Marshall H Couch (abt. 1819 - abt. 1850)

Born about 1819 in Virginia, United States

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Roxanna Malone [send private message]

Biography

According to the 1850 census, one of the few sources of information on Marshall Couch, he was born in Virginia in about 1823. ^[1](see Research Notes below).

Marshall was married to Elvira Turner,^[2] and they had eight children:

• Jane Ann (1837-1858)
• Martha (1839-1901)
• Margaret E (1840-1918)
• John N (1841-1914)
• Luther (1843- 1889)
• William Marshall (1845-1901)
• Sarah Frances (1848-1917)
• Pleasant Henry (1849-1922)

The family relocated from Virginia to Missouri between 1843 and 1845. according to birth locations reported for their children. Property deed records from March of 1849 indicate what appears to be a loan of about $150 taken out against 100 acres of land owned by Marshall Couch in Sections 11 and 12 of Township 57, Range 80 West, in Marion County, MO. ^[3] However, on 26 Nov 1849, the land was put up for public auction to satisfy debts and attorney fees owed by Marshall Couch. ^[4]

When the census was taken in October of 1850, Marshall was listed with his family in Warren Township and was farming, although it is unclear on what tract of land. Marshall did not appear on any further records with his family; in later census records his wife was recorded as a widow. According to information written in his wife's obituary published in 1882^[5] Marshall, "seized with gold fever in 1849, went to California, where he died." In addition, a letter from Gen. D. Willcox that was dated Coloma, California 27 Sep 1849 mentions a number of Missourians who were in California near Sutter's Mill with a Mr. Armstrong, including "Mr. Couch" who had been ill.^[6] The inclusion of Marshall with the family on the 1850 census, however, confuses the timeline somewhat.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDZX-J7H : 22 December 2020), Mashal Conch, Warren, Marion, Missouri, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ Missouri, Death Certificates, 1910-1962. Ancestry.com, 2015. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60382/images/1917_00016410-00516?pId=2052559
3. ↑ "Marion, Missouri, United States Records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39T-T72C-W : April 4, 2022), image 34 of 617; Marion County (Missouri). Recorder of Deeds.
4. ↑ "Marion, Missouri, United States Records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39T-T7K5-W : April 4, 2022), image 263 of 617; Marion County (Missouri). Recorder of Deeds.
5. ↑ The Palmyra Spectator, Palmyra, Missouri. 24 Feb 1882, Fri • Page 2. Located at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85238132/obit-elvira-turner-couch/
6. ↑ Palmyra Weekly Whig Palmyra, Missouri, 27 Dec 1849 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105443004/mr-couch-mentioned-in-willock-letter/

Research Notes

Name: I'm not certain of the middle initial H, it's possible that it was an A. Some researchers have referred to him as "Marshall Alexander Couch" but I've found no documentation of that middle name.

Age: The only place where an age is recorded for Marshall Couch is the 1850 Census. This age would have given him a birth year of about 1823. His wife's birth year would have been about 1819. Later records for his wife give her a birth year more consistent with 1823. I suspect their ages may have been inadvertently reversed on the 1850 census and Marshall was actually born around 1819.

Leads: I have not been able to connect Marshall to his parents yet. The only clue about what part of Virginia they came from is in the obituary for Marshall's brother, John, which said he was born in Buckingham County, VA. A Marshall I. Couch of the right age appears on census records in Buckingham County, but that individual moved to Tennessee and can be proven not to be this Marshall Couch. I believe our Marshall Couch's father may have been John Couch, a widower from Virginia who married a widow named Elizabeth Harrison in 1844 in Monroe, County, Missouri and passed away in Monroe County in 1854. I haven't yet found the documentation to prove this link, however.

A picture of an article titled "The Pleasant Henry Couch Family" can be found at Ancestry.com, and it also tells the story of Marshall Couch heading for the California Gold Rush, and being killed either in a snow slide or by "hostile Indians" on the trip. This article appears to have come from a local history publication, but unfortunately has no source information attached to it and I have not been able to find a source for it. Therefore, Elvira's obituary contains the only documented and reliable information regarding the circumstances surrounding Marshall's death.

Missing Documents: I have not been able to locate marriage records for Marshall Couch and Elvira Turner, despite extensive searching. I have also not found a Will for John Couch, which would be very helpful.