Aaron Eaton

Of Clarion County Pennsylvania

(Pictured at left is his daughter, Angeline (Eaton) McFadden)

Our earliest identified Eaton ancestor is Aaron Eaton, whose will was filed in Clarion County Pennsylvania in 1876, and who appears on the 1840, 1850, and 1860 Federal Census in Armstrong and Clarion Counties Pennsylvania. In July 1994, we located the graves of Aaron and Abigail Eaton in Rimersburg Cemetery, Clarion County PA. This cemetery is located on State Road 68. From Clarion, go south on 68 to Sligo and turn left at the first amber flashing light. The cemetery is about five miles from that point. It is located on the left side of the road just at the edge of the village of Rimersberg. When entering the cemetery take the road furtherest right. There is a large tree on the right near the end of this road, and the Eaton graves are located just across the road left of this tree. Both are fairly tall white stones, and both are badly worn. This cemetery was canvassed at some point in the past and the inscriptions on both stones were recorded in Cemetery Books available at the Clarion County Historical Society. Aaron Eaton's stone is inscribed with his name, death date of 1876, and age as 77 years. The book states the other stone is inscribed, "Abigail, his wife, died 1859, age 50 years." (However, Abigail is not listed with Aaron's household on the 1850 federal census.) There are Benn graves near the Eaton stones

Aaron Eaton was married at least twice, as his will refers to his, "beloved wife, Margaret.".

(Clarion County was formed from parts of Armstrong & Venango Counties in 1839)
Aaron Eaton's household was enumerated in the 1840 Federal Census, Armstrong County PA:

1850 Federal Census, Toby Township, Clarion Co PA, pg 75:

Aaron Eaton is listed on the 1852, Toby Township, Clarion Co, PA, tax list as owning 146 acres valued at $730.00, with five cows valued at $57.00. The 1855 Tax List shows Aaron as still living in Toby Twp, owning 146 acres valued at $584.00, and also owning two cows valued at $11.00. On the 1860 Toby Township tax list, Aaron is shown as owning 31 acres valued at $186.00, one horse at $45.00, and three cows at $24.00. His son, Alexander Eaton, also appears on that list. Alexander is shown as owning 100 acres valued at $600.00, and one horse valued at $30.00. There is a column headed "Militia" on the tax list and the amount of $50.00 is shown in that column for Alexander Eaton. There is a notation in the remarks column which states, "balance to Robert Randolph." There is also a column headed "Pleasure Carriages" on each list and Aaron Eaton is shown as owning a "buggy", valued at $20.00 on each tax list. In 1870, the name of Aaron Eaton is listed twice. The one with the buggy is shown as owning 106 acres valued at $789.00, one horse at $20.00, and two cows at $16.00. The other Aaron Eaton owned 20 acres valued at $110.00 and no livestock. This person is unidentified. There is a Joseph Aaron Eaton, the grandson mentioned in the will of our Aaron Eaton. However, the probate of Aaron Eaton's estate in April 1881 shows this person as a minor.

Probate papers pertaining to the estate of Aaron Eaton list heirs asMargaret Eaton, widow; John Eaton; Margaret Eaton, intermarried withRobert Randolph; Daniel Eaton; Angeline Eaton, intermarried with Porter McFadden; Henry Eaton, "who died some four or five years previous to the decease of the testator, leaving _______ him a widow and two children viz Joseph Aaron Eaton and John Charles Eaton, the widow not being entitled to a share under the intestate laws of Pennsylvania, her late husband, Henry Eaton, having died previous to the death of the testator," and Matilda Eaton, intermarried with William Baker, having died about twenty years before her father, the testator, leaving surviving her a husband, William Baker, and one child, E. M. Baker; Alexander Eaton having died in the Army previous to the death of the testator leaving no issue.

The 1887 History of Clarion County PA, pg 322, has an entry about an Alexander Eaton, "Eaton, Alexander, private, August 22, 1862, three years; killed at Five Forks, VA., March 31, 1865."

Evidence that this Aaron Eaton is the father of John M. Eaton, and thus the grandfather of Grafton Tanquary Eaton, is as follows.

(1) Probate records show John M.Eaton as an heir of Aaron Eaton

(2) Family Bible shows John M. Eaton to have been married in Clarion County PA

(3) John M. Eaton's youngest son was named Aaron

(4) His second son was given the middle name of Henry

(5) John M. Eaton's granddaughter, Cecil Eaton Hoover, remembers that her father had an uncle named Dan Eaton

(6) Note on back of photograph says, "LaJose - Ann McFadden, sister to John Eaton.

(7) In January, 1879, John and Nancy Eaton sold 150 acres in Toby Township, Clarion County, PA, to Sophia Lorah. The transaction is recorded in Book 29, page 137, and states that John and Nancy Eaton were, "of Benton County Missouri," and that the land was, "late the property of Aaron Eaton, deceased."

The 1860 Federal census of Clarion County PA lists two people, on the same page as Aaron Eaton, that we believe to have been his daughters, Margaret and Angeline.

(Note that Aaron aged only four years between the 1850 and 1860 census)

(If this Margaret is the same Margaret shown in the household of Aaron Eaton in 1850, and the same Margaret Randolph mentioned in his will, then it would appear that in the list above, she is the mother of only Sarah. Also, in 1850, Margaret Eaton's age was shown as 22, so should have been 32 in 1860. We need to determine whether this Robert Randolph had been married previous to his marriage to Margaret.)

The 1887 History of Clarion County lists a Robert P. McFadden wounded at Fredericksburg 13 December 1862. If that reference is to this same person, it could explain why her father's will lists Margaret's husband as "Porter" McFadden.)

Aaron Eaton's will named two surviving sons, Daniel and John. In 1870 "our" John M. Eaton was living in Benton County Missouri. We believe that the Daniel Eaton enumerated in the same county on the 1870 census is the brother of John, and that they are the same people mentioned in the will. This belief is also based on family knowledge that Grafton Eaton had an uncle named Dan who had a son named Grant.

1870 Census Benton County MO, Post Office Cole Camp:

A photocopy of a picture of a group of people, unidentifiable, has a hand written notation on the back. The content seems to indicate that the notation was written by a daughter of Emma Lieuella Eaton, who was the only daughter of John & Nancy Eaton. It states, in part, . . "The woman with fan over her face was Agnes Holloway (Eaton). Mama called her father Uncle Dan Eaton, that is all I know about him." The Mary A. Eaton listed in the above household could possibly be the Agnes Holloway mentioned on the back of the photocopy.

Combining all the above information, we can reconstruct the family of Aaron Eaton as follows:

Aaron Eaton born c1799 PA died 1876 - PA

Abigal Eaton (wife) born c1809 died bef 1876 - PA

Margaret Eaton born bef 1822 died aft 1876 - married Robert Randolph

John M. Eaton born b 12 Feb 1822 13 Apr 1903 MO - married Nancy Benn

Daniel Eaton born abt 1830

Matilda Eaton died abt 1856 - married William Baker

Henry Eaton born abt 1832 died abt 1870

Angeline Eaton born abt 1835 died aft 1876 - married Porter McFadden

Alexander Eaton born abt 1837 died 1865 - Civil War

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