26–27.  Joshua Stuller was born in Ohio on Friday, April 11, 1845, and died in Casco Township, Allegan County, Michigan, on July 13, 1919. His death record gives his age as 74-3-2 and the cause as pernicious anemia. Angeline Potter was born in Johnson Township, La Grange County, Indiana, in 1844, and died in Allegan County, Michigan, on September 3, 1906. She was known as Jennie. He is the son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Jarvis) Stuller. She is the daughter of Thomas B. and Elizabeth (_____) Potter. They had five children:

i. William Stuller was born in Casco Township in 1865, and died in Casco Township in 1937.

Stuller: William, Layton, Lorainne, Jennie
Photo from Layton's daughter, Hazel Arndt
William Stuller married Jennie Blood (1872–1906) on September 18, 1887, in Allegan County. Their three children were Lorainne, Layton (b. 1889 Casco Township, Allegan County, d. 1958 Pullman, Allegan County, buried in Stephenson Cemetery, Casco Township), and Blanche. Jennie Blood was born January 1, 1872, in Trumbell County, Ohio, and died in 1906 in Casco Township. She and William are buried in Stuller Cemetery, Allegan County. William's His birth record does not appear in the Allegan County birth records; they begin in 1867.
ii. George A. Stuller was born in Michigan in 1867-68. His birth record does not appear in the Allegan County birth records; they begin in 1867. Either he was not born in the county or he was born just before recordkeeping began.
iii. Aura Belle Stuller [#13]: She was born in Casco Township on November 10, 1874, and died on January 27, 1946.
iv. Clara Stuller: Her married name was Clara Benedict.
v. Charles Eugene Stuller was born in Casco Township on October 13, 1883. His birth record (Allegan County, Michigan, Birth Records, vol. 14, p.96, file 2564) Lists him as the fifth child of his mother and that four were living. It gives his mother as Angeline Potter, age 38, born in La Grange, Indiana. It also gives the source as "a sworn affidavit of his two older sisters."

His second marriage was to Jennie _____. They were married in 1887 or 1888. They had four children:

i. Joshua Stuller was born in Michigan, U.S.A., on September 4, 1889, and died in Corunna, Shiawassee County, Michigan, in June, 1968. In 1909 he married Edna Caroll, born about 1889. The 1910 census lists him as an out of work ditcher. They had a baby in 1912, John Isaac Stuller, who died at 11 months and 19 days of cholera infantum. In 1919 Joshua, Jr., was in State prison.
ii. Minnie Stuller was born in July, 1894, and died on August 13, 1894. She died at age one month and is buried next to her parents in the Stuller Cemetery, Casco Township, Allegan County.
iii. Mildred Stuller was born in Michigan on August 26, 1895, and died in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, U.S.A., in January, 1984. In the probate of Joshua's estate she is listed as Mildred Hamlin. The Social Security Death Index gives her SSN as 362-40-3773, confirms her birth and death dates, and gives her last residence as Kalamazoo.
iv. Lawrence A. Stuller died in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., on December 4, 1926. His name appears in the probate of his father's estate. He married Edera Pursell; their children included Mildred and George Eugene (George William Larson after adoption).
Per George William's son, William Larson, Lawrence died in a Veterans' Administration hospital in Chicago from the effects of mustard gas and was buried in a (probably VA) cemetery there. His family erected a headstone for him in Stuller Cemetery, Casco Township, Allegan County; it has only his name and death date. Also, George Eugene Stuller's birth certificate gives his birth information as October 14, 1923, in Ellerville, New York, his father as Lawrence A. Stuller and mother as Edera Pursell.

His third marriage was to Irene _____. The probate of Joshua's estate gives his wife as Irene.

The list of children and their birthdates comes from the following census records. The inclusion of Charles is assumed from his separate 1900 census record where he is living with his mother, Angeline, in Casco Township. Given the census data, one could assume that Joshua and Angeline divorced between about 1883 and 1888. Since Charles was an infant, he went with his mother while the other children stayed with their father. Angeline then married a man named Hess who died before 1900 leaving Charles, at 17, as the head of the household.

The Heirs of Angeline (Stuller) Hess (Sept. 4, 1906)
NameRelationshipAgeResidence
William Stullerson40Kibbie, Mich.
George A. Stullerson38Kibbie, Mich.
Aura Galbreathdaughter37South Haven
Clara Johnstondaughter26Fennville, RR3

The death record of Joshua (vol. 4, p. 145) gives his father as Isaac Stuller and mother as Elizabeth Jarvis, both born in Ohio.

The probate of Joshua's estate is recorded in Calendar 12, page 167, file #9959, of the Allegan County, Michigan, Probate Records. It required three separate public notices and included protests by his third wife that she was being treated unfairly by the administrator.

The Heirs of Joshua Stuller (July 13, 1919)
NameRelationshipAgeResidence
Irene Stullerwidow50Kibbie, Mich.1
William Stullerson53Kibbie, Mich.
George Stullerson51Kibbie, Mich.
Aurra Galbreath²daughter44 South Haven³
Clara Benedict4daughter38 South Haven5
Charles Stullerson35301 Cooley St.
Kalamazoo, Mich.
Joshua Stullerson29Ionia Reformatory6
Mildred Hamlindaughter23Bravo, Mich.7
Lawrence Stullerson18Kibbie, Mich.
  1. Kibbie is a small town about four miles east of South Haven.
  2. The name "Stuller" was crossed out and "Galbreath" written in.
  3. "301 Jersey St., Buffalo, N.Y." was written first then crossed out. Her son, George, had moved to Buffalo about four years earlier; this may have been his address.
  4. The name "Johnson" was crossed out and "Benedict" written in.
  5. "301 Cooley St., Kalamazoo, Mich." was written first then crossed out.
  6. State prison.
  7. Bravo, Mich., is 11 miles northeast of South Haven.

The inventory of Joshua's estate included the wide array of tools, equipment, and supplies necessary to sustain a successful farm, including: 3 bay horses, 1 sow, a gold watch, a revolver and 22 rifle, a book case, an organ, 9 acres south in Van Buren County on which was a cherry orchard, and 80 acres in Casco Township, Allegan County: the south ½ of the southwest ¼ of township 1, north range 16, west section 2.

From History of Allegan and Barry Counties, LDS 977.41H2h, 1880, there were no Stullers among the 37 names of tax-payers upon the assessment-roll of 1855. There is no mention of Stuller in the entire entry of Casco Township.

1880 Census, Allegan Co., Michigan
Casco Township, (Nat. Archives reel 569; vol. 74, E.D. 20, sheet 12, line 33)
Name s
e
x		 a
g
e		 rel.
to
head		 mar.
stat.		 Occupation Where Born
Self Father Mother
Stuller, Joshua M35HMFarmer OhioPenn.Ohio
  "   Angeline F35WMKeeping
house		 Mich.Vt.1Vt.1
  "   Milton4 M14SSWorks on
the farm		 Mich.OhioInd.
  "   George F12SSAt school Mich.OhioOhio³
  "   Aurie F 5DS  Mich.Mich.²Ohio³
  1. The script on the original census page was hard to interpret. "Vt" (Vermont) is the most likely meaning but it possibly could be "Va".
  2. "Ohio" was originally written here but crossed out and Mich. added. The author prefers to believe that "Ohio" is the correct entry here.
  3. The author believes that these two "Ohio" birth places should be "Mich."
  4. This census is the only place where this child's name appears as Milton; in each of his parents' probate records he is William.

The above census data was gathered from the original microfilms by the author, and extra carefully checked because of the inconsistency in the birth places of the children. As indicated, there was one strike-out and correction, which only compounds the problems. Either there are errors in the 1880 census record or Joshua Stuller lead a complex life involving fathering children with at least four women with different parental birth states (and retaining custody of all of the children). It is more likely that the birth places for the mother(s) of George and Auria (Aura Belle) should have been written "Mich." and the census taker, in attempting to correct this, perhaps after the fact, mistakenly changed the wrong "Ohio" to "Mich.".

The above confusion perhaps casts doubt on the "Indiana" entry for the mother of Milton. However, until evidence to the contrary is found, it will be assumed that his mother was not Angeline.

1900 Census, Van Buren Co., Michigan
South Haven Township, p. 10; (vol 74, E.D. 152, sheet 13, line 24)
Name s
e
x		 Birth Date a
g
e		 yrs
mar		 Where Born Occupation
Self Father Mother
Stuller, Joshua MApr 18465412OhioPenn.OhioFarmer
  "   Jennie (wife) FJan 18663412Mich.Mich.Ohio 
  "   Stuller, Joshua, Jr. (son) MSep 188910 Mich.OhioMich.At school
  "   Stuller, Mildred (dau.) FAug 1895 4 Mich.OhioMich. 
The census also indicates that Jennie bore 3 children and that 2 of them are living; that everyone over 9 can read, write, and speak English, and that Joshua owns his farm free and clear.

The 1900 census also gives a Charles Stuller in Casco Township, Allegan County, with his mother, Mrs. Angeline A. Hess. He was born October, 1883.

Joshua Stuller does not appear in the 1910 census of Michigan; however, his son, Joshua, Jr., appears as indicated, above.

Angeline's birth date comes from her age (38) at the birth of Charles in 1883, and from the LDS IGI record which gives it as 1844.

There are no Stullers in the entire DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) registry; therefore, no one has claimed membership via a Stuller who fought in the Revolution—perhaps none did.

Sources: