Pemberton One Name Study

I have recently decided to start a one-name study on the Pemberton surname. As many of you know, this is my mother's maiden name. I have always felt a closeness to this side of the family (moreso than others), and have always been curious where the name originated, how many different branches there are in the U.S., etc.

Of course, I'm not really sure that I have time for this one-name study, but I'm going to at least attempt it and see how it goes. I'm trying to focus on my Genealogy Do-Over, but I think I might dedicate certain days of the week to the Do-Over and certain days to the one-name study.

I had been reading Randy Seaver's posts over at GeneaMusings about his Seaver one-name study. That's what gave me the idea to do a Pemberton one-name study. I wasn't quite sure how to get started, so I found a webinar on Legacy Family Tree's website about one-name studies. It's called "Are You a GOON? What is a One-Name Study and Why Do One?" by Kirsty Gray. It focused on the seven principles as established by the Guild of One-Name Studies. The first principle is Data Collection, which is where I decided to start my study.

Kirsty mentioned keeping data organized using programs such as Excel, Word, etc. I decided to start with using Excel. She also said that some one-name studies choose to focus on a geographic area, while some focus on every single occurrence of the surname worldwide. I have decided to start my focus on Pembertons in Michigan, since this is where my family is from, though I plan to branch out later, starting with the neighboring states and eventually going worldwide.

My first data collection exercise was to search the "Michigan Death Index, 1971-1996" database at Ancestry.com for all those with a Pemberton surname. I came up with 121 results. I also did a search on P*mb*rt*n and found two additional names (including my great-grandmother). I put all of the info into a spreadsheet.

My second data collection exercise was to search the "Recent Obituaries" database at GenealogyBank.com for all Pemberton surnames in Michigan newspapers. I came up with 79 results, though some were duplicates. There were a total of 41 individuals listed there from 2000-2017. I added a second tab to my spreadsheet for this search and also saved copies of each obituary to a folder on my hard drive.

The death index did not give me any info at all on relationships, but the obituaries were a wealth of information. For the second principle, Data Analysis, I decided to start with the obituaries and focus in on the areas in Michigan where my Pemberton's lived. I began with Bay County, as it was the first alphabetically where I vaguely remembered one of my branches living.

The first obituary in Bay County was for a William J. Pemberton. His obituary was published 21 Mar 2007 in the Bay City Times. He died 19 Mar 2007 in Saginaw and was a resident of Bay City. He was born 8 Nov 1937 in Bay City to Albert W. and Fidelis C. (Toohey) Pemberton. I immediately recognized the name Fidelis, as it is an unusual name. I searched my RootsMagic database and found that I did have William already in my database, with source citations for the 1940 census and some city directories for Bay City. I only had an estimated birth date of 1938 and only the state of birth as Michigan. I also did not have Fidelis's maiden name, nor the name of William's younger sister, who was born after 1940. William is my third cousin twice removed. His father, Albert, was the son of William Henry Pemberton and Elizabeth Agnes "Abbie" Lattrell. William Henry was the son of Samuel Pemberton and Ellen McCoy. Samuel was the younger brother of my 3x-great-grandfather, John C. Pemberton.

The second obituary in Bay County was for Estelle (Pemberton) Hebert. She was more of a challenge because it was really more of a death notice than an obituary. It gave her age as 87 and was published 16 Oct 2007 in the Bay City Times. The only other piece of info was that she died 14 Oct 2007 and was a resident of Fairgrove and a former resident of Wisner Township, both in neighboring Tuscola County.

I decided to search for Estelle Hebert who died in 2007 and resided in Michigan on Ancestry.com. I found an entry in the "U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index" for an Estell Bell Hebert who died 14 Oct 2007. She was born 2 Apr 1920 in Pickford, Chippewa, Michigan, and was the daughter of Wm. H. Pemberton and Abbie Latterl. Bingo! This was the previous William J. Pemberton's aunt and my 2nd cousin 3x removed. I already had Estelle in my database, but I had her married name listed as Herbert rather than Hebert, which may have been why I had trouble finding her in the past. Her married name was spelled Herbert in her younger sister Ellen's obituary. She was the only one of William and Abbie's children for whom I did not have a death date. I also did a search at the Bay City Times website, and found an actual obituary there (not just the death notice), so I added her children and grandchildren to my RootsMagic database.

The last obituary I found for Bay County was actually more of an article about a house fire in neighboring Iosco County. Kayla I. Pemberton, age 23, and her fiance and their two young daughters were killed in the fire in 2014. It was very sad, and I cannot imagine what her family must be going through. At first, I could not place Kayla in my family tree, so I added her as a stand-alone person to my RootsMagic database. I then found her obituary online at the Iosco County News Herald's website, which listed her father's name. After adding him to my database, I realized that I had a man with the same name in my database. This man's mother, Sharon Gail (Kaercher) Pemberton Nowiski, died in 1994 and lived in the same town as Kayla. After doing a little more sleuthing in some public records indexes and marriage indexes published online, I feel comfortable that these two men are one and the same. This would make Kayla my 3rd cousin. Her grandfather, James Edward Pemberton, was the son of Lovell Henry Pemberton and Vera Delores Barnes. Lovell was the younger brother of my great-grandfather, John Vital Pemberton. I will definitely go to bed tonight thinking about the tragic loss of Kayla and her fiance and young children. It all too well reminds me of another house fire in the Pemberton family back in 1952, when the home of Leo C. and Madeline M. (Pemberton) Carnahan caught fire and two children died. Madeline was the sister of Lovell Henry and John Vital Pemberton.

And that's as far as I got today with the one-name study. I need to figure out how many hours a week I will work on this, as I do want to keep my focus on the Genealogy Do-Over. When I do get back to it, I will start with the obituaries from Flint, as I know some of my Pemberton cousins moved to Flint. Stay tuned!

Pemberton DNA Research

So I was finally bitten by the DNA bug last year when all the Black Friday sales were going on. Ancestry.com had their autosomal DNA test for $69, and I just couldn't resist. I got my test results not too long after Christmas. Since then, I have tested my mom and dad (as well as my husband and his parents). I have been slowly sifting through the results since then.

One of my first discoveries was that a Pemberton cousin, D.C. (initials only to protect privacy of living relatives), had already tested. D.C.'s mother was the sister of my great-grandfather, John Vital Pemberton.

Another discovery soon after that occurred when I uploaded my results to FamilyTreeDNA. There I found a cousin match in the 2nd-4th cousin range named S.L. Interestingly, his great-grandmother is Samantha Pemberton, b. 1861 in Marmora Township, Hastings, Ontario, Canada. Samantha's father was William Pemberton, b. 1811 in Albany, New York. William Pemberton's father is Adam Pemberton (b. 1775) and Adam's father is Jeremiah Pemberton (b. 1742). I found all of this very interesting because my Pemberton's were also from the same region of Ontario and I had always suspected them to be descended from the Jeremiah Pemberton family from Albany. The Jeremiah Pemberton family from Albany were Loyalists during the American Revolution who later settled in Ontario.

My furthest back Pemberton ancestor that I have been able to document is my 4x-great-grandfather, Jeremiah Pemberton, b. abt 1812 in New York. Jeremiah married my 4x-great-garndmother, Susanna Jermyn, in 1836 in Toronto, not terribly far from Hastings County, Ontario, where S.L.'s Pemberton ancestors were living. Jeremiah and Susanna had several children in Ontario before settling in Michigan around 1856.

After getting in touch with S.L.'s kit administrator, P.L., who is a 5th cousin match, I decided to see if D.C.'s kit administrator at Ancestry would give me his raw data results to upload to GedMatch, since P.L. and S.L. had their results uploaded there as well. D.C.'s kit administrator was his wife, whom I had been in contact with several years earlier regarding our family tree, and she agreed to give me the results to upload.

Lo and behold, D.C. was a match to P.L. and S.L., so I then knew that our shared match had to be either on the Pemberton side or the Lesperance side. The most recent common ancestors of myself and D.C. are my 2x-great-grandparents, Lovell Hugh Pemberton and Alvina Mary Lesperance. The Lesperance line is French Canadian, and interestingly enough, S.L. and P.L. do have a French Canadian line on their paternal side, so I could not totally rule that out.

In the meantime, I finally had my mom's DNA tested at Ancestry.com.  She had a 3rd-4th cousin match with someone called bigdaddyhunter81. He had no tree attached to his results, and their shared matches were D.C. and a person called A.W., also without a tree. I then looked at my mom's shared matches with A.W., and found one called N.T. N.T. did have a tree attached, so I decided to go out on a limb and see if I could find a common ancestor.

Again, I hit gold on the Pemberton DNA research. N.T.'s great-grandmother was Hannah Elizabeth Pemberton, daughter of Samuel Pemberton and Emeline Meyers. Hannah was born abt 1864-1866 in Ontario and married James Pharoah 15 Nov 1888 in Dundas County, Ontario. Her father, Samuel Pemberton, was born abt 1818-1821 in Albany, New York. Some online trees have Samuel as the son of the same Adam Pemberton (b. 1775) as William's father in S.L. and P.L.'s tree. Samuel and William are potentially brothers, but I'm not too sure because the source documentation for Samuel's ancestry seems to be lacking.

In any event, I feel like I am at least getting a step closer to figuring out the origins of my Jeremiah Pemberton. Could he also be a brother of William and Samuel? He is in the right age range. William was born abt 1811, Jeremiah was born abt 1812, and Samuel was born abt 1818-21 If so, perhaps my Jeremiah is named after their grandfather, Jeremiah Pemberton (b. 1742). Interestingly enough, my Jeremiah had a daughter named Lydia, which is the name of Adam's (b. 1775) wife, the potential mother of the three boys. Could his daughter be named after his mother? My Jeremiah also had sons named Samuel and William. Could they be named after his brothers? Samuel had a son named Jeremiah as well.

Unfortunately, S.L. and P.L. are in Canada and do not have results at Ancestry.com. I have tried reaching out to N.T. to see if he has results at GedMatch or FamilyTreeDNA. I have also tried reaching out to bigdaddyhunter81 and the administrator of A.W.'s kit to see what they know about their ancestry. I also found a second descendant of Samuel Pemberton and Emeline Meyers who my mom matches at Ancestry.com.

Stay tuned as I delve more into my Pemberton DNA matches....

Treasure Chest Thursday: John Peter Pemberton Birth Certificate

St. Clair County, Michigan, birth certificate no. 14-142 (1928), John Peter Pemberton; County Clerk, Port Huron.

Record no: 14-142
Date of birth: November 18, 1928
Name: John Peter Pemberton
Sex: Male
Race: White
Birth place: City of Port Huron
Full name of father: John V. Pemberton
Residence: Port Huron
Birth place: Michigan
Full name of mother: Mable E. Chrysler
Residence: Port Huron
Birth place: Michigan
Occupation of father: Laborer
Date of record: February 11, 1929

Census Sunday: PEMBERTON in 1920

1920 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, city of St. Clair (Ward 1), enumeration district (ED) 131, sheet 9B, dwelling 234, family 234, C. Lovell Pemberton household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 December 2005); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 795.

Continuing in the Census Sunday post series, we find my great-great-grandparents, Lovell and Alvina (Lesperance) Pemberton, living at 700 N. Vine St. in St. Clair, St. Clair, Michigan. Lovell was listed as a 41-year-old blacksmith in a factory. Alvina was age 36. Both were listed as born in Michigan.

All children who survived to adulthood were living at home:

Nellie, age 14
John, age 12 (my great-grandfather)
Madaline, age 8
Lovell, age 4
Eva, age 3
Alvina, age 9 months

Sadly, Lovell and Alvina lost four children between 1910 and 1920. Only six of their thirteen children lived to adulthood.

Their fourth child, Charlotte Agnus Pemberton, died 25 Sep 1910 in Mount Clemens, Macomb, Michigan. She was just four months old and died from cholera. 

Their oldest child, Gilbert Lowell Pemberton, died 21 Jun 1913 in Mount Clemens. He died from acute endocarditis at the age of ten. Acute endocarditis is the inflammation of the inner layer of the heart. Rheumatic fever is not listed as a contributory cause of death on his death certificate, but according to Wikipedia, it is the cause of many cases of endocarditis. The death certificate gives his length of illness as six days.

Their sixth child, Myrtie Elva Pemberton, died 15 Sep 1914 in Mount Clemens from intestinal and stomach indigestion. Interestingly, the contributory cause of death was listed as "bottle-fed infant." Did formula in the early 1900s cause the deaths of infants? I need to do some research about the invention of baby formula. Like baby Charlotte four years earlier, she was only four months old when she died. 

Their ninth child, Orville Joseph Pemberton, died 23 Mar 1919 in Marine City, St. Clair, Michigan, from spinal meningitis. He was 11 months old. 

After the 1920 census, Alvina and Lovell lost three more children. 

Their 11th and 12th children were twin boys, James and Joseph, born 22 Mar 1921 in St. Clair. James died immediately on the same day that he was born. His cause of death is given as general anasaica. I'm not sure if the death certificate should have read "anasarca" instead, as I can't find a definition of "anasaica." Anasarca is a swelling of the skin due to an effusion of fluid into the extracellular space. It's usually caused by kidney or liver failure. Joseph died at the age of two on 14 Aug 1923 in Marysville, St. Clair, Michigan, from pneumonia. 

Their 13th child, Adele Christine Pemberton, died at the age of five on 28 Dec 1928 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. Strep throat is given as her cause of death, but some family notes that I obtained from my uncle several years ago state that a man named Dr. Burch gave her the wrong dose of drugs. I need to look into that a little further. 

Treasure Chest Thursday: John Peter Pemberton Separation Qualification Record

ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES

SEPARATION QUALIFICATION RECORD

Name: John P. Pemberton
Army serial no: AF16 194 223
Grade: Sgt
Social security no.: Unknown
Permanent mailing address: 729-12 St., Port Huron, Mich.
Date of entry into active service: 28 Sep 1946
Date of separation: 28 Jun 1949
Date of birth: 18 Nov 1928
Place of separation: Separation Center, Camp Stoneman, Calif.
Military Occupational Assignments:
Months: 2
Grade: Pvt
Military occupational specialty: AF Basic 521
Months: 2
Grade: Pvt
Military occupational specialty: Student 629
Months: 24
Grade: Sgt
Military occupational specialty: Automotive mechanic 2nd echelon 014
Summary of military occupations:
Automotive mechanic second echelon --- Was stationed in Japan with an airforce unit as a[n] automotive mechanic second echelon. Inspected and performed first and second echelon orginization maintenance service and repairs on gasoline powered military motor vehicles.
Military education:
Airforce School 10 weeks automotive mechanic course Lowry Field, Colorado.
Civilian education:
Highest grade completed: 11th grade
Degrees or diplomas: none
Year left school: 1946
Name and address of last school attended: St. Stephen High School, Port Huron, Mich.
Major courses of study: Academic
Other training or schooling: None
Civilian occupations:
Student High School --- Attended St. Stephaen High School at Port Huron, Michigan
Studied history, English, mathematics, Civics, and Biology. 1943 to 1946.
Additional information:
Completed high school levl 25 May 1948

Treasure Chest Thursday: John Peter Pemberton Military Discharge

ENLISTED RECORD AND REPORT OF SEPARATION

HONORABLE DISCHARGE

Name: John P. Pemberton
Serial no: AF16 194 223
Rank: Sgt
Arm or service: AF
Comp & terms of service: AF 3 yrs
Organization: 6141 ST AFBU MAO APO 547
Date of separation: 28 Jun 49
Place of separation: Sep C CP Stoneman Calif
Permanent mailing address: 729 12 St Port Huron Mich
Date of birth: 18 Nov 28
Place of birth: Port Huron Mich.
Address from which employment will be sought: See 9 [permanent mailing address]
Color eyes: Blue
Color hair: brn
Height: 5 7
Weight 148
No. Depend: 0
Race: white
Marital status: single
U.S. Citizen: yes
Civilian occupation and no: Student HS Acad X-02
Date of enlistment: 28 Sep 46
Date of entry into active service: 28 Sep 46
Place of entry into service: Selfridge Fld Mich
Selective service data:
County and state: St. Clair Mich
Home address at time of entry into service: See 9
Military occupational specialty and no: Auto Mech 014
Military qualification and date: Carbine 144
Battles and campaigns: None
Decorations and citations: World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal Japan
Wounds received in action: None
Latest immunization dates: Smallpox May 49
Service outside continental U.S. and return:
Date of departure: 4 Jun 47
Destination: APT
Date of arrival: 16 Jun 47
Date of departure: 6 Jun 49
Destination: USA
Date of arrival: 18 Jun 49
Prior service: None
Continental service: 8m 16d
Foreign service: 2y 15d
Reason and authority for separation: AR 615 365 27 Oct 48 C of G Par 1 Pets & DA Cir 335/48
Service schools attended: AF Sch 10 wks auto mech course Lowry Fld Colo
Education: Grammar 8 yrs, High school 3 yrs, College 0 yrs
Pay Data:
Longevity for pay purposes: 2y 9m 1d
Mustering out pay total: $300
This payment: $100
Soldier deposits: None
Travel pay: $28.85
Total amount, name of disbursing officer: R H Hansen Lt Col FD $528.38
Insurance Notice:
Kind of insurance: Nat. Serv.
How paid: Allotment
Effective date of allotment discontinuance: 30 Jun 49
Date of next premium due: 31 Jul 49
Premium due each month: $6.40
Intention of veteran to continue
Remarks: Blood Group A
Lapel button issued 111 109

This is the military discharge paper for my maternal grandfather, John Peter Pemberton.  I found this document at the home of my maternal grandmother. He enlisted in the Army on 28 Sep 1946 at Selfridge Field in Macomb County, Michigan. He was 17 years old at the time and lived at 729 12th Street in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. He spent 8 months of his service in the continental U.S. and two years in Japan. He attended a 10-week auto mechanic training course at Lowry Field in Colorado. He was discharged on 28 Jun 1949 at Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg, Contra Costa, California. I am still trying to figure out exactly where he served in Japan. His military organization is given as 6141 ST AFBU MAO APO 547, which may give me a clue with a little more research.

Wordless Wednesday: Beulah

This is a pic of my maternal grandparents, Clifford Robert Drouillard and Violet Mae (Currie) Pemberton Drouillard. It was taken around 2005-2007 in Beulah, Michigan. They were visiting my great-uncle, William "Bill" Pemberton. Beulah is in the northwestern part of the state on Crystal Lake. I really like the background in this picture. The barn reflection in the window and the landscaping make for a very pretty backdrop.

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.