Matilda Jane Finley ^{1 2}

  General Notes:

"1879 History of Squaw Township, Warren, Iowa"
<http://www.rootsweb.com/%7Eiawarren/1879hist/squaw-twp.htm>

FORMAN, MRS. M. J., whose maiden name was Finley, was born in Barber, Virginia, Nov. 4, 1850, when quite young, her parents moved to Knox, Mo., where her father died in 1866; she removed to this township, with her mother, where she was married March 2nd, 1868; she has two children living, Sarah E., and Samuel C., and has lost three, Susannah, Lester and Milford; her husband died February 2nd, 1878; she owns 113 acres of land in Sec. 30; P.O. Madora.
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  Noted events in her life were:

• She appeared on the 1880 US Census in Squaw Township, Warren County, IA on June 1880. ²

1880 US Census
Page 420C, Roll 0368
Squaw Township, Warren County, Iowa
Mathilda Foreman..Self..29..WV..Keeping House
Sarah Foreman..Daughter..9..IA
Sam'l. Foreman..Son..7..IA
C. E. Warren..Other..19..IA..Laborer-Servant
Louisa Foreman...Sis..26..WV..Servant

(Matilda was widowed and living with 2 children and supposedly 1 sister.)

NOTE - Louisa Foreman was listed as a sister to Mathilda Foreman. But her exact name presents somewhat of a mystery. My suspicion is that she was "Lovina Finley" who was 26 years old at the time of the 1880 census and who was later married in 1881. However, the census listed her with a surname of "Foreman" whereas the unmarried Lovina should have been listed as "Finley". Was this a mistake on the part of the enumerator or was she really a sister of the deceased husband of Matilda, A. J. Forman? If that was the case then her relationship should have been listed as "sister-in-law" instead of "sister". Or she could have been "Alcinda Finley" of whom little else is known other than she would have been about 31 years old at the time of the 1880 census. Or she could have been a previously unknown Finley sister with the name "Louisa".
.

Matilda married A. J. Forman on 2 March 1868.¹ (A. J. Forman was born about 1845 and died on 2 February 1878 ¹.)

Matilda next married Noah J. Sipe on 22 May 1881.¹ (Noah J. Sipe was born about 1846 ¹ and died after May 1881.)