52 in 52 (Unusual Name): William Henry Etter
I chose William Henry Etter as this week's 52 in 52 challenge, "Unusual Name." While I have much more unusual names in my tree (Docia Ann White, Margarete Gertraudt Althaus, Leonardas Barker...the list goes on) I ended up choosing William because Etter to me is an unusual last name, and has several meanings; the South German/Swiss is a topographical name, meaning someone who lived near the boundary fence of a village, from the German word "eter" meaning a 'woven boundary fence.' In High German and Dutch speaking countries "eter" means 'cousin' or 'uncle.'
In 1724, Johannes Hans Etter and wife Anna Marie Siegrist emigrated from Bern, Switzerland to Lancaster county, Virginia, what was then Colonial America. Three generations later his great grandson, and my 5th great grandfather, William Henry Etter, was born May 6th, 1800, the son of Daniel Etter and Mary Magdalena Reihm, in Evansham, Wythe, Virginia.
William Henry was the last of thirteen children born to Daniel and Mary, quite late in their lives, Daniel was 50 and Mary 48. This would prove hard on their children, as Daniel died when William Henry was just three years old, on Sept 5th, 1803. Mary passed away when William Henry was 21, Sept 22, 1821. She had been living with William Henry's step-brother Samuel from Daniel's second marriage. William didn't stay in Virginia either, there was a great big country to see and settle, and in 1823 he was married to Sally Haynes in Franklin, DeKalb, Indiana. They would have seven children there; Nancy, Absalom, Samuel Thomas, George, John W, E, and Jane.
Sally must have died in or around the birth of Jane, as William Henry married Nancy Haynes April 26th, 1836 in Morgan Indiana. I do not know if Sally and Nancy were related, they could quite possibly have been sisters, but marriage records back then only had the bride and groom's names. I know Nancy was born in New York because all her later census records tell me so, but they don't keep names on the census other than the head of household before 1850, so I have no way or knowing really anything about Sally.
By January of 1838 Nancy and William Henry had moved to Macoupin co, Illinois, where all their children will be born; Samantha, Margaret Ann, Francis Marion, Henry, twins Logan and Elizabeth, James Monroe, and Daniel. In 1840, William Henry purchases 40 acres near Nilwood, Macoupin co Illinois, which in and of itself is pretty impressive, being as "The Panic of 1837" had just passed. I wonder if they didn't move from Indiana to Illinois for that reason, maybe land was more plentiful and cheaper in Illinois, even though they border one another.
The 1840 census is useless, but 1850 shows 49 year old William Henry and 37 year old Nancy on their own farm worth $800. His children with Sally Samuel Thomas, now 19, and first born Nancy, now 25, both live with them, as does 17 year old John W and 14 year old Jane. Samuel and John are farming with their father, and Nancy is listed as "Idiotic." She will live with the family the rest of her life. The census was taken in September, daughter Jane will pass away before the New Year. Nancy and Williams children range in ages from 12 to six months.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were going on in 1858, and I wonder if William Henry and Nancy would have seen at least one. Nilwood is very close to Springfield, just 35 miles. If they didn't get to see them, they most certainly would have been following in newspapers.
By 1860, son John W has his own farm almost right next door to his fathers, with wife Anna and children Edwin and Elinora. William and Nancy are 60 and 45, and daughter Nancy is 36, this time listed as having Epilepsy, which shines a little more light on things. Francis Marion is 15, twins Logan and Elizabeth are 10, James 6, and Daniel 4.
In 1870, William Henry is 70 years old, and Nancy is 55. The only children remaining at home are daughter Nancy, now 45, and son Daniel, who's still just 15. Samuel Thomas has his own farm nearby, with wife Miranda and three of their what will be 11 children.
William Henry passes away in 1873, most likely on his own farm in Nilwood, Illinois. Of his fifteen children and two wives, he outlived a good many of them. Son Henry passed away in 1850 at age 2, and Jane the same year at fourteen. E (unfortunately I never do find his full name) passes away in 1862 at age 27, George in 1864 at 32, and Samuel Thomas in 1874 at 43. I do not have a death date for either Nancy, but wife Nancy is on the 1880 census as living in Duval, Jasper, Missouri with James Monroe and his wife Anna. She is listed as having "Toepid liver." Daughter Nancy is not there, so she is either living with a sibling, in some kind of asylum, or has already passed.
In his probate record William Henry is listed as having 170 acres of land, and "two or three shares" of stock in a company in Girard, a sled wheelbarrow, a "rotten bureau bedstead" (?) a set of chains, bedding for a bed, and a lot of books (I love that) and one cow. He didn't leave his family much but acreage, but he had a large family and surely it was filled with love. In the end, isn't that all that really matters anyway?
How William Henry relates to me:
-son Samuel Thomas Etter (1831-1874)
-daughter Lucinda Caroline Etter (1863-1915)
-daughter Ella Mae Quarton (1885-1967)
-son Ralph Andrew Weller (1909-1994)
-son Lawrence Andrew Weller (1935-2014) my grandfather.
In 1724, Johannes Hans Etter and wife Anna Marie Siegrist emigrated from Bern, Switzerland to Lancaster county, Virginia, what was then Colonial America. Three generations later his great grandson, and my 5th great grandfather, William Henry Etter, was born May 6th, 1800, the son of Daniel Etter and Mary Magdalena Reihm, in Evansham, Wythe, Virginia.
William Henry was the last of thirteen children born to Daniel and Mary, quite late in their lives, Daniel was 50 and Mary 48. This would prove hard on their children, as Daniel died when William Henry was just three years old, on Sept 5th, 1803. Mary passed away when William Henry was 21, Sept 22, 1821. She had been living with William Henry's step-brother Samuel from Daniel's second marriage. William didn't stay in Virginia either, there was a great big country to see and settle, and in 1823 he was married to Sally Haynes in Franklin, DeKalb, Indiana. They would have seven children there; Nancy, Absalom, Samuel Thomas, George, John W, E, and Jane.
Sally must have died in or around the birth of Jane, as William Henry married Nancy Haynes April 26th, 1836 in Morgan Indiana. I do not know if Sally and Nancy were related, they could quite possibly have been sisters, but marriage records back then only had the bride and groom's names. I know Nancy was born in New York because all her later census records tell me so, but they don't keep names on the census other than the head of household before 1850, so I have no way or knowing really anything about Sally.
By January of 1838 Nancy and William Henry had moved to Macoupin co, Illinois, where all their children will be born; Samantha, Margaret Ann, Francis Marion, Henry, twins Logan and Elizabeth, James Monroe, and Daniel. In 1840, William Henry purchases 40 acres near Nilwood, Macoupin co Illinois, which in and of itself is pretty impressive, being as "The Panic of 1837" had just passed. I wonder if they didn't move from Indiana to Illinois for that reason, maybe land was more plentiful and cheaper in Illinois, even though they border one another.
The 1840 census is useless, but 1850 shows 49 year old William Henry and 37 year old Nancy on their own farm worth $800. His children with Sally Samuel Thomas, now 19, and first born Nancy, now 25, both live with them, as does 17 year old John W and 14 year old Jane. Samuel and John are farming with their father, and Nancy is listed as "Idiotic." She will live with the family the rest of her life. The census was taken in September, daughter Jane will pass away before the New Year. Nancy and Williams children range in ages from 12 to six months.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were going on in 1858, and I wonder if William Henry and Nancy would have seen at least one. Nilwood is very close to Springfield, just 35 miles. If they didn't get to see them, they most certainly would have been following in newspapers.
By 1860, son John W has his own farm almost right next door to his fathers, with wife Anna and children Edwin and Elinora. William and Nancy are 60 and 45, and daughter Nancy is 36, this time listed as having Epilepsy, which shines a little more light on things. Francis Marion is 15, twins Logan and Elizabeth are 10, James 6, and Daniel 4.
In 1870, William Henry is 70 years old, and Nancy is 55. The only children remaining at home are daughter Nancy, now 45, and son Daniel, who's still just 15. Samuel Thomas has his own farm nearby, with wife Miranda and three of their what will be 11 children.
William Henry passes away in 1873, most likely on his own farm in Nilwood, Illinois. Of his fifteen children and two wives, he outlived a good many of them. Son Henry passed away in 1850 at age 2, and Jane the same year at fourteen. E (unfortunately I never do find his full name) passes away in 1862 at age 27, George in 1864 at 32, and Samuel Thomas in 1874 at 43. I do not have a death date for either Nancy, but wife Nancy is on the 1880 census as living in Duval, Jasper, Missouri with James Monroe and his wife Anna. She is listed as having "Toepid liver." Daughter Nancy is not there, so she is either living with a sibling, in some kind of asylum, or has already passed.
William Henry Etter
In his probate record William Henry is listed as having 170 acres of land, and "two or three shares" of stock in a company in Girard, a sled wheelbarrow, a "rotten bureau bedstead" (?) a set of chains, bedding for a bed, and a lot of books (I love that) and one cow. He didn't leave his family much but acreage, but he had a large family and surely it was filled with love. In the end, isn't that all that really matters anyway?
How William Henry relates to me:
-son Samuel Thomas Etter (1831-1874)
-daughter Lucinda Caroline Etter (1863-1915)
-daughter Ella Mae Quarton (1885-1967)
-son Ralph Andrew Weller (1909-1994)
-son Lawrence Andrew Weller (1935-2014) my grandfather.
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