Sunday, July 10, 2016

Exploratory Data Analysis : Elizabeth (Shaw) King Cochran (1827-1900)

Elizabeth (Shaw) (King) Cochran (1827-1900) was my 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 October 29, 1829 in Fayette County, Indiana
1,2,3,4,5,6,7.
     1.1. Birth Certificate

          The State of Indiana did not require birth certificates until 1907, so no birth certificate for Elizabeth is available.

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

               If a Elizabeth's birth was mentioned in a local newspaper, it has been lost to time.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               I am not aware of any surviving Bible record for the Shaw family that would record the birth of Elizabeth.  Will continue to reach out to extended family in hopes that one will be found.

          1.1.3. Baptismal Record

               I am not aware of any baptismal record for Elizabeth, nor do I know the church affiliation of the Shaw family.

          1.1.4. Adoption Record

               There is no indication that Elizabeth was adopted.

     1.2. Marriage License

          I have not been able to locate a marriage record for Elizabeth and Daniel King.  They were married December 5, 1847 in Madison County, Indiana1.  After Daniel's death, Elizabeth married William H. Cochran, circa 1876, in Madison County, Indiana.  Likewise, I have not been able to locate a marriage record for them.  The courthouse in Madison County, Indiana suffered a fire in 1880 and early marriage records were lost.

          1.2.1 Marriage Notice in Newspaper

               Will need to search contemporary newspaper accounts to see if mention was made of Elizabeth and Daniel's nuptials or Elizabeth and William's nuptials.

          1.2.2. Anniversary Notice

            Elizabeth and Daniel's 25th wedding anniversary would have been December 5, 1872.  Will need to search contemporary newspaper accounts to see if mention was made of their anniversary.
           Elizabeth passed away prior to being married for 25 years to William.

          1.2.3. Divorce Decree

              There is no indication that Elizabeth and Daniel or Elizabeth and William were ever divorced.  Will need to search court records in Madison County, Indiana in order to complete an exhaustive search.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          Elizabeth died October 10, 1900 in Frankton, Madison County, Indiana2. Her cause of death was typhoid fever.

          1.3.1. Obituary in Newspaper

               Will need to search contemporary newspapers to see if I can locate a copy of Elizabeth's obituary or death record.

          1.3.2. Funeral Home Records

               Will need to search the local historical society to see if they have funeral home records that might shed some light on Elizabeth's funeral.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

          1.3.3. Tombstone Photograph

               Elizabeth was buried in the Howard Cemetery, Pipe Creek Township, Madison County, Indiana.  There was no marker found for her in a search of the cemetery.

2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1900 Federal Census

               On June 13, 1900, Elizabeth was enumerated in the William Cochran household in Frankton, Madison County, Indiana7, as Elizabeth Cochran, wife, born October 1827, age 70, married 20 years.  She was the mother of 10 children, 6 of whom were living.  She was born in Ohio and her father was born in Pennsylvania and mother in Kentucky.  She could read.

          2.1.2. 1880 Federal Census

               On June 28, 1880, Elizabeth was enumerated in the Wm. H. Cochran household in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana4, as Elizabeth Cochran, wife, age 50, keeping house. She was born in Indiana and her father was born in Ohio and mother born in Kentucky.

          2.1.3. 1870 Federal Census

               On September 12, 1870, Elizabeth was enumerated in the Daniel King household in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana6, as Elizabeth King, age 39, keeping house, born in Indiana.

          2.1.4. 1860 Federal Census

               On July 31, 1860, Elizabeth was enumerated in the Daniel King household in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana5, as Elizabeth King, age 31, born in Indiana, cannot read and write.

          2.1.5. 1850 Federal Census

                On August 21, 1850, Elizabeth was enumerated in the Daniel King household in Jackson Township, Madison County, Indiana3, as Elizabeth King, age 20, born in Tennessee.

     2.2. State Census Records

           The State of Indiana conducted 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 records to see what light they might shed on the Shaw or King families.

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 for Elizabeth's father or husbands that would have made her eligible for a pension.

     3.3. Service Records

          Not applicable, as Elizabeth was female.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

          Deed records will need to be thoroughly searched in Madison County, Indiana to see what records might mention Elizabeth and husbands Daniel and William.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

          Plat maps of Madison County, Indiana will need to be searched to see what information that can be gleaned that might be relevant for my search.

5. Supplemental Records

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

Sources:

1. Sandra Freeman, "John William Wright - Ellen King family group sheet,", compiled [n.d.] (Alexandria, Indiana).
2. Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database online].  Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Indiana State Board of Health. Death Certificates, 1900-2011. Microfilm. Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.
3. Daniel King household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Jackson Township, Madison County, Indiana, dwelling 274, family 274; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 158, page 97.
4. Wm. H. Cochran household, 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana, USA, page 58, ED 21, SD 3, dwelling 451, family 453; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 293.
5. Daniel King household, 1860 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Twp., page 145, dwelling 1025, family 1023; National Archives micropublication M653, roll 277.
6. Daniel King household, 1870 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Twp., page 35, dwelling 255, family 249; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 336.
7. William Cochran household, 1900 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Frankton, ED 102, SD 67, sheet 10, dwelling 313, family 324; National Archives micropublication T623, roll 386.

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.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

90th Birthday

Ruby Walsh  90th Birthday
My maternal great-aunt Ruby (Lambertson) Walsh celebrated her 90th birthday today!  It was nice to see her today and several of my Lambertson cousins as we celebrated this milestone birthday!  I hope that I share the longevity gene!

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Weekend Packed With Family Reunions

This past weekend turned out to be packed with family reunions, both on my side and my wife's side of the family.

On Saturday, Eileen and I attended the Pefley-Lewis reunion at Bozarth's Campground in Lagro, Indiana.  It had been several years since we had last attended this reunion of her mom's side of the family.  This is a combined family reunion that has been held for about twelve years or so.  Eileen's mother was a Pefley and her grandmother was a Lewis.  There were two Pefley brothers who married Lewis sisters, so the Pefleys who were there are all Lewis, but not all the Lewis members are Pefleys. 

Their reunion is held inside, with everyone bringing a covered dish.  There was a table set up where pictures and family documents were displayed.  One neat find this year was that a letter written by Eileen's great-grandmother, Sarah (Peeples) Pefley to her children.  Eileen took pictures of it and I hope that I can use it for a future blog post.  This reunion also has a silent auction to raise money to pay for the rental of the facilities, etc. and holds a bingo game. 


Eileen & I at the Pefley-Lewis reunion
This group was pretty large and spread out from across the country, so name tags were used to help identify who was who.  Also, everyone went around the room and identified themselves and how they were related to either the Pefley or Lewis clans.  This was helpful as many were 2nd cousins or so, and it can be hard to keep track of who belongs to which family.  A sign up sheet to track attendance and update contact information was also kept.

On Sunday, my mom and I went to the Pierce family reunion at Beulah Park in Alexandria, Indiana.  I joked that we were crashing the reunion. Mother's grandmother was a Pierce. This reunion has been held for several years, though neither of us had ever attended.  Mom wasn't aware of her dad ever attending, but we do know that her aunt Clara Ellen attended.  Mainly these are the descendants of my 2nd-great grandfather, William Francis Pierce.  Mom and I descend from the first marriage, while most of the attendees are from the second marriage.

Everyone at this reunion also brings a covered dish and since it was held inside on a hot day that worked out well.  After eating, everyone went around the room and introduced themselves and how they were related, etc.  Mom introduced us and we were very welcomed.  It was nice to put faces to the names that I had collected in my family research.  We let them know that mom had recently become a member of the DAR through this particular line, and I shared some of my genealogy research.   There were six Pierce boys from the second marriage, so there are a lot of cousins.  I was struck in particular how one looked a lot like my grandfather, who was his first cousin.   Because of the age differences, my grandfather was the same age as many of his uncles.  Mom didn't remember ever attending this reunion as a child, but thought they were probably at the lakes when it it was held.

A business meeting was held for this reunion as well, and cash prize of $1 was given to the youngest and oldest member there.  Reports were given of any births, deaths or marriages within the year as well.  The winner of the youngest member was the cutest little four-year old boy.  A group picture was taken of all of the attendees as well and they had a sign up sheet to track attendance and update contact information for the record.


2016 Pierce Family Reunion, Alexandria, Indiana

All in all, this weekend was a positive experience on the family front, seeing some faces who were familiar and meeting some "new" family members.  In addition, there were several ideas on how to host a reunion that can be incorporated into our LeMaster reunion.