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Recently, I asked my Facebook followers to send me their questions about DNA testing. One person wanted to know how AncestryDNA determines ethnicity percentages. In particular, she was interested in what regions of the genome Ancestry uses to draw these conclusions.
First, it is important to understand that Ancestry is not actually sequencing a client’s entire genome. The vast majority of DNA would not be informative, because it is the same in all people. Instead, Ancestry determines the client’s DNA sequence only at specific positions that are known to vary among different ethnic groups. These differences, which are scattered all over the genome, are called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs – pronounced “snips”). Determining an individual’s sequence at a variety of SNPs is called “genotyping”. Ancestry uses SNPs that were originally identified by comparing genomes from individuals of European, East Asian (Han Chinese and Japanese), and West African (Yoruba) ancestry. Since Ancestry wants to be able recognize other ethnicities too, they had to develop a reference panel of people from a variety of known ethnic backgrounds. To do this, they genotyped people whose ancestors all came from the same geographic region and thus were likely to descend from a single ethnic group. They also incorporated data from the public Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP), which genotyped individuals from about 50 different populations around the world. When the SNP data from this reference panel was plotted on a graph, it formed clusters corresponding to 26 distinct geographic regions. Ancestry uses these 26 regions to define a client’s ethnicity. When a client’s DNA is genotyped, the data is compared to the reference panel at 300,000 SNPs (the sites for which the HGDP and Ancestry’s technique both provide information). The most informative SNPs are then subjected to some high-powered statistical analysis. Basically, they calculate the predicted SNP results for all possible proportions of ethnicity and compare those predictions to the client’s actual SNP results to determine which ethnicity combination has the highest probability of producing the client’s results. The “winning” combination is reported to the client as their Ethnicity Estimate. Obviously the results of this type of analysis are only as good as the reference panel. Ancestry has already upgraded the reference panel once (they are currently using the V2 panel) and additional improvements are in the works. The quality of results may also vary depending on the ethnicity of the subject. Because of the SNPs that were chosen, the Ancestry ethnicity test works best for people of European ancestry. However, even some regions within Europe are difficult to distinguish due to migration and population mixing. For example, the regions defined as Great Britain and Europe West show a lot of overlap. Ancestry provides a brief history of each of the geographic regions, highlighting population movements that are likely to have affected the genetic makeup of its inhabitants. In my personal experience, the geographical regions identified by the Ancestry Ethnicity Estimate match up fairly well with what would have been predicted based on standard genealogy. It is important to check the error bars on each region, since they are often quite large. For example, on one test that showed 6% Great Britain, the actual range is 0-21%. As Ancestry upgrades their reference panel and algorithms, these results are likely to improve. If you are interested in reading about Ancestry’s Ethnicity Estimate in even more detail, check out the white paper describing their method. If you have other questions about DNA testing for genealogy purposes, comment below or submit questions through the Contact form on this site. You can also send me a message through the KinSeeker Genealogy Services Facebook page. I will try to answer any questions in a future post.
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 I just completed a series of blogs about “The Stolen Boy”, an autobiographical story written by my great-great-great grandfather Ambrose Bowen Epperson. In the first post, I discussed a tract of land in Jackson County, Indiana that was patented by Ambrose’s father, John Epperson. The date on the patent (shown below) was 17 Dec 1821 – a year later than Ambrose claimed that his family moved to Indiana – and I mentioned that I would have to check the tract books to learn the actual date of purchase. These were books that each land office used to record transactions involving government land. After a purchase or claim was made, paperwork was sent to the General Land Office in Washington, D. C., where a patent was issued if all requirements were met. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=IN0200__.329&docClass=STA&sid=qrlpcswu.aij#patentDetailsTabIndex=0 According to the patent, John Epperson purchased his land from the land office in Jeffersonville, Indiana. At the time I wrote my post, I didn’t think that records from this office were available online. However, as I was browsing through the online databases at FamilySearch recently, I discovered that the tract books for many land offices, including Jeffersonville, are available in the collection “United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955”. The contents have not been indexed, but the books can be browsed. A Wiki page provides helpful tips for using the collection. Update: As of September 2022, many of the tract books have been indexed and are searchable. To locate a tract book entry, you need to know the state, the land office and the legal description of the property. The entries are usually grouped by Range, then Township and then Section, but even one range may be scattered across multiple, non-consecutive volumes. Thankfully, FamilySearch provides a Coverage Table that lists the contents of each volume, making it easier to browse for the desired entry. To find the tract book entry for John Epperson’s land, I began by browsing the images in the collection. This brought up a list of 27 states with digitized tract books, from which I chose Indiana. The available volumes were listed in numerical order, with the name of the land office in parentheses. There was a volume promisingly labeled Index A-Z (Jeffersonville), but it did not seem to include all entries and I decided to move on to the actual tract books. Most of the Indiana land offices had more than 20 volumes, so the search would have been very frustrating without the Coverage Table. John Epperson’s patent (from the Bureau of Land Management General Land Office Records site) gave me the legal description of his property – the west half of the northwest quarter of section 27 in Township 7N, Range 6E. I used the Coverage Table to narrow down which volumes to check. This table is arranged by state, then by land office and then volume, with a description of the contents for each volume. Most Jeffersonville tract books contained several townships within a single range, so the easiest way to identify my volumes of interest was to scroll down the list looking for range 6E. I then checked the townships in that volume to see if 7N was included. Using this method, I found three volumes that might contain John Epperson’s entry. Browsing through the potential volumes was still a little confusing. For example, part way through the images for the first book (volume 6), there was a second volume 6 book cover and the entries suddenly changed to range 5E. Volume 7 seemed to pick up where the first volume 6 left off, but when I finally got to township 7N, only one section was listed before the entries moved on to range 7E! Luckily, at the top of that page, in tiny script, was a note saying that the rest of the sections from township 7N, range 6E were in Volume CC, beginning at folio 707 (volume CC was on my list, but I had not checked it yet). The note was very helpful in finding the correct township within volume CC, since the folio number was essentially the page number, printed in the upper right corner of each two-page spread. After locating the correct township, I paged through the sections (which were in numerical order) until I found section 27. There is often more than one entry per page, sometimes for different sections, so be sure to check all entries when you get close to the section you are looking for. I located John Epperson’s entry (see below) at the top of image 185 in Book CC (Jeffersonville). The entry confirmed that John purchased 80 acres at the minimum price of $1.25 per acre, making the total cost of the land $100. Most importantly, it gave an entry date of 12 Oct 1820. This substantiates Ambrose’s claim that the Epperson family moved to Jackson County, Indiana in 1820. From browsing through the entries, it seems that a delay of a year or more between the entry date and the patent date was common at the time.  "United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955." Jeffersonville, Indiana Land Office, Volume CC, image 185 FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Bureau of Land Improvement. Records Improvement, Bureau of Land Management, Washington D.C. I had previously found another patent issued to John Epperson for land in section 21 of township 7N, range 6E. The date on this patent was 4 Oct 1824, more than a year after John died. Since the township and range were the same as John's first land entry, this entry (shown below) was located only a few pages away. I learned that the land was actually purchased 9 Apr 1822, about a year BEFORE John’s death. This brings up an important point – land patent dates should not be used as evidence that the patentee was alive at the time!  "United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955." Jeffersonville, Indiana Land Office, Volume CC, image 174 FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Bureau of Land Improvement. Records Improvement, Bureau of Land Management, Washington D.C. If I want to learn even more about these land purchases, I could request the case files from the National Archives. The price is a little steep at $50 per case file, but some files reportedly contain genealogical information. I would be particularly interested to find out if the case file for John’s 1822 land entry contains any information about his death.
If you have ancestors who purchased or claimed government land, you might want to check out this collection. You could learn the actual dates of their land transactions and how much they paid for the property. Having the actual entry date will also be helpful if you ever want to request the case file for that land entry. If you make any interesting discoveries in this collection, let me know by commenting below.
“The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors, although I have corrected a few errors that were obviously introduced when the story was typed.
When spring opened, they went to work on a rented farm, commencing anew again, renting from place to place ukntil the spring of 1865 when he moved to Jackson County Missouri, still dissatisfied. So in the spring of 1868, he took a notion to move to one of the southern states. He only found it worse in respect to agriculture and was very much dissatisfied. So in February , 1872, he made his way to Kansas again and on the 16th day of March, 1872, he laid his claim in Sumner County on the land that he now lives on and thinks it is good enough for the Stolen boy to live on the balance of his days.
Old Abe. February 18, 1881 Starting Over After being forced to abandon their Missouri farm in the early days of the Civil War, Ambrose and family traveled to the Baldwin City, Kansas area. With no money to buy more land, they had to rent a succession of farms. The family also suffered a sad loss during this time. Although the story doesn’t mention it, Ambrose and Nancy’s oldest daughter Phoebe reportedly died about 1863 at the age of 17 (1). I have searched transcriptions of cemeteries from Baldwin City and the surrounding area, but have not been able to locate her grave. The Civil War ended in April 1865. That spring, Ambrose packed up his family once again and moved to Jackson County, Missouri. Consistent with this, I could not find any of the Eppersons in the 1865 Kansas State Census. Enumeration of the township that includes Baldwin City didn’t start until Jun 22 (2). Presumably the Eppersons had already moved to Missouri by that time. Jackson County, Missouri is the site of Kansas City and Westport. The story does not give a reason why Ambrose chose to relocate there. My guess is that he wanted to be near his sister, Permelia (Epperson) Laws. (Her husband had been killed during the war under rather mysterious circumstances — but that’s a story for another time.) I have not found any documentation of the family’s time in Jackson County. “One of the southern states” In the spring of 1868, Ambrose moved again — this time to “one of the southern states”. The 1870 census shows the family living in Round Prairie Township, Benton County, Arkansas (P.O. Double Springs). (3) Benton County is the northwestern-most county in Arkansas, with Missouri to the north and Oklahoma to the west. However, at the time Ambrose lived there, the region to the west was still Indian Territory. Double Springs, later renamed Bloomfield, was located very close to the western border of the county. In the census, Ambrose’s occupation is listed as “Grocer Ret”. I think “Ret” must be short for retail. His real estate was valued at $250 and his personal estate at $200. I was a little surprised by Ambrose’s occupation, because the story mentions his dissatisfaction with agriculture there. Ambrose’s oldest son, my great-great-grandfather William Epperson, is listed as a farmer in the same township though. So, at least part of the family was involved in agriculture. As I was searching for information on Benton County, I came across an online index to early Benton County deeds provided by the Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society. I found a deed with “Epperson, Amb.” as the grantee, filed on 19 Nov 1870. Another deed with “Epperson, Ambros B.” as the grantor was filed on 18 Dec 1871. I will need to get copies of the deeds to learn what property Ambrose was buying and selling. On 15 Jun 1871, Ambrose was appointed postmaster (4) of the newly established post office in Cherokee City, just a short distance northwest of Double Springs (Bloomfield). He didn’t remain in that position long, however. A new postmaster was appointed on 10 Jan 1872. This fits with the timeline in the story, which says that Ambrose moved back to Kansas in February of 1872. 
Back to Kansas
Ambrose says that he “laid his claim in Sumner County” on 16 March 1872. I found a land patent dated 15 February 1875 for 159 and 90/100 acres in Section 5 of Township 31 South, Range 2 East (5). I had always assumed that Ambrose made his claim under the Homestead Act of 1862, which allowed settlers to receive 160 acres of land if they lived on it for five years and paid a small filing fee. Looking at the document more closely, however, I noticed that Ambrose received his patent only three years after he said he laid his claim. I read the land patent more closely and realized that it was made under the provisions of the Act of Congress of 24 April 1820 AND the act of 15 July 1870. In addition, “Osage Trust Lands” was written in the upper left corner, above the certificate number. By further research I learned that the land Ambrose claimed had been part of the Diminished Osage Reserve, a 30-mile wide strip of land spanning most of the southern border of Kansas. When the Osage ceded this land to the U.S. government in 1870 and moved to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), the land was excluded from the Homestead Act, but was made available to settlers for $1.25 per acre (with the proceeds to be paid yearly, with five percent interest, to the Osage tribe.) (6) Ambrose would have paid about $200 for his tract of land. The 1875 Kansas State Census shows A. B. Epperson living in Palestine Township, Sumner County, Kansas with real estate worth $260 (7). Perhaps the value of land had increased since he purchased his claim. The census also confirms that the family moved to Kansas from Arkansas. The nearest town to Ambrose’s farm was Belle Plaine, Kansas. Fortunately, issues of the Belle Plaine News from 1879-1926 have been digitized and are available at Newspapers.com. Small town newspapers are full of newsy items that help shed light on the lives and personalities of area residents. For example, I have found that Ambrose must have been something of an entrepreneur. At various times through the years, he was selling a patent churn, the Banner washing machine (8), and several different books (9,10). At the age of 69, he started a business painting carriages, wagons and houses (11). These stories remind me of the business ventures my father and grandfather started. Although neither of them ever met Ambrose, I can’t help but think that they inherited some of his personality traits.
Old Abe
The final clue to the identity of the story’s author is the signature “Old Abe”. There are several reasons I believe that this was a nickname for Ambrose. First, if you look at Ambrose’s full name – Ambrose Bowen Epperson – his initials would be ABE. Also, in the 1880 census, Ambrose’s name was incorrectly listed as Abraham Epperson (12). Maybe he was known by the name Abe and the census taker assumed it stood for Abraham. Finally, I found several items in the Belle Plaine News that were submitted by Old Abe (13,14,15). Most of these were news about Palestine Township (where Ambrose lived), and they often contained references to “old man Epperson”. Since I am convinced that Ambrose was Old Abe, I had to chuckle when I found a “letter to the editor” from A. B. Epperson correcting a mistake in Old Abe’s Palestine Historical Notes. “Old Abe will excuse me for the above correction,” he wrote (firmly tongue-in-cheek, I’m sure) (16). For several years, Old Abe seemed to be on hiatus. Then in the late 1880s he made a return appearance, writing a couple of letters to the newspaper from Optima in No Man’s Land (17,18). I’m sure it is no coincidence that Ambrose and some of his family members had recently moved to Optima (19) (see below).
Epilogue
In the last line of the story, Ambrose states that he expects to remain on his Sumner County farm for the rest of his life. That didn’t happen, although he stayed there longer than he ever had anywhere else. In 1884, he traded his farm for a “threshing outfit and corn sheller” and moved into Belle Plaine (20). I believe he acquired this equipment for his son Alfred, since later news stories mention Alfred running his threshing machine. In 1888, Ambrose followed his sons to “No Man’s Land” in what is now the Oklahoma panhandle. The area, also known as the Neutral Strip, was not part of any state or territory at the time. In 1890, No Man’s Land became Beaver County as part of Oklahoma Territory. 
Map of No Man's Land (Oklahoma) - circa 1885 from Wikimedia Commons
Thanks to the Belle Plaine News, we know that Ambrose and his wife Nancy travelled back to Belle Plaine in March of 1890 (21). Shortly after that, the newspaper reported that Ambrose had two cancers removed from his face (22). This stay in Belle Plaine might explain why I have not found Ambrose and Nancy in the 1890 Oklahoma Territorial Census, even though I found their son William and his family in newly established Beaver County (23). In January 1891, a newspaper item mentioned that Ambrose and Nancy left for Kingfisher (Oklahoma Territory) with their son Alfred (24). It’s not clear if they had been in Belle Plaine the entire time since their arrival the previous March or not. One of their sons, John B. Epperson, had been living in Kingfisher County since at least 1890 (25), so perhaps they were joining him. William Epperson also moved to Kingfisher County in the early 1890s, although I do not know the exact date (26).
Edna Epperson Brinkman’s book on the Epperson family says Ambrose passed away on 18 Sep 1891 in Kansas (27), but I have not been able to confirm this information. There is no record of his burial in the Belle Plaine Cemetery. Unfortunately, the Belle Plaine News issues from September 1891, which might have contained news of Ambrose’s death, are missing from the online archive. I had a brief flicker of hope when I realized that the newspaper printed a “Thirty Years Ago” column and the 1921 papers were online. The columns were not printed every week though, and I found no mention of Ambrose’s death. I did find a brief notice reporting the death of Nancy Epperson at her home in Columbia, Kingfisher, Oklahoma Territory on 15 January 1893 (28). This conflicts with the information in Brinkman’s book, which said Nancy died 16 Jan 1892 in Kansas (29). This discrepancy also makes me question the accuracy of the information about Ambrose’s death. One of my long-standing genealogy goals is to locate Ambrose and Nancy’s burial places, so I will keep searching.
Final Thoughts
Blogging about “The Stolen Boy” has been a great experience for me. My efforts to corroborate and expand on the events mentioned in the story motivated me to analyze evidence and research historical events much more thoroughly than I might have otherwise. As a result, I acquired a much better understanding of Ambrose’s life and made a few new discoveries along the way. I hope you have enjoyed the journey too!
Sources
(1) Burchfield Family Tree (2) Ancestry.com Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1865 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: ks1865_3; Line: 1; Palmyra Township (3) Ancestry.com Year: 1870; Census Place: Round Prairie, Benton, Arkansas; Roll: M593_47; Page: 349A; Image: 301938; Family History Library Film: 545546 (4) Ancestry.com. U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 [database on- line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. (5)https://www.glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=KS3690__.039 &docClass=STA&sid=xd2mh5ro.aef (6) https://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/2001autumn_linsenmayer.pdf (7) Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1875 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: ks1875_19; Line: 6 (8) Belle Plaine News 27 Mar 1880, p. 5 (Newspapers.com) (9) Belle Plaine News 23 May 1885, p. 4 (Newspapers.com) (10) Belle Plaine News 28 Aug 1886, p. 3 (Newspapers.com) (11) Belle Plaine News 4 Jun 1887, p. 3 (Newspapers.com) (12) Ancestry.com Year: 1880; Census Place: Palestine, Sumner, Kansas; Roll: 398; Family History Film: 1254398; Page: 127D; Enumeration District: 196; Image: 0260 (13) Belle Plaine News 3 Jan 1880, p. 15 (Newspapers.com) (14) Belle Plaine News 21 Feb 1880, p. 12 (Newspapers.com) (15) Belle Plaine News 13 Mar 1880, p. 15 (Newspapers.com) (16) Belle Plaine News 28 Feb 1880, p. 11 (Newspapers.com) (17) Belle Plaine News 28 Jul 1888, p. 2 (Newspapers.com) (18) Belle Plaine News 12 Jan 1889 p. 2 (Newspapers.com) (19) Belle Plaine News 18 Feb 1888, p. 3 (Newspapers.com) (20) Belle Plaine News 26 Jan 1884, p. 4 (Newspapers.com) (21) Belle Plaine News 22 Mar 1890, p. 3 (Newspapers.com) (22) Belle Plaine News 10 May 1890 p. 3 (Newspapers.com) (23) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lostdove/1890census1240.htm (24) Belle Plaine News 9 Jan 1891 p. 1 (Newspapers.com) (25) Ancestry.com. Oklahoma, Territorial Census, 1890 and 1907 [database on-line]; Kingfisher County, image 78 (26) William N. Epperson, Civil War Pension Application (27) Ancestry.com. The story of David Epperson & his family of Albemarle County, Virginia : with supplementary notes on the Epperson family [database on-line] image 199 (28) Belle Plaine News 19 Jan 1891 p. 1 (Newspapers.com) (29) Ancestry.com. The story of David Epperson & his family of Albemarle County, Virginia : with supplementary notes on the Epperson family [database on-line] image 208
“The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors, although I have corrected a few errors that were obviously introduced when the story was typed.
While here he was appointed county clerk by Governor Buchanan which was the first clerk of that county. Now comes trouble worse than ever. The Kansas war of 1856 broke out. The issue was Free State or Slave State. Nay was not very well versed in politics but he took the sides with the Free State Party. So he was not molested only in mind. The excitement kept up to a high pitch so he took a notion to sell out. He did so and in the fall of 1857, he moved to Henry County, Missouri. By this time he was able to pay for a snug little home of eighty acres, but by some means, he was not satisfied there, so he sold out and in the spring of 1859 he moved to Lawrence County, Missouri, bought one hundred acres in the Ozark Mountains was doing well when the late war borke out. Troubles came again, worse and worse. A large family by this time, plenty of stock, and food, good comfortable buildings but suffice it to say he had a good home and was doing well, but he was a union man. So in the fall of 1861, a part of Ben McCullough’s men called one morning quite early with a rope and made several inquiries. They found out that Nay did not vote for Lincoln.
Says they, “How do you stand in this war?” “I stand north,” says Nay. “Well then,” says the foreman of the party, “You had better go north where you belong.” So saying the party left. It was not long until the wagons were loaded and Nay was on the road again running for his life with his family and another family that had no team, leaving a large portion of household goods, the yard full of chickens and ducks. Plenty of hogs to make his bacon, and some for the market, wheat crop growing nice, corn crop not gathered, old wheat, oats, hay in the stack. But alas, they had to leave it all and finally lost it all together with the home they had worked so hard for. But the idea was to save life so the first night they, with some Union neighbors camped together making about twenty wagons in all, making their way to Kansas. Nay with one other family traveled on to the neighborhood of Baldwin City, Douglas Count Kansas with three yoke of work oxen, two wagons, four ponies, one dollar and fifty cents in money, and eight in the family.
County Clerk
In the previous section of the story, Ambrose had moved his family to Franklin County, Kansas Territory in 1855. This segment begins with Ambrose’s statement that he was appointed by Governor Buchanan to be the first county clerk of Franklin County. One minor problem with this claim is that Kansas Territory did not have a governor named Buchanan. Maybe Ambrose confused the Governor’s name with James Buchanan, who was elected President of the United States while Ambrose was living in Franklin County. Through a Google search, I located an entry in the Kansas Territory Executive Minutes from 19 Jul 1856 stating that a commission was issued to Ambrose B. Eperson [sic] as Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners in Franklin County. At that time, the governor was Wilson Shannon. At first I thought this indicated that Ambrose was a clerk for the county, but not actually the County Clerk. Under current Kansas law, County Clerk is an elected position with many responsibilities. I was familiar with some of these duties, but I was surprised to learn that County Clerks are expected to act as Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners. The similarity between this duty and Ambrose’s title made me think that there might actually be a connection between the two positions. When I researched the laws of Kansas Territory in 1856, I found that the Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners also had additional responsibilities, such as acting as probate clerk when necessary and preparing poll-books before an election. As for it being an appointed rather than elected position, I found that other county positions (county treasurer, constable, coroner) were also appointed at that time. So, I believe that the Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners was basically equivalent to the modern County Clerk position and Ambrose’s claim was legitimate even if he was mistaken about the name of the governor who commissioned him.
Bleeding Kansas
Not long after Ambrose settled in Kansas Territory, the political climate deteriorated into violence over the issue of slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, under which Kansas Territory was established, gave the settlers themselves the right to choose whether or not to allow slavery within their territory. Although many of the settlers (like Ambrose) were simply looking for affordable land and a place to raise their families, some came specifically because of their strong feelings for or against slavery. Inevitably conflict arose between the two sides. Franklin County, where Ambrose settled, was in one of the most contentious regions. One of the most militant abolitionists, the infamous John Brown, came to Kansas in 1855 and lived with family members near Osawatomie, just east of the Franklin County line. The region was also relatively close to Missouri, making it a target of Border Ruffians -- pro-slavery Missourians who often crossed into Kansas to intimidate free-state settlers. In 1856, several clashes between pro-slavery and free-state groups occurred within about 30 miles of Ambrose’s home. On April 23, the pro-slavery sheriff of Douglas County was shot and wounded while trying to arrest free-state advocates in Lawrence, about 30 miles north of where Ambrose lived. The sheriff returned on May 21 with about 800 pro-slavery settlers who ransacked the town. On the night of May 24, members of John Brown’s group murdered five pro-slavery settlers on Pottawatomie Creek in Franklin County, about 15 miles southeast of where Ambrose lived. Then, on August 30, pro-slavery men from Missouri defeated Brown’s group in a short battle at Osawatomie and then burned the town. Violence continued intermittently over the next several years. With tensions so high, many settlers, including Ambrose, decided to leave the area. 
This powerful image by John Steuart Curry, featuring John Brown and entitled "The Tragic Prelude", is based on a mural he painted in the Kansas State Capitol building. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
http://collections.si.edu/search/tag/tagDoc.htm?recordID=npg_225_UMB&hlterm=John%2BSteuart%2BCurry%2BTragic%2BPrelude
In the fall of 1857, Ambrose left Kansas Territory and moved to Henry County, Missouri, about 100 miles to the east. There he says he bought 80 acres of land. It seemed a little strange to me that Ambrose says he was on the Free State side, but decided to move to Missouri – a slave state. However, the decision made more sense when I realized that Ambrose might have had family in the area. In 1860, John and Emily (Epperson) Burchfield (Ambrose’s sister and his wife’s brother) were living in Henry County, Missouri. However, I have not been able to determine whether they were already living there when Ambrose arrived.
In 1859, Ambrose sold his farm in Henry County and and moved to Lawrence County, Missouri, about 100 miles further south, where here he purchased a 100-acre farm. Even Ambrose doesn’t seem sure of the reasons for this move. The 1860 census supports the timetable of events in the story — Ambrose and his family were enumerated in Mt. Vernon Township, Lawrence County, Missouri. According to Ambrose’s narrative, they were still living there when the Civil War began in April of 1861. To understand what Ambrose and his family experienced during this time, I began reading about the early days of the Civil War in Missouri. Having lived in neighboring Kansas all my life, I was shocked to realize how little I knew about Missouri history. In the following paragraphs, I have attempted to summarize what I learned about this tumultuous period. At the outset of the Civil War, Missouri tried to remain neutral. Although it was a slave state, slave owners were a minority and most of the voters preferred to remain part of the Union. Delegates to a state constitutional convention voted almost unanimously against secession. In contrast, the governor of Missouri, Claiborne Fox Jackson, sided with the Confederacy and plotted to force Missouri to secede. When President Lincoln asked Missouri to supply troops for the Union, Jackson refused. After the takeover of a federal arsenal in Liberty by Confederate sympathizers, it was feared that the heavily armed St. Louis arsenal was the next target. Its commander, Captain Nathaniel Lyon, along with pro-Union militia troops arrested pro-southern militia troops camped near St. Louis. This action angered many Missourians. The next day, the State Legislature voted to reorganize the state militia into the Missouri State Guard under the direction of Major General Sterling Price to protect Missouri against “invasion”. Attempts at compromise failed and Lyon’s troops took over Jefferson City, the state capital. On July 27, the pro-Union constitutional convention removed all current state officers from office and appointed replacements. The ousted officials refused to recognize the new government and reconvened at Neosho, in the southwest part of the state. Missouri now had two rival governments, both claiming legitimacy.
“I stand north”
Ambrose again found himself living in a bitterly divided region. His story recounts that “in the fall of 1861, a part of Ben McCullough’s men called one morning quite early with a rope.” Ben McCulloch was a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. A veteran of the Texas War for Independence and the Mexican War, he recruited troops from Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana and led them to Missouri. On August 10, 1861, McCulloch’s men joined with Sterling Price’s Missouri State Guard to defeat Union forces at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, near Springfield, Missouri. The site of that battle is about 30 miles east of Mt. Vernon, Missouri, where Ambrose lived. The Confederates reportedly returned to Arkansas soon after the battle ended, so if it really was McCulloch’s men who threatened Ambrose, it would likely have been in late summer rather than fall. However, Ambrose’s description of his farm at the time he had to abandon it is more consistent with fall. He says that the “wheat crop was growing nice” and the “corn crop not gathered.” I consulted Missouri newspapers from that time period and found that corn was usually harvested in November, while wheat was planted in early October. This would seem to place their departure sometime in mid to late October. In that case, it seems more likely that those who threatened the Eppersons were members of the Missouri State Guard or even vigilantes not affiliated with any military group. Regardless of their identity, it was no doubt a terrifying experience for Ambrose and his family.
One aspect of the exchange between Ambrose and the group puzzled me. If Ambrose “stood north”, why didn’t he vote for Lincoln? Who did he vote for? Or did he just not vote at all? The likely answer again showed how little I really knew about that era. If I had been asked who opposed Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election, I would probably have been able to come up with Stephen Douglas. However, that was far from the whole story. Two other candidates received a significant number of votes: John C. Breckinridge from the Southern Democratic Party and John Bell of the Constitutional Union Party. Both of them won more electoral votes than Douglas, even though Douglas received a much higher percentage of the popular vote. In fact, Missouri was the only state that Douglas won — and that was by a very slim margin over John Bell. Douglas fervently wanted to preserve the Union, but keep slavery as it was. Bell’s party was also pro-union, but chose not to make slavery an issue. These two candidates received over 70% of the vote in Missouri, so it is likely that Ambrose voted for one of them. I have a hunch it was Douglas, since Douglas remained pro-union after the war began (until his untimely death a few months later). Bell, in contrast, supported the Confederacy.
A drawing by Louis Maurer showing the four candidates in the 1860 presidential election. L to R: Bell, Douglas, Breckinridge and Lincoln. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
The War Years
After fleeing Missouri, Ambrose says he ended up near Baldwin City, Douglas County, Kansas, about 30 miles northeast of his previous residence in Franklin County. When Ambrose’s son, William N. Epperson, enlisted in the Union Army in 1863, his residence was listed as Peoria City (in Franklin County), about 15 miles south of Baldwin City. Ambrose also contributed to the Union cause by joining the Kansas State Militia on 10 Jun 1863 at Black Jack (a few miles east of Baldwin City). I discovered this by searching the Kansas Civil War Militia Index provided by the Kansas State Historical Society. The index led me to images of the militia unit rosters (compiled in 1907-1908 from the original muster and pay rolls). The roster for Company L of the 21st Regiment gives only the surname Eperson [sic], but a footnote says that one pay roll listed the name “Eperson, A. B”! Company L, like most of the other Kansas State Militia units, was ordered into active service in October 1864 as Confederate Major General Sterling Price advanced toward the Kansas-Missouri border at what is now Kansas City. On 22 October, the 21st regiment participated in the Battle of Byram's Ford on the Big Blue River – a minor Confederate victory. The next day they took part in the Battle of Westport, where Price was defeated, essentially ending any chance for Confederate control of Missouri.
Sources:
Transactions of the Kansas State Historical Society Vol. 3 Executive Minutes (Google Books) Laws of the Territory of Kansas (1856) (Google Books) House Documents, Volume 141; Volume 143; Volume 146, USA House of Representatives http://www.wvculture.org/history/jbexhibit/jbchapter5.html https://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/ozarkswatch/ow404g.htm http://shsmo.org/historicmissourians/name/j/jackson/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Constitutional_Convention_(1861–63) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_secession https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1860 http://mocivilwar.org/year-1861/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_Kansas_Militia_Infantry_Regiment “The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors. On the 28th of March 1855, he started again with his family on a long journey for Kansas. Altho it was very cold and the ground covered with snow, the little family faltered not for they were bound for Kansas Territory. Crossing the surging Missouri River at a little two horse town called Kansas City, he drove on out to Indian Creek, went into camp twelve miles southwest of Westport. While in camp he had the pleasure for the first time since 1831 of seeing his oldest sister. In a few days, they struck camp and were on the road again. Being already out of the United States, yet their intention was to make a home in a distant land. In due time they landed at the old Jack [sic] and Fox Agency, Franklin County, Kansas Territory. “A Little Two Horse Town” After spending the winter with relatives in Iowa, Ambrose and family resumed their journey to Kansas Territory in the spring of 1855. He doesn’t give any details of their route until they crossed the Missouri River at Kansas City. I was struck by Ambrose’s description of Kansas City as “a little two horse town”, since the Kansas City I am familiar with is a major urban center that sprawls further outward every year. I wanted to learn more about the town that Ambrose would have encountered. Technically the town’s name in 1855 was “City of Kansas” and it was finally beginning to rival the importance of nearby Westport, a long-time supply post for westward migrants. The location had been chosen in 1838 because of the presence of a natural rock ledge that provided an excellent landing site for river vessels. Growth was slow, however. When the town was officially incorporated in 1853, it covered an area (shown in green outline on map) only 10 blocks long and 5 blocks wide! Those limits were essentially dictated by the river on the north and tall bluffs to the south. A single road led south to Westport. It would be several years before additional roads were cut through the bluffs, allowing expansion of the city to the south.  A Google Earth map of the current Kansas City area. The area originally incorporated as the City of Kansas in 1853 is outlined in green. The locations of Westport and the Indian Creek Campground are marked with red pins. I’m sure that Ambrose’s description of Kansas City was meant to be humorous, even then. By the time Ambrose wrote his story in 1881, the population of the City of Kansas had already grown to over 50,000. In 1889 it was renamed Kansas City and in 1899 it annexed its former neighbor Westport. Today the Kansas City metropolitan area has over two million people. I wonder what Ambrose would think if he could see that “little two horse town” now!  Kansas City in 1855 and 1887. The central panel shows an artist's image of Kansas City in 1855, while the surrounding panels show Kansas City buildings as they appeared in 1887. By Daderot (Self-photographed) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Sources: https://www.nps.gov/safe/learn/historyculture/upload/Westport-Landing-exhibits-final-aug11_2011-2.pdf http://kcdv.tv/big-muddy-speakers-series/2013/08_august/richard-gentile/ Indian Creek Campground Ambrose mentions camping at Indian Creek, southwest of Westport (see map above). Indian Creek (sometimes called Flat Rock Creek) was a popular rendezvous site for travellers on the Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails. Migrants would often camp there for several days while making final preparations for their trip. Edwin Bryant described his experiences at the Indian Creek campground in his book What I Saw in California (1848). “Our camp this evening presents a most cheerful appearance. The prairie, miles around us, is enlivened with groups of cattle, numbering six or seven hundred, feeding upon the fresh green grass. The numerous white tents and wagon-covers before which the camp-fires are blazing brightly, represent a rustic village; and men, women, and children are talking, playing, and singing around them with all the glee of light and careless hearts. While I am writing, a party at the lower end of the camp is engaged in singing hymns and sacred songs.” Perhaps Ambrose and his family experienced a similar scene. Sources: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-santafetrailjoco2.html http://www.jocogov.org/sites/default/files/musOnline/overlandTrails/trail_6.htm While camped at Indian Creek, Ambrose was reunited with his oldest sister, Permelia Langley (Epperson) Laws, for the first time since 1831. 1831 was the year he was “stolen”, so he probably had not seen this sister since visiting her at Christianburg when he first arrived in Kentucky. Permelia came to Missouri quite early and married Alfred Laws in Jackson County on 20 Dec 1838. They lived in Jackson County, in the Westport area, for some time and then moved to the Sac and Fox Agency in what is now Franklin County, Kansas. Alfred was employed by the government as a blacksmith for the Agency from 1848-1857. The entire family was enumerated there in the 1855 census of Kansas Territory. The Agency was approximately 50 miles southwest of Indian Creek, so how did Ambrose happen to meet his sister there. The story says that Ambrose’s family eventually “landed” at that Sac and Fox Agency, so perhaps his sister came to Indian Creek to meet them and guide them on the rest of their journey. Sources: Ancestry.com. Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925 [database on-line] http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/7003/ Franklin County, Kansas Territory The Sac and Fox Agency was located in section 16 of township 17, range 18 in Franklin County (yellow pin on map). But, what exactly was this Agency? Throughout the 19th century, Indian Agents were appointed by the government to act as liaisons between Native American tribes and the federal government. Some of an agent’s responsibilities were distributing annuities paid by the government to the tribe and overseeing trade between whites and Native Americans. A few other government employees who provided various services usually joined the Agent, and the resulting settlement was known as the Indian Agency.  A Google Earth image of the area of Franklin County, Kansas where the Sac and Fox Agency was located (yellow pin). The land patented by Ambrose Epperson is outlined in yellow and is shown in an enlarged view below. The Sac (or Sauk) and Fox tribes were originally from the Great Lakes region. As white settlers moved west, the tribes had been induced to relocate several times. In 1846, they moved to what is now Kansas. Their reservation included most of present-day Osage County and parts of Lyon and Franklin counties. The tribes lived there until the late 1860s when they moved to a new reservation in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).  I have not found any indication that Ambrose was ever employed at the Sac and Fox Agency. Early histories of Franklin County, Kansas report that “a Mr. Epperson settled on Middle Creek in Ohio Township in 1855.” Consistent with this, I found that Ambrose B. Epperson claimed 160 acres of land (see yellow square on map) comprising the north half of the southeast quarter and the south half of the northeast quarter of section 18 in Township 18S, Range 19E, a location just east of the Sac and Fox reservation and about 7 miles southeast of the Sac and Fox Agency. Middle Creek flows through the property. Ambrose obtained this land as the assignee of a military land warrant originally granted to Edward Cross. Veterans who received bounty land as a reward for their service had the right to sell their interest and could simply endorse the back of the warrant to transfer it to another party. The assignee then had to follow the normal patenting process to receive their land. One puzzling detail of this transaction is that the patent to Ambrose is dated 15 Jun 1860, five years after he apparently settled on the land. Moreover, as we will see in the next section, Ambrose “sold out” and left Franklin County in 1857. Did it take that long for the government to issue the patent? Did Ambrose sell the land to someone else before receiving the patent? If so, wouldn’t the patent have been assigned to someone else? Deed records for Franklin County beginning in 1857 have been microfilmed and are available through the Kansas State Historical Society, so perhaps I can find some answers there. A road trip to Franklin County might also be on the agenda!
Sources: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/nations/sacfox/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_agent Ferris, Ida M. “Sauks and Foxes in Franklin and Osage Counties” Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society (1910) Cutler, William G. History of the State of Kansas (1883) (kancoll.org) http://www.franklincokshistory.org/places-2/township2/ohio-township/ “The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors. On the 11th of March, 1841, Nay married and settled down. Times being pretty hard, in 1844, he moved to a mill on a little stream called Jourdon and worked on the farm and in the mill as long as he could stand the work, but finding the mill too hard for him, he settled up affairs and started to Illinois in the spring of 1850 and all he had in this world was a small two horse team, a wagon, which was tolerably well loaded for the muddy roads, a wife and three children, and about twenty dollars in money. But he was bound for the far west so he landed in McDonough County, Illinois about the 20th of May, 1850. He remained there till the fall of 1854, he then started farther west intending to settle in Kansas Territory. He stopped in Woppoloo County, Iowa with some relatives and the cold weather overtook him and he remained there all winter. Settling Down This section contains one of the most convincing pieces of evidence that “Nay” was actually Ambrose Epperson – his marriage date. The date given in the story (11 Mar 1841) exactly matches the marriage date for Ambrose Epperson and his wife Nancy Burchfield in Edna Epperson Brinkman’s book about the Epperson family -- information which seems to have been provided by the descendants of Ambrose’s brother James Harvey Epperson. I also found Ambrose B. Epperson and Nancy Burchfield listed among the recent marriages in abstracted material from an 18 Mar 1841 Greencastle, Indiana newspaper. If the name Burchfield rings a bell, it’s because Ambrose’s sister Emily also married a Burchfield. Her husband John was a brother to Ambrose’s wife Nancy. The Burchfields were early settlers of Clay County, Indiana and several members of the family patented land in the vicinity of Bowling Green. In 1844, Nay (Ambrose) moved to a mill on a stream called “Jourdon”, farming and running the mill. With only that information to go on, I was not very hopeful that I could identify the mill or its location. However, it turned out to be exactly the kind of historical puzzle I enjoy most, where details from various sources converge to reveal the probable answer. I began by searching for a stream named Jourdon (or more likely Jordan) in the vicinity of Greencastle, where Ambrose was last known to live – and where his oldest son was reportedly born on 16 Nov 1844. I didn’t find one there, but I did find a Jordan Creek in Clay County near Bowling Green, where both Ambrose and Nancy had family ties. A 1909 history of Clay County, named four mills that were built in early times “for the production of breadstuff and feed” on Jordan Creek. As I read the names of the owners of these mills, one of them – William Nees – sounded familiar. Checking my genealogy database, I found that William Nees was married to Martha Burchfield, a sister to Ambrose’s wife Nancy. BINGO! Ambrose was most likely working at his brother-in-law’s mill! The possible discrepancy with the birthplace of Ambrose’s son could have several explanations. Perhaps Nancy stayed in Greencastle until her child was born while Ambrose worked at the mill. Alternatively, the date in the story could be slightly off. Getting back to the location of the mill -- William Nees patented several plots of land in the eastern part of Clay County in 1838 and 1839. However, Jordan Creek ran through only one of these, the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 10 in Washington Township. This 80 acre plot is a little less than four miles northeast of Bowling Green and abuts the Clay/Owen county line. This location fits with other available information about the mill. According to the 1909 county history, William Nees’s mill was located between the Phegley mill on the Edward Thompson place and the mill built by Oliver Cromwell, Sr. A biographical sketch of Edward Thompson, found in the same county history, mentions that he had a farm in section 16 of Washington Township. Section 16 is just southwest of section 10 and includes downstream portions of Jordan Creek. Another county history from 1884, tells that Oliver Cromwell built a small corn mill on Jordan Creek in the southwest corner of Jackson Township in Owen County. This would have been just east of section 10, across the county line. A location in section 10 is also consistent with the details of a legislative act concerning the construction of a state road. In 1843, Nathan Burchfield (a brother of Ambrose’s wife) was appointed as a commissioner to mark out a road running east out of Bowling Green. The road was to pass near the point where sections 14, 15, 10 and 11 met and then south of William Nees’s mill. An 1876 map of Clay County shows a road just south of Jordan Creek that appears to follow this route.
Heading West
In the spring of 1850, Ambrose, his wife and three children moved to McDonough County in western Illinois. John and Emily (Epperson) Burchfield had moved to Fulton County, Illinois – the next county east of McDonough County, so Ambrose and Nancy probably decided to settle near them. They loaded all their worldly possessions into a wagon pulled by a two-horse team. Ambrose mentions that he had only about twenty dollars in cash. I again used the inflation calculator to determine that today’s equivalent would be $574.98. That wouldn’t provide much of a cushion for a family starting over in a new place! The family arrived in McDonough County about 20 May 1850. That means that they should have been included in the 1850 census there, which was enumerated beginning in mid-August and was supposed to reflect an individual’s residence on June 1 of that year. However, I have not been able to locate them. One piece of evidence does attest to the family’s residence in Illinois. A son, George M. Epperson, was born about 1854 and his birthplace is listed as Illinois on census records. In the fall of 1854, Ambrose and his family moved again. This time their intended destination was the newly established Kansas Territory, but after visiting relatives in Wapello County, Iowa they decided to spend the winter there. Both Ambrose and Nancy had family members in Wapello County. Robert Burchfield, Nancy’s older brother had lived there since at least 1852, while Ambrose’s cousin, John Epperson Ballard, moved there as early as 1850. No doubt they all enjoyed this temporary family reunion. I wonder if Ambrose and Nancy were tempted to settle in Iowa permanently. In the end, the lure of land in a new territory must have been too strong. Sources: Edna Epperson Brinkman, The story of David Epperson & his family of Albemarle County, Virginia : with supplementary notes on the Epperson family in America. (1933); online images, (www.ancestry.com). http://www.sweetowen.net/gv1841.txt http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/ Ancestry.com. A history of Clay County, Indiana : closing of the first century's history of the county, and showing the growth of its people (1909) [database on-line] Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana: Historical and Biographical (1884) [Google Books] Local Laws of the State of Indiana (1843) [Google Books] http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ “The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors. In a few years the brother J moved to the town of B, a distance of twenty two miles from Green Castle. In a little while the two brothers met and talked the whole matter over and were as friendly as two brothers should be and in the course of time this brother, who attended to the brother S’s business while he went to steal Nay had married and moved to the town of B. Also one of the sisters married. Time rolled on and in the winter of 1837-8 the brother S exposed himself and took cold which brought on the consumption and in the spring of 1839 he died leaving a wife and three little girls and just two weeks to the day the brother J died leaving a wife and six children. Nay was with both brothers during their sickness. Now comes another trouble on Nay. His brother S’s family went back to their friends in Kentucky. There Nay was as he supposed without home or friends and both brothers gone the way of the world. Although a little over twenty one years of age he knew not what to do, he would sometimes get into bad company. Once in a while he could get a little work to do, but times were hard and the people did not hire much done. So Nay would glide along, just about makeout to pay his board during the summer months. He went to Kentucky and spent part of the winter. In the spring of 1840, a friend of his got him into a job of work on a public building in Green Castle which kept him busy for one hundred and four days and four nights. Then the building was finished. Western Indiana For the sake of simplicity and clarity, I have been referring to the characters in the story by what I have deduced to be their real names. This section contains some of the biographical information about Ambrose Epperson’s siblings that helped verify their identities. In the last section, we learned that Brother S married in Kentucky in 1832 and returned to Indiana in 1833. He eventually settled in Greencastle, Putnam County, Indiana. Brother S is Squire Boone Epperson, who married Malinda Hurtt in 1832 in Mercer County Kentucky. On 10 Sep 1838, he received patents on two 40-acre tracts of land in Putnam County, Indiana near Greencastle.  Marriage bond for Squire B Epperson's marriage to Malindy Hert (sic). Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954, FamilySearch.org A few years later (than S came to Indiana), brother J settled in “B”. As discussed in previous posts, J was John Barnett Epperson. Based on the distance (22 miles) from Greencastle specified in the story, I believe “B” is Bowling Green in Clay County, Indiana. The only evidence I have that John Barnett Epperson may have lived in Clay County is that his children lived in the area after his death. A biography of his son James Riley Epperson says that he was born in 1829 in Bartholomew County, Indiana, but lived mostly in Clay County, Indiana until 1852. In the 1850 census, several of John’s children were living together in Bowling Green. However, if John himself lived in Bowling Green, he must have moved there not long before his death in 1839 (see below.) On 16 March 1837, John Barnet Epperson of Jennings County, Indiana received a patent on 40 acres of land in Bartholomew County, Indiana. On 2 Aug 1838, he received a patent on another 40 acres there. At that time his residence was given as Bartholomew County.
The last brother mentioned was the one who tended business for S while he was away “stealing” Nay. The story says that this brother married and also moved to “B”. By a process of elimination, we know that this brother was James Harvey Epperson. James H. Epperson married Martha J. Osborn on 30 Sep 1833 in Putnam County, Indiana. On 18 Mar 1837, he received patents on two 40-acre tracts of land in Putnam County. On these patents his residence is given as Tippecanoe County, which is two counties north of Putnam County. James’s oldest son, John Lowery Epperson, was born in Lafayette, Tippecanoe, Indiana on 6 Nov 1834, while his second son was born at Greencastle on 10 Oct 1837. The land James Harvey Epperson purchased was not near Bowling Green where he supposedly lived. However, by 1840 James was living in Clay County, Indiana, where Bowling Green is located. It seems that the brothers were more mobile than Ambrose’s story suggests. The sister who is mentioned in this section would be Emily Epperson. She married John Burchfield of Clay County, Indiana. I have not been able to locate their marriage record, probably because Clay County records created prior to 1851 were lost in a courthouse fire. Sources: Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 FamilySearch.org http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/ James Riley Epperson memorial page, findagrave.com Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 FamilySearch.org U.S. Federal Census Collection, Ancestry.com A Double Blow For a brief time, five of the Epperson siblings were living in the same vicinity in Putnam and Clay counties. Unfortunately, their reunion did not last long. Brother S died of consumption (an old-fashioned term for tuberculosis) in the spring of 1839. Just two weeks later brother J died too! In the Cemetery Records database of the Putnam County Library, I found an S. R. Epperson buried in the Hanna Street Cemetery in Greencastle, who died 4 Mar 1839 at the age of 29 years. Everything except the middle initial fits perfectly with this being brother S, who we know to be Squire Boone Epperson. I imagine that a B could easily be mistaken for an R on an old, worn tombstone. After Squire’s death, his widow Malinda and their three daughters moved back to Kentucky. When Malinda died a couple of years later, John Harvey Epperson went to Kentucky and brought the girls back to live with his family. I have not found any record of John Barnett Epperson’s death. By 1850, his children had likely lost their mother as well, since three of them are living with their older sister’s family. After his brothers’ deaths, Nay felt alone in the world and “would sometimes get into bad company.” This is exactly the time period (1839) when Ambrose Epperson was arrested for fighting and disturbing the peace (see earlier blog post). It’s not hard to imagine that the deaths of both brothers who had raised him, especially in such quick succession, would have been very upsetting to Ambrose and left him floundering for a while. Sources: Putnam County Library Cemetery Database Edna Epperson Brinkman, The story of David Epperson & his family of Albemarle County, Virginia : with supplementary notes on the Epperson family in America. (1933); online images, (www.ancestry.com). Hard Times The story mentions that Nay (Ambrose) had a difficult time finding work after his brothers died. The late 1830s through the early 1840s were a time of economic depression throughout most of the United States. This recession began with the Panic of 1837 when many banks failed and real estate prices plummeted. For a few months in 1840, Ambrose found work constructing a public building in Greencastle. I found it interesting that he knew exactly how many days he worked on the job. Most likely, he was paid by the day making it important to keep track of the total. I also wonder why he spent four nights working on the building. Did they work by lantern light to meet a deadline? Or perhaps they laid brick by the light of a full moon to escape the heat of the day. By consulting county histories, I learned that a new, brick jail was built in Greencastle during 1840. Perhaps that was the building that Ambrose helped construct. I would love to see a picture of the building, but so far have not been able to locate one. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1837 Weik's History of Putnam County, Indiana Putnam County Jail History
“The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors.
Now let us go back to the town of H in Kentucky. Their other brother went back to his boss for his time was not out yet and Nay was busy with his brother S who was doing a lively business. Nay attended Sunday School and churches and had the pleasure of shaking hands with Andrew Jackson, which made him feel almost as big as the ex-president himself. In the spring of 1832, his brother married and in the fall of 1833, concluded to wind up his business and move to Indiana, was on the road in camp about five miles from Danville Indiana the night the meteor fell. He stopped at Danville, left his family there and started out to find a location which he found in Green Castle Indiana and in due time moved to the town.
A Presidential Handshake
One of the memorable experiences that Ambrose recounted from his time in Kentucky was shaking hands with President Andrew Jackson. I wanted to determine if this was at all possible, so I began researching whether Jackson ever visited Kentucky during the time Ambrose lived there (1831-1833). In fact, he did! In 1832, as he was finishing up his first term as President, Andrew Jackson spent a little over a month at the Hermitage, his home near Nashville, Tennessee. On Aug. 23, John Breathitt, the newly elected Governor of Kentucky, wrote to Jackson expressing his hope that the President would travel through Kentucky on his way back to Washington, D. C. He advised him that the road was better than the one Jackson had come on and said, “I will meet you at Harrodsburg and go on to Lexington…” Jackson did indeed return to Washington via Kentucky, making several documented public appearances. But did he visit Harrodsburg (the town of H), where Ambrose would have been most likely to encounter him? Newspaper accounts document that Jackson attended a “grand barbecue” in Lexington on September 29, 1832. Harrodsburg is about 30 miles southwest of Lexington. On a previous trip to Washington, in 1824, Jackson’s travelling party had a carriage accident near Harrodsburg shortly before arriving in Lexington, suggesting that Harrodsburg was in fact on the route from Nashville to Lexington. This, together with Breathitt’s letter, suggests that Jackson probably did travel through Harrodsburg in late September 1832. Thus, it is very plausible that Ambrose really shook hands with the President of the United States! I’m not sure why Ambrose refers to Jackson as the “ex-president” since he was re-elected to a second term later that fall. Perhaps it simply reflects the fact that Jackson was indeed an “ex-president” (and a long deceased one) by the time Ambrose wrote this story in 1881. Sources: https://memory.loc.gov/service/mss/maj.old/maj/01081/01081_0333_0339.pdf History of Lexington, Kentucky: Its Early Annals and Recent Progress…. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5163258//
The 1833 Leonid shower was also important from a scientific perspective. Although meteors had been observed for thousands of years, astronomers did not yet understand their origin. The 1833 shower led to the observation that the meteors appeared to originate from a particular point in space in the constellation Leo and that they recurred yearly in November, although usually not in such large numbers. In the late 1860s, scientists linked the Leonid meteor shower to debris from the orbit of Comet Tempel-Tuttle. Leonid showers are most intense when the earth passes through the part of the comet’s orbit closest to the sun (where the comet leaves the most debris). Tempel-Tuttle orbits the sun every 32.5 years, so the strongest showers tend to occur in 33-year intervals. However, no Leonid showers in modern times have approached the intensity of the 1833 display. The next peak of Leonid activity will be in 2032. Sources: http://www.historylecture.org/starsfell.html http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/08/30/1833-meteor-storm-started-citizen-science/ http://genealogytrails.com/ill/stars.htm http://meteorshowersonline.com/leonids.html “The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors. So the friend Bill did all the planning again as follows: Bill was to take his horse and Nay was to ride behind him because his horse was the stoutest and that would save S’s pony. They were to take a by-road through the Mutton Creek Swamp to Dunn’s Tavern and stay there all night, then Nay and his brother S could go on supposing that the brother J would not get any more than to Bill’s Father’s that night – which was the case. About half way between sundown and dark, the three started for the Mutton Creek Swamps, a distance of about eight miles through mud and water. The state road ran a round the swamps, which made the distance ten or twelve miles to Dunn’s tavern. On reaching the tavern about twelve o’clock, Bill inquired if any one had stopped there since dark. The answer was, “No.” “Now says Bill, “I have accomplished my purpose.” The next morning was clear and beautiful. It was agreed that Bill was to return home and the brother S and Nay were to start on their long journey both on one pony. They bid each other a long and hearty farewell. The first town on the road was Vernon on the Mascatatack where the brother bought a suit of summer clothes. The little fellow hardly knew himself and being used [sic] to towns he was somewhat embarrassed. The two brothers were soon on their journey again, sometimes both riding, sometimes both walking and sometimes they would one ride, for by doing so they saved the pony. Thus they traveled on, crossing the Ohio River at Madison, made their way to Christiansburgh, Shelby County, Kentucky where their two oldest sisters lived or in that neighborhood. They rested there about two days and started on their journey again, made their way to the town of H where the brother S lived and where Nay saw the other brother who was conducting the business fro the brother S while he was gone. After a few weeks they heard from the brother J through their friend Bill. Now let us go back to their brother J. As soon as the three got out of sight of this neighbor, Smyth, sent one of his boys up to tell the brother J that Nay was gone. The brother J got on their track and followed to where they got in the canoe. He was satisfied that they were not very far ahead of him so he pushed on down the river to opposite the old boat yard, swimming several slews on the way. When he got there everybody was gone and the nearest house was where the man lived that had the nickname who heard the brother J hollow and went down and set him over. The brother J got to this friend Bill’s Father’s about dark learning that his brother S and Nay were gone piloted by their friend Bill. He gave up the chase and stayed there until the next day when Bill returned. When they met they had few hard words but Bill’s Father being a good man and a friend to everybody soon got them on friendly terms again. Then the brother J said, “Bill, what was your motive in assisting in stealing Nay?” “Well,” says Bill, “It was not that I had anything against you but I well knew that you have had bad luck and a great deal of sickness and were not able to take care of your own family as you wish to and under the existing circumstances you would not be willing to give the boy up of you could help yourself and ;your brother S had just started in life got a good trade too, single ;young, stout, and hearty and I thought he ought to take care of him. “Well, says the brother J, “I reckon it is all for the best.” So that evening he returned home with a sad heart and when the children learned that Nay was gone clear off to Kentucky, they had a hearty cry. On the Road When the group realized that John was following them, Bill came up with a new plan. They would head for Dunn’s Tavern on a “by-way through the Mutton Creek Swamp”. The story gets a bit confusing at this point, but if I am interpreting it correctly, it was about eight miles from Bill’s father’s house to Dunn’s Tavern by the swamp route (tentatively marked in red on my annotated map). I don’t know the location of Bill’s father’s house, but it was previously described as being three miles from the old boathouse.  Old newspaper accounts indicate that Mutton Creek was subject to frequent flooding. If the White River was “bank full and rising” as is mentioned earlier in the story, the Mutton Creek area was probably very wet and swamp-like. The current wetlands associated with Mutton Creek (the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge) are a few miles south of the group’s presumed route. The size of the “swamp” may have been reduced when numerous drainage ditches were dug in the area in the early 20th century. Apparently, the route through the swamp was chosen because it was a significantly shorter than taking the main roads. The story says “the state road ran round the swamps, which made the distance ten or twelve miles to Dunn’s tavern.” I think this is meant to be a comparison to the eight-mile distance via the swamp. A map from this time period shows a road (drawn in purple on my annotated map) running between Brownstown and Brookville. This road would have passed near the area where the group was traveling and had been a “state road” before the capital was moved to Indianapolis in 1825, although it no longer held that official status. A few miles to the northeast, this road intersected with the Madison State Road, an actual “state road” connecting Madison and Indianapolis. The intersection of these two roads was located several miles northwest of Vernon. If Dunn’s tavern was located along the Madison State Road, closer to Vernon, then travelling cross-country would have provided a shorter, albeit muddier route. I imagine the three travellers were in desperate need of a bath when they arrived at their destination!  I was hoping to learn more about Dunn’s Tavern, but I have not found any references to an establishment by that name. Taverns in those days were primarily a stopping point for travelers, serving as both inns and restaurants. Most taverns also served alcohol. The accommodations at Dunn’s Tavern were probably quite basic, but our travellers were likely not accustomed to luxury.
After Bill returned home, Squire and Ambrose continued on their journey. Their route, by modern roads, is shown on the map below to give some idea of the extent of their travels. The first town they passed through was Vernon, then and now the county seat of Jennings County, Indiana. (Although North Vernon is now a much larger town than Vernon, it did not exist until the 1850s.) The next town mentioned in the story is Madison, Indiana, suggesting that the brothers remained on the Madison State Road. At Madison, they crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky, probably by ferry boat. The first destination mentioned in Kentucky is Christianburg, where they visited their two oldest sisters, Permelia Langley Epperson and Emily Epperson, who were then about 17 and 15, respectively. The Eppersons had lived near Christianburg before they moved to Indiana, so the sisters probably lived with relatives there. The brothers’ final destination was “the town of H”, where Squire lived. There Ambrose got to see his brother James Harvey Epperson, who had been managing Squire’s business during his absence. “H” was probably Harrodsburg, the county seat of Mercer County, which is located about 35 miles south of Frankfort. The following year, Squire obtained a marriage license in Mercer County and online family trees indicate that his oldest daughter was born at Harrodsburg. Ambrose had travelled about 125 miles to his new home, but he had entered a different world. At the start of the journey, even being in a town was a novel experience for him. Now he would live in in a town, with a brother he barely knew. He must have had very mixed feelings of sadness, fear and excitement about leaving the life he knew behind and starting a new adventure. Soures: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/7301/8315 http://www.davidrumsey.com/maps2071.html https://www.newspapers.com/title_4270/the_tribune/ Inns And Taverns In The Midwest:Typical Functions, Forms And Layouts Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 FamilySearch.org Ancestry.com Pubic Member Trees “The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors. The spring of 1831 found the brother, J, on the west side of the river on his father-in-law’s place, about three miles above the old boat house where he had built several boats when he lived on the east side of the river. The house was on an elevated piece of ground, and the field was in the bottom on the river between the house and the boat yard. So one beautiful morning, about the last of May, 1831, the brother, J, went to one of the neighbors on business and the little brother went to plowing in the big field about half a mile down the river. The little fellow was doing the best he knew how with one horse and small single shovel plow. He had not plowed more than two or three rows, when he discovered two men approaching the fence from the outside. They got up on the fence to watch for the little fellow to drive up to the fence. One was that old playmate of the Brother, S, whom we will call Bill, the other was not recognised by the little boy. Bill says, “Well, Nay (that was the little boy’s nickname) Don’t you know this man?” “No,” says Nay. “Well, this is your brother, S.” “It is?” says Nay. “Yes,” says Bill, “and he wants you to go home with him.” Nay says, “Bill, I can’t.” “Why?” says Bill. “Why, J won’t let me,” says Nay. “If we can get you started so J won’t see you, will you go?” Says S. “Oh no, I am afraid,” says Nay. Then Bill tried to coax the little fellow to go with the brother but to no purpose seemingly. Finally the brother S said, “Well, Nay if you will go home with me, you can see your brothers and sisters and I will learn you a trade, send you to school, and give you five dollars in money.” Then Nay was troubled in mind, his thoughts flew thick and fast – the thought of leaving his brother J, and his three children to whom he had formed so great attachment. His brother S and friend Bill certainly saw that he was in deep study and were waiting with the greatest impatience for an answer. After a great many encouraging words by both of them, Nay answered, Yes? I will go. Now the question was how to get Nay away without the family knowing it. Bill laid the plan as follows: they were to go to the house and stay there till after dinner and Nay was to keep on plowing till time to turn out and neither party was to intimate that they had seen each other. After dinner the two were to start away, bid all good-by, and come down to a walnut log that was near where they were standing. Nay was to go out after his horses like he was going to plowing again, but in place of getting his horse, he was to keep on around the stable and around a pond that was near-by, thence through a thicket of underbrush, so as to keep out of sight of any of the family, and to overtake them at that big walnut log, where they would be waiting. So it was understood and the two left the little fellow with his plow. By this time it was about ten o’clock in the morning. The little fellow had not gone more than a few rounds when it began to thunder and lightning and in a few minutes it began to rain. About eleven o’clock the rain began to fall heavy, so the little fellow concluded that he had better go home. When he got to the house, there were his brothers, J and S, and friend Bill. They shook hands as if they had not seen each other for years. It kept raining until about four o’clock in the evening. Then the brother S and friend Bill bid them all good-by and started. Nay had got his clothes dry by this time (shirt and pants). Now came another obstacle in the way: the sun shone out broght and clear, the children were playing out in the yard and the brother J was at work at some;thing about the house. How to get away he knew not but yet he saw that some;thing must be done and that quickly. In a few minutes he saw an opportunity to slip out to the stable unobserved. The he had the stable between him and the house. He kept on around the pond and through the underbrush. While in the brush he heard one of the children call out “Oh, Nay”, but he increased his speed and according to the arrangement sure enough he found his brother S and his friend Bill at the big walnut log. For the first time Nay began to inquire how they were to cross the river, for it was bank full and rising. They then informed him that they had left their horses at friend Bill’s father’s, a distance of three miles from the old boat yard, and come up the river to the bluff just yonder. “but”, says Bill, We have no time to spare. I will go to Smythe’s and tell one of the boys to go up tonight and tell J that Nay is gone so that he will not think that you are dornded int eh pond.” So the three met at the corner in due time. Down the river they went as fast as Bill and the paddle could take them. When they landed at the old boat yard there were about ten or twelve old neighbors waiting for them. Among the rest was one, Sam Smyth, who stuttered. He met them at the edge of the water, gathered Nay by the hand and called out, “Come on N-Nay my B-brave l-lad. Another man said, go on boys, we will take care of the canoe.” So they went to their friend Bill’s father’s to stay all night. But just about sundown, this Sam Smyth came running up to the house almost out of breath saying, Boys, somebody i-is h-hollowing over the river and c-crippled Jesus has gone to-to set him o-over. (this criplled jesus was a neighbor and the peopled named him Crippled Jesus). Now what was to be done, for the supposition was that it was the brother J. (to be continued) Inflation Calculator
Squire Epperson offered Ambrose several enticements to convince him to return to Kentucky with him. One of these “incentives” was $5 in cash. I thought that sounded like quite a bit of money for the time, so I decided to find out what the equivalent amount would be today. Using an online inflation calculator that is based on historical Consumer Price Index data, I learned that $5 in 1831 was equivalent to $112.16 in 2015. So if you imagine how a modern teenager (with little or no money) would react to being offered a $100 bill, it might help in understanding Ambrose’s temptation by the $5 his brother promised him. Sources: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ Neighbors The plot to “steal” Ambrose seems to have been a neighborhood affair. The story recounts that 10-12 of their old neighbors were waiting at the boat yard for them. Only one of these neighbors, Sam Smyth (or Smythe), is identified by his full name. I checked the 1830 census of Jackson County for Smyth or similar surnames. There were several Smiths listed near John Epperson, but none named Sam. Sam may have been the son of one of these Smiths and not yet a “head of household”. Unfortunately, there is not enough information to identify any of the other neighbors. The nickname “Crippled Jesus” is intriguing, but I could not find any additional information about him. It’s a little surprising that the neighbors were so supportive of Squire’s plan to take Ambrose to Kentucky. In 1831, Ambrose was 13 years old and apparently able to help with farm chores such as plowing. I would think he would have been more of a help to John than a burden. Squire’s friend “Bill” seems to have been the main instigator of the plot. Perhaps there were extenuating circumstances that made him think that John would be better off not having to care for Ambrose. The Getaway When the 1830 census was taken, I believe John Epperson was still living on the east side of the river. Several of the people listed near him on the census had patented land near the original Epperson homestead, suggesting that he was still living in that area. By 1831, however, he had moved to the west side of the river. Squire, Ambrose and Bill first travelled three miles down the river by canoe, stopping at the boathouse where John had built his boats. I assume this was near the original Epperson farm, but I can’t be sure. From the boathouse, they went to the home of a neighbor (Bill’s father), where they had left their horses. While there they learned that someone, presumably John, was in pursuit! Sources: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx |
Teresa ShippyTeresa is the the owner of KinSeeker Genealogy Services. She has a Ph.D. in Biology and a lifelong fascination with genealogy. She been researching her own family history for over 20 years and loves helping others "find their stories." Archives
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