Proof Argument: When did the Ballinger Family Move From Illinois to Iowa?

This week for Dear Myrtle’s study group, The Written Conclusion, we are writing proof arguments.

The question I am trying to solve this week is when did the William and Lucinda Ballinger family move from Scott County, Illinois to Mahaska County, Iowa?

William and Lucinda Ballinger[1] married on 8 November 1849 in Scott County, Illinois.[2]

Earlier in the year, on 17 February, William purchased a bounty land warrant for 160 acres from a man named Christopher Rian. The transaction occurred at Winchester, Scott County, Illinois.[3]

On 10 April 1849, William went to the Iowa City Land Office and used the warrant to claim his property in Mahaska County Iowa.[4] He also made a sworn statement that, “after actual inspection of the said tract of land, on or about the 6th day of April A. D. 1849, there was not at that time, an actual settlement and cultivation upon any part of said land, nor was there any person or persons residing upon it.”[5] This clearly puts William in Mahaska, Iowa in April of 1849.

He would have returned to Illinois by November in order to marry Lucinda.

Normally the federal census is a good tool to place someone in a particular place at a specific point in time. Unfortunately, William and Lucinda have not been located in the 1850 census in any location. So an analysis of the births of the oldest children along with the Iowa State census records from the 1850s is required.

Iowa Census Analysis

The family clearly was living in Iowa by 1854. While the 1854 Iowa state census only lists heads of household by name, it also lists the number of males and females in the household. The William Ballenger household was listed in Adams Township, Mahaska County, Iowa and contained 2 males and 2 females. These individuals were likely William, Lucinda, and probably their two oldest children.[6] Adams Township is in the same location as where William made his bounty land warrant claim.[7]

The 1856 Iowa State census lists William, Lucinda, John, Nancy and Mary in the Ballinger household. In addition to their ages, they were asked how many years they lived in Iowa. The answer for each person was 8 years, except Mary who was listed as being 1 years old and living in Iowa for 0 years.[8] This indicates the family moved to Iowa in 1848. However, Nancy was listed as being only 7 years old so she couldn’t have been living in Iowa for 8 years.[9]

Further when correlated with the November 1849 marriage in Scott County, Illinois and the February 1849 military warrant purchase at Winchester in Scott County, Illinois, an 1848 residence in Iowa seems unlikely.

Birthdates and places for the oldest children need to be established.

John H. Ballinger was the oldest son of William and Lucinda.[10] John lived a short but eventful life.

After the 1856 Iowa census, John next appeared after the family moved to Boulder County, Colorado. It was during the Civil War and militia/troops were often needed to protect the frontier from Indian uprisings. John H. Ballinger enlisted as a private with Company D of the 3^rd Colorado Calvary for 100 days of service on 20 August 1864. He stated he was 18 years and old born in Scott County, Illinois.[11] His birthplace is consistent with where his parents married and the birthplace listed in the 1856 census. If he was 18 on his enlistment date, that puts his birthdate between 21 August 1845 and 20 August 1846. This is several years before his parents married and seems unlikely. It is possible he lied about his age in order to serve.

On 21 November 1865 “John H. Ballenger” settled on land next to his father in Boulder County and filed for a homestead under the Homestead Act of 20 May 1862.[12] That same day at the Land Office in Denver City, John signed an affidavit stating he was, “… a single man under the age of 21 years…”[13] Using this statement, the oldest John could have been was 20 years. He wouldn’t have been born before 22 November 1844.

John died 4 February 1871 in Boulder. His death was reported in local newspapers, which listed his age as 23 years.[14] While the informant is unknown, there is a good probability it was a family member.

To summarize John’s potential birthdates:

Date	Event	Info	Est Date of Birth
1856	Iowa State Census	John Age 8	4 March 1847 to 7 July 1848	Census occurred from March 3 – July 7[15]
20 August 1864	Enlistment	Age 18	Between 21 August 1845 and 20 August 1846.
21 November 1865	Filed for Homestead	Under 21 years	Born after 22 November 1844.
4 Feb 1871	Death	Age 23	Between 5 Feb 1847 and 4 Feb 1848

Conclusion: The evidence regarding John’s place of birth is not in conflict. It appears he was born in Scott County, Illinois. His date of birth can only be loosely estimated as about 1847 to 1848. There is a good possibility he was born before his parents married. The age John gave at his enlistment is a bit of an outlier when compared with the rest of the information about his age. John did have motivation to lie and make himself older in order to be able to serve.

Nancy Ballinger is the second oldest child of William and Lucinda Ballinger. Below is an analysis of the evidence regarding her birthplace and date.

Census Year	Place Born	Age	Birth Range	Notes
1856 (Iowa State)	Ills	7	4 March 1848 to 7 July 1849 [16]	Census occurred from March 3 – July 7[17]
1870 Census Day: June 1 Enum Day: June 23	Ills	20	2 June 1849 – 1 June 1850[18]	on 25 April Nancy Ballinger married Daniel Robinson[19]
1880 Census Day: June 1 Enum Day: June 9	Illinois	29	2 June 1850 – 1 June 1851	Nancy A[20]
1885 (CO State) Census Day: June 1	Ills	34	2 June 1850 – 1 June 1851[21]
1900 Census Day: June 1	Illinois	48	Census states born Sept 1851	Nancy A[22]
1910 Census Day: Jan 1	Illinois	57	2 January 1852  - 1 January 1853	“Nanca A” enumerated 23 April[23]
1920 Census Day: Jan 1	Illinois	67	2 January 1852  - 1 January 1853	Nancy A[24] Census day 1-1
1927 Death Cert	Illinois		[25]30 Sept 1850

A birthplace of Illinois is consistent throughout Nancy’s life. Most of the census records indicate a birth year in the 1850 to 1851 time frame, possibly in September. The outliers are the 1910 and 1920 censuses in which she appears to be a couple of years younger. Also the 1856 census information is questionable as to Nancy’s age.

Conclusion

Using this information points to a family move to Iowa around 1850 to 1851, after Nancy’s birth. It’s possible William went to Iowa the spring of 1849 to make his claim and returned to marry Lucinda in November. If Lucinda was pregnant, she may have waited until after the birth of Nancy to make the trip to Iowa.

---

[1] The Ballinger surname has several variations in documents examined with the most common variation being Ballenger. For readability, Ballinger is used in the body of this paper. The spelling used in the source examined is used in the citation.

[2] Illinois, Scott County, Marriage Records, volume unknown, page 64, #875, William Ballinger to Lucinda Campbell.

[3] Sale agreement, Christopher Rian (Pvt, Capt. Montgomery’s Company, 1^st Reg., Illinois Volunteers, Mexican-American War 1847) to William H. Ballenger, bounty land warrant file 12389; Military Bounty Land Warrants and Related Papers; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[4] Receipt of warrant and location of property, Christopher Rian (Pvt, Capt. Montgomery’s Company, 1^st Reg., Illinois Volunteers, Mexican-American War 1847) to William H. Ballenger, bounty land warrant file 12389; Military Bounty Land Warrants and Related Papers; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[5] Land Warrant Certificate, Christopher Rian (Pvt, Capt. Montgomery’s Company, 1^st Reg, Illinois Volunteers, Mexican-American War 1847)to William H. Ballenger, bounty land warrant file 12389; Military Bounty Land Warrants and Related Papers; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[6] 1854 Iowa State Census, Mahaska County, Iowa, Adams township, no page, Williard Ballenger; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 November 2014); citing microfilm of 1854 Iowa State Census obtained from  the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.

[7] Receipt of warrant and location of property, Christopher Rian (Pvt, Capt. Montgomery’s Company, 1^st Reg., Illinois Volunteers, Mexican-American War 1847) to William H. Ballenger, bounty land warrant file 12389.

[8] 1856 Iowa State Census, Mahaska County, Iowa, Black Oak Township, page 742, William H. Ballinger household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 November 2014); citing microfilm of 1856 Iowa State Census obtained from  the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Declaration for an Original Pension of a Father (1896); John H. Ballenger (Pvt., Co. D, 3^rd Regt Colo. Cav., Civil War), dependent father’s pension file F. O. 630,269 (Act of July 14, 1862, amended by act June 27, 1890); Case Files of Rejected Pension Applications, Civil War; Bureau of Pensions and Its Predecessors, 1805-1935, Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C. Also, Declaration for Dependent Father’s Pension (1906); John H. Ballenger (Pvt., Co. D, 3^rd Regt Colo. Cav., Civil War), dependent father’s pension file F. O. 630,269 (Act of July 14, 1862, amended by act June 27, 1890).

[11] Compiled military service record card, John H. Ballanger (Pvt., Co. D, 3^rd Regt Colo. Cav., Civil War), compiled military service record file [need record group etc.]; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[12] John H. Ballenger (Boulder County) homestead file, Proof Required Under Homestead Acts May 20, 1862 June 21, 1866, Denver, Colorado, Land Office: Land Entry Papers 1800-1908; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington, D. C. For location of William Ballinger’s property see William H. Ballinger (Boulder County) cash entry file, certificate no 244, Denver, Colorado, Land Office; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington, D. C. Also, William H. Ballenger (Boulder County) homestead file, final certificate no. 970, Denver, Colorado, Land Office;

[13] John H. Ballenger (Boulder County) homestead file, Affidavit, Denver, Colorado, Land Office: Land Entry Papers 1800-1908.

[14] “Deaths,” Boulder County News (Boulder), 8 February 1871, p. 3, col. 3. Also, “Deaths,” Rocky Mountain News (Denver), 11 February 1871, p. 4, col. 3.

[15] “Iowa State Census Information,” Iowa GenWeb Project (http://iagenweb.org/delaware/census/stateindex.htm : accessed 6 April 2015).

[16] 1856 Iowa State Census, Mahaska County, Iowa, Black Oak Township, page 742, William H. Ballinger household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 November 2014); citing microfilm of 1856 Iowa State Census obtained from  the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.

[17] “Iowa State Census Information,” Iowa GenWeb Project (http://iagenweb.org/delaware/census/stateindex.htm : accessed 6 April 2015).

[18] 1870 U.S. census, Boulder County, Colorado Territory, population schedule, Boulder City, pg. 7, dwelling & family 45, Nancy Robinson in household of Daniel Robinson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 94.

[19] Boulder County, Colorado, marriage certificate, J:88, Daniel Robinson to Nancy Ballenger,25 April 1870; Boulder County Clerk & Recorder, Boulder.

[20] 1880 U.S. census, Boulder County, Colorado, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 25, p. 21 (penned), dwelling & family 8, Nancy A. Robinson in household of Danl Robinson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 89.

[21] 1885 Colorado State Census, Boulder County, Colorado, ED 1, p. 76 [penned], dwelling 874, family 886, Nancy Robinson in household of Daniel Robinson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication T158, roll 2.

[22] 1900 U.S. census, Sweet Grass County, Montana, population schedule, Stillwater Township, Enumeration District (ED) 134, sheet 5, dwelling 116, family 116, household of Milton C. Lowe, familysearch.org (http://familysearch.org : accessed 22 May 2012), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623.

[23] 1910 U.S. census, Yellowstone County, Montana, population schedule, School District No. 6, Columbus Town, enumeration district (ED) 254, sheet 5A, dwelling & family 129, Nanca A. Robinson in household of Alfred A. Bryant; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication, [publication T625, roll # 977.

[24] 1920 U.S. census, Stillwater County, Montana, population schedule, School District No. 33, enumeration district (ED) 128, sheet 1B, dwelling & family 129, Nancy A. Robinson in household of Milton C. Lowe; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 April 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll # 837.

[25] Washington Department of Health, death certificate no. 2443, Nancy Robinson (1927); Olympia.

To cite this post:
Michelle Goodrum, "Proof Argument: When did the Ballinger Family Move From Illinois to Iowa?," The Turning of Generations, 9 April 2015 (http://turning-of-generations.blogspot.com/2015/04/proof-argument-when-did-ballinger.html : [access date].

 © 2015, copyright Michelle Goodrum