Central WV Genealogy

Revolutionary War ancestry

In the past few months, I have become more interested in Revolutionary War era research.  I am now an official member of the National Society Daughters of the Revolution, Clara Barton Chapter.  My entry as a descendant of John Rohrbaugh/Rohrbough/Rorebaugh was fairly simple compared to some that I have heard about.  I was able to use my copy of Rohrbach Genealogy, Vol. III to prove the earliest generations and then needed to obtain vital record copies for the more recent generations.

I have several potential supplemental ancestors, but will have a lot work ahead to prove my relationship to those lines.  Several of them provided aid during the war and did not qualify for a pension.  Footnote.com has some great resources and record groups related to the Revolutionary War, and I hope to be able to use them to learn more about these elusive ancestors.

Surname Saturday- Rohrbough

I chose the Rohrbough family as my first Surname Saturday entry because that is where my genealogy research really began.  Sometime in the mid 1990's, I became interested in scrapbooking.  A magazine article about genealogy research piqued my interest and I ventured out to my local library to see what I could learn.  Luckily for me, the Huntington Beach Public Library is home to a large genealogical collection.  Contained in that collection was the book, "Rohrbach Genealogy, Volume III".  That book has the history of my Rohrbough family line going back to Germany in the mid 1500's.  The book is a wonderful example of a quality publication with great sources for others to explore.

In 1965, my step great-grandmother wrote a history of her father's family and descendants.  Things get a bit tangled here--Ella Essie Rohrbough married Dr. Ralph Greely Cutright on 13 June 1900.  This is a photo of Ella:

A daughter, Ella Katherine, was born 21 September 1906.  Ella died in 1909, leaving Dr. Cutright with a 3-year old daughter.  Ralph married Ella's sister, Byrd Cutright, on 14 June 1911 and they were married until great-grandfather Ralph died on 14 August 1954.

In future posts, I will have more about the Rohrbough and Cutright families from Upshur County, West Virginia.  My father's side of the family were among the earliest settlers in Ritchie County, West Virginia.  I look forward to sharing many more Surname Saturdays.