Researcher Gwen Boyer Bjorkman did it again. Recently, I wrote a
message, "Two More Hazletts", about her finding that Fay and Ross Beeman
are part of our Hazlett line (but I may not have her credit for
determining that the "T. Beeman" in the Beecher's Island Presbyterian
Church history as marrying Frank Andrews was "Theresa Beeman"). That
lead to a discussion on which of our Hazlett's went to the mid-west.
Her attention was caught by my mention of Sarah "Sallie" Hazlett, b.
Lancaster Co., PA, m. a Mr. Stark, and lived in LeClaire, IA.
WHAT WE PREVIOUSLY KNEW ABOUT Sarah HAZLETT Stark (Skip if you get bored
easily).
We knew those sketchy details thanks to the research of Jane CAMPBELL
Tubbs (1834 - 1916), who is responsible for much of the genealogy and
family history we have. Thanks to Jane, we knew that Sarah was the 7th
of 10 children of Mary Campbell (1779 - 1824), who in turn was the 2nd
of 8 children of Jos. Campbell & Mary Harper. Mary CAMPBELL Hazlett
never came to Tioga Co., She lived the American part of her life in
Lancaster Co., PA. Her husband was "the other John Hazlett" (not the
one that was Sam's brother). Mary's John Hazlett was b. 8/12/1783 in
County Down, Ireland, and died 3/9/1869 in Allegheny City, PA (now part
of Pittsburgh's north side). After Mary CAMPBELL Hazlett's death, her
husband and children moved to Allegheny Co., PA, and became neighbors of
her brother, John Campbell (1781 - 1866). Jane CAMPBELL Tubbs history
of this line was a good start, but frustrating because she only had a
first or last name for many of the children's spouses, and not many dates.
WHAT GWEN LEARNED
But Gwen did a yeoman job with the sparse data I gave her. In the 1900
census for Le Claire Twp, Scott Co., IA, she found:
"STARK MARY J. head 46 Apr 1854 F W PA PA PA single carpet weaver
STARK Sarah A. mother 82 Sep 1817 F W PA Ireland Ireland widowed invalid
6 children 4 living"
As you will see in a minute, she found more, but I think this is "our"
Sarah HAZLETT Stark. The 1817 date is reasonable According to Jane,
Mary CAMPBELL Hazlett's 5th child was born in 1810 or 1811, so if Mary
died in April of 1824 and Sarah was the 7th of 10 children, that works
out to be very plausible. The only problem is Sarah Stark's parents
showing as both born in Ireland. We know her father, John Hazlett, was,
but many of us have thought that only a couple of Joseph and Mary Harper
Campbell's children were born in N. Ireland and the older children were
all born in Scotland. However there's lots of census data that
indicates ALL of Mary HARPER CAMPBELL's children may have been born in
N. Ireland. (Altho you can't take any single census record as
"gospel") We know that Mary CAMPBELL Hazlett lived in N. Ireland as a
girl. She very well may have told the census taker she came from
Ireland -- or since she as an "invalid", daughter Mary J. Stark, may
have told that to the census taker. I bet the absence of other Sarah
Starks born in PA in the various censuses means that we have the right one.
1880 Census, Le Claire Twp. Scott Co., IA
"Sarah A STARK Self Female W 65 PA Housekeeping IRE IRE
Mary J. STARK Dau Female W 24 PA At School PA PA"
1870 Census, Pleasant Valley, Scott Co., IA
"STARK JOSEPH 63 M W PA Farmer
STARK, Sarah 54 F W PA Keeps House
STARK, Mary J. 20 F W PA At Home"
Unfortunately for Gwen, her Haislets and Starks didn't connect.
OUR JOB
It was great that Gwen did all that for us. Now we need to follow up.
Where were these folks in the 1850 and 1860 censuses? Who were the
other 5 children? When did they leave Allegheny Co.?