"Conquest"
By
P. Matthew Sutko and Henry Dillon
Introduction
This work draws heavily upon the research and
writings of Sherm Dillon and T.O. Dillon. Sherm Dillon descended from Peter
Dillon’s son, John. T.O. Dillon descended from two of Peter Dillon’s sons,
Peter, Jr and William.
Both Sherm and T.O. devoted countless hours
to researching and documenting the Peter Dillon family. Beginning in 1893,
Sherm Dillon interviewed and corresponded with many descendants of Peter
Dillon’s son, John Dillon, Sr., including John’s son, John Dillon, Jr. Sherm
published his research in 1933. It was at one point available on the Internet at:
Sherm’s conclusions have withstood the test
of time. For example, his understanding that Peter Dillon was a weaver by trade
was not definitively established until 1999, with the discovery at the National
Archives of the
1798 Direct Tax List for Greene County Pennsylvania, and the discovery in
Coshocton, Ohio of Peter Dillon’s August 1823 Revolutionary War Pension Affidavit.
T.O. Dillon’s research is, if anything, even
more impressive. From the 1920s until the early 1950s, T.O. Dillon worked
tirelessly to document the Peter Dillon family. It was T.O. who linked the
Peter Dillons of Somerset, County, New Jersey, Greene County, Pennsylvania, and
Coshocton County, Ohio -again - something not definitively proven until the
1999 discovery of Peter Dillon’s Revolutionary War Pension Affidavit
pt1
pt2.
T.O. Dillon prepared a draft manuscript on
the Dillon family, which he never published. T.O. Dillon’s hard work and
remarkable scholarship have been an inspiration to us, and have made possible
our further research into the lives of Peter Dillon, Mary Dillon, and their
descendants.
As with all family history, this is a work in
progress. There is underlying support for all the facts that are cited here.
When a conclusion is based on conjecture, we say so. We hope to revise this
work to footnote all the statements in it. Because that task will take some
time, we provide this draft narrative to share the life of Peter Dillon, his
son John, and his grandson John, Jr. We will be glad to share specific
information with anyone who is interested in it.
Peter
Dillon and Mary Vactor (Veghte)
Peter Dillon was born around 1753. Eighteenth
and early Nineteenth Century Americans had little interest in spelling, and
Peter’s name was variously spelled Dillon, Dillen, Dillin and Dilling. It
appears Peter could not write; he signed documents with a mark rather than a
signature. His wife and his children could, however, and they were always very
careful to use the distinctive spelling Dillin whenever they signed their
names. Whatever others thought, they viewed themselves as Dillins.
Beginning around 1830, most of Peter’s
descendants stopped spelling their name Dillin and adopted the more common
Dillon. There are, however, some descendants who still use the Dillin spelling.
Contemporary writers - court clerks, church officials, military officers, tax
collectors, and others - were not so precise. The Dilling spelling was used
both in Somerset County, New Jersey and Greene County, Pennsylvania. Dillin and
Dillen were used virtually everywhere. Ironically, Dillon was rarely used for
Peter or his children.
Peter’s place of birth has yet to be
documented. Descendants of four of Peter’s sons understood that Peter was born
in Ireland, although a fifth son’s descendants claimed an English heritage. The
Irish background seems probable as Dillon is a common Irish name, and the
descendants who recalled an Irish birth were separated by time and location,
which meant their similar understanding probably had some ancient but common
source. Although many Irish Dillons subscribe to the Roman Catholic faith,
Peter and his descendants were Protestants.
We know nothing of Peter’s life before 1775.
At that date, we find him living in Somerset County, New Jersey near the towns
of Kingston, Griggstown and Rocky Hill. In the Eighteenth Century, Somerset
County was part of the area known as West Jersey. Kingston, Griggstown, and
Rocky Hill are situated between the cities of Princeton and New Brunswick.
A 1745 and a 1762 map of Kingston and
Griggstown reveal that a James Dillon lived in this area on the Kingston Road.
It is possible he was a kinsman of Peter’s, but this has not been established.
There also were Quaker Dillons in nearby Salem County, New Jersey, but they
have no known connection to Peter.
One branch of Peter’s descendants recollects
that Peter was able come to America from Ireland shortly before the
Revolutionary War by working as a servant for a British army officer.
Supposedly, the officer was a friend of the Dillon family. Peter’s parents, so
the story goes, felt Peter was too young to come to America. Peter would not be
deterred, however, and left without their permission.
Whatever the truth of this story, Peter was,
for all we know, always a "stand alone" Dillon. Both in Somerset
County, New Jersey, and then in Greene County, Pennsylvania, Peter and his
immediate family were the only Dillons living at those places at those times.
Peter moved to Coshocton County shortly before his death. Although there were
no other Dillons in Coshocton, there were Dillons in neighboring Knox County,
Ohio. No link, however, has been drawn to them.
The first documented fact we have for Peter
is his enlistment in the Continental Army in late October or early November
1775. In 1823, Peter recollected that he enlisted on October 28 or 29. Records
at the National Archives (under the name Peter Dilling)
pt1
pt2 and the
New Jersey Archives (under the name Peter Dillen) agree that Peter enlisted on
November 6. According to records at the New Jersey Archives, Peter’s unit was
the Fourth Company, First Battalion (First Establishment), New Jersey
Continental line; the National Archives’ records describe it slightly
differently, calling it the 1 New Jersey Regiment and the 1st Regiment
of New Jersey Troops. It also was known as the First New Jersey Regiment of the
New Jersey Militia.
US Army link to history
of 1st New Jersey.
Peter’s unit was authorized on October 9,
1775 as part of the Continental Army and was assigned to the New York
(subsequently the Middle) Department. This Regiment consisted of eight
companies. They were raised from Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Monmouth, Essex
and Bergen counties.
Peter described his Revolutionary War service
in the August 7, 1823
Affidavit
that he filed in the Court of Common Pleas for Coshocton County, Ohio. He
prepared it as part of the paperwork necessary for obtaining a Revolutionary
War pension from the federal government. The original still exists in the
Clerk’s office at the Coshocton County Courthouse. In it, Peter tells us that
he enlisted in the New Jersey Militia near Kingston, New Jersey and served for
slightly more than a year.
Peter’s Regiment spent the first few months
of active service near home. Peter’s January 13, 1776 muster roll reports that
his Regiment was situated at New Brunswick, New Jersey, just a few miles from
Peter’s residence. On April 24, 1776, the Regiment was assigned to Sterling’s
Brigade, an element of the Main Continental Army. Three days later, on April
27, the Regiment was reassigned to the Canadian Department. On July 2, the
Canadian Department was assigned to the Northern Department. On July 20, 1776,
Peter’s Regiment was assigned to Stark’s Brigade, an element of the Northern
Department. The Regiment remained part of that Brigade through the term of
Peter’s service.
In his declaration, Peter explained that his
unit was sent (in 1776) to Lake Champlain in northern New York state. Although
Peter does not mention this, his unit was sent there to support the Continental
troops that had, the autumn before, captured Montreal and then attempted to
storm Quebec City. The attack on Quebec, which took place during a blinding
snowstorm on New Year’s Eve, 1775, was a complete failure. It effectively
destroyed that unit’s effectiveness and left it almost leaderless, as most of
its commanding officers were killed, wounded, or captured.
The Colonials maintained control of Montreal
through May 1776. Decimated by smallpox, and facing 10,000 newly arrived
British forces under the command of Major General Johnny Burgoyne, the remnants
of the Colonial army retreated to the New York border during the summer of 1776.
Peter’s Regiment did not serve in Canada. Instead, it protected Lake Champlain
and Fort Ticonderoga along the vital route from Canada to New York.
On November 3, 1776, Peter was ordered to
accompany a detachment of sick soldiers from Ticonderoga to Albany. This was no
simple task. Many of the troops suffered from cholera and
other deadly diseases. Traveling among such men almost certainly placed Peter’s
life in danger. Peter was able, however, to successfully complete his mission,
apparently without suffering any major illness.
After arriving in Albany, Peter did not know
what to do, as none of the officers of his company, battalion or regiment were
situated there. The military officials at Albany authorized Peter to return to
New Jersey, which he did. Peter was concerned, however, with simply having left
service, so he subsequently sought out the commander of his unit, Captain John
Polhemus - who later would be related to Peter by marriage - and asked for a
written discharge. Captain Polhemus explained to Peter that this was
unnecessary because Peter’s term had expired.
Relieved of further military obligations,
Peter returned to the Kingston, Griggstown, Rocky Hill area. It may be at this
time that Peter learned the weaving trade. We know this was his primary
profession, and we also know that Peter had some relationship with at least one
local weaver, John Honeyman, and almost certainly with a second, Isaac Veghte.
Honeyman, is a legendary figure, known as The
Spy of Washington. Around the time of the battle of Trenton, Honeyman sold
cattle and provided services to the British. His neighbors branded him an
infamous Tory and marched upon his house to seize him and destroy his property.
There, they found his wife, who produced a letter from General Washington,
informing the reader that no one was to harm Honeyman’s family or property.
Honeyman’s descendants maintain Washington protected Honeyman because he was
acting as a double agent, using his commercial relations with the British to
gather information for General Washington and provide misinformation to the
British. Whatever the truth of this story - and historians accept it as true -
Honeyman remained in New Jersey long after the war, and died a prosperous and
respected citizen.
During the war, Honeyman ran several
businesses from his home in Griggstown, including a weaving business that he
operated in a shop at the back of his house. In 1777, Colonial troops seized
some of Honeyman’s livestock. Peter must have been living near to, or working
for, Honeyman at this time, because Peter provided a declaration in 1782
supporting Honeyman’s request that New Jersey reimburse him for his losses. In
the
declaration, Peter explained that he had witnessed the seizure,
and testified that the livestock had never been returned.
The other weaver that Peter probably knew at
this time was Isaac Veghte. Isaac, who died in 1782, ran a prosperous weaving
shop in Kingston. It is possible that Peter may have worked for Isaac, although
that has yet to be established.
We do know, however, that on
November 13,
1779, Peter signed a 500-pound bond,
as required by the State of New Jersey, so he could marry Mary Vactor (Veghte).
The bond obligated Peter and his fellow bondsman to pay New Jersey the sum of
500 pounds if it proved that Peter or Mary was not eligible to wed. Peter’s
fellow bondsman was Abraham Simonson. Simonson’s relationship to Peter and Mary
Vactor (Veghte) is not understood. Abraham, like Peter, served in the First
Regiment, so it is possible he and Peter were Army buddies. It also is possible
that Abraham was related by marriage to Peter’s bride, Mary Vactor. Both the
Simonsons and the Veghtes were part of the Dutch community in New Jersey. Both
families had, before that, lived on Staten Island.
Abraham Simonson tombstone.
Mary’s surname, "Vactor," was an
Americanized version of the Dutch name Veghte. During the 1770s, 1780s and
1790s, a number of Veghtes in New Jersey adopted Vactor as their surname. Some
used the names interchangeably. It may be that Veghte was pronounced
"Veghteh," and this was later simplified to Vactor. New Jersey tax
records, and the records of the Six Mile Run Dutch Reformed Church in Somerset
County, reveal that "Veghte" was spelled at least 13 ways during this
period. The transformation of Veghte to Vactor is easily understood when those
names are pronounced as a group, being careful to pronounce the final
"e" as "eh": Veghten, Veghts, Veghtt, Vecgte, Veghte,
Vechgte, Veighte, Vaghte, Veghter, Vachter, Vagtar, Vacter, and Vactor.
According to Peter Dillon’s Revolutionary War
Pension Declaration, Mary "Veghte" was sixty-one years old in August
1823, which meant she was born in 1761 or 1762. The records of the Six Mile Run
(now Franklin Park) Dutch Reformed Church reveal that Abraham and Maria Vechtge
had a daughter, Marta, who was baptized at the church on June 20, 1762. Marta’s
only known sibling was Nellie Veghte, who was baptized at Six Mile Run on
October 12, 1760. One of Peter and Mary’s descendants recollected that one of
Peter and Mary’s daughters was named Nellie. John Dillon, Sr also named a
daughter Nellie, perhaps for this aunt. Peter and Mary Dillon also named
children Abraham and Mary.
The Veghte family arrived at the Dutch Colony
of New Amsterdam from Norg, Province of Drenthe, on April 15, 1660 aboard a
vessel named Bonticou, which translates as the
Spotted Cow. Claes Arentse Vechten
(spelled several ways) was the founder of the Veghte clan in America. The
Veghtes settled in Brooklyn, in an area known as Gowanus.
In 1699, Claes built a farmhouse in Gowanus.
The house was believed to have been General Washington’s headquarters during
the battle of Long Island. Over time, the house, known as the
Vechte-Cortelyou
House, came to represent to the prototypical
Dutch farmhouse. Many nineteenth-century artists painted it, including Louis
Grube, Nathaniel Currier, Frederick W. Halpin, Charles Parsons, W.H. Coughlin,
G.E. Jones, James Ryder Van Brunt, and Lyman Atwater. Some
more views of the house:
1
2
3
4
http://bowercommunity.com/homestead/BPNewYork.html has the following data:
"Extract from Manor Houses & Historic Homes of Long Island and Staten Island, by Harold Donaldson Eberlein 1928, Lippincott). It does not purport to be a genealogical reference at all, but a history of such houses and some history of their occupants.
From the chapter, The Old Stone House Gowanus 1699, I'll summarize the first part - This house, commonly called the "Cortelyou" house...was erected in 1699; it was a typically Dutch house, built by Nicholas Vechte, who was a farmer. He built a canal from the creek to his kitchen door, from where he could paddle off to the city market in New York. "The only difficulty was that the ebb tide often left his boat stranded in his own little canal. This annoying condition he remedied in 1709 by contracting with Abram and Nicholas BROWER, who owned Denton's Pond nearby, to supply him with water when he needed it. The he dug a channel from his canal to a water gate at the edge of the pond..." Besides this contract for water, "...from Denton's Pond, Nicholas also contracted for the right to plant oysters..." (It doesn't say where, so I guess in the pond?)
No additional information is known, therefore no submitter is provided."
The house was demolished in 1897. Just before
the end, it had one last moment of fame. Charlie Ebbets used the
Vechte-Cortelyou House as the clubhouse for his Brooklyn Baseball Club, which
played games at nearby Washington Park.
The Vechte-Cortelyou house was not forgotten.
In 1934, the New York Parks Department constructed a replica of it near 5th
Avenue and 3rd Street in Brooklyn.
One of Claes’ sons, Gerrit Claes Vechten,
born in Drenthe in 1656, moved to Staten Island, New York before 1711. Gerrit
served as a Justice in 1722, as did his son, Jan, in 1735.
In 1699, Gerrit was part of a Dutch
consortium that purchased 3,000 acres of land in New Jersey on the east side of
the Millstone River, encompassing an area extending from Griggstown toward Six
Mile Run (now Franklin Park) toward Ten-Mile Run. Gerrit never lived in New
Jersey. His sons, Gerrit Jan Veghte(born on Staten Island on January 1, 1715)
and Nicholas Jans Veghte (born on Staten Island, April 17, 1711), did move to
Somerset County. Nicholas moved there between 1734 and 1738, and operated mills
at Griggstown and/or Rocky Hill. One of Nicholas’ sons was Abraham, who likely
is Mary Vactor’s father.
New information on Veghte
ancestry. Perhaps Isaac Veghte was
Mary’s father?
The Revolutionary War devastated the New
Jersey economy. The British and American forces crossed the Kingston area
several times. At war’s end, many residents moved west in search of better
opportunity.
Peter and Mary left New Jersey some time
after 1784, although we do not know when. One of their sons, Isaac, was
baptized in Somerset County at Six Mile Run Church on September 30, 1781. Isaac
died before 1790, and the Dillons also named their last son, who was born in
1801, Isaac. In 1784, another son, Thomas, was born in New Jersey."
No record exists for Peter between 1784 and
1789. By
1790, he had moved to Franklin Township in Greene County,
Pennsylvania, where he was to stay until 1820 (Greene County was a part of Washington
County until 1796). It is not likely that Peter moved to the area much before
1790, as he does not show up on tax or other records prior to that time,
although he consistently appears on such documents thereafter.
Life in early Greene County was not easy. As
late as 1791, nearby residents lost their lives in disputes with the Native
Americans who were being overwhelmed by the massive influx of settlers from the
east. Commerce was difficult, and many things were in short supply.
There is extant a 1793 Franklin township tax list which identifies a "Peter Diling", probably Peter Dillon since no Diling was included in either the 1790 nor 1800 lists. This was listed on an older Dillon site by Matt Sutko and Henry Dillon, yet not included in this version for some reason.
Greene County also was on the periphery of
the Whisky Rebellion. In response to Congress’ levying of an excise tax upon
whisky - the most important product in the area - many settlers in western
Pennsylvania turned to violence to prevent collection of the tax. Normalcy returned
only after President Washington raised an army to introduce order.
If Peter played a role in these affairs, history has left no record. We know, however, that by 1798, Peter and Mary had created a stable life in Greene County. They had a large family, had taken possession of a 100-acre tract, built a cabin that measured ten by twenty feet, and constructed a weaver’s shop - where Peter pursued his profession. Dillon's in 1800 Greene county census transcript. 1800 Franklin township, Greene county, Pennsylvania actual federal census
Based on ages of children, this is probably our Peter Dillon family in the 1810 Franklin township, Greene County Pennsylvania federal census returns
And another, presumably younger, Peter Dillon in Letterkenny township, Franklin County Pennsylvania federal census returns
As time went on, Peter expanded his farm. By
1813, Peter’s land encompassed 402 acres. At that time, he took steps to obtain
formal title for it. During the first rush of settlers to western Pennsylvania,
speculators laid claim to huge tracts of land. To prevent such profiteering,
Pennsylvania enacted legislation that required a person to occupy and cultivate
land in order to obtain title. Under Pennsylvania law, a person who cultivated
land could obtain a warrant for it from the state. The land was then surveyed.
When the occupier finished making payments to the state, Pennsylvania issued a
patent to the land, which gave the patentee good title.
The land survey for Franklin Township, Greene
County, Pennsylvania, located at the Pennsylvania Archives in Harrisburg,
reveals that a warrant was issued to Peter Dillon for 402 acres on August 13,
1813
pt1
pt2
pt3. The land was surveyed on December 17, 1813. It took
Peter almost four and a half years to make full payment on his land, but he did
so, and a patent was issued on May 8, 1819.
It was the universal custom at this time for
local landowners to name their land. The Franklin Township
warrant map contains many fascinating names, which reflect
people’s states of mind, or honor their places of origin. Peter’s neighbors
used such colorful names as Desire, Request, Troublesome, Decivility, Shadow of
Death, and Adventure. Others must have been from Falmouth, Newbern, Bowlin
Green, and Atrium. Peter named his land Conquest.
During this time, Peter’s health deteriorated. By 1818, his physical condition was such that he could no longer continue working as a weaver. In 1819 and 1820, Peter sold his land in Greene County to several of his neighbors in four separate transactions for the sum total of $1,557.50. Peter selling of land pt1 pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7
At this time, the entire Dillon clan, except for son John, moved to Perry Township in western Coshocton County, Ohio. Peter, and many of his sons and daughters show up on the 1820 census 1 2 in Coshocton. Some purchased land there. Others ultimately moved west. Dillon land in Ohio
The last known record of Peter is his
Revolutionary War Pension Affidavit, which he filed with the court in Coshocton
on August 7, 1823
pt1
pt2. Under a 1818 law, the United States gave certain
Revolutionary War veterans the right to receive a pension. Based upon Peter’s
declaration and his testimony in open court, the court in Coshocton concluded
that Peter had satisfactorily proven Revolutionary service. For reasons we do
not understand, Peter never filed a formal pension application with the United
States. It is presumed he died before he was able to do so. It also is presumed
that Mary Dillon died about this time as well.
Peter was buried along the lane leading to his house in Perry Township, Coshocton County, Ohio. His grave sat at the foot of two young trees. Over time, the trees grew together, entombing the marker and lifting it ten feet in the air. Ultimately, the trees completely enveloped it. In 1981, Shirley Dillon Gerbracht and her family, descendants of Peter Dillon, arranged for the United States to place a new marker at the grave site. It sits today beneath the now ancient trees where Peter spent the last years of an eventful life. Peter Dillon Grave 1 2 3 4 5 6
Children
of Peter and Mary Dillon
The known children of Peter Dillon and Mary
Vactor (Veghte) are:
John Dillon, Sr.
There is no documentary evidence establishing
John Dillon Sr’s date of birth. Information obtained by Sherm Dillon from
John’s children establishes that John was born in 1785. John probably was born
in Pennsylvania, as census records for his son, John Dillon, Jr, list John, Sr
as having been born in Pennsylvania. However, John Dillon, Jr’s certificate of
death lists John, Sr’s place of birth as Virginia. It is possible that the
Peter Dillon family lived in Virginia, on their way ultimately to Greene
County, at the time of John’s birth. It also is possible that the family was
still living in New Jersey when John, Sr was born.
John lived most of his life in Greene County.
Around 1808 he married Rachel Hamilton (also spelled Hambleton, Hambelton, and
Hanebleton). It is likely, but by no means certain, that Rachel’s father was
Hugh Hamilton, who moved to Franklin Township with his family between 1800 and
1810. Rachel named one of her sons Hugh and another Hamilton. Rachel first appears
in Greene County records in 1806. In that year, the records of the Goshen
Baptist Church in Greene County indicate that Rachel had expressed an intent to
join the church.
John first appears in a written record in the
1810 census. He and his father, Peter, are the only Dillons listed as living in
Franklin Township. His older brother, Thomas, was the only other Dillon listed
in the 1810 census as living anywhere in Greene County. The census listed
John’s age as being between 16 and 26, and Rachel as being between the same
ages.
Like his father - and then his children and grandchildren, John Dillon, Sr spent time in active military service. During the War of 1812, most of America’s forces consisted of local militias. Those militias were activated at times of crisis and released when trouble passed. In 1814, British troops attacked Baltimore and sacked Washington. Likely in response to these events, the local Greene County militia was called into active service in November of that year. John’s unit was known as Mitchell’s Detachment of Riflemen. They were commanded by Captain Sooy Smith of Greene County, and were attached to the 130th Regiment Pennsylvania Militia under the command of Major Thomas Mitchell. John's war record pt1 pt2 pt3
John’s unit was called to active service on
November 10, 1814. It traveled to Camp Springfield, Baltimore, Maryland, where
John was discharged on December 4, 1814. It is unlikely the unit saw battle.
The British had left the Baltimore area before the unit was even mustered. It
took John twelve days to travel the 250 miles back to Greene County.
John returned to his farming. During this
time, his name appears on court dockets but no known information exists
regarding his daily life or experiences. By the time of the 1820 census his
father, brothers, and sisters had moved to Ohio. The Greene County census finds
John, alone among the Dillons, living where his father’s 402 acres were
located. Again, John is the only Dillon in the county.
John’s neighbors, as identified in the
1820 census, are the same people who show up on the Greene County
survey map for Franklin Township (available from the Pennsylvania Archives) as
having formerly lived adjacent to Peter. Some of John’s neighbors in 1820 also
were the people to whom Peter sold his land or who were related to John through
the marriage of their children, or their brothers and sisters, to Peter and
Mary Dillon’s children. These included David White (formerly a neighbor of
Peter’s), Abner Clark (Michael Clark formerly was a neighbor of Peter’s); John
Strosnider (formerly a neighbor of Peter’s); Robert Bradford (same); Thomas
Mooney (same); James Bradford (Peter sold two parcels of land to him); Abram
Trestin (Tustin) (his daughter married John’s brother, Peter, Jr, and he
purchased land from Peter, Sr); Catherine Strosnider (formerly lived near
Peter); William Maple (same); Kendale Godwin (Peter sold land to him); Andrew
Eisenminger (John’s brother, Abraham, married an Eisenminger); and John
Eisenmeyer (Eisenminger) (same).
Based upon the records still existing in
Greene County and in the Pennsylvania Archives, it appears that Peter sold all
402 acres of his property in 1819 and 1820. There is no record of Peter giving
or selling land to John. It is possible that John rented or owned land next to
his father and that is why he was living in 1820 at precisely the same place where
his father had lived. It also is possible that the 1820 census was conducted
prior to the time in 1820 that Peter sold the last of his land. If that is so,
John may have been living on the land as a sort of guardian.
T.O. Dillon, reported (around 1950) that John
Dillon was listed in the 1826 Greene County tax records as owning 40 acres of
land in Greene County. Unfortunately, we have been unable to find those tax
records. Existing Greene County records also contain no record of John buying
or selling land. That does not mean he did not own land. Many land transfers
during this period were not immediately recorded with the County. Indeed, three
of Peter Dillon’s four 1819-1820 land transfers were not recorded until 1900
(See above
Peter
Dillon land sales links). It appears
that John’s purchases and sales were never recorded or were lost.
We also do not know why John chose to remain
in Greene County when the rest of his family moved west. Perhaps his wife’s
closeness to her family and her church played a role. Or it may be that John
simply sunk deeper roots in the County. There is support for this idea.
Although a number of Peter’s sons were old enough to serve in the War of 1812,
only John did. John simply may have had closer friendships, which convinced him
not to leave the area with the other members of his family.
There is no evidence that John had any
contact with his father or his brothers and sisters after they left Greene
County. As late as the turn of the century, however, John Dillon, Jr, could
recollect the names of most of his uncles although none of his aunts.
Descendants of other Peter Dillon children also recollected that their
ancestors had a brother named John. There is no evidence, however, that the two
branches of the family had any contact again until the late 1940s.
The 1830 census finds John and Rachel still in Greene County, and reveals that John was still farming his land. Perhaps it was the pressure to acquire land for his sons that led John to leave Greene County in 1835. Like many Greene County residents, John took advantage of cheap federal cheap land to start a new life. Throughout much of the west, the federal government sold good land, better land that the hilly land of Franklin Township, at very reasonable prices. On October 8, 1834, the United States granted to "John Dillin of Greene County Pennsylvania" title to 39.58 acres of land in the northwest corner of Monroe County, Ohio. John paid cash. That part of Monroe was less than 100 miles from those Dillons living in Coshocton, and less than 100 miles from Greene County. John Dillon land grant.
Monroe county map of townships and ranges to see where land was located
Another land grant to a John Dillin of Belmont co. Ohio in 1838 may indicate that John spent some time in Belmont. The land is located in Monroe county, Ohio.
Three of John’s sons, Vincent, Hugh, and
Peter, also purchased land from the federal government in Monroe County near
their father. John, Jr., the youngest of John’s children, lived with his
parents and helped his father farm his land.
John sold his Monroe County farm on January 18, 1840, signing it with the distinctive Dillin signature. This ends the contemporaneous record for John Dillon. However, Sherm Dillon, writing in 1933 - based upon his 1893 interviews with John’s descendants, chronicled the remainder of John’s life. After the sale, John lived on the nearby farm of his son, Vincent, in Monroe County. John refused to live with Vincent’s family, concerned he might be in the way. Instead, he lived in a separate house. Vincent Dillon in 1840 census without elder John shown in census John Dillon (and John Jr) in 1840 census
In 1847, Vincent purchased land in Windsor
Township in Lawrence County, Ohio. Lawrence is located at the southern tip of
the state, across the river from West Virginia. John, Sr moved with Vincent to
Lawrence but lived only one year. John passed away in 1848. It is assumed that
he is buried at the family cemetery, which still exists, in Windsor Township.
The cemetery has a number of older headstones, which the forces of time and
nature have erased. It is presumed that John’s maker is one of these.
Rachel was alive at the time of the January
1840 sale of their land in Monroe County. It is unknown when she passed away.
Her descendants reported to Sherm Dillon that she died before John, Sr moved to
Lawrence County.
Children of John
and Rachel Dillon
more detailed version
a. NANCY, born Abt.
1808, Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania and died December 26, 1907
in Athens County, Ohio. Nancy married John Campbell Cox, May 13, 1824, in
Belmont County, Ohio. At the time of her marriage, her place of birth is listed
as Greene County, Pennsylvania.
b. VINCENT (Sr),
born January 1, 1809, Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania and died
January 13, 1892, Windsor Township, Lawrence County, Ohio around February 4,
1892. He married Hannah Jackson, born June 2, 1810, Franklin Township, Greene
County, Pennsylvania and died December 3, 1889, Windsor Township, Lawrence
County, Ohio. They were married in 1830, in Greene County, Pennsylvania.
Extensive
coverage of Vincent and descendants
c. HUGH, born abt
1810, in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania and died abt 1897, in
or near Lewisville, Monroe Co., OH. Hugh married Catherine (Katie) Schultz bef
1835, probably in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Catherine was born abt 1807 in
Greene County, Pennsylvania, and died in Lewisville, Monroe County, Ohio, bet.
1880 - 1889. A Hugh Dillon is buried in Lewisville, Monroe County, Ohio.
d. RACHEL, born abt
1813, Greene County, Pennsylvania.
e. PETER, was born
abt 1814 in Greene County, Pennsylvania. He married Jane Moore bef 1834,
probably in Pennsylvania.
She died in May 1854 and is buried in a cemetery on the old Elmer Burkhart farm west of
Lewisville, off State Route 78, in Summit Township, Monroe Co., OH. On
September 14, 1856, Peter married Julia Ann May, born abt 1838 in Ohio. She was
considerably younger than Peter. Peter died January 24, 1897 in Wheeling, West
Virginia.
f. MARY, born abt 1810 in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, died
at the age of 37, July 7, 1847 in Monroe Co., OH. She married James R. Morris,
born abt 1812 in Greene Co., PA. During her shortened life, James and Mary had
six children including two sets of twins.
Mary is buried on the old Elmer Burkhart farm, west of Lewisville,
off State Route 78, in Summit Township.
g. BETSY, born abt
1817 in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania.
h. THOMAS, born abt
1819 in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania. He married Sarah Ann
Clegg abt 1836.
i. HAMILTON, was
born abt 1823 in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania and died
January 5, 1849, Monroe County, Ohio. He married Elizabeth Denbow abt 1847 in
Monroe County, Ohio. She was born abt 1827 and died abt 1890
in Monroe County, Ohio. A
Hamilton Dillon is buried on the old Elmer Burkhart farm west of
Lewisville, off State Route 78, in Summit Township. This Hamilton would have
been about the age of John Dillon Sr.’s son, Hamilton Dillon, and is
buried in a cemetery with other close family members.
j. DAVID, born abt
1824 in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania.
k. NELLIE, born abt
1825 in Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania.
l. JOHN JR.
John Dillon, Jr
John Dillon, Jr was born in Greene County,
Pennsylvania on February 7, 1826. He moved with his family to Monroe County,
Ohio around 1835. John measured five feet ten inches. He had dark hair and blue
eyes.
Around 1846-1847, he married Malinda Wells. Malinda’s father probably was Jesse Wells. Like the Dillons, Jesse Wells came to Monroe County from Pennsylvania. John Dillon, Jr was close friends with Jesse’s son, Samuel D. Wells, who John knew from early childhood.
The 1850 census finds John living in northwestern Monroe County, near several of his brothers. Like most of them, he was a farmer; John’s land worth was $300, which indicates that his farm was quite small in size. The 1850 census lists John under the distinctive Dillin spelling, although his brothers are identified as Dillons. By 1860 John was living in Noble County, on the Monroe County border. By this time, he was John Dillon, which he would remain for the rest of his life. 1850 and 1860 actual
John Dillin on line 9 of 1850 Bethol Township Monroe County Ohio Agricultural census pt2 - NEW Jan '10!
Although thirty seven years old, and the
father of a large family, John enrolled in the
116 Ohio Volunteer
Regiment on September 30, 1862. The
bulk of John’s Regiment consisted of men from Monroe County. Companies A, C, D,
E and F were raised there. Companies B and G were raised in Meigs County;
Companies I and K in Athens County; and Company H in Noble County.
John’s company was Company F. Joining him in
that company were two of his nephews, Jacob and Henry Dillon, sons of his
brother, Hugh. John’s older brother, Peter, also served in the regiment, as a
captain in Company E.
The Regiment rendezvoused at Camp Putnam at
Marietta, Ohio, on August 25, 1862. Thus, at least some of the troops had
received a bit of military training before John joined the unit. The Regiment
spent the fall of 1862 training at Camp Marietta. It took time to create a
fighting unit. At first, there were no uniforms or weapons. The men had no
changes of clothing. As the Regiment’s commanding officer later recalled, the
men were "in a demoralized condition generally."
With effort, the Regiment was clothed, armed,
and trained. The troops then moved into Virginia [in what is now West
Virginia], where the Regiment had its first engagement at Moorefield. Mostly,
though, late 1862 and early 1863 seems to have been a time of boredom and
deprivation. The Regiment wintered near Romney, Virginia [now West Virginia],
with little to do. Morale was low.
On February 16, 1863, John and his two
nephews were captured - as was their entire company - while foraging for
supplies near Romney. The unit’s commander allowed the troops to scatter. Out
of the blue, a Confederate cavalry unit swooped down and captured the entire
company without a shot. All the men were released the next day, but they were
not eligible to rejoin active service until a concomitant Confederate prisoner
was released by the Union Army. Given this state of affairs, John went home for
a few months, and then reported to Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, where Union
soldiers awaited exchange. The exchange eventually occurred, and John rejoined
his unit.
Both of John's nephews and John’s brother
were wounded in battle. One of John’s nephews was captured a second time and
transported to the infamous Andersonville Prison, where he contracted scurvy,
the effects of which plagued him for the rest of his life.
Only John - among the Dillons - was never
wounded in battle. The bad weather, however, broke his health. John spent
considerable time in 1864 in a series of hospitals for illness resulting from
exposure. From April to August 1864, John was confined to the hospital at
Martinsburg, West Virginia. His return to active duty was short-lived. By
September, he was back in the hospital. He returned again, for a brief period
of service, but was back in the hospital in Annapolis, Maryland in October
1864.
By late October 1864, John was able to return
to active service, and served continuously until the end of the war. John’s
return to health enabled him to witness some of the most important events of
the war. He was present at the siege of Petersburg, the fall of Richmond, and
Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
John and the remainder of his company were transferred to Company D, 62nd Ohio Regiment in June 1865, something that was very unpopular because the other members of the unit were discharged. John received his discharge a few weeks later, on June 18, 1865 at Richmond, Virginia. That same day, he was promoted to corporal. John was thirty-nine. John's Civil War record pt1 pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7 pt8 pt9 pt10 pt11 pt12 pt13 pt14
After the war, John returned to Monroe County.
In 1868, he moved to western Gallia County, Ohio. The reason for his move is
not known. This area abuts
Windsor Township in Lawrence County, where his brother, Vincent, had moved in 1847.
Perhaps John moved to be closer to the Vincent Dillon family. John remained in
this area until 1882. Except for a few months in 1869, when he operated a grist
mill, John continued to farm - as he had done all his adult life.
A search through all of the townships of the Gallia County Ohio 1870 census revealed no trace of our Dillon ancestors in early February 2003, be they west or east. There were a handful of Dillons sprinkled throughout the county, only one from Ohio, the rest from Virginia, none "ours".
Tragedy struck in 1872. His wife, Malinda
Wells, passed away on June 11, 1872. Left with several children, John married
Barbara Jane Lewis in
Crown City,
Gallia County, Ohio, on October 16, 1872. They would be married for almost 45
years.
Barbara Lewis was a widow. Her husband, Jacob
Smith, had passed away on November 27, 1869, leaving her with several children.
Barbara was born on February 27, 1838 in Monroe County, Virginia (now West
Virginia). Her father was Samuel Lewis and her mother was Rhoda Miller. Like
many West Virginians, Rhoda descended from Jacob Mueller (Miller), a German
immigrant who arrived in America in the early Eighteenth Century. Samuel’s
father, Joshua Lewis, died at Norfolk, Virginia in 1814 while in active service
during the War of 1812.
In the 1830s and 1840s a large number of
Lewises left what is now southeastern West Virginia and moved to Lawrence
County, Ohio. Joshua’s widow, Catharine Hill Lewis, was one. So were her three
sons, including Barbara’s father, Samuel. In the early 1850s, Catharine used a
land bounty warrant, issued by the federal government in return for Joshua’s
War of 1812 service, to purchase land in Windsor Township, Lawrence County,
Ohio. Samuel and his two brothers lived nearby.
John Dillon, wife Barbara and family in 1880 Guyan township, Gallia county Ohio federal census
In 1882, John and Barbara left Gallia County
and moved to Lincoln County, West Virginia. Barbara had
previously lived in
this area with her first husband prior to his death. In 1878, John’s wife had
acquired an interest in a farm in northern Lincoln County, near the Putnam
County border, from Lewis Smith. John and Barbara owned and lived on that farm
for many years. Around 1907, the Dillons acquired a second parcel of property,
a lot in the town of Hamlin, where they built a second home.
John in 1890 census (printed info) John in 1890 census form.
John resided in Lincoln County for 35 years,
living among children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Over time, his
health deteriorated. After a lengthy illness, John passed away on
December 26,
1917. He was ninety-one. Barbara
Lewis Smith Dillon lived another fifteen years, passing away on July 3, 1932.
She was ninety-four.
John in 1910 Carrol district, Lincoln county West Va.
Census next to county jail on court street.
John and Barbara Dillon are buried at
Harvey’s Creek
cemetery in Lincoln County, West
Virginia. The cemetery is located northeast of Hamlin, West Virginia on a hill
overlooking State Route 34. In addition, to John and Barbara, their son, John
Dillon, III, is buried there, as are two daughters, Jennette "Nettie"
Dillon Vickers, and Allie May Vickers.
John's tombstone is simple. It lists neither a date of birth, nor a
date of death. Instead, it is inscribed "CORP. JOHN DILLON CO.F 116 OHIO
INF."
Children of John
Dillon, Jr
Unfortunately, some
of the children of John Dillon, Jr and Malinda Wells may be unknown. John does
not appear in the 1870 census, so it is possible there are children who were
born after 1860 and reached independence before 1880.
The known children
of John Dillon, Jr and Malinda Wells are:
1.
MALISSA E., born
1846-1847 in Monroe County, Ohio; she married on September 29, 1867 to George
Knowlton (Noelton) in Monroe County, Ohio, and resided in Sistersville, West
Virginia;
2.
JANE, born March 15, 1847 in
Monroe County, Ohio; married Hamilton Culberton McFadden (son of
George McFadden); died June 21, 1929 in Butler, Bates County,
Missouri; buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in Butler, Missouri;
3.
RACHEL, born 1848 or
1849 in Monroe County, Ohio; may have died before 1860;
4.
ELIZABETH, born in 1850
in Monroe or Noble County, Ohio; it appears that she was known as Zetta; if
this is so, she is the daughter who married ________ Honaker, and resided in
Logan, West Virginia;
5.
ELIZA, born in 1851-1852
in Monroe or Noble County, Ohio;
6.
MARGARET, born in
1853-1854 in Monroe or Noble County, Ohio;
7.
HANNAH, born in
1858-1859 in Monroe or Noble County, Ohio; she may have been John Dillon’s
daughter who, known as Addie, married _______ Hamilton and resided in
Huntington, West Virginia;
8.
MARY ELLEN, married
Rufus Sylvester Lewis, and resided in Bowles, West Virginia;
9.
SARAH, married
__________ Chapman and resided in Missouri.
It is likely that
at least two of the individuals listed above are the same person. The names of
John and Malinda’s children that are listed in the 1850, 1860, and 1880
censuses do not coincide with the names listed in John’s January 3, 1918
obituary in the Lincoln Republican. It appears that census data is incorrect for
some children and/or some ceased using their given names. It seems most likely
based upon the available information that John and Malinda had nine daughters.
The children of
John Dillon, Jr and Barbara Jane Lewis are:
1.
JOHN H., born October
22, 1874 in Gallia County, Ohio; died March 8, 1904 in Lincoln County, West
Virginia; buried, Harvey’s Creek Cemetery, Lincoln County, West Virginia;
2. JENNETTE "Nettie," born March 7, 1877, in Gallia County, Ohio; married John Bunyan Vickers, December 27, 1893 in Lincoln County, West Virginia; died December 27, 1962 in Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia; buried in Harvey’s Creek Cemetery, Lincoln County, West Virginia; Nettie Vickers obituary Nettie's Bible pt1 pt2 pt3 pt4
3.
ALLIE MAY, born June
1880 in Gallia County, Ohio; married Albert E. Vickers in 1898 in Lincoln
County, West Virginia; died in 1960; buried in Harvey’s Creek Cemetery, Lincoln
County, West Virginia.
An Excellent page showing tombstones of some of the
individuals above by Henry S Dillon is at
external link http://www.geocities.com/hamiltoncemetery/index.html
The following are links to John Dillon Jr's
extensive pension papers, as well as papers related to Barbara Dillon:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
