This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Anthony Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/Fl.2ADE/713.1 Message Board Post: Hi, Bonnie! What nationality was William Benton Anthony? My great grandfather was, Dominick Arneto Anthony. He was born in Spain in 1850, came to America in 1860, was in the employ of a ship's captain until he came of age, around 1871, then was a farm laborer for awhile. He met Col. Bill Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill and worked with him in his Wild West Show. I believe it was while touring with the show that he met his first wife, Martha Redshaw, born in 1845 in Indiana. As a fourteen year old she is listed in the 1860 US Census in Benton, Keokuk County, Iowa in the Robert Cummans houshold. I do believe she was a maid or nanny as they had several children. She is also listed in the 1870 Census for Oskaloosa Ward 4, Mahaska County, Iowa in the household of Aaun Bawhart as their domestic servant. I believe Dominick Anthony must have met her while on tour and married her sometime around 1884, when he and his wife Martha came to Fossil, Wasco County, Oregon. It i! s now classified as Wheeler, but since it was Wasco at that time, all of the records would be with them. Martha died on Dec.2, 1889 from complications of being pregnant and being rammed by a horse. Dominick then traveled back to Iowa to tell her family the tragic news. I believe Martha's brother was Joseph C. Redshaw, born abt 1834 in Indiana and her sister-in-law was Emily Jane Manary, born 1841 in Indiana. Joseph and Emily Jane married in Mahaska Co., Iowa on January 22, 1860. They are listed in the They had two children, Elisabeth Belldora Redshaw, born on May 7, 1864 in Iowa and James Franklin Redshaw, born on Oct. 4, 1867 in Pixley, Clay Co., Illinois. They are listed in the 1870 and 1880 Census as living in Pixley, Clay County, Illinois, but traveled back to Iowa in the 1880's and their daughter, Elisabeth Belldora Redshaw marries a man by the name of Simon P. Ward in Mahaska Co., Iowa on March 29, 1883. Unfortunately, he died and when Dominick Arneto Anthony c! omes back to Iowa to tell the family the tragic news about his wife Ma rtha, he meets Martha's neice, Elisabeth Belldora. They console one another and fall in love. They marry, it would have to be after Dec. 2, 1889 which was when Martha died, and move back to Fossil, Wasco Co., Oregon. They have their first child, Eble January Anthony, on January 2, 1892 in Fossil, Oregon. I mention all of this because it seems like a huge coincidence that Martha was working in Benton, Keokuk,Iowa and then in Oskaloosa County, Iowa, and then married a man with the Anthony surname. I know Dominick had brothers and at least one sister, but I don't know their first names. I wonder if William could have been one of his brothers? When did you say William was born? If it was much later than 1850 when Dominick was born, maybe William was a son of one of Dominick's brothers. It just seems like they must have been related somehow. In looking at the DesMoines Iowa Directory of 1889-1891, they list the following Anthony's in the book: Miss M. Anthony, of Ainsworth, Iowa James Anthony, of Boone, Iowa He was a barber by trade. James D. Anthony, of Marble Rock, Iowa. Was a carpenter. J. J. Anthony, of Dow City, Iowa N. B. Anthony, of Stanwood, Iowa T. J. Anthony, of Sibley, Iowa Thomas Anthony, of Ogden, Iowa W.R. Anthony, Comanche, Iowa They also mention that Biven's Grove, Marshall county has a name change to St. Anthony. Maybe you can use the names above in searches, esp. census searches to see who was in their households and who their parents are. It may help. Linda Lyon