#52 Ancestors - Challenge

It took me awhile to decide who was I was going to write about as my Challenge subject.  I have several.  But the one I kept coming back to was my third great grandmother, Emelia (Lee) Whetstine.  Unfortunately, I don't even have a photo of her to share with this post.

I have had several people in the old family tree who have presented me with challenges in finding information about them.  However none have been as challenging as my third great grandmother, Emelia (Lee) Whetstine. 

                The Whetstine line has been interesting anyway.  There were two men named Mathias Whetstine, born around the same time.  One of them was the son of Mathias Whetstine, Senior.  Since Emelia’s husband Mathias went by Mathias Whetstine JUNIOR one would assume he was the son of the Senior.  But there are naysayers out there who say that their Mathias Whetstine was the Junior and mine was the imposter.  That should be challenge enough.  But Emelia….well, Emelia has been an altogether different story.

                Emelia Lee was born 11 October 1812 in Indiana.  Who were her parents?  Well, that is a very good question!  Emelia married Mathias Whetstine Junior on 21 August 1834 in Morgan County, Indiana. In Indiana, they welcomed five of their six children: Rufus (18 August 1838), Enoch (7 Dec 1839), Catherine (25 July 1842), Thomas (born in 1845) and John (1 Nov 1848).  From there they moved to Washington County, Iowa where my great-great grandfather was born, Anson Dunham Whetstine, born 24 October 1854.  From the large gaps between several of the children, I imagine that there may have been other children born to them that did not survive, just another mystery for me to solve. 

                Around 1870 the Whetstine family moved to Washington County, Kansas, less than an hour from my current home.  Emelia passed away on the 7^th of May 1887 near Linn, Kansas.  Mathias died twelve years later.  Mathias was a GAR member as he had enlisted and fought in the Civil War at nearly 50 years old! 

                I spent hours in Washington County, Kansas looking for any type of clue as to who Emelia’s parents were.  Nothing.  I looked for an obituary.  None.  Just a tiny little mention that she had died.  I tracked each of her children, hoping for some little tidbit to give me a clue. 

                Finally, in the Clay County Kansas County History book, in a biograph of her grandson I found a clue.  It talked about Mathias Junior being the son of Mathias Senior (go figure), Mathias Junior’s enlistment in the same company has his son Enoch during the Civil War and the following sentence: “He married Emelia Lee, whose father was a brother of Colonel Lee, a well-known pioneer circus man.”  YIPPEEE!!!  The clue I needed, right?  How hard can it be to track down a well-known pioneer circus man?  Well, it is a lot harder than one would think.  I spent more hours trying to track down the infamous Colonel Lee and found nothing for him either. 

                Eventually I hope to break through the Lee family brick wall.  New records and newspapers are added to digital archives daily.  Occasionally I go back and search for Emelia and her famous uncle again.  One day this challenge will just be a memory.  A frustrating, infuriating memory!