Clues You Can Find in a Census Record

Bonnie recently asked Olive Tree Genealogy this question about her ancestors:

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!

Dear Bonnie - It is easy to overlook clues that are in a record. For instance ONE census record can often provide a great many new facts and clues to work on. 

FACTS FROM THE CENSUS IMAGE

First let me show you some important facts I think you may have overlooked on that 1901 census. A look at the online image shows that George was born in Ontario and his wife Agnes in the USA. Agnes gives her year of immigration from America to Canada as 1881.

This means you can search the Ontario birth registrations to find who George's parents were. You also know that it is quite likely George and Agnes were married in Ontario so I'd start looking at Ontario marriage records. This should give you both sets of parents' names for the bride and the groom.

Secondly, Wroxeter is not the township where the couple lived. It is a village in Howick Township, Huron County.  The census images clearly indicates Wroxeter Village and a quick search online reveals the township it is in.

Continue reading at

Clues You Can Find in a Census Record!

Give All Information When Writing a Query

 Teddi sent a request for help to Olive Tree Genealogy. Here is her email to me:

I have been searching for my grandmother, Theodora Marino Pensyl, for several years now. She was married in Elkton, Maryland, on August 31, 1939 to Charles Wilbur Pensyl from Bedford, Bedford County, PA. They lived in Philadelphia, Pa near Jackson Street and my mother was born on September 18, 1940.

My mother's names is Dorothy Alice Pensyl; she was christened at the Catholic Church in the early part of December, 1940. My mother never had a birth certificate.

She never met her mother and she was raised by her grandmother, Alice Pensyl, until she turned five; at which time she was able to live with her father and his new "wife" (although they never legally married).

We do not know if Theodora was dead, or living and not able to see my mother due to my grandfather's ability to keep her hidden. I have tried Ancestry.com and was unable to reach anyone for assistance. Any ideas you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Teddi

Sometimes when a reader asks me for help, I immediately have questions. In this case I'm wondering how you knows these exact dates of marriage and birth of her mother. Why am I wondering? Because if you have the marriage record it must surely show an age for Theodora - and that would at least give an approximate year of birth. The birth record of Dorothy may show more details. Both are worth sending for if you do not already have them. If you do have them, you should consider sharing the information found on them when writing a query on a message board or privately (as you did to me)

Even though you say your mother never had a birth certificate, it is quite likely that one was filed and can be obtained. It's worth requesting it. 

Next question - have you found Charles and Theodora on the 1940 census? That would be very helpful to know because that will give you an age for Theordora and a location of birth.  It will also give the place of birth of her parents plus more detail.

Being curious, I had a quick look on Ancestry and I also googled the names. I found several queries you posted over the last several years. To my surprise you gave tidbits of information with each one - different each time - about Dorothea. I suspect you didn't realize how important and helpful each of these little pieces of information could be.

For example in one query you said Theodora sometimes went by Dottie. So that is another name under which to search, and I suspect Dorothy is yet another. In another query you mentioned you thought she had a sister Annette and a brother or father named Leo - these are names you can also search for online. It's crucial to provide these bits and pieces to anyone whose help you want whether on message boards or via email. Even family lore can prove helpful when facing a challenging research puzzle.

So please send for the birth and marriage records and let us know here on the Ask Olive Tree Genealogy blog if you have any other details (plus that all-important 1940 census record!)

Finding a Marriage Record in Quebec early 1800s

Leslie asked about Quebec Marriage Records

My GG grandparents, Charles Church and Adelia Sweet, were supposedly married in Quebec. They were born around 1800. Adelia's obit says Vermont and I am not sure if Charles was born in Vermont or the Brome area of Quebec. They ended up in Huron Co., Ontario. I have also seen Adelia's named spelled Delia on a census and Adelaide.


Charles may be the son of Nathaniel Church and Calista Wells who had three sons named Charles, Nathaniel and Dudley.These three Church names show up in Huron County in the early 1840s. A book about the Wells family states one of the brothers was in this area.

I am trying to find proof of Charles' and Adelia's parents. I was hoping to find proof of a marriage and maybe their parents names. Do you have any other suggestions? I have pretty much exhausted all of the resources that I have been able to find.

Hi Leslie - First, thank you for such a well written query. You gave me names, dates and locations and summed up your challenging question very well. I appreciate that!

My first thought is that you may want to check Quebec church records. Do you know what religion Charles and Adelia were?

Sources in Quebec can be divided into three categories:


1608-1763: French Regime. Certain books include Detroit and other French forts that are outside the present borders of Quebec.

1763-1901: British Regime. Vital statistics are preserved at the Archives Nationales du Québec.

1900-today: This period covers the vital statistics that are not archived.

So you will want to start with the Archives Nationales du Quebec. Most original records for the Province of Quebec before 1900 are at the nine branches of the Archives Nationales du Quebec. Although microfilm copies of some records are held by all branches, there is no one central repository. Each specializes in a region, and regional boundaries do not match county boundaries exactly.
There is a bit more information and links to online sites at the Quebec section of OliveTreeGenealogy so you may want to have a quick look there.

Finding a Marriage Record in Oklahoma

Juanita's Question:

My gr grandmother was first married in Ohio in 1875, later moving to Iowa where her husband died in early 1882. I lost track of her after that until recently when I found her on the 1910 Creek Co. Oklahoma census, town of Sapulpa, with a new husband. She indicated they'd been married 8 years. They were not Indian.

I'm trying to find a record of this marriage which I suspect occurred in Indian Territory. Can anyone give me a clue about where to look? I checked the District Court in Muskogee OK which I understand is the repository of marriages for Creek Co. before Statehood (1907) but was advised they had no record.

Her name: Clara (Stidger) HAMPTON. Her 2nd husband, according to the census, James TOLE. I know nothing more about him, except I found both Clara and James Tole died in Kansas City MO. I have copies of their death certificates, but need date and place of their marriage.

Olive Tree Answer: Dear Juanita - You have done your homework as far as Oklahoma is concerned, but we need to take a step back. An awful lot can happen in 18 years.

It is important that we find Clara (and James) in the 1900 census. There is nothing which decrees that, because they are in Creek County in 1910, that they were married there eight years previously. Clara may have been living with a brother or sister or an inlaw. Check for those siblings of hers, and her first husband's. I use the census records on
Ancestry.com but Footnote,com also has many online.

You might find James in the 1900 census and via city directories. Just remember that the directory information is up to a year old, there being no laser printers or corner Office Max stores about.

You did not mention her first husband: I will assume that he was not receiving a Civil War pension. If he had been, check to see if there was a widow's pension. (There will be addresses for Clara if she had applied.) Ancestry.com has Civil War Pensions online. Also check Footnote,com for their military records.

While you are following her siblings and those of Mr. Hampton, look for obituaries or social notes for them in local newspapers for those years 1882 - 1910 where Clara is "missing." There might be a mention of "and sister Clara Hampton of Battle Creek Michigan" or "Mrs. Kleidinghopper held a tea for her sister, Mrs. Clara Hampton of Dallas." Your best newspaper resource is probably GenealogyBank.com or NewspaperArchive.com

Lastly, you may want to refer to my Ancestor Marriage Record Finder for more ideas on where to hunt for that elusive record.

Help Finding a Michigan Marriage

Don's Question:

I am interested in finding the marriage of my great grandfather, Christian Schulz to Amelia Maedel Bernier (Barney)..
I know that Amelia's first husbend, Pierre Bernier, died in April of 1860 in St. Clair Co., Michigan.
I also know that Edward Schulz, the eldest son of Christian and Emilie Schulz was born March 17, 1863 in St Clair Co., Michigan.
The 1910 Census states that the marriage of Christian to Emilia was the second marriage for both of them.I have searched Michigan marriages to no avail. Any suggestions?

AskOlive Answer: Hello Don

Michigan Marriages on Family Search start 1868. 1851-1875 is available on some counties on Ancestry.com. St. Clair is not one of them. However Dibean Database for St Clair Co. shows the marriage of

Bernier Pierre to Emilie Dorethea Madle 22 DEC 1855

You may want to try local churches. Go to St Clair Co. MI Genweb
and chose CHURCHES from left side bar to get a list. You may also need to try neighbouring counties other than St. Clair.

Finding a Marriage Record in Passport Applicatons

Bon's Question:

I am trying to trace a marriage certificate for
Eugene Joseph McHugh Born New York 24th May 1899 Died 1970 Bar harbor New York .

Spouse Ivy Myrtle Biffin Born May1902 Southampton England Died 1977 Massapeque park New York.

One Daughter Maguerite Harriet McHugh Born 1922 Southampton England.

I have the passenger list for the liner SS Saxonia arriving in Ellis Island in Oct 1922 her and her baby daughter sailed to America on. It was in her married name of McHugh also her Passport No:124056.

I have use Ancestry.com Mormon web site An American site called Public Record, Find my past . I have drawn a blank on them all.

Was a Marriage certificate needed to apply for a passport in those day or would she have just changed her name to Mchugh?

Hello Bon, A good place to look for marriages that took place in England is Free BMD. If you find the marriage you seek in their online index, you can then order the marriage certificate from GRO (General Register Office for England and Wales). See Ordering English Certificates of Birth, Marriage or Death online on OliveTreeGenealogy Blog for help with the ordering process

In your case however you may want to look for Ivy's passport application. You might be surprised at the amount of detail found in passport applications. There are many online for free and also on pay sites. Footnote.com has Passports, as does Ancestry.com

Being curious I had a peek and found Ivy's passport application online on Ancestry.com
. In it she provides her exact date and place of marriage, and we learn that what you thought was her arrival in America in October 1922 was in fact her return from a trip to England to visit her mother in March 1922. She had been living in New York since 1920! Her passport also provides her exact date of arrival (her original immigration, not her return from trips back to England) and the name of the ship she sailed on.

Once you have consulted the passport application for that ship name and date you can check for Ivy's immigration voyage. You might also want to obtain the ships passenger list for Ivy's outbound voyage from New York to England in 1922. Ships passenger lists are found on Ancestry.com

Back to her marriage - armed with the date and location of her marriage you will be able to send for her marriage certificate if you want it.

Using County Clerk Records to Find Answers

On Jan 7/09 Kate asked Olive Tree:

Robert Burton, born 1808/09 in NC. That info is all I know about him except for his wife and children.The above info came from the 1850 Federal Census for Drew County, Arkansas

According to the census he and wife Jane E. had their first child 1833/34 in TN. More children were born then in Mississippi. They were in AR in time for the 1850 census.

I don't know his parents, exact place of birth, place or date of marriage. We have been searching for 30 years with no luck. We are not sure of his wife's maiden name so that has not helped.

Robert raised his family here in Arkansas and his children married in Drew County near Monticello. But, no one in family has any information. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know.

Olive Tree Answer:

Based on census records that I found for your Robert Burton, it is quite likely that he died in Drew Co. Arkansas between 1860 and 1870. I would look for his death or probate record. You will have to contact the Drew County Clerk as they have Marriage Records from 1847 and Probate Records from 1847

The contact info is 210 S. Main Street, Monticello, 71655; (870) 460-6260

You should also search for marriage records of his children in the Drew County Clerk marriages. This will hopefully give you the maiden name of Jane.

Have you looked for a death record for Jane? She was 66 years old in the 1880 Cane Creek Lincoln Arkansas census so you may want to find out what records Lincoln Co. holds.

How to find parents of English Ancestors who came to America

Mike asked on Jan. 6/09:

My great-great-great grandparents are:
James (no middle name) Gumm
b. 15 Jan 1829 Charlbury, Oxfordshire, England
d. 20 Apr 1910 Durant, Bryan, Oklahoma

Rosa (no middle name) Busby
b. 21 Apr 1824 Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England
d. 07 Mar 1911 1910 Durant, Bryan, Oklahoma

I know that they arrived in New York 4 Jun 1853 on the Excelsior out of Liverpool, England

I have found England censuses that I think are for them, but without middle names, it's a guess. :-) How do I find out for sure whether this is actually them or not? If the census I found is actually for James, evidently his father is named James too. Any help clarifying this is appreciated.

OLIVE TREE ANSWERS: Hi Mike, Thanks for submitting your query in such an organized way. It really helps me to help you.

The first thing that came to my mind after reading your query is to think about where we might find the names of James and Rosa's parents. There are three main events in life where this information is recorded - birth or baptism records, marriage records and death records. There are a series of articles online called Ancestor Birth Record Finder, Ancestor Marriage Record Finder and Ancestor Death Record Finder which might help researchers figure out where to find these records, from the rather obvious places to the more obscure.

Since your ancestors were born in England before Civil Registration was required, you would have to search local church (Parish) records, or Bishops' Transcripts to find their baptisms. That usually has to be done offline, through a Family History Center.

Their death records may or may not include their parents' names, depending on Oklahoma's regulations in 1910. So marriage records is the easiest and fastest item to search in this case. Ancestry.com has the free indexes online for Marriages in the UK after 1839 but I prefer to use Free BMD. FreeBMD is an ongoing project to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales. As they complete their transcriptions they turn them over to Ancestry.com. There is no charge for using the indexes at either site but I like the Free BMD Search Engine better.

I found James and Rosa, but before I give you the information and tell you how and where to order the full marriage certificate, let me briefly touch on the problems one can encounter when searching for an ancestor. First, if you search for JAMES GUMM and ROSA BUSBY in the Marriages at FreeBMD you will not find them. If you search for JAMES GUMM and ROSE BUSBY they do not appear. I tried several searches without success and then used ROSE BUSBY (not Rosa) and no groom's name. Bingo!

James has been indexed as GOMM and Rosa as Rose. They were married in the second quarter (Apr-June) of 1853, so just before they sailed to America. The District was Chipping Norton and they are found in Volume:3a on Page: 815

Here is the entry as transcribed:

Busby Rose Chipping Norton 3a 815
Gomm James Chipping N 3a 815

Now you can order their marriage certificate and when it arrives you will find the name of the fathers of both bride and groom as well as their occupations. A place of residence will be noted, plus names of witnesses. Often these are other family members which will help you to locate the right families in the census.

You can order the certificates online at General Register Office for England and Wales online ordering service. I have used this service frequently as both my maternal grandparents were born in England (and their ancestors before them). It is fast, reliable and a reasonable cost. You need the information from the Free BMD or Ancestry search of the indexes in order to request a certificate. The turnaround time is quite speedy and within a few weeks of ordering you will see the certificate arrive. Have fun and please let us know here on AskOliveTree what you found!