Making Connections: How Charles met Catherine?

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.  

  

Catherine Jones Bronson--U.S. Special Census on Deaf Family Marriages and Hearing Relatives

Having found one of the granddaughters of Milly Riddle in Ancestry's  Database U.S. Special Census on Deaf Family Marriages and Hearing Relatives, 1888-1895 I was able to gather so much more information which led to finding two more of Milly's granddaughters(also thru her daughter Rebecca Hitchcock wife of Thomas Jones).  Technically I found two daughters and the Charles Bronson(widower of Catherine Jones Bronson)  By the time of this census--most of the paperwork for their entries showed 1889 and 1890--Catherine had been dead for the better part of 15 years.  I've taken that into account when I am analyzing the documents in Charles Bronson's files.  I also believe that there was another Catherine Jones' information mixed up in the files as the persons who were collecting the information were trying to go over the results.

The census info was collected in the following format
Page 1--Couple Notes:  Date of marriage, children
Page 2--Husband--Parents info--List of Siblings--Additional info on deaf family
Page 3--Wife--Parents info--List of Siblings--Additional info on deaf family
Page 4--Notes on the couple and their children.

If there are multiple marriages the four page form was filled out for each couple.  There are 12 pages in the grouping for Charles.  This may be an Ancestry thing I'm not sure as each couple has a different file number. Charles Bronson (#173--contains 4 pg form Images 1-4)Charles Bronson is listed with Catherine and Catherine's date of death is noted.  Notation that this is Charles' first marriage (#1350-- contains 4 pg form--images 5-8) Edward Francis and a Catherine Jones.  She is born around the same year range as Catherine Jones daughter of Thomas Jones and Rebecca Hitchcock.  Their marriage year is listed as Jun 12th 1860.  A time hat which I can place Catherine in Tennessee(White Co Dist 6) with Charles Bronson living near her father.  (#174 --contains 4 pg form  Images 9-12)Charles Bronson and his 2nd wife Sarah Willhartz.  Charles and Sarah married about 13 months after Catherine's death. There is an article about the marriage in the The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky) Thursday 11 Jan 1877  edition page 4 column 2.   There is very little information filled in for Edward Francis and Catherine Jones(they appear to be from Iowa). Just enough where the year of birth is similar to that of Catherine Jones Bronson and causing confusion.  I have to keep in mind when they were analyzing the information in the 1890s they did not have the advantage of being able to view the 1860 and 1870 census entries for this family.  See those census entries below with notations I've added. (click to enlarge)

Catherine is listed as a pupil at the Tennessee School for the Deaf in 1851 (see http://knoxcotn.org/old_site/schools/tsd/students1.htm)

Year: 1860; Census Place: District 6, White, Tennessee; Roll: M653_1279; Page: 57; Family History Library Film: 805279 Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7667 accessed Oct 1 2017, search on Thomas Jones White Co. Tennessee]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

Year: 1870; Census Place: Franklin, Johnson, Indiana; Roll: M593_330; Page: 265A; Family History Library Film: 545829 Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7163 accessed Oct 1 2017, search on Charles Bronson Franklin Co.Indiana]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.