Mehitable Angell 6th great aunt on RootsMagic tree.
Mehitable was born January 31, 1800 in Johnston, Rhode Island to Israel and Susannah Luther Angell. Israel Angell’s life is documented because he was a Colonel in the American Revolution and he and General George Washington wrote letters back and forth. Israel also explored the west from August 4 to October 9, 1788. The ‘west’ only went as far as Ohio, Israel kept a journal of his travels, these are published in Rhode Island History magazine of January and April, 1963. Israel’s kids would have heard stories of his western travels. Only 2 of his 17 kids moved west: Mehitable and her younger brother Henry.

Mehitable married William Wilkinson. Henry married William’s sister Eliza Wilkinson and they all moved across the country, first stop Hennepin, Illinois where they were on the 1850 census. Henry and his family stayed there in Illinois. Mehitable and her family went 200 miles further west to Jefferson Township in Buchanan County, Iowa where they were on the 1856 Iowa census. When the Wilkinson’s set up their home it would have been on acres and acres of prairie- Iowa was 80% tall grass prairie in 1850. Mehitable’s family farmed, she and William had four children they stayed there in Jefferson Township. Mehitable was a widow the last 12 years of her life and lived with her son and family. She is buried in Spring Creek Cemetery. The address is LaPorte City, Iowa and it’s surrounded by cornfields on three sides, I 380 is on the 4th side. From the cemetery a person can see the interstate. From the interstate in certain seasons a person can see the cemetery.

Mehitable Angell is probably the reason Delia and Charles Angell ended up in Iowa. When Delia’s mom died in 1847 her dad Dexter went to New York where his dad and brothers were. Delia and Charles stayed in Indiana with their older sister, then left for Iowa. Delia stayed with Charles and his family until she married and had a daughter Matilda Flood, who had a daughter Philippa Mockford who had a daughter Elizabeth Speedy.

Sources

• Iowa census 1856, Buchanan, Jefferson at Ancestry

• Angell Family Bible, typed up sheet. Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914 database at FamilySearch

• Rhode Island History Journal, 1963 (vol. 22) January “Israel Angell and the West in 1788,” by Dwight L. Smith, conduced in April journal. January 1963 Israel’s article begins on page 1 or image 2 http://www.rihs.org/assetts/files/publications/1963_Jan.pdf. April 1963 is real article conclusion on page 39 or image 5. http://www.rihs.org/assetts/files/publications/1963_April.pdf

• The ordinance of 1787, “ a workable American colonial policy, whereby states could evolve was set forth”. At wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Ordinance