The Lynch Connection (pages 16-18)
Levi Benton Wood married for the third time Mary Emily Doolittle Lynch. By her marriage to Jeremiah Lynch she had four children. They were Henry, who was born February 4, 1814, Sarah L., who later married Louis Morgan, John, (deceased) and George J.
Jeremiah and Mary are listed in the Crawford County 1850 Census. At that time Jeremiah was 25 and Mary was 24 and the two children with them were Henry Francis, age 6 and Sarah L. age 4.
Living next door to them were Mary's parents Samuel Doolittle of Vermont, age 58 and Sabra Scott of New York, age 52. Children living with them at that time were John, 20; Nancy J, 18; Henry 15; Carol, 13; all born in Canada and Samuel W. age 9, who was born in Crawford County, Indiana.
George Jeremiah Lynch, one of Mary Emily and Jeremiah Lynch's children, was born June 9, 1853. He was married October 23, 1873 to Mary Ann Newton. Mary Ann (Polly) was born September 21, 1857/8 in Crawford County, Indiana. She died in 1882 and is buried in the Gilmore Cemetery, south of Eckerty in Crawford County, Indiana. George and Mary Ann had several children but the names of Alva Thomas who married Leora Nulton December 24, 1899, Alice and Maggie are the only ones traced. The others may have died in infancy. After Mary's death George married Mariah Lee Feb. 4, 1883.
Following Jeremiah Lynch's death in Arkansas, Henry lived at home until the age of 13. At that age he went to live with his grandfather Samuel Doolittle and he lived with him until he enlisted in the service July 16, 1861. He served in Company H, Twenty-third Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry and reenlisted in the same company and regiment January 5, 1864. He was discharged at Indianapolis on July 29, 1865 and fought in all the engagements of his regiments except the Battles of Shiloh and Fort Donelson.
Henry married Mary E. Murphey, daughter of Levi and Rachel (Hedges) Murphey, who was born February 6, 1848. Their marriage took place on September 18, 1865 and they had six children: John L., Olive J., Charles E., William J., Estella M., and Jeremiah. One of Henry's children, Charles E. Lynch was born September 16, 1872 in Crawford County, IN. He died November 1, 1962 in Perry County. He married Anna Hosmore, b. January 1, 1875 in Crawford County. They were married December 25 in Perry County, IN. She died in September, 1941 in Perry County, IN and is buried in Doolittle Mills Cemetery. Anna's parents were Otis I. Hosmore, b. 1854, d. 1925 and Sarah Stephenson, born 1856, d, 1940.
Henry was a farmer and also ran a machinery business. He owned 100 acres of land. He and his wife were members of the United Brethren in Christ Church.
Old Levi died at the home of his stepson.
Levi B. Wood and Mary Emily Doolittle are buried amonst the Lynch families, including his stepson, at the Doolittle Mills Cemetery. It is a beautifully kept cemetery high on a ridge. On Levi's tombstone are engraved the words "An Honest Man is the Noblest Work of God".
An old photo of Louisa Lynch Claycomb survives with a notation that she is the daughter of Jeremiah Lynch and Mary E. Doolittle and a step sister to Joanna Wood Newkirk. It lists Frank Claycomb as her husband but does not have any date or indicate whether this was a first or second marriage.* An obituary for Henry Lynch indicates that she married Louis Morgan.** It is possible there were two marriages.
*Source: Steve O'Toole, descendent
** (Biographical Sketches) p. 825 (Living History of Perry County, Indiana, by James Moody)
The Doolittles (pages 19-22)
The Doolittle Family is an old one in England, perhaps a thousand years old. The name appears in records before the first Stuarts were born.
In America the progenitor of all American Doolittles was Abraham Doolittle. He was born in England, probably around 1619 or 1620. He married a Joan Allen (or Alling) and came to this country at the age of 21.
The Doolittles have compiled an extensive history. Mary Emily Doolittle Lynch who married Levi Wood is the 7th generation of Doolittles in this country.
Mary Emily traces her ancestry as follows:
1st generation: Abraham and Joann Doolittle. Lived in Wallingford, Connecticut, d. at the age of 70 and is buried there. Abraham is believed to be the progenitor of all American Doolittles. He was born in England (parents not known) and came at the age of 21 to America. He is recorded as being in "Boston" in 1640 and in New Haven in 1643. He was Chief Executive officer of the colony in 1644 and in 1672 it was renamed Wallingford. He died in 1690.
Abraham married for the second time Abigail Moss in 1663. His son Samuel, from his second marriage with Abigail is the direct descendent.
2nd generation: Samuel, b. New Haven, Conn. July 7, 1665. He was the oldest son of Abraham's second marriage. Samuel's wife was Mary Cornwall of Middletown, Conn., b. November 20, 1665, d. Nov 16, 1742. One of his sons was also called Samuel.
3rd generation: Samuel, b. August 313, 1691. Liet. Sameul Doolittle m. Jane Wheeler * Aug. 1, 1714 in Wallingford, CT. He died July 17, 1736 in Palmer, Massachusetts. Her parents were Joseph Wheeler of Milford, Connecticut and Mary Power of Middletown, Connecticut. Jane's grandparents were Capt. Thomas Wheeler and Ruth Wood. Captain Thomas Wheeler was in King Philip's War and died of injuries received there.
After Samuel's death Jane remarried, first, Henry Wright, Jr. of Springfield, Mass and later Josiah Berry of Worcester, Massachusetts.
One of the children of Jane and Samuel, also called Samuel was:
4th generation: Samuel, b. 2-28-1720 in Wallingford, Connecticut. He married Susanna ___________, and died after 1793. His son was Moses.
5th generation: Moses Doolittle, born 1758 in Worcester, Mass., m. Elizabeth Buck, about 1799. He lived for a while in Petersham, then Vermont and later Upper Canada on the shore of Lake Ontario. He died August 22, 1829.
6th generation: Samuel, born Pittsford, Vermont, January 29, 1792, m. Sabra Scott, secondly, _________ Goad. He spent his early life in Northumberland County, below Toronto, Canada and later moved to Jennings Township, Indiana. His daughter, Mary Emily was born, October 25, m. Jeremiah Lynch and later Levi Benton Wood.
Information derived from:
Osborn, Viola, a direct descendent, Kalamazoo Mich.
"The Doolittle Family in America" Vol. 1-8, (Part 8 was printed in 1967 in Dallas, Texas and compiled by Louise Brown and Malissa R. Doolittle. Part 1 was compiled by William Frederich Doolittle, M.D. Information on other volumes may be obtained by the organization called DOOLITTLES OF AMERICA). Vol. 5 contains the lineage of Mary Emily Doolittle Wood. pp. 487, 488.
*Wheeler Family info. from Eleanor Schoen, a descendent. A more detailed recounting of the Wheeler family history is in the book "Concord; American Town, by Townsend Scudder, Little Brown & Co., 1947, p18-36.
There is a small town in Southern Indiana called Doolittle Mills. It was settled in the early 1800's. According to James Mosely who wrote the history of Perry County the town consisted of a flour mill, saloon, small grocery store and a post office, most of which were owned by members of the Doolittle families who lived here.
The small store was owned by John Doolittle, possibly a relative of Mary Emily. It was later owned by Dock Doolittle and then Oscar Doolittle.
Other businesses were owned by families named Underhill, Hosmer, and Graves, among others. The saloon developed quite a reputation while it was in existence and was nicknamed Sodom in its early days.
There are no longer any Doolittles in the town but it is still called Doolittle Mills. It is very probable that some members of Mary Emily's family lived there. The only certain thing is that both Levi and Mary Emily are buried in the Doolittle Mills Cemetery.
Mosley, James, "Living History of Perry County, IN" p 241.
The Beals Connection (pages 23-27)
Joseph Beals, born February 22, 1829 in Crawford County was the son of Joseph and Ruth Stone Beals. His parents came from New York and Rhode Island respectively. Joseph died August 23, 1901 and is buried in Beals Cemetery. His grave is near those of his wives and is marked with a large sandstone and not engraved.
Joseph's parents had a large family but only six of their children lived. They were Jasper, Jasper Joseph, Samuel, Levi Ford, Nelson, Sarah, Betsy, S. A. Beals, Joseph H. Beals, Daniel Nathaniel Beals and several stillborn daughters.
Joseph, (the younger) married four times. Two of his wives were daughters of Levi Wood.
He married, first, Elizabeth Wood, June 10, 1850. She died August 10, 1858 and is buried in Beals Cemetery. They had three children.
Mary Independence Beals was b. July 4, 1851 and died August 23, 1854.
Samantha Isabelle was born January 7, 1855. She married B. H. Irwin. They later moved to Texas and had eight children, Florence, William Thomas, Mary, Cory Josephine, William H., Frank L., Clayton and Clara Ann, twins.
Clara Ann married Cecil E. Fortner and had five children, Gladys Fortner Ray, Ellie Mae Fortner Funk, James Cedric Fortner, W. T. Fortner and Clayton Lester Fortner. Ellie Mae has been researching the Beals family and has contributed to the family history.
John Alpheus Beals was born March 31, 1857, and died October 19, 1940. His wife was Mary Bowman. Their children were Dora Belle, 1876-1953; William O., 1878-1970; and John Hiram, 1880-1970. Dora married James Landrus and had daughter Audrey, Alpha, Lorraine and Aileen. William O. and his wife Bessie Reynolds had a son Russel H. John H. and Lizzie Kirsch Beals had a daughter, Hazel Shirley, and sons Earsel, Ray, Curtis and Norman.
Joseph Beals married Hannah Patrick after the death of Elizabeth. Hannah was b. in 1836, m. October 17, 1858 and d. November 5, 1862. Their children were David Otis Beals, b. November 11, 1859, d. June 6, 1938 and William Henry Beals b. September 25, 1861 who died at 21 days. David married Jane Bowman May 26, 1880. She died February 27, 1942.
Joseph's third wife was Nancy Jane Wood, b. June 23, 1844, m. April 23, 1863 and d. October 18, 1872. Their children were Daniel Douglas Beals, b. August 14, 1864; Mary Ida Beals, b. October 14, 1866; and Stuart Beals. Daniel died in infancy.
Mary Ida m. Willard Melcom (1856-1920) and later Wm. Otis Hosmer. Mary Ida had three children, Cleo Melcom, Claude Stuart Melcom, and Guy Melcom. Cleo married Estella Bunch and had no children. Claude married Marie Webster and they had two children. Guy married Hazel Dillman and they had three children. Mary Ida died in 1943.
Stuart married Louisa McCullum May 28, 1899 at the home of her parents in Leavenworth. He died in 1951 and Louisa died in 1953. They had three children.
Joseph married for the fourth time a woman names Esther Hanspire. There were no children of this marriage and she survived him, later marrying Samuel Duncan.
Stuart Beals
Stuart Beals was the grandson of Levi Benton Wood and his second wife, Malinda Gerard (or Jarret). Levi and Malinda's daughter Nancy married Joseph Beals and they settled near Leavenworth in Crawford County. Stuart was born on October 31, 1871.
He attended school at the Mansfield School and Marengo Academy. He started teaching when he was 17 years old and during the summer he studied in the law offices of Jerry Suddarth. He was admitted to the bar in 1895.
He married Louisa McCullum in Leavenworth on May 28, 1899. They had three children, Gordon, Alice and Joseph Orman.
Beals served as a school superintendent in the English Public Schools and was superintendent at the Marengo school. He was superintendent of the Crawford County Schools from 1903 to 1917. Later he was employed by the Milltown Bank. He died November 18, 1951.
Because of his many civic interests and his contributions to the community in 1979 a Stuart A. Beals Memorial Trust Fund was set up for the Crawford County Public Library and Crawford Countians made donations to the library in his memory.
Neither of Stuart Alva Beals sons had any children. Gordon was born March 20, 1900. He married Augusta Livingstone August 2, 1929. Joseph Orman Beals was born November 9, 1910. He married Fern Gresham November 25, 1931. Fern died May 19, 1964 and he married Kathryn Kellams in 1966.
Stuarts daughter Alice Garnet Beals was born October 14, 1904. She married Henry E. Fitch June 27, 1926. They had four children, Mary Elizabeth, b. July 8, 1930; Robert Stuart Fitch, b. April 24, 1932; Henry Gordon Fitch, b. November 30, 1939; Susan Jane Fitch, b. October 5, 1941.
Mary Elizabeth Fitch married Robert Fanning in 1951 and they had six children, James Robert, Barbara Jane, Nancy Louise, William Henry, Peggy Ann and John Richard.
Robert Stuart Fitch died April 21, 1951 in Korea.
Henry Gordon Fitch married Eileen Coughlin in 1966 and had two children, Megan Elizabeth and Deirdre Ann.
Susan Jane Fitch married Ronald J. Cwick in 1966 and their children are Joseph Eben, David Robert, and Daniel Gordon.
Source:
Carol Cox Preflatish, "The Crawford Countian", vol 6, issue 4; "English, Indiana Memories of Main Street" by E. C. Roberts and Nick Roberts.
Family records and memories of T. F. Wood
Beals genealogy from Mrs. Norman (Marcella) Beals
Obituary information from Jewell Sears, Librarian English Public Library who copied it from a scrapbook given to the library.
Notes from Garnet Fitch, a daughter of Stuart Beals.