Hugh B. Jehu and Sarah Evans-Jehu
(along with some related Jehus)

By 3rd Great-Grandson Edward K. Hine, Jr. ("Ted") - First  Edition - June 2012

Introduction

In opening, I'd like to thank which ever of my ancestors (most likely my great grandfather's sister Emily A. Turner) for having the foresight to have Margaret Jehu-Turner's maiden name clearly and prominently inscribed on her tombstone in the Mt. Zion cemetery in Harmony Township, WI after her 1892 death.  (Margaret Jehu-Turner was my 2nd great grandmother and the daughter of Hugh and Sarah Jehu.)   Had this information not appeared on the tombstone I would likely have never made the connection to my Jehu ancestors.

Upon learning I was a Jehu descendent around 2007 I posted messages on a couple of internet genealogical bulletin boards and a few years later was contacted via one by Graham Francis Tucker, a Jehu descendent and genealogist, living in London, England.  Graham and I are distant cousin and he has traced the Jehu line back to Richard (b. about 1550) in Montgomeryshire, Wales.   Interestingly, my Jehu ancestors lived in Llanfair Caereinion, Montgomeryshire, Wales for 7 generations till Hugh B. Jehu (my 3rd great grandfather) immigrated with his family to Wisconsin in the 1840's.

Graham Tucker, along with some other Jehu descendents in England, also had a great deal of relationship information regarding the Wisconsin Jehu's which I found extremely valuable in sorting out how the Wisconsin Jehu's were related.

Click here for a Jehu descendants list as I currently have in my genealogy database.  I believe the data is accurate but don't guarantee it.  

Sorting out the Wisconsin Jehus

Upon learning the maiden name of my 2nd great grandmother I checked Wisconsin census records in the 1800's for the surname Jehu and found two family groups which I suspected were related but which I initially had trouble definitively connecting.   Decade to decade census records were spotty apparently due to census takers missing some family groups in some years.

The first record of the Jehu name in Wisconsin census data was in 1850 for Harmony Township, Rock County, WI which  shows Hugh and Sarah Jehu along with their 6 children still living at home.  (I would later confirm that Hugh and Sarah had 3 older children, two of which in 1850, Margaret Jehu-Turner and Sarah Jehu Dickenson, were married and also living in Harmony Township.)

Ten years later in 1860 Hugh and Sarah Jehu along with their 2 youngest children show up in Rutland Township, Dane County, WI apparently having moved the roughly 25 miles from their 1850 Harmony Township location.  Also, in the 1860 census in Rutland Township the T.D. Jehu (Thomas D. Jehu) family first appears.  In addition to their unique uncommon surname and both living in Rutland Township in 1860, the adult members of both families were all born in Wales.  This strongly suggesting that they were all related.  In an unsuccessful attempt to figure out how, I put together a summary of the census data.     Hugh's approximate date of birth indicated by census records of around 1800 and Thomas's of around 1826 suggested that Thomas was likely Hugh's son, an assumption that turned out to be wrong.  (On the other hand I'd correctly assumed that my 2nd great grandmother Margaret-Jehu Turner was a daughter of Hugh and Sarah since, even thought she was already married by the 1850 census, her birth year fit in nicely with her younger siblings.

I didn't know for sure how the two Jehu families were related till I connected with Graham Tucker (see Introduction above).  When I indicated that I couldn't definitively connect the Wisconsin Jehus he asked other Jehu descendent genealogists he knew in England (sisters Allison Lancaster & Ursula Thatcher) for their information on the Wisconsin Jehus.  Ursula provided (via email) a hand drawn chart (below) which, in addition to confirming some things I already had figured out regarding the Wisconsin Jehus, answered all my unanswered questions regarding relationships.

Hugh Jehu was not the father of Thomas D. Jehu as I'd assumed but rather his uncle, Thomas D. Jehu being the son of Hugh's much older brother Thomas E. Jehu.   In the chart below Hugh and Sarah Jehu appear to the right on the second line from the bottom as #7.    Thomas D. Jehu appears as #6 on the left of the bottom line.  (An interesting note:  Thomas D. Jehu married his first cousin Anne Jehu, the daughter of Hugh and Sarah Jehu.)

Ursula Thatcher's hand drawn Jehu family tree.

When I asked about the source of the information in the above chart, Allison Lancaster responded "I have spoken with Ursula, who tells me the information she used for the chart was researched by two Australians, Graham and John Jehu.  It was received sometime ago through a third party.  I believe Walter Jehu who worked with Leo Derrick-Jehu on the original family tree was an American, so you may well find some more American cousins."

Because the above chart contains information I've been unable to find in census data (as well as much I have), I suspect that whoever provided the information on the Wisconsin Jehus may likely have been a descendent of Hugh and Sarah Jehu or Thomas D. Jehu and provided the information from personal knowledge, perhaps many decades ago.

Immigrating to Wisconsin

A number of related Jehu's from 2 generations immigrated initially to Racine, Wisconsin at or around the same time in the 1840's but there is different and possibly conflicting information regarding exactly when different groups may have arrived.  I haven't been able to find any immigration records as such but have found mention of their immigration in two books regarding this history of Dane County, WI. as well as a little additional information.

An entry on page 456 of "History of Dane County" (1906) regarding Griffith Jehu (son of Hugh and Sarah) reads in part:  "His parents , Hugh and Sarah (Evans) Jehu were born in Montgomeryshire, Wales, lived there during their youth and early married life and came to America in 1847.  They lived for a time in Racine and in 1866 came to Rutland, where they obtained two hundred and forty acres of farm land in section 26."     This seemed pretty straight forward till I discovered a couple of provable date discrepancies in this article which suggests that possibly the suggested immigration year of 1847 may also be in error.  The article indicates that Hugh and Sarah came to Rutland Township in 1866 yet census records clearly indicate that they were already there in 1860.  Additionally, the article elsewhere indicates that Griffith was born in 1846 while census records consistently show he was born some years earlier.  An additional fact which calls into question the 1847 immigration year is that Hugh and Sarah's daughter Margaret married John Turner in Racine, WI in 1844 according to WI marriage records.  While I suppose it possible that Margaret immigrated earlier than her parents, I don't think it likely as she was only about 17 years old at the time of her marriage.

On page 1202 of "History of Dane County Wisconsin" (1880) is a short article about Thomas D. Jehu (Hugh and Sarah's nephew, son of Hugh's much older brother Thomas E. Jehu).  It reads:

"Thomas D. Jehu, farmer, Sec. 22;  P.O. Stoughton; he was born in Montgomeryshire, Wales in 1825;  in 1842, his parents Thomas E. and Elizabeth Jehu emigrated to America and settled in Racine Co., Wis., where they afterward made their home till their deaths;  our subject removed to Dane Co. in 1854, and settled on Sec. 22, town of Rutland, where he resided till 1866 ;  he then emigrated to Montana Territory where he engaged in mining for six years; returning to his farm in Rutland in 1872, he has since made it his home;  he bought in 1875 , a farm of 200 acres, 160 of which lie on Sect 27, the other 40 on Sec. 22, making him now 200 acres on Sec. 22 and 160 acres on Sec. 27.  He was married, in this town, in 1853 to Annie, daughter of Hugh and Sarah Jehu, a native of Wales;  they have one son - Hugh, and are members of the Presbyterian Church."

I ran into a web site which summarizes highlights of Racine's history in date order which contains the statement: "The first Welsh Settlers Arrived in 1841, including Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Davie, Griffith Richard and Thomas Jehu."  The source of this information wasn't specified but it provides another possible year for the Jehu's immigration while at the same time confirming the general time frame.  I suspect that this refers to Thomas E. Jehu, father of Thomas D. Jehu as the elder Jehu is known to have stayed in Racine and thus would have been more likely to have been mentioned in local histories.  This statement suggests that Racine may have become a common place for Welsh immigrants to arrive in America.  The same website article suggests that Racine was first settled by Europeans in the mid 1830's and that Racine was first incorporated as a "village" in Feb. of 1841 and thus around the time at least some of the Jehu's arrived and indicates that the Jehu's immigrated to what was then the sparsely populated Wisconsin frontier.   By 1844 Racine had a population of 1,920.  Racine is located on Lake Michigan suggesting that immigrants would have probably arrived by ship.

Finally, I note that in her chart (above) Ursula Thatcher indicates that Hugh and Sarah immigrated to America in 1840 though I suspect that this was probably an approximate date estimated by whoever originally provided the data.

So...... while I can't confirm an exact year, it's clear that all the Wisconsin Jehus immigrated from Wales in the early to mid 1840's.  My best guess given the information available is that brothers Hugh and Thomas E. Jehu came to Racine, WI with their families in 1841 or 1842.  At this time Hugh and Sarah would have been in their mid 40's and their 9 children, all of whom show up in Wisconsin and can thus be assumed to have arrived with their parents, ranged in age from about 2 to 18.  Hugh's much older brother Thomas E. Jehu would have been about 60 in 1842 and his son Thomas D. Jehu about 17.  While all of Hugh and Sarah's 9 children came to Wisconsin, I have found no records suggesting that any of Thomas E. Jehus children other than Thomas D. Jehu and Mary E. Jehu immigrated to Wisconsin though it's possible that other's did.

Settling In Wisconsin

The available information suggests that both Jehu family units initially came from Wales to Racine, WI on the shore of Lake Michigan a little south of Milwaukee.   The information quoted above regarding Thomas D. Jehu indicates that his parents Thomas E. and Elizabeth Jehu spent the rest of their lives in Racine.  I note however that the 1860 census shows the elder Thomas living at age 80 with son Thomas D. Jehu in Rutland Township, Dane County some distance from Racine and without wife Elizabeth.  Since I can't find a final resting place for either Thomas E. or wife Elizabeth in Dane County with their son, I suspect that by 1860 Elizabeth had passed away and that when Thomas E. passed away in 1865 (according to Ursula's chart) that he may have been buried with his wife in or near Racine.

Hugh and Sarah's daughter Margaret married John Turner in Racine in 1844 (according to Wisconsin marriage records) suggesting that Hugh and Sarah were possibly still living in Racine a couple years after I suspect they immigrated.   By 1850 however Hugh and Sarah were living with their 6 youngest children in Harmony Township, Rock County, WI (about 50 miles due west of Racine).  Harmony Township was also the home of two of their 3 eldest and by then married children, Margaret Jehu-Turner and Sarah Jehu-Dickenson both of whom would spend the rest of their lives there.

By 1860 however Hugh and Sarah (and their remaining 2 live-at-home children) had moved about 25 miles northwest of Harmony Township to Rutland Township in Dane County.  The above quote regarding Hugh's nephew Thomas D. Jehu indicates he first settled in Rutland Township in 1854 (a year after marrying Hugh and Sarah's daughter Anne there).  This suggests that Hugh and Sarah had moved to Rutland Township between 1850 and 1853  perhaps because better homestead land was available there then in Harmony Township.  Regardless of exactly when they came and why, Hugh and nephew Thomas D. Jehu would own farms almost but not quite adjacent to each other and would spend the rest of their lives in Rutland Township.

Homesteading in Rutland Township, Dane County, WI

The South-East quadrant of an 1873 map of Rutland Township.  Jehu and related land is underlined in red. Each numbered Section is a one mile square. (Click to enlarge.)

Rutland Township is located at the southern edge of Dane County and is about 10 miles south of Madison, WI and 20 miles north west of Janesville in Rock County, WI .        By definition a "Township" was a 6 mile by 6 mile square piece of land subdivided into 36 one mile square numbered "Sections" (each containing 640 acres) which were further divided into smaller parcels which were made available to homesteaders.

Hugh and Sarah Jehu along with nephew Thomas D. Jehu owned farms very near each other in Rutland Township at least parts of which were obtained at little or no cost from the government under the homesteading laws of the time.  Hugh Jehu obtained his first 40 acres in Section 26 in 1848 when he was still living in Harmony Township just east of Janesville.  He obtained another 80 acres in Section 26 in two transactions in 1850, again when he was still living in Harmony Township according to the homestead records.    Thomas D. Jehu obtain his first 40 acres in nearby Section 22 in 1855, a year or two after marrying Hugh and Sarah's daughter Anne.  Over the years both Hugh and Thomas obtained more acreage near their initial land acquisitions, perhaps thru purchases from others.  

An 1873 map of Rutland Township shows property owned by Sarah Jehu (Hugh had passed away in 1871) in Sections 26 and 27.  I suspect that son Griffith Jehu was probably running the farm for his mother in 1873 as a similar 1890 map shows the same land as being owned by him after his mother had passed away.  The 1873 map also shows nearby land owned by Thomas D. Jehu in Section 22, and Steven D. Little, husband of Hugh and Sarah's daughter Jane in Section 23.

Life in Rutland Township Then and Now

The location of Sarah Jehu's farm and that of T.D. Jehu as shown on the 1873 map sketched by the author onto a 2008 map of the area.  The likely location of their farm house is shown by an "x" in a box and is about 1/4 mile north of the intersection of Old Stage Rd. and Lake Kegonsa Rd. (about 4 miles east of Brooklyn). (Click to enlarge.)

Hugh and Sarah were early settlers of Rutland Township and thus would have built their farm and lives in America from scratch in what was then the Wisconsin frontier.  I visited Rutland Township in 2008 and even today it's a rural area dotted with small farms.  As the economy of the area grew I suspect that the Jehu's shopped in the still tiny village of Brooklyn in the extreme south west corner of the township which was about 4 miles from their farm.  For more extensive shopping needs they probably periodically visited Madison 10 miles to the north or perhaps even Janesville about 20 miles to the south east (and near where several of their married daughters lived).

In anticipation of my October 2008 visit to the area I'd identified the exact location of Hugh and Sarah's farm and that of Thomas D. Jehu as shown on the 1873 Rutland Township map (above) on a current map of the area making them easy to find when I arrived.  The photos below were taken from the location where I believe the Hugh and Sarah's home and primary farm buildings were located (shown on the 1873 map as a small odd shaped object just to the lower left of the "M" in "Mrs. Sarah Jehu".)  Today there is a modern home on the site (not shown in the photos but right there.  There is also a home today near the likely location of T.D. Jehu's 1973 probable farm house.

Looking southwest over Lake Kegonsa Rd. from the probable location of Hugh and Sarah's farm house over part of their former property.	Looking northeast from the same location.  There is a modern home just out of this photo to the left. (2008 photos by the author.)

I've run into nothing which suggests what type of farm the Jehu's may have had.  Today Wisconsin is know for it's dairy farms but during my 2008 visit I don't recall seeing any cows in the area and the Rutland Township fields seemed to primarily planted with corn or other crops I didn't recognize.

Final Resting Place

Hugh Jehu passed away on March 25, 1871 at the age of 73 Sarah on October 12, 1884 at about age 84.  They are  buried together in the Mt. Hope Cemetery in the tiny village of Brooklyn, about 4 miles east for their farm.   Also buried in Mt. Hope are Hugh's nephew (and longtime neighbor) Thomas D. Jehu and his wife Ann (who was also Hugh and Sarah's daughter who had married her first cousin).

The Mt. Hope Cemetery is located in  the village of Brooklyn, WI only  about 4 miles from the Jehu farms. (2008 photos by the author.)	Hugh and Sarah Jehu (inscription on the  side is for son Griffith's first wife Sarah) GPS:  N 42° 51.048, W 089° 22.057’ ± 14 feet, WGS84 Datum)	First cousins as well as husband and wife  Thomas D. and wife Anna (Anne) Jehu. GPS:  N 42° 51.058’, W 089° 22.072’ ± 8 feet, WGS84 Datum)

About Hugh and Sarah's Children

Hugh and Sarah Jehu had 9 children all of whom immigrated to Wisconsin from Wales, presumably with their parents.  The youngest 6 show up in the 1850 census living with their parents in Harmony Township, Rock County, WI.  By 1850 daughters Margaret and Sarah had already married and were also living in Harmony Township with their husbands.   I haven't been able to account for eldest child Anne in 1850.

Anne Jehu (1824-1902):  In 1853 Anne married her first cousin Thomas D. Jehu and the couple would have one child, Hugh T. Jehu (b. 1860), and own a farm very near Hugh and Sarah in Rutland Township.  Anne and Thomas are buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery near Anne's parents Hugh and Sarah Jehu.

Margaret Jehu-Turner (Abt. 1826-1892):  Margaret was my 2nd great-grandmother.  She married John Turner in Racine, WI in 1844 and spent most of the the rest of her life living on the Turner farm in Harmony Township, Rock County, WI where she and John would raise 8 children.   She is buried in Harmony Township's Mt. Zion/Clarke cemetery with her husband near their farm.  She is the subject of a detailed companion biography to this one.

Sarah Jehu-Dickenson (1827-1896):  Sarah married Enos C. Dickenson and spent the rest of her life on a Harmony Township farm just down the road from her sister Margaret.  The Dickenson's would have 10 children.  Enos and Sarah are buried near the Turners in Harmony Township's Mt. Hope/Clarke Cemetery quite near their farm.

Susan Jehu-Menzies (Abt. 1829-?):   Susan married James Menzies (b. abt 1830 in Scotland) in 1854 in Rutland Township, Dane County, WI.  shortly after her parents moved there.  On an 1858 map of Harmony Township, Rock County, WI James's father John Menzies is shown owning a farm immediately adjacent to that of John Turner, the husband of Susan's sister Margaret.  Additionally, Susan and her parents had lived in Harmony Township in 1850 according to census records so these facts likely explain how Susan and James became acquainted.  After their marriage Susan and James apparently settled for a time in Cross Plains Township, Dane County, WI (about 20 miles northwest of Rutland Township) as this is where their first four children are show in records to have been born between about 1855 and 1860.  (A fifth child was born in 1872 but it's not clear where).    An 1873 map of Harmony Township shows that James was by then the owner of his father's former ranch suggesting that James had moved his family there after his father's death.  Susan would have thus been living and farming right next to her sister Margaret Turner and just down the road from sister Sarah Dickenson.   1880 census records confirmed that this was the James Menzies family home and included some of Susan younger children.  In 1876 James married Jessie Campbell strongly suggesting that Susan probably passed away sometime prior to this but after son William was born in 1872.  I suppose it possible that she could have died in child birth but I've been unable to find any death record for Susan.  The children of Susan and James Menzies were Susan (b. abt. 1855), John (b. abt. 1857), Hugh (b. abt. 1858), James (b. abt 1860), and William W. (b. abt. 1872).  James Menzies would have another 5 children with his second wife.

Edward Jehu (1831-?):  Except for his being included in the 1850 census with his parents at about age 19 I have run into virtually noting regarding Edward and can't find him anywhere in census records (which could just mean he was missed).  Perhaps he passed away at an early age or moved elsewhere.

Jane Jehu-Little (1833-1904):  Jane married Stephen D. Little in Rutland Township in 1853 and the Little's would own a farm a stones throw up the road to the north of Hugh and Sarah's farm.  They would have at least 3 children, Augustus Jehu Little (b. 1856), Frank Hugh Little (b. 1858), and Emma Jane Little (b. 1869).

Elizabeth Jehu-Lacy (1835-1910):  Elizabeth would marry John F. Lacey in 1855 in Rutland Township.   They appear in the 1880 census in Albany, Green County, WI (about 20 southwest of Rutland Township) with two children, William F. (b abt. 1866) and Rena (b. abt. 1871).   The biographical sketch of brother Griffith in the 1906 History of Dane County indicates that Elizabeth's home around that time was in Algona, Iowa.

Griffith W. Jehu (1837-1922):  Griffith apparently inherited his parents Rutland Township farm upon the death of his mother in 1884 as he is shown as the owner of all the property owned by Sarah (as shown on the 1973 map) on an 1890 map.  Griffith married 3 times.  His first wife was Sarah (b. abt 1846) who died in 1873 at about the age of 27 and is memorialized on Griffith's parents monument in the Mt. Hope Cemetery.  I have run into nothing that suggested that there were any children from this the marriage.  Griffith second marriage was to Mary L. Graves (b. abt 1851), the daughter of another prominent Rutland Township family.  They would have one daughter, Agnes Sarah Jehu (b. abt 1872) and a son, Hugh Dudley (b. 1883).   Mary passed away at about age 34 in 1885.  Mary is buried with her family in the tiny Graves Cemetery about a mile west of the Jehu farm.   Griffith's third marriage was to Hattie Ham (b. abt 1874) in 1899.  Griffith was about 62 years old at the time of his third marriage and Hattie, who was about 37 years younger than he, was about 25.  Griffith and Hattie would have one child, Griffith, Jr. born in 1900.  As of the 1920 census Griffith (at over age 80), Hattie, and their son are still shown as living in Dane County, WI.

Hugh A. Jehu (Abt. 1840-1911):  I've learned little regarding Hugh except a mention in brother Griffith's biographical sketch in the 1906 History of Dane County that he was a "retired farmer of Estherville, Iowa".  A 1900 census record show's Hugh there with wife Margaret E. Jehu (married about 1862) and they have an "adopted" 22 year old daughter, Gertrude Jehu.  I've found no other census records for Hugh so don't know if he and Margaret had any other children.

About The Other Wisconsin Jehus

Thomas E. Jehu (abt. 1780-1865):  Thomas E. was Hugh Jehu's significantly older brother and I think it likely that the two brothers with their wives and children immigrated to Racine, Wisconsin at substantially the same time in the early 1840's.  Thomas and his wife Elizabeth are believed to have stayed in Racine while son Thomas D. and brother Hugh along with his wife and children moved about 50 miles west to Harmony Township in Rock county and/or Rutland Township in Dane County.   While Thomas E and Elizabeth apparently stayed in Racine, the 1860 census show Thomas living with his son at age 80 in Rutland Township without Elizabeth who I therefore assume had probably passed away.  I suspect Thomas spent the last 5 years of his life with his son.  Since he is not buried with his son, I would guess he's buried with his wife in or near Racine.   A Racine, WI historical web site quoting  "The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties" (1879) and referring to the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church indicates that it was incorporated in 1855 with "Thomas E. Jehu" being one of the "corporate members".  Thomas and Elizabeth had 6 children however I've only found records of two of them in Wisconsin as follows:

Thomas D. Jehu (1825-1901):  Thomas D. was the son of Thomas E. (above).  He settled on a farm in Rutland Township, Dane County, WI about a half mile north of his uncle Hugh's farm.  In 1853 he married his first cousin Anne (the eldest daughter his uncle Hugh Jehu).  Thomas and Anne would have one child, Hugh T. Jehu and are buried in the Mt. Hope cemetery in Brooklyn, WI about 4 miles west of the farm.

Mary E. Jehu (1819-?):  All I've learned about Mary (daughter of Thomas E. Jehu) appeared on a web site regarding the history of Racine, WI which read as follows:

Mount Pleasant Township Biographical Sketches
As published in "The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties" (Chicago: 1879), pages 618-630

DAVID W. ROWLANDS, farmer, Sec. 35; P. O. Racine; born in North Wales, Dec. 25, 1821, worked in slate quarries some years; came to New York, June 7, 1845, and to Racine same year; went to Pike's Grove, and hired out two summers; settled in Pike's Grove, Mount Pleasant, fall of 1846. Married, in 1846, Mary E. Jehu, daughter of Thos. Jehu, who was one of the first Welsh settlers in Wisconsin. Have had six children- Thos. J., born Nov. 14, 1847; Wm. W., Oct. 15, 1848; David W. Nov. 13, 1852; John E., Dec. 18, 1856; Eliza A., April 2, 1851; died Sept. 5, 1866; Mary Ann, born Aug. 12, 1859; died Aug. 12, 1866. William is teaching in Racine Academy. Thos. J. enlisted in the fall of 1864; was with the Army of the Tennessee; served his time faithfully, and was honorably discharged. Thos J. and David W. are veterinary surgeons in Oshkosh. John E. is living with his father.