Individual Details
Captain Richard Chenoweth
(Bet 1738 and 1748 - Jun 1803)
fought in Revolutionary War
His sister Rachel was at CPT Richard Chenoweth and wife Margaret "Peggy" McCarty home when it was burned and Margaret scalped by Shawnee Indians on July 17, 1789. Rachel was there with her daughter Elizabeth Seaton who was to marry a Military Guard of the Chenoweth Station, John Rose on August 20, 1789.
Gideon Chenoweth born 1770, oldest son of CPT Richard and Margaret McCarty Chenoweth, was listed at home when the 16 Shawnee Indians attacked their home on July 17, 1789. Gideon was 19 at the time. At age 21, on November 3, 1791, he was killed by Indians at St Clair's Defeat at Ft Recovery in Ohio. On February 7, 1792, the Jefferson Co., KY court declared CPT Richard Chenoweth father and heir of Gideon Chenoweth.
Three children of CPT Richard and Margaret McCarty Chenoweth were killed at the massacre at their home. The children were Levi, and Mary "Polly" Chenoweth. The third child has never been correctly identified. Margaret McCarty Chenoweth was on the 1820 census but died before the 1830 census. Margaret died at the home of her daughter Amelia Mildred Nash, wife of Harmon Nash. Margaret never married the second time as has been incorrectly stated. That may have been her brother's daughter. CPT Richard was listed on the 1800 census but was dead by the 1810 census. It seems he died in 1803 from severe injuries received by a tree falling on him in 1796. Richard and Margaret and a number of their children and family are buried at the Richard Chenoweth Cemetery in Middletown, KY.
Chenoweth Website note: Betty's source for Rachel Seaton and her daughter being at Richard's home was found in what she describes as military papers she reviewed at the Filson Club in Louisville. Unfortunately she has never been able to locate this citation again to make a copy of it. The account is at odds with other published accounts including the research of Blaine Guthrie. Rachel's husbands name is correctly just Kenner Seaton, even though Chenoweth accounts list his first name as James Kenner. He did have a brother named James, named for their father. A full listing of Rachel's and Kenner's children can be found at the website. Some of the dates vary with those found at the website.)
John’s son Richard is well known for his early forage into Kentucky to become one of the 7 founding fathers of Louisville. The story of the “Chenoweth” Massacre is well known and several articles at the site describe aspects of his life. He was the first of the two sons of John(2) who headed west and appears to have been a magnet to draw others of the line of John west to the Louisville area of Kentucky including his brother Arthur, his sisters Rachel Seaton and Elizabeth Stewart, and his three nephews, William, Jonathon and Absolom, Jr. This Kentucky base would be the springboard for later migrations into Indiana, Illinois and Texas. Richard married Margaret 'Peggy' McCarty. Her father is believed to be Nicholas McCarty. The Chenoweth histories spell her name as McCarthy and give her father as Thomas. There are still today lots of questions about Richard. His birth is ranged between 1738 and 1748, probably in Frederick Co., VA. I suspect he was on the older side of this. It is possible that Richard was married before Martha as Pirtle’s account refers to his son Gideon as a “near” relative of James. We do know that he was married to Martha by 1773 when he and Martha signed the deed selling the land left to Richard and his two brothers Thomas and Absolom. Shortly after this he left for the west. We know he was in Monongalia Co. as he sold land there to James Seaton, the father-in-law of his sister Rachel. Accounts say that by 1775 he settled near Wheeling on the banks of the Ohio. This was very dangerous territory in those times, subject to constant raids and strife with the many Indian tribes of the Ohio who sought to resist the intrusion of white settlers from the Colonies. In 1776 he joined the party of George Rogers Clark to settle near the Falls of the Ohio. This settlement became known as Louisville. There is far too much here to relate and those interested should read the site articles on Richard. There are only 3 lines of descendants that extend to present day of Richard’s 11 or so children. Three are believed to have died in the Chenoweth massacre, Gideon died in the Indian Wars, Tabitha never married, Jane and Naomi are not known to have had children, and Ann’s Bonderant lines are not brought into the 20th Century. This leaves Thomas, James and Amelia who married Harmon Nash. Thomas moved to Indiana and some of his children went to Iowa. Most of the family of James stayed in the Kentucky area and much of Amelia’s family still is missing to us. The 1850 Census gives us 19 families living in Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio.
His sister Rachel was at CPT Richard Chenoweth and wife Margaret "Peggy" McCarty home when it was burned and Margaret scalped by Shawnee Indians on July 17, 1789. Rachel was there with her daughter Elizabeth Seaton who was to marry a Military Guard of the Chenoweth Station, John Rose on August 20, 1789.
Gideon Chenoweth born 1770, oldest son of CPT Richard and Margaret McCarty Chenoweth, was listed at home when the 16 Shawnee Indians attacked their home on July 17, 1789. Gideon was 19 at the time. At age 21, on November 3, 1791, he was killed by Indians at St Clair's Defeat at Ft Recovery in Ohio. On February 7, 1792, the Jefferson Co., KY court declared CPT Richard Chenoweth father and heir of Gideon Chenoweth.
Three children of CPT Richard and Margaret McCarty Chenoweth were killed at the massacre at their home. The children were Levi, and Mary "Polly" Chenoweth. The third child has never been correctly identified. Margaret McCarty Chenoweth was on the 1820 census but died before the 1830 census. Margaret died at the home of her daughter Amelia Mildred Nash, wife of Harmon Nash. Margaret never married the second time as has been incorrectly stated. That may have been her brother's daughter. CPT Richard was listed on the 1800 census but was dead by the 1810 census. It seems he died in 1803 from severe injuries received by a tree falling on him in 1796. Richard and Margaret and a number of their children and family are buried at the Richard Chenoweth Cemetery in Middletown, KY.
Chenoweth Website note: Betty's source for Rachel Seaton and her daughter being at Richard's home was found in what she describes as military papers she reviewed at the Filson Club in Louisville. Unfortunately she has never been able to locate this citation again to make a copy of it. The account is at odds with other published accounts including the research of Blaine Guthrie. Rachel's husbands name is correctly just Kenner Seaton, even though Chenoweth accounts list his first name as James Kenner. He did have a brother named James, named for their father. A full listing of Rachel's and Kenner's children can be found at the website. Some of the dates vary with those found at the website.)
John’s son Richard is well known for his early forage into Kentucky to become one of the 7 founding fathers of Louisville. The story of the “Chenoweth” Massacre is well known and several articles at the site describe aspects of his life. He was the first of the two sons of John(2) who headed west and appears to have been a magnet to draw others of the line of John west to the Louisville area of Kentucky including his brother Arthur, his sisters Rachel Seaton and Elizabeth Stewart, and his three nephews, William, Jonathon and Absolom, Jr. This Kentucky base would be the springboard for later migrations into Indiana, Illinois and Texas. Richard married Margaret 'Peggy' McCarty. Her father is believed to be Nicholas McCarty. The Chenoweth histories spell her name as McCarthy and give her father as Thomas. There are still today lots of questions about Richard. His birth is ranged between 1738 and 1748, probably in Frederick Co., VA. I suspect he was on the older side of this. It is possible that Richard was married before Martha as Pirtle’s account refers to his son Gideon as a “near” relative of James. We do know that he was married to Martha by 1773 when he and Martha signed the deed selling the land left to Richard and his two brothers Thomas and Absolom. Shortly after this he left for the west. We know he was in Monongalia Co. as he sold land there to James Seaton, the father-in-law of his sister Rachel. Accounts say that by 1775 he settled near Wheeling on the banks of the Ohio. This was very dangerous territory in those times, subject to constant raids and strife with the many Indian tribes of the Ohio who sought to resist the intrusion of white settlers from the Colonies. In 1776 he joined the party of George Rogers Clark to settle near the Falls of the Ohio. This settlement became known as Louisville. There is far too much here to relate and those interested should read the site articles on Richard. There are only 3 lines of descendants that extend to present day of Richard’s 11 or so children. Three are believed to have died in the Chenoweth massacre, Gideon died in the Indian Wars, Tabitha never married, Jane and Naomi are not known to have had children, and Ann’s Bonderant lines are not brought into the 20th Century. This leaves Thomas, James and Amelia who married Harmon Nash. Thomas moved to Indiana and some of his children went to Iowa. Most of the family of James stayed in the Kentucky area and much of Amelia’s family still is missing to us. The 1850 Census gives us 19 families living in Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio.
Events
| Birth | Bet 1738 and 1748 | Virginia or Maryland, United States |  | ||
| Marriage | Bet 1771 and 1773 | Margaret "Peggy" McCarthy | | ||
| Death | Jun 1803 | Jefferson, Kentucky, United States | |
Families
| Spouse | Margaret "Peggy" McCarthy (1751 - 1839) |
| Child | Gideon Chenoweth (1773 - 1791) |
| Child | Amelia "Mildred" Chenoweth (1774 - 1835) |
| Child | Thomas Chenoweth (1775 - 1859) |
| Child | Jane Chenoweth (1776 - 1797) |
| Child | James S. Chenoweth (1777 - 1852) |
| Child | Levi Chenoweth (1778 - 1789) |
| Child | Margaret "Peggy" Chenoweth (1778 - 1789) |
| Child | Naomi Chenoweth (1783 - ) |
| Child | Polly Chenoweth (1784 - 1789) |
| Child | Tabitha Chenoweth (1790 - 1866) |
| Child | Ann Chenoweth (1792 - 1861) |
| Father | John Chenoweth (1706 - 1771) |
| Mother | Mary M. Smith (1713 - 1773) |
| Sibling | William Chenoweth (1731 - 1772) |
| Sibling | John Chenoweth (1735 - 1812) |
| Sibling | Thomas Chenoweth (1737 - 1780) |
| Sibling | Absolum Chenoweth (1745 - 1773) |
| Sibling | Mary W. Chenoweth (1748 - 1830) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth Chenoweth (1750 - 1786) |
| Sibling | Arthur Chenoweth (1752 - 1828) |
| Sibling | Rachel Chenoweth (1754 - 1807) |
Endnotes
1. Chenoweth Family Site from Colonial times to present day, Descendants of John Chenoweth & Mary Calvert, Jon D. Egge online [http://chenowethsite.com/], accessed 9/2006.
2. McClure, Daniel E. Jr., Two Centuries in Elizabethtown and Hardin County, Kentucky. Including Biographical Sketches of Some of Their Prominent Citizens of Past and Present Times. (Elizabethtown: KY. The Hardin County Historical Society, Inc. 1979.), p. 147.
3. Chenoweth Family Site from Colonial times to present day, Descendants of John Chenoweth & Mary Calvert, Jon D. Egge online [http://chenowethsite.com/], accessed 9/2006.
4. Chenoweth Family Site from Colonial times to present day, Descendants of John Chenoweth & Mary Calvert, Jon D. Egge online [http://chenowethsite.com/], accessed 9/2006.