Seeking Reason/Margaret/Marion/Miles DEMPSTER b. 1807? In PA? >>1860 in Butler Co, MO>> 1870 in Jackson Co, IL>> d. ?? date in ?? place.

Here’s what I know with reasonable certainty:

In the 1880 Fed Census for Degognia Twp, Jackson Co, Illinois:
SHOAT, John N W M 24 Head Married Farmer KY KY KY
“ Emily W F 21 Wife Married Housekeeper IL OH OH
“ Claud E. W M 3/12 Son At Home IL KY IL
Browfield, Ben W M 15 Ad. Son At Home IL IL IL


In the 1870 Fed Census for Degognia Twp, Jackson Co, Illinois:
Demster, Reason 63 M W Carpenter PA
“ Margaret 40 F W Keeping Home Tenn
“ Marion 10 M W MO
“ Miles 7 M W MO
SHOAT, Mary? 13 F W MO
“ John 18 M W Laborer Tenn

I am fairly confident this is the same 1880 John Shoat/Choate, because family legend states:
"Mike Choate, the father of John Liddel Choate, came to Tennessee from Either Northern England or Ireland (date on that unknown). About 1863 or 1864 Mike Choate brought John Liddel and a daughter, whose name we don't know, to Illinois to be left with a Mr. Dempster to be cared for. There was some relation between the Dempsters and the Choates. Mike Choate paid Mr. Dempster in gold to care for the two children. He and an older son returned back to TN . . . It was said they owned a plantation there." It has been hypothesized that 1870 Margaret Demster was born Choate, or at least that the “relation” is thru the maternal side.

Others have concluded from this 1870 census, because Mary age 13 is shown ABOVE John, that Mary Shoat was born Demster and is John’s WIFE in the 1870 census. I cannot come to this “wife” conclusion. I have seen too many ages out of order in too many censuses.

Now comes the really interesting part. In the 1860 Fed Census for District 1, Butler Co, MO:
Isaac Shelby 30 M W Farmer Tennessee
Margret Shelby 35 F W Housekeeper Tennessee
John SHOAT 8 M W Tennessee
Margret A SHOAT 4 F W Tennessee
William Shelby 3 M W Tennessee
Jane F Shelby 1 F W Missouri
And John Shoat is shown with an X denoting he is a different family in the same dwelling.

AND, most interesting of ALL, in the immediately prior dwelling (presumably right next door) is a Michael SHOAT in the household of George Smizer.
Michael SHOAT 30 M W Loafer? Tennessee
Also in this same large household, are you ready??
Resen Demster 47 M W Carpenter Pennsylvania
Does this guy look familiar? I mean C’MON! Other than the ages being a little off, this is the same man from the 1870 Census.

Sooooo, I HAVE to conclude from all this that Reason/Resen DEMSTER and Michael SHOAT are in the same households in 1860 and 1870. As a result, my questions are numerous:

What happened to Reason/Resen Demster/Dempster? Where did he go? Where was he prior to 1860? Does anyone have him before 1860 or after 1870?

Any questions/comments/corrections or help would be most welcome.

Larry Wernle
ldwernle@aol.com