Category Archives: Switzerland County

Lewis Gould Adkinson

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Lewis Gould Adkinson
birth: 8 September 1839 in Cotton Township, Switzerland County, Indiana to Samuel Thomas Adkinson and Jane McHenry Adkinson
death: 19 January 1906 in Atlanta, Georgia
burial: West View Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

marriage: 28 July 1863 in Rush County, Indiana
Mary Almira Osburn
birth: 28 July 1843 in Rush County, Indiana to Harmon and Elizabeth “Eliza” Jane Packard Osburn
death: 29 June 1918 in Jacksonville, Florida
burial: West View Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

Children of Mary Almira Osburn and Lewis Gould Adkinson:

  • Isabel Adkinson (1865-1940) married Edwin Grant Conklin
  • Fannie Adkinson (1868-1942) married Edmund Crooker Ziegler
  • Albert Reed Adkinson (1871-1917) married Carlotta Opal Willett
  • Jennie May Adkinson (1877-1921) married Otha Thomas Usleman
  • Rufus Harmon Adkinson (1879-1902) Did not marry.
  • Laura Adkinson, dates unknown, died in infancy.
  • Arthur Edwin Adkinson, dates unknown, died in infancy.

Ancestor here lived in:

  • 1839-1860: Cotton Township, Switzerland County
  • 1861-1887: Southeastern Indiana, various locations as assigned as Minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, including: 1870: Columbus, Bartholomew County; 1880: Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County
  • 1882-1887: Moores Hill, Dearborn County, as President of Moores Hill College
  • 1888-1900: New Orleans, Louisiana, as President of New Orleans University
  • 1901-1906: Atlanta, Georgia, as President of Gammon Theological Seminary

Other Information:

 Lewis Gould Adkinson began public life at the age of 18 ( abt. 1857) by teaching in a public school. In two years he was Principal of the third grade public school in Vevay, Switzerland County. In 1859 he was licensed to preach in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in 1860 admitted to the Southeast Indiana Conference. He served as minister in various locations until 1882. He was appointed as President, Moores Hill College, Dearborn County in 1882, and served until 1887. In 1887, Rev. Adkinson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from DePauw University. He was appointed as President, New Orleans (Louisiana) University, and served from 1888 until 1900. He was appointed as President, Gammon Theological Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia and served from 1901 until his death in 1906.

Submitted by:
Alexander Blair Smith
Email: alexsmith17131@gmail.com

Oliver William Bradford

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Oliver William Bradford
birth: 20 Sep 1831 in Patriot, Switzerland Co., IN, to Orin R. and Roxanna (Hinman) Bradford
death: 22 Feb 1907 in Cedar Twp., Van Buren Co., IA
burial: Stockport, Van Buren Co., IA

marriage: 29 Nov 1861 at Centerville, Appanoose, IA
Nancy Ann Peckham
birth: 4 Feb 1842 at Holmes, Wright Co., IA to Frederick Plumer and Nancy Jane (Denning) Peckham
death: 21 Jan 1881, Cedar Twp., Van Buren Co.,, IA
burial: Stockport, Van Buren Co., IA

Children of Oliver William Bradford and Nancy Ann Peckham:

  • Horace Maynard Bradford, b.31 Aug 1865, d. 22 Mar 1938, did not marry
  • Laura Jane Bradford, b. 31 Jan 1867, d. 17 Jun 1944, m. Ebenezer Nelson Bundy
  • Loyd S. Bradford, b. 23 Mar 1868, d. 8 Mar 1870
  • Corwin Wentworth Bradford, b. 3 Jan 1870, d.  5 Mar 1942, m. Mary Amata Smith
  • Orin Reade Bradford, b. 14 Oct 1871, d. 9 Jan 1956, m. Mary Emily Walker
  • Randall Plummer Bradford, b. 12 Jan 1874, d. 7 Aug 1967, m. (1) Gladys I. Smith,  (2) Pearl May Smith, (3) Evelyn M.
  • Florence J. Bradford, b. 9 Apr 1875, d.  7 Nov 1976, m. (1) Francis L. Silver, (2) Joe W. Grinn
  • Georgie Bradford, b. 22 Jun 1876, d. 5 Aug 1876
  • Pierson S. Bradford, b. 21 Oct 1877, d. 3 Jul 1962, m. Hettie Marvin Smith
  • Andrew Bradford, b. 22 Jan 1879, d. 3 Aug 1879
  • Babe Bradford, b. 15 Jan1881, d. 15 Jan 1881

Other Information:

Oliver was a life long farmer in Van Buren County, Iowa. He and his wife had eleven children, nine of whom survived to adulthood. Oliver served in the Iowa 14th Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. He fought in the battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donaldson, and Shiloh. He was captured at the “Hornets Nest” after his unit was surrounded and had exhausted their ammunition.

Submitted by:
Larry A. Peck Sr
Email: pscpeck@gmail.com

Alvin Porter Cole

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Alvin Porter Cole
birth: 4 Feb 1894, Dearborn County, Indiana to Joel DeVane Cole and Lucy Ann Palmer
death: 30 Jul 1962, Osgood, Ripley County, Indiana
burial: Oakdale Cemetery, Lot 243, Dearborn County, Indiana

m: 8 Oct. 1913, Dearborn County, Indiana
Tracie Elizabeth Seymour
birth: 21 Jul 1921, Switzerland County, Indiana to Levi H. Seymour and Alice Dora Turner

Children of Alvin Porter Cole and Tracie Elizabeth Seymour:

  • Vaina Lee Cole (b. 25 Jul 1914, Topeka, Kansas, d. 26 May 1988, Miami, Dade County, Florida) m. 30 Jan 1931, Ripley County, Indiana to Russell Heiderman
  • Meryl Wayne Cole (adopted) d. at 11 years old
  • Sarah Cole (died at 3 days old)

Alvin “Porter” Cole was a farmer, a park ranger at the Versailles State Park in early 50’s, and a mechanic for years at McCoy’s Garage in Osgood, Indiana. His latter work years was with the City of Osgood as a Town Marshall.

He lived on Maple Street, Osgood, Ripley, Indiana from 1930’s to 1970’s. He lived in Lakeland, Florida in mid to late 1940s.

He passed away with a heart attack. He never had any surgeries and didn’t believe in going to a doctor. He smoked a pipe mostly and rolled his own cigarettes when he desired one. He was a slender man of medium height, with almost black hair and dark dark brown eyes. He was always clean shaven. He wore suits of Brown on occasion and always wore a hat whenever outdoors.

Porter was dearly loved by his family, friends and all who he came in touch with in his work & everyday dealings.

Submitted by:
Rita Heiderman Sander
Email: ingengal@gmail.com

Asbury Wilkinson

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Asbury Wilkinson
b. 16 January 1818, Leipsic Township, Kent County, Delaware, to Parismus and Polly (Smith) Wilkinson
d. 17 January 1909, Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

m/1. 2 May 1843, Laconia, Harrison County, Indiana
Rachel Berry Beswick
b. to Phillip and Sally “Sarah” (Pitman) Beswick

m/2. 13 Sep. 1847, Laconia, Harrison County, Indiana
Mary Ann M. Beswick (Rachel’s sister)
b. 30 April 1825, Laconia, Harrison County, Indiana, to Phillip and Sally “Sarah” (Pitman) Beswick
d. 3 July 1892, Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

Children with Rachel Berry Beswick:
• Mary Rebecca (b. 1844)

Children with Mary Ann M. Beswick:
• Rachel H. (b. 1851)
• Emma (b. 1856)
• Belle (1862-1952) married (1) Peter C. Pryor, (2) Chester D. Dickinson

Asbury was living in Laconia, Harrison County, in 1842; in Posey Township, Switzerland County, in 1850; in Moore’s Hill, Dearborn County, in 1851; in Shelbyville, Shelby County, in 1856 and 1860; and in Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana, by 1862. It is not known when they left Indiana, but they were in Kingman, Kansas, in 1876. He was a graduate of DePauw University and a Methodist circuit rider, who began several churches.

Submitted by:
Elizabeth Nash
Garden City KS
E-mail: dnash1@cox.net

Jasper Newton Short

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Jasper Newton Short
b. 29 June 1832, Switzerland County, Indiana, to Joseph and Frances (Cotton) Short
d. 16 July 1918, Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas

m. 23 October 1856 in Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana
Mary Jane Christie
b. 17 September 1837, Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana
d. 16 November 1923, Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas

Children with Mary Jane Christie:
• Charles Preston (1858-1921) married Emma Brady
• Joseph Warren (1859-1938) married Martha Colliver
• James Taylor (1862-1940) married Flora A. Epperson
• Ira Newton (1866-1942) married Mary Popplewell
• Frances Elizabeth “Fannie” (1870-1930) married Justus A. Davis
• Edgar Leroy (1873-1950) married Louie Brothers
• Jeanette “Nettie” (1873-1959) married Edward Spencer Shriver
• Jennie (b. 1880) married William Franklin Smith

Jasper first moved to Ripley County, Indiana, with his parents. After his marriage, he lived near Canaan in Jefferson County and then in Decatur County before moving to Kansas in 1868, where first he moved to Davis County, then to Haskell County, and finally to Sumner County in 1897.

Submitted by:
Richard Shriver
Ft. Wayne IN

Seth Sampson, II

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Seth Sampson, II
b. 12 April 1825, Switzerland County, Indiana, to Seth and Eunice (Hopkins) Sampson
d. 24 November 1918, Van Wert, Decatur County, Iowa

m/1. 22 November 1848, Patriot, Switzerland County, Indiana
Margaret Jane Wilson
b. 14 April 1825, to Aaron and Catherine Wilson
d. 7 May 1889

m/2. 1890
Mrs. Mary E. Brewer
d. 7 June 1904

Children with Margaret Jane Wilson:
• Marvin L.
• Edwin D.
• George
• Mary T.
• James F.
• Avarilla C.
• William
• Carrie J.
• Francis L.
• Charles M.

In 1853 Seth left Indiana and bought land in Wapello County, Iowa. Ten years later he moved to Decatur County and then to Van Wert in 1885.

Seth was in Company F, 7th Iowa Infantry from 22 July 1861 until his discharge at Pittsburg, Tennessee, on 14 March 1862. He lived mostly from farming and began preaching as a local preacher in 1869.

Submitted by:
Dale Davidson Harguess
Huntington Beach CA
E-mail: dharguess@coastline.edu

Seth Sampson

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Seth Sampson
b. 17 January 1778 near Boston, Massachusetts, to Ezekiel and Sarah (Fance/Faunce) Samson
d. 20 August 1856, Madison County, Illinois

m. 8 July 1804, New York
Eunice Hopkinson
b. 13 July 1786, New Hampshire
d. 23 October 1883, Indiana

Children with Eunice Hopkinson:
• Olive (b. 1805)
• Lydia (b. 1806)
• Hannah
• Sabra
• Amanda
• Caleb
• Lucy
• John (b. 1821)
• Elizabeth
• Seth (b. 1825)
• James
• Mary Ann (b. 1827)
• Eunice
• Sarah
• Phobe
• Francis

Two of Seth’s children died in infancy, including the first Seth, who is not listed here. Son James also had a twin sister. All of the children were born in either New York or Indiana.

The family came down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh and settled north of Patriot in Switzerland County, Indiana in February 1816. They had a large sugar camp, a fruit orchard, and grew corn. They were affiliated with the Methodist Church and did whatever they could to maintain religious services in the communities where they lived. Seth was the first one to use a “P” in the spelling of his last name. He was a descendant of Mayflower passengers George Soule, Peter Brown, and Francis Cooke.

Submitted by:
Dale Davidson Harguess
Huntington Beach CA
E-mail: dharguess@coastline.edu

Hannah M. Sampson

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Hannah M. Sampson
b. 10 September 1807, Onondaga County, New York, to Seth and Eunice (Hopkinson) Sampson
d. 1 June 1866, Tamoroa, Perry County, Illinois

m. 4 November 1832, Rising Sun, Ohio County, Indiana
James Richard Wade
b. 18 September 1808, Ohio to Elisha and [–?–] Wade
d. 3 March 1867, Tamoroa, Perry County, Illinois

Children with James Richard Wade:
• Lorena L.
• Rebecca Jane
• Caleb S.
• Hannah P.
• William
• Benjamin F.

Hannah came to Switzerland County, Indiana, in February 1816. Her parents bought land north of Patriot in Switzerland County where they farmed and had a fruit orchard. Hannah taught school. The family left Switzerland County, Indiana for Perry County, Illinois, after 1850. Two of her sons died in the Civil War within a few months of each other, one at Vicksburg and one in Andersonville Prison. Hannah died soon thereafter.

Submitted by:
Dale Davidson Harguess
Huntington Beach CA
E-mail: dharguess@coastline.edu

William B Sanders

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William B. Sanders
b. 31 Dec 1800, England
d. 26 Feb 1875, Switzerland County, Indiana
bur. Bovard Cemetery, Cotton Township, Switzerland County, Indiana

William B Sanders gravestone

William B Sanders gravestone

m1. England
Ann White

m2. 5 Mar 1837, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio
Susan Estep
b. abt 1804, Maryland
d. 23 Aug 1864, Switzerland County, Indiana
bur. Bovard Cemetery, Cotton Township, Switzerland County, Indiana
Susan m1. Johnson Moran, 4 Mar 1824, Prince George’s County, Maryland

Susan Estep and Winfield Sanders gravestone

Susan Estep and Winfield Sanders gravestone

Children of William B. Sanders and probably Ann White:

  • Richard H Sanders (cir. 1828-1856) m. Caroline Merrill
  • Violetta B. Sanders (1831-1912) m. William A. Archer

Children of William B. Sanders and Susan Estep:

  • Joshua Sanders (1838–1866), m. Elzira Matilda Ryan
  • George W. Sanders (1842–1901), m. Sarah Jane Dunning
  • Edwin Sanders (1845–1922), m. Fanny C. Moore
  • Winfield S. Sanders (1848–1864)

William’s life in England is unknown, but he did have 2 children born there. By 1834, he was living in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. After 1850, William, Susan, and their family lived in Cotton Township, Switzerland County, Indiana.

Submitted by:
Tina Lyons (genwishlist@gmail.com)
Fort Wayne, IN

George W Sanders

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George W. Sanders
b. 24 Feb 1842, Ohio to William B. Sanders and Susan Estep
d. 10 Aug 1901, East Enterprise, Switzerland County, Indiana
bur. Bovard Cemetery, Cotton Township, Switzerland County, Indiana

George W Sanders and Susan Dunning gravestone

George W Sanders and Susan Dunning gravestone

m. 30 Sept 1864, Switzerland County, Indiana
Sarah Jane Dunning
b. 24 Apr 1842, Switzerland County, Indiana to Michael Dunning and Susanna Turner
d. 14 Mar 1926 at Cotton Township, Switzerland County, Indiana
bur. Bovard Cemetery, Cotton Township, Switzerland County, Indiana

Children with Sarah Jane Dunning:

  • Susan Sanders (1870–1927), m. Willard Theodore Bascom
  • Edwin Sanders (1865–1915), m. Edda G. Pickett
  • Mary B. Sanders (1867–1962), m. Harry M. Stow
  • Mariah S. Sanders (1873–1942), m. Elmer E. Ford
  • Walter Armstrong Sanders (1876–1949), m1. Kate Bell Heady; m2. Alice D. Durbin

Although born in Ohio, George W. Sanders and his family had moved to Cotton Township, Switzerland County, Indiana by 1850. After their marriage, George and Sarah Jane remained in Switzerland County until their deaths.

Submitted by:
Tina Lyons (genwishlist@gmail.com)
Fort Wayne, IN