Stevenson Elroy Painter, a son of Martha June (née Gay) and Jacob Painter, was born in 1868 in Bloomfield, Davis County, Iowa, where his family had settled shortly after the Civil War.

Steven E. Painter and Ida May Burress were married about 1889, probably in Mercer County, Missouri; a marriage record remains elusive. The couple had a daughter, Sylvia R., born in 1890 in Half Rock, Mercer County (and Ida's mother and brother are buried at Half Rock). The Mercer County courthouse burned in 1897, destroying many records.

Steven E. Painter worked as a miner—the region is coal producing—and was an itinerant. He was enumerated in 1893 in Bloomfield with his wife Ida and daughter Sylvia in his parents' household. The Steven Painter family was enumerated in 1895 in Wayne County, Iowa. A son, Earl Edward, was born in 1897 in Numa, Bellair Township, Appanoose County, Iowa, and the family was enumerated in 1900 in Bellair Township. A daughter, Neta, was born in 1903 in Seymour, Wayne County, where the family was enumerated in the 1905 state census.

The 1910 census for Wayne County shows that Steven E. and Ida M. Painter had two more children, Salina (born about 1906) and Erwin (born about 1908), but Steven E. Painter was not enumerated with his family. He had been institutionalized: Stephen E. Painter, age 41, married, was enumerated as an inmate at Clarinda State Hospital in Page County, Iowa.

Steven E. and Ida M. Painter divorced; she remarried in January 1913.

Steven E. Painter was admitted in 1924 to the O'Brien County, Iowa, Poor Farm at Primghar, where he died in 1941. He was buried at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Primghar. (The Poor Farm did not have a burial ground.)

Notes

First name Stevenson found in the 1870 census; afterwards Steven, Stephen, or Steve. An obit. of his father reportedly refers to him as Stephenson.

Middle name Elroy reported on son Earl's Iowa Delayed Birth Certificate (1942).

1870 U.S. Census, Bloomfield, Davis Co., Iowa; dwelling 193, family 193, lines 13-23, p. 12 (printed), p. 23 (written), 3 Jun 1870.
13. Jacob Painter. 44, shoemaker ($1,000), Ohio.
14. ----- Martha J., 38, North Carolina.
15. ----- Emma L., 16, Ohio.
16. ----- Chester S, 12, Ohio.
17. ----- Marretta , 11, Ohio.
18. ----- Melissa C, 9, Ohio.
19. ----- Solomon W., 7, Ohio.
21. ----- Lincoln D., 6, Ohio.
22. ----- John E., 4, Iowa.
23. ----- Stevenson E., 2, Iowa.
24. ----- Thomas F., 7/12, Iowa.

1880 U.S. Census, E.D. 46, Bloomfield, Davis Co., Iowa; dwelling 128, family 133, lines 4-12, p. 79B (printed), p. 14 (written), 5 Jun 1880.
4. Painter, Jacob, 56, shoemaker; born in Ohio, parents in Penn.
5. ----- Martha J., 45, wife, keeping house; born in North Carolina, parents in N.C.
6. ----- Marietta, 20, daughter, at home, Ohio.
7. ----- Solamon, 17, son, laborer, Ohio.
8. ----- David L., 15, son, laborer, Ohio.
9. ----- John W., 14, son, laborer, Iowa.
10. ----- Stephen E., 11, son, laborer, Iowa.
11. ----- Franklin, 9, son, Iowa.
12. ----- Allie B., 7, daughter, Iowa.

1880 U.S. Census, E.D. 111, Emporia Twp. (western half), Lyon Co., Kansas; dwelling 249; family 254, lines 45-50, p. 313B (printed), p. 28 (written), 21 June 1880.
45. Buress, Mary Anne, 45 [head], widowed, keeping house; born in Missouri, father in Tenn., mother in Ky.
46. ----- Julia Ann, 14, daughter, at home; born in Missouri, father in Tenn, mother in Mo.
47. ----- John W., 11, son, at school; born in Mo., father in Tenn, mother in Mo.
48. ----- Elias, 9, son, at school; born in Kansas, father in Tenn, mother in Mo.
49. ----- Ida May, 4, daughter, at home; born in Kansas, father in Tenn, mother in Mo.
50. ----- Nackie Dora, 2, daughter, at home; born in Kansas, father in Tenn, mother in Mo.

1890: Daughter Sylvia R. born in Half Rock, Missouri (according to her marriage license).

1893 Iowa state census, Davis, Bloomfield Co.; persons 544-552.
544. Jacob Painter.
[...]
550. Stephen Painter
551. Ida Painter.
552. Sylvia Painter.

1895 Iowa state census, Wayne Co.; dwelling 194, family 194, lines 10-14, p. 31 (written).
10. Painter, Stephen, 27, Ia., miner, [religion:] none.
11. ----- Ida, 20, Ks., K H [keeping house], Methodist.
12. ----- Silvey, 4, Mo.
13. Burriss Elias, 23, married, Ks., miner, Methodist.
14. Covey, Nimmon, 19, single, Mo., telegraph operator.
Wayne Co., Iowa, borders to the east Appanoose Co., Iowa, and to the south Mercer Co., Missouri.

15 May 1897: Son Earl Edward born in Numa, Appanoose Co., Iowa (mother born in Emporia, Kansas), according to delayed certificate of birth.

1900 U.S. Census, E.D. 12, Bellair Twp., Appanoose Co., Iowa; dwelling 1, family 1, lines 1-4, p. 1A (printed), p. 1 (written), 1 Jun 1900.
1. Painter, Steve, head, May 1869, 31, married 11 years; born in Iowa, parents in Ohio; local miner.
2. ----- Ida, wife, Jul 1874, 25, married 11 years, 2 children (living); born in Kansas, parents in Tennessee.
3. ----- Silva R., daughter, Apr 1880, 10, Missouri, at school.
4. ----- Earl E., son May 1897, 3, Iowa.

1903: Daughter Neta born in Seymour, Iowa (according to her marriage license).

1905 Iowa state census, Seymour, Wayne Co.
265. Stephen E. Painter.
266. Ida Painter.
267. Sylvia Painter.
268. Earl Painter.
269. Netia Painter.

1910 U.S. Census, E.D. 105, Clarinda State Hospital, Nodaway Twp., Page Co., Iowa; p. 191 (printed), p. 13A (written), 11 May 1910.
12. Painter, Stephen E., inmate 41 married: born in U.S., parents in U.S.

1910 U.S. Census, E.D. 169, Ward 2, Seymour, Walnut Twp., Wayne Co., Iowa; dwelling 145, family 150, lines 74-78,
p. 6B (written), p. 113B (printed), (no date).
74. Painter, Ida, head, 34, first marriage, married 22 years, 5 children (living); born in Kansas, father in Tennessee, mother in U.S.; (occupation) none.
75. ----- Earl, son, 13, Iowa.
76. ----- Neta, daughter, 7, Iowa.
77. ----- Salina, daughter, 4, Iowa.
78. ----- Irwin, son 1 10/12, Iowa.

"Bud Clancy and Mrs. Ida Painter went to Princeton, Mo., last week where they were married. They have the best wishes of the entire community. They will be at home at the Windsor hotel after Feb. 3." ("Seymour," Ottumwa Courier, Ottumwa, Iowa, 4 Feb 1913, p. 2, cols 1-2. This marriage to Elmer C. "Bud" Clancy also ended in divorce, as indicated by his enumeration in the 1920 U.S. Census.

According to an unsourced account, Steven E. Painter did not attend his father's 1914 funeral, and was then living in Kansas City, Missouri. (Comment: possibly a polite fiction.)

In 1915, Earl Painter and Neta Painter were living with their mother Ida Clancy (and with Ida's husband and two infants) in Seymour, Wayne Co. Sylvia R. Noble (née Painter) was also in Seymour. Salina Painter and Erwin Painter were then living in Lyon Co., Kansas: Salina in Pike Twp. with her maternal aunt (Susannah) Elizabeth Workman; Erwin in Emporia in the Hickox household.

1930 U.S. Census, E.D. 71-19, O'Brien County Alms House, Highland Twp., O'Brien Co., Iowa; dwelling 157, family 157, lines 51-88, p. 8B (written), 26 Apr 1930.
80. Painter, Steve, inmate, 62, divorced; born in Iowa, parents in U.S.; no occupation, county farm.

Ida May Clancy (age 59) and Warren Dallas Whitney (age 44), both of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, were married on 2 June 1937 in Canton, Lincoln County, South Dakota.

1940 U.S. Census, E.D. 71-19, County Poor Farm, Highland Twp., O'Brien Co., Iowa; p. 194 (printed), p. 2A (written).
27. Painter, Steven, insane, 72, single, Illinois.

Iowa Death Certificate: Steve E. Painter, age 73, died 3 Apr 1941 at O'Brien County Home. Parents, date of birth, marital status: unknown.

Reviewed 24 August 2020.