Joseph
C. Wilson and Bell Fitch
Early Life
Joseph C. Wilson was born in Martin Co.,
IN on November 16, 1849. The county is in the southwestern part of the state.
Its 1850 population was just under 6,000.[1] At the
time, the county was divided into ten townships. With improvements in travel
and communication, consolidations have reduced the number of townships to six.
Azor and Emilie lived in Columbia Township, one of the townships that
disappeared because of the mergers. Columbia Township shared an eastern border
with both Lawrence County and Orange County and was largely incorporated into
Halbert Township.
Joseph may have been the second of three
known children of IN natives, Azor and Emile Wilson, but there is some reason
to doubt this lineage. When the 1850 census was conducted, Azor (36), Emily
(26), and two children (James L. (7) and Harriet (5)) appear at the top of the entry
for the family, all sorted by age. They are followed by George Davis (16) and
Joseph Wilson (1). All were born in IN. Traditionally, biological families are
listed together at the top of an entry. Others, including boarders and children
who are not immediate family, follow and are sorted by age. The fact that
Joseph is listed after a non-family member, George Davis, may mean that he is
not the biological child of Azor and Emily. Possibly, Joseph is the son of one
of Azor’s brothers who has died. This is pure conjecture as census takers were
not consistent in following this practice.
In 1850, Azor worked as a blacksmith. In
later years he told census takers that he was a miller or a farmer. He and
George Davis can both read and write while Emily cannot. The children are all
too young for school. Azor seems quite prosperous for a young man, having
already accumulated real estate holdings worth $1,200.
[1] In the 1860 census, Caroline is listed as Mary, so it is likely that her name was Mary Caroline.
[2]
Today, about one-third of the county is controlled by the US Navy and
one-quarter is controlled by the Hoosier National Forest.
Page -2-
their family, having three
additional children during the years that Joseph was still at home. Nothing
else is known of Joseph's youth.
1860s
By 1860, Azor and Mary Caroline (11
years his junior) moved just to the east of Martin Co. into the French Lick
Township of Orange Co. French Lick Township shares a common border with Martin
Co., so the move was not far.
At the time, the population of Orange
Co. was just over 12,000. At the beginning of the decade, there were five
children in the Wilson household. Azor’s three children with Emily (James (16),
Harriet (14), and Joseph (10)), plus Sarah Morgan (9) and Albert Wilson (8). Unlike
later years, where relationships are stated, the 1860 census did not state
Albert’s relationship to Azor. Azor and Mary seem to have had a couple of children before
her death in October of 1862. She was laid to rest in Moore's Ridge Cemetery in
French Lick.
Of course, this was the decade of the
Civil War. Azor was too old for an enlisted soldier, and Joseph and Albert were
too young. Joseph would attend school and learn to both read and write. James
L. was just old enough to serve. He enlisted in the 49th IN Infantry,
Company G. The Regiment mustered into service for three years at
Jeffersonville, IN, on November 21, 1861. They primarily served in the
Mississippi Campaign, much of it on the west side of the river. The 49th
participated in the siege of Vicksburg and mustered out at Louisville, KY, in
September 1865.
On
August 16, 1865, Azor remarried. His new bride, Caroline Matthews, was
twenty-two years his junior. Then on May 20, 1868, Joseph
married Isabella (Bell) Fitch, a Dubois Co., IN-born woman two years his
senior. The marriage took place in Lawrence Co., where Bell’s family lived.
Robert Wadsworth conducted the ceremony. Bell was one of ten children known to
have been born to NC native Thomas Fitch and his wife, Mary Jones of IN. The
young couple very quickly settled in Martin Co., back into the Columbia Township
where Joseph had been born. Soon, Bell became pregnant with their first child,
a son, James A. He was born in 1869.[3]
[3] James
A. Wilson was born in 1869, most likely in Martin Co., IN
Page -3-
1870s
The 1870 census provides the first look
at the young family. Joseph was farming to support the family while Bell was
keeping house and taking care of little James A. Joseph has $500 of real estate and a personal
estate of $200. This was impressive for any 20-year-old.
The
1870 agricultural census provides a look at Joseph’s new farm. It is clearly
one that he bought in operational condition, elsewise he could not have been as
productive so quickly. He had 20 acres of ‘improved’ land under cultivation and
another 40 acres of woodland. The cash value of the farm was $500. He owned $20
worth of farm implements, one horse, one milk cow, and five hogs. The estimated
value of his livestock was $100. In the last year, he had produced 100 bushels
of winter wheat, 100 bushels of Indian corn, $20 worth of orchard produce, and
50 pounds of butter. In the last year, he had slaughtered $30 worth of
livestock. The estimated value of all farm production was $210.[4]
A second son, Willie Alonzo, was born in
1872.[5] Their
only daughter, Harriet Elizabeth, was born October 27, 1873.[6] Shortly
after the birth of Harriet Elizabeth (5 days according to one oral tradition),
Bell died in a train accident. The loss of a spouse was an instant crisis when
the house was full of small children. A wife had to immediately find a husband
to provide for the family financially and lead the children, while a husband
had to find a mother to care for and mold the lives of the young. Joseph did
not have to look far. He married Bell’s sister, Nancy, on February 20, 1876, in
Orange Co., IN.
Barely ten months later, Joseph’s
father, Azor (61), died. Joseph and Azor had been partners in a small surveying
enterprise. As that business was part of Azor’s estate, the Martin Co. Circuit Court
appointed two men to perform an appraisal. The results of their work were
recorded in the Court record. They showed one bay stallion, valued at $200, and
34 accounts receivable, ranging in value from $6 to $15. The total of the
appraisal was $421. Interestingly, no tools or wagons were listed for the
partnership, though such things were found in the inventory of Azor’s estate.
Joseph provided a sworn statement attesting to the completeness of the
inventory on April 14, 1877.[7]
That same year would also bring the
birth of Nancy and Joseph’s first child, Henry F. This may have occurred in Martin
Co. or Lawrence Co.[8]
He would be followed by a sister, Mary E. She was born in 1878.[9]
[4] U.S.,
Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880, 1870 data. Martin
Co., IN, pages 1 and 2.
[5] Willie
Alonzo Wilson was born in June 1872 in IN, and died in 1961 in Hot Springs Co.,
Arkansas, in the town of Malvern. In about 1891, he married a woman named Fanny.
Together they had at least three children: May, born 1893; James born 1898; and
a third, who died prior to 1900. Harriet Elizabeth's son Willie Albert Brown
was named after him.
[6] Harriet
Elizabeth Wilson was born October 27, 1873, in Dubois Co., IN, and died December 9,
1956, in Jefferson Co., KY (certificate number 25698, death volume 56). Harriet's
birth date is taken from her tombstone, Slaty Creek Baptist Church Cemetery,
Prentiss, Ohio Co., KY. She married Oliver Martin Brown on March 2, 1890.
[7]
Martin Co., IN, Estate Inventories, 1874-1881, page 139, April 14, 1877.
[8] Henry
F. Wilson was born in 1877 in IN. He was living in Bristo, KY, at the time of
Nancy's death. In 1956, he was living in Bowling Green, KY.
[9]
Mary E. Wilson was born on February 28, 1979, in IN. She died on May 17, 1934,
in Muhlenburg Co., KY. She married Harry B. Daniel and lived for a time in
Lawrence Co., AR, before returning to KY.
Page -4-
1880s
Sometime prior to the 1880 census, the
Wilsons had moved north across the Lawrence Co. line into the Spice Valley.[10] This is
where both Bell and Nancy had lived as young women.
The 1880 census record shows both James
and William attending school and James helping his father on the farm. Joseph
is designated as disabled. He was no longer a farmer but worked as a teamster. The
growing family appeared on the same page as Ann Fitch, Nancy’s stepmom. Two of
Ann’s granddaughters lived with her. 10-year-old Ida Edwards and 7-year-old
Lora (or Zora) Edwards. Her stepson, William Fitch (Nancy’s brother), was also
with her.
Joseph’s health status may explain his
absence from the 1880 agricultural census. Instead, Nancy Wilson appears (as
Nancy J. Wilson). While still 60 acres as was the case in 1870, in 1880 only 6
acres are under cultivation, with the balance (54 acres) listed as ‘woodland’. Her
‘farm’ is a small operation. The land, with its fences and buildings, is worth
$400. She has a mere $5 worth of farm implements and owns $100 worth of
livestock. The value of all farm production over the last year was $75. She had
one milk cow, one other cow, 25 hogs, produced 60 pounds of butter in the last
year, had five chickens, and produced 10 dozen eggs. Finally, she had 3 acres
planted in Indian corn which produced 60 bushels. The farm is one of the
smallest in the Township. The family has had to make a significant transition.[11]
Charles A, born July 1881 in IN.[12]
Vina Bell, born September 1885 in IN.[13]
1890s
Clark Oliver was born on July 22, 1894,
in Hartford, KY.[14]
Joseph worked in the timber business, in which he employed many young men. One such young man was Oliver Martin Brown, who eventually won the hand of Joseph's daughter Harriet Elizabeth. Then in early 1890, the family moved to KY as they followed the timber. Eventually, they settled in Ohio Co. in
[10]
The county had a population of about 18,500 as the decade began.
[11] U.S.,
Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880, 1880 data. Lawrence
Co., IN, page 10.
[12] Charles
A. Wilson was born in July 1881 in IN. He was living in Beaver Dam at the time of
Nancy's death. Charles had a son named Roy and a daughter named Jessie Mae.
Charles died June 19, 1954, in Jefferson Co., KY, certificate number 11585,
death volume 54, volume 024.
[13] Vina
Bell was born in Sept 1885 in IN. She married a man named John Douglas and lived
in the McHenry community in Ohio Co. for some time. She was living in Norwalk,
Ohio, in 1956 when her half-sister Harriet Elizabeth died in 1956. The Douglas'
had sons, W. C., Earl, and Joe, who acted as pallbearers at Nancy's funeral. Vina
died in Muhlenberg Co. on August 8, 1970 (certificate number 20582, death
volume 70, volume 042).
[14] Clark
Oliver was born July 22nd (1890, 1892, or 1894 depending on the
source) in IN (or Hartford, KY); his whereabouts were unknown at the time of
Nancy's death. He was living in Missouri in 1956, and it is there that he is
believed to have died.
Page -5-
the Cromwell
community. Most of Joseph's children (from both mothers) joined him in this
move along with their young families.[15]
At some time in his life, Joseph was a
song leader in the church. Since we know that Nancy was a long-time member of
the Bald Knob Methodist Church, it may be there that he ministered.
Joseph died at age 48 on February 23,
1898, in Ohio Co. The cause of that early death is unknown at this time. He was
laid to rest in the Shields Cemetery in Cromwell, KY. His tombstone reads;
But is he dead no no he lives, his happy spirit flies,
To heaven above and there receives,
The long expected prize[16].
When Joseph died, the Ohio Co. Court met
to approve J. Henry Wilson to be the Administrator. In a separate motion, the
Court appointed John Taylor, John Martin and N. C. Daniel to prepare a detailed
inventory and then appraise the estate.[17]
The inventory provides insight into his
financial status and the family's daily life (an interesting commentary on
where the society of 1898 assigned value). His most expensive possession was a
mule ($80). This was perhaps fitting, for a mule would undoubtedly have been a
significant factor both in his farming and in his logging. Next came horses,
wagons, buggies and harnesses, furniture and a large store of corn and meat.
The inclusion of a hole digger valued at 15 cents makes one wonder if the
assessment truly identified every trivial item. However, a review of the list
shows a heavy emphasis on tools. Thus, the absence of an accounting of any
personal items may not indicate that they did not exist, only that they were
outside of the scope of the assessment.[18]
The first part of the assessment was to
determine those items to be set aside, as allowed by law, for the sake of the
widow. It is interesting to note that Nancy made some substitutions. Those
items were:
|
1
mule and 1 horse |
$80.00 |
|
6 hogs in lieu of sheep |
$15.00 |
|
2
cows and 1 calf |
$40.00 |
|
10
hogs in lieu of manufactured cloth & etc. |
$20.00 |
|
10
hogs in lieu of wheel & etc. |
$14.00 |
|
8
chairs |
$6.00 |
|
Poultry |
$5.00 |
|
Table
and Bible |
$6.00 |
|
2
Beds, bedding, and furniture |
$40.00 |
|
Plates
and other tableware |
$4.00 |
|
1
cooking stove & fix |
$10.00 |
|
Hogs
in lieu of side saddle and bridle |
$10.00 |
[15]
Willie, Harriet, Charles, Vina, and Clark are all believed to have initially relocated
to KY, though some scattered after Nancy’s death. Henry and James A. have still
not been definitively traced. Mary moved to AR but resettled to Muhlenburg Co.,
KY
[16] Tombstone
inscriptions, Joseph C., Shields Cemetery, Cromwell, Ohio Co., KY. The cemetery
is just 100 yards east of US 231.
[17] Ohio
Co. Court Orders, Volume 21, page 479, special term February 26, 1898.
[18]Ohio
Co. Estate Inventories, Volume M. 1894-1902, pages 229-230, March 21, 1898.
Page -6-
|
1
plow & gearing & etc. |
$10.00 |
|
1
hoe, 1 axe |
$2.00 |
|
1
wagon and harness |
$50.00 |
|
1
sewing machine |
$10.00 |
|
140
bushels of corn |
$50.00 |
|
All
the meat & lard & etc. |
$50.00 |
|
Total |
$357.00 |
The report was signed by Taylor, Martin
and Daniel.
Once the widow had been provisioned, the
remainder of the estate was inventoried. Those items included:
|
1
Dresser |
$4.00 |
|
1
Clock |
$2.00 |
|
1
Bedstead |
$3.00 |
|
1
Hole digger |
$0.15 |
|
Hogs |
$14.00 |
|
1
Bale of ???? |
$1.60 |
|
1
Harrow |
$1.50 |
|
1
Lot of corn |
35
per bu. |
|
1
Log wagon |
$25.00 |
|
1
Road wagon |
$10.00 |
|
2
Buggies and harness |
$40.00 |
|
1
Pair of gearing |
$1.00 |
|
Pair
harness |
$3.00 |
|
1
Mule |
$25.00 |
|
2
Horses |
$50.00 |
1900s
The 1900 Ohio Co., KY census shows the
42-year-old widow, Nancy, as a farmer with 18-year-old son, Charles, as her
farm hand. Nancy owns her farm, clear of mortgage. She is still shown as unable
to read or write.
Just as the decade opened, a notice
appeared in a Lawrence Co., IN newspaper, The Bedford Weekly Mail, of a lawsuit
by a James Fitch filed in the County Circuit Court to partition certain real
estate. The defendants in the case were Wilsons (James Wilson, Albert Wilson,
Nancy Fitch Wilson) and a variety of in-laws. The notice indicated that the
Wilsons (and others named) were necessary parties to the suit. The defendants
were given a month’s notice to appear or have the matter settled in their
absence. The outcome of that suit is unknown.[19]
Widowed at 40, Nancy remarried on
October 19, 1903, to a William Hines Fleener in nearby Butler Co, KY. Fleener,
a 66-year-old farmer, had been married twice before. Inexplicably, the Butler
Co. record book also indicates this to be the third marriage for Nancy. The
census taker was informed that Nancy had given birth to three children and that
all were still living, yet census records indicate that she had five children
with Joseph: Henry, Mary, Charles, Vina, and Clark.[20] The
marriage was short-lived for W. H. died on July 19, 1909, in ___Co.
Page -7-
1910s
By the 1910 census, the widow Nancy Fleener
was back in Ohio Co. in the Cromwell district. Her son, Oliver C., 19, was at
home. Oliver C. is undoubtedly the Carl O. seen in earlier censuses. Her other
son, Charles Azor Wilson, lives next door with his wife, Nellie J.
Sometime in the 1910s, Nancy remarried
to a William B. Cardwell. Cardwell, born in 1841, was a Civil War veteran. He
had enlisted in the 11th KY Infantry, Company C, at age 20. By the spring
of 1862, he was already a Sergeant. With the exception of a brief stay at an
Army hospital in Nashville later in 1862, William seems to have made his way
through the war without wound or capture. He was mustered out in Bowling Green,
KY, in December 1864. Like many men, the war left its mark on Cardwell’s health.
In 1876, he applied for an invalid’s pension in 1876 and received
certificate number 219915.[21]
1920s-1930s
At the time of the 1920 census, the couple lived in the
Cromwell community in a rented home. Neither William nor Nancy worked. The old
veteran was 79, while Nancy claimed to be 62 (she was 68).
William died on May 1, 1926, in Ohio Co.[22] Nancy
successfully filed for a Widow’s Pension.[23] Beginning
in the late summer or early fall of 1934, Nancy’s health seriously declined.
After a six-month battle, she died of pneumonia on February 11, 1935, at Vina
Bell's home in McHenry, she was buried beside Joseph in the Shields Cemetery in
Cromwell.[24] Her
death was noted in the papers as the passing of 'Nancy Wilson', not Cardwell.
She had been ill for six months. Her tombstone simply reads, "We will meet again".[25]
End Notes and
References
- 1850 census, Martin Co., IN, page 74,
Columbia township.
- Azor Wilson, 36,
born IN, $1200 real estate
- Emile, 26, born IN,
cannot read or write
- James L., 7, born
IN
- Harriet, 5, born IN
- George Davis, 16,
born IN, laborer
- Joseph Wilson, 1,
born IN
- 1860 census, Orange Co., IN, page 788,
French Lick township Paoli post office district.
- Azor Wilson, age
45, born IN
- Mary Wilson, age
33, born IN
- James L., age 16,
born IN, in school
- Harriet E., age
14, born IN, in school
- Joseph C., age
10, born IN, in school
- Sarah A. Morgan,
age 9, born IN, in school
- Albert Wilson,
age 8, born IN, in school
- 1870 census, Martin Co., IN, page 309,
Natches post office, Columbia township.
- Joseph C. Wilson,
age 20, born IN, farmer, $500 real estate, $200 personal estate
- Isabella, age 22,
born IN, keeping house
- James A., age 1,
born IN
- 1870 census, Orange Co., IN, page 13,
French Lick township
- Azor Wilson, age
55, farmer, born IN, $7000 real estate, $1000 personal
- Caroline, age 33,
keeping house, born IN
- Missy I., age 12,
at home, born IN, in school
- Elzini A., age 8,
born IN, in school, cannot read or write
- Lyora E., age 4,
born IN
- John W., age 2,
born IN
- Samuel, age 8
months, born IN
- 1880 census, Lawrence Co., IN, page 14,
Spice Valley township
[21] William
Cardwell’s invalid pension application, 11th KY Infantry, Company C, 216494
(certificate 219915), filed April 1, 1876. 48 pages.
[22] Death
certificate, William B. Cardwell, Ohio Co., KY, May 1, 1926, number 13856,
death volume 26.
[23] Nancy applied for a Widow's Pension for William Cardwell, 11th KY
Infantry, Company C. The application was number 1571296, filed on February 21,
1927. The Widow's Pension certificate was number A-5-15-30.
[24] Death
certificate, Nancy Cardwell, Ohio Co., KY, February 11, 1935, certificate
number 07990, death volume 35, volume 16. Nancy's son, Charles, provided the information
for the death certificate. He gave her father's name as 'Fetch'. Her mom's
maiden name was simply listed as ‘unknown’.
[25] Tombstone
inscription: Nancy Wilson, Shields Cemetery, Cromwell, Ohio Co., KY.
Page -8-
- Joseph C. Wilson,
30, driving a team, 2 months unemployed, disabled, IN/OH/IN
- Nancy, 23,
keeping house, cannot read or write, IN/OH/__
- James A., 12,
works on farm, attended school, IN/NC/PA
- William L., 7,
attended school, IN/IN/IN
- Harriet E., 6,
IN/IN/IN
- Henry F., 3,
IN/IN/IN
- Mary G., 2 , IN/IN/IN
- Nancy Wilson, age
42, born June 1858, farmer, born IN, father born in NC, mother born in
TN, cannot read or write
- Charles, age 18,
born July 1881, farm laborer, born IN, father born in IN, mother born in
IN
- Vina B., age 14,
born Sept 1885, born IN, father born in IN, mother born in IN, 5 mo. in
school in the last year
- Clark, age 9, born July 1890, born IN, father born in IN, mother born in IN, 5 mo. in school in the last year
- William B.
Cardwell, age 79
- Nancy, age 62, born
IN, father's birthplace unknown, mother born TN
9. Ohio County Messenger, February 15, 1935, page 6
10. Ohio County News, February ___, 1935, page ____.
11. The known children of Azor and Emile Wilson:
- James L., born
about 1843
- Harriet, born
about 1845
- Joseph C., born
November 16, 1849.
- Albert, born
about 1852
13. KY: A History of the State, Battle, Perrin, & Kniffin, 2nd ed., 1885,
Butler
Co.
WILLIAM
B. CARDWELL
was born in Butler Co., Ky., July 20, 1841, and is a son of Robert and Nancy
J. (Moore) Cardwell, both of whom were natives of VA, and of Irish and English
descent respectively. When a young man, in about 1830, Robert Cardwell removed
from VA to Butler Co., Ky., then almost an unbroken wilderness. Here he was
married and engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life. He first rented a
farm in the little bend of the Green River, below Morgantown, where he resided
for several years, when he removed to a farm on Renfrew Crook [sic], above Morgantown,
where he remained some three or four years. He then bought a farm three miles
and a half from Morgantown, where he resided until 1867, when he sold out and
bought a farm north of the river on Welch's Creek, where he remained until his
death, which occurred on the night of the 25th of April, 1877, in his 64th
year. On that night his dwelling, with its entire contents, was destroyed by
fire, in which he and his youngest daughter were so severely burned that they
died the following day. Mrs. Cardwell departed this life on the 15th of April,
preceding the fire. Mr. Cardwell and his wife were devoted church members, he of
the Methodist Episcopal Church North, and she of the Cumberland Presbyterian; he
was also a member of the I.O.G.T., and an earnest advocate of the temperance
cause.
Page -9-
William
B. Cardwell received only a limited common school education but has since
acquired a good business education. He was employed on his father's farm until
he was eighteen years of age, after which he was employed as a laborer for a
few months. He then rented lands in Ohio Co., where he was employed until
September, 1861, when he enlisted in Company C, Eleventh KY Volunteer Infantry
(Federal service), and served with that regiment in all its marches and
engagements until the expiration of his term of service, being mustered out at
Bowling Green, in December, 1864. He participated in the battles of Shiloh,
Stone River, Lookout Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, the siege of Atlanta, the siege
of Knoxville, and many lesser engagements.
After
his return from the army, he farmed on shares for several years. He then bought
a partially improved farm of 102 acres, three miles east of Aberdeen, upon
which he still resides. Since that time, he has dealt quite extensively in real
estate, and now owns well-improved farms amounting to 217 acres. In February
1884, he engaged in general merchandising at Aberdeen in connection with
farming. He was married April 5, 1860, to Angeline Flener, also a native of
Butler Co., Ky.; born June 12, 1841. Twelve children have blessed their union,
ten of whom, five sons and five daughters, are living, viz.: William H.,
Paradine A., Luvenia A., Sarah A. F., Azro A., Alverado, Mary A., Siotha J.,
Leroy L., Robert L.
Mr.
Cardwell and wife are church members; he of the Methodist Episcopal and she of
the United Baptist. He is also an earnest advocate of the temperance cause. In
politics, he is a staunch Republican.
- The children of J. E. Fitch:
- Isabella - born
approximately 1848 in IN, died 1873-1876 in IN
- Nancy - born June
15, 1858, in IN, died February 11, 1935 in Ohio Co., KY
- William - was
still living in IN in 1935 when Nancy died.
Areas for Further
Research
- Check pre-1850 for Azor Wilson, Thomas
Fitch, and J. E. Fitch.
- Check Orange and Martin Co., IN real
estate and tax records
- Ohio Co., KY tax records, check to confirm
date of arrival.
- Ohio Co., KY real estate records.
- Marriage record, Nancy Wilson to William
B. Cardwell, probably Ohio Co. between 1900 and 1920.
- Marriage record, Azor to Emile, pre-1843,
nothing in the Martin Co. records.
- Does the Bald Knob Methodist Church still
exist?
- 1870 Orange Co., IN page 74 has a William
Fitch, age 26. Page 73 has an Elizabeth Fitch, age 62, born NC, James M.,
age 35, born IN, and Delilah E., age 20, born IN. Page 82 has a George W.
Fitch, age 22; page 81 has a James F. Fitch, age 43. Page 11 has a
Maxfield Wilson, age 78, born NC. Need to double-check 1860; think
Maxfield was on the same page as Azor.
- Get copies of Nancy’s pension application
for William Cardwell 1571296 (certificate A-5-15-30).
