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Fife Family Genealogy
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John Fife, "The Pioneer" Bethel Cemetery	John Fife, "The Pioneer" (1721-1800), his wife Margaret, and their family were in 1766 the earliest settlers in the area known today as Upper St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The first record of John Fife was a Virginia Certificate for 1,000 acres issued in 1772 when that part of the country was claimed by the Colony of Virginia. John and Margaret raised six children. The cemetery records of the Bethel Presbyterian Church have been researched at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Library. The burial records include John Fife. The photo shows a memorial replacement marker presumably located close to the original grave. Margaret is believed to be buried there; however, her grave site has not been identified.
Behel Cemetery, Historical Section View From Church Parking Area	At the foremost part of the historic section of the cemetery, some bronze markers have been installed, obviously by descendents of William Fife, Senior, the brother of John Fife, "The Pioneer". The bronze memorial to William Fife Sr. was placed among the markers of immediate relatives that include his grandson James Fife (died 1811), his son William (1757-1838), his daughter-in-law Margaret (died 1825), and his brother John Fife (above photo). While the marker inscriptions of the four men are each attributed military service, the DAR Patriot Index recognizes only his brother, John Fife, "The Pioneer" and William Senior's son, William (1757-1838). This is also confirmed by in-depth research and discussed in Evidence Versus Family Myths as well as the section Fife Men In The Revolutionary War.
Bethel Presbyterian Church	The Bethel Church is located in Bethel Park, about 10 miles south of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dating back to colonial days, it is the oldest organized Presbyterian church in Alleghey County. In many ways, the history of the church parallels the history of the area. The earliest pioneering families were predominently Scotch-Irish and, as such, Presbyterian. Church history says the first recorded service was 11/05/1776 in a log cabin home located in today's South Park. The first meeting house near the site of today's church was a log cabin structure erected in 1779 or 1780. The Bethel cemetery, covering an area of about 15 acres, serves a wide public and is not exclusive to any single congregation. There are large numbers of Fife descendents interred in the historic section number one of the cemetery. Fort Couch was erected to protect the area's inhabitants and to offer them a place to flee when hearing of an Indian raid. The fort was located about 500 yards west of the Bethel Church on the Couch farm. It was later used as a rendezvous for the rioters during the Whiskey Insurrection.
Historical Marker Bethel Presbyterian Church