McIntosh Family Origins

Great4 Grandfather James McIntosh was born in Scotland. We don't know where, but the McIntosh Clan originated near the city of Inverness in the Scottish highlands. Scottish immigration to the Americas is overlooked in American history books, but can be read in books like Born Fighting. Most were “Scots-Irish”; people from Scotland lured to work on English "Ulster" plantations in Northern Ireland, but found themselves in the midst of an Irish-English conflict. They had left Scotland ravaged by fighting with English soldiers only to find the same problem in Ireland, so most left for the prospect of free land in the Americas. MacKintosh families simplified their surname to McIntosh after arriving in America.

The English land barons along coastal America had troubles with Indians in the forested inlands, so they granted the rugged land in Appalachia to groups of Scots so they could fight the Indians. The Scots became frontiersmen and key players in the American Revolution. When English colonists squabbled with the King of England, he sent troops to restore order. That was successful until troops ventured inland and clashed with independent Scottish communities who hated English soldiers.

Who Were Charles Parents?

The parentage of Great2 Grandfather Charles C. McIntosh (1858-1943) is misleading. In the 1860, 1880, and 1920 censuses, Charles (pictured) states both his parents were born in Kentucky and he was born in Indiana. His great grandson Bill Tharp (my mother Carmen's first cousin) thought his parents were Archibald (b. 1813) & Tabitha McIntosh and the 1850 census shows them living in Kentucky. But it shows Archibald was born in Tennessee, not Kentucky, and there are no census records of them having a child named Charles or living in Indiana because they don’t show up in any later census. Note that census records show each person’s age, so a person’s birth year may be a year earlier or later.

In 2010 Bill Tharp co-authored a book about his colorful Great Uncle Eppenetus McIntosh (pictured) who became a Civil War POW held at the Confederate Andersonville Camp and later survived a ship sinking. Bill now thought that Eppenetus and his Great Grandfather Charles were children of John and Margaret McIntosh, but no census confirms that claim. A great, great grandson of Eppenetus noted the 1860 census shows a 17-year old “Epwetus” McIntosh living in Illinois with Joseph McIntosh (b. 1809) and Margaret (b. 1820). They also had a three year old Charles C McIntosh living with them. But the census notes that Joseph was born in Pennsylvania and Margaret born in Indiana, not Kentucky. I spent hours trying to sort out this confusion until I discovered this notation from a book published in 1883:

Ref: William G. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas
Shawnee County - Part 29
Published in 1883 by A.T. Andreas, Chicago, IL

DR. J. McINTOSH, optician, was born July 26, 1809, in Huntingdon County, Pa., where he resided until twelve years old. His father having been killed in the war of 1812, his mother removed with her children to Owensville, Bath Co., Ky., where he resided until about twenty-three years old, working at shoemaking. He went to Terre Haute, Ind., working at his trade; was there married in November, 1837, to Miss Margaret Bond, who was born in Sullivan Co., Ind. They have six children living. In 1852 he moved to Bloomington, Ill., working at his trade until 1868. He then began the study of medicine, making a specialty of the diseases of the eye, taking a course of two years.

In 1870 he moved to Kansas, locating first at Humboldt, afterwards residing in Emporia, Independence, and Parsons; engaged in the practice of his profession until 1881, when he removed to Topeka, where he has since resided. At the breaking out of the civil war he enlisted as a private in Company F, Thirty-ninth Illinois Infantry serving in the Army of the Potomac, and taking part in the battles of Winchester and Fair Oaks. He was detailed as Regimental Ward Master and afterwards transferred to the General Hospital at Woodstock, Shenandoah Valley, remaining in that position until his discharge, in 1862, on account of disability brought about by exposure during the winter. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

That link in ancestry.com reveals Joseph McIntosh's parents, my Great4 Grandparents James and Elizabeth McIntosh. Another website has details on his brothers and sisters to include a photo of his sister-in-law Rebecca. Most of them migrated from Kentucky to Northern California.

Joseph McIntosh

Father: James McIntosh
Mother: Elizabeth Unknown b: ABT. 1768 d: Feb 10, 1824

Joseph Marriage #1 Nancy Beach 

  • in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana
Children
  1. Has Children JOHN Westley McIntosh b: MAR 1836 in Bloomington, Indiana
Joseph Marriage #2 Margaret Bond b: ABT. 1820 in Indiana
  • Married: 5 NOV 1837 in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana 5
Children
  1. Has Children Eppenetus W. McIntosh b: OCT 1845 in Indiana
  2. Has Children James W. McIntosh b: NOV 1844 in Indiana
  3. Has No Children Georgeanna McIntosh b: ABT. 1851 in Indiana
  4. Has No Children Charles C. McIntosh b: ABT. 1857 in Illinois
  5. Has No Children Lovejoy McIntosh b: 1860 in Illinois
Sources:
  1. Title: Federal Census, 1860, Illinois, McLean County, Bloomington Twp. Page 724
    Repository:
    Media: Book
    Text: Age 53. Born in Pennsylvania. Occupation shoemaker. 
  2. Title: Federal Census , 1870, Kansas, Allen County, Town of Humboldt
    Repository:
    Media: Book
    Page: P. 4
    Text: Age 61, Shoemaker, Born in Pennsylvania. 
  3. Title: Cemetery Record. Topeka Cemetery
    Repository:
    Media: Book
    Text: Statistics No. 4548
    Date of birth: July 6, 1809
    Where born: Pennsylvania
    Date of death: December 26, 1886
    Relative: Margarett McIntosh
    Cause of death: Consumption 
  4. Title: Nancy McIntosh Bible
    Text: Joseph McIntosh born July 26, 1809 
  5. Title: Pension Application, Union Army, Joseph McIntosh 
  6. Title: Cemetery Record. Topeka Cemetery
    Repository:
    Media: Book

So John W McIntosh was not Charles' father, but his older half bother. Bill Tharp was probably confused since John was much older than his half brothers and Joseph was old enough to be their grandfather. Joseph was not born in Kentucky, but he grew up there before moving to Indiana. Ancestry.com has some interesting information about Great2 Uncle John's Civil War service and family. 

  • Name: JOHN Westley McIntosh
  • Sex: M
  • Title: Captain
  • Birth: MAR 1836 in Bloomington, Indiana 1 2 3
  • Death: 28 JUN 1910 in National Military Home, Leavenworth, Kansas 4
  • Reference Number: 82
  • Medical Information: In 1861 developed bloody diarrhea, anal fistula, and arthritis which persisted most of life. Probably Crohn's disease.
  • Note: John W. McIntosh was born in Bloomington, Indiana and claimed residence in Bloomington (no state indicated) when he entered the Civil war. Most of this information was obtained from his Federal Pension application. He first enlisted as a Private in K Company 8th inf Reg. Ill .vol. April, 1861, and the regiment was disbanded July 1861. Following that he enlisted in F. Company, 39th Inf Reg. Ill. as a 1st Lieutenant. He was promoted to full Captain on August 7, 1862. In 1861 he developed diarrhea, an anal fissure, and arthritis, symptoms which remained the rest of his life and were the basis of his pension application in 1880. Although not diagnosed at that time, his symptoms sound like Crohn's disease. He was in numerous battles, including Winchester, VA, Suffolk, Va, Kearnstown, Va, and Harper's Ferry. In one document he tells about killing 25 enemy soldiers in one day. He was described as being "ambitious and plucky". Another soldier wrote, "He was a splendid officer and well liked by his men. There couldn't have been a braver officer in the service." Between August, 1862 and January, 1863 he was given one leave of absence of 20 days for illness, and he had several other episodes of being absent without leave for which he was arrested. On March 30, 1863 "John W. McIntosh was cashiered by sentence of general court-marshall and, therefore, his discharge is not considered by the Department (of Pensions) to be honorable. That same year he married Aurelia Shockey in Maryland.

    Father: Joseph McIntosh b: 26 JUL 1809 in Pennsylvania
    Mother: Nancy Beach

    Marriage 1 Aurelia Shockey b: 1839 in Indiana

    • Married: ABT. 1863 5
    Children
    1. Has Children Maggie McIntosh b: 18 MAR 1864 in Grafton, West Virginia
    2. Has Children CHARLES Clarence McIntosh b: 18 APR 1866 in Cumberland, Allegany, Maryland
    3. Has No Children William McIntosh b: 29 FEB 1868 in Independence, Kansas
    4. Has No Children John McIntosh b: 18 DEC 1871

The 1860 census shows Joseph, and sons Eppenetus and Charles living in Bloomington, Illinois, which is the hometown that 52-year old Joseph, John W, and later Eppenetus listed when they joined the Union Army during the Civil War. Joseph mustered in as a private on October 11, 1861, and discharged at age 53 as a private on May 17, 1862. He was a medic for Company F., 39th Illinois, Infantry and fought with the 39th Illinois Infantry Regiment in the Battle of Winchester, Action at Kernstown, and the Battle of Fair Oaks.

The 1870 census shows Joseph, wife Margaret, and 13-year old Charles in Humbolt, Kansas and by 1875 they lived in Emporia, Kansas. In the 1880 Census they are living in Parson, Kansas near the Oklahoma border, and shows 71-year old Joseph was born in Pennsylvania. It notes 21-year old "Chas" worked in Parson in "lathing." That Census shows that Joseph's father James was born in Scotland and his mother was born in Pennsylvania. Joseph was buried in 1886 at the Topeka cemetery, Shawnee County, Kansas (pictured) probably because it was a free benefit for Civil War veterans.

Family Summary

All this information is confusing, but I want it noted in case future family researchers encounter these contradictions. In short, Great4 Grandparents James and Elizabeth were the parents of Great3 Grandfather Joseph, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1809. James was killed in the War of 1812 and in 1820 Elizabeth and nine children moved to Bath County, Kentucky where a sister lived. At age 26, Joseph moved to Indiana and married Margaret Bond, whose family origins are unknown except the 1880 Census notes that her mother was from New York and her father from Canada. They had five children including Charles, moved to Illinois, and then to Kansas. Charles married Jennie Day in Kansas in 1882 and eventually settled in Oklahoma.

The Caldwell Family of Oklahoma