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| FAMILY MEMBERS: Upper Left to Right:
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Here is a story that was related to me by John Fields, a great grandson of Allen and Marth Jane Fields.
"In 1966 I wrote to a 95 year old lady in Putnam County--a lady who was still quite sharp and often wrote articles on old time Putnam County for the Unionville newspaper. She knew the family and wrote to me that Hiram H. was Martha Jane's "brother". I also talked with her, and don't have it in writing, but she "thought" that the elder Elizabeth was Martha Jane's mother--perhaps because Martha Jane was raised by her? She said that when Allen Fields met Martha J. at a country dance he was charmed by her and they started going places together until her "mother" Elizabeth forbade her seeing "that old man". Whereupon Allen sent his horse and buggy with his oldest son Robert to call on her, and Robert drove her to his father's place so the two could elope. So, except for that, I don't really have the name "Elizabeth" anywhere in writing as Hiram H.'s wife! Hiram H. was only about 17 when Martha J. was born--did he have a shotgun wedding? Was he even married? My conclusion is that he must have been married, or he (his mother) would not have had custody of Martha Jane in 1860.............."
From the research that I have done to date, I know the Elizabeth that this lady was talking about in John Field's message above was Hiram H. Mastin's mother! Looking at the 1870 Missouri Census confirms that this Elizabeth was indeed Levi Mastin Sr.'s wife, Hiram's mother. She was living with Hiram H. after the death of Levi mastin Sr. and obviously was a matriarchal figure of Hiram H. Mastin's household.
As John Field's stated in his message above, Hiram H. Mastin's wife is still really an unknown. She may not have been the Elizabeth Peterman that we have been lead to believe. More research is required on this topic!