52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2020-25)
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a series of weekly prompts to get you to think about an ancestor and share something about them. The weekly prompt is provided by www.amyjohnsoncrow.com. The prompt for the week of June 17 is "Unexpected."A couple of months ago the website Newspapers.com gave free access to all of their collections. I was looking for some obituaries for the Ohio Voorhees family at that time. And I came upon an unexpected newspaper article with pictures and an additional obituary for Eleanor "Ella" Ruth Voorhees. The obituary and additional newspaper article provide many details about Ella's long life.
According to a newspaper article published in The Newark Advocate (Newark, Ohio) on March 30, 1939, in recognition of her 95th birthday the day before, Ella was one of eight children born to Richard and Ruth. The article details that she had three brothers and four sisters. At this time, I have found information on her 3 brothers: John (1829), William (1836), and Samuel (1841). Unfortunately, I have only found information on three of her sisters: Nancy (abt. 1829), Margaret (abt. 1831), and Lemma (abt. 1846). I do not have any information about the fourth sister. It's possible that this sister did not live for very long and therefore it would be hard to find records for her. Depending on when this sister was born, Ella would have been either the sixth or seventh child born to Richard and Ruth.
The newspaper article (right) describes that when Ella was 1 in 1846, the family loaded up their covered wagon and moved from Jefferson County, Ohio to Granville in Licking County, Ohio. That would have been around a 120-mile trip. It is estimated that a covered wagon on the Oregon trail could travel 10-15 miles per day. So this trip likely took between a week to two weeks to make across eastern Ohio. We know that Richard and Ruth had been in Jefferson County, Ohio since at least 1829. So I wonder what made them leave their home of at least 15 years to move to Licking County.
The article mentions several other life facts for Ella including that she never married and that she was a dressmaker. And how wonderful that it includes a picture of her when she was 38 and then the picture of her at 95, on her birthday!
Unfortunately, Ella would not see her 96the birthday. She passed away at 6 a.m on Wednesday, December 27, 1939. Her obituary says she passed after a week's long illness. She is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Granville, Licking County, Ohio. She is buried in the Voorhees family plot, section 5, plot 152, along with her mother, father, a sister, three brothers, and a sister-in-law.
When things return to "normal" after the coronavirus, I plan on ordering a copy of her death certificate to find out more information.
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For other blog posts in The Ohioans! series, click HERE.
How I'm "related" to Eleanor "Ella" Ruth Voorhees:
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