Salisia Fox's parents

Salisia Fox (born around 1859 in Illinois) was born after her mother died. Which leaves me to believe that I have the wrong person for her mother, and probably for her father as well.

Salisia appears in only one record I've found so far: the 1860 census. In this census, Salisia (age 1) is living with Samuel Fox (age 64). Her mother Dorothy is not in the record, and I have other records indicating she had passed away in 1854, 6 years prior.

Other Fox's in the household include Jarusha (F 35), Ransom (F 22), Michael (M 18), and Mary (F 17). Perhaps one of these Fox's is one of her parents. Or perhaps the parents are not living in the household.

Samuel Fox	M	64	N H
Jarusha Fox	F	35	N Y
Ransom Fox	F	22	Ohio
Michael Fox	M	18	Ohio
Salisia A Fox	F	1	Ill
Geo W Calder	M	8	N Y
Peter Calder	M	6	Ill
Mary L Fox	F	17	Ohio

So far, I have not been able to find Salisia in other records.
For next time: search for a birth record for Salisia Fox, hoping her parents are listed.

Laurel Keith/Fox/Thompson

We're on a quest to figure out who is Edward Samuel Fox's wife.
His death record states that his wife's first name is Laurel.
His 1930 Census states that he is divorced.

We found some records of a Laurel Keith that look like they might be the right person. Here's why:
A 1920 Census lists Edward S Fox living with his wife Laurel Fox and step-daughter Letha Keith.

Looking for Laurel and Letha in other records gives us the following information:
A 1910 Census lists Laurel Keith and Letha Keith, living with her grandmother Eliza Burke and her likely-uncle Harry Burke. Laurel is widowed, suggesting she was married to a Mr. Keith, the father of Letha Keith.
As we said earlier, the 1920 Census lists Laurel Fox and Letha Keith living with Laurel's husband Edward S Fox. This suggests Laurel remarried after being widowed, and Letha kept her birth lastname.
In the 1930 Census, we find Laurel Thompson with Letha Keith, this time with Laurel married to Henry Thompson. In the census, he was 58 years old and his first marriage was at age 58, suggesting the couple had been married less than a year. Laurel was 46 years old in this census, and her first marriage was at age 22, affirming that her first marriage was around age 24. Her daughter Letha is 23 years old in this census, which matches up.
There's a marriage record in 1934 between Letha Keith and Earl Gundelach.

In the 1940 Census, Laura Thompson is living with Earl Gundelach, Letha Gundelach, and baby Earl Gundelach. Laura is widowed at this point. Letha is married and has taken on the last name of Gundelach.

In the Social security death index, Letha Gundelach is listed as having been born 2 Feb 1907, died April 1986 in Illinois. Note that she died with the last name of Gundelach.

Letha and Earl G. Gundelach share a headstone in the Clarendon Hills Cemetery. 

Next time: look up information on:

The Burkes (in 1910 census. Is Laurel's maiden name Burke?)

Mr. Keith (Laurel's first husband, who passed away by 1910)

Henry Thompson (1930 spouse)

Earl Gundelach (Letha Keith's husband)

Viola Smith: Amasa's mystery daughter?

Amasa Smith (1820-1885) and his wife Charity Ann have several children listed in census records. These include Amasa Jay (1857), Luella Audentia (1859), Addie Cordelia (1860), Etta (1866), William A (1870), Charles Avery (1872), Archie (1875), and Ernest Leroy (1868).

However, family records indicate there may have been an oldest daughter named Viola, born around 1853 in Minnesota. 

I have not found any records of her birth or residence with the family.

Did she actually exist? 

Did she die young?


Update: I found her in an 1865 state census record. So she was actually living with the family and could have been a daughter. 

Russell Smith Munson's Wives

According to The Munson record : a genealogical and biographical account of Captain Thomas Munson (a pioneer of Hartford and New Haven) and His Descendants, Russell Smith Munson--son of Charles P Munson and Urania C Case--was married 4 times. The record lists 3 of his wives: 1 Sarah Jackson. 2 Eliza Green. 4 Lizzie W Kittridge. 

I have found no record of Eliza Green or the third wife, so I would like to confirm those and find out if he had children with any of his wives, aside from Kittridge Ford Munson, son of Lizzie.

Orrin E Walker's Ancestors

One of my ancestor's descendants is Abbie Eliza Munson. According to her headstone, she was married to Orrin E Walker. Since Orrin's ancestors aren't my ancestors, I don't plan to research his line. But in case anyone is looking for more information on him, someone posted some really detailed research on findagrave.com.
Orrin E Walker (1857-1926) was the son of Gilbert Eno Walker (1831-1872). Also in the Mount Hope Cemetery of Belchertown, Massachusetts, are Gilbert's parents Orin and Mary and Gilbert's siblings Mary Rebecca, Edson Montague, James Orrin, and Alva Sikes. Several of these siblings have more information of their parents and children on their own findagrave memorial pages. 

Irwin F Monroe and family

One of my ancestor's descendants is Jay Case. According to his marriage certificate, he married Wilda Monroe, daughter of Irwin Monroe and Harriet Pugh. In searching for her family, here's a quick compilation of what I found:
1870 Census lists Francis I Monroe, son of Levi and Clara, and brother to James, William C H, and Hattie B. It says he was born in Iowa.

1889 Marriage Record lists Irvin F Monroe, born in Germany to Levi Monroe and Clara Polson. He married Harriet M. Pugh, born 1873 Iowa to Jackson Pugh and Martha Sieffell. They married 27 February 1889 in Prescott, Iowa.

1895 Census lists Irvin F, Hattie, Wilda, and Letha. 

1896 Birth Record for a female Monroe born to Irwin F. Monroe and Harriet M. Pugh on 26 Feb 1896 in Polk, Iowa.

1899 Birth Record lists Odresa F Monroe, born 9 Feb 1899 in Des Moines, Iowa to I. F. Monroe and Hattie Pugh.

1900 Census lists Irwin, Hattie, Clara W (I think that Clara W. and Wilda C. are the same person), Letha May, Hazel F, and Actressa F. It also says Hattie--the mother of the family--had 8 kids, 3 of whom are still living. That's confusing because there are 4 kids listed in the household.

1903 Birth Record lists Geo Irvin Monroe born 04 Jul 1903 in Des Moines, Iowa to Irvin F Monroe and Harriett Pugh.

1905 Census I don't have a visual on and the people are listed as individuals instead of families. But Irvin F, Letha, Actressa, and Clara W are a few of the 23 Monroes in Polk, Iowa. Probably others on that list are related to them. 

1906 Birth Record lists Jas E Monroe born 6 Jun 1906 in Des Moines, Iowa to Irvin F Monroe and Harriet Pugh.

1908 Birth Record lists Evalyn Martha Monroe, born 07 Oct 1908 to Ervin Frances Monroe and Hady Pugh in Des Moines.

1910 Marriage Record lists Wilda C Monroe, Irvin F Monroe, and Harriet Pugh. She married Jay Case, son of Jos. W. Case and Ida Bailey in Des Moines, Iowa  on January 10, 1910. 

1910 Census lists Irvin, Harriet, Letha, Hazel, A?tressa, George, James, Evelynn, and Welda & Jay Case.

1912 Birth Record lists Alice B. Monroe born 22 Sep 1912 in Des Moines, Iowa to Irvin F Monroe and Harriett Pugh.

1917 Birth Record lists Marilyn Maxine Monroe born 22 Mar 1917 in Des Moines, Iowa to Irvin Frank Monroe and Harriett Malinda Pugh.

1920 Census lists Irving, Hattie, George, James, Evelyn, Bernice, Maryline (all are their children)

1924 Marriage Record for Geo. I. Monroe. Lists Geo's parents as Irwin F. and Hailey Pugh. Geo's wife is Edith L. Hanns, daughter of Frank Hanns and Mary Feist.

1925 Marriage Record for Frank Edwards son of Wm Edwards and Adaline Hoffman, who married Pherne Monroe Miller (born 1898), daughter of Irvin F. Monroe and Harriet Pugh. They married 11 May 1925 in Adel, Iowa. 

1930 Census lists Irvin F Monroe, Harriet, Evalyn, Bernice, and Marilyn.

Because this family is not directly the descendants of any of my ancestors, I think I'll stop here for now.

If I do revisit the line, I'll want to collect the vital information and family members of Irvin's parents, siblings, and children.

Riley Case research

Today’s post is a summary of my research for Riley Case and his family. Riley is related to me through the Dodge line: he is Truman Dodge’s grandfather (Jane Case’s father).

Riley Case. I found town records for Barkhamsted, Connecticut, which were really helpful for information on Riley and his siblings and parents. I want to revisit them to look for more information about Riley’s own family later on. But they list his birth date as January 19, 1816. I also found his headstone on findagrave.com, which lists his birth as 1816 and his death as 1886. The text on findagrave suggests Riley’s death date is July 2, 1886, but I haven’t found a source to confirm that.

Mariah (Riley’s wife). I haven’t found her maiden name. But I did find her headstone on findagrave.com—it’s right next to Riley’s in the Baldwin Cemetery, and it says “Mariah 1818-1915.”

Mary A Case (Riley’s daughter). According to census records from 1850 and 1856, she was born in 1841 in Connecticut.

Jane Case (Riley’s daughter). Jane’s my direct ancestor, so I already had a good amount of information on her.

Joseph W Case (Riley’s son). I haven’t done much research on Joseph.

Truman Case (Riley’s son). It looks like Truman married a woman named Catharine, and I’m trying to solidify her maiden name and their children.

In the 1880 census, a Truman Case of the right age lives next door to Riley and Maria, and he is married to a Catharine (2 years older than him) who was born in West Virginia. Catharine’s last name isn’t listed.

There’s a birth record for A. C. Ben Case, born to Truman Case and Catherine H. Baker in 1882. Also on Truman Case: the Truman Case who lives near Riley and Mariah had no kids in 1880. In the Iowa 1885 census, Truman and Catherine have 2 kids (Mary G (4) and Ben (2)). So I think the birth record and census records match, suggesting Catherine’s maiden name is Baker.

Back to the 1880 census, the closest Baker family to the Cases are listed 3 pages earlier: John and Juliana Baker, age 45. Catharine may be their child or another relative.

Albert R. Case (Riley’s son). In 1880, Albert R Case and his wife Margaret (3 years younger, born in West Virginia) live next door to Riley and Maria. I found a marriage record of Albert R. Case to Margaret Nine, from February 7, 1875 in Jasper, Iowa. In the 1880 census, they have 2 children together: Henry (3) and Charles (1), both born in Iowa. Albert’s headstone in the Baldwin Cemetery lists his birth as May 30, 1855 and his death as Aug 6, 1895. I also found death records and headstone for Henry and Charles (both died young, within a few days of each other). Also in the cemetery is WmCase--I found a birth record for Wm Vernon Case born Jan 8, 1882 to Albert R and Margaret V. (I’m not sure what the V stands for, but the V initial is also on Henry and Charles’ headstones, so I believe it is the same woman.)

Eliza A Case (Riley’s daughter). Eliza shows up in the 1860 census, but then she passed away in 1863, when she was around 5 years old. (The middle initial “A” comes from her headstone.)

Questions I still have:

When did Riley and Mariah get married?

What is Mariah’s maiden name?

Is Riley’s death date July 2, 1886, as someone suggested on findagrave?

I’ve seen circumstantial evidence that Riley’s daughter Mary A Case may have married Daniel Gifford. Is that true? Is there a source to confirm it?

Is Truman really married to Carherine Baker?

All but 2 of the Case’s in the Baldwin cemetery are in this family, so I’m guessing these are also their relatives. How are they related? Hiram J Case. Maudie B Case.

Is there any more information about this family in the Connecticut Barkhamsted records ?

Thoughts on Carl Braatz

According to the help article on familysearch wiki about German emigration, it is crucial to know the exact locality from which your ancestor came, since all records are stored locally with no national index.

As stated in a previous post, we believe Carl and an uncle emigrated from Germany in 1867. Their point of origin is "Pomer" which may or may not be an actual town--hence this post.

Pomerania (Pommern in German or Pomorze in Polish) refers to a region of the northern coast of Europe on the Baltic sea, spanning essentially the northern border of present-day Germany and Poland, from the Danish peninsula to the Bay of Gdansk (see map). The majority of the region was part of the Kingdom of Prussia at the time (see this article) which may or may not have been considered "Germany" by US immigration officers and census takers. Thoughts, anyone?
[Edit: looks like yes, that was considered Germany at the time. According to the help article mentioned above, "German immigrants from Pommern often went to Wisconsin. Large numbers also settled in Illinois, Minnesota, and other Midwest states." Carl was in SD by 1900, but I'm not sure where he went before then.]

Searching for Braatz in any of the three German surname distribution maps (linked from https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Surname_Distribution_Maps) gives a preponderance of Braatz in that same area, on the NE coast of modern Germany. It seems most likely to me that my Braatz ancestors came from a city or town in this region. If this is the case, they would be more likely to have come through the port of Hamburg than Bremen, judging by distance (though either is certainly possible). Most German immigrant ships came through NY.

Alternatively, "Pommern" also refers to a city in SW Germany, or Pomer could have been an actual town of the time that does not survive with the same name.

For next time:
Links on Pommern help page
Guide to Hamburg Passenger Lists

George Earl Braatz

Does not appear on NFS at all. According to a handwritten FGR, he is Isaac and Mina Braatz’s fifth child.

b. 30 July 1923 in Oacoma SD.

m. February 1942 to Frances, and March 1974 to Agnes.

Viola Braatz

A handwritten note lists her death date has 2-7-1936 (which according to NFS is July 2, 1936), in Rushville, South Dakota. Her burial is listed as 1936, Gorden Nebraska.

Noma Ellen Braatz

A handwritten FGR lists her first marriage as 24 October 1939, Portland OR, to Melvin Robert Schrammeck

Her obituary describes her as the first-born child of Isaac and Mina Braatz, but I’m guessing that means the first-born child who lived through her childhood.

We have a Christmas picture signed Melvin and Noma.

Noma’s funeral program, dated January 6 2005, notes her interment at Meridian Cemetery.

Her obituary lists her children as Floyd (b 1942) and Joy (b 1945)

Her obituary notes she took care of 38 foster children from 1955-1962, if we notice discrepancies of children in census records later on.

From the obituary: “Noma was survived by a son, Floyd Schrammeck and wife Chris; a daughter, Joy Moore and Husband Bob; a brother, George Braatz; a sister, Louise Smith; grandchildren Tawnya Swanson, Reginald States and wife Gia, Brody States, and Angelia Schrammeck; 11 great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren and their spouses. She was preceded in death by her husband Melvin Schrammeck in 1997; a sister, Viola Braatz; two siblings who died as infants; and nephew Noal Smith.”

Mina Bell Dodge

A handwritten FGR gives this information for Mina Bell Dodge:

b. 29 August 1895, Pulaski Arkansas. We also have a copy of her birth certificate confirming this. (NFS agrees)

chr. 19 April 1934, baptized SDA

d. 6 March 1976, Boise Idaho (NFS has same date)

bur. 9 March 1976, Meridian Idaho

Isaac Kiser Braatz

A handwritten FGR gives this information for Isaac Kiser Braatz, most of which is not in NFS yet.

b. 25 August 1890, Parkston Hutchinson Co SD. We have a copy of his birth certificate, which was Sept 25 1890 printed on it, with September crossed out and July written over it. Since it is a copy, it’s impossible to say whether the month was changed prior to being signed or not (NFS lists the birth date as 25 July)

chr. 29 April 1934

m. 18 February 1914, Oacoma SD (NFS agrees)

d. 15 December 1954, Vancouver Washington (NFS has same date)

bur. 20 December 1954, Evergreen Cemetery, Vancouver Washington

Carl and Sarah Braatz's Children

This was another day in the box! I went through the first half of the "Isaac Kiser Braatz" folder, and will post what I learned by generation.

First, information in a handwritten list of Carl Braatz and Sarah Melvina Stainbrook's children:

Amelia Braatz d. Nov 20 1966. m 1900 to John Schilling who died 1913, then m. Frank Mashino 12/21/1913

George. b, m, d, same as NFS

Frederick A. b, d same as NFS. m 1909 Mary Michealsen

Hattie L. b, d same as NFS. m James Graykowske

Charles Seynour. b, m, d same as NFS.

Elizabeth b, m, d same as NFS.

Isaac b, m, d same as NFS.

Bertha A. m. 12/16/1916 to Nels Michaelsen

John m. Marie Hanson

Matilda b. 10 Sept 1904, m. Eddie Miller. (The column says “Carlie.” Maybe this was Matilda’s mother? Or an alternate name?) (Matilda doesn’t show up in NFS.)

Distant Sanfords

A few more notes on the Sanfords.

William and Abigail Simmons Sanford

Son William Hicks Sanford has 2 recorded marriages: on an AF to Patience Sawdy and Priscilla Sawdy, and in NFS to Priscilla Sawdy and Rhoda Sawdy.

Son Abraham Sanford’s wife is Clara, and an AF gives her the full name Clara Howes

Brother Peleg Simmons: an AF records his wife as Eliphal Sanford, instead of NFS’s Abigail Sanford.

Peleg and Lillis Wilcox Sanford An AF lists their marriage as 1774, and NFS has many dates, including 1747, before both were born.

*Except for the marriage date discrepancies noted above, all of the Marriage dates on an AF 5 generations above Violet Sanford agree with the NFS dates and people.

* a note indicates there were 2 main Sanford immigrations to America. John Sanford and Thomas Sanford (no relation) (handwritten notes by Dad, 6/21/1995)

Cemetery notes

Notes that Mom took at the Craigmont Idaho Cemetery agree with the New Family Search birth and death dates for Violet Sanford and Augustus Carley

The Box: John Herman Sanford

I went through the file we have for John Sanford and compared everything to New Family Search (NFS). Discrepancies and Confirmations are listed below.

Marriage. A Iowa Marriage Record extraction (ie not the handwritten version) confirms NFS marriage date and place between John and Mary.

Early Marriage. It seems John and his wife Mary lived with John’s parents when John’s daughter Violet was young. In the house were his mother Melinda (65), Brother Tilly (35), Brother Alonzo (24), Daughter Violet (2), and wife Mary (21), as well as a 2-month-old (“William”?). (1870 Iowa Federal Census)

Child William S Sanford: Mom’s notes from Craigmont Idaho Cemetery indicate he was born in 1883, rather than NFS’s 1881.

Child Mary A Millage: Mom’s notes from Craigmont Idaho Cemetery indicate she was born February 26, 1881 rather than NFS’s 1883. The cemetery notes also indicate she died August 30, 1961 rather than NFS’s September 2, 1961. There are also cemetery dates for a William Millage, who may have been her father in law (b. 1860, d. 1932)

Grandchild Earl Bliss Carley: notes from Craigmont Idaho Cemetery indicate he died June 25, 1973 (NFS options are June 25, 1974 or just June 1973.

The Box

We worked through some of the files in the big box of family history. Last time we worked on the Smiths, and this time we went through the Carleys and the rest of the Smiths.
There is nothing to indicate whether Amasa (Samuel) Smith's wife Anne C is Charity Ann Fox or not.
Next time we should start with the Sanford (John Herman) folder.

In addition to the info listed in the previous posts, NFS is also missing Amasa J's brother William A, b. Aug. 1870, and Isadora Dougherty's second marriage to Lester Leonard. Also, Andrew Jackson Dougherty's son Isaac's marriage to Anna Evans.

More Carleys (Augustus and siblings)

We have some family tree information from Ancestry's OneWorldTree site (i.e. not reliable). Most of the information for Leman's children matched the information on NewFamilySearch, although his son Clinton was missing several children in NFS. Also, Leman's daughter Eunice is listed in NFS as married to Austuis Bullard in 1908, while the family tree said John William Russell in 1877.

Interestingly, Augustus has two more wives in the Ancestry info, in addition to Harriett Louisa Cate (1846) and Sylvia Page (1875) who we already know about. He is listed as married to Eunice Lockwood in 1843 (no children) and Ida Russell in about 1860 (5 children: Janetta Adeline, Clarissa, Mary Otis, Dena May, and Morris). Ida Russell may or may not be related to the above William Russell.

Smith and Carley Family Stories

This information comes from the Stitt family bible, or stories my mother was told when she copied the names from it, about August Carley's family and Amasa Smith's family

Augustus Carley died in Portland, buried in ID
Violet (his wife) died on farm, buried in Nez Perce or Craigmont.
For information on their children, see the previous post.
Augustus Carley had 2 sisters: Celosky (or Loskie) and Eunice, and a half brother Willis. His father beat him, so left with a man when he was 8 years old and headed west.
Celosky later came west with her family. Her husband died but she continued on, settling (in Idaho?). She built her own log cabin, shot buffalo herself. Glen Allen Vaughn had the buffalo hair mattress that was hers, following Earl Carley's death.

Matt (Madison) Smith married numerous times. Died in GA. Wife buried him in someone else's Smith family plot in a cemetery there.

Madison had four children: Bernice, Leona, Nova, and ?. Bernice took care of Earl Smith when he had heart trouble. She later died in a car accident.
Charlotte, Harrison, Oleta, and Alexander Hale Smith did not have children.
Noel Curtis had four children: Marvel, Earl, Glen, Violet.