Clan William: Mary Ann Munson and William Custer Smith, Part 1

Photo by Mark Miller and can be
purchased through Fine Art America

As I have researched over the past many years, my posts focus on a piece or part of a story as I find it. I wanted to put to pen, or rather, to blog, the thus far semi-complete story of my 2nd great grandparents, pioneers William Custer Smith and his wife, Mary Ann Munson, daughter of Amos Munson of Clan William.

Mary Ann Munson was born to Amos Munson and Mary Ann Kearney on 08 Jun 1837* in Trumbull County, Ohio. Samuel (2nd) Munson, Freeman's father, and Amos' father Freeman Munson had pioneered into Trumbull County beginning in about 1802 and were some of its earliest settlers. Mary Ann was the third child of the couple's eight known children. 

In 1850, her family moved from Trumbull County to Grant County, Wisconsin. Grant County is in what is called the "Driftless Area." That is the stunningly beautiful formerly mountainous area that was missed by ice sheets shifting down from Canada that flattened the plains starting about 100,000 years ago. Only a small part of SE Minnesota, NE Iowa, and a larger part of Wisconsin were missed.  Over time, the mountains wore down to beautiful green hills. 

The area was also full of mining production. Zinc, Lead, and Iron were mined in this area. Many Cornish miners flocked to the area to work in the mines. The Munsons, I believe, joined thousands of others who found the beauty of the area irresistible. 

Some time between 1852 and 1853, Mary Ann met her future husband, William Custer Smith. They married 30 Jun 1853 in Grant County. 

William Custer Smith's middle name was not derived from General George Armstrong Custer, but from Custer's father, Emanuel Custer. William's father, Jacob Smith and his wife Mary Catherine "Cathy" farmed in the same community as the Custers in eastern Ohio.  It's believed that James Smith, Jacob's father, came from New Jersey to Ohio. William Custer Smith was born on 04 Oct 1831 in Harrison County, Ohio. He was the middle of seven known children. 

Mary Catherine, according to family lore, had the last name Randolph. DNA, however, indicates she is the child of John Lodawick Schmidt and Mary Kinter. We don't know what her connection was to the Randolph family (and for which I have yet to find any link). So, for now, I will refer to her as Mary Catherine "Cathy" Schmidt Smith.

In 1846, Jacob's oldest son James and his wife had their third child, John Richard, in Grant County; their previous child, Alexander, was born in Jefferson County, Ohio in 1845. So, we can presume, since they all went together, that they arrived in Wisconsin in late 1845 or earlly 1846. Jacob and children are all reflected in the 1850 census in Grant County.

Oddly enough, there was another Jacob Smith in Grant County during this time, who died in 1850. Many trees in Ancestry reflect this being "my" Jacob Smith. It's not. A review of the deceased Jacob Smith's will shows it wasn't him at all - different wife, different children.  

In the end, we are put in a place that the best we can narrow down my Jacob Smith's death date to between the census of 1850 and 1860. 

We may never know what happened to Jacob, but there is a high likelihood he did not ever come to Iowa with several other members of the family, but died in Grant County. We do know what became of the rest of the Munson and Smith Clans. 

Part 2 will cover the marriage years of William Custer Smith and Mary Ann Munson.

Click these links for more stories about William and Mary's families.

*-I have yet to prove this date personally, but I'm going with it for now.

Clan William: Charles Munson's Civil War Death

Don't believe everything you read; even on occasion, the Munson Family Record. That's what I learned today.

I'm still following the trail of my "outer" Munson cousins - the families of the brothers and sisters of my 4th great grandfather, Freeman Munson, born in Connecticut, died in Trumbull County, Ohio.

Today's story is about young Charles Munson, born about 1836 in Trumbull County to Randil Munson and Lucinda Loveless. Randil is the twin of Rilman Munson, sons of Calvin Munson, 4GG Freeman's oldest brother.

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Calvin Munson > Randil Munson > Charles Munson

The children of Randil were of an age to participate in the Civil War. Charles appears to be fourth child of six. He married Susan Fenstermaker in 1861 (Charles' younger brother Abner married Susan's sister, Sarah). Not much is known about him until he joined up with the 2nd Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Cavalry.

Capt Wm Quantrill

Unlike many Civil War units, the 2nd Regiment, Company D, spent much of its time in 1862-1864 serving on the frontier of Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri with forays east into Tennessee and elsewhere. And, unfortunately, this was a very dangerous place to serve. The unit would go on, a full year after the death of Charles Munson, to take heavy losses at the hands of Quantrill's Raiders along the Missouri/Kansas border.

William Quantrill, former schoolteacher turned guerilla fighter and hired gun for the Confederacy, had been an destructive and horrific presence in the territory for some time. Among his troops were the later historic robbers, the Younger and James Brothers, who would use the tactics they learned with Quantrill to their illicit robbery careers. 

This has nothing to do with the story of Charles Munson, however, despite what we learn from the Munson Family History. That reference reads: 

"Charles: b. i May 1836 ; m. 14 Sept. 1861 Susan Fenstermaker, now deceased ; no ch.; he was a cavalryman in the late War, losing his life in the service. " My brother Charles enlisted in August1862 at Bristolville, Trumbull Co., O., where he then lived, and was a private under Capt. Caldwell in Co. D, 2nd Ohio Cavalry. He served one year ; then died, August 1863, at Baxter Springs, Indian Terr. His regiment, under Col. Doubleday, was in several skirmishes." 

The mention of Baxter Springs would lead one to believe he may have died in the Baxter Springs Massacre, at the hands of Quantrill's Raiders.  But, this battle did not occur until October of 1863, long after Charles' death. So, we have a little mash-mash of bad memory published in the The Munson Record, Vol I. If he was in the Army for a year, that would mean he entered in 1861, not Aug 1862. Both the newspaper mention and the Roster of Ohio Soldiers and his obituary say he died not in 1863 and not at Baxter Springs.

Click to enlarge
Charles Munson Roster of Ohio Soldier Vol XI

In the Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Vol XI, Charles Munson's date of death is indicated as Aug 3, 1862. It also states he died near Spring River, Indian Territories. That is what is now northwest Arkansas. And, he died not in battle, but of "brain fever." Charles is no less heroic for dying of illness and not injury, as more people died of infection and illness in the Civil War than in battle. 

Of Charles Munson, there are two newspaper references after his death. 

Charles Munson Obit
Western Reserve Chronicle, Warren, OH, Oct 15, 1862

This one was on the occasion where the citizens of Bristol, Trumbull County, raised $500 in subscription to pay for a 10-foot tall monument honoring the deaths of Bristol's heroes. It was the first Civil War Monument of its kind in Ohio. The full article can be found on Charles' profile on my Ancestry.com tree. This is an abbreviated report of the monument.

Charles Munson: Civil War Monument, 1863
Bristol, Trumbull County, Ohio
Western Reserve Chronicle, Warren, Oh, Oct 21, 1863

Civil War Memorial 1861-1863 located in Bristolville, Ohio

Click to increase size. Charles Munson referenced bottom left.

 

Clan William: The Much Married Olive Clawson

Edwardian Bride, Harrison Fisher

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel (2nd) Munson > Freeman Munson > Miles Munson > Mary Munson > Olive Clawson 

I didn't think I'd run across a gal married as frequently as my great great aunt Mary, who was married four times to three men. Then, I ran across Olive Clawson, who in the course of under 10 years married five times, with a startling three divorces, one annulment, and finally, a lasting love. Maybe.

Miles Munson and Celarcia Humason had only one child, a daughter, Mary, born in Dec 1861 in Trumbull County, Ohio. Mary married Emerson Clawson in 1878. He had been born in Fowler township in Trumbull County, 18 Jun 1857, the youngest child of 11. Miles and Celarcia died in Trumbull County in 1895 and 1912 respectively.

Daughter Mary had four children after her marriage: Hazel, Glen, Olive, and Lucy. Mary died at the age of 44, when Olive was 16 years old, in Sep 1906 at Warren, Ohio. Three years later, Emerson married Miss Helena Carton. They resided in Pennsylvania at the time of their deaths.

Olive started her serial marriage career on 19 Sep 1910, when she married William J Babcock. On 15 Mar 1913, she married George Miller in Essex, Ontario. Their divorce was pending in Michigan when Olive married Martin Schott - who, eight days after marrying his bride at the end of 1913 or very first of 1914, discovered a court summons for Olive to appear in court related to her unfinished divorce. Schott claimed to have no idea she was previously married and requested an annulment. It was granted it in short order. Olive didn't let any grass grow though, she married yet again, this time to Bernard Briscoe Watkins on 03 Aug 1914 in Pontiac, Michigan.  Bernard, it would appear, is also a multi-marrying kind of guy. This was his third. That marriage also ended in divorce. Just as a side note, the 1930 census would have him doing time in a county prison in Chatham County, Georgia.

Finally, on 10 Jul 1917, she married her last husband (that I can find), Hugh Albert Hooke, who was born 15 Mar 1882 in Delaware, Indiana, son of farmer Lewis Hooke and Lucy Moomaw. The subsequent years found him earning his living as a registered pharmacist at the Hook Drug Co in Indianapolis. There does not appear to be any connection between Hugh Hooke and Hook Drugs, which was a big Indianapolis Pharmacy chain. But, Hugh and "the Hooks" of the pharma chain are buried in the same cemetery, so who knows? He died in Indianapolis on 26 Feb 1964 after a long bout with dementia. She was listed as informant with two addresses: 116 Pinehurst, C33, New York City, NY and 2258 North Meridian, Indianapolis. She lived on until 26 Apr 1980 and died in Alpena County, Michigan.

I'd love to know why she was living in New York? Her sister Hazel Clawson Whelan was living in New York at one time...more to be discovered.

Clan William: William Calvin Munson

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Calvin Munson > Rilman Munson > William Calvin Munson m Eleanor Jane Mackey 

We talked a bit about Calvin here. Calvin purchased 146 acres of unimproved land in Trumbull County and through some sort of measuring error, he both built his small cabin home and improved property that was not part of the land he owned! This put him a bit behind, but he worked diligently to clear his own land, where he then farmed. He also built a the first sawmill in the township of Vienna. (Another report says Calvin purchased 154 acres)

Early steam powered saw mill

Rilman Munson was the second son of Calvin Munson.  Rilman, born 25 Jun 1799 in Waterbury, Connecticut, moved with his family to Trumbull County in 1804/05 with his family. He and his brother Randal split the land of his father after his death, Rilman taking the eastern half. Rilman married German immigrant Elizabeth Sowers on 06 Apr 1825. The couple had only one child who survived, William Calvin Munson.

W. C. Munson was born 06 Oct 1826 in Vienna Township, Trumbull County. W. C. attended school at Methodist Corners, about two miles from the farm, until another schoolhouse was built closer to the homeplace. After school, he became a stone mason and he and his father partnered in a new mill which they operated for three years when W. C. was about 17 years old.  In 1845, W. C. erected his own mill on his land which he operated until about 1864, when he put up a steam mill on a new 234-acre piece of land he purchased that year. In 1851, he married Eleanor Jane Mackey. She died on 20 Jul 1884 after giving birth to at least six children.

W. C. registered for the draft, but did not serve:

"At the date of the Civil War, Mr Munson had raised a company of troops to enter the Union cause, but on account of his parents was compelled to remain at home. He was personally acquainted with the late President William McKinley, as he was also with his venerable father, William McKinley, Sr." A twentieth century history of Trumbull County, Ohio; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests; by Upton, Harriet Taylor; Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago (Ill.), Published 1909

W. C. operated his mill and farm until about 1900. Along the way, he specialized in raising quality Holstein cattle. After he retired, son John William took over the mill and Jesse ran the farm. Son Willis J. was a volunteer fireman and also a salesman. At the time of his death, he sold Studebaker wagons. Daughters Jane and Lavinia married and raised their families. 

W. C. died 10 Jan 1909. Sadly, oldest son John died a mere four days after his father, on 14 Jan 1909.

Clan William: Calvin Munson and Family

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Calvin Munson

Trumbull County 1856 - These townships are where
most of our ancestors settled

You can read a little about Samuel Munson here on my cousin's blog. He was referred to as Samuel Munson 2nd because there are so darned many Samuels. His grandfather and great grandfather were leaders in their community and quite accomplished. Samuel 2nd was the first of the clan to head west to Ohio to settle in the Trumbull County area in September 1804. Many of the earliest settlers fit into our family tree. His wife, Susanna Tyler and he were married about 1764 in Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut. They had at least 8 children, among them, my 4th great grandfather, Freeman Munson.

They were some of the very earliest settlers in the area. The couple purchased land in Vienna Township on 12 May 1804 "Samuel Munson buys 154 acres from the east end of Lot #5 for $438.90," (this included Brookfield Township until 1811),(Another report has 146 acres having been purchased).

Freeman's brother Calvin was, according to family records, born on 04 May 1770 (one report has 1769) in Wallingford. He married Sarah "Sally" Hungerford on 27 Nov 1794 in Waterbury. She was the daughter of Rosannah Williams and Revolutionary War soldier David Wallingford. David died while a POW in NYC in 1777. Calvin and Sally had at least five children: Randal, Rilman, Lucy, Deidamia, and Susanna.

In 1793, a year before he married, Isaac Benham sold him 13 acres of land in Waterbury, CT, "to be taken off from the north end of my land near Samuel Munson's House." He paid 27 Pounds for the land. He took the freeman's oath at Waterbury 20 Sep 1802. He sold the land on his departure to Ohio.

John Bull represented England as Uncle Sam later
represented the US. Columbia takes that role here.

 Calvin always farmed once he arrived in Ohio. He also served as a tanner and shoemaker. The War of 1812 interrupted his peaceful, hard-working life, and he was called to serve as a private in Captain Jedediah Burnham's Company from August to mid-November of 1812 and Jan-Feb of 1813.

He returned to farm and remained doing so until the end of his life, when he moved "into town." Along the way, he was involved in creating the first rural school in Vienna township, which was originally called "The Munson School," but later was dubbed "The Carey School," after the Carey family who lived nearby. The school burned to the ground in the 1920s.

Once he had retired to town, his sons Randal and Rilman took over the family farm, splitting it with Randal getting the west side of the farm and Rilman the east. All of his children married and had children. I will take us down their paths at a later time. Sally died 06 Feb 1844 and Calvin 02 Sep 1846, both in Vienna Township.

Clan William: Miles Munson & the Humason Family of Trumbull County

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson > Miles Munson m Celarcia Humason 

Trumbull County

Like many of the settlers of Trumbull County, Ohio, the Humason and Munson families hailed from Connecticut. James Julius Humason was born 27 Sep 1801 in Hartford. His parents, James and Honor Humason, removed with their large family to Brookfield in Trumbull County. Humason died
shortly thereafter and Mrs. Humason moved the family to Vienna. Honor died in 1843, James Julius married Eliza Woodford on 12 Apr 1829. She was the oldest daughter of Darius and Bathiah Woodford, a very well-respected and fairly affluent farming family.

Hartford Female Seminary

Before his marriage, James Julius taught district school. Eliza was educated in Warren, then attended school in Hartford Female Seminary where Catherine Beecher was principal and Harriet Beecher Stowe was assistant principal. Opened in 1823, its purpose was to teach girls the subjects of higher learning.

She then learned the trade of dressmaking and millinery while in Hartford. She married the following year and she and her husband resided on the farm that was given to her by her father. James continued to teach and spent some time farming, but that wasn't his primary focus. When Humason died on 13 Apr 1853, the work of the farm fell completely on the shoulders of Eliza. The History of Trumbull and Mahoning County, Vol II, also recalls that Mrs. Humason was quite involved in temperance efforts, as was 

Ohio Ladies Temperance

much of her family. In this volume, it says, "Mrs. Humason joined her uncle's society and her chief source of pride in the family is founded on the fact that none of them were drunkards. She hopes to have the privilege of casting a vote in favor of total abolition of the traffic."

The couple had four children. J. Eliza, James, Martha, and Celarcia. Celarcia married Miles Munson, son of Freeman Munson and Margaret Gregory. They in turn, had one child, Mary Munson, born in December 1861 in Trumbull County. In 1878, Mary married Emerson Ellsworth Clawson, from another well-known Trumbull County family. Emerson and Mary had at least five children. Mary died in Sep 1906 in Warren and her widower remarried in 1909 to Helena M Carton. He was a machinist and had no children in his second marriage.

Clan William: The Vaughns of Trumbull County

Trumbull County

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson >  Henrietta Munson m John Lorin Vaughn

and...

James VAUGHN m Olive CABLE > John VAUGHN > John Lorin VAUGHN m Henrietta MUNSON

This is in relation to the sister of my 3rd great grandfather, Amos Munson, both children of Freeman Munson.

John Vaughn and his wife Betsey Burr (who is distantly related to Aaron Burr) were descendants of some of the earlier families of Fairfield County, Connecticut that included the Timothy Wheelers, the Andrew Cables, the John Burrs, and the Samuel Wilsons. Little is known about the origins of James Vaughn, John's father.

Olive Cable was married to William Jackson Meeker and had a number of children before his death in 1777. Olive remarried James Vaughn, with whom she had at least five children before his death in Fairfield County, Connecticut in about 1787.

John Vaughn, son of James and Olive, along with several of his half-siblings, sons and daughter of William Meeker and Olive, left for some fertile new farming land in Fowler, Trumbull County, Ohio in 1806:

     This township formerly known as Westfield, contains 16,500 acres.  It was purchased from the Connecticut Land company by Samuel Fowler, of Westfield, Massachusetts, and sold to settlers under his direction.  Titus Brockway was granted power of attorney to dispose of 10,000 acres.  Abner Fowler, brother of the proprietor, in consideration of services rendered in surveying this land, received 100 acres at the center of the township.
     The township was purchased by Mr. Fowler in 1798, for less than fifty cents per acre.
     Only five families settled in the township before 1805.  These were the families of Levi Foote, already mentioned; Lemuel Barnes, who lived one-half mile north of the center; John Morrow, at the center; Hillman Fisher, and Drake, who lived on the ridge.
      In 1806 seven families arrived from Connecticut, having left that State in the fall of the same year.  A month or six weeks later they arrived in New Connecticut.  These emigrants were Elijah Tyrrell and wife, nee Clarissa Meeker, with her brother, Justus, Daniel, Lyman, and William Meeker; John Vaughn and Wakeman Silliman.  They all settled in the southeast of the township in the vicinity of Tyrrell Hill or Tyrrell corners.

History of Trumbull & Mahoning Co., Ohio, Vol. II published by H.A. Williams & Brother, 1882; Trailing Through Tyrrell, 125 years Ago by the Tribune Trailer, & taken from Western Reserve Chronicle, Sept. 25, 1878  

John married Betsey Burr, daughter of  Jesse Burr and Sarah "Sally" Wilson, had their bans of marriage read on 07 Mar 1805 at Trinity Church in Southport, Connecticut. (And, yes, Betsey is distantly related to former US Vice President, Aaron Burr through the immigrant, Jehu Burr)

Once they arrived in Fowler, they all set about cutting roads and building homes in the southwest corner of the township at Tyrrell Hill or Tyrrell Corners (named for Clarissa Meeker's husband Elijah Tyrrell) while their wives and children spent their time at the home of  Joel Hummason in Vienna. One of Joel's relatives later married John's son Miles Munson. Once established, this group was integral in the early development of the town.  The first school was taught in the cabin of Wakeman Silliman. Clarissa's husband Elijah built the largest cabin (a full 18 x 24 - colossal by the day's standard) and produced scythes. Daniel Meeker was one of two men who built the first mill in 1807. Justus was the first miller when the flour mill was built.

John Vaughn and Betsey had at least nine children. Among those children was John Lorin Vaughn. John Lorin married Henrietta Munson, of neighboring Vienna, Trumbull County and daughter of Freeman Munson and Margaret Gregory in 1833.  In 1850, the Vaughns lived in Pierpoint in  Ashtabula County. At that time, they had seven surviving children. Sometime between 1853 and 1856, they moved on to Platteville, Grant County, Wisconsin. Their youngest surviving child, Amos Joel was born in Platteville in 12 Nov 1856. Sons Freeman and Orion remained in Wisconsin and ultimately went to war as volunteers with the Wisconsin 33rd Infantry Regiment beginning in 1862. Read about them here.

John Lorin and Henrietta Munson moved to Fayette County in 1863. And, this would be there home for the remainder of their lifetimes. 

Children of John Lorin Vaughn and Henrietta Munson:

1. Corporal Freeman F Vaughn, born abt 1834, Trumbull County, Ohio; died 26 Aug 1864 at Jefferson Barracks, St Louis, Missouri of injuries received in battle. 

2. Rose Anna Vaughn, born abt 1836, Trumbull County, Ohio; died unkown

3. Corporal Orion Squire Vaughn, born 09 Jan 1838 in Trumbull County, Ohio; died 03 Mar 1920, Winneconne, Winnebago, Wisconsin. 

4. Sarah Jane Vaughn Simmons, born 28 Dec 1840, Trumbull County, Ohio; died 16 May 1920, New Hampton, Chickasaw, Iowa. 

5. Elizabeth A Vaughn, born abt 1841, Trumbull County, Ohio; died between 1912-1920 (there is some indication that she had some type of disability)

6. Arminda, born abt 1846, Trumbull County, Ohio; death unknown

7. James Lester Vaughn, born 03 Jan 1849, Trumbull County, Ohio; died 14 Dec 1918, Randalia, Fayette, Iowa.

8. Frederic Vaughn, abt 1851, Trumbull County, Ohio; died unknown

9. Charlotte Vaughn Fox, born 14 Jan 1853, Trumbull County, Ohio; died 21 Sep 1934, Buchanan, Iowa, USA

10. Amos Joel Vaughn, born 12 Nov 1856, Platteville, Grant, Wisconsin; died Sep 1947, Randalia, Fayette, Iowa.

11-13. Unknown Vaughns who either died as infants or as young children between
census reports (3). 

Note: At the time of Henrietta's death, seven of her children were living. I have information on Orion, Sarah, Elizabeth, James, Charlotte, and Amos being alive, but am unsure who the seventh living child would have been. 

John died on 05 Aug 1887 in Fayette County. Henrietta lived on until 07 Apr 1905 where she died at the home of her son James in Randalia.

The mystery of their burial is most likely solved. The obituary for Henrietta indicates she joined her husband and two of her children at the Lima, Iowa cemetery. According to the sexton for the cemetery, the records indicated that there were six plots bought in the name of Vaughn & Yaste (searches have not located anyone with the Yaste name in the area). The six plots are in line but there are no stones. Sexton believed that there might have been stones at one time, but during that era, stones were often made of limestone and wore down and broke frequently and could have been removed. The cemetery records are full of holes, so there is no actual record of their burials. I believe, however, with strong certainty, that they are buried there.

Lima, Iowa Cemetery. The entire line in front of the bush is Vaughn-owned plots