Updates-November 2007

Sorry I have not posted in a couple of weeks on the Houseworth site...but the back still won't cooperate with the trip I planned to Waldo and Millwood....and the colors are fading fast. I have been ordered to walk, walk, walk, and not sit for too long a peroid...making the posting more difficult, you tend to lose consentration if you only sit for a short while...

Anyway I'm making way too much over this....did want to post a couple of things however...one is a photo of "Houseworth Lake" in Tasco, Kansas, Tasko is a tiny little berg in north central Kansas, north of I-70 and Salina.....I stopped by on a RV delivery to Denver a few years back....nobody seemed to know exactly what I was talking about....and no Houseworths live there today....the photo was taken sometime around 1920 by the looks of the cars....I just wonder which Houseworth owned the property?

Am also sending a e-mail I got from a Houseworth Cousin back in 2000...John Flick was 82 then, last I heard from him was a couple of years ago...when he was 85, if still kicking John would be close to 90 now......his letter seems pretty clear and concise concerning the Houseworth lines....but as any of you know....check your facts, and check them again.

pat

Gilman Houseworth Civil War Documents

Gilman Houseworth lived, for lack of better words, an interesting life....he served and was wounded at Chickamauga during the Civil War. Later back in Ohio he was tried and acquitted of being involved in a bar room murder at Waldo....he managed to survive the death of his first wife, married again, settled down in Kenton, Ohio, died and was survived by his second wife and a handful of kids.

Enclosed in this post are about 15 documents pertaining to Gilman concerning his Civil War service, and papers work his wife filed after his death. Some may be hard to read, but you can get the gist of it.

Millwood and Waldo

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe Descendants of Israel Houseworth, for the most part, have remained in small mid western towns and villages, and it's been that way since Israel and Catherine pulled up stakes and began their movements westward.

After Bucks County(Israel's birthplace), they headed for Bedford County, PA, then Wayne County, Ohio, on to Millwood(which Israel is reported to have started), Ohio, Delaware County, then Waldo, Ohio, where Israel made is final stand.

After that, the children of the Solomon and Frederick Houseworth clans moved on to Kenton, Prospect, Roundhead, Lima, and other small towns north and west of Waldo, as well as the town of Scott and Blue Creek Township in Paulding County. where my Great Grandparents, Nelson and Mary Ann saw their lives reach the finish line.

I was going to head over to Millwood(it's been about 5 years) to take some fall foliage photos and see if the little berg has changed, but a tossed back has put that on hold until sometime next week.....the colors(with the late fall) should be at or near their peak next week, so hopefully will take a day and head 150 miles east...then will stop at G&Rs in Waldo on the way back for a famous Bologna Sandwich and beer......the town's claim to fame.....hopefully will be able to post some new photos on this blog, before getting back into the family and more documents.

{photos from the fall of 2000...Millwood, Owl Creek, where John Haun and Israel built the first Grist Mill, and G&R Tavern in Waldo, home of the world famous(not kidding, they have been on A & E and other channels) Bologna Sandwiches.....don't think store bought packaged meats}

pat

Nelson/Mary Ann Children Part 2

Elmer Marion Houseworth(1872-1943)

Elmer in some records as Marion E. Houseworth, he was the youngest of the children born in the Waldo area. The family picked up and moved to Blue Creek Township shortly after Elmer was born....the children of my grandfather Sam, called Elmer "Uncle Doc" , and that is what the back of the post card(pictured) shows. He also was listed as "Main" Houseworth in census records...referring to Head of Household.

Elmer was married one time, in 1905 he married Rosa McMillian in Paulding, Ohio. By the time he is listed in the Fort Wayne City Directory in 1910, he was listed as single. Elmer Marion Houseworth worked as a bartender in the Summit City, then spent the last 20 years of his life working for the Parks Department of Ft. Wayne. Elmer was born February 15, 1872, in Waldo, Ohio, and died at the home of his sister Cora Stookey on February 23, 1943, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, he had just turned 71....he had no known children.

Mary Josephine Houseworth(1873-1933)

Mary J. Houseworth was the first child of Nelson and Mary Ann to be born in Paulding County. She married Elmer Siniff of Rockford, Ohio(Mercer County), on November 11, 1891, in Paulding. They had one son, Clifford Siniff, who was born in Paulding on April 5, 1897.

Clifford was the Allen County, Indiana, Road Superintendent for many years, he had a daughter named Beverly Ann.

Mary J. Houseworth was born on November 18, 1873, in Waldo....she died on February 23, 1933(exactly 10 years before her brother Elmer), in Fort Wayne. Her husband Elmer Siniff was born May 20, 1867, and died in Fort Wayne, on June 21, 1931.

William Nelson Houseworth(1875-1879)

William is the only one of the children of Nelson and Mary Ann Houseworth to not live past childhood. He was born in Blue Creek Township on December 12, 1875, he contracted Scarlet Fever and died at the ago of 3 on February 3, 1879. He is buried in an unmarked grave at the Blue Creek Cemetery.

Alva Newton Houseworth(1880-1922)

Alva was the youngest of the children, he was born in Blue Creek Township, Paulding County, He was living with his mother Mary Ann when she tried unsuccessfully to get a widow's Civil War pension from the government...he is mentioned in those documents. Alva was living in Prospect, Ohio, with his brother John when he suffered a stroke in early 1922. He was moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to stay with his sisters Cora and Mary Jo, he apparently suffered another stroke and died on January 20, 1922. Alva was 41 years old when he died, and his buried in the Lindenwood Cemetery in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

He, in records I found later in my research, was listed as divorced from Minnie Brown Houseworth at Richwood, in Union County, Ohio, in 1909....in his obit from the Fort Wayne Newspapers a daughter, Rosella, was listed as living in Columbus, Ohio.

Samuel Lawernce Houseworth(1877-1928)

My Grandfather Sam Houseworth was the 10th of 11 children born to Nelson and Mary Ann Houseworth, he also was born in Blue Creek Township, on December 4, 1877. He married Wilda Waldron in Van Wert, Ohio, on September 26, 1906. Wilda was the daughter of William and Amanda Nungester Waldron and one of 6 children, 4 daughters and 2 sons.

Samuel L. Houseworth passed away as a single man on September 19, 1928, he died of Liver Cancer and was 50 years old.

The Story of Sam and Wilda continues in the next chapter.

{photos...Elmer Houseworth on chair...death certificate of Sam Houseworth...Sam with some fish taken about 1920}

The Children of Nelson and Mary Ann Houseworth

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My Grandfather Samuel L. Houseworth was the 10th of 11 children born to my Great-Grandparents Nelson and Mary Ann.....the oldest 7 were born in the Waldo/Delaware County area, the other 4, including Sam, were born in Blue Creek Township, Paulding County, Ohio.

Alonzo Houseworth 5/1/1860-5/6/1912

Alonzo was the oldest of the 11 kids. "Lonnie" as he was known by his nieces and nephews was 12 years old when the family moved to Paulding County. He was married twice, first to Dora Offill on 3/14/1886 in Paulding. They had a daughter named Daisy Viola born on June 12, 1887. Alonzo and Dora divorced, and Dora and her daughter move to Los Angeles, CA, around 1900. Daisy married a man named Willard Windsor Taylor who also was from Ohio.....they lived in Sandusky, Ohio, Osborne, Kansas, and Los Angeles, they were divorced in 1929. William died in California in 1949, Daisy died in May 1967 in LA. Not sure when Dora died, but she was still alive in California in 1941.

Alonzo married Eleanor Mealey in 1904, the had 4 children, all born in Paulding County: Hazel(1905-before 1987), Gertrude Pearl (5/8/1907-before 1987), Samuel Marion (10-31-1909-9-20-1987), and Della(1912-8-30-1912). Della was born 2 months before Alonzo died, and was only 6 months old when she passed away.

Rita Houseworth(1862-before 1922)

Rita was listed a Guerila in many of the documents of the day. She is the only one of the 11 children that I do not have a date or location of death. Rita married a man named Michael Follmer in Paulding County, on July 3, 1881. Rita and Follmer had at least 3 children, two of which were named after their grandparent Houseworths...Nelson(11/14/1887) was born just 11 days after his like named grandfather. Mary Ann was born December 12, 1882, and then Sarah was born on March 4, 1886. The family apparently moved from Blue Creek and Paulding County to parts unknown by me....I have no further information at this time.

John E. Houseworth(1864-1951)

John seemed to have the typical Houseworth "wanderlust" and is tracked moving several times between Marion County, Ohio, and Paudling County. He ended up in Prospect, Ohio, which is located about 15 miles east of Waldo. I find a women named Bertha Houseworth listed on his death record, and one son named Joseph, who was born in Paulding County in February 1891. There are several Houseworths still living in the Prospect area.

John died on April 4, 1951, in the Marion, Ohio Hospital, and is buried in the Prospect Cemetery, he was 87 years old.

Elva Minerva Houseworth(1866-1945)

I have collected a rather large folder on Elva and her family. Information that I have received from her GG-Grandaughter Pam Swiler in Michigan. Elva married Henry Elmer Mumy in Paulding County on 2-21-1888. The family moved to the Centerville, Michigan, area sometime after the turn of the century.

The couple had 4 children, two which died at a young age....they are buried near their parents in Blue Creek Cemetery. Arley(1892-1907) was killed by a train when he and his team of horses where hit near Defiance, Ohio. Goldie(1899-1900), died in infancy. Oral(1891-before 1966) and Mary Francis Mumy(1886-1956) married her cousin Clyde Blank. Most of this family resides in Michigan, Elva and Henry were great Aunt and Uncle of Billy Mumy, the child actor who played in multiple movies and starred in the TV show "Lost in Space".

More photos and family information on this line will be included later in this writing/blog.

Cora Houseworth(1868-1947)

Cora was born in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1868. She was married 3 times, but only had children with her first husband Mac(or McDonald) Stookey. The couple moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and living in Blue Creek Township, and Kokomo, Indiana, before settling in Ft Wayne.

Children of Cora and Mac Stookey:

Hazel Stookey Thompson born Paulding County 1890 died Detroit, MI, April 1974.

Oles Stookey born Paulding Co. 8-31-1891 died Detroit in September 1969

Fred Stookey born Paudling Co. 1-19-1893 died Fort Wayne on 1-24-1962

Bessie Stookey Niggemeyer born in Kokomo, IN in 1897 died in Fort Wayne on 12-13-1918

Hazel and Oles both ended up in the Detroit area, and that is where Cora died on December 2, 1947. Mac Stookey was born in Allen County, Ohio, on 1-5-1866, he died in Fort Wayne on February 9, 1923.

Cora was also married to Charles Gooding on 12-23-1923, after he passed away she married a man named Oscar Westfall on 6-24-1936. Cora was again a widow at the time of her death, she is buried in Fort Wayne at the Lindenwood Cemetery along side her brothers Sam and Elmer.

I have much more information on Cora and her children. Cora stayed close to my Grandmother Wilda Waldron Houseworth, even after Wilda and Sam's divorce.

Hazel Thompson had a adopted daughter Roberta(1913-2000), she also lost 2 children when they were young...a son who was stillborn, and an infant daughter. Oles had a son named Gerald(1919-1980). Fred Stookey was a cement contractor in Ft Wayne. Fred was married twice, his first wife was Mary Oth(1896-1935), after she passed away, he married Hazel Bauer in 1936. Fred and his wives had a total of 9 children, the youngest Bessie Stookey Niggemeyer is the grandmother of Bessie Okray, who supplied me with the family Bible information and oldest photos of the family. Bessie Stookey married Frank Niggemeyer(1890-1973) from Athens, Ohio. The couple had 3 children, Elmer(father of Bessie Okray) 1914-1998, Deline and Core Etta, who died in 1918 as an infant. Bessie Niggemeyer died shortly after the death of her daughter in 1918, she was 21{this was at the same time as the great Spanish Flu outbreak}

Della Houseworth(1870-1952)

Della was born in Waldo, Ohio, on March 6, 1870. She married a man named Charles David Cosart in Paulding County on September 11, 1886. The couple moved to Lima, Ohio, in Allen County. Several Cosart families live in the area today. I do not have a list of children of Della and Charles Cosart, but do suspect they had children.

Charles died in Lima on 4-25-1933, Della was the last of the children of Mary Ann and Nelson to pass away, she died in Lima on September 14, 1952.

THE REST OF THE CHILDREN WILL BE LISTED IN THE NEXT POSTING.

{photos....the children of Nelson and Mary Ann Houseworth around 1900...Cora Houseworth Stookey and Wilda Waldron Houseworth(my Grandmother) about 1900}

Nelson and Mary Ann move to Paulding County

Nelson S. and Mary Ann Houseworth, first cousins they were, married on July 12, 1859, in Delaware, Ohio. Much of my early research failed to find a maiden name for Mary Ann. After a trip to the Delaware County Public Library in 1999 I discovered the reason may have been because their last names were indeed the same....Houseworth. I believe that Mary Ann's last name was omitted because of confusion by authorities or family embarrassment(although cousin marriages, even first cousins, were more common back in the day). The wedding photos/portraits posted earlier in this blog were sent to me by a cousin Bessie Okray, a descendant of Cora, one of the children of Mary Ann and Nelson.

Mary Ann and Nelson and the 7 children born in Waldo moved to Blue Creek Township, Paulding County, Ohio, in late 1872....4 more children(including my Grandfather Sam) were born in Paulding County over the next 8 years.

opinion

_______"I believe that Nelson and several other Houseworth family and Felkey cousins moved to southern Paulding County because the Great Black Swamp was being cleared and they saw the opportunity for cheap land and new jobs. The family settle in Blue Creek Township, where the 4 youngest children were born.

Nelson contracted Typhoid Fever and died in the long since gone town of Follmer in November of 1887. One of the Houseworth daughters married a my by the name of Michael Follmer, thousands of small "towns" spotted the rural landscape back then, named after the families that settled them....the location of Follmer was just north of present day Haviland and is nothing more than acres of farm land in Blue Creek Township today.

Nelson is buried in the Blue Creek Township Cemetery(stone posted earlier), records also indicate that William(died age 3), and oldest son Alonzo are also buried there. I have no stone however for either of those sons. Mary Ann was living in the nearby town of Tipton in June 1896....she passed away that September, but I have no official death or burial records.

Blue Creek Township is located along the northern border of Van Wert County in south central Paulding County....it is located on the southern edge of the Great Black Swamp. In the 1800s when the was being cleared and drained, Blue Creek and Paulding were indeed harsh, wet and mosquito invested environments...it is possible that 50 year old Nelson Houseworth died from the Typhoid caused in full or in part by that very environment, however, we will never know(in all my research I have never found Nelson's middle name, only the S...Solomon was common and his Grandfather's name...possible?)

For excellent information on the Great Black Swamp go to:

http://users.ipfw.edu/zeppp/Nature/swamp.html

{photos:Entrance to Great Black Swamp Center in Paulding, Ohio, (L) Much of the swamp looks like this rich farmland in Paulding County today(R) Location map of the Great Black Swamp}.

Maish Houseworth(1846-1944)

Maish Houseworth, at least that's what his gravestone( previous post) in the Waldo Town Cemetery says.....we have come to know his as George, Solomon B., Salmaches, Frosty, and maybe a few others.....he was the son of George and Elizabeth.

Maish tried to join the OVI during the early days of the Civil War....he was found to be only 15 and was sent packing home....he later joined at the ripe old and legal age of 18.

From the History of Waldo 1976..........

"Everett B. Grisby recalls some of the following Civil War veterans: Abijah W. Sweetbond, Jerry Elmaker, Maish Houseworth(Frosty), and a Mr. Hayes, who told of many interesting stories of his experiences, movements, and actions in the war.

Leo F. Groll recalls a little short fellow by the name of Maish Houseworth, who was nicknamed "Frosty" . He claimed he lied about his age to join up. When asked if he got to carry a gun in any battles or skirmishes, he said the he did not because about the first time he marched after he was furnished a rifle, he almost shot the soldier's ear off behind him. He said they made a Drummer Boy out of him after that and he didn't get to carry a guy again".

For more information on Maish and the other Waldo Houseworths in the 26th OVI go to the 26th OVI History site at:

http://www.geocities.com/ovi26th/index.html

Maish also was a witness at the trial of Enoch Young(a Houseworth brother-in-law by marriage) in the murder of Israel Bensley in 1880.

Maish lived in Waldo until his death in 1944....after the death of his wife, Maish it is told became quite the celebraity in the town, the women of the town would fix him cakes, pies, and meals....and Maish would tell his "war stories" whenever someone would ask....

George Houseworth and Family

George Houseworth(1818-Unknown)

George was the youngest of the Houseworth sons of Solomon and Melinda Houseworth. George married a sister of Ursula Scribner Houseworth, her name was Elizabeth. The couple was married in Delaware County, on January 8, 1837. Elizabeth was born about 1818 and was called Betsy, I have no death location or dates of same on either George or Elizabeth, they did live in Waldo for a time, and a son Maish Houseworth is buried in the Waldo Cemetery.

The Children of George and Elizabeth Houseworth

Jacob Houseworth born 1838-died unknown

Ann Houseworth born 1843-died unknown

Solomon B. (Maish) Houseworth born 1846-died Waldo, Ohio, 1944

Maish lived a long an interesting life in Waldo. He is mentioned in both the "History of Marion County" and the "Bicentennial Celebration of Waldo, Ohio, July 23-24, 1976"

Maish enlisted in the Union Army early in the Civil War but was discovered to be only 15 and was booted out because of being under age. He later re-joined at the age of 18 and ended up being a drummer because of his lack of size...he is told to have been 5' 1" tall. He lived in Waldo his entire life, except for his war years, and was one of the witnesses at the trial of Enoch Young

for the murder of Israel Bensley in 1880.

{the next chapter in it's entirety about Maish Houseworth}

Maish married Mary Jane Selander in Waldo and the are buried next to each other in the Waldo Cemetery. Together they had 7 children, but only 3 lived past infancy.

George and Elizabeth children(Continued)

William Houseworth born 1851 died 3/22/1917 in Marion, Ohio

George Houseworth Jr born 1854 died 6/1/1925 in Columbus, Ohio

Ebenezer Houseworth born 1857 died unknown

I have not located any members of this family, but believe some live in the Prospect and Marion areas today.

Mary Ann's Siblings(cont)

Here is a look at the rest of the brothers and sisters of my Great-Grandmother, Mary Ann Houseworth.

Elizabeth "Libby" Houseworth(1846-1923)

Libby was born in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1846, she married Sam Patton on August 29, 1868, in Waldo. This family moved to Michigan sometime after 1871....Libby lived in Michigan until her death on November 1, 1923. Samuel Patton was born in Marion County, Ohio, on July 19, 1844, he died in Gratiot County, Michigan, on May 25, 1928.

This couple had the following children:

Cora Bell born 1869 in Marion County, Ohio. died 1947 in Michigan

Catherine born 1871 in Marion, County, died 1960 in Michigan

Johnny Patton born 1877 in Michigan, died 2/8/1879 in Carson City, MI

Henry Patton born 1878 in Michigan, died at one day of age, Carson City

William Patton born 2/10/1879 in Carson City, MI, died 1966 in Michigan

Tim Patton born 2/10/1879(twin of William) died on July 4, 1974 in Carson City.

John P. Houseworth(1848-1932)

John Houseworth married Emma Jones in Waldo, they had the following Children:

Flora, Effie, Jay and Ben Houseworth

Maria Houseworth (1857-post 1885)

Maria was married at least twice. First to the infamous Enoch Young(of the Murder in Waldo fame), with whom she had two children, Perry and Daisy Young. After Enoch went to prison for murder in the Israel Bensley, she eventually married Al Anderson, with whom she had four additional children. Jeff Anderson is one, the other 3 I do not have names or dates of. Maria was alive in 1885 when the photo with siblings was taken in Payne, Ohio....I do not know what happened to her after that....however, I do know that Perry Young was killed about 1915 by a train in the city of Kenton.

Frances Houseworth(1863-past 1885)

Frances married Charlie Roads. This family, like many of the other children and relatives of Frederick and Solomon Houseworth moved to Paulding County, Ohio, in the 1870s. The following are the known children of Frances and Charlie.

Blanch, Eve, Fern, Zeff(?) and Cecil...the first 2 were born in Marion County, the youngest 3 in Paulding County.

Amanda Louise Houseworth(1864-1938)

The youngest of Fred and Ursula's children was born in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1864, she died in Marion County, in 1938. Amanda married William C. Luellen on July 2, 1882, in Waldo, Ohio.

William and Amanda Luellen had 2 known children:

Infant Luellen-no other know information(this usually means the child died at or near birth).

Mabel Jane Luellen born in Waldo on 9/14/1904...if this is correct, it means Amanda starter her family late in life, about the age of 40...which may be correct, but does not seem probable for those times.

Mable Luellen and her husband Edwin Jacoby(also born in Waldo) had a son named John Jacoby, who moved his family to Southern California, when members of the family reside today.

{photos..top..Emma Jones Houseworth(middle) and her daughters with John P. }Houseworth, Effie Houseworth Smith(l) and Flora Houseworth Miller(r)...larger sized photo..Mildred Houseworth Myers, John Presley Houseworth holding Edmund E. Myers and Ben C. Houseworth}...thanks to John and Emma decendant Mike Hall for information and photos of the John Presley Houseworth family.

Henry Houseworth and the Battle of Chickamauga

Henry Houseworth(1845-1863)

Henry was 17 when he joined the Union Army at Columbus, Ohio, in 1862. Henry, like his brother Gilman, and several cousins, served with the 26th Ohio Volunteer Army, Company C. This unit was quite active in the Civil War and fought in West Virginia, Kentucky[where is took part in the siege of Corinth and the Battles of Perryville and Stone River, where it lost 1/3 of it's troops], and the infamous Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, where Henry went missing. For excellent reading I recommend the book.

"This Terrible Sound" The Battle of Chickamauga, by Peter Cozzens.

The History of Delaware County(Ohio) 1880 documents the battle and the death of Henry.

The major battle of Chickamauga took place on September 19 and 20, 1863, and was the only major defeat suffered by the Union Army.

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FROM MY FORTHCOMING BOOK.....A Murder in Waldo by Patrick R. Houseworth.

Viniard Field

Chickamauga, Georgia

3PM

September 19, 1863

As 20 year old Gilman Houseworth lay in the scrub grass about a hundred yards of so away from the woods to the north, he hoped to catch a glimpse of younger brother Henry, or at least catch a breeze as relief from the heat and humidity. The north Georgia day had dawned damp and cool on the Lookout Mountains, but it had become hot and humid as the day and the fighting had progressed. The air hung heavy with the smell of gunpowder and death.

18 year old Gilman with nothing going on in the small berg of Waldo, Ohio, had made the trip down to Columbus in June 1861, along with him went his 15 year old cousin, Maish Houseworth, they had decided to see what the Ohio Voluntary Infantry had to offer. Both boys signed up with the men of the Ohio 26th OVI. It didn't take long for the officers in charge to figure out that the diminutive Maish(who signed up under his dad George's name) was nowhere near the required 17 years of age. After a week, Maish was sent packing back to Waldo.

Meanwhile Gilman was assigned to Company C, where most of the men and boys were from Morrow County, Gilman's childhood home county.

Back at Chickamauga, the battles had been hot and heavy with the Johnny Rebs, but Gilman had kept his head low and the rifle clean, he had the skill and luck to avoid the death, disease, and illness that plagued the armies of the Unionn and the Confederacy. That was all about to come to and end on the Chickamauga Battlefield on a hot September weekend in the year of our lord 1863.

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Gilman would survive the battle, with a head wound, Henry would not be seen again.

For more on the 26th OVI Company C go to this excellent website:

http://www.geocities.com/ovi26th.

[photos...I took these at the Viniard Field battle site on a wet February day in 2004. This is where the men of the OVI Company C fought and died at this southwest corner location...the stone is a tribute to the men of the OVI.

Mary Ann's Siblings

Quite the cast of charaters were the Houseworth men...stuff that would make for a good old fashion "Soap Oprea" in the world of yesteryear....war heros, bar room battles, and stuff that makes me wonder just what the Hell is in my genes.

Here we go........the sisters and brothers of my Great Grandmother Houseworth/Houseworlth

Gilman Houseworth(1843-1915)

Gilman was born in Delaware, Ohio, on April 17, 1843, he died in Kenton, Ohio, on April 11. 1915, six days shy of his 72nd birthday. Gilman is buried in the Grove Cemetery, on Kenton's west side.

Gilman was married twice. His wives were Mary Minerva Ward and Sarah Elizabeth Sheldon. Mary Minerva died January 22, 1877, the couple had the following 7 children.

Aca Landon Houseworth 1866-1950

Emma Houseworth 1868-unknown

William Houseworth 1869-unk(before 1915)

Laura Houseworth 1871-unknown

Lawrence Houseworth 1873-unknown

Frederick Houseworth 1876(February)-unknown

John Houseworth 1876(December)-unk(before 1915)

Mary M. Houseworth died of "Child bed fever" after the birth of John. I assume of complications from the birth of John, the month prior. Gilman married Sarah Elizabeth(Lizzie) Shelton on July 24, 1882 in Marion County. Lizzie was born in 1859 and died June 25, 1927, in Kenton...she is buried next to Gilman.

The had one child together:

Pearl Houseworth birth and death dates unknown

Gilman was a Civil War veteran, and I have his complete pension records in my records(I will post all this type information at the end of this blog, meaning it will be listed first). His pension claims he was wounded in the head at Chickamauga, Georgia, in September 1863(the same battle that saw his brother Henry lose his life).

In between marriages Gilman became quite infamous in the town of Waldo. On February 25, 1880, Gilman and his brother-in-law Enoch Young(husband of Maria Houseworth) were charged with stabbing and killing of one Israel Bensley of Waldo in the aftermath of a bar fight, in which according to newspaper articles, was not involved in.

Young was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, he was later pardoned by Governor(and future President) William McKinley. Gilman took a change of venue to Hardin County(Kenton) and was eventually aquitted.

Newspapers articles will be included at the end of this blog.

[document...The History of Marion County 1883]

Mary Ann Houseworth(1841-1896)

My Great-Grandmother, Mary Ann Houseworth married her cousin Nelson S. Houseworth, the son of Solomon and Melinda. Solomon was the oldest brother of Frederick. Mary Ann spent the last months of her life trying to get a small ($10 a month) Civil War Pension from the Government, for herself and her youngest son Alva Newton Houseworth. Those efforts failed and she passed away a short time later.

Mary Ann was born in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1841, she died on September 8, 1896. Her last known residence was Tipton, Ohio, located in Paulding County. I do not however, have an exact location of her death.

[photo/document...Mary Ann on her wedding day, July 12, 1859. Pension request by Mary Ann, 1896.]

The Children of Fred and Ursula Houseworth

All 14 known children were born in the Waldo Area(as best as my research tells me).

Twin Boy Houseworths born 1839 died 1839

Nancy Houseworth born 1840 died 8-30-1856

Mary Ann Houseworth born 1841 died 9-8-1896

I have not found my Great-Grandmother's Death Records in Paulding County. She was living in Tipton, Blue Creek Township as late as June 1896...that was 3 months before her death. I am not positive of the exact location of her death.

Gilman Houseworth born 4-17-1843 died 4-11-1915 @ Kenton, Ohio

Henry Houseworth born 1845 died 9-18-1863 @ Chickamauga, Georgia

Henry was killed in the "Battle of Chickamauga" in north Georgia on the weekend of September 18, 1863(Gilman was wounded there)...one of the most bloody battles of the Civil War

Elizabeth Houseworth born 12-14-1846 died 11-1-1923 in Michigan

John W Houseworth born 1848 died 1932 in Waldo, Ohio

Andrew Houseworth born 1850 died 10-10-1870 near Waldo

Andrew died in an accident resulting from a fall near Waldo. Her is buried along side his mother and older brother John in the Waldo Cemetery.

Harmon Houseworth born 1853 died 6-1-1853

Sarah Houseworth born 1854 died 5-2-1854

Maria Houseworth born 1857 died Unknown

Frances Houseworth born 1863 died Unknown

Amanda Houseworth born 1864 died 1938 in Marion County, Ohio

Many of the Houseworth men served with the Union Army in the Civil War between the States....the 26th Ohio Volunteer Army was the home and final address for serveral...for more information on the Houseworth men and the unit itself....go to this excellent website...you will find information provided by me and others concerning the Houseworth cousins who served in this unit....a great look at the Civil War Veterans of ours and other Ohio families:

http://www.geocities.com/ovi26th/index.html

[photo: Surviving children of Fred and Urusla Houseworth...taken in Payne, Ohio( Paulding County) about 1885....left to right...bottom Mary Ann(1841-1896), John W.(1848-1932), Maria Houseworth Young/Anderson(1857-?), Top, Elizabeth Houseworth Patton(1846-1923), Gilman(1844-1915), Frances Roads(1863-?), Amanda Luellen(1864-1938)]

prh

Frederick Houseworth/Ursula Scribner Houseworth

Frederick Houseworth born Bucks County, PA 1814-Died Morrow County, Ohio(about) 1865.

Frederick Houseworth is my "other" Great-Great Grandfather Houseworth. If descended from Nelson and Mary Ann Houseworth, both Fred and Solomon Houseworth are your Great Grandfathers of varying numbers of Great.

Fred was the second of three Houseworth sons born to Israel and Catherine Houseworth.

Frederick Houseworth marries Ursula Jane Scribner @ Delaware, Ohio, January 7, 1839.

It is very possible that Ursula is descended from John Alden who arrived in America on the "Mayflower"....another cousin Bertrand MacPherson of Lima, Ohio, has been doing research on this family. He is descended from a sister of Ursula....another sister, Elizabeth Scribner married Frederick and Solomon's brother George Houseworth.

Fred and Ursual and at least 14 children, although many did not live past early childhood. My Great Grandmother Mary Ann Houseworth was one of the older children, and the eldest to make it to adulthood. It is believed that Fred died about 1865 in Morrow County(near the Marion-Delaware County lines). Ursula lived in Waldo where she owned several tracts of land, including the one that currently occupies the local town park. Ursula died March 26, 1882, and is buried in a grave between two sons, John and Andrew, in the Waldo Cemetery.

[photos...grave of Ursula(center) in the Waldo Cemetery....sons Andrew(left) and John(right) are buried next to her.....second is Waldo plotted in 1878...the tracts of land circled are listed as owned by Mrs. O. Houseworth....Ursula's name is sometimes documented as Orcilla Houseworth.]

Nelson Houseworth Siblings

My Great-Grandfather Nelson S. Houseworth had at least 5 brothers and sisters(not counting the children of his mother Melinda by a previous marriage). Here they are and what little I know about each:

Delilah Houseworth
born 1841 died unknown

Delilah is the one child of Solomon and Melinda that I have no further records of. She may have died young, went by a different first name or other. No marriage or death records have been located.

Jacob Houseworth
born 1843 died about 1893

Jacob moved to Paulding County about the same time as Nelson and Mary Ann. He is listed as having a daughter name Almira who lived with the widow Felkey(wife of Christopher). Almira was born in 1867.

Jacob married Loretta Davis in Marion County in 1872, shortly before the move to Blue Creek Township in Paulding County. Jacob and Loretta had the following children all who were born in Blue Creek: Elnora(1873), Wesley(1875), Elizabeth(1877), Rosa(1879), and Joseph(1891).

Elizabeth was married in Van Wert, Ohio, in 1893, her marriage license was signed by Loretta, with Jacob being listed as "Dead" on the document. After Jacob died(between 1891-1893), Loretta married twice more, once in Van Wert County, and once in Paulding.

Parthena Houseworth
1845-1883

Parthena Houseworth married Sidney Felkey(the Houseworth and Felkey families have several marriages between family members) on November 14, 1865. When Nelson moved to Paulding County two of the Felkey families did as well. Sidney and Parthena were among those that did. Sidney was in the Civil War with the 96th OVI out of Delaware County. Sidney died of war related health problems on June 9, 1869 and is buried in the Ashley Cemetery in Delaware County.

Parthena had one child, a son named Crawford, Crawford had an illness or handicap and died in Putnam County, Ohio, at the age of 27 on January 21, 1896. Crawford was less than a year old when his father Sidney passed away in June of 1869.

Parthena moved back to the tri-county(Delaware, Marion, and Morrow)area and married a man named George Zent in Morrow County on March 14, 1873. No other children are listed and she died on May 17, 1883. Crawford meanwhile lived with his aunt Nancy Felke Nichols in Putnam County...he was institutionalized in the Putnam County Infirmary when he died @ 27.

I have the pension records for Sidney, when funds were sought for Crawford after his parents deaths....the pension was denied. My guess is that's why he ended up in and institution.

Edward Houseworth
1847-1910

Edward was the fifth child born to Solomon and Melinda. He married Teresa Coleman in Delaware County, Ohio. They had at least one son, his name was Presley who was born on November 23, 1871. Presley had a son named Vern, who died as a solider during the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918. Teresa died in 1917. There are descendants still around today, members of this family line still live in Delaware County today.

Melina Houseworth
1849-?

Melina was the youngest of the children of Solomon and Melinda. She married Civil War veteran James P. Brynds in Delaware County in 1868. Records show at least 7 children to this couple, the oldest 2 were born in Delaware and the rest in Paulding County, Blue Creek Township.

This family left Ohio after the birth of the youngest child(1883) and moved first to Missouri then on to Cherokee County, Kansas. James Brynds died in 1894 in Kansas, Melina died sometime after, but before 1900.

The Children of James and Melina Houseworth Brynds:

Emma born 1869-Delaware County, Ohio
Ella born 1871-Delaware County, Ohio

The rest were born in Blue Creek Township, Paulding County, Ohio

Nancy 1872
Mary 1875
Twins Ora(boy) and Nora(girl) born Christmas Day 1880
Edward J on April 14, 1883.

Nora died in 1882 in Paulding County...the family left Blue Creek and moved to Missouri after the birth of Edward...Edward J. Brynds died in Kansas on August 26, 1946....there are Brynds still living in Cherokee County today.

Nelson S. Houseworth 1837-1887

Nelson Houseworth, the eldest child of Solomon and Melinda(who had 7 children by a previous marriage) was born in 1837 in Delaware County, Ohio. Making it easier to trace my family through the mid and later 1800s was the fact that Nelson married his cousin(first one no less) Mary Ann Houseworth on July 12, 1859. I was rather surprised, but as I got more into genealogy research, I came to find out this was not an uncommon practice back in the day.

Nelson served with the 186th Ohio Volunteer Infantry for a brief time during the Civil War. His service record is disputed and documented later in these writings...his war record none-the-less was suspicious to me(I do have his and other Houseworth military Civil War records).

After his service Nelson returned to Mary Ann and lived in the Waldo area of southern Marion County, Ohio. The couple had 11 children, 7 born in Waldo and the others in Blue Creek Township, Paulding County, Ohio.

Nelson, Mary Ann, and the families of his brother Jacob, along with the cousin families of Crawford and Sidney Felkey moved to Paulding County in late 1872. Blue Creek Township located on the southern tip of the county was then on the south edge of the "Great Black Swamp", Nelson lived out his remaining years and died of typhoid fever at the age of 50 on November 3, 1887. He is buried with a Civil War veteran grave stone in Blue Creek Township Cemetery.

[photos: OVI Enlistment of Nelson Houseworth February 1865/ Grave at Blue Creek Township Cemetery, Paulding County, Ohio/ Only known photo of Nelson, taken on his wedding day July 12, 1859.

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Houseworth Delaware County Marriages

Unlike the Houseworth daughters who were married in Knox County, the 3 sons of Israel and Catherine waited until the family moved to Delaware County. It should be noted that Fred and George married Schribner sisters...this(brothers of one family married to sisters of another) happens a few times in my various family histories.

You will also note that several Houseworth marriages occurred within a few years....and the Felkey and Houseworth families had several marriages and some moved on to Paulding County....the Houseworth and Felkeys are very intertwined, as you will note as we move along.

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The Houseworth Sons and Families

Solomon Houseworth & Melinda Welch Byxbe
Married March 2, 1836, Delaware Co. Ohio

Solomon is one of my 2 Great-Great Grandfather Houseworths'. He married Melinda Welch(some records say Welsh) Byxbe...this was the first marriage for Solomon, the 2nd for Melina, who was Solomon's senior by several years.

Melinda had 7 children from her first marriage to a man named Jonathon Byxbe. 2 of those children, Erastus(1825) and Ruben(1829), lived with Solomon and Melinda, and are listed in some census records as Houseworth. I have no record of what might have happened to Melinda's first husband and other children.

Melinda and Solomon started out in Oxford Township in Delaware County, then moved, like the rest to the Waldo area of Marion County.

Solomon died on March 16(my birth date), 1874, at the age of 62 years 11 months....His death is listed in the Marion County records as being caused from "Consumption". Melina died on September 21, 1887 in Waldo. Her obit appeared in the local newspaper, but I have no found her or Solomon's grave stones.

From this marriage they had at least 5 children, they are as follows:

Nelson S. Houseworth(my Great-Grandfather)
born 1837 Delaware County, Ohio
died 11/03/1887 in Paulding County, Ohio

Delilah Houseworth
Born 1841 in Delaware County
died unknown

Jacob Houseworth
born 1843 in Delaware County
died Van Wert County, Ohio 1893(?)

Parthena Houseworth
born Delaware County 1845
died Morrow County, Ohio 5/17/1883

Melina Houseworth
born 1849 in Delaware County
died (date unknown) in Cherokee County, Kansas

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1840 Census

When the 1840 Census of the United States came out...Israel was still in Delaware County, Ohio, however he was living in Marlboro Township...Israel had reached 65 years of age by this time...the sons remained in Troy Township for this census.