Amos Hardin Clover, son of Lot Clover

Amos Hardin Clover was the fourth child and the first son of Lot and Maryett Lewis.

        Amos Hardin Clover was born 5 October 1855, Hardin County, Iowa, died 16 December 1880 or 1881.(1) The cemetery records of both Mitchell County and Ottawa County have been published. There is no record of a tombstone in either county in the published cemetery books. He died of Typhoid Fever.(2) Amos H. Clover married 25 February 1875, in Glen Elder, Mitchell County, Kansas, Mary Reed. They were married by H. F. Vallette, Justice of the Peace.(3) Bessie and Emelie have his name as Hardin, but he appears as Amos H. in his marriage record and in earlier censuses. Mary was born 22 January 1853, Ottumwa, Wappelo, Iowa, died 16 December 1888, Glasco, Cloud County, Kansas. She was the daughter of John Reed and Mary Watson.(4) After Hardin’s death, Mary married (2nd) ca. 1883, David S. Steele. I have not been able to locate this marriage. She did not remarry in Ottawa County or in Mitchell County. There is a published book of Cloud County marriages, but this one is not in it. According to the HandyBook for Genealogists, the Cloud County, Kansas marriage records start in 1885. This may account for my difficulty in locating it. Many counties in Kansas did not start record keeping early.

        As it happens, this David Steel was a distant connection. Maynard F. Clover’s wife, Sarah, was the daughter of Duncan Gates and Mary Jane Steele. Mary Jane's brother was David Shepard Steele, supposedly born 21 March 1846 in Canada, died 10 January 1928, Concordia, Kansas. Their parents were David Steele and Almira Earle. This David was born about 1813 in Ontario, Canada and died about 1886. Bessie says he died in Iowa. These dates are fairly close to the ones from the cemetery book. Bessie said that, “David, the only brother of Grandma Gates, married Hardin Clover’s widow, Mary (Reed) Clover. She was mother of our first cousins George (Guy) and Carl. They had one son, John Steele.”(5) This marriage is not in the Mitchell County, Kansas marriage books. According to the Cloud County, Kansas cemetery book, Mary Steele, died 14 December 1888, and was buried in Morrison/Macyville Cemetery, which is located in the southwest quarter of section 32, Arion Township. There is no stone on her grave, nor on that of her child, who died the same day. In the remarks section of the page, it is noted that she was the wife of David S. Steele, and that the child, no sex given, was 3 days old. Also in the same part of the cemetery are David S. Steele, 12 October 1810 to 3 April 1887; David S. Steele, Jr., 1846 to 1929, Co. E 3rd Illinois Infantry; Susan H. Steele, died 3 April 1883 age 32 years, 10 months 7 days, wife of D. S. Steele, and Jennie M. Steele, 1866-1940. Clearly, the authors have added information to what can be found on the tombstone. No source for this information is given. (6)
        David Steel, Jr., can be found with his wife Susan in the 1880 census. After her death and the death of his second wife, he apparently married Jennie who is with him in the 1900 census. I have included all of this Steel information because it is connected to Sarah Gates who married Maynard F. Clover, and I was trying to find Mary’s child. He appears with his father and stepmother in the 1900 census. His first name was Jesse in the census.
        Children: Bessie Kirk quotes Lois Cooper as saying that Hardin left 3 children. Bessie does not agree. She says that there were only two. There are only 2 in the 1880 census. Guy is listed who must be George Hardin Clover. The children of Amos Hardin Clover and Mary Reed were: (1) George Hardin Clover born 14 April 1876, Glenelder, Mitchell County, Kansas, died 1 August 1951, Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington, married 15 November 1900, Friend, Saline County, Nebraska, Emelia Engel. Emelia, born 15 February 1883, Friend, Saline County, Nebraska, died 9 May 1969, Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington.(7) They lived for a while in Edmundton, Canada according to Bessie. He was always called Guy by the family. She also stated that George Hardin Clover served in Cuba during the Spanish American War. He was very ill with yellow fever. (2) Carl(e)ton Clover went by Carl. He married Pearl and had two sons, Dephene Clover, born 16 March 1907 in Friend, Nebraska, and Clarence Clover, 14 April 1909, in Friend, Nebraska.(8)
        George Hardin Clover obituary, Bellingham (Washington) Herald, Thursday 2 August 1957, page 21. George Hardin Clover, age 73 of 1220 Twenty Third Street, passed away in a local hospital, Wednesday, August 1, following a brief illness. Mr. Clover was a veteran of the Spanish American War and a member of the V.F.W. Surviving relatives include his wife, Amelia; five daughters, Violet Glenn and Rachel Nash, both of Bellingham, Edna L. Kernan in Wisconsin, Alice Flick of Alger, and Marie Dumbeck of Algers; a son, Harold Clover of Bellingham. Burial.....Woodlawn Cemetery.

1880 Ottawa County, Kansas Bennington, ED 225 sh 15A line 17, Family number 134, Page 459C, NARA T9-0392: Harden Clover 24 IA IN OH farm laborer; Mary wife 23 IA OH OH keeping house; Guy son 4 KS IA IA; Carleton son 6 months KS IA IA.

1900 Cloud County, KS ED 25 sh 15A line 44, 203/204, page 11A, NARA T623-475: David S. Steel March 1846 Married 1 yr Canada Am Cit [entry repeated for place of birth of both parents. I am not sure what this indicates.] date of entry blank, no. of years and naturalization marked un, farmer; Jennie M. Wife July 1866 mar 1 yr 0/0 ch IL OH IN; Jesse son Dec 1886 KS Canada IA.

Endnotes:
(1) Group sheet by Emelie Clover, sent by Wilma Morris.
(2) Bessie Rosella Clover Kirk, The Clover Family, (Privately Published, 1985), 1.
(3) Bernice Myers Chapman, Mitchell County, Kansas Marriages, December 1870 to 1896, (Beloit, Kansas: B.M. Chapman & D. Chapman, 1983), 16. [Mitchell County Marriage Book A: 92.]
(4) Marie Jencie Clover pedigree chart, prepared by Charles Dumbeck, her spouse, dated 24 March 1999. Copy sent by Wilma Morris.
(5) Research of Bessie Clover Kirk, sent by Edus Snyder.
(6) Cloud County, Kansas Cemeteries, Volume 4, Jamestown, Glasco, Lyon, Arion, Buffalo, Grant, Summit, and Solomon Townships, (Concordia, Kansas: Cloud County Genealogical Society, 1987). Response to lookup request, 15 July 2003, was retyped and did not include page number.
(7) Wilma Morris group sheet which had information from Charles Allison Dumbeck, stepfather of Wilma Morris.
(8) Group Sheet sent by Wilma Morris.

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