Mottice Blogs

This photo is one of several that had been in the possession of Richard S. Bowman, grandson (I believe) of James Bowman and Loretta Jane Mottice Bowman. Loretta Jane was a daughter of John C. and Catherine Mottice, and sister to Grant Mottice.

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.

I just posted an obituary I found for James B. Mottice, and the facts of that obituary have left me very confused.

Let me try to explain that confusion in an, er, un-confusing fashion. The name James B. Mottice is most commonly associated with the only child of Peter Mottice's second marriage to Mary Sibert. This James B. Mottice was born in 1823 and died in 1889. He is mentioned in Peter's will and married a woman by the name of Sarah Marks.

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:

Here are a couple of pictures of a house on Mottice Rd. outside of Waynesburg that -- maybe -- are of the building that housed Peter Mottice's tavern in the early 1800s. The photos belong to a woman who grew up there in the 1950s. Both photos were taken around that time and show her family in front of the house.

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.

The genealogical search for the Mottice family effectively ends with Peter Mottice, 1772-1855. As I posted previously, we don't know the name of his father or any other details with any degree of certainty.

Peter Mottice, a significant figure in the history of Wayne County, OH, has an unknown but potentially very interesting history.  Where -- and when --  was he born?  Who was Pheby, his first wife?  Did he serve in the militia during the Whiskey Rebellion?  But most intriguing of all -- who were his parents?