Today I was browsing through deeds in Shelby and Christian county IL, hoping to find some footprints from my 3rd great grandfather John Hastings. I stumbled upon a deed in which my 2nd great grandfather, Oliver P. Hastings, purchased a lot in Pana, Christian co. IL. OK, that's interesting. So I went looking a little further in Christian county and found the deed where he sold that same lot (a month later, and for five times what he paid!), and of course his wife, Elizabeth E. (Whitaker) Hastings, had to agree to the sale as well. Lo and behold, the deed names his wife as "Elizabeth Evaline"--the only reference I've ever found that provides her middle name! Not what I was looking for (and also not what I had sort of "guessed" the E. might stand for!), but what a wonderful surprise.
I was also surprised recently to find a good photo of her. I had a large portrait of her that has somehow gone missing, but here (again unexpectedly) I found a good quality snapshot I had taken of that portrait many years ago. Here she is: Elizabeth Evaline (Whitaker) Hastings (1836-1889):
