Little is known about the early life of Luke Teachman. Some records have been found for him, his wife, Polly, and two daughters. Because of a lack of additional information, some suppositions have been made. He is not found in early census records, so it is presumed he lived in New Jersey. Before 1820, his wife and two daughters die and he heads west.
Prior to 1820, Luke marries Abigail Brown, daughter of William Brown, in Ohio, possibly Stark County. He becomes a trusted member of the community and is selected as an election judge in Rose Township in July of 1820.
The 1820 Federal Census finds him in Sandy, Stark County, OH. The household consists of one male 26-45, one female under the age of 10, and one female between 16-26.
In the 1830 Federal Census, he is living in Rose, Stark County, OH. The household consists of one male, 40-50 and two females under 5, two females 5-10, one female 10-15, and one female 30-40.
| Males 40-50 | Females under 5 | Females 5-10 | Females 10-15 | Females 15-20 | Females 20-30 | Females 30-40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
A farmer, Luke wanted to own property and in February of 1833 he purchased from Henry Newport the E1/2 of the NW1/4 of Section 34, Township 16 of Range Seven in the district of lands offered for sale at Steubenville, Ohio. The parcel contained just under 75 acres and cost $200.
During the winter of 1836-37, Abigail's father, William Brown, died. Abigail and Luke, along with Abigail's siblings and their spouses, Wm. and Sarah Brown, Hugh and Elizabeth Meloy, James and May Norman, Jonathan and Rebecca Brown, and John and Mary Browm, completed the necessary paperwork to settle the estate.
In 1840, he is living in Rose Township, Carroll County, OH. This is a case of county lines changing so, although his address changed, his residence did not. The household consists of one male under 5, one male 5-10, one male 60-70, one female 5-10, one female 10-15, two females 15-20, one female 20-30, and one female 30-40.
The children grew up and began starting their own households. Luke and Abigail's daughter, Anna, married George Russell on 1 Nov. 1840. Anna and George would remain in the area all of their lives.
Other children also married. In the same time frame, Mary married John Kline and Eliza married Peter Rose.
Luke and Abigail felt the need to move on and on 13 July 1844, they sold their Carroll County, E1/2NW1/4 S34T16R7, property to William Slutz for a profitable $1200.
Luke made one more major move between 1840 and 1850, probably after the sale of his property in 1844. Stark County is located southeast of Akron in east central Ohio. He and his family moved to the Fulton/Lucas County area west of Toledo in the northwestern part of the state. On 28 August 1844, he and Abigail purchased 160 acres, SW1/4 of S13 T7N R8E in Lucas County, Ohio, from Charles and Catherine Sluts. The property was located in Swan Creek Township. In March of 1848, Luke and Abigail sold the SW1/4 of their property containing 40 acres to Jacob Black for $100.
In June of 1856, Luke and Abigail sold the NW1/4 of SW1/4 of S13 T7N R8E to John Mills for $200. This left them the E1/2 of SW1/4 of S13 T7N R8E.
In the 1850 Federal Census, the Luke Teachman household is also a bit smaller. Two of his children, however, are neighbors.
| Dwelling | Name | Age | Occupation | Value of Real Estate owned | Place of birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 617 | John Kline | 30 | 400 | Ohio | |
| Mary Kline | 26 | NY | |||
| Semantha Kline | 9 | OH | |||
| Lucinda Kline | 7 | OH | |||
| Norman Kline | 3 | OH | |||
| 618 | George Russell | 45 | Virginia | ||
| Anna Russell | 30 | OH | |||
| Thomas Russell | 17 | OH | |||
| Eliza Russell | 1 | OH | |||
| Luke Russell | 10 | OH | |||
| Elizabeth Russell | 8 | 8 | |||
| Joseph | 6 | OH | |||
| 619 | Luke Teachman | 74 | Farmer | 480 | NY |
| Abigail Teachman | 59 | Ohio | |||
| Eliza Teachman | 25 | Ohio | |||
| Adaline Teachman | 19 | Ohio | |||
| John Teachman | 16 | Farmer | Ohio | ||
| Lucinda McMillan | 25 | 600 | Ohio |
Between 1850 and 1860, daughters Lucia and Aboline married. Lucia and her husband, Philip Shoaff, did not remain in the area and headed west to California. Aboline married Jacob Libey. The marriage was not without problems. After having four children, Jacob got in trouble with the law and served time in the Ohio State Prison.
The Teachman household includes members from three generations in the 1860 Federal Census. Daughter Aboline has married Jacob Liby, who is listed as a convict in the census, and the couple with their four children are living with her parents. It should also be noted that Solomon and Margaret (Teachman) Rowley and their family are neighbors. Luke continued to make a living from the land. The value of his real estate is listed as $800 and his personal estate is $300.
Luke and Abigail died within a short time of each other. A mortuary notice in the San Joaquin (CA) Republican states: "In Swanton, Lucas County, Ohio, July 7th, 1860, Mrs. Abigail Teachman, aged 61 years. The deceased was the mother of Mrs. P.E. Shoaff of this sity."
No record of a probate of an estate has been located. However, between 12 June and 11 September of 1861, Philip Shoaff, Aboline, Mary Kline and Peter Rose and wife, Eliza, sell portions of Luke and Abigail's land to John in a manner similar to that of settling an estate. John Kline is not listed in the 1860 Census, so it is presumed he died before that time.
The SE1/4 of SW1/4 of S13 T7N R8E was sold in February 1862 to Catherine Waldin for $800.
Although no record has been found, the property sold to John Mills must have returned to the Teachmans for in 1870 family members John B. Teachman, Aboline Teachman, George Russell, Anna Russell and Peter W. Rose sold the NW1/4 and the NE1/4 of SW1/4 of S13T7NR8E containing 80 acres of land to Mary Kline for $5.
Anna Teachman Russell and her husband live in the Swanton area practically all of their married life. George had a variety of occupations including working in a saloon, farming, and being a miller. Noteably, the couple died on the same day - 5 December 1879. George, 75, died of dropsy and Anna, 59, of consumption.
Mary Teachman married John Kline in about 1850. The couple had four children before John's death in the late 1850's. Determined to succeed on her own, she continued to farm and in October 1870, by quit claim deed, purchased the NW1/4SE1/4 of S13 T7N R8E from the remaining heirs of Luke Teachman for $1. Signing the deed were: John B. Teachman, Aboline Teachman, George Russell, Anna Russell and Peter W. Rose. In 1870, although Mary owned the land, her brother, John, was farming it. The household consisted of John, Mary, Lucy, Polly, Norman and John Libey. Mary is not found in the 1880 census.
Eliza Teachman died at a relatively young age. She signed deed documents in September 1861 after the death of her parents, but died before 1870. Her husband, Peter, maintained ties to the Teachman family.
Lucia Teachman married Philip Shoaff in about 1860. After heading west, Philip found work as an agent for Wells Fargo. The couple moved several times living in Monterey, San Joaquin, and Alameda in California and in Nevada. The couple had only one child, a daughter Flora in June of 1861. Flora married Charles Pinkerton and, after Philip's death, Lucia made her home with her daughter in Alameda, CA.
Aboline Teachman married Jacob Libey in about 1850. After having four sons, Jacob got into trouble and served time in the Ohio State Prison. After his sentence was completed, he left the family. By 1880, Aboline's son, John, had married Mary. The couple set up their home and the household included his mother, Aboline, and uncle, John Teachman. Aboline and John remained even as the young Libey family expanded. Aboline is buried in the Swanton Cemetery.
John B. Teachman, the youngest of Luke's children, never married. He did, like so many other young men of his generation, participate in the Civil War. At the age of 28, he enlisted on 6 August 1862 and was assigned to Co. K, 111 Ohio Infantry with the rank of private. On 1 January 1865, he transferred to Co. I, 5th Reg. Regiment RC and mustered out with the outfit in Indianapolis, IN on 5 July 1865.
After the war, John continued to farm in Swancreek Township, Fulton Co., OH. In 1860, Mary, Lucy, Norman, and Polly Kline, as well as John Libey, were living with him. In both the 1880 and 1900 Federal Census', John is living with Aboline's son, John, in Swan Creek Township. John started drinking and at the time of his death in 1908 he was found lying next to the railroad tracks at Swanton with less than a dollar in change in his pocket and one pair of wire rim glasses. He is buried in the Swanton Cemetery.
Thanks to Eldon Hills for his assistance with information for this page.
