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Elizabeth Laird was born to Joseph C. and Eleanor "Ellen" (Morison) Laird in Aberdenshire, Scotland, the second of their eight children. Elizabeth's parents were born on the west side of Scotland, and itis unknown why they travelled northeast to Aberdeenshire, but likely it had something to do with work. Elizabeth's father was born in a very small town by the name of Kilmacolm in Renfrewshire, Scotland, near Glasgow. There may not have been any opportunities there, aside from farming. Elizabeth's mother was born in either Glasgow or Lanark,Scotland, towns that are adjacent to Kilmacolm or thereabouts. Four more siblings joined Elizabeth before the Laird family began to migrate toward the United States. Her brother, John Ernest Laird, was born in 1817 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The final child, Peter Laird (my direct ancestor) was born in 1821 in Clark County, Ohio, probably in Greene Township, where the family is found in the 1830 census.The year before her brother Peter was born, Elizabeth married Thomas Claton, Jr. on October 12, 1820, in Warren County, Ohio. Thomas was the son of Thomas D. Claton and Elizabeth Rosa (Brand) Claton . He was born June 12 , 1798 in New Jersey. Elizabeth and Thomas spent their first seven years of married life in Warren County, Ohio, where their first six children were born. Sometime between April of 1827 and May of 1828, they moved to Flat Rock, Shelby County, Indiana, where Elizabeth gave birth to TEN more children! All in all, the Clatons had sixteen children, some of whom died as infants. Others died while very young. Some barely reached majority. Children that survived to old age were only five: James lived to age 79 ; Sarah Elizabeth (Claton) Van Benthuysen lived to be 84; Joseph Washington lived to be77; Cynthia (Claton ) Cochran lived to her 80th year; and Benjamin Franklin lived to the age of 69. Their children were: Adam,1821-1822 James, 1822-1901 Peter, 1823-1825 Eleanor, 1824-1825 Mary,1825-1853 Sarah Elizabeth, 1827-1911 Joseph Washington, 1828-1905 Cynthia, 1829-1909 Thomas Jefferson, 1833-1883 Elizabeth, 1834-1855 infant, 1836-1836 infant, 1837-1837 Louisa, 1838-1857 William Laird,1840-1879 Benjamin Franklin, 1842- 1911 Sanford Ballingal, 1844-1864 Elizabeth herself was 63 when she died in 1865. Her husband lived another 9 years, dying in October of 1874. Their descendants are numerous and wide spread, many of whom migrated all the way west and can be found in California and other western states .
Biography copyright (c) 2010 Silver S. Parnell
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1802 - 1866 (63 years)
