John William Lightfoot ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10}

  Noted events in his life were:

• He appeared on the 1880 US Census in Big Rapids Township, Mecosta, MI on 22 June 1880. ⁹

1880 US Census
Page 34B, District 174, Family 313, Roll 0594
Big Rapids Township, Mecosta County, Michigan
John W. Lightfoot..Son..9..MI

(Living with parents.)
.

• He appeared on the 1900 US Census in Van Buren Township, Grant County, IN on June 1900. ²

1900 US Census
Page 12A, District 47, Family 245
Van Buren Township, Grant County, Indiana
Home owned, no mortgage
Married 5 years
John Lightfoot..Head..29..May 1871..MI..Day Laborer

(Living with wife.)
.

• He appeared on the 1910 US Census in Rock Creek Township, Huntington County, IN on 22 April 1910. ³

1910 US Census
Sheet 3B, District 104, Family 69, Roll 356
Rock Creek Township, Huntington County, Indiana
Farm rented
Married 14 years
John W. Lightfoot..Head..38..MI..Farmer

(Living with wife and adopted daughter.)
.

• He appeared on the 1920 US Census in Jackson Township, Wells County, IN on 19 January 1920. ⁴

1920 US Census
Sheet 4A, District 184, Family 90
Jackson Township, Wells County, Indiana
Farm owned, no mortgage
Address was given as the Wells and Grant County Lines
John W. Lightfoot..Head..48..MI..Laborer, Farmers Elevator

(Living with wife and adopted daughter.)
.

• He appeared on the 1930 US Census in Jackson Township, Wells County, IN on 11 April 1930. ⁵

1930 US Census
Sheet 4B, District 10, Family 102, Roll 638
Jackson Township, Wells County, Indiana
Grand Road; Home owned
John W. Lightfoot..Head..59..MI..Farming, General Farm

(Living with wife and adopted daughter.)
.

• His obituary was published in the Marion Chronicle Tribune on 29 October 1961 in Marion, IN.

¹⁰ Warren - John W. Lightfoot, 90, died at 1 a.m. Saturday at his home here. He had been seriously ill since last May.

A retired farmer and former manager of the He had Exchange Elevator Co., he was a native of Big Rapids, Mich. He had lived here 23 years and formerly as a farmer had lived in Jackson Township, Wells County. He was a member of the Congregational Christian Church and served as a trustee of that church.

Survivors include the widow, Dessie; a foster son, Howard S. Penrod, San Diego, Calif.; a daughter, Mrs. Roscoe Chapman, R. 1, Van Buren; a stepson, Donald Heaston, R. 1, Andrews; six grandchildren, and four brothers, Flours, Walled Lake, Mich., Jake, Big Rapids, Louis, Clinton, Mich., and Ceylon, East Lansing.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Monday at the Congregational Christian Church and burial will be in the Farrville Cemetery. The Rev. C. A. Duncan and the Rev. George Millard will officiate. Friends may call at the H. Brown and Son funeral home.

(Source: Marion Chronicle Tribune, Marion, Grant County, Indiana, 29 Oct 1961)

NOTE - The daughter mentioned in John's obituary was actually an adopted daughter, Hazel Lightfoot, who married Roscoe Chapman. She was born 3 Oct 1900 and died 9 Jul 1990 in Marion, Grant County, Indiana. John's obituary mentioned he had a foster son named Howard S. Penrod while Hazel's obituary mentioned that she had a brother, Howard Buckland, who could be the same person.
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.

• He was buried after 29 October 1961 in the Farrville Cemetery in Van Buren, IN.

Find A Grave Memorial #11359211
. ¹⁰

John married Nancy Gertrude Farr, daughter of Smiley Meslin Farr and Susan G. Ames, on 31 July 1895 in Escanaba, MI.^{1 2 3 4 5} (Nancy Gertrude Farr was born on 24 March 1869 in Indiana,^{1 2 3 4 5 7 11} died on 5 August 1937 in , Wells County, IN ^{7 11} and was buried after 5 August 1937 in Farrville Cemetery, Van Buren, IN ¹¹.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Marriage Image: 31 July 1895, in Escanaba, MI. ¹

• They appeared on the 1900 US Census in Van Buren Township, Grant County, IN on June 1900. ²

1900 US Census
Page 12A, District 47, Family 245
Van Buren Township, Grant County, Indiana
Home owned, no mortgage
Married 5 years
John Lightfoot..Head..29..May 1871..MI..Day Laborer
Nancie Lightfoot..Wife..31..Mar 1869..IN..2/0

NOTE - The two children that were born but no longer living would have been Gladdis Opal Lightfoot, b. 1898 and Nina B. Lightfoot, b. June 25, 1891
.

• They appeared on the 1910 US Census in Rock Creek Township, Huntington County, IN on 22 April 1910. ³

1910 US Census
Sheet 3B, District 104, Family 69, Roll 356
Rock Creek Township, Huntington County, Indiana
Farm rented
Married 14 years
John W. Lightfoot..Head..38..MI..Farmer
Gertrude Lightfoot..Wife..41..IN..3/0
Hazel Lightfoot..2nd Cousin..9..IN

NOTE - Hazel was listed as "Sec. Cousin to wife" but on the 1920 US Census she was listed as "Adopted Daughter".
.

• They appeared on the 1920 US Census in Jackson Township, Wells County, IN on 19 January 1920. ⁴

1920 US Census
Sheet 4A, District 184, Family 90
Jackson Township, Wells County, Indiana
Farm owned, no mortgage
Address was given as the Wells and Grant County Lines
John W. Lightfoot..Head..48..MI..Laborer, Farmers Elevator
Gertrude Lightfoot..Wife..50..IN
Hazel Lightfoot..Adopted Daughter..19..IN..Housekeeper
.

• They appeared on the 1930 US Census in Jackson Township, Wells County, IN on 11 April 1930. ⁵

1930 US Census
Sheet 4B, District 10, Family 102, Roll 638
Jackson Township, Wells County, Indiana
Grand Road; Home owned
John W. Lightfoot..Head..59..MI..Farming, General Farm
N. Gertrude Lightfoot..Wife..61..IN
Hazel Miller..Adopted Daughter..29..IN
Sylvester Penrod..FSon..8..IN
.

  Marriage Notes:

Name: John W. Lightfoot
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 31 Jul 1895
Event Place: Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
Gender: Male
Age: 24y
Birth Date: 1871
Birthplace: Michigan
Marriage Date: 31 Jul 1895
Marriage Place: Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
Father's Name: Jacob Lightfoot
Mother's Name: Nancy Amos
Spouse's Name: Gertrude Farr
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 25y
Spouse's Birth Date: 1870
Spouse's Birthplace: Indiana
Spouse's Father's Name: Smiley Farr
Spouse's Mother's Name: Susan C.
Source Reference: v 1 p 507 rn 395

Citing this Record
"Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQ34-SPB : 9 November 2020), John W. Lightfoot and Gertrude Farr, 31 Jul 1895; citing Marriage, Escanaba, Delta, Michigan, , Citing Secretary of State, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 4207881.
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John Lightfoot and Nancy Farr were married on 31 Jul 1895 in Michigan. I show the birth of their daughter, Nina, in 1891 four years before the marriage, and her death in 1893 in Grant County, Indiana, two years before the marriage. Grant County, Indiana is where Nancy Farr's parents were residing so it could be possible that the young daughter was being cared for by the grandparents. Unfortunately, I do not have any source citations to support the existence of Nina and I have completely forgotten from whom or from where I got the information. It does not make sense for a daughter to have been born a full five years before the actual marriage, nor does it make much sense for the daughter to be buried in Indiana instead of Michigan where the couple actually was married and supposedly resided for a short term.

In spite of an alleged first daughter being born in Grant County, Indiana, John William Lightfoot and Nancy Gertrude Farr were married in Delta County, Michigan which is on the upper peninsula of the state, far away from Grant County, Indiana. Within 5 years, they both relocated back to Grant County where Nancy's parents resided. They spent the rest of their lives living in various areas around the central part of Indiana with both ultimately buried upon their death in Grant County, Indiana.

During their marriage, Nancy gave birth to 3 daughters and 1 son from 1889 to 1902 none of whom lived past their 2nd birthday. Three of the children are buried in Grant County, Indiana but one daughter, Gladdis, was buried in Mecosta County, Michigan.

After the death of their 4th child in 1902 and being unsuccessful at raising their own children beyond just two years of age, John and Nancy adopted a supposed 2nd cousin to Nancy with the name of Hazel, her actual birth surname being unknown. Hazel Lightfoot was listed with the family beginning with the 1910 US Census in Huntington County, Indiana.
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John next married Dessie F. Williams, daughter of John J. Williams and Mary F. Cook, on 23 November 1938 in , Huntington County, IN.⁶ (Dessie F. Williams was born on 25 July 1880 in Warren, IN ⁶ and died on 24 May 1962.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Marriage Image: 23 November 1938, in , Huntington County, IN. ⁶

  Marriage Notes:

Name: John W Lightfoot
Event Type: Marriage Registration
Event Date: 23 Nov 1938
Event Place: Huntington, Indiana, United States
Residence Place: Warren Indiana
Gender: Male
Age (Estimated): 67
Race: White
Number of Total Marriages: Once
Birth Date: 20 May 1871
Birthplace: Big Rapids Michigan
Marriage Place: Huntington
Father's Name: Jacob Lightfoot
Mother's Name: Nancy Amos
Spouse's Name: Dessie F Heaston
Spouse's Residence Place: Warren Indiana
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age (Estimated): 58
Spouse's Number of Total Marriages: once
Spouse's Race: White
Spouse's Birth Date: 25 Jul 1880
Spouse's Birthplace: Warren Indiana
Spouse's Father's Name: John J Williams
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary Cook
Officiator's Name: C A Duncan
Record Number: 404

Citing this Record
"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:272X-4PG : 10 December 2017), C A Duncan in entry for John W Lightfoot and Dessie F Heaston, 23 Nov 1938; citing Huntington, Indiana, United States, Marriage Registration, Indiana Commission on Public Records, Indianapolis; FHL microfilm 004185616.
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