Aroostook County Genealogical Society

Who Is Mary Ann, wife of Stephen Cobb?

There is a lone headstone on the side of Aroostook Road 9 miles due south from the Cross Road in Benedicta, Maine. Spike Savage and I had been told about this headstone a couple of years ago. We finally had time to go and find it and take a GPSreading and add her to our Society’s cemetery listings. The grave is well maintained. The headstone is fenced in and well care for. There are no homes around to ask who taking care of the site.

Spike and I were talking about the fact that it’s a single grave on edge of field just off the road. Who was Mary Ann Cobb? What happened to her husband Stephen and did they have a family? So I started looking at various web sites i.e. Roots Web, Family Search and Ancestry to see if I could find anything on Stephen and Mary Ann Cobb.

Roots Web and Ancestry has family trees. Family Search had information on the Mary Ann’s children. Jay’s private Library helped me to find dates in vital records of some towns in western Maine.

Mary Ann Cobb died Dec. 30, 1843 in Township 1 Range 5 in Southern Aroostook. She was born Sep. 1, 1805 in Pittsfield, ME, daughter of Jeremiah Goodwin and Fanny Powers.

Stephen Cobb was born Oct. 30, 1805 in Gray, ME and died Feb. 24, 1875 in Nininger, MN son of Benjamin Cobb and Sally Soper.

In the 1850 census for Reed Plantation in Aroostook County, I find Stephen Cobb 43 remarried to Zillah age 40 with the following children:

1. Francis Cobb 19
2. Ann Cobb 12
3. Orin Cobb age 10
4. Mary A. Cobb 9
5. Florence Cobb age 3
6. Julia Cobb age 11/12
7. Ebenezer Swann 17
8. Clara Swann 15
9. Matilda Swann 13
10. Oren Swann 10

Stephen married Mary Ann Goodwin in Canaan, Maine Nov. 26, 1829. They had:

1. Francis Henley b. Aug. 25, 1830 Canaan, ME.–d. Dec. 27 1909 Minneapolis, MN. Unmarried. He was a farmer and Grain Merchant
   1. Alonzo b. Jan. 5 1832 Canaan, ME.–d. Aug. 14, 1832 Canaan, ME.
   2. Stephen Alonzo b. Jun. 17, 1833 Madison, ME.–d. Aug. 24, 1878 Kansas City, KS. Unmarried. He was a Lawyer and Congressman for State of Kansas.
2. Ann Melissa b. Jun. 7, 1837 Madison, ME.–d. Sep. 16, 1891 Minneapolis, MN. She married Beverly Carter Bonham b. Mar. 3, 1835 Ohio–d. Mar. 15, 1891 St. Anthony, MN.
3. Oscar J. b. Mar. 12, 1840 Robbins ME.–d. May 12, 1908 Seattle, WA. Married to Florence Farrington. He was an architect. His buildings are still standing in Chicago.
4. Mary Ann b. May 8, 1841 Madison, ME.–d. Mar. 29, 1918 Seattle, WA. Married to Edward D. Stone b. Mar. 3, 1829 New York –d. Feb 21, 1895 Minneapolis, MN.

Stephen would have four more children with his second wife Zillah Young, widow of Oren Judson Swann.

1. Florence b. July 2, 1847 Reed, ME.–d. Oct. 20, 1938 Hastings, MN. Married to John Julius Stills b. Mar. 1848 McHenry IL.–d. Feb 2, 1922 Hastings, MN.
2. Julia b. Jun. 13, 1849 Reed, ME. –d May 17, 1864 Nininger, MN.
3. Llewellyn A. b. Mar. 1 1853 St. Anthony, MN.–d. Jan. 1, 1913 Minneapolis, MN. Married to Emily Countryman. He was a farmer.
4. Edway b. Jul. 13, 1855 St. Anthony, MN.–d. Oct. 31, 1930 Hastings, MN. Married to Clara Hannah Liddle. He was a Veterinarian.

Zillah had four children by her first husband Oren Swan.

1. Ebenezer Swan b. Sep. 11, 1832 ME. –d. Jun. 22, 1924 Yellow Medicine, MN. Married Helen Day b. 1839 ME. –d.? Farmer
2. Clara Swan b. 1835 ME. –d.? Alive in 1850 census
3. Matilda b. 1837 ME. –d.? Alive in 1850 census
4. Oren Judson Jr. b. Aug. 27, 1839 ME. –d. OCT. 23, 1937 Redwood Falls, MN. Married Celesta Valzora Nichols b. Jun. 1849 ME.-d. Apr. 5, 1936 Redwood Falls, MN.