David Shotts & Mary Wagoner of Ross County, Ohio – 12 for ‘26

The last post was written about Daniel Shotts and his wife Mary Ann Bishop. Before tackling the Bishop family line, I will write what I know about Daniel’s parents, David Shotts and Mary Wagoner.

David Shotts (1760-1825) married Mary Wagoner/Wagner in 1788 or 1891. He died in Ross County around October 1825. His known children were:

Catherine Shotts (1795-1833)
Jacob Shotts (1796-1883), m. Sarah Toops 1817 in Ross Co.
Elizabeth Shotts (1798-1894), m. Ezekiel Timmons
Margaret Shotts (1800-1884), m. Jacob G. Bishop 1821 in Ross Co.
Hannah Shotts (1801-1884)
Mary Shotts (1802-1801)
Daniel Shotts (1804-1875), m. Mary Ann Bishop 1831 in Ross Co.
Sophia Shotts (1806-1881), m. Amos Bishop 1830 in Ross Co.
Jonas Shotts (1809- ), m. Isabel Haynes 1838 in Ross Co.
Susanna Shotts (1811-1905), m. Henry Bishop 1856 in Ross Co.

My children’s line is through Daniel Shotts & Mary Ann Bishop, through their daughter, Catherine E, who married Amos Gorrell in 1866.

Family Histories & County Histories
Part of what I know is from a Gorrell family history written for the 1988 Gorrell family reunion. It stated Daniel Shotts was the son of David Shotts and Mary Wagoner, the daughter of Philip Wagoner and Catherine Leshon. David and Mary married in 1788 in Pennsylvania.[1] I don’t know the author of the history and it does not have sources for any of the information. Likely, the information came from one or more of the histories written about Ross County, Ohio, where the family settled.

The story of David and Mary can be found in the biographies of their grandchildren in Ross County, Ohio. One account said:

“David and Mary Shotts were Germans who became immigrants to Virginia in or about the year 1800, and nine years later joined the army of movers westward bound, finishing their journey on the banks of the Scioto. Shortly after arriving in Ross County, the head of the house bought 290 acres of land in Huntington township, on which he lived until his death and which has ever since been in the possession of his descendants. David Shotts was killed by a. stroke of lightning in 1825, but his widow long survived him and lived to be ninety-six years old. They had ten children.”[2]

I cannot test the validity of the story of their arrival in Ohio as the 1800 and 1810 census records do not survive. The 1820 census shows David with a total of eleven members:

1 male under 10 -- the youngest son, Jonas, was born 1809, too old to be here; Jacob had a 3-year-old son, and this could be him.
1 male 10-15 -- Jonas fits here better
1 male 16-18 -- Daniel fits here as being born 1804
1 male 16 to 25 -- 24 yr old Jacob fits here; he was married in 1817.
1 male 45 & over -- would be David Shotts, head
---
1 female under 10 – Susannah fits here
1 female 10-15 – Sophia fits here
4 females 16-25 – Catherine b. 1795, Elizabeth b. 1798, Margaret b. 1800, Hannah b. 1801, Mary b. 1802. One may have been married already. If Jacob was in the household, then perhaps his wife Sarah, b. 1800 was, too.
1 female 45 & over -- would be Mary Wagoner Shotts.[3]

David purchased the 290 acres on 23 February 1822 for $500 from the heirs of Benjamin Hough.[4]

No newspaper account of David’s death was located,[5] but the probate was entered into court during the October 1825 term. David’s wife declined the Letters of Administration and Daniel Shotts was granted them.[6]

Mary did live into her nineties and died on 2 August 1862.[7] Supposedly, markers were placed in 1906 by their grandsons, David C and George W. Shotts.[8]

Another account of David Shotts was recorded in the bio about the family of James C. Gragg. In the bio, Sarah E. Shotts, daughter of David and Catherine (Long) Shotts, married Alexander Shoults. It also said the family came from Augusta County, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1809. It went on to say

“David Shotts was a scout under "Mad Anthony" Wayne, was the first settler of the family in Ross County, and met his death during a thunder storm, in 1825, while seeking shelter under a tree. His wife was Mary Wagner, who, as a small girl, gave Gen. George Washington a drink of water on one of his surveying tours in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. David Shotts was the father of a large family of children. Sarah’s grandfather was Jacob Shotts who married Sarah Toops on 31 Dec 1817 through their son, David.”[9]

However, I think the Davids are mixed up.

Still another account, dated 1880, stated:

“David Shotts entered Huntington in 1809. He was a native of Virginia, and was in the Revolutionary war. He also assisted General Washington in the suppression of the whiskey rebellion. He died in 1825. He had been away from home, and on his return was overtaken by a severe thunder storm. He took shelter under a large oak tree which was struck by lightning. He was found there, dead. His family consisted of seven girls and three boys, viz: Catharine, Jacob, Elizabeth, Margaret, Hannah, Mary, Daniel, Sophia, Jonas, and Susan. Catharine and Daniel are dead. The others, eight in number, are remarkable for their longevity, the youngest being over sixty years of age, and the oldest eighty-five. Margaret (or Peggy) married Jacob Bishop, a cousin of Robert Bishop, sr. Jacob Bishop was a blacksmith and carpenter, and at several times held township offices. The younger Robert Bishop married one of his daughters.”[10]

This account is the earliest of the three histories. Here are more facts to check out. Did he serve with Washington? Did he serve in the Revolutionary War? Did he help suppress the whiskey rebellion? The story about the death in 1825 has been consistent. According to a Wikipedia article, “Washington himself rode at the head of an army to suppress the insurgency, with 13,000 militiamen provided by the governors of Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.”[11] So, it is possible if he lived in Augusta County, Virginia, the governor may have sent him. However, I have not yet found any proof of the above military and scouting facts.

Miscellaneous Records Found
In September 1814, David Shotts and Francese Davidson appraised a sorrel mare taken up by George Macan of Huntington Township.[12] In February 1819, David Murphy of Huntington Township took up one heifer that David Shotts and Isaac Jordan appraised to be worth $11. David Shotts took up one black mare appraised as $25 by Isaac Jordan and Jonathan Ridgeway.[13]

Whenever a lost livestock animal was found, the person who found had “three days to make an accurate description of the marks, brands, size, color, and supposed age” with the justice of the peace or township clerk. A notice was put into the newspaper and if none claimed the animal, the person who found it could keep it as their own.[14] The law was passed in 1810.[15]

Here is the notice from 1819 with David Shotts taking up the black mare.[16]

Catalog Search, Ross County
I have found a few catalog entries that have locked films, so they do not appear during full-text search from home. I will check if I can view them from the FamilySearch Center. If not, I'm going to RootsTech and I'll check at the FamilySearch Library. They are:

• Appearance docket, v. 1-7 1799-1820, IGN 8514527
• Appearance docket, v.8-12 1820-1844, IGN 8196855
• Court records, 1803-1847, IGN 8196854
• Supreme Court records, 1805-1843, various films

Augusta County, Virginia
I found some documents that name a David Shotts in Augusta County. An 1804 tax list has David Shotts with one poll and one horse.[17] An 1805 tax list has a David Shotts with one poll and two horses for a collection of 36 cents.[18] In 1806, he had three horses.[19] If David did not move to Ross County until around 1810, then it is possible this is the same man. More research is needed.

Next time, I’ll focus on Mary Ann Bishop's father.

---

[1] “Shotts History,” p. 3, in a section in the manuscript “Gorrell Family History presented at Family Reunion, Odessa, Mo., May 28-30, 1988.” The source of the document is not stated. Copy in Gorrell Family Archive, Lisa S. Gorrell, Martinez, CA.

[2] Henry Holcomb Bennett, ed., The County of Ross Biographical Sketches (Madison, Wis: Selwyn A. Brant, 1902), 686, bio of David C. Shotts. David C. Shotts was a grandson.

[3] 1820 U.S. census, Ross Co, Ohio, Huntington twp, p. 307, David Shotts.

[4] Ross Co, Ohio, deed, v. 18, p. 89-90, Looker agent to David Shotts, 1822; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSTC-93HD-T : accessed 12 Sep 2026), IGN 008330723, images 395-96 of 609.

[5] No newspaper account has been found. The story is presented in the biography of David C. Shotts, grandson of David and Catherine. See Henry Holcomb Bennett, ed., The County of Ross Biographical Sketches (Madison, Wis: Selwyn A. Brant, 1902), 686.

[6] Ross Co, Ohio, probate, Testamentary Docket 1821-1828, p. 180, letters of administration to Daniel Shotts, David Shotts estate, 1825; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9QP-K3M7 : accessed 12 Sep 2026), IGN 005876821, item 2, image 109 of 191.

[7] Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15626795/mary-shotts : accessed 24 Sep 2026), memorial 15626795, Mary Waggoner Shotts (1767-1862), Bishop Hill Cemetery, Ross Co, Ohio, photo by Amy Darling.

[8] Henry Holcomb Bennett, ed., The County of Ross Biographical Sketches (Madison, Wis: Selwyn A. Brant, 1902), 686.

[9] Lyle S. Evans, ed., A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio Volume II (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co, 1917), p. 841.

[10] History of Ross and Highland Counties, Ohio with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches (Williams Bros, publishers, 1880), p. 288.

[11] “Whiskey Rebellion,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion : accessed 24 Sep 2026).

[12] Ross Co, Ohio, estrays record, 1809-1828, unpag., Sep 1814, David Shotts; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-J381-997R-7 : accessed 24 Sep 2026), IGN 008709196, image 266 of 484.

[13] Ross Co, Ohio, estrays record, 1809-1828, unpag., Feb 1819, David Shotts; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-V381-99H7-8 : accessed 24 Sep 2026), IGN 008709196, image 355 of 484.

[14] Humphrey H Leavitt, The Ohio Officer and Justices’ Guide (Steubenville, Ohio: James Turnbull, 1843), Chapter XVII, Strays, Sections I-IV.

[15] “An Act defining the duties of persons taking up estray animals; and securing to the owners, boats and other water crafts found going adrift,” Acts of the State of Ohio, v. 8, Chapter XVII; imaged, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=px1RAQAAMAAJ&q=estray#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed 25 Sep 2026).

[16] “Ross County, Huntington Township,” Scioto Gazette and Fredonian Chronicle, 12 Mar 1819, p. 4, col. 3.

[17] Augusta Co, Virginia, personal property tax record, 1805, first district, p. 29, David Shotts; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQN-T922-M : accessed 24 Sep 2026), IGN IGN 007846302, item 2, image 185 of 216.

[18] Augusta Co, Virginia, personal property tax record, 1805, first district, p. 29, David Shotts; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQN-T92J-T : accessed 24 Sep 2026), IGN 007846302, item 3, image 18 of 237.

[19] Augusta Co, Virginia, personal property tax record, 1806, first district, p. 31, David Shotts; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQN-T922-8 : accessed 24 Sep 2026), IGN 007846302, item 3, image 69 of 237.

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