George Hoover (ca 1766—1847)

George² Hoover (Andrew¹) was born circa 1766, most likely in Frederick (now Washington) County, Maryland in the Leitersburg—Ringgold—Hagerstown area.¹ He died 20 May 1847 in Union Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.²

He probably came to the Fayette County area with his father and older brother sometime around 1779. When his father died in 1784, George inherited a piece of his father’s Union Township property as did his brothers John and Jacob.³  By various conveyances, he also came into possession of the land his brother Andrew Hoover and brother-in-law John Hunsaker purchased of John Waller. He sold 11 acres from this property to Jacob Herbaugh in 1796.⁴

George lived in Union Township all his life, a resident on a “parcel of land, devised to him by his father, Andrew Hoover deceased,… nearly all his life, upwards of 50 years.”⁵ George first appears in tax records for Union Township in 1787 and is still there in 1788 and 1789.⁶ The 1790 U.S. census also includes George as a head of household in Union Township with one male over 16 and 2 females.⁷ These females may possibly be his mother Catharine and older, unmarried, sister Anna.

Presumably, George married sometime after the 1790 census, quite possibly after 1796 when he sold land to Jacob Herbaugh as there is no mention of a wife in the deed.⁸ In 1800, George is still a head of household in Union Township, this time aged 26-44 with the following other members of his household:⁹

• 1 Male, age  <10
• 1 Female, age 26-44
• 1 Female, age 16-25
• 2 Females, aged <10

The youngest members of his household are quite likely his children. The two older females are most likely his wife and possibly his sister Anna, assuming she had not married. His mother had likely passed away by this time. His wife is first named in a deed from 1810 where George Hoover and wife Rosannah sold part of a lot in Uniontown to William Sullivan on 4 Jul 1810.¹⁰ They had purchased his lot from Elijah Tracy and his wife Catherine in 1809.¹¹ The couple also sold land from his father’s estate to George’s brother (presumably) John Hoover in 1811.¹²

George and family appear in the 1810 census for Union Township, as follows:¹³

• 1 Male, age 26-44
• 1 Male, age <10
• 1 Female, age 26-44
• 2 Females, age 10-15
• 4 Females, age <10

George appears as a farmer in Union Township tax records consistently from 1810 through 1825 (where I stopped looking).¹⁴ He’s also there for the 1820, 1830 and 1840 United States census enumerations.¹⁵ He died in 1847, but some of his children and grandchildren appear in the 1850 census for Union Township.¹⁶

George Hoover married Rosannah (___) circa 1796/7, presumably in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.¹⁷ Rosannah probably died sometime between 1830 and 1840, but definitely before 1847 as she is not mentioned in his estate papers.¹⁸ The couple had children, as follows:

1. Elizabeth² Hoover was born circa 1798 in Union Township. She died after 1852 when she was the executrix of her father’s estate. To the best of my knowledge, she never married.
2. Catharine Hoover was born ca 1796—1800 in Union Township and died before 1852 when her father’s estate was settled as her children were named as heirs. She married Joseph Downer/Downard circa 1820. The couple had children:
   1. Aaron Downer
   2. John Downer
   3. Jemima Downer
   4. Nathaniel Downer
   5. Joseph Downer
   6. Ann J. Downer
   7. Adventure Downer
3. John Hoover was born circa 1805 in Union Township and may have died 29 Dec 1870 in Howard, Park County, Indiana. To the best of my knowledge, John never married.
4. Sarah Hoover was born circa 1806 in Union Township and died sometime prior to 1860. She married Mark Smith before 1829. The couple had children:
   1. Eliza Smith, born circa 1829
   2. Rosanna Smith, born circa 1834
   3. George Smith, born circa 1837
   4. Martha Smith, born circa 1840
   5. Sarah L. Smith, born circa 1844
   6. Mary C. Smith, born circa 1846
   7. Emma Smith, born circa Jul 1850
5. Ann Hoover was born circa 1808 in Union Township. To the best of my knowledge she never married.
6. Rosanna Hoover was born circa 1806-1810 in Union Township and died sometime after 1831 and before the settling of her father’s estate in 1852. She had a daughter Mary who petitioned to have John Hoover as her guardian. Mary was born circa 1831 as she was 19 in the 1850 U.S. Census.
7. Mary Hoover was born circa 1806-1810 in Union Township and died sometime before 1850. She married William Carr and the couple had a daughter Jane who petitioned for John Hoover as her guardian.¹⁹ Jane was born circa 1834; she was 16 in 1850 when she was living as a member of John Hoover’s household.

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