Wife: Catherine "Kate" BEEHLER #115
Married: 07 DEC 1879 in: Fulton County, IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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Born: 03 JUN 1859 in: Sandusky (Erie) OH
Church: GRANDVIEW EUB in: Fulton County, IN
Died: 07 AOR 1948 in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Cemetery: IOOF in: Richland Center (Fulton) IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation:
Father: George BEEHLER #1203
Mother: Anna "Mary" WIEHL #119
Compiler has a few very dim recollections of this great-grandmother, Catherine BUEHLER/BEEHLER MOW. Catherine was confined to her bed for several years following a massive stroke. She spent the last few yearas of her life in the home of her youngest daughter, Gladys MOW RIGGS, in South Bend. As a child, compiler vguely remembers visiting "Granda MOW" at "Aunt Gladys'" home, but that memory is limited to a child's mental picture of a very small frail old lady in a hospital bed. There is no feeling of ever really knowing the person, Catharine MOW.
On one of the visits, Catharine did recognize her grandson, Virgil, and attempted to speak to him, but could not form the words. Then tears of frustration flowed from her aged eyes; she could only cling to the hand Virgil offered to her. At the time of the next visit, she did not appear to recognize him at all.
Little is known of the BEEHLER family before Catharine's marriage to David MOW. Catharine's parents consistently reported on census records that they were both born in Bavaria. Compiler has not discovered when or where they arrived in America, but apparently all their children were born "in the New World." The reason for their being in Sandusky County, OH at the time of Catherine's birth is not known. Discovery of data submitted to GenServ by William HASSENPLUG, revealed that at least some of the older children bornto George and Anna Mary BUEHLER were born in Seneca County, OH, rather than Sandusky County. Catherine's obituary, however, specifically states her place of birth as "Sandusky". Whether Catherine's father and grandfather were involved in construction of one of the canals routed from Lake Erie is not known. This could have been the attraction to Seneca and Sandusky County areas, but this is mere speculation on the part of this compiler.
From the birth ages of the BEEHLER children and the places of birth reported on the 1870 census, it appears that the BEEHLER's were in Ohio about 1851 to 1860. Their oldest son, George, Jr. was born in Ohio about 1851; Catharine was born in Ohio in 1859. Franklin, the child following Catherine, was born in Indiana about 1861. The HASSENPLUG data, however, also revealed the existence of a daughter born to the couple before George, Jr. Her date of birth was 10 Dec. 1849, and the place was cited as Seneca County, OH. This would lead to the assumption that Mary and George were married in Ohio -- HASSENPLUG states "Huron, OH...14 Jan. 1849." The sourse of his data is not given.
in 1995, Margarett STEININGER responded to a request for family data. For the most part, her letter was concerned with the MOW family, but two paragraphs addressed the BEEHLER history. Parts are quoted below:
"...About great Grandpa Beehler,...Mable Hassenplug...she told me that grandpa moved to Kansas in 1855 but that simply does not make any sense as my grandmother must have been born about 1859..." (Margarett is referring to Catherine BEEHLER) "...and I thought she was born in Indiana...In fact, there were two other BEEHLER familes enumerated near to the George "BEEHLER" household in 1870. In dwelling #105 was a 42-year old Charles BEEHLER, and in dwelling #108, Frederick BEEHLER, age 57, was enumerated. George was then 49 and living in dwelling #107. All but one of the senior members of the three homes were born in Bavaria. There were six young girls between the ages of 11 and 18 in the three homes, so Margarett's story may well have been true, but with a different "leading lady."
...I can not reconsile the dates with a story that grandma Mow Beehler used to tell about when they came from Ohio to Indiana in a covered wagon and got lost. She said her younger sister Eliza would tell their father that the wagon train was going in circles, but of course no one believed a child..."
Margarett's story goes on that Eliza was right and was able to chart their way out of the confusion by her knowledge of the stars.
There must have been some confusion about the incident, because Eliza was born in Indiana and only three years old on the 1870 census. Still, there could have been some other child about whom the story was handed down.
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F Child 1 Millie Artiemicia #13
Born: 20 JUL 1880 in: Richland Township (Fulton) IN
Church: GRANDVIEW EUB in: Fulton County, IN
Died: 19 SEP 1920 in: Richland Township (Fulton) IN
Cemetery: IOOF in: Richland Center (Fulton) IN
Other: in:
Ref: Occupation:
Spouse: William Jefferson GILCHRIST #14
Married: 31 DEC 1898 in: Rochester (Fulton) IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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F Child 2 Maine Augusta MOW #256
Born: 27 JUL 1881 in: Fulton County, IN
Church: GRANDVIEW EUB in:
Died: 03 JUN 1969 in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Cemetery: IOOF in: Richland Center (Fulton) IN
Other: in:
Ref: Occupation: Dressmaker/homemaker
Spouse: John M. Wright #257
Married: 14 JUL 1900 in: Fulton County, IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
Spouse: Theodore STICHLER #258
Married: 30 JAN 1906 in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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F Child 3 Floyd Vermillion MOW #259
Born: 26 APR 1884 in: Fulton County, IN
Church: METHODIST in: Richland Center (Fulton) IN
Died: 22 FEB 1960 in: Fulton County, IN
Cemetery: RIVERVIEW in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Other: in:
Ref: Occupation: Construction Sup't.
Spouse: Emma Elnora STECH #257
Married: 14 JUN 1905 in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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F Child 4 Alice Gertrude MOW #600
Born: 26 FEB 1887 in: Fulton County, IN
Church: in:
Died: 11 OCT 1888 in: Fulton County, IN
Cemetery: IOOF in: Richland Center (Fulton) IN
Other: in:
Ref: Occupation:
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M Child 5 Omer Franklin MOW #253
Born: 18 NOV 1889 in: Mentone (Kosciusko) IN
Church: in:
Died: 12 OCT 1975 in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Cemetery: IOOF in: Richland Center (Fulton) IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation: Construction worker
Spouse: Elizabeth Ann BOGGESS #254
Married: 01 MAR 1913 in: Fulton County, IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
Spouse: Dorothy (Arnold) PETERSON #255
Married: 23 SEP 1921 in: Benton Harbor (Berrien) MI
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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F Child 6 Gladys Marie MOW #251
Born: 20 JUL 1892 in: Mentone (Kosciusko) IN
Church: 7th Day Advent. in:
Died: 31 MAY 1969 in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Cemetery: Southlawn in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation:
Spouse: Roy Richard RIGGS, Sr. #252
Married: 29 APR 1918 in: Fulton County, IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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M Child 7 Carlton Gordon MOW #1074
Born: 03 APR 1899 in: Richland Township (Fulton) IN
Church: METHODIST in: Moses Lake (Grant) WA
Died: 12 MAR 1985 in: Moses Lake (Grant) WA
Cemetery: PIONEER MEM. in: Moses Lake (Grant) WA
Other: in:
Military: Occupation: Construction(ret. 1961)
Spouse: Dollie Glee KERLER #1075
Married: 01 JUN 1927 in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
Spouse: Lula FREAR #1076
Married: 09 OCT 1971 in: Moses Lake (Grant) WA
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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Compiled by:Ann & Ernie Grubb
22-JAN-1998 Family Group Sheet
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Husband: Thomas GILCHRIST #114
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Born: 14 APR 1839 in: Jefferson County, IN
Church: PRESBYTERIAN in:
Died: 26 APR 1926 in: Richland Township (Fulton) IN
Cemetery: IOOF in: Leiters Ford (Fulton) IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation: Farmer
Father: James GILCHRIST #122
Mother: Mary ANDERSON #121
Thomas was the last of four children known to be born to James and Mary (ANDERSON) GILCHRIST while the family lived in Jefferson Co., IN. An entry in the Fulton Co. Atlas, 1883, p 29, states that he was born in 1845; however, his tombstone and notes found in his son's farm accounts ledger give his birth date as 1839. The GILCHRIST family left Jefferson Co. about 1846 and appear in Fulton Co.'s 1850 census. About 1860, James GILCHRIST conveyed nearly all his farmland to his three surviving children. At this time, both Thomas and his older brother, James, were living with their parents. Their sister, Jennet, had married and appears in the home of her husband, Christopher CAMPBELL in the 1860 census. In Nov., 1881, the two brothers divided their 180 acres into two equal shares.
Thomas married in 1862 and with his wife, Phoebe, remained in the family home in Rochester Twp. even after James's and Mary's deaths. Phoebe died in 1895 and the couple's younger son, William, brought his bride, Artiemicia MOW, into the home in 1898. In 1890, Thomas's older brother, James, conveyed his share of their father's property to Thomas and Phoebe "for one dollar plus love and affection...reserving for himself a life estate in the...land". Although Wm. GILCHRIST's notes include the death of Thomas's brother, James, in 1897 in Fulton Co. there is no other record of when or where James died.
Thomas maintained the original GILCHRIST farm in Rochester Twp. until 1902, when he sold the farm to Clyde NAFE, a neighbor and seemingly a close friend of Thomas's son, James K., who named his son "Clyde Nafe GILCHRIST". Later in 1902, Thomas bought 122 +/- acres on the north side of the Tippecanoe River in Richland Twp. There Thomas lived until his death with his son, William, daughter-in-law, Artiemicia, and two grandsons, Virgil (compiler's father) and Byron.
Thomas's will was written 04 May 1918, naming William as executor and leaving his estate to be divided among his son, William; his daughter, Mary AULT; and his grandson Clyde. (James K. GILCHRIST, the oldest son of Thomas and Phoebe, had died four years earlier in Muskingum County, OHIO. Sometime after Thomas had written this will, William was appointed his father's legal guardian.
Thomas died in the family's home in Richland Twp. in 1926. Cause of death per the death certificate reads "Decompensation of the heart".
Pictures of Thomas after his three children were grown show him as a man of small to average build with brownish-gray hair and beard. His hands appear to be large with thick, somewhat short fingers... much like the hands of his grandson, Virgil GILCHRIST.
"RICHLAND TOWNSHIP NOTES by Cicero
Thomas Gilchrist was grubbing last week. His mattock caught on a limb and he grubbed himself in the top of the head. Loss, a small tuft of hair."
**************************************
The following is quoted from a letter written to compiler by Emma (PFEIFFER) GILCHRIST, wife of Byron, Thomas GILCHRIST's grandson and compiler's uncle:
"Dear Ann & Ernie,
...
Thomas died in 1926 while Byron was in Fla. While Thomas lived an agreement was made for Wm. to care for his father and Aunt Mary and Clyde to get a share if anything was left. In the meantime the barn burned in 1921, Artie died in 1920, Thomas 1926. The farm was sold to the Boy Scouts during the depression. Al Campbell was the attorney in the case as Byron remembers. Al Campbell was Wm's cousin...."
(Compiler's note: "Al CAMPBELL" should be "C.C. CAMPBELL", son of Christopher and Rebecca ZUCK CAMPBELL. C.C. was an attorney, and his signature appears in several places in the probate file of Thomas GILCHRIST. "Al" CAMPBELL was a school superintendent, per the Christopher CAMPBELL histories in Fulton Co. History references at the F.C. Pub. Library in Rochester.)
Compiled by:Ann & Ernie Grubb
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Wife: Phoebe KEELY #113
Married: 11 JUN 1862 in: Fulton County, IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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Born: 04 NOV 1846 in: Marion County, IN
Church: PRESBYTERIAN in:
Died: 04 DEC 1895 in: Rochester Township (Fulton) IN
Cemetery: IOOF in: Leiters Ford (Fulton) IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation:
Father: James KEELY #124
Mother: Mary A. McKEE #123
Phoebe is thought to be the fifth of ten children born to James and Mary (McKEE) KEELY. Both of her parents were children of early residents of Butler Co., OHIO. Her father was a brick mason and the son of Samuel KEELY, a pioneer settler in Shelby Co., IN. Phoebe's maternal grandfather, Anthony Wayne McKEE was born in Butler Co., OHIO, and is reported to have been a soldier in the "western department" of the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. ("History of the U.S., Indiana and Fulton Co." Peattie, 1896, p 93) As of Jan. 1996, compiler has not been able to document this elsewhere.
According to the "The Fulton County Atlas,1883", Phoebe was born in Indianapolis; however, typewritten information on the back of a copy of her death certificate says that she was born in "Miami Co.". (Compiler suspects the source may have misread the original death certificate). The 1860 census for Fulton shows Phoebe to be 12 years old, but Thomas and Phoebe were married in June 0f 1862. In 1870, Phoebe was in the GILCHRIST home at age 24. Her tombstone gives vital dates as 1846-1895, yet her death certificate reads "Age of death, 50 years". At the time of Phoebe's death, she and Thomas were living on the land first owned by James and Mary GILCHRIST. Thomas sold this property to the NAFE family about a year later.
The only photograph of Phoebe owned by this compiler was taken after her three children reached adulthood. In this family picture she appears to be nearly the same height as her husband (both are seated); of average weight with a somewhat long, narrow face and deep-set eyes. She appears to have been a very attractive woman.
Most documents indicate that Phoebe had given birth to only three children, however, an article in the "Fulton County Cemetery Inscriptions" for the IOOF Cemetery at Leiters Ford indicates there is reason to believe the graves of three young children in the same area as the graves of Thomas and Phoebe are those of Phoebe's children. The graves of "Sideny M." (7 mos.), "Nellie I." (14 mos.), and "Edward L." (1 mo.) are located very close to Thomas' and Phoebe's grave. There is no surname on the stones, but no other adults are buried close enough to be associated as the parents of the three.
After the listing of the three children's names, the cemetery inventory states, "(Note: This and the preceding two stones had no other identification on them. However, they are presumed to have been children of Thomas GILCHRIST who married 11 June 1862, Phoebe KEELY...Census records 1870 and 1880...indicate there were other children: James...,William...and Mary..." None of the family known to this compiler has ever made reference to the existence of the three infants.
Page 29, "Fulton County 1883 ATLAS" carries the following article:
"Thomas GILCHRIST, farmer, P.O. Rochester, born in Jefferson County, Ind., in 1845, is the son of James and Mary ANDERSON GILCHRIST, who were natives of Scotland. The subject of our sketch became a resident of this county when six years old. He was educated in the district schools. The event of his marriage took place June 11, 1862, to Phoebe KEELY, who was born in Indianapolis, Ind., November 4, 1846. She is the daughter of James and Mary McKEE KEELY, who were natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. GILCHRIST have had born to them three children-James, May 10, 1863; William, March 31, 1869; and Mary,September, 1875. Mr. GILCHRIST owns a fine farm of ninety acres in Section 29, on which he resides. He is an enterprising citizen and is highly respected by a large circle of friends and acquaintances".
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M Child 1 James K. GILCHRIST #125
Born: 10 MAY 1863 in: Fulton County, IN
Church: in:
Died: 20 FEB 1906 in: Muskingum County, OH
Cemetery: Granger in: Muskingum Twp. (Muskingum) OH
Other: in:
Military: Occupation: Engineer
Spouse: Theresa E. "Beecy" MILLER #126
Married: 03 JUL 1889 in: Muskingum County, OH
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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M Child 2 William Jefferson GILCHRIST #14
Born: 31 MAR 1869 in: Richland Township (Fulton) IN
Church: GRANDVIEW EUB in: Fulton County, IN
Died: 20 DEC 1943 in: South Bend (St. Joseph) IN
Cemetery: IOOF in: Richland Center (Fulton) IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation: Farmer/construction
Spouse: Millie Artiemicia MOW #13
Married: 31 DEC 1898 in: Rochester (Fulton) IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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F Child 3 Mary Anderson GILCHRIST #127
Born: 13 SEP 1875 in: Fulton Co. IN.
Church: EMANUEL EUB in: Marshall County, IN
Died: 05 JUL 1949 in: Culver (Marshall) IN
Cemetery: MASONIC in: Culver (Marshall) IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation:
Spouse: John AULT #128
Married: 26 FEB 1893 in: Rochester (Fulton) IN
Marr. Ceremony? Y/N: Divorced/Annulled/Separated: End Year:
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F Child 4 Sideny GILCHRIST #129
Born: 10 MAR 1876 in: Fulton County, IN
Church: in:
Died: 28 OCT 1876 in: Fulton County, IN
Cemetery: I.O.O.F. in: Leiters Ford, IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation:
Family tradition has not included Sideny or two other children whose names appear on tombstones close to those of Thomas and Phoebe (KEELY) GILCHRIST. The stones of Sideny, Nellie I. and Edward L. have no last name,nor any thing to identify their parents. Researchers, in recording the graves, have assumed these three children belonged to the GILCHRISTs. It is possible that they were born to Phoebe...she would have been about 44 at the time of Edward's birth.
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F Child 5 Nellie I. GILCHRIST #130
Born: 17 MAR 1888 in: Fulton County, IN
Church: in:
Died: 13 MAY 1889 in: Fulton County, IN
Cemetery: I.O.O.F. in: Leiters Ford, IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation:
There has been no confirmation that this is the child of Thomas and Phoebe KEELY GILCHRIST. (See bio: Sideny M. GILCHRIST)
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M Child 6 Edward L. GILCHRIST #131
Born: 11 JAN 1890 in: Fulton County, IN
Church: in:
Died: 25 FEB 1890 in: Fulton County, IN
Cemetery: I.O.O.F. in: Leiters Ford, IN
Other: in:
Military: Occupation:
There has been no confirmation that this was the child of Thomas and Phoebe KEELY GILCHRIST. (see bio: Sideny M. GILCHRIST)
Compiled by:Ann & Ernie Grubb