Aaron James (1674-1752) and Elizabeth Fieldhouse (1683-1751)

When trying to decide on the next ancestor to research, write and share about… I landed on Elizabeth Fieldhouse, an 8th Great Grandmother.  She died 274 years ago next week, in 1751.  However, the further back you go, it’s always harder to find info about females.  I began looking into her husband, and wound up with a lot to sift through.  Mostly everything I found on him, would qualify for her, too.  So I suppose this is about both of them…

**Note: I do not have much to back up this story.  The only documents I could find in a short period of time, are their marriage record, a list of their children, a list of Elizabeth, Aaron Sr. and Aaron Jr. deaths, and the death writing for Aaron Sr.  All of these came from Quaker record books.  Everything else in this story, has been compiled from different online writings/family trees of other descendants/researchers and Quaker history.  I had hoped to find a ship manifest of the Canterbury in 1699 to confirm the James’ were on it… but was unable to do so in my timeframe. However, the pirate attack on the Canterbury is true!  🙂

Elizabeth Fieldhouse, one of my 8th Great Grandmothers, was born about 1668 in Tixall, Staffordshire, England.  Her father may have been Jerime/Jeremiah Fieldhouse, and her mother is noted in several online trees as Alice Turner (but I have not taken the time to prove or disprove that yet). Her baptism is noted as October 24, 1668.

Aaron James, one of my 8th Great Grandfathers, was born about 1674 in Staffordshire, England.  His father was Thomas James, and I have seen his mother listed as Elizabeth Smyth or Elizabeth Becke.  His father Thomas is noted as living in Longton in 1699, but it’s unclear at this time, if that is where Aaron was born.

Aaron James and Elizabeth Fieldhouse marriage record, 1699

Aaron and Elizabeth were Quakers, and were married in the Friends meeting house on Foregate Street in Stafford, on April 6, 1699. There is still a meeting house at that location, built in 1730. I would assume the two met because of their shared religious beliefs.  They were “older” when they were married (him 25, her 31).  They may have grown up in the Quaker faith, or they may have come to it on their own.

I admit that I am not very knowledgeable about Quaker history.  What I understand is that Quakerism was established in Staffordshire about 1651, and meetings were held in private homes.  Friends were being persecuted and imprisoned just for attending a meeting, and families began leaving England in search of a place they could establish their own communities.

Inside a typical 17th Century merchant ship

On September 3, 1699, the James’ departed from Cowes, Isle of Wight, on the ship Canterbury with William Penn.  This was Penn’s 2nd voyage to America and his Pennsylvania Colony.  Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, between Sept. 3 and Nov. 3, the Canterbury was attacked by pirates.  It’s reported that “the ship’s crew and passengers fought off the attackers in a successful defense.”  On November 3rd, the Canterbury docked at Newcastle, Delaware.  The ship’s trade goods were unloaded there and the families rested and recovered for 3 weeks.  On November 30, they set sail again (up the Delaware River), and arrived at Philadelphia a day or two later.

Area of Westtown, PA, where Aaron reportedly owned land

I have not located any documentation of it, but several family histories online state that Aaron James purchased 600 acres from William Penn in 1700.  The land is said to have been in Westtown, PA, at the corner of present day Routes 352 and 926.  I have also read that in 1701, Aaron purchased 142 additional acres of land from Joseph Hickman.  

It’s said that Aaron and Elizabeth brought a certificate from the Stafford meeting house in England, to the Chester Friends, allowing them to join.  In 1722, the Chester Quarterly Meeting formally established Goshen as a monthly meeting.  The James family became some of the first members of the Goshen Friends.

List of the James children, 1700-1711

Aaron and Elizabeth had 6 known children, all born in Pennsylvania, between 1700 and 1711.  We descend from their son Joseph, and eventually get down to the Miles’ line, which then moves into the Carlisle line.

The James family established a pottery business in Westtown around 1730.  They primarily produced redware made from locally available red clay.  It was practical, everyday pottery (jugs, plates, bowls, etc.).  The local clay was rich in iron content and fired to colors ranging from salmon pink to red-brown. Everything I have read, credits Aaron James as the original potter for the family business.  However, it’s unclear if it was Aaron Sr (the subject of this writing), or Aaron Jr (who would have been in his early 20s at the time).  Either way… I wish I had a piece of the pottery!

List with Elizabeth, Aaron Jr. and Aaron Sr's deaths

Elizabeth died November 19, 1751, in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Aaron died on April 8, 1752.  Both are buried in the Goshen Friends Burial Ground.

Present day Goshen Friends Burial Ground, pic from Find-A-Grave website

There is an entry in the Goshen meeting records.. 

“Aaron James late of West Town in the county of Chester, Pennsylvania, departed this life on the sixth day of the second month, in the year 1752.  He had been an Elder of the particular Meeting he belonged to, that of Goshen, for many years; he was a man of an upright conversation, a peace-maker, and serviceable on Truth’s account in diverse Respect.”

Death notes in Quaker records for Aaron Sr

I'll close with this... even if some of the things above turn out to not be true, we know this.  The sentence that describes our ancestor as a being a man of upright conversation and a peace-maker... that's really our guy, and it's something to be proud of!

Henry Ritter, 1875-1938

 Family history post:

A short one this time, as there isn’t much info available…

87 years ago next week, one of my Great Grand-Uncles passed away.  He was 63 years old.

Henry Ritter was born in Chebanse, Illinois, to George and Henrietta (Belk) Ritter in September 1875.  His older sister Wilhemine (Minnie) was my Great Grandmother. Both of Henry’s parents had been born in Germany, and had traveled to America right at the end of our Civil War. They were married in Kankakee County 1868, and started their family shortly after.

Henry’s father was a harness maker by trade, so I’m guessing they must have had a house in town. The census taker didn’t include street or house numbers, unfortunately.

1880 Census, Chebanse IL

When Henry was 10 years old, a big snowstorm swept across the region.  The roads had to be shoveled by hand.  I bet Henry helped!  The next year, when he was 11 years old, a bad hail storm and tornado caused total destruction in a 4-mile wide path through Chebanse.  I have no information on whether or not the Ritter home survived. The following year, when he was 12 years old, the first cement sidewalk was built in town.

In the 1900 census, Henry was boarding at a hotel (operated by George Milk) in Chebanse.  He was a painter by trade. I have not been able to find him in the 1910 or 1920 census.

1900 Census, Chebanse IL

Chebanse IL, unknown year... notice the Hotel sign on the left, and the Paint advertisement on the far right.  This could be the hotel Henry was boarding at in 1900, and he likely purchased paint from the store on the right.

In 1918, he filled out a WWI registration card.  He’s described as being of medium height and slender build, with brown eyes and brown hair.  He also writes that he would be physically disqualified from the War, because his left arm was off at the elbow.  Obviously, there is a story there…and I wish we knew it. Perhaps something that happened during the 1886 tornado?

WWI registration card, page 1

WWI registration card, page 2

In the 1930 census, Henry was boarding with the Amos Clausen family on Orchard Street in Chebanse.  He’s listed as a Painter/Paperhanger.

Sadly, Henry passed away on October 13, 1938.  His obituary states that a neighbor discovered the body, and it was believed to have been a heart attack.  He never married or had children. Henry is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Chebanse.

1938 obituary

Evergreen Cemetery, Chebanse IL

Rev George Washington Graham, 1879-1953

 Rev. George Washington Graham
20th Pastor of Herrin FBC
1928-1934

Born: February 20, 1879… Big Creek, Missouri

Died: October 15, 1953… Lebanon, Missouri

Licensed by the Hickory Grove Church (Missouri) at age 15, and ordained by the First Church in Farmington (Missouri) at age 36.

Rev Graham (age 39) married Miss Lillian Nina Renfroe (age 37) in St. Louis, 1918.  They had no known children.

St. Louis in 1918

During WWI, Graham served as a Chaplain at

Camp Funston in Kansas.  Camp Funston was a

training camp located on the grounds of

Fort Riley.  It was one of 16 camps that were

established at the outbreak of WWI for use as

infantry division training camps.  During WWII,

he was promoted all the way up to Major in

the Chaplain’s Reserve Corp.

Camp Funston during WWI

In the 1930 census (the only census taken while

Graham lived in Herrin), the family lived at

420 South 14th Street.

420 South 14th St, Herrin

The building that Rev Graham served in, 1928-1934

Rev Graham’s father John, was taken from his

home by a group of Confederate guerillas in late

1864.  In a statement later made by a neighbor

(who was also taken at the same time), the

Confederates took the men from their homes

and “compelled” them to leave.  The men were

taken south into Arkansas and kept to the

countryside.  The Missouri men were able to

escape about 50 miles from Memphis, on the

Arkansas side of the river. The men that escaped

became Union soldiers after their ordeal.

Rev. Graham’s grandfather Carter Graham,  was a

pioneer Baptist in Southeast Missouri.  In 1835,

with the help of William Settle, the Big Creek

Baptist Church was founded.  Both Graham and

Settle would serve as Pastor.  The Big Creek Baptist

Church is still around, and just celebrated their

190th anniversary in April 2025.  

Today's Big Creek Baptist Church

Rev K.W. Ingram, 1852-1935

 Kenan Wright (K.W.) Ingram

10th Pastor of Herrin FBC

1898-1899

Born: February 8, 1852… Macedonia, Franklin/Hamilton County, IL

Died: December 23, 1935… McLeansboro, Hamilton County, IL

K.W.’s parents arrived in Hamilton County, IL, to clear and farm the land, sometime between 1830 and 1840.  They had 11 known children. Of their 8 sons, 5 of them are known to have served (and survived!) in the Union Army during the Civil War.

In 1871, K.W. married Laura Josephine Upton. They had 6 known children, but only 3 of them survived to adulthood.

At the request of the Union Baptist Church in Hamilton County, IL, a council met and ordained Ingram on April 17, 1881.

He would go on to serve several churches over the years. Some of the ones we know about are...

• Peters Creek Baptist Church, Elizabethtown IL
• Union Baptist Church, Hamilton County IL
• Herrin's Prairie Baptist Church, Herrin IL
• Antioch Baptist Church, Macedonia IL
• Blooming Grove Baptist Church, McCleansboro IL

When Ingram wasn't preaching, he was farming. He lived in Hamilton and Franklin Counties in Illinois, all of his life.

His wife Laura passed away in 1916. He remarried Esther Hays in 1918. She would go on to live until 1941.

Rev. Ingram is buried in Antioch Cemetery, near McCleansboro, IL.

-----------------------------------------------

Rev. Hugh McAlpin, 1821-1895

 REV. HUGH MCALPIN

4TH PASTOR, 1876-1880

7TH PASTOR, 1883-1887

OF HERRIN FBC

David Hugh McAlpin was born March 9, 1821 in Matteawan, Dutchess County, New York. He was the first generation McAlpin born in America.

In 1840, he arrived in Salisbury, North Carolina and began work as a supervisor in a textile mill.

In March of 1843, he married Miss Charlotte Allen, in Lexington, North Carolina. They raised 10 known children.

In 1847, McAlpin was licensed by the Rockfish Church in Sampson County, NC.

In 1848, he was ordained by the Cape Fear Baptist Association.

In 1850, he began pastoring at Boykin's Chapel (Sampson Co, NC) and served there for about 20 years.

He led a "great revival" in 1853 at teh Cedar Creek Baptist Church in Fayetteville, NC. Church membership increased to 115.

During the Civil War, he visited the Confederate Army camps as a Chaplain.

In 1871, he was elected moderator for the Baptist Eastern Association. Around the same time, he was elected as a Trustee to Wake Forest College.

In 1876, McAlpin moved his family to Southern Illinois and began pastoring at Herrin's Prairie, at what would become the Herrin First Baptist Church. He served for one year. In his spare time, he was a farmer. He returned to Herrin FBC in 1883 and served until 1887.

From the Marion Monitor, May 26, 1881:

“Rev. Hugh McAlpin, of the Baptist Church of this city, immersed four converts in the Aikman pond, near this city, last Sunday afternoon in the presence of a large congregation.”

In 1886, he helped start the Carterville FBC with 12-14 members of the Hurricane Missionary Baptist Church.

His wife Charlotte passed away in 1890. Rev. McAlpin passed away as a result of paralysis, on February 20, 1895. They are buried in the McAlpin Cemetery, located near the Williamson County Airport in Illinois.

“... Rev Hugh is remembered as a Baptist Circuit rider who lived with his family on McAlpin Hill, a short distance to the northwest of Bainbridge.  Among his characteristics were his ability as a pulpit orator, his influential sermons with their warmth and deep understanding, and moreover his life as a Christian influence wherever he went…”

Some of the churches Hugh McAlpin served in:

• Rockfish Church, Sampson County NC

• Boykin’s Chapel, Sampson County NC

• Cedar Creek Baptist Church, Fayetteville NC

• Clinton Baptist Church, Clinton NC

• Herrin’s Prairie Baptist Church, Herrin IL

• Marion FBC, Marion IL

• Williams Prairie Church, Johnston City IL

• Carterville FBC, Carterville IL

• Hurricane Church, Carterville IL