Samual and Francina's trek into the frontier
1st Wife
Francina (Bradshaw) Marrs (1742 - 1775)
1760 - Samual and Francina were married is a township called Chanceford in southeast
York county of Pennsylvania. Francina was 18 and it was two years after her father died.
Sometime after they were married, they moved in to Virginia. They appeared to have followed
the Wilderness Road which ran from York, Pa thru Lancaster, down through what is now I-81 down
western Virginia. Two years later, their first son, Henry, was born. By 1766, they had
their 4th child in Tazewell County. By 1773, they had settled into Thompson's Valley.
Other families that move to Thompson Valley include John HENRY, James KING, Joseph MARTIN, John and Archibald THOMPSON.
(See
Tazewell County Genealogy)
Tragedy struck in 1775 when Francina was killed during an indian raid. She was 33 years old, had nine
children, the youngest being one. Henry was thirteen at the time. He would not soon forget
who caused the death of his mother. Henry became a fierce indian fighter. The indians named him
"Big Creek".
In a letter that presents a "surmise" from a VA genealogist that
may add a little more information to Samuel's and Francina's "trek" from PA to
VA:
Letter: George West Diehl, genealogist of the Rockbridge Historical Society,
Dundee Plantation, R3 Lexington, VA 24450
"He and Francina Bradshaw were married in PA and lived there for possibly 7 or
8 years, during which time their first 5 children were born. About 1768, they
migrated southward and settled for a time in Augusta county, (became
Rockbridge 1778). Here 3 sons Samuel W., William and John were born. Very
shortly after the birth of John, the family migrated to Thompson’s Valley
where James was born 1774. The next year Francina died (1775). A few years
later, Samuel married the Widow Fowler.
Note: Elizabeth Fowler was made administrator of the estate of Samuel Fowler
deceased, 3/17/1778 in the Washington Co. Court. Then, on 3/21/1780, James
Dyshart was designated as the guardian for Mary and Samuel Fowler (orphans of
Samuel Fowler). Perhaps, this is the family of "Widow Fowler, and this Mary
was the girl Christopher Marrs married 2/10/1787."
Children
Henry Marrs b. July 6, 1762 - Virginia?
Phyllis (Marrs) Wynne b. Sept. 20, 1763 - Virginia ?
Elizabeth (Marrs) Owens b. Dec. 20, 1764 - Virginia ?
Christopher Marrs b. Feb 14, 1766 - Tazewell County, Virginia ?
Ruth (Marrs) Alderson b. Oct 13, 1767 - Virginia ?
Samual Wayne Marrs b. March 31, 1769 - Augusta County, Virginia
William B Marrs b. Oct. 13, 1770 - Augusta County, Virginia
John Marrs b. 1772 - Augusta County, Virginia
James Marrs b. March 14, 1774 - Montgomery County, Virginia
2nd Wife
Letitia (Kerr) Marrsb. 1745
3rd Wife
Elizabeth (Fowler) Marrsb. 1740
Children
Josiah Marrs b. 1781
Abigail Marrsb. 1785
