More about Edmund Harvey's Children

Only one marriage record that we have found lists parents.  It does give us the name of Edmund's first wife, if Edwin remembered correctly.  His mother died when he was very young, as he was born in 1864 and she does not appear in the 1870 census.

Edwin (James) named his mother as 'Margaret Hoffman' in his marriage record in 1895.  Edwin married Clara McGill in 1895 in Grand Traverse county.  (Michigan marriages Vol. B Moore Liber 3 p. 81.)  One can see them in the 1900 census living in Forest Home, Antrim, Michigan.  Edwin is head, 33, b. Jan 1867 in Michigan, both parents b. New York.  Clara, wife 25, b. Sept 1874 in Michigan, Connecticut, Canada.  Grace Walling, niece, 19, b. Aug 1882 in Michigan, dad Indiana, mom Pennsylvania.

This helps us find out Edmund's first wife, and more work needs to be done to find an Edmund or Edward Harvey and a Margaret in the 1850 or 1860 census, theoretically in Ohio or Pennsylvania, as Franklin and Irus were born in Ohio and Emma Jane was born in Pennsylvania in 1861.  These have proven elusive so far.

Edmund was still living when Edwin married, so it could possibly be that this name is good, we just can't find it.

In sorting out which children belonged to Edmund and which belonged to Elizabeth Wellmore Mitchell, we can derive clues from the censuses.

Franklin and Irus obviously belong to Edmund.  They consistently go by the same names and they are both cited in Edmund's will.  Franklin was born in 1851 in Ohio; he was 19 in 1870, 25 in 1880 (wrong) and 50 in 1903 probate record.  Irus was born in 1854 in Ohio; he was 16 in 1870, 23 in 1880 (wrong) and 47 in 1903.

Jane, age 9 in 1870 and disappears, unless she is also Emma.  In 1880, Emma is 19, but she is dumb, disabled and idiotic.  Was this an older brothers' stunt or was it fact?  Who talked to the census taker?  Emma is listed as age 44 in 1903.  Emma married a Taft, under which name she is listed as an heir on Edmund's probate record.

Edwin is cited as an heir, but he might be the James that appears in the 1870 census as age 6.  In 1880 he does not appear in the census when he would be 16 under either name.  In probate, he is cited as age 37 in 1903. 

The last child cited vicariously in the will is Mary or Anna.  In 1870, Mary is age 4; in 1880, Anna is age 15.  Anna married a Walling and delivered a daughter Grace, who is named in the will as Edmund's heir, as Anna passed away in 1899.

Charles appears in the 1880 census when Elizabeth Willmore Mitchell is present, it is likely that he is Elizabeth's son.  He may have passed away, but if he had heirs, Edmund might have still considered him in his will as he had Grace Walling. 

More research needs to be done to find which mothers these children conclusively belong to.