Person:Zachariah Ashton (1)

According to the 1850 & 1860 U.S. Census (Crane Township, Paulding County, Ohio), Zechariah (it's Zechariah on his grave marker but his name is often spelled Zacharia) Ashton was born in Pennsylvania, probably in 1799. He is the son of Samuel Ashton & Hannah Sarah Johnson. He was married four times - the last two times to widows with children - and had children with three of his four wives, which has complicated research. Laura Jane Ashton Vail (Mrs. Charles L. Vail) was Zechariah's youngest child and the only child with his last wife, Eliza Ann Dobson Lathan Ashton. Laura would have been born about 1859 in Paulding County, Ohio, and was about four when her father died. At the request of her nieces and nephews she wrote a biography on Zechariah that came to me in 2010, through my uncle, Charles E. Ashton, who has done extensive research into our forefather, Michael Simeon, one of Zechariah's sons. Unfortunately the biography is undated but it has been extremely helpful. Although I believe Laura was mistaken when she noted that Zechariah was born in Virginia, I have been able to corroborate most of the other details in the biography, using primarily my uncle's research as well as www.familysearch.org to find census, marriage, birth and death records. As is often the case, several descendents were referred to by their middle names and there are a variety of spellings for some names. For example, Laura refers to "Edwin" but the census records refer to "Samuel E."

One name in particular has been very inconsistent it its spelling. Zechariah's third wife was a widow by the name of Elizabeth Renyard (the 1852 marriage license lists the Elizabeth's surname as "Rumer"). Her maiden name remains unknown to me. By tracking Elizabeth's son, Christopher Renyard, with her first husband, I've come to realize that Renyard was also spelled: Renard, Rinard, Reynard and Rennard - and there are probably other variations. From census records, I believe that Elizabeth was born in Germany. She died shortly after marrying Zechariah (Zechariah married his fourth wife and last wife, Eliza, on 21 March 1856) and she is the only wife with whom Zechariah did not have children.

In a span of about 40 years, Zechariah fathered eleven children: five each with his first two wives, none with his third, and one with his last wife. Only one child, Frank, died as an infant or child. One unmarried son, William W., died in the Civil War. Son Samuel Edwin, another casualty of the Civil War, and daughter, Martha, never married. Jacob, Ambrose, Mary Jane, Charles, Michael Simeon, Hester and Laura Jane married and had children. In addition to raising his own children, Zechariah also helped to raise stepchildren and grandchildren.

I hope that my research and this wonderful web site will help other descendents of Zechariah Ashton trace their roots. RMC 29 Nov. 2011

Zechariah's farm was located between the Marie DeLarme Stream and the Maumee River in Crane Twp., Paulding County, Ohio

Image:Ashton, Zachariah Bio.pdf

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Ashton, Zachariah, in Paulding, Ohio, United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule‎.

   HOH: Zachariah Ashton, 61, b. abt 1799 in Pennsylvania; Eliza A. Ashton, 38, b. in Pennsylvania; [children]: William R., 22, b. in Ohio; Samuel E., 16, b. in Indiana; Michael S. 13, b. in Indiana; Hester A., 10, b. in Ohio; Laura, 1, b. in Ohio. Also Lovina Platter, 14, b. in Indiana; and [step-son], John T. Latham, 11, b. in Ohio

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Paulding, Ohio, United States. 1850 U.S. Census Population Schedule.
3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Matul, Kim - Ashton Research.

   Descendent of William and Phoebe (Hutchinson) Ashton through their son, Thomas Hutchinson Ashton. She found Zechariah's actual grave & his name is spelled "Zechariah."

4. ↑ Vail, Laura Ashton - Recollections of Zechariah Ashton.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} #114235, in Freepages.Genealogy.Rootsweb.com: Descendants of Wolphert Gerretse Van Kouwenhoven.
6. ↑ Geneanet.org.
7. ↑ ^7.0 7.1 Zacharia's DOD, in Ashton, Charles E. Ashton, Charles E. - E-mailed Notes
   14 Jan 2010.

   [Charles E. Ashton wrote] He was born in Pennsylvania. He signed his will on 27 Dec 1862. The probate was signed 13 Feb. 1863. From these dates, I would say 1863. I believe Laura had the wrong year. I have not had a chance to read over the rewrite yet. I will read tomorrow. Charlie

8. ↑ ^8.0 8.1 Zachariah Ashton, in Find A Grave.