Their children:
Wesley W. b. 30 July 1838
Thomas Benton b. 5 May 1842
Freeman H. b. 5 May 1842
John b. 13 February, 1844
Sarah S. b. 29 June, 1850
Lorenzo Dow
Alonzo Leonidas b. @1852
Ida Adelaide b. 1 March, 1854
Sarah S. b. 29 June, 1850
Icy Dora b. 9 Feb, 1857
Margaret Mary b. 7 February, 1862
Joseph Irvin Seward was the oldest son of Obadiah Seward and Polly Sparks Seward. He was born in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio February 9, 1817. His family moved to Rush County, Indiana in 1825, and he lived in Indiana for a good portion of his life. In 1837 he married Miss Charlotte Hopper of Cincinnati, Ohio. They first lived in Rush County then moved their family to Hancock County, Indiana where they lived on a 200 acre homestead until the Civil War. Joseph and Charlotte were charter members of the Christian Church in Anderson, Indiana where they lived during the war. The family's fortunes ebbed after the war; they were visited with a bank failure and land title problems. Joseph Irvin, Charlotte and sons Benton, John and Alonzo finally moved away from Indiana in 1883, going first to Iowa and several years later to Great Bend, Kansas. Charlotte died in Great Bend June 26, 1887 and is buried there. After Charlotte's death Joseph Irvin returned to Indiana and became a preacher in Chesterfield. It was there he met his second wife, a widow, Mrs. Julia A. Good. |
| "Grandfather bought a team of light colored ponies and a top buggy and I remember him driving past our place at a merry clip going to Anderson. Mother would watch for his coming back and visit with him. His second wife was seldom with him on these trips for she was inclined to stay close to home and was not very sociable. He had an easygoing disposition and could get along with most anyone, and enjoyed being with people" Ernest Bronnenberg, Joseph Irvin's grandson in a letter to Mildred Pierce |
| Joseph Irvin Seward died April 9, 1903 in Chesterfield, Indiana at the age of 86 and is buried in the Chesterfield Cemetery. |
Wesley Seward was born 30 July, 1838 in Rush County, Indiana. |
| Thomas Benton was born 5 May, 1842 in Rush County, Indiana. He enlisted along with his brother in Co. F, 57th Indiana Volunteers. He was taken prisoner at Stone River December 31, 1862 and paroled at City Point, VA January 26, 1863. He was returned to his regiment and finally discharged in Madison, Indiana 18 November, 1864. His wife was Agnes (Gilmore) Hays widow of John Hays and daughter of William and Catherine Gilmore. They were divorced @ 1880 and Agnes moved to Madison, KS with their three children Mary, Madelineand Joseph Irvin. Agnes died in 1929. Thomas Benton died 12 February, 1905 at Danville, IL at the Illinois Soldiers Home where he is buried. |
Freeman H. Seward was born 5 May, 1842 in Rush Co., Indiana. He married Mariah Malone, daughter of William and Margaret (Gilmore) Malone. In 1868 they moved to Montcalm County, Michigan and settled on 50 acres. they later returned to Madison Co, IN and purchased 56 acred in Union township. His wife Margaret died 30 June, 1912 at Chesterfield, Indiana. Freeman died 13 July, 1932 in Chesterfield and is buried at Bronnenberg Cemetery. They had six children:
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| Freeman Seward was a staunch Jacksonian Democrat and prominent in the county and township political affairs He held the office of township trustee and was a man of honor and integrity. Mildred Seward in "Seward Cousins" |
John Seward was born 13 Feb, 1844. He married Lucretia Jane Gilmore in May 1870, the daughter of William and Catherine Gilmore. They had two children: William b. 1872 who married Cora Leakey 24 Sept, 1892 (children Howard, Charlotte and Helen Louise) and Ozelle b. 1871. Ozelle was a music teacher. She lived in Princeton, IL and never married. John and his wife separated sometime after the children were born. She died in 1888 and is buried in New Columbus, IN. John worked on a farm west of Chesterfield and was kicked by a horse and died of the injury. He is buried near his father in Chesterfield Cemetery |
Lorenzo Dow Seward was the fifth child of Joseph and Charlotte. He was an "old-time musician" and died young. |
Alonzo Leonidas Seward was born in Indiana. I have no birth date available for him. He went to Kansas with his parents and from there he's believed to have gone to work on a cattle ranch in Wyoming. |
Ida Adelaide Seward was born 1 March, 1854 in Madison Co, In. She married A.C.Davis, but died of tuberculosis before they had any children. Her date of death was 18 January, 1876. |
Sarah S. Seward was born 29 June, 1850 in Madison Co, IN. She married Ransom Bronnenberg 30 October, 1869. They had six children:
Sarah died 22 April, 1936 in Anderson, Indiana |
Icy Dora Seward was born 9 February, 1857. On October 24, 1885 she married Ransom R. Clevenger(1863-1913). They had four children.
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| Margaret Mary Seward was born 7 February, 1862 and died 9 January, 1874 at the age of 11. |