The Bobbitt Family In America

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"John H. Bobbitt became the guardian for his grandson, Lindsay Holliday, whose father died during the war and whose mother (Elizabeth) died before that Harrison Bobbitt and James McDonald became sureties for the guardian. They are now both dead. John H. Bobbitt received the pension money and lived on it. When the young Holiday was about twenty years old, about 1879, a new guardian was appointed, and as John Bobbitt had no money to turn over, the Bobbitt farm and all his property was sold. Mrs. Bobbitt claimed her 113 of the land but she sold this after about two years.

"They moved down to near Eckerty and bought or bargained for about thirty acres of land, but didn't pay for it and it fell back after his death. John got to doctoring a good deal and got so in debt, that I think some of the guardian money was spent for James Education, but James made a heap of it himself, teaching and so on."

This family sacrificed heavily to the ravages of the war between the states. Harrison, their son was killed in battle, Absolom, their son died of diseases contracted during his service, and Peter Holiday, their son-in-law was killed in battle.

We are not certain when Catharine (Goble) Bobbitt died. She made her home with John M. and Mary E. Sanders. She was last paid a pension in February of 1900. She lived in Crawford County, Indiana when she died.

Perhaps because of the hardships that this family endured, many of the children became accomplished and noteworthy citizens of Indiana. John Franklin Bobbitt, son of James and Martha Bobbitt was a professor at the University of Chicago. He was an author and became an authority on education and educational systems.

Arch N. Bobbitt, son of Irvin Bobbitt, became Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. He was a prominent Indianapolis attorney. He was a leader in the Republican party of Indiana and instrumental in getting Wendell Willkie nominated for president.

Numerous other descendants under the names of Holliday, Cornwell, Busick, Moon, Sanders, and May became well known and respected citizens in Indiana and Illinois.