The Hunt is On...Search for Adolphus Ames

Pictures of beautiful Liberty Township, Pennsylvania in the Port Allegany area.
The woods are beautiful. The river meanders through here west of the highway curling around in the back lands. The farmlands are green with Pennsylvania mountains in the background to the east. What a lovely spot along the road. I could only think of this as a nice place to raise a family in 2009. However when my Great great grandparents lived here it was very remote and you had to be self sufficient.
Adolphus Ames is my great great grandfather. I have spent many months hunting for his information.
Adolphus was born in New York state in 1809. Birth or Baptismal records have not appeared yet for him. I have a few leads but nothing is panning out. Adolphus married a Sarah Julia (last name unknown) in 1837. Their first daughter, Sarah, was born in New York state in 1838. Sarah grew up to marry Milo Campbell of Dane County Wisconsin but I'm fast forwarding...By 1840 the family was living in Liberty Township, Mc Kean (pronounced Mc Kane) County Pennsylvania where three sons are born, Ira Daniel (my great grandfather), Henry, and Andrew Jackson Ames.
There are other Ames living in Mc Kean County. One is Samuel Ames of Bradford Township, Cyrus Ames age 75 of Liberty Township, and Jospeh Ames living of Liberty Township. Joseph married Hannah and stayed in the area. Adolphus moved out of the area to Dane County Wisconsin in 1850. I think Sarah his wife died on the migration to Wisconsin because Adolphus died in 1854. In his probate, it said his wife had been dead for several years.
It is possible that Joseph Ames and Adolphus Ames are brothers. They each signed as witnesses to each others property. The properties adjoin.
There is a Roxania Ames living in Liberty Township who is married to a Joel Rice, a Methodist circuit rider. Joel Rice buys property from Adolphus in 1850 when Adolphus, Sarah Julia and their children leave Mc Kean for Dane County Wisconsin.
As for Cyrus I am trying to prove he is the father of Adolphus. I have searched land records, deeds, and town histories looking for the elusive clues. Cyrus Ames lived in Tioga County Pennsylvania in 1835. Prior to that he lived in Painted Post, Steuben, New York. I have looked in New York state also for a connection and found nothing in the land records. Cyrus moved out of Mc Kean County to Crawford County PA about 1850. Mayber they all were traveling together to Wisconsin. However, Cyrus' wife and daughter stay in Crawford County where I found some records of his wife and daughter with NO clues. I have not found Cyrus' land deeds for Tioga, Mc Kean, or Crawford counties Pennsylvania nor found any probate records for him. However, I have looked at about 30 books and about 50 films and found nothing.
After I came home from Salt Lake City this spring, a woman contacted me on the internet saying that Roxania, Adolphus, and Joseph were siblings and that their father was Samuel Ames and that they were Native American/German ancestry from Schoharie New York. This lead me to look at Schoharie NY records and I have found nothing which links these people together. She sent pictures of her Roxania and Roxania's descendents. In examining the pictures, I find that one of her aunts has the same pale complexion and facial pictures as my mother. The two of them share the same bone structure, lips, nose and hair line features........so there may be a connection. They look like sisters. Perhaps, Samuel is the father and Cyrus is an uncle.
I have been making a pest of myself contacting town historians and searching and reading town histories of New York and Mc Kean County Pennsylvania. The stories are interesting and enlightening, shedding so much history of the times. One would think that such a small remote area of north western Pennsylvania would yield more family history information. I know it's there and just have to find it.
Last summer in 2008, my husband and I traveled to Liberty Township or the Port Allegany area of Pennsylvania. Liberty Township is still very remote countryside and beautiful. We found Adolphus and Joseph's properties between the river and the highway. We saw lots of deer and porcupine in the area and thick trees.
We even found a beautiful old Methodist church which was re built in 1905. I tried to contact the church for records but to no avail.
This is an old Methodist church in Wrights Pennsylvania close to Liberty Township. Nowadays, the church is used for storage. On the front you can see the windows are cracked and broken but along the side windows some old stain glass windows remain. We peaked inside but could not see the altar or pews, just the storage area. Oh how I wish the stucco could talk.
Well I will never give up in my search for Adolphus and Sarah. I plan to be on the trail for this elusive ancestor until he wishes to be found. With one of a kind names like Adolphus and Cyrus, one would think they would be out there somewhere. Actually I have found two other Adolphus Ames' and a few Cyrus Ames' in my meanderings..............{I'm going to come back to this in a few days with more to follow}