| Name | Allison Larsdel CARVER  |
| Birth | 29 Jan 1810-1811, Vinalhaven, Hancock County, Maine |
| Death | 9 Sep 1889, Fosston, Rosebud Township, Polk County, Minnesota |
| Burial | Rosehill Cemetery (formerly called Tyndall Cemetery), Fosston, Minnesota |
| Father | Wills CARVER (1785-ca1841) |
| Mother | Hannah THAYER (THAIR) (1788-~1840) |
| 1 | Hannah BENNETT |
| Birth | ca 1829, Troy, Waldo County, Maine |
| Death | 21 Oct 1850, Troy, Waldo County, Maine |
| Children | Hannah Abigail (Abby) (1850-1920) |
| 2 | Margaret Ann BENNETT |
| Birth | 30 Aug 1827, Troy, Waldo County, Maine |
| Death | 18 Jun 1917, Fosston, Polk County, Minnesota (at home of son, Nathan) |
| Burial | Rosehill Cemetery (formerly called Tyndall Cemetery), Fosston, Minnesota |
| Father | John BENNETT (1793-1850) |
| Mother | Berthinia (Bethenia) BRANN (ca1795-~1850) |
| Marriage | Intent 10 Sep 1852, Clinton, Kennebec County, Maine |
| Children | Helen Marsha (aka Marcia Helen) (1853-1930) |
| Orin Francis (1855-1943) | |
| Orrison Page (1856-1909) | |
| Eldon Howard (1858-1933) | |
| Nathan Edwin (1860-1947) | |
| Fred Allison (1862-1947) | |
| Bertha Mabel (1864-1939) | |
| Mahlon Edward (1866-1928) | |
| Charles Bartlett (Died as Child) (1868-1875) |
Source: Darlene McNamee (extensive correspondence, Eldon's descendants)
Source: Donna Carver Larson (extensive correspondence, shared descendancy from Fred)
Source: Carmen Carver (Death certificate info, documents, extensive correspondence, descendant of Mahlon)
Source: Michael Larson (census data, images of documents and other records, photos, extensive email correspondence, descendant of Orin)
Source: Jim Knutson (extensive correspondence, photos, documents, descendant of Nathan)
Source: Ardell Parkman Lynds (extensive email correspondence and her web site with Carver, Bennett, Brann, Gilley, et al., genealogy)
Source: Ken Van Hovel has a large oval photo of Allison & Margaret, and on the back his mother had written that Allison was born January 28, 1811, died August 11, 1889... and that Margaret Ann Bennett Pherson was born August 30, 1827 and died June 18, 1917 [same data for Margaret that we have]. (Phone conversation 5 July 2004)
1840 US Census, Vinalhaven
Allison Carver household had one male of twenty but under thirty years of age; one female of twenty but under thirty years of age. [Was this a first marriage and the marriage to Hannah the second marriage??? If so, we haven't yet found marriage data..., but it might account for the child named "Wm. age 19," in Allison and Margaret's household in 1860 US Census....]
Source: Ardell Parkman Lynds, email 5 Sept 2003:
Vital Records of Troy, Maine, Prior to 1892, Ralph Hillman, Ed., Picton Press, Camden, Maine, May 1995, The Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication No. 21, p. 82:
p. 48 from original record book, Troy Intentions & Marriage, Book 3)
"Mr. Allen L. Carver and Miss Hannah Bennett both of Troy, Sept 9, 1847 - Oct 1 AD 1847."
1850 Census, Burnham, Waldo Co., Maine:
Ellison age 40
Hannah age 21 [Wife #1 or Wife #2, Hannah died in 1850]
Abigail 1/12 [one month old]
1860 US Census, Burnham, Waldo County, Maine taken 6 July 1860 for persons in household as of 1 June 1860 from Mr. Sids Census image in file:
Alison Carver, Age 48, Male, Farmer, Value of Real Estate 400; Value of Personal Property 100, Place of Birth: Maine
Margaret, Age 33, Female, Place of Birth: Maine
Marcia, Age 7, Female, Place of Birth: Maine, Attended School within the year [b. ca 1853]
Orrin F., Age 5, Male, Place of Birth: Maine, Attended School within the year [b. ca 1855]
Orrison, Age 3, Male, Place of Birth: Maine [b. late 1856 or early 1857]
Elden H., Age 1, Place of Birth: Maine [b. late 1858 or early 1859]
Wm. Carver, Age 19, Male, Place of Birth: Maine, Attended School within the year.
[1860 Census doesn't indicate Wm. has an occupation such as hired hand, or other relative who helped out on the farm, since relationships of individuals in a household aren't indicated in 1860 Census, but given that Wm. "attended school within the year" it might indicate a closer relationship, such as Allison's son... by first marriage ca. 1840??? Birth year for Wm. would be ca. 1841.]
1870 US Census, Burnham, Waldo County, Maine, taken 5 Aug 1870 for all persons in household as of 1 June 1870 from Mr. Sids census image in file:
Carver, Ellison, Age 56, Male, Farmer, Value of Real Estate: 1000; Value of Personal Estate: 300; Place of Birth: Maine, Male Citizen of US of 21 years and upwards
Carver, Mary A., Age 43, Female, Keep House, Place of Birth: Maine [Margaret A.]
Carver, Helen, Age 17, Female, Place of Birth: Maine [Marcia Helen or Helen Marcia; b. ca 1853]
Carver, Orrin, Age 13, Male, Place of Birth: Maine; [b 1857 - enumerator probably meant age 15, but census image says 13]
Carver, Orison P., Age 14, Male, Place of Birth: Maine; Attended school within the year [b. late 1856 or early 1857]
Carver, Elden H., Age 12, Male, Place of Birth: Maine; Attended school within the year [b. ca 1858]
Carver, Nathan E., Age 10, Male, Place of Birth: Maine; Attended school within the year [b. 1860]
Carver, Fred, Age 8, Male, Place of Birth: Maine; Attended school within the year [b. ca 1862]
Carver, Berty, Age 6, Female, Place of Birth: Maine; Attended school within the year [Bertha; b. ca 1864]
Carver, Mayland, Age 4, Male, Place of Birth: Maine; Attended school within the year [Mahlon; b. ca 1866]
Carver, Charles B., Age 2, Male, Place of Birth: Maine [b. ca. 1868]
LDS Web Site, 1880 Census, Burnham, Waldo County, Maine [also have Mr. Sids census image for 1880 in file which agrees with the LDS web info]:
Allason CARVER Household
Male
Other Information:
Birth Year <1812>
Birthplace ME
Age 68
Occupation Farmer
Marital Status M <Married>
Race W <White>
Head of Household Allason CARVER
Relation Self
Father's Birthplace ME
Mother's Birthplace ME
Note FIXED ORDER
Source Information:
Census Place Burnham, Waldo, Maine
Family History Library Film 1254488
NA Film Number T9-0488
Page Number 291D
Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
Allason CARVER1 Self M Male W 68 ME Farmer ME ME
Margaret CARVER2 Wife M Female W 50 ME Keeping House ME ME
Mahlon CARVER3 Son S Male W 14 ME Farmer ME ME [b. ca 1866]
Fred CARVER4 Son S Male W 17 ME Farmer ME ME [b. ca 1863]
Nathan CARVER5 Son S Male W 19 ME Farmer ME ME [b. ca 1861, but census taken before his actual birth date]
Bertha CARVER6 Dau S Female W 16 ME Keeping House ME ME [b. ca 1864]
Source Information:
Census Place Burnham, Waldo, Maine
Family History Library Film 1254488
NA Film Number T9-0488
Page Number 291D
Polk Co. MN death certificate [County Record Book A, Page 146, Line 6] says Allison Carver died September 9, 1889; "Age: 78 yrs., 6 mos13 days" and Cause of Death as "Old Age." [which should put his birth year as 1811, in theory].
Var. spellings include: Allison (family spelling; 1840 Census Index); Ellison (1850, 1870 Census); Alison (1860 Census); Allason (1880 Census); Alison L. (Rosehill Cemetery); Eberson? on Clinton Marriage Intent with Margrate Phierson in 1882; Alisin on dau. Helen's marriage info when she married Glidden (and same document indicates Helen's father was born in Vinalhaven); Allen L. on marriage intent with Hannah.
Ages vary: 1850 Census age 40 [which would make his birth year 1810]; 1860 Census age 48 [which would make his birth year 1812]; 1870 Census age 56 [which would make his birth year 1814]; 1880 Census age 68 [which would make his birth year 1812].
Birth and death dates on headstone for "Alison L. Carver" in Rosehill Cemetery, Fosston, Minnesota (formerly called Tyndall Cemetery): Jan 29, 1807 - Aug. 13, 1889 [which would have made him 82 at time of death].
Photo of headstone in file.
Microfilm of marriage intent obtained by Carmen Carver.
I'm using the year of birth calculated from the census data based on subtracting the ages of their offspring for most of their children - which sometimes coincides with family and other records and sometimes doesn't. Statistically (in genealogy research from the early 20th century back), there is most often 22-27 months between births of children in a day and age when there was little "birth control" except for the old wives' tale that a nursing mother didn't get pregnant until the youngest child was weaned. Ovulation is suppressed when a baby is breast fed on demand - the key phrase is "on demand" and current research seems to support the old wives' tale that nursing mothers don't get pregnant - but if a baby isn't fed on demand that form of "birth control" doesn't work. (In my studies on Medieval and Renaissance history, the babes of royalty were given to a wet nurse who breast fed the prince or princess. The queen did not breast feed her babies, her milk dried up, ovulation resumed immediately, and she thus became pregnant again almost right away after giving birth. For healthy women, this meant giving birth to a baby every year rather than every two years. In a day and age when infant mortality was high, to have many children might ensure there would be an heir to the throne who would live to adulthood. In less healthy women, yearly pregnancies meant a high rate of miscarriages, a high rate of stillbirths, and a high rate of childbed deaths for women, quite aside from other potential childbirth complications. Frequent pregnancies take a high toll on a woman's body.)
IF the census data is correct about the ages of the children, Allison and Margaret had a child approximately every two years - which is consistent with statistical averages. It's my understanding that the courthouse in Burnham burned - destroying all records - in the late 19th or early 20th century. If the births of their children were recorded at the courthouse, that data was destroyed in the fire... so we only have census data to go by to calculate the ages of the offspring of Allison and Margaret. With any luck, the census enumerator recorded the ages of the children more correctly than Allison's age!!! (On the other hand, Allison may have had a perverse sense of humor and lied about his age every ten years.... Who knows???)
There is some discrepancy on official documents for various offspring of Allison and Margaret (not to mention many of the headstones in the cemetery are wrong). By process of elimination, the first census each child was mentioned, and the fact that in 1900 each person had to list the month and year of their birth, it seems that the first mention of each of the children in the first census data they are listed is apparently reasonably correct.
Extrapolated 1900 US census data (listed under each person's Notes):
Helen b Sept. 1855 [this is incorrect - death certificate gives her birth date as 19 Sept 1853, and in the first mention of her birth in the census data, she would have been born in 1853 - and anyway it would be impossible for her to be born in 1855 because that is the year of birth for the next sibling and there are not enough months between Feb and Sept for a normal pregnancy]
Orin b Feb 1855
Orison Paige b Dec 1856
Eldon b Oct 1858
Nathan b 1860
Fred [no 1900 US census data in file - first mention of him in US census puts his year of birth as 1862]
Bertha [no 1900 US census data in file, but by the available census data and her obituary, she was born in May 1864]
Mahlon b May 1865 [which makes it impossible for Fred's birth to be Aug 1865 listed on grave headstone - but it is a real possibility since that would put one year and 14 days between the birth of Bertha and Mahlon - but the earliest mention of Mahlon in the US census data would point to 1866 as a year of birth. A birth year later than 1866 seems unlikely. There has to be time for pregnancy, nursing a baby, etc.]
Charlie was already dead by 1900 US census, but the earliest mention of him puts his birth year as 1868, and subtracting his birth from the year of death recorded on his headstone would put him born in 1869 - likely 1868 is the year of birth.