52 Ancestors - Week 4 Caroline Jones

Caroline A. Jones was born in 1850, the third known child of Elias and Annis Jones. I looked at Caroline as a possible mother for Ida Ellen Andrews.

Caroline was 2 months old when the Elias D. Jones household was enumerated in Liberty Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana in the 1850 U.S. census:

• Elias D. Jones, farmer, age 31, born N. York, owned real estate valued at $200
• Annis Jones, age 29, born N. York
• Emma Jane Jones, age 6, born Ind.
• Frances M. Jones, age 3, born Ind.
• Caroline A. Jones, age 2 mos., born Ind.

Ten years later the 1860 census shows the family like this (still in Liberty township):

• Elias Jones, farmer, age 41, born NY, owned real estate valued at $500 and a personal estate of $150.
• Annis Jones, age 39, born NY
• Emma Jones, age 16, born Ind.
• Frances Jones, age 13, born Ind.
• Caroline Jones, age 10, born Ind.
• Rodger Jones, age 7, born Ind.
• Benjamine Jones, age 5, born Ind.

Caroline A. Jones married Michael Grenert 12 September 1873 in St. Joseph County, Indiana when she was twenty-three. Elder Peter Hummer, Minister, performed the ceremony. Michael had been married to Caroline's sister Frances, who died 7 months earlier.

Caroline also died young. She is buried near her husband and sister in Ferrisville Cemetery, St. Joseph Co., Indiana (south of Mishawaka). Her headstone has been reset and the repairs cover most of her date of death. Michael appears in the 1880 census as widowed. Among his children are a son born in 1875 and a 3 month old daughter. It seems likely that Caroline is the mother of those two children and died after the birth of the infant daughter.

Caroline A. Jones does not appear in the 1870 census with her parents, Elias and Annis. However, Amanda C. Jones (born 1850-51) does appear with Elias and Annis. It's possible that Caroline A. and Amanda C. are the same person, as Amanda does not appear with the Jones family in earlier census records. Both Rodger and Benjamin Jones are known to have used their middle names during their lifetimes. It's possible Caroline Amanda (?) Jones did the same thing.

Caroline was 15 years old and unmarried when Ida Ellen Andrews was born. I think I have to eliminate Caroline as Ida's mother.

52 Ancestors - Week 3 - Frances M. Jones

Frances M. Jones was born in 1847, the second known child of Elias and Annis Jones and the next daughter I looked at as a possible mother for Ida Ellen Andrews.

Frances was three years old when the Elias D. Jones household was enumerated in Liberty Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana in the 1850 U.S. census:

• Elias D. Jones, farmer, age 31, born N. York, owned real estate valued at $200
• Annis Jones, age 29, born N. York
• Emma Jane Jones, age 6, born Ind.
• Frances M. Jones, age 3, born Ind.
• Caroline A. Jones, age 2 mos., born Ind.

Ten years later the 1860 census shows the family like this (still in Liberty township):

• Elias Jones, farmer, age 41, born NY, owned real estate valued at $500 and a personal estate of $150.
• Annis Jones, age 39, born NY
• Emma Jones, age 16, born Ind.
• Frances Jones, age 13, born Ind.
• Caroline Jones, age 10, born Ind.
• Rodger Jones, age 7, born Ind.
• Benjamine Jones, age 5, born Ind.

Frances M. Jones married Michael Grenert the 24th of Sept. 1864 in St. Joseph County, Indiana when she was seventeen. Elder Peter Hummer performed the ceremony.

The Grenert household appears in Madison Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana, in 1870. Their post office is listed as Mishawaka, Indiana:

• Michael Grenart, age 28, works in saw mill, born Ohio, owned real estate valued at $1200 and a personal estate of $100, parents of foreign birth
• Frances Grenart, age 22, keeping house, born Indiana
• Ella May Grenart, age 5, born Indiana
• Ida Ann Grenart, age 4, born Indiana
• William H. Grenart, age 6 mos., born Indiana

The next ten years were not kind to the Grenert family. The household looked much different in 1880. You may see them, still in Madison Township, in the census at FamilySearch (with a free account):

• Michel Grennert, age 38, widower, farmer, born Ohio, parents born in France
• Ella M. Grennert, age 15, daughter, keeps house, attended school, born Indiana, parents born in France
• Carrie B. Grennert, age 7, daughter, attended school, born Indiana, parents born in France
• Charles E. Grennert, age 5, son, born Indiana, parents born in France
• Ionna (?) Grennert, age 3 mos., daughter, born Indiana, parents born in France

The children's parents are all listed as born in France. This was erroneously copied from Michel's parents' birth.

So by June of 1880, Michael/Michel had been widowed, and the children had lost their mother. Other evidence reveals Ida Ann and William died in January, 1873. Their names do not appear on their headstones, but the dates of death and ages on the stones are consistent with Ida and William's ages on the 1870 census. Frances died a few weeks after Ida and William. A photo of her headstone at Find A Grave reads

 FRANCIS M. 

wife of 

MICHAEL GRENERT 

DIED 

Feb. 12, 1873

Aged 25 Yrs.

6 M's

It appears there are four more lines inscribed at the bottom that are not legible in the photo.

Carrie was born in 1872, six months before Frances died. Seven months after Frances' death, on the 12th of September, 1873, Michael Grenert married Caroline A. Jones. Elder Peter Hummer performed the ceremony. Yes, Michael married Frances' sister, almost certainly to provide a step mother to care for his children. But, by June of 1880 Caroline had also died. So much loss for this family.

Ida Andrews' 1889 photo album includes the photo below.

Ida Andrews' daughter, Bertha, wrote in the album that this young woman was Uncle Sherman Jones' sister and "Grandma R's aunt". (Grandma R would be Ida Andrews Rickell) Both Frances and Caroline would have lived in Madison Township (near Mishawaka) when they were married to Michael Grenert. Either of them could be the subject of this photo.

It is interesting that both Emma and Frances had four year old girls named Ida living with them in 1870. I wonder if Ida was a family name that I haven't yet discovered.

Can I rule out Frances as Ida Andrews' mother? If Ella (born 1865) and Ida Grenert (born 1866) are Frances' daughters, she could not be the mother of Ida Andrews, born 1865.

I will take a closer look at Caroline Jones Grenert in my next post.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 2 - Emma Jane Jones

I concluded in my November 7th post, that one of Elias and Annis Jones' daughters was the mother of Ida Ellen Andrews. Today's post explores the life of their eldest daughter, Emma Jane Jones, born in 1844. She appears with her family at six years old in the 1850 census for Liberty township, St. Joseph County, Indiana, the first U.S. census after her parents' marriage in July of 1840. It is quite possible that Elias and Annis had another child in the four years between their marriage and Emma's birth. Sadly, many children died in early childhood in those days.

Ten years later the 1860 census shows the family like this (still in Liberty township):

• Elias Jones, farmer, age 41, born NY, owned real estate valued at $500 and a personal estate of $150.
• Annis Jones, age 39, born NY
• Emma Jones, age 16, born Ind.
• Frances Jones, age 13, born Ind.
• Caroline Jones, age 10, born Ind.
• Rodger Jones, age 7, born Ind.
• Benjamine Jones, age 5, born Ind.

Among the Jones family's neighbors in 1860 was the Andrews family listed on the next page of the census, four households away:

• Eldad Andrews, farm, age 38, born Ohio, owned real estate valued at $1500 and a personal estate of $300.
• Elizabeth Andrews, age 28, born Ind.
• Lambert Andrews, age 5, born Ind.
• Sydney Andrews, age 2, born Ind.
• Rose Andrews, age 4 mos, born Ind.
• Frances Barton, age 21, born Ind.
• Joshua Barton, age 14, born Ind.

I wrote in my November 20th post, that Elias had developed the town of West Troy near Walkerton. An 1863 map of St. Joseph County, Indiana, at the Library of Congress shows current landowners. West Troy and Walkerton are in the lower left corner of the map near the map Explanation box. E. D. Jones is listed as owner of land at West Troy in section 23. He also owns land about a quarter mile north in section 14. Keep in mind one section is one square mile and 640 acres. About a quarter mile to the east of this Jones land, E. Andrews owns 80 acres in section 13. Many of the names on the 1860 census also appear on this map.

Elizabeth Andrews did not live to see the end of the Civil War or the assassination of  President Lincoln. She died on "May 17th, 1864 at the age of 31 y's, 7 Mo., 13 d's", leaving behind her husband and young children.

Ida Ellen Andrews was born in Indiana, the 20th of Sept., 1865.

On the 29th of November, 1868, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, Emma Jane Jones and Eldad Andrus were joined in marriage by Eld. Peter Hummer.

It took me awhile to find this blended family in the 1870 census, as Eldad's name was indexed at Ancestry as Eda L. Andrina. The census taker's handwriting is difficult to read, and I can't decide whether the surname is written as Andrus or Andrews. And, Eldad is written as either Edod or Edad. But, the other members of the family make it clear that this is the family I was looking for.

• Edod Andrews, age 47, farming, born Ohio, value of real estate owned $1,500 and a personal estate of $250
• Emma J. Andrews, age 26, keeping house, born Indiana
• Lambert Andrews, age 15, born Indiana
• Sidney Andrews, age 13, born Indiana
• Alonzo Andrews, age 11, born Indiana
• Ida Andrews, age 4, born Indiana
• B. S. Gibbons, age 51, Harness Maker, born Ohio, personal estate $600

Eldad and Emma J. Andrews sold their 80 acres in section 13 (W 1/2 of the SW 1/4) on 3 Oct 1870 for $4000.00, quite a large sum at that time. They moved to Missouri, probably soon after this sale.

Emma died 14 May 1875, and is buried in the Andrus Cemetery in Stone County, Missouri. Her grave stone reads "EMMA J. Wife of E. ANDRUS DIED May 14, 1875. AGED 30 ys 10 mo 7 dys"

Ida was 9 years old.

The State of Missouri took a census in 1876. Eldad Andrews is listed with Sidney, Lonzo and Ida. Lambert is listed immediately above them with an adult female, Sarah Andrews, and a male child under 10, Samuel E. Andrews.

In the 1880 U.S. Census the Andrews family is enumerated in Pierce Twp., Stone County, Missouri:

• Eldod Andrews, age 42, farmer, born Ohio, parents born Ohio, cannot read or write
• Susan Andrews, wife, age 30, keeping house, born Mo, parents born Ind., cannot read or write
• Ida Andrews, daughter, age 14, at home, born Ind., father born Ohio, mother born Ind., attended school within the census year, cannot read or write
• Lonzo Andrews, son, age 18, at home, born Ind., father born Ohio, mother born Ind.
• Mittie Andrews, daughter, age 1, born Mo, father born Ohio, mother born Mo.

Sometime between this census and 1885, Ida moves to Nebraska where she appears with Elias and Annis Jones in the 1885 Nebraska census. Why did she leave her family in Missouri? Descendants of Eldad Andrus/Andrews have said that the marriage of Eldad and Susan ended in divorce. Perhaps the home situation was unhappy. I have also heard that Emma had another child, Frank, born 2 May 1875 and died 29 Sept. 1882. This information is said to be included in a book on Stone Co. Cemeteries by Elizabeth Longley. I haven't yet been able to locate a copy of that book. The information about Frank would indicate Emma died within two weeks of his birth, perhaps from complications, infection, etc. And, if he died in 1882, Ida may have left to live with her grandparents in Nebraska after the loss of her little brother. If Frank was still living in 1880, why was he not on the census with Eldad in 1876 and 1880? 

A search of Indiana marriage records for Eldad Andrus/Andrews at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com yielded only two results. His marriages to Emma Jane Jones and Elizabeth Jane Barton. Elizabeth died in 1864 and Ida was born in 1865 at a time when Eldad was apparently unmarried. 

What do you think? Were Emma and Eldad Ida's parents? Was Emma, "the girl next door", Ida's mother? Emma would have been a logical choice for a common law wife when the country was still at war. Maybe it was simply a matter of it being difficult under the circumstances to get to the courthouse for a license. 

Another noteworthy fact is Eldad's son, Lambert is buried at Marionville, MO. His name is Andrus on his gravestone. Lambert's son is also buried at Marionville. His headstone shows his name as Wm. Wesley Andrews. The surname seems to have been spelled both ways over the years. If you recall, Ida's daughter, Bertha, wrote that her mother moved to Marinsville, MO. I can find no Marinsville, MO, so it seems that Bertha simply had the name of the town slightly wrong. 

Oh and by the way, I have an Autosomal DNA match with a great-granddaughter of Emma's brother, Benjamin Franklin Jones. 

I will write about Emma's sisters Frances and Caroline in future posts.

So many questions and theories. I would love to hear from anyone related to or otherwise interested in this family.

Ida Ellen Andrews Rickell - Part II: Ida's Death Certificate - Will it Reveal Her Parents?

A 1983 copy of Ida's death certificate gives more clues about her life. Her husband, Isaac provided her personal information.

Mrs. Ida E. Rickell, Certificate of Death

He reported that she was born in Indiana, the 20th of Sept., 1865, that her mother's maiden name was M. Jones and her father was J. Andrews. Interesting. Did Isaac not know their full given names? Could he have been guessing about the initials?

Isaac gave Ida this photo album for her birthday before they were married. The album contains several photographs of the Jones family which helped me begin to piece the family together.

"Uncle Frank Jones, My Mothers Uncle" and "Aunt Mary Jones, My Mothers Aunt"
The handwriting is that of Ida's daughter, Bertha

"These two are Brother and Sister"
"Uncle Sherman Jones" and "Grandma R's aunt"

"Charlie Jones, My Mother's Cousin"
and
"Edith Jones, My Mother's Cousin, was holding her Daddys watch."

 And loose in the back of the album I found this memorial card.

Hmmm. Who is D. J. Lehr? A name I hadn't heard before. Or had I? I kept looking. He must be an important person to Ida and Isaac. And, then I noticed this.

Witnesses to Isaac and Ida's Marriage

On 2 Aug 1884, B.F. Jones, a merchant in Central City, Nebr. signed a "Homestead Proof - Testimony of Witness"  for the homestead application of David J. Lehr. Lehr was applying for an additional homestead of 80 acres, adjacent to his original 80 acre homestead where he had lived for 11 years. The digitized document can be viewed here at Ancestry.com with a paid subscription.

And, among the treasure trove of items Ida and Bertha left behind is this 1903 letter Isaac wrote to his "wife and daughter" in care of R. S. Jones, Central City, Nebraska.

Apparently Ida and Bertha were visiting in Central City and would "start" for home in a few days. Isaac mentions "Grandma" and "Sherm".

In 1900, Sherman Jones, a single man born in Aug 1852, was working as a carpenter and living in Central City, Merrick Co., Nebraska. His widowed mother, Annis Jones, born in New York in Feb. 1821, was living with him. Annis was the mother of six children and only two were still living. You can view this census record at Family Search here. It seems the R.S. Jones on the above letter must have been R. Sherman Jones and the Grandma in the letter was likely Annis Jones, Ida's grandmother!

It took me another three years, but in 2015, I found an index of early Merrick County obituaries on a genealogy website. It included a 1906 obituary for an Annis Jones. I was hopeful the obituary would list Ida as Annis' granddaughter. A library assistant at the Central City Public Library was able to locate the obituary.

No mention of Ida. As often is the case with a new discovery, it answers a few questions and raises a few others. It clears up the names of her sons, Benjamin Franklin Jones and Roger Sherman Jones. It seems they commonly used their initials or middle names rather than their first names. Their father was Elias D. Jones. The obituary states Annis had seven children. (The 1900 census showed six.) Elias had died about eighteen years earlier. Annis other children were not named. If Annis was Ida's grandmother, one of the unnamed daughters was Ida's mother.

What next?

Ida Ellen Andrews Rickell (1865-1926)

So I enter the world of blogging where I began my family history journey eight years ago. With my great grandmother, Ida Ellen Andrews. Her early life has been largely a mystery.

The only known photograph of Ida Ellen Andrews

Ida's daughter, Bertha, wrote the following undated biography of her mother, probably about the same time she wrote a biography of her father, Isaac Rickell. Isaac's biography was finished in 1948, twenty-two years after Ida's death. In the beginning, I took every detail as the gospel truth. In time I realized after many years, memories fade and details blur.

Bertha referred to her maternal grandparents as Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, apparently not knowing their given names. And, Isaac did not know their names when he applied for a marriage license in 1889. The clerk who recorded the information, listed Ida's surname as Anderson, but it is Andrews on their marriage certificate.

Application for Marriage License, 11 Nov 1889

Marriage Certificate, 14 Nov 1889

Obituary, Ida E. Andrews Rickell

Ida's obituary gives her year of birth as 1865 which supports her age of 24 at her marriage in 1889. The 1860 birth year in her biography is likely an error.

So who were Ida's parents? The search continues with my next post.