HAWKEYE HERITAGE SPRING, 2014 VOLUME 48, NUMBER 1

Hawkeye Heritage

Table of Contents

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Editor Sue Claman Editorial Committee Carl Nollen

_______ IGS Staff Executive Director Jennifer Ewing Librarian and Administrative Assistant Debra Chase Assistant Librarians Susan Claman Judy McClain IGS Executive Board - 2014 President, Theresa Liewer 1st Vice President, Richard Wolfe 2nd Vice President, Marcia Guffey

Iowa Counties and Regions .................................................................. 2 Iowa Genealogical Society Chapters ................................................... 3 Research Assistance .............................................................................. 5 Courthouse Research in Iowa: Identify, Access, Understand.......... 6 A Curse of Cursive Writing — Identifying Israel G. McNeill ........... 10 The Greatest Horse Race in America ................................................ 15 Militia Rolls ............................................................................................. 22 Iowa Pioneer, Century & Statehood Certificates.............................. 25 Iowa Genealogical Society Queries ................................................... 26 Library Acquisitions ............................................................................... 27 Name Index ............................................................................................ 31

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Hawkeye Heritage is published by the Iowa Genealogical Society (IGS).

Copyright © 2014 Iowa Genealogical Society

Hawkeye Heritage Volume 48, Issue 1

Spring 2014

A Curse of Cursive Writing — Identifying Israel G. McNeill Marieta Grissom Handwriting can cause much confusion. This has been the case for Israel G. McNeill researchers. Not only do the researchers face the difficulty of the deviant McNeill/McNeil/McNeal/McNeel spellings, but also the cursive upper case “I” can easily be confused for “J” and if the individual happens to prefer to use initials instead of a specific name, the confusion proliferates. Only by analyzing all of the evidence does the researcher understand that I. G., Israel G., J. G. and Israel McNeill are the same individual. The following are examples of the handwriting found on census records: 1840 U.S. census, indexed as Saml Mcheall/J G McNiall:1

1850 U.S. census, indexed as Israel McNeal:2

1854 Iowa state statistical census, indexed as I. G. McNeill:3

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1840 U.S. census, Hancock County, Illinois, Roll 60, p. 193, image 976, line 12, indexed as Saml Mcheall/J G McNiall [I. G. McNeall] household, Ancestry.com digital image (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 April 2014) from Family History Library Film: 0007642. 2 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Lee County, Iowa, Division 28, p. 346B (stamped), dwelling 874, family 874, Israel McNeal household, Ancestry.com digital image (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 186, enumerated on 30 September 1850. 3 1854 Iowa state statistical census, Lee County, Pleasant Ridge Township, no page number, line 9, I. G. McNeill household; Ancestry.com digital image (http://ancestry.com : accessed 18 April 2014), citing microfilm of Iowa State Censuses obtained from the SHSI via Heritage Quest.

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Hawkeye Heritage Volume 48, Issue 1 1856 Iowa state census, indexed as J. G. McNeill:4

Spring 2014

1860 U.S. census, indexed as Israel McNeil:5

1870 U.S. census, Indexed as Israel G. McNeill:6

1880 U.S. census, indexed as Isrel McNeel:7

1885 Iowa state census, indexed as Israel McNeill:8

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1856 Iowa state census, population schedule, Lee County, Pleasant Ridge Township, pp. 466-467 [stamped], dwelling 12, family 12, J. G. McNeill household, Ancestry.com digital image (http://ancestry.com : accessed 18 April 2014), citing microfilm of Iowa State Censuses obtained from the SHSI via Heritage Quest. 5 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Lee County, Iowa, Pleasant Ridge Twp, p. 22 (penned), dwelling 156, family 145, Israel McNeil household, Ancestry.com digital image (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 330, enumerated on 11 June 1860. 6 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, Lee County, Iowa, Washington Twp, p. 18 (penned), dwelling 132, family 132, Israel G. McNeill household, ancestry.com digital image (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 404, enumerated 15 August 1870. 7 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Montgomery County, Iowa, Walnut Twp. P. 300C(stamped); p. 7 (penned), Supervisor’s District 3, Enumeration District 144, Isrel McNeel [Israel McNeill] household, Ancestry.com digital image (http://ancestry.com : accessed 23 April 2014), citing FHL film 1,254,357. 8 1885 Iowa state census, population schedule, Montgomery County, Iowa, Garfield Twp., p. 19 (penned), line 16, dwelling110, family 104, Israel McNeill household, Ancestry.com digital image (http://ancestry.com : accessed 24 April 2014); citing SHSI microfilm, roll IA1885-237 via Heritage Quest.

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Hawkeye Heritage Volume 48, Issue 1 Spring 2014 Both biographical sketches in the 1881 History of Montgomery County, Iowa, in which Mr. McNeill is mentioned refer to him as J. G. Is this an error made by the typesetter of the book when reading someone’s cursive writing? 1881 History of Montgomery County, Iowa, p. 718:9

1881 History of Montgomery County, Iowa, p. 721:10

Examples of the J. G. and I. G. cursive writing confusion also occur in land records. However, these records are not included in this discussion since they do not reveal the family relationships as clearly as the census records. When analyzing the census records it is apparent that Mr. McNeill was married at least twice and for some reason only the children from his 1852 marriage to Margaret Snapp11 are mentioned in the 1881 biographical sketch. He apparently fathered three children prior to his marriage to Margaret, i.e., Frances who was probably born 1 July 1838,12 Eliza Jane who was probably born in 1847,13 and

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[no author], History of Montgomery County, Iowa, Des Moines: Iowa Historical and Biographical Co., 1881, p. 718. History of Montgomery County, Iowa, 1881, p. 721. 11 Lee County, Iowa, Marriage Book 2:20, Fort Madison, Des Moines: SHSI microfilm Lee-092, FHL film 959,189. 12 Clarke County, Iowa, Death Records Vol. 3 (1909-1935), p. 7, Osceola; SHSI microfilm roll CLA-118, item 01, FHL 1,765,033 (refilm). Calculated birth date: Frances was listed as age 72 years, 7 months, 0 days on her 1 February 1911 death record. 13 1850 U.S. census, Israel McNeal household. 10

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Hawkeye Heritage Volume 48, Issue 1 Spring 2014 14 George who may have been born in 1845, but is not listed in 1856 or any subsequent census records. The apparent wife and probable mother in 1850 is listed as “Suiezy”, age 28, born in Vermont.15 No marriage record or further information about her has been found. Because of the age difference between Frances and the other two children, it is easy to question whether other children did not survive or if Israel could have even been married another time. The following chart identifies the likely family structure based on census data: 1850a

1856b

1860c

1870d

1880e

1885f

Israel McNeal, 39

J.G. McNeill, 44

Israel McNeil, 48

Israel G. McNeill, 58

Isrel McNeel, 70

Israel McNeill, 73

Suiezy, 28

Margaret, 37

Margaret, 38

Margaret, 47

Margret, 60

Margaret, 63

Darius Clark, 22

Frances A., 17

Eliza J., 12

Jacob L., 14

Amanda, 16

Mary A., 22

Frances, 12

Eliza J., 12 [9?]

Camelia A., 6

Lucretia, 13

Margret, 13

Maggie, 16

George, 5

Adaline, 2

Jacob L., 4

Artmeisia, 11

Eliza, 3

Jacob L., 3 [3/12?]

Lucretia, 2

Louis S., 9

Willliam, 69

Artimenia, 1

Mary A., 8

Jacob Blanchard, 26

Samuel Snapp, 47

Maude3 L., 6

Reuben Knowls, 48

Margaret E., 2

a. b. c. d. e. f.

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Amanda, 20

1850 U.S. census. Israel McNeal household. 1856 Iowa state census, J. G. McNeill household. 1860 U.S. census, Israel McNeil household. 1870 U.S. census, Israel G. McNeill household. 1880 U.S. census, Isrel McNeel household. 1885 Iowa state census, Israel McNeill household.

1850 U.S. census, Israel McNeal household. And, 1856 Iowa state census, J. G. McNeill household. 1850 U.S. census, Israel McNeal household.

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Hawkeye Heritage Volume 48, Issue 1 Israel G. McNeill’s gravestone clearly identifies his name:16 ISRAEL G.

Spring 2014

McNEILL BORN NOV 17, 1811 DIED SEPT 17, 1885 Here I lay my burden

Based on the apparent family composition in the census records and correlated with the information in the 1881 biography, J. G., I. G., Israel G. and Israel McNeill are the same individual and the identification dilemma can be attributed to cursive writing styles: an uppercase “I” that looks like an uppercase “J”. Therefore, a curse of cursive writing is the interpretation of the hand written word by the beholder.

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Israel G. McNeill gravestone, Emerson Cemetery, Mills County, Iowa. Cemetery is north of Emerson on Highway 59 just north of the th junction with Highway 34, in Indian Creek Township, SW 1/4 SW 1/4 Sec 13, Twp. 72N, Range 44W, 5 PM. Israel is buried in Section 1, Row 24, and his stone is very easy to find: space of 5 feet to next stone north of Israel’s and space of 16 feet to next stone south of Israel’s stone

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