Joseph Washburn Chritton (June 14, 1819 - November 2, 1906)

Overview

Born: June 14, 1819 in Brown County, Ohio

Married 1: Nancy Derrickson/Dirickson

Married 2: Elizabeth Jane (Black) Ringler

Died: November 2, 1906 near Denison, Texas

Father: Christopher Santfort Chritton

Mother: Eura Eaton Drake

Siblings:

• Isaac Drake Chritton 
• Enoch Blackwell Chritton
• Joseph Washburn Chritton (b. June 14, 1819, d. November 2, 1906)
• Cary Alexander Chritton (b. after 1820)
• Azuba Lucinda "Zeuba" Chritton (b. about 1823)
• William Washburn Chritton (b. August 22, 1824)
• Catherine
• Eura (died young)
• Johnny (died young)
• Rachel Ann Chritton (b. September 11, 1833)
• Robert B. Chritton
• Rebecca Jane Chritton (b. about 1835)
• Charles Santfort Chritton (b. 1838)
• Mary or Minerva "Molly" Chritton (b 1839)
• Christopher Santfort Chritton, Jr. (b. July 13, 1843)
• James H. Chritton (b. about 1843)
• America Ellen Chritton (b. May 22, 1846)

Children

• Mary Chritton (b. August 31, 1840)
• James Monroe Chritton (b. 1842)
• William F. Chritton (b. May 25, 1845)
• Christopher C. Chritton (b. January 24, 1848)
• Rachel A. Chritton (b. April 19, 1849)
• Isaiah Derrickson “I.D.”Chritton (b. September 22, 1851)
• Josiah J. Chritton (b. June 29, 1854)
• Alexander Adkin “Ad” Chritton  (b. August 23, 1857,
• Albert Herman Chritton (b. March 8, 1860, d. March 28, 1938)

Biography

Joseph Washburn Chritton was born on Monday, June 14, 1819 in Brown County, Ohio. His parents were 26-year-old Christopher Chritton, a stone and brick mason from what is now West Virginia, and 21-year-old Eura Eaton (Drake) Chritton. He was named after his father’s stepfather, Joseph Washburn.

Joseph was the third of the couple’s seventeen children. When he was born, Christopher and Eura were already raising two boys, Isaac Drake “I.D.” and Enoch Blackwell.  Conflicting census records make it difficult to be certain whether I.D or Enoch was older, but it appears that I.D. was about two years old when J.W. was born. Enoch was either two or four years old.

The family continued to grow. Cary Alexander Chritton was born after the 1820 census. Azuba Lucinda “Zeuba” Chritton was born about 1823. William Washburn Chritton was born August 22, 1824. A sister, Catherine, was born around this time, probably after William.

Around 1829, when Joseph was about ten years old, the family moved from Brown County, in southern Ohio, to western Indiana. Joseph’s father was reportedly the first brick mason to settle in Montgomery County, and is said to have built the first brick chimney in the county. Christopher Chritton participated in the construction of many important area buildings, including some of the churches and the Brown County courthouse that was built in 1831. During this period, the family’s finances and reputation apparently increased as Joseph’s father acquired property and was well respected for his “excellent personal character.” Joseph’s father was also considered to be “one of the most useful members of the Baptist Church in Crawfordsville” and was politically a Democrat.

Joseph’s paternal grandmother and step-grandfather, Elizabeth (Mann) and Joseph Washburn, also lived in Montgomery County, Indiana.

In Indiana, the family also continued to grow. Joseph’s next two siblings (who were probably born in Indiana) died young. One was a sister named Eura; the other was a brother named Johnnie. Rachel Ann Chritton was born September 11, 1833. Robert B. Chritton was also born around this time. Rebecca Jane Chritton was born about 1835.

On August 22, 1833, Joseph’s paternal grandmother, Elizabeth (Mann) Washburn died at age 61 in Crawfordsville, Indiana. She is buried in the Old Pioneer Cemetery in Waynetown, Indiana.

While his parents continued to have new babies, Joseph and his brothers were growing to adulthood. Isaac married Mahalia Zucck on January 12, 1837, in Montgomery County, Indiana. They were married by William Davis, the minister of Church of the United Bretheren in Christ.

Still more Chritton siblings came along. Joseph’s brother Charles Santford Chritton was born 1838. A sister whose name was either Mary or Minerva, known as “Molly,” was born about 1839.

At some point before 1840 Joseph married Nancy Derrickson. Unlike others of his siblings, he apparently wasn’t married in Montgomery County, Indiana, since their marriage is not listed in the county records. At the time of their marriage, Joseph would have been around 20 years old and Nancy would have been no older than 18.

Like Joseph, Nancy was originally from Ohio, born on August 20, 1831. Her parents were William and Rachel (Bratton) Derrickson.

Joseph and Nancy’s first child, a daughter named Mary Chritton, was born August 31, 1840.  Two years later, their son James Monroe Chritton was born in Brown County, Ohio. This Ohio birth could indicate that Joseph and Nancy had left the Chrittons in Indiana and returned to live near other relatives in Ohio. The next time we have firm position on the family is in the 1850 census when they are living in northern Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Brown County, Ohio.

From later census records, it’s clear that Joseph was often employed as a carpenter. Throughout his life, he is frequently in parts of the country where there was a great deal of construction activity.

Back in Indiana, his brothers and sisters continued to find spouses. His brother Enoch married Salome Snyder on October 4, 1841; I. B. Vernon conducted the ceremony in Montgomery County. His younger sister, Azuba, married James Compton on September 6, 1842, also in Montgomery County; Thomas Carson, elder, conducted the service. Catherine Chritton married Martin Stine in on October 5, 1843 in Montgomery County with a ceremony by Samuel Low, Minister of the Gospel. His brother William Washburn Chritton married Loriann Rector on June 7, 1847.

At the same time, the younger siblings continued to be born. His brother Christopher Santfort Chritton, Jr. was born July 13, 1843. His brother James H. Chritton was born about 1843.

His sister America Ellen Chritton, the youngest of his siblings, was born May 22, 1846 at Attica, Indiana. Attica is in Fountain County, which is adjacent to Montgomery County. It may be noteworthy that Attica was a site of construction and growth in this period. The Wabash and Erie Canal was completed in Attica in 1847.

During the late 1840s, Joseph and Nancy’s family grew. William F. Chritton was born on May 25, 1845; Christopher C. Chritton was born on January 24, 1848; Rachel A. Chritton was born on April 19, 1849.

Tragedy struck on January 27, 1850, when Joseph’s father died in Indiana from injuries suffered in a construction accident.  Chritton family historians said, “One account states that he had given workmen instructions on moving some heavy building materials. When he returned, they had not done his bidding. In disgust, he attempted to move it by himself, resulting in injury which caused his death.”<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[i]<!--[endif]--> In September 1852, Joseph’s widowed mother, Eura, moved with her younger children to Reading Township, Livingston County, Illinois, near the town of Streator, which sits along the border of LaSalle and Livingston counties in the central part of the state.

In the 1850 census, Joseph is very likely covered in a record in Bracken County, Kentucky, under the name “Joseph W. Critten.” Bracken County is just across the Ohio River from Brown County, Ohio. Two more children joined the family during the first half of the1850s. Isaiah Derrickson “I.D.” Chritton was born September 22, 1851. Josiah J. Chritton was born June 29, 1854.

On July 5, 1853, Joseph’s paternal step-grandfather and namesake, Joseph Washburn, died in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He was about 90 years old. He is buried in Salem Cemetery in Attica, Fountain County, Indiana.

By the late 1850s Joseph and Nancy had moved to Tennessee. Their son Alexander Adkin “Ad” Chritton was born August 23, 1857, in Buena Vista, Carroll County, Tennessee. Their next son, Albert Herman Chritton, was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, on March 8, 1860, on the verge of the Civil War.

It’s not clear exactly what drama might have occurred during this period, but it’s highly likely that Joseph and Nancy quickly moved their family north, away from the worst of the war. The Chritton family generally seems to have been Union supporters. Joseph had a brother, a son, and a nephew in the Union army.

Joseph’s nephew Abraham Chritton, son of his brother Isaac, joined the U.S. Army on September 2, 1861, serving in Company D of the 38^th Illinois Infantry. His residence is shown as Champaign County, Illinois. The record indicates that he was 20 years old with sandy hair, blue eyes, and sandy complexion. His is shown as single with an occupation of farmer. He served for a three-year term, mustering out on September 15, 1864 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Joseph and Nancy’s oldest son, James Monroe Chritton, joined the Union Army on August 2, 1862. He was mustered in on September 8, 1862, for a three-year period serving as a private in Company A of the 129^th Illinois Infantry. His war detail report shows him as 20 years old, 5’6” tall, with brown hair, blue eyes, and fair complexion from Reading, Livingston County, Illinois. He is listed as single with an occupation of farmer. James served for the full duration of the 129^th Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry. According to the Civil War Archive, the regiment suffered the loss of 50 enlisted men who died in battle or as a result of their wounds. Two officers and 128 enlisted men died of disease. The regiment was engaged in the Battle of Resaca, Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Siege of Atlanta, March to the Sea, and the Battle of Bentonville. He was mustered out in Washington, D.C. on June 8, 1865. He had attained the rank of Corporal. The December 15, 1910, issue of The National Tribune includes a letter from James detailing his first person account of the taking the guns of Resaca, Georgia on Sunday, May 14, 1865.  He reports in part that, “I was a Corporal of Co. A., and, as the charge was made with the right in front, was on the extreme right of the regiment. I went over the breastworks and into the fort not three feet to the left of the cannon farthest to our right. I went entirely around that gun, and assisted in forcing a gunner away from it, and we took him prisoner… In my trip as orderly to the rear I passed Gen. Ward, then wounded, within 200 feet of where the colors of the 129^th Ill. were then standing on the works. The color-bearer had been killed.”

Joseph’s much younger brother James H. Chritton joined the U.S. Army in Reading Township, Livingston County, Illinois on March 31, 1864. He was mustered in Chicago. He served in Company C of the 44^th Illinois Infantry as a private.  His war detail report lists his as 20 years old, 5’8” tall with dark hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion.  His occupation was listed as farmer. Unfortunately, his service in the army was short; Private James H. Chritton, died of disease on the 4^th of July, 1864 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, only three months after joining the army.

In 1865, Joseph lost his mother and gained his first grandchild. Eura Eaton (Drake) Chritton, died at age 67 in Reading Township, near Streator, Illinois. In 1858, Joseph’s brother William had moved to Illinois on a farm that adjoined Eura’s property. On February 1^st of that year, Joseph and Nancy’s daughter Mary D. (Chritton) Quackenbush gave birth to Richard M. Quackenbush. Mary and her husband Calvin were married earlier in Reading, Illinois.

Joseph and Nancy’s youngest child, George W. Chritton was born on September 17, 1866.

In 1868, Joseph’s brother Isaac D. Chritton died. It’s interesting to note that Isaac owned land in Reynolds County, Missouri, at the time of his death, but his heirs did not have detailed information about the land. The land was later sold in 1886 due to a tax lien. In 1915, Isaac’s heirs successfully sued to regain ownership of the land since Isaac was dead at the time of the tax suit. The case ended up in the Missouri Supreme Court, which upheld a lower court’s ruling returning the land to the Chritton family.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ii]<!--[endif]-->

On January 7, 1870 Joseph’s 27-year-old son James Monroe Chritton married Mary “May” Hollowell in Iowa City, Iowa.

In the 1870 census, Joseph and Nancy were living in Jefferson County, Illinois., in the southern part of the state. Joseph’s occupation is listed as tanner and carpenter. The couple still has several boys at home: Isaiah (age 19), Josiah (15), Alexander Adkin “Ad” (12), Albert Herman “Al” (11), and George (4).

Meanwhile, their 29-year-old daughter Mary D. Chritton Quackenbush and 26-year-old son William are living nearby. Mary and Calvin Quackenbush are shown on the next census listing. Mary is mother to Richard (age 5) and an adopted daughter Nancy Ringler (1½.). Both William and Calvin are shown as sawyers. It’s interesting to note that Calvin and Mary’s adopted daughter shares the surname of Joseph’s second wife, Elizabeth Jane Black Ringler.

William apparently didn’t live in his sister’s house much longer. Later that same year, on December 20, 1870, he married Lovicey Burton in Jefferson County, Illinois.

In 1875, at age of about 56, Joseph married his second wife, Elizabeth Jane Black Ringler. Presumably his first wife, Nancy, had died at some point between 1870 and 1875. Elizabeth was a widow and was about 51 years old. Her first husband, Jacob Reuben Ringler had died in 1870. She had at least three children, two of whom were living with the couple in the 1880 census.

The 1880 census finds Joseph living in Marengo County, Iowa, with Elizabeth. He was working as a carpenter. Also living with them are Elizabeth's sons William H Ringler (18) and Reuben W. Ringler (12) and Elizabeth's blind mother, Fanny Black. None of Joseph’s children are living with them, though, including 14-year-old George.

The 1895 Iowa census has a record for Joseph, now living in Poweshiek County, Iowa.  The 1900 census shows Joseph and “Elebet” Chritton living in Mitchell County, Kansas.

In November 20, 1906, Joseph Washburn Chritton died at age 87 in his home near Denison, Texas. His obituary was published in the Dennison Daily Herald.

J. W. Chritton, aged 87 years, died this morning at 6:30 o'clock at his home one and half miles southwest of the city, from general debility. The funeral will take place tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock from his late residence. Services will be conducted by Rev. C. F. McGaha, pastor of the First M. E. Church, interment to follow in Fairview Cemetery.

The decedent was born in Brown County, Ohio, but had lived in and near Denison about four years. Besides his wife, he leaves six children, most of whom reside in distant states.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iii]<!--[endif]-->

Since his wife is not named in the obituary, it is not certain that this was his second wife, Elizabeth, but it’s probable since she outlived him. She died January 25, 1909 in Belle Plaine, Iowa at age 83. Presumably she moved back to Iowa to be with family after Joseph’s death.

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<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[i]<!--[endif]--> Spreen, Esther and Nancy Turnipseed, et al., Ancestors and Descendents of Christopher Santford and Eura (Drake) Chritton and Related Families, 1987.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ii]<!--[endif]--> Reports of Cases Determined by the Supreme Court of the State of Missouri, Volume 264, 1915; pages 523-529.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iii]<!--[endif]--> Portal to Texas History, retrieved December 30, 2012. http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth199772/m1/5/zoom/?zoom=4&lat=4166.5&lon=2496.5&layers=BT