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Person Info

• Name: Alexander SAWHILL
• Sex: M
• Birth: 1777 in Ireland ^b
• Death: 19 Sep 1837 in East Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania ^d
• Burial: South Buffalo Cemetery, Pennsylvania ^u


Parents:

• Father:
  
• John (SAWHILL) Death: Before 1803 in Eastern Pennsylvania

Family:
Marriage:

• Mary NEELY on 28 Sep 1798 at Lancaster, Pennsylvania .^m1
  
• Mary NEELY Birth: 1776 in Tyrone Co, Ireland Death: 9 Aug 1854 in Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania

Children:

1. William SAWHILL Birth: 29 Aug 1799 in Bart Twp, Lancaster Co, Pennsylvania Death: 6 Nov 1865 in Claysville, Washington Co, Pennsylvania
2. Mary SAWHILL Birth: 4 Sep 1801 in Bart Twp, Lancaster Co, Pennsylvania
3. Elizabeth SAWHILL Birth: 17 Oct 1803 in Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 28 Nov 1884 in Cambridge, Ohio
4. Neely SAWHILL Birth: 2 Jul 1805 in East Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 5 May 1870 in Columbus, Ohio
5. James SAWHILL Birth: 25 Feb 1807 in West Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 18 Jun 1876 in Cambridge, Ohio
6. Isabella SAWHILL Birth: 27 Oct 1808 in Claysville, Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 10 Jan 1846 in Washington, Guernsey Co, Ohio
7. Benjamin SAWHILL Birth: 1 Oct 1810 in E Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 12 Dec 1892 in Sewickley, Allegheny Co, Pennsylvania
8. John SAWHILL Birth: 6 Dec 1812 in E Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 30 Aug 1887 in E Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania
9. Robert SAWHILL Birth: 18 Jan 1815 in E Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 19 Jun 1875 in Cambridge, Guernsey Co, Ohio
10. Martha SAWHILL Birth: 22 Feb 1817 in E Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 14 Jan 1857
11. (Unk son) SAWHILL Birth: 28 Jul 1818 in E Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 26 Aug 1818 in E Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania
12. Jane SAWHILL Birth: 22 Nov 1819 in E Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania
13. Alexander SAWHILL Birth: 31 Jan 1823 in East Finley Twp, Washington Co, Pennsylvania Death: 26 Apr 1891 in Peru, Iowa

Bibliography

Sources for birth and parent Information

date:

[Ref: Duane Sawhill 8/6/1994, SawhillDB SAWHILL p13, Shields SAWHILL p4]

abt 1777 [Ref: Ed Davis 2/16/2002],

place:

[Ref: Beers WashingtonCoPA p729, Shields SAWHILL p4]

Co Tyrone, Ireland [Ref: Ed Davis 2/16/2002],

father:

John ___ [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p13]

Sources for death Information

date:

[Ref: Duane Sawhill 8/6/1994, SawhillDB SAWHILL p12, SawhillDB SAWHILL p5, Shields SAWHILL p4],

place:

[Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p12, Shields SAWHILL p4]

Sources with Inaccurate death Information

date:

9 Sep 1837 [Ref: Ed Davis 2/16/2002],

place:

Claysville, Pennsylvania [Ref: Ed Davis 2/16/2002]

Sources for burial Information

place:

[Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p13]

Sources with Information about marriage to Mary NEELY

date:

[Ref: Duane Sawhill 8/6/1994, Ed Davis 2/16/2002, SawhillDB SAWHILL p4, Shields SAWHILL p4],

place:

[Ref: Shields SAWHILL p4]

Eastern Pennsylvania [Ref: Beers WashingtonCoPA p729]

Pennsylvania [Ref: Ed Davis 2/16/2002],

child:

[Ref: Beers WashingtonCoPA p729, Duane Sawhill 8/6/1994, Ed Davis 2/16/2002, SawhillDB SAWHILL p132, SawhillDB SAWHILL p13, SawhillDB SAWHILL p141, SawhillDB SAWHILL p145, SawhillDB SAWHILL p152, SawhillDB SAWHILL p48, SawhillDB SAWHILL p4, SawhillDB SAWHILL p53, SawhillDB SAWHILL p5, SawhillDB SAWHILL p60, SawhillDB SAWHILL p6, SawhillDB SAWHILL p7, Shields SAWHILL p5, Shields SAWHILL p6]

Research Notes:
Came to America with his parents, who settled in Eastern Pennsylvania where they died. [Ref: Beers WashingtonCoPA p729]

married to Mary NEELY, a daughter of native-born Irish parents, in eastern PA [Ref: Beers WashingtonCoPA p729]

1799 listed in tax records of Bart Township as Alexander Sawhill [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p1, Shields SAWHILL p4]

1800 listed in tax records of Bart Township as Alexander Saehel [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p1, Shields SAWHILL p4]

1802 listed in tax records of Sadsbury Township as Alexander Sahal [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p1, Shields SAWHILL p4]

Tradition states that the strong Irish brogus of these early Sawhills made the name very difficult to understand by the tax commissioners. The story goes further to say that the name was originally Sauell (this has never been verified and cannot be traced in Northern Ireland or Scotland). Alexander Sawhill became so provoked at the frequent misspelling and mispronouncing of the original name that he decided to make it so simple that no one could mistake it for anything else. There is no record of a legal change of name. [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p2]

Sep 28 1802: Naturalized citizen, Lancaster Co, PA [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p4]

Sep 28 1802: Naturalization papers Docket No 92; lists him as a native of Ireland, born in 1777 [Ref: Shields SAWHILL p4]

c1803: after the death of his parents came to Buffalo Twp, Washington Co. [Ref: Beers WashingtonCoPA p729, Shields SAWHILL p4]

1803: Just why Alexander Sawhill and his family chose to leave the rich farming region of Lancaster County is not known. Historians agree that although the Quakers were not unfriendly to the Scotch-Irish immigrants, they did not encourage this immigration. The State of Pennsylvania had been deeded to William Penn, and he in turn had deeded it to his friends many of whom made no effort to cultivate their extensive holdings.
These Scotch-Irish immigrants, many of whom had been tenant farmers in Northern Ireland, came to this country by the hundreds. Unable to purchase land and in many cases not having the means to do so, they simply took possession and remained for years. They paid a "head" tax only. Eventually the owners of the land exercised their rights and dispossessed these people. This resulted in a great emigration from Lancaster County in 1803, and is presumable the reason the Sawhill families moved.
In that year Alexander Sawhill had a wife and two children, his brother William was probably married although he had no children, and his sister Isabella was a widow with a small son. Presumably a family conclave decided the matter, and they joined with their neighbors in the long trek westward.
When the Sawhill families finally arrived in Washington County, they settled in Buffalo Township. [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p4]

after several years moved to take residence in East Finley Township, near the Buffalo Township line. [Ref: Beers WashingtonCoPA p729]

bought a 115 acre farm in West Finley Twp [Ref: Shields SAWHILL p4]

1808: At the July term of Court #107 of 1808 in Washington, PA, the County seat of Washington County, Alexander Sawhill took out his final citizenship papers [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p4]

1810 Census of Finley Twp, Washington Co, PA, p2, listed with four free white males under age 10, one age 26-45; three free white females under age 10, one age 16-26, and one age 45&up [Ref: 1810 PA Washington Finley 2]

Sep 1 1810: Deed Book I-V, Page 172, deed recorded Sep 11, 1810, it is shown that Alexander Sawhill purchased from James Leeper and his wife for $855.50 a tract of land containing 106 acres. This will be referred toa s the "Original Sawhill Farm" it lay three miles east of Claysville on a secondary road. He later purchased some additional acreage in 1826 which he deeded in 1828 to his sons Neely and William. [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p5]

one of the organizers of the South Buffalo United Presbyterian Church [Ref: Shields SAWHILL p4]

The United Presbyterian congretation of South Buffalo was organized A.D. 1811. The original members were from Buffalo (nor North Buffalo) Associated Presbyterian congregation. The following are the original members: .... John Milligan, ... Alexander Sawhill, ... William Sawhill. [Ref: Keyhole Jul94 SoBuffaloChurch]

will dated Apr 24 1837; pro Sep 25 1837 [Ref: Shields SAWHILL p4]

Tombstone inscription in South Buffalo United Presbyterian Church Burying Ground: "Alexander Sawhil, died Sept 19, 1837, aged 60 years" [Ref: Keyhole Jul94 SoBuffaloChurch]

name is spelled with one "L" on Alexander's stone, but with two on Mary's. Engraver evidently made a mistake in laying out the lettering [Ref: Shields SAWHILL p4]

---------- citizenship petition, September 28, 1802, Prothonotary's Office, Court House, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Naturalization Docket - Paper #92:
To the honorable, the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Lancaster, in the Second Judiciary District of Pennsylvania, hold a Court for said County the 28th day of September A.D. 1802.
The petition of ALEXANDER SAWHILL, a native of 1802. Respectfully showeth
That your petitioner is desirous of becoming a citizen of the Unites States, and enjoying the Benefit and Protection of the good Laws and Government thereof. Your petitioner therefor prays your honorable Court to grant this Petition, upon his faithfully complying with the requisite conditions of the Act of Congress, passed the 14th day of April 1802, entitled "An act to establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization; and to repeal the Acts heretofore passed on this Subject", And your Petitioner, as in duty bound will pray, Signed/Alexander Sawhill
The Subscriber being duly sworn accoring to Law, declares that to his knowledge, the Petitioner, Alexander Sawhill, resided within the United States upward of five years and more than one year in the State of Pennsylvania; and, as this Deponent verily believes during the whole of the above period, he has behaved, as a man of good moral character, attached to the Principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good Order and Happiness of the same. Signed/William Brown
The Petitioner being duly sworn according to Law declares, That he has never born any hereditary title, or been of any of the Orders of Nobility, in the Country from whence he came; that he will support the Constitution of the United States; and that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all Allegiance and Fidelity to every foreign Prince Potentate, State or Sovereignity whatever and particularly to George the Third, King of the United Kingdon of Great Britian and Ireland. Signed/Alexander Sawhill [Ref: SawhillDB SAWHILL p4]



Pedigree of Alexander SAWHILL
 /-----John (SAWHILL)
Alexander SAWHILL



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