Finding Entries using a Flawed Index

When you cannot locate someone in an index, try searching with only a first name or view every name in the entire location.  Depending on the commonality of the name and the size of the potential search area, this may be a cumbersome task, but when a thorough researcher needs a record, this is the technique.

Patrick Joyce and his first wife and children were finally located in the 1865 New York State Census without using their last name.

The criteria was to search Pawling, Dutchess County, New York for this family:
- father Patrick
- mother Mary or Margaret
- and at least two children, Mary and Adelia or Delia.

The index at Ancestry.com produced only 1,694 people living in Pawling in 1865.  I forwarded to the J surnames in hopes that at least the first letter was recorded correctly.

Found them!

The Joyce surname was transcribed for the index as JAIN.  When you view the actual record (always look at the record, not just the index!), the name was probably spelled JOICE, a variant of Joyce.

It is great to get another glimpse of Margaret Campbell, wife of Patrick Joyce.  She died in 1870  when her skirt was caught as she stepped from a moving train to not be separated from her child.

Adelia was listed as Cordelia.  In the 1870 federal census, she was Adelia.  In the 1875 New York State census, she was Delia.  My grandmother referred to her as Delia Joyce, her paternal grandmother.

Tombstone Tuesday ING

This family plot of stones caught my eye in Green Grove Cemetery in Keyport, Monmouth County, New Jersey.  The stones had the surname COLLINS, except one, which included a G in the spelling:  COLLINGS.  Some regional accents barely pronounce the G sound in ING, which can account for the spelling difference in this situation.

The surname on this tombstone includes a G.

One of the tails in my family tree is my great-great-great grandfather, William Cumming (1856 - 1882).  Records spell the name with or without a G as well as an S.

Be open to spelling variations.  Figure out the most frequent variations based on phonetics.

Marriage Announcement from 1859

I finally found a marriage record for my 3x great grandparents, Stephen C Duryea (1814-1887) and Mary Ann Evanshirer (1842-1916)!  The record is in the form of a marriage announcement from a newspaper, New York Evening Express, which I found by doing a Google search of FultonHistory.com.

The possible years of searching for this marriage were narrow.  Mary was born in 1842.  Her first child, Garrit Duryea, was born in February of 1860.  She would have married as late as the year 1859, and not much earlier.

Mary was about 16 years old when she married on February 2, 1859.  Her husband, Stephen C Duryea, was 44 years old- a 28 year difference.  By age 18, Mary had already given birth to a baby and seven months later, buried him.  Mary and Stephen had twelve children from 1860-1881.

A marriage announcement in the newspaper is also the only record I found so far for Mary's parents, John Evenshirer and Rene Brewer (1824-1904).  Note the spelling this surname:
1842- Evenshirer
1859- Evanshearer
John Evenshirer remains a tail in my family tree.  He must have died before 1847, when Rene Brewer remarried to George W Duryea (1823-1864).  Spelling variants are normal (look at Duryea and Duryee above), but I still cannot find any solid leads on this surname.

Delayed Birth Certificates

New Jersey has an interesting collection of Delayed Births 1848-1900 at the Archives.  Because everyone did not record a birth with the local registrar, and this birth may or may not have been recorded at the state level, some people had to request that a birth certificate be created- years after the event.  The accuracy of a record made years later is suspect.  These applications for a delayed birth certificate required information and documentation not required for the original birth certificate.  You can use the information to locate additional records.

Delayed birth certificate for Henry Bossett, born in Newark, New Jersey on February 3, 1896.

This is a birth certificate created years later; in this situation, 46 years later.  The helpful information contains an address at the time of birth as well as full names of the baby and parents.  We get a signature of the father as he attests that the birth occurred at the specified date and place, as well as his current address.

But that's not all.  The applications for the delayed birth certificate are also filmed.

Application of Henry Bossett to issue a delayed birth certificate

The application asks for:
--Date and place of marriage of parents.
--Names, dates, and places of birth for other children of this union.  (Some forms ask only for children born earlier than the person now requesting a birth certificate.)
--Name, date, and place of marriage of the applicant.
--Street address used in the 1905 and 1915 New Jersey state census!

While this information is great, you need to consider the information provided in light of other records.  By the 1940s, when this record was created, this family was spelling their last name with two Ts:  Bossett.  In 1896, the spelling was Bossert or Bosset.

One other sibling, Mary, is listed on the application.  This couple had three children, the first born in 1894.  The omission of this first sibling perhaps indicates that the surviving children did not know about this first child.

Delayed birth certificate for George Cowenhoven Duryee, born in Hudson County October 23, 1899

George Cowenhoven Duryee attested to his own birth.  Documentation, which is not on the microfilm, was a baptismal certificate from a church.  You can use this information to possibly locate church records for this family.  (Several members of this branch are buried at the cemetery for this church.)  We get the full names and towns of birth of the parents.

Application of George Cowenhoven Duryee for a delayed birth certificate

The application for the delayed birth certificate shows us that this family's records lie in both New Jersey and New York.

I would also like to point out some of these place names.  Union Hill existed in 1894, but along with West Hoboken, had become Union City before this record was created in 1943.  These locations are in Hudson County, not Union County.  North Bergen is in Hudson County, not Bergen County.  "Town of Union" in Hudson County is where we can go astray.  By 1899, this town had been broken up and morphed into other other towns, some of which were later annexed into other towns and/or changed names.  Hudson Heights is currently a neighborhood of North Bergen.  So most of these locations are challenging to pinpoint given the border changes, name changes, and non-contemporaneous record making.



Next for review is the delayed birth certificate for someone who already had a birth certificate.

This is the birth certificate of Anna Augusta "Gussie" Lutter made at the time of her birth in Newark on April 29, 1892.

Yet Augusta filed for a delayed birth certificate.

Delayed birth certificate for Anna Augusta Luther, 1892

It looks like Augusta thought she was born in Harrison in Hudson County on April 30, 1892.  She had the wrong city and county and was off by one day.  In addition, she was spelling the surname as "Luther," which was a spelling used by the family, but Augusta's original birth certificate appeared in the index as "Lutter."  We would know to look under both spellings, but without a first name at birth, Augusta may have been told that her original birth certificate did not exist.

Index to New Jersey births, 1890-1900
Available at New Jersey State Archives and FamilySearch.org (microfilm)

Double enumeration in the census, part two

Some people have written to me, asking how you know to look for someone twice in the same census year.  The short answer is that you don't know, so don't stop with one census entry.  The longer answer is that you need to look for hints or situations that may have given rise to getting counted twice.  In my prior post on double enumerations, my hint was the Adelia Joyce's occupation was "out at service" in her listing at her father's home in 1880.  I looked for her again and found her also listed at the home of her employer.

In this post and in upcoming posts I will feature some more double enumerations in the census and explain the hints pointing to a double count and the ramifications to that family's history.

We'll look at the Bossert family of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey in the year 1900.  Newark was a major city then, as it is now, and its city directories survive. Years ago, I sat in the Newark Public Library to view the directories on microfilm, but you can view them (up to 1923) from home at Fold3.  The city directories provide a year-to-year snapshot of a family, where they moved, their occupations, when women were widowed, and much more.  I am quite fortunate that so many of my lines lived in major cities, appearing in city directories for almost two centuries.

Holbrook's Directory, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
Year:  1900.  Page: 289.  Fold3.com

We have two men (or do we?) with the same name, Peter Bossert, living in the same neighborhood in the 1900 city directory.  No other information is available, such as their age or spouse.  In 1900, I know of two living men bearing this name:  Peter Bossert, born about 1845, and his son Peter, born about 1880.  An unmarried twenty year old would likely not have his own entry in the city directory.  So are these the same person?  Broome and Prince Streets run parallel to each other, one block apart.  The Broome Street residence is about three blocks south of the Prince street address.

Above is the census entry at 111 Broome Street for the entire family: Peter Bossert, father; Elisabeth [Beck], mother; and seven children.  Peter is 55 years old, working in "day labor."  Peter, the son, is 20, a mattress maker.  Son Freddy is 14 years old and "at school."

Above is the census entry for a few blocks away at 17 Prince Street.  Peter Bossett (not Bossert) is 51 years old, a "fireman stationary."  Only one person is listed with him:  a son, Frederick, age 14, "at school."

I would say that these are the same people, counted twice in the same census year, blocks apart.  I don't know why Peter was counted separate from his family and just with one son.  (The family did shift the spelling of their name from Bossert to Bosset and then Bossett.)  Both of these residences are rentals.  It is possible that the family was in the process of moving when the census was taken.  As a fireman, Peter may have slept apart from the family when on duty; perhaps son Frederick was training with him at this point in time.  In the few birth certificates that I have found for Peter's numerous children, Peter's occupation and address change often.  This double enumeration, in both the city directory and the census, could reflect Peter's multiple occupations and constant relocation.  Fortunately for research purposes, he stayed in the same neighborhood in Newark every time.

New Index: First German Reformed Church, Newark, New Jersey

Thank you to Tom and Kathryn Peters for indexing records of the First German Reformed Church in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.  This church was located on Mulberry Street.  About 52,000 names are indexed, covering years 1847-1904.  The index is housed at the Old Newark website.  The actual records are held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at The Lutheran Archives Center.

This was no easy task.  Look at this writing.  I would not have been able to decipher most of it.  Tom and Kathryn's efforts were a true labor of love.

Marriage record of Fidel Bossert and Regina Pfeiffer
24 October 1853
First German Reformed Church, Newark, New Jersey

The index is divided by baptisms, marriages by groom, marriages by bride, and two sections of deaths/burials.  Because of spelling inconsistencies and difficulties in deciphering the names, you will need to view similar nearby names as well as alternate spellings.

Groom index, First German Reformed Church
Far easier to read than the original above

Bride index, First German Reformed Church
Marriage entry for my third great grandparents, David Uhl and Clara Patschke

My 3rd great grandparents, David Uhl and Clara Patschke, were married at this church in 1865.  The general rule with immigrants is that they did not come alone.  Clara's parents were August Patschke and Wilhelmine.  I do not know if they came to the United States.  In this index, I quickly found a marriage record for Wilhelmine Auguste Patzschke, in 1860, contemporaneous with Clara Patschke.  This is a great lead to explore if these two women were perhaps sisters.

1870 United States Federal Census
Heinrich Wilhelm Heiner from the marriage index is spelled William Hyner in this census record.
Newark, Essex County, New Jersey

Gospill's City Directory for Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, 1867
The indexed records were from the First German Reformed at 43 Mulberry.
Newark city directories are available at Fold3.com

To find churches for events in your family trees, you can look at the local city directory for the relevant time period.  If you have a government record or family bible entry, the officiant is perhaps recorded.  This can help you identify the relevant church.  Otherwise, begin with the church that was geographically closest to your ancestor's home.

Same Name, Different Spellings

Holbrook's City Directory for Newark, New Jersey 1895
Page 674.  Fold3.com

Helpful guidance from a century ago:

Members of the same family spell their name differently.

Geographical Genealogy: Germany

I have a few German lines that are quite short in my trees- only a few generations- because tracing ancestors back in Europe can be difficult.

I have been playing with a website, GeoGen, that offers surname searches in a geographical genealogical context.  You type in a surname of interest and the website generates a map showing areas of Germany where the surname is concentrated today.  This can help guide you on where to look for records, but is not proof that any of your ancestors lived in any particular place.

Let's take Clara Patschke.  She first appears in the 1870 United States Federal Census in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, age 29, born in Prussia.  Prussia does not exist anymore.  As Clara was leaving Prussia to come to the United States, it encompassed a large area of land along the North and Baltic Seas.  In the 1880 Federal Census, Clara provides a bit more detail about her origin:  Saxony.

1880 United States Federal Census
Newark, Essex County, New Jersey

Someone kindly sent me an 1877 baptismal record for a daughter of Clara, listing Clara's origin as Zeitz, Saxony.  There is a town called Zeitz in the Burgenlandkreis district of Saxony-Anhalt, which is next to Saxony, about 100 miles north of the modern border between Germany and Czech.

So we can plug in the surname Patschke at GeoGen to see where the geographic distribution of today's Patschkes.

GeoGen
Geographical distribution of surname Patschke

If we look at the area where Zeitz is located in Saxony-Anhalt, we see a concentration of Patschkes.  This is where we would hope to find a lot of people with the surname.

Next we can look for variants of the last name using the Name Graph feature.  Patschke was spelled differently on every record I have found so far.  Seeing additional alternate spellings can help me uncover more records.

GeoGen
Name Graph for Patschke

Last Names

Here's a quote from Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne for all those who claim that your last name was never different.

Locating your immigrant in the census

After locating the Alien File for my immigrant of concern, Joseph Regenye, I next turned to locate him in the United States Federal Census.  He stated that he arrived in the United States in 1901, so I sought him with renewed vigor in the 1910, 1920, and 1930 census.  Using his own last name, Regenye, turns up no good matches.  Immigrant ancestors can be very difficult to locate in a census.  We can imagine that his accent was too thick to be understood fully or that he changed the spelling of his name to reflect his neighborhood influences or many other reasons.  His first child was born around 1908 in New Jersey, so I was really looking for a family.  I managed to locate the growing family for three consecutive census years by searching for a child and a birth year.  The reported age of an adult can vary in the census.  A child's age should be more accurate.  A five year old would not be reported as 17, but a 50 year old man could be listed as 35 or 65.  A precise year of birth for "William" with no last name will limit the number of matches to a more manageable number.  If Joseph is in the 1900 census, it will be difficult to determine an exact match because he would be without his wife and children.
The most recent addresses I had were from the 1940s in Union County, New Jersey, so that is where I started for the 1930 census.  I found the family at the same address that Joseph used on his 1940 Alien Registration Form.  I did not have success locating the family in Union County in 1920 or 1910.  A shaking leaf in my Family Tree Maker alerted me to a christening record for one of the children in Newark in 1909.  So I transferred my census search from Union County over to Essex County and found the family in Newark in 1910 and 1920.

Here is the Regenye family in 1910, 1920, and 1930.

1910 Federal Census
26 Aleya [Alyea] Street, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
Indexed as Reganr, Regane, and Regans at Ancestry.com

1920 Federal Census
94 Barbara Street, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
Indexed as Rigner, Rizner, and Bigner at Ancestry.com

1930 Federal Census
2024 Ostwood Terrace, Union, Union County, New Jersey
Indexed as Regney and Regnery at Ancestry.com

Working with Name Variants

Tracking the Zolders is requires recognizing them in different forms.  A few of them arrived in the United States in the 1880s from Hungary, later Austria.  In 1895 they appeared in their first census in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey.  Below are some of the variations on this last name as depicted in the census, vital records, newspapers, and even etched into a gravestone.  Cousins found some entries.  Others were located after searching tediously, page by page.  Other entries were found after locating other family in the record and then searching nearby.  They tended to stay in the same geographical location year after year, making searching easier.

This is a great example of why you need to be open to alternate spellings and diligent in pursuing all possible avenues.  I have no doubt that the location of additional records will yield more variants for the Zolders.

1895 New Jersey State Census, Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey
Selda or Selder

Federal Census, 1900, Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey
Selder

Zolder (mit umlaut) spelling on family birth certificate 1910, Bayonne

Zolder spelling in the 1910 census, Bayonne

From the caption of the photo with the obit for Mary Zolder, wife of Andrew (also spelled Colder in the same article), 1918

Obit for Mary Colder, died 1930 in Bayonne

Gravestone at Bayview Cemetery, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.
Note the umlaut above the O.