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James was born between 1800 and 1810, probably in Co. Armagh, Ireland. I have always assumed he was the oldest brother, but my brother Kearney thinks that William was. At any rate, James came with his brothers and sisters to Canada sometime in the 1830s and moved to Burlington, Vermont in about 1838.
Burlington Sentinel.
NOTICE
JAMES BOTHWELL
Respectfully informs the public that he will Make, Clean and Repair Clothing to the satisfaction of his employers. He will also keep on hand a stock of Ready Made Clothing, which he will give in exchange or sell for ready cash on the lowest terms. He will be found in the first Store south of the Chair Factory, Church-street.
N.B. -Cloths of all kinds constantly on hand and for sale. Trimmings for sale for those who may furnish their own cloth.
Burlington, Jan. 14, 1838
I suspect the date is a typo because the first issue in which I found it was dated Jan. 21, 1939. There were other ads on the page dated both 1838 and 1839. [note by Kearney Bothwell, who discovered the ad.]
He married Ruth Converse in Burlington on 13 May1839.
Note from Kearney: James was married in Burlington, VT., May 13, 1839, almost exactly a month before William married Dinah Manson there on June 17, 1839. What makes it even more interesting is the maiden name of James' wife, Ruth, appears to be Converse. And the name of the minister who married William and Dinah was named Rev. J. K. Converse. However, J.K. Converse, whose first name was John, was born in 1801 and thus it is not likely he would have a daughter old enough to be married by the time he was 38. [It is possible, but Ruth appears to have been born ~1806.] I suspect Ruth may have been a sister, but have not had any luck finding anything online to identify her. John K. Converse was pastor of the Calvinistic Congregational Church, Burlington. Vt., in 1833 and it appears he came from a family with a history of being ministers. In 1844, he purchased a large estate and established the Burlington Female Sanctuary, which later became the Home for Aged Woman, which later was expanded and renamed to Converse Home, which still is in use. It also reportedly was a stop on the Underground railroad. Will keep you posted on future developments.
James and Ruth, with (this is an assumption) his younger brother Jeremiah and his two sisters, are in the 1840 Vermont census.
1840 Vermont - Chittenden Co - Burlington 032 - line 16
Bothwell James - 1 m 20-30; 1 m 30-40
1 f 10-15; 1 f 20-30; 1 f 30-40
total 5. 2 in manufacture and trade
1m 30-40 (James)
1m 20-30 (Jeremiah 22)
1f 30-40 (Ruth 34)
1f 20-30 (Sarah 26)
1f 10-15 (Margaret 17)
Brother William had begun accumulating property in Whiteside County, Illinois in 1840, and by 1842, the rest of the family had moved out there as well. James was one of the organizers of the Congregational Church in Albany . . .
13 February 1842 - organization of the Congregational Church and Society of Albany. Members had withdrawn from the First Presbyterian Church “being dissatisfied with the principles of said church.” Certificate signed by: James Bothwell, William H. Efner, Duty Buck, Erastus Allen, William Bothwell, Mrs. Hannah Allen, Mrs. Ruth Bothwell, Mrs. Fannie Buckingham, G. Buckingham by profession, Mrs. Dinah Bothwell by profession.
[Charles Bent, History of Whiteside County, Illinois : from its first settlement to the present time, with numerous biographical and family sketches (Morrison, Ill. : [s.n.], 1877) p. 118-119.]
. . . but I don’t know where he lived originally. The first land purchase I found for him (at the Whiteside County Courthouse) was dated 1843. In 1844, he bought William’s town lots in Albany as well (William had moved north, to Galena).
30 May 1843 Samuel Mitchell to James Bothwell WD $50 C, 77
Town lot 1, Block 9, Lower part town of Albany Ivy Buck, JP
21 March 1844 Bothwell, William & wife Dinah to James Bothwell WD $350C, 342
Lots two (2) & eleven (11) in Block nine, lower part of town of Albany Also lot 7 of the lots attached to the lower part ... Ivy Buck - JP(For a complete list of all the Bothwells' land dealings in Whiteside County - deals.)
He continued to be a staunch church member:
20 July 1844 - James Bothwell (and others) elected trustee for 5 years
12 July 1846 - James Bothwell and C. Abbott elected deacon for 3 years
[Bent, loc.cit. - I know that is an old-fashioned citation. Deal with it.]
He died in 1847, January 31. He is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Albany, in a plot with the Bolls family. (I have no idea what, if any, relationship James had with the Bolls.) [This information from: Helen Hanson, Trailways to Albany 2000 (Henry, Illinois : M&D Printing, 1999), p. 267]
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William | Sarah | Margaret | Jeremiah
James and Ruth had 4 children:
Samuel - 1841 Illinois - Oct 19?, 1920 - m. Adeline ?
Lucy Ann - 1842 - aft 1880 - m Mahlon Koon
James - 1844 Apr 23 - 1908 Feb 24 - m. Estella M. ?
Sarah - 1847 - aft 1870
Duty Buck, one of the Congregational Church members, and Ruth were made guardians of the children after James's death.
Guardianship papers - I have photocopies, but they are not easy to read
Know all men by these presents, that Duty Buck and Ruth Bothwell are held and freely bound unto, Samuel Bothwell and Lucy Ann Bothwell, James Bothwell and Sarah Bothwell minor heirs of James Bothwell deceased - in the final [?] sum of five hundred dollars for the payment of which well and truly to be made we bind ourselves, our heirs executors and administrators jointly severally and fairly [finally?] by these presents. Sealed with our seals this day of December AD1851.
The conditions of the above obligation is such that whereas the said Ruth Bothwell as guardian of said minor heirs above mentioned has made application in the Circuit Court of the county of Whiteside for a sale of certain real estate in said county belonging to said minors & obtained an order and devise of said court at the October term AD1851 for the sale of said real estate & by virtue of said order said real estate was sold on the day of November AD 1851 [?] for the sum of three hundred and [something] [overwritten with] fifty six dollars. Now if the said guardians will well and truly apply the proceeds of said sale for the education and maintainance of said wards then this obligation to be in [?? and (looks like)opposined] to be in full force and effect -
In presence } wherof we have hereunto set our hand and seals this day and year aforesaid
of [??] } Ruth Bothwell
Ruth moved to Lenawee County, Michigan sometime after James’s death, and was there when she sold the Albany town plots.
1 Jan 1852 - Jane (actually Ruth) Bothwell to John Skinner - Guardian Deed. - sale of lots 1, 2, and 11.
Deed was signed in Lenawee County, Michigan.
In fact, she was there earlier, in time for the 1850 census.
1850 Michigan - Lenawee - Medina 256
Bothwell, Ruth 44 f 600 Mass - line 15
Samuel 9 Ill
Lucy A 8
James 6
Sarah 3
Living next door was Amasa Converse, just the right age to be Ruth’s brother.
Amasa Converse 38 Mass $1000 - line 10
Harriet 33 Mass
Hariet M 11 Mich
Nelson I 4 Mich
By 1860, many more Converses were in Lenawee County. Ruth and Sarah were still living together, but the two boys were with a (presumed) uncle, and Lucy (or the person I assume is Lucy) was working in the next county:
1860 Michigan, Lenawee, Medina p. 669 line 8 - 1560-1600 -
Amasa Converse 48 Mass
Harriet 42 Mass
Harriet 21 Mich
Nelson 15 Mich
Albert 9 Mich
1561-1601 - Ephraim Converse 80 Mass
Lucy 82 “
Lucy 44 “
1561 - 1602 - Ruth Bothwell 54 “
Sarah 13 Il
p. 678 - line 24 -
James Converse 54 Mass
Huldah 55 NY
Ebenezer 24 Mass
Hulday 19 “
line 28 - Benj Converse 48 Mass
Mary 44 “
Lewis 14 Mich
Herbert 8 “
John Newman 28 laborer Eng
Chas Converse 21 “ Mass
Saml Bothwell 18 IL
James Bothwell 16 Il
1860 Michigan, Hillsdale, Somerset p. 780
Aziel Smith 63 / Mary 63 / Frederic J 25 / Columbus Pully 22 / Elijz Benly 17
Lucy Bothwell 18 domestic NY
Both of James and Ruth’s sons enlisted for the Civil War, Samuel in 1862 and James in 1864. Samuel enlisted in Company A, 18th Michigan Infantry on August 2nd, 1862 at Hudson for 3 years, age 21. He mustered out June 26th, 1865 at Nashville Tennessee. James enlisted in Company F, 18th Michigan Infantry on August 31st, 1864 at Medina for 1 year, age 20. He joined the regiment in the field at Decatur, Alabama. He mustered out on June 26th, 1865 at Nashville Tennessee.
Lucy Ann married Mahlon G. Koon on September 1, 1864 (the day after brother James enlisted, which seems odd) in Lenawee County, Michigan.
In 1870, Ruth was living with her (presumed) mother and sister, and her daughter Sarah.
1870 Michigan - Lenawee - Medina
321-315 Converse Lucy 91 retired
Bothwell Ruth 64 keeping house
Sarah M 23 at home
Converse Lucy A 54
Daughter Lucy Ann was in the same county:
1870 Michigan - Lenawee - Seneca p. 525b (24)
203-194 Koon, Malon 30 farmer NY
Lucy Ann 24 Keeping house Il
Huldah 6
Fred 4
Henry 2 all Mich
The boys were further afield. Samuel had married Adeline and was living in Ohio.
1870 Ohio - Williams - Superior - PO Montpelier - Image 23p. 266a - taken 20 Aug - line19 - 171-171 Bothwell Saml C 29 mw dry goods merch (ret?) Il
Adalina 21 keeping house OH
Lilly 3 Mich
Opdycke, Lucy 11 at school OH
James was married to Estella and living in Wisconsin:
1870 Wisconsin - Winnebago - Vinland p. 4278 (21) - taken 23 July
Bothwell, James 26 mw farmer Il
Stella 24 keeping house Mi
Hattie 1 at home Wi
In a curious coincidence, which caused no end of confusion when I started doing genealogy, James A Bothwell, son of James, born in Albany, Illinois, married a woman named Estella M. My own great grandfather, James Augustus Bothwell, son of Jeremiah, born in Albany, Illinois, married a woman named Estella May Roberts. (And great-grandmother Estella had a mother named Harriet, so you can imagine what I thought of this particular census finding!)
In 1880, Lucy was still in Lenawee County, with her family
1880 Michigan Lenawee Seneca (index list)
Mahlon Koon mw39 Ny Ny Ny farmer
Lucy 38 Il Ire Ma housekeeper
Huldah E 15 Mi housekeeping
Fred M 13 Mi works on farm
Henry M 11 Mi works on farm
Ruth had joined James in Wisconsin
1880 Wisconsin - Winnebago - Vinland - p. 17 (stamped 252) SD4, ED215 - 16 June
Bothwell, James 36 farmer Il Vt Mass
Estella M 34 wife housekeeping Mi Ny Ny
Hattie E 10 dau at school Wi Il Mi
Bertie S 7 son at school Mi Il Mi
1 servant , 2 laborers - didn't copy down names, sorry
Bothwell, Ruth 74 mother housework Mass Mass Mass
I haven’t been able to find either Samuel or Sarah in this census. I have not found Sarah in any subsequent census either, so perhaps she married - or died. Ruth also is missing from further censuses - but she would have been 94 by the next available one, so.
In 1900, James was back in Lenawee County.
1900 Michigan Lenawee Medina SD2, ED52, Sheet 10?a stamp 61b - 12 June - l. 95-
Bothwell, James head Apr 1844 66 m 33 Il Ire Mass farmer
Estella wife Jan 1846 64 m 33 2ch/2liv Mich Ny Ny
Bent son Aug1872 27 s Mich Il Mich farm lab
His daughter isn’t with him, but she is listed as still living, so possibly she was married by then.
James died in 1908, and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Morenci, Lenawee, Michigan.
Bothwell, James,1844, Apr 23, Albany, ILL, 1908, Feb 24,Medina, MI, 63y9m24d, tuberculosis
This is from a file in the Rootsweb Archives - sorry, I don't have the exact url right now
His wife Estella lived with her son Bert . . .
1910 Michigan - Lenawee - Medina - Im 9, p. 69a (SD121, ED69, Sheet 5a) taken 5 Apr
Bothwell, Bert S mw 37d Mich Il Mich farmer
Estella mother 64 wid 2ch/1liv Mich Ny Ny
1920 Michigan - Lenawee - DS2, Ed7, Sheet 6b - l.58 fm -
Bothwell, Bert S head owns free mw47 d? Mich Il Mich farmer general farm
Estella M mother fw 74w Mich Ny Ny
She died in 1928, and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, also.
Bothwell, Estella M.,1846,*,12 Apr 1928,Medina,82y2m27d,acute bronchitis
from Rootsweb Archives
In 1900, Samuel was in Massachusetts, running a boarding house.
1900 Massachusetts - Hampshire - Northampton - 2338 - ED 629 sheet 4b - line 60 - 62-74
Bothwell, Samuel C Feb 1841 59 m 32 Il Mass Mass
Adelina E Sep 1848 51 6 ch, 5 liv Oh Oh Oh
Ada W dau Dec? 1873 26 Oh Il Oh
Rawson Oct 1884 15
Harry Apr 1887 13
James G Oct 1889 11 Wi Il Oh
8 boarders
In 1910 and 1920, he was in New Hampshire.
1910 New Hampshire - Cheshire - Chesterfield - ED31, Sheet 2b - l. 100
Bothwell, Samuel C head mw69 m1 42 Iowa Ireland(scotch) Mass own income
Adeline E wife fw61 m1 42 Oh Oh Pa
James G son mw 20s Wisc Il Oh hand sawmill
(Harry Bothwell was working as a hired hand in another place in the same county. Daughter Ada was in Massachusetts - at least I think this is our Ada.)
1910 Mass - Hampshire - Northampton 3rd wd, p 94b (SD119, ED701, Sheet 1b
Bothwell, Ada lodger 35 Oh clerk department store
1920 New Hampshire - Chesterfield SD2, ED2, Sheet 6b - 3 Jan - l. 78 Chickering? Rd
Bothwell, Samuel C head owns mortgaged 88m Il Ire Mass
Adeline E wife fw 71 m Oh Oh Oh
And from somewhere, I got the information that he died Oct 19, 1920.
I did not find Lucy Bothwell Koon in any censuses after 1880. Her son is in the 1920 and 1930 censuses:
1920 Michigan, Lenawee, Seneca ED 91 sheet 2b
Koon, Henry M 52
Elsie 47
daus Hylah & Huldah 7
1930 Michigan, Lenawee, Seneca - Morenci - ED464 Sheet 11a
Koon, Henry 61 m24
Elsie S 56 m 19
Hulda S 17s
And that is all I know about the James branch of the family.
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William | Sarah | Margaret | Jeremiah
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contact me at : lee@leesgenes.com