Mrs. Owens Mother of Hiram
Easily found US Census records pertaining to this woman in her old age in Montgomery Twp., Marion Co., OH, though we could not find earlier records for her.
She appears living in the household of her son Hiram in the 1870 Cenus at the ripe old age of 82. And then she appears one more time in 1880, at the extraordinary age of 93, living with her son Hiram's widow and children.
This CDV clearly dates from the 1870s based on all the elements of card style and presentation. The woman shown here was likely about 85 years old when the photo was taken based on all the evidence.
This woman was born about 1797-8 in Delaware and left there sometime after 1822 because her son Hiram was born in DE about 1822. Hiram apparently lost his first wife Sarah sometime between 1860 and 1870, and he apparently remarried to a woman named Jane, (Given the age gap between the children, it is likely Hiram's third child in these records was with his second wife.)
Here are the records I found for this woman's son Hiram and for her, showing her advanced age as recorded in the Census.
- 1860 Census - OH, Marion Co., Montgomery Twp., La Rue PO: Hiram Owens, age 38, born in DE, "farmer"; with wife Sarah Owens, age 33, born in OH; and children all born in OH - Minerva, age 9; and William, age 4; and with live-in domestic servant Selena Warner.
- 1870 Census - OH, Marion Co., Montgomery Twp., La Rue PO: Hiram Owens, age 48, born in DE, "farmer"; with wife Jane Owens, age 38; and children both born in OH - son William H., age 14, and daughter U. A., age 6; plus an 82-year-old woman Margaret, born in DE, presumably Hiram's elderly mother.
- By the 1880 Census, still in Montgomery Twp., Hiram no longer appears, Jane is listed as "widowed," Margaret Owens, now age 93, is still in the household, as are William H. (A.?) and U. A., now listed as "Augusta."
Note: To assist those who may be interested in this photo for genealogy, other photos found with this one indicate that this woman's son Hiram's first wife was Saptra(?) "Sarah" Sprague, that their daughter Minerva married a Mr. Campbell, that their son William went by the nickname "Chesney"; and that Hiram's second wife was Jane Carey, half sister of Sarah Day, and that their daughter Augusta married a Mr. Osborn. We have not searched records to verify this information, but it appears on inscriptions on other photos.