Rachel Barnhisel

Seated on the porch of their house are the owners, Henry and Rachel Barnhisel Wilderson, surrounded by some of their descendants. I'll point out other key members of our family: 1)At the doorway are our grandmother, Cora Lewis in the white blouse and Margaret Wilderson, Henry's sister. 2) On the top row, center female, is Mary Wilderson Lewis, our great grandmother. I believe that this photograph must have been taken on the day of Melissa Martha Wilderson Kistler's funeral in 1901, and why there are many sad faces here. Melissa was a daughter of Henry and Rachel. I also believe that it was intended for the picture to be only about Wilderson descendants and why the male on the left was omitted.

The subject of this story is Rachel Barnhisel, Henry Wilderson's wife, who was born in 1823 in another township of Trumbull County called Weathersfield Township, a few miles east of Newton Township where this pictured house was located. Since Henry and Rachel both had German ancestors, it seems likely that there may have been a German club or other organization where German folks liked to gather and socialize in the area. This may have been how Henry and Rachel met.

It is interesting to me that Rachel was christened in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Newton at age 22 in March 1846, six months before her marriage to Henry in September. So, maybe they met at this particular church!? What do you think, dear readers?

In a couple of newspaper articles about Henry and Rachel, mention is made of Rachel's strength of character and helpfulness to her husband in the settlement and abundant work that was required of her on their farm. Henry's property was in the wilderness at the beginning of their marriage. Large forest trees needed to be felled, huge stones had to be removed, and much brush and debris had to be burned or raked away. At first, they built a crude log cabin to live in until they could afford the frame house in the above photograph.

Rachel Barnhisel Wilderson
Born: 27 Sep 1823 in Weathersfield Twp., Trumbull, OH
Married: 20 Sep 1846 in Weathersfield, Twp., Trumbull, OH
Died: 26 Jan 1908 in Newton, Trumbull, OH
Sources: Censuses of 1850 to 1900; Marriage records; Warren Chronicle newspaper articles; Rachel's obituary and christening record from Mary Lewis' scrapbook.

Henry Wilderson

This nice photograph of our great great grandfather, Henry Wilderson, was found in his daughter Mary Wilderson Lewis' scrapbook. That's why it has the "My Dear Father" label. 

Instead of telling you my version of Henry's long life, I am including this rather thorough obituary from the Warren Chronicle.

"The funeral of the late Henry Wilderson took place Thursday 1 p.m., Rev. R. W. Wyrick officiating. It was largely attended by those who wished to testify their respect for the memory of this old and useful citizen.  Deceased would have been 94 years old had he lived till next June 11. He was born in York county, Pa., and came to Ohio in 1834 and to Newton township in 1837. He cleared the farm where he ever afterwards lived and died. He was married in 1846 to Rachel Barnhisel, who survives him, together with four out of seven children, as follows: Mrs. Mary A. Lewis, Cleveland; Mrs. D. Casper, Newton Falls; John Wilderson, Warren, and Ella Wilderson, who is engaged in hospital work in the East.
Mr. Wilderson was a man of rigid morality, great kindness of heart, and steadfastness of purpose, whose influence for good cannot be estimated."

I especially like the last paragraph of the obituary.  (Henry died on the 27th of February in 1905.) 

 It should be of interest to my readers to know that the Wilderson family's trek to Ohio was via covered wagon pulled by oxen. At times, the road was nothing more than an Indian trail through the woods. It took them four weeks to reach their destination from Baltimore, Maryland to Beaver Township, Columbiana, Ohio.

Henry was buried in the Wilderson cemetery and he shares this monument, pictured below, with his wife, Rachel:

Henry Wilderson
Born: 20 Jun 1812 Manheim, York, PA
Married: 20 Sep 1846 Weathersfield, Trumbull, OH
Died: 27 Feb 1905 Newton, Trumbull, OH
Sources: Warren Chronicle newspaper articles; Census of 1800-1900; marriage certificate; land records.

INTERLUDE FOUR: THE WILDERSON-LEWIS CONNECTIONS

Six of our direct line ancestors are buried in this peaceful little cemetery on Bush-Selkirk Road in Newton Township, Trumbull County, Ohio. Gravestones are here for Charles and Christene Wilderson, our great, great, great grandparents. Their son, Henry Wilderson and his wife, Rachel  Barnhisel are also buried here. And so are John and Mary Lewis. John Lewis and Henry Wilderson set aside this land for their families and their neighbors to use to bury their loved ones. Out of the 40 or more gravesites here, 32 of them are our relatives! 

John and Henry's families lived on adjoining properties from about 1843 until the early 1900s. And here they all lie together in their graveyard. But, John and Henry were connected in another way, too, because John's son, David Lewis, married Henry's daughter, Mary Ann Wilderson, our great grandparents!