THE POLSON-CHENEY FAMILY

        Husband: Return Jonathan Cheney
           Born: 24 NOV 1836 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
        Married: 08 MAR 1860 in McLean County, Illinois (6)
           Died: 31 MAR 1919 in Tulare, Tulare County, California
         Buried: in Union Cemetery, Bakersfield, Kern County, California.
         Father: Thomas R. Cheney
         Mother: Susan Maxwell
        Spouses: 
      Residence: 1890 Tipton, California (1)
           Wife: Martha Eleanor Green
           Born: 29 OCT 1841 in Ohio (2)
           Died: 19 NOV 1926 in Coalinga, Fresno County, California
         Buried: in Union Cemetery, Bakersfield, Kern County, California.
         Father: Thomas W Green
         Mother: Eleanor Moser
        Spouses:
Children
01          (M): George Cheney
           Born: MAR 1864 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
           Died: 20 OCT 1919 in San Francisco, CA
        Spouses: 
      Residence: 1910 San Francisco, California (3)
02          (M): Harry D Cheney
           Born: 30 JUN 1865 in California
           Died: 14 SEP 1922
        Spouses: Effie L Scarlet
03          (M): Frank Cheney
           Born: 17 FEB 1867 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
           Died: 18 AUG 1933 in Coalinga, Fresno County, California (4)
        Spouses: Cora Catheran Glazebrook
04          (M): Thomas Maxwell Cheney
           Born: 15 DEC 1868 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
           Died: 07 JUN 1914 in Fresno County, CA
        Spouses: Adria Glazebrook
05          (F): Mary Cheney
           Born: 09 NOV 1873 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
           Died: 03 SEP 1942 in Bakersfield, Kern County, CA
        Spouses: Bob Thornton; Madison Monroe Janes; Albert W. Freeman
06          (M): David Maxwell Cheney
           Born: 09 DEC 1875 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
           Died: 29 JUN 1899 in California
         Buried: 1899 in Union Cemetery, Bakersfield, California
        Spouses: 
07          (M): Thadeous "Tad" Cheney
           Born: 28 JAN 1877 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
           Died: 01 JAN 1949 in Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California (5)
        Spouses: Ora Ellen Schultenhelm
08          (M): Jonathan Guy "J.G." Cheney
           Born: 30 AUG 1878 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
           Died: 15 MAR 1958 in Coalinga, Fresno County, CA
        Spouses: Annie Monica Elliott
09          (M): Walter "Dutch" Cheney
           Born: 02 SEP 1880 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
           Died: 26 SEP 1935 in California
        Spouses: Martha Ellen Green
10          (F): Lucy J Cheney
           Born: 26 OCT 1881 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
           Died: 28 FEB 1932
        Spouses: John Adams; Albert W. Freeman

Additional Information

Return Jonathan Cheney:

Notes:
In 1856, 20 year old Return Jonathan with 11 family members crossed into California using the North Trail of the Platte River. Three years later, still a bachelor, R.J. went back to Illinois to marry his long-time neighbor and school mate Martha Eleanor Green.

Following the wedding at Cheney's Grove, R.J. and Martha left at once on their honeymoon for California by way of Niagara Falls, and travelling through the Isthmus of Panama. With the Civil War in its second year, Return and Martha arrived in California in 1863.

The Cheneys made their first home in Petaluma, California. Their children were born in Petaluma. The 1880 census for Sonoma County, CA, listed R.J. as farmer.

In 1886, the Cheneys moved to the northwest corner of Tulare County-to Tipton. In 1892, they moved to Rosedale, Kern County, California (Bakersfield area).

The 1900 Federal Census for Kern County, California, has Return, Martha E., Walter and Lucy J. living in the 12th Judicial Township. Return was renting a 10 acre farm. Walter was listed as a farm laborer, and Lucy was in her 9th year of school. A Jim Ah was listed as a farm laborer living at the farm with the Cheneys.

The Cheneys were living in Maricopa when the oil strike came to Maricopa, Sunset Oil District, Kern County. The Cheney boys finished school in differing locales as the family moved around. After school, they worked on the family owned harvester until oil was discovered in Maricopa.

R.J. and Martha eventually moved to Coalinga where their sons had started a business. They lived next door to their daughter, Mary, and two doors down from their son J.G.

March 10, 1910 was R.J. and Martha's 50th Wedding Anniversary. R.J. gave Martha a gold band ring to honor the occasion--he said it was the first piece of jewelry he had ever bought. Gifts to the couple included a china tea set of five pieces gold embossed, a gold clock, a silver with gold lining ladle spoon, gold pickle, olive and meat forks, plus gold jewelry and hand drawn work on linen. In the evening there was a banquet at the Pleasant Valley Hotel. The menu, printed in gold, consisted of:
Essence of Chicken
Celery Almonds Olives
Calf's Sweetbreads, French Peas
Lettuce Tomatoes Mayonnaise
Roast Young Turkey, Giblet Gravy
Cranberry Sauce Sweet Potatoes
Neapolitan Ice Cream, Assorted Cakes
Cafe Noir
There was instrumental music during the evening, as well as a singer who sang "Silver Threads among the Gold", "Home Sweet Home" among other golden oldies. The party broke up around midnight. This was the first golden wedding anniversary celebrated in Coalinga.

R.J. was a man of sterling character, and while always of quiet demeanor, was strong in his convictions on political, civic, and economic matters. He enjoyed the utmost respect and confidence of all who knew him. (From the "Coalinga Record" April 1, 1919)

Gravestone says birth in 1837.

Martha Eleanor Green:

Notes:
The 1880 Census for Sonoma County lists Martha as "keeping house". It also lists her birthplace as Illinois. Her parents are both listed as coming from Pennsylvania.

The 1920 Census for California, Fresno County, Township 6, Coalinga listed Martha E Cheney as Head of Household on sheet 4b, line 56. She was living between her grandson, Earl Cheney, and her son, Jonathan Guy. Ruth Janes, her granddaughter, was living with her.

Gravestone says birth was in 1841.


(01) George Cheney:

Notes:
The 1880 census for Sonoma County, CA, listed George as working on his father's farm.

Buried at the Union Cemetery in Bakersfield, California.

(06) David Maxwell Cheney:

Notes:
Buried at the Union Cemetery in Bakersfield, California. Dates used were on the gravestone. Family records show "Dave" was born in 1874 and died in 1901 of an appendicitis.

Footnotes

  1. 1890 Great Register of Tulare County, 18.
    Registered on 27 Sep 1890 at age 54.
  2. 1850 Illinois Federal Census (Cheneys Grove, McLean County, Illinois).
  3. "Golden Wedding-Coalinga Couple Celebrate Fiftieth Anniversary of Wedded Life", Daily Coalinga Times (Wednesday, March 9, 1910).
  4. Personal Knowlege of Bud Stewart (California, 1999).
  5. California Department of Health Services Office of Health Information and Research Vital Statistics Section, RootsWeb.com (http://userdb.rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi).
    Cheney, Thaddeus.
  6. Illinois State Archives, Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900, CHENEY, RETURN JON.

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Revised: August 13, 2005
Copyright © 2005 Lisa Sorensen. All rights reserved.