James Teachman, b. 1816

James Teachman, b. 13 June 1816; d. 22 July 1889, Wayne Co., PA; m. Margaret Rhoades, b. 1818/21 in NY/ME. Their children are:

1. Susan, b. Sept. 1841 in NY; d. 20 Nov. 1860 in Damascus Town, Wayne Co., PA.
2. Josiah, b. Apr. 1843 in NY; d. 10 Nov. 1860 in Damascus Town, Wayne Co., PA.
3. Mary, b. 1847 in Sugarloaf, NY
4. Louisa, b. 20 April 1849 in NY; 25 Nov. 1860 in Damascus Town, Wayne Co., PA.
5. Gates, b. Apr. 1850 in Minisink, Orange Co., NY; d. 12 Dec. 1924, Bow, Skagit Co., WA; m. Elizabeth Dodds, 30 June 1871 in Saunders Co. NE. Their children are:
   1. Ida Margaret, b. 19 April 1873 in KS
   2. James Nelson, b. 9 Feb. 1879 in Greely, IA
   3. Alice Amanda, b. 24 July 1885 in Seattle, WA
   4. Lora/Lina/Lena Dale, b. 29 Jan. 1888 in Seattle, WA
   5. Floyd, b. 9 Mar. 1894 in WA
6. Martha, b. Oct. 1852 in Honesdale, PA; d. 6 May 1930 in Honesdale, PA; buried in Girdland Cemetery, Wayne Co., PA.
7. William, b. Jan. 1860 in Honesdale, PA; d. 7 Dec. 1939 in Honesdale, PA; buried in Girdland Cemetery, Wayne Co., PA.
8. Ida, b. May 1861 in Honesdale, PA; d. bef. 1939.

In a sense, James Teachman is a key individual for tracking the Teachman family because of the number of family members who inter-related with each other. Work is continuing to try and strengthen these ties.

First found in the 1845 New York State Census, the location of James N. Teachman seems to tie him to Luke and Nicholas N. The three are found in Monroe Town, District 3. Although the sheets devoted to an individual may take a couple of pages, I am counting each sheet listing heads of households as a page. James owns two neat cattle, two neat cattle over one year and two cows, milked. He has 40 acres of improved land.

Page and line	Head of household	No. of males	No. of females
P. 2 Line 5	Luke Teachman	2	1
P. 4 Line 9	Nicholas N. Teachman	4	2
P. 6 Line 16	James N. Teachman	2	4

James Teachman is found living in Waywayanda, Minisink Township, Orange Co., NY in the 1850 census in dwelling 29, family 35. His wife is Margaret and three children are listed.

Name	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth
James Teachman	37	Farmer	NY
Margaret Teachman	29		NY
Susan Teachman	9		NY
Josiah Teachman	7		NY
Mary Teachman	3		NY

Margaret had a female child on 20 April 1849. In 1850, James owned 50 acres of land valued at $1,400. The couple is next found in Oregon Township, Wayne Co., Pennsylvania in the 1870 Federal Census, dwelling 5, family 5. His property was valued at $1,200 and his personal estate at $600.

1870 U.S. Federal Census

Although James and Margaret were not found in the 1860 census, it should be noted that Josiah Teachman b. PA, 18, was in the W. Noble household in Eldred, Damascus Township, Wayne Co., PA. James and Margaret probably moved to Wayne Co. between 1850 and 1852. Their last three children were born in Pennsylvania. By the time of the 1870 U.S. Federal Census, only two remained at home.

Later in 1860, three of the older children of James and Margaret died within 15 days. From the Wayne County Herald: Deaths: "In Damascus, Pa., children of James N., as follows: Nov. 10, Josiah R., aged 17 years and 7 months; Nov. 20, Sarah, aged 19 years and 2 months; Nov. 25, Louisa, aged 11 years and 5 months."

On 28 June 1870 James purchased a 50 acre tract of land in Damascus Township, Wayne Co., PA for $250. No record has been found of the sale of the property. No record has been found for Margaret's death. However, the 25 July 1889 issue of The Honesdale Citizen states: "James N. Teachman, an old resident of Damascus, died suddenly on Monday, aged 73 years, 1 mont and 9 days."

Daughter Mary went to live with her aunt and uncle, Rebecca and Charles A. Hunter. She stayed with the couple when they moved from Susquehanna County to Lackawanna County in Pennsylvania. When Charles died he left his estate to Mary: "...I give divise bequath Mary Teachman my wifes nease and Daughter of James Teachman her hers and assigns for ever all my property real and personal and mixed of what ever..." No death records have been found for Mary.

A son, Gates was born in April 1850. He has not, however, been found listed in a census with the family.

Gate's and Elizabeth's marriage license is found at the Saunders County museum in Wahoo, NE.

Gates appears in the 1870 Federal Census in Hiawatha, Claytonville Township, Brown Co., KS, Dwelling 96, Family 109. No occupation is listed, but he is 22 from NY and his personal estate is valued at $600. He married Elizabeth Dodds, daughter of N.H. and Amanda (White) Dodds on 3 June 1871 in Saunders Co., NE. He was 23 and Elizabeth was 18. On the marriage license, he lists his parents as James Teachman and Margaret Rose.Saunders County, NE was home to the Luke N. and Margaret Teachman family in the 1870s.

Gates and Elizabeth did not stay in Nebraska long. They ended up in Washington State. In 1900, he was working as an electrician in Port Angeles, Clallam Co., WA. By 1910, he purchased a farm in Skagit Co., WA. The couple had five children, and all except James Nelson were living in 1910.

Gates and Elizabeth lived to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in Burlington, WA in 1921. From the Bellingham Herald, 16 June 1921, p. 9: "G.G. Teachman was born in Sugarloaf, Orange county, New York, April 10, 1849. When a small boy the family removed to Honesdale, Wayne county, Pennsylvania, the father engaging in the lumber industry. The boy remained home assisting the family until reaching his younger manhood. Becoming restless, he yielded to the lure of the great trackless West, going first to Kansas, then to Nebraska.

"Mrs. Teachman, whose maiden name was Miss Elizabeth Dodd, was born in Greeley, Delaware county, Ia., removing with her aunt in 1870 to Nebraska. She met young Teachman in Nebraska, their acquaintance ripening into love, and they were married in a little sod schoolhouse on the prairie near Hedland, Ashland county (Ashland is a town in Saunders Co., NE - jes), Nebraska, June 4, 1871...

"In the late fall of 1882 the young couple left Nebaska for the Pacific Northwest, arriving in Seattle in 1883, where they remained for six years, leaving there in 1899 for the growing city of Port Angeles..."

Martha, William and Ida never married. By 1900, Ida, a dressmaker, and William, a carpenter, were living in Honesdale, Wayne County, PA. Martha, was a servant residing in Damascus, Wayne Co. In 1910, the three shared a rented home on Main Street in Honesdale. In March of 1914, Carrie E. Bryant sold a plot of land on Park Street in Honesdale to William, Ida and Martha. Ida and William continued with their occupations. Martha was a general practice nurse.

In March of 1914, the three siblings purchased a lot of land on Park Street in Honesdale. The property included a double dwelling house and was sold in September 1919.

Martha died first, on 6 May 1930. Her estate was left to her siblings, Ida and William. William died last, on 7 December 1939 leaving no heirs. No date of death has been found for Ida.

Martha's obituary reveals the most about the family: "...Deceased was a daughter of Jas. and Margaret (Rhoades) Teachman and before coming to Honesdale lived a number of years at Girdland. In 1912, Miss Teachman fell and hurt her knee cap and since that time has been unable to care for the sick. She was a long time member of the Cochecton, N.Y., Presbyterian church." Martha was buried in the Girdland cemetery.

No information has been found on the death of Ida although William's obituary indicates she died before he did: "...He (William) had been in ill health for some time and since the death of Miss Ida Teachman, had lived alone." William was also buried in Girdland Cemetery.

Resources

• U.S. Federal Census
• Orange Co., NY land records
• Wayne Co., PA will and probate records
• Wayne Co., PA land records
• Lackawanna Co., PA will and probate records No. 3379 of Charles A. Hunter
• William Coulter Chronicles, Minisink Historical Society Archives
• Official Vital Records from the Various Towns of Orange County, New York: Births, Deaths, and Marriages, compiled by Jeanne and Lee Krish for the Orange County Genealogical Society
• Marriage Record, Saunders Co., NE
• The Bellingham Herald
• New Jersey State Historical Society: Correspondence between Colleen Lofrese and Alfred Teachman
• The Honesdale Citizen, Honesdale, Wayne Co., PA
• Wayne County Herald, Honesdale, Wayne Co., PA
• The Wayne Independent, Honesdale, Wayne Co., PA

This page was created and is maintained by Joan Shurtliff. It was last updated 5 May 2009. Deborah Guida has assisted in the gathering of information for this page.