Josiah Clifton (1799 - 1877)

Born 11 Nov 1799 in Surry Co., NC, USA

Husband of Sarah Jane (French) Clifton — married 1819 (to 1865) in Adair, Kentucky

Husband of Rosanna (Conway) Clifton — married 18 Jul 1868 in Lavaca Country, Texas

Descendants

Died 15 Feb 1877 at age 77 in Bastrop, TX, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: David Elliott [send private message]

Biography

Josiah was born in 1799. He passed away in 1877. ^[1]

• Josiah Clifton in Iowa State Legislature

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=1&personID=6027 https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/HD/923693.pdf

Residence

1850 Division 28, Lee, Iowa. Head of household. Sarah Jane listed as wife.^{[2] [3]}

These notes originate on Ancestry

Josiah Clifton

Josiah Clifton was born . He married Sally about 1819. He died .

Josiah Clifton

It is believed that the father of James Clifton through which we descend was Josiah Clifton, a son of Job Clifton, Sr. It is proven in an indenture dated 21 August, 1854 in Casey County, Kentucky that Job Clifton, Sr. had a grandson named James Clifton. The only son of Job Clifton, Sr. to remove to Iowa was Josiah Clifton. James Clifton resided in Iowa in 1850, indicating that he probably was the son of Josiah Clifton. Josiah Clifton left Iowa between 1850 and 1853, coming with his sons to Texas. It appears from the U.S. Census that Josiah lost his first wife, Sally, and had remarried a woman named Rosina. The Josiah Clifton in Lavaca County, Texas was 70 years of age which fits the age of the Josiah Clifton in Iowa in 1850 within two years, and was born in North Carolina. As mentioned above, Job Clifton, Sr. first acquired property in Lincoln County, Kentucky in 1802 after the birth of Josiah in North Carolina before 1802. ^{[4] [5]}

Additional proof that Josiah Clifton of Iowa is the Josiah Clifton of Lavaca County, Texas is that a son of Josiah Clifton, Thomas L. Clifton (age 15 in the Iowa 1850 Census), served as administrator of Josiah Clifton's estate. According to the administration file of his estate in Lavaca County, Texas, Josiah Clifton died intestate 15 Feb, 1877. He died at his son's residence (Thomas Clifton) in Bastrop County, Texas. His estate was administered by his son, Thomas L. Clifton. Thomas was paid $76.00 for 9 1/2 months of care for Josiah through 1 April 1876, presumed to be the date of his death. Additionally, 150 acres of land on Jacks Creek out of the William Kelly league in Lavaca County, Texas was sold by Thomas L. Clifton in the settlement of Josiah's estate.

James Clifton was not mentioned in his father's estate administration in that he died before his father's estate was administered by Thomas. Josiah's personal property sold by Thomas L. Clifton consisted of "one old wagon, one old buggy, two horses, two feather beds, two bedsteads and bed clothing.

It can be concluded that Josiah Clifton, son of Job Clifton Sr., was the father of James Clifton and moved to Texas and lived out his remaining years in Lavaca County, Texas until his death in Bastrop. Additional proof of Job Clifton, Sr's descendancy to James Clifton is presented below.

By 1830, Josiah and John had migrated to Macon County, Illinois and Nehemiah migrated to Sangamon Co, Illinois. Between 1835 and 1837, Josiah Clifton removed to Lee County, Iowa. By 1846, George and his wife, Betsy, had removed to DeWitt County, Illinois and Josiah was in the State of Iowa (appointment of attorney in fact in the administration of their father's estate, Casey Co, 14 December, 1848, vol 6, p.253). By 8 January, 1849, John Clifton had removed to Washington County, Arkansas (appointment of attorney in fact vol 6, p. 252, Casey County probate records in the settlement of his father, Job Clifton's estate).

William Clifton, son of Job Clifton, Sr. apparently was the first of the Clifton brothers to migrate to Texas, acquiring block 25 in the City of Georgetown, Texas on 26 May, 1850 (Williamson Co deeds, vol 2 p 338). He sold this lot on 2 May, 1853 to George I.C. Harper. Josiah Clifton, William's brother, purchased 640 acres from the estate of Robert Hinds for $300 cash on 30 April, 1853 (vol 15, p 537, Williamson Co Deeds) which most likely is the timeframe Josiah Clifton migrated to Texas. The same day, Josiah purchased a second 640 acres for $500 cash from Benjamin Hinds (vol 4, p 424 Williamson Co Deeds). On 22 August, 1853, James Clifton and Thomas D. Scroggins purchased 150 acres out of the William Kelly league in Lavaca County, Texas from George Roark (Lavaca County deeds, vol _, p 382). (Josiah Clifton and son Thomas L. Clifton later purchased 150 acres out of the William Kelly league from the William Kelly estate on 29 May 1867 (vol __, p 223)).

Josiah apparently did not do well with his land investments in 1853 in that on 26 Sep, 1853 he sold one of the 640 acre tracks above for $200 to John Barnett (vol 4, p 485). 31 May, 1858, Josiah purchased 320 acres in Williamson, Co, Texas from Morgan C. Hamilton, signing a $1,100 note bearing interest 12%, due 1 June 1859. On 12 August, 1858, William M. Clifton also purchased an indeterminable amount of acreage in Williamson County from Morgan C. Hamilton for $1,056, signing a note for the purchase price. 18 March, 1862, Josiah Clifton paid $600 on his note owing to Morgan C. Hamilton (vol 10, p 214, Williamson Co deed records). Possibly the post Civil War depressed economy had a devastating affect on Josiah Clifton in that on 3 August, 1868, an assignment of bankruptcy effects in the District Court of the United States was filed of record in Williamson County, Texas on Josiah Clifton (vol. 11, p 275).

More information about this individual and family can be found at www.tuckerfamilytree.info. From the Home Page, go to the Genealogical Publication Page to access this author's publication. There is a complete index in the back of the book.

Children

Mentioned in Marriage licence 20 Nov 1891, Keya Paha County, NE, Francis M. Clifton age 66 and Lydia M. Hartlet age 63 ^[6]

Will

Will of Job Clifton, transcribed by J.L. McKenzie Will Transcription 1 and posted at Will Transcription 2

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 111235419
2. ↑ Year: 1850; Census Place: Division 28, Lee, Iowa; Roll: M432_186; Page: 354A; Image: 155
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ4X-LGV : 12 April 2016), Josiah Clifton, Lee county, part of, Lee, Iowa, United States; citing family 968, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ4X-LGV : 12 April 2016), Josiah Clifton, Lee county, part of, Lee, Iowa, United States; citing family 968, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
5. ↑ "Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV14-8STD : accessed 27 September 2017), Josiah Clifton and Rosanna Conway, 18 Jul 1868, Marriage; citing Lavaca, Texas, United States, various county clerk offices, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas Dept. of State Health Services and Golightly-Payne-Coon Co.; FHL microfilm 983,239.
6. ↑ Library and Archives of the Nebraska State Historical Society; Lincoln, Nebraska, Nebraska, Marriage Records. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com, 2017

Acknowledgements

Gary Lowe.