In his autobiography, Lew Wallace wrote: “Mine were folk who cared little for ancestry.” He noted that the exception to this generality was his father’s mother, Eleanor Campbell. Wallace relates that this grandmother was born in Virginia and was the niece of John Paul Jones. Supposedly young Eleanor was bounced on the knee of George Washington and had a brother who was killed in the battle of Brandywine during the American Revolution. Because his was a family who cared little for ancestry, the genealogical record tracing Lew’s family tree is very difficult and there is actually very little evidence to corroborate these stories about his grandmother.
Lew goes on to record that his grandfather Andrew Wallace, Eleanor’s husband, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Cincinnati, Ohio when it was a village “in loose assemblage under the guns of a fort.” According to Wallace, his grandfather moved from Cincinnati to Brookville, Indiana.
At about the time Lew was beginning serious work on his autobiography, his son, Henry, was also delving into the family history. In a letter to his cousin, H.B. Wallace of St. Louis, Henry confirms that he has spoken with his father and that Andrew Wallace was from Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
Henry wrote: “Andrew was my father’s Grandfather. He moved to Cincinnati. He there founded The Liberty Hall Gazette, now Commercial-Gazette. From there, he moved to Brookville, Indiana. (Franklin, Co.) He kept a tavern there and was a contractor for furnishing cattle to Gen’l William Henry Harrison in 1812. From there, he moved to Ft. Wayne. His grave is in Connersville, Indiana.” Henry’s comments that Andrew moved to Ft. Wayne for a time is interesting as his daughter Catherine did live for most of her adult life in Ft. Wayne and his son David served as an attorney and judge there for a time. Henry’s assertion that Andrew was buried in Connersville is also interesting as most records indicate that Andrew moved to and remained in Brookville and is buried in Brookville.
Henry went on to write that Lew believed that his Wallace family members moved to Pennsylvania from Virginia about the time of the Revolution. In Lew and Henry’s discussion of the family history, neither mentions a connection to Troy, Ohio. Troy is located in western Ohio not far from the Indiana state-line near Richmond. According to the Troy Historical Society, Andrew Wallace, his wife, Eleanor and their son David (Lew’s father) lived in Troy and Andrew Wallace even played an important role in creating the town. According the Historical Society the Wallace family came to Ohio from Pennsylvania around 1800—David Wallace was born in Pennsylvania 1799 so he would have been very young. At this point records are confusing and it is not clear whether the family moved first to Cincinnati and then to the area where Troy would develop or whether the Cincinnati time was after Troy on their way to Brookville.
According the local Historical Society, while in Troy, Andrew Wallace worked as both a surveyor and a school teacher. Troy is in Miami County, Ohio which was formed in 1807. The first county commissioners appointed Andrew Wallace to survey and lay out the lots for the new town. Wallace created the downtown public square and actually made two surveys for the commissioners. The first was completed in December of 1807 and the second in April of 1808. He was paid $44.50 for the first survey, but records are not clear on whether or not he was paid for the second survey.
According to local historian Thomas Bemis Wheeler, Andrew Wallace taught in the first school in Troy—probably during the 1808-1809 school year. An early Troy resident, John Tullis once said: “Mr. Wallace had a little boy whom we called Dave. He wore to school what mothers call a ‘waist,’ with pants buttoned upon it.”
Andrew Wallace went on to serve as Miami County Treasurer around 1810-1811. In July of 1811, Andrew and Eleanor had a son, William Henson Wallace who was born near Troy, Ohio according to the records. By this time Andrew and Eleanor had a family that consisted of David (1799), Catherine (1802), Benjamin (1804), and John T. (1806). After William Henson was born in 1811, Andrew and Eleanor had Thomas (1813), Washington (1815), and John Milton (1820) for a family of 7 boys and one girl. Andrew Wallace apparently served in the War of 1812 and became acquainted with General William Henry Harrison. The two men developed a friendship that helped secure an appointment to West Point for David Wallace about 1817 and which cemented a bond between the two families that lasted for several generations. According to research, Andrew Wallace moved with his family to Brookville in 1817 where he owned a tavern and hotel and passed away in 1826 at the age of 48.
Lew Wallace mentions nothing of the family time in Troy and it is not clear that after the move to Brookville, that there was any continuing relationship with the town that Andrew had helped found. Lew Wallace did visit Troy in February of 1887. He spoke at the Troy Opera House on February 25 as part of the Troy Lecture Association’s 1886-1887 season. Local historian Thomas Wheeler noted that Wallace “. . . lectured on the problems of the Far East.” Whether Lew knew anything about his family connection to Troy we will never know as it was never mentioned.
[Biography by Larry Paarlberg, Director, General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, March 23, 2018.]
Sources:
* Troy's Connection to "Ben Hur" By Judy Deeter, My Miami County—Your Guide to Local Living, 2018-2019.
* Lew Wallace Collection M 0292 Box 19 folder 3 page 47
Indiana Historical Society, William Henry Smith Library
Lew goes on to record that his grandfather Andrew Wallace, Eleanor’s husband, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Cincinnati, Ohio when it was a village “in loose assemblage under the guns of a fort.” According to Wallace, his grandfather moved from Cincinnati to Brookville, Indiana.
At about the time Lew was beginning serious work on his autobiography, his son, Henry, was also delving into the family history. In a letter to his cousin, H.B. Wallace of St. Louis, Henry confirms that he has spoken with his father and that Andrew Wallace was from Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
Henry wrote: “Andrew was my father’s Grandfather. He moved to Cincinnati. He there founded The Liberty Hall Gazette, now Commercial-Gazette. From there, he moved to Brookville, Indiana. (Franklin, Co.) He kept a tavern there and was a contractor for furnishing cattle to Gen’l William Henry Harrison in 1812. From there, he moved to Ft. Wayne. His grave is in Connersville, Indiana.” Henry’s comments that Andrew moved to Ft. Wayne for a time is interesting as his daughter Catherine did live for most of her adult life in Ft. Wayne and his son David served as an attorney and judge there for a time. Henry’s assertion that Andrew was buried in Connersville is also interesting as most records indicate that Andrew moved to and remained in Brookville and is buried in Brookville.
Henry went on to write that Lew believed that his Wallace family members moved to Pennsylvania from Virginia about the time of the Revolution. In Lew and Henry’s discussion of the family history, neither mentions a connection to Troy, Ohio. Troy is located in western Ohio not far from the Indiana state-line near Richmond. According to the Troy Historical Society, Andrew Wallace, his wife, Eleanor and their son David (Lew’s father) lived in Troy and Andrew Wallace even played an important role in creating the town. According the Historical Society the Wallace family came to Ohio from Pennsylvania around 1800—David Wallace was born in Pennsylvania 1799 so he would have been very young. At this point records are confusing and it is not clear whether the family moved first to Cincinnati and then to the area where Troy would develop or whether the Cincinnati time was after Troy on their way to Brookville.
According the local Historical Society, while in Troy, Andrew Wallace worked as both a surveyor and a school teacher. Troy is in Miami County, Ohio which was formed in 1807. The first county commissioners appointed Andrew Wallace to survey and lay out the lots for the new town. Wallace created the downtown public square and actually made two surveys for the commissioners. The first was completed in December of 1807 and the second in April of 1808. He was paid $44.50 for the first survey, but records are not clear on whether or not he was paid for the second survey.
According to local historian Thomas Bemis Wheeler, Andrew Wallace taught in the first school in Troy—probably during the 1808-1809 school year. An early Troy resident, John Tullis once said: “Mr. Wallace had a little boy whom we called Dave. He wore to school what mothers call a ‘waist,’ with pants buttoned upon it.”
Andrew Wallace went on to serve as Miami County Treasurer around 1810-1811. In July of 1811, Andrew and Eleanor had a son, William Henson Wallace who was born near Troy, Ohio according to the records. By this time Andrew and Eleanor had a family that consisted of David (1799), Catherine (1802), Benjamin (1804), and John T. (1806). After William Henson was born in 1811, Andrew and Eleanor had Thomas (1813), Washington (1815), and John Milton (1820) for a family of 7 boys and one girl. Andrew Wallace apparently served in the War of 1812 and became acquainted with General William Henry Harrison. The two men developed a friendship that helped secure an appointment to West Point for David Wallace about 1817 and which cemented a bond between the two families that lasted for several generations. According to research, Andrew Wallace moved with his family to Brookville in 1817 where he owned a tavern and hotel and passed away in 1826 at the age of 48.
Lew Wallace mentions nothing of the family time in Troy and it is not clear that after the move to Brookville, that there was any continuing relationship with the town that Andrew had helped found. Lew Wallace did visit Troy in February of 1887. He spoke at the Troy Opera House on February 25 as part of the Troy Lecture Association’s 1886-1887 season. Local historian Thomas Wheeler noted that Wallace “. . . lectured on the problems of the Far East.” Whether Lew knew anything about his family connection to Troy we will never know as it was never mentioned.
[Biography by Larry Paarlberg, Director, General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, March 23, 2018.]
Sources:
* Troy's Connection to "Ben Hur" By Judy Deeter, My Miami County—Your Guide to Local Living, 2018-2019.
* Lew Wallace Collection M 0292 Box 19 folder 3 page 47
Indiana Historical Society, William Henry Smith Library
In his autobiography, Lew Wallace wrote: “Mine were folk who cared little for ancestry.” He noted that the exception to this generality was his father’s mother, Eleanor Campbell. Wallace relates that this grandmother was born in Virginia and was the niece of John Paul Jones. Supposedly young Eleanor was bounced on the knee of George Washington and had a brother who was killed in the battle of Brandywine during the American Revolution. Because his was a family who cared little for ancestry, the genealogical record tracing Lew’s family tree is very difficult and there is actually very little evidence to corroborate these stories about his grandmother.
Lew goes on to record that his grandfather Andrew Wallace, Eleanor’s husband, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Cincinnati, Ohio when it was a village “in loose assemblage under the guns of a fort.” According to Wallace, his grandfather moved from Cincinnati to Brookville, Indiana.
At about the time Lew was beginning serious work on his autobiography, his son, Henry, was also delving into the family history. In a letter to his cousin, H.B. Wallace of St. Louis, Henry confirms that he has spoken with his father and that Andrew Wallace was from Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
Henry wrote: “Andrew was my father’s Grandfather. He moved to Cincinnati. He there founded The Liberty Hall Gazette, now Commercial-Gazette. From there, he moved to Brookville, Indiana. (Franklin, Co.) He kept a tavern there and was a contractor for furnishing cattle to Gen’l William Henry Harrison in 1812. From there, he moved to Ft. Wayne. His grave is in Connersville, Indiana.” Henry’s comments that Andrew moved to Ft. Wayne for a time is interesting as his daughter Catherine did live for most of her adult life in Ft. Wayne and his son David served as an attorney and judge there for a time. Henry’s assertion that Andrew was buried in Connersville is also interesting as most records indicate that Andrew moved to and remained in Brookville and is buried in Brookville.
Henry went on to write that Lew believed that his Wallace family members moved to Pennsylvania from Virginia about the time of the Revolution. In Lew and Henry’s discussion of the family history, neither mentions a connection to Troy, Ohio. Troy is located in western Ohio not far from the Indiana state-line near Richmond. According to the Troy Historical Society, Andrew Wallace, his wife, Eleanor and their son David (Lew’s father) lived in Troy and Andrew Wallace even played an important role in creating the town. According the Historical Society the Wallace family came to Ohio from Pennsylvania around 1800—David Wallace was born in Pennsylvania 1799 so he would have been very young. At this point records are confusing and it is not clear whether the family moved first to Cincinnati and then to the area where Troy would develop or whether the Cincinnati time was after Troy on their way to Brookville.
According the local Historical Society, while in Troy, Andrew Wallace worked as both a surveyor and a school teacher. Troy is in Miami County, Ohio which was formed in 1807. The first county commissioners appointed Andrew Wallace to survey and lay out the lots for the new town. Wallace created the downtown public square and actually made two surveys for the commissioners. The first was completed in December of 1807 and the second in April of 1808. He was paid $44.50 for the first survey, but records are not clear on whether or not he was paid for the second survey.
According to local historian Thomas Bemis Wheeler, Andrew Wallace taught in the first school in Troy—probably during the 1808-1809 school year. An early Troy resident, John Tullis once said: “Mr. Wallace had a little boy whom we called Dave. He wore to school what mothers call a ‘waist,’ with pants buttoned upon it.”
Andrew Wallace went on to serve as Miami County Treasurer around 1810-1811. In July of 1811, Andrew and Eleanor had a son, William Henson Wallace who was born near Troy, Ohio according to the records. By this time Andrew and Eleanor had a family that consisted of David (1799), Catherine (1802), Benjamin (1804), and John T. (1806). After William Henson was born in 1811, Andrew and Eleanor had Thomas (1813), Washington (1815), and John Milton (1820) for a family of 7 boys and one girl. Andrew Wallace apparently served in the War of 1812 and became acquainted with General William Henry Harrison. The two men developed a friendship that helped secure an appointment to West Point for David Wallace about 1817 and which cemented a bond between the two families that lasted for several generations. According to research, Andrew Wallace moved with his family to Brookville in 1817 where he owned a tavern and hotel and passed away in 1826 at the age of 48.
Lew Wallace mentions nothing of the family time in Troy and it is not clear that after the move to Brookville, that there was any continuing relationship with the town that Andrew had helped found. Lew Wallace did visit Troy in February of 1887. He spoke at the Troy Opera House on February 25 as part of the Troy Lecture Association’s 1886-1887 season. Local historian Thomas Wheeler noted that Wallace “. . . lectured on the problems of the Far East.” Whether Lew knew anything about his family connection to Troy we will never know as it was never mentioned.
[Biography by Larry Paarlberg, Director, General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, March 23, 2018.]
Sources:
* Troy's Connection to "Ben Hur" By Judy Deeter, My Miami County—Your Guide to Local Living, 2018-2019.
* Lew Wallace Collection M 0292 Box 19 folder 3 page 47
Indiana Historical Society, William Henry Smith Library
Lew goes on to record that his grandfather Andrew Wallace, Eleanor’s husband, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Cincinnati, Ohio when it was a village “in loose assemblage under the guns of a fort.” According to Wallace, his grandfather moved from Cincinnati to Brookville, Indiana.
At about the time Lew was beginning serious work on his autobiography, his son, Henry, was also delving into the family history. In a letter to his cousin, H.B. Wallace of St. Louis, Henry confirms that he has spoken with his father and that Andrew Wallace was from Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
Henry wrote: “Andrew was my father’s Grandfather. He moved to Cincinnati. He there founded The Liberty Hall Gazette, now Commercial-Gazette. From there, he moved to Brookville, Indiana. (Franklin, Co.) He kept a tavern there and was a contractor for furnishing cattle to Gen’l William Henry Harrison in 1812. From there, he moved to Ft. Wayne. His grave is in Connersville, Indiana.” Henry’s comments that Andrew moved to Ft. Wayne for a time is interesting as his daughter Catherine did live for most of her adult life in Ft. Wayne and his son David served as an attorney and judge there for a time. Henry’s assertion that Andrew was buried in Connersville is also interesting as most records indicate that Andrew moved to and remained in Brookville and is buried in Brookville.
Henry went on to write that Lew believed that his Wallace family members moved to Pennsylvania from Virginia about the time of the Revolution. In Lew and Henry’s discussion of the family history, neither mentions a connection to Troy, Ohio. Troy is located in western Ohio not far from the Indiana state-line near Richmond. According to the Troy Historical Society, Andrew Wallace, his wife, Eleanor and their son David (Lew’s father) lived in Troy and Andrew Wallace even played an important role in creating the town. According the Historical Society the Wallace family came to Ohio from Pennsylvania around 1800—David Wallace was born in Pennsylvania 1799 so he would have been very young. At this point records are confusing and it is not clear whether the family moved first to Cincinnati and then to the area where Troy would develop or whether the Cincinnati time was after Troy on their way to Brookville.
According the local Historical Society, while in Troy, Andrew Wallace worked as both a surveyor and a school teacher. Troy is in Miami County, Ohio which was formed in 1807. The first county commissioners appointed Andrew Wallace to survey and lay out the lots for the new town. Wallace created the downtown public square and actually made two surveys for the commissioners. The first was completed in December of 1807 and the second in April of 1808. He was paid $44.50 for the first survey, but records are not clear on whether or not he was paid for the second survey.
According to local historian Thomas Bemis Wheeler, Andrew Wallace taught in the first school in Troy—probably during the 1808-1809 school year. An early Troy resident, John Tullis once said: “Mr. Wallace had a little boy whom we called Dave. He wore to school what mothers call a ‘waist,’ with pants buttoned upon it.”
Andrew Wallace went on to serve as Miami County Treasurer around 1810-1811. In July of 1811, Andrew and Eleanor had a son, William Henson Wallace who was born near Troy, Ohio according to the records. By this time Andrew and Eleanor had a family that consisted of David (1799), Catherine (1802), Benjamin (1804), and John T. (1806). After William Henson was born in 1811, Andrew and Eleanor had Thomas (1813), Washington (1815), and John Milton (1820) for a family of 7 boys and one girl. Andrew Wallace apparently served in the War of 1812 and became acquainted with General William Henry Harrison. The two men developed a friendship that helped secure an appointment to West Point for David Wallace about 1817 and which cemented a bond between the two families that lasted for several generations. According to research, Andrew Wallace moved with his family to Brookville in 1817 where he owned a tavern and hotel and passed away in 1826 at the age of 48.
Lew Wallace mentions nothing of the family time in Troy and it is not clear that after the move to Brookville, that there was any continuing relationship with the town that Andrew had helped found. Lew Wallace did visit Troy in February of 1887. He spoke at the Troy Opera House on February 25 as part of the Troy Lecture Association’s 1886-1887 season. Local historian Thomas Wheeler noted that Wallace “. . . lectured on the problems of the Far East.” Whether Lew knew anything about his family connection to Troy we will never know as it was never mentioned.
[Biography by Larry Paarlberg, Director, General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, March 23, 2018.]
Sources:
* Troy's Connection to "Ben Hur" By Judy Deeter, My Miami County—Your Guide to Local Living, 2018-2019.
* Lew Wallace Collection M 0292 Box 19 folder 3 page 47
Indiana Historical Society, William Henry Smith Library
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