Mary Janet Blakesly ^{2 3 4 5 6 7}

   Another name for Mary was Mary Jennette Blakeslee.¹

  General Notes:

The true maiden name of Mary seems very much a mystery. Many researchers show her name as Mary Stiner (Steiner) but none offer any source citations for this name and I have not been able to pinpoint any other type of definitive record to confirm this name. In fact, I think many are confusing the marriage of Henry M. Darner, also born in 1831 in Ohio, to Elizabeth Steiner with this Henry Clay Darner who likewise was born about 1831 in Ohio. Maybe that are making an assumption that Mary J. Steiner might have been a sister to Elizabeth Steiner.

There is a marriage record in Iowa that shows Henry Clay Darner married to Mary Jennette Blakesly who would have been about 26 years old at the time. This marriage record does not indicate if she had been previously married so it is not known with any certainty if her maiden name was Blakesly or perhaps Stiner.

However, all the marriage records for her son and daughter show the mothers name as "Mary Blakesley" or a very similar spelling. These types of marriage records tend to show this the maiden name of the mother rather than a previously married name so this lends credence to the assumption that her true maiden name as Blakesly.

Lacking any source citations that show the name of Stiner, and given the source citations of her marriage record to Henry Clay Darner and the marriage records of her children, I would think it would be safe to assume her name was Blakesly.
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  Noted events in her life were:

• She appeared on the 1870 US Census in Rochester, IA on 9 August 1870. ⁷

Page 2, Dwelling 10, Family 11
Rochester, Cedar County, Iowa
Mary J. Darner...30..CT..Housekeeper
(Living with husband and two sons.)

NOTE - If her birth date was in Jun 1838, then her age should have been 31 instead of 30.
.

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

Page 144A, T9-0331
Springdale Township, Cedar County, Iowa
Mary P. Darner...Wife..41..CT..Keeping House
(Living with husband and 2 children.)
.

• She appeared on the 1885 Iowa State Census in Springdale Township, Cedar County, IA on January 1885. ³

Page 2, Line 1, Family 9
Springdale Township, Cedar County, Iowa
Township 79, Range 4, Section 1, SE 1/4
Mary J. Darner..45..CT..Keeps House
(Living with husband and 2 children.)

NOTE - If her birth date was in Jun 1838, then her age should have been 46 instead of 45.
.

• She appeared on the 1895 Iowa State Census in Springdale Township, Cedar County, IA on January 1895. ⁴

Page 686, Line 21, Family 234
Springdale Township, Cedar County, Iowa
Mary Darner..56..CT..Keeping House
(Living with husband and daughter.)
.

• She appeared on the 1900 US Census in Springdale Township, Cedar County, IA on 20 June 1900. ⁵

Page 15A, Dwelling 327, Family 339
Springdale Township, Cedar County, Iowa
married 35 years
House owned, no mortgage
Mary J. Darner..Wife..Jun 1838..61..CT..3/2
(Living with husband.)
.

Mary married Dr. Henry Clay Darner, son of Andrew John Darner and Hannah Yost, on 7 April 1865 in Anamosa, IA.^{1 2 3 4 5} (Dr. Henry Clay Darner was born in September 1831 in Perry Township, Muskingum County, OH ^{5 8 9 10} and died after 1 June 1900 in Iowa ⁹.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1870 US Census in Rochester, IA on 9 August 1870. ⁷

Page 2, Dwelling 10, Family 11
Rochester, Cedar County, Iowa
H. C. Darner...37..OH..Physician
Mary J. Darner...30..CT..Housekeeper
Otto Darner...4..IA
Ca(?)sius H. Darner...1..IA
.

• They appeared on the 1880 US Census in Springdale Township, Cedar County, IA on June 1880. ²

Page 144A, T9-0331
Springdale Township, Cedar County, Iowa
Henry C. Darner...Head..47..OH..Physician
Mary P. Darner...Wife..41..CT..Keeping House
Cassius H. Darner...Son..10..IA
Maud Darner...Dau..3..IA
.

• They appeared on the 1885 Iowa State Census in Springdale Township, Cedar County, IA on January 1885. ³

Page 2, Line 1, Family 9
Springdale Township, Cedar County, Iowa
Township 79, Range 4, Section 1, SE 1/4
Henry C. Darner..52..OH..Physician
Mary J. Darner..45..CT..Keeps House
Cassus H. Darner..15
Maud Darner..7
.

• They appeared on the 1895 Iowa State Census in Springdale Township, Cedar County, IA on January 1895. ⁴

Page 686, Line 21, Family 234
Springdale Township, Cedar County, Iowa
Henry C. Darner..62..OH..Doctor
Mary Darner..56..CT..Keeping House
Maud Darner..18..Cedar County, IA
.

• They appeared on the 1900 US Census in Springdale Township, Cedar County, IA on 20 June 1900. ⁵

Page 15A, Dwelling 327, Family 339
Springdale Township, Cedar County, Iowa
married 35 years
House owned, no mortgage
Henry C. Darner..Head..Sep 1831..68..OH..General Merchant
Mary J. Darner..Wife..Jun 1838..61..CT..3/2
.