Sarah and Daniel’s Family, the Second Family!

Daniel and Sarah Spracklin by permission

Daniel D. Spracklin married Sarah Blacketer Allgood on 21 November 1863 in Marengo, Iowa Co., Iowa.

Marriage of Daniel to Sarah 1863

Source:  Marriage Record of Daniel and Sara Spracklin Vol. C 1863-1874, Microfilm at the Iowa Genealogical Society, Des Moines, Iowa. Marriage Record, November 21, 1863. D.D. Spracklin and Sarah Allgood received marriage license November 21, 1863, State of Iowa, Iowa County. I herby certify that on the 22nd day of November 1863. D.D. Spracklin and Sarah Allgood were by me joined together in marriage. Given under my hand the 22nd date of November 1863, D.W. Chance J.P.

Daniel & Sarah’s Children

Photo:  L to R: Reed A. Spracklin,  Daniel Goss Spracklin, Charles Edward Spracklin, Virda Huston Spracklin, Peter George Spracklin, Lydia Marie Spracklin, Daniel Goss Spracklin Reed Andrews Spracklin.  There seems to be a little disagreement in the family as to which one is Daniel and which one is Reed. Based on other photos I think that the update is correct (11/2014).  I think they look cold.  I would say this was taken about 1908 or maybe 1915???

Daniel and Sarah’s Children:

1.  Lydia Marie Spracklin was born 12 July 1864, Benton County, Iowa and died the 27th of May 1930 in Somers, Calhoun Co., Iowa.  She married Thomas Jefferson Ross on 9 Sept. 1881 in Dayton Twp., Iowa Co., Iowa.  They are both buried in the Cedar Cemetery, Rinard, Calhoun County, Iowa.

2.  Virda Huston Spracklin was born 11 June 1866 in Benton County, Iowa and died 15 November 1927 in Woonsocket, Sanborn County, South Dakota.  He married Lillie Mae Amsden on 12 November 1889 in Rockwell City, Calhoun Co., Iowa.  They ar both buried in the Eventide Cemetery in Woonsocket.  I was very excited to see that FindAGrave has a picture of Virda’s tombstone.  I have tried to figure out how I could visit.

3.  Reed Andrews Spracklin born 24 August 1868, Benton Co., Iowa and died 18 July 1938 in Jordan, Garfield Co., Montana.  He married Julia Ann Siler on the 29th of December 1897 in Greenfield Twp., Calhoun Co., Iowa.  They are buried in the Pioneer Cemetery in Jordan, Montana.  Reed was the administrator of his father’s estate.  I have visited his granddaughter Bertha Spracklin Roufley on several occasions and learned a great deal about Reed.

4.  Daniel Goss Spracklin was born 21 Sept. 1870 in Benton Co., Iowa and died the 8th of August 1927 in Calhoun Co., Iowa.  He married a Susan Matilda Marrow on the 29th of January 1907 in Iowa Co., Iowa.  I do not yet know where Daniel is buried.

5.  Peter George Spracklin was born the 31st of August 1872 probably Iowa Co.  His father Daniel had moved the family from Benton Co. to Iowa County and 20 miles south and it was about this time that he made that move.  Peter died on the 26th of January 1956 in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  He married Etta Mae Hall on 1 January 1896 in Calhoun Co., Iowa but that marriage didn’t last.  Peter has descendants in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and I have had the great fortune to meet them while traveling in Ohio in 2011.

6.  Charles Edward Spracklin was born the 19th of September 1874 probably in Iowa County.  He died on the 10th of September  1946, Deerfield Township, Cass County, Minnesota and is buried in the Bethlehem Cemetery, McKinley Township, Cass County, Minnesota.  He married Arminda Victoria Ward sometime in 1915 in Pine River, Cass County, Minnesota.  I have been to the graveside of both Charles and Arminda.

7.  Alfred Marion Spracklin was born 16 July 1876 in Iowa County, Iowa and died Dec. 12 1893 in Iowa County.  He is buried with his parents in the Community Cemeter east of Millersburg.  There is some confusion in the published cemetery records of his exact birth date.  Some say it was 1899 but I believe it was 1893.  More on Alfred in a future post.

Each one of the children of Daniel and Sarah and has a great story to tell.  One of my biggest problems in tracking the descendants of Daniel and Sarah was that most left and lived in other parts of Iowa or headed for the Dakotas, Minnesota, Oregon, California even some went back to Pennsylvania.  By the time of Daniel’s death  in 1915 they had scattered.  Spracklins are a restless bunch and they don’t like to leave records unless you are willing to dig for them.

I pause to give a great deal of credit to my whole and half cousins who have helped me to learn more about each one of these families, the first and the second of Daniel’s.  I am grateful for their passion and willingness to share.   Of course my interest tends to lean toward the first family so forgive me if I error or fail to present all information.

Note:  The two photographs were given to me by my cousin Gloria Spracklin Spinler  Gloria Stocker Spinler a great granddaughter of Reed Spracklin. She gave me permission to share.  Her Aunt Bertha helped to clarify and confirm correctly, who the persons in the photograph were.  Reed was her grandfather.

Stepping Back In Time: Amarilla’s Life In Iowa Before George!

In recent published posts I have talked about John Keller and Mary Anne Delano Keller who were Amarilla’s grandparents on her mother’s side.

Amarilla was the daughter of Daniel D. Spracklin and Elizabeth Keller.  Daniel’s parents were John Andrews Spracklin and Lydia Goss.  Daniel and Elizabeth had 4 children.  By 1860 Elizabeth had passed.  She had died in 1859 just months after Amarilla’s birth.

Elizabeth Spracklin’s Tombstone , Titler Cemetery, Iowa

A thorough page by page search of the Iowa census was attempted but Daniel was not found.  Amarilla does appear in the 1860 Iowa census in Benton County, Iowa but she is not with her father Daniel? She is with her sister Mary and another family.

1860 U.S. Federal Census Family of Shelley/Spracklin Dwelling# 1175, Hse #1217, pg. 178, Roll #M635-325 Iowa & Jasper Co.,  Marengo Twp., Iowa Co., Iowa, National Archives, Alaska-Pacific Region, Seattle, WA. 1175/1217 – Joseph Shelley, 68 yrs. old, male, farmer, $1400 real estate, $100 personal, born in Tennessee. Sarah Shelley, age 48, born in Maryland, Martha Shelley, age 13, born in Indiana, Eliza, age 9, born in Indiana May Sprackling age 4, male?, born in Iowa, (A)melia age 1 yr., female, born in Iowa

It is my belief that this is Mary and Amarilla even though the spelling is different.  The ages are correct and the location is close.  As for the Shelley family, I do not know what their relationship to Daniel maybe.  The Spracklins and the Kellers are large families and this could easily be relatives that I do not have knowledge of.  They could also just be neighbors and friends helping out.

The other interesting fact is that Henry, the older brother is also displaced and living with another family in 1860.  In this case it is his Aunt Olive a sister of Daniel’s.

 W. P. Merifield Family, 1860 U.S. Federal Census Leroy Twp., Benton County, Iowa, Reel No M653, # 311, Page 162. Merifield, W.P. 29 farmer 800, 300, born in Ohio, Olive 27 yrs. born in Ohio, Lydia 7 yrs. born in Iowa, Corista 2 yrs born in Iowa, Spracklin, Henry 7, born in Ohio.

There is no sign of Amarilla’s father.  I did a house by house search of the township and there were lots of houses that were empty.  I even searched in Ohio to see if Daniel had gone back to his home in Knox County, Ohio because his father John Andrews Spracklin had died in 1862.  I cannot find him.

Benton County 1872

So the death of Elizabeth Keller Spracklin in 1859 really created a temporary scattering of the family of Daniel D. Spracklin at that time.  There does not appear to be any evidence that he joined the fight and enlisted in the Civil War.

By 1870 Daniel is back in the census and he is remarried to Sarah.  He has Henry and Amarilla with him from his first marriage.  Emily is Sarah’s daughter from her first marriage. Sister Mary died on the 27th of September 1861.  This death must have affected Amarilla even though she was very young.

By 1870, Sarah and Daniel have started to have a family of their own.  The other children: Lydia, Birdie H (Virda), Reed A. are of the 2nd family.

Daniel D. Spracklin Household, 1870 U.S. Federal Census LeRoy Twp., Benton Co., Iowa,  June 17, 1870, Post Office is Blairstown, Page 18. Line 34, 123, 122, Spracklin, Daniel, age 40, male, white, famer, $3300, $700, born in Ohio, father and mother of foreign birth, citizen of US.  Sarah,  34 yrs., female, white, keeping house, born in Indiana.  Henry F. 17 yrs., male, white, born in Ohio.  Emily,  13 yrs, female, white, born in Indiana.  Ammarilla, 11 yrs., female, white, born in Iowa.  Lydia M., 5 yrs., female, white, born in Iowa.  Birdie H., 4 yrs., male, white, born in Iowa. Continued page 19:  Reed A., 1 yrs., male, white, born in Iowa.  Henry, Emily, Ammarilla, Lydia attended school within the year. 

There are other names listed under the notation for Daniel in 1870.  Nelson, Peter 26, farmer with 600 value of personal estate from Denmark, Nelson, Hardie 26 keeping house, from Denmark, Nelson, Andrew 1 yr. born in Iowa, Nelson, Peter 5/12 yr. born in Iowa, all have parentage that are foreign birth, Frederickson, Ann 8, from Denmark, Anderson, Peter 23, laborer Denmark, both with parentage foreign.

Daniel remarried on 21 November 1863 to Sarah Blacketer Allgood in Marengo, Iowa Co., Iowa.  He is still living in LeRoy Twp. in Benton County, Iowa but that will change.  Amarilla was 5 years old when he marries Sarah.  She may be young but old enough to know that something has happened.

Daniel’s Land in Leroy Twp., Benton County, Iowa

In the closeup of the Benton Co. Atlas Daniel’s land is in two parts of 40 acres each.  There is a double line almost in the middle and Daniel’s land is on the left of the line under the School.  There is a dot showing this piece of land.  The other land is to the right on the other side of the double line with another dot next to a Case and below A. Justus.  Which piece of land Daniel had his house located on is not known.  This is why Amarilla’s great-granddaughter, the writer of this blog, believes she was born nearer to Blairstown.  Daniel did not move to Iowa County, Iowa 20 miles south till after 1872.  Amarilla was born in November of 1858.

If you go back to the 1856 Iowa State Census you will find interesting things going on.   Daniel is not mentioned in published indexes for this census but he is definitely there and he and Elizabeth and their son Henry are living next to Blacketers, and Daniel’s sister Olive Merrifield and her family.

1856 Iowa State Census

So Amarilla’s beginnings are a bit precarious.  She looses her mother at a very early age, a sister dies and she is separated from her brother and father for maybe a year or two?  Then her father returns to marry a stranger.  This is a lot for a 5-year-old to take in.

Miriam, Amarilla’s granddaughter writes:  “Amarilla (Ammarilla, sometimes she varied it) belonged to the first family, hated the second and left home.  Supported herself as a seamstress.  Married George Angus Barclay in Brainard, Minn.  He had land…”