1. ROBERT
1 W. WATSON was born between 1780 and 1790,
2 probably in the north of Ireland. He died March 1845 probably in Allegheny Township, present–day Oil Creek Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania; place of burial not known, perhaps in the Concord Cemetery, Allegheny Township—see
Concord Cemetery and Church in the Lytle web site for a description of this cemetery. Robert Watson married MARGARET HENDERSON 3 May 1810 in Allegheny Township.
3 Margaret (Henderson) Watson was born 1791 in Pennsylvania. Margaret died 12 February 1870 and is buried in the Concord Cemetery, Allegheny Township, Venango County Pennsylvania. Her tombstone reads: “Margaret, wife of Robert Watson, died February 12, 1870 in the 79th yr. of her age.”
4 Margaret was a daughter of James and Sarah (Park) Henderson—see the
Henderson web site.
In 1850, after Robert was deceased, Margaret was enumerated in Allegheny Township with her youngest child and only daughter, Susan Jane Watson. Margaret's age for this census was reported as 64, probably erroneously, because this would mean she would have been about 50 when Susan was born in 1836. Margaret and Susan were enumerated in dwelling #840. On one side of Margaret, in dwellings #838 and #839 were, respectively, her son John Watson and family and then a Martha Biglow, age 65, born in Pennsylvania, living alone (could she have been Martha Henderson, #8 of Hendersons); on the other side of Margaret, in 841 and 842, were her sons Zachary Watson and family and James Watson and family. And in 844 was another son, Joseph M. Watson and family.
Margaret Watson left her entire estate to her daughter, Susan Jane Lytle, who was also executrix of the will.5 Witnesses were her nephew David W. Henderson (son of David and Jane Watson Henderson) and James Henderson, probably the James Henderson also a son of David and Jane Henderson—see #9 of “Hendersons.”
Robert Watson's name, along with a John Watson, appears on the 1805 tax assessment list for Allegheny Township, Venango County. Robert was not in the 1800 census for Venango County. In 1810 he was listed in Allegheny Township: one male 16 and under 26 and one female 16 and under 26.6 In 1820, 1830 and 1840, Robert and Margaret and family were still in Allegheny Township.7 By 1837, Robert W. Watson had parts of three tracts (#80, #111, and #112, see below) of Holland Land Company land. In 1850, after Robert had died, Margaret and daughter Susan were living with in Allegheny Township,8 in an area where others of her Watsons also lived.
Robert Watson died intestate before 7 March 1845. On 7 March 1845 letters of administration were granted to Abraham Lovell and Robert’s son John P. Watson.9 Several quit claims in the name Robert’s estate list Robert and Margaret’s children and their spouses. The heirs to “the old Robert Watson place” (sons John P., James, Robert, daughter Susan, and widow Margaret) sold the land to a group oil investors from New York in 1865.
From Venango County Deed Book RR, page 387, instituted 31 July 1865, recorded 29 August 1865:
10
John P. Watson and Margaret, his wife [John P’s second wife]; James Lytle and Susan Jane, his wife; James Watson and Martha, his wife, and Margaret Watson, widow of Robert W. Watson, all of Allegheny Twp., Venango County, and Robert Watson [a grandson of Robert W. Watson] and Harriett, his wife of Medina Co., Ohio, convey to a group of men from New York, the Watson farm of Allegheny Twp., it being part of Tracts #80, #111 and #112 of the Holland Land Company Lands which was conveyed to Robert W. Watson by Isaac M. Tyson on June 12, 1837. This deed is dated July 31, 1865 for consideration of $8,000. [At that time there was considerable oil excitement in that area].
Robert Watson (husband of Harriett) of Ohio was a son of John P. Watson; he was not the Robert Perry Watson, son of Robert W. Watson (#1). In 1848 Robert Perry Watson and wife Martha [Henderson] quit claimed to John P. Watson their rights to Robert W. Watson’s real estate—see under Robert Perry Watson (#5).
Children of Robert and Margaret (Henderson) Watson:
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2 |
i. |
John2 P. Watson, born 29 November 1812; died 22 September 1894 in Sadsbury Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania; married (first) Mary M. Luce; married (second) Margaret Watson. |
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3 |
ii. |
James W. Watson, born 29 June 1815; died 9 March 1887 in Evansburg, Conneaut Township [present-day Conneaut Lake, Sadsbury Township], Crawford County, Pennsylvania; married (first) Susannah McConnell; married (second) Martha McConnell. |
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4 |
iii. |
William Broadfoot Watson, born circa 1820; died after 1880; married Elizabeth Ann Holmden. |
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5 |
iv. |
Robert Perry Watson, born circa 1820; died 31 August 1869; married Martha Henderson. |
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6 |
v. |
Joseph M. Watson, born circa 1823; married Mary Jane Courson. |
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7 |
vi. |
Zachariah (also Zachary Hatton Watson, born circa 1826; died circa 1874; married Sinia Watson. |
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8 |
vii. |
Susan Jane Watson, (my great grandmother), born 1836, probably in Oil Creek Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania; died 22 February 1899 in Oil Creek Township; married James Lytle. |