Flipside: William Frum Family of Monongalia County (West) Virginia

I crafted a piece about my paternal great great great great great grandfather, William Frum, a decade or more ago. I decided to copy that page from my outdated genealogy website and add any additional research since that time. There are plenty of records for him and his activities in Monongalia County, (West) Virginia. His first marriage to Ann Smith (Anna Smith), possible daughter of Captain Jeremiah Smith of Frederick County, Virginia remains a conundrum.

I have also seen on Ancestry records attributed to William.

One from the Pennsylvania German Society for a William Frame indentured in Philadelphia to learn the trade of tailor in 1772.
Another record that attributes his name as William Hobart Frum, the same as one of his sons.
A will for a William Frum (signed with his mark as William Frum, Sr) on Ancestry on page 153; however, when I scrolled to the will (which is on pages 153-154 images 379 & 380), it is a will for William Hobart Frum, my paternal great great great great grandfather's son, dated August 26, 1857 and lists his sons Andrew J Frum and William B. Frum as his executors. The will was filed in November 10, 1868. The same time frame as William Hobart Frum.
William Frum immigrated from Germany. The only research I have seen is that Eugenus Frum, son of William and Catherine Spence Frum, is listed as having German roots in his obituary. Eugenus died in 1890 in Oregon, where he had lived for decades.

I know why it has taken me years to attempt to blog on William Frum and family. Numerous ancestors have tried to unlock the wife mystery using records from Frederick, Virginia and Monongalia County, (West) Virginia. Grave stones from over one hundred and seventy five years ago are either missing, broken or not legible. Many records are missing. Family members who wrote articles or journals at the turn of the twentieth century may have had incorrect information.

I'll give this my best effort.

Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service
of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution
Volume 18, page 72
1776

The Monongalia Story
II. The Pioneers

William Frum(From) has a record of service with the Maryland Troops from Frederick County--Middle District, under Captain Vallentine Creager. DAR records tell us that he was born in Scotland in 1755. I am using his Revolutionary War record as the earliest record of William in America.

He removed to Frederick County, Virginia in the Back Creek area by 1780 and, it is believed, married Ann Smith (Anna Smith), daughter of Captain Jeremiah Smith II and Elizabeth Snyder. Together they raised at least eight children. No marriage record has been found to date; however, Ann and William's names are listed as mother and father on Deliah Frum Bailey's and William Hobart Frum's Monongalia County, (West) Virginia death record.

There are some researchers who think William and Ann removed to Tom's Run, Monongalia County, (West) Virginia about 1790. I believe that the Frum's were still living in Frederick County, Virginia in 1798. There is a record dated June 1798 signed by William Frum and a number of members of the Smith family. They are asking for a road to be built to the Bath Springs from Robert Lockhart's farm and that all those signed have received benefit from the waters in the springs.

1799 Frederick County, Virginia, marriages, 1771-1825
page 34 minister return cropped

Whether Ann was still alive at that time is unknown; however, there is a marriage record for William Frum and Catherine Spence dated September 23, 1799 in Frederick County, Virginia. The youngest two Frum children born after 1800 in Monongalia County list Catherine as their mother.

Section of Samuel Smith's Will
Listing the children of William Frum
September 29, 1803

Much of this is speculation as no marriage records have been located for the marriage of William and Ann. The link to Captain Jeremiah Smith II is also in question, however, Jeremiah’s son, Samuel Smith, a bachelor, in 1803, willed his estate to his relations, and William Frum’s children were named. In fact, my paternal great great great great grandfather Sampson Smith Frum, received the 200 acres tract of land outside of Winchester, Virginia where Samuel Smith lived, the land and farm given to him by his father Captain Jeremiah Smith II. Samuel also gave William’s sons, William, Jr. and Solomon Frum, a 200 acre tract of land on Simpson’s Creek in Harrison County, (West) Virginia. The will and the bequest of land has lead us to the conclusion that Ann was Samuel’s sister and because she was not named in the will, was probably deceased.

Samuel Smith's will and the land given to William's sons outside Frederick, Virginia may have been the reason the family moved. William Frum is part of the early tax lists and County, District and Superior Court records in Monongalia County as early as 1804.

1805 Monongalia County Tax Record
1805

In 1807 in Monongalia County Court there is a record regarding a road to be built by surveyor Robert Hill, my paternal great great great grandfather. His property was up the hill, north west of Morgantown. William Frum and William Chipps offered wagons, horses, etc and were considered, "...two honest housekeepers hereby appointed for that purpose...". This leads me to believe that when the Frum family first removed to Morgantown, that they lived in close proximity to the town.

1810 (West) Virginia Census
Monongalia County
August 6, 1810

William Frum

Males age 16 thru 25 4 Solomon, Sampson William, Samuel?

Males age 45 and over 1 William Frum

Females age 10 thru 15 2 Mary Frum, Elizabeth Ann Frum

Females age 16 thru 25 2 Deliah Frum, ?

Females age 45 and over 1 Catherine Frum

Eugenus must not have been born yet.

There are numerous court records in Monongalia County between 1810 to 1820 involving William Frum and his son Sampson Smith Frum. They involve land purchase, assault and debt.

One of the land purchase documents that again brings into question the name of Ann Frum is the one dated 1817. The actual deed to the property was between William Frum and two of my other paternal great great great great great grandparents, William Lanham and Catherine Ferguson Lanham dated October 27, 1817.

Ann Frum, wife, is listed along with William Frum as a grantor of the sale of 134 1/2 acres on August 9, 1842 to Samuel Frum. The property is on the Monongalia River beside property owned by his brother, William Frum, Jr. This looks to have been sold after William Frum died and is possibly the home farm on Tom's Run.

William owned a number of parcels of land in and around the Morgantown area along with his son, Sampson Smith Frum after 1817. Sampson was the largest landowner in the county at his death in 1862 with 1275 acres primarily in the county including the 200 acres in Frederick County, Virginia willed to him by Samuel Smith.

1820 (West) Virginia Census
Eastern Division, Monongalia County
August 7, 1820

William Frum

Males under age 10--1 Eugenus Frum

Males age 26 thru 44--1 William Frum

Females under age 10--2 Deliah Frum and ?

Females age 26 thru 44--Catherine Frum

1 person engaged in agriculture

Son-in-law, Benjamin Freeman and sons, William Frum, Jr. and Samuel Frum are also enumerated on this sheet.

1830 (West) Virginia Census
Eastern District, Monongalia County

William Frum

Male age 10 thru 15--1 Eugenus Frum

Male age 60 thru 69--1 William Frum

Female age 5 thru 9--1 ?

Female age 30 thru 39--1 ?

Female age 70 thru 79--1 Catherine Frum

The Monongalia Story
A Bicentennial History
III. Discord
page 138

There are records listing that William Frum operated an ordinary or a tavern in Monongalia County.

1840 (West) Virginia Census
East Monongalia County, (West) Virginia

William Frum.

1 male age 70 to under 80 William Frum

1 female age 20 to under 30 ?

1 female age 80 to under 90 Catherine Frum

1 person engaged in agriculture.

I had to look for this enumeration since it did not come up on Ancestry. He is enumerated directly under his son, William H. Frum. Also on the same page is his son, Samuel Frum. The names on the census are not clear. William Frum has something written after the name. Perhaps Sr.?

William's land, at his death, was located on Tom's Run, a feeder stream for the Monongahela River in Monongalia County. It is unknown how many years he lived on that land during his entire residence outside of Morgantown.

There is a burial marker for William From in the older section of Mt. Pisgah Cemetery on Route 73 in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is located in the last row near the woods. Beside William, there is a marker for his son, William, Jr., William’s wife Catherine, and several of William and Catherine’s children. William Frum’s daughter, Elizabeth Frum Corrothers and family are also buried at Mt. Pisgah.

I have been told, by Ruth Cullen, another Frum researcher, that William Frum is not actually buried at Pisgah. That the burial marker was done by the DAR. His remains, along with other family members, are buried on a somewhat remote hillside near Mt. Pisgah--probably on his Tom's Run property.

Generally believed to be the

Children of William Frum and Ann Smith

Catherine Frum born September 9, 1789, Frederick County, Virginia; died July 9, 1837, Monongalia County, (West) Virginia; married Benjamin Freeman.
Nancy Frum born 1783, Frederick County Virginia; married John Reed.
Samuel Samson Frum born July 5, 1785 in Frederick County, Virginia; died April 27, 1856 in Monongalia County, (West) Virginia; married Catherine Bland.
William Hobart Frum born August 27, 1787 n Frederick County, Virginia; died October 27, 1868 in Monongalia County, West Virginia; married Catherine Corrothers.
Deliah Frum born June 16, 1788 in Frederick County, Virginia; died September 30, 1877 in Taylor County, West Virginia; married George W. Bailey.
Sampson Smith Frum born January 27, 1890 in Frederick County, Virginia; died November 13, 1863 in Monongalia County, West Virginia; married Elizabeth Ann VanGilder. (my paternal Great Great Great Great Grandparents)
Elizabeth Ann Frum born September 29, 1791 in Frederick County, Virginia; died April 4, 1854 in Monongalia County, (West) Virginia; married Andrew Jackson Corrothers.
Solomon Frum born June 19, 1793 in Frederick County, Virginia; died November 9, 1869 in Taylor County, West Virginia; married Tabitha Goodwin.

Children of William Frum and Catherine Spence

Mary Frum born 1800 in Monongalia County, (West) Virginia; died April 4, 1864, in Taylor County, West Virginia; married first William Powell and second David Beagle.
Eugenus Frum born March 9, 1809 in Monongalia County, (West) Virginia; died January 6, 1890 in Linn County, Oregon; married Elizabeth Ore Barnett.

Sources

Core, Earl L., The Monongalia Story. A Bicentennial History. III. Discord, McClain Printing Company, Parsons, West Virginia, 1979, page 138.

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