The Beginning of the Gephart/Cox Family Union

So here's the beginning of the Asa Clifford Gephart and Ida Belle Cox family. On July 3, 1916 in Newark, Ohio Asa and Ida were married.  I find it interesting that Asa put his name as Clifford A Gephart and at the bottom the Rector Lewis P Franklin spelled Gephart with a "b"and not a "p"(Gebhart).  Asa States he was married once before and Ida never.  It also states that Asa was born in Fresno, Coshocton County, Ohio but that Ida was born in Franklin Township, Licking County, Ohio which is incorrect.  Ida was born in Tyndal which is in Franklin Township, Coshocton County, Ohio. It says that Asa was a Railroad Fireman and Ida had no occupation.  And of course, the ages are incorrect too.  Ida was not 18 when she got married as it states.  She was born 24 July 1899, that makes her 21 days shy of her 17 birthday.  And Asa was not 24 as it says.  He was born in 1889.  That would have made him just 27 years old.  It's funny that they lied about their age. Although, there are several different birth years for Asa that I've found.  But June 14,1889 is on his birth Certificate and 1889 on his headstone.  I've seen his birth listed as 1890, 1891 and 1892.  Just wondering how you don't know when you're born. :)  So although there are quirky errors in this marriage certificate, Asa and Ida were married and started a long legacy.

Obituary

     Susan Diane Fitch  1950-2015

Some Coshocton History

Located near the center of a triangle, Formed by Columbus, Cleveland and Wheeling, lies an unspoiled valley, and in the lap of this valley sits the city of Coshocton, Ohio.
The wooded hills surrounding the pleasant valley in which the city of Coshocton nestles comfortably, have an ageless quality. When the haze which surrounds them in the early morning lifts, it would not be surprising to discover the Indian camps of 200 years ago.
The Moundbuilders settled here where the Tuscarawas and Walhonding Rivers met to form the Muskingum River. The hills were an ideal vantage point from which to watch for approaching enemies, and the valley itself was well protected against climatic extremes. But the enemy did come. There were the Delawares, Followed by other Indian tribes, and later the Moravian. Local names still reflect the influence of these Indian tribes which harassed the early pioneers on their trek west.
Colonel Henry Bouquet's famous expedition in 1764 established a camp at Coshocton, and his forces managed to free many white prisoners of the Delawares with whom he later made a treaty establishing permanent peace in the area. A Walt Disney novel, "The Light in the Forest" tells the story.
Taverns were gradually established throughout Coshocton County serving as inns, communication centers and meeting places for the local inhabitants. Plays and lectures were given at these inns, and for many years they were the focal point of all social activities.
Famous men passed through this section. Johnny Appleseed planted some of his orchards here, and Louis Phillippe, Later King of France, supposedly spent some time here.
The town itself was laid out in 1802 and named Tuscarawas. Calder's Country Store was opened, and other merchants soon arrived. In 1811, the name was changed to Coshocton, a derivation of Coshogunk, which is Indian for "black bear".
Originally, agriculture was the main source of income, but by 1834, coal was being mined and when the Ohio and Erie Canal was built, passing through Coshocton, it made the city an important trading and shipping town.
The canal opened up transportation to the area and was mainly responsible for the many new factories which came to the area. A paper mill opened in 1863 followed eight years later by the Coshocton Iron and Steel Works.
With the arrival of the "iron horse", Coshocton was well on its way to becoming a center of industry. Even newcomers will find themselves searching through the Coshocton history and genealogy section at the library to learn more about the rich past of this truly American community.
Some of that rich past might include a look back at the February 1903 edition of the Coshocton Daily Age and it's detailed description of how Coshocton was named.
"Strangers ask how Coshocton gets its name, and the question is easily answered. Here stood the Delaware Indian village Goschachgunk. It is so spelled by DeSchweinitz, the Moravian historian;Coshoching by Heckewelder; Coshecking by Gen. McIntosh in his letter to Gen. Washington, April 27, 1779; Goshocking by Col. Broadhead in a letter to Gen. Washington, August 4, 1779."
"It consisted of sixty or eighty huts built of poles and bark, strung along in two rows with a street between, corresponding with North Second Street. Near the center of the village stood the council house much larger than any of the cabins. Here momentous issues of war or peace were determined."
"At on gathering in 1778, there were as many as 700 warriors. One of the first white men who visited the town was Captain Gist who was exploring in the interest of the Virginia Land Company. His journal has been preserved. From it we learn that there was already an English trader here, and two other white men . . ."
"The first permanent white settler, Charles Williams, located here in 1800, soon followed by the Carpenters, Millers, and Morrisons. the town was called Tuscarawas, Until the organization of county in 1811, when the name Coshocton was adopted. Take notice--the name is not Co-shoc-ton, but Cosh-ec-ton as correctly given in an early edition of Webster, in accordance with the uniform pronunciation by the early settlers."
A look at Coshocton County, also in the Daily Age, offered these reflections:
"The territory settled by these hardy pioneers was then included in Muskingum County, but in 1824, twenty-two of the originally organized townships were set apart for Coshocton County. It is bounded on the north by Holmes, east by Tuscarawas and Guernsey, south by Guernsey and Muskingum, and west by Licking and Knox. The county when originally organized contained not more than 1,500 people while now it boasts of a population of nearly 30,000." (Note that was in 1903.) In 2000, the total population census was 36,665.Â

Pedigree Charts

This is Ida Belle Cox's Family Tree.  It shows her children and back.  As  you can see there are a few Great Grandparents that I haven't found yet.  But I'm optimistic that one day I will.  And all those stars indicate that I have documents or photos that verify their information.  The parents for Martha Wood, Sally Spicer and Hugh Wood, I just found them yesterday and today.  I've been searching out sources.  Not an easy task but doable.

Now this is Asa Clifford Gephart Sr. Family Tree.  There's LOTS and LOTS of work still to be done here.  It get difficult when you start getting back into Germany, Ireland, Wales.  So I'll keep you posted as I make progress.

Have fun checking this out! This are just direct ancestor line from Ida and Asa.  But I have many many many more descendants that I've been able to track and source.  One day I'll get to sharing some of those!

Need Your Families Information

Hey there family members.  I need your own families information.  I need everyone's (you, spouses, children, grandchildren) following information:

• Full names
• Full birth date
• Place of birth
• Marriage(s) dates and place
• Parents

Want to make sure I get everyone into the right family.  Then, if you have any special memories of your family email those to me too.  Also looking for more memories and information on Asa Clifford Gephart Sr and Ida Belle Cox (grandparents). And please talk to your siblings and have them email me too.  You're all great.  I've been finding lots of new information on 3rd and 4th great grandparents.  Very cool stuff.  I'll post some later tonight.  EMAIL ME!!!!  shellysfamilyhistory@gmail.com :)