Elizabeth's first husband was George H Reader. In the Family Bible of Henry Herbert Knibbs, Elizabeth's birthday is listed alongside those of her two children Charles and Lucy and a Geo H Reader. Her marriage to George were later confirmed in an Obituary.

The 1880 census (as shown under the information for his wife Elizabeth) shows her living at Braceville, Grundy, Illinois with her father-in-law and probably 6 of her husband's siblings. Elizabeth is identified as a widow so clearly George Henry died somewhen during 1879/1880.

George apparently died at a young age after a short illness.

Zara (or "Lizzie" as I believe she was better known) taken in the late 1890's.
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The Rumney web site has Elizabeth listed as Elizabeth A Reader. It is quite likely that the "A" stands for her maiden name of Adkins which was given to me by Ken Close.
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Zara is recorded in 1920 as Elizabeth Knibbs, living at Woodson County, Kansas.
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The 1880 census shows the following family unit living at Braceville, Grundy, Illinois. Elizabeth's first husband had clearly died somewhen during 1879/1880 so she was living in the house of her father-in-law Charles Reader, 6 of her husband's siblings, and her two children Charles & Lucy:
Charles READER Self W Male W 52 ENG Farmer ENG ENG
John W. READER Son S Male W 23 ENG Farmer ENG ENG
Catherine READER Dau S Female W 18 IL Keeping House ENG ENG
Sarah A. READER Dau S Female W 17 IL ENG ENG
Henry E. READER Son S Male W 15 IL Farming ENG ENG
William READER Son S Male W 14 IL Farming ENG ENG
Frederick READER Son S Male W 12 IL Farming ENG ENG
Elizabeth READER DauL W Female W 21 IL Keeping House --- ---
Charles READER GSon S Male W 2 IL ENG IL
Lucy READER GDau S Female W 8M IL ENG IL
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Obituary - Mrs. Elizabeth Knibbs Dies at Fall River

"Mrs. Elizabeth Knibbs, who was 87 years old last February 10, passed away Tuesday evening, April 10, 1946, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Al Okerberg, in Fall River. She had been in failing health for some time.
Mr. and Mrs. Knibbs came to Kansas from Illinois about 65 years ago and settled on a farm in Greenwood county. They moved to Toronto many years ago to make their home. Following the death of Mr. Knibbs, she has made her home here and in Fall River with her children.
As we go to press, no funeral arrangements had been made."
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Obituary - Mrs. Zara Elizabeth Knibbs Passes

"Mrs. Zara Elizabeth Knibbs passed away last Wednesday afternoon, April 10, 1946, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. E. A. Okerberg
in Fall River, at the age of 87 years, 2 months and 3 days. She had been in failing health for the past few years.
Mrs. Knibbs was one of the earlier pioneer residents of this community having spent her early married life on a farm near the Ward school
house, later moving to Toronto where she resided for many years.
She is survived by six daughters and a son: Mrs. Lucy M. Means of Anacortes, Wash.; Mrs. Ethel Dickerson, Mrs. Anna Wright and Mrs. Gladys Close, all of Toronto; Mrs. Sadie Rigdon of Emporia; and Clyde E. Knibbs of San Jose, Calif. Her husband, George J. Knibbs, passed away January 12, 1912.
Funeral services were held at 2:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon, April 14, in the Toronto Presbyterian church, conducted by the Rev. A. E.
Whittington. Interment was in the Toronto cemetery."
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Obituary - Knibbs
"Zara Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Elinor Adkins, was born February 7, 1859, at Ottowa, Illinois, and departed this life after a long
illness at Fall River, Kansas, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Myrtle Okerberg, April 10, 1946, at the age of 87 years, 2 months and 13 days.
In 1876, she was united in marriage to George Reader. To this union was born two children. After a short illness the young husband was
taken from this life. On Sept. 28, 1881, she was united in married to George G. Knibbs. To this union seven children were born. Mr. Knibbs preceded her in death Jan. 17, 1912, also the eldest son, Charles Reader in 1932, and a daughter, Edna Grace Knibbs, dying in infancy in 1897.
Mrs. Knibbs came to Kansas in March, 1883, and settled on a farm in the Ward neighborhood north of Fall River. In 1902 she moved to Toronto, Kansas, where she resided until the last few years. She was raised an orphan and endured the hardships of pioneer life. She united with the Presbyterian Church August 28, 1904.
She leaves to mourn her departure seven children: Lucy Means of Anacortes, Washington; C. E. Knibbs of San Jose, Calif.; Ethel Dickerson and Anna Wright of Toronto, Kansas; Myrtle Okerberg of Fall River, Kansas; Gladys Close of Toronto, Kansas; seventeen grandchildren; twenty-two great grandchildren; and a host of friends.
Funeral services were held in the Presbyterian Church in Toronto at 2:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon, April 14, conducted by Rev. A. E.
Whittington, pastor of the Toronto Pilgrim Holiness Church. Interment was in the Toronto cemetery."
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The following is extracted from a handwritten documet that was dictated from memory by Zara in 1936. I am extremely grateful to her great-grandson, Ken Close, for sharing it with us:

Zara Elizabeth, daughter of Charles and Mary Elinor Adkins was born in Ottawa, Illinois, February 7, 1859. She was the second and last child born to this union, the first child, a daughter, dying at the age of two years.
He (Charles) was a carpenter, went to war, and is reported to have died with typhoid fever in the war. Her (Mary Elinor's) parents separated. It was rumored he ran off with another woman.

Later she married Benjamin Adkins, a brother of the farmer. To this union were born two children, Matilda Belle the first and the latter
Jessie Benjamin. In a few years the father died in the army, and she married Morgan Morris, a farmer. To this union were born two sons, William Henry who was about three years old when the mother died at the birth of the second son who was stillborn.

Elizabeth was nine years old in February when the mother died in May, leaving four children. Her grandmother (her mother's mother), a widow, Elizabeth Harding lived with the family and the stepfather kept the children together for a year, and he found homes for them.

Jane Olarry, sister of Morris, took Jessie B. to raise and they came to Yates Center, Kansas to live. Matilda Belle was taken by a family
named Bagley (I think) in Ill. to live. Elizabeth was taken by a family named Laymon near Braceville. They were an elderly couple with a family of ten children, six boys and four girls, all married except for one boy. Here she lived eight years, then married George H. Reader at Dwight, Ill. and lived in Gardner, Ill. To this union were born two children, Charles Adelbert at Gardner and Lucy Mable near Braceville, two months after the father died of quick T.B. and was buried near Braceville.

Sept. 28. 1881 she was united in marriage to George J. Knibbs of Verona, Ill. and came to Kansas in the spring of 1883 when Clyde was a baby and settled on a farm in the Ward neighborhood northwest of Fall River Kansas. To this union were born seven children, namely, Clyde Ellsworth, Ethel May, Anna Jane, Sadie Louise, Myrtle Iona, Edna Grace (dying in infancy), and Hilda Gladys. In 1902 they moved to Toronto Kansas and the husband died Jan. 17, 1912. Charles Adelbert died in 1932.

Matilda Belle married a man in Chicago, named Fay, a widower with two children. One child was born to this union who died and Belle died
later.

Morris the stepfather died while Will was a boy and Will was taken by another family. Will married in Illinois after Elizabeth came to
Kansas and he died later."