General Notes

From Toni Nash's Web Site "Descendants of Rev. John Wing:

Descendants of REV. JOHN WING


Joseph Wing, son of Giles and Mary (Cornell) Wing, was born Feb. 28, 1782. When 22 years of age and his bride but 16, he married Amy Pettis, who was born Dec. 23, 1788, the marriage date being June 24, 1804. Soon afterward he left his father's home in Vermont and lived for a while in Locke, Cayuga Co., N.Y., but in 1826 he removed to Trumbull County, Ohio. In 1836, the family settled in Pike County, Illinois.

Notes for AMY PETTIS:
Letter written by Amy Pettis to her son Joseph Smith Wing, Feb. 22, 1862;

Clayton, Illinois

Dear Child,

I received your letter the last day of Dec. and was very glad to hear from you and that you and your family are well contented. "A contented mind is a continual fortune." I also received at the same time a letter from Betsy and Charles, they are well. Phebe has lost her oldest child. We had a letter from Benjamin a few days ago, he is well and talks of coming down next summer. We had a letter from Minnesota recently and they are well.

You have heard, no doubt, of the great massacre of the people in Minn. by the Indians. They killed some 800 whites and there has been hung some 37 of them at one time.

There has been several deaths in Pike Co., this fall, among them granny Davis, old Billy Johnson, Tom Smith and his wife, Tom Wiggins and George Taylor also. You request me to send you a list of your dead friends, I have sent you the whole pedigree at your request.

My great grand mother married a Warner. Their children were Anna who married Thomas Brown and had 6 children: Thomas Jr., Cyrus, John, Mary, Martha and Anna. Mary Brown married Matthias Button and they had 11 children: John, Matthias, Benjamin, Peter, Nathan, Molly, Anna, Martha, Eliza, Thankful and Amy.

My grandfather William Pettis married Mary Kinion. Their children were: Stephen (married Amy Button), Joseph (married Mary Chapman), then there were Sarah, Elsa, Mercy, Hannah, Mary and Lucy.

Your great grandfather Wing was Matthew. His children were Giles, Matthew, Ruth and Molly. Giles married Mary Cornell. His children were Samuel, John, Elizabeth, Katherine, Joseph and Giles Jr.

Stephen Pettis and Amy Button's children were Amy, Sally, Stephen, William and Nathan. Joseph Wing married Amy Pettis, you know the rest.

We are well as common, Byron has the whooping cough. Sarah is at home with us: William is in the army. Her child has the cough.

I sent you a tract, the title "The Christian's Only Hope". I want you should read and consider it well. I think if you knew all the doctrine of our faith you would respect it more than you do now. It is trouble some times now, and I think the winding up of the dispensation is close at hand.

We have had a very open winter only about 3 inches of snow at any one time and weather mild. Wheat looks bad, but not dead. The letter I wrote last fall I presume you have not received. I should have written sooner, but I meant to send my likeness and the roads have been so bad I could not go to have it taken. I will send it when I get it.

Tell Sam and John they must write to me. Norman wrote me a letter a few days ago; they are all well. You must write oftener.

From your affectionate mother,
Amy (Pettis) Wing
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Toni's notes....

When this letter was written Amy Pettis had been a widow for some 18 years. There had obviously been some disagreement between her and her son Joseph Smith Wing about religion...either her scorn of his Mormonism or his scorn of her faith...either way the fact that she sent him a tract of religious views indicates that they both were determined to adhere to their own religious beliefs.

She mentions Betsy and Charles and that they are doing well. Charles was another one of her sons. She mentions Phebe and that Phebe has lost her oldest child. Phebe would be the daughter of Amy Pettis Wing. (Phebe was the oldest child).

When she mentions the deaths in Pike Co., She wonders if Granny Davis is not Rebecca Davis's mother or grandmother. Rebecca Davis was Joseph Smith Wing's first wife...and her (Toni's) great-great grandmother.

When she mentions that Byron has the whooping cough she is referring to Joseph Smith Wing's oldest son...and her great grandfather. She doesn't know yet who Sarah and William are, but  guesses that one of them was her grandchild as well.

When she tells Joseph Smith Wing to tell Sam and John that they must write her she is referring to her grandsons by her son Matthias...they both went to Utah with Joseph Smith Wing. Norman is their other brother...another son of Matthias Wing.


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The 1860 Pike County, Illinois shows "Anny Pettis," age 61, living with Charles and Ellen Wing (ages 26 and 24), probably her son and daughter-in-law, and their children. Nearly on the census is Stephen Pettis, age 73, his wife(?) Catherine, age 47, children Harlow, Daniel, Laura and Maria. In the Pettis Cemetery, among the many Pettises, are Col. Stephen Pettis (War of 1812) and Amy Pettis, wife of Joseph Wing.