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Sunday, September 11, 2011

Jonathan M, Elizabeth Ella and Mary Anna Balderston

Jonathan Balderston is my wife's 2nd Great Grand Uncle.  Elizabeth Ella Balderston and Mary Anna Balderston are her 2nd Great Grand Aunts.  Not much is known about them so I am combining them into one post.  They are the children of Stephen Balderston and Jane Squibb.

Jonathan was born 15 September 1843 in Colerain, Belmont County, Ohio.  There are no known records that can be found for Jonathan.  He died 30 August 1848 in Colerain, Belmont County, Ohio.

Elizabeth Ella Balderston was born 22 October 1851 in Colerain, Belmont County, Ohio.  There are no known records for Elizabeth.  It is not known when she died.

Mary Ann Balderston was born 17 July 1853 in Colerain, Belmont County, Ohio.  There are no known records for Mary.  It is believed that she married a man with the last name Walker.

The dates were taken from the Bible of a half sister, Anna Balderston Jennings.  This information is from notes  taken by Adah Balderston.

Thomas Mann

Thomas Mann is my 3rd Great Grand Uncle, brother of my 3rd Great Grandmother, Louisa Marie Mann.  Thomas is the eldest son of William Mann and Lucinda McKinney.



The first record is believed to be the 1840 Federal Census in Madison County, Alabama.  The names of children were not listed but he is believed to be the only male child living in the home.

The next record is the 1850 Federal Census.  Thomas is living at home in District 35, Madison County, Alabama.  His profession is listed as farmer and his birth state is listed as Tennessee.

Thomas marries Matilda Ann Gibson 2 July 1855.  Thomas would have been around 25 years old at the time of this marriage.  The couple is found in the 1860 Federal Census living in the Southeastern Division, Madison County, Alabama.  They are living with Matilda's parents, Thomas Phelps Gibson and Elizabeth Lee.  Thomas' profession is now listed as fisherman, that is also the profession of his new father in law, Thomas Gibson.  The census lists that he has personal property valued at $100.  Thomas and Matilda have two children living in 1860, John and Davis.

By the 1870 Federal Census Thomas must have given up on fishing as a profession because his profession is now listed at a farmer.  They are living in Township 6, Range 1, District 50, Madison County, Alabama.  It appears that they are living with Thomas' mother, Lucinda Mann, even though Thomas is listed as the head of household.  This is assumed because it is next Lucinda's name where the value of the property is listed, that value was $300 in 1870.  Thomas' sister Mary is also living there.  His mother in law, Elizabeth Gibson is also living here, now a widow.  Thomas most likely moved home to manage the farm after his father's death around the year 1870.  He now has three children, John, Davis and William.  Also living with the family is nine years old John Cloud.  It is  not known which Cloud family he fits in but he is most likely related somehow.  Thomas sister, Louisa, had married James Madison Cloud.  Louisa had passed away in 1853 - could this John Cloud be Louisa's son?

The last record found for Thomas Mann is the 1880 Federal Census.  He is living in Beat 19, District 228, Madison County, Alabama.  In this census he is listed ad T M Mann.  Also living there are his wife, shown as M A Mann, and two sons; D P (Davis Prescott) and W T (William).  It is believed the family living next door, head being J A Mann, is his eldest son John.  Thomas' profession is again listed as farmer.

It is not known when Thomas passes away.  His widow is found in the 1900 Federal Census so we do know that he does pass away prior to 1900.

Thomas Mann and Matilda Ann Gibson has the following children:

1. John A Mann - born about 1858 in Madison County, Alabama.  Death unknown.  Married someone with the initials M F - last name unknown.
2. Davis Prescott Mann - born July 1859 in Madison County, Alabama.  Died in 1914 in Madison County, Alabama.  Married Matilda Hornbuckle.
3. William T Mann - born about 1866 in Madison County, Alabama.  Death unknown.  Believed to have married Mary Clark.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Jacob Mitchell Balderston

Jacob Mitchell Balderston is the brother of my wife's 2nd Great Grandfather, or her 2nd Great Grand Uncle.

Jacob is the eldest child of Stephen Balderston and his first wife, Jane Squibb.

Jacob was born 16 Jan 1842 in Colerain, Belmont County, Ohio.

The first record found for Jacob is the 1850 Federal Census.  He is living with his parents in Colerain, Belmont County, Ohio, his age is 8.  Jacob is noted as having attended school within the last year.  Jacob's mother, Jane Squibb, died in 1859.  I cannot find Jacob in the 1860 Federal Census.  There is an account of him as given in the Balderston Family History that I referenced in the blog for Jacob's father, Stephen Balderston.  As this is a copyrighted work I cannot transcribe the information here.  But, I can recap it.

It describes that Jacob moved west to Illinois where he attended the Academy of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.  While there he joined the Northern Army in the Civil War, becoming captain of Company C, 14th Illinois Volunteer Calvary.  After serving he went back to Illinois and studied law and was also a teacher where he met his wife, Jenny May Boyle.  Jacob went to become a Judge in Wichita, Kansas.

Jacob can be found in the 1870 Federal Census as a boarder in Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois.  His profession is listed as lawyer.  Jacob is still single in the next Federal Census in 1880.  This census finds him living alone in District 214, Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.  Jacob is again still single in the 1885 Kansas State Census.  He is still residing in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.

The following is an article found in the Wichita Daily Eagle newspaper in 1884 regarding Jacob Balderston.  The article suggest that Jake Balderston should run for county attorney, which he did get.



Jacob married Jenny Boyle 18 June 1885 in Wichita, Kansas.  Below is the newspaper announcement as found int he Wichita Daily Eagle.


I will post three more articles regarding Judge Jacob 'Jake' Mitchell Balderston below.  I should note that there are literally dozens of articles that can be found in the old Wichita Eagle newspapers.  If anyone would like search for more articles they can find this newspaper online, and searching it is free, at Library of Congress.  Be sure to search using Jake as well as Jacob and it was also common for the 'T' in Balderston to be left out.



As you can see Jacob Balderston was quite an accomplished man in his day.  The next record found for Jacob is the 1900 Federal Census.  He has been married now for fifteen years and has four children living at home.  His profession is still listed as lawyer.  The family is still residing in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.  This same family is still found intact in the 1905 Kansas State Census in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.

Jacob Mitchell Balderston dies 24 Feb 1909 in Wichita.  I don't have a copy of the actual article but the transcription is below.  Jacob is buried in the Highland Cemetery in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.




Jacob Balderston and Jennie May Boyle had the following children:

1. Jessie May Balderston - born 24 May 1888 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.  Died May 1979 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.  Married Frank Sigel Stover.
2. Hortense Louise Balderston - born September 1889 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.  Died 11 May 1979 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.  Married (1st) Robert James Campbell.  Married (2nd) John Walter Gibson.
3. Philip Sheridan Balderston - born 2 April 1892 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.  Dies in 1933.  Marriage unknown.
4. Mary Ettie Balderston - born 22 February 1896 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.  Died 13 January 1988 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.  Married Laird Archer.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Louisa Marie Mann

Louisa Marie Mann is my 3rd Great Grandmother.

Louisa was born 18 May 1829 in Tennessee, presumably the Nashville area.  She is the eldest daughter of William Mann and Lucinda McKinney.

It is unknown when the family made the journey from Tennessee to Alabama, but the her father, William Mann, can be found there in the 1840 Federal Census.  The location is only noted as the 'South Half of Madison County'.  Children's names were not listed in 1840 but it is assumed that Louisa is the female child between the ages of 10 and 15.

Louisa was married 23 Oct 1845 in Madison County, Alabama, to James Madison Cloud.  I have not ordered a copy of this record but the indices for the record can be found on the Madison County website HERE.  In the indices Louisa is listed as Louisa Mans.  She was only 15 years old when she married James.

The only census record found with Louisa listed by name is the 1850 Federal Census.  In this census Louisa and James are living in District 35, Madison County, Alabama.  She has two children at this time, Sara Elizabeth and Louisa Jane.  Below is a print of the the 1850 Census.  You can see that James and Louisa are surrounded by family.  They are family #261.  Family #260 is James' brother, Durgan Cloud, family 262 are Louisa's parents, William and Lucinda, and family #263 are Louisa's grandparents (Lucinda's parents), Thomas and Jane McKinney.


From the 1850 Census we can see that James and Louisa's first born child, Sarah Elizabeth Cloud, was born in Tennessee.  So sometime after the couple were married in 1845 they must have spent some time back in Tennessee before coming back to Alabama.  All the families are farming in 1850.

Louisa dies in Cloud Cove Valley, Madison County, Alabama 6 August 1853.  She was only 23 years old.  Louisa gave birth to two more children before her death, Maria and James.  Below is her obituary.



It is not known where Louisa is buried in Madison County.

The blog for James Madison Cloud recaps the children born to him and Louisa.