Tag Archives: Perry County

Charlotte Danison Ramsey: The Two Missing Children (52 Ancestors #38)

Posted by

You can learn a lot from two little numbers. In the 1900 and 1910 federal censuses, there were two questions asked of women: Mother of how many children and how many are still alive. For Charlotte Danison Ramsey, those numbers were 8 and 5.

I can identify six of her children:

  • Mary, born 1854
  • James Martin, born 1856
  • John (my great-grandfather), born 1860
  • Harriet, born 1862. She died in 1872 of spinal affliction.
  • Emma, born 1866
  • Louisa, born 1869

Who are Charlotte’s other two children? Charlotte married Samuel Elliot Ramsey in 1851. Did they have a child before Mary in 1854? Was there a child between James and John? Was there a child between Harriet and Emma? Was there a child after Louisa?

Ohio didn’t begin civil registration of births and deaths until 1868. I have looked through the records for Perry County, Ohio, where Charlotte and Samuel lived their entire lives. Unless we find a tombstone or a church record for the other two children, we will likely never know who they were.

Charlotte was born in 1832 and was the daughter of Abisha and Mary (Deffenbaugh) Danison. She married Samuel in 1851. After John’s death in 1906, Charlotte lived with her daughter Emma and her family. She died in 1911 and is buried in Mount Perry Cemetery.

Charlotte Ramsey 1910 census

Charlotte Ramsey, 1910 federal census, Hopewell Twp., Perry Co., Ohio.

Samuel Elliot Ramsey: My Surprising Shepherd (52 Ancestors #37)

Posted by

If you’ve been reading No Story Too Small for awhile, you might have picked up on the fact that I love non-population census schedules. While they don’t give specific genealogical details, they can offer us wonderful context about the people we are researching.

Coming from a long, Long, LONG line of farmers, I’m often drawn to the agricultural schedules. Yes, the census lists him as a farmer, but what did he raise? I was surprised at the answer for my great-great-grandfather Samuel Elliot Ramsey.

In 1860, Samuel is listed as having four horses, three “milch cows,” five “other cattle,” ten sheep, and 27 swine. Total value = $371. He also had 20 pounds of wool, but no crops. His father James lived next door. Unlike Samuel, James did have crops, including wheat, Indian corn, oats, potatoes, butter, hay, and molasses. It makes me wonder if they combined their farming operation, with Samuel being in charge of the livestock and James in charge of the crops.

By 1880, Samuel’s farming operation had grown substantially. His farm was worth $3,390, with 91 acres of improved, tilled land, 2 acres of meadows, and 20 acres of woodland. He raised Indian corn, oats, and wheat. and had 30 apple trees. All of these were in amounts a bit below average with his neighbors.

Where Samuel stood out was in the number of sheep that he raised. In June 1880, he had 110 sheep, all of whom were either shorn or were to be shorn. One of his neighbors had 150 sheep, but the others had 58 or fewer.

"Sheep," by Alice Popkorn. (Used under Creative Commons license CC BY-ND 2.0.)

“Sheep,” by Alice Popkorn.
(Used under Creative Commons license CC BY-ND 2.0.)

Samuel Elliot Ramsey was born in Perry County, Ohio in 1827 and was the son of James H. and Catherine Ramsey. He married Charlotte Danison in 1851. He died 2 August 1906 in Perry County and is buried in Mount Perry Cemetery.

Peter Starkey: Living Just Below the Radar (52 Ancestors #34)

Posted by

Have you ever researched an ancestor and had the feeling that he wanted to stay anonymous? Not to say that he didn’t want to be found, just that he didn’t want you to find out too much about him. That’s the feeling I get with my great-great-grandfather Peter Starkey.

Peter was born in Ohio (probably in Perry County) 3 November 1830, the second son of John and Mary (Monroe) Starkey. He married Elizabeth Denune 21 June 1854. Throughout his entries in the census, he is listed as a farmer. Yet, like John Kelley, his 1860 agricultural census entry didn’t tell a whole lot. He had $50 worth of farm equipment, 2 horses, and 1 cow.

He registered for the draft in 1863, but as far as I’ve been able to determine, he never served.

Ohio started keeping death records in 1868. The earliest records were kept in the county Probate Court in ledgers. While I’m thankful they started keeping them, these earliest records typically do not name the parents unless it was an infant who died. (It wasn’t until December 1908 when Ohio started with more “modern” death certificates that we start to see parents listed as a matter of course.)

So when did Peter die? December 11, 1907.

(Yes, I know that I’ve identified his parents and that I really don’t need a modern death certificate for him. I think that dying in December 1907 was his final way of “Ha! You’re not going to find out much about me!”)

Peter is buried in Olivet Cemetery in Perry County, not far from his son Edward.

Peter and Elizabeth Starkey tombstone, Olivet Cemetery, Perry County, Ohio. Photo by Amy Crow, 30 May 2004.

Peter and Elizabeth Starkey tombstone, Olivet Cemetery, Perry County, Ohio. Photo by Amy Crow, 30 May 2004.

Read the Instructions… If You Can

Posted by

Yesterday, I mused about my great-great-grandfather John Kelley and why he’s listed on the 1860 agricultural schedule with no livestock and no crops. I gave three theories why this might be:

  • He raised something completely different, something that isn’t listed on the schedule.
  • He didn’t tell the enumerator what he raised.
  • The enumerator didn’t write it down or didn’t copy it over from his notes to this final copy.

No Story Too Small readers are awesome! Some came up with additional theories. Jade pointed out that the schedule was supposed to report the activity of the year prior to the official census date of June 2; perhaps John had recently acquired the land and hadn’t yet harvested anything. Great suggestion! In this case, however, John had acquired the land after his mother died in 1852.

Jade also wondered if there was a crop failure. We can’t discount that. (I’ve often said that if you want to gamble, don’t go to Vegas; just own a farm.)

Purslaneforever wondered if perhaps John leased the farm to someone else and that’s why the crops don’t show up. That got me wondering — how would a leased farm show up in the 1860 agricultural schedule? Would it be under the land owner or the person leasing it?

I couldn’t find the enumerator instructions for the 1860 agricultural schedule. There’s good reason for that. According to the Census Bureau, “No printed instructions were issued with reference to the schedules of 1860.” (Instructions for 1850 – 1900 are available as a PDF from the Census Bureau).

1860-instructions

Really? They give the enumerators a form with 48 columns without any instructions?!

There were instructions for the 1850 schedule:

“1. Under heading 1, entitled ‘Name of individual managing his farm or plantation,’ insert the name of the person residing upon or having charge of the farm, whether as owner, agent, or tenant.”

The enumerator in 1860 (Dawson (?) Teal) was not the same enumerator as 1850 (J. Shelley). Would he have followed the 1850 instructions and listed farms under the name of the person having charge of the farm (in other words, the lessee/tenant)? Or would he have listed everything under the owner, regardless of who had charge? Or would he have split the two: listing the land under the owner and the crops and livestock under the lessee/tenant?

Unfortunately, we may never know. My experience with Perry County land records is that leases were not commonly recorded in this time period. Also, there would be informal arrangements that wouldn’t even have been written down, let alone recorded at the courthouse.

So, we should add a fourth possibility to why John Kelley didn’t have any livestock or crops listed:

  • He leased the land to someone else and the enumerator opted to list the crops and livestock with the lessee.

I’m a big proponent of going through the enumerator’s instructions to see how they were supposed to record things. It would have helped had the 1860 agricultural schedule had some instructions!

Not John Kelley's farm, but for some reason, this is how I picture it. Maybe I'm just bitter that I don't know what he raised in 1860.

Not John Kelley’s farm, but for some reason, this is how I picture it. Maybe I’m just bitter that I don’t know what he raised in 1860.

Was John Kelley Really a Dirt Farmer? (52 Ancestors #31)

Posted by

I’m going to admit something right off the bat. I’m a non-population census geek. (I hope you were sitting down for that one.) As genealogists, we use the census to build the foundation of our research (at least in the U.S. for the period 1790-1940). But the part that we most often use — the pages that list the people who were living in the household — is just one part of many censuses. It’s called the “population schedule.”

Some census years had other schedules. Some of them focused on agriculture, while others focused on industry. In 1880, there was even a schedule for the “Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent” classes. (Give me some time with the DDD schedule and I’m a happy, happy girl.) These “other” census schedules can give us more context around our ancestors. Or, in the case of John Kelley, not so much…

John Kelley, my great-great-grandfather, was born in Ohio (probably Perry County) in 1820. In 1860, he was living alone in Hopewell Township. (He wouldn’t marry Susan Tucker, my great-great-grandmother, until 1863.) The 1860 census lists his occupation like it lists most of my ancestors: “farmer.”

John Kelley, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Hopewell Township, Perry County, Ohio, p. 404, household 1090, family 1056.

John Kelley, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Hopewell Township, Perry County, Ohio, p. 404, household 1090, family 1056.

$3000 worth of real estate and $150 worth of personal property. Not bad. But what did John grow on that farm? I turned to the 1860 agricultural schedule to find out.

1860 agriculture schedule, Hopewell Township, Perry County, Ohio.

1860 agriculture schedule, Hopewell Township, Perry County, Ohio.

So he had 55 acres of improved land, 23 acres of unimproved land, and a horse. No livestock — not even a cow. Hmmm…  He must have raised some crops…

john-kelley-1860-ag4aNo wheat, rye, corn, oats, rice, tobacco, ginned cotton, or wool. Let’s scroll to the next page where more crops are listed…

john-kelley-1860-ag2aNo peas, potatoes, barley, or buckwheat. No butter, cheese, hay, or clover.

john-kelley-1860-ag3aNo hemp (yes, it was a real crop), flax or flax seed. No silk cocoons (I keep hoping to find an ancestor who had some), maple sugar, cane sugar, or molasses. No honey and no beeswax.

What did John raise on that farm?! For 1860, I still don’t know. The possibilities are:

  • He raised something completely different, something that isn’t listed on the schedule.
  • He didn’t tell the enumerator what he raised.
  • The enumerator didn’t write it down or didn’t copy it over from his notes to this final copy.

There is a fourth possibility. I’ve joked for years that I come from a long line of dirt farmers. Maybe John Kelley really was one.

John Kelley died 7 July 1891 and is buried in Hopewell Methodist Church Cemetery in Perry County, Ohio.

EDIT: I’ve formed another possibility about John’s listing in the 1860 agricultural schedule.

Edward Winfield Starkey: What a Name (52 Ancestors #30)

Posted by

I’ve reflected before about how some of the names of my ancestors fascinate me. Perhaps my children should be thankful that I hadn’t discovered Abisha Danison or Melzena (Kelly) Ramsey before they were born 😉

Another such ancestor is my great-grandfather Edward Winfield Starkey. Where in the world did “Winfield” come from? There aren’t any others in the family (at least, not that I’ve found so far). Edward was born in 1881. Could the middle name have come from Winfield Scott Hancock, who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1880? If so, that would shed some light on the politics of his parents, Peter and Elizabeth Starkey. At this point, it is just conjecture.

Edward Winfield Starkey registration card, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, Ancestry.

Edward Winfield Starkey registration card, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, Ancestry.

Edward was born 7 March 1881 in Perry County, Ohio, the youngest child of Peter and Elizabeth. Edward married Clara Skinner on 10 October 1901. He worked various jobs, including as a laborer for Central Silica (a quarry company). Edward died 13 September 1960 and is buried in Olivet Cemetery in Perry County.

Edward and Clara Starkey tombstone, Olivet Cemetery, Perry County, Ohio. Photo by Amy Crow, 2004.

Edward and Clara Starkey tombstone, Olivet Cemetery, Perry County, Ohio. Photo by Amy Crow, 2004.

Abisha Danison: I Just Love the Name (52 Ancestors #22)

Posted by
letter-a

“A is for Abisha.” Not something you typically read in children’s alphabet books.

Sometimes, you come across an ancestor whose name just seems neat. Abisha Danison, my 3rd-great-grandfather, is one of those ancestors for me.

There are a few records that possibly shed light on the rather unusual name. He is occasionally listed as “Abijah.” (If you say it out loud, you can hear how Abijah and Abisha could be interchanged, especially if you use a softer “J.”) There are several Abijahs in the Old Testament. I’m going to go out on a limb and say my Abisha was more likely named for the king of Judah than for the wife of King Ahaz. (Then again, maybe my ancestors were progressive and didn’t buy into gender-specific names.)

Abisha (my ancestor, not the king of Judah) was born in Maryland 14 November 1791. In 1816, he married Mary “Polly” Deffenbaugh. By 1820, they were living in Hopewell Township, Perry County, Ohio, where he and Mary lived for the rest of their lives.

Abisha and Mary had nine children:

  • Upton
  • Ellen
  • Matilda
  • David
  • Leonhard
  • Charlotte (my great-great-grandmother)
  • Harriett
  • Abisha, Jr.
  • Mary Ann

Abisha Danison died 16 May 1868 and is buried in the Danison Cemetery in Hopewell Township.

Resources:

  • Abisha Dannison household, 1820 U.S. census, Hopewell Township, Perry County, Ohio, page 8.
  • Dodd, Jordan, Liahona Research, comp.. Maryland Marriages, 1655-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
  • Perry County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society, Perry County, Ohio Hopewell and Madison Township Cemeteries (by the Chapter, Junction City, O H, 1989), 9.
  • Wikipedia, “Abijah,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abijah, accessed 3 June 2014.

Decent Enough to Die in a Timely Manner: William H. Skinner (52 Ancestors #15)

Posted by

If there is a genealogical corollary to Murphy’s Law, it might be that the ancestor you’re looking for died one year before that state started keeping death records. (Raise your hand if that’s happened to you!) It happens so often, that I’d like to give a special “Thank you” to my 3rd-great-grandfather William H. Skinner for dying at the right time.

William was a farmer in Reading Township, Perry County, Ohio. He was born in 1809 in either Ohio or Pennsylvania (depending on which record you want to believe). He died in Reading Township 3 May 1850.

Ohio didn’t start keeping civil death records until 1867, so why am I thankful that William died in May 1850? It’s because of a wonderful “other” part of the federal census called a mortality schedule. In the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses, there was another schedule taken at the same time that was record the deaths of those who had died in the previous 12 months. The 1850 was “officially” taken on  1 June, so the mortality schedule was supposed to include those who died between 1 June 1849 and 31 May 1850. William squeaked in by dying on 3 May.

William Skinner, 1850 mortality schedule, Reading Township, Perry County, Ohio.

William Skinner, 1850 mortality schedule, Reading Township, Perry County, Ohio.

The mortality schedule tells us that he was a farmer, age 40, born in Ohio, and died in May of “liver complaint,” which he had for 11 days. (Just think — if he had lived for another month, we likely wouldn’t know what he died from. Though come to think of it, “liver complaint” is a rather catch-all term…  But at least we know it was medical and not like he was run over by a runaway horse or something. With this family, I’ll take what I can get.)

William’s widow Matilda and seven of their children (including my great-great-grandfather George and 11-month-old Marion) were enumerated in Reading Township later that summer.

William is buried in Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery in Reading Township.

Resources:

  • William Skinner, 1850 mortality schedule, Reading Township, Perry County, Ohio, page 925.
  • William Skinner tombstone, Hopewell Baptist Cemetery, Reading Township, Perry County, Ohio. Visited the cemetery several years ago. At that time, William’s tombstone was broken and lying on the ground. It has since been restored, as seen in the photo on FindAGrave.
  • Matilda Skinner household, 1850 federal census (population schedule), page 353a, household 456, family 456.
  • Stephen Skinner Family Bible, The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments, (Philadelphia: National Publishing Co., no date). Owned in 1983 by Bertha Stalbaum, Valparaiso, Indiana; present location unknown. Photocopy at the Ohio Genealogical Society, Bellville, Ohio.

Breaking the Mold of the Hidden Woman: Elizabeth Peden Ramsey (52 Ancestors #12)

Posted by

The female half of the tree is harder to research. In most western cultures, a woman’s surname changes with each marriage, so you don’t always know what name to look for. She is often omitted from records because of her less-than-equal legal standing. Even a man’s will might leave a bequest “to my beloved wife” without actually listing her by name. Elizabeth Peden Ramsey, my 4th-great-grandmother, broke out of the mold of the hidden woman.

Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Peden and wife of John Ramsey, left significantly more records than many woman of her time. In 1807, she began the purchase of the southeast 1/4 of section 28, township 18, range 17 (in present-day Thorn Township, Perry County, Ohio).[1] In doing so, she became the first woman to purchase land in present-day Perry County from the federal government.[2] What’s really neat about this — her husband was still living when she began the purchase.

When John died c1810, it was Elizabeth who was named as the administratrix of his estate.[3] She was also named the guardian of their two minor daughters Mary and Sarah.[4] It’s important to remember that the role a guardian was to protect the legal interests of the minors; it wasn’t to raise the minor. Although in this case, Elizabeth was doing that as well. What legal interests did Mary and Sarah have? Their portion of their father’s estate, including his land. They may also have been heirs to their grandfather’s estate, as there is a notation in John’s estate about money being paid to their sister Elizabeth receiving a bequest from it.

Elizabeth Ramsey appointed guardian of Mary and Sarah Ramsey. Case 1114, Fairfield County Probate Court, Lancaster, Ohio.

Elizabeth Ramsey appointed guardian of Mary and Sarah Ramsey. Case 1114, Fairfield County Probate Court, Lancaster, Ohio.

In another unusual move, Elizabeth actually left her own estate when she died in late 1832.[5] I still need to comb through the rest of her land records in Perry County, but apparently she died with enough property (or enough debts) to warrant opening an estate to settle it.

For all of the difficulties in tracing women, it is refreshing to have an ancestor who broke the mold.

References:
[1] Land Grand Records, Chillicothe, Ohio Land Office. Ohio Historical Society, Columbus.
[2] L. Richard Kocher, A Listing of Entrymen on Lands in Perry Co, Ohio, Columbus: Woolkoch, 1993. [This book lists the original purchasers of land in present-day Perry County. The listing was read for female first name. Elizabeth Ramsey’s entry in 1807 is the earliest with a female first name.]
[3] John Ramsey estate, case 65, Fairfield County, Ohio Probate Court, Lancaster, Ohio. [Note: Thorn and Hopewell Townships, where John and Elizabeth lived and owned land, was part of Fairfield County in 1810.]
[4] Mary and Sarah Ramsey guardianship, case 1114, Fairfield County Probate Court, Lancaster, Ohio.
[5] Minute Book F, Perry County Probate Court, New Lexington, Ohio, page 66. [Robert Fullerton and James H. Ramsey were appointed administrators of her estate in the November term, 1832.]

A Quick Look at Mary Deffenbaugh Danison (1796-1888), 52 Ancestors #10

Posted by

I’m going to admit up front that this is a very quick look at my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Deffenbaugh Danison. But I thought it might be bad form to miss a week in my own challenge…

Mary Deffenbaugh was born 6 May 1796 in Maryland. She married Abisha Danison (don’t you love that name?!) on 8 February 1816 in Allegany County, Maryland. By 1820, Mary and Abisha were living in Hopewell Township, Perry County, Ohio.

Mary died 20 July 1888 and is buried in the Danison Family Cemetery in Hopewell Township.

Clearly, I need to do more research on Mary.

Sources:

  • Abisha Danison household, 1820 Federal census (population schedule), Hopewell Township, Perry County, Ohio, unpaginated (page 3 of the Hopewell Township section).
  • Dodd, Jordan, Liahona Research, comp.. Maryland Marriages, 1667-1899 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
  • Perry County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society, Perry County, Ohio, Hopewell and Madison Township Cemeteries (Junction City, OH: by the Chapter, 1989), p. 9.