Darling Line
52 Ancestors – Week 2018-33
By Don Taylor
Tracing female ancestors is often difficult in 19th century America. As I continue my research into the siblings of Rufus Holton Darling, one of his sisters, the oldest sister, was quite easy to follow. The other two sisters have been very problematic. I wrote about Deidamia, the oldest sister, previously. Basically, she born in New York, married Lawrence G. Limbocker, moved to Michigan, had three children, and probably died in Michigan. Hannah and Sally Ann are a different story.
Darling Research 2018 – Ancestor #96
List of Grandparents
- Grandfather: Robert Harry Darling (1907-1969)
- 1st Great-grandfather: Rufus Harry Darling (1857-1917)
- 2nd Great-grandfather: Rufus Holton Darling (1816-1857)
- 3rd Great-grandfather: Abner Darling (b. 1780-1839)
- 3rd Great-aunt: Hannah Darling (c. 1822-Bef. 1880?)
Hannah Darling (c. 1824-Before 1880?)
Hannah was born the 7th of eight children of Abner and Sally Ann (Munsell) Darling, most likely in New Hampshire, although she may have been born in New York.
Hannah’s Siblings were
- Andrew W. Darling(1805-1864)
- Abner C. Darling (1805-1864)
- Deidamia Darling(1813-?)
- Rufus Holton Darling(1816-1857)
- Henry W. Darling (1818-1890)
- Sally Ann Darling (c. 1820-)
- Franklin C. Darling (c. 1827-)
The only real source I have regarding Hannah is the 1850 Census[1]. In it, she appears to be living with her brother, Andrew/Andress Darling, his wife Antoinette and their two children, Sarah and Alice. In the same household appears to be Hannah’s youngest brother, Franklin, and her mother, Sally A. (Munsell) Darling.
The 1830 Census[2] does not provide the names of anyone in the household except for the head of household. The 1830 Census indicates the following females in the Abner Darling household of Clarkson, Monroe, New York:
- Females 5 thru 9 2 (Probably Hannah, age 6, and Sally Ann, age 9.)
- Females 15 thru 19 1 (Probably Diedamia, Age 16.)
- Females 40 to 49 1 (Probably Sally, age 45.)
Hannah’s father, Abner died in 1839. In the 1840 Census[3], Abner’s son, Rufus, is the head of the household. Living with Rufus in 1840 are the following females:
- Females 15-19 2 (Probably Hannah, age 16, and Sally Ann, age 19.)
- Females 50-59 1 (Probably Sally, age 55.)
I have been unsuccessful finding any references to Hannah after the 1850 Census. She is not mentioned in her brother’s (Abner C. Darling’s) obituary in September 1880. As such, I believe Hannah probably died between 1850 and 1880.
Other Trees
Family Search has Hannah in their Family Tree. She is person KJ6Z-V1S. All entries for her are by “Family Search” and have no sources for information. It does suggest an 1820 birth year.
On Ancestry, there are five trees that appear to include Hannah. Two of them are mine. The other three are private. I have sent contact messages to the two individuals managing the three private trees. One tree indicates Hannah Darling being born in 1820. I’ve selected the 1824-1825 birth year in my tree because of the 1850 Census and that she fits into the 1830 and 1840 censuses by speculation. I would be a lot more comfortable that Hannah was actually a child of Abner and Sally Ann (Munsell) Darling if I could find a record that clearly shows the relationship.
The second private tree on Ancestry did not have Hannah identified but did have Abner and Sally Ann (Munsell) Darling but none of their children.
I have not heard back about the third private tree yet.
A fairly exhaustive online search, including newspapers and other resources has not provided any further information.
————– Disclaimer ————–
Endnotes
[1] 1850 Census (FS), 1850 Census – A M Darling – Utica, Winnebago, Wisconsin. “United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch : 12 April 2016), Am Darling, Utica, Winnebago, Wisconsin, United States; citing family 1092, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4DT-3L6.
[2] 1830 Census (A), Abner Darling – Clarkson, Monroe, New York – Page 271. Source Citation 1830; Census Place: Clarkson, Monroe, New York; Series: M19; Roll: 94; Page: 271; Family History Library Film: 0017154. https://search.ancestry.com/collections/8058/records/1556647/.
[3] 1840 Census (FS), Family Search, New York, Monroe, Clarkson, Page 177 – Rufus H Darling.
Some names are both easy and difficult to follow. In the case of the Salefske line the surname is spelled, Salefske, Salefski, Salefsky, Salesky…. You get the idea, it was spelled by the individual who heard the name and guessed at the spelling. Ottilie’s siblings also appear to have taken on different spellings in many of their dealings. Sorting out what should be the surname and what should not is an exercise in futility. I’ll just go with Salefske for the surname and know that individual records may have virtually any surname spelling. Ottilie’s first name is also a mix of records, sometimes, it has one “t” sometimes two “l’s;” sometimes it is Tillie, Lillie, Tily, Matilda and even Adelia. All-in-all, I’ve given up trying to determine her first name as well. I’m spelling it as “Ottilie,” mostly because that spelling is more common than any of the others.
