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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: Benzol on Friday 16 January 09 12:21 GMT (UK)
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I'm searching for details of John Churchill b. 1855 and his wife Mary Jane nee Carey b.1852. They were both born in Crewkerne Somerset and married in Sheffield Yorkshire in 1876. They had five children in the UK, Thomas b.1877; Harriett b. 1879; George Carey b. 1881; Charles Edward b. 1883; Susan b.1885. John was referred to as a Shoemaker and an Assurance Agent in census records.
My understanding is that the family emigrated to the USA, probably about 1886, and settled in Philadelphia PA. I have a record of John dying there on 18.6.1902.
I've had a go at the Ellis Is. database - no joy.
Any help/information appreciated.
Cheers Benzol
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Hi Ben...
1900 US census, Philadelphia City, Pennsylvania
CHURCHILL
John, 47, b Jan 1853, England, parents born England, to USA 1884, is naturalized. Occupation: Wool Scourer. Married 25 years.
Mary J, 47, b Sept 1852, England, parents born England, to USA 1886, is naturalized. Married 25 years. Birthed 12 children, 8 living at time of census.
Thomas W, 23, b July 1876, England. Occupation: wool scourer to USA 1886
Harriet, 20, b August 1879, England. Occupation: curtain spooler, to USA 1886
George, 18, b Nov 1881, England. Occupation: cloth finisher, to USA 1886
Edward, 16, b Aug 1883, England. Occupation: wool piecer, to USA 1886
Susan, 14, b July 1885, England. Occupation: curtain spooler, to USA 1886
Catharine, 12, b Sept 1887, Penn. Occupation: at school
Anna J, 4, b June 1895, Penn.
Lucy 11 months, b Jun 1899, Penn.
Regards
Grub :D
Unless the family returned to England after John passed on, they should be on later census, but I don't have time at present to look.
One of our other RCers will find them for you, I'm sure.
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Hi Grub,
Thanks. Great news. What stamina hey, 12 kids and nearly 47 when the last one appeared. Lots to chew on.
Benzol
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SS Lord Gough from Liverpool 14/7/1886 to Philadelphia
Churchill, My., age 32, female, born England, last legal settlement - US, occupation - wife, in US before - yes
Churchill, Thos W, age 9, male, born England, last legal settlement - US, occupation - child, in US before - yes, steerage
Churchill, Harriet, age 7, female, born England, last legal settlement - US, occupation - child, in US before - yes
Churchill, George, age 5, male, born England, last legal settlement - US, occupation - child, in US before - yes
Churchill, Ed W, age 3, male, born England, last legal settlement - US, occupation - child, in US before - yes
Churchill, Susan, infant, female, born England, last legal settlement - US, in US before - yes
I haven't had any luck yet finding them in subsequent census records.
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Hi Shellyesq,
Rootschatters are the best. Didn't expect this. Thanks.
I wonder can you (or another rootschatter) explain why this family seems to have been in the USA previously, or am I mis-reading the data. It certainly seems unlikely that the family had visited the US before. Was it something to do with John Churchill arriving there in 1884. Don't suppose he came home and then sailed back with the family in 1886! Interestingly the two youngest children, Charles Edward and Susan, were baptised in Crewkerne on 7.7.1886 just seven days before the SS Lord Gough sailed from Liverpool.
Once again thanks for the info.
Benzol
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I looked for the family on later census as well but couldn't find them either. The only thing I did see was an UK incoming passenger list that had a Mary J. Churchill, 53, who sailed from New York and arrived in Liverpool on 20 Jul 1907 however she was travelling alone.
Jacquie
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Hi Jacquie,
Thanks for the info.
"The game's afoot". Guess if this is my Mary J. Churchill, and it seems likely, she was just visiting the UK. Although John was probably dead by this time she must have left behind a large family. If youngest daughter Lucy was still alive she was only about 8.
p.s. Can you recall the name of the ship Mary J. sailed in?
It seems from your research that the family had completely died out, unlikely, or that it had moved away from the Philadelphia area, perhaps more realistic. How do the US census records work? Is it a national database or simply based on each State? Is there an accessible census later than 1900? If so what does it hold? As you can no doubt tell, I know absolutely nothing about US records.
Cheers Benzol
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The name of the ship was the Campania. I did a couple of quick searches of the passenger list databases at Ancestry and couldn't find any that looked like they could be Mary returning to the US.
Regarding the census, I did searches at Ancestry for the family. The databases for each census year (1790 - 1930) cover the entire US. As well I didn't limit my search parameters to just Pennsylvania.
The LDS Labs website has Philadelphia death certificates from 1803 - 1915. I found a possible death for Harriet in 1904, Edward in 1905 and Mary Jane in 1914. Here's a link to their site:
http://search.labs.familysearch.org/
It looks like Edward, Mary Jane, Harriet and John were all buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Philadelphia. I can't check that out further right now because it's incredibly late where I live.
Jacquie
Edited: After finding the deaths of most of her children, it's certainly possible that Mary travelled alone to England then returned before her death in Philadelphia.
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I suspect the statement that they had been in the US before was wrong. The passenger lists from then aren't very detailed and they are handwritten with a lot of dittoes, and I get the impression from that that they weren't checking immigrants' information all that closely then.
In addition to checking the census records, I tried checking the WWI & WWII Draft Registration Cards. These cover men who were born from roughly 1875-1900 (I'm sure the exact dates are listed somewhere, in case you're curious), so 3 of the Churchill sons would likely have fit in those age ranges & been required to register if they survived & stayed in the US. I didn't find any likely matches in there.
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Benzol, your earlier theory that the family died out seems to have been closer to the truth than you thought. Going from the death certificates I've seen, tuberculosis hit the family hard. From what I've read, tuberculosis was one of the leading causes of death in the US around 1900. Here's what I've found at the LDS site that I provided the link for in my earlier post:
Mary Jane Churchill died 13 Jun 1914 from tuberculosis. Her date of birth was 24 Sep 1852 and she was a widow. The names of her parents weren't known by the informant.
Thomas W. Churchill died 8 Oct 1905 from tuberculosis at age 29 years, 2 months, 14 days. His father is listed as the late John Churchill and his mother as Mary Churchill.
Harriet Churchill died 18 Jan 1904 at age 24 years 3 months. Her parents are listed as John and Mary Churchill. The wrong image has been linked to the entry for Harriet's death at the site and the transcription part doesn't give cause of death. I have notified the site of the problem so hopefully they'll be able to fix that and you can get that certificate as well.
George Carey Churchill died 21 Mar 1903 at age 21 years 4 months 16 days. His parents are listed as John and Mary Churchill.
Edward Charles Churchill died 7 Apr 1905 at age 21 years 8 months from tuberculosis. His father is listed as the late John Churchill and his mother as Mary Churchill. His address is the same as the one on Thomas's certificate.
Anna Churchill died 21 Jul 1909 from tuberculosis. Her parents are listed as John Churchill and Mary Carey. Her birth date was 8 Jun 1895.
Harry Churchill died 18 Oct 1892 at age 2 years, 2 months. His parents are listed as John and Mary J. Churchill.
The only two I couldn't find registrations for were Susan and Lucy.
I went to a couple of sites that have some monument transcriptions for Greenwood Cemetery in Philadelphia but there were no Churchills listed. It is quite possible that their graves are unmarked. I did find a website that is under construction at the moment and is owned by the Friends of Greenwood Cemetery, Inc. which indicates they have possession of the cemetery's records. Here's a link to the site:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~greenwoodcemetery/
At the website, there is a link for requesting a look-up so they might be able to help. If Susan and Lucy also died but aren't in the death certificate database or died after 1915, they might be able to help.
Jacquie
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I took a look at the FamilySearch Philadelphia Marriage Indexes and found that a Susan Churchill married Bernard L. Wildgust in 1907 (Certificate #216566).
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Oh, and I couldn't find a Philadelphia marriage for Lucy through 1938.
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Social Security Death Index:
Bernard WILDGUST
Birth Date: 11 May 1885
Death Date: Aug 1968
Social Security Number: 164-05-2438
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: Pennsylvania
Death Residence Localities
ZIP Code: 19129
Localities: East Falls, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Looks like a good candidate for your Susan as they were the same age. Also, it looks like Bernard's grandchild is intereested in genealogy:
http://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=9&p=surnames.tuman
And take a look at this:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~willgooseweb/medals.htm
The following men were awarded Campaign Medals during the 1914-1918 Conflict:
Bernard L. Wildgust
n.1885
T4/219175 Private
Royal Army Service Corps
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More on this tangent:
Births Jun 1885
Wildgust Bernard Leonard Nottingham 7b 296
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From the 1910 census:
2808 Bambrey Street, Philadelphia
Bernard Wuildgust, head, 24, married for 2 years, born England, parents born England, immigration year 1899, weaver at a lace mill
Susan Wuildgust, wife, 24, married two years, mother of how many children: number born: 1, number alive: 1, born England, parents born England, immigration year 1887
Bernard L Wuildgust, son, 1 8/12, born Pennsylvania, parents born England
1920 census:
2843 Bambrey Street, Philadelphia
Bernard L Wildgust, head, 34, immigration year 1900, naturalized in 1914, born England, parents born England, curtain maker at lace mill
Susan Wildgust, wife, 34, immigration year 1900*, naturalized in 1914, born England, parents born England
Bernard L Wildgust, son, 11, born Pennsylvania, parents born England
Allan C Wildgust, son, 7, born Pennsylvania, parents born England
*It's pretty common for the wrong year to be listed and pretty common for the wife's immigration year to be incorrectly listed as the same as the husband's.
1930 census:
2822 North Stillman Street, Philadelphia
Bonner L Wildgust, head, 45, married at age 23, born England, parents born England, immigration year 1900, naturalized, weaver - lace
Susan Wildgust, wife, 44, married at age 22, born England, parents born England, immigration year 1880 or 1886 (hard to tell what the last number),
Bonner L Wildgust, son, 21, born Pennsylvania, parents born England, knitter - hosiery
Alan C Wildgust, son, 18, born Pennsylvania, parents born England, helper - hosiery
Anna Wildgust, mother, 71, widow, born England, parents, born England, immigration year 1900
Mabel Wildgust, sister, 47.born England, parents, born England, immigration year 1900, bookkeeper - dyer office
If you would like the census images, please PM me your email address and I'll send them to you.
I still can't find Mary or Lucy on the census after 1900.
By the way, the informatant on the death certificate for Mary Jane Churchill was listed as Bernard Wilgust.
Jacquie
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WWI Draft Registration Card
Bernard Leonard Wildgust
2843 N. Bambrey, Phila. Pa.
Age 33, born 11 May 1885
White, naturalized citizen
Occupation - regulator for Cramp Shipbuilding Co., address - Richmond & Norris, Phila. Pa.
Nearest relative - Susan Wildgust, same home address
WWII Draft Registration Card
Bernard Leonard Wildgust
2822 N. Stillman St., Phila. Pa.
No telephone number given
Age 56, born 11 May 1885 in Nottingham, England
Person who will always know his address: Mrs. Bernard Wildgust, same home address
Employer - Quaker Lace Co., 4th St. & Lehigh Ave., Phila. Pa.
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Hi all: This may be the death for Bernard Wildgust, the son of Bernard and Susan Wildgust. He listed as 1 8/12 years old on the 1910 census, which was probably done late March or early April in 1910.
B WILDGUST
born 13 Aug 1908
died Feb 1975
Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19128 (northwest Philadlephia)
SSN: 160-07-6839
Issued: Pennsylvania
Regards,
John :o :o :o
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The marriages of both Bernard Jr. and Allon (which is the proper spelling) appear in the Philadelphia Marriage Indexes, 1917-1938.
Also, here's this:
Allon WILDGUST
Birth Date: 6 Mar 1912
Death Date: 7 Dec 1990
Social Security Number: 162-03-3577
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: Pennsylvania
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Morning everybody,
Thanks for all this work for little ole me. I feel like I've hit the jackpot on the football pools. Unfortunately with nearly all the family dying out I probably forgot to post the coupon. If anything else crops up I'd be very interested. Otherwise I think it's best to sign-off and leave all you great rootschatters to help others in need!
In the meantime I'm trying to contact Allon Wildgust of Vermont USA who would seem to be the great grandson of John Churchill. Wish me luck
Benzol
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Hi, If you are an American link to john Churchill, My 1 st cousin Chris Churchill. maybe is a cousin of your. My maternal side is connecterd to the churchill tree, 3 ways . If you wish to have info please contact me on .I live in Chard somerset, 7 miles from Crewkerne.
Cheers
:) :) :)
Email address removed to prevent spam, as in Rootschat policy. Please use our secure PM system to exchange personal information. :D
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Ben, I have full information on John Churchill, his ancestors and descendants. Perhaps you have made progress since your last correspondence below. Please let me know your current status and I will fill in the gaps. As a matter of interest, do you have a connection with John Churchill?
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Hello John,
It's only me! I've been adding to John Churchill's descendants as and when I find something new. I've built up a pretty good picture thanks to Rootschatters. Are you in touch with any of our American cousins? I've tried once or twice to make contact but with limited success. Debbie K seems to be the best bet but I've received nothing from her. The Ancestry "Baines Family Tree" has all the info I've obtained to date.
Haven't heard from you in a while. Trust AOK. Guess you were on the boat in France during the summer?
All the best, keep in touch R.
Not doing much on the family tree at the moment
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Roger, I had not looked at RootsChat for some time. It was only after I had sent my recent message that I realised that it was you - I should have looked at the date! We are all well and, like yourself, I have not been doing much with the family tree. I do have one little piece of information about Minnie / Winifred that I will share with you. You will remember Mother’s cousin Winnie who was born out of wedlock to Minnie Churchill in 1910. She was fostered for a couple of years until Minnie married Fred Stamp and then taken into the family. I knew that Minnie was working in Bath as a housemaid but that was all I knew. I was looking up something else in the 1911 census when it occurred to me that Minnie should be listed. I searched and Lo and Behold she shows up in the household of one Dr Rupert Waterhouse at 25, Circus, Bath. If you look closely at the attached census transcript you will note that he is a single gentleman. You may also surmise that just one year after Minnie had given birth he was being closely supervised by his mother and his sister.
It is now a matter of some regret that when our descendants are looking us up 100 years from now they will conclude that we were rather a dull lot. I suppose it’s too late to do anything about it now!