Eli Shep Day/Barbara Ellen Boyer: Marriage circa 1880-1881?

* I have crossposted a similar query to the Southern States Problems group:
http://www.genealogywise.com/group/southernstatesproblemsolving/for...

I am helping a fellow researcher locate a marriage record for Eli Shepherd Day (1857-1920) (could be Elisha, Elihu, Elijah, and is Elie on his death record) and Barbara Ellen Boyer (1864-1940), dau. of Alexander Boyer. According to an IGI record, one Eli Shep Day married a Barbara Ellen Boyer in Mill Spring, Wayne County, Missouri, in 1880, giving Barbara's age as 15, Eli as 23. To me it appears to be a guess, as opposed to information gleaned from an actual record, as there is only a year listed for the marriage.

Their first known son was Clarence born in August 1882, in Missouri according to the 1900 census, in Mill Spring, Wayne County, Missouri. There were at least 8 other children were born to Eli and Barbara(on 1900 census, 8 children were born to Barbara, 5 were still living) including: Toney, born approx October 1888, Lora, August 1894, Roy, April 1897, and Robert, 1899. Lora was the informant on many of the death certificates for the Day family.

We find Barbara and Eli together on the 1900, 1910 and 1920 census. In 1900 they are in Mill Spring, Wayne, MO they had been married 19 years according to the census. In 1910 and 1920 they are in Crystal, Jefferson County, MO. We have their death records, and we have a photo of their tombstone.

ELI SHEPHERD DAY
In the census records we have located, Eli is listed as born in Illinois. On his death certificate his birth place is listed as what appears to be Saintralia, IL (perhaps Centralia?)

We cannot find Eli and his family in 1870 or 1880. He is POSSIBLY the Elihu Day, age 4 months, residing at Kaolin, Iron County, Missouri in census of 1860, son of James H and Denica Day. Possible siblings were:

Nathan, born circa 1844
Sophia J, born circa 1849
Mary A, born circa 1851
James M born circa 1852-3
William F born circa 1855
Oliver H born circa 1858

We cannot find another possible Eli that is close to the details we know from his death certificate. According to his death certificate, his father is listed as W.M. Jacob Day and his mother is possibly Denica(last name illegible). On Eli's death ceritifcate his parents are listed as born in TN, but on the 1860 census, his father is from KY, mother from OH.

And we cannot seem to find his possible parents and siblings in the later census records, except for a possible death record for a William T Day in Iron County, Missouri. On this death record, William was listed as a Pauper, parents unknown.

BARBARA ELLEN BOYER

Barbara's father, Alexander Boyer, appears to have owned land in both Wayne and Carter Counties, Missouri, according to land records found on Ancestry. Is there a way I can learn if these acres were given in return for military service perhaps in the Mexican War?

We have located some of Barbara's sisters's marriages. Sarah Boyer was married approx. May 1, 1877(date of marriage record) at Carter County, Missouri, to John Waymeyer. Another sister, Malinda Boyer, married Samuel Hurt in October 1882 in Carter County, Missouri.

We find Barbara and her mother (Susan/ Susannah) and siblings living in Wayne County, Missouri in 1880 and also find them in Carter County, Missouri in 1880. We do not know when Alexander and Susannah died at this time.

So what I'm trying to figure out is where would Eli and Barbara marry? Would they have married in Carter or Wayne counties in MO, or would there be a reason they would go to Illinois and marry instead? Is it possible that the marriage record was too faint to transcribe?

I have checked and rechecked the Missouri marriage index on Ancestry, I have tried many spellings, used just Eli and Barbara, Day and Boyer.

I am attaching death certificates for Eli and Barbara and a photo of their tombstone in Methodist Cemetery in Festus, Missouri.