Delila Axsom

an article in the Axsom Association of America by Norma Zanetti
(my version....)

Delila was the daughter of Samuel David Axsom & Melvina Hall Axsom.
born March 8 1858.
married Martin H. Axsom a cousin from North Carolina 4 Dec 1874 in Clark County Indiana.
they moved to Oregon shortly after marriage. Delila had 2 children, Martha & Willie. Both children died in infancy as evidenced by Polk County, Orengon cemetery records. Martin died in Polk County in 1883. he is buried with the children at Dallas Cemetery in Dallas, Oregon.
Delila returned to Indiana & married Rial Martin 23March1885. they had 3 daughters Lilly, Ethel, & Mable. in 1900 they were living in Morgan County, Indiana. by 1910, Delila was living in Vigo County, Indiana. the census listed her as widowed. that leads to the assumption that he died after the 19000 census & before the 1910 census.
couldn't find Delila on any other census after 1910, but could follow her daughter Lilly through 1920. I did not have a death date for Rial or Delila. Bycoincidence, a few days after the publication of the last AAA newsletter that had my research notes on Delila I recieved an email through the Lawrence County Rootsweb mailing listing written by Mary Durland. she wrote "My grandmother Lilly Martin & her parents Riley MArtin & Delilah Taylor lived in Lawrence Co, IN when Lilly was young. she may have been born there. According to my aunt they lived near Huron on the White River. Lilly was born July 12 1887. her younger sisters were Ethel Martin born May 1890 & Mabel Martin born Oct 13 1894. Riley drowned in the White River in the early 1900s. Any information you could find on this Martin family would be appreicated. I knew this was the same family although Mary thought Delila's maiden name was Taylor.
After learning from MAry that Rial died in the early 1900s, I began a search for a death record. I located a death record for Rilas (sic) Martin in Morgan Co, Indiana. the cause of death accidental drowning. Rial is buried at Hilldale Cemetery. Rial's parents were Moses Martin & Catherine Helton Martin. Mary provided the date of death for Delila: 12 May 1933.
I could not convince Mary that Delila was an Axsom-family tradition is hard to break. But I received email from Mary in November and she informed me that she had proof positive that Delila was indeed an Axsom. I admire Mary for taking the iniative to do the research herself and not rely on my research or others. Genealogies are often riddled with errors.

1.Joseph H Axsom Sr
m. Nancy May
2.Samuel David Axsom
m. Winnie Matthews
m.Melvina "Vina" Hall
m.Anna Hedrick
3.Delila Axsom
m.Martin H. Axsom
m. Rial (Riley) Martin
4.Lilly Martin
m.Cephus Earl Shelburn
m.James Bradley Miller
5.Thelma Pauline Shelburn
m.Chauncey Lee Akers
6.Mary Ann Akers
m.Robert Edwin Durland

Norma Axsom Zanetti
05Jan2003