Pickett

Unfortunately, the above quote from the Pickett Family History, a two page mimeographed write up, distributed by someone at the 1952 Pickett Family Reunion in Ottumwa, IA, got it wrong. In a paper called The Pickett Story, written by Guy Waldon and Garner Pickett concerning the Switzerland Co, IN Picketts, there is no mention of a Samuel Pickett, but there are Heathcoat Picketts, and lots of other Picketts. The Pickett Story admits that it contains myth and factual information, but it does not distinguish between the two. So there is reason to take parts of it with a grain of salt. This document is on file at the LDS Library and it was not handed down through Pickett family but it is possible that whoever wrote Pickett Family History, had read The Pickett Story and had used some of its information to fill in facts that they were missing. The problem is that our Picketts don’t come from Switzerland Co, Indiana at all. Ours come from Athens Co, Ohio.

Although some of the early material in Pickett Family History is in error concerning early Pickett history, I believe that two things are probably true. First that James’ father’s name was Samuel and that Samuel had a brother named Heathcoat. There were two groups of Picketts living in the US during the 1800’s. Both groups had a common origin but one group was living in Switzerland Co, Indiana and the other in Athens Co, Ohio. Whether these two groups knew each other and visited each other is unknown. But what is known is that each group had one or more individuals named Heathcoat Pickett and I believe that since James and Belinda Pickett are on record as being married in Athens Co, they and their parents are among the Athens Co, Ohio group.

Belinda is listed in The Cooley Genealogy and her lineage is traced all the way back to Benjamin Cooley (1617-1684) who along with his wife Sarah, settled in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1643. James Pickett on the other hand is an entirely different story. The parentage of James is very sketchy but at this time I believe them to be Samuel and Charity Young Pickett. I base this on a lot of circumstantial evidence which I will try to outline below.

What makes the Pickett genealogy and all genealogy in the early 1800’s so difficult is that the US census data did not record the name of every family member until the year 1850. Before that, only the name of the head of household and the number of male and female family members in certain age groups, was recorded.

The Picketts of Switzerland Co, IN and Athens Co, OH, seem to all have come from the Baltimore Co, MD area. The evidence for Heathcoat Picketts in Baltimore Co, MD in the early 1700’s, comes from a book called Baltimore County Families, 1659 - 1759. But the connection between the Picketts of Athens Co, OH and Switzerland Co, IN and the Baltimore County Picketts, is lost for the moment. However, if we assume that there is some amount of truth to the Pickett Family History mentioned above (namely that James’ father was named Samuel and that he had a brother named Heathcoat), then I think there is a good possibility that we descend from these Baltimore Co Picketts. These Baltimore Co. Picketts are recorded up until about the mid 1700’s in the Baltimore Co. Families book. The descendancy described in Baltimore Co. Families is as follows.

There were a number of Picketts living in Athens Co, Ohio during the early to mid 1800’s. From census data and from the Belinda Cooley Pickett Diary, we know that there were Picketts and Cooleys living in Athens Co back in the early 1800’s. In the 1820 US census there is a Samuel Pickett living in Athens Co, but in 1830 he is gone. However, in 1820, 1830, and 1840 there is a Heathcote Pickett living in Athens Co. It is this Heathcote Pickett and Samuel Pickett that the writer of the Pickett Family History got mixed up with the Switzerland Co, Indiana Heathcoat Pickett.

There is another document that tends to tie the Baltimore Co and the Athens Co families together and that is a short piece from a book called Athens Co Family History. This book contains various surname write ups of Athens Co residents written by various contributors. Mozelle Ralston’s contribution was "Heathcoat Pickett Family" which says the following.

"James H. Pickett was born about 1760 in Maryland and died in Athens Co about 1831. His wife Temperance Price Pickett was born 1762 in Maryland and died Jan 24, 1843 in York Twp. They had at least 7 children: Julia, Elizabeth Pickett Stage, Persoccia Pickett Marke, Samuel married Charity Young, Rebecca married John Connett, James married Mrs. Anna Mansfield, and Heathcoat Pickett married Elizabeth Benjamin Jun 8, 1818."

According to the Athens Co Family History, the Baltimore, Maryland connection looks as follows. The problem here is that James H. Pickett does not show up in the Baltimore, MD data. So it is not know which branch of the Maryland Picketts that James H Pickett comes from. All we know is that he was born in Maryland and died in Athens, Ohio.

Several people from Athens Co, OH claim to be descended from Heathcoat and Elizabeth Benjamin Pickett, but unfortunately, none claim to be descended from Samuel. But I believe that the Samuel that shows up in the 1820 Athens Co, OH census, the 1830 Coshocton Co, OH census, and the 1840 and 1850 Handcock Co, OH census and who has a brother named Heathcoat, is James Pickett’s father.

The census data is as follows:

1820 Athens Co, OH, Samuel and wife are age 26-45. At this time James would have been 3 years old. Children listed are 3 male a 0-10, 1 male 10-16, 2 female 0-10

1830 Coshocton Co, OH, Samuel and wife are age 40-50. At this time James would have been 13 years old. Children listed are 1 male 5-10, 2 male 10-15, 1 female <5, 2 female 15-20

1840 Handcock Co, OH, Samuel and wife are 50-60. Children listed are 1 female 10-15

1850 Handcock Co, OH. Here Samuel at age 67 has a new wife and names occupation as farmer.

Samuel Thompson age 15

Samuel Pickett age 67

Rachel Picket age 49

Matilda Thompson age 13

From the census data above, in 1850 Rachel is an obvious second or third wife whose name used to be Thompson. The 1 female < 5 in 1830 is 1 female 10-15 in 1840. And an age of 67 extrapolated back through 1840, 1830, 1820 passes the logic test. A biography which appears in a history of Wyandot Co, OH, tends to reinforce the idea that James was the son of a Samuel Pickett. The Dr. Samuel Pickett mentioned in the article would have been James Pickett’s brother and their parents would have been Charity Young and Samuel Pickett.

"DR. SAMUEL PICKETT was born in Athens County, Ohio, September 10, 1820. He is son of Samuel and Charity (Young) Pickett natives of Maryland and Virginia respectively: his father was a cousin to Gen. Pickett of confederate fame. His parents located in Athens County about 1805, removing to Coshocton County in 1827, and to this county in 1830. They located in this township being the first settlers, naming the township from the quality of the soil. Five of the seven children are now living. William, Hethcot, Temperance, James and Samuel. The father died in 1856, aged seventy-five years; the mother in 1825, aged thirty."

From the above Wyandot Co article we see that Samuel and Charity Pickett were in Coshocton Co between 1827 and 1830 and he is also in the Coshocton Co Census data for 1830. The article also says that they moved to Wyandot Co in 1830 and in the 1840 census data for Hancock Co, OH, Samuel is listed in Hancock Co. Hancock and Wyandot Counties are adjacent to each other in NW Ohio. Based on this information, I believe that James’ father was Samuel Pickett and his mother was Charity Young.

In any case James Pickett and Belinda Cooley were married in Athens Co, Ohio on Dec 21, 1840. About 1844, James and Belinda along with two of their children, Asahel and Leroy, and with her parents, Asahel and Milly Cooley, emigrated to Van Buren Co, Iowa to a little community called Lebanon. According to the Pickett Family History, Asahel Cooley deeded 100 acres of land to the young couple. The Picketts and Cooleys built a house on this property and farmed the land. The house is still there in Van Buren Co near Cantril, IA and was known as "The Old Pickett Place". It was purchased for $1.25 an acre and was sold after the death of Leroy S. Pickett in 1915.

James Pickett served in the Mexican War and in the Civil War. He and son Asahel enlisted in the 2^nd Iowa Infantry on May 1, 1861 and some time later James was promoted to the rank of Wagoner. In March of 1862 the 2^nd fought bravely at the Battle of Shiloh and later at the siege of Corinth. James was wounded in one of these battles and discharged from the military on Sep 30, 1862 because of his injury. Asahel fought on until the end of the War. James McKindrie Pickett joined his brother Asahel in the military by enlisting in the 2^nd Iowa Infantry on Jan 16, 1864.

James and Belinda had four children: Asahel Cooley Pickett born in 1842, married in 1866 to Sarah Emily Friend, James McKendree Pickett born in 1847 and married on Aug 23, 1877 to Elvira Sarah Willson, Leroy Samuel Pickett born in 1844, never married, and Josephine Pickett born in 1859, married nee Bushong.

In 1855, James, Belinda, Asahel, Young James, and Leroy, crossed the plains to California in a Covered Wagon. The trip took 6 months. After a year in California, Belinda and the children were to return to Iowa on a ship called the "Yankee Blade" which sailed out of San Francisco. However, they were shipwrecked near Santa Barbara and lost everything they had, including a bag of gold worth $1,000. Later they tried the trip again, and this time were successful. Josephine was born after their safe return to Iowa in 1859.

Leroy, who never married, raised and sold horses for a living. He moved into the old Pickett Place after James, Belinda, and Asahel had died. He lived there until his death 1915. Leroy made the front page of the Keosauqua newspaper, when at age 71, he hanged himself in his garage.        

Josephine Pickett married a man named Bushong and lived out her life in Wayland, IA. She was the person who inherited the Belinda Journal and family photos. Paul Pickett corresponded with Josephine’s daughter who lived in California for a while and was able to not only obtain a transcript of the Journal, but was also able to re-photograph the old Pickett family photos.

Asahel Pickett, as mentioned above enlisted in Company F of the 2^nd Iowa Infantry on May 1, 1861 and served in the Army for 4 years, ending up a sergeant. He re-enlisted on Dec 28, 1963. Asahel married Sarah Emily Friend in 1866. They lived at the old Pickett place after the turn of the century when James and Belinda died.

Asahel and Sara Friend Pickett had nine children. They were Eva Pickett who died in infancy, Minnie Alice Pickett born in 1868, Ella Maud Pickett born in 1870, Katherine Olive Pickett born in 1873, George James Pickett born in 1874, Josephine Belinda Pickett born in 1878, Clyde Asahel Pickett born in 1882, Bessie Friend Pickett born in 1884, and Frank Emmet Pickett born in 1886.

Clyde Asahel Pickett and Mildred Sommerville Pickett moved to Ottumwa shortly after they were married where Clyde worked as a house carpenter and laborer. They lived their married life together at 243 North Davis St. where a daughter was born to them named Virginia Harriet Pickett on Aug 15, 1917. The house on Davis street still stands but is not much to look at. Although they were a relatively poor family, somehow they managed to survive. Carpentry is a seasonal profession and the during the Winter, jobs were sparse. However, Clyde and Mildred were people who didn’t let the fact that they had very little, get them down. They enjoyed having fun and liked to party. Most of their partying was done down at the local Moose Lodge in Ottumwa. Church was not a large part of their lives.

Betty Schwengles, remembers that Clyde worked on a couple of construction projects in Ottumwa, which not only were prestigious and must have given Clyde a great deal of satisfaction, but must have benefited him financially. She remembers that She and Virginia would spend the night together occasionally when they were girls. When they would stay with Clyde and Mildred, Mildred would give them some money and they would go to the local grocery and buy some things to eat for dinner. Betty thought this was great. When they would stay with Frank and Adeline, Adeline would always cook meat and vegetables and Virginia always loved Adeline’s home cooking. Betty could not remember there being a bath or shower in Clyde and Mildred’s house. She said that Mildred was fond of giving spit baths to Virginia and to Betty when she was there. This art was not lost on Virginia. Betty also said that Mildred had a favorite saying which was, "Didn’t you know that all Sommerville girls are good looking and good cooks". On Feb 11, 1936, Mildred died after a long and painful illness of some form of cancer. Betty remembers being taken in to see Mildred one last time before she died in order to say good by. She remembers that Mildred was in a great deal of pain and it being a very sad occasion. Virginia obviously missed her mother and often said that she wished her mother had lived to see her family.

Virginia grew up an only child and always wished she had a brother or sister. She never got one and so she became closer to her parents than most children. So when her mother died, it was especially hard on Virginia.

Clyde remarried some time in 1936 to Virgie M Hoffman. Virgie had lived with her husband before they were married and it caused quite a scandal. However, Clyde married her anyway and they lived happily until Virgie’s death in 1952. Clyde again remarried about 1955 to a woman named Ethel. He did not outlive her.