| Thoburn (Thorburn) Family According to a story written about this family called Chips Shaving Splinters in 1965 by Hazel White Nalley the following information was gathered on this family: The Thorburn family (later changed to Thoburn) came from Scotland to Scotch Ridge in Belmont County Ohio. The original name was Thorbourne or Thornberry. Many today go by Thoburn. Matthew Thorburn moved out of Scotland to Ireland near Belfast and then came to America. He was born August 14, 1798 and died 1850 at St. Clarisville, Ohio. His wife was Jane Lyle Thorburn born in County Antrim, Ireland, November 14 1798 and died 1870. They settled in Belmont County, Ohio in 1825. Among their nine children were Bishop James Mills Thoburn and Isobella Thoburn. They were two of the earliest missionaries to go to India. This family established the Thoburn United Methodist Church in St. Clarisville, Ohio which is still in existence today. Matthew Thorburn is believed to be a cousin to Alexander Thorburn one of the direct descendents in this family. The earliest known Thorburn�s are Alexander Thorburn 1706-1797, Marquis of Midlothian Scotland. One of his son�s Alexander Thorburn (1747-1834) married to Margaret Hunter were Scotch Highlanders and an owner of a tannery and other property in Dalkeith, Scotland. His son Abraham Thorburn also a Scotch Highlander was born January 1, 1786 and died June 26, 1870 on Captina Creek farm and is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Belmont County, Ohio. While he lived in Scotland, he married Lady Grace Lyle and they had four children. The author of the book wrote the following describing Abraham Thorburn: It seemed that laws of Scotland at that time had a great deal to say about families and possessions of royalty. The story goes that in case of death of Lady Grace Lyle Thorburn and since her husband was not royalty, her family could take possession of her children and any lands they held. Grace must have been in ill health for some time as her husband had sent the three oldest children to America. After the death of his wife, he came to American with his youngest child, Abraham, age 12. The father was 44 years old and it was 1830. Abraham I, made his way to his other children, how in their teens. It seems that Abraham had turned over his Scottish land to a cousin lawyer by the name of Peter Alexander for him to sell and get the money to Abraham. Something happened that Abraham did not get the money at that time so he was in America without enough money to get his family to Wheeling. West Virginia where his sister Isobel Thorburn Garden lived. It is said that he borrowed the money from a Thorburn relative. After they arrived in Wheeling, they worked in the tannery of the Gardens in order to get money to repay the relative . . . The family lived for a short time with the Scotch Ridge people then Abraham bought land in Captina Creek. . . The graves of many Thorburns may be seen in the Scotch ridge Cemetery beside the Scotch Ridge Church, established a few miles west of Martins Ferry, Ohio. Abraham I, oldest daughter was Susan Thoburn born 1811 and died 1892. She married Robert Franklin Henry born 1811 and died 1895. They settled in Ella, West Virginia (Marshall County) and owned a farm. One of eight children, their daughter Jane Henry born 1838 and died 1918 married Henry H. Mason also of Ella, WV. They are buried at Fairview Cemetery in Marshall County, WV. |
