John ASHCOM^[1]

Abt 1819 - Abt 1899

• Born	Abt 1819  [2]
  Gender	Male
  Died	Abt 1899	New Florence, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania   [3]
  Person ID	I400	Johnson Hindin Tree
  Last Modified	22 Jan 2018

  
  

  Father	John ASHCOM,   b. 1779, St. Mary's, Maryland ,   d. 1 Jun 1835, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania
  Mother	Mary Hoftus (?),   b. Abt 1780, St. Mary's, Maryland ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	Abt 1800	St. Mary's, Maryland
  Family ID	F320	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family 1	Martha Jane GOHN,   b. 5 Jun 1837, Pennsylvania ,   d. 20 May 1920
  Children	1. Ray ASHCOM   2. Benjamin Franklin ASHCOM,   b. 26 Apr 1866, Indiana Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 22 Aug 1947, Indiana, Indiana Co., Pennsylvania   3. Mary Elisabeth ASHCOM,   b. 7 Sep 1875, New Florence, Pennsylvania ,   d. 19 Feb 1961, Ben Avon, Pennsylvania
  Family ID	F131	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family 2	Sarah SMELKER,   b. 11 Aug 1821, Bellefonte, Center Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 8 Jul 1904, Johnstown, Cambria Co., Pennsylvania   [4]
  Married	Abt 1841	Johnstown, Cambria Co., Pennsylvania
  Divorced	25 May 1874	Johnstown, Cambria Co., Pennsylvania
  	According to Joan L. Markel, in correspondence dated September 12, 2002, summarizing a telephone call to the Cambria County Courthouse, whose records showed the divorce of John and Sarah "Ascum" on May 25, 1874.
  Children	1. William Smelker ASHCOM,   b. 10 Jun 1843, Johnstown, Cambria Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 26 Jun 1916, Johnstown, Cambria Co., Pennsylvania   2. Charles Lewis ASHCOM,   b. 16 Aug 1847, Conemaugh, Cambria Co.,, Pennsylvania ,   d. 19 Jan 1926, Johnstown, Cambria Co., Pennsylvania
  Family ID	F484	Group Sheet

  
  

• Notes

  According to the 1850 Census, a John Askum, age 33 and a boat builder, lived in Conemaugh Borough, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sarah, age 28, and two children: William, age 7, and Charles L., age 3. Also living in the house was Sarah Smelker, age 57, presumably Sarah's mother. According to the 1860 Census, a John Askum, age 41 and a butcher, lived in Conemaugh Borough, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sarah, age 38, and two children: William, age 17, and Charles L., age 14. Charles is shown to be a carpenter's apprentice. According to the 1870 Census, a John Askum, age 49 and a butcher, lived in Conemaugh Borough, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sarah, age 47, and two children: William, age 27, and Charles L., age 23. William is shown to be a laborer and Charles' occupation is unclear. Also living in the house were Charles' wife, Ellen, age 29?, and their son Reuben, age 6/12. According to the 1880 Census, a John Ashcom, age 60 and a butcher, lived in New Florence, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania with his wife Jane, age 40, and children Frank, age 12, and Mary, age 5. I am working on the assumption that this Mary E., who was born in 1875 (which I know from her tombstone to be the case), is the wife of Franklin Johnson. The 1880 Census record also shows two other children in the family: a William (18) and George (16) Stumbaugh, who are likely Jane's children from a prior marriage. (It appears that John represented that his father was born in Virginia; however, the record is unclear and it is possibly, even likely, that John did not know where his father had been born.) The December 8, 1898 issue of the Indiana Progress states that William Stumbaugh and his wife of Portage visited his mother, Mrs. Ashcom that week at Huff, Pennsylvania, confirming that William was Martha Jane's son from a prior marriage. According to the obituary of Sarah Smelker Ashcom, she was married to a John Ashcom. It appears that John first married Sarah Smelker soon after Sarah's arrival in Johnstown in 1841. However, according to Sarah's obituary, at the time of her death in 1904, Sarah had been living with her son Charles for "some thirty years". This suggests that John and Sarah were separated/divorced in the 1870's. In fact, according to records at the Cambria County Courthouse obtained by Mrs. Jane Markel, John and Sarah were divorced on May 25 1874. Sarah's obituary does not indicate a divorce, but it does say that John died in New Florence in 1898. I am working on the assumption that this John and the John shown in the 1880 census are the same John Ashcom. According to the Indiana Progress, John was ill in the second half of 1898 and into 1899. His daughter, Mrs. Frank Johnston and her husband visited John on the weekend prior to March 22, 1899, at his house in Huff, Pennsylvania, just north of New Florence. On April 5, 1899, the Indiana Progress reported that "Mrs. Frank Ashcom" (presumably they meant Frank Johnston) moved to Huff, probably because John was very ill. Ashcom researcher Robert Ashcom believes that John was the son of James Ashcom rather than John Ashcom (James' brother), as indicated here. According to the Ligonier Township tax records for 1829 and 1831, a John Ashcom (Ashom (1829), Askom (1831)) owned 300 acres in Ligonier Township in 1829, although he is listed on the "poor list" in both years as being unable to pay for schooling for his children. His children are shown as Samuel, age 11, and John, age 9, in 1829. (This is consistent with the 1880 census which shows John Ashcom as being age 60 in 1880.) In 1831, a William, age 9, is shown as John's child, although neither Samuel nor John is listed. In 1829, William, age 7, and Mary, age 9, are shown to be the children of a James Ashcom (Aschom). Based solely on this somewhat confusing and inconclusive tax record, I will work on the assumption that John was the son of John Ashcom rather than James Ashcom. This needs to be confirmed.

  
  

• Sources

  [S32] According to Robert Ashcom (vikcom@wdl.net), John. [S30] The Soundex Index to the 1880 Census shows that Jo. [S31] According to his wife's (ex), Sarah Smelker Ashcom. [S388] According to the obituary of Sarah Smelker Ashcom,.