The Orphan Boy - Abraham Frank Howard III

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Abraham Frank Howard III (1859-1925) The Orphan Boy
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by Carolyn Ann Howard

This blog post was updated 29 Apr 2022.

I used to feel sorry for Frank Howard, the orphan boy. You see, Frank's mother died shortly after he was born in Iowa. Frank's father, Abraham II, and Frank's uncle, who lived with them, along with the baby, made their way back to their parent's home outside of Loogootee in Martin County, Indiana. Surely both sons were devastated.

It wasn't even a year later that Abraham II enrolled as a Union soldier in the United States Civil War, leaving his infant son in the care of his parents, Abraham I and Mary Ann Toles Howard. Abraham II was killed in the Battle of Antietam 17 Sep 1862. Therefore, the orphaned boy never knew either one of his parents.

A short time later, in 1864, Grandfather Abraham I died, leaving Grandmother Mary Ann a widow at the age of 50. After this, Mary Ann petitioned the court to adopt Abraham Frank Howard. She also applied for Frank to have his father's Civil War pension. It was $8.00/month.

Frank's grandmother, Mary Ann, had another set of grandchildren, too, Ella and Emory Howard. These children belonged to Henry Howard and his first wife, Elizabeth Smith. After the birth of these two children, Henry took a different wife and had other children with her. When Henry died in 1872, Ella and Emory were outta there. I haven't for sure tracked Emory down, but Ella went to Vincennes, Indiana, where her great aunt, Mary Jane, lived. Ella's grandmother, Mary Ann, and Abraham Frank III went with her.

My late father's research looses the trail after Mary Ann left Loogootee with her grandchildren. I don't understand this when it comes to Ella, as she is easily tracked. Unfortunately, by the time I had become interested in my family's genealogy and could talk with my father about Ella, he had already forgotten most of what he had previously known.

In the 1880 census, Mary Ann was in Mount Morris, Michigan, living with Frank and, down the road from her, was her other granddaughter, Ella Howard, now Ella Ellis! But where were Mary Ann and Frank in 1870? Ancestry couldn't tell me.

We knew that Mary Ann had remarried a man by the name of McAlpine, due to Frank's court records that listed her as Mary McAlpine. She was also listed on the 1880 census as Mary McAlpine. Because of that, using FamilySearch.org, I did a search of the 1870 Michigan federal census for Mary Ann McAlpine along with the person of Frank Howard. Bingo. There she was as the wife of Peter McAlpine living in Watertown, Tuscola, Michigan. Frank Howard is listed at the bottom of the family, age 11, the correct age. Ancestry's perimeters doesn't list Frank Howard as living in the same household, due to his last name being different from the rest, so he got lost on Ancestry. Family Search many times is the superior tool for researching.

Knowing that Mary Ann married Peter McAlpine, her marriage certificate was easily found on Ancestry. This document notes Mary Ann as being Mrs. Mary Ann Howard from Loogootee, Indiana.

As previously noted, in 1880, Mary Ann and Frank are back in Mount Morris Michigan, living down the street from Ella. But where did they go after that? And what happened to the poor orphan boy, Frank Howard?

We have no 1890 census records, so using Family Search, I searched for Frank Howard in 1900. And one came up! YAY! Not in Mount Morris but in nearby Clio, Michigan. Even better, it correctly shows his father as being born in New York. And, he has a son named Rainie. Frank's mother's maiden name was Raney. It shows his name as Abraham Frank Howard, the same name as his father. It also shows his being born in Iowa, and his birth date was correct. It all adds up.

On other censuses, it doesn't add up quite so well, but census records can sometimes be a little sketchy; you can't always trust them. Mostly, though, it makes perfect sense that Abraham Frank Howard is our Frank Howard, especially that his father and grandfather were both Abrahams.

Frank's death certificate states he was born in Vincennes and his mother's name was Martha Raney. Frank was definitely born in Iowa and his mother definitely was Eliza Jane Raney. Wonder where the name of Martha came up in the memories of his children? Mary Ann and Frank sojourned in Vincennes, Indiana, a few years before heading off to Michigan, so Frank's children may have thought he was born in Vincennes.

When doing genealogy, it's so easy to project feelings onto your ancestors. Ahhh.... poor Frank. But Frank wasn't poor at all. Growing up, he had his grandmother and his Aunt Ella. Not sure what happened those few years his grandmother was with Peter McAlpine, though. How was that time for him living with another family?

Other than that, it appears he lived a good, normal life. He took a wife, had children and apparently several occupations: On the 1880 census, he is listed as a barber; 1900, merchant; 1910, funeral director; and 1920 real estate agent! We know that he actually was all of these things. To read more, go here. (Opens in a new window)

In memory of my late father and mother, Rev. William "Lester" Howard and Mary McLean Howard.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Indiana's Historic Pathway Is Scenic, Especially through Martin County, IN

The Travel Blog

Indiana's Historic Pathway is Scenic, Especially through Martin County, Indiana

Note: You can see larger images by clicking on the image you want to view.

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

Martin County's treasures are abundant, including its breathtaking scenery at every turn. Consider a road trip on U.S. 150 that runs from Loogootee to Shoals, Indiana, and then onward to twin towns of West Baden/French Lick. Click on photos to enlarge

U.S. 150 enters hilly Loogootee as flat farmland.

U.S. 150 enters Loogootee, IN, running concurrently with U.S. 231 and another historic route, U.S. 50.

The routes run together until the main intersection of Loogootee at JFK Avenue where U.S. 231 runs north and U.S. 150 and 50 run east.

The road running from Loogootee to Shoals, which is the county seat of Martin County, is fabulous.

It is a spectacular drive, especially when you go down that hill and it opens up into a valley. It's magical.

Keep driving and taking in all the beauty of the hills, valleys and plains.

Before crossing the bride into Shoals, you might want to veer right onto Capital Avenue. This street comes up as soon as you pass the Pilgrim Holiness Church that my great-uncle John Carroll founded. The Martin County Museum is housed in the old courthouse on Capital Avenue. This beautiful building was built in 1876 to replace the old one that had burned down. It now houses the Martin County Historical Society and Museum.

Upon arriving in the charming town of Shoals, you will cross the East Fork of White River. Its so breathtaking.

Shoals was platted in 1844 under the name of Memphis. I've heard different theories as to how the name Shoals came about, but I don't know which stories are true.

On you're right, before you to turn right on U.S. 150, you might want to pull into the iconic Bo-Macs for burgers and fries. You might then want to stop at the Marathon next door for gas and a restroom break. Be sure to turn right at the intersection, though. If you go straight, it'll take you to Bedford. We want to end up in the twin towns of West Baden and French Lick, so turn right, staying on US 150.

As you begin down this road, you'll notice heavily wooded areas. One of my best friends here in Evansville, Indiana, worked at a lumber yard for many, many years. He supplied many of the merchants in Martin, Daviess, and Spencer Counties in Indiana with lumber products.

Bob Tedrow is one of those buyers: "I purchased many loads of lumber from your friend. I would often spend an hour a week talking to him on the phone, we got to be very good friends." He continued, "As you travel Hwy. 150 there are many curves and hills, some of the “old timers” say the highway was built this way on purpose to make you slow down and take in all the scenery."

Beautiful scenery, indeed!

The next landmark is called Singing Hill. My great-uncle John Carroll, the great Pilgrim Holiness pastor, helped to build this Holiness Campground. I don't know much about it's history, but I'll bet it's interesting!

Look at that old gas station! I love old buildings. Always try to envision what they looked like in their heyday.

The road continues to be beautiful as we cross over from Martin County, Indiana to Orange County.

We'll soon be at the junction of US 150 and Indiana 56. Turn left to continue on US 150 onward to Paoli. Or turn right onto Indiana 56 to enter the beautiful twin towns of West Baden and French Lick. Get a room at either of the two grand hotels in the area and enjoy your stay!

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

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Google Photos are used with permission by giving the proper attribution

Our Mysterious Howard: Elizabeth Nancy Smith Woody

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Elizabeth Nancy Smith Woody Howard (abt 1832 - aft 1858)

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post was updated August 30, 2021.

Elizabeth Nancy Smith Woody Howard has been such a puzzle for Howard family researchers. One of the reasons is that her last name was Smith. What a difficult name to research as it is one of the most common last name in the Unites States. Another reason is my immediate family's unusual history in Pilgrim Holiness, taking it a notch further. It sometimes feels that the criteria for being a part of this line is that the entire family must be holy, including our ancestors.

I don't believe our Howard line was particularly holy, including Abraham Howard I, Abraham Howard II, nor his son Henry, who was Elizabeth's husband. And by saying this, I'm not saying that these Howards were BAD people. Not at all! I just don't think they went to church, that's all. But perhaps that has nothing to do with our story, because Elizabeth is mysterious. We know very little about her, and it doesn't appear anyone else knows much about her, either. Again, Elizabeth Smith isn't a unique name.

Abraham Howard I was born in Grafton, New York. As a young man, he moved with his family from Grafton to then Genesee County, New York, now Wyoming County. Not his entire family but his father and mother, and his brothers Jacob and Elias. Jacob and Elias both became involved in The Free Will Baptist Church of Dale, New York and are listed next to each other in the 1850 census. Not so Abraham. Abraham settled in nearby Attica while the rest of his family stayed in Middlebury. It was said in a letter from the Middlebury Historical Society that Jacob and Elias were much more involved in church "than the other ones."

Abraham I broke with his family in his move to Martin County, Indiana, firstly settling in Shoals and then shortly later in Loogootee. Abraham and his wife, Mary Ann, along with their children, except for Joanna, arrived in Martin County in or around 1854.

When Ancestry came along, with their advanced tools, I linked Elizabeth Nancy Smith with Morris Woody, a potential first husband. It didn't feel like it could be true, but if so, she had 3 children with him, Samuel, John and Henry. Is it telling that her youngest son has the same name as her potential second husband? Unfortunately, I have Elizabeth's son Henry born the same year as Henry Howard and Elizabeth Smith's oldest, Ella, so, of course, that can't be correct, yet still, something doesn't quite add up.

When I started my public Ancestry tree, I once again linked Elizabeth Nancy Smith with Morris Woody, because, in essence, it fits. Even so, I almost deleted all the Woody's. But something stopped me and now more than ever, it feels that this union really happened.

Elizabeth Smith and Morris Woody married in 1850. In the 1850 census, they lived with Elizabeth's father, Samuel and mother Temperance Roberts Smith, in Spice Valley, Lawrence, Indiana. Living with parents after first getting married was common place at this time. Their first son, Samuel, was born about 1850, John in 1853 and Henry in 1856. However, the tree overlaps as Elizabeth married Henry Howard in 1854.

According to the 1870 census, Elizabeth and Henry's daughter, Ella, was born in New York in 1856. Their son, Emory was born in 1858 in New York.

I doubled my efforts to locate Henry Howard in the 1860 census. I looked through all the relatives and all their 1860 census records and did not find him. I couldn't find Elizabeth, either. I then decided to look at the Perry County, Martin, Indiana 1860 census. The rest of the Howard family is there as is Samuel Smith, Elizabeth's father. But here we see that Elizabeth's father is no longer married to Elizabeth's mother, Temperance. He is instead married to a different Elizabeth. I realized then I have Temperance's death date as prior to 1860 and the ages and names of the children all add up. Abraham Howard is family number 60, Samuel Smith 61 and there at family number 64 is the Crays family. Henry married Nancy Crays in 1861.

One last conundrum about our mysterious Elizabeth. On her Martin County marriage certificate to Henry Howard, her name is listed as Elizabeth Smith, not Elizabeth Woody. Although in that time, you could tell people any name you wanted. No background checks! No secure IDs!

When younger, I'd listen to my father banter about our genealogy and many times he would ask, "Did Elizabeth Smith die?" And I would think, "Let's not jump to conclusions!" But... maybe she did. Perhaps she died in childbirth with Emory. Childbirth was one of the number one causes of death in women at that time. And, after her death, Henry would've been forced to reunite with his Martin County family in order to have childcare. Click on photos to enlarge

Shoals Overlook
Courtesy of Marie Hawkins

I don't know why Samuel Smith brought his family from Lawrence County to Martin County. Abraham and Samuel go all the way back to when the Howard family first landed in Martin County, as he sold Abraham land along the gorgeous Overlook at Shoals, overlooking the East Fork of White River. But in the 1860 census, Abraham Howard and family are no longer in Shoals and Samuel Smith and family are no longer in Spice Valley. Instead, the two families are together just outside Loogootee. Henry and Elizabeth are nowhere to be found, and my family has been searching through census records for years without success.

Was this a scandalous love affair between Henry and Elizabeth? I think yes. Was Henry in on it? I think yes. He may have even been the instigator. Or she. What did his father Abraham and her father Samuel think? What did her husband Morris think? We may never know the answer, but if we had the answers, it would make a great story!

One reason it feels this was a scandal is that the couple went to New York. We know this, because their two children were born in New York. Were they banished there by their family? Were they banished there by the community? Did Henry's second wife, Nancy Crays, know about this? Well, Henry came back to Martin County with two children, so she knew at least that he likely had been married once.

In the 1860 census, Elizabeth's first husband Morris is living with the Dickerson Family in Spice Valley, Lawrence, Indiana. The three children are living with the William Woody family in Halbert Township, Martin County, Indiana. In the 1870 census, Morris Woody had married Nancy Chastain, had a little girl, Ellen, and the three boys are back together with their father and stepmother.

Henry married Nancy Crays in 1861. He did not fight in the Civil War and most likely never left Martin County again. He died in 1872 of tuberculosis. Upon his death, his daughter with Elizabeth, Ella, moved to Vincennes with her grandmother. We do not know Emory's fate. The last we hear from him is on the 1870 census with his step-family.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC