Subject: Orphan Train 'riders' Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 21:15:35 -0500 From: "Bill & Donna Harms" <wmmharms@ncn.net> To: <njennings@lisco.net> There were a number of children brought to your county from New York from 1853-1929. Our home is the Iowa Research Center about the 10-12,000 children who were brought to Iowa. I am searching for information about these children . Also, there will be an Iowa Orphan Train Reunion for 'riders, descendents & interested persons to be held in Ft.Dodge,Iowa 20,21 & 22 August 1999 at the Budget Host Inn. I will appreciate it if you would announce this at your meetings &/0r in your newsletter. Any one with information may contact me at wmmharms@ncn.net Thank you, Madonna M. Harms, Archivist

Frank Peterson b. abt 1855 m c1880 Anna Louise Eilert. They were in Mt Pleasant, IA on 3 Apr 1881 when dau Bertha Rowena was born. Had daus Mae & Verda Can any one check Peterson's or a birth in Apr 1881? Jack Stewart(futbofam@aol.com)

I am looking for documentation that David Smith Hitt was oldest Son of Alexander Hitt & Susannh Worrel-Hitt David Was born in Pa. Feb 22,1822 d. feb 1893 in Mt Pleasant,Henry Co.,Ia. He married Pauline Willeford b.1832 in Clay co., Ky. d.? they wed June 24,1849 in Mt Pleasant, Henry Co., Ia Pauline's younger brother Henderson M. Willeford married David's youngest sister Nancy Hitt b.1833 in Henry Co. The Hitt family came to Henry Co. in about 1838 and the Willeford family about the about the same time. This is the same Willeford family who had (have) the family. cemetery in Center Twp. Henry Co.,Ia "Willeford Cemetery". At Least one son of Alexander & Susannah Hitt and a daughter of Henderson & Nancy Willeford are buried in the Willeford Cemetery. For more info see my family page or e-mail me. Thanks for any Help, James D. Hitt -- ***************************************************************************** James D. "Dan" Hitt >From Big Wonderful Wyoming the Equality State And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Heb.10:24 nasb Please see my Family Genealogy Page at: http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/h/i/t/James-D-Hitt/index.html My ICQ # 7146231 *****************************************************************************

Hi Ellen, I'm interested in the Denny family, if it's not too much trouble. Thanks, Daphne In a message dated 4/23/99 5:48:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time, IAHENRY-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: > > I have several old letters that was given to me upon the death of my > grandmother which are ones that her grandfather received from various > relatives and friends. My gggrandfather, John R. Weller, lived in the > New London area. They are dated from 1854 to 1892. Some are written by > individuals who served during the Civil War. The question I have is: > where would the best place be to post these letters? Some of the names > mentioned in these letters are: WELLER, BAXTER, BEAM, SMITH, DENNY. > Thanks for any assistance. Ellen >

Fellow Henry Co., IA researchers, Below is an article from the Mt. Pleasant News, April 8, 1999, Lwelling House Reminder of Time Gone By, by Julie Pietz, Staff Writer. I was given permission to post it by Mt. Pleasant News editor Jim Hekel. Sometime in the next 18 months the News plans to publish a Hitorical Pictorial of Henry County, IA. I have a scanned 2 jpegs of the Lewelling House tour flier and will send it off list if you are interested. Here is the article: Mt. Pleasant News, Thur., April 8, 1999, p. 10 Lewelling House Reminder of Times Gone By By Julie Pietz Staff Writer SALEM -- One look down the trapdoor in the kitchen floor of the Lewelling house in Salem brings a stark realization of how desperate runaway slaves who stopped there must have been. The dark, dirtfilled crawlspace under the door is shallow, damp and close. Judy Feehan, Lewelling Quaker Shrine board member, said, "An Iowa Public Television crew wanted to go through the tunnel. They took one look and said, 'Never mind, we're not going."' Dark tunnels, like the one extending under the house to a basement fireplace, however unpleasant, were essential for hiding runaway slaves. "Slaves had to be out of sight," said Feehan. "They could not eat at the table or move to o~ parts Of the house. Slave catchers did not necessarily come to the door. Sometimes they simply sat outside and watched the house. Also, there was no such thing as a search warrant. Slave catchers would just break into your house." The Lewelling house was an active part of the anti-slavery movement and was once known as the main depot of the underground railroad. In 1959 five men who prized the home's rich history, Herman Elgar of Mt. Pleasant and John Moxley, Roy White, Elbert Brown and Howard Pittman, all of Salem, bought the place and decided to make it a museum telling the story of Salem. The kitchen, indeed, the whole house, is evidence of support the two-story stone historical dwelling has gotten from the Salem community and other interested persons. Furniture, quilts, clothing, books, photos and other donated items are in abundance. "Here is an old washer," said Feehan, picking up a.large pole with what looked like a large metal funnel on the end. This was the agitator. Women must have has arms this big around." Feehan moved to Salem about 25 years ago and has become active in giving tours of the house and maintaining it. Last year, the board added a furnace and air conditioning to the house. Current projects include restoring a little school room and creating a viewing area in the attic. According to Feehan, renovation work to the house has revealed some surprises. "Five years ago we discovered another hiding place," said Feehan. She said workers who jacked up a north room to replace the floor found a trap door. Feehan pointed out how the trap door is counterbalanced to prevent movement when one walks over it. "That's how clever they were," she said. The clever folks were the Henderson Lewelling family, Quakers who built the house in 1840 with stone quarried from a tract of land southwest of Salem near Little Cedar Creek. Lewelling was a man of vision not only for helping others but for business as well. A nurseryman, Lewelling was originally from North Carolina. The Lewelling family moved to Indiana before settling in Iowa. Lewelling and two brothers established a successful nursery business in Salem selling produce and trees. They used the basin left by quarrying the stone to water the fruit stock. A one-page ad in the Burlington newspaper at that time listed 150 varieties of fruit stock the Lewellings had available. Feehan showed one ad listing 45 apple varieties. "The produce business came in handy for hiding slaves," said Feehan. "When slaves were here and needed to be moved to the next stop on the underground railroad, Lewelling would load slaves on a wagon and pile produce on top of them to hide them and take them on to the next stop." "When the Lewellings lived in North Carolina," said Feehan, "they saw slavery and knew they were opposed to it. Some Quakers wanted to help the slaves and some wanted to obey the law." When persons helped the slaves, as the Lewellings did, they were breaking the Fugitive Slave Law, according to Feehan. The law said those who aided runaway slaves could lose their property and go to jail. Slaves would be returned to their owners even though they were north because in the eyes of the law, they were pieces of property. "It became hard 'to help," said Feehan. Feehan said although other community members in Salem, not just the Quakers, helped slaves, none were prosecuted. They did not go without trouble, however. "There was a man from Missouri," said Feehan, "who lost, I think, seven slaves. His name was Ruel Daggs, and he said whenever slaves enter Henry County they seem to drop off the face of the earth." The man, who lost many slaves in Salem, sued nineteen men from Salem for $10,000 for their part in helping his "chattels" escape to freedom. Lewelling went on to become famous for his horticulture. He and his brothers left for Oregon with 700 trees and shrubs by oxcart and eventually started the fruit industry in California. His cemetery memorial says "Father of the Great Pacific Fruit Industry." In 1967, cuttings from the original pear and apple trees from the Lewellings' Oregon trek were sent to Iowa. Helped by Bill Rider of the Riders Nurseries, Dr. Robert Poulter of Iowa Wesleyan College supervised a tree planting in the yard of Lewelling Quaker Shrine. Feehan said the board is interested in finding someone who knows about grafting trees so that cutings may be taken from those trees and planted. Sales of the book "Place of Peace-Memories of Salem Iowa" are helping finance much-needed repairs to the house. Currently, Salem residents are getting the Lewelling Quaker Shrine museum ready to open for the season. The house will be open for tours May 2. Each Sunday, tours will be available 1 to 4 p.m., or any other time by appointment. The board members are expecting some school tours in May. Feehan said some students have come from as far away as Japan to see the house. Feehan is calling for community members to take part in the annual cleaning to prepare the house. Without the community support it would be real difficult to stay open." she said

Ellen, There is a site exactly for the purpose of posting letters from Civil War soldiers in Iowa. It is http://www.iowa-counties.com/civilwar/. It is part of the Iowa Civil War Site. You will see where to click to post your letters at the bottom of the page. Follow the link--Letters, Journals, Oral Accounts and Historical information from the Civil War. You could also post the letters on this email subscription list. Leslie W. Saint > > I have several old letters that was given to me upon the death of my > grandmother which are ones that her grandfather received from various > relatives and friends. My gggrandfather, John R. Weller, lived in the > New London area. They are dated from 1854 to 1892. Some are written by > individuals who served during the Civil War. The question I have is: > where would the best place be to post these letters? Some of the names > mentioned in these letters are: WELLER, BAXTER, BEAM, SMITH, DENNY. > Thanks for any assistance. Ellen > > ==== IAHENRY Mailing List ==== > For Southeastern Iowa families from Henry, Johnson, Louisa, > and Washington Counties: > http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/7687 > Mailing Lists: > mailto:IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com > mailto:IAHENRY-L@rootweb.com > mailto:FULTONVA-L@rootsweb.com

I have several old letters that was given to me upon the death of my grandmother which are ones that her grandfather received from various relatives and friends. My gggrandfather, John R. Weller, lived in the New London area. They are dated from 1854 to 1892. Some are written by individuals who served during the Civil War. The question I have is: where would the best place be to post these letters? Some of the names mentioned in these letters are: WELLER, BAXTER, BEAM, SMITH, DENNY. Thanks for any assistance. Ellen

I found a photograph at an antique store in Iowa City, and I'd like to reunite it with the family. It has no date, but it may be circa 1900. The photographer was Dyall Studio, Mt. Pleasant, IA. It is a phot of a beautiful baby girl. On the back it says: Mother, Florence Mildred ANTRIM, 1 yr old If you know of this family, or would like to see a scanned copy of the photo, please email me. Sue

I am interested in finding out more about the Van Allen family that relates to James Alfred Van Allen, who discovered the Van Allen radiation belts. I know that James Alfred Van Allen was the son of Alfred Morris Van Allen and Alma Olney. Alfred Morris Van Allen was the son of George C. Van Allen and Jane M. I found George C. and his wife, and Alfred Morris Van Allen in the 1870 census for Center Twp., Henry County. Alfred Morris was less than a year old at that time, and George C. was 39 (born about 1831) and his wife, Jane M. was 36 (born abt. 1834). The 1870 census said that they Geo. C. Van Allen and his wife, Jane M. were both from NY. I checked the 1850 census index for NY, and checked the only George Van Allens that were listed, and I suspect that George C. Van Allen may have been from Jefferson County, NY. If anyone has any further information, or knows of a contact working on this family, I'd surely appreciate any help in this search. Thanks in advance, Paul Horvat

Dear Henry Co., IA list subscribers, Here are some stray thoughts I have had lately on Henry Co., IA genealoghical research and some URL's worth checking out. 1. The Mt. Pleasant News is online at http://www.citypapers.com/MtPleasant_IA/. There was a recent article on the Lewelling House (it is also known at the Quaker Shrine). The online version is a short synopsis but I have the full legnth article and will post it when I recieve permission from the newspaper. I can also send you scanned .jpg pictures of I took at the Lewelling House Labor Day last year. There are also some genealogical resources there. There are several scapbooks with pictures and newspaper articles, marriage notices, etc. They also have a large collection of unidentified pictures from the 19th and 20th centuries. The Lewelling family took the same migration as the Saint family from Guilford, NC to Salem, IN to Salem, IA. In fact if you have a U.S. map CD-ROM you can zoom on Washington Twp., Washington Co., IN and find Lewelling Rd. There is also a Trueblood Rd. another Quaker family that migrated the same NC to IN to IA route. 2. Another URL is http://moa.umdl.umich.edu/moa/, Making of America. This site has scanned images old manuscripts. Click on Search and enter Henry County, Iowa and you get Author: Pickard, Samuel, Title: Autobiography of a Pioneer; Publication Date: 1866, City: Chicago, Publisher: Church & Goodman, Pages: 406 page. You will find some Henry Co., Salem, IA and Quaker history. 3. I also have a picture of the large bronze plaque "Roster of Soldiers Enlisted from Henry County, Iowa in the War of 1861-1865" that hangs in the lobby of the Henry Co. courthouse. Let me know and I will send you a .jpg image of it. You won't be able to read the names though. The plaque is aproximately 15 feet long and the lighting was poor for a good picture. It would take a professional photographer to capture the entire plaque. So much for stay thoughts on Henry Co., IA Leslie W. Saint

Jason L. Evans was born Nov 1859 and married 27 Feb 1884 to Martha Ester McNeely, in Henry Co., Iowa. She was born 20 June 1866 in Henry Co. would like death dates and further information on their children: Mabel, George, and Ralph. Thank you, Kathleen Rizer

Seeking further information on Michael and Ellen YARGUS who appear on the 1870 Henry County Census. Offhand I don't remember the Township or the page. Is there an index to this census? Would like to know their ages and where they were born. Could be Tennessee.... Thanks for any help. Richard Ross

Seeking further data on John Thomas McNeely, born about 1878 in Henry Co., Iowa the son of Flavius McNeely and Elizabeth Hobbs. John Thomas McNeely married Caroline Hedlund, 2 Oct 1906 at Mt. Pleasant, Henry Co, Iowa. Would like full dates on these two. Did they have any children? Thank you, Kathleen Rizer

Marian, Sorry I took so long to respond but I came across this URL recently and remembered your request. Here is the URL for the Mt. Pleasant News. http://www.citypapers.com/MtPleasant_IA/ also you might be interested in this URL from the Chamber of Commerce for leads to other pubs. http://www.mtpleasantiowa.com/ Hope that helps. Regards, Patrick J. Winters Hombug@aol.com wrote: > > Is there a newspaper in Mt Pleasant or anywhere in Henry County? If so, I > would like to know the name or url, if possible. Thank you very much in > advance. Marian Cox

Looking for a kind soul that could tell me how old Sulivan ROSS is who appears on the 1870 Census in Tippecanoe Twp on pg 356. Also, if he is married what is her name and where were they born? Thanks for any and all help. Richard

I am new on this list and researching the above family. I feel that he may have been one of the first settlers in Henry Co. as he arrived there about 1835. He resided in Tippacanoe Township in 1840. I have information that his cabin now stands in Saunders Park, Mt. Pleasant. Below is an outline of his descendants. Any help would be appreciated. Katharine Sparks ksparks@mwis.net Descendants of Nathaniel White 1 Nathaniel White 1811 - 1883 .. +Mary A. Rose Abt. 1813 - ......... 2 Emaline White Abt. 1839 - ......... 2 Rachel Ann White Abt. 1841 - ............. +Marcus Kilbourne Smith 1834 - 1909 .................... 3 Ellie ........................ +John Tilford .................... 3 America Emaline Smith 1861 - ........................ +Harvey Shurman Chezum 1861 - .................... 3 Arminta Ann Smith ........................ +Robert Lawrence .................... 3 Catherine Josephine Smith ........................ +Charles Garrison .................... 3 Frank Sidney Smith ........................ +Ella Johnson .................... 3 Charles Vincent Smith ........................ +Nellie Crane .................... 3 Lucy Prudence Smith ........................ +Douglas Watkins .................... 3 Martha Alice Smith ........................ +Thomas Litton .................... 3 Iantha Darianda Smith ........................ +Frank Metcalf .................... 3 George Smith ........................ +Mytrle Peterson .................... 3 Nathaniel Abraham Smith .................... 3 Matthew John Smith ......... 2 John N White Abt. 1846 - ............. +Lizzy 1848 - 1874 .................... 3 John White ......... 2 Edward E. White 1849 - ............. +Dora A. 1881 - 1917 .................... 3 Florence E. White

Would like to exchange information on Flavius McNeely. Born 25 Oct 1844 Pt. Pleasant, Ohio and died 25 May 1912, Pt. Pleasant, Henry Co., Iowa. He married Elizabeth Hobbs. Flavius was the son of Jeremiah McNeely and Drusilla Springer. Thank you, Kathleen Rizer

I am researching the family of Reazon Gray ELLIOTT and his wife Mary Elizabeth HARMON. They were in Henry Co. in the 1870's. Their children are as follows: Mary, Francis, Lillie, George, Carroll, Bertha, Nellie. Thanks, Sherri Golightly

I'm looking for information on the following Henry County families: JACKSON: William Jackson b. WV cir 1900, d. 1899 (Lowell, IA) m. Elizabeth Collins b. KY. Son John Newton Jackson b. 1956 Pomroy, OH. Family moved to Henry County about 1960. Family lived in Lowell. John Newton m. Mary Elizabeth Carter. They lived in Lowell, New London, and Burlington, IA. William and Elizabeth were both listed on the 1895 census along with a Whetzel. Their daughter Sidney married a Whetzel. Elizabeth disappears after this census and I can locate no death information. CARTER: Mary Elizabeth Carter dau. of James Carter and Mary V. Wright. John Newton and Mary Elizabeth children included: Lou, James Alvia (my grandfather), Clarence, Ross, Ora Faye (still living at age 99), Jessie, Lorance, Robert, Mary Bell, Mable and Leroy. Lots of information to share. Marla mwoodsmall@lisco.net

Dear Barbara and list, I have a Mary Christina Wright from the same area. If you find you have one, I would love to exchange her family info for her husbands. Mary Christina Wright b. 15 Dec 1829 England d. 04 Oct 1905 +Samual Stephenson b. 22 Sep 1826 England d. 02 Jan 1903 Both died either in Henry or Jefferson county, Iowa. She was married to a man by the name of Thomas Graves. They were married in England. They lived on a island near Burlington. He left one winter day and was said to be lost when the ice went out. Later Samuel Stevenson rescued Mary and her three kids. They were said to only have 3 chickens left when they were found. I think they lived in Jefferson/Henry county after. If you find that these are part of your Wrights, I would love to share info. At 11:01 AM 3/28/1999 EST, BSharp8346@aol.com wrote: >Hi, Glad to see a few out there . My line is a real mystery Barnabus Wright >appears in the 1840 census of Henry Co. with what appears to be a fair size >family >he was born in 1805 and is said to have came to Iowa in Sept of 1839 . He >married My Great Great Great Grandmother Nancy Sales McCracken from Ill. in >1843 . >One of the persons who appears to be in the 1840 census in Barnabus''s >household was a JosephWright who I think was Barnabus's brother Joseph died >young and his wife remarried to a man named James. A Mary Wright who I think >was Joseph's daughter inherited the property. My Mystery is what happened to >Barnabus Wright s first family. > > >-Barnabas WRIGHT (2 Feb 1805-19 Jan 1888) >sp: Nancy Sales MCCRACKEN (15 Jul 1818-25 Sep 1901) > 2-James William WRIGHT (16 Dec 1843-8 Aug 1919 in Colo. >>>>> MY Line > 2-Janie WRIGHT (1845-1845) > 2-Mary Elizabeth WRIGHT (Oct 1849-1913) -M-Orlando Foster > 2-Martha Louise WRIGHT (Mar 1851-1920) -M- Wm. H. Harbor > 2-Lois Ann R WRIGHT (17 Oct 1854-14 Apr 1940) -M- Rinehart > 2-Joseph Elias WRIGHT (29 Feb 1856-14 Apr 1944) > 2-Ruth Alice WRIGHT (5 Jan 1860-1918) -M- Henry Strader > 2-Ella WRIGHT (1862-1862) > >Thanks for any help Barbara > >