Once I uncovered the name of the author of my mysterious 1874 pocket diary, I of course wanted to learn more about her family and, hopefully, track down a living descendant so that the diary can find a good home.
I began by searching for Ella Burnham in the 1870 Vermont census and quickly found an Ella M. Burnham of about the right age living in the household of Loomis S. and Luthera Pierce in Calais, Washington, Vermont (not far from Barre, Vermont, listed as the place she visited her mother in 1874). Tracing the family back through marriage and census records, I discovered that Luthera was born as Luthera Nelson to Alva Nelson and Millie Ainsworth. She first married Charles Burnham and is found living with him in the 1850 census of Woodbury, Washington, Vermont. According to this post on the Washington Vermont message board hosted by RootsWeb, Charles Burnham and Luthera Nelson married on 16 Oct 1850 in Calais, Washington, Vermont. This is a bit of a conflict with the 1850 census entry which has Luthera listed with the last name of Burnham as of the June 1 census date, so I would pursue further by obtaining the original marriage record (except that this actually isn't the correct family as you'll see below). Charles apparently died prior to the 1860 census, where Luthera is listed as a head of household in Woodbury, Washington, Vermont with children Harriet, Ella and Harry. On 2 Sep 1867, Luthera married her third husband, Louis Pierce - the "Loomis Pierce" she's living with in 1870.
This Ella M. Burnham, however, seemed just a few years too young to be my M. Ella Burnham, so I was not at all confident that I had the right family, despite the coincidence of name, age and location. Good thing, too! An easy search brought up the death certificate for Ella Burnham Martin on Ancestry.com (I didn't realize they had just put these records online!). According to her death certificate, Ella died of apoplexy on 12 Mar 1917 in Williamstown, Orange, Vermont with her age listed as 63 years, 17 days (making her birth date about 24 Feb 1854). Her parents are listed as Joseph Burnham born in Willamstown, Vermont, and Mary Noyes, born in Barre, Vermont (the same place that Ella's mother lived in 1874).
Checking the 1870 census again, Mary N. Burnham, age 43, is living in Barre, Washington, Vermont in 1870 with daughter, Emma M. Burnham, age 19 (is this Ella?); William Noyes, age 77; and Mary Noyes, age 66. A search of the 1860 census for Vermont did not locate this family, however.
Modifying my search of the 1860 census to take into account the fact that the family may have moved out of state, I searched for an Ella Burnham born in Vermont, but with no state entered for residence and found the family in, of all places, Iola, Waupaca, Wisconsin:
Joseph S. Burnham, age 30, b. Vermont
Mary Burnham, age 32, b. Vermont
Ella Burnham, age 9, b. Vermont
William Burnham, age 7, b. Vermont
Gertrude Burnham, age 5, b. Vermont
Aurelia Burnham, age 2, b. Wisconsin
Since Mary was listed as a widow in 1870, the Civil War immediately came to mind as a possible reason for the death of her husband (Ella's father). Sure enough, a search of Civil War service and pension indexes on Ancestry.com, Footnote.com and the Wisconsin Historical Society discovered that Joseph S. Burnham enlisted in the Union Army, Wisconsin Volunteers as 1st Sergt on 18 Mar 1864 in Iola, Wisconsin. He tragically died just a few months later during the Battle of the Crater in Petersburg, Virginia on 30 July 1864, where was serving as part of Wisconsin Regiment 38, Company B. His widow, Mary, applied for a widow's pension on 15 Sep 1864.
Mary N. Burnham, mother of Ella, appears to have lived out the end of her days in her hometown of Barre, Vermont, following her return from Wisconsin. In 1880 she is living in the household of her son, William N. Burnham and his wife, Flora, along with her mother, Mary Noyes, age 86. She continues to appear in Barre city directories in 1891, 1896, 1900 and 1905, as well as in the 1900 census.
Why did the Burnham family move from Vermont to Washington about 1856-1858? That's a puzzle for another day. But they didn't go alone. Joseph's parents, Enoch Burnham, Jr. and Aurelia Stafford Burnham, are also found living in Iola, Waupeca, Wisconsin in 1860.
I love your story. Loomis Pierce is my 2nd great grandfather. He led an interesting life. It took me years to figure out his three wives, but I finally did it by examing the census records and figuring out the step children, Ella being one of them. (there were many). Too bad it was not the Ella you wanted. I am related by way of another wife. If anyone is interested I have a picture of Loomis….nota good looking guy at all.
For nearly forty years Enoch Burnham was Deacon of the Baptist Church, and in his old age retained his zealous interest in all religious movements. I think they moved from VT to Wisconsin to take a church there??? Did Ella marry do you know?? She descends from Deacon John Burnham of Ipswich, Mass…