Submitted by Shirley Ziemer
Clarissa JOLLETT (b. 1793, Orange County, VA - d. Sept 9, 1875, Clay County, IN) & John SAMPSON (b. 1790 VA - d. Jan 29, 1857 Clay County, IN) m. March 2, 1813, Orange County, VA possible son of Joseph and Polly COLEMAN SAMPSON
Issue:
| Sanford Woodard Sampson
from A History of Clay County Indiana by Charles Blanchard, editor (F. A. Battey Publisher), a book about the citizens of Indiana SANFORD W. SAMPSON was born in Virginia in 1819, in what was then Orange County, and is one of nine children of John and Clarissa (Jollett) Sampson. He emigrated about forty years ago to Wayne County, Ind., and settled six miles south of Centerville, and lived there twelve years. Then he moved to Clay County and settled in Dick Johnson Township, north of Brazil, on land purchased of his father-in-law. He has only a common school education. He has 294 1/2 acres of good land, 93 acres of which belong to his wife. The home farm contains 201 1/2 acres, with a good house and barn and an adequate supply of stock, farming implements of the most improved patterns, self-binders, riding plows, etc. By trade he is a blacksmith, plasterer, and carpenter, being a natural mechanic. He brought the first grain separator here that was ever brought to Clay County, and has run a threshing machine for nineteen years. He paid $3,500 for his farm, $400 in cash, the balance on time, and has labored hard day and night to make the payments, which he has succeeded in doing, and, besides his farm, owns two houses and lots in Brazil. Mr. Sampson has been twice married. His first marriage was on February 21, 1856 to Mary Jane Acres, a native of Clay County. Ten children have been born to them, viz: Jacob M., Peachy P., William R., Sanford C., George F., Roxie V., Mary J., John H., Amanda M., Alexander A. He was again married, in 1876, to Mrs. Elizabeth (Patterson) Harmeling, a native of Vigo County. In politics, Mr. Sampson has been a liberal Democrat all his life. About the time he had his farm paid for, his house was destroyed by fire. The one in which he is now living he built fifteen years ago. Mr. Sampson has a fine mule team, also a Hambletonian horse. The horse is a bright bay, sixteen hands high, five years old. When two years old he weight 1,450 pounds. |
Fielding Sampson
In 1860 Fielding Sampson was chosen to be on the jury of 12 out of 100 men for the first murder trial in Clay County. At that jury selection a man with the last name of EASTER was dismissed for saying the man should be hanged. As he was walking away, "being reprimanded by the judge for his precipitancy and indiscretion, Easter suddenlly turned and, vigorously chewing his tobacco, flashed his eagle eyes upon the court and vehemently retorted: "'Well, that's what I said, sir!'"
In 1862 Fielding served as one of the assistants to the secretary at the Democratic party convention for the 7th Congressional District. There were 3 conventions that year and 3 tickets proposed. The first 2 conventions were unsatisfactory. Fielding attended the third one. |
| John J. Sampson
from A History of Clay County Indiana by Charles Blanchard, editor (F. A. Battey Publisher), a book about the citizens of Indiana
The story of pioneer life in Indiana is a familiar one to John J. Sampson, for he has passed through all of the experiences incident to settlement upon the frontier. He came to Clay County in 1849 and has therefore for almost six decades been a witness of the events which have shaped its policy and formed its history.
Mr. Sampson was born in Virginia, December 2, 1831, his parents being John and Clarissa Ann (Jollett) Sampson, both of whom were natives of the Old Dominion. The father followed the occupation of farming in Virginia, and was overseer in charge of slaves. In 1836 he left his native state and removed to Columbus, Ohio, where he spent the winter. In the spring of 1837, he arrived in Wayne county, Indiana, where he followed farming until the spring of 1849, when he came to Clay county, making the journey by team. The location was made in Dick Johnson township, where he purchased a tract of land that was partially cleared. He first bought eighty acres, but later added to this and developed an excellent farm, which he continued to cultivate until he brought it under a high state of improvement and made it a valuable property. His political allegiance was given to the Democracy. He died in Clay county on his farm, about three miles from Brazil, at the age of seventy-three years, and the death of his wife occurred on a farm about six miles northwest of Brazil. Their family numbered nine children, three sons and six daughters, of whom but two are now living, the younger being Permelia Ellen, the widow of Albert Bunker.
John J. Sampson was in his fifth year when his parents removed from Virginia to Ohio. His minority was largely passed in this state, however, on the old home farm in Wayne county, where he was raised amid the wild scenes and environments of pioneer life, sharing with his family in all the hardships and trials incident to settlement upon the frontier. In the early days deer roamed through forests and there was many wild turkeys and much other feathered game that constituted a frequent dish upon the table of the pioneer. It was an arduous task to clear and develop the land, for all farm machinery was very crude in comparison with that in use at the present day. Mr. Sampson early learned the value of earnest, unremitting toil and his life has been one of activity and energy.
He came to Clay County with his parents in 1849, when eighteen years of age and remained at home until twenty-two years of age, when he started out in life on his own account, his capital consisting of an eighty acre tract of timber land and a team of horses, which he had earned through hard work. Upon his farm he built a log cabin of round logs and when his little home was completed he was married on the 23rd of June, 1856, to Miss Mary E. Houk. They began their domestic life upon a farm which he had located, Mrs. Sampson managing the affairs of the household, while Mr. Sampson worked earnestly and persistently to bring his fields under cultivation. He bought a yoke of oxen, with which to haul his logs from the fields after cutting down the trees, also using the animals in plowing and developing his land. In his farm work he ever kept abreast with the times and was quick to secure the improved machinery. He operated the first threshing machine in this locality that cleaned the wheat, purchasing the machine in Indianapolis, and hauling it across the country to his home. He engaged in threshing wheat in four counties and continued in business for sixteen years, having an extensive patronage. He later built a good house and had a farm of one hundred and twenty acres which he sold in 1873. He then came to Brazil and for more than twenty years thereafter engaged in selling pumps but in 1905 retired and is now enjoying a well earned rest.
In his political views, Mr. Sampson has always been a stalwart Democrat since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He certainly deserves mention among the pioneer residents of this county. There was only one railroad in the state when he came to Indiana and he helped to hew the timbers for the first depot built in Brazil it being the property of the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad, now the Vandalia Railroad. Mr. Sampson has paid taxes in this state for the past fifty-six years and has borne his full share in the work of development and progress, especially in agricultural lines. He has always rejoiced in what the county has accomplished, and his influence has ever been on the side of material, intellectual, moral and social progress. |
A Granddaughter Remembers Granddaughter of William Rosswell Sampson & Clarissa Downing Submitted by Shirley Ziemer I remember the bed Grandmother Sampson had in her guest bedroom. It came from Virginia-- was a 4 poster-- handmade. It came through in a covered wagon from Virginia. It had a straw tick for a mattress, made of different kinds of wood. It was beautiful.
Grandmother picked wild berries and made blackberry wine for medicinal purposes in stone jars, also kraut. She had a summer kitchen where she smoked meat. Grandmother kept boarders, school teachers— I believe others too. The big house was destroyed by a tornado. I remember Mother telling about the family all going to the cellar and the door got jammed.
I remember going to church with Grandmother. The horse was Old Bob.
The Old Sampson house on the Sampson farm was a beautiful house. It had fireplaces in many rooms with small ceramic tiles around grates. It had a parlor with beautiful furniture in it. Submitted by Shirley Ziemer
"A home funeral was conducted by James W. Conlin in the presence of some 60 relatives and friends after which the burial was conducted in the Bee Ridge Cemetery."
Here are a couple of excerpts that show what sermons must have been like then:
"This experience has tended to emphasize the realities of life and the inevitableness of death. Our presence here is in evidence of the love that we bear for the deceased and her family. Her labours have been cut off at a time when we feel that we can not spare her by that unavoidable force before which all life flees. There is no appeal from that which consigns our bodies to the dust and our spirits unto the God who gave them. We flourish and fade as the leaves of the forest; and the plants that bloom to-day and tomorrow wither away have no more frail held upon life than has the greatest king of the earth."
"It was after an illness of some three to four years, an illness which she bore with great fortitude, that she departed this life on June 25, 1935, at the age of seventy-three years, seven months and fifteen days."
"Time flees and conditions change for us all. But as year is added to year we are brought to the point where we can more clearly realize that: This life of moral breath Is but a suburb of the life Elysian Whose portal we call death.
There's nothing terrible in death: Clarissa was a very active churchgoer and the granddaughters said it was she who taught them to pray always and ever and from their heart. She was against drinking and always said the wine she made was for "me-di-cin-al pur--pos-es." Clarissa's grandchildren recall that either at her house or her daughter-in-law's house the hired hand got into all the rhubarb wine in one day as they were moving it. It wasn't a pleasant time! |