Surname Notes > Any Orr > Isabelle and Elizabeth Orr

Donna Jean & Bob FORD, 17 Nov 2011

Arthur ORR the Elder's children:

Conjecture (no actual proof, but various facts support our conclusion that Arthur ORR the Elder had daughters Isabella (who married James HUTTON) and Elizabeth (who married John REID). 

-- Arthur ORR Senior (son of Arthur ORR the Elder) had daughters that were all accounted for in his will and settlement records and supporting guardianship records for his grandchildren.  Those documents prove that Isabella and Eleanor were not daughters of Arthur ORR Senior.  No other ORRs besides Arthur ORR the Elder and his descendants were in Washington County that could have been related to Isabella ORR or Elizabeth ORR.  Arthur ORR the Elder's son John was born about 1753, but he did not get married until 21 Jun 1787 in Washington County, VA.  Arthur ORR the Elder's 3rd son William was born about 1765, thus he was too young to have had any of the daughters we have said were Arthur ORR the Elder's daughters as those daughters were all married by 1797. 

-- 1790 Census of Tyrone Twp., York Co., PA for Arthur ORR the Elder: 1 male (Arthur) and 3 females.   Possibly Arthur's wife plus Eleanor and Isabelle, both of which did not get married until 1797 and were probably both born after 1767.  Eleanor and Isabelle were both married by Rev. Edward CRAWFORD who was a pastor of Glade Spring Presbyterian Church in Washington Co., VA. 

-- Eleanor ORR was mentioned in the Administration Account of the estate of Margaret REED (dau. of Arthur ORR, the Elder), 27 Mar 1794.  Payments & Disbursements included  Eleanor ORR.  (Margaret REED file, York Co., PA courthouse).

-- Eleanor ORR married Matthew LONGWELL 14 Sep 1797 in Washington Co., VA.  Eleanor died before 1801 as Matthew married 2nd, Margery REID on 22 May 1800 in Washington Co., VA.  [D.E. Brown's marriage book has Margery's name as Mary which is incorrect.]

-- John ORR (son of Arthur ORR the Elder) and his wife "Jennett" (Jane) sold 4 1/2 acres (part of the same tract where John lived in Washington Co., VA) to Matthew LONGWELL on 22 Oct 1798. 

-- James HUTTON & Isabelle ORR named their 1st son John (born 11 Oct 1797) and 2nd son Arthur (born 17 Jan 1800).  Most of Arthur ORR the Elder and Arthur ORR Senior's daughters had early sons that were named Arthur, thus the daughters seem to have made sure that they had a son named Arthur. 

-- John REID & Elizabeth ORR named one of their earliest sons Arthur (born 26 Aug 1785).  

-- There is solid proof that Margaret ORR, another daughter of Arthur ORR the Elder, married a different John REED in PA.  When Margaret's husband John REED died (in Tyrone Twp., York (now Adams) Co., PA), she renounced being John's Administrator and wrote that "my brother Arthur ORR [Arthur ORR Senior] of Huntington Township" be granted letters of administration, which was granted.  The renunciation was filed 21 Apr 1790.  (John REED file, York Co., PA courthouse).

-- John & Margaret REED had 4 children named Jane, Hugh, Arthur & John. 

--  John & Elizabeth REID had at least 7 children, 4 of them were also named Jane, Hugh, Arthur & John. 

-- James REID (father of the John REID who married Elizabeth ORR) had a tract adjoining Arthur ORR Senior in Tyrone Twp., York County.  James REID also moved to Washington Co., VA and also had a tract adjoining both of Arthur ORR Senior's tracts in Washington County.

-- The Margery REID who married Matthew LONGWELL was the daughter of the above James REID (proof: Will of James REID, 01 Jun 1814, Washington Co., VA Will Book 4:212-213, Recorded 18 Feb 1817). 

-- 1790 Census of Tyrone Twp., York Co., PA for James "REED" (James and one other male over 16, plus 4 females). 

-- 1800 Census of Tyrone Twp., Adams Co., PA (Adams Co. was formed from York Co. in 1800) -- no ORRs and no REED/REIDs. 

-- John ORR (son of Arthur ORR the Elder) to John REID for 66 pounds, 13 shillings, 4 pence -- 103 acres on a branch of the Middle Fork of the Holston River granted to said John ORR by patent dated 05 Jul 1785.  Deed dated 15 Aug 1786.  Bounds: Thomas MONTGOMERY, dividing line between said ORR & REID, Collin CRILLEY.   Recorded 15 Aug 1786.  (Washington County, VA Deed Book 1:37). 

-- We are currently researching the probability that there is another daughter of Arthur ORR the Elder named Catharine who married William DICKSON/DIXON.  Both are buried in Glade Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery (William DICKSON, died 29 Apr 1838, age 82y 27d and Catharine DICKSON was born 11 Sep 1762 & died 28 Aug 1803 [source: "High on a Windy Hill," page 179] ).  William DICKSON's sisters Jane married John HUTTON and Sarah married James HUTTON who were sons of Leonard HATTON/HUTTON of Huntington Twp., York (now Adams) Co., PA.  The PA DICKSONs were neighbors of John SPEER whose son James married Jane ORR, another daughter of Arthur ORR the Elder.  Arthur ORR the Elder and his son Arthur ORR Senior owned adjoining tracts in Tyrone & Huntington Townships on Bermudian Creek which formed the boundary between the two townships.  The ORR's tracts were between the DICKSON/SPEER tracts to the northwest and the HATTON/HUTTON tracts to the southeast.  Various tracts separated the ORR tracts from the others.  All of Arthur ORR the Elder's known children (except Margaret (ORR) REED) moved to Washington Co., VA.  John HUTTON (father of the James HUTTON who married Isabella ORR) bought land from Humphrey BAKER on Baker's Creek (now called Hutton Creek) in eastern Washington County.  John & Jane HUTTON sold the western part of Humphrey's old tract to the above William DICKSON.  Another daughter of Arthur ORR the Elder, Martha ORR married John McCALL (son of Thomas McCALL).  John & Thomas had land in Tyrone Twp. in PA and both moved to Washington Co., VA.  John McCALL bought various tracts of land in the upper Baker's Creek area, some of which bordered Wm. DICKSON and the HUTTONs.  James & Sarah HUTTON bought a 250 acre tract on Cedar Creek in 1785 that bordered a 402 acre tract that Arthur ORR Senior later bought in 1795.  Arthur ORR the Elder's daughter Mary and her husband Wm. STEWART also bought 230 acres in 1786 that bordered James & Sarah HUTTON's 250 acre tract. 

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William & Catharine (ORR) DICKSON had a son named Arthur (most likely named after Arthur ORR the Elder, Catharine's father).  Arthur DICKSON was not named in Wm.'s Administrator's Account (Washington Co., VA Will Book 8:145-146) when Wm. passed away, but the following entry in Wm.'s Account helps prove that Arthur DICKSON (who passed away in 1823 in Indiana) was Wm.'s son: 

"Dec 16, 1839 -- To cash paid James DICKSON, Attorney for Geo. L. FARIS & others ... $292.55" (a distributive share).

The above George L. FARIS was Arthur DICKSON's son-in-law.  Arthur DICKSON was deceased and Arthur's wife Sarah (who was still living in 1838) was not a legal heir of Wm. DICKSON.  Therefore Arthur DICKSON's inheritance would pass down to his children, one of which was Catharine DICKSON who married George L. FEARIS.  If Catharine (DICKSON) FEARIS was not alive, her inheritance would pass down to her children.

Arthur DICKSON married [Sarah] "Sally" SMITH [dau. of Jonas & Mary (KINCANNON) SMITH/SMYTH] on 04 Sep 1806 in WC (by James HARPER).  ["The Marriages of Washington Co., VA, 1781-1853" (1993), by D.E. BROWN, page 15.] 

The Fayette Co., Indiana Will of Arthur's widow, Sarah DIXON [DICKSON], dated 27 Jan 1847 included the following:

 Item 1st  I hereby will and bequeath to my daughter Mary MOUNT wife of James MOUNT . . .

 Item 2nd  I will and bequeath to my son William DIXON . . .

 Item 3rd  I also will and bequeath to my granddaughter Sarah FEARIS . . .

Sarah's daughter Catharine married George L. FEARIS on 29 Jul 1830 in Fayette Co., IN.  As Catharine is not named in Sarah's Will she may have passed away.  Sarah's daughter Mary married James MOUNT on 01 Sep 1831 in Fayette Co., IN

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By about 1811, Arthur & Sally were living in Franklin County, Indiana Territory and by 1820 in Fayette County, Indiana ( Fayette County was formed in 1819 from Franklin (& Wayne) counties). 

Catharine DICKSON (daughter of Wm. & Catharine (ORR) DICKSON, married Robert CLARK on 22 Nov 1827 in Washington Co., VA (by Alexander McEWEN, who succeeded Edward CRAWFORD as pastor of Glade Spring Presbyterian Church).  [Source: "The Marriages of Washington Co., VA," (1993), page 12, by D.E. BROWN].

Robert & Catharine (DICKSON) CLARK's unmarried daughter Catharine Orr CLARK, died 05 Mar 1864, aged 26 yrs., 5 mos., 28 days and is buried near her mother and her grandfather (Wm. DICKSON) in Glade Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Washington Co.  [Source: "Alphabetical List of Names of Known Persons Buried in Glade Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Washington County, Virginia, as of 1952.  Numbers after names refer to Master List of Graves", page 16]. 

This list has Catherine CLARK as # 338 (Catharine (5 Aug 1797 - 11 May 1888) would be the wife of Robert), Catharine Orr CLARK's grave site is # 337 (died 5 Mar 1864, aged 26y, 5m, 28d), William DICKSON's # is 336 (died 29 Apr 1838, aged 82y, 27d). 

Catharine Orr CLARK's middle name of "Orr" is noted on page 178 of Catherine S. McConnell's "High on a Windy Hill" Washington Co., VA cemetery book as well as page on 16 in the "Master List of Graves" above.