Skip to main content

Thomas Gardner (1840-1909), Emeline Denning (1848-1925)


 

Thomas Gardner, b. 1840 in Wales, came to the United States with his parents, Francis Gardner of South Wales and Hester (Esther) Hoppes Gardner of England in 1843, sailing into the port of New York. As would be a common theme among our ancestors who mined coal, Tom’s father Francis tried to make a living by farming, but had to fall back at times to mining.

The family first settled in Strabane, Pennsylvania where Tom’s father is listed as a collier (coal mine) in the 1850 census. Though I could not find them in the 1860 census, from other census records, the family likely moved to Iowa in 1860 or 1861 where it appears Francis succeeded in farming. This family has ties, including many burials, to Black Hawk Township, near Fairfield, Iowa.

Tom enlisted as a soldier in the Civil War in Company D, 19th Iowa Infantry in August, 1862, until July, 1865. I have not yet researched this company’s record to know where he might have gone or fought.

In 1866, Tom married 18-year-old Miss Emaline Denning of his former county of Washington, Pennsylvania. Emaline’s parents were Charles and Jemima (Toland) Denning, her father being a lifelong coal miner who immigrated from England. Someone has traced the Dennings’ family history in England back several generations, but I have not yet.

It is not known when or where the Dennings and the Gardners made their acquaintance, in England, Wales, or Pennsylvania, but the families had coal mining and the United Kingdom in common. It is also not known if Thomas traveled back to Washington County, or whether Emaline traveled to Iowa for the wedding. Emaline’s parents remained in Washington County, PA where they died, while the Gardners had moved to Iowa several years before the marriage.

The photo of the couple is possibly commemorating their wedding.

From family stories, it is possible Tom Gardner worked in the coal mines in northern Missouri and southern Iowa in what may have been lean times for farming, but he was always listed as a farmer in census records.

The Gardners relocated to Linn County, Missouri by 1884, and it is there that their daughter Hester Ann (named for her grandmother) met and married Orval Henry Stark. Tom Gardner died in 1909, leaving a life estate to his farm to his wife who died in 1925. She owned several lots of land in her own right, and at the time of death had many bushels of wheat and corn, a cow, and a lot of hens.

There is much more research done on the Gardners in Iowa (while I was in Fairfield visiting David!), and possibly on the Dennings in England by others. These are interesting people for many reasons, and they deserve further attention. (David? David?) I wish I knew more about the Gardner siblings of Hester Ann, because they and their children always kept in touch with and looked after my beloved grandmother, Jennie May Stark DuBois.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Warford Ancestors

First, a bit of Warford family reunion history which probably everyone else who has been to one remembers better than me. Traditionally, the reunion was held at Willard Warford’s place in Glasgow, MO, with people coming from several states. Some had no proven connection to the Warfords Willard was tracing, but because the name was similar to their own, they were welcomed with open arms by the very genial Mr. Warford. Willard had a book, now maybe three or more volumes of thick binders if you printed them out one-sided, which he made available at cost or maybe even at a loss, to everyone. Even so, in 1999, I think I remember the cost being $60. Now that one can possibly get most of the older information from Robert Warford on a thumb drive, it is likely more affordable. When I went to a reunion in 1999, Sylva Warford Luker was still alive and given prominent credit in the research, as she should. I consider her to be at nearly or equal to the professional level of being a genealogist, a...
Post a Comment
Read more

John DuBois (16??-abt. 1723) and Subsequent Generations

  The presumed progenitor of the “South Carolina DuBois” family is John DuBois who, at the time of his death around 1723, left a widow named Jane. Our connection is: John>Jasper>Peter>Peter>John>Rufus>Rev. HHS DuBois>Martha K., Bill, and Hugh Who was this man? How/why/when did he go to South Carolina? Was he the father of Jasper DuBois from whom we can definitely trace our DuBois lineage? John’s presence in the colony of Carolina is noted in 1696 where he is paying Quit Rents on a lot in Charles Town (Charleston). He likely had some connection to the lot sometime prior, as it was common for many to occupy the land before recording the patent and then paying quit rents (taxes). It is possible he was there by 1670 when Barbadian settlers arrived. There was a strong connection between Barbados and Charleston for decades, including the arrival of land speculators. Also permeating Charles Town was the slave trade. After 1696 are John DuBois’ land transactions furthe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Louisa (Williams) DuBois (1799-1877)

The paternal grandmother of Rev. Henry Harris Slaton DuBois lived most of her life in Alabama. That is all I knew about her four years ago. I began further research. Little did I know I would end up writing a saga revolving around her! Here is the nutshell version of the facts: Louisa was the sixth of nine (recognized) children of Josiah Williams and Judith (Elmore) Williams, born in Virginia January 6, 1799. The family moved to Laurens, SC where they remained until Louisa was about 19. While in Laurens, Louisa’s parents engaged in public and scandalous disputes, resulting in a Suit for Separation. The couple may have reconciled because they both migrated, likely with extended families, to the Territory of Alabama in about 1818. The family settled in Autauga County (currently, Elmore County), just across the river from the Creek Nation. Louisa’s uncle, General John Archelaus Elmore, was so prominent in the area that a county formed later after the civil war was named after him. On her ...
3 comments
Read more