The Family and Descendants of Israel Houseworth

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2010-03-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Please feel free to check out my everyday blog, or read the material related to my Houseworth Roots on this one:

My everyday blog can be found at:

http://patsdailyrant.blogspot.com/

Thanks again for stopping by, and look for new "Houseworth Family" material as I continue my research.

prh

Back to Waldo{Ohio}

2009-11-18T18:48:00.000-08:00

I know, it's been over 13 months since I posted on my Genealogy Blog...but I'm still working on the Houseworth Line...just not a lot to add in the recent months. However, I am heading back to the Great-Great Grandparents homestead area of Waldo tomorrow{Novermber 19th}...and I may be adding some new photos, if not new information...stay tuned:

Or feel free to drop by my "regular" blog at:

http://patsdailyrant.blogspot.com/

to see what is up! Or if you are new here, start at the beginning back in 2007 and work your way forward to see and read up on my Houseworth line.

New Photos on the way.....

Waldo, Ohio

2008-10-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

Waldo, Ohio, a small town of 320 is located about 25 miles north of the Columbus outlying north bergs of the Capital City. The sprawl has taken almost all of Delaware County on the north...Waldo, once located in Delaware County, is now just over the line in extreme southern Marion County, and has been spared from the blight of overgrowth from yuppies trying to get out of the city.

Waldo's claim to fame is the G&R Tavern and it's world famous Bologna Sandwiches. Other than that, Waldo has a few stores, a Village Hall, and a couple of gas stations. US 23, now a 4 lane from Columbus to Marion, sets just off the east side of the town, but no longer passes through Waldo itself.

The Houseworth Clan, led by Solomon, Frederick, and George, the 3 sons of Israel moved there about 1850...Israel lived with Solomon until he passed away around 1863. Houseworths continued to live in Waldo until 1944 when 98 year old Civil War Veteran Maish Houseworth(son of George and Lizzy) died. For more on Waldo, go back to the early posts on this blog...the interesting lives of the Houseworth clan, living in Waldo, can be found there.

This past Tuesday I stopped at the cemetery for a few minutes, then headed to Millwood....I then caught more of Waldo with a stop at G&R on the way back. I had my usual fried baloney with sweet pickle and pepper jack cheese, top with mustard. They will fix em' anyway you like them however.

Here are a few of the photos from the day trip through and around Waldo:

Top to Bottom: The grave of Ursula Schribner Houseworth(1820-1882). View #1 of my Baloney Sandwich. The graves, top to bottom of Andrew, Ursual, John Presley, and Ben C Houseworth...Andrew who died at 19 from an accidental fall, and John were Ursual's son, Ben was her grandson and son of John P. More food at G&R and a beer to top it off. Main Street(Ohio 47) looking north in Waldo. G&R Tavern, famous since 1962. The Waldo Village and Town Hall. And a small church on Highway 47 somewhere in Union County, somewhere between Bellefontaine, and Waldo. Small rural churches and small abandon rural school houses are 2 of my favorite photo subjects.

Early Fall in Millwood, Ohio

2008-10-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

Millwood, Ohio, located in eastern Knox County, is northeast of Columbus in the rolling hills of central Ohio....it was to become the 4th known stop in the life of Israel Houseworth. Census records show that Israel, his wife Catherine, the 3 sons and at least 4 daughters, were in Wayne, County in northeast Ohio, in the 1820 census records....they were in Millwood, buying lots #15 and #16 from town founder John Hawn(or Haun) in 1828. History of Knox County shows Israel building the second log cabin in town.

Marriage records of the time show that Israel and Catherine were in Knox County as early as 1824....daughters married in the county early on...Hetty in 1824, Susanna in 1825, Polly 1826, and Elizabeth in 1827. By 1831 the Houseworths had sold their lots and moved on to Delaware County, the next county to the east....Israel and sons Solomon, George, and Fred, were listed in the 1835 census of Delaware County, as Hasworth.

Back to Millwood...on Tuesday I made my annual trek to Waldo, stopped at the cemetery, and moved on down the back roads to Millwood. The town has not changed since my first visit in the fall of 2000...this time the colors were not yet in full mode. I stuck around for 90 minutes and took photos around the town and Kokosing River...as I said, not much has changed, but here is some of what I got.

Photos-top to bottom(1) Highway 36 heading east into Millwood.(2) The Bridge Street Bridge south out of Millwood, taken from the river bed(3)The River wandering west from the Bridge(4) A Woolly Worm getting ready for weather to come(5)A horse grazes on a farm west of Millwood located along the river(6)A sepia photo of a dead tred resting in the Kokosing(7)The Highway 62 Bridge across the river(8)The Millwood town Cemetery, no Houseworth found here(9) "Downtown Millwood" now consisting of a Marathon Gas Station, a Restaurant, and the local Antique Store(10)The Kokosing wandering between the towns of Millwood and Howard, and through Knox County.

Tomorrow we head back to Waldo.....more photos then.

Update etc

2008-07-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just to let you and the internet gnats on the cyber space wall know.....this blog lives on. Yes much of the material has been dispersed, and nary a post since February, but I tell you the research does contine.

I have plans, waylaid by back issues last fall, to head back to the haunts and ghosts of Houseworth's past...Waldo and Millwood, Ohio. Fall is usually the best time for those trips...the colors are pretty nice about October 1st.

Back in March, my buddy Rick and I went to the Allen County Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This library has one of the top Genealogy resource centers in the US. Added to the fact that my Granddad and several of his brother and sisters lived, died, and are buried in Fort Wayne, make it a "must go" for me on occasion....the trip is about 60 miles each way from Celina, so once the weather turns wet and cooler, I will take another day, hook up with Pearson(who lives just north of FW), and spend another day digging up the family history that remains hidden from me so far.

In March I came up with a few items I thought were new, but they may be somewhere in the several thousand pages of information I have in desk and drawers.....putting all that stuff to computer just isn't in the cards.....I'm not inclined to do that much "computer sitting" to get the job done....sometimes the paper trail is best....at least that's what I tell myself.

I'll check back when I get some photos or other information that might be of interest to some or all.

back later>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>In the meantime I plan on posting historic photos from my and Houseworth's long gone....well at least historic photos to me. Look for new photos, documents, post cards, and letters at least once a week.

Today's collection are as follows.....(1) A drummer from the Ohio 26th OVI...the very same Civil War Regiment that Gilman Houseworth and his brother Henry served with.(2) Prokops Pups...my August 1968 Air Force Basic Sq, at Amarillo, AFB, Texas.(3) My first of many Soccer Coaching gigs....I had coached baseball since my post Air Force days, but the boys were interested in Soccer...so, that's me, top row left, Sam 2nd row, second from left, and Hal, front row 3rd from left, back in September 1990....the boys were 8 and 6 respectively.(4) A letter from Stan(my Dad) Houseworth to his sister Cecil from shortly after he arrived at Lowry Field in Denver for his Aircraft Mechanic training, in 1941, shortly before Pearl Harbor.

Enoch Young-The Final Chapter

2008-02-26T06:57:00.000-08:00

I've been dragging my feet for the past month, trying to figure out how to end this installment of the Enoch Young Story....so let's wrap it up.

Enoch Young was not a blood relative of mine, however, he was by marriage. Enoch was the son-in-law of Frederick and Ursula Houseworth, and brother-in-law of my Great Grandmother Mary Ann Houseworth....married to her younger sister Maria Houseworth, until he was shipped off to the Ohio State Pen in Columbus, for the murder of Israel Bensley in Waldo, Ohio. For the first several years of my research, I had been informed(can't even remember by whom or when) that Enoch died in Prison in 1893, and that he and Maria had 2 Children, Perry and Daisy, together. It turns out the story was much more interesting than that....Enoch's daughters(2 of them) were instrumental in working to get Enoch freed, and even the newspapers that had him convicted before the trial, were petitioning Governor McKinley for his pardon.

I want to thank Enoch descendant Michael Sibbersen of Bowling Green, Ohio, for much of the material related to Enoch and his eventual pardon.

Enoch Young, Prison and beyond_______________

Apparently the good folks of Waldo and Marion County had a change of heart about Enoch Young after he was sent off to prison.....remember, the majority of the jury was in favor of hanging him....and the town folks had put the sheriff of alert of a possible lynching. 12 years alter a Chaplin one, J.A. Sutton began circulating a petition to free Young, The Marion Star(the main paper who had Young and Gilman Houseworth tried and convicted before the trial began in the late winter of 1880), the Marion Independent, the Morrow Independent, the Kenton Times, and others joined in the call....12 years was enough, they chimed in, for a murder committed while under the influence.

Daughter's Ida and Daisy were aged 15 and 12 when the push for Enoch's pardon began....Ida in particular waged a campaign upon the Board of Pardons and Governor McKinley(yes, this was William McKinley who would become President of the United States within a few years). Lawyers, Judge Beer, who presided over the original trial, and ordinary town folks went to Columbus, in person, and via letters and mass mailings to ask for the State of Ohio to free Enoch Young....Young himself sent several letters to the state to ask for forgiveness for his crime.

Finally, 2 years after the push began, with the nod of McKinley, the State Board of Pardons issued the following:

THE MURDERER OF ISRAEL BENSLEY RECEIVES EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY

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His pardon is based upon the condition that he abstain from intoxicating drinks--Through the clemency of Governor McKinley, Enoch H. Young, the murderer of Israel Bensley at Waldo in 1880 was permitted to leave the penitentiary and join his relatives Monday, with the condition from intoxicating liquors.

Young owes his release chiefly to the devotion of his two daughters, who have been untiring during the past two years in their efforts with the Board of Pardons. It was through their lengthy petitions were circulated and numerously signed, asking that their father, broken down with his fourteen years of confinement, be recommended for executive clemency. These daughters, when their father committed the crime for which he was sent to the penitentiary for life, were aged 5 and 2 years. Their mother afterwords married and is now living with her husband at Westerville.

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So on February 26, 1894(one hundred and fourteen years ago this very day), Enoch Young was set a free man.....thanks to a change of heart and his two young daughters.

However, freedom for Enoch was not to last. Young moved back to his native Pennsylvania shortly after gaining his freedom....going to work back in the oil fields of Washington County and the town of Thomas Station. I don't have privy to exactly how Enoch met his demise on February 8, 1897, just under 3 years after his release. The quote is...."Enoch Young was killed in accident involving an oil rig" His body was returned to Waldo, Ohio, and today he rests along with many of my Houseworth ancestors in the Waldo Town Cemetery.

The daughters married and went on with their lives, son Perry, who was born just after Enoch went to prison, married, had two daughters, lived in Kenton, and was killed when he walked in front of a locomotive in 1918, at the age of 38. His former wife, Maria Houseworth Young Anderson, married Al Anderson, had a couple of more children, and died in Kenton is 1912, and is buried there, at the Wolf Creek Cemetery.

There you have it....more or less, the story of Gilman Houseworth and Enoch Young, brothers-in-law, who got drunk one February afternoon in Waldo, Ohio, and another man died......

It is fitting that I finish this story in February. Enoch was born in February 1853, the murder occurred in February 1880, he was pardoned in February 1894, and died in February 1897.

{top-Enoch's request for a pardon...there are about 30 others from daughters, lawyers, politicans, pastors, and others in my possesion}

That ends this story, however, hardly the history of the family....MORE STILL TO COME.

prh

Still working

2008-02-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry for getting sidetracked by other things.....but am still in the process of putting the material together for Enoch and his time in prison....several hard to read documents I am going through trying to put as much in the story as possible.

Stay Tuned, will e-mail when it's ready!

Thanks

pat

Gilman/Enoch-The rest of their lives

2008-01-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

Gilman became a free man after his trial ended in a not guilty verdict. The town that he was tried in, Kenton, Ohio, would become his home until his death in 1915 at the age of 71 plus 11 months and 24 days. With the exception of the old photo showing Gilman, surviving brother Paul, and the sisters, taken in Payne, Ohio(Paulding County) in about 1885....what I know about Gilman after his return to "normal" life, can be found in the blog entries dated 9/20/07 "Mary Ann's Siblings" and 10/18/07 "Gilman's Civil War Documents"(of course those were before the Murder In Waldo).

I have Gilman's and his second wife's death records as well...and have contacts with several descendants of Gilman's oldest son Aca Landon Houseworth....those being John Mabrey in Michigan and Karen Houseworth Brown, who lives in Mississippi.....I "met" Karen while researching Houseworth Genealogy, through her sister Cindy Houseworth Dyess, from Florida. Cindy sadly passed away in February 2004 at the age of 51, before I could pass on all the information I would gather...if you believe like I do, I'm sure Cindy and those other Houseworths passed on are having a good laugh at my work...."What's he working so hard for? They will all find out all they need to know in due time".

I do know that of the children of Gilman and Mary, William passed away before June of 1898 and John before 1915...although not sure the exact dates. Gilman is buried in the Grove Cemetery in Kenton....I visited this site a few years back after umpiring a high school baseball game in Kenton...and found his grave....I have a photo I took....somewhere!

By all accounts Gilman lived out his life without incident, that Sarah Elizabeth Shelton Houseworth was a perfect fit for this man who seemed troubled before he married her in 1882(who wouldn't be, left a widower, with 6 kids?)..... Sarah and Gilman had one daughter named Pearl Houseworth...I believe she died in infancy, as I have found no other items pertaining to her or her life......I will continue to look and research for more on Gilman and his times, both before and after the trial at Kenton in 1881.

If any of you who read this, have any other information on Gilman please let me know....I have much information on the younger decedents of Gilman and my other ancestors....and will be getting to us "younger" folks down the road in the next weeks, months, and hopefully years.

While Gilman slipped into a "normal" life, not so for his soon-to-be former brother-in-law...Enoch Young had lost his freedom and will soon lose his wife, but thanks to the work of his daughters, an Ohio Governor and future President of the United States, and many others....the story of Enoch's fight for freedom, had just begun....

That story coming up next........

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{photo} The old Hardin County Courthouse in Kenton....where Gilman was freed from after his trial....this building stood for 80 years and was replaced in 1914.

Enoch Goes to Prison...for Life?

2008-01-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

Enoch Young and his brother-in-law went their separate ways after the separate trials...by the time Gilman was acquitted in Kenton in 1881, Enoch was almost one year into his lifetime sentence at the house of horrors known as the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus.

The State Prison opened in the state capitol in 1834, finally closing in 1983...it was described in it's history as primitive at best.....the peak population year was 1955 when well over 5,000 prisoners were housed their at one time.

I visited the location in 1983 shortly after it's closing....the checkered past included two major riots, the Halloween Riot on October 31, 1952, and another in 1968...there was one major fire that claimed 322 inmates in 1930.

The building and land was eventually purchased in 1993...and the Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Hockey team currently calls it home.

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Enoch's daughters fight to free their father...that story next.

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(photo-the old prison}

Gilman's Turn in Court

2008-01-17T06:43:00.000-08:00

Over a year after the killing of Israel Bensley in February 1880 at Waldo, Gilman Houseworth would get his "day in court"...not in Marion, but east of there in Hardin County, the City of Kenton....my Great-Great Uncle had managed to get a change of venue from the county of the murder......we will see how that would work out for him.

First though a little about Gilman, I confess that along with Maish(his and my cousin) Gilman was/is my favorite Houseworth to research....much information can be found on both, and they both indeed appear to have been "Characters"....among characters in the Houseworth family tree.

Born in Delaware, Ohio, on April 17, 1843, Gilman was the 5th born of 14 children of Fred and Ursula Houseworth....my Great-Grandmother Mary Ann was born 4th in that family....remember both of my Great Grandparent Houseworths were named Houseworth...cousins they were...making Gilman the 1st cousin of Nelson Houseworth.

Here is what I know about Gilman's early years:

Joined along with brother Henry and cousin Maish, the 26th Ohio Volunteer Infantry(Maish was booted out shortly thereafter for being underage, and would join the 174th later when he became of age), on June 15, 1861. As far as the military and pension records I have from the government, Gilman served with honor, was wounded on September 19, 1863, at the battle of Chickamagua, Georgia....near Lookout Mountain. the younger Houseworth, Henry, was killed in the same battle. Gilman spent 4 months on sick furlough after the battle, he rejoined the unit and was discharged honorably on July 25, 1864.

As many back in the day, Gilman was listed at various times in the census records as a farmer, laborer, and even as a "horse trader". Just over a year after discharge from the Union Army, Gilman would marry Mary Minerva Ward of Hardin County, in September 1865.....they would have a total of 7 children together between June 1866 and December 1976....Mary Minerva Houseworth would not recover from "Child Bed Fever" and die on January 22, 1877....this left Gilman(and his relatives) to raise 6 or 7 kids(William born on 12/24/1869 had died prior to 1898 but not sure of exact date)....without a mother.

Gilman would remarry, but not until his trial was completed. Even by those day's standards, Gilman was not a large man...listed on his discharge/pension papers as being 5' 4".

Gilman had been in scrapes with the law after his discharge and before the incident at Waldon on February 25, 1880....he was 36 years old when Israel Bensley was killed, he would be 37 years and 1 day old when his trial began in Kenton, Ohio, on April 18, 1881.

The Kenton Democrat

April 21, 1881__________

The paper reported that on Monday past(April 18th) the trial opened with The Honorable T.J. Porter as Judge.....sixty witnesses were packed into the courtroom. The list of State Prosecutors, Defense Attorneys, and the list of the jury, from towns such as Roundhead, Marion, Pleasant, and Jackson was presented.

The Democrat summed up the case this way................"We have not room for the evidence, neither had we had time to get it(honesty in the press?, now there's a concept rags like the New York Times, Washington Post, and morons like Keith Olberman could use), but that our readers have an idea of the charge, we make the following statement and facts we have gathered........................"

"On the 25th day of February, 1880, Enoch H. Young and Gilman Houseworth seem to have been on a big old drunk, in the town of Waldo, Marion County, where both resided. They are both well built men, and when under the influence of liquor inclined to be quarrelsome, and during that day proposed to have it understood that they were the best men, physically, in town. They were together, and had several skirmishes during the day, but in the evening, in the fatal fight, it seems they were not in direct company, though Houseworth was nearby. Young, while alone came across "Bully" Coleman, another "best man" of Waldo, with whom Young evidently intended to try strength and settle which of the two was "best man" then and there, as he pulled his coat, and after some parleying, at it they went. Young got the worst of this, for Coleman and his comrades gave him the best they had in the shop. He(Young) got out of the crowd finally, and swearing vengeance hurried to his home, (but a short distance, from where the fight had taken place) and arming himself with a short dirk knife returned to the scene of the row. As he turned the corner of the street, from west to north, he met Israel Bensley, who was in the fight they had just had, and said to him, "I'm the best man", or something to that import, Bensley replied "By God you are not the best man", when Young attacked him and stabbed him in the head three times and in the breast once. About a quarter of an inch of the point of the dirk was broken off in his skull, the other wounds in the head were scalp wounds merely, but the stab in the breast is what did the business. The knife penetrated between the second and third ribs and slit the sub-calivan artery about two inches, producing almost instant death. Young was at once arrested and Houseworth shortly after for aiding and abetting, and being accessory to the crime. Young was tried last year and found guilty of murder in the second degree, and sentenced to the Penitentiary for life. Houseworth was tried also, but the jury failed to agree, and on application he got a change of venue to this county(Hardin)".

{I have not been able to come across Gilman's Marion Court trial.....but have no reason to believe that he did have a trial and it ended in a hung jury.}

The Paper concluded, "The case will not be disposed of until to-morrow. What the verdict may be is beyond human ken."

The Kenton paper appeared to be a weekly....and by the next issue the trial and verdict had been disposed of.

The Kenton Democrat

April 28, 1881_________

The Houseworth Trial

Last Thursday evening the jury in the Houseworth Case retired, and not until about four o'clock Friday morning did they agree upon a verdict. At that hour the Court, lawyers, and prisoner were got up(remember writing it the way it was printed), and the verdict read. The prisoner was found "not guilty," and was discharged. He has been in jail for over fourteen months. He says he will drink no more. He ought to stick to it.

The defense was ably conducted by Messrs. Van Fleet, Payne, and Dougherty. The argument of Mr. Van Fleet was logical, well tempered, and very able, and did the gentleman credit............."

The paper went on the brag up the defense lawyers, especially Dougherty, calling him one of "The shining lights of the bar in Northwestern Ohio" The Democrat finished by telling all the cost of the trial was $994.91 and would come out of Marion County.

That is what I know of Gilman's trial.....not much else have I found written, but "not guilty" he was......however, that is not the end of the story....Enoch Young has family and friends fighting for his release, and Gilman is a free man, and ready to marry again......

Those stories continue next___________

{photos-Chickamauga Battlefield...this site I visited back in February 2004...the location photo is the ditch located in Viniard Field where the 26th OVI made is stand on September 19, 1863. (2) The ultimate book on the historic Battle of Chickamauga, "This Terrible Sound" written by Peter Cozzens...a must for Civil War history buffs.(3) The living children of Fred and Ursula Houseworth, photo taken in Payne(Paulding County), Ohio, around 1885...Gilman is the male on the top row, my Great-Grandmother Mary Ann Houseworth is bottom row, far left.}

The Jury Reaches It's Verdict

2008-01-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

Judge Beer charged the jury at 5:05PM on Tuesday June 22, 1880.....unlike these days, there was no recess until the next day...these folks got down to business and commenced the ballots about 15 minutes after retiring from the court room. Seems according to report, there would be no doubt as to the outcome of murder...the question would be....First Or Second Degree...Enoch Young's life was indeed at stake.

According to the Marion Star the first ballot showed the jury coming up with 8 for second degree murder, 4 for murder in the first degree. Several ballots took place between the time of retirement until about 3AM Wednesday when the ballots were showed 7 for 1st degree and 5 for second...seems things were not going Enoch's way. That would change around 4:30AM, for reasons unknown, the jury agreed to spare Enoch Young's life....MURDER IN THE SECOND DEGREE....

Back to the Courtroom_______

At 5 in the morning, the deputy sheriff notified Judge Beer and both sides attorneys that a decision had been made, and the jury was ready to report. Justice is seems was swift in those days, 12 hours, several ballots, and a decision was rendered.

The judge announced the decision, and addressed Young, who by this time was standing, if he had anything to say...the paper wrote "the prisoner, who arose to his feet", and the prisoner, "in a sleepy, stupid manner"(who wouldn't be at 5 O'Clock in the morning?) said, "don't reckon I have"(at the same time taking a long yawn)...the paper in it's usual unbiased reporting(sic) that is didn't appear that Young cared about it(the verdict) one way or the other. Judge Beer then addressed the prisoner, telling him that the jury had found him guilty of murder in the second degree, and according to the Laws of the State of Ohio, it was mandatory that he be sentenced to life, at hard labor(what a concept!)...Enoch Young took the verdict without emotion and "apparent satisfaction", and took his seat beside his attorneys.

The judge addressed the jury and complimented them on their work, especially considering all that had happened(?). Young was taken back to jail to await the paperwork completion(a day or two), and his trip to the State Prison in Columbus.

The "Star" commented that the opinion of the community was that the verdict should have been first degree murder, but seemed satisfied that the men of the jury had done their job.

The story of Enoch Young was far from complete....and was to involve the work of this two daughters and a future President....(and Ohio Governor at the time) William McKinley.

Before we go there however, it would be Gilman Houseworth's turn....my Great-Great Uncle....that story continues next......

The Trial enters Day #5

2008-01-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

Enoch Young and Gilman Houseworth were to be tried separate...While Young's was taking place in Marion, Gilman's attorneys were working to have his trial moved out of the county on a change of venue....it would be, and Gilman's court case would not come up until April 1881 in Kenton, Hardin County, a full 14 moths after the murder of Israel Bensley.....Bensley's death came on February 25, 1880, just 2 days after Enoch Young's 27th birthday.

Day 5 of the Enoch Young Trial________

Day five of the trial saw 6 gentlemen come forward, their stories, if they had one varied very little from the one's that proceeded them....with the exception that Israel Bensley had went into the local hardward store and took out a 2 pound weight that belonged to the store's counter scale....his son William brought the weight back some 5 minutes later, according to testimony.

The Marion Star spent the rest of their Day 5 coverage making fun of a new newspaper in town called "The Mirror"....seems according to the Star, the Mirror just didn't measure up in their coverage of the Young trial....they also mentioned the dress of the prisoner Young, describing him as entering the courtroom at 8:30AM dressed in a suit of black, a standing collar, and a rather "innocent" intelligent appearance. Describing him as having a quiet manner, and has little to say, but has a good appetite, considering the court room is filled with anxious spectators.

On day 6 several witnesses were brought back on cross examination, including John Justice and Albert Smith...Justice again described the beating Young took at the hands of Jim Coleman, and that Young threatened the Houseworth Boy(one of Gilman's sons) who was crying and trying to get his father home and away from the scuffle...." I am the best man in Waldo, say what you please, do what you God Damn please, and I'll rip their damned guys out, and I'll stay with you as long as I can".

Andrew M'Cluggage testified that he saw a hatchet in Coleman's hand but did not see him use it, but he did hear someone yell "Kill him, God Damn it, kill him"...he saw Young drew a pocket knife and said "If you come on me again I will cut some of you"....he testified he was Young's brother-in-law(I am assuming from one of Enoch's sister, since he was not a Houseworth), and had come from Pennsylvania about a year before.....

Next to testify was S. B. Houseworth...this would be Maish Houseworth(see previous posts about Maish from October 2007), Maish testified he was a "cousin, by marriage" of Youngs....He also testified that he saw Israel Bensley take a weight off the counter, and the merchant told him "you better leave that weight on the counter", he also testified he saw someone take out a new hatchet, saw Young get up after being knocked down, and saw him return.....on cross examination Maish was asked if he was drunk....he said "No sir, only too two drinks, and that was in the forenoon".

The Houseworth Boy(again no first name but the paper sighted him as "The Little Boy", probably leaving out Aca who would have been 14 by this time), young Houseworth recalled that Uncle Enoch was down, but did not know how many men were holding him.....next up was Maria Houseworth Young, Enoch's wife and sister of Gilman....the prosecution objected to having her testify and that was objected to by the state....and sustained.

Saturday's testimony continued with seveal doctors testifying to the condition of Young and any damage that the blows he received may have caused. Several other witness testified about how much liquor Young had or had not consumed during the day....Enoch also testified that on February 25th "I was talking to Eccles about trading horses-a little fuss before this-I took no part in it, only to take Houseworth away-I don't recollect anything more after I was struck, do not know who struck me, it was in front of the Jew(hardware) store: recollect nothing more until the were washing me, I had no intentions of injuring anyone".

Court resumed on Monday June 211, 1880_________

Judge Beer was still on the bench as the 7th day of the trial began. He stated if needed they would have testimony at night, so as to get the trial through on time....on Tuesday(day 8) court convened at 8AM...the coroners once again describe the use of hand tools on the skull of murder victim Israel Bensley....tools used to dissect the skull and look at damage included "hand saw", and "mallet and chisel".

The Marion "Star" went on to describe the 4 hour opening for the defense by Captain Scoofield, and how hot that June day was...........especially with the trial at a critical point. They wrote that Young's wife(Maria) and young baby(this would be Perry Young, who was born with his dad in jail, less than a month after the murder, more on Perry later in this story)...stayed at her husband's side until after Scoofield's presentation.....by 2:35 in the afternoon it was the state's turn to address the court, it's presentation lasted about 2 hours at which time the case went to the jury.

Next up! THE VERDICT!

{photo} Entrance to Waldo, Ohio, Town Cemetery...where many a Houseworth, Bensley, and Young, are buried.

The Young Trial Continues/June 1880

2008-01-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

Judge Beer was back on the bench on Wednesday, June, 16, 1880.

A Judge Blackburn, one of Enoch's counsel was delayed by a storm near Cincinnati, and the defense requested a delay, Judge Beer agreed with the prosecution, proceed without Blackburn, Judge Beer exclaimed "We will move along slowly with the case until Blackburn's arrival. he was aware the case was pending, and should have been here".

The defense led by Colonel Scofield started the proceeding claiming that Young was proper in defending himself from a mob on the day of the killing, and was not guilty of the claim of murder in the first degree.

The witnesses are called_________

Dr. J.M. Christian was the first called, and testified in regards to the wounds in Bensley's breast and scalp. He had determined the body wound has caused almost instant death, and that with the blow to the head, the knife had broken off 1 1/2 inches into the dead man's skull, that stab wound could have also caused death.

The examination of Christian took until 3PM when court was continued.....Christian explained in detail how the examining doctors used a hand saw to do their work on Bensley's corpse.....including putting the victim's skull on display for the court.

John Plank is called next_________

He testified that he was in town on February 25th and between 5 and 6Pm and that Young and Houseworth were telling all that would listen that they were the best men in Waldo and defied officers to arrest them...after some confusing statements Plank said Young handed his coat to Smith and asked the boy to hold it, when Smith refused, Young slapped him....Jim "Bully" Coleman(guess he went from "Big Jim" to "Bully" in 3 months) said it was a shame to hit the boy, so Young went after Coleman with a knife, at that time someone handed Coleman a hatchet, Coleman replied that if Young pulled the knife on him, Jim Coleman would spit his brain out ....several folks had gathered and Young replied that "I will fix them" and apparently headed for home...3 minutes later Enoch Young returned....someone yelled "Young is coming" at that time Plank stated that Isreal Bensley was at the window sill when Young came up and stuck Bensley in the breast near the collar bone, Bensley grabbed the knife and followed Young to the street, the crowd began to arrest Young, Bensley returned from the street and fell and died....at this time the Court adjourned at 5PM.....to resume at 8AM Thursday.

Thursday June 18. 1880_________

Plank was cross examined the defense the next morning...stating that both Enoch Young and Gilman Houseworth had claimed they were the best men(the strongest, toughest, etc), then both defied anybody to arrest them, and that no one except Jim Coleman had struck Young...and he saw no one strike the accused with any hatchet, club, or iron weight...and saw no other weapon used except by Enoch Young....he said it was not a half second after he passed me that Young struck Bensley.

Philip Miller_______

Was the next to testify...saying he saw Enoch Young run past him to the corner west, saying he had heard Young's voice just before telling the Houseworth boy(one of Gilman's sons?) to go home or he would kick him.

{Gilman had sons aged in February, the following:

Aca Landon Houseworth 14, William 10, Lawernce 7, Fred 3 and John 3, so my best guess is was one of the two oldest that Miller was talking about Aca or William.}

Young came back a few minutes later and struck Bensley as described in the previous testimony...describing one stab to the breast and 2 or 3 to the head. He describe Young as yelling at Bensley "Here is my man"

John Bishop_________and John Justice.

Next up Bishop, followed by John Justice(great name ey?) Bishop's testimony was much the same as the first couple, Justice was a little more in dept....."I first heard him tell the(Houseworth) boy to go home.." then Justice says he heard Young say "I will fix that son of a bitch"....Young returned with a knife and Justice testified he saw Enoch grab Bensley by the shoulder and strike him about 3 times in the breast or head, and the final "lick" went directly to the head. He continued that Bensley had Young by the head, but that Israel Bensley had no weapon or anything else in his hands.

Henry Anderson testified much the same, saying there were 10 to 15 persons in the area and he could not see if others struck or were struck....

James "Bully" Coleman was next.....

Coleman testified ".......I met Houseworth he was in Penny's Saloon, Eckles, Houseworth and Young were there, Eckles and Houseworth had a little fuss, the men took them apart, Young said "I will take care of Houseworth" when Eckles was going out the door, Young pushed Houseworth onto Eckles...going across the street they(Young and Houseworth) caught Eckles and pounded him some, Young pulled his coat and handed it to the Smith boy and told him to hold it, the boy said he did not have to hold it, then Young struck the boy, I said it was a shame to strike a boy-Young struck me-we had a little fight-when I let him up he had a jack knife out and someone handed me a hatchet and I said "Young, if you pull a knife on me, I will split you head" Young then went away and went across the street-it was about a minute after the fight that Young went away.

On cross examination Coleman testified ....."I struck Young as he struck at me, knocked him up against the hitching post-Young went over the post, I did not strike him after that, I lifted him up. I handed the hatchet to Dan Schroat, Young then left, the moon was shining, I never had any difficulty with Young before-I am 23 years old".

Doctor Gatschall of Warsaw, IN______

Testified he was in Waldo on the 25th teaching a class(but guess he stopped by the saloon after class)....Gatschall said he saw Young and Gilman Houseworth in Penny's Saloon walking arm in arm saying they were the best man in town.....he testified much the same about the fight as the previous witnesses.

John Schroats testified he had whipped Houseworth with a cane the night of the murder, but never struck Young. Other witnesses James Fry, Samuel Wilson testified same as the others....Next up was John Smith, the 17 year old boy who was slapped by Young, after refusing to hold his coat.

John Smith______

Said he was 17 and a blacksmith by trade, stated he had made a knife for Young sometime previous to the fight, he testified that Young had struck him with open hand when he refused to hold the coat. Testified that Coleman had gotten on top of Young, let him up, and the two started at it again....at that time Coleman bent Young over the hitching post, when Young drew out the knife, Coleman drew that hatchet and Young left, saying "I'll get that son of a bitch" and left before coming back with a knife.

Sam Schroter, Leonard Porterfield, and then Lizzie French and her daughter Jennie were next to testify, followed by a dozen or so men who testified more or less the same stories as the previous witnesses....basically it was Enoch Young and Gilman Houseworth were drunk and Enoch was whipped by Jim Coleman, Enoch returned after the beating and stabbed Israel Bensley dead.

NEXT....THE TRIAL MOVES AHEAD

{photos}-Gravestone of Israel Bensley and his wife, located in the Waldo Cemetery/A photo from my Grandmother's collection labeled "Houseworth Boys" Waldo, O." Which boys it doesn't say....the time frame looks, by the backing, to be from sometime between 1885-1905, the clothes?, the late part of that timeline....who were they? I will likely never know...Gilman's sons? John's? 3 of Nelson and Mary Ann's? Cousins?.....only the ghosts of Waldo hold that answer.

The Court Procedings Begin

2008-01-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

*************************************************************************************March 2, 1880________

The headlines in the Marion Star blared out

The Murderers Out of Jail!

So much for the unbiased press...these folks had Enoch Young and Gilman Houseworth tried and convicted.....trial set for March 22nd.

The Star said that Great Crowds gathered around and in the court house about 11 am to see the two prisoners, Young and Houseworth, arraigned before the court.....the crowd was described as excited but the prisoners as conducting themselves coolly...first degree murder was the charge.

Court to Young...."have you counsel?"

Enoch Young "I have"

Are you guilty or not guilty?

"Not Guilty"

Gilman was next to receive the same questions...Gilman Houseworth said he had no counsel,

"Have you Property?"

Gilman answered "No property at all, except two old plug horses, that are not worth much"

"Have you no friends to aid you?"

"No Sir"

The court then appointed M.V. Payne and H.T. Van Fleet as attorneys for Houseworth...and set trial for March 22nd.

Young's attorney stated that his client could not be ready by that time...but the court challenged that notion, saying "unless you can show proof of same, procedings will begin that day.

Ohio vs Michigan.....

Not in football, but in murder, the "Star" stated that Michigan had less that 30 murders per year...stating " Michigan with all it's enterprise does not turn out 30 murders per year, but Ohio furnishes as many again disciples of Cain "

Meanwhile Young and Houseworth will be tried separately, Young's to begin on March 22nd, Gilman's on March 25th. Sheriff Harrison, according to the newspaper had spent days "riding through the mud" to supoena jurors....He already had notified 36 for each the Young and Houseworth cases.....my guess is that the early spring thaw had began, because the paper stated that the Sheriff would need a giraffe to ride on, so he could keep his head and shoulders above the mud.

Within a couple of days the court dates had been pushed back as the attorney's and their clients wanted...Enoch Young was to go to trial June 14th and Gilman's was also pushed back exactly three months to June 22nd.

June 14th the Courthouse

Marion, Ohio_______

Court opened for Enoch Young at 2pm.....the Judges name was McCauley.........the defense asked for a continuance as they claimed the main witness, a man named Gatschall was absent and living in Warsaw, Indiana, the court overruled that, because the said witness was indeed in Marion. After reading the names of the witnesses, Enoch Young was brought in...the paper described him as being "somewhat bleached, having been cooped up for nearly 4 months. He appeared rather cool and unconcerned", and was well dressed and neat and clean, so said the Daily Star.

It appears things were ran a little differently back in those days(You Think?)...Judge McCauley was going to be out of town the next day, but the trial would continue with Judge Beer on the bench in his place.

The jury was in place by 3:35 the next day with all jurors saying the could indeed pass the death penalty if needing to do so.....things were not looking good for Enoch Young. Several jurors indeed had been rejected, some for being against capital punishment, and one named Dan Tedrow for having the potential for making a "bungling juror".

NEXT: TESTIMONY BEGINS IN FULL.

{photos} Two turn of the century images of Waldo, the High School in 1916, and the old livery stable, taken from the Bicentennial of Waldo July 23,m 24, 1976.

Gilman goes to Jail

2008-01-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXI I should start off today's post with the knowledge that as of 9 years ago, I knew absolutely nothing about my Houseworth side of the family....I knew my grandfather was named Sam, and that's about it....Sam died in 1928, 21 years before I was born in 1949...my grandmother was a Waldron by birth, and that's the side of dad's family I had knowledge of.

I developed an interest in antique and real photo postcards about 10 years ago, those included steroviews...one of the most famous of those involved in steroscope photography was a man named Thomas Houseworth out of San Francisco....a gentleman from Atlanta named Marvin Housworth(correct spelling) is a collector and encouraged me to see if I was somehow related, that is how my genealogy interest began...January 1999 was the time....for the next few years I devoted countless hours to my Houseworth family....I probably gained about 90% of my material(used on this blog and elsewhere) in the first 3 years of research.

Gilman Houseworth, along with first cousin, and fellow Waldo Civil War Veteran Maish Houseworth, are probably the 2 most "interesting" fellows from the Houseworth line, other than the man who started the Houseworth movement west Israel Houseworth.

Gilman's family, including wives and children are post previously on this blog, and can be found in the earlier portions...as can his service and military and other records, so I won't go back and rehash those items.

After is service in the Civil War, Gilman Houseworth returned to Waldo had 7 children with his first wife Mary Minerva Ward Houseworth, who died in shortly after child birth with the couples final child named John Houseworth(one of many Johns in the family). Mary died in Janurary 1877 about 3 years before the murder in Waldo. He remarried a couple of years after the incident to Sarah "Lizzie" Shelton, and they were together until his death in 1915, they had one child....Lizzie passed away in Kenton in 1927....she never remarried.

Gilman and his brother Henry were with Company C of the Ohio 26th OVI, Henry was killed in action at Chickamagua, Georgia, on September 19, 1863...Gilman received a head wound as well as a bullet to the right hip, and spent 4 months in the hospital. His war pension records call his occupation "Horse Trader"....he received a pension until his death, and Lizzie continued to receive $30 per month until she passed away.

More information on the 26th OVI and the Houseworth Boys in it can be found at this fine website:

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

Both Gilman and Enoch were in jail by midnight on the evening of the murder...Enoch was charged with Murder Gilman charged as an accessory.

From the Marion Star February 27, 1880.(this is the way it was written, so it may contain grammer errors or missing words, but that is the way it was printed)

"The investigation revealed the fact that at the time Young went after the butcher knife, Houseworth went after a pair of shears, for the purpose of assisting Young, it appears"

A Warning to the Sheriff(Printed in the paper)

"Sheriff--"Guard the Jail if you want to keep the prisoner, Young. The people here talk of lynching him." --"A Citizen of said Village"

February 28, 1880-

Within 2 days of the killing, a Special Grand Jury had already been seated....within just over 2 hours they had bills against Enoch and Gilman, charging both with FIRST DEGREE MURDER..both prisoners would be arranged the following Monday March 1, 1880(this being a leap year).

Both Young and Gilman were read the indictments that evening(the 27th) Gilman was still claiming to have been at home at the time of the murder....26 witnesses at the Coroner's Investigation said otherwise

The Marion Star March 1, 1880

The newspaper interviews Gilman on Sunday February 29th....and says the following concerning that interview.

"We visited the jail yesterday and in conversation with Houseworth, Young's accomplice in the Bensley murder, we asked him whether he expected to be tried during the present term of court, or would he prefer to have the trial postponed until the June term? The prisoner said "We don't want to be tried during this excitement of course; we will wasit until June, or some time after the people gets over the excitement; that we may have a fair and impartial trial:"

We did not say so to the prisoner, but we thought as we looked at the unfortunate fellows, how anxious they appeared that "quarters" be showed tem, as well as time enough to allow the feelings against them to subside. They did'nt show their victims any 'quarters' or mercy nor did they give poor Bensley(upon whom a wife and five children were dependent) a moment's warning, but without cause or provocations, murdered him in cold blood. And now expect mercy and leniency in the courts. It is hoped that justics will done them, and if it is, the people of Waldo and vicinity will feel that their opinions in this matter have been properly respected, and that they need not longer live in dread of these desperadoes and murderers"

So much for the unbiased press....

{photos} Ohio 26th OVI patch and Ohio 26th OVI Band Member

Next....the Horse Trader and his property...."No property at all, except two old plug horses, that are not worth much"

Enoch Young and Gilman Houseworth

2008-01-08T11:11:00.000-08:00

My great-great Uncle Gilman Houseworth was born on April 17, 1843, in Delaware, Ohio, he passed away in Kenton, Ohio, on April 11, 1915, just short of his 72nd birthday....if the story that surrounds Gilman and his brother-in-law Enoch Young are true, Gilman probably could have counted himself lucky to have made it that far.

As the story and newspaper articles go, on February 25, 1880, Gilman and Enoch were drinking heavily in the town of Waldo on that night....causing trouble and picking fights with others around town and in the local watering holes. After getting whipped by a man named "Big Jim" Coleman, Enoch went home, fetched a large knife and accompanied by Gilman came back looking for Coleman....when he didn't find him, he picked out an innocent man, 49 year old Israel Bensley, and stabbed him to death.....or at least that is how the story went in the 'Marion Daily Star', dated February 26, 1880. If you have read many news articles from that era, you can realize that the paper already had Enoch tried and convicted the next morning...all that needed to be done was have the Neck Tie Party.....Gilman was treated better in the later news articles, however after reading the court and prison records leading up to Enoch's release years later, Gilman may have played a prominent part in the murder....true or not, this story is a very interesting tale.

{ Wednesday, February 25, 1880}

7PM: Gilman Houseworth and Enoch Young are reportedly drunk and disorderly in the town of Waldo. According to some accounts the two were bragging that they could whip any men in the town. Around this time it is said they attacked and beat a man, described as a peddler or pelt buyer, when Jim Coleman stepped in to help the man out, Young went after Coleman and received a severe beating{as the 'Star' reported, Young still carried the scars of the beating when they interviewed him in jail}. Enoch went home and came back with knife in hand, and Gilman in tow, to hunt for Coleman, when he didn't find "Big Jim", he stabbed an innocent bystander, Israel Bensley.{later prison and court records would dispute whether Bensley was sober or innocent}

The murder occurred at aobut 7PM, young was arrested and jailed by Midnight. When the newspaper interviewed Young the next morning, he said he was drunk, had nothing against Bensley, and didn't know how it happened.

The victim and Young are described this way............"The murderer is a tall, well built man, sandy complexion, with hair, side whiskers, and mustache of the same color". "Bensley, the murdered man was about 45(actually 49), a farmer, or worked on a farm, was an industrious, hard working, sober man, he was a poor man, and highly respected by all who knew him".(from the Marion Daily Star, February 26, 1880).

NEXT:

Gilman is charged.

1880 A Murder In Waldo

2008-01-04T12:48:00.001-08:00

Some of you have heard this story before....I've been putting together all the material that I need(hopefully) to tell all sides in this story.....drawings, a few photos, and highlights of the Murder in Waldo will be coming up on this blog.....I will start placing as much of this story as I can beginning Monday January 7th.

Stay Tuned!

Updates-November 2007

2007-11-02T05:37:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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

2007-10-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-09-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-09-24T09:17:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2007-09-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-09-19T05:27:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-18T18:29:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

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.

prh

Houseworth Delaware County Marriages

2007-09-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

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.

prh

The Houseworth Sons and Families

2007-09-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

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

-----------------------
prh

1840 Census

2007-09-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

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.

1835 Census of Delaware County Ohio

2007-09-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

You will see the 3 sons and Israel listed as Hasworth...you will also note that one Samuel Newcumer(Newcomer?) in this census, little doubt this is the husband of Polly Houseworth....it appears they moved from Millwood(Knox County) to Troy Township as well.

prh

Israel and Catherine's Children

2007-09-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

Israel married Catherine sometime before moving from Pennsylvania to Ohio(no records have been found to verify this fact). Catherine's maiden name and location of birth are unknown to me....she was several years younger than Israel, a fact confirmed by going through census records.

The number of children born to them is at least 7 and it's possible as many as 10. Here is what I have gleaned from records of the days.

The Sons:

Solomon Houseworth(1 of my GG-Grandfathers) born in Bucks County, PA 4/13/1811, died in Waldo, Ohio, March 16, 1874

Frederick Houseworth(another GG-Grandfather, explanation to follow later) born in Bucks County about 1814, died in Morrow County, Ohio, about 1865

George Houseworth born about 1818(probably Bucks County, but possible Bedford County, PA), death date unknown, location unknown.

The Daughters:

From past records, the dates and certainty of female members of a family are always suspect....just because women, with change of names from birth to marriage, ere not as easy to follow.

4 Houseworth girls were married in Knox County during the time that Israel and Catherine lived there(1824-1831), Since Issac showed up later, and stayed later, I am assuming(although not 100% sure) that these four were the daughters of Israel and Catherine(the ages in previous census seems to match as well).

Hetty(Hester) Houseworth married Alexander McKee in 1824

Susanna Houseworth married William Taylor in 1825

Polly Houseworth married Samuel Newcomer in 1826

Elizabeth Houseworth married Nathaniel Cazeno 1827

One a year for 4 straight years...that would be expensive in today's world, pretty sure it wasn't back then. The last names are always suspect to spelling errors in early transcriptions.

Israel and Catherine sold their home(land) in Millwood in June 1831 for $40, and with the 3 sons headed east to Delaware County. Israel and the boys show up in the local 1835 Census of Delaware County, living in Troy Township....the first names all match(see census document), but the last names are posted as Hasworth.

By 1840 the sons(along with Israel) have moved on to Marlborough Township, still in Delaware County, but on the north border with Marion County, and the town of Waldo. This portion of Delaware County was later named part of Marion and from here the Houseworths live in Waldo, Marion County, Ohio for the next 40 or so years(minus those moving and missing in the Civil War).

The sons and Rebecca(another daughter?) all marry within this time frame....Catherine shows up in no further records, the last we see of Israel is in the 1860 Census where he is listed with Solomon Houseworth and being marked as a "Male Domestic". Israel is 85 by this time and he passes away sometime between 1860-1865 after a long life which saw him live in many locations in both Pennsylvania and Ohio(many of those moves coming after the age of 45).

[photo] Owl Creek runs through Millwood, the old mill was located here. I took this picture a few years ago in the fall, but my guess is Owl Creek looks much as it did during Israel Houseworth's days here in the 1820s.

prh

Knox Couinty Land Records

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The two circled are Israel and Catherine land purchases/sales...the others are from Issac Houseworth, who appears in several Knox and Delaware County records in the same time frame as Israel...although by 1838 Israel had already moved on to Delaware County, Issac would follow later.

As you might be able to tell...the property Israel bought for $50 in 1828, he sold for $40 in 1831....maybe I got my business sense(lack of) from him....lol!

prh

Millwood, Ohio 1824

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Rural Millwood as it looks in the fall

Israil Houseworth is how Israel was listed in the 1830 Census...the Houseworth family had moved on from northeast Ohio to Knox County in central Ohio just north of the current state capitol of Columbus.

My best guess is that Israel and his wife Catherine, along with 8 or 9 children moved the 65 or so miles around 1824. They set up house in Union Township, town of Millwood. The male members were now listed as follows: 1 between 5 and 10 years(a grandson?), and the 3 known sons, 2 aged 10-15(George and Frederick), and Solomon aged 15-20. The female members had dwindled to 4. 1 between the age of 5 and 10(granddaughter or daughter of servant?), 1 aged 10 to 15, and another daughter between 20-30, as well as Catherine who is listed at 40 to 50 years old.

4 daughters are married in Knox County, they are Hetty, Susanna, Polly, and Elizabeth.

Israel and a man named John Haun are believed to be the "founders" of Millwood, Ohio. The following appeared in "The History of Knox County, Ohio, 1881"

"Millwood is situated in the southeastern part of the township(Union). Owl Creek flows along it's north border. It was so named in consequences of the first mill in the locality being built in the woods. Although it is claimed by some of the citizens to have been named in honor of a Mr. Millwood of Virginia, a friend of the founders of the town. It is a neat and ordinary village of about 2000 inhabitants. At one time it was the most flourishing village in the township, and a large amount of business was transacted in the place, but since the locations of the Cleveland, Mt. Vernon, and Columbus Railroad at Howard and Rossville, the tide of business has ceased to flow here, and has been diverted to those villages. The town was laid out about 1825 by John Hann, James Britton, and Israel Houseworth. James Brittion built the first log house in Millwood, and Houseworth the second one. Ross Arbuckle built the first frame dwelling. The first grist mill was built about 1825 by John Hann and Elisha Gibbs."

Today Millwood is a small town of about 200 or so with a couple of local stores, a gas station/restaurant. It is located about 15 miles east of Mt. Vernon.

prh

Roster of the Ship Janet

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The Ship "Janet" Roster including Jacob Hauswirth, my GGGG-Grandfather from Rotterdam, Captain William Cunningham.

Jacob Hauswith arrives in Phildelphia

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Israel Houseworth's father arrives on the Ship "Janet" from Winden, Zwekbrucken(southwest Germany), on October 7, 1751.

Jacob marries Barbara Brand 10 years later.

On October 13, 1761, @ Tohickon Reformed Church, in Bucks County, Pennylyvania, Jacob Hauswirth married Barbara Brand. As best my information gathered, two daughters were born to the couple, but I have no exact date for the dates of births. Jacob Jr(or John Jacob, records vary) was born April 11, 1766, he passed away in Snyder County, PA, on May 25, 1841. His younger brother(my GGG-Grandfather) Israel Houseworth came along 9 years later on July 9, 1775...before we were even a country of our own.

[log of ship Janet to be included at the end of this chapter]

Israel was baptised at Keller's Lutheran Church on July 30th of his birth year. As for his parents Jacob and Barbara, this is where my information about them ends(for now). Witnesses for the baptism were Rudolph Schiebeler and Margaret Jung[one must realize that spellings, misspellings, and name changes varied thoughout early genealogy, I know of 21 varations of Houseworth, but the German name Hauswith and the English/American version Houseworth, are the most common].

Israel dissapears from records for a number of years, until he arrives in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Just land records from this time in Israel life, but it appearent that he marries by this time in his life, and by the time I pick up Israel's life again it is in Wayne County, Ohio(northeast Ohio near today's Akron) in the 1820 Census.

Israel Houswart 1820 Census of Wayne County, Ohio

Having a rather rare name like Houseworth makes it much easier to trace your roots, when your prime realitive is named Israel Houseworth, despite the misspellings, you have an even easier road to follow.

Israel shows up in the 1820 US Census living in Wayne County, Ohio, he is listed as Israel Houswart, he was the only Houswart and the only Israel Houswart for sure. His is listed as having a wife 5 daughters and 3 sons[wife's and children's names were not listed in the 1820 census]. Israel is listed as 45+ years old[matching the 1775 birth date], the sons were listed at all under 10 years[later on this would match up age wise], wife[Catherine] was in the slot marked 26-45 years old, the girls were listed 1 under 10, three aged 10 to 15, and 1 in the 16-25 group. Israel would have turned 45 during the census year.

Things[but not the spellings]would become more clear as Israel and his family moved on again, this time to Millwood[Knox County], Ohio, but this time I knew why my side of the Houseworth klan loved to move.....it was Israel who had instilled the wanderlust in his children, and it must have passed on down through the generations.

Israel Houseworth 1775-1863

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My Great-Great-Great Grandfather was Israel Houseworth, son of Jacob and Barbara Brand Hauswirth. My first direct relative(that I know of) born in the USA. Israel was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on July 9, 1775, he died in Waldo, Ohio, in 1863.

I began my genealogy ride in January 1999, when I knew almost nothing of the Houseworth Klan and it's genealogy/history.

This blog is the story of that family....enjoy the ride....all comments are welcome.

Patrick R. "Pat" Houseworth
Celina, Ohio