Individual Details

I have seen Lavina as the child of the first wife, but it seems strange she would bear the name of the second wife, who had not yet appeared on the scene. I think it would be much more likely she was Lavina's daughter, yet she was omitted when Lavina Hill Irwin made the gift of land in 1874, to four of her children. It is also true that Lavina Hill's son Benjamin White by her first marriage was born about 1825, possibly just a year before Lavina was born. The other children of Lavina Hill & Robert Irwin started arriving a few years later, 1831. So the evidence does suggest Lavina was Mary's daughter.

After finding an obituary for Lavina online, I was able to indentify her previously unknown family and confirm her age. It appears that she remained with her husband Valentine Emerson some longer in Ohio, than did the rest of her family. They came to Illinois sometime between 1850 and 1860.

1850 Census. Clermont Co, Ohio, Hh 2733
Valentine Emerson, age 34, laborer, b. Mass.
Lavina, age 24, b. Ohio
Harlan P. age 3, b. Ohio
Charles, age 1, b. Ohio

1860 Census. Buena Vista Twp, Rushville P.O., Schuyler Co IL, Hh 987
Valentine Emerson, age 44, b. MA, Laborer
Lavina, age 34, b. Ohio
Harlum, age 13, b. Ohio
Charles, age 11, b. Ohio
George, age 8, b. KY
Pary, age 4, b. Ohio [male]
Mary, age 1, b. Illinois

1870 Census. Mt. Sterling, Brown Co, IL, Hh 95
Valentine Emerson, age 52, Laborer, b. Mass.
Labina, age 42, b. Ohio
Hardin, age 23, clerk in drug store, b. Ohio
Charles, 21, laborer, b. Ohio
George, 18, b. KY
Perry, 14, b. Ohio
Mary, 11, b. Illinois
Alice, 9, b. Illinois
John, age 6, b. Illinois

1880 Census. Rushville, Schuyler Co, IL, Hh 39
Valentine Emerson, age 64, laborer, b. Mass., parents b. Mass.
Lavinia, age 54, b. Ohio as were her parents
Alice, 18, daughter, b. Illinois
John, 16, son, b. Illinois

In 1880, it appears that Harlan had gone on to Kansas:
Burrton Township, Harvey Co KS, Hh 42
H. Emerson, age 32, grain merchant, b. OH
Mary F., age 28, wife, b. IL
Clara J., age 4, daughter, b. KS
Susan G., age 2, dau, b. KS
Frank, 8 mo, son, b. KS


1900 Census. Burrton Township, Harvey Co, KS Hh 116
Valentine Emerson, b. Jan 1816, age 84, married 55 years, b. Mass., no occupation
Jane, wife, b. Feb 1826, age 74, had 8 children and 5 are living, b. Ohio, landlord
Charlie, son, b. Jul 1849, age 50, single, b. Ohio, day laborer
Perry, son, b. Feb 1856, age 44, widowed, b. Ohio, day laborer
and in the same Township, Hh 22
John Emerson, b. Jul 1864, age 35, they have not been married a year, b. IL, father b. MA, mother b. OH
Clarilla, wife, b. Apr 1864, age 36, b. Ohio
also in Burrton Township, Hh 170
David W. Shumard, b. Feb 1857, age 43, married 16 years, b. IL, father b. NJ, mother b. PA, house carpenter
Alice A., wife, b. Jan 1862, age 38, has had 3 children, b. IL, father b. MA, mother b. OH
Myrtle, dau, b. Jan 1885, age 15, b. Kansas
Arther, son, b. Aug 1891, age 8, b. KS
Iva, dau, b. Aug 1895, age 4, b. KS
Emma Shumard, sister, b. Aug 1847, age 52, b. Ohio
[I was not able to find Lavinia or son Harlan in 1900 - I looked in Kansas, Indian Territory & Oklahoma]


1910 Census. North Enid Township, Garfield Co, OK, Hh 19
Harlan Emerson, age 62, married 1 time for 36 years. Born Ohio, father b. MA, mother b. Ohio. Fruit and truck farmer
Mary F., wife, age 57, had 7 children, all are living. Born Illinois, father b. KY, mother b. MO
Susan G., dau, age 32, b. Kansas
Clarence T., son, age 26, b. Kansas
Hamlin, Gleason J., hired hand, age 18, b. New York
_____Lavina J., mother, age 84, widow, b. Ohio, both parents b. OH [no other surname listed, presumably Emerson, although Hamlin was in between]

19 May 1917 - given as death date. I don't know if that's the date of her death or the date of the obituary:
Obituary, Burton Kansas Newspaper
Lavinia Emerson
She joined the Presbyterian Church of Rushville, Illinois. Her husband and three children pre-deceased her. She was survived by 3 sons and 1 daughter. Survivors are Harlan Emerson of Enid, Oklahoma, O. P. and John Irwin Emerson of Burton, Kansas. The daughter, Alice A. Shumard is of Enid, Oklahoma.
[Note: Burton appears to have been the township of Burrton in Harvey Co, KS]

Birth	1 Feb 1826	Clermont County, Ohio
Marriage	15 Dec 1844	Clermont County, Ohio - Valentine Emerson
Death	19 May 1917	Harvey County, Kansas

Spouse	Valentine Emerson (1816 - 1900)
Child	Harlan Emerson (1847 - )
Child	Charles Emerson (1849 - )
Child	George Emerson (1852 - )
Child	Perry Emerson (1856 - )
Child	Mary Emerson (1859 - )
Child	Alice A. Emerson (1862 - )
Child	John Irwin Emerson (1864 - )

Father	ROBERT IRWIN (1787 - 1874)
Mother	Mary [Irwin] ( - )
Sibling	Eleazer D. IRWIN (1820 - 1863)