Adams County Cousins - Harrison Monroe Hamilton

 I am going to try again and write about some of my great-grandfather, Lafayette Pierce "Lafe" Smalley's first cousins, who are my 1st cousins 3 times removed. This time they will be from his mother's side of the family. This first name, Harrison Monroe Hamilton, may sound familiar since I already wrote about his cousin Mary Elizabeth Hamilton. This can get confusing because Mary Elizabeth's father, William J. Hamilton, and Harrison's father, John C. Hamilton, were 1st cousins, so Mary Elizabeth and Harrison Monroe were 2nd cousins to each other, but they each were also 1st cousins to Lafe, one from each side of his family.

confused

Harrison was born in Adams County Ohio 21 Oct 1857 to John Campbell and Nancy Jane (Hemphill) Hamilton. Nancy was about 1 1/2 years older than Lafe's mother, Rachel. Nancy had married John in 1855. John was a step-brother to Nancy, since his widower father had married Nancy's widowed mother. Did I mention that this family can get confusing?                                     

Harrison was the 2nd child and oldest son in a family of 11 children. In the 1860, 1870 and 1880 censuses the he was living with his parents in Oliver Township, in Adams County. In 1870 he was marked as attending school and in 1880 he was working on the farm.

It was within the next year that he married Anna Eliza Green, as their oldest daughter Roxie or Robie or Ronie was born in Aug 1881 according to the 1900 census. However if you want to talk about confusing just look at Harrison, or Harry M. Hamilton as he was listed there, on the 1900 census in Franklin Township, Adams County, Ohio. He was listed as age 24, it should have been 42, and born in Oct 1875, when it really was 1857. But it did say he had been married 19 years, which is rather remarkable if he was only 24 years old. His oldest daughter was marked as a son and his 5th child who was a son was marked as a daughter. I was able to find his children in later censuses and confirmed their correct gender. His wife was shown as Lida E. I expect that was a variation from her middle name. Later censuses and her gravestone show her name as Anna E.

Harrison died 6 Jan 1908 and was buried in Locust Grove Cemetery, Peebles, Adams County, Ohio. Anna was listed on the 1910 census still in Franklin Township with her 3 youngest sons, Monroe, John and Edgar. In 1920 she was living with the youngest son, Charles Edgar and his wife Zora and young son John in Sheridan Wyoming. I haven't found her in 1930, but in the 1940 census she was living with her oldest daughter, Robie, or Roxie, Taylor and her family in Dayton, Ohio. Anna died a few years later 20 Jan 1942 and was buried next to Harrison in Locust Grove Cemetery.