Heber McHugh

In an effort to make sure that the Mc Cune family that appears on the 1880 Census is the right one, I decided to look at Heber, aged 8. The unusual name helps at this point. The spellings continue to be variable. The 1900 census refers to Healer J McHugh in Burr Oak Township, Lincoln.  In 1910 it is Heiber McHugh, in Monroe Township. It seems safe to assume that there is a transcription error, or a case of mishearing. Mc Cune should have been recorded as McHugh.

There is a record of Heaber J McHugh marrying Frances Wilmonia Miller in 1894. The apparent date of birth of Frances varies considerably from census to census. Whichever version is right, it is clear that Frances was quite young at the time of the marriage. Perhaps she was only 16. Perhaps she was 22.

The 1910 census reveals the presence of a daughter called Grace who was 12 at the time. i.e. born in 1898. This makes her a good candidate to be the Great Aunt Grace who was the source of the narrative mentioned in Changing Tack. Her life overlaps with that of her Irish born grandparents. (At least the ones relevant for the purposes of this investigation.) This provides continuity back to the 1830s.

The 1900 census is less helpful about Grace. As the record shows, it does appear that the female who was born on 1898 was called George. Echoes of the Johnny Cash song about a boy named Sue!