Death Records Can Identify Unknown Spouses

Elizabeth Roosa was single and listed with her parents in the 1880 census. Little did I know that by 1900 she would be a widow.  Had I not happened upon her death record (which resulted from a search under her mother’s maiden name of Margaret Bogardus), I would not have found her. 

Interestingly her 1943 Michigan death record named her parents fully (middle names too) but HER HUSBAND WAS NOT NAMED ! She was listed as Elizabeth Frances Wastell, daughter of William and Margaret.

Further searching did identify her 1885 marriage to Englishman Joseph Wastell who died in 1894. Their marriage period falls into that “no 1890 census” gap. 

So look at death records, they can provide lots of good “Living” information.

Found a Servant? Check out the Employer

In researching the widow Elsie Bogardus Linthicum, I found her in the 1910 census in Baltimore at age 54.  She was listed as a servant in the household of the much younger Herbert S Hastings, 35.  At first I wondered if he might be a nephew. It didn’t immediately occur to me to check his occupation or to look for additional information about him – but was glad I later did.

Herbert was a native New Yorker (as was Elsie, though not from the same area) and an Episcopal priest who ran the Donaldson School for Boys in  Maryland for many years. Elsie and a number of others were servants in his household. After the death of his brother in 1933, he took in his widowed sister-in-law and her children. These little details provide some view into the environment in which Elsie was living.  I’m determined now to ALWAYS CHECK out the EMPLOYER !

1887 Marriage Record: If Only All the Blanks were Filled In !!!

In researching the Bogardus family in Chicago, I came across this marriage record on FamilySearch.org.

William S Fowler married Ida May Bogardus (seemingly the ex-Mrs Frederick Branford) in 1887.  It certainly would have saved me lots of time and hassle if the items Marital Status and Previous Husband’s Name had been filled in.  Oh well, I found them anyway.

Look at all the great potential information that could have been listed … but wasn’t. 

Great Catskill Village Cemetery Resource

The genealogy community in Catskill, NY has done a terrific job of documenting gravestones in the Village Cemetery.  By listing them based on location, family groups can be found and understood – often providing a hard-to-find maiden name, a daughter’s married name (even if the husband is not buried there) and confirmation of children lost at a young age.

Here is an example (without the dates):

Julia Bennett, widow of Hiram Bogardus

Hiram Bogardus

Sarah R. Clark, w/o Howard Wilcox

Egbert Jedson, s/o Howard and Sarah Wilcox

Abraham, s/o Egbert and Elsie Bogardus

Julia Clark Linthicum

Martha Ann, widow of Z.M. Clark, and d/o the late Egbert and Elsie Bogardus <my favorite with so much info>

Eliza C. Bogardus
Emeline Bogardus

Elsie Comfort, w/o Egbert Bogardus

Egbert Bogardus

There are several generations listed here plus maiden and married names that were not previously known. It was immensely helpful in piecing together this family group.