Ancestor Birthday – July 22 – Peninah Parker 1781-1857

It was a few days ago, on 22 Dec 2017, when I wrote about Nathan Nicholson, my 4^th gt-grandfather. His wife was Peninah Parker. When I checked her entry on my website, I discovered I had neglected to enter her birth information there, so it didn't show on my calendar of birthdays. So I am trying to correct my oversight today. Also I didn't make a post yesterday on Christmas Day, so plan to catch up tomorrow by transcribing 2 pages of Peninah's father's will.

Peninah was born into a family which became Quakers before she was born. From the wills of her parents, John and Jael (Peel) Parker, their oldest son, John, was born before they had become Quakers, so his birth was not listed on this list of children from the Sutton's Creek Monthly Meeting in Perquimans County North Carolina.

As I wrote a few days ago Peninah married Nathan Nicholson on 16 May 1799. This means that she had not yet reached her 18^th birthday. She and Nathan had 8 known children. After her husband died about 1824 she remained in North Carolina with her younger children until 1832 when she moved to Indiana. Other of the Quakers from that area also moved there. She and the 3 youngest children, Mary, George and Nathan Parker, were first at Milford Monthly Meeting in Wayne County. The next year, 1833, they were listed as members of Duck Creek Monthly Meeting in Henry County. When her son George was married in 1835, her residence was listed as Rush County. She and her children were shown as charter members of Walnut Ridge Monthly Meeting in Rush County when it was set off from Duck Creek in 1836. She remained a member there for over 20 years before she died 18 Sep 1857 and was buried at Walnut Ridge.

Quaker Cousins - Thomas Clarkson Grave

Thomas Clarkson Grave was a 1st cousin of my gt-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson. Thomas' mother Eliza (Hartley) Grave was a sister of Mary's mother, Rebecca (Hartley) Hockett. So Thomas was my 1st cousin 3 times removed.

Thomas was born 13 Sep 1840 in Indiana to David and Eliza (Hartley) Grave. He was the 7th child of a family of 11 children. He was listed in the family in the 1850 census in Wayne Township, Wayne County, Indiana, as a 9 year old who had attended school within the year.

On the 16th day of the 7th month 1855 a certificate was received at the Quaker West Union Monthly Meeting in Morgan County, Indiana, which included Thomas. For the 1860 census the family was now in Morgan County. His father was listed as a weaver.

The Find a Grave entry for Thomas states that he was a Civil War Veteran. I haven't yet found the evidence for that except he was marked as a Union veteran on the 1910 census and he was disciplined by their Quaker church in 1867 for military service, but was accepted back by them.

He married Anna Hubbard 15 Oct 1868, which was reported to the West Union Quaker Meeting.

Their first son, Caswell, was born in January of 1870 so he was included with them on the 1870 census age 4/12. Thomas was working as a farm laborer. He reported personal property valued at $3,000.

On the 1880 census, I hope the information was correct, since Thomas C. Grave was the enumerator. They were living in Monroe Township, Morgan County, Indiana. They now had a second son, Benjamin, age 2, plus a 21 year old nephew, Henry Wintermote, was living with them.

When they took the 1900 census, the two older boys had left home, but there were two more, Thomas born in 1880 and Floyd born in 1883. Thomas now owned his farm, free of mortgage. The two younger sons were gone from home by 1910 and Anna had died in 1908, so Thomas was a widower and there was a hired woman and a 14 year old niece in the household.

By 1920 Thomas was listed as head of household, age 79, with no occupation. Also in the household was a hired man, his wife and 2 daughters. It was in 1924 when Thomas died. He was buried in West Union Cemetery in Monrovia, Morgan County, Indiana. He and Anna have a double stone.