Help with family in Canada 1903-1910

[RedMystic]

Hi Chatters,

I have an number of questions about the family of William Henry Chapman (b England 1877) and Margaret B Ferguson (b New York 1876).

I have a thread going for William's first wife & child in the UK as they are completely separate from the Canada/US family (except that they both share a relationship William).

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=690516.0

In this query I'm interested in what happened in the 7ish years the family was in Canada - between the time William arrived abt 1903, married Margaret, 3 of their 4 children were born, and they moved to Washington state in time for the 1910 census.

I have a number of questions, but I'll start with some illusive birth records.   

Naturalization application (for the US) shows birth date & place as Montreal. Is it possible to access a birth records for:

Kathleen Chapman
Birth 12 Oct 1903 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Stella Chapman is noted in the 1910, 1920 & 1930 US census as born in Canada. The 1930 census adds that she was born in British Columbia (which is consistent with the father's naturalization papers which say they were living in Vancouver prior to moving to Washington State in 1909.) I've looked in the Royal BC Museum's geni records but can't find Stella. Her death record provides the following birth info:

Stella D Chapman
Birth 17 Mar 1909

Can anyone please help me find certs for these people?

I have an additional sister born in Canada according to US census, but I don't know where she was born. Any help with her birth record (likely Montreal or Vancouver) would also be appreciated.

Patricia Chapman
Birth 9 May 1906 in Canada

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. 

[polarbear]

Well, this is a bit of a toughie  .

However, I think I have finally found a baptism for one of the girls, assuming I have the correct family in the 1910 Washington census. There is a daughter named Margaret who would match this record. I don't see a daughter Kathleen in that census? Does she have another name? Are Kathleen and Margaret bychance the same person?

At St Anthony of Padua Montreal
Mary Marguerite
B. 12th of Mar (I think) 1906 and baptized the 23rd of same 1906
Father William Chapman
Mother Margaret Ferguson
Father, a Protestant, did not attend

PB

[RedMystic]

Brilliant PB. I think you've got the right person there. 

I found out late last night when I found naturalization papers for the 1906 girl that her given name was:

Marguerite "Patricia" Stevens
Birth 9 May 1906 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The 1910 US census is a bit of a quandary for me too as the names of the children almost, but don't quite align.

Kathleen apparently always went by Kathleen. It's all that her naturalization papers reflect. My friend is asking her mum (daughter of Kathleen) what Kathleen's full name was.

Any chance on finding a marriage for parents, William & Margaret? It would have been 1902 or perhaps very early in 1903. 

[polarbear]

Great! Glad I have the correct family.

I have been looking for a marriage but no luck so far, nor for a baptism of an earlier child.

That baptism was from the Drouin Collection. I don't know if you have inquired whether your local public library subscribes to ancestry Library Edition? This would give you access to this collection with original images. The baptism would be the only record of a birth in Quebec at this time. You may be aware that civil registration only began in Quebec in about 1994?

Going out for a bit but will do some more looking later. Since Margaret is down as form New York in some records, I wonder if they may have married in that state? Montreal is not far from the border with northern New York State.

PB

[RedMystic]

Thanks again PB. I haven't found a marriage in NY, but I'll keep looking.

What's with 1994 before registered births in Que. Grrrr!!! 

[polarbear]

Hi again.

It wasn't just civil registration of births that began in Quebec only in 1994 but marriages and deaths as well. Before then there are only parish records of these events. Folks were expected to take their babies to the local church for baptism and that became the record of their birth. Some didn't and then there might be a late registration, as in when one wanted to apply for their pension or something.

I shall keep looking for a marriage. It could be in the records but unreadable and thus not indexed.

PB

[RedMystic]

Thanks PB.  I'm sad to hear the news that we may never have marriage info for Margaret & William, but as he was Protestant it's unlikely they married in the Catholic church. (They likely shouldn't have married at all as it appears he was not removed from his 1st marriage in England.)

I'm continuing to try to find William's arrival in either NY or Quebec - no luck as yet. 

I have figured out the problem with the 1910 US census for this family. The enumerator mixed up the names of mother & first daughter. Mother is incorrectly recorded as mother's name Kathleen & 1st daughter is incorrectly recorded as mother's name Margaret. (The names are reversed.) Then, to add to the problem, the transcriber recorded 1st daughter's age as 3 when it is 8. (It's an easy slip.)

Your look-ups have been immensely helpful. 

[polarbear]

Very elusive family, aren't they?

So the baptism I found would be the one for someone who was usually known as Patricia, I believe? And from the image, the month could be May and the Y is just indistinct.

No sign of a marriage so far. It is quite possible they didn't marry. It would presumably have been highly unlikely for Margaret to have married outside her faith (although not unheard of) and William would surely have had to convert in order to marry a Catholic. We know from the baptism record that this was not the case.

Also looking for a baptism for Kathleen but no luck there either at this point.

[RedMystic]

You rock PB.

I'm quite sure you found the right baptism. My Catholic relatives almost always drop the 1st "saint" name - in this case Mary. In the 1910 census this child is referenced as Maggie (likely diminutive of Margurite) & her 1943 naturalization application identifies her as Margurite Patricia.

Excellent work. Thanks again.

Now, if I can find the 1909 baby record in BC. Weird that's it's not in the Royal BC Museum records.