Caleb LAME

Sources:

History of Alexander, Union, and Pulaski Counties, IL. 1883, Son Charles' bio
1810 US Federal Census Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
US Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798-1958, Mustered Oct 1807
Philadelphia City Directory (Archive.org), 1820-1822, Margaret
Pennsylvania Church and Town Records (Ancestry.com)

Notes:

                   NOTES:
    Children of Caleb Lame are based on dates, rarity of the name, residence, and the biography of Charles Lame.  Charles is the only one who can positively be placed in this family.  There is only one Lame family in Philadelphia between 1795-1828, as far as I can tell, and there is no evidence to suggest these are not the right children.  Further research is needed.

Research notes for the children of Caleb Lame:

Charles Lame whose biography is printed in the "History of Alexander, Union, and Pulaski Counties, IL, 1883" is as follows:
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CHARLES LAME, carpenter, is a native of Philadelphia, Penn., and was born May 31, 1811. He is a son of Caleb and Margaret Lame, both natives of New Jersey, and is the youngest and only surviving one of a family of five children. The father was a soldier in the Tripolian war, serving three years with Decatur and Com. Bainbridge. He died at Philadelphia in 1812. The mother survived him until 1850, and died in the same city. Charles was reared, educated and learned his trade in Philadelphia, where he made his residence until coming to Cairo in 1863, and where, in October, 1834, he married Miss Hannah Rose, daughter of William Rose, Sr., a manufacturer of Philadelphia. She was born in Philadelphia on the 29th of February, 1812, and is a direct-lineal descendant of the family of William Penn. Mr. Lame has engaged in his trade since he was twenty-one years old, and is still actively engaged, though he is now seventy-two years old, and maintains his youthful vigor to a great extent. He came to Cairo, Ill., in 1863, and has continually resided there since. His family consists of five children, of whom but two are now livingWilliam R. Lame, the oldest, is a resident of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; John and Charles Lame, each of whom died in infancy, and Margaret K., wife of C. Ford, of Cairo, Ill., and Annie M., deceased wife of E. A. Burnett, of the Cairo Bulletin. Mr. and Mrs. Lame are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Cairo. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Family residence on Tenth street, between Washington and Commercial avenues.
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You can find Caleb lame on Ancestry as mustering with the Marines in 1807, so that corroborates. Caleb is a son, I believe, of John (Johann) Peter Lame, who was born 23 Feb 1714 in Oberkleinich, Germany. His wife is Sarah Ewan. Both were from Burlington, NJ. I have no leads on Margaret, wife of Caleb, as of yet.

So from Charles' bio, we may assume there are five Lame children who were fairly young, all of whom died before 1883 when Charles states that he is the last one alive.

In Philadelphia in the city directories we find Martha Lame, single and working as a nurse, in 1820-1822. Those directories are available on Archive.org. In 1823-1824 Joseph lame appears, a cordwainer. Martha is then absent from the directory. I'm thinking she was the mom and then was listed under the son when he became head of a household.

The marriage of Joseph K Lame and Mary Ann Phillips is recorded in the Church Books in Philadelphia, available on Ancestry.com, on 29 Sep 1825.

On the 1829 Directory however, there are three Lames listed: Joseph, a cordwainer; Joseph, a cooper; and Jesse, a carpenter. Now Charles Lame of the biography was also a carpenter, so there may be some correlation there, and the Joseph K Lame family has some furniture makers in it, so there also may be some correlation. But I don't know who this extra Joseph is who was a cooper.

I believe Jesse was another son of Caleb. His descendants have posted his birthdate and the fact that he was born in Philadelphia on some message boards on Ancestry. He died in Philadelphia, his obit is as follows:
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1863-02-18; Paper: The Philadelphia Inquirer
Lame - On Sunday evening, 15th instant, after a lingering illness, Jesse Lame, in the 63 year of his age.
The relatives and friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend his funeral, from his late residence, No. 1606 Helmuth street, west of Sixteenth, and above Lombard this (Wednesday) afternoon, at 2 o'clock.
----
Any coincidence that Jesse died in 1863, and then Charles, his suspected brother, decides to move out of Philadelphia? Maybe.

And then there's Martha lame, who was a wife of Joseph Onetto. Joseph lived in the Northern Liberties, the two were married in Philadelphia on 18 Dec 1821. They moved out of Philadelphia about 1834, and moved to Jersey county, IL.

So here's the 4 kids I have identified as possible children of Caleb and Margaret Lame:

1. Martha Lame - b. 6 Jan 1795 Philadelphia
2. Joseph K Lame - b. 3 Apr 1798 in Philadelphia
3. Jesse Lame - b. 10 Jun 1800 in Philadelphia 
4. Charles Lame - b. 31 May 1811 in Philadelphia

The fact that the directories only show Margaret Lame in Philadelphia until 1823 when Joseph (who could be her son) appears, leads me to believe that these four kids who are all born within a similar time frame, were indeed related. The other three were all deceased when Charles reported that he was the last one alive. The fifth could have died in childbirth, or may be a sister who we don't know about yet.

Also interesting, all four kids had a daughter named Margaret. Charles' daughter had the middle initial K. Could the K. in that middle name be the same K. in Joseph's middle name, and could that be the maiden name of Margaret? Who knows.