Descendants of James ABBOTT, Sr.
Generation No. 1
1. JAMES1 ABBOTT, SR. was born Abt. 1730.
Notes for JAMES ABBOTT, SR.:
This name from James
Hamilton Abbott's 4 page Essay from 1942.
JHA thought this man was from NY, Long Island 1701. But 1701 would seem too early ?-generation
skipped ? - For now, I've listed this
James born about 1730, but this and the next generation are still quite
speculative in ALL respects - just a point to do more research from. (ed-mag)
Child of JAMES ABBOTT, SR. is:
2. i. JAMES *2 ABBOTT, JR., b. Abt. 1770,
Possibly Dorchester Co, MD ? - possibly from NY ?; d. 1803, NC - probably
Iredell Co..
Generation No. 2
2. JAMES *2 ABBOTT, JR. (JAMES1) was born Abt. 1770 in Possibly Dorchester Co, MD ? -
possibly from NY ?, and died 1803 in NC - probably Iredell Co.. He married ELIZABETH * COPELAND,
daughter of MR. COPELAND. She
was born Abt. 1770 in Also spelled COPLIN, and died Unknown in There was also
another female child -?-4 total on census.
Notes for JAMES * ABBOTT, JR.:
Larry Abbott &
some descendants of John Wesley Abbott (Andrea, Becky & Doris Baker then
Dixie Woods & Una Mae Scott) have helped
me a great deal with connecting and extending our lines to this man. It may still deserve some verification if
possible but seems to be a highly likely connection to our John Wesley ABBOTT
(we presume James is Grandfather of John
Wesley & Mary Ann ABBOTT).
Children of JAMES ABBOTT and ELIZABETH COPELAND
are:
3. i. JOHN *3 ABBOTT, SR., b. February
21, 1799, North Carolina; or 1789 - or
1799? - or Henry ?; d. September 19, 1858, Indiana; or 1857?.
4. ii. JAMES HIEL ABBOTT, b. 1801, North Carolina; d. 1877, Alabama.
5. iii. CYNTHIA ASCENITH ABBOTT, b. March 8, 1803, NC; d. March 6, 1884.
Generation No. 3
3. JOHN *3 ABBOTT, SR. (JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born
February 21, 1799 in North Carolina; or
1789 - or 1799? - or Henry ?, and died September 19, 1858 in Indiana; or
1857?. He married ELVIRA * DIXON WILSON,
daughter of ROBERT WILSON and MARY ARMSTRONG. She
was born January 15, 1804 in Probably Iredell Co, North Carolina, Near Concord,
and died October 24, 1837 in Uncertain whether she died in NC or Indiana ?.
Notes for JOHN * ABBOTT, SR.:
There is a Henry
Abbott in Ross Co. OH in 1820. I had
originally thought this was John Wesley Abbott & Mary Ann's Father's
name. Now believe I was on the wrong
track with any Henry - One reason why I
suspected this was Father of John W. =
Of possible significance supporting this is our Mary Ann's Father is
that in 1820, they are living immediatly next door to a famly named William
POLLOCK. The Pollock name is very well
known in Washington Co, and seems to be a common neighbor of the Persingers
there. Just a thought to keep in mind !
Later we've had strong
suggestions that John Wesley & Mary Ann's parents were John Sr. born 1799?
- and Elvira WILSON. The 1840,
Driftwood Twp, Jackson Co, Indiana census shows this John with NO wife (we
believe Elvira died 1838) & 3 children - one male between 5 & less than
10 (we don't know who he could be - if this is our John Sr.. 2.) a male between 10 & less than 15
consistent with the B.date of 1828 - but not consistent with the date handed
down as 1820., 3.) one female between age 5- less than 10- consistent with
Catherine (about age 4 then), and 4.) one female between 10 & less than 15
- consistent with Mary Ann who should have been about 14 then. The 1828 date is the one a Wesley ABBOTT
gave who was living a few doors away from John ABBOTT in 1850 claiming age 22
then and Wesley was living with the Leonard SHEWMAKER family then. At that time the above John ABBOTT Sr. was
living with a family of David COPELAND still in Driftwood Twp., Jackson Co. IN.
COPELAND, MARY 65 NC
181 DRIFTWOOD
COPELAND, MARTIN FARMER 31 IN
181 DRIFTWOOD
ABBOT, JOHN CABINETMAKER 50
NC 181 DRIFTWOOD
COPELAND, JACOB R 01 IN
181 DRIFTWOOD
COPELAND, JAMES M 03 IN
181 DRIFTWOOD
COPELAND, LETTY A 23
IN 181 DRIFTWOOD
COPELAND, DAVID FARMER 32 IN
181 DRIFTWOOD
More About JOHN * ABBOTT, SR.:
Burial: Walnut Ridge
Cem., Jefferson Twp, Washington Co, IN
Notes for ELVIRA * DIXON WILSON:
JULY 2001
Ruth Ellsworth
Richardson is title or Author of book :
Samuel Richardson 1602-1658
& Josha Ellsworth 1629-1889 -
Elvira is discussed on Pg. 177. I've not
seen this book and only wrote it down hastily while on the phone with Steve
McGlaughlin from California at
phone: 714-577-0707. This book shows a major conflict with what
I'd previously believed my connections to Elvira and the David Wilson >
Robert William Wilson line. That
author shows John Abbott & Elvira Wilson had two children - John Abbott
& Abner W. Wilson - I don't show
Abner and wonder if I'm tracking the wrong family. I've always been worried that John Abbott
is a very common name and likely to get off studying the wrong line. ?? Will need to get this book, check the references
and try to locate more facts from her
sources.
More About ELVIRA * DIXON WILSON:
Burial: research by
Lucinda Kilpatrick ?-Ruth Ellsworth Richardson
Children of JOHN ABBOTT and ELVIRA WILSON are:
6. i. MARY * ANN4 ABBOTT, b.
October 9, 1825, Prob. Jackson Co, IN; d. July 21, 1887, Washington Co.-IN.
7. ii. JOHN WESLEY ABBOTT, b. May 12, 1828, North Fork, KY- acc. to Una
Mae Wilson - OR- INdiana; d. November 24, 1869, Louisville, Clay Co, IL.
iii. LOUIS ABBOTT, b. 1831; d. 1840.
iv. CATHERINE Z. ABBOTT, b. 1835, Indiana- she is on the 1850 census
with Alfred &Mary Ann; d. married @ age 18, then moved to Iowa in the
1850s; m. ROBERT DRIDEN, March 24, 1853, Washington Co, IN - Marriag.
Book F, Page 269; b. Abt. 1834.
Notes for CATHERINE Z. ABBOTT:
Alfred R. Persinger
gave his affidavit for the marriage of Robert Driden & his sister-in-law,
Catherine Abbott, stating both were of age and that she was a resident of
Washington Co, IN. Handed down
information had told us about her marrying and leaving for Iowa - and never
being heard of again. I haven't yet
found them in Iowa, presumably they should be on the 1860 Iowa Census. There are two Robert DRIDEN men living in
Missouri in the latter 1800s. Need to
find details on them.
More About CATHERINE Z. ABBOTT:
Burial: the Z comes
from her marriage record
4. JAMES HIEL3 ABBOTT (JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born 1801 in North Carolina, and died 1877 in
Alabama. He married JANE MILL KEY 1825 in
Walker Co, Alabama. She was born 1801 in
Rockingham Co, NC, and died 1887.
More About JAMES HIEL ABBOTT:
Burial: Antioch
Missionary Church Cem.- Wilburn, AL
Children of JAMES ABBOTT and JANE KEY are:
i. JAMES STANLEY4 ABBOTT, b.
Abt. 1826; m. (1) REBECCA BLEVINS; b. Abt. 1827; m. (2) SARAH TIDWELL; b.
Abt. 1826.
ii. JOHN WESLEY ABBOTT, b. 1828, Alabama; d. 1915, Alabama; m. REBECCA BLEVINS; b.
1831, Alabama; d. 1885, Alabama.
8. iii. ELIZABETH CAROLINE ABBOTT, b. 1831.
iv. ASCENTH ADELINE ABBOTT, b. Abt. 1832; m. HIRAM RAINES; b.
Abt. 1832.
v. HIEL COPELAND ABBOTT, b. Abt. 1834; m. MARY POLLY NELSON; b.
Abt. 1834.
9. vi. WILLIAM S. WASHINGTON ABBOTT, b. 1836, Walker Co, Alabama; Fam. in that Co.
on 1880 census.
vii. BELINDA JANE ABBOTT, b. 1840; m. (1) GEORGE W. MCNEAL; b. Abt.
1838; m. (2) JAMES MOTES; b. Abt. 1840.
viii. MARY ANN ABBOTT, b. Abt. 1842; m. JOHN ALLEN WILLIAMS; b.
Abt. 1842.
ix. ERSEL PICKENS ABBOTT, b. Abt. 1844.
x. PILGRIM PROGRESS ABBOTT, b. 1846; d. Aft. 1920; m. (1) SARA ANN LAYE; b. 1848;
m. (2) IRENE WIGGANS; b. Abt. 1846, or may be RIGGANS.
xi. BASHEBA ABBOTT, b. 1851; d. 1937; m. SAMUEL BROOKS; b.
1843; d. 1919.
xii. IRA ABBOTT, b. 1851; d. 1937; m. ARMINTA SANDLIN; b.
Abt. 1852.
xiii. SHARAN ABBOTT, b. 1852; d. 1924; m. DORA EVELYN MYERS; b.
1859; d. 1926.
5. CYNTHIA ASCENITH3 ABBOTT (JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born March 8, 1803 in NC, and died March 6,
1884. She married WILLIAM WASHINGTON
KEY. He was born January 8, 1801 in
Virginia, and died June 9, 1879.
Children of CYNTHIA ABBOTT and
WILLIAM
KEY are:
i. JAMES WILLIAM4 KEY, b.
Abt. 1822.
ii. JOHN MARTIN KEY, b. Abt. 1824.
iii. BELINDA KEY, b. Abt. 1826.
iv. NANCY KEY, b. Abt. 1828.
v. ELIZABETH KEY, b. Abt. 1830; m. WILLIAM R. SNOW; b. Abt.
1828.
Generation No. 4
6. MARY * ANN4 ABBOTT (JOHN *3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born
October 9, 1825 in Prob. Jackson Co, IN, and died July 21, 1887 in Washington
Co.-IN. She married (1) ALFRED * RICHARD PERSINGER
October 2, 1845 in Washington County, IN
- Book E-48; her 1st Mg., son of LUKE PERSINGER and ELIZABETH NEWSOM. He was
born January 5, 1825 in Washington Co, Indiana; see Notes, and died July 1,
1866 in Washington Co.,IN; age 41. She
married (2) JOHN JOHNSON February 6, 1868 in this is 2nd marriage for
both; & NOT 1862., son of WILFORD JOHNSON and MARGARET JOHNSON. He
was born January 8, 1825 in Indiana, and died August 31, 1911 in Jefferson Twp,
Washington Co,IN.
Notes for MARY * ANN ABBOTT:
Mary is listed in the 1880 census living
with John Johnson & his two children by his 1st wife - their names &
ages: Mary C. 19, & Wilford 17.
Also living with them
was Mary's youngest son Albert Burton Persinger, age 16. The rest of Mary's own children had
apparently already left the home by 1880.
Of interest is their home must have been next to a James Persinger
married to a Nancy. This is taken from
Jefferson Township, Washington Co. census page 14 Family 120, dwelling
115. I have been unable to determine the
names or whereabouts of Mary Ann's parents, but of interest is a John ABBOTT
buried @ the Walnut Ridge Cemetary (same as Mary Ann) B:2-21-1799, D:9-19-1858
- those dates would fit right for her Father, but there is no mention of his
spouse and the Cemetary book for Jefferson Twp. was not able to find a
relationship to Mary Ann (but neither to anyone else did it mention he was
related to.) There is a John on the 1850 census, age 69 (b.1781) from NC,
with wife Elizabeth, 13 years younger, age 56 from VA, I suspect this is a 2nd
wife? Also we are not 100% certain if John Wesley Abbott (B:1820, D:1867) was
Mary Ann's Brother or not, but this is very likely. He is not shown buried in Washington County.
Also it should be mentioned that Cora Elizabeth JOHNSON who 1st married Lewis
Persinger and later Alfred P. Gibbs stated that her Father was a John JOHNSON.
This Mary Ann (ABBOTT) PERSINGER-JOHNSON
is buried with John Johnson's 1st wife (also named Mary A.! in the Walnut Ridge
Cemetary, but where is John Johnson ??
Another important lead is that of a Jacob
ABBOTT (b:1802) & wife Elizabeth YOUNG (b:1809) both of Halifax Co. VA. had
a daugh. Mary Ann b: 1827 Born near a Stokes, NC with her sibs: Jacob 1828,
Susan 1829 & Armistead 183?. all born in NC., supposedly the Father, Jacob
died in Gordon County, GA? Jacob's
parents were Armistead ABBOTT,& Frances PRIDDY; Elizabeth's parents were
Robert YOUNG & Mary Polly AISTRAP or EASTRIF?.
This information came
from Lillian L. Kernon, 1101 Pinckney Ave. Leesville, LA 71446 & was on the
ancestry CD-ROM in the my local McClean Co. Historical Library.
I think my best lead on her would be to
search for an obituary of her in the paper of Salem, IN? I will write to the Washington Co. Historical
Museum in Salem to ask for help.
No results finding an Obit. in Salem. My CD-ROM index for the Indiana, Washington
Co. 1860 census shows the following ABBOTTs: Barton, pg. 348 Gibson Twp.; John
pg 348 Gibson Twp.; John W. pg 287 Franklin Twp.; & Miles pg 348 Gibson
twp. however 1860 may be too late to expect these to be her parents, possibly
sibs? On the 1850 census, (living next
door to Luke Persinger) in Washington
Co, Mary Ann, 24y is shown living with Alfred 25y, daughter, Emily H., 11mos.
AND Finally, presumably Mary Ann's
sister, Catharine ABBOTT, age 15y.
There is a Catharine mentioned on some handed down papers I have that
say Catharine Abbott, Mary Ann's sister, married and moved to Iowa. No mention of her since - AND no mention of
who she married. I've made contact with
others about John Wesley ABBOTT - see his file - and the man we assume to be
John's father, John Sr & his father James.
More About MARY * ANN ABBOTT:
Burial: Walnut Ridge
Cem., Jefferson Twp, Washington Co, IN
Notes for ALFRED * RICHARD PERSINGER:
On the 1850 census
Alfred is living next door to his parents and 4 of their children. Alfred 25y, is living with wife, Mary Ann
24y. & only one child then, Emily H. 11 months. Remember that their 2 older children,
Benjamin & John Wesley died as small children 2 years earlier. Also living with them on that census was Mary
Ann's younger sister, Catherine ABBOTT, age 15.
Alfred is listed in
the 1860 census census as Alfred PERSINGOR (o not e) erroneously on Page 169,
Jefferson Twp. - if you look at that census July 21, 1860 it does look like
PersingOr, instead of er at the end. He
died 6 years later.
He is buried at the
Walnut Ridge Cemetary without his wife but she is buried further away in the
same cemetery at Walnut Ridge - She is with John Johnson's 1st wife, oddly also
named Mary A. - but NO John Johnson is there.
I have never figured out which of the 3 or 4 John Johnson's he is in the
county at that time. Originally I
thought his 1st wife was Susan Empson, so this cemetery stone may or not be the
1st wife.
More About ALFRED * RICHARD PERSINGER:
Burial: Walnut Ridge
Cem,. Jefferson Twp,. Washington Co, IN
Notes for JOHN JOHNSON:
Be careful as there
were many John Johnson's in the area then.
One most easily confused with him is Henry's son, who was born about 10
yrs. later but both of who I believe had a son Lafayette born unbelieveably 1858/59. Henry's son married Catherine SNEED. Note, that The one that married Susan
Empson and later, Mary Ann Abbott (then a Persinger, widow of my Alfred Richard
Persinger) had a son Wilford named after his father, Wilford.
Children of MARY ABBOTT and ALFRED PERSINGER
are:
i. JOHN WESLEY5 PERSINGER,
b. August 7, 1846; d. October 11, 1848.
More About JOHN WESLEY PERSINGER:
Burial: Walnut Ridge
Cem. -
ii. BENJAMIN F. PERSINGER, b. April 3, 1848; d. October 14, 1848.
10. iii. EMILY HARRIETT * PERSINGER, b. July 30, 1849, Washington Co., IN-may
have gone by "Emma"; d. November 23, 1885, Washington Co, IN.
11. iv. LEWIS (1) WILLIAM PERSINGER, b. November 18, 1851, This is not the
violinist, but is his Uncle; d. October 9, 1881.
v. ISAAC NEWTON PERSINGER, b. February 2, 1854; d. November 5, 1909;
m. MARTHA M. BURCHAM, February 19, 1884, Jackson Co. IN - marriage book I, pg.123;
b. Abt. 1855.
More About ISAAC NEWTON PERSINGER:
Event 1: June 1880,
Listed on 1st page of census for Jackson
Event 2: Co. single
W.M. 26y.o. Store clerk (alone)
vi. CATHERINE JANE PERSINGER, b. April 25, 1855; d. October 29, 1909.
12. vii. AMOS WILSON PERSINGER, b. May 12, 1861, listed in 1880 census in
Ewing, IN; d. Aft. 1930, was telegraph operator in ColoradoSprgs,CO ?.
viii. ALBERT BURTON PERSINGER, b. March 19, 1864, middle name may be
Morton?; d. November 17, 1890, Washington Co., IN; m. ALICE BOWERS, July
13, 1887; b. Abt. 1865; d. Not buried with Albert, probably remarried.
More About ALBERT BURTON PERSINGER:
Burial: Walnut Ridge
Cem, Washington Co, IN
7. JOHN WESLEY4 ABBOTT (JOHN *3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born
May 12, 1828 in North Fork, KY- acc. to Una Mae Wilson - OR- INdiana, and died
November 24, 1869 in Louisville, Clay Co, IL.
He married AMERICA JANE PERSINGER January 8, 1852, daughter of LUKE PERSINGER and
ELIZABETH NEWSOM. She was born March 16,
1831 in Washington Co, IN - moved to Clay Co, IL 1866, and died February 13,
1880 in Louisville, Clay Co, IL -48 yrs, 10m 27d..
Notes for JOHN WESLEY ABBOTT:
Early attempts to pin
down John Wesley's history: I have not
been able to locate John Wesley Abbott on ANY census. Our handed down papers consistently show him
born 1820, and he is listed on the same page of these handed down papers with
no known author - same as Mary Ann & Catherine - but there is no place I
see, telling us he was their brother.
We've assumed it- but cannot know for sure. There is a John W. Abbott on the 1850
Washington Co, IN, Franklin Twp., census but he is 22 y.o with wife Mary 20 and
children: Barton S. 3y.o. & Rosella,
1.yo. I don't think this is him.
Fall, 1999, I was able
to start making contact to descendants of John Wesley ABBOTT & America Jane
PERSINGER - In just a few months we had developed quite a collection of connections
via Email and the exchange of data proved extremely explosive to the
development of the history on this family.
Una Mae Scott & Dixie Woods descend from
John Wesley's daughter, Sarah Maria.
Andrea & Becky Baker descend from his daughter, Hester Annie. Una Mae Scott had handed information
suggesting John Wesley's parents were Henry & Mahala. Becky Baker & Andrea Baker has
information showing parents as Elvira WILSON & John, Sr.- a cabinet maker
with dates of 1789-1857. This is very
similar to the dates for those of a John
Abbott buried at Walnut Ridge Cem. in Jefferson Twp, (aka Monroe Cem.),
Washington Co, IN - also where Mary Ann Abbott & Alfred R. Persinger are
buried. Mary Ann with John Johnson's
first wife also Mary A.! - This John Abbot shows in my cemetery book and
photograph, 1799-1858 and with no wife next to him. I've found no history in the County on this
John, father of John Wesley. I think the
data is sufficient to prove however that Henry & Mahala is an erroneous connection
and that James> John Sr> John Wesley & Mary Ann is the correct
lineage. See notes on James & John
Sr.
There is a Wesley
ABBOT (one "T") on the Driftwood Twp., Jackson Co. IN 1850 census,
page 180B- living with Leonard SHEWMAKER & fam. - Wesley is listed as age
22 (implies BD of 1828 !) - what makes this important despite the discrepancy
of BD 1820 vs. 1828 is that it is only a few houses away from whom we believe
to be his Father, John ABBOTT, census page 181 -then living with a family of
David COPELAND, age 32 (possibly his nephew or brother-in-law?) & David's
family.
ABBOT, WESLEY CARPENTER 22
IN 180 DRIFTWOOD
SHEWMAKER, JOSIAH 11MO IN
180 DRIFTWOOD
SHEWMAKER, EUNICE 07 IN
180 DRIFTWOOD
SHEWMAKER, JAMES
T 12 IN
180 DRIFTWOOD
SHEWMAKER,
ELIZABETH 34 KY
180 DRIFTWOOD
SHEWMAKER,
LEONARD FARMER 37
IN 180 DRIFTWOOD
Finally by year 2000, with extensive
contributions from many of those above and others, I've found John Wesley's
burial and even a will in the courthouse at the tiny county seat of Clay Co.=
Louisville, IL. The will doesn't tell
much we hadn't gained by other means but it does show he had a partner in a
business selling clothing, shoes, etc. bought from locations in NY, Cincinnati
& St. Louis. It appears his
premature death naturally caused the family considerable financial distress,
having to sell much of the material and still coming up short. He was in considerable debt to these suppliers
and many letters were written by the family lawyer to and from the
companys. John & America's only
son, James H. Abbott has written quite an invaluable treatise on the Abbott
ancestry that other descendants have kindly sent me. I believe there are some errors in it - the
most apparent is the birth date for his father John Wesley of 1820 when in fact
all other evidence points to a date of 1828.
See his gravestone photo - he is buried next to his eldest child, Elvira
who died at age 16 y.o. America Jane
is buried about 5 miles NW with her 2nd husband, Matthew H. DAVIS. Most of the children seemed to have migrated
south to Wayne & Jefferson Counties - 2 girls marrying WILSON brothers. James H. didn't have any children.
More About JOHN WESLEY ABBOTT:
Burial: Old Louisville
Cem., Clay Co, IL-w.daught. Elivira
More About AMERICA JANE PERSINGER:
Burial: Old Baptist
Cem., Oskaloosa Twp, Clay Co. w. 2nd husb.
Children of JOHN ABBOTT and AMERICA PERSINGER
are:
i. ELVIRA E.5 ABBOTT, b.
January 1853, Indiana; d. April 22, 1869, Clay Co, IL. - died Age 16 y..
More About ELVIRA E. ABBOTT:
Burial: Old Louisville
Cem., Clay Co - bur. w. her Father
ii. MARY ABBOTT, b. Abt. 1854; d. presumably died as a child or
infant.
13. iii. SARAH MARIA ABBOTT, b. May 3, 1855, IN -per 1870/80 cen.-also had
2 infant deaths 1881 & 85; d. February 6, 1920.
iv. JAMES HAMILTON ABBOTT, b. January 11, 1857, Indiana; lived in Gate,
Beaver Co, Oklahoma; d. 1946, Oklahoma;
I have a letter from him in 1936 & 1944; m. FANNIE LOLA TODD; b. 1862;
d. March 10, 1941, Oklahoma; They had no children.
More About JAMES HAMILTON ABBOTT:
Burial: Note single
photo in scrapbook
14. v. HESTER ANNIE ABBOTT, b. April 1, 1862, Leesville, Lawrence Co, IN -
(per Baker sisters); d. 1899, She is his 1st wife, remarried 2 yrs. after
Annie's death.
15. vi. LOUISA C. ABBOTT, b. May 25, 1864, Indiana - per 1880 census; d.
December 12, 1894, This is Calvin's 2nd wife - or Dec. 12, 1895 ?.
16. vii. LOUESE ABBOTT, b. May 25, 1864, Indiana - per 1880 census -
this is written Lovesa in 1880; d. 1929, they may have been born 1865 instead
of 1864 ?.
8. ELIZABETH CAROLINE4 ABBOTT (JAMES HIEL3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born
1831. She married JAMES DUSKINS. He was born Abt. 1830.
Child of ELIZABETH ABBOTT
and JAMES DUSKINS is:
17. i. SAPHRONIA H.5 DUSKINS,
b. March 22, 1862, Alabama; d. April 18, 1903, Morgan Co, Alabama.
9. WILLIAM S. WASHINGTON4 ABBOTT (JAMES HIEL3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born
1836 in Walker Co, Alabama; Fam. in that Co. on 1880 census. He married MARGARET ANN "PEGGY"
RAINES. She was born Abt. 1836.
Children of WILLIAM ABBOTT and
MARGARET RAINES are:
i. MILLY J.5 ABBOTT, b.
1861.
ii. CENIA ABBOTT, b. 1868.
iii. JOHN ABBOTT, b. 1870.
iv. MARY ABBOTT, b. 1873.
v. CALDONIA ABBOTT, b. 1875.
vi. CHARLES ABBOTT, b. 1877.
vii. BABE ABBOTT, b. 1879.
Generation No. 5
10. EMILY HARRIETT *5 PERSINGER (MARY * ANN4 ABBOTT, JOHN *3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born July 30, 1849 in Washington Co., IN-may have
gone by "Emma", and died November 23, 1885 in Washington Co, IN. She married AL"FRED" * PAGE (2) GIBBS
January 24, 1870 in Washington Co, Indiana - Buffalo, IN - H 224, son of GEORGE GIBBS and MARY CHAMBERS. He was born December 4, 1848 in Cincinnati,
Ohio, and died December 28, 1913 in Shattuck (Ellis County), OK.; see Notes
& Scrapbook.
Notes for EMILY HARRIETT *
PERSINGER:
After She died in 1885
(At age 36!, I have always presumed this was likely from childbith of another
child that died but I can find no evidence of this, her daughter Grace Gertrude
Gibbs was only 18 months old when her Mother died) then Alfred P. Gibbs remarried
2.5 years later to one of Emma's Brother's widows (Elizabeth C.) Apparently
Elizabeth & Emma's Brother, William L. PERSINGER had children making Grace & her sibs not
only cousins but later raised as 1/2 sibs with the other family. Apparently Grace only knew her step mother
who was also her Aunt as her only Mother due to her real Mother's early death @
age 36. Mrs Lewis (Alice) Smiley
believes that Olive Persinger Dennis of Mt Pleasant MI & Malcolm Persinger of
Rockville IN are descendents of Elizabeth C. & one of Emma's brothers so I
hope to hear from them soon.
I am now writing with new evidence (see
Alfred's notes also) It is certain now that Alfred's 2nd wife was Elizabeth
C(ora). who was previously married to Emmas' brother Louis. Louis died at age 30. I have still been
unable to determine where Elizabeth died and buried but Alfred's obit. states
he was survived by his wife and since he died in Oklahoma I think it is likely
that she did also, but after 1913. The
records in Sullivan Co, show Cora Elizabeth GIBBS died in Sulivan and is buried
at Center Ridge Cem, but the gravestone is not present in the cemetery, so I
assume she had a pauper's burial as did her 2nd husband, Alfred P. GIBBS.
More About EMILY HARRIETT *
PERSINGER:
Burial: Walnut Ridge
Cem., Jefferson Twp, Washington Co, IN
Notes for AL"FRED" * PAGE (2) GIBBS:
Alfred Page GIBBS is
listed in the 1880 census, living in Washington Co. IN with wife Emma H. &
children Clarence W., Arthur A., & Annie M. (1 y.o.). The 1900 census shows the family in Sullivan,
IN and wife then Cora E.=B: July 1857 which corellates exactly as to what we
know about Louis Wm. PERSINGER's wife except that on the 1880 census, his wife
was listed as Elizabeth C.! I assume
this is the same person but it is difficult to be sure. In 1900 the children living with them were
his sons James & Alva, his stepsons Clarence & Asa Persinger (of Cora
E.+L.W. Persinger), & daughter Grace (my Grandmother). Asa (spelling?) is listed as a dentist @ age
20! & should have been born of Elizabeth C. PERSINGER. Alva must have been
the only surviving child born of these two parents (2 girls died in infancy)
since he is listed as born in 1893.
James & Grace's Mother was the late Emma H. PERSINGER. As yet I have not discovered where Alfred,
& Cora E. are buried, but Malcolm
insists that his mother took him to the Center Ridge Cemetary in Sullivan
because that is where she claimed the step-Father &/or Mother was buried;
however he vaguely recalls they could not find the grave. Alfred is also listed in the 1860 census in
Washington Co. IN & says was born in Ohio which is consistent with other
records; however that census says he was born in 1849 not 1848. Since George allegedly was in Cincinnati I
suspect this is Alfred's birthplace.
Beatrice (GIBBS) SUTTER says she thinks Alfred had TB and went to live
his final days in Oklahoma with Oliver Gibbs & family and is likely buried
there, probably near the town of Knowles or Shattuck. Also he may have been in town of Elmwood,
near Knowles or I have discovered an Obituary that says he died in Shattuck, OK
which is in the next County to the East.
I doubt that Alfred was buried in Indiana but it is likely that both of
his wives are.
Oct. 1992 - I have now located Emma's grave @
Walnut Ridge Cem. (Jefferson Twp. Washington Co.) (next to the grave of her
brother Louis William Persinger); Interestingly the tall monument clearly has
her name with the B&D dates but also has Alfred's name with no dates. At the top of the monument is carved
"OUR PARENTS". I am certain
that Alfred is not buried there. I have
found an obituary from the Salem Republican Leader Jan 9, 1914 which
erroneously states he died when he was visiting his SON? O.G. Gibbs in
Shattuck, OK. (Oliver G. was his brother not son) It also gives the birth year
as 1844! It also says his surviving 2nd
wife is the daugh. of the late John Johnson of Jefferson Twp. who it says
survived him. Funeral services were conducted in Shattuck, OK by Rev. W.F.
Ribelin "an old friend of the deceased". This is the 1st evidence suggesting the
maiden name (JOHNSON) and heritage of his 2nd wife (presumably Louis Wm.
Persinger's only wife)....but it would have to be questioned, if for no other
reason then the fact that there were so many KNOWN errors in the obituary
report (I wonder who supplied that information to the paper?) I hope to visit Shattuck and the adjacent
Beaver Co., OK soon. Unfortunately there
were at least 2 different John Johnson's in Washington Co. in that era and I'm
having difficulty determining more details about Elizabeth Cora
Gibbs-Persinger. (see PgDn on her name).
July 1994 - Just visited Shattuck, Oklahoma
& talked with Phillis Ballew, Grandaughter of Oliver Grant Gibbs. She showed me the area of Oliver's home they
have renovated where Alfred died. Also
she has many letters written about the time Alfred died...From George Gibbs'
daughter Nellie and from Arthur Anthony Gibbs.
This letter suggests that Cora Elizabeth & Alfred P. were living in
the Lathrop, MO area near or with Arthur Anthony Gibbs and then had been living
in Topeka, Kansas in 1913 before Alfred spent some time in Oklahoma visiting
between son James Gibbs in nearby Beaver County and with Alfred's brother
Oliver. It now is certain (according to
the City Clerk who shows Alfred buried in the Oddfellows/Shattuck Cemetary next
to Oliver & family who all died much later....but there is no stone or any
kind of marker at the gravesite, which probably relates to the fact that none
of them had any money in that era, although I suspect later Oliver did gain a
much better income (he died 40 years after his older brother Alfred). So it appears that Cora & Alfred were
both buried without a gravestone headmarker, but in different states. I have later discovered that I now have 2
photos of Alfred, the 2nd one is with a wife a child of approximately one year
of age. I don't know which wife that is,
but she looks very much like the photos of the first one which is Emma Harriet
Persinger (my ancestor). I might be able
to determine this by researching the date the listed photographer was in
business in Salem, IN. I was not
allowed to photocopy Alfred's Obit in Shattuck OK. The pages were so faint they were barely
legible and the staff at the historical center were fearful about anyone
damaging it further. So, I wrote it out
in my own handwriting.: From the
Stattuck Monitor, Jan. 1, 1914. - Alfred
Gibbs, A brother of O.G. Gibbs, west of town who had been ill but a couple of
weeks died at the home of his brother Sunday morning. Remains were interred at the Odd Fellows
Cemetery. Funeral services were
conducted by Rev. Frank Ribelin.
Note the 1900 Sullivan
Co, IN census page on the scrapbook. He
was still in the city of Sullivan, Sullivan Co, IN in 1910, age 61 w. Elizabeth
C. age 53 & Alvy G. age 17.
More About AL"FRED" * PAGE (2) GIBBS:
Burial: Odd Fellows
Cem., Shattuck, OK - unmarked grave
Event 1: Obituary says
died in town of Shattuck, OK
Event 2: which is in
Ellis Co.
Children of EMILY PERSINGER
and AL"FRED" GIBBS are:
i. CLARENCE WINFIELD6 GIBBS, b.
May 30, 1872, Washington Co., IN near Medora; disappeared many yrs; d. May 24,
1951, Seattle, WA- see NOTES - never married.
Notes for CLARENCE WINFIELD GIBBS:
Newspaper clipping from
San Diego paper shows a reunion with long lost Clarence & younger brother
James in 1949. Clarence said he left
Medora IN @ age 20 in 1892. They met @
James' home, 1525 28th St. San
Diego. He had been lost for 57 years
during which the family had given up on him for dead. Clarence stated he was a retired
restauranteur and mining man living in Santa Barbara, CA. It also said that his Brother James had lived
in San Diego since 1937. Clarence said
he had mined in Texas, the Klondike, Mexico & Guatemala. He never married. I wonder if the word restauranteur is not
really supposed to have been entrepreneur?
Clarence was living at the YWCA in Seattle when he became ill and died
shortly later at a Naval Hospital in Bremerton, WA.
ii. ARTHUR ANTHONY GIBBS, b. November 9, 1875, Washington Co, IN; d.
December 15, 1960, Bethany, MO; used to farm in Lathrop; m. (1) ROSE MARIE GILLIAM,
March 5, 1905; b. Abt. 1880; d. May 31, 1916, this is Arthur's 1st wife &
family; m. (2) MALVINA KATHERINE HERGEMUELLER, November 15, 1917, Kansas City, MO; this
was his 2nd wife; b. September 3, 1878, She is the sister of Augusta, Chas. C.
Gibbs' wife; d. November 29, 1960, this
is Arthur's 2nd wife & family.
More About ARTHUR ANTHONY GIBBS:
Burial: Masonic Cem.,
Des Moines, IA
More About MALVINA KATHERINE
HERGEMUELLER:
Burial: Masonic Cem.,
Des Moines, IA
iii. MARY LUELLA GIBBS, b. December 22, 1876, Not to be confused with
Alfred's other child, Mary Lucy; d. July 9, 1877, Buried @ Walnut Ridge Cemetary,
Wash.Co.IN.
iv. ANNA MATILDA GIBBS, b. August 10, 1878, Washington Co. IN; d.
December 9, 1948, Merom, IN see NOTES
(or Dec. 8?); m. DUDLEY MCCAMMON, February 4, 1903; b. December 20, 1878,
Sullivan Co.IN; d. July 17, 1942, Merom, IN(lived 3 doors from AP Gibbs 1900.
Notes for ANNA MATILDA GIBBS:
Anna was listed in the
1900 census as a live-in housekeeper for the family of John L. Thompson on
Washington St. in Sullivan, IN. At this
same time her sister Grace, brother James & half-sibs Asa & Clarence
Persinger were still living with Alfred P. Gibbs & Cora (?Elizabeth) in
Sullivan. So one would suspect that Anna
recently moved out of the Gibbs home to earn a living.
McCammon, D. R.
- Dudley -
Anna M. Gibbs
Sep. 20, 1915 Book CH-27, Pg. 259
Vigo Co.
McCammon, D. R.
- Dudley -
Anna M. Gibbs
Sep. 20, 1916 Book CH-27, Pg. 269
Vigo Co.
v. JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD GIBBS, b. October 16, 1881, Washington Co. IN; d.
March 4, 1955, San Diego, CA lived @ 1525 28th St.; m. HARRIET ANGELINE SMITH; b.
March 4, 1890.
Notes for JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD GIBBS:
Apparently moved to
Beaver Co. Oklahoma in the early 1900s in the panhandle of that state, near the
town of Knowles; then moved he and his
family to Baca County, Colorado near the town of Two Buttes in the Southeastern
corner of Colorado, at about 1918. This
information comes from Beatrice (GIBBS) SUTER.
The family were apparently among the true "dust-bowlers" of
Oklahoma & adjacent territories of that time. My Father Harold Griffith, and Beatrice Suter
confirms that my Grandfather Will Griffith invested in the cattle farm that his
brother-in-law James Gibbs was running, but eventually lost all the money. Beatrice recalls that my Grandmother Grace
(GIBBS) GRIFFITH saved up comics from the Terre Haute newspaper and mailed them
to this impoverished family living in the dust bowl, and that the children were
very joyous to receive such a gift.
Apparently after Beatrice married to Harold Suter they moved to
California and then by the 1940s convinced her parents James & Harriet to
also move there. My parents, Harold
& Marion recall visiting James when they lived in a home across the street
from Balboa Park & Zoo in San Diego, CA. during the early 1950s. My Father, Harold Griffith, recalls his
parents taking a trip to visit James around 1919/20. Recalls getting off the train at Lamar, CO
and taking a covered wagon to the farm near Two Buttes. The Gibbs' farm home had dirt floors
according to my father. He recalls dust
storms and thuderstorms. During one
storm Dad recalls when he was only about 7 years old that everyone went to the
"dug-out" to avoid the storm.
He said inside that during the storm was all the people, all the
chickens, turkeys, dogs, etc. It is
quite to James' credit that he picked up his family after their farm was
devastated by the ravages of weather and other forms of bad luck to get to
California. Then not only recover but
seemed to raise a family of high producers and high intellect after such a
difficult start out in the dust-bowl areas.
More About JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD GIBBS:
Event 1: Buried @
Greenwood Mem. Park, San Diego CA
vi. GRACE * GERTRUDE GIBBS, b. August 2, 1884, Washington Co. IN, South of
Medora; d. May 12, 1967, Home @ 1356 Chestnut St. Terre Haute, IN; m. WILLIAM * "WILL"
GRIFFITH, June 7, 1905, Sullivan, IN; b. January 31, 1886, Sullivan, IN; no
middle name; see Notes; d. November 10, 1947, Home @ 1354 Chestnut St. Terre
Haute, IN.
Notes for GRACE * GERTRUDE GIBBS:
Aren't many people
around to offer memories of Grace now.
My father, Harold is the oldest and her only living child after my Uncle
Dick died 1994. Her grandchildren are
only My cousins, Bill Heiny, Carolyn (now Jessup), my brother Art &
myself. Dick had one adopted child,
Bill - but he had almost no contact with Grace. My Father, relates the only early
information - he relates stories about how frugal she was. How she never sought luxuries and often
reprimanded her husband for spending too much money. The thing I recall the best, oddly enough
is finding out she died in her sleep - I was in college at Indiana St. Univ. -
My mother discovered her dead in bed while I was in morning classes.
I regret so much not
having been astute enough to question her about her life, and her
ancestry. I was even to stupid to
realize that the recipes she never wrote down but now seems so unique were
permanently lost at her death. In fact,
one recipe she called "Fried Skillet Bread" I loved so much - I've
asked many people about has never surfaced to reality.
Griffith,
Herald M - William
- Gibbs, Grace -
Male - Dec. 23, 1912 Book CH-27 - Page 30 - Vigo Co, IN
Griffith,
Richard K. - William
- Gibbs, Grace -
Male - Oct. 23,
1908 Book CH-24 - Page 13
- Vigo Co, IN
More About GRACE * GERTRUDE GIBBS:
Burial: May 15, 1967,
Roselawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, IN
Comment 1: Believed to
have moved to Sullivan with
Comment 2: her sister
Anna Gibbs, and was housekeeper
Comment 3: for a local
Physician before she met Wil
Comment 4: Griffith.
Event 1: moved to
Sullivan, IN as a young adult
Event 2: May 15, 1967,
Buried @ Roselawn Cemetary, Terre Haute,IN
Notes for WILLIAM * "WILL"
GRIFFITH:
No Middle name
apparently, friends called him "Will"
Born in Sullivan, IN in
1886. As a teenager sold ice cream in Sullivan.
Started working as a RR
Car Inspector C&EI RR in Terre Haute, at the Union Depot approx. from 1910
to 1922. He played Trombone in many
local bands (Grotto, Shriners, etc.) He quit the railroad due to unwillingness
to go on strike & fight or become a scab.
He then worked as electrical worker at Davis Gardens greenhouse in TH,I.
for about 1 year. He next worked for the
Terre Haute City schools as a custodian (janitor) for about 2 years at
Greenwood School at Voorhees & 2nd st.
Then he was transferred to the City School bookstore (6 1/2 &
Walnut) where he kept track of the school books for the city school district
from 1925 to 1947. There was no retirement plan through the school system
then. He died at home at 1354 Chestnut,
age 61, presumably of a stroke, & is buried @ Roselawn Cem. in Terre Haute,
IN with wife Grace. His Mother Belle
lived in the same house on the other side 1356 til sometime before he died,
they then moved Belle back to Sullivan, IL by her daughter Marie. Harold says his Dad never seemed to be able
to get as good of a job as the railroad job.
While working for the railroad, he used his job fringe benefit to be
able to take free trips by using passes given to employees to take Grace &
the 3 kids on trips: 1918 or 1917 to Colorado to visit James Gibbs; 1919
California to British Columbia (on this trip Richard Kenneth met a sailor
friend of Will's who inspired R.K. to go into the Navy at the age of 15 by
lying about his age. They never ate in
the train diner. Harold says they never knew there was a diner... because Grace
took a large basket of home-made bread & chicken which lasted much of the
trip. Will would occasionally get off at
train stops & run down to a nearby grocery store to pick up drinks &
more food. Will smoked Camel cigarettes
and drank lots of whole milk & coffee (from my father Harold's description
I suspect he had Peptic Ulcer Disease or Gastritis as he also consumed many
doses of baking soda- I suspect this might have been a factor in elevating his
blood pressure, ultimately causing a CVA (speculation?).
Obituary in Terre Haute
Star
GRIFFITH, William
Nov. 11, 1947 - 61 y.o.
- Pg. 2, Star
More About WILLIAM * "WILL"
GRIFFITH:
Burial: Roselawn
Cemetery, Terre Haute, IN
Cause of Death: CVA
Medical Information:
High blood pressure, Stroke
11. LEWIS (1) WILLIAM5 PERSINGER (MARY * ANN4 ABBOTT, JOHN *3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born November 18, 1851 in This is not the
violinist, but is his Uncle, and died October 9, 1881. He married ELIZABETH CORA JOHNSON Abt.
1877 in her 1st marriage, daughter of JOHN JOHNSON and SUSAN EMPSON. She
was born July 17, 1857 in Indiana, as were her parents; died age 58; may be
1856, and died February 24, 1915 in Sullivan County, IN; see "More"
-confusing hx.
Notes for LEWIS (1) WILLIAM PERSINGER:
L.W. PERSINGER is
listed in the 1880 census for Jackson Co. IN on Page 2 of the town of
Ewing. It lists his wife Elizabeth C.,
son Heubert age 1, and son Asa age 3mos. B:May.
His listed occupation is RR agent. and Elizabeth as "keeping
house". Also listed as living with
them is Amos W. who I'm certain is his brother in that all dates names and
middle initials coincide perfectly with previous family records. L.W. had at least one more child (Louis
Clarence in 1882). L. W. must have died
within a few years since we understand that Alfred Gibbs married Emma
(PERSINGER) GIBBS' brother's widowed wife (must be Elizabeth C. which also
coincides with previous records. See
PgDn info on Elizabeth & also her 2nd husband Alfred Gibbs for more
details.
More About LEWIS (1) WILLIAM PERSINGER:
Burial: Walnut Ridge
Cem, Jefferson Twp, Washington Co.
Event 1: son.
Notes for ELIZABETH CORA JOHNSON:
Many confusing things
about this lady - the facts are sketchy- most of it culled from death records
and census', since those who I believe are her grandchildren, seem to have no
knowledge of her or their GrandFather Louis Persinger. (Malcolm Persinger in Mecca, IN & Olive
Dennis in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and Chester in Terre Haute, IN). The Death
record index book in the Sullivan County Library shows her Birth & death
date as shown here & apparently died in Sullivan Co. However the index of Deaths there refers me
to the County Public Health building which I visited in May, 1994. This book is not copyable, the info was read
to me by a clerk there from Book CH-16, page 6.
It says she was the daughter of John Johnson (born in Indiana as was
Elizabeth Cora.) & that she died of T.B. (which we think is what killed her
2nd husband, (my Dad's GrandFather) Alfred Gibbs 2 years earlier. It is not clear, but is likely that Her
father - John Johnson is also the 2nd husband of Alfred Persinger's wife (Mary
Ann Abbott Persinger-Johnson). He was
from the Washington County area also.
Alfred Gibbs' obituary from Shattuck, Oklahoma does imply that his wife
was living at the time of his death, so I presume she was out in Oklahoma with
him in 1913? Now the biggest dilemma
regarding Cora is that the death record in Book CH-16 says she was buried in
Center Ridge Cemetary in Sullivan (as are most of my Griffith ancestors), but
most of the cemetary records were destroyed by fire, and I have traipsed all
over that cemetary and could not find evidence she is there, also none of the 5
volume cemetary books in the Sullivan county library show her being buried in
Sullivan County!....So was she simply buried as a pauper with no stone? or was
the death record book written wrong? ... perhaps at the last minute her son
Clarence had her buried elsewhere ... (he and wife Farie were later buried at
Palestine, IL...I will sometime try to research that possibility) Malcolm Persinger seemed to vaguely recall
visiting a Grandmother's grave in Sullivan.
We do Know that an Elizabeth C. Persinger was listed in the 1880
Washington County Census living with L.W. Persinger in Ewing (tiny town West of
Brownstown), Indiana with children Heubert (age 1), and Asa C. (Carl - age 3
months - the dentist) and L.W.'s brother Amos W. (other son Louis Clarence was
born 2 years later). According to these
records its sad to note that Louis William Persinger died while Elizabeth Cora
was pregnant with his son Louis Clarence.
(L.W. died October 1881, and Clarence was born in March 1882)- That
explains why Clarence's children whom I have spoken to know nothing about their
GrandFather Louis William Persinger. (although I would have thought that
Clarence would have passed down some information about his Mother Elizabeth
Cora, since he was living in the area and was 32 years old when his Mother
died.???? It appears from the fact that
the 2 daughters that Alfred Gibbs & Elizabeth had together died in infancy
and were both buried in Washington County in 1892; then the couple must not
have moved to Sullivan County until after 1892.
Note that they are listed as living together in Sullivan in the 1900
census. (See also PgDn notes on Alfred Page Gibbs' & Louis W. Persinger) I recall Malcolm remembering his Father
Chester telling him that Chester didn't like living with those Gibbs', which of
course is common with step-children, so I would presume it likely that he
didn't see his Mother much after he was old enough to leave the household &
therefore may not have been close to his Mother in order to avoid his
Step-Father Alfred Gibbs?? I have been
sent a letter by the head genealogist at the Sullivan Library; she feels
certain that Elizabeth Cora is buried @ Center Ridge Cemetary without a Headstone, presumably for lack of
family money to pay for one.
July 94, I took a trip
to Shattuck, Oklhoma. While there I do
believe I established with certainty that Alfred P. Gibbs died there in his
Brother Olivers home and was buried there (Also with no headstone) in the same
lot next his are his wife Algie and their two children. There was much to be learned from Mrs.
Phillis Ballew (now living in Shattuck) who has kept letters written to her
paternal Grandparents (Oliver G. Gibbs and Algie Tucker Gibbs) from many of the
Gibbs klan. Apparently Alfred (they
called him Fred....also a new revelation discovered while in OK) did die in
Olivers house - see Alfreds details for more.
Alfred's son Arthur Anthony Gibbs (from Lathrop, MO) wrote in telegrams
within a week before Alfred died that He has sent telegrams to Cora to get her
to come to Alfreds deathbed but that she stated she was also in ill health and
therefore unable to come to Shattuck.
Apparently she and Alfred had then been living in Topeka, Kansas. Cora was working for a Mrs. E.C. Winters at
the Progressive oil Company in Topeka.
Arthur also states that he has tried to get hold of Alva and makes
derogatory suspicions about Alva using up his parents money. Another interesting commentary comes from a
letter (1918 from Cincinnati, OH) written by Oliver's half sister Nellie Gibbs
Burks to Oliver asking "Where was Cora after Fred's death, before she
died?" "Was she with you or some of the children?" Too bad I don't have the answer to that
letter. I have no information as to the
whereabouts or names of any descendents of Nellie or her brother Ralph Gibbs,
but they might be a good resource to search for. Phillis also had a photo of Alfed P. &
Cora holding a child (may be Alva or one of the girls that died very
young). Elizabeth, age 3 can be found
on the 1860 census of Washington Co, Indiana with parents John Johnson &
Susan M. (ages 35 & 27 resp), and siblings Nancy Ann 7, Lloyd 5, Lafayette 2, and living in the same household
was hired farm laborer, Hiatt POLLOCK.
This family is living next door to Isaiah Persinger, age 27 & wife,
Juliann 24 & children Cornelius 5, James Franklin 4, & Betsey 2
months. Even though this Elizabeth is
not my direct ancestor, she certainly enters in the family history heavily having first married into the
Persingers and then my own Gibbs line - AND was the only Mother my Grandmother
Grace ever really knew, since Elizabeth would have raised Grace from a small
child.
More About ELIZABETH CORA JOHNSON:
Burial: Center Ridge
Cem. -Sullivan, IN -unmarked grave?
Children of LEWIS PERSINGER
and ELIZABETH JOHNSON are:
i. HEUBERT B.6 PERSINGER,
b. 1878; d. at or near Mt. Morris, IL (WHEN?).
ii. ASA CARL PERSINGER, b. May 1880, Prob. Washington Co.IN; was a
dentist; d. May 26, 1917, Cook Co.,IL death Cert. # 6017822.
Notes for ASA CARL PERSINGER:
Asa allegedly died
while riding a horse. At that time he
apparently was a practicing dentist in Chicago.
I have not been able to get more information on him but it should be fairly
easy to get a death certificate at the Cook County Courthouse and the obituary
should be obtainable from microfiche files of the newpapers in the Chicago
libraries. I hope to make a trip to do
that sometime. Olive Dennis remembers
the story of her relative the dentist being thrown off a horse and dying, and
her brother Malcolm even thinks he recalls seeing a photograph of him lying in
state in the coffin, but he could not find the photograph nor could he find any
other details about this.
iii. LEWIS "CLARENCE" PERSINGER, b. March 18, 1882, IN; d. 1950, per
gravestone; m. FAIRY MARTIN; b. 1883, Illinois-per 1910 census w. Clarence
in city of Sullivan,IN; d. 1979, per gravestone.
More About LEWIS "CLARENCE"
PERSINGER:
Burial: Palestine Cem.,
Palestine, IL
More About FAIRY MARTIN:
Burial: Palestine Cem.,
Palestine, IL
12. AMOS WILSON5 PERSINGER (MARY * ANN4 ABBOTT, JOHN *3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born May 12, 1861 in listed in 1880 census in
Ewing, IN, and died Aft. 1930 in was telegraph operator in ColoradoSprgs,CO
?. He married SUSIE E. HUMPHREYS
October 7, 1883 in Marion Co, IL; vol.00D, pg. 0165. She was born Abt. 1862, and died in Their
marriage shown on Illinois Marriages website.
Notes for AMOS WILSON PERSINGER:
1880 census lists Amos
W. Persinger in the Jackson Co. list and states living in Ewing, IN with his
brother, L.W. Persinger & his wife Elizabeth C. and their 2 children
Heubert, age 1 & Ava age 3 months
(b. in May). I believe these are the parents of Lewis Clarence who was born in
1882 who in turn was the father of Malcolm Louis P. in Mecca, IN & Olive
(P.) Dennis in Michigan although this is difficult to prove thus far since the
1890 census was destroyed. I also
theorize that L.W. died and after Emma Harriett Persinger died then Alfred P.
Gibbs Married Elizabeth C. and therefore L.C. and my Grandmother Grace Gibbs
were 1/2 sibs. And later left together
or nearly so for Sullivan Co. It is
presumed the family left Washington Co, IN for Sullivan Co, in the late 1880s
or early 1890s, but I've as yet found no descendant that has any information
leading to a closer estimate of that date of migration for Elizabeth Cora
JOHNSON & Alfred GIBBS and family. I've also never been able to find out if
Heubert lived to be an adult or not. He
seems to dissapear.
Alfred Henry Gibbs (b.
1918) told me from Prescott, AZ, that he visited Amos in Santa Monica,
California - he believes probably in the 1940s - he tells me that Amos was
living in horrible conditions - he doesn't know when he died.
More About AMOS WILSON PERSINGER:
Burial: He bought land
on BLM records Nov. 26, 1920 in CO
Child of AMOS PERSINGER and
SUSIE
HUMPHREYS is:
i. LOUIS (2)6 PERSINGER,
b. February 11, 1887, Rochester, IL-This is the famous violinist; d. December
31, 1966, NYC, NY; taught Yehudi
Menuhin& Isaac Stern; m. (1) ANGELA GIANELLI, He later had a 2nd wife 50 yrs. younger; b.
Abt. 1888; d. 1953; m. (2) JOAN HOWARD, 1956; b. Abt. 1925.
Notes for LOUIS (2) PERSINGER:
Died at the Lenox Hil
Hospital, see obit from Tuesday Jan. 3, 1967 paper
I spoke with his son
Rolf PERSINGER who lives in Sun City West, AZ.
Rolf remembers living about a block from Yehudi Menuhin & him taking
lessons from Louis. Also Louis had become
a concert master of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra but left Berlin at the
beginning of WWI due to safety reasons.
Rolf, unfortunately did not recall much details of the ancestry before
his own Father, so is not likely to add much details to mine. He did recall that his father Louis grew up
in Cripple Creek, CO (near Colorado Springs) where the Father Amos Wilson
PERSINGER worked for the Railroad in the early 1900s. And he verified that
Louis was born in Rochester, IL. Rolf's
wife mentioned that Louis' wife Angela was previouisly engaged to Arthur
Rubinstein the pianist but broke it off & married Louis.
The following was taken from the New York Times by Mrs. Don (Gloria)
Persinger. She has a note on it saying he died December 31,
1966.
LOUIS PERSINGER,
VIOLINIST, 79, DIES
Chamber Artist Had
Taught Menuhin as a Prodigy
Louis Persinger, a renowned violinist and
mentor of noted instrumentalists,
died of cancer
yesterday at Lenox Hill Hospital. He was
79 years old and
lived at 340 Riverside
Drive.
Among Mr. Persinger’s pupils were Yeudi
Menuhin and Ruggiero Ricci, who
were boy prodigies
under his tutelage in the nineteen-thirties.
At his death Mr. Persinger, a short, stocky,
gentle but intense musician
was a teacher of violin
and chamber music at the Juilliard School of Music.
He had succeeded
Leopold Auer in that post in 1930. In
recent years he had
held the Morris Loeb
chair of chamber music there.
Mr. Persinger’s solo violin performances as
a recitalist and with
outstanding orchestras
and chamber groups won the acclaim of audiences in
Europe and the United
States. He was also hailed as a piano
soloist.
Before joining the Juilliard faculty, he
taught at the Peabody Conservatory
in Baltimore, the
Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Kansas City,
the University of
Colorado and the Los Angeles Conservatory.
In 1930, a writer in The New York Times
predicted that "what Leoplold Auer
has been to the great
concert violinist of today, Louis Persinger may be to
the violinists of
tomorrow."
"Potentiality for
Greatness"
Describing his first interview in that year
with 6-year-old Menuhin, Mr.
Persinger said:
"I recognized him at once - a plump
little lad with a serious expression.
Quietly he put the
instrument under his chin and began to play.
He was half
through when I stopped
him. I will never forget the fury that
lit up in his
eyes at my
interruption, but I had heard enough.
"There was no doubt in my
mind that something lay
hidden there. His feeling for rhythm was
splendid his
ear absolutely
true. There was more besides - a
potentiality for greatness."
Mr. Persinger’s relationship with the family
of young Ruggiero Ricci was
stormy but ended
well. In 1930, when the pupil was 10,
his father, Pietro,
sued successfully to
wrest custody of Ruggiero from Miss Mary Elizabeth
Lackey, an assistant to
Mr. Persinger, who had been his guardian and music
teacher for two
years. As an adult soloist, Mr. Ricci
returned to his mentor
for coaching.
Mr. Persinger began studying piano at the
age of 6, and four years later
received his first
violin lessons in his native Rochester, Ill.
He studied at the Leipzig Conservatory in
Germany and later under Eugen
Ysaye in Brussels and
Jacquest Thibaud in France. At 18, he
became
concertmaster of the
Berlin Philharmonic under Arthur Nikisch.
He made his first American tour in 1912,
performing with leading orchestras
and , in 1923, was
named concertmaster and assistant conductor of the San
Francisco Symphony
Orchestra. He was also first violinist
of the San
Francisco Chamber Music
Society, and in those associations encountered several
young performers who
were to become his pupils.
Taught Isaac Stern
In his years on the West Coast and later in
New York he taught Isaac Stern,
Louise Behrend, Joseph
Knitzer, Dorothey Minty, Fredell Lack, Murray Adler and
Camilla Wicks.
In recent years, Mr. Persinger had served on
juries at the Wieniawski
violin competitions in
Poland, the Queen Elisabeth competition in Brussels,
the Sibelius contest in
Finland and, three months ago, the Paganini competiion
in Genoa, Italy.
The musician’s hobby was chess, and he was a
tournament player representing
the Marshall and London
Terrace Chess Clubs here.
Mr. Persinger’s first wife, the former
Angela Gianelli, died in 1953. They
were the parents of
Rolf, now principal violist of the San Francisco Symphony,
and Louis Jr. who lives
in Seattle. In 1956 Mr. Persinger married
a former
pupil, Joan
Howard. Their children are Lionel,
Lemont, Lendanya and Lestra.
More About LOUIS (2) PERSINGER:
Event 1: Raised in
Colorado Springs where his early
Event 2: music training
was. See music encyclopedia
13. SARAH MARIA5 ABBOTT (JOHN WESLEY4, JOHN *3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born May 3, 1855 in IN -per 1870/80 cen.-also had
2 infant deaths 1881 & 85, and died February 6, 1920. She married HORACE BOUDINOT WILSON
March 23, 1877 in (or possibly Dec. 12, 1877?), son of WILLIAM WILSON and
SUSAN
BOUDINOT. He was born December 12, 1851
in OH, and died February 18, 1933 in Jefferson Co, IL - He had 4 wives (Sarah
Abbott is 2nd).
More About SARAH MARIA ABBOTT:
Burial: Garrison
Temple Cem., Jefferson Co, IL
Children of SARAH ABBOTT and HORACE WILSON are:
i. HARRIET ANN6 WILSON, b.
January 8, 1877, IL - per 1880 census - no children; d. September 4, 1941, Bur.
Garrison Temple Cem. - Wayne Co, IL; m. CHARLES HELM; b. Abt. 1876.
ii. NORA WILSON, b. July 8, 1879, IL - per 1880 census; d. July
28, 1925; m. FRED GREENWALT; b. March 31, 1881; d. November 3, 1947.
iii. CORA ROXANNE WILSON, b. October 21, 1882; m. TYRA MILLS; b. Abt.
1882.
iv. JAMES A. WILSON, b. June 17, 1887; d. November 19, 1918; m. BELLE GREENWALT; b.
Abt. 1888.
v. HORACE BEN WILSON, b. July 13, 1889.
vi. AMOS ABBOTT WILSON, b. September 11, 1892; d. GF of Harold Minor;
m. MINNIE B. BARR; b. Abt. 1892.
vii. SARAH MAE WILSON, b. November 6, 1897; d. this is U.M. Scott's
GM; m. EVERETT GREGORY; b. Abt. 1896.
viii. KATE L. WILSON, b. July 13, 1899; d. January 23, 1928; m. ED DONOHO; b. Abt.
1898.
14. HESTER ANNIE5 ABBOTT (JOHN WESLEY4, JOHN *3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born April 1, 1862 in Leesville, Lawrence Co, IN
- (per Baker sisters), and died 1899 in She is his 1st wife, remarried 2 yrs.
after Annie's death. She married LEONARD ANDREW FOSTER
November 15, 1883, son of GEORGE FOSTER and JANE HAYWOOD. He
was born 1857 in or 1858, and died 1942 in They moved to Kansas from Wayne Co,
Illinois.
Children of HESTER ABBOTT and
LEONARD
FOSTER are:
i. CLAUDE GEORGE6 FOSTER, b.
1884; d. 1958; m. SUSAN ELIZABETH DAVIS; b. Abt. 1885.
ii. LORA ELIZABETH FOSTER, b. 1887; d. 1918; m. HENRY BERTRAND; b.
1887; d. 1971.
iii. LEROY ROSCOE FOSTER, b. 1888; d. 1967.
iv. ZEPH HAYWARD FOSTER, b. 1891; d. 1992; m. JENEVA BARBARA PRITCHETT;
b. 1896, or PRICKETT ?; d. 1985.
15. LOUISA C.5 ABBOTT (JOHN WESLEY4, JOHN *3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born May 25, 1864 in Indiana - per 1880 census,
and died December 12, 1894 in This is Calvin's 2nd wife - or Dec. 12, 1895
?. She married CALVIN P. WILSON February
12, 1885 in Jefferson Co, IL- V.006-Pg.0130, Lic.# 00000024, son of WILLIAM WILSON and
SUSAN
BOUDINOT. He was born February 7, 1846,
and died February 24, 1927.
Children of LOUISA ABBOTT and
CALVIN
WILSON are:
i. OLIVE6 WILSON, b.
Abt. 1886; m. BRADFORD DONOHO; b. Abt. 1885.
ii. GEORGE WILSON, b. Abt. 1889; m. HATTIE BARNARD; b.
Abt. 1890.
iii. HULDA REBECCA WILSON, b. Abt. 1892; m. CHARLES SMITH; b.
Abt. 1890.
16. LOUESE5 ABBOTT (JOHN WESLEY4, JOHN *3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born May 25, 1864 in Indiana - per 1880 census -
this is written Lovesa in 1880, and died 1929 in they may have been born 1865
instead of 1864 ?. She married SAMUEL LENTZ. He was born 1849, and died 1907.
Children of LOUESE ABBOTT and
SAMUEL
LENTZ are:
i. KATIE PEARL6 LENTZ, b.
1888; d. 1888.
ii. BRUCE ABBOTT LENTZ, b. 1890.
iii. ANNA E. LENTZ, b. 1895.
17. SAPHRONIA H.5 DUSKINS (ELIZABETH CAROLINE4 ABBOTT, JAMES HIEL3, JAMES *2, JAMES1) was born March 22, 1862 in Alabama, and died April
18, 1903 in Morgan Co, Alabama. She
married MATTHEW BLEVINS September 22, 1880 in Walker Co, AL. He was born March 1857 in Alabama, and died
April 8, 1908.
More About SAPHRONIA H. DUSKINS:
Burial: Andrew's
Chapel Cem.
Children of SAPHRONIA DUSKINS
and MATTHEW BLEVINS are:
i. MARY ETTA6 BLEVINS,
b. July 26, 1881, AL; d. March 20, 1969, Morgan Co, Alabama; m. ROBERT COLEMAN CHILDERS;
b. October 8, 1881, AL; d. August 18, 1968, Morgan Co, AL.
More About MARY ETTA BLEVINS:
Burial: Andrew's Chapel
Cem.
More About ROBERT COLEMAN CHILDERS:
Burial: Andrew's Chapel
Cem.
ii. SARAH L. BLEVINS, b. April 1882.
iii. JAMES H. BLEVINS, b. September 1885.
iv. ELLEN BLEVINS, b. December 1890.
v. ETHEL BLEVINS, b. August 12, 1899; d. August 24, 1969; m. LUKE SLAUGHTER; b.
March 24, 1886; d. September 6, 1974.
vi. ALEX BLEVINS, b. Abt. 1900.