Elias K. Dains, Soldier Buried in Farmer Cemetery

Elias K. Dains

Most sources agree that Elias K. Dains was born about 1804 in Stockbridge, Vermont.  Although a Civil War G.A.R. marker is set at his grave, he did not serve in that war.  Just think that he would have been 57 at the start of the war!  No, Elias has another tale to tell.

The Descriptive and Historical Register of Enlisted Soldiers in the Army reported Elias Dains' enlistment on March 30, 1830 at Whitehall, Vermont.  At 27 years old, he stood 5 foot, 6 inches, with hazel eyes and dark brown hair.  He was assigned to the 1st Infantry Company under Captain Loomis for 5 years service.  He was discharged on March 30, 1835 at Fort Armstrong, Illinois.

His pension card was marked Old War, which could mean any service between the end of the Revolutionary War and the beginning of the Civil War.  The Blackhawk War began in 1832 and took place in Michigan and Illinois, so perhaps this was where he served, but it is only speculation.The fact that he was discharged from the Army in Illinois might add to the idea. Undoubtedly, his pension records would give more information.  It was actually his widow who applied for the pension in 1894, as Elias died in 1893.

The earliest found mention of Elias in the Federal Census was in 1850, Lorain County, Sheffield, Ohio.  By then he was 47 and living with his wife, Mary (nee' Martin, sometimes called Polly) and their two children: Elias R., 21, and Frances, 10.  He owned real estate worth $255.

Mary Martin Dains

Elias K. (Keyes, Keiser, Keyser) Dains

 These photos of Elias and Mary were located on a public family tree on Ancestry.com.

Elias' middle name varied, according to the source, but no birth record could be found to verify any of them.

Their son, Elias R., eventually went to Michigan and then settled in Nebraska.
Daughter Frances married a local teacher, Horace Doud, and lived next door to or with her parents most of her life in Farmer. 

By 1860, the Dains family had made their way to Farmer, Ohio where Elias settled down to farm.  He and Mary were both 57 at the time of the census, and they owned real estate valued at $1000, quite a sum for the time.  In 1870 and 1880, they were still enumerated in Farmer.



By 1880, Elias, at age 76, had retired from farming.   Elias reported on this census that his father was born in Denmark.

On January 23, 1893, Elias passed away and he was buried in Farmer Cemetery.  His grave registration card also erroneously noted that he served in the Civil War.  He may have participated in G.A.R. activities as a veteran.

A new plaque, obtained through the local Veterans Office, marks his grave.  It is thought that his wife is buried next to him.