Biography of Napoleon Bonaparte Green (1816-1881)

Napoleon Bonaparte GREEN married (1st) 27 February 1844 in Pike Co., Indiana, Elizabeth SHAWHAN, daughter of Joseph SHAWHAN and Elizabeth HILLMAN. Elizabeth was born 2 December 1828 in Pike Co., Indiana, and died 7 November 1917 at her home on Vincennes Avenue in Petersburg, Pike Co., Indiana. She is buried beside her father, Joseph SHAWHAN, in Walnut Hills Cemetery at Petersburg. Her grave is marked with a stone.

They had 7 children: (All born in Pike Co., Indiana:

1. Mary GREEN, b. 29 Sep 1845; d. 8 May 1853 in Petersburg, Pike Co., Indiana.
2. Sarah Elizabeth GREEN, b. __ ___ 1848; d. __ ___ ____ (Mom said that grandpa, James William Green, had a sister killed by Indians. If this is true, then I expect Sarah Elizabeth is that sister.)
3. Daniel GREEN, b. 28 Mar 1850; d. 16 Dec 1852 in Petersburg, Pike Co., Indiana.
4. Joseph N. B. GREEN, b. 28 Mar 1850; d. 6 Jun 1896 in Hope, Hempstead Co., Arkansas; m. 1st. 7 Sep 1874 Lucy TRAYLOR in Gibson Co., Indiana. She was b. __ ___ 1846 and d. __ ___ ____; m. 2nd. 15 Jun 1886 Mary Elizabeth REAGAN in Smackover, Union Co., Arkansas. She was b. 31 Aug 1867 in Prescott, Nevada Co., Arkansas and d. 13 Aug 1959 in Hope, Hempstead Co., Arkansas.
5. Robert GREEN, b. 29 Nov 1855; d. 29 Jul 1856 in Petersburg, Pike Co., Indiana.
6. Henrietta GREEN, b. 3 Oct 1857; d. 30 Dec 1930 in Gregg, Texas; m. 7 Mar 1876 Jonathan Marion BOWMAN in Pike Co., Indiana. He was b. 23 April 1863 in Bowman, Pike Co., Indiana and d. __ Feb 1931 in Gregg, Texas. They had 10 children.
7. James William GREEN, b. 30 May 1860; d. 17 Feb 1935 in Winslow, Pike Co., Indiana; m. 15 Aug 1882 Mary Ann BRYANT in Petersburg, Pike Co., Indiana. She was b. 10 Mar 1860 in Pike Co., Indiana, and died 9 Jun 1935 in Winslow of that same county.

This marriage ended in a bitterly fought case in the courthouse in Petersburg over custody of their three minor children, Joseph, Henrietta and James in 1866 and 1867.Please note that this family lost 3 of their first born 5 children before they reached 8 years. All of these deaths occurred in a 4 year span (1852-1856). Even I can see that life was not all a bowl of cherries for Napoleon and Elizabeth and may have contributed to their divorce. I investigated the court proceedings and learned that Elizabeth left Napoleon and all the children and went to live with her father, near Bowman. Napoleon held custody of the children until settlement of their divorce.

My mother once told me that Grandpa Napoleon brought a baby home to Grandma Elizabeth. At the time I thought this a bit far fetched, Several years later, I was searching through the 1880 census of White Co., Illinois, for Cyrus LINDSAY my great-great grandpa whom I had reason to believed living there. I found Cyrus LINDSAY and living next door to him was great-great grandpa Napoleon Bonaparte GREEN. What a coincidence! Here in Grayville, living side by side at Grayville, Illinois, in 1880 were my mother's grandpa and my father's grandpa. It was like striking gold.

There was no question about it. I had found the correct Napoleon Bonaparte GREEN. He was the correct age, place of birth, and with the same occupation. Now, here he was in Grayville with a new wife and family. The puzzle was falling in place. The picture became clearer.

I passed this 1880 census data onto my second cousin, Lucy Bloomquist. Lucy came up with a marriage record for Napoleon and Lucinda S. Stanley that occurred 3 years after his divorce from great-great grandma Elizabeth (SHAWHAN) GREEN. Using the data from both records we were able to determine that Lucinda was about 16 years old and Napoleon was 52 at the time of their marriage. What an optimistic and self assured man was Napoleon. It's hard to imagine how he ever lived to be 65 years old.

Now, this brings to mind the remarkable tale that mom told me years before. Did great-great grandpa Napoleon B. GREEN actually bring a baby home to great-great grandma Elizabeth?

The first child listed in the 1870 and 1880 census reveals that Napoleon and Lucinda had a child by the name of James GREEN, who was born in Grayville in about 1867. Due to the nature of the taking of census records, when you try to determine ages they are subject to error + or - 6 months. Thus, James Green's birth could have been 1866. If this year is correct, then Lucinda would have been 14 to 15 years old when James was born.

Since great-great grandma Elizabeth testified, "Because of abuse and ill treatment," she was forced to "leave Napoleon and go to the home of her father in July 1865" this throws water on the idea he actually brought a baby home to Elizabeth. That is, unless he brought Lucinda 12 to 13 years old in 1865. However, at the time of the Circuit Court hearing held in Petersburg in October 1866, where Napoleon was the complainant, Elizabeth could well have been aware of Napoleon's activities. Perhaps this is what she meant was "abuse and ill treatment." Apparently she did not file for divorce prior to 1866.

Napoleon was a shoemaker with his shop in Petersburg until 1867 when he removed to Grayville in White Co., Illinois. He followed this same occupation in Grayville until his death of typhoid pneumonia in 1881.

Napoleon Bonaparte GREEN married 2nd. 21 October 1869 in Grayville, White Co., Illinois, Lucinda S. STANLEY, daughter of Chesterfield STANLEY and Eliza J. _______. Lucinda S. STANLEY was born __ ___ 1853 in Grayville, White Co., Illinois, and died __ ___ ____ in ______ Co., _______.

They had 3 children (all born in Grayville, White Co., Illinois):

1. James GREEN, b. __ ___ 1867; d. __ ___ ____ in ______ Co., _______.
2. Ida GREEN, b. __ ___ 1869; d. __ ___ 1879 in Grayville, White Co., Illinois.
3. Robert GREEN, b. __ ___ 1874; d. __ ___ ____ in _______ Co., _______.

Sources

!BIRTH-DEATH-BURIAL-RESIDENCE-BIRTHPLACE-BIRTHPLACE: His death record in the White Co., Illinois, office of the County Clerk, dated 11 Mar 1881, reveals that Napoleon died of typhoid pneumonia, at 10:00 PM Feb 23, 1881. He was a white male, married, age 65, born in Kentucky, a shoemaker, had been in Illinois for 14 years, place and date of burial was Grayville, Illinois, 24 Feb 1881. The undertaker was Ed BUTLER and the attending physician was J. G. STOKES. Both were from Grayville.

!SPOUSE-MARRIAGE: His first marriage is recorded in the office of the Pike Co., Indiana, County Clerk as occurring 27 Feb 1844.

!CHILDREN: The 1850-1860 Federal Census of the Town of Petersburg, Pike Co., Indiana,

!DIVORCE-CHILDREN: Taken from Causes #2428 in File Box 71, File 1, and #2346 in Box 67, File 9 in 1867 reveal that Napoleon B. GREEN vs. Joseph SHAWHAN, James SHAWHAN and Elizabeth GREEN whereby the Court ordered the above to have the bodies of Joseph GREEN, Henrietta GREEN, and James W. GREEN, the children of
Napoleon B. GREEN, before the Hon. John BAKER, Judge of the 3rd. Judicial Circuit, at the place of holding courts in the town of Petersburg, County of Pike and State of Indiana, on the 23rd day of October 1866 to do and receive what shall be ordered concerning them and have them there this visit. Napoleon B. GREEN's attorneys were: McIntire and Adams. The order was signed by the clerk, J. P. GLEZEN 19 October 1866.

!COMMENT: I learned from my grandfather, James W. GREEN, named above, that his father, Napoleon B. GREEN failed in this attempt to get custody of his children and he was raised by his mother in the home of his grandfather, Joseph SHAWHAN and to the best of his memory, he never knew what happened to his father after the divorce. His father's death certificate reveals that he went to Grayville, White Co., Illinois in 1867.

!SPOUSE-MARRIAGE: He second marriage is recorded in the office of the White Co., Illinois, County Clerk as occurring 21 Oct 1869.

!CHILDREN: His children by his second marriage was determined from the 1870-1880 Federal Census of Grayville, White Co., Illinois.

!FATHER-MOTHER-SIBLINGS-HALF-SIBLINGS: The only proof at this time is purely circumstantial. George Washington GREEN, thought to have been a half-brother lived and owned property near the SHAWHAN families in western Pike Co., Indiana and there was an unidentified male, living in Washington GREEN's home in Jefferson Twp., Pike Co., Indiana, in 1840 which would agree with Napoleon's age and by 1850, Washington GREEN family was living in White River Twp., Gibson
Co., Indiana, close to the SHAWHAN families. I think this is how Napoleon met his first wife, Elizabeth SHAWHAN.

!SPOUSE-FATHER-MOTHER-WILL: White Co., Illinois Will Book A, page 176 (The following was copied by me 13 October 1987 at the Willard Library, Evansville, Indiana. No date of probation given).
In this Chesterfield STANLEY  bequeaths to his wife, Eliza J. STANLEY "balck(?) and a sorrel horse, hogs, household furniture and land as long as she is my widow. If she ever marries the same is bequeathed to my daughter, Lucinda STANLEY." (Dated 22 April 1863 NOTE: This was 6 years before Lucinda married Napoleon Bonaparte GREEN). There was a codicil which reads, "I give about 80 acres of land for my wife as long as she is a widow. The lower one-third is for Charles STANLEY, my son, also other land is to go to him located along the Big Wabash River and also my tool chest. Executor: James M. Jackson, September 7, 1870. Witnesses: J. H. Guin, Mary E. Guin, and Charles STANLEY." (No date of probation was given).