Ideas for Dealing with an Impasse in Research

After participating in Randy Seaver's most recent Saturday Night Genealogy Fun in which we were invited to write about our most frustrating research challenge, I decided to edit, update, and publish this post based on one I wrote a number of years ago.  (Reminders are good, right?) 

When I come upon an impasse in a family history search I often fall back and consider possibilities.  I prefer to call it an impasse — just a little hitch in progress until I figure out the next steps, the next places to search for a solution.  These are my suggestions for next steps when dealing with an impasse.  

First, I consider all the records I have — civil (census, birth, marriage, death, court records, etc.), parish, undocumented family records, and any others — and ask myself these questions.

• Have I carefully reviewed every document for every scrap of information and recorded it?
• Have I missed anything in those documents and, if so, what?  How will it help me?
  
• Did I misunderstand or misread some record or some information given to me?
• Was the record from a different time period with words I don't understand?  If so, I find the definitions so I do understand, and if I still don't, I ask for help.
  
• Was any of the information I received transcribed from another document/record and, if so, how many times had it been transcribed from the original (knowing that every transcription allows for further misinformation to be passed along)?  Can I find the original?
  
• Which information that I've received might be inaccurate?  Undocumented family records and word-of-mouth information are high on this list in one line of my family.

 
Next I consider the possibilities.

• If there was a fee to register the birth/marriage/death to create a civil document, might the event have been registered later than it actually happened?  Might it have been given an inaccurate date so it falls within the registration deadline?  I can imagine this could happen if the registrants didn't have money to pay the fee at the time of the event.
• If an ancestor had to go to a courthouse to record an event, how far did they live from the courthouse?  Would it have been a challenge for them to get there to record the event?
  
• If a child was born out of wedlock, might that have prevented the baby from being baptized/christened?  If so, there may not be a parish record for the event.
• If a child was born out of wedlock, was his surname listed as the mother's maiden name, or the father's surname?  I should check both surnames, especially if the first search doesn't reveal a record.
  
• If the child was born out of wedlock, did the child's birth require civil registration? 
  
• If the parents moved (or the county boundaries moved) between the time of their marriage and the birth of any of their children, which locations would need to be checked? 
• If the problem is a marriage and I'm unable to find a marriage record, might there at least be marriage banns amongst the parish records or a note in a gossipy local newspaper? 
• If it's a death record I'm unable to find, have I searched records in all possible death locations?
  
• What other records, both formal and informal, might help me discover information for an event in an ancestor's life?

Most important:  I need to make notes as I review the documents and records I have.  I can't rely on my memory.  I note

• the probable date of an event
• the records I have and important information in them
• any connections I see between records such as locations, possible relationships, events near the same dates, etc.
• the next records to search
• the next place to search
  
• that wisp of an idea that fluttered through my mind, no matter how improbable, unlikely, or impossible it seemed
  

A list like this and notes like these almost become a to-do list and will be similar to a research log in advance of the research.

I'm sure you, dear readers, have plenty of other suggestions for next steps when dealing with an impasse and I hope you'll share them!

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2024 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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My Most Frustrating Research Challenge, for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (on Sunday)

Randy's suggestion for genealogy fun this past Saturday was to write about our most frustrating research challenge.  I chuckled when I saw "fun" and "most frustrating research challenge" in the same sentence.  Who but a genealogist/family historian would consider frustrating research to be fun?  (It is, isn't it?!)  There are probably some people with other hobbies and professions who might but I don't know who.

I can't decide which ancestor presents the most challenging research.  It could be Henry C. Meinzen, whose place of origin and parents' names I've yet to verifiably discover; or it might be William Doyle, son of Andrew and Elizabeth (Laws) Doyle, whose absence of a birth record leaves his connection to his parents in question; or it may be the other William Doyle, a coal miner who died in 1838, whose parents I've been unable to discover.

Henry Carl (or C.) Meinzen, in brief
Henry is my great-grandfather, my mother's paternal grandfather.  He and his family were easily found in the 1870, 1880, and 1900-1920 U.S. Census records, living in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio.  He was born in either Hannover, Prussia, or Germany (depending on the census year), in 1837.  According to his naturalization documents, he immigrated in 1866 and became a naturalized citizen in 1871.  He married Elizabeth Armitage in 1870.  He died in 1926, in Steubenville.  All information on his death certificate comes from what I consider hearsay because it was passed along from him to his children.  His death certificate gives his father's name as Carl Meinzen. 

Now come the interesting parts.

• There is a Graves Registration Card for Henry C. Meinzen.  It indicates that he served in the Civil War from August 11, 1862, to August 10, 1863, in the U.S. Navy as a Seaman on the ships "Cairo" and "Brilliant."  All information on the card corresponds correctly to known information about Henry but I have been unable to locate any information about him serving in the Civil War.  If this information were true, it suggests that he arrived in the U.S. four years earlier than he states on his naturalization record.  I have found no evidence anywhere to verify this information or his service in the Union or Confederate military.  
  
• There is an immigration record at the Castle Garden website for Ernst Meinzen with information that corresponds exactly to Henry's information -- all except the first name.  The age, arrival date, and destination could all be Henry's information.  I've found no immigration record for Henry or Heinrich Meinzen.  I continue to wonder if Ernst and Henry could be the same man.  I've not found an Ernst Meinzen born in 1837 or thereabouts, in Ohio.  Did Henry change his name or decide to use a name other than the one he used in Hannover/Prussia/Germany?  A new start with a new name?  There were no ID cards in the 1870s....
  
• A somewhat distant cousin told me the story of three Meinzen brothers who travelled together from Germany, arriving by train in Ohio.  Henry decided to stop and stay in Steubenville, Ohio.  Truth, or is it the three brothers myth? 
  
• Henry's sister, Sophia (Meinzen) Kropp, arrived in the U.S. in 1887, along with her husband and several children, and settled in Steubenville, Ohio.  Neither her death certificate nor obituary mention her mother's name and her death certificate tells me that her father's name is Deidrick Meinzen.  Of course, it's possible that it was Carl Deidrick or Deidrick Carl, or that the informant for the death certificate misunderstood the question, but there's no way to know until I find further information.
  

William Doyle, in brief
William is my great-grandfather, my father's paternal grandfather.  Family records tell me that he was born in Bedlington, Northumberland, England, in March, 1873, and is the son of Andrew and Elizabeth Jane (Laws) Doyle.  I've found an immigration record, have reviewed U.S. census records, have a death certificate, an obituary....  But nowhere in British records have I been able to find a birth record for William Doyle, born March 3, 1863.  Not in civil records or church records.  Doesn't that seem strange?

William Doyle, in brief
This William is my third-great-grandfather, the grandfather of the William Doyle, above.  This William was born about 1802; married Martha Reay in 1825; and died in 1838.  I have a church marriage record (which gives names and date of marriage) and a civil death record (which gives his age as 36 years).  Neither record names his parents, his birth date, or the location of his birth.  If only William Doyle weren't such a common name!

These are my current, and long-time, research challenges.  To be honest, research on these three has been laid to rest for several years.  Perhaps it's about time I pick up where I left off and research some more!

Thanks for the fun, and the push, Randy!

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2024, Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner.

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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Which Name to Choose and Use?

Don't we all find ancestors whose names vary from document to document (and sometimes in the same document)?  The decision becomes which name to use.  How best to refer to an individual when three or four names appear across the span of the individual's life?  When I began family history research I used the name given on the birth record, if there was one, but now I'm not so sure that's the best choice.  Any thoughts?

The reality of making a decision about which name to use was brought home to me when I saw that another researcher had eliminated one of my collateral relatives on FamilySearch in favor of an individual with a similar but different first name.  All the information seemed accurate, only the first name was different (and, of course the ID number).  In the documents listed, the alternate name had been used only twice, compared to the six or eight times the other name (my original choice of name) had been used.  

Lana Ellen Gerner, daughter of Fredrick and Elvira (Bartley) Gerner, is the person of interest today.   The name in bold, below, is the name on the record.  Let's see what the documents show.  (View documents with a free FamilySearch account.)

Laney Gerner
1875 Nov 16.  Birth Record:  Putnam County, West Virginia.  Photocopy held in my records.

Lana E. Gerner
1880.  U.S. Census, Putnam County, West Virginia.

Lana Gerner (becomes Lana Snair)
1896 May 20.  Marriage Record, Butler County, Pennsylvania.  View here.

Lana E. Snair
1900.  U.S. Census, Parker Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania.  View here.

Lena Snair
1910.  U.S. Census, Bruin, Butler, Pennsylvania.  View here.

Lana E. Snair
1920.  U.S. Census, Bruin, Butler, Pennsylvania.  View here.

Lana Snair
1940.  U.S. Census, Steubenville, Jefferson, Ohio.  View here.

Lana Ellen Snair
1943.  Death, Ohio Death Certificate.  View here.

Lana Snare
1943.  Obituary in The Butler Eagle, Monday, August 30, 1943.  Photocopy in my possession.

Lena Snair
1944.  Ohio marriage record of her son, Gilmore Snair.  View here.

Of these ten documents, two record her name as Lena, one uses Laney, and the other seven use Lana.  I think it makes sense to use Lana.

When you've found several given names, how do you choose the name to use when adding an individual to your genealogy program?

-–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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The Unsolved Puzzle of Lizzie Gerner

I thought there was one Lizzie Gerner; now I see there are two Lizzie Gerners, and possibly a third also.  What a puzzle to solve!  My original goal was to find a marriage record and death information for Lizzie Gerner, born about 1851, sister to my g-grandfather Fred Gerner.  Having more than one person with the same name in the same county complicates the search.

My first acquaintance with Lizzie Gerner was when I saw her name as a witness on the July 24, 1872, marriage record of my great-grandparents, Fred Gerner and Elvira Bartley.  The marriage took place in Sugar Creek, Venango County, Pennsylvania, and was performed by Abner Hales.  It looks like Lizzie signed the document because the handwriting is different from the other witness's handwriting, but perhaps not.  (Click the image to enlarge it in a new tab.)

This was the first record I saw with Lizzie's name and I guessed that Lizzie might be a relative of Fred Gerner but had no idea the relationship.  I wondered if she could be Fred's sister, or the wife of one of his brothers, Christian, John, or Charles.

I next encountered with a few years later when I saw her name in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses, enumerated with Christian Gerner (variously recorded as Christian Gardner (1860), Christopher Gardner (1870), and Christian Garner (1880)).  For a further explanation of how I determined these were the same man whose name was Christian Gerner, read this post and this post.  (The census records are viewable with a free FamilySearch account.)

No relationships were recorded in the 1860 and 1870 U.S. Censuses but in the 1880 census I learned that Lizzie is the daughter of Christian.  It's interesting that she is recorded with three different names, as is one of her brothers.  I've learned that's not uncommon during that time period.

• In 1860, Isabell, age 9, is listed with Christian and Elizabeth Gardner, 3rd child of 6 listed.
• In 1870, Elisabeth, age 19, is listed with Christopher and Elisabeth Gardner.  The oldest of the children is no longer listed.
• In 1880, Lizzie, age 29, is listed as the daughter of Christian and Elisabeth Garner.
  

If the Lizzie of the marriage record is the same as the Lizzie listed in these census records, Lizzie would have been ~21 at the time of Fred and Elvira's marriage in 1872, and Fred and Lizzie were siblings.

Searches for a marriage record for Lizzie/Elisabeth/Isabell Gerner at FamilySearch, Ancestry, and MyHeritage have yielded no results. 

In my next, and, to date, last encounter with Lizzie Gerner she may have been recorded as Elizabeth Gerner.  In fact, there are two females recorded as Elizabeth Gerner and it seems unlikely that either is the Lizzie Gerner who is Fred's sister who was born about 1851.

This first of the two women named Elizabeth Gerner died in 1890 and was the wife of H. J. Gerner.  She is buried in Saxonburg Memorial Church Cemetery.

I do not know who H. J. Gerner is but I know that Saxonburg is a small town in Butler County, Pennsylvania.  Fred and Elvira lived there for a time.  Neither do I know who this Elizabeth Gerner is.  Is she related to my ancestors and, if so, in what way?

The other Elizabeth Gerner is, without a doubt, Fred's mother, Christian's wife and, therefore, my great-great-grandmother.  The birth year on this memorial coincides with the estimated birth year based on census records for g-g-grandmother.  She died on September 30, 1883, and is buried in Fairview Cemetery near Petrolia in Butler County, Pennsylvania.

But I have yet to find the Lizzie Gerner who is Fred's sister.  I will contact both cemeteries to request more detailed information, if it's available.

Notes and Comments
There are few things I truly know about Lizzie Gerner (and they may not be true). 

• Based on census records (if they can be trusted) she went by three different names at various times of her life:  Isabell, Elisabeth, and Lizzie. 
• In 1872 she called herself Lizzie (if the woman who witnessed Fred and Elvira's marriage is Fred's sister).
• She was still alive in 1880, was about 29 years old, and was still living with her parents.
  

It's a pitiful bit of information.   The search will continue.

-–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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How Not to Chase a Genealogical Bright Shiny Object

bright shiny object   n.  (plural  bright shiny objects)  : 
   (figuratively)  Something that attracts a great deal of attention
   because of its superficial characteristics.  [from Wiktionary]

We all know the ancestor or individual is not the bright shiny object.  It's the lure of a possible document for an individual which interrupts our focus, draws our attention, and prevents us staying focused on our goal. 

These are Recommended Steps to Avoid Chasing
Bright Shiny Objects in Genealogy Research

First:  Firmly tell yourself exactly who you're searching for, where you're going to search, and what you hope to find.  Fasten this search into your mind.  To help yourself, write down those things.  Make a list if you need to so you can check it and check off as you go.  If you finish that list, you can create a new one.

Second:  Begin with a purposeful intention.  Be purposeful and intent throughout your search, with one person and name in mind.  Don't aimlessly search at FamilySearch, Ancestry, or at whatever other websites you use.

Third:  When search results appear, do not, under any circumstances click on other possible people of interest.  I know it's easy to get side-tracked when you see two possible siblings or a possible parent or other person not part of your immediate goal, but just let them go for the moment.   It's also easy to get side-tracked when many ancestors lived in one geographic area and their names appear in the records next to your person of interest.  Ignore them (other than making a note to return to that record set later.)

In fact, here's a tip when you're tempted:  if you see a possible person of interest, open your genealogy program, go to the possible person of interest, and leave a note with the date and the url.  Immediately—immediately!—return to your original search.  (Truly, you must do this quickly, with no second thoughts.)

Finally:  When, that is to say, after, you've reached your goal, whether it's to search specific records, or one website, or until you've found what you're looking for—after—then, when you have a lazy Sunday afternoon or a few minutes before you go to bed—return to those possible people of interest and see what you find.

Disclaimer:  I thought this plan was bullet-proof and it helped, but it didn't completely work for me.  One must have laser-focused attention and strong-as-steel determination for these steps to work.  I hope you do!  If you have other suggestion how to avoid the lure of a bright shiny object, please share.

-–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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Seeking a Source for Susanna Holmes Bickerstaff's Birth Date

Yesterday FamilySearch sent me an email saying, "Your great-grandmother would be celebrating her birthday this May!"  The email included a link to a calendar.  I was curious to see which great-grandmother they were highlighting, my great-grandmother Elvira (Bartley) Gerner, or my 2nd great-grandmother Lydia (Bell) Thompson.

The first event on the calendar was the death of Emma Virginia Nelson, not on my monthly celebrations list because I haven't yet included deaths. 

Next was Susannah Holmes (wife of William Bickerstaff), giving a birth year of 1812.  Hmmm.  I've done a little research on her have only an estimated birth year between 1811-1814.  These dates are based on census records and her 1894 obituary which does not give any birth date (neither year, month, nor day) and stated only that she was 85 at the time of her death.  How did FamilySearch know she was born in May, 1812?  I clicked on her link and saw the image below showing not just a birth month and year, but also a birth date. 

Someone must have found a source for that specific information somewhere and added it to FamilySearch's Family Tree.  When I clicked through to Susanna's page I saw that there were eight sources for her birth.  That's good.  Which one or ones would be the source for "5 May 1812?"

These are the birth sources.

• 1850 U.S. Census (birth year calculated at 1811, no birth date)
• 1860 U.S. Census (birth year calculated at 1814, no birth date)
• 1870 U.S. Census (birth year calculated at 1812, no birth date)
• 1880 U.S. Census (birth year calculated at 1813, no birth date)
• 1916 Ohio death certificate for her son Augustine Bickerstaff (no birth date)
• 1922 Ohio death certificate for her son John W. Bickerstaff (no birth date)
• 1928 Ohio death certificate for her daughter Elizabeth Nelson (no birth date)
• 1894 Find A Grave Index gave birth date as 5 May 1812
  

Only her Find A Grave page states her exact birthday.  I felt hopeful.

Sadly, there doesn't appear to be any source at that site that states her birth date with year, month, and day, not even a photo of her gravestone, which I hoped would give her dates. 

I still don't know the source of Susanna Holmes Bickerstaff's birth date as stated in FamilySearch's Family Tree.

Like most family historians, I love accuracy provided by sources that verify names, dates, locations, etc., but I'm not sure I'm going to find that for Susanna's birth date.  I opened a discussion about it at Family Tree, hoping that someone will see it then give a source and share a reason why we should use that date.

There are certainly challenges when collaborating with unknown others.

-–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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Is Harry Meinzen Really Elizabeth Meinzen?

Last week I wrote about Elizabeth Meinzen, daughter of Henry Carl and Ella (Dray) Meinzen and granddaughter of my great-grandfather, Henry C. and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen.  As I was adding and clarifying citations in RootsMagic I remembered that I had discovered a newspaper article several years ago announcing the death of a 17-month-old infant named Harry Meinzen, published in The Steubenville Herald-Star on Monday, April 10, 1899. 

"The funeral of 17 months old Harry
Meinzen took place from his parents
home on North Seventh street at 2:30
o'clock, Sunday afternoon.  Rev. Long
conducted the service."

I've puzzled over Harry in the past and wondered if he is a real child or a newspaperman's mistake.  Both Harry and Elizabeth have the same last name; both died in April, 1899, and both were 17 months old (and therefore born about November, 1897).  Was it possible they were twins?  The newspaper article doesn't name Harry's parents, only that they lived on North Seventh Street.

I wondered if perhaps Henry and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen had had another baby in 1897.  Elizabeth would have been 45 at the time and had just had a baby in September, 1896.  I decided it was not likely that she'd conceived so soon after that birth.  (In fact, she did have another baby but not until May, 1898.)

My next step was to determine who lived where in Steubenville in 1899.  The Steubenville Official City Directory, 1899-1900, published by The Burch Directory Co., Akron, Ohio, 1899, tells me that Henry and Ella lived at 727 North Seventh.  It does not list Henry and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen (who were living in Cross Creek Township/New Alexandria).  I concluded that Harry's parents must be Henry and Ella.

Were Harry and Elizabeth twins?  Were there two babies, both born and died around the same time?  Elizabeth's parents, Henry and Ella, are named in her birth record (but not required on her death record).  It wasn't until I found Elizabeth's birth and death records a few days ago in Jefferson County, Ohio, birth and death registers, that I remembered Harry.  I returned to those ledgers and performed a page-by-page search through the years from birth through several years after his/her/their deaths searching for little Harry.  I did not find any record of Harry Meinzen. 

Edited to add:  I also searched Steubenville's Union Cemetery's interment records in search of Harry but did not find him.

After these searches I've concluded that the writer of this newspaper article made a mistake.  I don't know how "Elizabeth" became "Harry" but I believe that's what happened.

If Harry/Elizabeth were more closely related than first cousin once-removed I would probably do more research, but having birth and death records for Elizabeth and no records at all for Harry, I believe that Harry Meinzen is really Elizabeth Meinzen.

Notes and Comments

• The original death record for Elizabeth states that she was 17 months old.  She was born on October 22, 1897, and died on April 6, 1899.  She was 1 year, 5 months, and 15 days old, or exactly 17 months, 15 days.  When Ohio began state records of deaths in 1906, the certificates recorded age in years, months, and days (if the informant had that information). 
• Newspapers can be a blessing for family historians, until they create confusion.  I think of them as leads toward further information and generally question their accuracy until I can find other sources to confirm anything published in a newspaper.
• This article about Harry was found in the Monday, April 10, 1899 issue of The Steubenville Herald-Star on page 9, column 2.  I viewed it at the Ohio State Archives Library at Ohio History Center (formerly The Ohio Historical Society), on microfilm roll #12948.  Issues of The Steubenville Herald-Star are not yet available as digital images (except for several years at Ancestry.com).  Steubenville is an important city to me but not to many other family historians.  I'm looking forward to the day when I can see digital images of their newspapers from home.  

Are there other steps you would take to solve this research problem?  Would you be satisfied with as much research as I've done?

-–Nancy.

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

Brought Up Short When Transcribing Martha (Reay) Doyle's and Thomas Richardson's Marriage Record

There was a discussion on a genealogy Facebook group questioning the purpose of transcribing documents. One person said she pulled out the relevant information/facts and was finished.  I cannot agree with that method.   When I transcribe a record I write every word, pouring over the document, going over it with a fine tooth comb, pulling out the relevant facts, examining every aspect of it, asking questions along the way.  And then, if I have them, I pull out other documents to compare the information.  This post describes how and why that works for me.

I've posted about this marriage record for Martha (Reay) Doyle and Thomas Richardson before but it wasn't until a few days ago that I sat down to transcribe it, going over it with that proverbial fine tooth come.  That's when I was brought up short.  What?!  That's when I saw what I'd missed by not transcribing every word.

This is the obvious, pertinent information that I originally noticed:

• Martha Doyle married Thomas Richardson on June 17, 1848 in the Parish Church in Earsdon, Northumberland.  (That would have been St. Alban's.)
  
• She was a widow, he was a widower.
• The both lived in South Blythe at the time of their marriage. 
• Both fathers are named.
• The witnesses are named but have no meaning for me, as far as friends, associates, or neighbors.
  

Martha's father's name, William Reay, is the one I missed before I transcribed this record.  No, it's not right!

I have an 1810 Wallsend, Northumberland, baptismal record for Martha with her parents' names on it.  (This comes from FHL Film #85029, Wallsend Vol. VI Baptism Records, image 677, register page 111.)  

This baptismal record tells me that Martha's parents names are

• Robert Reay of Walls End, Pitman, [of or born in?] Houghton, and
• Mary late Bell, [of] N of Painshaw
  

"William Reay" of the marriage document sounds painfully familiar, a combination of her deceased husband's first name and her father's last name.  Was she nervous?  Was she missing William, perhaps having second thoughts?  I could just accept the name as a small mistake but I really wanted more confirmation of the marriage between Martha Doyle and Thomas Richardson.

Martha became a widow in 1838.  In the 1841 census she appears with only her children.  In the 1851 census she is recorded as the wife of Thomas Richardson, who is enumerated with his own children and four of Martha's children (who were on the 1841 census).  I searched FreeBMD for marriages between the years 1841 and 1850 and found no other Martha Doyle and Thomas Richardson than the one in this marriage document.  FreeReg showed no results for Martha Doyle or Martha Reay.

I don't know any other way of verifying this information and so I am concluding that Martha misspoke when she gave her father's name as William Reay in 1848 and that my great-great-great-grandmother, Martha Reay Doyle did, indeed, marry Thomas Richardson on June 17, 1848.

Can absence of information be considered valid for genealogy documentation?

Considering the Possibilities

• Could the baptismal record have the father's name wrong?  Perhaps I need to find some other document with confirmation of Martha's father's name.  Martha's first marriage, to William Doyle was in 1825, years before civil registration, so no help there, and so the only document available is their parish marriage record which did not ask for parents' names. 
• Might it be possible to find any of Martha's siblings whose documents would name their father?  Perhaps a brother or sister married after civil registration began.  Or there may be parish registers.  Martha was already married by 1831 when the first census was taken, but if she had younger siblings they would probably be on that first census and probably subsequent ones, as well.    How would I know them if I found them?
• I could search all English civil marriages, every county, but it's hard for me to believe Martha, a widow, would have moved her family of five children to another county, far from the area where she grew up and the likely support of nearby family.
  

I believe this search will take some time!

Do you transcribe documents?  If you do, do you ever find surprises or anything that you would have missed if you didn't?

-–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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Is it a Brick Wall or Should I Just Be Patient?

When I think of a physical brick wall I imagine a height that prevents me from seeing what's on the other side from where I stand.  I imagine that if I walk some distance, I'll come to the end of the wall and be able to walk around to the other side.  I always imagine a brick wall as a temporary hold up, an imposition, an obstacle to overcome.

In my mind, a brick wall is not a dead end, either in real life or in genealogy.  In real life, if I really want to see what's on the other side, I won't give up.  In family history, if I really want to find the event, the record, the ancestor and come to the proverbial brick wall, I don't give up, either.  I research every possible way I can think of and when I turn up nothing helpful, I give research a break and wait.  New ideas come, new places to search, new records collections become available online....   I think brick walls in family history are often (though not always) due to the lack of availablity of records and that eventually I'll find what I seek.

That being said, I seem to be walking along a brick wall hoping to get to the other side regarding several ancestors.

Henry Carl Meinzen is the ancestor I've been searching for the longest.  Born in Germany in 1837, immigrated to the U.S. in 1866, I have yet to determine his birth location, his hometown, and his parents' names.

John Froman is a great-great-grandfather whose parents I have yet to find.  He died intestate in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in 1871, leaving behind a pregnant wife and six children under the age of 12.  I'm unable to find a death record (other than court documents for his intestate file), a place of burial, or information about his specific place of birth. 

William Doyle, a great-great-great-grandfather, died in Northumberland, England in 1838.  I've found only church records of his death, burial, and marriage; no birth or christening record, no grave marker, nothing else.

Abel Armitage is another great-great-grandfather for whom I can find no death record (though I have found some records for his early years in Yorkshire, England).  He just disappears, last known alive in Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1881, then gone.  

I was going to write a list of ways we may arrive at a brick wall but the round-up of posts below cover most of my ideas and/or offer some great ideas for breaking down, going through, around, or over a brick wall.

• FamilyTree's Are You Really at A Genealogy Brick Wall? 
• GenealogyInTime Magazine's 50 Best Genealogy Brick Wall Solutions(Part I) 
• Findmypast's Expert advice - what to do when you hit a brick wall 
• Solving Tough Research Problems—Overcoming Brick Walls at FamilySearch (I especially liked this post with it's wide range of possibilities for arriving at a brick wall and suggestions for getting past it.  I found the post both thought-provoking and helpful.)

May the brick walls in your family history research crumble!

This post was written for Amy Johnson Crow's 2019 version of 52 Ancestors.  The post topic for the week was "Brick Wall."

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2019, 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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The Challenge of Henry Meinzen

I never tire of my great-grandfather, Henry C. Meinzen, because the more I learn, the more I realize what a character he was.  However, he pushes me to frustration for the lack of evidence I find concerning his life before arriving in the United States.  A character?  Perhaps more like a rascal.

He is one of the first ancestors I researched.  After spending years trying to find as much information as I could, I was still unable to find his place of birth or his parents.  I laid the search to rest.  But periodically, I pick up the hunt again, hoping that some new record set will help me locate his immigration information, his place of birth, his parents' names, anything else that will help me go back to his beginnings.

Lest anyone think I haven't searched deeply enough, I offer the results of searches with records and sources noted.  If you have additional suggestions of where I might look to find more information, I'd be grateful to know.

What I Know of Henry (undoubtedly too much information)

• 25 Jul 1837 - born in Germany (family records, 1900 U.S. Census indicates birth month and year; 1900 & 1910 U.S. Censuses give location, death certificate, death certificate, obituary)
• 1866 - immigrated to the U.S. (naturalization record, 1920 U.S. Census)
• 7 Oct 1867 - applied for citizenship in Belmont County, Ohio, native of Prussia, age 28, immigrated June 1866; signed as Heinrich Meinzen
• 24 Apr 1870 - married Elizabeth Armitage in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio.  He was 32, she was 17.  (marriage record)
• 1 Jun 1870 - age 32, lived in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, with wife, Eliza; born Prussia (1870 U.S. Census, dated 11 Jul 1870)
• 25 Sep 1870 - Son, Henry, born (Jefferson County birth records)
• 1871 - carpenter, lived at 116 South Water Street, Steubenville, Ohio (Palmer's Steubenville Directory for 1871)
• 9 Oct 1871 - became a naturalized citizen (naturalization record)
• 1872 - Son, William Meinzen, born (death notice in The Steubenville Weekly Gazette, Friday, 30 Nov 1888)
• 28 Apr 1873 - purchased Lot 32,  Morris Second Edition [North 8th Street], Steubenville, Ohio for $600.00 (Jefferson County deed book)
• 1875 - carpenter, lived North Eighth above Franklin (Steubenville City Directory for 1875-1876)
• 13 Feb 1875 - daughter Hannah born (1880, 1900 U.S. Censuses, certificate of death)
• 5 Mar 1879 - son Edward J. C. F. born (1880, 1900 U.S. Censuses, certificate of death)
• 1 Jun 1880 - age 41, lived in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, with wife and four children; born Hanover (1880 U.S. Census, dated 9 Jun 1880)
• 28 Aug 1880 - daughter, Marie Isabella born (Birth Records of Jefferson County, Ohio)
• 13 Nov 1882 - son Walter born (Birth Records of Jefferson County, Ohio)
• 26 Jan 1885 - daughter Elizabeth Wilhelmina born (1900 U.S. Census) 
• 20 Jan 1887 - daughter Lula Bernesa born (Jefferson County Birth Records)
• 7 Oct 1888 - daughter Bertha born (Jefferson County Birth Records)
• Nov 1888 - son, William, died (The Steubenville Weekly Gazette, 30 Nov 1888)
• 8 Feb 1892 - son William Carl Robert born (Birth Records of Jefferson County, Ohio)  
• 20 Feb 1892 - sold Lot No. 32, Morris Second Addition for $850.00 (Jefferson County Deed Book)
• 15 Dec 1893 - son Jacob Increase born (Jefferson County Birth Records, WWI Draft Card)
• 3 Sep 1896 - son Carl Nelson born (Zion Evangelical Church Records)
• 14 Sep 1896 - son Carl Nelson died (Zion Evangelical Church Records)
• 15 Oct 1898 - grew a six pound white radish, on exhibition at newspaper office (Herald-Star, October 12, 1898)
• 22 May 1899 - daughter Naomi Faye born (Jefferson County Birth Records)
• 7 Sep 1899 - exhibited 12' 4" corn stalk at HeraldStar Office (HeraldStar, 7 Sep 1899)
• 1 Jun 1900 - age 61, lived in Cross Creek Township, Jefferson County, Ohio, with wife and 10 children; gardener, born in Germany (1900 U.S. Census, dated 12 Jun 1900)
• 26 Aug 1901 - a team of Henry's horses "ran off" in Steubenville, Ohio (East Liverpool Evening News Review, 29 Aug 1901)
• 8 Aug 1902 - bought north half of Lot No. 2 in Stokely's 1st Addition [S. Third Street], Steubenville, Ohio, for $3,000.00 (deed in name of wife, Elizabeth)  (Jefferson County Deed Book)
• 1904 - lived at 306 S. Third, Steubenville, Ohio (Steubenville Official City Directory 1904-05) 
• 1906 - lived at 306 S. Third, Steubenville, Ohio, owns confectionery (Steubenville City Directory, 1906) 
• 31 May 1907 - son Walter died (death certificate, newspaper articles)
• 15 Apr 1910 - age 72, lived in First Ward, Steubenville, with wife and six children; grocer, born in Germany (1910 U.S. Census, dated 18 Apr 1910)
• 4 Sep 1910 - daughter Hannah died (certificate of death)
• 1911 - lived at 308 S. 3d, owns confectionery (Steubenville Official City Directory, 1911) 
• 15 Nov 1911 - son Edward J. C. F. died (certificate of death)
• 1913 - lived at 306 S. Third, owned confectionery (Steubenville Official City Directory 1913)
• 1915 - lived at 306 S. Third, owned confectionery (1915-1916 Steubenville City Directory)
• 12 Sep 1917 - son Jacob Increase died (certificate of death)
• 1918 - lived at 308 S. Third, owns confectionery (1918 Steubenvillce Official City Directory)  
• 14 May 1918 - daughter Bertha died (death certificate)
• 1 Jan 1920 - age 82, lived in Steubenville 4th Ward, Jefferson County, with wife, Elizabeth, and granddaughter, Edna Hendricks, born Hanover, Germany
• 26 Jun 1920 - wife Elizabeth died
• 30 Dec 1925 - Henry died, retired carpenter, born Germany, father Carl Meinzen
• 2 Jan 1826 - buried Union Cemetery (Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, Union Cemetery Records)

The Confusing Information

There is a Graves Registration Card for Henry C. Meinzen.  It indicates that he served in the Civil War from August 11, 1862 to August 10, 1863, in the U.S. Navy as a Seaman on the ships "Cairo" and "Brilliant."  All information on the card corresponds correctly to known information about Henry but I have been unable to locate any information about him serving in the Civil War.  If this information were true, it indicates that he arrived in the U.S. four years earlier than he states on his naturalization record. 

There is an immigration record at the Castle Garden website for Ernst Meinzen with information that corresponds to Henry's information -- all except the first name.  The age, arrival date, and destination could all be Henry's information.  I've found no immigration record for Henry or Heinrich Meinzen.  I continue to wonder if they could be the same man.  I've not found an Ernst Meinzen in Ohio.  Did Henry change his name or decide to use a name other than the one he used in Hannover?  A new start with a new name?

What I Lack Knowing of Henry

• The location of his birth more nearly than Germany, Prussia, or Hannover.  I need a town, city, or village to find further useful information.  I have no idea where else to look.
• His father's name is indicated as Carl on his death certificate but his mother's name eludes me.  She is apparently an unknown to both him and his children.

On a side note, I discovered that Henry's sister, Sophia Meinzen Kropp, arrived in the U.S. in 1887, along with her husband and several children, and settled in Steubenville, Ohio.  Unfortunately, neither her death certificate nor obituary mention her mother's name.  Sadly, her death certificate tells me that her father's name is Deidrick Meinzen.  Of course, it's possible that it was Carl Deidrick or Deidrick Carl, or that the informant for the death certificate misunderstood the question, but there's no way to know until I find further information.  Those German naming traditions!

I have a cousin who has researched this Meinzen side of the family.  He's interested in sharing his information but from what I can tell no sources or documentation are included.  I'm of the opinion that family history without sources and documentation is family fable.

Henry Meinzen and information about him and his life have been easy to find in the U.S.  Information about his origins and his parents -- not so easy.  That rascal!  What a challenge he's been.

This is a post written for Amy Johnson Crow's 2019 version of 52 Ancestors.  The post topic for the week was "Challenge."

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2019, Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 

Dealing with an Impasse in Research

When I come upon an impasse in a family history search I often fall back and consider possibilities.  I prefer to call it an impasse — just a little hitch in progress until I figure out the next step, the next place to search for a solution. 

First, I consider all the records I have — civil (census, birth, death, etc.), parish (birth, baptism, death), undocumented family records, and any others — and ask myself

• Have I carefully reviewed every document for every scrap of information?
• Have I missed anything in those documents and, if so, what?
• Did I misunderstand or misread some record or some information given to me?
• Was any of the information I received transcribed from another document/record and, if so, how many times had it been transcribed from the original (knowing that every transcription allows for further misinformation to be passed along)?
• Which information that I've received might be inaccurate?  Undocumented family records are high on this list.

 
Next I consider the possibilities.

• If there was a fee to register the birth to create a civil document, might the event have been registered later than it actually happened and given a date within the registration deadline?  I can imagine this could happen if the registrants didn't have money to pay the fee at the time of the event.
• If a child was born out of wedlock, might that have prevented the baby from being baptized/christened?  If so, there would be no parish record for the event.
• If a child was born out of wedlock, was his surname listed as the mother's maiden name, or the father's surname?
• If the child was born out of wedlock, did the child's birth require civil registration?
• If the parents moved (or the county boundaries moved) between the time of their marriage and the birth of any of their children, which locations would need to be checked?

My Current Impasse
I am unable to find a birth or baptismal/christening record for William Doyle. 

Andrew and Elizabeth (Laws) Doyle married on November 14, 1863, according to their U.K. GRO marriage record.  By the same record they had both been living in North Seaton and married in the parish church, Woodhorn Church (St. Mary the Virgin, according to FreeReg transcriptions), in Northumberland. 

According to family records, their first son, William, was born on March 3, 1863, in Bedlington, Northumberland, 8 months before his parents were married.   However, also according to family records, his parents married on November 11, 1861 (instead of the date given on the civil record).

Considerations and Questions regarding this family

• Did Andrew and Elizabeth forget the actual date of their marriage or did they fudge the 1861 date so William would have appeared to have been born after they married?  I find it hard to argue with both a civil and church document that give the same date of November 14, 1863.
• If he was born before they married, would his civil registration be as William Laws or William Doyle?
• Where were they living when William was born?  I began with a search of Northumberland then expanded it to Durham (though all information I have suggests they did not leave Northumberland until they emigrated).
• Did his parents even register William's birth or have him baptized/christened?  

Further Thoughts
It's unfortunate that Andrew and Elizabeth and their family appear in no U.K. Census record.  They married, had children, and emigrated between the 1861 and 1871 censuses.  They do not appear in the 1870 U.S. Census:  Andrew arrived in late 1869 but was not a citizen.  (There is a 30-year-old Andrew Doyle in Philadelphia in 1870, apparently in a boarding house.  There are no identifiers other than a name.  My Andrew would have been 34 in 1870.)  His family didn't arrive in the U.S. until October, 1870.

U.K. GRO birth registration indexes tell me the probable birth locations of William's younger siblings were Morpeth in 1864, Alnwick in 1866, and back to Morpeth in 1868.  At FreeReg I can find no indication that there were parish records of their births.  (That is not to say that there aren't any since FreeReg has not yet transcribed all parish records.)

My biggest concern is this:  Does the lack of a birth record for William Doyle negate the relationships to parents, grand-parents, etc.?  William is listed as the son of Andrew and Elizabeth in the 1880 U.S. Census.

What do you do when this happens to you?  Do you have any other search strategies?

Nancy.

Copyright ©2018, 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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Two William Doyles and Neither Is My Ancestor

GRO posted the birth record for William Doyle to my account on Thursday.  Sadly, it is not for my great-grandfather.  I now have two birth records for two different individuals named William Doyle, neither of which is my ancestor.  I didn't think it would be so difficult to find a birth or baptism record for someone born in the 1860s in England but my searches are proving fruitless.  Perhaps because they are based on undocumented family records -- family legends?

A few days after I ordered the birth record I anticipated it might not be the one I hoped it would be when Dara of Black Raven Genealogy reminded me that one can search the U.K. GRO website.  I find it cumbersome to use but it can serve a purpose when one becomes more familiar with it.  I searched for the record I ordered, for William Doyle, born 1863, and learned that his mother's maiden name was not Laws.  Below is the record I ordered and received.

In an effort to make both records for the births of two different babies named William Doyle available for anyone who might want them, I'm posting copies below.  I hope some other family historian in search of either of these individuals will find this post, thereby saving him/herself £6.00 (or more, if the prices go up).

This first record (the second one I ordered) comes from GRO, Year 1863, Volume 10A, Page 537.  It is for William Doyle, born March 20, 1863, in Sunderland, Monkwearmouth, Durham.  His parents were Thomas and Sarah (Johnson) Doyle.

This second record (the first I ordered) comes from GRO, Year 1861, Volume 10B, Page 60.  This William Doyle was born December 9, 1860, to Patrick and Mary Ann (Quin) Doyle, in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland.

Please help yourself to this record if you are a descendant or relative of either of these two Williams. If you would like the PDF, please email me and I'll forward the document to you.

My mission to find information about the birth of William Doyle, son of Andrew and Elizabeth (Laws) Doyle, born about March 3, 1863, continues.

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2018, 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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