Axtell Inquiries

Parentage of Ira Andrew, prob. of Washington Co., PA, who m. Chloe Axtell 18 Oct. 1832.

(from MBelan7666@aol.com, 9/97)
Chloe Axtell (b 18 Aug 1810, ref: 7-123, daughter of Luther and Nancy McClain Axtell) is my great-great grandmother - married 18 Oct 1832, Ira Andrew (b 18 Jan 1811, ref: 7-s123). I have researched this family from Ira and Chloe on to the present, but wonder if anyone tapping into your website might have information on this Ira Andrew - who his parents and siblings were, etc. My search in Washington County PA and elsewhere has not answered these questions. Can anyone help?

Adelia (Axtell) Nafziger b. Abt 1860--Where is the Axtell-Cherokee connection?

(from Ann Bonin, anniebo@teleport.com, 10/96)

[Note: I think this turned out to be a false lead and Ann gave up on this possible connection. - DGA}
My great grandmother Adelia Axtell (I can't find out where she was born, her father was Enos and mother Mary?) was a Cherokee Indian, I have pictures of the family. She married John Nafziger in IL and in 1900, as a widow, she lived with 6 of her 9 children in Minehaa Township, Sedwick Co., KS. Christie C. Nafziger, her son and my grandfather, was born in Wolford Co., IL in 1891. I have had real fun finding these people, the Nafzigers came from Ohio, I believe. Germany before that. I have been Native American all my life and no one knows from where, or why we have this ancestry, only that Adelia handed it down to her children and grandchildren. I work with Native American children and I can't even prove I am an Indian.
Thanks, Ann

What was Thomas of Sudbury's wife, Mary (___) Axtell Maynard's, maiden name?

Some sources, including the Family History Center, say STARR, but that can't be right. Maybe it was RICE. See A Myth Put To Rest by Marilyn (Axtell) Cheney.

Lost descendents of Charles Clifford Axtell --from David L. (11-222)

Are there any other descendents of Charles Clifford Axtell (9-270) out there? My father [Ralph James 10-177a in Supplement] was his youngest son. He ran away from home at 16 and joined the Navy, serving in the submarine corps during the First World War. When he returned home after the war, to West Richfield, Ohio, he found that the family home had burned down and his family was nowhere to be found. The county court house had also burned so he could not track them through public records. The local people told him that his parents had been killed in the fire but his brothers and sister had moved but they had no idea where they had gone. So if there are any Axtells out there whose ancestors left West Richfield (just south of Cleveland) around 1910-1918 I would like to hear from them. His brother's names were Bruce (10-173), Lewis (10-174), Charles (10-175) and Rosco (10-176). His sister's name was Lela Vanila (10-177).

Parentage of Henry S. Axtell (18 Mar 1795 - 6 Dec 1868)

(from Daniel G. Axtell)

born in New York City. Married Sally Baker (1797 - 9 Feb 1868). The 1945 Genealogy says, "His parentage has not been definitely established but he claimed relationship with the family of Henry Axtell (4-13). He lived in Bradford, NY."  The 1962 Supplement corrected his birthdate and added his death date, but had no other information.

This missing link has been a mystery for 100 years. Seth J. Axtell describes the Henry S. gap in his April, 1899 article in the New England Historical and Genealogical Record. He noted a 6-year gap between Henry 4-13's fourth and fifth recorded children, so maybe there was another son there. Any clues to this mystery would be widely appreciated.

I am intrigued that Henry S. was reportedly born in New York City. Henry 4-13 brought up his sons as farmers. All of his grandsons stayed close to the land in Mendham, NJ (35 rugged miles west of NYC), except Henry 6-39 who graduated from Princeton in 1796 and was married "about 1797." This timing is merely an observation with no evidence to suggest a link.

Because this mystery has been unsolved for so long, I'm guessing somebody was hiding some embarrassing fact in the family. If I wanted to hide my parentage in 1795, I would claim to born in the biggest city nearby, where no one would know me and no one would question the claim. Some day I'll check the archives in Manhattan (in 1795, NYC was only Manhattan; the other 4 boroughs were annexed in the 1800's), but I won't expect to find anything.

There was one New York City-based Axtell about that time. "William the Gay" Axtell, probably the great-grandson of Daniel the Regicide, arrived in New York City just after 1746 (when "gay" only meant "lively"), got married and "had a fine mansion on Broadway." Carson A. Axtell relates all this in his Gleanings from England introduction. Carson A. reports that he left no issue, so William seems unlikely to be part of a link to Henry S.

Axtel (alternate spelling)

Is there anyone anywhere named Axtel who spells the name with just one "L?" This is a common misspelling suffered by Axtells everywhere, so seeing the name in writing spelled with one "L" means nothing. We need a primary source here.

Please e-mail any Axtell-related inquiries you have. All will get posted here.

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