Mary Elizabeth Lightfoot ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7}

   Cause of her death was Myocarditis.^{2 6}

  Death Notes:

Her son, George H. Gushard was the informant on her death certificate. Her birth date was indicated as 14 Sep 1824 instead of 10 Sep 1834 but that is probably just incorrect information from her son. If it were true then her mother would have been only 13 years old when she was born.
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Name: Mary Elizabeth Alexander
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 24 Feb 1910
Event Place: Mansfield, Richland, Ohio
Gender: Female
Age: 85
Marital Status: Widowed
Race: White
Occupation: Housewife
Birth Date: 14 Sep 1824
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Burial Date: 26 Feb 1910
Burial Place: Mansfield, Ohio
Father's Name: Solomon Lightfoot
Father's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother's Name: Sarah Irvin
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania

Citing this Record:
"Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XZ4V-YD7 : accessed 24 Apr 2014), Solomon Lightfoot in entry for Mary Elizabeth Alexander, 24 Feb 1910; citing Mansfield, Richland, Ohio, reference fn 10496; FHL microfilm 1927356.
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  Noted events in her life were:

• She appeared on the 1840 US Census in Greene Township, Franklin, PA on June 1840. ⁸

1840 US Census
Page 187, Roll 458
Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
..1 Females - 5 thru 9: (daughter Mary)

(Living with parents.)
.

• She appeared on the 1850 US Census in Greene Township, Franklin, PA on 10 September 1850. ³

1850 US Census
Page 207B, Family 495
Green Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Mary Lightfoot..14..PA

(Living with parents.)

NOTE - If her birth date was 10 Sep 1834, then her age should have been 15 instead of 14.
.

• She appeared on the 1860 US Census in Southampton Township, Franklin County, PA on June 1860. ⁴

1860 US Census
Page 872, Family 196
Southampton Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Mary Lightfoot..25..PA

(Living with parents.)

NOTE - At this time, she supposed was married to a Gushard and gave birth to one son, George, in 1856. It is unknown where the husband and son would have been during this census.
.

• She appeared on the 1870 US Census in Mifflin Township, Richland County, OH on 8 July 1870. ⁵

1870 US Census
Page 19, Family 142
Mifflin Township, Richland County, Ohio
Mary Alexander..29..PA..Keeping House

(Living with 2nd husband and son from 1st marriage.)

NOTE - If her birth date was 10 Sep 1834, then her age should have been 35 instead of 29.
.

• She appeared on the 1880 US Census in Mansfield, OH on June 1880. ¹

1880 US Census
Page 353A, T9-1062
Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio
Mary Alexander..Self..45..PA..Keeping House

(Living with 2nd husband and what was probably her son from her first marriage, George Gushard.)
.

• Death Image: Image, on 24 February 1910, in Mansfield, OH. ⁶

• She was buried on 26 February 1910 in the Mansfield Cemetery in Mansfield, OH.

PLOT old Section 10, W 1/2 LOT 644
Find a Grave Memorial 107009335
No visible gravestone
. ⁷

Mary married George Detrick Gushard about 1855. (George Detrick Gushard was born in 1830 in Pennsylvania and died in 1889 in Missouri.)

  Marriage Notes:

The entry of a husband with the surname of Gushard is based solely on the reports of a very few other researchers that show this as a marriage. Unfortunately none provide any source citations. No marriage date or location has been provided and no other information about his full name, birth date or birth location.

But there is a problem with the marriage date between Mary and <?> Gushard. Mary was enumerated as living with her parents for the 1860 US Census. She supposedly married Gushard in about 1855 and gave birth to a son named George Henry Gushard in 1856. It would have been possible for her to have left her baby with the father or other relatives and to have moved back with her parents in 1860 thereby appearing with them for that census.

She then supposedly was remarried later that same census year of 1860 to James Oliver Alexander on 8 Nov 1860. I have been unable to find any source documents to support either marriage. The only documentation on any of this comes from a GEDCOM from Shirley Walter which provided no source citations for any of the names or dates.

There are two census records which show Mary Alexander living with a husband, James C (or J. or O.) Alexander in 1870 and 1880 as well as the 1890 Special Schedule of Surviving Soldiers, Sailors, and Widows. Both the 1870 and 1880 US Census records show the alleged son George Gushard living with the married couple. The 1870 US Census record in Mifflin Township, Richland County, Ohio for James Alexandria and wife Mary. Living with them is a 14 year old George Gushet. The only problem is that Mary's age is off by 5 years too young, which is not all that unusual for women to understate their age during those times. The 1880 record listed George as a boarder. Apparently the couple had moved to Richland County, Ohio sometime between 1860 and 1870 but those two census records there in Ohio show their birth locations to be in Pennsylvania as well as the birth location for the alleged son, George. Surprisingly the 1880 US Census also shows an "adopted son" Arthur Leibfeitz living with them.

The 1900 US Census for Mary's sister, Sarah, shows an Arthur Gushard living with Sarah and her husband and the relationship was noted as "Nephew". I'm sure it was meant to be a nephew to Sarah and not to her husband. Arthur was actually a son of George Gushard who was born to Mary in 1856 so technically Arthur was not even a nephew.

These two census records at least this makes it somewhat probable that Mary had a relationship with a Gushard/Gushet which resulted in the birth of a son, George Gushard, whose name also appears on her death certificate.

The two census records which tie Mary Lightfoot to James Alexander plus the 1890 Special Schedule of Surviving Widows make a strong case that Mary was indeed married to James Alexander. The inclusion of the name George on two of their census records makes a somewhat strong case that Mary Lightfoot was either married to or had a relationship with a partner named Gushard.
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Mary next married James Oliver Alexander, son of James H. Alexander and Eve Frey, on 8 November 1860.^{1 2} (James Oliver Alexander was born on 29 May 1839 in Pennsylvania,⁹ died on 13 January 1887 in Mansfield, OH ⁹ and was buried after 13 January 1887 in Mansfield Cemetery, Mansfield, OH ^{9 10}.). The cause of his death was Kidney Disease.^{2 6}

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1870 US Census in Mifflin Township, Richland County, OH on 8 July 1870. ⁵

1870 US Census
Page 19, Family 142
Mifflin Township, Richland County, Ohio
James Alexandria..29..PA..Day Laborer
Mary Alexandria..29..PA..Keeping House
George Gushet..14..PA..At Home

NOTE - George Gushet/Gushard was a son from Mary's first husband.

• They appeared on the 1880 US Census in Mansfield, OH on 10 June 1880. ¹

1880 US Census
Page 353A, Family 350, Roll 1062
Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio, United States
Maine Avenue
Mary Alexander..Self..45..PA..Keeping House
James J. Alexander..Husband..47..PA..Laborer
George Gushert..Boarder..22..PA..Laborer
Arthur Leibfeitz..Adopted..6..OH..At Home

NOTE - It is a little strange that the wife was listed first as the head of the household and the husband listed second. The George Gushard listed as Other was actually Mary's son from her first marriage. It is unknown who Arthur Leibfeitz was...probably a border in the house.
.