And the dirt he popped up from, he bought in 1830

Joshua Case has been my idée fixe for some time now. He appears to have “popped up out of the dirt” in Illinois in 1830. Here’s the recap of the findings, to date.
The DNA
Thanks to a generous male who descends from Jackson Case, we know that the Case family who lived in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas belong to the same DNA group as descendants of one of the Case brothers who settled in New England in the early 1600’s and are believed to be sons of William Solomon Case of Aylesham, England. Don’t get excited, they did not arrive on the Mayflower. Some accounts have them arriving on the Dorsett. Three are fairly well known and studied, Thomas, John, and William. Thomas had no children, so he is eliminated as an ancestor. There are two other Case names in the area at the time, Richard and Henry, who may also have been brothers to these three. There is no paper or archival source of which I am acquainted which conclusively links Henry and Richard to Thomas, John and William. However, there is a descendant of a Henry Case (1637-1664) on the Case DNA list, whose DNA matches other descendants of William Solomon Case.
So, does this leave me in the same place as when I started? Not exactly. Though it seems with this family I find more about the families associated with them than about them, I am inching ahead, learning a tiny bit about them and more about the history around them. Inchworm, inchworm, you and your arithmetic will probably go far.
The Will and Probate
Joshua Case created a will before he died in September, 1833. In it, he named his wife, Catharine, and his children, Charlotte, Olive, Independence, and Andrew Jackson. From his will, we learned that he owned land and the specific tract was the W½SE¼ of Section 2, T4S, R8W. The will was witnessed by Luther Simmons and John Crozier, who were brothers-in-law of each other and of the Probate Judge, Samuel G. Thompson. Those three were connected through the Crozier family, Samuel married Mary Ann Crozier, brother of John and sister of Nancy, who married Luther Simmons.
Probate for Joshua lasted at least eleven years, the last entry on the film was in 1844. Joseph Orr was appointed guardian for Olive, Independence, and Andrew Jackson. Charlotte Case chose John C. Crozier. None of the records in the Probate book provide direct or stated information for Catharine’s maiden name. Just tantalizing possibilities, was she related to the Crozier, Simmons or Thompson families?
The Land
The land, the W½ of the SE quarter of Section 2 in Township 4S of Range 8W, of Principal Meridian 3, encompassed 80 acres. According to the bureau of land management, government land office site, this land was originally patented to the legal heirs of William Peach, deceased, in 1825. The Deed Record, Book O, page 368 for of Randolph County, Illinois, lists these heirs as William Peach and his wife Priscilla, Levi Simmons and his wife Lois, William Simmons and his wife Mary, and Charles Darrow and his wife Sally. Joshua Case paid $120 for the land.
The Conclusions
Not a lot of “move ahead” information was found for the Cases. Though thin, the information learned here was valuable. Though some say B-O-R-I-N-G, cough- my kids-cough. Joshua’s name was previously thought to be Jonathan; the will and probate proved his name was Joshua. It also proved that his wife’s name was Catharine, not Susannah as some have speculated. Although no maiden name was discovered for Catharine, directions for search are strongly suggested by the recurring associations with the Simmons, Peach, Crozier, Lindsey, Brown and Thompson families. Andrew Jackson’s first name, “Andrew”, was finally and officially confirmed as such. Until this, his name was always stated as only Jackson on every official record I had examined.
So, does this mean mean that I am in exactly the same place as when I started? Not exactly, though, with this family I often find out more about the families around them and history of where they lived than about them. But I am inching ahead. Inch worm, inch worm, you and your arithmetic you’ll probably go far.

Genealogy, n. An account of one’s descent from a man who did not particularly care to trace his own.

I have ancestors who popped up out of the dirt.

They came from nowhere, or Ohio, they had no parents, and they died leaving only the land and their best feather bed to their children, whose names were already known. That is, of course, if they left a will. Provided they didn’t burn the place down when they left, well, at least the courthouse. There are no others around them of their surname and they weren’t kind enough to provide the maiden name of their wife in said will. Neither did they provide the relationship they had to their witnesses to said will.

And this is why I love this stuff!

For example, Joshua Case, left a will in Randolph County, Illinois. Bt-dubs, I’m still having a tough time remembering his name’s not Jonathan as he has been Jonathon for almost ten years. He allowed his wife and children the use of his farm as long as his wife Catharine remained his widow. He willed the land to his only son Jackson. Who knew? He had land! The will was witnessed by John C. Crozier and Luther Simmons. These two were brothers-in-law. Nancy Crozier, sister of John C. Crozier, married Luther Simmons. Almost ten years later, Luther Simmons and Samuel G. Thompson witnessed the will of John C. Crozier, again, brothers-in-law as Samuel G. Thompson married Mary Ann Crozier. Joshua’s will did not appoint a guardian for his children, the court appointed Joseph Orr, however, Charlotte, being over fourteen, chose John C. Crozier.

Was Catharine a Crozier? If she were, then she would have most likely have been a sister to John, Mary Ann and Nancy. Were she their sister, then it stands to reason that Samuel Crozier, their father, would have mentioned her in his will. He did not. Still, she could have been a sister left out because he had already covered her in another way. Possible, but not too likely.

The possibility that she was a Simmons or a Thompson or an Orr remains to be investigated.