The Family History

Fathers Side of the Family.

The Ferree ancestry is documented back to 1265AD indicating that Ferree lineage is rooted in French Nobility. Only faded fragments of information are known from this forgotten time.

During the protestant reformation of John Calvin in 1550 the French protestants and members of the reformed church in France where known as Huguenots. From 1536 until 1685, the Roman Catholic Church waged savage and barbaric war against the Huguenots as heretics. French rulers at the time were in agreement with the Catholic Church and assisted in killing as many Huguenots as possible. Thousands of Huguenots were killed, burned alive and tortured. All reform church buildings were destroyed.

When this religious oppression became insurmountable, approximately 250,000 Huguenots fled France to various other European countries. The Ferree family was among them and fled to Germany settling in Stienweller. The date of their exodus is recorded as 1663. Michael and Mary Ferree with four children fled this religious oppression.

In 1708, Maria (Mary) and Daniel Ferree were granted passports to immigrate to America. It is worth noting at this point, if this were the same Mary Ferree that fled France, she would be about 60 years old now. It becomes very confusing keeping all the people in order but let it be said that many of the Ferree family immigrated to the British American Colonies. They first traveled to London where Queen Anne traditionally gave gifts to all those that immigrated to the English colonies in America. The English monarchy at that time encouraged immigration to the new land in an effort to establish it. Several Ferree brothers, relatives, and children moved to America. Among them were Andrew, John, Abraham, Joel, Jacob, Daniel, and Mary. It is difficult to sort it all out.

When Mary Ferree and her six children crossed the Atlantic Ocean they were on the stormy sea for 2 ½ months. Back in those times, it was not unlikely to spend such a long time at sea. It was winter and the Atlantic can be unforgiving during that season. The ship docked at New York harbor on December 31st. They lived in New York until 1710.

At the invitation of Pennsylvania Governor William Penn, many religiously oppressed or religiously nomadic people immigrated to Pennsylvania. Although William Penn’s “Holy Experiment” did not officially begin until 1720, this religious tolerance most probably had seeds growing earlier. William Penn was a Quaker and had a good deal of personal experience with religious oppression himself. Some time between 1710 and 1712, Maria and Daniel Ferree purchased 2300 acres of land in Lancaster County near Strasburg Pennsylvania for 147 pounds. The Indians in the area were friendly to the family and provided shelter to them until some log cabins could be built. Mary Ferree died in 1716. Many years pass with little recorded history. Abraham died at the age of 29 in 1735. John Ferree was appointed Sheriff of Lancaster County in 1773.

In 1775, Benjamin Franklin and a group of other revolutionists commissioned Joel Ferree to supply them with Guns. Jacob and Joel were Gun Smiths. Joel wrote a reply letter to them indicating that because of the new situation in America (The American Revolution) that Jacob and he would expand the operation and supply them with up to 40 guns a week. Jacob and Joel made guns, bullets, and their own signature gunpowder. Joseph Ferree was active in mustering revolutionary war troops from Pennsylvania. John Ferree purchases guns and ammunition for his battalion. Lancaster County was the home of one of the most famous weapons in American history -- the legendary Pennsylvania long rifle. This famous weapon, often called the Kentucky rifle despite its place of origin, was developed by local craftsmen working in small shops during the mid-1700's. The development of the Pennsylvania rifle was the result of a mixture of traditions from English and German or German-Swiss settlers of Lancaster County. These two cultural groups, the strongest among the early settlers, each contributed an important element of the eventual Pennsylvania rifle style.
The Germanic settlers brought with them the tradition of the "jaeger" or hunting rifle used in southern Germany and Switzerland. The jaeger was a relatively short, large-bore, usually unornamented weapon with a patchbox and, most importantly, a rifled barrel. Rifling involved cutting a series of straight or spiral grooves inside the gun barrel, a practice developed in Germany in the 15th or 16th century. A rifled barrel gave the ball or projectile a spin as it was shot out of the gun, improving both the range and accuracy of the weapon.
Jacob Ferree enlisted as a Private in Captain Jacob Klotz's Company, Colonel Matthias Slough's Battalion of the Flying Camp on 8 Jul 1776. On September 27, 1777, during the American Revolution, Lancaster served as the national capital when the Continental Congress held a session here after fleeing from Philadelphia. Jacob married Susanna Stickler in 1778. He served as a Private in Captain Mathias Slaymaker's Company, 1st Battalion, Lancaster County PA Militia in 1782. Some time later Susanna Stickler died (date unknown).

In 1783, Jacob Ferree and Alice Powel are married. During that same year, Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia, sold Jacob Ferree 740 acres of land in what was then Washington County but is now Allegheny County. The area was Virginia at that time. This was known as the “Ferree Purchase” . As the family moved from Lancaster County to Allegheny County, they were considered pioneers since very few had settled this part of the country in those days. Jacob then purchased another estate near the Ohio River in 1804; believed to be in the area of what is now Coraopolis. This purchased land was called “Britannia”. It is unclear if this land purchase was near Coraopolis, but it looks like some land was purchased called the Montour Bottoms. Most likely, Jacob Ferree purchased this land adding yet another estate to his growing acquisitions. Jacob Ferree has been established as a key pioneering father of Coraopolis. It should be understood that at this early time in the nation’s history purchasing land and then selling it was a big deal and countless pioneer engaged business actions this way.

Jacob Ferree died in 1807 and was an active gunsmith to the end. It was said that Alice Powel Ferree was the best shot with a Pennsylvania Long Rifle in the county. Jacob had a Whisky still during the whisky rebellion and his original gun shop was near Paradise, Lancaster County Pa. Isaac Ferree took control of the belongings of Jacob and executed his last will and testament. After his death, the Ferree family had a house auction and sold many items. What a tragedy, today many of the listed items would be worth a fortune not to mention all the guns he still had. They also advertised in the Pittsburgh Gazette that he had plenty of signature gunpowder for sale as well. In addition to these possessions, he also retained possession of several estates in different states. The different states included North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

In 1812, Joel Ferree was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army and issued draft orders. The war of 1812 was well under way and troops were needed. Joel Ferree published the names of deserters in the Pittsburgh Gazette at that same time.

Joel died in 1815. When Jacob moved to Allegheny County Joel remained in Lancaster County. What happened was that Joel traveled from Lancaster to visit his brother’s family in Coraopolis. While he was visiting, he went hunting and never returned. The family went to look for him and found him. He was scalped by Iroquois Indians and left to die. He is interred at the Ferree family cemetery in Coraopolis.

Jacob junior is mentioned at this time. He talks about the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and indicates he hopes the allies win the war. He was quite the poet and writer. An important poem about the war of 1812 is attributed to his gifted penmanship. Jacob Junior married Nancy Phillips and they had a daughter named Lillie Ferree. Jacob Junior died in 1823.

In 1825, William Ferree was made Major of the Volunteer Infantry Company called the “Intrepid Blues” of Pennsylvania. In 1827, he was made Captain. His fate is unclear.


The time after 1827 is not well documented or if it is, needs to be uncovered. I am sure the plethora of architectural projects that Great Grandfather worked on are documented somewhere. It is my understanding that he is responsible for the design of the two Presbyterian Churches in Coraopolis to name just a few. I believe Great Grandfather was in the Union Calvary during the Civil War. I am also certain that other family ancestors were involved with that great struggle as well.

The Stanton’s and Ferree’s were well off until the great depression during the 1930’s when countless lost all that they had. After the depression and the World Wars, the family was left with the one home. This home was one of several in the area that remained with the original Ferree estate. Grandfather was a skilled oil painter and furniture refinisher. He also joined the Army during the First World War. It was he, which brought the Ferree papers and documents found in the attic of 611 Ferree Street, there home, to the attention of the Pittsburgh Gazette.

The story is interesting and if one thinks about it somewhat surreal. Here come the French Protestants that have an ancestry of French Huguenots across a turbulent ocean to the New World speaking German and not sure what to do. They set up a homestead in Lancaster County Pennsylvania and work as Gun Smiths. War breaks out against England and one thing leads to another. Over 150 Ferree are interred in a graveyard around Strasburg Pennsylvania. I intend to go and check it out this autumn.

I have returned from my Lancaster trip and found the graveyard close to the railroad tracks. The graveyard is small. The one notable tombstone in the yard is that of Mary Ferree the noble matriarch of the Ferree lineage in America. Local historians keep special care of the site. The tombstone indicates her history of establishing a Huguenot settlement in Lancaster.
Leona Scobey married Harry Evans and begat Elva Evans. Elva Evans married Robert Stoner and begat Leona Stoner (Grandmother Scobey’s namesake)

Mothers Side of the Family,

The Evans family is Welsh immigrants that settled in Plane City Ohio. The Evans family worked as sharecroppers. The Stoner family is German immigrants that settled in the Altoona area of Pennsylvania. Great great grandfather Charles Stoner first lived on a farm then moved to McKee’s Rocks to fabricate heavy chain and his son Robert Stoner Senior also worked as a heavy steel chain fabricator. Robert Stoner Junior, son of Robert Stoner senior, was an adventuresome type that was a pilot. He flew bi-winged airplanes, and gave his grandchildren silver dollars. He married Elva Evans in Columbus Ohio. After a time he moved back to Pittsburgh and the family followed soon afterward. Robert Stoner Senior taught his son the fine art of heavy chain fabrication. Like grandfather, like father, like son and Robert Junior remained a skilled chain fabricator the rest of his life. Great great grandfather Charles Stoner worked his way into the Pittsburgh Industrial Age when steel and iron was king.

By the 1880s, Pittsburgh was an unrivaled industry giant. The city was producing one twelfth of the pig iron and one-fourth of the rolled iron in the county, while sixteen enormous steel works manufactured two-thirds of all crucible steel. Countless immigrants flocked to the smoky city for work. Andrew Carnegie and Henry Frick were more than happy to oblige them. Heavy chain fabrication was hard work and only hard working men of the Steel City could master it. Great great grandfather Charles Stoner moved back to the Altoona area of Pennsylvania and built his farm were his children and grandchildren would visit and enjoy the country setting. The place was known as Howard, PA but has since vanished because of a large body of water covering it.

Because of the Steel Works heavy smoke that enshrouded Pittsburgh in those times, Robert Stoner Junior succumbed to several lung ailments and died some time around 1980.

Elva Evans Stoner was a remarkable woman and the family matriarch having over 15 grandchildren and approximately 25 great grandchildren. Most of her long life she was a skilled cook and caregiver to all those she loved. Her strength was, many times, misunderstood and under appreciated yet she endured to the age of 89. She was a proud woman that took great pride in her Ohio background and the Evans name. She was born in 1907 and died in 1996. It is said that the “Bob Evans” restaurant chain was established by one of the Evans in her family.

The history of the Stoner, Evans, Scobey, and Stanton family’s are unclear to me at this time but much can be learned with time and effort. Many Evans yet live in and around Plane City Ohio.