Too Many Williams: 52 Ancestors 2023 Prompt “Oops”

Failure to Properly Examine Census Records Leads to a Parental Mistake

William Herniman: 1819-1908 (Maternal 2^nd Great-Granduncle)
William Henry Herniman: 1856-1917 (Maternal 1^st Cousin 3x Removed)
William Alfred Herniman: 1843-1916 (Maternal 1^st Cousin 3x Removed)

 

Census records can be very seductive. They list names and ages, and often suggest relationships. A few clicks of the computer mouse, and all those names are added to the tree, along with the inferences about the relationships amongst those individuals. For example, if you have a couple in their 40s living with a child in his teens, all sharing the same surname, it is tempting to surmise the teenager is their son. Tempting, but not always correct. And if you have an elderly couple living with a younger couple, once again all sharing a surname, it is easy to assume they are two generations of the same family unit. I made those type of assumptions about the three William Hernimans listed above. At the time of the 1870 census and the 1900 census, two of the three Williams were sharing households. And I carelessly assumed in each case that the elder William was the father of the younger William on the census record. And I also assumed the two younger Williams might be the same person. Oops. Oops on all counts!

William Herniman was born August 10, 1819 in Taunton, Somerset, England. He was the first child born to James and Sarah Herniman. In December 1840, He married Mary White. They appeared on the 1841 English census, where William was working as a joiner. The couple emigrated either in 1843 or 1849, settling first in Dane County, Wisconsin, and then moving to Lisbon, Wisconsin, becoming two of the town’s first pioneers.

William Herniman: 1819-1908

William and Mary appear on the 1860 census in Lisbon. The couple were 40 years old, and were farming.

The 1870 census sent me down an erroneous path. William and Mary were still living on their farm near Lisbon, but now a 13 year old boy, also named William Herniman, was living with them. Had the census taker missed the child on the previous census? Had he written down the boy’s age incorrectly? Was he actually 10 years old? At first I didn’t let these issues bother me. Young William appeared to be William and Mary’s child, so that’s how I recorded him.  

1870 Census

On the 1900 census, William and Mary, now in their early 80s, were living in a household headed by William Herniman, age 56, and his wife Sallie, 51. Ah, I thought, they’ve moved in with their son and his wife. It all made sense, right?

1900 Census

Except I wasn’t paying attention to the details on the census forms. Details that were critical to understanding the true relationship between these people.

First, if this younger William were their son, why didn’t his age match up with the earlier record? The 1870 census showed him as age 13, with a birth date of approximately 1856 or 57. The younger William on the 1900 census was born far earlier, in 1843 or 1844.

Also, when I looked at the census image, I could see the column detailing the relationships of the household members to the head of the household. William and Mary were identified as the younger William’s uncle and aunt. The younger William’s mother, named Elizabeth, was also living in the household.

In addition, the 1900 census asked all women how many children they had given birth to, and how many still survived. Mary Herniman answered zero to both questions. She and William had never had children.

I was forced to re-evaluate the identity of young William Herniman. I quickly determined he had the middle name Alfred and was the son of William Sr.’s brother George. George’s wife was Elizabeth White, who was the sister of Mary White Herniman, so William and Mary were William Alfred’s aunt and uncle twice over.

Postcard of New Lisbon, Wisconsin in 1907

But who was the 13-year-old William living with William and Mary in 1870? It wasn’t William Alfred, as he was already married at that point and living with his wife. William (the elder) and George Herniman had two other brothers who had also emigrated to America, John and Henry. Henry had no sons named William, but John’s eldest son, William Henry Herniman, born in 1856, matched up in age to the boy on the 1870 census. John and his family had moved to Minnesota around 1870, so young William Henry was probably visiting his uncle for the summer.

I learned important lessons from my numerous mistakes on the three William Hernimans. First, I must actually examine the image of the census form, paying attention to the little details. Simply clicking information on the transcribed record is insufficient. Second, I must never make assumptions about the identities of or relationships among the people living in a single household without finding supporting documentation.

But probably the most important thing I learned is that even when I’ve made an “oops” in my tree, it is easily corrected.

Sources:

1870 United States Census. Year: 1870; Census Place: Lisbon, Juneau, Wisconsin; Roll: M593_1720; Page: 76A. Accessed via Ancestry. Com.

1900 United States Census. Year: 1900; Census Place: Lisbon, Juneau, Wisconsin; Roll: 1793; Page: 1; Enumeration District: 0073; FHL microfilm: 1241793. Accessed via Ancestry.com

A Grandaunt’s Tragic Teenage Death: 52 Ancestors 2023 Prompt “Gone Too Soon”

 

The Mystery of Anna Syrine’s Death Solved

Anna Syrine Syverson: 1877-1896 (Paternal Grandaunt)

 

I had always wondered about my grandmother Regina Syverson Peterson’s second-youngest sister, Anna Syrine (or Anne Sirine) Syverson. I knew she died in her late teens, before she had a chance to marry and start her adult life. But I had no clue as to her cause of death until a recent discovery on Family Search.

Anna Syrine Syverson was born just four days before Christmas in 1877. She was the third of Ragnhild Olsdatter Ve and Ove Syverson’s four daughters, and was born on their homestead in Linden Township, Brown County, Minnesota. Ragnhild and Ove had two more children after Anna. When Anna was only four years old, her father was killed in a farming accident, fatally injured by a horse. She probably grew up with only hazy memories of Ove, and only a single photo to remind her of what he looked like.

I have so little information about Anna. I loved her middle name—I wondered if she was a calm and serene child as her name hinted, or if she was feisty and impetuous. All I knew was that she died before her nineteenth birthday, and was buried in an unmarked grave near her father’s headstone in Linden Lutheran Church cemetery. The only documents I had been able to locate that included her were two Minnesota state censuses and the 1880 federal census, and her indexed birth record.

1895 Minnesota Census showing Anna Syrine, identified incorrectly as Soren

But recently, I received a notice from FamilySearch that a new record for Anna Syrine Syverson had been added to their database. When I investigated, I discovered that Brown County, Minnesota’s 1890s death records had been scanned and uploaded. The careful, tidy handwritten entry for Anna Sirine noted her date of death, February 18, 1896, her father’s name, and her cause of death: consumption.

Brown County death record for Anna Syrine Syverson, showing consumption as cause

As soon as I read the word “consumption”, I realized I should have suspected that she was a tuberculosis victim. Her older sister, Jorgine, also died of the disease, but many years later and after she had married and had several children. I expect Anna Syrine had been sick for some time, which would explain why she hadn’t married. My grandmother Regina gave birth to her first daughter in the summer of 1895, just eight months before Anna Syrine died. Regina named the baby Anna in honor of Anna Sirine, probably suspecting that her sister would not survive much longer.

Once again I was struck by the random nature of tuberculosis. Ragnhild and her other children all lived in a small house and were in intimate contact with one another. Obviously all of them were exposed to TB, but only two of them died of it. Why was my grandmother Regina spared? Why was Ragnhild, who probably nursed Anna Syrine for months or years, spared? Ragnhild lived to the age of 85, and Regina to 80. But poor Anna Syrine was taken far too soon.

I have one photo of the Syverson family that may include Anna Syrine. The family stands on the porch of their home—eldest son Ole is at the left, youngest son Syver next to him. Syver looks to be about 12. He was 14 when Anna died, so Anna might be one of the three daughters who cluster around Ragnhild. But in that case, where is the fourth daughter? However, I realized Syver might have been small for his age, and the photo could have been taken at Anna’s funeral in 1896. I can imagine that Ragnhild might have wanted a photo of her remaining children, fearing she could lose more of them.

While there is little physical evidence remaining to show that Anna Syrine spent eighteen years on this earth, at least now I know how she died. I will keep her memory alive as best as I can.

Sources:

Anna S. Syverson in the Minnesota, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980, accessed on ancestry.com

"Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-BGWT-Z?cc=1803974&wc=MRJ5-2NL%3A146278001 : 15 May 2020), 004540654 > image 328 of 1795; county courthouses, Minnesota.

Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905. Original data:Minnesota Historical Society. Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 1977. Microfilm. Reels 1-47 and 107-164.Minnesota. Minnesota Territorial Census Schedules, 1849-1855. St. Paul, MN, USA:

Always in the Shadows: 52 Ancestors 2023 Prompt “Like to Meet”

 

Mary Jane Mills: Hidden in the Outsized Shadow of Husband Jerome Dane

Mary Jane Mills: 1831-1920 (Maternal Second-Great-Grandmother)
 

History is far kinder to men than women. Men’s stories are told. Men’s records are kept. Women only appear as a daughter or wife linked to a father or husband. Their stories remain hidden. Their records are minimal. The disparity is even more extreme when the woman’s husband was a sort of larger-than-life figure—a figure like Mary Jane Mills’ husband, Jerome Dane. I know so little about her, and so much about Jerome in comparison. I feel as if she was hidden in his shadow. I wish I’d had the chance to meet her and ask her about her life—especially all those years when Jerome left her behind when he rejoined the military and fought first the Dakota Sioux tribe, and then the Confederates in the Civil War. What was her life like? How did she deal with his absence?

So what do I know about my second-great-grandmother Mary Jane Mills Dane? What records remain?

Mary Jane was born May 9, 1831 in Herman, New York. Her parents were Orpha Pratt and Joel Mills, who had four sons (Orville, Gehial, Frank and Orrin) in addition to Mary Jane. It appears that Joel had been married before, and had at least two or three additional children from his first marriage. The 1830 census, taken two years after his marriage to Orpha, shows that his household included one male child under five, which would be Orpha’s first-born Orville, one male child between five and nine, one female child under five, one female child between five and nine, and one female child between ten and fourteen. It appears that Mary Jane was probably raised with at least two half-siblings, Loricia (pronounced Larissa) and Jerome—the two older children on that 1830 census. New York records are extremely limited; no birth information was recorded in the early-to-mid 1800s, so this is more of a hypothesis than fact.

Mary Jane’s family moved to Wisconsin sometime before the 1850 census. While there, she met another transplanted New Yorker, Jerome Dane. He had just completed military service in the Mexican War, and then moved to Wisconsin to live with his older brother Francis Ami Dane.

Mary Jane and Jerome married July 3, 1852 in Williamstown, Wisconsin. Mary Jane was 21. Jerome was 24. They settled near Janesville, and their first child, daughter Orpha Antoinette Dane, was born October 21, 1854.

They apparently relocated to Blue Earth County in Minnesota in 1858 (see news article below). Just three years later in 1861, Jerome re-enlisted in the military in Minnesota, joining the Minnesota Infantry. He was on active duty for the next four years, serving as a captain, first in Minnesota during the war against the indigenous tribes, and then in the Civil War.

But what happened to Mary Jane and their daughter Orpha? Had Jerome built a house for them? Had he bought a farm with existing buildings? Did he leave her with someone to help with the farm? I have so many questions, and none can be answered. He enlisted during an indigenous uprising against settlers near Blue Earth County. Mary Jane was left alone during a very dangerous time.

Apparently Jerome was home often enough on leave in 1862 to father another child. Mary Jane gave birth to a daughter she named Sally Jane on April 1, 1863. Sadly, the little girl died just three months later on July 9, 1863. How did Mary Jane cope? Her husband was gone, leading troops in the Civil War, which must have been devastating enough for her—she probably dealt with constant fear that he would be injured, killed, or captured. She was left behind to care for a nine-year-old child while grieving for her baby. How did she survive such stress? Did she have family who could support her? Her brother Orrin had married and also lived in Blue Earth County, but he too was serving in the war. Did her sister-in-law live close enough to offer support?

Little Sally may not have been the first child Mary Jane lost. The 1900 census asked all mothers how many children they had given birth to, and how many survived. Mary Jane answered that she gave birth to six children, but only three survived. Given the large span of years between the births of Orpha and Sally, I would hypothesize that Mary Jane lost two other children in infancy before Sally. Losing a third child in 1863 must have been heartbreaking.

To compound Mary Jane’s suffering, her brother Gehial was killed in the war two months after little Sally’s death. 

Gehial Mills, a few years before death in Civil War

Jerome survived the war, and was back at home by the date of the Minnesota 1865 census. However, within a few years, he uprooted his family and moved about 20 miles east to property in Waseca County near the tiny community of Janesville. They stayed there only a few years. Their son Orlo Dane was born there August 27, 1868, and daughter Lucy May Dane, my great-grandmother, was born there as well on November 5, 1871. They are recorded below in the 1875 Minnesota census.

Census incorrectly says Jerome and Mary Jane's parents were from Ireland. One of Jerome's tales/jokes? Their families arrived in the 1600s from England.

Yet by the 1880 census, they had moved back to Blue Earth County to LeRay Township. They lived there until 1891 when they abruptly moved nearly 200 miles north to Crow Wing County near Brainerd, where they celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary in 1902.

Poor Mary Jane. Packing up all her possessions again and again, moving from house to house by wagon, all while trying to raise two young children and a teen daughter. It must have been a difficult time. I wish I could ask her how she managed, and if she ever had time to herself—time to be happy and to laugh. Jerome seemed to be an extrovert—he was an officer in the local GAR group, he ran the local post office, he gave amusing, fascinating interviews to newspaper reporters. Was he charming to Mary Jane? Did he make her happy? Did he make her laugh? Was she equally outgoing, or was she more reserved? Was she glad she married Jerome, or did she have regrets? Was she as restless as Jerome, ready to move, always looking for a better place? Or did she prefer to settle down in one spot, but never had the chance?

I have only found one photo of Mary Jane, obviously cut down from a group photo. She looks to be in her sixties, and posed with a solemn expression—typical for the time period when photos had long exposure times. Sadly she died eight years before my mother was born, so my mother never met her, and didn’t remember hearing any stories about her from Mary Jane’s grandson, my mom’s father Ivan Macbeth.

One of Jerome's death notices. Of course I found none for Mary Jane.

Following Jerome Dane’s death in 1908, Mary Jane moved in with her daughter Lucy and her husband, Walter Macbeth. She lived with them until she died January 1, 1920. My grandfather, Ivan, was nearly 14 when she died, so he certainly should have remembered her. I wish I’d thought to ask him about his grandmother when he was still alive.

Mary Jane is buried at the Eagle Lake Cemetery in Minnesota, near the Macbeth farm in LeRay Township. I’ve visited her grave—the only opportunity I ever had to “meet” her, sadly. I’m sure she could have told me some amazing stories.

Sources:

Findagrave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45575683/mary-jane-dane?_gl=1*1iuii8j*_ga*MTQ5MDkwODUzMi4xNjI2MjI0NDE0*_ga_B2YGR3SSMB*MjFjMjQ4NDYtYmY1Yi00MWEwLThlMTUtN2JhZjc0ZDk0ODNjLjI3NC4xLjE2NzU3ODE5ODAuNDUuMC4w*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY3NTc4MTk2Mi4zNzguMS4xNjc1NzgxOTgwLjQyLjAuMA..