08 August 2013

My 'Gut' Tells Me I Am On the Right Track - What Say You?

Okay, I am fixated on my paternal 2nd Great Grand Uncle; he's not even in my direct line.  Has this ever happened to you?

Working my way through the LINDSEYs on my family tree, I first discover Adrian on the 1870 U.S. Federal Census for Columbia, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; while tracing his brother (my 2nd Great Grandfather), William H. LINDSEY.  Living in the home are:  Adrian LINDSEY (29), his wife Annie (24), Edward G. LINDSEY (70), and William H. LINDSEY (19).  (see image below).  It should be noted, that based on the proximity in their ages and the fact that Adrian and Annie are listed first in the household, my presumption at this point, is that they are man and wife.

 
 


 
 
Having to this point, no other previous knowledge of Adrian, I set about searching ancestry.com and familysearch.org to see what other information / documentation I could find.  What follows is the information I was able to locate . . .
 
 
The above 1870 census listed Adrian (indexed as Adnan) and Annie; again, due to their proximity in age and being listed first in the household, my presumption is that they are married.  So my first search then was to see if there were marriage records online.  The following image, found on ancestry.com, provides their marriage information.
 
 

 
 
Adrian G. LINDSEY and Annie E. Wilson were married in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 2 February 1865. 
 
 
The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Death Certificate Index, 1803 - 1915 (see image below) was the last document located, on my initial search, and was found on ancestry.com. 
 
 
 
 
You'll note that both his given name 'Adrian' and his surname 'LINDSEY' are misspelled.
 
 
Next step was to see if I could locate an obituary online.  The following two were found at genealogybank.com.  The first is from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the second is from the Patriot, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Both are dated 9 September 1882.
 
 
Philadelphia Inquirer Obituary
 
 
Patriot Obituary
 
 
The Philadelphia obituary notes that a coroner was called and the Harrisburg obituary notes that Adrian was a resident of that city.  I will come back to this shortly.
 
I next searched for the death certificate (see image below).  Document was found on familysearch.org.
 
 
On this document . . .
 
Decedent's residence was listed as 1800 Fitzwater Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
 
The document also states that Adrian is a widower
 
Also found on familysearch.org was the 1882 Registrar of Deaths In the City of Philadelphia (see image below)
 
 
 
On this document Adrian's given name was misspelled as 'Aduan.'
 
Turning to the 1880 U.S. Federal Census . . .

 
Adrian (38), his wife Annie (35), and their two children, George M. (9) and Adrian H. (5) are living in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania on North 5th Street.  (see image below)
 
 
 
Having focused on Adrian's life from where I first located him in 1870 to his death in 1882, it was now time to research and see what information could be found on him prior to 1870.
 
The 1860 U.S. Federal Census, found at ancestry.com (see image below) , has Adrian (18) residing in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his parents, Ed (60) and Rosanna (43) LINDSEY and presumably his siblings . . .
 
Ellen (22)
Orilla (15)
George (12)
Elizabeth (12)
William (9) (my 2nd Great Grandfather)
 
 
 
And in 1850 US Federal Census, found at ancestry.com (see image below) Adrian (7) and his family are in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Residing with him in the household . . .
 
 
Edwin G (49)

Rosanna M (32)
Helen Mar (11)
Edwin F (9)
Orilla (5)
George (2)
Elizabeth (2)
 
 
 Additional information found online; Army, Civil War Service, Union documents (see images below).  However, these do not, in and of themselves, offer much in the way of vital information; ie, spouse, children, residence, etc. 
 
Note:  An online friend with a fold3.com subscription was kind enough to provide these screen shots and the source information as well.  Thank you Shirley.
 
 
 

 
 
 
And from the National Archives . . .
 
 
 
Research Notes:
 
1.  Residence
Patriot, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania obituary states that Adrian was a resident of that city

 
1882 Phildadelphia Registrar of Deaths lists 1800 Fitzwater Street as Adrian's residence. 
 
Adrian worked for the Pennsylvania Rail Road, is it possible or likely that he may have had a residence in both cities - Harrisburg (for his family) and Philadelphia (when he was away for work)?
 
2.  Marital Status 
1880 U.S. Federal Census enumerates Adrian and his wife Annie
 
Return of Death document says that he is a widower
 
A cursory search for Annie's death certificate were unsatisfactory. 
 
3.  Children
Son and daughter referred to in Patriot, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania obit
 
Two sons enumerated on 1880 U.S. Federal Census
 
According to wikinames.com (see below) Adrian was a popular boy's name in the 19th and 20th centuries.  However, it has also been used as a girl's name which may explain why the Patriot obituary referred to a son and 'daughter.'
 
 
 
Research Plan:

Continued search for civil or church marriage records for Adrian G LINDSEY and Annie M Wilson
 
Contact West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania; what historical records, if any, do they have on Adrian
 
Continued search for Death Certificate for Adrian
 
Residence at time of Death?  Hopefully information that the cemetery may be able to provide and / or information obtained from a death certificate will clear up the question pertaining to Adrian's residence at time of death
 
Contact Philaelphia County Coroner's office; do they have historical files?  Is it possible to obtain a copy of Adrian G. LINDSEY's report?
 
Marital Status; hopefully information gleaned from the above resources will answer the question of Adrian's marital status at the time of his death
 
Trace Adrian's parents (Edwin G LINDSEY and Rosanna) and siblings; specifically what happed to his brother Edwin F. LINDSEY and are Helen / Ellen one and the same?
 
Contact NARA and request Adrian's Civil War Military and Pension Files
 
While the information I have to this point is circumstantial, my gut tells me that I am on the right track.  What say you?  Do you think I am on the right track?  Did I miss any clues in these documents?
 
I am looking forward to following my research plan and seeing what I'll discover.  I'll keep you posted.
 
Tracy
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 
 

 

5 comments:

  1. I always get sidetracked, so no, you are not alone! The records look good - hope you find the right person and family!

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    1. Sally thank you so much for visiting and leaving a comment; I hope you'll visit again.

      Tracy

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  2. Hi Tracy, it looks like you have been thorough. You asked if you had missed any clues, but I was unable to see the census pix clearly. I think it's fun to find out about all of the family, plus you often find key information by looking at those people not in your direct line. You also have a great plan for further research. I found some marriage records on familysearch.org for Pennsylvania that I had not seen on ancestry.com - maybe you'll have luck there.

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    1. Hi Marta, so glad you enjoyed your visit to Family Preserves and I thank you for your kind comments.

      The images are hyperlinked so hopefully you were able to click on them to enlarge and see better. If not, please let me know and I will try figure out what isn't working and how to fix it. I'm fairly new to blogging - started this past February and I am still learning.

      Have a great evening and I hope you will visit again.

      Tracy

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  3. Tracy, Please contact me regarding the Lindsey Family - I am connected to it also.
    Grace
    gudgeld@comcast.net

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