Tombstone Tuesday - Janey (Mahan) Carnahan

Janey (Mahan) Carnahan, wife of John R. Carnahan

Born 6 August 1826, died 13 February 1901

Oakland Cemetery, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania

Taken in 2004 by Sara Gredler

Tombstone Tuesday - Harry Elmer Mahan

Tombstone of Harry Elmer Mahan

Born 15 Jan 1862, died 13 Feb 1871

Son of William & Sarah Mahan

Greenwood Cemetery, White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania

Taken by Sara Gredler, 2004

Tombstone Tuesday - Margaret Mahan

Margaret Mahan, daughter of William Meade and Evaline (Watson) Mahan

Greenwood Cemetery, Indiana, White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania

Taken by Sara Gredler, 2004

Analysis of a late 19th century mug book entry - Part 2b: Census Records

Part 2b: Households of John and Patrick Mahan/Mahon, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania

For previous parts, see [Part 1] and [Part 2a].


As noted in Part 2a, there is a second Patrick Mahan living in Washington Co, Pennsylvania at the same time as "my" Patrick Mahan.  This post gives the available census records of the "other" family.  Other record posts will include records of this family as compared to "my" Mahans.


This other Patrick Mahan is the son of John Mahan.  There is an autobiography of Patrick's grandson Harry E. Mahan, given in Stewart's 1912 Indiana Co Pennsylvania: Her People Past and Present. [1] This autobiography states that Patrick Mahan came to the country with his father, John Mahan; that he died in 1871; and gives a list of Patrick's children (Rebecca; Mary (married George Trimble); Margaret; Martha (married William Rong [actually Long]; Jennie; Elizabeth (married James Dickson [also seen as Dixon]); Nancy Ann (married Andrew Duncan); David B.; and Ebenezer).


Census Records:


1820 household of John Mahon[2]:

• 1 male aged 16-26 years
• 1male aged over 45 years
• 1 female aged 10-16 years
• 3 females aged 16-26 years
• 1 female aged over 45 years
• 2 foreigners in his household [presumably the two males] were not naturalized.

1820 household of Peter [actually Patrick] Mahan[3]:

• 1 male aged 16-26 years
• 2 females aged under 10 years
• 2 females aged 16-26 years
• One foreigner not naturalized, presumably the male head-of-household

1830 household of John Mahon[4]:

• 1 male aged 10-15 years
• 1 male aged 60-70 years
• 1 female aged 5-10 years
• 2 females aged 20-30 years
• 1 female aged 60-70 years

1830 household of Patrick Mahon[5]:

• 1 male aged 30-40 years
• 1 female aged under 5 years
• 2 females aged 15-20 years
• 1 female aged 30-40 years

1840 household of John Mahan[6]:

• 1 male aged 70-80 years
• 1 female aged 20-30 years
• 1 female aged 70 80 years
• 1 person engaged in agriculture

1840 household of Patrick Mahon[7]:

• 2 males aged under 5 years
• 1 male aged 50 to 60 years
• 1 female aged under 5 years
• 2 females aged 5-10 years
• 1 female aged 10-15 years
• 3 females aged 15-20 years
• 1 female aged 20-30 years [may be a misentry]
• 1 female 30-40 years
• 1 person engaged in agriculture

1850 household of Patrick Mahan[8]:

• Patrick Mahon, 60 years, m, w, farmer, $600 in real estate, b. Ireland, can read and write
• Rebecca " ", 37 years, f, w, b. Pennsylvania, can read and write, insane
• Mary " ", 34 years, f, w, b. Pennsylvania, can read and write
• [pg 423] Martha Mahon, 23 years, f, w, b. Pennsylvania, can read and write
• Jane " ", 20 years, f, w, b. Pennsylvania
• Elizabeth " ", 16 years, f, w, b. Pennsylvania, attended school within the census year
• Ann A " ", 14 years, f, w, b. Pennsylvania, attended school within the census year
• David " ", 12 years, m, w, b. Pennsylvania, attended school within the census year
• Ebenezer " ", 10 years, m, w, b. Pennsylvania, attended school within the census year

1860 household of Patrick Mahan[9]:

• Patrick Mahan, 75 years, m, w, farmer, $2000 real estate, $700 personal estate, b. Ireland, can read and write
• Mary " ", 40 years, f, w, housekeeper, b. Pennsylvania, can read and write
• Elizabeth " ", 37 years, f, w, " " [housekeeper], b. Pennsylvania, can read and write
• Jane " ", 35 years, f, w, " " [housekeeper], b. Pennsylvania, can read and write
• Nancy A " ", 33 years, f, w, " " [housekeeper], b. Pennsylvania, can read and write
• David " ", 22, m, w, school teacher, [no real or personal estate], b. Pennsylvania, can read and write
• Ebenezer " ", 17 years, m, w, farm laborer, b. Pennsylvania, can read and write
• Rebecca " ", 42 years, f, w, [no occupation], b. Pennsylvania, can read and write

1870 household of Patrick Mahan[10]:

• Patrick Mahan, 84 years, m, w, farmer, $2500 real estate, $585 personal estate, b. Ireland, both parents of foreign birth, can read and write
• Elizabeth " ", 4[?] years, f, w, housekeeper, b. Pennsylvania, both parents of foreign birth, can read and write
• Jane " ", 34 years, f, w, b. Pennsylvania, both parents of foreign birth, can read and write
• Harry " ", 8 years, m, w, b. Pennsylvania, can read and write, attended school within the census year
• Rebecca " ", 57 years, f, w, b. Pennsylvania, both parents of foreign birth, can read and write, insane

By 1880 Jane and Harry are living with Elizabeth (Mahan) and her husband James Dickson/Dixon, in Indiana Co, Pennsylvania.[11]


[1] Stewart, Prof. J. T., Indiana County Pennsylvania: Her People, Past and Present, Chicago, J.H. Beers & Co, 1913, 2 vols, p. 948.

[2] 1820 US Census, household of John Mahon, 7 August 1820, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 21, "M" surnames, line 20, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 March 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M33, roll 105.

[3] 1820 US Census, household of Peter [Patrick] Mahan, 7 August 1820, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 21, "M" surnames, last entry, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 March 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M33, roll 105.

[4] 1830 US Census, household of John Mahon, 1 June 1830, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 240, line 22, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 March 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 152, imaged from Family History Library Film 0020626.

[5] 1830 US Census, household of Patrick Mahon, 1 June 1830, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 240, line 23, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 March 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 152, imaged from Family History Library Film 0020626.

[6] 1840 US Census, household of John Mahan, 1 June 1840, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 113, line 12, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 July 2012, citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 463, imaged from Family History Library microfilm 0020546.


[7] 1840 US Census, household of Patrick Mahon Sen., 1 June 1840, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 116, line 23, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 July 2012, citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 463, imaged from Family History Library microfilm 0020546.

[8] 1850 US Census, household of Patrick Mahan, 10 August 1850, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, pages 422 and 423 (211 and 212 stamped), lines 40-42 and 1-6, dwelling no. 16, family no. 16, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 March 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 785.

[9] 1860 US Census, household of Patrick Mahan, 28 July 1860, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 272, lines 29-36, dwelling number 1929, family number 1883, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 March 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1117, imaged from Family History Library microfilm 805117.

[10] 1870 US Census, household of Patrick Mahan, 6 July 1870, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 28, lines 22-26, dwelling number 200, family number 204, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 March 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1351, imaged from Family History Library microfilm 552850.

[11] 1880 US Census, household of James E. Dixon, 12 June 1880, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, ED 141, page 17A (270), lines 38-42, dwelling number 162, family number 164, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 July 2012, citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 1335, imaged from Family History Library microfilm 1255135.

Tombstone Tuesday - Robert Meade Mahan

Greenwood Cemetery, Indiana, White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania

Taken by Sara Gredler, 2004

Son of William Meade Mahan and Evaline M. Watson

Analysis of a late 19th century mug book entry - Part 2a: Census Records

Part 2a: Census records of the household of Patrick and Nancy (Laughlin) Mahan, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania

For Part 1, see [Part 1].

Census records for the Mahan family in Indiana County begin in 1820, based on the information that the family came to Pennsylvania in 1819.[1] The search for the family is somewhat difficult due to the fact that there are two Patrick Mahan/Mahon individuals in the same township in the 1820, 1830[2], and 1840 censuses.

1820:
Household of "our" Patrick Mahan[3]:

• 1 male aged 26-44 years [b. 1776-1794]
• 3 females aged under 10 years [b. 1810-1820]
• 1 female aged 16-25 years [b. 1795-1804]
• 1 foreigner not naturalized   [this is mistranscribed on Ancestry.com to be 1 person engaged in agriculture]

1830:
Household of "our" Patrick Mahan[4]:

• 1 male aged under 5 years [b. 1825-1830]
• 1 male aged 30 to 40 years [b. 1790-1800]
• 2 females aged under 5 years [b. 1825-1830]
• 2 females aged 5 to 10 years [b. 1820-1825]
• 2 females aged 10 to 15 years [b. 1815-1820]
• 1 female aged 30 to 40 years [b. 1790-1800]
  
  [This census has been mistranscribed and misses the females aged 10-15 category.]

1840:
Household of "our" Patrick Mahan[5]:

• 1 male aged 10 to 15 years [b. 1825-1830]
• 1 male aged 50 to 60 years [b. 1780-1790]
• 2 females aged under 5 years [b. 1835-1840]
• 2 females aged 10 to 15 years [b. 1825-1830]
• 2 females aged 15 to 20 years [b. 1820-1825]
• 1 female aged 20 to 30 years [b. 1810-1820]
• 1 female aged 40 to 50 years [b. 1790-1800]
• 1 person engaged in agriculture

1850 US Census
Household of Nancy Mahan[6]:

• Nancy Mahan, 54,f, farmer, b Ireland 
• Jane -------, 23, f, b PA 
• William -----, 21, m, farmer, b PA 
• Angeline ----, 15, f, b PA, attended school 
• Isabella -----, 14, f, b PA, attended school

The agricultural schedule of Nancy Mahan from 1850 has been transcribed here.

1860 US Census
Household of Nancy Mahan[7]:

• Nancy Mahan, 63, f, $100 personal estate, b Ireland 
• John McFeeters, 9, m, b PA, attended school

1870 US Census

Household of Nancy Mahan[8]:

• Mahan, Nancy, 73, f, w, keeping house, $1000 real estate, $150 personal estate, b Ireland, both parents foreign birth
• McFeeters, John M, 19, m, w, farmer, $200 personal estate, b PA

1880 US Census:

Nancy Mahan is living with her daughter Angeline Fleming and her son-in-law, John S. Fleming, as well as with a niece that is hereto unidentified as a Mahan relative.[9]

[1] Census searches on Ancestry.com give no indication of a Patrick Mahan/Mahon household in 1810.

[2] In 1830 the "other" Patrick Mahan is actually enumerated as Peter Mahan, also in Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania.

[3] 1820 US Census, household of Patrick Mahan, 7 August 1820, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 21, "M" surname section - line 17, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 July 2012, citing NARA microfilm publication M33, roll 105.

[4] 1830 US Census, household of Patrick Mahan, 1 June 1830, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 240, line 7, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 June 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 152, imaged from Family History Library Film 0020626.

[5] 1840 US Census, household of Patrick Mahon, 1 June 1840, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 113, line 7, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 March 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 463, imaged from Family History Library Film 0020546. One of his next-door neighbors is Thomas Gibson, who would administer the estate of Patrick Mahan in the 1840s and 1850s; two household away is the man believed to be his son-in-law Moses Miller.

[6] 1850 US Census, household of Nancy Mahan, 5 August 1850, White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 27 (53 stamped), lines 10-14, dwelling number 366, family number 369, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 June 2012, citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 785.

[7] 1860 US Census, household of Nancy Mahan, 12 June 1860, Indiana Post Office, White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 412, lines 23 and 24, dwelling number 263, family number 268, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 May 2004, citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1117.

[8] 1870 US Census, household of Nancy Mahan, 11 August 1870, White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 6 (418), lines 6-7, dwelling number 38, family number 42, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2004, citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1351.

[9] 1880 US Census, household of John S Fleming, 7 June 1880, Creekside, Washington Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, ED 141, page 6B (264), lines 19-26, dwelling no. 62, family no. 63, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 March 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 1135, imaged from Family History Library Film 1255135.

Tombstone Tuesday

Tombstone of Nancy Mahan, Oakland Cemetery, White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania.

Treasure Chest Thursday - From the newspaper archives

"VERDICT IN THE HEWITT CASE. -- The jury in the case of Dr. Thomas Hewitt charged with procuring an abortion upon the person of Mrs. Isabella Wemer, returned a verdict of guilt on the third and fourth counts, and not gilt not he first second, fifth and sixth counts. The third and fourth counts simply charged an attempt to procure an abortion, and the verdict only convicts of the attempt.  The penalty of the offense is three years imprisonment in the penitentiary. The testimony in this case was about the same as that taken before an alderman last Spring, and published in the Progress at the time."[1]


[1] "Verdict in the Hewitt Case," Indiana (Pennsylvania) Progress, Thursday, 15 September 1870, page 2, column 2, digital image, Ancestry.com.


Mrs. Isabella Wemer is Isabella (Mahan) Weamer, widow of Andrew Weamer, who died in May 1870, after the abortion described above.  She was the daughter of Patrick Mahan and Nancy Laughlin, and she left four young children to survive her: Ida May, Winfield Scott, John Edward, and Andrew G C, aka "Bird" Weamer.

Never know what you are going to discover in local, small town papers.  More to come about Isabella (Mahan) Weamer!

Analysis of a late 19th century mug book entry - Part 1

In 1880, a county history was published for Indiana County, Pennsylvania.  The title was History of Indiana County, PA, and the author was J.A. Caldwell.  There is an entry for William L Mahan[1], included below.



WM. L. MAHAN was born in 1829, on the McCune farm, and was a son of Patrick and Nancy Mahan 
nee Laughlin.  The former was born in 1792, in county Donegal, and the latter in 1797, in county Tyrone.  
They located on and opened up what is known as the McCune farm in 1819.  Three of Patrick’s brothers 
came to America.  John settled near what is now Newville, in 1814, and was married to Margaret Hunter.  
Robert was never heard of after his arrival in America.  William died near the homestead of Patrick, and 
was married to Isabella Ross.  Patrick’s children were:  Eliza, d., b. in 1817, m. to Moses Miller; Rebecca, 
d., b. in 1819, m. to Andrew McFeeters; Lillie, b. in 1821, m. to Samuel Stuchell, d.; Nancy, b. in 1823, m. 
to Christopher Stuchel, d.; Margaret, b. in 1824, m. to A. A. Lydick; Jane, b. in 1826, m. to John R. 
Carnahan; William L., b. in 1829, m. to Mrs. Sarah Duncan nee Walker; John, b. in 1831; Angeline, b. in 
1834, m. to John S. Flemming; Isabella, d., b. in 1836, m. to Andrew Weamer, d.; and Martha, d., b. in 
1839.  Our subject’s children were:  Harry Elmer, d.; William Meade; Clara May; and Minnie Laura.  He 
served three years in company K, 67th Pennsylvania volunteers.


In researching this family, I used this county history entry (or "mug book" entry) as a basis to begin my research.  Some was able to be confirmed, and some not.

Extrapolating from the entry, we get the following data.

• Patrick Mahan, b. 1792 in County Donegal, Ireland, married Nancy Laughlin, b. 1797 in County Tyrone, Ireland.
• They came to the United States by 1819 and settled on the McCune farm.
• Patrick had three brothers that also came to America, though not necessarily at the same time as Patrick:
• John came to America by 1814, settled in Newville [also part of Indiana County] and married Margaret Hunter.
• Robert - no record, unknown when he came to America.
• William, unknown when he came to America, died in Indiana County [no date], and married Isabella Ross. [presumably all before 1880]
• Patrick and Nancy had the following children:
• Eliza, b. 1817, d. bef 1880, m. Moses Miller
• Rebecca, b. 1819, d. bef 1880, m. Andrew McFeeters [these are my ancestors]
• Lillie, b. 1821 [Indiana County, PA implied], still living in 1880, m. Samuel Stuchell, who d. bef 1880
• Nancy, b. 1823 [Indiana County, PA implied], still living in 1880, m. Christopher Stuchel, who d. bef 1880
• Margaret, b. 1824 [Indiana County, PA implied], still living in 1880, m. A. A. Lydick
• Jane, b. 1826 [Indiana County, PA implied], still living in 1880, m. John R. Carnahan
• William L., b. 1829 [Indiana County, PA implied], still living in 1880, m. Sarah (Walker) Duncan
• John, b. 1831 [Indiana County, PA implied], still living in 1880
• Angeline, b. 1834 [Indiana County, PA implied], still living in 1880, m. John S. Flemming
• Isabella, b. 1836 [Indiana County, PA implied], d. bef 1880, m. Andrew Weamer, who d. bef 1880
• Martha, b. 1839 [Indiana County, PA implied], d. bef 1880
• William L. Mahan had four children born bef 1880.
• Harry Elmer, d. bef 1880
• William Meade
• Clara May
• Minnie Laura
• William L. Mahan served in the Civil War in the 67th Pennsylvania Volunteers [Infantry], Company K.

[1] J.A. Caldwell, J. A.,  1745-1880, History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, Newark, Ohio: 1880, transcription online, Treasures of the Past, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~treasures/pa/indiana/.

The next post will discuss the "low hanging fruit" used to document this family: census records.

Nancy Mahan's Farm - the 1850 Agricultural Schedule

In 1850, Nancy (Laughlin) Mahan appeared on the 1850 US Census Agricultural schedule in White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania.[1]

The farm is described as follows:

She owned 40 acres of improved land and 40 acres unimproved land, worth $400. The value of the farming implements and machinery added up to $10.

As of June 1, 1850, the farm had:

2 horses
4 milch cows

8 “other cattle” (not milch cows or working oxen)
30 sheep
4 swine                                              livestock total worth $230

Produce during the year ending 1 June, 1850, included:

52 bushels of wheat
30 bushels of rye
50 bushels of Indian corn
88 bushels of oats

80 pounds of wool
10 bushels of Irish potatoes
10 bushels of buckwheat
200 pounds of butter
3 tons of hay
50 pounds of flax

3 bushels of flaxseed
36 pounds of beeswax and honey
$32 worth of home-made manufactures
$23 worth of animals slaughtered


Nancy Mahan's household in 1850 consisted of herself (aged 56 years, born in Ireland, farmer) and four unmarried children: Jane (aged 23, born in Pennsylvania), William (aged 21, born in Pennsylvania, farmer), Angeline (aged 15 years, born in Pennsylvania), and Isabella (aged 14 years, born in Pennsylvania).[2]



[1]1850 US Agricultural Census, farm of Nancy Mahan, 3 August 1850, White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 59-60 (199), line 17, digital image, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, http://www.portal.state.pa.us : accessed 16 October 2008, citing National Archives, Washington Record Group 029.

[2]1850 US Census, household of Nancy Mahan, 5 August 1850, White Township, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania, page 27 (53 stamped), lines 10-14, dwelling number 366, family number 369, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 June 2012, citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 785.