Person:Ruth Higley (3)

RUTH HIGLEY ADNEY (1808-1894)

The following story was written by doreenmc@sbcglobal.net. Please do not use WITHOUT citation.

Oh Ruthy, what an interesting, but hard life you must have led. You were only four years old when your father, Elam Higley, went off to the war of 1812. Your mother, Jane McMillin, apparently divorced Elam and married a second time to Thomas Jones in November, 1812. Were you living with the Jones or the Glenn family when you married William Adney in 1822? Why is your name shown as “Ruthy Glenn” on your marriage record to William Adney in 1822? You were only fourteen years old at that time, so it is unlikely that you had a previous marriage to a Glenn before 1822. Was it your grandfather, Edward McMillin, who was a justice of the peace, that performed your marriage ceremony to William? Perhaps the McMillin family did not want to show your name as Higley? These are all just theories, not yet proven by any records.

What do we know? Ruth was born January 12, 1808 and died on December 23, 1894 according to her obituary and her tombstone at Giard Cemetery in Iowa. Although the obituary states that she was born in Virginia, four out of five census records show her birth place as Ohio. One record (I believe incorrectly) shows her birthplace as NY. In John R. Adney’s records her parents are shown as Elam Higley and his first wife, Jane McMillan. John R. Adney collected Adney records in the 1940’s and 1950’s that provide most of our knowledge of the William Adney and Ruth Higley family. Higley sources show that Elam was the son of Joel Higley.

The Meigs County, Ohio history of the Joel Higley family relates that Joel and Eunice Higley came from Granby, CT in 1803 and settled in the south tier of sections of Meigs County, afterward to be included in Rutland Township. This is right above the county line from Huntington Twp, in Gallia County, Ohio where the McMillin’s lived. Elam would have been about 23 years old when he married Jane McMillin in Gallia County, Ohio on June 18, 1806. It is unlikely that they traveled either to New York or Virginia in January, 1808 when Ruth was born. I believe that Jane’s father was Edward McMillin from Virginia, who was the only McMillin in Gallia County on the Ohio State Census, taken from 1808 Tax Records. Meigs County did not yet exist and this was a large area. Edward McMillin’s family records show his first daughter, Jane born 1787, married Thomas Jones in 1812. I believe that is her second marriage, but have been unable to confirm this.

Elam Higley enlisted in the Army on 1 Aug 1812 and served during war of 1812. If it was Ruth’s mother, Jane, that married Thomas Jones in November 1812, she must have divorced Elam Higley before then. Ruth probably did not know her father very well. Elam had a second marriage to Cynthia Harrington on March 2, 1817 in Gallia Co., Ohio. He has no children living with him on the 1820 US Census in Meigs Co., Ohio. Ruth may have been living with her mother Jane and second husband, Thomas Jones. Because census records before 1850 don’t show wives and children’s names, I am unable to confirm this.

The Higley records and history of Meigs County, Ohio do not speak of Ruth. I believe she was just forgotten as she went off to live with Jane McMillin’s new family. Elam also had a third marriage to Susan (or Sally) Clark in 1824, and a son Austin was born 15 Jun 1829. This marriage is shown in this source:

Pioneer History of Meigs County, Ohio, Pages 29-31, “JOEL HIGLEY AND FAMILY: "Elam Higley was a soldier in the War of 1812 and served under General Harrison in the Army of the Northwest. He married Sally Clarke, and settled on a farm in the northeast corner of Rutland Township. They had one child, AUSTIN Higley, who went to Iowa about 1876, and died there.”

So, Ruth did have at least one half-brother. She was probably the only child of Elam Higley and Jane McMillin. Other siblings of Ruth have not been found.

The first historical record I found for Ruth is her marriage to William Adney. From the Gallipolis, Ohio county clerk, I received a copy of this handwritten marriage record: Vol. 1, p. 122:

“William Adney and Ruthy Glenn, State of Ohio, Gallia County, I certify that on the 25th day of May A.D. 1822, William Adney and Ruthy Glenn were formed in marriage by me.(Recorded) Huntington, June 2nd, 1822, Edward McMillin, Justice of the Peace.”

Perhaps Ruth was raised with the Glenn family after Jane McMillin married Thomas Jones? The Glenn’s came to Gallia County the same time as the Adney’s and were close. This record is definitely of Ruth Higley as Adney records later show.

Here are the census records that I found for Ruth Higley Adney (McMillin):

1850 US CENSUS, Ohio, Gallia, Huntington Township: William Adney, age 48 <1802>, M, Farmer, Land Value=1500, Born in VA Ruth Adney, age 42 <1808>, F, Born in OH

1860 US CENSUS, Clayton Twp., Crawford County, WI, Dwelling #1194: William Adney, (M) Age 55, Farmer, Born VA; Ruth Adney, (F) Age 50, Born NY.

1870 Census, Clayton Twp., Crawford Co, WISC:

Henry McMillen, Age 70, farmer, born in PA, living with Ruth (Adney) Age 62, born in Ohio.

1880 CENSUS Household Record: Census Place: Clayton, Crawford, Wisc.

HENRY MCMILLIN  Self M Male W  80  PA  Farmer      --  SCOT
RUTH MCMILLIN   Wife M Fem  W  72  OH  Keep House  NY  NY

Iowa State Census, 1895 Residence: Mendon, Clayton County Name: Ruth Adney Age: 86 Birthplace: Ohio Comments: D (deceased)

Please read the “William Adney story - From Ohio to Wisconsin” for more information about Ruth. Ruth and William Adney arrived in Crawford County in 1855, including her daughter Filinda Adney and her husband Andrew J. McMillin. Andrew was one of the sons of Henry McMillin. By 1870, Ruth was living with Henry McMillin in Crawford County and William Adney can not be found on the 1870 census. Henry & Ruth were married on 12 Dec 1874 and were still together on the 1880 Census in Clayton, Crawford County. According to John R. Adney’s records, William Adney died in 1873 and is buried in North Clayton Cemetery. (Note: some sources had 1875, but has been proven to be Dec 1873 per newspaper record. It appears that Ruth waited the appropriate one year before marrying Henry in Dec 1874.)

Again, according to Adney records, Ruth lived out the last ten years of her life with her daughter Esther Caroline St. John in McGregor, Iowa (just across the river from Crawford County). This suggests that she went to live with Esther about 1884. I am theorizing that Henry McMillin might have died about then. There was a quit claim deed on his land made out in 1881 that had his name and wife, Ruth McMillin’s name on it. This quit claim deed wasn’t filed until Feb. 1886 by Verona & Martha Fish to make it legal.

I have found no picture of Ruth or William, so I have attached my own picture of Ruth’s tombstone to this record. As you walk under the arch of Giard cemetery, (pronounced Guy-ard) the first row on your left has the Adney’s and St. John’s graves. I also added my pictures of the tombstones for Ruth’s daughters, Sarah Jane Templeman and Esther Caroline St. John, her husband, James R. St. John and her daughter Ida St. John.

Obituary found at the McGregor Public Library, Northeast Iowa Times, January 7, 1895: (My ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS shown in parentheses.) “DIED: At the residence of her son, J. T. Adney, at 7 a.m. on December 23rd, 1894. Ruth Higley was born in the state of Virginia (incorrect) on January 12th, 1808, was united in marriage to Wm. Adney in Vinton, Ohio where they resided until 1855. They then located to Crawford County, Wis., where her first husband, Wm. Adney, and son Perry died in 1873. Seven children still survive her, Mrs. S. J. (Sarah Jane) Templeman, residing at Fredonia, Kansas; Mrs. (Mary Ann) M. A. Hopkins of Richland Center, Wisc.; J. W. (Jonathan) Adney and D. W. (Daniel) Adney of Knapps Creek; F. M. (Filinda) McMillen, Mrs. E. C. (Esther Caroline)St. John and (J.)T. (John) Adney, all of this vicinity. She had 40 grandchildren and about 60 great grandchildren. She had been a member of United Brethren church for many years. She was a great sufferer for two months previous to her death and bore it with Christian fortitude. She was ready and willing to die, her trust was in the Lord her long life through. She was a cheerful, loving, and patient mother. The funeral took place on 10 a.m. on Christmas, Rev. Mr. Marshall officiating. The remains were laid to rest in Giard cemetery. The children wish to thank their dear friends who kindly assisted them in their sad bereavement.”

The Adney family did not mention her second husband, Henry McMillin, that she married on Dec. 14th, 1874. Ruth was living with Henry in 1870 before they were married in 1874 and she is also found with him on the 1880 US Census. William Adney died Dec. 16, 1873.

There are family rumors of a long time feud between the Adney’s and McMillin’s. I have not found a divorce record for Henry and Ruth, but she was buried with the Adney name. These families lived near each other in Huntington Township in Gallia County, Ohio from about 1845 through 1855. Ruth’s daughter Filinda married Henry’s son Andrew Jackson McMillin in October, 1852 and they ended up together in Clayton Twp., in Crawford County, Wisconsin.

The obituary states that her husband William and son Perry died in Wisconsin. Her son William Perry Adney died in 1873. Adney records collected by John R. Adney in the 1950’s have William’s death as December 15, 1873 and he was supposedly buried in North Clayton Cemetery in Crawford County. John R. Adney found no tombstone for William in 1941, but his father, John Alvin Adney pointed out a site where he believed William was buried. On my visit in 2008, I also did not find a tombstone for him, but found the stones of three Adney children of John T. Adney and Sarah (Oxberger). Many sites have slabs with no stones left. Some stones are impossible to read.

In the “William Adney Story - From Ohio to Wisconsin” you will read that William wanted to go on to Oregon as they were traveling from Ohio to Missouri in 1855, but his wife (Ruth) was strongly opposed. Her daughter Filinda and her husband Andrew J. McMillin were in Keytsville, Missouri. William Adney apparently talked them into moving with them to Crawford County. Andrew Jackson McMillin was the first to file for 160 acres on the land in Section 1 in 1858, and his father Henry held title in some of this land until 1881. Jonathan Adney’s claim for 160 acres in 1858 was in Section 12, directly below Henry McMillin’s. William Adney’s 120 acres were just one parcel over from Jonathan’s, right next to Richland County. The 1874 plat map for this area shows “Knapps Creek Post Office” on the creek right next to the Richland County border, on present day County Road U. I believe this was the post office that William & Ruth’s son, Daniel Webster Adney, had named as “ADNEY” hoping to stay in touch with other relatives.