John and Mariah Cruiser McWilliams - Chapter 5

 

Milton and Sunbury 2018

Many of the sources I use to tell the story of my ancestors can be found online, but it takes "boots on the ground" to find some essential records and documents. I visited Northumberland County in July 2018 to dig up some of the material used in the McWilliams, Cruiser, Billmeyer, Knauss and Lieb family lines. This is an excerpt of my trip notes beginning in Milton, where John McWilliams conducted business, and on to Sunbury, the Northumberland County seat. 

Facade of the Old Harmony Church 1817-1866

Our visit to Milton was confined to a quick drive through town to our destination, Harmony Cemetery. On our way, we passed the small historic railroad depot which has been restored to its original glory. The view from the highest point in the cemetery is magnificent. Beyond the neatly-maintained town, the wooded banks of the West Branch of the Susquehanna lie under the misty mountain range in the distance. We visited my great-great-grandparents, Israel and Malinda Werner Lieb in the cemetery and hurried on to our next stop. 

View from Harmony Cemetery in Milton 

We left Milton a few minutes before noon. It was a twenty-minute drive to the county seat of Sunbury and I hoped to complete a visit to the courthouse and the genealogy library there before 4:00 p.m. Highway 147 took us on a route parallel to the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and presented a fine view of the level farmland in the valley surrounded by low timber-covered mountains on either side. As we approached Sunbury, we crossed the Susquehanna River twice where it flows on either side of an island near the confluence of the West Branch and main channel of the river. The Susquehanna was a dazzling sight – a peaceful shade of blue with sparkling highlights reflected from the sunlight on the ripples in the water. Quaint metal railroad bridges constructed of multiple arches mirrored our path over the water. We immediately entered Sunbury and continued to follow Highway 147 as it snaked along the riverbank with only a strip of grass and a seawall separating the roadway from the rocky descent into the wide expanse of water.

Susquehanna River near Sunbury

We turned onto Market Street and drove toward the clock tower which was visible atop the Northumberland County Courthouse. The courthouse is a three-story structure built in 1865 in Italianate architectural style. The native Pennsylvania brownstone walls are painted white accented with ornate deep green corbels, cornices and decorative masonry blocks imbedded into the corners of the building. Tall arched windows and wooden doors trimmed in the same shade of green add to the beauty of the edifice. A small copper dome covers the clock tower high above the roof.

Northumberland County Courthouse

 

We grabbed a quick lunch at the Subway across the street from the courthouse. I wolfed down my food in hunger and anticipation. I could hardly wait to look for the probate records which I hoped were available in the courthouse. I grabbed my bag containing my notebook, scanner and camera from the car and almost skipped up the steps to the front door, even though I was tired and sweaty after my morning hikes through four cemeteries.

Imagine my surprise when I bounced through the main door and immediately came face-to-face with two police officers and a metal detector! I did not expect to encounter this level of security in a such a small town. Luckily, I breezed through security with all of my belongings passing muster. I knew my next task was to charm the clerks at the Recorder and Clerk of the Orphans' Court desk. Their help would be critical to my chances of success in locating the record books with the probate documents I was seeking.

As I entered the office, the clerks were busily working at their desks. One of the ladies offered to help me and I politely explained that I would like to examine several early volumes of the Orphans’ Court Dockets, beginning with volume 10 from 1849. She escorted me across the hall where she first consulted a computer database and some index books, before declaring that I would need to go to the basement to access the volumes I requested. She would get a key for me and show me the way to the storage area for the old records. I wasn’t sure if this was good or bad news!

I hoped the books were well-organized but was not optimistic because a contact at the local genealogy society had informed me that it was a challenge to locate documents there. The clerk retrieved a key from behind her counter and led the way into the hall, around a narrow corridor and through an old door revealing painted concrete steps leading to the basement.

Northumberland County Courthouse Basement Hallway

Holy moly! The cliché description of “dungeon” fit this space perfectly. The low arched ceiling constructed of red bricks extended downward to form the walls. Exposed pipes, cables and dim florescent light fixtures poked through the bricks at odd angles. The hall was essentially a storage area filled with dusty abandoned desks, chairs, computer tables, other surplus outdated office equipment and piles of cardboard boxes. The clerk dodged all the obstacles in our path and opened the door to the vault containing the Orphan’s Court ledger books.

Northumberland County Courthouse Basement Jail Cell

At first glance, I thought I was in trouble. The vaults were originally used as jail cells and this one was cramped, messy and covered with dust. There were piles of books everywhere. Some were on shelves, others on top of file cabinets, and many of them looked like they were about to disintegrate on the spot. We moved on to unlock the land records room farther down the hall. It seemed to be very neat and organized, but I knew that those records were online, so I would probably not spend time searching here. After giving instructions to me to copy or photograph anything I needed, the clerk left me to my own devices. I would be charged 50 cents per copy when I was finished. (Honor system, no questions asked!) I pulled out my notebook with the index entries for the Orphans’ Court records from Family Search. I was hoping to locate estate documents from 1882 for my second great-grandfather Israel Lieb and from 1849 and 1881 for my third great-grandfathers John McWilliams and Benjamin Knauss.

 

Northumberland County Orphans' Court Docket Books

I made a quick inventory of the vault and tried to get my bearings as to the organization (or lack of organization) of the heavy, oversized volumes. Amazingly enough, the books were not in perfect order, but they were grouped in almost chronological order and I easily spotted Volume 10 in the shelves to the left of the doorway. Now I was faced with the conundrum of deciding where to lay the book to examine and photograph it. There wasn’t an empty tabletop anywhere and few areas were well-lighted. After lugging the book around and trying several spots, I finally decided on laying it on an old office chair that I could roll around to take advantage of the best available lighting and a power source for recharging my cell phone. In only ninety minutes, I captured evidence concerning several generations of my ancestors, their land, and personal property, which had been recorded in fading handwriting on yellowed pages as long as 170 years ago. I could hardly wait to study them! In addition, I could hardly wait to sit down to rest my aching back after hoisting the heavy books on and off the shelves and bending over the low chair to read and photograph them.

As I gathered my belongings, I glanced down at my clothes. I was covered in dirt and rusty red residue from the aging fabric and leather covers of the books. I was glad I was wearing sturdy clothes suitable for cemetery treks and dungeon digging! I trudged upstairs, returned the key and asked about the probate files which were not housed in the basement. The clerk pointed across the hall to a room with walls totally lined in probate file boxes from the floor to the soaring ceiling. I could help myself by climbing the ladder provided for access to the shelves which were out of my reach. I knew the numbers of the probate files, but the task to retrieve them seemed too daunting for today. I assumed many of the documents I had just copied would be duplicated in the files, so I made the decision to move on and perhaps contact an area researcher at a later date, to decide if anything could be gained from them. I thanked the staff for their help, paid $12.00 for my digital copies and rejoined my husband who had been exploring the town square.

Susquehanna River at Front Street in Sunbury, PA

Note – A few months after my visit I hired a researcher to retrieve and copy the probate records of several ancestors from Northumberland County. John McWilliams’ and John Cruisen’s estate inventories were among the documents I obtained.

 

John and Mariah Cruiser McWilliams - Chapter 4

 

 John’s Legacy

1850 US Federal Census Mortality Schedule
Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County, PA

Death certificates had not been instituted in Pennsylvania when John passed away, but because he died within the twelve-month period prior to the federal census, he was included in the mortality schedule of the 1850 census. This document provided more details about John’s death than were typically available in most records.  John was described as: age 64, male, married, born in Pennsylvania, died in August 1849, a farmer, cause of death diarrhea, ill four days before his death. (John actually died on July 30.)

The “Remarks” at the bottom of the page for each township or borough in the 1850 Mortality Schedule supplied interesting descriptions of each location. John lived in Chillisquaque Township and grew up in adjoining Turbot Township. The descriptions of each jurisdiction were as follows:

 

Limestone Creek

Chillisquaque Township:

“Chilisquaque has a portion of excellent soil lying immediately on the bank of the West Branch, a ridge of Limestone also passes through the whole length of the township. But that portion through which Chilisquaque Creek passes is low and marshy. The timber which most abounds is white oak scrub pine swamp oak and shellbark hickory. The water is not very pure, and owing to the low marshy ground considerable of ague prevails annually. Iron ore of a good quality is found in the township. The West Branch Canal passes through the whole length of this township.”

 

Information about the adjoining township of Turbot lent a description of the farms near the McWilliams property:

“Turbut Township raises more Wheat and Corn in proportion to its population, than any township in the County. The farming interest is well attended to, the land which is naturally fertile, is made more so, by the application of lime as a fertilizer. Limestone abounds in the town ship. The timber is Walnut Blk Oak Hickory and Ash with considerable Yellow Pine, the water is plenty and good.”

 

 

Letters of Administration Granted and Bond Entered for John McWilliams' Estate

John’s younger brother Robert N. McWilliams and his son-in-law William Follmer, husband of Eleanor, were appointed administrators of his estate one week after his death.[i] Robert and William entered bond with William’s father Henry Follmer and Samuel Ent, a Shamokin farmer, for the sum of $2000.00 on August 6, 1849. Three months later, William Follmer’s brother Daniel was appointed guardian for John’s son James, a minor under the age of fourteen. No bail was requested.

 

James McWilliams' Petition for Guardian 

Exactly three months later, John’s six surviving children were listed as heirs in their request to the court to partition his land. They were named as “Sarah, William, Eleanor intermarried with William Follmer, John C., Hannah and James K. McWilliams, who is a minor and of whom Daniel Follmer is guardian.” The real estate was described as “a certain tract or piece of land situate in Chilisquaque Township Northumberland County, containing one hundred and twenty-three acres more or less, adjoining lands of James P. Sanderson, John Irland, Henry Funk, (late the estate of Robert Irland dec’d) heirs of William Rishel, John P. Rishel and others.”[ii]

 

Appraisal of John McWilliam's Real Estate

Seven of John’s peers who owned nearby farms were appointed to appraise the value of his land before it was sold. Charles Gale 72, James Reed 63, Henry Funk 52, Charles Hottenstein 39, Isaac Ritter 63, Jacob Hoffa 52 and Robert A. Giffen 46 viewed the premises and valued it at $56.00 per acre on November 22, 1849. They determined that the land could not be divided without reducing the value of the property.[iii] Abraham Straub, a distinguished 55-year-old surveyor from Milton was paid $5.00 to survey and divide John’s land.[iv] Straub was located at the corner of Front and Lower Market Streets in Milton.[v]

On January 17, 1850, the Northumberland County Court ordered that John’s heirs sell his real estate by public auction.[vi] After delaying the sale until after the winter months, no buyer came forward with a sufficient bid to purchase the land on the first attempt to sell the property.[vii] The order to sell was extended by the court on November 4, 1850.[viii]

Report of John McWilliams' Real Estate Sale

John’s son William purchased his land at public auction on November 22 for $60.00 per acre at a total cost of $7055.62.[ix] Oddly, William recorded the deed to the land on March 5, 1853, and promptly sold the same land to his brother-in-law William Follmer three days later for exactly the same price.[x] Perhaps, Follmer could not legally purchase the land because he was serving as an executor and William acted as the go-between for the transaction. It was unlikely that William had adequate income to purchase the land. He was not yet thirty years old, had a wife and four children under the age of six and owed $550.00 to his father’s estate.

  Administrator's Account of James McWilliams' Estate

At the time of his death, John was in debt for several loans from wealthy neighbors. It was common for individuals, rather than banks, to loan money in the 1800s because easy income was generated from the interest payments. He owed about $1350.00. His net worth was positive, however. Michael Hoffman, a 50-year-old auctioneer from Shamokin was hired to sell John’s personal property at public auction. He was paid $4.00 for his efforts and the sale netted over $1600.00. The combined value of John’s real estate and personal property gave his estate a value of $9257.00.[xi] This amount would translate into a present-day value of over $300,000.[xii]

Apparently, John conducted most of his business affairs in Milton, located about three miles northwest of his home via a public road. The town was described in the mortality schedule of the 1850 census in a section for “remarks” at the bottom of the page: 

“Milton is beautifully sighted on the bank of the West branch of the Susquehanna, not main, and a place of considerable business. Upwards of 180,000 bushels of wheat was sent to market from this place, during the last year. It has nine churches One O.S. Presbyterian, one Reformed Presbyterian, one Evangelist One E.P. Methodist one Episcopal one Lutheran one German Reformed One African Methodist and Roman Catholic. It also has two Classical Schools Seven Common English Schools and a Lyceum. Two Grist Mills one Steam, One Steam Saw Mill one water power do. Two Foundries one Carding Mill, one I.O.O.S. Hall one Sons of Temperance Hall, One Printing Press, Eleven Dry Goods Stores Two Drug Stores Two Shoe Stores and one Book Store. Sis Physicians six Lawyers, six Clergymen and a Post Office. The West Branch Canal run through the town.

There are also a large number of mechanic shops and four Hotels in the place with a daily mail. The country around Milton is exceedingly fertile. Indeed few towns in the interior of Pennsylvania possess greater advantages of becoming a large and thriving place than Milton.”[xiii]

1858 Milton Business Directory

 

The administrative account of John’s estate listed bills paid to several businesses located in Milton.[xiv] Jacob Miller was paid $1.00 for “meat.” He was a 46-year-old butcher in Milton, located at the corner of Second and Market Streets.[xv] Samuel T. Brown, a 49-year-old tanner and currier in Milton was paid $13.00 for a harness purchased by John. His tannery was located near the corner of Front and Mahoning Streets. John and Robert Frick, who published the Miltonian newspaper did the necessary printing of flyers and documents for the estate for a fee of $9.25. Robert’s property was located at Front and Apple Streets in Milton.  A bill totaling $4.10 from blacksmith John Gibson of Chillisquaque Township was also paid. He was a 40-year-old neighbor of John and his son-in-law William Follmer. John’s coffin was made by William Kutz, a 22-year-old cabinet maker in Turbot Township. The cost of the coffin was $10.00.[xvi]

Public Notice of John McWilliams' Estate Settlement 
in the Sunbury American, Surbury, PA, 3 July 1852

John's estate was settled almost exactly three years after his death on 3 August 1852. 

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[i] Register of Wills, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Courthouse, Sunbury, Pennsylvania, Wills Book No. 4-5 1834-1871, book,4, page 165, John McWilliams (1849), Letters of Administration, 6 August 1849; Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993, microfilm roll 961023; accessed www.ancestry.com, image 124

[ii] Pennsylvania Orphan’s Court, Northumberland County, Courthouse, Sunbury, Orphan’s Court Docket, volume 10, p. 80-81, John McWilliams (1849), Petition for Partition of Real Estate, 6 November 1849; Orphan’s Court Docket, 1772-1868, Dockets, vol. 9-10, 1843-1853, filmstrip 961034, DGS 8510296; accessed www.familysearch.org, image 306

[iii] Pennsylvania Orphan’s Court, Northumberland County, Courthouse, Sunbury, Orphan’s Court Docket, volume 10, p. 116, John McWilliams (1849), Return of Inquest, 8 January 1850; Orphan’s Court Docket, 1772-1868, Dockets, vol. 9-10, 1843-1853, filmstrip 961034, DGS 8510296; accessed www.familysearch.org,  image 325

[iv] Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Orphan’s Court Docket, Administrators Accounts, Volume 1, p. 184-185, John McWilliams (1852), Account, 3 August 1852, Register and Recorder’s Office, Northumberland County Courthouse, Sunbury 

[v] Hopkins, G.M., and Cleaver, Kimber, Map of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Chillisquaque, Pennsylvania, published by J.A. Cummings, 1858; accessed https://ancestortracks.com

[vi] Pennsylvania Orphan’s Court, Northumberland County, Courthouse, Sunbury, Orphan’s Court Docket, volume 10, p. 128, John McWilliams (1850), Refusal of Bid, 1 April 1850; Orphan’s Court Docket, 1772-1868, Dockets, vol. 9-10, 1843-1853, filmstrip 961034, DGS 8510296; accessed www.familysearch.org,  image 331

[vii] Pennsylvania Orphan’s Court, Northumberland County, Courthouse, Sunbury, Orphan’s Court Docket, volume 10, p. 142, John McWilliams (1850), Return of Inquest/Continue Order of Sale, 4 April 1850: Orphan’s Court Docket, 1772-1868, Dockets, vol. 9-10, 1843-1853; filmstrip 961034, DGS 8510296; accessed www.familysearch.org, image 338

[viii] Pennsylvania Orphan’s Court, Northumberland County, Courthouse, Sunbury, Orphan’s Court Docket, volume 10, p. 191, John McWilliams (1850) Continuation of Order of Sale, 4 November 1850: Orphan’s Court Docket, 1772-1868, Dockets, vol. 9-10, 1843-1853; filmstrip 961034, DGS 8510296; accessed www.familysearch.org, image 362

[ix] Pennsylvania Orphan’s Court, Northumberland County, Courthouse, Sunbury, Orphan’s Court Docket, volume 10, p. 218, John McWilliams (1850), Report of Sale, 6 January 1851; Orphan’s Court Docket, 1772-1868, Dockets, vol. 9-10, 1843-1853; filmstrip 961034, DGS 8510296; accessed www.familysearch.org, image 376

[x] Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Recorder of Deeds, Register and Recorder’s Office, Northumberland County Courthouse, Sunbury; Deed Book Volume JJ 1829-1853, p. 437-441, William & Fannie McWilliams (1852), Land Deed, March 5, 1853; Deeds 1772-1914, Deed Book, vol. JJ, 1829-1853, filmstrip 961211, DGS 8086003; accessed www.familysearch.org, image 246-248

[xi] Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Orphan’s Court Docket, Administrators Accounts, Volume 1, p. 184-185, John McWilliams (1852), Account, 3 August 1852, Register and Recorder’s Office, Northumberland County Courthouse, Sunbury

[xii] https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=$64.91+1850+dollars+in+2018

[xiii] 1850 U.S. census, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Borough of Milton, mortality schedule, p 823, NARA microfilm publication M1838, roll 3; accessed www.ancestry.com, image 14 

[xiv] Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Orphan’s Court Docket, Administrators Accounts, Volume 1, p. 184-185, John McWilliams (1852), Account, 3 August 1852, Register and Recorder’s Office, Northumberland County Courthouse, Sunbury 

[xv] Hopkins, G.M., and Cleaver, Kimber

[xvi] Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Orphan’s Court Docket, Administrators Accounts, Volume 1, p. 184-185, John McWilliams (1852), Account, 3 August 1852, Register and Recorder’s Office, Northumberland County Courthouse, Sunbury

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John and Mariah Cruiser McWilliams - Chapter 3

 Eight is Enough; The McWilliam' Children

Hannah McWilliams Davis circa 1880s

The McWilliams began to raise a family soon after they were wed and eventually were blessed with a family of five girls and three boys. John was probably thrilled when his first son was born after having four girls in the first decade of his marriage. The births of two more boys were surely welcomed, as they would lighten his workload on the farm when they grew old enough to be of help in caring for the livestock and raising crops.

Large families were common in the nineteenth century because children provided valuable labor for farm and household chores and usually supported their aging parents during the infirmities of their old age. Also, rates of infant and child mortality were high and many offspring did not live to adulthood. Most families from this time period suffered the loss of children from illness or accident. The McWilliams were no exception. Their second daughter died just a few weeks after her seventh birthday. Polly bore the first seven children two or three years apart, but eleven years passed between the births of the final two additions to the family. She died at an estimated age of 52, five days after her last son arrived. Her age at his birth was probably a contributing factor to her death.

Their children were:

Sarah N. McWilliams' Headstone 

Sarah N. – born February 27, 1811; died October 10, 1852, at age 41. Sarah did not marry. She was 27 years old when her youngest brother, James, was born, and seemed to have assumed her mother’s role in the family after Polly died and later after their father passed away. Siblings Sarah, John C., Hannah and James continued to live together immediately after their father’s death and were listed adjacent to their brother William and his family in the 1850 census.[i] Sadly, Sarah died less than three years after her father’s death. Sarah, Jane, Maria and Hannah are buried in the same section of Chillisquaque Cemetery in Montour County on the old Chillisquaque Church grounds. They share an obelisk with their grandfather John Cruisen. 

Jane G. & Maria McWilliams' Shared Headstone

Jane G. – born July 18, 1813; died August 24, 1820, at the tender age of 7. 

Maria – born January 1, 1816; died October 20, 1848, at age 32. Maria did not marry. She died nine months before her father passed away.

Eleanor McWilliams Follmer's Headstone 

Eleanor – born October 24, 1818; died December 27, 1876, at age 57. Eleanor married into the affluent Follmer family who were neighbors to the McWilliams. Her husband William was a justice of the peace, state legislator, and businessman with interest in several successful ventures in the community.[ii] William Follmer’s father was easily a millionaire by today’s standards and was the wealthiest man in Chillisquaque Township in 1850. Eleanor’s nephews Benjamin Cruiser and Francis Marion McWilliams were documented in census records and in Benjamin’s diary as hired hands on the William Follmer farm. Eleanor and William had twelve children, including two sets of twins. She is buried in Follmer Cemetery on the grounds surrounding the Follmer Lutheran Church, funded and established by her father-in-law.

William Henry McWilliams, date unknown 

William Henry McWilliams' Headstone 

William Henry – born March 17, 1821; died February 28, 1883, at age 61. (William was my great-great-grandfather.) He married Fannie Knauss of Montour Township, located east of the McWilliams home, in 1843.[iii] Her father, Benjamin, purchased a hotel in Trevorton, Pennsylvania, in 1853, that he operated for many years as an inn and tavern. Her mother, Margaret, was a member of the locally prominent and prosperous Billmeyer family.[iv] William was a farmer and laborer in the Enterprise Colliery near Shamokin. They also had twelve children, including my great-grandfather Francis Marion McWilliams. William and Fannie moved to Barton County, Missouri, at the end of their lives and are buried in Barton City Cemetery.

 

John Cruiser McWilliams' Headstone 

John Cruiser – born March 24, 1824; died January 29, 1884, at age 59. John married Susannah Rissel, the daughter of another prominent neighboring family. He followed the family tradition of farming as his occupation and raised a family of eight children.[v] He and Susan are buried in Harmony Cemetery in Milton.

Hannah McWilliams Davis' Headstone

 

Hannah – born August 5, 1827; died January 20, 1896, at age 68. Hannah married millwright William Davis of nearby Liberty Township in Montour County after 1850. She and William moved to the frontier wilds of Delaware County, Iowa, as homesteaders in 1856.[vi] They traveled by wagon with a two-year-old, a four-year-old and a baby on the way. Hardships followed their arrival.[vii] The baby died, Hannah had a fourth child in 1858, and William was imprisoned for forgery in 1859.[viii] Hannah left Iowa and William, returned to her family in Pennsylvania by 1860, did not remarry, and lived a long, successful life.[ix]

James K. McWilliams' Headstone

 

James K. – born September 24, 1838; died September 6, 1923, at age 84. Despite James’ difficult childhood—mother Polly died five days after he was born and father, John, left him orphaned at age 10—he managed to thrive and live the longest life of all of John and Polly’s children. Daniel Follmer, his uncle and family friend, became his guardian, and his siblings cared for him until he attained adulthood.[x] He moved to Iowa and married Susan Savilla Garhart in Dubuque in 1861.[xi] He and Susan were married 55 years and reared three children. John was employed as a farmer in Iowa, in Ft. Scott, Kansas, and in Liberal and Bronaugh, Missouri.  He and Susan are buried in Barton City Cemetery near Liberal in Barton County, Missouri.

 

(Note – The birth and death dates for the McWilliams children were taken from their headstones.)

 

A Motherless Child

Polly’s death, only days after James was born, left 54-year-old John with the nearly impossible job of raising an infant at a time when the use of sterile bottle-feeding and supplemental formula was unknown. Most motherless newborns failed to thrive or died from digestive ailments when fed with cow’s or goat’s milk. It is possible that James was fostered by a relative or neighbor who served as a wet nurse while he was an infant. The three oldest girls were now adults and probably were a great help to John and baby James. The younger children William, John Cruiser and Hannah were 17, 14, and 11 when their mother passed away. Their home was surely filled with sorrow over Polly’s death, even though little James must have brightened their days with the joy that a new life brings to every household.

Polly was buried in Chillisquaque Cemetery.[xii] Neither Polly’s year of birth nor her age at death can be positively confirmed from her headstone. The faded inscription reads “Mariah Wife of John McWilliams DIED Sept. 29, 1838 aged ? Years ? Months ? Days.” A verse or scripture on the lower portion of the stone is likewise too eroded to decipher.

 

John & Mariah Cruiser McWilliams' Headstones

Together for Eternity

John died intestate on Monday, July 30, 1849. He was ill for four days before his death at age 65, as a result of diarrhea.[xiii] “Diarrhea” was often actually dysentery, caused by consumption of contaminated food or water. John’s age, combined with the heat of summer, could have resulted in severe dehydration and may have contributed to his demise. He must have received medical attention before he died because Drs. McCleary and Waldron were paid $64.91 for services rendered to John.[xiv] Both doctors had offices on Front Street between Broadway and Walnut in Milton.[xv]  The medical bill was equivalent to $2148.00 in today’s currency. ($1.00 in 1850 would be worth about $33.09 today.)[xvi]

John was buried beside Polly near the north wall in Chillisquaque Cemetery.[xvii] Four of his daughters rest a few feet away and his parents are buried in the center area of the same graveyard. His headstone is inscribed “IN Memory of JOHN McWILLIAMS who was born June 28, 1784. Died July 30, 1849. Aged 65 Years 1 Month & 2 Days.”

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[i] 1850 U.S. census, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Chillisquaque Township, p. 220, dwelling 207, family 207, Sarah McWilliams; NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 804; accessed www.ancestry.com, image 19

1850 U.S. census, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Chillisquaque Township, mortality schedule, p. 833, line 25, John McWilliams, NARA microfilm publication M1838, roll 3; accessed www.ancestry.com, image 30

[ii] Bell, Herbert C., History of Northumberland County.., Chicago, IL., Brown, Runk & Co., Chicago, 1891, page 1107, William Follmer; accessed https://play.google.com/books

[iii] Sunbury and Shamokin Journal, Sunbury, Northumberland County, PA, 7 January 1843, page 3, column 2, McWilliams/Knauss Marriage; accessed https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov

[iv] Bell, page 1221, Benjamin Knauss

[v] 1870 U.S. census, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Chillisquaque Township, PO Milton, p. 2, dwelling 16, family 17, John McWilliams; NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1384 accessed www.ancestry.com, image 2

[vi] Beers, J.H., Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties Pennsylvania Volume II, Chicago, IL, J.H. Beers & Co. 1915, page 582-583, Hannah McWilliams; accessed https://archive.org

[vii] 1856 Iowa state census, Delaware County, South Fork, p. 1020, dwelling 101, 1 family, W.H. Davis, State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest; www.ancestry.com, image 17

[viii] 1860 U.S. census, Lee County, Iowa, population schedule, Fort Madison, p.73, dwelling 361, family 594 (Penitentiary), W.H. Davis, NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 330; accessed www.ancestry.com, image 71

[ix] 1860 U.S. census, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Chillisquaque Township, Milton PO, p.164 (58 penned), dwelling 413, family 403, Hannah Davis; NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1149; accessed www.ancestry.com, image 32

[x] Pennsylvania Orphan’s Court, Northumberland County, Courthouse, Sunbury, Orphan’s Court Docket, volume 10, p. 55, John McWilliams (1849), Appointment of Guardian, 6 November 1849; Orphan’s Court Docket, 1772-1868, Dockets, vol. 9-10, 1843-1853, filmstrip 961034, DGS 8510296; accessed www.familysearch.org,  image 293

[xi] 1885 Iowa state census, Dubuque County, Iowa, Dodge Township, p. 153, dwelling 95, family 95, James McWilliams, State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest; accessed www.ancestry.com, image 20 

[xii] Finney, Rev. William Gardner, The History of the Chillisquaque Church, 1926, Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985, p. 79, Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 236; accessed www.ancestry.com

[xiii] 1850 U.S. census, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Chillisquaque Township, mortality schedule, p. 807, line 25, John McWilliams, NARA microfilm publication M1838, roll 3; accessed www.ancestry.com, image 6

[xiv] Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Orphan’s Court Docket, Administrators Accounts, Volume 1, p. 184-185, John McWilliams (1852), Account, 3 August 1852, Register and Recorder’s Office, Northumberland County Courthouse, Sunbury, PA

[xv] Hopkins, G.M., and Cleaver, Kimber, Map of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Chillisquaque, Pennsylvania, published by J.A. Cummings, 1858; accessed https://ancestortracks.com

[xvi] https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=$64.91+1850+dollars+in+2018

[xvii] Finney, p. 79