Grafted Together - Dillman and Wright

How the daily life decisions of our ancestors made it possible for two kids in Indiana to meet, marry and graft together their family lines. Some came from Germany, some from places yet unknown and some seem to have been in the United States before its inception as a country. Although they shared common joys, struggles and grief, they all had stories unique unto themselves. This is my attempt at telling those stories and honoring their lives so they will not be forgotten.

Showing posts with label Lisa's Direct Line. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Wordless Wednesday...Esek Harrison and family

(l to r) Seated: Esek Harrison, wife Angeline with Marion, Sarah (Esek's sister) holding Tilghman
Standing: Frances, Charles.
c. 1879 Harrison County, Indiana

Source: Family Photo originally provided by Dr. Dallas Byrne Fouts Sr.

Wordless Wednesday blog postings include a photograph or image as the main focus. Some posters also include attribute information as to the source of the image (date, location owner, etc).

Wordless Wednesday is a genealogical blogging prompt suggested by Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Amanuensis Monday...Peter Dillman - Last Will and Testament

The following is a line by line transcription of the Last Will and Testament of Peter Dillman.

[page 208]

Last Will and Testament of Peter Dillman, Dec'd.

I Peter Dillman of Gards Point in the County of Wabash

and State of Illinois, of the age of Sixty-five years and being of sound

mind and memory, do make and publish and declare this

my last will and testament in the manner following, that

is to say:

First - I direct that my just debts be paid.

Second - I give and bequeath to my wife Elizabeth D.

Dillman, all the household and kitchen furniture that

she may desire to retain.

Third - I give and bequeath to my wife Elizabeth

D. Dillman, one half of the proceeds of the sale of all my

property both read and personal of every description as

hereinafter directed.

Fourth - To my daughter Cynthia J. Dillman I

give and bequeath the sum of One Hundred and eighty

dollars ($180.00). To Joshua Dillman my son the sum of

Eighty dollars ($80.00) and to Clyde Dillman, my grand-

son and son by adoption I give and bequeath the sum

of One hundred and Eighty dollars (180.00).

Fifth - After the above bequests are made as I direct

above, the balance of the proceeds of the sale of my real and

personal property as above stated I desire and direct to

be divided equally between all my heirs at law share and

share alike.

Sixth - I do hereby appoint my wife Elizabeth D Dill-

man, and Joseph Shearer, executors of this my last Will

and testament, hereby revoking all former wills by me made

and direct that these executors be allowed by the Court to

serve and carry into execution of this will without being

required to give bond.

Seventh - I direct that after my decease my executors

appraise and sell my personal property and also my

real estate of every name and nature whatsoever, and

carry into effect strictly the above provisions of this will.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand

and seal this twentieth day of September 1899.

Peter Dillman {seal}

The above instrument consisting of two sheets

was at the date therof signed sealed published and

declared by the said Peter Dillman as and for

[page 208]

his last will and testament in presence of us, who at

his request and in his presence and in the presence

of each other have subscribed our names as witnesses

thereto.

E. S. Haupt, Residing at Gards Point Wabash Co.

B. A. Shearer

Probate of Will

State of Illinois
} In County Court of said County.
Wabash County

In Probate November Term A.D. 1899.

Personally appeared in open Court E. S. Haupt
and B. A. Shearer subscribing witnesses to the foregoing
instrument of writing, purporting to be the last Will
and Testament of Peter Dillman, late of Wabash County,
deceased, who being duly sworn according to law, do
depose and say, each for himself, that the foregoing is
the last Will and Testament of the said Peter Dillman
deceased; that they subscribed their names therto as
attesting witnesses at the request of the said Testator,
and in his presence, and in the presence of each other,
on the 20th day of September, A. D. 1899.
That he then and these subscribed his name there-
to in their presence, and declared the same to be his
last Will and Testament; and that the said Testa-
tor at the time of executing the same as aforesaid was
of full age, of sound mind and memory, and
under no constraint.
E. S. Haupt
Barbar A. Shearer
Subscribed and sworn to in open Court
this 6th day of November, 1899.
Geo. A. King
Clerk of the County Court

This document has special significance to me. The Clyde Dillman mentioned in this document is my paternal great grandfather. This has helped answer a question I have had for years. Was Clyde adopted by his grandparents?

Here's what I know thru my research.
My 2x great grandmother Jemimah Dillman married John W Straughan in February of 1885 in Crawford County, Indiana.
Jemimah died soon after giving birth to my great grandfather Clyde in April of 1886.
Clyde was raised by his grandparents Peter and Elizabeth Dillman.
Clyde took the surname Dillman.

This Last Will and Testament of Peter Dillman shows on paper that he and Elizabeth did, indeed, adopt Clyde.

Now to discover who John W Straughan was and why didn't he raise his son Clyde.

(Peter Dillman - Lisa's Paternal 3X Great Grandfather)

Sources: Illinois, Wills and Probate Records, 1771-1999 Ancestry.com); Crawford County Indiana Marriages, 1881-1886, Books E & F, Compiled by Ruth Slevin (genealogytrails.com/ind/); Jemimah Dillman headstone information (Photo from Lisa's private collection).

Amanuensis Monday blog postings focus on transcribing family letters, journals, audiotapes,
and other historical artifacts.
An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.
Amanuensis Monday is a genealogical blogging prompt suggested by Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers based on the popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday - Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison 1805-1852

This is the grave marker of my maternal 3x Great Grandfather Benjamin Harrison. It is located in Byrneville Cemetery in Harrison County, Indiana.

It reads:

Benjamin

Harrison

Born Feb 22, 1805

Died Dec 25, 1852

The hand pointing up symbol on the stone has various meanings. Some of which include: 'pathway to heaven', 'the reward of the righteous', 'sudden death' or 'Heavenly reward'.

Tombstone Tuesday

Create a post which includes an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors and it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor.

Tombstone Tuesday is a genealogical blogging prompt suggested by Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Treasure Chest Thursday - Leo Harrison's High School Textbooks

Three books. Three small books. Each only about 4" x 6" in size. Almost one hundred years old. Tattered and worn; the titles hardly legible. Anyone else's eyes would see these as worthless. My eyes see them as priceless. Why? Because these books belonged to my maternal grandfather-Leo Harrison.

Leo Harrison was born near Byrneville, Harrison County, Indiana on January 27, 1906. He attended high school in the early-mid 1920's at New Salisbury High School in Harrison County. These were some of his high school textbooks. Quite different looking than the textbooks I studied from in the late 1970's.

And the titles...well they're also different from the titles I remember studying.

Lincoln's Addresses, Inaugurals and Letters

along with

Macaulay's Speeches on Copyright

Autobiography

Benjamin Franklin

The Odyssey of Homer

I did read this book, although I'm sure my copy was just a mass produced paperback.

My grandfather had also written his name with dates inside each of these books.

Leo's signature inside the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Leo's Signature inside The Odyssey of Homer

Leo's Signature inside Lincoln's Addresses, Inaugurals and Letters

Not bad handwriting for a high school teen!

And inside the Franklin book, many notes were added in the margins.

Leo's margin notes inside The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

I find it interesting getting a small glimpse into what my grandfather was studying as a young man in the 1920's.

I've always loved to read and have always loved history. Put that together with the love of a grandchild for their grandparent and it's no wonder why I love these books so much.

Leo Harrison 1906-1980

(Leo Harrison - Lisa's maternal grandfather)

Treasure Chest Thursday

A post with the main focus being a family treasure, an heirloom or even an every day item meaningful to you or your family.

A daily blogging prompt from Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Matrilineal Monday ... Armentia Belle (Wiseman) Dillman

Armentia Belle (Wiseman) Dillman

My paternal great grandmother. She is one of the reasons I became fascinated with family history in the first place. Her life story seemed so tragic. Wife, mother of five children (one who became my grandfather); she died at the young age of 33. For reasons I've not entirely discovered her children for the most part were left to be raised by others.

She died over forty years before I was born; yet her life story had a huge impact on me. She was one of the first ancestors I decided to research when I started this genealogy journey so many years ago.

Although I still have 'blanks' in her life story, I have been able to find tidbits of information over the years to help fill in her story...

Armentia - Belle - as she was known, was born on April 9, 1886 in Leavenworth, Crawford County, Indiana. She was the fourth of six children born to Abraham Wiseman and his second wife Mary Olive Gleason.

The 1900 Federal Census for Ohio Township, Crawford County, Indiana shows Belle - age 14 - living in a household with her parents, Abe and Mary, along with 5 siblings. She had been in school for 6 months during the previous school year; she could both read and write.

Family history says that in August of 1904, at the age of 18 Belle married Clyde Taylor Dillman in Crawford County, Indiana.

On March 27th of 1906 Belle gave birth to their first child, Orville Wayne Dillman.

Then on December 21st of 1908 their second child, another son, Estel Elmer was born. Estel's birth certificate states he was born in Leavenworth, Crawford County, Indiana.

In The English News, one of the local newspapers for English, Indiana (about 15 miles from Leavenworth) dated April 23, 1909 I found this:

"Clyde Dillman and family left first of the week for Rockport to reside."

So it appears that in April of 1909 Clyde, Belle and their 2 children left Leavenworth and moved to Rockport, Indiana. Rockport is located along the Ohio River about 60 miles southwest of Leavenworth. Records show that they didn't live there very long; probably less than a year.

By the time of the 1910 Federal Census dated April 15, Clyde, Belle and the 2 boys were living in South Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington; a long distance from southern Indiana. Although I'm not entirely sure, I suspect they made the move for a job opportunity for Clyde.

My Grandfather Clyde Landiss Dillman always said he was born in Washington State. He celebrated his birthday as October 26, 1910. I've not been able to locate his birth certificate either in Indiana or Washington.

Again, they didn't live there long. By January 1913 the family had moved back to Crawford County, Indiana and Clyde was employed at the Leavenworth Button Mill. In December of that year another son, Howard, was born. (His birth certificate lists him as the 5th child born, with 4 living. So sometime between 1908 when Estel was born and 1913 when Howard was born, Belle must have give birth twice. Once, my grandfather, once an unknown child that must have died.)

Then in September of 1916, Belle gave birth to a girl, Reva Belle. So the family of Clyde and Belle now consists of 4 sons and 1 daughter.

The year was 1920. Belle and family were now living in Jeffersonville, Clark County, Indiana. She was now a busy mom with five children, ages 13, 11, 9, 6 and 3 living at home; four of those children in school.

By 1920 the influenza epidemic had been striking across the United States for over two years. Unfortunately, the family of Clyde and Belle weren't left untouched. Belle contracted the disease on January 29th which quickly turned to pneumonia. She died on Tuesday, February 3rd; she was 33 years old. She was buried on February 4th in Walnut Ridge Cemetery in Jeffersonville.

I found this article mentioning her death in the Clark County Republican, published in Jeffersonville, dated Thursday, February 5, 1920:

A few years ago I was able to visit the Walnut Ridge Cemetery located in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Belle's grave marker is located in the 'old singles section'; not in a family plot.

Armentia Dillman Grave Marker in Walnut Ridge Cemetery

It is a small stone; not in very good shape. It's rather hard to read due to the lichen growing on the stone.

Armentia Belle Dillman Grave Marker

It reads - Armintie B Dillman 1886-1920.

Belle Wiseman Dillman lived her short life as a daughter, a wife, a mother. My great grandmother; without her story I wouldn't have mine.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday - Jemimah H Dillman

This is the headstone of my paternal 2x Great Grandmother Jemimah H Dillman. It is located in Dillman Cemetery in Crawford County, Indiana.

It reads:

Jemimah H

Daut of Peter & Elizabeth

Dillman

Born

Aug 3, 1866

Died Apr 26, 1886

Aged 19 y. 8 m 23 d.