Mary Ann (Hoover) Stanton (abt. 1815 - aft. 1860)

Born about 1815 in Virginia, United States

Wife of Richard Stanton — married 1834 in Vigo County, Indiana, USA

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Patti Richey [send private message] and Victor de Jarnette [send private message]

This profile is part of the Hoover Name Study.

Biography

Mary was born in 1815, according to Illinois census records for the years 1850 and 1860. Both census records show her birth place as Virginia. ^[1]

It is believed by many people researching Mary A. Stanton that she was one of three sisters that included Elizabeth Jane (Hoover) Shaunce and Ruth Hoover McManus Southern who were both born in Ohio and who, in the 1880 census reports, indicated their parents were both born in Virginia. Mary, the oldest of the three sisters, consistantly reported her birth place to be Virginia. (See notes on Elizabeth Jane (Hoover) Shaunce's page.)

Mary A. Hoover married a man with the surname of Stanton. It is believed this was Richard Stanton and that they were married on July 14, 1834 in Vigo, Indiana. This information was found by an unnamed "cousin" in two of the family bibles left to her.^[2]

Sources from the cousin's bible

The bibles showed there were 6 children born to Richard and Mary:

• Eliza J. Stanton, 12 April 1838
• Marion D. Stanton (other family records indicate the D. stands for Decatur), 17 August 1839
• Sarah J. (Jane) Stanton, 07 May 1841
• Michael M. (Mortimer) Stanton, 10 February 1842
• Timothy Stanton, 14 October 1845
• Susan Stanton, 12 November 1846

On the 1840 Census for New Boston, Mercer, Illinois page 328, there is a record showing Richard Staunton, 2 males: 1 under 5, 1 male 20-29 yrs. old; 1 female 20-29 yrs. old. This record is believed to be Richard and Mary Stanton with infant son, Marion who was born in 1839. As to family records showing a child Eliza J. born in 1838, this would mean that she had passed away by 1840 if this 1840 census record is indeed for the family of Richard and Mary A. Stanton. Eliza J. has not been on any of the census reports.^[3]

The following information is no longer available at the original website where it was posted, it is still available on the Wayback Machine website which captured the webpage in 2014:

"Mercer Co., Illinois history page for Miscellaneous families"'^[4]
“In 1850 in T15N5W with a Stanton family that apparently arrived about 1840-41: Ruth McMannus, 25, born Ohio; Lavina, 5, born Illinois. This was Ruth Hoover who married William McMannus on 1/23/1845, in Mercer County. William McMannus was deceased before 1850. Ruth Hoover McMannus then married Charles Southern 8/16/1851 and they resided near Viola (we will be putting up a Hoover page). Daughter Lovina McMannus married Sumner B. Knox on 9/15/1864 in Mercer County (we will be putting up a Knox page)."

The 1850 Mercer County IL Census (p391) does not include Richard Stanton. An unsourced story widely believed is that family records in two bibles discussed above, list his death as March 24, 1848, and if true would explain his absence on the census. Household occupants on this census:^[5]

There's strong evidence that Hannah D Stanton (f) is most likely an error in the 1850 census and should have been "Marion D. Stanton (m), born in Indiana in 1839". There are no other known sources showing a child Hannah D Stanton in this family and Marion D (who should be on this household record) is missing from it.

The other Hoover names in the census list of 1850 (both of the Rachel Hoover's and William Hoover) were most likely related by some Hoover connection. The alleged other children of Richard and Mary (Timothy and Susan) born in the 1840s were presumed deceased by 1850 and were not recorded on the census.

In the 1860 CENSUS (Township 13N4W, PO Keithsburg, Mercer, Illinois) William Ho[o]ver was still in the household of Mary A. Hoover Stanton and her now young adult children: Marion, Michael, and Sarah J. Stanton.^[6] 1860 CENSUS Township 13N4W, PO Keithsburg, Mercer, Illinois:

• Stanton, Mary, Head of House, 45, Virginia
• Marion, 20, Laborer, Indiana
• Sarah J., 18, Ill
• Michael, 17, Ill
• Williamsen E. Hover, 23, Laborer, Indiana.

Both of Mary's sons Michael and Marion served in the Union Army. Michael served from 1861-1865. Williamsen Hoover served in the same company as Marion D. Stanton.

If Mary passed away shortly after 1860, it may have been when her sons were serving in the army during the Civil War. Her daughter Sarah Jane Stanton hadn't married yet, but was in Mercer county as she was shown to have married in Mercer County in 1866. Mary was young enough to have married again, but she just never surfaces in any records after 1860. It doesn't seem like all her children would just abandon her if she were still alive.

After the war, son Michael married Melvina Carver in 1872 and they were living first in Oskaloosa, Mahaska, Iowa and then moved to Logan, Kansas. Son Marion and wife Arilda were married In 1866 and also moved to Mahaska County, Iowa where they lived for six years and then went to Logan, Kansas. Daughter Sarah Jane Stanton married Washington Purkapile in 1866, in Mercer County, Illinois and the next time she surfaces is when she is widowed and marries a second time to the widower Levi Ditto, in 1878 in Missouri and then they are back in Mercer, Illinois by 1880.

The 1880 Census in Phillips County, Kansas record shows Mary's son Michael M. (Mortimer) Stanton doesnt seem to know where either his mother or his father were born. Likewise, in the same census, son Marion doesn't show a location for either his mother or father. Then on the 1900 census Michael shows both his father and mother as born in Kentucky. Sarah J. (Jane) Stanton (Purkapile, Ditto), on the only census she is recorded on after her 1860 and the last census before she herself died (the 1880 Census for Abington Township, Mercer, Illinois) shows her mom was born in Virginia and doesn't know where her father was born. Mary A. Stanton consistently showed her birthplace as Virginia on the census records that have been found. Other's have said Richard Stanton was born in Kentucky but no sources have been shown with this information.

The search goes on to find her husband, her parents and where she might be buried or, in the case that she lived beyond 1860, where she relocated to. There are family trees built for this family with no sources for claims about who her parents were (simply by the process of elimination while researching Hoover names) but I don't want to include those names, dates, locations, etc. here without further research, which is definately needed to get to the real story about her life. We don't really even know her maiden name for sure is Hoover because there are no sources for this claim. There just are no records.

Research

Email to Patti Richey:

Jan 16, 2010

I forgot to mention that Mary A. Hoover Stanton had 2 sisters; Elizabeth Jane Hoover who married George W. Shaunce and had 11 children I have obit if you want it and Ruth Hoover who married William McManus and she had 1 child. Ruth married 2nd Charles William Southern and had 5 children. I have no info on their mother Mary Jones, but their father Sebastian Hoover moved to Champaign, Illinois abt 1820 and then moved to Madison County, Indiana by 1830 and died there. This may give you a few places to research . I have birth and death dates for the girls and their husbands if you don't have them.

In the 1850 census, Mary A. Stanton had her 3 children living with her and her cousins Rachel A. Hoover and Williamson Hoover, Neices Rachel Hoover and Lavina McMannus and her sister Ruth McMannus, Lavina's mother.

Marna [Wakeland Wilson] (Note: She had a very active presence on Mercer County online websites. She had a Hoover family member (Williamson Hoover).

Sources

1. ↑ Unsourced family tree handed down to Anon de Jarnette showed that Mary was born before 1824.
2. ↑ Reported on a genealogy website by Len Marker who also researches the Hoover family,
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYTY-SCF8?cc=1786457&wc=31SJ-R97%3A1588665988%2C1588666327%2C1588665902 : 24 August 2015), Illinois > Mercer > Not Stated > image 23 of 32; citing NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ New Boston & Eliza Townships, Mercer County, Illinois. Members of the McMannus family are found in New Boston and Eliza in the 1850 Census: T14NR5W Robert McMannus, 38, farmer, born Ohio; Louisa, 31, born Indiana; Mary Jane, 10, In; Lucinda, 8, In; Levi, 5, Ill; Dorinda, 1, Ill. The family apparently came to Mercer County between 1842 and 1845. The family is still there in 1860 along with a John McMannis, 19, from Ireland in Preemption Township, which tells us the name is possibly Irish. Wayback Machine website
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M858-G4V : 19 December 2020), Mary A Stanton, Mercer Township, Mercer, Illinois, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1860," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBG-G48?cc=1473181&wc=7QVJ-RCX%3A1589423252%2C1589424062%2C1589425937 : 24 March 2017), Illinois > Mercer > Township 13 N Range 4 W > image 17 of 23; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

See also:

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 18 February 2022, 03:34), entry for Mary Ann Hoover (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:GQ3M-BSC ); contributed by various users.
• Various family records which do not all agree
• These are Hoover family members with connections to Mary A. Hoover Stanton: Michael Hoover (1753 - 1842), Michael Nicholas Hoover, Jr and Willamson Hoover Rachel A Hoover and Rachel Hoover.
• A website is hosted by a descendant of Ruth Hoover McManus Southern who continues to document his search for her Hoover parents: http://ancestraldata.com/ahnentafel/63/ and is very knowledgable about the use of DNA along with other more traditional methods to prove genealogy.
• See Elizabeth Jane Hoover Shaunce profile (Research) - possible sister, along with Ruth Hoover McManus Southern.