Sunday Drive: Jesse Rowe Persinger Hibbs & Daughter

The note on this photo, attached to Jesse's profile in an Ancestry.com by egodwin17, says only "aunt jess." I believe the child is her oldest daughter, another Jesse Persinger, who was born in 1921.* Unfortunately I don't know anything about the airplane she's standing in front of.

[Courtesy of egodwin17]

Here's the newspaper announcement of her marriage to Dr. Henry H. Hibbs, Jr. in 1918.

[8 June 1918, Page 4 - The Albany-Decatur Daily at Newspapers.com]

Jesse is one of my paternal 4th cousins (from my Freeman line):

[Ancestry.com]

*Her younger daughter Mary Sue Hibbs was born in 1925.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Planning to Plan: Mahlon Hibbs

I know this isn't Mahlon Hibbs' origin story, but it sometimes feels like it.  "Athena is "born" from Zeus's forehead as a result of him having swallowed her mother Metis, as he grasps the clothing of Eileithyia on the right; black-figured amphora, 550–525 BC, Louvre."  By Wikipedia User:Bibi Saint-Pol (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.  

I have a lot of "brick walls" in my tree.  They are likely brick walls for me because I am still too disorganized and unexperienced a genealogist to break them down yet.  Mahlon Hibbs is one of my most vexing "brick walls."

He emerges fully formed, like Athena from the head of Zeus, in his 50s, in eastern Tennessee (Anderson County) about 1802.  A few years later some local records indicated that he petitioned to be exempt from paying taxes due to his advanced age.  He had a large family, participated in some land sales and road work, and moved to Putnam County, Indiana in the early 1820s.  He either died there or in Iowa some time after 1850, well over 100 years old.  His birth place in the 1850 Census indicates that he was born in Virginia.

This guy had lived an entire life already by the time I find his first record.  I need a plan!

I need to review the records I've gathered so far:

• some early Anderson County, Tennessee tax records
• early Anderson County, Tennesse court minutes
• Anderson County, Tennessee land records
• BLM record for Putnam County, Indiana
• Federal census records 1830-1850 (before 1830 he was in areas where the federal census no longer exists)

I already have a fully developed tree for his children, and I need to review his family and neighbors using the FAN club method:

Right away I see that I have only focused on very particular areas, not the surrounding counties in either Tennessee or Indiana.  I also know that I lack knowledge in general of the formation of Tennessee and the role North Carolina in Tennessee history (and where to find those records).  I am also not very skilled at research in Virginia.

The above shows how Tennessee was when Mahlon Hibbs likely first came on the scene.  The area in what is now Clinton, Anderson County (close to where Anderson and Knox counties meet) was in Spencer County (State of Franklin).  Before it became Anderson County in 1801 it was part of a series of other counties, including Knox, Grainger, Hawkins, Spencer and Sullivan counties.  It is possible that Mahlon was actually in Washington ("Was") county until about 1802. (from the Tennessee mapofus which uses AniMap Plus 3.0, permission of the Goldbug Company).

The above shows how Tennessee was when Mahlon Hibbs starts showing up in records in Anderson County (shown above as "An") around 1803.(from the Tennessee mapofus which uses AniMap Plus 3.0, permission of the Goldbug Company).

The above shows how Tennessee looked when Mahlon Hibbs and family moved out from Anderson County ("An"). (from the Tennessee mapofus which uses AniMap Plus 3.0, permission of the Goldbug Company).

The above is how Indiana looked when Mahlon and his extended family moved to Putnam county (shown above as "Put") (from the Indiana mapofus which uses AniMap Plus 3.0, permission of the Goldbug Company).

The above shows how Indiana looked when Mahlon Hibbs last appears on a record in Putnam County, Indiana (1850 Census). (from the Indiana mapofus which uses AniMap Plus 3.0, permission of the Goldbug Company).

Reviewing these maps, I see I need to create mini locality guides for Anderson County, Tennessee (and surrounding/previous counties), and Putnam County, Indiana (and surrounding counties), with a table including the following categories:
Vital records
Land records
Probate records
Cemetery records
Church records (Quaker and Baptist denominations would take priority as those the the most likely from what I already know).
Census records



I also need to review my own blog posts:

• Monday Madness: Mahlon Hibbs
• Diary of James Milo Nosler: Introduction, part I  (Mahlon Hibbs was his grandfather)
• Land Genealogy Gleanings: Focus on early Hibbs in Anderson County, Tennessee
• Hibbs Trajectory I had Not Considered

Finally, I need to review my father's DNA cousin matches (particularly at Ancestry.com, where there are the most amount of trees to compare).  He has steadily been gaining Hibbs related cousins, and they have yielded a number of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky Hibbs lines that might help me (maybe Mahlon was in those places at some point).



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Hibbs Trajectory I had Not Considered

The yellow arrows show where I know Mahlon Hibbs lived (Anderson County, Tennessee and Putnam County, Indiana), and the heat map points (red with green halo) are where I find Hibbs in DNA matches to Dad and records.  I also find some DNA matches that hint at Hibbs who lived in Kentucky.

Loudoun County (indicated on the above map by the marker right near Washington, DC) is where I suspect Mahlon Hibbs was born about 1747  (I think he ultimately descends from the Quaker Bucks County/Philadelphia Hibbs).

I had thought that he had gone down the Shenandoah River Valley area to Knoxville and Anderson County, Tennessee (sometime in the 1780s/1790s), but I had forgotten that Virginia had also meant West Virginia (until the Civil War).

My dad has numerous DNA matches to Hibbs in Ohio, and many of the Ohio Hibbs went on the Jasper County/Polk County, Iowa, where a quite a few lines of Mahlon Hibbs descendants also ended up (including a grandson James Milo Nosler).

I think Mahlon was possibly up in the western Pennsylvania/eastern Ohio at some point.  I find it quite interesting that many of his children named one of their daughters Sciota/Syotha/Sciotha, which I can only surmise is in honor of the Scioto River in Ohio??  Why else would people in Tennessee name girls after an Ohio river?

I think I need to reevaluate where I'm researching my Hibbs, and focus more on western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.


© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Land Genealogy Gleanings: Focus on early Hibbs in Anderson County, Tennessee

Anderson and Campbell counties, in Tennessee.  It is a little hard to see but the orange arrow points to the winding Hinds Creek and it is interesting the there is both a Hibbs Island and Llewellyn (Lewallen?) Island along the Hinds.  I think it is likely that Mahlon Hibbs and Richard Lewallen lived in those areas, with Mahlon's son Samuel Hibbs living further upstream in Campbell County.

Here is some initial information from my land genealogy book (Anderson County, Tennessee Land Deed Genealogy, 1801-1831) that mentioned a few days ago.  I'm happy to report that my 4th great grandfather Mahlon Hibbs (1747-1852) and his (likely) son Samuel Hibbs (1791-1849) appear in land dealings:


[page 105 in book]
page 272
15 July 1817.  RICHARD LEWALLEN of Anderson Co., to MALON HIBBS, for $100, 100 acres in Anderson Co. on Hinds Creek, in Henderson & Co.'s Clinch survey, on LEMAR's line, crossing Hinds Creek, at the old waggon road, along said old road to HART's line to LEMAR's line, with his line to the beginning.  Reg. July Sess. 1817.
Wit:
HENRY H. DUCKER
ARMISTEAD BARTON
RICHARD (X) LEWALLEN


[page 117 in book]
page 26
12 Dec. 1817.  ISAAC HORTON, Sr., of Anderson Co., to SAMUEL HIBBS of Campbell Co., for $270, 200 acres in Anderson Co., in middle of line of lot B on JACOB WEAVER's line, corner near a small sink running on said middle, with line to top of Chesnut Ridge, to middle of upper half of lot B, including half of said upper half, a parallel line to conditional corner between HORTON & FLEM McCOY.  Reg. 20 Jan. 1819.
Wit: 
JACOB WEAVER
WILLIAM WEAVER
ISAAC HORTON


[page 145 in book]
page 19
29 Oct. 1822.  SAMUEL HIBBS of Anderson Co. to ISAAC ROBBINS, for $200, 200 acres, beginning on the middle of the line of lot B, JACOB WEAVER's line, to Chestnut Ridge, up the extreme height of the ridge to the middle of the upper half of the lot, including half of the said upper half of the lot, to the conditional corner of ISAAC HORTON, Sr., and FLEMING McCOY, to the beginning.  Reg. 18 Jan. 1823.
Wit: 
JOHN WHITSON
JOHN WALLACE, Jr.
SAMUEL (X) HIBBS


page 20
31 Aug. 1822. WILLIAM HOGSHEAD of Anderson Co. to JOHN McADOO, Sr., for $75, 100 acres, part of northeast half of lot H in the Henderson & Co.'s Clinch survey, sold by CHARLES Y. OLIVER, Sheriff, for double taxes on 20 April 1819 to WILLIAM HOGSHEAD.  Beginning near the bank of Hine's Creek, corner to a 220 acre tract claimed by RICHARD LEWALLEN, north to the upper line of lot H. HIBBS' corner, south to HIBBS' corner, northwest with HIBBS' line to the bank of Clinch River, HIBBS' beginning corner, down the river to the divistion line of lot H, with the division line to the corner of McADOO's land, the place where he now lives, thence with his line to LEWALLEN's tract, wih his line to the beginning.  Reg. 22 Jan. 1823.
Wit:
JOHN (X) FOX
WILLIAM McADOO
WILLIAM HOGSHEAD


[page 150 in book]
page 86.
4 Sept. 1822, MILIN HIBBS to HENRY LONG for $300, 100 acres on Hindses Creek in Henderson & Co.'s Clinch Survey, beginning on LEMAR's line, south crossing Hinds Creek, the wagon road, along the road to HARTZ line, with his line to LEMAR's line, to the beginning.  Reg. 5 Dec. 1823.
Wit:
JOHN McADOO, Jr.
ALFRED DUNCAN
MALIN (X) HIBBS



The dates on these land sales tracks very nicely with what I already know about their migration to Indiana (they showed up around 1823).

I looked up Henderson and Co's Clinch Survey, and found a page on Rootsweb dedicated to info and research by Phillip A. Walker on the Henderson Grant plus a map:

The Henderson Grant area.  Mahlon and Samuel would be in the center lower part, per the description in the land records.

Based on the land descriptions, I think this is about where Mahlon and Samuel Hibbs were (closeup of the above picture)

I think this is great boost for my research in this area.  I have more names to play around with (Lewallen, Hogshead, and Oliver) than I did before, which I hope will help me figure out who Mahlon Hibbs' parents were (and his wife Nancy Ann LNU's parents as well).  

I already recognized the Weaver name since a man named William Hibbs (about 1785, possibly Mahlon's son or close relative) married Elizabeth Weaver and they were lifelong residents of Anderson County, Tennessee.

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Awaiting My Bright and Shiny Objects: Two Books on Anderson County, Tennessee

This is the kind of stuff that excites me.  Keeps me off the streets I guess!

I believe I've reached a point where online research is not going to reveal any more about my mysterious 4th great grandparents Mahlon Hibbs (1747-1852?) and his wife Nancy LNU (1764-1846).  They appeared to have spent about 20 years in Anderson County, Tennessee (about 1801-1823) before showing up in Putnam County, Indiana in about 1824, and may have been in Tennessee at least as early as 1785.

I think it is time to buy more books!

A few years ago I purchased Anderson County, Tennessee, County Court Minutes, 1801-1809 and 1810-1814. Two Volumes in One by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) published by Mountain Press***, which revealed a lot of names to research as well as a few mentions of Mahlon and likely family members (jury duty and several court cases).

I'm hoping the next two books I've purchased will help me tie together some of the information I've gleaned from the court minutes one as well as various census and other records.  These books may or may not have specific information about my ancestors, but even if they don't I hope they will help me understand the family groups and communities better in Anderson County, Tennessee in its earliest years.

Anderson County, Tennessee Land Deed Genealogy, 1801-1831

This East Tennessee County was formed in 1801 from parts of Knox and Grainger counties. It lies partly in the valley of East Tennessee and partly on the Cumberland Plateau. This book contains abstracts of the deeds for this county running from 1801 and going through 1831 with some references going back into the late 1700's.

Anderson County, Tennessee:: History Revealed Through Biographical and Genealogical Sketches of its Ancestors

This features a brief but fascinating history of the county, as well as numerous biographical and genealogical sketches of many Anderson County ancestors. Included are nearly forty Revolutionary War veterans that made their home here. Among the personal sketches, you will also find many fully transcribed wills. Through these sketches an interesting history of Anderson County, Tennessee is revealed!

***By the way, a big shout out to Mountain Press publishing.  Their works each have an online description including a complete index of all last names mentioned in that work.  REALLY helpful if you need to quickly assess if a particular book will have relevant info for you.




© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

His Mother Nancy (Hibbs) Nosler Dies: The Diary of James Milo Nosler

James Milo Nosler (1843-1886), my 3rd great uncle who kept a diary for many years, was born in Putnam County, Indiana.  When he was six his parents took him out to Iowa to visit an older brother, and soon after the family moved out to Iowa by 1850.  A few weeks before his 11th birthday his mother, Nancy Hibbs (1800-1854) died of illness on a trip back from an extended visit to family and friends in Putnam County, Indiana.

In the fall of 1853 my parents (M) sisters [Syotha Caroline, Mary, and Emily], Will [William Nosler, my 2nd great grandfather], and myself made an overland trip to Indiana where we remained during the winter visiting our old neighbors and relatives.  Early in the spring we started back  and just in the edge of Ill. mother and Emily were both taken sick, and we stopped with a man by the name of Landreth in the middle of an 18 mile prairie.

I am still struggling to discover where this was exactly.  I'm assuming somewhere on the road in eastern Illinois along a route to Springfield, as he mentions that after his mother died they buried her on the "Springfield road" in Smigton(?), but I don't find a Smigton. It is not clear to me what route they were taking, as I would have expected Edgar or Coles counties to be where they would have gone through if they were going toward Springfield, that is), but maybe they took a more southern route, as the only men with last name Landreth that I could find in the 1855 Illinois Census were in Clay County (toward the bottom of the map).  Also, in the BLM records I find a Wells Landreth in neighboring Effingham County who bought land in 1853, just the year before.  Maybe the family went from Green Castle to Terre Haute, and then due south to Vincennes and across into Illinois?

On the other hand, even though I don't find Landreth men in the Clark County area in that time period, it did run along a route from Green Castle to Terre Haute to Vandalia, there is a *Livingston*  east of Marshall, Clark, Illinois, on a modern map along that route (maybe the person transcribing the diary mistook the L for an S?--that might make sense).  And it is just inside Illinois, as James said. But it doesn't satisfy the "middle of an 18 miles prairie" description.

For a while I had her dying possibly near Gordon, Crawford County, Illinois, as that is also on the border of Illinois and Indiana, and has a Landreth man there by 1860, but it doesn't seem like a logical place they would have traveled through.

It is also possible that James didn't give an entirely accurate location, since I don't think he was overly familiar with Illinois at any point in his life.

If anyone else can figure this out, that would be great!  I'd love to know where my ancestress is buried.

I am assuming somewhere between Greencastle, Putnam, Indiana (right) and Springfield (circled left) is where they stopped and where Nancy is buried.  I have looked up Landreth (and other spelling variations) in the 1855 Illinois Census and found men of that name only in Clay county (toward the bottom) and also land records indicate a man in neighboring Effingham.  From the 1856 Map of Illinois.

After an illness of about two weeks, I was left motherless on the 12 day of April 1854.  Two or three days before she died, (her mind had been wandering for some time), when she was noticed looking very attentive at me.  Caroline [Syotha Caroline Nosler, b 1829] asked her if she knew who it was.  She said, "Is it Jimmy?" Answer, "Yes," "Well then Jimmy bring me a drink," and these were the last words she ever spoke to me.  I can remember how these words filled my young heart with joy, for I thought it an indication of my mother's recovery.  

She was buried near a little town by the name of Smigton (?) [possibly Livingston, Clark County, Illinois], seven miles west of Landrettis (?) on the Springfield road. 

After a few days travel, Emily [Emily Ellin Nosler, 1833-1888] was taken worse, and had to lay over another week, but at last we got back to the old mill [in Jefferson Township, Polk County, Iowa, on Beaver Creek, just northwest of Des Moines, for an image of the general area see this post], father had disposed of all his land and sold the mill to Jno. Nosler [likely son John Houston Nosler, 1831-1907] and Samle Kent, but during the summer he bought one third of the mill back and Bird Voweland [Bird Vowell, who was daughter Mary Nosler's husband, not sure why James sometimes puts Voweland instead of Vowell??] bought Hunt's share [Hunt was the last name of James' soon-to-be brother-in-law, Benjamin Hunt, so likely either him or a near relative], rented his farm in Jasper county and moved up.  Bird did not buy though until the summer of "55".  

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Madness: Mahlon Hibbs

The ancestry of Mahlon Hibbs (abt 1747 in Virginia-abt 1850 Indiana?), one of my 4th great grandfathers, is a major brick wall.  I deeply suspect that he is a descendant of the Hibbs family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, due to naming practices, migration patterns, and DNA cousin matches on AncestryDNA, but I have not yet been able to definitively connect him to that family with any one piece of evidence.  One of Mahlon's daughters, Nancy (Hibbs) Nosler (1800-1854), is my 3rd great grandmother.  Her son William Nosler is my 2nd great grandfather (my great grandmother Minnie Nosler's father), and another son of Nancy's is my 2nd great grand uncle James Milo Nosler.  James Nosler briefly mentioned his mother's ancestry in his diary, saying "my mother was purely English as far as I know."

Actually a lot of research work has been done on the Hibbs family, an especially nice one available at L.D. Pierce's page dedicated to his Hibbs Family Genealogy (""Prepared by my Uncle Harry Faus").  A discernable trend in that Quaker family included some branches that left Bucks County, Pennsylvania, for Loudoun County, Virginia.  Based on the above genealogy and Quaker records recently released on Ancestry.com I have been able to figure out that these Hibbs likely attended Quaker meetings in either Goose Creek MM or South Fork MH in Loudoun County, Virginia.  I don't find Mahlon in those records online, unfortunately.

Based on his known children's birthplaces it seems that Mahlon had children born in Tennessee as early as about 1785.  The earliest I find him in that area comes from an 1805 tax list from Anderson County, Tennessee:

[Not an easy image to read, unfortunately.  Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data: Early Tax Lists of Tennessee. Microfilm, 12 rolls. The Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee.]

According to the Anderson County, Tennessee, County Court Minutes, 1801-1809 and 1810-1814. Two Volumes in One by the Works Progress Administration (WPA),  Mahlon was mentioned as a juror, working as overseer for construction of a local road, and tendering (bail?) for a John Hibbs (I suspect John was his son), as well as being excused from paying taxes due to old age in his mid-50's, which is funny as he lived to at least the 1850 Census (at least 103 years old!).  Here are most of the excerpts I found, all from the above-named WPA publication:

Jun 1807 "Ordered by the court Walter Taylor be overseer of the road from James Taylors to Burrville in place of John Taylor & that he have the same bound & hands."
Mar 1809 "Ordered by the court that Malon Hibbs be overseer in place of Walter Taylor and that he have the same hands and bounds."
page 394 [page 158]
Mar 1809  "Ordered by the court that the following hands work under Melon[sp] Hibbs overseer (to wit) Walter Taylor, Isaac Robbins, Benjamin Potter, Saml. Tipton, Samuel Hibbs, William Sevoirs, John Stewart & Henry George."
page 400 [page 159]

13 Oct 1812
James Newberry
vs
John Hibbs
This day came William Severs and surrendered into Court the body of John Hibbs the Deft. in discharge of himself as Bail.  Whereupon said Defendant tendered Malon Hibbs and Thomas Landrum as counter security who rec'd. &c and entered into bond &c--
from page 148 [page 63] of Vol 2 of:
Anderson County, Tennessee, County Court Minutes, 1801-1809 and 1810-1814. Two Volumes in One

I think that Mahlon was married to Nancy Ann LNU (possibly Nichols?) and that they had the following children, all born in Tennessee as far I can tell:
William Hibbs Sr (b 1785)
John Hibbs (b 1786)
Jeremiah Hibbs (b 1790)
Samuel Hibbs (1791-1849)
Rachel Hibbs (1794-1883)
Amos Hibbs (1796-1866)
Mahlon Nicholas Hibbs (son, nephew, or cousin?) (1800-1850)
Nancy Hibbs (1800-1854)
Elizabeth Hibbs (1802-1890)
James G Hibbs (1806-1852)

An intriguing wrinkle is that Mahlon Hibbs lived in the same area (in later Putnam County, Indiana) as a Mahlon Nicholas Hibbs (born about 1800 in Tennessee).  I have seen a few trees name this younger Mahlon's father as Amos Hibbs (b 1762 in Bucks County, PA to William Hibbs IV and Ruth Blaker, married to Mary Pool in Goose Creek MM, Loudoun, Virginia ), with no further explanation or evidence.  I had originally assumed that Mahlon Nicholas Hibbs was a son of Mahlon Sr., but of course maybe he was indeed a nephew or cousin of Mahlon Sr.  In any case, what then was the relationship between Amos Hibbs (b 1762 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania) and Mahlon Hibbs (b 1747 in Virginia)?  My Mahlon Hibbs (b 1747) does not appear to be a son or brother or even known cousin of William Hibbs IV from the published genealogy of the Hibbs family.

Sometime after 1820 some of the Hibbs family moved from Anderson County, Tennessee, to Putnam County, Indiana, with Samuel Hibbs first purchasing land from the federal government November 10, 1824.  Mahlon Hibbs' sons Amos, Samuel, and Mahlon Nicholas bought land between 1824 and at least 1837, with John and James Hibbs purchasing land in neighboring Hendricks County, Indiana.  Mahlon's oldest son, William Hibbs, apparently stayed behind in Anderson County, Tennessee, for the rest of his life.

I find "Malan Hibbs" in the 1830 Federal Census in Putnam County, Indiana, two lines away from "Mullana N. Hibbs" (I'm assuming this is Mahlon Nicholas Hibbs):

[1830 US Census; Census Place: Putnam, Indiana; Page: 203; NARA Series: M19; Roll Number: 30; Family History Film: 0007719]

I have not yet completely analyzed the other neighbors yet.  There are no other Hibbs names on this page.

On September 3, 1834, a Mahlon Hibbs (not sure if the elder Mahlon or Mahlon Nicholas) was issued a land patent certificate in Putnam County:

[United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007.]

Mahlon is next on the 1840 Federal Census in Greencastle, Putnam, Indiana:

[Year: 1840; Census Place: Greencastle, Putnam, Indiana; Roll: 91; Page: 378; Image: 771; Family History Library Film: 0007728]

 Nearby neighbors include son Amos Hibbs and a William Hibbs (a man in his 20's).  I am not sure who William is, although maybe a son of Mahlon's son John Hibbs (who is a shadowy figure who I haven't quite been able to figure out).

Mahlon's wife Nancy Ann died on May 30, 1846, and was buried in Deer Creek Cemetery in Putnam County, Indiana.  It is unclear to me if she was his only wife, or maybe his second one?  I have no idea.

Widowed Mahlon is living with son Amos Hibbs and his family in the 1850 Federal Census in Jefferson Township, Putnam, Indiana:

[Year: 1850; Census Place: Jefferson, Putnam, Indiana; Roll: M432_167; Page: 467A; Image: 224]

Mahlon certainly died after the Census was taken, but I don't know where and when.  He is likely buried by his wife Nancy in Deer Creek Cemetery, but judging by her headstone it is likely his headstone is withered away or gone, and his burial place may never be ascertained.







© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Hat Tip to Those Relatives Who Wrote Their Stories Down, Part 3

If you are lucky, you have a genealogist or two lurking in your family tree who has already done much of the heavy genealogical lifting for you.  I have three relatives whose written work helped me tremendously, each in their own way:

May (Tibbetts) Jarvis,
Esther (Moreland) Leithold, and
James Milo Nosler.

Today I'll cover James Milo Nosler.

[James Milo Nosler and his wife Sally Snyder, courtesy of Irving Blabon]

James Milo Nosler (1843-1886) is my 2nd great granduncle and the brother of my 2nd great grandfather, William "Will" Henry Nosler.  He is the author of the "J.M. Nosler Diary, 1861-1885."  James and William were the sons of John Nosler (1800-1864) and Nancy Hibbs (1800-1854).

Nosler descendants still own the original diary/diaries, but a typewritten copy is available at the Special Collections division of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.  There is also a microfilm copy at the JFK Library at the Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Spokane, Washington.

You can order a copy of the entire diary for $143.22 (that includes fees and shipping, as of 2014) by contacting the University of Washington in Seattle at this email photos@u.washington.edu,  and include the following information:
Accession Name: Nosler, James Milo
Accession Number: No. 0068-001
Box Number: v.f. 43
Folder Number: Diary, 1861-1886
It took them a week or so to get all the copies done.  You order first and then when they are done they send you the bill.

If you would be satisfied just seeing a sample of the diary for free you can visit the digital version at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The digital version description includes this summary in its notes:

Joe[?sic] Nosler was born in Indiana in 1843. He married Sally Snyder in 1864 and settled in Kansas where he was engaged in farming. Due to the reoccurrence of fever and ague, they decided to move west of the Mississippi Valley. Traveling on the Union Pacific Railroad, they left for Oregon in September 1870. The Oregon country had its drawbacks, and as Nosler phrased it "There were too many trees and too few relations". They had come to Oregon in October 1871, and by July 1871 they were on their way northward to the Willamette Valley. Deciding not to stop, they crossed the Cascades and continued through the dry central area to the Columbia River and arrived in Walla Walla on September 3, 1871. They pushed on to the Snake River, crossing at Angel's Ferry, and took a land claim not far from the present day Colfax. In July, he decided to sell his land claim and move to Colfax where he built a boarding house. He became the first sheriff of Whitman County in 1872. He was also a captain of a militia company, active in church affairs, and a deputy road supervisor. However, the settlers had little money and consequently, we find Nosler turning all his boarders out one at a time because times were so bad that they were unable to pay their board bills. Still, we find him Marshall of the Day, July 4, 1873, Deputy County treasurer and Postmaster in 1874. Times got better in 1874, and he sold the hotel and for a short time ran a drug and stationary store. He then sold his store and was agent for Philip Ritz, selling fruit trees. On account of the cold weather he made up his mind in the spring of 1875 to leave the Palouse and go back to southwestern Oregon where the difficulties that they had encountered when they first lived there were still in evidence. After many difficulties and the death of his daughter, Flora, he returned to his former home in the Palouse Country in October 10, 1877 where he remained one year. In October 1878, he settled in Spokane Falls and here the financial troubles that had beset him in the past largely disappeared. He entered the real estate business, bought tracts of land in and outside the growing city and became fairly well to do. He was able to pay up all his debts and when he died in 1886 he left a considerable amount of landed estate to his heirs. Nosler was unfortunate in his financial adventures until he came to Spokane Falls, but he was beset by a still greater trouble - ill health, which was with his most of his life. He would recover and after a few days complain again of various forms of sickness. The disease which finally caused his death in early middle age (43) was consumption.
The diary begins with some background information and his service in the Civil War (he was a private in Company D, 2nd Cavalry Regiment Iowa), as well his courtship with his wife Sarah Snyder.   It seems this was where his health problems really began, and he never fully recovered.  Much of the diary consists of short, daily entries, punctuated by the occasional longer passages.  This was the diary of an extremely busy man who faced many hardships while trying to make something of himself out in Washington.

It is very interesting to compare the three different works I've covered in this Hat Tip series.  While May Tibbetts Jarvis dispassionately covered many generations of Tibbetts (and told her own story in the 3rd person), and Esther Leithold told the story of her maternal grandparents (and almost nothing about herself), James Milo Nosler gave a first-person view into pioneer life in the mid-1800's with only a passing mention here and there about his ancestry.

I had worked on my Nosler line for a few years before I read through this diary.  It was a real treat when James would mention "Will" (my ancestor), or Rube Rittgers (a cousin of mine through Will's future wife), or numerous other relations, and I would think, "ooh, I know who that is!  Was that person really like that?  So these were actual people, then, and not just names on a census?"



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