Please bear with me on this one. It's long and a puzzle we have been working on for over a year now. If you are intrigued by SOLVING genealogy queries, read on. The following is excerpts of e-mail between Sam Payne and myself, both attempting to piece together the same tree. Thanks for your time, if you have the patience.

The Penrod Cemetery, Blackford County Indiana

There is a Civil War Veteran buried in the little known Penrod Cemetery in Blackford County Indiana. It is on private property, about ½ mile off the road. We hunted for this cemetery last fall. We drove through someone's yard, across a creek over a "field bridge", through a wheat field. Then we had to park, and walk for a way's through a corn field, getting beat in the head with corn cobs all the way. We had been tipped off that this cemetery has not been taken care of, so my husband had his weed eater in tow. We scooted our feet through the grass until we found the headstone that we were looking for. Then my husband cleaned it up, so I could get a picture. The only headstones we found were the one we looked for and one that was taller than the grass. Cemetery in VERY bad shape. Grass, weeds and brush. It's sad.

I found a receipt in a family Bible. The receipt is for $5.00 for fence at the “Wilson Cemetery”. Does anyone know of a Wilson Cemetery? The receipt is dated November 22, 1923 received from Frank Montgomery, who was a grandson to Sarah Elizabeth (Wilson) Tolliday. Why would Frank pay $5.00 for fence at the Wilson Cemetery? I don't know of a Wilson Cemetery in Grant, Blackford, Delaware, Wells or Jay Counties.

If Penrod cemetery and Wilson cemetery are one in the same, Frank may have been paying for fencing for his Grandfather William Montgomery, civil war vet on his Dad's side, rather than his Grandmother Sarah Elizabeth (Wilson) Tolliday on his Mom's side. And the name just a coincidence? Or maybe both sets of Grandparents and his mother(?) are buried there.

This is an old transcript on file at the Hartford City Library. I know there is a similar one at the Blackford Historical Museum that Cecil Beeson has written notes. Check out the 3rd name: Penrod, Elizabeth, wife of Jonas, d. March 30, 1877

Interesting death date. It's exactly the same as Sarah Elizabeth (Wilson) Tolliday "Perrell". Perrell ~ Penrod. Headstone difficult to read and assumed to be "Penrod" by the transcriber ? ? ? Her mothers maiden name was Penrod. Confusion by the transcriber ? ? ?

And the "Willson's" in this cemetery. (with 2- L's) I never made the connection. Could it be ? ? ? Who is H.R. and K.K.? Did Hugh Wilson's middle name start with an R. and did he marry someone with the initials of K.K.? So do the Sarah J., and Arthur N. buried here belong to Hugh Wilson?

But the age of the "Penrod, Elizabeth" doesn't jive up with the birthdate I have been given for her. The birthdate, October 30, 1837, makes her 40 when she died, but this says she was 89y, 5m. Another error by the transcriber? Sarah Elizabeth (Wilson) Tolliday "Perrell" was 39y 5m to the DAY, and an '8' and a '3' could easily be confused on an old tombstone.

Willson, infant son of W. & S.A. d. April 2, 1844, age 1 day.
infant son of - W. = William Wilson, S.A.= Sarah ? (Penrod) Wilson (what was Sarah's middle name?)
Is the PENROD CEMETERY the WILSON CEMETERY, based on William and Sarah Penrod Wilson ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ?

Family burial ground? Who are the Miller's? More ancestors? Are the Miller's maternal grandparents to Sarah Penrod Wilson? Okay, now I'm guessing. This William Meyer does not own the property any more. As I understand it, it is owned by Charlie and Sarah Garrett.

Now if I'm following this correctly, the William Wilson and Sarah Penrod would be grandparents of Mary Jane Tolliday Willman.

The person who received the $5.00 from Frank Montgomery was his Mother's half-brother. Sarah Elizabeth Toliday Montgomery and M. F. Perrell (Madison Franklin Perrell) are both sons of Elizabeth Wilson Toliday Perrell. Sarah E. by our Laban Leeman Toliday, and M.F. by her 2nd husband Jonas Perrell.

I have a suspicion Wilson Cemetery is on property that was previously owned by M. F. Perrell. I note that he was born & died in Blackford county so probably owned land there. OR,,,,,,,,,I note that Madison Franklin Perrell's
Father is buried in Penrod Cemetery which is in Blackford county---I wonder if Penrod and Wilson are the same cemetery ? All speculation on my part but it is most interesting that Frank Montgomery would give $5.00 in fencing
money to his step-uncle.

Family burial ground? Who are the Miller's? More ancestors?
Again, I believe I found an Elizabeth Miller in the Jonas Perrell household in one of the census---I'll re-discover this tonight and let you know.
Are the Miller's maternal grandparents to Sarah Penrod Wilson? Okay, now I'm guessing.

"Biographical Memoirs of Blackford Co., IN" by Shinn (ir 977.201 B628) page
269 says Jonas Perrill was a County Surveyor. Index spelled surname= PERRELL

Marriage license for Peter Willman to Sarah list it = "PERRIL".

Sonya scrap (Bible ?) lists a Madison Franklin (?) Perrell born Jan. ?????
also a Hugh Roland Perrell born Jan. 5, 1843. I suspect the source of
of this scrap was Mary Jane Tolliday.

SONYA IS MY SISTER---SHE 1ST AQUIRED THE EFFECTS OF MARY JANE TOLIDAY.

In Mary Jane Tolliday's Obit. it mentions she was survived by "a brother, M.F. Perrel of Hartford City".

A Jonas Perrell purchased land in Blackford in Township No. 24 (Washington), Range 10. On May 22, 1837 he bought 160 acres in Section 22, the NE 1/4. This Jonas would have been only age 12. The Jonas Perrell who bought this land was likely his father--Jonas Senior.

1850 Census of Harrison Twp (calculated birth year):
Miller, John 84 (1766) M-Farmer PA
Miller, Rebecca 50 (1800) VA
Miller, Elizabeth 48 (1802) OH
Perril, Jonas 26 (1824) OH

THIS IS A "BINGO" RE THE PEOPLE IN PENROD CEMETERY. THIS JONAS PERRELL IS
SURELY THE ONE WHO LATER MARRIED OUR ELIZABETH WILSON TOLIDAY. GIVEN HIS AGE
I SUSPECT HE WAS LIVING IN THE MILLER HOUSEHOLD TO WORK AS A FARM-HAND. THIS
IS THE FIRST EVIDENCE I FOUND THAT CONNECTS THE MILLERS TO JONAS PERRELL.

1860 Blackford Co. Census (info per Louise Clamme)
Jonas Perrell 36 (born Abt 1824)

1870 Census of Washington Twp:
Perriell, Jonas 46 (1824) M-W Surveyor real estate = $1,550
Miller, Rebecca 70 (1800) F-W Keeping house
Miller, Susan 40 (1830) F-W Keeping house

NOW WE HAVE JONAS AS HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD WITH REBECCA MILLER LIVING
THERE--RELATIONSHIP ? I THINK REBECCA MILLER WAS THE PREVIOUS MRS. JONAS
PERRELL SENIOR AND MOTHER OF JONAS PERRELL JUNIOR. SO SUSAN MILLER WOULD
HAVE BEEN JONAS PERRELL JUNIOR'S HALF-SISTER.

1880 Census of Washington Twp:
Perril, Jonas 52 (1828) M-W Surveyor
Perril, Martha J. 32 (1848) F-W-wife-keeping house
Perrill, Franklin F. 7 (1873) M-W-son
Perrill, Hugh L. 7 (1873) M-W-son
Perrill, Rebecca E. 5 (1875) F-W-daughter
Fisher, James W(?) 31 (1849)-brother in law-farmer

NOTE: MARTHA J. PERRIL IS MARTHA JANE FISHER & WAS JONAS JUNIOR'S 2ND WIFE.
JONAS MARRIED ELIZABETH WILSON TOLIDAY ON MARCH 27, 1872 THEN SHE DIED MARCH
30, 1877 (BOTH EVENTS IN-BETWEEN CENSUS). JONAS MARRIED MARTHA JANE FISHER
ON JULY 6, 1879 AND THEY HAD TWO CHILDREN = CORA ALICE PERRELL AND JOHN W.
PERRELL -- MARTHA JANE DIED APRIL 27, 1923.

Jonas is buried in Penrod cemetery (Blackford County surveyor) next to:
Miller, Elizabeth died July 12, 1856 age 55y, 4 mo.
Miller, Rebecca died July 15, 1872
Miller, John died Jan 8, 1853 age 90y-4m-15d.
Perril, Jonas B-1825, D-1886.

Now, who are those people buried in the Penrod Cemetery who are listed on the inventory you sent us ?

1. John Miller--b. Abt 1763. in PA.. Living with him in Harrison Twp. in
1850 were Rebecca Miller, b. Abt 1800 in VA. and Elizabeth Miller, b. Abt
1802 in OH. Despite the age differance I believe Rebecca was John's wife,
the previous Mrs. Jonas Perrell Senior. Elizabeth MIGHT have been his
daughter by a previous marriage.

2. Elizabeth Miller--see 1. above.

3. Elizabeth Penrod--?????? Death date is identical to our Elizabeth Wilson
Toldiay Perrell but this person was born Abt 1788 and OUR Elizabeth was born
Oct. 30, 1837----I smell an ERROR !! Solving this mystery is important to
our search. My source of her birth date is:
a. 1860 Census--age = 23 (born Abt 1837)
b. 1870 Census of Harrison Twp.--age = 32 (born Abt 1838)
c. A scrap of paper found in Mary Jane Toliday's effects, which is almost
unreadable, lists birthdate = Oct. 30, 1831 or 1834 or 1837---I believe
1837. This scrap of paper is also the source of the death date I have on
her THEREFORE I believe it ! Now---- who then was Elizabeth Penrod who also died on March 30, 1877 ??? It is
possible the stone was misread and she is actually Elizabeth Perrell. If so, then it would seem probably that both Frank Montgomery and M.F. Perrell would have an interest in the same cemetery and want it fenced--especially
if it were in the middle of a farmers field--this makes me believe that Penrod and Wilson Cemeteries are one and the same. IF we can discover that Penrod = Wilson then I would believe that Elizabeth Penrod is really Elizabeth Wilson Toliday Perrell.
As you already pointed out though, her age is a REAL problem since OUR Elizabeth Wilson Toliday Perrell was only age 40 when she died in 1877--something is still wrong here. One possibility is that Elizabeth Penrod was a wife of Jonas Perrell Senior but this doesn't fit well because she would have been too old. Then again she
may have been the wife of a Jonas Penrod but when I first heard of Penrod Cemetery it was the first and last (indeed ONLY) time I have ever heard that surname ?! My strong suspicion is that the stone is one made of Indiana
limestone (typical for the period) and that it is nearly impossible to read so the info on the sheet you sent is simply wrong----what do you think ? I agree with your suggestion that if her age on the headstone is really 39 instead of 89,
which would indicate the engraving is well worn (ie Perrell looked like Penrod), then I think it pretty certain this IS our Elizabeth.

4. Foot stone, states only R.M.----This could be Rebecca Miller except see
6. below.

5. John Kirkpatrick--I have no idea.

6. Rebecca Miller--I believe this is the wife of Jonas Perrell Sr. (NOTE
Senior) and that after
Jonas Perrell Senior died she married John Miller---the approx. dates fit
this scenario and the fact that Jonas Perrell Jr. was living in the home of
John Miller in 1850 would seem to support this. Also, Rebecca, wife of Jonas
Perrell Sr. was born in VA and so was Rebecca Miller. Ergo, Rebecca Perrell
& Rebecca Miller are the same person. Shinn mentions somewhere that Sarah
Perrell was the "daughter of Jonas and Rebecca Perrell" so once again I
think after Jonas Perrell Senior died, his wife Rebecca married John Miller.

7. Sarah Slater--I have no idea who any of the Slaters were.

8. Willson--obviously died at birth. "W & S.A" are also the Parents of our
Elizabeth Wilson Toldiay Perrell I believe--both the initials and the dates
fit. William & Sarah Wilson had the following children (source = 1850 Census
of Harrison Twp.):
Elizabeth--OUR Elizabeth, b. 1837
Hugh--b. Abt 1840
James--b. Abt. 1842
Rachel--b. Abt. 1845
Isabel--b. Abt. 1848

The extra "L" in Wilson is an error, I believe. I do not know either the middle or maiden name of Sarah Wilson. All I know of her is that she was born Abt. 1802 per the Harrison Twp. Census of 1850. We can now know that
her name was Sarah A. Wilson.
I think your contention about the 1844 death date fitting is 100 % correct !
No "long-shot" but a "bulls-eye".

9. Sarah J. Wilson--Is most likely the daughter of Hugh Wilson (see 8. above) making her the granddaughter of William and Sarah Wilson and a niece of our Elizabeth Wilson Toliday Perrell. I don't know the name of his wife
K. K..

10. Arthur N. Wilson--same as 9. above. As to what might have caused the coincident death of these two children I first thought it may have been the cholera epidemic that occurred in the US during the late 19th Century but the dates of this were 1886-1892 so I am left clueless.

11. William Calvin Shaner--I have no idea. Wasn't he on Star-Trek ?

An important aside: In going through my source file I re-discovered a letter from Phyllis Borgman that may be of interest to you. It reads:

"I also have pictures of Herman and Gary Montgomery. I'm not quite sure how the Montgomery that lived with Mary Jane fit in the family, but he always called my Grandmother (Rosa Mae Perrell) Aunt Rose, according to my Mom."

Phyllis can be contacted at:

Phyllis Borgman
3441 County Hwy. 122
Hamilton, Alabama 33570
1-205-921-1209

She does not have e-mail as far as I know.

Another aside: According to Phyllis, Jonas Perrell Jr. was married THREE times--we have no idea of the name of his 3rd wife. Her source is lore passed down in her Family.

CONCLUSION: (At last !!) I think Elizabeth Penrod is really Elizabeth Wilson Toldiay Perrell and I also think Penrod and Wilson cemeteries are one and the same. I can not prove either YET. I think that when you hunted for
Penrod for 3-4 weeks you had found Elizabeth without knowing it. The answer to much of this lies in an accurate re-reading of Elizabeth Penrod's headstone. We need to find some supporting evidence to make a final determination.

I think your "guesses" per your last e-mail are most probably astoundingly correct !! Shall we go genealogy-ga-ga together ? :-) GREAT WORK !!

Please let me know what you think and Thanks for the copies you've sent. Perhaps if you are able to get the Cecil Beeson info you mentioned this weekend it will solve some of our mysteries.

I don't know what else I may have that I haven't given you but the next time you are in the Indianapolis area call me ahead (317-846-3895) and I'll show you the huge amount of paper I have collected in this quest. I have a handy
Xerox machine here too and you are welcome to copies of everything I have.

On another "hunch" I checked the IN Marriages to 1850 database at the IN St. Lib.-Gen. Sec. and found the following Penrod marriages in Blackford County:

1. Jacob Penrod to Elizabeth Dewitt-1844
2. Mariah Penrod to Abel Garrett--1850
3. Nancy Penrod to Joseph Lanning--1849
4. Rebecca Penrod to Nehemiah Spencer Huett--Jan. 1, 1843
5. Sarah Penrod to William Wilson--Jan. 2, 1842. Tempting---could be our Elizabeth Wilson Toliday Perrell's parents except this marriage took place 5 years after her birth. Could have been William Wilson's 2nd marriage. In any vent--here's the Sarah Penrod Wilson you proposed----trouble is I am not exactly sure where she fits.

Some possible good news: I could NOT find any Elizabeth Penrod (the one allegedly buried in Penrod Cemetery) & this adds tiny credence to the theory that she is really Elizabeth Perrell.

I found a William Wilson, b. 1827 in Homboldt (should be Humboldt, I believe) OH. Also a marriage of a William Wilson to a Sarah Penrod on Abt 1849, also in Homboldt. Dates are late to be ours. The curious thing is that Humboldt is in Highland county, OH where I have been finding "footprints" of the Blackford County PERRELL line. Most curious.............

I found this at the LDS Site. I also checked GerServ & Ancestry.com and could not find any Sarah Penrod b. Abt 1802 except for the one Barbara put there.

Descendants of William Wilson
1 William WILSON b: Abt. 1800
. +Sarah PENROD b: Abt. 1802
... 2 Sarah Elizabeth WILSON b: October 30, 1837 Ohio d: March 30, 1877 Burial: Penrod Cemetery, Blackford County, Indiana Cause of death: an infection after giving birth to Rose Mae Perrell
....... +Laban Luman TOLLIDAY b: February 1823 Ohio Military service: Civil War, Company I, 34 Regiment Indiana Volunteers d: March 18, 1908 Veteran's Hospital, Marion, Indiana Burial: Marion Nat'l. Cemetery, Grant Co., Indiana m: December 18, 1856 Blackford County, Indiana Father: Henry TOLLIDAY Mother: Hanna LUMAN
........ 3 Mary Jane TOLLIDAY b: March 30, 1858 d: November 28, 1949 Eaton, Delaware County, Indiana
............ +Stephen B WILLMAN
........ 3 Sarah Elizabeth TOLLIDAY b: September 03, 1859 Blackford County, Indiana d: Abt. 1888
............ +William L. MONTGOMERY b: Abt. 1855 Indiana m: July 05, 1879 Blackford County, Indiana Father: William MONTGOMERY Mother: Minerva SEYBERT
........ 3 William Henry TOLLIDAY b: October 21, 1861
............ +Ina Louella GILSON b: October 15, 1871
... *2nd Husband of Sarah Elizabeth WILSON:
....... +Jonas PERRELL b: 1825 Occupation: Blackford County Surveyor d: March 26, 1886 Burial: Penrod Cemetery, Blackford County, Indiana m: Aft. 1871
........ 3 Madison Franklin PERRELL b: Blackford County, Indiana d: Blackford County, Indiana
........ 3 Rose Mae PERRELL b: 1877
... 2 Hugh WILSON b: 1840 d: April 27, 1894
... 2 James WILSON b: 1842
... 2 Rachel WILSON b: 1845
... 2 Isabel WILSON b: 1848