Harriet L (Bentley) Arthur (abt. 1836 - 1893)

Born about 3 Jun 1836 in Deruyter, Madison, New York

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 26 Dec 1893 at about age 57 in Vernon Township, Shiawassee, Michigan

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Biography

Harriet L. Bentley was born about 3 June 1836 at Deruyter, Madison, New York the daughter of Jonathan Stillman Bentley and Louisa Bly.

She appears with her parents and brother Norman on the 1850 US Census at Deruyter.^[1]

By 1860, Harriet is living with her in-laws.^[2]

In 1870 Edward and Harriet appeared on the US Census in Vernon Township, Shiawassee County, Michigan on two different entries that were in two different locations within the township. ^{[3] [4]}

Edward has died in 1870 and widowed Harriet and her daughters appear on the 1880 US Census and Agricultural Census in Vernon Township, Shiawssee, Michigan.^{[5] [6]}

Harriet died 26 December 1893 in Vernon Township, Shiawassee, Michigan. She was buried in Lovejoy Cemetery, Vernon Township, Shiawassee, Michigan.

Research Notes

1880 Agricultural Census

Harriet's husband Edward Arthur had died suddenly in 1870 leaving her a widow at age 34 with three young daughters Metta 13, Eva Belle 5 and Inez Estelle 3 and a 40 acre farm. By 1880 Metta had married Amenzo Wright and Harriet only had the two younger girls now 15 and 13 at home. Harriet never remarried and probably there weren’t a lot of options to do so in the aftermath of the Civil War.

A “snapshot” of this family’s farm from the Agricultural Census on 1 June 1880. The most surprising thing about this record is what isn't there. The farm consisted of 20 acres of tillable land and 20 acres of woodland. Clearly someone else is doing the crop work because the value of implements and machinery is “None” yet there were 5 acres of wheat (100 bushels) planted and 5 acres of hay mown.

It seems doubtful that the three women cut the 15 cords of wood ($15) listed either despite the record showing no hired labor for the previous year. A cord of wood is 4 feet high by 8 feet deep by 4 feet wide so 15 cords would be 60 feet long by 4 feet high by 8 feet long and the trees would have to be cut and hauled from the woods.

Harriet's brother lived quite close by as did Metta and her husband who farmed with his father and grandfather so it is likely other farmers were involved in the more strenuous aspects of farm work and may have worked the farm on a share basis.

More details - only 11.5 acres of the 20 acres of tillable land are accounted for on the production side: 5 acres hay, 5 acres wheat, 1-acre orchard with 25 bearing trees, but no fruit production in 1879, .5 acres white potatoes (12 bushels). Amounts for barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rye and pulses are all zero. The remainder of the land may have been pasture.

The livestock numbers are also small. Cattle: 1 milch cow, 1 calf dropped, 1 cattle sold living, none slaughtered. No milk sold, no cheese made, but 100 pounds of butter made on the farm. 1 swine, 10 barnyard poultry (75 dozen eggs). No sheep or wool, no other poultry listed either. Pigs and chickens may have been in larger numbers than shown as the poultry numbers are “exclusive of spring hatching” and swine numbers are what was on hand 1 June without any numbers for slaughtered or sold.

No horses or mules, which raises questions about transportation. A lot of walking? They lived about a mile and a half from the town of Durand.

The estimated total value (sold and used on farm) of farm production for the previous year was $180. The actual income would have been less as the family would have had to eat something and use some of the wood to heat the home and the cow, pig and chickens would need to be fed. If the crop work were being done on shares some of that value would go to the farmer. Other potential income sources are the cow's annual calf sold, part of the butter and eggs, probably most of the wheat and some of the hay and wood.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCY1-1PZ : 12 April 2016), J S Bentley, DeRuyter, Madison, New York, United States; citing family 343, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MWDR-6YV : 14 December 2017), Harriet L Arthur in entry for John Arthur, 1860.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHCV-6NG : 12 April 2016), Edward Arthur, Michigan, United States; citing p. 42, family 363, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,203.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHCK-W29 : 12 April 2016), Edward Arthur, Michigan, United States; citing p. 37, family 323, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,203.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MW3F-TGF : 14 August 2017), Harriet Arthur, Vernon, Shiawassee, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district ED 363, sheet 570A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0606; FHL microfilm 1,254,606.
6. ↑ Ancestry.com. U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010., Census Year: 1880; Census Place: Vernon, Shiawassee, Michigan; Archive Collection Number: T1164; Roll: 59; Page: 9; Line: 4; Schedule Type: Agriculture. Harriet Arthur.

• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 04 December 2019), memorial page for Harriet Bentley Arthur (3 Jun 1836–26 Dec 1893), Find A Grave Memorial no. 100605632, citing Lovejoy Cemetery, Durand, Shiawassee County, Michigan, USA ; Maintained by vernongirl (contributor 47974851) .
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 07 January 2018, 22:02), entry for Harriet L Bentley(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:MW24-RMD); contributed by various users.