The Bucher/Booker Family, 1686-1990: Chapter VI, Part 1

The Isaac Booker and Betsy Padgett Family

(Son of David Booker and Theodosha Smith)

Isaac Booker, nicknamed “Ike” according to the notes of Catherine Booker Greene, was the third son of David Booker and Theodosha Smith. Isaac was born 26 February 1800 presumably in Harrison County, Kentucky, and died between August and December 1863 in Sullivan County, Indiana. In Sullivan County, Indiana Order Book #2, August 1863, Simpson Purcell Estate vs. Isaac Booker Administrator, Isaac declares assets for Elizabeth Purcell (Isaac’s daughter) and heirs. Then in the same book, during the December Term 1863, the court writes that Isaac Booker is deceased, and appoints Phillip Pirtle as Administrator of Simpson Purcell’s estate.

Isaac is listed by age under his father, David Booker, on the 1810 Census of Jefferson County, Kentucky – 10 to 16 years old. On the 1820 Census of Sullivan Co., Indiana, page 117, Isaac is listed with his wife, Elizabeth (Betsy) Padgett. (Also on the same page is Isaac’s cousin, John A. Booker). Isaac and Betsy are both annotated as being between the ages of 16 and 26. Most likely Isaac and Betsy were married that same year.

According to William Raymond Booker, Sr., a descendant of both Isaac Booker and brother, George W. Booker, Betsy was the daughter of Henry Padgett and wife, Rachael. Also, Betsy was the sister of Mary (Polly) Padgett who married George W. Booker, Isaac’s older brother. Mary Jane Moon, another descendant of Isaac Booker, writes that Betsy Padgett was born 1 January 1799 in Kentucky and died 23 March 1887 in Sullivan Co., Indiana.Although his two older brothers George and Jacob are listed on the 1830 Census of Sullivan Co., Indiana, Isaac for some unknown reason is not. This does not mean that Isaac Booker was not living in Sullivan County at the time. In fact, his first six children were born there in Carlisle, Indiana between 1821 and 1829. Isaac is found on the 1840 Census of Sullivan County, Indiana in Carlisle on page 91 along with his brothers, Abraham and Phillip. His oldest and youngest brothers, George and James, are on page 111, and his brother, Jacob, is on page 117. Isaac bought 40 acres of land T 6 N R 8 W Section 9 NE NE on 4 October 1838, not far from his brothers.

From several sources I have found that Isaac and Betsy had thirteen children. My first source of information came from Marjorie Booker Harwood, who sent me handwritten notes composed by her father, William Raymond Booker, Sr. In detail William lists the family embers of George W. Booker (Chapter IV) and Isaac Booker. Mary Jane Moon, great-great-grandaughter of Isaac Booker, sent me information containing birth and death records of Isaac Booker’s children. Finally, from Harold W. Johnson of Sullivan County, Indiana, I received a deed which includes not only most of the children of Isaac and Elizabeth (Betsy) Booker, but their spouses as well. Dated 3 September 1864, this deed is found in the Sullivan County Clerk’s office in Book #21, pages 163, and 164, “Elizabeth Booker et al to Joseph W. Wolfe, part of Out Lot 16, T6N, R8W.”

“This indenture witnesseth that we, Elizabeth Booker, Benjamin Plew, America Plew, William A. Plew, Sophia Plew, Ruel Booker, Lovina Booker, Washington Booker, Mary Ann Booker, Jasper N. Bennett, James Mayfield, Rhoda Mayfield, Elizabeth Purcell, Mary Purcell of Sullivan County, in the State of Indiana convey and warrant to Joseph W. Wolfe of Sullivan County in the State of Indiana for the sum of Seventy five dollars the following Real Estate in Sullivan County….”

Here are the children of Isaac Booker and Elizabeth Padgett:

The first child of Isaac Booker, Elie, is presumed to have died during her childhood. I have found no information on her, and she is not found on any census.

Isaac Booker and Betsy Padgett, Sullivan Co., IN

Hallie M. Booker b. 1880 Sullivan Co., IN, d. 15/12/1889 Sull. Co., IN. Bur. Pleasantville Cemetery

From the Sullivan Democrat, Friday, 9 November 1888: -Pleasantville- Sometime ago Mr. J. A. Booker was driving nails and met with an accident that cost him the sight of his right eye. A nail head became detached, entered the eye and completely destroyed that useful organ of vision. We feel truly sorry for Josh as he is one of our most energetic young men of business turn and qualifications.

 

The Washington Booker and Lucinda Caroline Moody Family

Washington Booker, Isaac and Betsy’s second child, married Lucinda Caroline Moody in Sullivan Co., Indiana, date unknown. Caroline died 9 February 1902, and engraved on her gravestone is “72y 1m 23d.” The 1860 Census of Indiana gives her birthplace as Indiana, age 34. Washington was first a farmer and later a storeowner. He and Caroline are both buried in the Pleasantville Methodist Cemetery, Jefferson Twp., in Sullivan County. They had four children:

Joshua A. Booker

Joshua A. Booker married Sarelda Enochs in Sullivan Co., Indiana on 30 May 1875. Sarelda was born 23 August 1855 and died 3 November 1946. Joshua and Sarelda had two children:

The Elizabeth Booker and Simpson Purcell Family

Isaac’s and Betsy Booker’s third and fourth children were twins. The first twin, Elizabeth Booker, married Simpson Purcell prior to 1848 in Sullivan Co., Indiana. On the 1860 Census of Indiana in Jefferson Twp., Sullivan County, page 87, Elizabeth Booker Purcell is found living without her husband, but with her four children. She is listed just above her father and mother on the same page – her household number 590, and her father’s 591. Here are the children of Elizabeth Booker and Simpson Purcell.

The Noama Purcell and Asher Bedwell Family

The following information was given to me by Mrs. Donna Lea Bell, a descendant of Noama Purcell.

Noama Purcell, daughter of Elizabeth Booker and Simpson Purcell, married Asher Bedwell on 1 April 1870 in Sullivan Co., Indiana. Asher was born 19 June 1848 in Sullivan County and died 17 November 1921. Asher was the son of Robert Bedwell and Phoebe Enoch. Both Asher and Noama were buried in the Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Sullivan County. Their children are as follows:

Herbert Brown, son of Jesse and Phoebe Brown, married Lillian Fern Cooksey who was born 25 November 1908 in Knox Co., Indiana and died 27 October 1942. Lillian was the daughter of Elmer Cooksey and Mary Elizabeth Stewart. Lillian was buried in the Pleasantville Cemetery in Sullivan County. From this marriage four children were born:

After Lillian died in 1942, Herbert remarried to Nellie Hayes Alton. From this marriage Herbert and Nellie had one child:

Donna Lea Brown’s husband, David Bell, was born 11 November 1924 in Knox Co., Indiana. He is the son of Alexander Bell and Martha Davidson. Donna and he have four children:

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I found Susan Purcell, age 12, living on the 1870 Census, Cass Township, Sullivan County, Indiana, dated 28 July, and residing with Daniel Case.

The Mary (Polly) Booker and John Purcell Family

Isaac Booker’s fourth child and twin to Elizabeth Booker, was Mary or Polly Booker. Mary married John Purcell, most likely brother to Simpson Purcell who had married Elizabeth Booker. Interestingly, Mary also is found living without her husband, but with all her children on the 1860 Census of Indiana in Jefferson Twp., Sullivan County. Mary is listed on page 84, just below her younger brother, Edward Wilks Booker, and just above her older brother, Washington Booker. The absence of both Elizabeth’s husband and Mary’s husband, leads me to believe, that these two brothers were deceased at the time of the Census. Here are the children listed on the 1860 Census under their mother, Mary Booker Purcell:

Ruel Purcell, age 18, is found living on the 1870 Census, Haddon, Township, Sullivan County, Indiana, dated 28 July, and residing with John Hildebrand.

The Edward Wilks Booker and Mary A. Simpson Family

Edward Wilks Booker, was the fifth child of Isaac Booker and Betsy Padgett. Edward married Mary A. Simpson, daughter of John Simpson and Eleanor Cowden, on 13 February 1851 in Sullivan Co., Indiana. He was married by the Elder William McBride. Mary was born 21 March 1827, and died 30 October 1915. Both Edward and Mary are buried in the Booker Cemetery in Haddon Twp., Sullivan Co., Indiana.

Edward Wilks Booker was a farmer, but at the age of 38, he enlisted on 24 March 1865 in the U.S. Army. He served with Company K, 53d Infantry Regiment, Indiana Volunteers. On his way to Wilmington, North Carolina from New York City, he suffered exposure and contracted rheumatism in his back legs, and hips. While in Wilmington, on or about 25 April, 1865, he contracted a severe chronic case of diarrhea. Edward was discharged 21 July 1865 in Louisville, Kentucky, and his personal description was as follows: age 38 years; height 5 feet 8 inches; complexion fair; hair light; eyes gray.

Edward W. Booker declared for a soldier’s invalid pension in 1888, and in 1898 he filled out a questionnaire required by the Bureau of Pensions in which he gave the following the following information:

Question: Have you any children living? If so, please state their names and the dates of their birth.

Edward Wilks Booker and Mary A. Simpson had ten children:

The Henry H. Booker and Mary Jane Carrico Family

Henry H. Booker married Mary Jane Carrico on 5 September 1875 in Sullivan Co., Indiana. Mary, born in 1852, was the daughter of Frank and Elizabeth (Walters) Carrico. Mary died 13 May 1893 at the age of 41 years old. Henry can be found on the 1900 Census living on Sylvan Dells Street in Hamilton Twp., Sullivan County, with four of his children, Matilda, Tilden, Lizzie and John. A cousin is listed as living with them – Anna Grizzle, age 16, born in Indiana May 1884. On the 1910 Census Henry B. or H. Booker is found living in Jefferson Twp., Sullivan County, living with his widowed mother, Mary A. Simpson Booker, age 77, and brother, Sampson Booker, age 52. Mary lists her birthplace as Indiana, her father’s birthplace as Ireland and mother’s birthplace as England. Before Henry Booker’s wife’s death in 1893, he and Mary had seven children:

The Elizabeth Booker and Roley Lee Moon Family

Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and Mary Jane Carrico, married Roley Lee Moon on 9 July 1904 in Sullivan Co., Indiana. Roley, born 19 April 1880 in Sullivan County, was the son of Jesse Moon and Melissa (Fannie) Burkhart. Roley Moon and Elizabeth Booker had seven children:

Sampson Booker

Most of the following information on the Sampson Booker family was given to me by Sampson’s eldest daughter, Mary Ethel (Booker) Decker, of Flat Rock, Illinois.

Sampson Booker, son of Edward Wilks Booker and Mary A. Simpson, married 22 January 1892 to Lucinda A. Smith in Sullivan Co., Indiana. Lucinda, daughter of Henry J. and Nancy J. Smith, died 8 August 1900 in Curry Township Sullivan County. There were no children by this marriage. Sampson Booker remarried to Elizabeth Smith on 6 April 1914 in Sullivan County. Elizabeth was born 23 July 1898. From this marriage there were three children:

The Jacob R. Booker and Josephine Plummer Family

Most of the following information was given to me by Margaret Joan Booker Austin and Berneice Booker Carrico. Jacob R. Booker, youngest son Edward Wilks Booker and Mary A. Simpson, married Josephine Plummer on 23 December 1891. Josephine, born on 20 July 1873 in Marion Co., Indiana, was the daughter of Henry Newton Plummer (22 September 1849 – 23 August 1935) and Nancy Katherine Weaver (4 November 1850 – 16 September 1933). Jacob and Josephine are found on the 1900 Census with their family in Marion Co., Indiana, Franklin Twp. In 1910 they are found on the Census living in Haddon Twp., Sullivan Co., Indiana. Berneice Booker Carrico writes:

“We use to take Uncle Samp to visit Lizzie [Elizabeth Booker Moon] when he had finished visiting us. My Grandpa, Jake [Jacob R. Booker], used to go barefoot summer and winter, and he would take us (my sister and I) to hunt wild-flowers in the spring. He could walk among the briers just as tho’ he were wearing shoes. My Grandpa, Jake, had only one eye. I don’t know how that happened.”

Josephine died March 10, 1948 and she is buried next to Jacob in Bethany Cemetery, Sullivan County. Jacob and Josephine had five children:

The Ervin Booker and Olga Jane Parks Family

Ervin Booker, oldest son of Jacob R. Booker and Josephine Plummer, married Olga Jane Parks on 12 September 1917 in Sullivan Co., Indiana. Olga was born 25 September 1899 and died 12 August 1946. Both Ervin and Olga are buried in Carlisle, Indiana in the Odd Fellows Cemetery. Ervin and Olga Booker had two children:

The Lillian M. Booker and Booth Bedwell Family

Lillian M. Booker married Booth Bedwell in Crawford Co., Illinois in 1925, and from this marriage two children were born:

The Earl Booker and Allie Gadberry Family

Earl Booker, third child of Jacob R. Booker and Josephine Plummer, and his wife, Allie Gadberry, are both buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress, California. Allie was born in 12 August 1897 near New Lebanon, Sullivan Co., Indiana, and died 30 December 1977. Earl and Allie had two children:

The Lloyd Eugene Booker and Olive Mary Moody Family

Fifth child of Jacob R. Booker and Josephine Plummer, was Lloyd Eugene Booker who married on 19 May 1926 in Sullivan County to Olive Mary Moody, grandaughter of Harrison Booker ( Harrison Booker was a grandson of George W. Booker – see Chapter IV). Lloyd and Olive Booker were buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Sullivan Co., Indiana. They had three children:

The Mary A. Booker and Lewis M. Booker, Jr. Family

Ninth child of Edward Wilks Booker (son of Isaac Booker and Betsy Padgett) and Mary A. Simpson, was Mary A. Booker. She married her first cousin, Lewis M. Booker (Jr.). Lewis M. Booker, Sr. was a younger brother of Edward Wilks Booker. Mary A. Booker and Lewis M. Booker (Jr.) were both buried in the Sullivan Cemetery. They had three children:

The Samaria Jane Booker and Maxwell Carrico Family

Tenth child of Edward Wilks Booker and Mary A. Simpson, was Samaria Jane Booker. She married Maxwell Carrico, son of Joseph Carrico and Jane Purcell on 7 August 1893 in Sullivan County, Indiana. She and Max had four children:

The Bucher/Booker Family, 1686-1990 © 1990 Charles Lee Booker Jr.