Person:John Blain (3)

Indiana Marriage collection, 1800-1941

Name: John R Blain Spouse Name: Hannah Nye Marriage Date: 11 Dec 1835 Marriage County: Elkhart Book: Family History Library, Salt Lake city, UT. OS Page: 1845552

Source Information: Ancestry.com Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT. USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2005

1850 United States Federal Census Leesburg, Plain Township, County of Kosciusko, State of Indiana

Name: John R Blain Age: 38 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1812 Birth Place: Ohio Gender: Male Home in 1850: Leesburg, Kosciusko, Indiana

Household Members:

John R. Blain 38 Hannah Blain 35 Ohio Mary Blain 12 Indiana Francis J. Blain 8 Indiana Henry C. Blain 6 Indiana Emily H Blain 4 Indiana Augusta Blain 2 mos. Indiana Mary Ann Nye 22 Ohio Agnes Nye 18 Ohio

Source Citation: Year: «i»1850;«/i» Census Place: «i»Leesburg, Kosciusko, Indiana«/i»; Roll: «i»M432_156; «/i»Page: «i»350A«/i»; Image: «i»577.«/i»

1870 United States Federal Census Maroa Township, County of Maroa, Illinois

Blain, John R. 58 Male-white Tinsmith Hannah 54 Female-white Keeping Home Henry C 24 Male-white Farmer Emily 21 Female-white Music Teacher Augusta 19 Female-white Music Teacher Joe 17 Male-white Works on farm

1870 United States Federal Census

Name: John R Blain Estimated Birth Year: Abt 1812 Age in 1870: 58 Birthplace: Ohio Home in 1870: Maroa, Macon, Illinois Race: White Gender: Male

Household Members: John R Blain 58 Hannah Blain 54 Henry C Blain 24 Emily Blain 21 Augusta Blain 19 Joe Blain 17 Stephen Young 8

Source Citation: Year: «i»1870;«/i» Census Place: «i»Maroa, Macon, Illinois«/i»; Roll:«i» M593_249;«/i» Page: «i»548A«/i»; Image: «i»507«/i»; Family History Library Film: «i»545748.«/i»

From newspaper clippings collected by Augusta Blaine Nelson:

FRIDAY EVE., SEPT. 19, 1886

J. R. Blain was 75 years old at 10 a.m. yesterday. He is quite spry for a man of that age, and retains all his faculties.

«i»Curiosities,«/i»--Mr. J.R. Blain, who resides at No. 111, North Water street, on Saturday evening last, showed us a number of relics that he has in his possession, which are very interesting. The following articles were taken by a relative of the family, who was in the English army during the Abysinnian War in 1868: 1st, leaves from a bible, that must be over 600 years old; these are very interesting, as they show the careful manner of inscribing valuable manuscripts in the days before printing. 2d, a crude picture of the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus, as represented by the native Abysinnian's. 3rd, a spear head such as was commonly used by the natives in their warfare with other nations. 4th, A wooden spoon. 5th, a string of beads, steel cross and pictures of the Saints, which were in possession of the Jesuit Priests that were endeavoring to convert the nations to their faith.

Besides these, Mr. Blain had some relics of the late rebellion, which were rather interesting to look at, among which we may mention a Palmetto flag of the 23rd regiment, S.C. Militia which was captured by Major Henry C. Blain, Pontoon Engineer, U.S.A., from Columbia, S.C., Feb. 17, 1864, during the memorable Sherman's march to the Sea. also, on the same campaign, was picked up a copy of the«i» City Gazette and Daily Advertiser, «/i»published at Charleston, S.C., August 10, 1796, by Freeman & Paine, which was then in the 14th volume. We could have spent a whole hour looking at this old sheet, and contrasting it with the enterprise of the present day. There was also a $10 bill of the Bank of Washington, dated April 30, 1812; a number of Confederate postage stamps and a sample of writing paper such as was used by the rebels during the rebellion.

We were agreeably entertained in examining these relics, and almost envy Mr. blain and his family their possession.«i» «/i»

                                                               Letter from J.R. Blaine

Editors Republican--I came to this place (Ottawa, Kansas) June 6th, and found it a very nice place with sixteen churches. The people are happy over the crop prospects; they have the finest corn I have ever seen in any country--all in consequence of rains when needed; wheat is the best ever raised. It makes people shout for Harrison and Morton; they will sweep Kansas this year. I have been posting them on Harrison as I am acquainted with him, and also knew his grandfather. I helped build a log cabin in Kosciusko county, Ind.; was the first and only inspector of elections in the county in 1840. I wish to be back in time to vote for Harrison and Morton. Tell the Republicans of Macon county to rally around the flag and clean out the rebel clan and place the government in the hands of those to whom it rightly belongs--the prayer of your old friend.

July 25 '88 John R. Blaine

---Our old and much respected friend, Mr. John R. Blaine, died last night at the residence of his son Joseph. He was in his eightieth year and has been sick some time with nervous prostration. He was born in Highland County, Ohio. The remains will be taken to Leesburg, Ind. for internment this evening. His son Frank Blaine will go with them. «i»[It says that John died at his son Joseph's home which was Ottawa, Kansas. It is 685 miles from Ottawa to Leesburg. The journey would have taken a long time by wagon.] «/i» Internment of the Late J.R. Blaine

The remains of the late James [John] R. Blaine, father of F.J. Blaine, the druggist, Mrs. Theo. Nelson, of Chicago, and Mrs. Jesse Yoakum, of Piatt county, took place Monday at Leesburg, Indiana. The deceased was 80 years of age, and died on December 5th at Ottawa, Kan., at the home of his son, Joseph Blaine, caused by heart disease. Mr. Blaine had made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Nelson, for many years, and despite his advanced age and affliction, he was always uniformly cheerful. He was always an ardent Republican and a man who possessed a vast amount of useful information. He was in the Log Cabin campaign of 1840, and it afforded him much pleasure to vote for William Henry's grandson in 1888.

John R. Blaine, father of Mrs. Jesse Yoakum of this city, died in Ottawa, Kansas, on Friday, December 5th, aged eighty years. He often visited Mrs. Yoakum and our citizens will remember him. Mrs. Yoakum and F.J. Blaine of Decatur conveyed the remains to Leesburg, Indiana, where the funeral took place at the old family cemetery.

Frank J. Blaine, of Decatur, arrived at Leesburg on Monday last with the remains of his father, John Roan Blaine, formerly of that place, and remembered by the old residents of this city as in charge of the only hotel in this town along about 1847-9. He died while on a visit to a son in Kansas, and it was thought best by the relatives to lay him by the side of his wife, father and mother, and four small children. The internment took place on Monday last, and Mr. Blaine left for his home to day, after giving us a pleasant call. John R. Blaine was born in Greenfield, Highland county, Ohio, on September 9, 1811 and came to this county with an elder brother in 1834, and engaged in trading with the Indians in a log cabin near Leesburg, Indians being but few whites in the country. Two years later he was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Nye, an aunt of Thomas J. Nye of this city. About that time he erected a business building in Leesburg, which was destroyed in the late disastrous fire at that place. After leaving the hotel in this city, he returned to Leesburg, and afterwards engaged in the hardware trade at Goshen, continuing in that business till the outbreak of the late war. He was then appointed by Abraham Lincoln as Registrar of Public Lands for the Southern District of Missouri. At the close of the war, he removed to Decatur, Illinois, where he made his home up till the date of his death. John R. Blaine was an upright, honorable gentleman in all the walks of life, and made many friends wherever his home chanced to be, and everyone who was intimate with him became his warm friend. He was in the 80th year of his age at the time of his death.

---Mrs. Jesse Yoakum and Mrs. Theodore Nelson of Chicago, come down from that city last Friday to visit the graves of their parents. Mrs. Yoakum and Mrs. Nelson were the daughters of Mr. John R. Blain, who owned the first dry-goods store in Leesburg. He was also the first treasurer of Kosciusko Co. keeping his records and other official papers under his bed in lieu of an office. Mr. Nelson is secretary of the Democrat State Committee having held that position for the past ten years and Mr. Yoakum is a wealthy stockman owning a ranch of about 1000 acres near Decatur, Ill. Mrs Yoakum was baptized in the old church now occupied by the STANDARD office.

1.   Works Project Administration. Indiana Marriage Collection 1800-1941. (1938-1940 Works Progress Administration, Comp. Index to Marriage Records Indiana: Indiana Works Progress Administration, 1938-1940).