This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: moonpie71 Surnames: Moon, Biddle, Bidell, Bedale Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.michigan.counties.wayne/18988/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hello, I'm seeking information on my second-great grandparents, Richard R. Moon and Anna (or Ann) Biddell/Biddle/Bedale. I apologize for the LONG post, but I want to provide everything I can, to see if I can make a connection. Census Information [calculated birth years are bracketed]: 1850: Grass Lake, Jackson Co, Michigan; Surname MOON Edward, age 60 [1790] Sally (Sarah), age 52 [1798] Harriett, age 20 [1830] Jane, age 18 [1832] Richard, age 16 [1834] (All were shown as born in Canada. Additional records show Richard was born in Simcoe, Ontario, and Sarah Taylor Moon was born in Nova Scotia.) 1860: Grass Lake, Jackson Co, Michigan; Surname MOON Sarah, age 61 [1799] Richard, age 26 [1834] 1870: Sumpter Twp, Wayne Co, MI; Surname MOON Richard R, age 35 [1835] Ann, age 22 [1848] Sarah I, age 4 [1866] John, age 2 [1868] George C, age 11/12 [1869] (There is a 13-year gap in age between Richard and Ann.) 1880: Sumpter Twp, Wayne Co, MI; Surname MOON Richard, age 48 [1832] Ann, age 35 [1845] (Sarah) Isabelle, age 15 [1865] John, age 13 [1867] Sidney, age 5 [1875, but his WWI draft card indicates 1873] (There is still a 13-year gap in age between Richard and Ann, but the [calculated year of birth] is skewed.) I believe George died, as he is missing from the census and I haven't been able to find any later records for him, but I'm not positive. In June of 1882, they had another daughter, Charlotte. 5 Mar 1890: Richard Moon [age 57] married Ester A Spence [age 42]. Spence could be the name of a previous spouse. I found a marriage record dated 4 Jan 1864, for Richard Moon to a woman named Isabel Case. While Isabel could be Ann's name (she did name her daughter Sarah Isabelle), the surname isn't even close! They were married at Ypsilanti, as shown: "...Richard R Moon of Grass Lake, aged 26 [1838] years and Isabel Case of Superior, age 17 [1847]..." This is a link to the record, on the bottom-right section of the image: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-16786-66898-71?cc=1810350&wc=13821709. (The age difference is only 9 years, instead of 13, and Richard would have been 30, not 26.) Another challenge: the surname Moon is often misspelled and/or indexed as Moore. I found the following book excerpt online, and the way the details line up, I'm pretty convinced they belong to me. From: History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan by Silas Farmer (1890): "Richard R. MOORE was born near Toronto Canada, in 1832. [Richard R. Moon was born about 90 miles from Toronto.] When four years old he came with his parents to Michigan, and settled in Wayne Co. Edward MOORE, his father, died in 1848 [Edward MOON died 5 Mar 1852, in Grass Lake, Jackson County.] His mother died in 1863. [Sarah TAYLOR Moon died 17 Jul 1863 in Grass Lake, Jackson County.] He married Anna Bidell, of Sumpter, Jan. 1, 1864 [this is only 3 days off the marriage date of Richard MOON to Isabel Case]. They have two children, Isabelle and John [Matches MOON]. He located in Sumpter, in 1866, on his farm of 55 acres, and has lived there since." [The 1886 Wayne County Directory shows Richard MOON living in the Martinsville Post Office area on a 50-acre farm.] Since Richard's second marriage was in March of 1890, I'm assuming that Ann died sometime between June 1882 (when her youngest child was born) and March 1890. The 1880 census indicates that both of Ann's parents were born in New York. I have not found any death records for Richard Moon, Isabel Case/Moon or Ann Biddle/Bidell/Bedale. I have ruled out the following families: Cornelius T Biddle family of Washtenaw and Wayne Counties, MI Horace Bidwell family of Washtenaw County George W Bedell family of Wayne County I am cross-posting this message on the Moon and Biddle surname message boards, and the DSGR board. Thanks for reading! Nancy Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.