WHICH NANCY JANE WAS MARRIED TO ALEXANDER?

NOTE: the Hazelton name can be spelled many ways, mostly in this family it is either Hazelton or Hazeltine. I will use Hazelton.

Was Alexander Cummings married to Nancy Jane Hazelton, daughter of Ballard and Sarah (Noyes) Hazelton, OR Nancy Jane Hazelton, daughter of Peter and Sarah “Salley” (Pierce) Hazelton?

Alexander Miller Cummings was born on 18 October 1819 in Truro, Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada, one of nine children born to John Cummings (1794-1862) and Lettice (Barnhill) Cummings (-1854). Alexander died sometime after the census for 1891 was taken on 30 April, in Middle Londonderry, Colchester, NS, where he is listed as a widow and living alone. No record of his death or burial has been found to date. Nancy Jane (Hazeltine) Cummings died in Glenholme, Colchester, NS on 13 Mar 1886. Her tombstone can be seen on FindaGrave.com #47637621. Note: her age at death does not match her documented birth date. Fudging her age seems to be a theme in her life and adds to this confusion.

Nancy Jane Hazelton was the ninth and last child of Ballard and Sarah and was born on 24 Sept 1812, in Concord, Rockingham, New Hampshire. On 22 Jul 1855, she married Alexander Cummings in Boston. On the marriage record, he gives his age as 33 (1822) and she gives her age as 30 (1825), with fathers, John and Ballard. On the Massachusetts State Census of 1855,  in Boston, Suffolk, they are both listed in a boarding house. This census appears to have been taken in June of 1855, so they are not yet married. His age is given as 33, her age is 40.  

Alexander had moved to Massachusetts sometime before 1855. This couple is then listed back in Canada on the 1861 Census in Colchester, NS, and in the 1871/1881 Censuses in Upper Londonderry, Colchester, NS. This couple had no children.

The secon Nancy Jane Hazelton (b. 17 Sep 1819), was born in Marengo, Calhoun, MI, the first child of Peter and “Salley. Peter is Ballard’s oldest child and brother to the first Nancy Jane, which makes this second Nancy Jane a niece to the first. It is interesting to note that Peter and Salley had seven children, four of them boys, who were given unique names. Two of the three girls were given names of sisters of Peter – Nancy Jane and Mary Ann. The niece, Nancy Jane (dau. of Peter), spent most of her life in Michigan, but died in Big Bend, Republic, Kansas on 25 Dec 1891. She was living with her daughter, Lelia and her family, at the time.  Nancy Jane (niece) never married although she had daughter, Lelia Luella, out of wedlock on 24 Feb 1850, in Marengo, Calhoun, MI. We are still looking for Lelia’s father.

There are a few Ancestry trees who credit THIS second (niece) Nancy Jane (b. 1819) as the wife of Alexander Cummings. But I think we can see, that this is in error.

 

Olivet College Spring Break

NOTE: the picture on the left, at the top of this blog.

In 2008, on the website Roosweb.com (no longer usable, but still has some information “read only”) a notice appeared on one of their ‘Archives’ mailing lists with the name Hazelton in the subject line. It was from someone who had a picture that she had “rescued.”  On the back it indicated that it was taken at the Crispell Studio in Battle Creek, Michigan (owned by Theron Crispell and in business from 1873-1883) and dated April 3, 1876. It was a group of students (calling themselves “Odette of the Shrug”) on vacation from Olivet College. The six students listed were: Ella Hazelton of Hartford, MI, Frankie Hazelton of Hartford, MI, Belle Mather of Detroit, MI, May Smith of Somerset, MI, Frank Green of Olivet, MI and Sherman Upton of Big Rapids, MI. Mary Ella (my great-grandmother) and her sister, Frances Ann (Frankie) are on the right. The woman who found the picture had done some initial research on the students in the picture which was included on the mailing list. I contacted her and she generously sent the picture to me. 

What a treasure to have been found it, done the initial research and then to reach out and give to a family member. Genealogists are such a fun, interesting and giving community.