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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: lucymags on Saturday 10 March 18 01:50 GMT (UK)
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I'm following the trail of an Eli Hart, born in Newick, Sussex, 1827-9, featured in the 1841 census as 14 - apprentice bricklayer to his father (which puts DOB as 1827, but there's a possible discrepancy in baptism date, which I can only check when I get to look at the Newick records at my local LDS centre - could be 1829). Thereafter no more records found as yet in England, census or death, although the Newick records may reveal a marriage.
I have found a few records in FamilySearch which could indicate that he immigrated to the US either in 1850 or 1857.
There's this immigration card: Hart... family; age 22; dated 8.1.1850 (1 Aug or Jan 8?) (i.e. b.c.1827-8). "United States Index to Passenger Arrivals, Atlantic and Gulf Ports, 1820-1874," https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD5G-6PY.
US Census, 1880 - Eli is shown as a plasterer, with wife Annie:
Eli Hart Self M 52 England Annie Hart Other F 40 England "United States Census, 1880," https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6CW-K7M.
US Census, 1900, Washington DC, age 73, widowed, with granddaughter and her son (transctipt here (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMF7-8HY, image here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SZ3-1XZ?i=18&cc=1325221):
Birth Date May 1827
Birthplace England
Immigration Year 1857
Death record for an Eli Hart, bricklayer:
Name Eli Hart
Event Type Death
Event Date 20 Feb 1904
Event Place District of Columbia, United States
Gender Male
Age 74
Marital Status Widowed
Occupation Bricklayer
Birth Year (Estimated) 1830
Birthplace England
Burial Date 22 Feb 1904
Cemetery Glenwood Cemetery
(Transcript only https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7YH-R4M )
And then this one is a bit odd:
A death record for a daughter of an Eli Hart, an Elnora Clark, widowed, died aged 66 in Washington DC, 30 Dec 1924 - recorded as born in England, father Eli Hart, in 25 Aug 1858 - which is later than the other records relating to Eli Hart's supposed immigration though. (No image available.) "District of Columbia Deaths, 1874-1961," https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7RP-XTR
Eleanor is a family name, so it is conceivable that this Elnora is a mutation of that, but the only Eleanor Harts born in England between 1857-9 were not born anywhere near Newick (Brighton 1859 is the closest possibility). No Elnoras. So, she's the daughter of a different Eli Hart, or the death record has recorded her POB incorrectly.
There's an Eli Hart cited as father of an English Ethel Hart aged 20 who gets married in Michigan to an Irishman in 1894 - but this must be someone else (or made up for official purposes, who knows?).
I'm not at all familiar with US sources, so if anyone can suggest any other possible leads, I'd be grateful. Why does he not appear in other US Censuses? Perhaps they're not all available? FindMyPast brings up a few entries on the search list for Eli Hart in Washington DC, but no other census records. There are a couple under US marriages, but they're behind the paywall.
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Two different entries ???
1880 census - 1009 11th Street NW Washington, District of Columbia.
Eli Hart 45 Born England. Plasterer.
Ann Hart 40 Born England.
Bertha Hart 4 Born 1876 Washington DC.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6CW-VFG
1880 census - Massachusetts Avenue Washington District of Columbia.
Eli Hart 52 Born England Plasterer.
Annie Hart 40 Born England.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6CW-K7M
Sandra
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:o
That's bizarre! Thanks for that, Sandra. (Not sure how I missed it...) Perhaps two different people gave the census info and it was duplicated?
But that does give me a new lead on the daughter (presumably mother of Bertha Smith who features in 1900), so I will see if I can find anything further on her.
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1860 census New York New York, Ward 19 District 3
Eli Hart 38, mason, born England
Mary Hart 28 born England
Emily age3 born England
Ellen age 1 born New York
On 9 May 1871 they arrive back in New York from a visit to England, ship American Union
Eli Hart 43 Plasterer
Mary Hart 40
Emili 16 (Emily)
Ellen 4 (I think this should be 14)
Has in description -living in the U.S. for 15 years.
Eli Hart married for a second time to Mrs. Lucy M Bryant, she was 36 he was 56 on the 18 February 1886 in Washington D. C.
No image available or I haven't found it yet.
All above on ancestry.
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Oh, thanks amondg! That's great. (I have Ancestry atm but only UK so cannot get to US records.)
This adds to the confusion - wives (3?), ages, children - but I'll work it out when I get back to it later.
I've just been puzzling over some Bertha Hart entries - 2 for Bertha Hart, aged 16, in different towns in NY state in the 1892 census (one says she's a servant - so perhaps her workplace?). Have to take a break now but I'll try to sketch it all out when I get back.
Of course Hart is a fairly common name, but Eli less so and as the dates seem to more or less tally, and the trades of plasterer, brickie and mason seem pretty close, I think it must be the same man.
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Death record for "Elnora" says her husband was Frank A. Clark
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMFM-HDM
1900: Eleanor Clark as "head of household", born NY, parents born England - husband Frank listed after her, unusual! Only one child in household but she says three born, two living. Married only five years - could there have been an earlier marriage?
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKL8-L32
1910: Elenor Clark, a widow, with the son Leonard still there
She now says only 1 child, 1 living
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNLV-13N
1920: Eleanor Clark by herself in another household
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7TR-2PJ
- Bertha possibly died in 1905, father born Virginia, mother New York... agrees with 1900 census
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F756-YXW
- a child to a James A. Clark and a Eleanor Hart Clark back in 1887...
Now, could this be your same family?
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025007/1887-02-07/ed-1/seq-1/
Eli Hart, whose trade is mentioned as bricklayer but who had been running a confectionery store with his daughter, was shot by his son-in-law, James A. Clark after an argument about Clark's failure to support his family. It is mentioned that the wife of Eli had been unwell and on being told of the incident fell unconscious, said to be dying. Eli was at this point said to be near death.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82000205/1887-02-25/ed-1/seq-4/
- Eli had recovered enough by the end of the month to give evidence (second column near the bottom)
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024442/1896-03-27/ed-1/seq-8/
- interestingly enough Eleanor might have started divorce nearly ten years later, perhaps because she wanted to marry Frank? (bottom of page)
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024442/1896-05-20/ed-1/seq-7/
- it looks like (left hand side) James was not around at that time and so the divorce may have been awarded by default
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Well well well, the plot thickens!
Thanks so much, jorose - what a mine of information, which I shall mine further tomorrow. A quick glance tells me that it all fits (Ellen/Elnora/Eleanor being the same person, obviously), although my attempts to find the marriages for Eli's first two partners and births for Emily and Ellen came to nought. But I have a schematic timeline now, with first wife Mary, 2nd Annie and 3rd Lucy.
Interesting that she was shown as head of household. Perhaps he was a useless alcoholic?
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I saw no obits for Eli just a couple of death notices that didn't have much.
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Thanks, RJ.
I am putting this together slowly now, trying to slot in the various relatives and noting things in chronological order, so I may have a few more questions as I go along.
My first one is help in trying to decipher this migration card: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD5G-6PY and in particular the attached snip. (I have yet to work out why it's 1850 when later records suggested that he'd only lived in the US from 1857ish.)
Firstly - the date. Is this likely to be the current US style of MM-DD-YYYY, or rest of the world style DD-MM-YYYY?
Secondly - does that destination mean New Holland? And is the vessel Hollandon? ???
And lastly, does this card imply a passage on that date, or could this be a preliminary clearance thing and they didn't actually go on that date?
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The date is 1 August 1850. The destination is United States. The port of entry is presumably New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Thanks for that, Erato.
Would that be usual, to sail all the way down to New Orleans? They do end up in NY, and then Washington DC.
(I don't know how much time I'll get to work on this in the next few days, so my responses and further questions may be somewhat delayed. It's a confusing family, with a few apparent contradictions that I need to work out!)
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Not unusual for Europeans immigrants to arrive via New Orleans, it was a large trading port, most boats arriving from England left from Liverpool.
They then took the river boats on the Mississippi to travel up North.
Could I ask how you know for sure Eli Hart came from Sussex? The census just says England
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Ah, I see - thanks, amondg.
Newick baptism (not available online except at LDS centres) has his baptism date 7 Dec 1829 (same date as his younger brother Abraham, we think for convenience, as they don't appear to be twins). The 1841 England census: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7SV-NJ4 shows him as 3 years older than Abraham, and the actual document shows him as bricklayer's apprentice (his father is a bricklayer). Then he disappears from England (no census or death records) and the US records turn up with same name, age and a range of similar trades (plasterer, bricklayer, mason).
So I'm fairly confident that this is the same Eli, lacking evidence to the contrary. :-)
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Any guesses at the word in front of "var. store" under Eleanor's occupation on this record? https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRVP-HM2?cc=1727033 (nearly halfway down, rhs).
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Now that I'm further down the track with sorting out their complicated lives, it seems that not only did Eli probably have 3 wives (which I'll be coming back to), but his daughter Eleanor and her bridegroom James A. Clark were widowed when they got married:
24 Feb 1886. Married in Alexandria, Virginia. James is 34 (b. 1852 NYC) and Eleanor 30 (b. 1856, Rochester, NY). James' parents' names and Eleanor's father's name is given. Both are shown as widowed. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR7W-S61
- then there's the shooting drama (1886), then they have an unnamed child (probably stillbirth) in August 1887, then divorce (1896).
Then Eleanor apparently marries a Frank Clark, who is named Frank J. in the 1900 census, a toy salesman, born Oct 1863 in Washington DC, parents born NY. Estimated marriage date 1895:
"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMFM-HD9.
Then they have a child, Leonard A. Clark (with more history available on him).
Frank is dead by the time of the 1910 Census.
Then Eleanor dies, and on her death record, widowed, her husband is shown as Frank A. Clark.
Leonard's draft registration record shows his DOB as 21 Feb 1898, but I coudn't spot any birth records, and his Soc. Sec. death record in Jul 1981 doesn't show parents.
It's all a bit peripheral and not terribly important to the main tree, but having a look for Frank reveals an assortment of possibilities in Washington DC, but nothing linking him to Eleanor or to verify whether he's Frank A. or Frank J. Does anyone have a marriage or other record linking a Frank Clark to an Eleanor Clark in Washington DC?
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It's all a bit peripheral and not terribly important to the main tree, but having a look for Frank reveals an assortment of possibilities in Washington DC, but nothing linking him to Eleanor or to verify whether he's Frank A. or Frank J. Does anyone have a marriage or other record linking a Frank Clark to an Eleanor Clark in Washington DC?
A few clips. Obit has "Frank A".
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On the 1900 census Frank & Eleanor's address is 1831 H Street.
1900 census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMFM-HD9
Franks's death: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7TL-V25
Find A Grave: https://old.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=142645835
His funeral notice in the paper dated 1 Apr. 1906 gives his address as 1831 H Street.
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Find A Grave has Eleanor's first name misspelled. She and Frank are both buried in the same plot.
Glenwood Cemetery
Washington
District of Columbia
District Of Columbia, USA
Plot: Section O, Lot 117, Site 10
Frank: https://old.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=142645695
Eleanor: https://old.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=142645835
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Occupation "Notions variety store".
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Thank you so much, RJ, for finding all of those - that definitively links them together and confirms Frank's second initial. Brilliant. (I see that Eleanor is given an E. in one of those newspaper reports, but that's the only time I've seen a hint of a second name, so won't use that unless something else turns up, I think.)
And thanks to SL for interpreting that writing - looks obvious now that I know, of course! I couldn't make it out at all. :-)
Edit: I think that Findagrave must have sourced their information from the official DC death record, which also misspells Eleanor's name. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7RP-XTR
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I can't believe how long I've spent on this family! :o
I decided to create a summary for Eli's profile, which I will reproduce below. I think that it contains most of the important points, and at this point I will leave it for now, unless someone happens to be able to shed light on the death of Mary (first wife), anything about 2nd wife Ann, or anything further about the youngest offspring I could get to.
The burial card I refer to is something I stumbled across serendipitously, after going to the Glenwood Cemetery website. It turns out that all of their interment cards are (supposedly) online - although as I found, some of those mentioned on Eli's card don't have their own records for some uknown reason. (I did just shoot them an email in case they have anything else to help.)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99D6-N9ND-J?i=2070&cc=2170640&cat=2170640 - showing a "Mary A." - so perhaps she was Mary Ann?
So here goes, the summary:
Eli (b. Newick 1827) emigrates to America with wife Mary (birth unk.).
One of their daughters, Emily, is born in England (1856-7, but cannot pinpoint a likely birth record in GRO - nothing there in Lewes dist.), the other, Ellen/Eleanor, in Rochester, NY (Aug 1858 - no birth record).
Emily disappears off the radar after 1871, when she is recorded as aged 14 upon re-entry to the US at NY.
Eleanor (probably) has a child out of wedlock aged 18 in 1877, Bertha (later Smith), marries first James. A. Clark, who is a wastrel, divorces him and marries Frank A. Clark (not known if related). She has a son with Frank, Leonard Clark, who marries Katherine Martie and has a daughter, Elizabeth.
Bertha Smith is shown as daughter of Eli and Ann in one of the 1880 Census records, but grand-daughter (b.c. 1877, mother born NY, father Virginia) in 1900. It looks as if Eli and Ann (?) raise Bertha.
No death records are found for Mary, nor any other records for this second wife Ann(ie).
Bertha marries (? no record found) and has a son, Laurence N. Smith. (His only record is on the 1900 Census, with grandfather Eli and mother Bertha.) She dies young (25) of tuberculosis.
Eli remarries Lucy Bryant in 1886 but is widowed by 1900. [The 1890 Census records were apparently mostly destroyed by fire - nothing for this family remains available.]
In 1887 Eli and Eleanor are running a successful variety store, when Eleanor's husband James Clark shoots Eli in the abdomen. He is not expected to live, but pulls through.
At this point (Mar 2018), no further offspring have been found (of g-grandchild Elizabeth, or grandchild Laurence) - but not completely ruled out yet either.
Eli's burial plot, at the time of his death in 1904, also accommodated Bertha, Frank Clark (Eleanor's 2nd/3rd husband), Mary A. Hart (but no card is found for her, and no other details of death), George Clark(infant death? - nothing found), and a William T. Bryant (child of Eli's 3rd wife Lucy? - nothing found). Eleanor is later buried with Frank.
Edit: I forgot to add that one other loose end is that Eleanor's marriage to Frank in Virginia in 1886 (aged 30) shows her as a widow: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR7W-S6Y. And Bertha's later census record does show her as father born Virginia, but I haven't established whether there's a link there, or just coincidence. Perhaps Eleanor spent some time in Virginia.
Can't recall all whether previously shown on this thread, but there are also memorials on Findagrave for "Elnora", Frank, Eli and Bertha.
(Oops, just removed a note I made about possible burial for Emily, because it was in 1870, and there's a record for her with the family returning via NY in 1871!)
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Just for completeness, I'll add that Eli's history has grown again...
In 1853 he married a woman called 19 years his senior called Jane Court Stanway in Southwark (London), and her later records seem to suggest that they parted but not divorced. In 1861, Jane Court Hart is shown as a widow.
So it's quite possible that he and Mary never actually married, that Emily was born out of wedlock, and/or Eli was a bigamist at least with Lucy. :-\
Also found 1873 bank records at Freedman's bank which show Mary's second name as Ann, and Eli's signature, which matches that on his first marriage certificate! https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NSTZ-QWP.
Also obtained some additional burial records from Glenbrook Cemetery by email, which showed Mary Ann's death in 1883, showing that "Ann" in the 1880 Census is in fact Mary Ann, probably giving the wrong age to make it plausible that she's mother of Eleanor's child Bertha. And Eleanor's 1st child with James Clark, George, died young, and Lucy Bryant had a child calle William Bryant who also died young - all interred in Eli's plot.
I don't think I've ever found a family with quite so many twists and turns!
Edit: Are there any other sources for birth records in the US? Ellen/Eleanor is recorded with her family in Yorkville, NY in 1860, and another record gives DOB and place as August 25, 1858 in Rochester, NY - but I cannot see any records pertaining to her actual birth. (I see that FS has a number of church records for Rochester available at the LDS FHCs - but there are so many churches listed there, I could spend days and never find it!)
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Glenwood Cem.: http://www.rootschat.com/links/01lrm/
Death: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7RF-86R
Obit (see attached)
Evening Star
Washington, District of Columbia
Tuesday, December 04, 1883 - Page 5
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Thanks again for that extra info, RJ - much appreciated.
I had found the Glenwood burial cards for Eli, Frank and Bertha online, but there weren't any for the others. Fortunately a helpful person at Glenwood Cemetery sent me a scan from a book which had the details for that plot (which Eli bought in 1884) and the people buried there, all on one page, and a few other details in the email. Now that you've reminded me that there are also those books indexed by date, I could probably find all of the others there too, now that I know their dates. (Another day! I have already more time on this somewhat peripheral family than many of those in my direct line. But the story just kept getting more convoluted, so I had to keep going until I at least knew who was whom in the story. ;D)
I learnt a few other things along the way too, such as about Freedman's Bank (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedman%27s_Savings_Bank), and it was interesting to see the huge mix of immigrants represented in those censuses, not having ventured into US sources before.
Thanks again to everyone who has helped me with this. I think that we can close the book on Eli's family for now. (Unless of course I happen upon some other oddity. :-\)
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Sorry, it's me again. This is not hugely important, but something has piqued my interest, after finding and recording all of the available records in the Glenwood Interment Register.
Eli's 3rd wife, who was Lucy Bryant, does not appear to be buried in Eli's plot, for some reason, although she died sometime between 1887 and 1900 (couldn't find a record, but she's reported to be sick in the reports about the shooting, and Eli is a widow in 1900). She was younger than Eli, calc. DOB 1848-9.
However, a child called William T. Byrant, who must be her son, was buried aged 9 years 4 months in Eli's plot, and the interment register says that he died of "fracture to the base of the brain" on July 26, 1887 (the same year as the shooting and Lucy's illness) - so born c. March 1878, in Virginia. His last residence is shown as 928 22nd St NW, which doesn't match any address on any of the Census records.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89DP-12JX?cc=2170640&wc=MNY4-3TG%3A1041047801 (near the bottom, lhs)
I'm just curious to know if there are any stories or death notices about Lucy Bryant or her son in the newspapers by any chance?