Proof that Lucy Manning, daughter of Captain William Manning, married Dr. Gamaliel Vail sometime bet
I'm helping my mom apply to the Daughters of the American Revolution and we need a reliable document showing that Lucy Manning, daughter of William Manning and Mary Johnson Payson, married Gamaliel Vail. FamilySearch says that they were married in 1788 when they were 16 and 15 years old. Other sources say they were married about 1800. But FamilySearch has 6 children born to them by 1800. Different sources say they were married in Vermont or Connecticut. Some histories mention interesting letters that Gamaliel wrote his parents while he was a traveling doctor in and around Indiana. In one letter, he apparently writes details on members of his family. But I don't know where I'd find the letters. If anyone has ideas of where to look for anything that could help us prove this relationship, I'd really appreciate it!
Answers
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Brittany; We don't partner with the DAR so we need to know what kind of documentation is required by them.
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Hi, this is what it says on their website: "Vital Records, Census Records, Probate Records, Land Records, Court Records, Church Records, etc." I know obituaries work too, so maybe newspaper articles as well.
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The marriage records for both Vermont and Connecticut are incomplete in this time period. If you haven't found one in the big databases online, it likely wasn't recorded or has since been lost.
I would look instead for evidence that this couple were married to each other in other records such as obituaries for both of them, probate records, land deeds, etc
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1. New England records are held on the town level. If you have an idea of where and when she was born, you can contact the town clerk and ask what records they may have.
2. Sibling research may uncover hints for instance they wrote these letters to someone else so most likely it was through a family members research they were discovered. They may have been listed as witnesses on family members documents such as marriage records or probate records.
3. Her father's probate records may list her with her married name.
4. Check the DAR for existing research done by others. This may be where the letters are. They may not list your specific daughter but they may show his or her sibling research which you could tie into.
5. Did you check those histories for citations?
6. If you have a vital record source for Lucy you should be able to calculate the correct info on family search.
7. Check the American Ancestors web page to see what collections they have that might help.
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Thank you, I'll direct my efforts towards finding/examining those other records, hopefully with better success!
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Brittiany; A search for Gamaliel Vail in FamilySearch using his approximate birth date range shows a Gamaliel Vail in the 1800 census in Saratoga New York which is close to the Vermont border. Since this in not a very common name, it may be worth researching that area.
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Jennifer; Thank you for the good suggestions. That should be helpful to Brittiany.
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Thank you! I wasn't sure how common of a name that was. With all of the children listed in that household, maybe the earlier marriage date is correct. They would only have been 15 and 16 so I didn't know how possible that was. But that does reinforce the validity of the relationships currently listed on FamilySearch. So I'll look at those older children closer to see what kind of documentation I can find on them.
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Thank you so much for the help and direction! These are solid leads which will hopefully help me find the documentation I'm looking for.
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