Why You Can't Find an Ancestor in the 1851 Canadian Census

Sharon recently wrote to AskOliveTree@gmail.com

My ancestor John Davis was born in Whitechurch in 1820.  So were his children.  I can not find any census of Whitechurch, was the name changed, if so, to what?


Hello Sharon,

Here is a link to Library and Archives Canada (LAC) where the list of surviving census returns for 1851 are listed. Many did not survive.

I'm afraid Whitchurch was one that has not survived the years. You may want to look for alternate records for that time period.

Perhaps land records might prove helpful. See Ontario Land Records.

Start with Yourself and Work Backwards

This question came to Ask Olive Tree Genealogy today. The answer is so simple I'm jumping Joanne to the head of the queue! 

My name is Joanne Rich (married name)
Joanne Bersane (maiden name)
Bersane name comes from Italy, not sure about married name. How do I find out if ancestors were Jewish

 Joanne - Genealogy research is always done the same way. You start with yourself and work backwards. Gather documentation of your parents, their parents, and so on. Documentation consists of census records, birth records, marriage records, death records, obituaries and more. Ask older family members for details of their births, marriages, places of residence, information on their parents and grandparents, etc

See http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/beginner/ for more help

Keep going backwards in time, tracing your family ancestry. As you trace back you should discover information on religion and ethnicity of your ancestors.

Lastly, be prepared to spend the next dozens of years researching. Genealogy is not a quick fix. It's not fast and it's not always easy. 

Best of luck!

Finding Out if Ancestors were Jewish

Jenn S. asked for help with

My paternal 3rd great grandfather, Samuel Abraham(s) was born about 1806 according to the England 1841 Census.  I know I should either add or subtract 5 to that as they were know to round the number.

When Samuel and Mary Cockayne married there were no parents listed.  I contacted the church and verified that the parents were not listed.  Samuel died, I believe, 1849 in Nantwich, England and it was listed that his father was Marcus.  So if his father was Marcus, he did not follow the pattern which all families followed during that time by naming his first son the name of his father.  His children, that I know of, are as follows:  Lewis abt. 1831-1891, Samuel 1834-1836, Caroline abt. 1836-?, Charlotte abt. 1837-1902, George H. 1838-1840, Harriet abt. 1840, Mark Henry abt. 1842-? and Eliza abt. 1846-?.

Our name was change to Brahams. Also, we are not Jewish. Abrahams i commonly a Jewish name and there was a story told that the Abrahams were Jewish until one of the boys married a Christian and they were cast away from the family. Could that have been Samuel and is that why I can't find anything? So those are my things about Samuel.

Jenn - Naming patterns were not followed by all families as you stated in your query. Some families followed them but many did not. And I note that there was a child named Mark Henry  - Mark being a shortened form for Marcus.

A Charlotte and Catherine Abraham of the right ages can be found in the Hebrew Girls Boarding School, Palestine Place in 1851. They are in the census for that year for Tower Hamlet, St. John's, Bethnal Green, Middlesex England. So it seems there may be some truth to your family lore.

Also you might want to make note of the fact that some of the children are listed twice in the 1841 census - once with their parents Samuel and Mary, but also in Manchester with Mary Cockayne age 63 with daughters Eliza and Fanny as well as the Abraham children Lewis, Caroline and Charlotte. 

A quick search for a few of the children turned up Harriet's baptism - as Harriet Ellen Abrahams to Samuel and Mary on 29 Aug 1849 in Manchester. Her birth date is given as 18 Aug 1839 and Samuel is noted as a Commercial Traveller. He is not recorded as being deceased at that time although another record indicates he was buried 30 Jul 1849 in Nantwich. A second child named Eliza Cockayne was baptised the same day to Samuel and Mary (whose name is given as Mary Ann). Her birth was 1845.

If I were you I would search each of the children thoroughly - see who they married, when and where they died. Look for burial records, obituaries, church death records to gain more information on the family.

Sometimes You Must Use Pay-to-View Databases to Find an Ancestor Online

Jenn S. asked several questions. I chose this one to answer today

My 2nd great grandmother on my maternal side.  Elizabeth Power(s) is her name.  She married William Hinch(c)liffe in England and came to the US with him settling in Fall River, Massachusetts.  I have that she was born about 1821 and died somewhere between 1870 and 1880, as she is listed in the 1870 United States Census but William is listed as Widower in 1880.  I cannot find out anything about her prior to coming to the United States and I cannot find when she exactly died.  I have gone to the Fall River library and searched and saved their death notations and cannot find anything.  I have an indication in my tree, not sure where I got it, that lists Lawrence as her father's name.  I have nothing to verify that.  I can tell you that William and Elizabeth had 9 children, all in Fall River, that I know of.  Mary 1848-1849, Mary 1850-1908, Thomas 1852-1912, Jane 1856-1861, Elizabeth 1860-1918, Sarah 1860-?, Ruth 1860-1863, William 1861-1862 and Samuel (my 1st great grandfather) 1862-1927. 

Here is an early Christmas gift for you... William and Elizabeth were married in St. Peter's Catholic Church, Ashton under Lyne, Stayleybridge Cheshire on May 26, 1845. His parents are listed as Thomas and Mary Hinchcliffe, hers are Lawrence and Elizabeth Power. Source: Cheshire Non-conformist & Roman Catholic Registers (Marriages) on FindMyPast

It might help you to see who the witnesses were - Maria Power is one of them. See the last column on the right.

 

 Your next step might be to hunt for Elizabeth and her parents in the 1841 census. I would start with Cheshire and see what you can find. In fact a 20 year old Elizabeth Power with mother Elizabeth (no father in the household) shows up in Stockport Cheshire in 1841.

Don't Overlook FamilySearch in your Genealogy Hunt

Bonnie asked about her Grandmother

I have recently found my Grandmother listed on the 1901 Ontario Census in the township of Wroxeter in Huron County.  She was born on August 5, 1899.  Her parents were George J Harris and Agnes J Harris born Jan 3, 1875 and Sept 21, 1877 respectively.  I was hoping to find where George and Agnes were born, and when their families emigrated and from where?  We know very little about the Harris side of the family so I was very excited to see this much!

Marriage Registration 1898 Wellington Co. Ontario

Bonnie - A look at that 1901 census gives you more clues. For example George is recorded as George Jr leading me to suspect that his father might also be called George. He is Presbyterian so you can have a look for Presbyterian churches in the area where you might find births, marriages or burials for the family.

You should also check the online Ontario Vital Registrations for the births of George and Agnes and their marriage.  In fact a very quick visit to FamilySearch and their marriage registration of 1898 pops up.

George is recorded as born 1875 in Wroxeter to George Harris and Elizabeth Stewart. Agnes is recorded as born in California in to John Burns & Margaret Oliver.  George's birth record is also found on FamilySearch

Look for Agnes in the 1880 Census for California - she is found with her parents and siblings in Vallejo, Solano, California

Armed with these new findings you should be able to trace the families further back in time.  

Look for Siblings Obituaries for Info on an Ancestor

Deloris asked about her grandfather.

My maternal grandfather, John Russell Horne, b Nov 1877 in Reach, Ontario, Canada emigrated to Kittson, MN, USA in circa 1892 and disappeared from Hallock, MN, USA sometime in 1905 or very early 1906.  Can not find any evidence of his being in the USA after that date so am thinking he returned to his home territory but have been unable to find any information on him.  Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated!

 Well Deloris you sent me scrambling to find out what state MN refers to. It's easy to assume that everyone knows what you know, but the person you're asking for help might not know anything about USA state abbreviations. Like me. I'm Canadian eh.....

Okay so I now know it is Minnesota. I would check Minnesota newspapers for an obituary and death records. I will warn you about an entry for your grandfather on FindAGrave that might lead to confusion. His name comes up as being in a cemetery and there is a nice biography of him plus a death year of 1910. At first I thought I'd found his death and grave but nope. He is not buried there and there is no marker for him. So unless the person who put the memorial online has a source for that death year of 1910 you can't trust that information.

I see that in 1920 his wife is recorded as a widow in the Minnesota census but even that cannot be trusted as factual. She may have lied to avoid a stigma of being a deserted or divorced wife. 

If he were my ancestor I would search for obituaries for all his siblings in hopes he is mentioned as being either alive or dead.

Google is Your Friend

Clara asked:

Do you know where I might find a copy of the book "History of Wellington County" by J. Hutchinson?  It is mentioned in "The Scottish Pioneers of Upper Canada, 1784-1855 by Lucille H. Campey as a source.

Sure thing. A Google Search for the book gave me the answer to your question. You can purchase a copy of The History of Wellington County on Amazon.ca

There is a cheaper copy (half the price!) available  here http://amzn.to/1MdVjLq