EUPHAEMIA (DOLTON) HIGHFILL
By: Louis Dolton, Jr. of Topeka, Kansas
Richmond Dalton (1815 - 1899)
From her well worn tombstone in Woodlawn Cemetery, Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, USA, she was born 22 Mar 1844 and from census records we believe she was born in Illinois like all her brothers and sisters. When Euphaemia Dolton was born in 1844 in Galesburg, Illinois, her father, Richmond Dalton, was 29, and her mother, Priscilla Hahn, was 21.
Galesburg, Illinois, was founded by George Washington Gale, a Presbyterian minister from New York state, who dreamed of establishing a manual labor college which became Knox College. A manual labor college was one in which students and staff was required to spend half of each day doing manual labor. Galesburg's success and growth was tied to the railroad industry. Local businessmen were major backers of the first railroad to connect Illinois' two biggest cities - Chicago and Quincy.
In 1850 Abigail and her eight siblings were living in Township 13 N 1 E, Knox County, Illinois. She took a year off now and then, but for the most part Priscilla had a child every year from 1843 to 1854. They had 12 children in 20 years. Priscilla died when she was thirty-seven years old. One author writing about Priscilla's labors said she would have died a lot sooner. All of Priscilla's children had been born in Illinois. Abigail was six years old and she might have been going to school depending upon the minimum school age at the time in Illinois. Otherwise, her older brother was the only one in school and the other seven or eight children were at home with mom. Richmond was a farmer.
By 1860 Richmond had moved his large family to Washington, DeKalb County, Missouri. Did he know that war was coming? He left Illinois which was up north and was not a slave state. He went to Missouri which was a slave state ever since it adopted statehood in 1821. But, there is no indication that the Dolton's ever had slaves. If he was moving to Missouri to get away from the War, then he made a mistake because Missouri was a hotly contest border state during the American Civil War. And much of the fighting was by irregulars or bushwhackers, so you never know if a body of men riding across the countryside were soldiers likely to burn your farm or just a group of men riding together for mutual protection. But, Richmond was just interested in farming and that's what he and his boys did. Euphemia was sixteen years old and was attending school. Since she was the oldest girl she was responsible for getting all the kids ready to go to school and helping mom with breakfast and packing lunches. When Euphemia got home she would help her mother and Abigail fix dinner, corral the kids around the table, clean up after dinner, help with homework and then help put the kids to bed. There were six children under ten. But, Abigail had help as there were four other teenagers in the house. Richmond and Priscilla had eleven children: Abigail, Euphaemia, Lucetta, Thiron, Alis, Nahum, Araminta, Loradumia, Edward, Kate, and Ennis. If she was still alive, the eldest daughter, Elizabeth Dolton, was seventeen years of age and was no longer in the home. She may have married.
Euphaemia Dolton and William Highfill were married about 1862 in Illinois. Euphaemia's father had been a farmer and she married a farmer. It was what she knew and probably what she enjoyed doing. Of course, there was little else a respectable woman could do in 1862 except perhaps teach or be a nurse if you were fairly smart and well educated. Everyone pitied the poor girls who were trapped in the cities and had no choice but to work sixty or more hours a week in an office or factory.
The American Civil War began in 1861 and ended in 1864. While the War boiled up around them Euphaemia's family appears to have remain unscathed. No one in her immediate family was killed during the War. Euphaemia lived to see the slaves freed. America buy Alaska from Russia, Wyoming gave women the right to vote, and the first professional baseball teams took the field.
In 1865 the Kansas State Census for Mt Pleasant, Atchison County, Kansas, had a record of the W and U Highfill household. That's U for Euphaemia. W Highfill was a 24 year old, male, farmer, born in Indiana, who was married. U Highfill was a 21 year old, married, female, born in Illinois. W. H. Highfill was a two year old male, born in Kansas. F. M. Highfill was a one year old, male, born in Kansas. Also in the household was M. Fihely a 49 year old male, married, farmer, born in Ireland.
In the 1870 US Federal Census for Union, Jefferson, Kansas, there was a record of the William and Euphemie Highfill household. William Highfill was a 28 year old, white, male. Euphemie Highfill was a 26 year old, white, female. William B. Highfill was a seven year old, white, male. Francis M. Highfill was a six year old, white, male. Jacob P. Highfill was a four year old, white, male. Adeline Highfill was a one year old, white, female (finally a daughter). Elizabeth Highfill was a 73 year old, white, female, and was William's mother, she was born about 1827 in Kentucky.
Also, during this time, there was a Depression of 1873-79, an Influenza epidemic in North America and Europe 1873-1875 that killed millions, and Thomas Edison filed a patent for his electric incandescent lamp.
The 1880 US Federal Census for Wakarusa, Douglas, Kansas, USA, had a record of the William and Euphonia Highfill household. William Highfill was a 39 year old, white, male, born in Indiana. Euphonia Highfill was a 36 year old, white, female, born in Illinois. William R. Highfill was a 17 year old, white, male, working as a laborer. Francis M. Highfill was a 16 year old, white, male, working as a laborer. Jacob P. Highfill was a 14 year old, white, male, working as a laborer. Louisa Highfill was an eleven year old, white, female, at school (is this Adeline from the 1870 Census?). Charles Highfill was a nine year old, white, male, at school. Lana Highfill was a six year old, white, female. John Wilson (William Sr's nephew) was a 24 year old, white, male. All of William and Euphemia's children were born in Kansas and William's nephew was born in Iowa.
Tens of thousands were homesteading the midwest, but in 1886 there was a terrible blizzard that convinced many to go back home. In Kansas, some who stayed, hauled the bones of livestock frozen to death in wagons to Dodge City to sell at five or six dollars per ton.
From her well worn tombstone in Woodlawn Cemetery, Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, USA, we know that Euphaemia (Dolton) Highfill died 24 Mar 1890. She died at 46 years of age. Find A Grave Memorial# 99882985 There were no cars around when Euphaemia lived. She walked or rode in a horse drawn buggy or wagon to get to where she was going her entire life. Neither electricity or natural gas was available. She would have had to rely on kerosene lamps or candles for light, and wood or coal for cooking and heat. There were no refrigerators. Ice boxes (using ice to cool the food) came into fairly common use about 1860. A 1907 survey by the New York Charities Publication Committee found that 81% of the families surveyed were found to possess the ability to keep their food cool either by using ice stored in a tub or iceboxes. On farmes they often had underground cellars where they could keep food cool and smoke houses or salt to preserve meat. There was no TV and no radio. Yet Euphaemia lived a productive and happy life with her husband of 28 years and her many loving children.
William remarried the year after Euphaemia died. In 1900 William and Ella were living in Independence Ward 4, Jackson County, Missouri. Ella was 28 years younger than William and was able to take care of him until he died.
