Today I am posting some information on my Couch Line. I only have it traced back to my 5th Great-grandfather, but with any luck and lots of hard work I will hopefully get it back even further.
James Baird Couch was my great-grandfather on my mother's, mother's side. He was born 16 Oct 1874 in Hamburg, Fremont, Iowa. and died 1 Jan 1909 in Elgin, Antelope, Nebraska. He was a farmer. Cause of Death: Accidental discharge of his shotgun, died of gunshot wound. Him and son's were out hunting for food, when Jacob went over a fence and his son handed him his gun and it went off and killed him. Cora was left with alot of chirldren to take care of and would do people's laundry and mending. She became a bitter women but a very strong compelling women.
He married Cora Alice Amick on 5 Mar 1898, they had 7 children. At the time of James death Carrie Phyillis was 11yrs old, Eral James was 9yrs old, Raymond Jacob was 7yrs old and My grandmother Dorothy was 5yrs old, Gladys Mae was 4yrs old, Goldie Mae was 1yrs old and Cora was 6 months pregnant with Jewell Bernice. I couldn't even imagine the suffering this family went through. Think of the time and and era and the ages of these children, not to mention the boys who saw there dad die. Did the boy who handed his dad the gun feel responsible? Where they far from the house? How did they tend to their dad while he lay there bleeding to death. Did James have last words with his son's? If so what could they have been?
Residence: 1880, Locust Grove, Fremont, Iowa
Residence: 1900 Wheeler County, Fremont Precinct, IA
In doing research I came across 1900 Census record that has James' last name spelled wrong as Coch and his daughter Carrie Phyllis names as Cory P but if you continue onto the next page his brother is listed also and their last name is spelled correctly.
James Baird Couch's Folks:
James Baird Couch Sr born 20 Aug 1839 in Randolph County, IL and died 6 Apr 1890
in Sioux City, Woodbury, IA. He married on 30 Nov 1865 in Randolph County, IL to Icybinda Jane Barnett. She was born 1 Feb 1843 in Randolph County, IL and died 12 Dec 1931 in Bronson, IA. They had 11 children. Abraham Lincoln Couch, William Couch, Edna Couch, Molly Couch, Fred Couch, Charles C. Couch, Mawde Myrtle Couch, Rachel Caroline Couch, John Porter Couch, Robert G. Couch, and James Baird being the youngest.
There are several buried in the Sparta Cemetery.
Randolph County was founded Oct 5, 1795 from St. Clair County and the Northwest Territory. Illinois became a State Dec 3, 1818 County Deat Chester. County Clerk Chester has birth, death Records from 1877 and Marriage, Probate and Civil War Records from 1809.
Cemeteries in Sparta, Illinois are Hill Prarie Cemetery and Old Bethel Cemetery.
Funeral home in Sparta is McDaniel Funeral Homes, LTD located at 11 W. Main, Sparta, Il 62286 (618)-443-2139.
County Newspaper Sparta News-Plainsdealer located at 116 W. Main, Sparta, Il 62286 (618) 443-2145.
James Baird Couch Sr was a farmer and in the Civil War.
His folks were Millington Couch born 28 Jan 1809 in Randolph County, IL, died 7 Feb 1849, married Mary Jane Baird 20 Aug 1829 in Randolph County, IL. She was born 1 Oct 1811 in Sc and died 13 Feb 1880. They had 6 children. Mary Elizabeth Couch, Amanda Couch, James Baird couch, Robert G. Couch, Hugh Porter Couch and Milton (Millinton) Couch.
Millington was in the Civil War. Civil War Regiment of Home Gaurds at Mossouri, was an interpreter.
He is buried in the Caledonia Cemetery (Walnut Hill Cemetery) Marion or Randolph County, IL.
His wife Mary is buried in the Preston United Presbyterian Cemetery near Sparta, IL.
Millington's folks are James Couch born 29 Jan 1776, died 2 Nov 1827 in Sparta, IL. Married abt 1798 in Abbeville County, SC to Elizabeth Jane McBride born 17 Nov 1782 in Northern Ireland, died 5 may 1852 in Sparta, IL
Not much is known about the early years of James Couch. We can begin from the time he was married to Mary or Polly, as she went by, sometime around 1790 in South Carolina. Since James first appears in the 1800 census records of Spartanburg we can assume that is where they married. There is a James Couch listed in the 1790 census records of Spartanburg District, South Carolina, but at this time it cannot be determined if this is our James or the James who married Mary Spriggs or the Edler James Couch.
In 1800 James and Polly have three sons and one daughter. We know that the daughter would be Priscilla. We also know who two of the sons are. One would be Matthew and the other would be Berry. We know that they did have three sons because the 1810 census also shows that they had three sons over the age of ten. One was listed as being 16-26, we know this to be Matthew who would be about 18 years of age at this time. The other two are 10-16 years of age, Berry who is about 12 years of age and the other son who is probably about 15. This unknown son does not appear in any records with the other children, so he may have died shortly after this. The 1810 census also shows that they now have another son under the age of 10. This would be two year old John. Also, the 1810 census shows that in addition to their daughter Priscilla now about age 14, there were two other daughters under the age of ten, Respha age about nine and Mary Ann age about six.
The 1820 census record for James Couch seems to be inaccurate. At this time I do not know if this is actually our James or another James Couch. Our James and his wife would both be over 45. Their son John would be about 12 and their daughter Respha would be nineteen and may be married at this time. Their daughter Mary Ann was about sixteen but did not marry until 1825.
The 1830 census record shows that James and Polly have a male and female in their household who are both between 10 and 15 years of age. These two must be orphans that James and Polly had taken in, probably kin of some sort.
There is no marriage record for James and Polly, so we do not know what her maiden name was. Many researchers believe her maiden name to be Henderson. James and Polly's son Matthew named one of his sons Matthew Henderson Couch and their son Berry named his son Berry Henderson Couch giving reason to believe Polly's maiden name was Henderson. No recorded evidence has surfaced to prove this belief. There was one Henderson family living in Spartanburg District in 1790, his name was Thomas Henderson who did have a daughter by the name of Mary, but her husband's name was not James Couch. Thomas Henderson did have a Mary Johnson in his household and she was about the right age to be our Mary, but no information on who that Mary married. There were several Henderson's living in Laurens District, but no link has been made to Polly.
In November 1801 James purchased 168 acres from Robert Clinton for one hundred and fifty dollars. No neighbors are mentioned in this deed other than that the land was in Laurens District on a Branch of Enoree River. Witnesses to this deed were William Stewart and Benjamin Couch. This Benjamin may be the Benjamin who married Delilah. There was another Benjamin Couch who had married a woman by the name of Nancy, but this Benjamin was living in Greenville District at this time. The Benjamin who married Delilah was living in Spartanburg at the time of this deed on land that was granted to the elder James Couch across the Enoree River from where James Couch of Laurens District had just purchased the land. It seems to me that the Benjamin who lived closer would be the one who witnessed the transaction. The deed, however, gave no indication as to which Benjamin it was.
In January 1812 James purchased eighty five acres for a dollar an acre from Alexander Morison. This land was next to the 168 acres James had purchased earlier. Neighbors mentioned in this deed were Spencer Bobo, Moses Tenant and John Mahon. Witnessing the transaction were John and Martha Harmoning. James sold thirty two of these acres to Joshua Saxon in October of 1839 just months before he died.
In February of 1824 James R. Couch along with Benjamin Byrd and David Templeton appraised the estate of Robert Gilland.
In 1825 James was a purchaser at his neighbor Solomon Langston's estate sale. He was also a purchaser at the estate sale of Nathan Langston in 1834 where he bought a corner cupboard.
There were other records that bear the name James Couch, but at this time I am not sure if it was James Couch of Laurens District or the senior James Couch. James of Laurens District would have been old enough to be the James listed, but not knowing when the senior James died makes it hard to determine which James this may be. In September of 1785 there was a land transaction between Charles Waters and James Couche. Now we know that Charles Waters was a neighbor to the senior James Couch and may have still been alive in 1785. Another land record was between Benjamin Stone and James Couch in 1789. This could possibly show that the senior James Couch may have still been alive and could also show that he was the James Couch listed in the 1790 census records of Spartanburg District South Carolina listed next to Benjamin and Delilah Couch.
There was also a James Couch who received a 200 acre revolutionary bounty grant for his service as a soldier. This grant was dated May 7, 1787. (The war was barely over at this time.) James Couch of Laurens District was twenty to twenty two years of age (or older) in 1787. The elder James Couch was born circa 1710-1715 and would be 72 - 77 years of age and was more than likely too old to have participated in the Revolutionary War. (He was about 60 to 65 when the war started.) There was a James Couch and Millington Couch listed in the muster roll of Colonel Benjamin Roebuck. Millington was about ten years older then James. There was also a land deed in which Middleton (Millington) Couch had 50 acres from Joshua Cates. Joshua Cates land bordered the Enoree River right across from the senior James Couch's land grant. Joshua Cates land was not far from where James Couch of Laurens District would later settle.
James R. Couch died between March and August in the year 1840 on his land on Campbell's Creek in Laurens District South Carolina. Before his death he gave 168 acres to his son John. The condition was that John was not to take ownership of this land until after the death of both James and Polly. He also gave to his son Berry the cotton gin, gin house and all aparatus belong to said machine "together with one acre of land reserved from land conveyed by me to Matthew Couch". The same conditions applied that he could not take ownership until after the death of both James and Polly. Both deeds were dated February 27, 1840 and the witnesses to both transactions were James G. Robinson and William Langston.
On August 3, 1840 Berry Couch applies as administrator to his fathers estate and on September 1 Berry holds the estate sale and he, John and Polly all purchased items from this sale. Other purchasers were John Langston, Berry's brother-in-law James G. Robinson, Sarah Wheat, Johnson Grisle, Davis and Johnson Newman, Polly Luke, Elizabeth Mahan, Thomas Craig, James Templeton, Noah Smith, James Burke, Robert and Ephraim Pitts, Robert Stewart, another of Berry's brothers-in-law Isaac Stroud, Thomas Blakely, Ephraim Campbell, George Byrd and James Toland.
People paid from the estate of James Couch were James G. Robinson, Robert Pitts, Fowler and Park, Robert Stewart, Joshua Saxon, J.F. Dorroh, Davis Newman, J.H. Dillard, W.W. Hitch and John Langston.
In November of 1840 John sold his land that he recieved from his father to Joshua Saxon for seven hundred dollars. His mother gave up her rights to the land stating in the deed that she was moving. In December 1840 Berry, Matthew, Respha, Mary Ann and Priscilla gave up their rights to this land also. Polly and John move to Georgia. John went to Campbell County where his sister Mary Ann was living and Polly went to Coweta County to live with her daughter Resph where Matthew and Priscilla were living close by. Berry stayed behind in South Carolina for at least another 12 years.
There children were: Millington Couch, Margaret Couch, Jenny Couch, Polly Couch, Rachel couch, Jane couch, Abigail Couch, Fannie Couch, Elizabeth Couch.
James Couch's Father was Millington couch born before 1750 and died about 1820 in Randolph County, IL. He had 11 children but so far I only have names of two, James Couch and John C Couch.
This is where my line ends for now but I will prevail and add more in time. I hope you have enjoyed.
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