"Conquest"
By P. Matthew Sutko and Henry Dillon
Introduction
This
work draws heavily upon the research and writings of Sherm Dillon and T.O.
Dillon. Sherm Dillon descended from Peter Dillon’s son, John. T.O. Dillon
descended from two of Peter Dillon’s sons, Peter, Jr and William.
Both Sherm and T.O. devoted countless hours to researching and documenting the Peter Dillon family. Beginning in 1893, Sherm Dillon interviewed and corresponded with many descendants of Peter Dillon’s son, John Dillon, Sr., including John’s son, John Dillon, Jr. Sherm published his research in 1933. It is available on the Internet here.
Sherm’s
conclusions have withstood the test of time. For example, his understanding
that Peter Dillon was a weaver by trade was not definitively established until
1999, with the discovery at the National Archives of the 1798
Direct Tax List for
Greene County Pennsylvania, and the discovery in Coshocton, Ohio of Peter
Dillon’s August 1823 Revolutionary War Pension Affidavit.
T.O.
Dillon’s research is, if anything, even more impressive. From the 1920s
until the early 1950s, T.O. Dillon worked tirelessly to document the Peter
Dillon family. It was T.O. who linked the Peter Dillons of Somerset, County,
New Jersey, Greene County, Pennsylvania, and Coshocton County, Ohio -again -
something not definitively proven until the 1999 discovery of Peter Dillon’s
Revolutionary War Pension Affidavit pt1
pt2.
T.O.
Dillon prepared a draft manuscript on the Dillon family, which he never
published. T.O. Dillon’s hard work and remarkable scholarship have been an
inspiration to us, and have made possible our further research into the lives
of Peter Dillon, Mary Dillon, and their descendants.
As
with all family history, this is a work in progress. There is underlying
support for all the facts that are cited here. When a conclusion is based on
conjecture, we say so. We hope to revise this work to footnote all the
statements in it. Because that task will take some time, we provide this draft
narrative to share the life of Peter Dillon, his son John, and his grandson
John, Jr. We will be glad to share specific information with anyone who is
interested in it.
Peter
Dillon and Mary Vactor (Veghte)
Peter
Dillon was born around 1753. Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Century Americans
had little interest in spelling, and Peter’s name was variously spelled
Dillon, Dillen, Dillin and Dilling. It appears Peter could not write; he
signed documents with a mark rather than a signature. His wife and his
children could, however, and they were always very careful to use the
distinctive spelling Dillin whenever they signed their names. Whatever others
thought, they viewed themselves as Dillins.
Beginning
around 1830, most of Peter’s descendants stopped spelling their name Dillin
and adopted the more common Dillon. There are, however, some descendants who
still use the Dillin spelling. Contemporary writers - court clerks, church
officials, military officers, tax collectors, and others - were not so
precise. The Dilling spelling was used both in Somerset County, New Jersey and
Greene County, Pennsylvania. Dillin and Dillen were used virtually everywhere.
Ironically, Dillon was rarely used for Peter or his children.
Peter’s
place of birth has yet to be documented. Descendants of four of Peter’s sons
understood that Peter was born in Ireland, although a fifth son’s
descendants claimed an English heritage. The Irish background seems probable
as Dillon is a common Irish name, and the descendants who recalled an Irish
birth were separated by time and location, which meant their similar
understanding probably had some ancient but common source. Although many Irish
Dillons subscribe to the Roman Catholic faith, Peter and his descendants were
Protestants.
We
know nothing of Peter’s life before 1775. At that date, we find him living
in Somerset County, New Jersey near the towns of Kingston, Griggstown and
Rocky Hill. In the Eighteenth Century, Somerset County was part of the area
known as West Jersey. Kingston, Griggstown, and Rocky Hill are situated
between the cities of Princeton and New Brunswick.
A 1745
and a 1762 map of Kingston and Griggstown reveal that a James Dillon lived in
this area on the Kingston Road. It is possible he was a kinsman of Peter’s,
but this has not been established. There also were Quaker Dillons in nearby
Salem County, New Jersey, but they have no known connection to Peter.
One
branch of Peter’s descendants recollects that Peter was able come to America
from Ireland shortly before the Revolutionary War by working as a servant for
a British army officer. Supposedly, the officer was a friend of the Dillon
family. Peter’s parents, so the story goes, felt Peter was too young to come
to America. Peter would not be deterred, however, and left without their
permission.
Whatever
the truth of this story, Peter was, for all we know, always a "stand
alone" Dillon. Both in Somerset County, New Jersey, and then in Greene
County, Pennsylvania, Peter and his immediate family were the only Dillons
living at those places at those times. Peter moved to Coshocton County shortly
before his death. Although there were no other Dillons in Coshocton, there
were Dillons in neighboring Knox County, Ohio. No link, however, has been
drawn to them.
The
first documented fact we have for Peter is his enlistment in the Continental
Army in late October or early November 1775. In 1823, Peter recollected that
he enlisted on October 28 or 29. Records at the National Archives (under the
name Peter Dilling) pt1
pt2
and the New Jersey Archives (under the name Peter Dillen) agree that Peter
enlisted on November 6. According to records at the New Jersey Archives,
Peter’s unit was the Fourth Company, First Battalion (First Establishment),
New Jersey Continental line; the National Archives’ records describe it
slightly differently, calling it the 1 New Jersey Regiment and the 1st
Regiment of New Jersey Troops. It also was known as the First New Jersey
Regiment of the New Jersey Militia. US
Army link to history of 1st New Jersey.
Peter’s
unit was authorized on October 9, 1775 as part of the Continental Army and was
assigned to the New York (subsequently the Middle) Department. This Regiment
consisted of eight companies. They were raised from Middlesex, Morris,
Somerset, Monmouth, Essex and Bergen counties.
Peter
described his Revolutionary War service in the August 7, 1823 Affidavit
that he filed in the Court of Common Pleas for Coshocton County, Ohio. He
prepared it as part of the paperwork necessary for obtaining a Revolutionary
War pension from the federal government. The original still exists in the
Clerk’s office at the Coshocton County Courthouse. In it, Peter tells us
that he enlisted in the New Jersey Militia near Kingston, New Jersey and
served for slightly more than a year.
Peter’s
Regiment spent the first few months of active service near home. Peter’s
January 13, 1776 muster roll reports that his Regiment was situated at New
Brunswick, New Jersey, just a few miles from Peter’s residence. On April 24,
1776, the Regiment was assigned to Sterling’s Brigade, an element of the
Main Continental Army. Three days later, on April 27, the Regiment was
reassigned to the Canadian Department. On July 2, the Canadian Department was
assigned to the Northern Department. On July 20, 1776, Peter’s Regiment was
assigned to Stark’s Brigade, an element of the Northern Department. The
Regiment remained part of that Brigade through the term of Peter’s service.
In his
declaration, Peter explained that his unit was sent (in 1776) to Lake
Champlain in northern New York state. Although Peter does not mention this,
his unit was sent there to support the Continental troops that had, the autumn
before, captured Montreal and then attempted to storm Quebec City. The attack
on Quebec, which took place during a blinding snowstorm on New Year’s Eve,
1775, was a complete failure. It effectively destroyed that unit’s
effectiveness and left it almost leaderless, as most of its commanding
officers were killed, wounded, or captured.
The
Colonials maintained control of Montreal through May 1776. Decimated by
smallpox, and facing 10,000 newly arrived British forces under the command of
Major General Johnny Burgoyne, the remnants of the Colonial army retreated to
the New York border during the summer of 1776. Peter’s Regiment did not
serve in Canada. Instead, it protected Lake Champlain and Fort Ticonderoga
along the vital route from Canada to New York.
On
November 3, 1776, Peter was ordered to accompany a detachment of sick soldiers
from Ticonderoga to Albany. This was no simple task. Many of the troops
suffered from cholera and
other deadly diseases. Traveling among such men almost certainly placed
Peter’s life in danger. Peter was able, however, to successfully complete
his mission, apparently without suffering any major illness.
After
arriving in Albany, Peter did not know what to do, as none of the officers of
his company, battalion or regiment were situated there. The military officials
at Albany authorized Peter to return to New Jersey, which he did. Peter was
concerned, however, with simply having left service, so he subsequently sought
out the commander of his unit, Captain John Polhemus - who later would be
related to Peter by marriage - and asked for a written discharge. Captain
Polhemus explained to Peter that this was unnecessary because Peter’s term
had expired.
Relieved
of further military obligations, Peter returned to the Kingston, Griggstown,
Rocky Hill area. It may be at this time that Peter learned the weaving trade.
We know this was his primary profession, and we also know that Peter had some
relationship with at least one local weaver, John Honeyman, and almost
certainly with a second, Isaac Veghte.
Honeyman,
is a legendary figure, known as The Spy of Washington. Around the time of the
battle of Trenton, Honeyman sold cattle and provided services to the British.
His neighbors branded him an infamous Tory and marched upon his house to seize
him and destroy his property. There, they found his wife, who produced a
letter from General Washington, informing the reader that no one was to harm
Honeyman’s family or property. Honeyman’s descendants maintain Washington
protected Honeyman because he was acting as a double agent, using his
commercial relations with the British to gather information for General
Washington and provide misinformation to the British. Whatever the truth of
this story - and historians accept it as true - Honeyman remained in New
Jersey long after the war, and died a prosperous and respected citizen.
During
the war, Honeyman ran several businesses from his home in Griggstown,
including a weaving business that he operated in a shop at the back of his
house. In 1777, Colonial troops seized some of Honeyman’s livestock. Peter
must have been living near to, or working for, Honeyman at this time, because
Peter provided a declaration in 1782 supporting Honeyman’s request that New
Jersey reimburse him for his losses. In the declaration,
Peter explained that he had witnessed the seizure, and testified that the
livestock had never been returned.
The
other weaver that Peter probably knew at this time was Isaac Veghte. Isaac,
who died in 1782, ran a prosperous weaving shop in Kingston. It is possible
that Peter may have worked for Isaac, although that has yet to be established.
We do
know, however, that on November
13, 1779,
Peter signed a 500-pound bond, as required by the State of New Jersey, so he
could marry Mary Vactor (Veghte). The bond obligated Peter and his fellow
bondsman to pay New Jersey the sum of 500 pounds if it proved that Peter or
Mary was not eligible to wed. Peter’s fellow bondsman was Abraham Simonson.
Simonson’s relationship to Peter and Mary Vactor (Veghte) is not understood.
Abraham, like Peter, served in the First Regiment, so it is possible he and
Peter were Army buddies. It also is possible that Abraham was related by
marriage to Peter’s bride, Mary Vactor. Both the Simonsons and the Veghtes
were part of the Dutch community in New Jersey. Both families had, before
that, lived on Staten Island. Abraham
Simonson tombstone.
Mary’s
surname, "Vactor," was an Americanized version of the Dutch name
Veghte. During the 1770s, 1780s and 1790s, a number of Veghtes in New Jersey
adopted Vactor as their surname. Some used the names interchangeably. It may
be that Veghte was pronounced "Veghteh," and this was later
simplified to Vactor. New Jersey tax records, and the records of the Six Mile
Run Dutch Reformed Church in Somerset County, reveal that "Veghte"
was spelled at least 13 ways during this period. The transformation of Veghte
to Vactor is easily understood when those names are pronounced as a group,
being careful to pronounce the final "e" as "eh": Veghten,
Veghts, Veghtt, Vecgte, Veghte, Vechgte, Veighte, Vaghte, Veghter, Vachter,
Vagtar, Vacter, and Vactor.
According
to Peter Dillon’s Revolutionary War Pension Declaration, Mary "Veghte"
was sixty-one years old in August 1823, which meant she was born in 1761 or
1762. The records of the Six Mile Run (now Franklin Park) Dutch Reformed
Church reveal that Abraham and Maria Vechtge had a daughter, Marta, who was
baptized at the church on June 20, 1762. Marta’s only known sibling was
Nellie Veghte, who was baptized at Six Mile Run on October 12, 1760. One of
Peter and Mary’s descendants recollected that one of Peter and Mary’s
daughters was named Nellie. John Dillon, Sr also named a daughter Nellie,
perhaps for this aunt. Peter and Mary Dillon also named children Abraham and
Mary.
The
Veghte family arrived at the Dutch Colony of New Amsterdam from Norg, Province
of Drenthe, on April 15, 1660 aboard a vessel named Bonticou, which translates as the Spotted Cow. Claes Arentse Vechten (spelled several ways) was
the founder of the Veghte clan in America. The Veghtes settled in Brooklyn, in
an area known as Gowanus.
In
1699, Claes built a farmhouse in Gowanus. The house was believed to have been
General Washington’s headquarters during the battle of Long Island. Over
time, the house, known as the Vechte-Cortelyou
House, came to
represent to the prototypical Dutch farmhouse. Many nineteenth-century artists
painted it, including Louis Grube, Nathaniel Currier, Frederick W. Halpin,
Charles Parsons, W.H. Coughlin, G.E. Jones, James Ryder Van Brunt, and Lyman
Atwater.
The
house was demolished in 1897. Just before the end, it had one last moment of
fame. Charlie Ebbets used the Vechte-Cortelyou House as the clubhouse for his
Brooklyn Baseball Club, which played games at nearby Washington Park.
The
Vechte-Cortelyou house was not forgotten. In 1934, the New York Parks
Department constructed a replica of it near 5th Avenue and 3rd
Street in Brooklyn.
One of
Claes’ sons, Gerrit Claes Vechten, born in Drenthe in 1656, moved to Staten
Island, New York before 1711. Gerrit served as a Justice in 1722, as did his
son, Jan, in 1735.
In
1699, Gerrit was part of a Dutch consortium that purchased 3,000 acres of land
in New Jersey on the east side of the Millstone River, encompassing an area
extending from Griggstown toward Six Mile Run (now Franklin Park) toward
Ten-Mile Run. Gerrit never lived in New Jersey. His sons, Gerrit Jan
Veghte(born on Staten Island on January 1, 1715) and Nicholas Jans Veghte
(born on Staten Island, April 17, 1711), did move to Somerset County. Nicholas
moved there between 1734 and 1738, and operated mills at Griggstown and/or
Rocky Hill. One of Nicholas’ sons was Abraham, who likely is Mary Vactor’s
father.
The
Revolutionary War devastated the New Jersey economy. The British and American
forces crossed the Kingston area several times. At war’s end, many residents
moved west in search of better opportunity.
Peter
and Mary left New Jersey some time after 1784, although we do not know when.
One of their sons, Isaac, was baptized in Somerset County at Six Mile Run
Church on September 30, 1781. Isaac died before 1790, and the Dillons also
named their last son, who was born in 1801, Isaac. In 1784, another son,
Thomas, was born in New Jersey."
No
record exists for Peter between 1784 and 1789. By 1790,
he had moved to Franklin Township in Greene County, Pennsylvania, where he was
to stay until 1820 (Greene County was a part of Washington County until 1796).
It is not likely that Peter moved to the area much before 1790, as he does not
show up on tax or other records prior to that time, although he consistently
appears on such documents thereafter.
Life
in early Greene County was not easy. As late as 1791, nearby residents lost
their lives in disputes with the Native Americans who were being overwhelmed
by the massive influx of settlers from the east. Commerce was difficult, and
many things were in short supply.
Greene
County also was on the periphery of the Whisky Rebellion. In response to
Congress’ levying of an excise tax upon whisky - the most important product
in the area - many settlers in western Pennsylvania turned to violence to
prevent collection of the tax. Normalcy returned only after President
Washington raised an army to introduce order.
If Peter played a role in these affairs, history has left no record. We know, however, that by 1798, Peter and Mary had created a stable life in Greene County. They had a large family, had taken possession of a 100-acre tract, built a cabin that measured ten by twenty feet, and constructed a weaver’s shop - where Peter pursued his profession. Dillon's in 1800 Greene county census.
As
time went on, Peter expanded his farm. By 1813, Peter’s land encompassed 402
acres. At that time, he took steps to obtain formal title for it. During the
first rush of settlers to western Pennsylvania, speculators laid claim to huge
tracts of land. To prevent such profiteering, Pennsylvania enacted legislation
that required a person to occupy and cultivate land in order to obtain title.
Under Pennsylvania law, a person who cultivated land could obtain a warrant
for it from the state. The land was then surveyed. When the occupier finished
making payments to the state, Pennsylvania issued a patent to the land, which
gave the patentee good title.
The
land survey for Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, located at the
Pennsylvania Archives in Harrisburg, reveals that a warrant was issued to
Peter Dillon for 402 acres on August 13, 1813 pt1
pt2
pt3.
The land was surveyed on December 17, 1813. It took Peter almost four and a
half years to make full payment on his land, but he did so, and a patent was
issued on May 8, 1819.
It was
the universal custom at this time for local landowners to name their land. The
Franklin Township warrant
map contains
many fascinating names, which reflect people’s states of mind, or honor
their places of origin. Peter’s neighbors used such colorful names as
Desire, Request, Troublesome, Decivility, Shadow of Death, and Adventure.
Others must have been from Falmouth, Newbern, Bowlin Green, and Atrium. Peter
named his land Conquest.
During this time, Peter’s health deteriorated. By 1818, his physical condition was such that he could no longer continue working as a weaver. In 1819 and 1820, Peter sold his land in Greene County to several of his neighbors in four separate transactions for the sum total of $1,557.50. Peter selling of land pt1 pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7 pt8
At this time, the entire Dillon clan, except for son John, moved to Perry Township in western Coshocton County, Ohio. Peter, and many of his sons and daughters show up on the 1820 census 1 2 in Coshocton. Some purchased land there. Others ultimately moved west. Dillon land in Ohio
The
last known record of Peter is his Revolutionary War Pension Affidavit, which
he filed with the court in Coshocton on August 7, 1823 pt1
pt2.
Under a 1818 law, the United States gave certain Revolutionary War veterans
the right to receive a pension. Based upon Peter’s declaration and his
testimony in open court, the court in Coshocton concluded that Peter had
satisfactorily proven Revolutionary service. For reasons we do not understand,
Peter never filed a formal pension application with the United States. It is
presumed he died before he was able to do so. It also is presumed that Mary
Dillon died about this time as well.
Peter was buried along the lane leading to his house in Perry Township, Coshocton County, Ohio. His grave sat at the foot of two young trees. Over time, the trees grew together, entombing the marker and lifting it ten feet in the air. Ultimately, the trees completely enveloped it. In 1981, Shirley Dillon Gerbracht and her family, descendants of Peter Dillon, arranged for the United States to place a new marker at the grave site. It sits today beneath the now ancient trees where Peter spent the last years of an eventful life. Peter Dillon Grave 1 2 3 4 5 6
Children
of Peter and Mary Dillon
The
known children of Peter Dillon and Mary Vactor (Veghte) are:
John
Dillon, Sr.
There
is no documentary evidence establishing John Dillon Sr’s date of birth.
Information obtained by Sherm Dillon from John’s children establishes that
John was born in 1785. John probably was born in Pennsylvania, as census
records for his son, John Dillon, Jr, list John, Sr as having been born in
Pennsylvania. However, John Dillon, Jr’s certificate of death lists John,
Sr’s place of birth as Virginia. It is possible that the Peter Dillon family
lived in Virginia, on their way ultimately to Greene County, at the time of
John’s birth. It also is possible that the family was still living in New
Jersey when John, Sr was born.
John
lived most of his life in Greene County. Around 1808 he married Rachel
Hamilton (also spelled Hambleton, Hambelton, and Hanebleton). It is likely,
but by no means certain, that Rachel’s father was Hugh Hamilton, who moved
to Franklin Township with his family between 1800 and 1810. Rachel named one
of her sons Hugh and another Hamilton. Rachel first appears in Greene County
records in 1806. In that year, the records of the Goshen Baptist Church in
Greene County indicate that Rachel had expressed an intent to join the church.
John
first appears in a written record in the 1810 census. He and his father,
Peter, are the only Dillons listed as living in Franklin Township. His older
brother, Thomas, was the only other Dillon listed in the 1810 census as living
anywhere in Greene County. The census listed John’s age as being between 16
and 26, and Rachel as being between the same ages.
Like his father - and then his children and grandchildren, John Dillon, Sr spent time in active military service. During the War of 1812, most of America’s forces consisted of local militias. Those militias were activated at times of crisis and released when trouble passed. In 1814, British troops attacked Baltimore and sacked Washington. Likely in response to these events, the local Greene County militia was called into active service in November of that year. John’s unit was known as Mitchell’s Detachment of Riflemen. They were commanded by Captain Sooy Smith of Greene County, and were attached to the 130th Regiment Pennsylvania Militia under the command of Major Thomas Mitchell. John's war record pt1 pt2 pt3
John’s
unit was called to active service on November 10, 1814. It traveled to Camp
Springfield, Baltimore, Maryland, where John was discharged on December 4,
1814. It is unlikely the unit saw battle. The British had left the Baltimore
area before the unit was even mustered. It took John twelve days to travel the
250 miles back to Greene County.
John
returned to his farming. During this time, his name appears on court dockets
but no known information exists regarding his daily life or experiences. By
the time of the 1820 census his father, brothers, and sisters had moved to
Ohio. The Greene County census finds John, alone among the Dillons, living
where his father’s 402 acres were located. Again, John is the only Dillon in
the county.
John’s
neighbors, as identified in the 1820
census, are
the same people who show up on the Greene County survey map for Franklin
Township (available from the Pennsylvania Archives) as having formerly lived
adjacent to Peter. Some of John’s neighbors in 1820 also were the people to
whom Peter sold his land or who were related to John through the marriage of
their children, or their brothers and sisters, to Peter and Mary Dillon’s
children. These included David White (formerly a neighbor of Peter’s), Abner
Clark (Michael Clark formerly was a neighbor of Peter’s); John Strosnider
(formerly a neighbor of Peter’s); Robert Bradford (same); Thomas Mooney
(same); James Bradford (Peter sold two parcels of land to him); Abram Trestin
(Tustin) (his daughter married John’s brother, Peter, Jr, and he purchased
land from Peter, Sr); Catherine Strosnider (formerly lived near Peter);
William Maple (same); Kendale Godwin (Peter sold land to him); Andrew
Eisenminger (John’s brother, Abraham, married an Eisenminger); and John
Eisenmeyer (Eisenminger) (same).
Based
upon the records still existing in Greene County and in the Pennsylvania
Archives, it appears that Peter sold all 402 acres of his property in 1819 and
1820. There is no record of Peter giving or selling land to John. It is
possible that John rented or owned land next to his father and that is why he
was living in 1820 at precisely the same place where his father had lived. It
also is possible that the 1820 census was conducted prior to the time in 1820
that Peter sold the last of his land. If that is so, John may have been living
on the land as a sort of guardian.
T.O.
Dillon, reported (around 1950) that John Dillon was listed in the 1826 Greene
County tax records as owning 40 acres of land in Greene County. Unfortunately,
we have been unable to find those tax records. Existing Greene County records
also contain no record of John buying or selling land. That does not mean he
did not own land. Many land transfers during this period were not immediately
recorded with the County. Indeed, three of Peter Dillon’s four 1819-1820
land transfers were not recorded until 1900 (See above Peter
Dillon land sales links).
It appears that John’s purchases and sales were never recorded or were lost.
We
also do not know why John chose to remain in Greene County when the rest of
his family moved west. Perhaps his wife’s closeness to her family and her
church played a role. Or it may be that John simply sunk deeper roots in the
County. There is support for this idea. Although a number of Peter’s sons
were old enough to serve in the War of 1812, only John did. John simply may
have had closer friendships, which convinced him not to leave the area with
the other members of his family.
There
is no evidence that John had any contact with his father or his brothers and
sisters after they left Greene County. As late as the turn of the century,
however, John Dillon, Jr, could recollect the names of most of his uncles
although none of his aunts. Descendants of other Peter Dillon children also
recollected that their ancestors had a brother named John. There is no
evidence, however, that the two branches of the family had any contact again
until the late 1940s.
The 1830 census finds John and Rachel still in Greene County, and reveals that John was still farming his land. Perhaps it was the pressure to acquire land for his sons that led John to leave Greene County in 1835. Like many Greene County residents, John took advantage of cheap federal cheap land to start a new life. Throughout much of the west, the federal government sold good land, better land that the hilly land of Franklin Township, at very reasonable prices. On October 8, 1834, the United States granted to "John Dillin of Greene County Pennsylvania" title to 39.58 acres of land in the northwest corner of Monroe County, Ohio. John paid cash. That part of Monroe was less than 100 miles from those Dillons living in Coshocton, and less than 100 miles from Greene County. John Dillon land grant.
Three
of John’s sons, Vincent, Hugh, and Peter, also purchased land from the
federal government in Monroe County near their father. John, Jr., the youngest
of John’s children, lived with his parents and helped his father farm his
land.
John sold his Monroe County farm on January 18, 1840, signing it with the distinctive Dillin signature. This ends the contemporaneous record for John Dillon. However, Sherm Dillon, writing in 1933 - based upon his 1893 interviews with John’s descendants, chronicled the remainder of John’s life. After the sale, John lived on the nearby farm of his son, Vincent, in Monroe County. John refused to live with Vincent’s family, concerned he might be in the way. Instead, he lived in a separate house. Vincent Dillon in 1840 census without elder John shown in census
In
1847, Vincent purchased land in Windsor Township in Lawrence County, Ohio.
Lawrence is located at the southern tip of the state, across the river from
West Virginia. John, Sr moved with Vincent to Lawrence but lived only one
year. John passed away in 1848. It is assumed that he is buried at the family
cemetery, which still exists, in Windsor Township. The cemetery has a number
of older headstones, which the forces of time and nature have erased. It is
presumed that John’s maker is one of these.
Rachel
was alive at the time of the January 1840 sale of their land in Monroe County.
It is unknown when she passed away. Her descendants reported to Sherm Dillon
that she died before John, Sr moved to Lawrence County.
Children of John and Rachel
Dillon
a.
Nancy, born: abt. 1808,
Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
The first record we have of Nancy is recorded
by J. W. Sherman Dillon in his family narrative prepared for the 1932 Scottown
Dillon reunion. He states John
“was the father of five daughters and seven sons as follows: Nancy, Rachel,
Mary, Betsy, Nellie, Hugh, Thomas, Vincent, Peter, Hamilton, David and
John.” Sherm Dillon gives no
sources for his information. Nancy
Dillon was reported(Jane and Tom Lasko) to have married a John Campbell Cox,
May 13, 1824, in Belmont County, Ohio. At the time of her marriage, her place
of birth was listed as Greene County, Pennsylvania.
This couple is reported to have eventually resettled to Athens Co., OH.
It was also reported but unconfirmed that John
and Nancy may have lived for a short time in Monroe Co.
This story may be consistent with the permanent resettlement of John
Dillon and family to Monroe Co. by 1835.
If this Nancy died in 1907, it is not probable
that she was born earlier than the 1808 date shown here.
These dates suggest Nancy was sixteen when she was married.
It is also believed that that Nancy Dillon Cox and John Cox named one
of their sons, "Hamilton." If
this Nancy is the daughter of our John Dillon, this is consistent with maiden
name of her mother and the given name of a younger brother, further evidence
for a positive correlation. No
other information is available.
Finally, the 1810 Census for Franklin Twp.,
Greene Co., PA, does list one female under the age of 10 in the household of
John and Rachel Dillon. And the
1820 Census lists one female 10-15 years of age.***(See 1810.1820.1830 Greene
Co., PA Census for Franklin Twp.)
b.
Vincent (Sr.), born: January
1, 1809, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
The 1810 Census for Franklin Twp. lists one
male under the age of 10 living in the household of John Dillon.
We presume that male was Vincent.***(See 1810.1820.1830 Greene Co., PA
Census for Franklin Twp.) The
details of our information on Vincent have been previously described. Vincent
Dillon Sr. and Family
Mary, born:
abt 1810, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
died: July 7, 1847, Summit
Twp., Monroe Co., OH
Mary, born in Greene Co., most likely
resettled to Monroe Co. with her family by 1835 before she married.
"James Morris and Mary Dillon were married on the 24th of Nov.
1836", so recorded was their marriage date found in the family papers of
Harold Sinclair Denbow, a grandson.
James Morris is also believed to have been born abt 1811, in Greene Co.
Once married, this couple initially lived on lands adjacent to the
family of Mary’s brother, Vincent.***See(Morris Lands Monroe C., OH.doc)
Further to their 1836 OH marriage date, all the children of James and
Mary listed in the Monroe Co. Censuses, show OH as their place of birth.
The Morris family probably arrived in Monroe
Co., between 1812 and 1820***(see 1820 Census for Monroe Co., OH Seneca Twp.)
according to Morris family researcher Andy Morris. James R. Morris was probably born in Greene Co., PA, as was
his father, William Morris, in 1782, and probably his mother, Anna Wells.
The 1820 Monroe Co Census for Seneca Twp. also lists an Archibald
Morris, the probable grandfather of James R. Morris.
Summit and Franklin Twps, where we eventually find many of these Morris
and Dillon families, were formed out of Seneca Twp.(William Morris officially
received his Seneca Twp. land grant from Andrew Jackson in 1831.)
James R. Morris and Mary Dillon Morris had
eight children including two sets of twins, all born in Monroe Co.
Ann and Rachel were born August 16, 1837, following by Eliza, March 19,
1939, Elizabeth, October 27, 1840, twin boys, John W. and William B., November
2, 1842, Nelson, April 16, 1846 and George, July 6, 1847.
The later date is one day prior to the death of Mary Dillon Morris, as
shown on her gravestone
in the Hamilton Cemetery. She
was buried on the old Elmer Burkhart farm, west of Lewisville, off State Route
78, in Summit Township. This
cemetery, first read by Catharine Fedorchak in the 1950s, was named the
‘Hamilton’ Cemetery’ by her and will be profiled later.***(The birth
dates for the children of James and Mary came from the data base of Andy
Morris, who references a ‘two page, handwritten "Morris Family
History", by Bessie Morris Bills’ an earlier Morris family researcher
as their source.)
Further information regarding the Morris
children, Ann was reported to have died in 1884. Rachel, married Levi Denbow, and later died March 8, 1899 in
Lewisville. Of particular
interest is the connection of the James R. Morris/Mary Dillon Morris family
with Denbow family of Monroe Co. Daughter,
Rachel, is known to have married Levi Denbow.
Levi, along with his father, John, and four of his brothers, William,
Bazzel, Martin, and James, served during the Civil War in Company K of the
78th OhioVolunteer Infantry(as had his uncle, Thomas Dillon), but not at the
same time. John Denbow, the
father, enlisted at the age of 63, but gave his age as 44.
George W. Denbow, a sixth son, also served, but in a different
regiment. Of this group, William
“Billy” Denbow married Anna Dillon, daughter of Thomas, brother of Mary
Dillon Morris. Thus, Rachel
Morris Denbow and Anna Dillon Denbow were first cousins.
These cousins and their Denbow husbands were buried in the Braken Ridge
Cemetery, Summit Twp., Monroe Co., OH.***(See Levi Denbow & Rachel Morris
Denbow.jpg)***(See William “Billy” Denbow.jpg)***(See Anna Dillon
Denbow.jpg)
John Wellington, married (1) Arsinoe Galloway,
October 28, 1871(Pleasants Co., WV), (2) Martha Jane "Jennie"
Cooper, October 12, 1883(Pleasants Co., WV.
He served in the Civil War in Company F with the infamous 116th Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, where inn 1863, he was captured near Romney, West
Virginia, but paroled the next day. He had sixteen children between his two marriages.
He died August 26, 1912 in Ritchie Co., WV.
John’s twin, William B., married Christina (Christenea)
Brown, November 4, 1865(Indiana). He
is listed as a “stone buyer” in the 1880 Pleasants Colk WV Census and is
believed to have worked at a quarry on the border of Pleasants Co. and Tyler
Co., WV. He died December 14,
1929(Ritchie Co., WV).
Nelson Wellington, married Margaret Jane
Foster, August 7, 1867. He later
died April 19, 1923(Ritchie Co., WV.
Mary’s eighth child, George, was born on the
day prior to her death, suggesting she died as a result of complications from
childbirth at abt the age of 37. George
lived a little longer than one year and died in November 1848 and is buried in
the Swazey Cemetery, Monroe Co.
Regarding the two sets of twins of James and
Mary Morris, the older twins, Ann and Rachel, were named after their
respective grandmothers, Anna Wells Morris and Rachel Hamilton Dillon.
While the younger male twins, John W. and William B., were named after
their respective grandfathers, William Morris and John Dillon.
Further information of interest regarding the
James R. Morris family is also summarized in the following correspondence
received from another Morris family researcher, Kathyrn Mann, as
follows, “From my
grandmother, who has always and blessedly been proven right, I learned that
her family came from Greene Co PA, to Ohio, then Indiana and to West Virginia.
In this particular instance, I have found records which establish the
identify of my gg-grandfather, James R. Morris and his wife, Mary Dillon, and
which document their residence in Monroe County, Ohio from about 1835……”
“……Something else that had an interesting ring was the Dutch
connection. My grandmother's (and
mother's) middle name was Voss. My grandmother said that it came from Dutch ancestors but she
knew nothing else about that part of the family. There is no Dutch connection after James and Mary, so it had
to have come from one of them. She
had also often talked about our family originally having been Protestants in
Ireland.” “……when I saw
that the Dillons also migrated to Monroe County, that Rachel Dillon's family
was Dutch and John's Protestant Irish, I felt sure this was the right
match.”
Though presumably the above reference to
Rachel’s ‘Dutch’ family refers to Rachel’s mother-in-law, Mary Veghte,
wife of Peter Dillon Sr. and John’s ‘Protestant Irish’, is, of course,
unverified, the core of this story conforms to our picture of our Dillons from
Greene Co., PA who resettled to Monroe Co., OH in the middle 1830s. She goes on to describe, “James R. Morris and Mary Dillon
are given as his parents in my g-grandfather's death record.”
Hugh, born: bet. 1810-1813, Franklin Twp.,
Greene Co., OH
The earliest official record we have of a Hugh
Dillon is November 16, 1836, when he purchased land in R7, T7, S7 of Monroe
Co., OH***See(Early Ohio Settlers.doc). This
is the same section of land in which John Dillon, Hugh’s presumed father,
purchased land in 1833, a couple of miles to the west of the present community
of Lewisville. This plot is
adjacent to land purchased by presumed brothers, Vincent, Peter, Thomas and
Hamilton. Hugh Dillon listed his residence as Monroe Co. at the time of
filing, suggesting he accompanied his family from Greene Co., PA by 1835.
This land is also in very close proximity to plots owned and worked by
families of his presumed sisters, Mary Dillon Morris and Sarah Ellen/Eleanor
(Nellie) Dillon Morris, who had married brothers, James R. and Elisha Morris
respectively.
These dates further reaffirm the resettlement
of the John Dillon family prior to 1836, including Hugh Dillon, who would have
been 20-26 years of age, depending on which census is referenced.
Hugh’s youngest child, Harvey , is listed as born about 1833 in PA.
Whereas Elwood, the next child is listed as born about 1835 in OH. This latter date is consistent with the “Sherm” Dillon
family narrative which lists “by 1835” as the John Dillon family
resettlement date.
On November 7, 1837, Hugh purchased 40 acres
in the SW quarter of the SE quarter of R7, T7, S7, expanding his holdings in
the this same general area. Range
seven is the extreme western region of Monroe Co.
Township seven is the extreme northwest corner of the county.
Townhip six is the township immediately to the south, or immediately to
the west of the community of Lewisville.
A Hugh Dillon is listed in the 1840 Franklin
Twp. Census, the 1850 Centre Twp. Census and the 1860 Franklin Twp Census,
Monroe Co., at progressively increasing ages, suggesting the same individual
and family. 1863-64 deed
records show a Hugh Dillon on a lot in Lewisville and on land in R6, T5, S35,
immediately to the southwest of Lewisville.
Hugh’s son, Hugh, born about 1850, the only other Hugh Dillon we have
any record of, would have been too young to have purchased these 1860s
properties. By 1870, Hugh, age 57
and Catherine, age 60, are listed as living in Summit Twp.
Except for a period in the Woodsfield area(Centre Twp.) Hugh had
remained or returned by 1870 to the region west of Lewisville to which his
family had resettled from PA some 35 years earlier. By 1880, Hugh and Catherine Dillon are listed as living
in Pleasants Co., WV.***See(1880 Pleasants Co., WV Census.doc)
Hugh married Catherine (Katie) Schultz,
probably before 1833, probably in Greene Co., PA. Their children were Harvey, b. abt 1833 in PA, married
Catharine Harshman; Elwood, b. abt 1835 in Monroe Co.; Lucinda, b. abt 1837;
Samuel, b. July 11, 1839(Monroe Co.), married Sarah Jane Scott; Jacob, b. June
27, 1841(Monroe Co.), married Elizabeth Bunting; Henry, b. May 2, 1846(Monroe
Co.), married Sara Ann Clegg; Elizabeth Jane, b. November 1847(Monroe Co.),
married David Scott; Hugh, b. abt February 1850(Monroe Co.), married Mary Jane
Gallagher; Margaret, abt 1851Monroe
Co.), married Joseph Peterson; Catherine, b. abt 1853(Monroe Co.), married
Matthew Brown and Benjamin F., b. Mary 1854(Monroe Co.), married a Mary J.***See(Monroe
Co., OH Censuses 1820-1880, 1900 Dillon.doc)
Regarding the children of Hugh and Catherine,
Samuel, married in Indiana and had several children born there.
He returned to Tyler Co., WV, where his first wife died .
After remarrying, the new family produced several additional children
born in Tyler Co., Pleasants Co., WV and Port Homer, Jefferson Co., OH, where
Samuel was killed in a railroad accident in 1899. ***See(Samuel Dillon
obituary.doc)
Of particular interest, were the sons, Jacob
and Henry, who enlisted and served with the 116th O. V. I. during
the Civil War. Jacob was
wounded, captured and imprisoned in the Andersonville Georgia Confederate
prisoner of war camp for five months, was released, returned to action and was
wounded at Battlement of Piedmont. He
is reported to have “carried the ball in his hip to the grave.” He farmed, raised a large family and was buried in Tyler Co.,
WV.***See(Jacob Dillon and family.jpg)
Jacob’s brother, Henry, who served with him
in the 116th, was also wounded at the Battle of Piedmont, the day
after Jacob. They had enlisted
together and were mustered out together.
Their unit had also included their uncle, John Dillon, brother of their
father, Hugh Dillon, and John W. Morris, a cousin and son of their aunt, Mary
Dillon Morris, married to James R. Morris.
Also, serving with the 116th, was Capt. Peter Dillon, the
uncle of Jacob, Henry and John W. Morris, and older brother of John Dillon.
Hugh may have lived in Monroe, Belmont,
Jefferson Cos, OH and Pleasants Co., WV.
A Hugh Dillon is reported to have died in Lewisville, but no record a
gravesite has been located. It
has also been reported that Hugh Dillon died at the home of his son, Benjamin,
in Port Homer, Jefferson Co., in 1897. However,
no death record has been located with the Jefferson Co. Courthouse in
Steubenville, nor has a search of the Monroe Co. Courthouse records in
Woodsfield provided any information.
Other family researchers have suggested, Hugh
Dillon, died between 1885-1897. Richard
E. Dillon, a descendant of Hugh’s brother, Hamilton Dillon, has reported in
correspondence that a “Hugh Dillon is buried behind the church in
Lewisville.” Neither church nor
cemetery records has confirmed this, nor has a field search of relevant
cemeteries in Lewisville produced positive results. Jean Milton, another researcher of the Hugh Dillon family,
maintains her family history records that Hugh Dillon, died at the home of his
son, Samuel, most likely in Pleasants Co., WV and was returned by train to the
Lewisville area for burial on or near the Burkhart farm.
Hugh’s son, Hugh, is reported to have died in Belmont Co.
Though certainly not definitive, it would seem
Hugh Dillon is likely the son and brother of these referenced Dillons based on
the following: (1) a common
resettlement period from PA to Monroe Co., OH, based on land records and the
birth locations(taken from census records) of his two oldest children; (2)
nearly identical dates for initial acquisition of Monroe Co. properties; (3)
the common location of properties acquired.
These commonalities seem to be more than mere coincidences.
Further, this information conforms with the family history prepared and
recorded by “Sherm” Dillon, prior to 1932, as he traveled about So. Ohio
and adjacent WV, where he interviewed and eventually corresponded with
descendants of John Dillon and Rachel Hamilton Dillon.
We know he corresponded with John Dillon Jr., the youngest brother of
Hugh Dillon. He may also have
interviewed Vincent Dillon Sr., another brother of Hugh Dillon.
We have, at least one photograph of Sherm Dillon with Vincent’s son,
Vincent Dillon Jr.
The
details and specific nature of Sherm’s family summary(specific dates and
locations) suggest the availability of information rather than speculation.
e.
Betsy, born: abt 1811-1815 in Franklin Township, Greene County,
Pennsylvania.
Nothing is known about Betsy, except she is
listed by J. W. Sherman Dillon in his Dillon Family narrative, prepared and
distributed for a Dillon family reunion about 1932. Lacking any specifics regarding her, but having, at least,
minimal data on the remaining four girls of the John and Rachel Dillon family,
Betsy has been assigned the remaining unaccounted for, female listing, found
in the 1820 and 1830 Greene Co. Censuses.***(See Censuses of John Dillon and
Rachel Hamilton family.doc) As
such, she is likely to have been under 10 in the 1820 Census and 15-20 in the
1830 Census, which places her birthdate at 1811-1815. This being the case, it's reasonable to assume Betsy may have
married before the Dillon family left Greene Co., or shortly after their
resettlement to Monroe Co., but prior to the 1840 Census.
It’s even conceivable she may have died in early adulthood prior to
marriage. Whatever her
circumstances, J. W. Sherman Dillon has not advised us in his summary.
Further, Betsy may have been a nickname rather than a given name,
Elizabeth, similar to the situation involving her sister, Eleanor, which will
be discussed later. Perhaps a
scan of the full 1830 Greene Co., PA or
1840 Monroe Co., OH Censuses might provide additional clues.
f.
Peter, born: bet. 1814-1818, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
The first official record we have of Peter
Dillon is the October 8, 1834 issue of title to land in Summit Twp., Monroe
Co., OH. Peter’s father, John,
and brother, Vincent, also received title to nearby land on this same date,
strongly suggesting a family connection between Peter, John and Vincent.
According to the BLM records, Peter is listed as living in Monroe Co at
the time of issue of title, while John and Vincent are listed as residents of
Greene Co., PA.
His first child, Melissa, was born about 1834
in PA, according to the 1850 Monroe Co. Census, suggesting, Peter and Jane
Moore, were probably married in Greene Co., PA, prior to 1834.
His first son and third child, Hamilton, was presumably named after
Peter’s mother’s family. From just these two children, the connection between the
Dillons and the Hamiltons seemed confirmed.
Daughter Melissa eventually married a John H. Hamilton, November 27,
1856, in Summit Twp., Monroe Co., OH.***(From the SPIRIT (OF DEMOCRACY) --
Dec. 17, 1856 - "Married on the 27th ult Mr. John H. Hamilton and Melissa
Dillon all of Summit Township.")
By August 21, 1837, Peter Dillon acquired an
additional 40 acres in Summit Twp. This
was followed by adjacent land purchased in the names of Jane and Melissa
Dillon, November 7, 1837. We can
only presume the Jane, was Peter’s wife and Melissa, was his daughter,
though she was only a few years of age in 1837.
The November 7, 1837 is the same date and same general location for
acquisition of title to land by Thomas Dillon, Peter’s brother, and the
Morris brothers, Elisha and James. Both
Morris brothers were brothers-in-law of Peter Dillon, through their respective
marriages to Peter’s sisters, Elenor and Mary Dillon.
By 1838, Peter expanded his domain, having
moved to Lewisville, where on June 26, 1838,
he was granted a license to keep a tavern in Lewisville upon payment of
$6.00. And per deed records, Vol.
2, Pg 24, Jan. 26, 1839 - ALLEN, James (no wife given) sold to Peter Dillon
for $12.00 - Lot 15 in Lewisville. But
apparently Peter encountered same financial setbacks along the way.
The “Spirit of Democracy” for Friday, November 22, 1844, included
the following ‘Notice of Sale’ of Deliquent lands and town lots for taxes,
“Center Township, Peter Dillon, R6, T5, S29”.(Fedorchak, Vol 2, 1961,
p38). Section 29 includes the
southern section of Lewisville.
Following these early land acquisitions, Peter
Dillon’s entrepreneurial activities became more varied and numerous.
He would over the next thirty or so years purchase, sell or exchange
several dozens of Monroe Co. properties.***(See Peter Dillon, et al Monroe
Co., Ohio Properties.doc) Needless to say, we have no verification of only a single
Peter Dillon as a participant in all the listed transactions.
However, given the reoccurring and continuous locations, frequent
involvement of presumed family members and lacking the mention of second, so
named, dissimilar Peter Dillon within the context of varied research
references and sources, this presumption seems valid.
The 1850 Monroe Co Census for Center
Twp(Lewisville) listed Peter Dillon as a drover, 36 years of age.
Wife, Jane, is listed as 37 years of age.
By this time, this couple had eight listed children.
Jane, apparently had a ninth child, Peter, Jr., in November, 1850. However, Peter , Jr., died during his first year and
within the two succeeding years, Jane
had died as did their daughter, Sarah Jane, in her thirteenth year.
Jane Moore Dillon died in May 1854 and was
buried along with her two children at her side, in a cemetery on the old Elmer
Burkhart farm west of Lewisville, off State Route 78, in Summit Township, more
recently designated as the Hamilton Cemetery.
The cemetery is currently surrounded by tilled farm land owned by the
Farnsworth family on Devoe Ridge Road.***See(Hamilton Cemetery.jpg)***(See Jane
Moore Dillon.jpg)***(See Sarah JaneDillon.jpg)***(See Peter Dillon Jr.jpg)
Peter remarried September 14, 1855, Julia Ann
May, who, at the approximate age of 17, was younger than Peter’s two eldest
children. Also, by this
time, the bulk of Peter’s business activities and land transactions had
moved eastward to Salem Twp. The
1860 Monroe Co. Census for Salem Twp. listed Peter Dillon as a tavern keeper
in Clarington, located on the Ohio River.
He has three additional young children and had apparently gained some
prominence. He had acquired interests in the local warehouse and
hotel business. And with
the Civil War looming, this apparent prominence may have served him well.
By January 1, 1862, "A company called the
Star Spangled Banner is now forming at Lewisville.
$100 bounty and 160 acres of land are offered recruits.
The Company, when full, goes to Camp Tupper, Marietta.
Apply to Peter Dillon, or J. W. Hamilton, recruiting officers, 77th
Reg. O.V." (taken from
Fedorchak, Vol 9, 1961, p38) Possibily,
J. W. Hamilton may have been John W. Hamilton, the husband of Peter’s eldest
daughter, Melissa. Also during
this period, on April 25, 1862, Peter was appointed administrator for the John
Treadwell estate.
By September 18, 1862, Peter Dillon was listed
on the Co. E muster-in Roll, Gallipolis, Ohio, as a 1st Lt., Co. E., 116, OVI.
He eventually was active in the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns.
And according to the Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Pensions records
of May 7, 1894, "Peter Dillon, Lt, Co. E, 116 Ohio V., wounded thigh,
slightly, at the Battle of Cedar Creek, VA, Oct. 19, 1864.”
“December 8, 1864, Camp Russell, Virginia, Peter Dillon was promoted
to Capt.” However, he was
awarded a Certificate of Disability for discharge, January12, 1865, and was
discharged for disability by order of Gen Ord, January 29, 1865. Among his approvals for resignation, was the following
comment ….. "Capt Dillon is a good base officer and performed his duty
well during the past campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, but his health and
strength are now both exhausted.... "
“letter of resignation, 12Jan1865, approved by John Gibbon, Maj Genl.”
Years later when filing a General Affidavit as a witness for Peter
Dillon’s application for a pension, described Peter Dillon(....”healthy
when he went to service, feeble, walked with cane when he returned.....”),
Clarinda May, age 40 years, December 16,1887.***(See Peter Dillon Civil War
documents.jpg)
While on active military duty the following
description was listed with the “Spirit of Democracy”, ….
September 7, 1864 – “Sale in Partition,
Peter DILLON & wife vs Wm H. May etal 8 Oct 1864 lot Nos.
13, 14, & 15 in Clarington.”
Apparently in his absence, Peter’s family is forced to liquidate
Clarington properties. William H.
May is Peter’s father-in-law through his second wife.
However, by September 20, 1865, the “Spirit of Democracy”
announces, “Capt. Peter DILLON having returned home from the army, is about
to recommence the warehouse and hotel business at his old stand in
Clarington.”
Apparently business did not go well.
He filed for bankruptcy in March of 1868, which was finalized by 1869.
His business failures were followed by the death of a son(one month, 11
days old) on February 6, 1870. Looking
for other opportunities, Peter Dillon eventually resettled to Wheeling, WV,
where his business and financial status once again prospered, per the
following article:
From 'History of The Panhandle' (Historical
Collections of the Counties of Ohio, Brooke, Marshal and Hancock, WV)
published 1879, p283. - received from Evelyn Renshaw
"Peter Dillon is a native of Monroe Co., OH and was born in 1818.
He was originally initiated in farming, and has had some twenty-five
years experience in stock dealing, alike in the eastern and western markets.
He is at present commission salesman for the Wheeling Stock Yard
Company, and has filled that capacity with much satisfaction every since the
formation of the said company. At
the breaking out of the war he was a ready volunteer, becoming attached to the
116th Ohio regiment, which he entered as First Lieutenant, in 1861, and having
served three years, retired as a captain.
He was principally in the Shanandoah Valley, and was in the famous
battle of Richmond under Sheridan's command, but escaped serious injury.
He was married first in 1838, to Jane, daughter of Mr. John Moore, of
Pennsylvania, buy whom he had seven children--five of whom are living, but
their esteemable mother died in 1854. Mr
Dillon was married a second time in 1856 to Julia Ann May, daughter of Mr. Wm.
May, merchant and hotel proprietor of Sunfish, Monroe County, by whom he has
had an addition of seven other children to his family, though one of them is
now deceased."
During this period, Peter Dillon was listed at
three individual residences in the Wheeling, WV, City Directory on McColloch
St., between 1879 and 1888.
Following Peter’s death, January 1897,
Melissa M. Hamilton(Peter's daughter), appeared February 3, 1897, as a witness
for Julia May Dillon’s application for widow's pension. Her mother’s
description reads, “Widow's Declaration for Pension, 30Jan1897, Julia A.
Dillon, age 58, widow of Peter Dillon, deceased, who "died from
Rheumatism and resulting disease of heart contracted in the service, in said
Company and Regiment."***(See Peter Dillon Death Certificate.jpg)
Julia A. Dillon, March 16, 1897, in her
attempt to secure a widow’s pension was unable to procure a marriage
certificate from Monroe Co., OH courthouse,(records were burned in the
courthouse fire of June 1867), and listed her address as 1218 McCullough
St.,Wheeling, WV.
Peter Dillon was buried in the distinguished
old Peninsula Cemetery in East Wheeling, WV.
This area must surely have been an area of prominence in 1897 at the
time of his death. The site is
located just to the south of the old ‘National Road’, U. S. 40, the major
thoroughfare of that place and time, and just to the east of the West Virginia
hills which form the backdrop for downtown Wheeling.***(See Peter Dillon,
JPG)***(See Peninsula Cemetery.jpg)
Sometime later, Julia May Dillon , moved to
nearby Washington Co., Ohio perhaps to be nearer family, where he died in
1911.(“Dillon, Mrs. Julie-74y.relict of Capt. Peter Dillon died at Lowell
1-26-1911”. (taken from Fedorchak)
Our records show the following seventeen
children for Peter Dillon. First
with Jane Moore, we show Melissa M., b. abt 1834 and already discussed;
Susanna, b. abt 1836; Hamilton, b. abt 1838; James M., b. abt 1840; Sarah
Jane, b. September 4, 1841; Maza, b. abt 1844; Mark, b. abt 1846; Margaret, b.
abt 1848 and Peter Jr., b. November 1850.
Of these children, Hamilton Dillon served in Co. A. of the 77th
O. V. I. and reached the rank of Sgt. He
returned from military to the Clarington area where he married Sarah Ellen
Swords in 1865. In early 1898,
Hamilton Dillon took his own life and was buried in the Clarington Cemetery.
Son, James M. Dillon also served in the Civil War, but little is known
of him. There was a James M.
Dillon who served in the 78th O. V. I., who participated in the
Battle of Atlanta, received a gunshot wound to the head, was captured and
confined to the Andersonville, GA Conferderate hospital.
We have not received confirmation this James was the son of Peter
Dillon.
With his second wife, Julia Ann May, the
following children were shown: Mary
L., b. abt 1857; Jacob T., b. abt 1859; James, b. abt 1860; followed by Clara
B., Ida M., L., Eva G. and Pearl Dillon.
The first three were listed with the Monroe Co. Census.
The latter five were listed as living with Peter and Julia Ann May
Dillon in Wheeling and may have been relatives others than their children or
even nonrelaltives.
g. Thomas,
born bet. 1818-1820, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
From J. W. Sherman Dillon’s research, we
have our initial information regarding Thomas Dillon, the probable eighth
child and fourth eldest son of John and Rachel Dillon.
His earliest official record was established as March 31, 1837, when
Thomas and Sarah Dillon purchased land from John Johnson in R7, T6, S5, Monroe
Co. in what was to become Summit Twp. A
Peter Dillon, his presumed brother, was a witness to this transaction.
Soon after, on November 7, 1837, we have record of an additional
purchase of 40 acres of federal land in the same Range, Township and Section.
The issue date for this latter transaction, November 7, 1837, was
identical with purchases for Hugh, Melissa and Jane Dillon, as well as James
and Elisha Morris in the same general vicinity.
A few of
Thomas’s land transactions are listed below. For greater detail, see the reference file ‘Monroe Co. Land
Transactions Dillons2doc’. Note
that these were exclusively in Range 7 and Townships 6 and 7.
Aug
14, 1838
Dillon, Thomas
to
Pain, Jonathon
7 7
13 39a NE1/4 SW1/4
v3 p 8
Sept 20, 1939 Dillon, Thomas
from Federal Gov
7 7
13 39.58a
NESW
Feb.
7, 1840
Dillon, Thomas
to
William Philfrot
7 6
6 40a
NW1/4 NW1/4
Aug. 10, 1841 Sarah Ann
Dillon, Thomas from
Federal
Gov
7
6 6 33.94a
NW1/4 NW1/4
July
3, 1848
Thomas Dillon
to
Peter Dillon
30a
NW1/4 SE1/4
Sarah Ann Dillon
Thomas Martin, J.P.
R7 T6 S11
Levi Morris (witness)
40a
NE1/4 NW1/4 R7 T6
S10
40a
SE1/4
SW1/4 R7 T6
S10
Regarding these latter properties, William
Morris originally owned these properties.
He died in 1843, and his sons must have sold some of them to Thomas and
Sarah Ann Dillon between 1843 and 1848. Also
note that William’s youngest son Levi Morris was one of the witnesses of
this transaction.(Andy Morris)
By the 1840 Monroe Co. Census, Thomas and
Sarah Ann are listed with with two young male and one young female children.
By the 1850 Monroe Co. Census, Thomas and
Sarah Ann have two daughters and one son.
Another researcher has suggested, an infant son, possibly named
‘Clyde’, died very young. We
have not located any official reference to this son by name.
Of their remaining children; William Morris,
b. abt.1837, married Rachel Farley and resettled with his inlaws to Iowa where
he is listed in the 1860 Census for Tama Co., in the household of John Farley.
Shortly thereafter, William enlisted in the Civil War and was mustered
into Co. F., 22 Iowa Volunteer Infantry.
However, at his death in 1916, he was buried behind the old St. Peters
Evangelical Church in Lewisville. Apparently,
William did not return to Iowa after the War.
From ‘THE SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY’, 28 AUGST 1866, VOL 23, NO 26 – we
have the following news, "Wm.
Dillon vs Rachel Dillon of Iowa City Iowa, filed 27 Aug 1866, grounds of
willful absence."
William Morris Dillon had been reported
missing and presumed dead during the Civil War. His marriage to Rachel Farley in Iowa was settled by a
divorce in 1866 as he apparently did not return to Iowa following the War.
Perhaps, Rachel, learning of his 'missing in action' status, officially
divorced William in order to remarry, in this case, a Mr Gilpin, .or, perhaps
Rachel learned that 'missing in action' really was William's resettlement to
the Lewisville area. Whatever the
case, William remained in Lewisville and married Anna Ellen Givens, June 6,
1867,***See(William M. Dillon Marriage Certificate.jpg), near Stafford in
Franklin Twp., Monroe Co.***(See William M. Dillon gravesite.jpg)
Of particular interest and enormous benefit
toward the reconstruction of the Thomas Dillon family was the Civil War
Pension file of William M. Dillon, son of Thomas and Sarah Ann.***See(Summary
of Civil War Pension file William Morris Dillon.doc)
From this file we determined the maiden name of his mother was Sarah
Ann Morris.***See (William M. Dillon Death Certificate.jpg)
Thus, Sarah Ann was more likely the daughter of William Morris and Ann
Wells, who was listed as Sally Ann in the research of Gladys Wagner and
provided to us by Andy Morris(Gladys was, herself, a descendant of Robert
Morris, also a son of William Morris and Ann Wells Morris).
If so, this is the third child of William and Ann to have married a son
or daughter of John Dillon and Rachel Hamilton Dillon.
This union further solidified the already close association between the
Thomas Dillon and William Morris families.
Further interesting speculation involves the
names of the children of Thomas and Sarah Ann Dillon; William Morris Dillon
(possibly named for William Morris), Anna Dillon Denbow
(possibly named for Anna Wells Morris, wife of William Morris), and
Eliza Dillon Watkins (possibly named for Eliza Morris).
Additional interesting documents from this
Civil War Pension file are witness affidavits submitted shortly after the 1916
death of William M. Dillon, by W. H. Morris and Susan Morris, in support of
Amy Ellen Dillon’s application for a Widow’s Pension. W. H. Morris was William Henry Morris, son of Robert Morris,
grandson of William Morris and Ann Wells Morris. Susan Morris was Susan Givens, sister of Amy Ellen Givens
Dillon.
A final document is a copy of a hand written
letter initiated by Amy Ellen Dillon to her attorney
regarding her pension application.***See(Amy
Ellen Dillon letter.jpg)
Of the remaining Thomas and Sarah Anne Dillon
children, Anna, b. abt.1838, married William “Billy” Denbow, who served in
the 78th OVI with his father-in-law, Thomas Dillon.
Both Anna and her husband, “Billy” Denbow, are buried in the Braken
Ridge Cemetery.***(See William “Billy” Denbow gravesite.jpg)***(See Ann
Dillon Denbow gravesite.jpg)
Another daughter, Eliza, b. abt. 1842, married
Evan Watkins, who was reported to have served with Co. H, of the 5th Ohio
Cavalry.
Perhaps due to family disruptions or economic
uncertainty leading up to the Civil War, Thomas and Sarah Ann Dillon were
absent from the Monroe Co. at the time of 1860 Census.
They may have resettled briefly to an adjacent county or simply moved
across the Ohio River to Pleasants Co., WV, a not uncommon move for Monroe Co.
folks. However, by the 1870, they
have returned to Franklin Twp., Thomas having served in the Civil War and
returned to his life as a farmer.
Thomas Dillon, a member of the 78th Reg, OVI,
mustered in 27Nov 1861 for three years. He
was eventually discharged by Surgeon's Certificate, 29Sep1862, for medical
disability. At the time of his
discharge, according to his Civil War records, he was 44 years old, born in
Greene Co., PA, 5 feet 8 1/2 inches tall, of fair complexion, blue eyes and
grey hair. He was discharged in
Columbus, OH before he returned to Monroe Co.***(See Thomas Dillon Civil War
documents.jpg)
Thomas is listed in 1880 Monroe Census as 60
years old. This is the last
official record we have of him. He was eventually buried in the Sutherland
Methodist Cemetery, near Stafford. The
exact date of his death has not been determined.
He was buried next to William Morris, from whom he had acquired
Franklin Twp. farm land. William Morris was also the father-in-law of his
sister, Mary. From Fedorchak, we
have, "William(Morris) is buried at the Sutherland Church in Stafford,
and his stone shows that he died March, 18, 1843, aged 61 years.
In 1840 James sold land in S6, T6, R7 to Thomas Dillon, who was the
next door resident to his father, William on the 1840 census," (taken
from Fedorchak, Vol. IV, p. 21.). It
seems Thomas Dillon may well have formed a close bound with William Morris
during their short time together.
Also, in the Sutherland Cemetery, close by the
gravesite of William Morris and Thomas Dillon, are the gravesites of Elisha
Morris and Levi Morris, sons of William.
The gravesite of Sarah Ann Dillon was not located, though ‘The Spirit
of Democracy’ lists her home as Stafford, at the time of her death in 1898.
It is presumed, she was buried in the Sutherland Methodist Cemetery
near the gravesite of her husband. Thomas
Dillon was not listed with the 1900 Monroe Co., Census, but it is assumed he
predeceased his wife. The
Sutherland Methodist Cemetery is a neat and well maintained cemetery in the
hill country immediately to the north of small farm community of
Stafford.***(See Thomas Dillon gravesite.jpg)
h.
Eleanor (Sarah Ellen) (Nellie) DILLON, born: March 5, 1820, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
Nellie Dillon, as described by J. W. Sherman
Dillon, we believe, was the same individual, described in the literature as
Eleanor, Sarah, Sarah Ellen and Sarah Eleanor.
No explanation of her various name profiles is available.
But suffice to say as her gravesite lists her as Eleanor Capper,
we’ll use that designation for her.
The Dillon family narrative does not reference
a Sarah as a sister to Vincent Sr. However,
it does show a Rachel and Nellie as sisters to Vincent Sr., moving with
Vincent, first to Monroe Co., then to Lawrence Co.
We know this Rachel to probably be the youngest sister of Vincent
Dillon, who eventually married Samuel Lemley in Lawrence Co., and who is
listed as Rachel Lemley. A family researcher, Don Clark also feels that the Nellie may
have been the Sarah, Sarah Ellen or Sarah Eleanor. Don traces his lineage to a William L. Morris, one of
the four children of Elisha Morris and Sarah Dillon Morris. He has information from the Jewell Callicoat Cabana's
‘Callicott Connections II’, publication***(Callicott Connections II, by
Jewel Callicoat Cabana, 1986), that Vincent Dillon Sr had a sister named Sarah
Eleanor, who first married Elisha Morris in Monroe Co., OH.
She was probably the ninth child of John and
Rachel Dillon. Elisha Morris and
Eleanor, married abt 1839(Monroe Co.), had four children prior to the death of
Elisha from tuberculosis(taken from the data base of Andy Morris) in Monroe
Co., June of 1845. Vincent
Dillon, Eleanor’s brother, served as the administrator for the Elisha Morris
estate. Near the graves of Thomas
Dillon, William Morris and Levi Morris in Sutherland Methodist Cemetery,
Monroe Co., OH, is the grave of “EM”, believed to be Elisha Morris; Elisha
being the son of William, brother of Levi, James and Robert and brother-in-law
of Thomas Dillon.
Elisha and Eleanor had five children; Jane,
b.abt1839; William L., b1840, married Louisa Dunfee abt. 1861(Lawrence Co.);
David, b.abt1841; Margaret, b.abt1842, married Elijah Lunsford, March 4,
1861(Lawrence Co.); Melissa and Harriet, both b.abt.1843. It is probable that
all these children were born in
Monroe Co. An interesting
footnote regarding Margaret Morris, who married Elijah Lunsford in 1861 in
Lawrence Co., to this union was born Valeria Ellen "Ella" Lunsford.
Valeria eventually married William Adolphus Dillon, brother of Vincent
F. Dillon of South Point.
Eleanor, next married Joshua Capper.
The date of this marriage was between June 18, 1845(Elisha’s death)
and prior to April 6, 1847, the date Vincent Dillon sold Monroe Co. property
to “Joshua Capper and Elenor Capper.”
Though the J. W. Sherman Dillon narrative described Eleanor moving to
Lawrence Co. in 1847 with her brother, Vincent, and sister, Rachel, it seems
more likely Eleanor and Joshua resettled somewhat later but prior to the
enumeration of the 1850 Lawrence Co. Census.
Further, the eldest child of Eleanor and Joshua, Samuel, was born abt
1850 in Lawrence Co., as Eleanor and Joshua were shown living in Windsor Twp.
Another family descendant recalled, “Joshua Capper and Sarah Ellen
lived out on Greasy Ridge,” near where they were eventually were buried in
the Perkins Ridge Cemetery.***See (Eleanor Dillon Capper Perkins Ridge
Cemetery.jpg)
Joshua Capper, b. February 25, 1818 in VA and
Eleanor, probably had at least the following children:
Samuel M., b. abt l850, married Emily Brown,
Nov. 30, l873 in Lawrence Co.(book l0, page 561); Mary Ellen, b. abt l852,
married David Dunfee, March 4, 1869 in Lawrence Co.; She died in l890 and is buried in Perkins Ridge Cemetery,
Windsor Twp., Lawrence Co.; Vincent, b. l854, married Adaville Smith, June 24,
1874(book l0, page 492). He died
l882 and is buried in the Perkins Ridge Cemetery; Thomas, b. March l8, l856
married #1 Clara Ansel, abt l875 in Lawrence Co., #2. Phoebe Heffner, Nov. l0,
l900 in Lawrence Co. He died June
4, l931 and is buried in the Linville Lutheran Cemetery, WindsorTwp., Lawrence
Co.; Charles b. Jan l9, l861, died March 7, l882, .....”died with lung
fever”, married Lenora Jane Earles. Charles
may be buried in an unmarked grave in the Perkins Ridge Cemetery, though he is
reported to have actually died in Waterloo in northern Lawrence Co.; John, b.
July 12, l863 Lawrence Co.; and George, b. l866, married Ella Thompson.
He died in l945. The location of births, deaths and marriages of all these
folks were reported or suggested to be Lawrence Co.***(See "History of Lawrence County, Ohio, 1990.")
Sons, Charles and John, were living with
Eleanor Dillon Capper in the 1880 Census.
She died February 12, 1888 at her home on Greasy Ridge, in Windsor
Twp.***See(Eleanor Capper, Lawrence Co., OH Death Records.doc)
A final note, in the family notes of Lema
Dillon Collins(1896-1991), the daughter of William Adolphus Dillon,
(1869-1935), is reference to “Nellie Dillon, married to Joshua Capper.”
“Their home was on Greasy Ridge near Dobbstown.
Several of her descendants still live in this vicinity on Greasy Ridge;
others in Ironton, Huntington, Coal Grove and elsewhere.”
No date is listed for these notes.
***See(1870.1880 Lawrence Co. Censuses for
Windsor Twp.doc)
i.
Hamilton Dillon, born: abt. 1823, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
The earliest record we have of a possible
reference to Hamilton Dillon is the 1830 Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA Census
in the household of John Dillon, which lists one 6-10 year old male.
Hamilton’s
gravestone in the Hamilton Cemetery, Summit Twp., Monroe Co., lists his
death in 1849 “in his 26th year. However, Hamilton, at the
approximate age of 17, is not found in the 1840 Monroe Co. Census, neither in
his own household nor in the household of his father, John
Dillon.***See(Monroe Co. Census 1820-1880, 1900 Dillon.doc)
Hamilton married Elizabeth Denbow in 1847 or
1848(probably in Monroe Co.). She
was born ca1827 and died ca1890 in Monroe Co.
Elizabeth was not listed in any Hamilton Dillon land acquisitions prior
to 1848. Elizabeth Denbow’s
first husband, William N. Wise, died about 1847.
To have had husbands perish in nearly back to back years would have
been almost certainly the most demoralizing of experiences, while
simultaneously trying to maintain a family, a farm and survive in near
wilderness conditions. Through
such occurrences we can appreciate why these early farm families frequently
shared their lives with each other, moved with each other and farmed closely
among themselves.
Hamilton and Elizabeth had one child, Vincent
E. Dillon, b. ca1847 or 1848, prior to Hamilton’s death in 1849.
Vincent, as a young man, first married Harriet Denbow in 1871(Summit
Twp., Monroe Co.) and later Mary (Sarah) Hughes in 1886(Lewisville, Monroe
Co.). The ‘Spirit of
Democracy’ listed Vincent’s death at his home in Lewisville in 1910 at the
age of 63. He was listed as a
Catholic, a unique family trait. We
have no earlier record of Catholics in this Dillon line and none among the
siblings of Vincent’s father, Hamilton.
Hamilton’s grandfather, Peter Dillon, Sr., who settled in Coshocton
Co., OH by 1820, was married in Somerset Co., NJ, in 1779, in a Dutch Reformed
Church, suggesting his presumed Irish background may have been Presbyterian in
nature.
The following are records of Monroe Co. land
transactions involving Hamilton Dillon:
Grantor Grantee
Witnesses
vol page
16 Dec 1839
Peter Dillon
Hamilton Dillon Goodman Okey, J.P.
33.8a
SW1/4 SW1/4
2 153
Jane Dillon
James Stewart (?)
R7 T6
S6
18 Jan 1840
Peter Dillon
Hamilton Dillon
Goodman Okey
40
NW1/4 SW1/4
Thomas Martin
R7 T6
S5
17 Apr 1843
Hamilton Dillon
Peter Dillon
William Milligan
40
NW1/4 NW1/4
Christian Davis
R7 T6
S5
1 Apr 1847
John Lafferee Hamilton
Dillon Caston Lafferee
Lot
#30 N1/2
7
513
Isabela Lafferee Jesse Miracle, J.P.
Lewisville
11 Aug 1848
Hamilton Dillon
Frederick
Newhart (illegible)
Lot #30 N1/2
8
538
Elizabeth Dillon Jesse Miracle, J.P.
Lewisville
As with his brothers, Hamilton’s land
transactions involved farm property either west or southwest of Lewisville or
in Lewisville. It is further
interesting to note that at the point of his initial land acquisition in 1839,
Hamilton would have been approximately 16 years of age.
Due to his young age at the time of his death, we have located
comparatively a small amount of information on Hamilton Dillon.
He is buried in the Hamilton Cemetery, just off State Route 78, in
Summit Township with other close family members.
This site will be discussed later.
Hamilton’s given name, a valuable attribute
in researching this family, doubtless came from his mother.
His nephew, Hamilton Dillon, son of his brother, Peter, was the only
other known family use of ‘Hamilton’ as the primary given name.
Hamilton Cox, reportedly the son of a Mary Dillon, the eldest child of
John and Rachel, is unverified. There
were, however, several family members named ‘Hamilton’ as their middle
names.
A review of 1860 Monroe Co. Census may verify
the family of Elizabeth Denbow, living with her third husband, Joseph Fisher,
whom she married about 1851, with the children of William N. Wise and Hamilton
Dillon.
j. David,
born ca1825 in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania
We have found two primary references to David
Dillon. J. W. Sherman Dillon
listed him only as a son of John and Rachel Dillon.
The second, only an inference, is taken from the 1830 Greene Co., PA
Census, where in the household of John and Rachel Dillon are enumerated two
males, ages 0-5. We know John,
the youngest son of John and Rachel was b. 1826.
David, therefore probably the second male, an older brother, must have
been b. 1825. The remaining sons
of John and Rachel enumerated in this census have been accounted for.
The next eldest, Hamilton, age 6-10, was born ca1823, as taken from his
gravestone, etc.***(See Censuses for John and Rachel Dillon family.doc)
Further, the Monroe Co. literature is nonspecific in refererences to
several David Dillons. However,
it should be further noted, though the 1830 Greene Co., PA Census listed 2
males, ages 0-5 in the household of John and Rachel Dillon, the 1840 Monroe
Co. OH Census listed only 1 male, ages 10-15.
Presumably the loss of one male family member could have been a
relative who resettled elsewhere, but, more likely, the result of the death of
their young son, David, sometime during the decade 1830-1840.
k.
John, (Jr.), born February 7, 1826 in Franklin Township, Greene County,
Pennsylvania
(See notes below for
summary of John Dillon)
l. Rachel,
born bet. 1826 - 1830, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
The first account we have of Rachel is within
the J. W. Sherm Dillon ‘Dillon Family ‘ narrative, which described her
moving to Lawrence Co. in 1847 with her brother, Vincent, and sister,
Nellie(Eleanor) from Monroe Co. From
the 1830 Greene Co. and 1840 Monroe Co. Censuses, Rachel is probably the
female 0-5 and 10-15 in these censuses, respectively.
Later censuses consistently show her birth year to be closer to 1830.
Thus, in 1847, she was probably 16-18 years old.
Her father, John, may have been in his early 60s, perhaps by then even
somewhat feeble as he is reported to have died during the following year.
Rachel’s mother, Rachel Hamilton, is reported to have died abt 1840.
With her father living in close association with his eldest son,
Vincent, in Monroe Co., Rachel, upon the loss of her mother may have at an
early age naturally attached herself to the family of her older brother,
Vincent Dillon Sr., and his wife, Hannah.
It is also probable that Rachel was married by
1845(Monroe Co.) to Samuel Lemley(though another source reported her to have come directly from Greene Co. to
Lawrence Co). By the time of the
1850 Lawrence Co. Census for Windsor Twp., in which they are listed as
‘Lunly’, Rachel and Samuel have four year old, William, three year, Case
J. and one year old, Isaac. It
is therefore likely William was born in Monroe Co.
In 1847, probably shortly upon their arrival to Lawrence Co., Samuel
Lemley lists his residence as Gallia Co., at the time of purchasing land in
Lawrence Co. It should be noted,
Windsor Twp. at its northeast corner adjoins Gallia Co.
Between 1847 and 1852, Samuel Lemley purchased five farm properties in
Section 10 of Windsor Twp., Vincent Dillon Sr., having purchased land nearby
in Section 12.*** See(Samuel Lemley Land Acquisition Windsor Twp.1847.1852)
Samuel and Rachel were parents of the
following children: William H.,
b. abt1846 married(Lawrence Co.) Mary Jane Fuller; Cassy or Case J., b.
abt1847; Isaac, b. abt 1850(Lawrence Co.); Benjamin
Franklin, b. abt1852; Rachael Maria, b.
abt1854(Lawrence Co.) married James R. Frankton, June 7, 1877(Lawrence Co.);
Jacob, b. abt1859(Lawrence Co.), married Frances C. Smith; Vincent David, b.
November 8, 1859(Lawrence Co.), died July 18, 1909, Chesapeake, Lawrence Co.,
OH, married Ann Maria Farris, February 28, 1878(Lawrence Co.); Mazie Minerva,
b. December 18, 1861(Lawrence Co.), married Clarence Ernest Gillen; George B.,
b. March 25, 1863(Lawrence Co.); Emma, b. abt1865(Lawrence Co.); Samuel, b.
abt1866(Lawrence Co.); and an infant of unknown gender, b. February 29,
1872(Lawrence Co.) lived only five days.***See(Lemley Infant Death
Record.doc)***
Of particular significance from the data
above, Vinson David Lemley’s death certificate lists his mother as Rachel
Dillon from Pennsylvania.***See(Vinson David Lemley Death Certificate.jpg)
Tragically, the death of the Lemley infant in
1872, is the last connection we have to a living Rachel Dillon Lemley.
Whether she survived this final childbirth or lived on, we have found
no record, nor have other Lemley family researchers.
It seems she probably died before 1880, as Samuel Lemley remarried an
Elizabeth Shaffer, per Samuel Lemley’s Civil War Pension documents and the
1880 Census.
***See( Samuel Lemley Civil War
Document1.doc)***See(Samuel Lemley Civil War Document2.doc)
There is a old Lemley family Cemetery on what
was the Slater Lemley farm in Windsor Twp.
Slater Lemley was a brother of Samuel.
Many of the graves are unmarked. Perhaps
Rachel Dillon Lemley’s gravesite is one of these unmarked graves.
By the 1870 Lawrence Co. Census, Samuel and Rachel
had resettled to Union Twp., so it is thought she died in Union Twp.
However, by the 1880 Census, Samuel Lemley had returned to Windsor Twp
with his new wife, Elizabeth Shaffer Lemley.
The Families of Hamilton, Morris, Denbow, Dillon and the Hamilton Cemetery
As
an introduction to this section, it should be noted that segments of the
following information coincide or overlap with data found in “DILLON/DILLIN
FAMILY HISTORY” compiled by Talmage Owen Dillon(1889-1962), edited by Dennis
Peter Hladky and Vera Dillin Combs, printed locally in 2001.***(See ‘Vincent
Dillon—Hannah J. Shriver Family, pp. 37-41, compiled by Talmage Owen
Dillon). It is our view that T.
O. Dillon may have corroborated to a limited degree on the John Dillon line
with J. W. Sherman Dillon, referenced below.
Vincent
Dillon was born January 1, 1809, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA, the probable
eldest son of John Dillon and Rachel Hamilton.
He died January 13, 1892, in Windsor Twp., Lawrence Co., OH. ***(See
Vincent Dillon Sr Lawrence Co OH death records).
No information regarding his childhood or early adult years
has been uncovered. Vincent is
believed to have married Hannah Jackson, abt 1830 in Greene Co., PA, prior to
the 1830 Census. Vincent is not
believed to be included in the census enumeration which included the household
of his father, though Vincent is not listed in a separate household. His wife, Hannah, was the daughter of Henry Jackson and
Rachel Tustin. Hannah was born
June 2, 1810 and died December 3, 1889, Windsor Twp., Lawrence Co., OH.
The death certificate of Hannah’s daughter, Nancy Dillon Jackson,
lists KY as the birth place of her mother.
Vincent and Hannah were eventually the parents of three children born
in Greene Co, followed by seven children born in Monroe Co. and three children
born in Lawrence Co.
Sometime
in 1833 or 1834, Vincent with perhaps several brothers and their father, John,
probably made an initial exploratory trip for farm land into western Monroe
Co., of southeastern Ohio. The
fact that several other closely related Greene Co. families, i. e. Morrises,
Hamiltons, may have preceded them, suggests they may have had this location in
mind prior to making this trip. Once
satisfactory lands had been located and their initial claims filed***(See BLM
Dillon Deeds Monroe Co OH) for Monroe Co land in what was Seneca and Franklin
Twps and was to become Summit Twp., the party returned to PA.
This region of Monroe Co. is immediately to the west of the present
community of Lewisville. In the process of selecting approximately 40 acre plots and
filing their claims, John and son, Vincent, listed their residences as Greene
Co., PA. Son, Peter, however,
listed his residence as Monroe Co., OH. Perhaps
with his young bride, Jane Moore, and newborn daughter, Melissa, he was
reluctant to travel. He, after
all, had probably lived with his parents and siblings on a common farm
property in Franklin Twp., Greene Co. There
is no record that Peter owned any Greene Co. property. Thus, he could remain in Monroe Co. to oversee the lands
purchased by his father and brother, Vincent, perhaps even begin the clearing
process. Further, as we will see
later on, Peter Dillon within his family, best demonstrated an entrepreneurial
spirit. He was in the next 30-40
years to trade dozens of Monroe Co. properties while owning or managing
several businesses.
By
1835, Vincent Dillon Sr. and family, mother, father and possibly several
brothers and sisters resettled permanently to Monroe Co., OH,***(See Dillon
Genealogy by Sherm Dillon) not far from and almost due west of Greene Co., PA.
The straight line distance from Waynesburg to Lewisville is little more
than 60 miles. But even today no
direct route is available through PA and across the West Virginia panhandle.
Whether they crossed the Ohio River at Moundsville, WV, or Clarington,
OH, or a different location, we do not know.
We can only imagine a rigorous journey on rutted, muddy country roads,
traveling in horse drawn uncomfortable bumpy farm wagons loaded with personal
items, small children and perhaps even a few small farm animals such as
chickens or small pigs. Perhaps
the older children even herded a cow or two.
Monroe
County, particularly to the west and away from the Ohio River, was a veritable
wilderness, complete with virgin forests and a full range of wilderness flora
and fauna. Being very hilly, the
flat bottom lands were cleared and planted first.
But with only 40 or 80 acres initially per family, families did not
always have much of an option to selectively farm the flatlands and to also
locate their living quarters higher up, out of range of potential flooding.
So, by 1837, Vincent and Peter had purchased additional parcels, in
addition to Hugh and Thomas. Two
1837 parcels were titled to Jane Dillon and Melissa Dillon.
We can only assume that Peter, ever the entrepreneur, had gained title
to these two parcels in the names of his wife and daughter.
As
no Dillons are listed in the 1840 Greene Co., PA, we presume the young or
unmarried children of John and Rachel Dillon either moved with them in 1835 or
resettled outside of Greene Co., PA prior to 1840. In addition to his father, John, the Monroe Co. land,
purchased by Vincent Sr., was eventually bounded by multiple parcels land
owned by Vincent's brothers, Peter, Thomas, Hamilton, Hugh and eventually
John, the youngest son of John Dillon Sr., who acquired property in Bethel
Twp., to the south of Franklin Twp.
In 1847, according to the previously referenced J. W. S.
“Sherm” Dillon family narrative, Vincent Sr. sold his Monroe Co. farm.
The current intersection of SR 145 and Braken Ridge Road is located
just to the east of this 40 acre parcel.***(See Vincent Dillon Monroe Co. OH
deed 1847) With his family, two
sisters, Nellie and Rachel, and his father, John, Vincent moved to Windsor
Twp., Lawrence Co., OH, where John Sr. is reported to have died in 1848.
John Sr. may well have been the first family member buried in the
family cemetery established by his son, Vincent Sr.
This cemetery, now designated as the Scottown Cemetery(Wi-30), though
no longer in active use, grew to include Vincent Sr. and his wife, Hannah;
Vincent Sr’s son, William S., and his wife, Rachel; John and Elizabeth Reed,
the probable parents of William’s wife, Rachel, Henry’s wife, Jane; a
daughter of William S., Elizabeth Dillon Dalton; Vincent Sr’s daughter,
Elizabeth Dillon Wall, her husband, Cyrus K. Wall and their daughter, Minnie;
and Bennie Hagerman, the probable son of Vincent Sr’s daughter, Hannah Jane
Dillon Hagerman. This cemetery was deeded to the M. E. Church near the time of
Vincent Sr.’s death. The record
shows "Vinson Dillon to Gibson M.E. Ch. 12‑2‑26 30/100 A. May
22,1891.” In the Hardesty/Lake 1882/1887 Atlas, this cemetery is designated
as a private cemetery along the southern section of the property of Vincent
Dillon Sr.***(See Vincent Dillon Sr. gravesite.jpg)***(See Scottown
Cemetery)***(See Vincent Dillon Sr. Windsor Twp land 1882)***(See Vincent
Dillon Sr. warranty deed letter).
Below
listed is a section from the deed transferring land to Vincent Dillon, et al,
from James Jones and wife, Elizabeth, for the purpose of building the M. E.
Church, known as the Gibson Chapel, Scottown.
"This indenture, made this 14th day of February, in the year of
Our Lord, one thousand eight-hundred and sixty, between James Jones and
Elizabeth Jones his wife, on the one part, and Vincent Dillon, Henry Enoch,
William E. Griffith, William F. McKnight, David Fuller, Benjamin Wakefield and
Edward Rowe, trustees ............. that they shall erect and build thereon a
house or place of worship for the use of the members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church............." This document was sent to me, January
1997, by the then current church pastor, Rev. Earl Nichols, upon my request
for any information regarding the history of the church and the participation
or involvement of any family Dillon members in its original history……..
According
to a family descendant, Vincent Sr. originally purchased 600 acres of land in
Windsor Twp., Lawrence Co. at
$1.25 per acre. This was enough
land for six of his sons. But he
gave only 40 acres to Vincent Jr. because he married prematurely at the age of
18 years. The 1882 Hardesty Atlas
shows the location of Vincent Sr’s Windsor Twp. land and the adjacent lands
of his sons, Vincent Jr., William S. and Henry.
In addition to his farming, records of this descendant list Vincent
Dillon Sr. as a song director and music teacher, presumably in association
with M. E. Church and congregation.
From
the Ironton Register we have the following account;
“DILLON,
V (Obituary) IRONTON REGISTER,
FEB. 04, 1892"
"Well known citizen of Windsor Tp., died
a few days ago of La Grippe, born in Green County, Pennsylvania, came to
Lawrence county in 1847. He died
at his son's, Henry Dillon. He
had been a member of the Methodist church for over 50 years."
Vincent Sr. had been a co-founder of the M. E. Church(Gibson
Chapel) in Scottown.
“Heirs
to the Vincent Dillon Sr., estate included nine of his twelve adult children
and in some cases their spouses as follows:
Henry Dillon, Jane Dillon(Henry’s wife), Peter H. Dillon, Sarah
Dillon(Peter’s wife), William Dillon, Vincent Dillon, Caroline
Dillon(Vincent’s wife), Samuel Lewis(Rachel’s husband), Rachel Lewis,
Isaac Dunfee(husband of Martha Jane), Nancy Jackson(wife of Columbus Jackson),
(W. Franklin Wall, Ada E. Wall, heirs of Lizzie(Elizabeth), d/o Vincent
Dillon, dec'd), Ruth (Dillon) Johnson and Okley Johnson, (Ruth’s husband)
all heirs.”
Vincent
and Hannah had thirteen children, born in Greene Co., PA, Monroe Co., and
Lawrence Cos., OH, of which twelve reached adulthood.***(See 1850.1860
Lawrence Co Census Vincent Dillon Sr)
Children of Vincent and Hannah DILLON
a. HENRY,
born May 6, 1831, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
died July 12, 1895, Windsor Twp., Lawrence Co., OH
Born
on the original Peter Dillon(Henry’s great grandfather) homestead in Greene
Co., PA, Henry lived to be 64 years and 3 months old. He died at his
Windsor Twp. home. His farm was
located near the farm of his father, Vincent, northeast of Scottown, Windsor
Twp., Lawrence Co., OH. Henry was
married to Jane Reed, April 10, 1856, in Lawrence Co. by Nathaniel Burcham,
J.P. Jane was the sister of
Rachel Reed, who married Henry’s brother William S. Dillon.
Henry and Jane are buried in the Locust Grove Cemetery, Mason Twp.,
Lawrence Co., OH.***(See Henry Dillon.jpg)
The parents of Jane and Rachel, John and Elizabeth Reed, neighbors of
Vincent Sr. and Hannah, are buried in the Scottown Cemetery.
"DILLON, HENRY ‑ ‑ ‑
‑ Ironton Register, July 18, 1895
Died ‑ Near Scott Town, last Friday, the 12th, Henry
Dillon, an old and esteemed citizen of Windsor township.
Mr Dillon had been sick of some form of kidney complaint for about two
weeks. His age was 64.
He came from Monroe county to Lawrence in 1847.
He married a Miss Reed, who with two daughters and a son, survives
him."
Henry
(also listed as ‘William’ in the 1870 Lawrence Co. Census, and
referred to as ‘John’ by other descendants) and Jane had four children;
Mary E., John H., Rosetta ”Rose”, and Grant.
Of these children, John H. resettled to Oklahoma, became a prominent
businessman, bank president, rancher and was mentioned in the local press as a
potential candidate for the governorship of the State of Oklahoma.
b. RACHEL,
born June 8, 1832, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
Rachel
was born in Greene Co., PA, moved with her family first to Monroe Co., OH, and
later on to Lawrence Co, where she was married to Samuel
F. Lewis, September 9, 1852 by Henry Snider, J.P.
They resided first in Rome Twp. Later
they moved to Lincoln Co., WV, prior to 1870, but returned to Rome Twp. prior
to 1880, where Samuel inherited his father’s farm on Indian Guyan Creek in
1883. On April 12, 1879, Samuel
and Rachel sold a .5 acre parcel of land to Guyan Valley Baptist Church for
$25.00 to for the eventual construction of a house of worship.***(See Guyan
Valley Baptist Church deed)**(See Guyan Valley Baptist Church)
The location is a short distance north of the former community of
Platform on State Rte 218. According
to a descendant of Rachel, Samuel and Rachel divorced sometime after 1895,
Samuel moving to Marietta, OH, and Rachel eventually moving in with her son,
Peter Hamilton Lewis of Rome Twp. After
her death, her body was believed to have been interred in Rome Twp, presumably
in Miller Cemetery. The
Miller Cemetery has been walked unsuccessfully in an attempt to locate her
gravestone as have several nearby Lewis Cemeteries.
We have been unable to locate any additional information regarding
Rachel after the 1900 Lawrence Co., Rome Twp. Census.
No official record has been located which confirmed Rachel’s date of
death.
It
is safe and logical to assume, Rachel Dillon was given her name from her
grandmother, Rachel Hamilton Dillon. Rachel,
though in general a common name, is particularly common through these families
and even connecting families associated with the descendants of John Dillon
and Rachel Hamilton Dillon.
However,
the 1900 Lawrence Co. Census lists a Peter H. Lewis, Rome Twp., with mother,
Mary, age 58. Both the name and
age are inconsistent with the Sherm Dillon information, which has been given
preference here. Rachel is not
listed in the 1910 Lawrence Co. Census.
Rachel
and Samuel are known to have had the following children born in Lawrence Co.,
reportedly all born in Lawrence Co.: Hannah
Elizabeth, b. 1854; John, b. January 20, 1856; Sarah Ann, b. April 1857;
Henrietta, b. 1859; Rebecca, b. October 1861; Peter Hamilton, b. May 1862; Ida
Ellen, b. July 1864; Rachel Dola, b. 1866; and Jennie Ellen, b. August 1870.
An
interesting Lewis family note here, Samuel F. Lewis was a third generation
descendant of Samuel Lewis Sr.(ca1740-1811) from Monroe Co., VA.
John Dillon, brother of Rachel’s father, Vincent Dillon, Sr., married
Barbara Jane Lewis(1838-1932), also a third generation descendant of Samuel
Lewis Sr.
c. PETER
H., born September 1, 1833, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA
Peter
Hamilton Dillon was born on the ancestral Peter Dillon Sr. homestead, Franklin
Twp., Greene Co., PA. At an early
age he became a teacher, teaching for thirteen years. He also was an assessor in Windsor Twp., Lawrence Co., Ohio
for three terms. He offered his
services to the army in 1861, but was rejected due to a disability.
On April 20, 1870, he married Sarah E. Sites.
Later he farmed for a few years in Rome Township before moving on to
Getaway in Union Twp., where he opened a general merchandise store in company
with a J. C. Synder. Peter and
Sarah were parents to five children all born in Lawrence Co.:
Della L., b. July 2, 1871; Otto W., b. August 14, 1873; Maggie Ethel,
b. March 8, 1875; Clarence B. “Cee Bee”, b. August 17, 1877; and Elmer
Wesley, b. September 30, 1879.
The
Peter Hamilton Dillon, Sarah Sites Dillon and Maggie Ethel Dillon graves, are
located in the cemetery adjacent to the Getaway Methodist Church.***(See Peter
Hamilton Dillon.jpg).
d. ISAAC,
born June 11, 1835, Monroe Co., OH
Isaac,
in early adulthood, was described as a teacher in Lawrence Co., before going
west with his brother, Peter Hamilton Dillon and eventual brother-in-law, John
Q. Hagerman(married Isaac’s sister, Hannah Jane Dillon) in 1859.
It seems during the exploration of northwestern Missouri, Isaac, Peter
and John consolidated approximately $1,000 for an anticipated purchase of ten
acres of Missouri land, but Peter became ill, so the trio cancelled this
purchase. This ten acre
speculation eventually became downtown Kansas City.***(See John Willliam
Sherman Dillon biography.) Though
Peter Hamilton and John Q. Hagerman returned to Lawrence Co., Isaac must have
remain in the Nebraska/Missouri region, as his son recorded his father, Isaac,
teaching school in Iowa near the time of his Civil War enlistment.
He
eventually volunteered for Civil War service, as a member of Company E, 2nd
Kansas Cavalry. At the time of
his enlistment, he listed his home as Brownsville, Nebraska, which is located
in the southeastern corner of Nebraska in Nemaha Co. on the Missouri River, or
three counties west of Worth Co., MO where he eventually settled down and
raised his family.
As
a Civil War veteran, Isaac was present at the battle of Lawrence, Kansas,
after the burning of that city by Quantrell. He was later taken prisoner near
Sulphur Springs, Arkansas, by Kirby Smith.
In this hostile exchange he was severely wounded in the right elbow and
right arm which crippled him for life. He was imprisoned in Shreveport, LA,
before being released and mustered out at Ft Leavenworth, KS.
***(See Isaac Dillon, a summary of his Civil
War file).
An
interesting Civil War account describes Isaac‘s participation as a member of
a military guard unit which was assigned to investigate the explosion of a
bomb at the home of a Mrs James, the mother of the notorious Frank and Jesse
James. The investigation was
eventually completed and suspects were apprehended.***(See John William
Sherman Dillon biography).
Isaac returned to teaching after The War and
eventually married Jane Rapp of Lawrence Co. in 1867, settled down in Worth
Co., MO, and built a fine home for his family.
Isaac and Jane had three children, including John William Sherman
“Sherm” Dillon, who became a newspaperman and eventually researched and
prepared the ‘Dillon Family Narrative’ responsible for much of our
information here. Isaac and Jane
were also parents of two daughter, Exie Avonia "Fawna" and Greta
Ethel Dillon. Both daughters
remained unmarried.***(See 1870 Census.Allen Twp.Worth Co.MO)
A disastrous 1947 fire destroyed the original
post-Civil War homestead home of Isaac Dillon, then the home of his son, Sherm
Dillon. This fire also took with
it, the details of his extensive Dillon family research, with the exception of
the narrative previously described. The
fire also damaged a slender French saber of tempered steel, a Rapp family
heirloom, which Johan Rapp had carried through the Napoleonic Wars.
Isaac Dillon, his wife, Jane, are buried in
the Wesley Chapel Cemetery which is in Harrison Co., MO.
A photo of the Vincent Dillon Jr. family includes John William Sherman
Dillon.***(See Isaac Dillon.jpg)***(See Vincent Dillon Jr. and family.jpg)
***(See Isaac Dillon's biographical sketch in "The History of Gentry and
Worth County, Missouri", 1882, by National Historical Company, St.
Joseph, p.795.)***(See "A History of Northwest Missouri", edited by
Walter Williams, 1915, v.1, p.624-5).
dd.
John William Sherman Dillon, born May 4, 1868, Allen
Twp., Worth Co., MO
Appropriately, a summary of the individual who
has conducted so much of the original research of the John Dillon line, be
included here. Born on the farm
of his father, Isaac, John seemed every bit the normal, adventurous son of
that time, except perhaps for his or his family’s determination that he be
formally well educated. He soon
was himself, a teacher, and shortly thereafter elected by the Grant City
Schools to be their Superintendent.
Following the death of his father, he accepted
the responsibility for the management for his family’s Worth County farm,
even putting into cultivation considerable additional acreage.
He became a member of the Columbian Guards at the World’s Fair in
Chicago, in 1893. He was elected
captain of Shiloh Camp No. 48, Sons of Veterans in 1896, elected commander of
the Missouri Division, which included the states of Missouri, Arkansas and
Texas, in 1898.
He while touring he attended lectures at the
University of Cincinnati conducted by W. H. Taft, where he first met the
lecturer. The next time he met W.
H. Taft was in the White House as President of the United States while on
honeymoon. He married Frances M.
Mullins in 1909. However, this
couple had no children.
At this point of his life he began a serious
reconstruction of his family history with the assistance of his extended
family. In this process, J. W. S.
Dillon was known to have met with his cousins, including Vincent F. Dillon of
South Point, Lawrence Co., his uncles, and his great uncle John Dillon of
Lincoln Co., WV, while conducting family research and preparing a family history especially for a 1932 Dillon
family reunion in the Scottown area of Lawrence Co., Ohio. He eventually traced a Thomas Dillon, he believed to be
his gggrandfather, to the region of the River Shannon, in County Mayo.
We, unfortunately, do not have any knowledge of his sources for this
research. He did, however,
eventually revise his gggrandfather from Thomas to Peter Dillon, perhaps as a
result of having made contact with another Dillon researcher, Talmage Owen
Dillon. T. O. Dillon was a
descendant of William Dillon, a brother of John Dillon (Sr.), profiled
previously, the ggrandfather of J. W. S. Dillon.
With the absence of Thomas Dillon in the appropriate Greene Co
Censuses, Sherm Dillon presumably determined that Peter Dillon possessed the
identical attributes of the Thomas Dillon he had been researching; he was
Irish, a weaver and lived in Greene Co. at the appropriate time.
Sherman Dillon’s research into his
grandmother, Hannah Jackson’s line, discovered that her grandfather, Henry
Jackson, an Englishman, had herded horses in an region which has become the
District of Columbia, before moving north and settling in Greene Co., PA.
In 1899, J. W. S. Dillon became the sole owner
of the Grant City Star newspaper. Shortly
thereafter, he was commissioned postmaster at Grant City, Missouri.
Sherman Dillon, in his genealogical
investigations, was able to acquire names, dates, locations and personal
stories from many sources, in all probability, no longer in existence.
We have found his data and information to be very acceptably accurate,
logical and extremely supportive in furthering the Dillon story.
Tragically, his original research, amounting to over one hundred pages
by one report, was completely consumed in a devastating 1947 home fire which
destroyed the post Civil War home originally constructed by his father, Isaac
Dillon. We have been unable
to locate copies of any of his research, except for the Dillon Family
Narrative, previously referenced. The
impact of Sherman Dillon on his Missouri community was apparently significant.
His biography in the “History of Northwest Missouri” entails a ten
page summary.***(See “Biography of John W. S. Dillon”, taken from
“History of Northwest Missouri”, edited by Walter Williams, 1915,
p.2087-2096.)***(see J. W. Sherman Dillon cemetery record)
DILLON, J. W. S.,
‑‑‑‑‑ " Ironton Register, October 16, 1903,
CEBEE
e. JOHN
W., born November 24, 1836, Monroe Co., OH
John W. Dillon died in infancy while the
Vincent Dillon Sr. family lived in Monroe Co., OH. He was the only child of Vincent and Hannah Dillon’s
thirteen children, who did not reach adulthood.
f. WILLIAM
(S.), born May 29, 1838, Monroe Co., OH
(See details under William S. Dillon and Family.)
g. MARGARET
"MAGGIE", born July 27, 1840, Monroe Co., OH
Shortly
after her Lawrence Co. marriage to John C. Dement, September 2, 1866***(See
Margaret A. Dillon.jpg), Margaret and John moved to Worth Co., MO, presumably
as a result of the influence of her brother, Isaac. But her life as a farmer’s wife in MO was relatively brief
as she died in 1879. Her remains
were buried in the well maintained Wesley Chapel Cemetery, just across the
county line in Harrison County. It
was the cemetery of the church in which she held her membership. The children of John and Margaret all born in Worth Co.,
were: Stanton Sedgewick DEMENT,
b.December 29, 1867; Edgar Hamilton DEMENT, b.March 30, 1869; Roswell Lawrence
DEMENT, b.August 30, 1871; Ulysses S. Grant DEMENT, b.June 1, 1872; Willie
DEMENT, b.1876; and Ann Elizabeth DEMENT, b.January 16, 1878.
According
to Sherm Dillon, Not long after her death, her husband sold his farm and moved
first to eastern Oregon, then a few years later on to Portland.
He was accompanied by two of his sons, Edward and Grant, and also the
children by his second wife, Mary Ann Dye Curtis of Worth Co., MO.
John C. Dement died in 1927, in Portland, OR.
Descendants of this family still reside in several Oregon locations.
h. HANNAH
JANE "JENNIE", born May 8, 1842, Monroe Co., OH
John
Q. Hagerman, b.1844, who married Hannah Jane, is recorded to have left
Lawrence Co. with brothers, Isaac Dillon and Peter Hamilton Dillon in 1859 to
explore Missouri. Peter Hamilton
and John Q. eventually returned to Lawrence Co., where John Q. married Hannah
Jane Dillon, August 31, 1865, by A. R. Creslip, ordained and licensed
minister. Hannah was eighteen. This couple is listed in the 1870 Windsor Twp Census, he as a
saddler. Hannah died in 1871. Per
the Lawrence Co., Ohio official death records, Hannah died in Windsor Twp., as
a result of 'Consumption'. Neither
John Hagerman nor Hannah Hagerman are listed in Lawrence Co. Cemetery Indexes.
However a presumed son, Bennie is buried in the Scottown Cemetery,
having died in the 1860s at the age of eleven months.
It is conceivable his mother, Hannah, is represented by one of the
unmarked stones in this cemetery. John
Q. is not shown in the 1880 Lawrence Co., though a J. Hagaman is listed as
living in Union Twp.
i. MARTHA
"MATTIE", born February 27, 1844, Monroe Co., OH
Martha
and Isaac DUNFEE moved to Worth Co., MO., soon after their marriage, September
2, 1866.***(See Isaac Dunfee and Martha Dillon Dunfee.jpg).
They were married in the M. E. Gibson Chapel, Scottown, by J. W.
Dillon. Martha’s father,
Vincent, had been a founding member of this church.
Martha joined her sister, Margaret and brother, Isaac, in resettling to
Worth Co., MO, where the couple had seven children; Harry Chester DUNFEE, b.
May 23, 1867; Bertha DUNFEE, b. January 29, 1869; Charles Vincent DUNFEE, b.
October 7, 1871; John William DUNFEE, b. November 23, 1873; Estella Maud
DUNFEE, b. September 25, 1875; Maggie Mae DUNFEE, b. October 6, 1877;
Christopher Columbus DUNFEE, b. December 12, 1885.***(See 1870 Census, Allen
Twp., Worth Co., MO2)***(See Martha Dillon Dunfee gravesite Worth Co., MO.jpg)
Isaac,
as Civil War veteran, with Company G, 73rd Ohio Infantry since 1861, had been
with Sherman’s ‘March to the Sea’.
The photos of Martha Jane and Isaac referenced above also appeared in
the ‘Worth County Centennial Book’ p. 86, published in 1961. Also on that page are Harry Chester Dunfee with Rebecca
Findley and a picture of their children; Cora Leah, John Isaac, Arch Crater
and Benjamin "Bea" Findley Dunfee.
j. NANCY
"NANNIE" MARY, born January 7, 1847, Monroe Co., OH
Nancy
was married in Lawrence Co. to Columbus L. Jackson, April 5, 1874, by P.
P. Hamilton, M.G. Nancy and Columbus eventually resettled to Denver CO, where
the couple had, at least, two sons, Charles Irwin, b. abt 1875 and Columbus
Agassiz, b. abt 1879. Nancy died
February 4, 1929, a widow, in Denver, where she had been a resident for 42
years. She died at the residence
of C. A. Jackson, probably her son, Columbus Agassiz Jackson.***(See Nancy
Dillon Jackson death certificate).
She was buried in Harvard, Clay Co., Nebraska, quite possibly the home
of her husband, the location of his gravesite and possibly the home and
gravesite of her younger sister, Ruth.
Vincent Sr., included in his will and
disposition of his property, a reference to Nancy Jackson, without mention of
her husband, suggesting that by 1892, Nancy was either divorced or a widow.
k. Vincent,
Jr., born August 7, 1849, Windsor Twp., Lawrence Co., OH
Vincent
Dillon, Jr., was a blacksmith and lived a short distance north of his father's
farm in Windsor Twp., Lawrence Co., OH.***(See 1882 Hardesty Atlas, plate 53)
DILLON, V. ‑‑‑‑‑
IRONTON REGISTER, August 20, 1903, AT PLATFORM
“V.
Dillon, the blacksmith here, says he has been taking the Register for a great
many years and the Rambler's "On the Round" is very interesting to
him. Says business is
extraordinarily good. Mr. Dillon
lives on one of the highest summits in Lawrence county and one can see the
surrounding country and view nature's beauty and breathe the fresh air which
is so enlivening at this elevation.”
A
reference to Vincent Dillon Jr., was made in the story of the ‘McKnight
Family of Lawrence County, Ohio, by Rosie Stierwalt; Henry Dustin McKnight: An
Autobiography’, written in 1892.
"In
the spring of 1861 a company of militia was organized of which my father was
orderly Sergh. I raised a company of boys ranging from fifteen to seventeen
years of age. Vincent Dillon Jr. was my orderly Sergh. We drilled regularly
whenever the men did and could beat them.”
Vincent
Dillon Jr and Caroline M. Rodgers were married November 28, 1867, in Lawrence
Co. by the Rev. Wilson Gardner. Vincent,
Caroline, and their daughter, Clara Belle, are buried in the Locust Grove
Cemetery, Mason Twp., Lawrence Co., OH. Of the five children of Vincent and Caroline, their daughter,
Cora May, a school teacher, was known to have accompanied her cousin, Sherm
Dillon on local trips to visit relatives, to acquire and record family
information.***See(Vincent Dillon Jr. and family.jpg)***See(Vincent Dillon Jr.
Death Certificate.jpg)
The
children of Vincent and Carolyn were: Clara Belle, b. June 20, 1869; Cora May,
b. February 18, 1871; Edward Remington, b. June 18, 1876; Herschel Gilbert, b.
May 7, 1880 and Rausa Melissa, b. March 29, 1884.
The informant listed on the death certificate for Vincent
Dillon was E. R. Dillon(probably Edward Remington Dillon, his son) of Willow
Wood, OH.***(See Vincent Dillon Jr. Death Certificate)
It is further interesting to note that this son may not have known the
birth place of either his father or mother, nor his mother's maiden name, as
this information has been left blank. The
cause of death is listed as cardiac failure.
Stomach trouble is listed as a contributory ailment, signed by T. H.
Mayberry, M.D., Scottown, OH.***(See 1910 Lawrence Co., OH, Windsor Twp.
Census)
l. ELIZABETH, born June 14, 1852, Windsor Twp., Lawrence Co., OH died October 30, 1885, Windsor TWP., Lawrence Co., OH
Elizabeth
Dillon and her busband, Cyrus Kemp Wall were married March 26, 1868 by Rev.
Wilson Gardner. This couple
had eight children as follows: Hattie
M., b. abt 1869; W. Franklin "Frank", b. abt 1870; Minnie F., b.
October 21, 1871; Ida (Ada) E., b. abt 1875; Owen, b. abt 1876; Daisy, b. abt
1878; Ruth, b. June 11, 1879 and Cyrus Kemp Jr., b. August 17, 1880.
Elizabeth died prematurely at the age of 33, leaving her husband with the
responsibility for a large family. Cyrus
Kemp Wall died January 23, 1890 in Windsor Twp.
Elizabeth and Cyrus K. are buried in the Scottown Cemetery.
No additional information has been located regarding this family.***(See
1870 Lawrence Co., OH Census, Mason Twp.)
m. RUTH,
born September 14, 1854, Windsor Twp, Lawrence Co., OH
Not
much information has been located on Ruth, nor her family.
She is known to have married Oakley Johnson and had, at least, one son.
Oakley was reported to have been from Harvard, Nebraska.
A search of the Lawrence Co. Ohio records and the courthouse records of
Clay Co. Nebraska have uncovered no additional information on this family. It is significant to note, however, her sister, Nancy Dillon
Jackson was buried in Harvard, Nebraska, though she had not lived there for, at
least, forty two years if ever. We
feel there may be a connection between these Jacksons and Johnsons in the
history of Harvard. It’s
also possible Oakley Johnson may have been an early companion of Ruth's brother,
Isaac Dillon, and may have accompanied Isaac back to Lawrence Co. from Nebraska
following Isaac's discharge at Ft Leavenworth, KS.
Isaac Dillon, in his Civil War military record with the 2nd Kansas
Volunteer Cavalry, listed his residence as Brownville, Nebraska, perhaps his
place of enlistment. However, no
Oakley Johnson is listed as a member of the 2nd Kansas Volunteer
Cavalry. Index
of sources used
Vincent F. and Nettie A. Dillon, Family and Ancestors
John
Dillon, Jr was born in Greene County, Pennsylvania on February 7, 1826. He moved
with his family to Monroe County, Ohio around 1835. John measured five feet ten
inches. He had dark hair and blue eyes.
Around 1846-1847, he married Malinda Wells. Malinda’s father probably was Jesse Wells. Like the Dillons, Jesse Wells came to Monroe County from Pennsylvania. John Dillon, Jr was close friends with Jesse’s son, Samuel D. Wells, who John knew from early childhood.
The 1850
census finds John living in northwestern Monroe County, near several of his
brothers. Like most of them, he was a farmer; John’s land worth was $300,
which indicates that his farm was quite small in size. The 1850
census lists
John under the distinctive Dillin spelling, although his brothers are identified
as Dillons. By 1860
John was living in Noble County, on the Monroe County border. By this time, he
was John Dillon, which he would remain for the rest of his life.
Although
thirty seven years old, and the father of a large family, John enrolled in the 116
Ohio Volunteer Regiment on September 30, 1862. The bulk of John’s Regiment consisted of men
from Monroe County. Companies A, C, D, E and F were raised there. Companies B
and G were raised in Meigs County; Companies I and K in Athens County; and
Company H in Noble County.
John’s
company was Company F. Joining him in that company were two of his nephews,
Jacob and Henry Dillon, sons of his brother, Hugh. John’s older brother,
Peter, also served in the regiment, as a captain in Company E.
The
Regiment rendezvoused at Camp Putnam at Marietta, Ohio, on August 25, 1862.
Thus, at least some of the troops had received a bit of military training before
John joined the unit. The Regiment spent the fall of 1862 training at Camp
Marietta. It took time to create a fighting unit. At first, there were no
uniforms or weapons. The men had no changes of clothing. As the Regiment’s
commanding officer later recalled, the men were "in a demoralized condition
generally."
With
effort, the Regiment was clothed, armed, and trained. The troops then moved into
Virginia [in what is now West Virginia], where the Regiment had its first
engagement at Moorefield. Mostly, though, late 1862 and early 1863 seems to have
been a time of boredom and deprivation. The Regiment wintered near Romney,
Virginia [now West Virginia], with little to do. Morale was low.
On
February 16, 1863, John and his two nephews were captured - as was their entire
company - while foraging for supplies near Romney. The unit’s commander
allowed the troops to scatter. Out of the blue, a Confederate cavalry unit
swooped down and captured the entire company without a shot. All the men were
released the next day, but they were not eligible to rejoin active service until
a concomitant Confederate prisoner was released by the Union Army. Given this
state of affairs, John went home for a few months, and then reported to Camp
Chase in Columbus, Ohio, where Union soldiers awaited exchange. The exchange
eventually occurred, and John rejoined his unit.
Both of
John's nephews and John’s brother were wounded in battle. One of John’s
nephews was captured a second time and transported to the infamous Andersonville
Prison, where he contracted scurvy, the effects of which plagued him for the
rest of his life.
Only
John - among the Dillons - was never wounded in battle. The bad weather,
however, broke his health. John spent considerable time in 1864 in a series of
hospitals for illness resulting from exposure. From April to August 1864, John
was confined to the hospital at Martinsburg, West Virginia. His return to active
duty was short-lived. By September, he was back in the hospital. He returned
again, for a brief period of service, but was back in the hospital in Annapolis,
Maryland in October 1864.
By late
October 1864, John was able to return to active service, and served continuously
until the end of the war. John’s return to health enabled him to witness some
of the most important events of the war. He was present at the siege of
Petersburg, the fall of Richmond, and Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
John and the remainder of his company were transferred to Company D, 62nd Ohio Regiment in June 1865, something that was very unpopular because the other members of the unit were discharged. John received his discharge a few weeks later, on June 18, 1865 at Richmond, Virginia. That same day, he was promoted to corporal. John was thirty-nine. John's Civil War record pt1 pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7 pt8 pt9 pt10 pt11 pt12 pt13 pt14
After
the war, John returned to Monroe County. In 1868, he moved to western Gallia
County, Ohio. The reason for his move is not known. This area abuts Windsor
Township in Lawrence County,
where his brother, Vincent, had moved in 1847. Perhaps John moved to be closer
to the Vincent Dillon family. John remained in this area until 1882. Except for
a few months in 1869, when he operated a grist mill, John continued to farm - as
he had done all his adult life.
Tragedy
struck in 1872. His wife, Malinda Wells, passed away on June 11, 1872. Left with
several children, John married Barbara Jane Lewis in Crown
City, Gallia
County, Ohio, on October 16, 1872. They would be married for almost 45 years.
Barbara
Lewis was a widow. Her husband, Jacob Smith, had passed away on November 27,
1869, leaving her with several children. Barbara was born on February 27, 1838
in Monroe County, Virginia (now West Virginia). Her father was Samuel Lewis and
her mother was Rhoda Miller. Like many West Virginians, Rhoda descended from
Jacob Mueller (Miller), a German immigrant who arrived in America in the early
Eighteenth Century. Samuel’s father, Joshua Lewis, died at Norfolk, Virginia
in 1814 while in active service during the War of 1812.
In the
1830s and 1840s a large number of Lewises left what is now southeastern West
Virginia and moved to Lawrence County, Ohio. Joshua’s widow, Catharine Hill
Lewis, was one. So were her three sons, including Barbara’s father, Samuel. In
the early 1850s, Catharine used a land bounty warrant, issued by the federal
government in return for Joshua’s War of 1812 service, to purchase land in
Windsor Township, Lawrence County, Ohio. Samuel and his two brothers lived
nearby.
In 1882,
John and Barbara left Gallia County and moved to Lincoln County, West Virginia.
Barbara had previously lived in this area with her first husband prior to his
death. In 1878, John’s wife had acquired an interest in a farm in northern
Lincoln County, near the Putnam County border, from Lewis Smith. John and
Barbara owned and lived on that farm for many years. Around 1907, the Dillons
acquired a second parcel of property, a lot in the town of Hamlin, where they
built a second home.
John in 1890 census (printed info) John in 1890 census form.
John
resided in Lincoln County for 35 years, living among children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren. Over time, his health deteriorated. After a lengthy
illness, John passed away on December
26, 1917. He was
ninety-one. Barbara Lewis Smith Dillon lived another fifteen years, passing away
on July 3, 1932. She was ninety-four. John
in 1910 Carrol district, Lincoln county West Va. Census next to county jail on
court street.
John and
Barbara Dillon are buried at Harvey’s
Creek cemetery
in Lincoln County, West Virginia. The cemetery is located northeast of Hamlin,
West Virginia on a hill overlooking State Route 34. In addition, to John and
Barbara, their son, John Dillon, III, is buried there, as are two daughters,
Jennette "Nettie" Dillon Vickers, and Allie May Vickers.
John's
tombstone is
simple. It lists neither a date of birth, nor a date of death. Instead, it is
inscribed "CORP. JOHN DILLON CO.F 116 OHIO INF."
Children of John Dillon, Jr
Unfortunately,
some of the children of John Dillon, Jr and Malinda Wells may be unknown. John
does not appear in the 1870 census, so it is possible there are children who
were born after 1860 and reached independence before 1880.
The
known children of John Dillon, Jr and Malinda Wells are:
It
is likely that at least two of the individuals listed above are the same person.
The names of John and Malinda’s children that are listed in the 1850, 1860,
and 1880 censuses do not coincide with the names listed in John’s January 3,
1918 obituary in the Lincoln Republican. It appears that census data is
incorrect for some children and/or some ceased using their given names. It seems
most likely based upon the available information that John and Malinda had nine
daughters.
The
children of John Dillon, Jr and Barbara Jane Lewis are:
The
following are links to John Dillon Jr's extensive pension papers, as well as
papers related to Barbara Dillon:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Excellent
page showing tombstones of some of the individuals above by Henry S Dillon
external link
More recent work by Henry Dillon:
