Edwin Blake: 1834 - 1917
1. Edwin Blake was a son of Daniel Blake and Loami. Daniel was born about 1807 in Massachusetts and Laomi was born about 1813 in New York. Their son Edwin Blake was born 5 May 1834 in New York, and died 20 Jan 1917 in Chandlerville, Cass Co., Illinois. He is buried in the Chandlerville City Cemetery. Edwin married Margaret Schoonover on 22 Sep 1856 in Mason Co., IL. I don't know what happened to their marriage but Edwin married his second wife Mary Greenwood on 23 Jun 1861 in Cass Co., IL.
2. Margaret Schoonover was the daughter of Abner Schoonover (1807 - 1848) and Susan Snyder (1806 - 1889), and a G-G-G-G-grandaughter of Claes Van Schoonhoven, the first "Schoonover" ancient to arrive in the future America in 1651 from the Netherlands. I also don't know what happened to their marriage but Margaret did marry again.
A very bad move for old Margaret.
3. John Hickman was Margaret's second husband. Margaret Schoonover and John Hickman were married on 29 Mar 1863 in Cass Co., IL. John Hickman had been married before, to Nancy Hood. John killed his first wife Nancy HOOD by hitting her in the head with a flat iron while she was sick and bed-ridden. He was tried in Beardstown, Illinois and acquitted on grounds of insanity, and then committed to the Insane Asylum at Jacksonville, Illinois on 20 March 1858. Only seven months later John was found to be cured and was released from the Jacksonville Insane Asylum on 1 Nov. 1858. In 1863 he married Margaret SCHOONOVER. And in January, 1870 he killed Margaret by slitting her throat. He was tried and sentenced to a life term in prison at Joliet, Illinois. John Hickman died in that prison on 18 Jul 1894.
I'm related to this Margaret Schoonover. Her father Abner Schoonover and my G-G-grandfather Jacob Schoonover were brothers. My dad was born in Cass Co., IL.
Bob Schoonover