Father of Mary Rowena Hoskins was Silas Hoskins.

The father of Mary Rowena Hoskins was Silas Hoskins – he was also her brother-in-law.  I first wrote about Mary Rowena on 4 September 2011, hoping someone would have additional information about possible parents, but nothing was forthcoming from that post.  DNA testing, however, has provided answers.  That earlier post can be read here Who was Mary Rowena Hoskins?

Silas Hoskins was a complicated man – both in character and to research.  I knew he was a collateral relative, having married Amanda Allen, 14 March 1825, in Vigo County, Indiana.  Amanda, born 13 November 1807 in Ontario County, New York, was a daughter of my third great grandfather, Peter Buell Allen and his wife Mary Peterson.  Amanda’s younger brother, Peter B. Allen, named for his father and my great, great grandfather, also married a Hoskins – he married Mary Rowena Hoskins, 28 December 1836, some eleven years later, in Vigo County.  Earlier researchers had speculated the two Hoskins might be brother and sister but this seemed unlikely to me.  Mary Rowena was much younger, born 15 Sep 1815, somewhere in New York, as indicated by census records and her grave marker.  Silas, on the other hand didn’t leave as much detail regarding his birth, but in the 1830 census, following his marriage to Amanda, his age was suggested as between 1790 and 1800 – and there were children in the household born prior to the marriage to Amanda, including a female that was age 10-15, too old be a child of Amanda and indicating Silas’s birth year was closer to 1790.   It was easy to speculate that this female age 10-15 fit the age of Mary Rowena nicely.  There were no other Hoskins living in Vigo County at the time.  Easy to speculate on a relationship, much harder to prove.

An obituary of Peter B. Allen, husband of Mary Rowena, appeared in the Terre Haute Evening Gazette, 12 October 1901 – it was full of errors regarding the family.  Peter had been gone from Terre Haute for over 40 years and the information apparently came from a nephew and is interesting, if somewhat faulty.  It did contain the following tantalizing reference to Mary Rowena:  “The deceased was married at the old house on the Preston place east of Terre Haute on December 26, 1836, to Mary Hoskins, a daughter of Gen. Hoskins, also a pioneer resident of Terre Haute dead many years.”   I will point out there are no records of a “Gen. Hoskins” but you will find later that it is possible Silas Hoskins had some military history.  It does confirm that her father was an early resident of Vigo County, Indiana.

I spent some years chasing records regarding Silas – to discover where he was born, if he could have had an earlier marriage – really any record that could help prove Mary Rowena was his daughter.  I was able to visit both the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne and Terre Haute to search the local library as well as obtain county and Masonic records.  Here are some highlights.  The first mention of Silas Hoskins in Vigo County was in the Indiana Centinel, published at Vincennes, Indiana, 13 January 1821.  Letters unclaimed at the Post Office at Terre-Haute, the quarter ending 1 January, 1821 listed letters addressed to Silas Hoskins and Eliza Hoskins.  Eliza never appears in any other record.  By March of 1825, Silas had married Amanda Allen.  Silas’s father-in-law had helped charter the local Masonic Lodge #19 and was the first grand master.  Minutes and records of that Lodge are preserved and Silas Hoskins was an active member by December of 1821 – members other than his father-in-law included several brothers-in-law, Amanda’s brothers and husbands of her sisters.  The last mention of Silas in the Lodge records was in 1833 when the Lodge disbanded for about ten years – he had steadily progressed through various Degrees and held several offices in the Lodge.

The WPA transcribed a number of local records.  Silas Hoskins was Supervisor of a road, served on a grand jury, was a Constable, was paid for building of the jail, etc. between the years of 1822 and 1829.   On 2 Sep 1828, he purchased a lot in the town of Terre Haute.  On 27 Jan 1829, his father & mother-in- law gave 60 acres of land to Amanda and two children born to the couple, Peter and Clarissa.  The title plainly in their names – a bit unusual.  On 11 April 1829, Silas & Amanda Hoskins sold the city lot.  The Circuit Court Order Book, vol. 2, for Vigo County, reveals  several lawsuits against Silas Hoskins for debts from October of 1825 through 1831.  So even though he was serving his Lodge and his community, all was not well – certainly there appeared to be some doubt on the part of his father-in-law, that Silas could care for his family.  

The 1830 Census is composed of a male under 5, which would be Silas & Amanda’s son Peter, a male age 5-10 – probably born prior to the marriage to Amanda and unidentified in any record, a male age 30-40 (Silas).  There were two females under age five – Clarissa and Ann Eliza (born in May of 1830 & therefore not included in the deed when Amanda’s father gave her the 60 acres of land), a female age 5-10 and unidentified, a female age 10-15 (Mary Rowena?) and a female 20-30 (Amanda)

A list of voters in an election, 1 Feb 1832, Harrison Township, Vigo County, lists Silas Hoskins as well as some of his Allen in-laws.

Then I found this curious record.  Since no other Hoskins is found in any other records in Vigo County, presumably this is Silas.  It is an extract from the Wabash Courier, 1832

Doct. S. Patrick:   Sir - In behalf of the Riflemen and Volunteers who rendezvoused at Fort Harrison on the 1st instant, for the purpose of moving on to the frontiers, in defense of our country against the depradations of the hostile savages, I return my sincere thanks for the manifestation of your kindness on our return.  

June 14

S. Hoskins, Commandant

The records transcribed by the WPA continue and Silas Hoskins was frequently paid for his services as Jailor and he was commissioned to dig a public well on the corner of the jail lot, and repairing the Court Room – 1833-1834. 

The probate records show that Silas Hoskins was granted administration on the estate of one Robert B. Angevine at the Nov Term of Court, 1832.  Angevine’s widow was Rebecca.  I have not been able to reliably identify any connection of this couple to Silas Hoskins or to the Allen family.  In February of 1835, the letter of administration granted Silas was revoked and given to his brother-in-law, Henry Allen.  Final settlement was made by Henry Allen, 24 Feb 1837.  In 1860, Rebecca Angevine, age 52, born in New York, washer woman, would be living in Indianapolis, I did not find her in 1850. 

Then the surprise.  Wabash Courier, Saturday, September 1838.   Amanda “Haskins” vs. Silas H. “Haskins” for divorce.    Circuit Court Records, Vigo County, December Term, 1838, reveal that on 23 Aug 1838, Amanda Hoskins by her attorneys filed her Bill against Silas Hoskins stating that in the fall of 1834, Silas Hoskins left and abandoned her making no provision for the support of his family and was cohabitating and living in open adultery with a person unknown and was no longer a resident of the state of Indiana.  So this fine upstanding citizen of Terre Haute had clay feet.   Divorce was granted and Amanda was appointed Guardian for her infant children:  Peter Allen Hoskins, Clarissa S. Hoskins, Eliza Ann Hoskins, Francis M. Hoskins and Edward H. Hoskins.  Signed, 26 Dec 1838.   One reason why the divorce seemed surprising – the 1840 census shows the household in the name of Amanda Hoskins with the five children of approximately the correct ages, but also has an adult male, age 40-50 which would be the age of Silas Hoskins.  For years, I assumed this was Silas.   Since the divorce was final in 1838, I have no clue as to the identity of this male in 1840, unless perhaps she had someone helping her farm – certainly she was listed as head of household.   Amanda did not remarry, but relocated to Taycheedah, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin along with her children and other kin – she died there 21 February 1866. 

None of this, of course, gave any clue to the origins of Silas Hoskins.  There was this – he was connected with others from New York state and there were a number of early Vigo County citizens that had come from there.  The name Silas Hoskins is fairly unusual and I had an approximate birth year.  Random searches turned up a Silas Hoskins in the family of a Samuel Hoskins who died 18 June 1825, in Scipio, Cayuga County, New York, leaving a will dated 24 June 1824 in which he gave to a beloved child, Silas Hoskins, $5.00.  Samuel Hoskins’ wife was Lydia Presbrey – they married 13 June 1776 in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts.  Both the Hoskins and Presbrey families had been in Taunton for some years and left many tracks to include a Hoskins Family Bible, showing the birth of Samuel’s son Silas as 17 October 1791.  Hiring a researcher in New York, provided nothing more regarding Samuel’s son Silas – except that there were no other records found in New York which could be this man.  The 1810 census of the household of Samuel Hoskins does have a male of the age to be this Silas.  The only Silas “Haskins” (no Hoskins) in the 1820 census lived in Cortland County, New York, and was over age 45.  So nothing to suggest where he might have been – but there’s the unclaimed letter in Terre Haute in January of 1821 – he may well have been traveling between New York and Indiana in 1820.

There was also a hint that Silas Hoskins might have served in the War of 1812 – he was apparently the Commandant of a group of militia soldiers in Vigo County, suggesting he might have had military experience.  There was the reference in the obituary to “Gen.” Hoskins.  And a Silas Hoskins applied for Bounty Land for his service in the War of 1812, as a Private in the New York Militia – but it was denied.  The application was made 7 June 1855 from LaPorte County, Indiana.  His signature is on the application but none of the records from Vigo County, Indiana, have his name in his own handwriting.   Nor can I find additional records in LaPorte County that would suggest that this was the same Silas Hoskins of my research, divorced from Amanda in 1838.  However, IF he was a son of Samuel of Cayuga, it is definite that a brother Joshua served as Lieutenant and Captain in the New York Militia, War of 1812.  A brother, Samuel served in the New York militia as a private in the War of 1812.  A brother David was a Sergeant in the same War of 1812.  A brother Leonard who stated he had served under his brother Joshua as a teamster, applied for Bounty Land for his War of 1812 service, and was also rejected.  Military minutes of the Council of Appointment of the State of New York, 1783-1821, lists records for Joshua, Samuel & Leonard, but not for David or for a Silas.

Now, DNA has come to the rescue and proved what I have not been able to prove on paper.  I have tested autosomal DNA at the major companies.  Unfortunately the largest database of those tested is at AncestryDNA where no chromosome browser can be viewed for exact matches and the family trees are full of gross errors.   That said, it is still useful to see who and how one is connected – I always check any recommended matches for lineage accuracy with actual records.   This is what has come to light.  I match descendants of the children of Silas and Amanda (Allen) Hoskins.  Since Amanda’s father is my direct ancestor, that would be expected – but the match could be to either Silas or Amanda, or even both of them.  Then the other matches – not large matches as they vary from 7 cM to 19 cM, still enough to be considered a distant match – are to descendants of several of the other sons and daughters named in that 1824 will of Samuel Hoskins.  And I have matches to descendants of three of the sisters of Samuel Hoskins, taking the match back still another generation and assuring it is surely a Hoskins match, and not to his wife.  Then I also have matches to descendants of siblings of Lydia Presbrey, the wife of Samuel Hoskins, suggesting I carry some of Lydia’s DNA as well.  Since I have no direct relationship to Silas Hoskins UNLESS he was either a father or much older brother to Mary Rowena Hoskins, and Mary Rowena, because of her age, could not have been a daughter of the earlier generations of Hoskins in New York, it would seem he was surely her father and a third great-grandfather to me.  Her mother, likely Eliza of the unclaimed letter, is still a mystery.  

Many questions about Silas Hoskins remain unanswered, but DNA has shown he was my ancestor and father to Mary Rowena.  This link provided me with several additional generations of ancestors thanks to the good vital records of New England towns.