December 26th

Happy Birthdays all around:

1602 William Beasley baptized in Henley, England the son of Richard Beasley. 

1639 Samuel Joy in Boston, MA the son of Thomas & Joan (Gallop) Joy

1793 Mary Young daughter of Jacob & Rachel (Goodnight) Young.  She died in 1873.

1842 Eli Edwards in Lawrence Co., IL the son of William Edwards.  He moved to Clay Co., IL in 1864 where he married Emily Wilson the daughter of Alexander & Lorena (Cornwell) Wilson.  They had two daughters.

1896 William Wilkin the son of John & Mary (Smith) Wilkin.  He died before 1905.

Pamela Oliver the daughter of Samuel & Stella (Sapyta) Oliver. 

Scott Utley the son of Phil & Dorothy (Lathrop) Utley

Marriages:

1886 Ezra Lathrop & Nancy Boly in Missouri.  Ezra was born 1846 in Johnson Co., IL the son of Levi & Louisa (Draper) Lathrop.  Nancy was the daughter of Jacob & Elizabeth (?) Boly and she was born in 1858 in Missouri.  Ezra grew up in Lawrence Co., IL.  He joined the Illinois 63^rd Infantry in 1861 at age 15 claiming to be 18.  Ezra saw action throughout the south and was with Sherman in Atlanta and on his march to the sea.  He mustered out in Goldsboro, NC in 1865 and reenlisted as a veteran.  At the end of the war Ezra’s unit sailed to Washington, DC and participated in the celebratory parades.  He was sent west to Louisville, KY by train where he and his unit were mustered out of service on July 13, 1865.  Ezra returned home to Lawrence Co., IL and lived with his parents.  Circa 1875 Ezra, his brother Thomas, brother-in-law Corbin Irwin and several other families moved from Lawrence County to Wayne County.  Ezra was living with Corbin Irwin in 1880.  Ezra owned land near Oak Grove School and put out a wheat crop and then disappeared ca. 1883. 

Master's Sale, State of Illinois, Wayne County 

In Wayne Circuit Court Edward T. Holcomb vs. Ezra Lathrop, foreclosure 

Public notice is hereby given that in pursuance of a decretal order entered in the above entitled cause in said court at the March term thereof, A.D. 1884, I, John L. Handley, Master in Chancery in and for said county for said court on Saturday the 7th day of June, A.D. 1884 at the hour of 1 o'clock, P.M., of said day, shall sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder, at the Court House door, in Wayne County, Illinois, the following real estate situated in said county and State, to-wit:

West half northeast quarter, Sec. 15, T.3S., R.5E.

Together with all and singular the tenements and hereditaments thereunto belonging. Said land will be sold for cash in hand on the day of sale.

John L. Handley, Master of Chancery. Dated May 10th, 1884. 

For further particulars inquire of George & Bunch, Solicitors for Complainants

This was the last the family heard of him.  Levi made provision for him in his will.  Corbin Irwin had connections in the GAR and wrote several letters trying to find Ezra.  He never came home again. There was a family legend that he moved to California and was killed in a card game.

I posted queries about Ezra on several genealogical boards and several years ago was contacted by a woman who said she was Ezra’s granddaughter.


Here is the rest of the story.  Ezra changed his name to Patrick Lathrop  and moved to Missouri just south of St. where he met up with Nancy Boly who was married to a man named James Patton.  Ezra took up with Nancy and had three children while she was getting a divorce.  They had seven children and lived in Allenton, MO.

Invalid Claim for Pension 

Ezra Lathrop
Co. A 63rd IL Inf. Vol.
Enlisted Feb. 23, 1862
Discharged Jan. 1, 1864 

Allenton, PO
St. Louis County, MO  

State of Missouri, County of St. Louis on this 8th day of May A.D. 1895 personally appeared before me Frederick W. Steines a notary public within and ofr the county and state aforesaid, Ezra Lathrop aged 50 years, a resident of the township of Meramec, St. Louis County, MO, who, being duly sworn according to law, declares that he is the identical Ezra Lathrop who was enrolled as a private on the 23 day of February 1862 in Capt. McClure's Co. A, 63rd Reg't., IL Inf. Vol. in the service of the United States during the war of the rebellion that he served at least ninety days and was honorably discharged at Huntsville, AL on the first day of Jan. 1864 that his personal description is as follows:  age 50 years height 5 feet 4 inches, complexion fair, hair dark, eyes hazel.  That he is now totally unable to earn a support by manual labor by reason of Piles and a running sore in right side, pain in hips.  That said disability are not due to his vicious habits, and are, to the best of his knowledge and belief, permanent.  That he has never applied for a pension and is not a pensioner of the United States.  That he make this declaration for the purpose of being placed on the pension roll of the United States under the provisions of the Act of June 27, 1890 and he hereby appoints with full power of substitution and revocation.

Nancy died in October 1896 at age 38 and  Ezra died in Eureka, MO a month later at age 51.  Their children were all minors ranging in age from 1 to 13.  The children filed many claims with the War Department in attempts to get Ezra’s pension. 

Mom and I visited the cemetery in Eureka where Nancy and Ezra are said to be buried.  There were no tombstones. 

1895 James Lathrop & Rosa Kemps in Wayne Co., IL.  James was a distant cousin born in 1861 in Adams Co., OH.  He was the son of Moses & Elizabeth (Meeker) Lathrop.  Rosa born 1874 in Illinois was the daughter of George & ? (Venns) Kemps.  They were the parents of Golda Lathrop born in Golden Gate, IL in 1897.  She was raised by a minister in Golden Gate, IL.  Rosa died before 1902 when James married 2) Rhoannie Ray in Fairfield, IL.  James died in Wayne City, IL in 1926.  Golda grew up and married Elston Gurley.  It took a long time to figure out who James was.  He doesn’t appear to have known the Lathrops who lived in Wayne Co. prior to moving there. 

1896 James Fitzgerald & Lily White.  James born in 1872 in Illinois was the son of James & Rebecca (Ward) Fitzgerald.  He died in Granby, MO in 1952.

1920 Chester Wiggins the husband of Marjorie Shaw.  They had six children.  Chester died in 1993 in Wayne Co., IL.

Bill & Trixie (Erkman) Lathrop

1925 Cyril Richardson & Margaret Lee.  Cyril the son of Orley & Ethel (Austin) Richardson was born in 1905.  Margaret was born in 1904.  They had three children.

1947 Glenn Richardson & Betty Robertson in Mt. Vernon, IL.  Glenn born 1927 in Middleton, IL was the son of Earl & Grace (Shaw) Richardson.  They have seven children.  Glenn died in Mt. Vernon, IL in 2012.

1958 Bill Lathrop & Trixie Erkman in Wayne City, IL.  Bill born 1936 in Wayne Co., IL was the son of Albert & Grace (Butler) Lathrop.  Trixie is the daughter of Harold & Iva (Colclasure) Erkman.  They have two children.  Bill died at home in 2007 in Wayne Co., IL.

1970 Phillip Hogue & Jackie Holler in Fairfield, IL.  Jackie is the daughter of Ivan & Bonnie (Lathrop) Holler.  They have two daughters.