.

Here, gathered in our beloved South Dakota, are a few members of our Williamson / Mattson Clan. Charles and Luella are to be blamed (be kind, they didn't know what they were doing). We're generally a happy bunch and somewhat intelligent (notwithstanding our tenuous grasp on reality). I'm also proud to say that most of us still have our teeth.

Monday, September 19, 2011

The Discovery of a GGG Grandmother. Jane Tway. Williamson Line.


The burial place of our Great Great Grandparents, Whitty Victor and Nancy Morris


From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Williamsons,
Tracing family history has brought me a great deal of satisfaction and an equal amount of frustration. The satisfaction comes from finding a relative you've been searching for and another branch of our family becomes visible. The frustration comes in finding a grand parent with nothing to go on. History doesn't easily give away its secrets. Sometimes I wonder why my numerous great grandparents didn't write their own histories. I'm guessing they thought no one would ever be interested in their common day to day lives.

I'll share an example. Our common Great Great Grandfather, George Matthew Williamson knew who his father was. He knew his grandfather and his aunts and uncles. He knew his family's oral history. It was common knowledge to him. The tragedy is that he never wrote that history down. I've spent dozens of hours over the last two years playing detective with our Williamson lines. I've followed every piece of evidence to its natural conclusion. Today, I'm nearly certain who our Williamson's were in Virginia, but not 100% and never will be. All this confusion because a great great grandfather didn't think it interesting enough to record and pass his history to his children and grand children

Today is a good day for our family history. Today a mystery is solved that I've been researching for a long time. Today we get to meet another Great Grandmother who's identity was unknown.
Her name is Jane Tway.

Shall we begin with a Relationship Chart?

Relationship Chart

Great Great Great Grandparents
Isaac Morris and Jane Tway
to
Great Great Grandparents
Nancy Morris and Whitty Victor
to
Great Grandparents
Effie Helen Victor and William Jonathan Williamson
to
Grandparents
Ima Della, Vennie, Inez, Lillie Ethel, Josie, Emmett, Walter, Charles and Maurice
to
Us


I've been working with Brent Heeren, a distant cousin through the Morris line on finding the identity of Great Great Grandmother Nancy Morris's parents. My thanks to Brent for doing most of the research and a special thanks for sending an email this week with proof positive. Nancy's parents were Isaac Morris and Jane Tway. I can now removed the "?" I had on this line in our family tree.

Brent sent the following obituaries on our two Great Great Grandparents. They are posted below.



Whitty Victor
Born Feb. 18, 1818 in Dover Kent County Delaware, Death: Mar. 17, 1903 Nodaway Adams County, Iowa, USA
Whitty Victor, whose death last Tuesday was mentioned in last week's paper, was 85 years and l month old. He was born of
Elijah VICTOR who was born on 6 January 1785 in Maryland, and Eunice Hitch, born of Christian parents in Essex county, Del,, near Dover, Feb. 18, 1818.

When Whitty was about fourteen years of age he removed with his parents to Cincinnati, O., where he grew to manhood and where he was married Nov. 6, 1845, to Miss Nancy Norris. A year later he removed to Blackhawk county, Indiana., and after several changes of residence he came with his family to Adams county in 1801. He lived near Nodaway for many years and in 1885 sold his farm and bought another six miles west of Corning in Douglas township. His wife died April 22,1886, and he then made his home with his daughter for a time. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Victor, of whom only three ate living, Mrs. Jane Barker of Douglas township, Mrs. Emma Lathrop of Conklin, South Dakota, Mrs. Effie Williamson of Rapid City, South Dakota. A brother and two sisters also survive him, Elijah Victor of Shelbyville, Ind., Mrs. Elvira Brown of Wellington, Illinois., and Mrs. Sarah Green of University Place, Neb. July 28, 1887, Mr. Victor was married again to Mrs. Mary L. Preston, who died in this city June 20, 1901.

Whitty was converted at the age of 43 and became an active and faithful member of the M. E. church. He was a devoted Christian man, a true Christian hushand and father and his Christian life and Christian teaching bore fruit in the family circle and in the community where he was known and respected as a faithful follower of the Lord. "Blessed are those that die in the Lord" The funeral was conducted Thursday from the U. B. church in this city by Revs. W. H. Drake and W. F. Wallace. Mr. Victor had selected for the scripture lesson the 90th Psalm and for a text Second Timothy, 7:4. The family has the sympathy of many friends.
Adams County Free Press, March 25, 1903, page 8

Nancy Morris Victor
Birth Feb. 22, 1822 Ohio, USA. Death: Apr. 22, 1886 Nodaway Adams County Iowa, USA

Nancy M. Morris was born February 18, 1818 in Ohio to Isaac J. Morris and Jane Tway. She married Whitley Whitty Victor November 6, 1845 Cincinnati, Hamilton County. A year later they removed to Blackhawk county, Indiana., and after several changes of residence they came with their family to Adams county in 1801. They lived near Nodaway for many years and in 1885 sold their farm and bought another six miles west of Corning in Douglas township. She died April 22,1886 in Nodaway, Adams County, Iowa, and her then made his home with his daughter for a time. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Victor, of whom only three ate living, Mrs. Jane Barker of Douglas township, Mrs. Emma Lathrop of Conklin, South Dakota, Mrs. Effie Williamson of Rapid City, South Dakota. She is buried on Lot 26 of On Lot With Benjamin C. and Whitty, 22 April 1886 in Methodist Grove Cemetery, Nodaway, Adams County, Iowa

Our discovery tonight is the inclusion of the Tway family in our Williamson history. The Tway's originate from Ireland.

I'll start researching this new family line and post my findings as time permits.

Simply,
Victor