Based on information fround in the Black Family Book Narrative:
CHARLOTTE JANE- b. 1842, d. aft 1902, probably 1909, was the daughter of Lucretia BLACK and David K. CHASE; granddaughter of Harvey Black, Sr.. The family records say she married Charles WESTFALL who is remembered as being killed by Indians. They had a son and a daughter: Willis, and Winifred. Later Charlotte married a man by the name of VAN AKEN or VAN AKIN. I have a copy of a letter that I believe was written to my grandfather, George SKINNER, that calls her Aunt Jane Van Ak?n rather than Aunt Charlotte and the obituary of her half brother Welcome HAMMOND referes to her as Jane.
Dudley Ham, a relative of both Charles WESTFALL and Alonzo VAN AKIN, provided the following on Charlotte Jane and Charles WESTFALL -
Marriage Announcement
Westfall - Chase, December 29, 1866, Hudson Gazette
Married in Rollin at the home of bride's sis, Dec. 25, Chas. G. WESTFALL, Wheatland, to Miss Jane CHASE, Rollin.
Charles was a member of Company F, Fourth Mich. Vol. Inf. Second Brigade, First Div., Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Company F was commanded by Benjamin WESTFALL (older brother of Charles) in the famous Battle of the Wheatfield at Gettysburg. While I was looking at the roster of Co. F I noticed that a William BACON was also listed; Charlotte Jane's sister, Helen Lucinda, was married to a William BACON. I a making an educated guess that Charles and Jane were married in Helen Lucinda's and William's home. (also see 4th MI Inf. photos)
and
about the death of Charles Westfall written by George R. Rice, Reed City, Michigan. The original is in the possession of Bessie Belton-Condon of Grand Rapids, MI and the same account, practically word for word, appears in the 1884 issue of Portrait and Biographical Album of Osceola County.
Charles Westfall was scalped by Indians February 22, 1872. He was cut, slashed and stabbed in several places. Charles and Martin Westfall had adjoining farms of 80 acres, each of which was homestead property, the legal description being East 1/2 of the SE quarter of section 36, township 19 North of range 11W, SE corner of Ellswoth Township, Lake County. Any homesteader that left his property for over six months was advertised and had to buy it back at the going rate of then $1.25 per acre. The names of the Indians that killed Charles Westfall were Charley Powers and Big John Cashawa. The two Indians lived about three quarters of a mile southeast of Mr. Westfall in a wigwam on property now owned by Mr. Mulholand of Reed City. Two young pioneers, followers of Davie Crockett or Daniel Boone, set fire to the wigwam on day when the Indians were away. The Indians always blamed Mr. Westfall for doing this act. He in turn, gave them presents to placate them, which made them suspect him even more. On this eventful day the Indians were at Leroy and had purchased a bottle of Log Cabin Bitters. Having imbibed freely, they were in good shape to hinder Mr. Westfall who was on the road driving household goods to his homestead. The Indians followed the team and sled which was driven by Mr. Wiliam Balcum. The Indian followed the team and sled all the way from Leroy. The night was cold, being several degrees below zero. Little Willis Washington Westfall was with his father on the road. The murder occurred near the spot where the Bob Tait home now stands. Mr. Balcum tried to pull Mr. Westfall away from the Indians, but had to stay with the team and child. He took the child and team to a nearby home and returned to Mr. Westfall who he found on the road, cut and bleeding. A neighbor helped carry Mr. Westfall to the home of a Mr. Byams. Another went to Ashton to get the sherrif, Mr. Ash, but he was away. By morning the entire male population around went out to hunt the murderers. They found Charlie Powers in bed in the wigwam and Big John gone. Later they found Big John. The Indians were taken to Mr. Byams for a hearing. The Indians were taken to Big Rapids to jail and had to wait for five months for a trial. Charley Powers was found guilty of manslaughter and sentence to Jackson Prison for life on ?? 31, 1872. John Cashawa (or Kashawa) was found not guilty and released. Charlie Powers took some corrosive sublimate which was used to swab the bunks in jail as an insecticide and died. John Casawa left the territory and was never heard of again. Later, one of the neighbors asked Old Chief Penca what had happened to him and he pointed to his head and said "hole in the head, maybe white, maybe Indian". The Indian Tribe attended the trial requested that they be permitted to take Big John out in the court yard and burn him at the stake; providing that Charlie Powers go free. The Indians were grooming Powers to take the place of Chief Penca when he passes on and he had been educated at Pleasant College to fit him for the office of Chief.
The 1884 Osceola County Portrait and Biographical Album also says that a daughter was born in late 1871 and was the first child born in LeRoy.
I found Charles G. WESTFALL, age 29, born in NY, in the 1870 Michigan Census (pdf file), with his wife Jane (age 28, b. MI), son Willis (age ?, b. MI) and Elizaberh (age 48, b. NY), living in Chase Twp. of Lake County. The next lines have Martin WESTFALL and Frances WESTFALL.
There is a Jane C. Westfall marriage to a Othelbert P. SMITH on August 25, 1875 in Ashton, Osceola Co. listed on the LDS site,
The 1880 Census lists a widowed Jane WESTFALL, age 39, as living as a housekeeper in Rollin, Lenawee Co. in the household of Jacob VANINWAGEN, no mention of the children.
Charles was buried in the Ashton Cemetery in Ashton, MI.
I don't know if Jane was in Montana with Alonzo, she is listed at in New Baltimore at the time of the death of her half brother Welcome HAMMOND, in 1902. Following the New Baltimore hint, I searched the Macomb County Cemetery Master Index and found Charlotte Jane VANAKIN listed in the Oakwood Cemetery in New Baltimore, 35900 24 Mile Rd., (586)725-6744.
Mr. Ham also gave me information from Bible records that Alonzo VAN AKIN died in Bozeman, MT, August 7, 1896. I found the Sunset Hills Cemetery records listing Alonzo, with the same death date.
Charles and Alonzo were at least third cousins, fourth cousins once removed, fifth cousins once removed and sixth cousins, "this is caused by the intermingling of Westfalls and Van Akins over 200 years."
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My next questions are about the children of Charles and Jane, Willis and Winifred; and about Jane's other marriage(s) to Mr. SMITH and Mr. VAN AKIN.
ANSWER!! (2-7-08) - a very big "thank you" to Christine Emerson for sharing her find of the following information in History of Michigan - pg 1864, "On July 6, 1890, Mr. ANDREWS was married at Tupton, Michigan, to Miss Winnifred (sic) W. Westfall, daughter of Charles G. and Charlotte Jane (CHASE) WESTFALL, a well-known pioneer family of this state. Mr. Westfall met his death at the hands of Indians in the early seventies in Northern Michigan, while the mother died in 1909, in advanced years." - So, according to the History of Michigan book, Charlotte Jane's son-in-law was an attorney, involved in insurance and real estate, and a five time president of the village of New Baltimore. I can stop worrying about her living out her life alone and in poverty.
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FYI - Did you know that the first woman to be 1) ordained as a Methodist minister, and 2) awarded the Distinguished Service Medal [for humanitarian work in WWI], was also president of the National American Women's Suffrage Association for ten years, a close friend of Susan B. Anthony, and a medical doctor AND brought up near Big Rapids? Her name was Anna Howard Shaw and she gave her first sermon in Ashton in 1870.