Name:                     William MACHLAN

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Birth:                      1800                       Lycoming Co., PA

Death:                     28 Jul 1833              Rush Co., Indiana

Father:                     John MACHLAN (-1839)

Mother:                   Hester UPDEGRAFT (1770-1814)

 

John MACHLAN (? 1735 - Aug 1780) & Rebecca HEWS (? 1735 - aft 1780)

    John MACHLAN (1763 - 17 Nov 1839) & Hester UPDEGRAFT (1770 - 1814)

        William MACHLAN (1800 - 28 Jul 1833) & Elizabeth STITES (Jun 1808 – Mar 1860)

            George Washington MACHLAN (13 Nov 1832 - 25 May 1912) & Elizabeth Ellen MANN (1836 - 1906)

                Joshua Newton MACHLAN (17 Oct 1859 - 8 May 1936) & Mary Ellen ARNEY (1861 - 1935)

                    Linnie Ellen MACHLAN (30 Sep 1884 - 7 May 1974) & Everett Elmer WALKER (1882 - 1948)

                        Elsie Maureen WALKER (20 Nov 1903 - 12 Mar 1983) & Leo Newton COFFEY (1901 - 1998)

                            Fred Coffey

 

Misc. Notes

See notes with his father. William died young, and we have found little info outside of his greater family connections.

 

1830 CENSUS, RUSH COUNTY, IN:

Details on William from this census are reported in the file for his father, in the context of the larger family. However of particular interest is that there are two unidentified children in William’s family in the 5-9 age group. There are various possible explanations, such as taking in children from other family members. But it does raise the question whether William and Elizabeth had additional children we have not identified, who perhaps were taken in by another family member after the death of William?

 

Name:                   Elizabeth STITES

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Birth:                     Jun 1808               Lawrenceburg, Dearborn, Indiana Territory

Death:                    Mar 1860              Probably Clark County, IL

Father:                   Stephen STITES (1772-1845)

Mother:                 Johannah WEAVER (1788-)

 

Misc. Notes

While we know little about William, we can find far more about his wife Elizabeth (Stites) Machlan after his death:

 

Although there are some concerns, I have reported her dates and parents per the above. Discussion follows:

 

STITES FAMILY – PARENTS OF ELIZABETH:

1810 U.S. CENSUS RECONSTRUCTED RECORDS:

Stephen Stites is listed for Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, Indiana Territory, as “Name on list of electors of election held 3 April 1809”. He is also listed for Dearborn County as “Name on petition 22 Jan 1811 to Congress by inhabitants of Dearborn, Franklin, & Wayne Counties, the latter two of which were recently formed from the north end of Dearborn County”. (Note Lawrenceburg in on the Ohio River, right against the Hamilton County Ohio border.)

 

WAR OF 1812 SERVICE RECORDS:

Stephen Stites is listed as a private, 2 Regiment (Cotgreave’s), Ohio Militia.

 

1820 CENSUS, OHIO:

Can’t find Stephen Stites in the 1820 census. But Stites family genealogies indicate that Stephen has roots in Hamilton County, Ohio. And there are 48 people in 6 Stites families in Hamilton and Butler counties.

 

1830 CENSUS, RUSH COUNTY, IN:

The 1830 Rush County, IN, census shows a Stephen Stites (indexed as States) only 3 lines below William McLin (Machlan) and his wife Elizabeth Stites. Stephen and his wife have 7 children under age 20. I think it highly likely that this Stephen is also the father of Elizabeth Stites. Also in the county is an Alfred Stites (indexed as Sliter), who I believe is Stephen’s son.

 

There are quite a few “Stites” genealogies for future investigation. The Stites come from New Jersey and New York origins.

 

1835 SECOND MARRIAGE:

I found a family tree for William SELBY (born 9 Jun 1791 in Maryland, died 7 Apr 1844 in Indiana) showing that he married Elizabeth MACHLAN after the death of her first husband William, and after the death of SELBY’s first wife Priscilla (TOWNSEND), who died 11 Jul 1835.

 

William SELBY and Elizabeth were married 17 Sep 1835, and Elizabeth’s three MACHLAN kids instantly had 12 stepsiblings. (William’s previous children were Lorinda A. (1811), Martisha (1813), Minerva (1815), Chervoisedy (1818), Drucilla (1820, Narcity (1820), Hezekiah (1822), Silvester (1824), Elizabeth Annis (1826), Priscilla (1831), William (1831), and Mary Ann (1832).)

 

William SELBY and Elizabeth had 5 children of their own: Joshua Jackson (1836), Elizabeth Jane (1837), Jehannah (1839), Catherine (1841), and Martha Rachel (1843).

 

1837 LAND PATENT:

On 15 Mar 1837 Elizabeth Machlan is granted two Land Patents in Rush County. One is 40 acres, and the other is 58 acres. (She is re-married to William Selby by this time, but presumably the application had been filed before that marriage?)

 

1840 CENSUS, INDIANA, ORANGE TWP., RUSH COUNTY:

Found the census for Wm. SELBY. The head count is consistent with the above merged families, including our ancestor George Washington MACHLAN. One exception is that there is a male age 20-30 that doesn’t fit - however with a wife and 9 kids to support, William probably needed a farm hand?

 

THIRD MARRIAGE:

William SELBY died in 1844. And a neighbor, Randolph LEE, lost his wife in 1846. Then some time before 1850 Elizabeth (STITES) (MACHLAN) (SELBY) married Randolph LEE. Randolph brought his own children into the picture - Randolph Jr. (1824), Elizabeth Susan (1826), John W. (1834), Peter H. (1837), and Martha A. (1841).

 

1850 CENSUS, INDIANA, RUSH COUNTY, 97TH DISTRICT, PAGE 202:

This census confirms the above multi-family mergers. Randolph LEE age 48 and his wife Elizabeth head the family. She is age 47, reported as born in Indiana (see earlier discussion). There are three “Lee” children, William 16, Peter 13 and Martha 9. There is Homer L Macklin age 19, and then our ancestor “Geo W Macklin” age 17 -- the two Machlan’s are listed as “farmers” but have attended school within the past year. Finally, there are four of Elizabeth’s children with the last name “Selby” -- Joshua age 14, Eliza age 12, Katherine age 9, and Rachel age 7. (Daughter Jehannah SELBY, who should have been age 11, is missing - presume she died young?)

 

Note Elizabeth’s daughter Sarah (Machlan) is found in the same census a few pages earlier with her husband Isom Brown, and their new son William.

 

ELIZABETH’S DEATH IN 1860?

There is find-a-grave for Elizabeth Stites Lee for Black Cemetery, Marshall, Clark County, IL. Reports born Jun 1808 died Mar 1860, inscription “51y 9m 15 d, w/o Randolph. Also in that cemetery are three of Randolph’s children, Elizabeth Susan Lee Garner (1826-1906), Malinda J Lee Barlow (1831-1901), and John William Lee (1834-1872). (I wish there was a photo of her tombstone – I’m uncomfortable with some of the dates.)

 

Randolph himself is reported by find-a-grave as buried in Livingston Cemetery, about 6 miles (as a crow flies) from Black Cemetery. Dates Oct 23, 1801 in Fleming County, KY, to Jan 7 1876 in Clark County. This is the cemetery where his third wife Elizabeth, wife of James Weaver, is buried.

 

 

1860 CENSUS:

I can’t find the Randolph LEE family. However the above Isom Brown / Sarah Machlan Brown family are in Wabash Twp., Clark Co., IL. So also is Peter Lee, a son of Randolph. This is a strong suggestion that Randolph Lee had also moved to this same area by 1860?

 

1870 CENSUS, WABASH TWP., CLARK CO., ILLINOIS:

Randolph LEE was reported on an ancestry.com family tree as having died in 1876 in this township, so this Randolph Lee from the 1870 census is almost certainly the right person. (The Clark County Herald for 12 January 1876, reports he “died on Friday night last of consumption”.)

 

The census shows Randolph Lee, age 64, living with Elizabeth Lee, age 63. He is reported as born in KY, and she in VA. Living at home is a “James LEE”, age 22, who would have therefore been born about 1848. CAUTION: THIS Elizabeth is Elizabeth Sears Weaver, Randolph’s THIRD wife. And James LEE is almost certainly James Newton Weaver, 14 Apr 1848- 6 Jul 1912, son of James Weaver 1809-1857 and Elizabeth Sears.

 

1880 CENSUS, WABASH TWP., CLARK CO., ILLINOIS:

In the same township as the 1870 census, with some of the same neighbors, we again find “Elizabeth LEE” (that would be Randolph’s third wife) living alone, age 70, born in Virginia. This is almost certainly the same person. (And it suggests that her reporting of age is unreliable, since she only aged 7 years since 1870!)

 

Children

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William MACHLAN (1800 - 28 Jul 1833) & Elizabeth STITES (1803 - aft 1880)

    Sarah T. MACHLAN (1 Jul 1829 - 7 Jan 1906) & Isom Payne BROWN

    Homer Thomas MACHLAN (24 Mar 1831 – 11 Aug 1898) & Catherine Mary GLOVER (1832 – 1920)

    George Washington MACHLAN (13 Nov 1832 - 25 May 1912) & Elizabeth Ellen MANN (21 Mar 1836 - 14 Dec 1906)

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