RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: CR on Thursday 04 December 08 10:07 GMT (UK)
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Hi all,
I hope some of you good people can point me in the right direction. I am searching for my Grandfather Walter Reynolds between 1923 and about 1930 (or possibly later). I have been all over the world looking (via this site and others).
The family story had it that he went to Australia after the birth if his son, my father, and died in a mining accident before they could join him. I had everyone on the Aus section here searching high and low for him (heartfelt thanks to all of them). No one could find any trace of him. I was also manually searching the passenger lists at Kew and also Had no luck.
Then, when the passenger lists were published on line, I found him Yipee!!,, On a passenger list to Canada :o. He travelled alone and landed in Quebec on 19th July 1923 headed for Windsor, Ontario.
So ding ding, round 2. I got some help and paid research done in Canada expecting to find him no problem now.... Wrong!
All I have come up with so far as an absolute certainty is that on 1 August 1923, just weeks after arriving in Canada, he crossed the border into the US.
According to the US Dept. of Labour Immigration Service form that I have, he was heading for Painesdale, Michigan to the Copper Range Co. who I think paid his passage.
From there the trail goes cold again.
I can't find him in the 1930 Census so I am looking at the possibility that there is some truth in the family story that he died (possibly in a mining accident) before or during 1930 when his wife remarried in Cornwall declaring herself widowed.
So, I'm looking for pointers to resources that will fill in the gaps. Is there a Death recorded between 1923 and 1930 that could be him. And/or are there any mining records that will show his employment and possibly injury/death in an accident. Of course I can't rule out the possibility that he lived beyond 1930 and settled out there possibly starting another family.
Any pointers greatly appreciated. I have posted all the data I have on him below.
Regards
Clive
Name: Walter REYNOLDS[1]
Sex: Male
Father: Charles REYNOLDS (1849-1902)
Mother: Frances BUNT (1853?-aft1901)
Birth 4 Nov 1894 ,,Camborne, Cornwall, England(*2)
Census 31 Mar 1901 (age 6) ,Tuckingmill, Camborne, Cornwall, England(*3)
Occupation Dec 1922 (age 28) Tin Miner Below Ground(*4)
Residence (1) 9 Dec 1922 (age 28) ,Weal Genny Square, Cambourne, Cornwall, England(*5)
Spouse Lilian Maud KEAST (1898-1957)
Children Robert Charles REYNOLDS (1923-1990)
Marriage 9 Dec 1922 (age 28) ,,Redruth, Cornwall, England(*11)
Emigration (1) 19 Jul 1923 (age 28) from ,,Camborne, Cornwall, England to ,,Windsor,Ontario,Canada(*6,7)
Emigration (2) 1 Aug 1923 (age 28) from ,,Windsor,Ontario,Canada to ,,Painesdale, Michigan, USA(*8)
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http://www.lib.mtu.edu/mtuarchives/miningcompanyhistory.aspx
- Michigan Tech Archives seem to have some records for the Copper Range Company; they might not contain names of employees but worth asking.
http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-4645_4702---,00.html
http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-4645_4939-13695--,00.html
- about ordering death certificates from MI. I know there are indexes for some of the earlier deaths but it seems there aren't any online for the 1920s.
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17449_18635_20684---,00.html
- some naturalization indexes are also online, you could check through them for signs he became a US citizen.
When he arrived in Canada, and when he went over the border, did he have anybody else with him? (Maybe other employees of the CRC?)
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When he arrived in Canada, and when he went over the border, did he have anybody else with him? (Maybe other employees of the CRC?)
Many thanks for the links, I'll check them out. As far as I know, and there is nothing on the documentation to suggest otherwise, he was traveling alone.
Regards
Clive
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Also on the site jorose linked to:
http://www.lib.mtu.edu/mtuarchives/directories.aspx - Some city directories in the area
http://www.lib.mtu.edu/mtuarchives/research_services.aspx - local researchers, including one who has access to death, naturalization, and mining employment records
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Many thanks Shelly. Plenty to get me started here.
Regards
Clive
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Clive
I am no help in this part of the world - but I do hope you find him - it was one of my first searches on RC - how I really wanted to track him down ;D
Trish
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Hi Trish,
Long time no speak. It's good to hear from you :)
Yes we are both a long way from Michigan :D but I remember you and the others in Aus working so hard to find him out there for me. I really felt quite guilty when I discovered that he didn't even go to Aus :-[. Thanks for the good wishes though :-*
As an update: I have had a kind soul in Painsesdale doing some research for me. I made contact with him through the link http://www.lib.mtu.edu/mtuarchives/research_services.aspx that Shelly posted (many thanks).
He searched local records for the Copper Range co. that ran the local mining industry and the County death records but could find no sign of him.
This old fella is certainly proving elusive ::)
To be honest I'm not sure where to look next. I have tried ancestry and the IGI across all the USA and Canada and can find no death record for him. It appears that he didn't die, neither did he work. So, how the h*ll did he live? :P
Does anyone out there know where he may have gone or what he might have done if he didn't end up working for the Copper Range Co. in Painesdale?
Regards to all
Clive
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Did that mining company have mines in other locations? South America?
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Nice thought Erato, I'll have to research the company and see. :)
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Probably of little use Clive, but my one venture to the US - looking for a tin miner from Cornwall :) who my family history said died in Salt Lake City, resulted in finding his burial & his son 8) The links are in this thread, if of any use
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,313721.0.html
Trish
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Thanks Trish, I'll have a look. Any ideas greatly appreciated ;D
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Hi All,
Still no sign of him on any of your links Trish :( Thanks for trying though :D
I can't see any sign of the Copper Range Co. elsewhere at the moment either Erato but thanks for the idea.
On another slant. Has anyone use or have experience of this site http://feddeathrecords.com/?
I have just stumbled across it. It's claims are far reaching but I am wondering if it's worth the subscription? Is it likely to have the period I am looking for (1920's onward) and does it give me the full information?'Will it have more than Ancestry? If anyone can tell me before I try it and get disappointed I'd appreciate it.
Regards
Clive
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I've never heard of that site, and I'd be hesitant to pay for anything that doesn't even tell you if it's found what you're looking for or what its sources are. Their FAQ page can't even be found.
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Was this site (or one very similar) not discussed somewhere here recently?
Read the fine print at the bottom about "Many of the public records in the members area come from paid record providers that charge us for the search usage of your premium search account. Your membership is a deposit towards the usage of the premium search databases. When you do a search using the premium databases and results have been found, search points are deducted from your deposit.", etc.
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Thanks guys, the reason I asked here was because it 1. claimed to have all records and 2. seems to intimate that it is "up to date". Given that Walter died sometime after 1923 when he was aged 28 this, on the face of it looked like a good place to search.
But, reading deeper I'm not convinced it will have any more than the likes of ancestry will have?
I agree with you Shelly, I'm reluctant to shell out for something I'm not sure will add to the data available. I'll wait until I am really desperate for more information on him :-\
It was worth asking just in case someone was already using it and swore by it ;)
Regards to all
Clive
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Hi all,
I've just been given another sniff of a lead.
He may have ended up working for either the Quincy Mining Company in Hancock, Michigan or Calumet & Hecla Mining Company in the same area. Both I believe in Keweenaw county.
Does anyone have any information on these or know if there are any employment and or accident records for them covering 1920's onwards.
Regards
Clive
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Mining in Calumet (see under History):
www.uppermichigan.com/coppertown/main.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumet_and_Hecla_Mining_Company
Search Google, or other search engine, 'calumet & hecla mining michigan' or similar for lots of information.
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Many thanks aghadowey. Lots to keep me going there ;)
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I've recently been tracking a distant line of my own to the Houghton area (across the canal from Hancock area) of Michigan. I was told that the local newspaper would have been the Daily Mining Gazette and there are archives of it held here.....
http://www.lib.mtu.edu/mtuarchives/
but apparently they do not perform lookups and the newspaper is not indexed. THere is however a list of local researchers provided.
I was fortunate to find my line had settled in the area so was able to find death info from the SSDI and obtain the DC's from the local courthouse.
Hope this might provide something of interest.
Best wishes
Jean
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Hi All,
I just want to bump this thread to see if anyone has any new ideas.
I have been sidetracked for a while but have been plugging away at it from time to time.
I am up against a brick wall looking for what happened to Walter after he left Windsor,Ontario headed for Painesdale, Michigan on 1 August 1923.
I have been following several leads provided by all you kind people here but found nothing conclusive.
I have also had a great guy on http://www.raogk.org/ researching in Painsdale itself for me. Sadly he has drawn a blank as he can find no record of Walter in Painsdale or in the local mining co. records.
So, the last documented fact I have is a US Immigration record showing him en route from Windsor, Ontario to Painesdale, Michigan on 1 August 1923. His passage was paid for by the copper Range mining company. The only other possible relevant fact is that his wife/widow Lilian remarried in Cornwall in 1930 declaring herself a widow.
As I said above there doesn't seem to be any record of him in Painsdale so my trail has gone cold yet again.
I have searched ancestry (although I don't have worldwide membership) and can't find anything obvious.
I would dearly love to find out where this old chap ended his days but I really don't know where to look next.
Any ideas or possibilities, however remote would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Clive
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Have you seen this website about Painesdale and itsrailroad and mining history? It refers to events before Walter would have arrived but there is a [sort of old] contact email address and a discussion board. Maybe the site owner could give you some useful leads.
http://www.pasty.com/copperrange/strike.htm
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I haven't seen that one Erato. Lots of info on the area I'm searching so could be just the lead I'm after :).
The message board doesn't look like it's been used in a while so I'll email the administrator to see if he can help.
Many thanks for this. I'll find him eventually :D.
Regards
Clive
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Hi all,
It's been a long while since I picked up on Walter. To be honest I kept hitting brick walls and lost my enthusiasm for the search. Decided to get back on the horse and see what is new.
I thought I would look at death records starting in the US as that's where I last saw him and eliminate them one by one.
I have found a record on familysearch.org that I can't rule out as follows:
Name: Walter Reynolds
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 15 Nov 1927
Event Place: Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio
Address: Columbia Hotel
Sex: Male
Age: 40
Race: White
Birth Year (Estimated): 1887
Burial Date: 18 Nov 1927
Burial Place: St. Josepha-New
Record Number: 13
Record Number: 13
I also attach a copy of the certificate.
His name is an exact match.
His age is down as 40?. He would have been 33 so not a million miles out.
Cause of death myocarditis chronic mitral insufficiency (I think). So a heart attack :).
All the rest is unknown.
Not much to go on but nothing to completely rule it out.
So my questions:
Would there be any reason for a miner to end up in Ohio/Cincinnati? I can't find and mining link.
Also what the heck was he doing for the 4 years from arriving in Painsdale? I can find no sign of him at all.
Not a perfect fit I know but it's about the only link I can find that isn't obviously wrong.
Any thoughts on why he might have ended up there appreciated.
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Going on a limb here. I searched for the Columbia Hotel in the 1927 Cincinnati Directory and didn't immediately find it which I thought was odd. So I dug a little deeper and found mention of Columbia Park which was established in 1925 by Columbia Power Gas & Electric. They owned the Miami Fort Power Plant. Apparently Columbia Park was built for the workers. According to the article I saw they paid rent for accommodations including a clubhouse which had rooms to let. I wonder if this might be also known as the Columbia Hotel?? If so the power plant was situated nearby and workers could walk to work. I believe it was a partially coal fired plant. A tenuous link to coal and mining..... Just a guess on my part...... ???
Best wishes
Jean
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Thanks Jean,
Very interesting. While it's by no means conclusive proof that this is my Walter, it certainly doesn't rule it out.
Regards
Clive