Benjamin Batson Family of Edwards County, Illinois

Maria Melrose, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Tooley) Melrose was born in 1831 and died in 1879. She married Ben Batson, the son of William and Nancy (Skinner) Batson. Ben was born in 1822 and died in 1898. Ben and Maria Batson are both buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery at Grayville IL.

According to family tradition Ben and Maria had the following children in addition to five (names unknown) who died as infants:

Laura married Joseph Shepherd

Rose married Albert Elliott

Elizabeth married Ezra Keen

William Marshall married Rosa Reed (*)

Benjamin Franklin married Irene Jennings

Charles Melrose Batson married Nannie Schafer

Emma who died in infancy

(*)William Marshall Batson was born January 27, 1867 at Grayville, Illinois. He was married on February 11, 1892 to Rosa Reed. Rosa was born January 28, 1872 the daughter of John Crittenden and Edna P. (Cox) Reed. William died Jan 22, 1949 and is buried at Antioch Church Cemetery near Keensburg, Illinois along with his wife who died July 14 1928.

William and Rosa had the following known children:

Georgia married Albert Joe Kern (*)

Eugene married Winnie Compton

Robert M. who with his wife, Edith resides in Mansfield, Ohio. They have one son, Gene

Archie died in Florida

Bernadine, married Bud Lamey, died in Florida

 (*)Georgia Reed Batson was born June 10 1892 and on Feb 19, 1912 married Albert Joe Kern the son of Clem and Rosa (Spier) Kern. Albert was born Mar 11, 1889 and died in Evansville IN. in 1959. Georgia died in 1924 and is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Boonville Indiana.

The only child of Albert Joe and Georgia Reed (Batson) Kern is Ferdinand Allen Kern. Born August 10, 1913 on a bluff overlooking the Wabash River near Keensburg, IL. He married Mary Frances Douthitt, the daughter of John Frank and Daisy Mae (Gowen) Douthitt on June 2, 1934. Ferdinand and Mary Frances Kern are the parents of two daughters: Judith Ann, born Oct 2, 1937 and Brenda Jo, born July 2,1946.

Source; “Edwards County Illinois, Past & Present”, Page 138