52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 26

Do You Know John R. Martin?

I have written about Samuel Sanders Martin and Mary Ann "Polly Ann" Allman before now. Samuel is the son of John Martin and Polly Ann, was his wife. I've had a very hard time finding any information about John. Not that I haven't found a John Martin in records. The real problem is that I have found far too many! So the real problem has been to sort out which is mine. Sounds easy, but it is not.

I can tell the family story about this man. It is very little, though. According to the story he was in the civil war. That was it. Not only does he have one of the most common names, there is very little about him in family lore. For years I have searched just to separate one out of the pack to claim as my own. Lately, I have been looking more at everyone around him in a different way. How and who do they connect with? Where can I find one instance that will separate my John from the many others?

First of all, I know that John was married to Mary Ann Allman, called Polly Ann in the marriage record. I wrote about that last week when I profiled Mary Ann. They were married on October 3rd, 1852, and both had 'Consent of father' beside their names. Since John was born about 1832, he would have been about 20. I don't believe that he would have needed his father's consent but it shows his father was wanting the marriage to take place. His bride was only 15.

The next time I find them is in the 1860 Census. This was in Sparksville, Washington County, Indiana, and John Martin is listed as 25, Polly Ann, 23, and daughter Rebecca Elizabeth is 3. Again this was in July of that year and my great-great-grandfather was born earlier that year, in February. Infants are not listed in this census. John is a farmer.

I did find one thing that could set my John apart from the others. His daughter Rebecca, married a John Beck. So I looked for any documents that she would have created in her lifetime. When I found her death certificate I had a very happy moment! Her parents were listed as John R. Martin and Mary Ann Martin. John R. is the important one here. This is possibly the only instance with John being listed as having a middle name. I was very happy to find it, though it could be wrong, and it could be the only time it is listed, at all. But it is something!

Now, the trail goes cold here. But I do have another thing to search. The family lore said he was in the Civil War. Maybe. So I searched for him there, under Jackson County, Indiana enlistments. I found a John Martin in the Indiana Volunteers, Tenth Cavalry Regiment, Company C. Other than: Private, Jackson County, and the dates, enlisted, December 1, 1863, and mustered out on August 31, 1865, there is no information. Following that regiment got me nowhere. Well, I know that if this entry is him, he survived. I thought for many years that he may have died during the war, mainly because he seemed to disappear afterwards.

Mary Ann Martin married Reuben Cockerham in 1869. Where did John go? So there had to be a divorce or he died. This would have happened between August of 1860 and 1869.

I am at a stand-still again. I will continue to try, but I am losing hope on finding the right one.

#52ancestors #genealogy

Sources:
"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007," FamilySearch; John Martin and Polly Ann Allman, 03 Oct 1852; citing , Jackson, Indiana, county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,314,624.
1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
Historical Data Systems, comp. U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.
Indiana State Board of Health. Death Certificates, 1900–2011. Microfilm. Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks-Week 25

Mary Ann "Polly Ann" Allman

Mary Ann was called Polly Ann, even in some records. For a long time I was not certain that I had found the right one because of this. In her first marriage she was listed as Polly Ann Allman.

She was the daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Ann Hatton Allman, and born in Jackson County, Indiana.

In the 1850 census I found Mary Ann with her parents in Brownstown, Jackson County, Indiana. It lists Samuel, 30, Rebecca A., 27, Mary A. 13, John, 11, Minerva, 9, Nancy E., 4, and Philip, 6 months. Samuel is listed at having been born in Virginia, and his occupation is farmer.

On October 3rd, 1852, John Martin and Polly Ann Allman were married. She was just 15. Both received the 'Consent of father' beside their name. His has more writing I cannot read. I will work on it later.

In the 1860 Census in Sparksville, Washington County, Indiana, John Martin is listed as 25, Polly Ann, 23, Rebecca Elizabeth is 3. The census was taken on the 12th of July. Samuel, my great-great-grandfather, was born in February of that year. He would have been about 5 months old at the time of the census, which obviously did not list infants. John was listed as a farmer born in Indiana.

This is where things get cloudy. The family story was that John fought in the Civil War. Did he? There were several John Martins that did, and I will look at that when I focus on John. I can say that at this point, I do not know. I also don't know if he and Polly were divorced, or if he died.

Mary, "Polly", is not listed in the 1870 census that I have been able to find.

There is a record of a Mary Ann Martin marriage in 1869 to a Reuben Cockerham. Her sister, Nancy, married a Cockerham and her on her father's second marriage record it says, Oath of Danl. H. Cockerham next to Sam's name, which is, I believe, Reuben Cockerham's father. I don't know what that means. I will have to take it up later.

The things that I find strange here, is that I am unable to find Mary Ann after 1860. Another thing is, the first child of John and Polly was born 5 years after they married.  I cannot find any between those dates. Also, Reuben Cockerham would have been 5 years her junior, having been born in 1842. This one is going to take a while.

Sources:
1850 U.S. census, National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls; Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007," FamilySearch; John Martin and Polly Ann Allman, 03 Oct 1852; citing , Jackson, Indiana, county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,314,624.
1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007; FamilySearch; Reuben Cockerham and Mary Ann Martin, 19 Jan 1869; citing , Jackson, Indiana, county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,314,625.
"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007; FamilySearch; Samuel Allman and Mary Hall, 01 Jan 1853; citing , Jackson, Indiana, county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,314,624.

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A Program, A Project and A Person

As you know, I purchased Legacy Family Tree genealogy program to suppliment my RootsMagic. I was having a real problem with RM. I have cleaned up the mess it made. A few days ago, there was an update for the program, though I don't know what it was fixing, I hope it fixed my problem. I'm still watching, making sure the mess does not reappear. So far, so good. Legacy is so different that I am slowly learning it's ways. It is not as easy to get around in as my RM, but I have used RM for so many years and so many versions, that I could probably work in it blind-folded. Well, not really. There is a learning curve, for me, to Legacy. I put a GedCom in it without sources. I need to learn how to add them in Legacy and the only way is to do it, over and over. I love the "Marriage List" in Legacy. That is a great feature. I think the "Map Family" is good too. It almost writes the family story for you. In the reports section I love the "Questionnaire"! "Advanced Tagging" is going to be really helpful. The "Alarm" is amusing. Like I would stop? Anyway, I am really looking forward to having the 'skills' to work in Legacy. I may really like it!

I finished up one of my GenWeb counties WWI page. All the Gold Star Honor Roll soldiers are on the site, with an article, in many cases, many articles, and a profile. I have already started on my second county. In one case, I was working on a young soldiers page and realized he had died exactly one hundred years ago on that day. He was only 18. I could say a lot about men and their wars, but I won't, at least not this time. In the era of WWI, most of the boys died from the outbreak of Spanish Influenza. They came in from a nice safe farm into a crowded camp riddled with it, and they did not last long enough, sometimes, to actually see battle. I find it hard to do, these pages. Not as hard as actually being a soldier. I will most likely survive the pain.

My Uncle Don, who died on June 17, 1938, was only 16 years, and nine months of age. He is not forgotten.

The Tribune
Seymour, Indiana
June 18, 1938

Donald Eugene Jaynes, age sixteen, died at the home at Chestnut Ridge south of Seymour at 3 o'clock Friday afternoon. Death followed an illness of one month's duration with acute leukemia.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon from the Voss Mortuary here with Dr. A.A. Cohn, pastor of the First Baptist Church, in charge. Burial in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery.

The Jaynes youth was a native of Seymour and was born here on September 17, 1921, the son of James and Della Alexander Jaynes. Both the parents survive. He spent his entire life in and near Seymour and made many friends who were shocked to learn of his death.

Besides the parents, he is survived by three sisters, Louise Jaynes, Joyce Jaynes and Madeline Jaynes, all at home.

Friends may call at the Voss Mortuary after 7 o'clock tonight.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 24

Father's Day - Rufus Lee Brock

It's been 12 years since my father died. Every year this time I get very quiet inside. Feels dark and lonely. He died just before Father's Day, June 14, 2006. It's been 12 years this year and that feeling does not go away. He was buried on the 17th of June, which is Father's Day this year. There is a sharp, painful feeling of what is missing from my life. You never really get over it.

He was born on the 2nd of March, 1931, in Collinsville, Dekalb County, Alabama. He was the eldest child in a family of 7. His parents, my grandparents, were Rufus Marvin and Bizzie Lee Beard Brock. My dad carried his father's given name and his mothers middle name. I always thought that was neat. I, too, carry the Lee as my middle name for him. My mother just spelt it different.

In the 1940 census, in Dekalb County, Alabama, Rufus Lee Brock is listed with his parents and his 2 brothers. Badly spelled, by the way.  Robert is still living but his brother Morris died in 2007.

His family moved to Indiana in 1950. His father came north when the factory he worked at, Arvins, opened a factory in Indiana. My father got a job there in 1950, and retired when Arvins closed its Indiana plant in 1976. It was only the first of several 'careers' he had. In 1977 he became a contractor. That was something he really loved doing. He retired from that in 1995. He then followed his heart. Farming. His ancestors were farmers, but the gene apparently missed his father. Rufus Marvin did not like farming. Dad grew vegetables for farmers markets. He sold his produce at several markets every week. One of his best sellers was a flower salad he would make. He liked trying to grow odd vegetables that were popular in other cultures which would be asked for at the farmers market in Bloomington, Indiana that he would drive quite a long way to sell at. He really loved people. He was not a fan of snow and winter at all. Always planning through the cold for the garden in the spring.

My mother's first cousin was dating his brother, and that is how he met my mother. His brother, Robert married 'cousin' Joan first, and a month later my parents were married. I think that families in the 1950's were close and connected. Today, that has seemed to disintegrate. But then, it was fun and crowded at family gatherings. Dad was a lot of fun. He was always busy. He had a workshop and was always making something. He worked his job and still managed to build a house during the summers. Vacations were big, and we were often in Alabama.

In 1978 he and my mother divorced. I was 24 but it was still devastating. Both remarried, and my stepmother, Mary Ann Neihaus died last year.

Dad was always on the go. He didn't just sit down. I would complain that he always told me about family in short spurts, but he was the only family that was supportive of my genealogy work. The only one that loved to hear what I'd found. I needed him to tell me more. He promised that one day he would slow down and we would sit on the porch and he'd tell me everything he could remember. He had a massive stroke after working in his garden all morning. He never got to slow down. I never got to hear the stories. Sometimes I am mad at him about that. Mostly I just want to cry.


Sources:
1940 US Census, Elec. Reg.5, Van Buren, Dekalb County, Alabama, (, Van Buren, Dekalb County, Alabama); , NARA, http://1940census.archives.gov/, Washington D.C...
Seymour Daily Tribune; July 17, 1996

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James Bohall-Pioneer of Jackson County

It's fun when you run upon something by accident, particularly something very old, in this case an obituary. They are really hard to come by before 1900. Usually just a little blurb in a gossipy column is all you will find. In this case it was a Bohall obit. Most of my Bohalls are in an adjoining county, so I was surprised to find it.

James Bohall is the brother of my direct ancestor, George David Bohall. James was born on December 18, 1820 in Hardin County, Kentucky. He was the son of Joseph Bohall, born in New York, and Sarah Milstead, born in Kentucky.

James was an early pioneer of the county, the county came into being in 1816. His obit lists his living children at the time of his death. They are Vincent Joseph, William David, Angeline Campbelle, and Loretta Schipman. It also lists his 5 wives and the dates of marriage.

I hope this will help someone:

Jackson County Banner
Brownstown, Indiana
Thursday, December 24, 1896
Page 5

DEATH RECORD

BOHALL

James Bohall, whose death was briefly mentioned in last week's issue, was born in Kentucky, December 18, 1820, and died at his home in Brownstown, December 15, 1896, aged 75 years, 11 months and 27 days. Several months ago he received a paralytic stroke from which he never fully recovered, but the immediate cause of his death was rheumatism of the heart, from which he had suffered since the war.

He located in this county in 1835 and was a continuous resident here ever since. He was a soldier in the late war and served in Co. E, 67th Reg. Indiana Vols.

He was married five times as follows: On October 23rd, 1841, to Pelina J. Hobbs; October 29th, 1857, to Amanda Garret; November 22nd, 1860 to Eliza Jane Newby; November 23, 1864, to Margaret Miller; and January 31st, 1882 to Emily Goble, who still survives.

He was the father of seven children-three dead and four living, viz: W. D. Bohall, Vincent J. Bohall, Angeline Campbelle and Loretta Schipman.

"Dad" as he was so familiarly known was well-liked by all. He had a kind disposition, was agreeable to all and was exceedingly fond of children. He was at one time for five or six years-a member of the M.E. Church.

Thus is removed another of Jackson county's pioneer citizens and thus are being gradually diminished the ranks of the brave boys, who were willing to sacrifice the best days of their lives in serving their country, in order that the union of the states might be preserved that their descendants might continue to enjoy the blessings of liberty in these United States. Slowly but surely they are crossing the dark river but the memory of their noble deeds will live for generations.

The funeral services were held at the residence on Thursday afternoon, December 17th, 1896, at 2 o'clock, Rev. J.N. Thompson officiating after which the remains, followed by relatives, comrades, and friends, were laid to rest in the old cemetery by the side of his first wife who preceded him to the grave 49 years ago.

Source:

Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana, Thursday, December 24, 1896, Page 5; Newspapers.com

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 23

David Janes

This is a family I need to do a lot of work on.

David Janes is my 3rd-greatgrandfather. He was born in 1811 in Kentucky, most likely Adair County, as that is where they seem to start out. His father was named, David, as well.

About 1829 David married Nancy H. Hughart. (sometimes Huggart) They produced 9 children, youngest of which was my 2nd great-grandfather, William Obadier Jaynes. I wrote about him here and here. There was also Rebecca Hughart, Henry B., Martha B., Grace W., Elizabeth, James Thomas, Nancy M.C., and Eliza Jane Janes. All of the children were born in Kentucky. 

In the 1850 US Census, in Barron County, Kentucky, the family consists of David, 39 and a farmer, Nancy, 36, Henry B., 17, Martha B., 15, Grace W., 12, Elizabeth, 9, James T., 9, and Eliza J., 2. By 1850 Rebecca was married to David A. Turner. She and David Turner married in 1846 in Adair County, Kentucky, but sometime between 1860 and 1870, they moved to Fulton County, Illinois.

In 1860, David and his family are listed in the census in Eastfork, Metcalf County, Kentucky. The family includes, David, 69, and still a farmer, Nancy H., 48, Nancy M.C., 17, Eliza J. 15, and William O. is 8. Most of the children are gone and there is the addition of my ancestor, William.

In the 1870 census the family is living in Campbellsburg in Washington County, Indiana. It really was a migration just a few miles north into Indiana. Land was very cheap, and David is still a farmer. The family is David, 60, Nancy, 58, and Eliza, 23.

I have seen other work online about this family and they have Nancy passing away shortly after the 1870 census, and later David remarrying a Elizabeth Taylor. I have not found any source information about that. I do think David was dead by 1880. I could not find him in the census at that time. I have a lot to do here. I did recently find a book on Adair County History that listed a lot of his family. His father, David, was listed as a pioneer of the county.


Sources:
1850 US Census, Division 2, Barron County, Kentucky; Page 426 Dwelling 325 Family 331, Film number: 803387. FamilySearch.
1860 US Census, EastFork, Metcalfe, Kentucky; Page No. 147 Dwelling 966 Family 966, Series: M653, Series: M653 Roll: 387 Page: 947, Heritage Quest.
1870 U.S. Census, Campbellsburg, Monroe Township, Washington County, Indiana; Page no. 3 Dwelling 22 Family 22, Heritage Quest.

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Problems to Solve and Graduates!

I've had some trouble with RootsMagic. This was really upsetting because I have never had any trouble with it before, and I did not have a second program to fall back on. RootsMagic had hic-uped or something and I had a second entry of one family that was not filled in. It was like an addition of the family before I worked on it, filling in the details and sources. I don't know how to explain it. I know that it was added recently because I often run the merge to see if I have 2 instances of anyone in the file. I want the file clean and not full of mistakes. So, I had run that and not found any doubles. I spent 3 days trying to figure it out. Then this past weekend I ran merge and it did not find anything. Even though I could see the second instance of the family in the sidebar. I ran it again and had empty merges show up. I am not sure that even makes sense. I will be removing RootsMagic and putting on a clean copy to try to ensure that it is fixed, whatever is broken. 

I opened my RootsMagic today and all the media links are broken. I have not moved it or the photos. I have done nothing. I am worried about my file. Something is going on.

I bought Legacy Family Tree this weekend for my second program. I am not fond of the program but in reviewing all the programs on the market, I have decided this is the best choice. I will have to learn how to use it correctly. Perhaps that will change my mind about it. I will look for videos on it this week.

This weekend I had 2 nephews and a grand-nephew graduate from high school. Same school! That is a big week!