Naomi Faye Meinzen - 1898 Birth Record Finally Corrects a Birthdate

Naomi Meinzen is my grandfather, W. R. Robert Meinzen's youngest sister and the youngest daughter and last-born child of Henry and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen.

There has been uncertainty about her birth year.  Was it 1898 or 1899?  This birth record answers that question and clarifies the uncertainty.

When I was a child the Steubenville aunts--Aunt Mina, Aunt Lula, and Aunt Naomi (and sometimes Aunt Belle)--came to visit my grandparents at least once every summer.  They travelled together with Uncle Charlie, Aunt Lula's husband, driving all of them, and sometimes Zerelda, too, another of their neices, until Uncle Charlie's death in 1960.  I can hardly think of one of these sisters without thinking of all three of them.

Now that FamilySearch has published the Jefferson County birth records, I'm looking forward to finding the birth records for all 15 siblings (though one or two may have been stillbirths and not recorded).  I'm so grateful to have these online because of many of my ancestral families are from Jefferson County.

The record below comes from FamilySearch's collection of Jefferson County Births, this record from Volume 3, page 104, image 193.  With a free FamilySearch account you can view the record here and the whole collection here.

Below is a transcription.

[Page] 104
Record of Births, Probate Court, Jefferson County, Ohio, 18[blank]
Date   May 13
Number   828
Name in Full   Meinzen, Nomi Faye
Date of Birth Year/Month/Day  1898 May 22
Place of Birth State/County/City  Ohio, Jefferson, Cross Creek
Sex  Female
Color  White
Name of Father  Henry Meizen [sic]
Name of Mother  Lizzie Armithe [sic]
Residence of Parents  Cross Creek  [indicated by ditto marks]
By Whom Reported  Father

Observations and Comments

• Misspelled names include Nomi, Meizen, and Armithe.  In the case of Naomi, perhaps the spelling reflects the pronunciation.
  
• From this record I learned that Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen, Naomi's mother, had the nickname Lizzie. 
• This record clarifies Naomi's birth date.  Another transcription recorded it as 1899 and family records were unclear.
• This also clarifies the location of her birth--Cross Creek Township--though the specific location in a township would be harder to determine.  Census records are vague.  Cross Creek Township borders the southwest side of the city of Steubenville.
  

-–Nancy.

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

Little Elizabeth Meinzen's 1897 Birth and 1899 Death Records

This Elizabeth Meinzen is the oldest daughter of Henry Carl and Ella/Ellen/Helen (Dray) Meinzen.  This Henry Meinzen is the son of Henry C. and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen.  My aunt, Doris (Meinzen) Dray and Henry's niece, remembered that Henry and his wife Ella had only five daughters, no sons.  But we know that memory often doesn't tell the whole story.  Research discovered that Henry and Ella had at least eight children, six daughters and two sons. 

This is Elizabeth's 1897 Jefferson County, Ohio, birth record.  It is from the Jefferson County, 1894-1906, image collection of FamilySearch's Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003.  View Elizabeth's record here.  (You will need a free FamilySearch account to see it.)  You can click either image below to enlarge for a closer look.

Transcription of birth record

[Page] 84
Record of Births, Probate Court, Jefferson County, Ohio, 18 [blank] 
Date   [blank]
Number   853
Name in Full   Minzen Elizabeth
Date of Birth Year/Month/Day   1897 Oct. 22
Place of Birth State   Ohio
Place of Birth County   Jefferson
Place of Birth City, Town or Township    Steubenville
Sex   Female
Color   White
Name of Father   Henry Minzen
Name of Mother   Ella Dray
Residence of Parents   North 6" St.
By Whom Reported   parent

This is Elizabeth Meinzen's Jefferson County, Ohio, death record.  It comes from the Jefferson County, Ohio, images in FamilySearch's Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001.   You can view the original record here.

Transcription of death record

Record of Deaths, Probate Court, Jefferson County, Ohio, 1899    [Pages] 354-355
Date   May 22, 1899
Entry [Number]   160
Name in Full   Meinzen, Elizabeth
Date of Death-Year. Month. Day   99 Apr. 6
Condition (married, single...)     single
Age (yrs, months, days)   17 months
Place of Death   Steubenville
Place of Birth   Steubenville, O.
Occupation    [blank]
Parents Name When Infant Dies without Name   [blank]
Color    White.
DISEASE, Direct or Indirect Cause of Death   Meningitis
Place of Residence   Steubenville
By Whom Reported   Assessor

Notes and Comments

• I discovered Elizabeth's death record before her birth record and because her parents are not named in the death record I was uncertain whose child she was.  The wives of both Henrys (senior and junior) were bearing children during the last decade of the 1800s.  It was only because I found Elizabeth's birth record and used the dates to calculate little Elizabeth's age that I came to see that they were the same child.
• This Elizabeth is the first of three grandchildren who were given the name of their grandmother.  All three granddaughters were born to the sons of Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen.
• Minzen, as found in the birth record, is a common spelling variation of Meinzen.
• I imagine meningitis was a terrifying disease in 1899, both to have and to see someone afflicted with it.  The Mayo Clinic states that the symptoms in infants include high fever, constant crying, stiffness in body and neck, and a bulge in the fontanel, among others; infants may cry harder when held to be comforted.  There were no antibiotics, cures, or relief from the pain.  And there was probably no way to comfort little Elizabeth.

-–Nancy.

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

Jefferson County, Ohio, B-M-D Registers at FamilySearch

Before there were state birth, marriage, and death certificates, there were county registers.  If you're searching for Jefferson County ancestors' records from about the mid-1850s until state records were required in 1908, you might find these records helpful.  Below are the links for all Ohio counties, then Jefferson County records.

Death Records
Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001   From this link choose a county.
Jefferson County Death Records, 1867-1908, Vol 1-1A

Birth Records
Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003  From this link choose a county.
Jefferson County Birth Registers, 1867-1908

• Birth registers 1867-1879 Vol 1
• Birth registers 1879-1894 Vol 2
• Birth registers 1894-1906 Vol 3
• Birth registers 1907-1908 Vol 4 

Search all Ohio, County Birth Records, 1841-2003  Will it find all spelling variations?

Marriage Records
Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016   From this link, choose a county.
Jefferson County Marriages, 1789-2016  (52 volumes, organized by date)
Search Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

One of the things I love about these browsable records is the way they're presented to us, almost as a static roll of microfilm.  Click an image, check the date, and move on (or not) as necessary. 

As I continue to clean up my sources and citations, I believe these are record sets I'll use often.  I do not currently know any active Jefferson County researchers but someone may find these links helpful.

-–Nancy.

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

William Newell McClelland's 1942 Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Certificate

I knew William N. McClelland as Cub, a nickname I loved.  Because he and his wife, Evie (Evelyn (Leathers) McClelland), were my parents' contemporaries, I always thought I should address them as uncle and aunt.  In the 1950s and '60s it was uncommon for a child to call an adult by his or her first name.  My father explained that Evie was his cousin, his father's sister's daughter, and therefore, she and Cub were my cousins, too.  Cousins were called by first names no matter their ages.  And that's what we did.

Evie and Cub lived in Sharon, just across the Ohio/Pennsylvania border from Youngstown, Ohio, but it was still a bit of a drive in those days.  We visited at least several times a year.  I have a few fun memories of visits.  Evie used Fiestaware dishes-- a riot of bright, beautiful colors, and a joy to my childhood eyes.  Evie also introduced me to buttered popcorn.  Popcorn was one of my favorite snacks and the day we visited, she gave my sister and me a bowl of warm popcorn.  I was surprised that it was wet.  I quietly mentioned it to my sister who explained that it had butter on it.  Butter!  On popcorn!  What a novel idea.  When I looked closer I saw a pool of butter at the bottom of the bowl.  There was no butter in our home so it would never have occurred to me to put popcorn on butter.

I continue to find Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Records at FamilySearch a helpful source of information for ancestors and relatives who were born during the last decades of the 1800s and the first few decades of the 1900s.  The records are arranged in alphabetical order by last name if you decide to page through the books' digital images.  Of course, the search box is most helpful.  If you have a free FamilySearch account you should be able to see Cub's certificate here.  Again, I'm not sharing an image of this document because of contract restrictions.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania File No. B-225 Sept. 1942
County of Mercer Registered No. 1443
Delayed Birth Certificate Filing Date Oct 23, 1942
Special Registration. Date of Issuance Oct. 23, 1942
Full Name William Newell McClelland    Sex Male  
Date of Birth August 12 1904
Place of Birth
County Mercer
City, Boro, Town, Village, Township Stoneboro
If hospital, give name and address [blank]

Father of Child
Full Name Joseph Louis McClelland
Color or Race White Age at time of this birth 24 yrs
Birthplace Raymilton, Pa.
Occupation Railroad engineer
Present Address New Smyrna, Florida

Mother of Child
Full Name Lizzie Ann Newell
Color or Race White Age at time of this birth 23 yrs.
Birthplace Fox Lake, Wisconsin
Occupation Housewife
Present Address Stoneboro, Pa.

Twin or triplet [blank]
Was mother married to father of child yes
Children Born to This mother
A. Children born alive and living at time of this birth, including this child 1
B. Previous children born alive but dead at time of this birth [blank]
C. Previous children born dead (stillborn) [blank]
Total number, including this birth 1

If attending physician or midwife is still living have him (her) sign here [blank]
I, William Newell McClelland , being first duly sworn to oath, testify that the facts concerning my birth set forth upon this application are true and correct.
( Signature of Applicant) William Newell McClelland [typewritten]
(Present Address of Applicant) Lyle Drive, Sharon, Pa., R. D. 2
I testify that the above applicant for registration of facts of birth has appeared before me and testified to their truth as set forth and affixed h [blank]  signature thereto in my presence this 19th day of October , 19 42 .
Helen Guyton, N. P. , Stoneboro, Pa.
Affidavit of Physician or Midwife [blank]
Affidavit of Priest or Minister [blank]

Affidavit of Relative
State of Pennsylvania
County of Mercer ss.
I, Lizzie A. McClelland , being duly sworn on oath, do testify that I am the mother of William Newell McClelland and that the facts contained in the attached or foregoing are true and correct and that to the best of my knowledge William Newell McClelland was born on August 12, 1904 at Stoneboro, Pa. and that I have known him for 38 years.
(Signature of Affiant)
Lizzie A. McClelland [typewritten]
(Address) Stoneboro, Pa.
Sworn and subscribed before me
N. P.
this 19th day of October , 19 42.
(Seal) Helen Guyton
(Address) Stoneboro, Pa.

Affidavit of Non-Relative
State of Penna
County of Mercer ss.
I, Viola Guyton, being duly sworn on oath, do testify that the facts contained in the attached or foregoing are true and correct and that to the best of my knowledge William Newell McClelland
was born August 12, 1904
at Stoneboro, Mercer County, Pa. and
that I have known him for 38 years.
(What is the basis of your knowledge of the facts set forth herein?)
I have lived in Stoneboro all my life and remember the day he was born.
(Signature of Affiant)
Viola Guyton [typewritten]
(Address) Stoneboro, Pa.
Sworn and subscribed before me N. P.
this 19th day of October , 19 42 .
(Seal) Helen Guyton
(Address) Stoneboro, Pa.

Affidavit of Non-Relative
State of Penna
County of Mercer ss.
I, Emma Leathers, being duly sworn on oath, do testify that the facts contained in the attached or foregoing are true and correct that to the best of my knowledge William Newell McClelland
was born August 12, 1904
at Stoneboro, Mercer Co., Pa.
and that I have known him for 38 years.
(What is the basis of your knowledge of the facts set forth herein?)
Have lived in Stoneboro all my life and recall his birth
Signature of Affiant
Emma Leathers [typewritten]
(Address) Stoneboro, Pa.
Sworn and subscribed before me N. P.
this 19th day of October, 19 42 .
(Seal) Helen Guyton
(Address) Stoneboro, Pa.
The above are copies of affidavits on file.)

Notes and Comments about This Record

• The records in this collection are arranged alphabetically by last name. I was unable to download or print the complete image (due to contract restrictions) but made 3 screenshots and stitched them together. In this transcription, the italics replace the words in the blanks on the original document.
• This record gives me William's middle name, date of birth, and location of birth; his residence street and city when he filed this request; his parents' names, their places of birth, and their residence cities.
• I find it interesting that one of Cub's non-relative affiants was his mother-in-law, Emma Leathers.
• I also find it interesting that one of the affiants was Viola Guyton and the notary public was Helen Guyton.  Relatives, perhaps?
  

–Nancy.

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

Hazel Doyle's 1953 Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Certificate

Hazel Doyle is my father's aunt, his father's younger sister.  As you'll see in this certificate transcription, Hazel was born in 1890, in Stoneboro, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of William and Tressa Rose (Froman) Doyle.  Her older siblings were Emma, born in 1886, and Gust, born in 1888. 

Family records tell me that Hazel was married four times.  First, to Alan Harrison, a marriage which ended in divorce within the first year.  Second, to Bill Smith of New York, a marriage that also ended in divorce and after the birth of a daughter, Ruth.  Third, Hazel married Fred Emerson of New York.  I don't know if they divorced or he died.  And fourth, to Andrew McAlister of Stoneboro.  After he retired from the railroad they moved to Naples, New York.

Aunt Hazel was a lively, energetic character who always kept herself looking picture-perfect.  I believe I met her only once when we visited her home in Naples when I was, perhaps, 7 or 8.  She had a fairly big dog which she blocked into her kitchen because, she told us, he wasn't friendly.  She warned us that we shouldn't try to pet him.  I remember him standing behind the gate barking at us.  And he was so cute!  Sometime during our visit I began to reach my hand over the gate to pet him (yes, I was sometimes that kind of child) and was immediately reprimanded by Aunt Hazel.  How I wanted to make friends with her dog!  Until someone can confirm or deny it, I will continue to wonder whether he was an Airedale.  It makes sense that it could have been considering classy Aunt Hazel and the reputation of Airedales in the 1920s and 1930s.  At right is the only image I have of her and a poor one it is, at that, taken when she was perhaps 13 or 14.  Even then she was aware of her appearance.  Next to her is her cousin, Gust Proud.

This Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Certificate can be found at this link and is a part of FamilySearch's collection, Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Records, 1941-1976.  Its original source is Registers of Wills & Orphans Clerk of Court, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, Delayed Certificate of Births, Volume 10, 1877-1905.  The italics in the transcription below are the information in the blank spaces on the form.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania     File No.  B-50   June Term, 1953
County of Mercer    Registered No.  465B
Delayed Birth Certificate     Filing Date  Sept 9, 1953
Special Registration.    Date of Issuance  Sept. 9, 1953

Full Name   Hazel Doyle             Sex   Female
Date of Birth   December  9  1890    
Place of Birth  
County  Mercer 
City, Boro, Town, Village, Township   Stoneboro, Pa.
If hospital, give name and address  home
Father of Child
Full Name   William Doyle
Color or Race  white    Age at time of this birth  do not know
Birthplace   England
Occupation   Farmer
Present Address   Deceased
Mother of Child
Full Name   Tressa Rosi Froman Doyle [sic]
Color or Race  white     Age at time of this birth  unknown
Birthplace   Orangeville, Pa.
Occupation   Housewife
Present Address   deceased
Twin or triplet  [blank]                
Was mother married to father of child  yes
Children Born to This mother
A.  Children born alive and living at time of this birth, including this child        3 
B.  Previous children born alive but dead at time of this birth        0 
C.  Previous children born dead (stillborn)        0 
      Total number, including this birth          3  
If attending physician or midwife is still living have him (her) sign here   [blank]

I,  Hazel McAlister , being first duly worn to oath, testify that the facts concerning my birth set forth upon this application are true and correct.
(Signature of Applicant)   Mrs. Hazel McAlister   [typewritten]
(Present Address of Applicant)   Stoneboro, Pa.  
I testify that the above applicant for registration of facts of birth has appeared before me and testified to their truth as set forth and affixed h       signature thereto in my presence this  10th  day of  June , 19 50 .
 Chas. E. Burdette ,   Stoneboro, Pa.     My Commission Expires Feb 1, 1953

Affidavit of Physician or Midwife   [blank]
Affidavit of Priest or Minister   [blank]

Affidavit of Relative
State of  Pennsylvania  
County of  Venango    ss.
I,  George T. Doyle , being duly sworn on oath, do testify that I am the  Uncle  of  Hazel Doyle  and that the facts contained in the attached or foregoing are true and correct and that to the best of my knowledge  Hazel Doyle  was born on  Dec. 9, 1890  at  Stoneboro, Pa.  and that I have known h er  for  60  years.
(Signature of Affiant)   George T. Doyle  [typewritten]
(Address)   1233 Otter St., Franklin, Pa.  Sworn and subscribed before me  
 E. G. Bolmer    Ald.   
this  31st   day of  May , 19 51 .
(Seal)   E. G. Bolmer  
(Address)  1236 Chestnut St.  
  Franklin, Pa.
My Commission Expires  Jan. 2, 1956

Affidavit of Non-Relative
State of  Pennsylvania 
County of  Mercer  ss.
I,  Sylvia B. McClearn  being duly sworn on oath, do testify that the facts contained in the attached or foregoing are true and correct and that to the best of my knowledge
  Hazel Doyle  
was born   December 9, 1890   
at  Stoneboro, Pa.  
and that I have known h er  for
 all her life  years.
What is the basis of your knowledge of the facts set forth herein?   
 Neighbor and long acquaintance 
(Signature of Affiant) 
 Mrs. Sylvia B. McClearn   [typewritten]
(Address)   Stoneboro, Pa.
Sworn and subscribed before me  
 a notary public   
this  10th  day of   June , 19 50 .
(Seal)  Chas. E. Burdette      
(Address)  Stoneboro, Pa.
My Commission Expires Feb. 1, 1953 

Affidavit of Non-Relative
State of  Pennsylvania    
County of  Mercer  ss.
I,  Henry H. McClearn  being duly sworn on other, do testify that the facts contained in the attached or foregoing are true and correct that that to the best of my knowledge
 Henry H. McClearn  [sic]
was born  December 9, 1890  
at  Stoneboro, Pa. 
and that I have known h er  for
 all her life  years.
What is the basis of your knowledge of the facts set forth herein?  
 Neighbor and long acquaintance   
(Signature of Affiant)  
 Henry H. McClearn   [typewritten]
Address   Stoneboro, Pa.
Sworn and subscribed before me  
 a notary public
this  10th  day of  June , 19 50 .
(Seal)  Chas. E. Burdette 
(Address)  Stoneboro, Pa.   
My Commission Expires Feb. 1, 1953
    (The above are copies of affidavits on file.)

Notes and Comments 

• I was unable to make a digital copy of this record or print it due to contract restrictions (probably between FamilySearch and Pennsylvania).  I did make three sequential screenshots and stitched them together for my own use.  If you have a FamilySearch account you will probably be able to see it at the link, above.
• You may have noticed on the second Affidavit of Non-Relative that Henry McClearn's name appears as the one who was born on December 9, 1890:  "...to the best of my  knowledge Henry H. McClearn was born December 9, 1890...."  Was that mistake in the original affidavit or was it a transcriber's error when making this record for the court?  And how I wish I could see the originals of these papers.
• The earliest affidavits on this record were dated June, 1950, and since Hazel names herself as "Mrs. Hazel McAlister" I believe it's safe to say she was married prior to that date. 
• Also, since this certificate was recorded in Stoneboro, I believe it's safe to say Hazel and her husband, Andrew McAlister, were still living in Stoneboro and moved to Naples later.
  

–Nancy.

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

Emma Doyle's 1951 Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Certificate

One of the purposes of my family history research is the put families back together, recreating the family circle, so to speak, finding the couple/parents and all of the children in a family.    I haven't done much research on my grandfather Gust Doyle's siblings or his aunts and uncles other than what I've learned from an aunt.  I was pleased to find this document for his sister, Emma Doyle Lengauer Leathers.  She was Gust's older sister.  Family records tell me she was born on December 25, 1886, in Stoneboro, Pennsylvania, the daughter of William and Tressa Rose (Froman) Doyle.

This is a transcription of Emma's Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Certificate on FamilySearch.  To view it you may need to sign in or, if you don't have an account, you may need to create a free one.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Mercer, Delayed Birth Certificate, Special Registration.
File No.  B 1 June Term, 1951 
Registered No.   4060
Filing Date   June 5, 1951
Date of Issuance   June 5, 1951

Full Name   Emma Doyle    Sex   Female
Date of Birth   December 25th 1886     
Place of Birth  County  Mercer   City, Boro, Town, Village, Township   Stoneboro

Father of Child
Full Name   William Doyle (deceased)
Color or Race   white     Age at time of this birth  24   yrs.
Birthplace   New Castle, England
Occupation   Miner
Present Address   deceased

Mother of Child
Full Name   Tressa Rose Froman    [Tressa is typed above and to the left of the rest of the name.]
Color or Race   white     Age at time of this birth  19  yrs.
Birthplace   Orangeville, Pa.
Occupation   Housewife
Present Address   deceased

I,  Mrs. Emma Leathers , being first duly worn to oath, testify that the facts concerning my birth set forth upon this application are true and correct.
(Signature of Applicant)   Mrs. Emma Leathers   [typewritten]
(Present Address of Applicant)   Stoneboro, Pa.  
I testify that the above applicant for registration of facts of birth has appeared before me and testified to their truth as set forth and affixed h      signature thereto in my presence this  21st  day of  February , 19 49 .
 Chas. E. Burdette ,  Stoneboro, Pa.

[The two affidavits below were in boxes in two columns.]
Affidavit of Physician or Midwife   [blank]
Affidavit of Priest or Minister   [blank]

[The following affidavits were in boxes in three columns.]
Affidavit of Relative
State of  Pennsylvania       
County of  Venango    ss.
I,  George T. Doyle , being duly sworn on oath, do testify that I am the  uncle  of  Emma Doyle  and that the facts contained in the attached or foregoing are true and correct and that to the best of my knowledge  Emma Doyle  was born on  Dec. 25, 1886  at  Stoneboro, Pa.  and that I have known her for  64  years.
(Signature of Affiant)   George T. Doyle  [typewritten]
(Address)   1233 Otter St., Franklin, Pa.  Sworn and subscribed before me  
 E. G. Bolmer  
this  31st  day of  May , 19 51 .
(Seal)   E. G. Bolmer, Alderman
(Address)  1236 Chestnut St.  Franklin, Pa.

Affidavit of Non-Relative
State of  Pennsylvania     
County of  Mercer  ss.
I,  H. H. McClearn , being duly sworn on oath, do testify that the facts contained in the attached or foregoing are true and correct and that to the best of my knowledge
 Emma Doyle  
was born   December 25, 1886  
at  Stoneboro, Mercer, Pa.  
and that I have known h er  for
 all her life  years.
(What is the basis of your knowledge of the facts set forth herein?)
 Close neighbors all her life.
(Signature of Affiant)
 H. H. McClearn   [typewritten]
(Address)   Stoneboro, Pa.
Sworn and subscribed before me  
 a notary public  
this  21st  day of   February , 19 49 .
(Seal)   Chas. E. Burdette     
(Address)  Stoneboro, Pa.

Affidavit of Non-Relative
State of  Pennsylvania    
County of  Mercer  ss.
I,  Sylvia McClearn , being duly sworn on oath, do testify that the facts contained in the attached or foregoing are true and correct and that to the best of my knowledge
 Emma Doyle  
was born  December 25, 1886  
at  Stoneboro, Mercer, Pa.  
and that I have known h er  for
 all her life  years.
(What is the basis of your knowledge of the facts set forth herein?)
 Long acquaintance and neighbors.  
(Signature of Affiant)
 Sylvia McClearn   [typewritten]
(Address)   Stoneboro, Pa.
Sworn and subscribed before me  
 a notary public  
this  21st   day of  February , 19 49 .
(Seal)   Chas. E. Burdette   
(Address)  Stoneboro, Pa.

(The above are copies of affidavits on file.)

Notes and Comments
This birth certificate confirms several pieces of information that I already have:

• Emma's name, birth date, and location of birth.
• the names of her parents and the locations of their births.
• Approximate ages of parents could be deduced from their ages when Emma was born.
  
• that both parents died before 1951
• It appears to confirm her marriage to a man whose last name is Leathers.
• It confirms George T. Doyle was Emma's uncle.  Other records show William and George as brothers, sons of Andrew and Elizabeth Jane (Laws) Doyle.
  

The signatures for this document were collected over several years.  Emma signed her part of the form in February, 1949; the also McClearns signed their forms in February, 1949; and George Doyle signed his in May, 1951. 

I remember my father and aunt, who were born in 1913 and 1921, speaking of the McClearns.  They were probably fairly old by that time.  I haven't researched them at all.

I doubt this certificate could be considered primary evidence.  Yes, Emma was there at her birth she would not have had a memory of it.  As far as the affiants, I suspect they remembered her being born but I wonder if their memories were acute enough to have known the date without a prompt.

And when it comes down to it, this birth certificate is more than I had before I found it.

–Nancy.

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

Finding Pennsylvania's Delayed Birth Certificates at FamilySearch

I recently discovered FamilySearch's collection of Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Records, 1941-1976.  What a great resource for deceased family members who were born before 1906, when Pennsylvania's Department of Health began issuing birth certificates, and who lived long enough to enroll in Social Security, which required birth records. 

I understand that states created delayed birth certificates to give those individuals a way to obtain birth records.  Of course, one couldn't just sign a form stating his or her date of birth.  The state required information from others to attest to the date of birth which means there's some great genealogy information in these records. 

This is some of the information requested for these certificates:

• Name of applicant including name at birth and possibly married name, if female
• Applicant's address
  
• Applicant's date and location of birth
• Father's name, place of birth, age when applicant was born, occupation, and current address
• Mother's name (which may include maiden name), age when applicant was born, place of birth, occupation, and current address
• Relative's information including name, relationship to applicant, and current address
• Information of non-relative, possibly a neighbor or in-law, including how the individual knows the applicant and for how long
• Date filed
• Date issued
  

These records are from the county Orphan's Courts and the collection includes records from 35 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.  The counties where my ancestors lived, Mercer and Butler, have limited civil records during the years some of my ancestors and collaterals were born which makes this record set a great boon to my research for Mercer County relatives born in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

A quick search of these records using only the last name of "Doyle" and location "Mercer County, Pennsylvania" gave me links to certificates for
   > Emma Doyle Leathers, my grandfather's older sister
   > Hazel Doyle McAlister, my grandfather's younger sister
   > William N. McClelland, my father's cousin's husband, also son-in-law of Emma Doyle
Add more information for more accurate results.

I would love to post images of the certificates I found but there are contract restrictions between Pennsylvania and FamilySearch which prevent downloading and printing these records.  I was able to make screen shots and splice the three images (for each certificate) together but I don't want to violate the contract restrictions by posting them.

Learn more about these records at Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Certificates at FamilySearch. 

–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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Finding Martha Reay and Her Parents

How often does it happen that you find information about a female ancestor and her parents before finding information about her spouse and his ancestors?  Never, in my experience, at least not until now.

William Doyle is the elusive ancestor.  But here's a church record of the baptism of his wife, Martha Reay, giving her birth date, baptism date, the names of her parents, occupation of her father, and a location (which may be where they lived or birth location).

          [At top of page] 1810 
          [page number] 111
          Name  Martha Reay
          Birth  7 Nov [1809]
          Baptism  25 " [Feb]
          Child  1st d d [first daughter?]
          Names of Parents  Robt Reay of Walls End, Pitman   Houghton, by his wife
          Mary late Bell, of Painshaw

I found this record on FamilySearch microfilm 95,029.  The index is available online but the film images are viewable only at a local Family History Center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

More specific information about the record:
Parish Register Transcripts, Vol. VI, St. Luke's, Wallsend, Northumberland, England
Baptisms}
Burials   } 1798 - 1812
FHL Film 95029, Item 3, image 677, page 111

This is the full page image from the register.  Unfortunately I was unable to download the image and had to use the Snipping Tool to make a copy.  If you enlarge it (by clicking on it) you'll be able to see that it's generally unreadable.  I must find a way to download those images.

Illegible saved image or not, the online image at the Family History Center was clearly legible and I'm thrilled to have found it.  This makes up, in some small way, for my inability to find any records for Martha's husband, William Doyle (other than their marriage record).

This is the line from me to Martha:  me -> Lee Doyle -> Gust Doyle -> William Doyle -> Andrew Doyle -> Martha (Reay) Doyle.

I'm linking this post to Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance! at Carolina Girl Genealogy.  This is definitely time for a happy dance.  Thanks for hosting, Cheri.

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2017 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.
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