Mary “Polly” Louster Hudson

Mary “Polly” Louster is the mother of Sarah E. “Sally” Hudson, the grandmother of John Chapel (sic) Wellons, the great grandmother of James H. Wellons and the great great grandmother of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

She was born about 1787 in Kentucky (per the 1850 census).

She died sometime after the 1870 census.

She married Daniel Henry Hudson on March 20, 1810 in Pulaski County, Kentucky. She would live in the area the remainder of her life.

Her daughter Sarah E. “Sally” Hudson, was born on January 3, 1816 in Pulaski County.

She appears to have 8 children that lived beyond infancy.

See census reports for 1810-1850 in the article about her husband Daniel Henry Hudson.

There is no census record for 1860.

In the census of 1870, she is 83 years old and living with her son William and his family.

There is no record of her death or her burial site.

Daniel Henry Hudson

Daniel Henry Hudson was the father of Sarah E. “Sally” Hudson Wellons, the grandfather of John Chapel (sic) Wellons, the great grandfather of James H. Wellons and the great great grandfather of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

He was born about 1791 in Virginia. (1850 census data)

His date of death is unknown.

He married Mary “Polly” Louster on March 24, 1810 in Pulaski County, Kentucky.

All of the following census have them living in Somerset, in Pulaski County, Kentucky.

The census of 1810 enumerates just Daniel and his wife in the category of ages (16-25).

Their daughter, Sarah E. “Sally” Hudson is born on January 3, 1816.

The census of 1820 enumerates two adults (ages 26-44) plus 2 boys and 3 girls, all under the age of 10 years. Daniel reports “Agriculture” as his occupation.

The census of 1830 enumerates 2 adults (ages 40-49), 1 young adult (age 20-29) and 8 children under 20 years old.

Daniel receives a land grant of 7 acres on October 23, 1832 near Fishing Creek in Pulaski County, Kentucky.

The census of 1840 enumerates a household of 4 children under the age of 20, 2 young adults ages 20-29, an adult male age 40-49 and an adult female age 50-59.

In the census of 1850 we have:

Daniel 59
Mary 62
Jemima 26
William 22
Berry 19
Amanda 16
Delila (Hudson) Buster 38
Sarah Buster 2

There is no record of his death. There are many Hudson family members buried in or near Somerset.

Rebecca Chapple Wellons

Rebecca Chapple was the mother of John Chapple Wellons, the grandmother of John Chapel (sic) Wellons, the great grandmother of James H. Wellons and the great great grandmother of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

Her date of birth is estimated to be 1770. Her date of death is estimated to be 1825. There is no documentation of either date, nor the places of each.

She married Henry Wellons on December 5, 1801 in Pulaski County, Kentucky.

Their son, John Chapple Wellons, was born on April 22, 1805.

Family trees on Ancestry.com consistently list 4 additional children:

Mary 1810
Nancy 1810
Eleander 1811
Henry J. 1814

There is some logical consistency to these names. Henry was her husband’s name. John Chappel Wellons also has a son that he names Henry J. Eleander was Henry’s mother’s given name and it is an unusual name.

Her husband remarries on November 20, 1826. This is the basis for her estimated date of death of 1825.

Henry Wellons

Henry Wellons is the father of John Chapple Wellons, the grandfather of John Chapel (sic) Wellons, the great grandfather of James H. Wellons and the great great grandfather of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

He was born around 1776 in Southhampton, Virginia. His parents appear to be Henry and Eleander Wellons of Southhampton, Virginia.

There is no real record of his death. Some Ancestry.com family trees place the date at 1840.

On September 18, 1798 he was granted 200 acres in Kentucky in Lincoln County. That portion of Lincoln county was folded into the creation of Pulaski County. The property was near Fishing Creek, which is now part of Lake Cumberland, a large reservoir. It was also near the town of Somerset.

On December 5, 1801 he married Rebecca Chapple in Pulaski County, Kentucky.

His son, John Chapple Wellons, was born on April 22, 1805 in Pulaski County.

Henry executed a land deed on February 1, 1813 giving his brother Robert Wellons his Power of Attorney for the purpose of selling his land to another brother, John Wellons, a wealthy Virginia land owner who had property on the James River in Virginia.

Henry’s wife Rebecca presumably dies in or near 1825.

Henry married Thirzah Sayers on November 20, 1826 in Pulaski County.

Both weddings are well documented.

A blog article by Leah reports that she was given a biography of John Chapple Wellons, her ancestor. The person who wrote the biography was a grandson of John Chapple Wellons and the biography stated that the family owned 12 slaves in the early 1800’s and that they were freed before the civil war. She found some property owners with names similar to Wellons in the censuses of 1810, 1820 and 1830 which enumerated slaves. There were no slaves when John Chapple Wellons’ household is reported in the 1850 census or for two decades before then. There were possibly four sons of John Chapple Wellons on the union side in the civil war, including our John Chapel (sic) Wellons, Jr.

Martin Barnhizer

Martin Barnhizer was the father of William B. Barnhizer, the grandfather of Sarah E. Barnhizer Wellons, the great grandfather of James H. Wellons and the great great grandfather of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather. The name is sometimes spelled with an s instead of a z.

He was born on August 6, 1782 in Exeter Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. His parents were John “Big John” Barnhizer (1742-1849) and Gertrude Neikirch (1750-1800).

He died in Wayne Township of Hamilton County, Indiana. The date is unknown, partly because there is no headstone or grave marker. See below.

He married Sarah McDonald on December 30, 1809 in Washington County, Maryland.

The 1820 census in Washington County, Maryland shows the family, including:

5 boys under 10 years

1 girls under 10

1 girl aged 10-15

1 female aged 26-44

1 male aged 26-44

Their son, William B. Barnhizer, was born on November 17, 1822 in Maryland. He was one of at least 8 kids.

The 1830 census in Frederick, Maryland shows 2 adults and 8 children.

On March 20, 1837 Martin Barnhizer purchased 80 acres of federally owned land in Hamilton County and we have the sales document.

The 1840 census in Wayne Township of Hamilton County, Indiana shows 4 boys, 1 male aged 20-29, and 2 adults of parental age.

The 1850 census in Wayne Township shows only Martin, aged 68 and Sarah, aged 64 and no children still at home. Both claim to be born in Pennsylvania.

His wife Sarah died on August 29, 1855 in Wayne Township. She was buried at the Commons-Lennen Cemetery in Hamilton County, Indiana.

A story was shared by a Harvey Barnhizer (sic) of Indianapolis and attached to the FindaGrave web site:  “... we learned that a stone (Ed. Note: a headstone) was taken to the home of Martin’s son William...and used as a part of a sidewalk for many years.” This is the explanation for why there is no grave marker for Martin Barnhizer in the Commons-Lennon Cemetery.

Mary Jane Fisher Shetterly

Mary Jane Fisher was the mother of Mary Jane Shetterly Barnhizer, the grandmother of Sarah E. Barnhizer Wellons, the great grandmother of James H. Wellons and the great great grandmother of Ralph Wellons, my grandmother.

She was born on April 18, 1793 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.

She died on February 11, 1864 in Perkinsville, Madison County, Indiana.

She married John Henry Shetterly, although the date and place are unknown.

Their daughter, Mary Jane Shetterly, was born on September 16, 1823.

The 1830 census has them in Madison County, Indiana with 9 children under the age of 20. This record may be of another close relative with the name Henry Shetterly.

The 1840 census in Clarmont County, Ohio shows them with 5 children under the age of 20. The husband is listed as “John Shetterly”.

She does not appear in the 1855 state census in Richland Township of Warren County, Iowa with her husband.

In the 1860 federal census she is in Warren County, Iowa and we have Henry 64, Mary 64 and no children in the household.

She died on February 11, 1864 in Perkinsville in Madison County, Indiana. Note that her daughter is with husband John Chapple Wellons and family in the area.

She is buried in Perkinsville Cemetery.

Note: In the History of Goshen Township of Clermount County, Ohio, John Henry Shetterly is said to be an M.E. (Methodist Episcopal) minister and that they married on April 26, 1810 and that they had 13 children.

John Henry Shetterly

John Henry Shetterly was the father of Mary Jane Shetterly Barnhizer, the grandfather of Sarah E. Barnhizer Wellons, the great grandfather of James H. Wellons and the great great grandfather of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

The historical record is a little confusing, in part because there is another “Henry Shetterly” that is probably an older relative and also because census records use John Henry and Henry interchangeably.

John Henry was born on April 7, 1791 in Mohantango, in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.

He died on December 6, 1871 in Hartford Township of Warren County, Iowa.

He married Mary Jane Fisher. The date and place are unknown.

Their daughter, Mary Jane Shetterly, was born on September 16, 1823.

The 1830 census in Madison County, Indiana shows a “Henry Shetterly” with 9 children under the age of 20 and 2 adults in the household. This might be our John Henry or the older Henry.

The 1840 census in Clarmont County, Ohio, shows 5 children under the age of 20 and 2 adults in the household. The name of the head of household is “John Shetterly”.

In the 1855 state census in Richland Township of Warren County, Iowa, we have two households, one headed by John Henry Shetterly and another by Henry Shetterly.

In the 1860 federal census in Richland Township of Warren County, Iowa, we have: Henry 69 and Mary 64.

Mary Jane Fisher Shetterly died on February 11, 1864 in Perkinsville, in Madison County, Indiana.

In the 1870 census for Hartford, in Richland Township of Warren County, Iowa, Henry is living with a son or grandson and their large family. There are 9 souls in the household.

John Henry died on December 6, 1871 in Warren County, Iowa. He was 80 years old. He was buried at the Hartford Cemetery.

John Henry Shetterly was a soldier in the War of 1812, serving in Captain Daniel Hosbrooks Company of Ohio Militia. There is a history of the unit.

Sarah McDonald Barnhizer

Sarah McDonald was the mother of William B. Barnhizer, the grandmother of Sarah. E. Barnhizer Wellons, the great grandmother of James H. Wellons and the great great grandmother of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

She was born in 1787 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

She died on August 29, 1855 in Wayne Township of Hamilton County, Indiana.

Her parents were Angus McDonald and Mary McClain.

She married Martin Barnhizer on December 30, 1809 in Washington County, Maryland.

She and Martin and 6 children are enumerated in the 1820 census, which was taken on August 7, 1820 in Washington County, Maryland.

Their son, William B. Barnhizer, was born on November 17, 1822, the 7th or 8th of 8 living children at the 1830 census.

They have moved to Frederick, Maryland at the time of the 1830 census. They have 8 children.

On March 20, 1837, her husband purchased 80 acres of federal land in Wayne Township of Hamilton County, Indiana.

In the 1840 census of Wayne Township of Hamilton County, Indiana, we have Martin and his wife and 4 minor children and one adult child.

In the 1850 census in Wayne Township, we have Martin, aged 68 and Sarah, aged 64. There are no children in the household.

She died on August 29, 1855 in Wayne Township of Hamilton County, Indiana and was buried at the Commons-Lennon Cemetery in Hamilton County.

Margaret Krutsinger Gammon

Margaret Krutsinger was the mother of Elisabeth Gammon Nash, the grandmother of Emaline “Emma” Nash Carson, the great grandmother of Mary E. Carson Wyant, and the great great grandmother of Bessie Ethel Wyant Wellons, my grandmother.

She was born on May 15, 1812 in Greene County, Tennessee. She died on February 11, 1894 in Oskaloosa Township of Clay County, Illinois. She was age 81 when she passed.

She married Harris Gammon on January 28, 1830.

Harris Gammon died on October 15, 1831.

A son, James Mathew Gammon, was born in 1830.

Their daughter, Elisabeth Gammon, was born on April 15, 1832, after her father passed.

Margaret Krutsinger Gammon married John L. McCarty on January 18, 1834 in Orange County, Indiana. He was born on March 4, 1812 in Tennessee and died on September 11, 1897 in Oskaloosa Township of Clay County, Illinois.

They purchased land in Orange County, Indiana on August 10, 1837.

They had 9 children of their own between 1834 and 1850.

In the 1850 census in Orange County, Indiana we have:

John L. McCarty 38, a farmer
Margaret 38
Elisabeth Gammon 18
And 6 McCarty children

In the 1860 census in Marion County, Illinois we have:

John L. 48, a farmer
Mary 36 (sic)
And 3 McCarty girls aged 11-15

In the 1865 state census in Illinois, they live in Xenia, Marion County, Illinois.

In the 1870 census in Singer Township of Clay County, Illinois we have:

John L. 68
Margaret (no age given)

There is a civil war pension record with dates of awarding an invalid pension in 1886 and a widows pension (date illegible). Since Margaret preceded John L. McCarty in death, he may have remarried. Her name does not appear on the document.

Margaret Krutsinger Gammon McCarty was buried in the Stipp Cemetery, in Clay County, Illinois.

Harris Gammon

Harris Gammon was the father of Elisabeth Gammon Nash, the grandfather of Emaline “Emma” Nash Carson, the great grandfather of Mary E. Carson Wyant and the great great grandfather of Bessie Ethel Wyant, my grandmother.

He was born on September 9, 1811 in Pittsylvania, Virginia. He died on October 15, 1831 in Orange County, Indiana. He was just 20 years old.

He married Margaret Krutsinger on January 28, 1830.

In the 1830 census of Orange County, Indiana, we have 1 male and 1 female, both aged 15-19.

They had two children:

James Mathew, born 1830
Elizabeth was born April 15, 1832, after her father died.

He was buried at the McElyea Nail Cemetery in Orange County, Indiana.

Nancy Edwards Nash

Nancy Edwards was the mother of Pleasant Riley Nash, the grandmother of Emaline “Emma” Nash Carson, the great grandmother of Mary E. Carson Wyant and the great great grandmother of Bessie Ethel Wyant Wellons.

She was born on June 15, 1803 in North Carolina. She died November 6, 1888 in Beech Creek Township of Greene County, Indiana.

Her father was William Edwards, also born in North Carolina. Her mother was Delilah Burch, also born in North Carolina.

She married Obediah Nash about 1825. Neither the date nor place is documented.

Pleasant Riley Nash, the first of 8 or as many as 10 children was born on May 10, 1827.

In the 1830, 1840 and 1850 censuses the family lives in Beech Creek Township of Greene County, Indiana.

Obediah died on August 21, 1851.

In the 1860 census, she is living with her son, Jeremiah, who is 16 years old. She reports that she is a farmer and that she is 55 years old.

In the 1870 census, Nancy Nash, aged 66, is living with her son George and his family in Beech Creek Township. The nearest post office is Newark, Indiana.

In the 1880 census of Beech Creek Township, she reports being 76 years old and is living with her sister Sousanna and her husband James.

She died on November 6, 1888 in Greene County, Indiana. She was buried in the Edwards Cemetery near rural Solsberry, Beech Creek Township, Greene County, Indiana.

Obediah Nash

Obediah Nash was the father of Pleasant Riley Nash, the grandfather of Emaline “Emma” Nash Carson, the great grandfather of Mary E. Carson Wyant and the great great grandfather of Bessie E. Wyant Wellons, my grandmother.

He was born on November 28, 1801 in Virginia. Some accounts say he was born in Tennessee. Tennessee was created from a portion of Virginia.

He died on August 21, 1851 in Beech Creek Township of Greene County, Indiana.

His father was Samuel Nash. His mother was Nancy J. Bicknell Gray.

Obediah married Nancy Edwards about 1825. There is no source recording the date or place.

Obediah and Nancy Nash were the parents of at least 8 children and possibly more. The first of these was Pleasant Riley Nash, who was born May 10, 1827 in Beech Township of Greene County, Indiana.

Pleasant’s younger brother George reports that he was one of ten children and that his parents moved to Beech Creek Township in Greene County in 1822 or soon thereafter. The township was formed in 1822. This is when the first white settlers were able to move into former Native American lands in central Indiana.

Source: History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana, page 397. Published 1884. 

In the 1830 census we have:

2 adults ages 20-29

1 boy age <5

1 girl age 5-9

There is a Federal Lands Purchase record showing the purchase of land in Beech Creek Township on October 1, 1840.

In the 1840 census we have:

2 adults ages 20-29

3 boys (2<5; 1 aged 10-14)

3 girls (1<5; 1 aged 5-9; 1 aged 10-14)

In the 1850 census we have:

Obediah 48

Nancy 47

And 5 children (the older children have left home already)

Obediah died on August 21, 1851 in Beech Creek Township and was buried in the Edwards Cemetery there. This is the date on the grave marker above.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Gaston Carson

Elizabeth “Betsy” Gaston, known as Betsy, was the mother of William Carson, the grandmother of Andrew Jackson Carson, the great grandmother of Mary E. Carson Wyant and the great great grandmother of Bessie E. Wyant Wellons, my grandmother.

She was born in 1796 in Chester County, South Carolina. She died in Bond County, Illinois in 1830 or 1831.

Her father was William Gaston. Her mother is unknown.

She married Andrew Carson on August 17, 1815 in Christian County, Kentucky.

They moved to Bond County, Illinois.

They had four children: John (1817), William (1818), Andrew J. (1824) and Robert G. (1826).

She died in Bond County, Illinois, sometime after being enumerated in the census of 1830. Her husband remarried in 1831.

Andrew Carson

Andrew Carson was the father of William Carson and the grandfather of Andrew Jackson Carson and the great grandfather of Mary E. Carson Wyant and the great great grandfather of Bessie Ethel Wyant, my grandmother.

He was born in 1788 in Lincoln County, North Carolina. He died in 1869 in Barry County, Missouri.

His parents were John Carson (1765-1839) and Jane Wilson (1767-1840).

He fought in the War of 1812 in the 6th Kentucky Volunteers, mainly following the Wabash River in Indiana Territory northward starting at Vincennes and fought the Shawnee, Winnebago and Kickapoo Tribes. See the book “Kentucky in the War of 1812”. He later used the Military Bounty Land Warrants he earned by this service to purchase land in Missouri. He enlisted September 1, 1812 and was discharged December 23, 1812 in Henderson, Kentucky.

He married Elizabeth “Betsy” Gaston on August 17, 1815 in Christian County, Kentucky. They had 4 sons, with birth dates of 1817, 1818, 1824 and 1826. William was the second child.

They were enumerated in the 1820 census in Wayne County, Illinois. They moved to Bond County, Illinois and were enumerated there in the 1830 census.

Betsy died shortly after the 1830 census.

He married Temperance “Tempy” Etheridge on December 28, 1831 in Bond County, Illinois. Tempy died in 1834.

He married for a third time, to Elizabeth Hart on October 23, 1834 in Bond County, Illinois. They had three more surviving children as of the 1850 census, although it appears that Elizabeth died prior to the census. Elizabeth Hart lived from 1810 to 1850.

Andrew moves his family to Missouri prior to the 1850 census, purchasing federal land (160 acres) in 1854, using his bounty warrants.

In the 1850 census in District 5 of Barry County, Missouri we see:

Andrew 60, a farmer
Sarah 38 (not sure who this is, but it is not likely to be a fourth wife as the marriage would have been documented)
Andrew 20, a farmer
John 16
Jane 14
Ellen 10
Charles 8

Andrew and two of his sons appear in the book, “History of Bond and Montgomery County, Illinois”, published in 1882.

Andrew died in 1869 in Barry County, Missouri.

There are several legal documents, including documentation of some land sales, for Andrew Carson and his first wife.

Margaret Carson Clark

Margaret Carson Clark was the mother of Mary Ann Clark Carson, who was the mother of Andrew Jackson Carson, who was the father of Mary E. Carson Wyant, who was my grandmother Bessie Ethel Wyant’s mother.

She was born about 1798 in North Carolina. Scott Carson says she was born in Lincoln County.

She died before 1860 per census records. Scott Carson says this was in Marion County, Illinois.

Her parents were John Carson (1769-1839) who is documented by various legal papers, and Jane Wilson (1767-1840).

She married William Clark on June 8, 1819.

Her third of 8 recorded children, Mary Ann Clark, was born about 1825.

Husband William Clark died on Muly 29, 1845 in Bond County, Illinois.

In the 1850 census for Bond County, Illinois, we see:

Margaret Clark 52, a widow, born in North Carolina.
George 18, a farmer
William 16

She died prior to the 1860 census and probably before an 1855 state census.

William Clark

William Clark was the father of Mary Ann Clark Carson, the grandfather of Andrew Jackson Carson, the great grandfather of Mary E. Carson Wyant and the great great grandfather of Bessie Ethel Wyant Wellons, my grandmother.

He was born about 1798 in York County, South Carolina. This information was provided by the family tree of Scott Carson.

He died on July 29, 1845 in Bond County, Illinois per probate records. He was about 47 years old.

His father was Solomon Clark according to Scott Carson. Mother is unknown.

He married Margaret Carson on June 8, 1819 in Wayne County, Illinois. They had 8 children in 19 years of marriage.

Mary Ann Clark was the third child of record, born about 1825. She was the mother of Andrew Jackson Carson who was the father of Mary E. Carson Wyant who was my grandmother’s mother.

Delco-Remy Division of General Motors

Delco-Remy Division of General Motors employed most of the men in my family for two generations and some for a third generation. Much of Delco-Remy was sold off before the GM bankruptcy at the height of the Great Recession.

I will post more about the specific jobs that my grandfather Ralph Wellons, his son Bob Wellons, my father Jerry Dixon and others in the family performed for Delco-Remy. Some of the females in our family worked there, but usually only until they started having kids.

Delco Remy had about 25 different plants and employed 25,000 workers in my hometown of Anderson, Indiana when I graduated from high school in 1972. My brother was one of the last 100 or so workers when he took an early buyout (as did many relatives) around 2005.

Delco-Remy started as the Remy Brothers Electric company. They made parts that generated or used electricity for cars (and airplanes and tanks and vehicles of all kinds). The Remy Brothers combined with Dayton Engineering Labs Co. from Dayton, Ohio and then the combined company was bought by General Motors. There were plants in several Indiana cities and throughout the country and the world eventually.

I posted the picture above to show just some of the core products that they made for cars when I was a child. They made many other products and made a lot of military related parts during World War II and thereafter.

Employees of Delco-Remy made some of the highest salaries for comparable skill levels in the country. There were assembly line workers, skilled tradesmen, and engineers plus many other kids of workers. They also had, and still have, one of the best benefit packages in the country. There was even a country club for employees only in the early 1900’s when it was just Remy Brothers. When I was growing up there was a huge park (Killbuck Park), complete with golf course, baseball fields, multiple playgrounds, a mini-golf course, a miniature train ride, a creek to fish in and a lodge building for employee gatherings and retiree meetings... solely for the enjoyment of Delco-Remy and Guide Lamp Division employees. There was no cost, except to play golf. The 4th of July fireworks were amazing every year. We lived close by, which was a bonus.

Parents of Mary Jane Hiatt

This space is reserved for the parents of Mary Jane Hiatt, the first wife of Isaac Wyant. They would be the grandparents of Charles B. Wyant, and they would be my grandmother Bessie Ethel Wyant Wellons’ great grandparents.

They are the only unknown individuals on either side of my grandparents family tree through and including the great grandparents of my grandparents. My great great great grandparents.

Mary Jane Hiatt, their daughter, has no historical record prior to marrying Isaac Wyant. It may be possible that she is a Native American, but there is no suggestion of that status other than the lack of a historical record. Isaac and Mary Jane live in and near an area called “The Cherokee Strip” that was purchased by the U.S. government and sold to white settlers.

William Carson

William Carson is the father of Andrew Jackson Carson, the paternal grandfather of Mary E. Carson Wyant, and the great grandfather of Bessie E. Wyant, my grandmother.

He was born on December 22, 1818 in Wayne County, Indiana. He died in 1894 in Bond County, Illinois.

His parents were Andrew Carson (b. 1788) and Elizabeth Gaston (b. 1796).

He married Mary Ann Clark, perhaps his first cousin, on July 14, 1846.

They had two children, Elizabeth was born in 1846 or 1847. Andrew Jackson Carson was born in 1849.

Elizabeth later married 3 times. First to A.J. Austin, then to Orlando Hay, and finally to William F. Steward.

In the 1855 state census, William and his children lived in Township 6 of Bond County, Illinois. The report shows just one adult and two children, both under the age of 10. Presumably, Mary Ann Clark Carson has died.

In the 1860 census in Bond County, Illinois, we have:

William 41, a farmer
Elisabeth 14
Andrew 11

William married Mrs. Rebecca Ann Boyd, a mother of three children, on May 7, 1868.

In the 1870 census in McCord Township of Bond County, Illinois, we have:

William 50
Rebecca 50
James Boyd 9
Elizabeth Boyd 7
Louisa Boyd 4
Mary Carson 1

After William dies in 1894 he is buried in Greenville, Bond County, Illinois.

William and his family (either Andrew the father or Andrew the son or both, plus others) appear to be land investors. Many land transactions are recorded in documents that are now online.

Mary Ann Clark Carson

Mary Ann Clark Carson was the mother of Andrew Jackson Carson, the grandmother of Mary E. Carson Wyant and the great grandmother of Bessie Ethel Wellons, my grandmother.

She was born about 1825 in Kentucky. This is not well documented.

Her father was William Clark and her mother was Margaret Carson.

She married William Carson (possibly her first cousin) on July 14, 1846.

Within a short period of time, William and Mary Ann Carson’s daughter Elisabeth is born (1846 or 1847) per later censuses. Elisabeth marries at least three times.

William and Mary Ann Carson’s son, Andrew Jackson Carson, was born on June 4, 1850, in Bond County, Illinois.

Mary Ann Clark Carson may have died in 1852, but I cannot find documentation.

She is not with the family in the state census of 1855. William Carson is living with 2 children and no other adult.

She is not living in the 1860 census when William is living with 14 year old Elisabeth and 11 year old. Andrew.

Julia Lowe Wyant

Julia Lowe was the mother of Isaac S. Wyant, the grandmother of Charles B. Wyant and the great grandmother of Bessie Ethel Wyant, my grandmother.

Relatively little is known about Julia Lowe. Only her daughter-in-law, whom she never meets, is more mysterious.

Julia Lowe was born in 1806 in Owen County, Kentucky.

She marries Joshua Wyant on December 23, 1826 in Owen County, Kentucky. There is a handwritten document related to the wedding, which appears to be submitted to the court by her father.

She gives birth to at least 5 children, the last being Isaac S. Wyant in March of 1839. She does not appear in the 1840 census in Boone County, Indiana. All of her children were born in Indiana, so they have presumably spent several years there. Her husband, Joshua Wyant, remarries in 1841.

Joshua Wyant

Joshua was the father of Isaac S. Wyant, the paternal grandfather of Charles B. Wyant and the great grandfather of Bessie Ethel Wyant, my grandmother.

He was born in 1804 in Kentucky. He married Julia Lowe on December 23, 1826 in Owen County, Kentucky.

In the 1830 census, they live in Gallatin, Kentucky and there are 2 adults, 2 children and one senior adult aged 60-69. All are classified as “free-white”.

Isaac S. Wyant, at least their 5th child, is born in March of 1839.

Julia Lowe Wyant appears to die shortly thereafter, but no records exist to confirm this.

In the 1840 census of Boone County, Indiana, there are 4 boys (under 15 years old), 2 girls (under 10 years old) and only one adult. This fits a scenario wherein Julia has died.

Joshua Wyant marries Telitha James in Boone County, Indiana on February 28, 1841. She is sometimes referred to as “Tabitha”. She is also known as the former “Taletha Coletha James”.

In the 1850 census in My Division, Marshall County, Indiana we have:

Joshua 46, a farmer
Tabitha 41
Ben F 21, also a farmer like his dad
William H, 17
Mary A. 15
Martha E. 14
Isaac S. 12
Joshua 6
Milford C. Dixon 16
James M. Dixon 14

Telitha James may have been married previously to someone named Dixon. Joshua is her child with Joshua.

Everyone above is born in Indiana, except for Joshua the father.

There is no record of Joshua Wyant (father)’s death, although there is a legal document called a Petition for Partition filed in October of 1858 by Telitha James Dixon? Wyant Fletcher and William Fletcher seeking to split up a piece of property. The surviving Wyant children (including Isaac) are named and several of them live out of state. This method is used when someone dies without a will and the property is inherited by a group of children, or in this case, a second wife and a group of children. Splitting a piece of farm land is not normally a practical thing to do and usually one person buys out the others so they can keep farming the land. Especially if the land is not unusually large and can be split into smaller, productive farms. A Petition for Partition is used to split the land or to force a sale of the land, with the proceeds to then be split among the heirs.

Mary Fallis Webb

Mary Fallis Webb was the mother of Delila Ann Webb, the maternal grandmother of Florence Lane Wellons and the great grandmother of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

She was born on November 24, 1810 in Jefferson County, Kentucky and died on July 31, 1876 near Frankton in Madison County, Indiana.

She married Jacob Mulford Webb on April 21, 1831 in Greene County, near Dayton, in Ohio.

She gave birth to her 4th child, Delila Ann, on September 6, 1837 near Dayton, Ohio. She and Jacob had been once to Indiana, moved back to Ohio, and were soon to move back for good to Indiana.

In the 1850 census, she and Jacob have 8 children. (See Jacob for a listing.)

In the 1870 census, they have only one child, Amanda, who is the 9th on record. His obituary says there were 11 children altogether and there are some gaps between kids where a child could have died in infancy.

Mary died on July 31, 1876 and was buried at the Prewitt Cemetery in Pipe Township, Madison County, Indiana.

Jacob remarried and outlived his second wife, Rebecca Peacock Todd, who had 6 grown children of her own when they married. He was a prominent farmer who became more prominent as he did not die until he was 98 years old in 1908.

Naomi Lamb Lane (Davis)

Naomi Lamb was the mother of John Lewis Lane and the grandmother of Florence Lane Wellons and the great grandmother of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

She was born in 1804 in Randolph County, North Carolina. Her parents were Thomas Lamb and Hannah Lewis Lamb.

She died on February 2, 1868 in Rush County, Indiana.

She married Isaiah Lane on August 12, 1821 and they moved shortly thereafter to Stony Creek Township in Henry County, Indiana. They had three children, including John Lewis Lane, Mahala Lane (Bryant) and Emily Lane.

Her husband died in 1828 as a young man. His estate was declared insolvent.

She married William Davis on March 28, 1838.

They had a daughter, Naomi Ann Davis on May 11, 1841. She died on March 25, 1921.

In the 1850 census, she is 46 years old and living in Harrison Township of Fayette County, Indiana with the McCarty family.

She died on February 2, 1968 in Rush County, Indiana and was buried in the Center Church Cemetery in Center Township of Rush County, Indiana.

Isaiah Lane

Isaiah Lane was the father of John Lewis Lane, the grandfather of Florence Lane Wellons and the great grandfather of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

He was born in 1802 in Tennessee. He died in 1828 in Henry County, Indiana. He was just 26 years old.

He married Naomi Lamb on August 12, 1821. She was born in North Carolina in 1804.

They had three children:

Mahala Lane (Bright), born April 23, 1822 and died February 22, 1902. We have her death certificate.

John Lewis Lane, born 1825 and died 1933. He was my grandfather’s maternal grandfather.

Emily Lane, born March 5, 1827 and died March 12, 1879.

Isaiah Lane is mentioned in The History of Henry County, Indiana, which was published in 1884. Chapter XXIII covers the history of Stony Creek Township. The first recorded land purchase in Stony Creek Township occurred in 1822. Isaiah Lane is mentioned as one of a handful of pioneers of this era. The first school in the township was not built until 1835.

Henry County  was not formed until 1822, from land included in the Delaware New Purchase, which was a result of the Treaty of St. Mary’s. That treaty is actually a collection of several treaties with various tribes. It added all of what is now central Indiana to the state. The land that became Henry County was probably occupied by the Miami Indians, rather than the Delaware Tribe. Stony Creek Township was created within Henry County in 1828.

On November 2, 1829, we have documentation of his estate being declared insolvent by the probate judge. We also have other documents, including a list of possessions that were sold by the estate.

His wife later married Mr. William Davis. She lived until February 2, 1868.

Mary Jane Shetterly Barnhizer

Mary Jane Shetterly Barnhizer was the mother of Sarah Elizabeth Barnhizer, the maternal grandmother of James H. Wellons, and the great grandmother of Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

Mary Jane Shetterly was born on September 16, 1823 in Indiana and died on August 2, 1897 in Wayne Township of Hamilton County, Indiana.

Her parents were John Henry Shetterly and Mary Jane Shetterly, who were both born in Pennsylvania.

She had 4 children, including Sarah Elizabeth Barnhizer, who married John C. Wellons (Jr.) and three sons.

Her husband William B. Barnhizer died on September 10, 1887 and she died almost 10 years later on August 2, 1897. She is buried with her husband and other family at the Hair Cemetery in Hamilton County, Indiana.

William B. Barnhizer

William B. Barnhizer was the father of Sarah E. Barnhizer (wife of John C. Wellons Jr.), the grandfather of James H. Wellons and the great grandfather or Ralph Wellons, my grandfather.

He was born on November 17, 1822 in Maryland.

He married Mary Jane Shetterly. Date Unknown.

His daughter, Sarah E. Barnhizer, was born in 1844.

In the 1860 census, we have:

William 41, a farmer
Mary 37
And 4 children from the ages of 6-16.

They live in Wayne Township of Hamilton County, Indiana. This is the home of Clarksville or Clarksville Village, where my grandfather and his older siblings were born.

On August 29, 1861 he enlists and is assigned to Company E, 8th Indiana Cavalry. He serves 6 months.

On July 1, 1863 he registers for the draft. His prior 6 months service is noted. A military pension document later says that he was in Company E of the 39th Indiana Infantry, but dates of service are not given.

In the 1870 census in Wayne Township of Hamilton County we have:

William 49, a farmer
Mary J. 47
And two Barnhizer children plus Ida M. Bush.

In the 1880 census they live on Walnut Street in Wayne Township of Hamilton County:

William 58, a farmer
Mary J. 50 (sic)

The report says that his father was born in Maryland and his mother was born in Scotland. His mother is the first foreign born member of the Wellons/Wyant family. Mary J.’s parents are both born in Pennsylvania.

William B. Barnhizer died on September 10, 1887.

His will, dated May 21, 1887 gives the farm and house to his wife, with the the farm to be split upon her death and half given to his son, A.W. Barnhizer and half given to his son-in-law, John Chapel Wellons. John C. Wellons is also responsible for compensating some other individuals when they reach the age of majority (probably children of two deceased children of William and Mary Barnhizer.

Sarah Elizabeth Hudson Wellons

Sarah was known as “Sally”. She was the wife of John Chapple Wellons (Sr.) and the mother of John Chapel (sic) Wellons, the grandmother of James H. Wellons and the great grandmother of Ralph Wellons, who was my maternal grandfather.

She was born on January 3, 1816 in Pulaski County, Kentucky.

On December 8, 1831, she married John Chapple Wellons in Pulaski County. She was still just 15 years old at the time.

She gave birth to John Chapel Wellons (Jr.) on February 17, 1839. He was one of her 14, or maybe even 15 children. There were 14 at the 1860 census and she may have had one more after that.

She travels to Indiana and then lives many years in Warren County, Iowa with her family.

However, she died on January 8, 1861, at just 45 years old. I wonder if she died giving birth to her 15th child, Charles. Or Charles may have been born to John Chapple Wellons (Sr.)’s second wife.

Sally was buried at the Hartford Cemetery in Hartford, Iowa, near her husband.

John Chapple Wellons Sr.

John Chapple Wellons (Sr.) was the father of John Chapel (consistently spelled differently) Wellons and the grandfather of James H. Wellons and the great grandfather of my grandfather, Ralph Wellons.

His unique middle name is his mother’s maiden name.

He was born April 22, 1805 in Pulaski County, Kentucky and died on January 23, 1896 in Warren County, Iowa.

On December 8, 1831, he married Sarah Elizabeth “Sally” Hudson in Pulaski County.

His son, John Chapel Wellons, was born on February 17, 1839 in Pulaski County.

They are in Pulaski County for the 1840 census. The family consists of 2 adults and 5 kids under the age of 20, who are all categorized as “free-white”. There are no slaves.

They are still in Pulaski County for the 1850 census and we see:

John C. 45
Sarah “Sally” 44
Nancy E. 18
William M. 16
Mary 15
Rebecca 14
John C. (Jr.) 11
Jemima 8
Sarah E. 5 (Jr confuses the historical record by marrying another Sarah E.)
Daniel H. 3
Henry J. 2
George W. 1

All of the kids are born in Kentucky, except for Mary who is born in Tennessee.

They have moved to Richland Township in Warren County, Iowa for the 1860 census. William M. And Rebecca are presumably adults and have left home. The remainder are still at home and they are joined by:

Samuel M.
Andrew J.
John F.
Ben F.

The first two of these are born in Indiana and the last two in Iowa. So there has been a stop for some period of time in Indiana.

Sally dies on January 8, 1861 in Warren County, Iowa with possibly 14 living children.

On August 27, 1865, John Chapple Wellons (Sr.) married Mrs. Elizabeth Henderson Weaver in Warren County, Iowa.

They have moved to Hartford Township (or townships have been added or changed... it happened), still in Warren County, Iowa.

John 65 is a farmer (and presumably was all along)
Elizabeth
Ben F. 14
Charles Wellons 4 (John’s 15th child; not sure which mother)
And 3 Henderson children from Elizabeth’s first marriage.

They are still in Hartford Township of Warren County for the 1880 census. John, age 75, is a laborer and is living with the Hurst family.

In the 1885 state census, John is in Palmyra, Iowa. He reports being married but there is no wife listed. He lives alone with Charles, now 18 years old.

From these last two census reports, it raises the question as to whether Mrs. Wellons has left with her kids.

John Chapel Wellons (Jr.)... the son... dies on April 27, 1893 in Indiana.

John Chapple Wellons (Sr.) died on January 23, 1896 and is buried in Hartford Cemetery.

His second wife, Elizabeth Henderson Weaver Wellons, died on March 10, 1900 in Avilla, Noble County, Indiana.

Mary Alice Wellons Dixon

Mary Alice Wellons Dixon was my mom. She was born on Memorial Day, back when it was always on May 30th, and not a permanent Monday holiday. I found out later, when I started teaching in Florida, that it was a union holiday... as in Union vs. the Confederacy... and it was definitely not celebrated in southern states. Only federal government offices and the banks closed. That softened some over the years as it became in effect a 2nd Veterans Day.

She was born on May 30, 1929 at the beginning of the Great Depression. And she was 12 when Pearl Harbor was attacked and World War II began for America. Her brother, Bob, was on a destroyer in the Pacific for the last year of the war. She and dad graduated from Anderson High School in 1947 in a class of over 600 students.

They were married on June 4, 1948 at Noble Street Methodist Church in Anderson, Indiana. Dad had dropped out of Purdue, after funds ran out. He was working at Container Corporation, and had not started at Delco-Remy. He was hired later by Delco and began an apprenticeship as a Toolmaker. He later became one of the last of a breed... the non-degreed engineer. Mom worked for a man she thought was the most wonderful boss in the world, Mr. McCrary of McCrary Insurance and Real Estate. She worked until Jay was born. She always said that Mr. McCrary wanted to sell her the business, but she was on “mommy track” and that sort of thing really wasn’t done very often back then. Likewise, she never seriously considered, or had the money at first, to go to college.

Dave Given was the best man. Mary Jo Stanley was the bridesmaid. Barb Given sang at the wedding. Mr. McCrary attended, the only other non-family member in attendance. Mom says that she and dad both worked on the day of the wedding! They borrowed a car from her mom and dad and went to Cincinnati for a quick honeymoon.

They settled in at their new apartment in the 1200 block of West 6th Street. One room. Not one bedroom. Just one room. And a shared bath. They moved up to a better apartment, a walk-up on Madison Avenue that she used to point out to us when we drove through the area. This was better, but the roof leaked onto their bed. The landlord wouldn’t fix it, so mom moved the bed and the water leaked through to the owner’s rooms on the first floor. Roof fixed. They had no car and rode the bus for the first year of marriage. Mom got frostbite one time walking to work. Dad had told her to stay home, but she didn’t have the 15 cents for the bus and had to help with a Christmas party at work at noon.

They moved to Alex Pike into a new white frame house. Not the house at 2833 Alexandria Pike, but right next door. It was smaller. I lived there for my first year, but spent a lot of time there later as the Hudson boys and then the Barber girls lived there and we were playmates with each set of kids. That house was eventually demolished. Mom and dad had the new house built. It was a brick ranch and had 3 bedrooms and still just one bathroom. In fact, I don’t remember ever seeing a house with two bathrooms until I was a teenager. The second bathroom even then was usually a half-bath.

Mom was in many ways a single parent. My dad was always great to us, but not there much as he was very devoted to his career and employer. He felt that working for GM in those years was working for one of the two or three best companies in the world and he was probably right. I’m glad that the bankruptcy of GM happened after he passed. Mom didn’t really complain much about the hours he worked. She knew he was very important to the company and they were good to us. So she was the one who raised us and took us wherever we needed to go. It was a different time and we could roam the neighborhood and beyond before we became teens. It was a pretty safe neighborhood. The last suburbs before the rural area about 5 miles outside of Anderson. Of course, they didn’t know all of the sometimes stupid risks we took. I laughed when my dad’s friend wrote us a letter about his friendship with dad and Jim Drake and described the time they went swimming in a gravel pit. You see, we had a gravel pit across the street when we were kids...

Mom was fiercely loyal to us and was a little bit of a “tiger-mom”. She was very sociable and could dominate most situations. She took us golfing and loved to drive just for the fun, so ice cream trips were great. She even took us camping with our friends, without dad when he had to work. Mom also had the best friends of anyone I have ever known. She and her girls, especially Joy Skiles and Sally Lacey, were a hoot to watch as they played bridge seemingly every week. They even invited the husbands one night each month. And they were serious bridge players.

Alzheimer's is a terrible disease. It affected mom’s personality more than her memory, especially for the first 5 years of so. She turned against friends and family. I suspect she was becoming difficult for Dad to deal with, but he came down with a weird disease and died before we knew she had dementia. She was acting in a bizarre fashion right around the time of his death. Only later did we realize that her odd behavior was connected with her failing cognitive abilities. I was fortunate, probably because of the distance, to be the one she didn’t turn against in later years. That let me help her through the final stages, which included a couple of years of aphasia and failing memory and later the inability to walk or speak at all. It helped that I had previous experience working with dementia patients in a nursing home outside of Bloomington in my college years. She died on July 26, 2018 in a memory care unit here in Gainesville, Florida. Her ashes are buried next to dad’s in Anderson Memorial Park.

Mary Alice Wellons Dixon and Family

Mary Alice Wellons married Jarrett Denton Dixon of Anderson and had three boys. The first picture above shows Jay, Lee and Todd with their mom and with their dad at their still relatively new house at 2833 Alexandria Pike. That from porch was a major play area and was like a covered bullpen area for aspiring pitchers. And how about that Buick in the driveway. It eventually got replaced by a copper colored ‘57 Chevy station wagon and a Corvair.

The family photo was taken about 1969. All of us would have been at Highland for that one year. Jay was a senior, I was a freshman and Todd would have been in 7th grade.

The bottom picture is of the three of us with mom and little Elliot at Randy and Deanna’s wedding at Table Rock. Mom was unfortunately acting a little strange, but we didn’t realize it was really a symptom of the dementia that was just starting to affect her. Memory loss is sometimes the least of your worries if you have Alzheimer’s disease. We were able to enjoy the occasion.

Isaac S. Wyant

There is one couple among the 8 couples of my “great-greats” generation that is hard to document and a little mysterious. First, let’s start with my grandmother’s paternal grandfather.

The death certificate for my grandmother’s father, Charles B. Wyant, says clearly that his father was Izaac Wyant and his mother was Mary Hiewit.

There are two Isaac S. Wyant’s that were initially suspects for this honor. Both spell their names Isaac, rather than Izaac. Both seem to have connections with Hamilton County, Indiana. Both were civil war veterans who served in Indiana units. Both have sons named Charles. Both later lived in Kansas. I was finally able to rule out one because he stayed in one place and farmed, in Kansas, becoming fairly wealthy and well-known. He was about a hundred miles from where our Isaac Wyant needed to end up to be our Charles Wyant’s father. He was married to a Margaret, not a Mary.

Our Isaac S. Wyant was born in Indiana, probably near Marshall, Indiana in Parke County along the western border of the state. He died in 1908 in Newkirk, Oklahoma (where my grandmother’s oldest siblings were born). His parents appear to be Joshua Wyant, born in Kentucky and Julia Lowe, also born in Kentucky.

In the 1850 census, Isaac is 12 years old and living in My Division, of Marshall, Indiana in Parke County. The adults in the home are:

Joshua Wyant 46, a farmer, born in Kentucky
Tabitha Wyant 41, who was Joshua’s second wife and Isaac’s step-mom

Tabitha’s maiden name was James and her given name has many variations, including Telitha. There is a legal document wherein Telitha and her father appear to be wanting to split the family’s land up between the heirs of Joshua after he had passed. She may not have inherited it all since she was a second wife and his will probably split it between her and all of his children. Isaac is named in the petition for partition.

Isaac is the 2nd youngest of 8 children, with 6 boys and 2 girls in the family.

On June 14, 1861, Isaac enlisted and joined Company K of the 15th Regiment, Indiana Infantry. He was a private.

His oldest son, Vanta Rousch Wyant, was born in 1867 and his daughter Cora H. Wyant was born on October 10, 1870. Both appear in the 1870 census.

In 1870 census for Lebanon, Missouri we see:

Isaac Wyant, age 32, a photographer
Mary J. Wyant
Vanta R., age 2
Cora H., an infant

Charles B. Wyant, Isaac and Mary’s son and the youngest child, was born in 1872.

In the 1880 census, also in Lebanon, Missouri, we see:

Isaac, age 42, a gunsmith
Mary
Rousch (Vanta Rousch)
Cora
Charley

Isaac is listed in a Kansas document entitled “1899 Enrollment of Civil War Veterans” which is done with excellent handwriting. He is listed as a Private in Co. K, 15th Reg., Indiana Infantry. He was in the Volunteer category ( as opposed to the regular army, for example). He is shown as having been wounded 3 times in the war, including injuries to the left leg below the knee, the left wrist and the left breast. He was receiving a $4 per month invalid pension and was in Arkansas City, Kansas.

It’s important to know that Arkansas City is just north of the Kansas/Oklahoma border and it was the gathering point for folks participating the the Cherokee Strip land rush. Newkirk, Oklahoma is just across the border.

Isaac dies in 1908 and is buried in Newkirk Cemetery. Mary J. Wyant later applies successfully for a civil war widow’s pension. Except there’s a problem. And I think a solution.

See, there are two Mary J. Wyants.

And Isaac S. Wyant had two sets of kids.

The key finding pulled together two sets of information that I had reviewed earlier and couldn’t make sense of, so I ruled one set of information out entirely. But shouldn’t have. You see, the second Mary J. Wyant was way to young to be the mother of Isaac S. Wyant’s kids. (At least Charley and his two older siblings!) And who marries two women with the same first name and second initial, anyway?

When trying to retrieve the picture of Isaac Wyant’s grave marker in Newkirk, Oklahoma, I found a book in that google search. It made sense of the headstone and the whole two Mary J. Wyant thing.

The Long. Blue Line: Civil War Union Soldiers and Sailors Buried in Oklahoma was a collection of short bios and stories pulled together by N. Dale Tarkington in 1999. One of the contributions came from a Clyde Wyant, who provided facts about Isaac Wyant, his grandfather. Believe it or not, Clyde Wyant was my grandmother’s cousin! Or half-cousin? At least, they shared a grandfather. Clyde lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma when he made the contribution to the book, and his address is listed in the book. I checked, and he had passed since then. But the picture on his short obituary makes him a Wyant for sure! Clyde’s father John was one of three children that Isaac Wyant had with his second wife. The other two died in infancy. Isaac is buried with his second wife and her three kids in adjoining spaces in the Newkirk Cemetery in Newkirk, OK. I found the Block, Lot and Space numbers on PGSOK.org, the site of Pioneer Genealogical Society of Oklahoma. FindaGrave.com has the picture of the grave marker. Clyde also lists Isaac’s first set of kids, the ones I described above who were born in Lebanon, Missouri... Vanta Rousch, Cora, and Charley, who is my grandmother’s dad.

Clyde noted at the bottom of his submission that Isaac Wyant’s first wife was Mary Hiatt. (Remember that Charles B. Wyant’s obituary in Anderson gave his mother’s name as Mary “Hiewit”.

Since the second Mary J. Wyant lived with her son John and his family prior to her death, Clyde was in the same household as his grandmother (and his father) who would know the details. In fact, the 1940 census list Clyde in the household of his father John along with a mess of other kids and their grandma Mary.

So, Mary Hiatt (Hiewit) was the mom of Vanta, Cora and Charley. Mary J. Hiatt Wyant was born in 1844. Charles, the youngest of her three kids, was born in 1872. Mary J. Good Wyant, born in 1868 was the mother of Willie, John and Leonard. Willie and Leonard died in infancy. John was born in 1898 and lived to old age. It’s Mary J. Good Wyant who applies for the widow’s pension.

The Civil War record of Issac that Clyde recounts is similar to what I had from other sources. He even had a birth place, Boone County in Indiana. All I knew was that Isaac was in Marshall, Indiana (Parke County) in 1850 as an 11 year old.

Clyde also says that Isaac was the son of Joshua and Tabitha Wyant. This is confirmation of the name Tabitha and also that she was the wife, not Julia Lowe, who bore Isaac.

I also found a source in Indiana, the Civil War Index, and also a Wikipedia article on the unit Isaac served in. Page 302 of the Index says that Isaac enrolled on June 14, 1861 and was discharged on April 25, 1864 due to wounds received at “Mission Ridge”. This was actually “Missionary Ridge”, the famous battle where the union routed the confederacy at Chattanooga. A member of his regiment received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle. The battle took place on November 25, 1863.

Oddly enough, one of my Dixon ancestors may have died in the battle for Atlanta in August 1864.

Neither family ever spoke of their civil war soldier ancestors.

Mary Jane Hiatt Wyant

Mary Jane Hiatt was the first wife of Isaac S. Wyant and the mother of my great grandfather Charles B. “Charley” Wyant.

Mary Jane Hiatt is a mystery. Only partially because there were two Mary J. Wyant’s. She can easily be confused with Isaac Wyant’s second wife, Mary Jane Good. There are no records to be found, even using Ancestry.com, prior to her 26th year and after she has been married for some time to Isaac Wyant. This is true for no other individual of the my great-great grandparent generation or even all o the three great grandparent generation, excepting of course, Mary Jane Hiatt’s parents. Her parents are both reported to be from North Carolina on two censuses.

We infer that she was born in 1843 or 1844 from census records giving her age at the time of the census. The fact that the census records seem to vary is not really unusual and may be due to the varying times that a census is actually completed. Also, one census lists her birthplace as Indiana, but I give it little credence. She is more likely from North Carolina.

In 1870 she is listed as 27 years old, married to Isaac Wyant and in a household with two children, 2 year old Vanta and infant Cora. They are in Lebanon, Missouri. Cora’s records from later in life helped me to determine that Mary Hiatt was her mother.

In 1880, also in Lebanon, Missouri, she is 36 years old and married to Isaac Wyant and they now have 3 children:

Rousch (Vanta Rousch) 12
Cora 9
Charley 8

Charley grows up and marries Mary Elizabeth Carson and one of their children is Bessie Ethel Wyant, my maternal grandmother.

On Charley’s death certificate from 1936 in Anderson, Indiana, his mother’s name is listed as “Mary Hiewit” and she is listed as being born in Indiana. Other researchers use different spellings for her last name, but there no existing documents on Ancestry with that name. We have strong evidence from a family member that her name should be spelled Hiatt, but even that does not bring up records on Ancestry. The census records we have only show her as the wife of Isaac.

We don’t know what happened to Mary Jane Hiatt Wyant.

When Cora H. Wyant marries, the marriage license on Ancestry says that she names her mother as Molly J. Camp. However, the document is barely legible and I am looking for a way to see it more clearly. There is a Mary J. Camp living in or near Marion, Indiana later.

Emaline “Emma” Nash Carson

Emma Nash was my grandmother’s maternal grandmother. She was born in Xenia, in Clay County, Illinois in December of 1852. I don’t know her date or cause of death at this time. I eventually will pull up an obituary.

In the 1860 census for Clay County, Illinois she is living with her parents, Pleasant Riley Nash and Elisabeth Gammon Nash. Dad is 33 and a farmer, while mom is 24 and the mother of 3 children. Emaline is the oldest at 8 years old. Note the age difference. Mom was 16 when she had Emma.

In the 1870 census in Xenia, Clay County, she is living with her father and a stepmom, Nancy, who is 38 years old. Emaline is 18 years old and the oldest of 8 kids. She has brothers who are 16, 14, and 12 who are reported as “working on farm”. She may have some step-brothers or step-sisters.

In the 1880 census she is married to Andrew Jackson “Andy” Carson and have a daughter, Mary Elizabeth, my grandmother’s mom. Emma is 28 and the age is misreported on the census form as 26.

In 1900 Andy and Emma are living in Mound Valley, Kansas’s. She is 48 years old and reports having 3 living out of 5 total children. A tough question for a census taker to have to ask. She reports being born in December 1852, which is the source we have for her date of birth.

In the 1910 census in Mound Valley, Kansas, she is 58 years old and reports being a “Laundress” and working out of her home. This is further evidence that family economics are not doing as well as when she and Andy were young parents. She reports that she can both read and write.

We have no date or cause of death yet.

Andrew Jackson Carson

Well, it’s a historical name, but not a unique name for the 1800’s in America. Andrew “Andy” Jackson Carson was the maternal grandfather of Bessie Ethel Wellons Wyant, my grandmother. He was born on June 4, 1848 in Bond County, Illinois (per his obit) and died on December 20, 1911 in Mound Valley, Kansas, where he and his wife Emma spent most of their adult years.

In the 1860 census for Bond County, Illinois, he was 11 years old and living with his parents William and Elisabeth Carson. Both parents were born in Kentucky. His dad was a farmer.

He marries Emaline (spelling varies) Nash, who goes by “Emma”, on May 16, 1875 in Clay County, Illinois.

In the 1880 census, they have moved to Mound Valley, in southwestern Kansas, where they would live out their lives. Andy is 30 and Emma is 26, and their only child at that time is Mary Elizabeth, a 2 year old. Mary Elizabeth is my great grandmother. He is a farmer and reports owning his own farm along with land values and personal property values.

Things appear to have taken a turn for the worse economically over the next 20 years. In the 1900 census in Mound Valley, Kansas he reports being a “farm laborer” and is 51 years old. They are renting a house, not a farm. He reports being able to read, but not write. Emma is 47 and a new daughter, Grace, is 7 years old. Her older sister Mary would have been 22 years old and no longer living with parents.

In 1903 they appear in a city directory in Parson, Kansas. Parsons is 19 miles from Mound Valley, but they still consider themselves from Mound Valley in the next census. A “city directory” was what they called phone books before, and for a while after, people had phones. We called it a phone book most of my life. Now they’ve stopped publishing phone books, meaning it is really hard to find someone when you don’t have their address or phone number. But can you imagine publishing your cell phone number is a book that is given to everyone?

In the 1910 census, Andy, now 61 years old, reports being a laborer in a “railway section”. They live in Mound Valley. He says that he had learned to write. Daughter Grace is now 17 years old and there is a surprise member of the household... 9 year old granddaughter Jessie Wyant. That’s mom’s “Aunt Jessie” to us. It appears that they are hard up for money, but have taken in a grandchild... Jessie is the child of their daughter Mary E..

Andrew Jackson Carson died on December 20, 1911 in Mound Valley, Kansas. I cannot find a death certificate in Kansas, so I don’t know the cause of death. He would have been 63 years old.

My grandmother would not have known her grandfather, since she was a toddler when he died and they were still quite a distance away... 2 hours by car, which they did not have. She would have heard lots of stories from her older sister, our Aunt Jessie.

Sarah E. Barnhizer Wellons

Sarah E. Barnhizer Wellons was the wife of John Chapel Wellons. Her middle name is Elizabeth, according to other Ancestry family trees posted by relatives, but I cannot find a document with her middle name. She was my grandfather Ralph’s paternal grandmother. He probably knew her quite well because she lived until 1918 and lived in Anderson after about 1900, just before my grandfather was born. It looks like she was chasing grandkids. I know something about that.

She was born in June of 1845 and died on December 1, 1918 in Anderson, Indiana. She was the child of William B. Barnhizer and Mary Jane Shetterley. Dad was born in Maryland and Mom was born in Ohio.

In the 1860 census she is living with her parents in Hamilton County, Indiana, (as are the Wellons clan) and she is 16 and the oldest of 4 children.

She marries John C. Wellons on April 20, 1864 in Hamilton County when he is home from the Civil War. She would be between 18 and 19 years old.

By the 1880 census, she and John are living on Walnut Street in Clarksville Village in Hamilton County and have 5 boys. The youngest is James H. Wellons, my great grandfather. She is 34 years old.

At the 1900 census, she is widowed and living at 2213 Central Avenue in Anderson, Indiana in a home that she owns mortgage free. Her 28 and 33 year old sons are living with her, so that probably helps with expenses.

She dies in 1918 and the death certificate seems to have some errors, including the name of her husband. The reporting person in William Wellons, Jr., who is probably a grandson as she had a child named William S. Wellons. The date of death is listed as June 1, 1918. The obituary date is two days later. There are many corresponding details to indicate she is the person who died. She died of Bright’s disease, a kidney related disease. She was in St. John’s hospital at the time.

Oddly, she had a sister-in-law of the same name. Sarah E. Wellons, John’s sister, was even close in age to his wife Sarah E.

John Chapel Wellons

John Chapel Wellons was the grandfather that my grandfather never knew. It’s a shame, because he was a civil war hero.

John C. Wellons was my grandfather Ralph’s paternal grandfather. He was born on February 17, 1839 in Pulaski County, Kentucky and died on April 27, 1893 in Madison County, Indiana. His parents were John C. Wellons and Sarah “Sally” Elizabeth Wellons. His grave marker, is shown above.

In the 1850 census, John Chapel Wellons was 11 years old and living with his parents in Pulaski County, Kentucky. He was the 5th of 10 children ranging in age from 1 to 18. Large families were big with the Wellons clan until the mid-20th century.

In the 1860 census, he is 21 years old and still living with both parents, who now have 12 children. They live in Hartford, Iowa.

In 1861, his mother passes in Hartford, Iowa on January 8th. Then on the 29th of August, 1861 he enrolls in the U. S. Army in Indianapolis and is assigned to Company I of the 39th Regiment of the 8th Cavalry.

In a break from the war, he marries Sarah E. Barnhizer on April 19, 1864 in Hamilton County, Indiana at Clarksville Village, which would be the home of the Wellons clan for parts of 3 generations.

On May 4, 1865, he is promoted to 1st Lieutenant and ends his military service after the war ends on July 20, 1865.

On August 23, 1873, his 5th of 5 sons, James H. Wellons is born. He turns out to be my grandpa Ralph’s dad.

At the 1880 census the 5 boys range in age from 6-14, with the 10 years old middle child and two older brothers shown as “working on farm”. Not much of a schooling history with the Wellons. They are living on Walnut Street in Clarksville.

John Chapel Wellons died on April 27, 1893, in Madison County, long before my grandfather was born. He was buried in Hamilton County at the Hair Cemetery. He marker says he was 54 Yrs 2 Mos old. His wife, Sarah, lived until 1918, spending her final years living on Central Avenue in Anderson.

And no, the grave marker shown as belonging to Bessie Wellons is not my grandmother. That’s probably a nickname for Sarah E. Barnhizer Wellons, the wife of John C. Wellons. Other Ancestry.com researchers, including our not so distant relatives, say that her middle name was Elizabeth. “Bessie” could be short for Elizabeth.

On my Dixon side there is a similar headstone deal where “the big man” gets “the big headstone” and “the little woman” gets “the little headstone”. Just a sign of the times.

Jacob M. Webb

Jacob Mulford Webb was my grandfather’s great grandfather. His mother’s maternal grandfather. He was famous because he lived until he was 98 years old. He was born on July 7, 1810 near Dayton, Ohio and died on October 12, 1908. He was the son of Cuthbert and Mary Jarrell Webb. Jacob reports on the 1890 census that they were both born in Virginia.

He was married on April 21, 1831 to Mary Fallis, the mother of all of his 11 children. She was the daughter of Isaac and Mary Mercy Vaughan. Mary was born around 1810 and died on July 31, 1876 at age 63.

In the 1840 census he reports 2 adults and 4 children. Delila was born on September 6, 1837.

In the 1850 census they reside in Jackson Township of Madison County, Indiana:

Jacob 40, a farmer
Mary 39
Silas 18
Marinus 16
Delila 13
Martha Ann 10
Sarah E. 8
Isaac 6
Mary 4

Mary Fallis Webb died in 1876. He married Rebecca Todd in 1877.

In the 1880 census in Lafayette Township of Madison County, Indiana:

Jacob 69
Rebecca

His second wife was Rebecca Peacock Todd, born April 26, 1819 and she died on August 29, 1987. She was previously married to Mr. Spencer Todd and they had 6 children as of the 1860 census.

In the 1890 census of Jackson Township of Madison County, Indiana, Jacob is 89 years young and living with his son, Isaac.

Jacob and Mary’s first child was born in Indiana, but then Delila (Ralph Wellons maternal grandmother) and one other child were born back in Ohio near Dayton. The other children are born after a final move to Indiana.

Jacob and both wives are buried in the Prewett Cemetery in Pipe Township of Madison County, Indiana.

His obituary says that he was preceded in death by 6 brothers and 5 sisters, all of his siblings.

There were obituaries in three different Madison County newspapers. One says that reporters interviewed him prior to the recent presidential election. He claimed to have voted for all U.S. presidents that held office after he reached voting age.

John Lewis Lane

John Lewis Lane was my grandfather’s maternal grandfather. He was born on December 2, 1824 and died September 4, 1894. His father was from Tennessee and his mother was from North Carolina. He is buried alongside his second wife Delila Ann Webb Lane (Ralph Wellons grandmother) in Elwood.

John Lane was first married to Hannah Gentry on August 27, 1845 in Wayne County. They had at least two kids, and maybe as many as four kids.

Their son Francis M. Lane was turned over to a relative of Hannah’s to raise. The document is shown above. This was dated March 14, 1862 when Francis was 11 years old. Francis “Frank” Lane was born on December 2, 1850 and died on December 31, 1922 in Portland, Oregon. His mother had died 8 years before this and his father had been remarried for 6 years. With a growing family, this may have just been an economic move where on family could use the help as Francis was almost working age for that time and there were too many mouths to feed in the Lane household.

A daughter, Martha C. Lane, was born in 1846 and died “1 year, 8 months” later on October 1, 1854.

There are possible connections to two other children during the marriage to Hannah Gentry. The connections are suspect. Mary E., born in 1846 and living until 1925, became a member of a family named Taylor. William H., born in 1848 and living until 1910, kept the name Lane, but lived from early childhood with the Banta family. It’s possible that these two kids were given up for adoption, but I can’t see convincing evidence. They were both born at the right time and in the right place to be kids of John Lane and Hannah Gentry Lane. The idea that Hannah wouldn’t have been pregnant from marriage in August 1845 until Francis was born in 1850 is not likely. Both kids were born Wayne County, Indiana.

Hannah Gentry was born January 24, 1827 in Wayne County, Indiana and died on July 30, 1854 in Madison County. She was the daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth Foland Gentry. She is buried in Neese Cemetery in Jackson Township of Madison County.

John Lane married my grandfather’s grandmother, Delila Ann Webb Lane, on August 16, 1856, a little more than two years after his first wife’s death. They had 13 children according to her obituary.

We do have a nice picture of John Lewis Lane shown above.