William R. Covey (1818 - 1904)

Ancestors Descendants

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Obituary 1.2 Census 1.3 Notes 2 Sources

Biography

In the 1900 census Wm (age 82), Carpenter, was the married head of household in Stafford, Stafford, Kansas.^[1]

Born 29 APR 1818. Greenwood, Falls Twp., Wyoming County, PA. ^[2]

Occupation: farmer and carpenter. ^[3] 1868 worked in a grist mill.

Died 24 AUG 1904. Stafford, Stafford, Kansas.
Cause of Death Dropsy

Buried 26 AUG 1904. Stafford Cemetery, Stafford, Stafford, Kansas, USA. ^[4]

Marriages
1842 to Orpha Louise Rice in Pennsylvania.
Between 1868 & 1895 to Catherine Oyster.
16 DEC 1895 to Melissa Johnson. They were married on George Wilson's wagon on the highway by Pastor H. W. Riegel of the Stafford U. B. Church, Stafford Country, Kansas, USA.

Obituary

Stafford County Republican on Thursday September 1, 1904:

"Grandpa Covey Dead"

After a sickness of long duration Grandpa Covey has passed on to the other world.
The funeral occurred last Friday morning at 10:30 and the remains laid to rest in the Stafford cemetery.
Mr. Covey was a very genial kind hearted fellow and by this self same jovial nature wove around himself ties of friendship that were much to him and his friends will miss him.
While probably never reaching a very high station in life, he had a path of rectitude and right hued out that will be lasting so long as he lives in memory.
Peace be to his ashes.

Census

1850 Falls Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA. ^[5]
1860 Falls, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, USA. ^[6]
1880 Cooper, Stafford, Kansas, USA. Covey, Wm. Widowed, Farmer.^[7]
1900 Stafford, Stafford, Kansas, USA. Farmer, widowed.

Notes

Family legend: William Covey's father homesteaded in Pennsylvania. They were of Scot-Irish descent. They were a wealthy family and had eight or nine children. William R. was a black sheep in the family and wanted no part of the money.

William married Orpha Louise Rice who was a school teacher and of French descent. They had seven children: Archie, Samie, Milo, John Vincent, William Martin, Louise and Clara.

Orpha died in 1868 and is buried in Rockport, Missouri. William R. was working there in a grist mill at the time of her death. After Orpha's death William R. took the two youngest sons (John & William) and traveled to all the various territorial areas of the U.S. (sic. 1870). He left the family Bible with a family in Rockport who was to put a stone at Orpha's grave.

In his later life William R. homesteaded northwest of Stafford, Kansas. He and his last wife, Melissa, are buried in the Stafford Cemetery (s.1/2 of lot #47 in section D). There are no stones at their graves. William M. Covey paid for the lot February 4, 1905. Rachel Grossman McCormick paid to have a grave stone in 1990.

One of the wives of William R. may have been Mrs. Will Susan.

Sources

1. ↑ 1900 Census: "1900 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1900; Census Place: Stafford, Stafford, Kansas; Roll: 501; Page: 12; Enumeration District: 0309
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7602 #4912930 (accessed 5 February 2024)
   Wm R Covey (82), married, Carpenter, head of household in Stafford, Stafford, Kansas. Born in Pennsylvania, USA.

   Name	Sex	Race	Age	Status	Relation	Occupation	Birth Place
   Wm R Covey	M	White	82	Married	Head	Carpenter	Pennsylvania, USA
   Mary Covey	F	White	71	Married	Wife		Missouri, USA

2. ↑ Source: #S148 Pennsylvania, sheet 12
3. ↑ Source: #S414 Covey, William R, 1821-1904
4. ↑ Covey, William R, 1821-1904. http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=18775529
5. ↑ United States Census, 1850, FamilySearch, database, Falls, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, United States; p. 115A; citing families 1901-1902; dwellings 1798-1800, NARA microfilm publication M432. Covey: William R. (30), E. (60), Almus (36). https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4ZC-73L.
6. ↑ United States Census, 1860, FamilySearch, database, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Falls. "Wm R Cerry", line 25. Covey, William R. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXRC-6G4
7. ↑ United States Census, 1880, FamilySearch, database, Cooper, Stafford, Kansas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 327, sheet 25C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0398; FHL microfilm 1,254,398. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MF5G-PBM

• Source: S148 IGI, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
• Source: S414 Dora (Bryant) Grossman (possibly) Pedigree Chart for Grossman, Yerrick, Covey, Strobel (handwritten) Publication: Location: Liberal, Seward, Kansas; Date: circa 1933. Appears to have been initially the product of a brainstorming in late 1932 or early 1933. An addition was added between 1950-1955. Found in the belongings of Rachel Irene Grossman McCormick after her death. Was seen last at Thanksgiving circa 1968.