Documents

This case log of Peter Mottice (here and here) in which he recorded the facts and findings of his job as Justice of the Peace in Stark County is one of the most interesting documents about the Mottices still in existence. Much of its interest stems from the fact that it is old -- dating as early as 1837-38, and therefore probably is the oldest surviving original document I have.

In addition to being County Commissioner and ruling elder of the Presbyterian Church, Peter Mottice also served as Justice of the Peace in Stark County for a number of years.

View all the pages of Peter Mottice's Justice of the Peace case log here.

This book records his activities as he discharged his duties. Although we are missing a number of pages -- the first page is numbered "82" -- many pages remain.

In 1981, the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society responded to a request by Bob Mottice for information on early Mottices in Pennsylvania. Subsequent research by him and others has failed to convincingly associate any of these names with Mottice ancestors. The LMHS researcher was looking for Peter, but we subsequently know that Peter went from Morris County, NJ to the area around Washington, PA as a member of the militia during the Whiskey Rebellion. So it is unlikely that any of the Peters she found were our Peter Mottice.

I have heard the name of Jean-Marie Motice as an ancestor for many years, but have never been able to pin down who he is. I had thought he might be the father of Peter, but there is evidence that Jean-Marie was alive in 1783 which conflicts with other informal family histories about Peter's father.

But I have recently uncovered a letter sent to my father from Lynn G. Mottice of Mentor, OH in 1982 that fills in some blanks. Here are relevant excerpts from that letter:

The following excerpts from this collection of historical records entitled, "Ohio County and Family Histories, 1780-1910, all mention Peter Mottice: 1. Page 470, while discussing early roads in Sandy Twp. shortly after 1806:

In a collection of historical records entitled, "Gateway to the West, Volume II," the section on Stark Co., Will Abstracts, 1811-1822, page 555 mentions Peter Mottice as an executor of the will of John Hewitt, whose brother James was evidently the first justice of the peace in the area and immediately preceded Peter Mottice in that office:

Peter Mottice purchased two plots of land in Stark County -- one described as in Osnaburg in 1806 and another described as in Sandy in 1812. One of these -- presumably the latter -- became the homestead where several generations of Mottices were born. Access was probably via the road now know as "Mottice Dr." just north of Waynesburg and west of Rt. 43.

Three years prior to his death in 1855, Peter Mottice made the will that is shown here. There is no indication that he was in declining health, though he was attaining a ripe old age.

This copy of his will is from the Genealogical Archives of the Stark County (OH) Public Library. The original is gone, but this copy on microfiche (along with his other estate documents) was made from the original. It was evidently common practice to not keep original probate material once it was recorded on microfiche or microfilm.

Peter Mottice Will & Testament (10/25/1852)

John Mottice was the father of Grant Mottice and served in the Civil War. This document is the actual discharge document from service as opposed to the certificate of service elsewhere on this website.

An interesting aspect of this document is that it provides some of his physical characteristics, including height, hair and eye color, and complexion.

The front of the document, shown here, reads:

Here is a document, dated November 17, 1872 and written in German that I cannot translate, in part because of the elaborate script.

It refers to "Andreas Dieringer" and his "fine wife" who was born "Maria Holzhey", then in large letters "_urde geboren" followed by the date in 1872 and the location in Waynesburg, OH. "Geboren" means "born" in German, but the first letter of "_urde" I cannot decipher and cannot translate.

John C. Mottice, father of Grant Mottice, was discharged from the Ohio Volunteers of the Federal Army and given a certificate recognizing that honor on December 15, 1864. 

His certificate of service, shown here (the original, not a copy), indicates that he served as a Private in the 162nd Regiment of the Ohio Volunteers.

The body of the document reads:

Bob Mottice, son of Grant Mottice, graduated from Glenville State College (WV) in 1952. 

He began his college studies on the GI Bill after he was discharged from the Army at the end of WWII.  I don't know how he came to be aware of Glenville, or why he chose to attend there. But he thoroughly enjoyed his four years there, and made many lifelong friends.

While at Glenville, he majored in education and earned a number of honors, including the ones shown here.

Here are images of 4 hunting licenses held by Grant Mottice for the years 1928-1931.

These documents are significant because they provide information about him that is not available from other sources. They each list his occupation as "Painter." He is described on them as being 5'10" tall and weighing 165 lbs. His eyes were brown, and his hair was brownish-grey.

My father, Bob Mottice, was 12-15 years old during the time frame of these licenses, and it is tempting to think of he, my grandfather, and Merle going hunting together in the recreational way many do these days.

Leo Kern, 1842-1921, was the son of Magdalina Dieringer and Joseph Kern. Magdalina Dieringer was the great aunt of Frances Dieringer, wife of Grant Mottice. Magdalina was the sister of Frances' grandfather, Mathaus.

During the Civil War, Leo was a Private in the I Company of the 107th Infantry Regiment of the Ohio Volunteers. He was captured at the Battle of Gettysburg and remained a prisoner until he was paroled at Charleston, SC on Dec. 16, 1864.

This certificate shows that Nora Dieringer, Grant Mottice's sister-in-law, was confirmed on May 25, 1890 at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waynesburg, OH.

Mary Holshoy was the mother of Frances Dieringer. The writing on this birth and baptismal certificate is old and faded, and very hard to read. Moreover, it is written in German.

The date, however, is clearly indicated as 1844, and that the event occurred in Ohio.

The first attached image is a photo of the entire certificate. The second is an enlarged scan of only the personal information that has been filled in on the certificate.

Mary Holshoy was the mother of Frances Dieringer -- Grant Mottice's wife. She was born in 1844 and later married Andrew Dieringer.

This is a certificate confirmation dated 1862 and written in German even though recorded in Ohio. The name of the county is illegible as is the month in which the confirmation took place. Her name as spelled on the document is Maria Holshoi.

This announcement appeared in the Ohio Repository on December 5, 1816.  This is the only known reference to Margaret, daughter of Peter.  Her husband, John Creighton, has the same surname of a good friend of Peter's and is therefore likely to be his son.

This announcement appeared in the Ohio Repository (published out of Canton -- later to become the Canton Repository) in early July 1821.

"Married -- On the 24th ult. by Geo. Dunbar, Esq., Thomas Rockhill to Miss Harriet Grant, both of Lexington Twp.
                -- On the 28th, by the same, Mr. John Creighton to Miss Abigail Mottice, daughter of Peter Mottice, Esq."

The original copy of this document is on microfiche in the Stark County Library in Canton, OH.  This is one of the most puzzling elements of the Mottice family history.  Naturalization papers exist to confer nationality upon a person.  This one clearly states that Peter Mottice was being awarded status as a U.S. citizen in 1847, and that he previously was a citizen of France (King Louis Phiilippe was monarch in 1847).  Yet all family accounts have Peter born in the U.S.

In 1935 (if I read the writing on this deed correctly), Grant Mottice purchased a cemetery lot in Sandy Valley Cemetery just outside of Waynesburg.  According to the deed, the lot was purchased for $16.  He died a short 3 years later in 1938.  He and he wife Frances Dieringer are both buried there, although she lived until 1967.

This cemetery record is for the Blaugh Cemetery in southwestern Pennsylvania, about 10 miles from Somerset and just outside of Berlin, PA.  The cemetery is located in a wooded area just in back of a private home.  I happened to be there during the winter with lots of snow on the ground, and the owners of the property were not around so I did not linger long since I did not have permission.  The stones were very old and nearly impossible to read without using a charcoal rubbing.

The following is the military service record for Jean-Marie Motice of the French Soissonnais Regiment fighting on the American side during the Revolutionary War.  

Jean-Marie Motice is believed by some family historians to be the father of Peter Mottice, who is the earliest definitive Mottice ancestor.  Jean-Marie Motice is listed as being discharged in 1783, however, which conflicts with some family history accounts that claim he was killed at the Battle of Trenton. 

 This document dates from an earlier time period than his account book, and is more detailed and lengthy.

 This account book of John Mottice, father of Grant Mottice, dates largely within the decade of the 1880s.  It is an interesting record of his business with people in the Waynesburg area, including his family.

 Calvin Mottice was born in 1839 and died in 1857 at the age if 18.  He was the son of John B. Mottice and Elizabeth Cachel.

These account books are a series of small tablets, mostly 4"x8", in which Grant Mottice kept records of business dealings.  They contain the names of numerous individuals in and around Waynesburg.  An additional interesting aspect is the period advertising that appears on many pages of the account books.  These account books were in the possession of Grant's son Robert.  

View family pages from the Bible here

The only Mottice Family Bible I know to be currently in existence is one originally owned by John Mottice and Catharine Gross, so it probably dates from around 1860.  It was in the possession of Robert N. Mottice (John's grandson), and before that, of his son Grant Mottice and his wife, Frances Dieringer.