Mary Ann Kogin Ellis v Orlando Ellis
Who Takes the Children? Divorce in Williams County, Ohio, 1886
By Pamela Pattison Lash (updated 12 December 2021)
When there are children to consider in a contested divorce, the court papers can be rather extensive. This genealogical detailing concerns a husband and wife who sue each other for divorce and haggle about which parent gets custody of the children. Usually, one would think, the mother would become the custodial parent, especially when the children were female, but this case does not follow that pattern.
Orlando Ellis, b. 15 Apr 1847, Otsego Twp, Steuben Co, IN, the son of NY and OH natives, respectively, Hamilton and Gracia Burch Ellis, married Mary Ann Kogin on 12 Nov 1870 in Steuben Co, IN. Orlando and his family were listed in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 Otsego, Steuben Co, IN Federal Census. Orlando and Mary were enumerated in the 1880 Otsego, Steuben Co, IN federal census, p383B. Mary Ann, b 7 January 1855 in Steuben Co, Indiana, was the only daughter of Tuscawarus Co, OH natives, John and Elizabeth M. Gilbert Kogin. Her parents were also enumerated in the 1880 Richland, Steuben Co, IN federal census, p399C; John Kogin died several years before these divorce proceedings.
Williams County, Ohio birth records show that two of their three children were born and recorded within as Minnie May Ellis, b. 4 Dec 1880, Otsego, Steuben Co, IN (Births V2 p19) and Cora E. Ellis, b 19 Aug 1883, NW Twp, Wms Co (Births V2 p56). Orlando (m) was born in 1873. Beginning on 25 Nov 1885 (Journal 13 p253) Orlando, a resident of NW Twp, brought a divorce suit against his wife, but the court dismissed the case (Roll 42 case number 1512). On 8 Feb 1886 (Roll 43 Box 148 case number 1593) Mary Ann sued Orlando for divorce charging him with gross neglect. From Journal 13 p429 - 22 Mar 1886, showed that this couple was divorced. Mary Ann called relatives Eugene and EM Kogin, her brother and mother, to testify on her behalf. She asked for a reasonable alimony and custody of their 2-year-old daughter Cora while she wanted Orlando to have custody of 14-year-old Orla and 4-year-old Minnie. She also stated that for more than one year Orlando had left her and the children without food or support, and without any provocation, so she was forced to perform manual labor to earn a living.
Six days after the divorce was granted Orlando Ellis married Eliza Pugh in Wms Co (Marriages V5 #808) on 28 Mar 1886. This Eliza is believed to be the daughter of Spafford and Esther Conklin Pugh of NW Twp. An interesting birth record (V2 p90) showed a son born to Orlando Ellis and Eliza Friend named Howard F. Ellis, b. 26 Sept 1886, NW Twp. Whether this Orlando Ellis is the subject of this divorce has yet to be proven. There is an Eliza Friend who lived in NW Twp most of her life as a single woman, but it is not currently known if she is Howard’s mother. Howard was living in Michigan with an aunt and uncle c1900 and may have resided in Racine, WI, but again it is not known if he was the son of this Orlando.
On 17 May 1887 in Mt Pleasant, Henry Co, Iowa, Mary Ann Ellis married David Fetterman. In the 1900 Burlington, Des Moines Co, IA Federal Census Mary was listed as Mary Fetterman with husband; she was born Jan 1855 which made her 44 IN native, married 12 years with 3 children, all living. David Fetterman married again in 1906 which means there was probably a divorce. Mary is found in the 1910 Amboy, Hillsdale Co, MI Federal Census as Marie Harmon, wife of Solomon Harmon. She had been married twice before and had been married to Solomon for 3 years (c1907). Solomon died in 1919. In the 1925 Burlington, Des Moines Co, IA state census, Mary Kogin Ellis was listed as Marie Harmon 67, widow, along with her daughter and son-in-law, Cora Ellis Smith and Andrew Smith. Mary, a seamstress, married Melvin Cass McGrew in Steuben Co, IN on 19 March 1929. Melvin passed away in 1934. Mary lived with her daughter Cora Smith in Lowell, IN where Mary died on 18 May 1935.
On 19 Mar 1893 in Steuben Co, IN, Orlando married Cora E. Campbell, daughter of Obadiah and Arvilla Spencer Campbell and had seven children. Cora died on 10 Apr 1917 in Hillsdale Co, MI; several months later Orlando married Nancy N. Tiffany Wilson on 22 Sept 1917 in Hudson, Hillsdale Co, MI. He died on 9 August 1919 in Hillsdale and was buried there in the Lakeview Cemetery.
To recap, each of the parties married four times:
Orlando and Mary Ann Kogin
Orlando and Eliza Pugh
Orlando and Cora E Campbell
Orlando and Nancy Tiffany Wilson
Mary and Orlando Ellis
Mary and David Fetterman
Mary and Solomon Harmon
Mary and Melvin C McGrew
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