Andrew,
Some of these items might be of use to you:
Why did they apparently run off to Michigan to get married? I've
sometimes found that the witnesses can be a clue here. Sometimes they
were relatives or friends of the bride or groom who lived in the
"foreign" area.
Or, did the men do any kind of itinerant work that would have drawn
them to hire out seasonally and travel around? Some of my ancestors
often worked as carpenters and they followed the lumber boom in Michigan
from around 1880-1900. Were there any special work opportunities around
Cass County that might have attracted young men who were saving up to
establish themselves? The railroad was big in Elkhart, just across the
line from Cass County.
Civil War records - if you haven't requested the pension files for the
men who served, it could save effort in the long run, although they are
pricey and take a while to get. If I had gotten the file on my Daniel
Kimbel early on, I'd have saved a lot of wear and tear tracking down his
locations after 1865 (five counties, two states). His moves were all
nicely summed up in his pension application. Sometimes these records
also contain information on birthplace, etc.
Hope this helps,
Sally K.
Michigan
Andrew C. White wrote:
Hi Folks,
Ok... I've found a little more information regarding the Ridenour -
Sponhower -Butler families in Auburn and Jackson, DeKalb Co., Indiana.
David Ridenour from Defiance Co., Ohio married Ina Alia Sponhower, b. Sep
9, 1882. David's brother Henry Claude (or Claude Henry, I'm not sure which
was first and which was the middle name) Ridenour married Ina's sister
Lottie Pearl Sponhower, b. Apr 17, 1885.
Supposedly these marriages took place in Marcellus, Cass Co., Michigan but
I have no idea why as the only place I can find any traces of their
families is DeKalb Co., Indiana.
Ina and Lottie are shown as students in Auburn in 1903. They are the
children of Benjamin Franklin Sponhower, born Mar. 5, 1840, and Catherine
Elizabeth Butler, born May 30, 1847 or 1848. Catherine is the daughter of
Uriah Butler and Rebecca Beatty who are residents of Jackson, DeKalb Co. at
least by the 1860 census. The 1850 census has this family in Vermillion
Twp. Dist. No. 1, Ashland Co., Ohio.
Benjamin Franklin Sponhower died Nov. 14, 1922 in Auburn, In.
Catherine Elizabeth (Butler) Sponhower died Sep. 19, 1924, in Auburn.
Uriah Butler, b. 31 Oct 1812, d 25 Dec 1892 in DeKalb Co.
Rebecca Beatty, b. 20 Jan 1820, d 2 Apr 1896 in DeKalb Co.
Other Butler children shown in some combinations in the 1860 and 1880
census's are William, George, Sarah, David, and Barbara.
Living next door to the Uriah Butler family in Jackson, De Kalb Co.,
Indiana in the 1880 Census is the following household:
Household:
Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation
Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
Cyrus SPONHOUR1 Self M Male W 60 PA Farmer PA PA
Elizabeth SPONHOUR2 Wife M Female W 61 PA Keeping
House PA PA
Harriet SPONHOUR3 Dau S Female W 28 IN At Home PA PA
Andrew E. SPONHOUR4 Son S Male W 26 IN At Home PA PA
Mary M. JOHNSTON5 Dau M Female W 30 OH PA PA
Ada J. JOHNSTON6 Other S Female W 7 IN Boarder IN IN
Frank E. JOHNSTON7 Other S Male W 5 IN Boarder IN IN
George SLUSTLER8 Other S Male W 18 IN Laborer PA OH
The family of Cyrus is also shown in the 1860 census.
Benjamin Franklin Sponhower also appears to have signed up to fight in the
Civil War from DeKalb Co. even though I cannot find him on the census.
I have no idea if there is a family connection between Benjamin and Cyrus.
I have no idea who Benjamin's parents are or where he came from. Cyrus
appears to be just old enough to be Benjamin's father but I do not know.
Does anyone have any knowledge of this family or access to any records that
might give a clue as to the identity of Benjamin Franklin Sponhower's
parents, birthplace, arrival in DeKalb, or... ?
Thanks,
Andrew and Jane (Ridenour) White
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