Beeks line: The family (or part of it) of Timothy Martin 1798-?

There will only be one post in this line, because this is one of the brick walls we are facing.  It's frustrating, because his children, at least some of them, lived within a few miles of our current location, and they should not be hard to trace.  Some are very difficult indeed, and I will have nothing but a general birth date based on census records.  Others I am giving a somewhat educated guess on.  There are some that I feel more confident about.  I will try to indicate clearly which is which.

Timothy was born about 1798 in Vermont, according to the 1850 census, or 1810 in New York, in other records.  Take your pick.  I've recently found records of a Timothy Martin who bought land in Whitingham, Windham County, Vermont in 1796, but have not yet been able to determine whether the two Timothy Martins might be related.  We do know that Timothy Martin married Hannah Tilberry (various spellings) in Shelby County, Ohio.  She may be the daughter of Jacob and Barbara Voelker Tilberry, although that isn't proven yet.  Their first two, and possibly three, children were born in Ohio before the family moved to Lagro, Wabash County, Indiana in the early 1840s. And once again, the family may not be complete, as they married in 1833 and the first child wasn't born until about 1838.  I have no death date for Timothy or for Hannah, but neither is found in the 1870 census.  

John, middle initial W, is the first son we have record of.  He was in the 1860 census in his parents' household, and then I cannot trace him any further.  I don't think he is the John Martin who married Ellen Ann Smallwood, as later records from Chester Township, Wabash County, Indiana, show that John Martin as being "colored".  

Mary Ann Martin was born about 1840.  There is a Mary Ann Martin who married Jesse L Cramer in Wabash County in November of 1860, so after the census that was taken showing her as living with her parents.   If this is our Mary Ann, in 1870 she and Jesse were living in Antioch (now Andrews), Huntington County, Indiana and they had four children-John, Ellen, Mary, and Rosettie.  Jesse is the son of Laurence and Anna Maria Lehman Cramer.  There is a Jesse Cramer who served in the Civil War and is buried at Hartford City, Blackford County, Indiana, but any birth or death dates are no longer visible, and if this is Jesse, I don't know what happened to Mary Ann, or when.  Or, of course, whether this is even the correct Mary Ann.  If you know, let me know, please!!

Eli was born in September 1841 and died sometime after 1900.  He was drafted into the Civil War during the last months of the war, along with several other men in our tree from Wabash County.  He married Elizabeth Wise, daughter of Andrew and Mary Serfass Wise, shortly before leaving for Army duty.  Their known children are John and Timothy.

Ellen was born May 3, 1843 and died in July, 1918 in Wabash County, Indiana.  Her first husband is Joseph Snyder, the son of Joseph and Phebe Pulley Snyder.  I find three children for them-Ullysses, Mary, and Elsworth, but her census records show that she had 8 children, 6 of them living in 1910 so I am missing some.  After Joseph died, she married William Utley, the son of Joseph Utley and an unknown mother.  This marriage was in 1908 so there were no children from this marriage.  

Matilda was born in 1846 and died in 1876 in Wabash County, Indiana.  She married David Wise, the son of Andrew and Mary Serfass Wise.  (See Eli Martin, above, who married a daughter of this same couple.) Their children are Andrew, Hannah, Elizabeth, John Philip, and Martin.  

Timothy is pretty much a mystery.  He was born about 1846 (some give his birth date as August 6, 1847).  He is credited with three wives although I am not sure that this is the same Timothy in each marriage.  Perhaps his wife is Elizabeth Boman or Bowman, the daughter of Levi and Elizabeth Stout Bowman.  It is possible that Clarinda is their child. There is a Timothy Martin whose gravestone indicates a birth date of 1847 and a death year of 1931 buried in Jackson, Jackson County, Ohio.  I do not know whether or not this is our Timothy.  Again, is you know something, and can shed some light on any other possible wives and children, please contact me!

Elizabeth was born in 1851 and died in 1929 in Union Township, Huntington County, Indiana.  She married first John Culver, the son of Garrett and Caroline Mendenhall Culver.  Their children are Caroline, John, William, and perhaps Daniel.  She next married John Burgett, and finally Thomas Jefferson Brown, who was called by his middle name.  

Robert was born next, about 1854.  I find no record that I can positively identify for him after the 1860 census, so he may have died young.

Finally Isaac was born in 1857.  He died in 1909 in Lagro, Wabash County, Indiana.  He was single and I haven't found records of a marriage, although of course there could have been one.

This was an interesting and frustrating generation to research.  Some of these men served in the Civil War, on the Union side.  Society would say none of them seemed to amount to much, but society would be wrong.  They helped build our country and their children mostly climbed a step or two up the ladder.  I hope they all found joy in their lives and in their families.   

 

The family of John Wilson Knott 1836-1927

This was a terribly sad post to research, and it's a sad one to write.  Lots of our ancestors in the distant past had to deal with many losses of children, and although I feel a little tug at my heart as I learn of them, this family is much closer to me in time, and I have recollections of two of the "children", my grandmother and my grand uncle.  This one just plain hurts.

John Wilson Knott was born in 1836 in Jamestown, Steuben County, Indiana, the son of Thomas J and Hannah Bell Knott.  Thomas moved from place to place as part of his job, but I think Wilson, as he was known, probably thought of Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa as his home.  His mother and several of his siblings are buried there, and John and his wife are buried there also.  John's wife is Harriet Clarissa Starr, the daughter of John and Clarissa Falley Starr, and they were married in Tipton, where the Starr family had lived for decades.  

John probably profited from being moved from pillar to post so often during his childhood, because he continued that pattern his entire life.  As a Presbyterian pastor, he led at least 17 different congregations. I've written of his life before, but am mentioning it again here because the people I'm really writing about, his children, would have moved frequently also.  This is true, at least, of the ones who survived. If you're a family member reading this, grab the tissues!

The first son born to John and Harriet is Alfred.  He was born in 1863 in Tipton and died in 1865 in Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa.   

Herbert, called Bertie, was born in 1865 and died in 1879 in Shiloh Township, Jefferson County, Illinois.  Apparently his family was visiting his grandparents, and the newspaper account says that he died of poisoning.  Worse, it said that his mother had mistakenly given him arsenic, when she thought she was giving him his quinine medicine.   I can not begin to imagine the pain his mother must have felt, and how this could have affected her marriage.  

Walter Leroy was born in 1867.  He did live to adulthood, married, and had children, but his is not a happy story either.  He married Estella Huntington, the daughter of Septimius and Ruth Pherson Huntington.  They had three children together, Jane, Ruth, and Paul.  However, the marriage didn't work out and Leroy left the family.  The distress pushed his wife into severe mental illness, and she was institutionalized for what appears to be the rest of her life.  Leroy didn't remarry.  He died in 1930 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

Robert was born in 1870 in Mechanicsville, Cedar County, Iowa.  He married Nellie Burkhalter, the daughter of Henry and Hannah Dutro Burkhalter.  I have found no record of children for them, but it's possible that there were children who were born and died between census records.  Robert died in 1930 in Salt Lake City, Utah and my father knew him.  

Mary was born in 1872 in Lodi, Columbia County, Wisconsin and died in 1894 in Holdrege, Nebraska of "quick consumption".  She had begun a promising career as a concert soprano and her parents must have been heartbroken.

Anna was born in 1874 and died less than two years later, both in Lodi, Columbia, Wisconsin. Cause of death is "cholera infantum".

Edith was born in 1878 in Lodi, Wisconsin.  She married Edward Allen, the son of George and Nancy McCoy Allen.  He was a school teacher at the time and she the pastor's daughter, newly arrived in Soda Springs, Idaho.  Their children are Forest, Vernon, Tessora, Corinne, Edith, and Richard.  Edith died in 1954 in Salt Lake City, Utah, so she was the first of the children to have a long and mostly happy life.  

George was the next born, in 1880.  He was born in Anna, Union County, Illinois, and died in 1967 in Independence, Polk County, Oregon, where he was a physician for many years.  He married Martha Fratzke, the daughter of Johann August and Charlotte Tetzloff Fratzke, and they have three daughters-Margaret, Helen and Frances.  

Finally, John was born in 1882 and died in 1886 in Sweetland Township, Muscatine County, Iowa.  As far as we know, this was their last child, and it is always sad to lose the youngest.  

I should mention that there is a four year gap between children, between Anna and Edith.  Since the other children were born approximately every two years, it is possible that there was an unsuccessful pregnancy during this time.  Or perhaps Harriet was in need of a rest.

Wilson and Harriet are both buried in Tipton, Iowa, after dying in Oregon.  I feel sure that George paid for their funerals and burial, for in serving the Lord all those years, the only treasures they laid up are those in heaven.  I can't stop thinking about this family, about the love and faith that sustained them through all the sorrows in their life together.  They were amazing people.   

 

 

 

The family of Thomas J Knott 1808-1887

Tracing the family of Thomas Knott means chasing all over the country, basically.  Thomas is the son of Joseph and Mary Adams Knott, and was born in 1808,  His parents had moved from Pennsylvania to Jefferson County, Ohio, very early, and Thomas was born there, near Steubenville.  The family later moved to Richland County, Ohio, and Thomas married Hannah Bell there.  She is the daughter of John and Hannah Finch Bell.

Thomas was a man who couldn't stay in one place for long, partly for reasons of business (he was a millwright who built mills, ran them for a short time, and then moved on), and partly because he seems to have had a wanderlust.  During his lifetime he lived in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Nevada, and Illinois, and he made several trips to Nevada/California,at least once overland and other times by sea. His life is interesting and I've written about it in a previous post.  

However, he was home often enough to start and raise a family.  We're told that he and Hannah had 9 children.  I've been able to name 8, but I'm still missing one.  As mentioned, his children settled all over the country.  

The first born was Anna, born in 1830.  She married William Fesler, so far not identified further.  They had one son, George, before Anna's death in 1852 in Jonesville, Hillsdale County, Michigan.    

Elzy Hedges (apparently named for a storekeeper in Richland County, Ohio) was born in 1832.  He married Mary Elizabeth Harris.  All that is known of her background is that she grew up in South Wales.  Sadly, Elzy was murdered in 1859 in Genoa, Douglas County, Nevada, where he had settled and where his parents planned to move until the sadness of his death changed their minds.  Mary gave birth to a daughter, Elzyette, a few months after Elzy's death.  

John Wilson, who used the name "Wilson", was born in 1836 and died in 1927 in Salem, Marion County, Ohio.  He married Harriet Clarissa Starr, the daughter of John and Clarissa Falley Starr.  Their children are Herbert, Alfred, Walter, Robert, Mary, Anna, Edith, George, and John, and I will write more of this family in my next blog post.

Harriet was born in 1838  and died in 1840 at Jamestown, Steuben County, Indiana, where Thomas and Hannah were living.

Thomas Knott was the first of the children to have a long life.  He was born in 1840 and died in 1921 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.  He was twice married, first to Elizabeth Simmermaker and then to Mary Simmermaker.  The women are cousins.  Elizabeth's parents are Philip and Margaret Beach Simmermaker, and Mary's are George and Aley Henderson Simmermaker.  There are no known children from the first marriage, and two, Fred and Clara, from the second.  

Louisa was born in 1873 and died in 1927 in Oak Park, Cook County, Illinois.  She married Benjamin Weaver, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Charles Weaver.  Their children are Ella May, Harriet known as Hattie, and Mary Etta.  

James was born February 10, 1846, and no more is heard of him, not being listed in the 1850 census.  He must have died as a baby or very young child. 

The last child we know of is Albert Adams, born in 1848 and died in 1947 in Vallejo, Solano County, California.  He married Margaret Welty, the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Bitzch Welty.  Their children are Elaz, Franklin, Albert, and Elizabeth. 

If the nine children is an accurate tally, then there is one child missing.  Since he or she doesn't show up on a census, it is likely that the child did not live long, and was possibly born after the 1850 census although it could have been earlier.  I like to read about Thomas as he left more records than many of our ancestors, but it's Hannah who has my heart.  She had to be mother and father to the children as Thomas traveled so much.  It's a reminder that our female ancestors deserve our respect and admiration. They didn't have it easy.