1644 Theunis Janse Van Amack born, possibly Amagor
1673 Theunis Janse Van Amack immigrated to New Amsterdam (New York)
1677 Theunis Janse Van Amack marries Jannetje Brouwer?
1746 Stephen and Jannetje Amack mentioned in will in Kings County
1787 William Brannon Amack born Shrewsbury Twp, Monmouth Co, NJ
1791 Maria ?? Amack born Shrewsbury Twp, Monmouth Co, NJ
1812 Tunis Amack born in New Jersey, possibly Freehold.
1814 Nancy A. (possibly Rader) Amack born, possibly in Ripley Co., Indiana or Virginia.
1830 William Amack in Franklin County, Indiana census
1830 Tunis, Tunis Sr. and William Aumack in Monmouth Co., Middletown
Twp, New Jersey census
1830 Tunis Amack marries Nancy A. Rader.
1836 Tunis Amack buys 120 acres in Franklin and Ripley Cos., Indiana
1841 Samuel Amack born to Tunis and Nancy, Indiana, possibly
Ripley Co.
1844 Elander Amack born to Tunis and Nancy.
1845 Tunis Erastus born to Tunis and Nancy.
1846 Narcissa Ray born, possibly Ripley Co., Indiana.
1848 Amy/Mary born to Tunis and Nancy.
1854 Maria ?? Amack dies in Salt Creek Twp, Franklin Co, IN
1860 Tunis and family in Hancock Co., IN census.
1865-1868 Samuel Amack marries Narcissa Ray, possibly Indiana.
1869 William Brannon Amack dies in Salt Creek Twp, Franklin Co, IN
1869 Wilbur D or B born to Samuel and Narcissa.
1869 Pearl born to Tunis Erastus and Clara.
1870 Tunis, Samuel, Erastus, John Smith in Hancock Co., IN census.
1876 Darcie Arthur Amack born to Samuel and Narcissa.
1898 Darcie Amack marries Cora Moulton.
1899 Gwendolyn Amack born to Darcie and Cora, Marion, Indiana.
1900 Samuel, Narcissa, Wilbur, Darcie in Vernon Co., MO census .
1901 Darcie Amack graduates from Cooper College, Vernon Co., MO.
1903 Lawrence Russell Amack born to Darcie and Cora Marion, Indiana.
1909 Darcie Amack marries Goldie Barbara Wise.
1912 Melvin born to Darcie and Goldie.
1913 Arthur Lee born to Darcie and Goldie.
1914 Carl Vance born to Darcie and Goldie.
1917 Howard Wayne born to Darcie and Goldie.
1920 Darcie, Goldie and family in Box Twp, Cedar Co., MO census.
1924 (Anna) Marcella born to Darcie and Goldie.
1929 Darcie and family move to Washington.
1930 Darcie and family move to Oregon.
1946 Marcella Amack marries Ralph Salter
1947 Karen Gail is born to Marcella and Ralph Salter
1949 Thomas Ray is born to Marcella and Ralph Salter
1950 Darcie Amack passes away.
1954 Darrell Lee is born to Marcella and Ralph Salter
1957 Richard Carl is born to Marcella and Ralph Salter
1962 Barbara Ann is born to Marcella and Ralph Salter
1964 Karen Gail Salter marries John Thomas Hershaw Thomas
1965 Kathryn Leigh is born to Karen and John Thomas
1969 Elizabeth Anne is born to Karen and John Thomas
1978 Marcella Amack finds out about Darcie’s first marriage.
1987 Kathryn Thomas marries Ramon Perez
1987 Goldie (Wise) Amack passes away.
1989 Victoria Elizabeth is born to Kathryn and Ramon Perez
1991 Elizabeth Thomas marries John David Shores
1991 Ian Patrick Salter Shores Hoffman is born to Elizabeth Thomas and John
Shores
1997 Elizabeth Thomas marries Dan Darrel Hoffman
The Island of Amager is in what is now Copenhagen County, East Denmark. It is only 25 square miles in size and in 1985 had a population of only 192,381. Amager is now occupied by a part of Copenhagen city that has important shipbuilding and harbor facilities, while the south part of the Island includes fishing ports, beach resorts and farms.[1]
1673 New Amsterdam (New York)
From web page: Brad Aumack?
Theunis Janse Van Amak, who came to the United States at Long Island in 1673 with the Dutch fleet to take New Amsterdam back from the British, is the first known Amack in the United States. Theunis Janse Van Amak was from Denmark, but was Dutch. His family possibly moved to Denmark between 1513-1523, when King Christian II, ruler of Denmark, appealed to the farmers in the Netherlands to come to Denmark to “provide the needed roots and onions for the castle in Copenhagen.” The Danish King offered the Dutch settlers land on the Isle of Amager, which is now part of Copenhagen. Soon a Dutch trading post was located at Dragor, the village on the southeastern shore of the island. The Isle of Amager was known by German seamen as Amak. Theunis Janse Van Amak translates into “Anthony, son of John, of Amager”. According to tradition, Theunis Janse Van Amak was a marine on one of Admiral Cornelius Everetsen’s or Jacob Binckes’ ships, when they came to New Amsterdam, now New York and compelled the English to haul down their flag over New York in 1673. Van Amak was a young man then and, while in New York, fell in love with the daughter of a Dutch settler who lived in Brooklyn. When the Dutch fleet sailed away after a year, Van Amak remained and became a resident of Flatlands, where he raised his family.
On January 11, 1677, in the New York Dutch Reform Church,
Theunis Janse Van Amak married Jannetje Brouwer, born about 1655 in Amsterdam,
Netherlands, daughter of Jan Brouwer and Jannetje Janse. Theunis Janse Van Amak and Jannetje Brouwer
had nine children.
There are several different versions of the first Amack. Most all versions show him coming to New Amsterdam with the Dutch fleet and all give about the same dates. Some of the information I have gathered is set forth below.
From the LDS IGI records: Teunis Jans Amack, born abt 1644, Netherlands
From Trevor Kirkpatrick: the settlers of Amagor were from Marken in Northern Holland. He believes this is where Theunis Janse Van Amack came from.
1677 to 1787 New York to New Jersey
At the Monmouth County, New Jersey Historical Society, there is a bible that shoes a William Brannon Aumack born in 1787 and has the following persons listed as his lineage.
Theunis Janse Van Amak married Jannetje Browers
Stephen married Jannetje Janse
Stephen married Mary Heavilan
Tunis married Catherine Nance
William Brannon married Maria
By the time William Brannon was born, this branch of the family had made their way to Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Stephen and Jannetje Janse are possible the daughter and son-in-law mentioned in the following will:
“In the name of God, Amen, December 15, 1746. "We, HENDRICK JOHNSON and MARY JOHNSON my wife, of New Utrecht, in Kings County, being very sick and weak in body, do ordain this our last will." In the first place it is our will and we do order that all our just debts be paid. We leave to our eldest son, Myndert Johnson, œ5 before any division. We leave to our sons John and Hendrick our real estate which we have now in possession in New Utrecht or Gravesend, and they shall pay to their brothers and sisters œ650, viz., To our son Myndert œ150, To Peter œ50, To Coert œ150, To our eldest daughter, Mary Lake, œ150, To our daughter, Janettie Amack, œ150. We make our son John and our son-in-law, Stephen Amack, executors.
Witnesses, Charles Barre, Petrus Van Pelt, Jaques Cortelyou. Proved, August 7, 1762.”
According to
Trevor Kirkpatrick, William Brannon/Brannin Aumack was from Shrewsbury
Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey.
William’s farm was located just north of Farmingdale, Howell Township,
Monmouth County, New Jersey.
I found
William Amack living in Franklin County, Indiana in the 1830 census. The entry reads:
Amack,
William
Males in
household: under 5 – 1 Females: under
5 - 1
10 to 15 – 1 5 to 10 - 1
20 to 30 – 1 30 to 40 – 1
40 to 50 – 1
No other
recognizable Amack names appear in this census in Indiana.
The Marlin
Family Cemetery in Salt Creek Township, Franklin County, Indiana has the
following gravestones (transcribed by John J. Newman July 30, 1966)
AMACK, Ivins,
a member of Co B 123 Reg Ind Vol, born
October 15, 1843; died June 15, 1865, aged 21-8-0
AMACK, James,
Son of Wm & Maria Amack, died December 19, 1843, aged 2-8-0
AMACK, Maria,
wife of Wm & Maria Amack, died May 15, 1854, aged 52-11-17
AMACK, W. B.,
born June 1, 1787; died March 2, 1869, aged 81-9-1
The Maria
Amack found in the Marlin cemetery would have been born in 1802, so she would
have been only 9 years old when Tunis Amack was born (1811). So this is inconsistent and I need to find
more records. Most likely this is a
typographical error and her age should read 62-11-17. This would make Maria born in 1792. Trevor Kirkpatrick shows Maria was born in 1791. If the transcription is a typo, Maria would
have been born May 29, 1791.
William
Brannon/Brannin and Maria Aumack are found in the 1860 census living in Salt
Creek, Franklin County, Indiana. Trevor
Kirkpatrick
William and Maria Aumack had several children between 1810 and 1830. They had Tunis (sometimes called James?), Sarah, David, Charity, Catherine Maria and William. All these children appear in the 1830 census. Trevor Kirkpatrick
Trevor Kirkpatrick found the following in the 1850 census: William Aumack age 63 (1787-1869), Maria age 60 (1791-1854) living with them are the children Trevor believes to be Tunis and Nancy’s children: Nancy Deborah b.1831, Lydia b. 1839, Maria b. 1838, Tabor b. 1838, Irvin b.1840 and James b. 1845.
However, I now know that these children did not all
belong to Tunis and Nancy Ann Amack.
Even if some of them are Tunis’ children, in 1850, all show up living
with Tunis and Nancy Ann in 1850 in Ripley Co., Indiana. These children must be the children of
another family member, perhaps one of Tunis’ brothers.
David Amack was born to William and Maria Aumack. In about 1856 they moved to Mercer County, Missouri. In 1861 they moved to Putnam County, Missouri and lived in York Township until their deaths. Bonnie Ross has copies of obits for David and Eleanor. The obit for Eleanor stated they had nine children, but in David’s will only four are named: Bartholomew, Maria, Esther and Elijah G. Their son Robert W. Amack was living in Spring Valley, Iowa, at age 22, and enlisted August 22, 1862 to fight in the Civil War. He was in Co K., 39th Iowa Infantry. Their son Bartholomew was also in the Civil War. He was with Co. J, 23rd Missouri Infantry. Their son Elijah started moving around in 1893 and finally settled in the Boise Valley of Idaho.
David Amack was a Methodist Episcopal preacher for 27 years. He may have become a preacher while living in Franklin Co., Indiana. In Putnam County, Missouri he had a church. He and his family lived on a farm in York Township, a few miles from Lucerne, Missouri. After David passed away, his wife Eleanor lived with her son Elijah until her death.
Lester Gwynn Amack, grandson of Darcie Arthur Amack, provided me with the some of following information.
Teunis Amack was born about 1812, probably in Freehold, New Jersey. He married Nancy Ann Rader on December 23, 1830 in Franklin County, Indiana. She was born about 1814 in Ripley County, Indiana.
Mabel Amack Dimmick wrote in 1931 that 5 or 6 of the Amack brothers, Teunis included, came to Ripley Co., Indiana from New Jersey with their parents when Teunis was 18 years old. This would be about 1830.
I have a land patent that shows on August 10, 1837, a Tunis Amack purchased 120 acres from the government in both Franklin and Ripley Counties, Indiana. Trevor Kirkpatrick found on the Ripley Co. webpage a David Aumack, probably Tunis’ brother, purchased a track on February 20, 1836 where he resided till about 1846. This track is next to Tunis’ land. The records are listed in the Early Tack book of Ripley County, page 70 and 69, book 2. Because homesteads must be proved for, I think, seven years, the date on the patent would be seven years after the patentee first lived on the land. This would put Tunis Amack arriving in Indiana about 1830. Since this date matches with what Mabel wrote, Tunis and his brothers and parents must have come to Indiana in 1830. There is some evidence that at least one and maybe more of the sisters of Tunis made the trip to Indiana from New Jersey with their parents. In the 1850 Ripley County, Indiana census, a Jonas Whetstone and his wife Jane are shown living in close proximity to Tunis and Nancy Ann Amack. Jonas was 33 yrs old and Jane was 32 years old. Jane was born in New Jersey. This would make Jane the same generation of Tunis. Further, their children were Eliza, age 10; Maria, age 9; Julia Ann, age 6; and Tunis, age 2. Because they named a son Tunis, there is almost certainly a connection to this line. Jane would have been 12 years old in 1850 and would most certainly have moved when her parents moved.
From a copy of “The History of Batesville”
"Only after a treaty with the Indians did while settlers begin the move into the area that is now Batesville Teunis Amack was the first settler in the town. In 1835, he bought 120 acres from the government and built a log house on land near the east end of what is now George Street. In 1852, Amack sold his entire acreage to the Callahan Trust Company which laid out 45 lots comprising of the original town." Joshua Bates, a surveyor and engineer for the Trust Co. bought Lot No. 1 and that’s where the town name came from.
Mabel Amack Dimmick’s letter of 1931 shows some insight into the family. Mabel writes “When my grandparents (Teunis and Nancy) were married they went to housekeeping in a one room cabin, having no floor – except the earth. The Amack’s were a proud old Scotch family and opposed bitterly my grandfather’s marriage to a Rader, a fact my grandmother (Nancy) always resented, and set out to make her branch of the Amack family the wealthiest and most influential – and succeeded.
At her death there was a large farm near Greenfield, Ind., a fine home in Greenfield, and several thousand dollars on interest. They had raised a large family and all had done well. Grandfather at the earliest opportunity had hewn and laid a puncheon floor in the little cabin, and my grandmother often talked of those early days to my mother telling of her pride in the new floor, how she kept it scrubbed to snowy whiteness and often stopped her work outside to peep in at the new floor; her washtub was a log hollowed out like a trough. After there was a fine 2-story house and barns, she still spent her rest moments in the cabin, confessing the new house had not brought her the happiness she had known in the cabin.
Grandfather Amack’s brothers were all preachers. He (Teunis) was an elder in the Methodist Church and often talked in the meetings when there was no regular preacher. His children were brought up in “the faith”…”
Lester's records show that Samuel Amack is the son of Teunis and Nancy Amack and was born in 1841 in Ripley County, Indiana. However, my records are not clear. The 1860 Indiana census shows Samuel Amack as the son (or at least living with) an unreadable father’s name, which has been transcribed in the index as Francis and his wife, which looks like Nancy A. Amack and later Samuel shows up living next to or in close proximity to a man clearly named Tunis, while his wife’s name looks more like Mary or Macy A. in the 1870 census. A letter written in 1931 by Mabel Amack gives the names as Tunis and Nancy Ann (Rader), so I will call them Tunis and Nancy in this writing. This Samuel living with and near Tunis is the correct Samuel, who was Darcie’s father. Although I do not have a birth record for Samuel as of this date, I am fairly confident that Tunis was Samuel’s father.
Lester’s records show that Nancy was born in Ripley Co. Indiana, while the 1900 census shows Samuel’s mother was born in Virginia.
Several other researchers have given me information regarding the children of Tunis and Nancy A. and the information conflicts in many different ways. However, because of the letter from Mabel, and the census records in 1860 and 1870, I am sure of that Tunis and Nancy A (Rader) Amack are the parents of Samuel. The task now is to connect Tunis and Nancy to the couple of the same name that other researchers show with other children, etc.
Trevor Kirkpatrick has provided me with a wealth of information regarding Tunis and Nancy A. Amack. But Trevor believes that Tunis and Nancy had died prior to 1860, because he had not found them in the census and their children (the ones Trevor thinks are their children) are found living with William Brannon and Maria Amack, the parents (according to Trevor) of Tunis.
From the Batesville Area Historical Society’s web page:
“Batesville, Indiana was established in 1854 as a railroad service town for the Lawrence burn and Upper Mississippi Railroad on land purchased from Tunis Amack. The first rail station was built on the site of his cabin, and his water well serviced locomotives for many years.” And “Ham Struewing and Rick Fledderman have volunteered to investigate possible state aid to help fund a historical marker program for Batesville…One of the first markers that the BAHS is planning will indicate the place where Teunis Amack built the first house in Batesville and dug the first well where the trains would stop for water for their steam engines.” THERE IS MUCH MORE IN THIS FILE ON THE HISTORY OF BATESVILLE – BUT NOTHING ELSE ON TUNIS.
The 1850 census is where the mystery finally clears up. In Laughery, Ripley County, Indiana I found the following entry:
Lunis Amack, age 38, Farmer, real property $1,000, born New Jersey
Nancy Ann, age 36, born Indiana, could not read or write
Deborah White, age 19, born Indiana
Jane Amack, age 15, born Indiana, in school
Maria, age 13, born Indiana, in school
Catharine, age 11, born Indiana, in school
Samuel, age 9, born Indiana, in school
Eleanor, age 6, born Indiana
Tunis Erastus, age 5, born Indiana
Ann Eliza, age 2, born Indiana
These are most certainly the children of Tunis and Nancy Ann Amack. Some of the spellings are incorrect. Lunis should be Tunis and Eleanor should be Elander. Deborah, the oldest child, married a man named White, according to information I received from Trevor Kirkpatrick. Where is her husband now? She does not show up in the 1860 census. Perhaps her husband was serving in the military or was away for some other reason. Or perhaps she was already widowed at the time.
The entry directly before this family is the family of James and Harriet Ray. It reads:
James N. Ray, age 34, profession Sawmill (unreadable word), real estate $2,000, born IN
Harriet, age 34, born Kentucky
Narcissa, age 4, born Indiana
Josephine, age 2, born Indiana
Jane Snyder, age 111, born Kentucky
The child Narcissa eventually marries Samuel Amack. It looks as though Samuel and Narcissa could have known each other all their lives. The romantic in me likes to think they were childhood sweethearts.
Jane Synder could possibly be a relation of Harriet. They were both born in Kentucky. When I first saw the age listed for Jane, I didn’t believe it. However, it is pretty clear. It could be 14. So Jane would have to be the grandmother or younger sister of Harriet. Another possibility is that Jane is the daughter of Harriet from a previous marriage. This records shows that Harriet did not bear Narcissa until her 30th year. At that “advanced” age, it is possible this is the second marriage for Harriet. Could Jane be Narcissa’s half sister?
The first census record I have found so far that shows this line of Amacks is the 1860 Indiana census. The records there show Tunis and Nancy A. Amack and their children lived in Center Township, Hancock County, Indiana. Tunis was about 49 years old at the time, which puts his birth at about 1811-1812. He was born in New Jersey. His wife Nancy A. (no maiden name given) was 47 years old and would have been born about 1813-1814. She was born in Indiana. Because of the dates of the first child’s birth, we can assume that Tunis and Nancy Amack were married sometime between 1829 and 1843. I have a copy of a marriage certificate between Tunis Amack and Nancy Ann Rader dated December 23, 1830. There are three children in the household, but unfortunately some of the names are hard to read. The first one is Elander Amack. She was 16 years old and so would have been born about 1844. The second child is Samuel. Samuel was 18 years old and would have been born about 1841-1842. The next child’s name is hard to read. At first I read it Faina E., or perhaps Fanus or Fanis. The name could be Francis. The name could even be Tunis, which is an Amack family name of the Theunis Janse van Amack line. If this Amack line is connected to Theunis Janse van Amack, the name Tunis would make sense. The middle initial E. could be Erastus, as I have seen some indication that an Erastus Amack of the same age lived may be connected to this family. (The 1870 census shows Erastus living next to Tunis and Samuel, see next page.) I will call this child Tunis Erastus for now. Tunis Erastus was 14 years old and would have been born about 1845 or 1846. The last child’s name is completely unreadable. It could be Amy or Mary. A Mary shows up in 1870, married to John Smith and living near Tunis. See the 1870 census information for more detail. She was a girl, age 11 and born about 1848-1849. No places of birth for the children are given, however, they were probably all born in Indiana, since Tunis and Nancy probably married in Indiana. Tunis Amack owned real estate worth $6,000 (the record is hard to read at this point) and personal property valued at $900 (again, hard to read).
Marcella remembers Darcie Amack saying of Nancy A. (Rader) Amack – she never laid a hand on him (Darcie) and he would do anything for her – she was sweet and tender.
Mabel Amack Dimmick writes in her 1931 letter:
“Grandfather Amack’s brothers were all preachers. He (Teunis) was an elder in the Methodist Church and often talked in the meetings when there was no regular preacher. His children were brought up in “the faith” but my father – Samuel Amack – never joined church or confessed religion until his 47th year when he united with the Quaker Church of Bethel, Liberty Township, Grant Co., Indiana.
Samuel Amack and Philip Matter were life long friends. They bought and shipped horses together for many years, until Mr. Matter became interested in the streetcar business as a greater money making possibility. Time proved his judgment correct. The one great passion of my father’s life was fine horses; he loved them so well he could scarcely stand to work them and kept them “rolling fat.” The measles, which father contracted in his 49th year left him a nervous and almost mental wreck, he sold the Amack farm in Liberty Township, near Marion, Ind. in 1898, and began an endless quest for health which he never regained, dying March 17, 1915, age 74; my mother lived 12 years after his death, passing on Dec. 22, 1927.
Samuel Amack had lived in Van Buren Township a number of years before he moved to the old home known as the Amack farm near Marion which he purchased of Willis Cammack.”
The Samuel Amack farm was located on Strawtown Pike – State Route 37 and 9 – five miles from Marion College (now Indiana Wesleyan). There was a white church on W. Branch Rd. and the farm was just before you got the church, coming from Marion. (from Lester Amack) Lester and Lois Amack and their children Lance David and Lois went with Libby to see the farm about 1981. Although the red brick house was still standing, there was no one living in it and nothing but a few old newspapers inside.
Lester Amack says Samuel and his family moved to El Dorado Springs in 1902, while he says Mabel Amack and Hugh Dimmick moved to Missouri about 1899. The family shows up in the 1900 census in El Dorado, MO.
Apparently Samuel Amack was not easy to get along
with, according to what Goldie Wise Amack told her daughter Marcella. Mabel Amack Dimmick also says that Samuel
Amack never liked his daughter-in-law or sons-in-law. At some point in her life, Goldie finally convinced Samuel to
like her, but we don’t know why, but after that point they got along just fine.
The 1870 Indiana census again shows the Amack family. This time, Tunis Amack is 59 years old, Nancy is 57 and the children no longer live in their parents’ house. However, the Samuel and his younger brother apparently live next to Tunis and Nancy as they are listed next to him in the records. Because early census records were done in person by traveling to each individual home, people who appear in the records next to each other may be living next to each other or in close proximity. This record shows that Nancy could not read nor write, but that all other members of the family could. Tunis was a farmer and owned $11,500 worth of real property and $2,200 worth of personal property. He also had a hired man who lived in the household. He was Peter Holland, age 42 and was a U.S. citizen although he was born in Ireland. Before the Tunis Amack record is a record for an Erastus Amack, and the name is clearly readable. This is where I come up with the Erastus for Tunis E. Erastus was 24 years old, making him the correct age to be Tunis and Nancy’s second son. This Erastus was married to Clara, who was 24 years old at the time, making her birthdate about 1845 or 1846. Clara was born in Ohio. They had a daughter, Pearl, who was one year old and probably born in 1869. Erastus was a farmer and owned real property worth $2,400 and personal property worth $400. After Tunis’ census record is the record for Samuel Amack, who was 28 at the time. He was then married to Narcissa Ray, who was born in Indiana, date as of yet unknown. They had one son, Wilbur D. who was one year old and probably born in 1869 in Indiana. Samuel owned real property worth $2,300 and personal property worth $500.
A note regarding the real and personal property owned by these Amacks. Since they are in the same township as the 1860 census when Tunis owned property and the sons were children, and then in 1870, all three own property, we may guess that Tunis divided his property and deeded portions to his sons. The other possibility is that Samuel and Tunis Erastus purchased or otherwise obtained property in the same general area. Lester Amack has told me that Samuel Amack homesteaded. Whether this property is the same homestead they Lester and his wife once visited is still in question.
Listed in the census record after Tunis, but before Samuel is a John Smith and his wife Mary. John Smith worked on a farm but did not own one, and the farm he worked on could have belonged to one of the Amacks. The wife Mary is the correct age to be the youngest child of Tunis and Nancy. I wonder John Smith worked on his father-in-law’s farm, and his wife Mary is in fact the youngest daughter.
Elander Amack was the fifth child of Tunis and Nancy Ann (Rader) Amack. She was born about March 14, 1845. She married Josiah Record and ended up living in Wayne County, Iowa, where she died at the young age of 32 on April 2, 1877. She had one child, Martha born about 1864. In 1870, she is found living with her husband Josiah and daughter Martha in Wayne County, Iowa, but no other records have yet been found. She may have born more children.
Listed as living in the same household as Josiah and Elander Record in 1870 are Samuel Dent, age 60, born in Virginia, his wife Annie, age 57, born in Ohio, and who I believe are their children James, age 23; Samuel, age 21; Addison L., age 13; and Sarah, age 11. The names Samuel and James of the sons may point to a family relationship between the Dent family and the Amacks, but no such relationship has been found to date.
Lily Amack was the eldest child of Samuel and Narcissa Amack. She was born prior to 1869. She married Alf Felton and moved to California. They had a son, Sammy, and a daughter, Irma. Sammy Felton was named for his grandfather and had an orchestra in San Francisco.
Wilbur eventually moved to California and became a minister. His descendants are still there, although I have not contacted them yet. Lester Amack has some correspondence that Wilbur wrote to Cora (Moulton) Amack and will send this to me. This may provide some insight into Wilbur, his family, and the mystery of why Darcie and Cora split up.
Darcie Arthur Amack was born April 8, 1876 on a farm near Van Buren, Marion, Grant County, Indiana to Samuel and Narcissa (Ray) Amack. He spent his childhood in the same area.
A few of the stories Darcie told his children about his younger years survive through his daughter Marcella. Darcie told Marcella that the Amacks owned a big place in Indiana and Darcie remember playing in the orchards and reading in the library. Darcie’s brother Wilbur owned a camera, even back then, and an Uncle of Darcie owned a newspaper in Indiana. We have been looking for an Amack that owned an Indiana newspaper, but have not had any luck yet. Darcie also told Marcella that the Amacks were involved in the Underground Railroad, and were possibly a stop along the way for runaway slaves. Finally, Darcie told Marcella they had an ancestor that was Lord Mayor of London. Again, this has not yet been verified.
Lester Amack tells that Darcie attended Marion College, which is now Indiana Wesleyan. Marion was a two-year college at the time.
Darcie was a regular member of the Fairmont Quaker Church, where Cora Moulton, his first wife, was also a member.
Darcie Amack married Cora Robbins Moulton June 1, 1898 in Bethel Quaker Church or possibly in a lady minister’s home, Marion, Grant County, Indiana. Cora was the daughter of William Moulton and Adelaide Robbins. She was born January 17, 1877 in Liberty Township, Indiana and died February 26, 1960 in Fairmount, Indiana. The marriage produced two children: Gwendolyn Amack born June 6, 1899 in Marion, Indiana and died May 21, 1979 in Marion, Indiana; and Lawrence Russell Amack, born January 16, 1903 in Marion, Indiana and died march 21, 1974 in Evanston, Illinois.
Nancy Shaffer Moulton (Molton), wife of William Moulton, was the daughter of John Shaffer of Gallatin County, Kentucky. She was born 4/30/1818 and died 9/8/1904 at the age of 86. Nancy was the mother of William Riley Moulton, born in eastern Kentucky in 1847, who was the father of Cora Moulton Amack. William Riley married Adelaide Robbins who was born in 1883 in N. Carolina. Her mother’s maiden name was Gibson. The Robbins lived in Arkansas and came from Carolina at the beginning of the Civil War. Gwen Amack Leaming, daughter of Darcie and Cora Moulton Amack remembers that at age 5, she stole a knitting needle from her great grandmother Nancy Moulton who knit her own stockings and then climbed a cherry tree. William Riley Moulton helped Cora raise Gwen and Lawrence, Darcie and Cora Moulton Amack’s children, after Darcie left the family.
About 1978, Marcella Salter found out that Darcie had been married once before marrying Goldie Wise. Several years earlier, while he was in New York visiting his son Lee, Lester Gwynn Amack had contacted Anita Amack Chamberlain, daughter of Melvin Amack, son of Darcie and Goldie. Lester wanted to know if Anita was descended from a man named Darcie Amack. Anita passed Lester to Howard, another of Darcie’s sons. Howard had never heard of a previous marriage and so told Lester that Darcie had only been married once and therefore, Lester could not be related to our Amack line. Later, Howard asked his mother about the possibility of a first marriage for Darcie, and Goldie finally told him that, yes, Darcie had been married previously. It wasn’t until several years later that June, Howard’s wife, told Marcella about the marriage. After Goldie passed away Easter morning, 1987, the story of Darcie’s first marriage finally, albeit slowly, came to light.
When Darcie wooed Goldie, he told her of his previous marriage. As one of the conditions to Goldie agreeing to marry Darcie, the couple agreed to never tell the children about this marriage and the children it produced, and to never speak of it again. Perhaps they thought it was a stain on Darcie’s reputation or the information would be hard for their children to deal with. We will never know their reasons.
Interestingly, there is a time when Darcie and Cora are not living together before the birth of the son. The son, Lawrence, was born in 1903 in Marion, Grant County, Indiana. But Darcie had already moved to Missouri with his parents. In the 1900 census, Darcie is shown living with his father, mother and brother, Wilbur, in Vernon County, Missouri. Darcie is listed as single, not divorced, widowed or married. Darcie received a diploma from Cooper College in 1901. Cooper College was located in Moundville, Vernon County, Missouri. We can speculate about the separation. It could be that after 1900, Darcie and Cora were already separated (or divorced). Or perhaps Darcie moved between Indiana and Missouri during this time. Lawrence’s family says Cora was just pregnant with Lawrence and living in Fairmount, Indiana with their daughter Gwendolyn when Darcie left for Missouri with his parents. There is no record of a divorce of Darcie and Cora and Marcella is not sure there was one.
1900 Vernon County, Missouri
By 1900, the Amack family shows up in the Vernon County, Missouri census. According to stories told to Marcella, Darcie had moved to Missouri with Hugh Dimmick after he married Mabel Amack. Hugh and Darcie, and possibly Samuel, bought a farm in Missouri, which they later lost, along with their savings. In Missouri, Darcie attended Cooper College and received his degree on April ??? 1901. Since the Cooper College program was a two-year program, Darcie must have been in Missouri at least by 1899.
The 1900 census records show the family lived in Deerfield Township, Vernon County, Missouri. Samuel Amack is listed as being born August 1841 in Indiana. According to the record, his father was born in New Jersey and his mother was born in Virginia. At the time, he had been married to Narcissa for 35 years, which puts their date of marriage at about 1865, not the 1868 that Lester Amack has in his records. However, the years married listed in the record could very well be wrong. His occupation is listed as farmer and the record shows he owned a farm, no mortgage. The farm schedule number is 205. Narcissa (Ray) Amack is shown as being born October 1849 in Indiana. According to the record, her father was born in Kentucky and her mother was born in Tennessee. Interestingly, Narcissa is shown as mothering four children, but we have records of only three: Wilbur, Mabel and Darcie. In the same household is Wilbur, listed as born June 1869, and “Dorsey” (spelled incorrectly) listed as born April 1987. Both Darcie and Wilbur are shown as single. However, we know that Darcie was married before. The option “divorced” was available to the census taker, but was not used. Wilbur’s occupation was farmer and Darcie’s occupation was farm laborer. There are no other members in this household and I have yet to find where Hugh and Mabel Dimmick were at this time, they do not show up in the same county.
Darcie married Goldie Barbara Wise about 1909 or 1910, in Underwood, Skamania County, Washington or White Salmon, Klickitat County, Washington.
Sometime prior to 1909-1910, Darcie had found his way to Kansas where he met George Wise, a bootlegger and father of Goldie. The story goes that George was born and raised in Kansas, but moved his family to Underwood, Washington about 1900 where they homesteaded. When Goldie’s mother, Anna, and her two brothers, Louis and Elmer, went back to Kansas for a short time, Darcie met one of the brothers, probably while working together. Later George followed his wife and sons and then met Darcie. George took Darcie back to the Washington homestead and Darcie wooed Goldie till she agreed to marry.
August George Wise, father of Goldie, homesteaded about 1900 in Skamania County, Washington. A land patent, document number 7556, for the 120 acres he purchased from the government is dated May 27, 1907. Since homesteads must be proved for seven years, the family must have moved to Washington from Kansas prior to May of 1900.
Darcie and Goldie moved around quite a bit. In August 1914 when Carl was born they were in Alsea, Oregon and lived in California for a short time around the same period.
The 1920 Missouri census shows Darcie and his family living in El Dorado Springs, Box Township, Cedar County, Missouri. The census record gives Darcie’s age as 42, but this is probably incorrect. According to his birth records, Darcie would have been about 44 years old at the time. Goldie was 29 years old. The children listed are Melvin, age 8; Arthur, age 7; Carl, age 6; Howard, age 2. Marcella had not been born yet. Darcie and Goldie owned a home on Main Street, free and clear of mortgage. Darcie’s occupation is listed as Engineer. We don’t know if he was a railroad engineer, or if he was an electrical engineer. The census record lists an industry, but it is hard to read. Narcissa (Ray) Amack lived with Darcie and his family. Apparently, Samuel had passed away by this time. Narcissa’s age is listed as 74. It says she was born in Indiana, her mother was born in Kentucky and her father was born in Indiana. Marcella (Amack) Salter remembers that Narcissa passed away about 1929.
The 1920 Missouri census shows that all the children of Darcie and Goldie were born in Missouri. However, we know this is not true. According to what Marcella remembers and a few other sources (none of which include birth or death certificates, yet), Melvin was born in Missouri, Arthur was born in Missouri, Carl was born in Alsea, Oregon, and Howard was born September 20, 1917 in Missouri. Marcella was born in 1924, in Helena, Missouri.
Darcie was granted a local preacher’s license with the Methodist Church, signed by the Cameron District, James Port, Missouri on January 6, 1926. When Marcella was three or four, they lived in Kansas City.
One Christmas in Kansas City Marcella got a tricycle and Howard got roller skates. Marcella would ride the trike and Howard would hold on to her shoulders and they would go in circles around the house through the entry, living room dining room….driving their mother crazy.
In the spring of 1930, the family moved to Keizer, Marion County, Oregon, where Marcella still makes her home today. They lived there for a year. Then they moved to Staton?, Oregon for six months beginning in January of 1931. After that the family moved to Silverton because Darcie had found work in a mill for a man named King. They lived there for two years. This was during the depression and King was not always able to pay Darcie his wages, so times were tough. About 1933, the family moved to Salem for three years, then Jefferson for a year and half, then Fall City for six months, all these cities being in Oregon. Finally, the family moved back to Salem and has been there ever since.
Darcie Arthur Amack passed away at 4:10 p.m. on February 7, 1950, at Salem General Hospital in Salem, Marion County, Oregon. An autopsy was performed and the cause of death was determined to be a rupture of his aorta. Howard Amack gave the information for the death certificate. Darcie Amack was buried on February 10, 1950 at City View Cemetery in Salem, Oregon.
Mabel Amack married Hugh Dimmick on February 9, 1895 in Grant County, Indiana. Mabel and Hugh had three children, Lois Laverne in 1897, Sam in 1900 and Violet in 1913. Violet married a man named short and had a daughter, Judith Sandra Short, who was born about 1939 or 1940. Marcella remembers that Judith Sandra Short was a dentist.
LAWRENCE
RUSSELL AMACK JR.
Lawrence Russell Amack Jr. lived in Seattle from 1947 until his death.
[1] The Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition Copyright 1993, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Inso Corporation.