Elizabeth Bennett

Elizabeth Bennett was born July 7, 1817 in Ohio. Her parents were Joshua Bennett and Sarah James. She was raised in Brush Creek, Highland County, Ohio. According to later Federal censuses she did not know how to read or write. She married at a young age to George Stumbough. George father was Frederick Stumbaugh. George and Elizabeth were married in Highland County. They had seven children: Sarah, Anna, Joshua, Hannah, James, Susan and Rebecca. All except Sarah were born in Highland County. The family record states that they were Methodists.

In the middle 1840's George got an ailment, which he tried to cure by drinking hot pepper, using it as a medicine. It killed him. Several years later she married Jacob Wisecup in Hillsboro, Ohio, the county seat of Highland County. Eventually Elizabeth and Jacob had four children.

Around 1853 the family moved to Boone County, Iowa. They traveled by covered wagon. Railroad travel to Iowa didn't start until the late 1850's. Because covered wagons were so bumpy it means they must have walked most of the way to Boone. Around this time, there were thousands of others from Ohio also traveling to Iowa.

Her son's Joshua and James Stumbough fought in the Civil War. James had his cap shot off. After the War they changed their name to Stumbo. Their uncles wouldn't talk to them after that.

In her old age Elizabeth was known as Grandma Betsy. She died May 19, 1907. She is buried in Pleasant Hill cemetery at Bethel church in Boone county, Iowa. Her final resting place is surrounded by her many descendants. In 1997, after Donna and I toured the Mamie Doud house in Boone, I met Larry Adams, who worked there. I learned from cemetery records that he kept in the basement that 90 percent of the people buried at Pleasant Hill are related.

David Nolette 

 

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