Wilson Family Photo Taken 1900: (from l to r Standing) Uncle Heber, Aunt Clara, Uncle Evans, Uncle Billy and Aunt Helen. From l. to r. Seated) Great Grandparents William Frederick Wilson and Anna Margaret Dunlap Wilson. Baby on Anna's lap is Grandmother Esther Wilson Brown.

Surname Index

Meredith (74) Wilson (24) Brown (23) Downing (21) Townsley (18) Talbot (15) Ball (14) Bicking (11) Dunlap (11) Bruner (10) Jones (9) Nixon (9) Sessions (9) Carpenter (8) Milhous (7) Glenn (6) Johnson (6) Evans (5) Gibbs (5) Smith (5) Thomas (5) White (5) Battin (4) Cloyd (4) Gheen (4) Hoffman (4) Judson (4) Morgan (4) Ocanselm (4) Rissel (4) Skiles (4) Baldwin (3) Bireley (3) Boyer (3) Griffith (3) Guest (3) Hall (3) Mendenhall (3) Moore (3) Seeds (3) Sheeler (3) Townley (3) Allen (2) Baily (2) Bane (2) Bateman (2) Bayne (2) Bedo (2) Benner (2) Bruiel (2) Burdg (2) Campbell (2) Chambertain (2) Conolly (2) Conover (2) Cooke (2) Dague (2) Darlington (2) David (2) Davis (2) Dean (2) Dolby (2) Douglas (2) Draper (2) Dutton (2) Earl (2) Entrekim (2) Esteppe (2) Fickus (2) Fields (2) Ford (2) Garrett (2) Geiger (2) Gilkey (2) Good (2) Hannum (2) Harrison (2) Hause (2) Hayes (2) Henzie (2) Herbert (2) Hubbard (2) Hutton (2) Iddings (2) Jenkins (2) Jevan (2) Kelly (2) LaFreeda (2) Lachman (2) Lane (2) Lloyd (2) Loomis (2) March (2) McCauley (2) McCleese (2) McLaughlin (2) McMichael (2) Mellinger (2) Menig (2) Mercer (2) Miller (2) Morrison (2) Murphy. Gress (2) Nields (2) Pennock (2) Pothero. Iddings (2) Powell (2) Rettew (2) Rush (2) Russell (2) Shoemaker (2) Singuett (2) Smedley (2) Smiley (2) Snyder (2) Spencer (2) Strode (2) Stroud (2) Turner (2) Wadsworth (2) Walters (2) Walton (2) Washington (2) Watling (2) Wolfe (2) Woodward (2) Adams (1) Allendera (1) Altland (1) Armstrong (1) Ashe (1) Atherold (1) Baird (1) Baker (1) Ballentine (1) Bastian (1) Beale (1) Bechtel (1) Beer (1) Beidler (1) Bell (1) Benjamin (1) Bradley (1) Breast (1) Bull (1) Bullock (1) Burnap (1) Butler (1) Buzzard (1) Byler (1) Cantrell (1) Carr (1) Clark (1) Clarke (1) Climenson (1) Collins (1) Conner (1) Cotton (1) Craig (1) Crooks (1) Custis (1) Daft (1) Daller (1) Dampan (1) Dandridge (1) Darrah (1) Davies (1) Dengler (1) Denny (1) Docherty (1) Donson (1) Doodes (1) Dugan (1) Dyer (1) Echoff (1) Ecoff (1) Eisenhower (1) Faley (1) Farra (1) Finley (1) Fisher (1) Fleming (1) Flood (1) Frazer (1) Fremont (1) Fuller (1) Githens (1) Gooch (1) Gordan (1) Graham (1) Grothus (1) Grubb (1) Halberstadt (1) Hallman (1) Hanyi (1) Harris (1) Hartshorn (1) Harvey (1) Hatfield (1) Hathoway (1) Herron (1) Hethery (1) Hicks (1) Hodgson (1) Holloman (1) Holowecky (1) Holston (1) Hoopes (1) Howson (1) Hughes (1) Hughes Meredith (1) Jackson (1) Jamison (1) Justari (1) Kouba (1) Krause (1) Kurtz (1) Laird (1) Latch (1) Lawrence (1) LeSueur (1) Leighton (1) Leslie (1) Linsey (1) Linton (1) Long (1) Ludnick (1) MacNeal (1) Martin (1) McClure (1) McCord (1) McDowell (1) McKeowan (1) Messmer (1) Montague (1) Morehouse (1) Morton (1) Myers (1) Nethery (1) Nicholas (1) Nord (1) Norris (1) Parker (1) Peaco (1) Perdue (1) Phillips (1) Piersol (1) Pollot (1) Pratt (1) Price (1) Rackwitz (1) Reitnour (1) Rice (1) Rodgers (1) Rubincan (1) Ryan (1) Scothorn (1) Simcox (1) Simmons (1) Simons (1) Sisters (1) Skipper (1) Slaymaker (1) Steele (1) Supplee (1) Tanner (1) Taylor (1) Trimble (1) Trimmer (1) Twiggs (1) Ubel (1) Van Sant (1) Vickers (1) Volkert (1) Waltz (1) Warner (1) Waters (1) Webb (1) West (1) Wheelen (1) Whelen (1) Wiggens (1) Yeager (1) Zeigler (1) Zilinski (1)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Benjamin Franklin Meredith 1st





Benjamin Franklin Meredith, my Great Great Grandfather was born on October 29, 1834. He died at 221 West Chestnut Street, West Chester, Pa. on June 9, 1920 at age 85. He was buried on June 14, 1920 in Upper Octorara, Pa. He resided in Pomeroy, near Coatesville.

(Mildred Brown Meredith and Esther Wilson Brown visit he grave of Benjamin Franklin Meredith I.)




His occupations included being owner of a large feldspar mine, County(?) Supervisor: Collected Road Taxes (Yearly tax paid by G. Townsend was $.30.22), Mortgage Clerk Court House, and Farmer.


Cause of death: After an illness of some length, of trouble incident to his age.

Going West. Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Meredith, who for some time past have been making their home with their son, B. F. Meredith, Jr., of West Caln, will leave on Monday for an extended visit at Shelby, Michigan, where a daughter lives (Annie or Ivagene?). Mr. Meredith owns property there and has business interests. Their visit will be of about three months duration. Daily Local News. 7/18/1915.

Monday, January 3, 1916, being the 50th anniversary of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Meredith, of 221 West Chestnut Street, West Chester, their children and some other near relatives planned a social surprise for them. Accordingly, as each party reached town, they called to see them. They being accustomed to their friends calling, they suspected nothing until several families had assembled, when it dawned on them that it was something unusual for so many to call on the same day. Being informed why, they entered into the spirit of the occasion, and a general good time followed. At dinner the host and hostess related their experience of the day fifty years ago, telling of their marriage, their round-about ride to the train that was to take them on their wedding trip to Ohio to visit relatives. Music followed and all too soon farewells had to be said. Those present were: B. F. Meredith, and wife, of West Chester; W. W. Meredith and daughter, Ella, of Modena; B. F. Meredith, Jr. and wife, of the old home farm, West Caln, Fred Wilson and wife and daughters, Clara and Esther; Wm. F. Wilson and wife, J. Evans Wilson and wife, S. Heber Wilson and wife, all of Anselma; Herford E. Downing and wife of Malvern. Greetings were received from their absent children, they being Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Gibbs and family of Shelby, Mich.; Charles Meredith and family, of Orchard Home Farm, Michigan, and Mr. and Mrs. Horace Sessions, of Hollywood, Los Angeles, Cal. Daily Local News. 1/5/1916.

Benjamin F. Meredith, Sr. This morning, Benjamin F. Meredith, Sr., of No. 221 West Chestnut Street, died after an illness of some length, of trouble incident to his age, in his 86th year. The deceased was for many years a farmer of West Caln township, but some years ago retired and moved to West Chester where he was a familiar figure, He at one time had large feldspar mines on his farm which were operated extensively. he was a man of genial disposition and a large fund of knowledge and had many friends here. He is survived by six children: B. F. Meredith, Jr., who is a farmer and active in education in West Caln Township; William of West Chester; Charles Meredith and Mrs. Ivogene Sessions, Shelby Mich.' Mrs. Gibbs, in Buffalo and Joseph of Modena. Daily Local News. 6/7/1920

FUNERAL NOTICE
Yourself and family are respectfully invited to attend the funeral of
B. F. Meredith Sr.,
from his late residence 221
West Chestnut St
on Monday, June 14th 1920
at twelve o'clock. _M.
Services at Upper Octorara
Interment at Upper Octorara

Meredith - In West Chester, on the 9th Inst., Benjamin F. Meredith in his 86th year. Relatives and friends, also Skerritt Lodge F. & A. M., of Cochranville, are invited to attend the funeral from his late residence, No. 221 West Chestnut St., on Monday, the 14th Inst. Services at 12 o'clock. Further services and internment at Upper Octorara Presbyterian Church at 2 o'clock. Daily Local News. 6/10/1920

The funeral of the late B. Frank Meredith took place yesterday afternoon from his late home on West Chestnut Street, this place where a large number of relatives and friends had gathered and where Dr. Washington R. Laird delivered a prayer. The remains were later taken to upper Octorara Church, near Parkesburg, where services were conducted by this pastor and the body laid to rest in the cemetery adjoining the edifice, there being a large attendance of relatives and friends from West Caln and other points in the western section of the county where the deceased had been well known for years, having long lived in West Caln township. The pall bearers were six grandsons of the deceased. Daily local News. 6/15/1920

Estate of B. Franklin Meredith, Sr., late of the borough of West Chester, dec'd. Letters Testamentary on the estate of the above-named B. Franklin Meredith, Sr., deceased, having been granted to the undersigned, all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the said deceased are requested to make known the same, and all persons indebted to the said decedent to make payment, without delay, to Charles F. Meredith, B. Franklin Meredith, Jr., Joseph E. Meredith, Horace Sessions, William A. Gibbs. Executors, West Chester, Pa. Thomas W. Baldwin, Atty. Daily Local news. 7/23/1920

On January 3, 1866, when Benjamin Franklin was 31, he married Emma Bicking Wilson, daughter of William Frederick Wilson Sr. & Esther Helen Bicking. Emma was born on April 23, 1847 in Honeybrook, Pa. Emma Bicking died in Hollywood, California on December 4, 1938, she was 91. She was buried in Upper Octorara, Pa. Cause of death: series of apoplectic strokes.

(Emma is listed as married to B. F. Merrills in the Chester and Delaware Counties Families History, obviously a misspelling of B. F. Meredith.--LEM)

Emma B. Meredith. Mrs. Emma Bicking Meredith, widow of the late B. F. Meredith, Sr., died yesterday at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Horace Sessions, Hollywood, Calif., in her 92nd year. She had been ill for about two years, but had only been seriously ill for the past three months. Her death was due to a series of apoplectic strokes. Mrs. Meredith was a daughter of the late William and Esther Wilson and was born in Honey Brook on April 23, 1847. When she was quite young, the family moved to Brandywine Inn, where she spent her girlhood years. Upon her marriage she took up her residence at the Meredith homestead in West Caln Township, where she lived for many years. Later the family moved to Pomeroy, where she lived until the death of her husband in 1920. Since that time she has resided in California. In her active years Mrs. Meredith was widely known in this part of the county. She was active in the Sunday school that was conducted for many year's at Bonsall's school house near her West Caln home. She was also active in the W. C. T. U. (West Caln Temperance Union) and other organizations of a civic and charitable nature. She was the last of her generation of her own family and is survived by two daughters and three sons: Anna, wife of William Gibbs, of Buffalo; William W. Meredith, of West Chester; B. F. Meredith, Jr., of West Caln; Charles F. Meredith, of Shelby, Mich.; Ivagene, wife of Horace Sessions, of Hollywood; sixteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Mrs. Frank Wilson, widow of her youngest brother also survives. Another son, Joseph E. Meredith, of Coatesville, died some years ago. The remains will be brought east for the funeral, which will take place at the old Meredith homestead, in West Caln, about two miles northeast of Sadsburyville, now occupied by B. F. Meredith, Jr., on Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock. Interment will be in Upper Octorara cemetery. Coatesville Record. 12/5/1938.

They had the following children:
William Wilson (1869-1950)



Anna Evans, who resided in Buffalo, N. Y. in June 1920. Alias/AKA: Annie. Anna Evans married William A. Gibbs and they resided in Shelby, Michigan in 1945.



Ivagene, who resided in Shelby, Michigan in June 1920 and in Hollywood, California in Dec 1938.

Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Meredith have announced the marriage of their daughter, Ivagene, to Mr. Horace Sessions, Thursday, November 24, 1904, at St. John's P. E. Church, St. Louis, Mo. The bride has the best wishes of her many friends in this place, where she is well known. Pomeroy News 12/17/1904

Friends here have received word that Mr. and Mrs. Horace Sessions, the latter as Miss Ivagene Meredith, having been popular here previous to her marriage, have completed a 31 days trip by automobile from their former home near Shelby, Mich., across the Rocky Mountains to Sacramento, Cal., thus concluding a motor trip across the continent. The young people spent an extended visit with Chester County relatives, some months ago. Their destination was reached in time for them to visit the exposition and they are now established in their distant home in the golden west. Daily local news. 12/14/1915.

On November 24, 1904 Ivagene married Horace Sessions in St. John's P. E. Church, St. Louis, Mo. (NOTE: I am assuming this is the same Horace Sessions of Shelby who addressed the Michigan Hornicultural Society in 1912.

No comments: