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| Julia Maria Austin Thorp |
Today I’d like to talk about the wife of my half 2nd great granduncle, Julia Maria Austin.
It wasn’t until I was a few years into my research that I realized my paternal 3rd great grandfather, Monson Thorp, Sr. had been married prior to him marrying my 3rd great grandmother, Lany Cooper.
In finding that out, I came to also learn that his two oldest children, Ann Maria and Wallace Walter were children born to this first wife, Ann Eliza Armitage.
Then I was fortunate to visit with a 3rd cousin and his wife in Northville, Michigan and obtain a photo of Julia Austin. That’s when I learned she was the wife of Wallace Walter Thorp, my half 2nd great granduncle.
In doing further research on Julia I have located her death record, burial location and obituary. BUT, I had always wanted to find her parents and/or siblings. None of those records gave me the names of her parents.
There is an 1850 census in Chenango, Broome, NY that has a Julia, age 5 in a household with parents (William & Mary Austin) and siblings. Then in an 1855 NY state census this same family is enumerated and Julia is 10 yrs. old. Is this “our” Julia? That has always been my question.
By the time of the 1860 census I find a Julia Austin living in the Geer/Gere household with her age being 16 and she is listed as a domestic. The importance of this is her location, which is Skaneateles, Broome Co., New York.
That’s the place her future husband Wallace Walter Thorp was born and grew up. By about 1860, he was attending Auburn Theological Seminary, just 13 miles from Skaneateles.
I don’t know how Wallace & Julia met, but they were certainly in the same area at the appropriate time.
While I was writing this post a light bulb went off in my head.
You
all know how this feels. You’ve
researched a particular ancestor off and on for years and SUDDENLY it dawns
on you!
If 16 year old Julia is working in a household with a husband and wife, could they be part of her family? Is Elizabeth Geer her older sister?
Off I went back to the 1850 U.S. census and the 1855 NY state census to see who was enumerated in that household that I suspect to be Julia’s family. GUESS WHAT?!
There she is, Elizabeth Austin age 17, an older sister of Julia. And also in the household is baby Sarah Ann Austin, Julia’s younger sister.
CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT
In
the 1855 NY state census on the same page as Julia Austin’s family, is her
sister Elizabeth, with new husband, Fayette Geer and Julia’s youngest sister,
Sara. Although the census lists “sister” as the relationship between head of
household, Fayette Geer and Sarah Austin, she is really a sister to his wife.
I have just put this family together!!! Woohoo!!
Why sometimes, does it take us so long to put the pieces together? I honestly don’t have an answer to that. But, it has happened to me many times. I think as we research we remember different details and then they just fall together.
This process made me smile today.
What are your recent finds? I’d love to hear about them.
OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
A STATE CENSUS RECORD THAT LEADS TO A LOT MORE QUESTIONS–The Monson Thorp family
Happy
hunting,
Michigan Girl
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