Barbara Ann Arnspiger ^{3 4 5 6 7 8 9}

   Another name for Barbara was Barbara Arnspenger.¹³

  General Notes:

There is a problem with the name of Barbara Arnspiger in the 1850 census. She is listed as still living at her parents' home under her maiden name with her widowed step-mother, and then she is also listed as at the very next household under her married name of Barbara Houser as a widow along with her four daughters.

I can understand the second list in which she uses her married name of Houser. But I just don't understand how the enumerator would not notice that she just listed her name in the previous household but under her maiden name. The only thing that I can think of is that the enumerator never saw Barbara at the step-mother's house and that the step-mother merely gave the enumerator a list of all her step-daughters in the house and this list included Barbara. Barbara was also recently widowed and so probably spent much time back with her step-mother who was also recently widowed especially when they both lived next door to each other. Thus Barbara was enumerated twice: once under her maiden name and once under her married name.

1850 US Census
Page 85, Dwg 118, Family 118, Roll 111
Township 8 Range 11, Jersey County, Illinois
30 Aug 1850
Barbara Arnsparger..29..KY
(Supposedly living with widowed step-mother.)

Notice that this census record shows her maiden name whereas the next census record shows her maiden name.

1850 US Census
Page 85, Dwg 119, Family 119, Roll 111
Township 8 Range 11, Jersey County, Illinois
30 Aug 1850
Barbara Houser..29..KY
Catharine Houser..7..IL
Sarah Houser..5..IL
Margaret Houser..3..IL
Emily Houser..2..IL
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Source: Web Site: Descendents of George Heinrich Ernstberger
(http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=REG&db=joarnspiger&id =I35)

This is from an entry in son-in-law J.P. Hieronymus' journal. "Grandma Howser Hanley jumps in stock well and is drowned north of barn." The next day's entry says, "Grandma's funeral and burial." Across the page in the ledger are the following expense entries: Coffin 34, Shroud 7, Hearse 6.50.
(Grandma Hanley) Telegram to E. Lorey .50."
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Source: Web Site: Descendents of George Heinrich Ernstberger
(http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=REG&db=joarnspiger&id =I35)
The following is from the Atlanta, Illinois Argus newspaper, June 8, 1888, page 4, column 3:

Mrs. Barbara Hanley takes her own life. The news was brought to town last Saturday forenoon that Mrs. Barbara Hanley, an aged lady, had ended her life by drowning in a well on the farm of her son-in-law J.P. Hieronymus, one mile west of town. The particulars of the tragedy are as follows: Mrs. Hanley came here from Kansas last fall [where she was residing with her daughter, Mary and husband, Elias Lorey] to reside with her daughter, Mrs. J.P. Hieronymus. For the past ten or twelve years she has been in very poor mental and bodily health, and for the past eighteen months has been constantly under the doctor's care. She was almost constantly complaining that she believed she was losing her mind.

In 1849 her father and husband went to California, where they both died in side of two weeks of their arrival. This sad blow nearly made her crazy, and she always contended after that her mind was in a measure unsettled from its effects. On Thursday she appeared to be in better health and spirits than usual, and ate a hearty supper, but Friday she complained of being ill and was low spirited. Saturday morning she arose as usual, ate a light breakfast, put on her shawl and started out, as the members of the family thought, for usual morning walk. Being absent longer than usual Mrs. Hieronymus sent one of the younger girls to look for her. A continued search was unsuccessful, but coming back near a stock well she saw the old lady's shawl beside it, and the fear at once seized her that her grandmother had jumped in the well. She ran to the house and other members of the family at once hurried to the spot, where they found Mrs. Hanley dead in the water. There being no men folks at home, Jack Brandt and Fred Huber, who were at work in a neighboring field, were called and the body was taken from the water and carried to the house.

The news was brought to town and Coroner Birmingham notified, who came up on the afternoon train. A jury was empanelled, who, after listening to the evidence, returned a verdict of suicide. The act was evidently premeditated, as she had taken off her bonnet and shawl before throwing her self in the water. Her death is a sad blow to her many friends. The funeral took place Sunday at the Ewing church, Rev. Holton officiating.
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  Noted events in her life were:

• She appeared on the 1850 US Census in Township 8 Range 11, Jersey County, IL on 30 August 1850. ¹³

1850 US Census
Page 85, Family 118, Roll 111
Township 8 North, Range 11 West, Jersey County, Illinois
Barbara Arnspenger..29..KY
(Supposedly living with widowed step-mother but see General Notes.)

NOTE - If her birth date was 13 Aug 1821, then her age should have been 28 instead of 29.
.

• She appeared on the 1850 US Census in Township 8 Range 11, Jersey County, IL on 30 August 1850. ⁷

1850 US Census
Page 85, Family 119, Roll 111
Township 8 Range 11, Jersey County, Illinois
Barbara Houser..29..KY
Catharine Houser..7..IL
Sarah Houser..5..IL
Margaret Houser..3..IL
Emily Houser..2..IL

(Widowed and living with daughters but see General Notes.)

NOTE - If her birth date was 13 Aug 1821, then her age should have been 28 instead of 29.
.

• She appeared on the 1860 US Census in Atlanta, IL on 11 June 1860. ⁸

1860 US Census
Page 15, Dwelling 131, Family 126, Roll 200
Atlanta, Logan County, Illinois
Barb Howser..38..KY
Mary C. Howser..17..IL
Margaret A. Howser..13..IL
Emily I. Howser..10..IL

(Barbara was widowed and living with 3 daughters.)
.

• She appeared on the 1880 US Census in Eminence Township, Logan, IL on 3 June 1880. ³

1880 US Census
Page 238D, District 48, Dwelling 43, Family 46, Roll 0227
Eminence Township, Logan County, Illinois
Barbara Hanley..Wife..61..KY..Keeping House
(Living with 2nd husband and his children and grand-children from his previous marriage.)

NOTE - If her birth date were 13 August 1821, then her age should have been 58 instead of 61.
.

• She was buried on 3 June 1888 in the Mountjoy Cemetery in Atlanta, IL.

⁹

• Her obituary was published in the Atlanta Argus on 8 June 1888 in Atlanta, IL.

Mrs. Barbara Hanley takes her own life. The news was brought to town last Saturday forenoon that Mrs. Barbara Hanley, an aged lady, had ended her life by drowning in a well on the farm of her son-in-law J. P. Hieronymus, one mile west of town. The particulars of the tragedy are as follows: Mrs. Hanley came here from Kansas last fall [where she was residing with her daughter, Mary and husband, Elias Lorey] to reside with her daughter, Mrs. J. P. Hieronymus. For the past ten or twelve years she has been in very poor mental and bodily health, and for the past eighteen months has been constantly under the doctor's care. She was almost constantly complaining that she believed she was losing her mind.

(Source: Atlanta Argus, Atlanta, Illinois, June 8, 1888, page 4, column 3)
--------------------------------
.

Barbara married Abraham Houser, son of Abraham Howser and Mary Elizabeth Trissler, on 14 October 1841 in , Jersey County, IL.^{1 2} (Abraham Houser was born on 6 May 1815 in , Jessamine County, KY ^{5 14 15} and died in 1849 in California ^{5 14 15}.)

  Marriage Notes:

Abraham Houser married Barbara Ann Arnspiger while his sister, Catherine Houser, married Stephen Arnspiger, who was an uncle to Barbara Ann.
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Barbara next married Borden Hanley after 1860.³ (Borden Hanley was born in 1808 in Pennsylvania ³ and died after 1 June 1880.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1880 US Census in Eminence Township, Logan, IL on 3 June 1880. ³

1880 US Census
Page 238D, District 48, Dwelling 43, Family 46, Roll 0227
Eminence Township, Logan County, Illinois
Borden Hanley..Head..72..PA..Farmer
Barbara Hanley..Wife..61..KY..Keeping House
Samuel Hanley..Son..28..IL..Farmer
Mattie Hanley..DauL..23..IL..Keeping House
Nellie Hanley..GDau..2M..IL..At Home
Cora Hanley..GDau..16..IL..At Home

NOTE - All of the children were born to Borden Hanley and his first wife as evidenced that the mother's birth location for each of the children does not indicate Kentucky, Barbara's birth location.
.

  Marriage Notes:

There seems to be no record yet found for the marriage of Borden Hanley and Barbara Ann Houser-Arnspiger. The year of their marriage would first seem to have been at some date after 1850 which is when Barbara's first husband, Abraham Houser, died during his trip to California during the Gold Rush era. Even the obituary for Barbara mentions that she had gone to live with her daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Houser, wife of John Pendleton Hieronymus, due to poor health and mental conditions. That obituary never mentions the name of Borden Hanley even though it gives Barbara's surname as Hanley. It does specifically mention the name of her first husband, Abraham Houser.

Her gravestone in Logan County, Illinois is marked as "B. A. Hanley" and the 1880 US Census clearly shows them living together with her relationship as wife. The date of death and burial location of Borden Hanley are unknown.

Further research finds an 1860 US Census record from Atlanta, Logan County, Illinois for the family of "Boyden Handley" with the son, Samuel Handley, born in 1851. This is believed to be the same "Borden Hanley" and his son, Samuel Hanley that are shown with Barbara Ann Arnspinger in the 1880 US Census. It is believed the correct spelling of the surname should be Hanley instead of Handley. This is how it is found in the obituary for Barbara and the gravestone for the son, Samuel, who died in 1899 and is buried in DeWitt County, Illinois along with his wife, Mattie. This now means the marriage between Boyden/Borden Hanley and Barbara Arnspiger had to be at some date after 1860.
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