Early Washington County settler is listed as society patriot
More than 241 years after Matthew McConnell served as a rebel soldier in the American Revolution, he is receiving attention and recognition for his service. Matthew is a newly listed American patriot with the Sons of the American Revolution, and the new SAR member who brought him to the attention of the Congressionally chartered nonprofit is me.
It seems like an honor that has been a very long time in coming. Matthew and his brother, Alexander, built frontier-style homes on sprawling farms in Cecil Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. Many of their descendants have remained in the rolling hills south of Pittsburgh during the past two centuries. One of the stone houses at 78 McConnell Road, Cecil, has been owned and occupied by a member of the family since it was built in the late 1780s.
Likely born in Scotland, although possibly from eastern Pennsylvania, Matthew was a well-respected pioneer man who was appointed Cecil Township’s first justice of the peace in 1781. During the war, he served as a private on the Washington County Militia 4th Battalion 4th Company under the command of Capt. Robert Miller. He also was a private in the Westmoreland County militia (battalion and companies not listed) under the command of Capt. David Reed. In both cases, he served in the same company with his brother, Alexander.
Early Roots
As a Revolutionary, Matthew McConnell fought in some minor skirmishes but also paid supply taxes in support of fortifying the Rebel army. There are some indications that his father, William, also may have been in the war. But the name McConnell isn’t exactly unique. In the 18th century, many people had the names Matthew, Alexander, and William.
Nevertheless, Matthew appears to have been in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, before he came to Washington. His bride was Mary Alexander, who was said to be from Lancaster. Some records indicate that Matthew was there with his family in the mid-1700s.
After he came west, however, Matthew’s story becomes relatively easy to trace.
At a family reunion during the summer of 1901, W.A. McConnell stood on the grounds of that family farm and read an incredibly accurate and detailed account that included 398 people, starting with William McConnell. He said the early portions of the account had been prepared by his uncle 75 years before. The history has held through many generations.
Modern Family
I don’t have an accurate number of descendants, but there are now at least 13 generations that can be documented through this same line. A few months after the Rev. McConnell made his address, The Daily Notes in Canonsburg published it. It includes George “Sexton,” husband of Anna J. McConnell, and their three children. I know them better as George McClelland Saxton and Anna J. McConnell, my great-great-grandparents.
That makes Matthew McConnell my fifth great-grandfather. And it makes me #227842, according to the SAR.
McConnell reunions lasted at least 82 years. The earliest account I can find is 1890. The last, 1972. But even after the family stopped gathering, historians remained interested in McConnell’s Blackwood Farm. That includes the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, which had some relics from the McConnell farm on display in 1996. It may have been a somewhat combined family homestead for both Matthew and Alexander, but the existing stone house came down through Matthew’s line, but not down to me.
In 2018, the remaining 22 acres of the farm were placed into the hands of the Trailside Foundation, a nonprofit essentially formed to save the remaining farm.
The Next Discovery
I’ve never known the McConnells. The last family reunion that I can find was five years before I was born. It feels like it might be time to organize a reunion, so now, I need to track them down.
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