This picture is looking west and Spring Hill is basically on the other side of the hill.
John was a farmer and distillery owner and spent his entire adult life living on
Spring Hill.The Wilkerson Family
page 3
The John Wilkerson and Elizabeth Farris Wilkerson Family
John Wilkerson my third great grandfather was born August 19, 1787 probably at
Boonesborough, Kentucky and died January 24, 1868 at Washington Township, Warren
County, Ohio. He moved to Spring Hill when he was 18. He married Elizabeth
Farris in Warren County on December 5, 1811. We don't know anything
about him until he moved to Warren County when he was 18 years old with the rest
of his family. He married Elizabeth Farris on December 5, 1811 in Clinton
County, Ohio. As I have stated earlier Spring Hill was much closer to
Clarksville in Clinton County than Lebanon the closest big city in Warren
County so many of the Wilkerson's marriages and births are in Clinton County
Ohio.
This picture is looking west and Spring Hill is basically on the other side of the hill.
John was a farmer and distillery owner and spent his entire adult life living on
Spring Hill.
Elizabeth Farris
Little is known about Elizabeth Farris. She was born October 18, 1792 in Berkeley County, Virginia. Her Father was David Farris II who moved to Warren County a year after the Wilkerson's in 1806. Her Mother was Elizabeth Hendricks. From the History of Warren County we know that " In 1806, David Farris removed from Virginia. with a large family, on pack horses, and settled first on the Little East Fork, near the fort in Tribbey's bottom, and, in 1808, purchased 400 acres, mostly in Warren County, and settled on the Bull Skin road. He was a chair-maker and furnished the settlers with chairs, some of which are still in use or kept as relics of early and honest workmanship." To learn more about the Farris family please go to their home page. Elizabeth died in Warren County, Ohio on July 2, 1870 and is buried in the Wilkerson Cemetery along with her husband, brother David and his wife Abigail Vandervort Farris.
From the History of Warren County we learn that John's Father James H. "built a distillery at the foot of the hill, which was operated for making mostly peach and apple brandy. This gave place, in 1860 to a steam saw-mill, built by his son John and grandson James H. His three sons, William, John and James, located on lands near his distillery about the time of his settlement there.....John erected a distillery for making apple brandy near the present residence of William Reynolds, in 1841, which was continued but a few years." In addition "On the hill east of the river, Joel Drake settled, in 1815, where John Wilkerson now lives.... The Flat Fork swamps north and west of Springhill remained a solitude until about 1840, when the Harrises, John Hadley and John Wilkerson opened up their lands, and, in 1844 Lukens, Hatten, the Warwicks, William Thompson and others made improvements, and now this section will compare favorably with any other part of the township." So John must have followed in his Father's footsteps as a farmer and distillery operator.
John and Elizabeth's Children
John and Elizabeth had 13 children: Ann, David F., Sarah, John, Henry, William, Jane A., Elizabeth, Marion Lina, Francis Marion, Nancy, Mary Emeline, and James H.
Nothing is known about Ann other than her birthday which was September 13, 1812.
Nothing is also known about David. His birthday was February 20, 1814.
The third child Sarah was born September 21, 1818. She married James Harris Jr. February 9, 1837 and they had three children - William, Martha, and John before she died March 6, 1842. The following is a biography from the History of Warren County about her husband. "JAMES HARRIS, farmer, P. O. Clarksville, Clinton County; was born in Clinton County, Ohio, Aug 9, 1813; he is a son of James and Mary Harris, of Maryland and Virginia. The former was horn Dec. 2, 1775 and the latter April 3, 1784. Mr. Harris' father was a carpenter and helped to build the Capitol at Washington; his mother was a daughter of Captain Cherry, of Revolutionary fame. Mr. Harris' parents came to Clinton County in the early history of Ohio; his father represented Clinton County in the State Legislature six terms; he died Nov. 21, 1845; and Mrs. Harris departed from this earth Aug.18, 1860. Mr. Harris, our subject, was married Feb. 9, 1837, to Sarah Wilkerson, who died March 6, 1842, leaving three children - William H., Martha J., wife of Mr. Eldred; and John J. Mr. Harris again married Dec. 19, 1844, to Mary Biggs, a native of Clinton County, born Feb. 26, 1822, and a daughter of William and Rhoda Biggs. Eight children were the fruits of this union; of these six are living - Mary E. wife of Henry Vandervoort; Lucinda, wife of Rev. J. R. Hunter; David, Harriet, Alfred and Isaiah ; George and Rhoda are deceased. Two of Mr. Harris' sons, George and John J., were soldiers in the late rebellion. Mr. Harris owns a farm of 200 acres; and in politics is Democratic."
The
fourth child and the second oldest son was John Wilkerson my second great
grandfather.
He
was born on Nov 16, 1819 and married Ann Conners August 26, 1841. I will
go into more detail about John and Ann's life and children on the next page.
We are very lucky to have the above photos of John and Ann courtesy of the Polk
Township, Andrew County, Missouri Historical Book.
Next on January 26, 1822 the twins Henry and William were born. It is not know if Henry whether he lived to adulthood or died as a baby or child. His brother William is found living in Warren County in 1860 with his wife Samantha and children.
Jane A. was born on November 9, 1824 and died when she was 18 years old in 1842. She is buried in the Wilkerson Cemetery.
Elizabeth was born April 19, 1825 and married Hugh Baugh. The only children I know about are John and Mary. Nothing else is known about Elizabeth
My records show the next daughter was Marion Lina Wilkerson. I find it hard to believe that they would name a daughter Marion and call her by her middle name and then have next, a son and call him Marion which was his middle name. Consequently, I really think this is Lydia M. referred to in the History of Warren County on page 984 under the biography of "JONATHAN J. MYERS, retired farmer and carpenter, Socialville, Ohio. The gentleman above dates his citizenship to warren County back to 1839. He was born in Indiana April 17, 1817. His parents were Jonathan and Elizabeth (Pryor) Myers; .... Our subject was reared to farm pursuits; he remained on the farm with his parents until of age. In the fall of 1840 he was married to Mrs. Lydia M., daughter of John Wilkerson, by when he had eight children, six living, viz., William McKendell, Mary E., Leonidas H., Cyrus F., Anna M. and John W.; the deceased are Samuel A. and Josephine. After his marriage he purchased 105 acres of land, on which he now lives. Before his marriage, he learned the carpenter's trade, and during his latter years, has paid considerable attention to it. He and his estimable wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which they were connected before marriage; for more than forty years they have complied with every requirement of that well-known religious body, and have been live workers in the cause; for twenty years, he has led his church class, and has ever borne the standard high. His farm consists of 75 acres of choice land, which is comfortable improved. From Chillicothe, Mr. Myers Sr., removed to Deerfield, in which he lived but a short time."
After Marion Lena or Lydia M. was Francis Marion "Marion" Wilkerson who went by the name Marion and became a successful doctor in Warren and Clinton Counties. From Thaddeus Wilkerson we learn about Marion "Dr. Marion Wilkerson, late of Bloomington, Ohio was pretty generally considered an authority on Wilkerson lore. A great deal of our knowledge of the family came thru Dr. Wilkerson, Father, and Uncles Thomas and Edward Wilkerson. Dr. Wilkerson always maintained that the main difference between the Wilkerson’s and the Wilkinson’s was a matter of spelling. Both families are of English origin; however, the Wilkerson’s as a rule are fair and have blue eyes, while the Wilkinson’s as a rule are not of the blonde type and are dark-eyed.
From the History of Clinton County, Ohio we learn about Marion. "Dr. Marion Wilkerson was born in Warren county. His parents were John and Elizabeth Wilkerson, natives of Kentucky, who, at an early period emigrated to this state. Doctor Wilkerson read medicine in Lebanon with Drs. J. and E. Stevens and D. S. Dakin. He attended lectures and in 1852-53 graduated at the Ohio Medical College. In the War of the Rebellion he served as assistant surgeon of the Eighty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served during the memorable battles of Vicksburg and those in Arkansas. He has been in the practice of medicine and surgery since his graduation, and is now located at Bloomington, in this county, where he has a good and lucrative practice. He married a beautiful and highly accomplished daughter of Dr. Isaac Telfair. She is now deceased, and the Doctor is living alone in his home in the above named village. and "Marion Wilkerson, physician and surgeon, Bloomington, is the son of John and Elizabeth Wilkerson, natives of the State of Kentucky. His father John Wilkerson was born in Boone's Fort, Ky., in 1787. He emigrated to Ohio and settled in Warren County, where our subject was born, and where he was reared and educated. He attended the public schools of his native county, in which he received a good elementary education, and early in the history of his life, commenced reading medicine with Dr. W. S. Dakin and Drs. J. & E. B. Stevens, of Lebanon, Warren Co., Ohio. He attended lectures at the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, and graduated from that institution in 1852-53. During the rebellion, he received the appointment of Assistant Surgeon of the Eighty-third Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served the practice of medicine and surgery since his graduation, and is now located at Bloomington, in this county, where he has a good and lucrative practice. He married a beautiful and highly accomplished daughter of Dr. Isaac Telfair. She is now deceased, and the Doctor is living alone in his home in the above named village.
As the articles state he married Ann Timothy Telfair June 3, 1863 and they had two sons Charles and Henry.
Nancy Wilkerson was born February 20, 1832 and died July 16, 1850 when she was 18.
Mary Emeline "Emeline" Wilkerson was born November 14, 1835. She married Perry G. Mills in 1864. Perry was also from a local Warren County family and a widower. Ann Wilkerson Vandervoort, Perry's first wife and Emeline's cousin had died in childbirth in 1854 and 10 years later Perry and Emeline got married (see previous page under Elizabeth Wilkerson). Perry and Emeline had three children: Flora, Anna, and Charles. Emeline died in 1889 and Perry died 1894. All are buried in the Wilkerson Cemetery.
James H. Wilkerson, the youngest child was born on January 24, 1816. He married Sarah Ann VanSkyke. They had nine children: Mary, Lucius, Harris, Horace, Amanda, F. Grafton, Walter, Ellen, and Anna. From Thaddeus Wilkerson we learn that "James H. and "Sally Ann" lived to be almost ninety years of age, but excepting Lucius, Mary Melissa, Horace and Walter, their children died as they approached maturity." Both James H. and Sarah died in 1905. The only one of these children I know anything about is Mary Melissa and she married Baylis Settlemyre.
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