Tombstone Tuesday–Infant Child of John & Mary Haeffner

Infant child of John & Mary Haeffner, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen.

Infant child of John & Mary Haeffner, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of the infant child of John and Mary Haeffner “Heffner,”located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Infant
Child of
John & Mary
Haeffner

There is no name and there are no dates on this tombstone. There is no record of this child’s birth, death, or burial in Zion Chatt’s records.

The child’s mother, Mary (Tester) Heffner, died during childbirth on 21 September 1895 and this could be the tombstone of that child.  The child’s father, John Heffner, was the son of Conrad and Margaret (Miller) Heffner, born 22 October 1854 in Mercer County, Ohio.

After Mary (Tester) Heffner’s death in the fall of 1895, her widowed husband John married Harriet “Hattie” J. (Hillery) Harris on 8 July 1896. [1]

Harriet Hillery was born in November of 1842, [2] likely the daughter of Enos and Rachel Hillery, from near Macedon, Washington Township, Mercer County, Ohio. [3]  

This was Harriet’s 3rd marriage. She first married Nathaniel Faught [4], who died in 1886. [5] Her second marriage was to Pleasant W. Harris in 1895. [6]

After John and Harriet married they lived in Washington Township, Mercer County. Living in the Heffner household in 1900 were John C., 45; Harriet J., 57; Allie M. Heffner, 17; John H. Heffner, 12; Wilbert C. Heffner; and Della H. Heffner, 7. Harriet had given birth to two children but both were deceased by 1900. [7]

John and Harriet remained in Washington Township for at least another ten years. The 1910 census confirmed that they had been married 14 years and that this was John’s second marriage and Harriet’s third. Della Heffner, John’s daughter, age 17, was the only child still living with them. [2]

John and Harriet moved back to Liberty Township by 1920 and by this time all of John’s children had left home. [8] John was a farmer all of his life.

John Heffner died while likely visiting his son Charles W., who lived in Jackson County, Michigan. [9] John died 3 September at the age of 68 years. His Michigan death record indicates he was born in Chattanooga, Ohio, on 22 October 1854 and that his parents were Conrad Heffner and Margaret Miller. [10]

John was brought home for burial and his death and burial are recorded in Zion Chatt’s records. According to those records John died of dropsy on 3 September 1923 at age of 68 years, 10 months, and 11 days. He was survived by 2 sons, a daughter, and 3 grandchildren. He was buried on 6th, but has no tombstone in Zion Chatt’s cemetery.

By 1930 Harriet Heffner had moved to Geneva, Indiana, where she lived with her sister and brother-in-law Daniel and Rachel (Hillery) Beeler. [11]

 

[1] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 11 Jul 2015), John C. Heffner and Hattie J. Harris, 8 Jul 1896; citing Mercer, Ohio Marriages Vol. 7, p. 185; from FHL microfilm 914957.

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Washington, Mercer, Ohio, ED 125, p.12B, dwelling & family 270, Jno C. Heffner; digital images by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 Jul 2015); from FHL microfilm 1375227, from NARA microfilm T624, roll 1214.

[3] 1860 U. S. Census, Washington, Mercer, Ohio, p.464, line 9, Enas Hillery; digital images by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 Jul 2015); from FHL microfilm 805009, from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1009.

[4] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 11 Jul 2015), Nathaniel Faught and Harriet Hillery, 24 Sep 1863; citing Mercer, Ohio Marriages Vol. 3, p.50; from FHL microfilm 914956.

[5] Nathaniel Faught death, 15 May 1886, Robert Lilly family tree, Ancestry.com.

[6] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 11 Jul 2015), Pleasant W. Harris and Hattie J. Faught, 20 Aug 1895; citing Mercer, Ohio Marriages Vol. 7, p.118; from FHL microfilm 914957.

[7] 1900 U.S. Census, Washington, Mercer, Ohio, ED 90, p.14B, dwelling 294, family 297, John C. Heffner; digital images by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 Jul 2015); from FHL microfilm 124304, from NARA microfilm T623, roll 1304.

[8] 1920 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 140 p. 2B, dwelling & family 38, John Heffner; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 Jul 2015); from NARA microfilm T625, roll 1418.

[9] 1920 U.S. Census, Jackson, Michigan, ED 8, p.6B, dwelling 150, family 152, Charles W. Heffner; digital images by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 Jul 2015); from NARA microfilm T625, roll 774.

[10] “Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 11 Jul 2015), John C. Heffner, 3 Sep 1923; citing Jackson, Jackson, Michigan, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing; from FHL microfilm 1972962.

[11] 1930 U.S. Census, Geneva, Adams, Indiana, ED 18, p1B. dwelling/family 19, Daniel Beeler; digital images by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 Jul 2015); from FHL microfilm 2340309, from NARA microfilm T626 , roll 574.

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