William Cruse (1840-1909), possible grandson of Jeremiah Cruse & Elizabeth Harland

A continuing series on the possible children and grandchildren of Jeremiah Cruse of Madison County, Kentucky, and Vigo Couty, Indiana, and his wife Elizabeth Harland. This information courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott, with a bit of extra information based on my research.

William Cruse was born on 8 April 1840 (1) in either Sullivan County, Indiana (2) or Vigo County, Indiana (1), to David Cruse and Jane Jewell (13).  David Cruse was believed to be the son of Jeremiah Cruse and Elizabeth Harland. William was preceded into the family by three brothers - Josiah Cruse, Jeremiah Cruse, and Zachariah Cruse. While his Civil War pension records give his birthplace as Vigo County, his father is living in Sullivan County in 1840 (1). Shortly after 1840, however, his parents moved from Sullivan County to the Honey Creek Township in Vigo County. His father died about 1845, when William was about five, and he is found living in his mother's household in Vigo County in the Honey Creek Township in 1850 (3). He was still living with his mother when the 1860 census was taken as well. That year his age was given as 20 and he and his mother were still living in the Honey Creek Township in Vigo County, Indiana (5).

On 5 February 1863, during the Civil War and at the age of 23, William married Permelia Moore in Vigo County, Indiana. The Rev. Samuel Hayworth officiated the ceremony (4).

Permelia was the daughter of Samuel Moore and Eddy Kirby (14, 15, 16, 17) and the  sister of Edith Moore who by this time was the wife of William's younger brother, James Cruse. 1870 and 1880 census records (9, 10)  indicate that Permelia was a year older than William, with a birth year of 1839 and a birthplace of Indiana. The 1900 census (11), however, gives a birth year of 1848, with a birth month of February. This is an error in light of  the census records as well as Permelia's death certificate which gives a birth date of 18 Feb 1839 (17). 

Permelia was born in Vigo County,  Indiana (17).  Her mother is absent from both the 1850 and 1860 census, so it appears she probably died after 1845 and the birth of Permelia's youngest sister and sibling Edith Moore (15, 16) and before the census was taken in 1850.

About a year after their marriage, in 1864, William and Permelia's first child, Harrison Cruse, was born (9).

Two years after his marriage, on 15 March 1865, twenty-five year old William Cruse was mustered into Company C, 31st Regiment of Indiana Volunteers at Terra Haute, Indiana, by Lt. Conover. He is recorded as having dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion (6). Charges of desertion at New Orleans on 9 July 1865 were later dropped (7). 

After the war, on 18 July 1866, William bought 20 acres in Section 30, township 11 N, Rrange 9 W, in the district of land formerly sold at Vincennes, Indiana. He purchased the acreage from brother-in-law Samuel Moore for $500. Five months later, on 15 November 1866, William and Permelia sold to his brother, James Crews, for $135, an  undivided one-sixth part of 27 acres off the south and west part of the southwest quarter of Section 28, and also an undivided sixth part of 12 acres in the southeast corner of the southeast quarter of Section 27, all in township 11 N, Range 9 W, Vigo County, Indiana (8). 

Two years later in 1868, a daughter, Annie Cruse, was born (9). 

In 1880, when the federal census was taken again, William and Permelia were still living in Honey Creek Township in Vigo County, Indiana. That year, son Harrison Cruse is listed with them as a sixteen year old male. Daughter Annie, who would only have been twelve years old, is not listed, so it is possible she had died by this date (12).  Nephew Joseph Crews, also sixteen, was living with them as well (10). Obviously, this Joseph was the son of one of William's brothers, but I am not certain at this time which brother.

William later received a Civil War pension for services rendered during the war because doing so resulted in a partial disability. He suffered from rheumatism, heart disease as well as a disease of the stomach, and he had an injured finger. After his death, Permelia continued to draw his pension, which was $12 a month (1). 

William died 11 September 1909 of "chronic nehpritis" in Honey Creek Township in Vigo County at the age of 69 (13). He was buried in the Hull Cemetery in Vigo County, Indiana.

In 1910, Permelia is found living with her son Harry Cruse, his wife Cora, and their four children in Linton, Vigo County, Indiana. Harry was a mail carrier.(18). 

Permelia survived William by six years, passing away of apoplexy two days before Christmas on 23 December 1913 in Linton, Vigo County, Indiana  (17).  She was buried beside William in the Hull Cemeter in Vigo County, Indiana. A shared marker stands over their grave.

photo courtesy of www.findagrave.com

(1) Civil War Pension Records for William Cruse, courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott. Month and year further supported in the 1900 census (see #11 below), and year is also supported in the 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 census records which are all cited below as well.

(2) 1840 U. S. Federal Census, an enumeration for a child his age is found in that census in David Cruse's household.

(3) 1850 U. S. Federal Census, Jane (Jewell) Cruse's household.

(4) Vigo County Marriage Document, courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott. Also found at ancestry.com as Vigo County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Record 1840-1920 Inclusive Volume W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk's O; Book: 3; Page: 14

(5) 1860 U. S. Federal Census, Jane (Jewell) Cruse's household.

(6) File with the Indiana State Archives, courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott. 

(7) Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Vol. 5, 1861-1865, 1866.

(8) Information courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott.

(9) 1870 U. S. Federal Census, William Cruse's household.

(10) 1880 U. S. Federal Census, William Cruse's household.

(11) 1900 U. S. Federal Census, William Cruse's household.

(12) The 1900 U. S. Federal Census supports this idea, citing that Permelia had given birth to 2 children, but that only 1 was living at that time.

(13) Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Williams' death certificate  Death certificate found here is an original copy and details his parents' names, birthdate and birthplace, death date, death place, cause of death, and wife's name.

(14) Dodd, Jordan. Indiana Marriages to 1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997.

(15) 1850 U. S. Federal Census, Samuel Moore's household. 

(16) 1860 U. S. Federal Census, Samuel Moore's household.

(17) Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Permelia Moore Cruse's death certificate.

(18) 1910 U. S. Federal Census, Harry Cruse's household.

Jeremiah Crews, Possible Children, Part Six: David Cruse

    Another possible child of Jeremiah Crews/Cruse and Elizabeth Harland was David Cruse who was, according to the 1840 Sullivan County, Indiana census, born between 1801 and 1810. If this David was the son of Jeremiah, then I believe he was more likely born closer to 1801 if not before. Sister Mary Amelia Cruse is documented in several census records as having been born in 1801, and Jeremiah left Madison County, Kentucky, about 1800, more than likely after a series of bitter disputes with his father (Porter, Metes & Bounds II: David Crews, Ancestors & Descendants, 195). David Crews' remarriage to Mildred Williford Carlew in 1802 after the death of Jeremiah's mother Annie (Magee), probably about 1797, did not help matters. 
   Supposedly, Jeremiah and brother Elijah Crews were so upset at being cut from their father's will that they changed the spelling of their name and subsequently left Madison County, although it is possible Jeremiah left between his mother's death and his father's remarriage. Regardless of the timing of his move, it seems unlikely that Jeremiah would have named a son after his estranged father. More than likely, David Cruse was born in Madison County, but he if not, then he may have been born in Clark County, for Jeremiah Cruse purchased property there in 1800 (Porter, Metes & Bounds II:, 195).

     David Cruse spent little time in one place during his childhood and young adult years. By 1810, Jeremiah had left Clark County, Kentucky, and had moved to Henry County, Kentucky (1810 census). Between 1810 and 1820 Jeremiah moved on to Daviess County, Kentucky. It is possible that in 1919 David Cruse received two grants of land from the General Land Office of the United States. The first was recorded on 13 March 1919. The deed does not convey the number of acres on its face, although the second deed, which was recorded at the Vincennes Land Office as well, this time a week later on 20 March 1919, states this second grant was for 40 acres.  It also appears David might not have filed them until years later, for on the face of it they both appear to not have been patented until 10 December 1841 and the 1 August 1839 respectively. The deed patented officially in 1841 states David was living in Sullivan County, Indiana. (Both land grants, which were copies of the typed originals, were given to me courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott). 

    Both of the above grants were for lands in township 10, but as Honey Creek township, where David ultimately settled, was numbered 3, these grants were not located there, although he did receive two grants in that township at some point (see here for a map of those lands.) When David moved from Sullivan County to Vigo County is not known, but by 1830 Jeremiah Cruse was living in Vigo County, Indiana, where he is found in census that year, along with the families of Boone, Nelson, and Adams, David was more than likely here as well, and he was probably the male aged 20-29 in Jeremiah Cruse's household that year. 

   Three years later, on 1 May 1833, David married Jane Jewel in Vigo County, Indiana (Ancestry.com. Indiana, Marriage Index, 1800-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.) Jane was eighteen years old at the time of the marriage, having been born in Indiana in 1815 according to both the 1850 and 1860 Vigo County, Indiana censuses. (The 1870 gives a birth year of 1820 which is unlikely, as such a date would  indicate she was merely 13 years old at the time of the marriage.) 

   Seven years after their marriage, the 1840 Sullivan County, Indiana census enumerates the David Cruse household as having 3 males under the age of 5, 1 male aged 5-9, 3 males aged 30-39, and 2 females aged 20-29. One of the older females is obviously Jane, and one of the older males is obviously David, but who the others are is not known. According to later census records, the male aged 5-9 was probably David and Jane's oldest son, Josiah Cruse, born in 1834. Behind him, and in the under 5 category, were likely son Jeremiah Cruse, born in 1836 and aged 4 at the time of the census, son Zachariah Cruse, born in 1838 and aged 2, and son William Cruse, born in 1840. 

   More children followed after 1840 - John Cruse in 1843, James Cruse in 1844, and the only daughter the couple would have, Elizabeth Cruse, born in 1846. Around this time, or not long after Elizabeth's birth, David died. Jane never remarried, but continued to live in Honey Creek Township in Vigo County on their farm. In the 1850 census, she was 35 years old and was enumerated as the head of the household along with her seven children.

   On 1 July 1850 David's sister and her husband, Susannah and James Nelson, granted to David Crews, deceased, and his heirs, a tract of land in Vigo County, Indiana. No money is mentioned as changing hands in the deed, and a further note clearly states Susannah gave up her right of dower to the property. The deed was recorded in  Vigo County on 8 November 1850. It is unclear whether this property was sold to David and a deed had not yet been recorded, or whether it was possibly part of a settlement of their father Jeremiah's estate that had not been handled at the time of David's death. Unfortunately, there are no details given on the deed. (Original copy of deed given to me courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott.) 

   The 1860 Vigo County, Indiana census still enumerates Jane as the head of the household, this time with only her last four children living with her. A year later, the Civil War started. Sons John, Zachariah, and James enlsited in Co Co, 31st Indiana, and John was subsequently killed in the Battle of Chattanooga on 5 August 1864. He was buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery in Hamilton County, Tennessee (www.findagrave.com.) 

   By the time the 1870 Vigo County, Indiana census was taken, only daughter Elizabeth Cruse, aged 23 and apparently unmarried, was living with Jane, but there is a year old male child named Elijah Cruse living with her. This child may have been born out of wedlock, for Elizabeth and Elijah are found living in her brother Josiah's household in the Crawford County, Illinois census ten years later in 1880. She is still given the surname Crews, as is Elijah, who is enumerated as Josiah's nephew.  Jane, in the 1870 census, is enumerated as being 50 years old which is an error as it conflicts with previous census records and would also indicate a marriage age of 13 which is rather unlikely.

    A year later, on 4 August 1871, Jane sold to Stephen Lovell for $50 1/3 acre of land in township eleven (which was Riley Township and not Honey Creek) in Vigo County, Indiana, which was her life dower of 1/3 interest. (Copy of original deed courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott.) It is possible Stephen was her son-in-law, having married Elizabeth Cruse the previous year (Vigo County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Record 1840-1920 Inclusive Volume, W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk's O; Book: 5; Page: 340). If so, I have no explanation for why her surname is given as Cruse in her brother's subsquent census in 1880. Since 1/3 interest is mentioned in the deed, it is more than likely deceased husband David Cruse's property and not property she inherited from her father. It was also located in another township and not Honey Creek. 

    Jane must have died after this date and before the 1880 census, for she is not enumerated in her own household nor in that of her children. 

Jeremiah Crews, Possible Children, Part Five: Mary Amelia Crews Nelson

Another possible daughter of Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harlan is Mary Amelia "Milly" Crews. Previously, I have written of Susannah Crews Nelson, Nancy Crews Adams, and Elizabeth Crews Boon.

Mary Amelia "Milly" Crews is given as Mary in the 1850 and 1870 Sullivan County, Indiana censuses, but as Amelia in the 1860 Sullivan County, Indiana census. She is apparently given the name of "Milly" on her marriage certificate.

According to the 1850, 1860, and 1870 Sullivan County, Indiana censuses, Mary Amelia was born in Kentucky in 1801. If this date is correct, she may well have been born in Madison County, Kentucky, and possibly in the Muddy Creek area as her father had not yet left there at this date. 

Amelia's father, Jeremiah Crews, subsequently left Madison County when she was a young girl not more than ten years old. He made brief stops in Jefferson and Henry Counties, Kentucky, but then likely moved on to Daviess County, Kentucky, where he is believed to have been found in the census that year. At the age of 26, she married John J. Nelson in Daviess County, Kentucky, and the marriage is found in Dodd, Jordan, Kentucky Marriages, 1802-1850.  Amelia's sister, Susannah Crews, married James Nelson two years previous in 1820 in Daviess County, Kentucky. I have not been able to determine if James and John were brothers or not. John J. Nelson was also born in Kentucky but was a year older than Amelia, having been born on 1 October 1799 according to his tombstone. The birthyear is further supported in the 1850 and 1860 Sullivan County, Indiana censuses. His family may well have left Madison County at around the same time as the Crews family. 

Grave of John J. Nelson
Picture from www.findagrave.com.

Not long after their marriage, John and Amelia left Kentucky and moved to Indiana with the families of Crews, Nelson, Adams, and Boone, and James is enumerated in the 1830 Vigo County, Indiana census along with several of these families, including Amelia's father, Jeremiah Crews. By 1840, they had moved south to Sullivan County, Indiana, where they were enumerated in the census that year, and by 1850 the Sullivan County, Indiana census enumerates them in the Curry Township. James and Amelia are still found here in the 1860 census.

On 22 July 1864, as the Civil War was winding to a close, James died. He was buried in the Friendship Baptist Church Cemetery in Farmersburg in Sullivan County, Indiana.  By the time the 1870 census was taken, 69 year old Amelia was living with her youngest daughter, 29 year old Margaret Nelson.

Amelia is not found in the 1880 census, so it is likely she had died by that date. There are indications on Ancestry that Margaret subsequently married Franklin Hanger/Hauger, but that he had died by 1880 and she was living with her brother-in-law John Booth, husband of her older sister Susan Crews who had died by this date, in the 1880 Sedgewick County, Kansas census. Amelia is not seen.

According to census records, John and Amelia had the following children: An unnamed daughter, b abt 1825, James J. Nelson, b abt 1827, Susan Nelson, b abt 1830, William A. Nelson, b abt 1834, Eliza Jane Nelson, b abt 1839, and Margaret Nelson, b abt 1841.

(The above information, unless noted otherwise, was given to me courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott, a descendant of Jeremiah Cruse and Elizabeth Harland).

Jeremiah Crews, Possible Children, Part Four: Nancy Crews Adams

Unlike her sisters Susanna Crews Nelson who I wrote of here and Elizabeth Crews Boone who I wrote about here, little information is available on Nancy Crews, possible daughter of Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harlan. 

The best source for Nancy Crews' parents is her marriage bond to Noah Adams and filed on 16 May 1816 in Shelby County, Kentucky. The bond documents Nancy as the daughter of Elizabeth Crews. While Jeremiah is not listed on the bond, Nancy's sister, Susanna Crews, is mentioned as the daughter of Jeremiah on her bond of marriage to James Nelson in Shelby County five years previous in 1813, and the bondsman for Susanna and James was Zachariah Crews. The two bonds within three years of each other in the same county suggests a strong link between Nancy and Susanna and further connects them both to Jeremiah and Elizabeth.

According to the 1860 Vigo County, Indiana census, Nancy was born in 1800 in Kentucky. She was probably born in Jefferson County for her father disappears from Madison County, Kentucky tax records by 1799, and on 3 December 1800 he purchased 100 acres on Floyd's Fork for 60 pounds (see Porter, Metes & Bounds II: David Crews, Ancestors & Descendants, 2nd ed, pg 195). In determining her birthdate, it should be noted that the three census records, 1850, 1860, and 1870 are not in agreement. The 1850 census has her birthyear as 1808, which would make her only ten years old at the time of her marriage. The 1870 census gives her age as 73, but that is actually thirteen years older than the census in 1860 ten years previously. Since she was older by this time, and someone else may well have have given the birthyear, the birthyear of 1800 from the 1860 census is likely the more accurate.

Despite the fact that Noah Adams is not found in the 1820 census in Vigo County, Indiana, he and Nancy no doubt moved shortly after their marriage to that county with the families of Cruse, Nelson, and Boone. That year, these families are located in that county, including Nancy's father, Jeremiah Cruse, and her sister and brother-in-law James J. and Susanna (Crews) Nelson. They could have been perhaps living with either her family or his.

Noah is found in the 1840 Vigo County, Indiana census in Linton Towship, but by 1850 he must have died for Nancy is the head of the household in the 1850 Vigo County, Indiana census. She was still living in the Linton Township. In 1850, living with her, were Izah Adams, 23, Joziah Adams, 20, David Adams, 17, Jeremiah Adams, 14, Nancy Adams, 13, and Noah E. Adams, 12. These are likely Nancy's children, but the birthdate of Izah, in 1827, suggests these are not all of the children. Since Nancy and Noah were married in 1826, it is likely there were several other children older than Izah who were no longer living at home. Noah's age of 12 also suggests that Noah may have died shortly after the 1850 census since twelve year old Noah is the last child. 

In 1860, Nancy is still living in Linton Township as the head of the household, with son Jeremiah Adams, now 23 years of age, Elizabeth Adams, 22, probably the wife of  Jeremiah, and likely their children David Adams, 4, Mary Adams, 2, and Thomas Adams, 7 months. The only other person in the household that year was Joshua Adams aged 26. He may have been the Joziah Adams listed as being only 20 in the 1850 census.

By 1870 Nancy, now enumerated as being 73 years of age, was living in the household of Elijah and Mary York in Honey Creek Township still in Vigo County, Indiana. The Yorks were living close to the households of James Cruse and William Cruse, sons of Nancy's deceased brother David Cruse and his wife Jane Jewell. However, there is no information as to who the Yorks were in relation to Nancy. Mary York was 23 years old that year and was thus born in 1847. As such, she would have been three years old in 1850, but there is no three year old female in the household with Nancy in the 1850 census. It is possible either Noah or Mary were Nancy's grandchildren or a niece / nephew, but more research must be done in order to determine that.

Nancy must have died between the 1870 and 1880 censuses, for she is not seen again. 

SOURCES: Unless otherwise noted, research is courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott.

Jeremiah Crews, Possible Chidren, Part Three: Elizabeth Crews Boon

This is the third installment in a continuing series detailing the possible children of Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harland/Harlan. This research is courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott who is diligently searching for a link proving the Jeremiah Crews of Vigo County, Indiana, was the son of David Milton Crews and Annie Magee of Madison County, Kentucky.

Elizabeth Crews, who married Josiah Boon (spelling of cemetery marker, see below) in Shelby County, Kentucky on 31 July 1813, is named in the marriage record as a daughter of Jeremiah Crews. The bondsman for the marriage was Zachariah Crews. If she is a daughter of Jeremiah and a granddaughter of David and Annie (Magee) Crews, she was likely born in Madison County, Kentucky, about the year 1792 and probably on Otter Creek, as that was where her father was living at the time (see Metes & Bounds II: David Crews, Ancestors & Descendants). 

        

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Sarah Rockenfeld in her book Our Boone Families: Daniel Boone's Kinfolk (Whipporwill Publications, Evansville: 1987, pgs 71-72, extracted and shared by Marian Kay Abbott), gives Josiah's name as  Josiah Boon III.  At the time of his marriage to Elizabeth, he was a veteran of the War of 1812, having served as a private in the 1st Rifle Regiment (Allen's), Kentucky Volunteers. According to Rockenfeld, Elizabeth later received 80 acres of bounty land on Josiah's service.

Josiah and Elizabeth moved with the families of Nelson, Adams, and Crews, in the 1820s, into Vigo and Sullivan Counties, Indiana. Here, Josiah owned 80 acres in Haddon Township in Sullivan County, Indiana (NE N FR, Sec. 3, T6N, R9W, Rockenfeld does not indicate this 80 acres was part of his bounty warrant.)  Sullivan County was directly south of Vigo County. The Wabash River borders the county on the west, with the state of Illinois across the river.

Picture from www.findagrave.com.

Josiah is enumerated  in the 1830 Sullivan County, Indiana,  census as having 1 male 40-49, 1 male 15-19, 1 male 10-14, 4 males 5-9, and 2 males under 5. Females in the household included 1 between the ages of 30-39, 1 female 10-14, 2 females 5-9, and 1 female under 5. Obviously the oldest male is Josiah and the oldest female is Elizabeth.  This is the only census available for Josiah, for he died on 4 September 1836 in Sullivan County, Indiana. He was buried in the Boone Cemetery in that county, and a War of 1812 monument marks his grave.

Elizabeth is subsequently enumerated in the 1840 and 1850 Sullivan County, Indiana, censuses in Haddon Township, but with son David Boon, aged 34, as the head of the household in the 1850 census.  Others enumerated with her and who were likely her children were: Joseph Boon, 24, Pearcus Boon, 22, Nancy Boon, 19, Thomas Boon,  17, and William Boon, 14. William must have been born shortly before or after his father's death. Six year old Elizabeth Boon was probably a granddaughter, and carpenter  Willis Milam, 34, was living with them as well.

According to Rockenfeld, Elizabeth (Crews) Boon, five of her children,  and two small grandchildren died in August of 1851 of the "flux," which was caused by eating meat that had been undercooked and thus the parasites had not been killed. Rockenfeld states this was probably wild meat, and that the meat was probably eaten on a Sunday while the family was at Elizabeth's house visiting. Those who died were Elizabeth (Crews) Boon, George Boon, David Boon, Mary E."Polly" Boon Boatman and her baby, Levi Boatman, Nancy Boon, William Boon, and a grandson Columbus W. Lowdermilk, the baby of Leah Boon Lowdermilk. 

They were all buried in the  the Boone Cemetery in Paxton, Sullivan County, Indiana, and all have entries on www.findagrave.com.