1Matthew Sheldon.
There is no official record of him unitil his Marriage to Mary Ann Drake (of Morgan County Ohio). They were married in Muskinghan County Ohio by a Justice of the peace JB
Andrew Jackson Petty is my gr-great grandfather and the father of William M Petty".
Skinner in May of 1861. On 1870 Census, Andrew and Mary Ann are living in Athens County Ohio-- with the PO Box being Amesville. there are four children listed: Francis-- son b 1861
William-- Son b 1863
Nancy-- Dau b 1866
Isaac-- Son b 1869 On 1880 Census, Andrew and Mary are not listed. three of the children are William-- living with Matthew Taffe and family in Pickaway County . Nancy living with TC Wallace and wife in Pickaway counnty. She is not listed on the census
as Nancy Petty but rather as Nannie Jackson. Both of these children list their place of birth as being Ohio , but they leave their parents places of birth blank. Their brother Francis is not listed on census for Ohio. but there is a young man of 18 yrs--FD Petty living in Chicago who lists his birth place as Ohio, and his parents being born in Ohio .
Their brother Isaac has disappeared. I suspect that he died.
It has been given in the family history that William's parents died when then children were still minors. Three theories have been given, but none have been proven authentic. The three
theories are: 1) that the family was on their way to Oregon and suffered a tragedy along the route which killed the parents and Isaac
2) that the parents and Isaac died of some illness or that Andrew was a person who went off for long periods of time and failed to return 3) that the parents and Isaac died in a fire and this left William divested. He only found peace
by joining Matthew Taffe's church What is known is that the Mother died before 1882 because there exists a guardian ship case for the three children-- Francis, William, and Nancy-- in Pickaway court. the case is to make a claim
of their grandfather David Drakes estate (Late of Morgan County). The court documents list Mary Ann Drake Petty as deceased. I have one theory and that is Andrew may be related to Napoleaon Boneparte Petty of Pickaway County and Joseph Norval Petty of Oregon .