In a previous post, I briefly mentioned the disappearance of my 4th Great Grandfather, James Joslin, sometime between 1850 and 1860. That is a mystery that will likely go unsolved; it is not known whether he died or took off for parts unknown. However, there is yet another enigma concerning James. . .
In July 1841 he sold 40 acres of the original 80 acres he had purchased from the government on August 25, 1838 in Whitley County, Indiana. In itself, that is in no way unusual. However, he sold it for $50 to his 16 year old son Lysander! Then, three years later, on August 1, 1844 James sold the remaining 40 acres - 20 acres to each of his other two sons, Edward and Joseph. Edward, whose name was actually Edwin, was only 14 years old at the time and Joseph was 12. That seems more than a little unusual to me. Was there no minimum age requirement for purchasing land? It just makes you wonder what was really going on. There must have been a reason that James sold the land to his young sons, but again, that's something we'll probably never find out. The land record does not provide any clues, it simply gives the basic facts involved with the sale.
In the 1850 census, Lysander is the head of his own household since he is married and living with his wife and the first four of their 15 children. James too is listed as head of his own household. He does not own any real estate. Listed in James' household are Edwin, age 20 who owns real estate valued at $200 and Joseph who owns real estate valued at $160. I haven't found the records of the transactions yet, but by 1860, Lysander was sole owner of the original 80 acre tract that was purchased by James in 1838.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Nothing Special - A bit of a Mystery
The topic for the October 1st Carnival of Genealogy is Weddings! I've participated in each of the carnivals since I started blogging in January of this year but thought this might be one in which I wouldn't be able to contribute. As far as I know, there are no special wedding traditions in my family. I wasn't around when my siblings were married so I never attended any of their ceremonies. I have attended the weddings of several of my cousins, all very traditional, nothing unusual.
One of my first posts here at kinexxions was Brubaker-Phend Marriage which was a transcription of a newspaper article about the marriage of my grandparents Vic Phend and Hazlette Brubaker. A small affair, there were no attendants.
Perhaps there is a family tradition of little or no ceremony. The Whitley County Commercial of Wednesday, April 26, 1871 published this announcement (note the spelling of the surnames, should be Brubaker and Joslin):
To date I have not found a marriage record for my 4th Great Grandparents, James Joslin and Abigail Goodrich. At the time James and his parents, Jonas and Ruth Dyer Joslin, would have been living in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio while Abigail and her parents, Bela and Sally Church Goodrich, were living in neighboring Orange Township.
Lysander Price Joslin, the first child of James and Abigail Joslin, was born May 1, 1825 so it is presumed that they were married prior to his birth. But perhaps not. Based on the following information, published in "Abstracts from Miscellaneous Delaware County Ohio Newspapers 1821-1857" (Extracted by Mary V. Reed. Indexed by Sharlene Shoaf. Delaware, Ohio 1992. page 79), they were married prior to June 30, 1826 but apparently, all was not well:
Abigail would have been pregnant with her second child at that time, Fanny Philanda Joslin was born in October 1826. Apparently James and Abigail reconciled as they went on to have four more children together. In 1838, James and Abigail and their children moved from Delaware County, Ohio to Whitley County, Indiana. James seems to have disappeared by 1860 - he is no longer living in Whitley County with Abigail, and I've not found him in various census searches in other states. What happened to James? We will probably never know but that doesn't stop us from speculating or searching for more information.
One of my first posts here at kinexxions was Brubaker-Phend Marriage which was a transcription of a newspaper article about the marriage of my grandparents Vic Phend and Hazlette Brubaker. A small affair, there were no attendants.
Perhaps there is a family tradition of little or no ceremony. The Whitley County Commercial of Wednesday, April 26, 1871 published this announcement (note the spelling of the surnames, should be Brubaker and Joslin):
Married. Bruebaker - Jostlen --- At the residence of the officiating clergyman, Rev. A. J. Douglas, on Thursday, the 20th inst, Mr. William Bruebaker and Miss Malissa M. Jostlen, all of this county. We congratulate our friend Bruebaker in taking unto himself a wife, and wish him and his fair bride all the happiness that it is possible for mortals to enjoy while sojourning upon this mundane sphere.
To date I have not found a marriage record for my 4th Great Grandparents, James Joslin and Abigail Goodrich. At the time James and his parents, Jonas and Ruth Dyer Joslin, would have been living in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio while Abigail and her parents, Bela and Sally Church Goodrich, were living in neighboring Orange Township.
Lysander Price Joslin, the first child of James and Abigail Joslin, was born May 1, 1825 so it is presumed that they were married prior to his birth. But perhaps not. Based on the following information, published in "Abstracts from Miscellaneous Delaware County Ohio Newspapers 1821-1857" (Extracted by Mary V. Reed. Indexed by Sharlene Shoaf. Delaware, Ohio 1992. page 79), they were married prior to June 30, 1826 but apparently, all was not well:
Delaware Patron. Thursday July 13, 1826.
Whereas my wife Abigail has left my bed and board - I am determined to pay no debts of hers.
James Joslin. Liberty, June 30th, 1826.
Abigail would have been pregnant with her second child at that time, Fanny Philanda Joslin was born in October 1826. Apparently James and Abigail reconciled as they went on to have four more children together. In 1838, James and Abigail and their children moved from Delaware County, Ohio to Whitley County, Indiana. James seems to have disappeared by 1860 - he is no longer living in Whitley County with Abigail, and I've not found him in various census searches in other states. What happened to James? We will probably never know but that doesn't stop us from speculating or searching for more information.