My puzzle for the weekend was one step beyond the HUFFORD name: Ellen Dorcas “Ella” RINEHART’s mother was a born Hufford. What is below can be considered a replacement for page 224 of the HUFFORD FAMILY HISTORY. The first problem with page 224 is that the book editor misspelled the last name of Ella’s first husband. The correct spelling is LONGENECKER.

Ellen Dorcas “Ella” Rinehart: 1st Mrs. Longenecker, 2nd Mrs. Frick, 3rd Mrs. Jennings.

Ellen Dorcas “Ella” RINEHART was the 11th child of Sarah Hufford (page 218), who was the 6th child of Christian III (page 200), who was the son of Christian II (b. 1746), who was the son of Christian the immigrant (b. 1716 in Schwaigern).

(As an aside, the number in front of each person in the book is the birth order for that child. There is no real index in the book, and understanding the code to birth order is key to finding people in the book, and to finding both the ancestors and descendants of a person. The book was put together for family, family who knew how they all were related.)

Ella married Franklin W. LONGENECKER on December 24, 1874. With Franklin, she had seven children: Iva E. (m. Donovan SHIELDS), Artha F. (m. Jesse VAN HART), Leona (m. Charles W. McDONALD), Pearl A. (m. Elmer HARTER), Olive (m. Earl WISE), Dessa Z.    (m. Walter “Bob” TIBBETTS), and Webster Orville. Ella’s husband Franklin died in May 1894.

In 1896, she married the widower Rudy FRICK (b. 1845), a carpenter and Civil War veteran. He was the father of at least seven children from his first marriage. In November 1903, well into her 40s, Ella gave birth to Rudy’s son, Robert. In February 1904, Rudy died. Nineteen months later, Rudy and Ella’s son Robert died.

About a year later, Ella married a third time, to another widower: William Calvin JENNINGS, a farmer born in 1852. Calvin died in March 1930.

In April 1930, Ella was living in Washington Twp., Darke Co., Ohio, with her daughter Pearl and Pearl’s husband Elmer Harter.

Ella died of bronchial pneumonia on March 3, 1931, in Darke Co., Ohio. Her remains were laid to rest at Hillgrove Cemetery, with her first husband and her son Robert.

Her gravestone and her death certificate together show that the puzzle pieces have been fitted together correctly:

Death certificate for Ellen Dorcas Rinehart

PAGE NOTE: Ellen Rinehart is listed on page 224 of the 1909 HUFFORD FAMILY HISTORY.