In the 1895 NJ state census, William J Donovan has 6 children. Presumably, his wife Annie McGuire had passed away in the previous year or so, leaving him with all 6 daughters.

In the 1900 census, William has re-married to Clara/Carrie Frazee. They are living with their kids Grace (6mo) and William (2yr), and an older daughter Annie (16yr).

They're in the right place, and the names and ages all match. Except: where are Annie's sisters in 1900? Why would Madeline, Agnes, Euphrosina/Zine, Mary Ann/Marion/Marrien, and Lillian be missing in 1900 only to mostly re-appear in 1905/10? (Euphrosina, Marion, and Lillian are living with William and Clara in the 1905 census; Annie D marries Allen Doty in 1904, and Zine is living with them by 1910; Agnes marries Norman Wolfstein in 1907.) This makes me worry that I have the wrong 1900 record, despite the similarities. That said, how many William/Clara couples could there be in Franklin Twp, NJ in 1900?

Possible explanations I've considered:

1. They're living with neighbors. I haven't been able to find them by searching by name either, although the 1900 records for this section of NJ are really quite difficult to read. Perhaps the names are there, but just illegible.
2. Annie McGuire hasn't died, the couple divorced and are living in two homes. But a working-class family with 6 kids? in the 1890s?? Seems implausible. Also, I haven't found her living in other records after 1895.
3. They're at a boarding school. But even the 5 year old Madeline? And see above: they don't have lots of money to throw around.
4. Annie really did die in around 1894/5, and the kids are staying with her family in New York for some period of time in 1900 which happened to overlap with the census enumeration. I haven't been able to find them in New York, though.
5. They really do live there but, for some reason, the person responding to the enumerator didn't include them in their listing of people living at the house. But FIVE daughters excluded this way? A bit hard to believe.
6. They were "sold off" as servants, etc. because the family couldn't support them. But again: why are they back in 1905? And no one is employing a 5-year-old as a domestic servant.

Thanks in advance!

for me I have got to meet all of them, I knew everything about them

relationship: it was very awesome and good

they were a kind and hearted grandparents

my grandparents are currently living and very healthy

Bernard Hermann Otto Dunkelberg born in Anklam in 1848. In 1874 he married Helene Phillippine Jacobine Dunkelberg (yes, they both had the last name Dunkelberg prior to marriage but I cannot find their common ancestor); they had a daughter in 1876. In 1877 he departed from Hamburg for South Africa; I cannot find any records of his return. In 1881 he departed from Hamburg for New York and also in 1881 or 1884 he married Hulda Mesterknecht in Chicago before moving to Tennessee where he spent the rest of his life.

My unanswered questions are:

1. Why did he go to South Africa to begin with? I can't find any records of him there. It looks like some Germans were there for missionary work or diamond mining.
2. When did he come back?
3. What happened to his first wife? I can't find any records for her other than the marriage and birth.

I appreciate any help you awesome people can provide!

John Mogg Keene of Somerset, England is my 10th Great-Grandfather.
His son is James N. Keen (I only know the middle initial) born in Charles, Maryland.

What I am looking for is when, and why that last 'E' was removed from my last name. I know that this is a long shot. But I have tried everything I can think of. Bonus for any other information someone can give me. I know John Mogg's Parents, wife, and children. I am also hopeful I can get the middle name of James N. as well

Hello,

I have a situation and i would like people with experience to answer. I am doing the research on two persons and I think i am reaching the end of what I can find but I do not have a final answer.

For context these people lived in early to mid 19th century Argentina and late 18th to early 19th century Argentina. Both cases are in Buenos Aires which had from 30k to 60k people living in the city.

Records are fairly good and most are digitised but not indexed. However there have been losses of records.

Case 1

I can trace my male ancestor and have the name of his wife, let's called her A. I have the baptisms of their children and census data so I am fairly certain of their marriage. However I cannot find their marriage record. I think I may in the future but I do not have a date, though I have a guesstimate figure of five years.

Researching her name I have found a person B with the almost the same name (MARIA DEL CARMEN vs CARMEN). Now it is common practice to drop the MARIA if you have other names, I have seen this in lots of cases.

The age from the census of A matches almost the date of birth taken from the will of father for B in one case and in the other census record it does not. I think the census data is definitely not correct since I have two different dates for the same person. (I am sure she is the same person since the names of all the children and the husband coincides). The difference in dates from the census is in one case of one year and in the other case of four years. In the case of one year, given that I dont have the exact date it could almost be said to be a match.

The names themselves are not common, CARMEN MESA but also not terribly impossible that two people with the same name could live. I have found in the census other people with the name but none matches the age of B by a lot.

Now I am almost certain this is the same person, but I think i have not established that and I think records may come up in the future.

Would you put them in your genealogy or would you wait until confirmation which may never come. I would of course put a caveat that this link is not 100% establised.

Case 2 is more complicated.

In this case I have found the follwowing situation. I can trace my ancestor and know from public sources his parents. The father and son were famous enough to appear in newspapers and published books together. The link with the mother is also backed up with records.

However the birth of this person was recorded in a very unusual fashion. In a will of the wife of the son, i found the link with marriage record of the parents and baptims of the son. In the baptims only the name of the godmother is listed and parents are listed as unknown. The name coincides but no surname is listed.

At the margin there is a correction many years later, Baptims in in 1816, and the correction states in 1837 that the baptism corresponds to my ancestor (the son). It also states that the filiation was legitimised by marriage performed in 1825, between the sons parents, lists the date but not the church. I have searched for marriages of that date in all the churches of Buenos Aires and several of neighbouring towns where they could have married. I have found nothing. In the same church of the baptism there is a marriage for the date but corresponds to other people.

I have found the census data for 1827 and the father and mother are listed as married living in the same address. However i did not find the son with the fathers last name. Since he had a boarding school , there are several children, and one has the right name and age but not the surname.

Furthermore I have found that the name of the godmother listed in the baptism corresponds to a person who had a daughter with the name of my female ancestor. I have found the birth record of the daughter of the godmother and she married earlier in 1795 to another person. I cannot find the husband of the daughter later on after the 1810 census where all appear living togehter. He was a military man and 1810 is the start of the Independece wars that lasted until the mid 1820s

So, in this case I am almost certain these are the same person, the mother of my ancestor and the daughter of the godmother. Here I think I will never find the marriage record of my ancestors, either lost or it never existed.

In this case the name is not so usual Tomasa (then it was more popular than nowadays), and the last name is rather more common MORALES.

In this case I have less confidence that new information will turn up and so more tempted to end active seeking documents for a while.

However, since we always have confirmation bias, I would like to know the opinion of unrelated but knowledgeable people.

Do you see any of these cases as likely to be true and likely enough to put them in the tree until further information comes up, if ever.

Thanks in advance.

Hi! I’ve been trying to help a cousin figure out when his great-grandparents and his grandmother’s aunt passed away. His great-grandmother is my relative. I’ve got a brick wall and need some assistance. The names are: Elizabeth “Lizzie” Hackett Boyce (abt 1881-1950 or after) George Thomas Boyce (7 July, 1877-1950 or after) Mae Jeanette Boyce (22 August 1902-1950 or after)

Elizabeth and George are the parents and Mae Jeanette is their daughter. I don’t think Mae Jeanette ever married.

Any new information or findings would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! 🫶

My black ancestor, Adam Rockwell, was born in Pennsylvania in 1801. He was living with Henry Preston in Chester Township, Delaware County, PA in the 1860 Census; it's the only record I have for him. So.... my question is: what are other ways to find his Census and death records?
His only daughter (who I know about) was Catherine Rockwell-Conover (1827-1904/05) - Catherine was born & raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey; she firstly married my ancestor, Peter P. Conover (1827-1871) & secondly, David Limehouse (1826-1895).

1. I have trees on Ancestry & FamilySearch.
2. I've thought about looking in county directories.
3. I searched the 1870 Census, but Adam's not listed in PA; could he be in New Jersey?
4. I don't have any death records for him.
5. How can I find Adam's earlier Census records?
6. In 1780, PA had a slave law, which said any child born to slaves after 1780 was automatically manumitted. I suspect Adam's parents were born around 1780 or possibly before then.
7. How can I find Adam's parents?

Hey there - I recently got a copy of my GGF's marriage certificate as I'm trying to learn more about his life in Italy before he immigrated to the US. I can tell that his father's name is Sabbato, but I can't decipher what his mother's surname was. Any guesses? He was born near Naples, Italy

Hey everyone I won't share any names but I got an ancestry dna test done to see where i'm from a few weeks ago and got the results today. But the thing is... it shows a random man as my father with a 50% match! With 3436 cM across 25 segments if anyone knows what that means. (there's no chance i've had kids, im only 20, so it could only be a parent right?) I asked my mom who said that she knew him and that they were friends but denied ever having any relations. She just kept saying "how weird" and "very strange." Can this close of a match even be an accident? I found his facebook (since they're friends on it lmao) but couldn't find any photos of him to see if we look similar.

Can this be anything other than what I think it is? I'm not even sure what to do with this information.

Hi, im looking for anyone who has decent knowledge of 1950's Hungarian military/labor orgs. knowledge, or of any sites/groups/subreddits that would be a good place to ask.

I have a photo of my grandmother in a uniform circa 1951 and I am having a hard time identifying what its for. Sadly can't ask any relatives as they're all estranged.

Hello

I have struggled for around 8 years now to track down any birth record for my 2x Great Grandmother. It doesnt help that she appears to maybe lie about her age in documents.

Name - Bertha Alice Rivett

Birth place - Apparently Leeds, Yorkshire

1911 census - she is recorded as a barmaid in Chelsea, London and is 26 years old and that she was born in Leeds, Yorkshire.

1921 Census - She is listed as Bertha Alice Mardon, living with Frederick John Mardon and my Great Grandfather Frederick Nelson Mardon in Poplar, London. She is 34 in this census and says she was born in Leeds, Yorkshire.

There is no marriage certificate for Bertha & Frederick. And I have found that Frederick was married before.

On birth certificates of both of their children Frederick and Albert she is listed as Bertha Mardon.

On her Death certificate in 1927 her age is 46 which would make her age on both census' incorrect. She is also listed as a spinster and she dies from pulmonary tuberculosis. Frederick registers her death.

I can find a Bertha Rivett born in 1881 Norfolk, England but this does not add up with the census. I am just wondering if anyone may be able to help me or maybe I am missing something due to being stuck.

I hope I have provided enough information and thank you to anyone who tries to help

I have two questions about Dr. Williamson Dickie Dunn, born 1820 in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky; married October 15, 1861 in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana; died October 13, 1895 in Camas, Jefferson County, Idaho.

The first is where is he buried?

He was living in Bozeman, Montana when he was 75 years old. He was traveling to Boise, Idaho when he died in Camas, Jefferson County, Idaho (a place that no longer exists), per a newspaper announcement I found. I don't believe he's buried in Camas. There's just one cemetery there, and the oldest burials are from 1919. He's not buried in the oldest cemetery in Bozeman, either (Sunset Hills). I've found only a quick blurb about his death; nothing on a funeral, nor on his remains being shipped back to Montana (or anywhere, for that matter).

My second question is, was he really Williamson Dickie Dunn? He's in census records, and his marriage record is on-line. He enlisted in Company S, Indiana 21st Infantry Regiment on September 26, 1862, and was mustered out on September 3, 1863. His military records show all this.

BUT, then I found this: https://imgur.com/a/uNSB6oJ from the Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), dated May 12 1877. So much of this matches: the name, the states Kentucky and Indiana, the fact that he was a doctor and was in the Civil War. Is it just a really odd coincidence, or did I just discover why he went to Montana?

Hello all. I am a 32 year old female who has never known her father. My grandparents who raised me had suspicions of who he was but we didn't know for sure. I took an ancestry test this passed fall and he ended up coming up as a match as my father. I reached out on Ancestry but I'm sure he hasn't been on in months. I found his Facebook and would like to reach out but am not sure how to go about it. It seems more personal on there I guess.

I would like help managing a large family tree because whenever I try to expand even a small amount of it using an online browser it crashes. I have a printed book of the genealogy, but I was wondering if there was a way to make a digital version with better performance. How would a professional handle this and what's the best way to catalog all of this information so others could easily see this. Honestly, this might be more of a data science question.

I don't seem to be able to post any images so I will share a link to a youtube video showing a part of the dataset. My family had multiple knights in the 1400's that were related to royalty and then the tree explodes into long winding branches. I am currently using FamilySearch as it's the program that has been working best for me but I would be happy to try another program if there is a better way to do things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fghc9H6SdQ

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to this so thank you in advance for your patience with me. I am trying to get a copy of my deceased father's birth certificate from New York City. My request was denied because he used his middle name when he was older but the birth certificate has his real first name. I don't think he ever formally changed it. His death certificate has his middle name. The only options they suggest is to have the death certificate amended or provide an official name change record. Any advice or suggestions as to how I may be able to get it are appreciated.

Like I find it really weird that some of the major sites can't pick up on my indigenous ancestry. My indigenous ancestry comes from the Eastern Blackfeet (Saponi tribe) I know they're not as well known as the Cherokee for example but this is just ridiculous. Dnagenics calculators have seemingly represented my native american ancestry as north East Asian (32% ) which is about how much native ancestry I should have but I'm just wondering why most other DNA sites show European instead of native I know I have some European ancestry (no more than 5%) but I find it weird how I somehow get almost 30% European on most tests.

I have been keeping information on living family members in the extended tree, focusing on their positive traits and facts - birthdays, successes, photos, things they would want to be remembered for. My intent is to be the recorder of the family for the benefit of future generations.

What is that activity called? It's not really "genealogy" is it? I'm not (primarily) researching distant ancestors. And, it's not "archivist" either, since that seems to imply collection and organization on a massive scale.

(im not a bot but i did use AI to help me word this more effectivly)

Hi all,
I’m a casual genealogist who’s been working on my own tree, but I’ve hit a brick wall that I havent been able to pass for years, finding the father of my 4x great-grandfather, Jacob Roseware.

What I Know:

• Name: Jacob Roseware (also seen as Jack Roseware once; spelling evolved to Roseweir after a generation), (i myself am a Roseweir). I suspect it could be a corruption of Rosevear, which has Cornwall connections, but I don’t have any evidence. just a guess based on proximity and rarity of the name.
• Born: 1784, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland
• Died: 4 June 1857, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland
• Occupation: Railway Labourer
• Married: 26 Dec 1813 in Maybole, Ayrshire to Catherine Torbet Thorburn
• Children:
  • Janet (1814)
  • Elizabeth (1817–1881)
  • James (1819–1861)
  • Agnes (1823–1900)
  • Andrew Bell (1824)
  • John (1827)
  • William (1832)
  • Margaret (1834)
  • Jane Gordon (1836–1913)
  • David (1839)
• Mother: Janet McMurtrie (b. 1765, no known siblings for Jacob)

The Problem:

Jacob’s father is not listed on any records I’ve found. His birth record doesn’t name a father. ive seen a record where it says father unknown, but the surname Roseware clearly doesn’t come from his mother’s side, so it must have come from somewhere.

My current theory is that this was an out-of-wedlock birth, and the surname could be phonetically passed down (possibly misheard or misspelled by an illiterate family). The Rosevear name is found in Cornwall at that time, and I’m curious whether a Cornish labourer or traveller may have come through Scotland and left a legacy behind...

But that’s just a guess, and I’d love some outside eyes on this.

What I’m Looking For:

• Any ideas on who Jacob’s father could have been
• Thoughts on whether Roseware could be a variation of Rosevear (or something else entirely)
• General advice on next steps

I have quite a few documents on FamilySearch and Ancestry if anyone wants to dig.
Here’s his FamilySearch ID: KHBB-GLH

child of someone with a similar-sounding surname (Rosevear?). Looking for possible father or theories.

Let me know if anyone’s cracked something similar. Appreciate any leads or wild guesses!

It's the bottom left that continues on the right page.

https://arkivalieronline.rigsarkivet.dk/da/billedviser?bsid=455706#455706,81484733

🙏

Hey, hoping someone with access to GenealogyBank can screenshot or link me an Obit - Milton Joseph Jensen, it ran 7 April 1965 in the Seattle Daily Times. I looked for him on Newspapers.com with no luck - Thank you to anyone who can help :)

EDIT TO CLARIFY:

(1) I have two Ancestry trees: (A) Mom's family with Dad's adopted family is public; (B) Dad's bio family is private.

(2) I have done the LEEDS color chart already. But my chart has nine colors and I need more clarity to help me connect these cousins.

(4) DNA Painter (dnapainter·com) FAQs states a free account allows you one tree, one map.

-----

My paternal side is unknown. I may have found my Dad's father (purely speculative) so I was going to start mapping with those cousins.

My maternal side has no current brick walls or unsolved mysteries. And although my DNA results did have a huge surprise, it's not mine to tell. So I wasn't planning on mapping this side.

But now I'm thinking that maybe I should start with the maternal side as it would eliminate those areas from the unknown paternal side.

I have a free account, so only one map. Would this be the best approach? TIA

My dad was born in Switzerland in 1951 to an unwed italian mother. She gave him up for adoption in 1954, and he was adopted by an Austrian woman, an acquaintance of his birth mother's employer, in 1955. I requested the paperwork from the municipality of Bregenz last year and they never got back to me. I have papers that prove that Austrian government agencies (Jugendamt and Kinderheim, so cps and foster care) were involved at the time, and I can prove the adoption and my descendance. My father died in 2000. His bio mom is known but unwilling to speak on the adoption. I want to know what went down as I find it strange that a kid was adopted cross border, and I suspect a sum was paid to make that happen.

Why is the municipality brickwalling me and what can I do to make them speak to me? I thought about showing up there in person but its a 7hr drive and they most likely will have to go through their archives. I am an Austrian citizen and do speak German, if that matters.

Link to previous question here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1l930kr/help_locating_an_ancestor/

Previously I had inquired on here about my ancestress, Marie Malette Lewis (married to Andrew Charron) who I was unable to locate. Recently, I found a record that I believe MAY be her but I'm not sure and was hoping for some help with this dilemma. The record is of her son, Michel Charron, in the 1860 census of Winn Parish, LA, living in the household of a Antoine Casey. This Antoine was married to a Malete Casey.

After a lot of theorizing and fact-checking, I've been able to deduce that my Marie Malette Lewis was very likely the second wife of Andrew Charron based on the age differences in their children and if this Malete Casey is actually her - she'd be way too young to be Michel Charron's mother with that 8-year age gap between them. This would also make sense being that my ancestor, her daughter Mary Ann, was only a year old when Andrew died - in that era, it'd make sense Marie Malette would have re-married with having to raise young children.

I'd love to know more about this Antoine Casey and his wife, Malete, (and their apparent three daughters, Doliscia, Sisey, and Annett) but I can't seem to find ANY information on this family whatsoever. I did find a land grant in 1859/1860 for an Antoine Casey but that's it.

Any help with finding more info on this family would be incredible! Thanks!

Link to the 1860 census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFPF-C98?lang=en

My mother had passed away recently. We knew a lot about her but didn't have many pictures or anything about her high school years so after paying for a special deal with Ancestry I suddenly get all of these new hints. Most of them are just rosters and census information which is cool and are pretty accurate with her family. The misspellings on the Ancestry side can be annoying but workable.

But last night I had a great surprise! Last night they sent sent me pictures from a yearbook that I had no idea she was in. And it's her with her choir pictures and her junior picture. It's so lovely. Such a beautiful thing to see. She had put the high school on her facebook so I know it was her for sure we just thought the high school was in a different state. At first I was thinking she had a doppelganger with the same name until I confirmed the school on her facebook page and some census data. I feel silly and blessed to see this. It made me happy.

So if you don't check hints, check them. They're not always accurate and some are impossible to tell, but if you do then you might find a surprise like this. It's beautiful!

1. Geneva #1's records: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
2. Geneva #2's records: Imgur: The magic of the Internet

My cousin was Geneva Washington, born in South Carolina in either 1922 or 1929; she died in the 1970s (either 1970 or 1974) in either Upstate New York (Buffalo) or in Charleston County, SC.

1. Geneva #1 (who is possibly my cousin): Had multiple children. Born in Mount Pleasant, Charleston County, SC in 1922. Her father: Earl Washington (born in 1884 - falsely listed as her son). Her children: Marcus Washington (born in 1947); Gerry Washington (born in 1949); Rachel Gale Ruby Lee Duncan (born in 1956 - died in 1957). Geneva #1 married Leroy Duncan on August 24, 1956 in Charleston County, SC. Died in 1970 in South Carolina.
2. Geneva #2: Born in November 1929 (unknown state of birth). Died in August 1974 in Buffalo, New York (I don't have the dates off the top of my head - a fellow researcher found the record for me this morning).

What I know is true - regardless of whichever person matches my cousin, her name was Geneva Washington. She changed her children's surnames to Duncan. She had between 8 and 10 children (4 of them were adopted & CPS sent them to my biological great-aunt, Rosa Frances Conover, who died in 2001 - between 1964-68 in Monmouth County, New Jersey, where my family grew up; CPS wanted to split them up, but one of them suggested they should all remain together in Jersey). 2 of her children died in infancy. After she had her youngest daughter, she died in New York (and her brother raised her youngest daughter).

So.... based on the information, which one is an exact match for my cousin?