Fannie A. Ireland

Update:  Mystery solved.

As I have been transcribing and posting the letters in my possession that belonged to Mary Elva ("Minnie") Stilwell, I have come across several that were written by Fannie A. Ireland.

The first one, written July 15, 1882, is HERE.
Letter written December 17, 1882 is HERE.
Letter written April 21, 1883 is HERE.  

In these letters, Fannie refers to Mary Elva as her cousin.  She refers to Mary Elva's parents, Lonson and Mary K. (White) Stilwell, as her uncle and aunt.  She also refers to "your Uncle Hiram" who is likely to be Lonson's brother, Hiram Stilwell.  Since he is "your" uncle (Mary Elva's), that implies he is not Fannie's uncle.  That makes me think the relationship is on Mary Elva's mother's side, the Whites.

From information Fannie gives in her letters, I am confident that I have found her.  However, I have been unable to figure out just HOW she and Minnie Stilwell are actually related.  I realize that "cousin" does not literally mean they are cousins, however, she consistently refers to all Minnie's family in ways that indicate a relationship.  Found it: Update:  Mystery solved.

Fannie A. Ireland was born about 1857 in Camanche, Iowa.  Her parents were Alex B. Ireland and Mary E. Cady.  Fannie's siblings were Jennie Ireland (1855-1898) who married Lee R. Heilman; Marie Antoinette ("Nettie") Ireland (1860-1923) who married Dr. George Alfred Smith; and Louie Ireland (1865-1880).

Fannie's father, Alex B. Ireland, was born 12 March 1819 and died 29 August 1879.  He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Camanche, Clinton Co., Iowa.  He was a physician who came to Camanche in 1852.  And he was elected to the state senate in 1869.  He was apparently born in Tennessee and studied medicine in Illinois.

Fannie's mother, Mary E. Cady, was born 6 July 1831 in New York and died 9 May 1872.  She is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, as are her children, Marie Antoinette and Louie. 

I found a marriage for A. B. Ireland and Mary E. Cady in Clinton Co., Iowa on July 8, 1854. 

I found the family on the 1860 and 1870 censuses in Camanche, Iowa.  By 1880, both of Fannie's parents have died and I find Fannie, Nettie, and Louie living with their older sister Jennie and her husband, Lee, in Calamus, Clinton Co., Iowa. 

In the letter dated July 15, 1882 written from Camanche, Iowa, Fannie mentions the following people:
     Blanche = Blanche (Stilwell) Munn, sister of Mary Elva ("Minnie");
     Warren = Warren Stilwell, brother of Mary Elva;
     Uncle Lonson = Mary Elva's father;
     "My good grandmother" = unknown;
     "Auntie" and "Uncle" = relatives of Fannie's that live in Clinton, Iowa, & who Minnie must know without giving further information;
     Aunt Mary = Mary Elva's mother;
     J.R. = John R. Jones, Mary Elva's future husband;
     Mr. Kellogg = apparently a former beau of Mary Elva's; possibly Judson Kellogg who married Mary Elva's sister, Edith, or one of his brothers;
     Mr.Hostellar = friend of Fannie's who asked her to marry him & she turned down;
     Roy = Roy Heilman, son of Fannie's sister, Jennie, and her husband Lee Heilman;
     "the girls" = probably Fannie's sisters, Jennie and Marie Antoinette ("Nettie");
     "Uncle Hiram and his family" = Mary Elva's uncle, Hiram Stilwell, brother of Lonson Stilwell;
     Charley & Nettie & Belle = Charles Osborn, his wife, Annette (Stilwell) Osborn (Mary Elva's sister), and Belle Osborn, daughter of Charles & Annette and Mary Elva's niece.

In the letter dated December 17, 1882 written from Camanche, Iowa, Fannie mentions the following people:
     "Aunty" = probably the Aunt mentioned in the July letter and a person familiar to Mary Elva without further explanation;
     Roy = Fannie's nephew, Roy Heilman, son of her sister, Jennie, and Jennie's husband, Lee;
     Lee = Lee Heilman, husband of Fannie's sister, Jennie;
     Mr. Ephraim = unknown
     "Pussie's" = unknown; I am not certain that this is the correct transcription of this name;
     Cousin Hannah = Hannah (Stilwell) Bent, sister of Mary Elva;
     Warren = Warren Stilwell, brother of Mary Elva;
     Blanche's husband = Frank Munn, husband of Mary Elva's sister, Blanche (Stilwell) Munn;
     "our baby" Louis = Louis Heilman, I suspect, and a son of Jennie & Lee;
     "our brother" Louis = Louis Ireland, brother of Fannie, who died in 1880;
     Jennie = Fannie's sister, Jennie (Ireland) Heilman;
     Abe = unknown;
     Edith = Edith Stilwell, sister of Mary Elva;
     Mr. Gobel = unknown; apparently a beau of Edith Stilwell;
     "your Uncle Hiram" = Hiram Stilwell, brother of Lonson and uncle of Mary Elva;
     Uncle Lonson and Aunt Mary = Mary Elva's parents, Lonson & Mary K. (White) Stilwell;
     Little Belle = Belle Osborn, daughter of Charles & Annette (Stilwell) Osborn, and niece of Mary Elva.

    
I found where Fannie Ireland married A. P. Hart in Comanche, Iowa, on 6 June 1883 (another thing mentioned in Fannie's letters).

I found Fannie and her husband, Abram P. Hart, buried in Green Mountain Cemetery, Boulder, Boulder Co., Colorado. Fannie's tombstone indicates she was born in 1858 and died in 1920.  Abram's tombstone indicates he was born in 1849 and died in 1910.

So I am confident that I've identified Fannie.  However, I have found no one named Ireland or Cady in the family trees for Mary Elva Stilwell.  I did find another "Marie Antoinette" - this one is Marie Antoinette White, a daughter of Samuel White and his wife, Sarah E.  This Marie Antoinette would have been a cousin of Minnie's.  Samuel White was the brother of Minnie's mother, Mary K. White.  And also, Minnie had a sister called "Nettie" that was short for Annette.  So there is apparently a family name.

So just HOW are these two ladies related? Update:  Mystery solved.

As I transcribe & add more of Fannie's letters to Minnie, I will add links and additional clues that I find.