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 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 McIntoshFather: James
McIntosh
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.
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. |