52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #1 Margaret Ellen Lindsey

Margaret Ellen Lindsey is my 2nd great grandmother on my mom’s side.  She was born on November 17, 1841 near Pomona, Illinois to Lewis and Nancy (Sumner) Lindsey. The Lindsey family settled in this area in the early 1800s. She was among the first generation of Lindsey’s born here in Southern Illinois where much of the family, me included, still live.

What I know about Margaret Ellen Lindsey

Margaret married Philip Wolf on October 15, 1864. Together they had three children: Samuel (1865-1925), John (1865), and Nancy (1867-1939).  Philip already had seven children from a first marriage to Margaret Ellen’s cousin, Margaret Jane Lindsey.  I always thought it interesting and slightly humorous that both Philip’s wives were named Margaret Lindsey. 

Margaret married Winfield Scott Douglas (1847-1913) on December 18, 1879.  Together, they had one child, Fariba Matilda Douglas (1880-1932).  Fariba, forever known as Phoebe, is my great grandmother and who I named my daughter after.

While Phoebe was the only child of this marriage, Margaret found herself raising Douglas children from Winfield’s first marriage to Mary Amine Ellis (1846-1879).  We did what we had to do then, and she was certainly a good woman for mothering all of the Douglas and Wolf children. There were many of them!

Margaret died on January 15, 1920 in Murphysboro, Illinois … a small town several miles north of her birthplace. 

Family Stories

My grandpa always referred to Margaret and Winfield Douglas as Grandma and Grandpa Douglas.  He talked about them so much that I feel like I’ve known them both personally my whole life.  I will freely admit that I’ve always called Grandma Douglas the Douglas Witch … affectionately, of course.  

Grandpa always told stories about how she would “make tables walk” and “commune with spirits” until one night when she was spooked and gave all that up.  Of course, family story is exactly that, but it certainly makes for good story telling.  Apparently, she always wore black and smoked a pipe.  She was a bit of a rebel, and I suspect that’s where most of the “witchy” stories come from. 

Margaret was a midwife and helped deliver many, many babies in her lifetime. Grandpa used to talk about nights when she would have been summoned in the middle of the night and, while en route to someone’s home, be followed by animals who protected her along her journey. She was a woman at home with nature. 

Margaret descends from a long line of Scottish Lindsay’s … Winfield Scott Douglas descends from the Scottish Clan Douglas.  I’ve always wondered if the old Scottish traditions were still with my family in these early times in Southern Illinois.  I suspect, given migration patterns of these families, that the accent was still there and many of the traditions were at least somewhat in tact.  What times those would have been to witness. 

Living in the same place where your family settled nearly 200 years before your own birth, as I do, puts a certain perspective on life that I doubt others have.  This part of the country is in my blood, almost literally. Walking in the same footsteps as my ancestors on nearly a daily basis gives me a sense of belonging that I wouldn’t have in very many places on this Earth. It’s really pretty awesome.