Philip Vadakin (1786-05-25 – 1851-08-18) was my 4th-great-grandfather through his daughter Melissa Ryder by his first wife Philema Rutherford. He was the son of Henry Vadakin and Tabitha Prior. He had probably seven children.
The obituary of his son Henry provides insights into Philip and his family:ref
Forrest City Times
Forrest City, Ark., Aug. 4, 1888
Obituary: Henry F. Vadakin, youngest of eleven children, was born in Bristol, Vermont, in the year 1822, and died in Sullivan, Illinois, July 23, 1888, aged 65 years. Having met with financial misfortune, his father moved to Moultrie county at an early day, and founded the town of Nelson, and named it for his eldest son. The subject of this sketch came to Moultrie county in 1841 and for a few years was engaged in teaching school. He became a citizen of Sullivan county in 1853, and was a foremost citizen and leading business man until 1872, at which time he retired from active business life. After the death of his estimable wife, deceased for many years made his home with his children, four of whom are now living, Mrs. Dora Kilner, Mrs. W. B. Townsend of Shelbyville, Illinois, James H. a prosperous merchant of Bethany, Illinois; and Edward Lincoln, your local editor of the Forrest City Times, who arrived too late for the funeral.
See below for the claimed 11 children.
Philip married three times of record. All his known children are from Philema.
The obituary above suggests Philip had 11 children. He married Philema in 1812, and Henry was born in 1822, which would be a tight timetable for that many births. Also, the census records (see below) do not show this many children.
However, Philip was 25 when he married Philema, so an earlier wife, with children, is certainly possible. But I have found no record of any such marriage, nor any evidence that such children existed.
My current inclination then is that the statement in the obituary is either an error or is also counting Henry’s step-siblings from Philip’s later marriages.
His first known wife was my ancestor Philema Rutherford, who he married 1812-01-07 in Bristol, Vermont. She died in 1831 in Bristol, Vermont. I have only identified three of their children, out of a presumed seven (see below):
Online trees add daughters Carolina (*1817) and Pamelia, but I have not found credible records of either. Similarly, there are claims that Nelson’s middle name was Thomas and Henry’s was Franklin, which I cannot confirm.
His next wife was Lydia Ann Clements, who he married 1839-09-12 in Shelby County, Illinois. What became of her is not clear. She is not listed with him in the 1840 census; see below.
His last known wife was widow Matilda (née Shay) Case, who he married 1848-11-22 in Moultrie County, Illinois. She had several children by her first husband Nathaniel Case, but none by Philip.
Philip’s 1786 birth is recorded in Chester, Massachusetts. He is named in the 1820, 1830, and 1840 censuses, which only provide counts and age ranges and can provide information about his family:
| Year | Place | Counts | Inferred births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820ref ref | Bristol, VT | 2 ♂ <10, 1 ♂ 26–44, 2 ♀ <10, 1 ♀ 16–25 | 1775–1794 ♂ 1794–1804 ♀ 1810–1820 ♂♂♀♀ |
| 1830ref | Bristol, VT | 1 ♂ 5–9, 1 ♂ 10–14, 1 ♂ 15–19, 1 ♂ 40s, 2 ♀ <5, 1 ♀ 10–14, 1 ♀ 15–19, 1 ♀ 20s, 1 ♀ 30s | 1780–1790 ♂ 1790–1800 ♀ 1800–1810 ♀ 1810–1815 ♂♀ 1815–1820 ♂♀ 1820–1825 ♂ 1825–1830 ♀♀ |
| 1840ref | Shelby Co., IL | 1 ♂ 15–19, 1 ♂ 20s, 1 ♂ 50s | 1780–1790 ♂ 1810–1820 ♂ 1820–1825 ♂ |
No females are listed in his household in 1840. This is puzzling and they may have been skipped by mistake, or perhaps the men were doing construction or the like on the property while the women were housed elsewhere. Or, he may have already been widowed again, and all his daughters had either moved out or died young.
In 1850 he is living with his son Nelson’s widow Julia and their two children.ref
The female in her 20s in 1830 would be very difficult to place as Philip’s child, much less by Philema, especially since she does not seem to be counted in 1820. She may be some other relative living with them, or a non-relative.
The oldest male in all years and oldest female in 1820 and 1830 are surely Philip and Philema, respectively.
Taken together, the above suggest Philip had seven children, all by Philema. The known children fit in the above list; what became of the others is unknown.
He was convicted of selling liquor without a license in 1845, but pardoned by the governor.