Sunday, October 7, 2018

Photograph from 100 Years Ago

A cousin surfaced in the DNA database at 23andMe and kindly shared a picture of my great great great grandmother, Susan Jane Marsh.

This picture was probably taken around 1910.
The child, Bessie Gulick, was born May 19, 1908 in East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey.
Susan Jane Marsh married William Reuben Bishop.
My line descends from their daughter, Minnie Caroline Bishop.
The newly discovered cousin descends from another daughter, Bessie, pictured above.

The bearer of this century-old image is a second cousin, once removed of my father. Their common ancestors were William Reuben Bishop (1842-1915) and Susan Jane Marsh (1848-1932).





The shared DNA ranges from 49 centimorgans to 105 centimorgans among my father and his three siblings. This is within the expected amount for second cousins, once removed.




Two of the segments can be attributed to the parents of Susan Jane Marsh: Eliakim Marsh (1816-1881) or Susan Long (1819-1882). How do I know this? Because of the DNA test of a descendant of Susan's sister, Elizabeth Marsh (1835-1914).

The rest of the segments can belong to either William Bishop or Susan Marsh. The relationships of the other DNA matches on these segments will demonstrate the origins of the segments.



Death Record in Two States

Edwin Jayne Duryea (1886-1942) died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 8, 1942 at the United States Naval Hospital. He served in the Army from 1911-1914 and again in World War I.

Edwin's death was recorded in two states: Pennsylvania, where he died; and New Jersey, where he lived.

This sometimes happens and is worth checking if the person of interest lived in a state other than place of death. One certificate could contain more information than the other.

Edwin's records both contain information in all fields of interest. The Pennsylvania record is clearer and in color because it is digitized and online at Ancestry.com. New Jersey's death certificates remain on microfilm with paper copies only available through the mail or in person at the Archives.










Edwin was the son of Albert B Duryea (1853-1924) and Margaret Lear Heavener (1851-1903). No marriages or children were found for Edwin. He had one brother, Paul Gamble Duryea (1883-1966), who married Susie Beulah Robbins (1884-1985).





Saturday, September 22, 2018

Tracking Campbell through Catholic Church Records

Margaret Campbell and Patrick Joyce (1834-1905) were my great great great grandparents.

Patrick's death certificate lists his father as Richard Joyce. I have no further information on his origins.

I have no information on Margaret Campbell's place of birth in Ireland or her parents.

Margaret died in May or June of 1870 a few days after being struck by a train in Katonah, Westchester County, New York.

The first probable appearance of Margaret and Patrick is the 1860 census in Patterson, Putnam County, New York. Patrick is listed as age 25, born in Ireland, with a personal estate of $50. Margaret's age is 20, also born in Ireland. No children are enumerated with them.




In 1865, the family can be more definitely identified because of the children, Mary, age 4, and Adeline, age 2. Adeline came to be called Delia. She was my great great grandmother.

Note that in the 1860 census, 5 years earlier, Patrick and Margaret were 15 years younger.

Working with the expanded Catholic marriage index at Find My Past, a record of Patrick and Margaret's marriage may have been found in 1860 at St Joseph Parish in Somers and Croton Falls, Westchester County, New York. Margaret's name is transcribed as Cammell, not Campbell.

I need to see the actual record, if possible, to verify the names and capture any additional information that may not have been included in this index.




I found two baptisms for children of Patrick Joyce and Margaret Campbell:
-Bridget in 1863 at St Mary in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County
-James in 1869 at Immaculate Conception in Amenia, Dutchess County

In the entry for James, Margaret's name is spelled Cammell. This is what caused me to return to the marriage in 1860.


Was Bridget actually Adelia, my great great grandmother? The 1865 census lists two children, none named Bridget.




Immaculate Conception in Amenia was the church of another branch, Sheehy and Frawley.

The next step is tracking down these records.