Wilburn, William Jason

1876 - 1956  (79 years)

• Name	Wilburn, William Jason
  Birth	15 Dec 1876	Frostburg, Allegany, Maryland, USA
  Gender	Male
  LifeSketch	William Jason Wilburn took Robert Wilburn's name although according to Jason's daughter and child #9, Vera Wilburn McKenzie, Jason never knew or saw Robert Wilburn. Jason may have been born in Grantsville but grew up in Frostburg. According to VWM, during Jason\'s childhood his mother, Sarah Kemp, married Cleve Halfin. New research calls this into question. In early mid-July 2018 I, Kenneth Elwood Wilburn, Jr., came across a conversation online about the \"Wilburn Cabin\" in Jennings and the name of Jason\'s mother as \"Annie,\" not Sarah. At the time I thought there was some confusion over the name of Jason\'s wife, Annie Durst, and his mother\'s name--that somehow they had gotten mixed up. Since then new evidence strongly suggests Jason\'s mother was not Sarah Kemp, but rather Indiana [sometimes Indianna] \"Annie\" Durst. Annie, not Sarah, appears as Jason\'s mother\'s name on his death certificate. As to Cleve Halfin, who VWM says marries Sarah Kemp, Cleve is almost certainly Grover Cleveland \"Cleve\" Halfin, who was a twin son of Indiana Durst. Cleve could not have fathered Jason, as he was born too late--in 1885. Cleve was likely Jason\'s half-brother, Jason having been born about 7 years earlier. Indiana did marry a Halfin, father of Cleve, whose name was Thomas. If Jason is the son of Indiana Durst and he was born in 1876, he would likely appear in the US census for 1880 as a 3 or 4 year old. He does! He is living in Indiana Durst\'s parent\'s household. Part of the problem of locating him has been due to the misspelling of William Jason by census takers as William Jasir, due to interpreting poor penmanship or simply misspelling his name. He is there in the census, nonetheless. Sometime in life, he chose to take the surname name of his alleged father, Robert Wilburn, rather than his mother, Indiana Durst. Had he chosen otherwise, many Wilburns today would be Dursts, including myself, Kenneth Elwood Wilburn, Jr. However, the Kemps and Dursts did live close to each other on farms, perhaps adjacent. The 1870 census taker listed the Kemps and two Durst families (Indianna is in the second Durst family) following each other, which suggests the farms shared a boundary. According to the 1870 census, Sarah Kemp, who was 34, was married to Moses Kemp, 38. The Kemps had 7 children by 1870. Indianna was 16 in 1870 and would not give birth to Jason until 1876 when she was 23. <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6P9W-PTX?i=32&cc=1438024> and the next page <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6P9W-5SD?i=33&cc=1438024> If Sarah had been Jason\'s mother, she would have been 40 in 1876--possible in terms of age, but not likely. By the time of the 1880 census, Sarah and Moses Kemp had had one more child, Linus, who was 9, having been born around 1871. No sign of William Jason in the household. What if Jason were the son of Indianna Durst\'s parents? After all, both Indianna and Jason are living in their household in 1880. Yet in 1880, Indianna\'s parents, Samuel and \"Lucy\" (Louisaanna [sic]) Durst, are already 57 and 53. By Jason\'s birth in 1876, Lucy would have have been about 49--an unlikely age for a mother. Now back to Vera Wilburn McKenzie\'s oral tradition. She said, \"At about the age of eight, probably after Jason left school as a \"third grade reader\"--the extent of his formal education, Jason left home to work and live in the Gunter Hotel on West Main Street, Frostburg, Md. \"He stayed there, sleeping in a store box to keep warm,\" said Vera Wilburn McKenzie, until he was 19 (1895). Vera continued, \"One of Jason\'s best friends was Richard Durst through whom Jason may have met his future wife, Annie Durst, perhaps at a barn dance.\" VWM said \"Respect your elders\" was one of Jason\'s most important bywords.\" According to VWM, \"Jason was not as good natured as wife Annie, chewed tobacco and smoked a pipe, had a red beard, and borrowed money from Pete Yost to buy a farm adjacent to PY\'s in Jennings.\" According to Garrett County\'s Grantee Index to Deeds, this was probably in 1907, first 25 acres at Andalusia (Jennings?) from John T. Mitchell and in 1908 25 additional acres from John M. Wright. Jason was a lifelong farmer and later a Star Route postman for 38 years earning $40 per month between Grantsville and Jennings, Maryland. The census lists Jason\'s father being born both in West Virginia (1910 census) and in Maryland (1920 census). At 19 Jason married his 16-year-old bride, Annie Durst on 26 October 1896. He and Annie are buried next to each other in Grantsville Cemetery. Jason died of a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung) at Meyersdale Community Hospital in Meyersdale, Pa. A copy of the death certificate is in the Oakland County Health Department listing his death date as 18 September 1956, although other evidence suggests 17 September. His mother is listed as Annie, suggesting either a mistake thinking the space was the name of his wife, or actually Indianna \"Annie\" Durst, his likely mother. His name is also listed backwards as Jason William. His father is listed as as Robert William Wilburn. Vera Wilburn McKenzie, the nineth of his ten children, provided almost all of the information here. ---------------- Here is further info from another source: William Jason (aka Joss) Wilburn was born 15 Dec. 1876 in Grantsville, Garrett Co., Md. Died in Myersdale Gen.Hospial, Myersdale, Somerset Co., Pa.,18 Sept.1956. He lived in Jennings, Garrett Co., Md and was postal worker. He was the son of Robert Wilburn (S/O Walter and Elizabeth Wilburn) and Indianna (aka Annie) Durst (D/O Samuel and Louisana Durst). He had a lot of 1/2 siblings (Wilburn side) Lucinda, Noah, Tilghman, Elizabeth, Ida. And on the (Durst/Halfin side) Grover Cleveland Halfin, Samuel Halfin (they were twins), Minnie (aka Minter) Halfin Snyder. This info is proven by me, Hilda Wilburn, and a living granddaughter of Minnie Halfin Snyder who remembers her Cuz. William Jason\"Joss\"Wilburn, coming to their house to visit!!!!!!!!!!! <17 January 2010, Ancestory.com message board>. This response followed the above statement: Could you put me in touch with Hilda Wilburn or Minnie Halfin Snyder? William Jason Wilburn was my Great Grandfather! Loisaeller@cox.net. Thanks so much for your help. (703) 968-9779. I live in Virginia. I have visited the site where the Wilburn cabin once stood in Jennings, MD (Grantsville) with my father (who is still living and is 80 years old). William Jason Wilburn was his Maternal Grandfather. This is just wonderful to share this news with him. <12 June 2016, Ancestory.com message board>. ----------------- The probable Robert Wilburn is: the Robert Wilburn buried across the river from Ohiophyl, PA near the campground in 1911, Ohiopyle, Fayette, Pennsylvania, US, Birth Date: 15 Jan 1825; Death Date: 19 Jan 1911; Affiliate Record Identifier 90748061; Tom Faucet Cemetery.
  	William Jason Wilburn took Robert Wilburn's name although according to Jason's daughter and child #9, Vera Wilburn McKenzie, Jason never knew or saw Robert Wilburn. Jason may have been born in Grantsville but grew up in Frostburg. According to VWM, during Jason's childhood his mother, Sarah Kemp, married Cleve Halfin. New research calls this into question. In early mid-July 2018 I, Kenneth Elwood Wilburn, Jr., came across a conversation online about the "Wilburn Cabin" in Jennings and the name of Jason's mother as "Annie," not Sarah. At the time I thought there was some confusion over the name of Jason's wife, Annie Durst, and his mother's name--that somehow they had gotten mixed up. Since then new evidence strongly suggests Jason's mother was not Sarah Kemp, but rather Indiana [sometimes Indianna] "Annie" Durst. Annie, not Sarah, appears as Jason's mother's name on his death certificate. As to Cleve Halfin, who VWM says marries Sarah Kemp, Cleve is almost certainly Grover Cleveland "Cleve" Halfin, who was a twin son of Indiana Durst. Cleve could not have fathered Jason, as he was born too late--in 1885. Cleve was likely Jason's half-brother, Jason having been born about 7 years earlier. Indiana did marry a Halfin, father of Cleve, whose name was Thomas. If Jason is the son of Indiana Durst and he was born in 1876, he would likely appear in the US census for 1880 as a 3 or 4 year old. He does! He is living in Indiana Durst's parent's household. Part of the problem of locating him has been due to the misspelling of William Jason by census takers as William Jasir, due to interpreting poor penmanship or simply misspelling his name. He is there in the census, nonetheless. Sometime in life, he chose to take the surname name of his alleged father, Robert Wilburn, rather than his mother, Indiana Durst. Had he chosen otherwise, many Wilburns today would be Dursts, including myself, Kenneth Elwood Wilburn, Jr. However, the Kemps and Dursts did live close to each other on farms, perhaps adjacent. The 1870 census taker listed the Kemps and two Durst families (Indianna is in the second Durst family) following each other, which suggests the farms shared a boundary. According to the 1870 census, Sarah Kemp, who was 34, was married to Moses Kemp, 38. The Kemps had 7 children by 1870. Indianna was 16 in 1870 and would not give birth to Jason until 1876 when she was 23. <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6P9W-PTX?i=32&cc=1438024> and the next page <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6P9W-5SD?i=33&cc=1438024> If Sarah had been Jason's mother, she would have been 40 in 1876--possible in terms of age, but not likely. By the time of the 1880 census, Sarah and Moses Kemp had had one more child, Linus, who was 9, having been born around 1871. No sign of William Jason in the household. What if Jason were the son of Indianna Durst's parents? After all, both Indianna and Jason are living in their household in 1880. Yet in 1880, Indianna's parents, Samuel and "Lucy" (Louisaanna [sic]) Durst, are already 57 and 53. By Jason's birth in 1876, Lucy would have have been about 49--an unlikely age for a mother. Now back to Vera Wilburn McKenzie's oral tradition. She said, "At about the age of eight, probably after Jason left school as a "third grade reader"--the extent of his formal education, Jason left home to work and live in the Gunter Hotel on West Main Street, Frostburg, Md. "He stayed there, sleeping in a store box to keep warm," said Vera Wilburn McKenzie, until he was 19 (1895). Vera continued, "One of Jason's best friends was Richard Durst through whom Jason may have met his future wife, Annie Durst, perhaps at a barn dance." VWM said "Respect your elders" was one of Jason's most important bywords." According to VWM, "Jason was not as good natured as wife Annie, chewed tobacco and smoked a pipe, had a red beard, and borrowed money from Pete Yost to buy a farm adjacent to PY's in Jennings." According to Garrett County's Grantee Index to Deeds, this was probably in 1907, first 25 acres at Andalusia (Jennings?) from John T. Mitchell and in 1908 25 additional acres from John M. Wright. Jason was a lifelong farmer and later a Star Route postman for 38 years earning $40 per month between Grantsville and Jennings, Maryland. The census lists Jason's father being born both in West Virginia (1910 census) and in Maryland (1920 census). At 19 Jason married his 16-year-old bride, Annie Durst on 26 October 1896. He and Annie are buried next to each other in Grantsville Cemetery. Jason died of a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung) at Meyersdale Community Hospital in Meyersdale, Pa. A copy of the death certificate is in the Oakland County Health Department listing his death date as 18 September 1956, although other evidence suggests 17 September. His mother is listed as Annie, suggesting either a mistake thinking the space was the name of his wife, or actually Indianna "Annie" Durst, his likely mother. His name is also listed backwards as Jason William. His father is listed as as Robert William Wilburn. Vera Wilburn McKenzie, the nineth of his ten children, provided almost all of the information here. ---------------- Here is further info from another source: William Jason (aka Joss) Wilburn was born 15 Dec. 1876 in Grantsville, Garrett Co., Md. Died in Myersdale Gen.Hospial, Myersdale, Somerset Co., Pa.,18 Sept.1956. He lived in Jennings, Garrett Co., Md and was postal worker. He was the son of Robert Wilburn (S/O Walter and Elizabeth Wilburn) and Indianna (aka Annie) Durst (D/O Samuel and Louisana Durst). He had a lot of 1/2 siblings (Wilburn side) Lucinda, Noah, Tilghman, Elizabeth, Ida. And on the (Durst/Halfin side) Grover Cleveland Halfin, Samuel Halfin (they were twins), Minnie (aka Minter) Halfin Snyder. This info is proven by me, Hilda Wilburn, and a living granddaughter of Minnie Halfin Snyder who remembers her Cuz. William Jason"Joss"Wilburn, coming to their house to visit!!!!!!!!!!! <17 January 2010, Ancestory.com message board>. This response followed the above statement: Could you put me in touch with Hilda Wilburn or Minnie Halfin Snyder? William Jason Wilburn was my Great Grandfather! Loisaeller@cox.net. Thanks so much for your help. (703) 968-9779. I live in Virginia. I have visited the site where the Wilburn cabin once stood in Jennings, MD (Grantsville) with my father (who is still living and is 80 years old). William Jason Wilburn was his Maternal Grandfather. This is just wonderful to share this news with him. <12 June 2016, Ancestory.com message board>. ----------------- The probable Robert Wilburn is: the Robert Wilburn buried across the river from Ohiophyl, PA near the campground in 1911, Ohiopyle, Fayette, Pennsylvania, US, Birth Date: 15 Jan 1825; Death Date: 19 Jan 1911; Affiliate Record Identifier 90748061; Tom Faucet Cemetery.
  FSID	L8S5-FCT
  Name	Joss
  Name	William Jason "Joss" Wilburn
  Residence	1930	Grantsville, Garrett, Maryland, USA
  Death	17 Sep 1956	Meyersdale, Somerset, Pennsylvania, USA
  	Meyersdale General Hospital,
  Burial	Aft 17 Sep 1956	Grantsville, Garrett, Maryland, USA
  Person ID	I97501	WETZEL-SPRING

  
  

  Family	Durst, Annie Lucretia,   b. 10 Apr 1880, Mount Pleasant, Adams, Pennsylvania, USA d. 10 Mar 1955, Grantsville, Garrett, Maryland, USA (Age 74 years)
  Children	1. Wilburn, Alice Bertha,   b. 5 Dec 1899, Maryland, USA d. 24 Dec 1966, Potter County, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 67 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F56846	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 15 Dec 1876 - Frostburg, Allegany, Maryland, USA Residence - 1930 - Grantsville, Garrett, Maryland, USA Death - 17 Sep 1956 - Meyersdale, Somerset, Pennsylvania, USA Burial - Aft 17 Sep 1956 - Grantsville, Garrett, Maryland, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

TEST MARKER

TNG ID: I97501

FSID: L8S5-FCT