Edward Kent Vining and Nancy O. Blatchley

60. Edward Kent Vining {a,b,c,d,e,f} was born 30 May 1838 in Avon (Franklin) Maine, and died 7 Feb 1914 in Portage (Columbia) Wisconsin. He is a son of Edward Vining [120] and Catherine Haines [121]. Edward married 14 Dec 1858 in Wisconsin,
61. Nancy O. Blatchley {a,e}. Nancy was born 6 Mar 1839 in Broome Co, New York, and died 12 Oct 1893. She is a daughter of Harlow Blatchley [122] and Phoebe Woodruff [123]. The DVB book {a} spells her name Blachley, but Willard’s marriage certificate has it as Blatchley.

Edward’s middle name Kent is possibly a surname, suggesting that we might have a Kent family line in our ancestry, but I have found nothing so far. Edward and Nancy named their daughter Jane Parrisade Vining, suggesting a possible Parrisade family surname, but again I have found nothing.

Edward moved with his family to Wisconsin as a child, between 1846 and 1848. They lived in Milwaukee for a time, then settled in Columbia County in July 1852. Edward was 14 then and probably was working on the family farm. Nancy moved with her family from New York to Wisconsin sometime in 1847, about 8 years old. Her name is sometimes seen spelled as Nancy Blachley. Edward and Nancy were farmers in Columbia County, and were Methodist Episcopalian.

Edward served in the Civil War. He enlisted in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry along with his brother William, and served from November 1861 to September 1865 in Missouri, Kansas and Indian Territories (Oklahoma). He was promoted to Sergeant during the war -- the DVB book claims he was a Lieutenant, but there is no evidence for this in the official records. Their son was a year old when Edward enlisted, and Nancy was four months pregnant with their daughter. She apparently went to live with her parents in Green Lake or Marquette County while Edward was gone.

Edward and Nancy moved to South Dakota sometime after the Civil War. We don’t know when, but they do not appear in the 1880 Wisconsin census, and a biography of Nancy’s brother-in-law Giles Joslen says Nancy and Edward (they call him Edwin) were farming in Raymond, South Dakota in 1890. Nancy’s death is given in one source as Wisconsin, possibly Columbia County, but is seen elsewhere as South Dakota.
It is possible that they moved to Minnesota in the early 1890’s. We know that Edward was living in Elmore (Faribault) Minnesota in 1895, after Nancy had died. His sister Eliza was also living there, and probably most of the family of his brother William. Edward returned to Wisconsin in January 1895 to get married.

Edward married second, 21 Jan 1895 in Kingston (Green Lake) Wisconsin,  Martha (Mattie) J. Stinson, daughter of William Stinson and Maria Slavine. Mattie was born 1853 in Canada. Edward and Mattie had no children. Edward moved back to Wisconsin and was living in Chetek in the northwest part of the state at least by 1898. Sometime after that he moved back to Columbia County, and is listed in the 1905 census living in Pardeeville.

Edward and Nancy had two children:

60.1. Willard Vining [30] (1860 WI - 1928 WI) and Josephine Brownell are direct ancestors, separate page.

60.2. Jane Parrisade Vining {a} was born 26 Mar 1862 in what they called Buffalo Lake -- apparently this is now Buffalo City (Marquette) Wisconsin -- and died 2 Nov 1893. She married 27 Mar 1884 in Wisconsin, E. D. Kerwin. Like her mother, Jane’s place of death is uncertain. Some say Wisconsin, others that she died in Raymond (Clark) Dakota Territory (South Dakota), and was brought back for burial in Rock Hill, Wisconsin. Jane died less than a month after her mother, suggesting a possible contagious disease of some kind.
Jane and E.D. had two children (first cousins to us):

60.2.1. Ethel Kerwin {a} was born 21 Sep 1884, probably in Wisconsin, and died 5 Oct 1909.

60.2.2. Edith Kerwin {a} was born 19 Oct 1887 in Raymond, Dakota Territory (South Dakota) [some have Wisconsin], and died 4 Dec 1978 in Milwaukee (Milwaukee) Wisconsin. She married 6 Dec 1910 at Bozeman (Gallatin) Montana, Harold Ernest Grow, son of Charles Franklin Grow and Lillian Agnes Wicker. Harold was born in 1882 in Neillsville (Clark) Wisconsin, and died 19 Mar 1941 in Hayward (Sawyer) Wisconsin.
Edith and Harold had four children (second cousins to us):

60.2.2.1. Charles Kerwin Grow {a} was born 22 Oct 1911 in Neillsville (Clark) Wisconsin, and died 16 Nov 1911 in Neillsville.

60.2.2.2. Kathleen Malvourneen Grow {a} was born 15 Mar 1913 in Neillsville (Clark) Wisconsin, and died 3 Feb 1945. She married ___ Wildish.

60.2.2.3. Grace Eleanor Grow {a} was born in 29 Oct 1916 in Neillsville (Clark) Wisconsin, and died 16 Oct 1997 in Milwaukee (Milwaukee) Wisconsin. She married first, 15 Apr 1936 in Milwaukee, Arthur Martin Sobczak. Arthur was born 19 Jun 1912 in Milwaukee (Milwaukee) Wisconsin, and died 20 Dec 1959 in Milwaukee. They had two sons and a daughter.
Grace married second, 14 Oct 1964 in Milwaukee, Louis Rutowski. Louis was born 4 Aug 1914, and died 19 Apr 1998 in Milwaukee.

60.2.2.4. Marion Frances Grow {a} was born 6 Nov 1918 in Neillsville (Clark) Wisconsin, and died in Milwaukee (Milwaukee) Wisconsin. She married ___ Buehner.

Sources:

a. “The Vining Family“, Dorothea Vining Barnes; Beacon Herald, 1980
b. Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion
c. Edward K. Vining: Civil War records, National Archives
d. Marriage certificate for Edward and second wife
e. Marriage certificate for son Willard
f. Census, 1905 Wisconsin

Compiled by Bill Stupak. Last update: Aug 2010