Family Mysteries

And

Lost Souls

Sarah Ann Lanning Garren

Sarah Ann Lanning is my Great, Great, Great Grandmother and wife of William Garren.  Sarah was born in North Carolina where she married William Garren and raised a large family.  She passed away in 1868 and her location of death is listed as Buncombe County, North Carolina.  I have never been able to confirm her burial location.

Her husband William migrated with family members to Huerfano County, Colorado in 1870 and is buried in the Old Cemetery located at La Veta, Colorado.  The only clue I have regarding the location of Sarah Ann’s burial location is a letter to William dated April 1873.  In this letter he is advised that per his wishes a marker had been placed on Sarah’s grave by family members and that that marker is just to the right of her Grandmother’s Lowensbury’s grave.  Sarah Ann’s Grandmother was Marcy “Lowensbury” Lanning.

As yet I’ve not been able to locate Sarah’s grave site or that of her Grandmother.  If anyone out there has any information regarding these burial locations, I’d love to hear from you.

Margaret Stever Danks

Margaret Stever is my Great Grandmother on my maternal side and the first wife of William Arthur Danks.  Margaret and William were married in El Paso County, Colorado, on February 26, 1873.  The actual location of the marriage was Kiowa, Colorado and since that time the county names have been changed and the location where they homesteaded and lived, is now located in ElbertCounty, Colorado.

Margaret died in childbirth when my Grandfather Arthur Danks was born in late 1873 and was buried somewhere in the vicinity of present day Kiowa, Colorado.  Seven years later William Arthur Danks re-married and shortly there after, relocated to La Veta, Colorado where he’s buried with his second wife, Lillie "Smith” Danks.

I have yet to be able to locate the burial site of Margaret “Stever” Danks and would appreciate it deeply if anyone who might come across this information would drop me a line.

In addition, any information on the Stever line would be appreciated!  One of William Arthur Danks' sisters, Mary Elah Danks married Lewis J. Stever in Gardner, Kansas on April 5 1872.  Current reseach points to Lewis Stever and Margaret Stever being either brother and sister or that Martha was a fostered/adopted member of the Stever family.  It is known that my Grandfather Arthur was wet nursed by Mary Elah "Danks" Stever and lived with his uncle and aunt until his father's second marriage took place in 1880.

Mary Ann Purdy

Mary Ann Purdy Danks was my Great, Great Grandmother, married to John Saunders Danks in Russellville, Logan County Kentucky on March 25, 1844.   Mary Ann and John Saunders Danks had eleven children during their marriage, but not too long after migrating to Kansas, John Saunders Danks abandoned the family only to re-marry Mary Ann Biehi in January of 1882.

Mary Ann Purdy Danks never remarried, but managed to raise the kids and then relocated with her son William Arthru Danks to El Paso County, Colorado around 1870.  She is noted in the 1880 census for El Paso County, Colorado and it's known that she died in Elbert County Colorado on August 14, 1892.  I have yet to locate her place of burial.

James Randall Garren

&

Anne Judson Erwin

James Randall Garren and his wife Anne Judson Erwin Garren migrated to Huerfano County, Colorado in 1870.  James was the brother of John Garren and one of the sons of William Garren and Sarah Ann Lanning.  Records in La Veta, Colorado and Huerfano County place James there until around 1890.  It is at that point that I loose him and his wife.  There is a record showing that he died in La Veta, Colorado in 1927, but there is no record of this with the county and there is no known burial location.  It's my belief that James Randall and his wife were the first of the Garrens to migrate from Colorado to California and that his migration may have spurred the eventual move of Jesse Miles Garren and his family to the coast as well, but this is unconfirmed.

Any one who can share any information on James Randall and his family would be a welcome contributor to this site.