Surname Saturday - Adams and Willis

I haven't done a lot of research on these families yet, so this post is to document what I have so far. My great-great-grandmother Ruth Edna Adams was born in May 1840 in Delaware and married William Martin Willis in 1859. William was born in Maryland in January 1828 and was the son of Senah B. Willis and Elizabeth Todd. I have seen quite a bit of research on the Todds, but not as much on the Willis or Adams families. Ruth's middle name caught my eye since my Willis grandmother was named Edna.

A marriage bond for William and Ruth is signed by William M. Willis and William I. Adams, so William I. Adams may be Ruth's father.

In the 1850 census, there is a Ruth E. Adams born about 1836 living with another family in Milford or Mispillion Hundred, Kent, Delaware, but I don't know if this is my Ruth.

In the 1860 census, the Willis family is in Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware and there is a Mary Adams, age 55 living with Ruth and William. I've wondered if Mary was Ruth's mother, but haven't been able to find any proof so far.

1860 Dover Hundred, Delaware census

In the 1870 census, the family is living in Mispillion Hundred, Kent, Delaware, the same place as the Ruth E. Adams in the 1850 census.

There are several children: James, Esther, Henry, Georganna, and Francis. Mary Adams and Sarah Adams are living with them. Georganna was a colorful character that I've posted about before.

In the 1880 census, they are still in Mispillion Hundred, Kent, Delaware and my great-grandfather Eugene Willis is 1 year old. Other children are James, Henry, Georganna, Frank, William, John, and Thomas. John's middle name is Van Berkalow which I would think is another surname in the family, but I haven't found any connections so far.

By 1900, the family had moved to Centerville, Queen Anne's County, Maryland.

From another researcher's note, Ruth and William are buried in the Chesterfield Cemetery, Centerville, MD.

I was curious about what the "hundred" meant in the place names in Delaware. From Wikipedia, "Hundreds are unincorporated subdivisions of counties, equivalent to townships, and were once used as a basis for representation in the Delaware General Assembly. While their names still appear on all real estate transactions, they currently have no meaningful use or purpose except as a geographical point of reference. The divisions, or "hundreds" as they are called, comes from the times when Delaware and Maryland were colonial holdings of Great Britain. While Delaware alone retains the use of "hundreds", the origin of most place names in both states can be traced back to the times of British rule."

Here are a few items for my "to do" lists on these families:

• See if I can find any info on Ruth and William after 1900.
• Look into the Van Berkalow surname
• Look for info on Ruth's parents
• Review research done on the Todd family

I would love to hear from anyone else researching these families!

Sunday's Obituary - Ida Belle Creeden

This is from an obit card from the Mercer County Library in Ohio:

age 11 yrs., 8 mo., 3 days

CREEDEN, IDA BELLE
b. 8-December-1904   OH
d. 11-August-1916      Celina
bd. North Grove
fa. Daniel Creeden, OH  mo. Lena Glall?, OH

Daniel Creeden was the son of Timothy Creeden and Mary Ann Matson. Daniel was married to Lena Gleagall in 1902 and they had two children, Ned and Ida Belle. Their son Ned died in 1915, so this must have been a very tragic time for the family.

Elijah Quincy Bernard - Tombstone Tuesday

Birth: Dec. 30, 1874
Clinton County
Ohio, USA
Death: Jun. 5, 1942
Wilmington
Clinton County
Ohio, USA

Elijah was the son of Charles Bernard and Johanna Creedan and the grandson of Patrick Creedan and Hannah Hoover. Sadly, Johanna died a few days after giving birth to Elijah and a twin that did not survive.

This smaller stone is in front of the main monument:

Elijah is buried in the Centerville Cemetery in Lees Creek, Clinton County, Ohio in Section 7, Lot 4. Thanks to Devon and RWHeasler for posting the info and pictures on FindAGrave.

Pennsylvania State Archives - Military Monday

If your family tree includes anyone that served in the military from Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Digital Archives are worth a look. They have index cards available online for soldiers that served in the Revolutionary War through the PA National Guard in 1921.

I knew my great-uncle Julius King Councill had enlisted in WWI from Pennsylvania, but there was additional information on these cards. I found a card for his service in the Mexican Border Campaign in 1916 and a record of his enlistment in the PA National Guard.

The card above shows that Julius was in Company B of the 6th Infantry and had the rank of Private. It lists his occupation as Inspector and gives a physical description and age. Julius was born in September 1899, so he would have only been 16 at the time of his enlistment even though he claims to be 21.

The second card repeats much of the same information, but also lists when he mustered in for WWI on July 15, 1917. Julius was killed in action in Fismette, France in 1918 at the age of 18 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

Rose Creeden - Sunday's Obituary

This is an obit card from the Mercer County, OH library:

age 66 yrs.
CREEDEN, ROSE
b. 1856                   OH
d. 30-June-1922     Jefferson Twp.
bd. St. Marys Cemetery, Celina, OH
fa. unknown   mo. unknown

I believe Rose (or Roseanna) was the daughter of Patrick Creedan and Hannah Hoover and she was born in Clinton County, OH. Rose's birth year seems to vary with each census. I could not find her in the 1860 census. In the 1870 census, her age is given as 6 years old and in the 1880 census, she is 19. The probate records place her birth year around 1856, so perhaps that is the correct year. In the 1900 census, her birth year is 1858 and her parents' places of birth are given correctly as Ireland for her father and Ohio for her mother. In the 1910 census, both parents' place of birth is given as Ireland and in the 1920 census both are given as the United States.

Rose's father Patrick died in 1883 and in his will, he left two shares of his estate for her care "in consequence of her feeble mental condition".  Patrick's son Timothy was named as Rose's guardian in 1883 and probate records show that he continued as guardian as late as 1891. The case was moved from Clinton County to Mercer County, OH when Timothy moved his family there. At some point Rose was placed in the Mercer County Infirmary where she lived out the rest of her life. Her death certificate says she was a resident of Mercer County for 27 years, which fits in with the family moving there around 1885.

I find it sad that by the time she died, it appears that they did not know who her family was. Timothy died in 1899 and his will did not mention Rose. While the obit card says she was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, the genealogy society's book of cemetery inscriptions for St. Mary's does not list her. Her parents are listed as unknown on the obit card and her death certificate, so it is nice to be able to fill in a few details of her life. Thanks to Marj for sending me a copy of the obit card.