IRONS - Thomas family - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

by Karen Zach

Thursday, July 16, 2020 4:00 AM

or read it here at The Paper of Montgomery County - see photos - https://thepaper24-7.com/Content/Columnists/Karen-Zach/Article/Irons-family-wasn-t-here-first-but-certainly-proved-interesting/165/418/73184

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Although not one of Montgomery County’s really early families, the Irons group was certainly a really interesting one. The family that came to Sugar Creek Township, did not arrive until the fall of 1852. This was about three decades later than those who received the original government land grants at $1.25 an acre and about that time land was selling in the $25-30 range. Whichever, these fellows knew good land and turned around about ten years hence, selling some of the property at an exceptional profit and buying, improving and reselling more, almost all about three miles above Darlington. In 1950 a Shobe, Kirkpatrick genealogy was written by Frank Shobe and at that time, he stated that a least some of that original land had never been out of the hands of an Irons descendant.

It was the ultimate father Thomas who brought the family to the Darlington area and more specifically, Campbell’s Chapel to live and as stated, care for their land. Farming, raising animals and loving the Lord was pretty much their motto, but possibly not in that order.

Born in Delaware, Thomas’ parents are on several Ancestry family trees as John and Alice (Pay) Irons. I say no way! His mother supposedly passed away in England. Hmm, then how was he born in America? Plus, the age she was listed would put her over 50 when she birthed Thomas and suppose it’s not impossible but unlikely. Another “fact” according to the trees, she was 28 years older than John? Add to that - Thomas had no children with either of those names, so I’m agin it! Thus, can’t tell you much on his background, but we do know quite a bit about Thomas himself.

“Grandfather Irons” fought in the War of 1812 and there is a probability that he got cheap land for that. He married a Scotch-Irish gal, Nancy McKee on the second day of June, 1815 in Highland County, Ohio where they lived and some of their children were born. They also lived in Pike County, and Ross County, that state and but a couple of years before his death moved to St. Joseph County, Illinois (Urbana area). He returned back to Montgomery County and lived with his daughter-in-law Sarah who had lost her husband, Robert, just a few years before. His short obituary noted that he died “from the wear of time!”

Nancy McKee Irons passed away after bearing him three sons (James, Robert above and William) and a daughter, Maria (can’t find her). Nancy passed away in 1828 and he remarried Lucinda Stultz about 1833. They were parents of four sons and three daughters (see later). He and Lucinda are buried in Peterson Cemetery (thanks to Lesa Epperson’s picture on findagrave) near Darlington and it is assumed Nancy is buried somewhere in Highland County, Ohio (not on findagrave). On a whole with a couple of exceptions, the first batch of children are buried here while his second batch are buried in Illinois. Lucinda was a widow for almost two decades.

William died the same year as his father and was married in Montgomery County to Amelia Hall when he was 30 years old and she was 25, quite a marrying age for the times. They had a daughter, Nancy and three sons. They are buried in the IOOF Cemetery, she passing away almost 20 years thereafter. He also farmed in the Darlington area, along with their son James Madison. There were several families (papers stating, “some sickness yet and one death”) in the Campbell Chapel / Potato Creek area who died within a few months, but his was of congestion of the brain, so not catching. One interesting look at Will was that he and Joe Coyner, after the Civil War ran a sort of Pony Express back and forth from Darlington to Potato Creek for a few years.

Thomas and Nancy’s son James Irons was born May 20, 1817 and passed away the very last day of the year in 1883. Married Julia Ann Bush and parented eight children. Buried Peterson cemetery with his father and brother Robert, along with other family members including his son John Bush Irons who lived and died on what was noted as the original family farm in Section 24. Sadly, John Bush lost wife one, leaving a small child; wife two died and left him with three little children and James and Julia were there to aide him. He did remarry later to Lida Petro and they had three children of their own, she out living him. In 1874, James and Will Halstead hit the news when they attended a large stock sale at Terre Haute. Halstead purchased one cow for $225 and James a bull for $150, big prices for the day. One of James’ sons, as many others in the family, moved to Kansas (and others to Iowa) was a noted minister. James and Julia were well-loved in the community and their children married into several early Montgomery County families (Snyder; Shobe; Kirkpatrick; Hayes; Kious).

Robert the third son was born in Pike County, Ohio November 5th in 1827 and died September 10, 1871 in MoCo. Unlike many of his close male relatives he married young on March 15, 1848 to Sarah Ann Brown, the kind daughter-in-law to “Grandfather Thomas Irons.” They had three sons, Lance; Thomas and Edwin Grant plus at least one daughter, Melissa. Their son Thomas and family remained in the area but the others spread widely. Thomas operated a livery stable and one grandson, Claude operated the Montgomery County Sale Barn for 30 years. Robert’s story takes an amazing twist. Evidently, his wife felt in straights and when Robert passed did not have a stone erected; however in July 1872, several of his friends had C.I. Brundage erect a quite interesting monument over his grave as they wanted to remember their passed colleague!

The family made sure their children were educated even having an Irons school on their property and employing the teachers as well as being extremely religious, active in the Potato Creek Church with some equally involved in Campbell’s Chapel. They enjoyed church socials and other various entertainments, taffy pulling contests, big birthday parties, dinners.

This leaves us with Thomas’ second batch of children and I’m out of room; however, let me say that most moved away except for Julia married Noah Flaningan, raising three here; buried Hutton Cemetery; Anthony was in the Civil War and it seems had wounds or sickness and died at the Danville Illinois Soldiers home, Lucinda died at age 82 never married; buried Oak Hill; a Zephaniah is connected to them via findagrave but I didn’t have him, kind of fits though (1838-1919 buried Champaign County, Illinois and know that Thomas and Lucinda were there a couple of years so probably a son, as well; Salathiel is also buried in Champaign County but lived in Mobile County, Alabama for quite some time. Last, is one of my favorites, Nelson B. married Amanda Paxton here in Montgomery and they moved to Bloomington, Illinois where he farmed but sadly died young of a lung hemorrhage.

Super interesting family to research and a fun one to write about it. Glad we had some Irons in MoCo!

Karen Zach is the editor of Montgomery Memories, our monthly magazine all about Montgomery County. Her column, Around the County, appears each Thursday in The Paper of Montgomery County.