top of page
Writer's picturethatsbug2u

College professor, noted 19th century soldier and politician among this week's family-tree birthdays


Birthdays from my family tree for the week of Feb. 16.

Feb. 16
  • Henry Buchanan "Buck" Catron (husband of Genevieve Lambert Catron, my first cousin twice removed and my fourth cousin twice removed on my father's side), b. 1902 in Elliottville, Rowan County, Ky.; d. Sept. 26, 1976 in Olive Hill, Carter County, Ky.

  • Doc. A. Hill (my wife's 2G uncle on her father's side), b. 1904; date of death uncertain. Doc was a child of Adrian and Hester Smith Hill. I've not yet learned much about Doc, but Adrian immigrated from Germany and came to the United States in the 1880s during the Franco-Prussian War. Adrian was an only child and possibly taught at the university in Ulm. According to a letter from Ulm dated Nov. 18, 1898, from his mother, he had been in the United States for a time. A second letter written from Ravensberg, Germany, July 13, 1920, indicated Adrian had died a year earlier.

  • Kevin Ray Harper (my first cousin on my mother's side). Happy birthday, Kevin. Hope you have a great day.

Feb. 17
  • James W. Fannin (my first cousin twice removed on my father's side), b. 1869 in Rowan County, Ky.; date of death uncertain. James was the child of John Fannin and my 2G aunt Caroline Kidd Fannin.

  • Luther Lambert (my first cousin twice removed on my mother's side), b. 1937 in Clearfield, Rowan County, Ky.; d. Feb. 18, 1937, the day after he was born. He was the child of William and Laura Etta Hall Lambert. I have Lamberts on my father's side, but I'm not sure if he is directly related to them.

6063312_133693887733.jpg

Luella Wilson is buried in the Wilson Chapel Cemetery in Clark County, Ohio.

Feb. 18
  • Luella Wilson (my third cousin three times removed on my mother's side), b. 1861 in Madison County, Ohio; d. Aug. 18, 1882. Died at age 21. One of 37 Wilsons buried in the Wilson Chapel Cemetery in Harmony Township in Clark County, Ohio. I've not obtained her cause of death.

Feb. 19
  • Mary Elizabeth Johnson McBrayer (wife of Charles "Henry" McBrayer, my first cousin twice removed on my father's side), b. 1888 in Kentucky; d. Dec. 15, 1951, in Rowan County, Ky.

Feb. 20
  • Jane Elly Hall Alfrey (my 4G aunt on my mother's side), b. 1842 in Morgan County, Ky.; d. Jan. 7, 1915, in Montgomery County, Ky. The sister of murder victim Isaac Hall Jr. She was charged as a conspirator because she was present while her husband planned an ambush. They had been living in the family home until evicted by Isaac Hall Jr. and were staying with her brother George M. Hall when the plan was hatched. Several men were arrested, all of them related by blood or marriage. According to the article, "The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together," by Teri Pettit, it's unclear if any of the accused were convicted. Most of her account was derived from court records of a inquest.

  • Addie Lou Brown (my first cousin twice removed on my mother's side), b. 1913 in Breathitt County, Ky.; d. Oct. 12, 1986, in Pasco, Fla. One of 14 children, 11 of which survived to adulthood, born to Rufus Humphrey and Amanda Melvina Williams Brown.

Feb. 21
  • Sarah Ann Lambert (my 2G aunt on my father's side and my third cousin three times removed on my father's side), b. 1888 in Sandy Hook, Elliott County, Ky.; d. July 28, 1973, in West Union, Adams County, Wva. Daughter of Eliza and Lane Lambert.

Feb. 22
7178202_112943295891.jpg

• George Washington Wilson (my second cousin four times removed on my mother's side), b. 1840 in Brighton, Clark County, Ohio; d. Nov. 25, 1909, in London, Madison County, Ohio. According to the "History of Madison County" by W. H. Beers and Company (1883), Wilson was reared on his father's farm until he was 18, when he was sent to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where he spent three years. During this time, that institution was presided over by Horace Mann, and after his death by Dr. Thomas Hill, subsequently president of Harvard College. In 1861, Wilson began studying law in the office of R. A. Harrison of London. In August 1862, he enlisted in the 94th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, then was commissioned, respectively, second and first lieutenant in the regiment. On July 2, 1864, he received a presidential commission as first lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of U.S. Veteran Volunteer Engineers, the only organization of the kind in the service.

This regiment was formed in the Dept. of the Cumberland from Pioneer Brigade, Dept. of the Cumberland, July 8, 1864. The volunteers repaired railroads, building block houses and bridges and engaged in general engineering duties until September 1865.

About the close of the war, he was appointed captain of Company L of that regiment, but was mustered out of the Army about Oct. 1, 1865, the services of his regiment being no longer required.

In October 1871, the Republican was elected to the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of Ohio and served two years. In October, 1877, he was elected a member of the Ohio Senate from the district composed of the counties of Champaign, Clark and Madison. He has also held several minor offices of honor and trust. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and the Masonic fraternity. Wilson has always been a Republican, believing that by means of that party, the best interests of the country would be promoted and preserved.

After the war, Wilson resumed his studies in the office of his preceptor, and was admitted to the bar on Aug. 7, 1866.

Also served as mayor of London, Ohio.

  • John Benjamin Lewis (my 3G uncle on my mother's side), b. 1876 in Ditney Ridge, Morgan County, Ky.; d. March 20 , 1959.

12 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page