Friday Finds: Uriah Wheaton's Mare 1807

From the Scioto Gazette (Ohio) July 30, 1807

Article from the Scioto Gazette  30 Jul 1807

TAKEN up by Uriah Wheaton, an iron gray mare, about fourteen and a half hands high, three years old, trots, has a small star in her forehead, the near hind foot white, a number of gray hairs in the end of her tail. 

Appraised to twenty dollars.

     ARCH. GUTHERY,

     GEO. GUTHERY. Appraisers.

July 15th, 1807.

Ross county, Pe Pee township. I do certify the above to be a true copy from my estray book.

      JOHN GUTHERY, J. P.

July 25th, 1807.

Uriah Wheaton of Pee Pee Township, Ross Co., Ohio was my paternal fourth great grandfather. His will can be seen at this link:

Amanuensis Monday: The Will of Uriah Wheaton 1811

Article found in the wee hours of the morning, after upgrading my free library edition of Genealogy Bank to the full edition. I do love finding these little tidbits of my family history. I also learned something new: an "estray book" is a book where they kept a record of stray animals found in the county. Finder's Keepers!

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Capt. Joseph L. Townsend: 1812 New Jersey Militia

I am certainly pleased that my husband and I decided to make a visit to the EVANS Public Library (named for a descendant of my paternal 5th great grandfather, Jeremiah Evans) on our recent trip that included a 3 day stop in Vandalia, Illinois. I am even more pleased that I had my trusty Flip-Pal portable scanner with me. I discovered the library houses a large collection of the Fayette County Historical Society's publication called "Fayette Facts". For over a dozen years I had owned all the Fayette Facts that had previously been offered by the FCHS as back issues to the public...about 25 of them. But when I looked on the library shelf there were a good 40-50 issues there and most of them were copies I did not have in my personal library. I pulled them all from the shelf and sat down at an empty table and started going through the indexes for my surnames: Evans, Miller, Owen, Patterson and Townsend. It was Wednesday, June 1 and being a week day morning it was quiet in there, but my Flip-Pal was smokin'!

By far the most surprising and exciting item concerned my paternal 3rd great grandfather's military service and was found in Fayette Facts, Vol. 38, No. 4, pg. 36:

"WAR OF 1812 VETERANS BURIED IN FAYETTE COUNTY

            Joseph L. Townsend, born 1796 and died 1875 was a Captain in the New Jersey Militia. He married Christianna Wheaton and is buried at Howard's Point, Howard Township, according to Daughters of the War of 1812 records.

            Howard Township is now known as Avena and a check of these burial records indicated that Christianna Townsend, wife of J. L., died August 28, 1872, aged 74 years 10 months and 22 days and is buried in Yolton Cemetery. Joseph's grave is probably here as well."

            

Prior to seeing this short article I had found no clues of any military service for Joseph, not that I hadn't tried to find them. His family was from Quaker stock back in New Jersey but after they came to Illinois it appears they left that faith behind so there shouldn't have been a refrain from serving due to religious views, but I still failed to produce anything showing a service record for Joseph. This find was certainly a lucky break! It just goes to prove what I've heard over and over again: 95% of genealogical information is found in repositories other than the Internet.

A search on Ancestry.com's War of 1812 Service Records turned up two entries for a Joseph Townsend in the New Jersey Militia.  One shows a Captain in Read's Battalion and the other shows a Private in Howell's Regiment. Nothing about the online records proves to me that either of these entries is for MY Joseph Townsend. I guess the Daughters of the War of 1812 have already done this investigation for me. I'd certainly like to see a copy of the records myself though!

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Tombstone Tuesday: Christianna Townsend

Christianna Wheaton Townsend  

October 6, 1797 - August 28, 1872

Wife of Joseph L. Townsend, daughter of Uriah Wheaton

buried Yolton Cemetery, Avena Township, Fayette County., Illinois

My paternal third great grandmother.

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Surname Saturday: TOWNSEND

Joseph L. Townsend 1795 - 1875

Joseph L. Townsend was born November 11, 1795 in New Jersey. Earlier genealogists placed him as Joseph Ludlam Townsend, the son of Daniel Townsend, Jr. and Hannah Lord Townsend of Cape May Co., New Jersey. Daniel was the great grandson of Richard Townsend, the oldest of the three well researched Oyster Bay Townsend brothers.

I have not yet seen actual proof that my ancestor is the son of Daniel and Hannah. Perhaps someone will see this article and provide me with that proof. I suppose I am in some agreement since my Joseph named his first two children Daniel and Hannah. The fact he was born in New Jersey and that his middle initial is L. adds even more interest in that direction. I have yet to find a document where Joseph's middle name is spelled out.

Joseph married Christiana Wheaton, daughter of Uriah Wheaton, on April 18, 1921 in Pike Co., Ohio. Christiana's mother, as far as I know, has not yet been identified for certain. Some say her mother's name was Margaret but I believe they have her confused with Margaret Macky who was Uriah's second wife and not the mother of Christiana, and I have also seen it said that her mother was Margaret Wheaton, first cousin of Uriah. The second two children of Joseph and Christiana were named Eleanor and Uriah W. Christiana's grandmother was Eleanor (Elinor) and her grandfather was also named Uriah.

Two more children were born to Joseph and Christiana, my ancestor Lewis and then William H.

I have been able to identify this family in the 1830 census in Sunfish, Pike Co., Ohio and again in the 1840 census in Roundhead, Hardin Co., Ohio. All children born by those dates are accounted for with the addition, in 1830 only, of two female children that I have not yet identified. William was born shortly after the 1840 census so he does not appear until 1850.

In the 1850 census we find this family in Effingham Co., Illinois. Joseph purchased land there in 1850 and again in 1853. It should be noted that in 1850 Uriah W., who was born in 1832, is clearly listed on the census sheet as "David". For years this threw me off. I searched and searched for anything I could find on David and never found a thing. And why was Uriah missing? I couldn't find Uriah anywhere in 1850. When I was able to identify this family in the 1840 census I realized the name David on the 1850 census was just a simple, but glaring, error. There was only one male child for that age slot listed for this family in the 1840 census and that could only have been Uriah.

In 1856 Joseph, Christiana, Uriah W., Lewis, and William H. all appear on the Benton Co., Iowa State census. The two oldest children, Daniel and Hannah, were both married by this time and were living with their families in Fayette Co., Illinois. In 1857 Joseph purchased land in Benton county.

In 1860 through 1870 Joseph and Christiana are back in Illinois, not in Effingham county this time but near Daniel and Hannah and their families in the neighboring county of Fayette. They took up residence in Sefton Township. Christiana died in Sefton on August 28, 1872 and is buried in the Yolton Cemetery. Joseph died almost two and a half years later on March 19, 1875 and I presume he is also buried in the same cemetery with his wife and other family members but apparently there is no stone or record of his burial.

The children of Joseph and Christiana

Daniel md. Evelina Scoles. They had 8 children and lived in Fayette Co., IL

Hannah md. Abel Scoles (brother of Evelina) and had 7 children. Hannah died in Prowers Co., CO

Eleanor md. George Washington Phifer. They had 8 children and lived in Effingham Co., IL then moved to Sumner Co., KS and later to Bates Co., MO

Uriah W. md. Mary Ann Cameron. They had 8 children and lived in Fayette Co., IL

Lewis md. Mary Ann Patterson and they had 9 children and lived in Fayette Co., IL (Their son Andrew Melvin Townsend was my great grandfather.)

William H. - no information found on William after 1860, however there is a William Townsend who was killed in the Civil War on March 7, 1864 and buried in the Mound City National Cemetery in Pulaski Co., IL who needs to be researched.

There may have been other children born to the children of Joseph and Christiana but these 40 are all that I have found.

My paternal great, great grandparents Lewis and Mary Ann Patterson Townsend  Fayette Co., Illinois

Written for submission to the Townsend Society of America Genealogical Journal

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Amanuensis Monday: The Will of Uriah Wheaton 1811

Uriah Wheaton

b. bet. 1740-1750 - d. October 1811

About Amanuensis Monday: John Newmark, who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog started a Monday Blog Theme called "Amanuensis Monday". John defines "amanuensis" as "a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

Will of Uriah Wheaton

In the name of God, Amen.

I, Uriah Wheaton of Pee Pee Township, Ross County and State of Ohio, Farmer, being very sick and weak in body but in perfect mind and memory thanks be given unto God, calling to mind the mortality of the body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament; that is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul unto the hand of almighty God that gave it and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in a Christian and decent burial at the discretion of my executor, nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God as touching my worldly estate which it has pleased God to bless me in this life, I give demise and dispose of this same in the following manner and form: First I give and bequeath to my son Humphrey Wheaton three dollars after my lawful debts are paid off, deducting such requisitions as are here after mentioned, whom I constitute, make and ordain my sole executor of this my last will and testament, to my dearly beloved wife Margaret such as the law directs, to my daughter Rebecca Peniston three dollars, to my son James three dollars, to my son Lewis three dollars, to my daughter Pricilla Keen three dollars, to my daughter Abigail Park three dollars, to my two youngest daughters Christiana and Mary the remainder of my estate to be equally divided between them.

Signed, sealed, published, pronounced and delivered by the said Uriah Wheaton as his last will and testament who in his presence and the presence of each of them have hereunto subscribed our names. Done the 24th of August 1811. 

Uriah Wheaton

William Thornburgh

Daniel Rotrock

Samuel Henry

Uriah Wheaton was my paternal fourth great grandfather. His daughter Christiana married Joseph Ludlam Townsend. More on this lineage can be found in the notes at the bottom of my blog: An Original 1827 Ohio Wolf Bounty Claim.

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Wordless Wednesday: Townsend - Patterson Marriage License 1863

Marriage License
Lewis Townsend and Mary Ann Patterson

October 18, 1863 - Fayette Co., Illinois

Lewis Townsend was son of Joseph Ludlam and Christiana Wheaton Townsend. Mary Ann Patterson was the daughter of Robert and Mary Root Patterson. For more information on this lineage see the notes at the bottom of my blog 

"An Original 1827 Ohio Wolf Bounty Claim"

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An Original 1827 Ohio Wolf Bounty Claim

Original 1827 Wolf Bounty Claim of my 3rd great granduncle 

Humphrey Wheaton b. 1778


Here's something you don't see everyday!

"State of Ohio, Pike County; Before me Hallam Hempstead Clk of the Court of common pleas for the county aforesaid this day personally come Humphrey Wheaton and after being duly sworn deposeth and saith that the seven scalps now produced by him are the scalps of wolves that were taken and killed within this county by him within twenty days last past and that he verily believes that six of the same are under the age of six months and one over the age of six months and that he has not spared the life of any she wolf within his power to kill with a design to increase the breed and further saith not. Sworn to and subscribed before me May 19th 1827. H. Hempstead. Humphrey Wheaton."

This item was an accidental find while googling "Humphrey Wheaton" on the Internet. A man was selling some things from his grandmother's collection. He did not know why she had it or any story on it other than his grandmother like to collect such things. We quickly haggled price and came to one we could both agree on...my lucky day!

Note: For those in my family who do not know how we connect to the Wheatons....my father, Robert Leroy Wallen's mother was Iva Illinois Townsend. Her father was Andrew Melvin Townsend, his father was Lewis Townsend. Lewis's mother was Christiana Wheaton. Christiana's brother was Humphrey, the subject of this blog.

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