#199 Harvest time with Sarah Ann Hannah

The theme for this week is harvest.  I have many relatives who were farmers; the vast majority of them were men; however, a several were women.  Previously, I blogged about Jane Mears Calvin, my 3 great aunt who also ran a farm.  So my blog this week focuses on Sarah Ann Hannah Mitchell , who ran the family farm after her husband, Joseph, died. Sarah is my great great aunt. 

Sarah Ann Hannah was born on February 17, 1823, in Brown or Clermont County, Ohio,.  Her parents were John M. and Charity (Mears) Hannah. She married Joseph Mitchell and they had five children together. Joseph died in 1857.  Many years later she  married Samuel McCampbell on October 24, 1892,. She died on February 24, 1906, at the age of 83.

The Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales indicate that Joseph Mitchell did not buy any land of the from the federal government.  However, he did buy land from some of his relatives, e.g. John M. Hannah, John Wesley Hannah, etc.  The land was mostly in Ross Township in Edgar County and where he and his family lived and farmed. 

The 1860 Agricultural Census Schedule lists Sarah Mitchell as the owner of a farm.  The farm consisted of 80 improved acres and 32 unimproved with a value of $2000.  $100 was the value of the machinery and farm implements. Sarah had 5 horses, 3 milch cows, 1 other cattle, 20 sheep and 12 swine.  The livestock was valued at $570.  The farm produced 1500 bushels of Indian corn and 86 pounds of wool. The farm produced 100 pounds of butter.  The animals that were slaughtered during the year were worth $30. When I looked at the other farms which were listed, Jane’s farm was pretty typical, not the largest, not the smallest, just kind of in the middle. 

I would love to talk to Sarah  and find out how she ran the farm.  Did her children do most of the work?  Did she hire people to help her? How did she learn to manage the farm?  Did she make changes to the farm as time when on?  Her sister-in-law Sarah Ann Hannah Mitchell also ran the family farm after her husband died in 1857 (See blog on the right side of this page).  I am wondering since Jane had been running her farm for some time, she provided any advice to Sarah.

#61--Ella Huelster--A Very Fancy Wedding

The theme for this week is weddings.  Previously, I have written about several weddings:  #20—“Romance in Real Life—Jennie Sophia Willey and John Wesley Hannah” and #17—“Gertrude Richards—Saying I do.”   So this time I thought I would just use one of my favorite wedding photos. I love the floppy hats that the bridesmaids are wearing, the fancy veil on the bride and the formal attire that the men have on.

Just so who are these people?  It is a picture of the wedding of Elisabet Katarina Maria "Ella" Huelster and Charles Wood Mitchell on June 19, 1919.    My mother, Ella’s cousin, was the flower girl. She is in the second row on the far right.  I do not know who the other people are.  I searched the newspapers for the area in the hope of finding an article on the wedding and all I was able to find was their application for a marriage license.

I wish I had asked my mother about this picture.  I would like to know who the other people were, where the wedding was held, what the wedding reception was like, and anything else she could remember

#18--Sarah Hannah—Farming on her Own

Regardless of the fact that 50% of a person’s ancestors are women, if you look at who is written about in genealogy most of them are men.  Women are often referred to as the “hidden ancestor.”  In part that is due to the fact that women take on their husband’s names and are difficult to trace, were often forbidden by law to own property, make wills, etc., and generally did not write articles or books about genealogy.  So I thought I would focus a blog or two over the next couple of weeks about women in my genealogy.  Although I do not know much about them, what I do know, I find interesting.

Sarah Ann Hannah, my great, great aunt, certainly falls in the category of being interesting.  She was born in Ross Township, Edgar County, Illinois, on February 17, 1823, to John M. and Charity (Mears) Hannah.  She married John Mitchell in 1843.  They had five sons:  John Hannah, Chandler, George, Francis Marion, and Joseph Ensign.  In the 1850 census, in Ross Township, Edgar County, Illinois, John is described as a farmer.  In 1857 John died.

Typically in that time period, when a woman became a widow, she remarried, often marrying a widower.  However, Sarah did not do that.  From 1857 until at least 1880, Sarah continued to run the farm in Ross Township.  The United States Non-Population Schedule contains information about the farm that Sarah ran.  In 1860 her farm consisted of 80 improved and 32 unimproved acres, valued at $2000.  The farm equipment was worth $100.  Sarah owned the following livestock:  5 horses, 3 milch cows, 1 other cattle, 24 sheep, and 12 swine for a value of $570.  The farm produced 1500 bushels of Indian corn, 86 pounds of wool, and 100 pounds of butter.     Farming continued as the 1870 lists her sons, Chandler and George,  as farmers and living with her.  Sarah is also listed in the 1880 census as running a farm.  Unfortunately, the Agricultural Schedule on line is unreadable so it is not possible to know any details about the farm at that time.  I do not know at what point Sarah sold the farm and to whom.  However, a 1910 map of Ross Township shows Chandler Mitchell as owning most of the same land that a 1870 map of the township shows as belonging to the Mitchell heirs.

Sarah remained a widow until 1895 at which time, at the age of 72, she married Samuel McCampbell. Sarah died on February 24, 1906 in Chrisman, Edgar Co., IL.  I would really like to be able to talk to Sarah.

 I would ask why she decided to run the farm, what kind of help did she have to run it, who she sold or gave it to?  I would also like to know how the other farmers and their wives treated her.  Did they think it was unusual or inappropriate for her to farm?

What would you ask her?  Put questions in the comments section.