Wordless Wednesday : Piper's 1st Halloween

Piper's 1st Halloween outfit

Exploratory Data Analysis: Clara (Penisten) Pierce (1869-1906)

Clara Penisten graduation photo

Clara (Penisten) Pierce (1869-1906) was my maternal 2nd-great grandmother. What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data I have collected about her.

1. Vital Records

     1.1. Birth Certificate

          Clara was born in March of 1869 in Madison County, Indiana¹.  I do not currently have an exact date of birth.

          The State of Indiana began requiring birth certificates in 1907, though many counties have birth records going back as far as 1880.

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

               I have not been able to locate any contemporary newspaper accounts of Clara's birth.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               I am not aware of any surviving Bible record of the Penisten family.  Will continue to reach out to collateral relatives in hopes of discovering one.

          1.1.3. Baptismal Record

               I am not aware of any baptismal records for Clara at this time, nor do I know the church affiliation of the Penisten family.

          1.1.4. Adoption Record

               There is no indication that Clara was adopted.

     1.2. Marriage license

          Clara married William Francis Pierce on January 14, 1892 in Madison County, Indiana².

          Their marriage license was the subject of a previous post.

          1.2.1. Marriage notice in newspaper

               Will need to search out contemporary newspapers to see if their nuptials were mentioned.

          1.2.2. Anniversary notice

               Will need to search out contemporary newspapers to see if their anniversary was mentioned.  Clara died in 1906, so they were only married 14 years.

          1.2.3. Divorce decree

               There is no indication that they were divorced.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          Clara died September 26, 1906 in Lafayette Township, Madison County, Indiana.  I did not realize that I did not have a copy of her death certificate.  Will need to request that from the Madison County Health Department on my next research trip.

          1.3.1. Obituary in newspaper

               Clara's obituary appeared in the Alexandria Times-Tribune.  I have transcribed it in my database but did not source it.  Need to go back and update my records for the date and publication information.

               I also need to search in other local newspapers to see if her death was mentioned.

          1.3.2. Funeral home records

               I need to search at the local historical society to see if there are any surviving funeral home records that would mention her.  The brief obituary I do have did not mention which funeral home handled the arrangements.

          1.3.3. Tombstone photograph

               For some reason, I do not have a photograph of Clara's tombstone in my database.  Will need to rectify that situation soon.

2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1900 Federal Census

               On June 15, 1900, Clara appeared in the William F. Pierce household in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana¹ as Clara Pierce, wife, born March 1869 in Indiana.  She was 31 years old, had been married for 8 years, and was the mother of 5 children, 3 of whom were still living.  Her father and mother were both born in Indiana.  She could read and write and spoke English.

          2.1.2. 1880 Federal Census

               On June 15, 1880, Clara was enumerated in the John Penniston household in Fall Creek Township, Madison County, Indiana³, as  Clara A. Penniston, age 12, born in Indiana.  Both of her parents were born in Indiana. She had attended school within the year and could read and write.

          2.1.3. 1870 Federal Census

               I have not yet discovered the Penisten family in the 1870 census.  They should be in Madison County, Indiana, along with other members of the family, who appear in Richland Township.  Will need to conduct a line-by-line review of the Madison County, Indiana census.

     2.2. State Census Records

          The State of Indiana conducted state census in 1853, 1857, 1871, 1877, 1883, 1889, 1901, 1913, 1919 and 1921.  These, however, were merely for the purpose of determining legislative apportionment.

     2.3. Agricultural Census Records

          I have not yet investigated these types of census records to see what light might be shed on the Penisten or Pierce family farm.

3. Military Records

     3.1. Draft Registration

          Not applicable, as Clara was female.

     3.2. Pension Records

          I am not aware of any military service by father or husband that would have made Clara eligible to receive a military pension.

     3.3. Service Records

          Not applicable, as Clara was female.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

          Deed records need to be thoroughly searched in Madison County, Indiana.  All evidence indicates that Clara spent her entire adult live in Madison County, Indiana.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

          Madison County published a plat map in 1880, 1891, 1893, 1901, 1910, 1915, 1921, 1923, 1931 and 1940 that might be relevant for my search for Clara and the Penisten and Pierce families.

5. Supplemental Records

     Supplemental records available to research for Clara include county/city directories, court records and will and probate records.  Will add these to my "to-do" list for my next research trip into Madison County.

Sources:
1. William F. Pierce household, 1900 U.S. census, population schedule, Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana, ED 90, SD 67, sheet 11B, dwelling 200, family 235; National Archives micropublication T623, roll 386.
2. Madison County, Indiana Marriage Book C4, page 112.  Madison County Clerk's office, Anderson, Indiana.
3. John Penniston household, 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Fall Creek Township, Madison County, Indiana, page 22B, ED 31, SD 3, dwelling 195, family 204; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 293.


This post was developed as part of the series relating to Building My 2011 Research Template, an attempt to systematically document and source the details of my ancestors' lives. Comments regarding this template and the conclusions drawn in this article are welcomed.

On This Day : October 30

1666 - Deborah PIERCE born in Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  Deborah was the daughter of John PIERCE and Deborah CONVERS.

1686 - Samuel CRANDALL born.  Samuel was the son of Samuel CRANDALL and Sarah COLBY.

1703 - Dorothy MAXSON born.  Dorothy was the daughter of John MAXSON and Judith CLARKE.

1710 - Joseph BROWN married Margaret SINKLER.  Joseph was the son of William BROWN and Dorothy ________.

1746 - John MAXSON married Sarah BURDICK.  John was the son of John MAXSON and Thankful RANDALL.

1774 - Jeremiah HAINES died in Burlington County, New Jersey.  Jeremiah was the son of William HAINES and Sarah PAINE.  Jeremiah was my 7x-great grandfather.

1781 - Rebecca MOULTON born.  Rebecca was the daughter of John MOULTON and Avis HURLBUT.

1804 - Mary HUNT born in Randolph County, North Carolina.  Mary was the daughter of Isom HUNT and Margaret BUNDY.

1816 - Hiram HUNT married Sally COOK in Guilford County, North Carolina.  Hiram was the son of Eleazer HUNT and Lydia WORLEY.

1845 - James W. ALDERMAN married Nancy J. WILSON in Greenville, Bond County, Illinois.  James was the son of James ALDERMAN and Martha CANTELL.

1862 - William E. SWAFFORD born in Bledsoe County, Tennessee.  William was the son of William Harrison SWAFFORD and Ann E. VICKERY.

1863 - Joel MAXON died in Pennsylvania.  Joel was the son of Stephen MAXON and Margaret BRANNON.

1870 - Hannah Melvina BECKETT married William Jacob COCKE.  Hannah was the daughter of Lemuel Daugherty BECKETT and Sarah Springer CHEW.

1894 - Lenora BOYER born.  Lenora was the daughter of Carlos J. BOYER and Cordie Bell WHITE.

1895 - Dessie May LEE married Thomas Henry FIELDS in Ray County, Missouri. Dessie was the daughter of William Burrell LEE and Margaret Jane SWAFFORD.

1898 - Leslie S. YOUNG married Matilda Agnes GREEN.  Leslie was the son of Sidney YOUNG and Mary Louisa BEAHLER.

1908 - Alvin Edward SWAFFORD born.  Alvin was the son of Albert SWAFFORD and Della Mae BURGESS.

1909 - Frederick P. WEHRLY died.  Frederick was the son of Johannes WEHRLY and Barbara PETRY.

1929 - Dora Ella GOODMAN died in Rayville, Missouri.  Dora was the daughter of Samuel Richard SWAFFORD and Susan Isabell McGAUGH.

1938 - Anna GROENENDYKE died in Liberty Township, Darke County, Ohio.  Anna was the daughter of George MILLER and Barbara BOLLINGER.

1971 - Ord Wehrly LeMASTER died in Bluffton, Wells County, Indiana.  Ord was the son of Luman Cooper LeMASTERS and Barbara Isabel WEHRLY.  Ord was my grandfather.