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"Poor Erring William”
William was born June 15, 1816, the ninth child of Thomas and Eleanor Worthington. He was named after two of his father’s friends, General William Darke of Virginia and John Jacob Astor of New York. William and brother Francis were raised with little guidance or discipline as father Thomas died when they were young.
Although he attended school at Ohio University in Athens, William never graduated. He inherited 120 acres of land from his father’s estate which he mostly rented to tenants. Records show his brother James paid him for splitting fence rails. He worked briefly as a cattle drover and also in the family pork packing plant in Portsmouth. William lived most of his life in the Ross County area.
In his sister Margaret’s journal, she mentions William numerous times as a part of their Chillicothe social group and family gatherings such as dinners at Eolia, home of sister Ellen Watts. William had problems with alcohol and promised to stop drinking. He attended temperance meetings and took the Cold Water Pledge but failed to comply. William was frequently ill and died at the age of 34 at Adena October 28, 1850. |
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Adena Mansion and Gardens
Thomas Worthington & Family
Tecumseh
The Old Northwest Territory
Ohio Statehood
Great Seal of the State of Ohio
Benjamin Latrobe
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