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Descendants of Francis Ganson

Generation No. 1

1. FRANCIS¹ GANSON was born 1774 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. He married RACHEL HOUSEKEEPER 1798 in Chester Co., Pennsylvania, daughter of THOMAS HOUSEKEEPER and ELIZABETH GAMBLE. She was born 1774 in Pennsylvania, and died October 1843 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Notes for FRANCIS GANSON:
Francis Ganson (1) served in the Militia of the city of Philidelphia in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment as a private. Records show that he returned with his unit to Philadelphia in 1794.

He became a naturalized citizen in September 14, 1802 in West Chester, PA. Francis was by occupation a joiner.

Francis sold his possesions in 1832 and left his wife in Pennsylvania, moving west to Ohio with his son, Francis. This is the last known record of the elder Francis, as he does not show up in any of the Ohio Census records afterwards.

Using the census records from 1800, 1810, 1820, and 1830, where Francis appears and the taking the age groups of the oldest male in the household, which would be Francis, I have been able to narrow his birth date down to between 1770 and 1774. For example:

Year........age range.................youngest possible age............oldest possible age
1800........26-over 45...............................26............................................30
1810........26-over 45...............................36............................................40
1820........45 and up................................46............................................50
1830........50-60.......................................56............................................60

Francis Ganson is found leaving Illinois and arriving in Potowamite Co., Iowa on a wagon train, May 15, 1850. Another individual listed with him was a Joseph Garson, which is believed to be, Joseph Ganson, son of Francis Ganson. Francis would have been approximately 76 years old at the time.

Notes for RACHEL HOUSEKEEPER:
Rachel was 69 when she died and was buried on Oct. 7, 1843 in Cheyney Burial Ground. Cheyney Burial Ground is a beautiful little cemetery situated on a hill slope located about a quarter of a mile north of the Pennsylvania railroad station at Cheyney and about six miles from West Chester. The Cheyney Burial Ground is located just over the line in Thornbury Township, Chester county. It was established by Squire Thomas Cheyney on his own farm land, coming about in this way. The ground is surrounded by a stone wall on all four side and is about a half acre in extent. The front faces the road. It is well kept and in fine condition.1

Children of FRANCIS GANSON and RACHEL HOUSEKEEPER are:

2.	i.	WILLIAM HESLIP² GANSON, b. August 17, 1799, West Chester, Pennsylvanina; d. December 23, 1884, Urbana, Ohio.
3.	ii.	PHILIP GANSON, b. November 10, 1800, West Goshen, Pennsylvania; d. April 01, 1878, Coshocton Co., Ohio.
4.	iii.	FRANCIS GANSON, b. June 12, 1802, Westchester, Pennsylvania; d. July 30, 1885, Mechanicsburg, Ohio.
	iv.	MARIA GANSON, b. 1804, West Goshen, Pennsylvania; m. JOHN GRAY, November 22, 1822.
	v.	HANNAH GANSON, b. 1806, West Goshen, Pennsylvania; m. UNKNOWN THOMPSON.
	vi.	ELIZABETH GANSON, b. 1808, West Goshen, Pennsylvania; m. WILLIAM FORD.
5.	vii.	JOSEPH GANSON, b. 1810, West Goshen, Pennsylvania.
6.	viii.	LEWIS ALLEN GANSON, b. February 26, 1812, West Goshen, Pennsylvania.

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