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.
