A typed document in the Heckman family file at the Somerset Historical Center in Somerset County, Pennsylvania is titled "A Short History of the Heckman and the Rose Families" (hereafter, "Heckman's history"). The document includes a statement that the information in it was collected by John Rose Heckman, who obtained much of the Rose family information from William and John Rose. It appears that the document was actually written by John Rose Heckman's brother William H. H. Heckman of Eureka, California. Heckman's history was found and forwarded to me by Mark Ware.
Heckman's history indicates that a cabinetmaker named William Rose who lived in Bedford County before moving to Somerset County made and repaired rifles and made gunpowder using charcoal prepared from Basswood. Heckman's history also indicates that William Rose's son William witnessed an accidental explosion of a batch of gunpowder his father was manufacturing. The son indicated that his father was tossed about 12 feet in the air by the explosion, and the explosion burned off his father's hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows.
For a brief summary of how black powder was made, see pages 128 and 129 of Kauffman's 1960 book "The Pennsylvania-Kentucky Rifle". For an overview of how Saltpeter was made, see the July, 1968 issue of the "Muzzle Blasts" magazine. For more detailed information, see the 1776 pamphlet "Essays Upon the Making of Salt-Petre and Gun-Powder" that was published by the New York Committee of Safety.
Heckman's history indicates that William Rose also made and played violins, tanned deer hides, and made all of his own tools. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) also indicates that William Rose was a cabinetmaker.
Chronology
In Volume 1 of the 1904 book "Encyclopedia of Genealogy and Biography of the State of Pennsylvania" W. Horace Rose indicates that the father of his grandfather (the subject of this web page) William Rose was Allen Rose. Several genealogy websites state that Allen Rose's wife (and the mother of the William Rose who was born on December 17, 1765) was a daughter of Thomas Kinton. In a transcript of the February 1, 1777 will of Thomas Kinton, Allen Rose is named as one of three Executors (Bedford County will book 1 page 24).
William M. Hall's 1890 book "Reminiscences and Sketches, Historical and Biographical" describes Thomas Kinton's early (1737) trading activities at a place along the Allegheny River, and then states, "The Indian trader, Thomas Kinton, afterwards settled near Bedford..." Thomas Kinton was present at the Logstown Treaty on May 28, 1751. Click here to see a 1767 receipt to Thomas Kinton for receiving a fifty-pound bond with a balance of forty pounds. Click here to see a list of merchandise purchased by Thomas Kinton in 1751.
1771: The following excerpt from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" indicates that Allen Rose served as a grand juror at "the first term of the court of general quarter sessions of the peace" that began on April 16, 1771:
1772: The following excerpt from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" indicates that Allen Rose appears on the 1772 tax list of Bedford Township and is listed as owning 120 acres of ground with 15 acres improved, along with two horses and a cow.
1772: A property owner named William Rose appears in a transcript of the 1772 tax list of Colerain Township, Bedford County that begins on page 68 of the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania". This seems obviously to not be a reference to the William Rose who was born in 1765. I believe it is a reference to the William Rose who was Allen Rose's father and who was the grandfather of the William Rose who was born in 1765 (see the reference to a 1779 Bedford Township deed below wherein a William Rose identifies an Allen Rose as his son).
1773-1784: Click here to see tax transcripts and property returns for Bedford County individuals named William and Allen Rose in the 1773-1784 timeframe. The earlier records pertain to the gunsmith William Rose's father Allen and Grandfather William. The 1783 and 1784 records may pertain to the gunsmith William Rose and his father Allen.
1777-1862: Heckman's history indicates that William Rose's second wife was Jane Elder, and she was born on June 16, 1777 and died in October of 1862.
1778: The following excerpt from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" indicates that Allen Rose served as a County Commissioner in 1778:
1778: William and Allen Rose appear in the 1778 tax list of Bedford Township. If I am reading the manuscript document correctly, William is listed with 50 acres of located land with 30 acres cleared, two head of cattle, two horses, and two sheep, and Allen is listed with 50 acres of located land with 20 acres cleared, two head of cattle, two horses, and two sheep. I presume that these are references to the grandfather and the father of the William Rose who is the subject of this web page.
1778: According to a transcript of a roster on page 165 of the 1999 book "Mother Bedford and the American Revolution", Allen Rose (presumably the father of William Rose) was a Private in Captain Solomon Adams' Company in 1778. Allen Rose is included on a list titled "Soldiers who received depreciation pay as per cancelled certificates on file in the Division of Public Records, Pennsylvania State Library" that is included in Volume 4 of the "Pennsylvania Archives", fifth series.
1779: According to a transcript of a January 20, 1779 deed (recorded March 15, 1779) for property located "two or three miles from the Town of Bedford", William and Mary Rose of Bedford Township sold 300 acres in the Cumberland Valley to their son Allen Rose for 5 Shillings that Robert rose sold to Samuel Perry in 1768 and Samuel Perry sold to William Rose on August 31, 1769 (Bedford County Deed Book A pages 324-325). I suspect that these are references to the grandfather and the father of the William Rose who is the subject of this web page. Click here for a family story in an 1892 book that seems to be about the grandfather William Rose and indicates that as a widower he brought two children to Bedford County in his saddle bags and lived the remainder of his life near Bedford Springs.
1779: According to page 183 of the 1999 book "Mother Bedford and the American Revolution", Allen Rose (presumably the father of William Rose) signed an Oath of Allegiance before David Espy on January 19, 1779.
1779: William and Allen Rose appear in the 1779 tax list of Bedford Township. If I am reading the manuscript document correctly, William is listed with 50 acres, eight head of cattle, four horses, and four sheep, and Allen is listed with 100 acres, 5-1/2 head of cattle, and two horses. I presume that these are references to the grandfather and the father of the William Rose who is the subject of this web page.
1779: Click here to see a transcript of a February 16, 1779 letter to the Pennsylvania General Assembly that was signed by Commissioner Allen Rose, presumably the father of the William Rose who is the subject of this web page.
1781: According to a transcript of a roster on page 171 of the 1999 book "Mother Bedford and the American Revolution", Allen Rose (presumably the father of William Rose) was a Private in Captain William McCall's Company in 1781.
1781: Click here to see Allen and William Rose (presumably the gunsmith William Rose's father and grandfather) in the manuscript 1781 Bedford Township tax records.
1789: Allen and William Rose (presumably the William Rose born in 1765) appear on a transcript of the February 3, 1789 militia list of Bedford Township.
Circa 1790: I have seen Rose family-related genealogical websites that indicate that William Rose (grandfather of the William Rose who is the subject of this web page) died during or before 1790. I could not find a William or Allen Rose or Ross in the Bedford County portion of the 1908 book "Heads of Families First Census of the United States: 1790 State of Pennsylvania" (46 MB).
1793: Heckman's history indicates that William Rose and his first wife had a son named Allen Rose who lived in Johnstown and operated a planning mill. A web page about Allen Rose indicates he was born on March 20, 1793 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, died August 3, 1851, and is buried in the Grandview Cemetery in Southmont, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. The death certificate of Allen's son W. Horace Rose indicates that Allen Rose was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Pages 22 to 29 of the 1896 book "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania" highlight Allen Rose and his descendants, and indicate he is a son of William Rose and was born on March 20, 1793 in Bedford County. For a similar account, see pages 187 to 190 in Volume III of the 1907 book "History of Cambria County Pennsylvania". The Rose Genealogy in Volume 1, pages 561 and 562 of the 1907 book "History of Cambria County Pennsylvania" indicates that William Rose's son Allen Rose "was born in March, 1793, at Bobs creek, near Bedford..." and Allen and his wife died of cholera on August 14, 1851.
An interview of Johnstown ex-Mayor Horace Rose in the July 7, 1895 issue of the Somerset Herald indicates that Horace Rose's "father, Allen Rose, was born in 1792 (sic) in Bedford county, Pa., along the line of Bloody Run" and indicates that Horace Rose's grandfather was William Rose who moved into Somerset County from Bedford County very early in the 1800s. The interview also captures an interesting Indian captivity story.
1794: Heckman's history indicates that William Rose owned a Bedford County farm that was located about two miles from the town of Bedford, then sold it and then purchased a farm that is located in Jenner Township of Somerset County.
Page 22 of the 1896 book "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania" states, "William Rose settled first at Philadelphia. From there he went to Lancaster county; from Lancaster county he moved to Bob's Creek, near the town of Bedford; from Bob's Creek he moved to Jenner X Roads, in Somerset county." Bob's Creek flows into Dunning Creek about 2.5 miles west of the southern end of Dunnings Mountain, and about 9.3 miles north-northwest of the town of Bedford.
Page 197 of the Bedford County Warrant Register identifies an April 10, 1794 warrant to William Rose for 400 acres, and indicates the associated survey is found in Book A-86 Page 188. When an official copy of Survey A-86 Page 188 was made in 1901, the name was recorded as William Ross. The survey was for 366-1/2 acres "Situate on the West side of Dunnings Mountain in Bedford Township Bedford County ... Originally surveyed Sept. 2nd 1795, for William Ross [sic] on Warrant dated 10th of April 1795, for 400 as." The southern end of Dunnings Mountain is about 7 miles due north of the town of Bedford in a straight line.
1795: The initial bounds of Somerset County were created from a portion of Bedford County by an April 17, 1795 statute.
1796: The following excerpt from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" indicates that William Rose appears in the 1796 tax list of Bedford Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
1800: In the Bedford and St. Clair Township portion of the 1800 census of Bedford County, Pennsylvania the Allen Rose household has one white male under age ten, three white males of age 16 but under age 26, one white male age 45 and upwards, one white female of age 10 but under age 16, and two white females of age 16 but under age 26, and the William Rose household has two white males under age 10, one white male of age 26 but under age 45, three white females under age 10, and one white female of age 16 but under age 26. The following image is a composite, comprising part of a table from one page of the census and a table heading from another page of the census.
Circa 1800: In Volume 1 of the 1904 book "Encyclopedia of Genealogy and Biography of the State of Pennsylvania" W. Horace Rose states that his "...grandfather William Rose, resided in the vicinity of Bloody Run until the close of the eighteenth century." Bloody Run is another name for the town of Everett, which is at the mouth of a stream called Bloody Run that is located about 7.9 miles due east of the town of Bedford and about 10.4 miles southeast of the southern end of Dunnings Mountain (straight line distances).
1805: Heckman's history indicates that William and Jane (Elder) Rose had a son named William Rose who was born on January 19, 1805 and who had a son named Harrison with his wife Polly Evans. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that William Rose Jr. was born on January 19, 1805 and died on September 28, 1887. An article in the February 22, 1888 issue of the "Somerset Herald " newspaper indicates that William Rose died at the Somerset County Poor House on September 28, 1887 at the age of 79 years.
1806: Heckman's history indicates that William and Jane (Elder) Rose had a son named John Rose who was born on June 3, 1806 and died at Morrellville in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that William Rose's son John Rose was born on June 3, 1806.
1807: Heckman's history indicates that William and Jane (Elder) Rose had a daughter named Nancy Rose who was born on December 10, 1807, married George Shunk, and died early in the 1850s. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that William Rose's daughter Nancy Rose Shunk was born on December 10, 1807.
1809-1829: Heckman's history indicates that William and Jane (Elder) Rose had a daughter named Rachel Rose who was born on January 1, 1809 and died on September 9, 1829. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that William Rose's daughter Rachel Rose was born on January 1, 1809 and died on September 9, 1829.
1810: In the following image from the 1810 census records of Bedford County, Pennsylvania the lower portion is from a Bedford Township page and the upper portion is from a different page.
1811: The Jenner Township portion of the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" includes the statement, "Jenner township was organized in 1811, and named for Dr. Jenner, the discoverer of vaccination. It is large in territory, and embraces within its limits one borough and one prosperous village."
1811-c1833: Heckman's history indicates that William and Jane (Elder) Rose had a daughter named Sarah who was born on December 8, 1811, was married to a Blough, and was buried on January 18, 1833. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that William Rose's daughter Sarah Rose Blough was born on December 8, 1811 and died on January 18, 1833.
1814-1817: Heckman's history indicates that William and Jane (Elder) Rose had a daughter named Jane Rose who was born on January 3, 1814 and died on November 16, 1817. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that William Rose's daughter Jane Rose, was born on January 3, 1814 and died on November 16, 1817.
1815: Heckman's history indicates that William and Jane (Elder) Rose had a daughter named Rebecca Rose who was born on July 15, 1815, was married to a Blough and after he died, she married a Harwood. There is a tombstone for a Rebecca Rose Blough Harwood who died December 27, 1899 at the Sloan Cemetery in LaGrange County, Indiana. It looks like the eroded tombstone indicates she was 84 years, 5 months, and 12 days old at the time of her death. By my arithmetic, that confirms she was born on July 15, 1815. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that William Rose's daughter Rebecca Rose Blough was born on July 15, 1815.
1817: The following excerpt from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" indicates that William Rose appears in the 1817 tax list of Jenner Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
1819-1863: Heckman's history indicates that William and Jane (Elder) Rose had a daughter named Lydia who was born on June 15, 1819, married Andrew Heckman in September of 1814, died on September 16, 1863 and is buried in the Sloan Cemetery that is located in Clearspring Township, La Grange County, Indiana. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that William Rose's daughter Lydia Rose Heckman was born on June 15, 1819, married Andrew Heckman, and died on September 16, 1863.
1820: The following image is a composite that comprises tabular information from the Jenner Township census records, and a table header from another township.
1826: The Rose Genealogy in Volume 1, pages 561 and 562 of the 1907 book "History of Cambria County Pennsylvania" indicates that in 1826 William Rose's son Allen Rose "married Elizabeth Freame, a daughter of Moses Freame, who lived at or near Dibertsville, Somerset."
1826-1828: Page 22 of the 1896 book "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania" indicates that after being in Ohio and McKeesport, Pennsylvania William Rose's son Allen "purchased a grist mill at Jenner X Roads in 1826. He operated the mill for two years, and in 1828 came to what was then called the town of Conemaugh, but since 1834 is known as Johnstown."
1830-1915: Heckman's history indicates that William Rose lost the Jenner Township farm, apparently as a result of inadvertently purchasing the farm from someone who did not have complete ownership. Heckman's history also indicates that the farm William Rose lost in Jenner Township eventually became known as the Aaron S. Walker farm. Aaron S. Walker is buried in the Mount Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Jenner Township, where his tombstone indicates he was born on June 15, 1830 and died on November 27, 1915. The Mount Zion Lutheran Cemetery is located at 40.20100357, -79.0651302.
1830: The following composite image from the Jenner Township portion of the 1830 manuscript census documents of Somerset County, Pennsylvania seems to show a listing for the William Rose household:
1838-1913: Heckman's history indicates that William Rose's son Allen Rose had a son named W. Horace Rose who served as the Mayor of Johnstown. A web page about Mayor William Horace Rose indicates that he was a son of Allen Rose, was born on November 17, 1838 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, died on December 19, 1913, and is buried in the Grandview Cemetery at Southmont, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. The death certificate of W. Horace Rose indicates that his father was Allen Rose.
1840: The Jenner Township portion of the manuscript 1840 census records of Somerset County, Pennsylvania includes the households of William Rose and William Rose, Jr. The household of William Rose includes one white male in the 70 to 80 age group, one white male in the 30 to 40 age group, one white female in the 60 to 70 age group, and one white female in the 15 to 20 age group.
1844-1929: The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that Andrew and Lydia (Rose) Heckman had a son named John Rose Heckman who was born on August 7, 1844, married Gertrude Spade on February 25, 1869, died November 3, 1929, and is buried in the Thomas Cemetery. Heckman's history indicates that John R. Heckman owned a chair that his cabinetmaker grandfather William Rose made. Click here to read an article about John Rose Heckman in the August 11, 1926 issue of the "Somerset Herald" newspaper that indicates he had "been making his home along the Jenner pike at Thomas Mills" for half a century. A transcript of letter "Henry H. Heckman" wrote to his niece Mrs. Daryle R. Heckman from Eureka, California on January 21, 1930 acknowledges receipt of her November 4, 1929 wire notifying him that his brother John R. Heckman had died. Information added to the transcript indicates John R. Heckman died on November 3, 1929.
1846-1930: Heckman's history was apparently written by William Henry H. Heckman of Eureka, California based on information collected by his brother John Rose Heckman. There is a tombstone at the Ocean View Cemetery in Eureka, Humboldt County, California for a W. H. H. Heckman who was born in 1846 and died in 1930. W. H. H. Heckman shares a tombstone with his wife Mary C. Heckman who was born in 1860 and died in 1921. This is probably the William H. H. Heckman who was nominated to be the Receiver of Public Moneys at Eureka, California by William G. Harding on February 28, 1922. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that a William Henry Heckman who was born on August 11, 1846 and died in 1930 in Eureka, California was the son of Andrew and Lydia (Rose) Heckman, the brother of John Rose Heckman, and the grandson of the William Rose who was born on December 17, 1765.
1847: The Rose Genealogy in Volume 1, pages 561 and 562 of the 1907 book "History of Cambria County Pennsylvania" indicates that William Rose "resided in Philadelphia for a while, then came to the vicinity of Bedford, and finally located near Jenner Crossroads, Somerset County, where he died in 1847." Heckman's history and the genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicate that William Rose is buried in the Baptist Cemetery in Jenner Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. No individuals with the surname Rose are included in a transcript of the circa 1934 WPA survey of the Baptist Church Cemetery in Jenner Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. I also did not find any individuals with the surname Rose in the transcripts of WPA surveys of other Jenner Township cemeteries.
The following excerpt from the 1896 book "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania" indicates that William Rose died in 1847, and states that "His grave is in the old Baptist burying ground at Jenner X Roads." The Jenners Baptist Church Cemetery is located at 40.18809005, -79.03118774 on Keyser Road near the intersection with Rose Road and 1.97 miles east-southeast of the Mount Zion Lutheran Cemetery (straight line distance).
1860: The following excerpt from the 1860 Walker map of Somerset County, Pennsylvania shows two residences marked A.S. Walker. One or both may be on the farm known as the Aaron S. Walker farm that is referenced in Heckman's history.
1876: The following excerpt from the Jenner Township map in the 1876 atlas of Somerset County, Pennsylvania shows two residences marked A.S. Walker. One or both may be on the farm known as the Aaron S. Walker farm that is referenced in Heckman's history. The residences are located very close to the cemetery of the Mount Zion Lutheran Church, where Aaron S. Walker is buried. The genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicates that William Rose's farm was the Aaron Walker farm in Jenner Township near the Mt. Zion Church.
1913: The following excerpt from a 1913 topographic map (HTMC, 1961 ed.) shows the location of the Mt. Zion Lutheran Church (red arrow) on or near the Jenner Township farm William Rose lost. It also shows the Jenners Baptist Church (green arrow) where William Rose is buried.
1765: Heckman's history and the genealogy notebook of Daryle R. (Berkey) Heckman Shaver (1887-1960) indicate that the William Rose who is the subject of this web page was born December 17, 1765.
Click here for an index to other pages on this website that pertain to old-time muzzleloader gunsmiths from Somerset and Bedford counties, Pennsylvania.
