Quaker Cousins - George B Soesbe

I am glad to find cousins who were willing to have their parents live with them. George Soesbe was one of Nathan Elias Albertson's first cousins, so was my first cousin 3 times removed. George was a son of Philip and Sarah (Albertson) Soesbe. Sarah was the only girl among Benjamin Albertson's siblings. She came with the rest of the family to Hardin County, Iowa in 1855 and married Philip Soesbe in 1856. She and Philip had 7 children, with 4 still living in 1900.

George was the 3rd child, but the 1st son. His birthday was 1 Feb 1861, so he was a small child during the Civil War. In 1870 the family was living in Hardin County. On the 1880 census George's parents and 3 brothers were living in Jackson Township, Linn County Iowa. I haven't yet found George on that census, but George married Lucy Ellen Fenstermaker in Maine Township, Linn County on 7 Jan 1883. Although the marriage record shows her age as 15, her 15th birthday would have been on Apr 18th. It is strange that the 1885 Iowa state census in Jackson Township shows George as single living with his parents. But by the 1895 census George and Lucy and their children Earl age 11 and Nellie age 8 were living in Boulder Township in Linn County. Although Ancestry.com doesn't provide images of this census, George's parents and his brother Charley were listed as living in the same township, but I am unable to know if it was the same household or not.

The family was still in Boulder Township for the 1900 census and Philip age 72 and Sarah age 73 were living with George's family. George was a farmer and his 2 children were attending school. The household changed within the next 10 years. Philip and Sarah both died in 1902. George's son Earl was married in 1906 and his daughter Nellie was married in 1907. When the 1910 census was taken it was Lucy's mother, Amy Fenstermaker, who was living with Lucy and George. It was just George age 58 and Lucy age 51 who were living in Maine Township, Linn County Iowa in the 1920 census. George died 5 years later on 27 May 1925 and was buried at Boulder Cemetery in Linn County. It was over 25 years later when Lucy died 9 Oct 1953 and was buried next to George.