Wishing You . . .

 
Happy Thanksgiving!

Nancy.

Like Monuments Without Inscriptions - Veterans Day, 2021

There was a veteran of war “who was in it, who survived it and came home from it, and did not talk about it.  There were several . . . who went and fought and came home and lived to be old men here, whose memories contained in silence the farthest distances of the world, terrible sights, terrible sufferings.  Some of them were heroes.  And they said not a word.  They stood among us like monuments without inscriptions.  They said nothing or said little because we have barely a language for what they knew, and they could not bear the pain
of talking of their knowledge in even so poor a
language as we have."  
                  from Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry     

Today and always I'm grateful for our men and women who serve in the Armed Forces.  Thank you!

--Nancy.

The Conundrum of William Doyle and His Parents, Andrew and Elizabeth (Laws) Doyle

William Doyle in 1885

With a marriage date wavering between November 11, 1861 (according to family records) and November 14, 1863 (according to the UK GRO), I'm left wondering about the true date of the marriage of my great-great-grandparents, Andrew and Elizabeth (Laws) Doyle.  I'm also left wondering about the status of my great-grandfather, William Doyle, due to the absence of any government or church record of his birth which would connect him to Andrew and Elizabeth.

The births of William's three siblings, born in England after him and before the family's move to the United States, were all registered with General Register Office.  (These records are on order from UK GRO.)  Elizabeth Jane was born 1864 in Morpeth, Northumberland; Robert was born 1866 in Alnwick Union, Northumberland; and Martha was born 1868 in Morpeth, Northumberland.  So far I've been unable to find records of baptisms for any of the children.

I thought a timeline for William's parents as adults might help put things into perspective and clarify possibilities (or not).

1836 Apr 13  Andrew born in Wallsend, Northumberland, England (family info).  (Christening transcription gives date of birth as 28 April 1836, location as Medomsley, Durham.)

1857 Sep  5  Married Jane Barron, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North'd (church and civil records)

1860  Oct 14  Jane (Barron) Doyle died, Guide Post, Bedlington, North'd (UK GRO)

1861 Nov 11  Married Elizabeth Laws, married at Woodburn, England (family records)
--OR--
1863 Nov 14  Married Elizabeth Laws, Woodhorn Church, Woodhorn, North'd (UK GRO)

1863 Mar  3  Son William born, Bedlinton, England (family records)

1864 Dec 30  Daughter Elizabeth Jane born, Bedlinton, England (family records)

1866 Sep 24  Son Robert born, Ratliff, England (family records)

1868 Apr 26  Daughter Martha born, Cambois, England (family records)

1869 Apr 12  Andrew arrived in the United States

1870 Oct 13  Elizabeth and four children arrived in the United States

Several questions come to mind.

1. When were Andrew and Elizabeth married?  In 1861 or 1863?  If in 1861, having their first child nearly two years later seems unusual for the 1860s.  On the 1900 U.S. Census Elizabeth indicated that she was the mother of 14 children, 11 of whom were living at the time, and all have been identified and accounted for.  So it seems unlikely, if they were married in 1861, that she would have had other children before William.  On the other hand, if Andrew and Elizabeth married in November, 1863, and William was born in March in 1863, he would have been born 8 months before they were married.  I know it sometimes happened that couples conceived before marriage but from my observations, they didn't usually wait 8 months to marry.
2. Why was William's birth not registered when the other three children's were?
   
3. When was William born?   And where?  If in Bedlington in 1863 as family records say, why didn't they register his birth?  With this family I've learned that family records lean toward impressions, legends, or myths.
4. Could William be the son of Andrew and Jane (Barron) Doyle, Andrew's first wife?  I found no evidence of this when I searched GRO records.   I did find a William Doyle born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1861 but his mother's maiden name was Quin.  Not likely he is my William but because of this record I checked to see if Andrew had been married to Miss Quin between the death of his first wife, Jane, and his marriage to Elizabeth.  I found no records suggesting this might be the case. 
   
5. Could William have been adopted?

Not finding civil or church information for William's birth a few years ago caused me to temporarily halt  research on this family.  But this is like an elephant in the room:  it must be acknowledged and dealt with.  There is a break in the family line without a connection between William and his parents, Andrew and Elizabeth. 

Are there times when a family historian must accept that the only evidence may be (imperfect) family records?  If so, I'm at that point—at least until other evidence becomes available. 

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
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Immigrants on the S. S. Wisconsin in 1870

I always find it interesting and fun learning more about immigrant ancestors' travel experiences, including learning about and seeing photos of the ships that brought them to America. 

This is the S. S. Wisconsin, a ship built in England in 1870.  It is the ship on which my g-great-grandmother, Elizabeth (Laws) Doyle and four of her children, including my great-grandfather, William Doyle, travelled from Liverpool to New York City in October, 1870.  William was the oldest, at 8 years; the other children were ages 2, 4, and 6 years. 

Information about this ship comes from Tyne Built Ships and the article below comes from the March 21, 1870, issue of Shields Daily Gazette. 

"LAUNCHES ON THE TYNE.—On Saturday, there
was launched from the shipbuilding yard of Messrs
Palmer and Co., at Jarrow, an iron screw-steamer,
287 feet in length.  The steamer, which is named
the Wisconsin, is built for the Guion line of
steamers between Liverpool and New York, and
measures 380 feet over all; 365 feet between per-
perpendiculars; 43 feet wide; 28 feet deep; with a
7 feet 6 inches spar deck.  She has saloons and
berths to accommodate about 100 first-class pas-
sengers, and on the main deck there is room for
about 1,500 emigrants, while a lower deck
is set apart for cargo.  The Wisconsin is built on the
flush-plate plan, which was first introduced in the
building of the Nevada and Idaho last year by
Messrs C. M. Palmer and Co., for the same
owners.  The engines, which are ready to be fit-
ted into the vessel, are compound engines, of 600
horse-power nominal, with a cylinder of 120 inches
in diameter and a smaller one."

This ship was obviously very large.  What must the children have thought when they first saw it towering over them, and when they first stepped onto the ship, probably tipping slightly side to side!?  What an adventure for those little ones.  And what a challenge for Elizabeth to travel as the only adult with four young children.  I think she must have been strong-willed, determined, and courageous.

I had questions about some of the information above and other details at the Tyne Built Ships website.  For example, 

• The ship was launched on March 19, 1870, but it wasn't completed until June, 1870.  I assumed that a ship was launched after it was completed.  Not so.  The launch is when a ship is first transferred to water.  After the launch there is some work yet to be is finished on the inside of the ship.
• The Wisconsin's physical measurements were 366' long by 43.2' wide by 26.6' deep.  So, longer than a football field; a little wider than a narrow city lot for a home or about one quarter the width of a football field; and about as deep as a 3-story building is high.  The children would probably have been acquainted with places and buildings of that size but perhaps not in the context of a ship.
  
• The GRT was 3220.  GRT, or gross register tonnage, is the internal volume of a ship.  One register ton equals a volume of 100 cubic feet.  If that volume were filled with fresh water, it would weigh about 2.83 tons. Which means that the internal volume of the S. S. Wisconsin was over 9100 tons!
  
• The NRT was 2060.  NRT, or net register tonnage, is a ship's cargo volume capacity, equal to nearly 6,000 tons.
  

Elizabeth and her children travelled in steerage class.  I didn't count the number of passengers on the voyage with her but there could have been up to 1595 other passengers.  What a mass of people in the space of half a football field. 

Considering that the S. S. Wisconsin was launched in March, 1870, was completed in June, 1870, Elizabeth and her children travelled in October, and that a voyage from Liverpool to New York City took 3 weeks (according to information with Elizabeth's passenger list at FamilySearch), the ship couldn't have taken too many round trips from Liverpool to New York City and back by the time Elizabeth and her family travelled on it.  It was a new ship, but it might also have been an unseasoned ship.

You can see Elizabeth's and her children's names on the passenger list here (with a free FamilySearch account).  Below is a section of the page with her and her children listed.  The headings on the columns are Number / Name / Age (years, months) / Sex / Occupation / Country to which they belong / Country to which they intend to become inhabitants / Died on the voyage / Part of the vessel occupied during the voyage

This is how Elizabeth and her family were recorded.
   38  Elizabeth Doyle, 28 years, female, wife, England, United States, [blank], Steerage
   39  Robert Doyle, 4 years, male, child, England, United States, [blank], Steerage
   40  William Doyle, 8 years, male, child, England, United States, [blank], Steerage
   41  Elizabeth, 6 years, female, child, England, United States, [blank], Steerage
   42  Martha Doyle, 2 years, female, child, England, United States, [blank] Steerage

I can't help but wonder what the weather was like on the voyage, whether friends travelled with them, whether Elizabeth or her children were seasick, and so much more.

You can learn more about the S.S. Wisconsin, as well as other ships, at Norway Heritage.

Do you, too, love learning about the ships on which your ancestors travelled?

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2021-2025 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
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A Poor Copy But It Gets the Job Done: Marriage Certificate of Andrew Doyle and Elizabeth Laws

Below is the 1863 U.K. GRO (General Register Office) marriage certificate for my great-great-grandparents, Andrew Doyle and Elizabeth Laws.  This looks like a scan of a poor photocopy.  The background is dotted with spots.  The type is light and hard to read.  But it's legible.  And it's a certified copy.  As a certified copy it gets the job done for family history research.  (And I have no complaints about the GRO.  They've done very well by me.)

Here is a transcription of the record.  Even though the date looks like 1862 I will trust that it's 1863 because that's what the GRO tells me.

1863. Marriage solemnized at Woodhorn Church in the Parish of Woodhorn in the County of Northumberland
No.  177
When Married.  Novr 14
Name and Surname.   Andrew Doyle, Elizabeth Laws
Age.   full age   full age
Condition.   Widower   Spinster
Rank or Profession.  Miner    ----
Resident at the time of Marriage.  North Seaton   North Seaton
Father's Name and Surname.  William Doyle   Robert Laws
Rank or Profession of Father.   Miner   Miner
Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church by me, after Banns,  [Illegible first name] T. H. Ashhurst, Curate
This Marriage was solemnized between us  Andrew Doyle    Elizabeth Laws
in the Presence of us,  John Mitcheson   Martha Doyle

This certificate is in the collection Year 1863, Quarter D, Volume 10B, Page 463.

FreeReg.uk.org tells me Andrew and Elizabeth were married in St. Mary the Virgin Church in North Seaton.  I've yet to find an image of the church marriage record.

This is the full page of the record as it appeared when it arrived in my mailbox. 

And just for fun, this is a photo of the watermark on the certificate.  I love those crowns.

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
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November Celebrations among Family Members

November is a month with fewer than usual birthdays and weddings. 

The grandparents who have birthdays this month are descendants/ancestors in one Doyle line.  Martha Reay is Andrew Doyle's mother and the wife of William Doyle.  Andrew and Elizabeth Jane (Laws) Doyle are Gust Doyle's grandparents.  (Gust is my grandfather.)

Of the collateral relatives, I personally know seven of them and met at least two others.  The rest died before my time.

Living
November  3   Noah D.
November 21  Hester D.

Grandparents
November   7, 1809   Martha Reay
November 11, 1863   Elizabeth Jane Laws and Andrew Doyle
November 17, 1888   Gust Doyle

Collateral Relatives
November  1, 1922   Daniel I. Bickerstaff
November  7, 1918   Geraldine Mae (Jeree) Meinzen
November 11, 1961   James Eugene Bickerstaff and Janet Faye Martin
November 13, 1882   Walter Meinzen
November 15, 1868   Adam Froman
November 15, 1947   Rex Foulk
November 16, 1875   Lana Ellen Gerner
November 20, 1901   Marie Isabella Meinzen and Benjamin Robert Hashman
November 20, 1904   Edward Jesse Bickerstaff
November 22, 1905   Madelyn Lengauer
November 23, 1877   Scott Wesley Roe, Jr.
November 25, 1922   Edward Jesse Bickerstaff and Agnes May Pressell
November 25, 1930   Russell Sage Pugh and Edna Hendricks
November 29, 1882   John N. Gerner
November 30, 1882   John Laws Doyle

Wishing all the best to everyone who celebrates a birthday or marriage this month!

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
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