Which of your ancestors have disappeared?

[liverpool lass]

It is frustrating! Agnes did lie about her age quite often but I can't really imagine she bumped them off.  Murdock may have died at sea but I can't find the ref if he did. My old mum seems to think Hubert was struck by lightning    but I've googled and searched newspapers to no avail.

[KathMc]

MarieC,

In 1860, this Edward was born in 1804. There is a column on the 1860 census that states "married within the last year" and every last person on the page is checked. I take it to mean everyone is married and not that they physically married within the last year. 

The 1880 has him born about 1800 in England. I do believe, whether he is your Edward or not, the 1860 and 1880 Edwards are the same people. There actually weren't a lot of Edward Martins from England in the census.

The death records for California that are on Ancestry miss the years we would need for this. The problem becomes, even if you found this person's death date and ordered a cert, would there have been anyone around who would know the information to give for the cert. I am not sure if there is a way to confirm this.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

Kath

[MarieC]

Thanks very much for that, Kath!!! 

I take your point absolutely.  Finding stuff is hard enough, proving it will be much harder!  Grrrr!

Mariec

[hiraeth]

Hi MarieC & KathMc

What about checking Passenger Lists between 1851 to 1860 for Edward ? 

Another thought - can you check to see if the California Edward Martin is shown on the US 1850 census.  If he appears on there, then the odds are he is not MarieCs Edward.  I believe you said you had him on the UK 1851 MarieC??

[MarieC]

What about checking Passenger Lists between 1851 to 1860 for Edward ? 

Another thought - can you check to see if the California Edward Martin is shown on the US 1850 census.  If he appears on there, then the odds are he is not MarieCs Edward.  I believe you said you had him on the UK 1851 MarieC??

Hi hiraeth

Great minds think alike - I waded into the morass of passenger lists tonight but came up gasping for air!  I am not familiar with passenger lists to the US and there are so many websites!  And many of them seem to lead back to Ancestry, to which I do not have a sub.  I'm not sure what port he would have landed in either, if he DID go there.  I didn't find him, but that certainly doesn't mean he isn't there!  Will have another look sometime when my head has stopped whirling...

Your second idea is a great idea!  I do have Edward on the 1851 English census, so if the other one shows up in California 1850 it is not him.  It would be great if Kath could check that!

MarieC

[hiraeth]

Ancestry had a freebie access period over Christmas .  Perhaps they will do it again and/or someone on RC has a subscription.  I find them confusing as well 

This link to National Archives looks like it might be good.  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/searchthearchives/migration.htm?homepage=news

However, at the moment they say only 1890 -1899 is available, so not much help with the California goldrush 1850 plus time period.   

He could have landed on the East Coast and gone by land, but many of them I understand took other  boats to places like New Orleans and sometimes boats round again to San Francisco.  Maybe try boats directly to San Francisco first??  You could also do some research on line about the goldrush as there may be more specific info on how the majority arrived? 

Talk about needle in a haystack    Never mind, where there's life there's hope - at least you have a lead to chase now, thanks to your starting this thread

Heather

[hiraeth]

MarieC
Another thought.  Can you check US immigration records versus Passenger Lists. It would be good if you could check only California ones??

Heather

[DJFRENCH]

Hi Hiraeth,

I have an Edward Martin in my tree in Oxford but it's probably not him

DJ

[hiraeth]

Hi DJ

Actually it is MarieC who has the missing Edward Martin.  The details are on the early posts of this thread.
H