52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 14 – Priscilla (Hayes) Windom Hill

The theme for this week is “Maiden Aunt” I did not find a maiden aunt within my closer generations, so decided to write about an “aunt” who escaped marriage, was married, was divorced and then remarried during her 35 years of life in the mid -1800s.

My 2^nd gt-grandaunt Priscilla was the daughter of Seth and Lydia (Jewett) Hayes. She was the youngest of 8 children and was the only one born in Indiana as her older siblings were born in Ohio. She was born 5 Feb 1837. Apparently the family was not in Indiana for long as by 1840 the family was listed on the census in Jefferson County Iowa.

By 1850 her 5 oldest siblings were all married. But when her parents decided to go to Oregon in 1853 all the family went together on a wagon train where Nelson Davis was Captain. Nelson's wife was a sister to 2 of Priscilla's brothers-in-law. So it really was a family affair.

In the Year Book of 1968 for the Jewett Family of America, a granddaughter of Priscilla's sister Louisa related a story she had heard about 16 year old Priscilla on that journey. When some friendly Indians visited where the wagon train was camped, they had spread out blankets and it seems that Priscilla picked one up and put it around her shoulders and danced around. It was then they discovered their Indian custom was that it meant she would be married to that Indian. Apparently it took a fair amount of persuading to get the Indians to leave and they continued to follow the train for several days. But Priscilla did not have to marry the Indian and she arrived safely in Oregon. But there was sadness on that trip, for one of Priscilla's sisters delivered a baby girl while they were traveling in the Blue Mountains and then died when they were going over Mt. Hood.

I wonder if Priscilla was excited when her 22 year old sister Sybil was married to Benjamin Windom in the fall of 1853. It was in the spring of 1854 when Priscilla, at age 17, married Benjamin's brother, Drury Douglas Windom. By the time of the 1860 census Priscilla and Douglas and their 3 children (Alanson, James Henry and Polly Anna) were living with her unmarried brother, Ebenezer, in the Peoria Precinct of Linn County, Oregon. In about 5 more years, 3 more children were born to this family: Emily, Jesse and Carrie.

But things must have gone wrong somehow, because Priscilla filed for divorce and 31 Oct 1868 the Circuit Court in Linn County granted her a divorce with custody of the children. The next door neighbor in 1860, George M. Hill, was now a widower and he and Priscilla were married on the 14^th of Nov 1868. So when the 1870 census was taken it included George and Priscilla; George's 3 daughters ages 12 – 17; Priscilla's 6 children ages 5 – 15; and their 1 year old daughter Sarah.

It was about a year and a half later. 2 Mar 1872, when Priscilla died at age 35. Her infant daughter Lydia died almost a month later on 29 Mar 1872.

Early Oregon Cousins - James Madison Bond

I included this James, the son of George and Elizabeth (Stillwell) Bond, in 2011 when I wrote an article for the Cottage Grove Genealogical Society periodical, Trees From the Grove,  about his uncle James Bond and his cousin James Monroe Bond, as they were the 3 James Bonds who were included in my database. This is a copy of what I wrote then.

Cousin James Madison Bond was born 23 October 1849 in Marion County, Iowa. He was the 6^th child of his parents George Washington and Elizabeth (Stillwell) Bond and was shown with his parents and 4 surviving older siblings on the 1850 census in Marion County. It is probable that James was named for the former president of the United States since his father was named George Washington Bond and some of James' brothers were William Harrison and Benjamin Franklin.

James was about 3 ½ years old when the family left Iowa in April of 1853 and traveled over the Oregon Trail to Oregon Territory. According to his father's journal the family got to the “Willamit valy” on 21 September 1853. In less than a month his parents had settled a Donation Land Claim in Lane County on 16 October 1853, so it was probably there that James could celebrate his 4^th birthday. The land claim was located on the north side of the Willamette River, across from Skinner's Butte. On the 1860 census the George Bond family was enumerated in Spencer Precinct, Lane County, Oregon. By then there were 8 children in the family. By the 1870 census, the precinct was named Springfield, although they were most probably in the same location. James' oldest brother, William Harrison, had moved to Powell's Valley Precinct in the Portland area and was teaching school and his next brother, Benjamin Franklin, had been committed to the insane asylum in East Portland. Two younger children had been born so there were still 8 children in the family.

The year 1880 would have been sad for their family since James' father died in January from heart trouble and his two youngest siblings died from typhoid fever, Charles in March at age 16 and Mary in May at age 19. James' two older sisters had already married, so in the 1880 census, James at age 30 was living with his three younger brothers and his widowed mother.

According to his obituary James moved to Linn County in 1884. He probably lived close to his uncle Solomon Bond in the Halsey area. It was 18 January 1887 when James married Mary Jane Windom, a niece of Mrs. Solomon Bond. Just over six months later, 27 June 1887, Mary died at their home near Halsey. It was the next year, 14 March 1888, when James was married for the second time. His wife was Rhoda Keeney, the daughter of Elias Keeney, an early settler in the Brownsville area of Linn County.

By the 1900 census James is shown as a 50 year old farmer in the Halsey Precinct, Linn County, Oregon, with his wife Rhoda, age 37, their two daughters: Zelma age 11 and Elfa age 9, and two of James' younger brothers: Joseph and George. It is uncertain why their son Ruel was not enumerated with the family, but he was included with his two sisters in the 1905 census. James' brothers were not living with the family then. Early in 1910, James' eldest daughter, Zelma married Claude Davis. So the 1910 census shows James, Rhoda, Elfa, Ruel and brother George still living in Halsey Precinct, on the Halsey and Brownsville Road.

During the next decade Elfa married Jay W. Moore and Ruel went into the service in World War I. Apparently James and Rhoda moved to Corvallis since in May of 1918, the Corvallis Weekly Gazette-Times printed a letter sent from France by Ruel and stated that his parents were “living here on North 12^th street.” Ruel was killed in the battle of Chateau Theirry, France 18 July 1918. He is listed on the Tablets of the Missing at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France. But his parents were not officially notified of his death until they received a telegram on the 20^th of September. Up till then they were hoping he had been taken prisoner. James and Rhoda moved to Albany, Linn County, Oregon and are listed there on the 1920 census. By the 1930 census, James and Rhoda are shown as living in the city of Newport in Lincoln County on the Oregon coast.

James and Rhoda were living back in Albany at 822 Walnut when James died of “chronic valvular heart disease” 9 April 1935. Rhoda died 8 September 1954 in Linn County and both are buried at Riverside Cemetery, Albany, Oregon.

Early Oregon Cousins -- Hannah (Windom) Finley

Another one of John Howard Bond's 1st cousins (my 1st cousin 3 times removed) was Hannah Windom. Hannah was a double 1st cousin to Polly Anna Windom, who I wrote about yesterday, as their fathers were brothers and their mothers were sisters. Hannah was the daughter of Benjamin C. and Sybil Ann (Hayes) Windom.

Hannah was the 2nd child, born Mar 1857 in Sonora County, California. She had an older brother Alonzo who was born in 1855 in Oregon and two younger sisters, Mary Jane born about 1858 and Lydia born in 1860. All 4 children were enumerated with their parents on the 1870 census in Harrisburg Precinct in Linn County Oregon.

It was 5 years later, 7 Mar 1875, when 18 year old Hannah married William B. Finley, who was almost 21. William was the younger brother of Sarah Ann Finley, who almost 10 years before had married Hannah's uncle, Seth Whipple Hayes, as his 2nd wife. Therefore Hannah's aunt by marriage was also her sister-in-law and William's brother-in-law was also his uncle by marriage. So the children in these 2 families had some sort of double relationship. Who knows what they called each other.

About 1881 their family moved east to Umatilla County, about 6 miles from Pendleton. They stayed there about 3 years and then moved a little west to Morrow County, about 25 miles north of Heppner. A local history about Morrow County tells that it was in 1896 when William began his sheep business. When it was written in 1902, it states that by then he had over 4000 sheep and owned over 2000 acres of land, plus leased land from the railroad company. I wonder how much Hannah had to do in helping him with his business. In the censuses of 1900, 1910 and 1920 the family was enumerated in Alpine Precinct of Morrow County. Hannah's mother was living with them in 1910.

By the 1930 census they had moved back to Umatilla County and were living in the town of Hermiston. It was there that Hannah died 25 Jan 1932 and was buried in Hermiston Cemetery. William lived as a widower for 10 more years until his death 14 Feb 1942 and he was buried next to Hannah.

Ancestor Birthday - February 4th - Priscilla Whipple 1759-??

Priscilla Whipple's page on my website has even less information than Reuben's did from yesterday. Priscilla is almost a mystery woman. There are quite a large number of family trees posted on-line which include her, but the majority have no sources except other family trees. I am thankful that in 1909 my 2nd great-grand aunt, Sybil (Hayes) Windom wrote some of her memories for Oregon Historical Society and I was able to get a copy. She named her father's parents: Pliny Hayes and Priscilla Whipple. So you see Priscilla is my 4th great-grandmother.

I believe she was born in Groton, Connecticut to Daniel Whipple and Ann Hough. She was the youngest child, born 4 Feb 1759. Her father went to Brattleboro, Vermont, around 1770. Since she would have been a young teenager, maybe she went there also. Somewhere along the line she married Pliny Hayes, who was a Revolutionary War soldier. I have not found any marriage record for them, but their oldest child, Hannah, was said to have been born around 1776 in New York. Pliny and Priscilla had at least four more children, maybe more before Pliny left her for another woman between 1790 and 1800, running off into the "wilds of Pennsylvania." Then it appears Priscilla married Libeus Herrick, who may have been married before. Did they have any children? Maybe.

Since the early census records only give the name of the head of household, I can guess which ones may have Priscilla as one of the females.

• 1790 Pleny Hayes Stephentown, Albany County, New York
• 1800 Not found
• 1810 Lebeus Herick Petersburg, Renssalaer County, New York
• 1820 Lebbius Herrick Burton, Geauga County, Ohio

It was soon after the 1810 census that two of her children who had moved to Geauga County went east and brought her back.

Libbeus Herrick has a tombstone in Memorial Cemetery in Burton, Geauga County, Ohio showing a death date of Oct 1821. So it would appear that Priscilla then became a widow at about age 62. Where did she go or who did she stay with? I don't know.

Many on-line family trees give a death date for her of 26 Aug 1838 and they show the place as Burton, Geauga County, Ohio or Rochester, Monroe County, New York or Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania or Pottstown, Chester County, Pennsylvania. So with all these differences I don't trust the date either. So it is still a part of the mystery.