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

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!

Eliza Jane (Pemberton) Finkle (1844-1927)

PREVIOUS POSTS IN THIS SERIES:

Sarah Maria (Pemberton) Morrison Jones (1851-1941)

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting about another of Jeremiah and Susanna (Jermyn) Pemberton's children. I'm still cleaning up the source citations and events in my database for Jeremiah and Susanna's children. My last post was about Sarah Maria (Pemberton) Morrison Jones. This time I'm writing about Sarah's older sister, Eliza. Eliza Jane Pemberton was the fourth child of Jeremiah and Susanna. They are both younger sisters of my 3rd great-grandfather, John Pemberton. I'm going to do this post in a slightly different format than Sarah's post because it seemed to take forever to write that one VERY LONG post about Sarah and her descendants. Also, because Eliza had several children (unlike Sarah, who only had one child that survived to adulthood), I'll save the details about them for another post.

Birth Date/Place of Eliza Jane (Pemberton) Finkle

The only piece of direct evidence I have for Eliza's birth date is her death record. According to Eliza's death record, she was 82y 7m 4d when she died in 1927. This would put her birth date at 16 Sep 1844. This seems to be supported by a couple of other sources, including the 1860 census (age 15) and the 1870 census (age 25). However, after 1870, her age moves around like crazy on the remaining census records. She is 33 in 1880, 52 in 1900, 62 in 1910, and 74 in 1920. These would put her born anywhere between 1845 and 1848. Her marriage record from 1865 gives her age as 19, making her born around 1845-1846. A transcription of the 1894 State of Michigan census gives her age as 43, making her born around 1850-1851 (I need to view the original to verify, esp. since this is so far off from other sources).

At least the sources are more consistent on her birthplace: Canada. The only sources that seem to waiver on this are the 1870 census, which gives her birthplace as New York, and the 1894 State of Michigan census, which gives her birthplace as Michigan. Some vital records and census records of Eliza's children also give her birthplace as Michigan.

Marriage to David Finkle

St. Clair County, Michigan, Marriage Book 2: 476, Fincle-Pemberton, 1865; FHL microfilm 976,870.

 

Recorded July 4th 1865
Geo. F. Collins, Clerk
State of Michigan
St. Clair County
I hereby certify that on the 27th day of April 1865, at Clay, I did join in marriage, David Fincle of this township of Clay aged 20 years, and Eliza Pemberton of the same place aged 19 years, in presence of two witnesses (to wit) Sylvester Sumners and Isaac Combs of Clay, St. Clair County Mich.
Isaac Klein
Justice of the Peace

David Finkle, age 20, and Eliza Pemberton, age 19, were married 27 Apr 1865 in Clay Township, St. Clair, Michigan. Witnesses were Sylvester Sumners and Isaac Coombs. Isaac Coombs was a farmer and the stepfather of Eliza's future brother-in-law, Joseph Phelps. In fact, Isaac may have also been the maternal uncle of David Finkle (more research for another post). Sylvester was a laborer who was born about 1820 in New York (1870 census - Clay, St. Clair, Michigan). I don't know of any relation between Sylvester and David or Sylvester and Eliza. The marriage was performed by Isaac Klein, Justice of the Peace.

Children of David Finkle and Eliza Pemberton

David and Eliza had seven children, five boys and two girls.

• William Finkle (1866-1948)
• Burton Finkle (1868-1909)
• Eva Finkle (1870-????)
• Jeremiah M. Finkle (1871-1927)
• Hayes Wheeler Finkle (1877-1953)
• Frances E. Finkle (1879-????)
• Roy David Finkle (1885-1963)

David and Eliza in the Census

1870 U.S. Census

In 1870, David and Eliza, along with their three oldest children, appeared in the household of Eliza's parents, Jeremiah and Susanna Pemberton, in Algonac, Clay Township, St. Clair, Michigan.

1870 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Clay Township, Algonac, p. 12, dwelling 94, family 94, Jeremiah Pemberton household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 December 2007); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 698.

Jeremiah Pemberton 65 M W Blacksmith $1,000 $200 New York
Susanna Pemberton 50 F W Keeps House Ireland
Samuel Pemberton 22 M W Sailor New York
William Pemberton 20 M W Sailor New York
Sarah M. Pemberton 19 F W At Home New York
Ella Pemberton 15 F W At Home New York
Charles Pemberton 13 M W At School Michigan
David Finkle 27 M W Sailor Michigan
Eliza J. Finkle 25 F W At Home New York
William Finkle 4 M W Michigan
Bertis Finkle 2 M W Michigan
Eva Finkle 2/12 F W Michigan Mar

1880 U.S. Census

In 1880, David and Eliza were again in Clay Township, but this time in their own household with six children and a servant.

1880 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Clay Township, enumeration district (ED) 370, p. 17, dwelling 98, family 98, David Finkle household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 December 2007); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 604.

David Finkle W M 35 M Farmer Michigan/New York/New York
Eliza Finkle W F 33 Wife M Keeping House Canada/New York/England
William Finkle W M 14 Son S Labors on farm Michigan/Michigan/Canada
Burton Finkle W M 11 Son S Labors on farm Michigan/Michigan/Canada
Eva Finkle W F 10 Daughter S Michigan/Michigan/Canada
Jeremiah Finkle W M 7 Son S Michigan/Michigan/Canada
Hays Finkle W M 3 Son S Michigan/Michigan/Canada
Francis Finkle W F 1 Daughter S Michigan/Michigan/Canada
John Watson W M 36 Servant S Farm laborer Ireland/England/Scotland

It seems like David gave up his sailing days to become a farmer. I have searched for further information on John Watson, but he appears to disappear from Clay Township after 1880.

1894 State of Michigan Census

Below is a transcription of the Finkle household in the 1894 State of Michigan Census for St. Clair County:

42 17 Plank Rd. 166 175 Finkle David 43 M W Husband M N 9 8 MI MI MI ~ N N ~ Sailor
42 18 Plank Rd. 166 175 Finkle Eliza 43 F W Wife M N ~ ~ MI unk Eng ~ ~ ~ 9 Housewife
42 19 Plank Rd. 166 175 Finkle Wm. 26 M W Son S N ~ ~ MI MI MI ~ ~ ~ ~ Sailor
42 20 Plank Rd. 166 175 Finkle Burt 23 M W Son S N ~ ~ MI MI MI ~ ~ ~ ~ Sailor
43 1 Plank Rd. 166 175 Finkle Eva 22 F W Daughter S N 0 0 MI MI MI ~ N N ~ At Home
43 2 Plank Rd. 166 175 Finkle Jerry 21 M W Son S N ~ ~ MI MI MI ~ ~ ~ ~ At Home
43 3 Plank Rd. 166 175 Finkle Haze 17 M W Son S N ~ ~ MI MI MI ~ ~ ~ ~ At Home
43 4 Plank Rd. 166 175 Finkle Francis 14 F W Daughter S N ~ ~ MI MI MI ~ ~ ~ ~ At Home
43 5 Plank Rd. 166 175 Finkle Roy 8 M W Son S N ~ ~ MI MI MI ~ ~ ~ ~ At Home

By 1894, David and Eliza had relocated about 10 miles north of Clay Township and were living on Plank Road in Marine City. David was once again listed as a sailor. All seven children were enumerated in the household.

1900 U.S. Census

By 1900, David and Eliza had moved 20 miles further north to Port Huron. All children but their oldest child, William, were enumerated with them.

1900 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Port Huron Ward 8, enumeration district (ED) 105, sheet 3A, dwelling 54, family 55, David Finkel household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 December 2007); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 742.

David Finkel Head W M Oct 1845 54 M 35 Michigan/[blank]/New York Sailor
Eliza J. Finkel Wife W F Sep 1845 52 M 35 8 7 Canada Eng/Canada Eng/England 1852 47
Bert Finkel Son W M Mar 1869 31 S Michigan/Michigan/Canada Eng Sailor
Eva Finkel Daughter W F Nov 1871 28 S Michigan/Michigan/Canada Eng
Jerry Finkel Son W M Dec 1873 26 S Michigan/Michigan/Canada Eng Sailor
Hayes Finkel Son W M Jun 1877 22 S Michigan/Michigan/Canada Eng Sailor
Frances Finkel Daughter W F Dec 1879 20 S Michigan/Michigan/Canada Eng
Roy Finkel Son W M Jun 1885 14 S Michigan/Michigan/Canada Eng

1910 U.S. Census

In 1910, David and Eliza were living on River Road in Port Huron Township. Both daughters, as well as a son-in-law and grandson, were living with them.

1910 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Port Huron Township, enumeration district (ED) 121, sheet 16A, dwelling 345, family 345, David Finkle household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 December 2007); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 673.

David Finkle Head M W 63 M1 40 MI NY NY Farmer Truck Farm
Eliza J. Finkle Wife F W 62 M1 40 8 6 CanEng Unk Unk 1858
Thomas P. Leslie Son-in-Law M W 37 M1 9 CanEng Scot Scot 1888 Na Engineer Lumber Boat
Eva Leslie Daughter F W 38 M1 9 0 0 MI MI CanEng
Frances Downing Daughter F W 30 Wd 1 1 MI MI CanEng Dressmaker Dress Shop
Ray Downing Grandson M W 4 S MI CanSco MI

Looks like David had taken back to farming.

1920 U.S. Census

In 1920, the widowed Eliza had moved from the farm and was living in the household of her youngest son, Roy, at 2015 Stone St. in Port Huron. Her son Hayes was also enumerated there.

1920 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Port Huron, Ward 7, enumeration district (ED) 123, sheet 8A, dwelling 177, family 182, Roy Finkle household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 December 2007); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 795.

Roy Finkle Head M W 35 S MI MI CanEng Carpenter Contractor
Eliza Finkle Mother F W 74 Wd 1887 Na By Mar CanEng CanEng Eng
Hays Finkle Brother M W 44 S MI MI CanEng Carpenter Contractor

David and Eliza in County/City Directories:

1883 St. Clair Co: Finkle David, o, Harsen's Island, Algonac
1885 St. Clair Co: Finkle David, f, Harsen's Island, Clay, Algonac
1887 St. Clair Co: Finkle David, O, Algonac
1893 Marine City: Finkle David, vessel captain, res n e cor Sixth and Plank road
1899 Marine City: Finkle David, sailor, res Plank rd
1901 Port Huron: Finkle David, carp, res --- 32nd s of Tunnel Sta
1902 Port Huron: Finkle David, carp Jenks S Co, res 32d
1904 Port Huron: Finkle Mrs Eliva, res 1419 Wills [Wells]
1907 Cleveland, Ohio: Finkle David carp r 3707 Clinton av NW
1908 Cleveland, Ohio: Finkle David carp r 1864 W 48th NW
1921 Port Huron: Finkle Mrs Eliza, h 1804 Scott av
1924 Port Huron: Finkle Eliza J (wid David) h 1804 Scott av
1926 Port Huron: Finkle Eliza J (wid David) h 1804 Scott av


Interestingly, David and Eliza seemed to briefly live in Cleveland during the early 1900s. I suspect that David had moved there without her in 1904, which may be why Eliza was listed in the household of her son-in-law, Otto Downing, without David.

Death Date/Place of Eliza Jane (Pemberton) Finkle

Eliza's death record states that she died 20 Apr 1927 from endocarditis. Below is a transcription of the record:

Decedent: Eliza Finkle
Date of death: 20 Apr 1927
Sex: F
Race: W
Marital Status: Widow
Age: 82 y, 7 m, 4 d
Cause of death: Endocarditis
Birthplace: Canada
Occupation: None
Father: John Pemberton
Father's birthplace: Canada
Mother: Susanna German
Mother's birthplace: Canada

Source: St. Clair County, Michigan, Death Book 6: 195, Eliza Finkle, 1927; County Clerk, Port Huron.

I forgot to transcribe the place of death, but her obituary states that she died at the family residence at 1804 Scott Ave. in Port Huron.

"Mrs. Eliza Finkle," obituary, The Port Huron (Michigan) Times Herald, 21 April 1927, p. 7.

Mrs. Eliza Finkle, 81, died at the family residence, 1804 Scott Avenue, on Wednesday afternoon.

She is survived by three sons, Hayes W. Finkle, this city, William K. Finkle, Tashmoo Park, Roy D. Finkle, Saginaw, two daughters, Mrs. Harry Knight, Lansing, Mrs. Thomas Leslie, Sandusky; a brother, Charles Pemberton, Algonac, two sisters, Mrs. Sarah Jones, this city, Mrs. Agnes Phelps, Algonac; one grandchild and one great-grandchild.

This concludes my post about Eliza. I still need to search land and probate records, as well as city directories not available online, for Eliza. My next post in this series will focus a little more on Eliza's husband, David Finkle.