow and no bridges. They had to forge all the streams but did ride a ferry across the Wabash River.

On 1 January 1825 the little party crossed the Sangamon River and settled about fifteen miles north of Springfield, Illinois. Springfield, then, was a settlement of a few small shanties. The Barr family lived with the Prettyman Jr. family for a few months before building their cabin in Section 26, Atlanta Township, Logan county, Illinois.

In February of 1826 the Barrs, now consisting of three, moved near to the present town of Waynesville. In the Valley, where these two families settled, runs the Kickapoo Creek. The Pottawatomie and Delaware Indians often mingled with the Kickapoo Indians and during the summer months, John Barr often went along on their hunting expeditions. Once, while John was working in his garden, a band of Indians passed by the house, and as a friendly gesture John tossed them each a freshly dug turnip. They ate the turnips unpeeled and unwashed, slicing them with their bloody hunting knives.

In December of 1830, John had loaded his wagon with corn, intending to take it to the mill, near Springfield, to be ground into meal the next day. The weather made it impossible to leave the next morning and it continued to snow for the next twenty-one days. The snow practically buried them in their cabin and continued off and on for the remainder of the winter. The only time John left the cabin was to go out to secure fuel or for game for the family to eat. They lived on rye, hominy, potatoes and the wild game, which was plentiful.

During this period of isolation, Comfort gave birth to a son. They named the son John, making him the fourth generation John Barr. During this siege a neighbor, J. J. McGraw, had exhausted his supply of corn to feed his family. They could get word to John Barr, telling him that they had no money either, but were willing to work by making rails for Mr. Barr when the snow melted. John said they could have all the corn they needed and pay for it the way they wanted. John Barr was heard to say, "A man was here the other day wanting corn and informed me he had plenty of money to pay any price I asked. I told him if he was so well prepared with means, he should buy corn elsewhere and I would keep mine for the needy." Mr. J.J. McGraw later became a judge and he was always fond of telling the story. He said he never mauled rails with more pleasure or gave a bigger count than he did for that sack of corn. John and Comfort Barr were, for years, the most influential members of the Mount Tabor Methodist Episcopal Church, which was located close to their home. But, during the Civil War, political difficulties arose among members of the church and Mount Zion Southern Methodist Church was organized. The Barrs were among the first to belong to the new church.

In June 1854, John and Comfort Barr left the old home place in Logan county and bought 320 acres of land in Section 7, Barnett Township, DeWitt county, Illinois. This was about the time that Wiley Marvel and John Barr went to visit Prettyman Marvel, who lived with his son, John Roger Marvel, in Franklin county. Prettyman returned to DeWitt county with them and died at the home of his daughter, Comfort Barr, on 1 October 1856.

In late 1860 the Barrs moved a half mile south of their former home and Comfort died there on 21 October 1865. She is buried in Union Cemetery, Waynesville, Illinois. The youngest daughter, Comfort (Barr) Garrett, then moved into the home to care for her father. John Barr had gone to Kansas to visit relatives in May 1882 and while visiting there he died on 13 May 1882. He is also buried in Union Cemetery, Waynesville, Illinois.

Note: Indiana Marriages Through 1850, Indiana Genealogy Library, this is the date the license was issued. Spouses names and children. (1)This family moved to Central Illinois.

SOURCE: Cox, Carroll and Gloria, "We the People of North Central Posey County," printed by C&E Enterprises, a division of Hope's Hopechest, 1993.

More About COMFORT MARVEL: Burial: Union Cemetery, Waynesville, DeWitt Co., IL
More About JOHN BARR: Burial: Union Cemetery, Waynesville, DeWitt Co., IL

Children of COMFORT MARVEL and JOHN BARR are:

44. PRETTYMAN MARVEL, JR. (PRETTYMAN, DAVID, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born May 08, 1801 in Green County, Georgia, and died Jul 23, 1842 in Waynesville, De Witt Co., IL. He married REBECCA BARR May 15, 1823 in Owensville, Gibson Co., IN, daughter of JOHN BARR and NANCY HAMILTON. She was born Apr 21, 1806 in Chester Co., S.C., and died Sep 30, 1893 in Waynesville, De Witt Co., IL.

Notes for PRETTYMAN MARVEL, JR.: Prettyman Marvel, Jr. celebrated his 8th birthday in Livingston Co, KY, where his parents lived during the summer when they were moving from Georgia to Indiana. While Prettyman, Jr. was growing into a young man he was learning to work the fields, harvest the crops, hunt and fish for food and protect and provide for a family. There were also times for frolicking and having fun. After working hard all week there was log rolling, dances, corn husking and lots of corn liquor for the fellows. There were quilting bees, church socials, basket suppers and visiting for the ladies. At the dances and socials the girls showed off their cooking and sewing talents that were of no small interest to the bachelors and widowers.

By 15 May 1823, Rebecca Barr had a store in her 'hope chest' and her cap set for Prettyman Marvel, Jr. He had been equally smitten by Rebecca's finer qualities. So there was, eventually, a wedding at the Barr home, between these two young people. A large group of friends and relatives were present for the wedding also at the 'infair' (reception), which was held at the Marvel's home the next day. After the festivities were over at the Marvel home, Prettyman, Jr. and Rebecca were free to go to the home Prettyman, Jr. had already built for his bride. The summer after the marriage of Prettyman, Jr. and Rebecca, a Methodist Camp Meeting was held under the auspices of Rev. John Shrader. Prettyman, Jr. become a member of the church and Rebecca transferred her membership from the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In March 1824 their first child was born and they named him John Shrader Marvel in honor of the beloved 'circuit rider' preacher.

The following information on the pioneer life of Prettyman, Jr. and Rebecca Marvel was provided by Mildred (Marvel) Burwell, a direct descendant of theirs.

In Indiana, the Marvels were happily situated near their relatives and friends, yet there was an element of dissatisfaction. It seems the choice fields in this area had already been taken and land was not as plentiful as they would like. Prettyman, Jr. talked the matter over with his brother-in-law, John Barr, and they decided to search for a location in the more sparsely settled state of Illinois. Each family owned a horse, a yoke of oxen and a two-wheeled cart. They loaded their possessions in the carts and with their cattle and sheep and the journey was started in the fall of 1824. Little John Shrader Marvel rode among the bedding in the cart when he wasn't in the arms of his mother or his aunt, Comfort Barr. The two families had only $1.50 to pay the expenses of the journey and to settle themselves in a new home. For bartering they had a keg of tobacco, a keg of copper-distilled whiskey, a bolt of denim and a bolt of linsey (sheer linen), two bushels of dried apples and a dozen pocket handkerchiefs. They exchanged these goods, at various settlements, for the necessities of life. The trip across the 'grand prairie' was also difficult because it rained and sleeted most of the time. If they did not reach a settlement by nightfall, it was necessary to sleep in the carts. As they neared the end of their journey, they often remained in a settlement four or five days to work for provisions and grain. South of the present city of Vandalia, they found the waters of Brush Creek so high they could not ford the stream. So they were forced to spend the night there, although there were fresh signs of Indians.

The next morning when they awoke, their horses were gone. The men were so sure the Indians had taken them, they left in hot pursuit. They found the horses roaming over the prairie. They had become very warm while running down the horses and removed their coats. When Rebecca and Comfort saw them returning in their short sleeves and bare-headed, they were sure they were Indians on the attack. The women immediately prepared to defend themselves with an axe. To their surprise and delight it was only their husbands. On New Year's Day 1825, the two families crossed the Sangamon River and found a settlement near Springfield. It was here they rented a cabin from Mr. Borders and worked for him until spring. They rented some ground from Thomas Prim and raised a crop.

In that following fall Prettyman, Jr. and Rebecca returned to Indiana on a visit. On 29 October 1825 their second son, James Marvel, was born. They had not been very happy with the location near the Sangamon River. On their return trip from Indiana, they turned north in search of a new home side. They decided they liked a location in the central area of the state where the ground was higher. They chose a spot near the 'Big Grove'. This was what the main body of the Kickapoo timber was called. Prettyman, Jr., his wife and two boys arrived at their new home, a short distance from the present town of Waynesville, Illinois, about ten o'clock on a cold February night in 1826. Clearing away the snow, which was bout a foot deep, they built afire. While Prettyman, Jr. gathered a supply of fuel and cared for the stock, Rebecca prepared the first meal ever cooked by a white woman in what later became Waynesville township. After supper, they made as comfortable a bed as possible upon the frozen ground. When they had snugly ensconced their sleeping sons within, they replenished the fire and lay down to sleep in the fresh air. The next day, they constructed a home by driving four forked sticks in the ground and covered them with poles and slabs on three sides. The fourth side was left open for their log fire. This was their shelter for warmth and cooking. A week after Prettyman and Rebecca found this spot, they were joined by John and Comfort Barr and their daughter Nancy.

These four adults and three children lived in this crude structure until the Barrs selected a home site. The site was about a mile west of the camp. Prettyman, Jr. then set to work building a more permanent home for his family too. It was a one-room log cabin about 12 x 16 feet with a pounded clay floor. A fireplace was built across the end of the room with the chimney of sticks and mud. When the homes were completed the prairie grass had grown rank and provided ample feed for the oxen. The Marvels set to work clearing land to raise their crops. The rudely constructed wooden plow was pulled by the oxen. Corn, wheat and flax were the crops grown then. Every pioneer depended on the fiber of flax and wool from his sheep for his clothing and other fabric necessities. Extreme care was taken in tending the flax or the value of the fiber was lost. At just the right degree of ripeness, it was pulled and run through the flax comb to remove the seeds. Then it was spread in rows on the ground to rot the woody stems. Next it was run through a set of wooden rollers to crush the stems and then 'scotched' to free the fibers of woody particles. A many -toothed comb was used to separate the fine fiber from the coarse, after which the women used it for spinning and weaving. From the fine fiber they made linens and household supplies. The coarser fiber was woven into wagon sheets, grain sacks, bed ticking and the like. Meat was provided by an ample supply of wild game. Neighbors were few, but the Indians were regular callers at the Marvel house. They caused no serious trouble and often brought wild game to the Marvels in exchange for 'hogee meat', vegetables and melons. Since coming to this sparsely settled region, Prettyman, Jr. and Rebecca missed the privilege of assembling with other Christian men and women in worship. When he had his family settled in their new home, he started planning for religious services. Peter Cartwright was the presiding elder of the Illinois District, and he sent William See to the "Big Grove" settlement, which was then in the Sangamon circuit. He came to the Marvel home on a weekday, but the settlers quit their tasks and came in their work clothes to hear the Gospel. Mr. Marvel prepared a camp ground on the slope of the hill east of his home.

During the summer months, meetings were held here for many years. The pioneers gathered and listened to such preachers as Peter Cartwright, John Sinclair, Asa Phelps, Moses Clampet, William See, William Royal, Peter Akers and many others. The settlers were very faithful in their attendance. Even during the deep snow of the winters of 1830 and 31 they shoveled their way through the drifts. They were determined that this little society of Methodists might meet and worship. After the establishment of the village of Waynesville, a Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1834. Prettyman, Jr. and Rebecca Marvel were devout members.

Money was scarce in those days and the Prettyman Marvel, Jr. family had been living on their land without registering it at the land office in Danville. He had staked claim to land some of his neighbors also coveted. He decided the land had to be registered and he rode his horse to Danville to do so. It was a rough trip and he was carrying two hundred silver dollars to pay for the registration of his land and the land of a Mr. Gregory. As he raced his horse over the hills and through dense forests, he took off and threw away his clothes to lighten the horse's load. When he arrived in Danville he was wearing nothing but his buckskin trousers. Prettyman, Jr. made the land entries and then bought a quart of whiskey, which he used to rub down his horse. He was sitting on the steps of a store when his rival neighbors arrived. Prettyman, Jr. continued to add to his land holdings until he owned about a thousand acres.

By now the Marvel family had increased in size. The birth of Nancy Marvel, on 4 November 1827, was an event in the lives of the pioneers. She and a still born twin brother were the first white children to be born in DeWitt county. The unnamed boy was buried in Pilot Grove Cemetery. On 29 January 1830 the Marvels again became the parents of twins, Cynthia and Lavina. A son was born on 31 March 1832 and he was named Prettyman after his father and grandfather. The log cabin had become a bit overcrowded. The new home was a frame building with an eight foot hall down the center. From this hall, one would enter each of the four rooms, which measured 18 x 20 feet. The doors were wide oak boards. A large fireplace furnished heat and a means for cooking.

Later the southwest room was modernized by the addition of a cook stove. The cellar was beneath this room and water was provided by a spring near the house. As the children became school age, the Marvels wanted an education for their children. Other parents agreed, so each provided money for tuition and school became a reality. Mr. Marvel had a desk built for his children. It was about 6 or 7 feet long and 2 1/2 feet wide, with a shelf underneath that provided a convenient receptacle for their books and slates. Four more Marvel children used the desk, they were Rebecca, Mary Ann, Wiley and George. By this time Illinois was becoming more thickly populated and Prettyman Marvel, Jr. was a prosperous farmer. He drove hogs to the Chicago market when that city was a mere village. It took about four weeks to make the trip, as there were no roads or bridges, Indian trails were followed and all streams had to be forded. Later he shipped stock by boat to New Orleans where he obtained a better price. On one of these trips, Prettyman, Jr. contracted yellow fever. He died at his home on 23 July 1842 and is buried in Union Cemetery in Waynesville, Illinois, on land that he had donated for a cemetery.

Prettyman Marvel, Jr. was a man of great energy and good business ability. He was kind and sympathetic with his family and the children delighted in helping their father. In personal appearance, he was a man of small stature, very quick and alert in movement. He had a dark complexion with black eyes and the typical 'Marvel nose', which is decidedly stub with flaring nostrils. When out of doors, his black curly hair was usually covered by a coonskin cap. Administrators of his estate, Jeremiah P. Dunham, John Barr and Linus Graves filed papers before F.G. Pain, Probate Justice of Peace, on 2 August 1842.

After the death of Prettyman, Jr., Rebecca was a young widow with ten children, ages from eleven months to eighteen years. She faced many hardships managing the farm and livestock business. She was a hardy pioneer and remained undaunted by these difficulties. In October 1847, after being a widow for five years she married Thompson P. Gambrel, son of William and Winifred (Elkins) Gambrel of South Carolina. Thompson's parents had immigrated to Kentucky where he was born on 22 August 1806. The next year his parents crossed the Ohio River and became pioneer settlers in southwestern Indiana. When William Gambrel died, Winifred (Elkins) Gambrel married John Roberts, a widower. Thompson P. Gambrel married Elizabeth Roberts, a daughter of his step-father. They were the parents of five children: Maria, William, James, Mary Ann and Elisha. After the death of his wife, Elizabeth, Thompson Gambrel and his children had come to Illinois, where he married Rebecca (Barr) Marvel. With eight of Rebecca's children still at home and the five Gambrel children, there was now a household of thirteen children and two adults. Nancy had married in 1844 and John Shrader had married in the summer of 1847.

During the Civil War, Thompson and Rebecca Gambrel withdrew their membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church in Waynesville and united with the Southern Methodist Church at Mt. Zion. In 1870 they moved to the town of Waynesville, where Thompson P. Gambrel died 30 August 1877. Rebecca was a woman of great vitality and enjoyed hitching her horse to the buggy and would visit family and friends in the country without an escort. For many years, relatives gathered at her home on the 21st of April for a birthday dinner and celebration. In 1893 she sold her home to her grandsons, George and Kirby Armstrong, and went to the home of her youngest daughter, Mary Ann (Marvel) Gambrel, three miles south of town. She died there 30 September 1893. She was buried in Union Cemetery, Waynesville, Illinois by the side of Prettyman Marvel, Jr. and Thompson P. Gambrel.

Note: 5 Spouses names and children. Source: Cox, Carroll and Gloria, "We the People of North Central Posey County," printed by C&E Enterprises, a division of Hope's Hopechest, Route 1 Poseyville, IN 47633, 1993.This family moved to Illinois. Source: Cox, Carroll and Gloria, "We the People of North Central Posey County," printed by C&E Enterprises, a division of Hope's Hopechest, Route 1 Poseyville, IN 47633, 1993.

FIRST SETTLEMENTS - The honor of taking the first steps toward civilization within the boundaries of Waynesville, belongs to Prettyman Marvel and his wife Rebecca. Mr. Marvel was a native of Georgia, and his wife was a South Carolinian. Their parents were pioneers of Indiana, where their children grew up together. In May 1823, they were married, and the following year moved to Illinois and stopped in Sangamon county. February 1825, they moved to within a short distance of what is now Waynesville village in section 31, De Witt county. Their mode of conveyance was a cart drawn by a yoke of oxen. It was ten o'clock at night before they halted. There was no light in the window-no warm friends or home to greet them. That night the snow formed their bed to rest upon and the starry heaven was their shelter. A few sticks gathered and fired by the side of a log furnished the only means of warmth. The next day they fixed up a temporary cabin by driving four crotched posts into the ground. These were connected by poles and were overlaid with split slabs of wood for a roof. In time it was enlarged to two rooms by building an addition of the same kind. The former was aristocratically called abed-room and the latter the sitting room. Let the present generation imagine, if they can, a " sitting room " with the ground for a floor, for such was the case with this mansion. The fireplace was outside of the entrance called a door. This consisted by hauling up before the entrance a fore and back log, within which the fire was built, and here the cooking and warming was done. It was found when the snow melted away in the spring that the cabin had unfortunately been built in a slight depression of ground. Water stood a foot deep in their rude domicile. This they remedied by pounding in pieces of dry-rot logs and filling up to a sufficient depth to make the rooms a passable place to stay in for the time being.

During the spring and summer a more comfortable cabin was erected on a more favorable site. Of course this log cabin was quite pretentious for the times, and being such we will give a slight description of it as given to the writer by "Aunt Becca" Gambrel, formerly wife of Prettyman Marvel, the pioneer. It was a small log cabin about 12x16, and covered with split staves four feet in length, while the floor was mother earth. The fireplace extended nearly across one end of the building, with stick and mud chimney of the olden time. The beds were constructed by placing poles between the cracks of the logs a certain distance apart and laid over with rived clap-boards; the shelves for the tableware were prepared in the same manner. This mine spring Mr. Marvel broke a small piece of ground and planted it in corn and potatoes. This was the first farming done in the county with the exception of that performed by the Shugarts and Elisha Butler in Tunbridge, which was the mine spring -1825. Wolves were then more plentiful than village dogs, and about as tame. It was very difficult to raise chickens or any of the small domestic animals, as the wolves were so bold that they would come up to the very door of the cabin, and would only leave when shot at or beaten off with clubs. These lonely pioneers were cheered and encouraged in their new-found home by two children, mere babes then, John S. and James. They both grew to manhood, married, and raised large families; several of their representatives are yet living in the county. John and James died several years ago. Nine other children were born in the township, Nancy, Cynthia, Lavinia, Prettyman, Rebecca, Mary A., Wiley and George, all of whom are living but one, a twin to Nancy, who died without being named. All reside in the county except George and Lavinia. The latter lives in Vermillion county, this state, and the former in Nebraska. Mr. Marvel lived to see and enjoy the fruits of his labors, owning a large farm at the time of his death which occurred in the summer of 1842.

In 1847 Mrs. Marvel was again married to Thomson P. Gambrel of Indiana. He died in 1877, his wife surviving him. Mrs. Gambrel is at this writing an inhabitant of the village of Waynesville and enjoying excellent health and vigor of mind for one of her age, being in her seventy-sixth year. She is the oldest resident of the county, and has had eighty-six grand-children and thirty-two great-grandchildren. John Barr, a brother of Mrs. Gambrel, came here but a few days after Mr. Marvel, and lived in the same cabin with his brother-in-law until spring, when he built a small cabin just over the line in Logan county. Mr. Barr is upwards of eighty years of age, and still resides near where he settled in the spring of 1825.

Source: 1882 History of Waynesville Township, DeWitt County, Illinois. Prettyman Marvel entered the E. 1/2 of the N. E. 1/4 of section 31, March 28th, 1828.

Source: 1882 History of Waynesville Township, DeWitt County, Illinois. The first child born was a daughter of Prettyman and Rebecca Marvel, which occurred the 4th of November, 1827. She was born at their log cabin, situated in section 21.

Source: 1882 History of Waynesville Township, DeWitt County, Illinois. It must be remembered that at this time there were no church houses, and the services were held at the cabins of the pioneers. Prettyman Marvel's house was one of the favorable resorts for church services. At this time-1825-, an informant tells us that there were but six who would congregate to hear the word expounded; and the enjoyment of these few who gathered together on the dirt floor of their cabins, was only equaled by the simplicity and earnestness of the worshippers.

Source:1882 History of Waynesville Township, DeWitt County, Illinois
More About PRETTYMAN MARVEL, JR.: Burial: Union Cemetery.

Children of PRETTYMAN MARVEL and REBECCA BARR are:

45. JAMES WESLEY MARVEL (PRETTYMAN, DAVID, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Dec 10, 1803 in Green County, Georgia, and died Jan 08, 1885 in Gibson Co., Indiana. He married SUSAN COMFORT KNOWLES Jul 30, 1829 in Gibson Co., IN, daughter of DAVID KNOWLES and NANCY PIPER. She was born May 20, 1813 in Gibson Co. Indiana, and died May 20, 1883 in Gibson Co., Indiana.

Notes for JAMES WESLEY MARVEL: His sixth birthday was spent traveling. They were on the way to their new home at Old Fort Branch in the Territory of Indiana. Life was never dull for the young children of a pioneer family. During the planting season, they were needed to patrol the fields. Wild fowl were abundant and in the migrating season the geese, ducks, pigeons and other birds came northward in such dense flocks that they darkened the sky. If one of these flocks settled on the field of young grain, it was wiped clean in minutes, leaving only the bare ground. The children used a tool called a "clatter", which was made of seasoned hickory wood. It was notched and when it was operated with a string, it made an awful noise or clatter, which scared away wild fowl and small rodents. Since James was almost twenty-six years old before he was married, it seems he was waiting for just the right girl to grow up.

Susan Comfort Knowles, who was called Comfort, became his bride on 20 July 1829, just two months before her sixteenth birthday. He had thought she would prove to be a good help mate and companion, since she inherited many rare qualities of mind and person from her parents, David and Nancy (Piper) Knowles. This James Marvel and Comfort's father, David Knowles were first cousins. Comfort had been trained by her mother in all the domestic arts so necessary for the wife of a pioneer. It was said that the energy, ambition and perseverance of her mother, Nancy, knew no bounds. Comfort's father, David Knowles, was the favorite nephew of Prettyman Marvel. He bore a striking resemblance to his uncle Prettyman, both in physical and mental qualities. He felt a deep love and respect for his uncle and obeyed him as a father. Prudence (Marvel) Knowles, mother of David, had died before 1796. So he had accompanied the Prettyman Marvels to Georgia in 1796 and had chosen to remain in Kentucky in 1809, when the Marvels settled in the Indiana Territory.

In 1812, David and Nancy (Piper) Knowles brought their family to Indiana and settled near the Marvels. This complicated lineage meant that James Marvel's grandparents, David and Sarah (Prettyman) Marvel, were the great- grandparents of his wife Comfort (Knowles) Marvel. James and Comfort Marvel started housekeeping on the old homestead registered by his father, Prettyman Marvel, and lived there for more than fifty years. They helped greatly in the development of Southwestern Indiana, from a wilderness to a prosperous farming community. James was a shrewd business man and very industrious. Besides the farm in Gibson county, he owned land in Franklin County, Illinois. James Marvel was a devout Methodist from his early life and attended revival meetings far and wide. He was very happy in his faith and very strict in all the religious observances. He had scripture reading and family devotion every night. All within the confines of his house were urged to attend. This was sometimes annoying to the youths who were calling on the young ladies of the house. However, he was always very firm and the visitors always had the choice of attending evening worship or leave immediately. Comfort (Knowles) Marvel died 20 May 1883 at the age of 70 and was buried in Antiock Cemetery.

After her death her son, Samuel Orr Marvel, sold his farm in Franklin county, Illinois. With his wife, Parthena, and children he returned to the old Marvel homestead in Indiana to care for his aged father. This meant three generations of Marvels had owned and lived on the original home place without interruption. James Marvel died 8 January 1885. He was buried, in the Antiock Cemetery, beside his wife of more than fifty years.

Source: Spouses names and children. (1)Cox, Carroll and Gloria, "We the People of North Central Posey County," printed by C&E Enterprises, a division of Hope's Hopechest, Route 1 Poseyville, IN 47633, 1993.

8/7/2004 - The present occupant of the James Wesley Marvel home has completely renovated. In the attic on the home there was numerous letters and papers found. The reason there is so many letters and papers in the third story attic is because the last of the Marvels to live in the home were killed in an auto accident in 1966 (this was the grandson of James). The heirs rented the home to a farm family. They lived in the home for several years. All of the Marvel things were stored in the attic. When they moved out the heirs sold the home to a family. The new family cleaned out the attic and hauled most of the things to the dump. The reason the letters and papers were saved is because they had the home insulated and the insulation company blew insulation over the papers in the unfloored part of the third story. As the home was being rewired, the papers and letters were discovered. It is believed the home was pre-civil war. It was constructed with adze cut timbers and pined with wooden pegs and square nails. It is believed the home was constructed about 1846. While the home was being remodeled one of the daughters of Samuel O. Marvel visited. She was 86 years old at the time. She wanted to see the upstairs because she said it might be the last time (which it was) that she would see the old home place. While she was being helped up the steps she said - "You know would never let us play on these steps and my grandfather (Samuel O. Marvel) told me his father (James Wesley Marvel) wouldn't let him play on them when he was small." The steps had been there for a long time.

One story she told that was interesting was that when her grandfather and family first moved there on the black river they built log homes - both the Marvels and the Knowles. She said that she was told that there were several family members at that time and several children. There was an Indian alert and the folks were getting everything ready to go to the fort at Fort Branch as soon as possible. One of the older girls was watching the baby which they had in a wicker basket. The girl hung the wicker basket on the hitching rail while she got things ready to go. When they arrived at the fort they discovered the baby and basket were missing. The men folk rode back to the cabins as fast as they could. The Indians had already been there because they had ransacked the cabins, but they didn't bother the baby

Source: John & Glenda McKinney - John.McKinney@cinergy.com
More About JAMES WESLEY MARVEL: Burial: Antioch Cemetery, Gibson Co., IN
Notes for SUSAN COMFORT KNOWLES: Burial: Antioch Cemetery, Gibson Co., IN
Source: Prettyman Marvel Family (This is an excerpt from a genealogy published in 1968 by Rev. Edgar Cannon Prettyman).

Children of JAMES MARVEL and SUSAN KNOWLES are:

46. WILEY MARVEL (PRETTYMAN, DAVID, THOMAS M., JOHN, THOMAS MARVELL, JOHN, JOHN, THOMAS, JOHN) was born Apr 04, 1806 in Green County, Georgia, and died Jul 27, 1883 in Midland City, De Witt Co., IL. He married (1) CHARITY FUGAT CLARK Mar 30, 1826 in Gibson Co., IN, daughter of BRAXTON CLARK and ELIZABETH FUGAT. She was born Jan 23, 1807 in Western North Carolina, and died Jan 01, 1868 in Midland City, De Witt Co., Illinois. He married (2) CHRISTIANA MARTIN BONNER Abt. 1844. He married (3) SARILDA MARTIN Aug 01, 1870 in Logan Co., IL.

Notes for WILEY MARVEL: He was small when his parents immigrated to the Indiana Territory. The memory of hardships and perils incident to those times were vividly stamped upon his young mind. Besides the incidence of Indian massacres and the War of 1812, there were earthquakes in 1810 and 11. The rough pioneers flocked to Prettyman Marvel's cabin, begging him to pray for them because they thought the end of the world had come. It was hoped that those spiritual awakenings were in some degree permanent. Amid those surroundings, Wiley Marvel grew into manhood. He enjoyed the influence of both the spirit of the wilderness and the spirit of a pious home. Education was limited in those days, but he learned the rudiments of the three Rs.

On 30 March 1826 he married Charity Fugate Clark, daughter of Braxton and Elizabeth (Fugate) Clark. She had also been well trained in the rigors of the wilderness. After the marriage of her parents, they moved from South Carolina to North Carolina, where their children; Willie, John, Joseph and Charity were born. About 1808 the Clarks immigrated to the Indiana Territory, after having spent a few months in Knoxville, Tennessee, where a daughter, Mary Knox Clark was born.

The country was such a wilderness that the family brought no wagon. The little children rode between two feather beds lashed to a pack horse, while the older ones walked, driving the cow. They lived on food they could obtain from the forest. They proceeded to Gibson county, Indiana where they became neighbors of the Prettyman Marvel family. A daughter, Elizabeth, was born to the Clark family after they came to Indiana. Scarcely had they become settled in their new home, cleared a patch of ground and built a rude cabin when Braxton Clark was taken ill with fever and died. The oldest son, Willie was sick for several months. John, the second son, was accidentally killed by a falling tree. So the widow was left with five small children to fight the battle of life. Later Elizabeth (Fugate) Clark married James Knowles, whose first wife, Patience (Marvel) had died in 1817. After Wiley and Charity (Clark) Marvel were married, they lived in a cabin Wiley had built. He built it with neither nail nor sawed board in it. Their table was a hewn slab, with pins driven in for legs. They had one mare and a small yoke of oxen to cultivate their land, which was heavily timbered, and $2.50 in cash. Wiley cleared ten acres of land the first year of their marriage, which meant he often burned brush on moonlight nights. He raised hogs, butchered them and traded this product for household and farm necessities. He raised horses and traded for more until he had a boatload. He would take the horses down the river from Evansville, Indiana to New Orleans and usually the trip would net him a good profit because horses sold, for thirty to forty dollars each.

In March of 1852 Wiley and Charity (Clark) Marvel moved to DeWitt county, Illinois where several of their relatives lived. They made the trip in the family carriage which Wiley and John Barr used three years later to travel to southern Illinois to bring Prettyman Marvel to central Illinois. The Wiley Marvel family settled near Midland City, where he bought more than 800 acres of fertile land. Charity Marvel died at the home on 1 January 1868.

The second wife of Wiley Marvel was Sarilda Martin, born 3 April 1833. She was a sister of Freelove Martin, wife of James K. Marvel, Wiley's oldest son. In other words Wiley's second wife was the sister of his daughter-in-law. Serilda became the step-mother to James K. as well as his sister-in-law. Wiley and Sarilda had only one child and then Serilda died 6 February 1872. Wiley Marvel married a third time, to Mrs. Christina (Martin) Bonner. There were no children of this marriage. True to the teachings of his childhood, Wiley Marvel was a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and served as steward for more than fifty years. During the early years of his married life, his donations to the church always included butter, eggs, flour and other staples also money. The Mt. Tabor Church was near his home also near his heart. Within it's walls he found great solace in his later years. Wiley Marvel died at the family home on 27 July 1883.

After the marriage of Wiley Marvel and Charity Clark, they lived in Indiana where their children were all born. Three children died in early childhood and, seven attained to man and womanhood.

In 1852, Wiley and Charity (Clark) Marvel moved to Dewitt Co., IL with their family accompanying them. Living in Illinois at that time were John and Comfort (Marvel) Barr and Prettyman and Rebecca (Barr) Marvel with their families. They were among the very early pioneers of that country. Uncle Prettyman, son of Prettyman Marvel, Sr., having died several years before our arrival there.

My Grandfather, Prettyman Marvel, now near ninety years of age, after the death of Grandmother, who was also near ninety, moved to Benton County, Illinois, to live with his youngest son, George Rogers Marvel. He was very desirous to see his children, Wiley and Comfort (Marvel) Barr, so they rigged up a large family carriage that Father had brought from Indiana the spring of 1852, and in the early fall of 1855 my father and Uncle John Barr started on their journey toward the southern part of Illinois to bring "Grandpap" to our home.

You can hardly imagine the joyful and expectant feeling that we children had for three or four days. One of us would keep a constant lookout for miles and miles across the broad and level plain toward where the city of Lincoln now stands.

One day one of us shouted, "Oh I see something coming this way!" And it wasn't long until we all began to clap our hands and shout, "Oh! It's them! It's them!" We could hardly wait until they got close enough so we could run and meet them. Our first question was, "Where is Grandpap? I want to see Grandpap." The team stopped and Grandpap raised up from his bed with joy and gladness beaming over his tired old face, realizing that the long journey was over. Most of his talk was about southern Illinois, where he had been making his home for some time, and their trip on the road.

At that time, like most everyone else, we had but very little house room, and according to arrangements Grandpap was to be with us over the winter. We had but two rooms; one big room with a "lean-to" for a kitchen, having a bed in one end. We had two beds in the big room with trundle beds under each of them. Mother told some of the larger boys they would have to sleep in the bed in the kitchen because Grandpap would have to sleep in the bed where it could be kept warm. Mother arranged the bed for him and said, "You may go to bed anytime you wish." But he had the trundle beds underneath the other beds and said, "Charity won't you let George sleep with me? He will keep me warm." So it was arranged that way.

Nothing would have pleased me better. From that time on he looked to me for every little favor, such as getting his clothes ready for him, his cap, "specks", walking stock, drink of water and so on.

Grandpap and I continued sleeping together the trundle bed for about eight months, so you see I was with him most of the time. It seemed to be a great pleasure for him to talk of his "Early Boyhood Days". Especially of the trials, incidents, and hardships they had to endure during the long seven years of the Revolutionary War. He was hardly in his teens and the only one the family could look for protection and help against hungry Indian raids, Tories and many other dangers connected with war times.

One thing he told me several different times was that during the long war, mad dogs became numerous. Wolves were also going mad. As every family had dogs, things became alarming. He said they had one very large family watch dog that was always on the lookout for any approaching danger. They could tell by his manner and barking, when they saw him coming, the kind of danger approaching. He would stand guard against everything else but a mad dog. Grandpap said, it seemed that he could smell them long before they came into sight, and the alarm he gave for them to shut the stock up and get to safety.

He told of seeing General Washington and his men marching past, and of the privations and suffering of the Continental Army. I think he talked mostly on subjects he thought most boys of my size. He was a great lover of fish. He said he liked everything that had fish taste or smell, such as turtles, eels or oysters.

I remember one evening we boys caught a very large snapping turtle. We brought it to the house. I ran in and said, "Oh grandpap, come see our turtle." He said, "Why they are good to eat, good as any fish." He told me how to dress it, but it did not look good to me. I ran into the house to ask mother about it. She said she would not cook it. I said, "But mother, Grandpap says it's good as fish and he likes fish so well." "Well, we'll try to get him some fish." said mother. So next morning they started me off on the "fish hunt." They told me to go to Schrader Marvel's. I went there and was successful in getting fish. Grandfather stayed with us until the next May. He was then taken to John and Comfort (Marvel) Barr's, about two miles south of Waynesville, Illinois. There he died the following October 1, 1855, at age 93 years. He was a life long Methodist. His home was open to the ministers for religious worship. From all I know, all the impressions I have of his life, he was a true patriot and a firm believer in the constitutional form of Government.

I believe that all his descendants, will say that by, and through him, we have a freedom loving principle implanted in us, that we will not for one moment surrender our sacred and God given rights to any King or protentate. Not even to Rome, Rum and Ruin. If we cannot all be Klans, let us all, who are in any way connected with the good and grand old name "Marvel" be truly clannism and ever perpetuate and keep alive the association and annual reunion of the "Marvel Family."

We remain loving yours,
George W. and Nancy J. Marvel
Some source information by: Christopher Marvel

Compiled by Rev. George A. Marvel: Wiley Marvel was the sixth child and fourth son of Prettyman, Sr., and Lavina (Rogers) Marvel. He was born in Green County, Georgia on April 1, 1806. Wiley Marvel's parents were both born in Kent County, Delaware, where they were also married, and where their two oldest children, John and Patience, were born. In 1798 they moved to Georgia, going by boat along the Atlantic coast. Here in the southland five of their children were born---(Comfort, Prettyman, James, Wiley, and Nancy. It seems that the Marvels were not well content in Georgia, and after about ten year residence there, they decided to move to the then frontier territory of Indiana, starting in 1808, and stopping en route for a year in Kentucky, where their fourth daughter, Elizabeth, was born, ( a fifth son, whom they named George Rogers was born in Indiana in 1815.) On reaching Indiana they settled in Gibson County, in the region between the Ohio and Wabash Rivers. Indiana was not admitted to the union of states until 1816 and this section was then a wilderness. In this wilderness the children of Prettyman Marvel grew up, and were of the type of frontiersman, who by their industry, hardihood, strength, and courage, have been the builders of slates and of the nation. The oldest son, John, was coming into young manhood when they began their sojourn in Indiana, but the other children were small, and memories of those hardships and perils incident to those times were stamped indelibly upon their young minds. Existence itself was a problem. There were no mills within reach and bread was made from corn beaten into coarse meal by a pestle in a log "mortar"--just a hole burned in the end of a log. Indian massacres were of frequent occurrence before the War of 1812, and settlers we often compelled to flee to the stockade for safety. Despite these rough conditions, Prettyman Marvel and his wife were pious people, having been converted and brought into membership of the Methodist Church under preaching of early itinerants. Their home was a spiritual "tent in the wilderness", being one of the first preaching in Indiana" when there was only one presiding elder and six preachers in the whole territory.

Notes for CHARITY FUGAT CLARK: The Clarks were of very early pioneer stock. They were French Huguenots. Protestants driven from France by the Catholics about the year 1615. They came to America and settled in South Carolina. In 1808 they emigrated to Indiana and settled in Gibson County.

The country through which they traveled was a wilderness and they were beset with many dangers from Indians and wild beasts. The children were carried all the way between beds lashed on a pack horse, while the older ones walked and drove their cows. They had lived on such food as they could obtain from the forest.

Scarcely had they become settled, a small patch cleared and a cabin built, when Grandfather Clark took sick with a fever and died. The two older boys, one of whom took sick with a fever and was down a long time and the other one killed by a falling tree, left Grandmother Clark alone with the smaller children to fight the battle of life.

During one of the Indian raids, just before the battle of Tippecanoe, while she was weaving a piece of cloth to make clothing for the children, a neighbor rushed in and said, "Indians are coming!" Grandma said she did not want the redskins to get her cloth and to cut it would ruin it, so she declared she would stay and finish it. The neighbor said if she would stay, she was going to remain there also. So they took turns at the loom and watching for the Indians until the cloth was finished. She however sent her children to the nearest stockade. One of those children was Charity (Clark) Marvel, born January 23, 1807.

No further information is available about this story.
We remain loving yours,
George W. and Nancy J. Marvel

Children of WILEY MARVEL and CHARITY CLARK are:

Child of WILEY MARVEL and CHRISTIANA BONNER is:

Child of WILEY MARVEL and SARILDA MARTIN is: