Michael Stufflebeam, son of John E. Stufflebeam and Eleanor Roland, was born on 27 October 1827, probably in Lawrence county, Illinois and died on 5 March 1907, probably in Vermilion County, Illinois.

While the majority of my family sketches are mostly biographical details, Michael’s family stands out because of its appearance in the social media of its day – the local daily newspaper.

Michael Stufflebeam married twice. The first marriage was to Marilla Butler on 1 August 1850 in Warren County, Indiana, where the couple lived at least until the end of the Civil War.

Michael was described as a wealthy man by the end of the 1800s. In 1850, he was a farmer with real estate value of $400. By 1860, the land value had doubled to $800. In 1870, in spite of people who lost so much during the Civil War, Michael’s real and personal estate values were recorded in the census as $3600/$2093.

By 1898, when Michael wrote his will, he was leaving multiple portions of $2500 of his estate to his wife and grown children.

He died on 5 March 1907, Vermilion county, Illinois after a life of ups and downs.

While materially wealthy, Michael and Marilla endured a lot of heartache, as seen by their children.

Children: (Stufflebeam)

1. John Andrew, born 17 January 1852, Warren County, Illinois; died 13 February 1891, Vermilion County, Illinois; married Sarah E. Gregory, 16 January 1879, Vermilion County, Illinois. They were the parents of two children who both died young. No descendants.
2. Mary E., born 1 December 1852, Warren County, Indiana; died September 1869, Vermilion County, Illinois. No descendants.
3. Martha Jane, born 14 April 1856, Warren County, Indiana; died 4 February 1917, Iroquois County, Illinois; married John Marlatt, 4 October 1894, Iroquois County, Illinois. They were divorced by 1910. Martha had one son, Jesse Stufflebeam, who died in 1918, unmarried. No descendants.
4. Daughter, born 18 April 1858; died 28 April 1858, both Warren County, Indiana. No descendants.
5. Isabel May, born 18 October 1859; died 24 March 1863, both Warren County, Indiana. No descendants.
6. Henrietta, born 28 July 1863; died 13 September 1865, both Warren County, Indiana. No descendants.
7. Daughter, born 13 September 1865; died 18 September 1865, both Warren County, Indiana. No descendants.
8. Josephine, born 2 December 1866, probably Vermilion County, Illinois; died 14 January 1927, Hancock County, Iowa; married John Brown Zeigler, 21 February 1888, Vermilion county, Illinois. They were the parents of two children.
9. Minnie Mae, born 14 October 1871, probably Vermilion county, Illinois; died 28 August 1930, Vermiliion County, Illinois; married Charles W. Meitzler, 8 February 1893, Vermilion County, Illinois. They were the parents of three children, of whom two daughters married and had children.

Therefore, of the nine children of Michael and Marilla, five died in childhood. Their one son predeceased Michael and had no surviving children. Daughter Martha had one son, Jesse, out of wedlock, and he died in 1918 with no descendants.

Only their two youngest children, Josie and Minnie, grew to adulthood, married and had families.

Marilla died on 17 September 1885, probably in Vermilion County, but she was buried back at home in Warren County, Indiana.

However, Michael’s life apparently didn’t quiet down. He married (2) Lenora A. Jones, 19 March 1894, Vermilion County, Illinois. She was quite a bit younger than Michael – born July 1855 in North Carolina. In fact, she was young enough to have been his daughter and it seems Michael’s two surviving daughters didn’t get along with their new stepmother.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that the family appeared in toe social media of the day – the local newspaper.

The Pantagraph newspaper in Vermilion County, Illinois published a short item on 14 August 1896:

A Nasty Case at Danville

Lena Stufflebeam, the second wife of Michael Stufflebeam, in her bill for divorce makes serous charges against her husband and his three (sic – two living, but could the third be his daughter in law Fannie (Gregory) Stufflebeam?) daughters by a former marriage. She alleges that they killed her mother when on a visit to the Stufflebeam mansion. She also claims that her husband and his daughters repeatedly struck her with their fists and chairs, that they threatened to disembowel her and called her many bad names. She was married in 1894. her husband is a wealthy and well-known farmer living in Blount township. Lawyers have been engaged by the husband and daughters to make a stubborn fight.

Now, that article is truly scary if any of the allegations come close to the truth, whether looking at it from an 1896 or 2025 perspective.

However, even more shocking is the 18 August 1896 article in The Pantagraph, which followed. Remember, this is just FOUR days after the original story was published.

Divorce Suit Is Off

Danville lawyers are blue over the reconciliation of Michael Stufflebeam, a very wealthy farmer, aged 70, and his second wife, Lenora Stufflebeam. August 12 the lady filed a bill for divorce in the circuit court on the ground of cruelty, alleging that her husband and his three grown daughters, by a former marriage, daily amused themselves by whipping her with their fists, chairs and anything else that was handy. She also charged that her husband, or his aforesaid daughters, caused the death of her mother by poison.

Lawyers had been retained on both sides and a hot fight with plenty of ammunition supplied by the wealthy Michael was anticipated by the legal fraternity. To their great surprise Michael and his wife spent Saturday and Sunday in Danville as loving as two turtle doves, sight-seeing and shopping. They gave no explanation of their strange conduct to the expectant lawyers. Neither did Mrs. Stufflebeam seem at all anxious to press the criminal investigation she had been urging on account of the death of her mother. She was married in 1894 to Michael and left him in July of this year.

Were any of these allegations true? there is no answer to that question. What is a fact, though, is that Lenora Stufflebeam gave birth to a daughter, Marilla Mae, born 4 July 1897, Vermilion County, Illinois.

Given the earlier allegations in 1896, it is surprising that the baby was named for Michael’s first wife, Marilla (Butler) Stufflebeam. How that decision came to be is also a mystery.

Also interesting is that on 28 October 1898, Michael Stufflebeam wrote his will, which was proved years later on 20 April 1907.

Michael made the following bequests:

1. My said executor shall pay to my wife Lenora A. Stufflebeam, at the rate of eight and one third dollars (per month) during that period of time that shall intervene between my death and the date of the payment to her, of the sum of money hereinafter bequeathed to her. . .
2. my executor shall . . . first pay to my dear wife . . . the sum of two thousand five hundred ($2500.00) dollars . . . in lieu of award and dower.
3. residue of my estate be divided in three equal parts. One of which parts I hereby give and bequeath to my daughter Josephine Zeigler. . .
4. The remaining two parts I hereby bequeath to Morgan Stufflebeam in trust however for the following purposes to wit: to my daughter Martha Marlatt which he (Morgan) shall continue to do during the life of her husband John Marlatt. If my said daughter Martha shall survive her husband John Marlatt, then at his death I direct that the said Morgan Stufflebeam – or his successor in trust. . . shall pay over to her one of the parts of said residue. But if her said husband John Marlatt should survive her, then in that event, I direct that at the death of my said daughter Martha. . . shall pay over to her son Jesse Stufflebeam should he be living one of said parts. But if he be dead, then I direct that said one part be divided between the children of my two daughters Josephine and Minnie, in equal parts
5. Interest that accrues on the one remaining part . . . paid annually to my daughter, Minnie Meitzler. . . on her death to her children and their descendants in equal parts
6. To my daughter Marilla I bequeath nothing for the reason that I trust and believe that its [not “her”] mother my dear wife Lenora A. will tenderly care and provide for her out of the means herein bequeathed. . .

Overall, this will is quite interesting given the 1896 news articles and the fact that Martha had a child born out of wedlock in 1888. Added to Martha’s life story, she and John were divorced by the time of the 1910 census.

It’s also interesting that Michael didn’t even leave a small token bequest of some kind to daughter Marilla, who was only two when the will was written.

Marilla Mae Stufflebeam eloped and married Wilbur Ends on 15 July 1915 by sneaking off from her mother and heading into Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana. A news article reports that her mother was shocked, but welcomed Wilbur into the family.

Wilbur and Marilla were the parents of five children. She died on 10 April 1862 in Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana.

Her mother, Lenora, died on 19 October 1918 in Brazil, Clay, Indiana of dropsy and was buried there in Cottage Hill Cemetery.

Michael Stufflebeam certainly had an interesting family life!