| Notes |
- MELISSA (HARD) MCFARLIN (1803 to 1885)
(Research by Peter Folsom McFarlin - May, 2012, reviewed May 16, 2018)
Melissa was a daughter of Lysander Hard and the first of his three wives, whose name is unknown to me. Melissa's father was born 25 March, 1 769, in New Milford, Connecticut , the sixth child of Abraham Hard and Charity Munsee. Lysander shows up i n the 1800 Huntsburg, Vermont cen sus with wife and four children. They are living near the Lemuel Rober ts family and, after Melissa's mother dies, he apparently married on e of Lemuel's daughters, Rosamond Roberts in 1808. He had yet a thir d wi fe (Hannah Holcomb) by 1813.
Melissa was likely one of the two Hard daughters under ten, listed i n the 1810 Franklin, Vermont census, where the family was raising shee p and were taxed for a loom. Sometime from 1810 to 1820, the family mo ved to Ohio, perhaps staying in or n ear Coitsville for a while, wher e Melissa met and married James McFarland. Lysander Hard's brother, Ab raham Hard (b1766), and his family do appear in the (incomplete) 182 0 Wadsworth, Ohio census, and even though the NARA index shows Lysande r t o be on that census page also, his data do not show there. He repor tedly lived until 1851, but I could not locate him in any census listi ng after 1820.
It appears that Melissa Hard and James were married about 1819-1820, b ecause the 1820 census in Coitsville shows James and one female (age 1 6-26), probably Melissa, and one female (age 45+), very likely Marger y (Anderson) McFarland, but no chil dren yet. His mother Margery live d with them for fifteen more years.
In 1830 the family continued to grow, with one son and three daughter s by then. In 1835, widow Margery died, at age seventy-nine. Three yea rs later, Melissa was widowed by her husband James' death, his age for ty-three (*1). During the probate o f his estate (*2), some goods wer e set off to widow and children, debts were collected, and at the vend ue (sale) in July, 1838, Melissa was one of the buyers, probably the h ome-farm, since she is listed as head of family and likely owns rea l e state.
By 1840, at age thirty-seven, she was head of her family, with six chi ldren, ages three to eighteen. It is possible that the older male (ag e 20-30) that is also listed there, is William Brackenridge, who had j ust married Melissa's oldest daught er, Mary, and perhaps was staying o n to help until they could afford their own homestead.
Ten years later, in 1850, Melissa was still living in Coitsville, bu t now only with her unmarried sons John (age 29), and Lysander (age 15 , at school) (both farmers), and daughter Sarah (age 17, at school). L iving at the farm next door now, i s William Breckenridge (age 40, farm er) and his wife Mary (age 28, Melissa's daughter), along with their f ive children.
In 1860, Melissa age fifty-seven, was still living with her son John ( farmer, age 36), and his wife and three children. And, once again, liv ing next door, was another of her daughters; Sarah (age 27), with he r husband Leonard Hogg and their tw o young children.
By 1870, Melissa and the Leonard Hogg family had moved to Viola, Illin ois, still farming. In 1880, Melissa and her widowed daughter Mary Bra ckenridge, were sharing a home together in Viola, next door to the Cra wford Breckenridge family. Crawfor d was Mary's son and Melissa's grand son. However, Melissa was now "disabled" with "consumption" and, in 18 85, she died at age eighty-two.
PFM's SOURCES for Melissa (Hard) McFarland; Weaver?
1810 census; Huntsburg, Franklin co, Vermont p 269; with her father Ly sander Hard (her age under 10)
1820 census; Westfield, Wadsworth, Medina co, Ohio p 104 (Lysander Har d listed originally just after Abraham Hard?)
1820 census; Coitsville, Trumbull co, Ohio p 239; (her age 16-26)
1830 census; Coitsville, Trumbull co, Ohio p 249; with James McFarland , her age 20-30
1840 census; Coitsville, Trumbull co, Ohio p 190; Melissa McFarland a s family head a 30-40, with her children
1850 census; Coitsville, Mahoning co, Ohio p 580b; John McFarlane farm er a 29 b Ohio, Sarah McF a 17 b O, Lysander McFa a 15 b O, Melissa Mc F a 48 b VT
1860 census; Coitsville, Mahoning co, Ohio p 15; John McFarland farme r a 36 b O, Lovina McF a 27 b O, Grant W McF a 3 b O, William J Mc F a 1 b O, Melissa McFarland a 57 b VT
1870 census; Viola, Green, Mercer co, Illinois p 197; (her age 64sic , born in Vermont)
1870 census; New Windsor, Rivoli Twnshp, Mercer co, Illinois p 366 wit h her son Robert W McFarland (her age 67, b VT)
1880 census; Viola, Green, Mercer co, Illinois p 288; with Mary Brecke nridge (Melissa's age 77, born in Vermont, both par b in Vt)
Other REFERENCES
*1 Henry R Baldwin Records
*2 Trumbull co probate records; 9-266, 9-313, 9-316, 11-61, 11-150, an d 11-168
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1803 - 1885 (81 years)
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