The Marriage Record of Albert Francis CHAPLIN, Sr. and Emma Alice LYTON

Recently, I discovered that Ancestry had added the Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880 - 1937 database to its collections. While I don't have Iowa ancestors, my children do on their paternal grandmother's side. I was hoping to confirm marriage information for their great-great-grandparents, Albert Francis CHAPLIN, Sr. and Emma Alice LYTON. A family history written by an aunt of their grandmother lists Iowa as their marriage place [1], but no date is given. Their eldest child was born in 1892 in Surprise, Butler Co., Nebraska, but the next two children were both born in Fremont Co., Iowa [2], as was Emma [3], so I figured that was the likely location of their marriage.

A year and a half ago, my children's aunt received the Chaplin Family Bible [4] from a relative, which gave Albert and Emma's marriage date, but not the location:

I was able to locate the marriage record on Ancestry [5] with no difficulty:

The record is written across the top two lines of the register. I've enlarged and cropped the image to facilitate reading it on this blog. You can click on any of the images in this blog to view an enlargement; then use your "Back" button to return to this post.

As you can see, both Albert and Emma were living in Percival, Fremont Co., Iowa and that is where they were married on 18 March 1891 (confirming the Bible entry) by the Justice of the Peace, D. Lumm. It is interesting to me that no witness names were recorded on this register page for any of the marriages recorded here. That's too bad; I would have liked to have known who the witnesses for their marriage were.

From other research I've done, I know that their parents' names were not quite recorded in full or with accuracy here. Albert's parents were Gideon CHAPLIN and Susan W. HAINLINE. Emma's parents were Henry LYTON and Maria(h) Emily DAILEY. Henry's name was an alias. He was born George TURK in Ottawa, Ontario and came to the U.S. to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War. He changed his name at that time, although it is not clear exactly why.

Sources:

     1. Southard, Velma Chaplin, The History of the Chaplin Family as of December 1970, p. 4.
     2. Ibid., p. 2.
     3. Ibid., p. 4.
     4. Albert and Emma (Lyton) Chaplin Family Bible, 1867-1922; The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (undated, no publication information); privately owned by Mary Duncan [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Washington State, 2015. Dates from 1867 to 1919 appear to have been written in the same hand and at the same time. One marriage entry, dated 15 February 1922, appears to be written in the same hand, but at a later time than the other entries.
     5. Fremont County, Iowa, Return of Marriages, 1880-1922, vol. 36, p. 483, Albert Chaplin-Emma Lyton, 18 March 1891; digital images, Ancestry.com, “Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1937” (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8823 : accessed 24 November 2016).


Disclosure: I am an affiliate for Ancestry.com, and as such, receive compensation for products advertised on and linked from this blog.

Mug Book Monday: Frank L. BISSELL (1828 - 1902)

"Mug books" are collections of biographical sketches usually found within county histories of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries, particularly in the United States. On Mondays, I'm highlighting ancestors or relatives who were featured in these mug books.

This biographical sketch is actually about the son-in-law of a couple of my ancestors, my adoptive 4th-great-grandparents, Dennis CONCIDINE, Jr. and his wife, Honora "Nora" GILLIGAN. I include it here, because in several sentences mentioning his wife's family, it mentions this couple, as well as a third ancestor, Dennis' father, Dennis CONCIDINE, Sr. It's another good example of expanding your search beyond your direct ancestors, and looking at siblings, cousins, and in-laws.

The Concidine name has a variant spelling of Constantine in this biography; understandable considering Concidine and Considine (another variant) both mean Constantine.

     "Frank J. Bissell was born at Montvale, Conn., October 4, 1828, a son of Abel and Mary (Vallett) Bissell, of Hebron and Montville, Conn., respectively. Abel Bissell, born in 1785, was a clothier by trade. In early life he run [sic] a carding and woolen factory. In 1848 he came to Bergen being 18 days coming by canal from New York. He reared children as follows: John, Calvin, Jeremiah, Frank, Lucy A, Phebe, and Rachel. He died August 30, 1861, aged 75 years. His wife was born April 1, 1786, and died January 14, 1879, and was a daughter of Jeremiah Vallett, a farmer of Connecticut, whose children were John, William, Jeremiah, Mary, and Nancy. Frank J. Bissell was reared in Connecticut, worked in a carding-mill and a tannery, and after coming to Genesee County became a farmer. He came to Le Roy in April, 1863, locating where he now resides, and where he owns a fine farm. He married, April 18, 1854, Mary Ann Constantine, a native of Java, Wyoming County, and a daughter of Dennis and Honora (Gilligan) Constantine, who were born in Ennis and Durah, County Clare, Ireland, and came to the United States in 1811, with two sons and a daughter, locating first in Rochester, and finally in Java, where he settled on a farm of 100 acres. His children were John, Patrick, Bridget, Margaret, Mary A., Ellen, Catharine, and Elizabeth. Mr. Constantice died in 1861, aged 74 years. He was a son of Dennis Constantine, of Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Bissell's children are Mary L., now of Wichita, Kan., Francis E., and Catherine G. They have liberally contributed to the erection of the Roman Catholic Church for which he purchased the bell at a cost of $500."

---

I did not have a death date for Frank or a birth or death date for Mary Ann. I did find their graves (here and here) on FindAGrave.com, which gave me that information. A biography of Frank's brother-in-law and Mary Ann's brother, John D. Concidine, was featured on an earlier Mug Book Monday post here.

This biographical sketch was taken from Gazetteer and biographical record of Genesee County, N.Y., 1788-1890, edited by F. W. Beers and published in Syracuse, New York by J. W. Vose & Co., June 1890. Frank's sketch was found on page 515. This county history, along with many other ones, can be found at the Internet Archive.

Online Historical Directories Site One of Family Tree Magazine's 101 Best Websites for 2016!

I'm thrilled and honored to announce that Family Tree Magazine has selected my Online Historical Directories site as one of its 101 Best Websites for 2016! The Online Historical Directories site was listed with four other sites in the "Best Cemetery and Directory Sites for Genealogy in 2016" category.

To view all 101 Best Websites for 2016, which will be featured in the September 2016 issue of Family Tree Magazine, visit http://www.familytreemagazine.com/article/101-best-websites-2016.

Researching Michigan Roots

I often tell people I have Michigan roots, but I think it’s often not conveyed as to how deep and wide those roots grow. I am the first generation of my family in five full generations and eight partial generations to not have been born, married, lived a significant part of my life, and/or died in Michigan, although I have had extended (months’ long) visits. Here are some statistics about my Michigan roots:

• Both my parents grew up and married in Michigan. My mom was born in Michigan; my dad was born in Alberta, Canada only because his dad was stationed there during World War II.
• All four of my grandparents were born, married, and lived most of their lives in Michigan. My paternal grandfather was the only one of the four who died in a different state (Texas). He and my paternal grandmother were Michigan-Texas snowbirds for much of their retirement years. Grandpa and Grandma Robbins are two of only five of my ancestors buried west of the Mississippi River, in Texas.
• All eight of my great-grandparents were Michiganders. One of my maternal great-grandfathers was the only one not born in Michigan; he was born in Illinois and his family moved to Michigan when he was three. All of my great-grandparents married, died, and were buried in Michigan.
• Of my 16 2nd-great-grandparents, all lived a significant part of their lives in Michigan. Six were born in Michigan, 12 were married in Michigan, 14 died and were buried in Michigan. The two ancestors of this generation who did not die in Michigan are another two of my five ancestors buried west of the Mississippi River, in Oregon.
• Of my 32 3rd-great-grandparents, 24—all (16) of my dad’s ancestors, and half (eight) of my mom’s ancestors—lived a significant part of their lives in Michigan, with two actually living their entire lives in the state. This is about 72% of that generation.
• Of my 64 4th-great-grandparents, I have been able to identify 62 of them. It’s not likely the two unknown ancestors of this generation lived in Michigan, but it’s not impossible. Of the 62, 17 of them lived in Michigan for part or most of their lives. They were all my dad’s ancestors, and none of them were born in Michigan, but were immigrants from other states or countries. This is almost 27% of that generation.
• Of my 128 5th-great-grandparents, I can identify 88 of them. Of these 88, seven—all my dad’s ancestors—were known to have lived in Michigan in their elder years. This is 5% of that generation. The earliest ones came around the time of Michigan statehood with their adult children to pioneer.
• When I tally the number of direct ancestors from my parents to my 5th-great-grandparents, I get 78 out of 254 people in seven generations who lived all or part of their lives in Michigan, or about 31%.
• None of these figures include my grandmother’s adoptive family, or my mother’s step-father’s family, both of which I research as if they were my own. It doesn’t include hundreds of collateral families, which include thousands of individuals who are other children, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, step-parents, step-siblings, in-laws, and second (or more) spouses of my direct ancestors.
• Michigan counties in which my direct ancestors live include (in alphabetical order): Allegan, Antrim, Clinton*, Genesee*, Gratiot*, Houghton, Ingham*, Kalamazoo*, Kent*, Lapeer*, Lenawee, Macomb*, Muskegon*, Oakland*, Oceana*, Ottawa*, Newaygo*, Saginaw, Sanilac, St. Clair*, Tuscola, Washtenaw*, and Wayne. I’ve marked the counties with an asterisk if I had more than three direct ancestors living there at one time or another. The top six counties with the most direct ancestors who lived in them are Kent (21), Ottawa (15), Lapeer (13), Muskegon (12), Genesee (10), and Newaygo (9). Some ancestors are counted more than once, because they may have lived in more than one of these counties.
• Of my 57 ancestors who came to Michigan from another state or country, the highest number were born in New York State (18), the Netherlands (12), and Canada (7). Four each were born in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; three each were born in Ohio and Vermont; one each was born in England, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Minnesota.

Because of all this, I've learned a lot about Michigan genealogical resources and historical records over the years. There's always more to learn, however!

Do you have ancestors from Michigan? Or do you have numerous ancestors from another state or province that causes you to be an “expert” in genealogical research in that location? Tell me about it in the comments below, or write a blog post and link it here.

Birthplace Pedigree Fun

Yesterday on Facebook, my genealogy friend, J. Paul Hawthorne, posted a cool birthplace pedigree chart, using Microsoft Excel. I created one as well, and posted it on my Facebook timeline:

Click to enlarge

I created a blank pedigree chart in Excel which I uploaded to Google Docs. You can download it, edit it, create a screenshot from it, and post it to Facebook or your own blog. Here are the instructions:

1) Go to Google Docs to view the blank template.

2) Once the template is loaded, click on File, choose Download As, then choose Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).

3) Use Microsoft Excel to open the template after it is downloaded to your computer. If you don't have Excel, you can do several things:

• You can sign into (or create and then sign into) your own Google Account, and then use Google Docs to upload the template you just downloaded.
• You can use a free spreadsheet program, like OpenOffice's Calc. 

4) In Excel (or your spreadsheet program) use the bucket tool to fill each cell with your color choice, then edit the text.

5) Go to the View tab and uncheck Headings, Formula Bar, and Gridlines to make full use of your screen.

6) If you need to zoom out a little to capture the whole image in your screenshot, go to View, Zoom, and reduce the size (I used Custom to reduce to 80% on my laptop).

7) Hold down your FN (function) key and your PRTSC (PrintScreen) key to create a screen shot. Paste the image into Paint or any photo editing program on your computer and save as a .jpg or .png file.

8) Upload to Facebook or your blog.

9) Some ideas to use:

• Color the cells according the the state, provincial, or national flag colors of where the person was born.
• Make a chart to show where your ancestors died.
• Make a chart to show the causes of death for your ancestors (good medical info!).
• Show your ancestors' faith denominations (Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, etc.).

Have fun!

What Do I Know About Mary (CLARK) WRIGHT? A Journey Through Federal and State Censuses, Part I

Just before Christmas, I received an email from a man who said he might have more information on the family of one of my brick wall ancestors, William Parker WRIGHT (1830 - 1915). The gentleman wanted to know what information I had on William's mother, Mary CLARK.  My response was:

All I have on Mary Clark is that she was born c. 1800 in Orange County, New York. Her husband may have been Peter or David Wright, born c. 1800 in New York. They were living in 1840 and 1850 in Minisink, Orange Co., NY. In 1870, Mary was living with her son, Samuel Youngs Wright, and his family.

I decided that I had no excuse for not knowing more about my 4th-great-grandmother, especially with all the great records now available online. New York State did not start keeping vital records until 1880, and even then, many counties were not in compliance. So I thought I would look a little harder at the federal censuses in which I had found Mary, as well as look for her in state censuses.

First of all, I must explain that I originally learned about Mary from my maternal grandmother's first cousin, Avis (STRONG) RUSSELL, who worked on the family tree for many decades in order to prove our Revolutionary War ancestry in the STRONG line, into which the WRIGHT family married. Avis probably discovered Mary's name from our ancestor William's Michigan death certificate, which I accessed at SeekingMichigan.org in 2009.[1]

Click to enlarge

You can see that William's parents are named as Peter WRIGHT and Mary CLARKE, both born in New York, as William was. The informant was Mary Lucy (WRIGHT) STRONG, William's daughter, and my great-great-grandmother. Mary Lucy was born in 1859.[2] We shall eventually see that this date is significant in why William's parents were listed this way on his death certificate.

The first time Mary is named individually on a census was the 1850 Federal Census, the first census that listed every member of a household. Because of this, I am starting with the 1850 Census and working forward through time until I can no longer find Mary on either federal or state censuses. The I will work backward from 1850 into earlier censuses.

Mary was living with her husband David (not Peter) WRIGHT and sons William P. and Samuel Y. in the Town of Minisink, Orange County, New York in 1850.[3] I know that this is the correct Mary, because in the Family Record book of my Hoekstra great-grandparents, my great-grandmother, Lillian Fern (STRONG) HOEKSTRA, names her grandfather William Parker WRIGHT and his brother, Youngs WRIGHT.[4] Also, cousin Avis had told me that Youngs was really Samuel Youngs WRIGHT. Notice that the household enumerated right before David's is Lucinda (WRIGHT) SHERWOOD and Wesley SHERWOOD, Mary's daughter and son-in-law, confirmed by Lucinda's descendant, Lucy (SHERWOOD) SOPER.

Click to enlarge

New York state censuses were taken for some time in years ending in 5, so my next stop was the 1855 state census. I was in luck, once again, this time in the Town of Nichols, Tioga County, New York:[5]

Click to enlarge

As you can see, Mary (now widowed) and her son Samuel Youngs are living with her daughter and son-in-law, Lucinda and Wesley, who now have three children: William H., Thomas, B., and Evangeline. You will note that all of them, with the exception of the youngest two grandchildren who were born in Tioga County, state they have lived in this county for four years, showing that they would have immigrated from Orange County around 1851. Did David die before their move or did he immigrate with them and die in Tioga County? I have checked probate records for both counties, and have not found him listed, but then again, in 1850 he had no property and was a laborer. He probably had no estate to distribute after his death.

Son William is married and living with his wife Ann and daughter Celia in the nearby Town of Candor,[6] enumerated just before the household of his father-in-law, Peter ROCKWELL, Sr., whose household continues on to the next census page:

Click to enlarge

So what have I learned about Mary (and her family) from the 1850 U.S. Federal and 1855 New York State censuses?

1. Mary was born about 1800 in Orange County, New York.
2. Her husband, David WRIGHT, was born about 1800, also in Orange County.
3. They were probably married by 1825, perhaps in Orange County. This is based on the approximate birth year and birthplace of their oldest known child, Lucinda.
4. Daughter Lucinda was born about 1826 in Orange County, New York.
5. Son-in-law Wesley was born about 1825, in Orange County, New York.
6. Lucinda and Wesley were probably married by 1847, probably in New York. This is based on the birth year of their oldest known child, William.
7. Grandson William H. SHERWOOD was born about 1848, in either New York or New Jersey.
8. Son William Parker WRIGHT was born about 1829 in Orange County, New York (1850 census); although in 1855, his birthplace is shown as New Jersey.
9. Son Samuel was born about 1840 in Orange County, New York.
10. Given the gaps between the ages of the sons, it is likely that Mary and David had other children, who either died young or are living elsewhere, as yet unidentified.
11. David was a laborer and did not own any real estate in 1850. 
12. Sons William and Samuel were minors in 1850 and still living with their parents. William appears to be unemployed. Samuel was a schoolboy.
13. Son-in-law Wesley was a blacksmith in 1850 and in 1855, but also did not own any real estate in either year. He also was listed as a native voter and citizen in the Town of Nichols in 1855.
14. Although the census day for 1850 was June 1st, the family was probably still residing in the Town of Minisink on August 20th.
15. By June 1, 1855, David had died. It is not known if he died in the Town of Minisink, Orange County, or in Tioga County. It is even possible that if he immigrated with his family c. 1851, he could have died along the way. My theory is that he died before immigration, and his death was the "push factor" that caused the family to immigrate. However, I will keep looking for documents that mention his death.
16. The family immigrated from the Town of Minisink, Orange County to Tioga County (the Town of Nichols and the Town of Candor) around 1851. The family would have consisted of at least Mary, Wesley, Lucinda, grandson William, son William, and Samuel. David may have immigrated with them and died along the way or in Tioga County. There may have been as-yet-unidentified other family members who also immigrated.
17. Daughter Lucinda and son-in-law Wesley had at least two more children by 1855: Thomas B., born c. 1852 in Tioga County; and Evangeline, b. c. 1854, also in Tioga County.
18. Mary and son Samuel are living with Lucinda and Wesley and the three grandchildren in 1855. The home is frame and worth $200. Paying $200 in 1855 was the equivalent of paying $5133.94 in 2015 (home values don't necessarily translate the same way).
19. The census day for 1855 was June 1st; the enumerator visited the Sherwood-Wright household on June 25th.
20. Son William was married probably by 1852 to Ann E., possibly in Schenectady or Tioga County.  From other family records and documents, we know she was Ann Elizabeth ROCKWELL. The date and place of marriage are estimates based on the approximate birth year and birth place of their daughter Celia, as well as the probable residence of Ann around 1852.
21. In 1855, son William, daughter-in-law Ann, and granddaughter Celia were living in the Town of Candor, Tioga County, enumerated just before Ann's parents' household. Their home is log and no value is given for it.
22. Daughter-in-law Ann was born around 1829 in Schoharie County, New York.
23. Granddaughter Celia E. was born around 1853 in Schenectady County, New York. Celia's birthplace may have been a temporary residence for her parents (such as on a visit), since she is shown as having lived in Tioga County for two years, her father for four years, and her mother for 20 years.
24. Son William is a mason, a native voter and citizen, but does not own real estate in 1855.
25. Mary had four grandchildren by 1855: two grandsons and two granddaughters.

At least 25 facts were gathered and several theories formulated from just two documents! There seem to be New Jersey connections, and son William and daughter-in-law Ann appear to have traveled a bit early in their marriage. Next time, we'll take a look at census records from the 1860s.

Footnotes:

     1. Michigan Department of State, death certificate no. 1450 (1915), William P. Wright; digital images, State of Michigan, Seeking Michigan (http://www.seekingmichigan.org : 2009).

     2.  1900 U.S. census, Kent County, Michigan, population schedule, Grand Rapids Ward 11, ED 87, p. 5A, dwelling 93, family 102, Charles F. Strong household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 January 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 723. Mary L. Strong, born Feb. 1859.

     3.  1850 U.S. census, Orange County, New York, population schedule, Town of Minisink, p. 523/263A (both stamped), dwelling 299, family 322, David Wright household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 December 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 574.

     4. Family data, John Martin and Lillian Fern (Strong) Hoekstra, Family Record Book, (Chicago, Illinois: S. B. Shaw, 1902); citing pages 50 (William Wright) and 128 (Youngs Wright); original owned by Miriam Robbins, [ADDRESS HELD FOR PRIVATE USE,] Spokane, Washington, 2016.

     5.  1855 state census, Tioga County, New York, population schedule, Town of Nichols, E.D. 1, p. 26 (handwritten), dwelling 18, family 19, Wesley W. Sherwood household; digital image, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 21 December 2015); county clerk offices, New York; citing FHL microfilm 816,364.

     6.1855 state census, Tioga County, New York, population schedule, Town of Candor, E.D. 2, p. 83 (handwritten), dwelling 115, family 130, William P. Wright household; digital image, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 January 2016); county clerk offices, New York; citing FHL microfilm 816,364.