Census Sunday
Brown-Sanford-Parsons-Wolcott
By Don Taylor
I try to find my ancestors in each of the Census records. Women are tough to find in Censuses before 1850 because they are often not named. As is always the case, try to figure out what I think I know so I’ll know what I might expect before I start searching.
Mary Wolcott
Mary Wolcott was born on 20 May 1787 in Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut. She married John Parsons, Jr., in 1788 and was enumerated in Sandisfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, during the 1790 and 1800 Censuses. In the Spring of 1802, John Parsons, Jr., and Mary moved to Windham, Greene County, New York.
I have not been successful in finding them in the 1810 Census. John died in 1813. Mary died in 1857, so she should appear somewhere in 1820, 1830, 1840, and 1850 Censuses.
John and Mary had at least seven children. In 1820 they should appear as:
Samuel Parsons Age 31
Orrin Parsons Age 26
John Parsons Age 24
Chester Parsons Age 20
Polly, who married Jeremiah Miller Age 28
Permelia probably married FNU Clark after 1820 because she would have been only 15 years old in 1920.
Prudence would have been about 12-years-old in 1820.
Do any of the children appear in the 1820 Census, and do any of them seem to have a 53-year-old woman living with them?
1820 Census
As search for Parsons in Windham, Green County yielded.
Neither 20-year-old Chester nor his mother, 53-year-old Mary, appear to be living with any of them in Windham. It is not clear who Albert Parsons is. His household seems to include him, 16 to 26 years old, his apparent wife, also 16 to 26 years old. And three apparent children, one boy, under 10, and a boy and a girl ages 10 to 16.
There were two Miller families in Windham. Abraham and Eleazer. Abraham’s household did not include a woman over 45. Eleazer’s household did have a woman over 45, but it appears that Eleazer was over 45, and thus his wife is likely to be over 45. Additionally, there is no male 16 to 26 in the household so that that household couldn’t include Chester.
Expanding my search to all of Green County, there was no Jeremiah Miller enumerated during the 1820 Census.
It seems weird that I’m unable to find Mary (Wolcott) Parsons in any of the Census records. I’ll try another approach.
Endnotes:
[i] The 1820 Census is unique in that it has an extra, overlapping, age group. The third column is for males 16 to 18 and the fourth column is for males 16 to 26. There is no similar column for females.
This week for Photo Friday, I identify the people in five more envelopes from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i]. These envelopes contain the names who paid for the photos, not necessarily of the individual portrayed in the image. As such, it is vital to analyze the pictures and information to identify the individual therein.[ii] Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image.
Mary Geraldine Carlson, circa 1935 (age 24)
Mary Geraldine Carlson, circa 1935 (age 24)
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Geraldine Carlson, 75 Cumberland Ave, Portland, #207.”
The 1930 Census enumerated Geraldine M Carlson living at 75 Cumberland Ave, Portland, with her parents, Michel J. Carlson and Mary E. Carlson. She was 19 years old, suggesting she was born about 1911.
Mary Geraldine Carlson was born on 6 February 1911 in Portland to Michael John and Mary Elizabeth (Quinn) Carlson[iii].
Family Search did not have a profile for Mary Geraldine Carlson nor her parents on Family Search. However, I did find at least 8 Ancestry public trees that contain Mary Geraldine (Carlson) Martelle. I have uploaded this photo of Geraldine to Dead Fred, and I have uploaded a second photo to my Flickr Photostream.
Helen Angeline Cardamone, circa 1936 (age 17)
Helen Angeline Cardamone, circa 1936 (age 17)
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Helen Cardamone, 12 Carlton Court, Portland, #1081.”
The 1940 Census enumerated Helen Cardamone living at 12 Carlton Court with her parents, Salvatore and Lisa Cardamone. Helen was 21 years old and an entertainer.
The 1936 Portland High School Yearbook shows Helen Angeline Cardamone as a senior that year. In her yearbook photo on Ancestry, she even appears to be wearing the same dress as in two of these photos.
Family Search did not have a profile for Helen or her parents, Salvatore and Lisa. I found one Ancestry tree which mentioned Helen Cardamone, born 12 October 1918. I have uploaded this photo of Helen to Dead Fred, and I have uploaded three more photos to my Flickr Photostream.
June Lillian Carpenter, circa 1937 (age 22)
June Lillian Carpenter, circa 1937 (age 22)
This negative envelope says, “Miss June Carpenter, ME Gen Hospital, Portland, #514.”
The 1937 Portland City Directory lists June Carpenter, a student nurse, at 22 Arsenal (Maine General Hospital).
The 1938 Directory lists June as a nurse living at 13 Grant, Apt 5.
The Maine Marriage Index indicates that June L. Carpenter married Henry S Hebb on 26 February 1938.
Find a Grave shows June Lillian Carpenter, born 3 June 1915 and the wife of Henry Simpson Hebb.
Family Search identifies June Lillian Carpenter as ID LVPT-9JF. June about 1937, when she first became a nurse and before she married in 1938. I have uploaded two photos of her to her Family Search profile. June Lillian Carpenter is found in 17 Ancestry trees.
Dene Jillson Canedy, Circa 1934 (age 1)
Dene Jillson Canedy, Circa 1934 (age 1)
The envelope this negative was in says, “Mrs. R. G. Canedy, 523 Brighton Ave, Portland, #462.”
The 1936 Portland City Directory, which should include R. G. Canedy (Pages 195 through 199) is missing from the directory.
The 1937 Portland City Directory indicates that Randolph G and Emily J Canedy lived at 57 Hartley.
The 1938 Portland City Directory indicates that Randolph G and Emily J Canedy moved to Charlemont, Mass.
The 1940 US Census records Randolph and Emily Canedy with their six-year-old son, Dene Canedy, living in Charlemont, Mass. Dene Jillson Canedy was born on 15 October 1933 in Portland, Maine.
Family Search identifies Dene Jillson Canedy, born 15 October 1933, as ID LY6K-ZGK. . This image must be of Dene, probably at about a year old—c. 1934. I have uploaded a photo of him to his Family Search profile. Dene is also found in 12 Ancestry Public Trees.
Jeanette Candelmo, circa 1937 (age 4)
Jeanette Candelmo, circa 1937 (age 4)
The envelope this negative was in says, “Mrs. Rebecca Candelmo, 97 Bickett St, Portland #741.”
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Dominic and Rebecca Candelmo living at 97 Beckett. Dominic was the proprietor at 243a Congress Street.
The 1940 Census shows Dominic, Rebecca, and their two children, six-year-old Jeanette and three-year-old Philip, living at 243 Congress Street.
Maine Marriage Index indicates that Jeanette Candelmo married <Name withheld> on 7 October 1956.
Public records indicate that Jeanette Candelmo was born in September 1933.
This girl in this photo appears to be about four years old, indicating the picture is circa 1937.
Neither Jeannette nor her parents appear to have profiles on Family Search. However, Domenico and Rebecca (Dansky) Candelmo appear in 11 Ancestry trees.
I have uploaded a photo of Jeanette to Dead Fred and uploaded two additional photos of Jeanette A. Candelmo to my Flickr Photostream.
Conclusion
It was a good week. I had:
Two successful identifications I posted to Family Search
Three successful identifications I posted to Dead Fred.
Final Note
If any of these photos are of your family member, I would love to hear your reaction. Especially if this photo is of a loved one for whom you hadn’t seen this photograph before.
Endnotes
[i] The Wight Studio was in Portland, Maine. Many thanks to Ethel Wight’s family for access to and permission to use the collection of their great aunt.
[ii] These images were converted to positives using a lightbox, a Nikon camera and computer software.
[iii]Maine Birth Records, 1715-1922. Augusta, Maine: Maine State Archives. Maine Birth Records, 1715-1922, Maine State Archives, Augusta, Maine.
This week for Montran Monday[i], I found the following article:
This week’s entry is from the Evening Eagle (Wichita, Kansas) dated 11 September 1953[ii].
Page 15
Witicha Evening Eagle, Sep 11, 1953, Pg 15
O’BRIENS SWORN INTO SERVICE
Lieut. Alerbert C. Montran swears in twin brothers Ed and Johnny O’Brien, both of the Pittsburgh Pirates, at the army induction center a Newark, N. J. The O’Briens made basketball headlines last winter with the University of Seattle. During the past few months they’ve been with the Pittsburgh Pirates.—(UP Telephoto.)
I learned:
I had not heard of an Alerbert C. Montran previously. So, there might be an error in the name. That idea aside I learned four (possible) facts:
There was an Alerbert C. Montran.
He was a Lieutenant in the Army.
He was stationed in or near Newark, N. J. in 1953.
Future Actions
Search further for Lt. Alerbert C. Montran.
Endnotes
[i] Montran Monday – My grandmother’s father was John Montran. She used the surname, as a young child and again when she began in show business. The name is uncommon and most of the Montrans I see in the newspapers are my grandmother during her early vaudeville career. However, with the constant flow of newly digitized material, I often learn of new articles which contain the Montran name. I pay attention to the finding and try to determine a possible relationship of any Montrans to Donna’s father, John Montran.
Following families in the early census records is always tricky. Sometimes, it becomes a rabbit hole without a successful resolution.
John Parsons lived in Sandisfield, Mass., during the 1790[i] and 1800 Censuses.[ii] He then removed to Windham, Greene County, in 1802.[iii] John died in 1813, which means the only other Census he could be in is the 1810 Census.
Based upon my other research, John Parson’s household should have contained
Name
Date of Birth
Age on 6 Aug 1810
John
18 Nov 1764
45
Mary
20 May 1767
43
Samuel
5 Apr 1789
21
Polly
17 Jan 1792
18
Orrin
6 Mar 1794
16
John
5 May 1796
14
Chester
1 Dec 1799
10
Permelia
30 Apr 1805
5
Prudence
Abt. 1808
2
Based upon that, I would expect
Males
Under 10 Chester
10-16 John
16-25 Samuel, Orrin
25-45
45 & over John
Females
Under 10 Permelia, Prudence
10-16
16-25 Polly
25-45 Mary
45 & over
So I would expect a Census to indicate a pattern of :
1 1 2 0 1 | 2 0 1 1 0 |
Census
1810 Census Serch
A search on Ancestry for John Parsons in Windham, Greene County, New York, failed to yield any results. Expanding the search to Greene County yielded one result, John Person. His Census pattern is:
0 1 0 1 1 | 0 0 1 0 1 | 4
Not the expected pattern for John. Additionally, John Person appears in the 1820 Census after my 5th great-grandfather’s death.
My next thought is that John, Mary, and the kids live with someone else with the Parson’s surname. There were no entries for a Parsons head of household.
Finally, I browsed through the 1810 Census records for Windham, Greene County, looking carefully at any covered over, smudged, written over, or otherwise illegible entries. Again, not success. John and Mary had only come to Green County in 1803 and may not have been enumerated properly
Conclusion
I don’t believe John Parsons was enumerated in Windham, Greene County, New York during the 1810 Census.
Endnotes:
[i] 1790 Census, 1790 Census – Page 34 – John Parsons, Jr. & John Parsons (Sr.) – Sandisfield Town, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. “Heads of Families – 1790 Census – Massachusetts – Page 34, Column 1, Persons 3 & 4. – Accessed 2 August 2020. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1907/dec/heads-of-families.html.
[ii] “United States Census, 1800,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRZ-J6J : accessed 31 March 2018), John Parsons Jr, Sandisfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States; citing p. 175, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 13; FHL microfilm 205,611.
[iii] Chas. C. Chapman & Co. (2012). History of Washtenaw County, Michigan: Together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history ; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens : history of Michigan : embracing accounts of the pre-historic races, aborigines, French, English and American conquests, and a general review of its civil, political and military history. Salem, MA: Higginson Book Company. – https://archive.org/details/cu31924028870520, Page 1371.
“Donna in the News” is my reporting of newly found newspaper articles and advertising regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and Donna Darling). I am always excited when I find a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s.
This week’s clipping is from The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas), dated 2 December 1923. It and several other clippings can be added to Donna’s history.
THE NEW THEATER BILLS
ORPHEUM
VAUDEVILLE. Matinee and night. Two shows Saturday night. Blossom Seeley headlining bill opening Monday matinee for three days.
Blossom Seeley calls her medium of expression “Miss Syncopation.” Evidently she…
Billy McDermott, who bills himself as “The only Survivor of Coxey’s Army,” is a tramp…
Donna Darling is a musical comedy ingenue. With a capable supporting company, Miss Darling offers a dazzling dance fantasy called “A Song and Dance Romance.”
Orpheum Advertisement The Wichita Eagle, 2 December 1923
This clipping and the associated advertisements show Donna played at the Orpheum Theater in Wichita, Kansas, on December 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 1923.
I try to find my ancestors in each of the Census records. Women are tough to find in Censuses before 1850 because they are often not named. As is always the case, try to figure out what I think I know so I’ll know what I might expect before I start searching.
