Lemuel McCracken Mystery

Records

 

1850 (US Census)

    No record found

 

1854 (State Census)

    Residence: Montrose, Lee, Iowa

    Others in household: None

 

1854, Sept. 23

    Marriage to Sarah Dufer

 

1856 (State Census)

    Birthplace: Ohio

    Birth/age: 25

    Residence: Jefferson, Lee, Iowa

    Others in household: Sarah

    Notes: It says he has been in Iowa for 6 years.

 

1859, Jan 17

    Marriage to Louisiana (Matteer) Badgley

 

1860 (US Census)

    Birthplace:Pennsylvania

    Birth/age:28

    Residence:Jefferson, Lee, Iowa

    Others in household: Rosannah (Louisana), Mary (Louisiana’s daughter), Delormah, Lemuel, Lewis (Louisiana’s son)

 

1863, July 1

    Draft Registration

    Age 31

    Birthplace: Ohio

    Residence: Lee County, Iowa

 

1870 (US Census)

    Birthplace: Pennsylvania

    Birth/age: 39

    Residence: Van Buren, Lee, Iowa

    Others in household: Louisana, Lemuel, William, Andrew, Belle

 

1875 (State Census)

    Birthplace: Pennsylvania

    Birth/age: 44

    Residence: Sherman, Crawford, KS

    Others in household: L., L.F., W.T., A.J., I.B., R.H. (Henry), F.E. (Minnie)

 

1879

    Louisiana, wife of L.L., buried Bates Co, MO

 

1880 (US Census)

    Birthplace: Ohio

    Birth/age: 50

    Residence:Mt. Pleasant, Bates, MO

    Mother and father’s birthplace are blank

    Others in household: Andrew, Henry, Ida, Francis.

 

1890 (US Census)

    Census records destroyed by fire

 

1895 (State Census)

    Birthplace: Pennsylvania

    Birth/age: 64

    Residence: Summit, Chautauqua, KS

    Others in household: M.E. (Melissa Evaline)

 

1900 (US Census)

    Birthplace:  Pennsylvania

    Birth/age: April 1831, 69

    Residence: Summit, Chautauqua, KS

    It says his father was from Pennsylvania & his mother from Ohio.

    Others in household: Evaline, boarder

 

1910, Feb. 24

    Lemuel died

 

Discussion of the 1850 Census

 

This was the first federal census that listed all members of the household.  Lemuel should be listed even if he was living at home or boarding.  However, no record of him has been found in this census.  A record for a Samuel (name often confused with Lemuel) of the correct age was found living in Pennsylvania in 1850; however, it appears that this is not Lemuel as a family matching this one is found in 1860, including Samuel and we know Lemuel was in Iowa at that time.

 

It seems likely that Lemuel was in Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Iowa in 1850.  It is possible that he was missed in the census because he moved near this time.

 

Discussion of Birthplace

 

Based on this information, it seems that Lemuel was born in Pennsylvania or Ohio.  However, neither answer was consistently recorded in the census.  If the variation happened only once, it might be an error, but that isn’t the case.  If it changed overtime, then it might mean that he learned that the birthplace he assumed prior to a date was incorrect.  However, this does not appear to be the case. That leaves us with the option that Lemuel may not have known where he was  born, but assumed he was from one or the other of the states that he claimed his parents were born in.  Another possibility is that sometimes his wife answered and sometime he answered.  If this is the case, one can assume he answered in 1880 when he was a widow.  This would indicate that he was born in Ohio, but it also means that both Louisiana and Evaline  believed he was born in Pennsylvania.  Alternately, his first wife Sarah could have answered in 1856 and one of the kids or a neighbor in 1880.  If that is the case, Sarah might have known that he moved to Iowa from Ohio, but not known where he was born.  The 1880 situation may be that the child or neighbor thought he was born in Ohio because Louisiana was born there.  However, it would seem that he would have registered for the draft himself and it states Ohio.