Sarah Ellen Ward Ridley is a great mystery to me. She was my great, great grandmother, and in my genealogy research, I've found a lot of conflicting information about her, and, unfortunately, I've exhausted all leads and will probably never know more about her. In fact, there's very little evidence that she ever existed.
The only thing I'm certain of is that she and David Branson had three children: Hiram A. Branson B: 1879 MO; George Irvin Branson B: Jan. 7, 1873 D: May. 8, 1921; William H. Branson B: Mar. 19, 1876 D: Oct. 5, 1916.
According to Federal Census records, she was born in California; however, other records list Kansas as her place of birth. Even her maiden name is a mystery. On her son George Branson's death certificate, informant Mertie Defields, George's wife, said that Sarah was born in Kansas and that her maiden name was "Ward." However, Sarah married David Branson in Denver Worth County, on 02 Apr 1867 and on that record, her maiden name is listed as "Gridley."
However, She and David were living in the home of Ruhás (Reuben) and Elizabeth Ridley in Brown County, Walnut Creek Township, Kansas, according to the 1870 Federal Census, so the logical assumption is that her maiden name was Ridley.
Ridley, originally from Maine, could have been her father or he might have adopted her in or along the trail to California. Like so many others, he went out West looking for gold. Still, I strongly believe that Sarah was Native American. Look at my Grandfather's, Dillard Nelson Branson's, photo, and you'll see why. Also, there are a lot of Wards on the Cherokee registry who descended from the famous Nancy Ward. In my research, I also learned that a Sarah Ellen Ward (Loomis) was orphaned along the Oregon Trail when her mother died in childbirth and her father drowned in the river, but I recently learned from her descendants that this is not the same Sarah Ellen Ward.
And who "my" Sarah was--a Ward, a Gridley, or a Ridley--remains a mystery. Her identity has perhaps been purposely hidden due to Native American ancestry or maybe due merely to the poor record keeping of the time. A lot of people were illiterate, including David Branson, which accounts for some of the discrepancies in the records.
I recently went to Hiawatha, Kansas, the Brown County seat, hoping to learn more about Sarah, or the Ridleys whom she lived with, but I came away empty-handed. No records about her or the Ridleys existed.
Unfortunately, early Kansas records are scarce, and most of the tombstones in the small cemeteries that were scattered through out Brown county were destroyed by vandalism. Some of the graves from these small cemeteries were later moved to Dunkard Cemetery.
All I know is that Sarah died before 1880 at a very young age, probably from child birth or an infectious disease such as cholera or typhoid. Ruhas Ridley probably died before 1880 as well, as he too disappears from all records after that time.
David Branson was living in Washington, Brown, Kansas, according to the 1880 Federal Census, as a farm laborer at another household, and he'd sent the children home to Denver, MO, where they lived with family. In 1883, he married Nancy Walker; however, she didn't live long either. In 1900, David was living in his son George's home in Denver, MO and is listed on census records as a widow.
David died in 1909 and was buried at the Hoblett Cemetery in Denver, Mo. The inscription on his tomb says: "Son of Valentine and Sarah."
With his death, Sarah's history was lost as well. She's buried somewhere in Walnut Township (now part of Horton, Kansas) on what was the Ridley Farm, and she has no tombstone or grave marker. This bothers me very much, and so I wanted to tell the world about her here so that, though her body is lost, she and her life will be remembered.
Update 2023: I've resumed my genealogical research after a long lapse, and this mystery remains unsolved. Oddly, there are marriage records for Sarah and David Branson in both Iowa and Missouri. In the Iowa document, (Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1947) Sarah's parents are listed as "John A Kohley" and "Lydia Sholders." Lydia was born in 8 Sep 1854 Sikeston, New Madrid, Missouri, and John was born in Allen, Worth County Missouri. They did have a daughter named Sarah, but she was born in 1879--the year Sarah Ridley died.
The Missouri record (Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002) incorrectly lists "Gridley" as Sarah's surname, and says that she and David Branson were married on April 2, 1867.
In other documents Sarah is listed as the daughter of numerous women. The most recent one I've found on Ancestry is Elizabeth Jane Coulson (B: 1821 Kentucky, USA D: 1870 Brown, Kansas, USA.) I still believe that Sarah was Native American and might have been adopted by Reuben Ridley on his California venture.
I do think it's possible that Sarah died in Worth County and was buried at the Hoblet Cemetery in Hoblet Cemetery , Allen Township, Worth Co.,MO, and for some reason those records were lost like so many others.
The only thing I'm certain of is that she and David Branson had three children: Hiram A. Branson B: 1879 MO; George Irvin Branson B: Jan. 7, 1873 D: May. 8, 1921; William H. Branson B: Mar. 19, 1876 D: Oct. 5, 1916.
According to Federal Census records, she was born in California; however, other records list Kansas as her place of birth. Even her maiden name is a mystery. On her son George Branson's death certificate, informant Mertie Defields, George's wife, said that Sarah was born in Kansas and that her maiden name was "Ward." However, Sarah married David Branson in Denver Worth County, on 02 Apr 1867 and on that record, her maiden name is listed as "Gridley."
However, She and David were living in the home of Ruhás (Reuben) and Elizabeth Ridley in Brown County, Walnut Creek Township, Kansas, according to the 1870 Federal Census, so the logical assumption is that her maiden name was Ridley.
Ridley, originally from Maine, could have been her father or he might have adopted her in or along the trail to California. Like so many others, he went out West looking for gold. Still, I strongly believe that Sarah was Native American. Look at my Grandfather's, Dillard Nelson Branson's, photo, and you'll see why. Also, there are a lot of Wards on the Cherokee registry who descended from the famous Nancy Ward. In my research, I also learned that a Sarah Ellen Ward (Loomis) was orphaned along the Oregon Trail when her mother died in childbirth and her father drowned in the river, but I recently learned from her descendants that this is not the same Sarah Ellen Ward.
And who "my" Sarah was--a Ward, a Gridley, or a Ridley--remains a mystery. Her identity has perhaps been purposely hidden due to Native American ancestry or maybe due merely to the poor record keeping of the time. A lot of people were illiterate, including David Branson, which accounts for some of the discrepancies in the records.
I recently went to Hiawatha, Kansas, the Brown County seat, hoping to learn more about Sarah, or the Ridleys whom she lived with, but I came away empty-handed. No records about her or the Ridleys existed.
Unfortunately, early Kansas records are scarce, and most of the tombstones in the small cemeteries that were scattered through out Brown county were destroyed by vandalism. Some of the graves from these small cemeteries were later moved to Dunkard Cemetery.
All I know is that Sarah died before 1880 at a very young age, probably from child birth or an infectious disease such as cholera or typhoid. Ruhas Ridley probably died before 1880 as well, as he too disappears from all records after that time.
David Branson was living in Washington, Brown, Kansas, according to the 1880 Federal Census, as a farm laborer at another household, and he'd sent the children home to Denver, MO, where they lived with family. In 1883, he married Nancy Walker; however, she didn't live long either. In 1900, David was living in his son George's home in Denver, MO and is listed on census records as a widow.
David died in 1909 and was buried at the Hoblett Cemetery in Denver, Mo. The inscription on his tomb says: "Son of Valentine and Sarah."
With his death, Sarah's history was lost as well. She's buried somewhere in Walnut Township (now part of Horton, Kansas) on what was the Ridley Farm, and she has no tombstone or grave marker. This bothers me very much, and so I wanted to tell the world about her here so that, though her body is lost, she and her life will be remembered.
Update 2023: I've resumed my genealogical research after a long lapse, and this mystery remains unsolved. Oddly, there are marriage records for Sarah and David Branson in both Iowa and Missouri. In the Iowa document, (Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1947) Sarah's parents are listed as "John A Kohley" and "Lydia Sholders." Lydia was born in 8 Sep 1854 Sikeston, New Madrid, Missouri, and John was born in Allen, Worth County Missouri. They did have a daughter named Sarah, but she was born in 1879--the year Sarah Ridley died.
The Missouri record (Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002) incorrectly lists "Gridley" as Sarah's surname, and says that she and David Branson were married on April 2, 1867.
In other documents Sarah is listed as the daughter of numerous women. The most recent one I've found on Ancestry is Elizabeth Jane Coulson (B: 1821 Kentucky, USA D: 1870 Brown, Kansas, USA.) I still believe that Sarah was Native American and might have been adopted by Reuben Ridley on his California venture.
I do think it's possible that Sarah died in Worth County and was buried at the Hoblet Cemetery in Hoblet Cemetery , Allen Township, Worth Co.,MO, and for some reason those records were lost like so many others.
Sarah Ellen Ward Ridley is a great mystery to me. She was my great, great grandmother, and in my genealogy research, I've found a lot of conflicting information about her, and, unfortunately, I've exhausted all leads and will probably never know more about her. In fact, there's very little evidence that she ever existed.
The only thing I'm certain of is that she and David Branson had three children: Hiram A. Branson B: 1879 MO; George Irvin Branson B: Jan. 7, 1873 D: May. 8, 1921; William H. Branson B: Mar. 19, 1876 D: Oct. 5, 1916.
According to Federal Census records, she was born in California; however, other records list Kansas as her place of birth. Even her maiden name is a mystery. On her son George Branson's death certificate, informant Mertie Defields, George's wife, said that Sarah was born in Kansas and that her maiden name was "Ward." However, Sarah married David Branson in Denver Worth County, on 02 Apr 1867 and on that record, her maiden name is listed as "Gridley."
However, She and David were living in the home of Ruhás (Reuben) and Elizabeth Ridley in Brown County, Walnut Creek Township, Kansas, according to the 1870 Federal Census, so the logical assumption is that her maiden name was Ridley.
Ridley, originally from Maine, could have been her father or he might have adopted her in or along the trail to California. Like so many others, he went out West looking for gold. Still, I strongly believe that Sarah was Native American. Look at my Grandfather's, Dillard Nelson Branson's, photo, and you'll see why. Also, there are a lot of Wards on the Cherokee registry who descended from the famous Nancy Ward. In my research, I also learned that a Sarah Ellen Ward (Loomis) was orphaned along the Oregon Trail when her mother died in childbirth and her father drowned in the river, but I recently learned from her descendants that this is not the same Sarah Ellen Ward.
And who "my" Sarah was--a Ward, a Gridley, or a Ridley--remains a mystery. Her identity has perhaps been purposely hidden due to Native American ancestry or maybe due merely to the poor record keeping of the time. A lot of people were illiterate, including David Branson, which accounts for some of the discrepancies in the records.
I recently went to Hiawatha, Kansas, the Brown County seat, hoping to learn more about Sarah, or the Ridleys whom she lived with, but I came away empty-handed. No records about her or the Ridleys existed.
Unfortunately, early Kansas records are scarce, and most of the tombstones in the small cemeteries that were scattered through out Brown county were destroyed by vandalism. Some of the graves from these small cemeteries were later moved to Dunkard Cemetery.
All I know is that Sarah died before 1880 at a very young age, probably from child birth or an infectious disease such as cholera or typhoid. Ruhas Ridley probably died before 1880 as well, as he too disappears from all records after that time.
David Branson was living in Washington, Brown, Kansas, according to the 1880 Federal Census, as a farm laborer at another household, and he'd sent the children home to Denver, MO, where they lived with family. In 1883, he married Nancy Walker; however, she didn't live long either. In 1900, David was living in his son George's home in Denver, MO and is listed on census records as a widow.
David died in 1909 and was buried at the Hoblett Cemetery in Denver, Mo. The inscription on his tomb says: "Son of Valentine and Sarah."
With his death, Sarah's history was lost as well. She's buried somewhere in Walnut Township (now part of Horton, Kansas) on what was the Ridley Farm, and she has no tombstone or grave marker. This bothers me very much, and so I wanted to tell the world about her here so that, though her body is lost, she and her life will be remembered.
Update 2023: I've resumed my genealogical research after a long lapse, and this mystery remains unsolved. Oddly, there are marriage records for Sarah and David Branson in both Iowa and Missouri. In the Iowa document, (Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1947) Sarah's parents are listed as "John A Kohley" and "Lydia Sholders." Lydia was born in 8 Sep 1854 Sikeston, New Madrid, Missouri, and John was born in Allen, Worth County Missouri. They did have a daughter named Sarah, but she was born in 1879--the year Sarah Ridley died.
The Missouri record (Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002) incorrectly lists "Gridley" as Sarah's surname, and says that she and David Branson were married on April 2, 1867.
In other documents Sarah is listed as the daughter of numerous women. The most recent one I've found on Ancestry is Elizabeth Jane Coulson (B: 1821 Kentucky, USA D: 1870 Brown, Kansas, USA.) I still believe that Sarah was Native American and might have been adopted by Reuben Ridley on his California venture.
I do think it's possible that Sarah died in Worth County and was buried at the Hoblet Cemetery in Hoblet Cemetery , Allen Township, Worth Co.,MO, and for some reason those records were lost like so many others.
The only thing I'm certain of is that she and David Branson had three children: Hiram A. Branson B: 1879 MO; George Irvin Branson B: Jan. 7, 1873 D: May. 8, 1921; William H. Branson B: Mar. 19, 1876 D: Oct. 5, 1916.
According to Federal Census records, she was born in California; however, other records list Kansas as her place of birth. Even her maiden name is a mystery. On her son George Branson's death certificate, informant Mertie Defields, George's wife, said that Sarah was born in Kansas and that her maiden name was "Ward." However, Sarah married David Branson in Denver Worth County, on 02 Apr 1867 and on that record, her maiden name is listed as "Gridley."
However, She and David were living in the home of Ruhás (Reuben) and Elizabeth Ridley in Brown County, Walnut Creek Township, Kansas, according to the 1870 Federal Census, so the logical assumption is that her maiden name was Ridley.
Ridley, originally from Maine, could have been her father or he might have adopted her in or along the trail to California. Like so many others, he went out West looking for gold. Still, I strongly believe that Sarah was Native American. Look at my Grandfather's, Dillard Nelson Branson's, photo, and you'll see why. Also, there are a lot of Wards on the Cherokee registry who descended from the famous Nancy Ward. In my research, I also learned that a Sarah Ellen Ward (Loomis) was orphaned along the Oregon Trail when her mother died in childbirth and her father drowned in the river, but I recently learned from her descendants that this is not the same Sarah Ellen Ward.
And who "my" Sarah was--a Ward, a Gridley, or a Ridley--remains a mystery. Her identity has perhaps been purposely hidden due to Native American ancestry or maybe due merely to the poor record keeping of the time. A lot of people were illiterate, including David Branson, which accounts for some of the discrepancies in the records.
I recently went to Hiawatha, Kansas, the Brown County seat, hoping to learn more about Sarah, or the Ridleys whom she lived with, but I came away empty-handed. No records about her or the Ridleys existed.
Unfortunately, early Kansas records are scarce, and most of the tombstones in the small cemeteries that were scattered through out Brown county were destroyed by vandalism. Some of the graves from these small cemeteries were later moved to Dunkard Cemetery.
All I know is that Sarah died before 1880 at a very young age, probably from child birth or an infectious disease such as cholera or typhoid. Ruhas Ridley probably died before 1880 as well, as he too disappears from all records after that time.
David Branson was living in Washington, Brown, Kansas, according to the 1880 Federal Census, as a farm laborer at another household, and he'd sent the children home to Denver, MO, where they lived with family. In 1883, he married Nancy Walker; however, she didn't live long either. In 1900, David was living in his son George's home in Denver, MO and is listed on census records as a widow.
David died in 1909 and was buried at the Hoblett Cemetery in Denver, Mo. The inscription on his tomb says: "Son of Valentine and Sarah."
With his death, Sarah's history was lost as well. She's buried somewhere in Walnut Township (now part of Horton, Kansas) on what was the Ridley Farm, and she has no tombstone or grave marker. This bothers me very much, and so I wanted to tell the world about her here so that, though her body is lost, she and her life will be remembered.
Update 2023: I've resumed my genealogical research after a long lapse, and this mystery remains unsolved. Oddly, there are marriage records for Sarah and David Branson in both Iowa and Missouri. In the Iowa document, (Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1947) Sarah's parents are listed as "John A Kohley" and "Lydia Sholders." Lydia was born in 8 Sep 1854 Sikeston, New Madrid, Missouri, and John was born in Allen, Worth County Missouri. They did have a daughter named Sarah, but she was born in 1879--the year Sarah Ridley died.
The Missouri record (Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002) incorrectly lists "Gridley" as Sarah's surname, and says that she and David Branson were married on April 2, 1867.
In other documents Sarah is listed as the daughter of numerous women. The most recent one I've found on Ancestry is Elizabeth Jane Coulson (B: 1821 Kentucky, USA D: 1870 Brown, Kansas, USA.) I still believe that Sarah was Native American and might have been adopted by Reuben Ridley on his California venture.
I do think it's possible that Sarah died in Worth County and was buried at the Hoblet Cemetery in Hoblet Cemetery , Allen Township, Worth Co.,MO, and for some reason those records were lost like so many others.
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