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5. Barbara McCune, by whom he had no children, between 1833-1838.
6. Barbara Campbell, by whom he had no children, between 1833-1838.
Jacob(1) died 22 May 1838, as recorded in Benjamin's Bible. His land was legally divided between eight children who had survived to adulthood. Apparently he left no widow. At least four of the parcels were never claimed, as ten years later Benjamin had them auctioned publicly by the sheriff, whereupon he bought them himself.
Benjamin Coleman
Benjamin Coleman was born 8 Feb. 1814, according to his statement on each Census record since 1840, although the tombstone date disagrees. He is the son of Jacob(1) and Mary (Polly) Bunnell (Bonnell) Coleman. According to his biography in the History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, p. 1035, he "received his education in the common schools of Colerain Township, and, after reaching manhood, rented a farm for a time and then teamed for a few years."
His first wife was Elizabeth Gallamore (sometimes spelled Gilmore), whom he married in 1836. She was born in 1812, and died in June of 1841. They had one child:
1) John, born about 1838. Married Mary Johnson. No children. Served in Civil War and was a prisoner at Andersonville. Died in 1868 of wounds received in the Civil War. Apparently he had a ball left in his body from the war, which Doc West found lodged in his heart valve. He was found dead in a chair by the fireplace. There was a claim after his death, of an illegitimate child, by a woman named Hannah Wilsey, but it was never proven.
Benjamin was listed on the 1840 Census in Rushville, Rush County, Indiana. Apparently, whereas they used to ferry people across the White River there, by 1840 they began a project of building bridges and didn't put more ferries in. Benjamin could have been working there temporarily for his wife's grandfather in Rush County. Later, at least three of his brothers would follow suit.
Benjamin married
2. Mrs. Sarah Ann (Jacobs) Crane, 17 Dec. 1841. She was the widow of Frederick Crane, whom she had married in 1838 at Flatrock, Indiana. After they had been married one year and three months, he was involved in a fire in a pork house in Flatrock and inhaled flames and died. Five months later she gave birth to a son, whom she named Frederick.
Benjamin and Sarah were living in Districk #69, Miami Township, Hamilton, Ohio by the 1850 Census. Besides John and Frederick, they together had:
1) Rebecca, born about 1843. Married Benjamin Franklin Stephenson, 2 Sept. 1866. Died 26 Nov. 1905.
2) Jacob(3), born about 1845. He had "the white swelling" at 10years of age and never developed after that. Never married. Died 18 May 1902.
3) Mary Ann, born about 1847. Died 10 Sept. 1848 of scarlet fever.
4) Phoebe Lucinda, born about 1848. Married 1) William Slater, 25 Oct. 1897, married 2) Charles Henry Stevens, 9 May 1918. Died 7 Sept. 1940.
5) Jeanette, born in Feb. 1950. Married Edward Dean, 13 Jan. 1872. Died Sept. 18, 1929.
6) Julia Ann, born about 1852. Married John Wesley Hollowell, 30 Jan. 1873. Died 27 Dec. 1893.
7) Elizabeth, born about 1854. Married Louis F. Schnicke, 7 May 1873. Died 2 nov. 1908.
8) Dannelia, born about 1856 (a twin). Married 1) Calvin Reinier, 10 April 1879. Married 2)Ileck, whom she divorced and was restored to Reinier. Died 8 Feb. 1932.
9) Francelia, born about 1856 (a twin). Married Bellany Schull, in Oct. 1880. Died 5 June 1893.
10) Margaret Eleanor, born aft. 1860. Married Elias Joyce, 30 June 1880. Died 2 Jan. 1941.
The 1860 Census listed a day laborer living with them named Francis, age 16.
Benjamin inherited part of Jacob(1)'s land grant. To that he added a parcel of land in Indiana in Drewersburg, plus several lots in Ohio. All told he owned seven farms.
This made him very tempting for one son-in-law, Louis Schnicke. On one occasion he even tried to bring about Benjamin's early demise through hanging. Apparently there was a blank deed with nobody's name on it. A man named Herroder hired two men who were Masons to get fellow Mason, Benjamin, out to the old Simmons place and make him sign over the deed. So they took Benjamin there and strung him up on a white oak tree.
They thought it was Herroder who wanted the place, but it turned out that it was really daughter Elizabeth's husband, Louis Scnicke who put them up to it. He had expected to get a farm as soon as he married Elizabeth Coleman. He knew that when Benjamin died he would get Elizabeth's 17 acres of land, so he tried to hasten Benjamin's death.
After they hung Benjamin, they ran. But apparently they didn't do a good job of it, because Benjamin grabbed hold of the rope and pulled himself up to the limb. He hung there quite awhile before he could pull himself far enough to straddle the limb. Then he sat at the limb and worked for twohours to get the knot off. Then he went home.
Herroder brought charges against the two men he had hired and was the prosecution's main witness. But then he went to Indianapolis and never returned. Masonic meeting records say: "The first business was to investigate the charge against brother Jackson Bunnell, and brother William Flinchpaw, for unmasonic conduct in mobbing brother Benjamin Coleman, but inasmuch as the brethren who brought the charges were not present the charges were dismissed."
A year before Benjamin died, a history of the area was published, History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, with a biographical sketch of his life.
Benjamin Coleman died 18 June 1895. His wife, Sarah Ann, died 17 March 1912.
Priscilla Coleman Roberts
Priscilla was born around 1820, to Jacob(1) and Mary (Polly) Bunnell (Bonnell) Coleman. Although the 1850 Census lists her age as 28, she seemed to also be on the 1820 Census.
Priscilla married John Roberts, possibly about 1839. In 1840, she had a son, Louis. On the 1850 Census, they were in Colerain Township, in Hamilton County, Ohio. Louis was listed as age 10, born in Ohio. Her husband, John Roberts, was listed at born about 1820. He was a cooper, or barrel maker.
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