JOSHUA RHODES FORREST married MISS MARY BELLE BOYLE
History of Washington County, Pennsylvania, Vol. 3
Author: Forrest, Earle R. (Earle Robert)
Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1926
Pg. 567
In the annals of Washington County there are numerous names of the pioneer families in this section of Pennsylvania that have an outstanding significance.Among such families are the Boyles, the McConnells, the Wellers, the Gilmores, the Berrys and a few other collateral lines, families of continuing representation here and of which MRS. BELLE FORREST, wife of JOSHUA RHODES FORREST of Washington, and the present regent of the Washington County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, is one of the socially conspicuous representatives in the present generation.MRS. FORREST is a daughter of DANIEL BOYLE and a granddaughter of WILLIAM BOYLE, who was one of the early residents of North Strabane Township.WILLIAM BOYLE was born in the Noblestown settlement, in the neighboring county of Alleghany, in 1794, and was a son of HUGH and ANN (GILMORE) BOYLE, the latter of whom was the younger of the two GILMORE sisters, ELIZABETH and ANN, heroines of the Revolution.(continues to pg. 569)
MRS. FORREST, who is now serving her second term as regent of the Washington county chapter, was first admitted to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution on Nov. 6, 1901, on the record of JOHN BERRY.Since then she has traced her descent from seven other (pg. 570) Revolutionary ancestors, the last being ELIZABETH GILMORE BERRY, whose record has just been admitted by the national board of the society.ANN GILMORE, the younger sister, was with ELIZABETH much of the time she was in the continental army and it is known that she spent the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge.However, there are no state records of her service and the society will not recognize the claim.
MRS. MARY BELLE FORREST has the distinction of descent from both of these heroines of the Revolution, the intrepid GILMORE sisters, her paternal grandfather, WILLIAM BOYLE, father of DANIEL BOYLE, having been a son of ANN, the younger sister, and her maternal grandmother, ANNE BERRY McCONNELL, having been the daughter of the elder sister, ELIZABETH.MRS. FORREST is descended from six other soldiers of the Revolution, these including JOHN BERRY, the young Irish soldier of fortune whose romantic marriage with ELIZABETH GILMORE was so interesting an incident of their patriotic endeavors in behalf of the colonists; the two WELLERS, DANIEL and the latter's son DANIEL, both soldiers of the Revolution; HUGH BOYLE, grandfather of DANIEL BOYLE, her father; ALEXANDER McCONNELL, father of her maternal grandfather; and DAVID McCRORY, grandfather of her paternal great-grandmother, who married ALEXANDER McCONNELL.
MRS. FORREST was graduated from the old Xenia (Ohio) Female Seminary, a finishing school for young women that ranked high with such schools in the middle west.She was born at Greensburg, Indiana, and is a daughter of DANIEL and JANE (McCONNELL) BOYLE, the former of whom, a millwright, died at his home in Greensburg, July 11, 1857, when 36 years of age.
DANIEL BOYLE was born in Washington Co., Pa., April 8, 1820, and was one of the eight sons of WILLIAM and ELIZABETH (WELLER) BOYLE, the latter of whom was born in North Strabane Township, this county, a daughter of DANIEL and ELIZABETH (MECHIE) WELLER, who were among the pioneers of that part of the county, having a farm in the neighborhood of the old Chartiers Presbyterian church, long and better known in this generation as the Hill church.They both spent their last days here and are buried in the WELLER private burial ground on the summit of the hill just east of the church.DANIEL WELLER, who was a son of DANIEL WELLER (both soldiers of the Revolution), served as a private in the company of Captain John Gingery in the Ninth Battalion of the Lancaster County Militia, in 1778, and in Captain Abraham Forey's company of the Third Battalion in 1779.
WILLIAM BOYLE, paternal grandfather of MRS. FORREST, was born in Allegheny County, this state, in 1794 and was a son of HUGH and ANN (pg. 571) (GILMORE) BOYLE, the latter of whom is the ANN GILMORE above referred to.HUGH BOYLE, a native of Ireland, came to this country in the days of his young manhood and also was a soldier of the Revolution, a private in Captain Thomas Craig's company of the Third Regiment of the Pennsylvania line.Upon the completion of his military service he became a farmer and landowner in Lancaster County and there established his home, but later moved to Allegheny County.
MRS. FORREST'S mother, JANE McCONNELL BOYLE, was born in this county and was a daughter of ALEXANDER and ANNE (BERRY) McCONNELL, the latter of whom also was born here, Sept. 2, 1797, a daughter of JOHN and ELIZABETH (GILMORE) BERRY, the couple of young Irish patriots who cast their lot with the American patriots of the War of the Revolution.MRS. ANNE BERRY McCONNELL died at her home here, on September 5, 1855, and her husband survived her for nearly 20 years, his death occurring in 1874.ALEXANDER McCONNELL was born in Cecil Township, this county, Feb. 2, 1790, and all his life was spent here as a farmer.During the War of 1812 ALEXANDER McCONNELL enlisted as a soldier in this second war for American independence and on Oct. 2, 1812, was assigned to Captain Benjamin Anderson's company of rangers, attached to the First Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, which under Colonel Joel Ferree's command operated in northwestern Ohio in the decisive campaign there carried on by General William Henry Harrison, and it is through him that MRS. FORREST hold membership in the society of the Daughters of 1812.
ALEXANDER McCONNELL was among the soldiers who erected Fort Ferree, at the point now occupied by the city of Upper Sandusky, Wyandot county, Ohio, where 30 years before his father, ALEXANDER McCONNELL, SR., had campaigned against the Indians in the expedition carried on by the ill fated Colonel Crawford, whose terrible torture and death at the hands of the Indians and in the presence of the renegade Simon Girty formed the theme of many a doleful tale and ballad in the days when the frontier gradually was being pushed westward.ALEXANDER McONNELL, JR., assisted in the erection of Fort Meigs on the Maumee, constructed as a key position in the Harrison campaign in 1812, and continued to render servive until mustered out April 2, 1813.His grandfather also bore the name of ALEXANDER McCONNELL.The father was one of two brothers who came to the American colonies from Scotland and settled in Charlotte county, Virginia, where he rendered service as a soldier of the Revolution, and about 1780 came to western Pennsylvania with his two sons, ALEXANDER, JR. and MATTHEW, settling in Washington county.When in 1782 Colonel William Crawford was commissioned to lead a band of troops against the marauding Indians in the Sandusky country both these sons, ALEXANDER and MATTHEW, volunteered for that service and were thus with that expedition which in June of that year met with such distressing defeat and lost in so horrible a manner its commander.
Of these three children born to MR. and MRS. FORREST, two are living: EARLE ROBERT FORREST, author of this present history of Washington (pg. 572) county; and ALMA, the wife of WILLIAM P. HILLER of Crafton, a suburb of Pittsburgh.The elder son, DANIEL BOYLE FORREST, died at Kenton, Ohio, some years ago.
Pg. 563 -for full article, see book online
GEORGE FORREST had two sons at the time of his death in the spring of 1865: RICHARD and JOSHUA FORREST.
GEORGE FORREST was born Nov. 27, 1803, in Penrith, Cumberland County, then a part of Scotland, and was a son of GEORGE and JEAN (JOHNSON) FORREST, the latter of whom was born in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, a daughter of the REV. DR. JOHNSON, who was a Doctor of Divinity in that city and some of whose books now are in the possession of his great-grandson, EARLE R. FORREST, of Washington, and other members of the family.GEORGE FORREST (1) was a son of JOHN FORREST, a native of Scotland, two of whose brothers came to America in the 18th century, one of these settling in Philadelphia and the other in the south.GEORGE FORREST (1) died at his home in the city of London, Dec. 12, 1814, and his widow survived him for many years.In 1839, two years after two of her sons, GEORGE and RICHARD, had come to this country and settled in Allegheny, Pa., she rejoined them here, where her last days were spent, being buried in the old cemetery there, now included within the city limits of Pittsburgh.She was the mother of 7 children.
GEORGE FORREST (II) was 11 years of age when his father died in 1814.In due time he was apprenticed to a tailor and became an expert in this trade.His brother RICHARD at the same time was becoming an experienced marble cutter.When in his 23rd year GEORGE FORREST married and 11 years later, in 1837, he and his wife and their 5 children, accompanied by his brother RICHARD and the latter's family, emigrated to America.(pg. 564)After a stormy voyage of six weeks they landed at the port of New York and began the long journey by rail, stage coach and canal to Richmond, Wayne Co., Indiana, where they had determined to locate.When the party reached Allegheny, now a part of Pittsburgh, RICHARD FORREST'S wife and two of their children were taken ill and died, and they were buried in the Allegheny cemetery. The FORREST brothers decided to stop for a time in Allegheny and work in their respective lines being then in demand in Pittsburgh.RICHARD was employed as foreman of the Wallace marble works.GEORGE at first worked as a tailor, but later bought a tract of 300 acres now occupied by the city of Kittanning, Armstrong Co., this state, with the thought of establishing his home.However, he changed his plans again, sold this land and in 1847 moved with his family to Canonsburg, Washington Co.
Two years later he moved from Canonsburg to Washington.He died on March 28, 1865, at the age of 63 years.His widow survived him nearly 20 years, her death occurring, Jan. 28, 1885, she then being 79 years of age.She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.GEORGE FORREST was a Presbyterian.
It was on June 12, 1826, in Marlebone New Church, parish of Marlebone, in the city of London, that GEORGE FORREST (II) was united in marriage to MISS ALICE RHODES, who was born in the parish of St. George, London, Jan. 6, 1806, a daughter of JOSHUA and AGNES (MURRAY) RHODES, the latter of whom was a daughter of SIR DAVID MURRAY, fifth viscount of Stormont, and a niece of SIR WILLIAM MURRAY, chief justice of England and the first earl of Mansfield.The first viscount of Stormont was SIR DAVID MURRAY, who was knighted for distinguished service rendered the state in the reign of James I.JOSHUA RHODES was a native of London and all his life was spent there.One of his sons, JOSHUA RHODES (II), elder brother of MRS. ALICE RHODES FORREST, was the grandfather of the late CECIL RHODES, of South Africa.
To GEORGE and ALICE (RHODES) FORREST were born 9 children, the first five of these having been born in the city of London, and the others in Allegheny:
-ALICE, b. Dec. 24, 1829; d. without issue Feb. 17, 1915; m. HUGH BOYLE of Washington Co. in 1849
-EMMA, b. Feb. 17, 1831; d. March 5, 1922; m. Sept. 28, 1854 to JOHN HALLAM of Washington, by whom she had 6 children
(cont. on pg. 565)
-GEORGE RHODES, b. March 2, 1833; d. in Pittsburgh June 3, 1863
-HENRIETTA, b. Nov. 21, 1835; d. in infancy
-JANE, b. March 3, 1837; m. MATTHEW TAYLOR, of South Strabane Twp., this county; makes her home in Washington
-ROBERT RHODES, b. Oct. 12, 1839; lives in Washington; m. in 1869 to SARAH HAYES of Washington, and they had 6 children, 4 of whom died in infancy
-CATHERINE MARY, b. Jan. 9, 1842; d. without issue at Washington, Aug. 30, 1920; twice married, first to SAMUEL T. GRIFFITHS and second to JOHN MUNCE
-RICHARD RHODES, b. April 14, 1844, living in Washington; thrice married and became the father of 4 children, all of whom died in infancy; in 1865 RICHARD married MARY BUCKLEY of Washington, whose death occurred some years later, and in the spring of 1873 he married THERESA MILLS of Washington, who died in May, 1912, and he later married MRS. MINNIE MILLER McMELLION.
-JOSHUA RHODES FORREST, the youngest of the 9 children, b. in Allegheny, Feb. 21, 1847, living at Washington, which has been his home since the days of his childhood; veteran of the Civil war, a lawyer, formerly and for years a justice of the peace, a veteran building contractor, a writer, and a realtor of large interests.
Pg. 460
JOSHUA RHODES FORREST was born Feb. 21, 1847, in what was then known as Allegheny City, but now a part of Pittsburgh, Pa.His father, GEORGE FORREST, and his mother, ALICE RHODES FORREST, who were Scotch and English respectively, came to America from London in 1837 and settled in Pittsburgh.Shortly after the birth of JOSHUA RHODES FORREST, who was the youngest of 9 children, his parents moved to Washington, Pa., where they spent the remainder of their lives, and where the boyhood and entire life of MR. FORREST have been spent. (continues) (pg. 461 -picture of JOSHUA R. FORREST) (pg. 463) It was at Greensburg, County seat of Decatur County, Indiana, that JOSHUA RHODES FORREST was united in marriage of MISS MARY BELLE BOYLE.To this union, 3 children were born, two sons, DANIEL BOYLE & EARLE ROBERT FORREST, and a daughter, ALMA,who was born Feb. 20, 1891, and was graduated from the Washington Female Seminary in 1910.On Feb. 12, 1917, she was united in marriage to WILLIAM P. HILLER, of Crafton, a suburb of Pittsburgh.The late DANIEL BOYLE FORREST, who was born at Washington, Jan. 21, 1872, completed his schooling in Washington and Jefferson College and later became engaged in the wholesale and retail tobacco business at Kenton, Ohio, where his last days were spent, his death occurring there, Feb. 16, 1917.In 1890 he married MISS ELLA FRYE, who preceded him death.MR. and MRS. JOSHUA RHODES FORREST celebrated their 50th anniversary of their marriage.
Ever since his youth MR. FORREST has been interested in literature, and there is a large production from his pen, being widely known as an author of both prose and poetry...