How does a girl from Tennessee end up meeting and marrying a guy from Ohio in the 1850s. What is the connection? In my blog post "Catherine Jones Bronson--U.S. Special Census on Deaf Family Marriages and Hearing Relatives" I noted that Catherine was among those on the pupil list at the Tennessee School for the Deaf in 1851. She marries Charles Bronson(also a deaf mute) in 1856. In the 1860 census, Charles & Catherine are living near Catherine's family. Charles' place of birth is listed as Ohio. A search of other pupils there yielded nothing remotely close to Charles Bronson. On a whim I checked the teacher listing and there is a George E. Bronson(source: Knox Co TNGenWeb--TN School for the Deaf) listed as an instructor from 1849-1853.
This is the same George E. Bronson who is listed as a sibling of Charles on the U.S. Special Census on Deaf Family Marriages and Hearing Relatives(see above image.) Did George bring his brother, Charles to Tennessee with him during the time he worked at the school? That would explain how a guy from Ohio came to know a girl from Tennessee.
WRONG!!
Well not completely wrong but a check of the 1850 Federal Census shows that Elijah and Fannie Bronson were already in Tennessee by the time that George takes the job at the Deaf School. They are enumerated in White Co TN in 1650. Elijah and his wife were both born in Connecticut. That kind of makes me wonder if they knew the Connecticut Hitchcocks. Charles' Mother-in-law was a Hitchcock. In 1850 George--noted as Deaf and Dumb is in KY in what I believe is his sister Sarah Bronson Powers household(though the 1850 doesn't list relationships) I've yet to find Charles during 1850. So now I know that the connection was at least that they lived in the same county AND had connections to the TN School for the Deaf.
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