The Johnsons & The Smiths
When I found out that my great-great grandmother Martha (Johnson) Peelle’s parents were William Johnson and Rachel Smith, I figured that I would never know anything about their family lines given their common names. The only way it could have been more common was if her mother had been named Mary.
Anyway, it turned out that with lots of research and some luck that I have been able to find William’s parents, including finding part of his mother’s line back to 1650. And, I have been able to trace the Smith family back to 1710. I am still researching, but I believe even more details will be found on these families. What I didn’t expect was to encounter a brick wall with regards to finding Martha’s siblings.
The Family
William and Rachel married in 1824 in Wayne County, Indiana. They appeared to start a family immediately, with their family quickly expanding. By 1830, they had two sons (one was 5-9 and one was < 5) and a daughter (<5). However, in 1839, it came to a sudden halt when Rachel died. She was only 34 years old.
Two years later, William died, leaving their children without parents.
The Children
Since all of this took place before 1850, no census records exist to show the names of William and Rachel’s children. Additionally, no will has been found. However, according to Martha’s obituary, there were eight children in the family, with Martha being the oldest daughter.
I didn’t initially know who any of Martha’s siblings were or what had happened to them. Over time, I uncovered two of them, But the other five remain a mystery.
Lydia
Lydia D. Johnson was was born in 1836 and was only two and a half when her mother died. She was raised by her father’s sister Anne (Johnson) Lykens and her husband Jonas in the Randolph County/Wayne County area in Indiana.
Marriages
On December 23, 1852, Lydia married Joshua F. Harris in Randolph County, Indiana, which was adjacent to Wayne County. Just under three years later Joshua died. They had no children.
The next year, Lydia married Joshua’s older brother James A. Harris, who had also lost his first spouse. They made their home in Cass County, Iowa. James’ son from his first marriage lived with them as did their adopted (not sure if this was formal or informal) daughter Matilda. In one census a boy Edward Bradley was also listed in the household. His connection to them is not known.
The Research
The ResearchLydia’s connection was discovered through photographs with her and her husband’s names on them, research into those names, and a note that was posted online. That note written by Sarah (Johnson) Campbell, who was the daughter of Anne(Johnson) Lykens and whose husband John Campbell was a first cousin to Lydia’s husband. It appears that Lydia had asked about her parents and grandparents. Interestingly, the note contains a reference to her sister Martha.
Later a business card for her husband’s business was found among my grandma’s postcards and calling cards.
Since Lydia had no biological children, her trail ends.
The Civil War Veteran
Eleazer Johnson, named after his Grandfather Smith, was Martha’s older brother and William and Sarah (Smith) Johnson’s first child. He was born nine months and eight days after his parents married and a mere 16 months prior to Martha’s birth.
Ail, as he was apparently called, is found living with the Youtsey family in Jackson County, Indiana in 1850. By 1860, he was living in Warren County, Illinois with the Holeman family. No ties have been found to these families except that Mrs. Holeman is said to have been born in Wayne County, Indiana. Ail most likely was visiting or traveled to wherever he could get work.
Military Service
In 1861, Ail enlisted in the Union Army. He mustered in on April 10, 1862. He served in Company A of the 63rd Illinois Infantry. However, his service only lasted a few months and he was discharged on October 12 of the same year for disability due to disease of the throat. He later became a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization for Civil War veterans.
Marriage
It wasn’t until 1875 that at age 50 Ail married Elizabeth (Bennett) Walker, a recent widow. If he married prior to this date, I have not found a record of such event. They settled into life in Cass County, Iowa. Elizabeth died in 1897 and Ail died five years later. He is not known to have had any children.
The Research
Finding Eleazer hinged on the photograph shown, which was found amongst my grandmother’s photos. The only clues to his identity were the words “Ail” and “Civil War Veteran” which were written on the back. It also stated the names of the young boys, which helped to date the photo and to identify that it was associated with the Peelle family (Martha’s husband was Passco Peelle). Read Mystery Man to learn more about how I uncovered Eleazer as Martha’s older brother.
The Other Children
Looking for the children in this family has been quite the challenge. All the significant events that are known occurred before 1850 when records were quite sparse. Additionally, the names Johnson and Smith in an area where both families, who had relatively large families, had settled is challenging at best. In addition, I do not know the exact ages, gender, or any names for the missing children. I do not even know if they were living when their parents died. So, in all, very few clues.
What Has Been Done
I have done a lot of research looking in the 1850 census for children and young adults born between 1827 and 1839 with the name Johnson that appear out of place (e.g. living with a family with a different name or where they simply don’t appear to be a child of the head of the household). I have looked at marriage records for the area for Johnsons. I, also, have scanned DNA matches for obvious connections.
Many people have been ruled out. However, many other options exist when I expand the scope of the search. Unfortunately, with common names that type of search becomes unwieldy.
I do have a few candidate children. However, not nearly enough and no proof for any of them.
Juliette Johnson
In 1850, Juliette was 16 and was living in the Benjamin and Martha Hutchins household. Martha was the sister of William Johnson. By 1860, she had married Daniel Miller and they had a daughter. They are living at WIlliamsburg, Indiana, which is a small town William Johnson’s father had founded. However, after 1860 records on them just seem to disappear.
Juliette could very well be Martha’s sister. However, not enough information has been found on Juliette to determine if she is in fact one of William and Rachel’s daughters or not.
Future Searching
I really need to go to Wayne County and Randolph County in Indiana to do some local research. It seems that local research is most likely to provide key information. For instance, if probate records can be found that are not online, they could provide information on the children. Likewise, there might be additional cemetery records.
Additionally, I need to do a more thorough DNA analysis. Descendants of Martha’s siblings, if any exist, would be at best 3rd cousins. Most would likely be 4th-6th cousins and it is possible that the descendants have no knowledge of their Johnson line. None of this makes for an easy discovery.