Living

Notes:

Family/Spouse: Joseph Eugene Alberta. Joseph was born on 28 Dec 1933 in Weldona, Morgan Co, Colorado; died on 13 Sep 2005 in Aptos, Santa Cruz Co, Californa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Living
2. Living

Family/Spouse: John Kenneth Kooker. John was born on 15 Apr 1929 in Reading, Berks Co, Pennsylvania; died on 4 Jan 2008 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Obituary in the Akron News-Reporter Thursday 4 Mar 1976 Luke Covington, 64, died Tuesday morning [2 Mar 1976] at his home in Evergreen, after an illness with the flu. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. S.E. Covington of Akron. No funeral arrangements have been made late Tuesday afternoon. Note: An obituary also appeared in the Evergreen Canyon Courier 11 March 1976

Luke married Faye Eleanor Sears on 7 Apr 1933 in Sterling, Logan Co, Colorado, and was divorced. Faye (daughter of Nelson Evans Sears and Edna Maude Barnhouse) was born on 8 Aug 1914 in Akron, Washington Co, Colorado; died on 3 Apr 1997 in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Co, California; was buried about Apr 1997 in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Co, California. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Death and Funeral announcement in the Akron News-Reporter 31 May 1981 Funeral services for Samuel Covington, 93, were held on Wednesday, May 20 [1981] fron Yeamans and Gordon Memorial Chapel at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Wesley Paris-Pixler officiating. Mrs. Ruth Spicknall, organist, accompanied Mrs. Sarah Severin as she sang, "How Great Thou Art" and "Amazing Grace". Serving as casketbearers were Fred Reid, John Holtorf St., John Holtorf Jr., Tom Holtorf, David McClaran and Wallace Robertson. Burial was in the Akron Cemetery.

Obituary Akron News-Reporter 31 May 1981 Samuel E. Covington, 93 of Akron passed away at the Washington County Public Nursing Home on Saturday, May 16 [1981]. He was born at Decatur, Ia., on Aug. 8, 1887, the son of Samuel and Henrietta Schaffner Covington. He received his early education in that area and on Nov. 12, 1908 he was united to Opal E. Lee at Grand River, Ia. They remained in Iowa until 1928 when they moved to Washington County, Colo. They farmed northeast of Akron for 41 years, retiring into Akron where he has lived these past 14 years. They were the parents of four children: Emma, Luke, John, and Mary. He was preceded in death by his wife, Opal, on March 19, 1977; his parents, his three children, Luke, John, and Mary, and two sisters. Those left to mourn his passing are his daughter, Mrs. Emma McClaran and husband James of Decatur, Ia.; 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; as sister in-law, Mrs. Phyllis Kendall of of Fort Dodge, Ia.; other relatives and friends. He was a member of the Akron United Methodist Church [and] was a kind father, grandfather, neighbor and friend, and will be missed by his many acquaintances.

(Research):Sam's farm was next to the Holtorfs who lived 13N 3

Samuel married Opal Elizabeth Lee on 12 Nov 1908 in Grand River, Decatur Co, Iowa. Opal (daughter of George Samuel Lee and Emma Waers) was born on 15 Nov 1888 in Albany, Gentry Co, Missouri; died on 19 Mar 1977 in Akron, Washington Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Obituary Akron News-Reporter 24 Mar 1977 Funeral services for Mrs. Opal Covington were held Wednesday afternoon, March 23, in Yeamans and Gordon Memorial Chapel in Akron with Rev. George Hougham in charge. Interment was in the Akron Cemetery. Opal Elizabeth, daughter of George and Emma Wears [or Waers] Lee, was born in Albany, Missouri on November 15, 1888, and passed away at the Washington County Public Hospital nursing Wing on March 19, 1977. Opal Lee and Samuel Covington were united in marriage on November 12, 1908, at Grand River, Iowa. They remained in Iowa until coming to Washington County in 1928. They lived north of Akron for 41 years until they retired and moved into Akron where they have lived these past nine years. They were the parents of four children, Emma, Luke, John and Mary. Mrs. Covington was preceded in death by her parents and three children. Surviving are her husband, Sam, and one daughter, Emma McClaran and husband of Decatur, Iowa; a sister, Mrs. Phyllis Kendall of Fort Dodge, Iowa; other relatives and 13 grandchildren. She was a member of the United Methodist Women's Society. She was a loving wife, mother, and will be greatly missed by her many relatives and friends.

(Research):1920 Census: Home in 1920, Decatur, Decatur Co, Iowa; father's birthplace, Ohio; mother's birthplace, Iowa

Notes:

Nelson Evans Sears was born in Plano, Kendall County, Illinois on 15 Aug 1876 "of English and Welsh parentage"* namely Charles Madison Sears and Katherine Evans. In 1880 he moved with his father Charles Madison and his second wife, Celia Chambers, to Scranton, Iowa living for two years on the old John Henning farm two miles from town. In 1882 he returned to his home state where he made his home with his grandparents, Archibald Sears and Rachel Maria Carver, in Sandwich, Illinois. In May of 1886, he traveled to Nebraska to live with his father on a farm near Aurora. Four years later, in 1890, he returned to Plano to attend school. In 1896 he returned to Aurora to work on his father's farm. In the winter of 1898-1899 he attended Business College in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1899 he began farming 80 acres of land in Nebraska which his grandmother had bought for him in 1897 for $2600. Nelson sold his Nebraska land early in 1901 for $7200 and traveled to Colorado in an emigrant car chartered by a David Titler arriving in Akron in March of that year. He worked in the harvest fields southwest of Akron for Ira M. Barnhouse. However, after a brief trip to California, he returned to his father's farm in Aurora, Nebraska in the fall of 1901. He returned to Colorado in 1903 where he resumed work with Ira M Barnhouse. In May of 1905 under the Homestead Act of 20 May 1862, Nelson E Sears obtained the South half of the SE quarter of Section 3, and the West half of the NE quarter of Section 10 both in Township 1S of Range 55W of the Sixth Principal Meridian, Washington County, Colorado containing 160 acres. On 20 Sep 1907 he was united in marriage to Ira Morgan Barnhouse's daughter, Edna Maude. Nelson proved up his homestead on 17 May 1909 and was issued Homestead Certificate No. 0585 of the Register of the Land Office at Sterling, Colorado. Later in 1909 Nelson and his wife Edna moved from their homestead into the town of Akron, Colorado where he purchased Lots 1, 2, & 3 facing Golden St. and Lots 10, 11, & 12 facing Gunnison St, Block 11, Original Town of Akron. On 22 Mar 1910 Nelson and Edna's first child, Alva Raymond Sears, was born in Akron. Their second, Margaret May Sears, was born 23 May 1912, and their third and last child, Faye Eleanor Sears, was born 8 Aug 1914. In 1916 Nelson began carrying mail on RFD (Rural Free Delivery) Route 1 out of the Akron Post Office. He carried mail for 25 years until 1941 at which time he retired from the Post Office and assumed the duties of Justice of the Peace for Washington County, Colorado, a position he retained until his death, 17 May 1948.
--------------*According to Nelson Sears' journal dated 1895. Sears is, indeed, an English name traceable back to Richard Sares, who arrived in America before 1632 but the Evans family, Evans typically a Welsh name, actually emigrated from Co. Wicklow, Ireland.

(Medical):Attendant: Park D. Keller MD, Akron, Colorado, May 19, 1948

Nelson married Edna Maude Barnhouse on 20 Sep 1907 in Akron, Washington Co, Colorado. Edna (daughter of Ira Morgan Barnhouse and Mary Francis Albin) was born on 24 Apr 1879 in South Bloomingville, Hocking Co, Ohio; was christened on 28 Aug 1881 in Nelsonville, Athens Co, Ohio; died on 24 Aug 1971 in Brush, Morgan Co, Colorado; was buried on 24 Aug 1971 in Akron Cemetery, Washington Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Edna Maude Barnhouse, eldest daughter of Ira Morgan and Mary Francis Albin Barnhouse was born in 24 Apr 1879 in Bloomingville, Ohio and died 24 Aug 1971 in Brush, Colorado at the age of 92 years and 4 months. When two years old, she moved with her parents to Shelby, Nebraska, where she lived for the next five years. In the spring of 1887 she moved with her parents to a homestead near Abbott, Washington County, Colorado, 35 miles southwest of Akron, Colo, where in that locality she grew to womanhood. On Sept. 20, 1907 she was united in marriage to Nelson E. Sears of Aurora, Neb. In the fall of 1909 they moved from their homestead into the town of Akron, Colo., where their three children were born: One son, Alva Raymond (in the Armed Forces in England during World War II), and two daughters, Margaret May and Faye Eleanor. During these years Edna was an active member of the Presbyterian church and of the Rebecca lodge which she joined 2 Oct 1915 and of which she was a member for 46 years. She was a willing participant in many civic activities of the town. After her husband, Nelson E. Sears, died in May, 1948, she maintained her own home in Akron for a number of years, later living with her daughter, Faye Johnston, in San Francisco, Calif. She eventually returned to Akron where she stayed with her daughter Margaret Cooley and family before entering Sunset Manor Nursing Home in Brush, Colo., in July, 1969. As long as her health permitted, she lived a vital and active life, loved music [Tex Ritter], and was always greatly interested in current events. - Obituary in the Akron News Reporter.

(Research):South Bloomingville is an unincorporated community in western Benton Township, Hocking County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43152. It is located at the intersection of State Routes 56 and 664, slightly west of Hocking Hills State Park. Note: In the Hocking County Births journal, "So. Bloomingville" was differentiated from "Benton Township". Also note that Edna's elder brother, two years earlier, was listed as having been born in Swan Twp, Vinton County (formed in 1850), bordering Benton Twp, Hocking Co (formed in 1818), on the southeast. However, the parents, in both cases, are listed as having resided in South Bloomingville.
Nelsonville is a city in northwest York Township in Athens County, Ohio. It is 60 miles southeast of Columbus. The population was 5,373 in the 2020 US Census thus maintaining city status in the State of Ohio. First settled in 1814, Nelsonville became incorporated in 1838. The town became famous for its coal mining and brick industries.

Notes:

Exact death date from apocryphal source

Covington Surname Origin The name Covington is of Old English origin, and the meaning is "settlement near the cave" It is a fairly common surname, #1053 out of 88799 according to the 1990 U.S. Census. The earliest of the name on record appears to be Covintune who was listed as a tenant in the Domesday Book of 1086. Couvyngton was recorded in 1260 in County Lancashire. Later instances of the name include William de Colbaynston between 1202 and 1222 as witness to a charter by Brice, Bishop of Moray, bestowing the church of Deveth on the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity at Spyny. Edmund de Colbenstone of Lanarkshire, also rendered homage for their possessions in 1296. In 1297, a royal message from Edward I of England was directed to William de Colbeynston, and in 1304, Sir John de Colbanston held the farm of the barony of Colbayneston of the King.

Surname Origins in Europe Surnames derived from placenames are divided into two broad categories; topographic names and habitation names. Topographic names are derived from general descriptive references to someone who lived near a physical feature such as an oak tree, a hill, a stream or a church. Habitation names are derived from pre-existing names denoting towns, villages and farmsteads. Other classes of local names include those derived from the names of rivers, individual houses with signs on them, regions and whole countries. In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armoured warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western Europe.

(Research):1900 Iowa Census, Decatur, Richland. In this household: Alma Shafftner age 17 and Mendal D. Shafftner age 11. My comment: The 't' in Shafftner unlikely; more likely, Shaffner

Samuel married Henrietta Frances Shaffner. Henrietta (daughter of Matthias Shaffner and Henrette Everett) was born about 1855 in Ohio; died about 1945 in Decatur City, Decatur Co, Iowa; was buried about 1945 in Decatur City Cemetery, Iowa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Surname from various sources spelled: Shaffner [most probable], Shafftner, and Schaffner. Spelling of given name from various sources: Henrette, Henretta, and Harriet

Notes:

1900 U.S. Census: Father's birthplace, Iowa; Mother's birthplace, Virginia

George married Emma Waers about 1883 in Iowa. Emma (daughter of Samuel B. Waers and Sarah Ann Gracy) was born about 1863; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Apocryphal exact birthdate: 1 Jul 1863
1900 U.S. Census verifies given name of Emma

Notes:

His name probably derived from his uncle Charles Madison Carver born in Hebron, Tolland Co, Connecticut on 28 Jun 1825.

Obituary

Former Pioneer Resident Dies In California
Charles M Sears 93 Dies Suddenly in Long Beach
Lived Here 1880 to 1919
Charles M Sears, for many years a prominent farmer and livestock feeder of the Aurora community passed away suddenly in his home in Long Beach, California August 2, 1944 The Sears family came to Aurora in 1880 and lived for many years on their farm one mile north of Aurora. In 1918 Mr Sears sold his farms and the family moved to Aurora proper for about a year. He then moved to Long Beach, California June 10, 1851 and passed away August 2, 1944 at the age of 93 years 1 month and 21 days. Mrs Sears [Mary L Weeks] died in 1934 at their Long Beach home shortly after injuries received in the Long Beach earthquake. He is survived by five children: two sons, Nelson of Akron Colo, and Robert of Long Beach Calif; three daughters, Mrs Vera Readl of Grand Junction Colo, Elsie of Los Vegas, New Mexico, and Marion of Barstow, Calif; one brother Sherman Sears, now of Sweeney Texas, formerly of Hyannis, Nebraska. One brother and three sisters preceded him in death. Mrs F. C. Mather was a sister. Myrl Mather of Aurora Nebraska is a nephew. The deceased was a member of the Aurora Masonic lodge for many years.

Aurora News-Register
Aurora, Nebraska
11 Aug 1944, Fri

(Medical):Death due to external causes: Accident on 7-23-44 at home in Long Beach, L.A. county, California (tripped over watering hose).

Charles married Catherine Evans on 2 Sep 1874 in W Nissouri Twp, East Middlesex, Ontario. Catherine (daughter of James Evans and Jane Kearn) was born on 24 May 1850 in Evelyn, West Nissouri Twp, Middlesex Co, Ontario; died on 16 Aug 1876 in Plano, Kendall Co, Illinois; was buried on 19 Aug 1876 in Plano Cemetery, Kendall Co, Illinois. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

On Catherine's gravestone her given name is "Katy".

(Research):History of West Nissouri, Middlesex, Ontario West Nissouri's history began in 1800. The name 'Nissouri' is derived from an Indian word meaning 'running waters' for the region's many streams. West Nissouri Township is in the Thames River of Ontario watershed. The River is 260 kilometres long with two forks, the North Branch and the South Branch. The forks come together right in the middle of London from which the river runs west to Lake St. Clair. Early pioneers found clearing the land to be an immense challenge because the land was thickly covered with vegetation and nearly 50 species of hardwood trees. Although much of the land in West Nissouri has been cleared for agriculture, many small pockets of natural forest remain. Recent trends have encouraged residents to plant windbreaks and reforest untillable areas. In the past, many maple trees were planted along the roads. Some of these large majestic trees remain, but many have fallen victim to storms or age.

Notes:

Married:
Marriage Notice Charles Madison Sears, age 23, Illinois, U.S., B[achelor], profession-Artist, parents-Archibald & Rachel Sears, religious denomination, Presbyterian; Catherine Evans, age 23, residence when married and place of birth, Nissouri West, S[pinster], parents-James & Jane Evans, religious denomination, Methodist; witnesses, James Wesley Evans [brother of Catherine] & Catharine Duffin both reside in W Nissouri; married by Wm Henderson by L[icense]

Notes:

Ira Morgan Barnhouse was born 14 Aug 1848 at Sharon, Noble County, Ohio. His youth was spent on a farm at the place of his birth. He enlisted in Co. B, 66th Ohio Volunteer Infantry* when but 15 years of age and served in the Union Army under Gen. Sherman on his triumphal [and unnecessarily destructive] "March to the Sea" through Georgia from Atlanta to Savannah then north through the Carolinas to Washington DC. He was honorably discharged at Louisville Kentucky July 20, 1865. He taught school in Ohio and Missouri from 1867 to 1873. He was married 3 Aug 1875 to Mary Francis Albin at Laurelville, Hocking County, Ohio to which union three children were born: Perl Travisd, Edna Maude, and Rose Ann Elizabeth. He engaged in various mercantile and industrial pursuits removing to Missouri, Nebraska, and Colorado in turn. He homesteaded February 1887 near Abbott, Washington County, Colorado. He was a Mason, having taken the degrees in Caldwell, Missouri at the age of 21. He was a Presbyterian by faith, having united with that church in 1876. His love of home and family gave him zeal and persistence in the field of human endeavor in their behalf. His wonderful energy but slight physical strength culminated in his enforced retirement from the more arduous labor of farm life in 1904 at which time he came to Akron, Colo. His confidence in its future was manifested in his real estate promotions at a time when many faltered. A nearly fatal accident** on 7 Nov 1907 from which he recovered through his power of will alone, left an imperfect cicatrice*** on his cheek. He was elected County Judge and began service in 1908. The facial problem he received in his accident, however, began to trouble him in 1911. It developed into cancer a year later and he was forced to resign his judgeship in 1912. The unequal struggle ended in his death at the Hahnemann Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., at four o'clock on the fourth day of April, 1914.
__________________________________
*Although the Ohio 66th participated in the Battle of Antietam (17 Sep 1862), I.M. Barnhouse enlisted too late to be a part of it. The battle (also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South), was fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, at Antietam Creek. It was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil and was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000 casualties on both sides.
**The nature of this accident is not known. The cause of death as written on his death certificate was "Uremic poison, contributory, Cancer face". Apparently it was not a service-related cause of death.
***Cicatrice or Cicatrix, n. pl. Cicatrices (Med); 'si-k&-"triks, &-'kA-triks. The pellicle that forms over a wound or breach of continuity of the skin that completes the process of healing and subsequently contracts and becomes white forming a scar.

(Research):Census data have been a great source of confusion for Ira Morgan Barnhouse. In three US censuses in the state of Ohio:

o 1850 census for Morgan County, Noble Twp
George Barnhouse and Rose Ann family Hiram, age 2 (this is an error of great consequence; this is really Ira M)
o 1860 census for Noble County, Ohio
George Burnhouse and Rozann family
Morgan, age 10
o 1870 census for Noble County, Ohio
George Barnhouse and Rose A. family
Ira M. age 22
Considered as a whole, two of these three census data items are consistent with a birthdate in 1848 leading to the conclusion there was no separate child named Hiram in this family. As for 1860, descendants of Ira Morgan Barnhouse have learned that Ira was known as "Morgan" in his early years. My grandfather, Nelson Sears, wrote down that name in his journal where he had Morgan's birthdate as 14 Aug 1848.

(Medical):I hereby certify that I attended deceased from 12/26/1913 to 4/4/1914 that I last saw him alive on 4/4/1914 and that death occurred on the date stated above at 4 P.M. (signed) Dr O.A. Johnson MD, April 4, 1914, 1320 Main St, Kansas City, Missouri

Ira married Mary Francis Albin on 4 Aug 1875 in Laurelville, Hocking Co, Ohio. Mary (daughter of William Slater Albin and Elizabeth Ann Tribby) was born on 20 Oct 1854 in Laurelville, Hocking Co, Ohio; died on 8 Jan 1924 in Akron, Washington Co, Colorado; was buried on 10 Jan 1924 in Akron Cemetery, Washington Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mary Frances Albin Barnhouse was born 20 Oct 1854 at Laurelville, Hocking County,Ohio [to William Slater Albin (1823-1902 and Elizabeth Ann Tribby (1828-1914)] She departed this life 8 Jan 1924 at the age of 69 years, 2 months and 18 days. She was united in marriage to Ira Morgan Barnhouse on 4 Aug 1875 in Laurelville. To this union three children were born: Perl Travis, 31 May 1877, Edna Maude, 24 Apr 1879 (Mrs. Nelson Sears), and Rose Ann Elizabeth, 2 Aug 1895 (Mrs. Alva Wright) all residents of Washington County, who were at the bedside of their mother when the final call was answered that called her to a heavenly home where there is no sorrow or evil but peace and joy. Mr. and Mrs. Barnhouse moved to Nebraska in 1887, then later, in 1887, moved to a homestead in Colorado. In 1904 they moved to Akron, Washington County, Colorado where they made their home. Mrs. Barnhouse was a faithful member of the Presbyterian church and a very active worker up until a few years ago when she was not able to attend church but always had prayer meetings and song services at her home, always living a Christian life, and was always bright and cheerful, with all her severe illnesses.