The family of Darlington Dart Aldridge 1821-1859

Darlington, apparently known as Dart, was born in 1821 in Clermont County, Ohio and died in 1859 in Rush County, Indiana.  His parents, John Simpson and Lucinda Wheeler Aldridge (John was John Simpson Jr.) moved to Rush County in the middle 1820s and so Darlington probably had no memories of the early years in Ohio.  He married Leah Folsom, daughter of Jeremiah and Sally Lock Folsom, in 1841, when he was just 20 years old, and they were married for 18 years when he died just two days past his 38th birthday.  But in those 18 years of marriage, Dart and Leah had at least 10 children to love, provide for, and raise.

Mary was the first born daughter, in 1842. She married Samuel Walker, whom I am not yet able to further identify, except for a possibility that he was living in the home of Elisha and Mary Bever in 1850 in Rush County, Indiana and was fifteen at the time of the census. (I have not proven that this is Mary's Samuel, only that it is a possibility.) Their children are Joseph, Thomas, Richard, Mary, Francis, James, Emma, and Amy.  Mary died in 1878, so her life was a short one also.

Next born was Lucinda, born in 1845.  Lucinda married John E. Spurgeon, the son of Joseph and Fanney Lane Spurgeon.  Their children are Leah, Ida, May, Alma, Joseph, Asa, Minnie, Richard and Frederick.  Lucinda lived until 1920 in Hamilton County, Indiana.

Francis was the first born son, in 1846.  Sadly, he lived just 22 years.  He married Mary Jane Campbell, the daughter of James and Rebecca Wasson Campbell.  Their children are Leah and Pearl, Pearl being born a month after her father died.  (Mary Jane then married Sanford Spurgeon, the brother of John above, and had several children with him.)

Next born was son, John, in 1847 or 1848.  He married Sidenia Innis, the daughter of Thompson and Sarah Askren Innis.  Their children are Elva, Myrtle, Sarah, and Leah.  He died in 1924 in Hamilton County, Indiana.

Jeremiah was born in 1849.  He married three times.  His first marriage was to Synthia Francis Jones, the daughter of Thomas and Zerilda Montgomery Jones.  They had a daughter, Hannah, but Synthia died shortly after her birth.  Jeremiah then married Julia Hemerly, who I cannot yet further identify.  Their children are Newton, William, and Dudley.  Sadly, Julia died giving birth to Dudley.  Jeremiah's  last wife was Anna Marie Wheeler, the daughter of Evan and Christina Runshe Aldridge.  Their children are Howard, Ethel, Irene, Hazel, and Emery. Jeremiah died in 1920 in Huntington County, Indiana, where he had lived for about six years.  

Next was James, born in 1851.  He married Rebecca Deal, the daughter of Henry and Anna Stroup Deal.  Their children are Cora, William, Edward, Maggie, Blanche, and Carl.  James died in 1924.

Alonzo was born in 1853 and died in 1924.  He married Hannah J. Watson, the daughter of William and Lavina Chaney Watson.  Their children are Rosetta, Walter, John, Philip, Curtis, and Nina.  

A mystery surrounds their son Richard.  He was born in 1854 and is noted on the 1860 census, but after that I haven't been able to locate him.  He may have died at a young age, or left home and was not heard from again.  His name is intriguing though, because some have suggested that Richard was the name of Jeremiah Folsom's father, with no proof that I can find.

Harvey was the last son, born in 1857.  He married Margaret Catherine Dunham, the daughter of Samuel G and Eliza Matilda Reese Dunham, who is the family connection to the common ancestor to former President Barack Obama.  Their children are Samuel, Frank, Lula, Della, Dorothy, Gretta Cleo, and Roy.  Harvey died in Huntington County in 1930, and I will write more of his family in my next post.

Finally, there was an unnamed daughter who was born in 1858 and died before the 1860 census.  Leah, Dart's widow, was left with a houseful of children, and grief for both Dart and the unnamed daughter, but eventually Dart and Leah's grandchildren totaled at least 51, and surely Leah took joy in them.