This obituary, received today, September 20, 2007, is the next to the last document I have been expecting to close the "case" of Elizabeth Van Buskirk Bannon Davis.
The information I was hoping for was not there, but some interesting other information was. For one thing the obituary says she was born in Mercer County Indiana (an error). The truth is, it was Mercer County Ohio. Her death certificate says her birth place was New Dover, Ohio. New Dover is in Union County Ohio, and some miles east of Mercer County where her parents were in 1840 & 1850. I was sure her death certificate was wrong and the obituary bore that out. It seemed strange to me that in those days of limited travel the family went from Mercer County in 1840 to Union County in 1842 when Mary Ann was born, and back to Mercer County where William Bannon, her sibling, was born. That she married in Union County I am certain, and New Dover came from her marriage place not her birth place. Of course, obituaries are not considered a primary source, and in this case in particular, it is not. I was hoping it would say she had a sister, Nancy Jane Bannon Harper. Alas, it did not. I am sticking to my original premise that Mary Ann was a child of John Bannon and Margaret Hesser. Perhaps John's middle name was William and was called by that name -- or remembered by that name. At any rate there is no William Bannon in the Mercer County Ohio area in 1840-1850.
The last piece of evidence I am expecting is the Civil War Pension Application for Henry M Ligget. He is the son of Sarah Bannon Ferguson Liggett Harris. I am hoping it may have information about his mother. After analyzing that, I will have pretty much investigated all that I can think of in the case of the life and children of Elizabeth Van Buskirk.
The information I was hoping for was not there, but some interesting other information was. For one thing the obituary says she was born in Mercer County Indiana (an error). The truth is, it was Mercer County Ohio. Her death certificate says her birth place was New Dover, Ohio. New Dover is in Union County Ohio, and some miles east of Mercer County where her parents were in 1840 & 1850. I was sure her death certificate was wrong and the obituary bore that out. It seemed strange to me that in those days of limited travel the family went from Mercer County in 1840 to Union County in 1842 when Mary Ann was born, and back to Mercer County where William Bannon, her sibling, was born. That she married in Union County I am certain, and New Dover came from her marriage place not her birth place. Of course, obituaries are not considered a primary source, and in this case in particular, it is not. I was hoping it would say she had a sister, Nancy Jane Bannon Harper. Alas, it did not. I am sticking to my original premise that Mary Ann was a child of John Bannon and Margaret Hesser. Perhaps John's middle name was William and was called by that name -- or remembered by that name. At any rate there is no William Bannon in the Mercer County Ohio area in 1840-1850.
The last piece of evidence I am expecting is the Civil War Pension Application for Henry M Ligget. He is the son of Sarah Bannon Ferguson Liggett Harris. I am hoping it may have information about his mother. After analyzing that, I will have pretty much investigated all that I can think of in the case of the life and children of Elizabeth Van Buskirk.
Oh oh, I forgot, I am expecting two microfilms in that may have additional evidence in this case! Will it ever end?
I assure you that it will be concluded soon and we will move on to two ancestors in Delaware -- and they are Revolutionary Patriots!!
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