Monday, March 22, 2010

Little Miracles: Finding Susannah "Susan" Huber at last

Don't you just love it when, in your genealogy research, you find one record or historical reference that opens a door to a cascade of other records and information?

That's exactly what happened to me yesterday.

For eight years, I have been trying to trace SUSANNAH "SUSAN" HUBER b abt 1830 Hocking Co OH, the eldest daughter of my great great grandparents, ELIJAH HUBER  and CATHERINE SHRIVER, and sister of my great grandfather PHILLIP L. HUBER. She was likely named after her maternal grandmother, SUSANNAH LUCKHART SHRIVER.

SUSANNAH HUBER appears on the 1850 Montgomery Co IN census with parents and siblings, listed  as SUSAN HUBER age 19; then after 1850, I could find no other records.  She was not in subsequent census records with the family, and I couldn't find a marriage record for her in Montgomery Co IN. She wasn't buried with the rest of the family  at St James Lutheran Church, Franklin twp, Montgomery Co IN. She just seemed to vanish into thin air.

Yesterday, I decided to run some Google and Ancestry.com searches, just to see if I could find ANY clues as to the fate of SUSANNAH "SUSAN" HUBER. After a few minutes searching, I discovered the bio of CAPT. REUBEN GOOD of Osage twp, Henry Co MO, from the book "History of Henry County Missouri" published 1883.  In the bio was this tantalizing  line:  "He (REUBEN GOOD) was married June 20, 1854, to Miss SUSAN HUBER, a native of Ohio, and a daughter of ELISHA  and CATHERINE HUBER. They have a family of five children: MARGARET C. (wife of John Darby), ELLEN A., THEODORE, AGNES  J. and CHRISTINA. "

My mind started racing. Where were they married? Could her father's name ELISHA have actually been ELIJAH? I could not find a marriage record for them in Henry Co MO, but I did find them both listed in a transcription of the Mt Zion Cemetery in Osage twp, Henry Co MO. On the tombstone she shares with her husband, her name is "SUSANNA". Then I found census records for them 1860 through 1900 Osage twp, Henry Co MO.  From the bio, census records and cemetery records,  I was able to list all of the children of REUBEN GOOD and SUSANNAH "SUSAN" HUBER:

MARGARET C GOOD b abt 1856 m JOHN T DARBY
MARTHA A GOOD b abt 1857 died Aug 1868 buried Mt Zion Cemetery
ELIJAH A GOOD b abt 1858 died infancy buried Mt Zion Cemetery
MARY GOOD b abt 1859 died infancy buried Mt Zion Cemetery
ELLEN GOOD b abt 1860 married ?
THEODORE H GOOD b abt 1862
AGNES J GOOD b abt 1864, died 1947 buried Mt Zion Cemetery, never married
TERRANCE GOOD b abt 1868
CHRISTINA "TENA" GOOD b abt 1869 d 1953 m JOHN BONNARD, buried Mt Zion Cemetery

The fact that REUBEN GOOD and SUSANNAH "SUSAN" HUBER had named a son ELIJAH quickened my pulse.  This just had to be the SUSANNAH/SUSAN HUBER I was looking for!

There were a couple other facts that added to my fervor.  First off, in the bio of REUBEN GOOD, it is noted that he migrated from Ohio before 1850 and lived for several years  in Fountain Co, IN.  And I know from other bios of the HUBER family of Montgomery Co IN that they also migrated from Ohio and spent several years in Fountain Co, IN during that same time period 1840-1850. Fountain Co IN is just west of Montgomery Co IN, where both ELIJAH HUBER and his brother JACOB HUBER would settle by 1850.

The next fact was even more compelling.  About a month ago, I finally located the youngest son of ELIJAH and CATHERINE HUBER in Osage twp, Henry Co MO, as per 1900 and 1910 census.  ELIJAH HUBER Jr b abt 1855 Montgomery Co IN married first to AMERICA ROGERS in Boone Co IN (right next to Montgomery Co IN). She died in 1877.  In the 1880 census ELIJAH Jr was living in Montgomery Co IN in the household of his sister MARIAH HUBER CLOUSER, wife of ALFRED CLOUSER.

 In the 1900 and 1910 census ELIJAH HUBER Jr's wife was PHEBE. They were living practically next door to REUBEN GOOD and SUSANNAH "SUSAN" HUBER in Osage twp, Henry Co MO.

So finally, this morning,  I located a marriage record for REUBEN GOOD in Montgomery Co IN.  The record shows REUBEN GOOD married SUSAN "HULER" July 20, 1854 ( shades of  last Monday's post, "Oh Those Transcription Errors!"). The Henry Co MO bio indicates their marriage date as June 20, 1854; the marriage record in Montgomery Co IN shows July 20, 1854.

So is this the same SUSANNAH "SUSAN" HUBER, daughter of ELIJAH & CATHERINE HUBER, wife of REUBEN GOOD who ended up living in Osage twp, Henry Co MO?  I think it is.

My task now is to find even more records to prove it.  But my instincts tell me I am on the right track.

Oh, and finding REUBEN GOOD & SUSANNAH "SUSAN" HUBER's family has helped shed light on another family mystery.

In about the spring or summer of 1900, after the death? disappearance? of his first wife & infant child, my grandfather ALONZO COX HUBER left Boone Co IN and went down to Christian Co Missouri. It was there he met and married MINTTIE MAE BRUTON July 6, 1901.

But why on earth did he go to Christian Co MO from Boone Co IN?  Was it simply a random rambling; was he just drifting around  and  got a job there or something? But why specifically in Christian Co MO? I have heard a lot of wild speculation, but nobody seems to know why.

Well, as it turns out, in 1900 MARGARET C GOOD, my grandfather ALONZO's first cousin, and her husband JOHN T DARBY were living in South Marion twp, Christian Co MO, near the town of Sparta,  as per census records ( I know it is them, because they had a son with an unusual name, CASWELL A DARBY, who is listed with them in the 1900 Christian Co MO census, and who was named in an obituary of MARGARET's sister, CHRISTINA GOOD BONNARD.  CASWELL DARBY and his mother MARGARET C DARBY ended up in San Francisco, CA as per CHRISTINA's obit and CASWELL's WWI draft registration).

In 1900, ALONZO's future wife MINTTIE MAE BRUTON was living in Sparta, Christian Co MO, in the household of her parents BENJAMIN B BRUTON and SILOAMA WHITECOTTON.

So there WAS a reason for grandfather ALONZO HUBER to go down to Christian Co Missouri:  His first cousin lived there!

Have a great day!

Betty

PS Could not have accomplished the above research w/o the efforts of wonderful volunteers who have transcribed records and tombstones at cemeteries for the following websites:

Henry Co Missouri US Genweb

Montgomery Co Indiana US Genweb

Christian Co Missouri US Genweb

Many thanks!

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