Now it is time to explore what is known about the widow of Edward Marden. Could Chloe Barnes be Edward’s Indian wife? Lets see what we can come up with.
What do I need to explore?
- Is Barnes her married name or her birth name?
- Can I find her in census records?
- Can I find her in vital records?
- If she was previously married, did she have any children?
The 1850 Census for Lyman, NH has “Cloe Mardin”, age 64, born in New Hampshire. This should be the widow I am looking for. She is living in the household of farmer Eber & Sarah M. Eastman who are in their 40s. Either of them could be a child or step-child, but the census doesn’t provide any real clues about the relationship.
This same census year has another, younger, Chloe Mardin in Lisbon, NH, She is 40, born in Vermont, appears to also be a widow, and has 7 children. Need to keep her in mind as she is just one town away and in the same county.
An 1871 Census entry for Escott, Ontario could be the lady. This town is located just over the US-Canada border from New York State. The entry is for “Chloe Mardon”, age 80 (just a couple years off with a birth date c1791). born in the US, a widow with an “unsound mind”, living with John Ritchen age 75 and Elizabeth age 55, born in the US.
Well I have had a disappointing round at Ancestry.com, NEHGS, FamilySearch, and I tried out my new subscription at GenealogyBank . No luck finding anything more for Chloe.
I found a tree online for Eber Eastman of Lyman who was providing Chloe with a home in the 1850 . The tree gives his wife’s name as Sarah Moore Gibson. I searched for Chloe Eastman, Chloe Moore, and Chloe Gibson. No luck.
The only thing I learned is found in the 1850 census where it states she was born in New Hampshire. Not much to work with. Searching town records, probates, wills, and deeds is where I need to direct my search. Since I am not likely to get to New Hampshire on my own, I will have to wait until this blog producing some donations or someone volunteers to help me out.
The Ne-Do-Ba Research Journal 
Regarding the 1871 census for Escott, Ontario that includes a Chloe Mardon. The family she was living with is actually that of John Kitchen not Ritchen. There is a mistake in the transcription. You will find the surname spelled correctly in the 1861 census for Leeds County Ontario. Chloe was living with them in 1861 as well. John Kitchen was of Scottish origin but his wife Elizabeth White was born in the USA in 1816. I found Elizabeth's maiden name in her son's marriage record. Perhaps Chloe was a White or at least related to them.
Thanks for the help. It's always nice to hear from folks that have researched these names from different perspectives. The last date I could find for the widow of Edward Marden was 1858. This additional info does not rule out the possibility of this being the woman in question but it does provide additional data to work with.
K'chi wliwni — Great Thanks