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John Benjamin “J.B.” Watts

Birth	:	14 Dec 1814 Canton, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, USA
Death	:	3 Apr 1903 Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa, USA
Burial	:	Fiedler Cemetery, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate	:	40.9124985, -92.3131027
Description	:	Co.C 106th PA. Inf. G.A.R. - fought alongside other family members including son James K(nox) P(olk) Watts who was b: 1846 & J.B.'s nephew Hiram B. Watts who is buried: Watts/Spaulding Cemetery (original homestead of John B. Watts as child called "Cedar Ledge"), located outside Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA. (map coordinates below)Several of the WATTS' clan in Canton actually served in the Civil War however not all in the same company. There are an outstanding number of them - around 20+/-. I placed the original GAR period marker beside his grave in 1980 but in 2019 my father... Read More	Co.C 106th PA. Inf. G.A.R. - fought alongside other family members including son James K(nox) P(olk) Watts who was b: 1846 & J.B.'s nephew Hiram B. Watts who is buried: Watts/Spaulding Cemetery (original homestead of John B. Watts as child called "Cedar Ledge"), located outside Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA. (map coordinates below)Several of the WATTS' clan in Canton actually served in the Civil War however not all in the same company. There are an outstanding number of them - around 20+/-. I placed the original GAR period marker beside his grave in 1980 but in 2019 my father told me it was damaged by county mowers so he replaced it. some of my family notes on J.B. Watts: s/o John & Mary "Polly" Watts. He was b: 14 Dec 1814 in Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA on family homestead called "Cedar Ledge", still carries that name today. He married Catherine ROGERS d/o Roine Rogers (known as Arvine, or Irvine Rogers & source for David Rvine Watts middle name) & Hannah LANDON. Catherine b: 25 Sept 1818 and was schooled/ raised in Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA. John & Catherine were married in Canton Twp, their hometown as children. John went to volunteer/serve in Civil War with his son James K.P. Watts & nephew Hiram B. Watts in 106th Pa Vol's, Co. C. After the Civil War, the family remained in Canton Twp. for about a year. They moved family to Monroe County, Iowa and lived there about 5 yrs before moving to Ottumwa, Wapello Co., IA. The family lived on a homestead just north of Fiedler Cemetery (north of Floris, IA) about 2 miles, south of Ottumwa abt 20 miles. Per my grandfathers recounting stories to me abt his family, there were about 12 families in that area that moved from same area of PA, & many of the original homes are still standing. Some are log cabins covered over & one log cabin still remains behind shrubs at roads edge. J. B. Watts in later age lived at 1632 Bertha Ave., Ottumwa, IA as found in 1882 Ottumwa Directory. [currently the street is no longer existing but was located under the Morrell Meat packing plant "sheep shearing" building per my father who was #3 in command at the plant until it closed in mid 70's when CEO got tossed out a window on LaSalle St. in Chicago (must have been bad finance deal), plant building mostly torn down during late 80s/90's & currently the middle of the parking lot for the meat packing plant there under different name is where the street home would have been]. John B. Watts was a farmer by trade and farmed until the age of 70 in /abt 1885, as shown on his pension application #620.945 written on Aug. 23, 1887. His application for pension was debated for 4 yrs because he was picked up as a deserter (mistaken) of his regiment in Nashville, TN, at the time his nephew Hiram B. Watts was the real deserter (his brother's son). Hiram B. Watts buried at Spaulding Cemetery, Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA. At the time of his arrest , John B. Watts told the provost marshall that the man he is suspected of being was Hiram B. Watts (seen on his pension papers)& that is what confused the Pension Office when they tried to verify if he should receive a pension. The presence of so much arrest documents was the thing that really held them up, and the only way he finally received his pension was to send a copy of his surgeon's Honorable Discharge to them. I am not sure why James K.P. Watts didn't try to help out his father to obtain a Pension & vouch for him. He had been wounded in the war when his cannon wagon he was driving overturned on a hill during battle - He was abt 50+ at the time it happened (old man at that time to still fight). From this accident he had his whole side paralyzed & later in years used laudenum (old medicine for painkiller & insomnia, known as cocaine today) which was a 10% solution of opium powder in alcohol, after another accident in which an Ottumwa 'electric' streetcar (on rails) ran into him & further wounded him. He is shown on Ottumwa court cases also against his son Andrew Jackson Watts & Diantha up until even Nov. 1900. He says on the court papers he is wanting to be responsible for himself & not allow Andrew J. Watts to care for him & that he says also that his wife Catherine was suffocated by a pillow by Andrew J. Watts. (sad if true). The court cases lasted several yrs. Per my grandfather Francis, J.B. used to ride his horse thru Ottumwa drunk shooting off his pistols & yelling, "my name J. B. Watts by god". He supposedly also while drunk was put into an empty coffin box by friends & when he sobbered up they could hear him inside saying "I'm J.B. Watts by god, dead & buried". very funny to me always. Another story Francis told me was that he once shot a man's dog in that mans home for growling at him. He was fun loving but "ornery"/ grumpy. My gr. Aunt Ollie (Veola) Watts Galey recounted to me (late 70's/early 80's) when she was still alive, that J.B. Watts used to sleep on their back porch with blanket/ make shift bed on her father David Rvine Watts' homestead just before he died. The home was at east end of the road going east from Miller's Chapel south of Ottumwa. The original home has since been torn down and replaced with a more modern earth home in its place. [He supposedly had lived at the old folks home just north of Ottumwa city limits on east Rochester Road going to east end of it and then north. The old county home was there. Living there for awhile as well, however i was never able to confirm it - nor if he died there. No County or state recorded death certificate exists or has ever been located and ODDLY also no obituary exists for him either. I had even tried to go thru Bloomfield (Davis County) records & old newspapers they had kept in old building just north of the Bloomfield town square..but nothing found except a "birthday notice that Tom Watts 'Thomas' was seen at a birthday party at a family home" near Floris. that was in 1901.] I mentioned the oddity of his not having obituary or death certificate to Aunt Ollie & said "J.B." Watts took her with him to Fiedler Cemetery, took string, a few wooden stakes, & lunch. Aunt Ollie said she was extremely young at the time & that he propped her up onto a tombstone & proceeded to mark out a plot with the sticks and stakes. So Catherine had already died some time before & was already buried at Fiedler. He marked where he wanted to be buried. Aunt Ollie said he died of a laudenum overdose self induced as he was just too old & in lots of pain & just wanted finally to die. At the time, the gravesite was near a pine tree (which during early 1980's was an enormous tree and eventually died & had to be cut down - only one big pine tree in the west side of Cemetery exists today, others at eastern side). Gophers were prevalent thru-out the Cemetery when I was young & grandpa Francis always mowed the Cemetery to keep it nice every summer & for memorial day. [His mother Minnie P. Wilkins Watts made him promise that if she & his father were buried at Shaul Cemetery in Ottumwa to make it easier to maintain at the time that he had to promise to maintain the family Cemetery at Fiedler. He always did. I sometimes helped him. ]There was a low marshy area which always had masses of Mosquitoes during summer. Since then it is now only a low area & has been filled in with dirt. The county now maintains the Cemetery. Minnie had placed peony bushes (pink) at the top of John B. & Catherine's graves to mark them as the family had never placed a headstone on their graves. The Peony bushes are pictured behind the stone in photo that was taken on this page by SHARON WELCH (thank you), however those peony's do not exist anymore sadly as they became diseased my father said several yrs ago & had to be removed. I hopefully can replace them in future. Minnie put them there in the 1920's most likely. She lived at time at 525 Lee Ave., Ottumwa, IA where a huge group of them were between her home & my grandpa Francis home next door at 521 Lee Ave. in front yard next to sidewalk. They were there when I grew up but now also gone. I hope someday that mysteriously his death notice or obituary or some recognized death certificate can be finally found & credited. My grandpa Francis Watts was ALWAYS proud of his grandpa Stephen H. Wilkins Civil War record/ history as a sharpshooter for G.A.R. Union Army but sadly never knew his own ancestor John B. Watts had also served in the Civil War. It would have made him very proud. Francis' sisters were always members of the D.A.R. as well. Not for Watts family as they didn't know about a Watts serving in Rev. War prior to their deaths - however ancestor 1st Lt. Francis Watts & Sgt. James Watts were in Rev. War & our family. (See Sgt. James Watts - Ft. Freeland, PA history maintained by Randy Watts from 1980-2000's).

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is John Benjamin “J.B.” Watts's memorial?
John Benjamin “J.B.” Watts's memorial is located at: Fiedler Cemetery, Wapello County, USA.
When did John Benjamin “J.B.” Watts death?
John Benjamin “J.B.” Watts death on 3 Apr 1903 in Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa, USA
Where are the coordinates of the John Benjamin “J.B.” Watts's memorial?
Latitude: 40.9124985
Longitude: -92.3131027

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Catherine “Katy (or) Katie” Rogers Watts

(1818 - 1897)

Siblings

Children

Andrew Jackson Watts

(1840 - 1913)

David Rvine “ROINE Also as Arvine, Irvine” Watts

(1851 - 1931)

Thomas Murray Watts

(1857 - 1944)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Fiedler Cemetery
Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9124985, -92.3131027

2. Railback Cemetery
Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9250182, -92.2835155

3. Peden Cemetery
Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8848000, -92.3291000

4. Cooper Cemetery
Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9442482, -92.3064423

5. SIOC Cemetery
Eldon, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9190903, -92.2705612

6. Mars Hill Cemetery
Ottumwa, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8993000, -92.3572000

7. Sedore Family Cemetery
Ottumwa, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9046100, -92.2623100

8. Floris Cemetery
Floris, Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8712250, -92.3180080

9. Pierce Cemetery
Floris, Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8708000, -92.2938995

10. Fite Hill Cemetery
Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8972414, -92.2474037

11. Glasgow Cemetery
Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8856010, -92.2497025

12. Mount Gilead Cemetery
Floris, Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8683014, -92.2667007

13. Spence Cemetery
Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8863907, -92.3847198

14. Eldon Cemetery
Eldon, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9296989, -92.2249985

15. Bethlehem Cemetery
Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8699989, -92.2399979

16. Ashland Cemetery
Ashland, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9570000, -92.2410000

17. Ellsworth Cemetery
Ashland, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9500182, -92.2251806

18. Agency Cemetery
Agency, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9916800, -92.3074000

19. Hackney Grave
Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9833429, -92.2640634

20. Chief Wapello Memorial Park
Agency, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9918000, -92.2926000

21. Dexter Farm Cemetery
Ottumwa, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9333425, -92.4168449

22. Jay Cemetery
Floris, Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8288994, -92.3227997

23. McIntire Cemetery
Ottumwa, Wapello County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9646988, -92.4005966

24. Wilson Cemetery
Davis County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8249000, -92.3103000