The Hoshall family research shows Nicholas as the son of Jesse Jr.

1880. Nic Hoshall, age 68, 6th Dist, BAL Co

Nicholas was not our ancestor but is important to us as he was the second husband of Elizabeth Ann Matthews and may have been more important in the upbringing of her daughter Joanna Hampshire than Joanna’s own father Joseph who died young.

The Hoshall researchers say Nicholas died 7 Apr 1884. I always wondered if that was true since I could never find him in the 1880 Census yet his wife, Betsy Ann Matthews, was present living with her daughter Hester, who had married Jacob Michaels. Why not with Nicholas?

But Becky Curry found documentation of a court case which stated that Nicholas had become ”abusive” to Betsy Ann when an argument erupted over her jealousy of his behavior with a woman servant. Betsy Ann filed for divorce but her request was denied -- because the “abuse” only happened one time and the servant woman was dismissed from the household. (See Matthews chapter for a full discussion). It seems a surprising outcome, but then it was the 1870’s.

But there may be more to the story since Nicholas and Betsy indeed did live apart by 1880 (I finally did find him listed as Nic Hoshall) and there was a deed filed in 1883 whereby Nicholas conveyed land to his son Melchor with the provision that Melchor would then pay Nicholas a certain amount of cash yearly for the remainder of his life and also pay $150 per year to Betsy Ann “that Nicholas was bound by the court to pay.”

Elizabeth was listed as a child of Jarrerd Matthews when all his children were named in 1832 when he was appointed their natural guardian as heirs of Thomas Marshall. Then, when the estate of Jarrerd Matthews was contested in 1852, his heirs included: “Elizabeth married with Nicholas Hoshall.”

1810. I believe she is with her parents in her grandfather’s household.

1820-1830. She can be accounted for in her father’s household.

1840. She can be accounted for in her husband’s household.

1850. Nicholas Hoshel, District 6, Baltimore Co. Living with Nicholas 36 are Ann 36 and Nancy Hampshire 17, Dianna Hampshire 14, Joanna Hampshire 11, George Hampshire 7 and Melchor Hoshel 4 and Hester Hoshel 2. The conclusion is that Ann is Nicholas' second wife and has 4 Hampshire children and two more with Nicholas. The same family is also listed on another page in District 6 -- in this case Ann is called Elizabeth and she is 39 and the children would appear to be named Hoshall, not Hampshire. Also son George is called Thomas.

1860-1870. She lives with her husband. In 1870, her daughter Hester 21 lives at home and a farm laborer named Jacob Michaels lives with the family.

1880. Betsy is found living with son-in-law Jacob Michael (and his wife Hester) in District 6, Baltimore County. Betsy is 69, Hester is 31 and is one and the same with Hester Hoshall d/o Nicholas and Betsy, age 2 in the 1850 Census.

In 1830, Elizabeth and Gerard Matthews sold a parcel of land including water rghts of the northern fok of Gunpowder Falls to William Matthews and Joseph Hampshire and at the same time William Matthews executed an agreement to water rights on an adjoing parcel of land to Joseph Hampshire. The purpose of the water rights was that Joseph and William were intending to build a mill or factory taking advantage of the water power. MDLandRec WG 205 380.

In 1828, Gerard and Diana deeded land to Betsy Ann Matthews, said deed recorded in 1835. MDLandRec TK 246 527.

Elizabeth Ann Matthews was the daughter of Jarrerd Matthews and his wife Diana. She married Joseph M Hampshire and had four children by him including daughter Joanna from whom we descend. She became a young widow when her husband died in 1843. Then on 30 Jun 1846, she married second Nicholas Hoshall (grandson of our ancestor Jesse Hoshall).

She was listed twice in the 1850 Census, once as Ann and once as Elizabeth. She was listed as Elizabeth in 1860, Betsy A in 1870 and her tombstone reads Elizabeth Ann wife of Nicholas Hoshall. She went by all those names.

Because she remarried prior to the 1850 Census, the first one to list the names of everyone in the household, and because she was actually listed twice in that Census and in one of those listings her children -- whose names were Hampshire -- were listed as if their names were Hoshall, the name of Elizabeth’s second husband, tracking Elizabeth was at first a little confusing.

It definitely confused Barry Lee Matthews who only was aware of Elizabeth Ann’s marriage to Nicholas and thought Joanna was the daughter of Nicholas and that she married (only) Albert Almony.

I find it interesting that Betsy was buried at Gunpowder Baptist Church Cemetery and both her husbands are there too. She is quite near and identified as the wife of Nicholas and Joseph is elsewhere but in the same cemetery. Her tombstone which I have seen says Elizabeth A, wife of Nicholas Hoshall, died 23 Jun 1884 at age 74 years, 2 months, 7 days. Therefore her birth date can be computed as 16 Apr 1810.

In the late 1870’s, Betsy Ann filed for divorce from Nicholas Hoshall on the grounds of “cruelty of treatment” in the particular instance of a serious quarrel between the parties arising from the employment in the family of a young female servant. The court denied the divorce saying or implying that 1.) the physical abuse had only happened that one time and 2.) the young woman had subsequently been dismissed and 3.) there was no real evidence of any improper conduct by Nicholas.

Nonetheless, in the 1880 Census, we find Betsy Ann living with her daughter and son-in-law and Nicholas living alone.