David Strain was apparently born in Ireland, about 1752, and immigrated about 1760 to the Colonies as a member of his family headed by his father, John Strain. Passing through PA and Augusta Co., VA, where his younger brother, Samuel Strain, was born in 1762, the family settled near Abbeville, SC, in 1763 on a land patent to John Strain, Sr., from King George III that contained 400 acres. At that time, the area was known as either Granville or 96 District, and was described as on the waters of Long Cane, or subsequently on Calhoun’s Creek. This apparently was the second settlement of the Long Canes area after a massacre that is well recorded in the history of the Calhoun family. David’s mother’s name is not known (perhaps Hannah/Anna), but his known brothers are Capt. William Strain, Samuel Strain, James Strain, John Strain, and a sister, Sarah, who married Joseph Robinson and lived in Indiana. He also apparently had a brother Thomas. As there is a 1673 land grant to a Thomas Strain, near the land of John Strain, Sr., and the appearance of a Thomas Strain in Abbeville as a witness to a will after his brother is supposed to have died, there appears to be some uncertainty as to their identities in my opinion.  This is compounded by the fact that two Thomas Strains appear on the jury lists for South Carolina in the years 1778-79.

I have not yet found the record of their arrival to the Colonies on any passenger list, and would welcome this information from someone. They are said to have landed at Philadelphia in 1760, though I've seen earlier dates.

The first written record I have found of David Strain is his appearance (along with two of his brothers - Samuel and John) on the Administrator’s Bond of his deceased brother, James Strain, dated 25 Jan 1783, in the 96 District (Abbeville), SC. All three brothers sign this bond, allowing one to compare signatures of Samuel and David Strain to the Revolutionary Indent Records in the South Carolina Archives, which confirm that these are indeed the same two men. All three brothers also sign the Appraisal of James Strain’s estate on 1 Feb 1783.

David Strain served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and appears in the South Carolina Audited Accounts #7451, with an indent for payment as follows:

Due to David Strain for Duty pr Col Anderson’s Return L586:10/.

2 horses lost in Militia L179:-:-

Currcy L765:10/.

Stlg 109:7:1 1/2

Saml Strain (signature)

In addition to these notations, the actual indent indicates payment for two years interest, and is then signed over to Joseph Solomons on 20 Dec 1785. David Strain’s signature appears on the Indent when he signs his rights over to Solomons. The wording on the stub entry to the Indent No. 61, Lib S, edited by A. S. Salley, states "Issued the 3rd of June 1785, to Mr. David Strain, for One hundred & nine Pounds, 7/1/ 1/2 stlg. for Militia Duty as Private, before & since the reduction of Charleston also for two Horses, lost in Militia pr. Account audited. Principal L109..7..1 1/2 Interest L7..13..1."

David Strain is listed in the 1790 and 1800 Federal Census enumerations for Abbeville District, SC as follows:

1790

David Strain, 1/3/2/0/0 (1 M 16+, 3 M under 16, 2 F)

1800

David Strain 23010-00100 (2 M under 10, 3 M 10-16, 1M 26-45, 1 F 16-26)

David Strain appears on four land plats near Abbeville, all of which can be found in the SC Archives, as follows:

1) David Strain, along with Samuel Strain and Samuel McMurtry, appears as a neighbor when Thomas Harris records a 200-acre plat on 11 Sep 1784. (Plat Bk A, p. 121 at Abbeville Courthouse.)

2) He appears as a neighbor on Amos Ponder’s land plat for 184 acres on Calhoun’s Creek, 96 District, surveyed by Thomas Findley on 23 Jun 1785.

3) He appears as a neighbor on Robert Lukas Miller’s land plat for 327 acres on Calhouns Creek, Abbeville County, Ninety Six District, surveyed by Patrick Calhoun for Charles Holland on 1 June 1791.

4) On 1 Feb 1805, David Strain has a plat for 35 acres on Calhouns Creek, Abbeville District, surveyed by William Lesly.

David Strain appears as a buyer on the estate of John Montgomery, a neighbor to David’s father’s land. It is thought that "Agnes" Montgomery, who appears as a daughter of John Montgomery in his will, is the future wife of David Strain, though no proof seems to exist at this time. Agnes is a nickname for Nancy, and his first wife is Nancy Montgomery, by family tradition.

David Strain appears as a charter member for the year 1793 of the Upper Long Cane Society in the Society’s Constitution and Bylaws printed by John Taggart in 1832. At this date (1832), David Strain is listed as "dead."

David Strain and Samuel Watt ("my dear friend and Brethren") are appointed as the executors of the Last Will and Testament of John Strain dated 26 June 1798, in Abbeville District, SC.

David Strain, along with his brother Samuel Strain, nephew John R. Strain, and their families, migrated prior to 1810 (ca. 1808) from Abbeville District, SC, to Highland Co., OH. This migration is mentioned by Elsie Johnson Ayres in "Highland Pioneer Sketches and Family Genealogies" (1971) beginning on page 456 as follows:

"The Strain family settled near the Rocky Spring, in Madison Twp. Thomas, David, John and Samuel were all veterans of the Revolution." She continues with: "Samuel Strain was born in 1763 and survived until Apr. 29, 1845. He was living in South Carolina when he decided to move to Ohio. They lived in Adams Co. and in Ross before settling permanently near the Rocky Spring. He located his land grant across from the spring. In time he set up a cooper shop on his farm, the first in the township." She then states: "David Strain lived in the Abbeville district of South Carolina after the Revolution. In 1808, with his wife and family, he set out to join other members of the family who lived in Ohio. After crossing the mountains, they lived in Ross Co. for two years before locating their large land grant in the southern section of Madison Twp., where he died in 1824. The Rocky Spring Church was erected on land belonging to David Strain."

As a point of fact, the Thomas Strain mentioned here seems unlikely to be the brother of Samuel and David, as their brother apparently died in Abbeville (see above). This Thomas in Highland Co. was born in PA, and is sometimes mistaken as a brother.

Although Ayres seems to be mistaken regarding the Church being built on David’s land (it was actually Samuel’s land) and the year of his death (it was 1823) she seems aware of the family connections, and prior locations of the Strain family. The actual story that seems to be the foundation for the Rocky Spring Church being located on David Strain’s land, and the family’s migration apparently originates from Daniel Scott’s "A History of the Early Settlement of Highland County, Ohio." Originally a series of newspaper articles written between 1850 and 1880, they were collected and published first in the year 1890, and then subsequently in the years 1907, 1974 and 1983.

Scott relates the story of David Strain’s land, the settlement of this community, and the origins of Rocky Spring Church as follows, on page 132:

"The settlement commenced in the fall of 1805 by William Rogers and his brother, four miles below Greenfield on Paint [Creek], near the mouth of Rattlesnake, . . . This neighborhood was composed principally of Presbyterians and about this time they began to look about for a minister of their denomination. During the year [1806] the Rev. James Hoge, who had an interest in a large tract of land including the mouth of Hardin’s Creek, came to look after his lands and of course made the acquaintance of the Rogers settlement. Whilst he was among them they erected a stand in the woods at a fine spring on Rattlesnake on the farm where David Strain first settled, which was a part of the land then owned by Mr. Hoge. Here was preached the first gospel sermon, perhaps, in the present township of Madison, and from this beginning a church was organized which took the name of Rocky Spring, in memory of Rocky Spring in Pennsylvania, from which Mr. John Wilson came, who named it."

David Strain and his wife, Sarah Ann, appear as charter members of the Rocky Spring Presbyterian Church in the church’s session book for the year 1810. He also appears in 1810 and 1815 Ohio State Census enumerations and in the 1820 Federal Census for Highland County, OH, he is enumerated as follows:

David Strain, Senr. 101101-21110 (1 M under 10, 1 M 16-18, 1 M 16>26, 1 M over 45, 1 F under 10, 1 F 10>16, 1 F 16>26, 1 F 26>45)

He appears in the following order of neighbors: Edward Byram Senr., James Strain, John C. Strain, William Clarke, David Strain Jr., David Strain Senr., James Johnson, Andrew Cunningham. As one can see, he is listed in a long row of his children, beginning with his son James, and ending with his son-in-law James Johnson.

John R. Strain, nephew to David Stain, is appointed as the administrator to David Strain’s estate on 1 July 1823, with a note in the court’s book that a suit was filed during the July Term, 1833.? David Strain’s death is recorded in the Rocky Springs Session Book under deaths that occurred from 28 Sep 1822 to 30 Sep 1823. Subsequently, John R. Strain files a petition against the heirs of the estate for the sale of David Strain’s land due to debts owed by the estate during the April Term 1825. This petition, in addition to clearly stating the circumstances surrounding the purchase of David Strain’s land from James Hoge, names all heirs of David Strain as follows:

"your petitioner further states that the said David Strain died leaving Sarah Ann Strain his widow & Relict and John C. Strain his widow & relict Elizabeth Johnson late Elizabeth Strain and James Johnson her husband James Strain Andrew Strain Susanna Strain & Robert Strain (who has since died leaving Betsy Ann Strain Andrew Strain Thompson Strain Eliza Jane Strain [blank space] Strain [blank space] Strain his heirs & legal representatives who are minors) who have arrived at the age of twenty one years & Lucinda Strain Cintha Strain & Levi Strain Minors under the age of eighteen & twenty one years his heirs & legal representatives whom your petitioners prays may be made defendants to this his petition"  

As Robert and his wife, Mary (Polly) Wilson Strain had moved back to Abbeville where her parents lived, it seems likely that their cousin, John R. Strain, might not have known the names of the two younger children. However, he was at least aware that they had been born in the last 4 years, and was certainly aware of Robert’s death just a few months earlier in September of 1824.

I personally suspect the above children are listed in order of birth, except for Robert, as he is deceased. The abstracted version by the McBrides reverses the order of John C. Strain and Elizabeth Johnson.

The sale of David Strain’s land to his heirs and others resulted in clear documentation of the location of his land, as well as the proximity that each of his children lived to him, and is not finally settled with all deeds recorded until 1833. His descendants appear on later Atlases for Highland County as well. It’s not known for certain where David Strain is buried, though family tradition seems to say he must be buried in the Rocky Spring Cemetery, with the earliest reference to this location in a DAR application dated 1919.

David Strain was first married to Nancy Montgomery, who apparently died in Abbeville, SC, and then married to Sarah Ann Watts. The earliest documented evidence showing the name of his first wife as Nancy Montgomery that I have found is in a biographical sketch of his descendant, George M. Strain, in 1899, for Knox Co., IL.  Sarah’s name also appears as Sally Ann on a recorded deed for land. The date is usually given as 1793 for his second marriage, but I am unaware of the source of this information.  Early DAR applications state this year as the probable death date for Nancy Montgomery.  Based on the birth dates of his children, I strongly suspect that only the last 3 are actually children of Sarah Ann Watts, all born after his move to OH, but it is possible that the youngest 5 are hers. It would be unusual, in my opinion, for Thomas Montgomery to be named after the first wife’s maiden name, but born of the second wife.

Children of David Strain are:

John Caldwell Strain

Elizabeth Montgomery Strain m. James Johnson (Johnston)

James W. Strain

David Fletcher Strain

Robert Strain (b. ca. 1794 – 1824) m. Mary (Polly) Wilson

Susanna Strain

Thomas Montgomery Strain

Nancy Strain

Andrew Strain

Lucinda Strain

Cintha Strain

Levi Strain

[If you descend from any of these children, please contact me for more information, or to share information.  I'll be glad to provide you with all I know about each of David Strain's children.]

As a profession, David Strain was a cooper and a farmer. The most detailed glimpse into his life is by the appraisal of his estate at the time of his death, which lists all his personal belongings, as well as crops in and out of the field. His cooper’s tools are also listed attesting to his profession.

David Strain appears in the 15th Report of the National Daughters of the American Revolution to Congress dated October 11, 1911 to October 11, 1912, on page 165 among a list of 33 graves found by the Wah-Wil-a-Way chapter of Hillsboro, Highland Co., OH. This chapter has no record of where the grave was actually located at present day. He also appears on page 2836 of part 3 of the DAR Patriot Index – Centennial Edition. The most lasting tribute to David Strain is the appearance of his name on a plaque on the Highland County Courthouse, the oldest continually operating courthouse in Ohio, as a Revolutionary Soldier buried in the county.

DIGITAL pictures from Highland County