Emeline Donaldson Guernsey was born in 1819 in Pennsylvania. She married Peter Buell Guernsey in the late 1830s and lived in Tioga, PA until his death in 1852. Six years later, Emeline moved to Stacyville, Mitchell County, Iowa, and settled on a farm with her five children: William D. Guernsey, Henry A. Guernsey, Sarah Guernsey Beebe, Fannie Guernsey Orcutt and Emma Guernsey Flint. In 1861, William enlisted in the Fourth Iowa Cavalry; Henry soon followed. With her sons gone, Emeline successfully managed the farm by herself while still managing to raise her three daughters. After the war, all of her children eventually married and moved away. In 1872, she sold the farm and moved to Illinois but returned to Iowa in the 1880s.
From the description of Guernsey family papers, 1837-1957. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122288835
