Genealogy of Hannah E. (Loney) Carlisle (1886–1930)

Hannah E. Loney Carlisle was born in Michigan on January 10, 1886, and died August 26, 1930 in Garfield Township, Kalkaska County, Michigan. She married William Henry Carlisle (born 1882) in 1917, and together they lived in northern Michigan, raising at least two children (one son Woodrow born 1919 and one daughter Ina born 1921). Hannah is buried in Garfield Cemetery in Kalkaska County, where her husband (d. 1952) was also later interred. Despite these known facts of her adult life, the details of Hannah’s parentage and early childhood remain elusive, with family lore suggesting she endured a very difficult upbringing “like Cinderella.”

‍

Earliest Records and “Cinderella” Childhood

The earliest confirmed record for Hannah is the 1900 U.S. Census, where she appears as a 14-year-old girl working as a servant in a Michigan household. Notably, she is not listed with any family members, indicating that by her mid-teens she was essentially on her own. This aligns with the family’s description of her childhood as one of hardship – similar to a Cinderella story – implying she may have been orphaned, fostered out, or otherwise lacked parental care.

Unfortunately, tracing Hannah in records before 1900 is challenging. The 1890 federal census would have captured her as a small child, but almost the entirety of the 1890 census was lost in a fire and its aftermath [3] (https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1996/spring/1890-census), creating a significant gap in U.S. genealogical records. Michigan conducted a state census in 1894, but many county returns (including likely the areas where Hannah lived) have not survived. Only 27 of Michigan’s 83 counties have extant 1894 census records, and Kalkaska County’s 1894 schedules were apparently destroyed or never preserved [4] (https://accessgenealogy.com/michigan/1894-michigan-state-census.htm). This means we have no listing of Hannah as an 8-year-old in 1894, and thus no snapshot of her with any potential family or guardians at that time.

Given this scarcity of early records, Hannah’s origins are largely inferred from later documents and context. In the 1900 census, Hannah was recorded under the surname Loney, suggesting that “Loney” was the name she used from childhood. It could have been her birth surname or perhaps an adoptive/guardian’s surname – but without a birth certificate or a notation of parents on the census, we cannot be certain. In 1900 she was already out working in another household at a very young age, which often in that era indicates she may have been an orphan or “fostered” child. It was not uncommon around 1900 for orphans or children from poorhouses to be placed as domestic servants or farm laborers in exchange for room and board. Hannah’s remark that her youth was like Cinderella (doing menial work under hardship) strongly suggests she did not grow up in a normal family setting, and might have been raised by non-relatives or in an institution until sent to work.

‍

Birth Records and Parentage Search

Despite thorough searches, no birth or baptismal record for Hannah E. Loney (born 1886) has yet been found in available Michigan archives. Michigan began statewide vital registration in the late 1860s, so in theory her birth could have been recorded, but many births in that era went unregistered or were recorded only at the county level. A manual search of Michigan birth indexes around 1886 yielded no obvious match under the surname Loney, suggesting a few possibilities:

• She may have been recorded under a different name at birth. If Hannah was informally adopted or raised by others, “Loney” might have been an adoptive or step-family surname. It’s possible her biological surname at birth was different, and she assumed the name Loney later in childhood. (For instance, if her mother remarried a Loney or she was taken in by a Loney family, she might appear under a different name in early records.)
• Her birth might simply not have been registered. Especially in the 1880s, rural and impoverished families sometimes did not file official birth returns. If Hannah’s early life was unstable, a formal birth certificate may not exist. We also have not found any baptism record for Hannah in Michigan church registers under the name Loney.
• She could have been an out-of-wedlock child. If her mother’s surname was Loney and the father was absent or unknown, Hannah might have been born as “Hannah Loney” with no father listed. In such cases, later records (like a marriage or death certificate) sometimes at least name the mother – but as we’ll see, Hannah’s later records are sparse on those details as well.

To investigate Hannah’s parentage, two key documents would be her marriage license (1917) and her death certificate (1930), since these often name the parents of the individual. We know that Hannah married William H. Carlisle on August 28, 1917 (from Kalkaska County marriage records). Typically, Michigan marriage registers of that era recorded the names of the bride’s parents. Unfortunately, an online search did not turn up a digitized copy of their marriage certificate, so we don’t yet know what (if anything) Hannah reported about her parents at the time of marriage. It would be worthwhile to request the 1917 marriage record from the appropriate county clerk (likely Kalkaska County or a neighboring county where the marriage took place) for clues – perhaps the names of a father or mother, or an indication if she was a foster child.

Likewise, Hannah’s death certificate (1930) would normally list her mother’s and father’s names, as provided by the informant (often a spouse or close relative). In Hannah’s case, the informant was probably her husband William. If Hannah herself truly did not know her biological parents, the death certificate might list her parents as “unknown” or leave those lines blank. (For example, Michigan death certificates from that period often have fields for father’s name and mother’s maiden name; an informant who didn’t know them might write “unknown”.) To date, we have not seen a copy of her death certificate, but it can be obtained from the Archives of Michigan or the County Clerk (Michigan death records from 1897–1952 are publicly accessible through the state archives). Given that no family information has surfaced in other sources, it’s quite possible her death record does not identify her parents – which would reinforce the idea that Hannah herself may not have known her birth family.

‍

Later Records (Marriage and Children)

What we do know with confidence is that by adulthood Hannah made her own family. On the 1920 U.S. Census, she appears as Hannah Carlisle, wife of William H. Carlisle, presumably living in the Kalkaska/Grand Traverse area of Michigan (William worked as a farmer in that region). Over the next decade, Hannah and William had at least two children: Woodrow Wilson Carlisle, born November 20, 1919, and Ina B. Carlisle, born November 20, 1921. (Ina’s obituary confirms “the daughter of William Henry and Hannah (Loney) Carlisle” [2] (https://www.henryfuneralhome.org/obituaries?page=137), and Woodrow’s Find-a-Grave memorial likewise shows him as a son buried in the same Garfield Cemetery plot [1] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/254689423/hannah-carlisle).) These records cement the fact that Hannah’s maiden name was Loney, and that she carried that surname into her marriage – further indicating that Loney was the name she had used since youth.

No evidence has emerged of any name change or different surname prior to marriage, which might imply that if she was adopted, it was not a formal adoption that changed her name (otherwise we might expect an alias or different surname in some record). It’s also possible she was never legally adopted at all – many orphans in the late 19th century were raised informally or placed as wards without court proceedings, meaning they simply kept whatever name they started with.

Interestingly, Hannah’s reluctance to speak of her childhood was noted in family stories. She “rarely spoke of her childhood and referred to it as if it were one of hardship.” Given what sparse documentation we have, this is very believable. Being a servant girl at 14 and (as later recollections suggest) having a “wicked stepmother” type of experience would qualify as a difficult upbringing. If she was adopted or fostered, one might speculate that perhaps she was taken in by a family who treated her more like hired help than like a daughter – a scenario sadly not uncommon in that era. Another possibility is that Hannah spent part of her childhood in an orphanage or children’s home and was “bound out” to work for a family (which could feel very much like the Cinderella story).

‍

Searching for Adoption or Guardianship Clues

To uncover Hannah’s origins, adoption and guardianship records are potential sources – albeit challenging ones. In Michigan, formal adoptions in the late 19th century were handled by county probate courts. However, official adoption was relatively rare then; more often, if a child lost parents, they might be informally raised by relatives or family friends, or placed out through charities. If Hannah was formally adopted, one would expect a legal record (probate court order) and possibly a notice in the local court register. Those records are typically not online and would require on-site research in the county where the adoption occurred (and if sealed, may require a court order to access).

Since we do not know where Hannah was born or who her original family was, it’s hard to know which county’s records to search. One clue could be the surname Loney itself – was there a Loney family in Michigan that might have taken her in? The surname Loney is not very common. A review of Michigan census records around 1880–1900 shows a few Loney families, but none with an obvious connection to a Hannah born 1886. For instance, a Richard Loney and wife Elizabeth lived in Tuscola County in the 1880s (Elizabeth French Loney, b. 1852), and one might wonder if Hannah could have been a child of Richard Loney (or related to him). Richard and Elizabeth Loney did marry in 1880 in Michigan, so they theoretically could have had a daughter in the mid-1880s. However, no Hannah appears with them in census records we have (Richard Loney’s household in 1900 does not include a teenage daughter – suggesting if they had a child, she wasn’t with them by then) [6] (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Loney-2). It’s possible Hannah was not actually related to any established Loney family and that Loney was her birth mother’s surname. In that case, if her mother died young or circumstances forced Hannah into foster care, the trail will be difficult to follow without more data.

Another angle is to search local newspapers and obituaries from the time of Hannah’s death in 1930. Small-town obituaries sometimes mention a person’s early life or even hint at adoption (“she was taken into the home of Mr. & Mrs. X as a child,” for example). So far, we haven’t found a published obituary in readily available online collections (the Traverse City Record-Eagle or other regional papers of 1930 did not turn up an obituary for Hannah Carlisle in a keyword search). It’s quite possible, however, that the Kalkaska Leader (the local weekly paper in 1930) ran a death notice or obituary. The Kalkaska Genealogical Society maintains an index of obituaries and offers look-up services [5] (https://sites.rootsweb.com/~mikgs/index_vital/kas-vitalrecords.htm), so obtaining Hannah’s obituary through them or the county library would be a smart next step. If an obituary is found, pay close attention to any mention of her family of origin – sometimes phrases like “native of , adopted daughter of ,” or “the former Hannah Loney” can contain hints. Even a statement like “no near relatives survive except her husband and children” could imply she had no known family of origin.

Finally, church records and cemetery records might provide clues. If we knew Hannah’s religion or the community she grew up in, a church baptism or confirmation record might name her parents or guardians. Similarly, if she was indeed orphaned, there might be county poorhouse records or orphanage intake records. In the 1890s, Michigan had a state public school for orphans (the Michigan State Public School in Coldwater) and various church-run orphanages. Without knowing her birthplace or residence as a child, it’s a bit of a needle in a haystack, but if other leads fail, checking the Michigan State Public School registers for a girl named Hannah in the 1890s could be considered.

‍

Summary of Findings (and Remaining Gaps)

In summary, the documented facts about Hannah E. Loney Carlisle are as follows:

• Birth: 10 Jan 1886 in Michigan (exact location and parentage unknown) [1] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/254689423/hannah-carlisle).
• 1900 Census: Listed as “Hannah Loney,” age 14, working as a servant in a Michigan household (implying she was not living with parents) – evidence of a difficult youth.
• Marriage: Married William H. Carlisle in 1917 [2] (https://www.henryfuneralhome.org/obituaries?page=137). Her married name was thereafter Hannah Carlisle.
• Children: Mother of at least two children – Woodrow W. Carlisle (b. 1919) and Ina B. Carlisle (b. 1921).
• Residence: Lived in Garfield Twp, Kalkaska Co., and surrounding area in her adult years (her husband was from neighboring Crawford Co., and the family eventually resided in Kalkaska County).
• Death: 26 Aug 1930 in Garfield Twp, Kalkaska Co., Michigan. Buried in Garfield Township Cemetery, Kalkaska [1] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/254689423/hannah-carlisle).
• Parents: Not identified in any available record so far. Neither her Find-a-Grave memorial nor her daughter’s obituary provide any names of Hannah’s parents [1] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/254689423/hannah-carlisle) [2] (https://www.henryfuneralhome.org/obituaries?page=137). This suggests that even within family knowledge, her parentage was a mystery or simply never discussed.

The picture that emerges is that Hannah likely was an orphan or an adopted child, but the documentation to prove it is scarce. To progress further, obtaining original records (marriage license, death certificate, any probate files) is crucial. Also, local historical inquiries – for example, contacting the Kalkaska County historical society or genealogical society – might uncover unpublished information such as a mention in a county history book or a church membership roll. It’s possible someone else researching the Loney surname in Michigan might have come across Hannah’s name in an unexpected context (e.g. a probate guardianship case or a news item about a “girl Hannah Loney taken into the home of…”).

At this time, we have no definitive proof of Hannah’s biological or adoptive parents. All evidence points to her not being raised by her birth mother or father, and she herself may not have known or divulged those details. Her childhood was spent in servitude or foster care, which tragically was not uncommon in that era for orphaned girls. The “Cinderella” reference she made about her youth is poignantly consistent with the factual record – a girl who, like the fairy-tale figure, grew up performing servile labor under harsh conditions, without the comfort of her real parents.

In conclusion, Hannah E. Loney Carlisle’s origins remain an unsolved puzzle, but the records gathered (census, cemetery, obituary) confirm the key outline of her life. Continuing research should focus on locating any mention of her in 1890s records – whether an orphanage log, a guardianship in a court docket, or a church baptism under a different name – to finally uncover who her parents were and what circumstances led to her “Cinderella” childhood. Until such a discovery, Hannah’s early life story lives only in hints and the resilience she showed in building her own family despite a likely heartbreaking start in life.

Sources

1. Find a Grave – Hannah Loney Carlisle (1886–1930), memorial listing with dates and burial in Garfield Cemetery, Kalkaska Co., MI. Also notes spouse William H. Carlisle (m. 1917): [1] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/254689423/hannah-carlisle)
2. Obituary of Ina B. (Carlisle) VerHest (2012) – Daughter of William & Hannah Carlisle confirms Ina’s birth in 1921 to “William Henry and Hannah (Loney) Carlisle”: [2] (https://www.henryfuneralhome.org/obituaries?page=137)
3. National Archives – 1890 Census Loss: [3] (https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1996/spring/1890-census)
4. Michigan 1894 Census Records – Access Genealogy overview: [4] (https://accessgenealogy.com/michigan/1894-michigan-state-census.htm)
5. Kalkaska Genealogical Society – Local obituary lookup resource: [5] (https://sites.rootsweb.com/~mikgs/index_vital/kas-vitalrecords.htm)
6. Richard Loney (abt. 1834–) – Wikitree profile with possible surname leads: [6] (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Loney-2)