Agnes McMordie

Born: 23 May 1767, York Co., PA
Died: >1833
Married: Rev William Speer

Agnes McMordie was the daughter of Rev. Robert and Janet McMordie.  She was born between 1765 - 1785, very likely on 23 May 1767, in York County, Pennsylvania (US Census 1810 Westmoreland PA; Walling, 1991).  Little is known of her life other than she married Rev. William Speer and died after 1833 (Adams County Wills).

Agnes McMordie was the second wife of William Speer, who was born in 1764 in Upper Marsh Creek, York County, Pennsylvania.  He was a graduate of Carlisle in 1788, and remained there until he was licensed on 9 Jun 1791.  He was ordained by the Presbytery of Carlisle and served as pastor of the Failing Springs Presbyterian Church in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, between 8 Oct 1794 and 12 Apr 1797 (Nevin, 1876; Centennial Memorial of the Presbytery of Carlisle., 1889), Rev. William Speer and his first wife, Sally Ramsey, were married on 4 Nov 1794.  (Bentley, 1983).

On 5 Oct 1797 the Rev. Mr. Speer was called to the Transylvania Presbytery, Chillicothe, Northwest Territory.  The time he spent there was recorded by many interesting newspaper articles.  The Western Spy and Hamilton Gazette in its 12 Mar 1800 issue is quoted, "...in Chillicothe ... regarding a memorial service for Gen. George Washington, Rev. William Speer delivered the sermon…" The Scioto Gazette and Chillicothe Advertiser reported on 19 Feb 1801 that Henry Huston wanted to build a road past Rev. Speer's meeting house and then to the Kennekanic.  On Saturday, 3 Apr 1802, that paper also noted that Nathaniel Johnson moved his school to the house recently vacated by Rev. William Speer, and on Saturday, 2 Apr 1803, that Samuel Finley would handle Rev. William Speer's accounts after he [Speer] had left Chillicothe (Green, 1986).  It was recounted that domestic afflictions compelled Rev. Speer's return to Pennsylvania in 1802 (Nevin, 1876).  The nature of these difficulties are not known at this time.

Rev. William Speer and his family returned to Pennsylvania and settled in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where he became the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church (Western Pennsylvania Genea. Soc. Quart., 1988).

The 1810 Census of Westmoreland County listed the household of Rev. William Speer to consist of:

Age 0-10 10-16 16-26 26-45 >45
Males: 1 1 1 0 1
Females: 1 1 1 1 0

William Speer and his wife Agnes were the older male and female.  One of the females was his daughter, Maria, who married Rev. O. A. Patterson in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on 14 Nov 1823 (Old Westmoreland, 1982).  The other children were not positively identified; however, Eliza Speer, a probable daughter of Rev. William Speer, married James Findlay, son of Samuel Findlay, in 1830 in Muskingum, Ohio (Western Pennsylvania Genea. Soc. Quart., 1989).  Dr. J. R. Speer was probably Rev. William Speer's son (Western Pennsylvania Genea. Soc. Quart., 1993).

The 1831 tax list for Westmoreland County showed Rev. William Speer [or his heirs] as the owner of 319 acres of land in Hempfield Township (Old Westmoreland,, 1984).  Rev. William Speer remained active in the ministry at Greensburg until his death in 1829 (Nevin, 1876).

References

Adams County, Pennsylvania, Will Book B, p. 45, No. 342, 1809.

Bentley, E. P. (Ed.), Pennsylvania, Vital Records, Genea. Publ. Co., Baltimore, 1983, Vol. 11, p. 15.

Centennial Memorial of the Presbytery of Carlisle., Meyers Print. & Publ., Harrisburg, PA, 1889, Vol. 1, pp. 450-451.

Green, K. M., Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, 1793 - 1810, Frontier Press, Galveston. 1986, pp. 44, 53, 181 - 183, 188, 192, 195, 197, 205.

Nevin., A.,Men of Mark of the Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania, 1776 - 1876, Fulton Publ CO, Philadelphia, 1876, p. 202.

Old Westmoreland, Southwest Genealogical Service, Laughlintown PA, Vol III, No. 1, Aug. 1982, p. 44.

Old Westmoreland, Southwest Genealogical Service, Laughlintown PA, Vol. V, No. 2, Nov. 1984, p. 50.

US Census 1810 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania #804.

US Census 1820 Westmoreland County., Pennsylvania, Hempfild #121.

Walling, A., Private Communication, 1991

Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Pittsburgh, Winter 1988, Vol. 15, No. 3, p. 52.

Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Pittsburgh, Fall 1989, Vol. 16, No. 2, p. 32.

Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Pittsburgh, Winter 1993, Vol. 19, No. 3, p. 19.