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From: "Sally Rolls Pavia" <>
Subject: Where Did They Get That? by Michael John Neill
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 05:57:52 -0700

Where Did They Get That?
– Michael John Neill

Confusion is often in the mind of the beholder. The ongoing release of the
every name 1900 census index at Ancestry.com has caused me to revisit some
relatives in this census. When I viewed one entry, I remembered how confused
I was when I first saw it. Like many genealogical records, the enumeration
contained an error. And like many errors, the incorrect statement was a clue
In this case it was a clue that I failed to notice.

In 1900, John M. Trautvetter is a 60ish widower, living with his four
youngest children on a farm in rural Hancock County, Illinois. The bulk of
the census entry is consistent with other records, including John's age,
place of birth, year of immigration, and citizenship status. What confused
me was the place of birth listed for the children's mother--Ohio. No other
record ever listed that state.

John's wife, Frances, was the mother of all his children (there was not a
second wife, although different places of births for the mother can
sometimes indicate this), and she died in 1888 well before the 1900
enumeration. Every document indicated she was born in Illinois in 1851 with
no hint to another possible state of birth. While I had no direct evidence
of her birth date and place, Frances' parents were known to have resided in
Illinois as early as November 1850, and Frances' guardianship records
(created when she was five years old) clearly state she had been born in
January 1851. There was no evidence that her parents lived anywhere except
Illinois after November 1850. But still, in the 1900 census, entries for
four of her children indicate she had an Ohio place of birth.

Frances' three oldest children were out of the house by the 1900 enumeration
and their entries were also located. These children indicated their mother
was born in Illinois. While this was not consistent with the Ohio birthplace
listed by the other children, at least it was consistent with what I already
knew about Frances.

So Where Did Ohio Come From?
I do not know who provided the information for the Trautvetter household in
1900. But now I do know that the informant was not entirely confused when
they indicated that the mother of the children in the household was born in
Ohio.

It was years after I first discovered that 1900 census entry that I learned
that Frances' parents were German immigrants who married in Cincinnati, Ohio
in 1849. Their stay in Ohio was short, but it was where they were married
and where the husband was naturalized. I wish I had considered the Ohio
reference as a clue from the start instead of simply ignoring it as some
off-the-wall mistake. Whoever told the enumerator the children's mother was
born in Ohio must have known that her family had some connection to that
state.

In this case, the error was a lead as to the family's origins. Some
discrepancies in records are clues as to other locations where the family
lived. Unfortunately, not all inconsistencies can be understood as easily as
this one. However our point is that apparent errors should not immediately
be tossed aside.

Many Errors in Records
There are many errors in genealogical records. If all records were
completely consistent, genealogy research would not be nearly as difficult
(or as interesting) as it is. And some of us become skeptical when all the
records completely agree. And while an error is still an error, there are
times when the error is a clue. The error can result from many scenarios,
but it is worth remembering that we were not present when the information on
the record was obtained. We do not know who answered the questions and what
distractions might have been in the respondent's mind. All we have is what
is written on the document.

Did our ancestor think the clerk meant, “Where is your mother from?” instead
of “Where was your mother born?” Where a person is “from” is not necessarily
the same place as where they were born. In the case of Frances, the children
still living in the household in 1900 were relatively young when she died in
1888. Their memories of their mother may be very dim, and their only
knowledge of her and her origins may come from their father--who might not
necessarily know where she was born either.

Other Types of Errors
- Hearing and Speech Problems
Your ancestor's ability to speak the language of the country in which he or
she lived can easily impact how the name is written in various records.
Combine that with regional dialects, hearing problems, and inattentive
clerks and the problem can be greatly compounded. This topic was discussed
in this column some time ago in an article titled “Do You Ear What I Ear?”

- Bald-faced lie.
Was your ancestor hiding from his or her past? Was he or she lying to get
out of something? Was he or she lying to be able to do something? If your
ancestor lied on a document, there is usually a reason. The difficulty lies
in determining what that reason was. If your ancestor made up several lies,
the problem can be even worse.

- They were not there.
Many documents that genealogist use reference events that took place long
before the document was created and, perhaps, even before the informant was
born. The amount of time that has elapsed, combined with the fact that a
story may have passed through several individuals, can cause facts to be
reported incorrectly. And the mistake may be an honest one, particularly if
the informant on a document is an in-law.

- A little detail they did not know.
My parents have lived in the same county their entire lives. And yet they
were born in a different state because the nearest hospital was across the
state line. I can remember that when I gave the clerk in the marriage
records office the birthplaces of my parents, my soon-to-be wife looked at
me when I indicted my parents were born in Iowa --and yet they were.

- Sometimes there's no telling what they were thinking.
One relative of mine said her father was born in Canada, the United States,
Iowa, or Kentucky. It all depends upon what census enumeration you believe.
(Skeptics can view the census entries here.) This is a case where I just
wonder exactly went on when the census taker knocked on the door. (To read
our fictionalized view of the census taker read “The Census Taker Cometh.")

Consider the Errors
Some errors are errors. Some errors are clues. It is the job of the
genealogist to determine the difference as best they can. Your ancestor
might have been giving you the biggest clue when they gave the wrong answer.


Michael John Neill is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical Institute
of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield, Illinois, and is also on
the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Michael is the
Web columnist for the FGS FORUM and is on the editorial board of the
Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly. He conducts seminars and
lectures on a wide variety of genealogical and computer topics and
contributes to several genealogical publications, including Ancestry
Magazine and Genealogical Computing. You can e-mail him at
or visit his website at www.rootdig.com/, but he
regrets that he is unable to assist with personal research.
Copyright 2004, MyFamily.com.


Sally Rolls Pavia

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