Thursday, June 30, 2011

Alice Watson Marries John Young

After doing a lot of reading on the Watson, Walton, Livezey, Roberts families in and around the locations where our Watson line lived (again the main purpose was to identify Rebecca's father), I realize not all of the Watson's continued to follow the Friends (those are the lines that are easier to document). I still don't have all of Isaac's siblings' families, but I was able to link Alice to a very influencial Methodist Minister and Elder, John M. Young.

Rootsweb, Ancestry.com didn't have a "tree" linking Alice up to father William Watson, and there were no posted "trees" identifying Alice Watson Young to our line--there is now.

From the Lycoming Gazette 25 Mar 1829
John Young to Miss Alice Watson of Muncy Creek Twp. on Thursday last by Rev. John Thomas (the Methodist minister who marries brother Isaac W. Watson/Rebecca Roberts and logically Rebecca's sister Eliza Roberts/Frederic Boone.)
(Lycoming Gazette 10 May 1826-10 May 1936, on line, contributed by Paula Radwanski)

John marries Alice when she is eighteen years of age and the following year they move to Ohio, and from Ohio to Page County, Iowa (1859)--the 1850 Census shows them in Wayne Indiana. The 1860 Census has the residence as Nebraska City. In 1863 they settle near Salt Creek--the future Lincoln, Nebraska. (The original intention of Lincoln was for the establishment of a church colony). John is considered a founder of Lincoln, Nebraska.

John became a Methodist minister in 1829--that would be about the same time as his marriage to Alice. He was President of the Ohio Methodist Annual Conference for several years and President of the Nebraska and Iowa Conferences for about 20 years.

The various Census' identifies children as John, Hannah, George, Isaac, James, Lemuel, Levi, and William.

For more information check out the History of the City of Lincoln, Nebraska, A.B. Hayes and Sam D. Cox, 1889, p.74, 75--the book is online through Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest.

George Roberts, father of Rebecca Roberts

George Roberts appears to be the father of our Rebecca Roberts (1810-1859. The 1810 and 1820 census shows George Roberts in Muncy, Lycoming, Pennsylvania and the 1830 Fairfield Twp., Lycoming census shows Isaac W. Watson (and Rebecca) living near him, Peter Roberts and George A. Roberts.

There are tons of Roberts in the area, but very few Roberts lines have a George Roberts...I'm sorting through all the books eliminating family lines....but it looks like our George Roberts would be the one mentioned in the Lycoming County book.

John Else works for George Roberts. John Else marries a Mary Ann Roberts. It would be a logical conclusion that Mary Ann Roberts would be the landowner’s daughter. These are first settlers of the area.

The Lycoming Gazette references a 25 Jan 1832 marriage of Eliza Roberts, daughter of George Roberts of Fairfield Township to Frederic Boone of Mifflin Twp, by Rev. Thomas---Rev. John Thomas (a methodist minister) also married Isaac W. Watson and Rebecca Watson. The History of Lycoming County book by Meginness states George Roberts as a trustee for the early Methodist church.

George Roberts
Rebecca Roberts (1810-1859) m 1829 Isaac W. Watson by Rev. John Thomas
George A. Roberts (abt.1805)
Peter Roberts
Mary Ann Roberts
Eliza Roberts m 1832 Frederic Boone by Rev. Thomas

It's apparent as you read the next story on Isaac's sister Alice, that the connection is even stronger…

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