Friday, February 27, 2015

Birth Certificate Mix Up?

I try to collect the birth records for all children born to a couple.  An exact date of birth helps identify the children in later records.  The location of the births over the years reveals the migratory pattern of a family.

I copied the birth certificates for seven children born to Patrick Francis ODonnell (1857-1931) and Delia Joyce (1862-1929) in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey:

Francis Patrick ODonnell, January 25, 1888
John ODonnell, July 9, 1890
James Richard ODonnell, June 3, 1892
Marguerite ODonnell, October 18, 1894
Joseph Peter ODonnell, June 11, 1897 ("William" on birth certificate)
Mary Ellen ODonnell, June 1, 1899
Katherine ODonnell, March 5, 1904


Baby number 1, Frank born 1888


Baby number 2, John born 1890

Baby number 3, James born 1892


Is this baby number 4?  Maggie born 1894

Baby number 5, William born 1897
Thereafter known as Joseph

Baby number 6, Mary born 1899

Baby number 7, Katharine born 1904


When reviewing these birth certificates later, I realized that I had the wrong Marguerite ODonnell.  I had a birth record for Maggie ODonnell, born October 18, 1894 in Bayonne to James ODonnell and Ellen Gallagher.  On my next trip to the New Jersey State Archives, I searched for the birth record of the correct Marguerite ODonnell.  I did not find it.


Upon further review, I think that the birth certificate for Maggie, daughter of James and Ellen, is actually the record for Marguerite, daughter of Patrick and Delia.  This birth certificate flows in order with the rest of the children- Marguerite was child number 4.  The midwife was the same- A Weyel.  The address appears to be similar to where the other children, except the first one, were born- Rail Road Avenue in Centreville, Bayonne.  And October 18, 1894 is the birthdate used by Marguerite ODonnell.

Patrick ODonnell, wife, and children in 1910.
Only six children are listed.  John ODonnell had died the year before.


The midwife may have confused Patrick and Delia's daughter with another baby born around the same time.  In the 1900 census in Bayonne, there is a Margaret ODonnell, born in August of 1894, living with her parents, John and Helen.




1 comment:

  1. Have you found a certificate for this other Margaret? If not, I might be able to run over to the Archives when I am in town March 9th.

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