Almira Jane (Cooper) Potter (wife of William C Potter) - Which is Right?
The 1900 census shows Almira living with her son in-law Heron Stone and daughter Anna May Stone in New York while the 1900. The 1910 census shows Almira living with her daughter Mae (not married) Potter in Garrison, McLean County, North Dakota. Mae's age doesn't seem right. From the 1870 census, I know that Anna was born before 1870. She was 7 at the time of the census. This would make her birth year 1862 or 1863 depending on when her birthday is.
What's even more confusing, there are 2 headstones with Almira Jane's name on it. One is in Garrison, McLean County, North Dakota and the other is in Clyde, Wayne County, New York. The date of birth and the date of death is the same on both gravestones. These can be seen on findagrave.com.
Did Anna May change her name to Mae? Did she report her age incorrectly? The 1910 census doesn't show Mae as being widowed or divorced. Was she trying to hide?
Which one is correct?
Best Answer
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We have looked at the Census records you have found. It does seem that in 1900 Almira was living in one household but that she went to live with her daughter who by 1910 was going by her middle name, Mae. It is not uncommon for people to use their middle name for much of their adult life even today, and the spelling of any names on these Census records was usually the way the Census taker believed the name should be spelled. Early Censuses were collected by going from house to house to take to someone in the family, and that individuals usually provided all of the information about everyone in the household. We don't always have details such as why Anna was listed with her maiden name as a single person in 1910. Some woman do take their maiden name after a divorce and choose not to share information about their marriage in the future, but Census records would not contain those details.
It is very likely that since Almira is in McLean, North Dakota in 1910, that the headstone in McLean is correct for her burial in 1911, however, sometimes if there is a burial plot for family members in more than one Cemetery location, a grave marker is provided even though the individual is not buried in the second location. It is easy to see that the 1870 Census shows Almira with her husband in Clyde, Wayne, NY, and since a family monument is there which has both William's name and Almira's name, it is not really surprising that her birth and death information we added to the original family monument stone.
Thank you for sharing your questions. These comments are simply observations on my part as there are not details in any of the sources that have been shared that say this is what happened. You have done a great job with your research. Some questions just have to go unanswered unless you have close relationships with individuals who may have corresponded with our early ancestors directly during their lifetime. For this reason, it might be useful to click on the names of others who have contributed to Almira's Family Tree record. They may have additional details or memories that they can share with you about this family. The following URL explains how to collaborate with others.
Because the sources you mentioned are associated with the record of Almira Jane Cooper KNQX-6KD, we are moving this discussion to the Community Family Tree Help Category instead of Other. Don't be alarmed if it shows as closed in the Other category. Clicking the title of the discussion will redirect you to the Family Tree category where you will find the discussion open and active.
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Answers
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Try looking at all the evidence. Almira Jane Cooper's person ID is KNQX-6KD.
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Thanks for responding back to me. This helps me to make sense of what was going on with Almira Jane Cooper Potter.
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