So, how did we get to Lawshe?
Where did we come from?

This is my attempt to tell our "Origin Story" - How we came to the United States. I would not hazard any speculations on the "Whys", but invariably they would be the typical emigration reasons - It was going to be more difficult to remain then to make this difficult trip to an unknown land.

If you would like to suggest corrections and/or additions, please let me know at webmaster@lawshelist.com

If you want to wander around the family tree, I would STRONGLY suggest the FREE website FamilySearch.org You need to create a user account (free and painless). The site doesn't bombard you with ads and such. This link www.familysearch.org/en/tree/pedigree/landscape/9NJN-5M5 takes you straight into William Valentine List's family tree.

Click on any of the maps below to see them larger in a new tab.

Sometime between 1839 and 1843, Jean Martin and Anne Marie (Burger) List emigrated from a village in the Alsace region of France (In the far northeast of the country about 15 miles from Germany). I believe they came through Canada to the village of Arnheim in Brown County, OH. At the time this couple were in their mid 30s. They brought with them three sons, Martin, Joseph, and Frederic. Soon after arriving in Arnheim, they added a daughter Rosana Mary, to the family. According to census records, Jean Martin was a farmer. All three of his sons became blacksmiths.

Around 1845, John and Anna Maria (Reinhard) Weisbrodt emigrated from Niederkirchen, in the Bavaria region of Germany through the port of Baltimore. They came to the same area near Arnheim where John worked as a farmer. At the time of their emigration, they had two children, Maria Eva, and Adam. After establishing at Arnheim, they added to the family with Louisa, John Jacob, William and Franciscus Eugenius.

Of these two families, Joseph List and Maria Weisbrodt were joined in marriage in October 1859. They had five children: Joseph Frederick, John Martin, Anna L., William Valentine (in 1867), and Emma J. All three of the sons became blacksmiths like their father. These were the first of our List family born in the United States.

Jean Georges Euverard along with his wife Elizabeth (Mignerey) immigrated from Etobon, France to Highland County, Ohio around 1838 bringing with them thirteen children (5 boys, 8 girls). The second son was John George Euverard (1814-1887). HE would marry Drusilla Kay.

Jost Cuntze was born in Niederndorf, Germany in 1673 and immigrated to the colony of Virginia in 1714. His wife Anna Gertrud Reinschmid died during the transit to the new world. They had five children. The oldest son, Johannes Kuntz (1706-1765) was married to Anna Elisabeth Catherine (Stoever) in the Pennsylvania colony in 1738. Anna was born in 1710 in Siegen, Germany and emigrated with her family in 1728. It appears that they may have has five sons — the youngest of which was Michael Coons born in Virginia in 1741.

Daniel Orr was born in Govan, Scotland in 1700. His wife, Agnes Parker was born there as well in 1701. They came to America and settled in the Virginia colony where they had a son George Orr who was born in 1720.

George Orr married Margaret Brownbeck. We don't have much information about her , but they had at least one child - Rebecca Orr.

Michael Coons married Rebecca Orr around 1759. There is some contention as to how many children they had, but one son was George Coons (1762-1832) who moved to Virginia to Highland County in Ohio possibly receiving land after serving in the army during the American Revolutionary War. George Coons married Rachel Kane (1765-1844) who was born in the Virginia Colony around Roanoke. Her parents might have been Newton and Ann (Dawson) Kane but there is very little information about them. George and Rachel may have had as many as 14 children. Among them was Rachel Coons (1799-1866) who would marry Solomon McVey.

Solomon McVey was born in Kentucky around 1794 and was a soldier in the War of 1812. We know nothing about his lineage, though it appears his people came from Scotland. He married Rachael Coons in Highland County in 1816. They had fourteen children (5 boys, 9 girls). Among these was one set of twins - a boy and girl - who were named after the parents: Solomon Jr. and Rachael. The youngest son, born 1844 was Charles Wesley McVey. Charles served in the US Civil War and was the "Grandpap McVey" that many of the Lawshe clan has heard of. If you look at historical documents, you will find this last name spelled McVeigh, McVey, and McVay.

According to Benjamin Franklin (yes THAT one), the first child born of English parents in William Penn's American colony was John Key, son of Robert Key, who with his wife came to America and settled on the bank of the Delaware River. In the side of this high shore or bank, Robert Key and the other adventurers dug caves in which to live, until houses could be built. It was in one of these caves, where John Key was born, December 1682. John married a woman by name of Rebecca, but last name unknown. They had three children: Hannah, John, and Zacheus. Of these, John Key (1723-1793) would be our ancestor. This surname "KEY" was at this time spelled like that , but pronounced "KAY". In years to follow they spelling changed to suit the pronounciation.

Captain Richard Smart (1678-1728) and Elizabeth Hayward (1683-1738) were both born near Dorchester, Maryland. Their families may have been here for a couple of generations before them. They married in 1703 and raised five children (1 boy, 4 girls). Their son, Richard married Elizabeth Scott whose family may also have been here a couple of generations and probably came from Scotland. They had a son and daughter. This daughter, Elizabeth Smart (1712-1805) was the wife of John Key. They had 8 children (4 of each) in Washington, MD. The youngest of these was Isaac Key (1778-1858), was our ancestor.

Johann Georg Wesner and his wife Gertraut (Braeuning) left Baden-Württemberg, Germany for America in 1750 and made their home in Bucks County, PA, and had eleven children (8 boys, 3 girls). The oldest of these was Jacob Wisner (1753-1838)

Rev. Thomas Jolly(1715-1760) and his wife Lucinda (Gardner) were born in Lancashire, England. They emigrated to America around 1750 and settled near Hagerstown, MD. They had at least one child, a daughter named Susannah.

Jacob Wisner married Susannah Jolly,and started a family in Maryland with 13 children, but later moving to Kentucky, then Brown County, OH by 1820. Their oldest child, Catherine Wisner (1781-1858) married Isaac Key in Paris, Ky in 1804. They soon moved to a place near Maysville, Ky where they began their family of 8 children (3 girls, 5 boys). The third of these children was named Drucilla Kay (1811-1898), who is our direct ancestor.

John George Euverard married Drusilla Kay in Highland County, OH in June of 1839 raised 6 children (4 boys, 2 girls). The fifth child, Caroline Ophelia Euverard (1849-1928) married Charles Wesley McVey in December of 1865 and had a farm just East of Sardinia, OH (an area referred to as Biehn - also known as "Slab Camp") on which they raised 8 children: John Preston Wesley (died young), Sarah Alice (married David Moore), Sadora Belle (married Edward Davidson), Etta Drusilla (in 1872), Louella (married Henry Osborne), Kittie Nannie (married Henry Winkle), Vernal Lea (died young), and Clara Caroline(died young).

In the spring of 1889, William Valentine List and Etta Drusilla McVey met and conceived a child - born January 2, 1890 in Eagle Township of Brown County. She was named Cleo Bernice. It seems that Etta and Cleo both lived with her parents for a time, and Cleo seems to have remained in the McVey home for a while even when William and Etta and the other children moved to Lawshe.

Meanwhile, I was told that William List headed West - to the badlands in the Nebraska/Dakota Territory. I have to wonder if he was "encouraged" to leave. The story I was told was that he carved Etta's name on a stone pillar like "Chimney Rock" in Nebraska. I don't know if that is true or not. At some point he did return to Ohio and he and Etta were married Feb 25, 1891 in Brown County. The following year (1892), Ada was born in Washington Township. I think they were living in the village of Sardinia at that point. Two years after that (1894), Anna was born back in Eagle township (maybe at the McVey home). Paul List was born in 1897 in Sardinia.

This bring us to Lawshe. Well, almost...

The village of Lawshe began named "New Port" (two words) in 1819, but when they stablished a post office in 1869, there was already a post office named Newport — so they named this one "Wilson" after a local congressman. In 1908, they moved the post office to the other end of town, but a quirk in the law did not allow the post office and town names to be different son they changed BOTH of them to "Lawshe" to honor the "Third Assistant Postmaster General", Abraham Lincoln Lawshe. So, it is a town with two or three different names.

The railroad was built into New Port in 1882, and the town grew for a short period until the village of Peebles developed and became the more dominant hub. But for the next 10 to 15 years, the village was very busy. I suspect they needed a blacksmith - maybe it was something else, but whatever reason, around the spring of 1899, the List family moved to a farm a mile and a half south of Lawshe. Though records show that they bought the farm in October of 1899, Kitty was born in June of that same year. She claimed to have been born in Lawshe. The rest of the List children were born at the farm as far as I know.

In August of 1920, William and Etta bought the "Blankenship Hotel" in the village from Henry Blankenship for $2000. Ten years later in 1930, they had the house wired for electricity. Just a few years later in 1935, William and Etta became empty nesters in 1935 when Gail and Lucille each married.

William and Etta lived out the rest of their days in that house at Lawshe. William died in 1947, Etta in 1951. They were buried in Sardinia, OH.