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Author: Dawn_Maddox_Montgomery
Surnames:
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.indiana.counties...
Message Board Post:
Hello again Mike. I had to research further since your query related to the Woodlawn
cemetery. I wondered who young John's parents were ~ which I had previously presumed
to be Peter V and Mary.
Taking John's death date from his grave stone combined with his age at the time of
death, Mary could not have been his mother. John would have been born on or about 28 Dec
1861 ~ one year and 10 months after Mary died.
Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 shows a Peter Hammer married Frances Ricketts 27
Nov 1860 in Wells County, Indiana ~ about 9 months after Mary passed away.
Young John's old headstone reads 'son of P V and _ Hammer ~ the _ is difficult to
make out (which is where I 'presumed' M until doing the math . . . prompted by
your query [thank you]). Peter V married Frances Ricketts 27 Nov 1860 . . . using
John's calculated birth date would make him born 1 year and 1 month after Peter's
marriage to Miss Ricketts. It's possible that Miss Frances Ricketts and Peter V are
the parents of little John Hammer.
Chester Township is on the far south side of Wells County . . . neighboring Montpelier
which is Harrison Township, the north east township in Blackford County. Research has
shown several Wells County Chester Township families buried in Blackford County Harrison
Township cemeteries and vice versa.
Census for 1850 Harrison Township, Blackford County, Indiana shows Peter Hammer's
household as: Mary age 22, Martha E age 4, Spencer age 2, and Hiram age 1.
Census for 1860 Chester Township, Wells County, Indiana shows Peter Hammer's household
as: Hiram J Hammer, age 32 (maybe a brother?); children in the household are: Martha E 13,
Spencer 12, Hiram 11, Sarah A 9, Emma 7, and Emerson 4.
Census for 1870 Chester Township, Wells County, Indiana shows Hiram Hammer's household
as: Sarah A age 19, Emerson age 15. Also in the household are Thomas J Bonham age 22 and
Emma (Hammer) Bonham age 17. Based on previous census information, Sarah, Emerson and
Emma are the names of three of Peter's children.
Frances is found in Kirksville, Adair, Missouri as Frances McGraw, born Dec 1830, widowed
mother of 4 . . . 3 children living. Various 'family tree' sources on the
internet indicate Frances married Peter, had one child ~ John; Peter died, young John
died, Frances then married James McGraw in Missouri and had three children, daughter's
Ora 01 Aug 1868, Alice 24 Mar 1870 and Cora 06 Jan 1875.
Let me know what you think . . . or if you have facts that could confirm or dismiss any of
this, I'd like to hear from you. Thank you so much for your time Mike.
Dawn
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