Story of James Agnew, b.1808, d.1880 (my great-great-grandfather)
On Jan. 2, 1848, James marries Mary Ann Freeman, in Hamilton County, Ohio. This record was found on familysearch.org. Mary was born in 1828 and lives to 1883.
In 1850, James and Mary are living in “Fulton Township,” Hamilton County, Ohio. Fulton was a smaller settlement just northeast of the original Cincinnati, but still right on the Ohio River. Between 1820 and 1840, the city of Cincinnati grew from 9642 to 46,338 people, and grew increasingly industrialized and polluted. James Agnew worked as a “ship carpenter”.
In the 1850 census, James says his birthplace was Ohio. He was born in 1808. He is living with his wife, Mary A. Freeman Agnew and they have an infant son, Alfred, one year old. An older Samuel Agnew, age 72 at the time of the census, is with them. It is not clear who Samuel is, if he is in fact living with them at that time, or visiting. A young boy, James, age 8, is also connected to them, linked by an asterisk after the name of Samuel Agnew but James age 8 is at the bottom of the page. We don’t know why he is listed at the bottom of the page, and we don’t know if he is indeed linked to Samuel because of some relationship or because Samuel is the last one listed in the Agnew household in the middle of the census page. In the 1850 census the family is listed in this order:
- James, male, age 38, ship carpenter, born in Ohio, value of property owned: $3000.
- Mary A. Agnew, age 22, born in Pennsylvania.
- Alfred Agnew, age 1, male, born in Ohio.
- Samuel Agnew, age 72, no occupation, born in Pennsylvania. *
- * listed at the bottom of the page, after other families are listed, comes James, age 8, born in Ohio, attended school within the year.
The date of the 1850 census is Aug. 2, 1850. The birthday of James, age 8, is July 10, 1841. We know for a fact this is my great-grandfather James Agnew, because of later developments with this family. The younger James brings his daughter, Hellen, to the older James’ household to live with them. She is listed as the older James’ “adopted daughter” but she is, in fact, the younger James’ daughter. This is documented by newspaper records from New Albany, Indiana, that state the younger James had to fight for repossession of his daughter Hellen after another lady cared for her for some time.
In 1860, the family is living in the 17th ward of Cincinnati, but post office “Fulton”. The census taker came to their door on June 12th. James’ age is now listed as “50”. (Per the 1850 census, it should be 48.) So his birthdate could be somewhere between 1808 and 1810. His occupation is “joiner”, real estate value now only 300., still says he was born in OHIO. Mary A. now says she is “30”. (Per the 1850 census, she should be 32.) She still lists her birthplace as Pennsylvania.
They have the following children with them:
- Alfred, age 11
- Mary E., age 9
- Elizabeth, age 6 (Lizzie)
- Florence, age 5
- Sarah, 8 months
Alfred, Mary and Elizabeth attended school in the past year. The children were all born in Ohio. The younger JAMES would now be 18 years old and has left home.
In 1870, the family is living in Sycamore Township, post office Montgomery, Hamilton County, Ohio. The census taker came on June 6th. James is now 61 years old and is listed as a farmer. Mary Ann is 42 and “keeps house”. James still says he was born in Ohio and Mary in Pennsylvania. Neither of them list their parents as “of foreign birth”.
Children living with them in 1870 are:
- Alfred, age 21, “at home”
- Mary E., age 19, school teacher
- Elizabeth, age 16, goes to school
- Florence is not there, but there is a NEW child, “Herman”, age 15! ??
- Sarah (“D”?), age 10.
The 1880 census was done on June 1st, 1880. They are living in Sycamore Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. James is 71 years old and a farmer. Mary Ann is 54 and “keeping house”. James was born in Ohio but, in this census, has his parents as born in Pennsylvania, as does Mary. Mary lists her birthplace as PA also.
Who is living with them?
- Mary E., age 29
- “Lizzie”, age 26
- Sallie, age 20 (Sarah)
- And Hellen, age 8, “adopted daughter” and actually the daughter of James the first son (validated in a newspaper story from New Albany, IN). Hellen is listed as born in Indiana.
All the daughters are listed as being single. Why would all the daughters still be living at home, unmarried? Hellen’s parents are listed as father born in Ohio, mother in Indiana, which is consistent with the younger James’ life story. He married his first and second wives in Indiana.
James Agnew, born in 1808, dies Dec. 28, 1880. He died of a ruptured blood vessel and is buried in IOOF cemetery, Madisonville, Ohio (Cincinnati area). Mary Ann died Feb.11, 1883 of pneumonia and is buried here. Their daughter, Sarah B., died of consumption June 30th 1880 and is buried here. She would have been the first death. The marker is quite tall and is in section “H” of Laurel IOOF cemetery, Cincinnati. (Someone took a picture of it for me.)
http://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/liblog/2011/05/city-of-cincinnati-annexation-records/
Doctor Grandma 
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