| Notes |
- NOTES from a February 10, 1915 letter from Philura Buchanan Lincoln, to Rachel Adella Tobias "Dell", Philura's niece. Philura signed the notes "Aunt Lou." The letter was transcribed by her grandson, James Helme Lincoln years later to share with family.
"Grandfather Buchanan was born in Washington, Co. PA, married Jane Cummins of West Virginia. The state line went lengthwise of their porch. They lived a few miles apart (prior to marriage). Part of her "sitting out" was several negro slaves. They went to keeping house in PA which was not a slave state so she could not keep them."
"Grandfather Jackson was born in Ireland came to this country at 9 years of age and could weave. He followed weaving until he married to Rachel Orr. They moved from Philadelphia where she was born and brought up, to Jefferson Co., Ohio, about 6 miles from Wellsburg, VA (now Wellsburg, Brooke Co., WVa). Their first home was a log cabin without glass for windows. Her father gave her a black mare (that) when the Indians were around, it would put its head out the window opening and snort. One time Grandfather went on horseback to mill and was gone two or three days and (an Indian) came and the horse did that when Grandmother was alone. He, the Indian, only wanted something to eat. But it was one of the hard places to be alone I guess."
TO DO: Check Immigration records for Port of Philadelphia 1790 - 18 16;
Check with Philadelphia VR for Rachel Orr and her family. B. about 1780 - 1800.
NOTES from grandson James Helme Lincoln: "In 1938, Philura Buchanan Lincoln pointed out an old log cabin, about a mile from the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing, MI, where she said the taught school in the 1870's. At that time (1938), several hogs inhabited the ancient structure. Philura Buchanan Lincoln stated that on the first day of school, the boys had 'stoned the school' after they had been let out of class at the end of the day. She said she was not able to determine the ones who did it, so she cut several hickory sticks and as I recall her words, 'the next day, I beat every boy in school, and that was the last time the school was stoned.'
Another story provided by James Helme Lincoln: Philura (age 87) \ made the following remark in 1938 while James was driving Philura around the Michigan Capitol Building. Jim had commented that the Capitol Building was very old and ought to be torn down and replaced. Philura replied, " The Capitol is not so old! I was here the day they laid the cornerstone. There was a swamp in back of it with a frog pond with cattails in it."
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NOTES from a letter from Judge James H. Lincoln to his sister, (Phi)Lura Lincoln Cook, Dec. 5, 1973, page 3:
PHILURA BUCHANAN LINCOLN: Grandmother knew much of trouble. Her parents were divorced when she was 12 years of age. By the time she was married, she had stood at the graveside of 3 sisters, 2 brothers and her father and mother. Two of her sisters died in 2 weeks time in 1871-72 of smallpox. One died December 30th and the other January 9th (Corvetta and Jane).
She was 27 when she married and she had seen much of life and death. Lansing Edgar Lincoln was 37 and had fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. His first wife died and was his daughter died at the age of 10. He had a son Ernest living when he married grandmother in 1879 in Lansing. He had been in business in 3 or 4 states. Thus, both our grandparents had seen more living when they married than many people see in a lifetime.
Their marriage was, from all accounts, very sound for the first 10-12 years. The reason why their marriage broke up is as their doctor says "a great mystery." Grandmother, over a period of upward to a year, charged grandfather with being insane and said she was going to put him in an asylum. This much is very clear and certainly the doctor and 7 other people are telling it as they saw it. Also gradfather uses Agnes Wright and George Wright, Sr., and Carrie Worden (Moran) in the pleadings in the suit. Thus, grandmother was being confronted with the prospects of having her own relatives (sister and brother-in-law and next door neighbor) testifying for grandfather. She did not contest the divorce. She did not file an answer. She hired an attorney who made the property settlement.
It was very clear that grandmother followed a course of action that could only lead to terminating her marriage. Further, grandfather made no move to divorce her for upward of a year. But she persisted and left him no choice.
There is no record as to why all this occurred. There are 2 additional sources of possible explanation. I will explore them in the future.
Bert Wright thinks both our grandparents were very fine people. He visited grandfather in Buffalo several years before the turn of the century (1900). Grandfather owned a home and had remarried. His third wife outlived him and they stayed married until he died in 1916. He ran a "Commission Company" in Buffalo for a time after 1894. He sold cattle on commission.
I have no desire to try to judge between our grandparents. From all I can learn, thery were both very respected and well liked. Sometimes two very fine peopl simply can not make a go of it.
Rachel was 47 and had "birthed" 10 children when she divorced John Buchanan (1863). Grandmother was 43 and had 2 children and one had died at the time of her divorce in1894.
Her mother, Rachel, was quite a woman. You may recall grandmother saying that her father once owned Mt. Hope Cemetery. That's not what the title shows. The man who owed it is the same man who deeded Rachel the home in which Rachel was living at the time she died. Apparently, grandmother (Philura) referred to John Buchanan when she talked about her early life in Ohio. But the person she referred to as father in Michigan, was someone else again.
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The files in Ashland, Ohio and Mason, Michigan, are rather lengthy. Here are a few facts that emerge from the files:
1. On April 27, 1864, a divorce was granted to Rachel Buchanan from John Buchanan in Ashland, Ohio.
- - " that said defendant has been an habitual drunkard for more than three years next before the filing of the said petition."
Comment: It is obvious why Grandmother was so much of a teetotaler herself and also why whe would permit no alcoholic beverages in her home.
2. The divorce decree provided that Rachel was to get the care and custody of: Josephine, age 16; Selina, age 14; Philura, age 12; William, age 9; and Agnes, age 6. Rachel also got $748.00 a year alimony. This would be sufficient in those years to raise her family very well. She also received a good deal of the household furniture. Rachel was 47 years and John was 54 at the time of their divorce.
There were 5 older children not mentioned in the divorce decree. (Two were deceased by 1863.):
1. Jane Buchanan, born November 26, 1836 (died 1872), married James Tobias in 1855.
2. Emmeline Buchanan, born May 1838, (died 1918), married Johnston Welch on September 29, 1857.
3. Martha Buchanan, born August 1840, died 1861.
4. David Buchanan, born December 29, 1841, died 1861.
5. Corvetta Buchanan, born February 29,1844, died 1871 (buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery).
Now what happened was that Emmline and her husband, Johnston Welch, stayed in Ohio and apparently stayed on the farm of John Buchanan. There were several parcels of land. When John Buchanan died in 1873, it was Johnston Welch who paid rent on John's land to the administrator of John's estate who was William Buchanan. I suppose that William was John's brother. The son of Rachel and John, who was named William, died in 1872 and is buried in Mt. Hope Cememetery, Lansing, MI.
At the time of the divorce in 1863 David and Martha had died. Two of the 8 children who were living were married (Jane and Emmeline).
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The H600 Project Genealogy DB
1851 - 1939 (88 years)