My Shelby County Families

Are We Researching the Same Lines? 

                                                                           

My Shelby County ancestors came from many areas before settling in the Shelby County area. Most of them were from Virginia, North Carolina, and New England. They were all moving to Indiana for more land and more opportunities for a better life. Indiana was the ideal spot for both.

The families I’m connected to in Shelby County are numerous. Since they were nearly all very early settlers, they married within their communities -- generally neighbors and church friends. In those early days (1820s and 1830s) there weren’t too many of the opposite sex to pick from who lived in the “neighborhood". Amazingly, those marriages were strong and lasted a life time. Divorce was very rare. Usually, when someone remarried, it was due to the death of a spouse.

So, here are my Shelby families -- somehow a list seems so impersonal. But to add all of the interesting facts and stories would fill a book! So, a list will have to do for now. I hope that this list will inspire you to contact me if you are also researching any of these Shelby County families. I am eager to hear from you -- we might be cousins!

Alphabetically, here are my direct Shelby County family lines -- I am also including wives’ maiden names as I feel they are also direct lines. (I know many researchers who do not research the female lines which is excluding half your family.)

Henricks / Hendricks -- David - b. 5 Sep 1788 KY d. 16 Mar 1859 Shelby Co. IN

Wife: Elizabeth McCormick - b. 12 May 1808 KY d. 13 Oct 1858 Shelby Co. IN

Imel -- Peter - b. 30 Mar. 1764 (sd. to be Germany, no proof yet) d. 3 Jan 1849 Shelby Co. IN.
Wife: Susannah Kirkwood - b. 1766 VA d. bet. 1820-1830 Wayne Co. IN

James -- Nicholas - b. abt 1785 VA - d. 1839 Shelby Co. IN
Wife: Martha (possibly Phillips) - b. abt 1790 VA - d. aft. 1860 in Saunders Co. NE

Lisher -- Lewis - b. 25 Sep 1805 NY or OH - d. 9 Aug 1871 Shelby Co. IN
Wife: Martha Jane Baker - b. 22 Oct. 1814 OH - d. 5 Jan 1855 Shelby Co. IN (After Martha died, Lewis married Cynthia Arnold Plummer) (The name "Lisher" was originially spelled "Larcher" in New England. When the family moved to Ohio, it became Lisher.)

Padrick -- Daniel - b. 1798 Currituck Co. NC - d. 27 May 1887 Shelby Co. IN
Wife: Margaret Casey - b. 5 Dec. 1898 Currituck Co. NC - d. 30 Sep 1843 Shelby Co. IN. (Daniel married three more times, divorcing twice. His last wife was Rachel Henricks from Rush Co. Between his first wife, Margaret and 4th wife Rachel, Daniel had 20 children!)

Rush -- James - b. abt. 1781 Madison Co. VA - d. 4 Jul 1877 Shelby Co. IN (I believe the death date on James’ stone to be an error. Comparing his ages listed in the census, it seems likely he was born about 1781)
Wife: Barbara Barngrover - b. abt 1785 VA - d. bef. 1837 Shelby Co. IN (After Barbara died, James married 2) Hannah Lloyd in 1837; 3) Mary Drogan In 1851; and 4) Nancy Pollard in 1859

Steward / Stewart -- John - b. abt 1794 PA - d. 19 Dec 1867 Shelby Co. IN
Wife Christena Pate - b. abt 1799 VA - d. 6 Mar 1873 Shelby Co. IN (The photo above is William Frederick Steward, his son James Matthew Steward, James' daughter, Ofa Steward Williams, her son Charles N. Williams - cica 1918-1919 in Shelby Co. IN)

Terhune - William R. - b. 24 Dec. 1871 Rush Co. IN - d. 12 Jun 1958 Shelby Co. IN
Wife - Grace Sanders - b. 13 Dec 1884 Shelby Co. IN - d. 3 Aug 1957 Shelby Co. IN. (William’s father was Wm. B. Terhune - b. 1829 Clermont Co. OH, he married Elizabeth Kerr - b. 1836 Dearborn Co. IN. The Kerr family came from Guilford Co. NC -- just 30 minutes from where I now live.)

Williams -- Daniel - b. abt 1790 VA or KY - d. 12 Aug 1877 Shelby Co. IN
Wife Mary Kimberlin - b. 15 May 1797 KY - d. bet. 1860 & 1877 not known where (Daniel’s father was Reece WILLIAMS who died in 1827 in Clark Co. IN. His mother was Lavina Jolly.)

Williams -- Jesse M. - b. 25 Nov 1840 Madison Co. IN - d. 6 Jul 1913 Marion Co. IN. (Lived in Fairland after the Civil War, raising his family there.)
Wife Margaret Cottrell - b. 19 May 1841 Madison Co. IN - d. 5 Jan 1907 Marion Co. IN
(Jesse’s father was Absalom Williams who moved into Indiana from Preble Co. OH in the early 1830s. His family was originally from Brunswick Co. VA)

Other related families (through marriage) include Poland, Parker, Stallard, Rohm, Fox, Harrell, Rigdon, Oldham, Young, Riser, Colclazier, Bishop, Jonas, Skillman, Means, Maze, Hardin, Boren, Haymond, Macon, Norvell, Tigart, Pickett, Muir, Clark, Wells, Nugent, Nail, Huffman, Howery, Alexander, Hankins, Armstrong, Moore, Drake, Cobler, Arnold, Paramore, Tolen, Mallory, Tillison, Wharton, Cayton, House, Kidd, Crum, Covy, Flanagan, Gillespy, Mather, Teeple, Miller, Bass, Lapham, Breedlove, Boring, Boren, Wilson, Parson, Reed, Hungate, Ridlen, Patterson, Cole, Melvin Williams, Owen, West, Parkhurst, Cossairt, Graves, House, Miley, and many, many more.

I have information on my direct family lines that extends much further back (especially the Terhunes, Lishers and Padricks). The Jesse M. Williams line is linked by DNA to a Charles Williams who died in 1692 in Charles City County, Virginia. My cousin and I continue to do research to find the links that tie Jesse to Charles. It seems that records in Virginia in the early days are very hard to find….!

If you find that you have a link to any of my ancestors, please send me an email. I am happy to share information in exchange for MORE information! My email address for genealogy correspondence is: jw62002@yahoo.com.

One last note about DNA testing: If you have a male family member who would take the DNA test for you, DO IT! The Williams DNA project is currently at 800 members and growing. We have over 100 matched groups. Please consider this if you have a common surname or are stuck with a "brick wall". I currently have a blog for my Williams DNA Group 8. It is "A Williams Family from Virginia to California" on Google's blogspot. I feel DNA is a big key in getting your research RIGHT!

What's In A Name?

What’s In A Name?

Researching a surname with multiple ways of spelling is always difficult. Some surnames are completely changed for many reasons. I’ve heard stories of names that have been changed at Ellis Island because the immigration clerk had no idea who to spell a last name (for example Duke basketball coach, Mike Kryzewski’s ancestors could have easily been renamed "Smith or Jones" or whatever the clerk felt like writing).

I have several Shelby County ancestors who have last names that were spelled multiple ways, which makes researching them very challenging. I’m sure everyone does.

One of my ancestral names that was completely changed is LISHER. The Lishers lived in Van Buren Township and owned large tracts of land in the early history of Shelby County. They migrated to Indiana from Ohio in the late 1820s to early 1830s. However, when they came to Ohio, the name was LARCHER. Why the name was changed while they lived in Ohio is a mystery (probably a county clerk wrote down the name in the manner that it was pronounced…..who knows?).

My cousin, Kitty, has done extensive research on this line. Many years ago, she went to Ohio and discovered that the LISHERS were originally LARCHERS. She was able to do this through court, deed and marriage records. She did this before records were available online and I doubt that she could have accomplished this without going to Ohio. (Finding those original documents is the BEST and only real proof of lineage.)

Why do I think this is important? Why put this in my Shelby County blog? Because the Larchers were an important link from Shelby County to New England. They were sea captains and lived on Martha’s Vineyard, then Providence, Rhode Island. Our ancestor, John Larcher, piloted the French fleet into the Newport harbor when they arrived to help the Americans during the Revolutionary War. He also supplied housing for French officers during the war. The family has an extraordinary history -- dating back to the founding of Providence.

I have wondered if the Lishers who lived and farmed in Shelby County knew about their ancestors who helped to shape America's freedom of religion, beginning at Providence Plantation which was established by Roger Williams. They were brave and hardy American pioneers. The Larcher / Lisher pioneer spirit prevailed as they moved westward from Rhode Island to Ohio to Indiana.

It is so important to investigate every possible way a surname can be spelled. Think of the different ways a name SOUNDS and keep digging. You might just find a genealogy gem!

I could not write this without telling you about the Lisher Cemetery, near Fountaintown. It is a wonderful memorial to these hardy pioneers. Once in ruin, the cemetery is now restored to its former beauty. Sitting on a hill, overlooking endless green fields, it is surrounded by a lovely antique black iron fence. The grave stones have lovingly been repaired. It is a small piece of heaven in Shelby County and a fitting monument to those brave pioneers who played an important part in the religious freedom of this great country and the growth of Shelby County.

THANK YOU to Jon and Julie for your hard work and for caring! It is GREATLY appreciated. The beauty and serenity of the Lisher cemetery could never have been re-created without you.

As an addition to this story, Julie told me that the deer in the photo of the Lisher cemetery were her wildlife rehab patients from last year. She felt the deer who were at the cemetery conveyed the feeling of the serene resting place that is truly is.

If you have family buried in the Lisher cemetery and want information on how to find and visit it, please email me and I will pass your email on to Julie. She is very interested in meeting the descendants of the Lishers.

My email: jw62002@yahoo.com

Photo courtesty of Julie Bielefeld -- many thanks!

Do It Yourself, If Possible

If you have ancestors in Shelby County, you have probably experienced the same thing that happens to me whenever I go back home. You mention your ancestor's name and the next thing you hear is "I'm related to him / her, too!" And before you know it, you have a new cousin and a whole new chapter is added to your family tree.

This happens to me every time I return to the Shelbyville "Genie House". Last summer, I met new cousins from the Steward family and the Sanders family. Going back to Shelby County to do my research is the best way to find new information AND new family members. We swap information, photos, and family stories. We go to lunch or dinner, then continue our relationship long after we return to our far-away homes using email and telephone. The experience is life- altering.

If you watch any of the genealogy shows on tv, you know how important "on site" research is. There is nothing like standing on the land that your ancestors owned in the 1800s (or earlier, depending on where they lived). Or finding that long-lost grave stone with the dates still readable -- David Hendricks born 5 Sept. 1788 died 16 March 1859. The experience of walking through the old Brandywine (Pinhook) Cemetery near Fairland is especially memorable for me. The first time I went (over 25 years ago), my Grandma Ofa Steward Williams was with me. She told me stories about many of the people in the old cemetery (many were her family members) -- it will always stay in my heart.

As you can tell, I am an advocate of the "do it yourself" type of research. There is nothing like it. Especially if your ancestors lived in Shelby County, Indiana!