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Messages - oldkid1943

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1
Ireland / Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« on: Friday 21 July 17 00:46 BST (UK)  »
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Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« Reply #27 on: Yesterday at 08:03 »

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I don't think anyone has suggested that you go personally to New York State to do any research (I certainly didn't) although your location in your profile is "Watertown, Jefferson, New York."

Sorry, my mistake... I assumed the location following my birth date on a genealogy forum was referring to the location where I was born.  I was born in Watertown, NY, and now live in San Antonio, TX.  I will leave it as it is even though it may confuse the issues at hand. 
Searching for a marriage license/certificate in New York is like a needle in a haystack, and you're right, best suggestions come from authoritative sources if they are reachable and cooperative.  Seventeen years of research on a shoestring has taught me it's a mixed bag, and bureaucrats don't have the same enthusiasm for meeting your needs as you have.  You can talk all day long to some and get no relevant answers, or you can get lucky one time and find a nugget.  You take what you can get, beat your head against a wall nine times and maybe get one good contact.  I persevere...
BTW... If you have tried to find transcriptions or microfilm of Marriages in St. Lawrence County you will find NONE in the years Alexander Blair was married, and responsibility for recording them was switched and passed back and forth between town clerks, county clerks, and state bureaucracies.  There is no central repository that I can find.  Not even NYEASY... Did you find any reference to anyone holding a Marriage licence or certifificate or registry for Any Alexander Blair in 1859 or any marriage to Catherine Kennedy at any time between 1888 and 1900?  Have you ever found anything on the 1890 census for 1890 that might be useful.  St. Lawrence County is not on the remnants of the 1990 Census, (Fragments of the US census population schedule exist only for the states of Alabama, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas.), or at least, Familysearch.org has not filmed those fragments, and Alexander never lived anywhere beyond ten miles from Depeyster (Mail address East Road, Depeyster and/or Heuvelton, St. Lawrence, New York, during his adult life.  I lived and worked as a teen in that depressed dairy farming area until 1962 when I left just as I BELIEVE Alexander left Ireland, to find a better life.  I still have brothers and a sister who have never been outside the boundaries of St. Lawrence County, and still live in the same conditions they knew when they were born in the 1940s, the only difference being now they have welfare programs (say social services) to prop them up.  I know the people.  Where did you grow up... perspective is everything.  Thanx for being interested.

2
Ireland / Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« on: Wednesday 19 July 17 07:52 BST (UK)  »
"Sorry to sound like a broken record but do you have the official record of their marriage?
From this you could find his father's name!"

I have no access to records in New York.  I live in Texas, and have not prospered enough to fly to the area to search for records.  I came across a possible gold mine just yesterday... I learned this morning that I have a first cousin who is the Depeyster town historian.  I was aware of New York having local historians over ten years ago, but had forgotten.  I'm a ripe 73 years old now, and memory often plays tricks on me, as well as failing me.  A phone call is pending.
To the second question:  I do not doubt that Alexander Blair (1837-1903) was born in Ireland, was impoverished (he was illiterate), and likely came to US via Canada because he was living in poverty.  Even in Ireland at the time, children went to school if they had resources to do so.  Work was the only life he knew and the most likely scenario was he left home and never looked back, just as I did when I left Northern New York.  Some historian writing about that area in the '50s said words to the effect, "For Northern New York the depression never ended", and it was true.  I lived there in the '50s, in an orphanage, by the way.

3
Ireland / Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« on: Tuesday 18 July 17 05:32 BST (UK)  »
"Alexander Blair's second wife was Catherine Kennedy."

AKA Katie Kennedy.  She lived with her sister Ella Dolan on Barton Rd, Depeyster, NY
I have no further relevant info on her.

4
Ireland / Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« on: Tuesday 18 July 17 05:11 BST (UK)  »
"repeating:
Alexander is shown as 61 on the 1900 census as married to a lady named Catherine aged 48
It gives his birth as Feb 1839; 57 years in USA; immigrated 1843"
This is a dry well I have worn out.  There are no tracks through Canada of Alexander Blair of the right age.  There is no suggestion anywhere in my family that Alexander (1837-1903) ever had any connection to Ireland... He was illiterate, could barely sign his name.  There is no hint of any other relative in or around Depeyster, Oswegatchie, Heuvelton or for that matter, St. Lawrence County.  I have read mountains of newspaper transcriptions from 1840-1903, and have found no connection or mention of any Blair other than children and grandchildren suggesting a connection.  I chased Blairs born in Ireland from 1836 through 1840 with any connection with New York or Canada, and all are rejected.  Even the mother's name Syaland is suspect, as the only reference I have seen is on FAMILYSEARCH.ORG, and being a transcriber myself, much of the interpretations found there bear considerable scrutiny.  When I transcribe, I dump about half of the records because the image is so poor or the handwriting is too unreadable to use.  Transcribers don't always have that same integrity and carry on guessing what it might mean.  Remember, volunteers are not always the most reliable.  I always weigh what damage I may do by guessing. 
As I said earlier, I could perhaps save myself a lot of agro if I had a pile of money to throw at it, but then, what would I do with my time, and who can say purchased information is reliable anyway.
I continue to watch here for anything I may have missed, and will follow any lead within my resources.  Maybe I'll get lucky yet.
I'm convinced Alexander came out of Ulster, probably Antrim, perhaps out of the slums and/or sweat-houses, poor as a churchmouse, Da probably beat the sh*t out of him so he struck out from home, (you paint the narrative here).  Signed on as cabin boy or common labor for passage to Quebec, perhaps worked day labor for a couple of years and crossed into New York (the St Lawrence River used to freeze all the way across in the dead of winter up there.  It hadn't been dredged into the channel it is today).  The St. Lawrence River is less than a mile wide at Ogdensburg, Depeyster is approximately 12 miles, a half-day's walk in clear weather then and now.  Why Depeyster... Why not. 

5
Ireland / Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« on: Monday 17 July 17 01:29 BST (UK)  »
Further on Alexander Blair (1837-1903)... My first post says: "he said he was born in Canada, likely due to legal immigration questions"... it came to me while re-reading this, that perhaps a more likely reason he is shown as being from Canada might be that it was the correct answer if the question by the census taker was "Where did you come to New York from?".  If that was the question, Canada would have been correct, just as some of my ancestors arrived in New York from Vermont even though their starting point was Lower Canada or Canada East.  Just thought I'd throw that in there...

6
Ireland / Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« on: Monday 17 July 17 01:20 BST (UK)  »
Further to my most recent post... Odds are that Alex (1837-1903) was not in a prominent/moneyed/propertied family, else why would he be striking out for the new world?  May even have worked aboard ship for his passage.  I want to correct something I said earlier... Alexander recorded his arrival in New York State as 1854 vs. 1856.  I have seen nothing to indicate he had any assets beyond his ability to work until he married Susan Hydorn who owned the farm on East Road, Oswegatchibe Township.  I visited the farmstead briefly in 2002 (I believe that's the year...) and the farm was owned and being worked by a young Amish couple named Yoder using horse-drawn implements as many of the Amish still do.  I was not able to see the inside of the house, nor take close-up pictures as 1. the husband was in the field working at the time, and 2.  this Amish sect forbids personal photographs.  Unfortunately, back when I was able to travel, I was to inexperienced to know the right things to look for and how to best spend my time.  There are few do-overs in the ageing game.  LOL ::)

7
Ireland / Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« on: Monday 17 July 17 00:05 BST (UK)  »
Quote from: BallyaltikilliganG on Sunday 16 July 17 08:09 BST (UK)
I agree with aghadowey's comments and suggestions
another record that might be useful

1823-1837 Tithes Applotment Books  from http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/
The relevant original books are in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) Belfast
has at least 257 entries for Blairs in the northern 6 counties
[Note:-using http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/results.jsp?surname=blair&firstname=&county=&parish=&townland=&search=Search there are 41 Blair entries in the 26 countiea]

The Hub entries including
Blair, Alex.   Townland: Rosedermot Year: 1825      Dunaghy   Antrim
Blair, Alexr.   Townland: Ballydonelly Year: 1833   Duneane   Antrim
neither is your Alexander but either of these two or any of the males among the 257 entries could be your Alexanders father.  And it is known to be a very incomplete record.

some 30 years later see Griffiths Valuation in http://www.failteromhat.com/post1845.php
Blair   Hugh      Rosedermot   Dunaghy   Antrim
Blair   Alexander   Rosedermot   Dunaghy   Antrim
Blair   Archy      Carrowcowan   Dunaghy   Antrim
Blair   John      Derryhollagh   Duneane   Antrim
Good Luck onwards
All good suggestions IF I can ever come up with a good hint for a father's name.  Considering Alexander named his first son "Judson" (my G-Grandfather), the father's name may be Judson, but I have found no lead there in 17 years of research.  Alex did name his second son Alexander, who was called Alex.  Need someone to tell me if the naming convention in Ulster in that era was possibly first son = GRANDFATHER, second son = FATHER, and so forth.

8
Ireland / Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« on: Saturday 15 July 17 01:12 BST (UK)  »
I am aware of the other Alexander Blair in the area (St. Lawrence Co.), but have full confidence in the Alex I am working spent all of his life after 1856 in and around Depeyster and Heuvelton, NY. I am also comfortable his first wife was Susan Hydorn, Daughter of Peter James Heydorn/Hydorn and Deborah Elizabeth Tryon from several sources.  It appears that Peter James Heydorn may have departed the area and left the family farm to Susan, Alexander married Susan and became immediately the owner of a prospering farm in Depeyster.  I am not well organized, but scattered here and there among more than a half dozen old hard disks and reams of paper in boxes, most of the story after arrival in this country is laid out.  The problem I have is tracking Alexander back through Canada (probably Canada East) to Ireland where odds say he was born in Ulster (Proddy).  There is a dirth of free research material coming out of the old country, and considering the turmoil in that area for over 100 years of insurrection, warfare, misrule, and famine, the poor quality of the material is not surprising.  I really have to get to work on what I have and get some consolidation done so it all makes sense.  Ill health for a number of years between 2005 and early 2016 discouraged efforts that should have been taken then.  Charlie

9
Ireland / Re: Alexander Blair Brick Wall Ireland Before 1837
« on: Friday 14 July 17 00:55 BST (UK)  »
Quote from: myluck! on Thursday 13 July 17 12:03 BST (UK)
Welcome to RC

There is an Alexander Blair on the 1851 Census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia as aged 15; a Free C. Presbyterian and a servant with an Ervin family.

He is shown on the 1860 and 1880 census returns in New York with his wife Susan and family.

Alexander's wife Susan nee Hydron died on Mar 27 1888 LINK to gravestone

Alexander is shown as 61 on the 1900 census as married to a lady named Catherine aged 48
It states married 6 years implying c1894
This later marriage could be a source of his parent's names and more details if located

It also gives his birth as Feb 1839; 57 years in USA; immigrated 1843
@MYLUCK... I love this board already, wish I had found it earlier.  I have attached analysis on your first two lines... No joy.  I will attach what I have on MY Alexander later with a link to my cloud account.  I must be doing something wrong because I get an error that the attachment is too long.  I will work on the cloud...   Charlie

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