Which Benjamin Edge sons were fathers of which children?

Research note by Wesley Johnston, begun 9 Feb 2015, last updated 9 Feb 2015

This note may change as new information becomes available. Be sure to check the original note at http://mv.ancestry.com/viewer/0fed9c43-718f-498f-81f9-a6f758e1bdaf/12001386/420068136848 where you will find the current version that you can link to your tree, rather than linking an old version that does not reflect the most recent information.

The Problem

Four EDGE children married four BUTSON children in Grant County, Wisconsin between the 1880 and 1900 U. S. censuses. While they were all grandchildren of Benjamin and Anna EDGE, which of Benjamin and Anna's children were the fathers of which children?

The Solution

The 1880 census, specifically the column with father's birthplace, holds the key. Benjamin and Anna and their three sons Joseph (widowed/divorced), Benjamin Junior (single) and William (married but with his wife not shown in the household) and their five grandchildren Thomas M, Benjamin M, Emma E, Ann and John W all lived in Ellenborough Township in Grant County, Wisconsin.

The children are all listed together, instead of after their father. But the father's birthplace column allows us to see which father each child had, since Joseph was born in England while William was born in Wisconsin.

Thus the children matched with their father as follows;

Children of Joseph EDGE: Thomas M, Benjamin M, Emma E.

Children of William EDGE: Ann, John W.