Monday, October 29, 2012

Detroit City Directories at Ancestry.com

In the last few months, I've discovered the "U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta)" database at Ancestry.com. I have found several of my family members in the Michigan directories, particularly the Detroit city directories. My only problem has been that I can never seem to remember which directories for which years contain what information. Not all of the directories are available in full; several years are only partially available. I don't rely on the search feature at Ancestry.com because I don't fully trust OCR technology to perfectly pick up every single name in the directory for every single year. Therefore, I usually end up browsing each year for my ancestors' information, and then I find that I've wasted my time because a particular year may only have surnames A-P available in the alphabetical directory.

How to solve this problem? Well, I've decided to compile what information is available for the years after 1923. All Detroit city directories from 1861 to 1923 are available in full at Fold3.com. The 1925 directory is the earliest directory available after 1923 at Ancestry.com. Instead of putting it in a spreadsheet only on my computer, I decided to share it with my readers. However, keep in mind that Ancestry.com is still adding to this database, so some information may change.

1925: Surnames A-Z
1927: Surnames A-Z
1928: Surnames A-Moseley, Harry
1930: Surnames Niestuchowski, Jos-Z
1931: Surnames A-Z
1932: Surnames A-Peterson, Chas R
1934: Surnames A-Nevin, Thos D
1935: Surnames A-Moore, Wade M
1936: No Surnames
1937: Surnames A-Haag, Michl J
1938: No Surnames
1939: A-Habbell, Anthony
1940: No Surnames
1941: Surnames A-Haar, Anna
1953: No Surnames
1954-1955: This is actually a suburb directory for East Detroit, Roseville, etc.
1957: Surnames Pursch, Alex-Z
1958: No Surnames

Sunday, October 21, 2012

1860 FANS of Jeremiah Pemberton

Lately I've been hearing about the importance of FANS of our ancestors. Just what are FANS? Well, this is a coin termed by Elizabeth Shown Mills that stands for "Friends, Associates, Neighbors." I'm taking a class through the National Institute of Genealogical Studies about U.S. land records. It mentioned that people often migrated in groups, which is why we should always investigate neighbors of our ancestors. I do not know the exact origins of my fourth great-grandfather, Jeremiah Pemberton. This is what I do know about him:
  • He was born abt 1812 in New York (source: census records/death record)
  • He married Susanna JERMYN on 19 Nov 1836 at St. James (Anglican) Cathedral in Toronto, York, Ontario. (source: church records and published marriage records)
  • He was a resident of Vaughan Township, York, Ontario, at the time of his marriage.
  • His oldest child, Lydia, was baptized 16 Nov 1837 at Trinity Anglican Church in Thornhill, York, Ontario. (source: church records)
  • His second child, John, was born in either Blenheim Township or Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, on 3 Apr 1839. (source: military service records and obituary)
  • His third child, Stephen, was born in Dundas, Wentworth, Ontario, about 1843. (source: military pension records)
  • He was living in Brownstown, Wayne, Michigan, for the 1860 census.
  • All but his youngest child (b. abt 1856) were listed as born in Canada between 1839 and 1854 on the 1860 census
  • He appears to have moved to Michigan around 1855. (source: children's later census records and calculated birth dates of two youngest children)
  • He was living in Clay Township, St. Clair, Michigan, for the 1870 and 1880 census.
  • He died in Clay Township on 7 Jul 1881.
To determine who Jeremiah's neighbors were, I'll begin with his 1860 census record. The ten families living on either side of him were as follows:


Household No. Surname First Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace
937 Barns Syntha 68 F Farmer Conn.
Barns Esther 40 F Teacher N. York
Barns Harriet 32 F Teacher N. York
Barns William 24 M Farmer N. York
938 Sanford Abram 34 M Canada
Sanford Martha 29 F Ireland
Sanford William 11 M Mich.
Sanford John 8 M Mich.
Sanford Elizabeth 5 F Mich.
Sanford Martha 2 F Mich.
Sanford William 28 M Laborer Canada
939 Carson John G 38 M Farmer N. York
Carson Julia 27 F Mich.
Carson Virginia 7 F Mich.
Carson Willson 6 M Mich.
Carson Charlotte 3 F Mich.
Carson Elizabeth 1 F Mich.
940 Carson George 47 M Farmer N. York
Carson Jane 42 F N. York
Carson William 25 M Carpenter N. York
Carson Edward 20 M Blacksmith N. York
Carson Adalaide 18 F Servant N. York
Carson Emma 15 F Mich.
Carson Sarah 13 F Mich.
Carson Ella 8 F Mich.
Carson Horace 5 M Mich.
Carson Lola 1 F Mich.
935 Wood Abner 61 M Farmer N. York
Wood Mary Ann 50 F
942 Flint Richard 33 M Fisherman N. York
Flint Hellen 25 F N. York
Flint Adalaide 1 F Mich.
Warfield Nancy 16 F Servant Mich.
943 Smith Elisa 62 F Farmer N. Hampshire
Smith David 21 M Farmer Mich.
Lebigot Barney 22 M Mich.
944 Bentley Daniel 27 M Cooper N. York
Bentley May 23 F Mich.
Bentley Eliza 5 F Mich.
Bentley George 2 M Mich.
Bentley Rebecca 0 F Mich.
945 Long Charles 30 M Farmer Mich.
Long Elizabeth 24 F Ohio
Long Ellen 8 F Mich.
Long Taylor 6 M Mich.
Long Clara 5 F Mich.
Long Thomas 3 M Mich.
Long Arthur 1 M Mich.
Long Cornelia 23 F Servant Mich.
946 McSparin John 40 M Farmer N. York
McSparin Catharine 30 F Mich.
McSparin Alexander 12 M Mich.
McSparin Phebe 11 F Mich.
McSparin Joseph 0 M Mich.
947 Pemberton Jeremiah 48 M Blacksmith N. York
Pemberton Susan 40 F England
Pemberton John 21 M Canada
Pemberton Stephen 17 M Canada
Pemberton Eliza 15 F Canada
Pemberton Agnes 14 F Canada
Pemberton Samuel 12 M Canada
Pemberton William 10 M Canada
Pemberton Maria 8 F Canada
Pemberton Almira 6 F Canada
Pemberton Charles 4 M Mich.
948 McDonald George 28 M Farmer Scotland
McDonald Jane 56 F Scotland
McDonald Isabella 24 F Servant Scotland
McDonald Henry 26 M Laborer Scotland
McDonald Robert 21 M Laborer Scotland
949 Knapp Benjamin F 57 M Farmer N. York
Knapp Lucinda 39 F N. York
Knapp Goodman 10 M Mich.
Knapp George 4 M Mich.
Johnson Rhoda 10 F Mich.
Laurens John 59 M Laborer Germany
950 Lensey John 54 M Farmer Scotland
Lensey James 22 M Laborer Mich.
Lensey John 19 M Mich.
Lensey Margaret 17 F Servant Mich.
951 Long Thomas 59 M Farmer Canada
Long Rebecca 58 F N. York
Long Henry 26 M Cooper Mich.
Long Cordellia 24 F Servant Mich.
Long Sidney 21 M Laborer Mich.
952 Brighton George 71 M Farmer Scotland
Brighton Jane 49 F Scotland
Brighton Robert 23 M Laborer Scotland
Brighton George 21 M Laborer Scotland
Brighton Phillis 17 F Servant Scotland
Brighton Marian 14 F Scotland
Brighton William 10 M Scotland
Brighton John 5 M Mich.
953 Collard John 34 M Farmer Ohio
Collard Martha 28 F Mich.
Collard Alice 11 F Mich.
Collard Emma 9 F Mich.
Collard George 6 M Mich.
Collard Ada 3 F Mich.
Collard Blanche 1 F Mich.
954 Goldner Henry 33 M Farmer Germany
Goldner Lana 25 F Germany
Goldner Charles 1 M Mich.
955 Stoddard Elijah W. 59 M Farmer N. York
Stoddard Emma 60 F N. York
Stoddard Alpheus 14 M Mich.
Vreeland Jacob E 32 M Farmer Mich.
Vreeland Michael 21 M Mich.
956 Milliman David 43 M Farmer N. York
Milliman Philis 38 F Ohio
Milliman Charles 17 M Laborer Mich.
Milliman Harriet 15 F Mich.
Milliman Salina 13 F Mich.
Milliman Edmond 2 M Mich.
957 Lobdell Hiram 31 M Physician N. York
Lobdell Elizabeth 22 F N. York
Lobdell John H. 0 M N. York


Looks like I have a lot of digging to do! At first glance, I don't see too many people from Canada. I see quite a few from New York. I also notice there is a little discrepancy in the household numbers. It skips 941 and goes back to 935, then goes back to 940. Not sure if this was an error on the enumerator's part, or if he enumerated out of order. I will need to browse the rest of the enumeration to be sure. I think it may just be an error because there is another family enumerated as #935 in the correct spot (between 934 and 936). Since there are so many records online for Michigan, finding info for most of these people shouldn't be too hard. Happy Hunting!