George Washington Amore – 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

George Washington Amore, was born to William Amore and Charlotte Reed, in West Lafayette, Coshocton county, Ohio on January 6, 1854. He was the second child and last surviving child of the couple. G.W. was my great-grand-uncle, younger brother of my great-grandfather, William Henry Amore.

At the age of six, George was enumerated living in his parents household in the 1860 Census. The family lived in Linton Township in Coshocton county and the family unit included both William and Charlotte, as well as his older brother (my ancestor William Henry), and two younger brothers, Charles age 5 and Lewis C. age 1 month. Two months after the census was taken, both Charles and Lewis would die from flux (also known as dysentery and severe diarrhea). His youngest brother, Zachariah, was born sometime in the fall 1860 but died at one year of age in 1861. In 1862, William Henry and George lost their mother, Charlotte. Within a year, their father remarried to Elizabeth Spencer, daughter of Joseph Cephas Spencer and Jane Fitz.

On June 25, 1870 the census indicated that the family, which now consisted of William and Elizabeth, William Henry, George, Cephas, Jane, and Florus, were living in Franklin township of Coshocton county. A half-brother of George, Oliver, had already been born and died in that short time, and his younger half-brother, Florus, would also die before the 1880 census.

George married Catherine Burden, daughter of Rubin Burden and Helen Scott, on June 30, 1878. “Katie” was born in Plainfield of Coshocton county on October 10, 1852. The marriage produced five sons and one daughter. One son, who was probably stillborn or lived just a short time, died on April 8, 1883.

Through historical newspaper articles, it was reported that G.W. had been an assessor of Linton township; was a merchant and owned a store on Main Street that sold provisions, cigars, and tobacco; and in August 1905 was arrested for using threatening language. As a Democrat, he ran for Mayor of Plainfield but lost out to his opponent. His mercantile business was very successful, and he was a well-known and respected man in the area. G.W. and Katie were members of the Plainfield Methodist Church.

George and his wife, listed as Martha C., on the 1880 Census were living in Plainfield with their three month old son, Stanley. By the 1900 Census, the family had grown to include Bertha, Charles, Grover, Georgia, and Jessie. George listed that he was a farmer who was renting a farm. Since there were still two minor children living at home, the family was enumerated in Ohio’s Miracode Census in 1910. In the 1920 Census, the household besides George and Katie included grown sons, Stanley (who never married), Charles (who never married), and Jessie.

Katie died on September 26, 1925 from chronic interstitial nephritis (a disease that affects the kidneys). At that time it was also called Bright’s Disease. Her obituary was printed in that afternoon’s edition of the Coshocton Tribune. It reported that she had been ill about two years prior to her death and seriously ill for six months. A brother and a sister survived her as well as six children and her husband. She was buried in the Plainfield Cemetery. Four years later, on September 30, 1929, son Stanley, passed away from Bright’s Disease also.

George lived for several more years and died on September 18, 1942. Not only did he have five children who survived him but also ten grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. He was buried next to his wife in the Plainfield Cemetery.

It seems to me that my great-grand-uncle was hard working and maintained a stable home for his wife and children. The picture above was emailed to me by George’s great-great-granddaughter, Rachel, in 2013. She has access to the original, and I just have a digital copy. When I saw the photo, I realized how much he looked like my great-grandfather!  It is obvious they were brothers. Unfortunately, I have never met any of George’s descendants in person but I have corresponded with a few of them online.

(Amy Johnson Crow, of No Story Too Small issued a challenge to the geneablogging world recently: to write a blog post weekly on one ancestor. This could be a photo, a story, biography, etc. To read her challenge please go to Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.)