John. M. Ketchum, Isaac and Susan's eldest child, was born in March 1836 in Marshall County, Tennessee. He moved to St. Francois County, Missouri with the family in the mid 1850's and on February 12, 1857, he married Frances Williams. Frances was the daughter of Gardner Williams and Bedie Callum, and was born in St. Francois County in January 1837.
There is a land patent for John Ketchum in St. Francois County in 1859. In the 1860 Census, John and Frances were living in Liberty Township, St. Francois County. In 1865, John Ketchum was listed in the Illinois State Census in Randolph County. There were three members of the household: one male aged 20-30 (John), a female aged 20-30 (Frances) and a female under 10 (eldest daughter, Mary). In the 1870 census, the family is back in St. Francois County. John's household includes himself and Frances, and children Mary (age 7) and Dora (age 1). His youngest sister, Tennessee (age 15) is also living with them. In the 1880 census, the family remains in Liberty Township (Farmington PO). They've added two children: Lizzie (age 6) and John S. (age 3). In the 1900 census, Lizzie and John S. are still living at home. At that time, John is 64 years old and is a farmer who owns his farm free, without a mortgage. John S. is 23 years old and a farm laborer. Frances died in 1905, and in 1910, John (Jack) was living with his sister Virginia (Jennie) Ketchum Bourland in Desoto, Jefferson County, Missouri.
Probate court records we found at the library in Farmington showed that John M. Ketchum was declared of unsound mind and incapable of managing his own affairs. He was apparently confined to the State Hospital, since bills for his care were part of his estate debts when he died in 1918. His daughter, Mary Ketchum Porter, appears to have been appointed to manage his affairs for the last year of his life. His property was deeded to his children, Lizzie Ketchum Bremner and John S. Ketchum. He died with $450 in the bank.
John and Frances were buried in the Knob Lick Cemetery, south of Farmington.
Oh. And I would like to add a thank-you to the wonderful man who is the caretaker for the Knob Lick Cemetery. The grounds were in wonderful shape and he was extremely helpful in helping us find the graves of our Ketchum and Porter relatives!
ReplyDeleteToday, I found this posted on a genealogy bulletin board regarding John Ketchum:
ReplyDeleteGoodspeeds History of SE Missouri, page 649
John M. Ketchum, whose birth occurred March 25, 1836, in Marshall County, Tenn., is the son of Isaac Ketchum, a native Virginian, who married Miss Susielda Daughton, a native of Tennessee. The parents came to Missouri in 1854, and located in Pendleton Township, St. Francois County. The mother died here and the father in Randolph County, Ill. John M. Ketchum remained in St. Francois County from 1854 to 1865, and in the spring of that year he went to Randolph County, where he remained between three and four years, when he retuned to Missouri. In 1870, he purchased eighty acres of land in Liberty Township, and he afterward purchased 130 acres where he now lives. He has erected new buildings where he lives, and has about 100 acres cleared. He raises horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. February 19, 1857, he married Miss Frances Williams. She was born in Pendleton Township, and is the daughter of Gardner and Bedie (Calliam) Williams, natives of Davidson County, Tenn. The former was the son of Lotrick Williams. Mrs. Ketchum;s parents came to Missouri in 1832, locating in Pendleton Township, St. Francois County, where the mother died in 1837, the father surviving until February 12, 1873. They were members of the Baptist Church. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum; Mary L., Dora Emma, Elizabeth and John Samuel. Mr. Ketchum affilates with the Republican party politically, and he and wife are members of the Christian Church. He accumulated all his property by his own efforts.