Captain John Norris was one of the early settlers of Clark county, and had all the trials incident to a frontier life. He commanded a company at the battle of Tippecanoe. General Harrison, in his official report, complimented him and his company. He was also at Pigeon Roost when the Indians made the attack, and assisted old Mr. Collins in defending his house until night. When the Indians commenced to fire the neighboring cabins, Captain Norris and Mr. Collins left the house, Collins being killed. Captain Norris then took two children to a place of safety, went to Charlestown, gave the alarm, and then assisted in burying the bodies of those who were massacred. Captain Norris was a good citizen, an honest man, and a sincere Christian.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


"Basil R. Prather, the father of the Prathers in the township, came here from North Carolina in 1801. His sons, Thomas, William, Walter, Basil R. Jr., Judge Samuel, Lloyd, John & Simon (Sion), were all married when they came here, except the last named. They settled throughout the township, and formed a class of men possessed of many admirable qualities."

Revolutionary War Number: 6907

Submitted by: Lois Mauk
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


Joseph A. Prather

"This venerable citizen of Raccoon Township, Marion county, {Illinois} has been a very active man in the development of this part of the Union, having spent his long life in this and her sister state on the east {Indiana}. He has seen the wonderful growth of the country from its wild prairies, dense forest, inhabited by red men and wild beast to one of the richest and best countries in the world.

"Joseph A. Prather was born in Clark county, Indiana, January 31, 1824, the son of Sihon and Elizabeth (Williams) Prather, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Virginia. The subject's father grew up in the Tar Heel state and moved to Clark county, Indiana, where he lived on a farm and where he and his wife both died. He was a Democrat and held the office of Justice of the Peace for several years. He was a member of the Methodist church, well known and influential. They were the parents of the following children: Louisa, deceased; Samantha, deceased; Thomas, deceased; John, deceased; Joseph A., our subject; William, deceased; Margaret lives in Clark county, Indiana. Several children died young.

"Joseph A. Prather, our subject, had few opportunities to become educated, however he attended subscription schools for a time and lived at home until he was twenty-one years of age, when he went to Floyd county, Indiana, and in 1844 married Sarah Ann Patrick, a native of Clark county, that state, where she was born December 3, 1827, the daughter of William and Nancy (Harris) Patrick, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Virginia. They lived and died in Clark county, Indiana, on a farm. There were twelve children in their family as follows:

Jeremiah
Rebecca
John
Elizabeth
Mary
William
Solomon
James
Nancy
Lewis
Sarah Ann and
Eliza.

They are all deceased except the wife of our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Prather became the parents of nine children, three deceased, namely:

Nancy, who married Roland Warren, lives in Centralia, Illinois, and is the mother of eight children;
Margaret, who is now deceased, having died January 24, 1908, married Lewis Patton, having become the mother of ten children, one who is deceased;
John, who married Belle Oldfield, is a farmer and teamster at Centralia, and has four children;
Eliza J., who married Thomas Shaw, of Centralia township, is the mother of eight children;
Emmons R., a farmer in Raccoon township, first married Mollie Gaston and later Lillie Blair, of Raccoon township, having had four children by his first wife and two by the second;

Etha is the wife of Charles Bundy, of Raccoon township, a full sketch of who appears in this work;
Orville, who is living on part of the old home place in Raccoon township, married, first Laura May, and his second wife was Annie Howard, had three children by each wife:

William died at the age of seven years;
George died when two years old.

"The subject has fifty-three grandchildren and thirty-four great-granchildren. After his marriage our subject lived in Floyd county, Indiana, having come to Marion county, Illinois, in 1854, where he purchased two hundred and twenty acres of land in sections 29 and 32. He made all the improvements on the place, there having been but very little when he took charge, but being a good manager and a hard worker he soon developed a most excellent farm and established a comfortable home. He carries on general farming, raising all kinds of grain, fruit and stock and making a success of all that he undertakes.

"He is a Democrat in politics and has held some of the offices in Raccoon township, always taking much interest in the affairs of his township. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Walnut Hill. He has always been a hard working man and is still very well preserved for a man of his years, having a good business mind and able to manage the many details of his fine farm with profit from year to year. He is a very well read man, keeping well posted on all current topics. As a result of his life of industry, honesty and kindness he has scores of warm friends and if a single enemy he does not know it. Everyone in this part of Marion county knows 'Uncle Joe' Prather, as he is familiarly called and everybody respects him highly."

Submitted by: Stephanie
"Richland, Clay and Marion Counties, Illinois 1909, Biographical Sketches".

Stephanie's grandmother, Ella Lue Prather, was the daughter of Renos Washington Prather, who was the son of George Washington Prather, who was the son of Malakiah Prather, who was the son of John Prather, who was the son of James Prather, and so and so on. Drop her a line if you see a connection to one of your Prather ancestors.

Charles Jacobs offered the following additional information:
My thanks to Stephanie for posting the bio of Joseph Ashton Prather. This helps clear up a mystery I ran onto as I discovered recently the graves of Emmons Rutledge Prather (son of Joseph A. Prather) and his wives and two sons in Old Covenanter Cemetery in Marion Co., Ill. I noted two graves of women with the Prather surname and about the same age as Emmons buried near him, but did not know whether they were both wives, or perhaps one was a sister. The bio of Joseph makes clear that his son Emmons was married twice, and of course the first names given match those I found on the gravestones.

Submitted by: Charles Jacobs


BIOGRAPHY OF JEFFERSON AND DAVID L. PRATHER

"The family of this name has been identified with Clark county for more than a hundred years and borne a conspicuous part in its development. Devoted chiefly to farming, its members have found time for other activities and the county history will show them always ready to bear their full share of responsibilities in the civil, religious and political activities of their respective communities.

Basil Prather, the founder of the family,came to the county about the beginning of the last century and was one of the sturdy old pioneers who left their impress upon this section of Southern Indiana during the formative period of the state. He was one of the founders of New Chapel Church, the second Methodist meeting house established in Indiana and the oldest existing religious society in the state.

He [Basil Prather] left a son who became well known in after life as Judge Samuel Prather, in his time one of the county's most substantial citizens. He married a Miss [Edith Ann] Holman, by whom he had a son named Sion, the latter married Catherine, daughter of David Lutz, who came from North Carolina before the year 1800. His father, Henry Lutz, a native of Germany, found his way north to the then Indiana Territory and established a home in the wild woods of Clark county, subsequently known as Charlestown township. A fuller sketch of this early pioneer appears on another page of this volume. Sion and Catherine (Lutz) Prather were the parents of four children: Jefferson, David, Alvin and Tilford. Alvin joined the Union army in the Civil war and was killed at the battle of Stone River. Tilford reached maturity, married Indiana Bennett and died in 1907, leaving one child.

"[Thomas] Jefferson Prather, the third in order of birth of these four children, was born on the paternal farm in Utica township, Clark county, Indiana, in 1840. In 1865 he married Annie, daughter of William and Mary (Hikes) Gibson, who came from Kentucky to Clark county in what the historians call an "early day". Mrs. Prather died in September 26, 1906, after becoming the mother of two sons, Rolla and Morris [actually "Maurice"]; Rolla moved to California some years ago and settled in Fresno county, where he has a family consisting of a wife and four children.

Morris was married in the fall of 1908 to a Missouri lady and makes his home with his parents. Mr. Prather's farm consists of one hundred and eighteen acres, a part of the old homestead which fell to him after his father's death.

David L. Prather, his [Thomas Jefferson Prather's] younger brother, was born in 1844, and remained on the home place until his marriage to Rebecca, daughter of John Glossbrenner, one of the early pioneers of Utica township, now a resident of Jeffersonville. By this union there were seven children. Jesse R. married Hattie Pass, and lives with his uncle Jefferson. Elmer, Durward and Herbert still remain with their parents. Royd Alvin died December 17, 1908.

"Mr. [David] Prather was elected to the County Commission on the Democratic ticket in 1892, and made an excellent official during his term of service. At his father's death the north part of the old homestead, consisting of seventy-four acres, and the residence fell to his share and here he has since lived the simple and wholesome life that comes from agricultural pursuits. He and his brother Jefferson are members of the Cement Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Aside from its value as farmland, the old Prather homestead, now occupied by these worthy brothers, is of interest to archaeologists. The ground is thickly strewn with Indian arrowheads and other relics of the red men, skeletons having been found which are known to have belonged to the original occupants of this part of Indiana. Still earlier and more interesting relics are remains of the Mound builders, going back to pre-historic times. Three mounds, with indications of a fourth have been found on the Prather place. They are arranged in a semi-circle, connected by a strip of black earth overlying the natural soil. Two burial mounds yielded potsherds, stone-pipes, bone-needles, pestles, axes, a color cup and stone from which red color was made, spear and arrow heads in great variety, besides skeletons of this vanished race, lying on a quantity of charcoal."

Submitted by: Lois Mauk
Baird’s History of Clark County, 1909


Mrs. Mary Ramsey was born and raised in Charlestown. She is the daughter of D. W. Daily; was married to Howard Ramsey in 1847, is now a widow, and resides on a farm two miles south of Charlestown, it being her share of the large tract of land owned by her father.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


T. S. Ransom was born December 12, 1839 in Harrison County, Indiana. His father, Hiram R., a native of New York, came to Indiana in an early day. He died in 1874. Mr. Ransom, the subject of this sketch, came to Clark County in 1866 and went into mercantile business at New Providence where we now find him. He was married September 4, 1867 to Miss Laura Kelly, daughter of Franklin Kelly. They have one child, William E. born September 27, 1874. Mr. and Mrs. Ransom are members of the Christian Church.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


Mr. A. J. Reed was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1815, January 5th, where he remained till July 6, 1828 when he came to Louisville, Kentucky, where he lived only a short time when he went to Washington D. C. and lived with his grandfather who was at that time a member of Congress. He accompanied his grandfather to West Virginia, where he lived till the fall of 1832. Saw General Jackson sworn in each term. Returned to Louisville in November 1832, and worked at brick burning during the season of 1834.

In August of the same year he became a citizen of Clark County, Indiana, which he has called home ever since, though he spent the year 1848, in Cincinnati, during the time of the cholera. From there he went to Nashville, Tennessee, and remained till September 1850, where he also found the cholera very bad. At this date he returned to this county, where he has since resided.

In the year 1858 he purchased the farm where he now resides, in Monroe Township, comprising in al three hundred and sixty acres and a beautiful home. Mr. Reed married his wife on this place February 18, 1847, her maiden name being Miss Ann Dunberry, born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1823. They have five children living and seven deceased. Of the living children there are two sons and three daughters. Mr. Reed and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has been assessor for ten years, and six years commissioner. Politically he is a Democrat.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


Dr. James Madison Reynolds is a descendant of one of the early settlers of Union Township, Clark County. His grandfather Mr. Richard Reynolds moved with his wife Sarah from Kentucky. About the year 1858 he was killed on the railroad. His family consisted of nine children. One of his sons, James Madison, Sr., was the father of the subject of this sketch.

He was born in Clark County in 1831, and died in 1850. His wife was Miss Catherine Smith, who after the death of Mr. Reynolds married Mr. Hancock. Dr. Reynolds was born in 1851, nearly six months after the death of his father. He graduated in the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati. The Doctor was married in 1870 to Miss Matilda A. Combs.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


John Robertson is a grandson of Samuel Robertson, one of the early pioneers of Clark county, who settled near what was called the Gasaway church. He married a daughter of the late James Beggs, and is now living on the Beggs farm. He is a well-to-do farmer.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


Augustus Schlamm was born in Prussia in 1829. He came to America in 1851. He lived in New York one year, and came to Indiana in 1852. He was married in Indiana in 1857 to Miss Barbara Bollyn, who was born in Switzerland in 1833. Mr. Schlamm is a leading business man of Henryville. He has been township trustee for the past ten years.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


George Schwartz was born January 13, 1803. He is the son of Mr. John Schwartz, who came from Pennsylvania in the fall of 1802, and settled in Utica Township, Clark County, Indiana on a farm adjoining the one now owned and lived upon by the son. On this pioneer farm young George was brought up and made familiar with all the privations and hard labor of the times. He married, August 21, 1823, Miss Nancy Fry, of Jefferson County, Kentucky, who was born March 29, 1804. In the fall of 1824 he purchased a tract of wild land, and the following winter put up a double cabin, in which, on the 1st of April 1825, the young couple commenced housekeeping. They have had twelve children, all of whom they raised to man and womanhood, though some have since died. Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz sill live on the old farm, but in a new house, and surrounded by all the comforts of life.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


Mrs. Mary N. (Edmonson) Stark is the widow of Mr. Thomas L. Stark, formerly a resident of Louisville, where he was engaged in the mercantile business many years. He was born in Greencastle, Indiana in 1828. He was married September 3, 1850. Mrs. Stark is a daughter of Mr. Norris Edmonson, a millwright of Oldham county, Kentucky. Mr. Stark served through the [civil] war in the Fifty-third volunteer infantry, and died January 1, 1866, of disease contracted while in service. He left a family of three children - Walter, Lillie B., and Cora F.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


Mr. John C. Stuard was born in Hamilton county, Ohio in 1819. He is a son of Mr. Isaac Stuard, a farmer of the aforesaid county. He was married in 1845 to Miss Virginia Hedges, of Boone county, Kentucky. Mrs. Stuard was born in 1828. Their family consists of three sons and three daughters, all of whom reside in the State of Indiana. In 1847 Mr. Stuard came to Jeffersonville, where he remain in business until 1868, when he moved to Henryville, where he still resides. At present he is engaged in farming and the stock business.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


This venerable agriculturist is one of the sterling characters of Clark county who have come down to the present from the pioneer era, and no man has done more in his community for the upbuilding of the same that has Mr. Wade.

Jonathan Wade was born in Wood township, Clark County, December 18, 1832, on the place where he now lives, the son of Lindsey and Margaret (Carlisle) Wade, the former a native of Randolph County, North Carolina, where he was born in November, about 1812. He was brought to Clark county, Indiana, by his mother when about three years old, settling in the wilds, with Indians and wild beast as neighbors.

Lindsey Wade was the son of James and Belle Wade. He was a farmer and stock dealer until his death, in 1887. He was a well known man in this county. He was a Democrat, but never would accept public office.

The county was very wild in Lindsey Wade's time. Land here was taken up about 1819. It was all timber. The land where Lindsey Wade lived when the subject was born was first settled by a family named Clark. The father of the subject dealt extensively in horses. The subject's mother was brought to this county by an uncle, James Johnson, from Pennsylvania. Her parents died when she was an infant.

The mother and father of Jonathan Wade were born in the same month and the same year, only one day's difference. The mother died in 1895.

To Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey Wade six children were born, only three of whom are living; besides Jonathan his brother, Henry, is living in Floyd County, and his sister Elizabeth, who married a Mr. Stolzer, is living in New Albany.

Jonathan's education was limited, but he attended the old time subscription schools, taught in log houses, and he educated himself, after he was married, by night study. He started in life for himself when he married, May 9,1854, Elizabeth Nicholson, who was born June 6,1832 in Wood Township, Clark county, the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Graves) Nicholson. Mary Graves was born December 29,1799, Randolph Co., North Carolina. Joseph Nicholson was born January 30, 1794 in North Carolina. Their parents were from England. Joseph and Mary Nicholson came to Clark County, Indiana, about 1817. Joseph Nicholson died in March, 1876, and his wife passed away in April 1888.

Mrs. Joseph Nicholson brought cotton seed from North Carolina, which she planted here and used the cotton she grew from it to spin a bed cover that the subject's wife still owns. The cotton was picked by Mrs. Nicholson and carded by hand.

The following children have been born to Mr. And Mrs. Jonathan Wade: Lindsey, born May 31, 1855, married Rebecca Clark, who lives in Wood Township, and they are the parents of four children; Mary born February 28, 1857, married James Keas, and her second marriage was with J. B. LaDue. Mary had one child by her first husband and two by her second. She lives in Kansas. Richard H., the subject's third child, was born July 15,1859, and married Nora Schreiber. They live in Michigan and are the parents of five children living and two deceased. Margaret R., the subject's fourth child, was born January 19,1861, and died when two years and eight months old; Carrie, born November 28,1864, married Frank Rush, living in California, and they are the parents of one child; Henrietta, born in April in 1866 or 1867, is married and is living in Peru, Indiana; Eliza, born February 5,1869, married Will Schleicher, living in Wood Township, this county, and they are the parents of on child living and three died in infancy; Omega, born March 26,1871, married Jacob Smith, living in New Albany, and they are the parents of four children; Sarah, born August 30,1873, married Robert H. Clark, living in Louisville, Kentucky, and they are the parents of two children; Bryon J., born July 5, 1877, married Minnie Hunt. They live with the subject of this sketch and are the parents of three children.

Jonathan Wade has spent his life in Wood Township farming and stock raising which he has made a success. He has always been a great lover of horses and some good ones are to be found on his place at all times. He is regarded as a good farmer in every sense of the word. He is a loyal Democrat, and has been Trustee and has held several other township offices. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church. The subject has been an elder and a deacon in the same for many years. He has a beautiful and comfortable home in Section 23, six miles from Borden. They are fine people of the old-fashion type. They still use the old-time fire-place and burn wood in it.

Submitted by: Lonnie Fink
Baird’s History of Clark County, 1909


C. C. White was a son of John White, who emigrated from Fayette county, Pennsylvania in the year 1804 and settled near the Sinking fork of Silver creek. Mr. White was a tanner and carried on the tanning business for a great many years; raised a large and respectable family. He assisted in burying those who were killed at the Pigeon Roost massacre. C. C. White was born and raised in Clark county, and resides on the farm that was owned by his father. He is a well-to-do farmer, a well-informed man, and a cordial, genial gentleman, and is highly respected by his fellow-citizens.

Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


Among the early settlers of Union township was the family of Isaac Townsend, who came to Clark County in 1817. Isaac Townsend was born in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, October 10, 1790, and was the son of Uriah and Dorothy Townsend. Uriah Townsend was a son of Elijah Townsend and Dorothy, a daughter of Rudolph Fox, who was among the earliest pioneers of Bradford County. Mr. Fox having located there in 1770. In 1793 Uriah Townsend with his family moved to Yates County, New York, locating in the town of Jerusalem, near Pennyan. Here Isaac Townsend grew up and was married in 1810 to Meliscent Guernsey, daughter of Daniel Guernsey. They resided in Yates County until 1817, when Mr. Townsend resolved to secure a home in Indiana. Traveling overland to what was then known as Olean Point, they embarked and floated down the Alleghany and Ohio rivers to Utica, where they landed, and Clark County became their permanent home. They settled in the Blue Lick country, within the present limits of Union township. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend were both Methodists and lived quiet and happy lives. Mrs. Townsend died May 8, 1871, and Mr. Townsend June 17, 1875. They are buried with all their children except one in Mountain Grove cemetery, three miles west of Henryville. The children of Isaac and Meliscent Townsend were: George Harmon, Elizabeth, Uriah, Julia, Isaac, Monroe, Guernsey and Desire.

George Harmon Townsend was born in Yates County, New York, June 11, 1811, came with his parents to Clark County in 1817, and grew up in the Blue Lick country. He became quite wealthy and was one of the first trustees of Union township. He was married September 13, 1832, to Sarah Maria Thompson. The children of George Harmon and Sarah Marie Townsend were: Phila Ann Townsend, born June 27, 1833, married to John S. Dunlevy February 9, 1857. They settled in Monroe township and had three children-Ann Eliza, George Townsend, and Simeon Crawford Dunlevy. Burritt Leroy Townsend, born April 15, 1835, married to Mary E. Biggs, March 22, 1860. Their children are: Ida, Emma, Annie Hobart, Robert, Franklin, Byron and Pauline. They live in Cumberland County, Illinois. Isaac Franklin Townsend was born January 31, 1837, married to Julia F. Hart, March 1861. They live in Smith County, Kansas, and have four children: William B., Charles Hart, Lelah M., and George Franklin. Angeline Townsend was born May 31, 1842, married to John King, October 22, 1862. They located in Carr township and their children are: George Washington, John Franklin, Thomas Leroy, Lafayette Sampson, Charles Walter, Clela Dailey, Hamilton Ferguson and Annie Ella.

Sarah Marie Townsend died June 10, 1845, and on August 31, 1847, George Harmon Townsend was again married, to Elizabeth Hart of Bartholomew County. The children of George Harmon and Elizabeth Townsend are: Lenora Jane Townsend was born June 7, 1849, married to Henry H. Carr November 3, 1866. He died and she was married a second time to John W. Batty. They live in the Blue Lick country and have four children -- Ralph Covert, John Byron, Estelle Pink, and Helen Townsend. Thomas Matson Townsend was born March 7, 1851, married to Matilda Reed, September 30, 1869. They live in Silver Creek township and their children are -- Henry Augustus, Annie Laura, Cora Alice, Thomas Lafayette, George Harmon, Ella Reed, Frank Smith, and Martha Rave. Lafayette Demarcus Townsend was born December 27, 1852, married to Mary M. Buehler, September 9, 1875. They live in the Blue Lick country, and their children are -- Nora Elizabeth, Annie Blanch, Lelah Belle, Paul Vernon, James Edwin, Charles B., Lucy Forest, Herman Ray, Ruth J., Elmer L., and Hazel M. Sarah Addie Townsend was born August 30, 1859, married to James Frederick Whitesides, September 14, 1876. They reside near Memphis and their children are -- Nora America, Catherine Ella, Goldie Lillie, Homer Townsend, Pearl Indiana, Mabel Elizabeth, James Otto, Mary Addie, and Daisy Grace. Ella Elizabeth Townsend was born September 2, 1861, married to Edwin Orville Green, May 3, 1888. They reside in Cleveland, Ohio and their children are -- Florence Catherine, Bernice Edna, And Amos Townsend Green. Lillie Alice Townsend was born November 21, 1863, married to James Madison Hawes, September 6, 1882. They live in Jeffersonville and their children are -- Bessie Beatrice, Edith Nathan, Blanche Townsend, Myrtle Foster and Katharine Jeanette. Laura Pink Townsend was born February 23, 1868, married to Marcellus Mayfield, July 1888. They live in Royal Center, Indiana and their children are -- Clyde, Hollis Earl, and Lecta Geneva. Daisy Forest Townsend, born June 19, 1870, married to Alvin E. Green March 3, 1889. They reside in New Albany, Indiana and have no children.

George Harmon Townsend died February 22, 1889, after a long and useful life. His wife, Elizabeth having preceded him, died April 23, 1879. They with the first wife are buried in Mountain Grove cemetery.

Of the other children of Isaac and Meliscent Townsend: Elizabeth Townsend married Almond Roberts and located in Monroe township. Their children were -- Wesley, Millie, Emily, Julia, Marintha, Huldah and Nancy. Uriah Townsend married Elizabeth ______ {sic} and settled in Union township, their children were -- Nancy, Minerva, and Elizabeth. Julia Townsend married Joseph Johnson and lived in the Blue Lick country. They left no descendants. Isaac Monroe Townsend married Julia Ann Harris and lived in Union township. Their children were -- James Allen, Huldah and Elam. Dr. Terry Monroe Townsend, formerly of Jeffersonville, but now living in New York City, is a son of Elam Townsend. Desire Townsend married Joseph Biggs and lived in Monroe township. They left no descendants. Guernsey Townsend married and moved to Clinton County, Indiana, where he brought a large family, and lived to a good, ripe old age. He is the only one of the children not buried in Mountain Grove cemetery.

Other members of the Townsend family in the Blue Lick country are of the lineage, through John Townsend, a brother of Isaac Townsend. They are: Sophia Townsend, who married Parady Payne, and lived in Monroe township. Their children are -- William, James, Lillie, George F., Charles, Arthur, Kate, and John. James Townsend married Serena Trotter, and resided in Monroe township. Their children are -- Albert, James, and Charles Townsend. Rexie Townsend married Thompson M. Dietz and lived in the Blue Lick country. Their children are -- Florence, Ruth, Grace, Fanny, Thompson M., Walter and Bryan Deitz.

Submitted by: Veneta Townsend Hazlewood
Baird’s History of Clark County, 1909


Jeffersonville (Indiana) Evening News, October 15, 1910:

"NONOGENARIAN Dies at Home in Carr Township Where Entire Life Was Lived

"William Whalen, Sr., of Bennettsville, who would have been 90 years of age had he lived four days longer, died Friday [10/1910] due to general sennility. He was one of the best known residents of the section in which he had lived his entire life and he was a lifelong Democrat.

"Mr. Whalen was married twice, his first wife who before her marriage was a Miss SLIDER having died about thirty years ago. His second wife survived him with children from both unions. He leaves two sons, Jacob and William WHALEN, who reside at home and one married daughter, residing in Carr Township, all of whom are children by his first wife. There are several children in the west, one son residing in Los Angeles, California, two daughters in Missouri and a daughter in Illinois, most of whom were home when he died.

"The deceased was a member of a preeminent family and a member of the M. ___? church __________ . . . the funeral was conducted yesterday [10/14/1910] by the Rev. J. __. Washburn."


Jeffersonville (Indiana) Evening News, March 5, 1912:

"FRATICIDE AND SUICIDE -- Jacob Whalen of Bennetsville Shot and Killed Brother Joseph Whalen and Cut His Own Throat Directly After -- Real Estate Assigned as Cause

"A double tragedy -- murder and suicide -- was reported this morning (3/5/1912) from Bennettsville where Jacob WHALEN, aged 56, shot and instantly killed his brother Joseph WHALEN, aged 45, soon after 9 o'clock and a few minutes afterward [Jacob] cut his own throat with a razor, inflicting injuries which proved fatal less than an hour later.

"First word of the affair was received in the city [of Jeffersonville] by Froman M. Coots, coroner, who being unable to go to the scene of the tragdy at once requested Magistrate James H. WEIR of Sellersburg to go and hold an inquest and he proceeded forthwith to the scene of the killing.

"Details gathered by telephone indicate that the two brothers who were the principals in the tragedy were in the barn lot at the time. A third brother, William, who resides with them at the same farm which they operate jointly, was absent about the place and only knew of the trouble when one brother was lying dead and the other's life was fast ebbing away. A fourth member of the household is Mrs. Molline WHALEN, who is the wife of Joseph Whalen, the only one of the three brothers who was married.

"Mrs. Whalen was in the house when she heard a shot fired and looking out of the window she saw her brother-in-law coming towards the house and her husband lying on the ground dead. In terror, and believing the fraticide was seeking another victim, she fled from the house, but when Jacob Whalen found her gone, he proceeded to his own room upstairs and taking a razor cut his own throat from ear to ear.

"The dead and dying brother[s] were found soon afterwards by the third brother and others who were summonded by the distracted widow and a physician who was summoned to attend the fraticide but the injuries inflicted were of such a nature that his death was thought certain from the first and he passed away less than an hour after firing the fatal shot.

"The three brothers residing at Bennetsville and a fourth brother, John WHALEN, who is not living in Clark County, are the sons of the late William WHALEN, Sr., who died a year or two ago. He was survived by his third wife, by whom he had no children and who is now living at Bedford, Indiana. Joe WHALEN's widow was Mrs. Mollie McCURDY when he married her some three years ago, her maiden name having been Miss Mollie Allen. She is a sister of John Allen and also belongs to a Bennettsville family where the WHALENs have been established many years and are well known.

NOTE FROM LOIS MAUK: Joseph WHALEN (b. 10/29/1864, d. 03/05/1912) is buried at Allen Cemetery (behind 2011 Perry Crossing Road in Carr Township); he shares a stone with "Mollie Hale", b. 1865, d. 1929, his widow, who married ______ Hale after Joseph's death).

"Mrs. Joseph WHALEN, who has now lost her husband under these tragic circumstances, lost a son a year or two ago, when a child by her former husband, Charles McCURDY, deceased, was run down by an automobile in New Albany and was killed. Other children by that marriage are at the home of Joseph POPP, at Bennettsville. There are no children by her marriage to Joseph Whalen.

"The estate of William Whalen [Sr.] was settled up only a few weeks ago and the final report is awaiting final approval. It is said that when Jacob Whalen was recently in the city on business connected with the estate he gave evidence of having been drinking. His brother Joseph was a genial, pleasant dispositioned man and the elder brother was also well liked when free from the influence of liquor. Besides the four brothers there is a sister, Mrs. Elizabeth BESS of Oklahoma, and another sister, Mrs. Anne ROGERS of Joplin, Missouri. The wife of Olive CRONE, [Clark] county commissioner, was a WHALEN before her marriage and a cousin of the two brothers.

"HORRIBLE DETAILS -- Further Particulars From Home Show Premeditation

"Further information was obtained this afternoon which throws a lurid light on this morning's tragedy and shows that ____________ [several lines illegible] . . . while the cruel vindictiveness with which the murder was consummated makes the story one of the most terrible in the annals of Clark County.

"Joseph Whalen, a cousin of the two men, was able to give additional information which reached the [Evening] News through a trusted medium. It seems that the settlement of the estate of William WHALEN [Sr.], the dead father was the origin of the trouble and that the elder brother was greatly dissatisfied and _______ed against the younger. A month ago he said to his cousin, Joe, that in about a month's time this affair would be settled, a remark which the other took as a threat. He remonstrated with Jacob and warned his other cousin Joseph about it.

"For several weeks Jacob had been drinking but this morning appeared to be clear, it is said, rose in good time and had a good breakfast. Joseph Whalen went out to haul some kindling and had his wagon against the kitchen door when Jacob came out with a double-barrelled shot gun and in answer to an inquiry said he had noticed a hawk. Then he went near his brother, took aim and shot him in the side.

"His distracted sister-in-law rushed out, asked him what he had done and then was flung back as Jacob Whalen tried to get aim at her. She got into the kitchen and slammed the door just in time locking it and then rushing out by the front way and down the road to give the alarm.

"Jacob returned to his brother, put the gun against his side and discharged the second barrel, the shot penetrating the lung and causing death if that had not already come. Jacob then reloaded the gun and went up to his room, stood in front of a mirror and slashed his throat twice with a razor. The loaded gun was found at his feet by his cousin Joe, summoned by the widow of the dead man down stairs.

"To his cousin, the dying fratricide declared that he was not sorry for the deed but would not say who the reloaded gun was for beyond stating that he had nothing against the other brother, William. It is thought it was intended either for his sister-in-law or for himself in case he failed with the razor. He lived only an hour after his murdered brother.

"The affair has naturally caused a sensation in Bennettsville and neighborhood and little less in the city [of Jeffersonville] for the family was well-known, long-established and well regarded."


Jeffersonville (Indiana) Evening News, March ___, 1912:

"FUNERALS FRIDAY -- Jacob and Joseph Whalen Will Be Buried Separately But Services Will Be at Same Church

"The funeral of Jacob and Joseph Whalen, brothers, will take place Friday morning at ten o'clock at the United Brethren Church, Bennettsville, of which the latter was a member. It was the understanding this morning that the funeral service[s] will be held separately for the two but it may be decided to hold both at the same time, which has been announced as ten o'clock.

"The remains of Jacob Whalen [who murdered Joseph] will be laid to rest beside the body of his father, William WHALEN [Sr.] on the Martin Schindler place instead of in the Silver Creek Cemetery as was intended at first. The remains of Joseph WHALEN will be buried, as already announced in the Jenkins cemetery."

NOTE FROM LOIS MAUK: Lafayette WHALEN (b. 09/25/1860, d. 02/12/1903) and Kate L. WHALEN (1822-1895) are buried at Silver Creek Cemetery in Charlestown Twp.

"The two sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth BESS, of Oklahoma, and Mrs. Anna Rogers, of Joplin, Missouri, arrived this morning to attend the funeral."


William Whalen, Sr. (d. about 1910) and Elizabeth SLIDER (first wife), parents of:
Jacob Whalen (1856-1912)
William Whalen
Unnamed daughter

Children of William Whalen, Sr. and his second wife, __________ [Sara Jacobs?], were:
Joseph Whalen (1866-1912), husband of
Mollie McCURDY (maiden name ALLEN),
sister of John ALLEN; first husband was
Charles McCURDY (d. before 1912).
Mollie was the mother of several children
by her first marriage, but none by this
marriage.
John Whalen [perhaps residing in Los Angeles, California]
Elizabeth Whalen BESS [Oklahoma]
Anne Whalen ROGERS [Joplin, Mo.]


Buried at Ebenezer Cemetery in Union Township:
WHALEN, Amos I. (b. 10 Aug 1863, d. 21 Apr 1885)
son of G. P. & M. J.
WHALEN, Joseph L. (b. 1858, d. 1944)
WHALEN, Mary Emma (b. 1864, d. 1940)

Children of Joseph L. and Mary Emma:
Arthur B., Elmer W. and Rosa J.


Submitted by: James VanDerMark
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


James Noble WOOD was born in South Carolina, December 26, 1768, and was married to Margaret SMITH September 27, 1794, at Clarksville, Indiana. He died at Utica, Indiana, March 25, 1826, aged 58 years.

Margaret SMITH was born in the state of Pennsylvania March 5, 1777, and she died at Utica, Indiana, March 5, 1854.

From Clarksville, Indiana, on Christmas Day, 1795, James Noble WOOD and several friends went to what is now Utica, Indiana, eight miles above Clarksville, in a pirogue, taking with them the few tools necessary to fell and shape the timber and build a log cabin; this they did in one day. It was built about 90 yards above what is now the northernmost street of Utica. The cabin was near the river bank, as was the two-story log house built later, and nearer the town. His nearest neighbor lived on Harrods Creek, Kentucky, two and a half miles from the Ohio River. The only building in what is now Jeffersonville was the block-house occupied by soldiers. In the spring of 1796, he, with his wife, moved into the cabin. Their table was the top of a poplar stump, having felled a tree, four feet in diameter for clapboards for the roof and puncheons for the floor; later, enough of the timber was cut away to form a well-shaped center table.

WOOD employed two men to assist in clearing a few acres of land in the river bottom, planting corn and vegetables. In December, the men wished to go to Shippingsport, Kentucky, to remain during the winter months. They hunted two days, killed several bears and a few deer and sold the game at Shippingsport. Game was then very plentiful.

A few years later, WOOD built a ferry boat of poplar, immense poplar trees being then abundant. About this time many families from the Carolinas were moving into what is now the state of Indiana, at that time known as Knox County, Virginia. WOOD made big money with his ferry boat, and soon added more boats. He sold corn at one dollar per bushel. If an emigrant had a lame or worn-out horse, he would sell or trade. Soon, a stock of horses were on hand, and became a part of the business. WOOD also sold a great deal of whiskey.

Later, Judge John MILLER, of Utica, New York, settled here, purchasing land adjoining what later was the southern part of Utica. MILLER build a large two-story log house, with hall and ell, yet occupied and in good repair. Joseph MILLER, late of New Albany, Indiana, was a son of Judge MILLER. Joseph MILLER was a well known river pilot, between Louisville and New Orleans. Judge MILLER built and operated ferryboats between Utica and Harrod's Creek, Kentucky, making good money in the business. MILLER, WOOD, and a Mr. BRIGHT, of Philadelphia, PA, laid out the town of Utica.

Part of the town was owned by WOOD, by deed of gift from his mother's half brother, Capt Robt. GEORGE, of Arlington Springs, VA. Capt. GEORGE served under Gen. George Rogers CLARK [his first cousin] in what was known as the Illinois Regiment, which was present at the capture of [the forts at] Vincennes, Indiana; Kaskaskia, Illinois; and St. Louis, Missouri, and also at points on the lower Mississippi River [transcriber's note: These were THE major western battles of the Revolutionary War]. ... Capt. GEORGE spent his years of capability in military service... His brother, William GEORGE, of Arlington Springs, Virginia, owned much land and many slaves. He [Capt. Robt. GEORGE] made his home with James Noble WOOD during the remainder of his life, although he held patents for two bodies of land of one thousand acres each in Kentucky. He gave nothing to either of his two sisters, claiming that their husbands failed to take up arms against the crown during the Revolutionary War [They were Loyalists]. The two sisters, with their husbands, lived in this vicinity for several years and the descendants of both families were good citizens. Some of them have held good county offices in Clark County, yet the old Captain held to his prejudice and gave the two thousand acres of land in Kentucky and the 360 acres in and adjoining Utica, to the sons of his half-sister, Margaret SHARON, the widow GEORGE having married a man of that name, wife of James Noble WOOD. James WOOD [Sr., father to James Noble WOOD] had to leave his home in South Carolina after striking an English soldier with a blacksmith's hammer. Captain GEORGE considered striking an English soldier deserved reward .

[Transcriber's note: James WOOD served in the Home Guard of South Carolina, and therefore, like Capt. GEORGE, had fought for the independence of the colonies from England. Also, he most probably killed, or at least seriously injured the soldier, no doubt a corporal offense as far as the British were concerned. Baird mentions the Battle of Eutaw Springs, a major battle of the revolutionary period, which immediately preceded James WOOD "striking" the soldier, further in the narrative, but shows some ignorance of the importance of this period in his treatment of why Capt. GEORGE would have "maintained his prejudice"].

Ann WOOD, born in 1796, often told of the peculiarities of Capt. GEORGE. He died in 1808 and was buried in Utica [Hillcrest] Cemetery.

Of eleven children born to James Noble WOOD and his wife, six died before reaching the age of seven years, one died at the age of 75 years, one at 84, one at 87, two at 89, four were in fairly good health until within a week or two of death; one was feeble for two or three years. It appears that malarial fever was so common and malignant that only the strong survived.

James Noble WOOD was presented to General LAFAYETTE in Louisville, and had a little conversation with him. He met Aaron BURR also in Louisville. Moses WOOD, a brother, joined the expedition under BURR, and was captured by the U.S. troops while descending the Ohio. George WOOD, a brother, settled what is now WOOD townsihp, this county. Some of his descendants live in that township today. Ann WOOD, a sister, married Samuel HAY, of Lancaster Co., PA. HAY was appointed and served as [Clark Co.'s first] sheriff while Indiana was yet a territory. Court was held at Vincennes. Jane WOOD, a sister, married John DOUTHETT, a native of PA. He served many years as Recorder of Clark Co. Another sister married William FERGUSON, a cousin, and lived some time in the vicinity of Utica.

James Noble WOOD lost much through his friends, and sold some land before his death. His two sons, Robert George WOOD, b. in 1803, and Napoleon B[onaparte] WOOD, b. in 1813, inherited his estate and through recklessness lost the greater part of it. [Note: They actually lost most of the land when cement was invented & sandstone was no longer the primary stone used in buildings]. Some of the descendants of Robert G. WOOD live in Utica, others in Kentucky. Some of the descendants of Napoleon WOOD live in Utica; others in Kentucky.Robert G. WOOD d. April 18, 1878. [Napoleon d. Sept. 27, 1902].

James WOOD, father of James Noble WOOD, was b. of Scotch parentage [in Virginia]. No record as to date of birth is at hand [b. June 14, 1746]. He m. Margaret SHARON, half sister to Capt. Robert GEORGE, of Arlington Springs, Virginia [d. of Moses SHARON and Mildred ROGERS, Mildred the sister of Ann ROGERS, mother to George Rogers CLARK]. The tradition of the family is that James WOOD during the Revolutionary War was located 60 m. from Charleston, SC. He kept a country store, cooper shop & blacksmith shop, being a blacksmith by trade. He organized a company of 30 men favorable to the colonial cause a home guard, the American general commanding the military district ordered WOOD to report to headquarters, which he did. The general (probably Gen. Francis MARION) offered WOOD a commission, provided he would be mustered into the service, and also bring as many men as possible. WOOD failed to accept. Immediately following the battle of Eutaw Springs (in which Americans were sorely defeated) two British cavalrymen on jaded mounts stopped at the blacksmith shop to have horse shoeing done. They told of the battle; of the British victory and American defeat, and said that soon there would not be a rebel in SC. One horse was shod; his rider mounted and rode away. Later, WOOD struck the remaining soldier with his blacksmith hammer, the result of the blow is not known. In less than an hour, WOOD, with his wife & children, a bed and covering, a few pots and pans and some food, were in an ox wagon, driving northward. He drove all night and all of the next day, when he stopped for the night the oxen and wagon were always headed southward, in order to deceive pursuers. He reached Virginia, remaining there until the close of the war. He then returned home & sold both personal and realty, and prepared to move to the Falls of the Ohio.

About 1786, WOOD reached the Falls of the Ohio [Louisville], bought land and cultivated it. It was located between Shippingsport and Portland. He later sold this land and moved near Utica. His bones lie about the center of Jefferson street and about half way in the square between 11th and 12th St. [the projects], Louisville, Kentucky, the street having been cut through the cemetery. He d. Sept. 24, 1816. His wife, Margaret SHARON, d. Oct. 19, 1801, and is buried beside him.

Margaret SMITH, wife of James Noble WOOD, in the year 1785, together with two sisters in charge of their father & mother, left the state of Pennsylvania, in a house boat, their destination being the Falls of the Ohio. In another boat were Mrs. SMITH's sister and her husband. With several boats, they reached the blockhouse where Cincinnati now stands, then known as Ft. Washington. They turned their cattle out to browse. The brother-in-law, an Indian fighter, went after the cattle, but came back without them, reporting signs of Indians. SMITH, also an Indian fighter, disregarding the advice of the brother-in-law [his son-in-law], took his rifle and started to get the cattle, the bells being plainly heard. (The bells were probably rung by the Indians). Shortly after, rifle shots were heard, the soldiers pushed out into the timber, found SMITH dead and scalped. He had been struck by several bullets. SMITH was an athlete and excelled in jumping. A survey of the surroundings showed that he had run some distance and had reached a ravine, or gully. The marks showed that he had jumped, falling dead on the opposite side of the gully. The soldiers decided that the force of the bullets carried him across, as they struck him while in the air, as no one could possibly have jumped that distance. The brother-in-law returned to Pennsylvania with his family.

Nancy SMITH, the widow, determined to go on to the Falls of the Ohio. During the trip, a storm at night separated her boat from the fleet. When morning came, she was alone with her children, pulling to the middle of the river. She rowed to overtake the fleet during the day. She was fired upon by Indians, several bullets striking the boat. The children were told to lie flat on the floor, while the mother pulled for the opposite shore, keepint the boat between her and the Indians, and was soon out of danger. She soon overtook the other boats and reached Clarksville in safety. One of her daughters m. a Mr. WARE, of Clarksville; a son born to them was for many years a Falls pilot.

A sister, Nancy [SMITH], while washing clothes at a spring at the outskirts of Clarksville, was fired upon by Indians, receiving seven wounds. One Indian rushed forward and scalped her. He then turned to run, made a few steps and turned, threw his tomahawk at her but missed her. By that time men were in sight, rushing to the scene with arms in hand. The Indian made his escape. Years afterward, at Vincennes, Indiana, an Indian in conversation with whites remarked that he had never killed a white man, but had killed a white squaw at the Falls of the Ohio, and pointed to a scar on the calf of his leg where she had bitten him while being scalped. When told that the white squaw was living and was the mother of several children, he answered, "Ugh! Kill'um next time."

Nancy was about 16 years of age at the time of the scalping, and later she married [Buckner] PITTMAN. PITTMAN was a Virginian, and had served in a military organization known as The Rangers [he actually served under Capt. Robt. GEORGE and George Rogers CLARK in the winning of "The West", or the Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio territory]......He received patent for 500 acres of land, this he sold for a trifling sum, as did many others. After being discharged from the service, he remained in Clarksville awaiting for the springtime weather before starting for his Virginia home, bidding acquaintances and Clarksville farewell. He mounted his horse, crossed the river below the Falls and , as he led his horse off the boat, the horse fell, injuring him so badly as to make him useless. PITTMAN returned to Clarksville and later m. Nancy [Ann] SMITH [m. Jan. 14, 1786 in Louisville, KY], and several years later, with his wife and children, left in a flat boat. They floated down the Mississippi, and years after were located on Fairchild's Island, near Vicksburg, Mississippi. The mother of Mrs. Julia MACKEY, nee MORRISON, of Utica, had in her possession for several years, a lock of white hair, coarse as the mane of a horse, taken from the new growth of the scalp on the head of Nancy SMITH. William MORRISON, father of Mrs. MACKEY, fought under Gen. JACKSON at the Battle of New Orleans. He settled in Utica about the year 1823, dying there about 1867. He deserves a place in frontier history.

Nancy SMITH, mother of Margaret, wife of James Noble WOOD, d. Aug. 10, 1828, aged 102 years. At the age of 96, she bought a new spinning wheel. A neighbor wished to borrow it and the old lady refused to loan, saying, "I've owned several wheels. Other people borrowed and wore them out. I intend to wear this out myself."

This story comes from Baird's History of Clark Co., Indiana, pp. 897-901. Comments by Susanne Wood Smith, a direct descendant and family historian for nearly 20 years.

Submitted by: Susanne Wood Smith
Baird’s History of Clark County, 1909


The work [John Work] performed in making calculations without a compass is almost incredible. On the bank of Fourteen-mile creek he erected a stone mill as early as 1800. After 15-20 years of constant use the old stone mill needed repairing; but he had already decided on a new place of business.

A tunnel was to be made which was to act as a mill-race, and therefore always give a full supply of water. Fourteen Mile Creek makes a long curve in the form of a pear. The distance through at the narrowest point was a little over three hundred feet. The hill rose to one hundred feet from the bed of the creek. It was made up of solid rock. From the old mill-site he began tunneling, and also at the same time on the opposite side, or where the new mill was to stand. His implements were rude; his experience in blasting and making powder limited.

The work began in 1817 and lasted three years. During this time, three men were constantly engaged. Six hundred and fifty pounds of powder were used, and the cost of the work is estimated at $3,300. The race was six feet deep and five wide, and was ninety-four feet below the summit. No bracing or scaffolding was required to protect the workmen, and when completed no arching was erected to preserve the roof from falling.

The day of completion was a gala day for the surrounding country. John Work invited all his customers to partake of his hospitalities and a great dinner was provided. A man who weighed over two hundred pounds rode through the tunnel on horseback. Henceforward this was called the Tunnel Mill.

At the end of the race an overshot wheel was put up. The two buhrs ran by a never-failing water-supply, with a fall of 24 ft. The mill is frame, and is 50x35 ft. The wheel is 20 ft. in diameter, though 26 ft. could be used, if necessary. John Rose acted here as second engineer, and Woodrun Procter as tool-sharpener and gunsmith.

Contributor Marsha Smith reports that Dr. Karl Kramer (of Kentuckiana Historical Services) advised her the mill burned about 50 years ago. She has nothing to document that report, but assumes it is true.

Submitted by Marsha Smith
History of The Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Volume 2, 1882


Nathan C. Worrall was born in Clark County, Indiana, November 20, 1822 and like most of the pioneer children he received such schooling as was to be had in the schools of that time.

His early life was spent helping his father farm. For diversion and enjoyment he hunted and fished in the hills and streams and attended the neighborhood gatherings.

On January 21, 1847, he was united in marriage to Malinda Bates. He continued farming and stock raising in Indiana on a farm adjacent to his father's.

On April 18,1848, a daughter was born to this union. She was named Elizabeth Jane, but to the happy couple, sorrow was to come as the little daughter passed away on December 13, 1848.

On Feb 21, 1850, another daughter was born to this union and she was named Hannah Abigail. This little one thrived and was watched anxiously through sickness and was a great joy to the young couple.

Selling his possessions in Indiana he moved to Illinois and bought another farm where he resided until the summer of 1859. His health had been failing and he felt the need of looking for a more suitable climate.

During their sojourn in Illinois there were born to them four children.

Leaving his family in Illinois in 1859, Nathan C. Worrall went to St. Joseph, Missouri on the train and there embarked with a wagon-train bound for the mining camps of Colorado. After a journey of about two months he reached the frontier town Aurora (now Denver), a bustling mining town, and from there he went to Central City and worked in the mines. Later he located a good mining claim of his own which he worked until early fall. Then he went back to his family in Illinois.

Early in May, 1860, he sold his possessions in Illinois and with his family set out again for Colorado to make their home. In the early fall, Mr. Worrall and family arrived at Central City where he built a home and immediately started working his claim.

In 1869, Mr. Worrall moved back to Valparaiso, Nebraska where he lived near relatives. The winters and blizzards of the years of 1869 and 1870 were too severe for his liking, so in the fall of 1871 he moved back to Boulder County, Colorado.

Nathan C. Worrall had early in life became converted to the Christian Church and had started active preaching in Nebraska. On July 11, 1898 Elder Worrall was called to the arms of the Heavenly Father and the community united in testimony that they had lost a good and true member from their midst.

Submitted by: Linda C. Osterhoudt
Uncopyrighted family history written by Ira C. Langstaff of Rifle, Colorado in 1959
(Ira was the son of Nathan’s daughter Henrietta)

Added information
Thomas Worrall born on 28 January 1801 in Charleston, Clark county, Indiana and died on 08 May 1868 in Beavercrossing, Seward County, Nebraska. He was the father of Nathan Worrall

Submitted by: Connie Hanson and Jessica Dowell


Deb Murray