Samuel
Brown and Sarah Francis Craven
Early Life
Samuel Brown was born in IN somewhere between 1823 and 1826. He was raised in Harrison Co., IN, near the town of Corydon.[1] Corydon had been the capital of the Indiana Territory since 1808 and became the capital of the State in 1816 after it was accepted by Congress. It remained the capital until 1825. According to statements given by Samuel’s widow, his father was found dead, of what was believed to have been heart disease, while his mother, one sister, and two brothers had all died from consumption.[2] Nothing else is known of his early life.
Mary Polke was born in about 1827 and was the daughter of Charles and Rebecca White Polke.[3]
Sarah Francis Craven was born in 1835 in Spencer Co., IN.[4] She was the third of seven known children born to Elijah Craven and Mary Polly Hurst.[5]
On January 25, 1849, Samuel married 21-year-old
IN native Mary Polke, in Perry Co., IN.[6]
The minister was David Tate.
1850s
Samuel began work as a laborer with his real
estate holdings in the township of Tobin a mere $75.[7]
By the 1850 census, Samuel (27) and Mary (22) had no children of their own but
were caring for a seven-year-old, Charles Weatherholt (7).[8]
That census also revealed that neither bride nor groom [1]
When the 1820 Harrison Co., IN census was taken, there were seven distinct Brown
households: John (p. 2), Vincent (p. 2), Robert (p. 8), Nancy (p. 14), George
(p. 16), Henry (p. 16), and Daniel (p. 16). By the 1830 census, there were 16
families.
[2]
Statement given by Sarah Francis Craven Nelson Brown in a deposition for a Widow's Pension, July 27, 1893, Altoga, IN. As will be presented, Samuel Brown also
died of consumption (now known as tuberculosis) after his wartime exposure to
the measles led to pneumonia. Pneumonia led to scarring of the lungs and
eventually to his death.
[3]
Sources differ on the spelling of the Polke/Polk family name. I will generally
use Polk as that seems to have been the preferred spelling.
[4] It
is interesting to note that Abraham Lincoln lived in Spencer Co., IN from 1816
to 1830, between the ages of seven and twenty-one. His family moved to IL in 1830.
The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is located at the site of the Lincoln
family farm in the northwestern part of the county, far from the Nelsons. The
other “big attraction” in the county is the town of Santa Claus.
[5] Elijah
Craven and Mary Polly Hurst were married in Spencer Co., IN on September 9,
1823. Craven remarried in about 1855 to Nancy Sanders.
[6] A
Charles Polke married a Rebecca White on January 14, 1819, with services
performed by Thomas Tobin. Polke was born in 1799 and died in 1834. Their
children were: Helen, who married William H. H. Hinton, Mary, who married Samuel Brown, Catherine, who married Jacob Weatherholt, Stephen, who married
Drusilla Ann Josephine Finch and Sarah Jane Batt Finch, Elizabeth, who
married Hezekiah Tate; and another son, Henderson Polk but there is no
information on him. Charles Polke was the son of Thomas Polke and his wife
Catherine Leonard. Rebecca White was the daughter of Joseph White. This
information came from the files of Wallace Weatherholt, a Perry Co. historian
in the 1950's and came to me courtesy of Molly Hall. There is also a massive
work on the Polk family called The Other Polks: The Descendants of Charles
Polke the Indian Trader (Three-Volume Set, 3,323 pages) by John G. Kester.
I have only seen an image of one page.
[7]
Tobin is one of seven townships in Perry Co. It is the southernmost of the
seven, with its southern and eastern limits formed by the curvature of the Ohio
River.
[8] There
were many Weatherholt families in the township and in the County, including
some that were connected by marriage. See the further comments in the End
Notes.
Page -2-
could read or write. Over the coming decade, the couple had four children of their own. The first was Mary Jane, born in 1851 or 1852.[9]
On January 13, 1853, the eighteen-year-old Sarah Craven married twenty-year-old KY-born (William) Franklin (Frank} Nelson at her home in Spencer Co., IN.[10] The minister was Masterson Harris. Frank worked as a laborer. Prior to the 1860s, Frank and Sarah had two sons. The first, George W., was born in 1856.[11] The second, John H., was born in 1859.[12]
Samuel and Mary Brown also welcomed more
children; a daughter, Pretina, was born in about 1855.[13]
The first son, James H., was born in 1857.[14]
Their last child before the close of the decade was Nancy, born in 1859.[15]
1860s
In 1860, the Brown family was still residing in
the Tobin township. Samuel was no longer a laborer working for someone else. They
had bought a small farm. When the census was taken, Samuel estimated his
personal property to be worth $250 and his land to be valued at $275. That
year, the Federal government also conducted an agricultural census. This survey
provided much more detail on his small farm. Samuel and Mary had 10 acres under
cultivation and another 30 acres that were woodland. The cash value of the land
was $275. They owned $10 worth of farm implements and machinery, one horse, one
milk cow, two working cows, one other cow, and 25 hogs. The total value of the
livestock was $200. Over the past year, Samuel has produced 48 bushels of wheat
and 400 bushels of Indian corn. A quick survey of surrounding farms indicates
that Samuel’s operation was one of the smallest and least productive in the
township, typical of one just starting out.[16]
[9]
Mary Jane Brown was born on September 3, 1852, in Tobin Township, Perry
Co., IN. She died on September 22, 1929, in Portland, Multnomah Co., OR. She
married John G. Monkhaus on March 28, 1875, in Perry Co.
[10] Sarah
F. Craven to William F. Nelson, Spencer County, IN, Index to Marriage Record
1850 -1920 Inclusive., Original record located in the County Clerk's Office,
Book: 3; Page: 298. Nelson apparently went by Frank as that was how he was enrolled
for the 1863 enumeration and several other documents.
[11]
George W. Nelson was born in 1855 in Spencer Co., IN. He would marry Eliza L.
Hensley on November 19, 1878, in Perry Co., IN. She remarried a man named
Davis, indicating that George may have died. Eliza died in 1931 in the St
Louis, MO area.
[12]
John H. Nelson was born in about 1859. Some sources list 1855, but this seems
unlikely since George W. was born that year. There are records that suggest
that John married a Nancy A. Aders, though this has not yet been confirmed.
[13]
Pretina Brown was born in 1855 in Perry Co. IN. She
married Thomas Basinger on December 3, 1873. Her first name is a point of
confusion. She appeared in the census as Pratina (1860), Pretina (1870, and Fretina
(1880). She appeared in the IN-marriage collection as Curtina and as Brettannia
on the death certificate of her son Herman. Some researchers believe that she
died shortly after the birth of Herman (1880)
[14]
James H Brown was born in 1857 in Perry Co., IN. He married Susanna Basinger on
April 3, 1877, in Perry Co., IN. James appears to have died by 1889, as Susanna
married Samuel M. Little on March 12, 1889.
[15]
Nancy Brown was born in 1859 in Perry Co., IN. Nothing further is known
regarding Nancy after the 1870 census.
[16] U.S.,
Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880, 1860 data, Perry
Co., IN, image 531, page 8. The page also has many members of the Polk family. As
this is being written in 2025, the IN data was not on Ancestry.com. It was
available, but not indexed, via the FamilySearch website.
Page -3-
The
1860 census showed Sarah and William living in Huff Township in eastern Spencer
Co. near the border with neighboring Perry Co.[17]
Civil War
Sarah and Frank had one more daughter, Lenora Alice, just as the nation was becoming fully engulfed in War. She was born in July 1861.[18]
Thus, at the outbreak of the War, Samuel and Sarah were married to other people. Samuel and Mary had four children while Sarah and Frank had three. With the call for volunteers, both Samuel Brown and Frank Nelson joined the Union Army. As it frequently does, war would change both of their lives forever.
Samuel, older than many enlistees at around 37, joined the 1st IN Cavalry, Company D, as a Private on July 29, 1861, in Perry Co. as the unit was being formed.[19] Years later, a comrade would recall Samuel as “tall, ‘spare’, light complected and not very stout”. As he headed off to war at the start of a 3-year enlistment, Mary was about 4 months pregnant with her fifth child. Samuel furnished his own horse (valued at $100) and associated equipment. The regiment was formally mustered into Federal service at Evansville on August 20, 1861. The following day, the 1st departed for St Louis, MO. From there they traveled about 90 miles south-southwest to the town of Ironton. The region featured iron and lead mines, vital to the economy of St Louis and to the Union war machine. The 1st would remain in the Ironton vicinity until February 1862. During this time, there would be a skirmish at Black River (near Ironton) on September 12th; operations about Ironton and Fredericktown (20 miles east of Ironton) October 12th–21st, with particular skirmishes at Fredericktown on October 18th and 21st.
In the Fredericktown engagement, the Confederates were routed, leaving some 200 dead on the field, compared to only 6 Union deaths. The battle occurred when two Union columns, one under Col. J.B. Plummer and another under Col. William P. Carlin, advanced on Fredericktown to overtake Confederate Brig. Gen. Meriwether “Jeff” Thompson and his men. The Confederates had been seeking to disrupt the Iron Mountain Railroad, the main Union artery from St. Louis into the southeastern Ozarks. From a base in Stoddard Co., Confederate Col. Aden Lowe and the State Guard infantry marched to Fredericktown while Thompson (CSA) took his cavalry directly to the Big River railroad bridge. On Oct. 15th, Thompson’s Missourians captured a company of Union bridge guards, burned the bridge, and then scattered another company nearby at Blackwell’s Station.
On Oct. 16th, Lowe (CSA) reached Fredericktown. The next day, there was minor skirmishing with Union scouts. Thompson and his CSA cavalry rode into the town later that day to support Lowe. He chased the Federal cavalry (including Samuel’s 1st IN Cavalry) for a few miles and then turned back to Fredericktown. According to Union reports, the retreat was planned and led the pursuing Rebels into
[17] Huff
is one of nine present-day townships in Spencer County. The 2000 population of
this 42 sq mi area was 1,089.
[18] Lenora
Alice Nelson was born July 1861 in IN, died September 1912 in Pittsburgh, KS;
She married William L. Kellems, January 2, 1879, in Perry Co., IN (some sources
cite February)
[19] Samuel’s
military record shows his age as 30 upon his July 1861 enlistment. Since
various records show his birth year as 1823 to 1825, this would make his age 35
to 37. The discrepancy cannot be explained at this time. The file consists of
an index card and eight company muster rolls or notation cards. From the
perspective of the 21st century, events in the eastern and southern theaters
seem dominant, but in 1861, 45% of all the battles and casualties were in
Missouri.
Page -4-
an ambush, and that this was what prompted General Thompson (CSA) to turn back to Fredericktown.[20] For the next three days, Thompson remained there and gathered recruits. He also accumulated 18,000 pounds of badly needed lead from local mines.
Thompson, known as the Swamp Fox, and his brigade threatened Ironton, which prompted (recently promoted) Union Brig. Gen. U. S. Grant, commanding in southeast Missouri, to send troops to dislodge them. Federal columns soon converged on Fredericktown.
On the morning of October 21st, Thompson's 1500-man CSA force left Fredericktown and headed south. About twelve miles out, Thompson left his supply train (heavy with lead) in a secure position and returned toward Fredericktown. He then learned that Union forces (at least twice his size) had occupied Fredericktown, so Thompson spent the morning attempting to discern the enemy numbers and disposition.
Unable to do so, he placed his troops and artillery in ambush along the Greenville road and awaited the Union forces. The bulk of the Missouri State Guard (CSA) force was hidden from view on wooded high ground that formed a ‘U’ overlooking the road. Forward of the main body, Confederate Col. Aden Lowe's infantry regiment waited in a cornfield as bait. Close behind was a supporting 12-pounder cannon as well as three 6-pounders farther to the rear and flank.
About noon, Union Col. Plummer arrived with his column and a detachment of Col. William P. Carlin's troops. Capt. Stewart's Illinois cavalry company made the initial contact. Col. Ross's 17th Illinois infantry engaged Lowe's troops first with skirmishers, then the main line of the regiment in a cornfield. A section of Union artillery was brought into service against the Missourians' 12-pounder, which responded. The 20th Illinois and 11th Missouri (Union) applied pressure to both flanks of Lowe's force as more Union artillery joined the battle. Twice the Union men were driven back. Lowe, having waited too long to disengage, was killed by a shot to the head, and his regiment retreated, taking heavy casualties. The fight lasted approximately two hours. Finally, Thompson's Confederates retreated.
Hoping to rout the retreating Missourians,
Plummer ordered the 1st IN Cavalry (Samuel’s) to charge. But Thompson had
anticipated such a move and had set an ambush. As the IN Cavalry thundered down
the road, soldiers of Thompson's command suddenly arose from concealment and
unleashed a volley that killed 4 cavalrymen, including Maj. John S. Gavitt and
Capt. John K. Highman, and left 28 wounded.[21]
The Indianans wheeled in retreat while the Missourians hurried away down the
Greenville Road without serious pursuit. Union officers called for infantry
support and the 17th Illinois surged forward to claim the now abandoned piece.
As more Union infantry poured onto the field, Thompson began an orderly withdrawal.
In this he mostly succeeded, except for some routing cavalry.[22]
[20]
The Evansville Daily Journal, October 19, 1861, page 3. The same page reports
that eight companies of the 1st IN Cavalry under Col. Baker are in
MO. Six other companies are in ‘Washington City’ under Lt Col Scott Carter.
[21] As
these were some of the earliest deaths in the war from this area, the resultant
funerals for 1st Cavalry locals Maj. Gavitt, Capt. Highman and a Pvt Charles
McLain were covered extensively in the Evansville Daily Journal, October 29,
1861, Image 2. McClain’s life and death were covered in more detail in the Evansville
Daily Journal, October 30, 1861, Image 2. This same page noted the funeral of a
Corporal Allison, killed on the 21st. Allison’s funeral would be
covered in the Evansville Daily Journal, November 06, 1861, Image 2.
[22] A
letter home from one of the Cavalry (unnamed) gave details of the battle and
the sacrifice. This was printed in full in the Evansville Daily Journal,
November 02, 1861, Image 2. It is in this same article that it is reported that
the men have no overcoats and that the weather is turning cold. The Evansville Daily
Journal, November 28, 1861, Image 2, would report donations of clothing
(mostly flannel underwear, socks, and flannel shirts) to the troops. Another
article on the same page is an open letter from the officers of the 1st
Cavalry to Major Wm Wood, objecting to his elevation to leadership resulting
from the deaths of previous leadership. The practice in the early army was for
men to elect or at least assent to the selection of their officers. This was
not mutiny, but rather democracy. This type of popularity contest quickly fell
out of favor as men longed for competent leadership.
Page -5-
Some of the Union soldiers believed that locals had assisted Thompson in the engagement. They were also angered by perceived mistreatment of Unionist citizens along the line of march. This resentment led to retaliation against the town by the rank and file. At least seven homes in Fredericktown were burned, and other buildings, including the courthouse and Catholic Church, were damaged before the officers regained control of their men. It is not clear if the 1st was part of this action. The Fredericktown engagement cemented Union control of southeastern Missouri. From his enlistment through the end of October, company muster rolls simply show Samuel as “present,” but this would soon change. A letter home from one soldier to a local paper on November 11th reported that the unit began a move toward Black River, “a noted secesh stronghold”. Samuel may not have been part of this move or may have started and had to halt.
While the 1st would go on to see significant duty in Missouri and Arkansas throughout the rest of the war, the fight at Fredericktown was the most serious action seen by Samuel. Suffering from chronic gastritis and having come down with measles, he would be discharged at Pilot Knob, MO (1 mile north of Ironton and 20 miles west of Fredericktown) on November 21st.[23] Nothing is said of his trip back home (300 miles over modern roads). He travelled in the company of several other men from the regiment. Some were heading home on furlough and some, like Samuel, were sick and had been discharged. It is assumed that most of the trip was by boat from St Louis, first down the Mississippi and then up the Ohio.
It is likely that Mary gave birth to her fifth child, William Harrison, on December 15, 1861, about the time of Samuel’s arrival home from MO.[24] Mary had sent away a healthy mature man, but he returned broken in body. As Samuel slowly recovered, he attempted to resume his work on the farm. Their last child, another daughter, Cornelia Ann, would arrive on October 8, 1862.[25]
By June or July 1863, with the war dragging on,
the now 39-year-old veteran had to register for the draft with other fighting-age
men.[26]
He was enrolled as “unmarried,” indicating that Mary had died sometime shortly
after Carnelia’s birth.[27]
She was only 35 years old.
[23] As
is commonly known, more Civil War soldiers died of ‘camp diseases’ than of
combat. Men who had lived in isolated rural communities were most at risk.
Things that once were thought of as childhood diseases (before vaccines) swept
through encampments, decimating entire regiments. In the 1860s, there was no
real treatment for measles. Living in cold, damp, and unsanitary conditions hampered the body’s impaired immune response. Measles is known to cause a kind
of immune system amnesia that can make an individual lose their former
immunities, resulting in a downward spiral, especially when people live closely
together in large numbers. The infected go from illness to illness. Years may
be required to rebuild the immune system if the individual doesn’t succumb
first. Untreated measles commonly led to pneumonia and permanent scarring of the
lungs.
[24]
William Harrison Brown was born December 15, 1861, in Perry Co. IN. He later
moved to OK and married a woman from Iowa known only as Rachel D. By 1893, when
his father’s second wife, Sarah, was making application for a Widow's Pension
and Minor's Pension, William was in Kingfisher County, Indian Territory (later
OK).
[25] Carnelia
Ann Brown was born on October 8, 1862, in Perry Co., IN. She appears in some
sources as ‘Cordelia’ and ‘Cornelia’. She married William H. Basinger (or
Baysinger) on March 16, 1893, in Perry Co., IN. He died January 31, 1885, in
Perry Co., IN, according to a statement filed by William J. Friest in Samuel’s
Minor's Pension file. Carnelia filed a statement in support of that Pension. (undated)
indicating that she had married John H. Hix on November 6, 1888, in Shawnee
Co., KS, and was then living in Topeka, KS. She signed that statement,
‘Carnelia’. She died in Topeka on April 25, 1916, and was buried in the Topeka
Cemetery.
[26]
There were four drafts between 1863 and 1865 as the Government sought to refill
its ranks that had been depleted by disease, combat, desertion, and the
completion of the short-term enlistments common at the start of the war. The
1863 registration is the best known because of the resulting draft riots in
which hundreds were killed. Frank Nelson appeared in the Class III enumeration (a
class not described by Ancestry.com). This left an inference that Nelson
had served and been discharged (perhaps for illness or a wound) and then
reenlisted or was drafted. But, as described elsewhere, the Class III
enumeration was for currently serving soldiers. It was the Army’s way of
accounting for everyone.
[27]
The Class III enumeration was conducted during June and July of 1863, and Samuel was already listed as unmarried. Yet, in a pension application made almost 30 years
later, in July 1891, on one occasion, Sarah stated that Samuel’s former wife,
Mary Polk Brown, died in September 1864; another time, she stated that it
happened in October. Given the lapse in time. I think the Class III enumeration
document carries more weight. This would suggest that Mary died in the fall of
1862, perhaps following Carnelia’s birth. On the other hand, we are told that
Carnelia began to live with the Lanman’s at 10 months; this probably fits
better with a late death.
Page -6-
Sarah’s husband, William Franklin Nelson, enlisted as a Private in February 1862 in Company C of the 53rd IN Infantry Regiment. The unit was mustered into service on March 6th. The unit took part in the advance on Corinth, MS after Shiloh, was part of Grant’s Mississippi Campaign, including the siege and capture of Vicksburg, and the capture of the MS state capital in Jackson. Somewhere along the way, Nelson was promoted to Corporal. By comparison with the siege of Vicksburg, the late summer and early fall of 1863 were quiet, with far less open combat. It must have been during this lull that Nelson received leave to make a quick trip home, because Sarah became pregnant. In February 1864, the unit began the long trek through west TN and north AL to Ackworth, GA, to join General Sherman. Before his Atlanta Campaign began, veterans in the 53rd were given a furlough. It is not known if Nelson made another trip home. The push towards Atlanta began on April 28th and would last until the end of August. At almost the same time, the Nelsons’ last child, Mary, was born.[28] She would never know her father, for on the very first day of the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, the 32-year-old Frank was killed. After a brief battlefield interment, he was moved and reburied in the Marrietta National Cemetery, Section E, plot 420.[29] On October 27, 1864, Sarah made application for a Widow's Pension. The case number was 70124.
Thus, both Samuel and Sarah found themselves
without a spouse but with multiple small children (he had six and she had four).
Years later, Sarah recalled that they knew one another prior to the war when he
had lived only three to four miles from her home. How they quickly rekindled a
relationship is not clear. In any case, they knew or became aware of each other
and were married on March 15, 1865. The ceremony took place in the community of
Huffman in Spencer Co. with Simon Egnor, a Justice, officiating.[30]
From the outset of their marriage, Samuel’s health was poor, and he was
remembered years later as being given to frequent coughing fits. Sarah’s
marriage to Samuel stopped the review process for her to obtain Frank Nelson’s Widow's
Pension. No award was ever made.
[28]
Mary Nelson was born in May of 1864. She died in 1876, most likely in Perry Co., IN, based on Court records submitted by her Guardian, John Robertson.
[29] For
a while, I believed that Frank Nelson had served in the 134th IN
Infantry Regiment. That soldier also died near Atlanta that summer (August). He
was subsequently buried in IN. The Widow's Pension card for our Willian Franklin
Nelson wrongly listed Sarah as ‘Sarah T.’ This threw me off. However, it was later
noted that a Minor's Pension had been filed. Fortunately, the Guardian’s name
had been listed. It was John Robertson, who figures heavily in this narrative
as the Guardian for the Nelson children in Perry Co., IN Court papers. This
removed any doubt.
[30] Huffman
is an unincorporated area in the Harrison township in Spencer Co., IN. Today,
it appears on the map primarily because of a fairly bland, covered bridge over
the Anderson River. Like almost everything associated with old records,
documentation often creates as much confusion as it eliminates. The License to
Wed was dated March 1864. The Marriage Certificate was signed and dated March
1865. The Spencer Co. Court affixed its seal to the document and signed it on
what appears to be May of 1869. I have assumed that it was 1865, given the date
of Corporal Nelson’s death in the summer of 1864.
Page -7-
Post-War Years – More Death and Many Court Filings
With the four minor Nelson children suddenly fatherless, the Perry Co. Probate Court quickly acted to appoint a Guardian and an Estate Administrator. On April 10, 1866, John Robertson, believed to be a local lawyer, filed papers in the Court of Common Pleas, “in the probable estate of George W. Nelson, John H. Nelson, Leonora Nelson, and Mary F. Nelson, minor heirs of Wm Franklin Nelson, deceased,” asking to be made Guardian of the children. The application was approved.[31] In a related action of the Court taken on May 21, 1866, several “Administrators and Guardians in Vacation” were appointed. Among the dozen or so motions, William P. Drumb was appointed Guardian of the Nelson children.[32] Robertson filed for Minors' Pensions for the Nelson children at about this time.[33]
With peace returning, the newlyweds, Samuel and Sarah Brown, set about having “their children”. Oliver Martin was born just 15 months into their marriage (on June 6, 1866).[34]
On January 21, 1868, John Robertson returned to Court on behalf of the Nelson children to provide an interim report of his handling of the estate equity and disbursements. He reported that he had on hand $402.95 and had disbursed $355.50. He reported being left with a balance of $47.45. His report was approved and his Guardianship extended until the next report.[35]
Sarah gave birth to the Brown’s next child, a
son, Alonzo (Lon), on March 15th that same year.[36]
1870s
Finally, the Brown’s last son, Samuel, was born on April 9, 1870.[37] At the time of young Samuel’s birth, his dad was still farming in Clark Township in northwest Perry Co. (assisted by his son James
[31]
Perry Co., IN, Probate Court Orders, Volume 2, 1861-1871, April 10, 1866, pages
335-336.
[32]
Perry Co., IN, Probate Court Orders, Volume 2, 1861-1871, May 21, 1866, page
338. The term ‘Guardians in Vacation’ means just what it sounds like. Robertson
was going to be away, or at least off duty, for a while. Drumb was appointed to
ensure that representation was always maintained.
[33]
Minor's Pension application 126361, dated May 8, 1866, filed for the Nelson
children. Pension Certificate 97518 was subsequently awarded on July 23, 1867.
The Guardian received $8 per month for the first child plus $2 per month for
each additional child. The Pension was retroactive to July 22, 1864, and would
decrease as each one reached 16. Frank's Pension file contains filings from the
1860s on behalf of his children and from the 1880s when Sarah belatedly sought a
Widow's Pension.
[34]
Oliver Martin Brown was born on June 6, 1866. He died on October 27, 1939, in
Daviess Co., KY. He married Harriett Elizabeth Wilson on March 2, 1890.
[35]
Perry Co., IN, Probate Court Orders, Volume 2, 1861-1871, January 21, 1868,
page 424.
[36] Alonzo
Brown was born on March 15, 1868. He married Amanda F., one year his senior, in Dubois Co., IN on September 4, 1889. Lon was living in Evansville, IN in
1910, where he was listed as an engineer in a basket factory. Daughter Leonora
(born 1892 does not appear at home after 1910). There had been one other child
who had died prior to 1910. In the 1920 census, Lon worked in a basket factory
and rented his home. By 1930, he was still living in Evansville, where he
worked as a night watchman in a furniture factory. Oliver’s 1939 obituary noted
that Lon lived in Evansville. The 1940 census spelled Lon’s name as “Elonzo”. The
census notes that Lon completed 5 years of school and Amanda 3 years of school.
James was 6 years old, not yet in school. Lon’s SSN was 304-12-2360.
[37] Samuel
Brown was born in July 1870 (he was listed as “1/12th of a year when the census
was taken in August). One oral tradition related to the family regards the
younger Samuel. It is known that he married a woman named Bell or Belle Grant.
According to legend, Bell Grant Brown was a 'loose woman'. It seems that young
Sam caught another man with Bell and shot him. For this alone, no court would
have found him guilty in the late 1800s, but perhaps to protect what was left
of the family name, Sam decided to burn the body. Per 19th-century justice,
this was an unacceptable defilement of the image of God. For that, young Samuel
was found guilty and hanged. Complicating the story is the confusion as to where
this occurred. One oral tradition has this event taking place in IN before the
family came to KY (1895 or later); another says that this occurred in AR, where
young Sam had gone with Willie Alonzo Wilson as they followed the logging business.
Young Samuel and Bell had at least one child: Jess or Jesse Earl Brown. He was
born on May 17, 1895, in Huntingburg, Dubois Co., IN. After Bell's disgrace and
young Samuel's execution, the family came to KY and Jess was subsequently
raised by James and Mary J. Shaver (per the 1910 census), Mary Jane Ferguson,
and Jesse’s uncle Oliver Brown and wife Hattie when Bell abandoned them (Mary
Jane Ferguson was the wife of James Ferguson, the brother of another on my
ancestors, William Alexander “Tobias” Ferguson). Jesse had married Addie
Frizzel in early 1921 (the report of their marriage license appeared in the
January 7th edition of the Hartford Republican, page 3). That union resulted in
at least three children, the oldest was named Hazel. Jesse Brown's life also
came to a violent end when, in about 1962, he shot himself in the head on Echols
Road. Jesse is buried in Sunnyside Cemetery in Beaver Dam, KY. The KY Death
Index records the passing of a Jesse E. Brown on June 6, 1962, in Ohio Co, KY
(volume 29, certificate 14229). In the late 1980s, it was believed that Agnes
Raymer Brown (wife of Willis Brown, Oliver's son) had a picture of the younger
Samuel (born 1870). Perhaps the photo is still around.
Page -8-
and his stepson, George Nelson). Samuel’s wealth had grown to $1500 in real estate and $500 in personal property.[38] The house must have been crowded as it held the couple and 12 children while daughter Cornelia Ann (6) lived nearby with the John Lanman family.[39]
Samuel and Sarah had 70 acres under cultivation and another 80 acres that were woodland. The cash value of the land was $1,500. Samuel owned $100 worth of farm implements and machinery, some of which will appear in his later estate sale. He had two horses, two mules, and two milk cows, one other cow, seven sheep, and 15 hogs. The total value of the livestock was $400. Over the past year, he has produced 40 bushels of winter wheat, 300 bushels of Indian corn, 50 bushels of oats, 12 pounds of wool, 70 pounds of butter, 30 gallons of molasses, $50 worth of forest products, and $10 of home-manufactured goods. He had slaughtered $100 worth of livestock in the past year and estimated the value of all farm production at $400.[40] A quick survey of surrounding farms indicates that Samuel’s operation was average in size and productivity.
The next Court appearance on behalf of the Guardian of the Nelson children occurred on May 17, 1870. Robertson reported that he had $447.00 on hand. He had dispersed $44.00 on behalf of all his wards, leaving a balance of $40.00. This meant that each child was due $100.75. Robertson reported that he had paid out $63.90 for George W, leaving him a balance of $36.85. He had paid out $6.15 for John, leaving him a balance of $94.60. He had paid out $49.50 for Leonora, leaving her a balance of $57.25. Finally, Robertson had also paid out $49.50 for Mary, leaving her a balance of $57.25. Once the payments were made, the Guardian had on hand $233.95 with which to supply the children.[41]
On December 5, 1872, Sarah gave birth to their final child with Samuel Brown. It was a daughter, their only daughter. They named her Emily.[42]
[38]
U.S. Federal Census, Perry Co., IN, Clark Township, page 256.
[39] According
to an affidavit in Minors Pension applications for the Brown children filed by
John Lanman, Carnelia lived with the his family from 10 (summer 1863) months until
she was 17. In the 1880 census, she was listed as ‘adopted’. Sarah said that Carnelia
had moved out before she and Samuel married. Otherwise, she claimed to have all
the minor Brown-Polk, Craven-Nelson, and Brown-Nelson at home and under her
control and care. Her own son, George W. Nelson, filed an affidavit in December
of 1891, contradicting Sarah, by stating that he cared for William Brown from
the time of Samuel’s death until Sarah married Mathias (18 months). The above,
along with the 1890s conflict between Alice E. Beard and Sarah, makes me think
that relations between Sarah and the children were not good in general. As it is
conjecture, I chose not to put a statement directly in the text.
[40] U.S.,
Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880, Perry County, IN,
1870 data, pages 66-67.
[41] Perry
Co., IN, Probate Court Orders, Volume 2, 1861-1871, May 17, 1870, page 536.
[42]
Emily Brown was born on December 5, 1872, in Perry Co., IN. She died on March
5, 1877, also in Perry Co.
Page -9-
Samuel’s health had seriously declined in the
1870s. Years later, Sarah told her Pension attorney how things had
progressed. Samuel first had a ‘spell’, no more than six months after they
married. When that happened, his tongue became so swollen that he could hardly
keep it in his mouth. She said that this would go on for weeks with him unable
to speak above a whisper. When she had first seen this, he had been in the
fields, stripping cane, and she assumed that had been the cause. But the spells
kept returning. He could not rest well at night and was often very short of
breath. Then came the dry cough, and towards the last, he had a hard cough. For
his last two months, he was confined to the house, only able to wander around
the house. At some point, he sent for his friend, a fellow farmer, Isaac
Vanwinkle, who was also a minister, and asked him to preach at his funeral.
Then, for the last five weeks, he was confined to his bed. On June 7, 1873, the
50-year-old veteran died at his home near the community of Bristow (an
unincorporated community in Clark Township). The cause of death, according to
his pension file, was “disease of the lungs”[43].
He was buried in what was then known as Ader’s Cemetery just east of Bristow.[44]
Samuel died with insufficient funds to settle his debts.[45] The Perry Co., IN, Probate Court appointed an Administrator, John Robertson, to ensure that an accurate estate assessment was performed and that all outstanding debts were settled.[46] First, Sarah had identified the personal belongings that she wished to keep. Then the Administrator organized an estate auction of the balance of the goods. As required, Robertson published a notice in the local paper, The Cannelton Enquirer, for three weeks beginning on August 2, 1873. Then, on Saturday the 23rd, at 10 am, the following items were offered: timber, plows, rifles, guns, fan-mill, young filly, plows, young oxen, log wagon, chains, ropes, etc. The terms were cash for sales of three dollars and under. Credit was available for up to nine months for sales totaling over three dollars with the giving of appropriate notes as security and customary interest.
As the proceeds of the small auction of Samuel’s goods were obviously not going to be sufficient to clear the debts, the Court ordered that a portion of Samuel’s real estate be auctioned off as he was ‘owner in fee’.[47] The Court found that Samuel and Sarah owned about 130 acres: an 80-acre tract, a 40-acre tract, and finally a 10-acre tract. Together the tracts were valued at $725 according to an appraisal. The Administrator proposed to sell the largest (80-acre) plot, expecting it to be sufficient to raise the needed funds. The property was described as ‘the east half of the northeast quarter of section 22’ in the Clark Township area.[48] The Administrator was to follow the Court-ordered procedure of advertising the sale in the Enquirer and posting notices publicly within the township. Two men were appointed as appraisers of the tract on behalf of the Court and stated that it would sell for $400. In response, the Administrator was directed to sell the land for no less than two-thirds of the appraised value and was given guidelines for terms of credit should they be required. In the same session, the Court took notice of the nine minor Brown children who were without a father and appointed Attorney William P. Drumb as their Guardian.[49]
[43] As
noted elsewhere, the measles had weakened his immune system. That brought on
pneumonia, which resulted in his lungs becoming scarred. At the time, this
condition was called consumption, what we know today as tuberculosis.
[44] Ader's
Cemetery is now known as Lasher’s Cemetery. It is just east of IN 145, 5.9
miles south of I-64 in Perry Co. The tombstone contract was dated Aug 25, 1902.
I believe the almost 30-year gap between the soldier's death and the
acquisition of the tombstone accounts for the error in the date of death.
[45]
Many thanks go to Molly Hall of Tell City, IN for much of this information.
[46]
The Cannelton (IN) Enquirer, August 2, 1873, John Robertson, Administrator.
[47] ‘Owner
in fee’ is lawyer-speak for the absolute owner and free to dispose of some or
all the property.
[48] A
section was a square mile comprising 640 acres. A quarter section thereby was
160 acres and half of that was 80 acres. Section 22 was located at the extreme
northern edge of Perry Co., adjacent to DuBois Co.
[49] Probate Order Book 3, pages 170-171, November 20, 1873. Samuel’s heirs were identified as the children under 18 at the time of his death from his marriage to Mary Polke and those from his marriage to Sarah. They are as follows: Tina (Pretina), James, Nancy, William, Cornelia Ann, Oliver, Alonzo, Samuel, and Emma (Emily).
Page -10-
The Administrator returned to Probate Court on
February 16, 1874, as ordered, to report on his actions. Robertson stated that
he had been at the place designated for the auction at the appointed time on the
appointed day (January 17th) but received no bids. He requested a
new appraisal and permission to hold a private sale (i.e., without the 3-week
notification process). The appraiser brought forth his report, declaring that
the 80 acres were worth $150. Robertson was ordered to sell the property for no
less than the appraised value and to report to the Court at the next Term. The
same session of the Court received a filing by Thomas J. Cutter and Sam K.
Connor claiming that they were owed $31 by Samuel. Robertson acknowledged the
claim and was directed by the Court to settle the claim out of the assets of
the estate.[50]
Administrator Robertson returned to Probate Court on May 17, 1874, and reported
that the land had been sold to Elizha Weedman on February 18th for
$225. The Court directed Robertson to prepare a deed for the property.[51]
Robertson next appeared before the Court on August 17, 1874, and provided a
report of the estate assets ($842.88), claims against it that had been paid
($688.86), and the residual balance ($174.02). The Court approved the report
and noted that the provisions for Guardianship were to be continued.[52]
Alone and with such a large family, the 40-year-old Sarah hadn’t waited for the Courts to come to her rescue. She married 43-year-old, 5’10-1/2”, gray-eyed, red-haired, dark-complexioned Mathias Beard (another Civil War veteran) on May 20, 1875, in Perry Co.[53] Beard, a neighbor and a farmer, had been born in 1833. This was Mathias’ second marriage. His first had been to Lavina Hensley VanWinkle, a widow. Lavina was born in 1830 in KY. She had first married Perry Co. native Abraham VanWinkle on October 10, 1850, in Perry Co., IN. That marriage had produced at least three children.[54] Abraham died sometime in 1856. On February 1, 1857, Lavina and Mathias were wed in Spencer Co., IN.[55] Their brief marriage would produce an additional six children: two sons and four daughters. The 45-year-old Lavina died on January 20, 1875, leaving Mathias with six children at home from ages four to sixteen. When he married Sarah, the new home must have been very crowded.[56]
Mathias had served in the 33rd IN Infantry Regiment as a Private. Mathias mustered in at Jeffersonville, IN, on March 24, 1865, having been drafted to serve for a period of one year. The intent was that Mathias, and other draftees would join the regiment in Goldsboro, NC, then advance on Raleigh, NC. While other draftees may have done just that and arrived in time to receive the surrender of Johnston’s Army (CSA), Mathias was still in Indianapolis three weeks later when he first came down with diarrhea on April 10th. It is not clear if he ever moved from that town before he was mustered out from there on May 10, 1865. Though he saw no action, Army life was still the ruination of his health.
[50] Probate
Order Book 3, page 182 (two entries), Perry County IN, February 16, 1874.
[51] Probate
Order Book 3, page 198, Perry County IN, May 17, 1874. Weedman was a close
neighbor of the Browns, appearing just four entries before Samuel in the 1870
non-population census.
[52] Probate
Order Book 3, page 219, Perry County IN, August 17, 1874.
[53] Sarah
Francis Brown to Mathias Beard: Perry County, IN, Index to Marriage Record 1850
- 1920 inclusive Vol, W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk's O; Book:
4; Page: 382.
[54]
James H. (born 1850), Sally A., and Edward VanWinkle.
[55]
Mathias Beard to Lavina Hensley VanWinkle; Spencer County, IN, Index to
Marriage Record 1850 - 1920 Inclusive Vol. 4; Page: 88. January 1857.
[56] It
truly takes an accountant to sum up all the children from all the marriages
(Brown-Polk, Craven-Nelson, Brown-Nelson, Beard-VanWinkle.) I believe that
there would have been 14 minors, but only 13 living with Mathias and Sarah, as
Carnelia Brown was already living with the Lanman’s. Almost immediately,
Mathias and Sarah added to this total.
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