Monday, February 27, 2012

Daughter of Lorenzo and Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder: Lillie Florence Wilder

The information I have about Lillie Florence Wilder, daughter of Lorenzo H. "Loren" and Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder, was collected during the late 1970s and early 1980s and is therefore very out of date.   However, I will provide what I have and hope that the present generation will provide updates.

Lillie Florence Wilder was born on July 10, 1869 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.  Her parents, Lorenzo "Loren" and Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder were partners in a general store there with Elmer Nathaniel "Nathan" and Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin.  The Corbins and Wilders married brothers and sisters.     Lillie moved to Nebraska with her extended family in 1872 or 1873 when they all took out homesteads in Ayr Township, Adams County, Nebraska.    I have provided extensive information about the earlier Wilder and Corbin families in previous blogs, however, Lillie Florence Wilder would be a granddaughter of James and Cynthia (Casteel) Corbin.   She would have also been a first cousin of my maternal grandfather, Robert Corbin.

Lillie Florence Wilder and Ernest Arthur "Ernie" English were married in 1890 in Nebraska but I have not been able to find a date or place.   Ernie was the youngest of nine children.   His parents were  John Wallace and Jane Hannah (Fry) English.

John Wallace was a native of Ottawa, Canada and his mother, Jane Hannah Fry was born on a ship while her parents were immigrating from Ireland to Canada.  They were married at Niagara, Ontario, Canada in 1845.   They were the parents of eight children and the last two, Edward D. and Ernest A. were twins born in 1862.    Other children in order of their births are:

Sarah Jane English (1846-1919)
Henry John English (1847-1931)
Frank Emmett English (1850 -    )
Kate Eleanor English (1851 - 1868)
William Herbert English (!857-1920)
Walter Gilbert English (1860-1871)
Edward D. English (1862-1920
Ernest A. English (1862-1941)

The English family seems to have moved about a big.   The U. S. Census for 1880 shows them living in Northport, Waupaca County, Wisconsin.   The Canadian Census for 1891 shows them living in Frontenac, Ontario, Canada.  The 1900 and 1910 Census shows John Wallace and Jane Hannah (Fry) English living in Carroll, Carroll County, Iowa.

According to family tree information found on Ancestry.com, Ernest Arthur England was married twice.   His first wife was Mary Matilda Hildebrandt who was born on March 18, 1863 in Illinois and died in October 1943 in Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska.    I have not been able to find out when or where they were divorced, but I did not find any children for this marriage.

Ernest Arthur English was married to Lillie Florence Wilder in 1890, but I have not been able to find a date or place.  They were the parents of eight children:

Frank Wallace English born December 12, 1891 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska
                                      died April 8, 1941 at Hastings, Adams, Nebraska
Ernest H. English born March 2, 1892 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska
                              died March 2, 1892 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska
William E. English born JApril 30, 1893 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska
                                died August 23, 1965 at Long Beach, Los Angeles, California
Florence L. English born July 25, 1894, Brickton, Adams, Nebraska
                                 died
Stella Elnora English born March 3, 1901 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska
                                   died October 26, 1919
John Lorenzo English born June 12, 1904 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska
Lee Vance English born June 29, 1907 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska
                                died
Ernest Ray English born March 6, 1906 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska
                                died March 6, 1906 at Brickton, adams, Nebraska
A photo of the English Brothers Band.   The brothers are identified on the photograph.

On the 1910 U. S. Census, Ernie English and his family are recorded living in Glenville, Clay County, Nebraska where his occupation was listed as Railroad Stevedore.   According to definitions I have found, a stevedore was anyone who loaded and unloaded freight.   Family sources have confirmed that Ernie English worked for the railroad most of his life.   The 1930 U. S. Census shows Ernie English and two of his sons living together in Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska.   Ernie is listed as a widower who is employed as a railroad stevedore.

The English Family was very musical and even had its own band composed of Frank on saxophone, Vance on piano, John on drums and Will playing trumpet and saxophone.

Lillie Florence (Wilder) English died on January 13, 1929 at Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska and Ernest A. "Ernie" English died on April 8, 1941 at Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska.

Frank Wallace English was born December 22, 1891 at Brickton, Adams County, Nebraska and was married to Dorothy Carper.    Dorothy was born January 21, 1907 in Nebraska.   Frank's occupation was piano tuner.

Frank and Dorothy English had two children:  Darrell Franklin English born February 16, 1945 in Hastings, Adams, Nebraska and Janice English born December 12, 1949 in Hastings, Adams, Nebraska.

Frank English died in April 1969 at Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California.

William E. English was born April 34, 1893 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska.  He married Fern Dragoo who was born on February 8, 1915.

William and Fern (Dragoo) English had one son, Ray Earl English, born April 6, 1927 at Hastings, Adams, Nebraska.

William and Fern English were divorced and he married a second time to Delight Mitchell.

John Lorenzo English was born June 12, 1904 at Brickton, Adams, Nebraska.  He married Gertrude Mae Rainey who was born April 29, 1903 at Pattensburg, Missouri.   They were the parents of one son: John Frankling Engish on November 11, 1936 at Hastings, Adams, Nebraska.

John L. English died on June 11, 1969 at Hastings, Adams, Nebraska.

John Franklin English married Bonita Lucille Ehernberger on December 21, 1968 at Schulyer, Cofax, Nebraska.   They have two children, Marcel and Anthony.   John English is a music teacher and lives in Red Cloud, Nebraska.

This is a photograph of John L. and Gertrude M. English.













This is a photograph of their son, John F. English, a music teacher in Red Cloud, Nebraska.



I do not have further information on the Ernest A. and Lillie Florence (Wilder) English family.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Children of Lorenzo H. and Mary Elizabeth (Corbin) Wilder

In this blog, I'll write about the children of Lorenzo H. "Loren" and Mary Elizabeth (Corbin) Wilder.  If you had asked me at 8:00am this morning, I would have said there were three children.   With the help of Wilder Family descendants, I thought I had pieced together the family in its entity.   However, in checking genealogy websites and then the 1880 U. S. Census for Ayr Township, Adams County, Nebraska I have learned there was a fourth child, listed as a son on the above census.  I have not been able to find any further evidence of this son, either on future U. S. Census reports or in the form of a burial site in Adams County, Nebraska.   I also checked the cemeteries in Putnam County, Missouri thinking that Loren and Mary Wilder may have been visiting there when he died or may have deliberately buried their child "at the old home place."   However I have found nothing.    Therefore, I will list their children as indicated by family records and the U. S. Census:
James William Wilder born and died on September 15, 1866 at West Liberty, Putnam Co., Missouri.
Lillie Florence Wilder born July 10, 1870 at Unionville, Putnam County, Missouri.
Fred M. or Frederick M. Wilder, born in 1876, Ayr Township, Adams County, Nebraska
Estella Mae Wilder born August 23, 1883, Walla Walla, Walla Walla County, Washington



L-R Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder, daughter Estella May (Wilder) Parsons and Linnie Florence (Wilder) English. (The photo was furnished by Mrs. Irene Radcliff, a Plummer Cousin.)





Estella Mae (Wilder) Parsons

Lorenzo H. "Loren" and his wife Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder made the long trip to Walla Walla, Walla Walla County, Washington to try homesteading and farming.   They went in the fall of 1882 and returned to Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska in the fall of 1883 staying only one year.
This is a photograph of Estella Mae (Wilder) Parsons, Sylvia Myrtle Corbin, daughter of George Washington Corbin, and Linnie Alice Bell, daughter of Edgar and Nancy Anna (Corbin) Bell.   Miss Wilder and Miss Bell were visiting at the George Washington Corbin home in Wichita, Kansas.

Members of several families related by marriage were homesteading in Oregon and Washington.    Some of the Corbin, Casteels, Wilders and Parsons family moved "out west."    You've probably heard the old saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."   That was what kept the pioneers moving westward across America.   They would hear accounts from relatives and friends and read about how good life was in the new American West, and they would move west to find out for themselves.

Loren and Mary (Corbin) Wilder did not sell their farm at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska when they moved to Walla Walla, Washington.   They rented their farm and returned to it when them moved home.

There is disagreement about the birthdate of Estella Mae Wilder.   I note some sources list her birthdate as August 15, 1883 and others as September 15, 1883 and the California Death Certificate Index lists her birthday as October 15, 1883.    I have no way of knowing which is correct.

Estella Mae Wilder grew up in the Ayr and Hastings, Nebraska communities.   My Aunt Edna Corbin, daughter of George Washington and Sarah Ann (Todd) Corbin, told me that Estella and her sister Lillian were raised by their mother after Lorenzo H. "Loren" Wilder died on August 15, 1884.   Mary E. Corbin was Edna Corbin's aunt, and Edna always referred to her as "Aunt Mary."    She told me that Mary raised the girls to be ladies.   Mary never worked but used the rental income from their farm to raise the family.    Edna Corbin and her sister Sylvia Corbin exchanged visits with the Wilder sisters.   The Wilders came to Wichita, Kansas on the train and Edna and Sylvia went to Hastings, Nebraska on the train.   I found Christmas and Easter post card greetings from them in Edna Corbin's scrapbook.   The messages would usually inquire about their health and would talk about a recent visit or ask when they intended to visit.











These are photographs of Henry Harrison and Rachel Ann (Maples) Parsons, parents of William Henry "Will" Parsons.    The Parsons Family moved to Adams County, Nebraska to homestead sometime between 1875 and 1880.

Estella Mae Wilder and William Henry "Will" Parsons were married on December 19, 1900 at Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska.


This is the wedding photograph of William Henry and Estella May (Wilder) Corbin taken in 1890.



Will Parsons was the son of Henry Harrison Parsons who was born March 12, 1840 in Vinton County, Ohio and died December 12, 1921 in Adams County, Nebraska.   Will's mother was Rachel Ann Maples, who was born in Middleboro, Warren County, Ohio on Mary 23, 1848 and died June 16, 1929 in Adams County, Nebraska.



Henry H. and Rachel A. Parsons were the parents of nine children:
George Washington Parsons (1867-1938)
Jasper N. Parsons (1869-1940)
Francis Marion Parsons (1871 -   )
William Henry Parsons (1873 - 1966)
Eddie Edgar Parsons (1879-1973)
Effie Jane Parsons (1879-  )
Mary Parsons (1882-1882)
Alice Leona Parsons (1883-1965)
Ora Earl Parsons (1886-1891)

U. S. Census reports indicate that Henry H. Parsons was a resident of Salem, Miggs County, Ohio in 1850; of Pilot Grove, Hancock County, Illinois in 1860; of Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska in 1880 and Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska in both 1910 and 1920.

The 1880 U. S. Census report is interesting in that Henry H. and Rachel Ann Parsons are shown owning a farm in Ary Township, Adams County, Nebraska and their next door neighbors are Edgar and Nancy Anna (Corbin) Bell who have as a boarder, my great grandfather and Nancy Anna's brother, George Washington Corbin.    All of this indicates that the Corbins and Parsons Families were well acquainted.

A photograph of Estella May Wilder taken shortly after her marriage to Will Parsons.    Not the beautiful hat, so stylish in the 1890s.

On the World War I Draft Registration completed by William Henry Parsons on September 10, 1916, he was listed as a resident of Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska and his occupation was given as farmer.  He was married to Estella May (Wilder) Parsons and they had no dependents.  The registration indicates that he had no sight in his left eye.

The photograph below shows Estella May (Wilder) and Will Parsons sitting on the back porch of the house built by Lorenzo H. "Loren" and Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder.   The Parsons farmed for Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder after they married in 1890.

Estella and Will worked the farm of his in-laws, Loren H. and Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder.   The 1940 U. S. Census report will be released in a month and it will be interesting to see where they are at that time.   I do not know how they happened to move to Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California but Estella (Wilder) Parsons passed away while living there.   Estella died on December 24, 1956 in Long Beach, California and William Henry "Will" Parsons died October 3, 1966 in Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska.



This is a late in life photograph of Estella May (Wilder) and William Henry Parsons.  I would assume that this may be a 50th Anniversary Photo taken in 1940 or a 60th Anniversary photo taken in 1950---but I am not certain of either.   It does appear to be some special occasion by virtue of the corsages.

Many of the photographs used here are courtesy of Linda Troy, who is a Casteel Family Genealogist.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Children of James and Cynthia Corbin: Mary Elizabeth (Corbin) Wilder

This blog shall provide information about the fourth child of James and Cynthia Ann (Casteel) Corbin, Mary Elizabeth Corbin, who was born February 4, 1844 in Michigan City, Lake County, Indiana.  According to her descendants, she was called Mary which is how I will refer to her in this blog.

Mary Corbin lived a full life, passing away at the home of her daughter on June 3, 1941 in Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska at the age of 97.  It is notable that Mary Corbin and her sisters Martha Jane and Nancy Anna all lived much longer than the typical life expectancy for that time.

Mary Corbin moved with her parents and brothers and sisters many times.   She was born near Michigan City, Lake County, Indiana but before she was 8, she moved to Dodge County, Missouri with her parents and maternal grandparents, the William Casteels.  They are living there when the 1850 U. S. Census was taken.    According to an oral history interview on her 95th birthday, the Corbin family moved to Texas for two years "when I was about 10."   That would place the move between 1854 and 1855.    The family then moved back to Missouri, settling on a farm near West Liberty in Putnam County.

Mary's father, James Corbin, her brothers William T. and Elmer Nathaniel Corbin, and her brothers-in-laws Loren H. Wilder and John Marshall served with the Missouri Volunteers during the Civil War.  Her brother William T. Corbin was killed near Pine Bluff, Arkansas under mysterious circumstances.

Soon after his return from the Civil War, Lorenzo H. "Loren" Wilder proposed to Mary Elizabeth Corbin.   They were married on August 26, 1865 in Central City, Putnam County, Missouri.

Since his family all called him Loren H. Wilder, I will also use that name in this blog.   Loren was the son of James and Anna Jane Pressley Wilder and was born February 6, 1842 in Pennsylvania. 

James Wilder was born on April 24, 1808 in Dummerston, Windham County, Vermont and died in 1872 in Putnam County, Missouri.   He was married to Anna Jane Pressley in about 1826 or 1827.   They were the parents of nine children:
Joseph Pressley (1836 - 1904)
Eliza D. (1836-1881)
James E. (1839-1881)
Alonzo Artemus (1840-1905)
Lorenzo H. "Loren" (1842-1884)
John (1844 -  )
Sarah Jane (1847-1896)
Minerva (1853-1932)
Anna Jane (1856-1921)

Two of the Wilder Children, Lorenzo "Loren" and Sarah Jane would marry Corbin siblings Mary Elizabeth and Elmer Nathaniel.

According to U. S. Census records, all of the children except the last, Anna Jane, were born in Erie County, Pennsylvania.   Anna Jane Wilder was born in Illinois.   That would indicate that the Wilder family lived from 1836 until at least 1853 in Erie County, Pennsylvania and then moved west to Illinois in the mid-1850s before again moving west to Putnam County, Missouri by 1860, where they are found on the U. S. Census living in Jackson Township.

The U. S. Census in 1870 records that James, Anna Jane (Pressley) Wilder and their youngest daughter Anna Jane were all living in one household in Putnam County, Missouri.   Living nearby were two of their children.   Joseph P Wilder (40) and his wife Malinda (43) and their children Stephen, Franklin, and May J. F. Wilder were all living on a farm about a mile from his parents, James and Anna Jane Wilder.   Joseph Wilder's occupation is listed as "blacksmith."   On another farm nearby are Alonzo Artemus Wilder and his wife Mary A. Wilder along with their son William W. Wilder age 4.   Although they were by then married, I did not find Lorenzo "Loren" Wilder and his wife Mary Elizabeth (Corbin) Wilder living in Jackson Township, Putnam County, Missouri on the 1870 Census.











These are both photographs of Mary Elizabeth (Corbin) Wilder taken when she was past 90 years of age and living with her daughter, Mrs. Estella Parsons at 835 S. Denver, Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska.

According to family members, Loren and Mary Elizabeth (Corbin) Wilder and Elmer Nathaniel and Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin were partners in the ownership and operation of a general store in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.   I have not searched land or tax records to find out when they bought or sold the store.    According to the obituary of Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder, the family moved to Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska in 1872 where Loren Wilder farmed.    They remained there until 1883, when the family moved to Walla Walla, Washington where they rented a farm.   They returned to Adams County, Nebraska in March of 1884.  Irene Radcliff, a Plummer descendant, sent this information taken from the Hastings Gazette Journal of August 19.1884:  "L.H.Wilder who was injured on the tumbling rod of a threshing machine last week, died Saturday. His remains were followed to the grave Sunday by a large number of friends and neighbors of the deceased."  L. H. Wilder died on August 15, 1884 in Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska. 

His widow, Mary E. (Corbin) Wilder lived another 57 years and passed away on June 3, 1941 at the age of 97.  Lorenzo H. "Loren" Wilder and Mary Elizabeth (Corbin) Wilder were the parents of four children:

James William Wilder born September 15, 1886 and died the same day, West Liberty, Missouri
Lillie Florence Wilder born July 10, 1870 at Unionville, Putnam County, Missouri
Fred or Frederick M. Wilder born in 1876 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska.
Estella Mae Wilder born August 23, 1883, at Walla Walla, Washington.

This is the obituary from the Hastings, Nebraska newspaper for Mary Elizabeth (Corbin) Wilder.  She passed away on June, 3, 1941 at the age of 97.  The article states that she was believed to be the oldest resident in town at that time.


I do not have any photographs of Lorenzo H. "Loren" Wilder but I have several of Mary Elizabeth and her siblings.



Thursday, February 23, 2012

Continuing With The Children of Elmer Nathaniel and Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin

Elmer Nathanial "Nathan" Corbin and his wife Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin lost their second and third child to an unknown illness.  Marietta Jane Corbin was born on October 17, 1868 at West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri and died on March 4, 1869 at West Liberty.  She is buried in grave #262 at the Central City Cemetery, Putnam County, Missouri.   I have not seen a cause of death.  Their third child, William Fletcher Corbin, was born on December 22, 1869 at West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri and died on November 15, 1872 at West Liberty.   I have not been able to find a burial location for William F. Corbin.

The fourth child of Nathan and Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin was Clara Evelyn Corbin, born June 19, 1872 at West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.   Clara Evelyn moved to Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska with her parents and brother, James Nathaniel Corbin, sometime between 1872 and 1879, but the exact time is not known.

James Nathaniel Corbin and his sister, Clara Evelyn Corbin, married a brother and sister from the family of William and Lisette Brandts.  According to the 1885 U. S. Census, the William Brandts family was living in Ayr Township, Adams County, Nebraska where William Brands was 35-years-old and a farmer.   The census indicates his wife's name was Lizette Brants and that both of them were born in Bavaria, Germany as were their parents.   Children living in the household include:  Herman Harold age 15; Wilhelmina age 13; Lizzie age 12; Millie age 6 and Willie age 4.

This is a photo of Clara Evelyn (Corbin) Brandts taken shortly before her marriage to Harold H. Brandts in 1890.

James Nathaniel married Wilhelmina Brandts on August 26, 1890 and Clara Evelyn married Harold Herman Brandts in Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska on May 3, 1890.   So these brothers and sisters were married the same year, one in the spring and the other in the late summer.

Harold H. and Clara Evelyn (Corbin) Brandts were the parents of seven children:

Sarah Lisetta born May 21, 1899 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska
Mabel Gertrude born June 14, 1903 at Fairbury, Jefferson County, Nebraska
Edith Evelyn born November 8, 1906 at Fairbury, Jefferson County, Nebraska
Alberta Marie born April 15, 1908 at Crete, Nebraska
Harold Herman, Jr. born September 13, 1911 at Crete, Nebraska
Lucille Lillian born February 17, 1913 at Crete, Nebraska
Dorothy born and died November 3, 1915 at Crete, Nebraska

The 1920 U. S. Census indicates that the family had moved to Lowe Township, Washington County, Kansas where Harold H. Brandts was farming on land that he owned although it indicates there was a mortgage.  The census shows the following:
Herman Harold - age 50 - farmer - born in Germany
Clara E. Brandts - age 47 - wife
Mable G. - age 16 - daughter
Edith E. - age 11 - daughter
Alberta H. - age 9 - daughter
Lucille L. - age 6 - daughter

This is a photo of Harold Herman Brandts, taken shortly after his marriage to Clara Evelyn Corbin in 1890.

The 1930 U. S. Census shows that Harold and Clara (Corbin) Brandts have moved from the farm in Washington County, Kansas and have become hotel proprietors in Fairbury, Jefferson County, Nebraska.   Harold H. Brandts was age 60, Clara Evelyn (Corbin) Brandts age 57 and living with them in the hotel is daughter Lucille who at age 17 is shown as the night clerk.    The hotel was located on "D" Street and at the time of the census there were 12 boarding guests.

Harold Herman Brandts died on May 12, 1943 in Omaha, Nebraska and Clara Evelyn Brandts died on December 24, 1949 at Crete, Nebraska.   Both are buried in Crete, Nebraska.

The blog author does not have any information about any of the children of Harold H. and Clara Evelyn (Corbin) Brandts, other than Mable Gertrude Brandts.

Mable Gertrude Brandts was married to Everett Clarence Beeman, the son of Horatio Preston and Clara Ursula (Stephanek) Beeman.  He was born on July 15, 1893 in Rooks County, Kansas.  Miss Brandt and Mr. Beeman were married on August 10, 1921 at Morrowville, Kansas.   Mr. Beeman was a veteran of World War I and served in France where he was mustard gassed.   He was a farmer, rancher and horse trader in Washington County, Kansas most of his life.

The Beemans were the parents of four children:

Robert Beeman was born and died on September 25, 1925 at Washington, Kansas.
Donald Everett Beeman was born August 23, 1929 at Washington, Kansas
Keith Brandts Beeman was born December 22, 1929 at Washington, Kansas
Alberta Lakee Beeman was born on December 19, 1931 at Washington, Kansas

Donald Everett Beeman was married to Emma Louise Barnes on July 31, 1949 at Dalhart, Texas and passed away on March 25, 1961.   He is buried at Washington, Kansas.

Alberta LaKee Beeman was married to Edwin Gibbs Hedstrom on May 29, 1955 at Washington, Kansas.   Mr. Hedstrom was engaged in the cement business and the family lived in several states before retiring in Phoenix, Arizona.  The Hedstroms have four sons:



Ed and Alberta (Beeman) Hedstrom taken at their Evergreen, Colorado home in the 1970s.

Bryce Hedstrom born July 3, 1957.   Bryce married Cheryl Holcomb of Loveland, Colorado on October 15, 1983 and is an accountant.   Mrs. Hedstrom was at the time a dental assistant.
Brad Hedstrom was born on March 20, 1960 and was in the U. S. Air Force and was stationed in Maryland.  He is a sergeant and plays on their football team.
Barry Hedstrom was born January 29, 1962 and attended Metro State College in Denver, CO and is a business major.  Bret Hedstrom was born on February 7, 1964 and attended Colorado State University at Fort Collins, CO.   He was an engineering major.

The author became well acquainted with Alberta and Ed Hedstrom.   I met Ed Hedstrom through a genealogy magazine in the 1970s and visited their family twice.   Alberta Hedstrom loved music and played the piano beautifully.  She and I spent many happy hours singing duets and having fun.   The Hedstrom allowed me to copy photographs of family members and provided the genealogical information used above.


Discussing the Children of Elmer Nathaniel and Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin

I'm now going to talk about the children of Elmer Nathaniel "Nathan" Corbin and his first wife, Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin.    In this blog, I'll be providing genealogy information about their first child and oldest son, James Nathaniel Corbin.  

Elmer Nathaniel was the third child of James and Cynthia Ann (Casteel) Corbin and the genealogy of Elmer Nathaniel has been discussed in an earlier blog.

Nathan and Sarah Corbin's son, James Nathaniel, was born at their farm home near West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri on August 17, 1867.   The Civil War had just ended and "things" were returning to normal.
This is a 1911 photograph of two of the daughters of James Nathaniel and Wilhelmina (Brandts) Corbin and their aunt, Millie (Brandts) Radley.  The daughters are Violette Anetta Corbin and Clarissa Viola Corbin.   Note that whoever is writing the description calls Wilhelmina "Minnie," confirming the nickname.  Also remember that Herman Brandts, who married Clara Evelyn Corbin, and Wilhelmina (Brandts) Corbin were brother and sister.   This is the only photo the author has from the James Nathaniel and Wilhelmina (Brandts) Corbin family.

James Nathaniel Corbin moved from West Liberty, Missouri to Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska with his parents sometime between fall of 1872 and spring of 1879.  Most of the Corbin Family removed from Putnam County, Missouri in 1873 but Nathan and his brother-in-law Loren H. Wilder were partners in a general store at West Liberty, MO.   My thought is maybe Loren Wilder sold his interest in the store to Nathan Corbin, who remained behind for a few years.  Nathan and Sarah Jane Corbin didn't take out a homestead in Nebraska with the remainder of the Corbins until 1879---six years after most moved there.

Elmer Nathanial "Nathan" Corbin, took out papers on a homestead in Section 22 of Ayr Township in Adams County, Nebraska in 1879.   The family may have been there earlier, but there is no record of them claiming a homestead until 1879.   James Nathaniel Corbin would have been about 8 or 10 when they moved from Missouri to Nebraska.
James Nathaniel Corbin was married to Wilhelmina Brandts, on August 26, 1890 at Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska.  On two U. S. Census reports, James Nathaniel is listed as "James N." and on one as "J. N."   My assumption is that he most likely went by his name.  On one of the census reports, it also lists his wife's name as "Minnie" rather than Wilhelmina.   So again, I'll assume that she was commonly known as Minnie Corbin.  James and Minnie lived in several different communities in Nebraska including: Batlin, Ayr, Blue Hill, Jansen and finally Fairbury.

They were the parents of seven children:
Clarissa Viola born July 7, 1892 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska
Violette Anetta born April 1, 1895 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska
                          died October 21, 1961, North Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri
Raymond Reginald born November 4, 1897 at Blue Hill, Adams County, Nebraska
Earl James born June 19, 1901 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska
Chester Herman born August 21, 1904 at Jansen, Nebraska
Wilhelmina born February 28, 1906 at Jansen, Nebraska
and Mildred Ruth born February 11, 1910 at Fairbury, Nebraska

So far, I have found this information about Raymond Reginald Corbin.  He was married to Daisey Anna Burkhardt and then had at least five children:  Virginia born in 1919; Jack born in 1921; Darlene born in 1923; Doran born in l925 and LaNette born in 1930.   On the 1920 U. S. Census, he was shown as an employee of an Express Company in Fairbury, Nebraska.   On the 1930 U. S. Census, Raymond was shown as Cashier of an Express Company in Fairbury, Nebraska.

In looking at the 1930 U. S. Census, I have found one addition bit of information.   The census shows Wilhelmina, daughter Mildred and son Earl J. all living in Fairbury, Nebraska.   Wilhelmina "Minnie" is age 59 and shown as the owner of the house and it also states she is a widow.  Earl J. is 28 years old and is a retail clerk in a furniture store.   Daughter Mildred is 20 and works as a stenographer/bookeeper in a local department store.

I also learned something of Violette Anetta Corbin.   She married Roy Neal Overgard on May 20, 1919 in Fairbury, Jefferson County, Nebraska.   Roy was the son of Ben and Mary Overgard and was born in Norton County, Kansas on June 15, 1894.   His parents were both natives of Denmark.   Roy had several siblings on the March 1, 1905 Kansas Census:  Andrew Overgard age 16; Freida Overgard age 13; and Albert Overgard age 8.    In 1905, the Overgards, including Roy, were living at Almelo, Norton County, Kansas.    Roy and Violette were the parents of one child, Betty R. Overgard, who was born in 1926.       The 1920 U. S. Census show Roy and Violette Overgard living in Plymouth, Jefferson County, Nebraska.   Roy's occupation is given as Rural Mail Carrier.  On the 1930 U. S. Census, Roy, Violette and Betty Overgard are shown living in Holmwood Township, Jewell County, Kansas where Roy's occupation is given as farmer.      When Roy signed up for the draft on June 5, 1916 he was living in Norton County, Kansas; was said to be tall, slender, have gray eyes and brown hair.   He also stated that his eyes were defective.     At some point, Roy and Violette Overgard moved to Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri.   Violette died there on October 21, 1961 and Roy Overgard passed away on April 19, 1984, both in Kansas City, Missouri.

I have found nothing about Clarissa Viola Corbin except that her married name was Seggerman.  I was not able to find them on a U. S. Census report but without a first name, the search is complicated.

I found one source that said Chester Herman Corbin married Edna Rieser.   I found no additional information.

I found one source that said Wilhelmina Corbin married Jonathan N. Chaney, but I found no additional information

I found one source that said Mildred Ruth Corbin married Alberto Leo Lock, but I found no additional information.

In closing, I want to thank Ed and Alberta (Beeman) Hedstrom for providing information and photographs for the Elmer Nathaniel Corbin family.    Alberta is the granddaughter of Clara Evelyn Corbin and Herman H. Brandts.   She is the daughter of Clara and Herman Barndt's daughter, Mable Gertrude Brandts who married Everett Clarence Beeman.
I first became acquainted with Ed and Alberta Hedstrom in the 1970s when I began working on the Corbin Genealogy.   I subscribed to a genealogy magazine (there weren't any websites at that time) where I found their address.   I'm sorry to say I've lost contact with them but they were wonderful people.   We exchanged many letters and photographs and also visited each other's homes.   Alberta is a talented musician and singer.   She and I spent happy hours around her organ and piano singing and enjoying our love of music.

I also want to thank Mrs. Evelyn (Livingston) Morganflash, now deceased.  Mrs. Morganflash provided a great deal of information about the Elmer Nathanial and Sarah Jane (Wilder) Family.  She passed away in 1990.   Her daughter, Irene (Morganflash) Radcliff and I recently became acquainted through the magic of Internet Genealogy.   Irene has already generously provided several interesting photographs of family members.

I will finish this blog and will next write about the daughter of Elmer Nathanial and Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin, Clara Evelyn Corbin.

Happy Trails!



Tuesday, February 21, 2012

A Little Information About Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska


This article was found on the Adams County Historical Society website and was written by Catherine Renschler

Ayr Township is a tableland near the center of Adams County. Homesteaders arrived in the area in the early 1870s, In 1878 the Hastings-Red Cloud branch of the Burlington Railroad was built. Four men, A.C. Moore, J.R. Ratcliff, Ayres Goble and Professor Meyer set apart 20 acres each from their own adjoining farms for the eighty acre town. To ensure a railroad depot at the townsite, the owners were compelled to donate every other lot, giving control of half the townsite, to the railroad owned townsite company. In September, 1878 the South Platte Town Site Company laid out the town of Ayr twelve miles south of Hastings. Named after one of the railroad's directors, a Dr. Ayr from Iowa, it was overlooked by magnificent highlands gently sloping to the Little Blue River to the west of town.
O.D. Barrass built the first house on the site, a small frame building, in October 1878. The second building, the two story Central Hotel, was built by Rev. John and Rebecca Fleming in November after the railroad built the Ayr depot. Barras, serving as proprietor for the Flemings, operated the hotel until 1883. Elizabeth Statler took his place.







































The first school was located one-half mile north of Ayr and was taught in 1874 to 1876. A. Peck and Henry Howe built a saloon in the north part of town, but the business did not flourish. The building was used as a school for the 1878-79 term with Irishman, John Gainor, teaching. He was a good teacher, but a better judge of alcohol. he went on a binge at the close of the term and never came back--just when the school board had voted for a nine month term with school uniforms and books furnished.

This is a pictorial post card showing the rural free delivery horse drawn wagons in front of the post office at Ayr, Nebraska.


In 1878 A.L.West and Thomas Fleming built a general merchandise store and dealt in grain and cattle for the railroad owned stockyards in the north part of town. By late December, 1878, the Gilson post office, two miles north, was transferred to Ayr. the post office was located in the West-Fleming store.

Rev. John Fleming, father of Thomas, conducted the first religious services in town. Fleming, born in 1807, labored for the 30 member Presbyterian Church in 1878-79 as a missionary. During that period he funded and built the Church Hall at 4th and Lincoln streets.

In late 1878, McMillan and Hull opened a general store and John Richards also opened a store. Born in Cornwall, England, Richards lived in Wisconsin before coming to Juniata to visit a friend, George Misen. Deciding to stay in Nebraska, he bought a farm south of Juniata, and put in a store at Silver Lake. The Silver lake store soon became a stopping place for freighters going from Hastings to Riverton. With news of the railroad going south from Hastings to Red Cloud, however, Richards foresaw a decline in business and moved the store to Ayr. He built a two-story building in 1878 with plans for a grocery on the first floor and living rooms for his family upstairs. But the regions frequent strong winds frightened the family, so the top story was taken off and set on the ground. this pioneer farmer and merchant died in 1905, leaving a legacy of eleven children, eight of whom were Adams County school teachers.

The Methodist Episcopal Church started early in 1879 with four members, Adam Reader, George Eastwood, John Giddings and A.M. Jefferies. Early elders were Adams Melville, O.C. Rogers, Arthur Mathers and George Crafford. They met in homes, then in the old saloon building which was being used for the school. In 1884 the school district built a two story school and sold the old building to the Methodists who moved it to first and Irving Streets.
In 1881, this notice was printed in the Juniata Herald "Wanted! A live Methodist preacher to stir up church-going sentiment in this community; one that can keep an audience awake for a half-hour." The call was answered by Rev. Albinos Powers, and the group enjoyed enough success that it built a new tin-covered church in 1893. Located on the eastern slope of the town, it was a big one room structure that looked like a school house. In 1910 it was remodeled into a large white frame structure with stained glass windows and a belfry. The church burned in 1944 when the bell tower was struck by lightning.

January, 1879 was quite cold, but improvements went on in the village. In March, 1879, R.C. Gregg built a storehouse and opened the first drugstore on the south side of Lincoln Avenue (now State Highway 74). The Commercial Hotel was finished by Mr. Pate and T.J. and M.S. Edgington started a hardware store. Dr. Hoyleman built a two-story building and operated a drug store from the first floor. The second floor was used as the town hall. In the summer of 1879 Gund and Company built a grain elevator. It was a "shovel elevator" built on an incline. The horses backed up to the top, then men shoveled the grain into a pit where an elevator took it to various bins.
In 1879 William McLaughlin and Cyrus McMillan built a lumber yard across the tracks from the elevator. Ayres Goble set up an agricultural implement shop, J.H. Robinson opened a livery and feed store, and C. Allender started a meat market.
The town's first physician , Dr. Samuel A. Bookwalter, arrived in 1879. The first birth in Ayr was Harvey Fleming, son of Thomas Fleming. Ayr's first death occurred in 1881, when the twin infants of Henry Harms died.

Despite a diphtheria epidemic in early 1880, the town continued to grow. These additional businesses opened: Henry Rowe, boot and shoe shop; Isaac Vandervort and T. Bigelow, blacksmiths; O.D. Barrass and Thomas Robinson, carpenters; Will Brantz, painter; A.W. Patterson, contractor; S.P. Williams, milling; John Meyers, bricklayer; Isaiah Ream, barber; henry Ream, boot and shoe maker; Thomas Fleming, stock shipper; Frank Jefferies, depot agent; Henry Howe, restaurant; Scott Philleo, grain business; U.P. Jefferies, insurance; Keith and Kress, a second livery. By 1880 Ayr reached its peak population of 250, the majority merchants and their families.

The 1880s proved to be Ayr's glory days. By the middle of the summer in 1881, Thomas Fleming had a cheese factory going. Henry Fleming was making wagons on the west side of the tracks and George Allen on the east side of the tracks. Gregg sold his drugstore to Koehler and Pharr in 1881. In September, 1882, Dr. Royce came to town, and Hutchinson and Davis dry goods store opened. The Ayr Times, published by the Watkins Brothers, was founded as the town's first newspaper. In 1885 W.H. Hawkins started a brickyard, and a second grain elevator was built. In 1886 McMillan sold his general store to Elihu Dailey and Henry Schertinger bought the butcher shop.

Herron Post, #152, Grand Army of the Republic, (Union Veterans of the Civil War) was organized at Ayr in the 1880s.  By 1890 Ayr's population was 173. The drought and depression years of the 1890s were hard on Ayr. Several businesses closed and the population declined. After the turn of the century when the economy improved two more newspapers operated briefly, the Ayr Gun in 1901 and the Weekly News in 1907. The Farmers State Bank was built in 1912. In 1917 a fire destroyed the H.A. Howe general store, and the IOOF hall, and a disastrous fire in 1921 burned a whole block of business buildings. A Sinclair Oil pumping station was built near town in 1923.

ADAMS COUNTY DIRECTORY 1925-26
Published by Wolfe and Pickering, Kenesaw, Nebraska
Alphabetical List of Ayr Residents
Allender, Presley, retired farmer; wife Mary
Bird, Alfred, works in Sanford Garage
Boontjer, Ted, laborer; wife Marie
Bovard, Mrs. R.D.; Lee, single, laborer; William, single, section hand (railroad)
Brandts, Alda; Ruth, telephone operator
Brandts, W.M., mail carrier, wife Lulu; Marjorie 12
Brown, Mrs. Allie, widow
Bucklin, Clarissa, teacher
Cameron, Maraguerite, teacher
Cantwell, Sarah, widow of S.E.
Connely, Vance, road maintainer; wife Sarah; Von 1
Coutts, L.N., laborer; wife Mable; Beulah, 5; Darrel, 4; Vergil, 3; Luean, 1
Dillon, E.W., telegraph operator; wife Pearl; Enod, 17; Daurance, 11; Maxine, 9; Harriet, 6; Betty, 4; Joanna
Disch, Mrs. V.
Druecker, Henry, retired farmer; wife Louisa
Druecker, William, farmer and blacksmith
Easter, Edward, engineer
Foster, Dewey; wife Hazel
Frank, C.W., manager elevator; wife Fredica; Freda 18; Dorothy 16; Marjorie 7; John 6
Fry, Mrs. Martha
Giddings, Frank; Maurine
Gray, Dr. O.S., physician; wife Leta
Harrington, Annie; Frank
Harrington, J.W., junk dealer; wife Marie; Cleo 14; Zetha 10; Ray 16
Hargleroad, Mrs. Zella, clerk
Heltenberg, John, retired farmer
Hildebrand, Ed, garageman; wife Lizzie
Hoffman, H.S., mail carrier; wife Laura; Cecil 12; Newton 17; Roland 15
Holt, Herbert, station agent; wife Blanch; Velma 12
Jeffers, Delma, clerk
Jeffers, H.C., section foreman; wife Anna; Norma 12
Johnston, Mrs. A
Johnston, C.S., carpenter; widower, Lawrence 17, Marlyn 10; Milo 15
Johnson, J.P., business man; wife Neva; Darlene 4; Ruth 1
Keebler, Mrs. R.M.; Miss Anna, teacher
Kindig, P.T., retired farmer; wife Anna
Kort, Fred, farmer; wife Octavia; Douglass 3
Kort, William, bookkeeper, Farmers State Bank
Leslie, John; wife Cerena
Manning, J.M., telegraph operator; wife Dollie; Leland Trembly 12
Marshall, John, carpenter; wife Sarah C
Moore, Bert; wife Cleo; Bernard 7; Earl 5; Sylvia 3
Osborn, J.N., retired farmer; wife Adeline
Parks, H., retired farmer; wife Elizabeth; Dawson 17; Donald 10
Pollock, J. , banker
Radley, C.D., manages lumber yard; wife Nellie
Ratcliff, R.M. insurance and real estate agent; wife Ellen
Reader, Adam, retired
Runkel, Professor, Ayr Schools
Sanford, H.H., garage; wife Stella; Gerald 10; Virgil 8; Jessie 6; Harriet 1;
Schmitz, B.F., engineer, Sinclair Pipe Line; wife Mildred; Claribel 5; Gloria 3
Schmitz, Earl, laborer
Schmitz, J.A., carpenter; wife Matilda; Beulah 15
Schmitz, Leo, farmer; wife Tillie; Orville 5; Eugene 3; Junior 2
Schmitz, Willis, single, carpenter
Scott, Charles, groceryman, wife Delia; Pauline 15
Scott, Mrs. J
Sheets, Mrs. Nora B. , telephone operator; Roland C 16
Smith, Earnie, engineer; wife Maude; Helen 11; Beula 10
Snyder, Chester, and Tom, brick masons
Snyder, Thomas, cement contractor; wife Ida; Harold 17
Taylor, Samuel, carpenter; wife Sarah
Uerling, Mathew, hardware merchant; wife Sarah
Uerling, Luretta, clerk soft drink parlor
Weakley, W.R., laborer; wife Marnie; Sylvia 8
Wheat, W.A., works at oil station
Wigert, James, retired farmer; wife Sigirdi
Wilder, Frank, brick mason; wife Lottie
Wilder, Verna
Woods, Lester D., filling station
Woods, Ora, retired farmer; wife Anna
Woodworth, Henry, retired farmer; wife Mamie
Woodworth, Jennie, widow
Woodworth, Mrs. Melessa, widow
Woodworth, Milton
Woodworth, Ray E., farmer; wife Sadie; Elaine 8; Edgar 11; Clayton 2

Although my Paternal Grandfather, Robert Corbin, knew that his father and other members of the Corbin family had lived at Ayr, Nebraska the author never heard him or any of his brothers and sisters talk about or mention Ayr, Nebraska.   I did find two or three post cards written from cousins in Ayr, Nebraska to my great aunt, Edna Corbin, sister of Robert Corbin.   She kept a scrapbook of post cards from various family members.   That is how I began to conduct research about the family in Ayr, Nebraska.

Happy Trails!

The Genealogy of the Second and Third Children of James and Cynthia Corbin

The second child of James and Cynthia Ann (Casteel) Corbin was a son, Griffin Corbin.   He was born on December 7, 1839 in Lake County, Indiana and died one week later on December 14, 1839.   Nothing is known to the author of the circumstances of his birth or death.   The location of his grave is also not known.   Burials of remote family farms were just as common in those days as burials in graveyards and cemeteries.

The third child of James and Cynthia Ann (Casteel) Corbin, was Elmer Nathanial Corbin, who was universally known to his family as Nathan Corbin.   He was on January 22, 1841 in Lake County, Indiana and died on October 9, 1909 at Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska.   He was 68 years old. 

Nathan Corbin had a long and interesting life.  On all of the census reports (1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900) he is listed as a farmer.   He moved with his parents and other siblings many times.  From Lake County, Indiana he moved to Dodge County, Missouri then Texas and back to a farm at West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri where he was married to Sarah Jane Wilder on July 3, 1864 at Central City, Putnam County, Missouri.

Sarah Jane Wilder was born January 21, 1847 at Green, Erie County, Pennsylvania and died December 1, 1896 near the little town of Ayr in Adams County, Nebraska.   She was the daughter of James Wilder and Anna Jane (Pressley) Wilder.

James Wilder was born in Drummerston, Windum County, Vermont in 1808 and died in Putnam County, Missouri in 1872.   Anna Jane Pressley was born on September 9, 1809 at Guildford, Vermont and died on May 9, 1897 at 98-years-old while living with her son James Wilder, Jr. in Walla Walla, Washington.   They were the parents of ten children:  Joseph Pressley (1829-1890); Eliza (1836-1904); James E. (1839-1881); Alonzo (1840- ); Loren H. (1842-1884); John (1844 - ); Sarah Jane (1847-1896); Minerva (1853 - ); James Jr. (1855 - ); and Anna Jane (1857 - ).

The Wilders were married in 1827 in New York State, were living in Union, Erie County, Pennsylvania in 1840, Greene, Erie County, Pennsylvania in 1850, Kaskaskie, Fayette County, Illinois in 1860, Putnam County, Missouri in 1870, (James died in 1872) and Anna J. Wilder was living with her son James in Cottonwood, Umatilla County, Oregon in 1880 and died in 1897 while still living with son James in Walla Walla, Washington.

Nathan Corbin's sister, Mary Elizabeth Corbin, married Loren H. Wilder, the brother of Sarah Jane Wilder.   Therefore there were many double cousins in these two lines of the Corbin and Wilder families.   It also indicates that they were close neighbors in the West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri neighborhood.

Nathan and Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin spent the first ten years of their married life in Putnam County, Missouri.   Nathan first farmed for his father and then went into business with his brother-in-law, Loren H. Wilder, operating a general store in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.

It isn't really know how the decision was made, but nearly all of the James and Cynthia (Casteel) Corbin families moved to Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska where they homesteaded farms.   It would appear that perhaps John and Sarah Catherine (Corbin) Marshall may have provided the impetus since John Marshall was the first  of the family to file a homestead claim in Section 30 of Hanover Township, Adams County, Nebraska in the fall of 1872.

In 1873, the following names and dates are found in file claims:
               James Corbin - Section 14 - 1873
               Loren H. Wilder - Section 14 - 1873
               John Marshall - Section 22 - 1873
               James P. Corbin - Section 23 - 1873
               Nathan Corbin - Section 23 - 1879

This would lead us to wonder if perhaps Nathan and Sarah Jane Corbin bought out Loren and Elizabeth Corbin's share of the general store and remained in West Liberty for six more years.  The census is of no help because it is only taken every 10 years and was enumerated in 1860, 1870, and 1880.    Whatever the dates and reasons, the entire family is enumerated in Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska by the time the 1880 U. S. Census was taken.























This is what the little town of Ayr, Nebraska would have looked like to our ancestors living there in the early 1900s.

The author visited Ayr, Nebraska in August 1977.   There are about 200 residents living in the city now.   The cemetery where most of the Corbins, Marshalls, Wilders and Bells are buried, is known by a couple of names: the Blue Valley Cemetery or the Leroy Cemetery.   It is located just to the northeast of the little community along Nebraska Highway 281.  The cemetery is in a beautiful setting and well maintained.

Nathan and Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin were the parents of four children:
James Nathaniel born August 16, 1867 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri
                            died February 15, 1923
Marietta Jane born October 17, 1868 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri
                       died March 4, 1869 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri
William Fletcher born December 22, 1869 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri
                            died November 15, 1872, West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri
Clara Evelyn born June 19, 1872 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri
                      died December 22, 1949 in Fairbury, Nebraska

Sarah Jane (Wilder) Corbin died December 1, 1896 after suffering a fall from a box she was standing on to retrieve some article from a high cupboard in her kitchen.   She is buried in the Blue Valley Cemetery near Ayr, Nebraska.

After Sarah Jane Corbin's death, Nathan hired a young neighbor girl to clean and cook for him.  She was Lena Barbery Heltenberg, who was 17.  Her mother had died and she was living with her father, Peter Heltenberg.   She also had brothers John and William Heltenberg.  On April 28, 1900 they were married at Hastings, the county seat of Adams County, Nebraska.  

They were the parents of seven children:
William Ernest Corbin born July 19, 1901 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska
McKinley Corbin born February 14, 1903 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska
                              died February 14, 1903 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska
Ethel Mae Corbin born February 17, 1904 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska
Sarah Anna Corbin born February 1, 1906 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska
Leonard Nathaniel Corbin, born November 8, 1908 at Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska

Elmer Nathaniel Corbin died at the hospital in Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska  on Saturday, October 9, 1909 at 7:35pm of dropsy.   His physician was Dr. O. S. Gray.   He was buried in the Leroy cemetery on October 12, 1909.   Dropsy is a heart condition whereby the body accumulates a great deal of excess fluid and strangles arteries.

The following year, Lena Barbery (Heltenberg) Corbin is found living with her father Peter Heltenberg when the 1910 U. S. Census was enumerated.   She later married a second time to Grover Wayne Goddard and they were the parents of nine additional children.   Grover and Lena Goddard are buried in the Blue Valley Cemetery, Ayr, Adams County, Nebraska.

I do not have any photographs of Elmer Nathaniel Corbin or his wives Sarah Jane Wilder or Lena Barbery Heltenberg.   Incidently, somewhere I ran across a reference stating that Lena's name was actually Magdelena but I have not found any hard evidence to substantiate that information.

I think I will stop there and provide information about the children of Elmer Nathaniel Corbin in future blogs.    Happy Trails!

Playing Detective To Find Where The Corbins Have Lived

When a genealogist is trying to follow their family chronilogically and geographically, it takes a bit of detective work and often tempts us to use a little conjecture as well.    The United States Census provides a glimpse of where families lived every ten years, but what falls in between may involve looking for family oral history, going to courthouses to look for marriage, adoption, naturalization, land and tax records.   With the advent of newspaper archival websites, we can also search newspapers in areas where we think they may have lived.  Newspaper archival sites are also useful in searching for obituaries and now there are websites that locate graves of your ancestors and often provide photographs of tombstones.

Today we move across the country easily.   During my nearly 70 years, I have moved from Maple Hill, Kansas to Moscow, Idaho doing the work myself with a rented U-Haul trailer.  I then moved from Moscow, Idaho to Green Bay, Wisconsin again using a U-Haul truck.   From Green Bay, our family moved to Jacksonville, Oregon using a U-Haul truck.   From Jacksonville, we moved to Muncie, Indiana moving one truck-load ourselves with U-Haul and hiring a moving company to bring the rest.  From Muncie, we moved to Lafayette, Indiana ourselves using U-Haul.   I moved to New Braunfels, Texas using a U-Haul truck.   When I decided to move to California, I "broke up" my house, giving whatever my children wanted to them, and moving my clothing and computer to a furnished place in my car.    

I think I have probably been a lot more mobile than many because of my profession, but now consider my maternal great great grandparents, James and Cynthia (Casteel) Corbin.   Tracing the dates of some of those moves would be difficult if we used only the U. S. Census.

James, born in 1813 and Cynthia born in 1819, were both born in Clermont County, Ohio.

I don't know the exact year or who moved first, but there was a migration of a large extended family to LaPorte and Lake County, Indiana during the 1830s.    Nathan Corbin's widow, Mary Anderson Corbin, the mother of James Corbin and his sister Sarah Corbin, remarried to Elijah Lindsey on December 31, 1819 in Clermont County, Ohio.    They all lived on the farm in Clermont County, that had previously belonged to Nathan Corbin (deceased husband of Mary Anderson Corbin).

Also living in Clermont County, Ohio and enumerated on the 1820 Census, were the William Casteel, Miles Harper Maddox and the Hezekiah Lindsey Families.  William's daughter, Cynthia Ann Casteel, would become the wife of James Corbin in 1837.  Miles Harper Maddox would become the husband of Sarah Corbin in 1833.   Elijah Lindsey, Hezekiah's son, would become the second husband of Mary Anderson Corbin and step father to James and Sarah Corbin.    These families are all shown as Clermont County, Ohio farm families on the 1820 and 1830 U. S. Census reports.

Sometime between the 1830 and 1840 U. S. Census, all of these families moved to LaPorte and Lake County, Indiana where they lived for about fifteen to twenty years.  I say about because this is where conjecture and detective work are important.    This time I'm using wedding dates and birth locations on the U. S. Census.

Mary Anderson Corbin and Elijah Lindsey were married on December 31, 1819 in Clermont County, Ohio and are shown there on the 1820 U.S. Census with her children James and Sarah Corbin living in the same household.

Sarah Corbin and Miles Harper Maddox were married on April 22, 1832 in Clermont County, Ohio so they obviously hadn't moved to Indiana yet.

James Corbin and Cynthia Ann Casteel were married February 5, 1837 in LaPorte County, Indiana.
So sometime between 1832 and 1837, the Corbin, Casteel, Maddox and Lindsey Families moved from Clermont County, Ohio to Lake and LaPorte County, Indiana-----because they are all shown on the 1840 U S Census living there.

Elijay Lindsey died sometime between 1840 and 1844 in Crown Point, Lake County, Indiana because his widow, Mary Anderson Corbin-Lindsey married a third time to John Brewer, on May 23, 1844.   She was the mother of eight children, (two by Nathan Corbin and six by Elijah Lindsey) and I haven't found a death place or date for Mary Corbin-Lindsey-Brewer but her third husband died in 1860 in Lake County, Indiana so perhaps she died there.    However, her children moved to Wisconsin, Oregon, Kansas, Missouri and many other states as they married and grew older.

I don't know who moved first, but the U.S. Census for 1850 shows James and Cynthia (Casteel) Corbin and her parents, William and Mary Casteel, living in District 29, Dodge County, Missouri.  For those of us who have visited there, Dodge County is where the famous Ozark Lake, Bagnell Dam, is located.  

So sometime between the 1840 and 1850 Census, these families left Indiana and moved to central Missouri.   They were not living on the same farm but both James and William are listed as farmers.   They are listed on facing pages on the Census so they are living fairly close together.  In the William Casteel (age 54) household was his wife Mary, age 51, son John age 24, daughter Margaret age 18, daughter Ana age 9 and his mother, Nancy Casteel age 77.    The Census provides some further revealing information.   It says John and Margaret Casteel were both born in Indiana.   If that is accurate, it means John Casteel was born in 1836 so the Casteel Family was living in Indiana at that time.   Just as interesting is the revelation that Ana Casteel, age 9, was born in Missouri.   So at least the Casteel family must have moved to Missouri in1841, just after the 1840 U. S. Census was taken.

On that same 1850 U. S. Census report, James and Cynthia tell the census taker that all of their children from William through Sarah, who was born in 1846, were all born in Indiana.  We know that their son James Polk Corbin, was born in 1850 in Missouri to from the census birthplace and date information, it's easy to tell that James and Cynthia moved from Indiana to Missouri sometime betwen 1846 and 1850.

In an oral history interview on her 95th birthday, Mary Elizabeth Corbin Wilder says that her family moved to Texas for short time when she was about 8 or 10 years old.   Since she was born in 1844, that means the Texas trip was in the mid-1850s.    By the time the 1860 U. S. Census was taken, James and Cynthia and their family were living in Putnam County, Missouri.   They lived there until the mid-1870s when most of the family of James and Cynthia (Casteel) Corbin pulled up stakes in Putnam County, MO and moved to Adams County, Nebraska, where they homesteaded.   James and Cynthia remained there the rest of their lives while some of their children returned to Putnam County, Missouri.

It takes at least several months to several years to become a good genealogist.    Some give up in frustration while others of us love to play detective.    The one important constant is that if you are sharing conjecture, guessing or coming to conclusions based on intuition rather than hard fact---please, please, please say so.   Nothing is more frustrating than working on family history thinking you are doing so based on fact when that isn't the case.   I hope in my writing, I have and will always comply with my own rule!





Monday, February 20, 2012

The Maple Hill Quilters

I wouldn't begin to guess how many years ladies of the Maple Hill Community have gathered to work on quilts together.   Some ladies quilted in their homes on lap quilting frames, (round frames held on their laps) or on the larger, full-sized quilting frames.   Others belonged to quilting groups that would gather once weekly or every other week and enjoy quilting, conversation and usually refreshments or lunch.

One such group began at the Maple Hill Community Congregation Church when it was still the Eliott Congregational Church, or as we know it today, the Old Stone Church.    Since the stone church did not have heat during the week, the ladies met in homes.


I found two articles in early "Maple Hill News" clippings about quilting parties under the auspices of the Eliott Congregational Church.    One party was held in 1883 in the home of Mrs. M. J. Warren, one of the founders of the church.   The home was very large (8 bedrooms, a pantry, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and a huge front parlor.   The article doesn't say which room the ladies met in but the size of the front parlor would suggest they may have met there.   The front parlor also had a stove which would heat the room and there were floor to ceiling windows in the east wall with large windows in the north wall.   There would have been ample light.
This is a photograph of the Warren Home, built in 1874 and one of the oldest structures in Maple Hill Township.   The front parlor is the room in the immediate foreground where there are two floor-to-ceiling windows.   Originally, there was a front porch with columns and to the left a conservatory with a bay window.   This photograph is from about 1970.

The second article was about a quilting party at the home of Mrs. Benjamin Warren.   Gertrude Warren and her husband Benjamin were related to the other Warren Families in Maple Hill and all came West after the financial panic of 1873.   Benjamin and Gertrude Warren's daughter Mable Warren later became Mrs. Horace Greeley Adams, Sr.    All of the Warren ladies were well acquainted with the art of needlework and had come from fashionable Eastern families.
This is a photograph of the Maple Hill Methodist Episcopal Church.   The structure was used as a parish hall by the Maple Hill Community Congregational Church after it closed in the 1930s.  This is where the church ladies quilted.

After the congregation moved to the new townsite of Maple Hill, 1.5 miles east of the Old Stone Church, they eventually changed their name to The Maple Hill Community Congregational Church and after the 1930s included the congregations of the Maple Hill Methodist Episcopal Church and the Baptist Church.  When the Methodist Church closed, their church became the social hall for all the congregations.


My first memories from about 1950, are of attending church services at the Maple Hill Community Congregational Church and then moving 1.5 blocks west to the former Methodist Church for carry-in dinners and church dinners.   The old Methodist Church was also were the Ladies Aid met and where the church quilters met.   I remember helping set up tables and chairs for events and also helping pump and carry water since there was no indoor plumbing.    The former Methodist Sanctuary did make a wonderful place to meet and socialize.   It had horizontal beadwork siding on the interior walls, which was either painted a cream or foam green color at various times.   It also had small rectangular pieces of glass stained various colors around each of the gothic-style windows.   It was heated by coal when I first remember the structure.   It was located right next door to the church parsonage, which was a five room, one-story house with bath.














This is a photograph of the Maple Hill Quilters of the Maple Hill Community Congregational Church, which the author took in 1971.   The photograph is taken in the church parish hall constructed in 1951 of cement blocks.   It is immediately north of the church.   The quilters L-R are:  Charlotte (Mrs. Elmer) Imthurn, Mrs. Velma Schlotz (mother of Mrs. Ruth Raine and grandmother of Bill, Art and Ruth Ann (Raine) Rogers, Mrs. Hazel (Knapp) Ballinger, wife of Harry Ballinger, Mrs. Wanda (Harpster) Adams, wife of Arthur Adams Sr., Mrs. Myrtle (Young) Beach, wife of Harry Beach, and mother of Mrs. Marie Mee, Miss Olive Clements, whose family owned and operated the Clements Hotel in Maple Hill, Mrs. Flora (Hartman) Barsch, whose family farmed south of Maple Hill, and Mrs. Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark, wife of James Peter "Jim Pete" Clark and long-time Maple Hill Central Office Operator.  During the 1950s and 1960s, there were twice as many quilters and there were usually two quilting frames where ladies would work on quilts.    At the time this picture was taken, the group was charging $50 to $75 dollars  to complete a quilt if the pieced quilt top was provided. 


My paternal grandmother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark was a member of the quilters group from the
1950s forward.   Her mother, Virginia Hannah "Vergie" (Miller) Jones and her step mother, Susanna Jeanette (Reinhardt) Jones had both taught her how to compelte beautiful needlework and Grandmother Clark also could tat edgework for pillowcases, towels, table cloths and as trim on garments.   Grandmother Clark took great care and pride in her sewing.    She was also the chief telephone operator and so her availability for meetings was limited.   One of her assistant operators was her cousin, Mable Edith (Phillips) Herron.   As I recall, they struck a bargain: Mabel Herron would work so that Grandmother Clark could attend quilting, and Grandmother Clark would work so Mabel Herron could attend The Ladies Aid.

When my Maternal Grandmother, Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin-Clark finally retired in the 1960s, she also joined the quilting group.   She was a very fine seamstress and was also good at crocheting.  



This is a photograph of the Maple Hill Quilters, also taken in the Maple Hill Community Congregational Church Parish Hall (called Fellowship Hall by some) in 2008.  The quilt top they are holding was embroidered by Mrs. Lucille (Corbin) Clark (on right in second row) for her great grandson, Liam Clark.  Front Row: L-R Joyce Figeroa, Georgia Brown, Arlene Bays and Carolyn ?.  Back Row: L-R are Dorothy Evans and Lucille (Corbin) Clark.   All of the ladies in the photograph worked on the quilt.  In addition, two were not present for the photograph, Mrs. Pat Salfrank and Mrs. Teresa (Dean) Adams.

Also a member of the quilting group was our cousin, Bonnie Lou (Thomas) Mitchell (Mrs. Charles.)   Aunt Bonnie had been raised on a large farm near Pauls Valley, Oklahoma but her mother had been raised on a fine plantation near Atlanta, Georgia.   She had taught Bonnie how to do all of the fancy needlework stitches.   Bonnie loved making children's clothing for her own two children as well as other children in the Mitchell and Corbin families.   During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Bonnie became an artist at taking flour and sugar sacks (which were colorful and printed with flowers and all manor of other subject matter) and making beautiful shirts, dresses, blouses, pillow cases---you name it----Aunt Bonnie would make it.   I have given my daughter, Amelia Mary Verona (Clark) Allendorf some of the flower sack pillow cases that were Bonnie Mitchell's.


L-R:  Mrs. Pat Salfrank, Mrs. Dorothy Evans, and Mrs. Carlene (Fauerbach) Wilt.
L-R:  Carolyn (?), Mrs. Lucille (Corbin) Clark and Mrs. Teresa (Dean) Adams.

My mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark, didn't begin quilting until after she retired from her job as secretary of the Maple Hill Grade School.  However her maternal grandmother, Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Bonta-Strong was an excellent seamstress and could do very delicate and beautiful embroidery.   She taught Lucille how to do embroidery and gave her a love for needlework.   Mom was very proud of the Maple Hill Quilters and love them all.   For many years, they went twice each week to work on quilts.  They would go in the morning, have lunch, and then head home at mid-afternoon.    I have no idea how much money they made and donated to the Maple Hill Community Congregation Church but I remember mother talking about donations of $1,000 or more on many occasions.   Quilting provided good fellowship and funds raised went for a good cause.   Although my mother, Dorothy Evans and everyone of the ladies pictured in the 1971 photograph have now gone to their Heavenly reward, the work of the Maple Hill Quilters goes on.

Happy Trails!



Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Family of William T. Corbin - First Child of James and Cynthia (Casteel) Corbin

I wish this were going to be a happy story, but it is not.   William T. Corbin was shot and killed in the Great War of the Rebellion, better known as the Civil War.

William T. Corbin was born February 11, 1839 in Lake County, Indiana the son of James and Cynthia (Casteel) Corbin.   William moved to Texas with his parents in the late 1840s and then to West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.

William was married to Emily Hulbert in 1860 at West Liberty, Missouri.  To this union, one son, James William Corbin was born on June 11, 1862.   The family moved to Clark County, Missouri where they were farming when James was born.

I am grateful for the use of this photograph to  Susan Frazer Scott, a Todd relative in Colorado.    Emily (Hulbert) Corbin is seated in the middle.   On her left are James William, Annie and Merit Corbin.   On Emily's right are Lee, Phoebe (Montgomery) and Tura Todd.   Lee and Phoebe (Montgomery) Todd were also the parents of Reva (Todd) Dixon who was very helpful to the author.

William T. Corbin volunteered for the Union Army in the 7th Regiment of Missouri Calvary for three years.  The enlistment date was March 18, 1862.  William was an ambulance driver and died mysteriously on September 2, 1864 near Pine Bluff, Arkansas.   Official papers list no cause of death.  Emily Corbin moved to Lemmonville (shown as Lemons on some maps) Putnam County, Missouri just to the south of West Liberty.   They she occupied an 80 acre farm until her death on April 29, 1904.
This is a map of Putnam County, Missouri showing towns with Corbin and Todd Connections. 

A son, Merit William Corbin, was born on December 26, 1888 to James and Annie (Miller) Corbin.   Merit's grandmother, Emily Corbin, and his mother Annie Corbin lived on the farm until their deaths.
This is a copy of the marriage license for James William and Annie (Miller) Corbin.  Click on any image to make it full-sized on your screen.


Merit was married to Edith Fightmaster on August 7, 1910 and they were members of the Bethany Church.   One son, William Clark Corbin was born to this union on December 15, 1917 and died at birth.   Merit Corbin died on July 11, 1934.   Edith (Fightmaster) Corbin was still alive in 1980 when the author last visited Unionville, MO.

In 1977, I visited the site of the Emily Corbin farm with Mrs. Reva (Todd) Dixon, a Todd relative.  Emily Corbin raised Mrs. Dixon's mother, Phoebe Montgomery and Mrs. Dixon has many fond memories of the Corbins.   She said a sweeter woman never lived than Emily (Hulbert) Corbin.  There are no direct descendants of this family living.

The second child, Griffin Corbin, died a week after birth.  So I'll next be blogging about the third child of James and Cynthia Ann (Casteel) Corbin:   Nathaniel Corbin.

Happy Trails!