JOHN WILKERSON AND ELIZABETH FARRIS’ CHILDREN

John and Elizabeth had 13 children: Ann, David F., Sarah, John, Henry, William, Jane A., Elizabeth, Lydia Marion,Francis Marion, Nancy, Mary Emeline, and James H.

Nothing is known about Ann other than her birth which was September 13, 1812.

Nothing is also known about David. His birth was February 20, 1814.

The third child Sarah was born September 21, 1818. She married James Harris Jr. February 9, 1837 and they had three children – William, Martha, and John before she died March 6, 1842. The following is a biography from the History of Warren County about her husband. “JAMES HARRIS, farmer, P. O. Clarksville, Clinton County; was born in Clinton County, Ohio, Aug 9, 1813; he is a son of James and Mary Harris, of Maryland and Virginia. The former was horn Dec. 2, 1775 and the latter April 3, 1784. Mr. Harris’ father was a carpenter and helped to build the Capitol at Washington; his mother was a daughter of Captain Cherry, of Revolutionary fame. Mr. Harris’ parents came to Clinton County in the early history of Ohio; his father represented Clinton County in the State Legislature six terms; he died Nov. 21, 1845; and Mrs. Harris departed from this earth Aug.18, 1860. Mr. Harris, our subject, was married Feb. 9, 1837, to Sarah Wilkerson, who died March 6, 1842, leaving three children – William H., Martha J., wife of Mr. Eldred; and John J. Mr. Harris again married Dec. 19, 1844, to Mary Biggs, a native of Clinton County, born Feb. 26, 1822, and a daughter of William and Rhoda Biggs. Eight children were the fruits of this union; of these six are living – Mary E. wife of Henry Vandervoort; Lucinda, wife of Rev. J. R. Hunter; David, Harriet, Alfred and Isaiah ; George and Rhoda are deceased. Two of Mr. Harris’ sons, George and John J., were soldiers in the late rebellion. Mr. Harris owns a farm of 200 acres; and in politics is Democratic.”

The fourth child and the second oldest son was John Wilkerson my second great grandfather.  He was born on Nov 16, 1819 and married Ann Conner August 26, 1841.  I will go into more detail about John and Ann’s life and children in the next section.

Next on January 26, 1822 the twins Henry and William were born. It is not known if Henry lived to adulthood or died as a baby or child. His brother William is found living in Warren County in 1860 with his wife Samantha and children.

Jane A. was born on November 9, 1824 and died when she was 18 years old in 1842. She is buried in the Wilkerson Cemetery.

Elizabeth was born April 19, 1825 and married Hugh Baugh. The only children I know about are John and Mary. Nothing else is known about Elizabeth

My records show the next daughter was Lydia Marion Wilkerson.

After Lydia M. was Francis Marion “Marion” Wilkerson who went by the name Marion and became a successful doctor in Warren and Clinton Counties. From Thaddeus Wilkerson we learn about Marion “Dr. Marion Wilkerson, late of Bloomington, Ohio was pretty generally considered an authority on Wilkerson lore. A great deal of our knowledge of the family came thru Dr. Wilkerson, Father, and Uncles Thomas and Edward Wilkerson. Dr. Wilkerson always maintained that the main difference between the Wilkerson’s and the Wilkinson’s was a matter of spelling. Both families are of English origin; however, the Wilkerson’s as a rule are fair and have blue eyes, while the Wilkinson’s as a rule are not of the blonde type and are dark-eyed.

From the History of Clinton County, Ohio we learn about Marion. “Dr. Marion Wilkerson was born in Warren county. His parents were John and Elizabeth Wilkerson, natives of Kentucky, who, at an early period emigrated to this state. Doctor Wilkerson read medicine in Lebanon with Drs. J. and E. Stevens and D. S. Dakin. He attended lectures and in 1852-53 graduated at the Ohio Medical College. In the War of the Rebellion he served as assistant surgeon of the Eighty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served during the memorable battles of Vicksburg and those in Arkansas. He has been in the practice of medicine and surgery since his graduation, and is now located at Bloomington, in this county, where he has a good and lucrative practice. He married a beautiful and highly accomplished daughter of Dr. Isaac Telfair. She is now deceased, and the Doctor is living alone in his home in the above named village. and “Marion Wilkerson, physician and surgeon, Bloomington, is the son of John and Elizabeth Wilkerson, natives of the State of Kentucky. His father John Wilkerson was born in Boone’s Fort, Ky., in 1787. He emigrated to Ohio and settled in Warren County, where our subject was born, and where he was reared and educated. He attended the public schools of his native county, in which he received a good elementary education, and early in the history of his life, commenced reading medicine with Dr. W. S. Dakin and Drs. J. & E. B. Stevens, of Lebanon, Warren Co., Ohio. He attended lectures at the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, and graduated from that institution in 1852-53. During the rebellion, he received the appointment of Assistant Surgeon of the Eighty-third Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served the practice of medicine and surgery since his graduation, and is now located at Bloomington, in this county, where he has a good and lucrative practice. He married a beautiful and highly accomplished daughter of Dr. Isaac Telfair. She is now deceased, and the Doctor is living alone in his home in the above named village. As the articles state he married Ann Timothy Telfair June 3, 1863 and they had two sons Charles and Henry.

Nancy Wilkerson was born February 20, 1832 and died July 16, 1850 when she was 18.

Mary Emeline “Emeline” Wilkerson was born November 14, 1835. She married Perry G. Mills in 1864. Perry was also from a local Warren County family and a widower. Ann Wilkerson Vandervoort, Perry’s first wife and Emeline’s cousin had died in childbirth in 1854 and 10 years later Perry and Emeline got married (see previous page under Elizabeth Wilkerson). Perry and Emeline had three children: Flora, Anna, and Charles. Emeline died in 1889 and Perry died 1894. All are buried in the Wilkerson Cemetery.

James H., the youngest child was born on January 24, 1816. He married Sarah Ann VanSkyke. They had nine children: Mary, Lucius, Harris, Horace, Amanda, F. Grafton, Walter, Ellen, and Anna. From Thaddeus Wilkerson we learn that “James H. and “Sally Ann” lived to be almost ninety years of age, but excepting Lucius, Mary Melissa, Horace and Walter, their children died as they approached maturity.” Both James H. and Sarah died in 1905. The only one of these children I know anything about is Mary Melissa and she married Baylis Settlemyre.