~1784 - 1834
?? - Kentucky
Louiza Eison was underage when she married, and her parents, Jacob and Martha Eison, gave consent (according to Edith Ochs, who has a copy of the marriage bond).
The Eisons first show up in Kentucky in Caldwell County, which is one of the counties formed by Livingston. In 1810, there were four Jacobs and one John. My working hypothesis is that the census taker made a mistake.
I am assuming that Jacob, b ~1768 in Pennsylvania, was the father of both John, b. ~1789 in South Carolina and my Jacob, b. ~1784. (see Caldwell County Eisons page)
This is just a guess on my part!!!!!
Jacob Eison - even I spell it differently every time I write it - was born in the 1775-1794 age bracket (which on the next census shrunk to 1780-90 OR 1770-80). If I assume he was the son of Jacob Eisen born 1768, then 1784 is about as early as he could be born (parents aged ~16). His assumed father was born in Pennsylvania, moved down to South Carolina by the 80s - with his own father? - where at least one son, John, was born (~1789). He moved on to Livingston County, Kentucky, along with a lot of other South Carolinians, and got some land there on Eddy Creek in 1806.
If my Jacob was the son of Jacob-1768, then it is probable that he was on the 1810 tax list and the 1810 census for Caldwell County:
Simmons, Don. Caldwell Co, Ky Tax Lists 1809-1811. (Sorry, no more bib info right now.)
1809 - 0 wm 21+, bl 16+, total bl, mares/horses, acres of land, watercourse
1810 - Ison John 0 0 3 3 134 Eddy Creek
John 36 Eddy Creek
Jacob 1- - 0
Jacob 1- - 1
(It seems odd that Jacob-1768 got land in 1806, but didn’t appear on the tax lists until 1810. It also seems odd that the land - or a large part of it (the 1806 transaction mentioned 230+ acres) - is in son John’s name. It continues in John’s name until 1814, when suddenly Jacob-1768 is listed as the owner. I have no explanation, but wonder if it made taxes lighter to have them charged to a younger (in 1810, not yet 21) man??? Also the Eisons had slaves, alas, although I think at least my Jacob turned his back on slavery eventually.)
Census:
1810 Caldwell Eddyville 11 (14) - these two are next to each other
Jacob Ison 00001 00010
Jacob Ison jr 00100 20101 02
1810 Caldwell p. 13 - the first two are next to each other
Jacob Ison 00100 001
John Ison 10100 10100 03
then 2 people (George Robertson, Mary Cooper) - then
Jacob Ison jr 00010 20100 02
My Jacob could be either of the Jacob jrs - although I must say that it is difficult to see how the second jr could be jr to the plain Jacob on that page.
(It is possible - probable? - that I have misread this whole thing, and that there are actually two - or even three - family groups represented here. If that is true, then one set of them disappeared. After 1810, only one Jacob and one John appear on the Caldwell County tax lists. Unfortunately, NO Eisons appear on the 1820 Caldwell County census and after 1830, just Jacob, John and John’s children.)
Meanwhile, my Jacob makes his appearance in Livingston County in 1814, and continues to leave documentary evidence there until his death in 1834.
1814 June 28 - Jacob - buyer at sale of Richard Ferguson [CoClk Papers box 3]
1815 Jan 26, Feb 4 - estate of Amos Persons - buyers Jesse Roberts, Jacob Eyson, Benjamin Eison
Jerome, Brenda Joyce. Livingston County Estate Records, 1799-1842. (Newburgh, Ind.: BJ Jerome, 2004)
I do not know who Benjamin Eison is. Since I have so little on Jacob, and since there are such a lot of people living with him in 1820, I have made another assumption: any Eison mentioned is his child. But is this a little early for a child of his to be out and about?
1818 March 21- Eison, Jacob 187 acres book 25 p 237 3-21-1818 Livingston County, Ohio River
The Kentucky Land Grants, Part 1, Chapter IV, Grants South of Green River, 1797-1866
p. 309
1818 - Jacob Eison bondsman to John McKinney - Polly Silvers - 28 Nov 1818
Woodyard, Joyce M.
Livingston County, Kentucky, marriage records : bonds, licenses, consents and misc. loose papers ([Smithland, Ky.] : The Society, c1992-)
He starts appearing on Livingston County tax lists in 1818
Tax lists wm 21+, bm, total b, horses acres watercourse
(no Eisons in 1817)
1818 - Euen, Jacob 1005 300
1819 - Eison, Jacob 1006 183 Ohio
“ 300 Bland’s Cr
1820 - Eison, Jacob 1119 300 Phillip’s Cr
“ 193 Ohio
Livingston Co, Ky, tax lists - Simmons (another pamphlet, for which I have no more bib info)
Here he is on the 1820 census:
1820 Kentucky Livingston Salem 11 (004)
Jacob Ison 201290 32010 03(A) 2 (C) 5 (M)
2m, 3f under 10 b. 1810-20 Richard? unknown m, 3 unknown f
2f 10-16 b. 1804-10 Louiza? Nancy Ann?
1m 16-18 b. 1802-04 James?
2m 16-26 b. 1794-1804 John? F? Benjamin?
9m, 1f 26-45 b. 1775 - 1794 Jacob, Martha - 8 unknown males!
The names I have assigned to the spaces are all the Eisons I have found in various documents. Except for Louiza, there is no guarantee that they are his children. And I have wondered if perhaps his brother John and family could have been living with him, since he (John) is not to be found in Caldwell in 1820 - some of the young children could be his (problem - no female of an age to be John’s wife). There was some sort of business going on - 5 people engaged in manufacturing and 2 in selling whatever it was they manufactured - and it might make sense for all the Eisons to be working in it together, until it was established at least. [More speculation: John’s grandson was a blacksmith, and at least one of the South Carolina Eisens was too.] Some of the extra males could be non-Eisons - employees living with the family. ???
If anyone has any ideas on this, it would be a great help.
Jacob continued to attend estate sales, buy land, act as security for marriages (maybe some were his employees?):
1821 - Jacob Eison bondsman to Evan Evans - Patsey Rouse - 3 July 1821
1821 Nancy Ann Eison - Franklin Robb - 20 Sep 1821
Woodyard, Joyce M.
Livingston County, Kentucky, marriage records : bonds, licenses, consents and misc. loose papers ([Smithland, Ky.] : The Society, c1992-)
1822 Oct 23 - James McIlroy to Jacob Eison, $312 for 274 acres on waters of Deer Creek.
s. James McIlroy, wit: F. Isan, James Davis, rec 2 Nov 1822 [AA 16]
I don’t have bib info for this but it must be v. 2 of the Jerome work
1823 March 23 - estate of Daniel North - buyer Jacob Eyeson
Jerome, Brenda Joyce. Livingston County Estate Records, 1799-1842.(Newburgh, Ind.: BJ Jerome, 2004)
1823 May 30 - Jacob Eyson to William Gordon & Henry Wells $175 for 274 acres on waters of Deer Creek, adj. Blair’s survey & Thomas Howard’s line. s Jacob Eisen wit SJE Hogg, Joseph Sly rec 3 June 1823 [AA 126]
I don’t have bib info for this but it must be v. 2 of the Jerome work
1823 July 24 - estate of Daniel F Cope - buyer Jacob Eyson
1823 Nov 3 - appointed to divide land of Lilburn Lewis - Jesse S Roberts, Jacob Eyson
1825 Oct 3 - Jacob appraiser of estate of Charles L Lewis [CoCt Ord Bk G]
Jerome, Brenda Joyce. Livingston County Estate Records, 1799-1842. (Newburgh, Ind.: BJ Jerome, 2004) all three above
The Lewises were relatives of Thomas Jefferson. Lilburn Lewis and his brother tortured and murdered one or more of their slaves - I’m sorry but I didn’t write the whole grisly story down; I assumed I wouldn’t forget it, but I have. They were actually charged with murder, and made a suicide pact, but only one of them died and the other one ran away - something like that. Jesse Roberts bought two of the Lewis slaves (in 1815), and I imagine this affair contributed to his desire to “raise his family beyond the influence of slavery.” (I found an article about this in the Filson Club Historical Quarterly, v10 #4 Oct 36, but as usual in the library, I was in too big a hurry to make detailed notes.)
1827 May 21 - Jacob Eison to Obadiah Roberts $900 for 187 acres on Ohio River by survey of 21 Mar 1818, adj :Lilbourn Lewis’ heirs’ survey. s. Jacob Eisen Attest: Benjamin McMatten rec 16 July 1827 [BB 193]
I don’t have bib info for this but it must be v. 2 or later of the Jerome work
1827 - Roberts, Obediah - Louiza Eison 20 Oct 1827 by James Johnson
bond 19 Nov 1827 - Bondsman Jacob Eison. groom given as Obid Roberts. license 19 Nov 1827. The consent of the father of Louiza given and sd. Roberts is of age.
Woodyard, Joyce M.
Livingston County, Kentucky, marriage records : bonds, licenses, consents and misc. loose papers ([Smithland, Ky.] : The Society, c1992-)
Census 1830:
Kentucky Livingston Salem 005
Jacob Eisen 00112211 0012001
1m, 1f 10-15 b. 1815-20
1m, 2f 15-20 b. 1810-15 Richard? Unknown f.
2m 20-30 b. 1800-10 John? James?
2m 30-40 b. 1790-1800 F? Benjamin?
1m, 1f 40-50 b. 1780-90 (Jacob & Martha?)
1m 50-60 b. 1770-80 (who?)
After 1830, his son? John starts appearing in the documents:
1830 Jan 2 - John Eison appraiser of estate of Wm Hankins
1832 Feb 16 - John Eison, Oba Roberts - buyers at estate of Thomas Rice
Jerome, Brenda Joyce. Livingston County Estate Records, 1799-1842.
(Newburgh, Ind.: BJ Jerome, 2004)
1833 - p. 366 - 6 May 1833
John Eison conveys to Thomas F Barnett both of Livingston County $318.74 for a parcel of land on the Ohio River...John (X) Eison
Jerome, Brenda Joyce. Livingston County, Kentucky deeds : books A-C, 1800-1817 . (Newburgh, Ind. : B.J. Jerome, 1991-)
In 1834, Jacob died:
1834 Nov 3 - John Eison granted letters of administration on the estate of Jacob Eison dec’d and entered into bond with Bird Jameson, his security, in the penalty of $300. Phillip Bearden, Andw McCarroll, Zach. Hibbs, Phineas Barnett & Isaac Evans, or any three of them, appointed appraisers of the estate of Jacob Eison dec’d. [CoCt Order Book H]
1841 Oct 4 - Stephen H Rappolee, Edmond Doon (? Notes bad), George C. Hurley, AE Wheeler & James Rutter, or any three of them appointed commissioners to allot & set apart to Mrs Martha Eison her dower in the lands belonging to her deceased husband, Jacob Eison [CoCt Ord Book I]
1841 Oct 20 - Dower of Mrs Martha Eison in the lands belonging to her deceased husband, Jacob Eison set apart to her: 78 acres. [InvApp & Sale Bk C, p. 307]
Jerome, Brenda Joyce. Livingston County Estate Records, 1799-1842. (Newburgh, Ind.: BJ Jerome, 2004)
In 1838, son? James married Mary Litton:
James Eison - Mary Litton - 12 May 1838
Woodyard, Joyce M. Livingston County, Kentucky, marriage records : bonds, licenses, consents and misc. loose papers ([Smithland, Ky.] : The Society, c1992-)
That same year son? Richard appeared in documents:
1838 July 2 - Richard Eison - appraiser of estate of John Harmon
1839 Apr 1 - Richard Eison - executor of estate of Matthew Lollard
Son? James is the only one on the 1840 Livingston County census:
1840 Kentucky Livingston Salem 140
James Ison 1001101 0000101
1m under 5 b. 1835-40
1m 15-20 b. 1820-25
1m, 1f 20-30 b. 1810-20
1m, 1f 40-50 b. 1790-1800
Would James be one of the older couple (1790-1800) or the younger (1810-20)? And who is the other couple? (Or are they - either of them - couples?) Richard could be one of the younger men? BUT, since mother Martha was still alive in 1841, where is she on this census? She could hardly be the older woman (b. 1790) if she had sons born as early as 1800. (Although, of course, she wouldn’t be the first woman to lie about her age.)
James died in 1841:
1841 Feb 1 - After satisfactory evidence being made in court by John Eison and John Hankins that the widow of James Eison relinquished her right and claim to administer, letters of administration granted to John Litton upon the estate of John (sic) Eison dec’d (John Eison dec’d referred 2x; entry as a whole headed by “James Eison”) - one of buyers = Mary Eison [James Eison married Mary Litton 2 May 1838]
And I suspect his widow married John Evans, because in 1850, the only Eisons in Livingston County are John and Lucinda:
1850 Kentucky Livingston 353
John Evans 29 farmer Tn
Mary 29 Ky
John Ison 10 Ky
Lucinda “ 15 Ky
George Jackson 20 Ky
And the rest of them simply vanish. Or maybe I haven’t looked hard enough. Daughter Louiza and her husband moved to Illinois in the 1830s and are there for the 1840 census, and then they disappear (probably both died before 1847).
And that’s all I have.
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