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Finding Sydney Phoenix (End)

Writing up a summary for this mystery quest is a challenge. There are many unknowns, mainly due to the various discrepancies in the records found. Due to time limitations I cannot continue with this genealogy research, as much as I'd love to!

Just before I summarize my findings, there are a few miscellaneous records that will no doubt be of interest.

Miscellaneous Records

A search for Olive Rodman (remember her from the 1871 census?) found her in the 1850 Hopewell, Ontario County New York census with daughter Laura (who later married David Phoenix)

 

Rodman, Isaac, 52, b. Rhode Island
Olive 50, b Massachusetts <--in 1871 living with David and Laura Phoenix
VanRensellaer, 24 b New York
Mary, 8 b New York
Lavina/Lavinia, 21, b New York <--in 1871 living with David and Laura Phoenix
Lydia,18, b New York
Laura, 15, b New York <--married David Phoenix

Marriages in Ontario

• Hannah Phoenix, age 50, daughter of David Phoenix and Laura Eveline, married 1916 George Fountain
• Mildred Phoenix, daughter of David Phoenix and Laura Rodman married 1908 Archie William Smith
• Almeda Phoenix, daughter of David Phoenix and Laura married 1894 Isaac Bird
• Maud Phoenix, daughter of David Phoenix and Laura Rodney [sic] married 1913 Alfredo Cabrera
• Mary E. Phoenix, daughter of David Phoenix & Sarah married 1897 Thomas F.R. Logan.
• Clifford Charles Phoenix,40, son of Sidney Phoenix and Maud Bird married 1937 Mary Florence Miller  <--He claims he is Pearl's brother but they do not name the same parents
• Pearl Myrtle Phoenix, 23, married 1919 Joseph Edwin Brown. On the Marriage Certificate Pearl's parents are noted in one spot as David Phoenix and Myrtle. In a second spot on the certificate her parents are noted as Archive Smith & Mildred Phoenix <--was Pearl the illegitimate daughter of Mildred Phoenix? But why did she list David Phoenix in a second spot on the cert?

Summary

It appears that Sidney Phoenix was the son of David Phoenix who according to various records was born in Missouri (possibly St. Louis) circa 1832. In 1854 (location not known) David married Laura Rodman who was born circa 1835 in New York to Isaac and Olive Rodman.

It is possible, but not proven, that David Phoenix's father was Alex Phoenix born ca 1794 in New York and married in 1834 to an unknown woman.

No record was found of a marriage for Sidney Phoenix. No record was found for his presumed wife Maud Bird but it must be noted that there is only one record that names her, and that is Clifford Phoenix's marriage certificate. Since he provides different names for his mother on other records it is possible he did not know her name.

We do know that Sidney Phoenix appears to have lived most of his life in London Ontario. Although he has not yet been found in the 1891 census we can use the 1891 City Directory as a census substitute to place him in London Ontario with other family members.

Suggestions

Descendants or others who are interested have many new clues and pieces of information to guide further research. Given the confusion as to various family relationships I suggest a DNA test may assist the research into this family.

I suggest any interested descendants take what I have found, and look for more. Try variations of surnames and wide range of each individual's birth years when you search. Analyze each record you find for clues. Go back over my findings and note the clues I found - but check for others as well.

Go slow. Be methodical. Be careful to note names, dates etc exactly as written even if you are positive they are wrong. Come up with theories and hunt for evidence to prove or disprove each one.

If you found it helpful to see my research or the process I used to find information, please consider a donation to support my continuing to bring free genealogy online for all.

This is a 4 part series so to find each article, click on the "Finding Sidney Phoenix" tag at the bottom of each post.

Finding Sidney Phoenix Part 3

A more generalized search for various Phoenix individuals took me to Ancestry database for Border Crossings Canada to USA where I found Clifford Phoenix in 1916. What was intriguing about the information in this record was two-fold.

Clifford stated that:

1. Archie Smith of 749 Grey St was his brother-in-law. We know that in 1908 Archie married Mildred Phoenix, and that she claimed David Phoenix and Laura Rodman were her parents. So we are back to the impossible - that David and Laura were also Clifford's parents.  
2. Clifford stated he had been arrested previously and spent 1 1/2 years in the Penetanguishene Reformatory on Georgian Bay Ontario. I searched in online newspapers and found that Clifford was sent to jail in 1912 for theft.
3.  

SENTENCES DUPLICATED: Four Men Given Terms for Stealing Brass and Lead from G. T. R. 

Special Despatch to The Globe. The Globe (1844-1936);Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]02 Sep 1912: 2

Clifford had also been in trouble with the law in 1911

 TWO ALLEGED BURGLARS Masks and Stolen Goods Found on Two Men--Remanded to Thursday
Special Despatch to The Globe. The Globe (1844-1936); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]27 Dec 1911: 3. 

Another lesson in genealogy research is that frequently we find information about an ancestor that may upset or concern us.

CEF Database

The Canadian Expeditionary Force was my next stop. Clifford was the perfect age to enlist in WW1 and I thought it was worth a look. My efforts paid off and a large personnel file was available. I'll touch on a few of the more revealing portions but if you want to read all 58 pages for yourself, you can do so at Library and Archives Canada

Confusion Reigns

Spoiler Alert! There are many confusing and contradictory statements in Clifford's WW1 file. It is actually a good lesson in genealogy because to figure out these contradictions one would have to be patient, persevere and go methodically through all records. The determined genealogist would carefully find and note all records, copying each exactly as found, then determining which could be trusted most. To do this the genealogist has to analyze the record - who made it, who gave the information, when was the information recorded, is it a copy of an original vs an original, etc.

So let's learn what Clifford's file tells us.

He enlisted in London in September 1916 and said he lived at 729 Grey Street. His sister was Pearl Phoenix of 265 Clarence St. He gave his date of birth as 10 April 1884 which contradicts his given ages on census records. It was not unusual for recruits to lie about their ages to make themselves older but it also could be that Clifford did not know his birth year.

He says his father is dead but his mother is alive. In the space for mother's name he puts his sister Pearl.

Later in April 1917 he asks that his pay go to his mother - and provides the name "Mrs. Maud Cabrera" of 238 Clarence St. He says he will be going to live with her when he is discharged. I found from marriage records that Maud Phoenix, daughter of David and Laura Phoenix, married Alfredo Cabrera in 1913. But Maud was born circa 1884 so how could she be his mother?

Clifford's file shows that he was often in trouble and either fined or in military jail for several offenses:

• 5 days for going AWOL in 1917
• 20 days for malingering
• 5 days for... and 3 days for going AWOL
• 5 days for "committing a nuisance in camp (Urinating)"
• 28 days for 1. Disobeying orders and being out of bounds without a pass 2. destroying property of 3 comrades (clothing)
• 10 days for leaving work without permission, disobeying orders, and being found in Montmerrie without a pass. 

A notation on his file states he died June 5, 1959. No location was given.

My summary and a few new research findings are next. This is a 4 part series so to find each article, click on the "Finding Sidney Phoenix" tag at the bottom of each post.

Finding Sidney Phoenix Part 2

In Part 1 of Finding Sidney Phoenix, we found Sidney's parents, and possible maternal grandmother. We also discovered 11 siblings that we could research for more clues. But it's time for me to keep going with census records.

More Census Records

As a reminder, the Phoenix family was found in London Ontario area in 1871 and 1881. Checking 1861 census found them living in Ellice Township, Perth County, which is not far from London.

The family consisted of:

Phoenix David, 29 born Missouri, married 1854
Laura 20, born New York
George 3, born Canada West (present day Ontario)
Catherine 2, born Canada West
Alex, 67 born New York married 1834 <-- I suggest Alex could be David's father
Anna, 30 born New York

They are further recorded as 1 widow (Anna?) & 6 coloured

It's always difficult to stay on track and conduct a methodical search when you find exciting clues! For example, we now have Alex Phoenix born circa 1794 in New York, married in 1834, who I suggest is a good possibility to be David Phoenix's father. The urge to go off track, leave the census records, and start looking for Alex is strong!

We also have the find of Olive Rodman born circa 1796 in USA who I suggest is a good possiblity to be Laura Phoenix' s mother. As much as I want to find more about her I know I should stick to going through the census records looking for David Phoenix and wife Laura, as well as the elusive Sidney Phoenix. After all, he is the subject of our quest!

So, to speed things up, below are the various census records I found for the family in my search. Be aware that there are discrepancies and confusion with these records.

1901 Census London Ontario
Phoenix, Liza? (Laura?) A. 63, head <--I suggest this is Laura, widow of David Phoenix
Rodman Lavina? b USA 72, boarder
Phoenix, Hry? L? son 39, widower <--it is difficult to read his name and I do not know how he fits into the family
Phoenix, Mildred, gr-dau, 24 <-- is she listed as a granddaughter in error? David and Laura Phoenix had a daughter Mildred born circa 1876
Phoenix, Maud, gr-dau, 20 <-- is this an error recording her as a granddaughter? Could she be the Almeda found in the 1881 census as a daughter of David and Laura?
Pearl M. , gr-dau, 6
Cliff C. , gr-son,5

1911 Census London Ontario

Phoenix, Laura, widow, 70
Phoenix, Hannah, 34
Phoenix, Maud, 26
Phoenix, Livinia, 25
Phoenix, Clifford, 15 <-- he is marked as Laura's son but this does not seem likely as Laura would have been 55 at his birth

Unfortunately Sidney was not found in the 1891 census. However he is found on 372 Hill street in the 1891 City Directory for London City along with his mother Laura A. and siblings Frederick and Hannah.

This is a 4 part series so to find each article, click on the "Finding Sidney Phoenix" tag at the bottom of each post.



Finding Sidney Phoenix Part 1

Who were Sidney Phoenix and Maud Bird's parents? That was the question asked by Mike D. on a Genealogy group. Mike didn't have much information but here is his query:

Looking for the names of the parents for Sidney Phoenix and Maud Bird.I do believe he passed away in 1899 in London Ontario,I looked in Family Search for his birth registration;but did not see anything;also the census for 1891 and could not find anything.

What Mike didn't realize is that Vital Records did not begin in Ontario until 1869 so it is unlikely he would find Sidney's birth online. Church records would be the most likely place to look.This query intrigued me so I began researching to try to find Sidney and Maud.

It didn't take long to find Sidney's death registration which provided a bit more information. He is recorded as Sidney William Phoenix and he died of pneumonia on 6 December 1899 in London, Middlesex Co. Ontario at age 39 years, 6 months. We can then estimate Sidney's birth as circa 1860/1861. His residence was 273 Burwell St. and he was a Baptist. Baptist records are challenging to find so I decided to look for Sidney in the available directories and census records on Ancestry

City Directories

My next step was to check Foster’s London City and Middlesex County Directory, 1897-1898 to see if Sidney could be found. He was listed as a labourer living at 487 Nelson. Also recorded at the same address was Hannah Phoenix. I noted other Phoenix individuals in case they turn out later to be related: Laura, a teacher, at 47 Oak and William at the same address. Sarah A., widow of Matthew was at 589 King

Other City Directories confirmed that Sidney was living in London in 1894, 1897, 1898, 1899 on Nelson and in 1900 at 273 Burwell. Another interesting tidbit found in the Directories is that in 1900 a Mrs. David Phoenix is living with Sidney on Burwell St. 

In the 1888 Voters' List we find Sidney in London. That's a good clue that he may possibly be found in 1881 and 1891 in the census for London.
 
Census Records

Sidney was easily found in London Ontario in 1881 as 15 year old Sydney Wm. living with parents David and Laura Phoenix. Laura, his mother, could be the Mrs. David Phoenix living with Sidney in 1900 and also the Laura Phoenix found in earlier directories.

Here is Sidney's family in 1881. It was very challenging to read where the family members were born and all their ages.

David, 42, b. USA, porter, African
Laura E. 37 b. USA <-- is this the Laura found at 47 Oak St and the Mrs. David living with Sidney in 1900?
Catherine V., 19
Charlotte A, 17
Hannah A 16? <--is this the Hannah living with Sidney in 1898?
Sydney Wm. 15
Frederick E. 8
Francis Eliza 6
Mildred 5?
Mary 4?
Almeda 2?

Working backwards, I then found Sidney in 1871 living in Westminster (part of London) Middlesex County

The family was recorded as:

Phoenix David, 37 b. USA
Phoenix Laura 36 (or 26?) b USA
Phoenix George 13
Phoenix Catherine 12
Phoenix Charlotte 10
Phoenix Augusta 7 <--I suspect this is Hannah A from the 1881 census
Phoenix Wiliam 5 <-- this is why we should always search under first and middle names, for here is Sidney recorded by his middle name
Phoenix Frederick 3
Phoenix Wilbur 3 months
Rodman, Olive 85 b USA <-- I've been doing genealogy long enough to suspect that Olive could be Laura's mother
Rodman Lavina 40 b USA

Analyzing What We Have Found

1. Sidney William Phoenix date of birth is flexible - from 1860 to 1866. He uses first and middle names interchangeably

2. Sidney's mother Laura was probably living with him in London Ontario in 1900. We should look for her in the 1901 census.

3. I suggest that Laura's maiden name was Rodman and that Olive Rodman born circa 1786 USA was her mother. I need to hunt for Olive in census and death records. I could also try City Directories.

4. Laura's date of birth is circa 1844 while David's is circa 1839. David and Laura are Sidney's parents. I need to hunt for them in census, marriage, and death records. City Directories could also help.

5. I still need to check earlier census records for Sidney and/or his parents David and Laura. Of course I also need to see if I can find Sidney in 1891.

6. It appears little Wilbur, 3 months old in 1871, could have died before 1881 as he is missing from that census. Perhaps we can find more about him or his possible death. Don't assume that he died however. He could be living with relatives. 

7. Lastly we've learned the names of 11 of Sidney's siblings! This is crucial for genealogists as we should always search siblings for more clues. Elder parents could be living with one of the siblings, and finding them could provide more detail. Grandparents could be living with one of the siblings. There may be an obit for a sibling that provides genealogical information.

Part 2 coming soon so stay tuned to find out more about Sidney Phoenix. This is a 4 part series so to find each article, click on the "Finding Sidney Phoenix" tag at the bottom of each post.

The Artwork of Institutionalized James Deeds Jr

"In 1970, a teenager found a handmade album in a pile of trash in Springfield, Mo. Inside, there were 283 drawings of trains, cars, animals and portraits of people with haunting, circular eyes that stared dead ahead. The album had no name or signature. The only clue to the artist's identity was the stationery on which each picture was drawn — stationery that belonged to State Hospital No. 3 in Nevada, Mo." [Source: http://www.npr.org/]

The artist's name was eventually discovered, as was his story of a life spent almost entirely in a mental institution.  Continue reading this poignant yet inspiring story at With Just Pencil And Paper, A Patient Found Escape Inside State Hospital No. 3

Solving a Genealogy Puzzle Part 4: Finding Rachel

Please read Solving a Genealogy Puzzle: Finding Rachel Parts 1, 2 and 3 before continuing with this last article on my quest to find Rachel.

I hope I've put together a compelling case for the parents of Rachel Ann Van Slyke being James H. Van Slyke of Pennsylvania and Sarah Ann McCready.  As well I suggest that James Franklin Van Slyke and William M. Van Slyke were Rachel's brothers.

What evidence have I found to support my theory?

BIRTH PLACE OF PARENTS OF WILLIAM, RACHEL & JAMES

Year	William	Rachel	James
1880 Father	blank	blank	PA
1880 Mother	blank	blank	PA
1900 Father	PA	unknown	PA
1900 Mother	OH	MO	MO
1910 Father	no census	unknown	PA
1910 Mother	no census	unknown	blank
1920 Father	no census	USA	PA
1920 Mother	no census	OH	MO
1930 Father	no census	PA	PA
1930 Mother	no census	MO	USA

Realizing that we do not know who provided information to the census taker, we can still see that these individuals fairly consistently show their father's birth place as Pennsylvania. The mother's varies from Missouri to Ohio.

NAMING PATTERNS OF CHILDREN

William M. Van Slyke	Rachel Ann Bridges	James Franklin Van Slyke
* Mary Ann (his mother's middle name was Ann) * Rachel E. (his sister's name) * Lola A. * James (his father's and brother's name) * David	* Richard * James (her father's and brother's name) * Timothy * Almond Robert * Harley Clyde * Willie D. (her brother's name) * Wesley?	* Sarah M. (his mother's name) * Maud * Bessie * James (his father's name) * John D. * William E. (his brother's name) * Anna * Ruth May * Thomas * Ruby

Realizing that there may be other children born to these individuals, we can still see that the name James is consistently used, possibly in honour of their father, and the names Sarah or Ann used, possibly after their mother. As well, James death certificate provides his mother's name as Ann McCready.


GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS OF WILLIAM, RACHEL & JAMES

Year	William	Rachel	James
1850	possibly Bates Co	unknown, possibly not born yet	not born
1860	Prairie, Chariton	Jackson, Jasper	not found
1870	possibly Benton Co	Grand River, Henry	Grand River,Henry
1880	Windsor, Henry	Windsor, Henry	Tebo, Henry
1900	Oklahoma but in 1890 was in Bates Co MO	Windsor, Henry	Jefferson, Johnson
1910	dead	Windsor, Henry	Green Ridge, Pettis
1920	dead	Windsor, Henry	Windsor, Henry
1930	dead	Windsor, Henry	El Dorado, Cedar but 1937 died in Bates Co

FAMILY LEGENDS

 I  found the following family story about James Frank Van Slyke born Missouri:

This story comes from my dad, Louis Van Slyke.  He said his grandfather, James Frank Van Slyke, was about 8 years old one winter during the War of Northern Aggression.  He lived with his mother, his father had run off.  Some union soldiers were camped near their farm, it was cold.  James' mother was a Union sympathizer and baked biscuits for the union officers.  She sent Frank to the Union camp with the biscuits.  James didn't have an overcoat, so he was in his shirtsleeves in the cold.  One of the officers asked him, "Where's your coat, boy?"  James said he didn't have a coat.  The union officer took off his greatcoat and gave it to the boy.  James thought it was the best coat in the world.  He could walk through the snow-covered woods and didn't feel the cold at all.  He kept that coat until it just wore out. Later, James lived with anyone that would let him go to school.  He would do chores as required and go to school.

Solving a Challenging Genealogy Puzzle: Finding Rachel Part 3

For anyone just joining me, you will want to read  Solving a Challenging Genealogy Puzzle: Finding Rachel Part 1 and Part 2 before you read Part 3.

Here is what I have accomplished so far in my search for Rachel.

I put together a decent timeline of Rachel Van Slyke during her lifetime. I discovered a couple I believe to be her parents. Just to remind everyone, my theory is that James H. Van Slyke, possibly born Pennsylvania and Sarah Ann McCready, probably born Missouri were Rachel's parents.

Here is a summary of what I found on James and Sarah Ann:

* April 1841 James Van Slyke of Van Buren Co. Missouri marries Sarah Ann McCready in Henry Co. Missouri
* April/May 1843 James H. Van Slyke of Van Buren Co. receives land in Bates Co. Missouri
* March 1856 James Van Slyke receives land in Jasper Co. Missouri
* July 1859 Sarah Ann Van Slyke marries James Wilkerson in Jasper Co.
* 1860 Rachel Vansback [sic], 9 years old is living with James Wilkerson's mother in Jasper Co.

Since James Van Slyke and Sarah Ann McCready were married in 1841 and Rachel was not born until 1850, I suggest there may have been other children born to this couple between 1841 and Sarah Ann's second marriage in 1859.

So my next research decision was to search census records for any Van Slyke individuals born in Missouri 1841-1860. (I chose 1860 as the end year assuming Sarah might have been pregnant with a Van Slyke baby at the time of her marriage)

So as not to prolong the suspense, I found two Van Slyke males born at the right time in the right place to be siblings of Rachel. Here's the summary for William M. Van Slyke born February 1842 Bates Co. Missouri and James Franklin Van Slyke born January 1853 Missouri. My census research was done on Ancestry.com  Note that "nf" means "not found"

William M. Van Slyke aka Slack aka Vanslack 1842-1909	James Franklin Van Slyke aka Van Slack 1853-1937	Rachel Ann Van Slyke aka Bridges 1850-1931
1850 n.f.	1850 n.f.  - not born yet	1850 n.f.  - not born yet
1860 Census Prairie, Chariton,Missouri William Slack [sic] age 17	1860 n.f.	1860 Census Jackson, Jasper County Missouri. Rachel Vansback [sic], 9 living with Wilkerson family
18 May 1864. Warrensburg Larceny charges re stealing a horse from “Mrs. Pitts”. Residence given as Henry Co. Charges dismissed (as Van Slack)	1870 Grand River Township, Henry County Missouri. James Vanslike [sic] age 16 with Lewis family	1868 Benton County Missouri. Rachel Van Slyke of Benton Co. marries Alfred E. Bridges of Henry Co.
3 Sept 1864 Enlisted at Warrensburg MO 45th Inf. MO age 22 (as Wm M Van Slyke)	married 1870-1880	1870 Census Grand River, Henry Co. Missouri. Edmund Bridges a farmer age 27 born Ohio, wife Ann 20 born Missouri
5 July 1865 St Louis MO 1 Oct 1865 re-enlisted 50th Inf MO	1880  Tebo, Henry, Missouri. James Van Slack [sic] 26 with wife Elzina. parents b PA	1880 Census Windsor, Henry County, Missouri. Rachel 24 (recorded as Reichiel) born Missouri married to Edmon [sic] 37 born Ohio
1 Oct. 1865 marriage record for William Van Slyke marrying in Benton Co. to Louisa Teter. Bride and groom living in Pettis County	1890 n.f.	1900 Census Windsor, Henry County Missouri. Rachel A. Bridges, 50, born January 1850.Married to Alfred E. Bridges
1870 n.f.	1900 Census Jefferson, Johnson, Missouri. James F. Van Slyck 47, pa b. PA, ma MO	1910 Census Franklin Street, Windsor, Henry County, Missouri. R. A. Bridges, 60 years old. Married to A. E. Bridges age 67
1880 Windsor, Henry Co. Missouri	1910 Census Green Ridge, Pettis, Missouri. James. D [sic] Van Slyke 57. pa b. PA	1920 Census Franklin Street, Windsor, Henry County, Missouri. Rachel A. Bridges, 69 widow
1890 Special Census for  Surviving Soldiers, Widows of Civil War: Rich Hill, 2nd Ward, Bates Co. MO	1920 Felt St. Windsor, Henry, Missouri. James F. Van Slyke 67. pa b. PA. ma MO	1930 Census for Windsor, Henry County, Missouri. Rachel Bridges, 80 year old widow in Windsor, Henry County. Pa born in Pennsylvania, ma Missouri
1900 Keokuk, Lincoln Co. Oklahoma misindexed as Vandyke on Ancestry. Pa b PA, ma OH	1930 Census El Dorado Springs, Cedar, Missouri. James F. Van Slyke 77. pa b. PA	Feb 25 1931 Windsor, Henry Co, MO - bur: Feb 26 1931 Laurel Oak Cemetery
16 Aug. 1909 Widow Filed for Civil War Pension	Death 21 Dec. 1937. Registered Bates Co. MO, burial Windsor, Henry Co. MO.  shows dob Jan. 11, 1853. Mother Ann McCready	---

Naturally there are more clues and information to be found on each of the images for these records above.  We can see at a glance that the father is most often listed as born in Pennsylvania so that is certainly a clue I would follow further. 

The circumstantial evidence is strong (notice the geographic locations) and supports my theory that James H. Van Slyke and Sarah Ann McCready had at least three children: Willliam M. born February 1842, Rachel Ann born January 1850 and James Franklin born January 1853. 

It seems quite plausible that James the father died or deserted the family and that Sarah the mother remarried. I have found no trace of Sarah or her second husband James Wilkerson after their marriage in 1859. The fact that the children seem to have gone to live with other families makes me suspect they may have died soon after their marriage. 

In part 4 I will list all the circumstantial evidence that leads me to my conclusion that James H. Van Slyke and Sarah Ann McCready were the parents of Rachel Ann Van Slyke who married Alfred Edmund Bridges, and that Rachel had two siblings - William M. Van Slyke and James Franklin Van Slyke.

Solving a Challenging Genealogy Puzzle: Finding Rachel Part 2

As a reminder, here is the challenge I have been working on - Jess intrigued me with this email she sent to Olive Tree Genealogy

my great great grandmother was a Rachel Ann Van Slyke born 1/23/1850 Joplin Missouri. d. 2//1931. she married Alfred E bridges 11/1/1868. I've hit a dead end as to who her parents might be and am trying to establish a direct link to either Cornelius or Peter.

any ideas of any descendants of peter or cornelius who may have had a daughter named Rachel Ann Van Slyke and who lived in Missouri in 1850?

The start of this genealogy research journey can be found at Solving a Challenging Genealogy Puzzle: Finding Rachel Part 1

After putting together a fairly good timeline of Rachel during her lifetime, and analyzing the census records I found for further clues, I decided to look for any Van Slyke individuals in or near her locations. This was not such a stab in the dark as it might seem. There were very few Van Slyke names of any variation found in any of the census records for Missouri! That was very helpful because we can theorize that it is very possible they are all related. Remember - this is a theory only so I had to prove or disprove it.

Marriage 12 April 1841

I had no results in the 1850 and 1860 census on Ancestry.com but found one very intriguing marriage record dated 12 April 1841 in Henry Missouri for James Vanslyke and Sarah Ann Mccready. The record stated that both James and Sarah resided in Van Buren County at the time of their marriage.

These looked like good candidates to be Rachel's parents so I then focused my research on this couple.  In a nutshell here is what I found (please note that this was not quick and easy, my findings are the result of many hours of diligent and creative research techniques)

Bates Co. Missouri Almost 150 land patents were issued in April and May, 1843. Below are the names of the original patentees, and the land they received.

VANSLYKE, JAMES M     17867     Twp. 41N - Range 29W, the NE¼SW¼ of Section 26 - 40 acres
VANSLYKE, JAMES M     17868     Twp. 41N - Range 29W, the NW¼NW¼ of Section 25 - 40 acres
VANSLYKE, JAMES M     17869     Twp. 41N - Range 29W, the SW¼NE¼ of Section 26

The image on Ancestry.com for each of these patents states that James M. Van Slyke was living in Van Buren Co. at the time. But when the image is enlarged that middle initial "M" could be an "H". Keep this in mind as it relates to my next find.

Image from Ancestry.com

The next item I found was dated 10 March 1856 when James "H" Vanslack (sic) of Jasper Co. Missouri purchases 40 acres of land

It seems very clear in this 1856 image that the middle initial is "H". In the 1843 image, it could be H which has been mistranscribed as an "M"


I feel confident that this is land being purchased by James Van Slyke who married Sarah Ann McCready. I did not find any other records for James Van Slyke but I did find a second marriage record for Sarah Ann McCready. I suggest we can theorize her husband was deceased or had deserted the family because in Joplin, Jasper Missouri on 28 July 1859 we find Sarah Ann Vanslyke marrying James Wilkerson.

Before I leave this article to move on to Part 3 of Finding Rachel, let's take a look at that surname Wilkerson. Remember 9 year old Rachel "Vansback" living with Levina Wilkerson in 1860? The 1850 census for Jasper finds Levina/Lavina Wilkerson (misindexed as Wilkenson) with her husband Morgan and family including son James Wilkerson age 18.

I suggest that Sarah Ann McCready married first James H. Van Slyke in 1843. She had at least one daughter, Rachel Ann McCready. Then her husband died or deserted the family some time between purchasing land in Jasper in 1856 and Sarah Ann's second married in 1859 to James Wilkerson. For an unknown reason, little 9 year old Rachel went to live with her step-father James' mother Levina Wilkerson by 1860. Did Sarah Ann and James die? Did they move away? Were they simply on an extended honyemoon?

My next research investigates those questions and more (for example does Rachel have siblings?) and will be found in Part 3 of this series.

Solving a Challenging Genealogy Puzzle: Finding Rachel Part 1

Jess captured my interest with an email she sent to Olive Tree Genealogy

my great great grandmother was a Rachel Ann Van Slyke born 1/23/1850 Joplin Missouri. d. 2//1931. she married Alfred E bridges 11/1/1868. I've hit a dead end as to who her parents might be and am trying to establish a direct link to either Cornelius or Peter.

any ideas of any descendants of peter or cornelius who may have had a daughter named Rachel Ann Van Slyke and who lived in Missouri in 1850?

As many of you no doubt know, I have written several books on the Van Slyke family. My first book was published in 1996 and my most recent is the 3rd Edition of my Cornelis Van Slyke book. "New Netherland Settlers Van Slyke Family: Cornelis Antonissen Van Slyke 1604-1676 & his French-Mohawk Wife Ots-Toch" 366 pages, over 1200 footnotes available for Americans on Amazon and for Canadians on Amazon.ca


My other book on the family is 
New Netherland Settlers: Willem Pieterse Van Slyke aka Willem Neef: A genealogy to 5 generations of the descendants of Willem Pieterse Van Slyke (Volume 10)

on Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Even though I have an extensive database of Van Slyke material from my years of research, Jess' Rachel Ann Van Slyke was not in it. So I began my research and I'd like to take you with me on this challenging and complex journey.

 The first item that Jess needed to realize is that the surname Van Slyke can be found in many variations - Van Slyck, Van Slike, Van Slack and more. When searching online some search engines require precision meaning that a search of Van Slyke will not result in any hits if the surname is indexed as Vanslyke (with no spaces). Those are just the variant spellings and of course we have to talk about misindexing and errors by transcribers. So an open mind is very important.

Looking back at Jess' email we can see that if Rachel was born in 1850 we might find her in the 1850 census. We should find her in 1860 still under Van Slyke. Then we should find her under Bridges from 1870 on.

Even after extensive and open-minded searching using wildcards and other techniques I found no sign of Rachel in 1850. However I found a possible  candidate for Rachel in the 1860 census for  Jackson, Jasper County Missouri. Rachel Vansback [sic], 9 living with the Wilkerson family consisting of Levin, 43 and William 22, . I made a note to search for the Wilkerson family members with this Rachel to see if they somehow connected to our Rachel later. I should note that I used Ancestry.com and Family Search for my census searches.

1860 Census Rachel Vansback [sic]

1868 Marriage Record Rachel Van Slyke

But first I obtained that 1868 marriage record to see if there were more clues I could follow up on:

1868 Benton County Missouri. Rachel Van Slyke of Benton Co. marries Alfred E. Bridges of Henry Co.

Meantime I continued gathering all records for Rachel so I could get an overview of her movements during her lifetime. Families often stayed close to one another and there was a good chance that Rachel had siblings or her parents or aunts and uncles nearby. Only by methodically researching for her throughout her life could I put together a complete picture. To shorten this lengthy explanation, here is the summary of the census records where Rachel was found :

1870 Census Grand River, Henry Co. Missouri has Edmund Bridges a farmer age 27 born Ohio, wife Ann 20 born Missouri and son Richard 2 months, born April. This is Alfred Edmund Bridges and his wife Rachel Ann Van Slyke, both recorded with their middle names.

1880 Census Windsor, Henry County, Missouri. Rachel 24 (recorded as Reichiel) born Missouri married to Edmon [sic] 37 born Ohio, with sons Dick [no doubt the Richard in the 1870 census] 10 and James 8.

1900 Census Windsor, Henry County Missouri. Rachel A. Bridges, 50, born January 1850. Married to Alfred E. Bridges. Year of marriage given as 1869. Rachel has had 9 children with 5 still living. With them are Timothy Bridges 19, Almon B. Bridges 17 and Harley C. Bridges 12.

1910 Census Franklin Street, Windsor, Henry County, Missouri. R. A. Bridges, 60 years old. Married to A. E. Bridges age 67. Rachel has had 9 children and 4 are still living. With them are their son Tim (mistranscribed as Lim) age 29 and his second wife Helen

1920 Census Franklin Street, Windsor, Henry County, Missouri. Rachel A. Bridges, 69 widow living with Ruth V. Bridges, 11 year old granddaughter and the Allen family listed as “roomers”

1930 Census for Windsor, Henry County, Missouri. Rachel Bridges, 80 year old widow in Windsor, Henry County. She states her father was born in Pennsylvania, her mother in Missouri.

The last record I found for Rachel was her death registration: BRIDGES, Rachel Ann VANSLYKE - b: Jan 23 1850 Joplin, Jasper Co, MO - d: Feb 25 1931 Windsor, Henry Co, MO - bur: Feb 26 1931 L0224 GA - 81Y - sp: Alfred E. BRIDGES. Laurel Oak Cemetery. Clyde Bridges was the informant. 

There are many clues to follow up on, and a great deal of information we can learn when we analyze the various records I found. For example, we can research Alfred Bridges. We can follow the trail of Rachel's children to see if there is any mention of their maternal grandparents. Who are the Allen family in 1920 census? We can look for Van Slyke males born in Pennsylvania (as per that 1930 census) and list them for future research re Rachel's father. That gap in the 1850 census is hanging over our heads and we could start searching it in Jasper County page by page to see if Rachel appears anywhere.

Next: I find possible parents for Rachel in Part 2