Laura Jane “Jennie” Shaffer Myers v Lemuel/Emiel/Emuel Myers (Journal 15 p179 – 21 Dec 1889; Roll 47 Box 159 case number 2108 – 31 Aug 1889)
By Pamela Pattison Lash (updated 25 December 2011)
The couple, according to Laura, was married in Bryan, Williams Co, OH on 9 Nov 1879.
[(Lemuel Meyers and Jennie Shaffer married on 27 Oct 1879 in Williams Co, OH (Marriage V 4 p651). Note there is no other couple in marriage records that I could find that fits except this one.]
They had two children – Charles 7 (Stryker, Williams Co, OH Births V 2 p34 – 17 Feb 1882 as Oreville s/o Emile and Jennie Shaffer Myers) and Laura 4 (Bryan, Williams Co, OH Births V2 p70 – 16 Feb 1885, d/o Lemuel and IL Shaffer Myers). Laura charged her husband with gross neglect of duty and extreme cruelty. She said he was a drunk for more than three years. In mid Dec 1887 she was ordered to leave her home.
In his answer to the court Emuel stated his wife was guilty of gross neglect as she would not cook, do housework, or wash his clothes. She wanted him to leave their home in Bryan and move to Goshen, IN. He did stay in Goshen as of Aug 1899.
Laura wanted a divorce and custody of the children. On 21 December 1889 the divorce action was dismissed. It is unclear whether she later obtained her divorce in Williams Co, OH or may have obtained one in Indiana, but she was listed in the 1900 federal census (see below) as divorced.
With this case I’ve had to make some assumptions. Here’s what I found on the family.
Laura Shaffer, born in July 1852 in IN, was the daughter of Jonathan and Thursa Shaffer.
1870 Bryan, Williams, Ohio; Roll: M593_1282; Page: 177A; Image: 357; Family History Library Film: 552781.
h/h 39/39 Shaffer, Jonathan 51 PA blacksmith
Thursa 46 OH
Enoch 24 OH
Laura 17 IN
Josephine 14 MI
Willoughby 12 IN
Alice E 10 IN
Jonathan Shaffer b1817 Germany d 25 Aug 1892 Bryan, OH; blacksmith
Lemuel Myers was born in OH c1843; he disappeared after the 1889 divorce action.
1880 Stryker, Williams, Ohio; Roll: 1078; Family History Film: 1255078; Page: 665B; Enumeration District: 13; Image: 0192.
h/h 87/89 Myers, Emuel 37 OH laborer
Jennie 26 wife OH-PA
Cora 3 OH-x-OH
1900 Elkhart, Elkhart, Indiana; Roll: T623_369; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 23, PO Goshen
h/h 346/357 Myers, Jennie (July 1852) 47 divorced 4/2 ch IN-PA-MI
Laura (Feb 1885) 15 dau OH-FR-IN
Charles (Feb 1882) 18 son OH-FR-IN iron molder (online source has Charles living later in Lucas Co, OH where he died)
Ensign, Louis (Oct 1840) 59 boarder Can-NY-NY to US 1878 horse trainer widower
On 10 Mar 1917 in Goshen, Elkhart Co, IN, Laura Agnes Myers, d/o Emil Myers and Laura Jane Shafer, married Ralph Elliot Marling. Laura was born in Bryan, OH on 16 Feb 1885.
By 1920 Elkhart Ward 6, Elkhart, Indiana; Roll: T625_432; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 60; Image: 489.
Jennie Myers widow b1855 IN lived with her daughter and son-in-law, the Marlings
By 1930 Elkhart, Elkhart, Indiana; Roll: 585; Page: 26B; Enumeration District: 22; Image: 54.0
Jennie Myers 76 IN was living again with the Marlings and her sister, Josephine Kelley 74 MI also resided there.
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