Descendants of John Courson

My Fifth Great Grandfather

Generation No. 1

1. JOHN1 COURSON married GERTRUDE VAN TUYLE.

Child of JOHN COURSON and GERTRUDE VAN TUYLE is:
2. i. BENJAMIN REV.2 COURSON, b. Abt. 1748, Readington, Hunterdon County, New Jersey; d. Abt. 1820, Ohio.

Generation No. 2

2.  BENJAMIN REV.2 COURSON (JOHN1) was born Abt. 1748 in Readington, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and died Abt. 1820 in Ohio.  He married (1) UNKNOWN.    He married (2) SARAH ELIZABETH DUNGEN.

Benjamin Coursen moved from New Jersey to Fayette County, PA, sometime after the 1790 census.  The Coursen Family then moved to Licking County, Ohio about 1803 or 1804.
He was a Revolutionary War soldier and was seriously wounded while loading a cannon.

Child of BENJAMIN COURSON and UNKNOWN is:
3. i. CATHERINE3 COURSON, b. 1766, New Jersey; d. July 31, 1853, Marion County, Illinois. My 4th great Grandmother.*

Children of BENJAMIN COURSON and SARAH DUNGEN are:
     ii. SAMUEL3 COURSON.
4.  iii.CHARITY COURSON, b. Abt. 1776, New Jersey; d. Aft. 1832, Licking County, Ohio. My 4th great Grandmother.*
5.  iv.ISAAC SR. COURSON, b. Abt. 1779, New Jersey; d. Licking County, Ohio.
     v.BENJAMIN JR. COURSON, b. 1791.
*NOTE:  Catherine and Charity Courson were half sisters.  Both of them ended up being my 4th great Grandmothers.  Catherine married Alexander McClelland who were the parents of my 3rd great Grandfather, Isaac Josiah McClelland.  Charity married James Orr who were the parents of my 3rd great Grandmother, Jane Orr Johnson.

Generation No. 3

3.  CATHERINE3 COURSON (BENJAMIN REV.2, JOHN1) was born 1766 in New Jersey, and died July 31, 1853 in Marion County, Illinois.  She married ALEXANDER MCCLELLAND 1795 in Fayette, Pennsylvania, son of LT. MCCLELLAND and MARTHA DALE.  He was born 1762 in Wesmoreland, Pennsylvania, and died 1824 in Licking County, Ohio. Catherine Courson McClelland was my 4th great Grandmother. She is buried in McClelland Cemetery.....Marion Co., IL

After the victorious conclusion of the war, returned to Westmoreland County where he farmed  the 300 acres given him in appreciation of his military service. Here he courted and won the hand of Catharine, the daugher of Rev. Benjamin Coursen.
With his bride, Alexander pushed further west to Licking County, Ohio, and in 1795 entered land from the government, cleared the farm prospered and raised their nine children. (1) Isaac, who first married Sarah Welch then Mary Jane Collins.  He is buried in Licking County, Old Newark Cemetery

Children of CATHERINE COURSON and ALEXANDER MCCLELLAND are:
 i. MARY4 MCCLELLAND, b. 1797; m. JOHN MCCLELLAND.
 ii. MARTHA MCCLELLAND, b. 1799; m. ISAAC ANDERECK.
 iii.ISAAC JOSIAH MCCLELLAND, b. August 10, 1800, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania; d. March 19, 1881; m. (1) MARY JANE COLLINS; m. (2) SARAH "SALLY" WELCH, January 06, 1824, Walnut Hill, Jefferson Co., IL; d. 1848.
 iv.RACHEL MCCLELLAND, b. June 06, 1809, Licking County, Ohio; d. 1887, Marion County, Illinois; m. WILLIAM B. JOHNSON, December 24, 1826, Licking Co., Ohio; b. June 24, 1804, Worcester County, Maryland; d. January 29, 1886, Sandoval, IL.

Rachel had been born into the family Alexander and Catherine Coursen McClelland, who had left PA and pioneered to Licking County, OH in 1795. At least four of that family's members participated in the American Revolution. William, who had been reared a farmer, claimed the hand of Rachel and they wre wed in 1825. The farm they cleared was described in Ohio land records in this manner: "East of the forked Elm, south to the first bend in the crick west to the rock cliff by Brown's acres and then back north to the start."

 v. JONAS MCCLELLAND, b. June 14, 1811.
 vi.HENRY MCCLELLAND, b. October 22, 1818.
 vii.RICHARD MCCLELLAND, b. Abt. 1797; m. ASENATHA PATTERSON, March 06, 1803; b. January 16, 1806.

 Richard McClelland was born in Licking Co., Oh in 1797 and died in 1825.  He married Asenath Paterson born in 1803 at Saco, Maine.  they were the Parents of Samuel I. McClelland (1823-1910), born in Licking Co., Oh and died in Burlington, WA.  He Married Zylpha Carter (1827-1850) in 1848 in Cass Co., IN and had a son, William (1850-1922_.  After Zylpha Carter died Samuel I. married her sister, Delia Ann Carter (1829-1905) in 1851 at Galveston, IN.  She was born in OH and died in West Bend, IA.  They had 8 Children.
The second son of Richard McClelland was Isaac (1825-1888 born in Licking Co., OH and died in Palo Alto Co., IA  He married Nancy A. Charles in 1848 in Cass Co., OH and they had 7 children.  Nancy died and Isaac McClelland moved to Palo Alto Co., IA and married Sarah E. Power (1857-1920) in 1882 at West Bend, IA, and had 4 children.  Sarah E. Power was born at West Bend, IA and  died at Aroya, CO.

 viii.ALEXANDER MCCLELLAND, b. 1824.
 ix. SAMUEL MCCLELLAND, b. May 15, 1801; m. ELIZABETH ORR, May 04, 1826; b. 1812.

4.  CHARITY3 COURSON (BENJAMIN REV.2, JOHN1) was born Abt. 1776 in New Jersey, and died Aft. 1832 in Licking County, Ohio.  She married JAMES ORR, son of JAMES ORR and MARY DALE.  He was born 1771 in Worchester County, Maryland, and died 1832 in Licking County, Ohio.
Research by Mrs. McGaugy seem to indicte that James Orr lived in Pennsylvania until the death of both his parents and the estate was settled.  He then lived in the state of Kentucky and probably moved to Licking County, Ohio about 1817 and settled in Bowling Green Township, Ohio. Charity Courson was my 4th great Grandmother.

Children of CHARITY COURSON and JAMES ORR are:
 i. BENJAMIN4 ORR, b. 1798, Loudon County, Virginia; d. 1855, Linnville, Ohio; m. ELIZA DUSTHIMER, Licking County, Ohio; b. Virginia.
 ii. JANE ORR, b. May 15, 1798, Pennsylvania; d. 1872, Licking Co., Ohio; m. SEVEARN JOHNSON, May 16, 1817, Ohio; b. August 01, 1789, Worcester County, Maryland; d. March 22, 1846, Licking Co., Ohio.
 iii.JOHN C. ORR, b. 1802, Pennsylvania; d. 1872, Licking County, Ohio; m. LOVINA BICKEL; b. 1806; d. 1883.
 iv.PETER ORR, b. 1806, Pennsylvania; d. 1862; m. MARGARET DUSTHIMER; b. Virginia.
 v. SARAH ORR, b. January 12, 1814, Fayette, Pennsylvania; d. January 13, 1897, Marion County, Illinois; m. DAVID SHANAFELT, 1834, Licking County, Ohio; b. September 05, 1813, Licking County, Ohio; d. May 15, 1897, Salem, Illinois.

5.  ISAAC SR.3 COURSON (BENJAMIN REV.2, JOHN1) was born Abt. 1779 in New Jersey, and died in Licking County, Ohio.  He married JANE ORR in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, daughter of JAMES ORR and MARY DALE.  She was born Abt. 1778.

He served in the War of 1812, and moved to Licking County about 1804.

Children of ISAAC COURSON and JANE ORR are:
  i. BENJAMIN4 COURSON.
 ii. GEORGE W. COURSON.
 iii.PETER COURSON, b. 1803.
 iv.ISAAC JR. COURSON, b. 1817.
 v. HARVEY COURSON, d. Mexican War.  Killed in Mexican War.
 vi.ELIZABETH COURSON.
 vii.RACHEL COURSON.
 viii.ELIZA COURSON.
 ix. ALEXANDER COURSON, b. 1801.
 x. JOHN COURSON.


My Family Tree

groovin@charter.net