David Drake was born in 1750 in Bucks, Pennsylvania. He and his brother, Thomas, were American soldiers in the Revolutionary War. He was married to Maria Margaret Hinkle in 1782 in Allegany, Maryland at the age of 32. His brother Thomas married another Hinkle sister named Sarah. David and Maria (Margaret) had seven children: Mary Ann (b. 1782), Sarah Sally (b. 1789), David (b. before 1793), Harriet (b. December 25, 1793), and Nancy (b. July 15, 1795), Nathan (b. May 26, 1797), and George (b. ci. 1799). Sometime around the turn of the century, the family (alongside David’s brother Thomas’s family) relocated to Holmes County, Ohio.
The Delaware River and Washington’s Crossing – Bucks County, PA
The original Washington Township Land Entries reveal much about the family patterns. From “Early Land Records of Wayne County, Ohio,” Compiled and Arranged by Richard G. Smith 1988, Published by The Wayne County Genealogical Society:
Section 4 of the Washington Township was entered as follows:
Nw160: Dan Buzzard 1817 May 3
Sw160 Thos Drake 1812 Feb 27
Section 9 of the Washington Township was entered as follows:
Sw160 Thos Odell 1817 Sep 27
Se160 David Drake Jr 1814 Mar 11
Ne160 Griffith Johnston 1817 Sep
Section 8 of the Washington Township was entered as follows:
N80Se David Drake 1833/1835
Ne160 David Drake 1812 Feb 27
When this picture is pieced together visually on a map you can easily see that Dan Buzzard and Thomas Drake entered adjoining properties; and Thomas O’Dell, David Drake, Jr. and David Drake entered adjoining properties.
The Ashland County Ohio Genealogy Web Project goes into futher detail about David and Margaret’s children:
1. David Drake, b. before 1793. Some records indicate a much later birth of 1805 (LDS Film#442774, Page#0015,Ref#06436; Film#458460), but these records must refer to some other David Drake. This David Drake, Jr. entered land in the Washington Township on 11 March 1814, with Griffith Johnson later bordering on the North and Thomas O’Dell bordering on the east. Clearly, this David Drake, Jr. was born before 1805! The above described David Drake Children Deeds of 1826 vintage are between all the other children of Thomas and Sarah Drake and the children of David Drake, deceased, presumably this David Drake, Jr.. If so, this David Drake, Jr. had three children named David Drake, Jr., Thomas and Sarah. However, those deeds are dated 1826. Perhaps the fact that in these series of deeds the Junior has been dropped from the name of this David Drake and applied to his son, suggests that the elder David Drake (brother of Thomas and husband of Sarah) had predeceased this David Drake, Jr. We have been unable to locate a death record of the elder David Drake (broth of Thomas and husband of Sarah) or his wife, Sarah.
2. Harriet Jerusha Drake Johnston, b. 25 December 1793, Allegany County, Maryland (LDS Film# 452863, Reference # 22320; film#458460) who married Griffith Johnson (as shown in the above reference deed) Moreover, it is reported that this marriage took place in 1813 and that the couple had 7 children and that Harried died on January 8, 1859, in Lowden, Cedar County, Iowa. According to a typewritten History of Nashville in the Holmes County Library, ‘the Drakes built the first Nashville community school west of Nashville with Griffith Johnson as the first teacher.“ Griffith Johnson had Land Entries in the Washington Township in 1817 and 1818.
Dans Rock Overlook, Allegany County, Maryland
3. Nancy Drake Odell, b. 15 July 1795, Allegany County, Maryland (LDS Batch #8483402, Source Call No. 1395859, Sheet 22; LDS Film# 442775, Page No. 0012; Ref#06074; Film# 458460) who married Thomas O’Dell (as shown in the above referenced deed and in Wayne County Marriage Records.) Moreover, Thomas Odell and Nancy Odell appear in the listing of Nathan Drake’s 1821 Class Book, from the Drake’s Valley Methodist Church. In the northeastern corner of the Washington Township is a famous lake called O’Dells Lake. According to an article in the Holmes County Traveler, Sept Oct 1990, p. 20, ”[A]s Holmes County was settled, the lake was renamed O’Dells Lake, after Rev. Thomas Odell.“ It is unknown whether Nancy’s husband was the Rev. Thomas Odell, or her son, or some other relative. But, according to the article cited just above, Odells Lake became one of the premier tourist attractions in Ohio so long as the railroads were king. It was reported in the article that among the many large groups that would meet there were General Sherman’s unit which held eight reunions there, often having drill exercises and mock battles! Thomas O’Dell had Land Entries in Washington Township in 1817 and 1819.
Holmes County, Ohio
4. Nathan Drake, b. 26 May 1797 in Allegany County, Maryland, (LDS Film# 452774, Page # 0013, Reference # 06437; film#458460)who married Miranda (according to the above-referenced deed). Nathan Drake is buried in the Nashville Cemetery (Methodist): d. July 18, 1882 85 yr 7-4. Miranda Drake is also buried there: d. Jan 22, 1871 71 yr 9 mo. Nathan Drake was a Sunday School Class Leader as early as 1816 and held this position for over 50 years. Members of his early class include Nathan and Maranda, Nancy and Thomas O’Dell, Eliphalet Drake, Sarah Buzzard (widow of George?), and a Mary Drake (could this be Mary Catherine, the second wife of Daniel Buzzard?) According to a typewritten Nashville History found in the Holmes County Library: “Mr. Nathan Drake, to whom we are indebted for many of the facts here noted, bought his land from the government at two dollars per acre. He was born in Maryland in December 1796-consequently he will be eight years old should he live till next December. His appearance indicated that he will reach more than four-score. He came to Ohio when quite young, has lived here on this farm for forty-nine years; for the last ten he has lived here in town. He married Miranda Weatherbee when about twenty-one and raised a strong hearty family of girls and boys… . He distinctly remembers the place where [Nashville] stands when it was covered with trees and underbrush, and says he has chased many a deer from this spot. He has seen and been with the Indians in their camp when they would rest on a journey to Green Township and Jeromesville. Before Cornelius Quick built the grist mill at Lakeville, Mr. Drake and his neighbors had to go to mill on Owl Creek in Knox County on horse back, though they sometimes went down the Mohican in canoes and would paddle upstream with their cargo and to sell their grain they had the ‘delightful’ task of hauling it to Massillon.” Nathan Drake had a Land Entry in Washington Township in 1815, after he turned 18 years old.
Drakes Valley Cemetery, Holmes, Ohio
5. George Drake, b. about 1799, (LDS Film#442774, Page# 0014, Ref# 06437) who married Rachel (according to the above-referenced Deed). There is a 1940 reading of the tombstone of George’s wife in Drake’s Valley Cemetery: “In Memory of Rachel Drake wife of George Drake who was born August 30, 1801 and died January 23, 1829. Beloved in life Lamented in death In eternity doubtless blest.”
Most of the aforementioned members of the Drake family are buried in the Drake’s Valley Cemetery in Holmes County.
