Dear Sister - A Letter from Adolphus Conaway

Here's an historical letter from our family archive. Adolphus Conaway, my second great grandfather on my mom's side grew up in Knox County, Ohio, and was 20 years old when he wrote this letter. He enlisted in the Civil War two years later, on May 14, 1864. (Note that I corrected the spelling in this letter many years ago, before I fully appreciated the value of an exact transcription.)

Ashgrove, Iroquois Co., Ill.

September 29, [18]62

Dear Sister,

I take my pen in hand to drop a line to let you know that I am well and have been ever since we started. I never felt better in my life. I have gained about fifteen pounds since I left Ohio. We reached here about the sixth of September. I got a letter from father yesterday. He said they was all well and says he is coming out to see me as soon as he gets his corn husked. I like this part of Illinois very well. They have such good water here and good land too. It is only a half mile to timber from my boarding place. I am boarding with Mr. McCray. We are going to move the sheep up to an area this week about fifteen miles from here. I have wrote to you twice since I have started I wrote to New Guilford. And to Utica. Oh Tama I was awful homesick but I have got over it. The frost killed the corn here in August. And we have had the hard frost since we got here. I have not got my clothes yet. I wrote about a week after before we got here and twice since we got here. Mr. Long got a letter from Mr. Connard. He said he had not heard from any of us since we started. And I have wrote four or five times since we started. I don't know what is the reason he does not get my letters. I do not know where to write to you but I will write to Circleville to Mr. Calhoun. You may write to Ashgrove post And I will have the letter forwarded on to wherever we go to. I have written about fifteen letters since I got here and have only got two. And you do not know how glad I was to hear from the old Buckeye state. Now Tama I want you to write as soon as you get this letter. I would like to hear from you. I want you to tell me how Grandpop Horn’s folks are. I have wrote twice to grandpop, you three times and have got no answer. I wrote to Wash Houck and to Uncle Addam and to Mr. Connards folks and have not got any answer. I have a fine time herding sheep as it is easy work. I have a very good dog to help me. I will be glad if you sent them socks. I will pay for them. Do write soon. This is wrote in a hurry and so much noise.

A. Conaway

Notes:
"Tama" was Phytama Conaway, who married John Heilman. She was three years younger than Adolphus. 

"Wash" Houck was Adolphus's first cousin, Washington Houck, the son of Margaret (Horn) Houck and William Houck.

Uncle Addam was probably Adam Scott, who married Arzina Horn, one of Adolphus's aunts on his mother's side. 

Hannah Harmon and Her Children

Early in my genealogy research, when I discovered my third great-grandmother, Hannah (Townsend) Harmon, I was struck by the number of children she had. With her first child being born in 1836, and her last born 21 years later in 1857, she had about one child every two years for twenty years. Here is the list of her 13 known children:

Mary Jane, born in 1836
James, 1837
William, 1839
Nancy, 1841 (my great great grandmother)
Richard, 1844
Martha, 1845
Charles, 1846
Hiram, 1848
David, 1850
George, 1852
Sarah, 1854
Hannah, 1855
Albert, 1857

Hannah died in 1865, at the age of 48. She is buried at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Spring Creek, Iowa.

William Harmon's Farm in Boone County, Indiana

My 3rd great-grandfather, William A. Harmon bought land in Indiana when a young man. I saw the paperwork at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., in December of last year. 

Land certificate #18968

Jan 14, 1834

Received from William Harmon of Boone County, Indiana, the sum fifty dollars and -- cents; being in full for the North West quarter of the North East quarter of Section Nine in Township Number Seventeen North, of Range Number Two East, containing forty acres, and -- hundredths at the rate of one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. Abner MCorty, Receiver.

William's brother-in-law, Elisha Bishop Townsend also bought land in the same township the same year:

Land certificate #20456

Aug 14 1834

Elisha Bishop Townsend of Johnson Co., Indiana purchased NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of section 11, township 17 North Range 2 East; 40 acres, $1.25 per acres; $50.

The next year, William Harmon purchased another 40 acres.

Land certificate #22788

March 7, 1835

Received from William Harmon of Boone County, Indiana, the sum fifty dollars and -- cents; being in full for the North West quarter of the South East quarter of Section Three in Township Number Seventeen North, of Range Number Two East, containing forty acres, and -- hundredths at the rate of one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. Abner MCorty, Receiver.

By 1856, William and his wife Hannah moved their family to Spring Creek, Blackhawk, Iowa, where they remained for the rest of their lives.

John Conaway, Head of Family at 19

I've written before (Mar 17, 2013) about John Conaway, who purchased land in Coshocton County, Ohio and established a village there. Here is a transcript of the record of his land purchase. John purchased this land when he was 19 years old. By 1820, John and his wife, and his widowed mother, brother, and sister had moved to Coshocton County, Ohio. 

Land Office at Zanesville

April 5, 1825

Final Certificate

It is hereby certified, that pursuant to several acts of Congress providing for the sale of the public lands of the United States, John Conway of Brooke County, Virginia did, at the date hereinafter specified, purchase of the Register of the Land Office aforesaid, the following described lands, viz: being the North East quarter of Section No. Seven in Township No. Five of Range No. Nine of the Zanesville Military district, on which further credit has heretofore been granted, and to complete the payment due on said land, the said John Conway has availed himself of the relief granted by the act of Congress of the 18^th of May 1824 entitled “An Act to provide for the extinguishment of the debt due to the United States by the purchasers of public lands.” The account for said tract has therefore, been finally settled and closed on the books of this office, as will more fully appear from the following statement thereof:

No. of certificate: 1319

Date of purchase: 1815 May 22

Tract: To NE ¼ of S7 T5 Rg My

Purchase money $320

Rate $2

Acres 160

Date of Payment: 1815 May 22

Payment by Cash: $80

Date of Purchase: Apl 5 1825

To interest on $100 for 3.6.5: $21.08

Date of Payment: 1819 May 14

Payment by Cash:

Interest $9.68

Purchase Money: $40

Date of Payment: Apl 5 1825

Discount on $221.08: $82.90

Payment by Cash: 138.18

Total Interest: $9.68

Total Payment: 341.08

Now, therefore be it known, that on presenting this Certificate to the Commissioner of the General Land Office, John Conway aforesaid shall be entitled to receive a patent for the land described above.

Signed W. Tileman,

Register of the Land Office

Joshua Conoway, Orphan Boy

In researching the Conaways, I came across this order made in 1817 by the Orphans' Court in Baltimore, Maryland. I don't believe this child is in our direct line, although more research may show something different.

Joshua Conoway, an orphan boy of the age of ten years the first January last is bound to the Patapsico Manufacturing Company to be taught Cotton spinning, weaving, and carding, to be taught to read, write, and arithmetic as far as the rule of Three and to be found in sufficient meat drink washing lodging and apparel and when free customary freedom dues.

SOURCE: Family Search, Maryland, Register of Wills Books, 1629-1999 Baltimore Orphans' Court proceedings 1814-1817 vol 9. Page 393. Image 206. 

Inventory of the Estate of John Weber

I almost missed finding the estate papers of my fourth great-grandfather, John Weber, because I was looking for John Weaver. It was fascinating to find the family still alternating between Weber and Weaver in 1877. 

A few years before John died, he deeded his real estate in Rapho Township, Pennsylvania, to his son and daughter-in-law, Frederick and Catherine Weaver, with whom he lived until his death. Here's the inventory of his personal property.

A true and perfect inventory and just appraisement of all and singular the goods and chattels rights and credits, which were of John Weber late of Rapho Township Lancaster County, Penna, deceased.

1 Scythe, oilcloth, basket, and sundries 1.25

1 Chest, box, chain, double and single trees & sundries 2.00

1 Plough and Dung Hook 1.00

1 Scythe, broom machine, box and Sundries 1.50

1 Trunk, 3 Chests 4.00

Shoemaker tools, knives, and Sundries 2.00

1/2 doz. spoons, 2 chairs, 1 Saddle and sundries 1.00

2 Iron Wedges, Augurs, 1 Gun, 2 Saws, & Sundries 5.00

10 Bags, 1 Clothing Cupboard, 1 Bed, Bedstead 6.00

1 Watch, Spectacles and Sundries 8.00

1 Promissory note against George Halman with interest 15.70

Books and wearing apparel 18.00

                                           65.55

Dower int recd from Uriah Carpenter 29.64

                                                         95.19 

Taken and appraised by us this 15th day of January A.D. 1877

John G. Kopp                   Levi Young

A shoemaker's tool kit

John McCloud, War of 1812 Veteran

John McCloud was my fourth great-grandfather. He was 5 feet, 11 inches, had blue eyes and black hair, and was 34 years old and a farmer from Vermont when he enlisted on June 5, 1812.

His pension file has only a handful of documents, one of which tells how John's service to his country ended. I've transcribed it here.

Fort Erie 28 August 1814

It is hereby certified that John McCloud a Private soldier in Capt Horace Hales company 11 Regt. U.S. Infantry is rendered incapable of performing the duty of a soldier by reason of a wound inflicted while he was actually in the service aforesaid and in the line of his duty Viz. in action. By satisfactory evidence and accurate examination, it appears that on the fifth day of July in the year eighteen hundred and fourteen being engaged near a place called Chipawa in the province of Upper Canada he received a wound in his leg by reason of which he lost his right leg and he is thereby not only incapacitated for military duty, but in the opinion of the undersigned is totally disabled from obtaining his subsistence by manual labor and is entitled to a pension of eight dollars per month.

Gordon A. Spencer

Surgeon 11 Inft.