Editors
John F. Howerton
Bryan R. Howerton
Volume Two, Issue Four
Winter 1997
Obediah Howerton: Frontiersman
Newspaper Articles: Anniversaries, Obituaries
The Sons of William Howerton and Elizabeth Skaggs: Free Spirits
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
AND
HAPPY YEAR
Dear Cousins:
We take this means of wishing each of you and your families a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
From what we know of the Howertons, Christmas must have been an important day of Christian worship. The Howertons have historically been a religious people. The family is dotted with ministers of various denominations.
We are pleased with our religious heritage. The Christmas season is important to our families. With reverence and joy, we celebrate the birth the Christ child as the greatest event in human history.
May God bless your family at this holy time of year and give you peace and joy!
What a wonderful year 1996 has been! In the week following Thanksgiving 1995, we mailed a sample issue of HOWERTON HERITAGE: A Family Newsletter About Howertons to nine hundred Howerton households with addresses in the white pages of the telephone directory. The response was so great we sent out more copies until a total of 1650 copies had been sent. From those initial mailings a regular mailing list of almost 500 names has emerged.
Beginning at the end of January 1996, we mailed the first regular issue (Winter 1996) of HOWERTON HOWERTON. We not only mailed the four 1996 issues to our mailing list we mailed one copy of the newsletter to every Howerton household in the white pages. With the current issue (Winter 1997) we begin our second year of publication.
When we started last November, the sample issue was eight pages on 8 x 11 paper, printed front and back and stapled in the corner. With the Winter 1996 issue, we changed the format to a sixteen-page 7 x 8 booklet and added some pictures. The response we have received has satisfied us with the present format.
In 1995, had built a data base of about 7,400 Howertons linked to our common ancestors, John Howerton of Maryland and Thomas Howerton of Virginia. The number of descendants to the brothers who arrived in 1663 has grown to more than 13,600 names. The descendants of John and Thomas have sent us at least 2000 pages of information. The information has included family group sheets, family trees, family pedigrees, family histories, newspaper articles, obituaries, wills, deeds, old letters, and pictures. Many people have promised to send additional information about their branch of the HOWERTON family.
Please continue to send us information about your branch. We need old pictures of pre-1900 Howertons, Howerton homes, etc., which we can use in the newsletter. In future issues, we hope to trace most of the major Howerton lines up to the present. Any kind of information you can share will be helpful in our work.
John F. Howerton
From 1775 to 1860 the main mode of travel to the west was the thousands of boats of every description. The boats were called pirogues, bateaux, canoes, skiffs, broadhorns, rafts, keelboats, arks and flatboats. Most of the travelers moving to Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois made the journey west on flatboats. Out of Virginia, the Monongahela River flowed north to Pittsburgh where it joined the Ohio River. The Ohio River gave travelers open access to Kentucky, Ohio, western Virginia, Indiana and Illinois. The Tennessee River and the Cumberland River flowed across vast areas of the middle part of the west.
The flatboats could be built and launched along the banks of the Monongahela River. One or more families with men, women, children, cows, horses, hogs, sheep, chickens, and farm implements were loaded aboard. A crude cabin was often built on the flatboat to provide protection from the elements. The travelers soon learned the art of steering the crude and clumsy craft through the snags, sandbars, and shoals of the rivers. There was danger at every bend in the river. It was easy to get confused in the river fog and as they passed the mouth of a lateral stream get caught in an eddy which would head them in the wrong direction. The boat might ram another boat. When the water in the river was extremely low, it made night travel impossible. When the river water was high there was always the danger of getting out of the main channel.
Travel on the rivers was dangerous because of the threat of Indians and river pirates. The sides of the flatboats usually had sides at lest three feet high to afford protection. Many stories are told about Colonel Plug who learned the art of crying pitifully for help from passing boats. Those who fell for the ploy did not live long enough to regret their mistake.
The rivers were not only the avenues from travelers, but they were the road of commerce headed down the river to New Orleans. The crops of corn, wheat, flax, hemp and tobacco were sent down the river along with livestock, whisky, furs, skins, leather, and salt meat. As early as 1787 the produce of a year's work was sent down the river.
Upriver travel improved when the paddle wheelers began to make their way up the Mississippi and its major tributaries. In 1811 the New Orleans made a successful trip upriver. The Enterprise went upriver to Shippingport at the Ohio River Falls in 1815 and the Washington crossed the Ohio Falls in 1816. A new era of travel was opened by the paddle wheel steamers.
No records describe how our Howerton ancestors got from Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina to the west. However, the United States census records show the states and counties where Howertons were living. By coloring the counties on a county map of the eastern United States from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the first tier of states west of the Mississippi River, we can pinpoint the places where our Howerton ancestors live. Many of them settled in counties along or near a major river. Along the Ohio River there were Howertons in Dearborn and Harrison counties' Indiana; in Illinois they lived in Pope, Johnson and Williamson counties near the counties near the Ohio. Others followed a tributary north to Lawrence, Clark and Edgar counties. South of the Ohio in Kentucky Howertons lived in Crittenden, Marshall and McCracken counties. Howertons settled in many counties by which the Kentucky tributaries of the Ohio River passed.
Travel was not restricted to the rivers. At least twenty-four major migration trails ran in all directions east of the Mississippi River. Most of the trails were restricted to foot and horse travel before 1820. But, by 1820 some of the roads were capable of handling wagon and two-wheel cart travel. By plotting the location of Howertons using the United States census records, we know some of our ancestors lived along the Fall Line Road (Southern Road) that ran from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania through Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, Augusta, Georgia to Montgomery, Alabama. The Fall Line Road either touched or ran through Montgomery, Spotsylvania, Dinwiddie, and Brunswick counties in Virginia. The Catawba Trail went from South Carolina to the Cumberland Gap, Kentucky. The Wilderness Road opened by Daniel Boone ran from the Cumberland Gap to Louisville, Kentucky on the Ohio River. The Federal government was responsible for the National Road that was slowly built from Baltimore, Maryland to St. Louis, Missouri. In the early 1800s the road was called the Cumberland Road. The Great Indian Warpath went from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Chattanooga, Tennessee. A fork of the road ran from Sullivan County, Tennessee up to Chillicothe, Ohio. One of the most travel roads was the Natchez Trace (Chickasaw Trail) from Nashville, Tennessee through Natchez, Mississippi to New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama. The old Tennessee, Ohio and Great Lakes Trail ran from Detroit, Michigan through Cincinnati, Ohio to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Howertons lived in counties adjacent to each of these Roads.
Travel on all of the roads was dangerous and the following article in the Kentucky Gazette (8 November 1788) shows: "A large company will meet at the Crab Orchard the 24thof November . . . in order to start early the next day through the Wilderness. As it is very dangerous on account of Indians, it is hoped each person will go well armed.
The number of Howertons living on a major river or road provides a convincing argument for how they arrived in the west.
(Note! See Thomas D. Clark, The Rampaging Frontier, Everett Dick, The Dixie Frontier, Francis S. Philbrick, The Rise of the West: 1754-1830, and Migration Trails Map: Featuring Twenty-Four of the Major Trails East of the Mississippi River, Everton Publishers, Inc.,Utah.
By Bryan R Howerton
Within twelve hours after the three ships sent to America by the London Company land on 26 April 1607 at what is now Cape Henry, Virginia, the colonists were fighting an engagement with the Indians. The colonists then moved northwest across the harbor entrance of present-day Hampton Roads near Old Point Comfort and found friendly natives who entertained the visitors "very kindly, with feasting, smoking huge pipes of tobacco, singing and dancing." This inconsistent behavior between groups of Indians would continue to complicate the Indian-white relations for nearly three centuries.
On 24 (Old Style, 14) May 1607 three small ships "came to a spit of land jutting out into the James River, as they named it" the weary settlers went ashore. The location was low, wet, and forested. It could be easily defended from Indian or Spanish attack as a grassy swamp almost cut it off from the rest of the mainland. The river's deep channel flowed so close to shore that ships could tie up to the trees on the bank to unload supplies from England. The colonists began building a walled village which they named James Towne. The Mayflower would not land at Plymouth Rock until 1620.
The Indians observed as the settlers, "contrive a Fort, the rest cut downe trees to make place to pitch their tents; some provide clapboard to relade the shippes, some make gardens, some nets." Apparently, some made a trip up the river to near the present location of Richmond, Virginia. Those of the gentlemen class roamed the woods and beaches and refused to work.
Captain John Smith described the Indians as, "generally tall and straight, of a comely proportion; and of a colour browne when they are of any age, but they are borne white. Their haire is generally black; but few have any beards. The men wear halfe their heads shaven, the other halfe long. . . . " The setters had been told not to mistreat the natives. The orders were not followed and while Captain Newport was exploring up the James River when the first hostilities occurred. The settlers took refuge on the ships and used their naval cannon to frighten off the Indians.
The Indians in that area of Virginia were part of an Indian confederation lead by Powhatan (Matoaka). They were part of the Algonquian tribes that occupied the Atlantic Coast from Canada to North Carolina. The confederation consisted of about two hundred villages of about thirty Algonquian-speaking groups. They occupied the area of tidewater Virginia from the Potomac River almost to Albemarle Sound.
The Jamestown colony was saved repeatedly by gifts of food from the Indians. New ships arrived from England with more settlers and few supplies. The population of Jamestown and the vicinity increased in spite of the high death rate. After the departure of John Smith in 1609, a succession of able leaders were sent to the colony with adequate power to rule effectively. The London Company also took steps to exclude the drone-like colonists descended from nobility and who contributed nothing toward the welfare and expansion of the colony. New settlements were made up and down the James River and individuals were given their own plots of land on which to grow food.
Two events helped insure peace and success for the colony. John Rolfe, one the leading men in the colony, was given permission to marry Powhatan's daughter, Pocahontas. Powhatan remained at peace with the settlers until his death in 1618. John Rolfe cross bred native Virginia tobacco with tobacco from the West Indies. The resultant strain of tobacco was mild and acceptable to the English taste. Tobacco quickly became the main cash crop and insured success.
At the time of construction, or at any point for several years thereafter, Powhatan could have destroyed Jamestown and the settlers. While hostile activity was conducted by both settlers and Indians which escalated into skirmishes at times and resulted in deaths on both sides, no major effort seems to have been taken to destroy Jamestown during the life of Powhatan. Much of the trouble stemmed from the abuse of the Indian women by the settlers. The English refused to sanction intermarriage between the English and Indians.
After the death of Powhatan, his brother Opechancanough, who possessed an undying hatred of the white man, began to formulate a plan to destroy the English. As he planned, the English continued to grow in numbers and take Indian lands. His belated attack began on 22 Mar 1622 along a 140-mile front, focusing on Jamestown. He was a little too late, a few years earlier and he probably would have succeeded. While his forces destroyed seventy-two of the eighty English settlements and killed 347 men, women and children, he failed to complete the devastation. While a long war continued the settlers and Christianized natives slowly crushed Opechancanough's forces. By 1644 the English had destroy the Indian confederacy.
Many of our readers undoubtedly have ancestors in other lines who were present during the attack on Jamestown, we are unaware of any Howertons in Virginia before 1663.
As was true throughout the occupation of America, trappers and traders went to the frontier and established commerce with the Indians. They were followed by settlers who were willing to take the risks of the frontier for land and opportunity. The encroachment of the settlers led to new wars with the Indians. The colonial governments would join with the settlers and take action against the Indians. The Indians were driven further west and the whole process would begin again. By the mid-1700s a chain of "forts" had been established in the Shenandoah Valley where settlers could find refuge from bands of marauding Indians.
It was near one of the "western" forts of the Shenandoah Valley we find the first known Howerton engaged in an Indian "war." A John Howerton is identified as one of the defenders of a fort near Fincastle in 1750. A positive link between this individual and the other known Howertons has not been established. It is almost certain that he was the John Howerton born about 1715 in Essex county, Virginia to Thomas Howerton. John died in Spotsylvania county, Virginia about 1791, where an identified group of other Howertons lived.
At least ten Howertons, possibly fifteen, are known to have served in various wars against the Indians. We know the settlers who lived on the frontier were often engaged in confrontations with the Indians. Many of the frontier militia groups did not keep records of their activities. In the National Archives is a file identified as the Indian War Records which contain records spanning the period from the Revolutionary War to the removal of the Cherokees to Oklahoma. (Note! We would appreciate any other records of Howertons who served in Indian conflicts. Some may be in county records or state archives.)
Four (five with Heritage) sons of Thomas Howerton and Jane Gilby served in the same company of the Virginia Militia during the French and Indian War. They were Thomas born about 1721, John born about 1725, William born about 1730, Obediah born about 1732, and Heritage Howerton, born about 1734. The full extent of their service against the Indians is not certain. Family lore maintains that Obediah was wounded at either Great Meadows or Fort Necessity and finally died of his injury. We know he died in 1762, at which time he was 30 years of age.
William Howerton born 1759, the son of Thomas Howerton and Grysillah had extensive service in the American Revolution (See Howerton Heritage, Spring 1996, page 12). He served against the Indians in East Tennessee and West North Carolina. In June-November 1777 he served in the Regiment of Colonel A. Campbell in action against the Cherokee Towns.
At least four Howertons are known to have served against the Cherokees and/or Chickamaugas.
MICAJAH HOWERTON born 22 September 1793 and his brother, John born 1794, in Prince Edward County, Virginia, were the sons of Grief Howerton and Elizabeth Ann. By 1800 Grief had moved his family into the area of Knox County, Tennessee that later became Rhea County. From this county Micajah served as a Private in Lt. Wax's Detachment, Tennessee Militia, in the Indian War of 1815. Micajah married Jane Brown in Anderson County, Tennessee on 19 August 1819. They lived in Rhea County for the balance of their lives. Micajah died 21 August 1870 and Jane died 1 January 1881. We are still seeking information about their descendants. John Howerton served as a Private in Gillespie's Company, 2nd Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Smith's) during the Cherokee Indian War. John, who was probably a minister, moved to Kentucky in the 1820s, back to Tennessee in the 1830s and later moved to Arkansas, where his trail is lost in the 1850s. He had at least six children. John was associated with his brother Jeremiah, a Methodist preacher, while living in Arkansas. Jeremiah is known to have been in the Fort Worth, Texas, area in 1850.
THOMAS HOWERTON born 1805 in Buckingham County, Virginia was the son of Philip Howerton and Susanna Smith. He served as a Private in Jetton's Company, Tennessee Mounted Volunteers during the Cherokee Indian Wars. He moved from Virginia to Guilford County, North Carolina and then moved to the area of Coffee/Rutherford/Warren/Bedford counties in Tennessee, probably in the 1820s. By 1831 he had married Caroline McDonald (probably in Bedford County, Tennessee). Caroline died shortly after the birth of their daughter, Ruth in 1832. Thomas then married Annie Philips in Rutherford County, Tennessee before 1835. Sometime between 1840 and 1850 he moved to Williamson County, Illinois where he apparently died between 1860 and 1870.
WILLIAM HOWERTON born 1812 Claiborne County, Tennessee was the son of William Williams Howerton and Catharine Wellington. He served as a Private in Captain Howell's Company 1st Tennessee Infantry during the Cherokee War. About 1831 he married Sarah A. Mobley in Claiborne County. They lived all their lives in Claiborne County where they raised a family of which twelve children have been identified. William died in October 1854.
The defeat of Tecumseh in 1813, during the War of 1812, was intended to bring peace to the present-day Midwestern United States (old northwest). However, the families and settlements in the area continued to be subjected to raids by both small and large bands of Indians from 1813-1832. During this period, many settlers, including several Howertons, moved into the area as far west as western Illinois and Wisconsin. The life of the settler and his family was frequently in jeopardy in the Illinois area. While many of the tribes in the area ceded their lands by treaty, the aged chief, Black Hawk refused to cede his lands in the Rock River Valley.
The final flurry of resistance east of the Mississippi River occurred in 1832 when a band of Sauk and Foxes united behind Black Hawk and refused to leave his village at Rock Island. He was forced across the Mississippi River into Iowa. Regular and militia troops chased his band through northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. His followers were destroyed at Bad Axe, Wisconsin in August 1832 which ended the Black Hawk War. The old chief surrendered and was taken to Washington where he could see the power of the United States. He died in Iowa in 1838. Several Howertons have been identified as participants in the war.
HENDERSON HOWERTON was born 4 December 1810 in Montgomery County, Virginia and was the son of Obediah Howerton and Christina Hogan. Before 1820 his family had traveled down the Ohio River to Indiana and later to Shawneetown, Illinois. He married Barbara Moser (born 29 October 1812 -- died 9 September 1884) at Corydon, Indiana on 25 December 1828. They resided in Edwards County, Illinois until 1833. The family was subjected to Indian attack throughout their early years in the "Northwest Territory." Henderson served as a Private in Captain Martin's Company and in Captain Hunter's Company, both were Illinois Volunteers. He also served in Company B, 5th Regiment, Illinois Volunteers. The incomplete state records and a fire in his brother-in-law's home that destroyed his discharge papers complicated his pension claim which was made when he was 83 years old. Henderson is known to have had at least ten children. He died 30 July 1898 in Harrison County, Indiana.
JAMES HOWERTON was born between 1790 and 1800, probably in Virginia. Little is known of him and he has never been linked to the Howerton line. He moved to Illinois prior to 1820. During the Black Hawk War he served as a Fourth Corporal in Captain Gear's Company of Infantry, 27th Regiment of Illinois Militia. Following his service during the war, he disappeared from Edwards County, Illinois, between 1840-1850. What happened to James is unknown. (Note! William Dayton Howerton (born 16 February 1915 -- died 5 October 1991) was a direct descendant of this James Howerton. Dayton spent many years in an effort to determine the parents of James and the area from which he moved to Illinois. Only five of James' children have been identified. Existing evidence supports the idea that James was born in Virginia, but his parents have not yet been identified.)
During the War of 1812, the Upper Creeks, called Red Sticks in contrast to the White Sticks who supported the United States attacked white settlements throughout southern and eastern Alabama. On 13 August 1813 the Red Sticks overran Fort Mims and killed more than three hundred and fifty settlers. The following 27 March 1814, Andrew Jackson, with the aid of White Sticks and pro-white Cherokees almost wiped out the Red Stick Creeks at Horseshoe Bend. Many of the survivors fled to Florida and joined the Seminoles. The mixed-breed Seminoles continually harried the white settlements along the Georgia, Alabama and Florida borders. The war dragged on for about seven years. With the assistance of local militia, General Winfield Scott lead the forces that defeated the Creeks and brought the Indians of the area into subjection. The United States government immediately removed all of the Creeks to the Oklahoma Indian Territory. Several Howerton families are known to have lived in Butler, Conecuh, Henry and Lowndes Counties in Alabama at the time.
WILLIAM B. HOWERTON was born 7 January 1814 in Edgefield County, South Carolina. He was the son of Joel Howerton and Sarah. Before 1820 his family moved to the Alabama Territory, first they settled in Montgomery County, then moved successively to Conecuh, Butler and Lowndes Counties. He served as a Private in Gaffney's Company, 1stInfantry Battalion, Alabama Militia during the War against the Creeks. In 1837 he married Mary Ann Mickleborough (born 7 Nov 1814 -- died 17 May 1896) in Lowndes County, Alabama. They are known to have had at least four children. In 1840 they moved to Texas, where William died on 3 June 1868 in Rusk County.
THOMAS JEFFERSON HOWERTON, brother of William, was born in 1816 in Edgefield County, South Carolina. He served as a Private in Gordon's Company, Blair's Battalion, Alabama Militia during the War against the Creek Indians. On 16 March 1843 he married Amelia Roberts in Lowndes County, Alabama. Shortly before 1850 they moved to Itawamba County, Mississippi, where he later died. Only two of their children have been identified.
OBEDIAH
HOWERTON:
FRONTIERSMAN
Bryan R. Howerton
Obediah Howerton was born about 1787 in Montgomery County, Virginia. He was the son of John Howerton and Sally. On 13 February 1808 he married Christina Hogan, daughter of Philip Hogan. They were the parents of the following known children:
Jeremiah, born 25 October 1808, Montgomery County, Virginia
Elizabeth, born 1809, Montgomery County
Henderson, born 4 December 1810, Montgomery County
Unknown daughter, 1811, Montgomery County
Sarah, born 1814, Montgomery County
Laurena "Lurannah", born 1815, Dearborn County, Indiana
David J., born 14 April 1818, Dearborn County
Obediah was a farmer in Montgomery County, Virginia possessed of a strong and independent nature. While he may not have sought disagreement with his fellowmen, the evidence shows he made no effort to avoid physical confrontation. The early court records of Montgomery County show a grand jury charged him with assault on Reuben F. Ross in 1810. Apparently, the charge resulted from a general brawl as both Obediah's father (about 60 years of age at the time) and his brother were included. All were assessed fines for their breach of conduct. In another incident Obediah was issued a summons in 1814 and charged with an assault on John Cooper. This summons was never served and is still in the Montgomery County files, marked "Runaway." Another summons issued in 1816 is also on file and marked "not executed."
Considering the little we know of Obediah's nature, it is unlikely that he fled Montgomery County as indicated by the designation "Runaway." Just prior to the court record entry, Obediah had honorably served as Captain of a militia company during the War of 1812. Details of that service have not been found. However, proof of his service is recorded in the official records in the state archives of Illinois. Following his wartime service, Obediah, like so many of his contemporaries decided to move westward. It appears certain that he departed Montgomery County no later than 1814, possibly earlier. His route and mode of travel have not been positively identified. Oral history in the family claims they traveled by horseback and oxcart until they reached the Ohio River. Either a raft or flatboat was constructed and used to take the family beyond Cincinnati, Ohio, to Dearborn County, Indiana, where they settled. The family must have settled near the Ohio state line as the family is enumerated in the 1820 Federal census in both Hamilton County, Ohio and Dearborn County, Indiana.
Obediah lived in the Dearborn County area only a short time. He moved by flatboat down the Ohio River to Shawneetown in southern Illinois. The defeat of Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief, in 1813 temporarily ended organized Indian attacks in the area. Sporadic Indian attacks upon the settlers continued in the sparsely settled western frontier. The attacks grew in frequency and intensity. The settlers were often forced to seek refuge in the "forts." Apparently, Obediah and his family arrived in western Illinois during the period of unrest before Black Hawk War.
There is a family legend his family settled on an island in the Mississippi River for a time. The little definitive information regarding his early residence in the southern Illinois area lends more credence to those that maintain he initially settled on or near the Wabash River in the Edwards and White Counties area. Regardless of the exact location, all versions agree that he settled on an island. The move coincided with the period when the Indians were terrorizing both sides of the river in the area where Obediah and his family were located. They became isolated from other settlers and remained on the island for a considerable period of time. The exact period spent in isolation on the island is unknown. It is agreed they family was on the island a total of three years. Apparently, the family did not construct a house, but lived in a lean-to or open faced house. It was a time of privation. The family had to exercise constant vigilance in their movement, farming and use of fire. The Illinois militia drove the Indians from the area. Obediah served in the militia during the operation. He may have served in command of a militia company during this time. However, no records have been found which specify the exact capacity in which he served.
Obediah then decided to settle his family in a safer place and made a decision completely out of character as we know him. We assume that the time his family was isolated on the island was extremely hard on them and they needed a safe environment for physical and emotional recovery. He moved his family to the Wanaboro Settlement in Edwards County, Illinois. The settlement was originated by two Englishmen named Flowers and Birkbeck in the early 1800s. It seems to have been a sort of communal settlement. Evidently, pooling common resources and working together as a group instead of individual enterprise was practiced. The settlement appears to have been associated with the another communal settlement across the Wabash River in Indiana. The nature of the association has not been determined, but records show that Morris Birkbeck, cofounder of the Wanaboro Settlement, was drowned on 4 June 1825 while returning from New Harmony. New Harmony had been built by the Harmonists under the direction of George Rapp in 1815. The place was sold to Robert Owen, an Englishman who had enjoyed some success in the establishment of a commune-type settlement in Scotland. Owen bought the settlement of New Harmony for the purpose of testing his social system. By 1827 the system had failed and Owen later returned to England.
The diary ledger of the Wanaboro Settlement indicates that Obediah and his family resided within the settlement for no more than two years. They were listed as present on 31 December 1824 and were still there at the end of 1825, after which their names do not appear on the ledger. At about this time, Obediah moved to the area between Carmi and Albion, Illinois. He was granted land on Coffee Island, near Evansville, Indiana, by the governor of Illinois for services rendered as a Captain of Militia during the War of 1812.
The family lived on Coffee Island, which was not a healthy place at the time. Several families were stricken with yellow fever, from which Obediah and a daughter died in 1829. They were buried on Coffee Island near the place of their death. After burying her husband and daughter, Christina decided to leave the area that had caused so much grief. Christina started back to Virginia with her smaller children, but for some reason settled in Harrison County, Indiana (probably because her brother, Harmon Hogan, lived there). She never remarried and lived to be 112 years old, dying in 1898 while visiting her daughter, Laurenna, who married William Evans and resided in Harrison County, Indiana.
(Note! Much of the information contained in this article resulted from the research of the late Warren J. Vaughn (born 20 April 1926 -- died 12 April 1976) of New Albany, Indiana. He was a direct descendant of Obediah Howerton. Warren was very capable in genealogical research and devoted much of his time and resources to research of the Howerton family in America. We had the benefit and pleasure of personally working with Warren for several years and were impressed with his ability and dedication to the family research. He became known as an authority on the Howerton Family in America. Howerton descendants suffered a great loss in the untimely death of Warren in 1976 -- BRH.)
By Bryan R Howerton
Tapley Howerton was born about 1790 in Buckingham County, Virginia. He was the son of Riley Howerton. Sometime between 1800 and 1802 Thomas Howerton, grandfather of Tapley, moved to Guilford County, North Carolina. It appears that most, if not all, of Thomas' family moved with him. Some descendants of Thomas live in Guilford County at the present time. We know that his sons, Riley, Philip, and Hezekiah, and daughters, Catherine, Phebe, and Polly made the move. Tapley grew up in Guilford County, where on 24 February 1812 he and Martin Cox made their marks on a bond for the marriage of Tapley to Elizabeth Cox. To this union were born at least the following children:
Martha Ann born ca 1814 in Virginia
William born ca 1816 in Virginia
Samuel born 1822 in Bedford County, Tennessee
Henry born 1824 in Bedford County, Tennessee
Malinda born 1825 in Bedford County, Tennessee
Riley born 1831 in Tennessee
It is difficult to trace the movement of Tapley and Elizabeth following their marriage. They epitomize the restlessness of many Americans of the post-War of 1812 period as they flit like ghosts across Virginia, North Carolina and the frontier of Tennessee, Illinois and Kentucky. Nothing has been found to indicate they stayed on the advancing fringe of civilization because they were running from something. Neither was Tapley of the neer-do-well type that was so well represented on the frontier. To the contrary, the records indicate that he was a very capable individual that provided well for his family and was engaged in building a respectable estate. This is evidenced by the condition in which he left his family upon his untimely death. They were married in Guilford County, North Carolina and were relocated in Virginia (probably near the North Carolina state line) until about 1816. They next appear in Bedford County, Tennessee in 1820. Why they settled in that area is unknown. Many North Carolinians settled in that area on land obtained through bounty land warrants for Revolutionary War service. While some of those veterans did take up public land in that area, it appears that most of those settling there bought the warrants from veterans not wishing to relocate. The details of that move are unclear; however, they are said to have traveled overland to an assembly point on Long Island on the Holston River in East Tennessee. In the area of Long Island people intending travel by river would build boats or rafts. Those going to middle Tennessee or points beyond would gather into groups of sufficient size to offer some protection from hostile Indians often encountered in the area of present-day Chattanooga.
Whether Tapley and his uncle, Philip Howerton traveled to Bedford County together, has not been determined; however, both did move there. Philip had died in Bedford County by 1825. Tapley was still in Bedford County in 1822 when his son, Samuel was born there. However, we find Tapley back in Rockingham County, North Carolina in 1823 when he buys 189 acres of land on Jacobs Creek from Arthur Hayes. Perhaps the land in Rockingham County was purchased for speculation. Or he may have returned to Guilford County to act in behalf of his brother, Philip's, children in the settlement of the estate of their grandfather, Thomas Howerton. The grandfather had died in 1823 in Guilford County and his estate was undergoing settlement at that time. Inexplicably, he was back in Bedford County, Tennessee the next year when his son, Henry was born. He continued in Bedford County until at least 1825 when a daughter, Malinda, was born.
In 1830 we find Tapley in White County, Illinois near the Wabash River. We do not know when or why he moved to that area; but he did not stay for long. It is most likely that he participated in the Black Hawk War as claimed; however, no record of that service has been located.
(NOTE: Militia forces raised by individual states were frequently employed against Indians when the need arose. Records of such units, including company rosters, unit activity, individual service records, etc., were often indifferently maintained and not all have survived.)
Tapley apparently did not stay in Illinois very long. We next find his name on the tax rolls of Livingston County, Kentucky, located on the Ohio River, where in 1834 he was assessed for 100 acres of land and two horses. That date would indicate that he was in Livingston County in 1833 or earlier. He appears on the Livingston County tax rolls for the last time in 1835. He died in 1834 or 1835 as his widow, Elizabeth, appears on the tax rolls and is assessed for the same property in 1836. On 2 May 1836 she was granted letters of administration on the estate of "Tapley Howerton, deceased." Her son, William Howerton, served as her security in execution of the letter of administration. William appears to have assisted his mother for the remainder of her life - he owned 600 acres of land in Livingston County in 1838 and by 1842 his mother owned 400 acres - both on Crooked Creek. Their land was located in the part of Livingston County that became Crittenden County upon formation of the latter in 1842. Many, if not all, of the original family were members of the Crooked Creek Missionary Baptist Church, in the churchyard cemetery in which several of their graves are found.
Over the past year, we have received news articles about
Howertons. Many of the articles are obituaries and a few discuss
other subjects. The following articles are printed in the hope
that someone can help us identify and link the individual or
family to the Howertons in America. In a few cases, we can link
the individual in the article but how no information about the
family. We would appreciate any help you could send us.
FERREL HOWERTON
"Galva [Kansas] -- 1996 at Memorial Hospital in McPherson. Mr. Howerton was superintendent and principal at Strong City and Elmdale schools and a school teacher and administrator at Galva for 33 years before he retired. He was a 20-year member of the Army Air Corps and served in World War II in the South Pacific.
Ferrel Howerton, the son of George and Lillie Smith Howerton, was born Nov 19, 1920, at Agra, Oklahoma. He married Wilma L. Cook on May 17, 1963, at Galva.
Mr. Howerton was a member of the Galva United Methodist Church.
He is survived by his wife; a son, Leland Ferrell Jr. of Manhattan; a stepson, Ronald Ostlund of Walton; his father and stepmother, George and Thelma Howerton of Yukon, Oklahoma; a brother, Kenneth Howerton of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Mr. Howerton's son Michael, and his mother, Lillie, died earlier.
The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Ball and Son Funeral Home at McPherson. Burial will be in Empire Cemetery at Galva. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions to the church, Galva Senior Center or the donor's choice may be sent to the funeral home, 205 N. Chestnut, McPherson 67460.
(Emporia Gazette, Emporia, Kansas, Thursday, October 3,
1996, page 2, column 5.)
HOWERTON, CLAYTON EDWARD -- age 56, birthplace Knox County, Tennessee. Lived in Hampton, Virginia for 19 years. Worked at CAIC as Senior Systems Analyst. Served as Lt. Colonel, USAF. Attended North Hampton Presbyterian Church. Preceded in death by sister, Lynda. Survived by wife, Mary Ellen Holt Howerton; three sons, Walter Howerton, Hampton, Virginia; Marcus Howerton and wife Jenny, Yorktown, Virginia; Matthew Howerton, Hampton, Virginia; daughter, Amanda Howerton, Hampton, Virginia; grandson Kyle Clayton Howerton, Yorktown, Virginia; mother, Helen Varner Howerton, Knoxville, Tennessee; father, Clayton Howerton, Springfield, Ohio; sisters, Polly Jordan, Barbara Britton, Carol Rowe, Sandra Joslin, Margie Frazier, Janis Sharp and Ada Pratt; brothers, Bruce Howerton and Paul Howerton; numerous nieces, nephews, family and friends. Funeral service Wednesday, November 22, 2 p.m., North Hampton Presbyterian Church, Rev. Daniel Berry officiating. Burial with full military honors will follow at Hampton Veterans Memorial Gardens. Family will receive friends 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Lawrence B. Wood Funeral Home, Hampton, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to North Hampton Presbyterian Church, 1217 Toods Lane, Hampton, Virginia 23666.
(Origin and date of news article is unknown. Probably in
summer or fall 1996)
Anniversary
Louisa and Gordon Howerton
Howerton -- 50 years
Gordon and Louisa Howerton of Grants Pass celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary June 30 [1996] with a family barbecue and poolside party.
They were married in 1946 in Grants Pass and have lived here since then.
Gordon was a teacher and administrator, retiring in 1982. Louisa was a beautician; she retired in 1978.
They have three children: Randy Howerton, and his wife Barbara, of Grants Pass; Sandra Overstreet, and her husband Daryl, of Arlington, Washington; and William Howerton of Gold Beach.
They have 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
(Daily Courier, Grants Pass, Oregon, September 18, 1996, page 9b -- picture included.)
DAVID BRENT HOWERTON
February 10, 1965--August 26, 1995
It's been a year since you left us.
A year of grief and wondering why,
Why God took you from us on that night
Why He needed you more than we did.
Time has not healed our pain . . .
Nor has it changed how we feel.
We still can't believe that you are gone,
That our lives will never be the same.
We keep expecting you to walk thru the door.
We keep listening to hear your voice once more
And with each passing day our tears keep falling
And our hearts keep aching for you to come home.
The Family of David Howerton
(Sunday, Ardmorite, Ardmore, Oklahoma, 25 August, 1996)
Obituaries
Wanda Howerton
CUSHING -- Clinton resident Wanda Howerton grew up in Cushing and graduated from Cushing Public Schools.
She died Friday, August 2, 1996, in Clinton Regional Hospital at the age of 73.
Her funeral is planned for 2 p.m. Monday, August 5, in the First Christian Church in Clinton, with Pastor Doyle Kinney officiating.
Burial will take place in the Clinton Cemetery under the direction of Kern-Schneider-Kiesau Funeral Home.
Mrs. Howerton was born April 28, 1923, to Christopher and Lillie (Younger) Rothrock in Shawnee.
In 1939, she married Raymond Howerton. She moved to Clinton in 1948 from Tulsa and was employed with Blunck's Studio from 1958 to 1970. She was a member of the First Christian Church.
Mrs. Howerton was predeceased by her husband, who died in 1992; her parents; and one brother, Tony Rothrock, Jr.
Survivors include one son, Jack Howerton and his wife, Linda, of Fort Smith, Arkansas; one daughter, Toni Henderson and her husband, Jim, Dallas, Texas; four grandchildren, Rick and Greg Henderson of Dallas and Rodney and Steve Howerton of Fort Smith; and one great-grandchild, Austin Howerton of Fort Smith.
She is also survived by one sister-in-law, Mary Rothrock of Longview, Texas.
(Stillwater NewsPress -- Sunday, August 4, 1996, page A2)
THE SONS
OF WILLIAM HOWERTON
and
ELIZABETH SKAGGS:
FREE SPIRITS
John F. Howerton
In the 1996 Fall Issue of HOWERTON HERITAGE we wrote a story about "Obediah Howerton: A Man With Wandering Feet." Obediah and Sophia Horn had five known children.
Their oldest, Nancy was born about 1790 in Rockingham County, North Carolina and married Asa Cummings on 10 February 1809 in Logan County, Kentucky. Patsy, the second child, born about 1792 in Rockingham, North Carolina married Markham Cooper on 27 October 1810 in Logan County, Kentucky. Nothing else is known about the two daughters.
James, the oldest son, was born about 1794 in Rockingham County, North Carolina. He moved to Kentucky and served in the War of 1812 as a member of the Kentucky militia. His wife's name is unknown, but two of his known children are Elizabeth, born about 1813 in Ohio County, Kentucky. She later married James Vincent on 8 August 1832 in Edmonson County, Kentucky. Nothing else is known about her.
James had a son, John W., born about 1815 in Ohio County. He married Margaret Decker on 28 October 1835 in Edmonson County. Their known children, all born in Edmonson County, were:
James C., born about 1836
George W., born about 1838
Francis M., born about 1839
Margaret J., born about 1841
John T., born about 1843
Elizabeth, born about 1845
Mary, born about 1848
James C. is known to have married a woman named Ruth on 8 May 1875 in Buchanan County, Missouri and they had two daughters.
George W. married Clementine Haggard on 22 July 1865 in Lawrence County, Arkansas.
Nothing else is know about John W. Howerton and Margaret Decker or their descendants.
Obediah's second son, John, was born about about 1796 in Rockingham County, North Carolina and served in the War of 1812. In 1814 he lived in Grayson County, Kentucky and by 1817 was living in Logan County. He moved on to Edmonson County by 1827 where he married Patsy Lancaster. Nothing else is known about John and Patsy.
William was the son of Obediah and Ruth who left a long line of descendants. His latest recorded descendant in our files was born in 1974. William married Elizabeth Skaggs about 1830 in Hardin County, Kentucky. He died sometime between 1850 and 1860 in Illinois. William and Elizabeth had the following known children:
Clifton, born 1831, Grayson County, Kentucky and married Elizabeth Simmons.
James Henry, born 8 June 1834, Hardin County, Kentucky, married Tabitha Hudspeth, and died in Mar 1884, Macoupin Station, Macoupin County, Illinois.
Lucinda, born 24 Mar 1837, Hardin County, married John Schenck Simmons, 9 January 1857 in Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois, and died 19 January 1913 in Texas.
John A., born 1839 in Hardin County and married Barbara Ann Petters about 1862 in Illinois.
Martin V., born 1841 in Hart County, Kentucky, and married Sarah C. Swafford on 26 April 1866 in Illinois and died in 1895 in Greene County, Illinois.
Martha Jane, born 1843 in Hart County, and married William Hudspeth.
Aaron Howerton, born May 1842 in Hart County and married a woman named Elizabeth.
Charles, born 1846 in Macoupin County, Illinois.
Samuel Jackson, born 6 April 1850, Macoupin County and married Bell Cooper in Illinois.
Four of the sons of William and Elizabeth Howerton have military records that indicate they were in the Army during the Civil War. The records show they were free spirits.
Clifton lived in Macoupin County, Illinois on 17 August 1850. Ten years later on 7 August 1860 he was living in the household of his widowed mother in Carrollton, Greene County, Illinois. On 12 August 1862 Clifton enlisted in the Army as a 31-year-old private at Staunton, Macoupin County, Illinois. Six months after enlistment in Company I, 122 Illinois Infantry, on 5 February 1863 he deserted at Trenton, Tennessee, from the unit. A notation on the desertion roll read, "description lost in action." His record shows he was arrested and sent back to his regiment on 15 January 1864, but not ordered to duty. Clifton still appeared on the deserters roll at Cairo, Illinois, dated 22 January 1864, which listed him and included a physical description. He was described at 32 years of age, 5 foot 9 inches tall, dark complexion, grey eyes, and black hair. He deserted again on 11 March 1864 at Cairo, Illinois, and was listed on the 15 July 1865 "Muster Out Roll" for Company I, 122 Regt. Illinois Infantry which was then located at Mobile, Alabama as, "Pvt. Clifton Howerton deserted 5 February 1863 at Trenton, Tennessee, and returned in arrest 15 January 1864 and again deserted 11 March 1864 at Cairo, Illinois."
John A. Howerton, lived in the same locations as his brother Clifton in 1850 and 1860. He and Clifton joined the same Illinois unit on the same day. John was 23 years old at the time. His record shows he was stationed at Carlinville, Illinois on 4 September 1862 and deserted at Camp Palmer, Illinois, on 20 September 1862. He was described on the 3 June 1863 deserters' list as, 24 years of age, 5 foot 8 inches tall, dark complexion, grey eyes, brown hair. A reward of $30 was offered for his return. He was arrested on 29 January 1864 in Macoupin County, Illinois and returned under guard on 5 March 1864. Apparently, John and Clifton deserted together on 11 March 1864 at Cairo, Illinois. When his name appeared on the "Muster Out Roll" in 1865, his first desertion was shown as 5 October 1862 at Camp Palmer.
Martin V. Howerton, was living in the same locations as his brothers Clifton and John in 1850 and 1860. Martin was mustered into the Union on 9 May 1864, 133 Illinois Infantry from which he was discharged on 24 September 1864 at Camp Butler, Illinois. He volunteered again on 12 November 1864 at the age of 22 and was credited to Rhodes Point, Macoupin County, Illinois. He was described as 5 foot 8 inches tall, grey eyes, brown hair, light complexion and a farmer by occupation. Three months after his enlistment as a private into Company H, 144 Illinois Infantry at Alton, Illinois he was appointed a Corporal on 20 February 1865. On 25 March 1865 he deserted at Saint Louis, Missouri. His record is annotated to say that following his desertion, "he probably reenlisted as a substitute." Another Martin Howerton served in Company C, 133 Illinois Infantry and could be the same person.
Apparently, Martin first entered the Confederate service when he joined the 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles on 22 December 1861 at Camp Bee, Arkansas. He traveled 100 miles to enlist and at the time brought with him his own horse and horse equipment. His horse was valued at $80, equipment $10, and he was paid $.40 per day for the use of his horse. Martin was promoted to Corporal by early 1862 and Sergeant on 1 July 1862. His was last paid on 31 October 1862. He was hospitalized at Murfreesboro, Tennessee in December 1862 either sick or as a result of wounds incurred at the Battle of Stone's River. Martin was captured by Union forces at the Battle of Stone's River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee on 5 January 1863. He was interned as a POW at Camp Morton, Indianapolis, Indiana, from where he was recruited into the Union Army, discharged, and reenlisted. Even though his military show he deserted from the Army, he was given an invalid pension. After his death in 1895 his wife was given a widow's pension until her death in 1924.
Charles Howerton, a fourth brother, lived in the same place as his brothers in 1850 and 1860. He lived in Summerville, Macoupin County, and on 9 May 1864 enlisted Company C, 133 Illinois Infantry, where he served honorably through 24 September 1864. His enlisted for 100 days. Charles was described as 5 foot 7 inches tall, blue eyes, dark complexion and dark hair. From the records, he was the only brother that did not desert from the Army. Charles never married and is reported to have died as a young man.
(Note! Information on the military activities of the sons of William Howerton were copied by Bryan R. Howerton from the military service records of the individuals in the National Archives, Washington, D.C. More about the sons of William Howerton we be told in futures issues. JFH)
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