READ FAMILY CONNECTIONS

On 3 December 1851, shortly before his 22^nd birthday, Ira married his second cousin once removed, Elizabeth Howell. She was born 16 August 1831 in Hardwick (now Frelinghuysen) Township, the daughter of Philip S. Howell and Margaret Vought (GSNJ 1966). Her great-grandfather Samson Howell and Ira's maternal grandfather Levi Howell, were brothers. Ira' line of descent through the Howells was as follows: Sampson Howell¹, Levi Howell², Rebecca Howell Read³, Ira K. Read⁴. Elizabeth's line of descent was: Sampson Howell¹, Sampson Howell², Isaac Howell³, Philip Howell⁴, Elizabeth Howell⁵. Elizabeth's younger sister, Bethena Howell, married Ira's first cousin once removed, Henry Luce⁵ (Isaac Read Luse⁴, Elizabeth Read³, Isaac Read, Sr.², Joseph Read¹) (Howell and Phethean 2000). Ira and Elizabeth's December wedding was was performed by the Rev. R. Van Horn of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Wolftown, Knowlton Township, Warren County, New Jersey (GSNJ 1966). The Reads appear to have been life long members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The nineteenth-century biographer Bradsby (1893) states that Ira was a Methodist Episcopalian. He also added that Ira was a Republican.

The couple initially made their home in Warren County. Their first two children, Sarah Margaret and Anna Rebecca were born in the county in 1853 and 1855 respectively. In 1858, Ira decided to settle in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania (Bradsby 1893). Ira, Elizabeth, Sarah and Anna first settled in Franklin Township. Ira's brother Isaac Read, IV lived in the township, as did Ira and Elizabeth's joint cousin, Levi Howell. Levi was Ira's mother's first cousin and was also the first cousin of Elizabeth's grandfather Howell. Levi's first wife had been Sarah Margaret Luse⁴ (Elizabeth Read³, Isaac Read, Sr.², Joseph Read¹). Sarah Margaret was closely connected to both Ira and Elizabeth through blood and kin ties. She was the aunt of Henry Luse, the husband of Elizabeth's sister Bethena Howell and she was Ira's first cousin. Ira and Elizabeth may have lived with Isaac and Mary Read while they searched for a farm of their own.

On 1 April 1859, Ira K. Read of Franklin Twonship, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania purchased an 80 acre farm in Dallas Township. Ira bought the farm from David S. and Phebe S. Holcomb of Dallas Township for a total of $2,600. Ira's brother Isaac was one of the witnesses to the signing of the deed (Luzerne County Land Records, hereinafter LCLR, Deeds Book 95, page 194). The Reads were living on the farm when their youngest daughter, Emma, was born in late 1859. She was the only one of Ira and Elizabeth's children to be born in Pennsylvania. On 12 July 1860 the census taker enumerated Ira and Elizabeth's home. They lived in Dallas Township on their farm. Ira gave the value of his real estate as $3000—$400 more than he had paid for the farm just 14 months earlier—and valued his personal estate at $1,200. The household included Ira and Elizabeth, their daughters Sarah Margaret and Anna Rebecca who were both in school, baby Emma who was six months old and a 13 year old girl named Mary Riley. Mary appears to have been domestic help in the household (1860 United States Federal Census, Dallas township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 118L).

In about 1865, the Reads moved to Kingston Borough, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Ira decided to leave farming due to failing health (Bradsby 1893). The family purchased a home in Kingston on the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Hoyt Street. The lot stretched from that corner to the corner of Hoyt and College Street. The purchase was made on 14 March 1867 from Dr. L.A. Smith and Mary Hoyt Smith of New Milford, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. Ira paid $3,300 for the lot which contained 124 perches of land. The family appears to have been living in Kingston at the time of the purchase as the deed lists Ira as a resident of Kingston Borough (LCLR Deeds Book 115, page 380). A month later, Ira and Elizabeth sold the farm in Dallas Township to Perry W. Warden of Dallas Township. Perry Warden was one of the brothers of Ura P. Warden Reed, the wife of Ira's nephew Levi Reed⁵ (Isaac Read, IV⁴, Richard Read³, Isaac Read, Sr.², Joseph Read¹). The sale was dated 8 April 1867 and was for $4,000. The purchase of the Kingston lot was made almost two and half weeks before the death of Ira's father Richard Read on 31 March 1867 in Frelinghuysen Township, Warren County, New Jersey. At the death of his father, Ira became one of ten heirs to the estate of his father.

Richard Read died intestate, that is without a will. The administration of the estate was granted to his fourth son, Samuel H. Read, who still resided in Frelinghuysen Township. Most of Richard's sons had left Warren County by 1867. Ira and his older brother Isaac, IV both lived in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Richard and Levi Read had migrated to Michigan in about 1837 and were living in Lapeer County. Samuel H. and Jonah H. Read both resided in Frelinghuysen Township. However, within two years, Jonah would leave Warren County and begin a series of moves that took him from Warren County to Luzerne County to Vinton County, Ohio, to Hamilton County, Kansas, to Otero, Colordao and then ultimately to Adams County, Colorado. Ira's surviving sisters all lived in Warren County. Lavina and Rebecca were both married, Lavina to William C. Hibler and Rebecca to John West. Sisters Sarah and Azubah were both single. The estate consisted of Richard's land holdings and of his personal property. The estate made two disbursements to the heirs. The first disbursement to Ira was made 20 May 1869 for the sum of $211.02 (Warren County Surrrogate Court Records, hereinafter WCSCR, Receipts and Discharges Book 6, page 248). The second distribution was made to Ira's brothers and sisters in the spring of 1871. However, Ira appears to have received his share of the estate ahead of the others heirs. He appeared before the probate judge in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania on 24 June 1869 and stated that he had recieved $761.99 in full of the distributive shares of his father's estate and that he released the estate from all claims (WCSCR, Receipts and Discharges Book 4, page 376).

In 1886, Elizabeth petitioned the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas for Reparate Earnings. In the petition she stated that she was the wife of Ira K. Read and that her intent was to claim the benefits offered to married women under an Act of the Pennsylvania Assembly passed on 3 April 1872 "...allowing the Reparate Earnings of a married woman from what ever source aquired to become her own in direction[?] property seized only to her own control..." The petition was filed on 1 May 1886. The Court of Common Pleas ruled in her favor, stating that her earnings were not subject to any legal claim of her husband or his creditors (LCLR Deeds Book 258, page 26).

What motivated Elizabeth to claim control of her own earning? Several options come to mind. First, Ira may have been deeply in debt and his creditors were threatening to foreclose. By law, Elizabeth's assets would have been considered part of any assets held by Ira. However, by the court's ruling, Elizabeth's earning and property were no longer subject to the legal claims of either her husband or his creditors. In this way Ira and Elizabeth could protect at least some of the family's assests. Another explanation is that there was tension in the marriage over money and who controlled the flow of cash into and out of the household. It is possible that Elizabeth took in borders. In 1880, John Slusser lived with the family, but he was not a related to the family in way that I currently known of. Income arising from boarders would have been earned by Elizabeth. It is possible that up until 1886, Ira as Elizabeth's husband claimed these wages.

A few years after Ira's death Elizabeth took out a $1,500 mortgage on her home in Miner's Mill. The mortgage was dated 27 March 1893 and was held by Lewis J. Lewis (LCLR Mortgages, Book 317, page 99). Sometime between 1887 and 1901, Elizabeth and her son-in-law, James I. Ribbel got into an altercation (reason currently unknown) that ended up in court. The court awarded Ribbel a judgement of $800 (LCLR Deeds, Book 395, page 170). In 1900, Elizabeth was living alone in her home in Miner's Mill Borough. Her widowed daughter, Sarah Read Bachman, and grandson, Arthur Bachman, lived next to her. Both women owned their homes and each was carrying a mortgage on her home. Elizabeth had no occupation. Sarah was employed as a dressmaker and Arthur as a clerk (1900 United States Federal Census, Miner's Mill Borough, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, enumeration district 88, sheet 4B, 2 June 1900).

Elizabeth had been in poor health for several years. On 16 September 1901, she decided to sign her home over to Sarah. She sold the house to Sarah with the provision that she (Elizabeth) was to have a life interest in the property and the right to occupy the house for life. The sale was for one dollar. In the deed Elizabeth stated that "This deed is made out of love and affection as well as the consideration above named [the one dollar sale price], the grantee (who is the daughter of the grantor herein) having kept and maintained the grantor herein for several years past, and the appreciation of the grantor for said kindess is the moving consideration for this conveyance." Sarah was to assume the mortgage on the property and the house was still subject to the $800 judgement in favor of James I. Ribbel. The witnesses to the deed were Oscar H. Dilley, Justice of the Peace and John W. Howell (LCLR Deeds Book 395, page 170). John W. Howell was John Wesley Howell, Elizabeth's younger brother. He was born 29 February 1840 and died 18 April 1917 (GSNJ 1966; Howell and Phethean 2000:111).

Elizabeth lived for another 10 and a half years after the sale of the house in Miner's Mill. She died on 10 May 1912 (GSNJ 1966) and was buried in Forty Fort Cemetery, on the south side of the old meeting house in Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Several members of her family were also buried in the same plot including her husband Ira K. Read, daughters Sarah Read Bachman and Emma Allen, grandsons Arthur R. Bachman and Ira W. Allen, and great-grandson Harold Bachman. Ira and Elizabeth's stone was field checked on 6 January 2000. it is an an obelisk and is inscribed on one side as follows:

IRA K. READ
DIED
JUNE 14, 1890
AGED 61 YEARS
HIS WIFE
ELIZABETH H. READ
BORN 1831 DIED 1912