Eli Hart, migrated England to US 1850 or 1857

[Erato]

The date is 1 August 1850.  The destination is United States.  The port of entry is presumably New Orleans, Louisiana.

[lucymags]

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!)

[amondg]

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

[lucymags]

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. :-)

[lucymags]

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).

[lucymags]

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?

[RJ137]

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".

[RJ137]

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.

[RJ137]

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