I've been offline for quite a while am just back in the online world. Glad to see a bulltin board with Lee at large! I am still stalemated trying to find new leads on my Widners, it is believed that they left Hardy/Hampshire Co now West Virginia for Vincennes, Knox Co, Indiana in 1798, John W. appears to have been the son of Jacob Weidner who appears in Hardy Co tax census records until 1796 may or may not appear in the Knox co census of 1807. Nobody has ever, to my knowledge, succeeded in figuring out where this Jacob Weidner came from it bugs me-- I suppose frontiersmen were slippery and recordkeeping was spotty- but it is not in my nature to give up! Virginia born John W. Widner married Western Pennsylvania born Mary Wilkins, about whom little is known, her date of birth is said to have been 8/23/1773, given later family history I suspect that she is connected somehow to the Conestoga area Indian Trading Wilkins family (Welsh immigrants) of the 1720s 30s who were business associates of the Polkes-- a daughter of John W Widner Mary Wilkins, Elizabeth 'Bitsey' Widner married an Indian Trader, Robert Tyler Polke of the aforementioned Polkes in Indiana. Wilkinses abound in early Pittsburgh to W. Va, including George Mathias in Hardy/Hampshire Co VA in 1782 84..., Indian Traders were a slippery bunch too, perhaps the Hardy Co Widners shared this interest? By the way what is this talk of Cherokee Widners, I only ask because both Indian Traders and frontiersmen of mysterious origin are somewhat more likely than average to have Native American ancestry, those that could pass for "white" having often done so for obvious reasons. The Widners are said to have arrived in Knox Co in 1798 with Col. Blackburn, Andrew Wilkins brother of Mary and others said to be of the "James River COUNTRY" whatever that means. Here is the family info on the John W. Widner/Mary Wilkins family
John W Widner b 6/22/1772 Va d. 2/4/1863(!)
buried Morris Chapel Knox Co IN
m. 1st c. 1793 to
Mary Wilkins b. 8/23/1773 PA
d. 10/25/1844 buried Morris Chapel Knox Co IN
children
Elizabeth "Bitsy" Widner b. 3/1/1794 VA (one census says MD!) m. Robert Tyler Polke, anIndian Trader among the Potowatomie, 5/1/1815 moved to Kansas Territory in 1838, died in Kansas City, Missouri
Sarah "Sally Widner b. 5/15/1796 VA m. Charles Scott
Casander Widner b. 8/10/1798 m. James M.Blackburn
Rebecca Widner 10/22/1800 d. 11/22/1822
Mary "Polly" Widner 11/22/1802 m. Noah Asby
Jacob Widner 3/18/1805 d. 3/24/1837
John W. Widner, Jr. 12/24/1806, distiller, ran White Mule distillery ( a good person for an Indian Trader to know, sadly) m.
America Shepherd d. 9/16/1867 Meron, Sullivan Co, IN
Carolin Widner b. 2/10/1810 d. 10/7/1837
Virginia Widner b. 11/12/1834 m.
Daniel G. McClure
Catherine Ann Widner b. 2/6/1819 d. 10/20/1823
married 2nd Jane Johnson 12/11/1845
The Widners are said to have been Methodists when they first arrived in Knox Co had a circuit riding Methodist preacher do services monthly in their remote township orignally an "unsettled" part of Busseron, soon named Widner after them , but may have later become Baptists and joined the Maria Creek congregation.They built a strong fort during the 1812 war
If anybody has any further clues, please help, Thanks Don