Walter Gilbert Genealogy: Peter DeMoss & Mary Mellinger

114–115. Peter DeMoss was born in Virginia about 1751, and died in Hendricks County, Indiana, U.S.A., in 1830. His wife was _____ Potts They were married about 1770. She took the name _____ DeMoss. He is the son of Charles and Frances (_____) DeMoss. These may be the parents of a different Peter DeMoss. They had two children:

i.	Margaret "Peggy" DeMoss: She was born in 1777 in Virginia and died May 4, 1849, Shelby County, Ohio.
ii.	Charles DeMoss: He was born January 2, 1780, in Virginia and died December 27, 1860, in Cass County, Indiana, U.S.A.

His second marriage was to Mary Mellinger in the early 1780s. She took the name Mary DeMoss. She was born in Berkeley, (West) Virginia, about 1759. (Her birth information from the LDS Family Group Record.) They had 12 children:

i.	Peter DeMoss: He was born about 1779 and married Rachel Bryant.
ii.	William DeMoss: He was born about 1784 in Nelson County, Kentucky, and died June 5, 1858, in Emporia, Kansas. His line leads to Patrick W. DeMoss who is the source of much of this information.
iii.	Martha Demoss [#57]: She was born in Virginia about 1787.
iv.	Ruth DeMoss: She married _____ Davis.
v.	Sarah DeMoss: She married George Bryant.
vi.	John DeMoss: He was born September 15, 1789, in Nelson County, Kentucky and died February 7, 1852, in Harrison County, Indiana.
vii.	Catherine DeMoss was born about 1791, and died in Wayne County, Indiana, U.S.A.. She married James Rains in December 26, 1815, in Preble County, Ohio. Per a web site maintained by Sharon Pierce, James and Catherine had two children then he remarried, implying that she died probably in her 20s. Their first child, George Washington Rains was born in Wayne County.
viii.	Elizabeth "Betsy" DeMoss was born about 1793.
ix.	David DeMoss: He was born in 1794 and married Hannah Case on September 30, 1819, in Preble County, Ohio. Per Arlene G.Gregoire, Sept. 2002, they are both buried in Salem Cemetery, Liberty Township, Hendricks County, Indiana (Road 850 S & 375 E). He died 1872, she died in 1885. Others in this cemetery include Eliza A. Demoss 1822–1844; James Demoss, 1826–1830; and William Demoss, 1828–1830.
x.	James DeMoss: He was born about 1800 and married Hannah Davis.
xi.	Rachel DeMoss: She was born April 4, 1806.
xii.	Mary "Polly" Olive DeMoss: She was born about 1808 and married Charles Reynolds.

The family Bible of John DeMoss indicates that Peter DeMoss and his family were in Nelson County, Kentucky, before the birth of his son, John, on February 15, 1789. Grants South of Green River, Kentucky book 3, p. 435, by Willard Rouse Jillison shows that Peter received a land grant of 163 acres in Green County, Kentucky. It was surveyed on November 10, 1798, and patented November 7, 1807. In about 1803, the family moved to (what is now) Preble County, Ohio.

Peter's will was probabed in 1830 in Hendricks County, Indiana. The probate records are available from Complete Probate 1826-1845 of Hendricks County, vol. 1, pp. 26–34. The administrators of the estate were David and James Demoss, his two youngest sons. They were sworn to do the appraisal on December 11, 1830.

The inventory and appraisal of his estate leads us to infer:

from the books, including poetry, that Peter and/or Mary were literate
from three volumes of Wesley's Sermons that they were active Methodists
from the plow, clevis, bar share, doubletree, etc., that Peter was a farmer and plowed with a team of horses
from the lack of draft horses that Peter was not an active farmer when he died (he was 79); he likely sold his team of horses, keeping only the mare for riding (there is no buggy in the inventory)
from the hackles for combing flax into fibers that grew flax, probably for sale since there was no spinning equipment to make linen thread
from the sheep and sheep shears he sold raw wool
from the small number of sheep and cattle that these animals were used to sustain the family
from the Delft and pewter plates that the family enjoyed a few of the finer things in life
from the $600 bond and several loans that the family was financially stable and would help others in need

All in all, we can imagine a successful farming family living in a well-kept house with adequate outbuildings.

Each individual heir or group of heirs of Peter received $76.00 from his estate.

John Mellinger & Margaret his wife of Shelby County, Ohio
Perhaps Peter's daughter by his first wife married John Mellinger.
George Briant of Hendricks County, Indiana
This is the husband of Peter's daughter, Sarah.
James Reynolds of Morgan County, Indiana
This is the husband of Peter's daughter, Mary.
John Demoss for the use of Thomas and Matthew Youngblood
This fairly confirms the tie between the Demoss and Youngblood families. Thomas is most likely the husband of Peter's daughter, Martha. Matthew is unknown but is probably the husband of another of Peter's daughters (Rachel, since all of the others appear to be "accounted for"). Matthew may be Thomas's brother. It would be interesting to know why the money wasn't given directly to Thomas and Matthew.
John Demoss of Butler County, Ohio
This is probably the same John as the previous line which would indicate that the Youngblood families had already moved to Ohio.
Elijah Powell and Nancy Powell and Elizabeth Demoss of Adair County, Kentucky
Who is Nancy Powell? Perhaps she and Elizabeth are Mary Mellinger's sisters?
Silas Davis of Rush County, Indiana
This is the husband of Peter's daughter, Ruth.
James Raines of Marion County, Indiana
This is the husband of Peter's daughter, Catherine.
David Demoss of Hendricks County, Indiana
This is Peter's son.
Elizabeth Demoss of Morgan County, Indiana
This is probably Peter's daughter.
James Demoss of Morgan County, Indiana
This is Peter's son.
Charles Demoss of Preble County, Ohio
This is probably Peter's son by his first wife.
William Demoss of Cass County, Indiana
This is Peter's son.
Charles Reynolds of Hendricks County, Indiana
This is the husband of Peter's daughter, Mary "Polly".

That there is nothing given to Peter's eldest son, Peter, means he may have died before his father.

Sources:

Complete Probate 1826-1845 of Hendricks County, vol. 1, pp. 26–34
Most of this information came from Patrick W. and Karen DeMoss in May, 1999:
The Rains County, Texas, web site maintained by Sharon Pierce
LDS Family Group Record