Robert Benedict Alderson

I am working on the Descendancy research of James Cole Alderson, my 3rd great grandfather through William Wesley Alderson.  I am stuck on William Wesley's brother Robert Benedict Alderson. 

What I do have:
The Alderson Cousins site gives his birthdate as 16 November 1848 in Maury, Tennessee.  Robert is with the family in the 1850 census in Maury, TN and in the 1860 census in Marion, Illinois.  After that I can not pin down a record for him. 

Possibility:
There is an interesting possibility that he enlisted in the Civil War.  There is an enlistment for February 1865 for a Robert B Alderson from Arrowsmith, Illinois (McLean County) that joined the K 155th Illinois Infantry.  It seems that same Robert died in Nashville, Illinois on 6 April 1864(5).  Oddly though, I can't find the cemetery record on the Nationwide Gravesite Locator even though I have two separate records that suggest it should exist.

United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865: Robert B Alderson

155th Regiment, Illinois Infantry

Familysearch # LCT2-CZL


Robert would have been 16/17 years old in 1865.  Young but I guess not unheard of. 

There are only two other Robert Alderson's that show up in Illinois in the 1860 census.  (My Robert B acutally shows up as Bennedic).  A father and a son living in Macoupin, Illinois ages 50 and 10.  The same Robert Alderson seems to show up in the 1865 Illinois State Census also in Macoupin, Illinois.  The census was supposedly taken on 3rd July 1865, suggesting he is not the Robert Alderson that died in April.  I guess there is still the possibility that the 10 year old, now 15, could be the one who enlisted.


I feel like I'm just dancing around it... There just isn't quite enough information to pin the two together.  ARG!

MRN (more research needed)

Alderson Cousins

I have been working on the Descendancy of James Cole Alderson, my great great grandfather, and came across an old goldmine today. 

There is a book available on familysearch.org called Alderson: Alderson families living in North America thru 1920 by Cross, James Allison, 1928-.

Turns out there is also a webpage called Alderson Cousins that is dedicated to the three main Alderson lines that first immigrated to the United States.  One of which I am descended from: Richard Alderson Richmond, VA mid-1600s.

There is also an old newsletter available on the website that was published for multiple years.  I have only skimmed through the first four issues but found information relating to my family.

Volume 1, Number 4  includes marriage records from the early 19th century in Maury, TN, including some of my relatives.


There is also a website dedicated exclusively to the descendants of Richard Alderson.  My great grandmother is even included!

I'm excited to go through and verify as much as the information I can and make sure it is included in my family tree.  Seems like there is always more work to do!

Illinois Newspapers

Story has it that my great grandfather, John Chester Bigelow, and his mother, Mary Elizabeth Richards Bigelow, contributed to the local paper of Salem, Marion, Illinois in the 1940-50's.  I forget how, but I have it in my head that the paper was the Salem Times-Commoner.  I have tried and tried over the years to figure out how to get my hands on that paper and today google came through and I finally found a lead!

Turns out there is a website called the Illinois Newspaper Project (SCORE!) pulled together by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Library in Urbana, Illinois.  When I did a search for Salem, Marion, Illinois I came up with many hits, one of which was for the Times-Commoner.

 

 

Another paper of interest because of the years it covers is the Salem Republican.  Again not available online (YET).

 

Frankly there are many papers on the list for Salem that would be worth looking into.  My family is in Marion county for many years and multiple generations and family lines...  There are 51 newspapers that come up currently for Marion county alone.  I can only imagine the treasure trove of information to be uncovered.  Obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements, graduations...  In fact one of those papers, looks like the Democrat, published this article in 1949 about my great great grandmother, Mary (Minnie) Elizabeth Richards Bigelow. (Newspaper clipping in possession of my grandmother)

And another newspaper published the wedding notice of my great grandparents: John Chester Bigelow and Charleen Margaret Condon.  They were married in 1920.

Now all I need to figure out is how to get to one of these libraries and then I'd have to move in for a few months.  Not likely going to happen in the near future... one can hope they digitize it though, right?!?

Others Researching Levi Daniel Line

This week I have had contact with two people who are working (or have worked in the past) on Levi Daniel and his family. Gladys has left a couple of comments on posts about Levi and I have emailed and just this week talked to Debi who's grandfather (still living) is a direct male decendant of Levi and has had his DNA tested.

I don't know a lot about Levi Daniel except that which I have posted on this blog. I would be greatly interested in colaborating with any and all! Lately my research has been jumping all over the place but I would like to really focus on Levi, his family, Louisa (Louvica)'s family and possibly pushing the line back or concretely connecting it to another line.

Gladys I appreciate your comments on the census information and I would love to know how you are connected to this family and what research you have done etc. Please contact me via email: famtreeclimber AT hotmail DOT com. I look forward to hearing from you and hope you have found this blog easy to navigate and helpful. Let me know if you have any suggestions on changes I could make.

Thanks!
Happy Fellow Tree Climbing!

John Richards Obituary (of sorts)

In addition to the family group sheets that came home with me I brough a stack of notes written on various scraps of paper. One of these notes included information about John Richards, brother of Mary Elizabeth Richards.

In my grandma's handwritting:

"News clipping in Grandma [Mary Elizabeth] Bigelow's Bible
Salem Feb 8 (no year)
John Richards died in Chicago of Pneumonia
Brought to sister Mrs Minne Bigelow's home
accompanied by his wife - service conducted
by Rev Shefer of Methodist church.
Mrs. Richards was former Miss Lillie Allmon"

It is unfortunate that the clipping did not include the year. It does give some other good information though including his wife's maiden name and where he was living when he died.

I would also love to know what became of Grandma Bigelow's Bible.
_____________

I went to the Statewide Illinois Death Certificates 1916-1950 and did a search for John Richards in Cook County. I came up with one hit that would be feasible with a Feb 8th obituary:

RICHARDS, JOHN Male/White age: UNK Cert #: 6005298 Death Date: 1928-02-04 County: COOK City: CHICAGO Date Filed: 28-02-05

I can't prove the connection without seeing the death certificate though and it is possible that he died after 1950 and wouldn't be in the database.

Possible Leads - Unverfied Information

I remembered that there were other people working on Louisa and Levi Daniel and I was curious what information they had so I did a few google searches on Levi Daniel. I came up with some interesting leads but practically no sources and citations. He is some if the information I came across as well as the links to where I found it. Much of it is from old message boards. I plan to try and contact the person that posted the information but I fear the email addresses will be outdated.

You will notice that most if not all of the information refers to Louisa as Louvica. I personally believe it is a transcription error but I have not been able to prove either way.


This paragraph of information came from the site Decendents of Robert Scaife I of Winton. It amazingly goes back into the 1500's BUT it is a line Louisa's sister married into so no direct ancestors for me. It does include information about Louisa and her siblings, who they married as well as dates. Interestingly enough the surname Scaife shows up with Levi Daniel's in the 1830 census.

Sophia BISHOP, the wife of Jesse SCAIEFE, Jr., was the daughter of John BISHOP and Kesiah UNKNOWN. Her siblings were: Jesse BISHOP [M]: m1. Hannah THRASH, 24 August 1826, Clay County, Illinois: m2. Ann SULLIVAN, 15 June 1848, Clay County, Illinois; Louvica BISHOP (22 October 1807, Tennessee - 12 November 1857, Clay County, Illinois) [F]: m. Levi DANIEL, July 1824, Fayette County, Illinois; Joseph BISHOP [M]: m. Sarah DAVIS, 20 January 1828, Clay County, Illinois; Mary BISHOP [F]: m. John W. P. DAVIS, 24 December 1838, Clay County, Illinois; Nancy BISHOP (31 January 1812, Tennessee - ABT 1856, Missouri) [F]: m. Amos Martin WHITELY, 23 August 1830; Keziah Whitely BISHOP (6 October 1820, Clay County, Illinois - 25 March 1914, Riley County, Kansas) [F]: m. Mordica COCKRELL (16 October 1821, Salem, Washington County, Indiana - 8 August 1898, Riley, Riley County, Kansas), 1 December 1842, Clay County, Illinois; and John BISHOP (22 January 1822, Clay County, Illinois - May 1852, Clay County, Illinois: interment at Old Baptist Cemetery, Clay County, Illinois) [M]: m. Sarah A. BORAH, 31 October 1843, Marion County, Illinois.
-----------------------------------------------------

This information forum is a bit out there and I can not directly tie into it but there are a few indications that the people being discussed are ancestors of Levi Daniel. There are first name trends including the name Levi and Basil. There is also mention of migration patterns that include North Carolina, Tennessee, and Clay County, Illinois. Some interesting leads.
----------------------------------------------

This GenForum post gives some interesting information that helps link to the information mentioned above. Unfortunately there aren't any sources mentioned.

Bazel Daniel b: c. 1775 in NC or SC d: c. 1843 in Carroll county AR m: UNKNOWN b: c. 1776 in NC or SC d: c. 1840 in AR
Children:
Mary Daniel b: c. 1790 in Pendleton district SC m: UNKNOWN Burns
Nathaniel F. Daniel b: c. 1795 in NC or SC d: 1864-12-19 in Shelby county IL m: Prissille Lemons (Priscilla Laymance)
William Daniel b: c. 1800 in Pendleton county SC m1: 1818-01-15 in White county IL to Mary Morris (Patsey Morris) b: c. 1800 d: c. 1836 in AR m2: 1837-06-29 in Shelby county IL to Martha Rogers (Martha Rodgers) b: c. 1800 in KY
Levi Daniel b: c. 1803 in NC m: Louvica Bishop?
Sarah Elizabeth Daniel b: c. 1804 in SC d: 1870 in Hill county TX m: 1826-06-15 in Clay county IL to Gray Bynum Fancher (Grey B. Funsher)
Amon Daniel b: 1807-04-29 in TN d: 1854-12-08 in Shelby county IL m1: ? m2: 1832-10-22 in Shelby county IL to Mary Forbes Rhoads (Amon served as private in Black Hawk War 1831-1832 in Price's company; 1828 arrived in Shelby county IL claimed 40 acres in section 5 Big Springs twp in 02-1837?; Toni J has copy of marriage certificate and estate settlement)
Wiley Blunt Daniel b: c. 1811 in TN or KY d: c. 1855 in IL or c. 1875 in AR m: 1833-09-21 in White county IL to Nancy Rolls and/or m: 1833-12-05 in White county IL to Julia Barnett [Julia Ann Barnett] b: c. 1817
UNKNOWN daughter b: between 1810 & 1814
UNKNOWN daughter b: between 1815 & 1819
UNKNOWN Daniel b: 1821
------------------------------------------

This Rootsweb post gives a fairly detailed list of the decendants of Levi Daniel even including my great grandfather.

Generation No. 1
1. LEVI1 DANIEL was born Abt. 1803 in NC, and died December 23, 1858 inIllinois. He married LOUVICA BISHOP July 14, 1824 in *Fayette, Ill. Shewas born October 22, 1807, and died November 12, 1857 Age at death 50 years 21 day
Children of LEVI DANIEL and LOUVICA BISHOP are:
2.i.JOHN2 DANIEL, b. October 31, 1828, Clay Co. , ILL.; d. May 03, 1850,Clay Co., ILL..
ii.KEZIAH DANIEL, b. Abt. 1829, Illinois; d. Abt. 1860, Illinois; m.THOMAS J. LONG.
iii.BASEL THOMAS DANIEL, b. Abt. 1835; m. SARAH ANN BATTS/BUTTS, October13, 1853, Clay County, Ill.3.
iv.EDITHA ADALINE DANIEL, b. Abt. 1837, Illinois.
v.LOUISA EMILINE DANIEL, b. Abt. 1839; m. CLARK MOORE, May 13, 1858, ClayCounty, Ill.
vi.MARY A. DANIEL, b. Abt. 1841, Clay Co., ILL.; d. Abt. 1860, Clay Co.,ILL..

Generation No. 2
2. JOHN2 DANIEL (LEVI1) was born October 31, 1828 in Clay Co. , ILL., and died May 03, 1850 in Clay Co., ILL.. He married PAULINA BARRAH. She was born 1825 in Ohio.Notes for JOHN DANIEL: John was a soldier in the Mexican War. John died age 21 yrs 6 mo. 3 days
Children of JOHN DANIEL and PAULINA BARRAH are:
4.i.NATHAN THOMAS3 DANIEL, b. November 11, 1848, Illinois; d. June 28,1921, Springfield, Illinois.
ii.LEVI J. DANIEL, b. July 21, 1847; d. August 18, 1848.

3. EDITHA ADALINE2 DANIEL (LEVI1) was born Abt. 1837 in Illinois. She married GEORGE DANIELS November 13, 1856 in Clay County, Ill. He was bornAbt. 1840 in England, and died July 05, 1880 in Illinois.
Children of EDITHA DANIEL and GEORGE DANIELS are:
i.HARRIET ALICE3 DANIELS, b. November 03, 1858, Illinois; d. May 29, 1948,Illinois; m. GEORGE W. MULVANY, JR..
ii.EMILINE DANIELS, b. Abt. 1861, Illinois; d. Abt. 1947, Illinois; m.HILLARY L. ADAMS.
iii.SARAH A. DANIELS, b. Abt. 1863, Illinois; d. Abt. 1887, Ark; m.WILLIAM BUCKLES.
iv.MARY L. DANIELS, b. Abt. 1865, Illinois; m. KING.
v.EVA FLORENCE DANIELS, b. April 22, 1868, Illinois; d. April 11, 1913,Illinois; m. EARL JAMISON.
vi.IDA M. DANIELS, b. Abt. 1870, Illinois.
vii.LUCY A. DANIELS, b. Abt. 1871, Illinois.
viii.EDITH L. DANIELS, b. Abt. 1873; m. HENRY GREEN.
ix.THOMAS ARTHUR DANIELS, b. February 1876, Illinois; d. 1955; m. ATELLA ELLEN ALDERSON.

Generation No. 3
4. NATHAN THOMAS3 DANIEL (JOHN2, LEVI1) was born November 11, 1848 in Illinois, and died June 28, 1921 in Springfield, Illinois. He married SARAHE. DAVIS August 20, 1875 in Clay County, Ill, daughter of ALVIN TROTTER and MARY DAVIS. She was born July 10, 1852 in Ohio, and died November 21, 1922 in Springfield, Illinois.
Notes for NATHAN THOMAS DANIEL:Nathan went to Kansas in the fall of 1866 and> then to Indiana in 1871 and then back to Clay Co. in 1875 he married Sarah Davis on August 20, 1875. You can find this information in a book called "History of Sangamon County". It also says that Nathan served under Custer in Company "S" 19th Kansas Calvary.Nathan served under Custer in Co. S. Nineteenth Kansas Cavalry ,participating in the battle of Antelope Bluff, in which Chief Black Kettle was killed.
Notes for NATHAN DANIEL and SARAH DAVIS:The 1880 census records for Illinois show Nathan Daniel(s) married to Sarah with two children, Estella, age 3 born in Illinois and Florence age 1 born in Illinois. Found them living in Fayette County La Clede Township. Then in 1900 census Federal for Illinois I Found them in Sangaman County, Rochester Township with the remaining children listed, the two older girls were married by then and Estella can be found in the Albright section, married to John David Peter Albright

Children of NATHAN DANIEL and SARAH DAVIS are:
5.i.ROAMIA ELIZABETH4 DANIEL, b. November 07, 1883, Buckhart, ILL; d.February 28, 1918, Springfield, Ill.
ii.JULIA A. DANIEL, b. August 1894.6.
iii.ESTELLA LOUTISHIA DANIEL, b. August 28, 1876, La Clnde, Clay Co.Illinois; d. May 30, 1948, Mexico, Missouri (Elmwood Cem.).
iv.FLORANCE DANIEL, b. October 1878.v.EDWARD DANIEL, b. April 29, 1880.
vi.LOUIS E. DANIEL, b. October 1884.
vii.JOHN DANIEL, b. April 02, 1886.
viii.ALMA DANIEL, b. August 30, 1892.
--------------------------------------------------

This is a family tree posted on Rootsweb for Louisa Bishop's line that links back into the 1500's. Again not a lot of sources but great information for leads and contacts. Clicking on the Index, Descendancy, or Pedigree links will give you a feel for all the information there. Clicking on a name will give you more detailed information about that individual. Pretty extensive database.

Probable Marriage Records for Children of George Daniels

Possible marriage records from the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index 1763-1900 for the children of George Daniels. For some of the daughters there were too many possibilities to narrow it down for certain. It seems that most of them crossed the county line and were married in Marion County, Illinois.

Index includes this information in the following order:
Grooms Name
Brides Name
Date
Vol/Page
(Licence Number) -none of these entries have information in this field
County

Verified:
DANIELS, ARTHUR T ALDERSON, ATELLA E 1900-08-14 E /78 MARION


Highly Probable:
GREEN, HENRY E DANIELS, EDITH 1894-11-18 /291 206 MARION
ADAMS, HILLARY L DANIELS, EMMA 1880-09-02 0OD/0141 MARION
JAMISON, ULYSSES GRANT DANIELS, EVA F 1889-09-26 00E/0006 MARION
MULVANEY, GEORGE W DANIELS, HARRIET A 1879-09-04 0OD/0133 MARION

**UPDATE:  All of the above are CORRECT see summaries for details. 

Possible:
There are a few Ida M's in the index but none in Marion or Clay County. I believe that Ida died before 1880 before the age of 10.

Multiple entries for Mary, below is the one for a Mary L. in a feasible time period but I am unfamiliar with the county. (UPDATE: Some information suggests Mary married George King, have yet to be able to verify)

BARBER, FRANK E DANIELS, MARY L 1889-12-30 H /418 ALEXANDER

Sarah A. Daniels: There are quite a few entries for Sarah but none of them are in a feasible year range in Marion County, making it difficult to determine which one is correct. (UPDATE: Some information suggests Sarah married William Buckles, have yet to be able to verify).

Lucy A. Daniels: Similar situation to Sarah, too many and not enough information to prove connection. (UPDATE: Believe she died before 1883 unmarried)

Possible Records for George Daniels in 1850

Below is the 1850 New York Census that is the only result for a George Daniels born in England +/- 5 years from 1828. I have yet to prove that it is the same George Daniels that bought land in Clay County later that same year.

1850 New York Census
Date Taken: 26 Day of October

Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: New York Ward 15 Western Half, New York, New York; Roll M432_552; Page: 118; Image: 240



Name: George Daniels
Age: 18
Male
Occupation: Baker
Birthplace: England
(listed as last person in Household)

Others in Household-
Name: Daniel Manson; Age: 38; Male; Occupation: Baker; Birthplace: Scotland
Name: Ann Manson; Age 37; Female; Birthplace: Scotland
Name: Robert Manson; Age 12; Male; Birthplace: New York
Name: Daniel Manson; Age 8; Male; Birthplace: New York
Name: Isabella Manson; Age 6; Female; Birthplace: New York
Name: Bridget Hannway; Age 20; Female; Birthplace: Ireland
Name: William Genenen; Age18; Occupation: Baker; Birthplace: England
Name: William Daniels; Age18; Occupation: Baker; Birthplace: England

-----------------------
The 1850 New York Census got me thinking to check immigration records for a George Daniels around the year 1850 on Ancestry.com. The search came up with four results. One came to California, two of them were from Puerto Rico, and one of them was from Liverpool England to New York City. BINGO!

Again have yet to prove without a doubt this George is my ancestor but the lack of any other possibilities gives this a high probability.

New York, 1820-1850 Passenger and Immigration Lists:
Name: George Daniels
Arrival Date: 8 Apr 1850
Age: 21
Gender: M (Male)
Port of Arrival: New York
Port of Departure: Liverpool
Place of Origin: England
Ship: Washington
Family Identification: 3159486
Microfilm Serial Number: M237
Microfilm Roll Number: 86

Source Information: Ancestry.com. New York, 1820-1850 Passenger and Immigration Lists [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2003. Original data: New York. Registers of Vessels Arriving at the Port of New York from Foreign Ports, 1789-1919. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. Micropublication M237, rolls # 1-95


Further Research: I would like to look at the microfilm cited above to get further details about this George Daniels and who he was traveling with.

1860 Census for George Daniels

George Daniels with wife Editha Adaline and daughter Harriet Alice in Clay County, Illinois. There are other people listed in the household, one of which was born in England a Mary Robertson. She is old enough to be George's mother though she has a different surname. More research is needed to prove any familial connection.

1860 Illinois Census
Date Take: 11th Day of August

Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Township 4 Range 5, Clay, Illinois; Roll M653_162; Page: 0; Image: 555



Name: George Daniels
Age: 26
Male/White
Occupation: Farmer
Value of Real Estate: 1000
Value of Personal Estate: 200
Birthplace: England

Name: Editha A. Daniels
Age: 22
Female/White
Birthplace: Illinois

Name: Harriet A. Daniels
Age: 1
Birthplace: Illinois

Name: Mary Robertson
Age: 49
Female/White
Value of Real Estate: 800
Value of Personal Estate: 100
Birthplace: England
Person over 20 that cannot read/write: Yes

Name: Phillip A. Stacy
Age: 18
Male/White
Birthplace: Indiana

Name: Mary F. Stacy
Age: 10
Female/White
Birthplace: Illinois

Elusive George Daniels

George Daniels has been eluding me for years. He is the "end of the line as far as it goes" for the Daniels line. I only have suggestive birthdates and the general birthplace of "England". I am not even sure when he emigrated. I have come across a few things that are interesting.

I have George in the 1880 (very excited to finally find that one), 1870, and 1860 census's with his wife and various children. The 1860 lists him as 26 with a 1 year old daughter suggesting to me that he was married just a few years before that. The next earliest record I have for him is a Land Patent for land in Clay County, Illinois dated 2 Dec 1850 suggesting to me that he would not be found in the census (taken in Aug) in Clay county. I found one possible match in the 1850 census for a George Daniels age 18 born in England living in New York city with a baker and a William Daniels also age 18 born in England. He is the only George Daniels born in England that comes up +/- 5 years from 1828. I will try and look into him further. I then began to wonder why a young single man would choose middle of nowhere Clay county to buy land and settle. I did another census search in Clay county in 1850 for anyone born in England, maybe someone George knew from the home country that he followed out. There was one name that came up that was interesting but just created more questions. There is a John Danels age 10 born in England living with a couple both born in N.C. Why would a 10 year old from England be living with a husband and wife from N.C. with no apparent name connection? I have no clue.

Lots more work to do!

William Thaddeus Condon: Summary

b. 4 Feb 1894 Joplin, Jasper, Missouri (or Illinois) -WWI Draft Registration, 1900 Census
m.
d.

Parents:
Charles E. Condon
Margaret E. Short

Children:
No Known

Grandma's Memory: Does not believe he ever married. At least not while his mother was still alive. He had a serious injury when he was young (possibly fell off a horse) that affected his brain. It significantly affected his life.

The story of the injury is supported by his WWI Draft card where he repeatedly writes that he has had a general breakdown in health. It might also explain why he is still found living with his parents at the age of 36 and still single.



Sources: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 Census (all with his parents), WWI Draft Registration,

Notes and Further Research:
William's birthplace- it is given as Joplin, Missouri on his draft registration which I found shortly after I had concluded that he must have been born in Illinois. Missouri has a birth record index online and William Condon did not come up with any hits. I do know that the family moved some time between the time Charles and Margaret were married in Jasper, Missouri in 1892 and 1900 when they are in Fayette, Illinois. William was born in that time period but I'm still not convinced where. One census gives his birthplace as Illinois another as Missouri. I guess for now I will go with Missouri as his birthplace until I can prove otherwise.


8-14-09
I searched the SSDI on www.famlysearch.org for a William Condon born in 1894 and came up with four hits. None of them had a SS# originating from Missouri and only one of them has a February birthdate. I have yet to prove if it is the right William. I don't know why he would be in Minnesota but it's a possible lead so I am including it here so I don't loose it.

Wm CONDON
Birth Date: 2 Feb 1894
Death Date: Nov 1979
Social Security Number: 472-36-1440
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: Minnesota
Death Residence Localities
ZIP Code: 56282
Localities: Raymond, Kandiyohi, Minnesota

Alice Della Condon: Summary

b. (31 Dec 1905 St. Elmo, Fayette, Illinois - from new.familysearch unknown source) the birth year does not fit well with the information given on the census records. 1910 her age is 6; 1920 her age is 15; neither matching with a December birthday.

m. I believe she never married

d. (14 Nov 1959 -new.familysearch unknown source)

Parents:
Charles E. Condon
Margaret E. Short

Sources: 1910, 1920,1930 Census

Further Research:
I would love to find a birth and death record for her verifying the information I have. Unfortunately I do not see any records in Fayette county that might be helpful and it looks like she died too soon for SSDI to be helpful.

*Photo taken 1939 of Alice Della Condon (left) and her niece, my grandma

*Photo taken 1935 in the Ozarks of Missouri

Possible 1891 Canadian Census Record

I did a search for Edward T Richards (b 1876) and came up with a hit on Ancestry for the 1891 Canadian Census in Hamilton City, Ontario. Unfortunately to view it on Ancestry I would have to have a "World Deluxe Membership" which I don't have. Thus I'm making note and will try and look for it next time I'm in Salt Lake. If this turns out to be the correct Edward I likely will find the rest of the family.

Richards Family on new.familysearch.org

I was entering the information I found on the census records onto new.familysearch.org when I came across something interesting.

Mary Elizabeth Richards was the only child given for Edward and Sarah Richards. I did an inital search for her siblings and came up with two entries that had been extracted by the church: a John Richards born 16 Sept 1872 in Wexford, Ireland and a Francis John Edwards born 4 Sept 1870 in Wexford, Ireland both with their parents listed as Edward Richards and Sarah Baird (Beird).

I was looking for the John Richards and merged him into the family but the Francis John was unexpected. I wonder if he could be one of the deceased children I am missing. He would have been the 2nd child, he's in a location that fits the family (I have Wexford as the bithplace of Edward Sr), and the parent names match up even if there is a slight spelling variation on Baird.

This is all further complicated by the fact that when I added Frank to familysearch I used a calculated birth year from his age in the 1881 Census that now matches the birth year for the John Richards I merged into the family. Don't be fooled! They are different people!

Plus: Ideally I would like to get more information about the children of Edward and Sarah before we run off and do the temple work but I understand I don't have total control over this.


Further Research Needed: Find more information on Francis John Richards. Did he die before the 1881 Census?

Ireland Civil Registration Records of Interest

There is an index to Ireland Civil Registrations 1845-1958 on labs.familyserach.org. Unfortunately it is not a detailed index. I have found names of interest but I can not be sure that they are the right ones with out looking at the original record. I am copying the index information here so that I can easily find it and research it further when I am in Utah (or someone that lives in Utah can look at it for me:))

Name: Mary Elizabeth Richards
Registration district: Monaghan
Record type: BIRTHS
Registration date - quarter and year: 1869
Estimated birth year:
Age:
Mother surnames:
Film number: 101046
Volume: 8
Page: 340
Digital GS number: 4187286
Image number: 00363
Collection: Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes 1845-1958

Name: Mary Elizabeth Richards
Registration district: Monaghan
Record type: BIRTHS
Registration date - quarter and year: 1869
Estimated birth year:
Age:
Mother surnames:
Film number: 101046
Volume: 8
Page: 340
Digital GS number: 4187286
Image number: 00362
Collection: Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes 1845-1958

The above entries are very similar except for the image number. I'm not sure exactly what that means.

I also searched for Frank and John in the index. I could not find anything obviously possible for either of them.

Richards Family in 1910 Census

The same people appear in the 1910 census as the 1900 census. They are 10 years older but there are a few numbers that conflict with those given in the 1900. The year given for immigration is 1891 in the 1900 census and given as 1902 in the 1910 census (which doesn't make sense because they are in the US census before that year). There is also a difference in the total number of children. The 1900 says 5 of 9 are living where the 1910 gives 5 of 6 are living. Either way there are some deceased children who I need to locate.

1910 Illinois Census Chicago Ward 13 Cook County
Census Taken: 15 & 16 of April, 1910

Name: Edward T. Richards
Relationship to Head: Head
Male/White
Age: 63
Married 41 Years
Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Father's Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Mother's Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Date of Immigration: 1902
Naturalized: N (meaning yes)
Trade: Secretary
Industry: Life Ins
Read/Write: Yes
Residence: Rented House

Name: Sarah Richards
Relationship to Head: Wife
Female/White
Age: 59
Married 41 Years
Number of Children: 6
Number of Children Living: 5
Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Father's Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Mother's Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Date of Immigration: 1902
Naturalized:
Read/Write: Yes

Name: Edward T. Richards
Relationship to Head: Son
Male/White
Age: 34
Single
Birthplace: Canada (English)
Father's Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Mother's Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Date of Immigration: 1902
Naturalized: N (meaning yes)
Trade: Clerk
Industry: Life Ins
Read/Write: Yes

Name: Chas C. R. Richards
Relationship to Head: Son
Male/White
Age: 31
Single
Birthplace: Canada (English)
Father's Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Mother's Birthplace: Ireland (English)
Date of Immigration: 1902
Naturalized: N (meaning yes)
Trade: Clerk
Industry: RR Car Office
Read/Write: Yes


Further Research Needed: to find the child(ren) missing. A list of all five living can be found in the 1881 Canadian Census.

Probable Marriage Record for Sarah Dodd Baird and Edward Thomas Richards

Ireland Civil Registration: Marriage Record
Pulled of Index found on labs.familysearch.org. Edward and Sarah's daughter was born in Monaghan around 1869 which makes this a record of interest that I need to look into. I first found Edward and then I found Sarah and they are too close to be a coincidence. I hope the actual index will point to a record with more details.

Name: Edward Richards
Registration district: Monaghan
Record type: MARRIAGES
Registration date - quarter and year: 1869
Estimated birth year:
Age:
Mother surnames:
Film number: 101251
Volume: 3
Page: 282
Digital GS number: 4179384
Image number: 00139
Collection: Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes 1845-1958


Name: Sarah Baird
Registration district: Monaghan
Record type: MARRIAGES
Registration date - quarter and year: 1869
Estimated birth year:
Age:
Mother surnames:
Film number: 101251
Volume: 3
Page: 282
Digital GS number: 4179384
Image number: 00010
Collection: Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes 1845-1958

Mary Elizabeth Richards Bigelow: Summary

b. 24 Feb 1869 -Monaghan, Ireland -Ireland Civil Registration Index 1845-1958 (on labs.familysearch Research Search) (24 Feb comes from new.familysearch which cites an extraction project, IGI gives parents names)
m. to Henry Dodd Bigelow on 21 Oct 1895 Cook County, Illinois -Illinois Statewide Marriage Index 1851-1900
d. (there are conflicting dates on familysearch one in 1935 the other in 1954.)

Parents:
Edward Thomas Richards
Sarah Dodd Baird

Children:
John Chester Bigelow
Amerson R. Bigelow
Harold M. Bigelow (Edward on the birth certificate)

Nickname: Minnie (appears in multiple records)
Had red hair and freckles

Sources: Census, Irish Civil Registration, Birth Certificates of 2 Sons, Marriage Index, Extraction

Marriage Index Entry:
BIGELOW, HENRY D to RICHARDS, MINNIE E Date: 1895-10-21 Licence #239997 County: COOK

Record of interest Illinois Statewide Death Index (no proven connection, I need to see the death certificate or a cemetery record):
BIGELOW, MARY ELIZABETH F/W UNK Cert #3450738 Death Date: 1930-12-27 County: KANE City: ELGIN Date Filed: 30-12-29

By her home 802 N Broadway Salem, Illinois. Taken April 28, 1941

Middle aged photo taken on unknow date.

Taken Salem, Illinois 1942

Age 82