ANCESTOR NO. 23: MARGARET E. TIMMONS (c. 1832/33–1907)
Margaret E. Timmons left behind no diary, no photograph, and no obituary that has yet been found, but she left a paper trail across three states and more than fifty years. Piecing those documents together tells the story of a woman who moved often, who at times managed property and money in her own name at a time when few women did, and who lost a husband and three sons before she died. A Connecticut Household, 1850 The earliest record found for Margaret is the 1850 federal census, taken in Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut. She was seventeen years old, living in the household of Archibald Timmons, a 47-year-old plater, and Eliza Timmons, 45. Also in the household were William Timmons, 18, a carriage maker, and Daniel, age 3. [1] Archibald and Eliza were Margaret's parents, and William and Daniel her brothers. [2] The 1850 census listed Margaret's birthplace as New Jersey, which, combined with her age, suggests she was born around 1832 or 1833. The family attended a...