Showing posts with label Joslin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joslin. Show all posts

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Lysander Joslin Family - Index to Posts

Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin are my 3rd Great Grandparents.

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

For information on Lysander's parents, siblings, and ancestors, please see Joslin Family - Index to Posts

See Robison Family - Index to Posts for information on Lydia's possible parents and siblings.

Lysander and Lydia were married in 1843 in Whitley County, Indiana and were the parents of 15 children, five of whom died young.
Children of Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin:

1. Anna Eliza Joslin and William Klingaman
  • The Joslin Sisters Photograph January 13, 2008 [Photograph of Roxie Arminta Joslin Parkison, Anna Eliza Joslin Klingaman, Malissa Joslin Brubaker Bower, and Mandella "Della" Joslin Quillen.]
  • Greetings from... Iowa May 05, 2011 [A visit to McDowell Cemetery in Jefferson County, Iowa where Anna Eliza, William and several of their children are buried.
2. Mary Jane Joslin
3. Elcy Ellen Joslin
4. Malissa Joslin and William Brubaker (my 2nd great-grandparents)
5. Luther Marion Joslin and Phoebe Dorcas Elliott

6. Roxie Arminta Joslin and Jacob Henry Parkison Parkison
  • Baxter Springs November 27, 2007 [burial site of Jacob and Roxie Joslin Parkison]
  • The Joslin Sisters Photograph January 13, 2008 [Photograph of Roxie Arminta Joslin Parkison, Anna Eliza Joslin Klingaman, Malissa Joslin Brubaker Bower, and Mandella "Della" Joslin Quillen.]
7. John Lafayette Joslin was born November 30, 1855 in Whitley County, Indiana. He reportedly died in California, date unknown.

8. Esther Joslin
9. Minerva Fatima Joslin and William John Knight

10. Andrew Hanable Joslin and Elmina Himes

11. Lillian Arvilla Joslin
12. Ida Blanch Joslin Dressler Lewis
13. Della Joslin and James Downey Quillen
14. Elmer Joslin
  • Mary, Elcy, Esther, Lillian, and Elmer July 29, 2008 [gravesites in Adams Cemetery - Elmer was born June 4, 1868 and died June 30, 1868 in Jefferson County, Iowa. His gravesite has not been found.]
15. Elmus Robison Joslin and Catherine "Kattie" Kelly. Elmus was a twin to Elmer.


Originally Posted on March 3, 2008 :: Last Updated on May 10, 2011

Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 2:30 AM 0 comments
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Joslin Family - Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

Thomas Joslin and his wife Rebecca are (probably) my 10th Great Grandparents. They and their son Nathaniel and five other children arrived from England on the ship "Increase" in the spring of 1635. The Joslin family settled in Massachusetts and descendants lived there for over 150 years. Some descendants may still live there but my 5th Great Grandfather, Jonas Joslin, took off for Lower Canada about 1792. He lived there for a while then moved to Vermont where on February 6, 1794 he married Ruth Dyer. By 1818, Jonas and his family had moved to Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio.
  • My Greatest Genealogical Find Ever? January 02, 2008 [Nine of my ancestors traveled to New England together on the same ship! Joslin, Kilbourne, and Marvin. The first two connect to the Goodrich family.]
  • Pine Grove Cemetery October 15, 2009 [Tombstone photos of gravesite of Peter Joslyn (1666-1759) and Joseph and Sarah (Wilder) Joslin]
Jonas Joslin and Ruth Dyer (my 5th Great Grandparents)
Jonas and Ruth settled in Delaware County, Ohio about 1818. They had at least four children. It is likely that there were other children born to them. Those known (or presumed to be their children) are James, see below; Elizabeth born about 1803 in "Canada West" (according to the 1870 census); Jonas Jr. born 1807 born in Canada, Ohio, or Vermont depending upon which census you look at, though Canada is listed as his birthplace in 1850 and 1880; and Fanny born about 1810 in Canada according to the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census records.
James Joslin and Abigail Goodrich (my 4th Great Grandparents)
James and Abigail left Delaware County, Ohio in 1838 and came to Whitley County, Indiana. They had six known children: Lysander Price, Fanny Philanda, Edwin Mattoon, Joseph A., Emily Eliza, and Mary Lucicia.
Lysander Joslin and Lydia Robison (my 3rd Great Grandparents)
Fanny Philanda Joslin Shoemaker (probably daughter of James and Abigail)
Emily Eliza Joslin Long (daughter of James and Abigail)
Edwin Mattoon Joslin (son of James and Abigail)
Joseph A. Joslin (son of James and Abigail)
Mary Lucicia Joslin (daughter of James and Abigail)
  • Mary Joslin and John Whitted March 14, 2009 [researching Mary Joslin who married John Whitted in Henry County, Illinois in 1862. Is she the daughter of James and Abigail Joslin?]

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Research was done on the family of Joseph R. Joslin for descendants of his son George Washington Joslin, primarily in April 2011. Joseph resided in Noble County, Indiana and is a descendant of Abraham Joslin who was a son of the immigrant Thomas, thus very, very distantly related to me.

 Originally Posted on March 3, 2008 :: Last Updated on June 7, 2011

Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 2:15 AM 2 comments
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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Joslin Rendezvous :: Cemetery Walk

Saturday, August 20th - - Each time the Joslin Clan has visited the homestead, they stop by the small Cedar Butte Cemetery where about ten people are buried including two of their Hutcheson relatives, brothers of their mother/grandmother Mary Matilda Hutcheson Joslin.


George and Jim opening the gate to the cemetery.


And each time they visit, they have to go hunting and digging for the gravestones! Many years ago someone planted a few Iris near the graves and they have multiplied and multiplied until they cover a rather large area, including the two graves. A little poking and prodding and the graves were found.


SOLDIER REST THY WORK IS DONE
CORNELIUS M
BORN JAN. 5, 1896
DIED APR 3, 1930


OUR LITTLE ONE
ROBERT W.
BORN OCT 1, 1918
DIED AUG. 17, 1923


And each time they visit, they take home a few of the Iris bulbs. It was quite a chore digging up the bulbs with a little garden trowel, but Fred persevered.


The Iris patch. In the center, to the left and right are the two Hutcheson graves.


The Joslin Clan – Babs, Richard, George, Joann, Ruth, Tim, Jim, and Sue.

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 4:00 AM 0 comments
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Monday, August 29, 2011

Joslin Rendezvous :: The Homestead

If you had been a young man eager to begin a new life back in the early 1900s and you saw something like this photo below, would you have invested several years of your life trying to make a go of it?


South of Murdo in Mellette County, South Dakota

Twenty-five year old Virgil Newton Joslin did just that in 1916. Tired of working for other men he was determined to have a place of his own. He took up homesteading in west-central Mellette County, South Dakota, almost on the eastern edge of The Badlands. His first abode on the homestead was a dugout in the side of a hill. About the same time or shortly thereafter, his parents Luther and Phoebe (Elliott) Joslin joined him on the homestead. Two years later Virgil married Mary Matilda Hutcheson and he built what he called a “tar paper shack.” It was 12x16 feet, constructed of boards and covered in tar paper that was normally used for covering a roof before the shingles are put down.

Soon a son, Irwin, was born. In 1922, the tar paper shack was replaced by the beginnings of a “real” house - a concrete basement. A few years later a daughter was added to the family and then two more sons – Ruth, Jim, and George were all born in the nearest "large" town, White River.

A barn was built. A dam was constructed across a stream and a pond was dug. Virgil and Mary worked hard on their homestead. His parents helped as much as they could. Virgil still had to work for other men to help feed his growing family.

The dream house was never built. The family was caught up in the wrath of Mother Nature. It started with a prolonged drought. Irwin tells about the conditions in the early 1930s in his memoirs:
“For two or three years there was not enough rainfall to produce crops. Then the wind, which always blows in South Dakota, began picking up the dirt from the dry fields and we had dust storms. They might not have been as bad as in the Oklahoma dust bowl, but I recall them lasting for 2-3 days and the fine dust was everywhere...It literally blew all the dirt out of the fields as deep as it had been plowed.”
“In addition to the drought, depression and dust storms we had plagues of insects. Beetles overran the place once and ate anything green that was growing. Another year it was grasshoppers – the big kind that fly. They were so thick that, at times, when they flew over they made a shade like a cloud. they ate everything – even the dried bark off fence posts that had been in the ground for years. They also ate pitch fork handles because of the salty taste of perspiration from our hands.”
“During these times my father did as everyone else did, and kept borrowing money from the local bank and giving livestock and farm implements as collateral. The taxes on the land couldn't be paid in these years either. Everyone hoped for a better year – next year. but it came too late for most of them – their resources ended. My father finally had to just turn it all over to the banker and let the land go back for unpaid taxes. Then we left the homestead.”
In 1928, Luther and Phoebe Joslin had moved to Missouri where a daughter lived. Virgil and his family remained on the homestead until sometime in 1934 when they moved to Martin, South Dakota. A Sheriff's sale held at the homestead in May 1936 raised $2219.31 all of which went to the state. Soon thereafter, Virgil and Mary and the four children moved to Turkey Ridge, Pulaski County, Missouri not far from where his sister and parents lived.

In October 1986, 50 years after the family left Mellette County, South Dakota the four children of Virgil Joslin “revisited” their homestead. Over the years they returned several more times. George and his wife Lorene made a visit there in September of last year and learned that Mellette County was going to have its Centennial Celebration this year. Descendants of the early homesteaders were invited to return. George and Jim began planning the trip and invited me to join them. I'd heard so much about “The Homestead” that I just had to see it for myself!


I was standing a ways south of where the basement house was located, looking to the north. George was trying to determine where the barn had been – he's standing a little right of the center of the photo.


Hardly a trace of the buildings remain – just a few pieces of concrete where the basement house was dug out. Fred is walking down into the hole where the basement was. It is partially filled with debris and junk. When they were here in 1991, they could still see the square walls of the basement, which have begun to cave in.


Looking to the west from the location of the house.


The pond that Virgil dug out. It lies to the north of the house, below the hill.


The view to the East.


And, looking toward the south.

I was quite surprised to see so much green grass, especially this late in the summer, but it has been an unusually wet summer in South Dakota this year, unlike some areas of the country that are experiencing a prolonged drought. It does look inviting. Coming from a land with an abundance of trees and lakes and streams, I enjoy visiting these “desolate looking” places but I would find it difficult to live here. The folks that do have my admiration even if I do think they are a bit crazy!


The Joslin Clan – standing - Richard (descendant of Luther's daughter Phoebe), Me (descendant of Luther's sister Malissa), Tim (son of George), Babs (daughter of Irwin), Joann (daughter of Ruth), Fred (husband of Sue), Sue (daughter of Ruth). Seated are George, Ruth and Jim (children of Virgil). Irwin passed away in 1990. Ten people came from six states: Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia!

Photographs taken August 20th and 21st.

Update August 30, 2011: Sue has additional photos of the visit to White River on her blog. Also, see her post The Homestead Tour.

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 4:00 AM 3 comments
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Monday, June 06, 2011

What a Tangled Web We Weave :: Part Five - The Kinexxions

If you haven't already done so, you may want to read part one as well as the 2nd part and part three as well as the 4th part.

The obituaries of the children of Ora Joslin Weeks led to those of some of their children. In all I ended up with 45 obituaries or funeral notices! It was really a lot of fun. Especially when I started finding some kinexxions to me. Perhaps stretching the kinexxions just a little...

The First Kinexxion:
Several sons of Ora (Joslin) Weeks lived in the Ormas area, which is in Whitley County and a few miles north of Columbia City. But apparently they lived just inside the Noble County line. What was interesting to me is that the Ormas area is also where Emily Eliza Joslin Long lived. Emily was a sister of my 3rd great grandfather Lysander Joslin. Emily and Lysander were children of James and Abigail Goodrich Joslin. (For ten years I also lived in Noble County, a few miles northwest of Ormas, but that really has nothing to do with this.)
I think it is highly likely that descendants of Emily Long and Ora Weeks knew each other. Emily died in December 1929 – Ora Weeks died in April 1920 so it's even possible that they may have known each other too. One of Emily's granddaughters married a George Fry. He is mentioned as a pallbearer in the obituary of Charles Weeks (one of Ora's sons). Without further research I don't know for certain that they are the same person. However, the George Fry that married Emily's granddaughter is buried in the same cemetery as Charles Weeks and his brother Bert.
A Second Kinexxion:
Rowena (Loe) Weeks was the wife of Phillip Weeks who was a great-great-grandson of Ora Weeks. I met Rowena a few years ago when she was researching the family of her half-sister Clarabelle Foster. Her Foster family connects with mine, a few generations back and I was able to provide her with information that took her line back to our immigrant ancestor, William Foster. Even though Rowena lived in California, she was a member of the Genealogical Society of Whitley County, as am I. Rowena passed away on June 25, 2009 and has one of the nicest obituaries I've ever seen.
Kinexxion Number Three:
Mary (Weeks) Brown was a great-granddaughter of Ora Weeks. When I was a kid growing up in Kosciusko County, Mary Brown – the one and the same - was one of our neighbors! She lived right across the road from my aunt - my Mother's sister - Patricia (Phend) Reiff for many, many years. They were good friends and attended the same church (Morris Chapel United Methodist), which I also attended as a kid. We moved a few miles north of Barbee Lakes when I was 12 years old. Mary and her husband sold their farm in the late 1990s and moved into Warsaw. I had seen her a few times in recent years. The last time was at Aunt Pat's 80th birthday party in June 2006. I was not aware that Mary had passed away on March 4, 2009 – I was recuperating from surgery at the time.
And, finally, a rather convoluted kinexxion between the Joslin and Winebrenner and Phend families:
My grandmother, Hazlette Brubaker Phend Dunn Ferguson, loved to play euchre. In her later years but before cancer took hold and changed her life, she and “the girls” would gather weekly to play cards. One of those ladies was a “cousin” named Gladys. Now, this was back in the day before I was even the least bit interested in genealogy. After grandma passed away and I became obsessed with this little hobby it took me a few years to finally determine their relationship!
As it turns out, Gladys was a daughter of Charles and Cora Long Burnworth who was a daughter of Emily Eliza Joslin Long... therefore, Gladys was a granddaughter of Emily. My grandmother was a great-granddaughter of Lysander Joslin, Emily's brother. That means Gladys and grandma were 2nd cousins once removed. It gets better. Two years after her first husband passed away Gladys married Jesse D. Winebrenner. Jesse was the father of Ty Winebrenner who married Evelyn Phend, my mother's first cousin!
Through several online family trees (no “real” research has been done by me to confirm these relationships) it appears that Ty is a descendant of Andrew Jackson Winebrenner (1818 – 1888) while Matilda Winebrenner who married George W. Joslin is a descendant of John Winebrenner (born 1812). Andrew and John are children of Christian Winebrenner (1764-1832) and his second wife Abigail Chrisman. My cousin Babs (see the first post in this series) is a descendant of Ester Winebrenner (1801 – 1851) who is a daughter of Christian Winebrenner and his first wife Mary Adams.
And that, my friends, is what makes genealogy and family history research so much fun! Don't you just love it!

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 4:00 AM 5 comments
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Sunday, June 05, 2011

What a Tangled Web We Weave :: The 4th Part

If you haven't already done so, you may want to read part one as well as the 2nd part and part three of this series.

At this point we had pretty much determined that Joseph R. Joslin had indeed married Almira White and that Joseph had died after October 20, 1845 (when he sold several lots). Almira Joslin then married Robert Walker probably before 1849 when their daughter Sarah was born. Almira and Joseph Joslin were the parents of George W., James, Ora, and Rodney Joslin.

We know that James and Rodney died during the Civil War and that George W. moved to Kansas. So what became of their sister Ora?

She had married William Weeks in 1860. They are enumerated in the 1870 federal census in York Township, Noble County, Indiana with four children: Devido (?), Lettie, Ida, and Chas. William Weeks died prior to the 1880 census where Ora Weeks and her two-year-old son, Elmer, are residing as boarders in the household of Hannah Barlley in York Township.

On December 15, 1881 Ora Weeks was married to Johnson Butterbaugh. In 1900 she is listed as Orra Weeks in the census for Indianapolis, Marion County with her daughter and son-in-law, Homer and Violette Waltman. The letter “D” is in the column for her marital status. She divorced Johnson Butterbaugh in 1894 and apparently reverted to her previous married name.

In 1910, Ora Weeks is listed as mother-in-law in the household of her daughter and son-in-law, Madison and Ida Skinner in Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana! When I saw that, I started looking at the Obituary Database online at the Peabody Public Library and found that her obituary was published on April 17, 1920 in the Columbia City Post. Also, even though Ora died in Noble County, her death is recorded in Whitley County records. Her son, Bert, at whose home she died, lived just across the county line near Ormas, which is in Whitley County. The published transcription of her death record gives her parents as Joseph Joslin and Elmira White, which is an additional confirmation of her parentage.

Her obituary is a gold mine of information. In addition to naming her eight living children, and giving their place of residence, it again provides confirmation of the names of her parents as well as the name of her first husband, when they were married and the year of his death.

Two of the children, Charles and Bert, lived in Noble County while two others, Mrs. Thomas Skinner and Elmer Weeks lived in Columbia City. Armed with that information, I went obituary hunting!

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 4:00 AM 1 comments
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Saturday, June 04, 2011

What a Tangled Web We Weave :: Part Three

If you haven't already done so, you may want to read part one and the 2nd part of this series.

Since there was no estate recaord for JR Joslin or guardianship records for his children, the only other thing I could think of was perhaps he owned land when he died. So over to the Recorders office we went. I searched the General Index to Deeds looking for any land transactions for Joseph or JR Joslin or variations of the surname.

Several transactions were found where Joseph R. Joslin purchased 4 lots in the town of Port Mitchell, which is in York Township, midway between Albion and Wolf Lake in the south-central part of Noble County. Joseph and his wife Almira subsequently sold 2 of those lots on October 20, 1845. That was the last transaction I found for Joseph. And what of the other 2 lots?

Well, in the 1870 census, Almira Walker is enumerated with her son Wash Joslin and family. She was the owner of real estate valued at $400 though a confusing notations states that she “lives with sister.” Cemetery transcriptions show that Almira Walker died on April 24, 1874 (the stone is illegible so we have to go by the transcription).

On April 27th, just three days after Almira's death, Ora Weeks and William Weeks her husband of Noble County and George W Joslin and Matilda Joslin his wife of Lincoln County in the State of Kansas sold Lots 49 & 50 in Port Mitchell. . . “being all of the Estate right title interest claim and remand of the said Ora Weeks and George W Joslin in and to the said premises as the Children and heirs at Law of Joseph R. Joslin deceased.”

Does it get any better than that?


Portion of Noble County, Indiana Deed Book 35 page 233
Showing the heirs of Joseph R. Joslin

Lots 49 & 50 were purchased on May 2, 1844 by Joseph R. Joslin and they are probably the real estate for which Almira was listed as the owner in the 1870 census and which was valued at $400. Ora and George sold the lots for $40 to Peter Elser. Ya gotta wonder whether Peter was related in some way. Why did he get the lots so cheaply?

George W Joslin moved to Kansas, first living in Lincoln County and later in Leavenworth County where on June 16, 1921 he passed away at the Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Leavenworth, Kansas. JM is a descendant of his son Schuyler Colfax Joslin while JJ descends through his son William Tecumseh Sherman Joslin.

But what became of Ora, wife of William Weeks, and sister of George W. Joslin?

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 4:00 AM 0 comments
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Friday, June 03, 2011

What a Tangled Web We Weave :: The 2nd Part

If you haven't already done so, you may want to read part one of this series.

Fast forward to February 28th of this year. An email was forwarded to me from my cousin George Joslin in Missouri, which he had received from JJ who was a descendant of George Washington Joslin from Noble County. This was shortly after my mother had passed away and I was busy dealing with “stuff” and preparing to depart on the Journey once again. I didn't really have time to go to Albion to get the records. I responded to his query, providing essentially the same information as I had given to JM the previous year.

Now, jump ahead a few more weeks to April 12th when I get an email from my cousin Babs in Huntsville (her father connected with my grandmother in 1968). Babs was researching her mother's Winebrenner line when she discovered that the daughter of her ancestor's brother had married a Joslin! Who was it? Yep, Matilda Winebrenner who married George W. Joslin. She was curious as to whether George W. connected to our branch of the Joslin family.

Two weeks later, I'm back in Indiana. I go to the doctor, get some meds for the legs, and take it easy for another 10 days. As if I didn't have anything else to do, I contacted JM and JJ and volunteered to go to Albion to get the desired documents. In the meanwhile, they had been checking around and found a family tree on ancesty.com and had been corresponding with each other and this other researcher and seem to have tied everything together except for George W's mother's name.

So one day in April a friend and I spent a couple hours in Albion (source details available upon request, just ask):

As suspected, the marriage records did not include the names of the parents. I think I may know where the name Amelia Gruttler came from but have no way of verifying my suspicions. Basically I believe the name came from the record of someone totally unrelated with the Walker surname. So what was Amelia's maiden name? JJ said he had obtained a marriage record for Joseph R Joslin and Almira White on 3 Nov 1836 in Cayahoga County, Ohio.

The Probate Record for Rodney Joslin states that he “left as his only heirs said Almira Walker his mother, George W. Joslin, Orra Weeks, and Sarah Walker, brother & sisters”. Note that the mother's first name was Almira, not Amelia, as listed in the online probate index. Her surname was Walker because she apparently married a Robert Walker after the death of JR Joslin though no marriage record has been found for them in Noble County. Robert Walker and Almira are listed in the 1850 census in Noble County with her 3 Joslin children - James, Ora, and Rodney - (George W. was enumerated with another family) and their daughter Sarah, age 1 year.

As a side note, James died at Atlanta, Georgia on October 16, 1864 and is buried at Marietta National Cemetery. Rodney died in November 1864 as a result of wounds received in the War and is buried in Lisbon Cemetery in Noble County. George W. also served, nearly 3 years in the 12th Indiana Infantry. We'll have more on the daughter Orra in a future post. It is not know what became of Almira's daughter, Sarah Walker.

The next question becomes, when did JR die? JR Joselin is living in 1840. But is he the father of Almira Walker's children, George W., Ora, Rodney, and James Joslin? Is there an Estate record? No. Guardianship records for the children? Nada.

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Thursday, June 02, 2011

What a Tangled Web We Weave :: Part One

While I was back in Indiana (the last 10 days of April) I got hooked on researching a very, very distant Joslin relative who just happened to have lived in southern Noble County, not far from where my Joslin ancestors had lived in Whitley County. And by “distant relative” I mean really distant. You have to go back to the 1635 immigrant, Thomas Joslin, to get to our common ancestor! Thomas would by my 10th great-grandfather. I did say distant relative, didn't I?

This is going to be too long for just one post, so yeah, it's gonna be presented in several parts. It's also going to get a little confusing. Hopefully I've un-confused it enough so you can at least follow the threads...

The saga begins back in January 2010 when I was contacted by JM. She came across the Joslin information I had posted here at Kinexxions and wondered if perhaps I knew anything about the parents of her ancestor George Washington Joslin. He had lived in Noble County, Indiana in the mid-1800s and married Matilda Winebrenner then moved to Kansas after the Civil War. She said his parents were reported to be Joseph R. Joslin and Almira White but the Noble County Website gives his mother's name as Amelia Gruttler in the transcription of his marriage record as well as that of his sister Ora. Also on the same website, the mother's name is given as Amelia Walker in a Probate Index Record for his brother Rodney Joslin.

Also, just to add to the confusion, there are several family trees on ancestry.com that give George W's parents as James and Abigail (Goodrich) Joslin. They are my ancestors and I was fairly certain they were not his parents.

There is a JR Joselin in the 1840 census for Noble County that seemed to be a good candidate. And the initials fit. As did the size of the family, according to the information given to me by JM.

There is quite a bit of data on that Noble County Website that provided additional clues and the site is a tremendous resource but it has a huge problem, at least to my way of thinking. When creating the various index listings or abstracting records or even transcribing obituaries, the spelling of surnames was “standardized” and information was added (especially to marriage indexes) that wasn't in the record. And there was no indication as to where the additional information came from. Sigh.

I knew that at the time of the marriages of George and his sister Ora (1861 and 1860, respectively) the names of the parents were not included in the marriage record itself and marriage applications did not begun until about 1882 and then even sporadically until 1907 when they were required by Indiana law. So where did the mother's name come from? No way of knowing since there was no tracking system to identify the the source of the “extra” data.

And that is why it is so very important to obtain the original record and to not depend entirely upon indexes and transcriptions! Sometimes it's not possible or feasible to get the original record, but the attempt should be made.

I was in Indiana the last week of January 2010, but just didn't have time to go to Albion to obtain copies of the various records. I passed on the little information I had and wished JM good luck in her quest.

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 1:30 PM 0 comments
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Friday, May 13, 2011

Central Kansas :: Another Sunset

Sunday, May 8th - - After my brief visit at Mushroom Rock State Park I continued west a short distance to Ellsworth. Then I spent a few hours driving around Russell County, part of which lies north of Interstate 70, and Barton County, which is to the south of Russell County and also south of I-70. You may be asking, Why?

After residing in Iowa for a short time (circa 1866-1868), my third great-grandparents, Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin returned to Whitley County, Indiana. In 1877 they once again sold their land in Whitley County and headed west, this time to Odin, Cheyenne Township, Barton County, Kansas. Here they remained until 1891 when they moved to near Lyndon in Osage County in eastern Kansas.

I really couldn't do research – it was Sunday! Poor timing on my part. I did make a stop at the library in Great Bend for several hours and took a look at some of the books they had. Basically, I simply wanted to see what the countryside was like. The terrain to the north of I-70 differs dramatically from the land that lies to the south, at least in that immediate area. Russell County north of I-70 has hills, large hills. And gullies, deep and big. Southern Russel County and most of Barton County are relatively flat in comparison. Good farming land.

I considered staying in the area another night but decided against it, for various reasons. Instead I continued west on State Road 4 and stopped for the night at Cedar Bluff State Park near the small town of Brownell. It was another hot and windy day, with the temperature nearly reaching 100 degrees. And the air conditioning in the van wasn't working.

The site I had selected was in the shade near the beach. Even in the shade the heat was almost unbearable and I was thankful for the strong breeze that was blowing. My neighbors were a nice young couple. We weren't so lucky with the group that arrived in the early evening. They were loud with the stereo blaring, really inconsiderate. After about 15 minutes I left to find another site (it was a self-serve campground) in another area of the park. The new site turned out to be much better – flush toilets nearby! ;-)

It was also a better campsite because it offered a very nice view of the lake and the sunset, which was once again highly colorful due to the hazy sky. Thankfully, once the sun went down it cooled off considerably!





Posted by Becky Wiseman at 3:21 PM 0 comments
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Thursday, May 05, 2011

Greetings from... Iowa

Tuesday, May 3rd - - Continuing west after my brief stop at the Round Barn near Colchester, Illinois I crossed the mighty Mississippi River into Keokuk, Iowa. It's a pretty little city with some beautiful houses on the bluff overlooking the river. My route briefly took me on into Missouri then north to Fairfield, the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa.

Shortly after her marriage to William Klingaman in Whitley County, Indiana on October 12, 1865 Anna Eliza Joslin moved to Jefferson County, Iowa where they settled north of Fairfield in Black Hawk Township. Anna Eliza was the daughter of my 3rd great-grandparents, Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin. In October 1866, Lysander sold his land in Whitley County, Indiana and removed to Black Hawk Township settling near his daughter Anna Eliza. Another daughter, Mandella, was born in December 1866 in Indiana so the family probably didn't go to Iowa until the spring of 1867.

On June 4, 1868 Lydia Joslin gave birth to the last of her 15 children. They were twins named Elmer and Elmus. Elmer died on June 30th and is presumably buried somewhere in Black Hawk Township although he is not listed on the cemetery transcriptions. In August of that same year, Lysander reclaimed his land in Whitley County, Indiana due to mortgage foreclosure on the man who had purchased it in 1866. Lysander moved his family back to Indiana – except for Anna Eliza who remained in Iowa with her husband. There they lived for the remainder of their lives, raising their family of three sons (Charles Sherman, Olen Valerus, and Frank Ellsworth) on their farm in Black Hawk Township.

At the Public Library I obtained obituary notices for some of their children and grandchildren but none for Anna Eliza or her husband William Klingaman. Oddly enough, an obituary for Anna Eliza was published in the Columbia City Commercial in Whitley County, Indiana announcing her death on July 28, 1885 at the age of 40 years, 9 months and 20 days after a long and painful illness with Brights disease.

If you have people in Jefferson County, Iowa your first stop should be the library in Fairfield. It is a wonderful resource with a tremendous amount of information gathered over the years by several volunteers. Their cemetery books include maps and directions to each of the cemeteries so I was easily able to locate McDowell Cemetery where Anna Eliza, her husband, and several children are buried.


McDowell Cemetery sits atop a hill on Mahogony Road at the junction of 115th street.


A small cemetery, it was easy to spot the large brown marker designating the Klingaman family plot. I'll have more on this family in later posts – someday!

On my way to the cemetery, I spotted this old barn and couldn't resist the impulse to take pictures. The photos have been manipulated a little to warm up the hues of the barn. Reality was actually a little garish what with the bright green grass, blue sky, and white clouds. The colors didn't look real, so now they have a bit of that “old-timey” feel to them!




The night was spent at a pretty little campground in Jefferson County Park just south of Fairfield. There were several trails meandering through the forest and meadows of the area. I got brave and ventured down one. It was a good walk on a fairly smooth path part of which was gravel and other parts were grass. It did have a few large hills with steep ups and downs but the legs held up just fine. I'm soooo glad they are feeling better!

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 11:03 AM 1 comments
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Monday, January 18, 2010

Ohio Research :: Joslin in Delaware County

In September 2009 I spent several days in Ohio. I didn't do hardly any new research, rather went mostly to cemeteries to obtain better photographs of my ancestor's gravesites, most which I had visited way back in 1986.

The first research stop in Ohio was on September 16th in Delaware (in Delaware County), to see what could be found on the Joslin family that I didn't already have. I really didn't think there would be anything new since my last visit in the late 1980s. At that time I had scoured the library and the courthouse. Cemetery records (yes). Land Records (yes). Estate Records (none). Way too early for death records. No church records.

I made it to the library shortly after they opened at 9 am. It didn't take long to look through their small collection of books. Nothing new, at least not related to the Joslins. But they did have microfilms of the newspapers, even those from the early 1800's. There were two items that had been abstracted and published previously (by Carol Willsey Bell in 1980 and Mary V. Reed in 1992) but I had never written to get the actual copies from the newspapers.

Printouts from the microfilms were terrible. Then I remembered a tip from Jasia about using your camera to photograph the microfilm reader screen. The results aren't great, but they are much better than the printed copies.

The first article was a notice by James Joslin in the Delaware Patron of Thursday July 13, 1826. The abstracts by Bell and Reed were slightly different but basically stated “Wife Abigail left my bed and board at Liberty township, will pay no debts.”

The actual article is a bit more verbose but does not really provide any additional information. From the Delaware Patron [Delaware County, Ohio] July 13, 1826:
Caution. Whereas my wife Abigail Joslin, has left my bed and board without just cause, therefore all persons are hereby, forewarned not to harbor or trust the said Abigail on my account as I am determined to pay no debts of her contracting after this date.
James Joslin.
Liberty, June 30th, 1826
320-3w
Abigail would have been pregnant with her second child at the time. Their first child, Lysander (my 3rd great-grandfather), would have been 14 months old. I still haven't found a marriage record for James and Abigail (Goodrich) Joslin but apparently their separation wasn't too long. They would have four more children, but then James disappears after the 1850 census, so perhaps, all was not well between them.

The other article that was published in abstracts refers to the death of Ruth Dyer Joslin. Both abstracts stated that Mrs. Ruth Joslin died on 27th ult, age 59 years. But the abstract by Bell (correctly) stated that she was the wife of Jonas while the abstract by Reed said she was the wife of Johns Joslin.

The article, from the Ohio State Gazette and Delaware County Journal:
Obituary. Died - - In Liberty township on the 27th ult, Mrs. Ruth Joslin, aged 59 years, wife of Mr. Jonas Joslin.

The Delaware County Historical Society and the Genealogical Society have a combined Research Room that was open from 2-4 pm on the day I was there so I spent a pleasant two hours with them.

The Joslin Family cemetery had been destroyed when developers began constructing homes on the old farm. A few years ago, Jean Oldham Heuman had found the gravemarker for Ruth (Dyer) Joslin and donated it to the Historical Society. However, it is virtually impossible to get a good picture of the stone. It stands in the entryway of the museum along with several other stones. The light is poor and the space is dark. I tried with available light and with flash. Neither way really captured the inscription to my satisfaction.

On the right is the gravemarker for Ruth (Dyer) Joslin.

This is the best image I could capture of Ruth's gravemarker. It has been enhanced a bit with a little manipulation of the contrast and brightness. The inscription reads:
Ruth wife of Jonas
Joslin died Aug.
27, 1830 aged 59
Years

Most of the records held by the society were much too late for my family. Jonas is presumed to have passed away between 1850 and 1860 (he is in the 1850 census but not in 1860) and my James and Abigail had moved to Whitley County, Indiana by 1838.

The society did have the papers submitted by Mrs. Oldham and another lady for Jonas Sr. and Jonas Jr. for First Families of Delaware County. I looked through them but found nothing that I didn't already have that pertained to Jonas Sr. They did have a copy of the booklet that Mrs. Oldham had published on the two Jonas' and they allowed me to scan it to pdf rather than make a copy of it (Jean had told me she didn't think she had any more copies). At 25 cents a page, I was grateful that they allowed me to scan it.

Even though I found nothing new in Delaware County, it was still a worthwhile stop on my journey as I was able to obtain copies of previously abstracted records and get a complete copy of Mrs. Oldham's manuscript.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 12:21 PM 0 comments
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Friday, January 08, 2010

Bert and Nellie (Knight) Sutton

Nellie Gertrude Knight was the daughter of William and Minerva Fatima (Joslin) Knight. Minerva was my 2nd great-grandaunt. Obituaries and tombstone photos were obtained September 10, 2009 on a visit to Iola, Allen County, Kansas.

Nellie Knight was born on December 22, 1879 near Great Bend, Barton County, Kansas. According to Barton County marriage records, She was married on July 13, 1897 to Bert Alva Sutton. The photo below is a scanned image that I received from one of my distant Joslin cousins. It was labeled Nellie and Bert Sutton, and is presumed to be their wedding photo.


Nellie's obituary, published on July 28, 1947 in the Iola Register [Allen County, Kansas] states that she moved to Iola in 1907 with her husband. At the time of her death, just two weeks after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, they were residing at 201 N. Sycamore Street. It also gave the names of two daughters that survived her.

As often happens, the obituary for the husband contains much more information. Published on February 17, 1964 in the Iola Register.
Bert Alvie Sutton, 90, resident of Iola since 1907, died at his home at 605 North Washington Saturday afternoon after a prolonged illness. He had been seriously ill for more than two months.

Mr. Sutton was born in Princeton, Mo., Sept. 25, 1873, the son of William Turner and Berthena Wall Sutton. He was married to Nellie Gertrude Knight in El Dorado in 1897. She died in 1947.

Three children were born to this union, Mrs. Hazel Sailing of Long Beach, Calif., Harmon Sutton, deceased, and Mrs. Helen Curtis of Wichita. Eight grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren survive.

Mr. Sutton was twice married. On Aug. 6, 1949 he was married to Eula Geniva High of Ottawa, of the home, who survives, known to her husband, relatives and friends as Polly. He had one step-daughter, Mrs. Ann Melton of Ventura, Calif.

Mr. Sutton grew to manhood on a farm (part of sentence is illegible). He worked for the Frisco Railroad for seven and a half years. He came to Iola in 1907 and was employed by T. B. Shannon Hardware. Then he went into business for himself and operated the Iola Plumbing Co. for 38 years, retiring in November 1948.

Mr. Sutton was a member of the First Christian Church, the Chamber of Commerce for many years, and the Iola Lions and Elks clubs. He was a long-time member of the Kansas Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Association and held an honorary membership in that association from the time of his retirement.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Tomorrow at the First Christian Church with the Rev. Chester Werbin officiating. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery. The Waugh Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

The Sutton family plot in Highland Cemetery, Iola, Kansas.

BERT ALVA SUTTON
SEPT. 25, 1873
FEB. 15, 1964

NELLIE G.
WIFE OF B. A. SUTTON
1880 - 1947

Three children were born to Bert and Nellie (Knight) Sutton:

1. Hazel Marie Sutton was born March 2, 1896 and married Mr. Saling. She lived in Long Beach, California when her mother died in 1947 and in 1964 when her father died.

2. Harmon Harold Knight Sutton was born April 2, 1902 and died March 24, 1945 in Compton, California. A future post will provide some additional information on Harmon and his family.

3. Helen Juanita Sutton was born November 29, 1910 in Iola, Kansas and died December 19, 1984 in Wichita, Kansas. She was married in 1933 to Gerald Leon Curtis (1910-1982) and had three children: Judith, Ronald, and Gary.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 8:00 AM 1 comments
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Thursday, January 07, 2010

William and Minerva (Joslin) Knight

On September 10, 2009 I visited the library in Iola, Allen County, Kansas where I was able to find cemetery transcriptions and newspaper obituaries for some descendants of Minerva Fatima (Joslin) Knight, daughter of my 3rd great-grandparents Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin.

Minerva Fatima Joslin was born January 7, 1859 in Whitley County, Indiana. At the age of 17, on March 16, 1876, Minerva was married in Whitley County to 20 year old William John Knight. The minister who married them was Price Goodrich, the brother of Minerva's grandmother, Abigail (Goodrich) Joslin. The next year Minerva and William moved to Barton County, Kansas along with her parents and the majority of her brothers and sisters. (Her sister and my 2nd great-grandmother, Malissa Joslin Brubaker, was the only sibling that remained in Whitley County, Indiana.)

A William Knight was found in Beaver Township (page 490) in the 1880 census with wife Mary (this is presumed to actually be Minerva). Also listed with William were two daughters, Mary A. age 1, and Nina G. age 5/12. These fit the ages of their first two children, a son Merlin Andrew was born in October 1878 and a daughter, Nellie Gertrude was born on December 22, 1879. If this is really the right family, the census enumerator sure had some difficulty with their names! (A third child, Hale Vernon would be born August 12, 1896.)

In May 1899, Minerva and William were living in Keighly, Butler County, Kansas (when her father died at her home on May 1st). However, the family was found in Reeder Township, Anderson County, Kansas (page 305) in the 1900 census. Listed was William (head of household), his wife Minerva, 3 year old son Hale, and a boarder, William Beck.

They must have moved to Iola, Allen County, Kansas soon after the 1900 census as that is where William passed away on January 2, 1902 at the age of 46. After William's death, Minerva was married to J. N. Storey (date and place of marriage not yet known) and reportedly died on May 12, 1905 (also at age 46) in a wheelchair on the street in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I was unable to find an obituary for Minerva in the Iola newspaper. I haven't checked the Hot Springs newspapers yet. After their deaths, their young son Hale lived with his sister Nellie and her husband, Bert Sutton. Minerva and William are both buried in the Old Cemetery in Iola, Allen County, Kansas.

The notice of the death of William John Knight was published on January 6, 1902 in the Iola Daily Register.
W. J. Knight, who lives in Brooklyn Park, and who has been employed as a carpenter at the Standard Acid Works, dropped dead from heart failure as he was preparing to begin work at 7 o'clock this morning. The doctor and coroner agree that death was instantaneous and the remains were taken to Culbertson's undertaking rooms.

Mr. Knight seemed to be in his usual good health when he appeared at the works this morning. He greeted his fellow workmen pleasantly and at the sound of the whistle laid his had on an upright beam, preparatory to ascending to the place where he was working. Then the blow came and without an outcry he sank to his knees and then to the floor. Several men saw him fall and hurried to his side. Apparently he was dead when they reached him, but they carried him to the open air and did what they could in the hope of reviving him. Dr. Coffman was telephoned for and soon arrived on the scene, but could do nothing and he stated that Mr. Knight must have died almost as soon as he reached the ground. Coroner F. D. Teas was notified and viewed the remains, later authorizing the removal to an undertaking parlor.

Large center stone with father and mother stones to the left and right. In the Old Cemetery in Iola, Allen County, Kansas.

Knight (across top of the stone)
W. J. KNIGHT / 1855-1902 / AT REST
MANERVA F. / HIS WIFE / 1859-1905

Another stone, that of a great-grandson, is set in the same plot, in front of and to the left of the “Father” stone. Ronald was the son of Helen Sutton and her husband, Gerald Curtis.

RONALD STEVEN / CURTIS / APR 1, 1943

William and Minerva (Joslin) Knight had three children:

1. Merlin (Merle) Andrew Knight was born in October 1878 and died March 8, 1930. He was married on October 26, 1899 in Butler County, Kansas to Carrie Thompson. She was born in August 1881 and died in October 1971. They had four children: Harry, Leota, Ruby, and Opal Knight.

2. Nellie Gertrude Knight – will be the subject of a future post.

3. Hale Vernon Knight was born August 12, 1896 in Butler County, Kansas and died on January 30, 1947. He was married to Alma (maiden name not known) about 1918 and they had three children: Hester, Hale and Mary Knight. An online obituary for Alma (The Wichita Eagle dated May 23, 1992) stated that she died May 20, 1992 at the age of 96 and was a retired teacher. Survivors included a son Hale of Everett, Washington and a daughter Mary K. Merrill of Harlingen, Texas. Also six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 8:00 AM 0 comments
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