Ken Ashton and I wrote each other a bit 20 years ago. He was a member of the Clermont Co,Oh gen soc,and perhaps the Brown Co,Oh soc. Edward Ashton,and his young uncle,John Smith went to Ill together. I courted my wife the 2nd house ssouth of the one Wm Johnson Ashton built-it was John Harvey Hutchison's in the 1960's.Edith Ashton m Charlie Hutchison were his parents. Samuel Ashton,the 1st to the Clermont-Brown Co line at Marathon,Oh on rt 50 arrivied in 1811. He had married his wife,Hannah,of Wm Johnson,at Tom's River,NJ., On Thu, 8 Mar 2001 09:15:21 -0800 "Shera B. Thompson" <sherabt@home.com> writes: > Dear Cousins, > It has been such a long time since I've communicated with many of > you! I was > in London last month researching my Metcalf family with my Biggers > cousins > and came home to a sad message that we'd lost one of ours. Ken > Ashton > (Kenneth Verlyn Ashton) of Canton, IL, great grandson of Edward and > Rebecca > Ashton and 2nd great grandson of Wm. Johnson and Eleanor Ashton. He > died the > day after Christmas. Ken had prostate cancer but I don't know if > that's what > got him. His birth date was May 11, 1922. He leaves his wife Anna > (no > children) and a brother Bob and three sisters June Heckerd, Marjorie > Knox > and Eleanor Bourke and lots of nieces and nephews. Maryann, you may > be the > only one who knew and remembers these folks. Ken loved genealogy and > was one > of the people that was a great help to me in putting together the > family > history. He and Gladys (Moran) Cochrane shared genealogy material > and he was > the one who generously sent me what Gladys had written down about > the > descendants of Edward and Rebecca as well as copies of records that > he'd > gotten from the courthouse in Lewistown and a copy of what he wrote > for the > Fulton County Illinois Heritage book 1988 by the Fulton County > Genealogical > Society. Unlike the rest of his siblings, Ken's grandfather stayed > in IL > while the rest spread out to CA and TX and beyond. He was easy to > talk with > I enjoyed our telephone conversations. I remember that like many of > his > generation that were descendants of farmers he was in the farm > equipment > business. Below is Anna's address if anyone would like to send her a > card > and I've also included what he wrote for the Heritage book. Please > pass this > info on since I no longer have the e-mail addresses of some of the > other > cousins that might be interested. Rest in peace Ken. > All best, > Shera > > ANNA ASHTON 1134 E ELM ST CANTON IL 61520 2359 (309) 647-2782 > > Ashton Family > Edward Ashton, son of Wm. J. and Eleanor (Smith) Ashton of Clermont > County Ohio migrated to Fulton County IL. in 1842 settling in Bryant > IL. He married Rebecca Conner 4-8-1845. To them were born five sons > and four daughters, the fifth child Francis M. Ashton was my > grandfather, > born 12-14-1854. He married Maria Louise Gentle 2-20-1890, daughter > of > John Gentle and Louisa Ellen Wigden of rural Farmington IL. To > Francis > and Louisa was born a son Edward C. and a daughter Alice who married > Raymond Johnson. The Gentle and Ashtons were farmers. First the > Gentle > then Francis Ashton then Edward C. tilled the soil south of > Farmington > Edward C. Ashton married Vivian W. Milner on 8-20-1919 at Danville > IL. > To them were born three sons and three daughters. In the earley 40's > we left the farm and moved to Canton where Edward was employed in > the > International Harvester plant. Edward passed away on 3-15-1976. Mrs > Ashton is still living and was quite active in the P.T.A. and the > handicapped. Their children are > Roy G. married Neola Whitaker and to them were born one son and five > daughters The son was named after his father and he has a son Roy G. > III > This is the last male Ashton in this line. They resided in Moline > Il. > Roy G. SR. served in 88th Inf. durning WWII > Kenneth V. Ashton married Anna Poggioli Canton IL. > >