Illegitimate birth

[Silas]

Sorry, forgot to say it is the 1901 census in Scotland.

[Silas]

Johnyboy - looks as though you were right when you said Joseph Wigglesworth arriving on the Caledonia on 1st May - last place of residence Partick then.  Marital status says Married.

[johnnyboy]

Silas: I'm assuming you received the manifests. Yes, the only connections between the English-emigrated Joseph Wigglesworth and the Scottish-emigrated Lizzie Wigglesworth are (1)  that Lizzie's husband Joseph and the English Joseph have the same middle initial and (2) the Joe Wigglesworth who emigrated  from Partick and the Joseph Wigglesworth who lived in New Jersey were both bricklayers. Is that enough evidence to make any leaps?

I checked various New York State naturalization indexes for people living in and around New York City. The only Wigglesworth naturalizations on them were George Enoch W. and Elizabeth W. together in 1929 in New York City; they both were about 60 years old.

New Jersey naturalizations are held at the state and county level. Bergenfield, N.J. is in Bergen County. I'll give the clerk's office there a quick telephone call tomorrow to see how accessible their records are.

Not sure what else can be done. More evidence has to be found that connects one or the other of the Joseph Wigglesworth(s) in the U.K. and the Joseph Wigglesworth in the U.S.

John

[Silas]

Thanks John - have pm'd you.

Silas

[Valda]

Silas it is up to you whether you pursue the marriage in Glasgow in 1900 Kath found. If this is the same Joseph found on the 1901 census in Glasgow (marrying a little late for a child born in 1898 - who appears not to be with her parents in 1901, but if born illegitimately she might appear in another name with perhaps her maternal grandparents somewhere), it would nail it one way or the other. If you had bigamous marriage issues you might marry a little later. Either this Joseph (if he is marrying an Elizabeth - can you tell Kath from the index?) has a father Richard a glass bottle maker or not. If he does then you have his 'proven' movements from England to Scotland and onto to America.

Regards

Valda

[katherinem]

I absolutely agree with Valda, the marriage entry would hopefully prove/disprove whether this is your Joseph or not.

Unfortunately there is no way to tell from the index, if the Joseph Wigglesworth marrying in 1900 is to an Elizabeth, as you need at least the first two characters of the surname to do a search

The good thing about the Scottish marriage certs, is that they give far more information on them, than the English equivalents, i.e. both parents name, even the mothers maiden name.

Regards,

Kath

[Silas]

Thanks Kath and Valda.  I have offspring from ancestors in Australia - where Ellen Wigglesworth ended up - managed to trace them a while back and am in touch with a couple, so think I'll do some gentle questioning there - who knows, they may have heard things about Joseph.  Thank you for all your help.

Silas

[johnnyboy]

Silas: Contacted the Bergen County N.J. clerk's office. They have an index to naturalizations occurring in the county and have checked it. No sign of Joseph M. Wigglesworth's naturalization there. That's odd.  I would have expected him to have been naturalized in Bergen County. He was living there in 1917 (for the World War I draft registration), two years before he was naturalized in 1919.

I also contacted the town of Bergenfield, where Joseph Wigglesworth actually resided from at least 1971 to 1930. They usually charge for searches. As a courtesy, they checked the records from 1947-1955. They have no record of his death in those years. I wasn't persuasive enough to get them check earlier years.

Finally, I've contacted the local library in Bergenfield and have the reference librarian on the case. She's still to report back.

Regards,
John

[Silas]

Gosh Johnnyboy you really have been busy and I hope the Library can track him down.  Although, knowing, or thinking we know, his track record he's probably fled to yet another place leaving another 'wife' behind.  Thank you so much for your efforts on my behalf.  If your latest attempt comes up with nothing, I will leave it for the present.  Cheers and thanks again.

Silas.