The Cohoe and Heacocke families of Pennsylvania are identified as ancestors, through the marriage of Christiana Cohoe to John [Johannes] Ostrander in Ontario, Canada. The Ostrander Family Association has been an important resource for compiling information on the Ostranders and their allied families including the Cohoe family. Among the Ostrander records a well documented and extensive lineage for both John and Christiana have been constructed and preserved. Both families have origins in early colonial America and emigrate to the Niagara Peninsula in the last quarter of the 18th century. John descended from colonial Dutch settlers of New York, who are sketched elsewhere in these notes.
Christiana (Cohoe) Ostrander's heritage is in colonial Pennsylvania, where her mother's Quaker heritage is well documented back to England. The Cohoes have left fewer records detailing their early settlement; however they too are traceable back to England and Ireland. Ontario land records identified the Cohoe family, as "Loyalists" This is probably a reflection on the Quaker heritage which forbade them to participate in war.
Christiana Cohoe, the wife John Ostrander, is included in the research complied by Kenneth Totten of Ciwack, British Columbia in the 1970s. Totten has since died, but did published his research privately, as well as, an abbreviated genealogy in "The Ontario Register", volume 2 (1969). Totten is the primary source in identifying Christiana as the daughter of Andrew Cohoe (1741-1789) & Deborah Heacock (1749-1848), Quakers who settled in Upper Canada in 1787 from Richland, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Totten's work appears to be heavily based on a work produced by a Rev. Benjamin Livingston Cohoe, called "The Cohoe Family Tree". The date of Rev. Cohoe's work or the location of his manuscript is not quoted by Totten, though does suggest that he is of one of the Ontario families. Other sources identify her father as "Ambrose Coho", leaving some confusion as to his name [re: Heacock, Lee F.]. Land Grants place this family's residency in Thorold Township near Fonthill in Welland County, Ontario. Additional research is provided by Karen Warren, who produced notes for the records of the Ostrander Family Association in 1994.
The name Cohoe is identifies by Totten, as Irish; however, Coho or Cohoe is not readily found in Irish surname dictionaries. It probably is an Anglicized form of the Irish name Kehoe, Keogh. Totten's work has also come to the same conclusion concerning the origin of the name. He quotes a response from the Chief Herald at the Genealogical Office in Dublin Castle, Ireland in writing that, "Cohoe is a form which approximates very closely to the pronunciation of the Irish name Mac Eochadha...and it is likely that the spoken name Cohoe ca. 1740 would more closely resemble the original Irish than it does today." Warren also quotes Irish antiquarian, John Keogh, D. D. who has written of his family's name, "The Keoegh family was founded by Eochach or Eocha of the Irish race and it belonged to the Clanna Roy tribe founded by Heber Donn, son of Ir. Iochaid was the ancient name and means 'the speaker'. They held possessions in Wexford and in Roscommon, The latter clan were a branch of the O'Kelleys, princes of Hy Maine, Chiefs of Omhanach (late Onach) in Taghnaocell parish, Athlone Barony, County Roscommon".
Totten identifies Deborah Cohoe as a member of the Heacock family, naming her as the daughter of Jonathan & Susannah (Morgan) Heacock of Richland, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This appears to be well supported; however, I have not seen the evidence fully documented. Totten also quotes a record dated circa 1775 that states the Richland Meeting of Friends in Bucks County, Pennsylvania that admonishes Deborah Heacock for not marrying a Friend. The Richland record shows that Ambrose/Andrew Coho is not a Quaker and that Deborah is ostracized by her marriage to him. There is substantial genealogical information on the Heacocks, a yeoman Quaker family of long standing in Bucks and Chester Counties. Though none of the records have identified the Heacock or Morgan families as prominent, wealthy or particularly notable in local history, the large amount of material on them no doubt is due to the high level of literacy found among very early settlers, starting with the original emigrant Jonathan Heacock, who left behind a diary, letters and numerous public/church records. Clarence V. Roberts in his work, Early Friends, Families of Upper Bucks (1929) show that Jonathan & Susanna had a son Jonathan who emigrated to Canada West; however, the book does not name a daughter Deborah. Roberts list Jonathan Sr.'s daughters Sarah, Anne and Rachel; Jonathan's eldest children, mentioned in their grandmother Morgan's will. If Deborah Heacock is not Jonathan & Susanna's daughter, circumstantial evidence suggests she is certainly a granddaughter. Roberts' work on Bucks County history is not as comprehensive as Charles C. Heacock's extensive genealogy of the Heacock family, which does mention the origin of the tradition of the Deborah Heacock - Cohoe connection; however it does differ somewhat from Totten's account. The Heacock Family, includes the following passage:
Jonathan Heacock of the second generation and Susanna Morgan Heacock had at least six or seven children. Their son, John, who married Esther Pyle was born September 19, 1761. The three daughters, Sarah, Anne and Rachel were much older, as they were mentioned in the will of their grandmother, Deborah Morgan, in 1749. A son, Nathan, died young and another son, Jonathan, moved to Canada. Of the three daughters, T. Reece Heacock says: "One sister went with her brother John to Redstone, another went with Jonathan to Canada, a third went off and was not heard of afterwards by her relatives." A letter from Lee F. Heacock, who was preparing a family history in 1931, however, tells a different story. Lee Heacock had received 26 pounds of manuscript records compiled by a William Heacock of Philadelphia, who died about 1900, and Lee wrote: 'Incidentally, this record gives birth dates, etc. of about 1000 descendants of the four sisters of John Morgan Heacock (i.e. daughters of Jonathan Heacock and Susanna Morgan), who married and migrated to Canada, one in 1782 and the other three with Jonathan Heacock (their brother) in 1788. Ambrose Coho, husband of one of these girls, Deborah Heacock, died of starvation in the year 1789 in what was known among the Canadian pioneers as 'the year of starvation.' His wife and seven children survived, however - Deborah living to be 99 years old."
re: Heacock, C. C., The Heacock Family (1950), page 55]
It is not noted where Lee F. Heacock's collection now resides or if he ever published his work. It is assumed that he would be Totten's primary source for Canadian information.
Probably one of the most important records in sketching Deborah Heacock Cohoe's later life, is her petition to the Land Board to reassign her husband's grants in her and her children's name. The main issue of concern is Deborah's eldest son Asa, who appears to have been estranged from his family, as well as his country. In the instrument, Deborah's intent is to protect her and her children's rights to her husband's original grant, which Deborah and her children had improved together. This record provides us with the record of Deborah and Andrew's marriage, Andrew's year of death, Deborah's remarriage to Edward Topham and the story of Asa Cohoe's desertion from the Canadian Rangers. Land records further identified the land holdings as lots 166, 167, 168, and 172 in Thorold Township (Township #9) in Welland County. An addition Lot 173 was granted to Edward Topham. Karen Warren interprets the land records as, indication that this "...type of deed was a Free Grant which meant they were the first settlers on the land. Deborah was aided in the lengthy process by Edward Topham, initially a friend of the family and [by] 1794, her husband." These public records are abstracted by Karen Warren in her notes on the Cohoe family:
Minutes of the Executive Council (Lands)
Council Chamber at York 13th August 1799 Present:
The Honble. John Elmsley, Chief Justice
The Honble. Alexr. Grant
The Honble. Eneas Shaw
Read the following petitions.
The widow of the late Andrew Cohoe now married to Edward Topham. Stating that her late husband Andrew Cohoe, deceased, brought into this Province in the year 1787, a family of 8 children. That he obtained from the Land Board an order for 200 acres of land for himself and 50 acres for his wife and each of their children, making in all 600 acres, that of this quantity he located only 400 acres, of which 100 with the sanction of the Land Board was given to Edward Topham by a separate certificate. That Andrew Cohoe died intestate in the year 1790, leaving her with seven children above mentioned. That her eldest son Asa Cohoe enlisted in the Rangers, and after some time deserted and fled the country. That Petitioner is still apprehensive, That should a Deed for the 300 acres of land still in her possession and on which she has bestowed the labour of herself and family for many years, come out in the name of Andrew Cohoe, her late husband, that they may at some future day be claimed by Asa Cohoe her eldest son above mentioned, and she and her other children by this means be driven to distress. She therefore surrenders the Land Board Certificates for these 300 acres, and prays that the Deeds may issue either in her own name or be divided between her and her children - also pray-ing that she may be enabled to locate the 300 acres formerly promised the family by the Land Board. The heir of the deceased having left the Province, Recommended, that the lands heretofore given to Andrew Cohoe be granted to his widow and his remaining children as tenants in Common."
The children of Andrew and Deborah (Heacocke) Cohoe are listed by Karen Warren as follows, excluding the unknown eighth children, who must have died early in the Cohoe's settlement of Canada.
Christiana Cohoe
b: 22 Jul 1775; d: 01 Jun 1857b: Bucks Co., PN; d: Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
buried in the Old Ridge Road Cemetery, Eden, Elgin Co.
m: circa 1791/93; Welland, Ontario
John Ostrander
(08 May 1763 - 04 Sep 1851)
S/o Ysaak & Elizabeth (Mackansch) O.
CH: William, Elizabeth (m:Howell,John), Jane, Andrew (m:Buchner,Sarah), Catherine (m:Howell,Levi), Asa, Amy, Isaac, John, Ebenezer, Sarah, Rachel (m:Haley,Ebenezer),
Mary Ann (m:Smith,Benjamin), Henry B. (m:Brady,MargaretAnn)
Asa Cohoe
b: c1778; d: c1812
m: circa 1800; Catawissa Twp, PA
Keziah Lee
prob. D/o either Jesse or Nathan Lee of Catawissa, PA.
CH: John Lee (m:Kutz,Elizabeth), Asa (m1:Haines,Margaret) (m2:Philips,Margaret), William, Susan (m:Savage,David), Deborah, Helen, & two other children
Amy Cohoe
b: c1779; d: 1858
b: Bucks Co., PA; d: Ontario, Canada
buried in the Homer Cemetery
m: circa 1800; Ontario, Canada
Ebenezer Cavers*
(1765-1823) born Scotland
CH: Margaret (m1:Clark,Isaac) (m2:Clark,Joseph), Deborah (m:Smith,Samuel), Walter (m:Potts,Eliza), Elizabeth (m:Tyrell,JohnS), Isabella (m:Clark,Thomas), Ebenezer (m:Young,JaneAnn)
* Amy was the 2nd wife of Ebenzer Cavers. According to Totten, Cavers came from Scotland and was a farmer in Newark, Niagara by 1802 and a shopkeeper in Thorold. He was elected Reeve of Thorold and later Warden of Lincoln County.
John Cohoe
b: c1779; d: c1869
Mary Moore
(12 May 1789 - 12 March 1869)
D/o Jeremiah & Mary (Wildman) M.1
CH: Edward (m:Brown,Catherine), Deborah (m:McAlpine,David), Jeremiah (m:Moore,Rachel), Mary (m:Hill,George), Ann (m:Nunn,Samuel), Massey Mercy, Elizabeth (m:Brown,Henry), Amy (m:McCombs,StephenHenry), Guliema Maria, Sarah Maria (m:McCombs,JohnS.), John Ambrose (m:Clark,Elizabeth)
1 The Moores were one of the original organizers of the Pelham Monthly Meeting of Friends in 1799. Their daughter was disowned for marrying a non-Quaker, but along with her family re-entered in 1821.
William Cohoe
b: c1783; d: c1804
Andrew Cohoe
b: c1785; d: 23 Dec 1862
b: Bucks Co., PA; d: Ontario, Canada
buried in Old Quaker Cemetery, Norwich, Ontario
m: circa 1808; Ontario, Canada
Lydia Wasley
(died 20 Sept 1860)
D/o Francis & Hannah (Scott) W.
CH: John (m:Peckham,Amy), Francis (m:Willson,Elizabeth), Phoebe (m:Sprague,Jonathan), Ester (m:Woodard,Dyer), Mary (m:Manson,John), William (m:Griffin,Elizabeth)
Nathan Cohoe*
b: 29 Sep 1787; d: 07 May 1860
b: PA? Ontario?; d: Norfolk Co., Ontario
m: on the 11 Sept 1814; Ontario, Canada
Rebecca Lemon
D/o William & Catherine (Stine) L.
CH: William (m1:Johnson,Salenda) (m2:Peters,D.J.), Andrew (m1:Livingston,Margaret) (m2:Balmer,Eliza), Deborah (m:Buchner,WilliamRobinson), Catherine (m:Frost,Joseph), Amy Elizabeth (m:Russell,LewisJ.), Harriet (m:Buchner,EdwardDell), John (m:Brown,AmandaCatherine), Henry C. (m:Caswell,Catherine), Mary Ann (m:Burtch,Jonathan), James Francis (m:Ferris,ElizaJane)
* Nathan was raised by a family named Smith, probably having been a new born during the Great Famine of that Winter he was passed on to a family who could care for him. It is not clear if the Smiths were related to the Cohoes. Nathan served in the War 1812, as a Private, 3rd Reg., Lincoln Militia and was wounded at St. David in 1814. He farmed in Grimsley Township, Lincoln County, Ontario and later moved to Middleton and finally to Norfolk County.
Both Clarence V. Roberts and Charles Clement Heacock provide detailed family histories for the Heacock family dating back to England. Charles Clement Heacock's work was done before 1949 and is probably the most comprehensive of the two. Heacock died before the completion of his work and published work was finished by his son Roger in 1949 and published in California in 1950. From Heacock's work are identified the major sources of Heacock family genealogy. William Lloyd produced, what Heacock refers to as the Lloyd Manuscript which is an extensive genealogical work commissioned by Lloyd and including the Till and Heacock families. Dating from the early part of the 20th century, the Lloyd Manuscript includes interviews and family oral history. The earliest important work is identified by Heacock as a genealogy written by T. Reece Heacock in 1869, from this work are references to Bibles and Jonathan Heacock, the emigrant's 18th century journal. The Canadian family is documented by an unpublished genealogy by Lee F. Heacock, who in the 1930s began to amass a large collection of family papers most obtained from the estate of a William Heacock of Philadelphia who died in 1900. This collection includes over 1000 names of the descendant of female lines of Jonathan & Susanna (Morgan) Heacock, many who came to Ontario in the 1780s.
There may be some doubt as, to the exact relationship of Deborah Heacock' to the Heacock family, but little question that she is apart of the Bucks County branch of the family. At least one of Deborah's brothers clearly emigrated to Canada West, now Ontario; which indicates that a group of Bucks County people moved North, probably for economic reasons. Much of this frontier had been placed off limits for settlement by the British government. With the Revolution's end, the frontier borders opened, rapidly encouraging settlers West. The Canadian Heacocks are the children of weaver and farmer, Jonathan Heacock. A tale related in the Lloyd Manuscripts indicates the type of family history which was passed down through generations, "The following was related by Annabella W. Lloyd: Jonathan Heacock, like many others who were members of The Society of Friends was non-combatant during the War of the Revolution. Ann Williams told her daughter Annabella, that her father's farm was overrun by both armies; but suffered most from the Hessian troops. Her mother would bake bread for the use of the family, and the Hessian soldiers would come in the kitchen and carry it off on their bayonets. One of the soldiers took one of their best cows. Jonathan complained to the commanding officer, who took him through the camp to identify the thief, which he said he could easily do. After seeing the men he recognized the one who had taken the cow, but as the officer said that if he knew who it was he would make an example of him, Jonathan decided not to identify the thief, as he did not want the man severely punished." [re: Heacock, pg 54]. Jonathan, the weaver, is the third child of Jonathan & Ann (Till) Heacock of Chester County, Pennsylvania and his birth was recorded as the 10th of March 1715. He moved to Richland Township in 1745, as proved by the Quaker Meeting house records. Meeting house records show his marriage in the same year to Susanna Morgan on the 09 March 1745. Susanna is the daughter of John and Deborah (Woodruff) Morgan.
John Morgan is also briefly sketched by both Heacock and Roberts in their book, though little is known of his origins or his relationship to the other Morgan family of Bucks County. John Morgan appears to be the original emigrant for this family; having records of land purchase as early as 1699 in the Abington Township, now Montgomery County. Roberts assumes him to have Welsh origins, but his exact date of emigration and origins is unknown. Morgan married twice, though his first wife's name is unknown; Deborah Woodruff is his second wife. Deborah was not be a Quaker and in 1720 Morgan was rejected by the Friends as being, "...out of unity..." or having married a non-Quaker. Though John tries to reconcile with the Friends, the Abington Meeting House records note that his apology was not accepted and he appears to be rejected by the Quakers. This may be why Morgan left Abington and settled in Richland. John Morgan was a tailor by trade, but his ownership of between 400 and 200 acres of land suggest his time was occupied with farming. His children are: James (married Ann Heacock), Susanna (married Jonathan Heacock), Isaac, John, Sarah & Deborah [re: probate & Roberts pg. 379]. Morgan died in 1743 and his will is on record at Doylestown, which describes him as "aged and infirm" [re: 11 Jan 1741; proved 09 Mar 1743]. His wife and children are accepted into the Quaker Meeting in 1745, when Deborah petitions the Meeting for membership. Deborah died in March of 1750 and her will was made the 11th September 1749, devising all but 100 acres (left to her son James) to Jonathan Heacock. Her son-in-law Jonathan appears to have remained on this farm for his lifetime. Jonathan & Susannah (Morgan) Heacock have the following children: John, Nathan, Jonathan, Rachel, Ann & Sarah.
The existing extensive research concerning the Heacock family provides weighty evidence showing Heacock origins in Staffordshire, England. Found in the Parish of Eccleshall in that county, the Heacock family is well documented through the parish records. Eccleshall falls under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Litchfield and is an area where many public records were lost during the Civil War, limiting the type of public records available to mainly the 17th century. This limits any comprehensive history of this family to the era of Cromwell who established by law the practices of public registration of births and deaths starting about 1538. Charles C. Heacock identifies the hamlet of Slindon, as the place of origin of the Pennsylvania family. The family was not of the landed gentry. From the few surviving records indicating occupation, the Heacocks are found to be husbandsmen, weavers and small farmers. Both parish records for the Church of England and Quaker Meeting Records provide substantial records to construct a lineage starting with our emigrant's grandfather, Jhon (sic) Heacocke (1581-1666) and his wife Ellyn Keene (died 1645). Conjecture can place Jhon as the son, grandson and great grandson of three other John Heacocke, Heykoke, Heycokes; the earliest found in Slindon hamlet listed in the Muster Roll of 1539; born about 1490 [re: Heacock, C.C., pg. 17]. Jhon (sic) & Ellyn (Keene) Heacocke left a marriage record, baptisms for their children and Jhon left a will. The earliest Heacock parish record is dated the 6th of May 1575, for the burial of Thomasen (Thomasina) Heacocke. A year later, Jhon (sic) Haicocke was buried on the 11th of November.
The first Heacock Quaker that has been identified by record is John Heacock of Slindon whose burial is mention in the Friends Meeting on the 10th or 12th of November of 1695. This John is the father of Jonathan, the emigrant, and this record if found on file at Sommerset House, London [re: Book 249, pg. 57]. Quaker records reveal little in the way of personal information about the Heacocks though record of the Till family is more extensive. The Tills, ancestors of Jonathan, the emigrant's wife, leave more dramatic records. John Till of Whitegrove, Ann Till Heacock's uncle, appears in Quaker records as a subject of persecution between 1665 and 1675. Though Quakers were persecuted in England, it appears that the Heacock and Till families did not emigrate for reasons of persecution alone. Having survived the Restoration of Charles the II in 1660, which was the height of religious intolerance, the Heacocks remained in England until 1710, when younger sons, like Jonathan, started to emigrate probably for economic reasons.
Jonathan Sr. & Ann (Till) Heacock are the ancestors of the Heacock family of Bucks County, Pennsylvania; however they are not the first of their line to arrive in America. Jonathan's kinsman, John Heacock, came to Pennsylvania in the Ship Friends Adventure in 1682. We know that John is a kinsman, since his Pennsylvania property is later deeded to Jonathan in Staffordshire, England, just before Jonathan's own emigration. This John Heacock has provided a great deal of confusion, since Jonathan's own father was named John and the deed has often been interpreted as a record that John's father emigrated first to Pennsylvania, later to return to England where he died before transporting his family to the New World. This has been proved to be untrue, since Pennsylvania records show that John Heacock, the first emigrant died in Pennsylvania and there is clear record that Jonathan's father John died in Staffordshire. Much of the confusion revolves around a document found in Staffordshire, which shows Jonathan's uncle William Heacocke, transferring the Pennsylvania property of John Heacocke to Jonathan. This deed details the various relationships of the people involved, though in a somewhat confusing fashion. Roberts refers to the document as a deed, Charles Heacock identifies the document as a will. This deed/will has been used as a primary source to identify the various Heacock men at this time; however, it appear to be often misquoted. Charles C. Clement, who appears to have looked at these records most extensively and quotes the "Lloyd Manuscript":
"This identification of the first immigrant Heacock with the father of Jonathan, and the story of his return to England for his family overlooks the report of his death in America in 1683. Furthermore, it is impossible to correlate this being the father of Jonathan with the following paragraph taken from the 'Lloyd Manuscripts.”
"John Heacock of Slindon, Staffordshire, was a brother of William Heacock, of Slindon, and a cousin of John Heacock, son and heir of the said William, who removed to Pennsylvania in 1682 and died in Bucks County about 1684, without issue, as appears by a deed, dated 19 February, 1710. William Heycock of Slindon, in the County of Stafford, second son of William Heycock the elder by Margaret his wife both late of Slindon, but now deceased and next brother and heir of John Heycock, formerly of Slindon, but late of the Province of Pennsylvania, and Mary, wife of the said William Heacock, the younger, to Jonathan Heycock (Heacock) of the borough of Stafford (England), cousin German of the side William Heycock, for land in Pennsylvania of the said John Heycock (Heacock) late of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, deceased."
[re: Heacock, CC., The Heacock Family, pg. 20]
From the above quote, it is certainly not difficult to understand the confusion in clearly identifying these individuals. The often quoted John Heacocke, the earliest emigrate is often confused with Jonathan's father "John", who remained in Staffordshire where he died. John Heacock the earliest emigrant is described in an English deed to Jonathan, our ancestor, as "cousin German". Cousin-german generally refers to sharing the same grandparents and indication of a first cousin relationship. Therefore, the first John Heacock of Pennsylvania is not our ancestor, but the first cousin of our ancestor Jonathan. The English deed is an important documents, since it names the relationships between the various Heacockes and records Jonathan's parents as being John and Jane Heacockes as well as naming his grandfather, as William Heacock (c1610-****) of Slindon and his Uncle as William Heacock.
John Heacock, the first by that name in Pennsylvania, purchased land from William Penn in a partnership with Thomas Barrett of a tract of 875 acres in the Falls Township of Bucks County. His share was 250 acres of that land, which he developed along with an additional 50 acres that he rented. The fate of John's land appears to be that the Barrett family took it over, despite the transfer of the property in England to Jonathan Heacocke by his uncle. There is no evidence in England or Pennsylvania that Jonathan ever contested the Barrett family's actions and the property was never farmed by the Heacockes.
Jonathan, the son of John & Jane Heacock of Slindon, County Stafford followed his father's footsteps and emigrated to Pennsylvania along with his wife Ann Till on the ship the "Three Sisters" which left London on the 14th of January 1710/11. The Till family is well traced an of strong Quaker background. Ann is the daughter of John & Mary (Jackson) Till of Whitegreave, Staffordshire; born the 13th of May 1681 [re: Roberts, pg. 244]. The Till family is traced back six more generations to Hugo Till [Tyll] who died in the Parish of St. Mary, City of Stafford in 1552. Ann's grandfather Samuel Till (died 1676) is the first of the family identified as a Quaker. Ann married Jonathan Heacock in 1710 and along with her sister Rosamond Hallowell and her brother William (born 1676) represents the early Till settlers in Pennsylvania. Robert's notes that Jonathan Heacock left a diary, which survives in a fragmented form, relating his journey to America and mentioning his earlier life in England where he was a dealer in wool and manufactured worsted goods, traveling often to London. Deeds and Quaker records indicate that John does not settle on his father's property in Bucks, which appears to have been reclaimed by the Barrett heirs; instead John and Ann settles in Marple Township, Chester County, now in Delaware. Jonathan & Ann (Till) Heacock have seven known children: Mary, John, Jonathan Jr. (who married Susanna Morgan), William, Ann, and Joseph.
Little in the way of published records concerning the Cohoes is evident, other than Kenneth Totten's work. Genealogical note compiled by Karen Warren have proved to be more accessible than Totten's work. Both provide a good first start in identifying family records and in constructing an outline of the life history of the early Cohoe emigrants. The family is not well recognized as an established family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and I have not seen proof of his association with the Quakers. The claims of Irish origins seem to be based on the name Cohoe, rather than any transportation record or early land records.
According to both Warren and Totten, the original Cohoe emigrant to America, is Daniel Cohoe. Daniel is said to have come from Ireland about 1735/40 to Pennsylvania, but no records have been quoted to date Daniel in Pennsylvania until 1750. The tradition of Andrew Cohoe as American born may be the source of dating Daniel's arrival before Andrew's birth. Totten estimates that Daniel Cohoe was born circa 1715. Daniel Cohoe marries Mary Cutter who Totten and Warren identify as the daughter of Ambrose Cutter. Her birth has been estimated about 1720 in England. Totten identifies Mary Cutter as an emigrant from England, arriving in Pennsylvania circa 1740. Karen Warren quotes two traditions concerning Mary Cutter. One is that she married Daniel in the mid 1730's, then emigrated to Pennsylvania. The second is that Mary Cutter left her home in Stratfordshire, England as a result of her estrangement from her father. Neither Warren or Totten provide their sources and available abstracts of Pennsylvanian records have yet to provide any further clues to the lives of these early emigrants. Ms. Warren references a land warrant dated in 1750 for 250 acres of land issued to Daniel Cohoe of Philadelphia County, she further notes that "...this land was not farmed by him and other land records have not been located." [re: Notes]. Karen Warren lists the Cohoe children; however, with no reference to land, probate or church records, it is not clear how the names were obtained. It is likely they are grouped according to other records, such as tax records, in conjunction with location and the rareness of the surname.
Sarah Cohoe
John Cohoe
Andrew Cohoe
Deborah Heacocke
D/o Jonathan & Susannah (Morgan) H.
CH: Christiana (m:Ostrander,John), Asa, Amy, William,
Jacob Cohoe?
The only reference to the Cohoe family in Bucks that I have found is a 1775 tax record for Richland Township, which shows an Andrew Cohoe renting 50 acres and taxed upon his two cattle. Warren references later tax listings for Andrew Cohoe in Richland for the years 1781 and 1782. in 1783 and 1784, Andrew is found taxed in Milford Township. The Lloyd papers note that the Andrew and Deborah Cohoe left Bucks County with four of Deborah's sisters and their families to settle in Ontario, Canada. Karen Warren quotes a story similar to that told by Charles Clement Heacocke in his published genealogy, "In 1787, the Cohoe's settled at Fronthill...[t]he sisters and families settled in other nearby townships. The immigration of so many settlers to this area of Ontario at one time created a great shortage of food and other supplies. As a result of the hardship and suffering, the following year of 1788 became known as the 'starving season'. Many individuals died from illnesses developed during this period. Andrew Cohoe was one of them as he died ind1790." The Cohoes settled along the Niagara peninsula, emigrating along the northern roots to Albany, New York and West to Ontario. A town outside of Albany is named "Cohoes"; however, gazetteers attribute the origin of the name an Indian word.
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