Who doesn't love a mystery? Any genealogist will tell you, half the fun is uncovering something that you weren't expecting, and we all have those skeletons in the closet despite what grandma says. Today, I will tell you the story behind the parentage of Sarah Allen, my paternal
great-great-great grandmother. Her story was a mystery that took a long time and a lot of hands-on research, but finally the deep, dark
secrets were revealed.
About 15 years ago I decided that I should start
researching my Dad's side of the family. My grandmother had tackled a good
portion of my Mom's side. Now it was time to start compiling Dad's family. This
research would be all new and fresh. I had to ask questions of my Dad and his
aunt to get started.
With the internet, it became easier to get started.
Especially helpful was the Orleans County Gen Web site (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyorlean/). This site, in its infancy at the time, had a nearly
complete listing of cemetery records from all across the county. I was able to
compile a great deal of information in a short period of time. The next step
was to verify the data. (Sources are critical in genealogical research).
Once I started filling names into the family tree, I
checked additional records to nail down immigration dates, marriages, and
occupations. A unique source for me was a series of family trees that were
included in 1976 history of the Town of Yates where my family was from.
I had traced my family back to a John Jacobs who had
married a Sarah Allen. The Allen surname is a fairly common one, which could be
an insurmountable task for a novice researcher like me. I dove in and plowed
ahead. Initially, I looked at family trees included in the 1976 book.
There was an Allen family in the book whose patriarch was
Simon Allen. Simon was born in 1799 and was married to Elizabeth. According to
the notes, there were 7 children born to this couple. Between child #1 and
child #2, there is a gap that could have been filled with a missing child. The
years were perfect for Sarah Allen to fit neatly into that gap. However, she
was not listed as a child.
The next piece of data was that Sarah declared she had been
born in Herkimer County in the 1855 NYS Census. Additionally, Child #1 and Child
#2 on the Allen family list were stated to have been born in Little Falls, Herkimer County,
New York. I started to believe I had found a connection.
On the Orleans site, there used to be a section where you
could connect with someone who was researching the same surnames you were. Of
course I sent an email to the man working on the Allen family. His reply was
short and blunt -- "Sarah Allen is not a part of this family." That
was it. All my research seemed to have been for naught. I tried to pick up other
threads to lead me to the parents of Sarah Allen. No matter where I looked, it
appeared that Simon and Elizabeth were definitely the right avenue. Now, how
could I prove it?
The Orleans County Gen Web had a transcribed listing of the
censuses. I poured through them looking for answers. Nothing jumped out at me.
I took a break from researching this particular line for what ended up being a
couple years.
Finally, several years ago Family Search (https://familysearch.org/) started posting actual photos of the censuses. Ancestry
did the same. I decided to look at the real census rather than the
alphabetical, transcribed lists. Once I found John Jacobs with his new bride in
the 1850 census, I finally had my answer.
In the 1850 census, John Jacobs and his wife Sarah were
listed in the Town of Yates as living next door to Simon Allen. The value of
the land was listed as $0 with the land being a gift from S. Allen. There was
my answer. Once Simon's daughter, Sarah, was married, she was given a small
piece of land as a wedding gift. As to why Sarah is not listed in the family
tree for Simon and Elizabeth, it is unknown.
Interestingly, John and Sarah's daughter-in-law, Sarah
Russell was quite a bit of a mystery as to her date of death. For some reason,
the Sarahs wanted to be mysterious. Thanks to so much data being out there
waiting to be culled, the answers can sometimes be found a lot easier than they
used to.
My biggest pieces of advice? Don't give up. And don't leave
any stone unturned. You never know what secrets are lurking beneath.
Craig Bacon loves searching for family history. He likes finding new stories and proving old legends right or wrong.