Thomas Heming and Rachel Cessna Family Tree

Heming and Hemming Ancestors of Bedford County, Pennsylvania

Aug 3, 2009

Thomas Heming (Hemming) settled in Bedford County, PA sometime before 1820. He and his wife, Rachel Cessna, populated the area with Heming surname bearers.

Thomas Heming was the firstborn son of William and Sisson (Stephens) Hemming. Born on the 8th of February 1783 in Maryland, it is believed that Thomas spent roughly the first 20 years of his life there with his parents and siblings. Evenutally he would settle in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Uniting in marriage with Rachel Cessna, the Heming surname would become common in the county.

Genealogical Dispute Over Date of Marriage

There has been some dispute that perhaps Rachel was not Thomas' first wife, but his second wife. This is due to a notation on the 1850 census indicating that Thomas and Rachel had been married within the year. However this may have been a recording error as it conflicts with family Bibles which note the date of marriage as 1812. Additionally several family obituaries and Richard George Washington Heming's death certificate name Thomas and Rachel as being birth parents. No mention is made to a first wife in any family documentation or early records.

Count Jean de Cessna and Major John Cessna War Histories

Rachel Cessna's roots provide rich history in French Huguenot heritage. Her great great grandfather, Jean de Cessna, was one of the heoroes at the battle of the Boyne in 1690 under the leadership of the Duke De Schomburg. English accounts of the battle refer to him as "Count Jean de Cessna," though documentation of nobility is difficult to trace. Some genealogists believe that Jean de Cessna was a direct descendant of William Le Cesne, Chaplin and Secretary to Charles V, King of France. This fact has not been proven.

Rachel's grandfather, Major John Cessna, was also a prominent figure in the French and Indian War, serving with General Forbes at Fort Dusquenes. Later, he fought in the American Revolution. It was during battles at Valley Forge that he was promoted to the rank of Major. In 1775 he was a member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and Constitutional Convention.

Thomas and Rachel Heming's Family Tree

Presuming that the 1812 marriage date is correct, family records state that Thomas and Rachel were blessed with the following 15 children:

Early Records in Nineteenth Century Census Files

Though it can not be confirmed , Thomas Heming might first appear in an 1820 census for Shippensburg Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Thomas is the head of a household and the census includes the following ages of people living within the household:

Given that Rachel was born November 27, 1795 and the birth dates of their children, the question that is raised is, "Who was the additional female?" Possibly there was another female, not a child of Rachel and Thomas living in the home, or perhaps Thomas did have another wife and older daughter that is not known. A final possibility is that this is another Thomas Heming family entirely.

In the 1840 census the Thomas Heming family is found in Cumberland Valley Township in Bedford. The immediate neighbor to the Heming homestead is Jonathan Cessna, Rachel's father. Thomas and Rachel continue to appear in Cumberland Valley in the 1850 and 1860 censuses.

Death and Burial in Bedford County, Pennsylvania

Rachel passed away on Christmas Day 1865. Thomas followed her in death a short 5 months later, on 19 May 1866. Both were buried on the family farm located off of Route 220 in Bedford. Having lived a full and prolific life, Thomas and Rachel's descendants would go on to populate the hills of Bedford County and begin to spread throughout western Pennsylvania during the turn of the century.

Stapleton, Rev. A. Memorials Of The Huguenots In America: With Special Reference To Their Emigration To Pennsylvania. Kessinger Publishing.

The copyright of the article Thomas Heming and Rachel Cessna Family Tree in Surname Histories is owned by Jennifer White. Permission to republish Thomas Heming and Rachel Cessna Family Tree in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.