Summary of Part One – The Family That Stopped at the Falls
In Part One, we began the story of Thomas Howard by tracing his family’s roots back to Grafton, Vermont, where the descendants of Ziba and Mary (Stickney) Howard formed one branch of the extended Howard family. Through a combination of traditional genealogical research and DNA evidence, we confirmed that Thomas was the uncle of Henry and Levi Howard, the brothers who established the Quarry at Howard Falls.
Following the family’s westward migration, we traced their move from Vermont into Essex and Saratoga Counties, New York, where Thomas married Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) around 1830 and began raising a large family. As they continued west in search of new opportunities, they paused for several years at Howard Falls in Franklin Township before ultimately settling near Randalia in Fayette County, Iowa, where newly available farmland offered the promise of a fresh start.
Along the way, we explored the broader story of nineteenth-century westward migration, examining how expanding rail networks, family connections, and federal land policies encouraged families like the Howards to leave New England for the frontier. We also demonstrated how modern DNA testing has become an invaluable tool for confirming family relationships that documentary records alone could not fully explain, helping connect Thomas’s family to the Howard pioneers of Erie County with a level of confidence that would have been impossible just a few decades ago.
(Railroads and the Making of Modern America, University of Nebraska, Lincoln (Rail Network). US Census Bureau (Urban Population).)
The story concluded in 1866 with tragedy. A devastating cholera epidemic swept through Fayette County, claiming the lives of Thomas’ wife, Elizabeth, and several of their children within a matter of weeks. Their deaths left behind an unusual will, several unanswered questions, and the challenge of determining what became of the surviving members of the family…
Part Two – The Curious Case of Elizabeth Howard’s Will
The Probate of Elizabeth Howard’s Will
In October 1866, the will of Elizabeth Howard (1805-1866) was presented to the Fayette County, Iowa court. Immediately, Thomas Howard (1805- aft 1885), her husband, objected to certain provisions of the Will, notably her disposition of land owned by her to certain of her children. He alleged that the land was held in trust by her for him, and that he had paid for it using proceeds from the sale of land in Pennsylvania.
Indeed, Erie County, PA, records show that Thomas Howard purchased property on Eureka Road in Franklin Township in December 1864 and sold the land in January 1866. Presumably, Thomas and Elizabeth used those proceeds to purchase their homestead in Center Township, Fayette Co., IA, putting the land in Elizabeth’s name for reasons unknown.
The Court required that the objections stated by Thomas Howard to be published for 3 consecutive weeks in the Fayette Public Record, a weekly newspaper in the community. No one stepped forward to challenge the objections, and the objections were upheld, and the Will was refused by the Court.
That was not the end of the matter, for in April 1868 the Court again took up the consideration of Elizabeth’s Will for reasons unknown, and after due consideration the Court affirmed the provisions of the Will, writing:
“Proof to the due execution of the last Will and Testament of Elizabeth Howard having been made on oath of Elmer Allyn; and Proof of the publication of Notice, agreeably with the Order of the County Court, having been made on oath of C.H. Talmadge and no one appearing to defend. Probate of said Will is hereby confirmed, sanctioned, and allowed by the Court”
Available records do not show why Thomas Howard withdrew his objections or how the provisions of Elizabeth’s Will were executed. Nonetheless, those provisions offer interesting insight into the family of Thomas and Elizabeth Howard.
The Curious Provisions of Elizabeth’s Will
As mentioned in Part One of this blog, Thomas and Elizabeth had a large family, with eight children: Merritt Z, b1830, Horace, b1832, Asa, b1834, Mary Ann, b1836, William A, b1838, Jane, b1839, Sarah Amelia, b1843, and Henry, b1848.
Asa, Henry, and Jane died in the pandemic of 1866, leaving five surviving children. However, Elizabeth’s Will does not treat those surviving children or her grandchildren equally. In fact, the Will is primarily a land-control document, not an equal inheritance document. The provisions can be grouped into several Tiers.
Tier A: Children Bequeathed One dollar
This seemed to be a classic legal tactic. It demonstrates she intentionally did not forget these children. In 19th-century probate law, token bequests were often used, specifically to prevent later claims that the testator had accidentally omitted an heir, lacked capacity, or intended equal division.
So Elizabeth was being very deliberate when she bequeathed one dollar each to 4 of her 5 surviving children:
- Merrit Z Howard,
- Mary Ann Letsh,
- William A Howard.
- Sarah Amelia Brott,
Tier B: Primary Howard Heirs
- Horace Howard,
With four of her children bequeathed One Dollar, one surviving child, Horace, remained and was treated quite differently in her Will.
Elizabeth was clearly trying to preserve the Fayette County land within a very specific line of descent when she wrote in her Will:
“First I give and bequeath to my husband, Thomas Howard during his natural life, after that to Horace Howard, during his natural life. then in the case of an issue of Horace Howard to be divided between his children and Thomas Wilson Clark and Marilla M Clark, but in case Horace Howard has no issue, the said Thomas and Marilla Clark shall come in sole possession, after the death of Horace Howard of the following described real estate….”
- Thomas Howard (husband)
- Horace Howard
- Horace’s future children
- Jane Clark’s children
It is unknown whether Horace had children at the time the will was written in May 1866, but the language suggests he did not. If he were unmarried or childless, then the naming of Thomas and Marilla Clark as contingent remainder-men becomes even more significant, because Elizabeth was effectively choosing Jane’s branch as the backup heir to the farm if the Horace line failed. That tells us a great deal about how she likely viewed the various family branches.
Unfortunately, very little is known of Horace Howard. The only census found in which he is explicitly listed is that of 1850, Edinburg, Saratoga Co., NY. He is not in the 1855 NY state census, nor is he found in the 1860 census of Erie Co., PA, where the rest of his family resided. Additionally, he has never been conclusively identified in any US or Iowa records. He is a total mystery after 1850 yet plays the most prominent role in his mother’s Will.
Tier C: Backup Heirs
- Jane Clark’s children
It gets even stranger with the naming of Jane Clark’s children as backup heirs. Jane, born in 1839, was Thomas and Elizabeth’s middle daughter. She had married Abner Clark, probably in Franklin Township, Erie Co., PA, around 1858. In 1860, they were living there next door to Levi and Hannah Howard. Jane and Abner had one child in their household in 1860, J. Alvin Clark, born about 1859. Then, according to Elizabeth’s Will, they had two additional children, Marilla and Thomas Wilson Clark, before 1866. Yet there is no mention of their first child, J. Alvin Clark, in the Will.
Furthermore, no record of Marilla or Thomas Wilson Clark has even been located in Iowa or anywhere else. At this writing, they only exist in Elizabeth’s Will. Jane’s husband, Abner, is found back in Erie Co., PA, in 1870 with no children in his household.
Tier D: Children Not Mentioned
- Asa Howard
- Henry Howard
Asa and Henry had perished in the epidemic of 1866. Asa was about 32 years old and with a family of 4 children. Henry was about 18 years old and unmarried.
There is no mention of the children of Asa Howard. His wife Maria had also perished in the 1866 cholera epidemic, but their four children had survived. After the death of their parents, it is not known who continued to raise them, but all of them can be found as adults in the 1880 census of Fayette Co., IA, and beyond.
Why Elizabeth decided to exclude them from her Will is unknown, but it is indeed another chapter of a will with specific provisions. Elizabeth is clearly trying to preserve her Fayette County land within a very narrow line of descent.
The Remaining Family Disperses
Merritt Z
Merritt, the oldest child of Thomas and Elizabeth, followed the family on its journey first to Franklin Township, Erie Co., PA, and then on to Iowa. However, after the pandemic of 1866, Merritt decided to return to Saratoga Co., NY, and by 1870 was employed on the farm of his uncle, Peter Howard. He is not found after that census and disappears from the records. He has no known descendants.
Mary Ann
The oldest daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth, Mary Ann, married Chauncey Letch about 1855, perhaps in Erie Co., PA, as the first two of their four children were born there. They moved to Fayette Co., Iowa, as the Thomas Howard clan moved there, but by 1870, they relocated to Newaygo Co., Michigan, where they remained. Descendants reside in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Oregon.
William A
William was enumerated in the household of Thomas and Elizabeth in 1850, while they lived in Saratoga Co., NY. Except for being granted $1 in his mother’s 1866 will, nothing more can be found of this elusive child. No known descendants.
Sarah Amelia
The youngest daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth, Sarah married Peter Brott about 1861, probably in Franklin, Erie, PA, shortly before the family left for Fayette Co., IA. For a time, they appear to have moved to Michigan, but for the majority of their lives, they lived in Sherman, Calhoun Co., IA, where they raised their children. Descendants reside in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Missouri.
Children of Asa
After Asa and his wife perished in the 1866 pandemic, their four children could not be found in the 1870 census, and thus with whom they were living is not known. However, by the 1880 census, they can all be identified and living in Fayette Co., IA.
Leafy Ann married George W Burkholder in November 1870 in Black Hawk Co., IA, and by 1880 was well established in Scott, Fayette Co., IA. She would go on to have a family of 4 or 5 children, and descendants are found in Montana, Idaho, and Illinois.
Aaron Peter married Lucy Sprague in February 1876 in Fayette Co., IA, and they had four children. Descendants primarily reside in Iowa.
David T married Elizabeth Michles in 1892 in Fayette Co., IA, and they had one child, Manila. Descendants reside in Fayette Co., IA.
Elmer E, their youngest child, died at age 20 in 1881 and was interred in Dunham Grove Cemetery with his parents.
Children of Jane
Jane perished in the 1866 epidemic, and it appears that her husband, Abner Clark, returned to Erie Co., PA. However, information about her three children cannot be found, except that the two youngest are named in Elizabeth’s will. It remains a compelling mystery.
Horace
Virtually nothing is known about Horace. He appears in the household of Thomas and Elizabeth in 1850, Saratoga Co., NY, but thereafter he cannot be found in any definitive record. As discussed earlier, he plays a prominent role in his mother Elizabeth’s Will, but nothing can be found elsewhere. It is another compelling mystery.
Thomas
As Elizabeth’s Will was probated in 1868, Thomas would have become executor of the estate under its provisions. How he disposed of the estate is not known. Perhaps there are records of that in the archives of Fayette Co., IA, but that is research for a future time.
By 1870, Thomas was found living in the household of his youngest daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Peter Brott. By 1880, the family had relocated to Calhoun Co., IA, but Thomas was not in the household and could not be found elsewhere either. However, in the 1885 Iowa census, Thomas is in Logan, Calhoun Co., IA, living in a retirement setting as a ‘pauper’. It is not known when he died or where he was interred.
Conclusion
In Part Two, we attempted to trace the surviving members of Thomas and Elizabeth Howard’s family after the devastating cholera epidemic of 1866 and make sense of the curious provisions of Elizabeth’s will. Unfortunately, with the 1890 census lost, that is a long stretch from 1880 to 1900, which is the bane of genealogists. Almost all of the records were destroyed after a 1921 fire at the U.S. Department of Commerce Building in Washington, D.C., leaving an irreplaceable gap in the nation’s genealogical record.
For the Howard family, that missing twenty-year window obscures a pivotal chapter, making it far more difficult to determine where the surviving children settled and how their lives unfolded after the tragedy. While the available census data helps fill some of the gaps, there are undoubtedly stories that have been lost to time. Even so, every new record uncovered has brought this forgotten branch of the Howard family into sharper focus and reminds us that there is always another lead to pursue. Perhaps the next chapter of this research will not be found online, but on a road trip to Fayette Co., Iowa, where the present-day Howards can walk in the footsteps of their long-lost cousins and continue uncovering the story of this remarkable branch of the family.
June 2026
D.D. Howard