Brick Wall Ancestor | #4 Jane "Jennie" M Whitford Nichols Faulkner

We all have them! Those stubborn ancestors that refuse to come out of hiding. No matter how much coaxing we do! Well, I think it's time to bring them out of the shadows - put their redacted story out there - another piece of the puzzle could be lurking just around the (cyber) corner, in someone's basement, or closet, or sitting in a box on a book shelf ...... You never, ever know where that loose chink will manifest, the one that allows you to push out one brick, then the next. Food for thought. So without further ado....

Brick Wall Ancestor | #4 Jane "Jennie" M Whitford Nichols Faulkner

Jennie hid her secret from me for quite a while. Maybe she hid it from everyone? Maybe she has more that I don't know about yet!

Jennie M Whitford is my 2nd great grandmother. She married my 2nd great grandfather Harrison "Harry" Faulkner and had 3 sons with him. The middle son is my great grandfather Dr. L A Faulkner.

But Jennie is quite the mystery woman! Here's what I know.....

Jennie (Whitford) married Harrison Faulkner in Grass Lake MI on May 1st, 1856. She was 21 and Harry was 27, according to the (very difficult to read) marriage book. Witnesses were Henry B Halbert and Mrs Mary Jane ---- (?) I found Henry - he was married to an Elizabeth not a Mary, so not husband and wife - perhaps friends of the couple.

Harry had lived in Grass Lake since 1834, I don't have any idea where Jennie came from!

By 1859 the couple was living in Faribault, MN. Their first son, Arthur, was born there in February of that year.

The 1860 census shows the young family - here's a screenshot of the record - the census was broken up onto two pages. Says Jennie was born in Ohio. Good to know. But who are James Nichols and Sarah Woodford?

Like you, my first thought was Woodford/Whitford - Sarah could be Jennie's sister! Viewing Sarah's entry, it states that she was born in Michigan - which could explain how Jennie ended up in Grass Lake. But who the heck was James Nichols? (Also born in Michigan?) A step brother? A nephew?

Looking at the 1870 census Jennie is listed as being born in Michigan (!) and neither Sarah nor James are in the household anymore. The other two sons, Lloyd and Louis are there, having been born in the decade between 1860 and 1870.

A quick search for a Sarah Woodford/Whitford brought no promising results - oh sure, there was a good rabbit hole or two, but in the end nothing conclusive. Putting a pin in Sarah, I briefly moved on to James with similar results. 

So, relegating the two to the back burner for the time being, I moved ahead with Jennie. (Work with what you know first!) 

The 1880 census brought a surprise! Jennie and Harry had gotten a divorce! And, Jennie was back to being born in Ohio. An additional promising clue, her father was born in Vermont, her mother in New York. FNU Whitford born Vermont c 1800 might bring a few hints ...... another pin to revisit later. 

Moving forward was relatively simple. Jennie lived for a time in Chicago (Chicago City Directories 1884-1885) with her son while he attended medical school, then after his graduation in 1884, returned to St Paul MN where she remained until her death in 1888.

The Dalby Database lists a notation for her obituary: "FAULKNER - JENNIE M. MRS - FARIBAULT REPUBLICAN - 29/FEB/1888 - DIED, IN ST. PAUL, FEB. 29TH, AGED 53 YEARS. THE REMAINS WILL BE BROUGHT TO FARIBAULT THURSDAY MORNING FOR BURIAL"  I have not been able to find where she is buried and strongly suspect cremation, ashes unknown.

OK. So Jennie Whitford appeared in Michigan in 1856 and died in Minnesota in 1888. Where was she before 1856? Ohio? How did she get to Michigan? Who were her parents? Where was she actually born?

Curious, one year she was listed as Jane, not Jennie. The 1886 St Paul MN directory listed her at 70 Douglas with her sons Lloyd and Louis (no, not a widow - polite way of treating divorced women in the 19th century) A new clue!

On FamilySearch I punched in "Jane Whitford" + Michigan and look what I found!

Our girl Jennie had married Daniel Nichols in 1849. She was 16 and he was 23! Nichols! NICHOLS! Whoa, okay this might lead somewhere. E M Whitford and Elizabeth Whitford were witnesses - parents of Jennie, perhaps? Or siblings? Certainly relatives of some sort. They were from Niles, Berrien Co, MI which is about 130 miles southwest of Grass Lake. Time for more digging!

The 1850 census showed nothing for an E M Whitford (wildcard search) born in Vermont. Dropping the E and M also returned nothing. Likewise for Elizabeth (1850! Women are searchable!)

Argh!

But Jane and Daniel ARE on the census - living with a girl named Mary Woodford age 19. Sister? Seems very likely. Just the three of them, which would make sense if the 10 year old James Nichols living in Jennie's household in 1860 was her son by her first marriage! Jennie would have been very close to giving birth, perhaps Mary was there to help with the preparations.

That's the 'secret'. Jennie had been married previously. At the age of 16! And the other 'secret'? TWICE divorced. Oh, wait, you don't know that yet.......

While I did not find an actual divorce record for Jane and Daniel, I did find Daniel getting married on the 7th of November 1856 (same year as Jennie and Harry's marriage) in Branch, MI. He married Minerva Shook and went on to have six children with her. His family is easily traceable.

As for James Nichols, he bounced around, working as a farm hand here and there until he married Addie Blackburn in 1882; settling in Rice Co, MN, not far from his mother. He remained in farming and raised three children with his wife. Jennie's grandchildren unfortunately were all born after her death.

Results from more digging, that I'm not going into here (if you're really interested contact me ~ mostly checking family trees, doing sideways research and comparing DNA results .... oh, and a lot of rabbit holes!) I discovered who I suspect are more siblings of Jennie's - three sisters and four brothers. There is speculation (family trees - some with DNA confirmation) as to the parents, but nothing that I have been able to confirm with documentation. But you have DNA you say. Yup. And we are all certainly related in some way, but the folks who match with the DNA all have used Online Family Trees as their source to prove parentage - not actual documents. What does the Magic 8 Ball say?  Probably "signs point to yes", but I'm not relying on the old 8 Ball to prove my genealogy.

I'm going to label this Brick Wall as soft, perhaps a crumbling Brick Wall?

And the most sweetly ironic part? The writing of this brought me to my very own front door in a 'seven degrees of separation' kind of way. It was from a random post that caught my eye just today on a DNA match, citing a sketch for a prominent Elgin, IL doctor. Possibly Jane "Jennie"'s brother. Possibly. And where do I live? Why, Elgin, of course!  Most of the tree is sourced with other Public Trees, but I'm feeling kinda excited about the discovery - coincidence? Not sure I believe in such a thing. More like ancestors pointing the way ......

This search is not over!

Here is the genealogy as I have come to know it thus far:

Jane "Jennie" M Whitford b. say 1835 Ohio
                                               d. 29 Feb 1888 Minnesota
                                                m. (1) Daniel Nichols (2) Harrison Faulkner

 children (all marriages):

• James H Nichols b. Aug 1850 d. UNK m. Addie Blackburn (3 issue)
• Arthur Edward Faulkner b. Feb 1859 d. 21 Aug 1823 m. Ellen Lumley (no issue)
• Lloyd Anson Faulkner b. 30 Sep 1862 d. 18 Dec 1933 m. Anna O'Connell (5 issue)
• Louis Nelson Faulkner b. say 1864 d. 31 Aug 1920 (never married)  

siblings: (presumed, not proved)

• Henry K Whitford MD b. 9 Feb 1829 Medina, Ohio d. 15 Feb 1912 Kane, Illinois
• Mary Whitford b. say 1831 Ohio d. UNK (possible twin)
• James H Whitford b. 27 Jan 1831 Ohio d. 29 Apr 1895 Minnesota (possible twin)
• Leonard C Whitford b. 7 Nov 1837 Michigan d. 26 May 1909 Washington
• Jerome B Whitford b. say 1839 Michigan d. UNK
• Sarah Whitford b. 14 Dec 1843 Michigan d. 12 Apr 1910 Washington
• Rhoda L Whitford b. 7 Nov 1846 Michigan d. 9 Nov 1909 Minnesota
• Daniel H Whitford MD b. say 1852 Illinois d. UNK

Of interesting note: Dr Henry K Whitford was a professor at Bennett College of Medicine in Chicago at the very same time Jennie's son Lloyd was attending school there. Did Lloyd go to Bennett because his uncle was a professor there? Curious.

Suspected parents of the the Whitford clan are David M Whitford and Elizabeth Lease. IF these are the correct parents they are last found in LaSalle County, Illinois in 1850. Elizabeth is in a Poor House and David is working his brother-in-law's farm. According to this sketch the family had fallen on very hard times. The trail goes cold after 1850. Well, before that too. I can't prove that this all fits together. It's the most logical explanation I have come up with to date.

I am reminded of the notation on Jane's marriage to Daniel, however, witnesses were E M Whitford and Elizabeth Whitford. Could E M be a woman? Her sister Mary perhaps?

Always more questions than answers!


If any of this rings true to you please contact me and let's figure it out!

Harrison Faulkner: A Man of Many Tales (52 Ancestors #26)

Harrison Faulkner. I'm convinced he was a teller of tales. Some of the information I have found on him just doesn't line up. But he was likable so it seems.

As with other Faulkner's, Harrison "Harry" is elusive. Now, I don't really believe that all of my ancestors should have lived in such a manner that it would be easy to uncover the details of their lives, but in a perfect world .........

Born in 1825, maybe, in Wallkill, Orange County, New York. Eighth or ninth, depending on when he was actually born, child of James and Martha Faulkner. Youngest son. Migrated to Michigan Territory with his family when he was about 8 years old.

From his obituary we learn: "Harrison Faulkner was born in Goshen, Orange co., N.Y., in 1825. He studied medicine for two years, but gave up that profession. Working on a railroad, he was the first fireman on the Michigan central railroad. Then he went to the lead mines at Galena, Ill., and remained there a number of years. In 1855 Mr. Faulkner married Miss. Jennie Whitford, and in 1856 he came to Minnesota, being one of the first settlers of Faribault, as his grandfather had been one of the early settlers in New York, and his father one of the early settlers of Michigan.

Mr. Faulkner for a time followed the trade of carpenter in this city. He was a man of honest, upright character in all his dealings. he was well educated, as were all his brothers and a pleasing gentleman to converse with, having seen much, and observed and thought much about what he had seen. He will be missed not only by his family, but by the early settlers of the city."

Speaking of his father, the obituary reported this: "Col. Faulkner lived for a time in Tennessee, and was owner of a large plantation, and of a good many slaves, but when he removed to Michigan he took only a few slaves with him, whom he freed soon after. They would not leave their old "massa."

Now, let's dissect this.

Harrison was born in Wallkill, Orange Co, New York. On the family farm. The informant states his birth year as 1825. I have no direct evidence for this, however I did find the death certificate for his sister Antoinette, stating her birthday as February 15th 1825. Either Harrison is Antoinette's twin, or he was not born in 1825. He moved to the Michigan Territory with his family in 1833.

As for a "large plantation in Tennessee"? Nonsense. Pure fantasy. The Faulkner's lived in Orange County New York right up to the time they headed west to Michigan. Sadly, Harrison's father did own 4 slaves in 1820, but by 1830 there was only one "free colored person - male" living in the household. By 1840 when the family was in Michigan, there were none.

The first medical college in Michigan opened in 1850 at University of Michigan. I did not find him listed among the students. He could have gone to school in another state.

The Michigan Central Railroad came to Jackson, Michigan in 1842. Some farmers in Jackson and Wayne  Counties were involved in the Great Railroad Conspiracy. The timing of the Conspiracy and the account of Harrison leaving the area for the Galena lead mines is curious. While perhaps not directly involved, he may have know the parties involved, and was scared enough to leave the state.


The lead mines of Galena were booming. Gold Fever had taken many to California, but Galena was still highly productive around 1850. The railroad may have played a part in Harrison's decision to head to Illinois, as the railroad continued to move ever westward.

Harrison returned to Grass Lake sometime in the mid 1850's, and on May 1st, 1856 he married Miss Jennie Whitford. (A divorcee with a 6 year old son who sometimes went by "Jane", we would later come to find out!) The couple soon headed to the Minnesota Territory to make a home, away from controversy, perhaps? They are found in the 1860 census residing in Faribault with their first born son, age 1 year, and Jennie's 10 year old son from her first marriage.

Harrison did do carpentry work. I have a cabinet made by him that my grandfather always said contained "7 different kinds of wood!" I recently had the good fortune of finding a second cousin, who also has a piece of furniture crafted by Harrison.

Harry and Jennie would have three sons together. Arthur Edward, Lloyd Anson and Louis Nelson. Lloyd Anson became a medical doctor. Louis Nelson took up the craft of stone cutting, which took him from Texas to New York, and he even played a part in the construction of the Minnesota State Capitol.

Jennie and Harrison were divorced on May 29th 1878.

Jennie moved to St Paul and supported herself as a tailoress.

Harrison followed.

Jennie died in 1888.

Harrison moved back to Faribault.

Harrison penned his last will and testament on August 9th, 1905, leaving $100.00 each to sons Arthur and Louis, and the remainder to Lloyd.

Harrison died September 3rd, 1905 and is buried in Maple Lawn Cemetery in Faribault in an unmarked grave.

Harrison Faulkner's Obituary

"The late Harrison Faulkner, whose funeral took place in Faribault Wednesday afternoon, came of a family with some distinguished members. His great grandfather, who was of Scotch lineage, immigrated to what was in his time the colony of New York, early in the eighteenth century. James Faulkner, father of Harrison Faulkner, settled in Michigan 1833, on a tract of land where he spent the remainder of his days, near Grass Lake. He had been a colonel in the war of 1812, and was at one time in command of Staten Island, N.Y. before moving to Michigan.

Col. Faulkner lived for a time in Tennessee(*), and was owner of a large plantation, and of a good many slaves, but when he removed to Michigan he took only a few slaves with him, whom he freed soon after. They would not leave their old "massa." 

Harrison Faulkner was born in Goshen, Orange co., N.Y., in 1825. He studied medicine for two years, but gave up that profession. Working on a railroad, he was the first fireman on the Michigan central railroad. Then he went to the lead mines at Galena, Ill., and remained there a number of years. In 1855 Mr. Faulkner married Miss. Jennie Whitford, and in 1856 he came to Minnesota, being one of the first settlers of Faribault, as his grandfather had been one of the early settlers in New York, and his father one of the early settlers of Michigan.

Mr. Faulkner for a time followed the trade of carpenter in this city. He was a man of honest, upright character in all his dealings. he was well educated, as were all his brothers and a pleasing gentleman to converse with, having seen much, and observed and thought much about what he had seen. He will be missed not only by his family, but by the early settlers of the city.

Mr. Faulkner leaves three sons; Arthur E. of St. Paul; Dr. Lloyd A. of Lonsdale, and Louis N. of New York City. Louis Faulkner is a distinguished stone carver, having been an instructor of the Armour Industrial school in Chicago, and employed in work on some of the finest mansions in the east.

Harrison Faulkner was the last of his family - all his brothers and sisters having preceded him to the grave, at advanced ages." 

Funeral Notice

 "13/sep/1905--the funeral of Harrison Faulkner was held from the cathedral at 2 p. m. Wednesday, Rev. A. R. Hill officiating. The pallbearers were Alex Smith, Cap. Cavanaugh, H. P. Sime, Judge Turner, M. B. Haskell, William Wachlin, and George Dandelet. The interment was made in Maple Lawn. Mr. Faulkner was an early settler in this city but of late years has resident in Lonsdale. No man was held in higher respect by his friends. Mr. Faulkner died at the advanced age of 80."