Notes:

Bertha Cleis Boots was born 22 April 1884, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and died 31 January 1935. She married 1st, Earl ECKLES, from whom she was later divorced. She married 2nd, 7 June 1906, Alfred M. DURNELL, who was born 11 April 1877, and died 12 October 1938. She and her second husband are buried in the North Sewickley Cemetery, North Sewickley Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. They had five children.
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The Obituary of Bertha C. Durnell appeared in the Ellwood City Ledger, Friday, 1 February 1935:

" Funeral Services for Mrs. A. M. Durnell
Saturday Afternoon

"Funeral services of Mrs. A. M. Durnell, of Wurtemburg, who died yesterday morning at 7:45 in her home after an illness of two weeks will be held Saturday afternoon at 2:30.

"The services will be from the home, with the Rev. A. M. Doak officiating. Burial will be in the North Sewickley Cemetery."
----

Bertha married Alfred M. Durnell WFT est 1897-1923. Alfred was born on 11 Apr 1877; died on 12 Oct 1938. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Catherine Irene Durnell was born in private.
2. Mabel Boots Durnell was born in private.
3. Mildred Boots Durnell was born in private.
4. Wilbur John Wesley Durnell was born on 28 Mar 1917; died on 23 Nov 1953; was buried in North Sewickley Cemetery, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
5. Lois Durnell was born in private.

Bertha married Earl Eckles WFT est 1898-1925. Earl was born WFT est 1867-1887; died WFT est 1901-1973. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

John Wesley Boots was born 26 October 1837, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, where he died 8 January 1925. He married, 22 April 1875, Catherine Jane FOMBELLE, daughter of Theophilus Emusilach FOMBELLE and Elizabeth MAGAW, who was born 18 March 1851, in New Sewickley Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and died 12 July 1914. They are buried in the North Sewickley Cemetery, North Sewickley Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. They had eight children.

The Obituary of Catherine Jane Boots appeared in the Ellwood Citizen, Thursday, 16 July 1914:

" Mrs. Cath. Jane Boots

"Mrs. Catherine Jane Boots, a well known resident, died at her home near Portersville on Sunday afternoon last, aged 64 years. Her funeral was held Tuesday, conducted by Rev. Heazelton. Interment at North Sewickley. She is survived by her husband and eight children. Also by ten brothers and sisters, one of whom is Mrs. S. A. Stamm of this city."

The Obituary of John Wesley Boots appeared in the Ellwood City Ledger, Friday 9 January 1925:

" John W. Boots of Pleasant Hill Dies

"John W. Boots, for many years a resident of Pleasant Hill, died at his home there yesterday, following a long illness. He was 88 years old.

"Funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon at 2 o;clock, with burial in North Sewickley Cemetery. One brother, Warren Boots, of this city, survives him."

The descendants of John Wesley Boots and Catherine Jane Fombelle have held an annual reunion at Thanksgiving every year since 1931. Minutes have been kept of each reunion, detailing events of the day, and more importantly, listing births, marriages, and deaths for the preceding year. These minutes have been carefully preserved, and are in the possession of the current Secretary of the group, Susan (Mrs. Frank) Boots, of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. An outline of this family was prepared from the information contained in these minutes, which was furnished to the author by Elizabeth R. (Mrs. H. N.) Boots, in 1978

John married Catherine Jane Fombelle on 22 Apr 1875. Catherine (daughter of Theophilus Emusilach Fombelle and Elizabeth Magaw) was born on 18 Mar 1851 in Beaver County, Pennsylvania; died on 12 Jul 1914 in Beaver County, Pennsylvania; was buried in North Sewickley Cemetery, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

John Boots was born in 1810 (the baptismal records of St. James Church, Ewhurst, Sussex County, England, show his baptism dated 17 June 1810), in Sussex County, England, and died 20 September 1853, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

He married, in Sussex County, by license issued 7 April 1829, Sylvia COLEMAN, daughter of William COLEMAN and Lucy _____, who was born 13 September 1809, in Sussex County, England, and died 2 August 1884, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Baptismal records of the parish church of St. James the Great, Ewhurst, Sussex County, England, reflect her baptism on Septemger 27, 1808. They are buried in the North Sewickley Cemetery, North Sewickley Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

A search of the public records of Beaver and Lawrence Counties, Pennsylvania, reveals no record of a last Will and Testament of John Boots.

Contained in the Concord Methodist Church booklet is the following:

"The following notes were written from memory about the year 1907 by Mary J. Belles, deceased, eldest sister of W. J. Horner: 'Among the original members I would mention:...John Boots, a local preacher, and the first Sabbath school superintendent that I have any recollection of. He died in the prime of life, just when his friends felt that they needed him most. He left a wife and a large family of children.'"

The Concord Church booklet contains the following obituaries of John and Sylvia Boots:

"OBITUARY of John Boots: "ADVOCATE, Friday, October 14, 1853. John Boots departed this life on the 20th of Sept., 1853, aged 45 years, after an illness of five days. Brother Boots was born in Sussex County, England. Came to this Country at the age of 19; experienced religion and united with the M. E. Church some four or five years after his arrival; was subsequently appointed to the charge of a class, and after filling that office with acceptability and usefulness for some time he was licensed to exhort and afterwards to preach as a local preacher.
J. Monroe, Beaver, Sept. 26, 1853."

OBITUARY of Sylvia Boots: "Advocate, Aug. 21, 1884. Sylvia Coleman was born in Sussex County, England, Sept. 13, 1809. She was married to John Boots in 1829, and soon after with a large party sailed for America. They settled in Western Pennsylvania, where she lived until her death, which occurred Aug. 2, 1884. In early life, Sister Boots gave her heart to her Saviour and joined the Wesleyan's, but on coming to this country, she soon found a home in the M. E. Church, in which she has ever adorned her profession. Her sainted husband, who for many years was a devout and useful local preacher in our church, preceded his wife to the spirit land, in Sept., 1853. Since then Sister Boots has lived a widow. Her last sickness was very short. Only five minutes. But her lamp was trimmed and burning. By the kindness of our Presbyterian brethren we buried her from their church in North Sewickley, Aug. 3rd. Surely a Princess has fallen in Israel.
Andrew L. Kendall."

United States Census Records of 1840, for Beaver County, Pennsylvania, show the following:
North Sewickley Township - Page 67:
Head of family - John Boots. Members of family, including head of family:
2 males under 5
1 male aged 5-10
1 male aged 30-40
1 female under 5
1 female aged 30-40
1 female aged 60-70.
The two males under 5 were probably John Wesley Boots, born 26 October 1837, and William D. Boots, born 16 February 1840; the male aged 5-10 would have been Edward Nicholas Boots, born c1834; the identity of the female under 5 is unknown, perhaps a child who did not survive infancy, perhaps even a visiting relative; the female aged 30-40 would have been Sylvia Boots; and the female aged 60-70 was undoubtedly Elizabeth Boots, John's widowed mother.

United States Census Records of 1850, for Beaver County, Pennsylvania, show the following:
Name of Individual Age Sex Occupation Value of R/Est Birthplace
Marion Township - Page 182, Family No. 74
John Boots 40 M Farmer England
Sylvia Boots 42 F England
Edw. N. Boots 16 M Farmer Pa
John W. Boots 12 M Pa
William Boots 10 M Pa
Horace Boots 8 M Pa
Sylvia Boots 6 F Pa
Lucy Boots 4 F Pa
Richmond Boots 3 M Pa
Daniel Boots 1 M Pa.

United States Census Records of 1860, for Beaver County, Pennsylvania, show the following:
Name of Individual Age Sex Occupation Value of R/Est Birthplace
Marion Township, Page 429, Family No. 976.
Sylvia Boots 57 F 800 England
Edward N. Boots 27 M Teacher Penna
John W. Boots 23 M Farmhand Penna
William Boots 20 M Farmhand Penna
Horace Boots 18 M Farmhand Penna
Sylvia Boots 16 F Penna
Lucy Boots 14 F Penna
Smith Boots 12 M Penna
Jabez Boots 10 M Penna.

It is interesting to note that in 1850 the family referred to the youngest son as Daniel Boots, aged 1, but in 1860, he shows up as Smith Boots, aged 12. The casual researcher might conclude that these were two different children when, in fact, both records actually refer to Smith McDanel Boots, born in 1849, who, according to family members, was commonly referred to as 'Dan'.

Ewhurst, Sussex, England

John married Sylvia Coleman on 7 Apr 1829 in Sussex County, England. Sylvia (daughter of William Coleman and Lucy ?) was born on 13 Sep 1809 in Sussex County, England; was christened on 27 Sep 1808; died on 2 Aug 1884 in Beaver County, Pennsylvania; was buried in North Sewickley Cemetery, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Ewhurst, Sussex, England

Theophilus married Elizabeth Magaw WFT est 1826-1869. Elizabeth was born WFT est 1809-1832; died WFT est 1854-1920. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Ambrose Boots was born in Sussex County, England, circa 1770. He was baptized in St. Mary's Church, Rye, Sussex County, England, 25 February 1770. He died in Beaver County, Pennsylvania about the year 1840 (the obituary of his widow, who died in 1847, says, in part, "and seven years since was called to follow his mortal remains to the tomb...").

He was married twice, but we do not know the name of his first wife, nor the number (if any) of their children. He married, 2nd, on 25 November 1809, in St. James Church, Ewhurst, Sussex County, England, Elizabeth BULL. The Marriage Register of this church reads:

"Ambrose Boots Widower of this Parish and Elizabeth Sharp widow of the same, were Married in this Church by Banns this twenty-fifth day of November in the Year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Nine By me Henry Hoager Rector of Beckley."

Elizabeth BULL had married previously, 10 June 1803, in St. James Church, Edward SHARP, who died two years thereafter (the Burials Register of St. James Church lists his burial, 25 March 1805). She had only one child by this marriage, presumably the "Mrs. Mary DENNIS" referred to in her obituary, q.v.
Elizabeth BULL was born 17 February 1777, in Sussex County, England, and died 22 November 1847, in North Sewickley Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Thus far, research in England has not revealed the names of her parents. Ambrose and Elizabeth resided in the hamlet of Staple Cross, in Sussex County. Staple Cross is only a mile or two from Ewhurst, where St. James Church is located.

Ewhurst Green village, as it is now known, has existed since medieval times, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of William the Conqueror. This rural community is largely agricultural. A church history provides theh following:

[Gwen Jones and John Martin, The Parish Church of St. James the Great, Ewhurst, Sussex, 1981]:

"The vast majority (of residents) owned or tenanted small farms and combined small scale subsistence agriculture with another trade or craft. The two major stand-bys were cattle raising and timber.....Some small-holders managed to make a profit from cheese and butter making. More recently hops became a mainstay of many farmers and in our own century many have turned their land over to fruit. In addition, a great many people over the years must have practised those trades and crafts necessary to keep a self-sufficient community going. They became blacksmiths, millers, millwrights, wheelwrights, saddlers, carpenters, sawyers, brickmakers, glaziers, basket-makers, coopers, ropemakers, clockmakers, grocers, butchers, bakers, brewers, weavers, tailors and schoolteachers - all of them trades and occupations mentioned in the church registers (of Ewhurst Parish)."

The Church of St. James the Great, Ewhurst Green, Sussex County, England dates in part to the twelfth century, and today is little changed from the way it must have looked in 1809 when Ambrose Boots and Elizabeth Bull were married.

"The tower clearly reflects the two major periods of building which are discernible in many features of the architecture of this church. Traces of iron are visible in the stonework of the lower portion which together with the west doorway dates from the late twelfth century. The upper part and stair turret are fourteenth century. The windows are of the latter date with the exception of the topmost one which was inserted during the fifteenth century.

".....The west and north walls of the aisle are fourteenth century. The east wall has been rebuilt.....Part of the fourteenth century north wall again shows signs of rebuilding. The reconstruction of this wall and of the east walls of both aisles is known to have been carried out in 1769."

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Ambrose and Elizabeth had their oldest son, John, baptized in St. James Church in 1810, but by the time their second son, Edmund, was born in 1811, they had been caught up in the upsurge of nonconformity which had been taking place in the area since the late 1700's, and had apparently joined the Wesleyans (Methodists), because Edmund was baptized in the Wesleyan Chapel at Rye, and Samuel was baptized in the Wesleyan Chapel at Sandhurst in the County of Kent. Both of these baptismal records indicate that Ambrose and Elizabeth continued to reside and Staple Cross and were "of the Parish of Ewhurst."

In 1830, Ambrose and Elizabeth Boots and their three sons emigrated to America, along with her daughter Mary Sharp, settling in North Sewickley Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Tradition states that in addition to the three sons, John, Edmund, and Samuel, there was a brother of Ambrose named Benjamin Boots, who came along, and who settled in Virginia or Maryland. As yet, no research has been done to locate any record of Benjamin Boots in the United States. We do know that Ambrose had an older brother named Benjamin and at least one nephew named Benjamin.

A History of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, published in 1888, contains an account of Samuel Boots [J. Fraise Richard, Levy S. Richard, and Thomas Henry, Hisroty of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, 1888, pages 750-751] which says, in part:

"......His (Samuel Boots') parents, Ambrose and Elizabeth (Bull) Boots, came to America in 1830, and settled in North Sewickley Township. The father was a carpenter until coming to Beaver county, when he carried on farming, with his eldest son, up to his death in 1844; his widow died in 1852. They had four children: Mary, John, Edmund and Samuel."

This same History of Beaver County contains an account of Edmund Boots which says, among other things:

"Edmund Boots, wagon maker, P. O. North Sewickley, was born in Sussex, England, Oct. 13, 1811, son of Ambrose and Elizabeth (Bull) Boots, the former of whom, a carpenter by trade, came to America in 1830, and Oct. 13th of the same year settled on Brush creek, North Sewickley township, this county, here remaining until his death."

Interestingly, although the former account has the wrong date for the death of Elizabeth Boots, it does place the deaths of Ambrose and Elizabeth eight years apart (her obituary says "and seven years since....."). The daughter Mary referred to is, of course, Mary Sharp, daughter of Elizabeth Boots and her first husband.

Ambrose Boots and family did not arrive in Beaver County in time to be enumerated in the 1830 Census of the United States. A search of the 1840 Census for Beaver County reveals no record of Ambrose Boots - evidently he died before the Census was taken. The 1840 Census does, however, list Samuel, Edmund, and John Boots as heads of families. With the family of John Boots is listed one female between the ages of 60 and 70, presumably, his widowed mother. It is unfortunate that Census Records prior to 1850 do not list the names of every individual resident in a particular household.

Although Ambrose and Elizabeth arrived in Beaver County in 1830, a search of the public records does not reveal that they purchased any real estate. The earliest record of land being purchased by any member of the Boots family is a Deed from Jacob Piersol to Samuel Boots dated 5 October 1835 conveying land on Brush Creek in North Sewickley Township. Ambrose Boots does, however, appear in the Beaver County Tax Records for 1833, which is the earliest record found of him in the Public Records of Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He does not appear on the Tax Rolls in subsequent years.

It has not been possible to determine with 100% certainty where Ambrose and Elizabeth Boots are buried. The Concord M. E. Church, which their sons helped to found, did not establish a cemetery until more than fifty years after Ambrose and Elizabeth died, and none of the early generations of Boots relatives are buried there. All, or very nearly all, of the Boots family who died prior to 1900 are buried in the North Sewickley Cemetery. Ambrose and Elizabeth either lie in an unmarked grave in this cemetery, or possibly, in some small plot near their original home. The marker for the graves of John and Sylvia Boots is located in one of the oldest sections of the North Sewickley Cemetery, and is in the form of an obelisk of the kind that commonly had names on all four sides. All four sides of this monument, although badly eroded, clearly contained inscriptions at one time. Two of those inscriptions are definitely for John and Sylvia Boots. The other two could have contained the names of Ambrose and Elizabeth. However, they could just as easily have contained the names of two of the children of John and Sylvia Boots. We know that their son Richmond Boots died between 1850 and 1860, and the 1840 Census indicates that there was another child as well. The plot containing this marker is a large one, containing no other headstones except those of two of the children of Samuel and Harriet Boots, and could very easily contain any number of unmarked graves.

An anniversary booklet published in 1926 by the Concord Methodist Episcopal Church contains, among other items of interest, many obituaries of early members of the church including many of the Boots family.

The Obituary of Elizabeth Boots reads as follows:

"Departed this life Nov. 22, 1847, at the house of her son, Rev. John Boots, in Beaver County, Pa., Elizabeth Boots in the 71st year of her age. Sister Boots was born in Sussex County, England, Feb. 17, 1777, and emigrated to America in 1830. In the 24th year of her age she was united in the bonds of matrimony to Edward Sharp; in two short years she was left a widow with one child. In her 28th year, she was married to Ambrose Boots, and seven years since was called to follow his mortal remains to the tomb, and soon after her daughter, Mrs. Mary Dennis. She has left three sons, members of the M. E. Church; two are local preachers and one a class leader. A funeral sermon was preached by the writer of this notice, from a text that she had selected 30 years ago, viz: 'Oh death, where is thy sting; oh grave, where is thy victory? but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.' Advocate, Dec. 29, 1847.-G. McCaskey."

Another mystery remaining to be solved is why Ambrose and his family wound up in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. A clue may be the fact that by 1816 the family had become caught up in the Wesleyan movement. The family of Harriet Wilde, who became the wife of Samuel Boots, was involved with the Wesleyans as well. It is known that both the Boots family and Harriet Wilde were in transit from England at roughly the same time, although they were not acquainted. The link between the two families and their arrival in Pennsylvania will no doubt one day be found to be the Wesleyan Movement.

Rye, Sussex, England

Ambrose married Elizabeth Bull on 25 Nov 1809 in Ewhurst, Sussex County, England. Elizabeth (daughter of John Bull and Cary Darby) was born on 17 Feb 1777 in Sussex County, England; was christened on 9 Mar 1779; died on 22 Nov 1847 in Beaver County, Pennsylvania; was buried in North Sewickley Cemetery, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Ewhurst, Sussex, England

William married Lucy ? WFT est 1784-1827. Lucy was born WFT est 1767-1790; died WFT est 1812-1878. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]