The Descendants of Reuben Newton (1774 - 1833) and Eunice Manley Newton (1782 - 1836)

ELSA (or ELSIE TISDALE) NEWTON

Born 1809 or 1814. Died probably 1841~1849 or 1860~1870

Other variations of her first name might be “L.C.”, Lois, Louisa, or Eloise

Elsa Newton, or Elsey Tisdale, was the daughter of Reuben and Eunice (Manley) Newton. Little is known about this person and only two documents of any credibility mention her name. The first record called her Elsa Newton and the second referred to her as Elsey Tisdale Newton.

The Small Newton Family Bible recorded the eight children of Reuben and Eunice. Elsa Newton, with a birth date of March 24, 1809, is listed between her siblings Lyman and Jesse. There is no reason to doubt the validity of Elsa’s existence since all her siblings on this list have been extensively researched, but the entire Bible entry was obviously created at one time and at a date later than her birth since all the names were recorded in the same writing style and written with the same quill pen characteristics (click here to see this document). The list had to have been created after the August 1821 birth of the youngest Newton child, Sally.

The other record that mentions this person appears in the extensive genealogical compilation, Newton Genealogy, by Ermina Newton Leonard (click here to see this document). Ms. Leonard’s list is unreferenced, but a person named Elsey Tisdale, with a birth date of March 24, 1814, is listed along with six other Newton siblings (Sally is missing in this list). As with the information found in the Small Newton Bible, there is no reason to doubt that this person existed since the other children on this list have been successfully researched. Ms. Leonard did not address the issue of why she was listed as Elsey Tisdale.

Three basic assumptions about Elsa Newton

The two documents just mentioned shed very little light on the life of Elsa Newton. In an effort to explore some possibilities, three basic assumptions be made.

First, it is assumed Elsa Newton and Elsey Tisdale are the same person. Further, the 1809 birth year provided by the Newton Bible is probably more correct than the 1814 birth year. Census information on Elsa’s sibling’s show that she had to have been born in New York, regardless which birth year is correct.

Next, it is assumed that Elsa, or Elsey, is not her true given name since these are not common given names used during this time period. Elsa may have been derived from Elizabeth, however an older sister was named Betsey, which is a common nickname for Elizabeth. Perhaps Elsey was taken from the phonetic pronunciation of the two initials “L.C.”, or maybe her name was shortened from Louisa or Eloisa.

The final assumption is that she married a person whose surname was Tisdale. This is the key assumption that allows the following premise to be developed. Unfortunately, marriages were not recorded in any official record during the early 1800’s in Cattaraugus County.

Speculation on the life of Elsa Newton Tisdale

Please note that at the time of this writing I have no proof that ties Elsa Newton to Otis Tisdale, Simeon Tisdale, Rufus Tisdale, or any other Tisdale.

Martha Benson Newton, the wife Myron L. Newton (1836–1907), kept a family photo album that was handed down through the family. One of these photographs is labeled “distant cousin” on the front and “Harman J. Tisdale–Hannibal, Missouri” on the back. Discovering who Harmon Tisdale was and how he was related to the Newton family is perhaps the best lead in developing more information about Elsa.

The lives of Elsa’s siblings have been documented to varying levels of success and the Tisdale surname has not been uncovered in any of their descendants. That leaves Elsa as the most probable child of Reuben and Eunice to be related to a Tisdale.

The most obvious clue to a Newton-Tisdale relationship can be found in the 1830 U.S. New York Census for Cattaraugus County, Town of Cecilius (later named Mansfield). In this census the Reuben Newton family was enumerated next to the Otis Tisdale family and further examination of the census data presents a possibility that Elsa was the wife of Otis.

Two siblings of Otis’, Rufus and Simeon, resided in the nearby Town of Little Valley in Cattaraugus County, and although neither can be totally ruled out as being a potential spouse of Elsa, various documents suggest that it was not the case. A number of online family trees, unfortunately not referenced, give Rufus’s wife’s name as Nancy McCreary and the only female in the Simeon Tisdale family per the 1830 U.S. Census was between the age of 40 and 50.

An unreferenced online FamilySearch document notes that Otis Tisdale, Jr. married a woman named Lois around 1830 in Cecilius Townshp, Cattaraugus County, New York. This person was born in 1809, suggesting that Elsa and Lois where the same person, however the 1850 U.S. Census, which will be addressed later, suggests that Lois might have actually been the second wife of Otis. If Elsa and Lois were the same person it presents the first clue, albeit undocumented, about a Newton-Tisdale connection. Also, one wonders if the given names of Elsa, Elsey and Lois are nicknames for a common given name such as Eloisa or Louisa.

If Elsa did marry around 1830 it must have taken place in Cattaraugus County since Lyman Newton, Elsa’s brother, stated in a published biography that he arrived in Cattaraugus County in March 1824. Elsa would have been no more than 15 in that year. Conditions around the Newton and Tisdale farms were very primitive and a marriage would normally take place at the home of the bride or groom. Unfortunately, no record of these local marriages was preserved.

Other than the name of the head-of-household, the 1830 U.S. Census provided only columns representing various age groups to record family members. Reuben Newton’s enumeration accounted for Reuben, his wife Eunice, and five children, but did not record a female that would have matched Elsa’s age. Assuming the 1809 birth year for her was correct then the census should have counted at least one female in the “Of twenty and under thirty” column, but it was left blank. If 1814 is considered as the Elsa’s birth year then she would have appeared in the “Of fifteen and under twenty” column in the census, but there is only one female noted in this column and that would have been Eunice who was born in 1812 and did not marry until 1831.

The Otis Tisdale family, per the 1830 Census, numbered three persons. Otis, the head-of-household and who is believed to have been born in 1799, is shown in the “Of thirty and under forty” column. One female is counted in the “Of twenty and under thirty” column and this would match Elsa’s age of 21 on the enumeration date of June 1. Also counted was one male child under the age of five.

Otis Tisdale, Jr., per FamilySearch records, was the child of Otis and Rachel Hall Tisdale. Most information found on the Internet indicates that Otis was born in Halifax, Windham County, Vermont on March 29, 1899.

One unreferenced FamilySearch record provided a list of children born to Otis and Lois. None of the children were born in 1830 or sooner so it is possible that the male child enumerated in the 1830 Census either died at a young age, or is possibly the Newton Tisdale addressed later in this document. The youngest child documented by FamilySearch was Mary J. Tisdale who was born in the Town of Cecilius, Cattaraugus County, New York in 1831. The next child attributed to Otis and Lois is Gilbert J. Tisdale who reportedly was born on May 18, 1834, in Lorain County, Ohio. This gives some credibility to a Newton-Tisdale union since Elsa’s brother Lyman and his wife, Sarah, had their first child in Ridgeville, Lorain County, Ohio in September 1834. Eunice Newton King, a sister to Elsa, also gave birth to children in Lorain County in 1833 and 1834. One other Tisdale child, Edgar, was born in Lorain County in 1838.

Otis Tisdale and his family were next found in the 1840 U.S. Illinois Census for Manchester Township, Boone County. This census, like the 1830 U.S. Census, only recorded the name of the head-of-household and questions were to be answered as if the date was June 1. Otis was correctly placed in the “40 and under 50” column and there was an unknown female in the “50 and under 60” column. The census noted another female between the age of 20 and 30. If Elsa was born in March 1809 then she should have appeared in the “30 and under 40” column, but this column was left blank. The census would be correct if Elsa was born in 1814 or anytime after June 1, 1810, however it is not unusual in census enumerations where individuals use dates that make them younger. Also counted in the Tisdale family were one female child under age five, two female children between five and nine, two male children between 10 and 14, and one male person between age 20 and 29. The number of children, ages, and sex does not match up with the FamilySearch data mentioned earlier, but perhaps some of the children belonged to Otis’ brother, Rufus, who was enumerated nearby with his family.

The 1850 U.S. Census found the Otis Tisdale family in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin which is just across the State line from where they were found in 1840. If the enumeration is correct then it suggests that Elsa died before this census was taken since the column “Married within the year” is checked for both Otis and his wife, who is named Lois. Lois was enumerated as being born in New York and age 42. The column used to designate this marital situation is rarely used which suggests this is a true status of their marital status, but the age of similarity between Lois’ and Elsa’s age and birth State makes one think it may be Elsa and Lois are the same person.

Two children resided with Otis and Lois in 1850, 11 year-old Asentha and nine year-old Sally. The census indicated that both children were born in Wisconsin, but FamilySearch noted that they were both born in Illinois. This discrepancy can be understood since, as mentioned earlier, Rock County, Wisconsin and Boone County, Illinois share a common border.  Sally was reportedly born in 1841 so it would appear that Elsa, assuming she is not the Lois in the 1850 Census, died between 1841 and 1849. She may have died in the Town of Manchester, Boone County, Illinois where Sally was born or in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin where Otis lived in 1850.

At this time a confusing census record should be mentioned that might affect future discussions of Otis’s children. The 1850 U.S. Ohio Census enumerated an Olivia E. Tisdale in Ridgeville Township, Lorain County. Olivia was age 39 and no adult males appeared in her household. Three children lived with her; Gilbert, Edgar and Rachall (sic). It’s possible that Gilbert and Edgar were not her children since children with those same names and birth years are attributed to Otis per FamilySearch records. Olivia, although there is an outside possibility that she is our Elsa, was probably the wife, or widow, of Simeon Tisdale. It is possible that the death of one or more Tisdale adults around this time meant placing some children with their aunts or uncles, thus masking the true family relationship in census records and FamilySearch Records.

If Elsa Newton was the first wife of Otis Tisdale, the mother of his children, and died between 1841 and 1849, then perhaps some supporting documents might be found. The most logical place to look is in the Town of Manchester, Boone County, Illinois or Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin. So far no death record or cemetery record has been found online that addresses her passing. On January 23, 2009, a request was made to the Boone County Historical Museum for them to search their local records for any Tisdale that might match Elsa.

The 1860 U.S. Census found Otis again in the Town of Manchester, Boone County, Illinois, where his surname was recorded as Tisdell. Living with him was his wife, Lois, age 52, and children lived with them.

 “Olis” Tisdale was found in the 1870 U. S. Census living in the household of H. J. Tisdale of Hannibal, Marion County, Missouri. H. J. Tisdale is probably the person in the photograph found in the Newton Family album. The census does not indicate Otis’s relationship to H. J., who was born in Ohio around 1835, but he may have been his father, or perhaps an uncle since there is no documentation of Otis having a son with the initials H. J. or the given name of Harmon. Otis’ birth location was correctly given as Vermont, but his age was 64 when it should have been 70. It is assumed that by 1870 his wife, Lois (or possibly Elsa) had died. The most place of death for Lois would have been Boone County, Illinois or Rock County, Wisconsin or somewhere in Missouri.

A search on ancestry.comä noted that Otis Tisdale died in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri on September 29, 1875. It is unknown why Otis lived in St. Joseph but perhaps he resided with a daughter. On January 28, 2009, a request was made on the Buchanan County RootsWeb page for an obituary of Otis Tisdale.

FamilySearch recorded a total of six children belonging to Otis and Lois Tisdale, although there may have been more. The children were:

Mary J. Tisdale         b. 1831                             Cecilius Twp, Cattaraugus County, New York

Gilbert J. Tisdale       b. 18 May 1834                Lorain County, Ohio

Edgar Tisdale            b. 1838                             Lorain County, Ohio

Aseneth Tisdale         b. 11 May 1839                Manchester Twp, Boone County, Illinois                d. 10 Sep 1879

Sarah Tisdale*          b. abt 1840                        Manchester Twp, Boone County, Illinois

Sally Tisdale*            b. 1841                             Manchester Twp, Boone County, Illinois   

        * It is suspected that Sarah and Sally may be the same person

It is interesting that a person named Newton Tisdale resided in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin according to the 1870 U.S. Census, where he was age 35. It would seem that this Tisdale was in some way related to the Reuben Newton line. Newton was also found in the 1880 U.S. Wisconsin Census where he was single, a carpenter, and age 50. His father was born in Vermont and his mother in New York.

As mentioned earlier, a Newton-Tisdale connection is only speculation. Solid documentation of marriages, births, deaths, obituaries, family records, or other sources will be needed to discover more about the life and death of Elsa Newton. 

Myron L. Newton, Jr.

January 2009