James WAITS is my 5th great grandfather. In other words, he’s my grandfather’s grandfather’s great grandfather!

James was born in Berkeley County, Virginia (which is now West Virginia).  His tombstone says he was born in 1760, but a deposition that I read in his Revolutionary [...]]]>

James WAITS is my 5th great grandfather. In other words, he’s my grandfather’s grandfather’s great grandfather!

James was born in Berkeley County, Virginia (which is now West Virginia).  His tombstone says he was born in 1760, but a deposition that I read in his Revolutionary War Pension file says that he was born in March of 1762.

In May 1777 when James was 17, he joined the American Revolution.  He enlisted in the militia of Washington County, Pennsylvania and served six months under the command of Colonel Springer.  During this time, he was “engaged in several skirmishes with the Indians at Garrets Fort and on the waters of Whitely.”  He served again in 1778 out of Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

James applied for his pension in April 1833 and was eventually awarded a pension in March 1834 in the amount of $54.65 per year for his service in the War of Independence.

In 1781, he married Margaret Livengood in Washington County, Pennsylvania.  She was born 3 Sep 1763 in Greene County, Pennsylvania.  I don’t yet know who her parents were.  James and Margaret raised eleven children and were married for 74 years.  Neither knew how to read or write and signed papers with an X, known as their “marks.”  Although they didn’t write out their names, their marks are definitely unique.  James wrote his as an “and” sign like I use.  Margaret used an X with swirly tips.

James WAITS signature, aka: "his mark"

Margaret Waits signature (aka: "her mark")

In 1782, James volunteered for military service again.  This time, he fought in Sandusky.

In 1799, James and Margaret moved to Clermont County, Ohio along with his brother Charles who was also in the Revolutionary War.  According to an article in the Clermont Courier, (July 1, 1885), James lived in Williamsburg and was always out for the Fourth of July celebrations.

In 1838, he is listed as owning 118 acres in Sterling Township, Brown County, Ohio.  Nearby, were his brother Charles as well as James’ sons Charles (my 4th great grandfather) and Jacob.

James and Margaret lived in Sterling, Brown, Ohio for the remainder of their lives.  James died on March 2, 1855 at the age of 95.  He is buried at Taylor Chapel Cemetery in Sterling, Brown, Ohio.  Section 1, Row 5, Grave 9.

After the death of her husband, Margaret filed for her widow’s pension at the age of 92.  She died the following year on July 14, 1856.  I’m not sure where she is buried.

I’d like to take a trip to Ohio soon, so I can visit his grave and find hers.  Also, there is a book at the Batavia library in Clermont County that apparently has a wealth of information about James and his brother Charles as well as their families.

I’d also like to thank Footnote.com for blessing me with 58 pages of his pension file!  Without them, who knows how long it would have taken me to see his X. It’s a remarkable experience to see an image that he touched so many years ago.  Thank you!

My 2nd great grandfather William H WAITS’ card was especially interesting because it mentioned his wife Elve’s first husband John PITT.

All I’ve been [...]]]>

I thought I’d check out Footnote.com today for something different.  Within 5 minutes, I located Civil War pension cards for several of my ancestors!

My 2nd great grandfather William H WAITS’ card was especially interesting because it mentioned his wife Elve’s first husband John PITT.

All I’ve been able to find on John PITT so far, was that he was married to Elve and was the father of Samuel M PITT. No census information, no date of birth, death, or burial information.  And yet here he is mentioned on WH’s pension card!  Apparently, he served during the Civil War in Co K 58th Indiana Infantry.

Naturally, I immediately looked his card up to see what other information they had on him!

Here it is!  But… I don’t get it.  It looks to me like he died Feb 1, 1928.  Could that be right?  I guess I’ve always assumed that she was a widow when she met William.  But if he was still living, then why would William be listed on his card?  There’s nothing filled in about his widow, and I’m not sure what the 1st line of remarks means, other than 718192 matches William’s certificate number.  It looks like he filed for benefits on Dec 7, 1885 five years before William did.

Can anyone shed some light on this?  I don’t get it.

Yesterday, I was drawn to my WAITS ancestors in Ohio and thought I would look through all of the records in www.findagrave.com that listed WAITS in Brown County, Ohio.  It sorts them according to the name of the cemetery and I was almost immediately rewarded with [...]]]>

Yesterday, I was drawn to my WAITS ancestors in Ohio and thought I would look through all of the records in www.findagrave.com that listed WAITS in Brown County, Ohio.  It sorts them according to the name of the cemetery and I was almost immediately rewarded with a hit in the Batavia Cemetery.  Here is a picture of the headstone of my g-g-g-uncle William C Waits and his wife Elizabeth L Leopold, courtesy of Kevin Guy; Civil War enthusiast and Find A Grave volunteer. 

You may remember William C WAITS from this post [Photo Find! James G WAITS].  I told you about how they both fought in the Civil War.  My g-g-g-grandfather James survived, his brother William did not.  Previous information led me to believe that William died in an Army Hospital in Winchester VA, so the inscription “burried on battlefield” came as a surprise to me!  So I decided to do a little digging and see if I could uncover the truth about his death.

According to this letter, William C was last heard from 4 Jul 1862 when he wrote his wife from the hospital at Winchester VA.  I wonder what the letter to his wife said… what are the chances that it’s still around?

This is an excerpt from a letter written "December the 15th, 1862" from William and James' father Charles Waits to their brother Reason Waits. I don't know where the original is. This was given to me by my cousin, and is on page 5 of 24. Almost all letters are written to Reason Waits. I would love to see originals and/or the responses to these letters so we can paint a clearer picture of the discussions.

According to this book, he was reported absent after being sick in Cumberland MD.

The main source for this roster is the: Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866. Vol. V., 54th-69th Regiments - Infantry. Akron, Ohio: The Werner Ptg. and Mfg. Co., 1887.

Yet another search on Ancestry.com uncovered this listing:

So I guess I don’t really know why his headstone says that he was buried on the battlefield since he apparently died of disease in Cumberland MD.  From what I’ve read about the conditions the soldiers of the 60th Ohio Infantry had to endure… forced marches… low supplies… that could have something to do with it.  I also read that some succumbed to childhood diseases that they hadn’t been exposed to when they were younger.  Either I read about someone having the mumps or I dreamed about it last night… foggy now.  Hm. 

Where did they bury people who died in an Army hospital back then?  I searched on the internet for a couple of hours before deciding that I better just post this. 

The Clarysville Inn near Cumberland was used as a military hospital during the time that William was hospitalized.  They had a nearby graveyard, but those graves were moved to The Antietam Cemetery.  But The Antietam Cemetery has their records online and he isn’t listed there.  Hm.  Maybe a helpful reader or long lost relative will help me figure that one out.

What I do know is that he left behind a family who loved him; a wife and at least three young children, along with his elderly father and 11 brothers and sisters.

Thank you for your service, William Christopher Waits.  Rest in Peace, wherever you are.

I’ve emailed the owner of the tree that I found him in to see if I [...]]]>

I may have found a photo of my great-great-great-grandfather on Ancestry.com today!  That would be Fred Wait’s grandfather!  Wow!

I’ve emailed the owner of the tree that I found him in to see if I can get a copy of the photo to share with you.  She also has a picture of Fred’s uncle James Turner Waits where you can totally see his resemblance to William Henry (Grandpa Fred’s dad… pictured here!).

James G Waits

James G Waits fought in the Civil War

• 16 Sep 1862 – Enlisted in Company K, Ohio 79th Infantry Regiment
• 29 Sep 1862 – Enlisted in Company 4th Indpt, Ohio 4th Sharp Shooter Company
• 25 Apr 1863 – Mustered Out

James’ brother William Christopher Waits also fought in the Civil War.

• 27 Dec 1861 – Enlisted in Company B, Ohio 60th Regiment
• 8 Jul 1862 – Died in an Army hospital in Winchester, Virginia.

I wonder what it must have been like for James.  Did he know that his brother had passed?  Were they serving anywhere near each other?  My g-g-grandfather William was James’ first born son… is he William Christopher’s namesake? 

It looks like I’ll need to do a little research on the Civil War and its battles.  It would be nice to see a visual map of where they served or what battles they were in.