[John_Blakeman.FTW]
Julie Helen Otto, NEHGS staff member: Her notes from family records(source Lemuel Blackman's family Bible?) show his name as "Alphias."
From Wabash County Biographies, Wabash Co. GenWeb,https://sites.rootsweb.com/~inwabash/bio/bio_a-b.html (downloaded 5/27/02):
ALPHEUS BLACKMAN
Alpheus Blackman. In the early settlement of this county, Mr. Blackmanwas one of the leading men of the town and county, the time of his comingdating back to a period anterior to the organization of the county, ifnot to the laying-out of the town of Wabash. Being an established settlerand citizen here at the time of the primary election for the choice ofthe necessary officers to put the wheels of government for the new countyinto operation, he was elected a member of the first County Board. Inthat capacity he assisted in perfecting the organization, and inreceiving the report of Special Commissioners appointed by theLegislature to locate the seat of justice of Wabash County; he served assuch Commissioner during the first year only of the county's existence -the full term for which he was elected, however. Was afterward appointedSheriff to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Jacob D.Cassett, extending from the fall of 1836 to the election in 1837, whenJonathan R. Cox was chosen to fill that position.
In the relation of private citizen, Mr. Blackman did much towarddeveloping the before latent resources of the country, having establishedand conducted one of the first taverns in the city, made and burned thefirst kiln of brick used in the construction of the first brick buildingserected here. He built and operated one of the first grist mills in thevicinity of Wabash, the lowere one on Treaty Creek, afterward owned byMessrs. Hyman & Simon. Later in life, he sold his mill property, moved toAmerica, in this county, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits,remaining there until the time of his death, which occurred about thetime of the breaking out of the rebellion.
The following anecdote is related of his hotel experience: At one time, atraveler arrived in town, and was looking out for a place to put upduring the night. Approaching what seemed to be the only tavern in theplace, he noticed a sign suspended on a high post, with the followinginsignia painted upon it "Traveler's Rest, By A. Blackman." Afterconsidering the matter some time, he was somewhat uncertain what to do.Presently Dr. Hackleman came along, also the proprietor of a small tavernnear by, when the weary sojourner thus remarked: " I have never in all mylife been in the habit of puttin up with a negro, and this house seems tobe kept by a blackman. I don't know what to do. Is there another tavern?"The Doctor replied to this that there was another tavern, but that thiswas a good one, not kept by a negro either. "A. Blackman" was theproprietor's name, and did not mean that he was a negro. The man wassatisfied, and put up at the "Traveler's Rest."
Source: 1884 History of Wabash County, Indiana, pages 243-244.
_____________________From Marjorie Tuttle Cosper, Blackman Family (1978), p. 1:
"HENRY ALPHEUS BLACKMAN [plain "Alphias" in fam. Bible; no independentsupport for "Henry Alpheus"] was born in Vermont [sic. -- actuallyConnecticut, per 1850 Census] one of six children and was of Scotch [sic-- Scots] -Irish descent. The Blackman family must have moved to WabashCounty, Indiana, around 1820. [? -- Another possibility is that Henrymoved to Indiana circa 1832-33, after his marriage (first) to Mary AnnSlocum. Mary Ann was born in Vermont, & they were therefore likelymarried there. In the 1840s two of his sisters married brothers fromOrwell, Vermont, who also died in Vermont, & his many cousins did notrelocate to Indiana. Wabash County history, reprinted below, speaks onlyof Henry having moved to Wabash County sometime before its formation in1833. -- Richard Wilson] He died on April 18, 1868 (or 1869) at America,Indiana, and is buried in Harpers Cemetery, La Fontaine, Wabash County,Indiana. There is nothing left of America except a small cemetery."
From Marjorie Tuttle Cosper, Blackman Family (1978), pp. 1-2, quotingHistory of Wabash County, Indiana, published in 1884 [Thomas B. Helm,History of Wabash County, Indiana, 1884, 492 pp., see US GenWeb page,Wabash Co., Indiana:http://www.wolfenet.com/~sweeney2/wabash/wclookup.html]:
"The legislature laid out and determined the boundaries of Huntington andWabash Counties, Indiana, in 1833. Wabashtown, now called Wabash, issituated on the north side of the Wabash River at the Treaty Ground. Thetown was laid out in the spring of 1834 by Col. Hugh Hanna and Col. DavidBurr.
"The sale of town lots took place on the 4th day of May 1834. The firstlot inclosed was Number 22 by Col. William Steele and Allen W. Smith.The first settlers in the town were George Shepherd, Col. William Steele,Sr., Allen W. Smith, ALPHEUS BLACKMAN, Jacob D. Cassatt, John Smith, ZereSutherland, Michael Duffy, Andrew Murphy, Dr. Jonathan R. Cox, Col. HughHanna, David Cassatt, Dr. Isaac Findley, and Dr. James Hackelan.
"On June 15, 1835, ALPHEUS BLACKMAN presented his certificate, dulyauthenticated, confirming his election to the office of CountyCommissioner for the term of one year, and indicating he had taken thenecessary oath.
"In the early settlement of this county, ALPHEUS BLACKMAN was one of theleading men of the town and county, the time of his coming dating back toa period anterior of the organization of the county, if not thelaying-out of the town of Wabash. Being an established settler andcitizen there at the time of the primary election of the necessaryofficers to put the wheels of government for the new county intooperation, he was elected a member of the first county board. In thatcapacity, he assisted in perfecting the organization and in receiving thereport of the special commissioners appointed by the legislature tolocate the seat of Justice of Wabash County, he served as suchcommissioner during the first year only on the county's existence, thefull term for which he was elected. He later was appointed sheriff tofill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Jacob D. Cassatt,extending from the fall of 1836 to the election in 1837, when Jonathan R.Cox was chosen to fill that position. In the relation of privatecitizen, ALPHEUS BLACKMAN did much toward developing the before latentresources of the county, having established and conducted one of thefirst taverns in the city, made and burned the first kiln of brick usedin the construction of the first brick building erected there, and hebuilt and operated one of the first grist mills in the vicinity ofWabash, the lower one on Treaty Creek, afterwards owned by Mssrs. Humanand Simon. Later in life he sold his mill property, moved to America inWabash County, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits, remaining thereuntil the time of his death, which occurred about the time of thebreaking out of the rebellion."
From Marjorie Tuttle Cosper, Blackman Family (1978), pp. 9-11:
"In November 1827, HENRY ALPHEUS BLACKMAN was married to MARY ANN SLOCUM,who was born in Vermont on 6 February 1808 and who died on 12 September1833. There were two children from this marriage, Henry Don AlonzoBlackman and Maria Blackman.
"His second marriage was to SARAH ANN BUTLER on 14 May 1835 in WabashCounty, Indiana. She was born 5 January 1817 and died 12 July 1853, sixdays after the birth of her tenth child. She is buried in MatlockCemetery, Wabash, Indiana. Children of this marriage, all born in WabashCounty, Indiana: Henry Harrison B., Darius B., Edward Othello B.,William Rankin B., Alpheus Theodore B., Isaac Warren B., Susan Emma B.,Columbus T. B., Sidney Smith B., and Mary Alice B.
"Again left a widower with seven small children, he established his homein what was called Old America. This village was located on the oldplank road between Marion and Lagro, about one and one-half milesnortheast of La Fontaine, Indiana. The village consisted of blacksmithshops, a grocery, a shoe shop where shoes were made of real coarseleather, a school and meeting house, and a general store owned by ALPHEUSBLACKMAN.
"Being in need of carpet, he went to Liberty Mills to see a woman whowove carpet. The young widow, ELIZA ANN BROWN DEVERICKS, was born inVirginia on 28 April 1818 and died 10 January 1876 in America, Indiana.She was the widow of J. Allen Devericks (formerly spelled Devereaux).
"ELIZA DEVERICKS had come from the Shenandoah Valley with her five smallchildren to make her home in the west, in the fall of 1852. In crossingthe Ohio River the wagon upset, and she lost some of her possessions.The family Bible was saved but damaged somewhat by the water. Also savedwere letters from her father and mother which were carefully worded andpreserved.
"The third marriage of HENRY ALPHEUS BLACKMAN was to this widow, ELIZAANN BROWN DEVERICKS, on 1 April 1854. She brought her five children intothe home: William Devericks, John Henry D., Ortential D., Melissa D.,and James Allen D. The Devericks children were all born in Virginia.
"Three children were born of this third marriage: Felix Thomas B., NaomiJane B., and Abraham Lincoln B.
"Older residents of the community remember ELIZA BLACKMAN as a woman ofgreat character and intelligence. A Dr. Thomas, a leading citizen of thecommunity, said of her that she was the only woman he ever knew who hethought could be President. ELIZA BROWN DEVERICKS BLACKMAN is buried inHarpers Cemetery, La Fontaine, Indiana.
"Besides running a general store, Mr. Blackman also taught school and atone time had a hundred pupils. Mr. and Mrs. Blackman always had thesinging school at the meeting house."
"One of the worries of [ELIZA BROWN DEVERICKS BLACKMAN] was that herchildren [by J. Allan Devericks, her first husband] would fall in lovewith his children, and that very thing happened.
"Two of her daughters, MELISSA and Ortential DEVERICKS, married two ofhis sons, EDWARD OTHELLO BLACKMAN and William Rankin Blackman. Edwardwent to Iowa with his uncle, Edward Prindell Blackman, in 1854. Fromthere he went to the Gold Rush in California, came back to Indiana, andmarried MELISSA DEVERICKS. Before his stepmother would give her consentto the marriage, they promised to stay in Indiana. They married, and thenext day they left for Iowa. The mother made a trip to Iowa to see herdaughter Melissa some time a few years before she died. She took theplank road to Lagro, then by canal to Wabash and then the train to Iowa.
"Susan Blackman, the only daughter of HENRY ALPHEUS BLACKMAN and SARAHANN BUTLER BLACKMAN, married against her father's wishes, and when heheard it, being a semi-invalid, became so upset that his two sons spentsome time walking him up and down the porch until he could get hold ofhimself. Then he told them to go to her in the morning and tell her tocome home, and he would set her up in housekeeping. Although the familywas an extremely large one, sometimes as many as sixteen living under oneroof, there seemed to be enough to meet the needs of them all."
From: Linda [Thompson] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 4:43 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Wabash County LookupsHi Richard,
Just thought I would let you know that I spent the afternoon at thelibrary going through all the books I could think of to check. I checkedthe marriage records first. I did not find one for Alpheus Balckman toSarah Ann Butler. I did find the one for him and Elizabeth A. Devericks.I did not find any obits for Alpheus nor any of his wives. Here's theinformation that I did find. Hope it helps you some. Linda***********************************************************************************************
Wabash County, Indiana marriages, 1835 - 1899:Alpheus Blackman to Eliza A. Devericks on April 18, 1854 ..... Bk A ...Pg 326
Alpheus Blackman to Louisa Grube on 31 March 1863 ........... Bk 6 ... Pg112
E. O. Blackman to Melissa Devericks on 12 February 1865 .... Bk 6 ... Pg269
William R. Blackman to Ortentia Devericks on 14 April 1861 ... Bk B ...Pg 282
William R. Blackman to America Scott on 25 July 1870 .......... Bk 7 ...Pg 265
Berman B. Blackman to Susie Wilson on 1 November 1896 .... Bk 13 ... Pg160
Naomi J. Blackman to Marion McIlwaine on 1 March 1883 ...... Bk 10 ... Pg244
Sarah Blackman to james Ingersoll on 23 July 1837 ................ Bk A... Pg 57
Susan Blackman to Nathan Kretzinger on 29 December 1867 ... Bk 7 ... Pg 88
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Old Lafontaine Cemetery in Liberty Township, Wabash County, Indiana:A. Lincoln Blackman ..... died April 7, 1885 at the age of 25 yrs. 0 mos.24 days
Alpheus Blackman ...January 12, 1803 -- April 18, 1889
Ortential Blackman ... wife of W. R. ..... died January 7, 1870 at age25-8-29
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Matlock Cemetery in Noble Township, Wabash County, Indiana:Sarah Blackman ..... died July 12, 1853 at age 36-1-15
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Emery Cemetery in Liberty Township, Wabash County, Indiana:Naomi J. McIlwaine ..... 1858 -- 1948
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1850 census -- Noble Township, Wabash County, Indiana:Blackman, Alpheus ..... age 47 ..... born in Connecticut
Sarah A. ..... age 33 ..... born in Ohio
Henry H. ..... age 14 ..... born in Indiana
Edward A. ..... age 10 ..... born in Indiana
William R. ..... age 9 ..... born in Indiana
Alpheus T. ..... age 7 ..... born in Indiana
Isaac W. ..... age 5 ..... born in Indiana
Susan E. ..... age 3 ..... born in Indiana
Columbus ..... age 1 ..... born in Indiana
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1860 census -- Liberty Township, Wabash County, Indiana:Blackman, Alpheus ..... age 57 ..... born in Connecticut
Eliza ..... age 40 ..... born inMaryland
Susan E. ..... age 12 ..... born in Indiana
Columbus ..... age 11 ..... born in Indiana
Felix ..... age 5 ..... born inIndiana
Naomi ..... age 2 ..... born in Indiana
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1870 census -- Lagro Township, Wabash County, Indiana:Blackman, Eliza ..... age 50 ..... born in Maryland
James ..... age 18 ..... born in Virginia
Sidney ..... age 17 ..... born in Indiana
Felix ..... age 15 ..... born in Indiana
Naomi ..... age 12 ..... born in Indiana
Lincoln ..... age 9 ..... born in Indiana
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1870 census -- Wabash City, Wabash County, Indiana:C. H. Blackman, age 10, is living in the Thomas Charles home. In theThomas Charles home, he is listed as being 39 ..... born in Indiana. Hiswife is Matilda, age 35 ..... born in Pennsylvania. Children are OscarB., age 18 and Flora May, age 16. Both children are born in Indiana.
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1880 census --Naomi Blackman is 23 ... born in Indiana - living in the Scott home inLafontaine.
A. L. Blackman is 19 ... born in Indiana - listed as a servant in theJoseph Miller home in Liberty Township. HENRY ALPHEUS BLACKMAN was bornin Vermont on June (or January) 12, 1803. He was one of six children andwas of Scotch-Irish descent. The Blackman family must have moved toWabash County,
Indiana around 1820. He died on April 18, 1868 (or 1869) at America.Indiana and is buried in Harpers Cemetery, La Fontaine, Wabash CountyIndiana. There is nothing left of America except a small cemetery.The legislature laid out and determined the boundaries of Huntington andWabash Counties, Indiana, in 1833. Wabashtown, now called Wabash, issituated on the north side of the Wabash River at the Treaty Ground. Thetown was laid~out in the spring of 1834 by Col.
Hugh Hanna and Col. David Burr.The sale of town lots took place on the 4th day of May 1834. The firstlot inclosed was Number 22 by Col. William Steele and Allen W. Smith.The first settlers in the town were George Shepherd, Col. William Steele,Sr., Allen W. Smith, ALPHEUS BLACKMAN, Jacob D. Cassatt, John Smith, ZereSutherland, Micheal Duf fy, Andrew Murphy, Dr. Jonathan R. Cox, Col. HughHanna, David Cassatt, Dr. Isaac Fidnley and Dr. James Hackelan.
On June 15, 1835, ALPHEUS BLACKMAN presented his certificate, dulyauthenticated, confirming his election to the office of CountyCommissioner for the term of one year, and indicating he had taken thenecessary oath.
In the early settlement of this county, ALPHEUS BLACKMAN was one of theleading men of the town and county, the time of his coming dating back toa period anterior of the organization of the county, if not thelaying-out of the town of Wabash. Being an established settler andcitizen there at the time of the primary election of the necessaryofficers to put the wheels of government for the new county intooperation, he was elected a member of the first county board. In thatcapacity, he assisted in perfecting the organization and in receiving thereport of the special commissioners appointed by the legislature tolocate the seat of Justice of Wabash County, he served as suchcommissioner during the first year only of the county's existence, thefull term for which he was elected. He later was appointed sheriff tofill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Jacob D. Cassatt,extending from the fall of 1836 to the election in 1837, when Jonathan R.Cox was chosen to fill that position. In the relation of privatecitizen, ALPHEUS BLACKMAN did much toward developing the before latentresources of the county, having established and conducted one of thefirst taverns in the city, made and burned the first kiln of brick usedin the construction of the first brick building erected there, and hebuilt and operated one of the first grist mills in the vicinity ofWabash, the lower one on Treaty Creek, afterwards owned by Messrs. Humanand Simon. Later in life, he sold his mill property, moved to America inWabash County, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits, remaining thereuntil the time of his death, which occurred about the time of thebreaking out of the rebellion.
-From History of Wabash County, Indiana Published in 1884
DESCENDANTS OF HENRY ALPHEUS BLACKMAN
In November, 1827, HENRY ALPHEUS BLACKMAN was married to MARY ANN SLOCUM,who
was born in Vermont on February 6, 1808 and who died on September 12,1833. There were two
children from this marriage.His second marriage was to SARAH ANN BUTLER on May 14, 1835, in WabashCounty, Indiana.
She was born January 5, 1817 and died July 12, 1853, six days after thebirth of her tenth child.
She is buried in Matlock Cemetery, Wabash, Indiana. Children of thismarriage, all born in Wabash
County Indiana:Again left a widower with seven small children, he established his homein what was called Old America.
This village was located on the old plank road between Marion and Lagro,about one and one-half
miles northeast of La Fontaine, Indiana. The village consisted ofblacksmith shops, a grocery, a shoe
shop where shoes were made of real coarse leather, a school and meetinghouse, and a general store
owned by ALPHEUS BLACKMAN.Being in need of carpet, he went to Liberty Mills to see a woman who wovecarpet. The young widow,
ELIZA ANN BROWN DEVERICKS, was born in Virginia on April 28, 1818 anddied January 10,
1876 in America, Indiana. She was the widow of J. Allan Devericks(formerly spelled Devereaux).
ELIZA DEVERICKS had come from the Shenandoah Valley with her five smallchildren to make her
home in the west, in the fall of 1852. In crossing the Ohio River, thewagon upset and she lost some of
her possessions. The family Bible was saved, but damaged somewhat by thewater. Also saved were
letters from her father and mother which were carefully worded and penned.The third marriage of HENRY ALPHHEUS BLACKMAN was ELIZA ANN BROWNDEVERICKS
on April 1, 1854. She children into the home: to this widow, brought herfive children. The
Devericks children were all born in Virginia. Three children were bornof this third marriage:ELIZA BROWN DEVERICKS BLACKMAN is buried in Harpers Cemetary, LaFontaine, Indiana.
Older residents of the community remember ELIZA BLACKMAN as a woman ofgreat character and
intelligence. A Dr. Thomas, a leading citizen of the community said ofher that she was the only
woman he ever knew who he thought could be president.Besides running a general store, Mr. Blackman also taught school and atone time had a hundred pupils.
Mr. and Mrs. Blackman always had the singing school at the meeting house.One of the worries of this wife was that her children would fall in lovewith his children and that very
thing happened. Two of her daughters, MELISSA and ORTENTIAL DEVERICKS,married
two of his sons, EDWARD OTHELLO BLACKMAN AND WILLIAM RANKIN BLACKMAN.
Edward went to Iowa with his uncle, Edward Prindell Blackman in 185 Fromthere he went to
the Gold Rush in California, came back to Indiana and married MELISSADEVERICKS.
Before his step mother woul give her consent to the marriage, theypromised to stay in Indiana.
They married and the next day they left for Iowa. The mother made a tripto Iowa to see her
daughter, Melissa, sometime a few years before she died. She took theplank road to Lagro,
then by canal to Wabash and then the train to Iowa.Susan Blackman, the only daughter of HENRY ALPHEUS BLACKMAN and SARAH ANNBUTLER
BLACKMAN, married against her father's wishes and when he heard it, beinga semi-invalid, became
so upset that his two sons spent some time walking him up and down theporch until he could get hold
of himself. Then he told them to go to her in the morning and tell herto come home and he would set
her up in housekeeping. Although the family was an extremely large one,sometimes as many as sixteen living under one roof, there seemed to beenough to meet the needs of them all.After the death of Eliza Brown Devericks Blackman, January 10, 1876Willian Rankin Blackman had
Naomi Jane Blackman, who was eighteen years old, come to Iowa to go toschool. She arrived in Des
Moines the evening of March 15, 1876 and stayed overnight, going toWaukee the next morning.
Charles Rankin Blackman, son of Alpheus Theodore (Uncle Dora) Blackmanmet her at the train and
informed her that William Rankin Blackman had died the night before.Later, Naomi complained to
Alpheus Theodore how Hattie Blackman's stepmother, America, treated her,whereupon "Uncle Dora"
took Naomi and Hattie back to Indiana to live for a time with James AllenDevericks, a son of the
widow Eliza, who was the third wife of Henry Alpheus Blackman.From a letter to Robert K. Devericks written by Blackman
Orville Brumf ield July 5, 1958
[Thomas_Devericks.FTW]
Marriage Index: KY, NC, TN, VA, WV, 1728-1850
Devericks, Allen J. Spouse : Brown, Eliza
Marriage date : Sep 11, 1831 [actual year 1837]From Marjorie Tuttle Cosper, Blackman Family (1978), p. 42:
"Eliza Ann Brown and J. Allen Devericks (Devereaux) were married inVirginia. She had two brothers, Tom and Frank, and two sisters, Mary andSalley. The J. Allen Devericks family resided at or near Head Waters,Highland County, Virginia. He died about 1852 and is buried inVirginia. J. Allen Devericks was of French descent, and Eliza Brown wasFrench and/or Italian."[Marcy Nash - Devericks.ftw]
1830-Allen J. may be with John Devoricks Sr.
1840 Census Va. Pendleton Co. (note: may or may not be Allen?)
James A. Devoricks 1m (under 5), 1m (20-30), 1f (20-30)
1850 Census Va. Highland Co.
591-591 Allen J. Deverik 36m Farmer 250 Pendleton Co.
Eliza 33f" can't r or w
Wm. 14m" as
Henry 11m" as
Margaret 8f"Pendleton Co. Va. Marriage Bond 5 Sep 1836 [sic -- 1837 is correct date],Allen J. Devericks, James Johnson. Consent of father Thomas Brown,Eliza is of age.
Pendleton Co. Va. Tax List - Upper District
19 Feb 1842 Allen J. Devrick - 1 white maleInformation on Orential and Melissa Devericks was supplied by a Blackmandescendant. Melissa was listed as a child of Allen and Eliza, butOrential was not confirmed.
The following marriages could be for this family as they are in the samearea:
Marriage Index: Indiana, 1851-1900
Devereaux, Paul H. Spouse : Steller, Lottie C.
Marriage date : 18 Nov 1890
County : Wabash
Gender : Male
Source : County Court Records located at Wabash, IN
Devereux, Bertha Bohun Spouse : Adams, George D.
Marriage date : 8 Apr 1890
County : Grant
Gender : Female
Source : County Court Records located at Marion, INDevericks, John R. Spouse : Billington, Rebecca J.
Marriage date : 10 Apr 1886
County : Wabash
Gender : Male
Source : County Court Records located at Wabash, INDevericks, William H. Spouse : Gilespie, Minnie May
Marriage date : 25 Jan 1899
County : Wabash
Gender : Male
Source : County Court Records located at Wabash, IN
Devericks, William Henrie Spouse : Gilespie, Minnie May
Marriage date : 25 Jan 1899
County : Wabash
Gender : Male
Source : County Court Records located at Wabash, IN