The following photo of Daniel L. Defibaugh is from the Bedford County Historical Society, and is included here with the permission of Dave Petit, Vice President of the organization.
The following graphic shows how I currently understand the relationships among the Defibaugh gunsmiths. Red text is used to identify individuals who were known or have been said to be gunsmiths.
1732-1799: According to Mary Lou Cook's August 3, 2013 Defibaugh working file, early settler Caspar Defibaugh was Daniel Lysinger Defibaugh's great-grandfather, was born in 1732, built the Defibaugh tavern with his son Gotlieb, died in 1799, and is buried in the Union Cemetery in the town of Somerset, Pennsylvania. Herebelow, Casper appears in an undated Colerain Township tax list that (since John Doddridge is on the list) could be no later than early 1773:
1755-1816: According to Mary Lou Cook's August 3, 2013 Defibaugh working file, Daniel Lysinger Defibaugh's grandfather was Johann Gotlieb Defibaugh, who was born on March 26, 1755, died on December 16, 1816, and is buried in the Union Cemetery in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
1785: The original part of the log and frame Defibaugh tavern is said to have been built circa 1785, and is located at 40.026096, -78.452249. The following image of the Defibaugh tavern was taken by Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD and is included here under the following license: Creative Commons Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Click here to see additional photos of the Defibaugh tavern.
1789: According to a web page about him, Daniel Defibaugh, Sr. (father of Daniel Lysinger Defibaugh) was born on August 17, 1789.
1820: According to Mary Lou Cook's August 3, 2013 Defibaugh working file, Daniel Lysinger Defibaugh (son of Daniel Defibaugh and Mary Lysinger) was born March 18, 1820 at Willow Grove in Snake Spring Township, Bedford County, and died on March 18, 1902 at Jeannette, in Westmoreland County. According to the age given in the 1850 census, Daniel Defibaugh was born circa 1820. The Willow Grove reference either means he was born at the Defibaugh tavern (which eventually became known as the Willow Grove), or refers to the general area where the tavern was located, which was also known as Willow Grove (see the 1861 map farther below).
1820: According to Mary Lou Cook's August 3, 2013 Defibaugh working file, Daniel Defibaugh, Sr. (father of Daniel Lysinger Defibaugh) died on February 18, 1820 and is buried at the Defibaugh Farm Family Cemetery in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
1820: The widow Mary Defibaugh appears in the Providence township portion of the 1820 census records of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The census record shows the number of children living in the household. The following image is a composite comprising tabular information from one page and a table header from another page.
1822: According to the 1963 book "Some Nycum Descendants" Sophia (Nycum) Smouse's daughter Sophia Smouse was born circa 1822, married the blacksmith Daniel Defibaugh, and had the following children: Lucinda, Francis R., and Michael S. Defibaugh. The book also reports that Sophia (Nycum) Smouse's daughter Elizabeth Smouse married William Defibaugh. According to Mary Lou Cook's August 3, 2013 Defibaugh working file, Daniel L. Defibaugh was a brother of the gunsmith William Defibaugh, and they were sons of Daniel Defibaugh.
1840: According to the 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania", the marriage of Daniel L. Defibaugh and Sophia Smouse occurred in 1840.
1842: According to a web page about Mary C. (Lysinger) Defibaugh, she was the wife of Daniel Defibaugh, Sr. and the mother of Daniel L. Defibaugh, was born on April 18, 1796, and died on January 19, 1842. She is buried at the Defibaugh farm family cemetery in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Her broken tombstone includes the inscription, "In Memory of Mary C. Consort of Daniel Defibaugh died Janu 19th AD 1842 aged 45 y. 9 m. & 1 d. "
1845: The 1902 obituary of Daniel L. Defibaugh indicates he was survived by a child named Mrs. Lucinda Hoffmeier. Lucinda's 1931 obituary indicates she died on February 16 at the age of 86, and is buried in the Brush Creek Cemetery (which is in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania). Her tombstone gives the year of her birth as 1845.
Circa 1845: According to A. Merwyn Carey's 1953 book "American Firearms Makers" Daniel Defibaugh and William Defibaugh were brothers and were makers of percussion rifles in Providence Township of Bedford County circa 1845.
1846: Kauffman's 1952 book "Early American Gunsmiths 1650-1850" indicates that Daniel Defibaugh is identified as a gunsmith in an 1846 West Providence Township, Bedford County tax list. According to Kauffman's 1960 book "The Pennsylvania - Kentucky Rifle", Daniel Defibaugh is identified on the tax roll of West Providence Township, Bedford County in the year 1846. The Whiskers' 1983 booklet "Gunsmiths and Gunmakers of Bedford and Somerset Counties Pennsylvania 1770-1900" puts Daniel Defibaugh in West Providence Township as a blacksmith in 1846.
1848: The 1902 obituary of Daniel L. Defibaugh indicates he was survived by a child named Shunk Defibaugh of Cumberland. The 1909 obituary of Sophia Defibaugh, wife of Daniel L. Defibaugh, indicates she was survived by a son named F. Shunk of Evans City. Mary Lou Cook's August 3, 2013 Defibaugh working file indicates that Francis R. Shunk Defibaugh was born on August 18, 1848 and died on March 11, 1919.
1850: The 1850 federal census of West Providence Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania has the following entry:
Daniel Defibaugh, 30, Blacksmith, $6000, Pa.;
Sophia, 28, Pa.;
Lucinda, 5;
Francis R., 3;
Michael S., 6/12;
William STICKLER, 19, Blacksmith;
George SHARRER, 21, Blacksmith;
Margaret AMICK, 14, school
1850: The 1902 obituary of Daniel L. Defibaugh indicates he was survived by a child named Michael Defibaugh of Jeannette. The 1909 obituary of Sophia Defibaugh, wife of Daniel L. Defibaugh, indicates she was survived by a son named Michael S. of Grapeville. According to a web page about Michael Smouse Defibaugh, he is the son of Daniel L. and Sophia (Smouse) Defibaugh and is buried at the Brush Creek Cemetery in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. His tombstone gives a birth date of 1850 and a death date of 1936.
1852-1864: The Whiskers' 1983 booklet puts Daniel Defibaugh in the borough of Everett from 1852 to 1864, but also puts him in Bedford Township in 1863 as a blacksmith. The 2001 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford, Fulton, Huntington, & Somerset Counties" by Whisker & Yantz indicates that Daniel Defibaugh, Jr. was a gunsmith in Everett (which is in West Providence Township) in the 1852 to 1864 timeframe, and mentions that some of his double barreled guns (rifle and shotgun combination) carry a "Bloody Run" marking. The 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties Pennsylvania" indicates that Bloody Run is an old name for the place that is now known as Everett. The Everett reference may just mean he was served by the Everett post office. So far, I haven't seen any of the double barrel muzzleloaders that were made by Daniel Defibaugh.
1854: The 1902 obituary of Daniel L. Defibaugh indicates he was survived by a child named Shannon Defibaugh of Elkins, West Virginia. The 1909 obituary of Sophia Defibaugh, wife of Daniel L. Defibaugh, indicates she was survived by a son named Shannon of Elkins, West Virginia. Mary Lou Cook's August 3, 2013 Defibaugh working file indicates that Shannon Defibaugh was born in August of 1854 and died in Randolph, West Virginia in 1921.
1854: In the following excerpt from the November 3, 1854 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper Daniel Defibaugh announces the sale of real estate and personal property:
1856: The following item from the May 9, 1856 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper documents Daniel Defibaugh's application for selling intoxicating drinks.
1857: The following item is from the August 28, 1857 issue of the Bedford Gazette" newspaper. It names the road that property of Daniel L. Defibaugh is located along, and puts it close to property of John Smouse.
1857: The 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" indicates that Snake Spring township was organized from parts of Colerain and West Providence townships in 1857. This probably explains why Daniel Defibaugh shows up in West Providence Township in 1846 and 1850 records.
1858: The 1902 obituary of Daniel L. Defibaugh indicates he was survived by a child named Chenoweth Defibaugh of Cumberland. A web page that gives an 1850 birth date for Chenoweth is wrong, in my opinion, because the 1850 birth date conflicts with the 6-month age of her brother Michael in the 1850 census. Chenoweth Defibaugh is buried at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Cumberland, Maryland where she shares a tombstone with her husband Ada Defibaugh that includes the inscription "Chenoweth Defibaugh, March 31, 1858 --Sept. 29, 1905."
1858: The following excerpt from the May 7, 1858 issue of the "Bedford Inquirer" newspaper mentions property of Daniel L. Defibaugh in or near Snake Spring Township and near property of Lawrence Jamison.
1859: The following excerpt from the January 28, 1859 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper mentions Daniel Defibaugh:
1859: The following item from the March 29, 1859 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper identifies Daniel Defibaugh as a grand juror:
1860: The Daniel Defibaugh household is enumerated in the following excerpt from the 1860 census of Snake Spring Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania:
1860: The 1902 obituary of Daniel L. Defibaugh indicates he was survived by a child named Daniel Defibaugh of Wilkinsburg. The 1909 obituary of Sophia Defibaugh, wife of Daniel L. Defibaugh, indicates she was survived by a son named Daniel B. of Jennette. Mary Lou Cook's August 3, 2013 Defibaugh working file refers to this individual as Daniel Butler Defibaugh. A web page about Daniel Butler Defibaugh indicates he was born on February 23, 1860, died July 10, 1945, and is buried at the Brush Creek Cemetery in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
1860: The following excerpt from the June 8, 1860 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper documents that Daniel L. Defibaugh of Snake Spring Township was elected to serve on the Vigilance Committee.
1861: The following excerpt from the 1861 Walker map of Bedford County shows the location of Daniel Defibaugh's tavern in what had recently (1857) become Snake Spring Township. His obituary (below) indicates that he sold the tavern circa 1862 and moved to Bedford Township. I've read that after the sale, the tavern became known as the Willow Grove.
1862: The following excerpt from the August 2, 1861 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper shows Daniel L. Defibaugh running for the office of Bedford County Auditor:
1862: The following excerpt from the March 7, 1862 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper shows Daniel L. Defibaugh serving as a Bedford County Auditor. Click here to see the entire page of the newspaper.
1862: The following excerpt from the March 14, 1862 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper shows Daniel L. Defibaugh auctioning personal property at his residence in Willow Grove.
1863: The 1902 obituary of Daniel L. Defibaugh indicates he was survived by a child named Alexander Defibaugh of Jeannette. The 1909 obituary of Sophia Defibaugh, wife of Daniel L. Defibaugh, indicates she was survived by a son named Alex C. of Wilkinsburg. Wilkinsburg is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. An Alexander Defibaugh is buried in the Homewood Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his tombstone states "Alexander Defibaugh 1863--1943".
1863: The following excerpt from the March 3, 1863 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper shows Daniel L. Defibaugh serving as a Bedford County Auditor:
1864: The following excerpt from the February 2, 1864 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper shows Daniel L. Defibaugh serving as a Bedford County Auditor:
1869: The following announcement by Daniel Defibaugh is from the April 29, 1869 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper:
1870: Members of the Daniel Defibaugh household are identified in the following excerpt from the 1860 census:
1875: Click here to see Daniel L. Defibaugh's 1875 patent for a wagon brake. Here's a write-up in the August 7, 1875 Scientific American. This indicates that Daniel L. Defibaugh had mechanical design aptitude.
1877: The Bedford Township section of the 1877 book "County Atlas of Bedford Pennsylvania" shows the location of Daniel L. Defibaugh's residence in Bedford Township that is mentioned in his obituary.
1900: Based on the information in his obituary (included below), it appears that Daniel Defibaugh may be listed in the household of his son Michael Defibaugh in the 1900 census records of Jeannette or Wilkinsburg. I did not find his name in the 1900 census records of Jeannette.
1902: Daniel Lysinger Defibaugh died March 17, 1902, and is buried at the Brush Creek Cemetery, which is located between Irwin and Jeannette, Pennsylvania. The following obituary is from the March 21, 1902 "Bedford Gazette", and identifies Daniel L. Defibaugh as a blacksmith:
The following excerpt from a 2019 topographical map shows the location of Chalybeate. On a mid-twentieth century topographical map, the location is identified as "Chalybeate Station".
1906: The following two pages from the 1906 book "History of Bedford and Somerset Counties Pennsylvania" reveal the origin of the name "Chalybeate".
1909: Daniel L. Defibaugh's wife Sophia died September 4, 1909 at age 89 and is also buried in the Brush Creek Cemetery. Her obituary follows:
L. Dietle
To access information on Somerset and Bedford County gun makers and the firearms they developed, see the Gunsmith Project Index
Go to the Korns family genealogy home page
