William Elmer Shiflet/Shifflett, who used the name "John Hartman" when he came to Michigan from Carrington, North Dakota, married Zenna Linsey on 3/18/1915 in Coldwater, Branch, MI.
__________
Family of William Elmer Shiflet aka "John Hartman":

Father: Joseph William Shiflet.
Birth Nov 1867 in Greene County, Virginia, USA.
Death May 1916 in Carrington, Foster, North Dakota.

Mother: Mary Elizabeth Lowman.
Birth 14 Nov 1866 in Virginia.
Death 25 May 1914 in Carrington, Foster, North Dakota.

Joseph William Shiflet and Mary Elizabeth Lowman were married in 1888 in Virginia.

Brothers: Anfield and Edward.
__________
After William Elmer Shiflet aka "John Hartman" died from tuberculosis, Zenna married 2) Walter Water Smith B-1901 on 7/6/1925 in Quincy, Branch, MI. She had 8 children with Walter W. Smith.

3 SHIFLET/"HARTMAN" children:

1. Helen L. Hartman B-1917.

2. Margaret M. Hartman B-1918.

3. Edith Hartman B-1921.
__________
Reference:

1920 Coldwater, Branch, MI:
Head John Hartman M 30 United States
Wife Lenna D. Hartman F 25 MI [Zenna]
Daughter Helen L. Hartman F 3 Michigan
Daughter Margaret M. Hartman F 2 Michigan

Name: John Hartman
Age: 25 years
Birth Year: 1890
Birthplace: Virginia
Spouse's Name: Zenna Linsey
Spouse's Age: 20 years
Spouse's Birth Year: 1895
Spouse's Birthplace: Mich.
Event Date: 18 Mar 1915
Event Place: Coldwater, Branch, Michigan
Father's Name: Joseph Hartman
Mother's Name: Anna
Spouse's Father's Name: Alfred Linsey
Spouse's Mother's Name: Ursula

Name: John Hartman
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 25 Mar 1922
Event Place: Coldwater, Branch, Michigan
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Marital Status: Married
Birth Date: 31 Mar 1889
Birthplace: Virginia
Birth Year: 1890
Father's Name: Joseph Hartman
__________
Calling himself John Hartman, William Shiflet has been identified through the research of his great-granddaughter, Dawn Johnston in 2014:
_______
"John Hartman" died of tuberculosis on 3/25/1922, in Coldwater, Branch, MI. William Shiflet had assumed the name "John Hartman" sometime after 1908. He only shows up on the census after he married Zenna. He told the newspaper and the investigator he had left the family after putting a horse team back in the barn. He had ongoing problems with his father."

This William/"John" was not the son of Joseph Hartman and his wife Anna (_) as people were led to believe through the study of the Census records.
Joseph Hartman: #126426124.
Anna (_) Hartman: #126426668.

William/"John" never showed up in the Michigan censuses within the Hartman household. The Hartman's passed away about 10 years before William/"John" showed up on any Branch Co. Michigan records.
__________
"Joseph [Shiflet] moved to North Dakota with wife and 3 sons. He owned a large farm there. In 1916 his sons were quite insistent on receiving their inheritance at that point rather than wait for Joseph's death. They wanted the family farm. Joseph turned his sons down. They beat Joseph to unconsciousness and placed him in a haystack in the field. They then set the haystack ablaze and burned Joseph to death thinking the body would completely burn and not be discovered. The sons were caught and sent to prison."
Source: This story was related by Josephine Marshall Whittaker the niece of Joseph Shiflett - July 2006.
__________
A family Tree for Joseph William Shiflet, William/"John"'s father:

http://www.mowbrayfamily.org/pedigree.php?personID=I0325&tree=mowbray