Merged Abels

Do you ever feel like you’ve made a mistake in your genealogy research that seems almost impossible to undo? That’s how I feel right now with my research of Harding descendants.

I recently wrote about my confusing to Abel Hardings who are actually first cousins in my Multiple Abels post. As I’ve been researching the descendants of William Gillies Harding, I’ve discovered that there is a third Abel Harding. At this time, I only have an 1870 census record to identify this third Abel.

• Abel Harding, age 36, living in Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin in 1870 – son of Abel Guilford Harding and Ann Nase
• Abel Harding, age 36, living in Fremont, Fayette County, Iowa in 1870 – son of William Gillies Harding and Elizabeth Fowler; Also listed in the census was a wife, Centhy, and two children Edna, age 3 and May, age 2
• Abel Harding, age 29, living in Bremer County, Iowa with a wife named Cynthia and two children Ida, age 4 and Ella, age 2

Even though there is an age difference, the two Abel Hardings on the 1870 census in Iowa appear to have been merged on FamilySearch. FamilySearch shows Cynthia Harding as Cynthia Gertrude Edwards, born in 1848 in New York. This matches the information for Cynthy Hading in the Fremont County census. When it comes to the children, it appears they have been merged. Edna and Ida becomes Edna Ada Harding while May and Ella becomes Ella Mary Harding.

In 1880, the census for what is likely the 2nd Abel Harding shows the following family living in Mitchell County, Iowa.

• Abel Harding, age 48, born New Brunswick
• Cynthia Harding, age 33, born New York
• Ada Harding, age 14, born Iowa
• Mary Harding, age 13, born Iowa
• Clara Harding, age 8, born Michigan
• Lina Harding, age 3, born Iowa

This 1880 census record caused me to assign the name, May Mary Harding to the second child. Whether I copied that from someone else or whether they copied that from me, it appears on 58 Ancestry trees.

Many of these trees also include the name ‘Lettie’. By using the name, Lettie Harding, I was able to find additional records to piece together her family.

After doing some digging on FamilySearch, I was able to locate what is likely this same family.

So far, I haven’t found additional information on the third Abel Harding.

However, I have been able to document Lettie Mae Harding Hawley’s family. (Endnote numbers at end of each fact.) Much more research will be required to make sure that I’m not making mistakes again.

Name: Lettie Mae Harding (GC7W-JS2)

Sex: Female
Father: Abel Harding (LJKW-BX4) 1833-1906
Mother: Cynthia Gertrude Edwards 1846-1926

Individual Facts
Birth Sep 1867 Iowa, United States 2–3

Residence 1870 (about age 3) Fremont, Iowa, United States 1

Residence 19 Jun 1880 (about age 12) Cedar Township, Mitchell, Iowa, United States 4

Residence 1895 (about age 28) Vinton, Benton, Iowa, United States 5

ChildParent-Parent 4 Oct 1899 (about age 32) Birdie Jennie Hawley (GC7W-KHX); Clear Lake, Deuel, South Dakota, United States 6

Residence 1900 (about age 33) Clear Lake, Deuel, South Dakota, United States 3

ChildParent-Parent 16 Dec 1901 (about age 34) William Harding Hawley (GC7W-VWG); Deuel, South Dakota, United States 7

Residence 1910 (about age 43) Seattle, King, Washington, United States 8

Residence 1920 (about age 53) Clear Lake, Deuel, South Dakota, United States 9

Alt. Name Mary Hawley (GC7W-JS2) 10

Residence 1931 (about age 64) Fort Ripley, Crow Wing, Minnesota, United States 10

Death 1934 (about age 67) South Dakota, United States 2,11

Burial Hillcrest Cemeter, Estelline, Hamlin, South Dakota, United States 2

Marriages/Children

Edwin B. Hawley (GC7W-GFB) 1856-1925
Children Fred Orville Hawley (G8DL-QHR) 1886-1964
William Harding Hawley (GC7W-VWG) 1901-1988
Birdie Jennie Hawley (GC7W-KHX) 1899-1996

Endnotes:

1. 1870 U.S. Census, Fayette County, Iowa, population schedule, Fremont, Fayette County, Iowa, page 5 Image 5 of 13, household 56, Harding Abel; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online January 2018)
2. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online 1 November 2020), memorial for May Hawley (1867-1934), Find a Grave Memorial no. #46625124, created by L Nystrom, citing HIllcrest Cemetery, Estelline, Hamline County, South Dakota; accompanying photograph by L Nystrom, May Hawley.
3. 1900 U.S. Census, Deuel County, South Dakota, population schedule, Clear Lake, Deuel County, South Dakota, ED 129, Sheet 2B Image [Image] of [ImageTotal], family 46, E. B. Hawley; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 1 November 2020)
4. 1880 U.S. Census, Mitchell County, Iowa, population schedule, Cedar Township, Mitchell County, Iowa, page 18 Image [Image] of [ImageTotal], household 180, Abel Harding; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online January 2018); NARA microfilm publication T9
5. “Iowa, State Census, 1895,”State Historical Society of Iowa, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online (1 November 2020), May Hawley.
6. Social Security Administration, “Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007,” database on-line, Ancestry, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901/ : viewed online 1 November 2020), Birdie J Grothaus.
7. “South Dakota, Birth Index, 1856-1917,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 16 October 2021), William Harding Hawley.
8. 1910 U.S. Census, King County, Washington, population schedule, Seattle, King County, Washington, enumeration district (ED) ED 58, Sheet 20A, family 44, Edwin Hawley; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 16 October 2021); NARA microfilm publication T624.
9. 1920 U.S. Census, Deuel County, South Dakota, population schedule, Clear Lake, Deuel County, South Dakota, ED 126, Sheet 2A Image 3 of 18, family 29, E. B. Hawley; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 16 October 2021)
10. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online July 2018), memorial for Martha G Harding Corbett (1888-1931), Find a Grave Memorial no. #150778946, created by Merrily Lawson, citing cremated, ;, Martha G Harding Corbett.
11. South Dakota, Death Index, 1879-1955, Lettie M. Hawley, 18 March 1934; database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 16 October 2021). Original Source: Index to South Dakota Death Records, 1905-1955.