Thursday, July 12, 2012

John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon Drake. What Happened?

John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon Drake are buried in the Drake/Baker Cemetery in Hillsdale, Michigan. It is listed as an abandoned cemetery.  About 5 years ago, on a whim and on our way from Kalamazoo to Ann Arbor, I convinced my husband to take the highway running parallel with I 94  in hope that we would just come across it.  And we did!

I was expecting a run down, overgrown place, but I was wrong.  It was small, but the stones were erect and in place and the grass was cut.  Yes, there were some very old plastic flowers on the some of the graves.

5 years ago, I was still pretty new to genealogy and made some mistakes.  I took pictures of the headstones instead of writing down the information.  In other words, the pictures aren't very good.

John Stout Drake has a large 4 sided head stone.  John Stout Drake is on one side.  Lucia Cahoon Drake has another, as well as "Elinor Drake" and Mary M. Drake.  I have found the marriage license for John Stout Drake and Mary M. Pease.  So far I have found nothing on Elinor.

Lucia Cahoon Drake died on 9 Oct 1871.  On her head stone, she is called "wife of J.S. Stout."  Also buried with her is a child Johnie S Drake -- son of JS and LA Drake.  Johnie S Drake died on 31 Aug 1871.  Lucia was only 47 when she died, but that is also kind of old to be having a baby.

The 1870 United States Federal Census has John Stout Drake as head of household.  Elinor Drake is listed as wife.  But Lucia Cahoon Drake didn't die until 1971.  So where was Lucia for the 1870 United States Federal Census.  I can find no divorce record.  Could she have been in an institution?

I thought that perhaps the census taker just assumed that Elinor was the wife and maybe she was the housekeeper, but she is buried with John Stout Drake.

One more thing, I have seen a birth record and a death record for Johnie Drake.  In both cases, his middle initial was C, not S.

I guess maybe, however bought the stone and had it cut, could have been mistaken about Lucia's death date.   I have yet to see the death certificate.

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