About 1839 William Lewis and Martha Rebecca Vaughn pledged
their love for each other "for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in
sickness and in health." Like
many promises, this one was broken. Their marriage likely started out all
right, but perhaps too many children and the hardships of life wore them down.
They had lived in Bedford County, Tennessee since the time
of their marriage about 1839. About 1853 they moved to Crittenden County,
Kentucky. In January of 1854, William
and Martha bought 100 acres of land on the waters of Claylick Creek and set
about rearing their growing family, which consisted of John, James, Richard,
William, Rebecca Jane and Herod, all of whom were born in Tennessee, and Mary
E. "Lennie" and Sarah C., who were born in Kentucky.[1] Lennie was my great-great-grandmother.
Life was no
easier for the Lewis family in Crittenden County. John, the oldest Lewis son, was mustered into
Co. E, 48th IL Infantry on the 14th of September 1861 and died at Shiloh in
Tennessee on the 5th of April 1862.[2] His
brother, James, also enlisted in Co. E., 48th IL Infantry. So, two sons were
off fighting in the war. William had already mortgaged his land and crops and a
judgment had been placed against him for non-payment.[3] He was not in good shape financially and add
the worry over the loss of his oldest son to that burden. Perhaps it was too much for him. He abandoned his wife and children in 1863[4] and left Kentucky.
The 1870
Posey County, Indiana census shows William Lewis, age 52 and born in Tennessee,
as head of household. Other family members were Charlot [sic] B. Lewis, age 29 and also born Tennessee; Charlie Lewis, age
6 and born Indiana; America Lewis, age 2 born Indiana and Florence A. Belt, age
11 and born Kentucky.[5]
Charlot
Lewis was born Charlotte Green in Rutherford County, Tennessee and married John
Summers Belt 28 July 1854 Crittenden County.[6] Two children, Florence and Sarah E. were
born to this union, but only Florence survived infancy. The couple divorced in 1859[7] and
Charlotte and her daughter Florence were living with the Isaac F. Sisco family
in 1860.[8] Charlotte
was listed as Charlotte Green. The next
time we find William Lewis and Charlotte is when they were living as a family
in Posey County in 1870.
While
William was living in Posey County, his wife, Martha Rebecca, was dealing with
her own hardships in Crittenden County. The second oldest son, James Lewis, was home on
leave from the army in 1864 and while on the street in Marion, he was shot and
killed by a bushwhacker or ex-confederate soldier simply because he was a
"yanky soldier." [9] Martha
Rebecca had depended on James for support of the family after William Lewis abandoned the family. In 1873, she listed her only
property as one horse and 10 acres of land, which was later sold. [10] She applied for a mother's pension based the military service and financial support of her son, James.
According to
Martha Rebecca, her husband provided no support to their family after he
abandoned them. She stated he died "about August 1872" at the age of
57.[11] William's place of death and burial are unknown. He was enumerated on the 1870 Posey County, Indiana census, but is found in
no other records in that county or adjoining counties. One researcher suggested
he died in Hardin County, Illinois, directly across the Ohio River from
Crittenden County. A courthouse fire in 1884 destroyed almost all records,
including death records, prior to that year. A search of newspaper items in the
pertinent time period revealed no death information for William Lewis. A search of census records for 1880 and later was made for Charlotte, Charlie/Charles and America Lewis or Belt or Green but
nothing was found. Charlotte's daughter, Florence, later lived and died in
Crittenden County. Her obituary and death record both state she was born in
Indiana. Her death record gives her
parents' names as John Belt and Charlotte Green.[12] No
siblings are listed among survivors on her obituary.[13] If not
for the 1870 Posey County census, I would never have known Charlotte, Charlie
and America ever existed.
Martha
Rebecca Lewis died 14 March 1897 and is buried at Chapel Hill Cemetery in
Crittenden County.
The story of this family is not finished as
there are many unanswered questions. Writing what I do know helps me see what I
must find out. I would like to hear from anyone who descends from William and Martha Rebecca Lewis or William and Charlotte Green Belt. Please contact me through this blog.
[1]
1860 Crittenden County, Kentucky census, Marion, Roll M653_363, p. 301,
dwelling 1, family 1, household of William Lewis, Ancestry.com.
[2]
Illinois Adjutant General's Report,
http://www.archive.org.stream/reportofadjutant03illi1#page/469/mode/1up
[3]
Crittenden County, Kentucky Deed Book D:405, 9 July 1856, William Lewis to
James H. Maxwell; also Deed Book F:519, 26 July 1862, William Lewis to D. &
R.H. Woods.
[4]
Declaration for an Original Pension of a Mother, No. 299.777, Declaration of
Martha Lewis, 11 December 1882.
[5]
1870 Posey County, Indiana census, Mt. Vernon, Black Twp., Roll M593_352, p.
197A, household of William Lewis,
dwelling 19, family 19, Ancestry.com.
[6]
Brenda Joyce Jerome. Crittenden County,
Kentucky Marriage Record, Vol. 1 1842-1865 and Abstracts of Wills Book 1 1842-1924, (Evansville, IN:
Evansville Bindery, 1990) 50.
[7]
John Belt vs Charlotte Belt, Divorce, Filed 28 April 1859, Crittenden County
Case File #192, Kentucky Dept for Libraries and Archives.
[8]
1860 Crittenden County, Kentucky census, W. half of county, Roll M653_363, p.
353, family of Isaac F. Sisco, dwelling 371, family 371, Ancestry.com.
[9]
Declaration for an Original Pension of a Mother, No. 299.777 of Martha Lewis,
mother of James Lewis, testimony of H.C. Hill, 11 December 1886.
[10]
Declaration for an Original Pension of a Mother, No. 299.777, Schedule of
Property 1866 - 1873, by D. Woods, Clerk of Crittenden County Court.
[11]
Declaration for an Original Pension of a Mother, No. 299.777, Declaration of
Martha Lewis, 11 December 1882.
[12]
Kentucky Death Certificate #9494, Florence Bell Asher, died 8 March 1941
Crittenden County, Ancestry.com.
[13]
"Mrs. F.B. Asher Buried at Dunn Springs," obituary of Mrs. Florence
Belle Asher, Crittenden Press 14
March 1941.
Published 26 July 2018, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/
