Using Details From Various Newspapers to Bring Ancestors and Their Stories to Life
Nathaniel Straughan was born May 8, 1792 near Frankfort in Shelby County, Kentucky. His parents were John Corbin Straughan and Mary Saunders. John was a soldier during the Revolutionary War, fighting in Daniel Morgan's Riflemen in the 3rd, 7th, and 11th Virginia Regiment for the Continental Line. He was in the Battle of Freeman's Farm and the Battle of Saratoga. He was also at Valley Forge.
Family stories say that on the night of Nathaniel's birth, Native Americans came to John's stable and stole two horses. John and the neighbors pursued the men to the bank of the Ohio River where they fought. One of the Native Americans was killed and another badly injured. The horses were taken back. Upon returning home, they found that other natives had driven Mary from her bed and tied her up some distance away in the woods. They had left Nathaniel on the ground by the house with the cabin burning to the ground. John later built another cabin on the same site.
Nathaniel married Christina "Teeni" Martin on January 9, 1815 in Shelby County, Kentucky. Nathaniel and Teeni had four children: Mary, Elizabeth, John, and Emily. After the birth of their first child, the family moved to Bogard's Fork near the site of Grantsburg, Crawford County, Indiana in 1817. Unfortunately, Teeni died sometime before October 1823. Any more specific death information has not been found on her at this time.
On October 23, 1823, Nathaniel married Catherine Seaton. Catherine had previously been married to Jacob Conrad. Nathaniel and Catherine had at least 10 children: Barbara, Sarah, Graham, James, Amanda, Nathaniel, Samuel, Catherine, Jacob, and Martha. Before Jacob's birth, the family moved to Sterling Township, Crawford County, IN in 1837. Jacob and Samuel both died while fighting in the Civil War. Catherine Sr. died on January 18, 1873.
Nathaniel was a farmer during his lifetime. His nickname to the locals was "Uncle Nattie". He liked to brag that he never wore a piece of cloth that was not spun and worn by the hands of either his mother or one of his wives. He also boasted about not needing glasses until after the age of 85. He liked to hunt with his flintlock musket. Nathaniel was a follower of the Whig political party until their dissolution. After that, he became a Republican. Despite being bed-ridden for the last several years of his life and near complete blindness, the autumn before his death he expressed the desire to go to the voting polls so he could vote for William Jennings Bryan. Nathaniel never drank alcohol or smoked tobacco.
For Nathaniel's 100th birthday in 1892, a family reunion was held with every known descendant present. There was a grand total of 429 people present that were children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. Image how many descendants he would have today! Nathaniel died on January 17, 1897 in Crawford County, just a few months shy of his 105th birthday. He was buried on the farm beside his wife. His burial site is now part of Seaton Hill Cemetery in Grantsburg (this cemetery has had several different names).
Because of his extraordinary age (even by today's standards, let alone over 100 years ago), Nathaniel made newspapers across the country. He made papers from Kansas to Alabama and even made the New York Times! This gives an interesting insight into the errors of reporting during that time period. It seems that none of the papers could agree on his exact age. One newspaper even reported that his wife was still living. However, based on local newspapers and the dates on his headstone, it seems most common believe that he was 104. After reviewing details about his children and marriages, Nathaniel may have been married another time to a woman named Sarah Ballard. Based on the other errors in the papers, I do not want to go off this information alone. I have been unable to find any other sources of a wife by this name.
Because of the amount of newspaper articles, we are able to gain small bits of details from Nathaniel's life. Each one I found gave me joy, and I was grateful for every detail. Nathaniel has affectionately became known to my family members as the "cute little old guy". I was able to take a trip to Crawford County to visit his burial site. I took my grandpa Clint with me. Nathaniel would be my grandpa's 3x great grandpa (making Nathaniel my 5x great grandpa). Most of the trip, my grandpa seemed unfazed by what we were about to see. Once we got to the cemetery and saw the grave, a change came over him. Because of this man and his life and decisions, we are who we are today. We are here because of Nathaniel and his life. The mundane life of a single person can make such an impact on so many generations to come. My grandpa has told the story of our journey to many people, and he gets so excited to say that he visited his 3x great grandpa. I will cherish the details and stories I have of Nathaniel, and I love being able to talk about his life over 200 years from his birth.
Evansville Courier and Press January 21, 1897
The New York Times January 24, 1897
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