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From: "Monica Schirmer Eshelman" <>
Subject: [MOANDREW] Finding old birth records
Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2008 16:06:19 -0600
References: <E579B3660B104ED19FD6E4F13B9656BE@Zhark><001601c954c5$0e0d4150$0200a8c0@Genealogy>


Hi, Marian,

I'll reply to the whole list, as others might have some better ideas, or might be interested.

There are very few early birth records in northwest Missouri. (My knowledge doesn't extend to Chariton Co., though.) Probably the only "official" type records would be if a local doctor kept lists of babies delivered, or church baptism/christening records. There weren't any government agencies keeping track of births that early. Though part of rural St. Joseph is part of Andrew Co., the city itself is in Buchanan Co. If you could find any church affiliation, you might be able to contact some of the current churches in St. Joseph to see if there are any old records relating to births. The only church in Andrew Co. that has made its records public (that I know of) is St. John's German Reformed Church, made up mainly of Swiss immigrants. Those records are now at the Andrew County Historical Society and Museum in Savannah. I doubt that the Moores were members of that church, and I think 1840 is too early for membership there anyway.

If I were you, I'd be looking for churches in St. Joseph. Of course, many people had no church affiliation, and those records can be spotty anyway. (By the way, no part of St. Joseph is in Jackson Co., though part of Kansas City is.)

Family Bibles are another record accepted by the DAR, though those are even more scarce. You might have to hunt for some distant cousins to Margaret to see if they have any kind of records.

I assume you've looked for Margaret on the 1850 census record? (The DAR will take census information to prove parentage.) You didn't say when the family went west. If it were before 1850 and her mother was dead by then, you could be in a predicament, unless she's living with family members. If you don't have her 1850 census record, please let me know some more details of where she might have been, or some other members of her family, and I'll be glad to hunt for her for you.

Ah, I've found that her mother (listed on-line at WorldConnect as Thursa Ann Miller) married Elisha Brown in Nodaway Co. in 1847. If you could find her living with Elisha Brown, you could prove the marriage of her mother to Elisha, and hence her birth.

Maybe some other people on the List will have some more ideas. I haven't gone DAR myself, but a cousin of mine did recently, so I'm familiar with some of their evidence requirements. If you can find Margaret on a census with any older member of her family, even an aunt, you can build a case for her birth.

Monica
----- Original Message -----
From: Marian Sarantha
To:
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [MOANDREW] New graves discovered


Am looking for information on a Margaret Frances Moore b. 20 June 1840 in
St. Joseph, Andrew Co., MO. Her parents were Huston Moore b. 1819, St.
Joseph, Jackson Co. (?), MO, and Thursa Velma Miller b. 1824, also St.
Joseph, Jackson (?), MO. Thursda died on the midwest plains travelling from
MO to CA. I found on Ancestry their 1839 marriage record in Chariton Co,
MO.

What I'm seeking is some sort of proof of birth for Margaret. Could you
make some suggestions? I researched in Andrew and other nearby counties
last summer and found it very hard to come up with results.

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