Typed Indexes

In the 1860 census in Newark, Susan Bishop is residing with the Ward family.

Roll M653_689; page 326; lines 33-39; enumerated June 28, 1860

Julia Ward, age 19 in 1860, is probably Susan's daughter, who was Juliaette, age 9, in the 1850 census.  Now provided with a husband and a new baby, we can look for Julia's marriage in 1859 or earlier.  A potential match appears in the online index to New Jersey marriages 1848-1878.

Joseph Wood does not seem like a good match for George Ward, but Julietta Bishop and the date look promising.  So I went ahead and ordered the record.

In looking at this marriage record, the name appears to be Ward or Wood or Word, so you can see how someone could transcribe it as Wood.  That is why it is always best to get the most original record possible.  Why is he called Joseph in 1859 and George later?  I don't know.  He may be the Joseph G. Ward, age 12, or the Joseph A. Ward, age 14, both in the 1850 census in Newark.  Until I discover his parentage, I won't know for sure.