I am going to try and keep this brief, but I can provide background and references if necessary.
After years of research, it looks as though my elusive 4 x great grandfather, Joseph Bodycote, borrowed some money in 1855 and then emigrated from Leicester, England to Philadelphia with his partner Charlotte Noon and their son Joseph Noon Bodycote. This would fit in neatly with the emigration at that time of framework knitters from the East Midlands to the Germantown district of Philadelphia.
It also looks as if Joseph’s sojourn in the New World was short and he died in Philadelphia in January 1857, after an accident on the Reading Railroad.
I am now in contact with someone in New Jersey, who I picked up from a tree on Ancestry and who may or may not be a relative. My contention is that Joseph, bless his heart, is 4 x great grandfather to both of us.
I am descended from the oldest child of his marriage. That much is clear.
I contend that my contact is the 3 x great grandson of Joseph’s illegitimate son Joseph Noon Bodycote. Joseph Noon Bodycote was born in Leicester in 1829, married there in 1851 and then disappears from English records. I am as sure as I can be that he is the Joseph Bodycote, born in 1829, who dies in Philadelphia in 1904. All the American trees on Ancestry start with Joseph Jnr as if he has simply sprung from the earth!
My only problem is – how do I prove this? I have e mailed the Philadelphia Archives twice and have received no response. I have also contacted the Genealogical Society of Philadelphia, again with no response. Is this standard for the US and, if so, how do I get someone to respond?
According to the US census returns, Joseph Jnr was naturalised, so I guess I need to see his naturalisation papers, but if I cannot get a response from anyone I am not sure how I can do this.
As always, grateful for any suggestions.
