David Robert Railsback (1768 - 1857): Our Family History

1768 - 1857 (88 years)

Person ID: I2376

Personal Information | Media | Sources | Event Map | All

Name David Robert Railsback [1]

Born 12 Dec 1768 Rowan, North Carolina, United States [2, 3, 4]

Gender Male

Died 17 Oct 1857 Marion, Indiana, United States [2, 4]

Buried Elkhorn Cemetery, Richmond, Wayne, Indiana, United States

$gravestones\RAILSBACK David$

gravestones\RAILSBACK David

Notes

DAR papers claim birthplace Loudon County, VA. DAR papers also state that Sarah Stevens was the first wife [4]

Siblings

6 more

	1. Johannes Henrich "Henry" Rehlsbach, b. 10 Sep 1758, Eisern, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany , d. 1780 (Age 21 years)
	2. Johann Eberth "Edward" Rehlsbach, b. 11 Apr 1761, Eisern, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany , d. Jun 1787 (Age 26 years)
	3. Elizabeth Railsback, b. 5 Jan 1764, Eisern, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany , d. 11 Aug 1829 (Age 65 years)
	4. Mary Railsback, b. 21 Apr 1766, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
+	5. David Robert Railsback (current person), b. 12 Dec 1768, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. 17 Oct 1857, Marion, Indiana, United States (Age 88 years)
	6. Daniel Railsback, b. 15 Nov 1771, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Sep 1795 (Age 23 years)
	7. Roseannah "Rose" Railsback, b. 9 Feb 1777, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
	8. Lydia Railsback, b. 8 Jan 1780, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. 5 Oct 1821 (Age 41 years)
	9. Annie Railsback, b. Est 1781, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Yes, date unknown

Parents

Family ID: F297 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Father	Johann Heinrich "Henry" Railsback, b. 27 Mar 1736, Eisern, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany , d. 14 Sep 1815, Rowan, North Carolina, United States (Age 79 years)
Mother	Ann Maria "Margaret" Euteneuer, b. 22 Feb 1739, Evangelical Church, Roetgen, Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany , d. 4 Oct 1786, Rowan, North Carolina, United States (Age 47 years)
Married	13 Sep 1757	Eisern Chapel, Eisern, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Family 1

Family ID: F617 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Wife 1	Elizabeth Ellis, b. Est 1768, d. Bef 1794 (Age < 25 years)
Married	13 Oct 1791

Family 2

Family ID: F31 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Wife 2 Sarah Stevens, b. 10 Dec 1773, Loudoun, Virginia, United States , d. 5 Oct 1858, Marion, Indiana, United States (Age 84 years)

Married 16 Oct 1794 [2, 4]

Children

+	1. Mary Polly Railsback, b. 6 Nov 1795, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
	2. Nancy Railsback, b. 15 Apr 1797, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
	3. Enoch Railsback, b. 26 May 1798, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
	4. Judia Railsback, b. 6 Mar 1800, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
	5. Edward Railsback, b. 8 Feb 1802, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
	6. William Railsback, b. 10 Nov 1803, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
+	7. Caleb Railsback, b. 7 Jul 1805, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. 9 Jul 1895, Argos, Marshall, Indiana, United States (Age 90 years)
+	8. Matthew Railsback, b. 7 Jul 1805, Rowan, North Carolina, United States , d. 6 Feb 1844 (Age 38 years)
	9. Joel Railsback, b. 29 Jan 1808, Wayne, Indiana, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
	10. David Railsback, b. 2 Nov 1809, Wayne, Indiana, United States , d. Yes, date unknown
+	11. Nathan Railsback, b. 25 Feb 1812, Wayne, Indiana, United States , d. 20 Feb 1863 (Age 50 years)
+	12. John Railsback, b. 12 Apr 1815, Wayne, Indiana, United States , d. 10 Apr 1860, Wayne, Indiana, United States (Age 44 years)
	13. Sallie Railsback, b. 14 Dec 1816, Wayne, Indiana, United States , d. Yes, date unknown

Other Personal Events

Military Service	From 1780 to 1783 [5, 6, 7, 8]
	American Revolution, Continental Army
	David seems to have joined up in 1780, when he was just 12 years old. From an early DAR application: Entered the Army and drove a team for his older brother, Edward Railsback, who was a Wagon Master in Gates Army. He was at Gates defeat (Horatio Gates led his continental forces and militia south to fight with General Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Camden on Aug 16th, 1780, where he was overwhelmingly defeated) ; drove his team off the main road and hid in a thicket until the British army following Gates had passed. He then drove the team all the way into N.C. and reached his father's home in safety. In the spring of 1781 he enlisted with Nathaniel Green's Minute Men and served unto the close of the American Revolution. NOTE: Both DAR and SAR will require any future applicants to prove service. David would have been quite young and was not on any official payrolls. His brother Edward was found on a payroll, lending credence to the family legend of David being a wagon boy.
Residence	1807	Wayne, Indiana, United States [2, 9, 10]
	They settled on the White Water river, locating in the woods, and at that time Indians were numerous in the locality. Witness Role: Spouse Sarah STEVENS Witness Role: Child Caleb RAILSBACK Witness Role: Child Edward RAILSBACK Witness Role: Child Enoch RAILSBACK Witness Role: Child Judia RAILSBACK Witness Role: Child Mary Polly RAILSBACK Witness Role: Child Matthew RAILSBACK Witness Role: Child Nancy RAILSBACK Witness Role: Child William RAILSBACK
Census	1 Jun 1850	Abington, Wayne, Indiana, United States [11]
	Witness Role: head of household David Robert RAILSBACK Witness Role: wife Sarah STEVENS Witness Role: resident Name: Margarett Nilson Witness Role: 18 year old female, born in Indiana. Perhaps a servant.
DAR ID	A093496
Family Search ID	LZLB-V3P
SAR ID	P-275017
Ω Census Principal	1 Jun 1850	Abington, Wayne, Indiana, United States
	Witness Role: Principal David Robert RAILSBACK
Residence	1856	Marion, Indiana, United States [2]
	David and Sarah Railsback moved from the woods of Wayne County to Marion County some time prior to their deaths. Witness Role: Spouse Sarah STEVENS
_UID	6CD4D4ED7185444A881BB2C5E55E233E4346

Photos

$gravestones\RAILSBACK David$

gravestones\RAILSBACK David

Event Map

	Born - 12 Dec 1768 - Rowan, North Carolina, United States
	Residence - 1807 - Wayne, Indiana, United States
	Census - 1 Jun 1850 - Abington, Wayne, Indiana, United States
	Ω Census Principal - 1 Jun 1850 - Abington, Wayne, Indiana, United States
	Residence - 1856 - Marion, Indiana, United States
	Died - 17 Oct 1857 - Marion, Indiana, United States
	Buried - - Elkhorn Cemetery, Richmond, Wayne, Indiana, United States

= Link to Google Earth

Source Citations

[S1418] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Family Search Family Tree Assertion of Fact or Familial Link", Family Tree Database, FamilySearch Family History Library (https://familysearch.org).. [S74] The Argos Reflector, "Railsback," in Family Histories of Early Argos, (Argos, IN: The Argos Reflector, 10 April 1941), copy in possession of Leslie Price.. [S1336] Andrew White Young, History of Wayne County, Indiana, from its first settlement to the present time: with numerous biographical and family sketches, (Cincinnati, OH: R. Clarke & Co., 1872), Internet Archive (http://archive.org/details/historyofwayneco00inyoun: accessed 24 January 2019)., David Railsback, p.150. David Railsback was born in Loudon county, Va., December 12, 1769, and was married to Sarah Stevens. He removed to North Carolina; thence, in 1806, to Whitewater, and settled a half mile east of where Abington now is, in March, 1807. He afterward removed to a farm now owned by Merriman Brumfield. He died October 17, 1856. He had twelve children, five of whom were born in this county. All lived to be married, and to raise large families; none having less than six, and one as many as seventeen. His children were: 1. Mary, wife of Wm. Lewis; they live in Iowa. 2. Enoch, who married Nancy Fouts. 3. Judith, wife of Thomas Cobb; removed to Lawrence county, Ind. 4. Edward, who married Frances, daughter of James Hunt, and died in Iowa, in 1859. 5. William, who married Mary Rhodes; resides at Kankakee, 111. 6, 7. Caleb and Matthew, twins, who married Nancy and Sarah Barnhill. Matthew died in 1844; Caleb lives in Warren county. 8. Joel, who married Elizabeth Fouts, and lives in Wayne township. 9. David, who married Mary Smith, in Wayne township. 10. Nathan, who married Sina, daughter of Smith Hunt, and died in 1863. 11. John, who married Pamelia, daughter of Jesse Davenport, and died in 1860. 12. Sarah, wife of Larkin Garr, died in 1857 [S1405] National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogy Research, "Descendants Search: Member #493051 Etta Railsback Steiner to Ancestor #A093496 David Railsback", (Washington, D.C.: Daughters of the American Revolution, 2022), Daughters of the American Revolution (https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search/?Tab_ID=5: accessed 2 September 2022).. [S833] National Society Sons of the American Revolution, SAR Patriot Research System, "Descendant Search: Member #164013 Jack Batchelder Heberer to Ancestor #P-275017 David Railsback", (Louisville, KY: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 2018), Sons of the American Revolution (https://sarpatriots.sar.org/: accessed 26 January 2019).. [S1336] Andrew White Young, History of Wayne County, Indiana, from its first settlement to the present time: with numerous biographical and family sketches, (Cincinnati, OH: R. Clarke & Co., 1872), Internet Archive (http://archive.org/details/historyofwayneco00inyoun: accessed 24 January 2019)., Enoch Railsback, pp.354-355. Enoch Railsback, son of David, was born in North Carolina, May 26, 1798, and removed with his father's family to this county in 1807. He married Nancy Fouts, daughter of Jacob Fouts. After a temporary residence in several places, he settled permanently, where he now resides, on Wayne township west line, a part of his farm having been the site of Salisbury. He had six children : • Sarah, wife of Andrew Eliason. • Elizabeth, wife of John Sellars, Mound City, Kansas. • Elvonia, wife of John Pugh, and died at Centerville, Jan. 1, 1851. • Jehiel, unmarried, attorney at law, at Richmond. • Mary B., who married Fabius Fleming, Richmond. • Lycurgus, who married Lizzy Binford, of 111., and lives in Marshall, Iowa. The Railsback family have an honorable connection with the war of the Revolution. The Colonel relates the following reminiscences : His father, David Railsback, was assistant wagon-boy for his brother Edward, who drove a fourhorse baggage-wagon for the Colonial army. At Gen. Gates' defeat in South Carolina, while the American forces were giving way, he drove his team hastily into a thicket, and soon saw the British light-horse pursuing our forces, who met with great slaughter. Late at night he left the place of his concealment, and returned safely with his team to North Carolina. Henry Railsback, an older brother, was a company officer in Gen. Gates' army, and was captured by the British. On reaching their lines he saw many of his Tory neighbors who had joined the British army, he was taken sick, and never got home. [S1389] Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogy Research Center, "Ancestor Database - Revolutionary Era Ancestors", (Washington, D.C.: Daughters of the American Revolution, 2022), Daughters of the American Revolution (https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search/?Tab_ID=1)., David Railsback #A093496. [S1516] Sons of the American Revolution, SAR Patriot Research System, "Patriot Database - Revolutionary Era Ancestors", (Louisville, KY: Sons of the American Revolution, 2022), Sons of the American Revolution (https://sarpatriots.sar.org/patriot/search/)., David Railsback #P-275017. [S828] Daniel McDonald, "William Railsback, p584-585," in A Twentieth Century History of Marshall County, Indiana, (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1908), Internet Archive (http://archive.org/details/twentiethcentury02mcdo: accessed 14 June 2018).. [S1336] Andrew White Young, History of Wayne County, Indiana, from its first settlement to the present time: with numerous biographical and family sketches, (Cincinnati, OH: R. Clarke & Co., 1872), Internet Archive (http://archive.org/details/historyofwayneco00inyoun: accessed 24 January 2019)., Enoch Railsback, pp.354-355. [S1466] United States, Bureau of the Census, "1850 US Census, Indiana, Wayne County, Abington Township, p.214b-215a", (1 June 1850), FamilySearch Family History Library (https://familysearch.org: accessed 26 March 2023)..

[S1418] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Family Search Family Tree Assertion of Fact or Familial Link", Family Tree Database, FamilySearch Family History Library (https://familysearch.org)..
[S74] The Argos Reflector, "Railsback," in Family Histories of Early Argos, (Argos, IN: The Argos Reflector, 10 April 1941), copy in possession of Leslie Price..
[S1336] Andrew White Young, History of Wayne County, Indiana, from its first settlement to the present time: with numerous biographical and family sketches, (Cincinnati, OH: R. Clarke & Co., 1872), Internet Archive (http://archive.org/details/historyofwayneco00inyoun: accessed 24 January 2019)., David Railsback, p.150.
David Railsback was born in Loudon county, Va., December 12, 1769, and was married to Sarah Stevens. He removed to North Carolina; thence, in 1806, to Whitewater, and settled a half mile east of where Abington now is, in March, 1807. He afterward removed to a farm now owned by Merriman Brumfield. He died October 17, 1856. He had twelve children, five of whom were born in this county. All lived to be married, and to raise large families; none having less than
six, and one as many as seventeen.

His children were:
1. Mary, wife of Wm. Lewis; they live in Iowa.
2. Enoch, who married Nancy Fouts.
3. Judith, wife of Thomas Cobb; removed to Lawrence county, Ind.
4. Edward, who married Frances, daughter of James Hunt, and died in Iowa, in 1859.
5. William, who married Mary Rhodes; resides at Kankakee, 111.
6, 7. Caleb and Matthew, twins, who married Nancy and Sarah Barnhill. Matthew died in 1844; Caleb lives in Warren county.
8. Joel, who married Elizabeth Fouts, and lives in Wayne township.
9. David, who married Mary Smith, in Wayne township.
10. Nathan, who married Sina, daughter of Smith Hunt, and died in 1863.
11. John, who married Pamelia, daughter of Jesse Davenport, and died in 1860.
12. Sarah, wife of Larkin Garr, died in 1857
[S1405] National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogy Research, "Descendants Search: Member #493051 Etta Railsback Steiner to Ancestor #A093496 David Railsback", (Washington, D.C.: Daughters of the American Revolution, 2022), Daughters of the American Revolution (https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search/?Tab_ID=5: accessed 2 September 2022)..
[S833] National Society Sons of the American Revolution, SAR Patriot Research System, "Descendant Search: Member #164013 Jack Batchelder Heberer to Ancestor #P-275017 David Railsback", (Louisville, KY: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 2018), Sons of the American Revolution (https://sarpatriots.sar.org/: accessed 26 January 2019)..

[S1336] Andrew White Young, History of Wayne County, Indiana, from its first settlement to the present time: with numerous biographical and family sketches, (Cincinnati, OH: R. Clarke & Co., 1872), Internet Archive (http://archive.org/details/historyofwayneco00inyoun: accessed 24 January 2019)., Enoch Railsback, pp.354-355.
Enoch Railsback, son of David, was born in North Carolina, May 26, 1798, and removed with his father's family to this county in 1807. He married Nancy Fouts, daughter of Jacob Fouts. After a temporary residence in several places, he settled permanently, where he now resides, on Wayne township west line, a part of his farm having been the site of Salisbury.

He had six children :
• Sarah, wife of Andrew Eliason.
• Elizabeth, wife of John Sellars, Mound City, Kansas.
• Elvonia, wife of John Pugh, and died at Centerville, Jan. 1, 1851.
• Jehiel, unmarried, attorney at law, at Richmond.
• Mary B., who married Fabius Fleming, Richmond.
• Lycurgus, who married Lizzy Binford, of 111., and lives in Marshall, Iowa.

The Railsback family have an honorable connection with the war of the Revolution. The Colonel relates the following reminiscences : His father, David Railsback, was assistant wagon-boy for his brother Edward, who drove a fourhorse baggage-wagon for the Colonial army. At Gen. Gates' defeat in South Carolina, while the American forces were giving way, he drove his team hastily into a thicket, and soon saw the British light-horse pursuing our forces, who met with great slaughter. Late at night he left the place of his concealment, and returned safely with his team to North Carolina. Henry Railsback, an older brother, was a company officer in Gen. Gates' army, and was captured by the British. On reaching their lines he saw many of his Tory neighbors who had joined the British army, he was taken sick, and never got home.

[S1389] Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogy Research Center, "Ancestor Database - Revolutionary Era Ancestors", (Washington, D.C.: Daughters of the American Revolution, 2022), Daughters of the American Revolution (https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search/?Tab_ID=1)., David Railsback #A093496.

[S1516] Sons of the American Revolution, SAR Patriot Research System, "Patriot Database - Revolutionary Era Ancestors", (Louisville, KY: Sons of the American Revolution, 2022), Sons of the American Revolution (https://sarpatriots.sar.org/patriot/search/)., David Railsback #P-275017.

[S828] Daniel McDonald, "William Railsback, p584-585," in A Twentieth Century History of Marshall County, Indiana, (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1908), Internet Archive (http://archive.org/details/twentiethcentury02mcdo: accessed 14 June 2018)..

[S1336] Andrew White Young, History of Wayne County, Indiana, from its first settlement to the present time: with numerous biographical and family sketches, (Cincinnati, OH: R. Clarke & Co., 1872), Internet Archive (http://archive.org/details/historyofwayneco00inyoun: accessed 24 January 2019)., Enoch Railsback, pp.354-355.

[S1466] United States, Bureau of the Census, "1850 US Census, Indiana, Wayne County, Abington Township, p.214b-215a", (1 June 1850), FamilySearch Family History Library (https://familysearch.org: accessed 26 March 2023)..