A SHORT HISTORY OF THE RACEY FAMILY

            Thomas H. Racey of Caldwell, Ohio, had in his possession the only history of the

family of which we have any record.  This short account of the Racey family was written on March 29, 1904, and George Aiken Racey (son of Landon Racey 1st) supplied the

information.  This account may contain slight errors, but all the research work that has

been done thus far tends to stamp the major portion of it as authentic.  

            This short history reads as follows:

“George Aiken Racey was born Dec. 11, 1832 in Noble Township, Noble County, Ohio.

The following are the names of the family beginning with the oldest; Rachel, Rosanna,

Thomas, Benaiah, James F., George A., John, Peter, Arthur, Samuel, an infant son and

daughter, Christopher, David and Elizabeth Jane.”   

            “His (George Aiken’s) mother’s maiden name was Susannah Barnhouse and she

was born in Loudoun County, Virginia, on Aug. 4, 1804. Her father, Christopher

Barnhouse, was kidnapped in Hesse Cassel, German, by Hessian soldiers employed by

Britain against the American Colonies about 1776 and was brought to Virginia.  His

(Christopher’s) mother, at the time of his capture, was a widow.  At the time of his

capture in Hesse Cassel Christopher was 12 years of age. (Christopher was actually

18/19).  After he came to the Colonies he was captured by the Continentals and was there

as a sympathizer of their cause.”

            “His (George Aiken’s) father, Landon Racey, was born in Hampshire County,

Virginia, on June 13, 1796.  He was called to fight against Britain in 1814 but on the eve

of his departure he was informed that he would not be needed as the battle of New

Orleans  was near at hand.”

            “Landon had three brothers, William, John and Thomas, and one sister Cynthia.

Cynthia married Thomas Hellyer, which explains our relationship to the Hellyers.  The

family of Thomas and Cynthia Hellyer consisted of Thomas, William, Lathiel, Robert,

John, James, George, Cynthia, Linda and Sadie.”

            “William and John Racey both died in Virginia.  We do not know of William

Racey’s family, but John Racey’s family consisted of Noah, Landon 2nd, James and

William Isaac.  The latter (William Isaac) married a sister of Franklin Burlingame and

lived below Caldwell, Ohio.”

            “Landon 1st’s mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Aiken, hence the name

“Aiken” in Landon’s family.  Elizabeth Aiken’s mother’s maiden name was “Rolland”

and she was from Holland.  We cannot trace the Raceys farther than Landon’s father,

John Racey.”

            Thus ends the account of the family which George Aiken Racey related to his

son, Thomas H.Racey.

            From this account we learn that John Racey married Elizabeth Aiken and had a

family of four children.  We can only guess at the time that John and Elizabeth were born

and married.  It is safe to assume that they must have been born about 1760-1765 and that

they were married about 1782-1784.  We know that their son, William, was born April

24, 1786, and it seems probable that another son, John, was a year or two older than

William.  Thomas and Landon were younger — Thomas having been born in 1787 and

Landon on June 13, 1;796.  The date of Cynthia’s birth is not known, but it seems

probable that she was born sometime between 1780 and 1794 as there is a period of

nine years between the birth of Thomas and that of Landon in which we have no record

of any children being born to John and Elizabeth.

            We have no means of knowing where the Raceys came from.  Different members

of the family have claimed England, Germany, France and Ireland as their native home.

The Racey family is well represented in Canada — particularly in Quebec and Ontario.

This family of Raceys hailed from Bath, England.  One member of this family, Arthur

G.,   was an internationally known cartoonist.  The George Racey Jordan who figured so

prominently in the news in 1949 in his testimony regarding atomic shipments to Russia

probably was a descendant of the Canadian Raceys.

            Mr. H.W. Racey of Montreal, Quebec, has the following to say about his branch of the family:

            “The three members of my family who originally came to this country were John,

who settled in Quebec, James, who settled in Ontario, and Charles, who went to Long

Island, N.Y.  John built up a large brewing business in the city of Quebec and became

a millionaire.  His only son, John, studied medicine at the University of Edinborough and

became a physician.  Since this son would not take up the brewing business, his father

sold it to one of his clerks, a man named Boswell, and the brewery still exists under the

name of Boswell Brewery.”

            “I do not know the year in which the three brothers left England, but I do know

that the two younger brothers, Benjamin and Thomas, came to America a few years later.

However, I am unable to say when or where they settled.”

            “Our family came from Bath, England, but I do not know much about their

history.  I have heard that one ancestor (on the female side) was an Aide de Camp to

Prince Charles at the battle of Worchester, shared his subsequent flight and escape to

France and returned with him when he returned from exile and became King Charles

2nd.  Another ancestor attained high military rank and held the city of Bath for the King,

against the army of Cromwell for a long time.”

            Whether our family descended from this family of Raceys we have no means of

knowing.  It seems probable that the Racey who settled in New York may have moved on

to Virginia.  The similarity in name between the Canadian and Virginian branches of the

family indicates the possibility of a blood relationship.  The names John, James,

Benjamin and Thomas are very common in our family.

            It is interesting to note that the Canadian Raceys have a coat of arms that has been

handed down from early English days.

            Many Raceys claim Germany as the home of the family.  This is especially true of

the Raceys who live in Virginia.  Those who migrated to Indiana contended that the

family came from Ireland.  Raceys on the West Coast claim that the family came from

France and that the original name was DiRaci.  They believe that the family came from

Normandy and that they crossed the Channel with William the Conqueror, in 1066 A.D.

Landon Racey’s family contended that they were of English descent and they placed this

information in a county history that was published in Noble County, Ohio, in 1887.  At

the present time it is impossible to furnish proof of the nationality of the family.

            The census of 1790 does not mention a single Racey in the Counties of

Frederick, Shenandoah or Hampshire, Virginia. (They were in Loudoun County, VA

according to KBS).  Thus it would seem that they came to that section at a later date. 

The first court records in which the name of Racey appears is the marriage records of

John and William (sons of John and Elizabeth Aiken Racey) who were married in

1808.  Those records are on file at the courthouse at Winchester.

            John 2nd (son of John and Elizabeth Aiken Racey) married Rebecca Orndorff

on June 20, 1808.  They had two sons (John 4th and St.Luke) who were Confederate

veterans.  John 4th served with “Stonewall” Jackson’s infantry, while St.Luke was a

member of Company C, 7th Virginia Cavalry – Laurel Brigade – under the command of

the efficient “Grumble” Jones.  It was this brigade that made the magnificent stand at

South Mountain on Sept. 14, 1862, when Lee was making his first invasion of the North.

It is interesting to note that John 4th had a son, Lloyd, who was also a Confederate

veteran.  Lloyd served with Imboden’s Cavalry.  Both father and son survived the

struggle.

            A legend that has been handed down in the family seems to indicate that John 2nd

lived in Hampshire County, Virginia.  It seems that St. Luke (son of John 2nd) did quite

a lot of fighting in his early days.  According to the story, after each fight, St. Luke had a

habit of beating his chest and shouting, “Hampshire wins again!”

            Another son of John 4th, Benjamin Franklin, was working for a man near

Kernstown when “Old Jack” attacked Shields at that place in May 1862.  He watched

the battle from the window of his employer’s house until a cannon-ball struck the house.

He then joined the others in the safety of the cellar.  After the battle Benjamin went out

on the field and found two guns which had been left behind  —  a large one and a small

one.  On his way back to the house he was chased by some Yankee soldiers and in his

excitement, dropped the smaller gun, a gun which he particularly wanted to keep.

However, he was able to make his way to the house with the larger gun.  A few hours

after this experience some Yankee soldiers came to the spring.  Benjamin was getting a

bucket of water.  One of the soldiers asked him for a chew of tobacco, and, after cutting

off a chew, put the plug in his pocket.  When Benjamin asked the soldier to return the

tobacco, he replied, “You are lucky that we don’t take you with us, too.”

            John 2nd had three sons who left Virginia about 1850. The oldest son, Noah,

moved to Indiana, while Gilead and William Isaac settled in Noble County, Ohio, near

where their uncle, Landon 1st, lived.  William Isaac spent the rest of his life here, but

Gilead moved on to Indiana about 1860 and lived near where Noah had settled.  Noah

lived in Oaktown, Indiana, and many of his descendants still live in that vicinity.

            An interesting tale has been handed down concerning William Isaac’s son,

Wheeler Racey.  One evening Wheeler was at the railroad station when the train from

Marietta was making the South Olive stop. “Nate” Cisler, the town bully, climbed from

the train with just enough liquor under his belt to make him quarrelsome. He surveyed

the crowd and announced with an oath that he could whip anyone in the Duck Creek

Valley.  Wheeler accepted the challenge with a remark that, “Your statement may be

true, but you have to whip me before I’ll believe it.”  The fight that followed was long

according to those who witnessed it.  Wheeler finally triumphed and forced Cisler to

concede that he had “taken in too much territory”.

            We have reason to believe that Gilead did not leave Noble County, Ohio until

the close of the War between the States as a certain Nicolas Racey who joined the Union

Army from Noble County, and who died at Carthage, Tennessee in 1863 was probably a

son of Gilead.

            Noah Racey married Salome Orndorff before leaving Virginia.  He raised a

family of eight children, several of whom were born in Oaktown, Indiana.  Two of these

children, Samuel and Brance, served in the Union Army with the 51st Indiana Volunteer

Infantry.  Samuel was a corporal and probably died while in training camp, as he is

buried in Oaktown and his tombstone lists the year of his death as 1861.  One of Noah’s

grandson’s, Calvin S. Racey, married in Indiana and moved to San Antonio, Texas,

where he served as a Methodist minister.

            Gilead was another member of the family who was noted for his fighting ability.

On the day of his sale (when he was preparing to move to Ohio) he had a desperate

fight with a man named Wiley. Tradition has it that Gilead won this fight by a knockout.

            St.Luke (son of John 2nd) had a family of seven children.  It is a strange fact that

both he, and his son, James Madison, were Confederate veterans, while another son,

William Harry, was a Union veteran.  After the war, James Madison and William Harry

continued to argue the issue as long as they lived.

            Thomas (son of John 1st and Elizabeth Aiken Racey) was born in 1787 and died

at the early age of 35 on July 4th, 1822.  He married Margaret Hilliard and had a family

of eight children.  This family consisted of three boys and five girls.  Thomas must have

lived in Hampshire County as he is buried in the Timber Ridge cemetery at Capon Lake,

W.V.. Many of the Raceys still living in Hampshire County are descendants of Thomas

Racey.  Thomas must have realized that his life would be cut short as he made a will on

May 30, 1822 — about five weeks before he died.  This will stated that his property was

to be divided between his “legal representatives.”                                                     William Racey 1st (son of John 1st and Elizabeth Aiken Racey) was born on

April 24, 1786 and lived to the ripe age of 84.  He died on Nov. 29, 1870.  On June 16,

1808 , he married Mary Myers.  This was just four days before his brother, John, married

Rebecca Orndorff.  We have no record of any children being born to William and Mary

Myers Racey, nor do we know the date of Mary’s death.  We do know that William

married Harriet Read about 1844 and that they had two daughters.  William was a store-

keeper at Lehew, W.V. for many years.  It is believed that he also served as Postmaster

at Lehew.

            Cynthia Racey, (daughter of John 1st and Elizabeth Aiken Racey) married

Thomas Hellyer and had a large family.  We do not know the date of Cynthia’s birth or

death, nor do we know where she spent her life.  However we do know that two of her

children, Thomas Jr. and Robert, lived in Noble County, Ohio.  Robert Hellyer was the

first County Recorder of the new County of Noble after its formation in 1851.  It seems

probable that the entire Hellyer family migrated to Noble County — in fact, it is probable

that they were the first to leave Virginia to settle in the newer land west of Ohio.

            It is possible that John 1st had another daughter of whom we have no knowledge.

In those days of large families it seems likely that another daughter may have been born in the eight years that intervened between the birth of Thomas and that of Landon.

            Landon Racey (son of John 1st and Elizabeth Aiken Racey) left Virginia about

1821 or 1822 and came to Harrison County, Ohio.  It is here that he met his future wife,

Susannah Barnhouse.  They were married shortly after they met and lived in the upper

part of Harrison County near the Jefferson County line until 1828 when they moved

westward to Noble County.  Court records show that Landon purchased 40 acres of land

in Noble County (Morgan County at that time) on March 18, 1830.  This land was

purchased from a man named Samuel Fordyce for the sum of one hundred and fifty

dollars and was located about one mile east of the village of Hoskinsville.  It was on this

farm that Landon and Susannah spent the remainder of their lives.  We are told that

Landon was very fond of flowers and that he grew many kinds around his house.  The

story has been handed down, half humorously, that Landon’s was the first family in the

neighborhood to boast an outdoor toilet  — a building which Landon called a “necessary”.

            The  County of Noble, edited by Frank Martin (Madison, WI., 1904) has this to

say about Landon:

            “Landon Racey, an early settler of Noble County, was born in Hampshire County,

VA. in 1796.  He received but three months schooling but having strong determination a

mind to work, fitted himself for a teacher in the schools at that time.  He lived in Virginia

to early manhood, when he came to Ohio, locating in Harrison County where he became

acquainted with Miss Susannah Barnhouse, who was a native of Loudoun County, VA,

and whom he married.  They afterwards moved to Morgan County (now Noble County) 

where they settled.  They had a family of fifteen children of whom four are now living.”

            The History of Noble County, Ohio, L.H.Watkins & Co., Publisher, (Chicago, IL.

1887) mentions Landon in this Manner:

            (Landon Racey was of English descent. He was born in Virginia in 1796, and his

wife, nee Susannah Barnhouse, was born in Loudoun County, VA.  They were married in

Harrison County, Ohio, and came to Noble County in 1828.  Landon Racey was a farmer

and schoolteacher.  He died in this Township in 1855 —.”

            These two accounts from different histories of Noble County tell substantially the

same story.  However, we know little about the appearance or personal habits of Landon.

Stories have been handed down to the effect that he was not too well liked by his

neighbors.  We do know that he operated a whiskey still and that this still was in

operation in the year 1835.  Pieces of burnt brick can still be found in the run below his

house to mark the spot where the old still-house stood.  When Landon first moved to

Noble Counlty he lived in a log cabin for two years.  Then, in 1830, he built a small

frame house which is still standing.  This house was used as a dwelling  until about 1842

by Landon’s great grandson, Millard Sealock.  On Dec. 3, 1855 Landon Racey died.  He

was buried in the little family cemetery about four hundred feet from his house.

Landon’s son, Thomas, once told in church that during his father’s last illness a minister

of the Presbyterian Church visited them and that Landon accepted that faith a few days 

before his death.  (Susannah and others are also buried there.  KBS)

            The children of Landon were born in the period between 1823 and 1849. Thomas,

the oldest son, was a very good farmer who took great pride in his horses.  He had a fine

orchard and was one of the best fruit growers in the county. Aside from farming, he was a

school-teacher, insurance agent, and a Deacon in the Presbyterian Church.  He spoke

with a distinct southern accent, which, no doubt, he acquired from his father and mother.

Thomas served as a Justice of the Peace in Noble Township from 1864 to 1866.  His

death occurred in 1903.

            Landon’s second son, James F., (1830-1908) married Nancy Manifold in 1853

and migrated westward shortly afterward.  They made the trip by prairie schooner and

while enroute their first son was born.  This son lived only a few days and was buried

before they reached their destination.  James settled in Scotland County, Missouri, and

it was here that his family was born.  James served in the Union army and rose to the

rank of Captain.  Missouri was one the border states and there was much local fighting

with in the boundary of the state.  Once when James was home on furlough a band of

soldiers rode up to the house.  Nancy, the wife of James, forced him to climb a ladder to

the attic of the house, thinking that they were Confederates.  She removed the ladder and

was prepared to talk with the soldiers when she discovered that they were Union men.

As they rode up, they shouted, “Where is Cap?” This was a great relief to James and

Nancy.  The Union soldiers affectionately dragged James from his hiding place  and the

incident that had seemed so serious a moment before, was now the occasion for a joyous

reunion.  James and Nancy raised a large family and many of the descendants still live in

Missouri and Iowa.  One daughter, Mrs. Lou Shepard, still lives in Salem, Missouri.

            George Aiken, the third son of Landon, was a farmer.  He spent his entire life in

Noble Township and died in 1910 on a farm less than a mile from the place of his birth.

In 1857 he married Eliza Austin of near Zanesville, Ohio.  They had a family of nine

children who followed varied careers.  Sam was a teacher and school superintendent,

Mack and Isaiah were photographers, Dal was a merchant and Tom was a baseball

pitcher, musician and farmer.  Two daughters, Mrs Dora Napier of Columbus, Ohio, and

Mrs Mary Pickenpaugh of Caldwell, Ohio, are still living.

            John, Landon’s fourth son, was a storekeeper in the little village of Hoskinsville.

He was implicated in a draft riot that took place in Hoskinsville and died in Cincinnati

on March 1st, 1864.  He married Florence Brotton in 1858 and had one son, Clement V.

Racey.  His descendants now live in the far west.

            Peter A., fifth son of Landon, was born in 1838.  He left Nobel County in the

1860’s and lived in Kansas for many years.  In 1891 he moved to Oregon.  He married

Eva Estelle Walker and they had three children, Sam, Maud and Pansy.  Sam was a train

dispatcher on the Denver & Rio Grande R.R. and later became Superintendent of the

Green River Division of that road.  During World War 1, he went overseas with the

118 Engineers and rose to the grade of Major before the war ended. For his splendid

work in France he was personally complimented by General Pershing.  The two

daughters of Peter A., are Mrs Maud Miller and Mrs. Pansy Armantrout are still living.

Mrs Miller lives in Albany, Oregon and Mrs Armantrout lives in Tuscon, Arizona.

            Landon Racey (son of John 1st and Elizabeth Aiken Racey) left Virginia about 1821 or 1822 and came to Harrison County, Ohio.  It was here that he met his future wife, Susannah Barnhouse.  They were married shortly after they met and lived in the upper part of Harrison County near the Jefferson County line until 1828 when they moved westward to Noble County.  Court records show that Landon purchased 40 acres of land in Noble County (Morgan County at that time) on March 18, 1830.  This land was purchased from a man named Samuel Fordyce for the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars and was located about one mile east of the village of Hostinsville.  It was on this farm that Landon and Susannah spent the remainder of their lives.  We are told that Landon was very fond of flowers and that he grew many kinds around his house.  The story has been handed down, half humorously, that Landon’s was the first family in the neighborhood to boast an outdoor toilet—a building which Landon called a “necessary”.

            The County of Noble, edited by Frank Martin (Madison, WI. 1904) has this to say about Landon:

            “Landon Racey, an early settler of Noble County, was born in Hampshire County, VA. In 1796.  He received but three months schooling but having strong determination and a mind to work, fitted himself for a teacher in the schools of that time.  He lived in Virginia to early manhood, when he came to Ohio, locating in Harrison County where he became acquainted with Miss Susannah Barnhouse, who was a native of Loudoun County, Virginia, and whom he married.  They afterwards moved to Morgan County (now Noble County) where they settled.  They had a family of fifteen children of whom but four are now living *************.

            Arthur, Landon’s sixth son, was born in 1840.  About 1860 he left Ohio and worked on a farm in Illinois.  At the outbreak of the War between the States, Arthur enlisted with the 14th Illinois Volunteer Infantry and served until he was mustered out in June, 1864.  He participated in the battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Pittsburgh Landing, Natchie River and Vicksburg.  After the war he married Nancy McGee and spent the rest of his life in Noble County.  He died in Caldwell in 1917.

            Samuel (1843 – ?) was the youngest son of Landon to live until manhood.  When the war broke out he enlisted in the 36th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.  We have no record of his regiment, there appears after his name the word “absent”. It is probable that he deserted. At any rate, he settled in Iowa and spent the remainder of his life there.

            In July, 1947, when the private papers of President Lincoln were made public, the Sunday papers came out with a lengthy account of the highlight of these revelations.  One of these papers concerned a draft riot that took place in Hoskinsville, Ohio, in 1863, and mentions the name of John Racey, son of Landon.  The newspaper account reads as follows: Lincoln’s stern attitude toward those whose overt acts threatened the Union cause was shown in the case of a man named Racy of Noble County, Ohio, who was convicted of conspiracy in 1863.  Lincoln noted unequivocally on the file papers, “Dont pardon Racy”.  (Lincoln left out the apostrophe in ‘Don’t’ and also the ‘e’ in Racey – TH).

            The following story which appeared in the Columbus (Ohio) Citizen in November, 1947, gives an interesting account of the riot at Hoskinsville.  The Citizen’s account follows:

            “John Racey, Hoskinsville, Ohio, a storekeeper, died of typhoid fever in a Cincinnati jail.  His death was a casualty of the Civil War.  President Abraham Lincoln could have prevented his death, but he didn’t.  In this instance Lincoln did not act as a humanitarian.  We followed the advice of those who helped elect him president.  Ohio Republicans wanted John Racey punished.”

            “Leading Union men from Cambridge wrote to Sen. John Sherman urging him to talk Lincoln out of pardoning John Racey.  In forwarding the letter to Lincoln, Sen. Sherman noted, ‘I heartily concur’. This letter after more than 80 years, has reappeared in the long secret Lincoln papers now open for inspection at the Library of Congress.”

            “This time Lincoln did not reach into the attic of his heart and bring forth the old fashioned mercy he kept there.  Instead, he hastily clutched a pen and scribbled across the envelope, ‘Dont pardon Racy’. Lincoln did not bother to insert an apostrophe — and John Racey was left to die in jail.”

            “Politically Lincoln had acted wisely.  John Racey had led a northern rebellion — the Hoskinsville Rebellion.”

            “This ‘speck of war’ in Ohio in the spring of 1863 was big news in the nation’s press.  It was a spectacular incident prompting the invasion of Noble County by two companies of Federal troops.”

            “ ‘John Racey seemed to be the bell-weather’, admits C.M.Racey, retired Caldwell schoolteacher, and grandson of John Racey’s brother, Thomas. ‘But George A., Peter, and Thomas were in it, too’, C.M. continues.”

            “The first Noble County Racey was Landon.  Landon Racey was a Democrat: had been born in Virginia.  He brought his family to Duck Creek in 1828.  When the Civil War came, three of his boys, James, Arthur, and Samuel volunteered and served as Union soldiers. Soldiers in the same army arrested four others — John, Peter, Thomas and George.”

            “The Hoskinsville trouble did not start with the Raceys.  Wesley McFerren, a Hoskinsville boy, deserted the 78th Ohio early in 1863 and came home from Memphis, TN. In the meantime, Tell Brown, McFerren’s cousin, had written McFerren a letter urging him to desert.  Tell’s letter, intercepted by an officer, declared that the North never could conquer the South, and that to stay in the Union army would mean death.”

            “Federal authorities sent a corporal’s guard to arrest Tell Brown and Wesley McFerren.  A deputy United States Marshall, Samuel Colby, led the guard south from Cambridge to Hoskinsville, a cluster of houses at a cross-roads.”

            “Marshall Colby arrived in Hoskinsville on the evening of March 11, 1863, but being unable to find McFerren or Brown that evening, they spent the night with Moses Hardy.  Hardy, a farmer who lived in the vicinity of Hoskinsville, was know as a ‘Black Republican’ or Abolitionist.  It was believed that he had tipped off the authorities about McFerren’s return.”

            “ The next morning Marshall Colby with the corporal’s guard again went to the village.  There they found drawn up in front of John Racey’s store a company of men.  Estimates ran from 100 to 200.  Many of them were armed.”

            “‘Are you a soldier?’ a man shouted from the crowd.”

            “‘I don’t look much like a soldier’, Marshall Colby replied.”

            “‘Who are you?’ “

            “‘These are the muddiest roads I ever saw’, replied the Marshall who did not think it wise to state the purpose of his errand.”

            “Colby was impressed with the demonstration and realized that they could not hope to take the two men back with them, so he, and the Corporal’s squad returned to Cambridge empty handed.”

            “Meanwhile, Hardy, as though inviting martyrdom, rode into the village about a half hour after the Deputy Marshall and the soldiers had left..  Sam McFerren, father of the deserter, immediately accused Hardy of ‘traitorously conducting Abolition soldiers to the arrest of innocent boys’ and said that anyone doing that ‘ought to have a hole bored through him, and I can, and will do it’.”

            “Many in the crowd were shouting ‘shoot him’ and ‘hang him’ when John Racey came charging out of his store, rifle in hand.  Grabbing Hardy’s leg and shaking it, Racey stormed, ‘What have you been acting the fool in this way for? I want you to give an account of yourself.  What have you been bringing Abolition soldiers up here for and running around to point out the neighbor’s boys?’ The irate Racey had seized Hardy by the collar when Thomas Racey, his brother, intervened and tried to take away the rifle.

There was considerable scuffling after which John Racey said, ‘If you go home and behave yourself we will let you off.’  ‘He told Hardy that if he got into another scrape the crowd would go to his house and ‘leave a grease spot’ of him.  Another man standing near commented that there were ‘not enough Abolition soldiers this side of hell to take away a boy from Noble County’”

            “After this, Hardy leaped from his horse and attempted to leave the crowd, but he was caught and ‘ridden’ home on a fence rail.”

            “But the rebellion was over.  Two companies of Federal troops came to invade the deserted Hoskinsville. Hardy came back into his own. Like an avenging angel he flew about, sicking the army and the law on his neighbors. Warrants were issued for 65 people, including John, George, Thomas and Peter Racey.  This is the list that includes the modern ‘who’s who’ of Noble County.  They are the prominent families.”

            “This fact, and many fuzzy corners on the rebellion story might lead some folks to think that the Hoskinsville Rebellion was merely local falling against the intrusion of strangers.”

            “But C.M.Racey shakes his head. In his family, at least, there was a sympathy for the South.”

            “John Racey named his only son, Clement L.V., in honor of Clement L. Vallandigham, the Copperhead candidate for governor of Ohio whom John Brough defeated in the fall of 1863.”

            “John Racey was tried and convicted of conspiracy and was fined $1,000. He was unable to pay this fine and was placed in jail in Cincinnati. His death occurred on March 2, 1864, shortly after Lincoln had ignored his pardon plea.”

            Thus ends the story of the Hoskinsville Rebellion as it appeared in the Columbus Citizen in November, 1947.

            From their pioneer home west of Winchester the Raceys have scattered into all sections of the United States.  After the migration of some members to Ohio, others found homes in Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Texas.  Before the turn of the century, some members of the family had settled in the states of Oregon and California.  At the present time, it is doubtful if there is a single state in the Union that is not the home of at least one family of Raceys.

            Now, as we look back on that sturdy line of ancestors who toiled, hoped, laughed, and sorrowed, even as we do today, may we not feel justly proud that we descended from such a race of men and women?  And truly, we should vow that the part they played in this game called Life, will not be forgotten, but will be preserved and handed down to future generations.

                        Copperheads:  during the Civil War, a group of Southern sympathizers

                        were people from Northern states.  They were called copperheads and

                        actually inflicted military chaos during the Civil War upon this country.

                        Records of Southern sympathizers from Southern portions of Northern

                        states may be found in military records.  Sometimes they were referred to                           as Peace Democrats.