Category Archives: Vigo County

Mathew W Stewart

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Mathew W Stewart
b. 3 September 1858, Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, to James W. and Mary C. (Bell) Stewart
d. 8 June 1939, Salmon, Lemhi County, Idaho

m. 12 January 1905, Salmon, Lemhi County, Idaho
Catherine C. Delaney
b. 12 September 1879, Davenport, Thayer County, Nebraska, to Edward and Mary (Morley) Delaney
d. 12 January 1959, Salmon, Lemhi County, Idaho

Children with Catherine C. Delaney:

  • infant (1906-1906)
  • Margaret (b. 1907)
  • Carolyn Rose (1908-1963) married Glen Wyant
  • Matthew W. (1909-1971) married Mildred Wayman
  • James Edward (1910-1925)
  • Margaret Helen (1918-1973) married Lyle Edgar White

Matt’s grandfather came from Ireland, lived in Louisville, Kentucky, then moved to Parke County Indiana, by 1826. The family moved to Vigo County by 1829, where they built and owned the Stewart House.

Matt, his brother James, and his sister Helen, moved to Salmon, Lemhi County, Idaho before 1900. The 1900 census lists Matt as a miner, James as a tinsmith, and Helen was listed without an occupation. The three of them were not living in the same household.

Matt served as the Salmon, Lemhi County, Idaho sheriff for two terms. Three deputies were killed during Matt’s service as sheriff. He was a miner, carpenter, and livestock rancher.

Submitted by:
Leila Crawford
Philomath OR
E-mail: leila@peak.org

Helen Marie Jeffers

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Helen Marie Jeffers
b. 22 February 1922, Vigo County, Indiana, to Charles Harvey and Bessie Bell (Grissom) Jeffers
d. 9 September 2006, Stuart, Florida

m/1. 1940’s, Vigo County, Indiana
Harvey Knesek

m/2.
Robert McWhirter

Children with Harvey Knesek:

  • Julia Ann (b. 1942) married Ray Rhein
  • Harvey, Jr. (b. 1944)
  • Linda (b 1948) married Ken Gailis

Helen’s father was a coal miner and farmer, whose father and grandfather had both lived in Indiana. They lived in Greene, Clay, and Vigo counties before leaving Indiana.

Helen graduated from high school in Riley, Vigo County, Indiana, and worked in Terre Haute. She met her first husband while he was a student at Indiana State Teachers College. He taught at various schools until he joined the General Motors Corporation and worked in Indiana and Illinois.

She was a secretary at Electro-Motive, Train Division, General Motors, in Chicago, Illinois. She and her second husband, Robert McWhirter from Scotland, lived for a short time in Riley, Vigo County, Indiana, before both retired to Jensen Beach, Florida, where they lived for 24 years.

Submitted by:
Jack L. Snow
Forest Park GA
E-mail: Jlsnow62hmc@bellsouth.net

Richard Hebb Jones

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Richard Hebb “Dick” Jones
b. 30 September 1904, Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, to Zachariah and Emma Grace (McGrew) Jones
d. 25 May 1995, Detroit, Michigan

m. 14 June 1928, Monroe, Monroe County, Michigan
Jenny Mae Wilson
b. 5 December 1907, Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky
d. 25 December 1993, Detroit, Michigan

Children with Jenny Mae Wilson:

  • Richard Lewis (1931-1984) married (1) Marjorie Leachman, (2) Marjorie Nance

Richard was the next to the oldest in a large family of eleven children. He was born in Indiana and remained here until the 1920’s when he relocated to Michigan, near Detroit.

Richard was a successful businessman, venturing into the hardware and grocery businesses. Both he and his wife worked together in these operations.

Submitted by:
Jennifer Cruse
Terre Haute IN
E-mail: jencruse@msn.com

James D. Lewis

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James D. Lewis
b. 1 August 1862, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, to William and Mary (Griffiths) Lewis
d. 12 February 1940, Royalton, Franklin County, Illinois

m. 22 June 1891, Pulaski County, Kentucky
Litha Emmaline Strunk
b. 15 May 1863, Kentucky
d. after 1945

Children with Litha Emmaline Strunk:

  • Florence (b. 1892) married Keith Hayne
  • Mary Jane (b. 1894) married George Williams
  • Clementine (b. 1896) married John Barbee
  • Emerson (b. 1898)

James immigrated to Indiana from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, in 1881. He first lived in Otter Creek Township, Vigo County, Indiana, and then moved to Nevins Township in Vigo County. He left Indiana between 1910 and 1920, going first to Henderson County, Kentucky, and then settled in Royalton, Franklin County, Illinois.

While living in Wales, James worked in the mines. When he came to the United States, he continued in the mining industry and was superintendent of the mines while in Kentucky.

James was very fond of dogs and was an avid hunter.

Submitted by:
Jennifer Cruse
Terre Haute IN
E-mail: jencruse@msn.com

Edward James Roberts

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Edward James Roberts
b. about 1899, Glam Treorhy, Wales, to William John and Elvira (Llewellyn) Roberts
d. 1958, near Avery, Michigan

m.
Florence [–?–]
b. about 1905, Ohio

Children with Florence [–?–]:

  • Betty J. (b. ca. 1920)
  • Richard (b. ca. 1923)
  • William (b. ca. 1924)
  • Dorothy A. (b. ca. 1925)

Edward immigrated to the United States from Wales in 1904. He lived in Otter Creek Township, Vigo County, Indiana, with his parents. After his mother died in 1912, his father remarried and the family moved to Michigan. William was killed in an auto accident on the Michigan turnpike.

Edward was a dye maker for a steel mill.

Submitted by:
Jennifer Cruse
Terre Haute IN
E-mail: jencruse@msn.com

William John Roberts

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William John Roberts
b. 20 June 1878, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, Wales, to Thomas and Sarah (Devonald) Roberts
d. 22 February 1958, Detroit, Michigan

m/1. 7 July 1897, Pontypridd, Wales
Elvira Llewellyn
b. 1876, Glam Bridgend, Wales
d. 30 June 1912, West Terre Haute, Indiana

m/2.
Laura A. [–?–]
b. about 1875, Indiana

Children with Elvira Llewellyn:

  • Edward James (1899-1958) married Florence [–?–]
  • David W. (b. 1898)
  • Blodwyn (b. 1905)
  • Llewelyn (1907-1984) married Rosalia M. “Sally” [–?–]
  • John E. (b. 1901)

William John arrived in the U.S. in 1903, settling in Otter Creek Township, Vigo County, Indiana, where his half-brother, James L. Devonald, and James’ wife, Margaret Sarah (Lewis) Devonald were residing.

After Elvira passed away in 1912, two of his children, Blodwyn and Llewellyn, went to live with their uncle, James L. Devonald. Later the children were placed in the Rose Orphans Home in Terre Haute but their father eventually was able to retrieve them. He remarried and moved to the Detroit, Michigan area to live, where he had family.

William John’s three oldest children were born in Wales while the youngest two were born in Indiana. He was a coal miner in Wales and in Indiana. He worked as an inspector for a brass company in Michigan.

Submitted by:
Jennifer Cruse
Terre Haute IN
E-mail: jencruse@msn.com

William Griffith Lewis

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William Griffith Lewis
b. 1 October 1858, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales to William and Mary (Griffiths) Lewis
d. 1 September 1924, Sandoval, Marion County, Illinois

m. 1881, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Anne Bowen
d. before 1922

Children with Anne Bowen:

  • Edward G. “Teddy” (b. 1882) married Hannah [–?–]
  • William B. (b. abt. 1884)

William and Anne immigrated to Indiana in 1881, from Wales. While in the states, they lived near Burnett, Vigo County, Indiana, and possibly in Virginia before they returned home to Wales in about 1893. They built a beautiful home at Garnant, near Swansea, Wales, but returned to America in 1922, living first in Indiana and then Illinois.

William was a highly accomplished man. A great lover of music, he was a successful leader of choirs and won a number of prizes in competitions while leading choirs in both the United States and Wales. He composed the music and wrote the words to a great number of songs and anthems. In addition, William sang in the “Queen’s Choir” in Wales.

Submitted by:
Jennifer Cruse
Terre Haute IN
E-mail: jencruse@msn.com

Robert Cloyd

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ROBERT CLOYD
b. 4 April 1836, Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, to John and [–?–] Cloyd
d. 1 June 1902, Farnam, Dawson County, Nebraska

m. 31 March 1859, Ohio
Ann Randall
b. 29 April 1838, Ohio
d. 10 February 1879, Glengary, Fillmore County, Nebraska

Children with Ann Randall:

  • Emma Jane
  • John O.
  • William H.
  • Mattie E.
  • Jefferson F.
  • George A.
  • Cora B.

Robert lived in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, until 1865 when he emigrated to Nebraska.

Submitted by:
Ruby Jean Francis
Denver CO

Emerson Martin Wyatt Van Horn

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Emerson Martin Wyatt Van Horn
b. 22 March 1862, Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, to William Martin and Lucinda Louis Van Horn
d. 13 January 1912, Ottawa County, Oklahoma

m. 2 January 1887, Nedshow, Newton County, Missouri
Ida Louisa Lea
b. 11 March 1866, Newton County, Missouri
d. 5 or 6 January 1929, Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri

Children with Ida Louisa Lea:

  • Joseph Homer
  • Lawrence D.

Submitted by:
Estella Mae Staton
Baxter Springs KS

William Alexander Tucker

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William Alexander Tucker
b. 28 March 1837, Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, to Aaron and Nancy Rachel (Hodson) Tucker
d. 5 August 1920, Quay, Pawnee County, Oklahoma

m. 20 February 1857, Clay Township, Sullivan County, Missouri
Elizabeth Jane Kenney
b. 17 September 1841
d. 1 March 1904, Pawnee County, Ohio

Children with Elizabeth Jane Kenney:

  • Mary Ann Melissa
  • Audrena Bell
  • Sarah Elizabeth
  • William Edgar
  • Aaron Alonzo
  • Lenna May
  • Jerry Austin
  • Jonathon David

William moved to Sullivan County, Missouri, in 1856, approximately a year before his father, Aaron Tucker, brought the rest of his family into that county.

Submitted by:
Tommy D. Tucker
Marion IA