Winters

   The Winters surname was first found in the Rhineland, especially the provinces of Westphalia and the Palatinate, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. The surname is derived from "Winter," an English/German/Danish/Swedish nickname or byname for someone of a frosty or gloomy temperament, from the Middle English, Middle High German, Danish, Swedish term winter (Old English winter, Old High German wintar, Old Norse vetr).
   The family Coat of Arms features a silver shield with a purple and gold checkered bend, and a blue border. Some versions feature a heart in the Crest. The Family Motto is "Majorum servari virtute."
   Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants in America were: Heinrich Winter, who came to New York State in 1710-11; Gerhart Winter arrived in New Jersey in 1769; and Johann Jacob Winter came to Philadelphia in 1752. But according to family tradition, related by Richard A. Winters USAF/geologist (b 1933) via his daughter Julie, and from her great-uncle Alfred as he remembered it being told to him (got that?): "The first Winters in this country was a young Dutchman (German or Dutch) named Vinters or VanVinters...in William Penn's colony. He married a German girl named Fredricks from the Maryland colony. Their son married an English girl and had 4 sons. These 4 arrived in Pittsburgh and later moved to Fort Steuben. They then claimed land (4 plots) west of Ft. Steuben, building their cabins at the mutual corners for protection. The four cabins were enclosed by palisades. This later became Wintersville. One of the brothers had a son named Isaiah."

Information Census Image Name: Winters, Isaiah Township: Morgan County: Green State: PA Year: 1800 Slaves: 0 View image 1800 United States Federal Census. M32, 52 rolls. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington DC. Roll M32_40, Page 84, Image 106

   The ancestry of our family can be traced to ISAIAH WINTERS, SR., born @ 1750 in Pennsylvania. Isaiah married a woman named RHODA, and had his six sons. The family then made their way from Fermanagh and Milford Twp, Cumberland (Mifflin now Juniata) Co., PA to Ten Mile Creek, Morgan Twp, Washington (now Greene) Co., PA, to Island and Cross Creek Twp, Jefferson Co., Ohio.
   Another tradition states "our progenitor when a young man was in Wm Penn's colony. They kept moving west with each generation. My father and his 3 brothers flatboated down the Ohio River to Ft. Steuben (now Steubenville, OH) and settled on an adjoining section of land for protection against Indians."
   However Isiah and family traveled, we do have records of their movements:

Mifflin County Deeds: rec 1798 Aug. 16 md-1775 Nov. 28 dower 1775 Nov. 28 * 70 PA 50 acres: Isiah Winters of Fermanagh Twp. Cumberland Co. PA. farmer & wife Rhoda a certain piece of land on which I recently lived on supposing 50 acres unto George Rex of the said Co. & prov. aforesd yeoman lying and adjoining Nathaniel Harts land and is to run from a certain sassafras growing on the river bank and from thence to a Wo along the orchard side and from thence to a marked hickory and from thence to sd Harts line and y1 river to Lukens line and from thence till sd lines meet at y1 upper end of sd line for and in consideration thereof he y1 sd Rex. with Saml Lyons, J. P. and Absalom Styles. Isiah Winters Rhoda X Winters. rec 1800 Dec. 10 md 1780 Apr. 27 dower 1780 Aug. 23 *2000 PA. 180 acres: Joseph Mc Connel of Milford Twp Cumberland County PA. farmer & wf Susanna to Abraham Styles and Isiah Winters both of Fermanagh Twp. same Co. & State yeomen 2 tracts or parcels situated in Lack Twp. Cumberland Co. PA. #1 adjoining Francis West on the W, and James Gray on the N. being 100 acres Made over by John McConnell Adm of the estate of James McConnell decd late of Cumberland Co. and unto Mary McConnell widow and relict of sd James and now wife of Wm. Kirk of Lack Twp conveyed to sd Joseph McConnell dated 24 Mar. 1773 #2 lying between it (#1) and Tuscarora Mt., being 80 acres. Warranted to Joseph McConnell. Wit John Stewart, Thos. Jordan signed Jos. McConnell Susana "D" (her mark) McConnell rec- 1804 Aug. 13 md-1796 Dower 1796 Feb 25 *363.15.0 PA 70 acres: Isiah Winters of Washington County PA. yeoman to Abraham Styles of Mifflin Co. yeoman Land divided from Lykes land which he now lives on by a consentable line in presence of Hamilton Grayham and John Miliken beginning at James Gray's line a hickory blazed aBo with 3 notches a B walnut blazed a Wo blazed aBo with 3 notches a sassafras blazed a Wo with 3 notches and ending at Thos Milikan's line deed lying and being situated in Milford Twp. adjoining sd Styles on the N and Amos Hoops on the W and Tuskarawa Mt on the S; containing 70 acres. wit James Hughes George "X" his mark Rex. Isiah Winters Rhoda "X" (her mark) Winters Greene County, PA. Deeds 1;1672 md 8 Sep 1802 rec. 10 Feb. 1803 185 ac 67p $800: Isiah Winters & wife Rhoda of Greene County PA. to Thomas Hughes Esq of same Warrant was granted by the Commonwealth of PA for a tract of land to Wiilliam Tolwood 6 June 1776 on the South fork of ten mile Creek in Greene Co. PA. to Stephen Woodruff 23 Mar. beginning at a walnut tree on the bank of a run by land of Nicholas Wathen N 50 E 50 paces post. N 59E 50 P post N 76E 18 P Post S77 E 45 P post hence by lands of Jacob Rush N 71E35 1/2 Wo thency by lands of Reed & Froid * S12E 48 P WoS60 E 46.2 P sugar tree (missing) N60W 46 P rock N 45 W 60 P to beginning. 185 acres Witness You Amirs, George (his mark) Rex signed Stephen Woodruff Catherine "X" her mark Woodruff Dower before John Heaton J. P. 23 Dec 1795

   In between moves, Isiah increased his family as he increased his land:

CHILDREN OF ISAIAH AND RHODA WINTERS

BENJAMIN WINTERS, b. Bet. 1760 - 1765; married JANE and had seven children, listed below. d. 1840, Monroe Township, Muskinghum County, Ohio.

ABRAHAM WINTERS was born in 1768. He married MARGARET and had a son, Eli, on 14 Mar 1803.

WILLIAM WINTERS was born in 1770. She married a woman named MARTHA. No further information.

ISAIAH WINTERS, JR., was born in 1771. He married CATHERINE FREDERICK. No further information.

JOHN WINTERS was born in 1773. He married a woman named HANNAH. No further information.

ISAAC WINTERS was born in 1775. He married a woman named Polly T., born in 1780. No further information.

   Isaiah's eldest son, BENJAMIN WINTERS (1765 - 1840), was the County Clerk of Green County Waynesburg, the County seat of Green County Pennsylvania. At one point Benjamin Winters did own land in Ohio County, Virginia, now Marshall County, West Virginia. The land was adjoining land owned by Benjamin Manning, who married his daughter Jerusha Winters.
   Benjamin's will reads: "In the name of God Amen. I Benjamin Winters of Monroe Township, Muskingum County, Ohio, being of sound mind and memory, but weak in body, thanks be to God for the same, do make and publish this to be my last will and testimony to wit. First, it is my will that all my just debts and funeral expenses be paid. Second item, I will to my two sons Lewis and Brice Winters all my real estate of land in Monroe Township, Muskingum County, Ohio. That is to say the north west quarter of the south east quarter of Section Ten in Township Three of Range Five in the unappropriated lands in the Military District subject to sale at Zanesville, Ohio containing Forty acres. Also 20 acres it being the south half of the South west quarter of the northeast quarter of Section No. 10, Township No. 3 of Range No. 5 (one line of the will is unreadable at this point) Third item, I will that at the decease of my son Lewis Winters all the land that is in this will is to be Brice Winters if the said Lewis deceases (wi he livin??) of his body. Fourth, I will that my beloved wife Jane Winters shall have her maintenance of the land as long as she lives. Fifth item, I will my son Rees Winters one dollar. Item, I will my daughter Jerusha one plow. Item, I will to my daughter Rebecca one calf. Item, I will to my daughter Hannah two sheep. Item, I will to my daughter Jane one bed and bedding and one heifer. Item, I will all the rest of my personal property to my wife Jane for her use and to divide at her decease as she may think proper and Lastly, I nominate my wife Jane as executor of my last will and testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand January the 29th AD 1840."
   The children of Benjamin and Jane are:

CHILDREN OF BENJAMIN AND JANE WINTERS

BRICE WINTERS was born in (?). He married CATHERINE MORENT in 1841.

REBECCA WINTERS was born in 1822. No further information.

JERUSHA WINTERS was born in 1803. She married BENJAMIN MANNING and had six kids: Reuben S., Lewis, Melison, a boy, Lavina, and another girl.

REES WINTERS was born in 1806 in Ohio. He married REBECCA (or MARY) CANE in 1821, and had seven kids, listed below. He died in 1867 in Cameron, West Virginia.

LEWIS WINTERS was born in 1810. No further information.

HANNAH WINTERS was born in 1812. She married JAMES ABISON or ACHISON. No further information.

JANE WINTERS was born in 1816. She married CHRISTOPHER CORNELIAS. No further information.

Information Census Image Name: Rees Winters Township: Not Stated County: Marshall State: VA Roll: 568 Page: 285 Year: 1840 View image View blank 1840 census form  (PDF 136K) SOURCE: 1840 United States Federal Census. M704, 580 rolls. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington DC

   When REES(E) WINTERS was born in 1802 in Jefferson County, Ohio, When Reese Winters was born in 1806 in Ohio, his father, Benjamin, was 43 and his mother, Ms. Jane, was 24. He grew into a large man, and Their granddaughter Alfretta would later remember that when she was young they had a special chair for him, as he was so big. In 1823, Reese married (1) REBECCA CANE (b. @1808), the daughter of ABRAHAM (b. 1778) and REBECCA (b. 1880).
   On 13 Nov 1833 the Virginia sky was filled with shooting stars from the Leonid meteor shower (as a result of the Tempel Tuttle comet, which revolves around the sun every 32 and a half years). It was such a spectacular sight that many Virginians panicked and thought the world was coming to an end. It became known as "The night the stars fell." Watching were Reese, Rebecca and the following children:

CHILDREN OF REES WINTERS AND REBECCA CANE

REBECCA WINTERS was born in 1822. No further information.

ROBERT S. WINTERS was born July 19, 1825, and died January 18, 1915 in WV, Interred in Rock Lick Cemetery, Marshall County, West Virginia. He married MARY J. CARR (b. 6 Apr 1829 in Pennsylvania, and died 14 Jan 1908 in WV). They are interred in Rock Lick Cemetery, Marshall County, West Virginia.

ABRAHAM CANE WINTERS was born March 04, 1829 in Marshall County, West Virginia, and died on 13 Aug 1893 in Saunemin, Livingston, Illinois. He married (1) FRANCIS MILLER May 30, 1852. She was born on 10 Aug 1833, and died 25 Sep 1854 in Marshall County, Illinois. He married (2) ELIZA A. MALONE on 19 Feb 1856. She was born 16 Feb 1835, and died on 25 Nov 1881 in Missouri. He married (3) EDITH LOUISA POTTER on 16 Oct 1883. He died on 13 Aug 1893 in Saunemin township, Illinois.¹

MATILDA WINTERS was born in 1831. No further information.

MARY ANN WINTERS was born on 2 Mar 1820 in West Virginia. In 1845 she married DANIEL ENSLEY BLODGETT (1820-1880), and they had the following children: MARGARET BLODGETT (1844-1912), BELINDA BLODGETT (1847-1931), BENJAMIN BLODGETT (b. 1852), and CHARLES R. BLODGETT (1855-1856). She died on 8 May 1859 in Minonk, Woodford County, Illinois, and is buried with her husband at Lacon Cemetery in Lacon, Marshall County, Illinois.

JAMES WINTERS was born in 1833. "James was killed in a railroad accident while Conductor on the B.& O. Railroad." (SOURCE: letter from David Winters, to his sister-in-law Delia Thompson, George Winter's widow.)

ELEANORE "ELLEN" F. WINTERS was born in 1834 in West Virginia. She married RICHARD HOBBS (1833-1860), and they had a daughter, EMMA BELLE HOBBS (24 Feb 1858 - 28 Feb 1901). Ellen died on 25 Jan 1871 in West Virginia.

   Reese and Rebecca survived the night, but she died in 1834. Then Rees remarried, to PRISCILLA MARSHALL, in 1835 in Marshall, Fauquier, Virginia. According to son David, she was born near the Pennsylvania Dutch, and was the niece of John Marshall, the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
   Banks shuttered their doors and unemployment skyrocketed when Reese Winters lived in Marshall, Virginia in 1840, during the economic depression that became known as the Panic of 1837. He was in the 1840 Marshall County WV Census as a head of household. James, John and Samuel are also heads of households.
   Reese died on September 10, 1867. TAKEN FROM THE MARSHALL COUNTY REPUBLICAN, HENRY, IL, October 24, 1867: "Roes Winters, an old resident of this county, age 61, died in West Virginia, October 8th of apoplexy. The statesmen said he had gone there to attend an important land suit and was taken with a fit and died without a struggle. He leaves a large family of sons and daughters, mostly grown up and married to mourn his loss. He has been a resident of this county for 13 years."
   Anyway, the children of Rees and Priscilla are:

CHILDREN OF REES WINTERS AND PRISCILLA MARSHALL

LAVINA WINTERS (b. 1839) married EDWARD TREALACE.

ELIZABETH "ELIZA" ANN WINTERS was born on 21 Mar 1841. In 1861 she married ISAAC BRITTON HEAD (1838-1932) and they had the following children: GEORGE NORMN (1852-1935), RUBEN REESE (1866-1946), EDITH EVELYN "EVA" (1868-1900), CHARLES H (1870-1938), ALLEN (b. 1873), MARY (b. 1876) and IDA JANE (1879-1957). She died on 23 Sep 1926.

DAVID E. WINTERS was was born 1843 in Cameron, West Virginia. He wrote to his brother George's widow: "Father was, as far as I know, an American for many generations, probably of Irish Extraction, Mother was born in Virginia, near the Penn Line of Dutch-not German stock, Chief Justice Marshall, the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was her uncle... There, were no slaves near where we lived, none of our people ever owned a slave." Also: "We had made up our minds to drive to Los Angeles this fall, but I could not arrange my business in time for the foul weather, and we gave up the drive and will go by railroad soon as we can get ready. My boy has lived there for 17 years." David died on 19 Jan 1927 in Haviland, Kiowa County, KS.

GEORGE WINTERS was born in 1845 in West Virgina. The fifth son of Reese Winters, he married DELIA AMELIA THOMPSON (10 Apr 1844 - 13 Apr 1923) in Lacon, Illinois, and they had the following children: FRANK BURCHARD WINTERS (b. Bureau County, Illinois; d. Abt. 1940); CHARLES E. WINTERS (m. Fannie Meckler); EDNA WINTERS (m. MARTIN TYCHEN); and MARY E. WINTERS. The family moved into Bradford, Illinois and George was elected Township Tax Collector. George died in 1902 in Bradford, Illinois.

ESTHER WINTERS (b. 1847).

WILLIAM WALKER WINTERS was born in 1849. He was in the 1850 census

JOSEPH WINTERS was born on 12 Jan 1851 in Wheeling, West Virgina. He married 1) SARAH ANN (b. 1860) and had the following children: GUY A. (b. 1878), ORLAND (b. 1880), JAMES (b. 1881), and PAUL WINTERS (b. 1881). Joseph then married 2) JULIA B. SLAGLE (b. 1856) and they had a son, GEORGE B (b. 1883), MAUDE E (b. 1883), BLANCHE (b. 1885), NETTIE (b. 1887), CLARA (b. 1889), BELLE (b. 1890), EDWARD MARSHALL (1893-1967), CLYDE LESTER (1896-1969), FRANCES (b. 1896), THOMAS (b. 1898), HELEN (b. 1899) and TED WINTERS. Joseph died on 2 JUL 1931 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

MARSHALL A WINTERS was born on 17 Jan 1853 in Marshall, Illinois. He married SUSAN B. STANLEY (1854-1932) and they had the following children: MAY IDA WINTERS (1883-1884), MYRTLE CAMILLE WINTERS (1887-1890), and IVA NAOMI WINTERS (1893-1906). He died on 7 Sep 1932 in Litchfield, Montgomery, Illinois.

MARTHA "MATTIE" P WINTERS was born in Feb 1859 in Marshall, Illinois. On 9 Nov 1875 she married FRANKLIN AUGUSTUS LUTHER (22 Dec 1848 - 4 Jun 1937) in Chicago, Cook, Illinois and they had IRA LUTHER (24 Jan 1877 - 1955, married CARRIE BOYD), ESTELLA M (BOYD, 1881-1962), and ELLA R "BABE" LUTHER (KELLER, b. 10 Jul 1882). In the 1880 census, her mother Priscilla is living with them in Chicago. Martha died on 28 Apr 1945.

Abraham Cane Winters

   ABRAHAM CANE WINTERS was born 4 Mar 1829 in Marshall County, West Virginia. He moved to a large farm in Illinois while he was in his twenties, during the time of the The Great Debates, a series of seven debates between his namesake Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for the United States Senate, and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas (they were supposed to debate in the county courthouse in Lacon in 1854, but the event was canceled). A decade later, Abraham Winters's namesake went on to the presidency, while he served in the Union Army. Abraham Cane Winters lived a long life, surviving three wives and fathering a dozen children. We know more about Abraham Cane Winters than his ancestors, mainly because of a short bio of him in the 1878 book, The History of Livingston County, Illinois, page 784: "A.C. Winters, farmer and stock raiser, Sec. 32; P.O.Pontiac; he owns 320 acres of land, valued at $40 per acre, is finely watered and well adapted to stock raising; he is a native of West Virginia; was born in Marshall Co., March 4, 1829; at the age of 21 he came to Marshall Co., Illinois, where he remained engaged in farming until 1864, when he settled where he now resides." (Saunemin, Livingston, Illinois.)
   "In May 30, 1852, he married Miss Frances Miller; she died Sept 25, 1854, leaving one child—Alfarata F.":

CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM WINTERS AND FRANCIS MILLER

ALFRETTA "RET" or "RETTA" F. WINTERS was born on 10 Aug 1853 in Illinois. She married a man named HENRY BROWN, who died sometime before 1900. They had no children, but after the death of Ret's father and stepmother, she raised her half-sister Nelle, 32 years younger than Ret. This author owns her rocking chair, passed down to him through his great-grandmother Nelle, and it currently rests in his bedroom. She is buried at Five Mile Cemetery in Saunemin, Livingston County, Illinois.

Eliza Ann Malone-Winters

   The bio continues: "on Feb 19, 1856, he married his second wife—Miss Eliza A. Malone; she was born Feb 16, 1835; they are parents of eight children—Elbridge and Eldridge, born Aug 23, 1857; Eldridge deceased; Ida B., born Nov 20, 1858; Emma R., born March 18, 1860; Clarence II, and Clarissie B., born Jan 6, 1862, Clarissa deceased; Ira M., born Dec 13, 1869; and Jesse Eugene Winters (1 Oct 1872 - 30 Sep 1938)."
   Abe married his second wife, ELIZA ANN MALONE (16 Feb 1835 - 25 Nov 1881), on 19 Feb 1856 in Marshall County, Illinois. Then during the Civil War, he registered for military duty in Illinois on 21 Aug 1863, and according to pension records filed by Eliza, he served in the 6th Independent Battery, Ohio Light Artillery. (The company might have been combined because so many men were killed or wounded.²) This Battery was organized on 20 Nov 1861, under Captain Cullen Bradley, and attached to the Sherman Brigade. Abraham entered the service as a private and rose to Artificer (Film Number: M552 roll 119). The unit fought on 19 and 20 Sep 1863 at Chickamauga, GA; on 29 May 1864 at Near Dallas, GA; on 18 Jun 1864 at Near Marietta, GA; on 18 Jun 1864 at Dallas, GA; on 30 Jun 1864 at Dallas, GA; on 6 Jul 1864 at Chattahoochee River, GA; and on 30 Nov 1864 at Franklin, TN.
   Abraham and Eliza had the following children:

CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM WINTERS AND ELIZA ANN MALONE

ELBRIDGE O. WINTERS was born on 23 Aug 1857 in Illinois, along with his twin ELDRIDGE, who did not survive. In 1891, Elbridge married HATTIE BILLINGSLY (11 Mar 1858 - 24 Mar 1928) and they had a daughter, LUCY R WINTERS-FRENCH (23 Nov 1891 - 23 Oct 1970). He died on 21 Mar 1928 in Lexington, Dawson County, Nebraska and is buried there at Greenwood Cemetery, Plot: E 18-1-1.

IDA BELLE WINTERS was born on 20 Nov 1858 in Illinois. She married SAMUEL EDGAR SHARPE (b. 1859) in Livingston, Illinois.

EMMA REBECCA WINTERS was born on 18 Mar 1860 in Illinois. In 1883 she married WILLIAM R. SHEPHERD (1860-1942) in Illinois. They had two sons: CLIFFORD H. SHEPHERD (b. 1883) and RAY E. SHEPHERD (1887-1981). Emma died on 19 Oct 1919 in Lexington, Dawson County, Nebraska, and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery.

PAUL WINTERS was born in 1862 in Illinois. He died on 7 Dec 1899 in Louisville Town (19 & 27 Coex.), Boulder, Colorado.

CLARENCE HALL WINTERS was born on 6 Jan 1862 in Marshall, Illinois. On 7 Mar 1894 he married ETTA LOU BELLE DAVIS (1871-1942) in Livingston, Illinois. They had the following children: ELEANOR ANNA WINTERS (1894-1983), HAROLD ABRAHAM WINTERS (1898-1946), HAZEL MARGUERITE WINTERS (1901-1985), and CLARENCE CRUMLEY WINTERS (1905-1970). He died on 19 Dec 1917 in Saunemin, Livingston, Illinois.

CLARISSY B WINTERS was born on 6 Jan 1862. No further information.

IRA MORTIMER WINTERS was born on 13 Dec 1869 in Saunemin, Livingston County, Illinois. In 1896 he married MARY ELLA WAGNER (1875-1943) and they had the following children: VERNA L. WINTERS (1897-1988), IRENE L WINTERS (1899-1970), RUTH MARIE WINTERS (1904-1984), and CLAIRE WINTERS (1910-1984). He died on 10 Feb 1953 in Saunemin, Livingston, Illinois.

JESSE EUGENE WINTERS was born on 1 Oct 1872 in Illinois. On 19 Dec 1893 he married EMMA T EARDMAN (1876-1944) in Pontiac, Livingston, Illinois. They had the following children: WILLIAM ALBERT WINTERS (1894-1965), EDWIN E. WINTERS (b. 1895), ANNA ALVENA WINTERS (1897-1980), RAYMOND T. WINTERS (1898-1960), DORA WINTERS (1900-1980), IDA T. WINTERS (b. 1901), STELLA I. WINTERS (1902-1946), JOSEPH B WINTERS (b. 1905), JOSEPHINE WINTERS (b. 1905), MARIE L. WINTERS (1906-1997), JENNIE NADINE WINTERS (b. 1910), CLIFTON A. WINTERS (1912-1998), WILLIAM A. WINTERS (b. 1917), and JESSE L. WINTERS (1917-1993). Jesse died on 30 Sep 1938 in Blue Earth, Minnesota.

The descendants of Abraham Cane Winters enjoy some watermelon and pose in front of his old residence at the turn of the 20th Century.

Tin-type images of A.C. Winters and his third wife Edit Louisa Potter, in the early 1880s. (From the photo albums of Nelle Winters Pritchard, in possession of her granddaughter, Martha Hause.)

Potter

   Abraham Winters would marry once again, and that union would bring us our next ancestor in this family line, although the outcome of the marriage was tragic. Abraham would marry a woman from a poor farming family whom was unprepared for the hardships of life with children that were not hers, as well as the death of her infant son.¹
   Abe married EDITH LOUISA POTTER on 16th Oct 1883, in Saunemin township, Livingston County, Illinois. Abraham was seventeen years older than Edith, and had already been married twice, with nine kids! But more were on the way...
   Edith gave him two more children, starting with NELLE WINTERS on 24 Feb 1885. But their youngest, EARLE AMASY WINTERS, died before his second birthday on 16 Aug 1889. Edith must have taken this hard, as she died from a dose of London Purple, taken with suicidal intent, two years later on 28 Nov 1891.³ Her body was laid to rest in the Five Mile Cemetery, Saunamin township, Illinois.
   Abraham died two years later, but he was survived by his daughter Nelle, who was now orphaned at eight years old. But Nelle had a large extended family for support, and was raised by her adult half-siblings—in particular her Aunt Alfretta "Ret" Winters-Brown (10 Aug 1853 - 7 Aug 1917). Despite the tragedies of Nelle's childhood, she appears in pictures to have been a happy child. She is pictured below in some photo booth shots, posing with her niece, Ruth. On 17 Feb 1909, she married WILLIAM PRITCHARD, a born jokester, who made sure that she continued smiling for many more years.

CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM WINTERS AND EDITH LOUISA POTTER

NELLE ELLEN WINTERS was born on 24 Feb 1885 in Saunemin township, Illinois. After the deaths of her mother and father she was raised by her half-sister Ret, who was 32 years older. Nelle married WILLIAM CLINE PRITCHARD on 17 Feb 1909 in Saunemin, Illinois, and they moved to Chelsea, Michigan and farmed on the land that is now used as the Chrysler Proving Grounds (there's even a Pritchard Road there). They had two daughters, Dorothy (15 Apr 1918 - 3 Sep 2010) and Helen (6 May 1919 - 1 Aug 2001 ). Nelle lived a long, happy life and died on 15 Dec 1974 at the Cedar Knoll Rest Home, Grass Lake, Michigan.

EARLE AMASY WINTERS was born on 21 Dec 1887. He died before his second birthday, on 16 Nov 1889. He shares a headstone with his mother in Five Mile Cemetery, Saunemin, Livingston County, Illinois. Thanks to Katelyn Swartz for the only known photo of Nelle and Earle.¹

The descendants of Abraham Cane Winters gather for a reunion in the 1920's.

TOP IMAGE: Images of A.C. Winters and his third wife Edith Louisa Potter, in the early 1890s. (From the photo albums of Nelle-Winters Pritchard, in possession of her granddaughter, Martha Hause.)

NOTES ON THIS PAGE:

¹—Winters descendant KATELYN SWARTZ (her great-great-great grandfather is Abraham Cane Winters, and her great-great grandfather is his son, Ira Winters, who was Nelle Winters' half-brother) has created a web page showing the wives and children of Abraham that were found in a family album, and is looking to identify the people in the photos posted there. If your'e also a descendant, take a look!

²—Battery lost during service: 1 Officer and 8 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded, and 34 Enlisted men by disease (total of 43). Equipment: 2 4-pdr Parrotts, 2 6-pdr Rodmans; Engagements: The Siege of Corinth, Battle of Perryville, Battle of Stones River, Tullahoma Campaign, Battle of Chickamauga, Siege of Chattanooga, Atlanta Campaign, Battle of Resaca, Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Siege of Atlanta, Battle of Jonesboro, Battle of Spring Hill, Second Battle of Franklin, Battle of Nashville.

³—True Republican, 12 December 1891: "The wife of A.C. Winters, a prominent farmer living 9 miles northeast of Fairbury, committed suicide by taking poison. No cause was assigned."

SOURCES FOR THIS PAGE:

Nelle Winters (back row, 2nd from right) at school in Saunemin in the late 1800's.

WINTERS PHOTO ALBUM, CIRCA 1895 (ALFRETTA WINTERS BROWN)

Nelle and Earle (Potter Family Album) Nelle and Earl (Potter Family Album)