Added by Robert Stoddard
Picture of
Added by Jay Kacena


Betty “Bessie” Miller Stoddard
Birth
7 Jan 1855
New York, New York County, New York, USA
Death
19 Nov 1940 (aged 85)
Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, USA
Burial
Oak Shade Cemetery
Marion, Linn County, Iowa, USA
Show MapGPS-Latitude: 42.0293373, Longitude: -91.6030094
Plot
Town Lot 8, Lot 23, Space 1
Memorial ID
57514870 · View Source
Memorial
Photos 4
Flowers 3
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The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, Friday, December 24, 1926:

MARRIED 50 YEARS SUNDAY
MR. AND MRS. ELIJAH STODDARD

Hard on the heels of Christmas will be the celebration of their Golden Wedding Anniversary by Mr. and Mrs. Elijah W. Stoddard, 718 L Street West. Sunday at their home a dinner at which guests will be two of their four living children and a number of friends will mark the occassion. Mr. and Mrs. Stoddard have lived here twenty one years.

Elijah, son of Wells Stoddard, is well known in Marion where he was born. He was the youngest of ten children and is now 76. He has lived all his life in this part of Iowa. The oldest member of the local bricklayers union with respect both to his years and the length of time he has been a member. He worked at his trade until three years ago when he suffered an injury while working on a building.

The daughter of John C. Miller, Mrs. Betty Stoddard was born in New York City and came to Iowa when a child, living first at Mechanicsville. The couple were married in Mechanicsville December 26, 1876.

Of their five children, the four living are Mrs. Donald Blackman, Detriot, A.I. Stoddard, Seattle, L.D. Stoddard, Spokane, and J.C. Stoddard of this city. There are nine grandchildren. Mr and Mrs. Blackman and their daughter are here from Detriot to attend the celebration.

The following appeared in The Cedar Rapis Gazette on November 20, 1940:

Mrs. Betty Stoddard, widow of Elijah W. Stoddard, 1329 F Avenue NW, died in a local hospital at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday following a long illness. She was born January 7, 1851 (sic) in New York City. Prior to coming to Cedar Rapids 36 years ago, she had resided at Tipton.

Surviving are three sons: John C. of this city, L.D. of Spokane, Washington; and A.I. of Hoquiam, Washington; one daughter Mrs. Don Blackman of Detroit, Michigan, and one brother John Miller of Mechanicsville. Mrs. Stoddard was a member of the Trinity Methodist Church.

Funeral services will be held in the Turner Chapel at 2:00 p.m. Friday. Burial will be in Oak Shade Cemetery at Marion. Friends may call the Chapel.
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Betty “Bessie” (Miller) Stoddard is buried in plot 1 of the Stoddard burial section, Town Lot 8, Lot 23, next to Wells (2) and Eunice (3) Stoddard. E.W. Stoddard’s uncle Andrew Stoddard is plot 4, E.W. is plot 5, and E.W.’s aunt Mary is plot 6.
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Betty "Bessie" (Miller) Stoddard's year of birth is 1855. Her headstone and death certificate (completed by her son John C. Stoddard) give her year of birth as 1851. However, her granddaughter Fern had made a notation that Bessie was born January 7, 1855 in Bessie's Bible...but she did not recall the source of the information. Based on the 1870 Cenusus and the 1925 Iowa Census information (her age being 70 and Elijah being 74) Bessie was born in 1855 and not 1851. Note: Bessie was born in New York City, NY and not in Iowa as indicated in the 1925 Iowa Census.

Bessie's headstone is also incorrect with regards to her date of death (Nov. 10, 1940). Her death certificate lists her date of death as November 19, 1940.

Bessie is the daughter of John Christoph and Anna Magdalene (Hager) Miller both born in Germany. Bessie moved to Iowa from New York as a child. She married Elijah Willard Stoddard on December 26, 1876 in Mechanicsville, Iowa.

Betty’s obituary says she was survived by her brother John Miller of Mechanicsville. John is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Mechanicsville. See Memorial 35371957. Her brother Charles Miller died at Manilla, Crawford County, Iowa on June 8, 1937. See Memorial 199244427. His death certificate identifies his father’s name as John “Christof” and his mother’s maiden name as “Hager.” I have used the spelling “Christoph” for John to match the spelling used by Betty’s son John Christoph Stoddard.

The 1870 census for Pioneer Township (Mechanicsville Post Office), Cedar County, Iowa lists “Custo” Miller, age 49, occupation”Stone Quarrier,” and Anna M. Miller, age 48, both born in Hanover, Germany, with their five children: Charles (age 18) and Bette (age 15 - born 1855) born in New York; and Elizabeth (age 13), John (age 9) and Frank (age 5) all born in Iowa.

Note: Betty lists her parents birthplace as “Hamburg” in the 1880 U.S. Census for Bristol, Butler County, Iowa. It could be that she was mistaken and that her parents immigrated from Hanover, Germany. It is more likely they were from Hanover but sailed from Hamburg to New York in 1852.

Children of Elijah Willard and Bessie (Miller) Stoddard:

Albert I. "A.I." Stoddard (1881-1951). Born Bristow, Iowa
L.D. Stoddard (1887-1968). Born Bristow, Iowa
Velma Irene (Stoddard) Gascoyne (1889-1918) Born Bristow, Iowa
Bessie Izora (Stoddard) Blackman (1891-1964) Born Bristow, Iowa
John Christoph Stoddard (1895-1988). Born Greene, Iowa

Sibligs of Betty (Miller) Stoddard:

Charles (May 2, 1852 - June 8,1937) m. Minnie O. Thompson
Elizabeth (February 5, 1857 - March 29, 1905) m. John Sutton
John (December 13, 1860 - April 30, 1945) m. Caroline Cecelia Winey
Frank (July 18, 1864 - December 8, 1912) m. Dora S. Miller Feb. 2, 1891