I have been putting off writing about Margaret Stringer day after day because there are so many odd things about this woman that I can’t make sense of it all. And I want to blame the census records for this, but I don’t know if that’s the problem I am having. The thing is, I can’t find her on the 1860 or the 1870 census. At all. Nothing, really. I don’t know which name to look for, actually. As in, I have looked for several names she may have gone by, but I can’t find any of them. Of course, it could be a case where I am seeing it, like it’s right in front of me, and it just isn’t registering for some reason.
Margaret Stringer was born January 11, 1843 in Kentucky. Her parents are Gray Stringer and Elizabeth Pitt. Now, some of this is going to go into Elizabeth Pitt’s life, too, but stay with me here because it gets interesting.
In 1850 Margaret was living with her parents in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. She was 7 years old. Her siblings that lived in the home were: America (age 11 years) and Lucy (age 9 years). There is also a Balis Stringer, age 15 years, living with the family, but I haven’t figured out how he is related to them yet. I keep seeing websites that list him as the son of Gray and Elizabeth, but I don’t see the basis for that yet. I searched for a death record for him, but was unable to find it. AND usually the children on census records are listed in order of birth, oldest first. On the 1850 census Balis is listed last. He shows up 10 years later in Missouri as a 26 year old blacksmith, which kind of disproves the websites claiming him as the Stringer family’s son since they all claim he, too, was born in 1843 making him Margaret’s twin (or Elizabeth getting pregnant with him soon after Margaret was born).
As I said before, I cannot find Margaret Stringer on the 1860 or 1870 census. I was told by a descendant of Margaret’s sister, Lucy, that Margaret married a John Pitt. I found a marriage record for John S Pitt and MK Stringer in McLean County, Kentucky on May 24, 1850. So that information matches up. It’s kind of bizarre when you think about it though: Gray Stringer’s mother was Sallie Pitt. Gray married his cousin, Elizabeth Pitt. Then Margaret married a cousin, John S Pitt. Anyway, at some point Margaret and John S Pitt divorce and she may or may not have married a Moore. (note: keep this fact in mind: after Gray Stringer died his wife Elizabeth married Joseph C Moore). I haven’t found anything saying that she did, but there is a reason for this coming up (I promise).
By 1880 Margaret married John J Breedlove. They show up this year on the census living in Sacramento, McLean County, Kentucky. The children living with them are: Emma (listed as a Breedlove, but she is also listed as John’s stepdaughter…so she was either a Pitt or a Moore, but I am not sure which one, age 11 years), Mary Jane (age 7 years), Ona L (age 5 years) and William M (age 3 years).
No census for 1890.
In 1900 the Breedlove family was still living in Sacramento, McLean County, Kentucky. Margaret is listed as Margaret K Breedlove. The children listed on the 1880 census are no longer living with Margaret and John. Two more daughters are on this census: Lucy J (my great-grandmother, age 18 years) and Drusy B (age 15 years). Also living with the family are two of Margaret’s grandchildren: Magnola Lovell (age 4 years) and Mack Lovell (age 1 year). According to Mack’s death certificate the parents of Magnola and Mack are Jim Lovell and Lulu Breedlove. I’m not sure if Lulu is the nickname of one of the daughters listed or not. This census also tells us that Margaret is the mother of nine children and only five are still living. I haven’t figured out all of the children yet. As you can see I have listed six of the children.
In 1910 Margaret and John are still in McLean County, Kentucky. But a new person is on the census with them: Benjamin A Moore. Someone had scratched out his last name Moore, though. So it looks as though he is a Breedlove. But he isn’t (more on Moore in a second..haha). Benjamin is listed as 47 years old, single and John’s stepson. Margaret is still the mother of nine children of which five are still living. So now we have 7 of her children listed: Benjamin A Moore, Emma (last name?), Mary Jane Breedlove, Ona L Breedlove, William M Breedlove, Lucy J Breedlove and Drusy B Breedlove. I do not have any clue who the other two are. Lulu? Perhaps, unless, as I said before, that is just a nickname for one of the children listed.
In 1920 Margaret is listed on the census as Margaret H Breedlove. She is living with her son, listed as Ben A Moore, and her sister Virginia in McLean County, Kentucky. She is widowed and her son is named as the head of household.
Margaret Stringer died on December 7, 1924 in Island, McLean County, Kentucky. The cause of death was arteriosclerosis, which she apparently (according to the death certificate) had suffered from for several years. The contributor to the cause was apoplexy (bleeding, which could have been anything).
Now, for a little something extra concerning Benjamin A Moore that is a little off: Benjamin A Moore is shown living with Margaret’s mother and her second husband, Joseph C Moore, on several census records. It isn’t until Elizabeth, Margaret’s mother dies, that he lives with Margaret. On his death certificate it says that his mother is Margaret and his father is Joseph Moore. So, did Margaret have a “thing” with her stepfather? Or is it a different Joseph Moore? Maybe the informant knew he was Margaret’s son, but didn’t know who the father was and just put Joseph’s name on the certificate knowing that Ben had pretty much been raised by him. Why wasn’t Ben living with his mother growing up? And who is Emma’s father? Or what if Joseph C Moore wanted children and Elizabeth wasn’t able to have any more for some reason? Would she have asked her daughter to surrogate for her? Benjamin was born about 1864 (according to census records). Emma was born about 1869 (according to the 1880 census record). Could they have had the same father or different fathers? Could Benjamin have been Margaret’s with John S Pitt and just took the Moore last name because he was raised by Moore? I just don’t know.
And I really wish I could find those census records.
