William Franklin Florea

Other Events:

• Occupation: Furniture Store Owner

William married Nellie Griffin on 27 Nov 1902. Nellie died on 22 Feb 1944 in Superior, Nuckolls County, Nebraska, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. William Earl Florea was born on 24 Jul 1907 in Kirksville, Adair County, Missouri, United States; died on 27 May 1948 in Superior, Nuckolls County, Nebraska, United States.

Jacob married Ann Catherine Dyer on 28 Nov 1872. Ann was born on 10 Sep 1853; died on 10 Jul 1895. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Parents: Benjamin Franklin Dyer

William married Margaret Todd on 5 Oct 1843. Margaret was born in 1823 in Indiana, United States; died in Aug 1875 in Lewis County, Missouri, United States; was buried in Aug 1875 in La Belle, Lewis County, Missouri, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

...Joshua apparently was born in Maryland and went with the family to Kentucky and Adams County, Ohio. He lived on a farm on the east side of Ohio Brush Creek about two miles south of Newport (now Lawshe). About 1833 he and his family, except the eldest son, John, moved to a farm near Rushville, Rush County, Indiana. There he died and was buried in the Barrett Cemetery near Knightstown.
...There are few, if any, descendants of Joshua now in Ohio but they are numerous in Indiana. The greatest concentration of them now, however, seems to be in the Missouri-Iowa-Nebraska area.

Moved to Rush County, Indiana 1835/1840

NEWSLETTER ARTICLE
Sheepskin Deed
...Joshua Florea was the son of Albright and Ruthy Charity. A few days prior to Joshua's marriage he bought 150 acres, according to Adams County land records. This land lay about two miles south of Lawshe (then known as Newport) on the eas bank of the Ohio Brush Creek. It was known later as the Mccoy farm. joshua kept adding land until he owned 417 acres. Some of the last part of the land grant had belonged to four soldiers, Charles Consolver, William Stanley, Thomas Puryer and William Willis, who had served in the Revolutionary War.
...They assigned their right to Joseph Watkins, to whom the patent (deed) was issued on 14 May, 1796. this was a real sheepskin deed signed by George Washington and countersigned by the Secretary of State, Timothy Pickering. The parchment also bore the signatures of James W. Henry, Secretary of War and S. K. Taylor, Junior chief Clerk of the War Departmen. Josua's son, John, received the deed when he purchased the entire 417 acres from his father. The deed then was passed to Joohn's youngest son, Jeremiah, ho left it to his eldest daughter, Daisy (Florea) Edwards (Mrs. George Edwards), who lived in Portsmouth, Ohio
"The ink was undimmed, my father (Ernest) wrote when it was rescued from the Ohio river
flood in 1936. Chicago experts, under bond, examined it and declared it to be a genuine
George Washington original."

In 1984 James Harold Florea wrote that he did not know who had the deed at this time.

Happy ending
...James Harold Florea told of clippings his parents held concerning Joshua Florea. This story was about Joshua and his sweetheart, Polly Spurgeon. It was written on an old tablet, which was undated.
..."Polly Spurgeon and Joshua were old time lovers. After a continued courtship they were engaged to marry. He decided to go east to work in the furnaces to have a little finance for a beginnning to support he and Polly after their marriage. (There were a few iron furnaces in Ohio by that date but we don't know if he went to those or to Pennsylvania JHF) Joshua bid Polly farewell and expected to return later and take Polly as hi own. Time went on, soon a year had gone. the methods of communication at this early period were limited. Hearing nothing from each other, another year passed with no trace of Joshua. Polly decided Joshua was dead. During this time a young man by the name of Davis fell in love with Polly and they were soon engaged to be married.
...One spring morning Polly went to pick greens. One of her old neighbors came picking greens also. the neighbor asked Polly if she knew that Joshua had returned. She said no. the woman informed Polly that he was home. And sure enough she was rightly informed.
...Polly and Joshua went on horseback to West Union, where they were married. When coming out of the courthouse, they met Mr. Davis at the door. He had come to prevent the marriage. He was very angry and revengeful. With all the threats, Polly and Joshua escaped unharmed. They settled on a Brush Creek farm known as the Frank Mccoy Farm. (Source: Flory, Leslie E. and Bill. "Sheepskin Deed". The Flora-Flory-Fleury Family Volume 2, Number 3 (1 July 1989): pg. 6.)

Birth:
probably

Joshua married Mary Jane Spurgeon on 3 Aug 1812 in Adams County, Ohio, United States. Mary was born on 29 Dec 1793 in Bourbon County, Kentucky, United States; died on 6 Oct 1869 in Rush County, Indiana, United States; was buried in Oct 1869 in Rush County, Indiana, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Polly Spurgeon
• Death: 6 Oct 1869, Huntington County, Indiana, United States