The Thornhill Family of Bronaugh

The 1870 census shows John Thornhill with his first wife Rachel, living Hawk Point in Lincoln County, Missouri.

John Thornhill

37

Rachel Thornhill

31

Junetta D Thornhill

8

Alva M Thornhill

8/12

By 1880, they lived in Richland Township, Vernon County, MO. He was shown with his second wife, Nancy. Their son Lemuel along with his two daughters from the first marriage:

Jno. Thornhill

42

Nancy Thornhill

37

Lemuel A. Thornhill

5

Netta Thornhill

17

Alva M. Thornhill

9

Tommy Lu (Thornhill) Van Eaton shared information on these families. Her great grandfather, John Thornhill is buried in Worsley Cemetery. He had a daughter Alva Mae, also known as Alver. Alver lived in Bronaugh until she passed away in 1941. She married Charles W. Wilker, and their daughter was Geneva Beryl Wilker who married Robert Lee Linn, son of John Linn and Sarah Harrison. John Thornhill's other daughter was Junetta, also known as Nettie, and she married John M. Angel (They're buried in Welborn Cemetery). Their daughter Ida V. Angel married Charles E. Phelps. Their daughter Valera Phelps married Marion Saathoff. Tommy's grandfather, Lemuel Thornhill, was by John Thornhill's second wife, Nancy Kelly, and he came to Colgate, Ok.in the 1890s. Nancy is buried in Coalgate Cemetery.

It appears that John Thornhill and his second wife, Nancy, separated about 1892 and she headed out to Indian Territory with their two sons, Lemuel and John Joseph. Apparently, John, stayed behind with his two daughters and their families (the Wilkers and the Angels).

The 1900 census shows John, age 64, living with his daughter and son-in-law in Moundville Township (Charles and Alver Wilker). This census lists him as a widower. This is another example of the term widower being used for someone who was either divorced or separated. Second wife Nancy died in 1925 in Oklahoma.

The death certificate for Alver Thornhill Wilker listed John Thornhill's wife (mother of Alver) as Rachel Kelly.

Worsley Cemetery records include the burial for John Thornhill, March 2, 1833 - December 10, 1906. Charles and Alver Wilker are buried beside him.

Tommy shared this photo of John Thornhill and his daughters, Nettie (Angel) and Alver (Wilker).

Tommy also sent the above scan from her cousin, Nettie's Granddaughter Valera Saathoff, that shows the two sisters, Alver (Thornhill) Wilker and Nettie (Thornhill) Angel in front of the doorway of a house. Alver is the sister with the darker hair. Beryl Wilker Linn is the third person from the left with a fancy hat. Her father Charles Wilker is on the far left and her mother Alver is in another fancy hat in front of the doorway. Alver's daughter-in-law has her hand on Beryl's shoulder. Nettie is the petite lady beside Alver and Nettie's two daughters are beside her. They were Katie (Kitty) May (Angel) Thomas and Ida Valera (Angel) Phelps. Kitty May Thomas' son, Henry J. Thomas, ran a drug store in Nevada, Mo. The man on the far right of the picture is John Phelps--Ida Valera Angel married into his family.

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This page is designed and maintained by Lyndon Irwin.