In the John Bridges Trial, two of his step-sons testified for him.  It prompted me to learn more about them.  I’m descended from their sister Mary Elizabeth.  I have been unsuccessful thus far in finding anything on William.  It seems he moved away.  Ezra, however, stayed in New Albany, Indiana and there are some things I found for him.

From his trial testimony, he had been at Mr. Underhill’s house.  John Underhill was a ship carpenter.  Ezra’s brother William was a deck hand.  His step-father was a shipyard watchman.  In the 1860 Census, no occupation is listed for Ezra.  His obituary says he was a steamboat engineer, and it’s easy to see where the influence came from.

One of the more colorful items was Ezra’s divorce.  He married Ruth Helen Ruter on April 14, 1870.  After twenty years of marriage, he filed for divorce.

New Albany Ledger, Saturday 1 Feb 1890, p.5, column 2, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

New Albany Evening Tribune, Saturday 1 Feb 1890, p.4, column 3, NewspaperArchive.com

It’s far from a complete story on Ezra, but it does give me a sense of who he was.