Clover Family Research Compendium
Created, Edited, and Maintained By June Clover Byrne
For the Clover Family Historical Society
John
Metler Clover
John Metler3Clover (Paul2, John Peter1 Clover)
This article was originally written by June Clover Byrne and published in the Clover Family Chronicles Volume 1, issue 7, 2005, page 223. Copyright 2005 June Clover Byrne.
Numbers in ( ) are for endnotes.
I have been lucky enough to receive a lot of information from subscribers on the children of John Metler Clover. Lois Guffy, a descendant of John’s eighth child, Elliot Clover, has sent me lovely pictures, much information, and help on the various problems here. This article would not have been possible without her generous support.
John Metler Clover, (son of Paul Clover and Nancy Metler,) was born 25 July 1794, (1) Pennsylvania, died 7 May 1857, Dwight County, Illinois, buried in Stevens Cemetery. See picture of the Stevens Cemetery.
John Metler Clover was married three times. He married first ca. 1817, Mary Williams, daughter of Zechariah and Elizabeth (Swartzlander) Williams.(2) Mary was born 17 May 1796, (3) Pennsylvania, died 14 October 1839, (4) buried Vermillion County, Indiana where her tombstone reads 1796 to 1839. See the John Metler Clover bible record for another date. In a transcription of a bible page I do not have, her death date was given as 14 October 1834. I don't think that 1834 is correct. I don't know if the bible has an error or if the date was not clearly legible.
I have received much information on Mary Williams which is on a separate page.
There is an IGI entry giving their marriage date as 4 March 1817. This looks reasonable, but I don’t know what it was based on. It was taken from an endowment for the dead in old Mormon records, probably dated around 1954. No source is now available. This marriage date is also given in the bible which may have been the source for the IGI entry. Family tradition is that they were married in Indiana, but there is no record of that marriage in Indiana. This could be because the civil marriage records of Dearborn County, Indiana, do not start until March 1826. All that we can be sure of is that some of the Clover group had definitely arrived in Dearborn County, Indiana by the 1820 census.
There is a John Clover in the 1820 census of Hamilton County, Ohio who fits perfectly with John Metler Clover. If he married in Hamilton County, it would explain why there is no marriage record. Hamilton County started keeping records long before that. Unfortunately, there have been four separate fires which seriously damaged their records. Some of these are supposed to have been restored. However, I am not sure that all are there. I have searched what I could find and have not found any Clovers in the restored marriage records. He may also have simply married in Pennsylvania before he left where no record would have been kept anyway. I don't know yet where William, his oldest son was born. His second and third children, Isaac and Amos are supposed to have been born in Hamilton County, Ohio.
Hamilton County, Ohio shares a border with Dearborn County, Indiana. The fact that his brothers were in a separate state makes the group look like they were living farther apart than they actually were. So, John could have married first in Indiana, Ohio, or Pennsylvania.
After Mary’s death, John M. Clover married second 11 February 1840, in Vermillion County, Indiana, Nancy Sumpter.(5) The state wide Indiana marriage index on line has her as Nancy Sumpter, but lists the marriage again with same date, with her name as Mary Sumpter. (6) The family has traditionally referred to her as Nancy, but this suggests that she was really named Mary Ann and was nicknamed Nancy. She was born between 1810 and 1820, (7) and died nine months after the marriage on 4 November 1840.(8) John M. Clover married third 25 December 1840, in Vermillion County, Indiana, Martha Minerva Lewis,(9) daughter of John Lewis. The John Metler Clover Family book has a marriage date of 20 January 1841 and this date appears in other places. However, the state wide index on line has a marriage date of 25 December 1840.
One of the early subscribers of the Clover Family Exchange sent in the extracted marriages of Vermillion County, Indiana, which were published in the March 1987 issue on page 12. According to this, John M. Clover married Martha Minerva Lewis on 25 December 1840 and that the record is on Volume 2, page 55. Consequently, I believe that the date of 25 December 1840 is correct. Someone may have been shocked that he remarried just one month after the loss of his second wife. However, in those days, it was common and actually necessary. It was simply not possible to run a farm and take care of his children and household alone.
Martha Minerva Lewis was born 20 August 1816, died 2 January 1893, Hyattsville, Kansas. She was the daughter of John Lewis.(10) I have tried to find out where Hyattsville is in Kansas. I have not been able to discover this. If this is correct, it may be that the town no longer exists. Kansas had many small towns that are no longer around. If anyone can shed any light on this, I would appreciate knowing.
- 1820 Hamilton County, Ohio Whitewater Township page 183 John Clover 200010-00010-0100
- 1830 Vermillion County, Indiana page 233: John Clover 222001-000001
- 1840 Vermillion County, Indiana, Helt Township, page 917: John Clover 1313001/001001
- 1850 Grundy County, Illinois Town of Goodfarm NARA M432-108: Page 184b: 28 October 1850: Line 10: 10/10 John Clover 56 Farmer $1800 PA; Martha M. 34 OH; John S. 9 IN; Marietta 7 IN; Laura A. 3 IL Almaretta 2/12 IL; Elliot 19 IN; Milton 17 IN; Gerittus 14 IN; Philip 21 IN; Joseph W. Dewy 20 IN.
Children of John Metler Clover are
listed in the John
Metler Clover Bible Record. There is a photocopy on the
bible page.
Children of John Metler Clover and Mary Williams:
1. William Clover born 29 March 1818 according to the bible record. Most researchers have him marrying Jane Williams and dying 1839. However, that is William Corbit Clover, son of Peter Clover, son of Paul. See estate records for Peter and William C. Clover. I don't know what happened to this William. He could have died young.
2. Isaac Clover born 1819
3. Amos Clover born 1821
4. Lot Clover born 1824
5. Jackson Clover born 1825
6. Alfred Clover born 1826
7. Philip Clover born 1829
8. Elliott Clover born 1831
9. Milton Clover born 1833
10. Gerettus Clover born 1836
11. Pearson Clover born 1838
Child of John Metler Clover and Nancy Sumpter
12. John S[umpter] Clover born 1841 There is some confusion over dates etc here and he may not be a child of Nancy. He was supposed to have been born 10 November 1841, and Nancy Sumpter Clover is supposed to have died 4 November 1840. Something is wrong with all this and I don't yet know enough to be sure of what is wrong. He may also have been a son of Martha Lewis.
Children of John Metler Clover and Martha Minerva Lewis:
13. Marietta Clover born 1844
14. Edward Clover
15. Laura Clover
16. Alveavetta Clover born 1848
17. Seth Clover born 1851
Endnotes
(1) "John Metler Clover Bible Record," Clover Family Chronicles, Issue 4 page 85.
(2) John Metler Clover Family, author unknown. It appears to have been based on early family research, possibly by Robert Frampton. I have a copy of this which was sent to me from the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois. It appears to be an unpublished manuscript.
(3) John Metler Clover Bible Record, Clover Family Chronicles, Issue 4 page 85.
(4) John Metler Clover Family, author unknown.
(5) "Early Vermillion County Clovers," Clover Family Exchange, March 1987, page 12. [Reference Marriage Book II: 39]
(6) Indiana State Library: Marriages through 1850
(7) John Clover household, 1840 U. S. Census, Vermillion County, Indiana, Helt Township, page 917.
(8) John Metler Clover Family, author unknown.
(9) Indiana State Library: Marriages through 1850.
(10) John Metler Clover Family, author unknown.
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Children of John Metler Clover and Mary Williams:
1. William Clover born 29 March 1818 according to the bible record. Most researchers have him marrying Jane Williams and dying 1839. However, that is William Corbit Clover, son of Peter Clover, son of Paul. See estate records for Peter and William C. Clover. I don't know what happened to this William. He could have died young.
2. Isaac Clover born 1819
3. Amos Clover born 1821
4. Lot Clover born 1824
5. Jackson Clover born 1825
6. Alfred Clover born 1826
7. Philip Clover born 1829
8. Elliott Clover born 1831
9. Milton Clover born 1833
10. Gerettus Clover born 1836
11. Pearson Clover born 1838
Child of John Metler Clover and Nancy Sumpter
12. John S[umpter] Clover born 1841 There is some confusion over dates etc here and he may not be a child of Nancy. He was supposed to have been born 10 November 1841, and Nancy Sumpter Clover is supposed to have died 4 November 1840. Something is wrong with all this and I don't yet know enough to be sure of what is wrong. He may also have been a son of Martha Lewis.
Children of John Metler Clover and Martha Minerva Lewis:
13. Marietta Clover born 1844
14. Edward Clover
15. Laura Clover
16. Alveavetta Clover born 1848
17. Seth Clover born 1851
(1) "John Metler Clover Bible Record," Clover Family Chronicles, Issue 4 page 85.
(2) John Metler Clover Family, author unknown. It appears to have been based on early family research, possibly by Robert Frampton. I have a copy of this which was sent to me from the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois. It appears to be an unpublished manuscript.
(3) John Metler Clover Bible Record, Clover Family Chronicles, Issue 4 page 85.
(4) John Metler Clover Family, author unknown.
(5) "Early Vermillion County Clovers," Clover Family Exchange, March 1987, page 12. [Reference Marriage Book II: 39]
(6) Indiana State Library: Marriages through 1850
(7) John Clover household, 1840 U. S. Census, Vermillion County, Indiana, Helt Township, page 917.
(8) John Metler Clover Family, author unknown.
(9) Indiana State Library: Marriages through 1850.
(10) John Metler Clover Family, author unknown.
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Copyright 2007 June Clover Byrne
Contact me at junebyr@yahoo.com