Josephus Bingaman, Kansas Farmer & Inventor

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Dawn Bingaman

According to his hometown newspaper, my 2nd great-grandfather, Josephus Bingaman of Kansas, had achieved “signal success as an inventor”

We all know that physical traits run through a family, but what about aptitudes or things like creativity or mechanical ability?

My father often talks about his father (my grandfather Bingaman) as being a life-long tinkerer with mechanical things. He claims that when in the service in WWII, his father was one of the inventors of the early turbo engine but got no credit because he worked on this when employed by the United States government. I do not know whether there is any truth to this assertion, but it is a story that my father has relayed to me on numerous occasions and certainly believes to be true.

It is not surprising, then, to learn that my grandfather’s grandfather was also a tinkerer. Josephus Bingaman (also called Joseph or Joe) created mechanical things as well. He successfully patented several of his inventions, so that is how we know of them today.

The following article appeared in the Garnett Journal newspaper on 17 Jan 1908 and tells of his improvement for a plow attachment.

[transcription begins]

A New Invention

Joseph Bingaman, of Garnett, was up today to interest the Ottawa parties in his latest patented invention, an attachment to the rear of a lister, which puts the ground in better condition[.] The attachment consists of a wheel suspended from a long axle, which packs the ground and breaks up clods. A patent was received by Mr. Bingaman for his article December 31st of last year. “With the patent came a huge pack of letters from eastern parties, wanting terms of sale for the patent right of the invention,” said Mr. Bingaman, “but I have not disposed of it yet.” In the past few years, Mr. Bingaman, who formerly lived in Franklin county, has had signal success as an inventor. In 1892 he invented a pruning hook or tree trimmer, for which he received a neat sum. In February 1907 he received a patent on a much better and handier tree trimmer. Off the sale of one-half of the patent right to this Mr. Bingaman received $4,100. “My latest idea is a modern manure spreader. The machine for which I have a model,” says Mr. Bingaman, “will lift 500 pounds of manure seven feet high and dump.” A model will be sent of this machine to the patent office at Washington soon. —Ottawa Herald.¹

[transcription ends]

Another news item in another newspaper in an adjacent county tells a bit more of the story:

[transcription begins]

Has a New Patent

Joseph Bingaman Hopes to Interest Kansas City Implement Men.

Joseph Bingaman of Garnett, was here over Sunday visiting his sons, Frank and Fred Bingaman. He was enroute to Kansas City, where he goes to consult with representatives of an implement concern with reference to a recent invention of Mr. Bingaman. He has invented a rolling packer attachment for listers that is attracting the attention of manufacturers. Mr. Bingaman has evolved a number of practical implements of value. In 1892 he patented a tree trimmer, which was put on the market by George W. Lawrence and sold readily. An improved cutter was brought out by Mr. Bingaman in February last.²

[transcription ends]

With the information from these historic news articles, it was easy to find the patent using the Google Patents search engine. My search resulted in an image submitted in support of the patent application and the text of the application itself. For his efforts, he was awarded United States patent number 875,407.³

Detail of the invention of a plow attachment by Josephus Bingaman, U.S. patent 875,407.

¹“A New Invention,” Garnett Journal (Garnett, Kans.), Fri., 17 Jan 1908, p. 4, col. 2; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com), accessed 12 Jan 2019.

²“Has a New Patent,” The Ottawa Daily Republic (Ottawa, Kans.), Mon., 13 Jan 1908, p. 1, col. 3; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com), accessed 12 Jan 2019.

³ U.S. Patent No. 875,407, issued 31 Dec 1907 to Josephus Bingaman; digital image, Google Patents (https://patents.google.com), accessed 30 Jan 2019.

In the Name of God, Amen

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Dawn Bingaman

The 1807 will of Henry Bingaman of Garrard County, Kentucky

My brother has been following up on a theory about the wives of Henry Bingaman and his son, also named Henry Bingaman. He thought, perhaps, that the wills of one or both of them may clear up the possible misattribution. He sent me an early draft of his research, laying out his argument. In it, he had an index reference to the will of the elder Henry, of Garrad County, Kentucky. Since I had the clerk’s copy of the will of Henry Bingman that he was seeking, I decided to transcribe it and post it here. Spelling and punctuation are retained and shown as it appeared in the original. The only alteration is one of formatting (i.e. the line length) so it reads better in a blog format.

In the name of God Amen
I Henry Bingaman of Garrard County and Com.^th of Kentucky Being Sick and weak in Body but of Sound mind and mem^ry Do make and ordain this my last will and testament that is to say first of all I give & recommend Soul in to the hands of God who gave it and my Body to the earth be Buried in a Christian like and Decent ^manner at the discretion of my Executors, Imprimises it is my will and I do order that in the first place all my Just Debts and funeral Expences be paid and Satisfied – – – – – – –

Item I give and bequeath unto Maryann Bingamin my dearly beloved wife the use of the plantation that I now live on – together with all the household furniture including all the wool and flax during her natural life also one Cow & Calf two head of sheep (ewes) and two head of hogs and the use of ten apple trees During her life Item I give and bequeath unto my two sons John and Christian bingaman the plantation where on I now live to be equally divided Between them to them and their heirs forever I is my will that my two sons John and Christian Bingamin pay to all the rest of my heirs the just and full Sum of ten pounds current money of Kentucky on or before the expiration of eight years beginning at the Eldest paying ten pounds anually it is my will that all the rest of my property be sold and desposed of at the direction of my Executors I hereby revoke and disanul all former wills bequeaths, or deeds of this and no other to be my last will and testament nominating and appointing my two sons, John and Christian Bingamin my Executors

In witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and affixed my seal this 21st of November 1807 Signed Sealed and acknowledged in the presents of –

Robt Brank Henry Bingamin {seal}
Isaiah Nickols
Robert Henry¹

Preliminary analysis

This transcribed will directly states that on 21 Nov 1807 (the day the will was drawn), Henry Bingaman’s wife was named Maryann. Undoubtedly she was living on that date, as he left her valuable personal property.
He named two of his sons as executors, John and Christian Bingaman. We can make no assumptions about the ages of the sons since Kentucky law seemingly did allow for executors under the age of twenty-one.²
Since Bingaman discussed the payment of ten pounds “current money of Kentucky” to unnamed heirs over the course of eight years, beginning with the eldest heir, it can be concluded that there were at least ten heirs – the two named children, plus the eight unnamed heirs. The oldest unnamed heir would have received their cash legacy first, followed by the second eldest receiving their legacy the following year, and so on. Presumably, these heirs were his children, but more research is needed to establish exactly who the heirs could have been.

Suggestions for further research

All that we have here is the transcribed will of Henry Bingaman of Garrard County, Kentucky. Since the will would have been only one document recorded as part of the probate process, we should look for either the probate packet itself or further evidence of other court proceedings in extant county books or registers. Finding the loose papers, particularly receipts for legacies, would allow us to learn the names of the heirs.
The will does not indicate when it was proved, or by whom, which would allow us to bracket a death date for Henry Bingaman. All we know for sure at this point is that he died sometime after he wrote the will, therefore after 21 Nov 1807.
A closer look at Kentucky law is warranted, to learn who would have been considered an heir. Would it just be children, or were others entitled to inherit say, for example, the children of deceased children?

Sources:

¹ Garrard County, Kentucky, Book of Wills, Volume C (1805-1809), p. 199, Will of Henry Bingaman; digital images, “Kentucky, Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 Jan 2017), FHL microfilm 764,6424.

² As a starting point, see the discussion at 333 regarding infant executors in C.A. Wickliffe, S. Turner and S.S. Nicholas, compilers, The Revised Statutes of Kentucky (Frankfort, Ky. : State Printer, 1852); digital images, Google Books (http://books.google.com : accessed 12 Aug 2018).

Web Sightings: Kentucky Tax List Articles

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Dawn Bingaman

Tax records are among the most under-utilized records by genealogists. Kandie Adkinson has a comprehensive series of articles on historic Kentucky tax records online that may help bridge that gap.

A presentation on DVD by Kandie Adkinson, an expert on Kentucky land and tax records

When I go to national genealogical conferences, I am typically overwhelmed by the sheer number of available classes. With so many simultaneous great sessions it is difficult to choose among them. Narrowing the selection down to one is darned near impossible, but is necessary due to the laws of physics. I can only be in one place at a time.

One way I make the cut is to see what classes are being recorded that would then be available for purchase. Not all sessions are recorded. Even if recorded, some topics lend themselves to live viewing because of the use of visual aids like PowerPoint. If a class is recorded, then I may choose to purchase the DVD rather than attend in person.

It was for these reasons I came home with the DVD from Kandie Adkinson’s presentation at the National Genealogical Society’s 2014 annual conference in Richmond, Virginia. The presentation was titled: “Kentucky Land Patents: Mind Bogglers or Treasures?” I have listened to this presentation perhaps 7 or 8 times now, and wish I had chosen to attend her talk in person. It is that good.

Because of the quality of Adkinson’s talk, I recently decided to search for more information about her and other material that she may have published. I learned that Kandie Prather Adkinson is an Administrative Specialist with the Land Office Division of the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office with more than 30 years experience with land records. She also received an award in 2011 from the Kentucky Historical Society for two articles about tax records published in Kentucky Ancestors, the state genealogical journal.

Why am I telling you about this great content from a DVD and a printed journal from 2010 in an article about web resources? As I have learned, four articles about Kentucky tax records authored by Adkinson were published in 2015 at Kentucky Ancestors Online, a digital publication of the Kentucky Historical Society.

Here are the direct links to all four of Kandie Adkinson’s fantastic articles on Kentucky tax records, covering the time period from 1792-1880. Click on the links under each image below to read the full article.

Tax Lists (1792-1840): An Overlooked Resource for Kentucky History and Land Titles

Tax Lists (1841-1860): An Overlooked Resource for Kentucky History and Land Titles

Kentucky Tax Lists: Revenue Collection During the Civil War (1861-1865)

Kentucky Tax Lists: Revenue Collection after the Civil War (1866-1880)

Perhaps after reading these articles you will be encouraged to delve into tax research whatever the geographic location of interest to you. I know that I will definitely pursue Kentucky tax records on my next visit to the Family History Library in January 2016 in an effort to learn more about my early Bingaman ancestors who were supposedly living there by 1798.

Father and Son: Pioneers of Two States

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Dawn Bingaman

Josephus Bingaman and his father, Henry Bingaman, were early pioneers in Kansas and Indiana, respectively

John Tecumseh “Tauy” Jones House on Tauy Creek in Franklin County, Kansas. Stonemason Josephus Bingaman helped build this historic home which was completed by 1870.

I have been occupied the better part of two months by combing through digital copies of 19^th and early 20^th century newspapers online. Newspapers from this time period offer genealogists a wonderful lens into the lives of our ancestors, often covering major life events as well as snippets of their comings and goings.

Sometimes more than just a sentence or two was published in the local newspaper. The article below recounts how two of my Bingaman ancestors were acquainted with a locally well-known Native American man named John Tecumseh (“Tauy”) Jones in Indiana, and later, Kansas.

This article is chock-full of clues to pursue about Henry Bingaman, the father of my great-great-grandfather Josephus Bingaman. I present a transcription of the article in its entirety below.

***

When Tauy Jones Came to Wabash
The Evening Herald (Ottawa, Kansas), 19 Nov 1913

JOSEPH BINGAMAN’S FATHER KNEW HIM IN INDIANA.

Father and Son, Pioneers in Two of the States–Ottawan Worked as Stonemason on Chief’s House on Tauy Creek.

When Henry Bingaman, father of Joseph Bingaman of this city, was a pioneer in the Wabash River country of Indiana almost 100 years ago, John Tecumseh Jones (Tauy Jones) came down on the Wabash from the Great Lakes country. He was an emissary of the government to the Miami Indians in Indiana, asking them to take up lands in the West.

Almost half a century later Joseph Bingaman met Tauy Jones in Franklin county and the venerable old Indian recalled the family name of Bingaman. The two talked together many times and Mr. Bingaman still recalls many interesting events about Jones.

The Bingaman family has sent out pioneers to new countries for over 100 years. An uncle of Henry Bingaman was a pioneer in Kentucky. A party of Indians attempted an attack upon the home and Mr. Bingaman killed seven of them. Theodore Roosevelt mentions this event in one of his books.

Henry Bingaman as a boy was a soldier under General Harrison and was at Tippecanoe. It was there that he became charmed with the Indiana country. He went back to Ohio and three families emigrated to Indiana. They were the Neffs, the McCombs and the Bingamans. These three sturdy families settled on the Wabash twelve miles west of Logansport. General Tipton had a trading post there then and it was the first post above Vincennes.

Joseph Bingaman, a son of Henry, came to Kansas in 1869 after serving two enlistments in the war. He was an apprentice stonemason working under Mack and Damon Higby, known to many of the old settlers around Le Loup. The Higbys were building the Tauy Jones home which is now the big stone residence on the estate of the late Captain William H. Woodlief.

Mr. Bingaman assisted in completing the house and he became acquainted with Jones who remembered the Bingamans of the Wabash country back in the ‘20s.

Joseph Bingaman is one of the pioneers of this country. He helped build the Forest Park mill and several other stone buildings here. He was a workman on the old L. L. & G. the first railroad in Ottawa. Mr. Bingaman and an uncle also rode for eighteen miles on the first engine traveling between Cincinnati and Chicago.

“We gave the engineer fifty cents to let us ride,” said Mr. Bingaman today.¹

***

Reverend Jones, also known as “Ottawa Jones”, was an interpreter for the Ottawa Indians who were removed from Ohio to eastern Kansas in territorial days. He and his wife were instrumental in the founding of Ottawa University, a Baptist college.² His image can be seen on the Kansas Memory website, along with additional images of his home.

Sources and credits
Image credit: “John Tecumseh “Tauy” Jones House on Tauy Creek” by user: Bhall87 / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0. Original image located here. Edited by Dawn Bingaman.

¹“When Tauy Jones Came to Wabash,” The Evening Herald (Ottawa, Kansas), 19 Nov 1913, p. 6, col. 3; digital image, Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 Nov 2015).

²“Ottawa U. Born Out of Pioneer Sacrifice,” Topeka Daily Capital (Topeka, Kansas), 11 Jun 1922, p. 6B, col. 2; digital image, Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 Nov 2015).

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