In 1817, John and Margaret Ash, their children, and the Rev. Thomas Newton, Margaret's father, traveled west on the old Montevallo Road as part of a wagon train. In Beaver Valley, between Ashville and Odenville, their three-year-old daughter, Betsy Ann, died after falling from their wagon. Unwilling to leave their daughter's grave behind, the family settled in Beaver Valley, where John Ash purchased land and built a substantial home in 1818, the oldest extant structure in what became St. Clair County that same year. John Ash later served as a senator in the territorial assembly and in numerous other offices, including county commissioner, judge, and state senator. When Ashville was incorporated in 1822, it was named for John Ash in honor of his many contributions and became the county seat. Margaret M. "Peggy” Ash, born May 15, 1792, died on January 21, 1855, and John Ash lived another eighteen years. Both are buried in Liberty Cemetery in Odenville, where the Rev. Thomas Newton served as pastor of the Presbyterian Church.