James Austin Cassingham was born 18 Jun 1832 in Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio. He is the son of Thomas Cassingham (Jr.) and Mary E. Morrison. He died 4 Aug 1924 at the age of 92 in Chanute, Neosho, Kansas and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery, Chanute, Neosho, Kansas.

On 15 Feb 1855, he married Mary E. Higby who was born in Mar 1832 in Delaware. She died 18 Mar 1902 at the age of about 70 in Chanute, Neosho, Kansas and was buried there on 21 Mar 1902.

Children of James Austin Cassingham and Mary E. Higby:

1. Joseph Morrison Cassingham was born 29 Oct 1855 in Illinois.
2. Malona I. Cassingham was born about 1857 in Illinois. On 15 Sep 1880, she married Jacob R. Berdine in Hancock County, Illinois. He is the son of Jacob S. Berdine and Mary Ann. Malona was his second wife. He had a child, Claude L. Berdine, by a previous marriage. After Malona's death, he married (3) Emma Bolten. Malona died sometime before 1896.
3. Anna Myria Cassingham was born 11 Apr 1860 in Adrian, Hancock, Illinois.
4. Robert A. Cassingham was born about 1864 in Hancock County, Illinois.
5. William W. Cassingham was born about 1869 in Illinois and may have died before 1880.
6. James Bradford Cassingham was born between 1870 to 1873 in Hancock County, Illinois.

Sources

Mary: Birth is from the 1900 census (Chanute, Neosho, KS. p. 22).
Marriage and Name from the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763 - 1900.

Malona: Death is deduced from the 1900 census, where her mother indicates that only 4 of her 5 children are still living. In fact, Malona had probably already died by 1896, when her husband remarried.

Notes

Mary is elsewhere listed with the surname of Hughes. The Illinois Marriage Index, however, lists Higby.

The correct spelling of Malona's name is uncertain. It could be Malone.

William is not listed in the 1880 census with his family. He would have been only 11 years old at the time. I presume he was deceased (or not a member of this family at all -- see below).

Mystery

In the 1900 census (Chanute, Neosho, KS. p. 22), Mary is listed as having given birth to 5 children, 4 of whom were still living. Unfortunately, our list above includes 6 children. If the census is correct, one of these children does not belong to Mary. By the time of the 1900 census, none of the children were still living with their parents, but all six are listed in one census or another with this family prior to 1900. My best guess for now, is that William is not a child of James and Mary. He appears only in the 1870 census, but not in 1880. Perhaps Mary was simply "baby sitting" when the 1870 census was taken. I'm open to other suggestions.

Census Listings

The individuals in this family appear in the following census listings.

• James A. (presumed): 1840 Census. Jackson, Muskingum, Ohio. Page 252.
• James A.: 1850 Census. Jackson, Muskingum, Ohio. Page 331.
• 1860 Census. Durham, Hancock, Illinois. Page 954.
• 1870 Census. Rock Creek, Hancock, Illinois. Page 29.
• 1880 Census. Prairie, Hancock, Illinois. Page 16.
• Jacob Berdine: 1880 Census. Rock Creek, Hancock, Illinois. Page 30.
• 1900 Census. Chanute, Neosho, Kansas. Page 22.
• James A.: 1910 Census. Chanute City, Neosho, Kansas. Page 19.