Data source is Mrs. Helen Seay, Route 1, Box 13, Dalton City, IL 61925
John Houp Moma [1797 - 1884] His birth is recorded as August 1797 in Augusta County, VA (source?). It is not known when he migrated to Ohio, but it was likely between 1815 - 1821. Since his brother, Rudolph, was unaware of any of his siblings migrating from VA when he wrote his Will in 1820, my guess is John didn't go to Ohio until about 1819-20, just after his 21st birthday. John married Mary Magdaline Benner (b? - d 1859 in Illinois) on 21 Jun 1821 in Ross Co., OH. They migrated to Illinois in 1859. After Mary died, John remarried a woman by the name of Mrs. James Hays. His surname on the marriage record is MOOMAW. There was a Moomaw family who arrived in Ross County in 1810, so the use of this spelling by the county clerks would not be surprising. His name is recorded in the Buckskin Church records as MOMA as well as in the 1840 census. He used the Moma spelling for the rest of his life as did his children. He died 4 Aug 1884 in Illinois. This surname spelling is still found in use today. The Internet telephone directory has 47 MOMA listings.
1840 ROSS COUNTY CENSUS
http://www.scioto.org/Ross/catalogs/censuscatalog.html
Head of Household, Township, Reference Page
Moma, J. H. Paint 361
Moomaw, Elizabeth Paint 358
Moomaw, John, Jr. Paint 360
Moomaw, John, Sr. Paint 360
Moomaw, Phillip Paint 360
Mooney, Samuel Paint 364
Moorman, David Paint 359
Moormaw, Henry Paint 359
Wilson, John Paint 362
Wilson, William Paint 362
Wilson, William T. Paint 364
1850 Census OH, Ross Co., Town of Bournsville
John Moomaw, 52, farmer $200 real estate, b. VA
Mary " , 45, b. PA
Austin " , 23, Fammer, b. OH
Francis C., 16, b. OH
Milton, 8, b. OH
Dorothy, 6, b. OH
William, 4, b. OH
1860 Census, IL, Piatt Co., Sangamon Twp., Monticello P.O. 7 July 1860
John Moma, 56, farmer, $500 personal, b. VA
Caroline H. Moma, 22, b. OH
Hugh H., Moma, 20, b. OH
Dorotha Moma, 17, b. OH
1870 Census IL, Piatt Co., Bement Twp.,
Moma, John, 73, farmer, $7400 real estate, $800 personal, b. VA
" , Mary, 53, keeping house, b. OH
" , William, 28, farmer, b. OH
" , Catherine, 24, at home, b. OH
" , John, 2, b. IL
" , Charles, 2/12, b. Il
1880 Census, IL, Piatt Co., Bement Twp., p. 183
Moma, William, 32, farmer, b. OH/VA/OH
" , Catherine, 32, wife, keeping house, b. OH/OH/OH
" , John P., 12, son, at home, b. IL/OH/OH
" , Francis M., 6, dau, at home, b. IL/OH/OH
" , Bert H., 5, son, at home, b. IL/OH/OH
" , Stella, 1, dau, at home, b. Il/OH/OH
Moma, John H., 83, father, b. VA/PA/PA
" , Mary, 58, b. OH/OH/OH
JOHN H. MOMA
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Mr. JOHN H. MOMA, farmer, Bement, was born in Augusta county, Virginia, in 1797. He moved to Ohio, and about 1859 located on Madden's Run in Sangamon township. He was married in Ohio to Mary Benner and has had nine children, three of whom are living. Maria, the wife of Noble Crawford, died leaving several children; Austin died at the age of twenty-seven years; Sarah died in Ohio, and Milton's death occurred in the army. Caroline is now the wife of Mr. A.T. Pipher; Frank is the wife of Mr. William Woods, of Chillicothe, Ohio; Dorothea married Mr. Abraham Hays; William D. married Kate Peoples in 1865 and has five children, John E., Fannie, Bert, Stella L. and Wm. Milton. He owns one hundred acres of land in Bement township. This farm is all under cultivation. Mr. John Moma took for his second wife, Mrs. James Hays, who is still living.
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[History of Piatt Co., IL: -- By Emma C. Piatt -- Page #382]