Sarah Belle Newcomb was born 24 Sept 1850 in Darke County, OH. She and George Washington Shelly were married in Cass County, IN, on 7 Oct. 1869. She died in Cass County, IN in 1897 at the age of 47, when her youngest child, Bertha, was only 5 years old. She had 10 children over the course of 22 years including William Austin Shelly (my grandfather). Her oldest living child, Emma, was 20 when her youngest, Bertha, was born.

Sarah Belle Newcomb was the youngest daughter of John Newcomb (1804 – 1875) and Emily Braden (1811 – 1887). John Newcomb was born in Kent County, DE; Emily Braden was born in Westmoreland County, PA. They were married 14 Mar 1832 in Warren County, Ohio, and had eight children between 1833 and 1850.

During their child-bearing years, the Emily and John Newcomb pushed westward. They lived in Warren County, OH (ca 1830 – ca 1845) and Darke County, OH (ca 1845 – before 1860). The family relocated to Cass County, Indiana (Deer Creek Township) between 1851 – 1860 and were neighbors of the Daniel and Catherine Shelly, according to the 1870 Census. Both were farming families. These were pioneering folks! During his lifetime, John Newcomb traveled over 800 miles (Delaware, Ohio, Indiana) without modern-day conveniences such as highways.

The children of John Newcomb and Emily Braden were as follows:

               William (1833 – 1833)

               John Wilson (1835 – 1867) **

               Mary Elizabeth (1838 – 1910) m 1. John McKee (d. 1864) **; 2. Simon Geeting

               Robert F. (1842 – 1864) **

               Elizabeth Ann (1843 – 1880)

               Melissa Jane (1846 – 1866)

               Francis Marion (1848 – 1848)

               Sarah Belle (1850 – 1897)

** Fought in the Civil War, Indiana Regiments.

Note that this family had two living sons in 1860 – 1861. They both went to war, as did the husband of their eldest daughter, John McKee. Two of the three men (Son Robert F., and Son-in-Law Robert McKee) died in 1864, and their oldest son, John Wilson Newcomb, survived the war by only 3 years.  John Newcomb died in 1875 and was survived by his two daughters, Elizabeth Ann and Sarah Belle. Emily BradenNewcomb (d. 1887) was survived by only one daughter, Sarah Belle Newcomb.

John and Emily Newcomb both died in Deer Creek, Cass County, IN and are buried in Galveston Cemetery near their son John Wilson Newcomb and daughters Melissa Jane Newcomb and Sarah Belle Newcomb Shelly. George Washington Shelly and Sarah Belle Shelly share a gravestone in the same cemetery (Old Galveston Cemetery, Galveston, IN).

Like most of the Shelly/Horn ancestors, Sarah Belle Newcomb had ancestors that were here well before the American Revolution. Following is some (unverified) information from Ancestry Family Trees:

John Newcomb’s father (Sarah Belle’s paternal grandfather) was William Levy Newcomb, Sr (1777 – 1837). He was born in Kent County, DE and died in Huntersville, Tippecanoe, IN. Sarah Belle’s paternal grandmother, Mary Parvis Newcomb (1785 – 1857), was also born in Delaware and died in Indiana. Huntersville became the small unincorporated town of Monroe, IN, in 1840.

Although more work needs to be done to verify the facts, it is likely that three more previous generations of Newcomb’s resided in Kent County, DE in the 1700’s:

William Levy Newcomb, Sr’s father was John Newcomb (1750 – 1790). John Newcomb was born and died in Kent County, Delaware, and married Mary Swift (1747 – 1790). His grandfather was Robert Newcomb (1705 – 1757) who married Hester Smith ( d. 1755). Both were born in Sussex County, DE, and remained for their entire lives. I have been able to identify the Newcomb immigrant ancestor: Robert Newcomb’s father was Baptist Newcomb, born in 1690 in England and died in 1739 in Sussex County, DE.

Baptist Newcomb (b 1690 in England; d 1739, Sussex, DE) (Immigrant Ancestor, unverified)

               Robert Newcomb (b 1705, Sussex DE; d 1757, Sussex DE)

                              John Newcomb (b 1750, Kent, DE; d 1790, Kent, DE)

                                             William Levy Newcomb Sr. (b 1777, Kent, DE; d 1837, Tippecanoe, IN)

                                                            John Newcomb (b. 1804, Kent, DE; d 1875, Cass Co, IN)

                                                                           Sarah Belle Newcomb (b. 1850, Darke, OH; d 1897, Cass , IN)

                                                                                         William Austin Shelly (b. 1873, Cass, IN; d 1938, IN)

Catherine Gephart (1804 – 1876) married Daniel Shelly in 1823 and moved with him and their children to Cass County, Indiana in 1841. In researching Catherine’s family, I have discovered the immigrant ancestors and a pioneering spirit that travels through generations. Here is their story.

Catherine Gephart’s father, John George Gephart (1773  – 1854) and her paternal grandfather, John Heinrich “Henry” Gephart (1745 – 1815) were born in Pennsylvania and traveled with their families to Montgomery County, Ohio ca 1808.  John Heinrich (Henry) fought in the Revolutionary War, and his son, John George Gephart fought in the War of 1812.

Johann George Phillip Gebhart, Sr. (1713 – 1792) (born in Germany – Our Immigrant Ancestor)

               Johann Heinrich (Henry) Gebhart (1745 – 1815) (born in PA, died in OH – Pioneer Ancestor)

                              John George Gebhart (1773 – 1854) (born in PA, died in OH – Pioneer Ancestor)

Catherine Gebhart (1804 – 1876) (born in PA, moved to OH, married Daniel Shelly and moved to IN – Pioneer Ancestor)

Following are some details of the Gebhart/Gephart family:

Johann George Phillip Gebhart Sr. (1713 – 1792) married Anna Margaretha Massa (1710 – 1793) on Feb 4, 1738. They left Rhineland-Pfaltz in Western Germany (see map, below) in 1738 and traveled by ship (The Glasgow) to Philadelphia. They arrived on Sept 9, 1738. They were of the Lutheran faith, and joined many immigrants belonging to the main Lutheran and Reformed churches. Many came as “redemptioners” – immigrants who agreed to work in America for four to seven years in exchange for free passage across the Atlantic. By the 1790’s, over 100,000 German immigrants had found their way to the New World.

Johann George Phillip Sr. and Anna Margaretha Massa had 9 children, below, all born in Pennsylvania except perhaps their first child. Whether or not Johannes Gebhart was born in Germany, born on board the ship or born in Pennsylvania is not clear. Please note that all of the sons, except for the last one, had the first name “Johann”, so I will refer to them with their middle names, ongoing.

               Johannes Gebhart (1738 – 1766) (born either in Germany or PA)

               Anna Barbara Gebhart (1740 – 1825) m John Stein (1731 – 1810)

               Anna Margaretha Gebhart (1742 – ?)

               Johann George Philip Gebhart, Jr (1743 – 1815) **

Johann Heinrich (Henry) Gebhart (1745 – 1815) – our ancestor – married Mary Miller in 1768  (1750 – 1819) **

               Johann Peter Gebhart (1746 – 1828) **

               Maria Eva Gebhart (1747 – 1818)

               Johann Philip Gebhart (1750 – 1816)

               Valentine Gebhart (1751 – 1810) **

** George Philip Jr., Peter, Valentine, Henry and Philip all fought in the 3^rd Battalion, Berks County Militia http://www.berks.pa-roots.com/Military/RevolutionaryWar/berksjn5.html In this record their surnames were spelled as either Gephart, Gebhart and Gephard.

Johann George Philip Sr and his wife Anna Margaretha both died in 1792 – 1793. There was a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793 which killed 5000 people, and it is possible that they contracted this deadly disease.

From: https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/yellow-fever/

Yellow fever is a Flavivirus that spreads among humans via the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Once introduced to a human host, the virus begins replicating in the lymph nodes. Initial symptoms include aches and pains, fever, nausea, and dizziness, lasting several days before receding. In serious cases, the symptoms return with renewed intensity as the disease spreads to the liver, inducing jaundice, delirium, and internal hemorrhaging. The victim begins bleeding from the ears and nose, retching up a blend of gastric contents and blood known as the “coffee grounds” or “black vomit.” In the terminal phase, the victim falls comatose as his organs and circulatory system begin to fail, usually expiring as the liver or kidneys finally give out, some 7-10 days after the relapse.  Those who survived the ordeal acquired immunity to the disease, but any population composed largely of unseasoned newcomers provided a fertile environment for an outbreak.

After some three decades absent, yellow fever returned to Philadelphia with a vengeance in 1793, during the period that it served as the capital of both Pennsylvania and the United States. Beginning from a cluster of infections near the Delaware waterfront, the fever spread rapidly through the summer and autumn, fueling panic throughout the city. Those who could fled the city to destinations in healthier countryside, like Germantown and Gray’s Ferry, an exodus numbering in the thousands. Among those who remained, the fever claimed an estimated 5,000 lives. Other American cities embargoed the nation’s capital, fearful that traffic from Philadelphia could introduce the infection.

Johann Heinrich (Henry) Gebhart (1745 – 1815):

From “A Biography of John Heinrich (Henry) Gebhart” Ancestry Story by Linda Morris

Birth: 8 Jan 1745 in Tulpehocken Township, Lancaster County, PA

Death: 27 Sep 1815 in Montgomery County, OH

Johann Heinrich was the 5^th child in the family. In 1768 he married Mary Miller (1750 – 1819).

Henry Gephart served in the Berks County Militia in Capt. Bretz’s 6^th Battalion during the Revolutionary War and received his land grant in Ohio (*). At the end of the war, he and three of his brothers were among 21 families that settled Miamisburg, Ohio between 1805 – 1815.

(*) Military Land Grants: In 1770, Virginia had claimed part of the area that became Ohio. Virginia established the Military Reserve between the Scioto and Little Miami Rivers. These lands were available to veterans of the Virginia and Maryland Militias who had served during the American Revolution.

Henry, George Philip Jr., Peter and Valentine all received their land grants and settled in or around Miamisburg, but the brothers also built a tavern. It is listed on the National Registry of historical buildings.

Note: the Tavern, “Daniel Gephart Tavern” has been restored by the Miamisburg Historical Society. It is a museum, open to the public. Daniel Gephart (1791 – 1836) was the son of Valentine Gephart. Research from the Miamisburg Historical Society indicates that Daniel Gephart applied for the license and built the tavern, not his father and uncles.

http://www.miamisburg.org/daniel_gebhart_tavern_museum.htm

I found a historical map of Montgomery County, Ohio, dated in the 1800’s, that shows where the many Gephart families lived.  https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4083m.la000656/?r=-0.292,0.357,1.391,0.722,0

Johann Heinrich (Henry) (1745 – 1815) and Mary Magdalena Miller (1750 – 1819) married in 1793 in Berks County, PA. They had nine children, all of whom were born in Pennsylvania over the course of 22 years. This family of eleven people traveled across Pennsylvania in 1805 with other relatives and families and settled in what is now Montgomery County. Henry was a farmer. At the time of their move, their oldest, Mary Margaretha, was 36 and married with children. Their youngest (John Henry Jr.) was 14 years old. It must have been quite an undertaking!

Their children are as follows:

               Mary Margaretha (1769 – 1848) m. Jacob Weaver

               Henry (1772 – 1825) m Mary Elizabeth Smith

               John (1772 – 1817 ) m Margaret E Schmidt (hypothesis)

               John George (1773 – 1854) m Elizabeth Kramer (1769 – 1865) Our ancestors

               Catherine Magdalena (1779 – 1843) m John Schnepp

               Sarah Maria (1783 – 1865) m Henry Apple

               Phillip S. (1786 – 1864) m Susanna Rhodes

               John Jacob (1789 – 1862) m Sarah McKesell

               John Henry Jr. (1791 – 1873) m Sarah Wertz

The will of Johann Heinrich (Henry) was dated 27 Sep 1815 and recorded 9 Oct 1815, Book A, page 113, Montgomery County, OH. The will names wife Magdalene, sons Philip, Henry, John, George, Jacob and daughters Margaret Weaver, Magdalene Schnepp and Eve Apple. The Executors were sons Philip and Jacob.

One half of the first 100 marriages in Miamisburg, Ohio were Gepharts. Johann Heinrich Gebhart is listed in the files of the Daughters of the American Revolution as well as his brothers, John George, Peter and Valentine who all served together.

Our ancestors, John George Gephart (1773 – 1854) and Elizabeth Kramer (1769 – 1865) were married in Pennsylvania in 1793. They had eleven children, including Catherine Gephart (1804 – 1876) who married Daniel Shelly and moved to Cass County, IN. They moved with the rest of the family to the Miamisburg area, Montgomery County, OH around 1805. Catherine was their sixth child, and she and her brother George Washington Gephart were babies when the family moved.

Children born prior to 1806 moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio with their parents. Children born after 1806 were born in Ohio. The children of John George and Elizabeth Gephart are as follows:

               Mary “Salome” (1795 – 1884) PA to OH  m Thomas Kreitzer

               Susanna (1796 – 1884) PA to OH m Jacob Weaver

               Joseph (1798 – 1886) PA to OH m Sarah Ann Bowman

               Magdalene (1800 – 1881)  PA to OH m Phillip Weaver

               Jacob (1802 – 1876) PA to OH m Eve ?

               Catherine (1804 – 1876) PA to OH to IN m Daniel Shelly

               George Washington (1804 – 1894) PA to OH m Margaret Elizabeth Weaver

               David (1806 -1841) born in OH, m Margaret Pence

               Julianna (1809 – 1847) born in OH, m Jacob Kimmel

               Elizabeth Catherine (twin, 1811 – 1886) born in OH, m Jonathan Shell

               Peter (twin, 1811 – 1899) born in OH, m Eleanor Bates

Catherine and Daniel Shelly married in 1823 in Montgomery County, OH and moved to Cass County, IN, in 1841. They had 12 children, and at the time of their relocation, had a family of 5 children, (three had died and were buried in Miamisburg). Catherine was pregnant with our ancestor, George Washington Shelly (1841 – 1914) and gave birth to him in the Indiana wilderness. She left her entire family behind in Ohio.

I do not have a photograph of Catherine or Daniel Shelly, but a relative of Catherine’s younger sister, Elizabeth Catherine (1811 – 1886) and her husband, Jonathan Shell, posted the photo of the couple on Ancestry.

For your reading pleasure, here is a short history of the Gephart Tavern, Miamisburg, OH

History of the Gephart Tavern from the Miamisburg Historical Society Website

Click to access Daniel%20Gebhart%20Tavern%20Story.pdf

“The first to arrive in what is now Miamisburg was Zachariah Hole, who came with his family from Virginia in 1797, and fearing trouble with the Indians, built a stockade on the east bank of the Miami River opposite the mouth of Bear Creek. To this stockade came squatters,  surveyors and settlers who had received grants. They lived within the stockade until their own cabins were built and the settlement came to be known as “Hole’s Station”. The majority of these early settlers came from Pennsylvania, bringing with them their German Reformed and Lutheran faiths, their skills in carpentry and agriculture, their determined spirit and their ethics of hard work. Some of them have descendants still living in Miamisburg.

DANIEL GEBHART
In 1805 Valentine Gebhart came to Hole’s Station from Berks County, Pennsylvania with his wife and six children including three sons, Andrew, Philip and the youngest, Daniel. Valentine Gebhart died in 1810 leaving young Daniel with the responsibility of his mother. At the age of 19 years, in 1810, Daniel went to Dayton and applied for a license to build and operate a tavern. He also obtained his marriage license.  He married Mary Eagle in 1811, and the couple had nine children. Daniel Gebhart died in 1836 at the age of 45.

PURPOSE OF THE TAVERN
Inns and taverns in colonial America were important social institutions. Inevitably, the tavern appeared early in the settlement of nearly every frontier community. Daniel Gebhart obviously believed that a tavern in the area would find patrons. In the frontier settlement that became Miamisburg, the Gebhart Tavern opened its doors in 1811, nearly a decade before the community was platted, churches organized or a schoolhouse built. Located within a stone’s throw of the Miami River it soon became a scene of good cheer.  Especially during spring freshets, boatmen piloting flatboats down the Miami turned their boats near the tavern and took refuge there for the night; returning after dismantling their boats at New Orleans, they would visit the tavern. Joining them would be newcomers poling up the river. Settlers west of the river could ford it at low water and reach the tavern. From scattered farms to the east, farmers – often Germans – would come to Gebhart’s for schnapps. To the east of the tavern ran an old Indian trail from Cincinnati to Dayton. This, too, provided travelers looking for food and lodging. Travelers brought news from Cincinnati and Dayton and hand-carried letters to families living in the community. So popular was the tavern that the community around it became known as Gebhart’s. With the growth of Miamisburg after its platting in 1818 and the coming of the Miami Canal in 1829, the tavern continued to prosper despite coming into the hands of new proprietors. But various elements, among them the decline of the canal, forced the tavern to close its doors sometime in mid-century. Eventually the building was converted to a boarding house and later into a two-family dwelling, never again to recover its vitality.

BUILDING THE TAVERN
The Tavern is apparently one of only three known log structures built in the Ohio Territory in this period of time specifically for commercial purposes. A conveniently located log house was usually converted and enlarged for such activities. A number of features indicated that the tavern was probably not built with local Pennsylvania-German labor. Daniel Gebhart apparently brought in a construction crew originally from the east coast “Tidewater Country” of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia where Scandinavian techniques were practiced. The most pronounced evidence is the use of dovetail corner interlocking of the hand-hewed logs, rather than the “steeple cut” system used by the Germans. Excavation by an archaeologist team has produced a clay pipe bowl which is a type that such itinerant carpenters of Swedish background were known to use. The land in this area was originally part of the infamous Symmes Purchase. When land was sold it was with the requirement that within a year a habitable building must be built on the land. This further required that it be “plastered” on the inside and eventually covered with siding on the outside. We can tell from the window frames that the building was intended to be sided. We have evidence that the “dining” area occupying the north half of the first floor was plastered, apparently very early, using straw matting as a base – a system practiced in north central Europe but rarely in this country. A section of the original materials remains above the northwest exterior door.

The floors are framed using “summer” (or “somer” – a French word for weightbearing) beams spanning the width of the building, overcoming the limiting effect of the usual floor joist system that has bearing from outside wall to outside wall. This resulted in a structure almost twice as large as a typical log residence without interior bearing walls. The direction of the floor joists also permitted straight-run stairs at the side of the building rather than the usual residential winding stairs in a corner at the end of the structure. The “summer” beam supporting the attic floor joists is the largest member in the building, exceeding thirty feet in length.

There is full depth cellar under the entire building, not open to the public, which again is not common in such early structures in this area and proves the intention of full and intense use of the building – and the importance of the site. To lay up such an extensive ledge stone foundation was a major effort, not usually done unless the use was well justified. An opening in the east wall for a barrel chute indicates that this basement was the storage area of the tavern’s beer, schnapps and whiskey supply.

At the time of construction, the method of heating such a tavern would have been with fireplaces, since stoves were not available in this frontier area. When the framing of the floors was exposed, there was evidence of a chimney at each end of the building and fireplaces on both the first and second floors. The original stone was apparently removed and used in the foundations of the houses to the north. These chimneys were entirely inside the walls and intended for heating only, with cooking apparently being done in an outbuilding between the tavern and the river. These outbuildings were washed away in the floods. There is a stone-faced cellar which would have been the approximate size of a workable cooking kitchen.

WELLS
The circular well to the west of the building is a hand-dug, stone lined well more than forty-five  feet deep, reaching below the river water level. It originally had a hand crank at the top to raise the buckets of water. The square well is a hand-dug, brick lined cistern, probably dug later, that was piped to receive the water from the buildings. It is referred to as a “beehive” cistern. It, too, had an elevated top holding a crank for carrying water. Both were found in excellent shape having been covered by a cement slab during the conversion of the building to a two-family dwelling.

SMOKEHOUSE
The smokehouse that is located west of the tavern was a gift from Mrs. Harriet Gebhart Hieronymus and her sons. It was originally located on the land-grant farm of Johannes Gebhart, great-great grandfather of Mrs. Hieronymus. Located at the junction of the St. Rts 71 and 725 in Miami Township, six generations of Gebharts called this farm “home”. The bricks of the smokehouse were fired on the farm property with the help of some Miami Indians who were still in the area. When the farm was sold to make room for the expansion of the Dayton Mall area, Harriet and sons donated the smokehouse to the City of Miamisburg. It was taken down, brick by brick, and moved to the site of the Gebhart Tavern. The smokehouse illustrates its value in preserving meats for long winter days. Hooks for hanging ham, bacon and shoulders can be seen in the smokehouse. The fire was made on a dirt floor. The holes in the back of the wall of the smokehouse made a draft to make the fire smoke well. The sausage stuffer and the original meat chopping block give evidence of long years of use in keeping the farm pantry full.

The Death of Wiley Horn

One of the more notorious stories in the family concerns the murder of Wiley Horn (1785 – 1845). If you are of my generation, Wiley was your 4 x great grandfather. If you are a millennial, Wiley was your 5 x great grandfather. Here’s how he fits into the big picture

               Marjorie Horn Shelly (1926 – still living!)

                              Buel Edward Horn (1888 – 1962)

                                             Marshall Patrick Horn (1853 – 1926)

                                                            Nathan Duncan Horn (1814 – 1887)

                                                                           Wiley Horn (1785 – 1845)

                                                                                          Nathan Horn (1762 – 1834)

Wiley was born in North Carolina to Nathan Horn (1762 – 1834) and Nancy Jennings (1764 – 1801). Wiley was their first born. His father, Nathan Horn, has been the subject of a previous blog (Feb, 2019). Nathan Horn had three (sequential) wives (Nancy Jennings, Sarah “Sally” Harris, and Elizabeth Cleaves). Nathan and Nancy Jennings had seven children (see below) and Nathan and Sally Harris had eight children. Both Nancy and Sally died soon after their last child was born. Nathan’s third wife, Elizabeth Cleaves, outlived him by many years. They had no children, as far as I know.

Nathan Horn and his family (with 2^nd wife Sally Harris) moved to Logan County, KY in 1808. As far as I know, all of his children relocated to Kentucky with them. Note that several stayed in Logan/Simpson Co, KY, but others moved to Texas, Illinois, Nebraska, Arkansas and Missouri during their lifetimes. These are pioneering people!

Children of Nathan Horn and Nancy Jennings (1764 – 1801)

                                                                           Born in                                Died In

               Wiley Horn (1785 – 1845)      North Carolina                  Johnson Co, MO

               Hansel Horn (1786 – 1840)           North Carolina                  Texas (hypothesis)

               Celia Horn (1788 – 1865)              North Carolina                  Simpson Co, KY

               Reddick Horn (1791 – 1858)         North Carolina                  Nebraska

               Eda Horn (1796 – 1877)                 North Carolina                  Adams Co, IL

               Purity Horn (1798 – ?)                    North Carolina                  unknown

               Thomas Horn (1801 – 1879)         North Carolina                  Simpson Co, KY

Children of Nathan Horn and Sally Harris (1862 – 1822)

               Joel Horn (1805 – 1875)                North Carolina                  Texas

               Elizabeth Horn (1808 – 1892)      Logan Co, KY                     Texas

               Harris Horn (1810 – 1862)            Logan Co, KY                     Todd Co, KY

               Priscilla Horn (1812 – 1877)         Logan Co, KY                     Simpson Co, KY

               Jackson Horn (1820 – 1891)         Logan Co, KY                     Simpson Co, KY  (*)

               James Horn (1821 – ?)                    Logan Co, KY                     Unknown

               Nancy G. Horn (1821 – 1902)       Logan Co, KY                     Arkansas              (*)

               Wm. Henry Horn (1822 -1904)    Logan Co, KY                     Arkansas              (*)

Note that Sally Harris died soon after her last child (Henry Horn) was born. I have placed (*) by three of Nathan Horn’s young children (Jackson, Nancy and Henry) because I have found court documents naming Wiley Horn as guardian for “the infant heirs of Nathan Horn, deceased) (Court Order book 9 page 371: 1836 Wiley appointed guardian of Henry, Nancy and Jackson Horn. $6000 bond). Guardians were often named for children whose parents died. If the mother was incapable of caring for the children, guardianship was assigned to another relative. In this case, Wiley was well established and was also paid by the state of Kentucky to assure the education and training, making it more likely that the children would be contributing members of the community and not wards of the state.

Wiley Horn (1785 – 1945) married Elizabeth Morgan (1793 – 1838). They had nine children as well as the guardianship for Wiley’s three step-siblings. Note that Simpson County was carved out of Logan County, KY in 1819, so it is unlikely that this family moved. Wiley’s father, Nathan Horn, also lived in Logan/Simpson County.

Children of Wiley Horn and Elizabeth Morgan:     Born in                                Died In

               Richard Horn (1809 – 1881)                    Logan Co, KY                     Saline Co, MO

               Lydia B. Horn (1813 – ?)                            Logan Co, KY                     Missouri

               Nathan D. Horn (1814 – 1887)        Logan Co, KY                     Bates Co, MO

               Rachel M. Horn (1816 – 1903)               Logan Co, KY                     Henry Co, MO   

               Celia Anna Horn (1819 – 1899)                Simpson Co, KY                 unknown

               Hamilton Horn (1820 – 1842)                  Simpson Co, KY                 MO or IL

               Jacob Horn (1823 – 1906)                         Simpson Co, KY                 Cedar Co, MO

               Louis Marshall Horn (1831 – 1903)         Simpson Co, KY                 MO

               Newton Hansel Horn (1831 – 1907)       Simpson Co, KY                 Henry Co, MO

Both Nathan and Wiley were slave owners. They did not have enormous plantations, but each owned between 2 – 10 slaves during their lifetimes according to census records. I have found documents where Wiley “hired out” his slaves for each of his step-siblings wards, and charged the state of Kentucky for the work that the enslaved people did:

Guardian Book A

Guardian              Ward                    Heir of dec          Date                     Slave

Wiley Horn         Jackson Horn      Nathaniel Horn  28 Jul 1839         Ady hired out $100

Wiley Horn         Henry Horn         Nathaniel Horn  28 Jul 1839         Albert hired out $88

Wiley Horn         Nancy Horn        Nathaniel Horn  28 Jul 1839         Lucy hired out $30

Logan County, KY has a wonderful genealogical society and excellent records. Deed books are readily available and indexed. There are many entries for Horns in Logan County – both buying (Grantee) and selling (Grantor) property. Unfortunately, for the times, property not only meant land, but enslaved people. For example, an entry in 1843 (Book Z page 180) where Wiley Horn (Grantor) sold a negro girl (Elender) to Nancy G Wallace (Grantee). Also listed is Richard (Tr) Horn (Grantee) from Wiley Horn (Grantor), in same book.

Deciphering what is written in the deed books can be a challenge. Everything is hand-written by court clerks, and sometimes it is legible, sometimes not very. As far as I can tell, after Nancy Horn got married, a slave girl (Elender, age 12 – 13) was sold by Wiley to his son, Richard to for $1.00 for the express use of Nancy Horn Wallace. Interestingly, the court document says that in no uncertain terms that Nancy’s husband, Thomas Wallace, was not to benefit from the use or sale of this girl or her heirs. Apparently, Thomas Wallace was not on the good side of the Horn men.  Thomas and Nancy Wallace moved to Jackson County, MO, where he died in 1851. She remarried rather quickly to Benjamin Babcock and moved her family to Arkansas.

There are many interesting stories about this family that I will relate in future blogs. For example, Hansel Horn (Wiley’s brother) was incarcerated in the Illinois State Prison and escaped, never to be seen again; Jackson Horn was listed as “deaf and dumb” on several census records, but that did not stop him from being a successful farmer and fathering 19 children with three (consecutive) wives!

The Murder of Wiley Horn

After Elizabeth Morgan Horn died (1838), Wiley Horn moved to Missouri. The 1840 census shows his residence as Jackson, Johnson Co, MO. His household consisted of 9 “Free White Persons” and 9 slaves. Wiley was 55 and the census lists a “female between 30 – 39” as well as two young girls under the age of 10. I have found no records of Wiley remarrying and fathering more children, save for a hand-written family tree which indicates that he married a widow, Mrs. Wooldridge. I’m still looking for records of this marriage.  Wiley bought land in 1843 near the town of Lexington, MO from the Federal Government.

Missouri was originally part of the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and St. Louis was the “jumping off point” for the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804). Their goals were to map the region and explore the west. Missouri experienced an influx of settlers, primarily from Europe (German) and southern landowners, who brought their slaves. There were tensions between pro- and anti-slavery people as Missouri was looking to gain statehood, and in 1820, the Missouri Compromise was reached which resulted in Missouri being admitted into the Union as a slave state, while neighboring Kansas was admitted as a free state.

The best agricultural lands lay along the Missouri River, which meanders through the central part of the state, joining the Mississippi River near St. Louis. The region attracted wealthy farmers, often slaveholders, from Kentucky and Tennessee.  The map below shows the boundaries of the counties in 1850. Note that Wiley Horn (and others in his family) settled in the western part of the state (Johnson, Henry, Cass and Bates counties), south of Kansas City.

Wiley Horn was murdered in the spring of 1845. The person accused of this crime was a slave. Several versions of this story exist, which is not unusual considering the times and the fallible nature of oral histories. It was said that the slave either belonged to Wiley, or his wife belonged to Wiley. Nevertheless, he was accused of shooting Wiley and hiding the body in a cave. Blood trails led the neighbors to find the Wiley’s body, and the accused slave escaped after burning down his cabin. Apparently, the accused slave was caught, incarcerated in the Independence, MO jail and made his escape from there. The governor of Missouri issued a $100 reward for the capture of the slave (see below). After returning to Johnson County, the slave was killed by a group of men on land belonging to a Mr. Lester. In the family accounts, the name of the slave was Tom, but other names were also used.

This story went “viral” for the times. The initial notice of Wiley’s death was published in the Lexington Telegraph and I found references to this item in the Boston Globe and the NY Herald. The article in the Globe was entitled “The Bloody and Oppressive South” and was dated Friday, May 30, 1845.

               “Murder – the Lexington (Mo.) Telegraph states that a Mr. Wiley Horn, of Johnson county, has been murdered by a runaway negro that has been harbored about his premises for several years. It appears that the negro had taken offence at Horn for a chastisement of his wife, the slave of said Horn, and that he waylaid him when out fishing, and shot him once through the body and through the head, producing death immediately. The negro was pursued and apprehended.”

Another article, a bit later, describes the fate of the negro:

               “A negro confined in Jail at Independence, Missouri, for the murder of Wiley Horn, last spring made his escape a short time since. The Lexington (Missouri) Telegraph, notices his apprehension on the plantation of Mr. Lester, after having been shot and dangerously wounded. The Governor of Missouri had offered a reward of $100 for his arrest.”

One of Wiley’s great-grandchildren was a noted Missouri historian and history professor named E. M. Violette. Wiley’s daughter, Rachel, married Edward Violette, and E. M. Violette was their grandson. The murder of his great-grandfather was apparently of interest to E. M. Violette because he had letters in his personal files from neighbors and relatives of Wiley, recounting the details of the murder, as told to them. One of the letters was from “Aunt Mary” (Mary Violette Fletcher, daughter of Rachel Horn and Edward Violette) and the other was from O. G. Bouisseau, whose grandfather was a neighbor of Wiley Horn. Both letters were received in 1930 – 1931, almost 95 years after the event. I will conclude this post with the text of both letters, so you may make your own conclusions!

One more tidbit…. I found a record in the Missouri Judicial Records Historical Database of a man, John C. Lester, Defendant, accused of beating a man to death with a stick in 1845. I do not know the results of this murder trial except that it was appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court. If this is the same “Mr. Lester” who killed the slave accused of killing Wiley Horn, justice may have been served after all.

Letter from O. G. Bouisseau

“June 20 1930

“Dr. E. M. Violette

“Baton Rouge, LA

“Dear Sir:

               “The story of the murder of Wiley Horn has been handed down in the Boisseau family since it happened. You recall the Boisseau and Horn farms adjoined. My Grandfather Benj. W. Boisseau a J. P held the inquest also bound the negro over to Circuit Court. I do not know that I gave the exact date of the murder as he was buried at one spot and removed to another and a few days elapsed before finding the second grave. My uncle Charles D. Boisseau now dead was born April 18^th 1845. He was born either on the day Mr. Horn disappeared, murdered or the day he was found as to that I am not certain. My father, D. T. who lives at Warrensburg may be able to settle that point. He perhaps is the only one who could. My father was born in 49 but has heard the details direct from his father and mother and his xxxx is good. If you will write him he can give more of the details than I can. However the Negro fortified himself in a cabin on the Horn farm and it was set on fire as he run he was shot in the arm but kept going with several men after him. As he attempted to climb a rail fence Thomas Simmerman caught him and others close at hand subdued him.

               “Mrs. Dr. Lowrey resided in that locality till I was a good sized boy and I was frequently at her home. D. L. M. Horn lived in this city when I came here 30 years ago. He has been dead about 25 years. I think my great grandmother Rachel Horn Gilliland was distantly reltated but I cannot state for certain. My father is now the oldest person who would know very much of that locality’s early history. Hold Davis and Mrs. Zene Tackitt old time residents died recently.

               “Mrs. Tackitt died in house about 200 yards north of where Thomas Violette formerly lived. Holt Davis died at Pittsville but he was born on the Mike Davis farm just north of Blackwater church. If you need any more of the slips let me know and I will mail all you can use. I had 500 printed.

               “The farm to market highway from here to Pittsville is underway and will be graded within 3 months.

               “On the last Sunday in May 1931 we hope to have a home coming at Blackwater that will bring the friends from distant states. Try to arrange to attend.

               Very truly

               O. G. Boisseau”

Letter from “Aunt Mary”, aka Mary L. Violette Fletcher (1845 – 1939) daughter of Rachel Morgan Horn and Edward Violette.

“Monday, January 24, 1931

“My dear Eugene:

               “Gertrude has asked me to reply to your inquiry about the statement made by Ferguson – and to my mind it matters little at this late date – whether it is absolutely correct or not, but according to my memory there are one or two items different from what my mother told me.

               “The first one is grandfather Horn’s failure to bring Tom – the negro, with him was not for lack of money – but because McLean – the owner of Tom would neither sell Tom or buy his wife “Ginnie” – her name was not Sallie). Grandfather Horn did not want to separate the blacks – and did all in his power to prevent it. McLean was a very hard slave master and the separation did not concern him. But Grandfather Horn was more humane and offered to buy Tom or sell Ginnie, and McLean would do neither one.

               “Secondly I never heard the story about the blanket and cats – nor do I believe it.

               “Mother told me a trench or tunnel was dug out from the cabin and leading to the place where he was shot, as he emerged from the tunnel quite a little way from the cabin that was burned.

               “Third – I never was told Grandfather threatened to kill Tom – nor do I believe it for then our grandfather would have been the murderer and our grandfather would have also been accountable to McLean for the price of Tom for he was McLean’s property and grandfather surely knew that.

               “The dead body of grandfather was thrown across the horse and carried to the cave and it was traced by blood on the leaves and bushes to the cave. Then the negro turned the horse loose and he went home. The negro keeping the rifle, Tom surprising grandfather picked up the rifle, which was leaning against the tree and told grandfather his time had come. Mother said grandfather walked off the log and begged Tom not to kill him for it would make his condition worse for he would then be sought as a murderer and hung after being caught. Tom needed at that time to have used, some of the “Run with and mind of such a high order as Ferguson gives the negro credit for (Now read on back of first page).

               “I have given you such corrections as I can of Dan Boisseau’s account and will add, the article sounds exactly as one of the meanest union men living in the old neighborhood would give it. Giving Tom credit for “Run with brain and courage and determination of a high order.” If he had such he would have thought of the consequences. I never heard of his being seen by neighbors “splitting rail”. Another inference he was in the employ of grandfather. We came to Mo in 1855, arriving in Columbus late in Oct. The following summer Ginnie came to see Mother, and while mother did not blame Ginnie, she asked her to never come again. I saw Ginnie myself and I have been to the old Horn home and also seen the log from which my grandfather was fishing. At this late day nothing matters but if one really thought necessary they might find more correct account filed in Lexington. My husband’s father- James Fletcher – was sheriff of Lafayette Co at the time and told my husband he would have had to hang the negro had he not died. All Johnson Co records were lost when the court house was burned. The story that some one saw the negro coming from the cave, I never heard, but did hear no one knew the cave or caves were there. Gertrude will write you soon. Love to you and Hallie, Aunt Mary

“P.S. I reread your letter and find I have not given any information as regards the year they (Wyley Horn’s family moved to Mo. Nor do I know, but quite sure it was NOT in 1835. That was the year my father and mother was married. I heard some one of a later generation say it was in 1836 – but I feel sure it was 1835 for father married his first wife (Maria Littlejohn) when he was twenty five – she dying in 1830 when my half-sister Annie was born and further remained a widower five years – marrying the second time to Rachel Horn in 1835. She often told of her wedding occurring at her father’s home and also about going out from Russellville to visit them, and grandpa Wiley gave her Priscilla, then about ten years old, and she rode home behind mother a horseback. The paper also says he moved to Mo from Franklin, Simpson Co, which is a mistake also. Mother said their farm was about six miles from Russelville or thereabout. The year was probably 1837 when they moved to Mo. My grandmother Horn had died and he (Wiley) had remarried, a Mrs. Woolridge before going to Mo. Too bad you never asked your grandfather, Newton Horn, or were you too young to be interested. I was never of an inquisitive mind, I might be better informed on the genealogy or actions of our families and its too bad I was not. I might help you and Gertrude quite a lot, since I am the only one living of my generation on either side, Horn or Violette and strange I never saw either of my grandparents Violette or Horn.”

Until next time.

My great-great grandfather, Nathan D. Horn has been somewhat of a mystery, at least where his marital status is concerned. My great grandfather, Marshall Patrick Horn was born to the union of Nathan D. Horn and Sarah Frances (Sally) Dawson in Logan County, KY in 1853.  His son, Buel E. Horn, is my grandfather on my mother’s side.

Wiley Horn (1785 – 1845)

Nathan D. Horn (1814 – 1887)

Marshall Patrick Horn (1853 – 192x)

Buel E. Horn (1888 – 1962)

Frances Marjorie Horn Shelly (1926 – present)

Nathan D. Horn was born on 21 Jun 1814 in Logan County, KY to Wiley Horn (1785 – 1845) and Elizabeth Morgan (1793 – 1838).  Nathan’s grandfather (Wiley’s father) was also named Nathan Horn (sometimes Nathaniel, 1764 – 1834) who moved to Logan County, KY after serving in the Revolutionary War in North Carolina.  All of these men have been listed as living in Simpson County as well, which only makes sense because Simpson County was carved out of Logan County in 1819.  I wrote about Nathan Horn, Revolutionary War soldier, in February (2/5/19).

In order to learn more about Nathan D. Horn as well as his father, Wiley Horn, I thought it would be a good idea to visit the great state of Missouri since they both moved there from Kentucky. Here’s how Wiley and Nathan D. fit into the picture:

North Carolina/Kentucky

            Nathan Horn (Nancy Jennings) was born 1762 in Rich Square, NC; moved to Logan Co, KY in 1808; died 1834 Simpson Co, KY (formed from Logan Co). Nathan was married 3 times; Nancy was his first wife. They had six children and Nancy died soon after her last child was born. Wiley Horn (see below) was their 2^nd eldest son.

Kentucky/Missouri

            Wiley Horn (Elizabeth Morgan) was born 1785 in Nash Co, NC; moved to Logan Co KY with father Nathan and then moved to Missouri ca 1840. He was killed by a slave in 1845, Missouri. One of their sons was Nathaniel/Nathan D. Horn (also known as N. D. Horn)

            Nathan D. Horn (Sarah Frances Dawson) was born in 1814 in Logan Co, KY, moved to Missouri and died in 1887. In 1866, he settled in Bates County, which shares a border with the state of Kansas, about 90 minutes south of what is now Kansas City, Mo. N. D. Horn and Sarah Dawson had six children; five girls and one son, Marshall Patrick Horn (my great-grandfather). Sarah Dawson died soon after the birth of her sixth child, in 1857. Her last child was a girl named Sarah Ann Horn. All of their children were born in Kentucky. Nathan remarried two more times.

            Marshall Patrick Horn (Sarah Elizabeth Robbins) was born 1853 Logan Co, KY; died 1926 Skidmore, Mo (my great-grandfather). Nathan took Marshall with him to Missouri, along with his younger sister, Sally Horn.

            Buel Edward Horn (Ruby Bigler) was born 1888 Skidmore Missouri; died 1962 Bellmore, Indiana (my grandfather)

            Frances Marjorie Horn (William Shelly) was born 1926 (my mom).

 Although there is a large contingent of Horn’s in and around southern Kentucky, there are equally as many in Missouri. Nathan’s father, Wiley Horn, moved to Jackson County, Missouri in 1843 and was killed in 1845, about 20 years prior to his son’s resettlement. Wiley will be the subject of my next blog.

 Missouri was admitted to the Union in 1821 as a slave state (remember the Missouri Compromise?). Since neighboring Kansas was a free state, there was quite a bit of strife before and during the Civil War. From “Out of the Ashes”, a genealogy publication of Bates County, MO.d

            “In 1855 there was great unrest in western Missouri, there were the Border Wars, where men along the Kansas and Missouri line were fighting because Kansas was a Free State and Missouri was forced into being a Slave State. There were murders, stealing and burning of farms and homes.

            “There was about three years of peace, then the Civil War began. This was the worse time for the people of Bates County. There were a number of troops in Bates County, some for the North and some for the South. It wasn’t long until the people of Bates County started moving onto more safe places out of the county.

            “In 1863 came Order #11: Ewing Order – Kansas City, MO, August 25, 1863 – General Order 11.

            “First: ordering all persons being in Cass, Jackson and Bates Counties to remove from their present places of residence within 15 days of the date above.

            “Bates County was the only county that this order took in the whole county.

            “Second: All grain and hay in the field or under shelter were to be removed. Anything that they could move in wagons was to be taken with them. In some cases, they moved their whole house into the next county or over into Kansas.

            “Some 6,000 people left Bates County at this time. Not very many people came back to Bates County until 1868 and some never did return.

            “The reason for the order was so the Southern Army could not come in and get supplies to survive on. Both the North and South took what they wanted from these people and their property was never returned. Horses, oxen, wagons, tools, whatever they thought they needed were taken. They set fire to anything that was left, all houses, barns, crops, trees, grasses and even the animals were destroyed. When the fires quit burning the only things that were left were the creeks, chimneys and the ashes.”

According to Nathan Horn’s obituary which I found while doing research in the fabulous Midwest Genealogy Library in Independence, MO, he moved to Bates County, MO shortly after the Civil War. His obituary was published in the Butler Weekly Times on 15 Jun 1887, and I found it interesting that they referred to the deceased as an “old landmark” – twice.

“We are sorry to relate the death of our old friend Nathan Horn, who was buried in the past week. Another old landmark gone to try the realities of another world. We can say of him what we cannot say of all who die; he died in the faith of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“Nathaniel D. Horn, an old and highly respected citizen of Summit township, died at his residence on last Tuesday, the 7^th inst. of heart disease. Mr. Horn had been afflicted for a number of years and confined to his bed since the first of January. Thus is another old landmark taken away, he having moved to Bates county and settled in Summit township in the spring of 1866 where he has since resided. He was 73 years of age and leaves a wife and five children, four girls and one boy, all grown. The funeral took place at the Dakota St. M. E. church (south) and the remains were followed to their last resting place in Oak Hill cemetery by a large number of friends.”

Nathan was 52 when he moved to Bates County, MO. I cannot find him in the 1860 census, but he was in Simpson County, KY, in 1858 (see below). It is possible that he moved prior to 1866, or served in the Civil War, but I have yet to find records, aside from his obituary, of the exact timing of his move to Missouri. He is buried in Butler, the county seat of Bates county. I was able to visit his grave while in Missouri.

As I mentioned above, there are several mysteries surrounding Nathan Horn, especially concerning his marital status. It is entirely possible that there are errors in the data, the data is missing – or that Nathan was a polygamist! I’ll leave it for you to decide.

First Mystery: Wife #1 vs Wife #2

Nathan Horn was married to Sarah Frances (Sally) Dawson in Simpson Co, KY around 1833 -1834. Sarah was born in 1820, which would have made her about 13 – 14 years when she was married, which was not that uncommon in the 1830’s. Nathan was born in 1814 so he was six years her senior. They had six children:

            Frances Horn ( 1834 – ?)

            Nancy A. E. Horn (1839 – 1911)

            Virginia “Viney” Horn (1842 – 1921)

            Rachel Rebecca Horn (1846 – 1922)

            Marshall Patrick Horn (1853 – 1926)

            Sarah Ann “Sally” Horn (1857 – ?)

The mystery is this: the birth of Nathan and Sarah’s youngest child, Sally Horn, is listed in a compilation of Kentucky Birth Records as 30 Aug 1857. The record shows her father is N. D. Horn and her mother is Sally Dawson. I am assuming that Sally Dawson died soon after the birth of her child. The mystery is that Nathan D. Horn married Louisa Jane Johnson Price on 5 Jul 1857. I cannot imagine that N. D. Horn would have married just prior to birth of his youngest daughter. I have not found a death record for Sally Dawson; I have inferred her death to be after 30 Aug 1857 yet the remarriage of N. D. Horn was prior to that date. It was not unusual for men to remarry rather quickly after their wives died, especially when they had young children, but it is highly unusual for a man to marry before his wife dies! While divorce was not unheard of, I have found no record of it. It is possible that the birth year of Sally Horn is really 1856; the year is not specifically listed in the birth record but is inferred from other dates on that page. Sally Horn does show up in the 1870 census in Bates County, MO at age 13, which would put her birth year in 1857.

Louisa Jane Johnson Price was a widow. The Price family was well known in Logan/Simpson counties. Her first husband was James Price and they had four children (Margaret, William Talbot, Mary Elizabeth and Henry). Louisa was born in 1818 in Logan County, KY, and died in 1905. Records show that she and N. D. Horn were married 5 July 1857 and had a son, Wiley T. Horn, born in 1858.   

Nathan Horn left Kentucky and moved to Missouri before or by 1866. It is clear that Louisa Jane Horn did not go with him. According to the 1870 census, Louisa Horn was living in Clay Township, Logan County, KY, in the household of William and Elizabeth Pottinger with their children and Wiley T. Horn. Elizabeth Price Pottinger was Louisa’s daughter by James Price. In the 1900 Census, Louisa Horn lived in the household of James and Margaret Price Rogers. Margaret was her other daughter, still in Logan County. Louisa died in 1905. In the 1900 census, she is listed as a widow, which would be accurate since N. D. Horn died in 1887. I cannot find any divorce records for this marriage either.

Second Mystery: Wife #2 vs Wife #3

According to his obituary, Nathan Horn moved to Bates County, MO in the spring of 1866. The 1870 census has him living in Mount Pleasant Township, Bates County, MO, with his wife Catherine, son Marshall Patrick and daughter Sally Ann.  According to the 1875 platt maps of Bates County, N. D. Horn actually lived and owned two plots of land in Summit Township. Note that his wife’s name as listed in the 1870 census is Catherine! I have not been able to find a marriage record for Nathan and Catherine, nor have I found a divorce record for Nathan and Louisa. In his obituary, “He was 73 years of age and leaves a wife and five children, four girls and one boy, all grown. The “one boy” is Marshall Patrick Horn, and his four daughters are Nancy, Virginia “Viney”, Rachel and Sally Ann (b. 1857). Nathan died without a will, but Catherine named his heirs in a court document dated 4 Jun 1887:

            Catherine Horn of Bates County, MO,

            Nancy A. Price of Logan County, KY

            Virginia Walters of Warren County, KY

            Rebecca A. Price of Logan County, KY

            Marshall P. of Nodaway County, MO

            Sallie A. Ebbert of Bourbon County, KA

These heirs are all children of Nathan and Sally Dawson. Of their six children, only Frances (1834 – ?) was not living in 1887.

On my recent trip to Missouri, I found several documents of note: on 4 Apr 1866, Catherine Horn purchased land from Littleton Perry and his wife Susan Perry; a total of 140 acres for $1960 (Warrant Deed book H244, Butler, MO.) The only reference I found to N D Horn in the Warrant Deed books was to a “Sherriff’s Deed Book, D 333 Film 8487525, Image 515, Family Search). The Sheriff’s Deed books were not to be found in Bates County, but due to a wonderful volunteer at the Midwest Genealogy Library, Independence, MO, I was able to find a copy of this document by using the catalog feature of Family Search. Apparently, a man named Walter A. Boyd owed a debt ($17) and damages to a man named Ferdinand Glass (a prominent Butler citizen). As a result of the judgement, the entire estate of Walter A. Boyd was sold at auction by the Sheriff of Bates County, and ND Horn was “the highest and best bidder for said Real Estate at the price and sum of One hundred and seventy five dollars.” I do not know how much land was involved, but there are two parcels of land owned by N. D. Horn in Summit Township, Butler, Bates County Missouri. One is larger than the other. I believe that the smaller parcel (below) is the land Nathan bought at the Sheriff’s auction.

Note 1: There is no mention in the will of Nathan Horn of a son, Wiley Horn, whose mother was supposedly Louisa Jane Price. I have found only a few records of this Wiley Horn, and nothing after 1910. He married Mary Susan Gibson in 1898. In the 1900 census, there is a Will Horn, married to Mary S. Horn, living in Simpson County. In the 1910 census, Mary Susan Horn was found living with her brother and mother, as a widow, so it is safe to assume that Wiley T. Horn died in or before 1910. She is found in the 1920 census, still living with her brother and mother and a possible daughter, Gladys Horn, age 16, still in Simpson County, KY. Mary Susan Horn married again, 21 May 1924, to a (probably) distant relative named Minor Hershel Gibson (1880 – 1939). Mary Susan Horn Gibson died in 1964 at the age of 87 in a nursing home in Warren Kentucky. Her grave may be found in the Shady Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Franklin, Simpson County, KY, along with that of a J. Will Horn, who was born 30 Sept 1858 and died 21 Jul 1907 at the age of 48.

Note 2: Catherine Horn was a widow/divorcee when she married Nathan Horn. She had at least one child, Harriet (Hattie) Campbell, who’s father was William Campbell and mother was Catherine Williams. Hattie Campbell married Mason Dunbar and they lived in Butler, Bates County, MO. In the 1900 census, Catherine Horn lived with her daughter Hattie, in Doylesport, Barton Co, MO. Catherine died 19 Dec 1900 and is buried next to Nathan Horn in Butler, Bates Co, MO.

Since the brick wall burst (see Blog Post 7 13 19) I have been plundering Ancestry, pushing back the ole Ancestral Line. It turns out, if one believes the various family trees and a genealogy website called “Wikitree”, there is quite a bit known about the Shelly, aka Zschille, family, both on this side of the pond and in the “Vaterland”. I have found an ancestral connection to a famous chocolatier, and Imperial German royalty. Read on for more information on what’s beyond the brick wall that was Daniel Shelly.

Happy birthday, Bill!!

To briefly recap the last blog post, if you are of “my generation”:

Our grandfather William Austin Shelly (1873 – 1938)

Our Great-grandfather: George Washington Shelly (1841 – 1914)

Our 2 x great grandfather: Daniel Shelly (1793 – 1880) (former brick wall)

Our 3 x great grandfather: Jacob (III) Shelly (1765 – 1838)

Our 4 x great grandfather: Jacob Shelly, Jr (1728 – 1788)

Our 5 x great grandfather: Jacob Zschille, Sr (1696 – 1752)  Jacob Zschille Sr. was our Immigrant Ancestor who emigrated from a small town, Rathendorf, in the state of Saxony, Eastern Germany around 1720.

Since I’ve identified Jacob Zschille as my “Brick Wall” Daniel’s great grandfather, I have been busy discovering the work that others have done – there are several genealogical references out there that I have found, some with conflicting information. It is an interesting puzzle, to be sure. The further back one travels, the foggier the information but I have been able to identify members of the Shelly/Zschille family line well into the 1500’s.

Hans Abraham Zschille (1655 – 1710)

Hans Abraham Zschille was the father of our immigrant ancestor, Jacob Zschille (Sr).  Hans Abraham Zschille married Anna Bachmann (1666 – 1701) and they both lived and died in Rathendorf, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.

Rathendorf is a small town near Leipzig, in the free state of Saxony, Germany. It has a beautiful church which dates back to the 1200’s. Nearby Leipzig is the largest city in the state of Saxony, and is the home of Leipzig University, which was founded in 1409, one of the world’s oldest universities and second-oldest in Germany. Leipzig was and is a center for trade, culture and education, law and publishing.

Hans Abraham Zschille and Anna Bachmann had several children, as follows, with the caveat that the youngest children (Sarah and Daniel) both were born after the purported death date of Anna Bachmann so one can either assume she was not their mother, or her death date is wrong.  Also, interestingly, all of the children were under the age of 20 when their father, Hans Abraham died in 1710, and five of the six emigrated to the colonies (* – immigrant, as evidenced that they all died in Pennsylvania)

1. Anna (1690 – 1713)
2. Tobias (1691 – 1761) *
3. Christian (1693 – 1761) *
4. Jacob (Sr.) (1696 – 1752) *
5. Sarah (1705 – 1736) *
6. Daniel (1710 – 1757) *

Peter Benedict Zschille (1619 – 1686)

Hans Abraham’s father was Peter Benedict Zschille (1619 – 1686) and he married a woman named Anna Brixton (1633 – 1733). They had six children – Hans Abraham was their eldest son, and was followed by 4 more sons (Sebastian, Michael, Gangolf and Martin). Their last child was a daughter, Adelheit Zschille Hershe (1672 – 1741) who emigrated to the colonies with her husband, Christian Hershe (1660 – 1729) sometime after they were wed in 1692. It is possible that the orphaned children of Hans Abraham were under the care of their Auntie Adelheit and traveled with her to the new world, or that she sent for them after she arrived in Pennsylvania.

Now for the “famous chocolatier” connection. Does the name “Hershe” ring a bell? If you know anything about the middle of Pennsylvania, you know that there is a town, “Hershey”, which was developed by a man named Milton Hershey, in the early 1900’s. Milton Hershey was born in 1857 in Dauphin County, PA. Milton Hershey is also rather famous for developing a secret recipe for a delicious milk chocolate candy and started a rather successful company. He is of “Pennsylvania Dutch” descent, and a quick check of Ancestry revealed that he is a direct descendant of Christian Hershe and Adelheit Zschille Hershe. In fact, Adelheit Zschille is the 4x great grandmother of Milton Hershey. No wonder we all love chocolate in our family!

The people of modern-day Germany are known for their attention to detail, and excellent record-keeping, so it is no wonder that there are records of the Zschille family going back several more generations. My investment in an “International Membership” with Ancestry has paid off big time, so let’s go back in time, into the little town of Rathendorf.

Peter Benedict Zschille (1619 – 1686) was married to Anna Brixton on 29 Nov 1654. Their children, including Hans Abraham Zschille and Adelheit Zschille Hershe, are listed above.

Peter Benedict’s father was Gangolf Zschille (1586 – ?). Isn’t that a great name? Gangolf married Catharina Lambrect who was born in 1593. I don’t know anything more about these folks, except that they lived in Rathendorf as well.

Gangolf Zschille’s father was Martin Zschille (born about 1558) and he (Martin) married Christina Wolff, who was born about 1562. More about her in a moment.

Martin Zschille’s father was Peter Zschille, born about 1512, his mother is unknown at this time.

Two things:

1. Am I the only one to get goose-bumps at the thought of identifying Shelly ancestors that were born in the 1500’s??
2. I may have found “royalty”.

Christina Wolff (born about 1562, the wife of Martin Zschille) was the daughter of either Urban Wolff, III (1540 – 1568) or Urban Wolff Jr (1507 – 1568). There is conflicting information here, which is not a surprise, given that these folks lived and died in the 1500’s, and my German is very rusty. Urban Wolff Jr.’s wife was a woman named Dorothea Walpurgis (1510 – 1563), so she is possibly the mother or grandmother of Christina Wolff. Dorothea Walpurgis’s parents are Philip von Solms-Lich (1468 – 1544), who was the Count of Solms, and her mother was Adriana von Hanau Munzenberg, Countess of Hanau (1470 – 1524).  I don’t know if this is accurate or not – I’m thinking that I need to go to Germany! If it is, though, here is a photo of the Philip von Solms-Lich, Count of Solms, who looks remarkably like my dad (and brother Bill)!

To recap:

Our grandfather William Austin Shelly (1873 – 1938)

Our Great-grandfather: George Washington Shelly (1841 – 1914)

Our 2 x great grandfather: Daniel Shelly (1793 – 1880) (former brick wall), Cass County, IN

Our 3 x great grandfather: Jacob (III) Shelly (1765 – 1838), Born PA, died Montgomery Co, OH

Our 4 x great grandfather: Jacob Shelly, Jr (1728 – 1788), Born PA, died on Shelly’s Island, PA

Our 5 x great grandfather: Jacob Zschille, Sr (1696 – 1752)  Jacob Zschille Sr. was our Immigrant Ancestor who emigrated from a small town, Rathendorf, in the state of Saxony, Germany around 1720.

Our 6 x great grandfather: Hans Abraham Zschille (1655 – 1710), Rathendorf, Saxony, eastern Germany

Our 7 x great grandfather: Peter Benedict Zschille (1619 – 1686), Rathendorf, Saxony, eastern Germany

Our 8 x great grandfather: Gangolf Zschille (1586 – 1651), Rathendorf, Saxony, eastern Germany

Our 9 x great grandfather: Martin Zschille (1558 – 1630), Rathendorf, Saxony, eastern Germany

Our 10 x great grandfather: Peter Zschille (b 1512, died ?) Rathendorf, Saxony, eastern Germany

How cool is that!

Until next time….

I started my journey into genealogy way back in 2003. Ancestry.com was pretty new, and I took advantage of a free subscription offer to see if I could find anything about my Shelly ancestors. My dad had passed away, and I had never thought to ask him about his father. All I knew was that William Austin Shelly (my paternal grandfather) was an educational missionary with the Methodist church and had spent much of his life in Chile, where my father was born. I didn’t even know where he was from.

Courtesy of that free subscription from Ancestry, I found that William Austin Shelly was born in Cass County, Indiana, and that he came from a fairly large family (see blog post 2 18 19). I was able to identify his mother and father (Sarah Belle Newcomb and George Washington Shelly) and his siblings. I was also able to identify his paternal grandfather and grandmother (Daniel D. Shelly and Catherine Gephart), and their children (see blog post 1 23 19) but that’s where it ended. While, years later, I was able to identify Catherine’s ancestors, Daniel’s ancestors remained a mystery. Daniel was my largest “brick wall”. Until yesterday.

I realize that many people are not interested in the “how” of genealogy research, but if you like puzzles, are persistent (i.e. stubborn), and are able to change your approach and do a work-around an obstacle, you might appreciate the “how”. Suffice it to say, after I posted last week’s “Ahnentafel” and published the fact that virtually all of my other ancestral lines have been traced back to 6 or 7 generations, I felt compelled to try to scale the brick wall that was Daniel yet again. I started with “what was known”.

I knew that Daniel was born in York County, Pennsylvania about 1793. I also knew, courtesy of the 1850 Census, that he had moved to Cass County, Indiana via Ohio. He married Catherine Gephart in 1823 in Ohio (I found a marriage document), and three of his oldest children were listed as being born in Ohio – the rest, including George Washington Shelly, were born in Cass County. Therefore, the family moved to Indiana from Ohio sometime between 1835 and 1837. Nelson Shelly was born in Ohio about 1835 and Jacob Shelly was born in Indiana about 1837.

It is not known when Daniel moved from PA to OH; or when he met Catherine Gephart. It is likely that Daniel met Catherine in Ohio since her family was in Ohio as early as 1808 and there is an 1810 Census that lists a Daniel Shelly in Fairview Township, York PA in 1810. This may or may not be “our Daniel”.  I don’t know exactly when Daniel left PA, but he was in Ohio by 1823.

Daniel was 30 when he and Catherine Gephart were married in Montgomery County, OH. She was 10 years his junior, and her parents had moved from PA to Ohio about 1808. Catherine Gephart was born 12 Jan 1804 in Friedensburg, Schuylkill County, PA to John George Gebhart/Gephart (1773 – 1854) and Elizabeth Kramer (1769 – 1865). John G. Gephart fought in the Revolutionary War and was married to Elizabeth Kramer in either 1793 or 1798, in Berks County, PA. In 1808, his residence is listed as Montgomery County, OH, and he is listed in the 1850 Federal Census as living in Miami, Montgomery County, OH. He died four years later (2 Oct 1854) in that same location.

Data for Cass County, IN

1850 US Census

Daniel Shelly’s home is Deer Creek, Cass County, IN

His age is listed as 56 and his birth year about 1794; birthplace PA

His occupation is “Farmer” and the value of his real estate is $600.

Household members:                                    Born in        Birth Year (calc)

               Daniel Shelly                      56           PA                 1793- 1794

               Catherine Shelly               46           PA                         1804

               Henry Shelly                      19           OH                        1831

               Daniel Shelly                      17           OH                        1833

               Nelson Shelly                     15           OH                        1835

               Jacob Shelly                       13           IN                          1837

               George Shelly                    10           IN                          1840

               Benjamin Shelly                8             IN                          1842

               David R. Shelly                  2             IN                          1848

               Nancy C. Shelly                 0             IN                          1850

I have known for a long time that there were Shellys in Pennsylvania, and there were and are quite a few of them! They are descendants of early German immigrants (Pennsylvania Dutch = Deutsch) who were drawn in to this country by William Penn’s promise of religious freedom. They were made up of a range of religious groups including Amish, Mennonite-Lutheran, German Reformed, Moravian and others. Most of the German settlers spoke German, and their church and community records were in German – a practice that continues today. It made sense to me that this was a possible place to look for Daniel’s ancestors, especially since his wife, Catherine Gephart, was of German descent, and if you remember your geography, the dark red Pennsylvania counties in the map below are clustered around the Susquehanna River.

From Wikipedia:

“The ancestors of Pennsylvania German speakers came from various parts of the southwest corner of the German-speaking region of Europe, mainly the Palatinate, but also including the Electoral Palatinate (German: Kurpfalz), the Duchy of Baden, Swabia, Württemberg, Alsace (German Elsass), German Lorraine, and Switzerland. Most of them spoke Rhine Franconian, especially Palatinan and to a lesser degree Alemannic dialects, and it is believed that in the first generations after the settlers arrived these dialects merged.“

If one searches for “Shelly York County Pennsylvania”, it is relatively easy to discover that, in the middle of the Susquehanna River, in Dauphin County, lies an island called “Shelley Island”. It is still occupied today, although not year-round, and has a cemetery full of Shelly’s. Unfortunately, it is the subject of some controversy since it is right next to Three-Mile Island, and the owners of the island are refusing to renew the land-leases because of flood-plain insurance issues.

“On Sept. 30, 2019, recreational lot licenses between York Haven Power Co., which owns most of the Susquehanna River islands, and their tenants on Shelley and Beshore islands expire. Barring a compromise, about 250 seasonal residences no longer will be accessible, other than for owners to remove personal items. The residences would be torn down by fall 2019.

“It eliminates a community of people who have been here for as long as I can remember at least,” said Derek Krehling, spokesman for the Lake Frederick Homeowners Association, which represents residents of the islands.”

http://www.pressandjournal.com/stories/time-is-running-out-for-seasonal-residents-of-shelly-beshore-islands-without-compromise-sept-30,16548

From: http://groups.etown.edu/riverislandproject/2018/05/03/shelley-island-a-epicenter-for-history-and-community/

Shelly’s Island: The history of the island began with William Penn, founder of the Pennsylvania colony. Penn was known for his fondness of the Susquehanna River. With the colony being founded in 1681, much of the Susquehanna River Valley had belonged to the native American tribe, the Susquehannocks.

After the treaty of 1701, Penn opened up landed to be leased by European settlers, which included a man by the name of Daniel Shelley. Originally called Rich Island, was later renamed Shelley Island when Daniel’s Shelley’s son, Christian Shelley, was named proprietor.

Daniel Shelley, (1736 – 1802), bought part of the island in 1797, though it was clear that he was there between 1760 – 1765. Shelley died in 1802 of congestive heart failure. He had 18 kids, which kept the family name alive for some time after his death.

For many years, I thought that this Daniel Shelly (1736 – 1802) or his descendants were related to our Daniel Shelly (1794 – 1880) but couldn’t make the dots connect. Daniel Shelly of Shelly’s Island is rather famous for having 4 wives (in succession) and 18 children. There are several stories about this Daniel Shelly:

               “Papers lodged in the Pennsylvania state archives suggest that he (Daniel Shelly) was implicated in a plot to stop the American Revolution.  The ringleader apparently was the Rev. Daniel Batwell, an English-born local minister.  In the summer of 1777, he and two fellow conspirators were ferried across the Susquehanna from Prunk’s Tavern in Newberry to Shelley’s Island.  There they met with Daniel Shelley at his fieldstone house and hatched the plot to blow up the York city magazine where the firearms and gunpowder of the Continental Army were stored.  

What was Daniel Shelley’s role?  It is not clear.  But the plot was foiled when two of the conspirators had too much to drink at Prunk’s Tavern one night and spilled the beans.  Daniel was arrested and imprisoned in Carlisle.  He secured his release after he agreed to turn state’s evidence and, apparently, join the Continental Army.  

Daniel returned to Shelley’s Island and sired more children.  A family story has it that, after he had buried wife number three, he stood at her graveside, cast his eyes upward, and exclaimed: “Oh, Lord, must I marry again!”  He did.”

The birth and death dates of this Daniel (nicknamed by me as Daniel 4 wives) were close enough that our Daniel (1793 – 1880) might have been a son or a grandson, but nothing was close. “Daniel 4 wives” did have two sons named Daniel (Daniel Lane Shelly, 1766 – 1825) and Daniel Shelly (1771 – 1825) but both of those Daniel’s died and were buried on Shelly’s Island, which makes sense because it was pretty much a family enclave. I couldn’t find a Daniel Shelly in this line who had moved west.

Yesterday, I thought of trying another approach that I had had success with in the past – a brute-force, backwards deep-dive work-around.

I started looking for the parents and siblings of “Daniel 4 wives” of Shelly’s Island. I found an extensive listing of this line on a free genealogy website called “Wikitree”. https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Shelly-Descendants-170

According to Wikitree, Daniel 4-Wives’ father was Jacob Shelly, aka Jakob Zschille (1696-1752) and his mother was Mary Kneisley (1689 – 1777). Both Jacob (Jakob Zschille) and Mary were born in Germany and died in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I do not know when they immigrated to the colonies. From a summary document that I found in Ancestry (Ancestry and Descendants of Henry Perkins Smith, etc):

“It is not known when Jacob came to this country but he and his brother Christian were in Lancaster, PA about 1730. Jacob left a will which was not probated and in it he referenced his brother Christian. He stated that his sons Jacob and Michael owned land in Rapho Township and he had sons Christian and Abraham in Donegal Township.”

Jacob (Jakob Zschille) and Mary had 13 children, including “Daniel 4 wives” who bought Shelly’s Island, and Jacob Shelly, Jr. (1728 – 1788). Other sons included Christian (1729 – 1796), Abraham (1731-1786), Michael (1732 – 1817), Peter (1738 – 1769) and Martin (1740 – 1760). Yesterday, I looked at the progeny for all of these children of Jakob Zschille and Mary Kneisley, and found “our Daniel”! Yay!!!

Jacob Shelly Jr. (1728 – 1788), son of Jakob Zschille, was born in Lancaster County, PA and died on Shelly’s Island. He married Anna Peelman (abt 1716 – 1765) and they had four children:

Barbara Shelly (1771 – ?)

Anna Catherine Shelly (1770 – 1806)

Mary Shelly(1774 – 1849)

Jacob Shelly (III) (1765 – 1838). The designation Jacob Shelly (III) is mine – just to keep all these folks straight.

Drum roll, please! Jacob Shelly (III) married Maria Margaretta Schweitzer (1765 – aft 1797) and they had four children:  John Shelly (1794 – ?), Margaret (1795 – 1872), Jacob IV (1794 – 1863) and DANIEL (1797 – ?).

I believe this is our Daniel (1793 – 1880) for four reasons:

1. The birth date is in the ballpark, given that there were no birth certificates at the time.
2. Jacob Shelly III (his father) died in Montgomery County, OH, in 1838 – not Shelly’s Island or anywhere else in PA! The 1830 Census shows Jacob Shelly (III)’s residence in German, Montgomery Co, OH.
3. Our Daniel moved from PA to Ohio, possibly with his parents, where he married Catherine Gephart in 1823. Families often traveled west together. Our Daniel and Catherine had several children in Ohio, then moved west to Cass County, IN, where they had several more.
4. Jacob’s son Jacob (IV) died in Indiana (Huntington County), more evidence of the westward-facing Shelly’s.

In summary, I’m pretty confident that:

Daniel Shelly (abt 1793 – 1880)

               Jacob (III) Shelly (1765 – 1839) and Maria Margaretta Schweitzer (1765 – after 1796)

                              Jacob Shelly, Jr (1728 – 1788) and Anna Peelman (1716 – abt 1765)

                                             Jacob Shelly (1696 – 1752) aka Jakob Zschille and Mary Kneisley (1689 – 1777)

Jakob Zschille and Mary Kneisley are our immigrant ancestors for the Shelly ancestral line, having immigrated from Germany before 1730.

Until next week

I don’t know if anyone noticed, but its been a few weeks since my last blog post. Call it writer’s block, mid-summer doldrums, or “I’ve been busy with other things” – all would apply. Frankly, none of the #52Ancestorsin52Weeks prompts have appealed to me, so I thought it might be time to step back a few paces and look at what is known. Since I started this documentation in January, mid-year seems like a good time to do this.

The work “Ahnentafel” is from the German and literally means “Ancestor Table”. I found this word and definition while doing some Internet research on Pennsylvania Counties, since the Shelly side of the family remains something of a mystery. I have traced Daniel D. Shelly to Pennsylvania, where many “Pennsylvania Dutch” immigrants settled. I would not be surprised if Daniel’s family was from Germany or Switzerland, and there are many Shelly ancestors in York, Lebanon, Dauphin and Lancaster counties. There is even a “Shelly’s Island” in the middle of the Susquehanna River, close to 3 Mile Island. Daniel’s wife, Catherine Gephart, is of German origin and her ancestral line is well documented so it would be a good guess that Daniel has Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsche) as well.

An Ahnentafel traditionally lists all known ancestors, with full name, dates and places of birth, marriage and death, where known. One of these days I’ll try to link the names to the blog posts where they show up, but first things first. I have organized this by generation, and as much as possible, listed married couples together. I have also italized Horn ancestral lines to distinguish from the Shelly ancestors.

Things get crazy really fast – ancestral lines are a geometric sequence with the common ratio of 2. The number of known ancestors dwindles as you get to earlier generations, but there are 512 and 1024 actual ancestors for generations 9 and 10, respectively. Starting with my parents as “Generation 1”, I have been able to identify all 4 ancestors in “Generation 2”, all 8 ancestors in “Generation 3”, all 16 ancestors in “Generation 4”, and 28 out of 32 in “Generation 5”.

One thing that I did not anticipate was how many of the Shelly/Horn ancestors have deep Pre-Revolutionary war roots. Of the 28 people that are known in “Generation 5”, born between 1767 -1805, 18 were born in the Colonies/US (PA – 4; DE – 3; MD – 3; MA – 2; NC – 2; VA – 2 and KY – 2). Of the 10 that were born outside the US, 4 were born in Canada but their parents had all been in this country before the Revolutionary War – they fought for the British and fled to Canada when all was done. Four were born in Switzerland (two died in Switzerland and two emigrated to the US); one was born in Wales and one in Germany. Almost all of Generation 5 or their children (Generation 4) pushed west – from the Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, North and South Carolina to Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

As the lines are pushed back, the information gets less reliable and scarce. That said, please consider this a research work in progress, subject to changes and revisions.

Of the 64 possible ancestors in “Generation 6”, I have identified 29 people and sorted them by the person in Generation 4 that they are related to. For example, Catherine Gephart is in “Generation 4”, and all four of her grandparents are listed in “Generation 6”.

Similarly, I have found 33 people out of 128 possible in Generation 7; 26 out of a possible 256 in Generation 8; 9 out of 512 possible in Generation 9 and 5 out of 1024 possible in Generation 10. I have found one ancestor (Thomas Newberry (1594 – 1636)) in Generation 11. All are identified by their “Generation 4” progeny.

The Horn line has been traced back to our ancestor that immigrated from England (Edmund Thomas Horn 1665 – 1695) to Virginia. The Alkire line (Rhuanna Alkire was my grandmother’s grandmother) traces back to the late 1600’s in Scotland. Harmonas Alkire (1700 – 1796) was the immigrant ancestor in that line, although Mary Barnett’s parents, Thomas Barnett (1660 – 1725) and his wife Margaret Morisby (1660 – 1725) were both born in Maryland.

The ancestral pedigree of Sarah Elizabeth Robbins (my mother’s grandmother) goes all the way back to “Generation 11”. Thomas Newberry, born in England in 1594, hopped on a ship with his wife and five children and arrived in the colonies between 1630 – 1634. He died in 1636 in Suffolk, Massechusetts. If you are of my generation, Thomas Newberry is your 11 x great grandfather. Nice to meet you, Mr. Newberry!

I hope you enjoy my Ahnenfatel!

Generation 1

• William Lewis Shelly (1923 – 1992) b Santiago, Chile, S. A; married Marjorie Horn 1949, died in La Habra, CA 1992. 4 children, all living
• Francis Marjorie Horn (b 1926 – present) born in Gary, IN.

Generation 2

• William Austin Shelly (1873 – 1938) b. Cass Co, IN; died Greencastle, IN
• Geneva Ellen Lewis (1888 – 1984) b. Madison Co, OH; died in Greencastle, IN
• Buel Edward Horn (1888 – 1962) b. Skidmore, Nodaway Co, MO; died Rockville, IN
• Ruby Bigler (1892 – 1951) b. Salina Kansas; died Crawfordsville, IN

Generation 3

• George Washington Shelly (1841 – 1914) b. Cass County, IN, died in Galveston, Cass Co, IN
• Sarah Belle Newcomb (1850 – 1897) b. Darke Co, OH, died in Cass County, IN
• Joseph Milton Lewis (1858 – 1934) b. Madison County, OH, died in Madison Co, OH
• Ida Hannah Lane (1859 – 1898) b. Madison County, OH, died in Madison Co, OH
• Marshall Patrick Horn (1853 – 1926) b. Logan Co, KY; died Skidmore, Nodaway Co, MO
• Sarah E. Robbins (1868 – 1944) b. Knox Co, IL; died Graham, Nodaway Co, MO
• Francis Emil Bigler (1854 – 1939) b. Tuscawaras Co, OH; died Kansas City, Clay Co, MO
• Alice Alberta Lapp (1861 – 1934) b. Ontario, Canada; died Bates Co, MO

Generation 4

1. Daniel D. Shelly (1793 – 1880) b. York County, PA, died in Cass County IN
2. Catherine Gephart (1804 – 1876) b. Schuylkill County, PA, died in Cass County IN
3. John Newcomb (1804 – 1875) b. Kent County, DE; died Cass County, IN
4. Emily Braden (1811 – 1877) b. Westmoreland County, PA; died Cass County, IN
5. David Lewis (1819 – 1882) b. Fayette Co, OH; died London, Madison Co, OH
6. Margaret Cartzdafner (1831 – 1914) b. Frederick, MD; died London, Madison Co., OH
7. Solomon Lane (1818 – 1887) b. Madison Co, OH; died Clay Co, MO
8. Rhuanna Alkire (1819 – 1859) b. Pickaway Co, OH; died Pickaway Co, OH
9. Nathan Duncan Horn (1814 – 1887) b. Simpson Co, KY; died Bates Co, MO
10. Sarah F. S. Dawson (1820 – 1857) b. Warren Co, KY; died ?
11. Levi Robbins (1805 – 1883) b. Lewis Co, NY; died Maryville, Nodaway Co, MO
12. Julia Ann Fisher (1836 – 1905) b. IL; died Nodaway Co, MO
13. John Bigler (1812 – 1867) b. Switzerland; died Canton, Benton Co, IA
14. Mary Anne Hague/Hagi (1827 – 1908) b. Worb, Bern Switzerland; died Abiline, KS
15. Chester P. Lapp (1819 – 1890) b. Northumberland, Ontario, Canada; died Northumberland East, Ontario, Canada
16. Charlotte Emily F. Kelley (1821 – 1877) b. Northumberland, Ontario, Canada; died Northumberland East, Ontario, Canada

Generation 5

• Unknown Shelly (father of Daniel D. Shelly)
• Unknown Shelly (mother of Daniel D. Shelly
• John George Gephart (1773 – 1854) b. Berks Co, PA; died Miami, Montgomery Co, OH
• Elizabeth Kramer (1769 – 1865) b. Berks Co, PA: died Miami, Montgomery Co, OH
• William Newcomb (1777 – 1837) b. Kent, DE; died Tippecanoe, IN
• Mary Parvis (1785 – 1857) b. DE; died White, IN
• John Braden (1775 – 1855) b. PA; died PA
• Elizabeth (unknown) Braden (unknown) b PA; died unknown
• Henry Lewis (1770 – 1844); b. Wales, UK; died Madison Co, OH
• Catherine Boroff (1770 – 1870) b. Germany; died Madison Co, OH
• Michael Cartzdafner (1795 – 1862) b. Maryland; died London, Madison Co, OH
• Maria Connelly (1805 – 1881) b. Montgomery Co, MD; died London, Madison Co, OH
• Joseph Lane, Sr (1790 – 1852) b. Dorchester, MD; died Unknown
• Margaret Krouskop (1790 – 1841) b Delaware; died Champaign, IL
• Robert Alkire (1783 – 1826) b.  Hampshire Co, VA; died London, Madison Co, OH
• Elizabeth Douglass (1787 – 1864) b. Bourbon Co, KY; died Pickaway Co, OH
• Wiley Horn (1785 – 184 5) b. Nash Co, NC; died Johnson Co, MO
• Elizabeth Morgan (1793 – 1838) b. NC; died Simpson Co, KY
• Unknown Dawson (father of Sarah Dawson)
• Unknown Dawson (mother of Sarah Dawson)
• Levi Robbins (1780 – 1881) b. Sandisfield, Berkshire, MA; died Copenhagen, Lewis Co, NY
• Dinah Goodenough (1784 – 1859) b. Chesterfield, Hampshire Co, MA; died Copenhagen, Lewis Co, NY
• Woodford Fisher (1806 – 1880) b. Barren, KY; died Nodaway, MO
• Polly Gillock (1803 – 1870) b. VA; died Knox Co, IL
• Christian Bigler (1780 – 1866) b. Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland; died Munsingen, Bern Switzerland
• Maria Gfeller (1767 – 1843) b. Switzerland; died Switzerland
• Benedict Hagy (1803 – 1873) b. Switzerland; died OH
• Anna Aeschinian/Askliliam (1801 – 1858) b. Switzerland; died ?
• Jeremiah Lapp (1794 – 1863) b. Frontenac, Ontario, Canada; died Northumberland, Ontario, Canada
• Sarah Perry (1794 – 1837) b. Victoria, Ontario, Canada; died Northumberland, Ontario, Canada
• George Kelley (1794 – ?) b. Northumberland; died probably Northumberland, Ontario, Canada
• Mary Eliza Clarke (1796 – ?) b. Northumberland; died probably Northumberland, Ontario, Canada

Generation 6 – I have some gaps, but here’s what I have so far, and who they are related to in Generation 4.

From Catherine Gebhart (16):

• John Heinrich Gebhart (1745 – 1815) b. Lancaster Co, PA; died Montgomery Co, OH
• Mary Magdalena Miller (1750 – 1819) b. Berks Co, PA; died Montgomery Co, OH
• Johannes Kramer (1740 – 1828) b. Berks Co, PA; died Centre Co, PA
• Anna Margaret Gebhart (1750 – 1769) b. Germany; died Berks Co, PA

From John Newcomb (17):

• John Newcomb (1750 – 1790) b. Kent Co, DE; died Kent Co, DE
• Mary Swift (1747 – 1790) b. Queen Anne’s Co, Md; died Kent Co, DE

From Margaret Cartzdafner (20):

• John C. Kertzendorfer (~1770 – ?)

From Solomon Lane (21):

• Dennis Lane (1757 – 1829) b. MD; died Madison OH
• Unknown Hooper (~1760 – ?)

From Rhuanna Alkire (22):

• William Alkire (1758 – 1825) b. Hampshire Co, VA; died Madison Co, OH
• Elizabeth Moore (1759 – 1804) b. Hampshire Co, VA; died Bourbon Co, KY
• James Douglas (1740 – 1816) b. VA; died Brown Co, OH
• Hannah Morrison Huston (1747 – 1814) b. VA; died Madison Co, OH

From Nathan Duncan Horn (23):

• Nathan Horn (1762 – 1834) b. Northampton Co, NC; died Simpson Co, KY
• Nancy Jennings (1764 – 1801) b. Lunenberg Co, Va; died Nash, NC
• William Morgan (1769 – 1825) b Anson, NC; died Spartanburg, SC
• Elizabeth Rushing(1772 – 1845) b. Anson, NC; died Henderson, TN

From Levi Robbins (25):

• Solomon Robbins (1743 – 1794) b. Hartford, CT; died Berkshire, MA
• Mary Harmon (1749 – 1812) b. Hartford, CT; died Berkshire, MA
• John Goodenough (1742 – 1802) b. Worchester, MA; died Hampshire, MA
• Mary Damon (1751 – 1844) b. Plymouth, MA; died Lewis, NY

From Julia Ann Fisher (26):

• James William Fisher (1783 – 1856) B. Halifax, VA; died Barren KY
• Sarah Elizabeth Bush (1783 – 1835) b. Lunenburg, VA; died Barren, KY
• James Milton Gillock (1782 – 1842) b. Orange, VA; died Barren KY
• Martha Ann Bush (1780 – 1845) b. VA; died Barren KY

From Chester Lapp (29):

• Jeremiah Lapp Sr UE (1748 – 1818) b. Philadelphia, PA; died Frontenac, Ontario, Canada
• Amy Smith DUE (1764 – 1817) b. Kings Co, NY; died Frontenac, Ontario, Canada
• John Perry UE (1765 – 1852) b. Windham CT; died Ontario, Canada
• Amanda Van Cotts (1766 – 1806) b. CT; died ?

Generation 7 – More gaps, but here’s what I have so far, and who they are related to in Generation 4.

From Catherine Gebhart (16):

• Johan George Phillip Gebhart (~1712 – 1742) b. Germany; died Berks, PA
• Stophel Muller (~1710 – 1806) b. Germany; died PA
• Maria Martha Humtre (~1730 – ?) b. Berks, PA; died ?
• Johan Nickel Gebhart (1709 – 1765) b. Germany; died Berks, PA
• Anna Catherina Schneider (1719 – 1814) b. Germany; died Berks PA

From John Newcomb (17):

• Robert Newcomb (1705 – 1757) b. Sussex, DE; died Sussex, DE
• Hester Smith (? – 1755) b. Sussex, DE; died Sussex, DE

From Solomon Lane (21):

• Solomon Lane (1731 – 1795) b. MD; died Dorchester, MD

From Rhuanna Alkire (22):

• Harmonas Alkire II (1730 – 1800) b. Hampshire Co, VA; died Mercer Co, KY
• Lydia Patton (1739 – 1798) b. Lancaster Co, PA; died Bourbon Co, KY
• Hugh Douglass (1713 – 1763) b. Scotland; died Albemarle Co, VA
• Magdalen Tait (1715 – 1763) b. Scotland; died Augusta, VA
• David John Huston (1719 – 1765) b. Rowan, NC; died Union NCe

From Nathan Duncan Horn (23):

• Isaac Horn (1742 – 1782) b. Nash Co, NC; died Edgecombe Co, NC
• Edith Richardson (1741 – 1801) b. Edgecombe Co, NC; died Nash, NC
• John Jennings (1710 – 1798) b. ?; died Montgomery Co, NC
• Lydia Batte (1708 – 1764) b. ?; died Anson, NC
• Henry Morgan (1727 – 1824) b. New Castle Co, DE; died Spartansburg SC
• Deborah Poole (1727 – 1780) b. New Castle Co, DE; died Spartansburg, SC
• Abraham Rushing (1742 – 1805) b. Halifax Co, VA; died Anson, NC
• Sarah Moriah Meador (1743 – 1785) b Essex, VA; died Anson, NC

From Levi Robbins (25):

• Jonathan Robbins (1694 – 1777) b. Hartford, CT; died Hartford, CT
• Sarah Wolcott Wells (1708 – 1776) b. Hartford CT; died Hartford, CT
• Eunice Parsons (Harmon) (1718 – 1803) b. Hartford, CT; died Rutland, VT
• David Goodenough (1704 – 1778) b. Middlesex Co, MA; died Worchester, MA
• Robert Damon (1726 – 1776) b. Plymouth, MA; died Hampshire, MA
• Mary Brooks (1727 – 1764) b. Plymouth, MA; died Hampshire, MA

From Chester Lapp (29):

• Rudolph Lapp (1722 – 1793) b. Germany; died Chester, PA
• Mary Ann Weirman (1722 – 1794) b. Switzerland; died Buck Co, PA
• Herman S. Smith UE (1731 – 1801) b. Nassau Co, NY; died Ontario, Canada
• Elizabeth Mott (1734 – 1811) b. Livingston, NY; died Dutchess, NY
• William Perry (1735 – 1797) b. Scotland; died Scotland
• Mary Catherine Abrams (1740 – 1797)

Generation 8 – Here’s what I have so far, and who they are related to in Generation 4.

From John Newcomb (17):

• Baptist Newcomb (1670 – 1739) b. England; died Sussex, DE
• Rachel Inu (~1670 – 1758) b. England; died Sussex, DE

From Rhuanna Alkire (22):

• Harmonas Alkire (1700 – 1796) b. Scotland; die Bourbon Co, KY
• Mary Craymore (1708 – 1800) b. Hardy Co, VA; died Mercer Co, KY
• Robert Tait (~1686 – ?) b. Scotland
• Janet Broun (~1688 – ?) b. Scotland
• David Huston (1666 – 1726) b. Rowan NC; died Rowan Co, NC
• Mary Barnett (1701 – 1745) b. Talbot, MD; died Rowan Co, NC

From Nathan Duncan Horn: (23)

• Henry “The Quaker” Horn (1716 – 1798) b. Nansemond, VA; died Wayne, NC
• Ann Purcell (1723 – 1797) b. Nash Co, NC; died Wayne, NC
• Thomas Richardson (1720 – ?)
• Morgan Morgan (1688 – 1766) b. Wales, UK; died Berkely, VA
• Catherine Garretson (1692 – 1773) b. New Castle, DE; died Berkely, VA
• William Rushing (1723 – 1781) b. Anson, NC; died Anson, NC
• Mary Unknown Rushing (1723 – 1790) b. Anson, NC; died Chowan Co, NC
• Jason Meador (1704 – 1774) b. Essex Co, VA; died Anson Co, NC
• Elizabeth Stone (1711 – 1778) b. Essex Co, VA; died Anson Co, NC

From Levi Robbins (25):

• Robert Wells II (1676 – 1738) b. Hartford, CT; died Wethersfield, CT
• Sarah Wolcott (1686 – 1738) b. Hartford, CT; died Wethersfield, CT

From Chester Lapp (29):

• Johannes Jacob Lapp (1698 – 1793) b. Germany; died Berks Co, PA
• Hanna Christina Miehle (1706 – 1733) b. Germany; died Berks Co, PA
• Hans Weyerman (1681 – 1746) b. Switzerland; died Montgomery Co, PA
• Abel Smith (1702 – 1757) b. Nassau, NY; died Nassau, NY
• Ruth Jackson (1709 – 1757) b. Queens, NY; died Queens, NY
• Joseph Mott II (1700 – 1765) b. Queens, NY; died Dutchess, NY
• Deborah Mott (1708 – 1759) b. Queens, NY; died Nassau, NY

Generation 9 Here’s what I have so far, and who they are related to in Generation 4.

From Rhuanna Alkire (22):

• Ellenor Woolley (1681 – 1737) b. England, UK; died England, UK
• James Tait (1677 – ?) b. Scotland
• Jennet Allane (1670 – ?) b. Scotland
• Thomas Barnett (1660 – 1725) b. Talbot Co, MD; died Talbot Co, MD
• Margaret Morisby (~1660 – 1725) b. Talbot Co, MD; died Dorchester Co, MD

From Nathan Duncan Horn (23):

• William H. Horne, Sr (~1690 – ~1754) b. Isle of Wight Co, VA; died Chowan Co, NC
• Margaret O’Neal (~1687 – ~1753) b. Edgecombe Co, NC; died Nash Co, NC

From Levi Robbins (25):

• Samuel Wolcott, Sr (1656 – 1695) b. Hartford, CT; died Wethersfield, CT
• Judith Appleton (1653 – 1741) b. Essex Co, MA: died Wethersfield, CT

Generation 10 Many more gaps, but here’s what I have so far, and who they are related to in Generation 4.

From Nathan Duncan Horn (23):

• Edmund Thomas Horn(e) (1665 – 1695) b. England, UK; died New Kent, VA
• Mary C. Robinson (1668 – 1728) b. Spotsylvania Co, VA; died Spotsylvania Co, VA

From Levi Robbins (25):

• Samuel Appleton, Jr, Esq (1624 – 1696) b Suffolk, England, UK; died Essex Co, MA
• Henry Wolcott I (1610 – 1680) b. Somerset, England, UK; died Hartford, CT
• Sarah Newberry (1620 – 1684) b. England, UK; died Hartford, CT

Generation 11 – Ta Da!

         From Levi Robbins (25)

• Thomas Newberry (1594 – 1636) b. Axminster, England, UK; died Sufflok, MD

         Arrived in Colonies in 1630 – 1634 with wife and five children

The prompt for this week is “Earliest” which, I’ll confess, I’ve struggled with. The first thing that popped into my mind was the “earliest” immigrant, which is rather American-centric. If you have ever been to Europe or Asia, you will get an appreciation for just how “new” our country is. That said, I’ve decided to write about the family of one of our “early” immigrant ancestors, Harmonas Alkire (1700 – 1796).

Here’s how a great guy named Harmonas Alkire is linked to today’s folk:

My paternal grandmother (Geneva Ellen Lewis Shelly) was born to Ida Hannah Lane (1859 – 1898) and Joseph Milton Lewis (1858 – 1934). Ida Hannah Lane’s mother was Rhuanna Alkire Lane (1819 – 1859). I’ve written about these women before (see Blog Post: 2 23 19 Motherless Children). Rhuanna Alkire’s parents were Robert Alkire (1783 – 1826) and Elizabeth Douglas (1787 – 1864). Robert Alkire’s parents were William Alkire (1758 – 1825) and Elizabeth Moore (1759 – 1825). William’s parents were Harmonas Alkire II (1730 – 1800) and Lydia Patton (1739 – 1798), and Harmonas Alkire (1700 – 1796) was the father of Harmonas II. All of these people were born in this country/the colonies, so the Alkire immigrant ancestor(s) came over in the 1600’s.

If you are of “my generation”, Harmonas Alkire (1700 – 1796) is our 6-X great grandfather (that’s six “greats”). If you are of the “next generation” he is your 7-X great grandfather. That’s pretty great!

Geneva Lewis Shelly (1888 – 1984)

             Ida Hannah Lane (1859 – 1898)

                        Rhuanna Alkire (1819 – 1859)

                                    Robert Alkire (1783 – 1826)

                                                William Alkire (1758 – 1825)

                                                            Harmonas Alkire II (1730 – 1800)

                                                                        Harmonas Alkire I (1700 – 1796)

Harmonas Alkire is a deliciously unique name, although there are several of his progeny who were also so blessed. There is a great deal more written about his son, Harmonas Alkire II (1730 – 1800). The name was also shortened to “Maunas” or “Monas” and there are also several creative spellings of Alkire.

Where did the Alkire’s come from? There is a family story (not validated) posted on Ancestry by one Cleatus Alkire (1912 – 1984) who claimed that the Alkires originated from Scotland sometime after 1600. According to Cleatus, two brothers (names unknown) and their families joined the Puritan movement and found themselves suffering religious persecution in Scotland and England. They migrated to Holland but the persecution followed them, and return to England to sail to the colonies. They arrived in Plymouth Colony around 1624.

If the Alkire’s did come from Scotland, they would have been Clan Fraser. For the readers or watchers of the “Outlander” series, how cool is that!

Other researchers claim that Harmonas was born in Germany or Holland, and he was the immigrant, ca 1720. He did marry a German girl, Mary Craymore (1708 – 1800) and probably had a number of children (those being times before family planning), including Harmonas II.

As I mentioned, there is a great deal of information written regarding the son of Harmonas Alkire, Harmonas Alkire II. He was born in Virginia in 1730, which, in the early 1700’s was an enormous colony that encompassed all of what would become West Virginia and most of Kentucky. I believe that the area where he was born eventually landed in West Virginia, which became a state in 1863, more than 130 years after Harmonas II was born. Harmonas II married a 12-year-old girl named Lydia Patton (he was 21) and they had 14 (!) children, including Harmonas III, and William (our ancestor). Lydia died when she was 59, probably from exhaustion.

Harmonas II served his new country as a colonial soldier (Dunmore’s War, 1774 -1775) and a Revolutionary War soldier – his name can be found in “Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution”, 1775 – 1783, by John H. Gwathmey, published 1938.

I found a cool article regarding Harmonas II entitled “Hanging with George Washington”:

“Harmonus Alkire II, was born in Moorefield, Hampshire County, Virginia in 1730. Moorefield still exists as a village built on a grassy meadow near the joining of the Moorefield and South Branch of the Potomac Rivers. The mountain ridges parallel one another, running north and south, with the rich flood plain below. Grain fields were producing in the 1740s and the mills were already grinding meal. One of Harmonus’ civic duties was to view, mark, and keep in repair the road from his place up to Peter Reed’s mill on the South Fork.⁽²⁾ At this time, valid titles to the land had not been given to anyone.

“Harmonus II was 17 when James Genn, a Virginia certified surveyor, surveyed the 55,000 acres of the South Branch Manor for the Right Honorable Lord Thomas Fairfax, Baron of Cameron in Scotland.⁽³⁾ George Washington, 16, was in the survey party. He recorded in his diary on Monday, March 23 [1748] that a great company of Dutch [German] people who lived along the South Branch River accompanied the surveyors while they worked.⁽⁴⁾

 “The Alkires had German neighbors who were Lutherans, Mennonites, Dutch Reformed Church members, with a few Dunkers and Presbyterians. The only record of the Alkire beliefs now to be found is in the E. W. Humphrey record where John Alkire was reported as a Deist.

“Harmonus II, age 21, married Lydia Patten, age 12, in 1751 at Moorefield. All of their children were West Virginians: William, Adam, Catherine, Margaret, Elizabeth, John, Dolly, Deborah, Michael, George, Sarah, Lydia and Harmonus, Jr.

“Lord Fairfax, Proprietor of the northern Neck of Virginia, granted the Title to Lots 16 and 17 to “Maunis” Alkier on May 6 1765. Maunis made his mark, a backwards “N” for acceptance. Maunis was one of the many ways Harmonus’name was spelled.

“In 1774 – 1775. Harmonus was listed on Captain James Parson’s roll as a first lieutenant in the colonial army of Virgnina. He served under Lord Dunmore in the Indian battles with Cornstalk in the Ohio country. The treaty was made at Camp Charlotte in the Scioto Valey, Ohio. In the 154 days that Lt. Alkire served, he had seen the westward side of his mountains. He carried the visions of lush growth and opportunity to the folks back home. In 1788, Harmonus’ sons William and his wife Elizabeth Moore) and John and his wife Susan Naef) were settled in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

“Over 7000 people populated Moorefield by 1800, including 454 slaves. Harmonus II and Lydia Alkire started selling their Virginia land in 1789 and purchased 20 acres for 41 pounds on the waters of Huston’s Fork, Bourbon County, Kentucky.

“After the sales of their Virginia lands, Harmonus and his family drove loaded pack-horses to the Kanawha River, built a keel boat and floated down the Ohio River to the mouth of the Slater River and thence to Harrod’s Station, Bourbon County, Kentucky. Harmonus I died there in 1796 at the reported age of 96 years.

“Harmonus II purchased another 250 acres on the waters of the Huston’s Fork of the Licking River, close to downtown Paris, Kentucky. An early historian of Bourbon County described these early pioneers as hardy, fearless and self-reliant people where a man was esteemed for his merit, not his money.

“In 1800, Harmonus Alkire II died at the age of 70. His will names his six sons and six daughters. Most of them signed an “X” to legal land documents, reading and writing were not common achievements on the westward side of the Appalachain Mountains.

http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/galkire/alkire.html

Until next week!

Blog Post 6 8 19: Dear Diary

The prompt for this week’s #52Ancestorsin52Weeks challenge is “Dear Diary”. With the exception of my grandmother, Geneva Lewis Shelly, I haven’t found any ancestors that were avid diarists so I thought I’d do something a little different this week, with a nod to my Grandma Shelly, who also loved history.

My paternal grandmother, Geneva Ellen Lewis Shelly, was born in 1888 in Ohio to Joseph Milton Lewis and Ida Hannah Lane. Joseph Milton Lewis’s mother was a woman of German ancestry named Margaret Cartzdafner. Margaret Cartzdafner was born 5 August 1831 in Frederick County, Maryland and married a widower, David Lewis (1819 – 1882) with a young son (John Lewis, b 1847) in 1853. Margaret and David Lewis proceeded to have eight more children – Joseph Milton Lewis (1858 – 1934) was their third child. If you are of “my generation”, Margaret Cartzdafner is our great great grandmother. If you are of the “younger generation”, she is your 3 x great grandmother.

Margaret Cartzdafner’s father, Michael Cartzdafner (1795 – 1852) and mother, Maria Connelly (1805 – 1881) had five children (John, Samuel, Margaret, Anne and Daniel). Their youngest, Daniel, was born in 1838 and died in 1864. Does that death date ring a bell? Daniel was only 26 years old when he died. He had joined the 95^th Ohio Infantry, Company B. From “The History of Madison County, Ohio”” Daniel Cartzdafner mustered in as a corporal on August 13, 1862 and was appointed sergeant on June 27, 1863. He was captured on June 10, 1864 at the battle of Brice’s Cross Roads (Mississippi) and died on October 24, 1864 in prison of “scorbitis”, or scurvy, as a result of living as a prisoner of war, in one of the most notorious POW encampments – Andersonville, Sumpter County, Georgia.

“The 95th regiment was organized at Camp Chase, Aug. 19, 1862, to serve for three years. In May, 1863, it was ordered south for the Vicksburg campaign. It remained with the besieging forces at Vicksburg, digging canals, fighting on picket lines and living in bomb-proofs, until a few days before the capture of the city. It aided in the capture of Jackson, Miss., in the operations around the Big Black river, and was at one time fortunate enough to receive Gen. Sherman’s thanks for being first inside a Confederate battery of 4 guns, which it captured, with 60 Confederate gunners. It participated in Sherman’s vain attempt to storm the works of Vicksburg, when many brave men were sacrificed. After the fall of Vicksburg the regiment participated in a second march on Jackson, driving out the Confederate army and finally went into winter quarters near Memphis. Early in June, 1864, it joined the expedition which undertook to strike the Mobile & Ohio railroad in the vicinity of Tupelo. At Brice’s cross-roads it went in the fight with 19 commissioned officers and 300 muskets and got back to Memphis with 9 officers and about 150 men, one-half the force having been killed, wounded and captured.” Daniel Cartzdafner was one of those 150 men that were captured.

Ref: https://civilwarindex.com/armyoh/95th_oh_infantry.html

I’d like to “paint the picture” of what life was like in the 6 months before Daniel Cartzdafner lost his life in Andersonville. Even though he did not keep a diary per se, many of his fellow prisoners did. Here is a description of life in Andersonville, and some excerpts from those who were imprisoned, and lived to tell the tale. Daniel was not so lucky.

 “As for the conditions inside, the largest problem that the prison had was first and foremost the overcrowding. Because the expected number of prisoners had been so low when construction began, the camp had simply not been built to accommodate the nearly 45,000 prisoners it held by 1865.

“Aside from a sheer lack of space, the overcrowding caused a host of other problems, ranging from things like a lack of food and water (the leading cause of death among the prisoners was starvation) as well as clothing to severe issues like disease outbreak.

“Those who didn’t die from starvation often contracting scurvy from vitamin deficiencies. Those who didn’t contract scurvy were often subjected to dysentery, hookworms, or typhoid from the contaminated water at the camp.

“Those who managed to scrape by, surviving starvation or poisoning from the water were likely to die from exposure, as the overcrowding and arrival of at least 400 new prisoners a day forced the weakest out of the tents and into the open.

“As we entered the place, a spectacle met our eyes that almost froze our blood with horror, and made our hearts fail within us,” wrote prisoner Robert H. Kellogg, who entered the camp on May 2, 1864. “Before us were forms that had once been active and erect;—stalwart men, now nothing but mere walking skeletons, covered with filth and vermin. Many of our men, in the heat and intensity of their feeling, exclaimed with earnestness: ‘Can this be hell?’ ‘God protect us!’”

Ref: https://allthatsinteresting.com/andersonville-prison

“The first prisoners arrived at Camp Sumter in late February 1864. Over the course of the next few months approximately 400 prisoners arrived daily. By June 1864 over 26,000 prisoners were confined in a stockade designed to house 10,000. The largest number of prisoners held at one time was 33,000 in August 1864.

The Confederate government was unable to provide the prisoners with adequate housing, food, clothing, and medical care, Due to the terrible conditions, prisoners suffered greatly and a high mortality rate ensued.”

Ref: https://www.nps.gov/ande/learn/historyculture/camp_sumter_history.htm

From the diary of Private Samuel Elliot, Company A, 7^th Pennsylvania Reserves:

MAY 22: Arrived at Andersonville, sixty miles from Macon. Here we were drawn into line and counted off into nineties, which constituted a detachment. After we were counted off a rebel officer said,

“if there is any man among you who can write his name let him step two paces to the front;”

the whole ninety, with one or two exceptions, stepped to the front; he then called for a Sergeant who could write his name; after getting one, placed us in his charge; our names were taken and we were marched into a prison containing about thirteen acres of ground, surrounded by a high stockade built of heavy pine logs and closely guarded by numerous sentinels who stood on elevated boxes overlooking the camp.

About eight feet from the stockade was a low, rough built railing called the “dead line,” to lay a hand on or pass which was death from a guard’s musket. The camp contains about fifteen thousand men, most of-whom have been prisoners from eight to ten months, and were once strong, able bodied men, but are now nothing more than walking skeletons, covered with filth and vermin, and can hardly be recognized as white men. The horrible sights are almost enough to make us give up in dispair-the ground is covered with filth, and, vermin can be seen crawling in the sand. In the centre of the camp is a stream of dirty water so warm and greasy we can scarcely drink it. The sights I saw on this, my first day in Andersonville, so filled me with horror that I can give but a poor idea of this prison den.

Sunday, June 12.-Drew half a pint of mouldy rice and a small piece of pork for a day’s ration.

Wednesday 15.-A poor cripple shot for stepping inside the ” dead line;” he said he was so miserable he wished to die, and took this means of having his wish gratified.

Thursday 16.-The small rations, of such poor quality, with the rainy weather, is killing the nen off at a terrible rate-there are now over one hundred bodies at the gate to be carried to the “dead house.”

Wednesday, August 3 �On different battle fields I have witnessed many horrible sights, but none to compare with what I saw to-day-a man lying on the bank of the stream being eaten to death by maggots. They. could be seen issuing from his eyes and mouth, and his body was eaten completely raw in several places. We could do nothing with him but let him alone to die a miserable death.

Wednesday 10. �This evening we were called upon to witness the death of another of our eomrades, Van B. Eby. He bore his prison life bravely, but has at last fallen a victim to ill treatment and starvation. He was loved by all who knew him, and his loss is mourned by many friends.

Thursday 25.-Charles Jarimer, a recruit of our company, and a bunk-mate of mine, died to-day, after a long and painful illness; helped to carry his body to the “dead house”-a house built in the rear of the hospital, outside the stockade. There were about twenty-five other bodies, most of which had been stripped of all their clothing, and were so black and swollen they could not be recognized. While I was there I saw them piling the bodies one on top of the other, into the wagon, to be hauled to their graves or ditches. I passed through the hospital on my way back, and the sights I saw there were enough to make one sick: the tents were filled with what could once have been called men, but were now nothing but mere skeletons. The short time I was there I saw several die. A man is never admitted to the hospital until there is no hope of his recovery, and when once there it is seldom, if ever, he returns.

Sunday, September 4.-Attended the funeral services of a member of company F, who died during the night. It is terrible to see how our regiment is thinning out; every day brings the sad news of the death of one or more of our comrades. Death! nothing but death! throughout the prison. Rations small-almost starved.

https://www.pa-roots.com/pacw/reserves/7thres/eliotdiary.html

There are other personal accounts of the same horrific experience in Andersonville. One thing that struck me was that the men had no shelter from the rain, and when it wasn’t raining, no shelter from the sun. Having lived in the Southeast for over 25 years, I have experienced firsthand the torrential rains, high humidity, mosquitos and biting flies and stultifying heat in the summer months (May – October) and the bone-chilling wet winters. I cannot imagine survival in this environment without food and shelter.

“The cemetery site serving Camp Sumter was established as Andersonville National Cemetery on July 26, 1865. By 1868, the cemetery held the remains of more than 13,800 Union soldiers whose bodies had been retrieved after their deaths in hospitals, battles, or prison camps throughout the region. Andersonville National Cemetery has been used continuously since its founding and currently averages over 150 burials a year. The cemetery and associated prison site became a unit of the National Park System in 1970.” https://www.nps.gov/ande/learn/index.htm

The above photograph of Andersonville National Cemetery, was taken by photographer AJ Riddle who visited Andersonville in August 1864 and took the only known photographs of the prison during its operation.

    Thank you for your service, Daniel.

Until next week.

This week’s blog post is dedicated to the memory of Leo George McGovern (September 27, 1947 – May 29, 2019). Leo was the youngest child of Margaret Mary Hilbert and Leo McGovern. He was a fine man – dearly beloved by all his family members and many friends. You will be greatly missed, Uncle Leo.

The prompt for this week’s #52Ancestorsin52Weeks is “Namesake”. This is a relatively easy prompt for Irish families! As Margaret McGovern Saiauskie has pointed out, often the first-born son in an Irish family was named after his grandfathers, and the firstborn daughter after her grandmothers. Thus, Mary Ellen McGovern (Margaret and Leo McGovern’s eldest daughter) was named after her maternal grandmother, Mary Corbett Hilbert, and her paternal grandmother, Ellen R. Gallagher McGovern. Their eldest son, George Patrick McGovern was named after George McGovern (his paternal grandfather) and Patrick Hilbert (his maternal grandfather). There is a “skip-a-generation” pattern in many of the families that I have researched. That said, the preponderance of certain family names in large Irish families can make it challenging to sort through.

My research this week has not pushed back a generation, but “fleshed out” the family of Eliza Quinn. The first time I saw the name “Eliza Quinn” was on the death certificate of her son, Patrick Hilbert (“Pop” Hilbert), the father of Margaret Hilbert McGovern and grandfather of Mary, Anne, George, Margaret and Leo McGovern. Patrick Hilbert came to this country from Ireland (County Tipperary) when he was in his early 20’s. His death certificate lists his parents as William Hilbert and Eliza Quinn. If you are a member of the Leo/Greg/Helen/Joe generation, Eliza Quinn was your great-great grandmother. If you are a member of the Shannon/Joe/Megan/Mary/Michael/Maggie/Anna/Kyle/Allie generation, Eliza Quinn was your 3 x great grandmother.  Here is a link to the family tree in Ancestry.com. There is no need to join Ancestry to see it; you can register as a “guest” to view the “McClosky McGovern Hilbert” tree.

https://ancstry.me/2W49nQm

Have I mentioned that the surnames can change with immigration? Once I started searching for information on Eliza Quinn, of County Tipperary, I found that she married William Helebert on Feb 2, 1861. There is a wonderful parish record of the Castletownarra Parish, Diocese Killaloe that is incredibly legible (I truly appreciate Catholic nuns and their insistence on legible handwriting!) that has a vast amount of information on the Quinn/Quinne and Helebert/Hellibert families.

Eliza Quinn (ca 1840 – 1911) and William Helebert (ca 1838 – ca 1867) had four children:

               Judith/Julia Helebert (1861 – 1945), immigrant (arrived 1879), married Edward O’Brien

               Bridget Helebert (1863 – ?)

Patrick J. Helebert (1865 – 1940, our immigrant ancestor (arrived 1880’s), married Mary Ellen Corbett

               Mary Helebert (1867 – 1951) immigrant (arrived 1886), married Daniel Kelley

Unfortunately, Eliza was left a widow with 4 small children when William Helebert died about 1867 at age 32. They had only been married 7 years.

Eliza remarried in 1871 to a widower named John Joy (1813 – 1894). John Joy had been married to a woman named Ellen Hogan and had four grown sons (James (b 1854) Michael (1856 – 1935), Patrick (b 1857), and John (b 1859)).  Eliza Quinn Helebert and John Joy proceeded to have seven more children, as follows:

               Thomas Joy (1871 – ?)

               Edward Joy (1873 – 1899) died in Ireland at age 26

               Elizabeth (Betty) Joy (1876 – 1960), immigrant, married John Mahoney, lived in Chester/Upland

               Catherine (Kate) Joy (1880 – 1940) stayed in Ireland, married Thomas Foley

               Maurice Joy (1874 – 1927) immigrant, married Mary Convery, lived in Chester PA

               William Joy (1882 – aft 1911) stayed in Ireland

               Margaret Joy (1885 – 1888) died in Ireland, age 2 – 3

Judith, Patrick and Mary Helebert all left Ireland well after the Great Famine (1845 – 1849), at the height of the second wave of Irish immigration (1880’s).  They were looking for a new life, and joined thousands of other Irishmen and women crossing the Atlantic. Family ties were strong, however, and the three siblings settled in the same town – Chester, PA! Note: I have been unable to find any other mention of Bridget Helebert (b. 1863). My guess is that she died in infancy or childhood.

In fact, 5 of Eliza Quinn’s 11 children left Ireland and they all settled in Chester or Upland, Delaware County, PA. Elizabeth Joy Mahoney and Judith Helebert O’Brien were neighbors (Chester, Ward 9). They all were members of Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church and many are buried in same graveyard as Patrick Hilbert, Mary Corbett Hilbert, Margaret Mary Hilbert McGovern and Leo McGovern. Margaret McGovern Saiauskie said that she remembered some of the Joy children – “They were cousins of my mother”. I’ve found a photo of Maurice Joy – a handsome fellow to be sure!

Eliza Quinn Helebert Joy died on December 8, 1911. In April, 1911, she participated in the Irish Census even though she could neither read nor write. The town in which she lived her entire adult life is “Laghtea/Laughtea” – there were a total of 9 houses! The Parish was Casteltownarra, County Tipperary.

The 1911 Census lists the members of her household (House No. 7 of 9) as follows:

               Eliza Joy, age 72, widow

               William Joy, age 28, Son

               Kate Foley, age 30, daughter

               Thomas Foley, age 31, son-in-law

               Sara Foley, age 12, grand-daughter

House No. 7 was of brick, stone or concrete construction (not mud), had a slate or tile roof (not thatched), had 2 windows at the front, and 2 – 4 rooms. Eliza’s occupation is listed as “farmer” and she owned land. She owned a “cow house” and a barn as well as the house. Her son and son-in-law were farm laborers.

House No. 4 of 9 belonged to James Foley, age 60 and his wife Sara (age 57) who may have been Thomas Foley’s parents. They had a similar house, and their outbuildings were “stable, cow house and piggery”.

Eliza Quinn Helebert Joy left a will. In keeping with Irish custom, she designated one beneficiary, her daughter Kate Foley. Her estate was valued at 60 Irish pounds.

Rest with the angels, Leo.