Elijah Swift & Sarah Mongold

Elijah Swift, son of James Swift and wife Mary Teats married Sarah E. Mongold (parentage uncertain at the time of writing) were married on October 1, 1873 at Pickaway County,Ohio.

From a previous post concerning Elijah Swift  and brother, Thomas.

Elijah was the son of a farm laborer from Ross County, Ohio. On the 1880 Census, his occupation was written as a farm laborer and the family of five were living in Elijah’s native Ross County, Ohio. In 1900, the family included 11 children, all of which were living in Ross County.

 

By the 1910 census, the family had relocated to Center, Delaware, Indiana after 37 years together and 12 children (11 surviving) the family had relocated. Oddly, only one individual on the page has an occupation listed. The couple was renting their home at the time, but had rented back in Ohio as well.

In 1920, the couple had moved back to Ross County, Ohio where they rented a farm. Also in the home were son James Swift, and a man named Charles Mongold (possibly a brother or cousin of Sarah). Elijah and James found work laboring on neighboring farms.

Elijah Swift died February 9, 1926 of a cerebral hemorrhage. His last known residence was Muncie, Delaware, Indiana and he was laid to rest in the Beech Grove Cemetery. Funeral costs were paid by his sons: Ervin, Earnest, Pearl, Grover, and James Swift.

Sarah lived in Muncie with her son Grover C. Swift and his wife Anna King Swift in 1930. She passed away on March 10, 1933 in Losantville, Randolph, Indiana at the home of Grover Swift. Grover paid her funeral expenses and she was laid to rest beside her husband of 52 years on March 13, 1933.

Etta Lowe, the first wife of John Wm. King

Before marrying my great-great grandmother, Lillie Ann Coder, my great-great grandfather John William King was married to Etta Jane Lowe (daughter of Rosa Atwood and George Lowe) just after his 17th birthday on October 17, 1907 in Ross County, Ohio.

In April 1910, the couple was living in Marion, Fayette, Ohio along with their son John King Jr. who was born May 15, 1908. John was working as a farm laborer to support his son and pregnant wife. On September 19, 1910 they became the parents to Bessie H. King. Sadly, a little over one year later on September 28, 1911 their little daughter died of enterocolitis (an infection of the digestive system caused by bacteria) the contributing cause was listed as “filth and lack of care”. *NOTE: The death certificate for Bessie INCORRECTLY states that the mother was “Anna Lowe”*

Unfortunately, this would not be the last time tragedy touched the King’s lives: On February 28, 1913 the couple’s six month old son, Charles Albert King would die of broncho-pneumonia and pertussis (whooping cough). The marriage was dissolved about 10 months after Charles’ death.

On December 24, 1913 Etta married Isaac Wiles (the son of Anna Mullen and William Wiles) in Delaware County, Indiana. On the marriage certificate she claims her previous marriage to John King was dissolved that same month on December 13, 1913. (Working on getting the record for their divorce!)

On August 9, 1917 Etta married again to Randolph Grant Smullen (son of Milton Smullen and Anna Keglice) also in Delaware County. On that marriage record she claimed she had been married twice and that both marriages had been dissolved by divorce. The first divorce is incorrectly listed as occurring in 1910, ending the marriage with King. And the second divorce from Isaac Wiles taking place in 1916. Etta, her husband Randolph, her son John King, and her daughter Nannie Smullen lived in Muncie, Delaware, Indiana in 1920. 

By 1930, Etta was working as a dishwasher at a restaurant and had divorced Smullen who was now her neighbor, they also had become the parents to a son prior to divorcing. In 1940, he was also living next door with their daughter, Nannie Smullen Chesterman while Etta lived with their son Vernon Smullen.

John King Jr. married Dorothy M. Hundley who was the daughter of Harvey Hundley and Clara M. Shingledecker Hundley Baker sometime after 1930. I haven’t definitively located him on the 1930 US Census yet.