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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => US Lookup Requests => Topic started by: poirot on Tuesday 02 March 21 16:14 GMT (UK)
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This is difficult as I have so little information to go on.
A great uncle of my Littlejohn family emigrated to Detroit in Michigan so I was told. He was born in Aberdeenshire in 1877 the son of James Littlejohn & Christina Ross.
He was last recorded in Scotland on the 1891 census age 14.
I thought I had found him on the 1930 census in Dearborn, Detroit but his immigration year was listed as 1889.
I think it is possible that he first arrived in Canada then crossed the border.
My parents were advised to put a claim in on his estate as he died intestate. This request came from my father's three sisters who were still living in Scotland. Unfortunately all have since died so I have no idea if one of them had previously had any contact with him and who advised them of his death. I think it would have been around 1959.
I can't find his death registered on any online resource and would love to add the information to my family tree.
Poirot
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This is difficult as I have so little information to go on.
A great uncle of my Littlejohn family emigrated to Detroit in Michigan so I was told. He was born in Aberdeenshire in 1877 the son of James Littlejohn & Christina Ross.
He was last recorded in Scotland on the 1891 census age 14.
I thought I had found him on the 1930 census in Dearborn, Detroit but his immigration year was listed as 1889.
I think it is possible that he first arrived in Canada then crossed the border.
My parents were advised to put a claim in on his estate as he died intestate. This request came from my father's three sisters who were still living in Scotland. Unfortunately all have since died so I have no idea if one of them had previously had any contact with him and who advised them of his death. I think it would have been around 1959.
I can't find his death registered on any online resource and would love to add the information to my family tree.
Poirot
Would the name of great-uncle be Alexander Littlejohn ?
1881 Garden Cottage Kini Lodge Kincardine Oneill Aberdeenshire
James Littlejohn 44 Head
Christina Littlejohn 36 Wife
Agness Littlejohn 7 Daughter
Alexander Littlejohn 4 Son
Margaret Littlejohn 1 Daughter
Mary Littlejohn 7 Weeks Daughter
1891 census Turriff Aberdeenshire
Alexander Labban 24 Jessie Labban 38
Jessie Mertima 14 James W Mortimer 12
Helen Mortimer 9
Eliza Walker 6
Alexander Lobban 2
John Lobban 6mos
Alexander Littlejohn 14
Sandra
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Thank you for your quick response.
Yes, you have the right person. It was after I posted my request that I realised I had not named him. Another senior moment.
Regards,
poirot
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lol, we all have those - more so after being in lockdown for such a long time. :-\
Did the other sibling stay in Scotland ?
Immigration dates can often be wrong, can vary census to census, depends who is giving the information.
Sandra
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No luck with him on previous thread, back in 2010. He has been a "work in progress" for a long time.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=140111.0
Sandra
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There's an entry in the Social Security applications database for Alexander Littlejohn b. 30 Mar. 1877 in the UK. His claim date was 13 May 1942. It doesn't specify what the claim was for, but that was shortly after his 65th birthday, so it may be a claim for retirement benefits. His Social Security number was issued in Michigan.
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Is this possible ? There is a marriage on Scotlands People for Amelia Johanna Anderson to Alexander Littlejohn in 1902.
Alexander Littlejphn to Amelia Johanna Anderson - 1902 - 168/2 84 - St Machar
Then a Vermont marriage for a daughter of that couple.
Amelia Littlejohn - aged 40 years - born 1906 - married 1946 - Hardwick Caledonia Vermont - spouse Wesley W Gifford.
Father Alexander Littlejohn - Mother Amelia Anderson
Amelia Jane Littlejohn - 1905 - 168/2 1589 - St Machar
Sandra
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Marriage - The Caledonian-Record St. Johnsbury, Vermont - 11 Jun 1946, Tue Page 2
Father Mr Alexander Littlejohn of Aberdeen Scotland.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72477560/marriage-of-littlejohn-gifford/
Sandra
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New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island)
Amelia Jane Littlejohn born 1906 Scotland - aged 40 years - last permanent address - 12 Holborn Road. Aberdeen Scotland.
Departure Hull to Arrival Date 30 May 1946 - aircraft NCgogos
Going to fiance Wesley W Giffird. Hardwick Vermont.
Sandra
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The England Probate Calendar has an Alexander Littlejohn of 2 Gordon place, Ellon Aberdeenshire, died 5 Dec. 1946. Confirmation of James Littlejohn farmer and James Archibald Ross bank agent. Sealed London 6 Jun. 1947.
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FIND A GRAVE
Amelia Gifford - 20 August 1905 - 18 March 1996
burial - Fairview Cemetery Hardwick, Caledonia County, Vermont.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204338215/amelia-gifford
Wesley Gifford - 1911 - 1992
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204338199/wesley-w-gifford
Sandra
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Amelia Jane Irvine Littlejohn
Record Type Electoral Roll 1930
Street Address Gamekeepers House, Ballogie
Residence Place: Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Sandra
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Mother passed away 1936
Amelia Johanna Littlejohn - aged 59 years - 1936 - 168/2 159 - Aberdeen Southern
Sandra
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Mother Christina Ross Littlejohn passed away 1888 - burial 27 December 1888
https://www.deceasedonline.com/servlet/GSDOSearch?DetsView=Summary&src=ext&fileid=759916
Sandra
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The marriage referred to Amelia being given away by her uncle Alexander Sellar.
There was a Alexander Stephen Sellar born 1892 Boddam Aberdeen - shipwright - aged 37 years.
wife Beatrice aged 38 years and Phyllis Sellar aged 8 years. Going to New York 1929
Home - Father Alex Sellar 69 Menzies Road Aberdeen. All going to Staten Island whoich agrees with the detail in the newspaper article re marriage.
marriage
Alexander Stephen Sellar - Beatrice Alice Sellar - 1918 - 168/1 497 - St Nicholas
Sandra
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Perhaps you can let us know if people's, addresses, relationships etc fit ?
Sandra
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I had an idea that I had posted a query about Alexander before but couldn't find it din't realise that it was that long ago.
Don't think that Amelia Johanna Anderson was connected with him.
He had relatives in Detroit but maybe did not meet up. Charles Littlejohn and his wife Maria Lynch, and three daughters and son moved from Ontario into Michigan. They are all buried in a family grave in Mount Olivet Cemetery. Charles died in 1902.
The thing that puzzles me is if Alexander, had a wife & children why would they not inherit from his estate. How did my aunts know when he died and who contacted them to put in a claim from his estate.
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If Alexander was the divorced male in 1930 Michigan, then perhaps he would have no contact with wife and or child/children.
There is an age difference between Charles Littlejohn 6 April 1838 - 1906 (parents Father:
Alexander Littlejohn - Mother Mary Walker) and Alexander Littlejohn born 1877. What is the connection ?
Sandra
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James Littlejohn 1804- 1887 and Alexander 1807-1875 were brothers. James had a son also James 1837-1889. Alexander 1877-? was the son of James with his second wife Christina Ross.
Charles Littlejohn 1836-1930 the son of Alexander & Mary Walker would have been his uncle. The fact that they both lived in Detroit makes me wonder if they ever met.
I inherited hand written trees from two of my fathers sisters and neither of them had any details about Alexander only that they knew he had emigrated.
It gets confusing when names are repeated.
Cheers,
Poirot
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1930 Dearborn, Michigan city directory
Littlejohn, Aleck, laborer Ford Motor Co., resides 1809 Mulkey
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I don’t think the Alexander Littlejohn on the 1930 census is my relative.
There is another Alexander b. 1877 in Wilshaw, Lanarkshire who in 1891 age 14 was a Baker’s apprentice. In 1901 he was 24 and a Baker still in Scotland.
The Alexander on the 1930 census in Dearborn is a Baker.
The arrival date of 1889 does not tie in with either Alexander.
Also the admission to Detroit in 1923 has Alexander age 45 and occupation is a Baker.
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Have you looked for a birth record for your Alexander? An exact birth date might clear up who’s who.
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I have the birth certificate for my Alexander which I bought from Scotlands People some years ago.
He was born 13/3/1877 in Belhelvie Lodge, Aberdeenshire the son of James Littlejohn & Christina Ross.
The other Alexander was born in Wilshaw, Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire in 1877 and he was the Baker.
I don't have his exact date of birth without paying for it on Scotlands People. I can't find him on familysearch.
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The 1923 border crossing states Alexander Littlejohn was from Elgin not Wishaw Lanarkshire.
Sandra
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If this Alexander is my relative he is single and the person on the 1930 census is divorced so should I be looking for a possible marriage for him?
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I didn't see a marriage or divorce for him in Michigan, although, in theory, it could have happened anywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if the marital status was given by someone else, since there were 12 men rooming in that house. I'm trying to figure out how he was listed as a baker for an auto factory - did Ford have a cafeteria with fresh baked items for their employees or did the census taker somehow bungle this?
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What I don’t understand is where he was in between dates,
Last recorded in Scotland on 1891 census when he was 14 and a farm servant.
Then if it was him in 1923 where was he living in the meantime and then in 1930 in Detroit.
Sandra mentioned that his place of birth was listed as Elgin when I know he was born in Belhelvie, Aberdeenshire. Elgin is in Morayshire about 72 miles away.
I know his father James was a Gardener working on large estates and all his children were born in different places.
Why can’t I find a death for him as that was why I posted this thread and who advised my three aunts?
I have been looking at his siblings records to see if any of them has posted a tree. Also contacted a solicitor in Forres who dealt with the family to see if they have records going back to the nineteen fifties which is when I think he may have died.
It looks like it will always remain a mystery and I am really grateful for all the responses so far.
Poirot
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There is a gap in the Michigan death records/indexes that are available online from 1953-1970, so that is probably why a death record can’t be easily found. Also, most entries on the Social Security Death Index are from the early 1960’s forward, so he would likely be missed on there if he died in 1959.
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Trying to make sense of the 1923 passenger list of the Virginian but finding it a bit difficult to read.
As far as I can make out he arrived in Quebec in Aug 1907 and was going to stay with a friend Mr Sheppard at 393, Hey Street W.Toronto. Then he was going to Michigan to a friend J Sithe? at 1050, Turnbull Ave, Detroit 5/3/1923. It says his nationality was Canadian. After that the only other record is the 1930 census .
Is it time to give up the search? I am driving my husband mad.
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I can see the 1923 border crossing, and that says that Mr. Sheppard was the name of the relative/friend in the country from whence Alexander came (Canada). On the 2nd page, there is the information about the address you mentioned that he was going to, but it doesn't say anything in the column where they asked if he was in the US before, so that would indicate it was the first time he came to the US.
I see a 1907 passenger list to Quebec for the Virginian for an A.E. Littlejohn, but there's not a lot of detail to determine if he's your guy. He's listed as a 30 year old single miner going to Montreal. Under nation or country of birth, he has a ditto under a bunch of guys listed as born in Sweden, so that may or may not be correct.
I did post other records above, including the city directory entry & the Social Security application. Considering the date of birth on the Social Security application matches your guy's, it's almost certainly the right one.
If you wanted to spend money on it, you could try to order a Michigan death record, as explained here - https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-71551_4645---,00.html You could also order his original Social Security application for a fee. It would give his address & employer at the time of his application. More information available here - https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2020/11/16/ordering-the-ss-5-2020-style/
The 1950 census is expected to be released next year, so that may be helpful. As time goes on, more of the Michigan death index may be released. So even if the information isn't readily available now, it may be in the future.
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Just a thought could he have been involved in WW1 and is this why he was in Canada from 1907 to 1923 when he crossed the border into America. His nationality was shown as Canadian.
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There was no sign of Alexander Littlejohn in Canadian Attestation Papers. here is the link for you to have a play with yourself.
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/personnel-records.aspx
Sandra
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I found the tree of Mary littlejohn, a sister of Alexander, on ancestry who was married to Andrew Crichton. She died in 1962 so would have been alive after Alexander died I think.
So I sent a message to see if her family had been contacted and I had a response from Ancestry stating that “The member connect service is unavailable. Please try later.” So it hasn’t been sent.
Is there any way I can view the Social Security Application & Claim?
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just as reply 5 referred really (available on subscription site) - it is just an index - a transcription - nothing else to see - other than...........
Alexander Littlejohn
Birth Date 30 Mar 1877
Birth Place United Kingdom
Claim Date 13 May 1942
SSN 375093942
Notes 16 Sep 1977: Name listed as Alexander Littlejohn
I believe the 1977 date - is just a date that this was entered on to the index.
Sandra
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Hi Sandra,
I would like to thank you and others who have helped me with my research but I now realise that I am never going to find the death of Alexander Littlejohn in America. So I think the time has come to close this thread.
I would like to return to the Canadian thread that I first posted many years ago looking for the marriage of Charles Littlejohn to Maria Lynch.
You have been very generous with your time and expertise and I really appreciate it.
All the best,
Poirot
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There are always new records appearing so you never know - one day Alexander may turn up.
Meanwhile I have resurrected your 2020 Canadian thread on Charles Littlejohn and Maria Lynch for you.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=836380.new#new
Sandra