Lytle Web Generation Two

The “Neill Papers.”
Some of the material for this section is from the “Neill Papers.” In June 1998 I received from the Warren Historical Society⁹ 50 pages of material pertaining to McCaslands and Neills, especially the descendants resulting from the five intermarriages of William Neill and Joseph McCasland’s children. I am calling this collection the “Neill Papers.” There are seven units, mostly anonymously written, without dates, and usually with no sources. Some units are almost identical, and, because there are usually no page numbers, it was difficult to separate some of the units.
The units, which I arbitrarily named and numbered, are (1). Neill bible records, pages 1–4, written “for Florence Clinger Grandin by A. U. S;” (2). Neill records, pages 5–12; (3). Material of Alice Neill Siggins, written November 1958, pages 13–23; (4). Jordan/Jordon material, including two Jordan wills, pages 24–27; (5). History of the Neill and McCaslin Families and Their Descendants, pages 28–38; (6). History of William Neill and Jane Jordan and Their Descendants, pages 39–42; and (7). Records of Joseph McCaslin and Nancy Lytle and Their Children, pages 43–50.

The Papers are multi–authored, and mainly without sources, making the papers difficult to assess. The husband of Rebecca Davidson is variously listed as Isaac Neill and Thomas Neill, Isaac’s nephew. The husband of Mary Noss is variously listed as William C. Neill and John Jackson McCasland. Of course, there could have been two Rebecca Davidsons and two Mary Nosses. Robert McFate Neill is listed as the wife of Nancy McCasland, when in fact Robert Jordan Neill was Nancy’s husband. There is only one mention of Robert Jordan Neill’s second wife, Elizabeth Morrison. As one would expect, considering this is multi–authored material, there are other inconsistencies and conflicting statements, but probably the major weakness is the lack of sources, such as deeds, wills and census records. None of the authors apparently knew that the progenitor of the northern Venango County McCaslands was Daniel McCasland (who left a will), not his son Joseph, and that Joseph had a brother, James McCasland, who was married and left issue in Venango County. The Neill bible records, pages 1–4, Jordan/Jordon material, pages 24–27 (as it pertains to the wills), and the History of William Neill and Jane Jordan and Their Descendants, pages 39–42, would appear to be the most reliable, especially the Neill bible records.

2. NANCY² LYTLE (William¹); born 1779; died 22 January 1841; buried in Concord Cemetery, Allegheny Township, Venango County; married JOSEPH MCCASLAND/MCCASLIN born circa 1778; died 26 July 1843; buried in Concord Cemetery. The dates for Joseph and Nancy are from their stones. The 1880 Oil Creek Township, Venango County, census for Nancy’s son John McCasland/McCaslin lists John’s parents as being born in Ireland.¹⁰ I have no primary documents explicitly stating that the Nancy Lytle who married Joseph McCasland/McCaslin was a daughter of our William Lytle. However I feel that the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming that Nancy was a daughter of our William Lytle.

NOTE: Early records report the name as McCasland. But after generation 2, the name is almost always spelled McCaslin in censuses. For consistency and for indexing purposes, will spell the name McCaslin throughout

Joseph McCaslin was a son of Daniel McCaslin, who died 1820 in Allegheny Township, and Nancy [—?—], alive in 1820—see #2 of McCaslin Descendants Report. In 1800, Joseph was enumerated by himself in Allegheny Township, male 26–45.¹¹ Joseph was mentioned in his father's will, witnessed by William and John Lytle.¹² Nancy’s maiden name is known from McFate et al. (1982), page 103, where the third wife of John Neill is listed as Sarah McCaslin McCrum (Robert McCrum’s widow, see #2 of McCaslin Descendants Report), and then: “She was a daughter of Joseph and Nancy Lytle McCaslin." Her maiden name as Lytle is also prominent in the “Neill Papers,” which pertains to the Neills and McCaslins. See discussion of the “Neill Papers.” Of concern here is the statement in the “Neill Papers,” page 30, that Joseph came to Pittsburgh where he owned land along the river front and married Nancy Lytle in 1795. The “Neill Papers,” page 31, states they came to Venango County in 1803. However, these statements, without sources, conflict with what was reported in the 1800 census of Venango County, where we find Joseph, enumerated by himself. But Joseph could have come to Venango County by himself and returned to Pittsburgh after 1800 to bring his family (and presumably his parents) to Venango County.

Did the McCaslins come directly to North America from what is present–day Northern Ireland? There is a biography of Joseph McCrum, grandson of Joseph and Nancy Lytle McCaslin in Bates (1899), pages 815–816, stating “it is supposed that his paternal ancestors [the McCrums] were from the Isle of Man; it is certain that his mother’s ancestors [the McCaslins] came from that island.”

From Church and Cemetery Records Collection, Concord Congregation, page, 26 July 1843:¹³ “Mr. Joseph McCaslin, a ruling elder of this Congregation from its organization; died in the enjoyment of that living hope “Mr. McCasland was in the 66th year of his age.” Joseph’s brother, James; died 7 days later, 2 August 1843.

Will of Joseph McCasland, written 28 June 1843, recorded 25 January 1845:¹⁴

In the name of God Amen, I, Joseph McCasland of Allegheny Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania, considering the uncertainty of this mortal life and being of sound mind and memory (blessed be God for the same) do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following (that is to say) and first of all I commit my soul in to the hand of my creator and Great benefactor who gave it to me and has taken care of me all my life long and first I give and bequeath unto my beloved and affectionate son James McCasland, the hundred acres of land he now lives on viz to run a straight line with the old meadow fence and up the lane that they made between James and John McCasland to Siggins line to him his heirs and assign forever be the same more or less and to my beloved and affectionate son John McCasland I give and bequeath the one hundred acres of land that I now occupy east of Abraham Lovell line be the same more or less to him his heirs and assign forever, and I also give and bequeath to my son John McCasland ten acres and nine perches of land that I bought of Abraham Lovell to him and his [heirs] forever and all the rest of my personal estate, goods and chattels I give and bequeath the same to my son John McCasland his heirs and assigns forever and now I do will and direct that my son John McCasland shall pay unto my beloved and affectionate Daughters the following sums, namely to Polly Neill fifty dollars and to Jane Neill fifty dollars and to the children of Mrs. Nancy Neill deceased fifty dollars to be equally divided as they come of age and if any dies before they come of age their part to be equally divided between the surviving sisters and to Sarah McCrum fifty Dollars and Elizabeth McCasland fifty Dollars and a two year old colt and to Sophie Shaw when she is of age one good feather bed and bedding and one good cow and four sheep and good clothing and one side saddle. Now I do will and direct that my son John McCasland shall pay all costs of Administration and funeral expenses and all moral debts standing against me and I do will and direct that my son John McCasland shall pay the legatees as follows viz one year after my decease to pay Polly Neill and two years from the above date to Jane Neill and three years from the above date to pay Sarah McCrum and four years from the above date to pay Elizabeth McCasland and the children of Mrs. Nancy Neill–as above specified. And lastly I do hereby appoint John Brown Executor and Administrator of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereto in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty three.
Joseph McCasland
Witnesses present Benjamin M. Magee, Andre Bates

**Children of Joseph and Nancy (Lytle) McCaslin; as will be shown, five of the children married children of William and Jane Jordan Neill:**

+	5	i.	Mary³ (Polly) McCaslin, born 28 June 1802; died 13 November 1875; married Isaac Neill.
+	6	ii.	(Sarah) Jane McCaslin, born 23 July 1803; died 13 March 1879; married William T. Neill.
+	7	iii.	James McCaslin, born circa 1807; married Hannah Neill.
+	8	iv.	Nancy McCaslin, born 20 March 1810; died 29 July 1841; buried in Neilltown Cemetery, Harmony Township, present–day Forest County, married Robert Jordan Neill
+	9	v.	John McCaslin, born 1812; died 1896; buried in Neilltown Cemetery; married Mary Rynd.
+	10	vi.	Sarah McCaslin, born 7 March 1815; died 4 February 1892; married (first) Robert McCrum; married (second) John Neill.
+	11	vii.	Elizabeth McCaslin, born 23 November 1817; died 17 January 1866; married John A. Blauvelt.
	12	viii.	Sophia McCaslin, married [—?—] Shaw. Possibly his first name was Abram, an Abram Shaw being listed as a Concord Congregation member in 1843, as was Sophia L. Shaw.¹⁵ Sophia was not of age when her father’s will was written 28 June 1843.

3. JOHN² LYTLE (William¹), (great great grandfather of the author), born between 1780 and 1790,¹⁶ either in North America or the north of Ireland; died 1837¹⁷ in Allegheny Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania; place of burial not known; married circa 1814 (based on birth of first known child) SARAH MORRISON, born 1780–1790¹⁸ in North America or the north of Ireland; death date and place of burial not known. In the 1880 federal census for John and Sarah’s daughter Ann (Lytle) Sheldon, Ann’s parents were both listed as born in Ireland.¹⁹

John Lytle was on the 1805 tax list for Allegheny Township, Venango County; he and family were enumerated in Venango County (Allegheny Township) in 1820;²⁰ and 1830 (see below). John Lytle was last taxed in Allegheny Township in 1837. John was deceased by 1840, but Sarah was still alive, re the 1840 federal census for Allegheny Township, Venango County, at which time most of her children were still with her. There was a Sarah Lytle mentioned as a member of the Concord Congregation in 1844.²¹ Sarah probably died in the 1840s since her two youngest sons, John and James Lytle, were enumerated with their sister Ann Lytle Sheldon in 1850 in Allegheny Township.²² Possibly Sarah was still alive in 1848, since the 14 April 1848 marriage certificate of her daughter Ann Lytle (who married Jonathan Sheldon) reports the marriage location “at John Lytles” (see #19). Sarah Morrison was a daughter of Hugh and Isabella (Wilson) Morrison.

Evidence indicates that Sarah Morrison, daughter of Hugh Morrison, was John Lytle’s wife. John Lytle's intestate document, see later, shows his wife was a Sarah. However, I know of no document stating that the Sarah, wife of John Lytle, was Sarah Morrison. In the 1980s, Olive Peters wrote: “A relative (female) of Addison Quincy Morrison wrote a book, but did not mention Sarah for she does not believe Sarah is the mother of all of John Lytle’s children. The reason is that she believes the 2 females 15 and under 20 in the 1830 census are Sarah and Elizabeth . . .” But this relative apparently misinterpreted the census. The complete 1830 census for John Lytle, Allegheny Township is as follows: one male under 5, three males 10–15, one male 40–50 (John), one male 70–80; two females under 5, two females 5–10, and one female 30–40 (Sarah). As is evident, there are no females between 15–20. A mystery is the male between 70–80. Sarah’s father, Hugh Morrison, was still alive in 1830 and would be of that age group, but he was enumerated with some of his family in Allegheny Township in 1830.²³ Could he be John Lytle’s father, William? But the 21 August 1819 land deed²⁴ (see under William Lytle above), would rule this out.

There was a letter written by C. Fred Lytle (#209), 22 April 1920, to a Leonard Lytle.²⁵ In this letter Fred Lytle gives information on John Lytle’s descendants, but has John marrying a Mary instead of Sarah (Morrison). Leonard Lytle was the author of several items on Lytle families. In one of these, An outline of the Lytle families of America,²⁶ this is what Leonard Lytle said about one Lytle line, page 89: “The descendants of Andrew M. Lytle. Andrew and Mary Lytle had William, James, Thomas and John. John was born on the ocean in route to America in 1764–James and Thomas settled in Philadelphia. William and John settled near Titusville.” This is essentially what C. Fred Lytle said in his letter to Leonard Lytle. Without primary sources, one can not evaluate how much, if any, of this information is valid. It does seem curious that John and Sarah Morrison Lytle did not name a child either Hugh or Isabella. Also, after James Lytle’s wife, Susan, died, James lived for about 20 years with my Fleming grandparents and their children. I never heard of Morrisons being mentioned as kin. I have listed Sarah, John’s wife, as Sarah Morrison, and feel, as do other respected Morrison workers, that she was Sarah Morrison. Nevertheless, it would be nice to find a document proving this.

Newton (1879) reports John Lytle being born in Ireland and coming to Venango County in 1812 from Moneysharvin, Maghera, County Derry. Bell (1890), page 1110, writing about John’s grandson, Samuel A. Lytle, states John Lytle emigrated from Ireland. But John Lytle’s father, William Lytle [Sr.], was probably the first of our Lytle clan to come to Venango County, coming directly from County Tyrone,²⁷ or perhaps William came to Venango County from northern Ireland via a stay in Pittsburgh (see under William above). The 1805 tax assessments list shows John Lytle being taxed for property in Allegheny Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania. The deeds and other records of John Lytle show his name to be spelled variously as Lytle or Little.

The will of James McCausland²⁸ (brother of Joseph who married Nancy Lytle) mentions “the land on which I now live on the east and part of tract Number 172 and bounded according to deed of convey and mark [?] and executed to me by John and William Little _____ _____ the __th day of November one thousand eight hundred and thirty six together with all the privileges decreed to me in said deed.” See #3 of McCaslin Descendants Report.

John Lytle was a trustee of the Concord Presbyterian Congregation as indicated from a deed of H. Huidekoper, agent:²⁹ “to the Trustees of the Concord Presby Congregation, William Neill [#2 of “Neills”], John Lytle and James McCaslin [#3 of “McCaslins”]–Trustees, for the purpose of promoting public worship [a parcel of land]. Inst. 3 October 1827, recorded ? November 1840.”

John Lytle died intestate. Letters of Administration were granted to Sarah Lytle (his wife) and William Lytle (either his oldest son or brother) on 16 May 1837.³⁰ Witnesses were Joseph Morrison and James Morrison. [This is strong circumstantial evidence that Sara was a Morrison.]

Venango County Deed Book M., page 194:

William Litle, administrator of the estate of John Little, deceased, of Allegheny Twp., to Flavius A. Benedict, of the same place, 29 acres in Allegheny Twp., being part of Tract #113 of the Holland Land Company lands. Dated 26 Feb. 1850; recorded 11 Nov. 1851. Witnesses: William Dawson and Aaron Benedict.

John Lytle's father, William [Sr.], apparently signed an agreement to buy 200 acres from the Holland Land Company prior to 1817 (probably considerably before 1817), but then he apparently died and the deed was drawn up to John Lytle in 1819. The original land was part of tracts #113 and #126. John Lytle's farm was called the Mill Farm and was located east of the Fleming Farm on West Pithole Creek. John was a farmer but he also operated a sawmill on his property.

According to Bell (1890), page 725:

John Lytle built a saw mill on West Pithole Creek at an early day. A large pond furnished water power. The location of this is still distinguishable there. Timbers were utilized some years ago in the construction of a barn.

From Babcock (1919), page 397:

John Lytle, who came to the township [Allegheny] in 1812 [sic] and settled what is known as the Mill farm on West Pithole creek, was a native of Ireland “At an early date John Lytle built a sawmill on West Pithole creek, where waterpower was furnished by a large pond. Many years afterward the timbers were used in the construction of a barn.”

In the early 1960s, my uncles, William and John Fleming, showed me the location of John Lytle’s farm and mill. Remnants of apparently John Lytle’s original dam foundation were still obvious.

From Sesquicentennial, Pleasantville, Venango County, Pennsylvania, 1821–1971. Helen Carson Waddell, Chair of Compilers:

[Referring to General Broadhead’s route through the Pleasantville area]: For the proof “can be found in an old road running between Mill Farm and Morrison Farm about a mile from town. When the late Judge Morrison [Thomas A. Morrison, born 4 May 1840; a son of William and Elizabeth McMasters Morrison; married Helen Gardner] was a small boy, he and a man named Sheldon discovered a portion of the road running through a swamp.”

Also from Pleasantville Sesquicentennial, page 11:

In 1841 he [Greely Davis] moved to a farm purchased from the Huidekooper [Huidekoper] heirs, at Jerusalem Corners, near Pleasantville. In 1852, he moved to the Mill Farm where he lived until his death in 1863. His Mill Farm holdings, near Neilltown, is known as “Skunk Hollow,” where the fetid smell of these small animals seem to prevail.

Examining the 1805 tax assessment list gives an indication on how our ancestors progressed in their endeavors to eke out a living in northwestern Pennsylvania. Listed below are a few of these assessments for John Lytle.³¹
1819. John Lytle, 200 acres, 3 horses, 4 cows.
1822. John Lytle, 200 acres, 3 horses, 4 cows.
1824. John Litle, 150 acres, 2 horses, I cow.
1832. John Little, 200 acres of tract #126 and #113, 1 horse, I old horse, 2 cows.
1833. Jno. Little, 200 acres of tract #126, 1 horse, 4 cows, I yoke oxen.
1837. (the year John died) John Little, 200 acres of #113 and #126, 100 acres of tract #127, 2 horses, 2 yokes of oxen.

Our John Lytle should not be confused with another early Venango County John Little, who in the 1830s was an editor of the Democratic Republican of Franklin. According to Bell (1890), page 244: “Little quietly took his departure, leaving his paper, with all the assets, liabilities, and hereditaments appertaining thereto.”

A quit claim document instituted in 1854 lists eight of the ten known children (and their spouses) of John and Sarah Lytle.³² The heirs of John Lytle released, conveyed and confirmed 200 acres of land in Allegheny Township, part of tracts #113 and #126, to their brother John Lytle of Allegheny Township for $400. The two children not mentioned were Joseph Lytle and Mary Lytle. Mary Lytle was probably deceased at that time, but Joseph was alive, having been enumerated in Allegheny Township in 1850³³ and in Mower County, Minnesota, in 1860.

**Children of John and Sarah (Morrison) Lytle, all believed born in Allegheny Township:**

+	13	i.	William³ Lytle, born 30 August 1815; died 12 November 1865; buried in Miller Farm Cemetery; married Sarah Fleming.
+	14	ii.	Thomas Lytle, born 14 October 1816; married (first) Mary McArthur; married (second) Rebecca Gordon
+	15	iii.	Joseph Lytle, born 3 October 1817–19; died 28 August 1880; married Harriet N. McArthur.
+	16	iv.	Jane Lytle, born 20 October 1820 in Venango County, Pennsylvania (27 November 1819 according to her obituary, see below); died 8 March 1890; married William John Haworth.
+	17	v.	Sarah Lytle, born 12 November 1822; married Mosley Brown.
+	18	vi.	Elizabeth (Betsy) Lytle, born 30 September 1824; married (first) Pliny Allen Sheldon; married (second) Nathaniel McIntyre.
+	19	vii.	Ann Lytle, born 1 January 1827; died 17 December 1901; married Jonathan Sheldon.
+	20	viii.	John Lytle, born 27 May 1828; married Mary Ann [—?—].
+	21	ix.	James Lytle, (great grandfather of the author), born 18 September 1830; died 15 August 1922; married Susan Jane Watson.
	22	x.	Mary Lytle, born 7 June 1832. No other information. She probably died young.

4. WILLIAM² LYTLE [Jr.] (William¹), born circa 1795; censuses report in Pennsylvania;³⁴ died November 1871; married ISABELLA MCFATE, born circa 1798 or 1799 in Greensburg, present–day Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania; died 28 April 1864 in Crawford County, Pennsylvania.³⁵

Isabella McFate was a daughter of Robert and Jane (Culbertson) McFate—see also #12 of McFate Descendants Report. Jane Culbertson was a daughter of John and Mary (McClintock) Culbertson, see #4 of Culbertsons in the McClintock web site, generation four of Culbertsons, web page 3. In 1830, William, Isabella and their young family were in Allegheny Township, Venango County.³⁶ In 1837, William and Isabella and family were living in Venango County, the Plumer area, Cornplanter Township, Pennsylvania.³⁷ In 1845, William and wife Isabella sold land in Cornplanter Township to John McClure (“being part of a larger tract patented to the Holland Land County”), tract #70.³⁸ One of the witnesses to the 1845 Cornplanter Township, land deed was Mary Little (the other was William Porter). She was probably Mary (McArthur) Lytle, wife of Thomas Lytle, who was an uncle of William Lytle, Jr. There would not appear to be other Mary Lytles that would fit that period, and Thomas and Mary and family were known to have lived in Allegheny Township.

In 1850, the family, spelled Little, was enumerated in Fairfield Township, Crawford County. All their children were at home at the time except John and Nancy. In 1860, William and Isabella were still in Fairfield Township, with children Jane, Isabelle, William, Robert, Margaret and Sarah. In 1870, William and daughters Jane and Margaret were enumerated in Fairfield Township.³⁹

In 1865, William Lytle of Fairfield Township, Crawford County and John Lytle and John’s wife Mary quit claimed to Henry B. Herbert of Brooklyn, New York, for $5.00 land in Allegheny Township, Venango County. This land belonged to the heirs of John Lytle.⁴⁰The William Lytle would have been William Lytle (Jr.); the John Lytle (#20) would have been a child of John Lytle [Sr.] and nephew to William Lytle (Jr.). One wonders about the other children of John Lytle and their claims.

Isabella (McFate) Lytle was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Her parents had two daughters (Mary McFate and Jane McFate) born in eastern Pennsylvania or Delaware; then the family moved to the Greensburg area of Westmoreland County for a short time, where Isabella and Joseph McFate were born, before coming to Venango County⁴¹—see also #42 of McFate Descendants Report. Isabella (McFate) Lytle was mentioned as an heir of her father, Robert McFate, in the 1860 quit claim document pertaining to the heirs of Robert McFate.⁴²

William Lytle, Jr., first appears on the Venango County tax lists in 1816.⁴³ His last tax record for Venango County was apparently 1833, the William Lytle taxed after that year in Venango County being probably William (#13), son of John Lytle. William Lytle, Jr., tax record for 1830 states “this land is taxed to John Little and James McCasland.”

And then in 1836 this via Olive Peters’ material, 1985–1996:

Venango County Deed Book H., p. 631—William Litle and Isabella, his wife, and John Litle and Sarah, his wife, all of Venango County, to James McCasland, of the same place, 100 acres in Allegheny Twp., being part of Tract #172 of Holland Land Co. land. Dated 11 Nov. 1836, recorded 11 Nov. 1851. Witnesses: William Dawson and Aaron Benedict.

**Children of William and Isabella (McFate) Lytle**:⁴⁴

+	23	i.	John³ Lytle, born 1822; died 4 February 1886; buried in Mumford Chapel Cemetery, Crawford County, Pennsylvania; married Nancy Miller.
	24	ii.	Jane Lytle, born circa 1823 in Pennsylvania. Apparently Jane did not marry. The Jane Stitt, born circa 1825, enumerated in the household of John Lytle and family—see first child of William and Isabella (McFate) Lytle—could not be our Jane Lytle, born circa 1823, because our Jane Lytle was living with her parents in Fairfield Township, Crawford County, in 1850, 1860, and 1870.
+	25	iii.	Nancy Lytle, born circa 1825; married James Kennedy Mumford.
+	26	iv.	Mary Lytle, born circa 1827; married Thomas Burchfield.
+	27	v.	Elizabeth Lytle, born 1830; died 1921; married David N. McDonald.
+	28	vi.	Isabella (Belle) Lytle, born circa 1831; married John Calvin.
	29	vii.	Margaret Lytle, born circa 1833. She was living with her parents in 1850, 1860 and 1870; apparently Margaret did not marry.
+	30	viii.	William Lytle, born circa 1835; died 1891?; married Lucinda Brush.
+	31	ix.	Robert Lytle, born circa 1837; died 6 October 1917 in Meadville, Pennsylvania; married Sarah Calvin.
	32	x.	Sarah Lytle, born 1842; died 1863 in Crawford County, Pennsylvania. She did not marry, at least no issue. Sarah was enumerated with her parents in Fairfield Township, Crawford County, in 1850 and 1860. A Sarah Lytle, Margaret Lytle, and a Robert Lytle were on the membership roll of the United Presbyterian Church of Cochranton.⁴⁵ They were probably three of William and Isabella (McFate) Lytle’s children.