52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #38 David P Maddux of Ohio

Sorting out the Maddox and Maddux families of Pickaway County, Ohio, could be a lifetime's work. Only DNA may eventually untangle the branches. This week I'm introducing a Maddux branch that has potential to contribute knowledge to the gene pool.

I'm grateful that my earliest proven ancestor, Lazarus Maddox, has a unique name. Unfortunately he was not in the least creative when naming his eight children. I've identified several of them, the most recent through positive identification of his third son, David Perry Maddux.

David was born on September 30, 1826, in Pickaway County, Ohio. His parents, Lazarus Maddox and Elizabeth Greaton/Gratton, lived and farmed in Monroe Township, near what is today the triangle formed by Yankeetown Pike, Hall Road and Crownover Mill Road. He had two older brothers and two older sisters and was followed by another brother and two more sisters.

David was a landowner by age 24. This is rather unusual, yet it appears he bought land from his father when he turned 21. In the 1860 census, his trade is listed as master mason, though in 1850 and 1870, he was a farmer. Perhaps he followed both pursuits.

He married twice, first to a woman whose name is a bit unclear. She appears as both Mary and Maria, with a deed showing her name as Mary Maria. Her name was alternately spelled as Tammadge and Talmadge. The couple married on June 23, 1853, in Pickaway County.

David and Mary had four children: Rebecca, John, Orpha and Mary. Baby Mary was born on Christmas Eve of 1861. Her mother died a week later, on January second, with the baby dying on February first. The two Marys are buried in the small and beautiful Yankeetown Cemetery, along the border of Pickaway and Fayette Counties. They share a four-sided marker. Mary's parents, Henry and Nancy Tammadge are buried adjacent.

Quick drop page from Our Everlasting Love by Studio Manu for Digital Scrapper, 2014

Left a widower with three small children, David remarried on December 4, 1862, in Madison County. His bride was Mary Watson Moler, a widow with several children of her own. No known children were born to this second marriage.

David had sold all his land by 1856 and moved to Madison County before 1860. He did not serve in the Civil War, though that can be mistakenly assumed due to the records of another man of the same name. David Maddix of Fairfield Township, age 35, did register in 1863 for the draft.

The 1880 census lists David's occupation as Huckster. I'd love to know the story behind that career change.

It was the 1900 census that convinced me this was the right David. He was a widower, boarding in the household of one Willliam Knowles. You'll see that name again next year when I explore the story I call "Murder at Mauvaisterre Creek".

David Perry Maddux died at the home of his daughter in Columbus, Ohio, on July 31, 1907. His parents' names were garbled by his daughter, Rebecca Maddux Gray. The death certificate says his parents were "Lacrus Maddux" and "Elizabeth Gratin".

David was buried, with his second wife, in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, near West Jefferson in Madison County.

At this writing, his FindAGrave page says he served in the Civil War. Unraveling that story took some effort and I am working to get that correction made.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #2 Susanah Maddox Alkire

I had picked out an ancestor to write about for week two -- until I burned my hand working with my glass kiln! As I tended the second-degree burn and wallowed in self-pity, it struck me how fortunate I was compared to Susanah Maddox Alkire.

The eighth and last child of my 4th-great-grandparents Lazarus Maddox and Elizabeth Greaton (Gratton), Susanah Maddox was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, on July 11, 1837. Her father died shortly before her 13th birthday and all reference to her mother's dower portion disappeared from the land records when she sold her one-eighth share shortly before her 17th birthday, in 1854.

She was married on September 24, 1857, to the farmer John W. Alkire of Madison County, Ohio. Their lives were briefly disrupted when John joined the Union Army in 1862. After his return, they went on to raise four children, burying two others in childhood.

By 1880, John had become a sewing machine salesman and the family had moved from the farm to the town of Circleville, the seat of Pickaway County. John died in 1899, leaving Susanah a widow at age 62. She subsequently lost a son in 1916 -- a heart-rending event for any parent.

Early on the morning of July 3, 1917, a young man on his way to work spotted a fire at Susanah's home at 513 East Mound Street. The newspaper reported that he used a fire alarm box to call in the fire, but the firemen were too late to save her. She was found lying on the dining room floor, with a broken coal oil lamp nearby. Her body was badly burned and much of the house was destroyed.

Susanah Maddox Alkire was survived by three children and several grandchildren. She was laid to rest next to her husband in Pleasant Cemetery, near Mt. Sterling, in Madison County.

Susanah's death record is important to all descendants of Lazarus Maddox. Her death certificate clarifies her mother's maiden name -- a name that is hard to read in the original 1816 marriage record and has been transcribed and published incorrectly. This layout shows the remnants of the torn death certificate and the marker for the couple in Pleasant Cemetery.

Elements from ClubScrap Fire and Ice digital kit, template also from ClubScrap