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Posts Tagged ‘Census Records’

Missing marriage records?

October 25th, 2011 3 comments

I’ve been helping a relative do some research on his family, and wee have a recording someone in his family did where his Grandmother describes having been married 4 different times between 1917-1960. Thing is, we can’t find a single marriage record for the woman. Not in any of the Indiana counties that she lived in during that period, or in St. Louis, MO where she claims on the recording that at least 3 of the marriages took place.

We have located the birth records for the children that she had with the first 2 husbands, (showing they were just barely legitimate) and census records showing her last name as having been changed to the 3rd husband’s name, plus her SS death record where she has husband #4’s last name (plus she’s buried with him)

At the time that the recording was made, I don’t think anyone believed there was any reason to question her version of events, or would have even if they thought of it. Now, many years later it is a matter of curiosity for the family and no one is left alive to really get upset about whether she was telling the truth or not.

My question is this: Is there a likely database or location where these marriage records may be stored that I’m missing? i can understand not being able to find a record of her last marriage, since neither Indiana or Illinois publishes the records for marriages that took place in the 50’s and 60’s. Plus that one some people actually remember seeing take place, so there’s no doubt it occurred. The first three marriages though we ought to be able to find, right? Is this something even worth chasing, or does it sound like maybe the marriages never actually took place?

I’m just trying to make sure that I’m not missing a resource, I’d hate to make a long trip trying to track this down in MO if the woman was simply engaging in a little revisionist’s history while she delivered her memoirs.
Shenaya- sorry, I failed to mention that she gave specific dates for the first two marriages (and divorces) and a year for the 3rd marriage and divorce. Going off of census records, draft cards and city directories in addition to the birth records of the children that she had with husbands 1 and 2, and a picture that was found of husband 3, I am certain she did in fact have relationships with all 3 men. I just haven’t been able to find any marriage records. Husband 1 married someone else shortly after she is supposed to have divorced him, husband 2 was married to someone else briefly a few years before she married him (this is the recollection of a 93 yr old niece of his) but I don’t have anything to tell me whether he was widowed, divorced or separated, and 3 was described as a playboy of sorts, I know he had a wife 3 years prior to when she would have married him, and I can’t be sure a divorce ever took place their either.
Joyce- I’m not used to giving personal info on YA, even when it isn’t mine. Sorry. The people and relevant dates in question are:

Lydia May Nolan
married James B Weir of Fountain Co IN sometime in 1916. Location unknown. Divorced 1-5-1917.
married Horace Sterling Zick of Fountain Co IN on 12-24-1918 in St Louis MO, divorced by 1922
married Thomas Larimore of Pekin, Tazewell, IL sometime in 1922 in St Louis MO, divorced 1923

Yes, I am on ancestry.com I’ve got records on these people out the wazoo, just none to explain whether all the bed hopping was done with the proper paperwork having been filed.
Maxi- actually when i started working on this (for my 3rd cousin) I had absolutely nothing but 2 iffy names and a location. My great aunt sent him to me because he wanted to find out about his father’s family and I am the only person in our family who is both interested in genealogy and familiar with the computer. His whole problem was that that side of his family was never an acceptable topic of conversation while his father was alive. So I started digging and finding records, starting with his dad and then good old grandma, then a birth record, then another birth record for another kid with a different guy. I must have 200 emails back and forth from me finding a record or having an idea and him digging up a piece of information from someone to corroborate it. I have enough records that I can put together a reasonable chronology for everyone involved, but to me, considering the time period, all the brief marriages and quick divorces that were supposedly taking place just in time

If you don’t provide names, all we can do is give generic answers. She could have been playing fast and loose with the truth, or the records simply aren’t online yet. Have you contacted the state vital records office requesting a copy of the marriage certificates? Are you using ancestry.com for your search?

http://health.mo.gov/data/vitalrecords/

SOLVE COLD CASE MURDER OF MY GREAT GRAND PARENTS?

July 1st, 2011 2 comments

my mothers father was nine months old and his sister was a year older.They were left with the murdered bodies of their parents in the year 1910.the place was Salado Creek in New Mexico Territory.
My murdered grand parents were Eliseo Chavez he was born in Cebolito, New Mexico in the year 1883 and Amalia Rael.They were 27 and 19 years old.She was his second wife.Norberta Jiron of Alamo was his first wife they had a child named Tomasita.
We have found through research the marriage records of Eliseo and Amalia and through those documents discovered that he was born in Cebolito .Later we found the baptism records of Antonio and Martina Chavez the children of Eliseo And Amalia
We also found through Census records that Amalia had her mother Dorotea Rael living in the same town were the murders were committed We don’t understand why the family did not keep and raise my grand father Antonio or his sister Martina nor do we know what happened to Tomasita.
There are no death records for Eliseo and Amalia yet they are in the 1910 census of New Mexico .There are church records of baptismal for Antonio and Martina. Yet they were raised separately.
it’s all looking like the family of my grand mother new something or were the cause being that they were living there and abandoned the children because they were Indian.It’s hard to imagin a paternal grandmother not taking the children of her daughter who was murdered.Where did she go and why.My grand father spoke dine and his sister Martina spoke hopi.
In the end my grandfather antonio was killed in Santa Rosa New Mexico in front of the court house there is no marker for him there and his sister Martina died some where in Wyoming.of Alzheimer
this will be 100 years of the anniversary of their murders we will place a head stone not over their graves but .somewhere where we can visit .
If they were murdered because of land or mine deeds and the Rael family played a roll in it we want to know the truth about why they left the children with the dead bodies of their parents .
Even the church claims not to have any records of their death yet the church has all other records.Why is there a cover up and why wouldn’t the church have records.
Help solve this mystery .All information will assist the future generations of the surviving family members to get closure .It was bad enough that the grandparents of Eliseo were forced to walk to Fort Sumner on the long walk .Our people survived it’s time to claim what was stolen by the blood of my grand parents for the children s children.
In 2005 the Rael Family divided 4.5 million between 27 heirs of land that was sold to the state.did it take 95 years to sell land or was there a Claus holding it back.Did it belong to them or was it taken from my grand parents.
Look deep find the truth!

The problem is that anyone who knew anything about what actually happened is long dead, and the only thing you have to go on are the records from that time, and if they were tampered with back then, it’s going to be really hard to prove it, unless the party that did the tampering messed up and missed something. The problem is that if they did miss something, to find it now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Looking for info Henry Hall Collin County,Tx?

April 14th, 2011 1 comment

Looking fo information on a the Hall Family lived in Mckinney,Texas name Henry Hall wife Lena Hall
had 2 daughters Voltra Hall(allen) died 1925 and Elegea Hall died 1929 cannot find any census records of the living in Collin County,Texas just death certificates for the 2 daughter..i know henry hall had brother named A.D Hall died in June 10, 1988 but i do not have access to census information..can anyone please help me.. i know henry hall died before the last daughter died because a.d hall signed her death certificate but when i do not know.
Heny Hall is actually the father of Voltra &Elegea he was deceased before Elegea died in 1929..A D Hall signed her death certificate.. A.D Hall married a lady by the name of Mary Scruggs she died in 1984 ….To my knowledge Henry Hall has lived in Allen,Texas or Mckinney,Tx (Fairvie,Tx)area….hard to find info on people before social security Henry supposedly born in 1860 and lena in 1870
A D Hall is Henry Hall brother.
help anyone

Could this be them?

1910 Census – Ellis County, Texas
Henry Hall – M – B – 49 – married 10 yrs – TX-UNK-UNK – Farm Laborer
Lena Hall – wife – F – B – 30 – mother of 6 kids, 5 now living – TX-TX-TX
A. D. Hall – son – M – B – 9 – TX-TX-TX
Otra(?) Hall – dau – F – B – 7 – TX-TX-TX
Nora Hall – dau – F – B – 4 – TX-TX-TX
Hubbard Hall – son – M – B – 3 – TX-TX-TX
Ezell Hall – dau – F – B – 11 mos – TX-TX-TX

1920 Census – Ellis County, TX
Henry Hall – M – B – 53 – widow – TX-LA-LA – Laborer, Farm
Ida Hall – dau – F – B – 18 – TX-TX-TX – Laborer, Farm
Votie Hall – dau – F – B – 17 – TX-TX-TX – Laborer, Farm
Nora Hall – dau – F – B – 15 – TX-TX-TX – Laborer, Farm
Evella Hall – dau – F – B – 9 – TX-TX-TX
Henry Hall – son – M – B – 5 – TX-TX-TX

(I bet the "Ida" is really "A.D.", and the census taker just heard it wrong and figured it was a girl).

Here’s A.D. Hall in 1930:

1930 Census – Collin County, TX
A. D. Hall – neg – 27 – widow – TX-TX-TX – Farmer, General Farm
Leoala(??) Hall – sister – neg – 18 – TX-TX-TX
Henry Hall – brother – neg – 16 – TX-TX-TX

The "Leoala" is very hard to read, and I don’t know who that could be if Voltra and Elegea have already died, and if Elegea is the same person as Ezell/Evella. Next door to A.D. is probably their sister Nora:

Jerry Anderson – neg – 42 – TX-TX-TX – Farmer, General Farm
Nora Anderson – wife – neg – 24 – TX-TX-TX

Help tracing this family, Marie B Lund, Louis P Johnson, Louis Vego Johnson?

March 30th, 2011 4 comments

I am looking for anyone that can help me find some passenger or census records for this family.
The mother is Marie B Lund, born 1875 in Denmark. I have found her with husband and child in the 1910 Federal Census in King county, WA. It says that she came to the USA in 1889. Her death record of 7 may 1956 in Enumclaw, King, Washington states that her Father’s name is Lund and mothers name is Elizabeth Kjaerulf, both from Denmark. She most likely lived in Cuyahoga County, Ohio in 1900.
Her husband, Louis Peter Johnson was born 12 Sep 1868 in Skeby, Fyn, Denmark. I have his passenger record and naturalization. He was naturalized in Cuyahoga County, Ohio in 1899. Came to this country in 1888. In the 1910 census he is living next door to his brother Johannes Jokumsen. Louis Peter Johnson’s birth name is Lars Peder Jokumsen, but he went by Louis or Lewis P Johnson while living in the USA. If anyone can find census records for this family, or death records it would be much appreciated. Louis and Marie probably married in 1906 in Ohio.
Their son is Louis Vego Johnson born 1906 in Ohio. He went by Vego Johnson. Also on the 1910 Census record with parents in Washington State. Any information on who he may have married or any children would be great. I think his wife may be Ella R Kodal.
Basically I am looking for:
1900 Census Record for Marie B Lund possibly in Ohio
1900 Census for Louis P Johnson, most likely in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
Probably in the city of Lakewood or Rocky River,
1920 Census for Marie B Johnson nee Lund, Louis P Johnson, Louis Vego Johnson
1930 Census for Marie B Johnson nee Lund, Louis P Johnson
1930 Census for Louis Vego Johnson, Ella R Johnson nee Kodal

Sorry this is so long, I hope it is clearly stated.
In the 1920 and 1930 census the family most likely are still in the state of Washington.

Is this them in 1920?
Name: Louis Johnson
Home in 1920: White River, King, Washington
Age: 51
Estimated birth year: abt 1869
Birthplace: Denmark
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
[Head]
Spouse’s name: Marie
Father’s Birth Place: Denmark
Mother’s Name: Johana
Mother’s Birth Place: Denmark
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Own
Year of Immigration: 1888
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Louis Johnson 51
Marie Johnson 45
Vigga Johnson 13
Johana Johnson 83

1930 census. "Lois" is louis

Name: Louis P Johnson
Home in 1930: Osceola, King, Washington
View Map
Age: 61
Estimated birth year: abt 1869
Birthplace: Denmark
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse’s name: Marie
Race: White

Household Members: Name Age
Louis P Johnson 61
Marie Johnson 55
Lois N Johnson 23
Ella Johnson 20

This is the only Marie Lund I could find. 1895 Iowa census.

Name: Marie Lund
Age: 20
Race: White
Birthplace: Denmark
Residence: 4th Ward, Clinton

How do you sort your genealogy files?

March 14th, 2011 3 comments

I’m hoping for some advice here. Normally, I would go to my mother for all things genealogical, but she’s more “old school” in that she’s used to dealing with hard copies that she has ordered and received. The majority of her research (the last 30+ years) was before the advent of ancestry.com, GenWeb, and online depositories put together by the individual states.

For most of my family lines, I’m the same way. My family is from Kansas/Oklahoma and North Carolina (so far). My ex-husbands paternal line is from Pennsylvania. All of which require you to write and order vital records directly from their local/state offices. Then it’s just a matter of scanning the received records onto my computer and inputting the information into my genealogy program.

However, my ex-husbands maternal line isn’t nearly as easy or clean-cut. They are primarily from Virginia/West Virginia which has started putting all their vital records online. So it’s easy to run a search of who I’m looking for and get immediate access to copies of their records. Then it’s off to ancestry.com or other sites to look up census records, burial records, tombstones, etc.

The trouble I’m facing now is that I just don’t know how to file the items on my computer. It started off easy enough. I had the main surname file for my mother-in-law’s maiden name. Within that file I had separate folders for her direct ancestors (Gma, Gpa, GGma, GGpa, etc.) with secondary files by their siblings.

For example:

I would have a folder for “Joe Blow” (Gpa) which I would save all his pertinent documents (birth, death, marriage, census records, etc.). Next to that folder would be one titled “Joe Blow Siblings”. Within that folder would be additional folders for each of his brothers and sisters.

Then, because I was getting into extended family, I would have subfolders for their spouse, their children, their spouses parents, etc. If I was doing any of the other lines, I wouldn’t be going that far right now, but because the files are online for the taking, I figured “why not”? Plus, I’m a little anal when it comes to blank spots, so I think a bit of OCD has kicked in.

Anyway, this is where the problem has arisen.

The family is primarily from the Cabell/Wayne County areas of W.VA and what I started to see what cousins marrying cousins (some 1st cousins, but a lot of 3rd cousins, 4th cousins, etc.). People have started to pop up in two or three (or more) areas of the family. In one spot they might be a spouse, then later as a brother, and then again as a 2nd spouse or something.

Obviously, the way I was doing it isn’t working anymore. I was going to start ending up with multiple folders for the same person and a billion shortcuts which would just cause even more confusion.

I’m sure others have run across this problem in small communities in which their families are long standing residents. Is there a better way to save the information to the computer? Has anyone figured out a good way to file their info in a way that makes sense, is easy to access, and limits the possibilities of duplicate individuals?

I’ve currently done away with the former system and just have all the saved files in the folder for my mother-in-law. But now I have over 700 files sitting there and several people with the exact same names (ex: Benjamin Franklin Doe, Andrew Jackson Blow).

Thanks so much for the advice!
Thanks Tom, I totally agree. And on a side note: I "enjoy" how someone gave you a thumbs down for your advice, yet didn’t offer any of their own.
Marci — Thanks for the tip! I had no idea this resource existed. I’m going to definitely check it out! Thanks again!

WOW! You are way more organized than I am. I file under my and DH’s 4 grandparent surnames with file-names that indicate the name or family the document concerns. Fortunately I have not had any crossovers. If I find a particularly interesting family, I might have a sub-folder for them. I feel so disorganized.

Lisa Louise Cook on Genealogy Gems has covered this topic several times on her podcasts, You might want to listen to some of the suggestions she and her guests have had.

Seeking cemetery in Sac Co., IA for John and Kathryn/Kate Jansen?

January 24th, 2010 5 comments

I’m looking for my aunt’s paternal grandparents’ graves, as she’s about to drive through Sac County, Iowa, and she would like to know which cemetery they’re in so she can stop for a "visit" on her trip.
John (Johannes) Jansen was born in about 1864 in Germany, and died in the 1930s or 1940s.
His wife was Kathryn/Kate Switters Jansen, she died in late 1935 or early 1936. She was born in Illinois in about 1872. Her parents were born in Germany, and evidently her original first name was something like Hinka or Winka (?!) as that’s how I found them in the census.
They had many children, one of whom was John Radinius Jansen, born in IA.
They lived in Sac County, IA. Last known residence was a farm near Wall Lake (also lived in Viola Township).
Alternate spellings I’ve found of the surname: Janssen, Johnson.
I’ve found them in the US and IA census records already, and have tried seeking their death or cemetery info at FindAGrave, Ancestry, Interment.net, usgenweb, and the usual sites. Anyone have any more ideas? Thanks so much!

http://www.ancestry.com –family tree listing (is this the right couple?)
John Gerken Jansen
Birth: 11/17/1863, Osteel, Niedersachsen, Germany
Death: 09/16/1940
Married:
Hiemka K Schwitters (Parents: Unknown)
Birth: 08/07/1870 ,Sterling, Illinois
Death: 09/19/1936 , Lake View, Iowa
Children:
George Jansen–b. 07/14/1899, Carroll County, IA; d. 02/1984, Independence, Jackson, Missouri, USA

John’s PARENTS:
Gerke Jansen Redenius
Birth: 10/19/1839 ,Osteel, Niedersachsen, Germany
Death: 02/11/1925 ,Lake View, Iowa
Married:
Heimka Jennie Klassen (Parents: Unknown)
Birth:
Death: 03/23/1924, Lake View, Iowa, USA

1920 United States Federal Census
Name: John G Jansen
Home in 1920: Wall Lake, Sac, Iowa
Age: 56 years
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1864
Birthplace: Germany
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse’s Name: Winka K
Father’s Birth Place: Germany
Mother’s Birth Place: Germany
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Own
Year of Immigration: 1867
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Household Members: Name Age
John G Jansen 56 (shows NONE under occupation for entire family)
Winka K Jansen 49
John R Jansen 16
George Jansen 19
Enna Jansen 17
Ezra Jansen 14

Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925
Name: John G Jansen
Birth Year: abt 1864
Birth Place: Germany
Gender: Male
Race: White
Marital Status: Married
Census Date: 1 Jan 1925
Residence State: Iowa
Residence County: Sac
Locality: Lake View
Relation to Head: Head
Mother: Janye Clausen
Mother’s Birthplace: Germany
Father: Gerlie Jansen
Father’s Birthplace: Germany
Marriage Place: Germany
Spouse Name: Hiemke Jansen
Roll: IA1925_1929
Line: 30
Household Members: Name Age
John G Jansen 61
Hiemke Jansen 54
Georga Jansen 25
Enno Jansen 23
Johns Jansen 21
Ezda Jansen 19

I couldn’t find his death record online, but this site can be ordered from:
http://www.vitalrecordsus.com/iowa-death-records.html
Iowa Death Records–Death records Since July 1880
Fee: $15.00
Contact Information
Iowa Department of Public Health
Bureau of Vital Records
Lucas Office Building 1st Floor
321 East 12th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0075

http://www.idph.state.ia.us
Phone: 515-281-4944
Also…
Personal check or money order should be made payable to Iowa Department of Public Health. Enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope.
Applicants must provide a photo identification when applying in person.

Also available: Iowa Birth Records | Iowa Death Records
Iowa Marriage Records | Iowa Divorce Records

Sac County, Iowa Local Office
Sac County Clerk of Court
P.O. Box 368
Sac City, IA 50583-0368
(712) 662-7791 (the area code is in western Iowa)

http://iagenweb.org/sac/resource.htm
Sac County Iowa Genealogy Resource
Wall Lake Public Library
116 Main St
Wall Lake, IA 51466
Phone: 712-664-2983
(I looked for the surname JANSEN, but it was not listed. However, you can submit an inquiry:
TO SUBMIT YOUR SURNAME TO THIS PAGE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
1.Limit your request to ONE surname per request.
2.Put SAC CO SURNAME as the subject line of your request.
3.On the first line of the message put YOUR NAME, E-MAIL ADDRESS, and your URL (web site address) if you have a Genealogy Page on the Internet.
4.On the second line of the message put your SURNAME followed by the SPAN OF TIME your surname records reach, (for example: 1750-1996)
5.Follow the surname and time span with your ancestor’s
MIGRATION PATH, for example: IRL>IA or GER>NY>IL>IA.
(These instructions will help ensure that you receive good responses. Allow some time for your surname to be added, and keep us up-to-date if your e-mail address or information changes.)

http://iagenweb.org/sac/lookup.htm
Sac County Iowa Lookup Volunteers
Look-up Guidelines
To request a lookup, please follow these simple guidelines:
1.Put SAC COUNTY LOOKUP in the subject line and the NAME OF
THE SOURCE on the first line of your message. Volunteers often do
lookups from more than one source and in more than one county. This
will insure that your request is not overlooked.
2. Follow with the specific information you are looking for–one simple
request per e-mail–and please do not ask for "everybody with X
surname," or for hardcopies to be mailed. Also, please comply with
any additional restrictions listed by the volunteer.
3. After receiving a response to your lookup request, remember to
send a thank you to the volunteer who helped you out!
This lady–Cyndi Sweet (*click on her name link on the website, and a blank email form with her email and subject line opens up)–handles lookups for VIOLA TOWNSHIP Cemeteries, Wall Lake and Emmanuel Presbyterian (churches, I assume).

*Sue Mein: lookups for Lake View, Auburn, Wall Lak

Korean War Service Records?

December 29th, 2009 2 comments

This is a Question about Korean War service records, If everyone that is closely related to my great uncle Albert W. smith has passed away will I run into problems getting the Service records,or can I have my mother who is his niece sign for them, We know that Albert was married but don’t his wife name and had a son named Rick smith.
Albert Smith was killed in the Korean War when he was captured by the North Koreans and killed in a firing squad.
I have had no luck tracing Albert Smith past a certian date of course because census records stop or should I try and get a death certificate and will that state his wife name and how do I get a death certificate for someone killed in War? Here is all I know about
Albert Woodrow Smith
Born: 30 Oct 1918
Atlanta,Georgia
30 Jun 1951
North Korea
Korean War Honor Roll
Service Number O-2262340
Died while Prisoner of War
Died June 30, 1951 in KoreaFirst Lieutenant
Also know his is Buried in the National Cemetery,Hawaii
Albert is on the 1930 census with his mother Minnie P Smith in Dyersburg,Tennessee

*Name: Albert W Smith
Birth Date: 30 Oct 1918
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Service Number: 0002262340
Dossier Number: C8055800
Source: Repatriated Korean Conflict POWs
* First Lieutenant Smith was a member of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting the enemy in North Korea on November 30, 1950 and died while a prisoner on June 30, 1951.

* World War Two service
Name: Albert Woodrow Smith
Ship Name: Bunker Hill
Ship number: CV-17
Enlistment Date: 30 Sep 1944
Roll: MIUSA2006_082834
Yeah I have actually found the record listed in the National archives I’m wondering If I’m going to have trouble obtaining the records since I’m a great Nephew.

You may be able to get his complete service record through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). I think the form you want in the DD-214.

Their website is not responding at this moment, but it should be:

birth records/death of frank vanslooten?

December 24th, 2009 4 comments

he was born in the mid 1800”s,was born in holland michigan and setteled sometime early on in soth dakota where h e married briefly a woman named pearl packard. they had 4 or 5 children.any info anyone knows or how to find i would love.(dont suggest geneology websites cause they cost too much)

Census records for Frank VanSlooten:

1900- There is one Frank VanSloten and one Frank VanSlooten living in Holland, Michigan. I think that the correct one is Frank, born Aug 1884 in MI, parents: Folkest?, b. Jan 1848 Netherlands & Bertha b. May 1849 Netherlands.

1910- Frank VanSlooden, age 25, living in Allen, Perkins County, SD by himself

1917/1918- WWI Draft Registration- see previous answer- closest relative is Pearl VanSlooten

1920- in Fredlund, Perkins County, SD
VanSlooton- Frank F, age 35, b. MI
Pearl E, age 24, b. NE
Donald E, age 6, b. ND
Theodore F, age 5, b. SD
Elenore E, age 2 1/2, b. SD

1930- in Sidney, Perkins County, SD
VanSootin, Frank F, age 45, b. MI
Pearl A, age 34, b. NE
Donald E, age 17, b. ND
Theodore F, age 15, b. SD
Eleanor E, age 12, b. SD
Nellie M, age 9, b. SD

SSDI:

Donald E Vanslooten, b. 7 Feb 1913, d. 30 Apr 1996 in Lemmon, Perkins Co, SD (#503-09-1900)

OBIT:
Bismarck Tribune, The (ND) – May 2, 1996
Deceased Name: Don Van Slooten
LEMMON, S.D. — Don Van Slooten, 83, Lemmon, died April 30, 1996, in the Lemmon nursing home. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church, Lemmon, with burial in Greenhill Cemetery, Lemmon.

He is survived by his wife, Lorraine; two daughters, Linda Edwards, Meadow, S.D., and Cathy Alley, Timber Lake; three sons, Art, Lemmon, Ike, Waukkegan, Ill., and Frank, Poplar Grove, Ill.; one brother, Ted, Lodgepole; and one sister, Mina Tescher, Sturgis. (Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home, Lemmon)

Bismarck Tribune, The (ND)
Date: May 2, 1996
Record Number: 0F225072601E1231
Copyright, 1996, The Bismarck Tribune

Lorraine E Vanslooten (wife of Donald), b. 7 Oct 1922, d. 3 Feb 1998 in Lemmon, Perkins Co, SD (#475-16-3999)

Ted (Theodore) Van Slooten, b. 24 Nov 1914, d. 1 May 1997 in Hettinger, Adams Co, ND (#503-12-3718)

Adoption records Illinois birth around 1875, where to look for free?

December 14th, 2009 4 comments

Or low costs?

Great grandfather Charles Lewis (also spelled Chas Louis) Whyte (b.17 Oct 1875 Princeton, IL? and d.5 Feb 1932 Mankato, MN) was adopted by Ananias and Sarah Whyte possibly in Bureau County, IL, date unknown. 1880 census shows them living in Iowa and that Chas was an adopted son. This is a complete dead end for me!

I have copies of some of the censuses from 1800 through 1930 for him, unable to find his whereabouts in 1890 & 1895, and I have a copy of his 1918 WW1 registration card. He worked as a switchman and/or conductor for the railroad in Mankato, MN, and his death certificate lists his parents as unknown and that the RR claimed his body for burial arrangements.

Any help greatly appreciated!!! We are having a family reunion in three months and I’d like to get past this obstacle before then!
I have census records from 1880, not 1800, LOL, he was supposedly born in 1875.

Thanks for any help!
More info: Charles’ dad Ananias died in 1886 in Creston IA, his mother Sarah (nee Penn) died in 1881 in IA. I do have a picture, not a good one, of Charles with one of his brothers and two sisters and all their families. There, to me, does not appear to be any family resemblances. My grandmother is in the picture as a small child.
My grandmother, now 94, recalled her uncle Daniel Whyte b.1860 in PA, d.1928 Denver CO, telling a story of how Ananias just brought Charles home one day like a puppy as a toddler. My Gram thinks she was about 7 when she heard that one. I have been unable to contact any other of the Whyte descendants. Charles was a child when his parents passed away, just 6 with his mother and 11 with his father. I can not find where he went after that, if with a sibling or back onto the streets of IA. The missing censuses are 1890, 1895 and 1900. I do believe I found Charles Whyte with his wife Ella b.1880 in WI (nee Garlick) residing in a Minneapolis boarding house in 1900 but my grandmother swears they never lived there, I do think it may have been them though.
I’m hopeful to make contact with Ananias’s descendants, as I believe the rest them had resided in CO do to the death records I have been able to locate and what family stories I’m able to dig up. I also live in Denver so there might be a chance…but I wonder how willing they would be to speak of this to a complete stranger!
Charles and his wife Ella, my great grandparents, were unable to have children early on and I did find evidence of them adopting at least their first child of 4 while living in MN.

Thanks for the links, I did check with the orphan train sites with no luck. It was doubtful that Charles was a grandson to Ananias and Sarah, as like I early mentioned, there appeared to me to be no family resemblance.
I just looked at the image of the 1880 census for Dodge Township, IA, it does show on it Charles listed as "adopted son" born in IL.

Records as we would know them didn’t exist back then. No court petitions, no severing of parental rights, no social service agencies doing home visits…nada.

He could have been a local child, but just as possibly he could have been one of the children from the orphan trains. See if this helps you…

http://www.orphantrainriders.com/

where were they really born?

December 9th, 2009 5 comments

I’m doing some family history research and I’ve found some death records for certain family members…other documents state that this person was born around 1860 in texas, but when I looked at the state where the social security number was issued it said kansas…why would this be?
keep in mind that this person would have been born a slave in 1860…I’m assuming that he may have moved to kansas sometime after the emancipation of 1863, and that’s where he applied, but I have yet to find a record for him in kansas…all of his children where born in Indian Territory, Oklahoma in the early 1900’s and 19-teens. and I have found census records of that.

Social Security was first enacted in August 1935; payroll taxes were first collected in 1937; the first monthly payment was issued in January 1940, but it wasn’t until 1972 that the US government authorized Social Security to enumerate children at the time they first entered school. Only in 1988 did Congress require a taxpayer identification number, which was ordinarily a Social Security number, of each dependent child age two or older.

Accordingly, US Census records could very well document that your ancestor was born in Texas in 1860, but his or her Social Security records would indicate he or she was living in Kansas at the time his Social Security card was issued. I can personally remember a 9th-grade teacher obtaining Social Security numbers for all his algebra students in 1965, so at that point, enrollment for non-working minors was completely voluntary.

You also need not look for a birth certificate for an ancestor born in 1860 Texas. Indeed, about the best you can do on that score, other than looking at US Census records, is to find his or her birth date recorded in a family bible. Up through the 1920s, births in many states were only recorded if a child was born in a hospital, but in rural and small town Texas, most children were born at home. My mother and dad who were born in 1920 and 1925 respectively didn’t have thieir birth certificates issued until 1981 when Dad decided to take Mom to Europe and show her just where he had been stationed in World War II. In each case, older siblings swore that they were present at the time of birth.

P. S. African-Americans who were slaves weren’t enumerated until 1870, although depending on the family, the census records are fairly accurate in the latter decades of the 19th century. From 1870 and any time afterwards, a census would prpbably show that your ancestor was born in Texas in 1860.