By Lance Revennaugh

August 2006

Casper Revenaugh
On November 30, 1750, Kasper Riffnach arrived in Philadelphia on the Ship Sandwich. By 1754, he had moved to Shrewsbury(now Springfield) Township,York County, Pennsylvania. He had bought 125 acres there named “Pleasant Walk”. On the warrant, the name was listed as Casper Ravennaugh. Other variations were Repanack and Rivenaugh. There are still Riffenachs in the Alsace area where Casper supposedly lived at one time.

On 2 April 1760, Anna Maria Riffenach, daughter of Casper and Catherina, was baptized. This information was from Jacob Lischy’s Private Pastoral Record.

A son, John Revenaugh, was born at this time. The date of birth has never been verified, but it has been determined to be during the late 1750s or 1760s.

In 1770, Casper Revenaugh bought 154 acres from Conrad Hogmire in Frederick (now Washington) County, Maryland. The property was named “Resurvey on White Oak Grove”.

On 17 April, 1774, Eva Catherine Ruebenach, age one month 21 days, daughter of Casper and Catherina, was baptized at the Old Reformed Church of Funkstown. At the same church on 25 February, 1781, Anna Maria Ruevennach sponsored the baptism of Anna Maria Schmitt, daughter of Georg Schmitt and Margaretha Sturtzmann.

It was around 1780 that Anna Mary Revenaugh married Franz Christian Huthman(Christian Hootman). Christian was a Hessian soldier(drummer) during the Revolutionary War who was captured on 5 January, 1777, near Springfield, New Jersey. He was released from military custody, probably in Frederick County since Hessian prisoners were housed there, in 1778.
Shortly after their marriage, they moved to a property that was on the Ohio County, (now West) Virginia/Donegal Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, border near Buffalo Creek.

In 1784, Casper sold his “White Oak Grove” property and moved to the Buffalo Creek area in Hopewell(now Independence) Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. There was a German community in that area. Casper bought 400 acres from Ezekiel DeWitt.

There must have been some problems with the transaction as the deed was dated 13 July, 1784, but entered at the courthouse on 7 August, 1787. The problem may have been due to Virginia/Pennsylvania boundary disputes or legal complications. Whatever the problem, Joseph Williamson placed a warrant on almost the same property in 1787 and sold the patent to David Williamson in 1788. According to tax documents, Casper and his family did live on the property from 1784 through 1787.

Casper then bought 200 acres in Ohio(now Marshall) County, (now West) Virginia from David Williamson and moved there in 1788. This property was located on the headwaters of Little Grave Creek about 10 miles south of Wheeling. Casper sold this property to his son-in-law in 1795. However, according to tax records, Casper and his family continued to live on the property until almost 1800. He and Catherine may have lived with their daughter Anna Mary and son-in-law Christian in the early 1800s.

Around 1800, Eva Catherine(Catherine) married Samuel Winter, son of Christopher and Catherine(Schaeffer) Winter. Samuel was born in the Dutch Fork Creek area of Donegal Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. Samuel and Catherine Winter were listed in the 1820 Census of Donegal Township.

Casper died on 3 December, 1803, and his wife died later at 95 years old. Anna Mary Hootman died on 20 October, 1804. They are all buried in the Hootman Family Cemetery on the Pennsylvania/West Virginia boundary line.

John Revennaugh, Sr.
John Revenaugh was born in the late 1750s or 1760s. He and his wife Catherine(Barnhart) appeared in Berkeley County, (now West) Virginia, in 1785.

John, Sr., moved around quite a bit in and out of the county(What is now Jefferson County was part of Berkeley then, and John may have lived in or near Shepherdstown, Halltown, and Harper’s Ferry in Jefferson County as well as Martinsburg in Berkeley County.)

John and his family moved to Hopewell Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1801, but before he moved, four children were born. John, Jr., was born on 12 July, 1785. Samuel was born on 9 November, 1790. Elizabeth was born on 28 November, 1793. William Little was born on 15 March, 1796. William’s middle name was Little because John and his family were renting from a William Little at the time. This property may have been along the Shenandoah River.

From 1801 to 1805, John and his family lived in Hopewell Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. In 1804, a daughter Christian was born.

Perhaps as early as 1805, the family, except for John, Jr., moved to Warrenton, Ohio, along the Ohio River in Warren Township, Jefferson County, Ohio. In 1807, another daughter named Delilah was born. John Jr. moved to Donegal Township in Washington County.

John, Sr. and his family lived on lot #7 in Warrenton. John lived there until the 1840s, when he died. His wife Catherine lived there until her death in the 1850s. In the 1850 Census, Catherine was listed as being born in Maryland in 1758. According to one Census, John worked at a job related to the River.

While the Revenaughs lived in Warrenton, all of the children were married. The daughters stayed in the area, but all of the brothers eventually moved.

John, Jr. was married in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1807 to Jane Glass. Jane was born in Ireland and made the trip to America at the age of seven. John and brother Samuel served in the War of 1812.

Samuel married Catherine Keller in Jefferson County, Ohio, on 13 June, 1816. He and brother John moved to Muskingum County after the War of 1812. Samuel moved to Michigan later.

Elizabeth married Daniel Higgins, Jr. on 26 August, 1818, in Jefferson County. Elizabeth died in 1822.

William married Margaret Keller, sister of Catherine, on 8 February, 1818, in Jefferson County. At one time William owned three properties in and around Warrenton. In the 1830s, he and his family moved to Indiana.

Christian married Jonathan Higgins, brother to Daniel, Jr.,, on 18 March, 1821, in Jefferson County. Soon after their marriage, they died from an illness or an accident.

After sister Elizabeth died, Delilah married Daniel Higgins, Jr. on 26 September, 1824, in Jefferson County. They lived next door to John, Sr. and Catherine in Warrenton.

Daniel Higgins, Sr., the father to Delilah’s husband, must have been quite a character. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and served in the Indian Wars in what is now the West Virginia northern panhandle. It was reported that, at the age of 70, he could outwork men that were years younger.

John Revenaugh, Jr.
John Jr. was born on 12 July, 1785, in Berkeley County, (now West) Virginia. In 1801, he moved with his father, mother, brothers, and sisters moved to Hopewell Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.

John, Jr. married Jane Glass in 1807. Jane was born in 1788 in Ireland. She and her family moved to America when she was seven. In 1810, John and Jane were listed as living in Donegal Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.

They must have moved to Warrenton, Ohio, by 1812, since John Jr. and brother Samuel enlisted for the War of 1812. Evidently, after the war, John and Samuel found land in Blue Rock Township, Muskingum County, Ohio.

In the 1820s, John and his family and Samuel and his family moved to Muskingum County. John and Samuel were original members of the Blue Rock Baptist Church, founded in 1828 near Ruraldale.

John died on 10 April, 1870, and Jane died on 15 April, 1853, in Muskingum County. They are buried in the Blue Rock Baptist Church Cemetery.