Who she really was, who her parents were where she was born, why she disappeared from the family, was it divorce? death? she stayed behind? Where did David and Diana meet? Where and when did they marry? When and where did Diana die? Some family lore says in Nauvoo, Ill. Can that be proved?
Family lore about David and Diana: The greater Ellsworth family believes her maiden name was Livingstone, and that her parents were Nehemiah Livingstone, Jr. and Indiana Foster; also that Diana was born in 1811 in England. One guess from some family members is that she may have refused to go West with the Mormon pioneers.
Information of interest: An LDS (Mormon) record book from Payson, Utah in the late 1800s records the parents of James Henry Ellsworth recorded in two places as Herrick being Diana's maiden name, not Livingstone. Although the record asks for mother's maiden name, perhaps Herrick was erroneously recorded as a later married name. (See US/Can film #26401)
It can be proved that Nehemiah Livingstone Jr. and Indiana could NOT have been Diana's parents. Perhaps they were her brother and sister-in-law, but not her parents. Nehemiah Livingstone and Indiana Foster were married in NY in 1832, no child named Diana. Diana's oldest child, James Henry, was born in 1835. See Portrait & Biog.Album of Otoe & Cass Counties, NE Vol 11 PP 900-902. This biograpical sketch of Nehemiah and Indiana was written while Nehemiah was still alive, late 19th century in Nebraska where he was living at the time
See several transcribed deeds, : http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyoswego/deeds/livingston.html
In the above mentioned deeds Nathan and Trustum Look witness James' deeds. Were they his brothers? His sons? Cousins? Notice also that in one of the deeds, Diana signs the deed with an "X" (illiterate?) 10 Feb 1840 Israel, Maria, David, Diana Ellsworth sell 83.3 acres in Lot 23 to U.G.White. Includes parcel described in 1824 and 1826. Deed Book 30, pp 480-2, FHL Microfilm 1,011,772.
Ray William Ellsworth, father and grandfather to posted researchers for this site, spent about 20 years in genealogical research before any computer could help him. Had he lived to our day when we can do so much with computers he'd be amazed at what we can do in genealogical research now. He didn't spend all his time with Diana's problem, but kept returning to it, never could "crack the code" so to speak. Any light that anyone could shine on this problem will be very much appreciated.
