Wordless Wednesday - My Heirloom

Here's a sneak peek.....

Tombstone Tuesday - Rebecca Ann (Swan) Plymell (1839-1882) (and a surprise!)

To the left is the tombstone of Rebecca Ann (Swan) Plymell. She was born 6 Jan 1839, probably in Champaign Co., OH, and was the daughter of James Swan and Jane Taylor.

She married James Fuller Plymell, the son of James Plymell and Margaret ??, on 11 Jan 1855 in Crawford Co., IL. She and James had nine children (born in Crawford Co. IL and Jasper Co. IL) before the couple and their children moved to Paradise, Wise Co., TX.

Rebecca died in Paradise on 9 Jan 1882. She is buried at the Paradise Cemetery.

I'll be featuring Rebecca and her family -- as well as other members of her husband's family -- in my next series of posts. They are part of a fascinating string of letters sent between Texas and Illinois between 1881 and 1926. They allow us a unique glimpse into the prairie Texas life, yes, but they also illuminate some very human emotions. It's obvious how much those who'd left missed those who'd stayed behind.

In addition to the letter, I will also feature a VERY unique family heirloom. Have you ever wished you could somehow make copies of your ancestors and ask them all sorts of questions? I can't tell you how many times I've looked at my heirloom and thought, "If I just had the talent and the money, I could do just that!"

(Late!) Saturday Funtime - The "Sweet 16"

I had fun tonight working up my "Sweet 16" -- the g-g-g-grandparent assignment that Randy Seaver of GeneaMusings had given us over the weekend. As usual, I turn mine in late. I wonder if this means I'm still a member of the "Procrastinator's Club" from my high school Chemistry class?

1) List your 16 great-great-grandparents in pedigree chart order. List their birth and death years and places.
2) Figure out the dominant ethnicity or nationality of each of them.
3) Calculate your ancestral ethnicity or nationality by adding them up for the 16 - 6.25% for each (obviously, this is approximate).
4) If you don't know all 16 of your great-great-grandparents, then do it for the last full generation you have.
5) Write your own blog post, or make a comment on Facebook or in this post.


Here's mine:

1. James Madison Swan, son of James Swan and Jane Taylor: born 8 Dec 1844 in Champaign Co., OH; married 5 Aug 1873 in Crawford Co., IL; died 26 May 1876 in Crawford Co., IL and was buried in the Wesley Chapel Cemetery, Montgomery Twn., Crawford Co., IL. ENGLISH.

2. Eliza Ursula Nichols, daughter of Joseph Nichols and Delinda Jane Plymell: born 6 Jul 1847 in Duncanville, Crawford Co., IL; died 16 Feb 1931 in Robinson, Crawford County, IL and was buried in the New Hebron Cemetery, LaMotte Twn., Crawford Co., IL.

3. Joseph Browning, son of James Browning and Jane Nevitt: born 2 Jun 1842 in Tippecanoe, Harrison Co., OH; married 13 Mar 1866 in Palestine, Crawford Co., IL; died 24 Jun 1916 in Palestine, Crawford Co., IL and was buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Palestine, Crawford Co., IL. ENGLISH?

4. Almarena Mathewson, daughter of Daniel Mathewson and Mary Brimberry: born 29 Nov 1846 in Palestine, Crawford Co., IL; died 6 May 1886 in Crawford Co., IL and was buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Palestine, Crawford Co., IL. SCOTCH?

5. William A. Garrard, son of William Garrard and Rebecca Dunlap: born 30 Oct 1822 in Hardinville, Crawford Co., IL; married 5 Apr 1849 in Crawford Co., IL; died 25 Nov 1864 in Crawford Co., IL and was buried in the Haskin Cemetery, Honey Creek Twn., Crawford Co., IL. FRENCH.

6. Mariah Elizabeth Haskin, daughter of Robert Cochran Haskin and Martha Elizabeth 'Betsy' White: born 10 Apr 1830 in Crawford Co., IL; died 16 Feb 1868 in Crawford Co., IL and was buried in the Haskin Cemetery, Honey Creek Twn., Crawford Co., IL. ENGLISH.

7. David Newton Eagleton, son of James Eagleton and Margaret J. Montgomery: born 18 Apr 1825 in Edgar Co., IL; married 6 Nov 1851 in Crawford Co., IL; died 28 Dec 1878 in Crawford Co., IL and was buried in the Eaton/Grand Prairie Cemetery, Crawford Co., IL. SCOTCH.

8. Margaret Jane Conrad, daughter of James Conrad and Charity Shook: born 6 May 1834 in Crawford Co., IL; died 8 Oct 1878 in Crawford Co., IL and was buried in the Eaton/Grand Prairie Cemetery, Crawford Co., IL. DUTCH.

9. Herman Depperman: born unknown; married unknown; died bef 1900. buried unknown. GERMAN.

10. Henrietta Sennhausen, daughter of Jacob Sennhausen and Wilhemina Schultz: born 11 May 1840 in Germany; died 13 Feb 1918 in Peotone, Will Co., IL and was buried in the Peotone Cemetery, Peotone, Will Co., IL. GERMAN.

11. August Carl Papstein, son of Friedrich Papstein and Wilhemina Koplen: born 6 Sep 1864 in Neu Lobitz, Kreiß Dramburg, Hinterpommern, Germany; married 17 Oct 1887 in Neu Lobitz, Kreiß Dramburg, Hinterpommern, Germany; died 20 Nov 1946 in Peotone, Will Co., IL and was buried in the Peotone Cemetery, Peotone, Will Co., IL. GERMAN.

12. Anna Marie Louise Koehn, daughter of Johann Koehn and Johanna Vierkow: born 9 Jun 1868 in Neu Lobitz, Kreiß Dramburg, Hinterpommern, Germany; died 26 Apr 1952 in Peotone, Will Co., IL and was buried in the Peotone Cemetery, Peotone, Will Co., IL. GERMAN.

13. Barton Warren Hamilton, son of John Hamilton and Mary Ann Zumwalt: born 20 Mar 1848 in Harrison Co., KY; married 5 Jan 1882 in Latona, Jasper Co., IL; died 10 Mar 1912 in Jasper Co., IL and was buried in the Tate Cemetery near Bogota, Jasper Co., IL. ENGLISH.

14. Clementine Jeannette George, daughter of David George and Martha H. Clark: born 27 Sep 1863 in Richland Co., IL; died 14 Apr 1942 in Peotone, Will Co., IL and was buried in the Onarga Cemetery, Onarga, Iroquois Co., IL.

15. William T. Dow, son of Lorenzo Dow and Susan Baker: born 12 Jan 1871 in Latona, North Muddy Twn., Jasper Co., IL ; married 26 Sep 1889 in Jasper Co., IL; died 28 Nov 1943 in Effingham, Effingham Co., IL and was buried in the Trexler Cemetery, Jasper Co., IL.

16. Clarissa May Newell, daughter of Robert Newell and Mary Armour and adopted daughter of Henry Lesser and Lovie Jane Whitehurst: born 20 Jan 1873 in Latona, North Muddy Twn., Jasper Co., IL; died 12 Oct 1941 in Effingham, Effingham Co., IL and was buried in the Trexler Cemetery, Jasper Co., IL.


So this means I am......

4/16ths English (25%)
4/16ths German (25%)
4/16ths unknown (25%)
2/16ths Scotch (12.5%)
1/16th French (6.25%)
1/16th Dutch (6.25%)


This was so much fun! I now know that I need to do some more research on my mother's side of the family. I'm woefully lopsided; my dad's family has been easier because of the amount of information that was available to me via my grandmother Beulah. Well, shame on me!

Browning v. Beck Pt 9 - What A Web We Weave

I've learned much more about the Brownings than I could have hoped to learn by taking the time to research and analyze the Browning v. Beck cases brought up by Samuel and Julia Ann.

Far and away, the most important aspect of both cases are the statements made by Samuel and Julia Ann. To my knowledge, Samuel Browning never left a will. I've looked for his will in Crawford County and the surrounding counties (Shelby County was the county he and his second wife were residing in at the time of his death and the county his youngest daughter's daughter said he died in) with no luck. Since I've been able to find no will I considered he might have died intestate, so of course I've also looked into probate records. Nothing. In birth he seems to have hatched and in death he seems to have simply faded away. It's frustrating...

The legal statement he made for this case then, is very important to me. Considering my lack of any other written documentation, this statement is the best proof I have that Samuel was Julia Ann's father. I have implied sources like census records and the statement "dau of S&M Browning" on Julia Ann's tombstone, but this document states their relationship clearly.

Julia's statement, taken side by side with Samuel's, demonstrates another important familial link. Julia states that she was with her sister Rachel. One could infer from this -- and I do -- that Rachel is also Samuel's daughter. Couple this with Rachel's appearance on census records with Samuel and Margaret and I have a fairly good circumstantial case for saying that Rachel is also a daughter of Samuel Browning and Margaret Markee.

There are other relationships that these two statements help to bolster by contributing that extra layer of circumstance. Rachel's son John Wesley McConnell is found in the 1870 census of Noble County, Indiana as a farmhand in the household of Isaac F. and Susannah Crago. Susannah's maiden name was Browning and this couple had been married in Crawford County, Illinois, where the Brownings had moved in the early 1850's. To all appearances, the fact that one of Rachel's sons was living in Isaac and Susannah's household certainly shores up the idea that Susannah (Browning) Crago was another of Samuel and Margaret's daughters.

Additionally, a young girl named Emma Hoy spent some time in Harrison County in 1870, visiting (or living for a time) with Rachel's family. Emma was the daughter of James Hoy and Margaret Browning. James and Margaret were found in the 1850 census of Tuscarawas Co., OH, living with Julia Ann and her husband, James Hoy's brother John Hoy. To find James and Margaret Hoy's daughter Emma staying with Rachel and her family is another circumstance that lends credence to the idea that Margaret, wife of James Hoy, is yet another of Samuel and Margaret's daughters.

I'm sure there are more hidden gems to this case that I have yet to discover. It's funny how one seemingly small thread of information can transform into a long and winding one weaving many different aspects of a family together. Finding these threads is one of the deepest sorts of pleasures of genealogy.

Browning v. Beck Pt 8 - The Cases Are Resolved

-->When we last left off, Samuel Browning had submitted his statement for his Trespass On The Case suit against James Beck, the man accused of fathering the child born to Samuel’s eldest daughter, 16-yr old Julia Ann. Julia Ann -- who herself was a plaintiff in a case of Bastardy against Beck -- had also submitted her statement. Counsel for both sides had been drawing up witness lists and filling out subpoenas for the witnesses they’d chosen to call for both cases. William Milligan, the sheriff of Harrison County, was given all the subpoenas to serve. He began serving them on 18 October for Julia Ann’s Bastardy suit and had finished serving them (either in writing or by reading them aloud) to all the witnesses by 27 October for Samuel’s Trespass On The Case suit.

Witnesses subpoened for Julia Ann’s suit were scheduled to attend court at 8 am on 24 October 1837, when the proceedings in the Bastardy case would begin. Witnesses subpoened for Samuel’s suit were scheduled to attend court at 8 am on 27 October 1837, when the proceedings in the Trespass On The Case trial would begin. All the witnesses (subpoened or not) had shown up at their appointed times by the morning of 27 October and were duly sworn in to give their testimony in the proceedings. Well…..all except one.

Hester Nash, one of the witnesses subpoened as a witness for the Defense in both Julia Ann’s Bastardy suit and Samuel’s Trespass suit did not show on 24 October as she’d been directed to do so by the court. On 28 October an attachment was made to the case files and the State of Ohio drafted its own case against Hester entitled, “The State Of Ohio vs. Hester Nash: Attachment for Contempt.” William Milligan sent his Deputy Sherriff, William Cady, to fetch Hester and bring her to court. He did as instructed and placed her bodily before the Court. The county held her in contempt and levied a $100 fine as well as charging her mileage, a service fee, and a charge that was called “bringing the lady up” that came to an additional $1.40.

I have to wonder……why didn’t she want to testify? Was she a friend of Julia’s?

The trials began as scheduled. I don’t have any documents pertaining to the substance of the trial testimony (I’m hoping that some of this might survive in the James Beck file (if there IS one! -- I’m busy checking that out) in the Harrison County Historical Society’s record vaults. The only records that I do have are those pertaining to the jurists chosen in each of the cases and the verdicts the respective juries handed down.

The jury convened in the matter of Julia Ann Browning vs. James Beck on 26 October 1837. James Christy, McCauslin McGonigle, Thomas Day, Emanuel Custer, John L. Layport, William Cunningham, George Foster, James Haverfield, Charles Patterson, George Day, James Matthias and David G. McGuire were chosen as the jurists. They heard testimony on the part of the Plaintiff and adjourned until the next morning. The following morning (27 October) they reconvened and heard testimony from the Defense before rendering their verdict: guilty as charged. Sentencing was to be at a later date.

The following day, on 28 October 1837, the jury convened in the matter of Samuel Browning vs. James Beck. Zadock Bliss, James D. Anderson, George Baker, Silvanus Lamb, Elzy Chaney, Peter Barger, Samuel Boland, Alexander Beall, John Layport, Robert Guinea, Ephraim Johnson and William Barrett were chosen as the jurists for the case. The panel heard testimony from both defense and plaintiff and rendered their verdict the same day: guilty in “manner and form.” He was sentenced to pay a sum of $100 in damages to Samuel.

It had been a rough two days for James Beck.

Beck’s lawyer, John Goodenow, filed a motion for a new trial in the case between his client and Julia Ann. The document he filed with the court is interesting but it is difficult to read in places. I’d welcome any translation of the words that I’ve left out! Anyway, the motion suggests that there was testimony given that might not place James Beck as the only man ever to share Julia Ann’s bed. I unfortunately don’t have the trial testimony itself but this little tease sure does make me wish I did! I’m sure it was very much a “he said/she said” case, hinging upon witness testimony, credibility, and whether or not Julia could convince the men sitting in judgement of her that she wasn’t a “loose woman” but a simple girl naïve enough to believe words a man would say to have his way with her. If Beck was a bit of a rounder (the other case against him in a matter similar to this comes to mind -- the case I thought I copied but did not, alas!) then his assumption of guilt would be even harder to surmount. Without DNA it would be nearly impossible to prove Beck’s case, and he does seem to have went into it at somewhat of a disadvantage.

The motion (see right) was as follows:

OHIO on complaint of JULIA ANN BROWNING vs. JAMES BECK

Complaint of Bastardy after Verdict of Guilty The Defendant, by his counsel, moves the Court here for a new trial, for the causes following: 1. that the credibility of the complaining witness was so far impeached as to render her testimony unsafe and insufficient uncorroborated, to sustain this issue before the jury.

2. that the evidences when altogether conclusively show that if the Defendant has connection with the complainant at the times she states, still he is not the father of the child.

3. that the case made out by the testimony entire is one which clearly entitles the Defendant to an acquittal.

4. that the verdict is against the evidence given to the jury and against the law governing the case.

Jno. M. Goodinow
atty for Defendant

In any event, the Court summarily overruled the motion on 30 October 1837. They sentenced him as follows:

“…do order that the said James Beck stand charged with the maintenance thereof as follows to wit: that he pay to the clerk of this court for the time being for the use of the mother of said child or other person having the care or maintenance thereof the sum of fifty-four dollars. And also that he pay weekly into the hands of the clerk of this court for the time being for the use aforesaid the sum of seventy-five cents for the period of five years from the expiration of the term of this court, provided the said weekly payments shall cease in case of the death of the said child, and it is further considered and ordered by the court that the said James Beck pay the costs of this prosecution.”

In James Beck’s case against Samuel, things weren’t much better. Damages had been assessed in the amount of $100. Beck was advised to pursue the matter further and he gave notice of his intention to take the matter to the Ohio State Supreme Court. Samuel’s lawyers -- the famous Dewey and Stanton -- made their intention to do the same equally known (I imagine because the damages were much less than the $1000 Samuel had wanted!)

I researched the Ohio State Supreme Court cases in the ten years after the verdict. No further record of the case has been located. I imagine it was merely an empty threat.

And that resolves the cases surrounding my ancestor, Samuel Browning, and his daughter Julia Ann. What a glimpse into the legal system of the early 1800’s!

RIP

My ex-husband's mother passed away this morning. He and I were married nearly twenty years and have only been divorced for a few years. We've remained friends and will always be in each other's hearts.

His mother -- my daughter's grandmother -- was very important to me. She told me many times that I'd always be her daughter whether or not her son and I were married. She said it, like many people do....but her actions proved her words. She kept me close in the family in word and in deed. Her loving acceptance of the difficult decision I made by divorcing her son and her boundless capacity for embracing all sorts of family were two of her most endearing qualities. I'll miss being able to pick up the phone and call her and spend an hour sharing our lives.

I love you, meemaw. You'll be sorely, sorely missed.

Browning v. Beck Pt 7 - The Witnesses Wilson - Are They Connected?

As I mentioned earlier, I received an intriguing letter today. A gentleman emailed me to say he was curious about whether I had any additional information on two of the witnesses mentioned in Julia's bastardy/Samuel's Trespass cases -- James Wilson and James Wilson, Jr.

I sat down to email him a quick "no" and then thought better about it as something went "ding" in the recesses of my brain. I sent him the following reply, which I'll post with only minor editing before making more comments to amend it:

When I sat down a moment ago to respond to your email I was planning to let you know that there wasn't any further information I could offer on the two men named James Wilson that testified in the case...however, I may have been a bit hasty. Something that may or may not be connected just popped into my head this very moment that's made me excited and intrigued and definitely makes me wish I was home right now instead of at work!

Take these as the grains of salt that they are, but here are my thoughts:

My Samuel Browning had a son named Samuel J., younger brother of the Julia Ann featured in the bastardy case. Samuel J. married twice during his lifetime, first to a woman named Sarah Ann Dickinson/Dickerson in Harrison Co OH and second to Julia Ann Dickinson in Crawford Co IL (my instincts are that the two women are related, sisters or possibly cousins.) Anyway, the second wife Julia Ann had also been married before. Here's where it gets interesting. Julia's first husband's name had been James Wilson!

In Samuel J.'s estate papers (1862, Crawford Co., IL) he left money and a bed to each of the two girls Julia had with James Wilson. Now my memory is vague -- I'd have to pull the estate papers to be sure -- but I think it was a goodly sum for both. I found this will years ago before I knew much about Sam J.'s family and relations and had always wondered if there was any connection to the Wilson family and if so, what that was. It didn't make much sense to me that Sam J. would leave so much to two girls that weren't even his family. However, if the two girls were his first wife's nieces and his own children's cousins as well as his stepchildren, that might be a different thing.

...All this now makes me wonder -- is the Wilson family referenced in the trial the SAME Wilson family that the Dickinson girls married into? I haven't any idea. It just seems like a coincidence worth some consideration.

Now for my comments.

I consulted my copy of Samuel J. Browning's estate papers and discovered -- much to my dismay -- that my memory was faulty at the most fundamental level. The first husband of Samuel J. Browning's second wife Julia Ann Dickinson was not JAMES Wilson, but JOHN Wilson. Given that the surname Wilson is quite common it's prudent for me to assume no relation unless more information to the contrary is obtained.

Still, there are aspects of the estate papers that are intriguing. I don't believe I'm wrong to assume that Samuel J.'s relationship to his second wife's girls may be more than simply that of a concerned stepfather. The wording of his promissory notes to the girls is interesting. He states,

"Six years and six months after date I promise to pay Maria L Wilson (and in the other, Minerva E. Wilson) one hundred dollars in money and one cow, and one bed, for value received this 30th day of March 1861."

Samuel J. died in October of 1862. The following note was included in his estate papers:

"Received of I. D. Mail, Administrator of Samuel J Browning Dec two hundred and seventy four dollars in full of the claims of Maria L. Wilson and Minerva E. Wilson, minors heirs of John U. Wilson Aug 20th 1863. (signed) G. W. Dickinson, guardian."

I find no other references to the girls in Samuel's estate papers. Mariah Louisa went on to marry James M. Gullett in Crawford County on 14 Sept 1866. Her sister Minerva Ellen may have been the "Manerva E." who married H. A. Garrard on 12 Feb 1871. That's interesting to me because my grandmother's maiden name was Garrard.

All this to say that so far, the Wilson family mentioned in the bastardy case still isn't positively connected to my Brownings. It sure was an interesting search though!

Another Update

I'm finally settled into my new place and have unpacked enough to make it feel like home. Some troubles with my back have made the unpacking part longer and more difficult than I'd have liked. Some further unrelated troubles may eventually require surgery. I'm hopeful that it won't come to that, but if it does, I'll be away from my blog even longer as I recover.

The copies of Samuel's court case were placed in a safe place as I moved and I'll be retrieving those and rereading them tonight and tomorrow night. In the next few days I'm looking at finishing up the court case and moving onwards.

As an aside, I received an intriguing query from a gentleman regarding one of the witnesses in the case. This query stirred a long-ago question I'd had concerning the marriages of one of Julia Ann's brothers and made me wonder if the two (case and later marriage) weren't somehow linked. I'll explore that in more detail soon.....

Update

Still busy with life. I've moved and the unpacking and settling in is taking longer than expected due to some medical issues. I anticipate being able to get back to what constitutes "normal" in the next few weeks. My apologies for my long absence. I hope everyone had a good 4th and have had luck in your ancestral searches.

I shall return!

This Is A Test, This Is Only A Test....

I'm still around. I've been busy with life -- a little medical issue and an impending move on the horizon. I haven't had much time (and won't for a few weeks, if the way it's been going is any indication) to sit down and sort through the end of Samuel and Julia's case with the thoroughness I prefer.

My apologies. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.....