Edward Nixon's Obituary in the Spirit of Democracy

I posted earlier that I had found a transcription of Edward Nixon's obituary. Since then, I found out that the Ohio Historical Society has a microfilm archive of the Spirit of Democracy. I was able to get the film on inter-library loan and find the original paper. I've included a picture of the whole page first. The obituary is in the fourth column, about half way down. I've also included a blow-up of the obituary.

Roll: 25121

Transcription:

Died, at the residence of his son-in-law, Calvin Butter, in West Hendricks Tp, Shelby County, Ind., March 3d, 1889, Mr. Edward W. Nixon. He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, near Shelbyville, on March 4th. Mr. Nixon was born in Washington County, Pa., on Sept. 1st, 1798, and moved to Ohio in 1843, and settled near New Castle, Monroe County, where he lived till 1881, when he moved to Shelby County, Indiana, where he lived with his sons and daughter. He has been a member of the M. E. Church for the last forty-five years. He leaves a wife and six children to mourn his loss.

Margaret Crow Nixon's Will

I found a transcription of the will of Margaret Crow Nixon on the Pennsylvania GenWeb site. It lists all her children. Here it is:

Will of Margaret Crow Nixon dec’d 1856
Will Book 7, p. 487

In the name of god Amen. I Margaret Nixion of East Pike Run Township in the County of Washington and state of Pennsylvania widow and relict of John Nixion dec’d enjoying at the present time good health and being of sound mind, memory and understanding but aware of the uncertainty of this life, do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following to wit.

First it is my will and I do order that all my just debts, and my funeral expenses be paid and satisfied as soon as convenient can be after my decease.
Second It is my will that Edward Nixion my son should have one dollar.
Third It is my will that Anna Nixion intermarried with William Crow should have one dollar.
Fourth it is my will that Jane Nixion intermarried with James Newkirk is to have one dollar.
Fifth It is my will that Lorrence Nixion should have one dollar.
Sixth t is my will that Ruth Nixion intermarried with Thomas Winnet should one dollar.
Seventh It is my desire that Margaret Nixion intermarried with John Crow should have one bed, bedding and tree stand and one dollar.
Eighth it is my will that Frances Nixion should have one bed bedding and bed stead.
Ninth it is my will that John J. Nixion is to have one bed bedding and one bed stead.
Tenth is my will that Robbert Nixion is to have one bed bedding and bedstead and one dollar, provided that he should come back in five years after my decease, if he should not come back in that time, Frances Nixion is to have said Robberts share.
Eleventh It is my will that Sidney Nixion intermarried with Saben Winnet is to have one dollar.
Twelfth It is will that Frances Nixion and John J. Nixion above mentioned is to have the farm situated in East Pike Run township on which I now reside containing fifty one acres more or less and to their heirs and assigns forever subject to the following reservation in favor of my daughter Mary Ann Nixion an innocent child whom I order and direct shall be supported have her home and comfortably clothed and attended to during her natural life out of the proceeds of said farm.
I further order and direct that in case my daughter Frances should died before my son John J. Nixion leaving no lawful heirs then it is my will that my son John J. Nixion shall have keep and enjoy the whole and entire farm above mentioned and in case the said John J. Nixion should die before Frances my daughter without lawful heirs, then it is my will that the whole of said farm shall revert to and be enjoyed by her and her assigned forever. Thirteenth I do also will to Frances Nixion and John J. Nixion a lot of ground situtaqted East Pike run township County and State aforesaid adjoining lands of Wm. Crow, Benjamin Crow and others containing six and one fourth acres more or less subject to the conditions of the land property above devised. Fourteenth It is my will that my daughter Frances Nixion is to have one sorrel mare, six sheep and all the household and kitchen furniture not devised and further she is to have all my wearing apparel and bed and bedding not devised. It is my will that John J. Noxion shall have all the personal property which I bought at the sale of my late husband John Nixion dec’d and took at the appraisement of his property. I al give to john all the horned cattle and two colts, and lastly I nominate constitute and appoint Azariah Crow to be my sole Executor of this my last will and testatment hereby revoking all other wills by me made. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this eighth day of June Anno domini one thousand eight hundred and fifty. Signed sealed and delivered by the said testator in the presence of us Azariah Crow, Wm J. Crow, Benjamin Crow.


Washington County Pennsylvania Register of Wills
Will Book 7, p. 487

John Nixon in the 1800 census

Here is John Nixon in the 1800 census... well, actually here are three John Nixon's in the 1800 census. Apparently the town population was small enough that they took the time to alphabetize the census. That's kind of interesting. I don't know who the other two John Nixons are, but I'm pretty sure the first one is ours. Judging from his quoted age in the other censuses, I figure he should be 20-25 years old here. FamilySearch says he should be 21. That means he has to be the first of the three. Its interesting that the other two don't show up in the latter censuses. One is pretty old and may have died, but the other is only 25-45. Oh well.

It's also interesting that they do have a son already. Maybe the birthdate given on Edward's obituary isn't wrong after all.

Source Citation: Year: 1800; Census Place: Pike Run, Washington, Pennsylvania; .Roll: 44; Page: 856; Image: 88.

Extraction:
Name: John Nixon
Males under 10: 1
Males 15-25: 1
Females 15-25: 1

John Nixon and Margaret Crow in 1810 Census

Here is John Nixon in the 1810 census in Pike Run, Washington Co, Pennsylvania. Right underneath him is his widowed mother-in-law, Margaret Crow.

Source Citation: Year: 1810; Census Place: Pike Run, Washington, Pennsylvania; Roll: 57; Page: 80; Image: 81.10.

Extraction:
Name: John Nixon
Males under 10: 2 (Edward, Lawrence)
Males 26-45: 1 (John)
Females under 10: 4 (Ann, Jane, Ruth, Mary)
Females 26-45: 1 (Margaret)

All the censuses, even this one where he is very young, say that Edward was born after 1800, which disagrees with his obituary.

John Nixon in the 1820 census

Here is John Nixon in the 1820 census.

Source Citation: Year: 1820; Census Place: Fallowfield, Washington, Pennsylvania; Roll: M33_113; Page: 198A; Image: 231.

Extraction:

Name: John Nixon
Males under 10: 2 (Francis & Robert)
Males 10-16: 1 (Edward or Lawrence)
Males 16-18: 0
Males 16-26: 1 (Edward or Lawrence)
Males 26-45: 1 (John)
Females under 10: 1 (Sidney)
Females 10-16: 3 (Ruth, Mary, Margaret?)
Females 16-26: 2 (Ann, Jane?)
Females 26-45: 1 (Margaret)

This census seems to list a couple of the kids as a year or two older than what Family search says, but they're all close, and the total number of kids is right.

Edward Nixon in 1830 Census

Here is Edward and Margaret Nixon as newlyweds in the 1830 census.

Source Citation: Year: 1830; Census Place: Fairfield, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania; Roll: 164; Page: 185.

Extraction:

Name: Edward Nickson
Males 20-30: 1
Females 20-30: 1

Edward Nixon in 1840 census

I found Edward Nixon in the 1840 census in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. Also, there's a John McCurdy conveniently on the same page. Funny how that works. At first I thought this was Lucretia Eddy's father, but he's way too young for that. Maybe a cousin though. The censuses from 1840 and earlier get a little harder to decipher because they just give the head of house and then tick marks for everyone else.

Source Citation: Year: 1840; Census Place: , Westmoreland, Pennsylvania; Roll: 497; Page: 231.

Extraction:

Name: Edward Nixon
Males Under 5: 1 (Belford)
Males 5-10: 1 (John)
Males 20-30: 1 (Unknown)
Males 30-40: 1 (Edward)
Females Under 5: 1 (Margaret)
Females 10-15: 1 (Catharine)
Females 20-30: 1 (Margaret)

Name: John McCurdy
Males 30-40: 1
Females 15-20: 1

Summary of Edward Nixon* (b 1798)

Born: September 1, 1798, Washington Co. Pennsylvania
Died: March 3, 1889, West Hendricks Twp, Shelby Co. Indiana
Buried: March 4, 1889, Forrest Hill Cemetery, Shelbyville, Indiana
Gender: Male
Wife: Margaret Daugherty*
Children: Catharine Nixon, John Nixon, Margaret Nixon*, Belford Nixon, Rebecca Nixon, Joshua Nixon, Nancy Nixon

Grandchildren with unknown parents: Margared Endsley, John Nixon

Moved to Green Co., Ohio in 1843 and to Shelby Co. Indiana in 1881.

Father's Birthplace: Ireland
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania

Sources: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 censuses, Obituary, Burial Permit.

Obituary and Burial Permit for Edward Nixon (b 1803)

I was looking for Ohio sources to find any other records online that might include the Nixon family. I ended up finding an obit that they had included on the Monroe County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. I confirms Edward's birthplace in Washington County, Pa; gives an exact birthdate not previously know; gives the year when he moved to Ohio which is confirmed by the census info; gives the year he moved to Indiana which I would not have known otherwise; tells what church he attended; the name of his son-in-law; where he was living when he died; where he was buried; and who he was survied by. All very exciting and valuable information.

I would like to confirm which daughter the son-in-law Calvin Butter married. Edward had 7 children listed in the 1850 census but only 6 were living at the time of his death. Who died and when?

Monroe County Obituatries 1889

Nixon, Edward W. Nixon
Source: Spirit of Democracy March 21 1889
Died, at the residence of his son-in-law, Calvin Butter, in West Hendricks Tp, Shelby County, Ind., March 3d, 1889, Mr. Edward W. Nixon. He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, near Shelbyville, on March 4th. Mr. Nixon was born in Washington County, Pa., on Sept. 1st, 1798, and moved to Ohio in 1843, and settled near New Castle, Monroe County, where he lived till 1881, when he moved to Shelby County, Indiana, where he lived with his sons and daughter. He has been a member of the M. E. Church for the last forty-five years. He leaves a wife and six children to mourn his loss.

---------------------

With the above information I was able to find the burial permit for Edward and ultimately Margaret Nixon in Forest Hill Cemetery, Shelby, Indiana.
Shelby County Indiana Website

Cemeteries of Shelby County, Indiana

Forest Hill Cemetery:
Permits 100-299 Years 1887-1890

Permit No. 197
March 3, 1889
Edward W. Nixon on Lot 89,
Section 2*note on back - Edward W. Nixon; cost of lot $38.00; corners $2.50; grave $3.00; due $43.50Interment on Monday March 4th at 2:00 P.M.
Signed: T. W. Fleming, secretary

Permits 600 - 699, 1894-1895

Burial Permit No. 651
Aug. 12, 1894
Mrs. Margaret Nixon on Nixon’s lot. Lot 89, Section 2
Interment on Monday Aug. 13th at 11:00 A.M.*this grave is on front center of this lot.
Size of Box: 7 ft
Signed: J. Andersen, sexton

Edward Nixon (b 1803) Census Records Cont.

Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Green, Monroe, Ohio; Roll: M653_1012; Page: 151; Image: 303.

Extraction and Citation from familysearch:

Name: Margaret Nixon
Residence: Monroe, Ohio
Minor civil division: Green Township
Age: 49 years
Estimated birth year: 1811
Birth place: Pennsylvania
Gender: Female
Page: 34
Family number: 231
Film number: 805012
Digital GS number: 4304711
Image number: 00306
NARA publication number: M653
Collection: 1860 United States Census

Self-extraction for rest of household

Name: Ed Nixon
Age: 59
Gender: Male
Occupation: Farmer
Value of Real Estate: (not legible mark)
Value of Personal Estate: 280
Birthplace: Pa

Name: Margaret
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Occupation: Dom
Value of Real Estate:
Value of Personal Estate:
Birthplace: Pa

Name: John
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Occupation: "
Value of Real Estate:
Value of Personal Estate: 150
Birthplace: Pa

Name: Bulford
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Occupation: "
Value of Real Estate:
Value of Personal Estate:
Birthplace: Pa

Name: Rebecca
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Occupation: Dom
Value of Real Estate:
Value of Personal Estate:
Birthplace: Pa

Name: Joshua
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Occupation: Farmer
Value of Real Estate:
Value of Personal Estate:
Birthplace: Pa
Attended School within the Census Year: Yes

Name: Nancy
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Occupation:
Value of Real Estate:
Value of Personal Estate:
Birthplace: Ohio
Attended School within the Census Year: Yes

Name: Catharine Miers (eldest daughter with married name)
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Occupation: Dom
Value of Real Estate:
Value of Personal Estate: 75
Birthplace: Pa

Name: Catharine (implied daughter of Catharine)
Age: 6
Gender: Female
Occupation:
Value of Real Estate:
Value of Personal Estate:
Birthplace: Ohio

Name: Wm (implied son of Catharine)
Age: 4
Gender: Male
Occupation:
Value of Real Estate:
Value of Personal Estate:
Birthplace: Ohio

1870 Census Perry, Monroe, Ohio

Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: Perry, Monroe, Ohio; Roll: M593_1245; Page: 194; Image: 389.

Extraction and Citation from familysearch:

Name: Margarett Nixon
Estimated birth year: 1810
Gender: Female
Age: 60y
Race or color (expanded): White
Birth place: Pennsylvania
Residence: Ohio, United States
Collection: 1870 United States Census

Self Extraction for rest of household:

Name: Edward Nixon
Age: 70 Gender: Male
Race or color: White
Occupation: Farm Laborer
Birth place: Pennsylvania

Name: Nancy
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Race or color: White
Occupation: House Keeper
Birth place: Ohio

Name: Francis Myers
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Race or color: White
Occupation: Working on Farm
Birth place: Ohio

Name: William
Age: 13
Gender: Male
Race or color: White
Occupation: At Home
Birth place: Ohio

Name: Cora
Age: 4
Gender: Female
Race or color: White
Occupation: At Home
Birth place: Ohio

Edward Nixon Census Records

So I've just started to get my feet wet with this family history stuff. I got on to new.familysearch.org and just started following lines back until they started getting sketchy. I ended up researching the Nixon line. I wanted to find a maiden name for Edward's (b 1803) wife, Margaret. I went to labs.familysearch.org record search (which is very cool) and found the family in the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses (narrow search by date 1810-1819, 5 results, one is irrelevant). Edward and Margaret are both in the 1880, which is interesting because family search says that he died in 1847. Ha ha thats wrong. The 1850 census has the whole family with all of the kids. They are in Green township, Monroe, Ohio. They stay there until 1880, though most of the kids move out and some grandkids move in. I still need to figure out who the grand kids belong to.


1850 Green, Monroe, Ohio Census



Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: Green, Monroe, Ohio; Roll: M432_712; Page: 363; Image: 343.

Extraction and Citation from labs.fam...

Name: Margaret Nixon
Residence: Monroe, Ohio
Age: 40 years
Estimated birth year: 1810
Birth place: Pennsylvania
Gender: Female
Film number: 444705
Image number: 00347
Reference number: 14
Dwelling: 73
Household id: 73
Collection: 1850 United States Census


Self-Extraction of the rest of the household:

Name: Edward Nixon (Head of House)
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Occupation: Farmer
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Attended School in census year: no

Name: Catharine Nixon
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Occupation:
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Attended School in census year: yes

Name: John Nixon
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Occupation: Farmer
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Attended School in census year: yes

Name: Margaret Nixon
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Occupation:
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Attended School in census year: yes

Name: Belford Nixon
Age: 12
Gender: Male
Occupation:
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Attended School in census year: yes

Name: Rebecca Nixon
Age: 10
Gender: Female
Occupation:
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Attended School in census year: yes

Name: Joshua Nixon
Age: 8
Gender: Male
Occupation:
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Attended School in census year: yes

Name: Nancy Nixon
Age: 4
Gender: Female
Occupation:
Birthplace: Ohio
Attended School in census year: no

Note: The family moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio sometime between 1842 and 1846.


1880 Census, Monroe Co. Ohio



Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Green, Monroe, Ohio; Roll: T9_1050; Family History Film: 1255050; Page: 477.1000; Enumeration District: 124; Image: 0232.

Extraction and citation from labs.fam...

Name: Margaret Nixon
Residence: Green, Monroe, Ohio
Birth date: 1811
Birth place: Pennsylvania, United States
Relationship to head-of-household: Wife
Spouse name: Edward Nixon
Spouse birth place: Pennsylvania, United States
Father birth place: Ireland
Mother birth place: Ireland
Race or color (expanded): White
Ethnicity: American
Gender: Female
Marital status: Married
Age: 69 years
Occupation: Keeping House
NARA film number: T9-1050
Page: 477
Page letter: A
Entry number: 4719
Film number: 1255050
Collection: 1880 United States Census


Self-extraction for other household members:

Name: Edward Nixon (Head of Household)
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 80
Occupation: Farmer
Marital Status: Married
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Father's Birthplace: Ireland
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania

Name: Margared Endsley
Race: White
Gender: Female
Age: 8
Relationship to HoH: Granddaughter
Marital Status: Single
Attended School in census year: Yes
Birthplace: Ohio
Father's Birthplace: Ohio
Mother's Birthplace: Ohio

Name: John T. Nixon
Race: White
Gender: Male
Age: 3
Relationship to HoH: Grandson
Marital Status: Single
Attended School in census year: no
Birthplace: Ohio
Father's Birthplace: Ohio
Mother's Birthplace: Ohio

Note: the family is living in the same house as another family. The head of house is Frederic Claugus, no apparent relation.