Left Behind

If there is one thing more tragic than losing a child, it might be losing a child hundreds of miles from where you live then having to leave them behind and return home without them. I recently stumbled across a mention in the newspaper, The Muncie Daily News of May 31, 1880, where a little girl had passed away while her family was visiting the Muncie area. Anna E Allen and her parents, known only as J and A M Allen according to her stone, were visiting a Mr Montgomery living a few miles south of town when the two-year-old died. No cause of death was noted but the little girl was laid to rest in Beech Grove Cemetery lot 505. Her sad little marker is in poor shape, both weather-worn and broken with the upper spire portion now in three pieces. Also buried on the lot are James H Montgomery, a Civil War veteran, his wife, Mary, and Rebecca, probably his mother.

 
Anna E, dau of J & A M, Allen died May 28, 1880, aged 2 y __ m & 28 d

A quick review of Ancestry's trees (also know as poison ivy) show six public trees and one private tree that include a little girl that fits her description pretty closely. Every one that lists a death location for their girl says she died in Warrensburg, Macon, Illinois, but not one of those public trees gives a source for their information. If this, indeed, was the same little girl, she would have apparently been the daughter of Josiah and Anna Margaret Ann (Brindle) Allen. I expect one person guessed that little Anna died in Illinois and others simply ran with it as fact. 

The following is garnered from various sparcely-sourced Ancestry trees. If this is your family, please do you own research rather than take this as gospel: Anna Margaret Brindle's sister was Mary Elizabeth Brindle, wife of James Henry Montgomery of Daleville, Indiana (just southwest of Muncie). This certainly fits well with our little girl, enough so that I may reach out to some of those tree owners and see if they will correct/update their information. 

Despite being buried 450 miles from home, this little girl has not been forgotten. She was not buried alone, but with her aunt and uncle, and will hopefully be reunited with the rest of her family tree in the digital world.

When a Deed is More Than a Deed

Deeds can be unexpected jackpots for a researcher. How much information can there be? A seller or two, a buyer or two, a description of the parcel, a price. The usual stuff. But occasionally, situations are such that unexpected details are included that can fill in the blanks and link family members otherwise misplaced.

When Sophia Stewart passed away January 26, 1886, she was the 84 year old widow of James Stewart who had passed away 14 years prior. When scrolling through the Delaware County, Indiana, deeds, there is one listing Sophia as the grantor dated February 2, 1888 (actually mis-indexed as January). How does that happen? It takes time to settle an estate and it isn't unusual for probate to drag out for several years. 

The grantee (the buyer) was George Goings, Delaware County resident, who was paying $275 for a parcel of land described as "Lot Number two, 2, in Block Number four, 4, in S B Murphey's addition of the town of Albany, in Delaware County, Indiana, Except Sixteen & one half (16 1/2) feet front and length, off from the East side of said lot 7, seven..." Pretty standard stuff for a deed of about any time frame, Right? 

Now we get to the good part. Sometimes deeds are transferred from the administrator or executor of an estate. Usually they only list "John Doe, administrator of the estate of Mary Jones" or something similar for the grantor (the seller) information. If the case of Sophia, it didn't play out that way. Not only did the deed apparently list every heir of Sophia's estate, it included the residence of most of them. That list is as follows:

Morris R Stewart and Hannah Stewart his wife of Osage County, Kansas
James J Stewart Jr and Emma Stewart his wife of Coffee County, Kansas
Benjamin F Stewart and Minerva C Stewart his wife of Kansas
Margaret S Manifold and Joseph Manifold her husband of Woodson County, Kansas
James J Stewart Sr and Rachel A Stewart his wife of Jay County, Indiana
Elizabeth P Racer and James W Racer her husband of Jay County, Indiana
William W Fishback and Sarah C Fishback his wife of Jay County, Indiana
Martha J Scott and Thomas H Scott her husband of Jay County, Indiana
Sophia Cunningham and Hamer Cunningham of Jay County, Indiana
Lucinda Dowden unmarried of Delaware County, Indiana
Alfred E Wingate and Margaret Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Orena B Thomas and Henry Thomas her husband of Delaware County, Indiana
Elisha R Wingate and Letta Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Boothe W Wingate and Sarah C Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Sarah S Krohn and John S Krohn her husband of Delaware County, Indiana
Thomas M Wingate and Sarah E Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
David W Wingate and Samantha Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Colby C Wingate and Mary Wingate his wife of Jay County, Indiana
Margaret Pepple unmarried
Isaac W Wingate and Hannah Wingate
John Fishback & Clarinda Fishback his wife of Blackford County
Rebecca Klugh
Mary L Ray and Charles Ray her husband

Forty-three people, two states, and six counties. Research clues abound. While I am not following up on these names to determine the precise relationships to Sophia Stewart, I did want to illustrate that deeds may include much more information than one might expect. Do not flip through a index and discount records that may seem just outside of the time frame for a particular event. ALWAYS look at the original document whenever possible, a transcript if the original is unavailable, or even an extraction. DO NOT STOP at the index! You maybe missing a ton of information. Like the names of forty-three heirs.

The Lost Chalfant Children

This is how a researcher gets sucked into a rabbit hole of researching something totally unrelated to the original topic. Jeese Baily (various spellings) Chalfant passed away on December 17, 1932 in Gaston, Delaware County, Indiana. The 86 year old Civil War veteran had been suffering from pneumonia for almost two weeks so his death may not been much of a surprise. His will admitted to probate in early January 1932. He left everything, personal and real, to his wife Pauline, then upon her death, it was to be sold and the proceeds split evenly among hos children. Those children listed were Dema D McLaughlin, Noah H Chalfant, Anna J Heavenridge, Marion F Chalfant, Emma H Brimhall, Minnie V Boyle and Olive B Watson.

He set aside monies for a family monument to be erected in the Matthews IOOF Cemetery if one had not been installed prior to his death. His wife of more than 65 years,  Paulina, had actually died earlier in 1932 and son, Edward passed in 1904. Both were buried there, and share, along with Jesse, a respectable grey granite triple marker. What was interesting is that Jesse also directed "...if there has not been markers erected at the graves of my two children in Bethel Cemetery, Harrison Township, Delaware County Ind. I hereby direct that markers be placed at their graves."

We know where, but who? Delaware County birth records provide us with some answers. On June 26, 1886, Jesse and Paulina (Benbow) Chalfant had a daughter. A simple knee high marker can be found in Bethel Cemetery that reads "Anna Chalfant June 26 1886-June 26 1886". The couple had a little boy, born December 24, 1890. A corresponding and matching stone reads "Ora Chalfant Dec 24 1890-Feb 27 1891".

Bethel Cemetery, Bethel, Harrison Township, Delaware County, Indiana

[Used with permission of the photographer]

With the timing of their births and deaths, Anna being stillborn or dying shortly and Ora's total life falling between census enumerations, their very existence could have easily been forgotten. Thankfully, executor John A Hall followed through on the instructions left by their father Jesse to ensure those babies were not lost to time.