You mentioned that Zona spent most of her life in Illinois then to Kansas and then to Iowa? I did find Robert J. Cairns married to Elizabeth Miller in La Salle Co., Illinois 12/17/1857. I found that Zona A. Cairns m. John W. Bender in Lincoln, Nebraska on or about 16 Nov 1910. I also found her int he 1895 Dickinson Co., Ks., census with Robert and Elizabeth and their children, as well as in the 1910 Fragrant hill, Dickinson Co., Ks., census as a housekeeper in the home of Nancy Black.

What I wasn't able to do was go back to tie them to the Illinois Cairns. It appears that Robert J. was born in Canada? Do you have any more information on him? In the meantime, I'll see what I can find tomorrow in my Cairns files. Did he come to Illinois via Minnesota? I know the Cairns Bros spent a lot of time in Iowa and Minnesota, but I don't remember about Kansas and don't recall a Canada connection, but that doesn't mean anything .. I don't usually remember much about any of the lines I've tackled over the years! That's why I have a lot of paper and a long genealogy program! Jane Griffin