I'm not going to go into too much detail about Thomas and Mary as there is a fascinating, well-researched website dedicated to Thomas and Mary Callihan and their descendants at callihanfamilyresearch.org. To access the wealth of information they have there you need to create a user name and password to log in, but it is completely free. And completely worth it.
Suffice it to say that Thomas Callihan was an Irish Quaker immigrant from Ireland who, as far as we know, came to the US in the 1770s. According to the hand-carved inscription on his headstone he would have been born in 1757. Mary Proctor, probably born about 1754, was also a Quaker, though probably from England. More than likely, they met through their mutual affiliation with the Quakers. They were affiliated with the Menallen Meeting prior to Bedford County having their own congregation.
Thomas first shows up in the Bedford County tax rolls in 1785. His first Bedford County residence was near the Quaker community of Fishertown, He later sold that tract of land and purchased land near Pleasantville. (Farmers and land owners would often buy and sell adjoining tracts of land for whatever reasons they had at the time, so the acreage at both locations would vary depending on his most recent land transaction.)
Whether or not Thomas served in the Revolutionary War and for how long is a little complicated. Maybe he did (or maybe someone else did with the same name), and maybe he actually deserted. We know that the Quakers were completely against taking up arms, so the conflict of interest between loyalty to God and obligations to country would certainly create a lot of cognitive dissonance. We do believe he signed the required "Oath of Allegiance" and we know he paid "supply tax" which helped to fund the war. According to the DAR, a law was passed 13 June 1777 which required all men over the age of 18 to sign an Oath of Allegiance, rejecting allegiance to King George. All signers and those citizens who paid the 'Supply Tax,' which was levied to fund the war effort are credited with Patriotic Service. So, as far as I'm concerned, Thomas Callihan was a patriot indeed.
Thomas and Mary had at least 8 children. One of their children, a son, died in childhood and another son died at age 24. The rest lived into their 70s and 80s.
The Callihan plantation was located on what is now Oldham Road, northwest of Pleasantville. Their log home was described as having an exterior staircase which led to the second floor and a seperate outside bake house. A huge walnut tree stood next to the home which subsequently died. It was owned and occupied by members of the Callihan family for 75 years.
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| 1861 map showing the location of the Callihan homestead |
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| According to subsequent owners of the property, the rock foundation for the original Callihan log home was located where the red barn now stands. |
Thomas and Mary are buried on the highest point of their land behind Robby Ickes' house, almost a half a mile from their log home . I wrote about Robby taking us up to the grave site here.
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| The burial location is at the top of this hill. |
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| The fence was erected probably during the mid 1900s, more than 100 years after their deaths. |
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| Thomas Callihan's handcarved headstone. Deciphering it can be a little tricky, but keeping in mind the backwards "4", he died 3 April 1841 at the age of 84 years and 3 days. |
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| Mary died two years before Thomas on 30 January 1839 at the age of 85. |
Here is his will:
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| This is from the County records. (His original handwritten will can be seen at callihanfamilyresearch.org,) |
In the name of God Amen I Thomas Callahan of St. Clair
township in the County of Bedford and State of Pennsylvania being advanced in
age and knowing the uncertainty of time here, but of sound mind memory and
understanding thinks best to make and publish that my last will and testament
in manner and form following; viz Principally and first of all I commend my
immortal soul into the hands of God who gave it and my body to Earth to be
buried in a decent Christian like manner at the discretion of my Executors
herein after named; and as to such worldly estate as it hath pleased God to
bless me with in this life, I give and dispose of in the following manner to
wit, I give and bequeath unto my wife Mary one horse creture at her choice and
two cows at her choice and five sheep and two hogs out of my stock; and two
beds and bedding thereunto belonging and one beaureau and as much of my kitchen
furniture as she may think necessary; and it is my will that my plantation
whereon I now live shall be rented to the highest bidder at public venue during
my wife’s natural life or widow hood and the renter shall furnish my widow with
hay and grain as much shall be necessary for the support of her and her stock
out of rent and the grains to be delivered in the bushel and the hay in the barn and it is my will that my widow shall
have the house wherein I now live during her natural life or widowhood and it
is my will that the remainder of the rent shall be equally divided among my
four children namely John, Thomas, Robert and Jacob and further it is my will
that at the expiration of nine months after my widows decease that my Executors
advertise and sell at public venue and convey all my right title claim and
demand of the tract of land wherein I now live and likewise my small tract
adjoining the before mentioned Plantation or tract of land and when the price
thereof shall be collected it is my will that it shall be equally divided
amongst my four children namely John, Thomas, Robert and Jacob and it is my
will that my Executors pay to my Daughter Elizabeth Oldham and my sons William
Callahan the sums of two dollars each they bring provided heretofore. I do further request my Executors at a
suitable time after my decease to advertise and sell all my personal property
not herein before bequeathed or otherwise disposed of and after the money shall
be collected and all debts & incidental expenses paid that they then pay
what shall be remaining to my four children namely John, Thomas, Robert, and
Jacob each to have an equal share, and lastly I nominate constitute and appoint
my friends Anthony Blackburn and James More to be my Executors of my last will
and testament hereby revoking all other wills legacies and bequests heretofore
made and declaring this and no other to be my last will and Testament.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this
sixth day of April one thousand eight hundred and thirty Signed sealed
published and declared by the said Testater as his last will and Testament in
the presence of us, who in his presence and at his request, have subscribed as
witnesses Amos Penrose Samuel Penrose
All original content, images, commentary, etc. copyright © by Joy Denison 2015-2016. All rights reserved. All writings, poems, speeches, essays, images, scans, likenesses, etc. by Adam Ickes (b 1845) as well as personal histories, images, and all other content by all persons referenced and discussed within the pages and posts in this blog may not be copied, shared, or reproduced in any way without expressed permission by the owner unless included here from other referenced sources or are historical records already considered to be in the public domain.
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