Quaker Cousins - Eli Hockett

In the last 3 days I found and wrote about two 1st cousins of my great-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson who were both named Phebe, born the same year. Today I am writing about another one of their 1st cousins, Eli Hockett, whose first name is the same as the cousin I wrote about day before yesterday. However, Eli Hockett was not born the same year as Eli Beard, but about 8 years later, after the family had moved to Iowa, so they were even born in different states. Since my great-grandmother was not born until 1855 she was a number of years younger than these cousins.

Eli Hockett was born 22 Jul 1843 in Henry County Iowa to John and Elizabeth (Pidgeon) Hockett. Eli was not yet 5 years old when his mother died in Feb 1848. John remarried 5 days after Eli's 5th birthday to Rebecca Gray, so Eli grew up with a step-mother and a number of half-siblings. John and his family moved from Henry County northward to Hardin County Iowa around 1855, so they were enumerated on the 1856 Iowa State Census. Eli was listed as age 12. By the 1860 census he was shown as age 16. The census taker only listed the initial for the first name, so he was E Hockett.

Although Eli was born into a Quaker household, he was one of those who chose to fight as a Union soldier in the Civil War. He enlisted 14 Aug 1863 and served as a private in Company G, Iowa 9th Cavalry Regiment until he was mustered out 3 Feb 1866 at Little Rock, Arkansas.

By 1875 Eli had moved to California where he registered to vote 29 Jul in Tulare County, giving his residence as Porterville. An online family tree states that he married Samantha Jane Farnham 23 Dec 1875 in Tulare County. Other records including the 1900 census showed her name as Cynthia Jane and her tombstone showed her as C.J. Hockett.

The online tree shows that she and Eli had 13 children, born between 1878 and 1894 and in a large number of locations: Oregon, Santa Cruz County California, Placer County California, Jewell County Kansas, Lamar County Texas and the last 5 in San Diego County California.

Eli was registered to vote in San Diego County in the "Great Registers" in 1890, 1892 and 1894. These voting registers are great resources for doing California research. Some of them include a physical description so I can read that in 1892-4 Eli was 5 ft 8 inches tall, had light complexion, light blue eyes and light hair. His occupation in 1890 was farm laborer, in 1892 it was farmer and by 1894 he was listed as a blacksmith.

On the 1900 census in San Diego County, Eli's occupation was shown as stone mason. Also in the household were his wife Cynthia J, and 5 of their children. It was 15 Dec 1900 when Cynthia died and was buried at Artesia Cemetery in Cerritos, Los Angeles County, California.

Another online family tree states that Eli married Mary Jane Yarrington 16 Aug 1905 in Los Angeles California. The 1910 census showed Eli by himself in Pasadena California, but was marked as married and was a laborer doing odd jobs. Sometime before 1920 Eli married a 3rd time to an Eliza, as she was listed on the 1920 census with him in Los Angeles. However the disabled veterans home in Sawtelle show him there from 1918 to 1923, then readmitted in Dec 1924. Eli died 18 Apr 1925 in Sawtelle and was buried at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles California.

Quaker Cousins - Eli W. Beard

Eli Warrington Beard was my 1st cousin 3 time removed as he was a 1st cousin of my great-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson. Eli's mother was Margaret Hockett, the 2nd oldest sister of Mary's father Francis Hockett. Margaret was married to Enoch Beard and Eli was their 2nd child, born 22 Feb 1836 in Randolph County Indiana.

As the majority of the Hockett family did, they soon moved to Henry County, Iowa. According to a newspaper article published in September, some months after his death 8 Jan 1913, he had received an inheritance while in his teens of two oxen which he sold for $25 so he could attend school. Eli became a teacher and when he died the Des Moines newspaper stated that he was probably the oldest school teacher in Iowa at age 78 (the math doesn't quite add up) and had been teaching for 58 years. It seems he had taught many of the businessmen and other leaders in the community. His obituary also stated that he had remained a Quaker and was a regularly ordained minister of the church.

It appears Eli followed the lead of his father who was married 3 times. Eli was also married 3 times: 1st to Susan or Susanna Iola Pickett in 1857 who died in 1884; 2nd to Mary Winslow in 1885 who died in 1897; and 3rd to Mary E McNeil in 1899 who was a number of years younger than him and survived him.

Apparently all of his children were with his first wife Susan. His obituary shows 5 surviving children; a daughter and 4 sons, the daughter and 1 son were living in Alberta Canada and the other 3 were in various parts of Iowa. Quaker records show that 2 children died as infants, in 1860 and 1861. From Find a Grave it shows 2 children who died in 1879, a son age 3 and a daughter 15.

It is probable that Eli was buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Indianola, Warren County Iowa. There is a stone which reads:  

   IN MEMORIAM

ELI W. BEARD

     A TEACHER

    1836--1913

ERECTED BY HIS PUPILS