Whose Family is it Anyway?
1.5.5.2.6.7.10 Jotham Churchill (some records show his name as Jonthan) was born 29 Dec 1804, Hubbardton, Ruthland, Vermont and died before 25th June 1869 in Milton, Dodge, MN married Euphemia Randall. born 2 Feb 1810 Milton/Galway, Saratoga, New York (Randall family records) and died between 4 Mar 1889-19 Sept 1891 in Berne, Dodge, MN. She is buried in same cemetery as Jotham. Euphemia was daughter of Joshua Randall (1782-1852) born New York and Sarah Smith (1780-1865) born New Jersey.
Dodge county has no record of Jothams' death. I've based his death date, cemetery records and when a petition was filed by his son George, stating his father was of Milton, Dodge, Minnesota at time of death. The 1870 Mortality Census Minnesota, township of Milton, Dodge county shows Jotham died age 65 of Dropsy in June 1869, The Berne Cemetery records show Jotham being buried in an unmarked grave in Milton, Dodge, MN. To date no marriage record has been found when or where Jotham married Euphemia who was (Dodge county records show she was also called Malinda, as she signed her name this way sometimes). Some family records show her as Euphemia Veloris Randall.
Jotham Churchill, our ancestor was son of John and Martha (Baldwin) Churchill, formerly of Hubbardton, Ruthland, Vermont and later of Tully, New York when it was part of Onondaga county. Our Jotham was ggg-grandson of Josiah Churchell of Wethersfield, CT.
Jotham and family moved to Indiana some time before daughter Eliza was born in 1837. How long they stayed and where is not known, however they moved to Laona, Winnebago, Illinois before 1849 where the last of their two children were born. Laona is where Euphemia's mother Sarah (Smith) Randall had moved with her son William Randall in 1836 from New York. This would explain why Jotham and family were in Illinois. Jotham along with family are listed on the 1850 census of Illinois, Winnebago, Laona township, page 323, 3 Oct 1850. The family was still there in spring of 1852 after which they moved to Iowa and on to Minnesota.
Jotham and Euphemia's children:
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.1 and 2 - twin boys Churchill - born ca 1826, near Cortland county New York, died, lived only 3 days
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.3 Silas Churchill - born ca 1828, East Scott, Cortland, NY died on plains during gold rush days in California
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.4 William Veloris Churchill - born 14 Dec 1832, East Scott, Cortland, New York died 6 Jun 1875, Cherry Grove twsp, Goodhue, MN buried Maple Lawn cemetery, Wells twp, Rice county MN; he was murdered; married first Barbara Mattson born 1834 died 12 Feb 1859 at Virginia City, Storey, NV. William married second 21 Sept 1864 at Virginia City, Storey, NV to Lavina Burnette (ICH: Vol A page 49 Storey county NV Records) William applied for lic 23 June 1870 married 3rd on 31 Dec 1870 at Red Wing, Goodhue, MN to Mary E. Minard who died 21 May 1905. After William V. Churchill died Mary married William Henry Butler and had Hattie, George H. and Eliza Butler. (click on William Veloris Churchill to go to his family pages)
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.5 Martha Mandana Churchill - born ca 1833, East Scott, Cortland, New York died 1 Mar 1903, Jamestown, Stutsman, ND age 65 (ICH: death date from Stutsman county ND Old Death Index) married 3 Jan 1870 at Owatonna, Steele, MN to Talcott Crosby Goodrich born Jun 1845 NY died 21 Jan 1898, Jamestown, Stutsman, ND buried in the Highland Home cemetery, Jamestown, ND son of George and Eliza (Russell) Goodrich. (click on martha Mandana Churchill to go to her family pages)
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.6 John Irwin Churchill - born 1834, East Scott, Cortland, NY; family had not seen him after 1855
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.7 Isaiah Ezekiel Churchill - born ca 1836 East Scott, Corland, NY died 22 Aug 1873 Stewartville, Olmsted, MN buried Pilot Grove Cemetery in Racine township, Mower, MN (the cemetery is now deserted) married ca 1867 Mary Jane (Jennie) Edwards born 27 Jan 1845 Roxbury, VT died 13 July 1900 Stewartville, Olmsted, MN daughter of Joseph B. Edwards and Mary Kinney. Mary Jane Edwards Churchill married 2nd Marshall Howard born ca 1833 IL. (click on Isaiah Ezekiel Churchill to go to his family pages)
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.8 Eliza Ursula Churchill (my maternal great grandmother) born 20 Mar 1837 Indiana died 27 May 1900 Milton township, Dodge, MN of dropsy of Kidneys. Married 1st 4 Jun 1855 at West Union, Fayette, IA to John Robert Linn born 23 Sept 1823 Windsor Town, Kennebec, ME died 30 Aug 1863 on Steamer "City of Memphis" during Civil War. John Robert and Eliza divorced 3 June 1860 in Fayette county IA. Eliza married second unknown and third married 9 Apr 1872 at Waterloo, Black Hawk, IA to William Fracher who died bef 26 Jan 1895 Cherry Grove, Goodhue, MN; William and Eliza had no children. (click on Eliza Ursula Churchill to go to her family pages)
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.9 Julia Clarinda Churchill born 26 Oct 1840 Indiana died 29 May 1922 Masonic Home, Decoto, Alameda, CA married first 19 Jan 1856 Preston, Fillmore, MN to Myron Edward Billings born 8 July 1837 Booneville, Onedia, NY died 11 Nov 1919 Calistoga, Napa, CA. son of Jarvis Billings and Almira Partridge. Julia married second 23 Oct 1898 Geneva, Fillmore, NE to William Warner born Sept 1826 England died 1903 Geneva, Fillmore, NE. Julia and Myron divorced Oct 1870. (click on Julia Clarinda Churchill to go to her family pages)
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.10 Irena Churchill born 1841 Indiana died 8 June 1923 Rochester State Hospital, Rochester, Olmsted, MN age 83 yrs 11 mos 1 d married 1875 to Leonard Bacon Marvin born ca 1839 MI died 1907 Detroit Lakes, MN. (click on Irenea Churchill to go to her family page)
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.11 Sylvester Churchill born 1844 Indiana died 10 Feb 1925 Hastings State Asylum, Hastings, Dakota, MN age 81 yrs never married
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.12 George Edwin Churchill born 1845 Laona, Winnebago, IL died 16 Feb 1884 Milton, Dodge, MN never married
1.5.5.2.6.7.10.13 Frances Alceta Churchill born Aug 1849 Laona, Winnebago, IL married 1st on 30 Mar 1865 Steel county MN to Ezra W. Darling. Frances married 2nd to F. A. McEwen. (Click on Frances Alceta Churchill to go to her family page)
Notes on Jotham: Jotham and family moved to Indiana some time before daughter Eliza was born in 1837. How long they stayed and where is not known, however it may have been in Decatur county Indiana as the 1840 Federal Census for Indiana shows Jothel Churchal listed in Decatur county mixed townships page 241. From Indiana they moved to Laona, Winnebago, Illinois before 1849 where the last of their two children were born. Laona is where Euphemia's mother Sarah (Smith) Randall had moved with her son and Euphemia's brother William Randall in 1836 from Cortland county New York. This would explain why Jotham and family were in Illinois. Jotham along with his family are listed on the 1850 census of Illinois, Winnebago, Laona township, page 323, 3 Oct 1850. The family was still there in spring of 1852. It appears the family may have also lived in Iowa near Fayette and Bremer counties after they left Illinois as my great grandmother Eliza Churchill was married to John Robert Linn in 1855, they lived at Waverly, Bremer County and West Union, Fayette county, Iowa. Eliza's sons Warren and Wallace were born there. According to the History of Winona, Olmsted and Dodge County MN, page 900-901, Jotham's sons William and Sylvester were already in Minnesota in 1855. Minnesota records show that Jotham was located on Military Bounty land, Warrant 27300, 160 acres 28 July 1857, on SE1/2 Sec 6 township 108 Range 16 West. This warrant was not issued to him for personal service but was assigned to him by one Eliza Bullock, widow of John Bullock.
Sources for Jontham Churchill: The D.A.R. has a file " Jontham Churchill Family " by Evangeline Linn Halleck (Evangeline was Warren Linn's daughter and granddaugther of Eliza (Churchill) Linn Fracher) who sent her research papers to the D.A.R. State of NY 1830 census Index for Cortland county township Preble page 137 Jotham Churchill family 1840 Federal Census Decatur county Ind Churchel, Jothel males 1 age 0-5; 3 age 5-10; 1 age 30-40; females 2 ge 0-5; 1 age 5-10; 1 age 20-30 1850 Census for United States, Illinois, Winnebago, township Laona 3 Oct 1850 page 323, house #36 Family # 37 Jothan Churchill age 44 born VT farmer Eupheme Churchill age 40 born NY William Churchill 17 born NY John Churchill 15 born NY Isaiah Churchill 13 born NY Louisa Churchill 12 born Ind Julia Churchill 10 born Ind Irene Churchill 8 born Ind Sylvester Churchill 6 born Ind George Churchill 5 born Ind Francis Churchill 2 born IL Arminda Churchill 2/12 born IL 1852 State Census of Iowa, township Pleasant Valley, Fayette, IA page 12 Jotham Churchill 1857 MN Terr, Index Roll 4, Goodhue county MN town 109 Range 17W Vol Fr-G Page 66 or 1857 Terr. MN Census township 109 Range 17W Goodhue county, MN pg 222 Line 12 Family #13 taken 20 Oct 1857 Isaiah Churchill age 22 farmer born NY Jonathan Churchill (should be spelled Jotham) age 53 farmer born VT Euphronia Churchill age 46 born NY (this is Euphiema Melinda Randall) Wm Churchill 26 born NY Martha Churchill 21 born NY Eliza Churchill age 19 born NY (all census records after 1857 show her being born in IN) Julia Churchill age 17 born IN Irena Churchill age 15 born IN Sylvester Churchill age 14 born IN Edwin Churchill age 12 born IL Frances Churchill age 9 born IL 1860 State census MN, Dodge county, Milton twp page 48 P.O. Mantorville taken 16 July 1860: Jonatham Churchill age 55 born VT (Jotham) Irene Churchill 19 born IND Sylvester Churchill 16 born IND Edwin Churchill 14 born IND 1860 State census MN, Goodhue county, Cherry Grove twp. P.O. Fairpoint page 79 taken 12 July 1860: J.A. Churchill 23, farmer born NY (this is John Irwin Churchill) Euphemia Churchill 46, born NY Frances Churchill 11, born IL 1865 State MN Census Dodge county, township Milton: Eupheme Churchill George Churchill Irene Churchill Sylvester Churchill William Chuchill Jotham Churchill Florence May 1865 State MN Census Dodge county Milton township 1 June 1865 Family #80 Jothan Churchill Sylvester Churchill Geo. Churchill Arene Churchill Eliza Lynn Fred Lynn (my maternal grandfather) 1870 Federal Census MN Dodge county Milton twp Churchill, S. age 26 born IND Churchill, Irene age 28 born IND Churchill, Wm. age 11/12 born MN Churchill, Euphema age 50 born NY Churchill, George E. age 21 born IL 1875 State Census, Dodge county, Milton township Family 169; 1 May 1875: Leonard Marvin age 36 born Mich Irena Marvin age 34 born Ind Joseph Marvin age 5 born MN Eugene Marvin age 2 born MN May B. Marvin under month old born MN (born April 1875) Ephemia Churchill age 57 born NY George E. Churchill age 26 born IL Jotham sold per Shff to Joseph Potter on May 27, 1862 in Book F page 533 SE 1/4 Section 6 Town 108 Range 16 160 Acres. (from Mantoville, Dodge county MN Courthouse records) Jotham sold 40 acres to Sylvester Churchill on Sept 2, 1867 SE 1/4 of SE 1/4 Section 6 Town 108 Range 16 (from Mantoville, Dodge county MN Courthouse records) Probate file case #111 Dodge county, MN, 25 June 1869 Jotham Churchill (Admin.) Film Sam 163 Roll 6 at Minnesota Historical Center, St. Paul, MN or case file #111 at Dodge County Courthouse, Mantorville, MN as follows: "Petition of Geo. E. Churchill for Special Adm. Filed in the office of Probate Judge on the 25th day of June A.D. 1869" (State of Minnesota, County of Dodge, Probate Court, In the matter of the Estate of Jotham Churchill deceased) To the Judge of said Court: the Petition of George E. Churchill of the town of Milton, county of Dodge and state of Minnesota, respectfully represents that Jotham Churchill late of Milton, Dodge county, Minnesota deceased died interstate, leaving heirs as follows: viz: Uphamia Churchill his wife, and nine children viz: Wm. V., Martha M. & Isiah E. Churchill, Eliza U. Lynn, Julia C. Billings, Irena Churchill, Sylvester Churchill, George E. Churchill, & Francis A. Darling. That by reason of certain interested parties, taking, selling and removing personal property belonging to the Estate of said Jotham Churchill deceased, it is necessary that a special administrator be appointed and take charge of the estate of said deceased; and your petitioner would further represent that the goods, chatlets, credits & effects of said deceased amount to about three hundred dollars as he verify believes. Your petitioner would therefore pray that, M. E. Billings be appointed special administrator of said estate. Dated June 25, 1869 sign: George E. Churchill The following I found among notes and copies of old letters sent to the D.A.R .by cousin Evangeline (Linn) Halleck daugther of Warren Linn. Evangeline had done research on Jotham's family in early 1930-40's when she was writting a book "Descendants of George Linn" on her fathers family. The Linn book was published at Ann Arbor, MI 1941. Quote from a note from 1940's: Halsey Stevens another cousin had a letter written by Eliza Churchill Linn (my great-grandmother) dated 19 Feb 1865, Milton, Iowa (should be Minnesota not Iowa as Eliza was in Milton, Dodge county, Minnesota with her parents and divorced from John Robert Linn). Eliza wrote: Father has a timber farm of 160 acres. He has about 25 acres cleared on it. My oldest sister, Martha's health is very poor. My sister Julia, next younger than me, is very much out of health, she has been married about 9 years this winter, she has two children, a boy and girl, and has lost two little girls, Minnie and Elly. My sister Irena, next younger than Julia, is 24 years old this winter, and my baby sister was 16 years old last August, she is boarding with my brother Isaiah in Steele Center, Minnesota this winter and going to school. My oldest brother Silas went to California in 1849 and we don't know whether he is alive or not. We moved away from Illinois and we don't know where to direct to him and if he is alive he don't know where to direct to us. My brother William is living in the state of Nevada, in Virginia City. He has been there about six years. Brother John has been dead about seven years. My brother Sylvester, is at home this winter going to school, and my brother Edwin is in Steele Center, Minnesota going to school. I am spending the winter at home, and have two of my children with me, the oldest 5 years old and the other one year and a half. (ICH: This would be Wallace and Frederick. The oldest son Warren was living with his father's sister.) Quote from letter written by Julia Clarinda Churchill Billings Warner, dated 12 Jan 1907, Geneva, Nebraska to her nephew Herbert Churchill in Minnesota. Julia was daughter of Jotham and Euphemia Randall Churchill. Julia writes: Father Jotham Churchill was very handy, he learned the shoemaker's trade and used to make our shoes. Otherwise in the hard times in the early days in old Winnebago, northern Illinois, we children would certainly have had to go without shoes, he was handy in all kinds of work, as well as mother. He used to make his sleds and axhelves. Nearly all the wells in the early days in Illinois, for miles around, father stoned, as few could stone so they would not cave-in. He also was in constant demand during harvest and haying time, because he could stack both hay and grain to shed water and not tumble over. All father's and mother's work have been unusual all kinds of work. Of the various brothers and sisters, she wrote: Silas Churchill, oldest living child, went overland to California with the first company that went from northern Illinois. He was 21 or 22 years old and a real mother's boy. From the time he could earn small sums, above necessary clothing, it was all brought home and given to mother, a tribute from a loyal loving heart to his own mother who was comparatively young and a very handsome woman. A mother who was very kind and forgiving to everybody, and always loving and forgiving her children. Brother Silas wrote a letter to mother when he and the company he went with, was on the mountains in sight of San Francisco, but I believe 200-300 miles away from the golden city. He said when "he got his boots full of gold he would come back, buy a farm and build her a fine house." Had he lived he surely would have done it. We never heard from him again. John Irving Churchill, we don't know what became of him. None of us have seen him since 1855. I believe there was foul play in his being among the missing. Sylvester Churchill, good disposition, smart in business, a boy who worked and bought calves when he was but nine years old. Princely in manners at 15, without a thought that he appeared better than other boys, not married. George Edwin Churchill, the last of the boys, not married, died a bachelor at about 40 years of age. Arminda Isabel Churchill, father's and mother's last baby, lived a puny and sickly life, died at age of one and a half years. Well I remember tho but a little girl, when she was buried. the bleak November day, the large flakes of snow, the sad thought of the little sister being buried in the ground and when the grave was filled and the foot and head boards put in place, how father took off his hat and thanked all the friends and neighbors for their kindness. How a neighbor took father, mother and six of us children home with them to a late dinner, then to bed. Father and mother to stay all night, until father took four of us older ones home and went back himself. Eliza and I were sad, sad, little mourners. We did not know what to do with ourselves. We finally got the hymn book and sang to the best of our ability, thinking that the only appropriate thing we could do. Isaiah was a rail splitter. John took Daguerreotypes. William made a large fortune in the early days at Virginia City, Nevada. In the early days, Martha was a dressmaker. Eliza was a skilled worker in making hair switches, curls, puffs and was a schoolteacher and one of the neatest housekeepers and worker you ever saw.
Sources used to put together our Churchill information above:
Whose Family is it Anyway?