Biography:   Joseph Henry Filkins  was most probably the  son of Henry and Amelia (Seely) Filkins of Rutland Twp., Meigs Co., Ohio.  Henry and Amelia married on 16 July 1807 at the First Presbyterian Church at Ballston Center, Saratoga Co., New York.  Henry was an early settler of Meigs Co., Ohio (pre-1819) and died c. 1825.  Amelia remarried twice, first to Joseph Sylvester on 7 November 1825 (who was dead by May 1828) and then to Thomas Sheperd on 1 January 1834.  She died in May, 1850 at 60 years of age in Vinton Co., Ohio of a "hemorrhage".  Joseph Filkins married Delilah Miller on 13 November 1836 in Gallia Co., Ohio, a Justice of the Peace officiating.  Nothing else is really known of Joseph, except that he apparently died relatively young, probably about 1840.  He is not listed in the 1840 census.  Delilah then remarried on 26 May 1846 to Alexander McDaniel, a farmer, in Lawrence Co., Ohio.  Alexander was a widower - his first wife having been Katherine Halterman.  He and Delilah had at least seven children of their own.  Delilah was born in (West) Virginia, Greenbrier Co., in about 1820.  She was illiterate.  A letter written in May 1880 by Rachel Halterman speaks of her sisters Delilah and Rhoda:  "I was up to delilas a Tuesday a seen roda . . . they both are getting along as well as they can and that is hard enough indeed   they haven't doing no good at all   hardly can make a living".  Delilah appears in the 1880 census taken in June of that year.  Her deathdate is not known.

Children:
1)  Rutha Jane, our ancestor.  See entry on John Lambert.

2)  Anson,  born in July 1839, according to census record.   He married first to Hannah Woolum on 25 March 1863 and secondly to Sarah J. (Johnson) Blake on 30 May 1886.  He was a "laborer", so termed in the 1880 census and was an illiterate man.  He had at least 11 children.  Anson died on 21 February 1920, in Washington Twp., Lawrence Co., his age listed as 83 years, 7 months and 21 days - perhaps two years older than he actually was.  Under cause of death, the record reads:  "no direct cause of death.  Pneumonia."  Sarah was still living at the time of his death.
        a. Joseph,  born May 1866 and died in 1941.  He married to Jennie (Janet) Rutledge  (1873-1926), on 24 August 1899.  They had five children.  In 1900, they lived in Hamilton Twp., Lawrence Co., Ohio.  Both are buried at Woodland Cemetery, Ironton.
        b. Ruhamey,  born  20 May 1870 and married on 1 August 1885 to Amaziah Ashley in Lawrence Co., Ohio.
        c. Ida M., born 20 January 1873.
        d. John F., born 1878.
        e. George W., born in February 1880.  Possibly died young.
        f. Anson C.,  born 1884  and  died 1965.  His wife's name was Nora E. ---  (1883-1960).
        g. George,  first child by his fathers second wife, was born on  7 May 1887.   He  married to  Emma  Gates  on 12 September 1912.
        h. Gussie, born 15 November 1889.  He was a twin.
        i. twin of Gussie,  born 15 November 1889,  perhaps died at birth.
        j. Shirley, born in April 1892.
        k. Jacob, born in November 1898.

     Other children of Delilah by Alexander McDaniel:

3) Joseph, was born in March 1846 and he married to Alice Bennington.  They had ten children.  In 1880, they lived in Bloomfield Twp., Scioto Co., Ohio.
        a. Sarah A., born c. 1867.
        b. Minnie, born c. 1869.
        c. Margaret, born on 11 April 1871 in Bloomfield Twp., Scioto Co., Ohio.  She was known as "Maggie".
        d. Thomas, born c. 1873.
        e.   Marzella, spelling uncertain, born c. 1876.
        f. Samuel, born c. 1879.
        g. Malinda, born in June 1884.
        h. Rosa, born in April 1887.
        i. Maida, born on 16 September 1889 in Scioto Co., Ohio.

4)  Catherine,  born July 1849,  married to Lewis Denny  on 20 July 1865 and then to Elmore Leach, son of John Leach.  They were living in Jackson Co., Ohio at the time of the 1900 census.  Catherine and Elmore had 8 children.
        a. John A., born c. 1866.
        b. Joseph W., born c. 1869.
        c. George E., born in June 1877.
        d. David E.,  born c. 1879 and married Tressie E. Stricklin on 25 October 1899 in Jackson Co., Ohio.
        e. Harry C., born June 1882.
        f. Henry P., born April 1884.
        g. James P., born March 1888.
        h. Ida B., born July 1890.

5)  John,  born 1854,  married Nancy McHenry on 5 November 1873 and they had at least two children.
        a. James, born on 10 March 1876.
        b. George, born 13 October 1881.  He married Katherine Blake on 2 April 1902.

6)  James,   born 1858 and probably married to Alice Russell in 1894.

7)  George, born 1858, and lived for at least a time in Tennessee.  He was once in a hotel when it caught fire and he saved his life by leaping from a window.  He possibly married to Jennie Barber on 22 September 1890.

8)  William Franklin,  born  June 1860  and  died 13 April 1932.   He married on 4 December 1879 to Mary Delilah Woolum and they had 13 children.
        a. Ernest, born 6 October 1880, married Nancy Shelton.
        b. Dora,  born  December 1882 and she married to Joseph Richardson.
        c. Hannah,  born 9 August 1888  and married 14 October 1906 to Cummins Gannon.  They had at least 1 child.
        d. Joseph, born 25 March 1886, married Ina Luntsford.
        e. Mary Ellen, born 1 April 1888 and married 2 September 1906 to Oakley Roscoe Brown.
        f. Nora,  born 8 January 1890.  She married Jess Gannon on  22  March 1909  and  they had five children.   She died in 1971.
        g. Ora May, born 21 October 1891, married Tyler Spence.
        h. Charles L.,  born 14 October 1893 and married to Mina Harris on 26 January 1916.
        i. John, born 10 June 1895.  He married Barbara Boggs.
        j. George Everett,  born in  October 1898,  he married on 22 May 1917  to Pearl Pinson.   She died in 1920 and he later remarried.  He had at least 1 child, a son.
        k. Halley, born 4 July 1901, married  Laura Preston.
        l. Frank, born 15 May 1903, married Elizabeth Green.
        m. Clifford,  born 14 June 1905  and married to Gladys M.
  Blackburn.  He died in 1965.

9)  Sarah Jane,  born May 1865.  She married on 5 February 1880 to Jasper Oliver.  They had seven children.
        a. Irene, born 4 April 1881.  She married William Snyder on 17 November 1900.
        b. Bessie, born September 1884.
        c. Willard, born September 1887.
        d. Henry, born September 1890.
        e. William, born April 1893.
        f. Joseph,  born 27 September 1896 and married to Golda Lemaster on 27 March 1916.
        g. Sarilda, born May 1898.