The 1966 Walton Picnic

This clip appeared in The Clay County News on August 18, 1966 listing the attendees at the Walton Picnic in Clay Center.

Walton Picnic, 1966

Were you there? I missed it having just finished basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas and was waiting to hear if I'd been accepted to officers' training. That happened one month later.
JJ

holding place for draft post

holding place for draft post

Holding place for draft post

Why did James and Rhoda go to Moulton, Iowa?

by Jerry Johnson

Genealogical research does not need to be limited to a collection of dates and places. In fact, I'd likely have never taken up the activity if that were so. The topic gets better as we flesh out those dates and places, ask the questions "When?" and "How?" and especially "Why?"

James and Rhoda Rowlison's migration from southern Indiana to western Kansas included a stop in Moulton, Iowa around 1876. Martha Anna was born there in January of 1877. The stop in Iowa followed a longer stay near Kirksville, Missouri about 35 miles south of Moulton.

It is worth researching and maybe speculating as to "Why?" did the Rowlisons decide to go to Kirksville and to Moulton.

There was a fellow named Robert J. Rowlison who seems to be the same fellow as a John L. Rowlison who shows up in the Kirksville census as early as 1860. He had come from Jennings County, Indiana. These could be two different guys but there is too much commonality to ignore.

I'm speculating that this was a son of Nathanial Rowlison and a cousin of James. John, or Robert Rowlison seems to have been in the Civil War as a corporal in the 2nd Missouri Cavalry - a Union unit. So the Rowlison name, common youth in Jennings or neighboring Jefferson Counties in Indiana and probably cousins leads us to speculate that James and Rhoda went to Kirksville because they knew of this Rowlison already living there.

Now to Moulton, Iowa. In 2007 after the reunion in Kewanee, Illinois, Rita and I went to Kirksville, Missouri and located the Rowlison farm there (earlier post here). We have the farm location from the ad that James put in the local paper when he put the place on the market. From Kirksville we drove the 35 miles north to Moulton, Iowa.

I do not have any clue as to where the Moulton farm may have been, but comparing the farmland at the two areas it is clear that the Iowa location was much better land for corn and other crops, at least it appears so today and was likely so in the 1870's. I speculated that during the several years that James and Rhoda lived in Kirksville, James would have had opportunity to scout the surrounding area and could have seen that there were better prospects around Moulton. I guessed he put the


The family of James and Sarah (Walton) Hays

Missouri farm up for sale and moved north. That was my "best guess" as to why the went to Moulton, until today.

Today I stumbled upon the grave record for Sarah (Walton) Hays who was buried in the Moulton, Iowa cemetery in 1893 and was living in Moulton as early as 1870. Sarah and her husband James Hays had lived in Jefferson County, Indiana when they were younger. Sarah was the older sister of Isaiah Walton and Rhoda's aunt.

James Hays died in May, 1876 and was buried in Moulton. Rhoda had her sixth baby, Martha Anna in January, 1877 in Moulton.

I think we can safely say that James and Rhoda moved to Moulton because her aunt already lived there.

After the short stay at this farm the Rowlisons moved on west to Peru, Nebraska. I do not have any clues what that attraction may have been. But the next move was to the series of four farms around Edgar, Nebraska where they stayed several years. The first of those farms was the farm of Merritt Walton, Rhoda's older brother where they spent their first winter while Merritt and his family went to Missouri for the winter.

Evan Thomas Pension Application

Thanks to cousin Irl Towle for this copy of the Revolutionary War pension application of our ancestor Evan Thomas.

First the family connections:

Rhoda (Walton) Rowlison > Myrtle Amy (Rowlison) Long > Lois Mae (Long) Beam > Geraldine (Beam) Towle > Forrest Irl Towle

and

Evan Thomas > Rhoda (Thomas) Hall > Eliza Jane (Hall) Walton > Rhoda (Walton) Rowlison

Dig out your Revolutionary War history books and follow our (my fourth - adjust your own generation) great grandfather's remarkable path...

Pension Application Declaration of Evan Thomas

 

State of Indiana

Jennings County

 

On this seventh day of January one thousand eight hundred and thirty three personally appeared in open Court before the Honorable the Commissioners Court of the County of Jennings and State of Indiana composed of Robert Elliott President, Patrick M. Dixon & Sam Wagner Commissioners now sitting Evan Thomas aged seventy six years a resident of the said County of Jennings and State aforesaid who first being duly sworn deposeth and saith and upon his Oath makes the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832. That in the summer of the year 1775 and to the best of his memory in the month of July in said year he enlisted as a private soldier in the service of the United States in a company of minute men under the command of Captain Phillip Lee in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Gresham at Prince William County State of Virginia and served as such soldier until February 1776. And then he enlisted and served as a private soldier two years next thereafter in the Rifle Company of Captain Charles West which became a part of the third Regiment of Virginia Regular troops commanded by Colonel Weeden [George Weedon] and Major Leach [Andrew Leitch?] and that he left the Army at Valley Forge State of Pennsylvania, and that he served as such enlisted soldier under his first enlistment six months agreeably to the best of his remembrance and belief and that he served under his last mentioned Enlistment two years amount in the whole to two years and six months of actual service agreeably to the above declaration, and that during the said services he fought in the battles of White Plains [28 Oct, 1776], Harla Plains on York Island [perhaps Harlem Heights 14 Sep, 1776], Germantown [4 Oct, 1777], Brandywine [11 Sep, 1777], Piscataway [10 May, 1777 ] and various other skirmishes and that his marches during the above periods of service was from Virginia to New York through Maryland and New Jersey crossed the Hudson River at New York and marched to the White Plains – . The particulars of his marches are as follows. 1^st to New York, thence to the White Plains where he had a battle with the Tories called Rogers Rangers and the Brittish and after the battle he retreated with the Army through New Jersey, where he was taken sick with the Camp Fever and was sent to Philadelphia where he had the smallpox & in March 1777 joined the Army at Morristown New Jersey and was in the battle of Piscataway against the Brittish and the Americans at that time drove the Enemy on board of their shipping at Amboy, and that he marched with the Army over the highlands of Saratoga New York thence he marched back to Brandywine battle on the 11^th September 1777 and thence to the battle of Germantown on the 4^th of October thereafter and that he then belonged to General Woodford's Brigade and Major General Stevens Division and went to winter quarters at the Valley Forge in Pennsylvania where he was discharged by General Woodford. And the documentary evidence which the said Thomas has of his said services are filed in the War Department where they were placed for the purpose of obtaining a pension under laws heretofore passed for the benefit of Revolutionary Soldiers, but owing to his not coming within the purview of the act on account of indigence his application failed and his papers and documents still remain on file. And he hereby relinquishes all and every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State and in confirmation of the above declaration he forwards the affidavit of Phillip Conner of a part of the above mentioned services.

 

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open Court.

[Signed here by] Evan Thomas]

 

Mr. John B. New a clergyman residing in the County of Jennings and the State of Indiana and Levi W. Todd residing in the same County and State do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Evan Thomas who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be seventy six years of age, that he is believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a Soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion.

 

Sworn and subscribed to the day and year aforesaid

[Signed here by John B. New Elder and Clergyman and Levi W. Todd]

 

And the said Court, to wit, the Commissioners Court in and for the County of Jennings, State of Indiana at the January Term of said Court 1833 do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier and served as he states.  And the Court further certifies that it appears to them that John B. New who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman resident in the County of Jennings and that Levi W. Todd who has also signed the same is a resident of the said County of Jennings and is a credible person and that this statement is entitled to credit.  And also that Phillip Conner whose testimony is herewith forwarded as evidence in part of this application is a person and a witness of credibility, and further it appears to said Court that the said Phillip Conner was in such a situation and of such an age as to have a personal Knowledge of the said Evan Thomas’s Services as his affidavit expresses in this behalf.  And the said Court further certifies that the following questions were put to said applicant and answered as follows and sworn to in open Court.

 

Qu 1. Where was you born?

Ans. In Frederick County Virginia February 22, 1757

 

Qu. 2. Have you any record of your age?

Ans. He has no record of his age but was born as above mentioned.

 

Qu. 3. Where were you living when called into service where have you lived since the Revolutionary war and where do you now live.

Answer. He was living in Prince William County State of Virginia when called into the service of the United States and that he has lived in Virginia until the year 1796 when he removed to Kentucky Shelby County until the year 1805 and has ever since resided in the County of Jennings State of Indiana.

 

Question 4th How were you called into service were you drafted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute, and if a substitute for whom

Answer. He was a volunteer soldier as stated in his declaration.

 

Question 5. State the names of some of the Regular Officers who were with the troops where you served, such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect and the general circumstances of your service

Answer. He states as the names of the Regular Officers who were with the Troops where he served Colonel Gresham, Colonel Weeden, Captain Lee, General Woodford and Major General Stevens

 

Question 6. Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so by whom was it given and what has become of it?

Answer. He says that he received a discharge in the month of February 1778 by General Woodford, which has for a long time been lost or destroyed

 

Question. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood & who can testify as to your character for veracity and their belief of your services as a Soldier of the Revolution.

Answer. He is known to as Ezra F Pabody and William C Bramwell of Jennings County who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of your services as a soldier of the revolution.

 

Signed by us in open Court this 7th of January 1833.

[Signed here by] Robert Elliott

[Signed here by] Pat W. Dixon

[Signed here by] Samuel Wagner

 

 

State of Indiana

Jennings County

 

I Phillip Conner resident of the County of Jennings and State of Indiana and after being duly sworn as a witness for Evan Thomas resident of Jennings County and State aforesaid in order to enable the said Evan Thomas to obtain the benefit of the provisions as made by the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832 do solemnly swear that I have a knowledge that some time in the month of February 1776 the said Evan Thomas enlisted for two years in Captain Charles West's Rifle company third Virginia Regiment of Regular troops commanded at that time by Colonel Weedon and continued to serve in said Regiment until the term of his the said Thomas' enlistment expired under the command of Colonel Marshal, and that said Thomas was honorably discharged at Valley Forge and this deponent hath a knowledge that said Thomas served as a soldier and fought at the Battle of Brandywine & further saith not.

 

Sworn and subscribed to this 21^st August 1832

[Signed here by] Phillip Conner

 

State of Indiana

Jennings County

 

Personally came before me Ezra F. Pabody one of the Judges of the Jennings Circuit court, Phillip Conner and swore to & subscribes the foregoing affidavit.  Given under my hand this 21^st day of Aug, 1832

 

[Signed here by] E. F. Pabody Judge J. C. C.

 

State of Indiana

Jennings County

 

I John Walker Clerk of the Jennings circuit court, Certify that Ezra F. Pabody before whom the within affidavit of Phillip Conner was taken was at the time of taking the same one of the associate Judges of the Jennings Circuit Court duly Commissioned and qualified, and that full faith and credit is due to all his official acts as such.

 

In witness whereof I have here unto set my hand and seal of Office at ??? this 21^st day of August 1832.

[Signed here by] John Walker

 

 

State of Indiana

Jennings County

 

Personally appeared before me Chapman Denslow one of the Associate Judges of Jennings Circuit Court Evan Thomas who made oath that he enlisted in Captain Lee's Company of minute men in Prince William County Virginia sometime in the summer of one thousand seven hundred and seventy five and marched down to Hampton against Lord Dunmore and continued until the third day of February one thousand seven hundred and seventy six and then Enlisted in the Regular service in Captain Charles West Rifle Company said Company joined the third Regiment commanded by Colonel Weden [George Weedon] in which he remained two years and was discharged in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy eight at Valey Forge in the State of Pennsylvania and returned home to Virginia and in the year 1781 was drafted in Hampshire County Virginia for eighteen months to go to the southward and served by a substitute one James McGraw and that he is now sixty-two years old and unable to do much labor and stands in need of the pension allowed by Congress to the superanuated and indigent Officers and Soldiers of Revolutionary War.

Signed here by Evan Thomas

Sworn to and subscribed to before me in the Month of December the 17th 1818

[Signed here by] Chapman Denslow, A. J. J. C.

 

 

Recovered Heirlooms

We recovered two important heirlooms of the Rowlison family during our 2013 Reunion in Hastings. Bev Frerichs had found a woman's black suit that she believed had belonged to Rhoda Rowlison. So many of her old photographs showed her in a black outfit - the same one.

Rhoda's outfit today and in a photo of her at the Oakley home in Clay Center in 1923.

The second important recovered heirloom for the Rowilson family had been lost for 34 years and was found again just four months ago.

Dalena Pote Peterman, one-time known as Princess by the Rowlison family, back again in the family. She was the Spark of the reunion with a story  that didn't just touch us, it melted us. Whatta super surprise that by itself puts this weekend in the lead for the Best Reunion Ever.

Dalena was lost to the Rowlison family as a result of a dangerous family situation, part of a story of a type we hear much too often. After foster homes she found an adoptive family where her life changed for the better. Thanks to her question in a brave Facebook posting four months ago and Sierra's response just minutes later Dalena was reconnected with our family after 34 years. 

May this be another change for the better for our cousin Dalena.