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I also think the census takers with "creative spelling" and poor handwriting should be ashamed of themselves. How many of us have hit roadblocks in our research because of these yahoos?
I also think the census takers with "creative spelling" and poor handwriting should be ashamed of themselves. How many of us have hit roadblocks in our research because of these yahoos?
Oh, how true! I've seen an Edward be turned into an Edwina, an Elmer changed to Elmo and Amos recorded as Amoses!
I'm stuck because my Nicholson family line was somehow recorded as "Nickerson" in the early 1800s, due to the spelling and handwriting of a census taker. Shame on that dude.
I thought I would jump into this. I have a couple of interesting ones. All the stories I had about my great great grandfather was that he died when his boys were early teenagers then mom remarried. The sons didn't get along with the step-father and moved out young. Found a 1900 census record for him saying his name was J B Stockton born in 1844 in Ohio. My great grandfather was born in 1894 in Kansas so I kept digging. I kept finding infomation about a Lt J B Stockton from Kansas in the beginning of the civil war but I couldn't believe it was him because a 16 year old wasn't going to be made an officer. I found more records that this Lt Stockton became a Captain, so even less chance of it being my ancestor. Then I found some Kansas birth records detailing my great grandfather and his two brothers. Two of them mentioned the father as Job B Stockton and the third mentioned Col Stockton. In this documentation, the ages of father and mother didn't stay consistent. This also meant that Lt Stockton was probably my ancestor. So what about his age? Well I found an 1860 census record saying he was born in 1836. His wife was born in 1870, so great great grandad was fibbing a bit on his age to marry his 16 year old bride in 1886. Way to go Job .
Another interesting one was the father of Issac William Riddle. My grandmother had a book that stopped at Issac. The detailed information in the book made me wonder why it stopped abruptly there. Then I found some information that said that family tradition had him being hanged by the British in the Revolutionary War. Well, if you had this information wouldn't you want it in the book, then I found some more information. He wasn't hanged by the British, he was hanged by Gen Cleavland, for being a tory raider. Now I know why the family might have wanted to prune the tree information.
Last edited by stormbow; 03-04-2011 at 02:17 PM..
Reason: grammar and spelling - I know better, but apparently my fingers don't
I'm stuck because my Nicholson family line was somehow recorded as "Nickerson" in the early 1800s, due to the spelling and handwriting of a census taker. Shame on that dude.
Please tell me that this family line has at least one unique first name to use as a search guide? I hate when this happens to a surname so you have to revert to searching by first names and probably birth years, and ALL the names are common, like Mary, Elizabeth, John and Thomas!
Well, the one I'm really trying to find info on had the first name of Nehemiah. So you wouldn't think it would be hard.
Unfortunately, there was an actual Nickerson line in NJ, and they had a bunch of Nehemiahs. My Nicholson line had a couple of Nehemiahs, and at some point, the records get so fuzzy, they get mixed up. Especially when my Nehemiah Nicholson married a woman in the same year that Nehemiah Nicherson married a woman, with a very similar name. Didn't they think of their descendants when they made these awful decisions?
I thought I would jump into this. I have a couple of interesting ones. All the stories I had about my great great grandfather was that he died when his boys were early teenagers then mom remarried. The sons didn't get along with the step-father and moved out young. Found a 1900 census record for him saying his name was J B Stockton born in 1844 in Ohio. My great grandfather was born in 1894 in Kansas so I kept digging. I kept finding infomation about a Lt J B Stockton from Kansas in the beginning of the civil war but I couldn't beleive it was him because a 16 year old wasn't going to be made a officer. I found more records that this Lt Stockton became a Captain, so even less chance of it being my ancestor. Then I found some Kansas birth records detailing my great grandfather and his two brothers. Two of them mentioned the father as Job B Stockton and the third mentioned Col Stockton. In this documentation, the ages of father and mother didn't stay consistent. This also meant that Lt Stockton was probably my ancestor. So what about his age? Well I found an 1860 census record saying he was born in 1836. His wife was born in 1870, so great great grandad was fibbing a bit on his age to marry his 16 year old bride in 1886. Way to go Job .
Another interesting one was the father of Issac William Riddle. My grandmother had a book that stopped at Issac. The detailed information in the book made me wonder why it stopped abruptly there. Then I found some information that said that family tradition had him being hanged by the Brittish in the Revolutionary War. Well, if you had this information wouldn't you want it in the book, then I found some more information. He wasn't hanged by the Brittish, he was hanged by Gen Cleavland, for being a tory raider. Now I know why the family might have wanted to prune the tree information.
Yes, our ancestors often has amusing little tricks up their sleeves, LOL! As for the Tory raider, I think a few families had sons who fought on opposite sides and the only reason shame was attached was because the Tories lost. Had they won he would have been considered a hero. One of my South New Jersey ancestors was still selling British tea, and my other ancestors in the same town were part of the posse who busted down his door and gave him a hiding, LOL!
Cyanna, you're looking at ancestors in South Jersey? You migth have some of the came idiot census takers I have!
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This intrigues me
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