Tag Archives: Joseph Lawhead

A Mystery Solved? (Part 4)

Once a time frame was established for the Laughead family settling in Ohio, the next step was to examine some early Ohio records, starting with the census.

To recap the research thus far…

Three likely Laughead/Lawhead siblings are:

Joseph, born Pennsylvania circa 1817
Susannah, born Ohio circa 1821
Ruth, born Ohio circa 1825

Since all three (Joseph, Susannah, and Ruth) were married in the Belmont and Guernsey County area in the late 1830s – early 1840s, further research should focus on these and surrounding counties. Likely mother Bathsheba Laughead lived in Guernsey County in 1840. Jumping back ten years to the 1830 census, there were 13 Laughead/Lawhead families living in Ohio.

1830 Census of Ohio – Lawhead & Laughead
Name	Location
Edward Laughead	White Eyes, Coshocton, Ohio
Elisha Lawhead	Richland, Guernsey, Ohio
James Laughead	Miami, Green, Ohio
James Lawhead	Warren, Belmont, Ohio
James Lawhead	Camp Creek, Pike, Ohio
John Laughead	Union, Clinton, Ohio
Joseph Lawhead	Greenfield, Highland, Ohio
Thomas Lawhead	Buckskin, Ross, Ohio
William Lawhead	McArthur, Logan, Ohio
William Lawhead	Warren, Belmont, Ohio
William Lawhead	Sugar Creek, Wayne, Ohio
William Lawhead	Wayne, Muskingum, Ohio
William Laughead	Hopewell, Muskingum, Ohio

Only three of these families lived in the Belmont or Guernsey County area.

The Three Families:

The household of Elisha Lawhead of Guernsey County consisted of seven individual members: one male aged 30-39, two males under 5, two females aged 20-29, and two females aged 5-9. Even though Ruth and Susannah would fit into this family, neither Joseph nor Bathsheba would. Joseph was 13 in 1830 and Bathsheba was 40.

The household of James Lawhead of Belmont County consisted of ten individual members: one male aged 40-49, one male aged 15-20, one male aged 10-14, one male aged 5-9, one female aged 40-49, one female aged 20-29, one female aged 10-14, one female aged 5-9, and two females under 5. Bathsheba (40-49), Joseph (10-14), Susannah (5-9) and Ruth (under 5) would all fit in this family.

Image courtesy of Ancestry.com

The household of William Lawhead of Belmont County consisted of four individual members: one male aged 40-49, one male aged 15-19, one female aged 40-49, and one female aged 10-14. Bathsheba would fit as the older female, but none of the children match.

In 1840, there were four Laughead/Lawhead families still living in the area:

Bathsheba Laughead (a widow)
Joseph Laughead (now married and head of his own household)
Elisha Laughead (likely the same man from 1830, now ten years older with five children)
James Laughead (not the same man from 1830, a twenty something male, with a wife and two young children)

Conclusion:

The most likely candidate for the father of Joseph, Susannah and Ruth Lawhead was James Lawhead. The family of James and Bathsheba Lawhead had seven or eight children in 1830 so there are more children that need to be identified.

Sources:

1830 U. S. census, Guernsey County, Ohio, Richland Township, p. 436 (penned), line 7, Elisha Lawhead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 131.

1830 U. S. census, Belmont County, Ohio, Warren Township, p. 212 (penned), line 4, James Lawhead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 127.

1830 U. S. census, Belmont County, Ohio, Warren Township, p. 216 (penned), line2 4, William Lawhead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 127.

1840 U. S. census, Belmont County, Ohio, Somerset Township, p. 10 (penned), line 14, Joseph Laughead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 378.

1840 U. S. census, Guernsey County, Ohio, Seneca Township, p. 3 (penned), line 15, Bathsheba Laughead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 397.

1840 U. S. census, Guernsey County, Ohio, Seneca Township, p. 4 (penned), line 7, Elisha Laughead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 397.

1840 U. S. census, Guernsey County, Ohio, Seneca Township, p. 4 (penned), line 10, James Laughead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 397.

A Mystery Solved? (Part 3)

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Collateral lines, Locations of Interest, Naming Patterns and DNA (Oh My!)

I have previously discussed Bathsheba Laughead and Ruth (Laughead) Coen and their status as persons of interest in my quest to determine the parents of Joseph Laughead. During the last year, another person of interest came to my attention through the use of DNA. One of my matches (at 23andme) is a gentleman named Mr. Glover. The surname Glover sounded familiar to me because I have traced the collateral (or descendant) lines of many branches of the Laughead family. With a few emails back and forth, I knew how we were connected.

Graphic courtesy of 23andme

Mr. Glover is a descendant of Susannah (Lawhead) Glover of Greene County, Indiana. On 2 March 1840, Susannah married John D. Glover in Guernsey County, Ohio. Later that year, John Glover lived in Union Township [now defunct], Monroe County, Ohio. His household consisted of: a twenty something male (John), a twenty something female (Susannah), and a female child under the age of 5 (Martha). That same year, Joseph Laughead and his family lived in Somerset Township, Belmont County, Ohio. Somerset Township borders Guernsey County on its western side. By 1850, both families had moved around the tri-county region and had settled in Seneca Township, Guernsey County. Coincidentally, the two families migrated west to Greene County, Indiana by the 1860 census.

Lawhead, Susannah & John Glover - Marriage extraction, 1840

Image courtesy of Family Search

Clearly, the families of Joseph Laughead and Susannah (Lawhead) Glover were connected. The families lived in the same region of Ohio. They migrated further west around the same time, and settled in the same geographic area of Indiana. Another clue that links the families is naming patterns. Different historical time periods, religious groups, ethnic groups, etc. have practiced the tradition of naming children after family members, sometimes in a set pattern. In some cases, a strict pattern was followed. For example, the first born male was named after the child’s paternal grandfather, the second male child was named after the child’s maternal grandfather, and so on. In the case of the family of John and Susannah (Lawhead) Glover, they named their third daughter Bathsheba.

Extracted Information:

The families of Joseph Laughead and John D. Glover lived in the same areas of Ohio and Indiana, AT THE SAME TIME
John D. Glover named one of his daughters Bathsheba
A descendant of John D. Glover and Susannah (Lawhead) Glover shares DNA segments with several descendants of Joseph Laughead. The relationship is computed to be that of fourth cousins.
The ages of Joseph (c1817) and Susannah (1821) are close enough to fall within the same generation.

Conclusion:

Joseph Laughead and Susannah (Lawhead) Grover were siblings. Susannah named one of her daughters Bathsheba after her mother. Most records consistently state that Susannah was born in Ohio. Since Joseph was born in Pennsylvania, it is likely that the family migrated to Ohio between the births of Joseph and Susannah, c1817-1821.

	Mr. Laughead & Bathsheba
Susannah Lawhead (1821-1906)m. John D. Glover		Joseph Laughead (c1817-1883)m. Cassandra Harding
Charles H. Glover	First Cousins	James H. Lawhead (1840-1920)
John Glover	Second Cousins	Emma Lawhead (1872-1943)
John Glover	Third Cousins	Gladys Foster (1905-1998)m. Roscoe Yegerlehner
Mr. Glover	Fourth Cousins	David Yegerlehner

Sources:

1840 U. S. census, Monroe County, Ohio, Union Township, p. 83 (penned), line 19, John Glover; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 416.

1850 U. S. census, Guernsey County, Ohio, population schedule, Seneca Township, p. 474 (penned), dwelling 3045, family 3067, Joseph Lawhead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 684.

1850 U. S. census, Guernsey County, Ohio, population schedule, Seneca Township, p. 373 (stamped), dwelling 3133, family 3155, John Glover; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 684.

1860 U. S. census, Greene County, Indiana, population schedule, Centre Township, p. 75-76 (penned), dwelling 530, family 530, Joseph Lawhead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 262.

1860 U. S. census, Greene County, Indiana, population schedule, Beech Creek Township, p. 36 (penned), dwelling 252, family 252, John D. Glover; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 262.

“Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” database and images, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 9 April 2014) John Glover and Susannah Lawhead, 2 March 1840; citing Guernsey County, Marriage records 1832-1848, v. C: 306.

A Mystery Solved? (Part 2)

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Focus in on a person or location of interest:

After constructing a timeline of Joseph’s life, the next step is to focus in on either a geographical area where the person lived or a “person of interest.”

Joseph lived in several locations, beginning in Pennsylvania, then Ohio, and finally Indiana. He lived in at least 6 known areas of interest: Pennsylvania, Belmont County (Ohio), Guernsey County (Ohio), Greene County (Indiana), Daviess County (Indiana) and Knox County (Indiana). Two locations that might provide information regarding his parentage would be – his birth place (Pennsylvania) and his death place (Knox County, Indiana). At this point, his birth place is too broad a location to search. In addition, birth records were not recorded at the county or state level in Pennsylvania during the early part of the 19^th century. Information regarding Joseph’s death location is rather sketchy. He is buried in Edwardsport, but evidence that he died or even lived there has not been discovered yet. Bodies are not always buried where they died, and are sometimes disinterred and moved to another location to be closer to living family members. Delving deeper into Knox County’s records is currently on the future “to do” list. In addition, the chance of finding Joseph’s parents listed on a death certificate or other death related record is rather slim based upon the time and place where he died. For one, the state of Indiana did not require official death records until after 1900. The WPA death index of Knox County’s extracted county records does not list Joseph Lawhead. For now, focusing on a location of interest will have to wait until more information is available.

There are a handful of individuals that belong to the “person of interest” category. The first one is Bathsheba Lawhead. Thus far only four records have been found that mention Bathsheba:

In 1840, Bathsheba Laughead was living in Seneca Township, Guernsey County, Ohio. She was the head of a household of four persons: one female aged 40-49, one male aged 20-29, and two boys under the age of 5.
In 1850, ‘Basheba’ Lawhead was living with the family of Joseph in Guernsey County, Ohio. She was a 60 year old female, born in Pennsylvania. The young family of William and Ruth Coen lived next door.
In 1860, ‘Barshaby Lockee’ was living in Seneca, Noble County, Ohio. She was the second family living at dwelling #1268. The first family was that of William and Ruth ‘Cower’.
In 1870, Bashaly Laughead was living in the household of William and Ruth Coen in Uhrichsville, Tuscarawas County, Ohio. ‘Bashaly’ was an 80 year old female, born in Ohio.

Until 1880, census records did not record relationships between individuals in a household. Before 1850, only the head of the household was enumerated. The rest of the household was recorded as tally marks in columns designating a person’s age and sex. Using these early census records as a road map, relationships can be established but they cannot be used alone as proof.

Women were very rarely head of households in the 19^th century. Two possible reasons why Bathsheba would have been the head of household in 1840 were: she was a widow or a woman of property. Proceeding with the assumption that Bathsheba was a widow, the other members of the family were likely to be her children or grandchildren. The young man in his twenties may have been her son, or a hired hand. The two young boys may have been her grandchildren. Based upon her age in the later census years, Bathsheba was at the far end of the 40-49 age category and close to 50 years old. The boys aged under 5 years were more likely to be her grandchildren, possibly sons of the twenty something male. Perhaps he was a widower, living with his mother, and they were helping each other out as families often do. Of course, the above is all conjecture until any further evidence comes along. The truth remains unknown.

Skip ahead ten years to 1850, Bathsheba now lived with Joseph Lawhead and his family. A likely scenario is that Bathsheba was Joseph’s mother. At 60, she may not have wanted (or been able) to run her own farm or live by herself. Children often took care of their parents then as they do now. Another interesting clue from this census year is that Joseph lived next door to William and Ruth Coen. On 24 March 1844, Ruth Laughead married William Coen in Guernsey County, Ohio. Siblings and in-laws sometimes lived together on adjoining property. Perhaps a bit of land was deeded to a child as a wedding gift or a second house was built on the family property. There are many possible reasons for this proximity. At the very least, an assumption can be made that the families were related due to the shared surname. The 1840 census calls into question why Bathsheba did not have a 15 year old female living in her household. Was Ruth Bathsheba’s daughter or perhaps a niece? Did she live with another relative or work out of the home at that time? There were two Cohen families living nearby Bathsheba and one had a female in the correct age category. Did Ruth live and work on another neighboring farm?

Through the years 1860 and 1870, Bathsheba lived with the Coens. Bathsheba was 80 years old in 1870. She has not been found on the 1880 census, likely dying before then. Between the years 1850-1870, Ruth and her family moved from Guernsey County, to Noble County, and then Tuscarawas County. These three counties are clustered together (and border one another) in the eastern part of Ohio. The Coens lived in Uhrichsville during the time that Bathsheba may have died.

Ruth (Laughead) Coen, Joseph Laughead and Bathsheba Laughead were clearly connected. Bathsheba was born in Pennsylvania, c1790. Joseph was born in Pennsylvania, c1817. Ruth was born in Ohio, c1825. If Joseph and Ruth were two of Bathsheba’s children, their birth dates and locations have helped to narrow down when the family might have moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio. Ruth has become another person of interest because of her geographic proximity to Joseph and their shared connection to Bathsheba.

Sources:

1860 U. S. census, Noble County, Ohio, population schedule, Seneca Township, p. 483 (stamped), dwelling 1268, family 1220, Barshaby Lockee; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1020.

1870 U. S. census, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, population schedule, Uhrichsville, Uhrichsville Post Office, p. 20 (penned), dwelling 150, family 150, William Coen; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1273.

“Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920,” index, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 April 2014).

“Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” database and images, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 6 April 2014) William Coen and Ruth Laughead, 24 March 1844; citing Guernsey County, Marriage records 1844-1864, v. D: 25.

A Mystery Solved? (Part 1)

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“It is the brain, the little gray cells on which one must rely. One must seek the truth within – – not without.” ~ Poirot – Agatha Christie

Genealogy research is hard, time-consuming work. For some, the work is enjoyable, but nonetheless, it can be very hard, and occasionally mind-numbing. Doing genealogy research is part records collection, intuition and plain old detective work. Analysis of collected records is an integral part of the process. Having the largest archive in the world means nothing, records must be organized in some way and then analyzed; otherwise, they are just ink on paper. At some point, every researcher must stop and analyze what they have collected. Documents exist in an historical context. They answer questions and generate more.

One of my biggest genealogy challenges over the years has been tracing the family of my grandmother Gladys. She was an excellent archivist of the papers relating to the Yegerlehner family, but she left much of her own family’s history in the shadows. She did not have a positive relationship with her father so it was not particularly surprising that few artifacts survived. I inherited a two page, written family chart and some photographs from the Foster side of the family. On her mother’s side, even less was left behind. Gladys had a close relationship with her mother so the lack of information was distressing at first. A handful of photographs and some old quilts are all that remain. When I started my genealogy journey in 1994, I asked Gladys for information about her family. She sent me a copy of her birth certificate that included her parents’ names: Emma Laughead and J. E. Foster. Over a year ago, I wrote a post about what I knew about the Laughead family. Since then, I have earned my Genealogical Research Certificate from Boston University, completed over 1/3 of the ProGen program, and begun working as a professional genealogist. In addition, I began DNA testing all of my immediate family members (and beyond).

Gladys’ birth certificate

With my newly developed skills, and hundreds of DNA cousins, my quest to find the parents of Joseph Laughead intensified. The last few months have provided me with many new possibilities.

Start with what you know:

Using and creating graphic organizers is a great way to visually present information extracted from documents. Joseph’s life has been hard to trace because of the lack of readily available 19^th century records. The family moved around quite frequently. His surname has been spelled both Laughead and Lawhead over the years in various documents. Lots of misinformation has been published as well. For example, just because the SOUNDEX code puts Lawhead, Laughead, and Lloyd in the same grouping, does not mean that the family ever spelled their name Lloyd. Starting with the documents I have already collected over the years, I created a timeline of the known events in Joseph’s life:

c1817 – Born in Pennsylvania.
1838 – January 19^th married Cassandra Harding in Belmont County, Ohio.
c1839 – October 22^nd first son Elisha born in Ohio.
1840 – Household of Joseph Laughead of Somerset Township, Belmont County, Ohio consisted of three individuals: one male under 5 years (Elisha), one male 20-29 (Joseph), and one female 20-29 (Cassandra). A John Laughead was enumerated several lines above Joseph.
c1840 – January 5^th son James Henry born Marietta, Washington County, Ohio.
1842 – November 16^th son John William born in Ohio.
1845 – Between 1845-1848 daughter Mary Ellen born in Ohio.
1848 – April 1^st A land grant was purchased at the Marietta Land Office; 39.98 acres of land in Monroe County, Ohio, which borders Belmont county to the south. The land is located in the south east corner of the county near the Ohio River.
1850 – February 26^th daughter Louisa Jane born in Ohio, likely Guernsey County.
1850 – November 8^th Household of Joseph Lawhead of Seneca, Guernsey County consisted of the following individuals: Joseph, Casander, Elisha, James, John, Mary E., Louisa J, and Bathsheba Lawhead. Next door resided the family of William and Ruth Coen and their 2 year old son John.
c1852 – son William born in Ohio.
1860 – June 25^th Household of Joseph Lawhead of Center Township, Greene County, Indiana consisted of the following individuals: Joseph, Casander, Elisha, James, John, Mary, Louisa and William. Next door lived the family of John Lawhead (aged 84, born in Pennsylvania) with Susan, Elisha G. and three Talbots (Ruth, Elizabeth, and William).
1861 – November 3^rd son James Henry married Martha Lafoon in Greene County, Indiana.
1863 – November 26^th son Elisha married Sarah Reynolds in Greene County, Indiana.
1866 – September 2^nd son John William married Elizabeth Abbie Abrahms.
1867 – March 18^th daughter Mary Ellen married James Hash, in Greene County, Indiana.
1867 – March 19^th daughter Louisa Jane married Ahart Hash, in Greene County, Indiana.
1868 – December 5^th – son James Henry married for the second time, Margaret A. Rea, in Greene County, Indiana.
1870 – August 11^th Household of Joseph Lawhead of Steel Township, Daviess County, Indiana consisted of the following individuals: Joseph, Cassandria, Mary E. and William A. Two young boys Joseph and George Sherman were also part of the household. Son John William and his family lived next door.
1873 – February 27^th son William married Charlotte D. Abrahms in Daviess County, Indiana.
c1874 – son William dies, leaving a widow Charlotte and a daughter Ora.
1880 – Have been unable to locate Joseph or Cassandra on the census record
1883 – July 12^th Joseph’s death
1883 – Burial IOOF Cemetery, Edwardsport, Knox County, Indiana

There are many gaps in the timeline and lots of questions to be answered. My original question still remains to be answered – Who were Joseph’s parents?

Sources:

1870 U. S. census, Daviess County, Indiana, population schedule, Steel Township, Washington Post Office, p. 12 (penned), dwelling 90, family 90, Joseph Lawhead; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 306.

Bureau of Land Management, “Land Patent Search,” digital images, General Land Office Records (http://www.glorecords.blm.gov : accessed 4 April 2014), entry for Joseph Lawhead, Monroe County, Ohio, no. 14230.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 4 April 2014), memorial page for Joseph Lawhead (1817-1883), Find A Grave Memorial no. 52,810,778, citing IOOF Cemetery, Edwardsport, Knox County, Indiana.

Greene County, Indiana, Marriage Records, June 1858-October 1866, v. G: 325, Elisha Lawhead and Sarah Reynolds, 26 November 1863; citing FHL microfilm publication 1317805.

Greene County, Indiana, Marriage Records, June 1858-October 1866, v. G: 325, James Lawhead and Martha Lafoon, 3 November 1861; citing FHL microfilm publication 1317805.

Greene County, Indiana, Marriage Records, October 1866-December 1870, v. H: 264, James H. Lawhead and Margarett A. Rea, 5 December 1868; citing FHL microfilm publication 1317805.

Greene County, Indiana, Marriage Records, October 1866-December 1870, v. H: 77, James Hash and Mary E. Lawhead, 18 March 1867; citing FHL microfilm publication 1317805.

Greene County, Indiana, Marriage Records, June 1858-October 1866, v. H: 80, Ahart Hash and Louisa Lawhead, 19 March 1867; citing FHL microfilm publication 1317805.

Illinois Department of Public Health, death certificate no. 24333 (1920), James H. Lawhead; Department of Public Health, Springfield.

“Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941,” index, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2014), William A. Lawhead and Charlotte D. Abraham.

“Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” database and images, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 April 2014) Joseph Laughead and Cassandria Harden, 19 January 1838; citing Belmont County, Marriage records 1833-1838, v. 4: 30.

“U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900,” index, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 April 2014), John William Lawhead and Elizabeth Abbie Abrams, 1866.

Sunday’s Obituary – James H. Lawhead

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James Henry Lawhead

Was born in the state of Ohio, January 5, 1840, and departed this life at his daughter-in-law, Mrs. J.F. Lawhead Feb. 18, 1920, aged 80 years, 1 month and 13 days. He was united in marriage to Martha Burch, near Bloomfield, Ind. To this union were born three children. His wife and three children preceded him in death. He was again married to Margaret Rea, near Bloomfield, Ind. To this union were born seven children. The wife and four children preceeded him in death a number of years ago. He united with the M.P. church at York, Ill., some thirty years ago and lived a faithful Christian to the end. He leaves two daughters and one son, one step daughter and one step son, a number of grandchildren and eighteen great, grand children to mourn his departure. He had been a sufferer since N [?] But bore his suffering with patience always trusting in his blessed Savior. Only last Sunday he told the relatives and friends that “he wanted to go home to Heaven if it was the will of God.” Thus reconciled with all men and with his God he passed over the mystic river and is now at rest in the land that is fairer than days. May his mantle fall upon another and his good work go for others.

The funeral service took place at U.B. church, Robinson, Ill. Rev. W. H. Duncan was in charge and interment took place at Hutsonville cemetery.

-Newspaper Unknown, likely published in Hutsonville or Robinson, Illinois, 1920.

Minerva with her father James Lawhead, son James R. and grandson (c1908)

James Henry Lawhead was the second known son and child of Joseph and Cassandria (Harding) Lawhead. He was likely born in Marietta, Washington County, Ohio as reported on his death certificate.[1] The family migrated at least twice during his childhood. The census records the family living in Guernsey, Ohio in 1850,[2] and then moving onto Greene County, Indiana by 1860.[3] As a young man, James worked as a farm laborer in nearby Lawrence county, Indiana and was enumerated a second time.[4]

James married first Martha (Lafoon) Burch on 3 November 1861, Greene County, Indiana. They were the parents of three children: James Francis, Margarett A. and a third unknown child (presumably an infant which died young). At the time of their marriage, Martha was a widow with three children: Paris Burch, Ortha E. Burch and Ruth Burch. It is likely that this marriage ended in divorce. James was married again in 1868, and Martha was still living in 1870.[5]

James married second Margaret A. Rea, the daughter of George and Sarah (Jewell) Rea, on 5 December 1868 in Greene County, Indiana. They were the parents of seven children: Jasper R., Emily H. “Emma” and Minerva [twins], Saphrone, Parey, Casan and Joseph. The last four all died as infants. James and Margaret did not remain in Greene County, but moved to Crawford County, Illinois soon after their marriage.

Sometime between 1900 and 1910, James and Margaret moved to Peach Orchard, Arkansas for a while. Their son Jasper had settled there. After Margaret’s death, James married for a third time in Arkansas, a widow named Cora Perkins, on 5 December 1908. James later returned to Crawford County where he died in the home of his daughter-in-law, Belle Lawhead.

Even though James’ obituary states the he was buried in Hutsonville Cemetery, no grave has been found.

[1] Illinois Department of Public Health, death certificate no. 24333, James Henry Lawhead (1920); Division of Vital Statistics, Springfield.

[2] 1850 U.S. Census, Guernsey County, Ohio, population schedule, Seneca Township, p. 474 (penned), dwelling 3045, family 3067, Joseph Lawhead: NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 684.

[3] 1860 U.S. Census, Greene County, Indiana, population schedule, Center township, P.O. Jonesborough, p. 75 (penned), dwelling 530, family 530, Joseph Lawhead; NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 262.

[4] 1860 U.S. Census, Lawrence County, Indiana, population schedule, Spice Valley township, P.O. Bryantsville, p. 149 (penned), dwelling 1910, family 1910, Wm McNabb; NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 276.

[5] 1870 U.S. Census, Greene County, Indiana, population schedule, Centre township, P.O. Solsberry, dwelling 21, family 21, Martha Lawhead; NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 318.

Surname Saturday – Lawhead or is it Laughead?

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Open Court sound spelling cards

My great grandmother’s maiden name was Lawhead or most likely Laughead. Lawhead is one way to phonetically spell the name and it is how I see the name spelled most often, especially in written records like censuses. If you know anything about teaching children to read, as I do, the Open Court reading program (which we use in my school district) has a card for the /aw/ sound. It’s called the Hawk card and it gives two spellings for /aw/: aw and au. There have been a few occasions where I have seen the name spelled Laughead which leads me to believe that Laughead is the proper spelling of the name. I can also easily picture semi-literate people spelling Laughead as the more phonetic Lawhead. Some instances of the name being spelled Laughead are on my grandmother’s birth certificate and my Great Uncle Jim’s middle name.

A quick search on the internet has provided virtually no meanings or crests for the name Lawhead/Laughead. It is actually quite funny when landing on the meaningofnames.com website, they have posted “the meaning of Laughead has not been submitted”. So what’s a girl to do? I have deduced that Laughead is probably related to the Irish Loughead or the Scottish Lochhead and left it at that for present.

Marriage record of Joseph Laughead & Cassandria Harden, 1838, Belmont County, Ohio

I lose the trail of this family pretty early in the 1800s. The last Laughead I have is Joseph, my grandmother Gladys’s great grandfather. According to census records, he was born about 1817 in Pennsylvania. In 1838, he makes his first appearance in written records on his marriage certificate in Belmont County, Ohio. Coincidently, the surname is spelled Laughead. There are several other Laugheads and Lawheads living in this region of Ohio at that time as well. I seem to keep circling around them trying to figure out how they all fit together.

1850 Census Seneca, Belmont County, Ohio for the family of Joseph Lawhead

On the 1850 census, Joseph, Cassandria and their 5 children lived in Seneca, Guernsey County, Ohio. Enumerated with the household is an older woman named Basheba Lawhead. She was aged 60 years and was also born in Pennsylvania. Because of her age, I have always gone under the assumption that Basheba was possibly Joseph’s mother. I have yet to find any evidence of this, either way.

Joseph and his family moved further west and settled in Greene County, Indiana for a time. Along the way, another family of Lawheads always seemed to be around. This family had a son Elijah G. Laughead who was about the same age as my James Henry Lawhead. In 1860, both young men worked as farm hands for the family of William McNabb. Elijah eventually married Mr. McNabb’s neice, Mariah. And many years later, one of Elijah’s daughters married James Henry’s oldest son. I have always felt that there is a familial relationship between Elijah and James beyond being in-laws, perhaps they were first cousins. And just to let you know, Elijah’s name was spelled Laughead on his gravestone.