Surname Saturday - Doyle and Johnson

This is the seventh (and last) section of a booklet that I put together for my father-in-law’s 96^th birthday.  His parents were Clifford Franklin and Bertha Bryan Blackmore.  Section seven is about Bertha’s maternal grandparents.  Other postings included the other parents and grandparents of Clifford and Bertha and will include Blincow and Doyle surnames.  I have also included information about the siblings of these direct ancestors. 

John W Doyle and Rebecca E Johnson

            John William Doyle was born on 3 February 1829 in St. Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio.  He married Rebecca Elizabeth Johnson on 27 October 1850 in Moundsville, West Virginia;  however the area was part of Virginia in 1850 because West Virginia was not a state at that time.  Rebecca was born about 1833 in Virginia (now West Virginia).  She was probably the daughter of Alexander Johnson and Sarah Almeda Root. 

            John and Rebecca had four children.  Wiley and Mary Emma were born in Virginia (now West Virginia), while William Franklin was born in Ohio and James Bruce was born in Illinois.     

            Rebecca died in 1858, probably as a complication of the birth of James Bruce Doyle.  In the 1860 census Rebecca’s mother Sarah was living with John and his children, ages 8, 5, 4 and 2.  The value of John’s property was $200.  John joined the Union forces during the Civil War and was mustered in on 11 September 1862.  He mustered out on 8 June 1865.  John was in Company A of the 110^th Illinois Infantry.  John was a farmer in Illinois until at least 1870.  All four of his children were living with him and at this time the value of John’s property was $1200.  Sometime between 1870 and 1880 he moved to Kansas.  Depending upon the route, the distance between Jefferson County, Illinois, (1870) and Rawlins County, Kansas, (1880) is around 730 miles.  What a journey!!  John had another farm in Kansas. 

Brothers and Sisters of Mary Emma Doyle

            Wiley Augustus Doyle was born on 18 August 1851 in Moundsville, Virginia (now West Virginia). He moved with father and siblings to Illinois before 1870 where he worked on a farm.  On 21 September 1873 he married Melissa Jane Adams in Mount Vernon, Illinois.  In some records she was listed as Melissa and in others she was listed as Jane.  They had two boys, James Ivan, who was born in Illinois about 1878 and Arthur Gilbert, who was born in 1884 in Kansas. 

            In the 1880 census in Kansas, Wiley and Jane were living with Wiley’s father John.  Jane was listed as step-daughter and son James was listed as nephew.                 

            Melissa (or perhaps Malissa) died on 4 March 1895 in Achilles, Kansas. Wiley continued to be a farmer in Kansas until at least 1905.  In 1910 Wiley was a widow living in Delta County, Colorado and he was still a farm operator. In the 1920 census, it showed that he was a retail merchant for a feed and hardware store.

            Wiley died on 6 December 1924 in Delta, Colorado and he was buried in the Delta Cemetery. 

            Mary Emma DOYLE married Oliver Bryan on 30 December 1880 in Achilles, Rawlins County, Kansas.   Mary was born on 16 December 1853 in Wheeling, Virginia.  At the time of her birth this area was in Virginia, but it is now in West Virginia.  More complete information about this family is found in the 5^th section of this series of blog postings.

            William Franklin Doyle was born on 21 February in St. Clairsville, Ohio.  He married Dora Cleo Speckelmire (or Specklemire) on 19 February 1887 in Achilles, Kansas.  Dora was born on 1 November 1871 in Boone County, Iowa.  She was the daughter of John Calvin and Charity Mullen Speckelmire.  (Dora’s  sister Della Ann married Frank’s brother James Bruce Doyle.)  In 1880 Charity Speckelmire and her children (her husband John died in 1880) were living on a farm near the John William Doyle family. 

            William and Dora had three children, two boys, John Wiley and Peter Edward, and one girl Amy.  John may have died during World War I.  Frank was a farmer in Kansas until at least 1900.  In the 1910 census it shows that he is a farm operator for a fruit farm and in 1920 he owned a farm but there were no specific listings. 

            Dora died on 30 August 1927 in Read.  William “Frank” died on 18 August 1928 in Read, Colorado.  Both of them were buried in Delta City Cemetery, in Delta, Colorado.

            James Bruce Doyle was born on 7 January 1858 in Chester, Illinois.  He married Della Ann Speckelmire (or Specklemire) on 3 October 1886 in Achilles, Kansas.  Della was the sister of Dora Cleo who married James’s brother William Franklin Doyle.  In 1880 Charity Speckelmire and her children, including Della and Dora, were living on a farm near the John William Doyle farm in Achilles, Kansas. 

            They had three children; two girls, Susan Ethel and Nora May, and one boy Thomas Julius.  James was a farmer in Kansas and then later in Colorado. 

            James died on 21 November 1911 in Read, Colorado.  He was buried in Cory Cemetery in Colorado.  Della then married William Ira Adams, about 1913.  Della died on 17 September 1929 in Pueblo, Colorado.  She is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, in Pueblo.  More information about William Adams is not available.