BOOZ / VANHORN FAMILY … ATTENDEES AT THE 1924 FAMILY REUNION AND THEIR ROOTS AND BRANCHES

The tree on Ancestry.com was compiled with hopes that in searching the attendees at the Aug/Sept 1924 BOOZ /VANHORN reunion, I would come up with some more solid ideas about the origins of Charles and Mercy Ann’s families. In searching Rebecca VanHorn and tracing her … she had been married to Jack Thornley (Thorn) VanHorn. I traced his line and that’s how I came to Burr (or Burris) as Jack’s father. I concluded that since Jack Thornley VanHorn (he passed away 1915 and not at the reunion) was related to the Booz family who were also in attendance at the reunion, and looking at the birth date of Burr, I figured that Burr and Mercy Ann could be brother and sister … or he might have been a cousin or uncle.

Jack Thornley VanHorn's father Burr ...(he is referred to here as “Burr”, though he is refered to in different places as “James Burris”, “Burris”, “Burrous” and a few other variations) is the son of Arthur VanHorn and Lydia Featherby. Since Descendants of Arthur VanHorn and Lydia Featherby and also descendants of Charles Booz and Mercy Ann VanHorn were at the same reunion ... it is another clue to my assumption that Mercy Ann is the daughter of Arthur & Lydia.

In compiling this tree, I looked up as much as I could. I researched each of the 85 attendees and searched census records, birth and death certificates and newspaper articles to fill in all the little gaps. I came up with a family tree that leads to more evidence and clues as to the parentage of Mercy Ann VanHorn. This research of the 85 names took about a year to complete with hours a day being spent. The research is still ongoing. The families continued to have reunions together ... the last date of a reunion was Aug 31 1930 and is billed as the "Booz, VanHorn, Deavers Reunion" and is listed as the "seventh annual" reunion. Most of these reunions Carl Joseph was president of ... I have contacted descendants in the Joseph family and they don't seem to have any mementos from the reunions. I was hoping that someone had the keepsakes from the reunion that might solve the WHY and HOW these families were related. I even contacted the Market Street Baptist church to see if Reverend Stokes speaches might be archived ......... no luck!

The connection of the The King family (mentioned in the Reunion article) to the Booz family has now been figured out: (November 15, 2009) Roe King’s wife, Eva M. Bodkin is the daughter of Mabel G. Penn-Bodkin-VanHorn. Mabel was the wife of the above Franklin Arthur VanHorn. She had been married previously and her daughter from that marriage attended with her husband and infant child Roe Jr. … they are NOT related by blood to either the Booz or VanHorn families … only by virtue of Mabel’s second marriage to Franklin Arthur.

The Children (all 15 of them) of Charles Booz & Mercy Ann VanHorn

13 children were found on Census records ... it wasn't until I began searching newspapers that I found 2 additional children (Elmer and Mary). Their birth certificates confirm they are children of Charles & Mercy Ann. Why they were NEVER listed on a Census is curious. Also strange is that both these childen have used the alternative spelling of BOOZE as their last name.

#1 Easten
b. abt 1837 in Pennsylvania
m. unknown if married
d. unknown Last known living on 1850 Springfield Township, Muskingum County Census
b. unknown

#2 Amanda
b. 30 April 1939 Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio
m. 8 March, 1871 , Muskingum, Ohio to William J. Skinner
d. 21 November, 1892 Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Consumption
b. unknown

#3 Lydia
b. abt 1843 , Muskingum, Ohio
m. 11 March, 1863 , Muskingum, Ohio to Joseph W. Skinner (have found no connection to Amanda’s husband as yet)
d. unknown Last known alive 1896 as listed on Zanesville City Directory
cod: unknown
b. unknown

#4 Harriet Susan
b. 9 March 1845 Putnam, Muskingum, Ohio
m. 18 May, 1865 , Muskingum, Ohio to John Henry Deavers II
d. 12 May, 1907 Bristol, Perry, Ohio
cod: Complications of Yellow Jaundice
b. New Lexington Cemetery, New Lexington, Perry, Ohio

#5 John
b. 19 June 1847 , Muskingum, Ohio
m. 17 November, 1870 , Muskingum, Ohio to Sarah Elizabeth Hall
d. 29 March, 1893 White Cottage, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Consumption
b. Wesley Chapel Cemetery, White Cottage, Muskingum, Ohio

#6 Elizabeth Henrietta
b. 21 February 1850 (this is my line of descent) , Muskingum, Ohio
m. 15 August, 1867 , Muskingum, Ohio to William McGowen Joseph
(William & his first wife Susan McDonald had 2 boys ... one of them Austin L. Joseph, who would later marry Elizabeth's little sister Lillian May)
d. 24 May, 1920 Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Heart Disease / Contributory: arterial sclerosis
b. Greenwood Cemetery, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio

#7 Esther Ann
b. abt 1853
m. not married
d. 20 December, 1869 Newton Township, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Consumption
b. unknown

#8 Alva
b. abt 1857
m. unknown
d. unknown Last known alive on the Sept 1870 Census for Newton Township, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: unknown
b. unknown

#9 Louisa (aka Lula)
b. 23 August, 1858 White Cottage, Muskingum, Ohio
m. 18 October, 1888 , Muskingum, Ohio to Adolph Kreuter
m. 11 January, 1891 , Muskingum, Ohio to William LaFayette Combs
d. 31 October, 1923 Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Chronic nephritis / Kidney Disease … autopsy performed
b. Greenwood Cemetery, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio

#10 Mary S.
b. 30 September, 1859 , Muskingum, Ohio
m. 30 November, 1879 , Muskingum, Ohio
d. 15 August, 1926 Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Chronic Pulmonary Tuberculosis
b. Greenwood Cemetery, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio

#11 Hannah
b. 24 February, 1860 Springfield Township, Muskingum, Ohio
m. 10 September, 1882 , Muskingum, Ohio to Jennings Benjamin Marple
d. 16 May, 1900 Roseville, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Brain Cancer / Pneumonia
b. Greenwood Cemetery, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio

#12 Charles Henry
b. December 1861 , Muskingum, Ohio
m. 4 February, 1886 , Muskingum, Ohio to Sarah P. Boggs
d. 16 August, 1929 Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio
cod: Angina Pectora
b. Greenwood Cemetery, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio

#13 Elmer E.
b. 23 June 1863 , Muskingum, Ohio
m. 3 July, 1884 , Muskingum, Ohio to Alice Huffman
d. 12 January, 1924 Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Neuralgia of the heart / Angina
b. Greenwood Cemetery, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio

#14 Lillian May
b. 26 October, 1865 White Cottage, Muskingum, Ohio
m. 27 March, 1887 , Muskingum, Ohio to Austin L. Joseph
(son of William McGowen Joseph & his 1st wife ... see above #6 Elizabeth Henrietta)
d. 27 September, 1925 Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Paralysis
b. Greenwood Cemetery, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio

#15 Cora Belle
b. 6 July, 1867 Newton Township, Muskingum, Ohio
m. abt July 1883 No Marriage, but conceived her daughter Anna with William H. Atkinson
m. 9 July, 1891 , Muskingum, Ohio to Charles Uphold whom she divorced 25 March, 1899
m. 25 April, 1902 , Muskingum, Ohio to John Wesley McElfresh (who was previously married to Mary Ellen Sullivan)
d. 1 March, 1936 Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio
cod: Organic Heart disease / Chronic Bronchitis
b. Greenwood Cemetery, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio


Also found is a Hannah Booze. Hannah’s death is listed as 15 December, 1869 … 5 days BEFORE Esther Ann Booz (child #7) died. Hannah is listed on the Ohio Death & Burials as being born in 1852 (same as Esther). IF they were twins why would another child be named Hannah (child #11) when she was born in 1860? They wouldn’t name another child Hannah if the first one was still alive! Yet, there isn’t another Booz/Booze family living in Muskingum COUNTY … much less in Newton Township (where THIS Hannah Booze is listed as dying) … also of consumption. I also wondered if Hannah Booze and Esther Ann Booz might be one-in-the-same … but death dates are different and the Reference Number at the bottom of the records are different.

At this point, confirming Esther & Hannah Booze were one-in-the-same ... OR twins, seems remote, but as the records so closely match the family of Charles Booz & Mercy Ann VanHorn, Hannah Booz (1852-1869) ignoring THIS Hannah might be a mistake. Until we find more info she is included here just for future reference.

Hannah Booze (unconfirmed child/relative)
Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854 - 1997
Name: Hannah Booze
Gender: Female
Burial Date:
Burial Place:
Death Date: 15 Dec 1869
Death Place: Newton, Muskingum, Ohio
Age: 17
Birth Date: 1852
Birthplace:
Occupation:
Race: White
Marital Status: Single
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name:
Father's Birthplace:
Mother's Name:
Mother's Birthplace:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B07094-7
System Origin: Ohio-EASy
Source Film Number: 910154
Reference Number: pg24, ln91

Esther Ann Booz (child #7)
Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854 - 1997
Name: Esther Ann Booz
Gender: Female
Burial Date:
Burial Place:
Death Date: 20 Dec 1869
Death Place: Newton, Muskingum, Ohio
Age: 17
Birth Date: 1852
Birthplace: Ohio
Occupation:
Race: White
Marital Status: Single
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name:
Father's Birthplace:
Mother's Name:
Mother's Birthplace:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B07094-7
System Origin: Ohio-EASy
Source Film Number: 910154
Reference Number: pg24, ln18

The Booz in my Blood

E.G. Booz Whiskey Bottle

Yes, it's almost comical that the only "drink" of liquor I've ever had was by accident from a well-meaning "Christmas Party" prank. I walked into a store and the guy asked me if I wanted some Coca Cola ... I love Pop, so I said sure ... one drink told me this was NOT the normal soft drink I thought I had been given! Upon spitting it out, I was told that it had been spiked and he appologized profusely for his prank.

Funny, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints {LDS or Mormon} church, and as a non-drinker ... I find in my Family History the surname of BOOZ. Yes, the Booz from which the term "drinkin booze" came from! So regardless of the fact that I'm a non-drinker ... I am descended from a family who at one time owned a Whiskey Distillery in Pennsylvania.

Charles Booz and his wife Mercy Ann VanHorn {my 4th great grandparents} were born in Pennsylvania ... their first child, Easten, was also born in Pennsylvania. Their origins are from Pennsylvania … probably Bucks County as one researcher and family historian claims has been handed down in family lore.

Charles married Mercy Ann VanHorn about 1836 or 1837. Because they married between Census years, I cannot find them on the 1830 Census in Pennsylvania due to the fact that only “heads of household” are listed. Though I do not know who Charles mother and father are, I have strong clues as to the parents of Mercy Ann VanHorn. I believe them to be Arthur VanHorn & Lydia Featherby ... this is speculative and not proved by any documents.

My goal is to find the Parents of my 4th Great Grandparents, Charles Booz and Mercy Ann VanHorn. Born 1818 and 1822 both in Pennsylvania. They later moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio about 1838. Family Lore says that Mercy Ann had an ancestor that was referred to as: “Grandpa Featherby”. I was told that an ancestor of Mercy Ann was a Hessian Soldier that he served in the Revolutionary War. {May 5th, 2011 .... I have just been told by a great granddaughter of Mercy Ann, that her mother used to speak of being descended from a "Dutch Princess" ... this would fit the "Hessian" senario}.

I have suspicions that Mercy Ann may be the daughter of Arthur VanHorn & Lydia Featherby … several “hints” support that guess. And one researcher has them connected on New Family Search as if that relationship has been proved ... it has NOT.

As for Charles Booz, I have NO IDEA who his parents were. The family lore is that they came from Bucks County Pennsylvania and that they may be related to E.G. Booz, the famous Whiskey Distiller that the “BOOZ Bottles” have made famous … this BOOZ name is how the term BOOZE, in reference to drinking alcohol, got it’s nickname.

Charles & Mercy Ann were the parents of 15 children in all. I have 8 photos of their children but lack one for my own 3rd Great-Grandmother ... I know that Mercy Ann was still living in 1896 but there seems to be NO RECORD of her death or where she is buried. There are 3 children who are now lost or died without knowing what happened between census records.

Descendants of both Charles and Mercy Ann as well as descendants of Arthur & Lydia were in attendance together at a family reunion held in Putnam Park, in Zanesville, Muskingum County, Ohio in 1924. (see Booz - VanHorn newspaper article included here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.497303298508.269281.586868508&l=dd683d374a). Interesting that on the 1830 Census, Mercy WOULD fit into the Arthur VanHorn family with the hash mark that is present. There is no KNOWN child that would fit that hash mark ... but Mercy Ann WOULD!! …………. If only the Census would have listed each family member by name instead of just the head of household with hash marks in age groups for every one else, this work would be much simpler.

I … am a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints …. Through my family history research I also have come to the conclusion that I am also a Baptist and a Methodist, my ancestors were mostly firm in the faith of Jesus Christ and attended services of various denominations, though mostly Baptist and Methodist from all indications. Borrowed from one obituary in 1908 it states: … “She was a true believer in God and His power to save.” They had a great desire to believe, and for that reason, I have found great joy in the heritage of a Christian and faith believing family.

In my research I have found that though times were different, situations were much the same then as they are now. I found divorces, spousal abuse, children out of wedlock, suicides and other “black sheep” activities … though these are rare, they do exist. I love finding out the unusual and surprising things. I’m not afraid of finding (already have) things like an affiliation with the KKK, a newspaper article about a family member (in 1919) being arrested for fornication … and other facts about family members that seem to be outside the “norm”. I find all this information fascinating and I’m not ashamed of anything I find out about family members … we all have our faults and family secrets.

I find all information fascinating … even if it’s negative information, it’s family history. I don’t try to judge as I’ve made my own mistakes in life … and I don’t know each of our ancestors personally … nor what they actually lived through. It was amazing to think of each of these children and their descendants and the trials, and joys they had in their lives … I learned quickly that sometimes I would make assumptions and after gaining documents or court recrods … the FACTS became clear and made more sense when I learned of the WHOLE situation they were in.

Some of them came to Ohio in the early to mid 1800’s. I assume they came by wagon … probably not a comfortable trip … and I believe that Mercy Ann was pregnant at the time with her 2nd child. IF, (and this is not yet proven) Arthur VanHorn IS Mercy Ann’s father, then it is highly likely that they traveled in the same wagon company as him. They did move to the same town and lived 7 doors from one another once they arrived in Springfield Township, Muskingum County, Ohio {1840 Census}. And in my “colorful” imagination it may have been a comfortable trip … as Arthur VanHorn was a wagon maker by trade……. I’ll bet he fitted the wagon for a pregnant daughter with a comfortable seat (by the day’s standards)!

We come from a tough stock ... Mercy Ann’s 7th child, Esther Ann, contracted Consumption/TB and died on 20 December 1869. Her 9th Child Louisa had Consumption/TB in 1880, but survived and went on to be a mother of 5 children of her own. On November of 1892 Amanda (child #2) contracted the disease and died. Within 6 months child #5, John, also contracted the disease and died. At this point Mercy Ann had probably nursed or was in contact with ALL 4 children (2 of whom were already married) when only 4 months after John died … Lillie Ellen Skinner, daughter of Amanda and granddaughter of Mercy Ann died of the same disease. Lillie lived with Mercy Ann at the time of her death … so this brings the count to 4 children and one grandchild who died of the dreaded disease. Lillie passed away 16 July 1893 and Mercy lived on till at least 1896 {2016 genealogical find was her obituary that shows she died 17 Nov 1897} when she is listed on the Zanesville City Directory. She was a strong and valiant woman and tough by the days standards … and even by our standards today … How she could live with so may who had the disease and not be brought down before the age of 74 is amazing to me … and her strength is something to be admired!