Ulmer Ancestry

Ancestry of Elizabeth Wardell Ulmer

  The following is only a summary of information that has been collected on the most likely father of Elizabeth Wardell, wife of George Ulmer. This information does not confirm or disprove who her parents were. It is placed here in hopes that further research, by myself or others, will find more out about her ancestry that will document the parents of Elizabeth.

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  Our Elizabeth Wardell was most likely the daughter of Robert Fowler. (Robert Fowler later changed his name to Robert Fowler Wardell. This is explained below.)

Robert Fowler had the following children:

Sarah
Rebecca
Robert C
Thomas
Charles
Anthony
William
John
Elizabeth
Hannah

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  Robert Fowler Wardell applied for a Revolutionary War pension in 1818. In that pension request he stated that he was born Robert Fowler, but later changed his name to Robert Fowler Wardell. (see below)

"Robert Fowler, file, 2nd New Jersey (pension received under the name of Robert Wardell) 61 years old in 1820 (19 years in 1778)

"Robert Wardell formerly Robert Fowler of the... State [of Indiana] personally appeared... on the 27th day of July... [1818 and] saith that some time in the month of February or March he thinks February in the year... [1778] that he enlisted in the servis of the United States under Captain Jonathan Phillips in the second Jersey Regiment... he further states that sometime in the latter part.., [of 1782] or in the beginning of eighty three the second Regiment being reduced to a Battallion by filling up the first Regiment out of it he also states that the said Jonathan Phillips resigned his Commision as Captain of said company and Captain Able Wayman took the command of said company said company being taken to fill up the first Regiment... which was Commanded by Cols Ogden and Barber the latter being killed by the falling of a tree in the winter before the Armey was disbanded. He further states that he was discharged by the aforesaid Captain Able Wayman on the third day of June... [1783] but thinking that his discharge would be of little use to him he neglected to bring it with him when he migrated to the western country... he further states that the reason for his changing his name from Fowler to Wardell that his mother was a single woman by the name of Fowler when he was born and that his reputed fathers name was Wardell and that after he came home from the Armey... then his father's brother, his father being dead, requested of him to name himself Wardell and has."

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  Robert Wardell was appointed as coroner for Scott County, Indiana, May 12, 1820. This was only a short time after Scott County was formed on Jan. 12, 1820, and effective February 1, 1820. He was later elected to the office, the following August.  (reference: "The Early History of Scott County, Indiana 1820-1870 by Carl R. Bogardus, Sr., M.D.)

  Robert is buried in Estil Cemetery, in Scott County, Indiana. Other information found about Robert indicate that he was born in 1759 in New Jersey, and later moved to Indiana prior to the pension request he made in 1818. He died September 23, 1836 in Scott County, Indiana. He also, late in his life, married Rebecca Daniel in November of 1829.

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Who was Robert Wardell's Father?

   I think he was the grandson of John Wardell and Margaret Parker. Maybe Robert was the son of their first son, John, born in 1724. The children that they had were; John- b: 1724; William- b: 1728; Elizabeth- b: 1730; Margaret- b: 1732; Meribah- b: 1734; Phebe- b: 1736; Lidia- b: 1738.

  There is also a John Wardell that was a Royalist during the Revolution. Who may have been a son of Samuel Wardell and Sarah Arney. This John may have been married to Margaret Tucker and they could have been the parents of Robert Fowler Wardell, who was born in 1759, served in the Revolution as a musician, and is buried in Clark County, Indiana. (note: Scott County was formed in 1820, from parts of the surrounding counties; Clark; Jefferson; Jennings; Jackson; and Washington county's lines were changed to form the newer county, Scott, in 1820.)

  One interesting note in reference to the above paragraph is that there was an Edward Tucker, and members of a Tucker family that were living in Scott Co. in 1820. Part of the listed information of government, when Scott County, Indiana was formed in 1820, shows Edward Tucker was one of the first associate judges elected to office. But I don't know if this was some of the same Tucker family that Robert's mother may have been part of, or if one of this John Wardell (mentioned in the above paragraph) family members, fathered a child with her. It is possible that Robert wished that his father's true identity not be well-known, if his father was a Royalist. Robert was not a Royalist. And he may have wished to distance himself from the facts as much as reasonably possible. After all, the Revolutionary War for the country's independence had not been to long over; and Robert in 1818 had requested, and was awarded a pension from that war. But in reference to my point about the "Tucker" family, many of these early families migrated, together with other families from previous areas of the country, as the moves west continued. I can not explain were the "Fowler" middle name of Robert comes from at this time of my research. But, Robert himself stated in his pension request, that it was his mother's name. It would appear that Robert had everything to gain, and could chance not receiving the pension if he did not tell the truth.  But we must also remember that he may have been trying to distant himself from Royalist families, and feared telling the complete truth at that hearing. I first thought it was his mother's maiden name, but that may not be so, as her maiden name could have been "Tucker".   

 There was also another John Wardell that was also loyal to the British during the American Revolution. This John was the son of Joseph and Hannah Tucker Wardell. He went to England, later returned to NJ and claimed his family. But no records are found for him in NJ after the war. He may have returned to England, or he went to Canada. A cousin of his, Joseph Wardell, son of Solomon, was also a Loyalist, and he went to Canada.

 There is also another listing for  John Wardell, of Shrewsbury. He is the son of a Joshua Wardell, who was a Judge. He, like the others mentioned above, was also a Loyalist. They arrested him in November of 1776. He was later granted a British pension. (ref: Collection of NJ Historical Society Vol 10) This John may be the same John as the above son of John and Margaret, or a cousin of him.

  If  Robert Flower Wardell was the son or grandson of any of the above, he was not a Loyalist! He was a Revolutionist, and helped to win this country's freedom.

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SUMMARY

 As it is, no information, that I have found, verifies who Robert Fowler Wardell's parents were. Or that he is definitely the father of the Elizabeth who married George Ulmer, born in 1789. However, because he is buried in the same cemetery as George Ulmer (Estil Cemetery), and the fact that one of his daughters was named Elizabeth, makes Robert Fowler Wardell the most likely person to have been one of our great ancestors. Robert Wardell's family, and the family of Jacob Ulmer, our great... grandfather, lived close to each other during the early 1800s in Scott County, Indiana. This all together becomes overwhelming evidence that this the correct "Wardell", and this Robert Wardell's daughter, Elizabeth, married Jacob Ulmer's son, George.

More evidence indicating that the Ulmers and Robert Wardell were family-connected can be seen here

  A photo of Robert's grave headstone is available here.

Reference: 

http://www.revwar75.com/library/rees/musician2.htm

http://indianasocietysar.org/wardrobe.html