Introduction: The early Bedford County gunsmith who from public records is known as Jacob Saylor seems to have used the spelling "Sayler" when he signed documents. It seems that other people often spelled his surname as "Saylor" in public documents. Some of his descendants now use the spelling "Saylor".
1737: Page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" indicates that Jacob Sayler (Saylor) was born in 1737 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The author believed that Jacob's father was named Henry. Possibly drawing from that publication, an article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that Jacob Saylor was a son of Henry Saylor and was born in Berks County in 1737. I believe that this supposed 1737 birth year, birth location, and father's name pertains to a different Jacob Saylor who lived in what is now Somerset County. I believe the birth year and birth location for that other Jacob Saylor were probably sourced from Volume III, Page 453 of the 1906 book "History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania". Volume III of that 1906 book may also be the source for the 1737 birth year that is provided in the 59th report of the DAR (1957); see the relevant excerpt below. Page 501 of Volume I of that 1906 book states, "Jacob Saylor, who settled on a farm on the west side of the Castleman's river, and in full view of Meyersdale, about 1773, was a member of the Amish church, but becoming dissatisfied about some now unknown matter, he withdrew from that church." In reference to that Jacob Saylor, page 65 of Volume I states, "Jacob Saylor died in 1796."
Circa 1748: The Pickaway County, Ohio tombstone that is said to be that of the Bedford County gunsmith Jacob Sayler indicates that he died in September of 1800 when he was 52 years old. This makes his birth year circa 1748. The Whiskers' 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" says Jacob Saylor was born on January 13, 1748 in Berks County, and indicates that his father was Henry Saylor. Although I have encountered the January 13, 1748 birth date elsewhere, I do not know what it is based on.
1767: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) purchased a hundred-acre property that was located approximately four miles north of Fort Bedford. Possibly drawing from that publication, the 2001 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford, Fulton, Huntingdon, & Somerset Counties" by Whisker & Yantz reports that in 1767 Jacob Saylor bought a tract of 100-acres that was located approximately four-miles north of the town of Bedford. I suspect the 1767 date is mistaken. Jacob Saylor was not taxed on real estate on the 1776 or 1779 Bedford Township tax list (see below) but was taxed for 105 acres in Bedford Township in 1783, after purchasing a 100-acre tract from Andrew Steel on October 4, 1782 (see below). Survey D55-226 (linked below) indicates that property was surveyed for Andrew Steel on May 2, 1767. Based on the shape of present-day property boundaries, I think that the tract Jacob Saylor bought from Andrew Steel is about 3.5 miles-north-northwest of Bedford in a straight line.
Circa 1770: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) married his wife Elizabeth in 1770. This appears to be incorrect, because the Bedford Township 1772 tax list (see transcript below) indicates that he was then a single freeman.
1771: According to the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" Bedford County was created by legislation titled "An act for erecting a part of the county of Cumberland into a separate county" that was passed by the General Assembly on March 9, 1771.
1771: The following excerpt is from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania." It indicates that Jacob Saylor was already a resident in the town of Bedford when Bedford County was formed in 1771.
1772: The Whiskers' 1983 booklet "Gunsmiths and Gunmakers of Bedford and Somerset Counties Pennsylvania 1770-1900" mistakenly puts the gunsmith Jacob Saylor near the site of present-day Meyersdale in 1772. The Jacob Saylor who lived near Meyersdale in what is now Somerset County was a different (and locally well-known) individual.
1772: The following portion of the Bedford Township 1772 tax list is from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania". It shows Jacob Saylor renting a house and lot in Bedford County and paying a provincial tax as a single freeman.
In the preceding list, notice that Andrew Steel owned a sawmill. Jacob Sayler eventually bought real estate from Andrew Steel and eventually owned a sawmill. It may be that Jacob Sayler acquired the sawmill from Andrew Steel when he purchased the real estate, but this is just an educated guess.
1773: The Whiskers' 1983 booklet puts the gunsmith Jacob Saylor in the borough of Bedford in 1773. The following transcript is from page 20 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Third Series, Volume XXII. It shows that Jacob Saylor was enumerated on the Bedford Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania tax list in 1773.
1775: The document below is an official 1876 copy of a 302-acre Bedford County, Pennsylvania survey. The survey was performed on April 23, 1775 based on a December 15, 1774 warrant for a man named Jacob Saylor. Based on the location of the survey near the Casselman River, which is now in Somerset County, THIS IS THE WRONG JACOB SAYLOR! In southern Somerset County, this other Jacob Saylor is well known as one of the area's early settlers.
1775: The following mortgage transcript is from Volume III of the 1906 book "Annals of the Carnegie Museum". With this mortgage, the gunsmith Jacob Sayler purchased property in Pittsburgh from tailor Andrew Robinson on September 11, 1775. The mortgage includes the statement, "Jacob Saylor stands bound by Recognizance for the said Andrew Robinson in the County Court of Bedford County in the Province of Pennsylvania..." The mortgage was proved "At a Court held for Augusta County at Pittsburgh January 16th 1776." This mortgage makes one wonder if Jacob Sayler was serving as a gunsmith at Fort Pitt.
1775: The Whiskers' 2017 book states that Jacob Saylor moved to the borough of Bedford at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. As noted above, Jacob Saylor was already a resident in the town of Bedford at the time Bedford County was formed in 1771. As also noted above, the Whiskers' 1983 booklet puts Jacob Saylor in the borough of Bedford in 1773.
1776: A February 9, 1776 letter recorded in the "Pennsylvania Archives" references an anonymous Bedford County, Pennsylvania gunsmith. Some students of Bedford County history believe that the referenced gunsmith is Jacob Saylor. It seems worth noting that Bedford County gunsmith John Fraser was deceased well before 1776.
1776: The 2001 Whisker & Yantz book reports that Jacob Saylor's name is included as a private on a March 22, 1776 roster of Captain Samuel Davidson's Company of Bedford County Associators. The book reports that he also served in the Bedford County Militia, Third Battalion, as a member of the company led by Captain William McCall. These statements about Jacob Sayler's military service, and the ideas (right or wrong) that Jacob Sayler was born in 1737 and is buried in Pickaway County, Ohio are reportedly derived from a publication of the D.A.R. One such publication is the "Fifty-Ninth Report Of The National Society Of The Daughters Of The American Revolution April 1, 1955, To April 1 , 1956" that was published by the United States Senate in 1957. The following is a composite image made from pages 296 and 297 of that Senate document.
1776: The information published by the Daughters of the American Revolution about Jacob Saylor's service in Captain Samuel Davidson's Company appears to be based on pages 50 and 51 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Series V, Volume 5. Those pages have a transcript of the March 22, 1776 "Muster Roll of Captain Samuel Davidson's Company, in Colonel Smith's Battalion of Bedford County Associators":
The information published by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) about Jacob Saylor's service in Captain William McCall's Company appears to be based on page 119 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Series V, Volume 5. Those pages have a transcript of the "Class roll of Capt. Wm. McCall's Comp'y of the 3D Battalion":
1776: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) purchased lot 149 in the town of Bedford, which had a spring that was used by the troops of George Washington. The 2001 Whisker & Yantz book reports that Jacob Saylor bought lot 149 in the town of Bedford in 1776, and further reports that this lot had a good spring. Although Beth Wilson believes that Jacob Saylor never owned lot 149 and instead purchased lot 49 in 1787 (see details below), and although I suspect the spring tradition actually relates to lot 192 (see details below), the following excerpt from the 1876 atlas of Bedford County shows where lot 149 was located (approximately at 40.019109085270514, -78.49945656314924).
1776: The 2001 book also reports that Jacob Saylor appears on the 1776 tax roll as a gunsmith who owned a cow and one lot and had a tax burden was $0.06. I am unable to reconcile this tax burden with the document below. Perhaps one was a state tax and the other a county tax; I'm just not sure.
1776: The following is from page 125 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Third Series, Volume XXII. It shows that a man named Jacob Saylor was enumerated on the Bedford Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania tax list in 1776.
1776: The following image shows Jacob Saylor on the handwritten Bedford County tax assessment list of 1776:
Circa 1776-1777: Volume 118 (1982) of the "Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine" indicates that Jacob Saylor and Elizabeth Steel were married around the year 1776 or 1777. The circa 1776/1777 date seems plausible, based on the birth date of their eldest known child. The 1992 book "Helms of Germany and Pennsylvania..." indicates that the father of Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor was the early Bedford County settler Andrew Steel who arrived in the area prior to 1769 and ran a sawmill.
Circa 1776-1777: Correspondent Beth Wilson provided a transcript of 1776 to 1879 genealogy records in a "Jacob Sayler Bible" that was published by the DAR in a March 1984 magazine. At least some and perhaps all of the records were (in my opinion) written long after the recorded events took place. For example, the transcript indicates that the marriage of Jacob Saylor and Mary Elizabeth Steel took place circa 1776 or 1777. The date uncertainty (in my opinion) indicates it was written long after the event, perhaps as a deduction or an estimate. Nevertheless, the transcript seems to be the best available information. The typewritten nature of the transcript means the handwriting can't be evaluated to see if more than one person was involved in creating the records. One of the references to the Jacob Sayler (Saylor) information on page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" is a Saylor Bible that was printed in the year 1609.
I wondered if Elizabeth Steel was the daughter of Rev. John Steele, but correspondent Beth Wilson reports that his will does not list an Elizabeth.
1778: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) had a son named Jacob who was born in 1778. Possibly drawing from that publication, the article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth had a son Jacob, Jr. who was born in 1778. The DAR transcript of the Jacob Sayler Bible records indicates that Jacob Sayler was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania in 1778. Another part of the transcript indicates that Jacob Saylor, son of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, married Martha Brindle, and the way it was written makes me suspect this was a second marriage. Another part of the transcript indicates that Jacob's son Jacob Sayler died circa 1868 when he was approximately 90 years old.
1779: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that George Funk used Jacob Saylor's money to purchase a 311-acre tract of land in Colerain Township of Bedford County in trust for Jacob Saylor on May 13, 1779, and then used a quit claim to transfer the land to Jacob Saylor. The 2001 Whisker & Yantz book states that John Fraser moved to Friend's Cove in Colerain Township circa 1768 and had a smithy there that was used for blacksmithing by George Funk (apparently meaning after Fraser's circa 1773 death) and was purchased by the Bedford County gunsmith Jacob Saylor on August 14, 1779. I am not aware the origin of the smithy-related information, but Jacob Saylor's sale of this property is included in a deed below that describes the ownership history of the 311-acre property. This property helps to explain the records below that show Jacob Saylor being taxed as a non-resident of Colerain Township, and it helps to explain tax records that show John Fraser being taxed in both Bedford Township and Colerain Township in 1771.
The following composite image from the 1906 book "History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania" describes the early history of Friend's Cove, which includes an old gunsmithing tradition that could relate to John Doddridge, Jacob Saylor, William Jones, or John Fraser.
1779: The Whiskers' 1983 booklet puts the gunsmith Jacob Saylor in Bedford Towne in 1779 with two lots, two horses, two cows, and five sheep. This conflicts with the Whisker's 2017 book, which indicates that Jacob Saylor had one house, two horses, four cows, and one sheep in 1779, and was responsible for a state tax of £1/6/6 and a county tax of £0/2/6. The following is from page 161 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Third Series, Volume XXII. It indicates that Jacob Saylor was enumerated on the Bedford Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania tax list in 1779 with one horse, four head of cattle, and one sheep.
1779: The following composite image shows Jacob Saylor identified as a gunsmith on the handwritten Bedford County tax assessment list of 1779, owning one lot, four head of cattle, one horse, and one sheep:
1779: The following is from page 33 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Third Series, Volume VII. It documents a payment to Jacob Saylor for repairing arms and making wipers in 1779. This is in a chapter titled "State of the Accounts of the Lieutenants and Sub- Lieutenants of Bedford County 1777-1783".
1779: The following transcript of a September 17, 1779 letter from Bedford is from Volume VII of the Pennsylvania Archives series that was printed in 1853. This is one of the sources that suggests to me that "Sayler" is the surname spelling that Jacob used when signing his name.
1779 to 1790: In his 1953 book "American Firearms Makers", A. Merwyn Carey indicates that Jacob Saylor had a shop in Bedford County and produced muskets and rifles, and reports a 1779 to 1790 timeframe. While it is true that Jacob Sayler was a Bedford County gunsmith and may have been a gunmaker, I have not seen any documentary evidence that absolutely proves he was a gunmaker.
Circa 1780: The following excerpt from pages 276 and 277 of Volume XXIII of the Pennsylvania Archives, Third Series identifies Jacob Saylor as one of the Rangers on the frontier in Bedford County in the general 1778 to 1783 timeframe.
Circa 1780: The following excerpt is from page 25 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Third Series, Volume VII. It documents a 1780 payment to Jacob Saylor for "repairing arms". This is from a chapter titled "State of the Accounts of the Lieutenants and Sub-Lieutenants of Bedford County 1777-1783".
1780: The following transcripts are from Volume XI of the "Pennsylvania Archives", sixth series. Although there is no way of telling for certain which Jacob Saylor is being referenced, based on the signature spelling "Sayler" that is recorded in the transcripts, I believe this represents the gunsmith Jacob Sayler. As a further reference, family traditions supported by public records indicate that the gunsmith Jacob Sayler served as a Legislator, which is harmonious with the political interest that is demonstrated in the following transcripts. He appears to have been one of the early leaders of Bedford County.
1780: David Epsy wrote a February 5, 1780 letter that recommended Jacob Saylor as a Justice of Peace. The following transcript is from Volume VIII of the "Pennsylvania Archives" series that was published in 1853. The letter includes the statement, "Jacob Saylor, is a Man that would do no Dishonor to the Commission. He is a German and universally esteemed by the People, calm, steady, honest & sensible."
1780: The following excerpt is from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania". It indicates that Jacob Saylor was a Justice of the Peace in Bedford County in 1780. This appointment is harmonious with an individual being interested in politics.
1780: The source of the Justice of the Peace information in the 1884 book is likely Volume III of the "Pennsylvania Archives" that was published in 1875. An excerpt follows.
1780: The August 23, 1780 appointment of Jacob Saylor as Justice of the Peace is recorded on pages 458 and 459 of Volume XII of the 1853 book "Minutes of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania" (excerpted below). The 1853 book identifies the new Justice of the Peace as a resident of the town of Bedford. Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that page 421 of Bedford County Deed Book A from August 23, 1780 also references Jacob Saylor's appointment as a Justice of the Peace.
1780: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) had a son named John who was born in 1780 and had a daughter named Elizabeth Whetzel (birth date not listed). Possibly drawing from that publication, the article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth had a son named John who was born in 1780 and had a daughter named Elisabeth Whetzel (birth date not listed). Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that in 1780 Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth Steel had a son named John Saylor who died in 1825 and had a daughter named Elizabeth Saylor who married Henry Whetsel and died in 1857.
The DAR transcript of the Jacob Sayler Bible records indicates that John and Elizabeth Saylor were born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and John was born in 1780. Another part of the transcript indicates that Elizabeth Saylor, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, married a Whetzel or Wetzel. Another part of the transcript indicates that John Saylor, a son of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, married a Miss Upp. Another part of the transcript indicates that Jacob and Elizabeth Saylor's son John Saylor died on August 28, 1825.
1781: The following image shows Jacob Saylor on the handwritten Bedford County tax assessment list of 1781:
1782: The article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that Jacob Saylor appears on the 1782 tax roll of the borough of Bedford as a gunsmith with two lots, two cows, two horses, and five sheep.
1782: The following image shows Jacob Saylor on the handwritten Bedford County tax assessment list of 1782:
1782: The following excerpt is from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania". It indicates that Jacob Saylor owned a lot in the town of Bedford, Pennsylvania in 1782.
1782: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob Saylor purchased a 100 acre improved tract of land in Bedford Township of Bedford County from blacksmith Andrew Steel on October 4, 1782 and references page 14 of Deed Book B. Beth further reports that the property was southeast of John Miller, west of Peter Stifler, north of Frederick Divert, and south of Dunning Mountain. (I presume that Divert is a spelling variation of Dibert.)
1782: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) had a son named Henry who was born in 1782. Possibly drawing from that publication, the article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth had a son named Henry who was born in 1782. Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth Steel had a son named Henry Saylor who was born in 1782 and died in 1854.
The DAR transcript of the Jacob Sayler Bible records indicates that Henry Saylor was born in Bedford County in September of either 1782 or 1785. The uncertainly of the written date reveals that this is a retroactive Bible record. Although Pickaway County, Ohio was not established until March 1, 1810, another part of the transcript indicates that Henry Sayler, son of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, married Elizabeth Kepner on December 25, 1805 in Pickaway County, Ohio. Elizabeth is described as a daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth Huebsche Kepner who was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania on December 18, 1790. Another part of the transcript indicates that Henry Sayler died in Richland Township, Marion County, Ohio on January 6, 1854 at the age of 71 years, two months, and 16 days, and is buried in the family cemetery on Grape Creek.
Correspondent Beth Wilson provided a transcript of genealogy records in a "Henry Saylor Bible" that was published by the DAR in a March 1984 magazine. The first entry in the transcript indicates that Jacob and Elizabeth (Steel) Sayler's son Henry Sayler was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on September 20, 1782. Although Pickaway County, Ohio was not established until March 1, 1810, another entry indicates that Henry Sayler and Mary Elizabeth Kepner were married in Pickaway County, Ohio on December 25, 1805. Another entry indicates that Henry Sayler died in Richland Township, Marion County, Ohio on January 6, 1854 at the age of 71 years and is buried in a family cemetery on Grape Creek.
The following excerpt from the October 1927 issue of "The Minute Man", the "Official Bulletin of the National Society Sons of American Revolution" shows that a membership was accepted based on being a great-great-grandson of Jacob Sayler, by virtue of being a great-grandson of Henry and Elizabeth (Kepner) Sayler.
Circa 1782/83: A garbled transcript of a Bedford County Orphan's Court record indicates that Adam Ernest's minor son Jacob Earnest chose Jacob Saylor, Esquire as his guardian on May 13, 1782 or 1783. An article in the June 1, 1934 issue of the "Bedford Inquirer" tells the story of Adam Ernst coming to live on the waters of Dunning's Creek in 1775 with his wife Eve and their children: George, Mary, Jacob, Johannas, Henry and Michael. The story indicates that Adam Ernst was tomahawked and scalped at their home in September of 1777, and Jacob was one of the children who escaped through a window.
1783: The next two images are from pages 208 and 214 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Third Series, Volume XXII, and represent 1783. The first image (page 208) is for Bedford Township, and the second image (page 214) is for Colerain Township, where Jacob Saylor appears in the non-resident part of the list, evidently because he was then living in Bedford Township.
1784: The next two images are from pages 276 and 281 of the 1898 book "Returns of Taxables..." and represent 1784. The first image (page 276) is for Bedford Township, and the second image (page 281) is for Colerain Township, where Jacob Saylor appears in the non-resident part of the list, evidently because he was then living in Bedford Township.
1784: The Whiskers' 1983 booklet mentions Jacob Saylor with 200 acres in Bedford Township in 1784. I have not been able to substantiate this.
1785: The article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that Jacob Saylor received an appointment as county auditor in 1785, and was given the title "Esquire" in the tax roll. This service as a county auditor is also harmonious with an individual who had an interest in politics. The article also indicates that Jacob Saylor had 300 acres of property in 1785. As shown in the manuscript copy of the 1785 tax list below, the 1992 article is off by a few acres.
1785: The composite image below shows that Jacob Saylor, Esquire was enumerated as a gunsmith in Bedford County, Pennsylvania in 1785. As I interpret the tax list, he was living on a five-acre lot in Bedford Township, and owned 311 acres of land in Colerain Township. If I'm reading things right, he had two horses, three cattle, and four houses on his five-acre Bedford Township lot. Beware that at least one respected secondary source apparently misquotes this record, stating that Jacob Saylor is enumerated with 400 acres of land. The "Esquire" title seems to be rooted in his involvement in area politics.
1785: The following excerpt is from Volume XIV of the 1853 book "Minutes of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, and is taken from the minutes of the May 25, 1785 meeting of the Supreme Executive Council.
1786: The following 112-acre survey (C189-239) along what was known as Stell's Run (a tributary of Dunning's Creek) was performed for Jacob Saylor on July 26, 1786 based on a September 13, 1785 warrant. I venture a guess that Stell's run was named for Andrew Steel. Dunning's Creek joins the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River just east of the town of Bedford, at Latitude 40.019349, Longitude -78.475953. The referenced survey D55-226 (annotation in the upper right-hand corner) seems to prove that this is a survey of the 100-acre improvement that Jacob Saylor purchased from Andrew Steel on October 4, 1782 (see above). Based on the shape of present-day property boundaries, it appears that the Jacob Saylor survey may be located on what is now known as Pleasant Valley Run, near but not directly at the mouth of the run, and with the widest part of the survey generally at 40.063659659, -78.46778552.
1786: The following item from page 5 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Sixth Series, Volume III identifies a Jacob Saylor as a Captain in the First Battalion of the Bedford County Militia on May 10, 1786. Considering some of the other names on the list, I believe this is the Jacob Saylor from what is now Bedford County, rather than the Jacob Saylor from what is now Somerset County.
1786: The following item is from a section of Volume XI of the "Pennsylvania Archives", Sixth Series, titled "Examination of Witnesses of the Bedford Election began 30th of November 1786." Based on this, it appears that Jacob Sayler ran for the Pennsylvania Assembly in either 1785 or 1786; I haven't been able to determine which. As shown below, in subsequent years he did serve as a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly.
1787: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that a Jacob Saylor, yeoman, purchased lot 49 in the Manor of Bedford on February 17, 1787, and reports that this lot was on the north side of the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River. Beth reports that the deed for lot 49 does not state that the purchaser, Jacob Saylor, was a gunsmith. Click here to see an excerpt from a town plat prepared by Deputy Surveyor George Woods that indicates Jacob Saylor acquired lots 49, 50, and 51 on the north side of the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River on February 17, 1787. A red arrow points to where Jacob Saylor is listed in the legend, and red stars identify the location of the lots. North is toward the right-hand edge of the plat. The town plat is titled, "A Plan of the late Proprietaries Manor of Bedford divided into different lots and farms on the N and S. side of the Raystown branch of Juniata River including the town of Bedford".
1787: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) had a son named Micah who was born in 1787. Possibly drawing from that publication, the article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth had a son named Micah who was born in 1787. Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth Steel had a son named Micah Saylor who was born in 1787 and died in 1856. The DAR transcript of the Jacob Sayler Bible records indicates that Micah Saylor was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on March 20 of 1787 or 1788. Another part of the transcript indicates that Micah Saylor, son of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, married Elizabeth Monet circa 1819 in Pickaway County, Ohio, and indicates that Elizabeth Monet was born in Virginia in 1790 to Abraham and Ann Hillary Monnett. Another part of the transcript indicates that Micah Sayler died on April 12, 1856 at Kenton, Ohio at the age of 69 years and 22 days and is buried in the Grove Cemetery in Kenton. Taken together, the age at death and the date of death indicate a 1787 birth.
The following excerpt is from Orra Eugene Monnette's 1911 book the "Monnet Family Genealogy". It indicates that Micah Saylor, a son of the Jacob Sayler who died in 1800 and is buried in the Boggs Cemetery, was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on March 20, 1787. This Bedford County birth reference goes a long way toward establishing that the individual buried in the Boggs Cemetery is indeed the gunsmith Jacob Saylor.
The following excerpt is from Orra Eugene Monnette's 1911 book the "Monnet Family Genealogy". It indicates that Micah Saylor, a son of the Jacob Sayler who died in 1800 and is buried in the Boggs Cemetery, was born circa 1787.
1787: The following two images are from the book "Minutes of the First Session of the Twelfth General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". The October 24, 1787 minutes recognize the election of Jacob Saylor as a Representative to the State Legislature from Bedford County. To see Jacob Saylor's legislative voting record on a variety of subjects, click here for a 60,717 KB pdf copy of a book about the legislature he served in, and search for "Sayl".
1787: The following extract of November 14, 1787 minutes from the book "Minutes of the First Session of the Twelfth General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" reveals that the election of Jacob Saylor to the Legislature was a close thing.
1788: The article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that Jacob Saylor last appeared in the Bedford County tax list in 1788 owning 100 acres of property. This appears to be incorrect, since Beth Wilson found Jacob Saylor on 1792, 1796, and 1798 Bedford County tax lists. The same 1992 article indicates that while living in Bedford County, Jacob Saylor did harness making and ran a grist mill and a sawmill. The reference to harness making, and the grist mill and sawmill appears to be based on page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938". Although Ohio did not achieve statehood until February 19, 1803 and Pickaway County wasn't established until March 1, 1810, the 2001 Whisker & Yantz book reports that Jacob Saylor left Bedford County for Pickaway County, Ohio sometime around the year 1788, and died in that county on September 21, 1800. Based on information presented below, I do not believe that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor left Bedford County in the 1780s.
1788: The following two images are from the book "Minutes of the First Session of the Twelfth General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". The November 1, 1788 minutes recognize the re-election of Jacob Saylor as a Representative to the State Legislature from Bedford County.
1789: The following item from page 23 of the Pennsylvania Archives, Sixth Series, Volume III shows an individual named Jacob Saylor residing in Bedford Township in February of 1789.
1789: The following is an extract of March 2, 1789 minutes from the book "Minutes of the First Session of the Twelfth General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". Jacob Saylor's approval of this dissent reveals something about his personal philosophy.
1789: The following March 24, 1789 item (two pages) is from the 1825 book "The Proceedings relative to calling the conventions of 1776 and 1790 the minutes of the convention that formed the present Constitution of Pennsylvania". Jacob Saylor's participation in activities related to a Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention shows up in slightly garbled form in an Indiana family tradition (see below) that Jacob Saylor participated in the first Continental Congress. If you look hard enough, it's usually possible to decipher the kernels of truth that family traditions contain.
Unknown date: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) had a daughter named Katherine Herring (birth date not listed). Possibly drawing from that publication, the article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth had a daughter named Catherine Herring. The DAR transcript of the Jacob Sayler Bible records indicates that Katherine Saylor, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania and married an individual named Herring.
1789: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) had a daughter named Mary Lutz. Possibly drawing from that publication, the article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth had a daughter named Mary Lutz. Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth Steel had a daughter named Mary Saylor who was born in 1789 and died in 1862. The DAR transcript of the Jacob Sayler Bible records indicates that Mary Saylor was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Another part of the transcript indicates that Mary Saylor, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, married Jesse Lutz -- but this is wrong. Beth Wilson found a marriage record that proves that Mary Saylor married John H. Lutz in Pickaway County, Ohio on February 5, 1811.
1790: The following item from Volume XII of the Pennsylvania Archives series that was printed circa 1855 shows that Jacob Sayler was still a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature on December 18, 1790. This is harmonious with the family tradition (included below) that Jacob Sayler served in the State Legislature. The tradition, combined with the legislative record, seem to be strong evidence that the gunsmith Jacob Sayler did not leave Bedford County for the Ohio frontier in the 1780s.
1790: Here is summary of the Saylor households that appear in the Bedford County section of the book "Heads of Families First Census of the United States: 1790 State of Pennsylvania" (46 MB). As one would expect, there are two Jacob Saylor households. The other Jacob Saylor lived in what is now Somerset County. In the manuscript 1790 census records of Bedford County, the Jacob Saylor listings appear on pages 245 and 260.
1790: The following composite image is from the Bedford County section of the 1908 book "Heads of Families of the First Census of the United States: 1790." The Jacob Saylor household is enumerated with one male age 16 or older, four males under age 16, and three females. In the 1790 manuscript census records, the Jacob Saylor entries are on pages 245 and 260.
1791: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob Saylor, Esquire purchased lot 192 of Bedford on September 7, 1791, and references page 495 of Deed Book C. The following copy of the September 7, 1791 deed is unfortunately blurry, but one can tell that it relates to lot 192 in the town of Bedford.
Lot 192 in the town of Bedford is on the northeast corner of Pitt and Thomas streets, approximately at 40.01899767645399, -78.5057015981517, as shown by the following excerpt from the 1876 atlas of Bedford County.
On the 1861 Walker map of Bedford County, lot 192 is labeled "Big Spring" and illustrated as a shaded-in circle, as shown by the following excerpt. The Whiskers' 2017 book indicates that the spring on lot 149 was excellent, and provided good drinking water to Revolutionary War troops who were marching through Bedford. In view of the Big Spring annotation on lot 192 and Beth Wilson's belief that Jacob Saylor did not own lot 149, I wonder if the soldier tradition may actually be related to lot 192, and the troops who marched through Bedford during the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. I know of at least one other regional tradition (Washington's headquarters at Fort Cumberland) that was based on a Whiskey Rebellion occurrence but was attributed to an earlier time in local tradition. (In my opinion, an army marching through town in 1794 would have been a huge event that residents remembered and passed down through the generations.) Click here to see photos of Lot 192 that were taken in September, 2021. Click here to see the Big Spring more clearly identified on an 1853 map.
1792: The following item is from the September 29, 1792 issue of the "Independent Gazetteer" newspaper. It shows that an individual who signed his name as Jacob Sayler" who had an interest in politics was still living in Bedford County in 1792.
1792: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that a Jacob Saylor appears on the 1792 tax list of Bedford Township in Bedford County with a house and a lot, a grist mill and a saw mill, two horses, and four cows, and possibly 112 acres of land. The following excerpt from the 1792 Reading Howell map of Pennsylvania identifies the location of a Sayler mill, which is near (and south of a portion of) Dunnings Mountain:
1792: The following excerpt from the 1792 Reading Howell map of Pennsylvania shows the location of Colerain Township relative to the town of Bedford. For a sense of scale, in a straight line it is about 28.8 miles from Fort Cumberland to Bedford.
1793: The other Bedford County Jacob Saylor, who lived in what is now Somerset County, died on April 15, 1793 and is buried on Saylor Hill, overlooking Meyersdale, Pennsylvania.
1794-1795: The Northwest Indian War ended with the August 20, 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers and the August 3, 1795 signing of the Treaty of Greenville. This enabled the migration of large numbers of settlers into the Northwest Territory.
1795: Somerset County was created from a part of Bedford County in 1795. When first created, Somerset County was all west of the crest of the Allegheny Mountain. Any reference to a Jacob Saylor in Bedford County after the creation of Somerset County would be for an individual living east of the crest of the Allegheny Mountain.
1796: The following two pages are a 1796 public record from the Bedford County court that is signed by an individual who signed his name "Jacob Sayler" and was serving as a Foreman in a matter that is at least partially political in nature.
1796: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that a Jacob Saylor appears on the 1796 tax list of Bedford Township with a house, a grist mill and a saw mill, a horse, and six head of cattle. The following is from the Bedford Township section of the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania". It shows an individual named Jacob Saylor on the 1796 tax roll of Bedford Township, with a grist mill.
1796: The following December 12, 1796 diary entry from the 1893 book "Extracts from the diary of Jacob Hiltzheimer, of Philadelphia 1765-1798" indicates that Jacob Saylor was a member of the Pennsylvania House in 1796.
1796: According to page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" Jacob Sayler (Saylor) had a daughter named Sarah Lutz. Possibly drawing from that publication, the article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth had a daughter named Sarah Lutz. Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that in 1796 Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth Steel had a daughter named Sarah Saylor who died in 1852 and had a daughter named Hester (Ester) Saylor who married Beauchamp Harvey and died in 1873. The DAR transcript of the Jacob Sayler Bible records indicates that Saray (sic) and Hester Saylor were born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and Hester was born on June 14, 1796. Another part of the transcript indicates that Hester Saylor, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, married Beauchamp Harvey in Pickaway County, Ohio on June 2, 1816, and indicates that Beauchamp was born in 1789. Another part of the transcript indicates that Jacob and Elizabeth Saylor's daughter Hester (Saylor) Harvey died on March 7, 1873 in Illinois and is buried in the Sand Hill Cemetery in Mount Carmel, Illinois. Another part of the transcript indicates that Sarah Saylor, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, married John Lutz --but this is wrong. Beth Wilson found a marriage record that proves that Sarah Saylor married Jesse Lutz on April 6, 1820. Their Pickaway County, Ohio marriage license was dated April 3, 1820.
1798: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that a Jacob Saylor appears on the 1798 tax list of Bedford township in Bedford County with a house and a lot, a gristmill and a sawmill, a horse, and five head of cattle.
1798: Ross County of the Northwest Territory was established by a proclamation of the Governor of the Northwest Territory on August 20, 1798. The new county encompassed much of what eventually became the state of Ohio.
1799: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob Saylor and his wife Elizabeth Steel had a son named David Saylor who was born in 1799 and died in 1854. The DAR transcript of the Jacob Sayler Bible records indicates that David Saylor was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on June 16, 1799. Another part of the transcript indicates that David Saylor, son of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Steel) Saylor, married Nancy Ann Monnett in Pickaway County, Ohio on March 17, 1823, and indicates that Nancy was born on August 18, 1805 to Isaac and Elizabeth Monnett. Another part of the transcript indicates that David Sayler died in Rensselaer, Indiana on September 15, 1854 at the age of 55 years, and is buried in the Weston Cemetery at Rensselaer.
The following excerpt is from Orra Eugene Monnette's 1911 book the "Monnet Family Genealogy". It reports that Jacob Sayler's son David was born on June 16, 1799. David is buried in the Weston Cemetery in Jasper County, Indiana. His tombstone states "Sacred to the memory of David Sayler born June 16, 1799 died Sept. 15, 1854 aged 55 yrs.'
1799: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob Saylor used a quit claim to transfer a 311-acre tract in Colerain Township of Bedford County to Edward Rose on August 14, 1799, and references page 444 of Deed Book O. Beth notes that Jacob Saylor purchased the property in 1779. This transaction suggests that Jacob Saylor had not yet left Bedford County for the Ohio frontier. The deed is interesting because it mentions John and Jane Fraser and relates to the 311-acre property George Funk purchased from the estate of John Fraser in trust for Jacob Saylor.
1799: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob and Elizabeth Saylor sold Bedford lot 192 to William Dunning on August 29, 1799, and references page 329 of Deed Book E. This transaction suggests that Jacob and Elizabeth Saylor had not yet left Bedford County for the Ohio frontier.
1799: Although Pickaway County, Ohio was not established until March 1, 1810, page 305 of the book "1788 — To the Pioneers of the Ohio Country — 1938" indicates that Jacob Sayler (Saylor) moved to Pickaway County, Ohio in 1799.
1800: Jacob Saylor is not included in the Bedford Borough portion of the 1800 manuscript census records of Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
1800: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob Saylor signed his will on September 14, 1800 in Ross County, and reports that the will of Jacob Saylor was proven on December 25, 1800 in the Probate Court of Ross County, and references Proceeding A, Case 8073. A copy of the will follows:
Circa 1800: The following is from the Salt Lick Township portion of the 1880 book "History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio". It estimates that Jacob Saylor came to what is now Pickaway County, Ohio about 1800.
The following excerpt from the 1906 book "History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens" Indicates that Jacob Sayler, Sr. was a squatter along Salt Creek before the land was first offered for sale by the government in 1801.
1800: Although Pickaway County, Ohio was not established until March 1, 1810, the article in the February 1992 AOLRC newsletter indicates that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor died on September 21, 1800 in Pickaway Township, Pickaway County, Ohio and is buried in the Boggs Cemetery. The Boggs Cemetery is located at 39.51188297, -82.95988291. Jacob Saylor's tombstone is in excellent condition, and states, "Jacob Sayler Died the 21 September 1800. Aged 52 Years." The grave is marked with a star-shaped Revolutionary War service marker. Elizabeth Sayler is also buried in the Boggs Cemetery. The part of her tombstone that I think I can read states "Elizabeth Sayler Died the 28 August 1823..." Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Elizabeth Steel was born in 1756 and died in 1823.
The DAR transcript of the Jacob Sayler Bible records indicates that Jacob Saylor died on September 21, 1800 in Ross County, Ohio at the age of 52 years and is buried within a half of a mile of the Logan Elm, in the Boggs Cemetery. The transcript also indicates that Jacob Saylor's wife Elizabeth is buried there, and died on August 28, 1823 at the age of 67 years.
The DAR transcript of the Henry Sayler Bible records indicates that Jacob Sayler died on September 21, 1800 after a sickness that lasted 18 days, and indicates that his consort Elizabeth Sayler died on August 28, 1823 in Pickaway County.
The Whiskers' 1983 booklet mistakenly states that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor and his wife Magdalena are buried at the Three Hills Farm in what is now Summit Township, Somerset County. That is the other Jacob Saylor.
1800: The following excerpt from the Pickaway Township portion of the 1906 book "History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens" indicates that Jacob Sayler was the second individual who was buried in the Boggs Cemetery.
1803: The state of Ohio was established on February 19, 1803.
1805: Correspondent Beth Wilson reports that Jacob Saylor's widow Elizabeth Saylor of Ohio and his son Jacob Saylor of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, serving as executors of the estate of Jacob Saylor, sold 150 acres of property in Greenfield Township (then Bedford County) on June 29, 1805, and references page 57 of Bedford County Deed Book G. A copy of the deed follows.
1810: A January 12, 1810 act of the General Assembly of Ohio dictated that portions of Ross, Fairfield, and Franklin counties be used to form the new county of Pickaway as of March 1, 1810.
1823: Volume 118 (1982) of the "Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine" indicates that Jacob Saylor's wife Elizabeth died on August 28, 1823.
The following family tradition is from the 1883 book The History of Hardin County, Ohio, and seems to be written by Jacob Sayler's grandson John Saylor, who was born long after Jacob Sayler's death. It states, "...Jacob Sayler, who was brought from Germany to this country when a small boy. He learned the trade of gunsmith, and during the Revolution was detailed as artificer for the colonial forces, for which services he was paid in continental money; this money becoming worthless, the family were almost reduced to poverty. Removing to Bedford, Penn., he worked at his trade some years, and was elected to the State Legislature, when death came, and the hopes of the family were again frustrated. The widow was left with a young family of nine children, and after battling with the stern realities of life in that hilly region, she determined to emigrate to the West. Being a woman of strong will an energy, she finally accomplished her purpose, reaching what was then called the Northwest Territory, after many hardships, and settling about midway between Chillicothe and Circleville in the year 1798." This tradition, although slightly garbled, correctly captures Jacob Sayler's gunsmithing services during the Revolutionary War, his gunsmithing work as a Bedford County civilian, and his service as a Pennsylvania State Legislator. This is not the only recorded family tradition that (incorrectdly, in my opinion) indicates that the gunsmith Jacob Sayler died in Pennsylvania.
Here is another family tradition stating (incorrectly, in my opinion) that the gunsmith Jacob Saylor died in Pennsylvania. It is from Volume II of the 1899 book "Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski Counties, Indiana". This family tradition, which seems to have been written by Jacob Sayler's grandson Isaac Sayler, correctly connects Jacob Sayler to Bedford County, Pennsylvania and correctly identifies Jacob Saylor's gunsmithing services to the Revolutionary Army. The tradition is incorrect regarding the first Continental Congress: Jacob Sayler was not one of the Delegates. Nevertheless, understanding that stories do drift when passed down through generations, this family tradition does correctly capture Jacob Sayler's participation in a legislative body that met in Philadelphia -- it just gets the name of the legislative body wrong. The Holland story is probably the typical misunderstanding where families assume "Deutsche" means "Dutch", when it really means "German".
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In the February 2004 newsletter of the AOLRC, James B. Whisker reported that he had once seen a musket that had the initials "JS" on the lock. Whisker reported that the musket was crude and may have been something Jacob Sayler made during the Revolutionary War.
The following excerpt is from pages 65 and 66 the 1916 book "The Kinnears and Their Kin". It contains an obvious typographical error when it names the first generation "John Saylor" on page 65 and "Jacob Saylor" on page 66. It is included here because it provides a list of Jacob Sayler's children that was written over 100 years ago.
Follow this hyperlink for an index to biographical info about other early long rifle gunsmiths from Bedford and Somerset counties, Pennsylvania.
Go to the Korns family genealogy home page
