COUSINS ~ What treasures can you find when you visit your cousins?

 

I can never say enough about how wonderful cousins are.  Why?

·       They are often your very first friends outside the family circle.

·       If you are an only child, they may be as close as a sister or brother.

·       Later on you can talk about family stories and share memories and photos with each other.

·       If you meet these cousins later in life via your research or DNA or whatever method, they might provide very valuable information about your ancestors.

·       As bloggers, we often call our blogs “cousin bait.”

Here’s my cousin story for this week.

My cousin Paula lives about 3 hours up the coast from me, here in California.  She and I reconnected in 2003, well into our adulthood.  We had last seen one another in 1966.  Since then we have become very good friends and fellow family researchers.  It’s been an interesting journey, with discoveries on both her side and mine.

Our grandmothers were sisters, which makes me and Paula 2^nd cousins.

It had been a couple of years since I’d been to Paula’s home and I knew we were overdue for a visit.  When I spoke to her, she told me that her sister, Shirley, was coming into town for a couple of weeks.  Most of our family still lives in Michigan, including Shirley.

I knew right away that I should make the drive up there, as I had never been able to spend much time with Shirley. 

We cousins enjoyed one another for 3 days. 

A surprise during the visit was that Paula and Shirley’s grand nephew was in town from Michigan.  We were able to have dinner with him.  I’d not met him before.  What a nice young man.  In the scheme of family relationships, he is my 2^nd cousin, twice removed.

During my stay, Paula brought out an envelope of photos that she had gotten during her last trip to Michigan, from her other sister.

As we looked through these mostly black and white photos, we all found treasures.  For me it was pictures of my own grandmother, Marie Lindsay Gould and my grandfather Harry W. Gould sharing moments with Marie’s sister’s family. Additionally, it was seeing a picture of my granduncle Bill Lindsay’s wife Matilda Vera Ena KIDD for the first time.

(Click on any image to enlarge it)

Matilda Vera Ena Kidd Lindsay

Left to right - Marie Lindsay Gould (my paternal grandmother), Shirley Hockster, Edith Curry Jessop, Elizabeth "Betty" Hockster, Paula Hockster, Mary Ortell Hockster and Bessie Lindsay Hockster (Marie's sister)
Shirley, Betty & Paula are my 2nd cousins and Mary is their mother

Back row - William "Bill" Lindsay, Bessie Lindsay, Everett Hockster, Joyce Lindsay, Robert McConnell, Harry W. Gould - Middle row - Marie Lindsay Gould, Matilda Kidd Lindsay, Ellen Hockster McConnell, May (in her lap is Betty Hockster) - Front row - Patricia McConnell, Shirley Hockster and Ralph Hockster

I’d call those things great finds.  Thanks Paula!

Any photo find is always a bonus.  I’m going to put this out there right now.  If you are LINDSAY descendant, belonging to our particular line, and you have photos, we’d love to see them.  We are willing to share any of our own photos with all the cousins out there.

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2022   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

SEPIA SATURDAY ~ Today’s theme is STUDIOS : BACKGROUNDS : GROUPS : HATS–I had so many photos to choose from

WHAT IS SEPIA SATURDAY?
“Launched by Alan Burnett and Kat Mortensen in 2009, Sepia Saturday provides bloggers with an opportunity to share their history through the medium of photographs.  Historical photographs of any age or kind (they don’t have to be sepia) become the launchpad for explorations of family history, local history and social history, in fact or fiction, poetry or prose, words or further images.”

My grandmothers, great grandmothers and aunts, all wore hats.  Some of them were born in the mid to late 1800’s and came of age at the turn of the 20th century.  Hats were all the rage back then.  This trend continued into the 1950's.  The men also wore hats.  In fact, I had so many pictures of my ancestors in hats, it was difficult to choose which ones to use.

My paternal grandmother, Marie Lindsay Gould had her photo taken with hats on more than one occasion.  I didn’t know my grandma until she was in her 60’s.  By then it wasn’t fashionable to wear hats.  I wonder if she missed those times?
 
Marie Lindsay Gould, her sister Ellen Lindsay Pickard and their husbands.

Marie Lindsay Gould, my paternal grandmother

Fred Pickard, his wife, my grandaunt Ellen Lindsay, my grandfather, Harry Gould and my grandmother Marie Lindsay Gould

My grandaunt, Ellen Lindsay Pickard

Now to my maternal grandmother and great grandmother.  Florence Hunter Bowden Bell is my great grandmother.  Born in 1869 in Kentucky and died in 1946 in Missouri.  She had two daughters, the oldest, a name sake, Florence Lee Nora Bowden (my grandmother) and Edna Mabel Bowden.
 
Here’s my grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne, about 1909, with her little girl Dorothy and her son Robert.  Notice that all of them are wearing hats.

My maternal grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne with her first two children, my Aunt Dorothy (1907-1920) and my Uncle Robert (1909-1969)

Here is my great grandmother, Susan Gillespie Milne Smith (1860-1947) and her daughter, Irene Milne (1893-1989) showing off their hats.

My maternal great grandmother, Susan Gillespie Milne Smith

My grandaunt, Irene Milne, daughter of Susan Gillespie Milne

In times past newspapers would take pictures of people walking in downtown areas and publish them.  I don’t know how many of you have photos like these?  If you do, please share.

Here’s my great grandmother, Florence Hunter Bowden Milne Bell, mentioned above and her daughter, my grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne standing downtown together.  And a separate one of my great grandmother, in foreground.  I don’t know if these were taken in Detroit (that’s the most likely place), but they could have been elsewhere.

My grandmother, Florence Milne with her mother (my great grandmother) Florence

My great grandmother Florence Hunter Bowden Bell

I’ve covered groups and hats.  Let’s post one of my favorite photos of my grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne sitting in a studio in a rocking chair.  Her Aunt, Grace Hunter married Charles Henry Fenner.  He and his brothers, Nicholas & William Fenner owned a couple of photo studios in Ohio.  Many of the pictures I have from my family have the Fenner studio name on them.  I feel very fortunate to have had a photography studio connected with my family.

My grandmother, Florence Bowden

Let’s not leave the men out of this story.  They wore hats too.  Here are both my grandfathers and my Dad sporting their hats. And lastly, my great grandfather William Val Gould (1859-1924), always debonair.

My maternal grandfather, Joseph A. Milne - circa early 1950's

My paternal grandfather, Harry W. Gould - circa 1912

My Dad, Harry Norman Gould in front of the house I was brought home to when I was born 16814 Winston, Detroit, MI

My paternal great grandfather, William V. Gould circa 1920

I had to stop here or I could go on all day with this particular theme.  Thanks for enjoying these memories with me.

TO SEE OTHER SEPIA SATURDAY POSTS, PLEASE CLICK HERE

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ William “Bill” Lindsay & his many wives–the story of my Granduncle Bill

Marriage index for Wm. Lindsay & Gertrude Watson - 1912 - Canada

Marriage register for William Lindsay & Vera Allen - 1919 - Detroit, Michigan

Marriage license & record for William Lindsay & Vera Kidd - 1928 - Lucas Co., Ohio

William Lindsay is my paternal granduncle

William Lindsay was the youngest child born to William Wallace Lindsay (1859-1931) and Elizabeth “Bessie” Fitzcharles (1864-1914).  He is a brother to my paternal grandmother, Marie Wallace Lindsay.

 

My grandmother always spoke fondly of her brother “Bill.”  He was alive well into my 20’s, but I never recall meeting him.  If I did, it would have been when I was a young child living in Detroit.  Bill had three older sisters; Ellen (1887-1927), Marie (1888-1970) and Bessie (1892-1971).  The family grew up in Detroit, Michigan.

Here he is as a little boy, with his parents & sisters.  He isn’t officially a Jr., but the photo has been labeled that way for clarity.

 

Bill is reported to have been married several times.  I am in touch with my cousins who are descended from his sister Bessie and another cousin, one generation removed.  Several of us are genealogists and we have put together a picture of Bill’s life as best we can.

He was born in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan probably in 1894 (the exact month & day varies depending on the record).  I have the following records to document his life:

1900 U.S. census – age 5, living with his parents and siblings in Detroit

1910 U.S. census – age, 15, living with his father in Detroit and working as a Packer

Question I asked myself – why are Bill and his father, William enumerated without any other family members?  I think I know the answer, based on my research.  I located Bill’s mother (William’s wife) working as a Housekeeper just north of Detroit, in Mt. Clemens, Macomb, Michigan.  She is enumerated as Mrs. Elizabeth Lindsay.  Just two years later a divorce was finalized between William Lindsay and his wife Elizabeth.  They must have separated by the time the 1910 census was taken.  He filed for the divorce on the grounds of “cruelty.”  The divorce was granted on 18 May 1912.  I have the divorce record and published it in another blog post.  You can read about it here 52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS ~ Week #3–My great grandfather–William Wallace Lindsay 1859-1931 (a bit of a mystery)

Now back to Bill.  He married Gertrude May Watson 10 Feb 1912 in Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada.  Gertrude was born in Canada 8 Aug 1895 and immigrated to the United States in 1909.  I have no idea how Bill & Gertrude met each other.  However, their son, William Harold Lindsay was born 3 months after their marriage on 10 May 1912 in Detroit, Michigan.

Interesting note about this family of Lindsay siblings.  Ellen was the oldest and she married her husband James Frederick Pickard in Detroit in 1906.  ALL three of the other siblings, Marie, Bessie and Bill married their spouses in Canada.  I wonder if there were laws in place in the United States or Michigan in particular, that influenced their decision to marry in Canada? 

Why is this significant?  If you take a look at the marriage records of those three siblings and compare them to the births of children or the status of the sibling getting married, there are some details that stand out.  Such as: children born within a time frame considerably less than 9 months (two of the siblings, Marie and Bill).  And for Bessie, she listed herself as a Spinster for her second marriage, when in fact, she was still married to her first husband.  We have the documents for all of this information.  Certainly a colorful group.  My cousin Paula often speaks of her grandma Bessie being a bit wild.

When you find facts, like those listed above, about your family, don’t let it bother you.  People are people and history is history.  What we uncover are just the facts and most of it will not change relationships we have formed or memories we share.

1916 - Gertrude and Bill divorced just four years after their marriage on 4 Dec 1916.  Bill is listed in the Detroit City Directory in 1916 as again living with his father, William and working as a Chauffeur.

1917 – I have a World War I Draft Registration Card for Bill.  He lists himself as single, working as an Auto Driver for Detroit Public Works and having a child, age 5.  That must be his son, William Harold Lindsay, born in 1912.

1919 – Bill married for a second time to Vera Violet Allen (1902-1991) on 23 Sep 1919.  They were married in Detroit.  I believe there was a son born to this couple in 1927.  Robert Lindsay.  I have not researched little Robert since 2010, so I have no further information on him.

1920 – Bill and his wife Vera are actually living with my grandparents and my Dad on Lothrop Ave. in Detroit.  He was a taxi driver at this time.

1928 – Bill and his wife, Vera, divorce on 19 Jul 1928 in Detroit.

1928 – Less than a month after his divorce from Vera Allen Lindsay, Bill marries for a 3rd time, to another Vera.  This time Vera Kidd who also went by the name Matilda.  On the marriage record for this couple Bill states he has never been married.  I guess those first two wives don’t count.  His parents names are correct on this marriage record as is other vital information for him, so I have no doubt it’s him.

1930 – Bill and “Matilda” are living in Detroit, renting a home and he works as a Repair Foreman for automobiles.  No children are listed in the residence.  His children must be living with one of the other wives.

1940 – I have not been able to locate William “Bill” Lindsay in the 1940 federal census.

1942 – Bill is registered in the World War II Draft Registration – he is living at 8589 Mendota in Detroit.  He is 47 yrs. old, born in Detroit on 5 Jul 1894.  He is working for the Civil Service Commission/City of Detroit/Div. of Motor Transportation.  His physical description if 5’6”, 155 pounds, blue eyes, brown hair and light complexion, no scars.

1948 – Bill and his 3rd wife, Matilda Vera obtain a divorce, granted on 23 Oct 1948 in Detroit, Michigan.

1950’s – By the mid 1950’s Bill has either remarried or has a girlfriend named Alice Marie Penn.  They can be seen at the dining table at the home of Everett & Mary Hockster.  Also at this table are Bill’s sister Bessie and Everett & Mary’s daughters Betty & Paula.

Going around this table from left to right – Paula Hockster, Betty Hockster, Mary Ortell Hockster, Alice Penn Lindsay, William “Bill” Lindsay, Bessie Lindsay Hockster (Bill’s sister) and Everett Hockster – Detroit, Michigan

 

I find no other public records for William “Bill” Lindsay until his death on 10 Apr 1976 in New Port Richey, Pasco, Florida.

In researching this blog post I located both a death notice and an obituary for Bill.  The obituary states that he had moved to Florida 24 years prior to his death, which would have been 1952.  He was apparently a member of the Baptist church and the BPOE 2284 of New Port Richey, Florida.  I also notice there is no mention of his two sons, only of his nephews, which would be Everett Hockster and my father, Harry Norman Gould.

 

 

My question – What does BPOE stand for.  I figured it was some sort of organization.  I Googled it and found this definition: “Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. ... The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868 originally as a social club in New York City.” 

I haven’t yet located a marriage record for Bill’s 4th and final wife, Alice Marie Penn, but I’ll keep on looking.  She died on 21 Jul 2001, 25 years after him.  They are buried together at Meadowlawn Memorial Gardens in New Port Richey, Pasco, Florida.  You can visit their memorials here: Bill #33361388 and Alice #33361389.

Here, used with permission from David England is their headstone.

Conclusion – It seems that Bill finally settled down with one woman, Alice, his fourth wife.  There are family rumors that he had more than four wives, but I have no evidence of that.  I hope he was happy in those last 25 or so years of his life.  I do wonder why his sons, William and Robert weren’t mentioned in his obituary.  I’ve heard from one family member that his son William didn’t like him and spoke poorly of him.  The reasons for that may forever remain unknown to us.  Those that are gone take their secrets with them to the grave.  I do know that my grandmother, Marie Lindsay Gould always spoke with love when talking about her brother Bill.

If you are related to anyone mentioned in this story, please contact me, I’d love to hear from you.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl 

Copyright ©  2010-2017   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

BIRTH RECORDS WITH INCORRECT NAMES–WHAT WOULD YOU THINK?

As genealogists we all know that not every record we find will match “exactly” what we have or know about a particular person.  

We gather as much evidence as we can and compile a record of someone’s life. 
I’ve been searching for about 8-9 years now for the birth record of my paternal grandmother, Marie Lindsay, born 1888 and her sister, Ellen Lindsay, born 1887, both in Detroit, Michigan.  

I’ve found their two siblings, Bessie Lindsay, born 1892 and William Lindsay, born 1894 in Detroit, Michigan.

Since family search has the Michigan Births, 1867-1902, you would think the births would be there.  That’s where I located the birth records for their siblings, Bessie & William.

How many ways can you conduct a search?

• All information filled in
• Last name only
• Last name with first initial
• Last name with full first name
• Last name with parents first names
• Last name with only one parent’s first name
• Last name with year of birth or range of years and state or country of birth
• First name only with parent’s first names
• First name only with year of birth and parent’s names

Well, you get the idea.  There are so many ways for us to search.  I had tried all of those listed and several more.

So, what was it today that allowed me to find, what I believe, are the records for my grandmother, Marie and her sister Ellen?

NOTE:  My grandmother, Marie, lived with us when I was in my late teens.  We had always lived close to her, so I spent a lot of time talking to her.  I know that she always told me she was given the name Mary at birth and later changed it to Marie because that wasn’t as common as the name Mary.

Today I decided to conduct a search on familysearch.org and really try to find this birth record.

I used just the first name “Mary” and the year 1888, plus Michigan as the place of birth.

(Click on any image to enlarge it)



I certainly thought I was going to get so many hits that I’d never find anything.  But here is what came up in the search, right on the first page:



This was exciting as that is her EXACT date of birth and her parent’s names are William & Bessie.  

But wait!!!  That last name is OLENDOSEY, not LINDSAY.  Yes, I know.

I looked at all 316 hits on this search.  The ONLY other Mary born on 8 October 1888 had parents named William & Alice who were born in Canada & Michigan.  So we know that’s not my grandmother, Marie.  

Let’s click on the image of the birth record and look at the actual entry in the birth record.

Page 1                                                                        Page 2
       

Page 1 – Birthdate of Oct. 8, 1888, female.  I see the name Mary and then I see Olendosey, which is exactly how the indexer transcribed it.  I compare another capital “L” on this page in an entry for Lillie Ficher and then for Hazel Lamb.  Certainly not the same.  Now let’s look at the next page of the record.

Page 2 –  Parent’s names are William Olendosey and Bessie Olendosey, both living in Detroit and both born in Scotland.  He is a Laborer.  The first names of the parents are correct and the birthplace and residence are a match.  My great grandfather did work as a Laborer and later as a Machinist.

CONCLUSION:  I have a social security application (SS-5) that gives my grandmother’s birthdate as Oct. 8, 1888 (signed by her), as well as her death certificate, California Death Index and the Social Security Death Index.  Plus, I know that’s the day we celebrated her birthday.  My great grandparents immigrated from Scotland to the United States between 1882 and 1886.  They married in Detroit, Michigan on 21 May 1886.  Having recently (just this past May) traveled to Scotland, I do know that the Scottish brogue of some people we spoke to was so thick that, even though they were speaking English, we were unable to understand what they were saying.  Is this what happened with this record?  Did they give their names when they filed the report and the person taking down the names, just misinterpreted them?  I honestly don’t know.  

However, other than the last name this record is a perfect match.  And coincidentally the last name on the record ends with “sey” which is another common ending to Lindsay.  I believe this is my grandmother’s birth record.  

Tell me what you would think?

A quick look at her sister, Ellen Lindsay’s birth record.

Page 1                                                                           Page 2
    

For this record I don’t have as many pieces of evidence as for my grandmother.  Her sister, Ellen Lindsay Pickard, died in 1927.  I don’t have the death certificate.  There is no Social Security Death Index record for her and no SS-5.  I do have a record from Michigan, but not image.  On this birth record, her father & mother’s names are correct as is their place of birth.  And, it lists his occupation as Laborer, which matches the birth record for her sister, Mary/Marie the following year.  I also know that Nellie and Ellen are names commonly used for each other, like Bessie and Elizabeth.

Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952Name: Ellen PickardEvent Type:Death
Event Date: 31 Mar 1927
Event Place: Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States
Gender: Female
Age: 39
Marital Status: Married
Birth Date: 01 Apr 1887
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
Birth Year (Estimated): 1888
Father's Name: Wm Lindsay
Mother's Name:    
GS Film number: 001972982
Digital Folder Number: 005362579
Image Number: 02341

I’m still going to be looking for other evidence of the birth of Mary/Marie & Ellen.  But, given the years of their birth, there probably won’t be other birth records available.  Maybe a baptismal record?  In the meantime, I will put these records with the other records I have that provide evidence of their birth.  This is just another piece of the puzzle.

What do you think?  What conclusion would you come to?  Have you found records like this?

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - BIRTH RECORDS - WHAT INFORMATION DO THEY REVEAL? 

VITAL RECORDS - HOW TO REQUEST THEM & KEEP TRACK OF THOSE REQUESTS 

SURPRISE! A BIRTH RECORD WHERE IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE 



Happy hunting,
 

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY–MY GRANDPARENTS, HARRY & MARIE

HARRY WHIPPLE GOULD married MARIE WALLACE LINDSAY on 6 Jun 1912

  
   

Oh how I miss them.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WEDDING WEDNESDAY - Or should I say Where Were They Married?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly had my share of trouble finding marriage records for some of my ancestors.  Not all, but some.

They aren’t always married when or where you think they should be. Let’s take my grandparents, Harry W. GOULD & Marie W. LINDSAY.  They were both born in Detroit, Michigan, grew up in Detroit, had their son in Detroit and lived there until their early 70's.  Oh, and all their immediate family on both sides were in Detroit.  Then you would expect them to have been married in Detroit.  Right?

I was pretty sure they were married around 1912 or shortly before. 

Why?

o   Because they weren’t married in the 1910 census. 

o   Because my Dad, their son, was born on 31 Dec 1912. 

o   I have a photo album (you know the ones with the black pages) with pictures of my Dad as a baby.  The photos are labeled “5 months, 1913,” and others similar to that. 

CONCLUSION:  They were probably married between 1910 and 1912

Beginning in 2003, I wasn’t able to find any marriage records for them on familysearch.org or Ancestry.com.  I even Googled their names using various methods and came up empty.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Never give up the search!

Fast forward to September 2011.  I am, yet again, performing searches on the usual sites for their marriage record.   BINGO! FOUND IT!

I located an index of the record on Ancestry.com

In Detroit?  NO! 

In the United States?  NO!

They were married in Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada. 

Yup, they drove “across the bridge” from Detroit into Windsor and got married over there. 

YIPPEE!   Doing my happy dance.
I went over to familysearch.org and found the image!

They were the first couple who's marriage was found to be "over the bridge" in Canada, but they weren't the last.  

MY GRANDFATHER, HARRY GOULD, LIVING WITH HIS PARENTS & SIBLINGS IN THE 1910 CENSUS IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN

Ancestry.com record for marriage

Actual image of marriage certificate for Harry Gould & Marie Lindsay - located on familysearch.org

Marie W. LINDSAY & Harry W. GOULD on their wedding day 6 June 1912

Was this wait and the search worth it.  OH YES!  Here's to my grandma & grandpa.  I love you both very much and would give anything to be able to talk to you again.
  
TIP:  If you have grandparents who are still alive.  TALK TO THEM!  Ask them questions about how they met, where they met, how long they dated, where they got married etc. etc.  You'll never regret asking, but you sure will regret not asking.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright © 2013 Diane Gould Hall