Robert Strain, my GGG grandfather, was apparently born in Abbeville SC, and would have migrated to Highland Co., OH, through KY and Ross Co., OH with his father, David Strain, about 1808. Due to his approximate date of birth (1794?), the death of his father’s first wife (Nancy Montgomery?), and his father’s subsequent marriage in about 1893 to his second wife, Sarah Ann Watts, it’s not certain which of David’s wives is Robert’s mother. My inclination is to think that the 1893 marriage date to Sarah Watts is too early, and that all of David Strain’s children born in SC are from Nancy Montgomery. The 1800 Census shows only one female, age 16-26 in his household, which is most likely his daughter, Elizabeth, who did not marry until 1809 in OH. She should have been born about 1784 based on the 1850 Census, making her 16 in 1800.

The first apparent record of Robert Strain seems to be his appearance as a volunteer in the OH Militia for the War of 1812. Supposedly born about 1894, he would have just turned 18 at the time of the war. There are no other known Robert Strains from Highland County at this time, and as his father, David Strain, had moved to Highland Co. by the year 1810, it seems certain that he should be in this location at this time. Robert Strain served as a volunteer in the 1st Regiment (Col. Duncan McArthur’s) Ohio Volunteers and Militia, in Captain John Jones’ Company from May 1, 1812 to May 7, 1813. During this time, he would have traveled from Dayton, where the OH Volunteers congregated and were assigned to their regiment, north to Detroit and Canada, where is appears that McArthur’s Regiment spent most of the time assigned to cutting and building roads for the troops to pass through the wilderness. During this time there were several skirmishes and encounters with Indians. An excellent, short chronology of the War of 1812 for OH during this time is located at:

http://www.ohiohistory.org/onlinedoc/war1812/chronology/index.html

STRAINS from Ohio in the War of 1812.

There are nine (9) cards in Robert Strain’s CMSR. Four (4) are muster rolls, and five (5) are Pay Rolls, which roughly correspond to the muster rolls.

Muster Rolls:

1) Robert Strain, Private, Appears on a Company Muster Roll, dated May 12, 1812, commencing service on May 1, 1812, with expiration on May 1, 1813, marked as Present.

2) Robert Strain, Corporal, Appears on Company Muster Roll for July 1 to Sept 30, 1812, dated Sept 30, 1812, marked as Present. Date of appointment or enlistment is May 1, 1812.

3) Robert Strain, 4th Corporal, Appears on Company Muster Roll for Oct 1 to Dec 31, 1812, dated Dec 31, 1812, marked as Present. Date of appointment or volunteering is May 1812; To what time engaged or volunteered is May 1813.

4) Robert Strain, Corporal, Appears on Company Muster Roll for January 1 to May 7, 1813, dated May 7, 1813, marked as Present. Date of appointment or volunteering is May 1, 1812; to what time engaged or volunteered is May 7, 1813.

Pay Rolls:

1) Robert Strain, Private, Appears on a Company Pay Roll, not dated, for advance for clothing for 6 months, agreeable to Secretary of War’s letter dated 2d May, 1812, commencing service on May 1, 1812, paid $16.00.

2) Robert Strain, Private, Appears on Company Pay Roll, not dated, for May & June 1812, being an advance of pay, agreeable to Secretary of War’s letter dated 2d May, 1812. Commencement of service, or of this settlement is May 1, 1812; Expiration of service, or of this settlement is June 30, 1812. Time of service charged, 2 months, 0 days, at a pay rate of 5 dollars, for a total amount of 10 dollars pay.

3) Robert Strain, 4th Corporal, Appears on a Company Pay Roll for July, August & Sept, 1812, not dated. Commencement of service, or of this settlement is July 1, 1812, and Expiration of service, or of this settlement is Sept 30, 1812. Term of service charged is 3 months 0 days and Pay per month is $7, Amount of pay, $21.

4) Robert Strain, Corporal, Appears on a Company Pay Roll for Oct to Dec 1812, not dated. Commencement of service, or of this settlement, is Oct 1, 1812; and Expiration of service, or of this settlement is Dec 31, 1812. Term of service charged is 3 months 0 days, and Pay per month is $7.00, Amount of pay is $21.00.

5) Robert Strain, Corporal, Appears on a Company Pay Roll for January, February, March, April, May 1813, not dated. Commencement of service, or of this settlement, January 7, 1813; Expiration of service, or of this settlement is May 7, 1813. Term of service charged 4 months 7 days. Pay per month, $10; Amount of pay is 42 dollars 25 3/4 cents.

The next record found for Robert Strain is when he and his wife, Polly (Mary) Wilson, are accepted for membership in the Rocky Spring Presbyterian Church 2 April 1815, with their daughter, Betsy Ann, baptized on the same date. Mary (Polly) Wilson, is the daughter of Matthew Wilson and Elizabeth Caldwell. She would have been born in Abbeville, SC, and it’s not known at what location Robert and Mary were married. Some Wilsons from Abbeville, SC apparently migrated to OH with other families, but it seems certain that Mary’s immediate family stayed in Abbeville. Perhaps, after the War of 1812, Robert made a trip back to Abbeville, where he met, or renewed acquaintance, and married Mary. They would have both attended church as children at Upper Long Cane Presbyterian in Abbeville, SC.

On 7 April 1816, their son Andrew Thompson (Turner in the session book transcription) is baptized at Rocky Spring Presbyterian Church. Then, on 21 Oct 1816, they are dismissed from the church and return to Abbeville, SC where they are found adjacent to Mary’s father, Matthew Wilson, in the 1820 Census. The enumeration shows 2 males under 10, 2 males 26-45, 2 females under 10, and 1 female 16-26. It’s unknown who the second older male is, but the census supports a birth date of 1793 or earlier for Robert, and 1794 or later for Mary.

Robert Strain appears as a neighbor to Hugh Reid for Reid’s land plat on Park’s Creek dated 26 Nov 1822. Adjacent to Robert are Hugh Kirkwood (his brother-in-law) and A. Stephenson, with other names adjacent to the Reid land being Allen Miller, Wm McCombs, Robert Crawford and Wm Leslie. Both Robert’s and Hugh’s lands appear to be just north of their father-in-law, Matthew Wilson, although most of the Strain land from a generation before was located south of where Mathew Wilson owned land.

Robert Strain dies prior to 6 Nov 1824, when Letters of Administration are granted to Robert Wilson (Mary’s brother) at Abbeville Co., SC. Notice is read at Upper Long Cane Presbyterian Church on 21 Nov 1824, and his estate is inventoried on 14 Dec 1824, and sold at auction the same day. Annual accounts are returned for 1824, 1825 and 1826, and the estate is recorded in 1832.

Mary "Polly" Wilson Strain, is mentioned in the estate sale and annual accounts of her deceased husband Robert, and apparently keeps some land after his death. She leaves a will dated 7 Feb 1833, in which she names two minor children, James and Mathew H, although she does not name her "three adult children." It appears from the Wilson family history and tradition that Mary died from consumption (tuberculosis).

The older three children, Betsey Ann, Andrew Thompson, Eliza Jane, with two blanks left for the remaining two known minor children appear in a suit filed for Robert’s father, David Strain, after his death when the lands need to be sold to pay debts. Robert’s cousin, John R. Strain, filed this suit in Highland Co., OH during the April 1825 term. The suit is not settled until 1833 when the lands are finally paid for, then deeded to the various heirs, by the previous owner, Rev. James Hoge, and his wife, Jane. There is no record of Robert’s children ever receiving anything from the settlement of this estate land sale, though an uncle represented them, as minor heirs. Most of the children of David Strain that were still in Highland Co. received a share of the land.

I believe that a "Nancy Strain" is actually Mary Strain in the 1830 Census in Abbeville, SC, as the genders and ages seem to match the family after Robert’s death, although she could have been living with her father, or other relatives.

Robert and Mary Strain’s children are:

Elizabeth Ann Strain, (b. ca. 1815 – d. 11 Oct. 1839 in 25th year of age), never married

Andrew Thompson Strain, (b. ca. 1816 – d. 22 Oct. 1856), never married

Nancy Jane Strain, (b. 26 Jan 1818, d. abt. 1874) m. William Bowie

James Madison Strain, (b. 20 June 1820, d. 26 June 1896) m. Caroline Robinson

Mathew Harvey Strain, (b. 15 Sept 1823, d. 21 July 1895) m. Mary Eliza Kyle

FURTHER DESCENDANTS of Robert Strain

Robert was apparently a Cooper (woodworker), as well as a farmer and shoemaker. Items for all of these professions are found in his estate inventory and sale. Matthew Wilson, his father-in-law, purchases most of Robert’s estate. Mr. Wilson was certainly purchasing items for his daughter, as the items appear in her estate when she dies, and there is a note that she pays for said items in the return.

Other interesting insights into this family include the fact that they owned books, a sign of significant literacy, and that they owned three sets of dishes. One set was their daily "stoneware " a second was "tin and pewter ware," and the third was "Delph ware, knives, forks, &c." showing a reasonable culture for having a nice set of china to entertain with. I also notice that they owned 8 chairs for a family of 7, and a "large pine table." As there was also a woman’s saddle, Mary must have traveled to visit friends and relatives by horse, instead of walking. I also have to mention that they owned a coffee mill.

Robert Strain Bonds, Administration, and Estate Sale.

Mary Strain Will, Estate Sale, annual accounts.

Upper Long Cane Cemetery, showing monuments and fieldstones for Robert and Mary Strain.