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Author: richards_clark
Surnames:
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.indiana.counties...
Message Board Post:
If it weren't for an error on
Ancestry.com, I might not have found your reply. I was
looking to report to them that they have most, if not all, 1840 census index entries
wrong; they have swapped Roll numbers with Page numbers in every instance I have looked
at. While trying to find a contact link to report the problem, I came across "my
recent activity". It seems they no longer notify me directly when someone replies to
my postings, even though the check mark is checked to do so. It seems I have been missing
a lot of replies to my postings.
Any way - since I made the posting concerning the Key family, I have made quite a bit of
headway. I have yet to find the time during a weekday when I can take off work and travel
over to Wapello, Louisa county, Iowa to research the KEY family in person at the court
house. It is almost as impossible for me to get over there on a Saturday morning, when
their library is open for 3 hours. I have been told that there are indeed records
relating to George Key at the courthouse, and that the courthouse records, as well as an
index, are available on microfilm through the FHL. If you should find something there, I
would appreciate hearing about it. I do know that George Key was a major land holder in
Louisa county, buying a total of 1,655 acres of public lands during his lifetime, mostly
in Louisa county. Images of the deeds are available on the Bureau of Land Management
website (including some land held in Montgomery county, Indiana).
Rebecca Minton/Mintun Key (her brother's headstone reads Mintun; children of Rev. War
soldier John Mintun, of New Jersey) died between the 1856 Iowa census and the 1860 census.
As she is not listed in the 1860 mortality index, it is likely she died no later than
early 1859. George Key, widowed, is listed in the home of his daughter's family in
the 1860 census (John and Mehitable Jones).
From there, things get very odd. I know that George left Louisa
county in 1860/1861 to visit his son Ambrose in Texas, and apparently never returned.
Ambrose was listed in the 1860 census of Washington county, Texas. I have been told that
George died in Texas, but no one has ever provided any proof to me. Perhaps the court
records will show that. No doubt, the outbreak of the Civil War prevented George's
return to Louisa county. Sons James Alvin, Solomon P., John H., David, and Joseph Stoner
Key all enlisted from Iowa; only son Darius, a newlywed in 1860, did not enlist. He
married Maria Mann Lyman, daughter of Charles Lyman and Evaline Edgecomb.
David and John enlisted together in Company I of the 6th Iowa Infantry. David was killed
at Shiloh in 1862. John survived the war, and was buried at Wapello with a Civil War
marker (I have yet to find his date of death). A regimental history of that company was
published in 1913, and stated that David and John's father (George Key) and brother
(Ambrose Key) joined a "Rebel Texas" regiment, and were captured at Vicksburg!
I have no proof that this is true, but consider this - the only exemption from the draft
in Texas was for holding a certain number of slaves. It is quite possible they were
drafted and forced to serve, and might have used aliases. There is nothing in any
biography of Ambrose that he served during the war, but I would not expect him to brag
about such an event. Furthermore, if it were learned that George was in a Rebel unit, his
land in Louisa county could have been seized.
I do believe "our" George Key was the son of William Key and Rachel Hansbrough.
It has been established by others that they did have a son George of the correct age and
location as our George. Rebecca Mintun was the daughter of John Mintun and Rebecca
Fairchild. She was married to Moses Rardin for a time; her brother Jacob was married to
Moses's sister, Rebecca Rardin. Moses Rardin was married several times, and never had
any children, grounds for divorce in those times. I have "conflicting"
information that Hannah Key was born in 1820 in Ohio, yet George and Rebecca did not marry
until 1821 in Indiana. It's possible that they were "common law" for a time
before actually getting married. I have no doubt she is their daughter, through the
various mentions of her in other articles concerning her siblings.
Among other items on my "to do" list concerning the Key family is trying to
locate the graves of my ggg-grandmother, Eliza Jane (Key) Mincher, and her brother, Joseph
Stoner Key, at Wapello cemetery. Eliza was married several times. Her marker was
transcribed in early cemetery readings, but I have not been able to find it. Joseph
Stoner Key's cremains were buried there several years after his death, and his grave
was never marked. He joined a traveling circus after the war, and met his wife, a Civil
War widow, in Macomb, McDonough county, Illinois. They had a number of children, but for
whatever reason, his cremains were held by his niece in California for several years,
before being sent at her expense for burial in Wapello. His wife is buried in a double
lot in Macomb, Illinois with a nice marker. It's possible that one of their children
was buried with her and has no marker. I'd like to see Joseph receive the Civil War
marker he deserves, buried with two brothers !
who received theirs. Brother Solomon P. (Peterson?) Key also received his Civil War
marker; a "carpet bagger" eventually run out of Calhoun county, Mississippi, he
died and was buried in Colorado.
I'm rambling quite a bit here. If you have any questions, let me know. I've
transcribed a lot of records on various family members, but still looking for more.
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