Our first introduction to Emiline Niday is when she planned to marry Greenberry Percy Stump. In Therese A. Fisher, compiler, Marriages in the New River Valley(Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 1991), page 229 is the entry: “STUMP, Green B. & Nidah, Emaline (d/o John Niday); 18 Jun 1847 (GB)” Spelling inconsistencies aside, this tells us that a marriage bond was taken out for the marriage of Green B. Stump and Emaline Niday on 18 June 1847 in Giles County, Virginia, and that Emaline was the daughter of John Niday. In the introduction to this book, the compiler tells us that she made no assumptions regarding parentage (even when it seemed to be made quite evident) and so we can safely assume that Emaline’s parentage was explicitly stated in the record.
John Vogt and T. William Kethley, compiler, Giles County Marriages, 1806-1855 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Publishing Co., 1985), page 123 adds a little more detail in the entry: “Nidy, Emaline & Green B Stump 17 Jun 1847; perm- John H Nidy, father wit- James G Stump, Jacob Nidday b- 18Jun by Jacob Nidey, John P Johnston.” The two dates in this entry puzzle me; according to the introduction the date should be assumed to be that of the marriage with any conflicting bond dates noted, but it seems unlikely that a bond would be needed on the day following the wedding. That aside, we do now know that John H Nidy, Emaline’s father, gave permission for the marriage, indicating that Emaline was not yet 21 years old. We also have the names of the two bondsmen, Jacob Nidey and John P. Johnston.
Two things these entries agree upon – Emaline Niday was the daughter of John Niday and she intended to marry Green B. Stump.
Recently I came upon another researcher’s work where this is disputed. That author believes the transcriptions to be in error and that Jacob Niday should have been listed as the father of Emaline. The author bases this belief on two factors, one the mistaken belief that “Bond is generally given by the father” and the other, that “No record of a John H. Nidy corresponds with the time frame for this marriage that I can find.” I certainly can’t know what this researcher has or has not found, but not finding something is not at all the same as that thing not existing. Like this researcher, I have not found any contemporary record for a “John H. Nidy”, but there is good evidence of a contemporary named “John Nida” or “John Nidah.”
John Nida/Nidah/Niday was born in Virginia circa 1797, took out a bond to marry Sarah Harless on 23 October 1818 in Giles County, Virginia and later moved to Ohio and then Iowa. It is this John Nida who I believe to be the father of Emeline Nida, but can I prove it?