I may have mentioned that I spend far more time on my own family than I do working on my husband's family's various trees. About a month ago I decided to dabble in his Bair line. His great great grandmother Nancy Bair (much of the family changed the spelling to Bear) married Frank Williams from Wisconsin, and after the birth of their first few children in Indiana, they moved back to Wisconsin.
It's Nancy's parents, George J. Bair and Susanna Hammon Bair (in photo) who are essentially my dead ends. Prior to living in northeast Indiana, they hailed from Stark County, Ohio. I think I began my "dabble" while trying to determine their son's Civil War experience as well as an approximate date for their move from Ohio to Indiana.
The family of George and Susanna are in Stark County in 1840, 1850 and in 1860. Their eldest son Solomon is engaged in the Civil War from Ohio, and then all parties are in Whitley County, Indiana in 1870. Susanna died in Whitley County later that same year. I dug around in all of the records I could find online and pinned their movement down to about a three-year span, but on doing so I happened upon a few extras.
Years ago I was given a copy of George & Susanna's marriage record, from Massillon, Ohio in 1831. This document includes the name of Susanna's father, Philip Hammon, born in Pennsylvania. I've never been able to find any details of Philip Hammon of Pennsylvania, and the variations of his name (Hamman, Hammon, Hammond) are too common in that time period to narrow down relatives, or even the man himself as many of the documents I've viewed have been "first initial only" Peter? Paul?
I was more than a little startled to find both the large number of resources available to me (not only a county historical society but each township in Stark County has its own historical society!) and the large number of indexed entries for Philip Hamman, beginning the very year that Susanna was born. I even found Philip's will, probated in April 1839 and naming his son-in-law George Bair as a beneficiary, as well as naming his wife as a survivor but not by first name. I now know where his farm was located (in a part of the current city of Canton), I know that he was both somewhat educated and pious as he owned several books and at least 2 hymnals. I also know from both his will and from the 1830 Census that he had at least 3 children, not just Susanna. I do not know exactly how old he was when he died, but he was approximately 58 years old (Susanna was the same age at her death).
He may have had a brother or cousin who traveled to Ohio with him as there are some additional records for another Hammon family arriving at about the same time. This has all been very exciting, and one of my besties is currently IN Stark County, Ohio! I will find more...
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