Delaware County IN Archives History .....John William DeWitt Family History ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/in/infiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Lynn Beatty klbeatty@npgcable.com May 5, 2007, 6:43 pm At home of Mrs Mary Emilia DeWitt No 250 E 8th St Muncie, Ind Nov 15, 1926 10 AM Mrs DeWitt says she just got back from Gaston, Ind 12 miles W. of here where she was visiting in the town & says George Finley's daughter Minnie Thomas lives abt 3 1/2 miles out from Gaston S.W. Mrs DeWitt's mother was Araminta Bishop Finley born Feby 14, 1814 daughter of George Finley 1757 1833. She does not have her parent's bible record but says her brother, John Heath, older than her & past 82 yrs has it. He lives 1 1/2 miles out on the Middletown Pike in a frame house on the right hand or west side as you go out in a big two story frame house. He is always about the house. Will have to get answers to queries 2 & 3 & 4 on my slips fr the bible as she don't remember them & didn't know the name of her grandfather Finley. Her parents had 7 children & Robert & John & she was the third viz: Mary Emilia Heath born in Monroe Tp this County Jany 3, 1846 & just John, herself & George, her youngest brother now 76 are living. George lives out the Cowan Road 3 miles has been married thrice & his several children, five by his first wife & two by the second, all married but one girl. Mary Emilia, my informant was married. She has gotten out the family record which is in the back part of Hitchcock Analysis of the bible printed in 1873 & the record was written by her husband & is as follows: John William DeWitt was born on Aug 24, 1846 Mary E. DeWitt was born Jany 3, 1846 Their children: 1. Elza Armitage DeWitt born Sept 22, 1868 2. Dora DeWitt born Oct 18, 1870 3. Ora DeWitt born Oct 30, 1873 4. Nellie DeWitt born Oct 31, 1876 5. Winton DeWitt born Mch 16, 1878 6. Unnamed son DeWitt born & died aged 3 days Marriages John W. DeWitt & Mollie E. Heath was married Oct 13, 1867 Deaths Nellie DeWitt died Jany 30, 1877 Winton DeWitt died Apr 9, 1879 Dora DeWitt died Sept 13, 1891 unmarried John W. DeWitt died Oct 14, 1920 & is buried at Tumblesons g.y. He was a Civil War veteran & died in this house which she owns & lives alone in the back rooms. He had been a farmer in Washington Tp. Her son Elza A. lives across the street at 208 E. 8th St. She cannot give dates for record of her son & daughter, but her son's wife has just come in & is giving it: 1. Elza A. DeWitt was married at Muncie Ind Apr 3, 1895 to Addie Belle Skinner born Sept 7, 1872 in this Co daughter of Calvin Wesley Skinner & his wife (Sophia Clevenger. Both living at 208 E. 8th St where he is a machine operator. Have two children born in Muncie: 1. Fred Skinner DeWitt born May 7, 1896 2. Lillian Lucile DeWitt born July 2, 1907 1. Fred S. was married Apr 20, 1915 here to Mabel Wonders born July 10, 1897 here, daughter of Henry Wonders & his wife Lottie Dick. Have one child born in New Castle, Ind. Both living here where he has a garage. 1. Fred S. Jr born Jany 20, 1920 2. Lillian at home single 3. Ora was married 1896 to Arthur Kelley son of George Kelly [sic] & wife Nancy Starr. Both living on a farm one mile from Alexandria Ind P.O. route 1 & have one child born in Madison Co. 1. Raymond born 1897. He is at home single. Write her. John W. DeWitt was son of Elisha DeWitt & his wife Mary Gibson. Mrs Elza A. DeWitt has given his record above & has gone over & brought over the G.W. H. Kemper M.D. 2 Vol Hist of Delaware Co, Ind published by the Lewis Pub Co Chicago 1908 see below. Mrs DeWitt says her son Fred S. was in the World War & went abroad in May 1918, was an engineer in Co 37th engineers officiating in the Argonne Drive & came home in Apr 1919, escaping being gassed or wounded as his work was in building roads & not in the trenches. On Page 731, vol 2 is an article on John W. DeWitt which says he was born in Monroe Tp. He helped to clear the land which his father in law, Harvey Heath took up from the government on July 29, 1863 when still 16, he enlisted in Co B 118 Ind Vol Inf at Muncie, Ind & his term of enlistment expiring in Mch 1864 he was honorably discharged. In May 1864 he enlisted again for 100 days in Co B 134th Ind Vol Inf from which he recd an honorable discharge with a eulogy from Pres Lincoln. In Feby 1865, he re enlisted again in Co E 147 Ind Vol Inf & recd his honorable discharge on 19th Anniversary of his birth. He was at the battle of Blue Springs & at Walkers Ford. Harvey Heath, her father was born in Guilford Co N.C. in 1814 & died in Monroe Tp this Co in 1904 aged 90 yrs. He came to Indiana at an early age & hired by the month to Wm Y. Williams & worked felling trees until he was about to take up some land. He married Arminta Finley born in Guilford Co N.C. & died in Delaware Co, Ind in 1905 aged 91 yrs. They had 9 children of whom 4 now (then 1908) survive: John T. Mary E. (Mrs DeWitt) Geo F. & Lavina On page 1051 vol 2 is an article on John T. Heath which says he was born in Monroe Tp Mch 28, 1844 & says his father was born in N.C. viz Harvey Heath, the son of Robert Heath & his wife Mollie Perdine. It says Harvey was married in North Carolina to Erminta [sic] Finley & had four sons & five daughters all born in Monroe Tp. In 1869, John T. Heath married Delila Pitser, a native of Delaware Co, Ind & daughter of Evan Pitser & have had 4 sons & 2 daughters: Sanford & Laura, decd & Merritt, Edward, Addie & Jessie living all born in Monroe Tp. They are Republicans & members of Meth Epis Ch. Mrs DeWitt's sister that married Abraham McConnell was Frances Ellen see item 10 on slip both dead in Monroe Tp & both buried at Tumblesons. I had her name erroneously as Mary. Their youngest child, Jesse McConnell lives here in Muncie on S. Walnut St father out abt 17th St. He is married has 2 girls. Their oldest child, Dessiemarried Elson & live on W. Sixth St where he works in some factory. have 2 children. Their son Harvey lives on S. Mulberry & has 2 children & is nearly blind. Item 11. Her sister Rebecca died in Reedly Calif & had one son, Robert her only child who was going to college & dropped dead in Los Angeles, Calif in a Restnt 8 or 10 yr [ago?] Her husband, John Duff is still living in Reedly Calif having married again. Write & ask his parentage etc. Item 12. her sister Levina married James Richmond & died abt 3 yrs ago here on 8th St & a year later he died. They are buried at Sunderlands Cem abt 4 miles south & have markers. No issue Additional Comments: Extracted from Josiah V. Thompson Journals, Vol. 19 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/delaware/history/other/johnwill524gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/infiles/ File size: 7.1 Kb