Luna’s mother was 26 years old when she died. She probably died from complications of childbirth. Her father’s first wife also died in childbirth. Could this be the reason Abner and Luna had no children of their own?

Abner Polk Adams

Born: 2 JUL 1844 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA

Father: Abner Polk Adams (1794 to 1878)
Mother: Lucinda Fuller (1803 to 1878)

Spouse: Luna E Farrar (1847 to 1922)

Married: 1870 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA

Children: None

Died: 11 MAR 1900 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York, USA

Burial: Maple Grove Cemetery in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA

Obituary:

Timeline:

1849 Death of brother, Hiram
1850 Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA
1860 Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA
1869 Death of brother, James
1870 Marriage to Luna
1870 Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA
1878 Death of father, Abner
1878 Death of mother, Lucinda
1880 Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA
1880 Death of brother, Andrew
1899 Death of sister, Amanda
1900 Death and Burial

Occupation: merchant (1870, 1875), dry goods merchant (1880), bank cashier or comptroller

Records:

1850 to 1880 United States Federal Census Records
New York, U.S., State Census, 1875
New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999
U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

I found an obituary for Abner on another family tree. It was published in the Buffalo Evening News on 12 MAR 1900.

Abner’s Wife:

Luna E Farrar:

Luna was born in 1847 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. She died on 29 MAR 1922 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York, USA.

The Farrar Family:

Luna’s father was Royal Clark Farrar. He was born on 27 APR 1805 in Gilmanton, Belknap County, New Hampshire, USA. He died on 31 JAN 1875 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA.

Royal married Sarah A Bradley in 1837 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. Three known children were born during their marriage:

Martin V Farrar (1838)
Melville Farrar (1841)
George Farrar (1845 to 1854)

Sarah A Bradley was born in 1813 in New Hampshire, USA. She died on 17 JUN 1845 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA.

Sarah was 32 years old when she died. The Find A Grave memorial for their son, George, indicates that Sarah died in childbirth.

After Sarah died, Royal married Luna Roscoe in 1846 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. One known child was born during their marriage:

Luna E Farrar (1847), Abner’s wife

Luna Roscoe was born in 1821 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. She died on 7 SEP 1847 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. Luna was 26 years old when she died.

The 1900 US Census Record shows that Abner’s wife, Luna, was born in August of 1847.

The Find A Grave memorial for Luna’s mother listed her death date as 7 Sep 1847. She may also have died from complications of childbirth.

After Luna died, Royal married Maria Elizabeth Spoor on 25 APR 1850 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. Seven known children were born during their marriage:

Sarah E Farrar (1851 to 1876)
Stanley Royal Farrar (1852)
Anna E Farrar (1854)
Gilbert T Farrar (1856)
Ernest Harlow Farrar (1858)
Cora Edith Farrar (1862)
Oliver L Farrar (1866 to 1870)

Maria Elizabeth Spoor was born on 9 OCT 1824 om Lyons, Wayne County, New York, USA. She died on 21 DEC 1911 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA.

There is a biographical sketch of Royal on the Internet Archive website. It is entitled “History of Cattaraugus County, New York“, Page 367.

If you are interested in the Farrar family history, there is another publication on the Internet Archive website. It is entitled “Memoir of the Farrar Family“. It was written by Timothy Farrar (1788 to 1874).

Notes:

John Adams (1595 to 1633) was the first person with that English surname to immigrate to North America from England. In 1621, John boarded the Fortune. This was the second ship, after the Mayflower, to bring Puritans to North America. In late November of that year, the Fortune arrived at Plymouth Colony. John was the progenitor of all the Adams descendants listed in these posts.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!