Her death certificate states she was born 16 July 1862 in Puntia, Illinois. However, an 1869 divorce record for her mother, Martha Ann Green and her mother's husband James Duffy Logan, indicates that Ella May was born about 1867-1868 in Hancock County, Illinois as the result of adultery.
"Puntia" on the death certificate likely refers to "Pontoosuc," where James Duffy Logan is known to have lived at the time.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ella Mae Bryan was born to Martha Ann Green of Hancock County, Illinois in about 1867. At the time of her birth, her mother was married to James Logan, a prominent man in the community and former Captain of the local militia during the Mormon Wars. Logan was convinced that Ella was not his daughter, and demanded a divorce, saying that Martha had been in several adulterous relationships, including one with Rice B Bryan around the year 1868, and another with a William H Williams in about 1864. Whether she was Logan's biological child or someone else's remains a mystery.
Regardless, Rice Bryan and Martha Green departed Illinois for Kansas sometime around or after December 1868, taking Ella with them, but leaving their other children, her half-siblings Martha Badley Logan, James Logan, and Harry Bryan. Rice and Martha never officially married--no marriage record has been found, and an application for a Civil War Widow's pension for Martha was denied because she could provide no evidence of marriage to Rice Bryan. However, common-law marriage is and was legal in Kansas with no minimum cohabitation period, so in the eyes of Kansas law, they may have been considered married. While in Kansas, Ella's brother, Arthur, was born as well.
On 6 July 1885, Ella married Fred Clifford in Olathe, Johnson, Kansas. Fred had been living with the family as a boarder for a short while. The two of them had five children while living in Kansas, two of whom were twins.
In 1898, Louis Clifford, Ella's son, died at age 4 in Kansas. In that same year, Ella left her husband and her two oldest children (Leo and May), and moved to Nebraska with Charles John Clifford, Fred's brother. She took with her Gladys and Irene Clifford, the two youngest. Ella and Charles lived together as a married couple for the rest of their lives, over 40 years, though they had never been officially married. Common-law marriage was legal in Nebraska at the time (for any couple who started living together before 1923), so in the eyes of Nebraska law, they were married (although there is no record of divorce from Fred). Back in Kansas, Fred and the remaining children never found their wife or mother again, knowing only that she had disappeared with some of the children. Fred died a few years after she left, in 1906.
Ella died in Bruning, Thayer, Nebraska in 1944. Family and friends said that they had never seen her impatient or cross. She was a member of the United Brethren Church at her death, having converted from the Baptists.
For more information on my research, see https://thehandwrittenpast.com/2016/05/01/the-cliffords-part-2-family-scandal/ and FSFT id KNHP-74F
Contributed by Mary Koeven
---------------------------------------------
CLIFFORD, ELLA MAY (BRYAN)—Mrs. Charles Clifford passed away at her home in Bruning at 8:30 p. m. Tuesday, November 14, aged 82 years, 3 months and 29 days. A daughter, Mrs. Irene Bobbitt, resides in Geneva.
A short funeral service will be held at the home in Bruning at 1:30 p. m. today, Thursday, followed by a service at the United Brethren church in Geneva at 2:30, with Rev. E. D. Sell officiating. Interment will be in the Geneva cemetery.
The Nebraska Signal Nov. 16, 1944
Contributed by M. Jensen Seggerman
"Puntia" on the death certificate likely refers to "Pontoosuc," where James Duffy Logan is known to have lived at the time.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ella Mae Bryan was born to Martha Ann Green of Hancock County, Illinois in about 1867. At the time of her birth, her mother was married to James Logan, a prominent man in the community and former Captain of the local militia during the Mormon Wars. Logan was convinced that Ella was not his daughter, and demanded a divorce, saying that Martha had been in several adulterous relationships, including one with Rice B Bryan around the year 1868, and another with a William H Williams in about 1864. Whether she was Logan's biological child or someone else's remains a mystery.
Regardless, Rice Bryan and Martha Green departed Illinois for Kansas sometime around or after December 1868, taking Ella with them, but leaving their other children, her half-siblings Martha Badley Logan, James Logan, and Harry Bryan. Rice and Martha never officially married--no marriage record has been found, and an application for a Civil War Widow's pension for Martha was denied because she could provide no evidence of marriage to Rice Bryan. However, common-law marriage is and was legal in Kansas with no minimum cohabitation period, so in the eyes of Kansas law, they may have been considered married. While in Kansas, Ella's brother, Arthur, was born as well.
On 6 July 1885, Ella married Fred Clifford in Olathe, Johnson, Kansas. Fred had been living with the family as a boarder for a short while. The two of them had five children while living in Kansas, two of whom were twins.
In 1898, Louis Clifford, Ella's son, died at age 4 in Kansas. In that same year, Ella left her husband and her two oldest children (Leo and May), and moved to Nebraska with Charles John Clifford, Fred's brother. She took with her Gladys and Irene Clifford, the two youngest. Ella and Charles lived together as a married couple for the rest of their lives, over 40 years, though they had never been officially married. Common-law marriage was legal in Nebraska at the time (for any couple who started living together before 1923), so in the eyes of Nebraska law, they were married (although there is no record of divorce from Fred). Back in Kansas, Fred and the remaining children never found their wife or mother again, knowing only that she had disappeared with some of the children. Fred died a few years after she left, in 1906.
Ella died in Bruning, Thayer, Nebraska in 1944. Family and friends said that they had never seen her impatient or cross. She was a member of the United Brethren Church at her death, having converted from the Baptists.
For more information on my research, see https://thehandwrittenpast.com/2016/05/01/the-cliffords-part-2-family-scandal/ and FSFT id KNHP-74F
Contributed by Mary Koeven
---------------------------------------------
CLIFFORD, ELLA MAY (BRYAN)—Mrs. Charles Clifford passed away at her home in Bruning at 8:30 p. m. Tuesday, November 14, aged 82 years, 3 months and 29 days. A daughter, Mrs. Irene Bobbitt, resides in Geneva.
A short funeral service will be held at the home in Bruning at 1:30 p. m. today, Thursday, followed by a service at the United Brethren church in Geneva at 2:30, with Rev. E. D. Sell officiating. Interment will be in the Geneva cemetery.
The Nebraska Signal Nov. 16, 1944
Contributed by M. Jensen Seggerman
Her death certificate states she was born 16 July 1862 in Puntia, Illinois. However, an 1869 divorce record for her mother, Martha Ann Green and her mother's husband James Duffy Logan, indicates that Ella May was born about 1867-1868 in Hancock County, Illinois as the result of adultery.
"Puntia" on the death certificate likely refers to "Pontoosuc," where James Duffy Logan is known to have lived at the time.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ella Mae Bryan was born to Martha Ann Green of Hancock County, Illinois in about 1867. At the time of her birth, her mother was married to James Logan, a prominent man in the community and former Captain of the local militia during the Mormon Wars. Logan was convinced that Ella was not his daughter, and demanded a divorce, saying that Martha had been in several adulterous relationships, including one with Rice B Bryan around the year 1868, and another with a William H Williams in about 1864. Whether she was Logan's biological child or someone else's remains a mystery.
Regardless, Rice Bryan and Martha Green departed Illinois for Kansas sometime around or after December 1868, taking Ella with them, but leaving their other children, her half-siblings Martha Badley Logan, James Logan, and Harry Bryan. Rice and Martha never officially married--no marriage record has been found, and an application for a Civil War Widow's pension for Martha was denied because she could provide no evidence of marriage to Rice Bryan. However, common-law marriage is and was legal in Kansas with no minimum cohabitation period, so in the eyes of Kansas law, they may have been considered married. While in Kansas, Ella's brother, Arthur, was born as well.
On 6 July 1885, Ella married Fred Clifford in Olathe, Johnson, Kansas. Fred had been living with the family as a boarder for a short while. The two of them had five children while living in Kansas, two of whom were twins.
In 1898, Louis Clifford, Ella's son, died at age 4 in Kansas. In that same year, Ella left her husband and her two oldest children (Leo and May), and moved to Nebraska with Charles John Clifford, Fred's brother. She took with her Gladys and Irene Clifford, the two youngest. Ella and Charles lived together as a married couple for the rest of their lives, over 40 years, though they had never been officially married. Common-law marriage was legal in Nebraska at the time (for any couple who started living together before 1923), so in the eyes of Nebraska law, they were married (although there is no record of divorce from Fred). Back in Kansas, Fred and the remaining children never found their wife or mother again, knowing only that she had disappeared with some of the children. Fred died a few years after she left, in 1906.
Ella died in Bruning, Thayer, Nebraska in 1944. Family and friends said that they had never seen her impatient or cross. She was a member of the United Brethren Church at her death, having converted from the Baptists.
For more information on my research, see https://thehandwrittenpast.com/2016/05/01/the-cliffords-part-2-family-scandal/ and FSFT id KNHP-74F
Contributed by Mary Koeven
---------------------------------------------
CLIFFORD, ELLA MAY (BRYAN)—Mrs. Charles Clifford passed away at her home in Bruning at 8:30 p. m. Tuesday, November 14, aged 82 years, 3 months and 29 days. A daughter, Mrs. Irene Bobbitt, resides in Geneva.
A short funeral service will be held at the home in Bruning at 1:30 p. m. today, Thursday, followed by a service at the United Brethren church in Geneva at 2:30, with Rev. E. D. Sell officiating. Interment will be in the Geneva cemetery.
The Nebraska Signal Nov. 16, 1944
Contributed by M. Jensen Seggerman
"Puntia" on the death certificate likely refers to "Pontoosuc," where James Duffy Logan is known to have lived at the time.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ella Mae Bryan was born to Martha Ann Green of Hancock County, Illinois in about 1867. At the time of her birth, her mother was married to James Logan, a prominent man in the community and former Captain of the local militia during the Mormon Wars. Logan was convinced that Ella was not his daughter, and demanded a divorce, saying that Martha had been in several adulterous relationships, including one with Rice B Bryan around the year 1868, and another with a William H Williams in about 1864. Whether she was Logan's biological child or someone else's remains a mystery.
Regardless, Rice Bryan and Martha Green departed Illinois for Kansas sometime around or after December 1868, taking Ella with them, but leaving their other children, her half-siblings Martha Badley Logan, James Logan, and Harry Bryan. Rice and Martha never officially married--no marriage record has been found, and an application for a Civil War Widow's pension for Martha was denied because she could provide no evidence of marriage to Rice Bryan. However, common-law marriage is and was legal in Kansas with no minimum cohabitation period, so in the eyes of Kansas law, they may have been considered married. While in Kansas, Ella's brother, Arthur, was born as well.
On 6 July 1885, Ella married Fred Clifford in Olathe, Johnson, Kansas. Fred had been living with the family as a boarder for a short while. The two of them had five children while living in Kansas, two of whom were twins.
In 1898, Louis Clifford, Ella's son, died at age 4 in Kansas. In that same year, Ella left her husband and her two oldest children (Leo and May), and moved to Nebraska with Charles John Clifford, Fred's brother. She took with her Gladys and Irene Clifford, the two youngest. Ella and Charles lived together as a married couple for the rest of their lives, over 40 years, though they had never been officially married. Common-law marriage was legal in Nebraska at the time (for any couple who started living together before 1923), so in the eyes of Nebraska law, they were married (although there is no record of divorce from Fred). Back in Kansas, Fred and the remaining children never found their wife or mother again, knowing only that she had disappeared with some of the children. Fred died a few years after she left, in 1906.
Ella died in Bruning, Thayer, Nebraska in 1944. Family and friends said that they had never seen her impatient or cross. She was a member of the United Brethren Church at her death, having converted from the Baptists.
For more information on my research, see https://thehandwrittenpast.com/2016/05/01/the-cliffords-part-2-family-scandal/ and FSFT id KNHP-74F
Contributed by Mary Koeven
---------------------------------------------
CLIFFORD, ELLA MAY (BRYAN)—Mrs. Charles Clifford passed away at her home in Bruning at 8:30 p. m. Tuesday, November 14, aged 82 years, 3 months and 29 days. A daughter, Mrs. Irene Bobbitt, resides in Geneva.
A short funeral service will be held at the home in Bruning at 1:30 p. m. today, Thursday, followed by a service at the United Brethren church in Geneva at 2:30, with Rev. E. D. Sell officiating. Interment will be in the Geneva cemetery.
The Nebraska Signal Nov. 16, 1944
Contributed by M. Jensen Seggerman
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