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| John Gardner and Mercy (Rogers) Gardner |
The first of our
Gardner line to come to America (so far as I know) was John Gardner. John was born in England May 9, 1812. According to his obituary, published in the Story
County Watchman, he came to America from England as a young man of 21. While I have no information regarding his
circumstances in England, it seems likely that he came here seeking a fresh
start, hoping to avail himself of the opportunities in a new land.
The first actual records I have are of his marriage to Mercy
Rogers in Ohio in 1838. An application
for marriage by John for himself and Mercy Rogers filed January 6, 1838, in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio, asserts that he is at least 21 years of age and she is
at least 18, that neither have living spouses, and that they are not more
closely related than first cousins. John
signed this application with his “mark” (census records indicate that John was
illiterate, to which this “signature” lends further credence). Fun fact: Mercy was born in 1821, meaning she
was NOT in fact 18 years of age at the time of marriage – yes, our ancestors do
stretch the truth on legal documents from time to time! The second record is a statement from Justice
of the Peace John Fuller, who states that on January 7, 1838, John Gardner and “Mary”
Rogers were legally bound in marriage by him, by virtue of a license issued by
the Clerk of Court of Cuyahoga County. Although
this record refers to Mercy as “Mary”, I still believe it to be the record of
our ancestors’ marriage – Mercy is also recorded as “Mary” on the 1850 census, and
research in some Quaker records has shown that “Mercy” and “Mary” were used
somewhat interchangeably at times. Also,
this record was clearly transcribed from the original, as there are several
records on the page in the same handwriting, but from different officiants, so
it is possible an error was introduced in the transcription. In addition, the J.P. dates his affidavit March
20 of 1838, indicating he didn’t record the marriage until 3 months after the
fact, so he may have introduced the error himself.
I don’t yet know where in Ohio John and Mercy lived. It would be reasonable to assume they lived
in Cuyahoga county, given their marriage there, but I have been unable to place
them there in the 1840 Census (the 1840 Census unfortunately only lists heads
of household by name, and tick marks for the other members of the household
categorized under gender and age range, and by free or slave, making it
somewhat difficult to identify ancestors – especially those with a common name!
– with certainty). I did find both a
John Gardner and an Amos Rogers (Mercy’s father was named Amos) living in
Brunswick, Ohio, in Medina County, but the numbers don’t quite match (John and
Mercy would have had at least one child, possibly two in 1840, leading me to
expect a household of 3 or 4 – the John Gardner in Brunswick has a household of
1). I will need more clues in order to
pinpoint their location.
From later censuses, I do know that their first four
children (Helen, Adaline, Clayton, and Sarah) were born in Ohio. Some time between 1845 (Sarah’s birth year)
and 1849, the Gardners moved to Dane County, Wisconsin. They first appear here in the 1850 Census in
Windsor, Dane County, Wisconsin. They
lived in Wisconsin for nearly 2 decades.
By 1860, they had relocated to Vienna, Wisconsin, also in Dane county. Their next three children (Rachel, Robert,
and Dayton) were all born in Wisconsin.
Helen, though married with her own family by 1860, continued to live
close to her parents. Adaline had moved
to Minnesota in 1860, but rejoined her family later in Iowa. Mercy’s parents, Amos and Thankful Rogers,
also lived close by (in Dane county, but different towns) for most of the time
the Gardners remained in Wisconsin.
Between 1863 and 1867, the Gardners finally relocated to Iowa,
living first in Clear Creek Township, Jasper County, where their last daughter,
Ella, was born, and finally to Indian Creek Township in Story County, where we
find them living in 1880. Most of their
adult children continued to live nearby, including Adaline and her family, who
rejoined the Gardners in Clear Creek by 1870.
According to John’s obituary, the Gardners’ home was about a mile
outside the town of Maxwell, Iowa. When
John died at home on July 16, 1896, he was one of Maxwell’s highly respected
citizens, and his obituary notes that his funeral, held in the C. P. Church was
one of the largest funerals ever held in Maxwell. John and Mercy, as well as their son Dayton
and his wife Cora, are buried in the city cemetery in Maxwell, Iowa.
Family Snapshot
Children of John Gardner (1812-1896) and Mercy Rogers Gardner (1821-1905):- Helen Gardner Eatwell (1838-1923)
- Adaline Gardner Harter (1840-1919)
- Clayton Gardner (1843-1870)
- Sarah Gardner (1845-?)
- Rachel Gardner Cutsinger (1849-1936)
- Robert Gardner (1856-1940)
- Dayton Gardner (1863-1932)
- Ella Gardner Jarvill (1868-1946)
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