Dear Shelby hunters and gatherers ...
For many years I have tried to find information and/or descendants of
Joseph R. Surber (1830 - ?) and his wife Harriett Seward (or Stuart) (ca
1834 - 1916)
I believe this family is related to mine but need to confirm with
someone who knows for sure.
This is what I have from an old letter:
Children were:
James H. Surber (1857-1916) m. Mary Yarbrough;
Harriet E. (m. Omer Nugent but she is believed to have died before 1891
without children as Omer married a second time in 1891.)
William Franklin (aka) "Franklin or Frank" (b. ca 1873) m.(1)Luella
Wells, (2)Effie Curry;
George W. (b. ca 1875) m. Ann J. Wells;
Oliver (b. ca 1881) m. Christene B. Wilkins.
My information is mostly from an old letter written in the 1950's by a
researcher who had interviewed children of James H. and Oliver. The
researcher was told that Joseph R. Surber's mother was an Indian but
they told the researcher they could not remember the name of either
their grandmother or grandfather. They did say that the grandmother had
owned a large tract of land in Moral and Sugar Creek tnps. prior to her
marriage to Joseph.
The researcher said that this family was in Shelby Co., Moral Tnp., in
1880 according to that census. I have not seen that census. If anyone
has access to it I'd be very interested to know if my information is
correct and if Joseph R. Surber or any of the children were deaf, and
anything else useful the census shows.
All information always gladly shared.
Jeanne Surber
I'm researching Shelby (and Marion Co.) names: SURBER, HALLER, MILLER,
DAKE, FANSLER