Robert C Thompson

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Robert C Thompson was born on May 27, 1837 in Gibson County, Indiana to Henry Thompson and Nancy Cunningham. He was one of at least six children born to the couple. His known siblings are Stewart, Margaret, Sally, Elenor and Henry G.

Robert’s mother Nancy died before 1850. Henry married Rebecca Beck in 1851 and they moved the family to Jackson County, Illinois. Henry died in 1853 and is buried in Vermilion County, Illinois. The circumstances of his death are not known, however, Vermilion County is not anywhere near Jackson County.

After his father’s death, it would seem that the Thompsons returned to Indiana where Robert married Sarah Roderick on October 16, 1860. They started with a small farm of twenty acres in Johnson Township and eventually grew it to include two hundred and fifty acres. To their marriage was born six boys and an unnamed infant–Charles, Riley, Ora, John, James and Robert H.

Robert was active in the community and was a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows in Gibson County. His death on May 1, 1880 at the age of 42 was unexpected and came days after the birth of their son Robert. Newspaper accounts stated he had winter fever, otherwise known as pneumonia. His brother Stewart served as executor of his estate. Sarah would continue to work the farm with the help of her sons, even though Riley and Ora would perish as young men. Sarah lived on the family farm until April 21, 1896 when an extended bout of consumption would end her life.

Robert C Thompson was my 3rd great grandfather on my mom’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1850, 1870, 1880
  • Indiana Marriage Collection
  • Weekly Western Sun, April 24, 1896
  • History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana Goodspeed, 1886.
  • Find a Grave website
  • Illinois Wills and Probate Records

Naomi Cox

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On May 26, 1865, a daughter named Naomi was born to John L. Cox and Naomi Steen of Washington Township in Knox County, Indiana. Naomi had four older brothers and three half-brothers from her father’s first marriage. A couple years later her parents would give her a little sister named Caroline.

Naomi attended school as a girl and lived on the family farm until her marriage to Samuel Kitts on September 7, 1904. She took on the role of farmer’s wife as she and Samuel settled into their life together. They did not have any children of their own, but did have several nieces and nephews.

In October 1947, Naomi suffered a fall which broke her hip. She did not fully recover from the injury. She died eight months later on June 16, 1948 at Good Samaritan Hospital from heart failure at the age of eighty-three.

Naomi Cox was my second cousin, 4x removed on my dad’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
  • Indiana Marriage Index
  • Indiana Death Certificates
  • Vincennes Sun-Commercial, October 14, 1947

Phillip Catt

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On May 25, 1750, Phillip Catt was born to Michael Katz and Anna Maria Mohr. He was born in the colony of Virginia, near present day Hardy County, West Virginia. Five siblings have been identified in the records to this day: Ludwig, George, Michael, Anna Maria and John. Documentation indicates around 1770 the family crossed the mountains and settled along the southern branch of the Potomac River in what is now Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

Migration of Phillip Catt

At the time the Revolutionary War broke out, the area where the Catts resided was under a jurisdictional dispute as to which colony it belonged to–Virginia or Pennsylvania. When news of Lexington and Concord reached this frontier area, the border dispute faded into the background and residents came together in the fight against the British. This area was referred to as “old Monongalia County, Virginia”. The four Catt brothers (George, Michael, John and Phillip) all served in the War in regiments from this area. Phillip, specifically, was in the Monongalia Militia. He served in several regiments under the direction of Captains John Whitesell, Kincaid, Wilson, Morgan and Jacob Tevebaugh, as well as Colonels Brodhead and Crawford on multiple campaigns.

About 1775, Phillip married Mary Magdalan ? and started a family, despite the War. Their first four children, Mary, Elizabeth, Phillip Jr, and Sebastian were born in Pennsylvania. In May 1785, they relocated westward and settled in Knox County, Indiana. Mary and Phillip added five more children to their family: John , Rebecca, Susannah, Daniel and Eutha Melinda.

Phillip’s wife Mary died between 1815 and 1820. He remarried to Sally Kimmons on November 14, 1820 and they continued to live in Johnson Township in Knox County until Phillip’s death on September 4, 1844.

Phillip Catt was my 7th great uncle on my mom’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census: 1820, 1830, 1840
  • Find A Grave website
  • United States Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files
  • United States Revolutionary War Pensioners
  • Indiana Marriage Index
  • The Catt Family in America, Dr. W Cary Anderson, 1989.

Zeresh Puckett

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Zeresh Puckett was born in Shelby County, Illinois on May 24, 1833, the daughter of Elihu Puckett and Rebecca Wilks.  She had an older sister Jamima and two younger brothers, Lewis and George.  Zeresh may also have had an older brother James Hughes from her mother’s first marriage.  Zeresh is a Biblical name from the Old Testament.

In 1836, Elihu and Rebecca moved the family from Illinois to Clay County, Indiana in the area served by the Coffee Post Office in Lewis Township. In 1853, Zeresh married Benjamin Coppock and they settled into farming in Lewis Township.  Zeresh helped support the family as a seamstress.  Later, Benjamin was employed as a grocer.

The couple had five children during their marriage: Jemima, Rebecca, Mary, Ida, and Thomas.  All lived long lives, reaching their seventies or beyond.   Zeresh, unfortunately, did not see her children to adulthood.  She died on February 27, 1873 at the age of thirty-nine.

 

Zeresh Puckett was my 3rd-great grandmother on my dad’s side

REFERENCES

  • United States Census: 1850, 1860, 1870
  • Find a Grave website
  • History of Clay County, Indiana, Volume II, William Travis, 1909.

Maude Frances Dyer

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Maude Frances Dyer was born on May 23, 1898 in Knox County, Indiana to Asberry Dyer and Harriet Caroline Hougland.  Asberry supported the family through farming, and with his wife Carrie had a total of seven children:  Ellis, Maude, Ora, Emma, Evalena, Cecil, and Eva.  All of the siblings lived to adulthood except Evalena who died of cholera at seventeen months.  The family lived on the Knox County side of the White River, not far from Plainville and Edwardsport.

In 1907, the Dyer family lost their patriarch when Asberry died of ascites.  According to the newspaper account, he had been ill for several months and had refused medicinal treatment.  About a year later, with a large family to raise, Carrie married Charles W Barnes and they made their home farming in the Sandborn area.  Maude acquired four half-siblings from her mother’s second marriage: Martha, William, Harvey and a still-born sister.  William would only live a couple years, having been afflicted with a fatal bout of pneumonia in 1915.

Maude met William Miller from the Plainville area of Daviess County and married him on May 11, 1916.  They made their home in the Plainville area where William worked as a farm laborer.  They had three children, Ruth, Ollie, and James, all who lived very long lives.  In 1928, William died at the age of thirty-two from tuberculosis.  As a means of supporting herself and her three children, Maude worked as a seamstress at the Reliance Manufacturing Company, which was located in Washington, Indiana.  They made workshirts during the 1930s and shifted to parachute manufacturing during World War II.

On June 28, 1933, Maude married her second husband, widowed farmer Joseph Haskins.  At the age of thirty-seven, Maude died on November 3, 1935 from a thyroid disorder.  She was buried in the Plainville Cemetery, likely next to her first husband William.

 

Maude Dyer was my 2nd cousin 3 times removed on my dad’s side.

REFERENCES

  • The Daviess County Historical Society & Museum website

  • United States Census: 1910, 1920, 1930
  • Indiana Birth Certificates
  • Indiana Death Certificates
  • Indiana Marriages
  • Vincennes Commercial, May 12, 1916
  • Western Sun, April 5, 1907

Mary Emma Cardinal

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Mary Emma Cardinal was born May 22, 1874 in Knox County, Indiana to Franklin Cardinal and Mary Henrietta White.  She had three older siblings: William J, Eliza, and Charles.  Her family lived in Johnson Township near Decker where they worked the family farm.  It is believed that she went by her middle name Emma.

On August 18, 1892, Emma married Henry McGaughey across the river in Lawrence County, Illinois.  They made their home in Johnson Township were Henry farmed the land.  They had at least five children, four of which have been identified:  Jeremiah, Levi, Florence, and Lorene.

In 1904, typhoid fever was nearing epidemic levels in cities such as New York City.  Rural areas, such as Knox County, were not immune to the bacterial infection.  There were regular reports in the local paper of citizens, both old and young, who succumbed to the disease.  Unfortunately, the McGaughey family was hard hit by the bacteria in 1904.  Young Florence at the tender age of seven, died in September.  Emma fell victim on November 2, 1904 and eleven year old Jeremiah followed five days later.  All three are buried in the City Cemetery.

 

Mary Emma Cardinal was my 2nd cousin, 4 times removed on my mom’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census: 1880, 1900
  • Indiana Death Certificates
  • Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
  • Find A Grave website

Maggie Mae Riley

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Maggie Mae Riley was born May 21, 1889 in Texas. She was one of  nine children born to William Marshall Riley and Flora Dare.  Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Elk City, Oklahoma where they settled into farming. Maggie’s siblings included Alma, Robert, Bessie, Maudie and Lillie. Bessie lived to the tender age of four and the three other siblings died in infancy.

On April 11, 1909, Maggie married Jesse Cooper in Beckham County, Oklahoma, and set up house in North Fork Township.  They raised a family with six children, all who lived well into adulthood:  Blanche, Tina, Janie, Frankie, Charlie, and Noel.  In 1943, Jesse died at the age of 58.  Maggie continued to live in Beckham County after his death, watching her children raise families of their own.  She died in October 1971 and was laid to rest beside her husband.

 

Maggie Mae Riley was my 3rd cousin, 3 times removed on my dad’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
  • Oklahoma County Marriages
  • Find a Grave website
  • The Daily Oklahoman,  October 25, 1971 via Newspapers.com

James Eli Ishmael

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James Eli Ishmael was born on May 20, 1863 to John Ishmael and Mary Hunt in Fleming County, Kentucky.  Mary was John’s second wife.  From his first marriage, John had seven children (John, Laura, Rosanna, Samuel, Margaret, Nancy and an unnamed infant girl).  John and Mary added seven children (Margaret, Nancy, John Thomas, Martha, George, Sara and Minnie) in addition to James Eli.  The family’s main source of support was farming.

James married Lovisa Anderson around 1891.  Together they had six children: Arthur, Evie, James, William, Louzella, and Pat.  Lovisa died in 1907, leaving James to raise their family on his own.  He remarried in 1909 to a woman named Rebecca.  She lived until sometime in the 1920s, leaving James a widower twice over.  In his later years, James shifted from farming to working as a store clerk to support himself and youngest daughter Louzella who kept house for him.  James lived to the age of seventy-seven.  He died on January 22, 1941 in Flemingsburg after battling influenza which ultimately led to pneumonia. He is buried with Lovisa in Elizaville, Kentucky.

 

James Eli Ishmael was my 2nd cousin, 4x removed on my dad’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census: 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
  • Kentucky Death Records
  • Find a Grave Website

 

Jean Baptiste Cardinal

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Jean Baptiste Cardinal was born on May 19, 1728 to Jeanne Duguay and Jacques Jean-Baptiste Cardinal,  and was baptized at the Basilique Notre-Dame in Montreal. He was one of nine children which included two sisters named Jeanne, and brothers named Jacques, Joseph, Nicolas, Jean-Baptiste, Pierre and Charles.

On April 8, 1755 in Detroit, Jean Baptiste married Marie-Anne Maillet.  Their first two children, Jeanne-Marie and Marie-Anne, are believed to have been born in Canada.  At some point between 1758 and 1761, the family migrated southward and settled at Fort Vincennes.  Four more children were born to the couple over the next decade: Jacques, Genevieve, Jean-Baptiste, and Celeste.

Fort Vincennes played a pivotal part in the battles on the western front of the Revolutionary War.  The fort changed hands several times between the British forces, which were based in Detroit, and the American forces who made allies of the French Canadians who lived in the area.  Jean Baptiste supported the cause against the British by signing the Oath of Allegiance to Vincennes in 1778 and fighting in the militia under George Rogers Clark.  In 1780,  it is believed that Jean Baptiste marched with Augustin de la Balme in an attempt to take Detroit.  Along the way, La Balme took an unoccupied British and Indian trading post near present day Fort Wayne, Indiana.  When his expected reinforcements did not show up, he took some of his men to capture another post along the Eel River.  The local Indians were unhappy with the outsiders intruding and attacked.  After a lengthy battle, most of the men, include Jean Baptiste Cardinal, perished along the Eel River.

 

Jean Baptiste Cardinal was my 7th great-uncle on my mom’s side.

REFERENCES

  • Canadian Genealogy Index
  • Quebec Vital Church Records (Drouin Collection)
  • Quebec, Genealogical Dictionary of Canadian Families (Tanguay Collection)
  • De La Balme’s Defeat” – Revolutionary War and Beyond website

May Lennington

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On May 18, 1863, Thomas S. Lennington and Anna R. Pierson welcomed their only daughter, May,  into this world in Licking County, Ohio.  Thomas supported the family as a farmer and served in the Civil War during 1864.

May married Marvin Custer, a nephew of General George Custer, on August 29, 1881 in Licking County.  They immediately started a family with their son George Armstrong Custer being born in 1882 in Iowa.  The small family returned to Ohio where they added a daughter Marie in 1885.

May’s father passed away in 1888, and her mother moved in with Marvin and May.  Anna resided with them until her death in 1912.  Marvin supported the family as a railroad engineer, having worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad for twenty-seven years at the time of his retirement.  Just shy of his sixtieth birthday, Marvin was suddenly stricken with a heart attack and died at his home on September 8, 1915.

Both of their children, George and Marie, married and had families.  Marie’s life was cut short at the age of thirty-five due to pregnancy complications.  May carried on, eventually living with George and his family.  She died at home on February 11, 1933 at the age of sixty-nine.

 

May Lennington was my 4th cousin, 5x removed on my dad’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1930
  • Ohio County Marriages
  • Find a Grave website
  • The Newark (OH) Advocate, Feburary 13, 1933, via Newspapers.com
  • Ohio Deaths
  • Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, September 9, 1915, via Newspapers.com
  • United States Civil War Draft Registration Records