Letter from William Sterner - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

I received  a letter from my wife saying you wanted me to write up the Campbell family for you of course I guess I come about knowing the whole of it as well as anyone living but might be able to tell you more if you will ask me about such things as you want that would brighten up my memory so if you want anything beyond what I have given you don’t hesitate to ask as I am at your cousin at any time and always glad to hear from you all as I never get to hear from any one of you for a long time.

You will please excuse my using a pencil to write with but I am so much out of practice that I can’t use a pen to any advantage as I do nothing but set around walk about I keep well eat well smoke a good part of the time.  I hope you are all well give my sincere and best wishes to Charley and all of the family and friends and to Sida Hunt ? – with love to you and family I remain your cousin Wm. Sterner

William CAMPBELL my grandfather was of Scotch parentage was born in Chambersburg, PA where he grew to manhood them came to Ohio and met Rachel McDill who was born in Virginia but lived near Chillicothe, Ohio with her parents and they was married about the year 1811 – and went to housekeeping at Hope Town near Kingston.  William Craig Campbell was in the War of 12 and Jane Campbell who became my mother was their 2nd child she was born Jan 9, 1817.  I have a Scotch flag and Ivory clock (?) that was left to my mother by my Aunt Marthy which came from her cousin, Lord John Campbell.  Aunt Martha was the sister of my grandfather she left her belongings to my mother at her death now you will see I have written the two marriages of Rachel McDill to William Campbell and the marriage of Alexander Campbell on Separate sheets and if I have not answered all you would like to know don’t hesitate write me and tell me what you want to know and it will sharpen up my memory and I will tell all I know.  Remember I am in my 69th year have nothing to do and my memory is failing some but warm me up and I am the same old cousin will as in years gone by.

Alexander Campbell Sr was born in PA I think at Lancaster; he was Irish descent, his parents being Protestants from the north of Ireland.  He grew to manhood there was married and became the father of 5 children: Samuel; James; William; Mary and Manerva – his wife died leaving him a widower and he came to Ohio became acquainted with Rachel Campbell and the mother of William Campbell and  the mother of Craig and June, my uncle and mother.  He married her at Kingston, Ross County, Ohio and to them was born Jacob McDill (1823)  Alexander, Jr. (1828) and Eliza Campbell by her first husband.  So you will see that the two children born to William and Rachel Campbell her first husband and the three children born to Alexander Campbell and Rachel Campbell her 2d husband are only half brothers and sisters and the five children of Alexander by the first marriage the PA are only step brothers and sisters to our side of the family and in fact no relation at all to us Alexander Campbell only being my grandfather by marriage but leaving grandmother full blood to all on our side of the family as she was the mother of our parents but by two different husbands.  

Now to the homes of William and Rachel Campbell 1st husband and Alexander and Rachel Campbell her 2d husband and the birth places of their children Craig and Jane Campbell by 1st husband was born at Hopetown, Ross Co, Ohio.  William Campbell took lane in Piqua Co for his services in the War of 12 where they then made their home just across the line of Ross Co one mile from Kingston – where Rachel Campbell lived with her two children when Alexander Campbell married her and when she had 3 children by him: Jacob McDill; Alexander and Eliza Carson Campbell – they all lived there till 1845 then moved to Indiana the farm in Ohio reverting to the heirs of William Campbell, William C. Campbell and Jane Campbell the widow assigning her doner to her children by William Campbell – William C. Campbell the son went to Attica, Ind to live and my father to Crawfordsville in 1846.

Copied by Mrs. Roy S. Smyres (Mary Fraley) 6-7-1973 Crawfordsville, Indiana

She has other notes about the family: Will Sterner, Jane Campbell Sterner’s son says the family lived on the Ohio farm until they moved to Indiana in 1845.  Jane would have been 28 years old when the family moved to the Crawfordsville Indiana area.  Mary Fraley said when visiting (1973) the Montgomery County Courthouse in Crawfordsville she found a copy of a land grant of 40 acres (NE ¼ of the SW ¼ of Sec 34 Twp 20 Range 3 West in Montgomery County assigned to Alexander, Sr. William Craig Campbell went on next door to Fountain County.