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Jim & Selma Burrows

Gilbert Blue

Gilbert Blue was born in about 1786 in Pennsylvania.

Their children were:

• David Blue, born in about 1814 in Pennsylvania. He married a woman named Wealthy.

• Elizabeth A. Blue, born in about 1818 in Ohio.

• Matilda J. Blue, born in about 1826 in Ohio.

• John M. Blue married Esther Bentz.

• Irvin Blue.

• J. F. Blue, born in Ohio in about 1859, married, at the age of 33 Katie (Schlaurbaum) Newell (age 27) in Van Horne, Benton County, Iowa on 16 February, 1893. J. F. was a grain buyer in Van Horne, Benton County, Iowa. Katie was the widowed daughter of John Schlaurbaum and his wife Louisa Schuniller (name uncertain).

• William C. Blue, born in Ohio in about 1860, married, at the age of 27, Emma J. Baker (age 24) in Eldorado Township, Benton County, Iowa, on 21 March 1889. William was a farmer in Van Horne. Emma was the daughter of Emanuel Baker, and his wife the former Miss Troutman.

This whole family is, at present, highy conjectural. It is based upon the census records Blue families in Iowa, and the marriage records for Blues in Benton County. It seems quite likely that most of these people are related to John D. Blue, but their exact relationships are guesswork. On the whole it appears to go together well and to tell a consistant story of the migration of the Blues from Pennsylvania to Ohio in around 1816 and from Ohio to Iowa in 1865. A good deal more work is needed to confirm this picture, however.

That Gilbert Blue is related to David Blue is quite speculative. It is based solely on the fact that, like David Blue, he was a carpenter and moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio to Iowa, and the fact that John D. Blue's grandson was named J. Gilbert Blue.

If these speculations are correct the family tree looks like this:

    Gilbert Blue, b. ca. 1786, PA
        David Blue, b. ca. 1814, PA
            Abner Blue, b. ca. 1843, OH
            John D. Blue, b. 1844, OH
                Iona Blue, b. 1868, IA
                Leonard Blue, b. 1870, IA
                Alice E. Blue, b. 1871, IA
                Thomas C. Blue, b.1873, IA
                    Thomas C. Blue
                    J. Gilbert Blue
                Robert Bruce Blue, b. 1876, IA
                John D. Blue jr, b. 1878, IA
            David L. Blue, b. ca. 1847, OH
            Anna L. Blue, b. ca. 1854, OH
            Etna Blue
        Elizabeth A. Blue, b. ca. 1818, OH
        Matilda J. Blue, b. ca. 1826, OH
        Irvin Blue
        John M. Blue
            J. F. Blue, b. ca. 1859
            Wm C. Blue, b. ca. 1860

The John M. Blue family listed here is based upon two marriage records we have for Benton County, Iowa in the 1890s. According to these, John M. Blue and his wife Esther Bentz had two sons--William C. and J. F.--both born in Ohio in about 1860. J. D. Blue (presumably John Demotte Blue) testified as to the majority and suitability for marriage of William C. Blue, and an Irvin Blue so testified for J. F. Blue. I'm assuming that John M. was part of the same Blue clan that moved to Iowa from Ohio in around 1865. From his age he could be from either David or J. D.'s generations, altough it is more likely that he was from David's. Since it is unlikely David had two sons named John, but quite likely that the two Johns are related, I've listed John M. as David's brother and thus Gilbert's son.

We know nothing about Irvin Blue other than his testimony as to J. F. Blue's suitability for marriage. I have inferred that he was a realative of J. F.'s, and since he isn't known to be of David's family, he is likely to either be the son of John M. or Gilbert. I'm listing him as the latter.