Eikenbary/Eikenberry Family in Indiana,Illinois, and Points West
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Ancestors and Descendants of
Zachariah and Sarah Honeyman Eikenbary

Surnames
Eichenberg/Eichenburg Eikenberry/Eikenbary Albaugh/Albach Groff
Naas Landis/Landes Hunniman/Honeyman Welch
Woodward Sloan Long Lutz/Lutes



Ancestors

The Eikenbarys/Eikenberrys who are the subject of this page are direct descendants of Martinus and Anna Maria Dornin Eychenberg who married in 1723 in Neuweid, Rhineland, Germany. Their descendancy is: Peter Eichenberg/Fronica Groff; Henrich Eichenberg/Mary Landis; Samuel Eikenbary/Mary Albaugh. See Eichenberg/burg link above for more information and the link at the bottom of the page for a GedCom.

Ancestor Peter Eichenberg died in Preble County, Ohio May 9, 1812. Cousin Jill Martin recently visited his grave site and took photos:

Cemetery Overview     Peter's Marker     Peter's stone

The marker for Peter is a very large tree stump which symbolizes a life cut short.

The Eikenbarys in Indiana

George Monroe Eikenbary was born March 5, 1851, in Liberty Township, Union County, Indiana. He was the first child of Zachariah and Sarah Jane Honeyman Eikenbary. Sarah was 22 years old when he was born and Zachariah was 23.

Zachariah and Sarah Jane lived next door to Zachariah's parents Samuel and Mary Albaugh Eikenbary, and brother Reuben, and two farms away from the Honeyman farm. Both Samuel and Mary were prominent members of the Church of the Brethren (Dunkers). Sarah Jane's parents were Methodists. Zachariah's occupation is given as farmer in the 1850 census, but no valuation is shown for a farm so it is assumed that he and Sarah lived on Samuel's farm.

Samuel and Mary Eikenbary had moved to Union County, Indiana, in about 1835, from neighboring Preble County, Ohio. David and Isabella Long Honeyman had come to Union County with numerous neighbors and relatives from Pennsylvania in about 1830. Both families had pioneered in the area and their families were well established.

On August 9, 1853, Zachariah and Sarah had a second child, Alfred Pierce Eikenbary, named for Franklin Pierce, Democratic President-elect in 1853. On June 5, 1855, when George Monroe was four years old, Alfred Pierce nearly two, and Sarah Jane was pregnant with a third child, tragedy struck. According to family history, Zachariah accidentally drowned. We have been unable to verify this. Family lore says he drowned in the Wabash River, and by 1855 Samuel and Mary Eikenbary had moved to Wabash County near the Wabash River, so the story could be true. Zachariah might well have drowned on his own property in Union County as it was situated at the confluence of two large creeks (see map of location). He might also have died from disease, such as cholera, as it was prevalent in the Union County area at that time. Sarah's mother, Isabella Long Honeyman, died September 11, 1855, just three months after Zachariah's death. She and Zachariah are buried next to each other in Silver Creek Cemetery at Liberty, Indiana. A kind lady in Union County has recently sent us a photo of Zachariah's tombstone that she took in 1988. She also tells us from a Silver Creek Cemetery census that his tombstone reads "Zechariah Eikenberry Died 6/5/1855 Age 27y 6m 2d.

Five months after Zachariah died and two months after her mother died, Sarah gave birth to a third son, Francis Washington Eikenbary, in November 1855. What a sad and trying time that must have been for her, and surely it had some effect on the boys, although there were a lot of relatives to help Sarah with their care. Sarah's father, David Honeyman, was a very social person and took an active part in the Democratic political life of the county. With Samuel and Mary Eikenbary far away to the north in Wabash County, the young boys were raised in a manner far from the plain Dunker Eikenbary way of life.

In the 1860 census, Sarah and the three boys, George Monroe, Alfred Pierce, and Francis Washington, are shown living on a farm valued at $4000, so Sarah had established herself, probably with the help of her father. Sarah's cousin, Alexander Retherford, was living with them and assisting on the farm.

By 1864 David and his third wife, Jane Long Noble Honeyman, had made up their minds to move to Mercer County, Illinois. They and several of their relatives made up a large wagon train and set out in the fall. (See the Honeyman family web page on the Mercer County, Illinois site for details. Link to Honeyman under surnames above) Sarah and the three boys were with the wagon train. Jane Long Noble Honeyman was sister of David's second wife Isabella Long Honeyman, and was Sarah's aunt as well as stepmother. Jane had gone to Mercer County with some of her Long relatives and married John Summerfield Noble. After her husband died, she returned to Union County to marry David Honeyman, leaving grown children behind in Mercer County. It was likely at her urging that the families decided to move to Mercer County.

What a thrill for boys this age (Monroe, 13, Pierce, 11, and Frank, 9) to travel nearly 400 miles in a great wagon train with all their possessions, their animals, and all the other young children. There is no doubt that this trip made a huge impression on the boys and probably helped account for the wanderlust that all three later exhibited. They were going to see their great grandmother, Jemima Santee Long, in Mercer County. She left Union County long before they were born, but they no doubt heard about her from Sarah, from Alexander and James Retherford (also Long descendants), and from Jane Long Noble Honeyman. Jemima died December 8, 1864, and it is not clear whether her three great grandsons arrived in time to meet her.

The Eikenbarys in Mercer County, Illinois

(Link to Mercer County Web Site at the bottom of the page)

The families who traveled with the Honeyman wagon train settled in New Boston Township which comprised Township 14 North, Ranges 5 and 6 West of the Fourth Principal Meridian, in Mercer County, Illinois. (Map)

We know the Eikenbarys arrived by January 1865, for Sarah purchased 1/3 of the North half of the Northeast Quarter of Section 8, Township 14N, Range 5W, (approximately 26 acres) from Enos and Margaret Commons for $1000, on January 16, 1865. Included in the deed was 1/3 of the North half of the Northwest Quarter of the Northwest Quarter of Section 11, Township 14N, Range 6W (approximately 6 acres). According to Madsen in Where the Sky Began, it was ususal for settlers in the prairie states to own a timber patch for fuel and lumber, often detached from their farm. According to The History of Mercer County, 1882 there was coarse grass near the Mississippi, suitable for grazing, but timber lined the bluff overlooking the river. Sarah's six acres was likely in the timberland along the bluff and probably served to provide firewood and lumber for the family.

New Boston Township was still sparsely populated at that time. According to the Aledo Weekly Record, a local newspaper, the area was subject to frequent inundation by rising waters from the Mississippi (as it often is today), no doubt accounting for the sparse population. Jane Noble Honeyman, third wife of David, had lived in Mercer County for some time before returning to Indiana to marry, and the family no doubt knew that the flooding problems were surmountable. The Aledo Weekly Record in the 1870's reported that unusually fine crops could be grown after the land flooded. As recently as 1995, Mercer County was the top corn-producing county in the United States. While the principal crop was corn, we know from David Honeyman's probate that he also kept bees and raised apples.

The County copy of the 1870 Mercer County census is in very poor condition and much of it is unreadable. Researchers should be aware however that a copy of the census was submitted to the State at the time it was made, and very good copies of pages are available from the Illinois State Archives for a nominal fee. We were able to obtain readable copies for our families. In New Boston Township, family #31 is Sarah Jane Eikenbary, George Monroe, Alfred Pierce, and Francis G. W. Eikenbary. George Monroe is 19 years old and is shown as the farmer, while Sarah is keeping house. It is interesting to note that the three boys are shown as attending school within the year. Sarah evidently believed in an education for her children. According to the History of Mercer County, 1882, there were excellent schools in New Boston Township thanks to several years of hard work by a good superintendent. The Eikenbary boys' education after they moved to Mercer County was likely quite good for the times.

Family #34 in New Boston Township is the Harvey and Rachel Woodward Welch family. They had a 15 year old daughter, Amanda Evaline Welch, who would marry Monroe Eikenbary. Only the youngest son of the Welches was shown attending school. The Welches believed in hard work for their family.

Family #45 in New Boston Township is Robert and Amanda Sloan. Robert was the father of Amanda Jane Sloan who would later marry Alfred Pierce Eikenbary. (For more on the Sloans see the Mercer County, Illinois, link at the bottom of the page.

On January 21, 1873, George Monroe sold his interest in his mother's farm back to her for $1000. On the same day he purchased from his uncle, George Honeyman, land adjoining his mother's farm, the Southwest quarter of the Northeast quarter of Section 8, Township 14 North, Range 5 West (40 acres) for $2000. George Monroe was 21 years old and setting out on his own. The purchase included ten acres of the West side of the West 42 acres of the fractional West half of the Southwest Quarter of Section 1, Township 14 North, Range 6 West. This was Monroe's patch of timberland.

In the isolation of their farms, young men of the nineteenth century found romance close at hand. On the Welch family farm nearby, lived charming, red-haired, blue-eyed, 18-year old Amanda Evaline Welch. On July 1, 1873, Miss Amanda Evaline Welch and Mr. George Monroe Eikenbary were united in matrimony in Mercer County. (Photo - possibly wedding photo) (Marriage certificate)

Photo of George Monroe Eikenbarry --- Photo of Amanda Welch Eikenbary

On November 15, 1873, David Honeyman, as guardian of the three Eikenbary boys, received $800 from the estate of Samuel Eikenbary, their grandfather. It is impossible to know of the disposition of the $800, but if it was shared out equally to the three boys, George Monroe's share would have been $267, a fair sum for that time.

David Honeyman died March 18, 1874. He left $1 to his daughter Sarah Eikenbary and a share of any remaining estate. Sarah's final payment was $30. Obviously the Eikenbary boys received nothing from David's estate. Monroe Eikenbary attended the public sale of David's goods on August 16, 1874, buying two barrels, six seamless bags, one lot of harness, and 80 fence posts for a total of $10.45.

To offset the sorrow of his grandfather's death on March 18, 1874, Monroe and Amanda became the proud parents of a son on April 8, 1874. He was named Fred Welch Eikenberry, in honor of Amanda's family. It is interesting to see that they did not see fit to name him in honor of David Honeyman. Perhaps their relationship was not idyllic. David no doubt acted as surrogate father to the Eikenbary boys, but the relationship may not have been a smooth one. This can be noted in the Honeyman family history published in 1909. Information was furnished for the history by George Washington Honeyman who was administrator of David's estate and who had sold land to all three of the Eikenbary boys. In the history information he completely omitted the name of Alfred Pierce Eikenbary. It is impossible to tell at this point in time what animosities existed, but it seems certain there were some.

The Eikenbarys move West

Sometime between the birth of Fred Welch on April 8, 1874, and the birth of their next child, Wilford William, on October 19, 1875, George Monroe and Amanda went to Dakota Territory, probably on the Black Hills gold rush. We know that Monroe bought fence posts for his farm on August 16, 1874. However on September 2, 1874, George and Amanda sold their farm for $1600 to John Eskridge Willits. Monroe had owned the land for one year and nine months and likely had two crops from the land. We know there was a panic in 1873 and that the prices for crops and the price of land had dropped. This is reflected in the $400 loss that George Monroe took in selling the land. But why did Monroe spend hard cash for fence posts on August 16 and sell the land on September 2? Gold fever is a likely explanation.

In August 1875, Amanda Jane Sloan lost her father and her duty to take care of him ended. On December 29, Alfred Pierce Eikenbary and Amanda Jane Sloan were married in Mercer County (marriage certificate).(Photo of Alfred Pierce) A daughter, Vida Jane (10/7/1876), and a son, Oran Alfred (10/21/1878), were born while the couple still lived in Mercer County. Sometime between Oran's birth and mid-1880, when the Iowa census was taken, the family moved to Pittsford Township in Butler County, Iowa. This move was probably undertaken at the suggestion of Monroe and Amanda Welch Eikenbary who were living in Butler County in 1880, having returned there in the mid-1870's from their unsuccessful foray into Dakota Territory (so unsuccessful that it was was never mentioned in the family. None of their descendants knew of it and if it were not for William Wilford's birth information on his social security application coupled with his birthplace on various census records, no one would ever have known.) Monroe and Amanda had sons Harvey Zachariah (3/8/1877) and George Monroe (8/6/1879) in Butler County, Iowa.

Iowa evidently did not agree with Alfred Pierce and Amanda Jane, as they were back in Mercer County when their next son, Albert Glenn, was born April 22, 1881.

Sarah Jane Honeyman Eikenbary and son Francis Washington Eikenbary had moved to Butler County, Iowa by 1880 and are found in Jeffrson Township not far from Monroe and Amanda: #47 Francis W. Eikenbary, 24, farmer, born In, father Oh, mother In; Sarah J., 53, mother, keeping house, In, Va, Pa. Monroe and Amanda are at #30 Eikenberry, Monroe, 29, farmer, In, Oh, In; Amanda, 26, In, NC, In; Fred, 6, Il; Wilford, 4, Dakota; Harvey 2, Ia; George 10/12 (Aug) Iowa. Sarah Jane Honeyman Eikenbary died in Muscatine, Iowa, in May 1884, and son Francis was still with her. It is speculated that Alfred Pierce returned to Mercer County and Monroe moved to Muscatine County, Iowa, to be near their mother in her last years. Monroe and Amanda had a daughter, Francis Bertha (7/3/1881) and a son Frank Washington (2/26/1883)born in Muscatine County. Alfred Pierce and Amanda had another son, Casper Comley, born December 1, 1883, in Merce r County.

It was rather routine for families in Mercer County, Illinois, and in Muscatine County, Iowa, to commute back and forth across the Mississippi for visits and for harvest help. The commute was made easy by the New Boston ferry. Sarah Jane Eikenbary was buried next to her father, David Honeyman, in New Boston Cemetery in Mercer County.

After their mother's death there was nothing holding the Eikenbary boys in Mercer and Muscatine Counties. Francis Washington had probably accompanied his mother to Muscatine County, Iowa. He cannot be located in the 1880 census, and there is no 1890 census, so the next information we have for him comes from the 1900 census when he was living in Pottawatamie County, Oklahoma. A distant cousin of his owned a real estate office in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and had probably encouraged him to go there. Francis died, unmarried, in 1909, and is buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Shawnee.

Monroe and Amanda Welch Eikenbary returned to Butler County, Iowa, after Sarah's death and had a son, Grover Cleveland Eikenbary, on July 24, 1885. This is the only child that we could locate a birth certificate for. By 1887 Monroe and Amanda had moved to Camden County, Missouri, where they had five more children: Rose (2/27/1887), Loyd W. (10/10/1890), Effie Jane (6/6/1892), Van Allen (10/1/1893), and Lawrence Rollo (5/20/1897). The place they lived in Camden County, Missouri, is called Eikenberry Hollow to this day.

Around the turn of the century the Monroe Eikenbary family, with the exception of son Fred, migrated on to Oklahoma. They are found in Jordan Valley Township in Pawnee County in the 1900 census. (Photo of the Eikenbary children who wagoned to Oklahoma - Rose, Bertha, Effie, Frank, Grover) (Photo of the Eikenbary children who wagoned to Oklahoma - Van, Lawrence, Lloyd (left to right)) Amanda Welch Eikenbary died 10/11/1914 and Monroe Eikenbary on 10/25/1924. Both are buried in Bethany Cemetery at Hallett, Oklahoma.

Alfred Pierce and Amanda Sloan Eikenbary left Mercer County after Sarah's death as well. They moved to Lane County, Western Kansas, sometime before their son Francis Grover Cleveland Eikenbary was born on June 5, 1888. Life was harsh in Lane County and at some unknown time the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where work was more available. Alfred Pierce had been a carpenter all his life. They lived near Fortieth and Cherry Streets where their son Albert Glenn was killed by lightening in 1899. Little is known of their life after 1900. Amanda Jane died 6/17/1925 in Rosedale in Kansas City. Alfred Pierce lived for another 17 years, staying with one or another of his children. He died March 2, 1942 in Nevada,Vernon County, Missouri. He and Amanda are buried in the Forest Hills Cemetery, in Kansas City.

Clorita Sloan Kenny visited Forest Hills Cemetery (photo) in Kansas City in early 2002. She provided us with photos of the graves of Amanda Sloan Eikenbary and son Albert Glenn Eikenbary. Albert Glenn's inscription reads "How desolate our home, bereft of thee." Clorita also visited their address in Kansas City. Their house has been torn down and replaced but Clorita furnished a photo of the house across the street and theirs was likely similar.

Summary of Children of George Monroe and Amanda Welch Eikenbary

(Chart 1) (Chart 2) Photos and signatures of the children.

1. Fred Welch Eikenberry, born 8 April 1874 Mercer County, Illinois married Sophronia Herndon Lutes 26 Aug 1900 in Benton County, Missouri.

2. Wilford William Eikenberry, born 19 Oct 1875 Dakota Territory, married (1) Emma A. Dority about 1897 Camden County, Missouri and (2)Lula Faye Smalley Crenshaw 2 Jan 1948 Payne County, Oklahoma.

3. Harvey Zacariah Eikenbary, born 8 March 1877 Butler County, Iowa, murdered 16 Dec 1932 Stroud, Lincoln County, Oklahoma

4. George Monroe Eikenburg, born 6 Aug 1879 Butler County, Iowa, married Hulda Ann Southwick 10 Jun 1907 Hamilton, Ravalli County, Montana

5. Frances Bertha Eikenbary, born 3 Jul 1881 Muscatine, Iowa, married Lafayette Fremont Mayfield 18 Dec 1901 Terlton, Pawnee County, Oklahoma

6. Frank Washington Eikenary, born 26 Feb 1883 Muscatine, Iowa, married (1) Barbara Jane Romack 13 Mar 1908, Jennings, Oklahoma and (2)Litha Estella Pennington DePriest 14 Aug 1920, Pawnee, Oklahoma.

7. Grover Cleveland Eikenbary, born 24 Jul 1885 Butler County, Iowa, married Edna Allen 28 Dec 1919 Pawnee County, Oklahoma

8. Rose Eikenbary, born 27 Feb 1887, Camden County, Missouri, married Robert Andrew Chambers 21 Sept 1905 Pawnee County, Oklahoma.

9. Loyd W. Eikenbary, born 10 Oct 1890, Camden County, Missouri, died 29 Aug 1912 Pawnee County, Oklahoma of typhoid fever.

10. Effie Jane Eikenbary, born 6 Jun 1892 Camden County, Missouri, married James Milledge Howell 24 Dec 1910 Pawnee County, Oklahoma

11. Van Allen Eikenbary, born 1 Oct 1893, Camden County, Missouri, married Nora Blake.

12. Lawrence Rollo Eikenbary, born 20 May 1897 Camden County, Missouri, never married.

Summary of Children of Alfred Pierce and Amanda Sloan Eikenbary

1. Vida Jane Eikenbary, born 7 Oct 1876 Mercer County, Illinois, married (1)Leo Glen Hayes, (2)Charles McKnight and (30) Unknown Lewis

2. Oran Alfred Eikenbary, born 21 Oct 1878 Mercer County, Illinois, married (1)Rose Warner and (2)Amy Margaret Eldridge 11 Sept 1909 Benton County, Missouri

3. Albert Glenn Eikenbary, born 22 April 1881 Mercer County, Illinois, died 19 May 1899 Kansas City, Missouri, struck by lightening

4. Comley Casper Eikenbary, born 1 Dec 1883 Mercer County, Illinois, married (1)Julia Catharine Eldridge 11 Sep 1909 Benton County, Missouri and (2)Lulu Janet Bowman Hawkins 1954.

5. Francis (Frank) Grover Cleveland Eikenbary, born 5 Jun 1888 Lane County, Kansas, married Sophia Riddle.

Frank G. W. Eikenbary, son of Zachariah and Sarah Honeyman Eikenbary

Son Frank Washington never married and had no children so no descendants, but we have included a page in his memory.

RootsWeb's World Connect Project: Eikenbary

Mercer County Illinois History Site. Contains information about friends, relatives, and neighbors of the Eikenberry family.

There is also an Eikenbary/Eikenberry, et al, genealogy book in the Union County, Indiana, library and online at http://www.union-county.lib.in.us/GenwebVA4mile/eikenberry.htm. It follows the family of Peter Eikenberry, Jr. who was brother of our ancestor Heinrich Eichenberg (married Mary Landis).


This page was created March 2003. This page was updated on June 7, 2006 with the addition of Zachariah Eikenberry's tombstone photo. It was updated on July 7, 2006 with photos of Peter Eickenberg's tombstone, marker and cemetery in Preble Co, Ohio. It was updated March 28, 2007 with summaries of the children of George Monroe and Alfred Pierce Eikenbary. It was updated July 2007 with a link to a new page for son Francis G. W. Eikenbary.

References:History of Mercer County, Illinois, 1882, Chicago: H. H. Hill and Company, Publishers, 1882

Where the Sky Began, Land of the Tallgrass Prairie, John Madson, 1982


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