Levinia Annabelle [Oppelt] [Gish] McIntire

In 1850 Lavinia was living with her parents in Iowa. In 1856 she was married to Albert Oppelt, and they were living with his parents in Waterloo, Iowa. In 1858 she married Andrew Gish. Andrew was gutshot and died during his second tour of duty in the Civil War. His friend whose wife had died returned from the war and married the widow, Lavinia.

1870 United States Federal Census about Lavina Mcintire Name: Lavina Mcintire Age in 1870: 33 Birth Year: abt 1837 Birthplace: Ohio Home in 1870: Waterville, Le Sueur, Minnesota Race: White Gender: Female Post Office: Waterville Household Members: Name Age Comodore Mcintire 48 Lavina Mcintire 33 Mariam Mcintire 17 Marion Mcintire 17 Mary Mcintire 14 Roda Mcintire 3 George Mcintire 1 Charles Oppelt 13 Henry Gish 11 Ellice Gish 9 Andrew Gish 5

Lavinia had one child in Iowa with Oppelt, then the three listed with Gish. McIntire had 7 children with his first wife, Saphronia Scott: Sofia, Martha, Ann, Lenora?, twins- Marion (M) and Miriam born about 1853 and Alice. His first wife died and the children were farmed out. Finally, Lavinia and McIntire had seven children (Rhoda, abt 1867, George abt 1869, Neil, Noel, Nora, Frank, and Bob) born in Minn. They traveled West by train in 1888 settling in Lewis County, WA. Before they left there was a big party with lots of music. Elice told her granddaughter how upset she was thinking she would never see any of them again. Years later she was able to travel west ( probably by train) to visit her relatives. Rhoda married George McClure and had nine children: Christie, Nellie, Jessie, Don, Neil, Noel, Brian, Grace, and Ross. George McIntire married Millie (Amelia) Oppelt in 1890, and they had six children: Elsie (Pfirter), Edna (Davis), Walter, Pearl, Harry, and Fred who married Margaret Johnson. Neil married Emma Cunninfiann(SP?) and they had two children: Marge and Galen. Nora and William Oppelt married and had eight children: Arnie(Orville), Harold, Lavina, twins (Laurel and Laurie, Leona, Jack, and Bill. Frank married Julia, and Bob married Julia Bunker Gordon. Bob and Julia had a son named Gordon. The Wasson and Wynn families also came with the Gishs. They traveled by immigrant train, truly with lock, stock and barrel. The cows, horses, machinery, and household goods all were carried on the the train. They arrived in Tumwater, the end of the line and then went south to Lewis County.

A Samuel and Matthew Daniels married McIntyres. They were Lavina's brothers. She also had sisters Rhoda, Hannah, Polly J., Cynthia E. and Nancy Melissa. There were also brothers: Ethan and Adam Wheeler. Samuel was first married to Lavina's sister-in-law, Mary Anne Gish. That means Samuel was Lavina's brother, brother-in-law, and step-son-in-law!

Ellice and Henry Gish stayed in Waterville when the rest of the family moved West.

Newspaper abstracts from the Chehalis Bee Nugget state 1896 as Lavinia's death date in 3 different articles. Her name is spelled Lavinia in some records and Lavina in others. The paper says that she was living in Agate at the time of her death and that she died suddenly of heart disease after working hard all day. She had been a resident of Lewis County for the past 8 years.