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The family of Terrence Lee Denton proved relatively easy to track, once allowances were made for some very creative spelling, both on the part of the indexers and on the part of the census takers. Thus 'Denton' is indexed at one point as 'Penton'-- that was perhaps the most difficult one to find, and it was Ada 'Penton' whom I found. 'Darius' also appears as 'Derius.' And the name Terrence itself is 'Terrence' or 'Terence' or in one case 'Tearence'; but the most amusing one was the census of 1850, which indexed one Terrence as 'France.' |
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Darius Denton, the first of the line I have found, was born in New York, some time between 1808 and 1815; ages do tend to vary on the census records. He married a woman named Allecia (Alletia, Alla), and the two of them went to Michigan. There is a record of a land purchase in Michigan in August, 1837. I have not been able to find him in the census of 1840. He might have gone to Michigan, bought land and returned home to be married, and then set out again with wife and child. The only thing I know is that in 1850, he is in Richmond, Macomb County, Michigan, with a wife and six children. One of these, Albert, was 11, and thus born before the census of 1840; placing his marriage probably about 1838. One of the confusing things about Darius is the number and the names of the children he had. From census to census, the names change, as well as the relative ages. Some of these we can confirm from other sources; Oliver P. Denton, for example, appears in the Michigan Death Register. And it seems clear from other sources that the child born in mid-1850 was Edward Morris, not James. The 1850 census taker was not happy with the inclusion of two boys with the same name in the same family at the same time (he writes the first one much smaller and without a capital 'J'), but he did not correct it. And, of course, later the younger boy is called 'Edwin' and still later 'Edward.' But that is normal for this family. The list given below is an attempt at a summary; it may have mistakes. |
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Terrence (Terence, Terrance) is listed in 1850 in the household of his father, Darius; by 1860, Terrence was working on a farm not far from his parents. His age is listed as 19, but there can be no question this is Darius' son. Terrence's marriage to Sarah R. Livermore in St. Clair county took place on October 25, 1861, and is listed in the Dibean register. In 1870, Terrence and Sarah were in St. Clair county, in Wales, and parents of two children. They moved in time to be listed in the 1880 census in Moore, Sanilac County, and all three children were with them: Ada N.; William Albert; and Alfred, who was considerably younger than the other two, only 11 months at the time of the 1880 census. A fourth child had died in 1874. Between 1880 and 1900, Terrence died; and Sarah was listed as a widow in 1900, still in Moore, living with Alfred. Alfred married about 1904, and Sarah was still a member of his household in 1910.
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William Albert is thus listed with his parents in two censuses, as William in 1870 in St. Clair, and as William Albert in 1880 in Sanilac. He married Della about 1897, and in the census of 1900, where he is listed as 'Albert,' he was still listed in Moore. He and Della had one child so far, Chester Eugene. They return to St. Clair, to Lynn, where William A. and Della are shown in 1910 with six children including 'Terrence L.' They remain there in 1920; William A. and Della A. now have nine children, and Terrence is listed as "Lee T." In 1930, he returns to the name 'Albert,' and only Morris and Charles are still home. They are in Oakland County.
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With that, we have established at least part of the ancestry of the Terrence Lee Denton who married Goldie Wellsted. He was in his parents household in 1910 and 1920, and by 1930, had married Goldie and was living with Goldie's mother and stepfather.
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