Truman and Mabbs families

 I've written about Mildred Strand's father's family, the Bellingers. This week I'm writing about her mother's family, the Trumans and the Mabbs. 

Mildred Viola Bellinger Strand's parents were Charles Bellinger and Elnora Truman. Elnora Truman was the daughter of Madison Truman and Harriet Mabbs. Both Madison and Harriet were born in Michigan. In 1869 they were married and lived in Hillsdale, Michigan. 4 children were born to them. However, in the 1880 census we find the family living in Totten, Lonoke, Arkansas. Their last son, Judson, was born there. They didn't stay in Arkansas long. Madison's death is reported on January 2, 1884 in Hillsdale, Michigan. The family moved from Michigan to Arkansas, and then back again. After Madison's death, Harriet marries again to Albert Bush and has 5 more children. All in all she gives birth to 10 children. She was 19 at the birth of her first child and 45 at the birth of her last child. She must have been a remarkable woman.

I've traced the Trumans back to a Josiah Truman who was born in Massachusetts in 1778. The Trumans may originally be from Cornwall, England but I haven't gotten that far back yet.

Harriet's family, the Mabbs, are a bit more interesting.

Harriet was born in Michigan in 1850 to William Mabbs and Martha Patty Warner. William was born in 1824 in Oxfordshire, England. William was one of eight children, all but the youngest born in England. His parents were William Hawys Mabbs and Hannah Hill Stace. William Hawys was the only son of John Mabbs and Sophia Andrews. John was a Methodist preacher. The Mabbs family had been Methodists for at least a couple of generations in England. Our William Hawys Mabbs took a different direction with his life, though. His older sisters worked as governesses, and teachers. William, started a soap factory in London. He manufactured soap and was very successful. For unknown reasons, in 1833, at the age of 42 he and his family sailed to America. He settled in New York City where he invested in another business. Things were going fine and another daughter was born. However, the bank he had his money saved in failed and he lost all his savings. He decided to move to Michigan and try his hand at farming and the manufacture of brick. 

William, the son, was a farmer and at the end of his life was a minister. He died at the age of 60 in 1884 of tuberculosis.  His older brother John worked in Chicago as an engineer. Another brother, Austin, went to Deadwood, South Dakota and owned and operated gold mines. Yet another brother, Robert, was quite prosperous. He was a very successful farmer in Allegan, and during the Civil War he enlisted as a private in 1862 and was discharged as a 2nd lieutenant in 1865.

The Mabbs family has been especially fun to trace, as I've found lots of information on them. They've been very successful. It's also fun to think of ancestors living in both New York City and London.

Mildred Strand, with parents Elnora and Charles Bellinger.