Silas Dooley

A Pioneer Life in Kentucky and Ohio

Early Life and Family Background

Silas Dooley was born on March 8, 1786, in Harrod's Station, Lincoln County, Kentucky, the son of Captain Moses Dooley and Mary Body Dooley. His birth occurred during the early years of Kentucky's settlement, when families moving west from Virginia and other eastern states were establishing new communities beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

The family had made that journey several years before Silas was born.

According to Silas's obituary, published in the Eaton Democrat on July 19, 1877, Moses Dooley moved his family from Bedford County, Virginia, to Kentucky in 1781. The obituary describes the journey as a difficult trip across the mountains, with Silas's mother carrying her youngest child in her arms.

The family initially lived within a fortified settlement because of the dangers associated with frontier life. They eventually settled in Kentucky, where Silas was born.

Silas was born six years before Kentucky became a state in 1792. Thus, although he was a lifelong American citizen, his birthplace was still part of Virginia when he was born.

His obituary also provides information about his parents' deaths. His mother, Mary, died on January 7, 1819. His father, Moses, died of a fever during the winter of 1822 while attending a religious gathering at the home of Richard Leeson on Walnut Level.

These details offer a glimpse into the Dooley family's participation in the religious and social life of their community.

From Kentucky to Ohio

As a young man, Silas followed the westward movement of settlers into Ohio.

His name appears in the Barren County, Kentucky, tax records for 1804, 1805, and 1806. These records place him in Kentucky during the same period that he began exploring opportunities in Ohio.

In 1805, when Silas was nineteen years old, he traveled to Ohio with his father, Moses Dooley, and Jacob Railsback. The three men were searching for land where they could establish permanent homes.

Their journey first took them to Springdale in Hamilton County, Ohio, which was then known as Springfield.

While there, Silas worked for approximately one month for Reverend John Thompson, a Presbyterian minister.

The group then traveled northward into the area that would become Preble County.

According to the obituary, Jacob Railsback selected 160 acres along Seven Mile Creek, while Moses Dooley selected 160 acres on Paint Creek.

Moses returned to Kentucky to bring the rest of his family to Ohio. Silas remained behind and worked for John Pottenger in the Seven Mile area.

Life in the new settlement was not easy.

The obituary relates that Silas became discouraged and considered returning to Kentucky. Before he could leave, however, David E. Hendricks hired him to clear six acres of land at the location where Camden, Ohio, would later develop.

This employment apparently changed Silas's plans.

Instead of returning to Kentucky, he remained in Ohio and began building a life in the new settlement.

The obituary describes the surrounding countryside as heavily wooded, with deer and wild turkeys plentiful.

By late 1805, Moses Dooley had returned with his family and taken possession of his Paint Creek property. The family faced the difficult work of building a cabin and clearing enough land to grow corn.

For the Dooleys, establishing a home required considerable physical labor. Trees had to be removed, buildings constructed, and fields prepared before the family could begin producing the crops needed for survival.

An Eclipse and a Community Gathering

One particularly interesting detail in Silas's obituary concerns an event that occurred during the family's early years in Ohio.

On June 16, 1806, a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of North America.

The obituary specifically mentions this eclipse and states that, a few days afterward, the family attended a Thanksgiving meeting at the home of James Crawford.

This brief reference is especially valuable because it identifies another family associated with the Dooleys during the early settlement of Preble County.

The gathering suggests that the Dooley and Crawford families were part of the same developing community.

The obituary does not identify which James Crawford hosted the meeting or explain the relationship between the two families.

Nevertheless, the reference provides an interesting clue for further genealogical research, particularly when studying the neighbors, associates, and extended family connections of these early Ohio settlers.

It also illustrates the importance of community gatherings during a time when families were separated by considerable distances and travel was difficult.

Establishing His Own Farm

In the spring of 1807, Silas Dooley entered 160 acres of land on Paint Creek in Preble County, Ohio.

According to his obituary, this became his permanent home.

The family report also identifies land entry papers dated December 13, 1811, providing additional documentation of his involvement in Ohio land ownership.

For a young man who had nearly abandoned his plans to settle in Ohio, acquiring land represented an important achievement.

Land ownership offered the possibility of independence and a permanent home for his future family.

However, purchasing or entering land was only the beginning. The work of clearing fields, building fences, constructing buildings, and maintaining a productive farm continued for many years.

Silas's obituary emphasizes that he remained on the same farm throughout the rest of his life.

This attachment to his original homestead became one of the defining characteristics of his story.

Marriage to Johanna Westerfield

On May 5, 1808, Silas Dooley married Johanna Westerfield in Preble County, Ohio.

Johanna was born on December 2, 1786, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Samuel Westerfield.

Silas and Johanna were both twenty-two years old when they married.

Their wedding was remembered many decades later as possibly the first marriage performed in Preble County, which had recently been organized from part of Montgomery County.

The obituary provides an unusually detailed account of the wedding guests.

Among those attending were Cornelius, Katy, and Polly Vanausdal. Katy later became Mrs. Campbell, while Polly married a man named Hawkins.

Another guest was Sally Curry, the wife of Judge William Curry.

The inclusion of these names is particularly interesting from a genealogical perspective. Wedding guests were often relatives, neighbors, or close friends, and their presence may help identify relationships among the families living in the area.

The wedding took place during the earliest years of Preble County's existence, when the community was still developing.

For Silas and Johanna, their marriage marked the beginning of more than fifty years together.

Johanna died on April 14, 1859, in Preble County, Ohio, at the age of seventy-two. She was buried in Gasper Township.

Silas survived his wife by eighteen years.

Children of Silas and Johanna Dooley

Silas and Johanna raised their family on their farm in Preble County, Ohio. Their children identified in the family records were:

• Catharine M. Dooley (1809–1848) — Born February 5, 1809, in Jackson Township, Preble County, Ohio; died September 1848 in Preble County, Ohio.

• Reuben Dooley (1811–1841) — Born July 11, 1811, in Preble County, Ohio; died in 1841 in Schuyler County, Illinois.

• Hayden W. Dooley (1814–1874) — Born May 31, 1814, in Preble County, Ohio; died May 31, 1874.

• Mary Dooley (1817–1817) — Born May 5, 1817, in Preble County, Ohio; died in 1817.

• Isaac H. Dooley (1818–1858) — Born May 5, 1818, in Preble County, Ohio; died September 20, 1858.

• Silas Dooley Jr. (1825–1908) — Born May 2, 1825, in Preble County, Ohio; died December 20, 1908, in Eaton, Preble County, Ohio.

Silas's obituary states that the couple had seven children and that Silas Jr. was the only surviving child when his father died in 1877. Silas Jr. continued to live on the family's original homestead.

The obituary also mentions several surviving grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Military Service During the War of 1812

Silas Dooley served in the Ohio militia during the War of 1812.

According to his obituary, he belonged to Captain David E. Hendricks' rifle company, which consisted of sixty-four men.

This was the same David Hendricks who had hired Silas to clear land near the future town of Camden in 1805.

The connection between the two men illustrates how relationships formed during the early settlement period could continue through later community activities, including military service.

The War of 1812 was particularly significant for Ohio residents because the state occupied an important position along the northwestern frontier.

Ohio militia companies were organized to help defend settlements and support military operations during the conflict.

Silas's military service was important enough to be remembered in his obituary more than sixty years later.

Farming and Life in Preble County

After the War of 1812, Silas continued his life as a farmer in Preble County.

His name appears in the county's tax records during the years following the war, including an entry specifically identified as Silas Dooley in 1822.

The federal census provides additional evidence of his continued residence in Preble County.

In 1830, Silas was living in Gasper Township.

Twenty years later, the 1850 federal census again recorded him in Gasper Township.

That census identified Silas as a sixty-four-year-old man born in Kentucky.

His wife, Johanna, also sixty-four years old, was living in the household.

These records place the couple in the same general community where they had established their home more than forty years earlier.

Silas continued to appear in Gasper Township census records in 1860 and 1870.

By the time of the 1870 census, he was eighty-four years old.

The persistence of his residence in the same township reflects the stability of the home he had established as a young pioneer.

Land Transactions and Estate Planning

Although Silas remained associated with his original farm throughout his life, the family report documents at least one later land transaction.

On April 4, 1859, Silas sold land in Ohio.

The narrative identifies this transaction as occurring in Preble County, although its supporting citation refers to a deed recorded in Portage County, Ohio.

On December 8, 1875, Silas signed his will in Preble County.

He was eighty-nine years old at the time.

The existence of a will indicates that Silas took steps to arrange his affairs during the final years of his life.

Later Years and Personal Character

One of the most valuable portions of Silas's obituary is its description of his personality during his later years.

The author, A. J. Reynolds, had become acquainted with Silas during the final years of his life.

Reynolds described an elderly man whose physical abilities had declined considerably.

Silas suffered from significant hearing loss and spent much of his time confined to his home.

Despite these difficulties, he continued to enjoy singing religious songs.

Reynolds referred to him as "the Singing Pilgrim."

The obituary describes Silas as a man who loved religious music, enjoyed hearing the Bible read, and maintained a strong Christian faith.

His religious convictions apparently remained an important part of his identity throughout his life.

Reynolds also emphasized Silas's honesty, modest lifestyle, and dedication to his home.

He described Silas as someone who worked patiently to establish a farm and then remained there throughout his life.

According to Reynolds, Silas never sought wealth for its own sake and never held public office.

However, he remained interested in public affairs.

Even in his advanced age, Silas took care to vote in the presidential election of 1876.

This small detail provides an interesting glimpse of a man who continued to participate in civic life despite the limitations of old age.

Death and Funeral

Silas Dooley died on Sunday, July 8, 1877, at his residence near Eaton, Preble County, Ohio.

He was ninety-one years and four months old.

His obituary states that he died following a painful illness.

Funeral services were held the following afternoon, Monday, July 9, 1877.

Friends and neighbors first gathered at his home before proceeding to Friendship Church.

A. J. Reynolds conducted the funeral service, preaching from 1 Corinthians 15:58.

The passage encouraged believers to remain steadfast in their faith and reminded them that their labor was not in vain.

The selection seems particularly appropriate for a man whose life had been characterized by hard work, perseverance, and religious devotion.

Despite the fact that it was harvest season, a large number of people attended the funeral.

Among those present were Job Jefferson and Judge William Curry.

Judge Curry's presence is especially interesting because his wife, Sally Curry, had attended Silas and Johanna's wedding nearly seventy years earlier.

This connection illustrates the long-standing relationships that existed among families in the community.

Silas was buried in Friendship Cemetery in Sugar Valley, Preble County, Ohio.

His obituary remembered him as one of the area's venerable pioneers.

A Life Remembered

Silas Dooley lived for more than ninety-one years, spanning an extraordinary period of American history.

He was born in Kentucky when the region was still part of Virginia, grew up during the early years of westward settlement, and helped establish a new community in Ohio.

He experienced the hardships of clearing land and building a home, served in the militia during the War of 1812, raised a family, and remained on his original farm throughout his adult life.

The obituary presents Silas as a hardworking farmer who valued his family, his faith, and his community.

Perhaps the most memorable part of his story is that he nearly returned to Kentucky before he had established himself in Ohio.

Had David Hendricks not offered him employment clearing land near Camden, Silas might have followed a very different path.

Instead, he remained in Preble County, married Johanna Westerfield, and established a family whose descendants continued to live in the area.

His life provides a personal example of the experiences of the families who helped transform the Ohio frontier into established farming communities.

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Sources

This biography was prepared from the Narrative Report for Silas Dooley, dated October 26, 2026, including its cited records and the obituary published in the Eaton Democrat.

Principal sources identified in the report include:

• The Eaton Democrat, Eaton, Ohio, July 19, 1877, page 3, obituary of Silas Dooley.

• United States federal census records for Preble County, Ohio, 1820, 1830, 1850, 1860, and 1870.

• Barren County, Kentucky, tax records, 1804–1806.

• Preble County, Ohio, tax records, 1816–1823.

• United States General Land Office records concerning Silas Dooley.

• Ohio marriage records documenting the marriage of Silas Dooley and Johanna Westerfield on May 5, 1808.

• Ohio probate records, will of Silas Dooley, dated December 8, 1875.

• Ohio soldier grave registration records.

• Friendship Cemetery burial information for Silas Dooley.