Week 33 2026 - Multiples

Not having a lot of multiple births in my family or accountants that are into multiple numbers, I chose to write about my great-aunt Lois Ann Dillingham. 'Loattie' was the oldest of 12 children of Sidney and Katherine (Sweet) Dillingham, my 2x great-grandparents. Of those 12 children, 10 lived to adulthood and there were no multiple births.

She was the original 'Loattie' in the family although there were multiple descendants that also carried that nickname. She also married multiple times and had a total of 11 children.

She was born June 23, 1837, in New York. The family had moved to Cherry Valley, Winnebago County, Illinois by the 1850 census, after a stop in Michigan for a few years. At the young age of 15, she married John Beard July 17, 1852, in Winnebago County, Illinois. They had four children: Catherine, Margaret, William and Alicia. William and Alicia both died in 1864 at ages four and three. John enlisted in the Civil War in the 52nd Illinois Infantry, Company E. But by 1865 Lois applied for a widow's pension. I can find no death record for John, nor a burial. John's death is based on her application. Lois and her children then joined her parents in Iowa where they had settled in 1864.

After John died, she married Tracey Shepard April 29, 1866, in Cerro Gordo, Iowa. In October 1866 Tracey was involved in an altercation with a neighbor regarding an issue with cattle. The neighbor        shot him in the leg and although it was not an instantly fatal wound, a few days later (October 17) he died from his injuries. Lois was pregnant at that time and also a newlywed and in February 1867, they had a daughter Minnie Harriet Shepard, who never knew her father.

....a fatal shooting affray recently occured in Cerro Gordo County. Mr. Shepard and Mr. Dedham had both been troubled with each others cattle during the season, and frequent disputes had arisen. The Republican says:---"At the time the shooting occurred, Shepard was loading sand on the bank of the creek. ---The boy came up on the opposite side, and the old quarrel was resumed, during which he called Shepard a liar. The latter threatened to whip him if he repeated it, which he did. Taking a short whip in his hand, Shepard crossed the creek to him and was met on the bank with the muzzle of his cocked gun. ---Seizing the gun in his hand, Shepard tried to turn it aside, but before he could do so, the boy fired, and the charge entered Shepard's thigh. Remaining where he was for some time, he was at length assisted to recross the creek by a young man living at Dedham's and reaching home, Dr. Hurd of Hampton was called, but last evening, the 17th, at 4''clock the patient died from the effects of the wound."

Next Lois married John Meehan. John was born June 22, 1825, in Sligo, Ireland. They married April 14, 1869, in Rockwell City, Calhoun County, Iowa. At the time of their marriage, Lois had three children, ages 15 and under. Lois and John would go on to have six children: Mary, Edward, Bartly, Lois Ann, Ida and James.

Lois Ann Dillingham Beard Shepard Meehan died April 30, 1893, in Aredale, Franklin County, Iowa. Her husband John died Sept 19, 1898, in Aredale. 

Loattie lived a long and remarkable life, spanning four different states during a time of tremendous change in American history. Her journey would have taken her by wagon and train as she and her family moved from one place to another, experiencing firsthand the challenges and opportunities of a growing nation. She lived through the aftermath of the Civil War, endured the heartbreaking and unfair deaths of children, and faced the loss of two husbands. Yet, despite the hardships that marked so many chapters of her life, Loattie continued forward.

Her legacy lives on in the generations that followed her, allowing her story—and the strength and perseverance of the woman she was—to become part of our family history.

Barbie

NOTE: Aredale, Iowa is known for dairy farms and their contributions to cheese making by supporting a large cheese factory in town. 

Aredale is also known for the race for mayor when on November 8, 2011, Butler County showed that a senior at the local high school was elected. Jeremy Minnier, age 18, won with 24 write-in votes. Incumbent Mayor Virgil Homer received eight votes.

In April 2012, Mayor Jeremy Minnier appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Minnier discussed life in the small town and displayed photos.