John & Delila Porter McCaffrey
A John McCaffrey was married to Delila Porter 2 Oct 1845 in Belmont County, Ohio. This marriage has also been confirmed by the information (John McCaffrey & Delila Portee) on the wedding certificate of Nancy J. McCaffrey. Later censuses show that Delila was born 1810/1821.
The Belmont County census enumeration of July 18, 1850 lists two John McCaffreys living in very close proximity. One John, age 65, born Virginia, was with his assumed son Ira McCaffrey. The other John, age 75, born Virginia, was with his assumed daughter Sarah McCaffrey Ayers. With the Ayers and John McCaffrey was John P. McCaffrey, age 19, born Ohio, the assumed son of the older John. Also in the Ayers household were two of the children latter attributed to John and Delila Porter McCaffrey: Nancy J. and Ira. Although these children were enumerated as Ayers in 1850, latter censuses and marriage records show them to be McCaffreys. Although Delila Porter McCaffrey has not been found in any census in 1850, later censuses show Delila with a third child, Rachel Lovinia, born c1850 in Ohio. On December 27, 1853, Delila married Fredrick Bender in Adams County, Illinois where she had moved with the Ayers family. Latter on, Ira McCaffrey and his son, Edward, moved to Adams County.
In the census years of 1830 & 1840, there was only one John McCaffrey, born 1775/1785, enumerated in Belmont County and the surrounding counties; therefore, my assumption is that John McCaffrey was counted twice in 1850.
Delila's age would seem to indicate that John of Loudoun was her husband; however, the Adams County, Illinois censuses of 1880 and 1900 provide contrary evidence. In these censuses, Delila's children were enumerated as having a father born in Ohio, rather than Virginia. In 1880, Delila was living with her three children, so this gives credence to the enumeration.
So it seems that either the 1880 census or the 1850 census is incorrect. Either Delila and her children did not know John's birth place or the 1850 enumerated age of John P. was in error. My guess is that John P. McCaffrey was the husband of Delila Porter and that the 1850 enumerated age of John P. was in gross error.
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Revised Jan 14, 2012