Sarah Jane Watson Hales 1825 - 1889

HALES, WATSON, COLE, BURTON, COX, PETERSON, PARKER, DODDS, ELLER, BRICKER, DUFFIELD, SYFERD, LYFERD, SEYBERT

Posted By: Charles Eugene Hales (email)
Date: 4/13/2008 at 22:46:49

Sarah Jane Watson Hales 1825 – 1889

Sarah Jane Watson was born June 8, 1825 in Manheim, Lancaster County Pennsylvania the daughter of Jacob Watson and Sarah Dodds.

Sarah Jane married Thomas Hales on November 23, 1843 in the Scroggsfield Presbyterian Church of Carroll County, Ohio. Both her father and mother as well as a maiden aunt, Margaret Ann Dodds who died October 8, 1827, are buried in the same plot at this church cemetery.

In the spring of 1864, at the age of 42, Thomas and his pregnant wife left Ohio for Van Buren County, Iowa. They brought seven of their children with them ranging in age from 19 years (Margaret A.) to 5 years (Josephine). Their ninth and last child, William George, was born that fall in Iowa. Their oldest son, James Andrew 17, was already in the Union Army. He had enlisted the year before at Alliance OH in Ohio Battery 3rd Div Army Corp.

The children were:
Margaret A. Cole 1845-1900
James Andrew 1845-1907
Thomas Watson 1848-1925
Elisabeth Jane Burton 1849-aft1928
Mary Elvira Cox 1852-1923
Sarah Catherine Peterson 1854-1923
John Parker Dodds 1856-1928
Josephine Eller 1859-1942
William George 1864-1915

Sarah Jane and Thomas settled on a farm in Vernon Township. At the time of her passing on November 19, 1889 this farm was located one mile south of the Center Chapel Methodist Church and cemetery where both of them are buried. Two of their children Mary Elvira Cox and John Parker Dodds Hales also rest there. Thomas came from a long line of Methodist followers, however his wife joined the Seceder Church as a child probably while still in Pennsylvania. Thus it was she died a Presbyterian, the successor in 1858, to the Seceder faith.

In the Hales family Bible Sarah Jane Watson wrote the names of her ancestors stating they were all born in Manheim, Lancaster County, PA. This is a small town of less than 5000 population in a land of beautiful rolling hills and tree covered rock outcrops in the eastern foothills of the Alleghenies. The large silos and picturesque old barns identify the dairy farms in the country. Today most people know it as the Pennsylvania Dutch area.

Listed here is the exact copy of her ancestors from that Bible:

James Watson son of John and
Margaret Watson was born Aug the 11, 1796
Jacob Watson was born October the 10, 1797
Elisabeth Watson was born May 15, 1799
Margaret Watson was born August 3, 1803
Jacob Watson died June the 6, 1858
age 60yr 7mo 27days
James Watson died February 24, 1874
age 77yrs 6mo 13days
Elisabeth Bricker died Feb 1 the 1869
age 69yrs 8mo 16days
Margaret Duffield died March the 24, 1877
age 73yrs 7mo 21days
all born in Manheim Lancaster Co
Pensylvania

A great deal of research gives additional information about her Watson ancestors. Jacob is her father but there is no record of when he left Pennsylvania to settle in Ohio. The Scroggsfield Cemetery plot with tombstones for Jacob and wife Sarah are the defining tie in this determination. It is the same place where Sarah Jane married Thomas Hales and she named one of her sons John Parker Dodds Hales. The use of middle names to tie family lines has been a common practice especially in earlier times.

In the county seat town of Lancaster there is more information on Sarah’s grandfather and grandmother Watson. Just across from city hall there is a very old brick church. It is the St. James Episcopal (Anglican) Church, a little more than 250 years old — organized in 1744. There we find in the church's archives, the marriage of John Watson and Margaret Syferd/Lyferd or Seybert on 3 November 1795. The names, dates and places all match. His name is referred to as Irish Protestant — “poor Irish” in one entry! She was likely German. Their children's birth is not recorded in the church.

In the courthouse at Lancaster there is an estate inventory that identifies him as a tailor and lists:
“…. all and singular the goods and chattels rights and credits which were of John Watson late of town of Manheim in the County of Lancaster taylor, deceased at the time of his death to wit: …………”
This estate is dated March 18, 1805 and has Margaret Watson signing it with an X.
This lady is my great grandmother, I welcome comments/corrections. Charles Eugene Hales.

Thomas Hales, husband
 

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