Inferential Genealogy Study Group in 2nd Life–Conflict Resolution

One of the steps in this process is dealing with Conflicts within your genealogy database.

Today was one of those days to deal with a couple of conflicts. The first was to review and adjust information on two people. James McHenry Howard and McHenry Howard. Both lived in close proximity to the other but there were two separate households. The good news is that the households stayed together, if they moved at all. Both were born about 1838 or 1839, but that might have been a census record issue.

The key difference was McHenry Howard occupation was a Lawyer while James McHenry Howard was a physician. Their fathers were of similar ages, and I could connect McHenry’s father back to a long Howard Line. Couldn’t connect James McHenry Howards father back nor could I connect him to McHenry’s father.

Another “conflict” was a brother of McHenry Howard’s father Charles. It has been listed as James. James was also James McHenry Howard’s father.

It was not clear that these two James were the same person, but could not make any connection.

I took a side step a minute to see what I may have missed. Certainly a City Directory would have shown the Doctor and the Lawyer somewhere. However, I didn’t find a good directory for the timeframe. I happened to do that search on Genealogy Bank. That’s when I found an obituary. The Obituary was for a Elizabeth Phoebe Key Howard. Key, as in Francis Scott Key. Elizabeth Phoebe Key Howard was the oldest daughter of Frances Scott Key. It listed the pallbearers, which included Messers, William R. Howard, Dr. James McHenry Howard, Edward Lloyd Key, Dr. Henry J Key, W. George Weld, Wilson Cary McHenry, Richard H. Pose, and G.T. Beaureguard Howard, all of whom are family connections of Mrs. Howard.

Dr. James McHenry was not a son of Mrs. Howard, William R. Howard WAS a brother of McHenry Howard.

Reviewing the Census Records and how I had recorded the relationships I had found, I resolved the two James Howards, as the same person, making James McHenry Howard’s Father, the Brother of McHenry Howard’s Father.

Lesson Learned: The Obituary pointed the way “all whom are family connections of Mrs. Howard to a review of the relationships established in the Census Records. The two families were buried in separate cemeteries but they lived in the same neighborhood. The headstones firmed but the relationships.

A bonus: This puts David Ridgely Howard into my Family Tree.

Inferential Genealogy Study Group in 2nd Life–Map

Having reviewed a number of Census Records for this project, and the brief visit to Baltimore last week, I wanted to put things into perspective. What better way then a map.

Each of the hi-lighted streets are where these households were located. Family Names are in these streets. Eager, Read. The John Eager Howard monument is on Monument Street. Certainly the people I have found in the search of this project must have had an impact on the area.

Lesson Learned: Look at a map

Blog Query: Sarah R. Howard

Below was in a comment on a blog post here and am hoping some of the readers may be able to help Sharon out.

From: Sharon Ellis sharonellis@yahoo.com

Russ,

My Sarah R. Howard was born around 1794 in Scott County, Kentucky, which is where Georgetown, Ky is located, outside of Lexington. She married Lyman Merriman and moved with him to central Illinois, where they are buried.

Because the Scott Co. courthouse burned twice in the 1800s, there are not many records. When I’ve googled “Howard” + Scott County KY”, the only Howard I’ve found is John Howard, John B. Howard, and John Bazel Howard.

John was listed as John B. Howard and John Bazel Howard on two early Scott Co Ky censuses. I think it was 1800 and 1820. He witnessed a will of a MD native (who was part of the Catholic immigration into that part of Ky) around 1808 or 1810 as “John Howard”, if I remember correctly.

I didn’t know if “Bazel” was a misspelling of Basil, or if it was a family name associated with the Howard family that was given to him as his middle name. Are you familiar with any Bazel family members who may have married into either the MD or VA Howard families? I’ve found people in MD with the Bazel surname and probably need to research the Bazel family to see if I find any intermarriage with the Howards.

My assumptions, which could be wrong, are that John Bazel Howard immigrated to Ky with part of the 65 or so Catholic families from MD who agreed to settle in Kentucky. Part settled in Nelson Co Ky below Louisville, and part of the group who didn’t like Nelson Co settled instead in Scott Co, outside of Lexington.

I assume that Sarah R Howard was John Bazel Howard’s daughter. I have no record of him moving to central Illinois, when Sarah “Sally” left Scott Co. with her husband and his family. in the early 1830s. I did once find a John B. Howard in Butler Co., Ky, (I think around 1840 or so). Butler Co is 150 mi. southwest of Scott Co. I didn’t see an age for that John B Howard.

I’m hoping this will ring a bell, or that you will eventually stumble across something in all your Howard research that might provide a clue or two. Would love to see your Howard ancestors and their dates/locations listed, sometime.

Thanks,
Sharon Ellis

Inferential Genealogy Study Group in 2nd Life–Connections

I must say, that I haven’t posted all of my findings on this project. I am really trying to stay focused on the Methodology that Dr. Jones has presented. Going through all of the pictures from yesterday, I thought that I would show one of my findings.

Driving around Baltimore, “in search of …. “ the Howards, I saw a new monument about a block from one of the houses that I found.

This house is 901 St Paul Street. McHenry Howard and household in the 1920 Census. Up the street, within the block was another residence of this household in previous census records. There is a historical marker, which I couldn’t get close enough to, said that this was the home of Samuel Shoemaker (another mystery). But, there it is. St. Paul Street carries the name of an Episcopal Church not to far away.

Behind me, as I took this picture a block or two was a statue of John Eager Howard (1752-1827). Within a block or two was Eager Street.  Like many folks I have run across in this project, he has a story.

Here is a picture of the Statue.

Speaking of Episcopal Churches:

I could not get a good enough position to take a picture of the church itself, but I will visit one day when I can get it. Mentioned in a previous Blog post, Worthington’s were at this church, moved out to St. Thomas Garrison Forrest, then to Worthington Valley. But, I digress.

Back to John Eager Howard.

If you read this sign: this lot was proved by Col. John Eager Howard.

Why all of the interest in this little side trip, away from David Ridgely Howard? I peeked at my own database and guess who I found. John Eager Howard. His wife is my 3rd Cousin, 6 times removed. That linkage, may hold the clue to David Ridgely Howard.

I have often heard, “look sideways”. This to me is one of those glances sideways. I have David Ridgeley Howards’ names, but can’t get the previous generation.

It is obvious to me, that the folks that I have found, for this project, were known and had an impact on Baltimore. Many of the surnames I have mentioned thus far are street names within blocks of where these pictures were taken.

Lesson Learned: Had I only known what I would be doing when I retired, I would have “walked the streets” when I worked in Baltimore. These places are all within walking distance of my job.

Inferential Genealogy Study Group in 2nd Life–Names

After taking a quick glance of about 200 photos from yesterday, I am almost confused.

It’s all about names, right?

This project started when I watched the PBS series Gettysburg. I heard the name Ridgely Howard. In my research in my own family both of these names are surnames. As I started the research Ridgely was his middle name.

No problem, been there, done that. I go by my middle name. Simple reason, I am a “III” (3rd), and there were three generations living on a small family farm. My grandfather went by his middle name, the Surname of a Grandfather, my Dad by his first name, and I was called the same way my grandfather was. This worked and still works, although my Dad has passed away. To clear the confusion about who you were talking to. Grandfather, Father, on me.

So, we now have David Ridgely Howard. (there’s a twist, a common first name for a Surname). “My” Howards were in Virginia, soon there after into Maryland. So, Howard, to me, as a Surname is OK. Got that.

Looking at Census Records, for the Howards, McHenry as a Middle name was appearing, and a First Name. Good thing I didn’t jump to any conclusions here. Could that Census Record have recorded McHenry, like Ridgely as the first name?

The biggest problem at this point is the names of member of the Households. For example, McHenry Howard and James McHenry Howard households had similar members of the household, living in close proximity of each other. At this point, it’s pretty clear that they are not the same family (yet).

The cemetery visits may have also separated the families (house holds) as well. Two different cemeteries, different parts of town. BUT, it may be a common Church. Working on that.

So, I looked at my pictures from the 3rd cemetery and I run into the same issue. My brain had told me that I had taken pictures of Howard headstones and McHenry headstones. Both of which were true and I clearly remembers one of the Howard children as Julianna Howard. So I took a bunch of pictures of the plot (10 – 15 stones).

Her stone was Julianna Howard McHenry, whose father was James Howard McHenry. The dates for Julianna were not right.

I have been putting off looking at the history of Fort McHenry, also in Baltimore.

A couple of years ago, while visiting my brother-in-law in a Veterans Hospital in Baltimore, we went to a historic cemetery that was next to where I had parked the car. In my search for the 1st cemetery, where “Betty Lou” was giving me a fit, you know “recalculating”, I saw an old cemetery, then realized it was the same one we had visited a couple of years earlier.

My car has a bumper sticker “I stop at cemeteries”, so I did. Went in where Edgar Allen Poe is buried, but so is James McHenry, of Fort McHenry fame.

So how does James McHenry Howard, James Howard McHenry, McHenry Howard related to David Ridgely Howard?

What did I learn from this: Where did THAT Name come from? Naming patterns ….