Ezekiel Dye was the son of John Dye of South Amboy, New Jersey. [There remains some dispute as to who his mother was and some sources spell his name "Ezekial"]. He was born in Cranbury, in Middlesex Co., New Jersey on July 1, 1751 (dot on the map to the right) and died on July 1, 1830 in Renrock, Ohio in 1830]
Ezekiel's great grandson James Vincent Dye, wrote that "the dye family was of pioneer stock and no one seems to be sure of their origin but it was English. Their eyes were steadily fixed on the future forgetting the past. This fact has made an incomplete record of their genealogy and renders a biography difficult. We do know that the father of Ezekiel Dye, Sr., and Anthony Applegate married sisters (their maden name is not known). Ezekiel Dye, Sr. was left an orphan and was reared by his uncle, Anthony Applegate." [This would have made Ezekiel about 21 years old when his father John Dey died. Unfortunately, both the birth and death of Mary Applegate, Exekiel's mother, are not recorded.]
Ezekiel's youngest son, Furman Dye, wrote about his father's Revolutionary War record.
"After serving in the Revolutionary War he married and moved to Westmorland County (West Newton - dot on the map below), Pennsylvania, where his first wife died and was buried. In traditional stories of the Dye family, Ezekiel had a flour mill in
Pennsylvania on Sewickley, Creek, in West Newton, Pennsylvania. Enoch Dye's son Daniel Dye was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania"
His great grandson, James Vincent Dye wrote A Certain Man Went Forth which recounts much of what had been oral tradition within the family. Note that James Vincent Dye argues that Ezekiel and his four brothers may have been in Pennsylvania together prior to their migration into several states. Information is available only for Ezekiel's older brother John Dye. This has relevance as at least three of John's relatives married three of Ezekiel's children or grandchildren.
In 1806 Ezekiel and his family moved to the Ohio country having a deed from the U.S. government for 2,500 acres of land in the upper reaches of Meigs Creek. Here he remarried and reared a second family as indicated below. There were so many Dyes in this region that it was known as the Dye Settlement until renamed Renrock.
The 20 children of Ezekiel Dye, Sr. are :
"At the time of their coming to Ohio (1805) only Thomas was married. Thomas' first wife was Nancy Davis. He married again after her decease and was the father of a large family. The first mill in the neighborhood of Renrock was a horse-mill, owned by Thomas Dye. There were no early water-mills in this part of thetownship.
Thomas Dye took flour from his father Ezekiel's mill in PA down the river on a flatboat to New Orleans. A storm came up and the boat sank. At one point, Thomas was trailing some Indians who had been stealing in the neighborhood, and saw the body of a white man. An Indian Thomas knew told him to leave the area or the same fate would befall him. Thomas Dye also had to travel to Waterford to get salt for the settlement. As the oldest of Ezekial Dey's sons to settle in Ohio, much of the responsibility for the earliest settlers needs would have fallen to him. He married (1) Nancy Agnes Davis about 1805 in Pennsylvania. She was born 19 Jan 1777 in Ireland. Her parents are not known. Nancy died 20 Aug 1820 in Renrock, Morgan Co., Ohio, at the age of 43, and was buried in Old Renrock Cem, Renrock, Ohio. "
Thomas then married Nancy Davis (3 children)
The oldest child, Benjamin Dye was the first white child born in Brookfield Township. "Uncle Benny" was known as a stern man who did not get along with others. He was accused of being an unbeliever. Some of his sons became shop keepers on McConnelsville. Their third oldest son, Ezekial Dye (Ezekiel Dye's nephew) born 6 Oct 1806 in West Newton, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. He married Elizabeth (Betsy) Dye 7 Apr 1827 in Washington County, Ohio. She was born 1807 in Ohio. She was the daughter of Samuel Dye and Susan Hoff . Elizabeth died 2 Feb 1882 in Lawrence, Washington Co., Ohio, at the age of 75, and was buried in Moss Run Cem, Lawrence, Ohio. [Thus, another "inter marriage between the children of the brothers John Dye Sr. and Ezekile Dye Sr.]
Married Isabella McClintock (10 children)
"Rebecca Dye, born 1781 in New Jersey. She married James Lowry before 1804 in Ohio. His parents are not known. James died before 1850 in Elkrun, Columbiana Co., Ohio."
Married James Lowry (1? child)
"Ezekial Dye was known as an 'odd man', had a high saddle, peaked Puritan hat and a stick which he held vertically infront of him as he rode horseback. He would occasionally yell out 'Money Currency' as he rode through the settlement. He was a member of the early Baptist church in Renrock, for which his brother Thomas Dye provided the land."
Married Nancy Sprague (8 children)
Vincent Dye was one of the sons who came to settle in Ohio a year before their father. He built the first brick house in Renrock in 1835, near the top of the hill east of Renrock above the general store run by Silas Thorla.
Married Anna Waddell (9 children)
William Dye lived in the "Grove Community" west of Renrock. It is said he was a distiller of 'herb medicine'.
Married Margaret Georgy (5 children)
John Dye built a sawmill near the original Dye farm.
Married Catherine Sears (10 children)
Amos Dye was a small child when his family moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio. He lived at Moss Run above Marietta and became a deacon in the church there. He married Sophia Dye 22 Sep 1825 in Morgan County, Ohio. She was born 1805 in Virginia. She was the daughter of Samuel Dye (the grandson of Ezekiel's brother John) and Susan Hoff. Sophia died 17 Oct 1868 in Lawrence, Washington Co., Ohio, at the age of 63, and was buried in Moss Run Cem, Lawrence, Ohio. Amos died 6 Jul 1876 in Lawrence, Washington Co., Ohio, at the age of 76, and was buried in Moss Run Cem, Lawrence, Ohio.
Married Sophia Dye (8 children)
Ezekiel Dye married Sarah Eggbert Paul about 1807 in Westmoreland, PA.
[b. May 25, 1782 in Allegheny,, PA. d. 1844 in Morgan County, Ohio]
Her parents were Rebecca Job and William Egbert. They were married 1775, Shrewsbury,Monmouth,New Jersey. This is close to where Ezekiel Dye's family lived. Rebecca Job's parents are not known. William Egbert's family can be traced back for five generations to Sanders Egbert, born about 1630 in Flatbush,Kings,New York
Sarah had been married to Joseph Paul before 1802 in Pennsylvania. He was born January 8, 1777. His parents are not known. Joseph died 22 May 1805 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, at the age of 28. He is said to have been killed by indians. Sarah Eggbert Paul and Joseph Paul had two children:
Thus, it appears that Harriet accompanied her mother and step-father (Ezekiel Dye) to Ohio. She married John Swank in 1821 in Morgan County and they had 11 children. One of her daughters married a Levi Dye whose parents and place of birth are unknown.
Jacob Paul married M.E. Harding in 1823 in Morgan County, Ohio.
Thus, it appears that both children accompanied their mother and step-father to Ohio.
In some traditional stories of the Dye family, some Indians came to the cabin, begging for food. Mrs. Dye gave them some buttermilk to drink. They refused it, thinking it was poison, until Mrs. Dye took a cup and drank some herself. Sarah died 19 Jul 1844 in Renrock, Morgan Co., Ohio, at the age of 62, and was buried in Old Renrock Cem, Renrock, Ohio
Married John Maxwell (5 children)
She married Samuel Dye 16 Dec 1830 in Morgan County, Ohio. He was born 24 Sep 1806 in Fearing, Washington Co., Ohio. He was the son of John Dye (the grandson of John Dye, Sr. and thus the grandnephew of Ezekiel Dye, Sr.) and Hannah Hoff. Samuel Dye spent most of his early life clearing the forest and helping to support his brothers and sisters, as his father was of a delicate constitution and unable to withstand the most ardurous duties of pioneer life. Despite limited education, he held the office of justice of the peace for 12 years, and was noted for his just and impartial disposition. He has been a prominent member of the Baptist church for 40 years, serving as a deacon for 30 years. In politics, he is a Republican, and has worked hard for the success of that party since its infancy. Samuel Dye was esteemed for his honesty, and was held to be one of the kindest and most affectionate of men.
In the biographical sketch of her husband, Samuel Dye; Lucinda is described as a woman of most generous impulses, and a most affectionate wife and mother. Like Lucretia of old, her hands were never idle, and such was her devotion to her husband and children that however ardurous her domestic duties her words of cheer and comfort and her helping hand were always unreserved.
She married John Moore 8 June 1834 in Morgan County, Ohio. He was born about 1807 in Ohio. His parents are not known. They lived on the site of the original Ezekiel Dye, S. home south of Blanchard Creek, a tributary of Dyes Fork. John died 11 Mar 1882 in Brookfield, Noble Co., Ohio, and was buried in Old Renrock Cem, Renrock, Ohio. Silas Thorla notes that Charlotte died an untimely death when a derrick, used for butchering beef, broke and fatally injured her. Thorla paints the following picture of John Moore. "As we recall John Moore he filled the bill of an aristocratic country gentleman farmer. His corpulent body, his sonorous voice, heavy gray beard, wide open expressive countenance haunts us still. He never went about looking slouchy or slovenly. In a crowd you might well as try to hide an earthquake as to conceal this man's presence and prestige. He built the first two story frame house in the community that was so rickety that it had to be supported by poles."
He married Lucy McElroy 15 April 1847 in Morgan County, Ohio. She was born 1829 in Ohio. Her parents are not known. Lucy died 1918 in Renrock, Noble Co., Ohio, at the age of 89, and was buried in Renrock M. P. Cm, Renrock, Ohio.
Furman Dye started the Renrock General Store which was later purchased by Samuel J. Paxton (my great great grandfather). Silas Thola provided some additional information about Furman Dye when he died.
Vincent Dye -- Generation 6