Our GGG grandpa Heath was a Rebel soldier in the U.S. Civil War

◄ Confederate States of America Civil War flag  

This exhibit records the Civil War service of Ervin Heath, who was my generation's maternal GGG grandfather.


This page of this blog details our connection to him and our Heath family lineage (those in our direct family line are in bold print). The significance of our Heath family line is that it's our connection to Cora Lee Heath Field. As detailed below, Cora was my generation's great grandmother and Ervin Heath was her grandfather. He's seen in the chart below. 
(Source)
(Right click, then click on "Open Link" to enlarge both the exhibit above and the chart below.)

(Source)  

The chart above takes Ervin's lineage back two generations. John William Heath (JWH) was my generation’s GGGGG grandfather, William Heath our GGGG grandfather.

The information quoted below is from a Heath family tree found on Ancestry.com. It says JWH enlisted as a corporal in the U.S. Revolutionary army and later became an officer. While it's possible this is our ancestor, I've not been able to document for certain that this is our JWH.

“John William Heath, was a gunsmith who came to America some time before the Revolutionary War. It is supposed that Maj. John Heath is the same John William Heath who was promoted to Lieutenant in 1778. (Although this [is] early for someone born in 1761. Lt. John Heath may or may not be the same Maj. John Heath who made a rifle, which was passed down through the family for several generations. Rev. John H. Heath wrote: "This rifle was made in 1778 - 1780, a flint and steel lock, by Major John Heath, and it saw service in the Revolutionary War.” (Source)

And...

"U.S. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 about John Heath Name: John Heath Rank - Induction: Corporal Roll Box: 109 Roll State: VA"
(Source)

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John William Heath

Birth: 1761 in Nazeing, Essex, England 
Death: Before 1840 in Craven Co., North Carolina

Spouse & children
Margaret Nancy "Peggy" Harmon (1765 – 1840)
William Heath (1787 – 1876)
Isaac Collin Heath (1787 – 1858)
Thomas Butler Heath (b. 1790)
Henry Heath (b. 1792)
John Alfred Heath (1800 – 1867)
Elizabeth Heath (1805 – 1869)
Eunice Heath (b. 1807)
Griffin A. Heath (1812 – 1865)
Eric (Enoch?) Heath (b. 1813)
(Source)

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William Heath

U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 about William Heath
Name: William Heath
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1787
Spouse Name: Betsy Rumbley
Spouse Birth Year: 1787
Marriage Year: 1810
Marriage State: NC

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North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868 about Beatsey Rumbley
Groom: William Heath
Bride: Beatsey Rumbley [Betsy]
Bond Date: 19 Feb 1810
County: Guilford
Bondsman: Heabekuk Morgan
Witness: Roddy Hannah

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The 1850 Census records William Heath as being a farmer in Guilford County, North Carolina, with the following being his household. (His son Ervin was born about 1851 and was not yet in the household when this census was taken.)

1850 United States Federal Census about William Heath
Name, Age
William Heath, 61
Rachel Heath, 37
William P Heath, 25
John C Heath, 23

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The 1860 Census again records William Heath as being a farmer in Guilford County, North Carolina, with the following being in his household.

1860 United States Federal Census about Wm Heath
Name, Age
Wm Heath, 73
Rachel Heath, 48
Mahala Heath, 37
E Heath, 8 [Ervin]
L C Heath, 7
Rachel E Heath, 5

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The 1870 Census records William Heath as being a farmer in Guilford County, North Carolina, with the following being in his household:

1870 United States Federal Census about William Heath
Name, Age
William Heath, 83
Rachel Heath, 58
Lorenzo Heath, 17
Rebecca Heath, 14
George Forbis, 23
Mahala Rumbly, 40

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Ervin Heath

B: 1812 in Guilford, North Carolina, United States
D: Apr 1894 in Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, USA
(Source)

Ervin Heath's descendancy looks like this:

Ervin was my generation's GGG grandfather.
▼
His son, Arlendo Robert Heath, was our GG grandfather.
▼
His daughter, Cora Lee Heath Field, was our great grandmother.
▼
Her daughter, Nelle Virginia Field Jones, was our maternal grandmother. Her siblings were Elizabeth Field Moon, Grace Field Chapman and Winfred Field.

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Ervin and Sarah Webb’s Marriage

U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 about Irvin Heath
Name: Irvin Heath [Ervin]
Gender: Male
Birth Place: NC
Birth Year: 1812
Spouse Name: Sarah Webb
Spouse Birth Year: 1813
Marriage year: 1832
Marriage State: NC
(Source)

North Carolina Marriage Collection, 1741-2004 about Ervin Heath
Name: Ervin Heath
Spouse: Sarah Webb
Marriage Date: 31 May 1832
Marriage County: Guilford
Marriage State: North Carolina
(Source)

North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868 about Sarah Webb
Groom: Ervin Heath
Bride: Sarah Webb
Bond Date: 21 May 1832
Marriage Date: 31 May 1832
County: Guilford
Bondsman: James Gilmer
Witness: A. E. Hanner
Performed By: E W Caruthers
(Source)

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1850 census – showing four children

1850 United States Federal Census about Irvin Heath
Name: Irvin Heath [Ervin] – Wagon Maker
Age: 37
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1813
Birth Place: North Carolina
Gender: Male
Home in 1850 (City,County,State):
Southern Division, Guilford, North Carolina

Household Members:
Name, Age
Irvin Heath [Ervin], 37
Sarah Heath, 36
Washington Heath, 12
Augustus Heath, 8
Cicero Heath, 4
Algernon Heath [Arlendo], 0
(Source)

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1850 United States Federal Census about Irvin Heath
Name: Irvin Heath [Ervin] - wheel right (sic)

[Dictionary: Wheelright - a person who builds and repairs wheels, especially wooden spoked ones]
Age: 37
Estimated Birth Year: about 1813
Birth Place: North Carolina
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Southern Division, Guilford, North Carolina

Household Members:
Name, Age
Irvin Heath, 37 [Ervin]
Sarah Heath, 36
Washington Heath, 12
Augustus Heath, 8
Cicero Heath, 4
Algernon Heath [Arlendo], 0
(Source of census info)
(Source of photo)

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1860 census – showing six children

1860 United States Federal Census about Ervin Heath
Name: Ervin Heath – Carriage Maker
Age in 1860: 48
Birth Year: abt 1812
Home in 1860: Eastern Division, Randolph, North Carolina
Post Office: New Salem

Household Members:
Name, Age
Ervin Heath, 48
Sarah Heath, 47
Washington Heath, 23
Augustus S Heath, 18
Joseph C Heath, 12
Orlendo Heath, 9 [Arlendo]
Nancy E Heath, 7
Jane Heath, 5
(Source)

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Here’s a list from a family tree on Ancestry.com which includes seven children.

Ervin Heath's spouse & children

A comment in this family tree from Ancestry.com says, “The 1850 census was taken in August, and Mary Ann Heath had married J. Franklin Kennett in May 1850 and was not in the home at the time of the census. She was 14 years old when she married.”

Neither was she in the household when the 1860 census was taken. Therefore she's not seen above, but was one of his children. as shown below.
(Source)

Sarah Webb (1812-1880)
Mary Ann Heath (1835-1915)
James Washington Heath (1837-1916)
Augustus S Heath (1842-)
Joseph Cicero Heath (1846-)
Arlendo Heath (1851-)
Nancy E Heath (1853-)
Jane Heath (1855-)
(Source)

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As noted at the beginning of this post, Ervin Heath fought in the Civil War. May 20, 1861, a resolution to secede from the Union was adopted by the state of North Carolina. Fifteen days later , on June 5th, 1861, Ervin enlisted as a private in the Confederate army at age 49, even though he was the father of seven children. He served for a year, mustering out in 1862, even though the war didn’t end until 1865.

His regiment fought many battles. I’ve snipped the list below to show only those recorded as having taken place during the year of his enlistment.

American Civil War Regiments
Regiment: 22nd Infantry Regiment North Carolina
Date of Organization: 11 Jul 1861
Muster[ed out] Date: 9 Apr 1865
Regiment State: North Carolina
Regiment Type: Infantry
Regiment Number: 22nd

Regimental History
[Battles fought during Ervin Heath’s enlistment with this regiment]

Fought on 28 May 1861 at Chickahominy River, VA.

◄ Chickahominy River,Va. Grapevine bridge, 1862
(Source)








Fought on 5 Aug 1861.
Fought on 15 Aug 1861 at Wilderness, VA.
Fought on 15 Aug 1861.
Fought on 28 Aug 1861 at Fredericksburg, VA.
Fought on 15 Oct 1861 at Fredericksburg, VA.
Fought on 9 Dec 1861 at Evansport, VA.
Fought on 9 Dec 1861.
Fought on 15 Mar 1862.
Fought on 31 Mar 1862 at Seven Pines, VA.
Fought on 15 Apr 1862.
Fought on 20 Apr 1862 at Richmond, VA And Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 5 May 1862 at Williamsburg, VA.
Fought on 15 May 1862.
Fought on 27 May 1862 at Frayser's Farm, VA.
Fought on 30 May 1862 at Seven Pines, VA.
Fought on 31 May 1862 at Seven Pines, VA.
Fought on 13 Jun 1862.
Fought on 15 Jun 1862.

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A bit of history about his regiment

"Formerly the 12th Volunteers, [the 22nd] completed it’s organization near Raleigh, North Carolina, in July, 1861. The men were recruited in the counties of Caldwell, McDowell, Surry, Ashe, Guilford, Alleghany, Caswell, Stokes, and Randolph. With nearly 1,000 men, the unit was ordered to Virginia and assigned to the Aquia District in the Department of Northern Virginia. Later it was brigaded under Generals Pettigrew, Pender, and Scales.

It fought with the army from Seven Pines to Cold Harbor, took its place in the Petersburg trenches south of the James River, and ended the war at Appomattox. 

In April, 1862, this regiment contained 752 men, [and] reported 161 casualties during the Seven days' Battles’..." 
(Source)

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"In all my readings of veterans, and of coolness under fire, I have never conceived of anything surpassing the coolness of our men in this fight." (An unnamed officer in the 22nd NC describing the regiment's demeanor during Seven Pines.) 
Source

[Editor's comment: Emphasis added above, for Ervin was still with the regiment during the "Seven days' Battles"  and "Seven Pines" referred to.]

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"...the Battle of Fair Oaks, [was] also known as Seven Pines. At Fair Oaks, Confederate troops succeeded in driving back Union forces from the edge of Richmond before the Union troops stabilized their position. Though both sides claimed victory, the battle marked the end of the Union offensive..."
(Source)

♦♦♦

"More than 125,000 North Carolinians, young and old, served the Confederacy.
They were known as Tar Heels for their reluctance to give up their allegiance to their home state, but when the call came, they went.

And they died...

Nearly half of these men were wounded at least once, and more than 40,000 of them died during the war - more than from any other Southern state. The number of survivors who suffered permanent physical or emotional scarring or died prematurely because of their war experiences cannot be known. "
(Source) 

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Ervin Heath mustered out 21 June 1862. The fact that he mustered out before the war was over is curious. It may be that he had only a one-year commitment, but it also suggests the possibility that he may have been wounded, thereby being unable to continue his service. Or perhaps his being 50 years old was a factor in this. However, all of that is speculation on my part.

As my generation's uncle DeRand Jones remarked in connection with the one surviving brother in our Field family line (of six who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War), if Ervin had not survived none of us in his descendancy would be here to read this. In fact, it would not have been written, for your editor descends directly from him.

Source)

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Sidebar: Other members of the Heath family also fought for the Confederacy. For example, one record I ran across says Ervin's son, Augustus Heath (Arlendo's older brother, see above), also enlisted on 5 Jun 1861, the same date as Ervin. He was 18 years old and his occupation is recorded as "blacksmith". 

The death certificate for another of Ervins's sons, James (1837-1916, see above) records him as being a carpenter and says he was living in a "Soldier's Home" in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the time of his death. This suggests that he, too, was a soldier in the Civil War. 
(Source)

I'm confident there were others of our ancestral Heaths in that war for whom I haven't discovered records. That's not my focus for this page; but I may l dig into this subject at a later time.

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I haven’t found a census for 1870 that includes Ervin. Here’s the next one in which he shows up.

1880 United States Federal Census about Irvin Heath
Name: Irvin [Ervin] Heath - Carpenter
Home in 1880: Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina
Age: 68
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1812
Birthplace: North Carolina
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)
Spouse's Name: Sarah Heath
Father's birthplace: North Carolina
Mother's birthplace: North Carolina
Occupation: Carpenter
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
(snip)

Household Members:
Name, Age
Irvin Heath, 68
Sarah Heath, 68
(Source)

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Arlendo Heath

Arlendo Heath was the father of our great grandmother, Cora Lee Heath Field, and my generation’s GG grandfather. The 1850 census records him as an infant, living with his parents, whose surname is misspelled Hayth. That misspelling is strange in view of the fact that the spelling of his name is correct.

1850 United States Federal Census about Algonon R Heath
Name: Algonon R Heath [Arlendo]
Age: 1
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1849
Birth Place: North Carolina
Gender: Male
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Northern Division, Guilford, North Carolina

Household Members:
Name, Age
Irvin Hayth, 38
Susan Hayth, 38 [Sarah]
James W Heath, 12
Augustus Heath, 10
Joseph E Heath, 6
Algonon R Heath [Arlendo], 1

♦♦♦

The 1870 census records him as being on his own at age 19. His occupation is recorded as [working at an] “Ax handle factory”

1870 United States Federal Census about A R Heath
Name: A R Heath
Birth Year: abt 1851
Age in 1870: 19
Birthplace: North Carolina
Home in 1870: Leaksville, Rockingham, North Carolina
Race: White
Gender: Male

Household Members:
Name, Age
A R Heath, 19

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The 1880 census records him as being married to Eliza J Heath and having fathered their first two children. His occupation is recorded as “Works in a spoke factory”.

Her complete name was Elizabeth Jane Chambers Heath; details about her - and her and Arlendo's descendancy - are in the next post on this blog. (Based upon her year of birth and appearance in this photo I estimate it to be circa 1894.)

A family tree on Ancestry.com records his marriage to “Eliza Chambers” on 5 September 1871. Although I can find no other documentation of that date, it seems to fit, for other records say their eldest child, Cora Lee Heath, was born 16 June 1872, ten months after the reported wedding date.
(Source)











1880 United States Federal Census about Arlendo R. Heath
Name: Arlendo R. Heath
Home in 1880: Gilmer, Guilford, North Carolina
Age: 29
Estimated Birth Year: about 1851
Birthplace: North Carolina
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)
Spouse's Name: Eliza J. Heath
Father's birthplace: North Carolina
Mother's birthplace: North Carolina
Occupation: Works In Spoke Factory
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male

Household Members: 
Name, Age
Arlendo R. Heath, 29
Eliza J. Heath, 26
Cora L. Heath, 7
George Heath, 5

♦♦♦

Last revised 9/16/2011

Please refer to the disclaimer on the index page of this blog for a statement regarding the accuracy of - and documentation for - the information presented in this blog.

Documenting Our Maternal Family’s Pioneer Heritage

During our childhood, my four siblings and I learned very little about our extended and ancestral families. Why? Stated simply, both the maternal and paternal sides of our family were very splintered and disconnected.

◄ Nannie Anderson Perkins, born circa 1855

For example, I met our maternal grandmother only once and our maternal grandfather only twice in my life that I’m aware of (although we have a photo of me with him as a small child on an occasion I don’t recall).

We did have regular contact with our paternal grandmother, but we never met – or even saw photographs of - our paternal grandfather. In fact I didn’t even know his name until not long ago.

The result? We never had family reunions, Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings with grandparents where stories about family were passed on, or any other sources of learning our family’s stories.

Previous Work on This Blog
 
That combination of circumstances left a void that turned into a yearning for me – a desire to learn about our heritage. After I retired from the business world I had the time to explore our family genealogy and history, and once I began I found it to be addictive.

As I progressed in assembling our Family History I uncovered stories that amazed me, saddened me, and made me want to learn more – and some of them filled me with pride. Making the stories available to the rest of my family is what led to the creation of this blog.

This page and one other page of this blog deal with people in our maternal ancestral family who were literally the pioneers in the newly-formed nation shortly after the U.S. Revolutionary war. Here’s a link to the other page. [Some of the material on this page is also included on that page, but I want to document our lineage to these pioneers and decided to add this page rather than rework that earlier page.]

So, this current page is designed to provide documentation of our links to the people in our family to whom I refer, both in the page linked above and to the information below.

Those in our Jones family line are directly descended from Thomas Perkins, Rev. John McPherson and Lewis Jones, who married McPherson's daughter Rebecca. Below is the lineage for them - compiled from various documents inherited from my generation's uncle DeRand Jones and extensive research conducted via Ancestry.com and other online sources.

The earliest reference I found to this part of our ancestral family is to Thomas Perkins, who would have lived through - and may well have fought in - the U.S. Revolutionary War.

Descendancy Chart for Thomas Perkins

Thomas Perkins (1742 – 1837) & Cassandra Casteel
▼
Samuel Perkins (1788 – 1861) & Elizabeth Hart
▼
Margaret Perkins Anderson & Rev. J. W. Anderson
▼
Dennis Parrott Anderson (1819 – 1890) & Margaret Skinner Bonar
▼
Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) Anderson Cash (1852 – 1927) & William Galen Cash
▼
Leona D Cash Jones (1873 – 1957) & Fleetwood Churchill Jones
▼
Rev. Carleton D Jones (1895 – 1967) & Nelle Virginia Field Jones
▼
Fleeta Claire Jones Dunn (b. 1921) & William Edward (Bill) Dunn]

♦♦♦

Other early references I found to our ancestral family are to Rev. John Wesley McPherson - who also lived through the Revolutionary War - and Lewis Jones, who was born shortly after the war ended.

Descendancy Chart for Rev. John Wesley McPherson

John W McPherson (1758 – 1856) & Ann Smallwood Acton
▼
Rebecca McPherson Jones (1795 – 1880) & Lewis Jones
▼
Dr. William M Jones (1831 – 1892) & Elizabeth Ann Goodman
▼
Fleetwood Churchill Jones (1837 – 1937) & Leona Cash Jones
▼
Rev. Carleton Duane Jones (1895 – 1967) & Nelle Virginia Field Jones
▼
Fleeta Claire Jones Dunn (b. 1921) & William Edward (Bill) Dunn

Claire was the mother of five children, including me, Patrick William Dunn, the editor of this blog, whom I’ve labeled the “East Chicago Dunns” for the purposes of this blog. Claire's siblings, Paul Wesley Jones and Virginia Lee Jones Pecaro, also had children who descend from Thomas Perkins, John McPherson and Lewis Jones.

♦♦♦

The first source from which I’m drawing information is this book, which was published in 1880: “History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio” by J.A. Caldwell. Following are excerpts from that book in which members of our ancestral families are mentioned. (Source)

History of Kirkwood Township

"First Settlement

The first settlement in Kirkwood township was made on section eight, in 1800, by three brothers, Joseph, William and Barnet Groves, who migrated from Pennsylvania with their families, located and made improvements on this section...(snip). In 1805, Thomas Perkins and family settled on section seventeen...(snip); Rev. John McPherson, in 1816; Lewis Jones, in 1816...(snip).

And there are many others who were here in an early day and endured the hardships of a pioneer life, labored hard to clear away the dense forests, make improvements and prepare the soil for cultivation. Some of them are mentioned in the history of Sewellsville...(snip).

Kirkwood formed one of the first four original civil townships [in Belmont County, Ohio] and extended from the Ohio river to now Guernsey, in which part of said county was included. It was erected November 25, 1801, and named in honor of Robert Kirkwood, the pioneer…(snip).

Incidents

In about 1798 a party of hunters were camping at a spring near where Jonathan Perkins' dwelling now stands. One evening when they returned to camp one of their party, by the name of Robinson, was missing. Diligent search was made for him, but he could not be found. They supposed him to be carried off a captive by the Indians, as there were some in the neighborhood at that time. In 1807 there was a gun barrel and some human bones found on the Perkins' farm, section 17, which were thought to be the remains of Robinson. In honor of this unfortunate man one branch of Stillwater creek bears his name, and is known as Robinson's branch.

Salem M.E. Church

This society was organized in about 1810 or 1812, with eighteen or twenty members. They held their meetings in private residences until 1813 or 1814, they erected a hewed log church building near the western line of section ten, in Kirkwood township…(snip).

Class Leaders

The first class leader was John Fox; 2d, Isaac Midkiff, who acted in that capacity for about twenty-five years; 3d, Alex. Carr Skadden, for ten years; 4th, Samuel Douglass for six years; 5th Earl Douglass for three years; 6th Jonathan Perkins fifteen years."

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A 1903 History of Belmont County

Here’s another source from which I’ve drawn excerpts. It’s a 1903 book called “History of Belmont County, Ohio and Representative Citizens”, edited and compiled by Hon. A. T. Mckelvey. (Source)

"Kirkwood township was one of the first townships erected in the county. It passed the centennial mark in 1901; as heretofore noted, it was named after the Revolutionary hero, Capt. Robert Kirkwood.

THE FIRST SETTLERS

Among its first settlers were: Barnet, Joseph, and William Groves, John Israel, ___ McBride, John Bradshaw, Hugh Gilliland, Hugh Ford, John Burton, John McClain, A. Randall, Thomas Perkins, James McKinney, Ralph Cowgill, William Spencer, Robert and Thomas Griffin, Josiah McColloch, Hugh McMahon, Robert Waddell, Thomas Barrett, James Shepherd, B. Ridgeway, Thomas Green, Philip Ward, Alexander McCormick, Rev. John McPherson, Eli Taylor, Patrick Hamilton, Samuel Boden, Joseph Reynolds and Robert Armstrong.

Many of the descendants of these old pioneers reside on the lands that their forefathers cleared with infinite labor and toil 75 and 100 years ago.

THE STILLWATER VALLEY

The headwaters of the Stillwater rise in Kirkwood township at a point near Hendrysburg and pursue their sluggish course through one of the richest valleys in the world, to the point where the stream empties into the Tuscarawas….(snip).

One of the branches of the Stillwater is named Robinson's Branch, in memory of a noted hunter by that name, who, in 1798, while hunting with a party of friends and neighbors, disappeared. Nine years thereafter, his skeleton was found on the old Perkins farm, with his gun near-by.

THE POPULATION AND TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS

John Israel was one of the first justices of the peace in Kirkwood township. He was followed by William B. Beall, John H. Johnson, Jarvis A. Moore, T. Lacock, and John McPherson.

THE SCHOOLS

The School Board in 1902 consists of A. O. Campbell, O. H. Groves, John Wilson, John Rore, Frank Sample, Ed. Wheaton and [Samuel] W. Perkins.
THE KIRKWOOD METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Is the only church in Sewellsville. It was organized in 1818 by Rev. Thomas Ruckle, who preached in a little log cabin, near where the present church now stands. This building was also used as a school house. Previous to the organization, a class meeting was held at the home of Basil Ridgeway, and some of the members of the class were Thomas Frizzell, Mead Jarvis, Thomas Miller and Zachariah Marsh. Some of the early ministers were John Carper, William Knox, Thomas Taylor, Daniel Limerick, Pardon Cook and John McPherson, a local preacher."

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The Perkins Family (with references to the Anderson and Cash family links)

Here’s a biographical sketch about members of the Perkins family. The source is “Centennial History of Belmont County, Ohio and Representative Citizens”, published by Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois , in 1903. Source

"SAMUEL W. PERKINS, a farmer and stock raiser residing in section 17, Kirkwood township, Belmont County, was born in this township July 14, 1849. He is a son of Rev. Jonathan and Rebecca (Majors) Perkins, and a grandson of Samuel Perkins, after whom he was named. The last named [Samuel] was soldier in the War of 1812, and his widow received a pension for nearly 15 years.

Rev. Jonathan Perkins was born June 15, 1820, where the house of our subject now stands, and was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years. He traveled the Moorefield circuit and was senior minister of the circuit.

He later had a local charge and was a man of great popularity, enjoying the distinction of having united in marriage and buried more people than any other minister in the county. He served as justice of the peace some 12 or 15 years, and his efforts were successful in amicably settling the differences of his neighbors without the intervention of the courts.

During the Civil War he was captain of a military company which he took out to oppose the Morgan raid [this link takes you to a page where this raid is discussed in detail]. He was a strong abolitionist and believed in a vigorous prosecution of the war.

At one time he owned nearly a section of land and was a very successful farmer. In 1872 he had a large quantity of wool destroyed in the great Boston fire, but his loss was comparatively slight, owning to the property being insured. His death, which occurred Aug. 28, 1887, was widely deplored, as he had lived a very useful life and came from one of the early families of the county.

He joined the church at the age of 17 years and ever after was a consistent Christian. He served as a class leader in the church at Salem, and during a period of 15 years never missed a class meeting.

He was united in marriage Feb. 8, 1846, to Rebecca Majors, who was born in section 18, Kirkwood township, Sept. 9, 1825, and died Aug. 25, 1902. She was a lifelong member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for many years was quite active in church work. She was a great home woman until the death of her husband, when home lost its charms, and she thereafter spent her declining years at the homes of her children, whose chief joy was ministering to her wants.

Eight children blessed the union of Rev. and Mrs. Perkins, five of whom survive, namely: Sarah E., wife of George E. Smith; Samuel W.; Margaret R., wife of J. W. Anderson, a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Wichita, Kansas; Josephine O., wife of Albert S. Reynolds, a justice of the peace of Kirkwood township, and N. S. G., who resides where his father lived.

Samuel W. Perkins was educated in the common schools and later at Hopedale, after which he took to agricultural pursuits. He has 210 acres of well improved land, and all is underlaid with coal. He raises some stock that he sells, and winters about 35 head. He is one of the substantial men of his township, of which he is now serving his second term as trustee.

March 29, 1876, Mr. Perkins was united in marriage with Nannie A. Anderson, a native of this county, and a daughter of [Dennis Parrott] and Margaret Anderson, the former of whom died in 1890, and the latter April 18, 1902, at the age of 86 years. Mr. Anderson and wife had the following children: Rev. J. W.; Mary, wife of Rev. W. G. Cash, superintendent of schools at Morristown for a time; Nannie A., and Ella M., wife of G. W. Warrick, who resides on the old Anderson homestead in this county.

[Editor's comment: The evidence I've seen suggests that the photo at the top of the page, noted as "Aunt Nannie Perkins" is the mother, Nannie A Perkins, referred to above. In fact, I can find no census records that verify there was a daughter by that name.]

Our subject [Samuel W.] and his wife have four children, as follows: Emsley O., a member of the class of 1904 at Athens College; Isa Edith, who married F. J. Hamilton, a manufacturer of cigars at Hendrysburg, O., and has daughter, Carrie L.; Jonathan F., who lives at home on the farm, and Margaret R., who is attending school.

Our subject and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been trustee and steward. He has frequently served as superintendent of Sunday-schools and has been a leader for about 10 years. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias. In politics he is a Republican."

♦♦♦

Last revised 7/26/2011

Please refer to the disclaimer on the index page of this blog for a statement regarding the accuracy of - and documentation for - the information presented in this blog.

What was Leona D Cash Jones’ middle name?

In doing some online research about my generation’s maternal grandmother, Nelle Virginia Field Jones, I ran across a site for the county marriage archive where her marriage to our grandfather, Carleton D Jones, is recorded.

◄ Leona D Cash, circa 1905

◄ From record of Ohio Marriages, 1790-1950
(Click to enlarge - Source)

In that archive, seen here, Carleton’s information shows his mother’s maiden name as “Dove”. Simply stated, that’s incorrect, for it’s well established from many sources that her maiden name was Cash.

For example, her name is recorded in several censuses as Leona D Cash. If her middle name was Dove, that's consistent. In other words, perhaps her full maiden name was Leona Dove Cash.

A Cash cousin suggested that perhaps Leona adopted “Dove” as her maiden name. However, that doesn't seem to apply, for the marriage application for Carleton's side of his marriage record would presumably have been completed by him, not Leona. And he certainly knew her maiden name was Cash.

The idea that she may have used Dove vs. Cash also seems odd in that I've never seen the name Dove show up anywhere other than Carleton's marriage record. If she had used "Dove" it seems it would have been recorded in some other record along the way. It's not worth spending time researching it, but I've always been curious as to why her middle name isn't spelled out anywhere in the records I've seen, while those of her sisters are.

It's a small mystery that may have been cleared up via this marriage record.

Bottom line: Unless evidence turns up to the contrary, I'm thinking that Carleton submitted her whole maiden name, Leona Dove Cash, for the marriage record - and for some reason it was truncated to Leona Dove by whoever recorded it for the county archives.

Errors occur in genealogy records; in this example, Carleton's birthplace is incorrectly recorded as Hendesburg instead of Hendrysburg and his father's name is recorded as Fleet instead of Fleetwood. I've seen stranger things than these in other records.

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Last revised 7/23/2011
Please refer to the disclaimer on the index page of this blog for a statement regarding the accuracy of - and documentation for - the information presented in this blog.