William Brooks from Huntingdon County to Armstrong County, Pennsylvania

It's hard to believe it's September already but the weather is beautiful right now in North Carolina.  I sent for the will of William Brooks who died in Armstrong County and received it last week.  It confirmed what I suspected.  William Brooks who lived in Armstrong County was the father of Elizabeth Brooks.  She was the second wife of John Harman/Harmon and had five children with him before she died prior to 1854.  The names of their children were given in my last blog post on John Harman/Harmon.

William Brooks bought 200 acres of land in Redbank Township, Armstrong County on 27 December 1838 from William Hamilton.  His household in the 1840 census for Redbank Township was as follows:

Free white males 15 thru 19-1
Free white males 40 thru 49-1
Free white females 10 thru 14-1
Free white females 15 thru 19-1
Persons employed in agriculture-1

Since there is no adult female in the household, his wife must have died prior to 1840.  He appears in the 1850 census with his second wife Phoebe whose maiden name was Smith according to the death certificates for two of their children.  He appears in the 1860 census with just his children so Phoebe must have died prior to 1860.  The ages of the children in the 1850 census are not consistent with those in the 1860 census.  The ages of the children in the 1860 census are consistent with other sources for them.

William appears in the 1870 census with his third wife Martha and his youngest daughter Mary.  He does not appear in any later censuses.  His probated will is important since it gives his death date of 25 April 1874 and his wife and children's names. The content of the will is summarized below.

His son William received 75 acres and was to pay the Harmon children $100.  His son Jacob received 50 acres and was to pay his daughter Mary $200.  His son John received 50 acres and was to pay his daughter Martha $200.  His wife Martha received 25 acres that was to go his daughters Martha and Mary when she died.  His wife Martha was also to receive $300 and 1/4 of the grain from his property during her lifetime.

His daughter Elizabeth Harman/Harmon died prior to 1854 so he leaves money to her children in his will. His sons John W. and Jacob Brooks were living in Huntingdon County when they sold the property their father left them in his will. William Brooks appears in the 1820 and 1830 censuses in Barree Township, Huntingdon County before he moved to Redbank Township. His daughters Martha and Mary with their husbands' names are given in an 1896 deed when they sold their 25 acres after his wife Martha's death. William Brooks' son William also sold the 75 acres his father gave him in his will.

The maiden name of William's first wife was Winkleman according to their son John W. Brook's death certificate.  They had three children:  John W. Brooks (1815-1905), Jacob Brooks (about 1818-1898), and Elizabeth (born about 1826-died prior to 1854) who married John Harman/Harmon.

William's second wife was Phoebe Smith and their children were as follows:

1. Their son James was born about 1843 and died on 13 April 1862 from disease  in Yorktown, Virginia during the Civil War.
2. William (1846-1921) married Sarah Troutman (1830-1914).  She married William about 1867 after her first husband Amos Dinger died.  William and Sarah had one son Elmer E.
3. Susana was born about 1848.
4. Martha J. (1850-1937) was married to Henry J. Winecoop about 1867.  After his death she married David H. McCullogh (1849-1920) on 27 February 1901.  She had no children.
5. Mary (1850-1924) married Jacob Troutman (1847-1905) about 1871.

William's third wife was Martha whose maiden name is unknown.  She married Christian Shick after William's death and died about 1896.

William's estimated birth date is based on the ages given in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses.  His place of birth differs in each census but the 1860 census gives New Jersey as his place of birth.  His sons John W. Brooks and Jacob Brooks give their father's place of birth as New Jersey in the 1880 census.  His son John W. Brooks death certificate also gives New Jersey as his father's place of birth.

There was a William B. Brooks (1811-1894) and Alpha I. Brooks (1814-1888) with children in Gaskill Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania in the 1850 through the 1880 censuses.  I have seen this couple's children erroneously assigned to the William Brooks living in Armstrong County.  There is no known relationship between these two families.

There was a William Brooks of Huntingdon Borough, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania that died on 26 December 1874.  He wrote his will on 4 September 1869 leaving his property to his daughter "Margaret Smith intermarried with William Smith, now deceased, and Ann Brooks, daughter by my present wife"...  His executor was George Jackson.  There is no known relationship between the William Brooks of Huntingdon County who died in 1874 and the William Brooks of Armstrong County who died in 1874 also.

If anyone is interested in William Brooks and his family, please contact me at fowler1947@gmail.com.