THE POLSON-CHENEY FAMILY

        Husband: Thomas R. Cheney
           Born: 06 OCT 1808 in Goshen Township, Champaign, Ohio
        Married: 04 MAR 1830 in Saybrook, Tazewell, Illinois/Saybrook, McLean Co., IL
           Died: 20 APR 1893 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
         Buried: in Petaluma Cypress Cemetery.
         Father: Jonathan Cheney
         Mother: Catherine Owen
        Spouses: 
     Occupation: Farmer in 1890 Great Register of Sonoma Cty
           Wife: Susan Maxwell
           Born: 27 JUL 1804 in Ashe County, North Carolina
           Died: 21 JAN 1878 in Vallejo, Sonoma County, California (1)
         Buried: in Petaluma Cemetery, Petaluma, California.
         Father: John Maxwell, Sr
         Mother: Jane Brazelton
        Spouses:
Children
01          (F): Sara Cheney
           Born: 03 APR 1831 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
           Died: 14 DEC 1876 in Sonoma County, California
        Spouses: George Douglas Green, Sr
02          (M): David Jonathan "Dave" Cheney
           Born: 13 FEB 1832 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
           Died: 18 JUN 1899 in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, CA
        Spouses: Helen Rebecca Connell
03          (F): Keturah Jane Cheney
           Born: 10 JAN 1835 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
           Died: 01 JUN 1912 in Rincon Valley, Sonoma County, California
        Spouses: Rawson Augustus Harvey
04          (M): Return Jonathan Cheney
           Born: 24 NOV 1836 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
           Died: 31 MAR 1919 in Tulare, Tulare County, California
        Spouses: Martha Eleanor Green
05          (M): John Maxwell Cheney
           Born: 20 MAY 1839 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
           Died: 19 NOV 1929 in Sonoma County, California
        Spouses: Tammy Amplias McHarvey
06          (M): Thomas Haines Cheney, Twin
           Born: 10 OCT 1841 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
           Died: 03 OCT 1910 in Porterville, Tulare County, California (2)
        Spouses: Lillie May Loonie
07          (F): Martha Ellen Cheney, Twin
           Born: 10 OCT 1841 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois (3)
           Died:
        Spouses:

Additional Information

Thomas R. Cheney:

Notes:
In 1829, Thomas located on a farm in Padua Township where he worked and lived for twenty years. (From "The History of McLean County, Ill, Wm. Le Baron, Jr & Co, 1879; page 537).

The finding of gold in California lured Thomas, his father, Jonathan, and his brother, Return Jonathan into joining a wagon train on March 4, 1850 bound for California from Illinois. In Memphis, Mo. a wagon ran over Jonathan Cheney's foot. He and Return had to go back to Illinois. Thomas continued on to CA. (From the "Daily Pantograph" of Bloomington, Ill. 9/9/1907.)

Thomas went to Hangtown, California. Hangtown grew quickly during its infancy and by 1850 had fifty to sixty buildings along the town's main street; before the year was out there were hundreds. The post office was established on April 9 of 1850, and the following year the name Placerville appeared for the first time on a map of the region, bestowed for the numerous placer holes which made the streets almost impassable. Thomas mined in Hangtown for three years. He was listed on page 269 of the 1850 Census, El Dorado County, Placerville. His age was listed as 42 and his occupation Gold Miner. He returned to Illinois in 1851 for a short visit. Then in 1853, Thomas gave up mining. He returned to Illinois for a final time to bring his family to California.

Thomas settled his family on a farm in the Sonoma Valley in 1854. The 1860 Federal Census for Sonoma Township showed Thomas as a farmer with Real Estate valued at $3,000 and Personal property valued at $1500. He successfully worked the farm until he retired to Petaluma. Thomas was a Republican. (From "The History of Sonoma County" by Tom Gregory in 1911, p340).

The 1890 "Great Register of Sonoma County" listed Thomas as a farmer in the Vallejo Township.

Death records for the County of Sonoma, show Thomas was born in Kentucky.

Susan Maxwell:

Notes:
Sarah G. Sitz of Manhattan, Kansas has Susan's date of birth being July 7, 1803.

Susan was the head of household for the 1850 McLean County, Illinois census. She was 46, and lived with David, Keety, Return J, John M and Thomas H. There is no mention of Martha. (1850 Illinois Federal Census, Cheney's Grove Township, McLean County, Illinois, dated 9th day of November, 1850 Page 99, line 7, dwelling 1656, family 1676)

(07) Martha Ellen Cheney, Twin:

Notes:
Martha was found in the 1860 Census. Nothing more is known about her except she was Thomas' twin.

Footnotes

  1. Petaluma Argus.
    25/01/1878.
  2. Porterville Obituaries 1890 to 1996, A-F, Tulare County, CA (http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ifetch2?/u1/data/ca+index+33458010611+F).
  3. 1860 California Federal Census, Page 641, Sonoma Township on July 26th, 1860.

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