Howard
county was gone. It had lately vanished into the mists of memory, and
the twin counties of Elk and Chautauqua filled its vacancy. So
without the trouble of actually moving, the Brosius family found
their address had changed from Howard to Chautauqua county. How much
of an effect the change in the civil government had upon John S.
Brosius and his wife Frances is an open question. Little is known
about this period in their lives. They apparently remained in their
home in Belleville Township for some time, and were probably trying
to start a family. Sadly, it would appear that their young marriage
was beset by tragedy. John’s obituary mentions “[t]hree
boys and one girl... born to this marriage,” and the known birth
dates of two of these children suggest the
period of 1875-1879 for the births of the first boy and the girl
(“John Brosius Dead”). However, neither
of those two children appear
in the 1880 census. They must have died
very young. Unfortunately, no documentation for the births and deaths
of these children has yet been found.
Even
less is known about John’s sister Rebecca during this period.
During the 1875 Kansas census, she evidently
was still
dwelling in
Belleville Township, but in the household of P. N. Williams. No
explanation for this residence
is offered within the census; it does not state her relationship to
the head of the household, nor is an occupation ascribed to her. The
clearest clue is entirely circumstantial: she
is the last named member of the household, after a
W. Henderson, whose occupation is given as “Farming.” In general,
households on a census record are sorted with the family first and
then any servants or employees. Although not directly stated, W.
Henderson and Rebecca Brosius are probably the farmhand and the domestic servant,
respectively.
John
and Rebecca’s
stepfather John Rodgers was also residing in Belleville Township. His
wife, John and Rebecca’s
mother, Margrette, had passed away in 1873, leaving him with three
children in a relatively wild country. The operations of the James
and Younger brothers, still famous for their outlawry, were sometimes
uncomfortably nearby. Even closer to home, in Chautauqua county
itself, something as simple as a quarrel concerning a water bucket
could result in one brother murdering another (Cutler). Even without
taking these dangers into consideration (and as a man, John Rodgers
may have felt fully capable of protecting his children from such
dangers), men at that time were seldom educated in child-rearing.
John Rodgers may very well have wished for a companion to take over
his duties in this area.
His
choice fell upon a young woman named Ellen Edwards, fifteen years his
junior, and possibly the daughter of his neighbor Isaac Edwards.
Presumably after a suitable period of courtship, the wedding took
place on 24 June 1877. So at the age of
twenty years, Ellen
found herself stepmother to three children, ages twelve, eight, and
four.
|
This image has been trimmed from the original at FamilySearch. |
Through
all the joys and sorrows of the lives of the Brosius and Rodgers
families, they were no doubt aware of the decreasing importance of
the nearby city of Peru. Not
much farther away from their homes, but to the northwest instead of
the east, another city’s star was rising. At the formation of
Chautauqua county, the hitherto miniscule town of Sedan was named the
county seat, probably on account of its position near the
geographical center of the county. At the time of its appointment, it
contained only “a store, blacksmith shop, a district school
building and one or two residences,” but with its new-found
importance, Sedan quickly became a center of building and commerce
(Cutler). In 1878, John S.
Brosius and his wife Frances took up residence there, perhaps because
the town provided ample employment and experience for anyone who
wished to start a career in carpentry. Hitherto a farmer, John was
embarking on his vocation as a carpenter.
As
young John began his new business, his stepfather began his own new
family. On 23 Sept 1878, the former Ellen Edwards, now Ellen Rodgers,
became mother to a daughter of her own. The baby, named Mary Ellen
Rodgers, bore no blood relationship to John S. Brosius, of course,
but she was certainly known to him. There is ample
evidence that he kept up relations with his half-siblings, and it is
more than likely that these relations extended to his step-siblings
as well.
As
for his full sister Rebecca, it is possible that she made a trip back
to her birthplace in Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Whether she made
an appearance in person or not, some business was conducted on her
behalf there. She, alone of the three Brosius children, had retained
ownership of her inherited land in South Shenango Township. Being
still a minor, of about seventeen years of age at the time, it was
requisite that her guardian, David McKinley, handle her legal
affairs. On 23 Mar 1878 he petitioned the court for permission to
sell her land. This permission was granted, and on 25 Apr 1878 the
land became the possession of Henry Myers for a consideration of
$400.
But
by the time the census was taken in 1880, she had returned (if she
had ever left) to Kansas, and was now working as a domestic servant
in the household of Samuel D. Thomason. She
would almost certainly have met the youngest arrivals in her extended
family: her nephew Clarence, born to John and Frances Brosius in
about 1879, and her stepsister Liddia Margaret, born to John and
Ellen Rodgers on 11 Mar 1880.
Like
her brother John, she now made her home in Sedan. She appears three
pages away from his household in the population schedule, which in a
bustling young city like Sedan may not have implied much distance. Of
course, one would need to see a plot map in order to make an accurate
judgment on that head.
John
Brosius’ household contains, as expected, himself, Frances, and
Clarence, but there is also an unexplained fourth person. His name is
Wesley Ewing, age 17, and his occupation is described as “Works on
Livery Stable.” Whether he is any sort of relation to either John
or Frances, or whether he is a boarder or a guest, is not recorded.
The
household of John Rodgers bears no such surprises. They still
remained in Belleville Township, and appear exactly as would be
predicted, with John, his wife, and five children.
Citations
and Selected Sources
1875
Kansas State Census, Howard, Kansas, population schedule, Belleville
Twp, p. 10, dwelling 76, family 76, line 9, Rebecca Brosius; digital
images, Ancestry, Ancestry (ancestry.com
: accessed 1 Feb 2014); citing Roll: ks1875_3, 1875 Kansas State
Census, Microfilm reels K-1 – K-20, Kansas State Historical
Society.
1875
Kansas State Census, Howard, Kansas, population schedule, Belleville
Twp, p. 14, dwelling 114, family 114, line 20-23, Household of John
Rodgers; digital images, Ancestry, Ancestry (ancestry.com
: accessed 8 Dec 2013); citing Roll: ks1875_3, 1875 Kansas State
Census, Microfilm reels K-1 – K-20, Kansas State Historical
Society.
1875
Kansas State Census, Howard, Kansas, population schedule, Belleville,
p. 14, dwelling 117, family 117, line 30-31, Household of John
Brosius; digital images, Ancestry, Ancestry (ancestry.com
: accessed 8 Dec 2013); citing Roll: ks1875_3, 1875 Kansas State
Census, Microfilm reels K-1 – K-20, Kansas State Historical
Society.
1880
U.S. census, Chautauqua, Kansas, population schedule, Belleville
Township, enumeration district (ED) 66, p. 293 (stamped), dwelling 4,
family 4, household of John Rodgers; digital images, Ancestry
(ancestry.com : accessed 11 Nov
2006); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm
T9, roll 375.
1880
U.S. census, Chautauqua, Kansas, population schedule, Sedan,
enumeration district (ED) 15, p. 31, dwelling 290, family 298,
Rebecca Brosius; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com
: accessed 11 Nov 2006); citing National Archives and Records
Administration microfilm T9, roll 375.
1880
U.S. census, Chautauqua, Kansas, population schedule, Sedan,
enumeration district (ED) 75, p. 28, dwelling 260, family 267,
household of John Brosius; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com
: accessed 22 Oct 2006); citing National Archives and Records
Administration microfilm T9, roll 375.
Chautauqua,
Kansas, Marriage records, 1875-1883, v. B: 79, Rodgers-Edwards, 24
June 1877; digital image #59 of 238, Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch
(www.familysearch.org
: accessed 21 Jan 2014).
Crawford,
Pennsylvania, Orphans’ Court Record 753, No. 17: Petition of David
McKinley Guardian of Rebecca Brosius for leave to sell real estate,
April Term 1878; Crawford County Office of the Clerk of Courts,
Meadville. Xerox copy sent to author by Gloria Brosius.
Cutler,
William G. “Chautauqua County.” History
of the State of Kansas.
Chicago: A. T. Andreas, 1883. Page numbers not indicated in
transcription. Transcribed by Dwayne Crandall, Carol Crandall, and
Bonnie Bunce in Kansas Collection Books. The
Kansas
Collection,
April 1999. Web. Accessed
5 Nov 2006.
Find
A Grave, “Find A Grave,” database and images, Find
A Grave (www.findagrave.com
: accessed 28 Aug 2014); Mary Ellen Cobb (Memorial #24270422); Record
added 30 Jan 2008 by Del Huggins.
“John
Brosius Dead,” (Sedan)
Sedan Times-Star, 22
Apr 1920, p. 1, col. 2.
Xerox copy sent to the author by Gloria Brosius.
State
of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health
Statistics, “California, Death Index, 1940-1997,” database,
Ancestry (www.ancestry.com :
accessed 14 Mar 2015), entry for Lydia Margaret Hall’s 1953 death.