Re: Rhoda Mallett, b. NY abt. 1840, m. Peter Sedam 1858, div. 1865 in IL
-
In reply to:
Re: Rhoda Mallett, b. NY abt. 1840, m. Peter Sedam 1858, div. 1865 in IL
jeff nash 8/04/08
Jeff,
Elmer Perry was George's son, not Peter's.This may be more information than you want, but it is from the writeup I send to my family each year:
Rhoda married Peter Sedam on December 5, 1858 in Rock Island County, Illinois.At the time of the 1860 Census, Peter Sedam (23); Rhoda Ann Miranda Sedam (19), his wife; and Rachel Ann Sedam, age 8 months, were living in Buffalo Prairie or Illinois City, Buffalo Prairie Township, Rock Island County, Illinois.Also in the home was Charlotte Mallett, age 6, born in Illinois.(It appears that Charlotte also may have been counted twice in the 1860 Census.)
Peter Sedam enlisted in the Army and entered in August 1862.In July 1863 he returned home and left again, being gone until July 1865.On September 12, 1865, Peter Sedam appeared in Court to obtain a divorce from Rhoda Sedam.“Said Rhoda is accused of committing adultery in that she had a male child born on 1 December 1864.”“The fruit of said marriage [Peter and Rhoda] was the following named children to wit: Rachel Ann six years of age in September A.D. 1865, and Sarah Jane, four years of age in April AD 1865 . . .It is therefore adjudged and decreed by the Court here that . . . the said complainant [Peter Sedam] do have and retain the care, custody and control of the said children until they arrive at full age respectively and that said defendant [Rhoda Sedam] be enjoined and restrained from in any way or manner intermeddling or interfering with them or either of them. . . .”
It appears that Rhoda and her two daughters had little, if any, contact after the divorce and that custody decree.Peter Sedam remarried to Sarah Elizabeth Morehead on August 25, 1867.At the time of the 1870 Census, Peter (33) and Elizabeth (20) and his two daughters, Annie (9) and Jane (8) were living in Buffalo Prairie Township, Rock Island County, Illinois.There were no other children living in the family.By the time of the 1880 Census, Peter and wife, Sarah E. Sedam were living in Drury Township, Rock Island County, Illinois.Both Rachel Ann and Sarah Jane had married and were not living at home.The only child in the family at that time was Warren Sedam, age 8.
What happened to Rhoda’s two oldest daughters?Rachel Ann married Anthony G. Ricketts on April 13, 1878 in Muscatine, Iowa.Anthony G. was the oldest son of Anthony J. Ricketts and his second wife,Amanda Doty.The Ricketts family lived in Drury Township, Rock Island County, Illinois, as did the Peter Sedam family.At the time of the 1880 Census, Anthony and Rachel were living in Groveland Township, McPherson County, Kansas, with their daughter, Jennie M. who was born in September 1879.They probably moved to Kansas shortly after their marriage, as Jennie was born in Kansas.The second child, Rufus A., was born in Colorado in July 1883.However, when the third child, Peter N., was born in May 1889, the family had returned to Illinois.By the time of the 1900 Census, Anthony’s and Rachel’s family were living in Drury Township in Rock Island, Illinois with Jennie (20), Rufus A. (16), Peter N. (11), Gordon E. (8), Lewis W. (5) and Jessie L. (2).The family continued to live in Drury Township in 1910, but the children still at home had dwindled to Lewis (15), Jessie (12), and Esther (7).By 1920, four of the children–Lewis (24), Peter (30), Jessie (21) and Esther (18)-- were living together in a household which did not include parents.It is possible that Anthony and Rachel had died by this time, although they would have been only 65 and 61 years of age.They may simply have moved away from the farm and left it for the children to run.It should be noted that at the time of the 1880 and 1900 censuses Rachel had listed the birthplace of her mother as “Unknown”.In 1910, her mother’s birthplace was shown as “Illinois”, which is an error.Rhoda was born in New York.
The second daughter, Sarah Jane, married Edward Castor December 25, 1879 in Rock Island County, Illinois.Edward’s parents, Lewis and Ellen Castor, were from Pennsylvania and moved to Illinois about 1855.Edward was probably the seventh of 8 children and was the first of the children born in Illinois.His family lived in places in Mercer County, Illinois and in 1870 they were living in Duncan Township.We were unable to locate newlyweds Edward and Sarah Jane in the 1880 Census, but by 1900, they were living in Pleasant Valley Township, Clay County, South Dakota.In the household were their 7 children–Mary A. (17), Roy S. (16), Frank L. (14), Louis P. (12), Pearl A. (7), Mirtle E. (3), and Sarah E. (6 mos.).It appears from the birthplaces of their children that they lived in Illinois at least until 1893 and had moved to South Dakota by 1897.In the 1900 Census, the birthplace of Sarah Jane’s mother was show as a line, indicating that it was unknown.We would surmise that Rhoda’s daughters were cut off from all contact with their mother after Peter filed for divorce and that they knew little about her.
What happened to the male child born, according to the divorce decree, on December 1, 1864?(The father is described in the divorce decree as “. . some person to the Court unknown . . .”)Elmer Perry Chamberlain was the son born to Rhoda Mallett Sedam in 1864.His father was George Washington Chamberlain from Virginia, who was a 24 year old farm hand working in Chilllicothe Township, Peoria County, Illinois, in 1860.Another researcher has shown his birthdate to be 1834 in Harrison, Virginia.The same researcher indicates that he was previously married to Anna M. ,___ (surname unknown).No details are given.This same researcher states that Rhoda and George Washington Chamberlain were married March 29, 1867, but no place is indicated.Their marriage does not show up on various marriage indices for the State of Illinois.In 1870 the family was living in Jefferson Township, Poweshiek County, Iowa.In the home were George W. Chamberlain (35), Rhoda (29), Elmer (5), Mattie E. (2), and Sarah (60), who was George’s mother.The child, Mattie, was born in Iowa, and that may indicate the couple was married in Iowa as well.Next door to George and Rhoda in 1870 was another Chamberlain family, presumably relatives, and three houses away was the family of Ransom and Mary Ann Ferguson, our direct ancestors.(Rhoda Chamberlain and Mary Ann Ferguson were sisters.)By 1880, George and Rhoda were living in Union Township, Guthrie County, Iowa, and their household had grown larger.Elmer (16) was still living with them.Mattie (12), Elizabeth and Lora (7 yr. old twins), and Lenora E. (1) were the additional children of this couple.In the “neighborhood”, living close enough to be included on the same Census enumeration sheet, were the families of James and Lovina Pierce and Loray and Emma Luckinbill.In 1885, Elmer (21), Mattie (16), Libby and Leola (11), and Nora (6) were still in the household with George and Rhoda.They were still living in Union Township, Guthrie County, Iowa.
Elmer Perry Chamberlain married Emma Luella Taggart on April 27, 1890, in Grundy County, Iowa.Emma was the oldest child of Eugene Taggart and Harriet Scott.Their family had lived in Guthrie County for many years.By the time Elmer and Emma had been married for 10 years and the 1900 Census was taken, they were living in Melville Township, Audubon County, Iowa and had 6 children–Blanche (9), Eugene (8), Ethel (6), Mattie (4), Burley (2), and Edward (1).At the time of Emma’s father’s death in 1914, Elmer and Emma were living in Winnebago, Nebraska.According to another researcher, Elmer died in South Sioux City, Nebraska on October 24, 1922.
----------------------------------------------------------
My actual document has extensive footnotes for sources of this information which did not get attached to the "cut and paste" I did with my written material.I can supply you with any of them if you wish.Since uncovering the circumstances surrounding the birth of Elmer Perry, I have always believed that there must be descendents of Rhoda's first two children who might be interested in this information.How are you related to this family?
More Replies:
-
Re: Rhoda Mallett, b. NY abt. 1840, m. Peter Sedam 1858, div. 1865 in IL
jeff nash 8/07/08
-
Re: Rhoda Mallett, b. NY abt. 1840, m. Peter Sedam 1858, div. 1865 in IL
Marilyn Stubbs 8/09/08
-
Re: Rhoda Mallett, b. NY abt. 1840, m. Peter Sedam 1858, div. 1865 in IL
jeff nash 8/09/08
-
Re: Rhoda Mallett, b. NY abt. 1840, m. Peter Sedam 1858, div. 1865 in IL
-
Re: Rhoda Mallett, b. NY abt. 1840, m. Peter Sedam 1858, div. 1865 in IL