Be careful not to confuse him with Spencer Ison born 5 Sep 1864 in Morgan Co., son of Isom Ison and Isabel Hannah, who married Mary Dickerson/Dickinson in 1897 and died 4 Jun 1937 in Cabell Co., West Virginia. (Many member trees on Ancestry.com make this mistake, due to giving too much credence to Ancestry’s auto-generated hints.)

Her death certificate records Minerva Angeline McDowell, age 70 years 10 months 16 days, born 11 March 1972 in Ky, died 27 Jan 1944 in Morehead, Rowan Co., Ky, residence 441 1/2 E. Main, widow of Edward C. McDowell, father James Coldiron, mother’s maiden name Jane McCarty, both born in VA, cause of death cerebral hemorrhage due to hypertension, burial in Barnes Cemetery, Highland Co., Ohio.

The informant has confused the given name of Nervie’s stepfather James Pennington with that of her father Hiram Coldiron.

Morgan Co., Ky marriage records list the marriage on 1 Nov 1995 of Spence Ison and Nerva Coldiron.

Since Spencer and Minerva married after 1880 and he died before 1900, they do not appear together in any census (although they would if the 1890 census had not been destroyed.)

Their children are recorded with Minerva and her second husband Edward McDowell in the 1900 census, for some reason listed as wards rather than stepchildren:

Ison, Ellie, 11, ward, b. Jan (or June) 1889; Willie, ward, 9, b. May 1891; Estle (male), ward, 7, b. Feb 1893; Nianzie (male), ward, 5, b. Mar 1895. All born Ky Ky Ky.