Obituary : Barbara Helen (Haley) Easterday (1835-1908)

Evangelical Messenger
April 15, 1908, page 23

EASTERDAY - Barbara Helen Easterday, nee Haley, daughter of Rev. Geo. Haley, was born at Goshen, Hardin Co., O., Nov. 20, 1835, and died at her home at Portland, Ind., March 28, 1908.  In 1853 she was united in marriage with Christian Easterday.  This union was blessed with 3 sons and 3 daughters.  The youngest preceded her in death.  Mother Easterday was converted when only ten years of age.  She united with our Church and remained faithful.  Her daily life was a living testimony to the saving and keeping power of the grace of God.  She was a true Christian, blessed with a kind, sympathetic and humble disposition, and was esteemed by all who knew her.  She leaves husband, 3 sons, 2 daughters, 19 grandchildren, 4 brothers, 2 sisters and a host of other relatives and friends.  Franklin S. Erne

---
Barbara Helen (Haley) Easterday was my paternal 2x-great grandaunt, our common ancestors are George J. and Rachel (Gary) Haley.  Her children were William B., John G., Philemon, Rachel and Mary Abbie.  The family lived in Fulton County, Ohio for a time before moving to Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana.

DNA : Wardlaw Connection

Researcher Amanda contacted me because she saw my Gedcom file at Gedmatch.com contained a set of common ancestors with her - William Wardlaw and Jane Harper.  They happen to be my maternal 7th-great grandparents.

William born circa 1700 in Scotland or Ireland immigrated to America and ended up in Augusta County, Virginia.  Jane Harper's birth and death dates are unknown to me.  I show they were the parents of seven children : James, John,  Hugh, Joseph, Robert, William and Margaret.  They were the generation that fought in the Revolutionary War.

My line comes through Robert born circa 1745 Augusta County, Virginia who settled in Brown County, Ohio. He married circa 1768 to Janet Downey.  Amanda's line comes through Hugh Wardlaw born circa 1740 who settled in Abbeville District, South Carolina.  He married Elizabeth Coulter.

Taking the information from our kits at Gedmatch, I did the one-to-one match comparison.

The results show that we have no matching DNA.  This can mean a number of things:

1. My paper trail genealogy from William Wardlaw and Jane Harper is wrong.
2. Amanda's paper trail genealogy from William Wardlaw and Jane Harper is wrong.
3. Not enough DNA from William Wardlaw and Jane Harper was passed down to me.
4. Not enough DNA from William Wardlaw and Jane Harper was passed down to Amanda.

I've posted at one of the FB groups for DNA genealogy to get opinions of those more seasoned in the DNA genealogy game.  So far, it appears that anyone of the options above could be the case.

How secure am I in the paper trail genealogy?  Not as secure as I should be. The early generation comes from a compiled Wardlaw genealogy.  Robert Wardlaw becomes Wardlow when he gets into Ohio.  There is a 45 year gap between William's supposed birth and Roberts.  Could there be another generation in between?  Very possible.

Either way, more research will need to be done on this line to see if it is valid.

Exploratory Data Analysis : Elizabeth (Schafer) Miller (1837-bef1887)

Elizabeth (Schafer) Miller (1837-bef1887) was Corinne's maternal 3rd-great grandmother. What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data I have discovered about her.


1. Vital Records


      Elizabeth was born circa 1837 in Germany¹, according to the 1860 census, and more specifically, Hesse-Darmstadt², in the 1870 census.  I have not discovered her parents or any record of her birth in Europe.

     1.1. Birth Certificate

          Without her parents names and an exact date, it will be difficult to locate any record of her birth.

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

               Without an exact location or date of birth, it will be impossible to locate mention of her birth in a local newspaper.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               I am unaware of any surviving family Bible record for the Schafer family.  Will continue to reach out to extended family in hopes that one will be discovered.

          1.1.3. Baptismal Record

               Without an exact location or date of birth, will not be able to locate a baptismal record for Elizabeth.

          1.1.4. Adoption Record

               There is no indication that Elizabeth was adopted.

     1.2. Marriage License

          Elizabeth married William Miller on January 31, 1856 in Posey County, Indiana.  I do not yet have a copy of their marriage license. Familysearch.org has the marriage index showing Elizabeth's surname as Schaver. Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

          1.2.1 Marriage Notice in Newspaper

               I have not yet searched out available newspapers from the time period to see if William and Elizabeth's marriage mentioned.   

          1.2.2. Anniversary Notice

               William and Elizabeth's 25th wedding anniversary was January 31, 1881.  Will need to search contemporary newspaper accounts to see if mention was made of any anniversary celebrations.

          1.2.3. Divorce Decree

               There is no indication that William and Elizabeth were divorced, but a thorough search of court records in Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana needs to be completed.  Will add this to my "to-do" list for my next research trip.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          I do not have an exact date of death for Elizabeth.  However, husband William remarried May 5, 1887 in Vanderburgh County, Indiana.  Barring an unknown divorce, Elizabeth would have died before May 1887.

          1.3.1. Obituary in Newspaper

               Without an exact date of death, I am unable at this time to obtain a copy of her obituary.  

          1.3.2. Funeral Home Records

               Funeral home records might be available that would help identify when and where Elizabeth died.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

          1.3.3. Tombstone Photograph

               Once I obtain her death information, will attempt to obtain a photograph of her tombstone.  A preliminary search at FindAGrave did not locate a memorial page for Elizabeth.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1880 Federal Census

               On June 1, 1880, Elizabeth was enumerated in the William Miller household in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana³, as Elizabeth Miller, age 42, keeping house.  She was born in Germany, and both her parents were born in Germany.

          2.1.2. 1870 Federal Census

              On July 22, 1870, Elizabeth was enumerated in the William Miller household in the 3rd Ward of Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana², as Elizabeth Miller, age 32, keeping house.  She was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, and both her parents were of foreign birth.

          2.1.3. 1860 Federal Census

               On June 18, 1860, Elizabeth was enumerated in the William Miller household in Robinson Township, Posey County, Indiana¹, as Elizabeth Miller, age 23, born in Germany.

     2.2. State Census Records

          The State of Indiana conducted state census in 1853, 1857, 1871, 1877, 1883, 1889, 1901, 1913, 1919 and 1931.  These, however, were merely for the purposes of legislative apportionment.

     2.3. Agricultural Census Records

          I have not yet investigated these types of census records to see what light they might shed on the Miller family.

3. Military Records

     3.1. Draft Registration

          Not applicable, as Elizabeth was female.

     3.2. Pension Records

          I am not aware of any military service by Elizabeth's father or husband that would have made her eligible to receive pension benefits.

     3.3. Service Records

          Not applicable, as Elizabeth was female.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

          Deed records need to be thoroughly searched in Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana to see what records might mention Elizabeth.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

          Plat maps in Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana will need to be searched to see what might be relevant to my search for Elizabeth.

5. Supplemental Records

     Supplemental records available for research on Elizabeth include city/county directories, court records and will and probate records.  Will add these to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

Sources:

1. William Miller household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Robinson Township, Posey County, Indiana, Stewartsville P.O., page 511, dwelling 417, family 362; National Archives micropublication M653, roll 290, page 576.
2. William Miller household, 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, 3rd Ward, Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, Evansville P.O., page 43, dwelling 265, family 263; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 364, page 218.
3. 1880 U.S. census, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 83, SD 1, page 2, dwelling 10, family 13; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 January 2014); National Archives, Washington, D.C.

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.