Adaline D. Cunningham

Other Events:

• RESEARCH: The apparent 1887 marriage record of "Adeline Blackmer" to "Malcolm D. Burnham" is puzzling. A Union pension file for John W. Blackmer (Pvt., Co J, 74th Indiana Inf.), filed in Indiana Sept. 1885 was refiled by the widow, Adeline Blackmer inIndiana in June 1886, and by minor child Malcomb D. Burnham in Kansas in 1891. [File being pulled by Nicole (nikkisbc@yahoo.com)] Supporting this filing, is FindAGrave entry for "John W.Blackmier" in Lagrange Co IN, died 1886 (no specific dates). An entry on the Indiana Digital Archives site lists John W. Blackmer (Co. I, 74th Ind. Inf.), age 21, as enrolling for service on 9 August 1862 in Elkhart County, Indiana, which places him near Adeline Cunningham.
• Census: 17 Sep 1850, Elkhart township, Elkhart County, Indiana, USA; 1. Cunningham, James, 38, male, miller, [no real estate value], Pennsylvania 2. _____, Martha, 37, female, Pennsylvania 3. _____, Betsy, 13, female, Indiana, attending school 4. _____, Emeline, 12, female, Indiana, attending school 5. _____, Adaline, 6, female, Indiana, attending school 6. _____, Geo W., 4, male, Indiana 7. _____, W. H., 2, male, Indiana
• Census: 3 Aug 1860, Elkhart township, Elkhart County, Indiana, USA; 1. Cunningham, James, 5[7?], male, labor, real estate value $300, personal $60, Pennsylvania 2. _____, Martha, 47, female, housework, Pennsylvania 3. _____, Adaline, 16, female, housework, Indiana 4. _____, George [M.? W.?], 13, male, Indiana 5. _____, William, 12, male, Indiana 6. _____, Sophia, 9, female, Indiana 7. _____, Emeline, 21, female, housework, Indiana
• Residence: Apr 1861, Goshen, Elkhart County, Insiana, USA; Adeline's 1861 marriage record to Lafayette Stauffer indicates that although they were married in Cass County, Michigan, they were both "of" Goshen, Indiana.
• Residence: Aug 1865, Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana, USA
• Pension: 2 Jun 1866; Approved for a widow's pension, backdated approval to July 1864. $8 per month.
• Census: 10 Aug 1870, Orland (post office), Greenfield township, LaGrange County, Indiana, USA; 1. Blackmer, John, 29, male, white, farmer, real estate value $8000, personal, $500, Indiana 2. _____, Adaline, 24, female, white, keeping house, Indiana 3. _____, Charles, 3, male, white, Indiana 4. _____, Jim, 1, male, white, Indiana 5. Hart, Irwin, 18, male, white, Michigan
• Census: 7 Jun 1880, Wayne St., LaGrange, LaGrange County, Indiana, USA; 1. Blackmer, John, white, male, 38, married, laborer, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia 2. _____, Adaline, white, female, 36, wife, married, keeping house, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania 3. _____, Burgess, white, male, 5, son, Indiana, Indiana, Indiana
• Pension: 24 Apr 1887; Approval of pension for the minor child of Adeline with second husband John W. Blackmer, son Burgess R. Blackmer.
• Pension: 8 Dec 1894; Adeline's CW pension file indicates that on this date letters of guardianship were received for Joseph F. Mendenhall of Gove County, Kansas, guardian for Burgess R. Blackmer. This probably indicates that Malcolm Burnham, step-father, deserted him after Adeline's death, as he is found living with his son in Nodaway, Missouri, in the 1900 census.

Notes:

Letter from Adeline mentions "Mary Ford's out in Iowa" Letter from Adeline mentions "your Uncle Will"; I believe this letter was written to Cora Emma ROUSH. Possibly it refers to a Will CUNNINGHAM, who might have been Cora's mother's brother? There was a Wilson CUNNINGHAM early in Howell Co. Could it have been him? 1870 census - found a W.H. BURNHAM in the 1910 Calloway Co MO census, with wife A.D., parents b KY., I was hopeful this was them, but checked the 1880 census for Calloway Co, and found the wife's name to be Angie, not Addie or Adeline. Eliminated as a possibility. From a look-up volunteer re Gove Co KS census ------------------------------ I have transcribed both the 1880 and 1900 Gove county census. I am sorry to report that the Burnham family does not show up on either census. In the other references I have there is one small reference to Burnham. I will quote the reference so that you can see it isn't much. "In the year 1884, father [father is William Blackwill] put up the first windmill, erected in Collyer for the purpose of grinding feed. It was a Holliday with a large twelve foot wooden wheel and built on the ground which Pete Meier now owns. It was used for a year to grind feed, although the Kansas winds were hard on it. Along with this mill, father ran an implement store, selling mowing machines, breaking plows and so forth. He sold more breaking plows than anything else. I remember one time when he got half a carload of mowing machines, and Burnham took the other half. ..."

From this I would guess that Burnham also sold farm implements. Since Collyer is in Trego County, just east of Gove County, maybe your family can be found there.

I'm sorry there wasn't more.

Clark

(Research):Marriage found in Gove County, Kansas:
Malcom D. Burnham to Adeline Blackmer on 23 April 1887. Could this be them? Found at
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/gove/marriages/bride1886.html - website hosted by the Kansas Skyways info net.

Civil War Pension app - John W. Blackmer and wife Adeline, fought from IN
1860 Lagrange Co Census, Adaline & John Blackmer, with 2 children

Adaline married Lafayette Stauffer on 25 Apr 1861 in Cass County, Michigan, USA. Lafayette was born about 1834; died in Jul 1864 in Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison), Andersonville, Sumter County, Georgia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Adaline married John W. Blackmer on 23 Dec 1865 in Kiosciusko County, Indiana, USA. John was born about 1842 in Kosciusko County, Indiana, USA; died on 14 Feb 1886 in LaGrange, LaGrange County, Indiana, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Adaline married Malcom D. Burnham on 23 Apr 1887 in Gove County, Kansas, USA. Malcom was born about 1818 in New York, USA; died after 1895. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]