Adams County Cousins - Joseph Abner Smalley

When I began this series I stated that most if not all of Lafe Smalley's first cousins were born in Adams County Ohio. This is a cousin who proved me wrong. Joseph Abner Smalley was born 1 Jan 1879 in Grant County, Indiana. He appears to have been the only child of Joseph W. and Maria (Florea) Smalley. Joseph W. was born in Adams County and lived there until at least the 1860 census where he is listed with his parents and family. Joseph W. apparently went to Indiana within the next few years since he married Maria in Rush County Indiana 7 Nov 1866. Within the next dozen years they moved farther north to Grant County where Joseph Abner was born.

Since Joseph Abner was born in 1879, he appears as a 1 year old on the 1880 census with his parents in Liberty Township, Grant County Indiana. In the next census available, 1900, he is still at home with his parents and was enumerated by his middle name Abner. It was in 1907 on the 5th of October, the same day my father was born in Kansas to Lafe's oldest daughter, that Lafe's cousin Joseph Abner married Jennie Campbell in St Joseph, Berrien County Michigan. St. Joseph seemed to have been a tourist destination on the banks of Lake Michigan. It was the same county that Lafe's wife's parents were living in for the 1880 census.

Joseph and Jennie were living in Liberty Township, Grant County Indiana, on the 1910 census with their almost year old son John. Newspaper items about their family state they lived in the Rigdon area all their lives. Rigdon seem to be near the southern edge of Liberty Township. They are shown in Liberty Township with their family on the 1920, 1930 and 1940 censuses. The 1930 census notes they did have a radio and the 1940 census that both Joseph Abner and Jennie had completed 8 grades of school.

Joseph Abner was the right age to be included in both the World War I Draft Registration in 1918 and the World War II Draft Registration from 1942. This is a copy from the 1942 one.

On 5 Oct 1957 Joseph and Jennie celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. The notice published in the Fairmount News stated that they had 6 children, 17 grandchildren and 1 geat-grandchild. It was less than 4 years later when Joseph Abner Smalley died, 9 Feb 1961. He was buried in Knox Chapel Cemetery, Point Isabel, Grant County, Indiana. His wife Jennie died in 1973 and they have a double stone.

Ancestor Birthday - May 10th - Lucy Jane Chase 1839 - 1913

Lucy Jane or Jane Lucy Chase was my 2nd great-grandmother. Her name on her obituary and funeral card was Lucy Jane. On all the censuses I found she was Jane or Jane L. Maybe her "official" name was Lucy Jane, but she used the name Jane since her mother was Lucy Irene.

She was born 10 May 1839, probably in Sharon township, Litchfield County, Connecticut, the daughter of Timothy and Lucy Irene (Howe) Chase. She married Joshua Rodney Shipman 15 Jan 1859 in Ohio. So by the time my father, Lester Albertson, was living, born 1907 in Sherman County Kansas, he would have known her at Grandma Shipman, although she actually was his great-grandmother.

From looking at a Christmas postcard that my father received as a child I think she had a sense of humor.

She wrote: Lester you catch one of these piggies for Grandpa & Grandma Shipman for our Christmas dinner.

J.R and Lucy Jane had lived in Berrien County Michigan, Mercer County Illinois and Saline County Nebraska before coming to Sherman County Kansas about 1886 where they remained until she died there 8 Jan 1913. She was buried at the Edson Cemetery. Although Lucy Jane had only 2 surviving children at the time of her death, she had 13 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

You can read more about her on my website: http://www.joanneskelton.com/p12.htm#i280

The Children of Elisha and Catherine Shipman

Yesterday, 7 Apr 2017, I wrote about Elisha Shipman. Today I want to give my conclusions about who his children were.

Using the information from the 1837 letter writer from Ashtabula County Ohio, one of Elisha's children was Joseph Lester Shipman. Joseph's birthdate has been given as 25 Jan 1808. So he should have been in Elisha's household for the 1820 census. However Elisha is found in Lyme, New London County, Connecticut with 1 male age 26-44, 1 female age 26-44 and 3 females under 10. The adults fit, but Joseph is not there. I still believe Joseph is a son and could be living with some relative or working for someone.

What about the 3 females under 10? I believe we can identify them, even though their ages are a little bit off: Mehitable, born about 1809/10, Philena born 1811 and Zeriah born about 1814.

Mehitable was married to Alexander Wright. By 1850 Elisha and Catherine are living with them in Leroy District, Lake County, Ohio. Mehitable and Alexander were still there in the 1860 census, but by 1870 Alexander is in Chikaming, Berrien County Michigan and Mehitable is on the mortality schedule there with a death date of Aug 1869. It is interesting that Joseph's son Joshua Rodney Shipman was in Chikaming on the 1860 census, but had moved to Mercer County Illinois by 1865.

Philena was married to George Chase and in 1850 they were living next door to Joseph Lester Shipman and his family in Cherry Valley Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio. Philena and George were in Berrien County Michigan in 1860 and in 1870. By 1880 Philena is living with her son James in Mercer County Illinois.

Zeriah was married to George Mather. She seems to be the one child who remained in Connecticut. George is listed in the 1840 census in Lyme, New London County, Connecticut with a female in the household the right age to the Zeriah. They are still there in 1850 and are in Old Lyme (formed from Lyme) in 1860 when Elisha and Catherine are living with them. They are in Old Lyme in the 1870 census and Zeriah (listed as Lotta) was living with her son in East Lyme in the 1880 census.

The family seemed to move around, but there are some common places: Lyme, New London County, Connecticut; Ashtabula County, Ohio; Lake County, Ohio; Berrien County, Michigan; and Mercer County, Illinois.