Notes:
Excerpt from George Witters, Sr. Will, written 23 July 1883 and filed on 16 January 1890.
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And one equal eighth part thereof I give and bequeath to the children of the first wife of my son, George, in equal shares and to their heirs and assigns forever, if however anyone dies single and without leaving legal issue, surviving them the share of the one so dying shall be divided equally to and among those of them then living and if they should all die without legal issue surviving, then the whole share coming to them shall revert and fall back to and among my children in equal shares, my son George, not included.
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From the Will of George Witters, Sr. it is clear that he was upset with his son, George, who was living at the time he wrote his Will in 1883. The Will suggests that his son was not living with his 1st wife and children. Perhaps he abandoned the family or has married someone else. George, the son, appears in the 1870 and 1880 census of the village of Jefferson, Lamard twp., Wayne County, Illinois. His year of birth is confusing as it could be eithre 1848 or 1852. I have not found him in either the 1850 or 1860 census. He should be with his parents in the 1860 census, but he is not. I wonder if he was just left off.
1870: Lamard, Wayne, Illinois
Samuel Mckirahan 44, b: OH
Susan W Mckirahan 40, b: OH
Rebecca Mckirahan 18, b: IL
Sarah J Mckirahan 16, b: IL <== same person as Jane Witters living next door - recorded twice
****[ Next Door]*****
George M Witters, 18, m: May 1870, b: PA, shoemaker
Jane Witters, 17, m: May 1870, b: OH,
[Note: George's brother, Samuel,Witters lives only 7 house away. They are both shoemakers]
1880 Lamard, Wayne, Illinois , USA
Village of Jeffersonville
George M. Willus 32, b: PA/PA/PA, farming
Jane Willus 25, b: IL/OH/OH, housekeeping
Abbie M. Willus 5, b: IL/PA/IL
Grace B. Willus 3, b: IL/PA/IL
John M. Willus 2, b: IL/PA/IL
+++ [8 households away]
Louiza Branch, head, 54, divorced, b: INY/NY/NY
Elrie Branch, son, 22, single, b: IL/OH/NY, salesman
Alpha Branch, son, 18, single, b: IL/OH/NY, farming
Sarah Cravens, 23, single, b: TN/TN/TN, Domestic Servant
Th following newspaper article was found by Vicky Blankenship which helps explanin why George's father was upset with him. He had abandoned his family and married another woman, becoming a bigamistl Nothing more is known about him after he abandoned his wife and children in 1881
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Too Much Married.
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It appears that one John D. Miller, who figures in our list of Cupid's August Capers, published elsewhere has been cutting some capers not authorized by the statutes of this state. He came over here from Jeffersonville, Illinois, and married a woman, and departed on the next train for unknown parts. In a few davs thereafter came a postal card to Sheriff Chambers, making inquiry about Miller, whose Illinois name seems to have been George M. Witters. Besides having another name the postal card went on to state that Miller had another wife and three children, living in Jeffersonville. By the time the sheriff got the card, the man and his new wife had departed and gone beyond his jurisdiction. The Jeffersonville post master came over yesterday with the papers and documents to secure the bigamist, and he will probably yet succeed in gathering him in.
[Princeton Courier-Journal. - 1 September 1881, Thursday, Page 1]
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