A letter to the Editor from Mrs. Dow Aiken; originally published in the Bellefontaine Examiner decades ago.

The President of the Logan County Historical Society, Judge Anthony Bray, and the members of the Sharp Association, requested that I give more of the genealogy of Dr. Phoebe Haines Sharp — so the relatives in this and adjoining counties will know their lineage.

In the first place, I have asked many people if they know who named Darby Creek and no one has been able to tell me. Bu I think I have the solution. Just five miles from the City Hall in Philadelphia, on the Chester Pike towards Wilmington, is a Darby Creek, a town of Darby, and the old Darby Meeting House. Here was where a Quaker colony of the Sharps lived. One writer describes this Darby Creek as looking so inviting that those who are lovers of nature should try the sport of “creek following.” It is a short walk along Darby creek from the West Chester Pike to Clifton on the Baltimore Pike. Anyone who has traveled in Pennsylvania would see the resemblance to our own Darby creek, whose head is a spring on the farm known as the Joseph Outland farm on the right of the road after you descend Marmon’s valley hill.

There is no doubt now in my mind but what our first settlers named this creek.

Dr. Phebe Haines Harp came through the progenitor William Matlack, who came from England in 1677, whose wife was Mary Hancock. She came in 1681. Her brother, Timothy Hancock, was a progenitor of the Hancock family. William Matlack’s children were:

• John
• Hannah
• George
• Richard (married Rebecca Haines)
• Joseph (married Ann Antrim)
• Timothy (married Mary Haines)
• Sarah (married Carlisle Haines)
• and Mary (married Jonathan Haines).

The first anniversary of the Declaration of Independence was one of the notable days in Philadelphia, PA, during the Revolutionary War. Not many days passed before another British invasion was feared, and on September 10, it brought an urgent appeal from the Supreme Executive Council (or the Constitutional Congress) signed by President Thomas Wharton, Jr. and Timothy Matlack, Secretary, in which all person were told of the necessity of exerting themselves to smash the foe.

Timothy Matlack, Secretary, was one of the fighting Quakers who were among the country’s stoutest defenders. A large painting of Timothy Matlack hangs in Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Timothy Hancock, a brother-in-law of William Matlack, whose wife was Susannah, had six children: Elizabeth, Mary, Hanna, Sarah, Ann, and John, who was born April 30, 1693, and married Mary Gurnell of Europe, Sept 9, 1719. This is from the Haddenfield monthly meeting records.

The names of some of the Haines family who came early after Job and Phebe Haines Sharp and settled near were: Carlisle, Jonathan, John, Wilkins, Nathan, Holland Haines (a Revolutionary War solider for three years) and Benjamin (whose wife was Ann Hunter). Their children were Judiah, Benjamin, John, Elmina, Mary, and Hudson).

Then,there were John and Esther Haines Garwood, who children were Levi (married Sarah Inskeep), Daniel (married Mary Bishop); Isaiah (married Caroline Culver); John Jr. (married Hannah Rea); Hope (married George Harris); Margaret (married Rev. Joshua Inskeep); Deborah (married Joseph Stokesberry); and then there was Lot.

The children of Acsah Sharp and Arthur McWaid were Samuel, Joshua, and Job. Samuel settled around Larue and Mt. Victory. Joshua married Hannah Warner and had one son: Thomas McWaid. Job’s son, Job, settled in Atlantic City, Iowa.

The children of Thomas Antrim and Esther Sharp were Daniel, Ann, Esther, Rebecca, Job, Thomas, Levi and Joshua.

The children of Joshua Sharp and Elizabeth Ballinger were Job Haines (married Ann Weatherby); Phoebe (married Sam Warner); Hope (married Dr. Joseph Ewans); Eshter (married Charles Lyon); Joshua B (married Rhina Norviel); Caleb B (married Rebecca Kernowith first, then Elizabeth McClain); and Elizabeth (married William Sketo).

Carlisle Haines children were Rebecca, William, Jesse, Sarah, Phoebe, and David.

The children of Josiah and Sarah Haines Austin were Lydia, Rebecca, Solomon, Phoebe, William, Amos, Carlisle, Jane, Haines, Caleb, and Sarah.

I have no names of the Jessie Haines family, nor of Elizabeth Haines Miller’s family.

I have one history that says Jonathan Haines and his family came to Logan County in 1801.

Joshua and John Haines were Revolutionary War soldiers in the Virginia line. Rev. Joseph Haines was in the War of 1812.

The Haines families came quite fast and it would take pages to give the genealogy. The Painters, Skidmores, Bransons, Crowders, Grubbs, Wilgus, Weatherbys, Evans, Bushongs, Underwoods, Hamiltons and Rev. Caleb B. Haines are all among the descendants.

— Mrs. Dow Aikin.