Ian Barker posted a query response to my recent obituary post. Since my
reply covers more than obituary information I am posting it here also.
Ray Justus
----- Ian's Original Message -----
Is anyone aware of Samuel Sheldon Carman's parents' names? I'm trying to
track a William Ezra Carman (b.1844) and his wife Mary E. who immigrated to
Sioux Falls Dakota Territory from Prince Edward County Ontario Canada prior
to 1882.
Thanks,
Ian Barker
----- My Reply -----
Ian,
Samuel Sheldon Carman was my maternal grandfather. He died when I was
sixteen years old. His parents were Emmer D. (Dean or David) and Martha
Elizabeth (Bearden) Carman. They were both raised in Mason County, Illinois.
Most of the following information about Emmer's parents was extracted from a
biography of his older brother, Alfred Augustus Carman.
Israel and Charity (Currey) Carman, were natives of the Empire State. Israel
traced his ancestry to England, while the mother is supposed to have been of
French descent. The first representative of the Carman family, it is
believed, set foot on American soil in the seventeenth century, and a number
of them afterward participated in the struggle for American liberty. After
this was over they settled in New England, whence they drifted to New York
and other States further westward, and some of them participated, together
with the Curreys, in the War of 1812.
In December, 1832, Israel and Charity left Tompkins County, New York with
their children and migrated to Sangamon County, Illinois. There, Israel
operated on the new prairie soil until March of 1840. The family then
changed residence to Mason County, where they were among the earliest
pioneers. Israel died in September, 1849. It has been said that he died of a
heart attack while going for the doctor when his youngest son, Israel Benoni
Carman, was born. Charity continued to reside upon the homestead until 1868,
then crossed the Mississippi and took up her abode with her children in
Johnson County, Nebraska. Her death occurred at her home in Spring Creek
Precinct, Jan. 1, 1874.
I'm sorry that this doesn't give you any links to your Canadian Carmans. The
only Canadian information I have seen has been about Carman sisters marrying
Garrett brothers and then moving to Canada. Of course, their child would
have Garrett for a surname.