June 29th - Feast of Saints Peter & Paul

A feast to honor the deaths of both Saints Peter & Paul. This is  not a sad occasion, rather it is the celebration of the day which the two met Christ in heaven and began their eternal life together.  It also celebrates the martyrdom of both of them.  Martyr is derived from a Greek word meaning witness. 

St. Peter was martyred by Romans ca. 66 A..D. duringEmperor Nero's reign.  He was said to have been crucified upside down at his own request.  Peter felt unworthy to be crucified in the exact manner as Christ.  His remains are buried beneath St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

St. Paul's manner of death is not known.  Tradition says that he was beheaded by Romans ca. 64 A.D. also during Nero's reign.  The date is based upon the time when Nero had Rome burned in order to persecute the Christians or because he was mad as a hatter. 

Ahnentafel #87 - Temperance Perry, ver. 2

Temperance Perry

Born: 1789 North Carolina
Died: ca. 1875

Buried: Unknown

Married: 1) Ezekiel Parrish in Rowan Co., NC ca. 1806 & 2) Elijah Burton ca. 1855

Census:
1790 North Carolina - Franklin Co., 1 year old living with her parents Jeremiah & ? (--?--) Perry.

1800 North Carolina - Franklin Co., age 11 living with parents Jeremiah & ? (--?--) Perry.

Ahnentafel #86 - Ezekiel Parrish, ver. 2

Ezekiel Parrish

Born: ca. 1786 Rowan Co., NC
Died: Sept. 1829, Putnam Co., IN

Buried: Unknown

Married: Temperance Perry ca. 1806 in Rowan Co., NC

Occupation: probably a farmer

Census:

1790 not found on census

1800 North Carolina - Rowan Co. age about 14 living with his parents and six siblings. 

Ahnentafel #85 - Elizabeth Shepherd, ver. 2

Elizabeth Shepherd

Born: ca. 1786 in either Pennsylvania or Maryland
Died: after 1870

Buried: Unknown

Census:
1790 not found on census

1800 not found on census

Ahnentafel #84 - William Gentle, ver. 2

William Gentle

Born: ca. 1775
Died: Unknown

Buried: Unknown

Married: 1) unknown & 2) Elizabeth Shepherd, Feb. 21, 1804 in Mason Co., KY

Occupation: Farmer

Census:
1790 There are Gentle families in Maryland, North Carolina and Pennsylvania not sure if any of these is William's family.

June 21 - Midsummer

Midsummer Day is today. However it has been celebrated between June 21 through June 25 as the summer solstice moves about. The solstice will occur at 11:39 am CDT this year.  In England June 24th was designated a feast day for St. John the Baptist to replace the earlier Druid celebration of midsummer at Stonehenge. 

St. John was not only the herald of the Christ, but he was also Jesus' cousin.  The son of Elizabeth and Zechariah.  He is said to have been born on June 24th which would make him six months older than Jesus. 

Traditional celebrations include the lighting of bonfires the night before.  There is dancing, often around a May pole and a great outdoor feast. 

Ahnentafel #83 - Nancy (--?--)

Nancy [Nothen / Northeren / Notherly]

Born: 1790 NC
Died: 1834 Hamilton County, IL

Married: Henry Williamson ca. 1810

Buried: Unknown

The surname Nothen comes from Patrick Williamson's biographical sketch in the Jefferson County history:

The mother of our subject was Nancy (Nothen) Williamson the mother of nine children. 

Census:
1790 - The 1790 North Carolina census shows no one with the surname Nothen.  There are two men with the surname Northeren living in Rowan County.  Of the two, Joseph Northeren is the most likely suspect to be Nancy's father.  There were 2 males under 16, 2 males over 16 and 3 females. 

Edward Erkman's Easter Suit

Greeting Tailor for 133 Days Wins Boy Easter Suit

Striking Bargain Becomes Reality and Friends Donate Accessories

All Seventh street, the mailman, the policeman, the tailor, the real estate agent joked about it.  Now it has come to pass.  Edward Erkman is going to receive a suit of Easter clothes for nothing Saturday.

Edward is a busy lad who works at the Postal Telegraph office on Tenth street, near Market, but for the last 133 working days, he has managed to take off one minute and rap on the window of the tailor shop of Carl A. Trumbull. on North Seventh street, and hold up a certain number of fingers showing how many days he has reported.

Ahnentafel #82 - Henry Williamson, ver. 2

Henry Williamson

Born: 1789 in Virginia or North Carolina
Died: June 12, 1869 in Jefferson Co., IL

Buried: Unknown

Married: 1) Nancy [Nothen?] ca. 1810 and 2) Elizabeth (--?--) ca. 1835

Occupation:  farmer

June 17th - Feast of St. Botolph

Botwulf of Thorney aka St. Botolph was an English abbot who became the patron saint of travelers and farmers.  His feast day is celebrated on June 17th in England.  He was born ca. 610.  Botolph and his brother Adulf became monks and went to Germany to study.  His brother became a bishop while Botolph returned to England  to run a nunnery.  According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Botwulf built a church at Iken in Suffolk ca. 653.  In the Life of St. Ceolfrith he is described as "a man of remarkable life and learning, full of the grace of the Holy Spirit.  He died ca. 680 and is said to be buried in the foundation of the church in Iken.  His remains were moved first to Burgh in 970 and then to Bury St. Edmunds ca. 1020.  Later still Botolph was moved with his brother Adulf to Thorney Abbey except for his head which is at Ely Cathedral.  Many churches in East Anglia were dedicated to him to the extent that when the Puritans removed to New England they named a city Botwulf's Town / Botolphston which was contracted to Boston and he is considered to be the city's patron saint.

Ahnentafel #81 - Elizabeth Meeks

Elizabeth Meeks

Born: 1788 
Died: Unknown

Buried: Unknown

Married: James Butler, June 4, 1809 in Hardin Co., KY

Census:
1790 not found on census

1800 not on census

1810 not on census

1820 Kentucky, Hart Co., age 32 Elizabeth is living with James and five children under age 11.

1830 Kentucky, Hart Co., age 42 Elizabeth is living with James and five children under age 19.

1840 Kentucky, Hart Co., age 52 Elizabeth is living with James, Minor and a daughter.

1850 not found on census

Children:
Son b. 1810
Daughter b. 1811-1815
Son b. 1811-1815
Son b. 1816-1820
Daughter b. 1816-1820
Minor

Ahnentafel #80 - James Butler

James Butler

Born: ca. 1782
Died: ca. 1840

Buried: Unknown

Married: Elizabeth Meeks, June 4, 1809 in Hardin Co., KY

Occupation: probably a farmer

Ahnentafel #79 - Hester Foster

Hester Foster

Born: Sep. 11, 1774 in Halifax Co., VA
Died: 1851 in Bath Co., KY

Buried: Unknown

Married: Absalom Hunt, March 20, 1793 in Bourbon Co., KY

Census:
1790 not found on census

1800 Absalom paying taxes in Fleming County

1810 not found on tax rolls

Ahnentafel #78 - Absalom Hunt

Absalom Hunt

Born: Dec. 4, 1773 in Shenandoah Co., VA
Died: Feb. 21, 1841 in Bath Co., KY

Buried: Crain Cemetery, Fleming Co., KY

Married: Hester Foster March 20, 1793 in Bourbon Co., KY

Religious affiliation: Methodist

Occupation: Methodist minister, his death was recorded in the minutes of the 1841 Kentucky Conference records:

Ahnentafel #77 - Mary Denton

Mary Denton

Born: Oct. 13, 1769 in Shenandoah Co., VA
Died: April 4, 1843 in Hagerstown, IN

Buried: Huntsville Cemetery, Randolph Co., IN

Married: 1788 John Tipton Hunt in Washington Co., TN

Census:
1790 - not found on census, the family was living in Washington Co. Tennessee and Mary was 20 and had two children age 1 and a newborn.

1800 - two John Hunts were living in Fleming Co., KY paying taxes.  Mary would have been 30 and had seven sons ranging in age from 1 to 11.

1810 Kentucky - Fleming Co. age 40 Mary was living with John in a household of 17 people.   There were seven children under age 10, three boys between 10 and 15, three boys between 16 and 25 and three men older than 45.  It is easier to eliminate who is not living in the house than it is to determine exactly who is there.  John's father is dead so he is not one of the men over 45.  One of the men may be Mary's father James who would have been a widower. 

1820 - not found on census the family was living in Fleming Co., KY

1830 - not found on census, the family was living in Fleming Co., KY

1840 - not found on census, Mary was 70 and living in either Fleming Co., KY or Wayne Co., IN.  She was a widow and would have been living with one of her children as she does not appear as a head of household.

Children:
Lemuel
William Basil
Absalom Daniel David
James Basil
Reuben Hezekiah
John
Howard
William Denton
Joshua Parker
Elizabeth
Anna
Sarah
Benjamin Northcutt
Patsy
Debby

Revised 4/24/2023

Ahnentafel #76 - John Hunt

John (Tipton?) Hunt Jr.

Born: 1763 Frederick Co., VA
Died: March 15, 1829 in Owingsville, KY

Buried: Crain Cemetery, Fleming Co., KY

Married:  Mary Denton 1788 in Washington Co., TN

Occupation: farmer, sheriff of Fleming County, KY

Military Service: obtained the office of Colonel as per tombstone.  I have seen claims that he served in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812.  I'm in the process of requesting military records from the National Archives.

Census:
1790 not found on census, living in Washington Co., TN with Mary and two children.

1800 Kentucky, Fleming Co. tax list.  There are two John Hunts listed in the county.

Ahnentafel #75 - Judith Coomer

Judith Coomer

Born: 1795 North Carolina
Died: unknown

Buried: unknown

Married: Isham Beasley ca. 1810

Census:
1800 - North Carolina, Stokes Co., age 5 there are two families with girls under 5 years of age, John and William. 

Ahnentafel #74 - Isham Beasley

Isham Beasley aka Isom

Born: 1792 Stokes Co., NC
Died: Jan. 1870 Pulaski Co., KY of dropsy according to 1870 mortality schedule.  He appears to have died prior to March 1869 according to a deed that was executed in that month.

Buried: unknown

Married: Judith Coomer by 1818

Occupation: farmer 

Census:

1800 North Carolina - Stokes Co., age 8, living with parents and four brothers

June

Harvest of grains - wheat, barley, oats and peas and peasants working in common. Most families would have worked between 12 and 15 acres.  Some cottagers and very poor people managed to survive on less than five acres.  Wheat was the primary staple for humans.  Barley was grown in order to make ale.  Few people drank water because of the likelihood of contracting cholera. Milk was used to make cheese and other dairy products. Cattle were fed oats.  Peas were rotated into fields to build them back up and could be eaten by both cattle and humans.  Fish were an important part of the diet as well as chickens for eggs and meat.