An American Family History

Daniel Branstiter, Jr. and Elizabeth Baker were married August 21, 1823 in Clark County, Ohio by Henry Heinecke, minister of the German Lutheran Union Church at Lawrenceville.

Daniel and Elizabeth had twelve children. The five oldest were born in Clark County, Ohio. Henry Branstiter was born in 1825, Sarah Branstiter Taylor was born in 1827, Philip Branstiter was born in 1829 and Emery Branstiter was born in 1831.

The family (Branstetter) appeared in the 1830 census of German Township, Clark County, Ohio.  

After her father, Philip Baker’s, death in 1828, Elizabeth and Daniel Branstiter, along with her sister, forced her mother, Mary Elizabeth Baker to sell the family farm so that they could have their share. (Clark County, Ohio, October 3, 1830, Petition to Partition Daniel Branstetter et. al. vs. Elizabeth Baker et. al.)

The family suffered the loss of two infant boys. Philip died in 1830 and Emery in 1833. They were both laid to rest in Lawrenceville Cemetery with many members of their mother’s family. Mahala Branstiter Swartz was born about 1833 and the twins James Branstiter and Jacob Branstitre were born in 1838.  Mary E. Branstiter Miller was born in 1839. 

They moved to Dinsmore Township in Shelby County about 1838. Dinsmore Township was also the home of the David and Anna Taylor family. Sarah married their son, Jacob. They probably belonged to St. Jacob's Evangelical Lutheran at Anna which was formed in 1832.

The family appeared in the 1840 census in Dinsmore Township.  

From an Ohio newspaper in 1840.

Synthia Branstiter was born about 1841. On March 1, 1843 they leased twenty-five acres in Shelby County, Ohio for ten years. Sarah Branstiter and Jacob Taylor married in Shelby County in 1845. Lettica Branstiter Mallory was born about 1843 and Eliza Branstiter Baker was born about 1848. Henry married in 1850 in Clark County.

The family appeared (Brondstetter, Daniel) in the 1850 census in Dinsmore Township. Daniel was working as a blacksmith. He was 47 and Eizabeth was 43. Only seven children remained at home: Meahala age 17, Jas age 15, Jacob age 13,  Mary age 11, Syntha age 9, Lethia age 7 and Eliza age 3.

In 1851 Daniel bought 40 acres in Shelby County, Ohio, but in 1852 he cancelled the mortgage. The family moved to Morgan County, Illinois. In 1852 Mahala married in Shelby County.

Elizabeth died in 1856 in Morgan County. Even though her older children had already begun to marry and leave home, her youngest two children were only five and eight years old.  

In 1859, Mary was married in Morgan County. She apparently assumed responsibility for her younger brother Daniel. He (Daniel Bransteter) was living with his sister, Mary Miller, in Jacksonville when the 1860 census was taken for Morgan County.

In 1860 Sarah and Jacob Taylor were living in Shelby County, Ohio. Jacob, Jr. fought in the Civil War. In 1864 Lettica married in Morgan County. Sarah’s obituary said that she moved to McLean County in 1865.

By 1866 most of the family was in Logan County. Eliza was married in 1866, Jacob in 1867 and Daniel in 1873. In 1869, their granddaughter, Sarah’s daughter, Louisa Taylor Long, was also married in Logan County. Henry and Eliza’s youngest daughter was born in 1866 in Illinois.

In 1870 Henry, Mary, Jacob, Letticia, and Eliza were living in Nebraska. Some of Sarah’s children and Daniel were in Logan County. In 1871, Henry remarried in Johnson County, Nebraska and Jacob was living in Edgar, Nebraska when he filed for his Civil War Pension.

Daniel died in 1879 in Nebraska. He is buried in Camp Creek Cemetery in Otoe County, Nebraska. He lived with Henry before he died. In 1880 Henry, Jacob, Mary, and Letticia were in Nebraska, Sarah was in Iowa, Eliza and Daniel were in Illinois.