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They were trying to tell William’s wife, Margaret, who was frantic with fear, that they wanted something to eat.

        While the Indians were inside, William Ennes arrived home and heard the Indians inside. He jumped off the horse, grabbed a bull whip, leaped over the lower door into the house and lashed the Indians out of his house.

 

        According to census records, William and Margaret lived in this locality south of Rochester, New York until about 1834.

        In 1823 a daughter was born to them by the name of Frances Jane. She was named after a distant kin, Frances Jane Ennes, of Scotland who left an estate claimed to have been worth $10,000,000, to her Ennis heirs in America. The Ennis in York State and New Jersey held meetings, gathered money and were going to send a delgation to get the fortune. They began quarreling as to how much each one was to receive. Finally, one Ennis went over to the old country and found the estate had been confiscated by British Royalty.

        While living In Canisteo township, Steuben County, in 1828 another son, William (VI) was born. William was feeble-minded and required much care. He died in 1871. Here, too, in 1831 another daughter, Priscilla, was born.
 

 

The Spiritual Way


 
 

        Near Palnyra, New York, at the time, William Ennes and family lived at Steuben County, many new religious beliefs had their beginning—the Mormans—the Spiritualists—the Seventh Day Advents and others.

        The Ennis were originally Presbyterians, but here it is said that William became a Spiritualist and Alonzo, his son, became an Adventist.
 

 

Sometime before 1834, William and family moved west.
 
 

Moves to Ohio


 
 

        In what is now Union County, Ohio, there was a large amount of land (formerly owned by the state of Virginta) known as the Virginia Reserve. This land was divided into smaller tracts after being surveyed. These plots had been given to the soldiers of Virginia as pay for fighting in the Revolutionary War. (1776-1783)

        When William Ennes and his family moved to Union County in 1834,, they “squatted”on Plot No, 3237 which had been taken up years before by a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia. The soldier had not paid taxes on the land, so it had reverted to the State of Ohio for taxes. This plot was purchased on an Ohio tax deed by a Mr. Buel.

        William Ennes built a cabin and started clearing and farming on this property. Since the property could not be legally sold for nine years, Mr. Ennes took a lease from Mr. Buel, who had the Ohio tax deed with the stipulation that William Ennes would be permitted to purchase this property if the original owner did not redeem it.
 

 


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