Frederick Baum and Barbara Ullman
Husband Frederick Baum 1 2
Born: Abt 1729 Christened: Died: 1831 2 Buried:
Father: Mathias Baum ( - ) 2 Mother:
Marriage:
Wife Barbara Ullman 3
Born: Abt 1738 Christened: Died: 1835 4 Buried:
Children
1 M John Baum 4
Born: Christened: Died: - St. Joseph, MO Buried:
2 M Frederick Baum 4
Born: Christened: Died: - Ohio Buried:
3 M Jonas Baum 4
Born: Christened: Died: - Stark Co, OH Buried:
4 F Catharine Baum 4
Born: Christened: Died: - Kentucky Buried:Spouse: [Unk] Michal ( - ) 4
5 F Susan Baum 4
Born: Christened: Died: - Michigan Buried:Spouse: [Unk] Bair ( - ) 4
6 F Mary Baum 4
Born: Christened: Died: - Ohio Buried:Spouse: [Unk] Ringle ( - ) 4
7 F Elizabeth Baum 4
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: [Unk] Vanosten ( - ) 4
8 F Barbara Baum 1 6 7 8 9
AKA: Barbara Bouns 5 Born: 1775 - Path Valley, Huntingdon Co, PA 7 Christened: Died: 12 Mar 1841 1 4 7 Buried: - near Pleasant Unity, Mt. Pleasant Twp, Westmoreland Co, PASpouse: John Graff (1763-1818) 1 6 8 9 10 Marr: 1793 1 2
General Notes: Husband - Frederick Baum
He was about fourteen years of age on his arrival, with the family, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and must have remained there a number of years. He told one of his grandsons, Daniel Ringle, a short time before his death, that he was a shipbuilder, and worked in a yard on the Delaware river. He must have been over twenty-one years of age when he and a family named Ullman concluded to go westward. He may have been married to Barbara Ullman before leaving Philadelphia or shortly after. They travelled through Chester, Lancaster and Cumberland counties, and partly through Franklin, locating near the Burnt Cabins in Path Valley. The white squatters had built cabins to live in. When notified by the government to leave, they burned these cabins lest the Indians who were trading and located in the valley in large numbers, should occupy them. Path Valley was named as the records of that period indicate, from the fact that the road was only a path for pack horses. It was opened by the Indians, and used at that time by traders over the mountains. The path became known as Braddock's Road.
His children were born during his residence in the valley. The Indians became very troublesome and dangerous to live among. Since he was a favorite among them, he was often informed of their movements, and was thus enabled to provide for the safety of his family. As the disturbances continued, and murders were committed, he became alarmed and left the settlement. He crossed the Juniata and Susquehanna rivers to Duncan's Island, and northward to Sunbury, Northumberland County, where we next hear of him. His family must have remained there for some time, as he left them until he could find a more suitable place to live. He joined a party going north-westward. In crossing the mountains he cut notches in the trees to mark the road so that his family might be able to follow him or he might find the way back. We next hear of him at French Creek, Crawford County. He located on a farm of two hundred acres about two miles from Meadville as one of the earliest settlers. He was absent from his family six months, and when they found him he had cleared some land and sowed grain. He made wooden troughs to hold milk and had a trough for churning butter in by the use of wooden paddles. The family were several months in crossing the mountains, and met with many difficulties. Trees were blown down, Indians were on the alert to rob or murder travellers; they were obliged to bury their goods on the way and use every precaution to prevent being murdered.
He spoke about the oil he had often dipped up with a feather and was good for many things. He spoke about being in Punxsutawny. He was one of a party who took the first raft down French Creek and the Allegheny River to Pittsburgh. It was said that camp meetings were held on his farm. The family evidently lived many years in the neighborhood of Meadville.
The Baums were a quiet and peaceable family, but large and powerful men. They were, however, great Indian fighters. The Indians were numerous and gave the settlers a great deal of trouble by committing raids, robberies and murders. So there was need of constant vigilance. A story is related of the Indians coming at one time in large numbers, when word was at once sent to the Baum family. They immediately responded and were placed in the fort. The Indians advanced, whooping and howling, and as they neared the fort and found the Baums were in and around it, they quickly turned and retreated.
Frederick Baum lived in Westmoreland and north-western counties of Pennsylvania until 1816, being then over eighty-five years old. He had accumulated quite a fortune for those days, and gave to his three sons as follows: John, the eldest, who settled in St. Joseph, Missouri, six thousand dollars: Frederick, who settled in Ohio, six thousand; and to Jonas, a farm near Waynesburg in Stark County, Ohio, where his son later lived. This was done with the understanding that they would furnish their parents with a comfortable home and support during their natural life. But the ungrateful sons failed to provide for their aged parents. The daughter, Barbara, wife of John Graff, who lived in Pennsylvania, hearing of their condition, arranged with her two sons, William and Matthew, to have them brought from Ohio to her home at Pleasant Unity, six miles south of Greensburg, Westmoreland County. This was done during the cold winter months of 1829, a distance of more than one hundred and fifty miles. A two horse wagon was used with a square box bed resting on the axle without springs, as wagons were made in those days. It was covered with muslin and furnished with plenty of straw, a feather bed and quilts to keep them warm. As it became very cold after they started, large stones were heated and placed to their feet. The trip occupied more than two weeks. He was about one hundred years old, and his wife was ninety-two. They remained only one year, as they became homesick and wished to return. They were taken back and Mrs. Ringle, a daughter, took charge of them until their deaths. A few days before his death he insisted on walking five miles to see his son Jonas. This was too much for his strength, and not having enough vitality to rally from the exhaustion, he died a few days later. This was in 1831, and his age one hundred and three years. His wife lived four years longer and died in 1835, aged ninety-seven years.
1 J. T. Stewart, Indiana County, Pennsylvania - Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1913), Pg 711.
2 Paul Graff, History of the Graff Family of Westmoreland County (Philadelphia, PA: Privately published(?), 1891), Pg 6.
3 Paul Graff, History of the Graff Family of Westmoreland County (Philadelphia, PA: Privately published(?), 1891), Pg 7.
4 Paul Graff, History of the Graff Family of Westmoreland County (Philadelphia, PA: Privately published(?), 1891), Pg 10.
5 —, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 614.
6 —, History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania (Newark, OH: J. A. Caldwell, 1880), Pg 360.
7 —, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 328.
8 George P. Donehoo, Pennsylvania - A History (NW) (New York, NY; Chicago, IL: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1926), Pg 16.
9 John W. Jordan, LL.D, A Century and a Half of Pittsburg and Her People, Vol. IV (New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1908), Pg 141.
10
—, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 328, 614.
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