Thomas W. BALIS Sr. ^{1 2}

  General Notes:

PHOTO: Submitted by Suzanne Krogh.

OHIO TAX RECORDS, 1800-1850:
Guernsey Co, Washington Twp, 1826 -
Thomas "Bailes"
R1 T3 S8 W side SW, 50 acres, value: 68
1 horse valued at 40
1 cattle valued at 8.

OHIO TAX RECORDS, 1800-1850:
Guernsey Co, Washington Twp, 1827 -
Thomas "Bayles"
R1 T3 S8 W side SW, 50 acres, value: 68
2 horses value: 80
1 cattle value: 8.

OHIO TAX RECORDS, 1800-1850:
Guernsey Co, Washington Twp, 1834
Thomas "Bailes"

U.S. GENERAL LAND OFFICE RECORDS, 1796-1907:
Name: Thomas Balis
Issue Date: 5 Oct 1835
State of Record: Ohio
Acres: 41.83
Accession Number: OH0470__.182
Metes and Bounds: No
Land Office: Zanesville
Canceled: No
US Reservations: No
Mineral Reservations: No
Authority: April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566)
Document Number: 6722
Section: 30
Twp: 7-N
Meridian: Ohio River Survey
County: Noble
(Note: It appears that Thomas Balis, Sr. either purchased land for, or sold land to, Thomas Balis Jr. )

BAILIS/BAYLESS FAMILY HISTORY COLLECTION, p. 2, at Caldwell Library, OH: " The Bayless and Wickham families were among the earliest English settlers (about 1635) and each generation had large families. It seems that both families had many intermarriages. Furthermore, the children kept moving from Long Island to the Hudson River Valley, up the Hudson River to Albany, New York, west to German Flats, then south down the Cherry Valley past Cooperstown arriving in Milford, New York about 1800. Between 1810 and 1820 the Bayless family along with the Wickham and Merry families arrived in Belmont County, Ohio. Appendix C shows Ephriam Farrington Settlement where Baslis family settled in town of Milford, New York in 1800."
(submitted by Jeannine Hickman)

1987 LETTER FROM CHUCK & FRANCES MERRY TO MARY ANN MARASICK, Waterford, PA;
"Rensselaer Co, N.Y. is, was and has always been a big problem as far as our research is concerned. The patroon system around Albany more or less precluded ownership of land by the settlers, so records go from scanty to non-existant. John Wickham as well as Benjamin, Warren and William Wickham and Thomas Balis were leaseholders in the Manor of Rensselaerwyck. This we learned from a deed from one Van Rensselaer to another, in which the property description included at least 5 pages of lease holders, front and back. Ebenezer Merry was also a lease holder in said Manor (in 1789, 1793 & 1794), as was his son William."

Early History of the Town of Milford and other parts of Otsego Co. From 1773 to 1903 by Ezra Stevens - Section II.
Chapter 14 - "Ephriam Farrington Settlement":
"The next year after Mr. Farrington arrived at his place three other families migrated from Columbia and settled in the same neighborhood. Warren Wickham, the Balis family, and the Merry family all raised large families. About the same season Garrett Van Valkenberg from Schoharie County settled a little east.
The reader will see it constituted quite a colony."

Gateway to the West, Vol. 2, p. 305: Noble County, Ohio - Common Pleas Court Records 1856-1859: 4-8-1854 - "Thomas BAILES vs. Mary WICKUM, et. al. Filed 12-17-1855. Thomas Bailes father of Thomas Bailes on 5-10-1837 was seized of S1/2 SW1/4 Section 32, Township 7, Range 8 being land sold in Zanesville land district, said land formerly lying in Monroe Co, now in Noble Co, consisting of 82.30 acres. Said father, Thomas Bailes with wife Susannah did sell said land to son, Thomas Bailes and made deed, but a mistake was made in the description of land. Said petition is now filed to correct mistake. Thomas Bailes (Sr.) died in 1843. Children: petitioner, son, Thomas Bailes; Mary late Balis of Iowa widow of Bernard R. Wickhum, who is now dead; Sarah late Balis wife of Henry Rauser of Kansas Territory; Susanna late Balis of Iowa widow of George Hursey, who is now dead; Desire late Balis wife of John Browning, residence unknown; Margaret late Balis wife of Charles Hoggins (or Haggins); Elmyra late Balis wife of Morgan Hickman; Lucinda late Balis, now dec'd in her lifetime wife of Cyrus Matheney, her children--Andrew, Thomas, Rachel and Cyrus Matheney, Nancy Ann late Matheney wife of Frederick Lemum and Samantha late Matheney wife of William Alltop. (379)
(Note: "Bernard R. Wickhum" is most likely "Bimael R. Wickham".)

Thomas married Susannah Jane WICKHAM, daughter of John WICKHAM and UNKNOWN, on 4 Dec 1793 in perhaps Milford, Otsego Co, NY.^{1 2} (Susannah Jane WICKHAM was born on 10 Jul 1772 in NY,¹ died on 6 Nov 1849 in Noble Co, OH ¹ and was buried in Devoll Cemetery, Center Twp, Noble Co, OH ³.)