Is the James F. in the 1880 census really Sylvia's son?

1.  LDS.  Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service:  IGI - International Genealogical Index (online at FamilySearch.org).

Alvah FOURDHAM Birth: 1825; Husband Age at Marriage: 23 Marriage: 01 Jan 1848, Calhoun, Michigan Spouse: Rachael S. JUCKET Birth: 1829; Wife Age at Marriage: 19 Source: Marriage Records, 1836-1943. Calhoun County (Michigan). County Clerk

2.  1850 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #1 of 6):  Brookfield, Eaton Co., MI, Roll M432_349, p. 99B, 226/228, enumerated 1 Aug 1850, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1850 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Alva Fordham	25	M		Farmer		Canada
Sylva   "	20	F				NY
Gamabel "	1	M				Mich

Listed next to Sylvia's brother, Elisha JACKETT (æ 28, b. NY), and his wife, Elizabeth [SPAULDING] (æ 22, b. NY) and family, who are listed three households from Alva's first cousin, Silas FORDHAM (æ 41, b. NY), and his wife Elsy [BALDWIN] (æ 38, b. CT), and family.

3.  1860 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #21 of 21):  Olivet P.O., Town of Brookfield, Eaton Co., MI, Roll M653_542, p. 595, PN 95, 780/741, enumerated 6 Jul 1860, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1870 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Alva Fordham	35	M	W	Farmer	100	100	NY
Sylvia R  "	31	F	W	Keeping house			"
Gamaliel  "	11	M	W				Mich
Charles	8	M	W				"
Aolina	8/12	F	W				"
Appallos Fordham	80	M	W				Conn
Edwina E Gilbert	7	F	W				Mich

Apollos FORDHAM is almost certainly Alva's father.  Listed next to Appollos J. FORDHAM, who is almost certainly Alva's brother.

4.  1870 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #16 of 61):  Albion P.O., Albion Twp., Calhoun Co., MI, Roll M593_666, p. 345B, PN 16, 128/130, enumerated 25 Jun 1870, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1870 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Reamer Peter	53	M	W	Wagon Maker	1300	200	New York
______ Sylvia	41	F	W	Keeping House			New York
______ Frances	19	F	W	Without Occupation			New York
Fordham Arlina	10	F	W				Michigan

Can't find Gamaliel/James or Charles.

5.  1880 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #33 of 59):  Albion, Calhoun Co., MI, Roll T9_574, p. 17A, PN 33, SD 1, ED 39, enumerated 12 Jun 1880, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1880 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

1880:  for an explanation of the column headings, please see What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean (missing columns contained no data).

1

2

3

4

5

6

8

9

10

11

13

24

25

26

372

391

Reamer Sylva

W

F

52

/

Carpet M???

NY

NY

NY

______ Charles

W

M

28

Son

/

Farm Hand

MI

MI

NY

______ Jas F

W

M

32

Son

/

Farm Hand

MI

MI

NY

Nerdham Almeta

W

F

26

Niece

/

MI

NY

NY

_______ Edgar

W

M

6

Son

/

NE

Eng

MI

391

Juckett George

W

M

24

/

Laborer

MI

NY

MI

_______ Laura

W

F

20

Wife

/

MI

NY

NY

I'd be very surprised if the FORDHAM "sons" would have adopted surname REAMER, so it's likely their surname here is enumerator error.  In the 1850 census of Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., MI, there is a James E. FORDHAM (æ 3, b. MI) who is son of Joel FORDHAM (æ 38, b. NY).  Is this James the one living with Sylvia in 1880?  I can't find George JUCKETT (or variation) in 1870 or 1860, so I don't know how he is related to Sylvia.  Sylva's niece is Almeda (KELLICUT) NEEDHAM, widowed daughter of Sylvia's late sister, Ann (JUCKET) KELLICUT.

6.  1890 Census:  the 1890 Census Population Schedules were destroyed.

7.  1900 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  not found.

8.  Anon.  1997-2000.  Military Records of Individual Civil War Soldiers.  Historical Data Systems, Provo, UT (online at Ancestry.com):

Name:	Alva Fordham
Residence:	Albion, Michigan
Enlistment Date:	19 December 1862
Distinguished Service:	DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
Side Served:	Union
State Served:	Michigan
Unit Numbers:	1134 1134
Service Record:	Enlisted as a Corporal on 19 December 1862 at the age of 37. Enlisted in Company D, 1st SS Regimet Michigan on 31 March 1863. POW on 17 June 1864 at Petersburg, VA. Died as a prisoner Company D, 1st SS Regiment Michigan on 15 September 1864 in Andersonville, GA.

9.  National Cemetery Administration.  U.S. Veterans Cemeteries. (online at Ancestry.com):-

Name:	Alva Fordham
Last known address:	Route 1, Box 800, Andersonville, GA 31711-0000
Death Date:	13 Oct 1864
Cemetery:	Andersonville National Historical Site
Buried at:	Section H, Site 10877
Cemetery URL:	http://www.nps.gov/ande/

10.  Civil War Pension Index (index and images online at Ancestry.com):

Name of Soldier	Fordham, Alva
Name of Dependent	Widow	Fordham, Rachel S.
	Minor	Reamer, R.S., Gdn.
Service	Coop D 1 Mich. S.S.
Date of Filing	Claim	Application No.	Certificate No.	State from which Filed
	Invalid
1865 Nov 18	Widow	115560	99608
1870 Apl 1	Minor	115511	141266

The card images are blurry, so my reading may not be entirely accurate.  Pension applications generally contain a good deal of genealogically useful information, so it would definitely be worth the effort to get copies.

11.  Frank Passic.  23 Dec 2001.  "George N. Davis." Morning Star (Albion, MI), p. 5 (online at Frank Passic's Historical Albion Michigan web site), excerpt:

The Michigan Sharpshooters served gallantly throughout the war, much of it in Virginia.  This is the same outfit that General William Henry Harrison Beadle (buried in Riverside Cemetery) was a part of.  One of Davis’ early jobs was recruiting men to join the Sharpshooters.  Those recruited from Albion were placed under Davis’ command in Company D.  They were: Jacob Black, George Counterman, Alva Fordham, Apollo Fordham, Amos Hawley, George Miller, Samuel H. Peek, Edward F. Rodgers, Horton M. Squires, George W. Stone, William Woods, and Charles N. Young...

12.  Messages posted to the Fordham Family Genealogy Forum (online at GenForum.com):  Silas's wife's maiden name is BALDWIN.