Job Oliver 1820 - 1911
Job was the son of Samuel Oliver (1793-1840) and Rebecca Downen Oliver, born on 18 December 1820 in Kentucky, USA.
He married Elizabeth Jones on 24 December 1843 in Posey County, Indiana, USA. They had the following children:
William Oliver (1844-1924)
Thompson Oliver (1846-1887)
Cynthia Oliver (1848-1876)
Wilson Oliver (1852-1921)
Charles Oliver (1853-After 1870)
Samuel Oliver (1854-1944)
Sadly, Elizabeth died on 30 December 1855 and Job was left to take care of a substantial family without a wife. Most likely a pragmatic sort, he married again on 21 September 1857, this time to Elizabeth Ann (or Ann Elizabeth) Shaw. They had the following children:
George Oliver (1859-1914)
Emma Oliver (1861-1939)
Elisabeth Oliver (1863-After 1870)
James Oliver (1865-1934)
Ella Oliver (1867-After 1920)
Cornelia Oliver (1869-1943)
Job and Elizabeth Jones Oliver are listed in the 1850 census in Robinson Township, Posey County, Indiana, USA (census image here) (View neighbors in HTML)
In 1860 Job and Elizabeth Ann Shaw Oliver are found, still in Robinson Township, Posey County. (census image here)
By 1870 Job and the entire family had moved to Center Township in Posey County, where they appear in the census that year. (census image here)
In 1880 the family was still in Center Township, but all of Job's first wife Elizabeth's children were gone for the first time. All had moved out on their own with the exception of Charles, who may have died between 1870 and 1880; in any event, I have found no more evidence of him in the historical record. One of his second wife Ann's children was also gone, Elisabeth, and she may have also died in the previous decade.
(census image here)
In 1882 a History and Directory of Posey County was published and Job was listed in the directory on page 207 as simply, "Oliver Job, farmer, Center twp, WADESVILLE".
In 1899 Elizabeth Ann Shaw Oliver died and was laid to rest in the Mount Zion Cemetery in Center Township. At the time of the census the following year in 1900, Job was still listed as head of household; only his divorced daughter Ella Oliver Pitts and her six children were living in the house with him at that time.(census image here)
By the time of the 1910 census no one else was listed as living with Job. In his 89th year, having outlived two wives and possibly as many as four of his children, we can imagine mortality weighing on his thoughts. By all accounts he had lived an enormously successful life and had been one of the leading citizens of Posey County. He may have lived alone by then but there were still numerous children and grandchildren left to visit him. Maybe Job was finally ready for some peace and quiet.(census image here)
In his 90th year, on 13 July 1911, Job took his last breath and shortly thereafter joined his second wife Annie within the soil of Mount Zion Cemetery. At the time of his death he still had at least six living children and most of the fifty grandchildren who had been born by then.
There is an article on Job's son William in the History of Posey County, Indiana (Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, 1913, edited by John C. Leffel). It has the following information on Job:
Job Oliver was born in Kentucky on December 18, 1820, his parents coming to Indiana shortly after his birth. They located in Posey county, then in a formative period, where the father located on land. Job attended the schools of that early day, did his due share of the day's work, endured the hardships common to the settler of the pioneer period, and became one of the large land owners of the county. He was actively concerned in the early development of Center township, a man of influence, and possessed the esteem of all. He was married twice. By his first wife he had six children, three of whom are living (this was as of 1913), viz.: William A., the subject of this review; Wilson and Samuel. Thompson, Cynthia and Joel are deceased. Anna Shaw, his second wife, bore him six children, viz.: George, Emma, (Cor)Nelia, James and Ella. Elizabeth is deceased. The town of Oliver was named in honor of Job Oliver, the townsite being a part of one of his farms.
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Job Oliver page at Find A Grave
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