The Lanning/ Nichols Connection

Amos and Clara Lanning and family

The information that my grandma Nichols had left behind, as I have mentioned before, is precious. It has simple mentions of people that has been a springboard in finding more information through records via the Internet resources available today. My knowledge of the Lanning family was very limited prior to my genealogical searches. I knew only that my great grandmother's name was Sarah Lanning, my grandfather Oscar Nichols' mother. And Sarah's father Amos was mentioned in her memoirs.


Clara and Amos Lanning (Antrim, Michigan)

 I added Amos's name to my tree on Ancestry.com and began looking for records. I figured the year that the family had relocated to Antrim, Michigan in the late 1800's. Grandma said they worked in the  Stern's logging camp, and a camp was just what it was. They lived in shacks made of  plywood  and covered in tar paper that could be torn down and reassembled at a moments notice because they would move from one location to another to access new areas of the forest. This way of living was carried on through all seasons of the year, even the deepest parts of winter. My grandmother told of living in one of these 'shanties' as she called it and mentioned  how the snow and winter wind would make it's way to the inside of their temporary shelter. Northern Michigan is notorious for it's harsh winter weather so I can imagine some pretty miserable living during those times.
 Beyond what grandma had left behind I had very little information about the Lanning clan and Amos was pretty much a mystery. I wasn't able to find any information before 1880 on him. I knew the Lannings settled in Indiana but I found no Amos Lanning that matched him in records. I was getting frustrated and decided to Google "Amos and Clara Lanning" to see what the search engines could find for me. I read a message or 'quirey' that a guy named Joe Costa left on an Indiana genealogical forum. I responded to his message by email and told him I thought he was talking about my ancestors. Joe's great grandfather was my great grandmother's brother (Lawrence Lanning) so it is that we are 3rd cousins.

Lawrence Lanning (Sarah's brother)

Joe had done more research than I had and had a bit more information to share with me. There were lots of Lannings in Indiana and they all lived in the Blackford, and Jay County areas. It was hard to know who was who so Joe hired a researcher to help.



Sarah Lanning, my maternal great grandmother


As information was passed to him by the researcher he emailed me found documents and pictures taken. Also old family photos shared by other distant cousins still residing in the Kalkaska area today.



A photo of Robert Lanning's headstone and Civil War marker

      The researcher ironed out all the questions that we had about who was who. It is that Robert Lanning is the father of Amos. And Robert's wife, and mother of Amos was Mary Eloisa Schoonover. Mary died in 1864 and Robert married 3 other ladies in his lifetime after her passing.
    Robert was born in Ohio in 1817. He married Mary in 1848 in Blackford Co., Indiana. In 1862 Robert enlisted with the 88th Indiana Union Infantry and fought in the Civil War. Robert was taken prisoner by the Confederates in Dec. of 1862 at Murfreesboro, Tennesee. He was treated badly and suffered permanent ailments and resulted in an invalid pension from the government. An affidavit submitted by Uriah Johnson (Clara Johnson Lanning's father) gave evidence of his inability to perform chores on his farm and that he needed help from Uriah quite often. Also, the family story goes that Robert volunteered to serve in the place of a man he knew that was drafted with the promise that this guy would care for his family while he was away. The man didn't live up to his promise so Robert beat the snot out of the guy.






A business directory found from 1897 shows Amos, Robert, and several other Lannings and their occupations.

    Robert died in October of 1905. The names and some information about Robert's parents was found. His father was Ezekial Lanning born in Pennsylvania in 1790, and his wife Louise (Maiden name not known).
When Ezekial died is not known, his wife Louise is not found either. It appears that Ezekial married more than once, a headstone in a Trenton, Blackford Co. cemetery was found of a Jane Lanning and it says she is Ezekial's wife.
Not much is known about Ezekial although it was discovered that he had a brother named Robert who joined him in purchase of land with the intent of building a town. The township still exists but the grand town that they invisioned apparently did not happen.






big plans for the new town of Trenton, Indiana

  
The earliest Lanning ancestor known (Ezekial's father) was named Robert born in 1730 in New Jersey. I have found information submitted by others on Ancestry.com that have more generations but they haven't any documentation to prove the relation...so for now we stop here. :)