The Reubenites, part 4

Sometimes, no matter how hard we squeeze, we can't get enough information to be certain about what we know. When that happens, we do the best we can with the information we have, make our best guess, and use plenty of "uncertainty" words so that those who come after us know not to trust the facts that we aren't sure about.

The Callin Family History (CFH, for short) tells us the bare minimum about the children of Reuben and Mary (Ferguson) McNabb. We have looked at George Washington & James M (part 1), William C (part 2), and John Goldsmith McNabb (part 3). Next on the list, the CFH only tells us this:

Eliza, burned to death at age of nine years.
Ella, married, dead.

We also have to remember that for this family the CFH is not entirely reliable, since it refers to George only as "Washington" and it doesn't name John at all. Being the skeptical fellow that I am, I'm going to treat the records I find with suspicion. First, I looked at the 1860 Census, which shows Reuben and Mary still in Jackson, Indiana, with these children:

George W McNabb 4
James M McNabb 2
Eliza J McNabb 3/12

Then in 1870, they are in Chester, Michigan:

George Mc knab 15
James Mc knab 11
William Mc knab 9
John Mc knab 6
Ellen Mc knab 4
Martha Mc knab 1
Marcus Mc knab 1

This tells us a couple of useful things. First, it tells us Eliza's birthdate (in 1860), and confirms that she was no longer in the family in 1870, which fits with what the CFH tells us about her fate. Then, it tells us that Ellen (or Ella) was born in 1866. (And, hello, John! There you are, too!)

With that information, I went looking for a marriage record. The only one I found was for a Nancy E McNabb, born about 1867; the marriage took place in Chester on 7 May 1886, and the groom's name was Frank E Hazard (or Hazzard). The bride's age and the location fit, and the middle initial could well be "Ellen" or "Ella," but I was not able to find any other records that definitely tie this marriage record to our McNabb family.

I did find a Frank E Hazard the same age as the one in the marriage record in Battle Creek, Michigan, in the 1900 Census. If this is the same Frank Hazard, the Census indicates that he remarried to a lady named Estella in 1897. Subsequent records (later Census records, death records, etc.) show that this couple had three daughters, and that Frank lived until 1957.

That could well mean that Ella/Ellen grew up, married Frank in 1886, and died before 1897, but I have not been able to find a record to show that. My guess is that she died before they had any children, but we should still be on the lookout for evidence either way.

Now, dear reader, while I realize I spent many words telling you how little I know about this person, I feel like I should give a full post to the Twins, Marcus and Martha; Marcus's descendants, in particular, have proven to be full of surprises...and they left a lot of records to sort through!

Which I hope to tell you all about next week!