Anthony Winans was one of the earliest settlers in Miami county, Ohio. Since his story is intertwined with those of several other people in this Family Album, I thought it would be worthwhile to include the information I have on him. The following is his entry on pp 288-289 of Orin Clifford Winans' Winans Family, Genealogy and History....
70 - 12. ANTHONY(5) Winans (Same lineage as 69-121) Born Oct. 18, 1771, in New Jersey; died April 16, 1843, in Miami County, Ohio; married Hannah Anderson, or Freeman, who was born Sept. 6, 1775; died Feb. 17, 1851, both are buried in Wesley Chapel Cemetery. This cemetery is now in Shelby County, north of the Miami-Shelby County Line, in Ohio.
Over the years there has been some question as to the maiden surname of Anthony's wife, Hannah. Major Ira Winans recorded it as "Anderson", while the DAR accepted and recorded it as "Freeman". Indications were found in some family papers that would seem to substantiate either. Recently, it has been discovered that Hannah Freeman first married Anderson, and second married Anthony Winans.2
Anthony moved to Ohio in the early 1800's. Mr. Leonard U. Hill, a noted historian of Miami County, Ohio, wrote in 1974 that: "A. Winans and J. Johnston entered 1/2 of Sec.1, T.8, R.5, of U.S. Government land in 1807. That they divided this land in 1810, A. Winans getting the south quarter, and that, in 1812, each donated adjacent corners of their land for Church, School, and Burial ground." There is a record of U.S. Government land sale to: "Anthony Winans and John Jonston, assignee of said Winans", of the "north half of Lot or Section number one of Township number eight, in Range number five, East of a meridian line drawn from the mouth of the Great Miami River." This is dated June 1, 1810. There is also a Miami County land transfer, recorded, of Anthony Winans to John Johnston in the same section, dated Aug. 25, 1810.
This John Johnston was the renowned Colonel John Johnston, a very important man in Miami county, and the whole of the Ohio territory, at that, and later, time. He was a U.S. Indian Agent for 28 years. He made many successful treaties with the Indians. He was just and honest, and the Indians trusted him. There are records of several land transfers of Anthony, as either the Grantor or Grantee.
Anthony Winans died intestate, on April 16, 1843. His son, James Winans, was appointed Administrator of the Estate on May 27, 1843. The estate was inventoried June 28, 1843, and the sale on June 30, 1843. On April 18, 1845, the Administrator, James Winans, was "allowed the further time of one year to settle". However, it seems that James Winans did not complete the administration of the estate, as, on April 25, 1851, S.S. McKinney was appointed Administrator. And, on July 14, 1857, the said S.S. McKinney, Administrator of the Estate of Anthony Winans, made sworn statement of correct account of said estate. Probably the closing of the Estate. Probably the cause of the delayed settlement of the Estate was that James, after the death of his wife on July 30, 1843, moved to near Galena, Illinois.
A definite record of the children of Anthony and Hannah is not found, aside from the son James. However, about 1960, there was found, among some old family papers the property of Lloyd L. Winans, of Maywood, Illinois, a great-great-grandson of Anthony, a list of names, with dates, that, from indications therein, were believed to be children of Anthony and Hannah. There were seven in this list, while there were nine listed in the 1820 U.S. Census. These names are offered here as the probable children of Anthony and Hannah, subject to correction by anyone having more information:
Seven children of Anthony(5) and Hannah:3
- LOTT(6) Winans
- JAMES(6) Winans
- FREEMAN(6) Winans
- CATHERINE(6) Winans
- JOHN(6) Winans
- MATTHIAS(6) Winans
- ROBERT W.(6) Winans
NOTE --- There is a possibility, or probability, of another daughter, Elizabeth. Henderson Winans, in 1919, wrote that his brother, Jacob K. Winans, lived with "Uncle Jo Post" after the death of their mother; and there is a record of a marriage of an Elizabeth Winans and a Joseph Post, in Miami County, Ohio, on Dec. 28, 1826.
Jacob Millhouse's letter, in 1976, says: "Elizabeth, born May 12, 1803, a daughter of Anthony Winans". However, he reports her as married to David Cary, or Carey.4 He also listed as children of Anthony:
- Henry Bascom [Winans], born May 3, or March 3, 1816; and
- Mary Jane [Winans], born Sept. 1, 1818, and a marriage license dated Sept. 18, 1834, to William P. Wiley, in Miami County, Ohio.
(Ref.: Court House and Cemetery records of Miami County, Ohio; Major Ira Winans; Leonard U. Hill's Scrapbook; Jacob Millhouse; and Lloyd Winans' papers, which were very difficult to interpret)
The following is Anthony's entry in Alice Winans Egy Woolley's Winans Family Genealogy, which assigns him a number of 1-7-1-5-2:
ANTHONY was b 18 Oct 1771 in Rahway, N. J. d 16 or 17 Apr 1843 in Shelby Co., Ohio, buried at the Old Wesley Cemetery. He md before 1800 Mrs. Hannah (Freeman) Anderson b 6 Sept 1777 d 17 Feb 1851 in Ohio. There has been much discussion about the name of Hannah. Ira Winans' mss quotes the Jersey Gen. as saying that her name was Hannah Freeman and her first husband was a Mr. Anderson. Hannah married 3rd, Anthony's cousin Stephen Winans (1-7-1-6-2) on 16 Sept 1847. Anthony bought government land in Miami Co., Ohio in 1810.
Stephen Winans is my g-g-g-grandfather. Mrs. Egy's book also provides a great deal of information on Anthony's children and descendants.
The various numbers appearing in the quotation above are a part of O. C. Winans own unique numbering system, which I won't try to explain!