Holmes County – Our Casbon Journey

Digging into the Aylesworth Story

April 13, 2020April 15, 2020 adminLeave a comment

My last post introduced the Aylesworth family and described the two marriages that tied the Casbon and Aylesworth names together: Sylvester Casbon and Mary Adaline Aylesworth, married in 1860, and Amos Casbon and Carrie Belle Aylesworth, married in 1900. Today I delve more deeply into the history of the Aylesworth family and how their story converged with that of the Casbon family.

I refer once again to the diagram I introduced in the last post, showing how the Aylesworths of Porter County, Indiana, descended from Arthur¹ Aylworth, the original immigrant from England. The superscript numbers in the chart (“Arthur¹”) represent the respective generations of each person. In order to minimize confusion, I am using generation numbers corresponding to those in the diagram throughout the post.

Descendancy chart of the Aylesworth family, beginning with the original immigrant, Arthur¹ Aylworth and ending with Carrie Belle⁹ and Mary Adaline⁷ Aylesworth in their respective branches (Click on image to enlarge)

First, let me say a few words about spelling. In the diagram, I’ve followed the spelling conventions used in the Aylesworth Family genealogy, using the Aylworth spelling for the first five generations and Aylesworth for later generations.^[1] In fact, as was typical of the times, many different spellings are found in records, each spelling being determined arbitrarily by whomever made the entry in a given record. Thus, we see Aleworth, Aylsworth, Aulsworth, and Elsworth, among many others. Today’s Aylesworth spelling became fixed sometime in the 19^th century. That said, the editors of History of Porter County spelled the name as Ellsworth when the book was published in 1912.^[2]

It is unknown when Arthur¹ Aylworth, the original immigrant from England, arrived in the New World. However, it must have been sometime before 29 July 1679, because on that date his name appears on a list of signatures in a petition from the inhabitants of Narragansett country [Rhode Island] to King Charles II of England.

Arthur¹ Aylesworth’s name, seen in this detail from “Copy of a Petition of the Inhabitants of Narragansett Country, King’s Province, to King Charles II,” 29 Jul 1679; Yale University Library, Digital Collections (http://findit.library.yale.edu/catalog/digcoll:1018481) (Click on image to enlarge)

Arthur¹ settled in an area known as Quidnessett, now part of North Kingston Township in Washington County, Rhode Island.^[3] His son Arthur² lived in what is now West Greenwich Township.^[4] Philip³, grandson of the first Arthur, moved to Coventry Township in about 1745.^[5] His son, Philip⁴ Jr., left Coventry and lived in Pownal, Vermont, for several years before migrating to Milford, Otsego County, New York.^[6] John⁵ Aylworth, the common ancestor of Mary Adaline⁷ and Carrie Belle⁹ Aylesworth, was born in Rhode Island. Like his father, he ended up in Milford, New York, where he died in about 1810.^[7]

Elizabeth (Humphrey) Aylesworth, the widow of John⁵, and two of her adult sons, Ira⁶ and Philip⁶, moved from New York to Ohio, beginning in about 1815. We are told that Elizabeth, with her children, moved to “Ashland or Wayne Co., Ohio, or perhaps near the line dividing these two counties, where she died.”^[8] Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any trace of Elizabeth in Ohio records. She does not appear in census, marriage, or death records. However, both Ira⁶ and Philip⁶can be found in the 1820 Ohio census of Wayne County, living in Pike and Mohican Townships, respectively. Giles⁶, the younger brother of Ira and Philip, does not appear in the census until 1840, when he was living in Prairie Township, Holmes County (immediately south of Wayne County).^[9]

Giles⁶ was the first member of the family to move to Indiana. We are told that in the autumn of 1842 he “moved here [Porter County, Indiana] with his wife and 5 children. He brought 2 wagons, household goods, various tools, grub hoe, axe and musket. Sealed in a false bottom of a dinner bucket was $2,000 in gold with which he bought the farm.”^[10] His daughter Mary Adaline⁷, having been born in April 1842, must have been only a few months old when the family made the move. Giles’s⁶ brother Philip⁶ bought a 160-acre tract of land in Porter County in 1842, but he never moved to Indiana. Instead, he sold the land to his son Ira B.⁷ Aylesworth, who came to Porter County in 1845.^[11]

Detail from a map of the northeastern United States, showing the locations associated with the Aylesworth
family, beginning with Arthur¹and ending with Giles’s⁶ and Ira B.⁷; approximate locations: 1. Quidnessett,
Rhode Island; 2. Pownal, Vermont; 3. Milford, New York; 4. Wayne County, Ohio; 5. Porter County, Indiana;
adapted from A.K. Johnston, “Map of part of North America to illustrate the naval and military
events of 1812-13-14,” (London: William Blackwood & Son, 1852); David Rumsey Map Collection (https://www.davidrumsey.com/)

Thomas Casbon arrived in Wayne County, Ohio, from England in 1846, and later moved to Holmes County. Presumably, Thomas and his family met members of the Aylesworth family who were still living in Ohio. After Thomas’s son Sylvester completed his education, he “taught one term at Mt. Ollie [sic. Olive], Ohio. Then acting under the persuasion of a friend Mr. Ellsworth [my emphasis], who had settled in Porter County, Indiana, and also from his own wish to locate further west, Mr. Casbon came to this [Porter] county in 1859 and began teaching in what was known as the Ellsworth school, which he conducted successfully for three terms.”

The identity of “Mr. Ellsworth” is unknown to me. It seems unlikely that he would have been either Giles⁶or Ira B.⁷ Aylesworth, since they had already been living in Indiana for many years. It seems more likely that he would have been a contemporary who grew up with Sylvester in Ohio and then later moved to Porter County. Two likely candidates are the brothers Elias⁸ and Sylvenus⁸ Aylesworth, who were nephews of Ira B.⁷ Aylesworth. They were born in 1834 and 1836, respectively,^[12] and moved to Porter County from Wayne County, Ohio, sometime between the 1850 and 1860 censuses.

The exact identity and location of the “Ellsworth school” is also unknown to me, but my best guess is that it was located near the north line of Section 9 in Boone Township, near what is now the intersection of S 225 W and W 700 S. An 1875 plat map of the township (the oldest available to me) shows a school at that location on land owned by Ira B.⁷ Aylesworth.

Detail from a plat map of Boone Township, Porter County, Indiana, 1875, showing location of the district 1 school (circled) and outline of lands owned by Giles and Ira B. Aylesworth at the time; from “Boone Township Maps,” Porter County Indiana (GenWeb), http://www.inportercounty.org/Data/Maps/BooneTownshipMaps.html (Click on image to enlarge)

Sylvester Casbon would have been teaching at this school when he met his bride-to-be, Mary Adaline⁷Aylesworth. It is even possible that he was living in one of the Aylesworth households at the time.

Amos Casbon was only two years old when arrived in Porter County directly from England (via New York City) in early 1871. I don’t know how or when Amos and Carrie Belle⁹ Aylesworth met and began their courtship. Amos had a hard life in his early years, especially after his father, James, died in 1884. He probably worked on several farms during this time and might have met Carrie Belle in the course of his work.

How does all of this pertain to Our Casbon Journey? Well, I guess the point is that family history doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Even though the emphasis of this blog is on the history of the Casbon family, that history is affected at every point by the histories of other families. Perhaps, in knowing how we are connected through our ancestors, we can achieve a greater sense of connection with our living, but more distant, relatives. The fact that descendants of both Sylvester and Amos Casbon—now third, fourth, and fifth cousins, once removed—share a connection through the Aylesworth family gives us one more thing in common and hopefully binds us more closely together.

[1] Howard Aylesworth, Aylesworth Family, 2d ed., updated and reprinted by Joyce Knauff, et al. (Privately printed, 1984).
[2] History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People and its Principal Interests (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1912).
[3] Homer Elhanan Aylsworth, Arthur Aylsworth and His Descendents in America (Providence, R.I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Co., 1887), p. 36; online image, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/arthuraylsworthh00ayls : accessed 1 January 2019).
[4] Arthur Aylsworth and His Descendants, p. 42.
[5] Arthur Aylsworth and His Descendants, p. 50.
[6] Arthur Aylsworth and His Descendants, p. 71.
[7] Arthur Aylsworth and His Descendants, p. 112.
[8] Arthur Aylsworth and His Descendants, p. 112.
[9] 1840 U.S. census. Holmes County, Ohio, Prairie Township, p. 228, line 10 (FamilySearch)
[10] “Transcribed Biography of Aylesworth,” Porter County, Indiana (GenWeb) (http://www.inportercounty.org/Data/Biographies/Aylesworth45.html : accessed 1 January 2018); citing Mrs. John C Aylesworth, “Aylesworth Family of Porter County,” in American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County, A Biographical History of Porter County, Indiana (Valparaiso, Indiana: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County, Inc., 1976), p. 76.
[11] “Transcribed Biography of Aylesworth.”
[12] Arthur Aylsworth and His Descendants, p. 431.

Children of Thomas Casbon (1803–1888): Charles Thomas

June 6, 2017April 15, 2020 admin2 Comments

Charles Thomas Casbon was the third surviving child and second surviving son of Thomas and and Emma (Scruby) Casbon. He is the first Casbon family member in my records to bear the name Charles. Like his brother Sylvester, his life is relatively well documented, thanks both to his long life and his biography, published in History of Porter County, Indiana (1912).[1]

Here is an image of Charles’ baptismal record of December 20, 1840.[2]

Detail from Meldreth (Cambridgeshire) parish register, baptisms 1840. (Click on image to enlarge)

The biography says this about Charles’ earliest days:

Mr. Casbon was born November 6, 1840, in Cambridgeshire, England, twenty-two miles from London, the son of an English farmer, Thomas Casbon and wife, Emma (Scruby) Casbon. When the son was five years old his father determined to bring his family to America, which was then a land of opportunities and almost undeveloped resources.[3]

To my modern eyes the description of Charles’ father Thomas as “an English farmer” overstates Thomas’ social standing in England, and diminishes the social and economic conditions that must have influenced his decision to leave England. In fact, Thomas was described in the census as an Agricultural Labourer.[4] As such, he would have been a wage earner and low in the social order; he did not own land and did not have the right to vote.[5],[6]

Being only 5 years old when he left England, Charles probably had only dim memories of his life there. He came of age while the family was living in Ohio. The History of Porter County, with a mix of fact and fabrication, tells us,

Throughout the years of his boyhood Charles Casbon was familiar with that old and trusted periodical journal, the New York Tribune, which regularly found its way to the home and was read more or less by all members of the household. Its great editor of the time, Horace Greeley, the author of the exhortation, “Go west, young man, and grow up with the country,” frequently wrote and edited the news with that sentence as his text.

It was partly with the inspiration derived from the Tribune, and also from the spirit of pioneering which had possessed his father before him, that caused Charles Casbon on arriving at his majority to start for the west. In company with a friend, George Bittner, in March, 1862, he arrived at Valparaiso, a small place at that time, where he paused in his journey and in this vicinity has remained ever since, to his own profit and to the benefit of the community.[7]

In this rosy description, the facts that are most likely accurate are the name of his travel companion and the approximate date of his travel to Indiana (see “Why Indiana?”). The author/editor of the biography likely embellished the story to make it more interesting for readers.

We are told that “on December 31, 1868, he returned to his Ohio home and there married Miss Mary E. [Mc]Marrell, who has been his companion on the road of life for nearly forty-five years.”[8]

Marriage record of Charles and Mary McMarrell, Holmes County, Ohio, 30 December, 1868.[9]
(Click on image to enlarge)

Mary was 4 years Charles’ junior. They grew up on nearby farms, both being listed in Washington Township, Holmes County, Ohio, in the 1860 census.[10],[11] Were they sweethearts before he left for Indiana in 1862, Charles age 21 and Mary 17, or did they become close on subsequent family visits to Ohio? Before his marriage, Charles “worked among the farmers, then rented a farm and cultivated it on shares.”[12] After returning to Indiana with his bride,

Mr. Casbon bought a little farm of forty acres, paying a hundred and fifty dollars in cash and going in debt for the remainder. A little log cabin and a pole stable constituted the chief improvements, and in this humble home the young people, with willing industry and the hope and enthusiasm characteristic of youth, began their career in Porter county.[13]

This land purchase was probably the one recorded January 13, 1871, in which Charles bought the SW ¼ of the SW ¼ of Section 13, Township 34, range 6 from his father Thomas for $1,000.[14] Charles’ small farm can be seen in this 1876 plat map of Porter township.[15]

Detail from 1876 plat map of Porter township, Porter county, Indiana,
showing property belonging to Thomas, Charles, and Jesse Casbon.
(Click on image to enlarge)

“Four children were born to them: Lillie, who died at the age of one year, Lodema, Sina and Lawrence.”[16] We have met Lawrence and Sina previously in this blog (see “Lawrence J Goes Transcontinental” and “Cousins”). Lillie May was born in 1870 and died September 9, 1871. [17] Lodema Evaline was born October 24, 1871; Sina Jane, March 27, 1873; and Lawrence John August 26, 1875.[18],[19],[20]

Family portrait, probably taken mid- to late 1890s. Front, L to R: Charles & Mary;
Back, L to R: Lodema, Lawrence, and Sina. Photo courtesy of Ron Casbon.
(Click on image to enlarge)

Charles continued to expand his landholdings, apparently doing well enough at farming that he was able to retire and move into town (Valparaiso) in 1903.[21]

The History of Porter County includes this lovely detail about Mary’s travels:

From August to October [year not given] Mrs. Casbon visited the beautiful scenery of Yellowstone Park, also San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Catalina Island, then Camp Meeker, Seattle, Washington, Spokane Falls, Salt Lake City (where she visited the great Mormon Temple) and finally Denver, Colorado.[22]

One wonders why Charles did not accompany her. Perhaps his health did not allow it at this point in his life. Charles biography also gives us this photograph of Charles and Mary (and probably Sina) in front of their Valparaiso home at 203 Monroe Street.[23]

L to R: Mary, Charles, and (probably) Sina, about 1912. The original home is no longer standing.
(Click on image to enlarge)

The final words about Charles in the Porter County history are these:

Though always a busy man during his residence in the country, he had the welfare of the community at heart, and for a number of years filled the office of supervisor of his township. In politics he is a Democrat, and takes a broad-minded view of the social and political problems both at home and at the nation at large. He and his wife are members and liberal supporters of the Christian church of Valparaiso.[24]

Charles passed away in Valparaiso October 26, 1915 at the age of 74.[25] Mary survived him by another 12 years, passing away February 26, 1928 at the age of 83.[26] Both are buried at Maplewood Cemetery, in Valparaiso. Their only living descendants are through their daughter Lodema, who married Hiram Church in 1890.[27]

[1] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” History of Porter County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1912), 2: pp. 459–61; online image, Hathi Trust Digital Library (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89067919191;view=1up;seq=115 : accessed 6 June 2017).
[2] “Parish registers for Meldreth (Cambridgeshire), 1681-1877,” Baptisms 1813-67, p. 54, Thomas Charles Casbon, 20 Dec 1840; digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/210742?availability=Family%20History%20Library : accessed 28 April 2017); citing Family HIstory Library (FHL) microfilm 1,040,542, item 5. (image viewable when using the site at a family history center)
[3] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” 2: p. 459.
[4] “England and Wales Census, 1841,” database with images, findmypast (http://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbc%2f1841%2f0063%2f0285&parentid=gbc%2f1841%2f0000942060&highlights=%22%22 : accessed 13 May 2016), entry for Thomas Casbon (age 35), Meldreth, Cambridgeshire; citing The National Archives, HO 107, piece 63, book 18, folio 4, p. 3, lines 21-5.
[5] “Agriculture and the Labourer,” Cambridgeshire History (http://www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/People/agriculturallabourers.html : accessed 5 January 2017).
[6] “Elections in the United Kingdom,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_the_United_Kingdom#History : accessed 6 June 2017), rev. 20 May 17, 23:15.
[7] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” 2: p. 460.
[8] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” 2: p. 460.
[9] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BJ95-ZK?i=34&cc=1614804 : accessed 21 July 2016), Charles Casbon & Mary E. McMarrell, 30 Dec 1868; citing Holmes County Courthouse, “Marriage Record No. 5, p. 5.
[10] 1860 U.S. census, Holmes County, Ohio, population schedule, Washington township, p. 223, dwelling 1524, family 1526, Thomas Casbon; image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BSH-967D?cc=1473181&wc=7QGH-1SP%3A1589432777%2C1589423732%2C1589422406 : accessed 23 October 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
[11] 1860 U.S. census, Holmes County, Ohio, population schedule, Washington township, pp. 225–6, dwelling 1569, family 1571, Laurence McMurrell; image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BSH-9DR5?cc=1473181&wc=7QGH-1SP%3A1589432777%2C1589423732%2C1589422406 : accessed 22 August 2016).
[12] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” 2: p. 460.
[13] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” 2: p. 460.
[14] Porter, Indiana “Deed Index 5 Grantor, Jul 1868–Feb 1876” Casbon Thos to Casbon Chas., 13 Jan 1871; FHL microfilm 1,703,896; citing Recorder’s Office, Porter, Indiana.
[15] “Porter,” Illustrated historical atlas of Porter County, Indiana (Valparaiso, Ind. : A.G. Hardesty, 1876), p. 39; online image, Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4093pm.gla00036/?sp=28 : accessed 19 August 2016).
[16] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” 2: p. 460.
[17] “Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVV-2HRN : accessed 22 August 2016), Lillie May Casbon, 1871; Burial, , Porter, Indiana, United States of America, Merriman Cemetery; citing record ID 19252732, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
[18] “Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011,” Valparaiso, Porter, reg. 24673, Lodema E Church (b. 24 Oct 1871); database with images, Ancestry Library Edition (accessed through participating libraries : accessed 24 August 2016); citing Indiana State Board of Health, Death Certificates, 1900–2011, microfilm, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.
[19] “To Hold Rites for Mrs. Sina Smith Saturday Afternoon,” The (Valparaiso, Indiana) Vidette-Messenger, 10 Apr 1952, p. 6, col. 4; database and images, Newspaper Archive (accessed through participating libraries : accessed 12 April 2016).
[20] “World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards,” Lawrence John Casbon, 1917-1918; database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ2T-BTH : accessed 22 August 2016),; citing St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,653,193.
[21] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” 2: p. 461.
[22] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” 2: p. 461.
[23] “Residence of Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Casbon,” History of Porter County, Indiana, 2: p. 458; online image, Hathi Trust Digital Library (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89067919191;view=1up;seq=114 : accessed 6 June 2017).
[24] “Charles Thomas Casbon,” 2: p. 461.
[25] “Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011,” Valparaiso, Porter, reg. 215, Charles T. Casbon (b. 6 Nov 1840); database with images, Ancestry Library Edition (accessed 24 August 2016).
[26] “Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011,” Valparaiso, Porter, reg. 6509, Mary E. Casbon (b. 10 Dec 1844 database with images, Ancestry Library Edition (accessed 24 August 2016).
[27] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GTML-57?i=111&cc=1410397 : accesed 22 August 2016), Hiram Church & Lodema Casbon, 26 Feb 1890; citing Porter County Circuit Court Clerk, “Marriage Record 9, May 1889–Oct 1892,” p. 149.

From Labourer to Landowner

January 6, 2017April 15, 2020 admin2 Comments

When Thomas Casbon, my third great grandfather, left England in 1846, he was an Agricultural Labourer – a general term that applied to the majority of the population, and meaning someone who worked for wages in various kinds of agricultural settings. [1] Within half a dozen years of arriving in Ohio he realized the immigrant’s dream of owning land and working his own farm. I’ve recently come across records that show when and where he purchased land in Ohio.

In earlier posts, “From England to Indiana” parts 3 and 4, I described how Thomas sailed from England and settled in Ohio. I don’t know how Thomas was able to afford the voyage, nor how he supported his family in the early years after his arrival. Perhaps he was able to save enough of his wages to pay for passage to America, or maybe others loaned him the money. After arriving in Ohio, it’s likely that he received some kind of temporary support, financial or otherwise, from his brother in law, James Scruby, who lived in Wayne County, Ohio.

As to how he supported his family, I suspect he initially sought work as a farm laborer until he could save enough to purchase his own land. Or maybe he was able to rent some property. At any rate, his first few years in America probably involved some hardship and a lot of hard work.

By 1850, Thomas was able to make his first land purchase. In this deed, Emmett Eddy and his wife Mary sold 80 acres to Thomas and another man, James Wing, for the sum of two-thousand dollars. [2] The land was described as the east half of the northeast quarter of section 8, township 18, range fourteen. This is located about 11 miles southwest of Wooster, Ohio.

Record copy of deed for land sale to Thomas Casbon and James Wing, October 1st, 1850, Wayne County, Ohio (Click on image to enlarge)

Why did Thomas and James Wing buy the land jointly? My guess would be that it was difficult for them to raise the necessary funds individually.

Thomas and James were well acquainted – the 1850 census shows them living under the same roof! [3]

Detail from 1850 census showing Thomas Casbon and his family, with James Wing listed in same household. (Click on image to enlarge)

According to the census record, James was 26 years old; a farmer; and like Thomas, from England. On March 13, 1852, he sold his portion of the land to Thomas for four hundred dollars, giving Thomas sole possession of the 80 acres. [4] James disappears from sight after this. There are no records of subsequent land transactions involving him in Wayne or nearby Holmes county. Maybe he decided to seek his fortune elsewhere.

So, by 1852 Thomas was sole owner of an 80-acre farm. An index of deeds for Wayne County also shows that Thomas purchased some additional land in the county in 1853. [5] I don’t have access to that deed, so I don’t know the details other than general location.

Detail of Wayne County, Ohio, map, showing approximate locations of Thomas Casbon’s land purchases. Source: Baker’s map of Wayne Co., Ohio (Philadelphia: Baker & Gager, 1856); digital image, Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/item/2012592397/ : accessed 6 January 2016) (Click on image to enlarge)

Thomas’ land purchases in Wayne County open up a mystery – when did he sell his property? I know that he began to purchase land in adjacent Holmes County in 1855 (a subject for a future post). By the time of the 1860 census, he was living in Holmes County. [6] I have scoured the index of deeds for Wayne County up to about 1883 or so, long after he moved to Indiana, and haven’t found a single record for land sold by Thomas.

[1] “Agriculture and the Labourer,” Cambridgeshire History (http://www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/People/agriculturallabourers.html : accessed 5 January 2017).
[2] Wayne County, Ohio, “Deed books, v. 34, 36 1850-1852,” v. 34, pp. 293-4, Emmett Eddy to Casbon & Wing entry, 2 November 1850; browsable images of FHL microfilm 420,933, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/film/007900918?cat=295246 : accessed 26 November 2016), images 164-5.
[3] Ohio, Wayne County 1850 U.S. census, population schedule. Database with images. FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX78-W2P : accessed 4 July 2016).
[4] Wayne County, Ohio, “Deed books, v. 37-38 1852-1853,” v. 37, pp. 233-4, James Wing to Thomas Casbon entry, 15 March 1852; browsable images of FHL microfilm 420,934, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/film/007900919?cat=295246 : accessed 26 November 2016), images 28-9.
[5] Wayne County, Ohio, “Deed index, v. 1 ca. 1813-1863,” p.111, Geo W. Riffle to Casbin Thomas entry, 1853; browsable images of FHL microfilm 420,913, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/film/007900915?cat=295246 : accessed 6 January 2017), image 117.
[6] Ohio, Wayne County 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. Database with images. FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCG3-1MD : accessed 12 August 2016).

Why Indiana?

November 1, 2016April 14, 2020 admin4 Comments

In a previous post I asked why Thomas Casbon left Ohio for Indiana. It seems that he was making a good go of things in Ohio. He owned his own farm. He raised his children to adulthood there. We’ll probably never know exactly why he decided to move, but it’s likely there was more than one reason.

Thomas Casbon migrated from Holmes County, Ohio, to Porter County, Indiana. Source: Johnston, K. “United States of North America, eastern states.” Engraved & printed by W. & A.K. Johnston, Edinburgh. William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh & London,(1861) David Rumsey Historical Map Collection http://www.davidrumsey.com/ (Click on image to enlarge)

First, two of Thomas’ sons, Sylvester and Charles, had already moved to Porter County in 1859 and 1862, respectively. Here is a description of Sylvester’s move, from The History of Porter County:

Then acting under the persuasion of a friend Mr. Ellsworth, who had settled in Porter county, Indiana, and also from his own wish to locate further west, Mr. Casbon came to this county in 1859 and began teaching in what was then known as the Ellsworth school, which he conducted successfully for three terms. He also taught one term in Boone Grove and one term in the House school, as it was called then, but later known as Boone Grove school. [1]

“Ellsworth” in the preceding paragraph is a probably a misspelling of Aylesworth. The Aylesworth family history is intimately tied with that of the Casbons. When Thomas and family arrived in Wayne County, Ohio, two brothers, Ira and Philip Aylesworth, were already living there with their extended families. [2] In addition, another one of their brothers, Giles Aylesworth, had moved from Wayne County, Ohio, to Porter County, Indiana in 1842. [3] Another Ira Aylesworth, Philip Aylesworth’s son, moved to Porter County in 1845. [4] It’s unclear which “Mr. Ellsworth” (Aylesworth) influenced Sylvester to come to Porter County. I think it was probably either Elias or Sylvenus Aylesworth, grandsons of Philip Aylesworth. [5] They were both born in Ohio and were contemporaries of Sylvester Casbon. At some point they moved to Boone Township in Porter County, and were both living there in 1860. [6]

I should also point out that Sylvester married Mary Adeline Aylesworth, daughter of Giles, in Porter County.

Charles Casbon’s biography in The History of Porter County suggests that he was influenced to move westward by the New York Herald (mislabeled as Tribune in the biography), whose famous editor, Horace Greeley, frequently exhorted his readers to “Go west, young man, and grow up with the country.”

It was partly with the inspiration derived from the Tribune, and also from the spirit of pioneering which had possessed his father before him, that caused Charles Casbon on arriving at his majority to start for the west. In company with a friend, George Bittner, in March, 1862, he arrived at Valparaiso, a small place at that time, where he paused in his journey and in this vicinity has remained ever since, to his own profit and to the benefit of the community. [7]

There is one problem with this version of events: Horace Greeley did not use the phrase “Go West, young man…” until 1865, [8] well after Charles left for Indiana! However, the statement that he went with his friend, George Bittner, sounds reasonable. An entry for George Bitner, born about 1844, is listed in the 1860 census for Washington Township, Holmes County, Ohio, [9] just five entries away from the listing for Thomas Casbon. This means they would have been neighbors. Assuming this is the George Bittner who accompanied Charles Casbon, he must not have stayed in Indiana, since he is listed in Holmes County, Ohio in later censuses, [10] and died in adjacent Wayne County in 1927. [11]

Not only did Sylvester and Charles move from Ohio to Indiana, but their older sister Mary Anne married Elijah Priest in 1853, [12] and moved to Porter County sometime after 1860, when the census recorded them living in Holmes County, Ohio. [13]

The fact that three of his children were in Indiana was probably a major reason that Thomas decided to make the move himself.

In addition to his children, many others were migrating from Ohio to Indiana. Some of the earliest settlers of Porter County came there from Wayne County, Ohio in the early 1830s. [14] A fairly steady stream of residents migrated from Wayne and Holmes Counties through the 1860s. [15],[16]

A partial list of individuals who migrated from Wayne & Holmes counties, Ohio, to Porter County, Indiana (Click on image to enlarge)

There were probably many factors behind this migration, foremost being the availability of cheap fertile land. As the population grew, it was easier to move west where there was abundant land instead of dividing already cultivated areas into smaller and smaller plots. This might have been a factor behind Thomas’ move as well.

A final factor in his decision to leave Ohio might have been the fact that Thomas’ brother in law James Scruby died in 1852, [17] and James’ wife Phebe died in 1851. [18] With their deaths Thomas and Emma no longer had family connections in the immediate area.

With his children’s relocation to northwest Indiana, the ongoing migration of other local families to the same area, and the loss of Emma’s family connections in Ohio, Thomas’ desire to move must have been compelling.

[1] “History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests,” Volume 2, pp 482-3. Lewis Publishing Company, 1912. Google Books https://books.google.com/books/about/History_of_Porter_County_Indiana.html?id=Nk00AQAAMAAJ [accessed 28 October 2016]
[2] “United States Census, 1840.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRJ-B3X [accessed 28 October 2016]
[3] “Aylesworth Family Of Porter County.” 1976. A Biographical History of Porter County, Indiana. Valparaiso, Indiana: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County, Inc. Porter County, Indiana http://www.inportercounty.org/Data/Biographies/Aylesworth45.html [accessed 28 October 2016]
[4] [4] “Aylesworth Family Of Porter County.” 1976
[5] “The Aylesworth Family of Porter County Indiana…Eighth Generation” Aylesworth.net http://www.aylesworth.net/Confidence_family_DWT_CSS/Porter/porter_8.html [accessed 28 October 2016]
[6] “Unites States Census, 1860.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GB9J-SZ6V?i=2&wc=QZ2C-XBP%3A1589426070%2C1589426630%2C1589423434%3Fcc%3D1473181&cc=1473181 [accessed 28 October 2016]
[7] “History of Porter County, Indiana…” Volume 2, pp 459-61.
[8] “Go West, Young Man, Go West. ” Dictionary of American History. Encyclopedia.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com [accessed 28 October 2016]
[9] “United States Census, 1860” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCG3-1SN[accessed 29 October 2016]
[10] “United States Census, 1880.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M89H-FTK [accessed 29 October 2016]
[11] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X82N-2XF [accessed 29 October 2016]
[12] “Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958.” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDK9-L58 [accessed 21 July 2016]
[13] “United States Census, 1860” FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCGS-MZ2 [accessed 28 October 2016]
[14] Goodspeed, W.A.;Blanchard, C. 1882. Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana: Historical and Biographical, Illustrated. pp. 17, 177, 332, 380-2. Chicago, Illinois: F. A. Battey & Company. Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/countiesofporter00good [accessed 28 October 2016]
[15] Goodspeed, W.A.;Blanchard, C. 1882. Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana.
[16] “History of Porter County, Indiana…”
[17] “Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index.” Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center http://index.rbhayes.org/hayes/index/record_detail.asp?id=2304084 [accessed 16 Aug 2016]
[18] “Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index.” Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center http://index.rbhayes.org/hayes/index/record_detail.asp?id=2304086 [accessed 16 Aug 2016]

Detail from Meldreth (Cambridgeshire) parish register, baptisms 1840. (Click on image to enlarge)

Marriage record of Charles and Mary McMarrell, Holmes County, Ohio, 30 December, 1868.[9] (Click on image to enlarge)

Detail from 1876 plat map of Porter township, Porter county, Indiana, showing property belonging to Thomas, Charles, and Jesse Casbon. (Click on image to enlarge)

Family portrait, probably taken mid- to late 1890s. Front, L to R: Charles & Mary; Back, L to R: Lodema, Lawrence, and Sina. Photo courtesy of Ron Casbon. (Click on image to enlarge)

L to R: Mary, Charles, and (probably) Sina, about 1912. The original home is no longer standing. (Click on image to enlarge)