Mary Jane Bemis (maiden name: Rowley) was born in 1830 in New York. She eventually moved to Ohio, and she married Reuben Bemis on October 7, 1847. They had at least four children: Helen, born around 1848; Daniel, born around 1849; James, born around 1860; and William, born around 1870. They lived in Milan, Ohio, and her husband worked as a laborer. By 1850, they owned $200 of real estate. A decade later, they owned $800 of real estate and $300 of personal property, and by 1870, their wealth had grown to $1,300 of real estate and $900 of personal property. Her husband died on November 23, 1875.

 

She applied for a widow’s pension in October 1876 and eventually secured one. By 1880, she was living in her son James’ household in Berlin, Ohio. Two decades later, she was living with her son William in Kenton, Ohio. By 1910, she was living in the Madison Seminary, a facility for Civil War soldiers, sailors, and their widows. She died in Madison on June 20, 1910.

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