Help Please
I am a member of the England research group and the moderator suggested I ask this question here.
I have 2 relatives born in the USA, Violet Elizabeth McArthur, or variations of that surname was born in New York I think around 1861.
She is my 2 times great grandmother but I cant find a marriage to my 2 times great grandfather William Alderson Ward, born 1852 in Glasgow, parents to my great grandfather Kenneth Alderson Ward, born 1891 in New York.
I have found the birth record of Kenneth which lists Violet by her maiden name.................did they not marry??
Her parents are Duncan McArthur born 1826 and Jane Perry born 1836, both in England, I'm not sure when they emigrated to the USA but I have him on the 1850 census in Brooklyn and both of them on the 1870 and 1880 census in Westchester.
Also, I'm not aware when William emigrated to the USA from Scotland but I do know they came back to the UK after Kenneth was born in 1891 and his sister Dorothy was born in Liverpool in 1894.
Any help from the group would be gratefully appreciated.
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Hello @Clifford885
Birth records generally list the mother by her maiden name. Sometimes the record (depending on location and time/era) will list the mother with both her married name and her maiden or previous name. Thank goodness that's often the case because it may be the only place we find her name before marriage.
You can see on the birth of Kenneth that his mother's name is listed both with her married name and her name before marriage. https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/view/562052
Records for the city of New York are held separately from the records for most of the rest of the state of New York.
Since William is listed as a Master Mariner, and Violet with a residence place of San Francisco, you may find they married somewhere other than New York.
Best of luck with the search.
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I did FindMyPast and found Violet E in the 1880 Fed Census in NYC - not West Chester along with Duncan, Jane, Clara, Alice M, Dasiy, Blanche B and Isabell M on George Street. There is another daughter Edith F 'something' = can't make out her married name.
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Thanks for the info, much appreciated, its asked more questions than its answered though.
Kenneth was there first born and I would suggest that any marriage and birth would take place near the family in New York.
Her older sister Edith Fanny McArthur married in New York to Conrad Prehn, would her family really accept her marrying elsewhere do you think??
I've searched on this site and cant find the marriage, nor any record of her in San Francisco at all, especially the 1890 census, that might be just me though as I am quite new to this.
Her living in San Francisco, would that be because William was sailing out of there maybe??
So, step by step through Kenneth's birth certificate.......................
Kenneth Alderson Ward, "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909" • FamilySearch is a link to Kenneth's birth in New York.
William is listed as a Master Mariner and his residence at the time of birth was onboard a ship, the S S - a ships name I cant read so he could be anywhere at sea.
Violet is listed as living in San Francisco on Kenneth's birth certificate, are we suggesting she went home to New York to give birth, that's a hell of a journey for a pregnant woman by train, 2500 miles taking 3 days!...............................there AND back!!
Another point worth mentioning is that Kenneth's sister Dorothy was born 3 years later in Liverpool England, so we know that sometime in the 3 years between the births, they emigrated.
Any thoughts where to look for immigration records for Violets parents and husband??
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Unfortunately, @Clifford885, the 1890 census is one of those things we all wish for, but no one will ever see. It was lost in a fire in the 1920s.
I gave you a link in my first comment to an IMAGE of the birth certificate. What you see on FamilySearch is an extract only, not the complete certificate.
Violet may well have sailed with her husband - it was not uncommon at the time.
The US did not keep much in the way of exit records in that era. Entry was a bigger deal and fairly well documented by that time.
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Hi @Clifford885
This is Duncan's arrival: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:27P4-B1G
Also, note Duncan and Jane Perry married in what was then Westchester County NY on 28-Oct-1852.
Also, as @Áine Ní Donnghaile pointed out by graciously retrieving that birth record from the NYC site, it is important for you to consider using other sites for your research in addition to FS. There are other sites (yes, some require a subscription, others like the NYC site, do not) that really may help you a great deal. It may be worth a 1-month investment.
Also, several of Duncan and Jane's daughter's were married at "Church of the Holy Faith" which is part of the New York Episcopal Diocese. I am uncertain if the same records are here on FS, though clearly a keyword search shows there are tons of Episcopal church records here.
Also, another tidbit, in 1863, Duncan registered for the US Civil War. I am unsure whther he actually served.
Lastly, the family may have started in Brooklyn, but ended up in Morrisania. Morrisania began as part of Wetschester County NY, then became part of New York County after the 1874 annexation, and, ultimately it is now located in The Bronx NY. Borders move and change. A non-Episcopal civil marriage for Violet that occurred in Morrisania may be very hard to come by.
So, while finding a marriage record for Violet and William may be very difficult - that doesn't mean it didn't happen. The records you find here are just a fraction of what is out there. I can assure you of one thing: you already know everything there is to know that would be found on a NY Marriage record from 1890, other than the two witnesses to the marriage. But from a research standpoint, it may be best to move on.
I sure hope this helps you.
Good luck in your search
Stephen
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Many thanks again for the info provided.
I've only been at this seriously for the last 6 months and in that time I found Family Search provided me with all the information I needed to get started.
As you suggested Santa Ninfa, there's only so much you can glean from one site and I'm now finding that to be the case.
I've recently joined a local genealogical society, this week in fact, and that might help as 99% of my relatives are from the UK and 60% of them from within a radius of 50 miles.
They have free access to subscription websites but you have to visit the library in the town centre to use them, which isn't really convenient, so I think its time to go Ancestry or Find My Past.......................any recommendations on which one??
My WOW moment in this........................Duncan signing up for the civil war!
I have 2 WOW moments back home.......................
2 grandfathers who fought in WW1 became friends and one of them married the others daughter!
The other WOW moment is on my wife's side of the family, her father fought in WW2 and received the Military Medal..............................AND NO ONE KNEW!..........................I'm in the process of tracing that story too.
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Registration for the American Civil War Draft was compulsory.
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It was the same in the UK in WW1, my 36 year old great grandfather registered in 1915 because he had to and once the young pups were slaughtered at the beginning of the conflict he was called up in 1917.
In the course of my research I found out he was at the front for just 6 weeks when he was hit by shrapnel, not badly wounded enough to be sent home but enough to be pulled out for a while.
An interesting aside to this, after the war ended he was waiting his turn to be demobbed, I think it was "first in first out" he hit an officer and was sentenced to 5 years hard labour, on appeal reduced to 1 and dishonourably discharged, a stain on his service record that followed him for the rest of his life I think.
He ended up running a fish and chip shop In Manchester, probably because no one would actually employ him.
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Hi @Clifford885
There are pros and cons to every subs. site. My personal opinion is that Ancestry will work best for you. However, I should note that genealogists like myself often have subs to all of these sites and use them like a toolbox. So, in addition to FS, Ancestry, FMP, ScotlandsPeople, UK GRO, FreeBMD, and NYC Municiapl Archives are examples of some that you may want to use in your work. Add to that newspaper sites as well. Newspapers dot com, GenealogyBank and UK BNA.
I like that you are documenting the stories - it is indeed those stories that are the ultimate goal of why we do what we do.
Lastly, you may want to consider family tree software. Family Tree Maker or Family Historian may suit you well if you're using Windows. I cannot speak to the best software for Mac.
As a final tidbit, in case you do not have it, here's Jane [Perry] MacArthur's death certificate: https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/view/4013138
Feel free to send me a private message here if I can help you further.
Good luck!
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Thanks for the tips Santa (I've not uttered that phrase since Christmas) HEHEHE
I already use FreeBMD but it has restrictions date wise, and Scotlands people, the GRO website for ordering certificates and conformation of what I think I know.
I'm building the website on Family Search but its not the best for sharing so I'll have a look on those others you suggested.
I'm from a large family and I pass on what I learn, some of the things are real eye openers, the Military Medal opened up a lot of discussions in my wifes family, centred mainly on his mental health throughout the rest of his life and a medal for bravery certainly explains a lot.
They love the fact we have shared grandparents with 2 American presidents, Winston Churchill, Princess Diana, Lucille Ball and my favorite................................JOHN WAYNE!!!!
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Afternoon from the UK.
I didn't think I would be back asking questions so soon, its only 2 weeks!
So, my struggles this time round..........................
I've a death date for Duncan Macarthur of 31st December 1899, not sure where I picked this up though but its in my notes, incidentally his daughter Daisy died the same year but I know I haven't written down her date instead.
I've been cross checking with the NYC Genealogy site and cant find him anywhere, I'm assuming a different spelling of his name may turn up something but what kind of spelling though.
So I've been looking at the Trows directories and find him listed 1880/81 along with his wife Jane so ok, he's alive then.
Jump forward to 1883/84 and he's not listed but Jane is with the word "wid" which I assume means widow.
So, where do I go from here??
As always, any help and guidance is greatly appreciated.
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