Ahnentafel #42 - John Gentle

John Gentle

Born: May 11, 1816 in Washington Co., IN
Died: Nov. 30, 1874 in Jefferson Co., IL

John Gentle was born in Washington County, Indiana, May 11, 1816 and died at his own residence in Jefferson County, Illinois, November 30, 1874, in the triumphs of a living faith, aged 58 years, 6 months and 19 days.

It was not until the spring of 1871 that he was deeply convicted of sin and saw that he was without God and without hope in the world; but he soon found the Pearl of Great Price, and was happily converted to God, in his own house, about the first of March 1871.  He soon afterwards attached himself to the Methodist Episcopal Church at Black Oak Ridge, Middleton Circuit, Mt. Vernon District, Southern Illinois Conference.  From thence he moved his membership to the Mt. Olive Society, on the same circuit.  He was then licensed to exhort, by the Rev. W.R. Taylor, who was at that time Preacher in Charge.

Ahnentafel #41 - Mary Williamson

Mary A. Williamson

Born: 1826, Illinois
Died: between 1871 and 1876 Jefferson Co., Illinois

Married: ca. 1844 Minor Butler

Census:
1830 Wayne Co., IL - age 4 living with her parents and seven siblings. 

1840 Wayne Co., IL - age 14 living with her parents and four siblings.

1850 not found on census

1855 not found on census

Ahnentafel #40 - Minor Butler

Minor Butler

Born: ca. 1822 in Hart County, Kentucky
Died: after 1880 probably in Jefferson County, Illinois

Buried: Minor is supposed to be buried in Laird Cemetery, Jefferson Co., IL.  There is no stone for him there. Some family members are buried at Long Prairie Church cemetery in Wayne Co., IL.

Married:

1. Mary A. Williamson ca. 1844 in Illinois
2. Catherine Haney, July 15, 1876 in Jefferson County, Illinois, no children together
3. Lucinda Jane Mathis, December 17, 1879 in Farrington, Illinois, no children together

Religious affiliation: Baptist, was a member of Long Prairie Church

Occupation: farmer

March 25 - Feast of The Annunciation

Luke 1: 26-55
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.  And the angel came in unto her, and said, "Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, "Fear not, Mary: for thou has found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in they womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.  He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

Ahnentafel #39 - Jaily Hunt

Jaily G. Hunt

Born: May 5, 1812, Bath Co., Kentucky

Died: October 8, 1884, Brown Co., Indiana

Married: John Wesley Hunt, May 10, 1829 in Bath Co., KY

Records:
1820 Bath Co., KY - age 8 living with her parents and seven siblings. 

1830 Fleming Co., KY - Eastern Division age 18 living with John Wesley Hunt1840 Wayne Co., IN - Cambridge - there is a J.W. Hunt household that works.  Jaily would be 28 and has five children ranging in age from 2 to 9.  

1840 Wayne Co., IN - Cambridge - there is a J.W. Hunt household that works. Jaily would be 28 and has five children ranging in age from 2 to 9. 

1850 Brown Co., IN - Hamblen Twp. age 38 living with her husband and ten children ages 2 to 19.1860 Brown Co., IN - Hamblen Twp. Jaily is a widow living seven children.  The real estate is valued at $213 and personal estate at $30. 

Research Day - Correction

I spent most of the morning in the basement of the Pulaski County Courthouse in Somerset, Kentucky looking through old deeds, marriage licenses and wills.  And as all good genealogists will tell you, it's best to verify records by checking the originals.  

I had a copied the marriage record for John Dove and Jane Beasley from a book of marriage record abstracts.  I ended up with a marriage date of March 21, 1828.  This date made John 12 and Jane about 10 and made me scratch my head a lot.  

The original record clearly states the following [if I can do this without typos!!]:

This is to certify that the wrights of matrimony was celebrated between John Dove and Jane Beasley on the 23rd day of March 1838 by M. Floyd.

The foregoing certificate of marriage was returned to me as clerk of the Pulaski County Court on the 18th day of March 1839 and same and the same has been duly recorded in my office. Will. Fox, Clk.

 And just so you can see for yourself:

 Marriage Book 1, Part I, p. 142, Pulaski County, Kentucky

So these two are our grandparents and they were about 22 and 20 when they married. This record also eliminates Allen Dove as a possible brother of William. 

From reading other returns recording I found that M. Floyd was Matthew Floyd who called himself a Minister of the Gospel.  He turned in lists of marriages he had performed about once a year to the clerk.

I also came across the original of their son William's first marriage license on page 327 of Marriage Book 1, Part II, Pulaski County, Kentucky:

I hereby certify that William Dove was married to Martha Rainwater on the 18th day of February 1856 at the residence of William Rainwater and Dove was about 18 years old and she was about 17 years of age, both born in Pulaski County, Ky and both then single.  And present John Rainwater and William Henry Meece, John Rainwater and done by William Waddle, MGS.

Ahnentafel #38 - John Hunt

John Wesley Hunt

Born: 1797 Fleming Co., Kentucky
Died: June 25, 1858, Brown Co., Indiana

Buried: Unknown

Married: his cousin Jaily Hunt, May 10, 1829 in Bath Co., Kentucky

Occupation: farmer

Migration:  moved to Indiana ca. 1837 

Note:  The Hunts were all about naming children after parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters which combined with a relatively common last name can make them difficult to sort out.

Ahnentafel #37 - Jane Beasley

Jane Beasley

Born: ca. 1815 North Carolina
Died: before 1850 in Kentucky

Married: John Dove March 21, 1828/1838, Pulaski Co., KY

Census:
1820 not found on census

Ahnentafel #36 - John Dove

John Dove

What I know for sure . . .

• there are several men named John Dove, otherwise, not much.  
• William Dove listed his parents as John Dove and ? Beasley on his third marriage license.
• a John Dove was living with William Dove in 1870.  He is listed as being 55 born in Kentucky and illiterate.  He's old enough to be William's father, but his age makes him born in 1815 which would make him 13 in 1828 if he is the John Dove who married Jane Beasley in Pulaski Co., KY.  Being illiterate could mean that he did not know his age for certain.

Born: ca. 1808 Kentucky or Virginia

• ca. 1808 based on marriage license. 
• ca. 1815 based on age given in 1870 census of John Dove living with William Dove
• 1880 Census - William Dove says his father was born in Kentucky
• 1900 & 1910 Census - William Dove says his father was born in Virginia

Married: Jane (?) Beasley March 21, 1828/1838 in Pulaski Co., KY?

Ahnentafel #35 - Catherine Harbert

Catherine Harbert

Born: ca. 1795 in Pennsylvania
Died: ca. 1865 in Indiana

Buried: Unknown

Married: Thomas Draper ca. 1817 in Indiana

Census:
1800 not found on census, age about 5

1810 not found on census, age about 15

1820 Dearborn Co., IN - Laughery Twp. living with her husband Thomas and four children and six slaves, age about 25

1830 Decatur Co., IN living with her husband Thomas and six children, age about 35

1840 Decatur Co., IN living with Thomas and seven children, age about 45

Ahnentafel #34 - Thomas Draper

Thomas Draper

Born: May 4, 1788/May 19, 1789, Botetourt Co., VA
Died: 1872, Decatur Co., IN

Thomas Draper Sr.
Died on Wednesday morning, 8th inst., at his residence, three miles north of this city [Greensburg, IN], Thomas Draper, Sr. in his 77th year.  The deceased was native of West Virginia, but emigrated when yeat a youth.  In 1822 he settled on the farm which has since been his home . . . leaves a large family of children and grand-children.
Greensburg Standard, Feb. 9, 1871.

Ahnentafel #33 - Cynthia Powell

Cynthia Powell

Born: October 30, 1793, Hartford, VT
Died: December 9, 1853, Lawrence Co., IL

Buried: Prairieton / Lone Tree Cemetery, Lawrence Co., IL

Married: Russell E. Lathrop, January 12, 1815 in Richford, VT

Occupation: school teacher before she married Russell

Migration:
1798 to Montgomery, VT with her parents when she was about 5 years old, approximately 110 miles
ca. 1805 to Richford, VT approximately 15 miles farther north
ca. 1830 to Canada with her husband about age 36, as little as 2 miles as much as 50
June 1837 to Decatur Co., IN with her husband and at least eight children ranging in age from 4 to 18 as well as members of the Powell family
March 1841 to Lawrence Co., IL with her husband and nine children

Ahnentafel #32 - Russell Lathrop

Russell E. Lathrop

Born: January 8, 1793, Franklin County, VT
Died: September 8, 1872, Richland Co., IL

Buried:  Prairieton / Lone Tree Cemetery, Lawrence Co., IL

Married:  Cynthia Powell, January 12, 1815

Brief Vermont History & Stuff:
Vermont is divided into counties which are in turn divided into townships.  Each township is the property of a specific town.  This structure was created by early immigrants from Massachusetts where people lived in towns and parceled out the lands surrounding the towns for farming and grazing. Early generations did not live outside the town on farms.  Land was given to the 2nd and 3rd generations until all the township lands had been claimed.  At this point Massachusetts towns began sending the 3rd and 4th generations west and north into new towns / townships. What is now Vermont was claimed by both Massachusetts and New York until 1776. 

In Vermont it is possible that some people lived on farms outside of the towns soon after immigration or that individual farmsteads developed over time as Indian populations disappeared.  

Ahnentafel #31 - America Wilson

America Adeline Wilson 

Born: Aug. 24, 1868, Louisville, IL
Died: Feb. 25, 1943, Fairfield, IL

Buried:  Feb. 26, 1943, Maple Hill Cemetery, Fairfield, IL

Married: Jan. 10, 1887 Wakeman Fitzgerald

Census: 

1870 - not found on census

1880 Louisville Twp., Clay Co., IL  - age 12 living with her William father and siblings.  Her mother had passed away.

1900 Larkinsburg Twp., Clay Co., IL - wife of Wakeman Fitzgerald she was 31 and is listed as having had six children and only four living. 

Ahnentafel #30 - Wakeman Fitzgerald

Wakeman Franklin Fitzgerald

Born: Aug. 1865, Louisville, IL
Died: Aug. 1943, Illinois State Mental Hospital in Anna, IL

Buried: Iola Cemetery, Iola, IL

Married: America Adeline Wilson Jan. 10, 1887

Occupation: farmer from age of 16

Census:
1870 Clay Co., IL - Hoosier Prairie Twp., family is listed with surname Jerald instead of Fitzgerald. and Wakeman is listed as Bakeman.  He was age 6.

1880 Clay Co., IL - Hoosier Prairie Twp., with his parents and siblings age 16, farmer.  Surname given as Fitz Jerals.

Ahnentafel #29 - Laura Edwards

Laura Ann Edwards

Born: Mar. 10, 1851, Indiana
Died: Feb. 7, 1933, McLean Co., IL 

Buried: Oak Mound Cemetery, Clay Co., IL

Married: John Colclasure, Feb. 13, 1872 in Louisville, Clay Co., IL

Census:

1860  Knox Co., MO - Benton Twp., age 8 living with her parents and five siblings

1870 Clay Co., IL - Oskaloosa Twp., age 18 attended school during the year

1880 not found in the census

1900 Clay Co., IL - Oskaloosa Twp., age 48 living with John, four children ages 8 to 19 and her niece Laura Weede a milliner

Ahnentafel #28 - John Colclasure

John Colclasure

Born: Jan. 8, 1847 Clay Co.,IL
Died: Apr. 17, 1913 Clay Co. IL

Buried: Oak Mound / Colclasure Cemetery, Clay Co. IL

Married: Laura Ann Edwards, Feb. 13, 1872 in Louisville, IL

Occupation:  farmer

Census:
1850 - not found on census

1855 - not found on census

1860 Clay Co., IL with his parents age 13

March

Springtime has arrived and it's time to prepare the fields for planting. The peasant in the foreground is plowing with a pair of oxen.  Three peasants on the left are preparing the vineyard.  Behind them may be a shepherd with sheep and a dog.  Another peasant is preparing seed for sowing on the right.  In the background is Chateau de Lusignan home of Duc de Berry who commissioned the work.  Under the old calendar, March was counted as the first month of the year.