Charlotte Ophelia Gillies ^{2 3}

  Noted events in her life were:

• She appeared on the 1880 US Census in Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, KS on 14 June 1880. ³

1880 US Census
Page 14, Roll 0376, District 50, Family 129
Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, Kansas
Charlotte Fast..Wife..27..WI..Keeping House
(Living with husband and 3 children.)

NOTE - If her birth date was in Nov 1851, then her age should have been 28 instead of 27.
.

• She appeared on the 1900 US Census in Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, KS on 4 June 1900. ²

1900 US Census
Sheet 21A, District 35, Dwelling 31, Family 31, Roll
Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, Kansas
farm owned, no mortgage
married 28 years
Charlotte C. Fast..Wife..Nov 1851..48..WI..0/0
(Living with husband and adopted daughter, Esther.)
.

• Her obituary was published in The Columbus Weekly Advocate on 13 February 1919 in Columbus, KS.

Mrs. Charlotte Fast died Wednesday afternoon Feb 5, at her home in this city, The funeral will be held Friday afternoon at 2:30 from the Methodist Church and Rev Armstrong will have charge of the service.

Charlotte Ophelia Gillies was born Nov 15, 1851 at Albany, Green County, Wisconsin, and married C. M. Fast (Carlton) on December 15, 1871, at Cromwell, Union County, Iowa. They came to Columbus on November 11, 1875 settling on the farm south of Columbus and lived there until the death of C.M. Fast.

Mrs. Fast left the farm and came to Columbus and built the home where she died, on February 5, 1919, She leave 2 step-sons Burtiss E. Fast, an Clarence D. Fast and an adopted daughter Esther E. Snodgrass, a brother H.D. Gillies of Fredonia, Kansas a sister Mrs. Alice Marshall of Lone Wolf, OK also David G. Gillies Waggoner, Ok Edward S. Gillies, Hallett, Wyoming to mourn her passing .

(Source: The Columbus Weekly Advocate, Columbus, Kansas, 13 February 1919)
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Charlotte married Carlton M. Fast, son of John Blosser Fast and Sarah Ann Ogle, on 15 December 1871 in Cromwell, IA.^{1 2} (Carlton M. Fast was born on 7 October 1838 in Illinois ^{2 3 4} and died on 27 February 1903 in Columbus, KS.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1880 US Census in Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, KS on 14 June 1880. ¹

1880 US Census
Page 14, Roll 376, District 50, Dwelling 121, Family 129
Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, Kansas
Carlton W. Fast..Self..41..IL..Farmer
Charlotte Fast..Wife..27..WI..Keeping House
Bentiss Fast..Son..18..IL
Clarence Fast..Son..12..IL
Emma(?) Fast..Adopted Dau..10..KS
Annie Henry..Other..24..PA..Servant
.

• They appeared on the 1900 US Census in Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, KS on 4 June 1900. ²

1900 US Census
Sheet 21A, District 35, Dwelling 31, Family 31, Roll
Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, Kansas
farm owned, no mortgage
married 28 years
Carlton M. Fast..Head..Oct 1838..61..IL..Farmer
Charlotte C. Fast..Wife..Nov 1851..48..WI..0/0
Ester E. Fast..Dau..Aug 1885..14..KS..IN/IN..House Keeper
.

  Marriage Notes:

The obituary for Charlotte confirms that the three (possibly four) children, Burtiss, Clarence, and Esther were not born to her but rather were listed as "adopted". I'm not sure if the newspaper meant to say "step-children" rather than adopted. If they actually were step-children, then Carlton must have been previously married and the children were all born to that marriage. Otherwise, it may have been a first marriage for each of the parents and the three or four children were indeed all adopted.

The obituary for Charlotte indicated that she and Carlton were married in 1871 and the 1900 US Census indicated that they have 0 children together. Based on the birth years of the children, three were born before Carlton and Charlotte were married. The fourth adopted child, Esther, was born in 1885, approximately 14 years after the marriage of Carlton and Charlotte.

The 1900 US Census shows the birth location of the parents of Esther as Indiana which rules out both Carlton and Charlotte. The 1880 US Census shows the birth location of the parents of Burtiss and Clarence as Illinois which rules out only Charlotte (Carlton was born in Illinois).

No records can be found for any of the children prior to their supposed adoption under the surname of Fast. This includes the lack of any birth records and the lack of any census records under those names.

The name of Emma Irene Land appears in court documents filed after Charlotte's passing as an additional adopted daughter. Her name appears with the family on the 1880 US Census as "Adopted". Strangely, the names of Burtiss and Clarence on that same 1880 US Census show them as "Son" instead of the expected "Adopted Son".

The conclusion must be that all of these children were indeed adopted by both Carlton and Charlotte who had no children of their own.
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