1870. William (which is not his name, so I don’t know why he is so listed) Kerr age 31 (not right either) is listed in Benton Twp, Monroe Co, IN with wife Margaret A 32 and children James 7, John 6, Samuel 5 and Charles 2. A neighbor is Ruth Kerr age 56 and John A Kerr age 24.

1880. Samuel L and Margaret live in Benton Township, Monroe County, IN. He is a farmer age 48 and he and both of his parents were all born in Ireland. She is 42 and was born in Indiana and both her parents in South Carolina. Six children are present: James (?) 17, John G 16, Samuel M 14, Charles A 12, Nanny V 9 and Ella A 3.

1900. Samuel and Margaret A live in the same place. Son Samuel M born 1866 and daughter Alice born Apr 1882 live with them. He said he immigrated in 1840. A neighbor is John A Kerr born Aug 1844.

The 1870 household of William Kerr and the 1880 household of Samuel Kerr include the same people of the right ages -- it is clearly the same household. I have no explanation of why the head of household is William age 31 in 1870 and then Samuel L age 48 in 1880. Even if, for example, William died young and then Margaret A remarried Samuel L -- Alice is not born until 1882 and so Samuel is her father in any event.

I suspect Ruth, neighbor of William in 1870, is Mary Alice’s grandmother.

I found a copy of their marriage license and certificate on LDS film1295700. Samuel Kerr to Margaret A Hinkle, certificate 3 Dec 1861, marriage 4 Dec 1861 in Monroe County.

There is an AWT on the descendants of Caleb Hazel some of whom lived in Monroe County, IN and married people named Kerr. It shows Samuel L Kerr born in 1832 in Ireland with wife Margaret A and children’s names that match their known children from Census listings. Alice is listed but this AWT knows nothing of her marriage to Fred Rosenthall, but it is clearly Mary Alice. This tree says that Margaret A was maiden name Hinkle. No parents are listed, but a search of the 1850 and 1860 Census shows a Margaret A Hinkle of the right age, daughter of Jonathan (J J) Hinkle and wife Catharine.

I would like to find some more evidence of all of these tie-ins but for now, it all seems reasonable to assume this set of facts and that is what I present here.

A different AWT covers the ancestors of Margaret A Hinkle. It says J J’s parents were Anthony of Lincoln County, NC and his wife Barbara Seitz. These names are confirmed by the National Register filings. Anthony’s parents were Jacob Henkel and Elizabeth Grove -- their roots trace back to Pennsylvania. The Henkel ancestry is even traced to Germany.