I am looking for information on the Elliot family that lived in Cross Creek Twp in Washington County Pennsylvania.

In checking the census records there is a John Elliot who lived there, and again in 1810 there is John, John, Hugh all in Cross Creek, and a James living in Hopewell Twp.

I have not yet gone through the Will Abstract book for the county but 4 names I remember from there are Hugh, John, James, and Patrick (died 1832 and is buried at Cross Creek Presby Cem). The John Elliot who lived in Cross Creek Twp had 4 sons and I believe these are the names of his sons. What interests me the most is that he also had 3 daughters. The daughters are more specifically the names that I am trying to find.

Here is an analysis I made of the census for 1800 and 1810 related to the 2 John Elliot's:

1800 - Cross Creek, John Elliott
M: (2) 0-10; (2) 10-15; (1) 26-44
F: (1) 0-10; (1) 10-15; (1) 16-25; (1) 26-44

1810 - Cross Creek, John Elliott #1
M: (1) 16-25
F: (1) 16-25; (1) 45+

1810 - Cross Creek, John Elliott #2
M: (2) 0-10; (1) 10-15; (2) 16-25; (1) 45+
F: (1) 0-10; (1) 16-25; (1) 26-44

Hugh Elliott had a son named John and I am unable to accurately decipher which would be the son of Hugh and which would be John, the father of Hugh.

I would like to prove that my GGGG-GF William Ralston married Jane Elliot. The lore is that they were born in Ireland and I have found this to be true so in order for me to find a match or a lead, I am in need to finding the Elliott who immigrated from Ireland between 1784 and 1805. I have some theories that Jane's maiden name is Elliott and I was looking at a naming pattern for our family in the hopes that some clue, or they key they used, would make itself evident. However, without more information I am unable to do this. In using the traditional naming pattern, the 2nd son is to be given the maternal grandfather's name and this case it is John (my GGG-GF). This is when I began looking for a John Elliott to make a discovery and found a person by this name in the township of interest.

A couple theories to help support this idea are these. In 1807, Patrick Elliot by Exec sold land in Cross Creek Twp to William Roulston (deed record 1T-792 according to their Guarantee index). I was recently at Washington, PA and the location they searched for in their database for this deed came up with a plan instead of a deed and it was dated 1983. That was a huge wall I smacked into, because I was hoping that this deed might have answered some questions. I am unclear if Patrick actually was the Exec or the Dec'd. Personally, I think he was the executor.

The other thing that I have of interest is that William and Jane's youngest child, Mary Jane, had a son named David Elliot. When David's father, Robert Ralston, died in 1899 the names of his parents were listed as being William Ralston and Jane Elliot. Mary was born in Hopewell Twp on the Ralston farm and Robert was a clan cousin she married who immigrated from Ireland in the 1840s. Since I have found other information to be faulty, I cannot definitively say that that parents of Robert are correct. In going back to the naming pattern, William and Jane's eldest (theoretical based on the birth order given in the Will of William) son is David and would be named after the paternal grandfather. However, they could have done the opposite and switched the naming order. Who knows (and I really wish I could ask them too).

I have scoured as many Elliott-related things to this family in that township on the internet and have come up with nothing at this point. None of the information that I have found has gone back this far.

Jane Ralston died in Jan of 1837 in her 54th year and is buried at the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Independence Twp beside her husband and 3 children. I believe that she would have been 55 that year, thus making her year of birth to be 1782 and she would have been 18yrs in the 1800 census. By the 1800 census, John Elliott does have 1 daughter who is 16-25. Is this Jane? In further observance of the curiosity of this naming pattern, William and Jane's son John would have named his 2nd daughter after his mother and the child's name was Sarah Jane. If they followed a traditional Irish naming pattern, then her name would be Sarah Jane Elliott.

These are all my thoughts and notes at this time about this family and I truly am stumped as to what to do. I may seem to have given a thoughtful, logical argument for my theory of having descended from a Ralston/Elliot union, but without some true evidence, I am afraid that this is all that I have.

Can anyone help me who knows something about this Elliott family?

ps. I believe that William and Jane were born in Co Donegal, IR because I have seen the Ralston and Elliott named referenced more to that area than any others. They would have married in 1805 in Washington Co, PA though.

I will be posting this in the Elliott forum too for the most exposure.

Thank you for your considerations in this matter.