Re: HEFFLEFINGER, Martin and Flora
HEFFLEFINGER, PORTERFIELD, SIRDOREUS, TRACY, TRACEY, SHAFER, HEFFLELINGER, HOLT, CAVENDER, MOSLER, GENTELL, BURGETT, DOYLE
Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email) In Response To: HEFFLEFINGER, Martin and Flora (Dennis Parrott)
Date: 2/12/2014 at 17:09:13
According to the Washington County, Iowa marriage application [marriage date September 13, 1884], Flora A. Porterfield, age 19, born in Richmond, Keokuk County, Iowa, was the daughter of James Porterfield and Catherine Tracy. Martin Hefflefinger, 29, was the son of Jacob Hefflefinger and Mariah Shafer.
The Martin Hefflefinger who married Nancy Sirdoreus in 1888 was also the son of Jacob and Mariah (Shafer) Hefflefinger.
The interesting twist comes from a biographical sketch for Flora A. [Alice] Porterfield's parents in Liberty, Gage County, Nebraska written in 1904. According to this sketch, their daughter, Alice was living in Brighton, Iowa [Washington County] with her husband, Martin Heffelinger [sic] in 1904. You probably need to do some more research on her parents to solve the mystery.
JAMES N. PORTERFIELD
James N. Porterfield, deceased, was one of the respected citizens of Liberty township, Gage county, Nebraska, where he died March 26, 1895, at the age of sixty-four years. Mr. Porterfield was born in Belmont county, Ohio, son of James and Mary (Cavender) Porterfield, and one of a family of sixteen children, of whom twelve reached adult age—eight sons and four daughters. The eight sons all volunteered for service in the army during the Civil war, made good records in the Union cause, and all returned home. On one occasion the youngest son narrowly escaped death, a bullet passing through his mouth, taking out his front teeth, and afterward being removed from his neck. The father of this large family died in Ohio, in 1855, at the age of seventy-two years. The mother survived him some four years and her death occurred in Pennsylvania.James N. Porterfield was reared in Ohio and in early life learned the trade of blacksmith. In September, 1853, at the age of twenty-one years, he was married in Belmont county, Ohio, to Miss Catharine A. Tracey, and the following year they moved west to Richland, Keokuk county, Iowa, where he was employed as blacksmith in a carriage factory. When the Indian reserve was opened up for settlement, about 1885, he came to the place where his widow now resides and located on eighty acres of land, which cost him seven dollars per acre. Here he developed a farm, passed the rest of his life and died, his death occurring in 1895, as stated at the beginning of this sketch.
Mrs. Catharine A. (Tracey) Porterfield was born December 23, 1833, and is a native of Ohio. Levi Tracey, her father, was born in Maryland. He was a shoemaker by trade, was employed in Baltimore for some years, and was regarded as a fine workman. In early life he went to Ohio and there met and married Maria Holt, daughter of one of the wealthy pioneers of that state, who had large land holdings. To each of his children Mr. Holt gave a farm and what was termed in those days a "fitting out." He may be said to have been generous to a fault, for while he was at one time a very wealthy man, he gave away and lost much of his property and at the time of his death he was in only moderate circumstances. Levi and Maria Tracey became the parents of fifteen children, of whom seven sons and three daughters grew to maturity and are still living, namely: Jacob, David, John, Levi, Isaac, Everett and Ayers, and Nancy, widow of Samuel Mosler, Mrs. Porterfield. and Sarah, wife of Hiram Gentell. Sons and daughters to the number of eleven were given to Mr. and Mrs. Porterfield. Four died in infancy, and Isaac died at the age of twenty years. Alice is the wife of Martin Heffelinger of Brighton, Iowa; Laura died at the age of fourteen years; Hattie died at the age of thirteen; Nettie is the wife of Edward Burgett, and the youngest daughter is Sadie Doyle.
A Biographical and Genealogical History of Southeastern Nebraska, Volume 1, Lewis Publishing Company, 1904 – Nebraska, pages 381-382.
Here are links to Flora Alice Porterfield Hefflefinger's parents' graves:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=38640664
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=38640938
Jefferson Queries maintained by Joey Stark.
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