Achsah Pelton and Noah Folsom

Achsah Pelton was the daughter of Ithamar Pelton and Mercy Griffin. The Josiah Pelton and Samuel Griffin families were both living in Killingworth, Middlesex, Connecticut when her parents married on November 11, 1791. The marriage of Ithamar and Mercy is duly recorded in the ledgers of the Killingworth Congregational Second Society. Members of the Pelton and Griffin families joined in the great America expansion moving to the new frontier of Essex, Chittenden, Vermont in the 1790s. Achsah was born in Essex, August 6, 1797. ---------- The Pelton family story is well documented in a history titled, “Genealogy of the Pelton Family of America” by J. M. Pelton. It was published in Albany, N.Y in 1892. It can be accessed on Ancestry.Com. ---------- The Pelton History records the move of the Pelton family from Connecticut and Vermont to Gustavus, Trumbull Co, Ohio in 1802. Ithamar’s father, Josiah, purchased 6,605 acres in Gustavus in 1800. By 1802 Josiah had moved most of his family to Ohio. The Pelton history records that Ithamar joined his father in Ohio in the Fall of 1804 taking all of his children born in Killingworth and Essex, including Achsah, with him. The 1820 census, taken in Gustavus, lists Ithamar Pelton and nine children. The Pelton history lists a family of thirteen children. By 1820 some of them had married. ---------- Running somewhat parallel to the story of the Pelton family is the story of the Folsom family. A Folsom family history written by Jacob Chapman was published in 1882, “A Genealogy of the Folsom family: John Folsom and his descendants, 1615-1882”. A copy of the history can be accessed online. Found in the history is the story of Thomas Folsom who was born in Epping, N. H. in 1754. After the Revolutionary War, in which he served, he moved his family to Dorchester, N. H where his son, Noah, was born in 1781. Late in 1800 Thomas moved his family to Essex, Vermont. The Folsom history notes that he later moved his family to Gustavus, Ohio. ---------- Josiah Pelton purchased the Gustavus, Ohio property in 1800. By 1802 he and most of his family were settled on his Gustavus property. His son Ithamar joined him in 1804. The Folsoms followed in 1809. The two families had become connected with the marriage of Mary Folsom to Ithamar’s brother, Elias, in 1799 in Essex, VT. The two families became very intermingled in Ohio with Hannah Folsom marrying Julius Pelton and Noah Folsom marrying Achsah Pelton. There are Folsom family histories that support the idea that Noah Folsom married Achsah Pelton in Essex, Vermont in 1808. That cannot be the case Achsah would have only been eleven at that time. The ages of those involved, census records, which place the birth of the children in Ohio and surviving family histories all strongly argue that the last two marriages occurred in Ohio. ---------- The Folsom family history entry for Noah Folsom reads; ----------- “Noah, m. Achsa Pelton, and had 9 ch.” ---------- The phonetic spelling from the Folsom history for Achsah’s name is found in several family trees on web sites such as Ancestry.com. ---------- Seven of the nine children are listed in the Folsom history; Worden, Julius, Hannah, Barbara, Sally, Christiana and Ezekiel. A daughter Malinda Jane was born in 1824. Census records for Worden place his date of birth in 1816/17. This information helps establish a probably time line for the birth of the rest of the siblings. It also argues that his parents married in Ohio in 1814/15. The Pelton family history places the date in 1814 in Ohio. ---------- Noah Pelton and his father Thomas appear in the Wayne, Ashtabula, Ohio census in 1820. The census lists Noah and his wife as well as two sons and a daughter. The 1830 census, taken in Gustavus, lists three sons and 4 daughters. ---------- There is no further trace of Noah and Achsah in the census records after 1830. The Pelton family history includes a brief entry; ---------- “Achsah, born in Essex, Vt. Aug 6, 1797; married in 1814 Noah Folsom. Lived in Wayne, Ashtabula Co., O. and in Baconsburg, O. removed to Illinois in 1833 he disappeared on the way and was never heard of. She died in Illinois in 1844.” ---------- Note that Wayne, Gustavus and Baconburgh, Ohio are all within a short distance of each other. ---------- Also note that the extended Pelton and Folsom families are buried in the Old Gustavus Cemetery. ---------- There is an air of mystery surrounding the last days of Achsah and Noah Folsom and their disappearance from Gustavus. Not only did they disappear there are no surviving records, census or otherwise, for their children in Ohio. As a result of this set of circumstance a number of family histories have been purposed. The most common history, which ignores the reality of the 1820 and 1830 census records from Ohio, has Achsah and Noah getting married in Vermont. Not only does it place their marriage in Vermont, Vermont is also listed as the place where their children were born and where they lived and died. The problem with this theory is the fact of the Ohio census records and the complete lack of any records for the Vermont scenario. ---------- So what did happen to Achsah and Noah? Why did they leave the bosom of the family gathered near Gustavus? Why go to Illinois? What happened to the children? ---------- The key to unlocking the mystery lies in their daughter Malinda Jane. Malinda’s name does not appear in the Folsom family history. The only reason that anyone could make the connection is the legacy she left behind. Her life is well remembered by her posterity. They have any number of well document family trees on web sites such as Ancestry.com. Those sites even contain a number of photographs of Grandmother Murphy. The family has a rich tradition for her parentage although they too are puzzled about some chapters of the Achsah and Noah Folsom story. The Illinois, Death index lists Malinda’s maiden name as Falsum/Folsom. --------- The story of her life provides some explanation for the questions we posed above. The story told by Malinda’s posterity tells of her marriage to Braxton Murphy of Putnam Co., Illinois. Listed in the Putnam County marriage records is a marriage between Brackston Murphy and Malinda Folsom, January 20, 1840. ---------- The Murphy family documents the life of Braxton and Malinda in Illinois. Part of the story is the death of Braxton at the battle of Shiloh in the Civil War. The census records trace Malinda in the homes of her children until her death in Shipman, Illinois August 30, 1916. There are any numbers of sources for her date of birth June 1, 1824. Census records consistently identify her place of birth as Ohio. What is missing in the story is an explanation for the how and why of her move from Ohio to Illinois. --------- The discovery of the Melinda Jane Folsom Murphy story leads us to the 1850 census taken in Putnam County, Illinois. Listed is Braxton Murphy, age 30 born in Illinois. His wife is listed as Melinda J., age 26 born Ohio. Their next-door neighbor is none other than Worden Folsom, age 33 born in Ohio and his wife Elizabeth, age 28 born in Illinois. The children in each of the two families are all listed as being born in Illinois. A search of the same Putnam County marriage records turns up a marriage between Worden Folsom and Betsy Murphy July 9, 1840. It seems that brother and sister had married brother and sister. There exists on Ancestry.com a number of excellent profiles for Malinda. There have been a number of photographs of her that have survived they are posted below. ---------- One of the early settlers in Putnam County, Ill. was Moses Murphy. He arrived in Illinois from Kentucky in 1820. The Putnam county history lists his children as William, Arter, Braxton, Elizabeth, John, Mary, Sarah, Jeremiah, Moses Jr. and James. In his will Moses identifies his daughter Elizabeth as, Elizabeth Folsom. The Moses Murphy family cemetery located on the family farm is registered in the Find A Grave Index. Another chapter of the Murphy family story records the marriage between Arter Murphy and Melinda and Worden’s sister Christiana. ---------- Worden G. Folsom is found in the 1850, 1855, 1860, 1865 and 1870 census records taken in and around Putnam County, Ill. In each his date of birth calculates to about 1816. In each his place of birth is given as Ohio. From the census record we can assemble a list of his children, William, Jeremiah, George, James Franklin and Mary. In the 1880 census we find his wife Elizabeth in the household of their son George. The census lists her as a widow. Jeremiah, George and Worden/Werdin are buried together in the Chillicothe, Ill City Cemetery. James Franklin is buried in the Laurel Hill cemetery in Havana, Ill. But where are Worden his wife, Elizabeth, and his son, William, and daughter, Mary buried? I suspect that when we find them we will find his mother Achsah buried in the same family plot. ---------- Christiana married Arter/ Arthur Murphy. The census records place their home in Magnolia, Ill. the site of the Murphy family farm. The census records estimate her birth as 1827, born in Ohio. Arter died in 1862. He is buried in the family cemetery on his father’s farm. Christiana married for a second time to David Gilson. They are in the 1880 census in Magnolia. We find her in the 1900 census in Jackson, Boone, Arkansas listed as a mother-in-law in the household of her daughter, Eliza/Liza. The 1900 census gives her date of birth as April 1827 in Ohio. But it is her headstone that provides the final details of her life. Found in the Sanders Cemetery in Boone County it reads; Christiana / wife of / Arter Murphy / Born April 11, 1827 / Died Nov 17, 1900. ---------- How do we concluded the story of Ashsah Pelton Folsom? Did the family gather up and make the move to Illinois together? Or did Achsah and Noah follow some of the children to Illinois? I think the first option is probably correct. There are no records for the children in Ohio. While we have only found three of the children in Illinois for those who do any genealogy related research it is a given that after a girl marries she more or less disappears behind the identity of her husband. This must be the story for the missing Folsom girls. ------------------------------------- Achsah Pelton Folsom / Mercy Griffin / Samuel Griffin / Samuel Griffin of Killingworth