When did Sarah Jane Runyon Tatum Die?
Jul 29, 2009 15:04:09 GMT -5
Post by ricklarson on Jul 29, 2009 15:04:09 GMT -5
An Error seems to have proliferated on the net regarding the death date of Sarah Jane Runyon daughter of Asa G Runyon who was a grandson of Phineas Runyon. Almost every online second hand source notes that she died "Abt 1857" which happens to be the same year her father died. I don't know the original source for this date, but it appears to be incorrect.
I have spent the last several years trying to build a database of descendants of Asa Runyon and one mystery always lingered. What happened to the Tatums? Initial searches only uncovered their marriage record and the birth record of their first child, Mary Thomas Tatum. After that they seemed to disappear, which lent legitimacy to the idea that Sarah died in 1857. However it didn't explain what happened to the rest of the family and many searches in the past lead to only dead ends.
I made a breakthrough when searching the exhaustive 1925 Iowa State Census. It includes parents names for each person and a Mary Crain was listed with Thomas Tatum and Sarah Jane Runyon as parents. A further search on just the parents names lead me to a surprise. Iva Wilson is also listed as the child of Thomas and Sarah, but she was only 56, so born in 1869. If Sarah had died around 1857 that would be impossible. I have since located the entire family including Sarah in Anderson county KY in the 1860 Census and in Johnson County IA in 1870. I think I have found them in 1880 in Penn Township in Osborne County Kansas. Only Thomas J Tatum, Charles Tatum and a Fenwick Tatum are listed though. The 1885 Kansas State Census shows Thomas and Fenwick and indicates they came to Kansas from Iowa. It seems possible that Sarah Jane died sometime between 1870 and 1880. Further research is needed to prove the Kansas Connection.
Some mysteries other than the Kansas connection remain:
What happened to Iva in 1880? She was only 11 and it appears she was not living with her father in Kansas or her eldest sister in Iowa.
Why is Mary Tatum Crain listed as having no children in the 1900 and 1910 census column pertaining to that question, yet just below her is Eva G Crain who is listed as the daughter of Mary's husband? Mary and Andrew Crain had been married for 20 years with no children when Eva was born. Was she Adopted? Perhaps the child of one of Andrew's siblings?
What happened to Charles and Nellie/Hellie Tatum?
Is Fenwick Tatum the same person as Tim Tatum? The ages match.
1. THOMAS J TATUM was born 17 Aug 1827 in KY. He married SARAH JANE RUNYON 12 Jan 1852 in Garrard, KY, daughter of ASA RUNYON and MARY ARTHUR. She was born Abt. 1838 in KY.
Children of THOMAS TATUM and SARAH RUNYON are:
2. i. MARY THOMAS TATUM, b. 11 Jul 1853, Back Creek, Garrard, KY.
3. ii. SILAS WILLIAM TATUM, b. Abt. 1857, KY.
iii. NELLIE TATUM, b. Abt. 1861, KY. (Possibly Hellie)
iv. CHARLES TATUM, b. Abt. 1864, KY. (Living with James and Evaline Crain in 1885 Iowa State Census)
v. FENWICK (Finn) TATUM, b. Abt. 1866, KY.
4. vi. IVA LEORA TATUM, b. 12 Jul 1869, IA; d. 25 Dec 1956.
Generation No. 2
2. MARY THOMAS TATUM was born 11 Jul 1853 in Back Creek, Garrard, KY. She married ANDREW L CRAIN 06 Oct 1870 in Johnson, IA, son of JAMES CRAIN and EVALINE. He was born Aug 1846 in PA.
Child of MARY TATUM and ANDREW CRAIN is:
i. EVA G CRAIN, b. Apr 1892, IA.
3. SILAS WILLIAM TATUM was born Abt. 1857 in KY. He married CLARA MINNIE CRAIN, daughter of JAMES CRAIN and EVALINE. She was born Abt. 19 Jan 1856 in IA, and died 26 Nov 1936 in Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA.
Children of SILAS TATUM and CLARA CRAIN are:
i. ROBERT ALLEN TATUM, b. 20 Dec 1887, St Joseph, Buchanan, MO; d. 20 Feb 1966, Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA; m. MAMMIE ELIZABETH MCDONALD, 01 Nov 1910, Jackson, MO; b. KS.
ii. LESTER ORLAND TATUM, b. 04 Nov 1889, St Joseph, Buchanan, MO; d. 25 Mar 1968, Contra Costa, CA.
4. IVA LEORA TATUM was born 12 Jul 1869 in IA, and died 25 Dec 1956. She married BOLTON S WILSON Abt. 1892 in IA. He was born Apr 1869 in IA.
Children of IVA TATUM and BOLTON WILSON are:
5. i. BERYL LUCRETIA WILSON, b. 09 Nov 1895, IA; d. 28 Mar 1985.
ii. BYRON L WILSON, b. 04 Jun 1897, IA; d. 26 Aug 1976, San Bernardino, CA; m. MYRTLE B WREDLICK; b. Abt. 1900, Dubuque, IA.
6. iii. EDITH MARIE WILSON, b. 05 May 1900, Mount Vernon, Linn, IA; d. 12 Jan 1998, IA.
iv. VIRGIL WILSON, b. Abt. 1903, IA.
v. OPAL WILSON, b. Abt. 1906, IA; d. 1980.
I discovered there is one ancestry member who is a possible descendant of Iva Leora who connects her to Sarah Jane and has some of the census records on their tree, but the abt 1857 death date for Sarah Jane is still there. I wish I had found their member tree first, it would have saved me a lot of time
I have spent the last several years trying to build a database of descendants of Asa Runyon and one mystery always lingered. What happened to the Tatums? Initial searches only uncovered their marriage record and the birth record of their first child, Mary Thomas Tatum. After that they seemed to disappear, which lent legitimacy to the idea that Sarah died in 1857. However it didn't explain what happened to the rest of the family and many searches in the past lead to only dead ends.
I made a breakthrough when searching the exhaustive 1925 Iowa State Census. It includes parents names for each person and a Mary Crain was listed with Thomas Tatum and Sarah Jane Runyon as parents. A further search on just the parents names lead me to a surprise. Iva Wilson is also listed as the child of Thomas and Sarah, but she was only 56, so born in 1869. If Sarah had died around 1857 that would be impossible. I have since located the entire family including Sarah in Anderson county KY in the 1860 Census and in Johnson County IA in 1870. I think I have found them in 1880 in Penn Township in Osborne County Kansas. Only Thomas J Tatum, Charles Tatum and a Fenwick Tatum are listed though. The 1885 Kansas State Census shows Thomas and Fenwick and indicates they came to Kansas from Iowa. It seems possible that Sarah Jane died sometime between 1870 and 1880. Further research is needed to prove the Kansas Connection.
Some mysteries other than the Kansas connection remain:
What happened to Iva in 1880? She was only 11 and it appears she was not living with her father in Kansas or her eldest sister in Iowa.
Why is Mary Tatum Crain listed as having no children in the 1900 and 1910 census column pertaining to that question, yet just below her is Eva G Crain who is listed as the daughter of Mary's husband? Mary and Andrew Crain had been married for 20 years with no children when Eva was born. Was she Adopted? Perhaps the child of one of Andrew's siblings?
What happened to Charles and Nellie/Hellie Tatum?
Is Fenwick Tatum the same person as Tim Tatum? The ages match.
1. THOMAS J TATUM was born 17 Aug 1827 in KY. He married SARAH JANE RUNYON 12 Jan 1852 in Garrard, KY, daughter of ASA RUNYON and MARY ARTHUR. She was born Abt. 1838 in KY.
Children of THOMAS TATUM and SARAH RUNYON are:
2. i. MARY THOMAS TATUM, b. 11 Jul 1853, Back Creek, Garrard, KY.
3. ii. SILAS WILLIAM TATUM, b. Abt. 1857, KY.
iii. NELLIE TATUM, b. Abt. 1861, KY. (Possibly Hellie)
iv. CHARLES TATUM, b. Abt. 1864, KY. (Living with James and Evaline Crain in 1885 Iowa State Census)
v. FENWICK (Finn) TATUM, b. Abt. 1866, KY.
4. vi. IVA LEORA TATUM, b. 12 Jul 1869, IA; d. 25 Dec 1956.
Generation No. 2
2. MARY THOMAS TATUM was born 11 Jul 1853 in Back Creek, Garrard, KY. She married ANDREW L CRAIN 06 Oct 1870 in Johnson, IA, son of JAMES CRAIN and EVALINE. He was born Aug 1846 in PA.
Child of MARY TATUM and ANDREW CRAIN is:
i. EVA G CRAIN, b. Apr 1892, IA.
3. SILAS WILLIAM TATUM was born Abt. 1857 in KY. He married CLARA MINNIE CRAIN, daughter of JAMES CRAIN and EVALINE. She was born Abt. 19 Jan 1856 in IA, and died 26 Nov 1936 in Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA.
Children of SILAS TATUM and CLARA CRAIN are:
i. ROBERT ALLEN TATUM, b. 20 Dec 1887, St Joseph, Buchanan, MO; d. 20 Feb 1966, Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA; m. MAMMIE ELIZABETH MCDONALD, 01 Nov 1910, Jackson, MO; b. KS.
ii. LESTER ORLAND TATUM, b. 04 Nov 1889, St Joseph, Buchanan, MO; d. 25 Mar 1968, Contra Costa, CA.
4. IVA LEORA TATUM was born 12 Jul 1869 in IA, and died 25 Dec 1956. She married BOLTON S WILSON Abt. 1892 in IA. He was born Apr 1869 in IA.
Children of IVA TATUM and BOLTON WILSON are:
5. i. BERYL LUCRETIA WILSON, b. 09 Nov 1895, IA; d. 28 Mar 1985.
ii. BYRON L WILSON, b. 04 Jun 1897, IA; d. 26 Aug 1976, San Bernardino, CA; m. MYRTLE B WREDLICK; b. Abt. 1900, Dubuque, IA.
6. iii. EDITH MARIE WILSON, b. 05 May 1900, Mount Vernon, Linn, IA; d. 12 Jan 1998, IA.
iv. VIRGIL WILSON, b. Abt. 1903, IA.
v. OPAL WILSON, b. Abt. 1906, IA; d. 1980.
I discovered there is one ancestry member who is a possible descendant of Iva Leora who connects her to Sarah Jane and has some of the census records on their tree, but the abt 1857 death date for Sarah Jane is still there. I wish I had found their member tree first, it would have saved me a lot of time