Sunday's Obituary - John Shawler

This obituary was published in the Celina (Ohio) Advocate on August 11, 1906 and is available on the Coldwater Library site.

  John J. Shawler was born August 20, 1829, near Pittsburg, Pa. He left Pennsylvania at the age of four years with his parents, coming to this state where he resided until his decease. He departed this life at noon of July 30, 1906, aged 76 years, 11 months and 10 days.
  Deceased was married to Trian Matson October 21, 1868. To this union were born seven children, six sons and one daughter. He was a volunteer of Co. E. 59th Ohio regiment, serving until the close of the war. His life of many years was spent in hard labor caring for his family, to which he was sincerely devoted. Although the family and friends feel the deepest regret at losing a faithful husband and father, as also an old comrade and friend, yet they are wholly submissive to God's will. The last words he was heard to utter were praises to his Heavenly Father. May the Lord bless and comfort the bereaved family and grant them all a home in the Father's house.
  The funeral was conducted by Rev. J. L. Buyer of the Evangelical church. Interment was at Hopewell cemetery.

John was the brother-in-law of my 2x great-grandparents Timothy and Mary Matson Creeden. His wife's name is normally spelled as a variation on Terressa, Teresa or Trina and their last name was sometimes spelled Sholler or Shaller. In 1887, Timothy leased 10 acres of his property in Hopewell to John Shawler. After Timothy's death in 1899, Mary and her children moved to the town of Celina, but Mary may have continued to lease the property in Hopewell to the Shawlers.

Sunday's Obituary is a prompt developed by Leslie Ann at Ancestors Live Here.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 34 - Non-Population Schedules

The 52 Ancestors prompt for this week is "Non-Population".

The federal census that we use in the US is sometimes comprised of more than one schedule. The one that we usually use is called the "population schedule." However, there are some censuses that have addtional schedules, such as:
- 1850-1880 Agricultural schedules
- 1850-1880 Industry and Manufactures schedules
- 1880 Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes
- 1890 Schedule of Union Veterans and Widows

Have you found your ancestor on one of these schedules? What did you find?

I've found quite a lot of information in the non-population schedules. Here are a few of my previous posts about them:

Timothy Creeden - Down on the Farm - The 1880 Agricultural schedule was one of my favorite finds since it gave me so much insight into the farming life of my 2x great-grandparents Timothy and Mary Creeden in Clinton County, Ohio. I'd pictured fields of single crops like corn or wheat, but they had so much more going on!

Hannah Hoover Creedan - 1880 Mortality Schedule - This schedule lists information about people that died in the year before the 1880 census was taken. It links the deceased to their family in the 1880 census and gives some additional information such as cause of death and length of residence in the county. Hannah lived in Clinton County, Ohio and was the second wife of my 3x great-grandfather Patrick Creedan.

John Matson in 1890 Schedule of Union Veterans and Widows - This schedule provided more insight into John Matson's service and included the reason for his disability which was "wounded hand".

This last one is a bit of a mystery. I was surprised to find a Mary A. Matson in the 1880 Agricultural schedule for the Hopewell township of Mercer County, Ohio. According to the schedule, she was renting the farm land for a fixed amount of money. The rest of the information on the schedule is blank for Mary, so maybe she wasn't actively farming the land.

I would guess this was the same Mary Matson listed in the 1870 census for Mercer County. If so, she was born in Virginia in 1833. This is intriguing since my Matson family came from Virginia to Clinton County, Ohio. It appears that some of the Matsons went to Mercer County instead, so I'll have to see if I can figure out her relationship to my Matsons.

One thing to be aware of is that the non-population schedules are only available online for certain states. This is the information for the schedules available on Ancestry.com: "This database contains U.S. federal non-population schedules from 1850-1880 for the following states: California, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington Territory. Additional states will be added in the future. Non-population schedules contained in this database include: agriculture, industry/manufacturers, social statistics, and supplemental schedules".

#52Ancestors is a series of weekly family history prompts developed by Amy Johnson Crow.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 10 - Strong Woman

The 52 Ancestors prompt for this week is "Strong Woman". What female in your family tree has shown remarkable strength (either physical or emotional)? Tell her story. 

My great-great-grandmother Mary Ann Matson was born in Clinton County, Ohio on Sept. 11, 1851. She was the youngest of the 13 children of Asa Matson and Dorothy “Dolly” Clevenger. Mary's parents were born in Virginia and migrated to Clinton County, Ohio in the early 1800's. Four of Mary's brothers served in the Civil War and two died in the war while another was wounded.

On December 10, 1868, Mary was married to Timothy Creeden in Clinton County. She was 17 and Timothy was 22. Timothy was an Irish immigrant, born in 1846 in County Cork. Mary and Timothy had ten children, but two of them died young. Their first child Patrick died in Clinton County in 1872 at the age of 3. Their next son James died in Mercer County at the age of 17.

 

Mary Ann Matson Creeden (left) at her boarding house in Celina, OH

Mary was widowed in 1899 at the age of 48 and still had six children at home. She mortgaged part of the family farmland and bought a house in town in Celina, OH to run as a boarding house. The 1900 census showed that 2 of the grown children worked while the younger ones went to school. Mary made money by renting out rooms in the house. Renters were provided room and board including meals and laundry. The sign on the house above Mary's head says Ice, 7c a day, so it looks like she was resourceful on finding ways to make extra money.

From 1910 US Census for Mercer County, Ohio

In 1910, Mary was still running the boarding house. In the 1910 census, she had three boarders and three of her children were living at home. By that time, the three children were old enough to work, although her youngest son Joshua was only 16. Joshua and the three boarders all worked at the Mersman furniture factory. Her daughter Julia worked as a servant in a private home and her daughter Ida Belle was a dressmaker. By 1920, Mary had retired and was still living with her son Joshua in the same house.

Mary died at her home in 1925 at the age of 74. Her obituary contained this line: "Mrs. Creeden has been suffering with a complication of diseases for the past year, but bearing her suffering with great fortitude, never wishing to alarm her family at any time." While I don't know too much about her personality, she must have been a strong woman to run a business and raise six children on her own.

 #52Ancestors is a series of weekly family history prompts developed by Amy Johnson Crow.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 6 - Favorite Name

This week's 52 Ancestors prompt  is "Favorite Name". Favorite name could be a name of an ancestor that makes you smile. Perhaps it's an unusual name.

Hornor family crest from Colonial Families of the USA

I don't really have a favorite name, but one that's always intrigued me is Deliverance Horner. That's definitely not a name you hear now! Deliverance's parents were Joshua and Mary Hornor of Burlington County, New Jersey. They were most likely Quakers from England. Deliverance married George Clevenger on July 19, 1737 and they were the parents of my ancestor Nancy Ann Clevenger Matson.

Joshua Hornor entry from Colonial Families of the USA

Joshua Hornor was born in in Tadcaster, England according to Colonial Families of the USA on Ancestry.com. Tadcaster is a town and parish in North Yorkshire.

Deliverance Horner, child of Joshua and Mary in Colonial Families of the USA

The list of Joshua and Mary Hornor's children in Colonial Families of the USA includes Deliverance and gives the date of her marriage to George Clevenger as July 19, 1737. The American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) gives Deliverance's birth year as 1710, although I see December 18, 1708 on several Ancestry.com trees. Her year of death is given as 1756 in Frederick County, VA on several trees, but I haven't found a source for that. It does match up with my Clevenger family coming from Virginia.

I was surprised to find two more Deliverance Horners. One was born in 1685 and married Thomas Stokes. They also lived in Burlington County, New Jersey. Another was married to Baley Babb in 1785 in Frederick County, VA, so there's another reference to Frederick County. I would guess they're all related somehow, so probably worth doing a bit more research.

The use of Deliverance seemed to fall off quite a bit in the US after the 1850s. There were 122 entries for Deliverance in the 1850 census as compared to 79 in the 1860 census. There were only 12 matches for Deliverance in the 1940 census. The name hasn't disappeared entirely, but is very rare now. There are 22 entries for Deliverance in the Social Security Death Index, with the most recent one born in 1981.

#52Ancestors is a series of weekly family history prompts developed by Amy Johnson Crow.

Sunday's Obituary - L. D. Matson

This obituary was published in the Clinton Democrat in Wilmington, Ohio on June 14, 1917. Lorenzo Dow Matson was the brother of my 2x great-grandmother Mary Matson Creeden. He was married to Ruth Athey.

L. D. Matson Dies of Paralysis. 

  L. D. Matson; well known farmer of Clinton county residing on rural route No. 5, passed away at 6:15 Friday evening, lune 8, at his home, paralysis being the cause of his death. Mr. Matson had been ailing for quite a while but was up and about until within a short time of his death, being confined to his bed but two days. Memorial Day he was in Wilmington to observe the exercises.
  Mr. Matson was 68 years of age and a life-long resident of Clinton county. He was one of the most highly esteemed farmers of his neighborhood, enjoying the respect of a wide acquaintance.
  He is survived by his widow and three sons, Henry, of Ogden, Lawrence and Roy, of Wilmington. Daniel Matson, residing on route No. 7, is a brother of the deceased, Mrs. Mary Creeden and Mrs. Theresa Shaller, both of Celina, are his sisters. Three step-children, Chelse and Walter Stoops and Mrs. Mary Laurens, are also living.
  Funeral services were held Sunday at the home and burial was made in New Antioch. Rev. Eliza Thorne, of  Sabina, conducted the services.

Census Sunday - Matson Families in Hopewell Township, Mercer County, Ohio

My great-great-grandparents Timothy Creeden and Mary Ann Matson moved from Clinton County, Ohio to Hopewell Township in Mercer County, Ohio sometime in the mid 1880s. I wondered why they made the move and found at least part of the answer in the census records. Several members of Mary's family had already moved to Mercer County by the time the 1880 census was taken.

The earliest Matson records I found in the Mercer County census were for a John Matson in 1830 and a William Matson in 1840. I didn't find any other trace for these Matsons, although there is a William Mattison in the 1850 census. He is only 11 years old and is living with the Issac Coil family.

In 1860, John, Elizabeth, and Enos Matson were living with the David Wright family in Liberty Township. The Matson children were all minors. There was also a Nancy Matson, age 17, working as a servant for the Daniel Garwick family in Center Township.

Mary Matson and several children were in the 1870 census for Hopewell Township. I'm not sure what, if any relationship these early Matsons have to my family.

Mary Matson in 1870 census, Hopewell Township, Mercer County, Ohio

Mary Matson Creeden's sister Terissa or Theresa was married to John Sholler and they were in Hopewell in the 1880 census. John's entry was at the bottom of a page and Theresa's was on the next page for District 2, Enumeration District 186.

John and Theresa Sholler in 1880 census, Hopewell Township, Mercer County, Ohio

Their brother John Matson was living nearby in the same enumeration district as John and Theresa. He was a boarder at Lavina Bender's house and was a farmer. John and Lavina were married in Mercer County on October 1, 1882.

John Matson in 1880 census, Hopewell Township, Mercer County, Ohio

Other Matsons in the same enumeration district were Elizabeth Matson, listed as an aunt to Lewis Nunery, Sarah L. Matson, a servant at the William H. DeFord household, and Sarah Matson and her son John W. Matson. From John's age of 23 in the census, he would have been born around 1857. An obituary for a John William Matson, born in 1857, says that he was born in Clinton County, Ohio. It's probable that this is the same John W. Matson and shows that he is also linked to the Clinton County Matsons.

Sarah and John W. Matson, Hopewell Township, Mercer County, Ohio

John Matson and John Sholler were both in the 1890 Veteran's Census for District 2, Enumeration District 186 for Hopewell Township. John died in 1896 and is buried next to Timothy and Mary's son James E. Creeden in the Old Buck Cemetery in Hopewell Township.

So it appears that Timothy and Mary had a lot of family nearby in Hopewell Township! That helps explain why they made the move to Mercer County.

To Do: Investigate the unknown Matsons to see if they have links to my Mary Matson.

Military Monday - 1883 List of Pensioners

The US 1883 List of Pensioners listed soldiers or their dependents that were on the pension roll as of January 1, 1883. It gives the name of each pensioner or dependent, the cause for which pensioned, the post-office address, the rate of pension per month, and the date of original allowance.  The list covers pensioners from all wars.

The list is available on Ancestry.com, but the searching seems to be hit or miss. I found two of my Matson ancestors by paging through the Mercer County, Ohio sections in the database. I knew John Matson lived in Mercer County, but didn't know about Eliza Matson. I also didn't know that any of the Matsons were in Mercer County this early. I always wondered why my Creeden family chose to relocate from Clinton County to Mercer, so the fact that there was already family there helps to explain the move.



I've been a member of The Ohio Genealogical Society for a little over a year now and was pleased to see them merge their regular and Civil War memberships. Since I was a regular member, this gave me access to years of Civil War newsletters that I hadn't seen before. One of their newsletters had the 1883 List of Pensioners for Mercer County and I was surprised to find an additional Matson listing.

The newsletter article explained that Michael Elliott is creating an updated database which adds the name of the soldier (in cases where a widow or dependent parents were listed), the unit in which the soldier served, years of birth and death, and cemetery. Michael's updated databases are available for sale through the Summit County Genealogy Society. The databases for Northeast and Northwest Ohio are available now. Additional sections of Ohio including coverage of Mercer and Clinton counties will follow.

Michael's database added that Eliza was the widow of Jarez L. Matson, who served in Company G of the 79th OVI, and died in 1863. John Matson also served in the 79th OVI and is buried in Buck Cemetery.

The third Matson in Michael's database didn't show up on Ancestry since it was listed under Mary A. Watson!

Michael's database corrected this to Mary A. Matson and added that she was the widow of Thomas J. Matson who served in Company F of the 60th OVI. Thomas died in 1864 and is buried in Salisbury National Cemetery.

Despite some of the errors, this is a nice resource if you have ancestors who served in the Civil War or earlier wars. If your ancestors were from Ohio, you might also want to check out the additional information compiled by Michael Elliott.

Sunday's Obituary - Daniel Matson

 

DANIEL MATSON DIES ON SUNDAY

CIVIL WAR VETERAN, AGED 86,

FOUGHT VALIANTLY—IS

LAST OF FAMILY

   Daniel Matson, 86, died at his home on North Lincoln street, Sunday, at 6 P.M.,
from a two months illness of weakness of the heart. He was confined to his bed during his entire illness.
   Daniel Matson was a member of Co. F,  6Oth O. V. I., in the Civil War. The deceased entered the war with his three brothers, Harrison, John, and Jeff, he being the only one to return. Harrison and John both were killed in action, and Jeff was held prisoner at Andersonville by the Rebels and suffered all its savagery, starving to death while in prison.
   At the close of the war, he settled on a farm on Port William pike and became a prosperous farmer. He was a good soldier, good citizen and a loyal and active member of the Morris McMillan Post, G.A.R. for the last 40 years, becoming a member August 4, 1888.
   He is the last surviving member of a family of 13 children.
   Surviving are the widow, formerly Teresa Ludden, and one daughter, Mrs. Ed. Hackney, of near Wilmington. One daughter, Mrs. William Dabe, died several years ago.
   Funeral services will be held in the Church of Christ, Wednesday at 2 P.M., in charge of Rev. A. H. Wilson and Rev. J. I. McWilliams.
   Burial in charge of B. D. E. Arthur, will be made in Sugar Grove cemetery.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had previously found a short obituary for Daniel in the Mansfield News, but this one from the newspaper in Clinton County, Ohio gives a lot more detail. From my previous post: Daniel Matson was the son of Asa Matson and Dolly Clevenger. He was born on Feb. 13, 1842 in Clinton County, Ohio and was the brother of my 2x grandmother Mary Matson Creeden. The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) mentioned in the obituary was a fraternal organization of Civil War veterans who had served in the Union Army.

I noticed one large error in the obituary and that was the statement that John Matson was killed in action. John was wounded, but survived and relocated to Mercer County, Ohio near his sister Mary Matson Creeden. He is buried next to Mary's son James and was given a Civil War gravestone. The Jeff Matson mentioned in the obituary was probably Thomas Jefferson Matson and the Harrison Matson may have also been known as Jares Matson.

There is an interesting debate about whether or not the Sugar Grove Cemetery can or should sell its Civil War cannons that are part of its veteran's monument. From the Wilmington News Journal article on the cannons, the dedication included a march through the streets of Wilmington to the cemetery, with Dan Matson, an 85-year-old Civil War veteran, as standard bearer.

John W. Matson - Sunday's Obituary

This was transcribed from an obituary card in the Mercer County Library in Celina, Ohio: 

Matson, John Wilson 
b. 18 January 1857 Clinton County, Ohio 
d. 17 July 1951 Jefferson Twp.(Ohio) 
bd. Riverside-Ketcham  Ripley 

An update was made to the card on 5-11-1995: 
fa. Thomas Jefferson Matson - died in Civil War 
mo. Mary Ann Pond 

Thanks to Marj for sending me the information! Marj and I caught some typos in the cards we had more information on, so I was a bit suspicious of the information on this card.

I found a death certificate for a John William Matson in Mercer County, Ohio with matching dates and places, but some of the other information was quite different.

According to the death certificate, he was John William Matson and his parents were Isaac and Ann Watson! So, which one is incorrect, Watson or Matson? The Matson name is carefully printed, while the Watson name is done in cursive. It's possible that what looks like a cursive "W" was really an "M". I found matches for a John Matson of the same age in the 1870 and 1880 census records for Hopewell Township, Mercer County, Ohio, but nothing so far after that. Hopewell is where my Creeden and Matson ancestors settled, so it is interesting to find that some Matsons were there ahead of them. 

Updating this post to add a newspaper obituary from the Lima News on July 19, 1951. The mystery is solved and the last name really was Matson!

 John Matson

   ROCKFORD, July 19-- Services were held at 2 p. m. Thursday in Ketcham's funeral home, Rockford, for John (Bill) Matson, 94, who died at 5 a. m. Tuesday in the Mercer-co Home. Dr. John Gregory was in charge of the services, with burial in Riverside cemetery.
   Born Jan. 18, 1857, in Clinton-co, he had lived in Rockford 55 years and had been a patient at the county home for the last six months.
   Survivors include a stepdaughter, Mrs. David Freewalt, Route 3, Rockford, five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Surname Saturday - Matson

My Matson line is a bit of a mystery. Matson could be of English or Irish origin or a spelling variation of a Swedish name like Mattison or Matheson. I have also seen the name spelled Mattson. The earliest I can trace my Matson roots back is to John Matson, born about 1758 in Loudon County, VA. He married Nancy Ann Clevenger in 1775 in Frederick County, VA and the family migrated to Clinton County, Ohio in 1817.

Mary Ann Matson in 1919

My great-great-grandmother Mary Ann Matson was born in Clinton County, Ohio in 1851 to Asa Matson and Dolly Clevenger.They had 13 children and four of the sons served in the Civil War. Thomas Jefferson Matson and Jares Lewis Matson died in the Civil War. John Franklin Matson was wounded, but survived.

Asa was said to have been a son of John and Nancy Matson, but Nancy would have been 58 years old when Asa was born! I suspect that a generation is somehow missing in the histories that have been passed down.

The 1850 census for Washington Township, Clinton County, Ohio shows Asa and Dolly with nine children.

By 1860, Asa is living with several children in the Union Township of Clinton County. Asa's wife Dolly died due to complications of childbirth after their son Asa was born and their daughter Terissa took over the child rearing duties.

On December 10, 1868, Mary married Timothy Creeden in Clinton County. Timothy was born in 1846 in Ireland and another mystery is a notation on their marriage license indicating that they are first cousins. If that is true, maybe it ties into the possible missing generation between John and Asa Matson.

I recently acquired some correspondence dating from the late 1800's to early 1900's that recorded research done on the Matson name. They concluded that the family was from Sweden, but said the family lines were a muddled mess. They also noted that one family member was said to have English origins. It was interesting to see that this brick wall goes so far back! Stay tuned for future posts where I will publish the data in the correspondence.

Tombstone Tuesday - Civil War Vet John Matson

JNO. MATSON
CO. C
79TH OHIO INF.

John Matson was born around 1841 in Clinton County, Ohio and died on March 5, 1896 in Mercer County, Ohio. I posted earlier on his Civil War service and how the gravestone was provided by the US government. John was the brother of my great-great-grandmother Mary Ann Matson Creeden and is buried in the Old Buck cemetery in Hopewell Township, Mercer County, Ohio. He is buried next to Mary's son James Creeden. The photo was posted on FindAGrave and is reposted here with permission.

Mystery Monday - First Cousins?

My great-great-grandparents Mary Ann Matson and Timothy Creeden were married in December 1868 in Clinton County, Ohio.

On the marriage license, part of it states "not nearer in kin than second cousins". The second is crossed out and first is written above it.

I am puzzling over how Timothy and Mary could be first cousins. Timothy was born in Ireland in 1846 according to all of the records I have on him and statements from my great-grandfather about Timothy's origins. If they are first cousins in the strictest sense, they must share at least one grandparent.

Mary's parents were Asa Matson (1810-1864) and Dolly Clevenger (born about 1808). Asa was born in Virginia and Dolly was born in Ohio. I do not know who Timothy's parents were.

Asa's parents were said to be John Matson (born 1758 in VA, died 1842 in Clinton County, OH) and Nancy Ann Clevenger (born 1752 in VA, died 1834 in Clinton County, OH). They were married in 1775 in Virginia. Their graves in Ohio have their age at time of death which seems to confirm their years of birth.

Dolly's parents were Aden/Adon Clevenger (born 1778 in VA, died 1853 in Clinton County, OH) and Sarah Beadles (1781 in VA, died in Clinton County, OH). They were married in 1801 in VA. Aden married Elizabeth Crouse in 1816.

In order for Timothy and Mary to be first cousins, either a sibling of either Asa or Dolly would have to be one of Timothy's parents or perhaps one of Timothy's grandmothers married into the families after Timothy's parents were born. There are several mysteries here:

• All of the siblings were born in VA and OH, so if one of them is Timothy's mother, how could he be born in Ireland?
• I have found marriages listed for all of the siblings and there is not a Creeden in any of them with any spelling (Creedon, Creedan, Credon, Credan, etc.). Could a second marriage be involved? If Timothy was born in Ireland and his mother later remarried into the Matson or Clevenger families, would that still count as a first cousin relationship for Timothy and Mary?
• Asa's mother Nancy Clevenger Matson would have been about 58 when she gave birth to Asa. That seems pretty unlikely, so are the dates or the relationship wrong? If John and Nancy are Asa's grandparents, that would leave a place where one of Timothy's grandmothers could have married into these families. This might be the most likely possibility.
• Could the first cousin relationship be once removed and be tied to one of Asa's or Dolly's grandparents? I do not know the names or origins of John Matson's parents or Sarah Beadles' mother. That still doesn't work for the Creeden name to be passed to Timothy unless there was a second marriage involved.

Obviously, more proof of all these relationships is needed. Creeden is not that common, but there seem to be a lot of them in Clinton County, Ohio during that time period. I have yet to be able to relate any of them to my Timothy, so I would love to hear from anyone researching these families!

Military Monday - Civil War Veteran John Matson

John Franklin Matson was the brother of my great-great-grandmother Mary Ann Matson and was one of four brothers to go into the Civil War. He was born around 1841 in Clinton County, Ohio. He enlisted in Company G of the 79th Regiment of Ohio Volunteers in 1862 and was wounded in 1864. I have seen several family trees that gave his date of death as 1864, but he survived the war and I was able to find him in several records after that. I was curious about John since he seemed to be close to my Creeden family.

John married Angeline Mason in 1864 in Clinton County, Ohio. In 1870, John, Angeline, and several children were living in Clinton County, Ohio next to John's brother-in-law Timothy Creeden and his sister Mary. By 1880, Angeline and John were divorced. It appears that John moved to Hopewell Township in Mercer County, Ohio along with Timothy Creeden and his family. I found a possible census record for him in Mercer County in 1880 where he was listed as a boarder at a residence in the Hopewell Township. In 1882, John married Lavina Bender in Mercer County, Ohio.

This Civil War pension index shows that John filed for his pension in 1879 and his widow Lavina filed in 1896.

In 1890, John was still living in Mercer County, Ohio and was listed in the Special Schedule for Surviving Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the 1890 Census. Under Disability Incurred, it says "wounded hand".

The most interesting record I found was in a listing of headstones provided for Civil War Veterans. In 1879, the US Congress passed an act stating that the government would erect gravestones for Union soldiers buried in private cemeteries and John was one of the recipients of this. John is buried next to Timothy's son James Creeden in row 19 of the Old Buck Cemetery in the Hopewell Township of Mercer County, Ohio. According to a transcription for his grave, it simply states Jno Matson Co C 79 Ohio Inf. Other records indicated that he was in Company G, so I am not sure if that was a typo or perhaps the grave is hard to read. The record gave his date of death as March 5, 1896.

Tombstone Tuesday - Timothy and Mary Ann Matson Creeden

This is the grave of my great-great-grandparents, Timothy and Mary Ann Matson Creeden in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Celina, OH. The grave is in the Northeast Section, Row 13 of the cemetery. Timothy was born in 1846 in County Cork, Ireland and Mary was born in Clinton County, OH. The inscriptions read:

Timothy
Creeden
Died
Dec 14, 1899
Aged
53Y 8M 19D

Mary A.
1851 - 1925

CREEDEN

We were quite surprised to find such a large monument for them. From probate records, it appears that Mary purchased the lot and monument after Timothy's death. This picture was taken by the Mercer County Genealogy Society. More pictures are at: Find a Grave

Daniel Matson - Sunday's Obituary

Mansfield Ohio News, Jan. 10, 1928

Daniel Matson was the son of Asa Matson and Dolly Clevenger. He was born on Feb. 13, 1842 in Clinton County, Ohio and was the brother of my gg-grandmother Mary Matson Creeden. The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) mentioned in the obituary was a fraternal organization of Civil War veterans who had served in the Union Army.

Wordless Wednesday - Two great-great-grandmothers!

Anna Rohrer Niehaus and Mary Ann Matson Creeden, 1919

Pictured are two of my great-great-grandmothers in Celina, Ohio in 1919. I sure would love to know what they'd been talking about!

Wordless Wednesday is a daily blogging prompt used by many genealogy bloggers to help them post content on their sites.

Fearless Females - Profile of Mary Ann Matson

March 31 — Pick one female ancestor and write a mini-profile (500 words or less).

Mary Matson in 1919

My great-great-grandmother Mary Ann Matson was born in Clinton County, Ohio on Sept. 11, 1851. She was the youngest of the 13 children of Asa Matson and Dorothy “Dolly” Clevenger. Mary's parents were born in Virginia and migrated to Clinton County, Ohio in the early 1800's. Four of Mary's brothers served in the Civil War and two died in the war while another was wounded.

On December 10, 1868, Mary was married to Timothy Creeden in Clinton County. She was 17 and Timothy was 22. Timothy was an Irish immigrant, born in 1846 in County Cork.

In the 1870 census, Timothy and Mary “Credon” have a son named Patrick born in November, 1869. Timothy is listed as a farmer and they are living in the Richland Township next door to or with Mary's brother John Matson. Tragedy struck when Patrick died at the age of three in 1872. In the 1880 census, they are still in the Richland township and they have children James, Lizzie (Mary Elizabeth), Dennis, and Daniel.

In January 1884, Mary and her family moved to Mercer County, Ohio where they bought 40 acres of land in the Hopewell township. (Details on Mercer Land Purchase) Tragedy struck again when their son James died in 1889 from typhoid fever. He was only 17 years old and is buried in Old Buck cemetery in Hopewell Township. John Matson is buried next to James.

Mary at her boarding house

Mary and Timothy's son Edward was born in April 1884. They had 4 more children in Mercer County: Ida Belle, Julia, Charles, and Joshua. Timothy died in December 1899 and left the land to Mary. On September 29, 1901 Mary granted a mortgage to Bessie Copeland for part of the land. Mary had already moved the family to a boarding house in town in Celina, Ohio. In the 1900 census, Mary is living with the six youngest children at the boarding house. Daniel is working for the railroad and Edward is a clerk. Charles and Julia are attending school while Ida Belle and Joshua are still at home. In 1910, Mary is listed as the Proprietor of a Boarding House and three of the children have jobs while living at the house with three boarders. More deaths struck the family as her son Charles lost his son Carl in 1912 and her son Daniel lost both of his children in 1915 and 1916. In 1920, only Joshua is still at home, although Ida Belle and her husband are possibly living at the house. Mary's occupation is listed as "None", so perhaps she was able to retire by then.

Mary died in 1925 at the age of 74 in Mercer County, Ohio. (Mary's Obituary) She had been a devout member of the Immaculate Conception Church while living in Mercer County and she was buried in the Catholic cemetery there. Several people from Clinton County attended her funeral, including some of her Matson family. She lived through a lot including the Civil War, the deaths of two children and three grandchildren, and her husband's early death, but was able to make a living and raise the younger children by herself.

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Once again, in honor of  National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Moment of Strength

March 13 — Moment of Strength: share a story where a female ancestor showed courage or strength in a difficult situation.

Mary Ann Matson Creeden (left) at her boarding house in Celina, OH

My great-great-grandmother Mary Ann Matson Creeden was widowed in 1899 at the age of 48 and still had six children at home. She mortgaged part of the family farmland and bought a house in town in Celina, OH to run as a boarding house. The 1900 census showed that 2 of the grown children worked while the younger ones went to school. Mary made money by renting out rooms in the house. Renters were provided room and board including meals and laundry. The sign on the house above Mary's head says Ice, 7c a day, so it looks like she was resourceful on finding ways to make extra money. It couldn't have been easy to raise the children alone, but they made it through.

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Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Mary Ann Matson Creeden - Sunday's Obituary

I have 2 obituaries for Mary and there are some differences in the children's names. Neither one is entirely correct!

From the Mercer County Standard - Sept. 18, 1925

   IN MEMORIAM

   Mary Ann Creeden, daughter of Lee and Dolly Matson, was born in Clinton county, Ohio, April 21, 1851, and departed this life at Celina, Ohio, September 10, 1925, at the age of 74 years, four months and 17 days.
   On December 10, 1868, at Antioch, Ohio, was united in marriage to Timothy Creeden, and to this union 10 children were born. Mrs. George F. Fischer of Los Angeles, Calif., Mrs. S. R. Ballinger, of Pueblo, Colo., Edward Creeden, of Briggs, Calif., Sheriff Charles Creeden, Deputy Sheriff J. P. Creeden, Daniel Creeden, Mrs. Harvey Stout, of Celina, Ohio.

  


Her husband and two sons preceded her to death some years ago. Mrs. Creeden has been suffering with a complication of diseases for the past year, but bearing her suffering with great fortitude, never wishing to alarm her family at any time, but finally suffered a stroke o paralysis at her home, on September 4, 1925.

  

   She was a devoted member of the church of the Immaculate Conception where the funeral was held, September 10 1925, with burial at Catholic cemetery.
   Her pallbearers were neighbors and friends: James Conroy, Joseph Heckler, Henry Everman, Frank Fischer, Joseph Forsthof and Wesley Fennig.
   Those attending the funeral from out of town were: Daniel Matson, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hackney, Frank Matson and David Pond, of Wilmington, Ohio; Mrs. Robert Riley, of Dayton; Mr. and Mrs. Emanuel Pond, of Lima; Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Shaller, Mrs. William Swander and daughter Etta, Mrs. Christ Crouch and Servia Shaller, of Tamah.



 Card of Thanks
   We desire to express our sincere thanks to Father August, to neighbors and friends for the many kindnesses shown to us during the illness of our beloved mother, Mary Creeden, and for the many floral and spiritual offerings and for the use of automobiles.
                                                       THE CHILDREN

From the Lima News, Sept. 10 1925                                  

                    AGED WOMAN DIES
CELINA, Sept. 10 - Mrs. Mary Creeden, 75, died at her home on W. Fulton St., having sustained a paralytic stroke on the Thursday previous. Mrs. Creedon was a devout member of the Catholic church. She is preceded in death by her husband, Timothy Creeden and two children. Eight children survive her, Mrs. L. R. Balledeg, Pueblo, Col.; Mrs. Geo. Fischer, Los Angeles Cal.;, Dennis of Cal.; Edwin of Kansas City; Charles, Daniel, Joshua, and Mrs. Harvey Stout, Celina.                            

Some mistakes I noticed:
Mary's daughter Julia Dorothy was married to Lorenz Richard Balleweg.
Mary's actual date of death was Sept. 8, 1925.
Edward is called Edwin in the second obituary.
Mary's age is listed as 75 in the second obituary and should be 74.
Creeden is spelled as Creedon in some places.

I knew that Mary and Timothy were married in Clinton County, OH, but this is the first mention I've seen of Antioch, Ohio. Curiously, Dennis isn't listed in the first obituary, but is said to live in California in the second. Edward moves from Briggs, California to Kansas City. I couldn't find a Briggs, CA, but there is an Edward with the correct birth date and birth place of Ohio listed in the 1920 census living in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Daniel Creeden was a Sheriff's Deputy in 1923, but is not listed as one here.

Tombstone Tuesday - Timothy and Mary Ann (Matson) Creeden

My great-great-grandparents Timothy and Mary Ann (Matson) Creeden are buried here in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Celina, Mercer County, OH.  Plot: Northeast Section, Row 13.

One facing says:
Timothy
Creeden
Died
Dec 14, 1899
Aged
53Y 8M 19D

This places his date of birth at Mar. 26, 1846.

On the other side, it says:
Mary A.
1851 - 1925

My Dad grew up in Celina and this large monument was a surprise to him. The church says they do not have records of who purchased the monument or plot.