THE STUART FAMILY ARCHIVE
Richard P. and Jane M. Diven — 1867/1886 probate household correlation
Evidence reference: WEB-20261102-214958-83c8cace
Evidence status: Added by a family editor; independent verification not established
Historical date: 22 April 1879; probate 15 June 1886
Collection: Person: jane_mary_diven
Original Perry County registered will, Will Books1879–1887, printedpp428–431, FamilySearchimages263–264/327. Full original scans visually inspected2November2026; continuation https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L991-G2H5 .
Jane M. Diven, widow of Spring Township, makes will22April1879. Explicit daughter Elizabeth, wife of H. Lightner; granddaughter Mary D. Lightner. Calls trustee/guardian James L. Diven her FRIEND, not relative. Names her brother P. W. Quigley of Cumberland County as executor; his given name is difficult (appears Peres/Pores), so keep abbreviated pending corroboration. The machine transcription misreads Quigley as Ziegley and JamesL as JamesS in places. Witnesses Levi Kell and Josiah Kennedy.
Probate15June1886, JamesL sworn death statement says Wednesday14April1886 about1a.m. Administration c.t.a. issued to J.C. Junkin following renunciations of P.W.Quigley and JamesL.Diven; loose will filed LetterD,package121. No husband name, parents, RichardP or Junior stated.
IDENTITY QUALIFICATION: researched as candidate for Jane Mary, wife of RichardP Diven in1840deed600.20.004. Exact identity is NOT yet established by these papers. Melissa Craven Fowler's compiled Diven genealogy claims Richard's wife JaneMaryQuigley and daughterElizabethLightner, and cites Richard's1867will as a lead; that compilation is not independent proof of this match or Junior's father. Preserve this new original record for testing with Richard'swill,property and household continuity. Do not import surname, dates or relatives into the profile until correlation is supported. Evidence association is a qualified research association, not a person merger.
Full unchanged JPG spreads pp428–429 and430–431 preserved. No screenshot or OCR output is represented as an original.
2 November2026 — ORIGINAL RICHARD P. WILL LOCATED: Perry Will BookC,pp348–349, DGS005534477images213–214/559, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-899B-2XLY and https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G99B-2FX4 . Full scans visually inspected; faint passages enlarged with temporary contrast aid, unchanged originals preserved. RichardP Diven of Spring Township leaves residue to wife Jane Mary Diven and, after her death, daughter Elizabeth intermarried with WilliamH Lightner. He appoints JohnL Diven executor without stating kinship. Will executed11September1867; probate25September1867 (OCR incorrectly reads1864). Loose will LetterD,package74. No exact death date stated in this entry. He directs sale of a26-acre tract bought from SamuelSheller west of the turnpike; follow this title to identify the man with the1840grantor.
The distinctive wife/daughter/son-in-law/locality combination strongly supports correlating this1867family with the1879/1886JaneM will. It still does not establish that this RichardP is the1840grantor/Junior's son through an independent property or earlier household chain, nor identify Junior'sfather. It does not prove that JohnL or JamesL are blood relatives merely because they served as executor/trustee. This is a new useful collateral route; all proposed identity links remain qualified and no profile vital/kinship fields have been changed.
NEXT: Richard'sLetterD74packet or26-acreSamuelSheller conveyance; Jane'sLetterD121renunciations/trust account; ElizabethLightner marriage/death identity and P.W.Quigley estate. Compare with the1840RichardP/JaneMary signatures, residence and subsequent conveyances.