Maria SLAWSON

Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 1850, Living with husband in Greencastle, Putnam Co., Indiana
• Census: 1860, Living with husband in Washington, Decatur Co., Indiana
• Census: 1870, Living with husband in Washington, Decatur Co., Indiana
• Census: 1880, Living with husband in Washington, Decatur Co., Indiana

Notes:

Moved to Rising Sun, Ohio County, Indiana, in the fall of 1818 and to Switzerland County, Indiana, in 1819.

"Autobiography Rev. Joseph Tarkington":

The Slausons were English. My father, Simeon Saluson, Sr., ws from Stamford, Connecticut. He was the son of, I think jonathan Slauson, who is said to have died August 31, 1820. The names of Jonathan's children were Jonathan, Elihu, Simeon, Daniel, Jonas, Sarah, Lydia, Rhoda, and Polly.
My father's surname, correctly spelled, was Slauson. After we moved from New York to Indiana, and he had entered his land, the United States patents for his land came from the Government spelling his surname, as the grantee, Slawson, instead of Slauson, and the neighbors generally in writing spelled it that way. So father got into the havit of writing a W unstead of a U in his name.
Uncle Elihu Slauson was the father of John Budd Slauson, late of No. 16 46th Street, New York City, and "before the war," of New Orleans, Louisiana. Uncle Elihu's wife's name was Esther. Aunt Polly married Dan, and lived in Brooklyn, New York, with her daughter, Adaline hunt. She was ninety years of age when I last saw her, n 1876, I do not remember my grandmother's maiden name. I remember knowing only Uncles Elihu, Jonathan, and Daniel, and Aunt Polly; although I remember an Aunt Rhoda, she was father's sister.
My mother was born near Ballton springs, New York. She was at her Aunt Sally Brown's, in Orange County, New York, when my father saw and courted her; although I have heard that they firt met at a sleighing party on North River. My mother had brothers, Lewis Wood and Halsey Wood, and, it seems, to me, a David Wood, a sister Mary Wood, and Hannah Wood, who married a Mr. Minor Mills.
Father was younger than Uncle Elihu. They bought and lived on a farm in Orange County, New York, three miles from Middleton, where we used to go to the Presbyterian Church, and hear Mr. Jackson preach. Father, however, used to say he did not like to hear him, because he preached with gloves on, and prayed with his eyes open.
Uncle Elihu and we lived on the farm within a dozen rods of each other, having one large yard in common.....
My father was a cooper, and made wooden canteens for the soldiers in the War of 1812. I remember holding a light at night for him to see to make them, he worked one Sunday also. He did not work much on the farm, but attended to his coopering, making mostly butter firkins, meat and whicky barrels, well-buckets, etc. uncle Elihu attended to the farm. The farm was in Orange County, New York, twenty-five miles fro Newberg, nine miles from Goshen, and three miles from Middleton..........
In the spring of 1819, father walked through the snow the one hundred and fifty miles up into Ohio, and brought the horses, and we moved over to what was afterwards our home-place, nine miles north of Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana, about a mile south of what is now Bennington.
Father had bought one hundred and sixty acres on the east side of the road, intending to move there; but a Mr. Ingersoll owned one hundred and sixty acres opposite, west of the road, and had cleared about three acres and put up a cabin, which he let us move into while he went back to Butler County, Ohio, to bring his family; but his family being averse to coming further West, he sold his land to father. We staid in the cabin three years. It was at the west side of what became the "old orchard," and was on the edge on the woods. The wolves used to howl around the cabin in all manner of voices, each one appeared to have a dozen.
I used to carry the water in summer, after the day's work was done, from Hildebrand's, a mile south of us. I would take four wooden buckets, fill all four, then take two half-way home, go back and bring the other two up to them, take two home, and go back for the other two. We ground corn in a hand-mill, bought of Butcher, who moved up into Decatur County......
I was thirteen years old, the oldest of six children, when we moved to the cabin, was strong and healathy, and helped father clear ground, piling and burning brush and logs, besides helping mother all I could about the house. Work was plenty and help scarce....
After living for three years in the cabin, we moved into a house father had meantime built on the land he first bought on the east side of the road. It was a hewed-log House, of one large room, about twenty feet square, and a shed room on the first floor, and a room up-stairs over the large one. We had two large beds, with a trundlebed across one end of the large room, and in that room we cooked at a large fireplace, the shed and the room up-stairs were bedrooms. there, from December 27, 1830, and March 17, 1831, Daniel, Josephus, Malissa, and Mahala died of winter, now called typhoid, fever. Sisters Matilda and Maluda were born thre; also Daniel and John.....
I was converted at a prayer-meeting in a little log-house up the branch of "Indian Kentuck," at the house of Mr. Marlow, three or four years before I was married. No preacher was there, but the neighbors had simply gathered for prayer. Zenas Sisson led the meeting. Daniel Sisson, Mr. Gardner and his wife, the Chittendens, some of the Mitchells, Jonathan Andrews, and Mr. Jacques were there. Revs. Allen Wiley and aaron Wood were the circuit preachers at the time, and John Strange presiding elder.
I afterwards joined the Methodist episcopal Church at a meeting in the schoolhouse about a half mile north of Zenas Sisson's sawmill, Rev. Allen Wiley minister. None of my family had joined then. rev. Allen Wiley and family lived about three mles east of our house, on a farm.
Rev. John Strange baptized me at a camp-meeting held on father's farm after I joined Church.......
My husband, Rev. Joseph Tarkington, came as a Methodist preacher on the circuit where we lived in 1830. One Sunday in the spring of 1831, as I was on horseback, riding home from John Cotton and Amanda Clark's wedding, he rode up by my side, and asked me if I had any objections to his company, and I said I did not know as I had. He had been stopping at father's on his rounds of the circuit. It was one of his homes. Mr. Tarkington sometime after this, about a month before we were married, as he was starting away on his circuit, handed a letter to my father, which is as follows:

August 30, 1831

"Dear Brother and sister, - You, by this time, expect me to say something to you concerning what is gong on between your daughter and myself. You will, I hope, pardon me for not saying something to you before I ever named anything to her, though she is of age.
"Notwithstanding all this, I never intended to have any girl whose parents are opposed. Therefore, if you have any objections, I wish you to enter them shortly. I know it will be hard for you to give up your daughter to go with me; for I am bound t travel as long as I can, and, of course, any person going with me must not think to stay with father and mother.
"Yours very respectfully,
"J. Tarkington.

Mr. Simeon slawson,
Slawson P O,
Switerland Co, Indiana

Father thought there would be so many dangers, with suffering and poverty, in being a preacher's wife, that it was a very serious matter, and though he was a man of very few words, he told me as much, while he appeared to be gravely affected. But he wrot note, and gave it to him when he came arund next time, which is as follows:

"September 4, 1831

"Reverend Sir, - You express a wish to know if I have any objections to you forming an affinity with my daughter Maria, to which I would reply: If you and my daughter are fully reconciled to the above prposition, which I have no reason to doubt, I do hereby assent to the same, nevertheless, if such a union should take place, it would be very desirable, if you should settle yourself down here, that you would not be too remote from us.
"Yours most respectfully,
S. and M. Slauson

Addressed
Rev. Joseph Tarkington
Pleasant Township,
Switzerland Co, Indiana

We were married on Septembe 21, 1831, as will be seen, without a long engagement, and the life of an itinerant Methodist preacher's wife may be imagined from the narrative of my husband....

Maria married Rev. Joseph TARKINGTON on 21 Sep 1831. Joseph (son of Jesse TARKINGTON and Mary TARKINGTON) was born on 30 Oct 1800 in Tyrrell County, North Caolina; died on 22 Sep 1891 in Greensburg, Decatur, Indiana, USA; was buried in South Park Cemetery, Greensburg, Decatur Co., Indiana. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. John Stevenson TARKINGTON was born on 24 Jun 1832 in Centerville, Wayne, Indiana, USA; died on 30 Jan 1923 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana; was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.
2. Mary Melissa TARKINGTON was born on 26 Feb 1834 in Greensburg, Decatur Co., Indiana; died on 08 Aug 1923 in Greensburg, Decatur Co., Indiana; was buried on 10 Aug 1923 in South Park Cemetery, Greensburg, Decatur Co., Indiana.
3. Martha Ann TARKINGTON was born on 17 Feb 1836 in Harrison County, Indiana; died on 25 Apr 1930 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana; was buried on 28 Apr 1930 in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.
4. Dr. Joseph Asbury TARKINGTON was born on 25 Nov 1837 in Switzerland County, Indiana; died on 01 May 1902 in Greensburg, Decatur, Indiana; was buried on 3 May 1903 in South Park Cemetery, Greensburg, Decatur Co., Indiana.
5. William Simeon Reeves TARKINGTON was born on 05 Nov 1841 in Indiana; died on 20 Jul 1904 in Marion County, Indiana; was buried on 23 Jul 1904 in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.
6. Ellen Maria TARKINGTON was born on 18 Dec 1843 in Centerville, Wayne Co., Indiana; died on 02 May 1861 in Greensburg, Decatur Co., Indiana.
7. Matthew Simpson TARKINGTON was born on 16 Jul 1848 in Greencastle, Putnam Co., Indiana; died on 06 Aug 1911 in Tulare, Tulare Co., California.

Simeon married Martha WOOD on 06 Apr 1805. Martha (daughter of Jonah WOOD and ? UNKNOWN) was born on 05 Feb 1786 in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County, New York; died on 07 Jul 1866 in Rising Sun, Switzerland Co., Indiana; was buried in Slawson Cemetery, Switzerland County, Indiana. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 1860, Living with daughter-in-law, Angeline, in Pleasant, Switzerland Co., Indiana

Notes:

Name:
Application for Membership to the Indiana Society "Sons of the American Revolution" for Newton Booth Tarkington -

Jonathan Slawson

Reference to records in Connecticut Men in the Revolution by the adjutant - General of Connecticut shows pages 554 and 626, the following entries for the patriots through whom this applicant claims eligibility.

"Jonathan Slawson private in Captain Scofield's Company, 9 Militia Company in 9th regiment of Connecticut, commanded by Colonel John Mead, June 18 to July 18, 1779.

Jonathan married Lydia LOCKWOOD on 02 Dec 1761 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Lydia (daughter of Robert LOCKWOOD and Rachel STEVENS) was born on 09 Feb 1741/2 in Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Military Service: American Revolution - A private in the 10th Company 8th regiment, Connecticut Milita
• Military Service: Enlisted Jul 12, 1775, discharged Nov 27, 1775

Notes:

Name:
Application for Membership to the Indiana Society "Sons of the American Revolution" for Elvan Yeatman Tarkington -

Jonah Wood private in the 10th Company 8th Regiment, Connecticut Milita, under Command Captain john Ripley, enlisted July 12, 1775 and was discharged November 27, 1775

This regiment was stationed on the Sound until September 14 when on requisition of General Washington, it was ordered to the Boston camps and took part at Roxbury in General Spencer's Brigade, where he remained until the expiration of terms of service, Dec 1775.

Jonah married ? UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]