James Sherwood and Mary Ann Wiltfong, married in Michigan (German, native, find)
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Looking for relatives and/or information on either side, although particularly curious about Sherwood. My ggg grandfather was James Sherwood. Records mention a place of birth as "England"- I am curious as to where in England he lived exactly, and possibly more information about his deeper ancestry. I only ever saw "England" as his place of birth in records.
James' wife was Mary Ann (nee' Wiltfong), descent from a German (I believe specifically Bohemian) family that arrived in Canada first in the early 1800's...possibly slightly earlier. The two married in east Michigan (marriage record says they were living in Lexington, Michigan at the time). They both would go on to have children and move to Racine, Wisconsin for a while.
I have hit a brick wall, using freeware Ancestry and familysearch. I am curious to see if I have cousins out there who will stumble upon this and provide any new info, or anecdotes. Or perhaps anyone more savvy with genealogical research who stumble upon something.
I do not know James' immigration year. I only know he was born in England from records from when he was already in the states. I have also not been able to find if he came alone as an adult, or with family...or where he first arrived at...or anything of that sort.
The earliest actual record I have seen of James is his marriage certificate to Mary Wiltfong, which briefly states they were both "of Lexington"- a town in Sanilac county, michigan.
Last edited by Yochanan77; 12-24-2013 at 12:53 PM..
James appears to have been born either in 1841 or 1842. Mary, his wife, 1844.
I think the date of their marriage is July 1867...
As I mentioned earlier, they briefly lived in the thumb area of Michigan...I think they moved to west Michigan briefly to have their children, but I cannot recall or re-locate the files to which settlement it was. I can tell you that they were living in Racine, Wisconsin before very long.
I know Mary Wiltfong was born in Canada, but I do not know which province specifically, directly prior to migration. I do not know if she met James in Michigan, or if James was in Canada first, or what. As I said, the earlier record I've seen of James was his marriage to Mary in 1867, with both living at the time in Michigan.
Unfortunately, I do not know for Certain James parent's names. I didn't even know his given name was "James" until I endeavored to do some research. I have an old family photo which has hand writing on it saying "grandpa Sherwood". That is...grandfather to my great grandfather.
Incidentally, I found another Very old photo of a couple which has writing "Bill's great grandmother and grandfather- he lived to 104, she to 103". Once again- no names, but I noticed the man looked a fair deal like James, so I have assumed they are his parents. Alas, this does not line up...as those death dates in the one record you posted info from, Suzy, show significantly shorter lifespans.
Of course, there's the possibility this photograph is of a different set of great grandparents...
I do wish these folk listed some names and more info......oh the woes of the genealogist!
I wonder where from Ireland this Eleanor Smith was born...could likely make all the difference between native Irish, or Ulster Scot. Not sure how that would be found via these means (unless perhaps religion is given). Just thinking aloud.
I wonder if that is indeed my Sherwood line, though. I can't help but shake the notion that the picture of my great grandfather's great grandparents "who lived to 104...and 103" were James' parents. If that notion is correct, then the couple listed above simply could not be my relatives, given their much shorter lifespans. I hear that many public libraries have ancestry accounts...maybe sometime soon I'll invest a day to do some hardcore research.
I wonder where from Ireland this Eleanor Smith was born...could likely make all the difference between native Irish, or Ulster Scot. Not sure how that would be found via these means (unless perhaps religion is given). Just thinking aloud.
I wonder if that is indeed my Sherwood line, though. I can't help but shake the notion that the picture of my great grandfather's great grandparents "who lived to 104...and 103" were James' parents. If that notion is correct, then the couple listed above simply could not be my relatives, given their much shorter lifespans. I hear that many public libraries have ancestry accounts...maybe sometime soon I'll invest a day to do some hardcore research.
Ancestry.com offers a two week free trial. They ask for a credit card number, but you can just cancel if you do not want to continue the subscription after that.
You can also contact the owners of the trees and see how they got their info.
Another possibility would be to see if you can find a death certificate for Eleanor. That might give the city where she was born and her parents. You have a death date, so it should not be too difficult. Remember to look for Eleanor Smith Sherwood.
James Sherwood and Mary Ann Wilfong are my gg grandparents. I have a copy of James's birth record from England. He was born April 9, 1842 in Middlesborough, England. His parents are James Sherwood and Margaret Fawcett. There is a James and Margaret Sherwood living in Fremont, Sanilac County, Michigan in 1870 & 1880. James & Mary Ann were there in 1870. I am not positive that this is his parents but everything fits. I have not been able to find out when James died. If you are still searching for more info please let me know and we can compare notes. My great grandmother was their daughter Mary Ann.
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