2026 - What the Census Suggests -

 The Thomas & Eliza Larkins Family – My 3^rd Great Aunt & Uncle

Lineage - Nancy Simmons, Josephine Martin, Edward Martin, Francis Martin, Elizabeth Larkins, William Larkins’ brother& wife, Thomas & Eliza (Martin) Larkins

Eliza (Martin) 1836-1923 and Thomas Larkins 1824-1911
Photo enhanced withChatGPT

The 1880 Federal Census for Springwells, Wayne County, Michigan, appears unremarkable at a glance. It lists my 3rd great-uncle, Thomas Larkins, a 52-year-old farmer who, like many men of his era, could neither read nor write. Born in Michigan in 1824 to Irish immigrants, he lived with his wife, Eliza (Martin), and their four young sons: Thomas (10), George (8), William (5), and Edward (2).

However, a closer look at the ledger reveals a more complex story hidden in the small tick marks of the "Health" columns.

1880 Federal Census - Springwells, Wayne County, Michigan 

A Quiet Discovery

Every census reflects the concerns of its era. In 1880, the form included specific inquiries regarding physical and mental health. In column 17—the slot reserved for those "deaf and dumb" there are distinct marks for three of the four Larkins children: Thomas, George, and William. Only two-year-old Edward remained unmarked.

The realization was overwhelming. In an era with limited social safety nets, Thomas and Eliza were raising three children with significant disabilities.

To dig deeper, I turned to the 1880 Supplemental Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes (the "DDD" Schedule). This specialized census provides heartbreakingly blunt categories for the era: "Insane, Idiots, Deaf-mutes, Blind, Paupers, Homeless Children, and Prisoners."

1880 Federal Census Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes 

The supplemental record for the Larkins family confirms the diagnosis: all three boys had been deaf since birth. Critically, it also notes that they had never been institutionalized. In a time when many families were pressured to send children with disabilities to state asylums, Thomas and Eliza kept their sons at home.

Resilience Across the Decades

Because the 1890 census was tragically destroyed by fire, we have a twenty-year gap in the family’s story. When the curtain rises again in the 1900 and 1910 censuses, the narrative shifts from one of struggle to one of remarkable resilience.

By 1910, Thomas was 86 and Eliza was 76. All four sons—including Joseph (likely the Edward of the 1880 census)—were still living at home or on the family land. The most incredible revelation? Every single son was now listed as being able to read and write. Despite their inability to hear or speak, the Larkins boys had gained the literacy their father never had. They also possessed trade skills that allowed them to contribute to their community:

• Thomas: Farmer
• George: Cabinet Maker
• William: Bee-keeper
• Joseph: Brick Maker

1910 Federal Census - Springwells, Wayne County, Michigan 

A Legacy of Care

The 1880 census suggested a family facing a bleak future. However, the subsequent decades prove that Thomas and Eliza provided a home where their sons didn't just survive—they thrived. They learned to communicate, they learned to work, and they remained a cohesive unit.

The family’s journey eventually came to a quiet end in Detroit. Thomas passed away in 1911 at the age of 87, followed by Eliza in 1923. One by one, their sons followed: William in 1924, Thomas in 1951, George in 1958, and Joseph in 1972. Today, they are all buried together in Section L of Woodmere Cemetery—a final, silent testament to a family that stayed together against the odds.

LARKINS - Family Monument Stone
Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Larkins Family buried in Section L

Sources:

1880 Federal Census (Population Schedule)

Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

• Specific Entry: Michigan, Wayne County, Springwells Township, Enumeration District (ED) 263, page 364C (stamped), family 246, lines 1–6, Thomas Larkins household.

1880 Supplemental Schedule (DDD)

1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes. Michigan. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

• Specific Entry: Wayne County, Springwells, Enumeration District 263, Page 1, Line 1–3, Thomas, George, and William Larkins.

1910 Federal Census (Population Schedule)

Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910. (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

• Specific Entry: Michigan, Wayne County, Springwells Township, Enumeration District 163, Sheet 15A, family 283, Thomas Larkins household.

2018 Prompt - Same Name - Edward Martin

Edward Martin - 1846-1927

3rd great grandfather

There is only one branch in my entire family tree that repeats the same name over six generations.  That is the Irish family name Edward Martin.  Edward Martin my 3rd great grandfather immigrated to the United States after his fifth daughter was born May 1842. Edward married Julia, her maiden-name is unknown, in Kilmactranny Parish, County Sligo, Ireland August 1, 1829. 

Kilmactranny Parish Church, Sligo County, Ireland

Their first five children were all daughters born in Ireland; Mary Jane born 1833, Margaret Isabelle born 1834, Eliza "Lizzie" born 1838, Frances "Fannie" born 1840, and Susan born 1842. Hard to believe we are going to get five generations of Edward Martins with all these girls but the last two children were sons; John Jacob born in 1842 and Edward William born 1844.

Shortly after arriving in America a son John Jacob was born in Ohio and the youngest child, my great-great grandfather, Edward William Martin, was born August 1,1846 in Springwells, Wayne County, Michigan. Before little Edward Martin turns eight his father died on February 22, 1854 leaving a widow and seven children.

Elmwood Cemetery
Detroit, Michigan

It is Edward's death that creates 132 pages of documentation that relates to us the well-being of this Irish family for the next 40 years.  Edward and Julia might have left Ireland knowing the famine was on the brink of developing but this Irish family was protestant and had money.  Edward buys a farm in Wayne County, Michigan of 160 acres in 1842 and in the 1850 agricultural census it states his cash value of his farm was $2500 being the ninth wealthiest farmer of the 35 farms listed on the page.  He had six horses, 2 oxen, 15 swine, 200 bushels of wheat, 100 bushels of corn, and 60 bushels of oats. Edward had invested in a working farm and little did he know in 1850 that his investment would help his family survive for 40 years after his death in 1854.

Edward died intestate, without a will, so the court appoints his wife Julia the executor of his estate and estimate his worth at ten thousand dollars.  This might have been too much for Julia because in just a few weeks the court appointed Colin Campbell the executor.  This is probably a family member, but I have not been able to prove this relationship.

Edward Martin's Estate value
Julia Martin - administrator

It is on the many pages of Edward Martin's probate papers that it states where in Ireland Julia and Edward were married, the date of the marriage, a description of his property in Wayne County, an inventory of his estate and sale of lands, expenses of the family for many years, and the partition of land in 1896 after the death of Julia on August 17, 1894. 

Partition of property to Edward & Julia's five children in 1894

Edward W. Martin is the seventh child of Edward and Julia and he lives his entire 81 years on the property where he was born and eventually inherits. 

Edward William Martin 1844-1927

Edward W. married Elizabeth Larkins August 9, 1869 and they had five children; two girls and three boys.  The two girls died within a year of their births but the boys all live to adulthood.  This generation does not produce an Edward. It is Edward W. Martin's son Francis Arthur Martin who names his second son Edward Jacob Martin.

Edward Jacob Martin 1895-1967-my grandfather

Are you with me? This makes the third Edward Martin! Edward Jacob Martin, my grandfather, was born January 7, 1895 in Detroit to Francis and Nina Wilcox Martin.  Edward Jacob married Mary Catherine Cronin in 1917 and has four children; his oldest a son that he named Edward William Martin. That makes the fourth Edward Martin!  Edward William Martin, the fourth, was born in 1918 and he had three sisters, one of which is my mother, Josephine Blanche Martin. 

Julia Marko and Edward William Martin 1943
Edward William Martin 1918-2005

Edward William Martin, the fourth, married Julia Marko in 1943 and had three sons. Yes, we not only have another Edward Martin, we have another Edward and Julia Martin!  Edward and Julia named their first son, Edward Timothy Martin. We now have our fifth Edward Martin in 143 years.

Edward Timothy Martin

From the birth of Edward Martin, our Irish immigrant, born in 1798 to the sixth generation of Martins with Edward Timothy Martin born in 1943 we have five generations of the Same Name.