Sleuthing Again

On 29 Dec 1869, Mary E. Summers married Ezra K. Gilchrist in Franklin Co, Illinois. Ezra, a Vermont (or possibly, New Hampshire)-born Civil War vet who kept a saloon in the village of Sneak Out, died soon afterward, on 18 Jan 1873 in Parrish, Illinois, quite likely as a result of medical problems incurred during his military service. On 9 May 1864 at the battle of Buzzard Roost in Whitfield County, Georgia, he had been wounded in the right foot, which caused serious deformity. He became increasingly lame until he was discharged. Possibly as a result of the injury, the treatment, or hospital stays, he developed chronic diarrhea, which resulted in his death. He and Mary had a single child, William Gilchrist, who appears to have died very young, possibly as an infant.

James and Mary Duckworth Family (Ancestry). Children from left to right:
Herbert, Orvil, Richard, James Lawrence, and Robert.

On 10 Aug 1873 in Franklin Co, the widowed Mary Gilchrist married James H. Duckworth, son of Moses Duckworth and Cassander A. Summers, and brother of John Wilson Duckworth, who achieve notoriety owing to his KKK connection (The Summers Clan Klan).

We know a lot about Mary’s husbands, Ezra and James, but we face a great mystery in Mary, herself. She was know to have been born around 1847, but three Mary E. Summers of Franklin Co, Illinois, all first cousins, fit that description: Mary E., daughter of Harper and Phebe (Swafford) Summers; Mary Elizabeth, daughter of William K. and Elizabeth (Whittington) Summers; and Mary E., daughter of John K. (often given the name “John Edward” with no evidence except other trees) and Elizabeth (Larken) Summers. Other possibilities can be ruled out by age or proven histories.

Family historians have made guesses over the years, mostly the daughter of Harper and Phebe, but none provide proof or even evidence other than the name. In an attempt to find proof I ordered the Civil War Pension file for Ezra Gilchrist in hopes that something could be found there. It looks like proof has been found. The massive file includes a 23 Mar 1897 deposition from a George W. Summers stating that he is the brother of Mary Summers Gilchrist Duckworth. George stated that he was 67 years old (born c1830) and that he lived in Macedonia, Illinois.

Only one of our candidates had a brother George born anywhere near 1830 and that was Mary E. Summers, daughter of John K. and Elizabeth (Larken) Summers, whose brother was George W., born c1832.

One little problem remains. Neither the 1880 census nor the 1900 census show a George Summers of the required age living in Hamilton or Franklin county even though in 1897 George gave Macedonia, which straddles both counties, as his address. But George could have moved there after 1880 and could have died by 1900. He was 67 years old at the time of the deposition and was not living in a healthy area. In an article in the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, Professor Ronald R. Stockton has stated

It is hard to imagine how profoundly difficult it was to survive on the nineteenth-century Illinois frontier. In many cases the soil was unbroken, the swamps were not drained, diseases were rampant, and medical care was scarce or non-existent. Death was a constant, if unwelcome, companion.

Would you like to get a copy of the entire Ezra Gilchrist file? You may find something I missed. To get a copy just click on the link below. You don’t need the Dropbox app. If you get a "Log in or Sign Up" message just ignore it. Press the download button at the top of the web page. You will then get (another) "Log in or Sign Up" message. Just click "Or continue with dropdown only" at the bottom of that message. You need not log in or sign up. It is not necessary to be a Dropbox user. Leave a comment or send me an email if you have problems. 

Ezra Gilchrist Narional Archive File, Download