Andrew Bumgarner is the first known ancestor of our family. He was born 7 August 1777. The place of his birth and his parents' names are still unknown. However, his marriage bond was signed by Jacob Bumgarner, and it is assumed Jacob was either the father or the brother of Andrew.
Andrew was married in Harrison County, (West) Virginia, to Telitha Lynch 17 February 1801. Telitha Lynch was the fourth daughter of Peter Lynch (said by family tradition to have
arrived in America from Dublin, Ireland, as a young man) and his wife, Hester Saffron, probably of German parentage.
Andrew and Telitha Bumgarner began their married life near Clarksburg, (West) Virginia, and as far as is known, Andrew was a farmer. In 1801 Clarksburg was a small village and the first settlers had come to the vicinity just a few years before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War and found this particular spot a desirable place to live. Hie village stood on a rolling tableland encircled by an ampitheater of hills. Elk Creek meandering through and around the town made it even more picturesque. Although these early settlers suffered greatly from the Indian massacres, the settlement managed to survive.
