The Hunt for Lucia Cahoon Drake Continued

With John C Drake's death date in hand, I went back to the FamilySearch website - again.  Lo and behold, I found his death record.  Name was right.  Date was right.  I clicked in and read a typed transcription record from the handwritten record.  John C Drake.  Father:  John Stout Drake.  Mother:  Tuira Drake.  Tuira?  WTH?  So I dug deeper, going into view the handwritten record.

If you know what you're looking for, Tuira Drake is oh, so obviously Lucia Drake.  It was all about being able to read old timey chicken scratches.  Tuira Drake IS Lucia Drake. This is what it looks like:

Lucia is the one in the middle. 

Now as I was looking at this document, I noticed the name under Lucia.  And then it hit me!  Lucia died 9 October 1871.  I flipped back a page.  Lucia Drake was the next recorded death in 1871.  But, the record -- too -- was written by the same person, so it looks like Tuira -- again.  Finally found Lucia's death record.  I went back to that page where I first found her.  James H Cohoon is listed as her father.  Finally a definitive freaking clue.  Forget the spelling of her dad's last name.  We'll get to that later.  And -- drum roll please -- her mother's name is Mary A Cohoon. 

So listen up all you cousins, searching for our Lucia Cahoon Drake.  Search for her under Tuira Drake.  I haven't tried a search in all the family trees at Ancestry.  Yet.

This document still doesn't solve the spelling issues.  It still doesn't solve the fact that I can't find Lucia Drake in the 1870 United States Federal Census.  It doesn't solve the problem that in 1970 there was another lady -- Elenore -- listed as the wife to John Stout Drake.  It doesn't solve the mystery of Elenore being buried with John Stout Drake, Lucia and Johnnie and Mary Pease.  But it is tangible proof.  John and Lucia were married a long time.  He would've known her family parentage better than some random person.  So in my own personal record, I'm making it official.  Lucia's dad was John H and her mother, Mary A. 

James Cahoon of Wayne, Michigan

I hate it when I start obsessing.  Going over and over and round and round.  I can't seem to let go of Lucia Cahoon Drake, wife of John Stout Drake.  I'm researching her brothers and sisters and parents.  Sometimes you get a little random information that you can use, but most of the time I am banging my head against the wall.  Then I write it all out to see what I'm missing...which is everything.  Shoot, the people that are researching Lucia can't even agree on the spelling of the last name.  Is it Cahoon?  Cohoon?  Cahoone?  Calhoun? 

The 1840 United States Census shows James Cahoon living in Wayne, Michigan.  In 1840 Lucia would have been about 15.  There is 1 female recorded between 10-15.  In the 1850 United States Census all the households names are listed.  Comparing 1850 with 1840 -- in 1840 there is a female between the ages of 15 and 20.  1850 reveals that her name was Mary J.  Lucia names one of her daughters Mary.  There is another girl, under the age of 5.  Her name is Mellisee. There are also two boys in the house:  one that was born between 1820-1825 and another born between 1825-1830.  I am guessing that the oldest -- the once closest to the age of Lucia is James A.  There is a James A Cahoon business man in Hillsdale at the same time Lucia is there.  I believe the youngest boy is Albert. 

James Cahoon, the dad, has two wives.  The first is the mother to Mary J., Lucia, Mellisee, Albert and the other boy I think is James A.  James marries Jane Ann Sloan in 1838.  They have Alice, Florence, Flora, Robert and Cora.  There is a 7 year gap between Albert and Alice.  I'm guessing mom died, one year of mourning, a couple of years to find another wife, 2 years for the next baby. 

There seems to be two distinct Cahoon families.  There are the Cahoons from New York.  Most of these boys settle in Michigan and then there are the North Carolina Cahoons.

James Cahoon's parents were Joseph Cahoon and Nancy Parr.  And I will spell "Cahoon" as I've found it in other family trees -- just make note that these are NOT errors.  Their children are:

• David Cohoon 1783-1858
• Thomas Cahoon  1786-1858
• Heman Cahoon  1788-
• Stephen Cohoon  1789-1858
• Henry Cahoon 1790 or 1796
• William Cohoon  1791
• John Cohoon  1791-
• Charles R Cohoon  1795-1876
• Samuel Cohoon 1797-
• James Cahoon  1800-1872
• Lidick Cohoon  -1802-1888
•  There might be a girl added to this mix.

Lucia Cahoon Drake? Or is it Lucia Cohoon Drake? Or is it ---

Lucia Cahoon Drake

I can't tell you how many hours I've spent trying to figure out this old gal's last name.  These are the names that I've been working through:

Lucia Cahoon
Lucia Cohoon
Lucia Comoon
Lucia Cohoom
Lucia Cohone
Lucia Calhoun

This weekend I'll write down my research and how I determined that her last name is Cahoon.  Actually, I contacted a gentleman who is kind of the grand master of the Cahoon name and he told me that originally the name was Colquhoun.  And that is Scottish.  Which I will gladly claim.

Are Alfred B Drake and Bird A Drake One and the Same?

While under the family group sheets that I've checked out of John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon, there are 11 children listed.  There is an Alfred B Drake born 1859 and a Bird A Drake, born 1857.  But lately I've found references to an Alfred Bird Drake and a Bird Alfred Drake.  Another conundrum.  I have found Alfred B Drake married to an  Ella Conway Ryan.  And I have a Bird A Drake married to Eugenia Priestly.

The 1860 and 1870 Federal Census adds to the confusion.  In the 1860 Federal Census, Alfred B Drake was listed as 4 years old.  Bird A Drake isn't on that census at all.  In the 1870 Federal Census Alfred is listed as 11 years old.  If he was 4 in 1860, then he should be 14 in 1870.  Also in the 1870 Federal Census Bird is also listed, and it says that he is 13 years old, which is closer to14 years that Alfred is supposed to be.  However, 1970 is where "Elinor" shows up as the wife.  Maybe she didn't know.

Another thought is "Was Bird a child of Elinor's who John Stout Drake adopted?"

The Children of John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon

As I continue to work the family group sheet for John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon, I find myself in a rush to get down every thing I'm working on as well as all the questions.

So I was researching Jane Drake.  Not a lot of information out there.  But I know, that her ancestors think that she was THE most important of all the John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon's children.  Personally, I thought she died young. According to what I could find out about her -- and remember that this isn't documented yet so I can't officially insert it into my family tree -- she was born in Hillsdale, Michigan on 23 Apr 1861.  I also found information that says her name was Jane Carel Drake and she went by Jennie.  Well hot diggity dog.

One of the questions I've been carrying around was this:  In the 1880 United States Federal Census, I have found Allison Royse Drake listed under John Sprawls in Hillsdale, Michigan.  In regards to his relationship with the head of the house, John Sprawls, it is said "servant."  Also listed in that household is Jennie C. Drake who is also listed as servant.  Up until now, I had no idea what their relationship with each other was. And now I believe that they are brother and sister.

On some of the public family trees on Ancestry.com, it is said that she married George Priestly and had three (all unnamed) children.  And I've found one tree that says there is a daughter named Kate.  There is a good chance that this could be true, as Jen's brother, Bird A Drake, married Eugenia Priestly.  Now I have to dig around and see if they were brother and sister as well.

There is also an individual on Ancestry involved with the Hoag family line that feels like a kindred spirit.  It's a hunch, but I thing it is a cousin that comes down John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon, to Allison Royse Drake to Hattie Gavena Drake who was my grandfather Don Dee Drake's sister.

When the Drakes Fell Apart

This is what I thought I knew about my line of the Drakes.  We stick together.  We don't move away from each other.  We always married into the Stouts.  We name our children after our favorite relatives.  That's why there are so many Johns, Amoses and Williams.  We don't leave our children.  It is not uncommon to see whole pages of the Federal Census filled with Drakes -- side by side.

I've been trying to figure out what happened to the John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon kids.  Allison Royse Drake turned out to be a mean drunk, but hopefully I'll be able to shine a little light on that later.  I am pretty convinced that Sidney S Drake, moved to Arkansas where he met and married Sarrah Staggs.  There is a Sidney S  Drake living in Atkins, Pope, Arkansas who was born in Michigan.  His father was born in New York.  Unfortunately, 1910 Federal Census says that his mother was born in New York as well -- which isn't the case for my Sidney S Drake.  His mother -- Lucia Cahoon was born in Plymouth, Wayne, New York.  Of course, if it was his wife giving the info to the census taker, she might not have known and just assumed.  If this Sidney S Drake, is my Sidney S Drake, he had one child -- a daughter named Lucredia.

Now there is Emery Eugene Drake -- or it could possible be Eugene Emery Drake -- I've seen it both ways.   I have found him in Family Search marriage license.  In 1884 he was living in Travis City.  On October 28, 1884, he married Jennie O'Connell.  He was 42 years old.  His dad, John Stout Drake, died May of 1884.  I wonder if Emery moved before or after.

I also wonder if these kids were all trying to escape John Stout Drake or had travel and communications just made it easier to get up and go?  I sure wish I could find information regarding John Stout Drake's character.

I have signed up to take a class on genealogy through social networking.  It is on August 4 at the main branch of the public library.    

John Stout Drake -- Where do I Start?

Too many unanswered questions and not enough resources.  I feel that all it would take would be a couple of days at the Hillsdale Library.  Maybe this fall!  It seems like every article I read about the Drake family, the writers say that there has been so much written about this pioneer family that they aren't going to go into it.  Where is all this stuff that's been written about  us?

I guess I need to get an actual death certificate for Lucia Cahoon.  Then maybe some people on Ancestry have an Elinore Drake on their tree.  Next I need to find a marriage license for John Stout Drake and this Elinore woman.  Perhaps she was from Ohio?  Seems like the Drakes went back in forth over the state line.  Then I guess I should call JM Converse.  I consider him the patriarch of the family and he might remember something.  And then write Jeanne Converse his mother.  Jeanne was married to  John Converse.  John Converse's mom was Lucia Drake, daughter of Allison Royse Drake and Jane Myers.  Allison was a son of John Stout Drake.  Jane Myers eventually lived with Lucia Drake Converse and Lucia Drake Converse ended up living with John and Jeanne Converse on the farm.  Wouldn't it be great if there was something in the attic?  I got to get on it.  Jeanne has got to be in her mid-90s.  When I talked to JM over Thanksgiving, he said that she was still sharp as a tack, but her eyes are going.

I will continue to develop the family group sheet starting with John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon.  I never really much cared about doing family group sheets, but they give such a better picture into what was going on in any particular family.

I also intend to start a John Stout Drake page on Facebook.  I have signed up for a class at the public library for August 4.  It's how to use social networking in genealogy.  I just know there are cousins out there that have the information I need.

John Stout Drake: Farmer AND Preacher?

It's hard enough keeping track of relatives who behave like normal people.  But when they start showing up in places they have no business being, it sends me off the rails.  Recently I've been trying to solve a mystery involving regarding John Stout Drake and his three wives.  It's a date issue.

So, I'm here:  https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11593-119369-51?cc=1452395 at the Family Search website, looking at John Stout Drake's marriage license to third wife Mary M. Pease.  Just before I jumped out of the website, I happened to notice the top entry.  Over in the category regarding who performed the marriage license, is John Stout Drake.  What?  As far as I know, John Stout Drake was a farmer.  And, witnessing this marriage to Renaldo Everett is a Mary Drake -- who could very well be Mary Pease, and Anna Drake who was a daughter from his first marriage.

And if that craziness isn't enough, Renaldo Everett is marrying a Francis McLain, from Ohio.  I have a Francis McLain cousin from Ohio on the other half of my tree.  

I have no idea where to start trying to figure out how John Stout Drake was qualified to marry anybody.