Identifying the Parents of Eunice Cotton

Last updated: December 31, 2006

We start from the following information which was previously known:

Ottawa County marriage records show that on October 15, 1872, Eunice Cotton married Edward R. Balcom in Wright Twp., Ottawa Co., Michigan. A witness at the marriage was Esick Green (and no Cottons).
Eunice's death certificate states that she died September 22, 1912 in Conklin, Ottawa Co., Michigan. The informant was Edward Balcom, and her parents' names were not known. This would suggest that Eunice's husband never knew her parents, who most likely would have died before their marriage.
On the death certificate of Eunice's son Chauncey Balcom in 1937, his mother's birthplace is listed as "Burr Oak, Mich."
Eunice's death certificate and tombstone both state she was born September 7, 1850.

First, we look at census records for Eunice and Edward:

In the 1910 census, Eunice and Edward Balcom are found in Chester Twp., Ottawa Co., Michigan. She is listed as born in Indiana, with her father born in Indiana and mother born in New York.

                 66 66 Balcom Edward  Head M W 57 M2 32     CAN NY NY Mill owner

                              Eunice  Wife F W 59 M1 32 4 4 IN  IN NY

                              Chaucey Son  M W 37 S         MI CAN IN Carpenter

In the 1900 census, Eunice and Edward Balcom are found in Ravenna, Muskegon Co, Michigan. She is again listed as born in Indiana, with her father born in Indiana and mother born in New York.

                 144 148 Balcom Edward    Head  Aug 1852 47 M 27 CAN PA  OH  Farmer
                         Morgan Irena M.  S Dau Oct 1876 23 S    CAN IRE IRE
                                Eunice A  Wife  Sep 1850 50 M 27 IN  IN  NY

                                Charles N Son   Jul 1881 18 S    MI  CAN IN

                                Edna R    Dau   Mar 1886 14 S    MI  CAN IN

In the 1880 census, Eunice and Edward Balcom are found in Casnovia, Muskegon Co., Michigan. She is again listed as born in Indiana, with her father born in Indiana and mother born in New York.

      	                361 367 Balcom Edward 28 Farmer Farmer CAN CAN CAN

                                Eunice 30 Wife   Keeping house IN  IN  NY

                                Chauncy 6 Son    at School     MI  CAN CAN

                                Carrie  2 Dau    at House      MI  CAN CAN

Since all three censuses agree as to the birthplaces of Eunice and her parents, we accept these locations as the ones Eunice herself believed to be true. This differs from the "Burr Oak" location given much later by the informant of her son Chauncey's death information.

Unfortunately, we find no relevant "Eunice Cotton" in the 1850-1870 census.

However, investigating her marriage witness (Esick Green), in the 1870 census of Ravenna, Muskegon Co, Michigan, we find an Alonzo Cotton living with Esick Green:
          127 120 Green Esick     62 Farmer       NY
                        Sally     61 Keeps House NY
                  Cotton Alonzo   18              IN

Since Esick Green was a witness at Eunice's marriage, he was most likely a close relative. (According to Linda Talbott, Esick's wife's name was Sarah Cotton, according to her death certificate in Ottawa County, Michigan.) Going back to the previous census (1860), Esick and Sally Green are again in Ravenna. Back in the 1850 census (taken just before Eunice was born), however, Esick and Sally Green are found in Newbury Twp., Lagrange Co., Indiana.

In 1860, we find an Alonzo Cotton, age 8, in White Pigeon Twp, St. Joseph Co, Michigan, living with a Garret and Hannah Osborne:
          191 184 Garret Osborne 64 Farmer NY
                  Hannah   "      62         NY
                  Alonzo Cotton    8         IN
                  George   "      12         IN
                  Eliza    "      17         IN
From this, we hypothesize that this Alonzo, George, and Eliza (and possibly Eunice who at age 10 would easily fit in between Alonzo and George) are likely siblings, and that Garret and Hannah Osborne are close relatives.

In 1850, we find the same family in Newbury Twp, Lagrange Co, Indiana, 8 households before Esick Green:
          569 573 Garrett Osban   58 Farmer IN
                  Hannah M. Osban 51         CT
                  Eli       "     29         CT
                  Julia A. "     25         NY
                  Eliza Cotton     7         IN
                  Gurdon Mack      6         IN
This proximity to Esick Green leads us to believe the Alonzo in 1860 is likely the same Alonzo who was living with Esick Green in 1870.

We also find George and Eliza (again) in 1850 in White Pigeon Twp, St. Joseph Co, Michigan, this time in a "Catton" household:
          328 331 William Catton, 33 Farmer NY
                  Phebe      "    27         NY
                  Eliza J.   "     7         MI
                  George     "     1         IL

In the Indiana "Marriages through 1850", we find that a "Willord A Cotton" married "Phebe R. Osburn" on 15 APR 1847 in Lagrange Co, Indiana (and no other records of any Cottons marrying Osborns). George's age in 1850 would be consistent with an 1847 marriage, but Eliza would necessarily be from a previous marriage. We now hypothesize that Phebe Osborn was a daughter of Garrett and Hannah Osborn, which would explain why her kids would be found with them in 1850 and 1860, if she died.

Finally, we find Garret Osborn's probate records (he died 1 Nov 1866 in White Pigeon Twp, St. Joseph Co., Michigan). It lists the following heirs: his widow (Hannah), his son Eli of Lagrange IN, and grandchildren Alonzo A. Cotton, Eliza Jane Cotton, Eunice and George Cotton, Garret North, Albert Disney, and Gordon (Mack) Truesdale, son of Julia Ann Osborn. This confirms that Eunice and Alonzo (and the others) were definitely grandchildren of Garret Osborn. Since there are no other records of other Cotton/Osborn marriages, we conclude that George, Eunice, and Alonzo are children of Willard A. Cotton and Phebe R. Osborn, and that Eliza is a half-sister from their father's previous marriage. Since Eunice's grandfather died in 1866, and her parents died before then, this would explain why when she married in 1870, her witness was Esick Green (probably her uncle, having married the sister of Willard Cotton).

All that now remains is to find Eunice in the 1860 census. Searching the families of the other Osborn grandchildren listed above, we find in Middlebury Twp, Elkhart Co, Indiana:
    402 402 Harrison Truesdell 46 Farmer      NY
            Julia A     "      38 Housekeeper NY
            Gordon      "      14             IN
            Eunice      "       9             IN
According to St. Joseph Michigan County marriages, Harrison F. Truesdell married Julia Ann Osborn on 14 Dec 1850, which was after Eunice's birthdate, so the children cannot have been theirs.

We now conclude that the family tree looks like this: