• General Notes

  BIOGRAPHY: 1860 census - in school.  1870&1880 censes - farmer in Greene Township.  Joined Hollandsburg Baptist Church in 1883 and served as deacon, moderator and treasurer.
  1900 census -farmer and widowed, owned farm free of mortgage.
  Letter to J.A. Payton in Hollandsburg, Indiana from J.F. Griffith from Amo, Indiana dated April 26, 1895:
  Dear Bro: I shall come to Judson on Sat. May 4th 95.  I shall not drive through, as I have failed so far in getting my horse home.  This leaves us well.  Onions are big enough to eat, & of course my talk is very strong.  I am as limber now as a boy only 16 - Can sit down with out dropping 4 inches, can run up or down stairs.  Wheels are good for some purposes, especially are they good for wagons, ect. but for a 240 lb. Baptist preacher they make him haughty & "stiff."  Respectively Yours, J. F. Griffith
  BURIAL: Grave SW 1/4, SE 1/4, Section 33, T.16, R.6
  Buried with wife.
  DEATH: Died of cerebral hemorrage.
  Unsigned (draft?) will of John A. Payton (uncorrected):
  I, John A. Payton, Parks county state of Indiana being of sound mind and disposing memery do make and publish this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills made by me.
  Item 1.
  It is my Will that all my just debts, funeral expense and all legal charges be first paid out of my estate.
  Item 2.
  It is further my Will, that the five children by my first wife, Lucinda J. Payton, towit; Laura Burke, Etta Guilliams, Marion Payton, Rudy Payton Fred Payton--shall have 20 acres of land which was given said Lucinda, by her father--but the deed made to me, and which in fact belongs to said Lucinda J. Payton--my first wife, and is described as follows The north half of the north est quarter of the south east quarter of sec 32, township 16 north range 6 west Parks county, Indiana--being 20 acres heired by said Lucinda J. Payton as aforesaid.
  Also said children by my first wife shall have the sum of $500, each which came to my first wife from her father P.D. Johnson, which said realty and personalty shall be given said children of my first wife--share and share alike; the said $500. herein to drwa no interest from time of gift.
  Item 3d.
  It is my Will that teh children by my 2nd wife, Raymon and Ivah shall have each a fair horse cow, bed and bed clothes and ther things for housekeeping purposes--the same as the children by my first wife recd.
  Item 4th--after payment of the above bequests and legacies--it is my will that my beloved wife Sarah E. Payton shall have one third of the remainder or residue of my estate--both real and personal; the one third of realty to my said wife to be set off to her, where the present buildings are situated.
  Item 5.
  It is further my Will that after payment and distribution of my estate as above set out--that the remainder and residue of my said estate both ral and personal shall be equally divided share and share alike between all my children above enumerat
  I hereby nominate and appoint Wallace Stokes as Executor herein.
  In witness hereof I have hereun to set ymy hand and seal this the 24th day of Jany 1910.
  John A. Payton
  signed sealed and acknowledged by this said John A. Payton as his last Will and testament in our presence and signed by us in his presence at his instance and request.
  Wallace N. Hobson
  Attellus H. Dooley
  DEATH: Stroke.  Obituary in Crawfordsville Daily Journal 4-Feb-1914 (p.4, col. 1) and 6-Feb-1914 (p.1, col.3). 

Details of John A.'s family with Lucinda Jane JOHNSON