The Hunt for Joseph WADE

You may recall from a previous blog (“Old Ben Wade”) that I have long been in search of the origins of my great-great-great-grandfather. I know but little of him. I know that his name was Joseph WADE, that he was born c. 1797 in Ohio, and that his wife’s name was Mary. He appears in the 1850 census at Bond county, Illinois, but by 1860 his wife, presumably a widow, is living with her son Allen in Spruce, Bates, Missouri. The exact when and where of Joseph’s death is still a mystery.

Finding him in the 1840 census has been a challenge, as that census gives only the names of the heads of household and tallies up the age and gender distribution within each household without naming its members. Fortunately, I have a fair idea how the Joseph WADE household would have looked in 1840, through simple mathematics applied to the known and suspected family members. Firstly, there would be Joseph himself, aged about 33. His wife, Mary, would be about 34. Possibly there would be a daughter Susan, if she was indeed his daughter, aged about 20. Then would come his son Urial, age 17, my great-great-grandfather Allen Cimeron, age 14, Melissa, age 6, and finally, if he had been born at the date of the census, Joseph S., age 0.

However, knowing the makeup of the household has not proven conclusive in identifying which Joseph WADE is 1840 is our Joseph WADE. A glance at the known birthplaces of the children shows that we can most likely expect to find them somewhere in Indiana, but since we find that information exclusively in records compiled at much later dates we cannot take it for gospel truth. It seems that prior to living in Indiana they resided in Ohio. There are a few Joseph WADE households in both Indiana and Ohio that appear promising, but more information is required before one can be selected definitively.

Recently, that information popped up unexpectedly. I had an opportunity to view the Civil War service records of Joseph S. WADE (who has a fascinating history himself; perhaps one of these days I will devote a blog to him). The records included his certificate of enlistment in the 2nd Nebraska Cavalry. This enlistment certificate gave not only his birth date but the state and county of birth. This was the key to identifying the correct WADE family in 1840. Remember, that was the year of Joseph S.’s birth, so his birthplace would be the location of the entire family in the census year. The record revealed his place of birth to be Jay county, Indiana.

Bells pealed and alarms clanged in my head. In my search for a matching Joseph WADE household, the one toward which I had most leaned was located in Jay county, Indiana. The age ranges and genders of the household members are as follows:

1 M 0-5

1 M 10-15

1 M 15-20

1 M 40-50

2 F 5-10

1 F 40-50

Clearly, these are exactly what is to be expected in our Joseph WADE’s family, with the exception of an extra female between the ages of 5-10. There is also no female the expected age for Susan, but she is not proven to be a daughter of Joseph WADE, and besides would have been at an age to marry.

A cursory glance at the rest of the page informs us that a few other WADE households were in the vicinity. If we assume the heads to be the oldest male in each household, we see that Josiah WADE could have been the father of all, with his age between 70-80. Robert would have been near Joseph’s own age, being between 30-40, and Jefferson would be the youngest already out on his own, being only in his 20s.

We can derive a little more information by looking at the 1850 census for Jay county. The only WADE household remaining is that of William Harrison WADE, age 31. He was most likely the male between the ages of 15-20 in Josiah’s house in 1840. This conjecture is supported by the fact that Josiah himself, now age 85, is residing in the same household.

In looking for some more information on the WADEs of Jay county, I found a transcription of History of Fremont County, Iowa, which contains the biographies of William Harrison WADE, Jefferson WADE, and Sanford W.H. WADE. You will likely recognize the first two names, and the last turns out to be a son of Jefferson WADE.

The biography of William Harrison WADE informs us that he had been

born in Highland county Ohio, June 6, 1818, where he resided until 1828, when he went with his father’s family to Jay county, Indiana... Mr. Wade came to Iowa, October 23, 1865, locating in Fremont county... Mr. Wade was married June 11, 1846, to Miss Maleva Racer, by which union the following children were born to them: Thomas J., Martin, Andrew J., Martha E., and Mahala, all living, and Mary J., deceased. This wife died in January 1859. Mr. Wade married for his second wife, Miss Susan A. Fletcher January 10, 1862. She died August 10, 1877. In March, 1878, he was married again, this time to Mrs. Susanah J. Swigley: Mrs. Swigley was married to her first husband August 15, 1853, by whom she had nine children, seven living. (“Sidney...” 756)

Although neither biography explicitly tells us that William Harrison and Jefferson are brothers, we can infer that to be the case by observing the parallels in their stories and reflecting upon what we know of them in Jay county. Jefferson was

born August 15, 1812, in Adams county, Ohio, where he lived until sixteen years of age. In 1828 he moved with his father to Jay county, Indiana... Mr. Wade came to this county in 1844, and located on the farm he now owns. He was married in August, 1839, to Miss Maria Vinard, and to them the following children have been born: Sanford W.H., Aaron, Mahala, Mary, Franklin P. and Andrew J. - all living. (“Sidney...” 755)

To complete the catalogue of relevant information, Sanford W.H.’s biography reveals that he was “born in Jay county, Indiana, April 30, 1838, where he lived until the spring of 1844, when he came to Fremont county with his father’s family.” (“Sidney...” 757)

Given the information gleaned from the three biographies, along with what we already know, we can begin to flesh out the members of most of the WADE households in 1840:

Robert WADE household

2 M 0-5

1 M 10-15

1 M 30-40 = Robert

1 F 0-5

1 F 5-10

1 F 10-15

1 F 30-40

Josiah WADE household

1 M 15-20 = William Harrison (1818)

1 M 70-80 = Josiah (1765)

1 F 10-15

1 F 50-60

Jefferson WADE household

2 M 0-5 = Sanford W.H. (1838), Aaron?

1 M 20-30 = Jefferson (1812)

1 F 30-40 = Maria (1820)

Joseph WADE household

1 M 0-5 = Joseph S. (1840)

1 M 10-15 = Allen Cimeron (1826)

1 M 15-20 = Urial (1823)

1 M 40-50 = Joseph (1797)

2 F 5-10 = Melissa (1834), ???

1 F 40-50 = Mary (1796)

Since all these WADEs were located in Richland Township, that is a natural place to begin the search for land records. The BLM website shows six land patents for WADEs in Jay county, all of them within what came to be known as Richland Township, and all between the years 1837-1839. The first, dated 20 Mar 1837, is for an Edmund WADE of Greene Co., Indiana. This is an unexpected name and does not fall into any of the WADE households in the 1840 census. Therefore, it seems that by 1840 he must have died, moved away, or been residing in a household headed by someone with a surname other than WADE.

Second, on 1 Aug 1837, comes Josiah WADE of Randolph County, Indiana. At that time, Randolph county included all of the current county by that name along with present-day Jay county. Assuming that this is the Josiah WADE of the 1840 and 1850 censuses, he would have been about 73 years old at the time of this land patent. Four days later, on 5 Aug 1837, Harrison WADE of Randolph County, Indiana, purchased the 40 acres just north of Josiah’s land. If this is William Harrison WADE, he would have been only 19 years old.

Two WADEs bought land in Richland Township on the same date, 20 Aug 1838. Joseph WADE of Randolph County, Indiana, possibly my great-great-great grandfather, bought 80 acres adjoining the land of Harrison WADE, which seems to confirm to some extent the possibly of their being related. Robert WADE of Highland County, Ohio, bought another 80 acres not far away. The fact that he came from Highland County, Ohio, which the biography of William Harrison WADE gives as the subject’s birthplace, indicates a possibility of relationship. However, the fact that he seems to have been living in Ohio up to this point rather than in Indiana with the rest of the Richland Township WADEs implies that he may be a more distant relation: perhaps a cousin instead of a brother.

Josiah WADE, now identified as being from Jay County, Indiana, which has been newly formed, bought an additional 80 acres in Richland Township on 20 Sept 1839. This land is a little farther away from his other land and the land of the other WADEs, and one wonders what the purpose of this purchase would have been.

The adjoining properties of Josiah, Harrison, and Joseph WADE became known as the “Wade Settlement.” We know from a biography of a later occupant of their land that the WADEs built at least one “hewed log house” (Jay 363). In 1854, Harrison WADE, who is explicitly identified as Josiah’s son, platted a village which he called Mt. Vernon (“Incorporated...”). The name was later changed to Redkey, and Redkey it remains to this day.

An interesting excerpt from the History of Jay County, Indiana describes the first school in Redkey and raises a provocative question about Josiah Wade:

Concerning the first building used for school purposes on the present site of Redkey... it was probably built about 1839 or 1840. The dimensions are believed to have been about 18 x 20 feet. It was built of round logs and the chinks were daubed with mud. The clapboard roof was held on by weight poles. The floor was made of puncheons laid on the ground. On the west a log was cut out and the opening was covered with greased paper for a window. At the north end of the building was a large fireplace with a chimney made of sticks and clay. The seats were rough benches without backs, made of split logs, with wooden pins for legs. The only desk in the room was a writing desk the length of the room, made of a hewed slab laid on wooden pegs driven into holes in the wall beneath the paper window. In the southeast corner, facing the east, was a door made of hewed slabs and hung on wooden hinges. There is a tradition—that may not be true—that the first teacher in this building was a very old man (Josiah Wade), the first settler of the town, an old hunter, who had in his younger days been a companion of Daniel Boone. (Montgomery 229)

A quick search on Google for “Daniel Boone and Josiah Wade” reveals that Daniel Boone did, indeed, have a companion named Josiah or Josias WADE, but it would take a great deal of investigation to prove that this was the same man. I will set this question aside for now, as a tantalizing rumor.

Richland Township lies in the southwest corner of Jay county, bordering present-day Randolph county to the south and Delaware county to the west. To the northwest, Blackford county takes a small bite of Richland Township, preventing it from being a perfect quadrilateral and giving it something of the shape of Utah. With so many other counties within so short a distance, it makes sense to widen our search for land patents.

Revising the boundaries of our search to include not only Richland Township, but also other nearby townships, we find that Josiah WADE of Delaware County, Indiana purchased 80 acres in Delaware Township on 5 Apr 1836. The idea that this is the same Josiah WADE who later lived in Richland Township is supported by the fact that Jefferson WADE of Delaware County, Indiana bought some land in Green Township (which adjoins both Richland and Delaware Townships) on 30 Mar 1837. There is also a marriage record for Jefferson WADE and Mariah VENARD in Delaware County on 30 July 1837. This is, of course, a slightly date than we were led to expect from Jefferson’s biography, but we must remember that the biography was written many years later and a few such errors are likely to intrude.

However, by far, the most interesting document to me is a land patent for Joseph WADE dated 2 Nov 1837. It is for a purchase of 63.04 acres in Green Township, Randolph county. What makes it so interesting to me is that, although the land is said to be purchased by Joseph WADE, the patent seems have been filed on his behalf by Josiah WADE. This is the most compelling evidence yet for a familial connection between the two.

Of course, this research into the WADEs of Jay county will be ongoing. For now, the evidence that my Joseph WADE is related to at least two of the other WADEs on the 1840 census of Richland Township is circumstantial but abundant. The relationship may have to bear quite a bit more investigation before its exact nature can be proven, although in the meantime we can work on the hypothesis that Josiah was Joseph’s father.

For more on the WADE family, see “The WADEs in 1820.”

Sources:

1840 U.S. Census. Jay County, Indiana; p. 76; 1840. “1840 United States Federal Census.” Ancestry. Web. 3 Mar 2012.

1850 U.S. Census. Richland Township, Jay County, Indiana; p. 358, family 48, dwelling 48, lines 33-37 (household of William H Wade); 20 Aug 1850. “1850 United States Federal Census.” Ancestry. Web. 3 Mar 2012.

1850 U.S. Census. Schedule I. Bond County, Illinois; p. 44, family 322, dwelling 321, lines 20-24 (household of Joseph Wade); 20 Aug 1850. “1850 United States Federal Census.” Ancestry. Web.

1860 U.S. Federal Census. Schedule 1. Spruce Township, Bates County, Missouri; p. 158, family 1100, dwelling 1090, lines 4-14 (household of Alen C. Wade); 8 Aug 1860. “1860 United States Federal Census.” Ancestry. Web.

“Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the Territory of Nebraska, 1861-65.” Volunteer Enlistment for Joseph S. Wade, 25 Oct 1862, Falls City, Nebraska. NARA M1787. National Archives and Records Administration. Fold3. Web. 31 Mar 2012.

“Delaware County Marriages W.” Index to the Delaware County Marriage Records. Indiana GenWeb. Web. 20 Apr 2012.

“Incorporated Cities and Towns.” Jay County Historical Society. Jay County Historical Society, 30 Jun 2009. Web. 3 Apr 2012.

Jay, Milton T. “Fiers, James Walter.” History of Jay County Indiana. Vol II. Indianapolis: Historical Publishing Co., 1922. 362-64. Jay County Bios D-E-F. Indiana GenWeb, 2011. Web. 21 Apr 2012. Transcribed by Eloine Chesnut.

Montgomery, M.W. History of Jay County, Indiana: including its World War record and incorporating the Montgomery history. Ed. Milton T. Jay. Vol. 1. Indianapolis: Historical Publishing Co., 1922. Google Books, 29 May 2009. Web. 22 Apr 2012. Original from Indiana University.

“Sidney Township Biographies S-Y.” History of Fremont County, Iowa. Des Moines: Iowa Historical Company, 1881. 749-58. History of Fremont County, Iowa 1881. USGenNet. Web. 3 Apr 2012. Transcribed by D.J. Coover.

Wade, Edmund. Land Patent. 1837. Doc #7922. Fort Wayne Land Office. Bureau of Land Management. “General Land Office Records.” BLM GLO Records. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 1 Apr 2012.

Wade, Harrison. Land Patent. 1837. Doc #13795. Fort Wayne Land Office. Bureau of Land Management. “General Land Office Records.” BLM GLO Records. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 1 Apr 2012.

Wade, Jefferson. Land Patent. 1837. Doc #9029. Fort Wayne Land Office. Bureau of Land Management. “General Land Office Records.” BLM GLO Records. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 20 Apr 2012. 

Wade, Joseph. Land Patent. 1837. Doc #15095. Fort Wayne Land Office. Bureau of Land Management. “General Land Office Records.” BLM GLO Records. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 20 Apr 2012.

Wade, Joseph. Land Patent. 1838. Doc #19098. Fort Wayne Land Office. Bureau of Land Management. “General Land Office Records.” BLM GLO Records. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 1 Apr 2012. 

Wade, Josiah. Land Patent. 1836. Doc #4080. Fort Wayne Land Office. Bureau of Land Management. “General Land Office Records.” BLM GLO Records. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 20 Apr 2012.

Wade, Josiah. Land Patent. 1837. Doc #13242. Fort Wayne Land Office. Bureau of Land Management. “General Land Office Records.” BLM GLO Records. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 1 Apr 2012. 

Wade, Josiah. Land Patent. 1839. Doc #21517. Fort Wayne Land Office. Bureau of Land Management. “General Land Office Records.” BLM GLO Records. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 1 Apr 2012. 

Wade, Robert. Land Patent. 1838. Doc #20136. Fort Wayne Land Office. Bureau of Land Management. “General Land Office Records.” BLM GLO Records. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 1 Apr 2012.